Jack Diehl
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(También en Español) News of Note: High School Students Need Someone to Talk to About Sex Without Shame The other day, as a reward for finishing their state tests, I was letting my students talk quietly in groups and do word games. I sat next to three of my ninth graders (three girls and a…
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(También en Español) News of Note: Engineered stem cells seek out, kill HIV in living organisms (Medical Xpress) — Expanding on previous research providing proof-of-principal that human stem cells can be genetically engineered into HIV-fighting cells, a team of UCLA researchers have now demonstrated that these cells can actually attack HIV-infected cells in a living…
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(También en Español) News of Note: Taking exception to the concept of ‘American exceptionalism’ “It’s a curious thing how the notion of American exceptionalism has been twisted and turned into a bludgeon, not only to assert American superiority but also to employ as a test of allegiance. The Republican presidential candidates have wielded the concept…
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Incarceration Nation
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2 min read
(También en Español) News of Note: Zakaria: Incarceration nation “Here are the facts. The U.S. has 760 prisoners per 100,000 citizens. That’s not just many more than in most other developed countries but seven to 10 times as many. Japan has 63 per 100,000, Germany has 90, France has 96, South Korea has 97, and…
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The Death of Copyright
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3 min read
(También en Español) News of Note: You Will Never Kill Piracy, and Piracy Will Never Kill You Now that the SOPA and PIPA fights have died down, and Hollywood prepares their next salvo against internet freedom with ACTA and PCIP, it’s worth pausing to consider how the war on piracy could actually be won. It…
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(También en Español) News of Note: U.N. summit focuses on how to improve global happiness The United Nations turned its attention to happiness — and just how it might be achieved on an international scale. “Conscious that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal” and “recognizing that the gross domestic product … does…
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(También en Español) News of Note: Catholic church abuse: at least one youth castrated for ‘homosexuality’ At least one boy under the age of 16 was castrated to ‘help’ his homosexual feelings while in Catholic church care in the 1950s, the NRC reported on Saturday. But there are indications at least 10 other boys were…
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The Unwelcome Mat
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2 min read
(También en Español) News of Note: The Unwelcome Mat: How America Scares Away Tourists Imagine that you’re the citizen of a prosperous, democratic ally like Britain, Spain or Japan, and you’d like to visit America. Before traveling, you must pay $14 to complete an online United States government form called ESTA, short for Electronic System…
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White House Proposes Online Privacy Bill of Rights
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2 min read
(También en Español) News of Note: White House Proposes Online Privacy Bill of Rights the Obama Administration released a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights for online users, including the ability for browser users to opt out of being tracked by advertisers and others. The proposed document was described by the White House as “part of…
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(También en Español) News of Note: U.S. Teen Birthrates Are Down, But Still High in These States In 2009, a landmark study found a strong correlation between religion and teen pregnancy. The CDC’s newest data suggests not much has changed. Teen pregnancy closely follows the contours of America’s Bible belt, according to the map (above)…