June 9, 2014

The Pale Blue Dot

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

-- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994





"It matters what's true."

-- Neil deGrasse Tyson, 2014

June 8, 2014

US Official: Bergdahl Tells Military Officials He Was Tortured, Beaten and Held in Cage by Taliban

Source: Associated Press

@AP: US official: Bergdahl tells military officials he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by Taliban captors: http://t.co/L6nQDbl7f7

BERGDAHL SAYS HE WAS TORTURED BY TALIBAN CAPTORS

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
— Jun. 8, 2014 4:34 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — A senior U.S. official says Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (boh BURG'-dahl) tells military officials that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to discuss what Bergdahl is saying while being treated at a U.S. military medical facility in Germany.

The official says it is difficult to verify the accounts Bergdahl is providing about conditions of his captivity in the hands of the Taliban. He was released a week ago after nearly five years in captivity.

The New York Times reports Sunday that Bergdahl is not yet emotionally prepared to return to his family.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bergdahl-says-he-was-tortured-taliban-captors

June 6, 2014

Federal Judge Overturns Wisconsin's Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Source: WTMJ

Judge overturns Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban

James Kust

CREATED 3:29 PM - UPDATED: 3:49 PM

MADISON - A federal judge has ruled that Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Wisconsin's voters passed a constitutional ban against same-sex marriages in 2006, but the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and the law firm of Mayer Brown filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight Wisconsin couples challenging the ban.

Part of Friday's ruling reads:

"It is DECLARED that art. XIII, § 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution violates plaintiffs' fundamental right to marry and their right to equal protection of laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constiution."

The state motioned to stay the case in March and to dismiss it in April, but both motions were denied. It's not yet clear when same-sex marriages will be able to be performed in Wisconsin.

Read more: http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/Judge-overturns-Wisconsins-same-sex-marriage-ban-262161101.html?lc=Smart

June 5, 2014

Witnesses: Boko Haram Slaughters 100s in Nigeria

Source: Associated Press

WITNESSES: BOKO HARAM SLAUGHTERS 100S IN NIGERIA

By HARUNA UMAR
— Jun. 5, 2014 6:03 AM EDT

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Witnesses say Boko Haram militants dressed as soldiers slaughtered at least 200 civilians in three communities in northeastern Nigeria and that the military failed to intervene.

A community leader who witnessed the killings on Monday said residents of the Gwoza local government district in Borno state had pleaded for the military to send soldiers to protect the area after they heard that militants were about to attack, but help didn't arrive.

Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno and whose hometown is Gwoza, confirmed the incident. The incident was also confirmed by a top security official in Maiduguri, Borno's state capital, who didn't want to be named because he isn't allowed to speak to the media.

Boko Haram wants to establish Islamic state in Nigeria.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/witnesses-boko-haram-slaughters-100s-nigeria

June 4, 2014

New U.S. Ambassador Swore Her Oath On an E-Reader

http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/06/us-ambassador-swears-oath-of-office-on-e-reader/371974/

JUN 2, 2014 10:23AM ET / NATIONAL

New U.S. Ambassador Swore Her Oath on an E-Reader

ERIC LEVENSON

In a peculiar "sign-of-the-times" moment last Friday, Suzi LeVine was sworn in as the United States' newest Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein by raising her right hand and placing the left on a digital copy of the Constitution. Instead of a paper-bound book, she swore the oath on an e-reader. It is believed to be the first Oath of Office consecrated in non-book form.

LeVine, a former Microsoft executive and fundraiser for the Obama team, solemnly swore her oath of office with her hand on the e-reader being held by her son and daughter.

On the e-reader, the U.S. Constitution was "opened" to the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Vice President Joe Biden led the proceedings.

MORE

June 1, 2014

Ann B. Davis, Who Played Alice on 'The Brady Bunch,' Dies at Age 88

Source: TMZ

@BreakingNews: Ann B. Davis, who played Alice on 'The Brady Bunch,' died at age 88, roommates tell @TMZ http://t.co/jNCXBUcFva

NEWS

'BRADY BUNCH'
ALICE DEAD AT 88
After Bathroom Fall

36 Minutes Ago

TV legend Ann B. Davis who played Alice on "The Brady Bunch" has died ... TMZ has learned.

According to the couple she lived with in Texas ... Ann fell in her bathroom early this morning and hit her head causing grave damage. We're told she never regained consciousness.

Her roommate says Davis had been pretty healthy for an 88-year old woman -- and her death was a total shock. In fact, she even walked downstairs to say goodnight before going to bed.



Davis played the housekeeper Alice Nelson for the entire original run of "The Brady Bunch" from 1969 to 1974. She also filled the role for countless other TV movies and reunions. She last played Alice for 5 episodes of "The Bradys" in 1990.



Read more: http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2014/06/01/ann-b-davis-dead-alice-from-the-brady-bunch-dies-at-age-88

June 1, 2014

Breaking: Hagel Says WH Moved Quickly on Prisoner Swap Because Sgt. Bergdahl's Life Was in Danger

Source: Associated Press

@AP: BREAKING: Hagel says White House moved quickly on prisoner swap because Sgt. Bergdahl's life was in danger: http://t.co/xAeapJ2Y48

HAGEL: CAPTIVE'S LIFE WAS IN DANGER

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
— Jun. 1, 2014 5:25 AM EDT

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday the military operation to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainees was not relayed to Congress because officials believed the soldier's life was in danger.

In his first extensive public comments about Saturday's operation, Hagel said intelligence the U.S. had gathered suggested that Bergdahl's "safety and health were both in jeopardy, and in particular his health was deteriorating."

Taliban members handed Bergdahl over to special operations forces in eastern Afghanistan, and later in the day the detainees were flown from the Guantanamo detention center to Qatar.

The Pentagon did not give Congress the required 30-day notice for the release of detainees.



Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hagel-captives-life-was-danger