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Good Morning!
Longwood Gardens, August, 2011
Photo credit: joanneleon
All but Death, can be Adjusted
-- by Emily Dickinson
All but Death, can be Adjusted --
Dynasties repaired --
Systems -- settled in their Sockets --
Citadels -- dissolved --
Wastes of Lives -- resown with Colors
By Succeeding Springs --
Death -- unto itself -- Exception --
Is exempt from Change --
News
Troy Davis execution goes ahead despite serious doubts about his guilt
Condemned man proclaimed innocence in last words to victim's family before lethal injection in Georgia prison
Moments before he was put to death, Troy Davis lifted his head from the gurney to which he was strapped and looked the family of Mark MacPhail, the police officer for whose murder he was convicted, directly in the eyes.
"I want to talk to the MacPhail family," he said. "I was not responsible for what happened that night. I did not have a gun. I was not the one who took the life of your father, son, brother."
He then appealed to his own family and friends to "keep the faith", said to the medical personnel who were about to kill him "may God have mercy on your souls", and laid his head down again.
150-Year-Old Law Against Wearing Masks Used to Arrest Wall Street Demonstrators
Yesterday we reported that seven people had been arrested for participating in Occupy Wall Street, the vaguely defined, relatively disorganized financial-district protest that's been going on (and dwindling down) for the past few days. Amid accusations of excessive police force, there was also the question of what, exactly, the protesters were being arrested for. Turns out, there's a 150-year-old New York City law that bans "masked gatherings." Five of the people arrested have been issued a violation for wearing masks.
[ ... ]
Two others were arrested on Monday for writing on a sidewalk with chalk -- a Gandhi quote, to be specific.
Gates to receive Liberty Medal in public ceremony tonight
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in various offices under eight presidents, will receive the Liberty Medal tonight in Philadelphia.
Gates retired in June. He is the only Pentagon chief to serve two presidents of different parties. He joined the cabinet of President George W. Bush in December 2006, and was reappointed by President Obama.
During that time, he oversaw troop surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been noted as a strong advocate for soldiers as well as a responsible steward of military resources in tough economic times.
Deep Sea Squid Are Same-Sex Swingers, Say Scientists
Footage from remote-controlled submersibles reveals that five-and-a-half-inch deep-sea male squid which dwells a depth of 400 to 800m, commonly try to mate equally with their own gender as they do with females.
Although instances of male-male mating has been previously observed in many other species, including giant squid, this is the first time such a high proportion of same-sex mating as frequent as male-female mating, according to researchers.
Sisters brand Bloody Sunday compensation offer 'repulsive'
William Nash, 19, was among 13 people who died after members of the British Army's Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights marchers in the Bogside area of Londonderry on 30 January 1972.
The government is to pay compensation to the families affected.
Mr Nash's sisters, Linda and Kate, said they would never accept MoD money.
"It is repulsive, offensive," Linda Nash said.
"Not now or at any time will I accept money.
"I've already told my legal team I want to go forward with prosecutions."
Greeks strike over new austerity measures
The socialist government announced pension and tax-break cuts and put 30,000 state employees on temporary layoffs after pledging to do "anything" to stay in the eurozone and utilise bankruptcy-saving EU-IMF loans.
The government says this must be done to receive the vital 8bn-euro tranche of aid as part of $150bn package of loans established by eurozone countries and the IMF to help Greece pay its huge debts.
The austerity cuts are an attempt to secure the continued backing of international creditors and prevent a default on debt payment and a way to unlock bankruptcy-saving EU-IMF loans.
"A merciless raid," commented the conservative Eleftheros Typos newspaper, while pro-government Ta Nea noted that staff with salaries, pensioners and civil servants had been placed on a "sacrificial altar".