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Investigations, Indictments, And The Political Future Of Donald Trump
The New Yorker's Susan Glasser talks investigations, indictments and the political future of Donald Trump.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning on two high-profile same-sex marriage cases. The justices voted 5-4 to strike down a key provision in the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA. DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, even in states where they are legal. The court said “DOMA singles out a class of persons deemed by a state entitled to recognition and protection to enhance their own liberty.” The court avoided a ruling on California’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage. With a 5-4 vote, the court said it lacked jurisdiction to decide the case. A discussion of the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage rulings.
MS. DIANE REHMThanks for joining us. I'm Diane Rehm. The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. In the other major same-sex marriage case the court said it lacked jurisdiction to rule on California's gay marriage ban.
MS. DIANE REHMThis clears the way for same-sex unions in that state. We talk about what the rulings mean for the nation. Joining me in the studio author and journalist, Stuart Taylor, by phone Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitutional Center and Camilla Taylor of Lambda Legal.
MS. DIANE REHMFrom a studio here in Washington, Ron Elving of NPR. I hope you'll join the conversation, give us a call, 800-433-8850. Send us your email to email@example.com, follow us on facebook or send us a tweet. Good morning to you all.
MR. JEFFREY ROSENGood morning.
MR. STUART TAYLORGood morning, Diane.
REHMAnd Jeffrey Rosen, today I want to start with you. Let's start with the Defense of Marriage Act called DOMA, what did the court decide?
ROSENThe court decided in a historic and important opinion that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, as a deprivation of what Justice Kennedy called the equal liberty of persons that's protected by the 5th Amendment. Justice Kennedy was especially struck that Congress was interfering with over 1,000 federal statures and a whole realm of federal regulations that disrupted the states traditional ability to define marriage.
ROSENAnd there's a combination of concerns both with equality which is one of Justice Kennedy's central concerns and also with states' rights and federalism. The people challenging DOMA appealed to Justice Kennedy's sense of limited government and he very much embraced that argument by saying the combination of the assault on states' rights and on the dignity of gays and lesbians rendered DOMA unconstitutional and in this he was joined by Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan.
ROSENThere was a very strong dissent from Chief Justice Roberts who first of all, said the court should not have had jurisdiction to hear the case to begin with as it decided in the California case. But if it had jurisdiction then Chief Justice Roberts would have upheld DOMA under the constitution.
TAYLORThat was an excellent summary and I think a couple of things worth remarking on in addition, this was a traditional liberal-conservative breakdown in terms of the five-four with Justice Kennedy playing his usual role of deciding whether the liberals win or the conservatives win.
TAYLORIt's interesting that in yesterday's huge decision, striking down the Voting Rights Act Section 4, a key provision, Justice Kennedy tipped the balance to the conservative side and the liberals were accusing him and the majority of judicial activism. You are disrespecting the democratic enactment of Congress.
TAYLORThis time the roles are reversed. Justice Kennedy tipped the balance for the liberal side in a decision that I kind of liked, by the way, and this time it's the conservatives who are accusing the liberals of judicial activism, of disregarding a solemn act of Congress based on airy constitutional theories that are pretty new in American history.
REHMCamilla Taylor, how big a win is this ruling for gay rights?
MS. CAMILLA TAYLORWell, it's a thrilling win and I agree with the statements that were made already, that characterize it, and a couple of things that I would add is that Justice Kennedy showed great concern for the way that DOMA demeans the lives of lesbian and gay people and condemned the treatment of them, as in second-class marriages, which I think telegraphs what we may see in the future from this court, with respect to the substantive issue of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, with respect to whether states may ban them from marrying. That was not reached of course in this DOMA decision, which simply concerns whether the federal government may deny federal respect to valid marriages of same-sex couples.
MS. CAMILLA TAYLORBut there was such strong language about personhood and dignity and the way in which this law treated people so badly and specifically with respect to children, Justice Kennedy writes that the law humiliated tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples and made it even more difficult for the children to understand the integrity and closeness of their own family and its concord with other families in their community and in their daily lives. So I think that's a very strong signal of how this majority will feel should it reach the substantive questions on another day with respect to the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.
REHMRon Elving, what about California's Proposition 8?
MR. RON ELVINGThis is a bit trickier, it's not quite as direct as the decision that they made with respect to DOMA. It's a jurisdictional decision. Justice, Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority and was joined by a couple of conservatives and also by a couple of the liberals and he got a five to four majority together, sort of the back door way to rule that in this particular case the case should not have been before the Supreme Court really at all.
MR. RON ELVINGAnd that they should have left it up to, not just the 9th Circuit Court but that the 9th Circuit Court out in California should not have taken the case either and they should have left things stand with the original trial court, the district court, by Judge Walker who ruled that Proposition 8 could not stand.
MR. RON ELVINGProposition 8 being, of course, being the ban adopted by the voters back out there in California several years ago and a rather sweeping opinion that Judge Walker wrote a few years ago should have been allowed to stand by the 9th circuit because the proper people, that is the state officials of California, did not step forward to defend the voter passed initiative that had banned gay marriage.
MR. RON ELVINGThat's a little more complicated than what we saw in DOMA but it appears that the effect, at least for the moment, would be for California. It would mean that Judge Walker's order that invalidated Proposition 8 would stand.
TAYLORThat's correct, it's not entirely what happens when the case goes back to California. There's a lot of dispute over whether, you know, that Judge Walker's decision stands and Proposition 8 is gone or whether Judge Walker too lacked jurisdiction.
TAYLORBut I think an important overarching theme of these decisions, they would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. The role of public opinion which has changed faster in support of gay marriage in recent years than on any other issue I can think of has been absolutely critical in bringing the court to this decision and its critical in a lot of cases but I've never seen it more dramatically illustrated than in this. The public supports gay marriage, DOMA would not pass today in Congress and you're seeing the outcome.
REHMCamilla, what about Prop 8 in California, what do you think happens next?
TAYLORWell, it's clear that Californians will be able to marry again without regard to sex or sexual orientation. That these couples who have been prevented from affirming their commitment to each other and from having the dignity and status of marriage to quote the Windsor opinion, "We'll once again be able to marry."
TAYLORAnd so it's really a great day for the couples in California who were prevented from doing so by Proposition 8 and I think that what Stuart Taylor was referring to with respect to some questions about the scope of Judge Walker's decision, I think those will be resolved very quickly and I'm convinced that Californians will be marrying very soon.
REHMJeffrey Rosen, what happens to other states around the country, will they all now have to permit same-sex marriage?
ROSENThey will not, this is a minimalist decision that does nothing to resolve the national status of same-sex marriage one way or the other. States will be continue, to free to recognize gay marriage by popular initiative or court decisions as states are increasingly able to do. The states that ban gay marriage will be able to continue to do it.
ROSENNevertheless, there are a couple of things to say. There is language in the DOMA decision about the danger of demeaning the equal dignity of same-sex couples that litigants will certainly site in their efforts to once again argue the bans on same-sex marriage are impermissible and perhaps, as Stuart said, if the court is reflecting the way that public opinion is moving, the court will hear one of those cases in a few years and might be willing to nationalize gay marriage down the road.
ROSENBut we do have some window onto the thinking of the justices here. In DOMA Chief Justice Roberts and the conservative dissenters with the exception of Kennedy made clear that they were not by any means willing to recognize some sort of national right to the equal dignity of gays and lesbians.
ROSENBut then we have this remarkable alignment in the Perry case. So Chief Justice Roberts delivers the opinion of the court in which Scalia, Ginsburg, Breyer and Kagan join. What an incredible assortment of justices who are, Roberts and Scalia devoted to judicial minimalism and don't like broad, holding the jurisdiction while the liberals like the result which is that gay marriage in California stands.
ROSENThe dissenting opinion written by Kennedy who loves to find jurisdiction in all cases, he's joined by Thomas, Alito and Sotomayor. She would have, uniquely among the liberals, found jurisdiction and on the merits recognized the right to gay marriage.
ROSENSo in that bit of tea leaf reading, we get a sense of which liberal justices are willing to move quickly, which are more restrained and Chief Justice Roberts very much in this opinion making the court his own and avoiding a broad ruling because he thought the court's institutional legitimacy required it.
TAYLORThat is an unexpected breakdown. I doubt that it will prove to be a very significant breakdown in the future because there are going to be more cases attacking state laws that deny equality to gay marriage. They will come to the court eventually and then the court will have to come to grips with this on the merits because they won't all be, have jurisdictional problems like this.
TAYLORAnd I think the DOMA decision today goes a considerable distance toward giving us a basis to forecast to the court will eventually decree a right to gay marriage. Justice Roberts -- Chief Justice Roberts in his dissent tried to avoid that inference by saying now that what we've done -- what you guys have done today doesn't mean there's going to be a right to gay marriage and he emphasizes the parts of the Kennedy majority opinion that rests on federalism and that shoe will be in the other foot in a gay marriage case.
REHMStuart Taylor, author and journalist. We'll take a short break here. When we come back we'll read your emails, take your phone calls. I look forward to speaking with you.
REHMAnd we have a tweet from Gavin Newsome. The Lieutenant Governor of California and former mayor of San Francisco tweeted, "Love rules the day." I like that one. And here's a Tweet from Josh, "Antonin Scalia's gay marriage dissent is vicious, dripping with sarcasm and contempt for the majority." Camilla, is that how you read it?
TAYLORWell, I think we never anticipated that Justice Scalia was going to be a huge advocate for the freedom to marry, given his dissents in Lawrence. And so it's not very surprising. What I think is remarkable about this opinion apart from anything else is the way the majority opinions states that the federal law known as DOMA was infected by an improper purpose, an illegitimate purpose of discrimination. And it disposed of the purpose that was cited by the congress in DOMA, which is also used to justify all sorts of state marriage bans.
TAYLORSo I think that's going to be a significant point about this ruling. Even though it technically affects only the federal law known as DOMA, it signifies and it will be used frequently I am sure to describe why it is that state marriage bans are similarly illegitimate and unconstitutional.
REHMAnd you only have 12 states plus the District of Columbia that allow same-sex couples to marry. So, Camilla, I would think you're going to be a very busy woman.
TAYLORYes. There are other lawsuits in the courts and of course we expect other legislatures in states to take action very soon (unintelligible) ...
REHMAll right. And to you, Jeffrey Rosen. Here's an email from Jordan in Arbor, N.H. He says, "If I were to marry another man in Massachusetts and then move to Texas, which of these three options would be the case? A. Texas would need to recognize my marriage, B. Texas would not recognize it but federally I am married or C. Texas would not recognize it and I'm only federally married if I'm personally located in certain federal districts? Jeffrey.
ROSENWow. Diane, I have been on this show for a long time. I've never had such a good multiple choice question. (unintelligible) ...
REHMI thought you'd like that one.
ROSENThat's a tough one, too. I had to really concentrate. I think, gosh, I hope I don't get this one wrong on the air. But it sounded like B is the answer. To me, you are validly married in Massachusetts. For federal purposes you are validly married and you can get all federal benefits. But under the full faith and credit clause, Texas does not have to recognize your marriage for state purposes. But I will quickly defer to the state law people to see if I've gotten that last (unintelligible).
REHMCamilla wants to respond.
TAYLORWell, there are a variety of choice of law principles historically that various federal agencies have used to determine whether someone is validly married. So for immigration purposes and a few others, the federal government will look to the place of celebration. And if you were married in Massachusetts you are married for the purpose of being able to sponsor your spouse for citizenship, for example, no matter where you live.
TAYLORThere are other federal agencies that have looked to your place of residence quite often simply by a matter of practice or by case law, but not as a matter of statute or anything like that. And then there are a very few places where there may need to be some consideration taken by the administration to whether the administration will be willing to enforce provisions that would defer to discriminatory state laws that prevent people from marrying.
TAYLORSo all this to say that there could be some federal guidance and some federal action taken very soon that will make it clear, that the place of celebration is the place that determines whether a marriage is valid for federal purposes no matter where people live in the country.
TAYLORI wouldn't be surprised to see President Obama take a position or have to take a position on this. He's the one who runs all these federal agencies theoretically. And it would be odd for different agencies to have different decisions. And given the direction of President Obama's thinking on this issue, he thought -- he opposed gay marriage not long ago. He thought it was -- now he thinks it's so unconstitutional he won't defend it in court.
TAYLORGiven the direction of his thinking, I would expect that if you have -- that the caller will have federal rights -- federal marriage rights everywhere in the country, that that's how it will sort itself out.
REHMRon Elving, do you want to weigh in?
ELVINGThis is a question we have been trying to figure out here this morning as well because it is a question that people are going to ask, perhaps not with quite such precision as the person who sent you that email earlier. But people are going to be asking, hey wait a minute, I got married in Massachusetts, New York and California and now I live in South Dakota. What happens to me?
ELVINGSome states recognize marriages made elsewhere -- gay marriages but most don't. And that's going to be a problem for a lot of people and we're going to try to be able to give them an answer. And it's probably going to depend on a lot of language. And probably the easiest thing would be if the president would issue some sort of sweeping blanket statement as many gay activists have been urging him, and urging the first lady in one particular famous case, to do in recent weeks and months. Put your money where your mouth is and tell us that this is the way the federal government will slice it.
TAYLORThere's another provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that wasn't challenged today that has some relevance here. That provision would say that states that do not recognize gay marriage do not have to honor gay marriages performed in the states that do. Now that's a different issue from the one on the table because the one on the table is what the federal government will do, what rights you'll have.
TAYLORBut, you know, another question will be, does Texas, if you move there from Massachusetts, have to recognize your marriage for all purposes?
TAYLORDOMA says no, Texas doesn't have to do that. That too will be litigated in the courts.
REHMCamilla, do you agree?
TAYLORWell, I think that the choice of law principles that states have used -- they've often used (word?) law principles to determine whether someone is validly married if they come from a different state and they've married elsewhere. And constitutional amendments and discriminatory statutes that preclude people from marrying have infected those decisions that states have been making.
TAYLORSo I think that what we're probably going to see are a lot more efforts to get the freedom to marry in those states that are currently discriminating against same-sex couples. And those will include legislative efforts but also court action as well, which would call into question not just Section 2, but of course the fundamental right to marry and the guarantee of the equality provision of the federal constitution which was at stake at Windsor as well.
REHMRon Elving, in recent years we've certainly seen public opinion shift. How much of public opinion do you think has affected the court's ruling?
ELVINGThat's immeasurable on one level. We will not know that in any precise kind of way. And certainly many of the things that were argued today would suggest that the judges are looking at many things besides public opinion. Many of the things we saw in the opinions and the dissent. But it's also interesting to see this split decision, if you will, between these two cases and how in some sense seems to reflect the country's ambivalence.
ELVINGFor example, in the latest polling that's been done by the Pew Research Center, they found that 51 percent of Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally. That's just a little over 50 percent. It's what you call a bare majority perhaps. And yet, 42 percent, a very large minority, still saying that they oppose legalizing gay marriage.
ELVINGI think it's not that number though so much that's affecting the thinking of the country and the thinking of legislators and the thinking of these judges, but rather the direction, the fact that we have moved so far. In 2004 President George W. Bush was largely reelected by states having constitutional amendments banning gay marriage on their ballot to attract social conservatives to the polls. That was highly effective for him. Now the energy seems to be running strongly in the other direction in many, many states, particularly the most populace ones.
REHMAll right. Let's open the phones. We're going first to West Plains, Mo. Good morning, CJ.
CJGood morning. I appreciate your show and your guests. My question today is, if the majority of people in a particular state have voted one way or the other for or against same-sex marriage, how can a judge or a court overturn that?
TAYLORWell, the base of the argument that is made is that equal protection of the law's principle, which applies to the states and via the Fifth Amendment precedence to the federal government. Equal protection of the laws guarantees gay couples' right to be treated just the same as traditional married couples. That's the argument and there are lots of counter arguments.
ROSENThis is Jeff. It might be pointed out that the court did not squarely embrace that principle when it comes to the basic right of gay marriage itself. It did say that the federal law had to fall because it was infected by animas. And it now becomes clear that the central moment in that oral argument was when Justice Elena Kagan read from the congressional report which said that a purpose of the Defense of Marriage Act was to express moral disapproval of gays and lesbians.
ROSENThat moral disapproval, the court has held, is an impermissible purpose, a bear desire to harm a politically unpopular group, the court said, can't survive even the most relaxed scrutiny. And that principle might be applied to strike down bands on gay marriage in the states but it was not here. Because the Perry case basically avoided that question on jurisdictional grounds. States are free to come up with rational reasons for continuing to ban gay marriage.
ROSENAnother thing that didn't emerge from these decisions today is what is a non-bigoted reason for banning gay marriage? That's what the caller is really asking. How could judges strike down a law like this? The answer is that states have to come up with some reason that doesn't have to do with moral disapproval that could justify a ban on gay marriage.
ROSENThe one reason it was offered in the oral arguments in Perry was responsible procreation. The basic idea was that it's a little tricky to encapsulate fast, but that because straight men can be really animalistic and might impregnate women and run away and not marry them. They need the prestige of marriage to tame them and make them behave well, whereas gays and lesbians already behave well. When they have kids they have to plan and think about it. So they don't need the prestigious institution of marriage and therefore marriage would be devalued by including them.
ROSENThat was kind of a farfetched argument that Justice Kagan expressed some questions about. But arguments like that, once again, will be front and center while the majority of states that don't recognize same-sex marriage have to go to court and come up with a non-bigoted reason for justifying those bounds.
TAYLORWell, I'll add with respect to the responsible procreation justification that was cited in oral argument and which gets very little treatment in the majority opinion in Windsor. A majority of the justices express a lot of skepticism about that.
TAYLORAnd Justice Kennedy's opinion in Windsor talks again and again about how denying same-sex couples the ability to have their marriages respected by the federal government humiliates children and deprives the children of same-sex couples of tangible benefits, as well as making their lives harder and labeling their families as bad families. So I think it's very clear that the court did not consider that to be an adequate justification, and that that was illegitimate too.
REHMAnd you're listening to "The Diane Rehm Show." Let's go back to the phones and to Hamilton, Mich. Good morning, Jerrod.
JERRODGood morning, Diane.
REHMHi there. Go right ahead, sir.
JERRODAll right. Could I ask what your opinion on same-sex marriage is? And I have a comment. Same-sex marriages aren't normal and they're being accepted as being normal. In the beginning of time there was man and woman, not man and man, not woman and woman. I just -- it makes me feel weird when they're accepting it and there's just -- people don't seem to see that it's odd.
REHMI can certainly appreciate the fact that you are thinking in Biblical terms, as you reference man and woman. However, society has changed. Society is changing. You ask my personal opinion. I have no problem with same-sex marriage. Thanks for your call. To Toledo, Ohio. Good morning, Don, you're on the air.
DONGood morning. Thank you for taking my call.
DONI'm wondering if it's being proposed at all nationally, or has been, to have government not recognize marriage at all. I am a single person and more and more I guess I feel discriminated against and that I don't -- I'm not allocated the same rights and privileges as married people, especially in terms of later life issues and those types of things. I feel like I should be able to legally be able to designate who I want to do certain things legally and not have to get married in order to do so. So I'm wondering if that's all being proposed or even thought of.
ELVINGAn interesting frontier for legal and political thought going forward as we see people delaying the institution of marriage, getting married later, if getting married at all, having children without getting married, which is increasingly normative in the United States. And as we see that going forward and people in states where perhaps the law is not changing as rapidly as in some other states, may particularly see themselves disadvantaged by this, perhaps not having a partnership kind of option. So I can see there being a certain natural alliance of a number of younger single people in asking on this frontier of legal question, where's mine?
REHMDo you agree, Stuart?
TAYLORYeah, I think there's a thoughtful line of analysis that marriage should not be a state matter. It should be a private matter, do in your church, just do it with your friends. But I don't think that that movement has any political momentum or force as of now. Whether it might ten years, twenty years from now remains to be seen.
REHMBut why shouldn't Don have the same tax advantages as someone who goes into a marriage? Perhaps Don has a child with someone else. They live together, they raise children together. Why does marriage legally have to come into it?
TAYLORWell, there's a strong humanitarian argument -- policy argument for what Don says. What it has to overcome is a lot of tradition, a lot of existing law and. And also the view of many people that the institution of marriage is an anchor for families, that it's better for children to have that anchor.
REHMBut, Stuart, you've got to recognize the percentage of divorce in this country. It's about 50 percent. How stable is that for children?
TAYLORWell, for the 50 percent who don't get divorced the argument is it's more stable. And by the way, it's interesting. Some advocates of gay marriage -- my former colleague Jonathan Rouch among others, argue in favor of gay marriage precisely because marriage is a better place for families and raising children than -- and for a normal, you know, a bourgeois existence, if you will than singlehood.
REHMThanks for your call, Don. And when we come back after a short break, more of your calls, your email. Short break.
REHMAnd for this segment of the program, I have to read the tweet from Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, who tweeted, "My thoughts on the SCOTUS ruling that determined that same-sex marriage is okay," he puts in quotes, "Jesus wept." I'm sure there are going to be a lot of people out there, Camilla, who feel that way.
REHMThere is not whole hearted support for gay marriage or this ruling. But on the other hand, here's an email from Christopher, who says, "This is the happiest I've been in my entire 37 years on this planet. Growing up in one of the most conservative counties in Maryland, I thought I was alone in the entire world as a gay man until today. I had to pull over because I was crying for 30 minutes." So two extraordinarily different perceptions.
TAYLORYes. Well, I think one of the panelists mentioned earlier that actually a group of different polls now in recent months has shown that there is majority popular support for the freedom to marry nationwide. And we've seen an extraordinary leap in public opinion favoring the freedom to marry in recent years. And this is not a trend that's going away. The support for the freedom to marry is greatest among young people, and even among more elderly people in the country support has grown demonstratively.
TAYLORAnd I think one of the broadest impacts of this type of decision, the majority opinion in Windsor rings in equality and liberty principles and it's about dignity and personhood, is that we are going to see an impact on children who are growing up in this country and who are just discovering who they are. These kids are not going to feel as though they are told by their government that they ought to be ashamed of themselves for who they are.
REHMOr their parents.
TAYLORYes, or of their family structure. That's exactly right. Or of their parents. And I think that is going to have a huge effect on the psyche of our youth. And that is one of the most important aspects of the Windsor decision.
REHMAll right. To Chris in Nashville, Tenn. Good morning.
CHRISGood morning. I love your show. Thanks for taking me.
REHMThank you. Sure.
CHRISI am in my mid-twenties. I am a very pro-gay marriage individual. I grew up in California and live now here. And I'm also a very pro-gun individual. Years ago I wrote a long post on the popular MySpace using the whole argument of equal protection under the law to support gay marriage. And I'm curious if that still is - does that now seem to be the logic being used to defend gay marriage. How that's gonna translate into the both gun ownership and concealed carry card holders traveling between states?
REHMJeffrey Rosen, any connection?
ROSENThat's a wonderful question. You know what, Chris, I bet there are lots of people like you. Maybe you have a more libertarian inclination who think that individual rights are really important and that the individual right to marry whom you choose is supported by the individual right to keep and bear arms. Of course they're separate constitutional provisions at stake, formally the Second Amendment for the gun case and the Equal Protection Clause here, but I think that Justice Kennedy might and, in fact, has been sympathetic to your position. The strong language of federalism and individual liberty that we see in the DOMA opinion.
ROSENThe fact that Justice Kennedy is offended by the idea of the federal government intruding in more than 1,000 statutes on state prerogatives and individual liberty is the same kind of concern about individual liberty that we saw in his Second Amendment opinions.
ROSENI'd be interested -- I don't know if Ron knows the polls on the number of people who both support gay marriage and support gun rights, but there are plenty of people here in Washington that are represented by the CATO Institute which, you know, filed briefs in favor of gay marriage as well as on behalf of the Second Amendment. So, Chris, you should feel happy you've got a lot of friends out there and it's a position that is certainly arguably well-rooted in the text of the Constitution.
ELVINGIt's not a connection that's usually made. I haven't seen the exact Venn diagram for Second Amendment rights and for gay marriage, but I suspect that it's larger than most people would expect, particularly I would guess among younger people.
ELVINGBut that is going to be part of the Libertarian option going forward, which I think is an important -- an increasingly important option for American voters and for particularly younger people who just reject the federal government or the idea of the federal government, or they reject the idea of an intrusive federal government judging what they can do in their lives. And I think that that to some degree is seen in the NSA debate as well.
REHMAll right. And here's an email from Aaron at Fort Bragg, N.C., who says, "I'm a member of the Army. I do not have access to marriage benefits due to DOMA's federal heterosexual definition of marriage. What does your panel think the effect on military benefits will be for same-sex couples?" Camilla.
TAYLORWell, I think that the military benefits are one of the benefits that you will soon be able to enjoy regardless of where you live around the country. There needs to be some clarity given by the administration of how these things are going to be enforced. And I expect that we will get that soon. Some of these agencies are rather large bureaucracies and so they take a little time to adjust to an opinion like this. But I think the military is an efficient place and we're likely to see relief for same-sex couples who have faced this discrimination despite having valid state law marriages for a long time.
TAYLORYes, I think that's right. Now, it's important to remember, I think we have now 12 states that recognize gay marriage. It's only in those 12 states that gays will see any immediate benefits from this decision in terms of the federal benefits, because the other -- you know, the other states don't recognize gay marriages and this decision applies only when the state does recognize gay marriage. But I think the trend of public opinion we mention and the other trends which are going to sweep aside a whole lot of complicated arguments will in fairly rapid course lead to -- lead to benefits for gay couples all over the country.
REHMAll right. To Fort Worth, Texas, hi there, Dirk.
DIRKYes, Diane, a big fan. Thank you very much for taking my call.
DIRKMy point is that maybe we're looking at this backwards. Anybody who's been through a divorce knows and most states will agree that it's not a religious or a moral thing, it's a dissolution of a civil union, period. And if that's all that is, then it doesn't matter whether you're gay or straight.
REHMAny comments, Ron Elving?
ELVINGNo. I don't know that I would -- I don't know that I would try to disagree or sign on to that. I do think that -- I think that there is a tremendous shared responsibility in marriage in either case, in any case. And I think it's interesting that some conservative thinkers have -- in a particular way, have argued that conservatives -- social conservatives who care about the effect of marriage, if they see marriage as a positive, gay marriage, heterosexual marriage, if they see it as a positive, they really ought to support gay marriage.
ELVINGThey should in fact insist on it.
REHMOkay. Camilla Taylor, let's go back to the DOMA plaintiff, Edith Windsor. She was forced to pay more than $363,000 in federal estate taxes after her female spouse died in 2009. They had been together for 44 years. What happens now to Edith Windsor?
TAYLORWell, Edith Windsor gets her relief, as do thousands of other couples who are validly married in the eyes of state law around the country. And I think perhaps your question will raise some questions in the minds of some of the listeners about whether they will be able to seek relief for past years of discrimination. And that's something, again, that agencies will have to work out. And different agencies have different rules with respect to whether benefits could be provided retroactively in these circumstances.
TAYLORSo some agencies have some discretion with respect to whether they can consider fairness for individual people based on their individual circumstances. Others don't. And some agencies like the IRS have rules for how far back you can go seeking refunds and so on. So these are things that we hope we will get guidance about from the administration very soon, and that hopefully we'll get an equitable and fair resolution that will respect how serious and painful this discrimination has been for many people over the course of many years.
REHMYou know, it's interesting because Thea Spyer died in 2009, and two years before she passed away, the two married. And Edith Windsor, an 80-year-old widow at the time that Thea passed, had she been a man would've inherited that money automatically. But because it was a gay union, that's why she had to -- I don't mean inherited, but she wouldn't have had to pay those taxes.
TAYLORThat's correct. And that's the immediate impact...
TAYLOR...and the immediate case is now she doesn't have to pay those taxes. But interesting when you think about retroactivity, Social Security Disability benefits are better for -- traditionally if you're married. And gay couples who are married legally will now qualify for that improvement in Social Security Disability benefits. Well, some of them may have been married for a long time. We'll see how far back that goes.
REHMOkay. Now, if marriage -- several emails have come in to this effect. If marriage is no longer defined as union between one man and one woman, then shouldn't polygamy also be constitutional? Should marriage legally be opened up to any number of people? Jeff Rosen, it doesn't seem to me that this court ruling would address that issue.
ROSENThat's exactly right. But it is an argument that Justice Scalia has made very forcefully in the past. When the court struck down sodomy laws in 2003 in the Lawrence and Texas case, Scalia said this means the end of all morals legislation, by which he meant laws designed to express moral disapproval, and he said that that means polygamy laws should be struck down because they too were based on moral disapproval of a particular marital arrangement.
ROSENNow, this is a wonderful question to throw out in a constitutional law class because you can ask people, well, can you think of a reason separate from moral disapproval for banning polygamy or banning gay marriage? And we've already talked about the difficulty of coming up with an argument in the gay marriage arena.
ROSENWhen it comes to polygamy, you can talk about protecting women and so forth. But then the counter is that there are some polygamist relationships that may be consensual. So the truth is both the caller and Justice Scalia have a good point, that once you've taken moral disapproval off the table, then many traditional restrictions on marriage are open to constitutional question.
TAYLORJustice Scalia said the same about incest, for example. Like polygamy, you know, the only basis for opposing it he claims, at least adult incest, is moral disapproval. Now, one interesting thing about the clash between Scalia and Kennedy here is moral disapproval in Scalia's mind is the best reason to have a law. Moral disapproval in Kennedy's mind delegitimizes a law because it's animus, it's animus against a class of people.
REHMAnd you're listening to "The Diane Rehm Show." Okay. Let's go now to Rockford, Ill. Good morning, Nick. Thanks for joining us.
NICKGood morning. My question is sort of touched upon. It goes back to I believe 1957 when interracial marriage was legalized. And I believe that was legalized due to the Supreme Court decision regarding the full faith in credit clause. How is that gay marriage is not legalized in the same fashion?
TAYLORWell, that was a question that the court could have reached in the Perry case, except that the court determined in its majority opinion that the proponents of Proposition 8 who brought that case to the U.S. Supreme Court had no standing to ask for (word?). So the court ended up not being able to reach the substantive questions in the Perry case. Now, that was not an issue that was raised in the Windsor case. There were no liberty claims there. There were equality claims. And it was concerning the constitutionality of the federal law known as DOMA which denies federal respect to valid state law marriages.
TAYLORHowever, I think there's a lot of language in Windsor that talks about the liberty and dignity of human beings to choose to marry that one unique and irreplaceable person you want to spend your life with. And that telegraphs where the court will stand should it be asked to reach the substantive question in a case that doesn't have the problems with the standing that were presented with the Proposition 8 case.
REHMIt's interesting. We've had an email that says, "The Supreme Court has put an unfunded mandate on the Treasury with this ruling. Would that mean in favor of Windsor and a refund of the amount of money?"
TAYLORBeyond that, it'll cost the government some money because this will, you know, these are benefits that people are now going to get, they couldn't get before. Benefits cost money.
TAYLORI don't think the amounts of money are large enough in the larger scheme of things to make that a major aspect of this case.
REHMAll right. And one final call from Hickory, N.C. Good morning, Corey.
COREYGood morning. I'm wondering what this -- today's decision means for states such as mine, North Carolina, that have past constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. And I'll take my answer off the air.
REHMAll right. Thanks for calling. And to you, Jeff Rosen.
ROSENWell, it means nothing for the immediate future. That ban in North Carolina remains on the books. But I'm sure that there are lots of lawyers who are already busy filing briefs that will argue that the North Carolina ban and others like it are based on the same moral disapproval and the same effort to demean gays and lesbians that led Justice Kennedy and some of his colleagues to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.
ROSENSo those legal challenges will be supported by today's opinion. Of course, the court might choose to come out differently in the future. But there's no doubt that after today's DOMA ruling, state bans on gay marriage are more legally vulnerable than they were before.
REHMCamilla, last word from you.
TAYLORWell, I agree with that. The court has given us a lot of wonderful language that affirms the dignity of all human beings to be treated equally. It has condemned the treatment of marriage as a same-sex couple as second tier. And this sends a great signal to all of us about the importance of equal treatment and about where the court will stand on the substantive issues.
REHMCamilla Taylor, she's senior staff attorney with Lambda Legal. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of The National Constitution Center. Stuart Taylor, author and journalist. And Ron Elving, senior Washington editor for NPR. My thanks to all of you.
TAYLORThank you, Diane.
REHMAnd thanks for listening all. I'm Diane Rehm.
ANNOUNCER"The Diane Rehm Show" is produced by Sandra Pinkard, Nancy Robertson, Denise Couture, Susan Casey Nabors, Rebecca Kaufman, Lisa Dunn and Danielle Knight. The engineer is Erin Stamper. Natalie Yuravlivker answers the phones.
The New Yorker's Susan Glasser talks investigations, indictments and the political future of Donald Trump.
A conversation from the archives with Barbara Walters about her 2008 memoir "Audition," a story of family challenges, celebrity gossip and blazing a trail in TV news.
A conversation from the archives with former President Jimmy Carter. In January 1993 he joined Diane in the studio for his first of twelve appearances on the Diane Rehm Show.
Foreign policy expert David Rothkopf on the war in Ukraine, relations with China and the challenges ahead for the Biden administration.
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text:
Bioelectrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to methane for biogas upgrading
Dykstra, Christine M.
MetadataShow full item record
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion contains a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and other trace gases. To increase the energy content (i.e., CH4) of biogas, current methods of biogas upgrading separate or sequester CO2. Instead, bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) may be utilized to directly convert biogas CO2 to CH4. However, fundamental questions remain to be answered before BES biogas upgrading technology can be scaled up. Therefore, the overall objective of this research was to develop and test a bioelectrochemical system (BES) designed to convert carbon dioxide into methane for the purpose of upgrading the energy content of anaerobic digester biogas, with the specific objectives to: i) analyze and describe the processes taking place in an electromethanogenic BES under well-defined conditions; ii) investigate the microbial communities in an electromethanogenic BES under varied conditions; iii) test BES performance under applied, non-ideal conditions (e.g., hydrogen sulfide contamination of biogas feed, actual digester biogas feed); and iv) develop and test a zero-valent iron (ZVI) amended biocathode to improve CH4 production. To achieve these objectives, BESs were developed with acetate-fed bioanodes and CO2-fed biocathodes, which were maintained at -0.8V vs. SHE. By comparing abiotic systems with biological systems, this research demonstrated that the transport of carbon and gases through the proton exchange membrane of a methanogenic BES can influence the extent of biocathode CH4 production. The microbial community of a methanogenic biocathode was examined by comparing a biocathode inoculated with a mixed methanogenic (MM) culture and a biocathode inoculated with an enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogenic (EHM) culture, developed from the MM culture following pre-enrichment with H2 and CO2. Inoculum pre-enrichment resulted in a 3.8-fold larger CH4 production rate, although the archaeal communities in both biocathodes converged primarily on a single phylotype (Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus). However, the bacterial community of the EHM-biocathode bacterial community was enriched in Proteobacteria, exoelectrogens and putative producers of electron shuttle mediators relative to the MM-biocathode, indicating an important role for Bacteria in biocathode methanogenesis. A biocathode produced 277% more CH4 following amendment with 1 g/L ZVI and CH4 production by the ZVI-amended biocathodes remained elevated throughout subsequent feeding cycles with no new ZVI addition. Changes in the bacterial community following ZVI exposure and the formation of a redox-active precipitate in the ZVI-amended biocathode were two possible contributors to the increased CH4 production. The addition of up to 3% v/v H2S initial concentration to the CO2 in the cathode headspace resulted in up to a two-fold increase in CH4 production due to the transport of H2S to the anode compartment and subsequent donation of electrons to the anode. However, CH4 production declined above 3% H2S, indicating an inhibitory effect. A microbial community analysis of four BESs with biocathodes exposed to different conditions (control, H2S-amended, ZVI-amended, and H2S- and ZVI-amended) indicated the effect of biofilm, ZVI and H2S on both anode and cathode communities. Additionally, this research evaluated biocathode performance when fed gas from a stock anaerobic digester, and assessed the performance of a catholyte recycling system to guide the future designs of biogas upgrading systems.

domain: chemistry


Emergency responders are on the scene of a 2-vehicle crash in the area of the Hess gas station along Brewerton Road between Caughdenoy Road and Hogan Drive.
Initial reports were that one person at the scene was unconscious. It now appears that the person has regained consciousness and the crash itself appears to be minor. One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Staff writer Robert A. Baker called in this update from the scene.


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Monkey bread I love when recipes are extremely easy because otherwise I won't bother. This easy monkey bread recipe takes 10 minutes to move from the fridge to the oven. This is a great party idea to add a bit of sugar to your life!
Mokai boats are designed,engineered, and manufactured in the U. The Mokai is essentially a jet propelled kayak. It comes with a removable 4 stroke Subaru engine. The average speed is mph. This thing will get you to fishing spots no one else can get to.
Hot Chocolate - Tired of the same old Hot Chocolate? Spice it up with these new ideas. Want an adult Hot Chocolate? Visit my other pin located in "Drink It" board, for a great hot chocolate that visitors will beg for every year.

domain: food


text: Hotel is fantastic, with big, nice rooms. Beach is perfect. Lot's of activities that make vacation interesting. Staff is pleasant. Everywhere is perfect clean. Anybody can find something for him in this resort. Fantastic animation team. Best value for the money ever. I will be back and I will recommend hotel to all my friends.

domain: travel


text:
Kings Acquire Koehler From Predators
Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 3, 2003
The Los Angeles Kings acquired Greg Koehler from the Nashville Predators for future considerations Tuesday and assigned the 27-year-old center to Manchester of the American Hockey League.
Koehler had 16 goals and 10 assists in 43 games for the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
The Kings also activated center Brad Chartrand off the injured reserve list; placed center Michael Cammalleri of the injured reserve list, and recalled forwards Jared Aulin, Scott Barney and Ryan Flinn and defenseman Joe Corvo from Manchester.
The Kings have eight players on the injured reserve list: Cammalleri; forwards Ian Laperriere, Eric Belanger, Ken Belanger, Kip Brennan and Adam Deadmarsh, defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, and goaltender Felix Potvin.

domain: news


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In 1953, when biologist James Watson, biophysicist Francis Crick, physicist Maurice Wilkins, and chemist Rosalind Franklin discovered the double helical structure of DNA moleculea milestone that will become a critical step in the analysis Molecular genome.
(Read also: Neanderthals and modern humans lived together for 10,000 years in Europe.)
The first in a chain of events that would lead to the development of the first technologies needed to sequence DNA in the 1970s, which would be improved over the years until the Human Genome Project became a reality in the early 2000s.
It’s been just over two decades since humans have known most of that genetic recipe that makes us who we are – although there are still little gaps that can’t be recovered and will have to wait for the technology to decode them.
knowledge that, according to National Human Genome Research Institute, Who led the project, it’s like having all the manual pages needed to make the human body, although we don’t know how to read it very well, but with multiple ramifications in the field of health.
A similar feat with living things all over the planet is the ambition of scientists over the next ten years. With the participation of more than 5,000 researchers from all over the world, Earth BioGenome Project (EBP, for its English acronym) aims to sequence the genomes of nearly two million species of plants, animals and fungi that have been described on the planet.
(Also: NASA opposes 30,000 satellites that Elon Musk wants to launch.)
Led by the University of California at Davis (USA), EBP is an initiative in which, since 2018, several specific local or national science projects have been incorporated, which have been added to this global effort, such as the California Conservation Genome Project, the Darwin Tree of Life Project and the Darwin Tree of Life Project. The Vertebrate Genome and Bird Genome Project. A giant puzzle Colombia, which is considered the second most diverse country in the world, It can be a very important piece.
Only by knowing the resources we have can we create economic opportunities, using these resources sustainably
That is why, on January 17 of this year, the project began a new phase with the publication of ten articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which talk about planning, progress and the steps to be taken, one of them was focused exclusively on the work being done in our country. The document was prepared by, with other scientists, Andrew Crawford, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Andean Universityand Silvia Restrepo, Vice President for Research and Establishment of the Foundation.
For Professor Crawford, the article was included in the publication because of the joint work that takes place between government, academia and the private sector, a fortunate collaboration that occurred thanks to the path marked by the recommendations of the Expedition of the Wise, which was submitted to Bio-economy as the path to be followed for the sustainable development of the country.
(Read: Do You Know How Your Nervous System Works? 10 Questions to Test Yourself.)
A formula to add to Colombia’s abundant biodiversity and the possibility opened up after the signing of the 2016 peace agreement, to reach areas that were hard to reach due to armed conflict, experts published in the document in PNAS.
“Decades of armed conflict, limited infrastructure, and a lack of financial resources to match such a large concentration of planetary biodiversity have left Colombia’s ecosystems relatively inaccessible, untouched, and poorly studied.”
book of life
Just as the Human Genome Project has opened the door to research seeking to develop highly effective diagnostic tools and design new treatments for diseases, the Earth BioGenome Project also hopes to lay the foundation for the science needed to bring about genetic information-based solutions to global problems such as biodiversity loss or crop adaptation. climate change, Improving species conservation, perhaps discovering or even contemplating new medicines from natural sources Prevent future epidemics.
It’s not about asking biodiverse countries to send in their samples, it’s about thinking about how to share the benefits
But, as Harris Lewin, EBP coordinator and ecologist at the University of California, Davis, told the media, perhaps the most special thing about the project is not its size or the unimaginable benefits, but “the enthusiasm of the scientists who launched it and that they are coordinating the largest initiative in the history of biology.” “.
Lewin and Crawford met while participating in the Vertebrate Genome Project, an initiative Focuses on the genetic sequence of vertebrates only. “Harris wondered how to introduce this to the rest of biodiversity and said ‘why not think a little bit more and organize it at the level of all eukaryotes,’ which are basically all life that isn’t bacteria,” recalls the Andean University professor.
(We recommend that you consult: The James Webb Telescope captures the first test images.)
Now, the intention with EBP is also to unite the efforts of scientists, institutions, companies and laboratories independently around the world, to set quality standards for studies, to facilitate the exchange of information, to arrive at ideal methods and technology, to manage access to resources, to transfer results to the world and to share benefits with communities You live in the places where the research is being conducted.
In addition, considering that EBP is a project in which the sequencing implementation technology is often concentrated in rich countries, which cannot begin to map the genome because of the amount of work or because The greatest biodiversity in the tropicsIn countries that do not have the economic resources to conduct studies, the project is an ethical component of knowledge transfer among all actors.
“It’s not about asking countries with biodiversity to send in their samples, but about thinking about how the benefits are shared and that every country, who has done the work of caring for nature, can make sure they get the benefits,” Crawford explains. ..
Silvia Restrepo and Federica de Palma, director of science at the Earlham Institute in Norwich and the Columbia Bridge Research Network across the UK and Colombia, were members of the 2019 Wise Men’s Mission, as the international panel of experts made recommendations such as where the bioeconomy contributes no less than 10% of GDP by 2030.
To achieve this goal, the national government, headed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, launched the National Bioeconomy Strategy in 2020. In the process, the Colombia Federation with the EBP project is expected to become a promoter of the goal proposed by the mission.
(You might be interested: Luc Montagnier, the co-discoverer of HIV, has died at the age of 89.)
For Restrepo, EBP in Colombia contributes a lot, because he considers that the basis of bioeconomics is knowledge of biodiversity. “Only by knowing the resources we have can we create economic opportunities, using these resources sustainably”, confirms the Andean Vice-Chancellor, who with De Palma and Crawford began tracing the collaborative network of researchers conducting genome studies in a country like them.
There are projects going forward with some species, such as the one in GROW-Colombia, which sequences the cacao and the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus). In addition to Colombian research grants that contribute some findings to researchers such as those from Professor Crawford’s lab, which Focus on studies of frogs. The plan aims to continue to standardize and formalize the EBP project in the country, to face many social, environmental and economic challenges, including conflict, inequality, poverty and low agricultural productivity, the article states.
“There is a lot to be done. The next step for Colombia will be to find out who wants to participate, what priorities we have, and how to organize and fund these interests that Colombians have,” explains Professor Crawford, who gave as an example that agencies like Sciences It is expected to begin defining important research objectives for the country, such as studying a particular crop to increase its productivity or focusing on some species that are nutritionally important to a particular population, for example.
(Also: Experiment sets new record for energy from fusion.)
To continue the project, scientists and technicians must collect, document, and keep samples in biobanks. Then, they extract and sequence the DNA, according to criteria established in the first three years of EBP’s preparation, to subsequently numerically categorize it into publicly accessible databases.
Until 2023, it is expected that in the first phase it will be possible to produce reference genomes for about 9,400 taxonomic families, each of which will have at least one animal, fungus or plant. This will be the starting point for an expansion of what they hope will become the atlas containing The genetic legacy of the planet’s biodiversity.
Alejandra Lopez Plazas
More science news
– Discover a new type of dinosaur that lived in the Pyrenees
February Moon: When is it and how do you see it?
The mathematical problem of chess queens that was solved by a scientist
“Creator. Devoted pop culture specialist. Certified web fanatic. Unapologetic coffee lover.”


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A 15-year-old girl in the Maldives who was allegedly raped by her stepfather has been sentenced to 100 lashes for having premarital sex.
Her stepfather hasn't faced trial for accusations he raped the teen and killed their baby, BBC reported.
The girl and her stepfather were charged in June 2012, Amnesty International stated, after the body of a baby was found outside their house on Feydhoo Island. The human rights group said the stepfather had allegedly sexually abused the girl for years.
Zaima Nasheed, a spokeswoman for the juvenile court, told BBC the girl was also placed under house arrest for eight months and defended the punishment saying the girl had willingly acted outside the law.
Under Maldivian law, the girl won't receive her punishment until she turns 18, Amnesty International said.
"Flogging is a violation of the absolute prohibition on torture and other cruel inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment," Amnesty International said prior to the sentencing.
The nation of islands is located southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.

domain: sociology


text:
In 1946, a time period defined by abundant technological advancement, Elizabeth Bishop describes the art of capturing a fish from water, an act once used simply as a food source, in her poem “The Fish. ” As the narrator caught the fish only to observe and then release the creature, the reader develops a desire to discover exactly what is being observed. Upon analysis of the work, the poem represents Bishop’s personal life, historical events of importance to her, and her views on American society. First of all, as the fish is held beside the boat, Bishop sees elements of her own personal existence in the animal.
For instance, as the fish struggled for air, its gills were “crisp from blood (because breathing) can cut so badly”(Bishop 1211). The fish represents previously repressed inner thoughts, and its advancement into the conscious environment creates extreme pain. Like the fish, most creatures can exist only in an aquatic condition, or a terrestrial condition, just as an individual’s thoughts can occupy either a cognizant or a subliminal setting. Next, as the speaker attempts to look into the fish’s eyes, the vision is “seen through the lenses of old scratched isinglass” (Bishop 1211). Isinglass, a product from the internal organs of fish used to produce windows, creates a paradoxical statement, showing that one cannot completely connect with their internal feelings. The hazy circular relationship between the fish and mariner displays the struggle for an individual to connect with their inner self.
Finally, preceding the release of the animal, five hooks from earlier retrievals are described as the fish’s “beard of wisdom” (Bishop 1212). The collection of strings symbolize past personal revelations that Bishop arrived at by connecting with herself. In order to validate this argument, one must visualize the body of water that contains the fish as a private place only accessible to its single user, just as an individual’s mind is perceived. In summary, Bishop’s fish represents her internal existence. After providing reflections of her personal life, Bishop’s story provides a window to important historical events. First, the texture of the fish is referred to as “ancient wallpaper” and “tarnished tinfoil”, and the fishing boat’s components are “rusted” and “sun-cracked” (Bishop 1210-12).
The fish, in this case, represents the decay of common objects, providing evidence of the temporality of earthly possessions. The vessel shows aging blemishes as it journeys through the water, depicting the mortality of human life during their interim presence on earth. Next, as the fish and boater part ways, the water, potent of gasoline from the boat, provided a rainbow display. In this example, Bishop uses the fish to represent mankind and the fisherman as a symbol of God, recounting the story of Noah’s Ark. In the Biblical tale, after punishing mankind for God shows his promise to end mans’ suffering with the rainbow. For instance, the animal showed five wounds as it was pulled from the water.
These scars are connected with Jesus’ injuries obtained at His crucifixion. The ease of acceptance of and the ability to reject religion are clearly shown at the beginning and end of the poem. Finally, Bishop’s fish represents the society that produced the poem. According to commentary from Bonnie Costello, author of Elizabeth Bishop: Questions of Mastery, the fish is a sexless creature exhibiting both male and female traits.
First, the fish is male when its “untamable, corporeal energy violates the domestic world of wallpaper and roses. ” (Costello 63) The uncontainable characteristics parallel features of the culture of 1946, the year that Bishop wrote the poem. The pen of the female poet shows both frustration and remorseful acceptance for her man dominated society. Later, the fish’s beholder imagines the interior features such as “shiny entrails, and the pink swim bladder, like a big (flower)” (Bishop 1211).
The female features are covered from view by the rugged exterior, portraying the woman’s submissive role. A secondary interpretation shows the conflict between the masculine society and “Mother Nature”, the feminine force. In this example, the struggle between

domain: artistic


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- Collar with two-button front placket.
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domain: game


text:
On Thursday, the Nigerian Senate declared Kogi State an oil-producing state.
Following a personal explanation from Kogi East Senator Jibrin Isah regarding Kogi State’s oil-producing status, the recognition was granted by Senate Standing Order No. 42.
Senator Tony Nwoye of Anambra North, who claimed in his motion on Wednesday that Kogi was not an oil-producing state, was refuted by Isah, who told the upper legislative chamber that Kogi was an oil-producing state “ that has been receiving the constitutional 13% derivation since October 2022.”
The senator informed the Senate that the Kogi East towns of Odeke, Echeno, Ihile, Anocha/Uchuchu, Omabo, Ikah, Iregwu, and Ujeh of the Ibaji Local Government Council were the locations of commercial oil discoveries.
He claimed that the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, or RMFAC, had evaluated and approved the development since 2021.
“The derivative was being paid to Kogi State based on peculiarities of oil producing states as reflected in Section 162(2) which directs the constant reflection of the principle of derivation of not less than 13% in any approved revenue allocation formula,” Isah added.
Following a bill introduced by Senator Tony Nwoye to modify the Niger Delta Development Commission Act to include Anambra as an oil-producing state, the clarification was made.
Nwoye stated, “the neighbouring Kogi State was yet to receive 13% derivative,” while introducing the measure.
The senator from Anambra could not back up his assertions during his interrogation by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who oversaw Wednesday’s session.
In Akpabio’s absence, the Deputy President of Senate, Jibrin Barau, led Thursday’s plenary and upheld the assertion that Kogi State was an oil-producing state.
According to a ZINGTIE story on Wednesday, the senators bitterly rejected a bill that would have made Anambra a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

domain: law


text:
Topic: Ur Favourite Horror Posters
What are ur favourite Horror movie posters. As I am studying Graphic Communication i have always been interested in Poster art, specifically Horror. I have 3 books on Horror movie posters all with excellent reproduction of examples from around the world. These are The Art of Hammer, The Art of The Nasty and Film Posters: Horror
Here are some example of mine
Interesting geometric, yet unusual layout
I particularly like the repetitive use and position of Typography in a post modern layout to emphasise the polish word for bird and its position within the composition. This clever graphic approach makes it appear very bold, almost threatening(like the horror film) and kinetic like its coming suddenly toward the viewer. This is also achieved by the increasing point size of the Typeface.
Cool Hammer Horror film poster.
Excellent and eyecatching poster that communicates the wacky energy of the film
Beautiful colours in this poster for NOES
Call me a Sicko but i like this poster awell
Last edited by Vasquez (2012-06-09 19:58:39)

domain: hobby


PUBLISHED ON: January 28, 2019 | Duration: 2 min, 31 sec
The top automotive news of the day- Maruti Suzuki India has launched the new 2019 Baleno facelift in India. The prices start from Rs. 5.45 lakh and go up to Rs. 8.77 lakh. The safety features of the soon-to-be-launched Mahindra XUV300 have been revealed. And finally, the 2019 model of the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT ABS has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 7.46 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).


text:
As the first Michael Bublé Christmas song plays throughout the house, the feeling of the holidays is upon us! Which means it is time for holiday desserts. Over the past year I found that I had to follow a clean diet in order to get my health on track. At first, I was worried about the holidays, my love of baking and my mom’s delicious sweet treats at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I started to search for sweet treats online and everything I found was full of calories. I decided to take one of my favorite desserts as a kid a replace the flour with gluten free flour and unsalted peanut butter. The taste is amazing and my love of baking sweet treats continues.
Peanut Butter Layer – Ingredients:
- 3 cups of unsalted peanut butter
- ½ cup of chocolate chips
- ½ cup of gluten free flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup
- Add all three ingredients to an electronic mixing bowl
- Mix until you have reached a smooth consistency
- Pour peanut butter layer into a large mixing bowl and set aside
Chocolate Layer – Ingredients:
- 2 cups of chocolate
- ½ cup of peanut butter
- Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl
- Add peanut butter on top of the chocolate chips
- Microwave for 45 seconds
- Remove and stir
- Repeat this process until a smooth consistency is reached
- Pour chocolate layer on top of the peanut butter layer
- Place the dish in the freezer for 45 minutes
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
- Be sure to place back in freezer once the bars a served, this dish is best kept cold
Servings: 16 bars
Even Winnie wishes she could try some!


text:
Researchers investigated the “recognition and quantification of pain in horses” with the goal of creating a new pain scale that could be put into use in equine veterinary practice. They first identified what is considered normal horse behavior and compared it to pain-related behavior by comparing non-painful horses with those that were considered to be in pain while in a box stall.
In general, horses that are not painful will eat, drink, rest/sleep, and are attentive to their surroundings. They will generally stand at the front or middle of the box stall, allowing them to interact with humans or neighboring horses. It is important that someone familiar with the horse should do the pain assessment when the horse is in an unfamiliar environment (like a hospital). A painful horse will exhibit behavior depending on what type of pain he is experiencing. Acute pain may cause the horse to withdraw or try to escape. Subacute pain can cause a horse to protect the painful area to help encourage healing. General pain may cause restlessness or depression, while orthopedic pain may show up as decreased weight bearing of the limb.
Colic pain may cause a horse to paw, look at the flank area, or roll. Horses that are painful will often stand with their head lowered and spend more time at the back of the stall. Facial expression can also be used to assess pain, with attention paid to the ear position, tension above the eyes, staring, nostrils, and tension in the muzzle and chewing muscles. Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and body temperature were just a few of the physiological measurements that were evaluated.
The information gathered from all of the studies that were reviewed was used to formulate a pain scale that can be used by veterinarians to evaluate pain in their equine patients. The researchers state, “the overall goal of pain evaluation is alleviating pain for improved welfare, optimal healing, and convalescence.”
Review Article: Gleerup, KB and Lindegaard, C. Recognition and quantification of pain in horses: A tutorial review.
Equine Veterinary Education AE Jan. 2016, pp. 47-57.

domain: biology


text:
Soviet Studies of Radiation Sickness [electronic resource].
- [Arlington Va.] : [publisher not identified], 1963.
- Physical Description:
- 21 pages
- Joint Publication Research Service ; JPRS-19996
- Tests of Tryptamine (3-Beta-Aminoethylindole Hydrochloride) for Acute Radiation Sickness in Mice by V. V. Antipov -- The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Course of Radiation Sickness by V. D. Abdullayev -- Book Review. F. M. Lyass. Izotopnaya Miyelografiya (Isotopic Myelography) by N. K. Muratkhodzhayev -- Conference on Problems of the Pathogenesis, Experimental Prophylaxis and Therapy of Radiation Injury by O. V. Popov.
- Document Date: 7/2/1963.
- Reproduction Note:
- Electronic reproduction. Chester, Vt. : NewsBank, inc., 2013. Available via the World Wide Web. Access restricted to Readex Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) Reports subscribers.
- Copyright 2013 by NewsBank, inc. All rights reserved.
View MARC record | catkey: 21355642

domain: library


text:
People are still scratching their heads over what President Trump meant to signal the other day when he indicated he was open to a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Did this remark signal a departure from long-standing American policy or was Trump merely mentioning the one-state solution to give Israel some leverage in future negotiations? Or did Trump mean anything at all? With our stream-of-consciousness executive, it’s difficult to reach a firm conclusion.
But we should take this opportunity to consider the merits of the two-state versus the one-state solution.
Let’s forget history for a moment, or at least as much history as is not absolutely necessary for understanding the present situation of Israel and the Palestinian people. Let’s also pretend for a moment that we are all rational, forward-looking beings, who are committed to universal human rights, including the right to a democratic government.
Under these parameters, it’s obvious that a lasting and acceptable solution to the continuing, simmering conflict between Israel and the Palestinians must include the establishment of an economically viable, independent Palestinian state comprising most of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with some means of reliable access between these two areas. Of course, Israel is entitled to guarantees of its security and to the means of preserving its character as a homeland for the Jews. No state can be expected to enter into a peace agreement that results in its annihilation.
One implication of maintaining the Jewish character of Israel is that Palestinians would have to give up the “right of return.” An estimated 700,000 Palestinian Arabs left (fled or were expelled from) their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war that immediately followed the creation of Israel. Some of these individuals are still alive and they and their descendants now number about four million. Even if only a substantial fraction of these individuals take up residence in Israel, they would in a very short time alter the Jewish character of Israel. In exchange for giving up the “right of return,” these individuals should receive generous economic compensation.
Can anyone doubt that, in broad strokes, the foregoing provisions are what should be contained in a Middle East peace agreement? What is the alternative? The one-state solution? If this meant that Palestinians were given the full complement of rights enjoyed by Israeli citizens, including the right to vote, and if the Palestinians expressly consented to such a unitary state from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, then such an arrangement would be morally acceptable. But that clearly is not what the Israelis have in mind. Precisely because Israel wants to maintain its Jewish character, it will never give full citizenship rights to the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. So denying an independent state to the Palestinians would achieve peace only at the point of a gun and at the cost of sacrificing Israel’s commitment to human rights and democracy. As former Secretary of State Kerry stated, “If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic—it cannot be both.”
2017 marks the fiftieth year that Israel has occupied the West Bank. Is this occupation to continue for another fifty years? Indefinitely? Americans, and a number of other Western countries, have long supported Israel in large part because it is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East. That reason for supporting Israel will evaporate if the Israelis restrict democracy to its citizens while treating the Palestinians like serfs.
Permanent occupation of the West Bank will also drive the Palestinians into the arms of Hamas and other militant groups. If the only alternatives are to submit to a foreign occupier or fight, many will choose the latter alternative.
Nothing in the foregoing should be interpreted as placing sole blame on Israel for the failure to achieve a lasting peace that would recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. If we feel the need to blame anyone, there’s plenty of blame to go around. In particular, the Palestinians have been ill-served by their leaders. The working plan for a peace agreement during the 2000 negotiations, which took place during the waning days of the Clinton administration, contained the broad strokes outlined above. Arafat balked at the proposed deal. Although accounts of those negotiations differ, apparently sticking points included giving up the right of return and most of East Jerusalem. If that’s true, then Arafat was unrealistic or imprudent (or perhaps just not interested in a deal).
I have deliberately refrained from going back beyond 2000 in providing historical analysis. Even more than other long-lasting ethno-religious conflicts (think Northern Ireland, the Balkans, the Sudan), the conflict in the Middle East has been burdened by the weight of history and the hatreds and mutual recriminations that history has engendered. Each side has some alleged grievance caused by the villains on the other side, which is then rebutted by the other side’s understanding of events and by their own corresponding grievance. Israel has the West Bank because it launched a preemptive attack in 1967! Israel was surrounded by Arab armies on all sides and did launch a preemptive attack on Egypt; however, it only invaded Jordan (which then controlled the West Bank) in response to a Jordanian attack. The Israelis drove the Palestinians from their homes in 1948! There would have been no war, and no refugees, had the Arab states agreed to accept the United Nations resolutions creating both an Israeli and a Palestinian state. Ultimately, Israel is the result of Great Britain’s 1917 Balfour declaration, and Great Britain had no right to carve out a territory for the Jews in land Great Britain did not even possess. (The Middle East was part of the Ottoman Empire, with which Great Britain was at war at the time.) Partially true, but there would be no Palestine either had the British not defeated the Ottoman Empire and then received a League of Nation’s mandate for the territory now encompassing Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Exacerbating the tendency of both sides to nurse decades-long grievances is the overlay of religious conflict. Although control over the holy sites, in particular the Temple Mount area, in East Jerusalem was not the only stumbling block in the 2000 negotiations, it was a significant point of contention, with the parties squabbling over who would have sovereignty or mere custody over this or that portion of this area. This is perhaps the saddest part of this seemingly intractable conflict. If there is a deity worth worshiping, that deity can’t give a damn about who has sovereignty over land where some temple, mosque, or church is located.
No, the Israelis are not to blame; the Palestinians are not to blame. The Middle East conflict is a microcosm of humanity’s flaws, including the difficulty of putting aside past grievances, resentments, and short-term political gains to pursue what both reason and compassion unmistakably mark as the only path forward. Can a just two-state solution still be achieved? I hope so, but I’m not optimistic.

domain: politics