Category Archives: Viva!

“My father was always very interested in religion. He wrote…

“My father was always very interested in religion. He wrote some books, but I was never religious myself, so I never bothered reading them. He died when I was 25. During the last months of his life, he lost his memory completely. He didn’t even recognize me. But he still remembered the words of his books. He could still recite the religious poems and songs that he’d written. So my brothers and I would sit in his room and read his books aloud to him. It was the first time I’d read them. I was surprised by how beautiful his poems were. I never knew he was so talented.”(Tehran, Iran)

Source: “My father was always very interested in religion. He wrote…

Meryl Streep wrote to every single member of Congress to demand equality

Meryl Streep wrote to every single member of Congress to demand equality:

profeminist:

The Oscar-winning actress’ letter urged Congress to revive the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which was written in 1920, passed by Congress in 1972 and ratified by 35 states. However, it fell short of the 38 needed in order for it to be enshrined in the Constitution and has lain dormant ever since.

The proposed amendment states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

A copy of the letter printed by the Associated Press read: “I am writing to ask you to stand up for equality – for your mother, your daughter, your sister, your wife or yourself – by actively supporting the Equal Rights Amendment.

“A whole new generation of women and girls are talking about equality – equal pay, equal protection from sexual assault, equal rights.”

Streep also included a copy of the book Equal Means Equal  by Jessica Neuwirth, president of the ERA Coalition, which calls for women to be given the constitutional right to equality.”

Read the full piece here

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22-Year-Old Who Wanted To ‘Sell Death’ Convicted For Trying To Buy Ricin

22-Year-Old Who Wanted To 'Sell Death' Convicted For Trying To Buy Ricin A 22-year-old New Yorker who really, really, really wanted to procure ricin for nefarious purposes has been convicted of attempting to acquire the deadly toxin to use as a weapon. Cheng Le is facing life in prison after he attempted to acquire ricin through the Dark Web so that he could commit “100% risk-free” murder. (Just like on the tee-vee.) [ more › ]

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Greek voters still favor Syriza but by a reduced margin | News | DW.COM | 28.08.2015

The survey, conducted by polling company ProRata and published in this Friday’s edition of the “Efimerida Ton Syntakton” newspaper, showed that 23 percent of decided voters intended to vote for Syriza in next month’s election. They were followed by the conservative New Democracy party with 19.5 percent.The poll showed that the gap between the two parties had narrowed significantly since a ProRata survey in early July which gave Syriza 26 percent compared to just 15 percent for the conservatives.

Source: Greek voters still favor Syriza but by a reduced margin | News | DW.COM | 28.08.2015

Bernie Sanders Warns Democrats They May Not Win in 2016 Without Him – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times

{An independent socialist running as a democrat, trying to “Trump” the Democratic Party? Fail.}

My friends, the Republican Party did not win the midterm election in November: We lost that election,” Mr. Sanders said. “We lost because voter turnout was abysmally, embarrassingly low, and millions of working people, young people and people of color gave up on politics as usual and they stayed home. That’s a fact.”As the audience sat largely in silence, Mr. Sanders continued: “In my view, Democrats will not retain the White House, will not regain the Senate or the U.S. House, will not be successful in dozens of governor races across the country, unless we generate excitement and momentum and produce a huge voter turnout.”While he did not criticize his leading rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, by name, Mr. Sanders argued that “establishment” politicians like her – and like the very Democrats he was speaking to – were uninspiring to voters.

Source: Bernie Sanders Warns Democrats They May Not Win in 2016 Without Him – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times

Single dose of cholera vaccine may interrupt epidemic

Researchers recently conducted a study that suggests a single dose of a cholera vaccine may provide people with adequate protection to stop the progress of the cholera epidemic.This is an important discovery as the new vaccine for cholera is already running short in supplies.Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working to stockpile two million doses of the latest licensed oral cholera vaccine. Unfortunately, this stockpile is much too low to meet the demands: approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide are considered at risk for cholera. “Even if a one-dose isn’t 50 percent as efficacious as a two-dose, it’s still the better strategy because when responding to an outbreak, the important thing is to get as much vaccine into the population as quickly as possible,” Justin Lessler, a leader of the study and an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, said.Cholera, which is contracted from drinking water that is contaminated with human waste, typically follows close behind a natural disaster.“By using a one-dose campaign, you can protect the same number of people and protect them earlier, so you ultimately prevent more cases of the disease than if you’d used the two dose protocol,” Lessler said.

Source: Single dose of cholera vaccine may interrupt epidemic