Saturday, November 30, 2013

23 Defining Traits Of Your Favorite Teacher When “teacher” = mentor, friend, and partner in crime. posted on November 29, 2013 at 10:32pm EST Rega Jha BuzzFeed Staff

http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/defining-traits-of-your-favorite-teacher

Black Lieday 2013. Just Buy Your Gifts, Don't Buy Their Lies.

“Meet America’s professional protesters.” (They drink beer and eat pizza for breakfast.) youtube.com Walmart is facing the threat of more than a thousand protests on Black Friday by workers demanding better pay and working conditions — not a great look for the world’s biggest retailer on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. So why not find a way to make it look a little less bad? Worker Center Watch, a website “dedicated to exposing Big Labor’s abuse of the worker center organizational model,” pitched in by putting out a video depicting America’s “professional protesters” earlier this month. According to TheNation.com, the website was actually registered by the former head lobbyist for Walmart’s firm — which gives some context to the hilariously absurd video. According to Worker Center Watch, people protesting at retailers — all white, male youths — are paid to do it. They eat pizza and beer for breakfast after waking up in the afternoon. Then they actually look in the mirror and say: “Let’s protest!” before harassing customers. After all, “their job is to beat up your job.” At the end, the narrator urges listeners: “This Black Friday, just buy your gifts, don’t buy their lies.” Share On Facebook Tweet Email inShare More ▾http://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/watch-this-hilariously-bad-video-attempting-to-discredit-bla?fb_comment_id=fbc_658652700822653_6856098_660068827347707#f54065968

http://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/watch-this-hilariously-bad-video-attempting-to-discredit-bla?fb_comment_id=fbc_658652700822653_6856098_660068827347707#f54065968

Barney.A.Counting.We.Will.Go.2010.DVDRip.XviD-DOCUMENT.avi Let's just remember the show ok

THROWBACK! Barney Killed During Parade | Rocco

THROWBACK! Barney Killed During Parade | Rocco

Los Angeles Redistricting Discriminates Against Latinos, Activists Say By MARK SHERMAN 11/30/13 04:20 AM ET EST AP The Huffington Post


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/los-angeles-redistricting_n_4363862.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices

Duncan's Bar Mitzvah - A Call for Freedom to Marry

Duncan McAlpine Sennett, Oregon Teen, Delivers Bar Mitzvah Speech In Support Of Gay Marriage Posted: 11/30/2013 8:18 am EST | Updated: 11/30/2013 8:43 am EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/bar-mitzvah-gay-marriage_n_4363083.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037&ir=Politics

Latinos want gov't to look into LA County voting MARK SHERMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS November 30, 2013 7:39 AM

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/texas/article/Latinos-want-gov-t-to-look-into-LA-County-voting-5023450.php

Majority of Americans Still Support Pathway To Citizenship For Undocumented Immigrants BY ESTHER YU-HSI LEE ON NOVEMBER 25, 2013 AT 12:15 PM


http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2013/11/25/2989131/americans-support-citizenship-public-religion-nov/

Congress Members Urge President To Issue Strong Protections To Prevent Sexual Abuse Of Immigrant Detainees BY ESTHER YU-HSI LEE ON NOVEMBER 27, 2013 AT 2:12 PM

http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2013/11/27/3001321/congress-letter-stop-abuse-immigrant-detainee/

Science Textbooks Across the Country Will Teach Real Science Because of A Decision In Texas BY RYAN KORONOWSKI ON NOVEMBER 29, 2013 AT 7:02 PM

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/29/2986031/texas-textbooks-science-approved/

Friday, November 29, 2013

INDEPENDENT LENS We Still Live Here - As Nutayunean Aired: 11/01/201355:24Expires: in 2 Days Rating: TV-PG The Wampanoag nation of southeastern Massachusetts ensured the survival of the Pilgrims, but lived to regret it. This film tells the story of the return of the Wampanoag language, the first time a language with no Native speakers has been revived in this country. Spurred on by an indomitable linguist named Jessie Little Doe, the Wampanoag are bringing their language and their culture back.

INDEPENDENT LENS Young Lakota Aired: 11/26/201355:32Expires: in 4 Days Rating: TV-PG When South Dakota abortion politics bring political turmoil to the doorstep on the Pine Ridge Reservation, three young idealists and the tribe's first female president have to decide how far they will go to change politics as usual in their own community.

Fair wage, equal pay protests at Houston stores on Black Friday Author: Mary Benton, Reporter, mbenton@kprc.com Published On: Nov 29 2013 04:37:10 PM CST Updated On: Nov 29 2013 04:52:55 PM CST

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

POLITICS Is Forced Religious Belief Coming to an Employer Near You? Jamelle BouieBy Jamelle BouieNovember 27th 201311:04 AM FOLLOWMore Stories by Jamelle Bouie The Daily Beast


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/27/forced-religious-belief-now-coming-to-a-job-near-you.html

ACLU sues Indiana over abortion clinic law Tim Evans, USA TODAY 11:11 a.m. EDT August 23, 2013


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/23/indiana-abortion-lawsuit/2691891/

Judge blocks Indiana law on drug-induced abortions Diana Penner, The Indianapolis Star 1:44 p.m. EST November 27, 2013


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/27/indiana-planned-parenthood-abortion/3768289/?utm_content=buffer7082b&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Buffer

SeaTac $15 Minimum Wage Barely Passes In Final Vote Tally, Recount May Follow Posted: 11/26/2013 7:15 pm EST | Updated: 11/27/2013 1:53 pm EST The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/seatac-15-minimum-wage-passes_n_4339492.html?ir=Politics

Obama Visits Activists Fasting For Immigration By DARLENE SUPERVILLE 11/29/13 12:34 PM ET EST AP The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/29/obama-immigration_n_4360975.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Politics & Policy Do Genetic Tests Need Doctors? FDA Defends Its Challenge to 23andMe By Diane Brady November 27, 2013


http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-27/do-genetic-tests-need-doctors-fda-defends-its-challenge-to-23andme#r=nav-r-story

Fighting 'Roe v. Wade' By Jennifer Daniel and Allison McCann January 17, 2013

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-17/fighting-roe-v-dot-wade

Politics & Policy The Vanishing Abortion Clinic By Esmé E. Deprez November 27, 2013

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-27/abortion-clinics-face-shutdown-spiral-as-republicans-push-restrictions

‘The Chanukah Song’ By Adam Sandler http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/08/eight-epic-chanukah-songs-from-sandler-to-south-park.html

Eight Epic Chanukah Songs, From Sandler to ‘South Park’ Michael SolomonBy Michael SolomonDecember 8th 20124:45 AM FOLLOWMore Stories by Michael Solomon

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/08/eight-epic-chanukah-songs-from-sandler-to-south-park.html

Is Black Friday Losing Its Luster? The Huffington Post Live

Happy Thanksgiving! http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/22/the-simpsons-roseanne-more-classic-thanksgiving-episodes-video.html

These are the people who work for minimum wage. They’re not who you think. Washington Post

http://knowmore.washingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/these-are-the-people-who-work-for-minimum-wage-theyre-not-who-you-think/?tid=sm_fb

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Montana Congressional Candidate Says U.S. Should Resurrect 'Operation Wetback' Published November 27, 2013Fox News Latino


http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/11/27/montana-congressional-candidate-says-us-should-resurrect-operation-wetback/

WED NOV 27, 2013 AT 09:24 AM PST Michigan about to require women to buy "rape insurance" based on petition signed by 4.2% of voters byEclectablog DailyKos


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/27/1258760/-Michigan-about-to-require-women-to-buy-rape-insurance-based-on-petition-signed-by-4-2-of-voters?detail=facebook#

Hobby Lobby Founder Applauds Supreme Court Review - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Hobby Lobby Founder Applauds Supreme Court Review - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Texas Threat to Abortion Clinics Dodged at Flea Markets By Esme E. Deprez - Jul 11, 2013 4:17 PM CT

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-11/flea-market-abortions-thrive-as-texas-may-close-clinics.html

The GOP’s Late-Term Abortion Strategy Is Backfiring 17 HOURS AGO - BY SALLY KOHN As the Supreme Court announces it will hear a challenge to Obama’s contraception mandate, a study on late-term abortion seekers finds the GOP’s anti-abortion laws are backfiring.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/11/27/the-gop-s-late-term-abortion-strategy-is-backfiring.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat+Sheet

Sharing women’s experiences with abortion: An interview with Meaghan Winter » ANSIRH blog

Sharing women’s experiences with abortion: An interview with Meaghan Winter » ANSIRH blog

Nearly a dozen briefs filed with high court backing Mass. abortion clinic "buffer zone" law THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 25, 2013 - 4:26 pm EST

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b3d08ffffb32474398ca18872747b3f0/MA--Abortion-Buffer-Zone-Mass

BREAKING: Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to HHS Contraception Mandate Christine Rousselle | Nov 26, 2013

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/christinerousselle/2013/11/26/breaking-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-challenge-to-hhs-contraception-mandate-n1753582?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm

Rick Perry Barnstorms South Carolina Like It’s 2016 By Arlette Saenz @ArletteSaenz Follow on Twitter Nov 27, 2013 3:53pm

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/rick-perry-barnstorms-south-carolina-like-its-2016/

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Miley And Her Virtual Kitten Won The AMAs, The Internet, Life Not totally sure what this was about, but it was perfect. posted on November 24, 2013 at 11:41pm EST Lauren Yapalater BuzzFeed Staff


http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/miley-and-her-virtual-kitten-won-the-amas-the-internet-life?sub=2776857_2028684

Black Friday Protest at Houston Galleria Public · By Black Friday Protest


https://www.facebook.com/events/226078757558394/

'We're Losing Our Little Boy': One Family's Heartbreaking Fight For Their Son's Education Posted: 11/24/2013 6:31 pm EST | Updated: 11/24/2013 11:05 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/24/public-schools-special-education_n_4261145.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

'We're Losing Our Little Boy': One Family's Heartbreaking Fight For Their Son's Education Posted: 11/24/2013 6:31 pm EST | Updated: 11/24/2013 11:05 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/24/public-schools-special-education_n_4261145.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

WALMART'S FOOD DRIVE - Tell Walmart: Decent Pay, Not Hand Outs

u.s. law Personhood In The Womb: A Constitutional Question November 21, 2013 3:54 PM NPR

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/21/246534132/personhood-in-the-womb-a-constitutional-question

Friday, November 22, 2013

9 things everyone should know about the drug Molly See show times » Erin Burnett OutFront By Drew Griffin. Nelli Black and Patricia DiCarlo, CNN Investigations updated 12:21 AM EST, Sat November 23, 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/22/health/9-things-molly-drug/index.html?sr=fb112213mollydrugs11p

The Zapruder Film - Full Length, Full Width, Good Quality

John Boehner: Immigration overhaul is not dead LAtimes

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-boehner-immigration-20131121,0,4205845.story#axzz2lPQLFrWk

Supply and demand: BARC to ship pets to Colorado Chron.com

Judge Gives Preliminary Approval To End State Funded Desegregation Programs For Little Rock Schools By CHUCK BARTELS 11/22/13 01:05 PM ET EST AP

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/little-rock-nine-lawsuit_n_4324906.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

November 21, 1963 - Jacqueline Kennedy's speech in Spanish at the Rice H...

John F. Kennedy's Complex Relationship With The Mexican American Community VOXXI | By Grace Flores-Hughes Posted: 11/22/2013 1:18 pm EST | Updated: 11/22/2013 3:00 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/john-f-kennedy-mexican-am_n_4324888.html

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Naked Woman Boards Train And Kicks Everyone Else Off [Video] | Mike Adam

Naked Woman Boards Train And Kicks Everyone Else Off [Video] | Mike Adam

Supreme Court Refuses To Block Texas Abortion Restrictions By MARK SHERMAN 11/19/13 07:45 PM ET EST AP

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/texas-abortion_n_4305248.html?ref=topbar

Posted: 11/19/13 EST | Updated: 11/19/13 EST How Poverty Impacts Students' Test Scores, In 4 Graphs

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/poverty-test-scores_n_4298345.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

This Awesome Ad, Set to the Beastie Boys, Is How to Get Girls to Become Engineers 62.7k 2.1k 178 By Katy Waldman

Racist Young Conservatives of Texas Get Response From University Of Texas Students (VIDEO)

Racist Young Conservatives of Texas Get Response From University Of Texas Students (VIDEO)

New Device to Protect Against Pregnancy, Herpes, and HIV Is Possible by Martha Kempner, RH Reality Check November 19, 2013 - 10:39 am

http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/11/19/new-device-to-protect-against-pregnancy-herpes-and-hiv-is-possible/

BREAKING: GEORGIANS BLOCKADE ATLANTA ICE OFFICE Not 1 More


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The Winners and Losers of Marijuana Legalization

The Winners and Losers of Marijuana Legalization

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back


http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back/281303/

Abortion Debate Could Play Into Hispanic Vote in 2014 by Alexa Ura November 3, 2013 The Texas Tribune

Abortion Debate Could Play Into Hispanic Vote in 2014
by Alexa Ura

Following this summer’s divisive abortion debate in the state Legislature, Texas Republicans see an opening for the 2014 election as they work to reach out to Hispanic voters who could be spurred to the polls by the party’s anti-abortion stance.

But Democrats see the plan as a losing proposition for Republicans, arguing that the reputation of most Hispanics as socially conservative is inaccurate and that Hispanics tend to side with Democrats on the issues that matter most to them.

As Texas’ demographics continue to shift, it is easy to see why both sides covet the Hispanic vote. The state’s population is 38 percent Hispanic. Although less than one-third of eligible voters in Texas today are Hispanic, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanics are expected to make up a plurality of the state's population by 2020.

Enrique Marquez, a Republican political consultant, said Democratic organizations and candidates in Texas were “completely out of sync” on abortion with Hispanics, who are predominantly Catholic. Marquez added that if Texas Republicans discussed their anti-abortion views and religious beliefs while still placing a priority on the economy, they could have a winning formula in 2014.

“Family values is a very powerful issue among the Hispanic electorate, but jobs still remain the top concern,” he said.

The Republican National Committee recently announced its own efforts to connect with the state’s Hispanic electorate by creating targeted outreach teams to knock on doors and educate voters on the party’s stances on several issues, including abortion.

But if abortion is a crucial part of such efforts, Republicans will find the strategy an exercise in futility, said state Rep. Mary González, D-Clint. “This is one of those issues where stereotypes are problematic,” she said, referring to the assumption that Hispanics oppose abortion.

But González acknowledged that many Hispanics supported the Democratic Party on issues like immigration, education and health care, not necessarily because of most Democrats’ support for abortion rights.

If Republicans’ efforts to reach Hispanics during the 2014 campaign do put a focus on abortion, they will be breaking new ground. Politicking on that issue has so far been uncommon among Hispanics.

Culturally, Hispanics see abortion as largely a private matter, and there is not a formidable group of political activists in the Rio Grande Valley who are outspoken about abortion rights, according to Kathryn Hearn, the community services director at the Planned Parenthood Association of Hidalgo County.

Planned Parenthood clinics in South Texas serve a predominantly Hispanic population and do not perform abortions. There are two abortion facilities operated by other providers in McAllen and Harlingen that serve residents in South Texas.

Patients sometimes struggle to discuss abortion and commonly use euphemisms to talk about the procedure, even when talking to clinicians, Hearn said.

“When it comes to our patients and this community, this is not a sound-bite issue,” Hearn said. “It’s so personal that sometimes even after someone has had an abortion, it’s sometimes difficult for them to tell us.”

Amber Salinas, a community organizer for the Texas Organizing Project, a grassroots political advocacy group in the Rio Grande Valley, said abortion was not a mobilizing issue in the region.

“For the people here, there are so many other things that impact them more on a daily basis — living paycheck to paycheck and being able to put shoes on their kids,” Salinas said.

According to a June University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, 60 percent of Hispanics in Texas said they supported a ban on abortions after 20 weeks (such a ban was passed this summer), and 49 percent said abortion laws were strict enough or should be made less strict.

Of the 58 percent of Hispanic respondents who identify as Democrats, most said they identified with the party without strictly holding uniformly Democratic attitudes.

Some Republicans say that is an important point to remember as the party plans strategies for the 2014 election.

“If you listen to talk radio and the pundits, in many instances those who speak the loudest for the Republican Party are offensive to the Hispanic community,” said state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas.

He said the key was engaging with Hispanics individually, helping them realize they stand on the same side of several issues with Republicans, including abortion, and not treating Hispanics as a “monolithic voting bloc.”

The abortion issue is sure to come up often in the top 2014 Texas race, the face-off for governor.

Since announcing his candidacy for governor, Attorney General Greg Abbott has repeatedly linked Hispanic ideals on family values to the Republican Party’s position against abortion while courting the Hispanic vote in the reliably red state.


On the Democratic side, state Sen. Wendy Davis, whose 11-hour filibuster of an omnibus abortion bill propelled her and the issue onto the national stage this year, has mostly avoided the subject since declaring her candidacy.

Democrats have largely painted the abortion battle as a Republican war on women and have expanded the debate into a fight over women’s health and access to health care, which they hope resonates with Hispanic voters.

But Abbott’s efforts to highlight the differences in beliefs between the Republican and Democratic parties have been matched by right-wing organizations that have aired bilingual radio spots in South Texas that paint Davis as an “abortion zealot” who is backed by extremist groups.

“Wendy Davis puts late-term abortion ahead of our faith, our families and Texas values,” the script of one ad read.

The abortion debate could prove harmful for Republicans. Following a court ruling to lift an injunction on restrictions set in place by the abortion law, the only two abortion clinics in South Texas discontinued abortion services Friday.

But the Hispanic community is not a single-issue voting group, and immigration and education continue to be among their top concerns — two issues that Republicans do not usually spin positively, according to Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University.

“Republicans don’t have much to offer them on those two issues, so they push limits on abortion, knowing that Hispanics are more conservative than most Democrats on that issue,” Jillson said.

Until Republicans connect with voters on immigration and education policy, Jillson says, they will not improve their share of the Hispanic vote despite promoting their anti-abortion platform.

This story was produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.  




This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/03/abortion-debate-could-play-hispanic-vote-2014/.

Abortion Providers Ask SCOTUS to Reinstate Injunction by Becca Aaronson Updated Nov. 12, 4 p.m.: Texas Tribune

Abortion Providers Ask SCOTUS to Reinstate Injunction
by Becca Aaronson

Updated Nov. 12, 4 p.m.:

State attorneys filed a response on Tuesday to abortion providers’ request for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the ongoing legal battle over the constitutionality of Texas' new regulations on the procedure.

Abortion providers on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower federal court’s injunction that blocked Texas from implementing strict new abortion rules, which the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted. Justice Antonin Scalia, who is considering the plaintiffs' request, ordered the state to respond by Nov. 12.

“The applicants focus almost exclusively on their claim that ‘approximately 20,000 Texas women' will be unable to obtain abortions each year on account of HB2’s hospital-admitting privileges requirement,” the Texas attorney general’s office responded on Tuesday. “But a litigant does not establish a factual proposition by asserting it to be so.”

The state’s attorneys debate evidence presented by the plaintiffs that 13 abortion facilities that do not have a physician with nearby hospital admitting privileges would be forced to stop performing abortion, leading an estimated 20,000 women to lose access to abortion services. The state argues there’s not enough evidence that remaining abortion providers could not take on those additional patients.

The 5th Circuit plans to hold a hearing to fully consider the case in January. The state’s attorneys argued in their response that it’s “hard to imagine” the Supreme Court would reconsider the case after the 5th Circuit, unless the 5th Circuit’s ruling conflicts with the 7th Circuit’s ruling on a similar  hospital admitting privileges requirement in Wisconsin. “The applicants do not allege that this scenario is ‘likely,’ and it is highly unlikely, especially when the Wisconsin and Texas cases are likely to turn on features unique to each state's abortion market,” state attorneys note in their response.

The plaintiffs anticipate that Scalia will issue an expedited decision shortly after receiving the state's response. He could also refer the case to the entire U.S. Supreme Court. If Scalia does not reverse the 5th Circuit's decision or refer the case to the whole court, the plaintiffs may ask another Supreme Court justice to consider the case. If the case is not considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, it will still proceed in the 5th Circuit.


Updated Nov. 4, 2013, 9:15 a.m.:

Abortion providers on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower federal court’s injunction that blocked Texas from implementing strict new abortion rules.

“Right now, women in vast swaths of Texas are being turned away at clinic doors because of a bogus law that attempts to do underhandedly what states cannot do directly — block women from accessing abortion services," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “We now look to the Supreme Court to protect women's access to these essential health care services while we fight this critical court battle.”

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday lifted a lower court’s injunction, allowing the state to implement two provisions in House Bill 2 that require abortion providers to obtain hospital admitting privileges nearby the facility and follow federal guidelines, rather than a common, evidence-based protocol, when administering drug-induced abortions.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who is considering the plaintiffs' request, has ordered the state to respond by Nov. 12. The plaintiffs anticipate that Scalia will issue an expedited decision shortly after receiving the state's response. He could also refer the case to the entire U.S. Supreme Court. If Scalia does not reverse the 5th Circuit's decision or refer the case to the whole court, the plaintiffs may ask another Supreme Court justice to consider the case. If the case is not considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, it will still proceed in the 5th Circuit, which has scheduled a hearing in January 2014.

The plaintiffs argue that a third of abortion providers in the state have been unable to obtain hospital admitting privileges and that, as a result, more than 100 women had their abortion procedures canceled on Friday and many more are unable to schedule appointments. The Tribune has confirmed that at least nine abortion facilities have stopped performing abortions due to the new law.

Marni Evans and her fiancé, John Lockhart, whose abortion procedure in Austin was canceled on Friday, spoke to the Tribune about the impact of the law on Sunday.



Original story:

After the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision Thursday to lift an injunction on new abortion regulations in Texas, at least nine abortion facilities — about a quarter of the state's abortion providers — have discontinued abortion services in light of the new law.

The court’s decision is “having an immediate impact starting today, and what that impact is depends on each woman and where she lives,” said Sarah Wheat, vice president for community affairs for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. Planned Parenthood has discontinued abortion services at four Texas locations: Fort Worth, Austin, Waco and Lubbock. Wheat said staff members began calling patients to cancel appointments Thursday evening soon after the appellate ruling came down.

“Depending on that patient and what her circumstances are, we’re either referring her to another health center in that same community or telling her which cities she’ll have to travel to,” Wheat said.

A three-judge panel in the 5th Circuit court lifted a permanent injunction placed on the abortion regulations Monday by a federal district court. In a written opinion, the panel argued that the state was likely to succeed in its legal arguments. The court scheduled an expedited hearing for January 2014.

The appellate court's decision overrules U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel’s ruling that a provision in House Bill 2 that requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital imposed an undue burden on women seeking the procedure. Additionally, Yeakel ruled that it would be unconstitutional for the state to require physicians to follow federal standards for drug-induced abortions if a physician determined it would be safer for the woman to use a common evidence-based protocol.

"The law is in effect and facilities are required to comply effective immediately," Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services, said in an email. "The new requirements will be part of our review criteria when inspecting facilities."

Marni Evans, 37, a self-employed sustainability consultant, was scheduled to undergo a surgical abortion on Friday morning at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin. She said in an interview that she received a call from Planned Parenthood late Thursday evening informing her that her procedure for the following day had been canceled due to the appellate court ruling.

“My first reaction was to feel fairly devastated, to feel like my rights were being taken away from me,” Evans said, "to feel very disappointed that elected officials had the ability to make decisions about my and my fiancé’s life.”

After the cancellation, Evans went online to find another provider. She said she struggled to determine which abortion clinics around the state were still providing abortion services and had available appointments.

At six and a half weeks pregnant, Evans said, “it is important for me to have an abortion now, and I think probably less painful, less expensive and less emotionally heart-wrenching.” To avoid delaying the procedure, she decided to purchase a plane ticket to Seattle, where she previously lived, to have the procedure at a Planned Parenthood clinic there. She used frequent flyer miles she said she had saved for her honeymoon.

“I would love to start a family at a later time with my fiancé after we’re married,” she said, “but financially, we’re just not in a position to even afford health care right now, let alone a child.”

Abortion opponents and several state leaders are praising the appellate court’s ruling.

“While the Supreme Court prohibits state legislatures from banning most abortions, states should have the right to protect women from dangerous abortion procedures,” Joe Pojman, the executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said in a statement. He said the provisions would increase patient safety and lauded the appellate court for allowing them to take effect.

The appellate court’s decision “affirms our right to protect both the unborn and the health of the women of Texas,” Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement. “We will continue doing everything we can to protect a culture of life in our state.”

Wheat said the Planned Parenthood facilities that stopped performing abortions would remain open and continue providing other health services, such as cancer screenings, HIV testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

Abortion providers have expressed concerns that the regulations would mean additional travel for women seeking abortion services. They worry that would cause women to delay services, which could put them at higher medical risk. Dr. Joseph Potter, a researcher with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas at Austin, has estimated that a third of the state's abortion providers, or 13 facilities, could stop providing abortion services as a result of the hospital admitting privileges requirement.

“It is a sad and dark day for women in Texas,” Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and chief executive officer of Whole Woman’s Health, said in a statement. She said Whole Woman’s Health is stopping abortion services at three of its five locations — in Fort Worth, San Antonio and McAllen — because those locations do not have a physician with hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the facility. Whole Woman’s Health facilities in Beaumont and Austin will continue to provide abortion services.

“Women who need our care will not have nowhere to turn and the staff and physicians in our clinics now face furlough and likely unemployment,” she said.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, Hagstrom Miller said the organization has canceled 45 appointments since the appellate court's ruling between the three clinics that have been forced to discontinue abortion services. She also clarified that the San Antonio facility would have limited abortion services still available, as a physician who has hospital admitting privileges nearby the facility will be flown in from out of state roughly once a month to provide services. Hagstrom Miller declined to comment on where exactly he will be flow in from.

She added they’re also planning to establish free transportation services to assist women who don’t have enough money to travel to available abortion providers.

The only other abortion provider in the Rio Grande Valley, Reproductive Services in Harlingen, is also discontinuing abortion services, because its physician does not have hospital admitting privileges. That means the closest abortion facility to the Rio Grande Valley is now in Corpus Christi, which is more than 100 miles away from McAllen and Harlingen.

A separate Reproductive Services clinic in El Paso has also stopped providing abortion services. While there is another abortion provider in El Paso and an abortion facility in nearby New Mexico, the next closest Texas abortion facilities to El Paso are in San Antonio and Dallas, which are more than 500 miles away. With abortion facilities in Midland and San Angelo recently shuttering, and with the Planned Parenthood clinic in Lubbock discontinuing abortion services, there are vast stretches of West Texas and the Panhandle without a nearby abortion provider.

Texas only allows abortions after 16 weeks gestation to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers. Although there are six ASCs in Texas that perform abortions, at least two — the Whole Woman’s Health facility in San Antonio and the Planned Parenthood facility in Fort Worth — have discontinued services after the appellate court ruling.

Two additional provisions in HB 2 remain unchallenged — a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, which took effect on Oct. 29, and a requirement that clinics meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers, which takes effect in September 2014.

While abortion opponents consider the appellate court's decision a victory, Emily Horne, a lobbyist for Texas Right to Life, said they're continuing their efforts to ensure the law is upheld. "It could be permanent, but it’s not yet," she said, "so we’re kind of waiting to see what happens with the trial in January."

David Maly contributed reporting to this story.

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said the closest abortion facility to El Paso would now be in Dallas, but there is another facility in El Paso, a closer facility in New Mexico, and a facility in San Antonio.

This story was produced with the support of the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, a program of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism's California Endowment for Health Journalism Fellowships, and in partnership with Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.  


//


This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/12/after-court-ruling-abortion-providers-ending-servi/.

Bill Clinton: Health Care Law Should Be Changed To Allow People To Keep Their Plans The Huffington Post | By Luke Johnson Posted: 11/12/2013 10:48 am EST | Updated: 11/12/2013 3:33 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/bill-clinton-health-care_n_4260184.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

Report: Latinas Struggle to Access Reproductive Care

The closure of nine of 32 family planning clinics in the Rio Grande Valley — a result of the state Legislature's decision to cut family planning financing in 2011 — has compounded the struggles of low-income, Latina women trying to access reproductive health services, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

“Profound barriers to reproductive health, including cost, lack of transportation, immigration status and lack of accessible clinics, mean that Latinas in Texas are systemically barred from the care they need to live with health and dignity,” Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. “These conditions are dangerous to the health of Latinas and immigrant women.”

The Legislature's decision in 2011 to cut two-thirds of the state’s two-year family planning budget — to $37.9 million from $111 million for 2012-13 — has caused 76 medical facilities across the state to close or stop providing family planning services as a result of lost public financing, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP), a three-year study at the University of Texas evaluating the impact of the cuts to family planning services.

The enactment of stricter abortion regulation in November — the constitutionality of which is currently being debated in federal courts — has also caused a third of state's nearly 40 licensed abortion facilities, including the only two abortion clinics in the Valley, to stop performing abortions. The Center has provided legal assistance to the abortion providers involved in that lawsuit.

Although the report released Tuesday focuses on the Valley, TxPEP researchers have found women across Texas have lost access to trusted providers, experienced longer wait times for services and paid higher rates for contraception and other health services, as a result of the 2011 cuts to family planning services.

In its 2013 session, the Legislature sought to mitigate the impact of the 2011 cuts with the largest financial package for women’s health services in state history, increasing spending to $214 million in the 2014-15 budget from $109 million. Texas’ 2014-15 budget includes a $100 million expansion of a primary care program to provide services for an additional 170,000 women; $71 million to operate the Texas Women’s Health Program; and $43 million to replace family planning grants that the federal government awarded to another organization to distribute.

The efforts to rebuild access to reproductive health care is slow moving, as the state is still in the process of contracting providers to participate in the expanded primary care program. Texas Women’s Health Program, which replaced the federally-financed Medicaid Women's Health Program in January after the state violated federal rules by ousting Planned Parenthood clinics, has fewer women enrolled and has processed fewer claims so far this year than during the same time period last year.

For their report, the Center and the Institute, both non-profits that advocate for women's reproductive rights, received feedback on the impact of the family planning budget cuts from 188 women in four counties along the South Texas-Mexico border through private interviews and focus groups. A majority of those women were U.S. citizens or legal residents, and 39 percent volunteered information that they were undocumented immigrants from Mexico.

The women’s stories included in the report should be considered individually, as the report states that “we did not conduct a random sampling of women in the Valley nor do we contend that our findings should be generalized to a wider population.”

The lack of access to reproductive health services has created delays in patient care, which compounds Latina women’s health problems, according to the report. It profiles multiple women who could not afford contraception or found lumps in their breasts, but could not access clinics to receive cancer screenings, because they lacked money or transportation.

Rosa, a 32-year old married mother of three, went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Weslaco to get a lump in her breast checked in 2011, but she was unable to afford the recommended ultrasound, because it cost $500.

“Half a year later I went back in case they had funding again, because my problem was getting worse and I was feeling sick. But it was the same story again, no funding,” Rosa, whose last name was not included, says in the report. She was taken to a hospital six months later, and doctors discovered she had a growing cyst that was affecting an ovary. “If I didn’t have surgery in time they were going to have to remove my entire uterus,” she said.

Rosa received help to pay for the surgery through a county program that offers assistance for certain health procedures, but she has been unable to afford the follow-up visits.

Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/12/report-latinas-struggling-access-reproductive-care/.

/army-vet-expelled-us-fights-deportation Yahoo.com


http://news.yahoo.com/army-vet-expelled-us-fights-deportation-165529101.html

u-justices-decline-hear-second-oklahoma-abortion-case

http://news.yahoo.com/u-justices-decline-hear-second-oklahoma-abortion-case-144943244--finance.html

news.yahoo.com/us-top-court-rejects-pre-abortion-ultrasound-case

http://news.yahoo.com/us-top-court-rejects-pre-abortion-ultrasound-case-174755709.html?soc_src=mediacontentsharebuttons

Monday, November 11, 2013

MARIA DOLORES HERNÁNDEZ World War II The Huffington Post

5 Veterans Who Will Make You Proud To Be Latino The Huffington Post | By Ana Benedetti Posted: 11/11/2013 1:35 pm EST | Updated: 11/11/2013 10:16 pm EST


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/latino-veterans_n_4252680.html?ref=topbar

Abbott Unveils Proposals for Privacy, Ethics and DNA www.texastribune.org


http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/11/abbott-unveils-positions-privacy-ethics-and-dna/

felix-longoria-affair Mexican American Civil Rights Leaders To Remember On Veterans' Day The Huffington Post | Posted: 11/11/2013 1:28 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/felix-longoria-affair_n_4255131.html?ref=topbar

/in-pictures-can-business-leaders-push-congress-to-act-on-immigration-reform/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielparishflannery/2013/11/08/in-pictures-can-business-leaders-push-congress-to-act-on-immigration-reform/

/latinos-homeownership

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/latinos-homeownership_n_4255799.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices

/amazon-forges-new-deal-with-usps-to-deliver-packages-on-sundays/

http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/11/amazon-forges-new-deal-with-usps-to-deliver-packages-on-sundays/

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Health Science & Technology It Looks Like Something You Should Never See. Meet A Medical Advancement That Is Hard To Forget.Upworthy


http://www.upworthy.com/it-looks-like-something-you-should-never-see-meet-a-medical-advancement-that-is-hard-to-forget-5?c=ufb1

Kennedy Has Been Shot'NOVEMBER 22, 1963 JFK ASSASSINATION: FULL COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL TRAGEDY FROM ABC

View On ABC News.com

Judge Blocks Iowa’s Latest Attack On Abortion Access, Pointing Out It Will Put Women In Danger

Judge Blocks Iowa’s Latest Attack On Abortion Access, Pointing Out It Will Put Women In Danger: In a scathing opinion, a district judge points out that cutting off abortion access doesn't keep women safe.

Posted: 11/05/13 EST | Updated: 11/05/13 EST America Has More Prisoners Than High School Teachers


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/us-prison-population_n_4214626.html?ir=Black+Voices&ref=topbar

Get Rid of Student Loan Debt Without Paying for It U.S.News & World Report LP By Kelsey Sheehy | U.S.News & World Report LP – Wed, Oct 30, 2013 9:44 AM EDT

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rid-student-loan-debt-without-134402889.html

High court could soon take up new abortion case Legal fights over new state abortion restrictions raise chances of Supreme Court review Associated PressBy Mark Sherman, Associated Press | Associated Press – 12 hours ago

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/high-court-could-soon-abortion-115636194.html

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Yes, men should pay for pregnancy coverage, and here's why LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-pregnancy-20131101,0,5148721.story#axzz2jVUwhB7l
When the moon covers up the sun, skywatchers delight in the opportunity to see a rare spectacle.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

The Graduates - Independent Lens PBS PT 1

texas-abortion-ruling-abortions-instantly-curbed-texas-nation

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-abortion-ruling-abortions-instantly-curbed-texas-nation-150352935.html

SAT NOV 02, 2013 AT 05:30 AM PDT Another Republican Switches To The Democratic Party by Egberto Willies

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/02/1252488/-Another-Republican-Switches-To-The-Democratic-Party?detail=facebook#

Abortion fliers handed out to trick-or-treaters | Albuquerque News - KOAT Home

Abortion fliers handed out to trick-or-treaters | Albuquerque News - KOAT Home

The-presidents-been-shot--Dr-Red-Dukes-trauma-room-drama-on-day-of-JFK-assassination-

http://www.khou.com/jfk/The-presidents-been-shot--Dr-Red-Dukes-trauma-room-drama-on-day-of-JFK-assassination-230302641.html

Former Guards At Beeville Prison Sentenced To Federal Prison | Corpus Christi, TX | KZTV10.com |

Former Guards At Beeville Prison Sentenced To Federal Prison | Corpus Christi, TX | KZTV10.com |

Friday, November 1, 2013

Hunter Hayes - "Wanted" (Official Video)

http://www.youtube.com/v/ruyaKdPfTN4?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=cLgp8D-I3MDjQY1Ah3TYLQ&showinfo=1&autoplay=1&autohide=1&feature=share

luiz-gutierrez-immigration-reform www.huffingtonpost.com


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/luiz-gutierrez-immigration-reform_n_4192798.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Obamacare Birth Control Mandate Struck Down By Appeals Court Over Religious Freedom Concerns

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/obamacare-birth-control_n_4192651.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

North Carolina Republican switches party affiliation: ‘I guess being American just isn’t good enough’ for the GOP anymore

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/01/north-carolina-republican-switches-party-affiliation-i-guess-being-american-just-isnt-good-enough-for-the-gop-anymore/

One-Third of Texas Abortion Providers Expected to Close After Fifth Circuit Ruling

http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/10/31/one-third-of-texas-abortion-providers-expected-to-close-after-fifth-circuit-ruling/

Food stamp cuts kick in as Congress debates more

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/national_world&id=9307712

Abortion Providers In Texas Are Canceling Their Patients’ Appointments: ‘It Is A Sad And Dark Day’

Abortion Providers In Texas Are Canceling Their Patients’ Appointments: ‘It Is A Sad And Dark Day’: Texas' sweeping new abortion restrictions have taken effect immediately, wreaking havoc to abortion access in the state.http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/01/2874181/texas-abortion-providers-appointments-canceled/

12-yr-old takes on NC Governor re. voting rights | "Story of America" #102

http://www.youtube.com/v/3CRSK0HItoI?autohide=1&version=3&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=Rp-PDbLoxiGdtFMXAqfciQ&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1

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