Welcome to Tuesday, my dear friends! I send you all blessings for a wonderful day. Hopefully you have a few minutes before rushing off, to enjoy a cup of coffee and share the news with me. Today we start with a focus on some recent activities of the US Supreme Court, and then we jump around from there.
Marriage rights are increasing in the US, but not in every state.
Every citizen deserves the right to marry the person they choose, but the US Supreme Court did not see fit to make that a national right. In their recent ruling they cleared the way for same sex marriage in 11 more states, raising the total to 30. They did not choose to make this ruling applicable to all states, and will await cases from individual states, currently working their way through the system. Although this falls short of a total victory, activists hail it as a major milestone in marriage rights.
Gay-Marriage Cases Rejected as Supreme Court Leaves Uncertainty by Greg Stohr for Bloomberg News
Should workers have to complete company mandated security checks on their own time?
In these competitive economic times, many businesses save costs by using temporary workers, increasing security screenings to prevent theft, and declining to pay benefits. A group of Amazon.com warehouse workers did not feel it was right that they should have to go through security check points, at their own expense, after working long hours. They sued Amazon, and now the US Supreme Court will hear their case to decide whether companies must pay employees for time spent in security screenings. The case could lead the way for more equitable worker treatment in these types of cases across the nation.
Supreme Court to Consider Employee Pay for Security Screenings by Brent KendallFor Wall Street Journal Online.
Moving on…
The US Coast Guard saves the day for a bubble running man in the Caribbean.
A man running in a bubble to Bermuda, in support of World Peace, had to be rescued by the United States Coast Guard over the weekend, due to disorientation and exhaustion. Reza Baluchi, an ultra marathoner, who left Iran to escape persecution, is now a US citizen and has run across much of the world to champion peace.
Man running in inflatable bubble rescued off coast of Florida by Ralph Ellis for CNN
Up, up and away for NASA’s Orion in 64 days.
The NASA deep space craft, Orion, has been moved onto the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, in preparation for its maiden voyage in 64 days. The test run will be conducted with no crew aboard, but if successful, could lead the way for deep-space manned travel to Mars. The new craft has added abort safety features, that will make future missions more secure for astronauts.
Bananas aren’t just for breakfast. They are helping heal wounds in Africa.
A group of land mine victims in Uganda are gathering fibers from banana plants, after the fruit harvest, to create decorative rope for the Fair Trade marketplace. This rope provides them with a living, uses sustainable materials, and builds a sense of community for individuals who feel isolated by their devastating injuries.
A pop-up fix it up experiment is a success in the recycling movement.
When I was a little girl, I would help my dad repair things. I would stand like a surgical nurse, and hand him tools quietly. I would observe him, and learn how to fix anything. He grew up in the international settlement in Shaghai, before the revolution, and made money fixing things for people. Parts were always an issue, so he would find broken items and harvest usable pieces from them. In this age of built-in redundancy, many forget that all those old and broken items are going into landfills. The Pop-Up Repair Shop in New York City, was an experiment that ran this past summer, to see if folks were willing to repair their broken items, foregoing new technology and keeping them out of landfills. It was a huge success.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or Repair: The Pop Up Repair Shop in NYC by Oscar Abello for Dowser
Do young women know about the struggle of those that went before them?
In this age of expanding technology, and increased ability to get the facts on almost any situation, Ms. Whitman finds a startling gap in the knowledge of young women, regarding the historical struggle for women’s rights in American society. She also details the threats that present day women still receive, when standing up for gender equality, while a majority of the younger generation mistakenly believe that women’s rights are a “done deal.”
Music, consciousness and the environment go together on college campuses.
As the mother of two enlightened college students, I always like to share information that focuses on the younger generation, and how they are addressing the issues that face our world. This fall, the non-profit environmental group REVERB will host a Campus Consciousness music tour, which will also celebrate female campus leaders and their achievements. I love it when our youth gets involved in what really matters!
Icona Pop Announces Fall 2014 Headlining Campus Consciousness Tour Dates on MXDWN
Thank you for joining me on this beautiful day, and I look forward to sharing with you again tomorrow! Who is bringing the bagels?
If you have any articles to share with our wonderful group, please go to the Contact Us form, hit “News Tips” and it will show you what to do. Thanks so much!
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex