Welcome! "What's Happenin'?" is a casual community diary (a daily series, 8:30 AM Eastern on weekdays, 10 AM on weekends and holidays) where we hang out and talk about the goings on here and everywhere.
We chat about our lives, our health, our families, our social circles, our pets, etc. We welcome links to your writings here on dkos or elsewhere, posts of pictures, music, etc.
Just about anything goes, but attacks and pie fights are not welcome here. This is a community diary and a friendly, peaceful, supportive place for people to interact.
Everyone who wants to join in peaceful interaction is very welcome here.
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Good Morning!
Original image source: The Washington Post/Getty Images
The 10 best protests
The Observer's veteran foreign correspondent Ed Vulliamy chooses history's most significant public demonstrations
March on Washington 17 April 1965
There were many epic protests against the Vietnam war that inspired my generation but this photograph of a demonstrator placing a flower in the barrel of a National Guardsman’s gun – a single, small but defiant act of protest – was both of the time and, eternally, an assertion for peace against war. The moment gathered further cogency in May 1970 after the killing of four students at Kent State University in Ohio in a similar protest. It emerged that one of the dead, Allison Krause, had also placed a flower in a gun the previous day.
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the postive affirmation of peace.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
News
“The Warrior Class”: The Blackwater Videos
By Harper's Magazine
The April 2012 issue of Harper’s Magazine includes “The Warrior Class,” a feature by Charles Glass on the rise of private-security contractors since 9/11. The conclusion to the piece describes a series of videos shown to Glass by a source who had worked for the private-security company Blackwater (now Academi, formerly also Xe Services) in Iraq. Clips and photos from the videos are shown [at the link], introduced by Glass’s descriptions...
Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance
by Ashley Judd Apr 9, 2012 4:45 AM EDT
Ashley Judd’s 'puffy' appearance sparked a viral media frenzy. But, the actress writes, the conversation is really a misogynistic assault on all women.
US space companies prepare for space station docking
By Neil Bowdler and Matt Danzico - BBC News
Two US rocket companies are readying the first private space missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX and Orbital both have multi-billion dollar Nasa contracts to supply cargo to the station, filling the void left by the retirement last year of the space shuttle.
Unlocking Old iPhones: Should Business Users Bother?
By Eric Zeman - InformationWeek
Apple and AT&T have finally begun allowing customers to unlock old iPhones. Consider the implications for business users. On April 6, AT&T revealed that it would allow owners of old, off-contract iPhones to unlock them ...
Monti's Overhaul Can't Stop Pain From Spain: Euro Credit
Bloomberg
Prime Minister Mario Monti's efforts to overhaul the economy and protect Italy from the region's debt crisis may be overwhelmed by Spain's deepening fiscal woes and the fading effect of European Central Bank three-year lending.
Suicide attacks kill 22 in Afghanistan
By Masoud Popalzai, CNN
Suicide attacks on government facilities in western and southern Afghanistan Tuesday killed at least 22 people and wounded 23 others, authorities said.
Beyond Gay Marriage: North Carolina Amendment Carries Massive Implications
By Tom Kludt - TPM
When North Carolina holds an election on May 8, voters won’t merely be deciding the fate of same-sex marriage in the state; they will be voting on an amendment with implications that could affect gay and straight couples alike.
If passed, Amendment One would establish marriage between a man and a woman as the only legally recognized union in the state — a sweeping distinction that would preclude legal recognition for all other domestic partnerships. The broad language of the amendment, which was passed by the Republican-controlled general assembly last fall, has opponents fearful that its passage could ultimately deny both benefits and domestic violence protections to thousands of unmarried North Carolina couples.
A quarter of a million Social Security numbers and other personal data exposed in Utah Medicaid hack
By Jamie Keene - The Verge
A cyber attack on the Utah Department of Technology Services gave hackers access to up to 500,000 people's personal data, including as many as 280,000 Social Security numbers. The hackers were able to access not only Medicaid cases, but also users of the Children's Health Insurance Plan. The remaining 220,000 claims accessed are said to have revealed details like names, dates of birth, and addresses. Those affected will have visited the doctor in the last four months, and had a Medicaid eligibility enquiry performed by their doctor.
Daughter released from hospital, Rick Santorum to resume campaign
By Seema Mehta - Politics Now
Rick Santorum will resume his presidential campaign this afternoon, hours after his youngest child, Bella, who suffers a rare genetic disorder, was released from a hospital and allowed to return to her family’s Virginia home.
I have very few nice things to say about or to Rick Santorum BUT I will honestly and sincerely say this: I hope your daughter will be OK.
Wisconsin’s Rep. Ryan says he hasn’t discussed joining Romney on GOP presidential ticket
By Associated Press
A leading House Republican said Tuesday he hasn’t had a discussion with Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney about taking the No. 2 spot on the ticket this fall.
Wisconsin’s Congressman Paul Ryan said the subject hasn’t come up, but said he enjoys working with the former Massachusetts governor, whom he has endorsed.
For future reference... I expect the AP to now cover the other 300,000,000 +++ non-news stories about whom, exactly, has not discussed the implausibility of hitching their caboose to the crazy train into the White House with Mittens.
Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.
~Thomas Jefferson
I'll leave you with a little Dolly Parton mashup of a familiar tune to the What's Hapenin' gang...