Poland’s parliament withdraws proposed abortion ban 

Poland’s parliament has rejected proposed legislation that would have imposed a near-total ban on abortion.

Current law allows abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy if the woman’s health or life is endangered, if the pregnancy results from a crime, or if the fetus is irreparably damaged.

European politicians from various liberal parties welcomed the news of the proposed ban’s rejection on Twitter, which is being seen as a victory for womens’ rights following the protests earlier this week.

On Monday, thousands of women in Poland took the day off work and school to take part in a pro-choice march to mark what organizers called “Black Monday”.

The day of action was inspired by a 1975 women’s strike in Iceland.

Poland’s parliament withdraws proposed abortion ban – CNN.com

Sweet!

Ghana Will Remove ‘Racist’ Gandhi Statue From Its Oldest University 

Professors and students at the University of Ghana called the statue “a slap in the face” because of Gandhi’s “racist identity.” 

…The petition, which had more than 1,700 supporters on Thursday, cited letters Gandhi wrote during his time in South Africa as evidence that he advocated for the superiority of Indians over black Africans. It also took issue with his use of the derogatory term kaffir to refer to native Africans and criticized the lack of statues of African heroes and heroines on campus.

Ghana Will Remove ‘Racist’ Gandhi Statue From Its Oldest University | TIME

hmmm

Georgia Pope: Tbilisi stadium largely empty for papal Mass 

The Pope says Mass in a largely empty stadium on a visit to Georgia after the majority Orthodox Christian Church asks followers to stay away.

…The Orthodox patriarchate said on its website: “As long as there are dogmatic differences between our churches, Orthodox believers will not participate in their prayers”.

One Georgian priest told AP it was a protest against Catholic attempts to convert Orthodox Christians.

“Can you imagine how it would be if a Sunni [Muslim] preacher came to Shia [Muslim] Iran and conducted prayers in a stadium or somewhere else?” Father David Klividze asked. “Such a thing could not be.”

Georgia Pope: Tbilisi stadium largely empty for papal Mass – BBC News

Hmmmm

Pope Francis speaks of the importance of women during mass in Tbilisi 

Pope Francis on Saturday conducted a mass on Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the center of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. In his sermon, the head of the Roman Catholic Church spoke about the importance of women in Georgia, quoting Mother Teresa, who said that more women show more love of God than men do.

Pope Francis speaks of the importance of women during mass in Tbilisi – Democracy & Freedom Watch | News | Democracy & Freedom Watch

hmm

maybe white pushback against the African American History Museum is about something more 

When we, as white people in this country, say a museum of African American history doesn’t tell our stories too, we’re lying. It does. It just tells stories that don’t put us in the best light, stories that show our ancestors on the wrong side of history, stories that we’re simply not proud of.

Maybe your story isn’t like mine. Maybe your ancestors weren’t here at the beginning of this nation. Maybe you want to shrug off our racist past as not being your own. If so, I get that. But I’d also challenge you to think about the privileges we – all white people – get when people who look like us have held the most power in politics and business and churches and education and more in this country. That history is why skin-colored bandaids are made to match us while I have to special order ones for my black children. It’s why shows that feature people who look like me are simply called shows but ones that feature a primarily black cast are called black entertainment. It’s why, out of the top 500 grossing companies in our country, only 5 have black CEOs while the vast majority look like me (or, more accurately, my husband). It’s why for the past 21 years, only 10% of children’s books included multicultural content while it’s easy for white children to see themselves reflected there. It’s why, even in 2003, the same resume from a stereotypically white-sounding name got 50% more callbacks than an identical resume from a stereotypically black-sounding names. I could go on – as this famous piece does – but I think I’ve made my point. Even if your ancestors didn’t engage in the racist acts that mine did, the benefits of white privilege afforded to me are also available to you.

African American history is American history. It is. But as white people have historically gotten to write the history books and control the biases there, we have been able to rewrite stories to favor us a bit more. (One reason black homeschooling is on the rise, in fact, is this failure for public schools to teach history through anything but a Euro-centric lens.) For example, one textbook recently raised eyebrows by referring to those brought by the slave trade as immigrant “workers” with the implication that they were paid or came by choice. Even the misunderstandings about slavery’s role in the Civil War can be traced back to textbooks whitewashing our history.

Source: maybe white pushback against the African American History Museum is about something more — Shannon Dingle

Damn girl, just dishing out truth and reality check left and right.
Good on ya, Sister!!!

These Photos Capture The Beauty And Grace Of The World’s First Muslim Hijabi Ballerina


These Photos Capture The Beauty And Grace Of The World’s First Muslim Hijabi Ballerina | Huffington Post

Stephanie Kurlow, growing up in Australia, dreamed of being a ballerina. A convert to Islam, she now dreams of dancing professionally in the hijab.

Ballerina in hijab: Australian teen dancer Stephanie Kurlow – CNN.com

Judging her form from a still is next to impossible so I cannot say if she is any good but she’s found a way to make her dreams and her beliefs work together and that’s always a good thing.

John Walker rejects city apology for arrest during filming of police

State Rep. John Walker rejects the city’s apology for his arrest yesterday and complains at the city’s decision to pursue a charge against an associate in his law firm.

John Walker rejects city apology for arrest during filming of police | Arkansas Blog | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art

Cheers, Rep Walker!

Split Over Donald Trump and Cut Off by Culture Wars, Evangelicals Despair –

The change in America seemed to happen so quickly that it felt like whiplash, the Odgaards said. One day they felt comfortably situated in the American majority, as Christians with shared beliefs in God, family and the Bible. They had never even imagined that two people of the same sex could marry.

(Psssst, having well-funded PACS does not make you the majority. If you confuse being the loudest and living in a bubble with blinders on with being the majority… Well, you’re deluded.)

The case was settled in arbitration, and the Odgaards had to pay $5,000 to Mr. Stafford and Mr. Ellars, which they donated to an anti-bullying program for gay students.

Their wedding was held in a barn, officiated by a minister with the Disciples of Christ church that Mr. Stafford attends. To this day, Mr. Stafford, who is 43 and a business systems analyst, is troubled that the debate over religious liberty appears to be “so one-sided,” he said.

“Their religious beliefs say they don’t approve of gay marriage, but my religious beliefs say that we can,” he said. “Why does their religion trump mine?”

Split Over Donald Trump and Cut Off by Culture Wars, Evangelicals Despair – The New York Times

“Why does their religion trump mine?” Exactly.

 

Juanita Broaddrick Drops Twitter Bomb On Chelsea Clinton 

‘Your father was, and probably still is, a sexual predator. Your mother has always lied and covered up for him.’

Juanita Broaddrick Drops Twitter Bomb On Chelsea Clinton | The Daily Caller

Sexual assault is a horrible thing. Attacking the wife and children of the person you say accused you doesn’t garner much sympathy or gravitas for your side of the story though…