Category Archives: Viva!

Senate Confirms Three History-Making Judges | National Women’s Law Center

Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts

Earlier this week, the Senate confirmed Judge Darrin Gayles (to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida), Judge Salvador Mendoza (to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington), and Staci Yandle (to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois). As White House Counsel Neil Eggleston noted in a blog post, all three of these confirmed judges have broken barriers in their respective districts. Judge Gayles is the first openly gay African American man to be confirmed as a lifetime-appointed federal judge in our nation’s history; Judge Mendoza is the first Hispanic judge to serve on his court; and now-Judge Yandle is the first African American to serve on her court and the first openly gay lifetime-appointed federal judge in Illinois. This marks the first time that two openly gay judges have been confirmed on the same day. In addition, with today’s confirmations, President Obama has appointed more female federal judges than any other President and more Hispanic judges than any other President.

These confirmations highlight the fact that, as the Senate moves forward on confirming judges, those nominees also increase the diversity of the federal bench. As we’ve said before, in our view, the more our judges resemble the diverse faces of the nation, the better the quality of justice. That’s why it’s more important than ever that the Senate continue to keep judicial nominations a legislative priority.

via Senate Confirms Three History-Making Judges | National Women’s Law Center.

Online Censorship In China | GreatFire.org

Online Censorship In China

GreatFire.org brings transparency to the Great Firewall of China. We have monitored blocked websites and keywords since 2011.

Latest Stats

Monitoring 949 Alexa Top 1000 Domains: 105 are blocked in China

Monitoring 25140 Domains: 3331 are blocked in China

Monitoring 11845 Google Searches: 2994 are blocked in China

Monitoring 513 Google Sites: 213 are blocked in China

Monitoring 5793 HTTPS: 1914 are blocked in China

Monitoring 6182 IP Addresses: 2666 are blocked in China

Monitoring 116887 URLs: 23076 are blocked in China

Monitoring 19242 Weibo Searches: 2168 are blocked in China

Monitoring 992 Wikipedia Pages: 271 are blocked in China

via Online Censorship In China | GreatFire.org.

With Canoes of Concrete, Engineers at City College Paddle Merrily Onward – NYTimes.com

It might sound like an idea that would go over like the proverbial lead balloon, but in September, a group of engineering students at City College of New York began meeting and devising a way to build a concrete canoe.

via With Canoes of Concrete, Engineers at City College Paddle Merrily Onward – NYTimes.com.

What’s Great About 7 Guys in the Desert, at a Camel Market, Watching the World Cup — BagNews

• And along those lines, you’d think these guys from Daba (Saudi Arabia) would be watching either Middle East/N. Africa qualifiers Algeria or Iran, wouldn’t you? (Iran, to see them lose.) Well, they’re not. It’s Netherlands – Australia.

via What’s Great About 7 Guys in the Desert, at a Camel Market, Watching the World Cup — BagNews.

Celebrating the Introduction of Bill to Protect San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers | Ramya Sivasubramanian’s Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, I joined supporters at Peck Water Conservation Park along the Rio Hondo River on Saturday, June 14th to celebrate Congresswoman Judy Chu’s recent legislation to permanently protect over 615,000 acres of the San Gabriel Mountains, rivers, and parks. Co-sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Tony Cárdenas, supporters include local governments, school districts, water agencies, businesses, residents, and organizations like San Gabriel Mountains Forever. And it’s easy to see why.

via Celebrating the Introduction of Bill to Protect San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers | Ramya Sivasubramanian’s Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC.

About | Open Source IMINT – worldwide defense reporting

The Open Source Imagery Intelligence site utilizes open source satellite imagery along with other publicly available resources to provide added value to

. The site is currently maintained by a former imagery analyst.

If you would like to contribute content or discuss any issues offline, you can contact me via email at: editor.osimint@gmail.com

via About | Open Source IMINT.

Feather in the Cap – One High School Graduate Story to Wear Eagle Feather at Graduation Commencement

The day I received confirmation, that I met all state requirements to participate in the Lemoore High commencement ceremony, I was honored with an eagle feather from my parents, John and Carol Plenty Wolf.

My name is Yareya Keiialani San Nicolas Garcia, nim inyana huyowus Ha’yali (my Taatsi name). Being both Taatsi Yokut & Chamoru Pacific islander, I have always been proud of who I am and where I come from.

Most people don’t understand what an honor it is to receive a feather.

via Feather in the Cap – One High School Graduate Story to Wear Eagle Feather at Graduation Commencement.

Regulations.gov – Minimum wage for contracted employees

The Executive Order therefore seeks to increase efficiency and cost savings in the work performed by parties that contract with the Federal Government by raising the hourly minimum wage paid by those contractors to workers performing on covered Federal contracts to: $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor. The Executive Order directs the Secretary to issue regulations by October 1, 2014, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with the requirements of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act to implement the Order’s requirements. This proposed rule therefore establishes standards and procedures for implementing and enforcing the minimum wage protections of Executive Order 13658. As required by the Order and to the extent practicable, the proposed rule incorporates existing definitions, procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, and the Davis-Bacon Act.

via Regulations.gov – Proposed Rule Document.

[India] With She-Toilets, Chennai shows way in sanitation | WNN – Women News Network

“This is also the first time Chennai Corporation has done a detailed survey and mapping of where public toilets are required and where the public oppose it,” said a senior corporation official. “Earlier the corporation would only ask the zonal engineer where to put up a toilet.” These 348 locations include bus stands, markets and open spaces.

The toilets will come as a relief to women who work outdoors all day such as vendors, construction workers and police officers. “We have to stand on the road for at least five hours while on bandobast duty,” said Leela Sri, a woman constable. “There are very few public toilets that we can use and most of them are filthy.” Leela, who has been on the job for 11 years, said she and her female colleagues are prone to urinary tract infections and fibroids. “If more of these toilets for women come up, the next generation of policewomen need not face such health problems,” she says. Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation recently introduced these toilets . . .

via [India] With She-Toilets, Chennai shows way in sanitation | WNN – Women News Network.

Mother attends daughter’s graduation in the dress that got her daughter sent home from school

Sadly, Central Davison is not the only school humiliating and slut-shaming its female students. As we’ve blogged about before, a Utah high school recently photo-shopped the year book photos of certain female students so their necklines would be higher and their sleeves would be longer. A school in Canada sent female students home for wearing tank tops that revealed their bra straps. Another student at a different school got sent home for the same bra-strap related infraction. Another–you guessed it–female student got sent home over the length of her shorts. And a 17-year old girl got sent home from a prom for provoking “impure thoughts.” The silver lining to this puritanical persecution is that some of the people being targeted are calling it out by making statements, putting up posters, and talking to the press.

via Mother attends daughter’s graduation in the dress that got her daughter sent home from school.