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Culture Tag

As I blog, I'm entering my thirty-third week of pregnancy -- the home stretch. Meanwhile, our little miracle is all kinds of wiggly, making my belly dance. Early in our pregnancy, our doctor asked if we'd like the baby tested for Down's Syndrome. We'd already decided against testing for one very simple reason: our child would be loved the same regardless. Destroying this precious growing life because she might be a bit different or need particular attentions was never an option. We were required to sign a waiver declining the testing. So then I see videos like this one published by BBC3 earlier this month. If ever there was a reminder that every life is unique and special, it's this:

An advertisement on Facebook for a roommate has sparked a debate about race at a California college that has, in turn, become a national dialogue about race. The Washington Post reports:
In most respects, the roommate-wanted notice seemed routine. Three students at the Claremont colleges in Southern California were looking for a fourth this summer to join them in an off-campus house. They added a caveat in parentheses: “POC only,” they said, using a common abbreviation for people of color. When a classmate challenged that condition, the Pitzer College student who posted the notice on Facebook pushed back. “It’s exclusive [because] I don’t want to live with any white folks,” wrote Karé Ureña, who is black. To some, Ureña’s request was completely understandable following a racially charged year when many students of color had demanded more support from the administration. To others, it was simple racism to exclude potential roommates based on skin color. The thread fit into the heated discussions about race, identity, culture, freedom of speech and campus “safe spaces” that have played out at colleges across the country, from Yale to Missouri and beyond.

The progressive left is apparently intent on confusing and traumatizing children when it comes to "gender identity."  The latest example of this mission is a unicorn coloring exercise in which children are asked to color their unicorn to match the gender they "feel" is their own. The Washington Free Beacon reports:
“Gender Unicorns” that kids can color in to express their “gender identity” are now being distributed in schools across the country. A transgender advocacy group is providing schools with the cartoon of a purple unicorn who appears to be thinking about the LGBT rainbow, causing outrage from parents. . . . The group, Trans Student Educational Resources, says the Gender Unicorn is an upgrade from the “Genderbread Person,” another cartoon graphic about gender identity targeting children.
The gender unicorn coloring page:

Chaos, violence, and looting erupted in Milwaukee late Saturday night following the shooting of an armed suspect by police. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
A standoff between police and an angry crowd turned violent Saturday night in the hours after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed suspect during a foot chase on the city's north side. After an hours-long confrontation with officers, police reported at 10:15 p.m. that a gas station at N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St. was set on fire. Police said firefighters could not for a time get close to the blaze because of gunshots. Later, fires were started at businesses — including a BMO Harris Bank branch, a beauty supply company and O'Reilly Auto Parts stores — near N. 35th and W. Burleigh streets.
Watch as the violence unfolds:

Anti-Israel Egyptian judo fighter Islam el-Shehaby received backlash on Friday when he didn't shake the hand or bow to his Israeli opponent Or Sasson, who defeated him on Friday. In response, the Egyptian Olympic Committee announced they will open an investigation into his actions. Judo Israeli Egyptian refuses to shake hand El-Shehaby received pressure from Muslims not to fight against the Israeli, but the EOC threatened to strip him of his citizenship if he withdrew. He immediately retired after the loss.

Anthony "Carlos Danger" Weiner's online sexual predator persona is very well known.  His lewd forays on social media made him a disgraced laughingstock, and he ultimately resigned his House seat and then withdrew his bid for mayor of New York City as a result. The latest page in Weiner's "cautionary tale of self destruction" includes a mongoose, porn scenes, strappy black heels, and an epic catfishing expedition. The New York Post reports:
Sext fiend Anthony Weiner boasted of his animal prowess — claiming he was “deceptively strong . . . like a mongoose” — and gave his cellphone number to a college student during a flirty, private online chat on a recent trip to Los Angeles, The Post has learned. But the joke was on the horndog pol, whose wife, Huma Abedin, is a top aide and close confidante of Hillary Clinton.

Texas and 12 other states have asked a federal judge to delay Obama's demand that all public schools allow transgender children use whichever bathroom they want:
"We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States," Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at the time. "This goes against the values of so many people," he added. "This has everything to do with keeping the federal government out of local issues."

The assassination of five Dallas cops last July left Dallas, TX, and the whole nation in shock. NFL team Dallas Cowboys wanted to honor the fallen cops with an Arm-In-Arm decal on their helmets, but the league said the team must remove the decals once preseason starts. https://twitter.com/spotcowboys/status/763930522963746816

Israel has faced discrimination at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to boycott his match against Israeli judoja Or Sasson. One of the fears of anti-Israel social media, which demanded a boycott, was that El Shehaby would lose, and thereby not only normalize Israel's participation but humiliate the Muslim world. El Shehaby lost. Egypt Israel Judoka Perhaps fearing the internet reaction, Shehaby refused to shake Sasson's hand afterwards.

Newspapers continue to drop paywalls as more people aren't willing to pay for a digital subscription, especially since so many others other free content. The AFP reports:
Newspapers in the English-speaking world ended paywalls some 69 times through May 2015, including 41 temporary and 28 permanent drops, according to a study by University of Southern California researchers.

Italian Member of Parliament Elvira Savino wants the government to jail parents who feed their children a vegan diet. She claims she has nothing against the vegan diet, which requires absolutely NO animal products:
"I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation," she said.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has amended their ethics code that bans lawyers from using sexist remarks towards women after female lawyers have complained of others calling them "honey" or "darling." The new rule says:
"It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination" on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors, the new guidance reads. "Harassment includes sexual harassment and derogatory or demeaning verbal or physical conduct."

Ahmed Mohamed, the White House's favorite builder of clocks, has returned to the United States and he's suing his old Texas town of Irving over the bomb mix-up. NBC News reports:
'Clock Boy' Ahmed Mohamed Sues Texas City for Accusing Him of Making Bomb The young tinkerer from Texas who was arrested last year for bringing a homemade alarm clock to school — and was later invited to the White House and Google's world headquarters — has filed a federal lawsuit against his former hometown, accusing it of violating his civil rights as part of a wider pattern of discrimination against African-American students.

Hillary Clinton's relationship with law enforcement, like her involvement with any issue, has evolved over time. Sometimes over night. There are reports that Hillary, as First Lady, had little respect for—and was even verbally abusive toward—the Secret Service agents assigned to protect her . . . with their lives if necessary.  Apparently, she also gave these men the impression that her dislike extended beyond the Secret Service to "law enforcement and the military." After receiving harsh criticism from the left when she made the "mistake" of declaring that "all lives matter,"  Hillary started courting the Black Lives Matter movement, attempting to ingratiate herself and secure their support for her campaign. Against this backdrop and when faced with the decision of whether or not to seek the endorsement of the National Fraternal Order of Police, she declined to submit to the process.  A move seen as a snub by the police union.

Yesterday in Rio, 19-year-old Ginny Thrasher won the USA's first gold medal in the 2016 Olympics; she won the women’s 10-meter air rifle finals to the excitement and pride of every American.  Well, almost every American, the backlash from the left runs the gambit from droll to downright nasty and mean-spirited. Ginny is a college student from Virginia who first shot a rifle while hunting with her grandfather, joined her high school rifle team, and was subsequently inspired by the 2012 Olympic shooting events to go for the gold herself.  Ginny's performance on Saturday morning was nothing short of outstanding and is being called an "upset" in that she out-shot a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. The Washington Post reports:
Thrasher . . . was one of eight competitors to emerge from the 50-woman qualification round Saturday morning.

Over the last year, colleges across the country have bent over backwards to accommodate student protests but they're now finding out there are consequences for that. Many alumni donors are making their disapproval known by withholding donations and that should be setting off alarm bells in the office of every college administrator. The New York Times reports:
College Students Protest, Alumni’s Fondness Fades and Checks Shrink Scott MacConnell cherishes the memory of his years at Amherst College, where he discovered his future métier as a theatrical designer. But protests on campus over cultural and racial sensitivities last year soured his feelings.