Category Archives: News

news as it is happening-ish

90300676 Former US President Jimmy Carter

Former US president Jimmy Carter has called on Ireland to take a lead in introducing legislation to target the buyers of sex.

In letters to the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and all members of the Oireachtas, Mr Carter urged politicians to act with a “sense of urgency” to protect prostituted women and girls. In the letters, Mr Carter acknowledges the progress being made in Ireland towards passing legislation that would target the buyers of sex.

Ireland urged to take lead to target buyers of sex (RTÉ News)

Alternatively..

Both The Lancet and The Economist have called for prostitution to be decriminalised:

Sweden’s avowed aim is to wipe out prostitution by eliminating demand. But the sex trade will always exist—and the new approach has done nothing to cut the harms associated with it. Street prostitution declined after the law was introduced but soon increased again. When Rhode Island unintentionally decriminalised indoor prostitution between 2003 and 2009 the state saw a steep decline in reported rapes and cases of gonorrhoea. Governments should focus on deterring and punishing such crimes [slavery and child prostituition] and leave consenting adults who wish to buy and sell sex to do so safely and privately online.

A personal choice (Josie Delap, The Economist)

The Lancet: HIV and sex workers

Previously: You Ain’t Seen Novena Yet

Hoor We To Judge?

Turn Off The Red White And Blue Light

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

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Israel takes over vast Palestinian lands to build new settlement. Takeover from five Palestinian villages is biggest West Bank land appropriation in 30 years, says Peace Now; settlers laud Netanyahu, Ya’alon, government.

Israel appropriates massive tract of West Bank land (Chaim Levinson and Jack Khoury, Haaretz) [behind paywall]

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A huge wasp nest discovered by exterminator John Birkett at the unused spare bedroom of a house in Winchester. According to the Hampshire Chronicle:

“I opened the door and I just couldn’t bloody believe it,” Mr Birkett said. “It was the most incredible thing I’ve seen. “I got dressed up like a spaceman and tried to destroy as many as I could with the workers flying around the room.” The nest split in half during the struggle, releasing 2,000 wasps. “I was covered in them,” he said. “The room was completely full of wasps.”

MORE: 5,000 wasps found in St Cross bedroom (Hampshire Chronicle)

boingboing

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RT’s Paula Slier reports from Donetsk and carefully sidesteps the Ukrainian President’s assertion that the Russian Army has invaded.

The story of 10 Russian soldiers getting lost and ending up 20 miles into Ukrainian territory is still being pedalled.

“Now a few days ago there were 10 Russian soldiers who mistakenly crossed over the Russian-Ukrainian border into Ukrainian territory. The incident happened at night while at a part of the border where there are very few signposts”

Meanwhile…

Richard_posner_harvardzJudge Richard Posner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MRemxc1gxc

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Meet Judge Richard Posner of the 7th Circuit Court in Chicago.

On Tuesday, Judge Posner heard arguments against marriage equality  Lawyers for Wisconsin and Indiana attempted to defend their state’s marriage bans. In a series of retorts, the judge slapped down arguments for continuing the ban.

Judge Posner harshly questioned Indiana Solicitor General Thomas M. Fisher and in many instances the solicitor was left with no answer.

He asked Fisher if  gay marriage isn’t  “better for the psychological health or the welfare” of gay people’s kids? Fisher gave a noncommittal answer.

He asked “Why do you prefer heterosexual adoption to homosexual adoption?”, Fisher again struggled to respond.

He then asks why Indiana wants to “punish children” because “their parents happen to be homosexual.”

Adding: “Isn’t it much better for kids to be adopted? But if you allow same-sex marriage, you’re going to have more adopters, right? … You should be wanting to enlist people as adopters.”

Posner then asked Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Timothy Samuelson why Wisconsin doesn’t permit joint adoption by same-sex couples.

Samuelson stated that Wisconsin’s tradition of allowing only opposite-sex marriage is a rational basis for barring same-sex couples from the institution.

Posner asked Samuelson to identify a single rational basis for his state’s anti-gay marriage law.

When Samuelson claimed that “society” is helped by gay marriage bans, Posner replied

“How is it being helped? You’re not trying to force homosexuals into heterosexual marriage. So what is the harm of allowing these people to marry? Does it hurt heterosexual marriage? Does it hurt children?”

Any excuse.

Listen to a Conservative Judge Brutally Destroy Arguments Against Gay Marriage (Mark Joseph Stern, Slate)