Police in Utah have killed more people in the past five years than gang members, drug dealers or child abusers. That's the sobering finding of a Salt Lake Tribune review of nearly 300 homicides over the same period. Only intimate partner violence surpasses police use of force as the most common way that Utah residents kill each other. A number of high-profile incidents this year--Michael Brown's, Eric Garner's and John Crawford's deaths, the death this weekend of a 12-year-old Cleveland boy holding a toy gun, and a slew of cell phone videos capturing police brutality--has catapulted the issue of "police use of force" and public trust into main street conversations. Last month, outgoing attorney general Eric Holder urged the creation of a national commission to examine and modernize police tactics and training.

intercedeth:

Source: twitter.com/imransiddiquee

Wish I would’ve gotten to this sooner since it’s late to be posting, but I really love this particular message and the discussion around “being a man” and how it relates to the treatment of women as well as gay men (or anyone else perceived as “less” / equivocated with being undesirably weak)

i’m not sure this fully captures the whole picture on gamer gate, but it’s a really interesting perspective to think about.

im laughing my ass off and my bae doesn’t get it

When the airline industry first tried to go commercial after World War I, it needed to convince skeptical customers that air travel was safe.  One strategy was to make passengers feel that the entire crew was able and willing to see to their safety. This included the stewards, the all-male precursors to the stewardess. But which men to hire? The default employee should have been an African American.  Ocean liners and train cars, air travel’s main competitors and the model on which they built their business, largely employed Black porters and stewards.  But the airlines believed that the overwhelmingly White passengers would not have felt comfortable placing their lives in the hands of Black men.  So they hired White men instead.  Kathleen Barry, who discusses this in her book Femininity in Flight, explains:

Equanimity on aircraft circa 1930 was a tall order for anyone, but stereotypes dictated that it would most likely come from white male attendants. With uniforms that echoed the naval-style garb of pilots, stewards reassured passengers that the white men in the cabin as well as the cockpit were competent and in control.

If stewards were so capable and appreciated, why not offer one’s appreciation in cash?  The answer is, in short, because tips were for Black people.  Black porters on trains and boats were tipped as a matter of course but, according to Barry, tipping a White person would have been equivalent to an insult. A journalist, writing in 1902, captured the thinking of the time when he expressed shock and dismay that “any native-born American could consent” to accepting a tip.  ”Tips go with servility,” he said. Accepting one was equivalent to affirming “I am less than you.” This interpretation of the meaning of a gratuity, alongside airlines’ need to inspire confidence and simple racism, is why we don’t tip flight attendants today.

Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

 

By Guest Contributor Lisa Wade, Ph. D.; originally published at Sociological Images

Today a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder. It is widely argued that Florida’s stand your ground statute, which was considered by the defense, and which Zimmerman previously studied in a criminal litigation course, was at play. The statute allows people to use proportionate force in the face of an attack without first trying to retreat or escape. More than 20 other states have such laws.

At MetroTrends, John Roman and Mitchell Downey report their analysis of 4,650 FBI records of homicides in which a person killed a stranger with a handgun. They conclude that stand your ground “tilts the odds in favor of the shooter.”  In SYG states, 13.6% of homicides were ruled justifiable; in non-SYG states, only 7.2% were deemed such.  This is strong evidence that rulings of justifiable homicide are more likely under stand your ground.

But which homicides?

Ones similar to the one decided in favor of George Zimmerman today.  A finding of “justifiable homicide” is much more common in the case of a white-on-black killing than any other kind including a white and a black person.  At PBS’s request, Roman compared the likelihood of a favorable finding for the defendant in SYG and non SYG cases, consider the races of the people involved.  The data is clear, compared to white-on-white crimes, stand your ground increases the likelihood of a not-guilty finding, but only when a person is accused of killing a black person.

Notice, however, that white people who kill black people are far more likely to be found not-guilty even in states without SYG and black people who kill whites are less likely to be found not-guilty regardless of state law.

It’s simple: We are already biased in favor of the white defendant and against the black victim. Stand your ground laws give jurors more leeway to give defendants the benefit of the doubt.  This increase even further the chances that a white-on-black homicide will be considered justifiable because jurors will likely give that benefit of the doubt to certain kinds of defendants and not others. Stand your ground may or may not be a good law in theory but, in practice, it increases racial bias in legal outcomes.

It is contested whether stand your ground played a role in this case, Media Matters offersstrong evidence to suggest that it did. Cross-posted at Ms., PolicyMic, and Pacific Standard.

Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter andFacebook.

This is what Barbie would look like if she were scaled to the body size of the average 19-year-old woman in the US.  (x)

Given the negative impact that playing with Barbies can have on girls’ self esteem and eating patterns, how hard would it really be for Mattel to make Barbies with healthier & more realistic bodies?

Final Polltracker Average of Mass Senate race: Markey +9.6. Actual result: Markey +10.

TPM Reader MB on the new GOP abortion ban bill ...

I just wanted to underscore how horrific the Republicans' abortion bill was, and how it's sent shockwaves through my circle of friends. While I'm political, many of my friends aren't, and they were terrified last night when they heard the 20 week ban had passed the House. They didn't understand the process and thought it would soon become law. I had to assure them that the Democrats would stop the ban and that it'd die in the Senate.

You see, to my friends, many of whom are in their 30's and plan on soon starting a family, this wasn't a political ploy, it was a bill that threatened their very lives. I think most women, and probably most men too, have known someone who needed a late-term abortion due to a severe fetal defect. The thought of having this happen is bad enough, it's an expectant mother's worst nightmare, but then being forced against your will to carry a fetus that you know will die to term? That's the cruelest of torture. Can you imagine going out everyday and having people excitedly asking you whether it's a boy or a girl, when the baby's due, etc., when the baby you're carrying is fated to die? That's what the Republicans want for every woman in this country, and that makes them monsters.

The Republicans are officially on record as wanting to torment and torture women (I won't even get into the lack of a health exception for women, or the rape language...). My friends, many of whom are socially conservative, will never vote for the GOP. I just don't think Boehner understands the long-term damage he's doing to his party. How can you win elections when you're on a regular basis voting against the health and well-being of 50% of the electorate?

This morning we sent the following letter to the offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Read the full text below. -Ed.

Dear Attorney General Holder and Director Mueller

Google has worked tremendously hard over the past fifteen years to earn our users’ trust. For example, we offer encryption across our services; we have hired some of the best security engineers in the world; and we have consistently pushed back on overly broad government requests for our users’ data.

We have always made clear that we comply with valid legal requests. And last week, the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged that service providers have received Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests.

Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue. However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation.

We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.

Google appreciates that you authorized the recent disclosure of general numbers for national security letters. There have been no adverse consequences arising from their publication, and in fact more companies are receiving your approval to do so as a result of Google’s initiative. Transparency here will likewise serve the public interest without harming national security.

We will be making this letter public and await your response.

David Drummond
Chief Legal Officer

Can do attitude. #soup

There's a massive (70 meters wide), man-made circular structure, between 2,000 and 12,000 years old, at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee . And nautical archeologists are trying to raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars it will take to go down and find out what it is.

(Cross posted on Official Google Blog)

Today, we're making it possible for you to go back in time and get a stunning historical perspective on the changes to the Earth’s surface over time. Working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME, we're releasing more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space, compiled for the first time into an interactive time-lapse experience. We believe this is the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public.

Built from millions of satellite images and trillions of pixels, you can explore this global, zoomable time-lapse map as part of TIME's new Timelapse project. View stunning phenomena such as the sprouting of Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands, the retreat of Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon and urban growth in Las Vegas from 1984 to 2012:



The images were collected as part of an ongoing joint mission between the USGS and NASA called Landsat. Their satellites have been observing earth from space since the 1970s—with all of the images sent back to Earth and archived on USGS tape drives that look something like this example (courtesy of the USGS).

We started working with the USGS in 2009 to make this historic archive of earth imagery available online. Using Google Earth Engine technology, we sifted through 2,068,467 images—a total of 909 terabytes of data—to find the highest-quality pixels (e.g., those without clouds), for every year since 1984 and for every spot on Earth. We then compiled these into enormous planetary images, 1.78 terapixels each, one for each year.

As the final step, we worked with the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, recipients of a Google Focused Research Award, to convert these annual Earth images into a seamless, browsable HTML5 animation. Check it out on the Google’s Timelapse website.

Much like the iconic image of Earth from the Apollo 17 mission—which had a profound effect on many of us—this time-lapse map is not only fascinating to explore, but we also hope it can inform the global community’s thinking about how we live on our planet and the policies that will guide us in the future. A special thanks to all our partners who helped us to make this happen.

Posted by Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager, Google Earth Engine & Earth Outreach

The initial reactions out of the Court hearing this morning (very much take it for what it's worth) suggest that DOMA is in big trouble. The notable fine print, however, is that while the four liberals on the Court appear to see an Equal Protection problem, Anthony Kennedy appears to be focused on federalism -- i.e., states rights, that DOMA oversteps into the states' right to define marriage.

If that's the case, it would probably be the first time that "states rights" was ever used to vindicate any actual person or group's rights. It's almost always been bulwark behind which states hide to deprive citizens of rights. There are likely some marginal examples of the contrary. But the big verdict of history is unmistakable. It would be an ironic first.

While shooting with Matt from Heirloom LA for this post, he said, "Hey, do you know how to poach an egg in olive oil? It's so good. It's like a fried egg with a poached yolk in the middle." My response? "Um, no, I don't know how, but yes, please teach me! He did, so now I am sharing this simple and amazing little tip with you...

You'll need:
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Here's how: 
1. In a small nonstick sauté pan, bring oil to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as you see the oil wrinkle in the pan, the egg is ready to be added.

2. Crack the egg into a small bowl so that it can be easily transferred into the pan of oil. Pour the egg out of the bowl and into the bath of olive oil.

3. Keeping the temperature at medium heat, slowly baste the egg with the olive oil (using a spoon) to help cook the egg white thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Run a spoon or spatula around the edges of the egg to make sure it's not sticking to the pan. Then remove the egg from oil when it's cooked to your desired doneness and serve immediately. I like my yolk to be a little runny, but you can keep yours in the pan longer if you like a more solid yolk.

5. Slide that lovely egg onto a plate with some toast for breakfast or onto a flatbread for lunch. We put ours on top of a chicken mole pizza that Matt made.

And as a special bonus recipe, if you want to know how to make those pizzas... 

Chicken Mole Pizza Recipe
Makes 4 individually sized pizzas

You'll need:
- 4 pita bread or flatbreads of your choice (or you can use pre-made pizza dough divided into four pieces)
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 green peppers, sliced and sauteed until tender
- 1 red onion, sliced and sauteed until tender
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
- 1-1/2 cups of tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 3.5 oz. bar dark chocolate, chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Here's how: 
1. To make the sauce: In a medium sauce pot, sauté garlic in olive oil until tender. Add cilantro and stir until wilted. Add tomato sauce and bring to simmer. Remove pot from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate. Set aside.

2. To make the pizzas, align pitas or dough on lined baking sheets. Top each one evenly with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, chicken, peppers and onions.

3. Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees until golden brown (or use the temperature provided on the package of your pre-bought dough), about 15-18 minutes.

4. Top with a poached egg and enjoy!

Putting an egg on top of a pizza is seriously one of my favorite savory indulgences...yum! Thanks to Matt and Tara at Heirloom LA for sharing these fancy tricks and tips!

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. Recipes by Heirloom LA.}

Supersonic Stereo

What if you somehow managed to make a stereo travel at twice the speed of sound, would it sound backwards to someone who was just casually sitting somewhere as it flies by?

—Tim Currie

Yes.

Technically, anyway. It would be pretty hard to hear.

The basic idea is pretty straightforward. The stereo is going faster than its own sound, so it will reach you first, followed by the sound it emitted one second ago, followed by the sound it emitted two seconds ago, and so forth.

The problem is that the stereo is moving at Mach 2, which means that two seconds ago, it was over a kilometer away. It’s hard to hear music from that distance, particularly when your ears were just hit by (a) a sonic boom, and (b) pieces of a rapidly disintegrating stereo.

Wind speeds of Mach 2 would messily disassemble most consumer electronics. The force of the wind on the body of the stereo is roughly comparable to that of a dozen people standing on it:

An ordinary stereo wouldn’t make it, but one with some kind of ruggedized high-strength casing might be able to survive.

If we put together a durable, heavy-duty stereo and launch it on a ballistic trajectory, it will only be traveling at supersonic speeds for the first 150 meters or so. This means that the target will hear a maximum of about a third of a second of reversed music.

This phenomenon is actually confirmed in the 2008 paper Reproduction of Virtual Sound Sources Moving at Supersonic Speeds in Wave Field Synthesis, which says that the sound wave field “contains a component carrying a time-reversed version of the source’s input signal”.

The sonic boom would be the first thing the target would hear. It would be followed by several sounds played over one another, including both reversed music (rising slightly in pitch as it fades out) and forward-playing music (which would play at half speed and an octave too low), followed by the crash of a stereo demolishing your neighbor’s shed.

Which means that if you’re playing one of those albums containing secret demonic messages, the result will be the strangest listening experience of your life: