The Hollywood Liberal

3-Year-Old Falls into Zoo’s Jaguar Exhibit
A three-year-old boy was hurt Friday morning when he fell into the jaguar exhibit at the Little Rock Zoo and was reportedly bit by two of the jungle cats. “Zoo staff responding at the jaguar exhibit immediately called for help over the radio and were assisted by other staff with a fire extinguisher to keep the cats away from the child,” the zoo said in a statement. The boy was rescued by a worker with a ladder but is now hospitalized in critical condition. The boy is being treated for extensive scalp lacerations, a depressed skull fracture and minor puncture wounds.

John Oliver on Civil Asset Forfeiture
David Post: It does seem to me that John Oliver is in the process of inventing some interesting new kind of political/social commentary – the 20-minute single-issue rant that is both hilariously funny, well put-together, and often quite devastatingly effective, as argument. … I particularly recommend his recent piece on the truly outrageous “civil asset forfeiture” regime that prevails in many local law enforcement agencies around the country these days.

Lewinsky Requested Signing-Ceremony Photo of Clinton for Her Office
Shortly after the request, the president’s mistress left the White House.

Teacher whose gun fired in school bathroom charged
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah teacher who was injured when her gun accidentally went off in a bathroom at an elementary school changed her story about what happened after detectives confronted her about discrepancies.

Gwyneth Paltrow gushes over President Barack Obama
Paltrow has won numerous awards for her acting, but speaking apparently came with some difficulty on Thursday

In Iowa, Campaign Ground War Has Become a Fairer Fight
Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics
DES MOINES — If Democrats manage to hold on to their Senate majority next month, it will be, in large part, because of people like Barb Yankey. A retired hospice social worker and registered nurse, Yankey, 66, signed up to volunteer for the Iowa Democratic Party because she wanted to help offset the dominating influence of big money in politics. “You just wouldn’t believe the gas money I spend because I’m always lost,” she said while navigating her Honda Element through unfamiliar territory here in Iowa’s capital city. “So there are little ways like that…

Colorado Senate Candidates Clash Over Carbon Tax
Kristen Wyatt, RealClearPolitics
DENVER (AP) — Democratic Sen. Mark Udall on Monday defended his support for a carbon tax, lashing back at criticism from his opponent who says plans to slash carbon emissions at coal-fired power plants raises energy costs for homeowners. In the second debate between Udall and Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, Udall took a more aggressive stance than he has in the past, saying the changes by the Environmental Protection Agency are an opportunity for green energy companies. “We are ready for the EPA regulations. Carbon pollution is real,” Udall said. “Climate science … is showing us that we…

How About a Little Optimism?
Larry Kudlow, RealClearPolitics
So President Obama gives a major economics speech toward the end of last week, and the next week stocks get clobbered. It was the worst correction in many months. There’s probably no direct cause and effect here. But it’s worth noting that the president has been speaking out of all sides of his mouth during the market volatility. In that speech a week ago he swore that he’s not anti-business. He said, “I actually believe that capitalism is the greatest force for prosperity and opportunity the world has ever known.” You know, that sounds a lot like my opening line on “The Kudlow Report,” where…

A Tar Heel Rebellion Against Reaction
E.J. Dionne, RealClearPolitics
BURLINGTON, N.C. — The clergy gathered in the second-floor conference room at the First Baptist Church here were pondering whether this midterm election might be different from other midterm elections. The five African-American pastors and bishops represented diverse theological traditions, but all were profoundly unhappy over what North Carolina’s ultra-conservative state government in Raleigh had done to reduce access to the ballot box, cut education spending, and turn back money to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The irony, said the Rev. Dray Bland, pastor of First Baptist…

Farage: UKIP is targeting everybody
UKIP leader Nigel Farage says his party is “targeting everybody”, as he campaigns in Kent ahead of the Rochester and Strood by-election.

Greens hold ‘record’ conference
The Scottish Greens say they expect their largest-ever conference as they meet in Edinburgh.

Iran’s Jailing of Activist Offers Hint of Liberty Under Rouhani
The detention without charge of a 25-year-old Iranian-British national who fought for women’s rights has shown, many say, the limits of personal expression in Iran.

Hundreds Attend Duvalier’s Funeral in Haiti
The former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as “Baby Doc,” was buried on Saturday, as many Haitians displayed lingering respect for a man who was widely reviled.

Tracking India’s Bureaucrats Becomes a Digital Dashboard Venture
A new surveillance system requires government officials to register their presence at the entrance to their offices using a biometric scan of a fingerprint or iris.

Boko Haram Hostages Freed in North, Cameroon Says
Twenty-seven hostages presumed to have been kidnapped in May and July by the Nigerian group Boko Haram “are safe and sound,” according to a statement from the president’s office.

Some Remains in Mexico Are Not of Missing Students
The governor of Guerrero said that some of the 28 burned bodies found last week could not be identified as any of the 43 college students who had disappeared after clashing with the police.

New York ComicCon: ‘Cosplay Is Not Consent’

At ComicCon, “be nice, be respectful, be cool, and be kind to each other,” the sign reads.

The post New York ComicCon: ‘Cosplay Is Not Consent’ appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Year after year, stories emerge about sexism at comic conventions: Groping, upskirt photos, and sexual harassment of all stripes. But at New York ComicCon this weekend, respect for women is on the agenda.

“Please keep your hands to yourself,” reads a sign spotted by a conference-goer there. It goes on to explain how and when to ask for consent before taking someone’s picture, referencing specifically Cosplayers, people dressed up in costume. On the back of the sign is listed a full explanation of NYCC’s zero-tolerance policy for harassment including “stalking,” “bathroom policing,” and “unwelcome physical attention. It also explains how to report harassment at the event, as one photo from a Redditor shows.

At ComicCon, “be nice, be respectful, be cool, and be kind to each other,” the sign reads:

CREDIT: Alex Nagler

Women have been demanding policies exactly like this for a while. In a survey conducted this summer and published in Bitch Magazine, Janelle Asselin reports that, “59 percent [of respondents of both sexes] said they felt sexual harassment was a problem in comics and 25 percent said they had been sexually harassed in the industry.” Some comic conventions have responded with policies of their own, like New York’s, but others have been slow to respond to the demand for better sexual harassment policies from the growing female contingent of convention-goers.

“Geek culture” — like comic fans and gamers — has become a microcosm of larger conversations about sexual harassment and respect for women. While female ComicCon attendees struggle with harassment, female gamers are similarly finding themselves repeated targets of abuse from men in the subculture. One woman trying to shed light on this problem, Anita Sarkeesian, has found herself the target of misogynistic attacks for trying to expose sexism among gamers. She has reported receiving death and rape threats that forced her from her home. Someone even called in a bomb threat to an event she attended.

The post New York ComicCon: ‘Cosplay Is Not Consent’ appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Obama’s Gitmo Gambit

Five Myths About Ebola
Laurie Garrett, Washington Post
Until nurse Teresa Romero Ramos contracted Ebola in Madrid, the wealthy countries of Europe, North America and Asia seemed confident that the virus could be contained in advanced medical facilities. As Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put it after the first U.S. Ebola case was confirmed in Dallas: “We’re stopping it in its tracks in this country.” Such assurances help calm people’s nerves but may be overstated. No system of protection is 100 percent. The Spanish government has concluded that Ramos got infected as she was…

Florida’s Least-Wanted Governors
Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg