While this marks a low point in deaths among American soldiers, the same cannot be said of the coalition forces fighting alongside the U.S.—two allied soldiers died over the course of the month. It also doesn’t mean that the situation in the two countries the United States has fought wars in over the last country are also free from strife. As NATO forces prepare to withdraw combat troops at the end of the year, violence in Afghanistan is currently threatening the ability of observers to verify its pending election. And in Iraq, 16 civilians died in an attack just this weekend.
The site, which gets 10 million unique visitors a month, is currently greeting all Firefox users with a note explaining why OkCupid's owners feel Eich is "an opponent of equal rights for gay couples." [...] OkCupid's roadblock for Firefox users doesn't stop them from visiting the site entirely. Clicking "Continue to OkCupid" at the bottom of the lengthy note about Eich will allow access, but "we urge you to consider different software for accessing OkCupid."
OkCupid's roadblock for Firefox users doesn't stop them from visiting the site entirely. Clicking "Continue to OkCupid" at the bottom of the lengthy note about Eich will allow access, but "we urge you to consider different software for accessing OkCupid."
According to a paper titled “Digital Language Death,” just published in PLOS One, less than five percent of the 7,000 languages spoken today will ascend to the digital realm. Granted, languages have been dying as long as they’ve been spoken, but the Endangered Languages Project reports that “the pace at which languages are disappearing today has no precedent and is alarming.” András Kornai, author of the new paper, blames the internet for why we’re more likely to be speaking French than, say, Mandinka, in the future. The means and speed of language death might be new, but the pattern is old. According to the UNESCO page on endangered languages, “a language disappears when its speakers disappear or when they shift to speaking another language—most often, a larger language used by a more powerful group. Languages are threatened by external forces such as military, economic, religious, cultural or educational subjugation, or by internal forces such as a community’s negative attitude towards its own language.” Both of these forces, Kornai argues, are exacerbated by the internet.
The means and speed of language death might be new, but the pattern is old. According to the UNESCO page on endangered languages, “a language disappears when its speakers disappear or when they shift to speaking another language—most often, a larger language used by a more powerful group. Languages are threatened by external forces such as military, economic, religious, cultural or educational subjugation, or by internal forces such as a community’s negative attitude towards its own language.” Both of these forces, Kornai argues, are exacerbated by the internet.
[I]f Washington acts strongly on climate, the impact will extend far beyond Washington. For the state will be strengthening and reinforcing what California and British Columbia have already done, and the more these Pacific coast states are unified, the more the United States and even the world will have to take notice. "The sense is that if the west coast as a bloc acts, if we've got real climate policy from BC to Baja, that's the world's fifth largest economy," says Kelly of the Washington Environmental Council. In the meantime, though, Inslee's position within his state is much like that of President Barack Obama nationally, observes David Roberts of Grist magazine. "He wants to act, but he's got no Republicans in the legislature on his side," says Roberts, "so if he gets anything done, it's going to be through executive powers."
In the meantime, though, Inslee's position within his state is much like that of President Barack Obama nationally, observes David Roberts of Grist magazine. "He wants to act, but he's got no Republicans in the legislature on his side," says Roberts, "so if he gets anything done, it's going to be through executive powers."