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Amnesty approves policy to decriminalize sex tradeLONDON (AP) — Amnesty International has approved a controversial policy to endorse the de-criminalization of the sex trade, rejecting complaints by women’s rights groups who say it is tantamount to advocating the legalization of pimping and brothel owning. At its decision-making forum in Dublin on Tuesday, the human rights group approved the resolution to recommend “full decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work.” It argues its research suggests decriminalization is the best way to defend sex workers’ human rights.

Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this sharper global view of Pluto. (The lower right edge of Pluto in this view currently lacks high-resolution color coverage.) The images, taken when the spacecraft was 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) away from Pluto, show features as small as 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers). That’s twice the resolution of the single-image view captured on July 13 and revealed at the approximate time of New Horizons’ July 14 closest approach. Image Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Last week Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., introduced a bill in Congress asking states to ban sexual orientation conversion therapy, often abbreviated as CT, for minors. California is one of two states that have prohibited licensed professionals from offering the practice, which includes efforts to change not only sexual orientation but also gender identity. While the congressional bill is only a resolution—it encourages states to bar the practice rather than proposing the heavier lift of a federal ban—the idea that CT is dangerous and should be banned is gaining momentum ... What do we actually know about the practice of CT...

2014 Saw the public exposure and admission by Progressives of the true natural of the philosophy of Government. Progressive Professor Jonathan Gruber was caught on Video and Audio mocking the alleged ignorance of the American masses. (You review this here: We've been Grubered). Essentially Progressive Jonathan Gruber openly and brazenly exposed our Progressive Government's belief system. That belief system being that "Progressive Educated Elites have the right and duty to lie to the American Public because rank and file Americans are allegedly too stupid to know what good for them." This writer exposed that Progressive belief system in this article...

The European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said Tuesday's vote at the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Palestinian statehood underlined the need for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to urgently resume peace negotiations. The Security Council failed to adopt an Arab-backed resolution that would have paved the way to a Palestinian state, setting a 12-month deadline for Israel to reach a final peace deal with the PA and calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria by the end of 2017. The vote "underlines once again the urgency of resuming meaningful negotiations between the...

The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced on Sunday that the draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council that would set a two-year deadline for Israel to “end its occupation” will be submitted on Wednesday. "The Palestinian leadership took a decision to go to the Security Council next Wednesday to vote on their project to end the occupation," senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) member Wassel Abu Yussef told AFP after a meeting in Ramallah. The Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment ahead of Monday's meeting in Rome between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry...

The Congressional Review Act of 1996 established expedited (or “fast track”) procedures by which Congress may disapprove a broad range of regulatory rules issued by federal agencies by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval. For initial floor consideration, the Act provides an expedited procedure only in the Senate. (The House would likely consider the measure pursuant to a special rule.) The Senate may use the procedure for 60 days of session after the agency transmits the rule to Congress. In both houses, however, to qualify for expedited consideration, a disapproval resolution must be submitted within 60 days after Congress receives...

I blogged about the controversy over this resolution a couple of weeks ago; Rabbi Elli Fischer, drafter of the resolution, was kind enough to send this response — my apologies for the delay posting it: In light of the response of a dozen rabbis to a Rabbinical Council of America resolution on gun violence in America in several media, including the Volokh Conspiracy, I would like to clarify a few things about that resolution. 1) In the interests of full disclosure: I was chairman of the RCA Resolutions Committee that drafted the resolution in question. I do not speak for...

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) blocked Senate Democrats on Monday from passing a resolution that would have acknowledged the reality of climate change. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked unanimous consent to pass S.Res. 524, which is a measure that expresses the sense of the Senate that climate change is occurring and poses a risk to the United States. But Inhofe objected. “All we wanted to say in this resolution is climate change is happening,” Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said on the Senate floor. “We can’t afford to sit around here debating whether climate change is real.” Inhofe has been an ardent...

The anti-Israel movement has made academia its breeding ground, and new initiatives to boycott Israeli academics and research are frequently introduced to student and professorial bodies. But the BDS movement was dealt a crippling blow on Wednesday, after one college turned the tables - introducing the first anti-BDS resolution at an American university. The student government at Western Washington University (Associated Students WWU) voted unanimously Wednesday that it will not consider boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) based on national origin, according to Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs. The 7-0 vote represents the first time ever that a North American university’s student...

BUNKERVILLE (KSNV MyNews3.com) -- The gathering of rancher Cliven Bundy's cattle in northeast Clark County has been stopped by the director of the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM announcement came as Bundy was meeting with Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie about the week-long dispute. The BLM had been using contract cowboys to round up Bundy's 900 head of cattle that have been grazing over 600,000 square acres in northeast Clark County for more than 20 years without his payment of grazing fees. As of Friday they had secure 389 cattle from the Gold Butte area, nearly 90 percent of...

Mark Levin says he thought long and hard about what the House of Representatives can do, given that they won’t use the power of the purse to reign in this president, and has come up with a solution. He says they should pass a resolution declaring null and void all presidential acts that are unconstitutional. Hey lays it out below: There’s something the House of Representatives actually can do. …Congress is a co-equal branch of the federal government and the House of Representatives is a co-equal branch of the United States Senate. The House of Representatives should pass a resolution....

The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released the public portions of resolution plans for 116 institutions that submitted plans for the first time in December 2013, a group comprising smaller banks affected by Dodd-Frank requirements for winding-up plans. The Dodd-Frank Act requires that bank holding companies (and foreign companies treated as bank holding companies) with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more and non-bank financial companies designated for enhanced prudential supervision by the Financial Stability Oversight Council periodically submit resolution plans to the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC. Each plan must describe the...

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have taken aim at anti-abortion banners placed on busy Market Street. Supervisor David Campos and six other supervisors are supporting a resolution opposing the banners and questioning their legality. The banners were put up by Walk for Life West Coast, a San Francisco based anti-abortion group that holds an annual rally in the city, scheduled for January 25th in Civic Center Plaza. --SNIP-- Eva Muntean of Walk for Life said her group obtained a permit and met all the criteria for their banners. --SNIP-- Muntean said the resolution...

For about 5 years now, various Americans from across the political spectrum have talked about taking back their country and restoring strict adherence to our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Patriots; There has been a lot of talk, not much action and even less success. In truth, there has been an even further erosion of our liberties as our government continues to expand its power and because less transparent and accountable to WE THE PEOPLE. With that perspective, it seems essential that WE THE PEOPLE commit to a 2014 New Years Resolution focused on turning back this erosion of our...

This weekend, you’ll hear a lot of senators, particularly Democratic senators allied with Harry Reid, insist they’re doing everything possible to end the government shutdown. **SNIP** On Friday, the Senate found time to pass a resolution “Designating the week of October 7 through 13, 2013, as “National Chess Week” to enhance awareness and encourage students and adults to engage in a game known to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”

The Democratic Party shutdown has gone exactly as it was planned. We all have heard the terms, "budget crisis", GOP (or Tea Party) Shutdown, and House Shutdown. What is often neglected is the information that this is not a budget fight. there is no Federal Budget. The Obama Administration has made sure of that in setting this thing up. Instead Budgets have been positively avoided for half a decade. When the Democrats had the Majority, a super majority in both houses, they didn't pass a budget and when they lost the House they didn't turn in a Budget on time...

The moves are a setback for the U.S. bid to strike Syria militarily for its alleged chemical weapons use. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration's move to punish Syria's government for allegedly using chemical weapons in a deadly attack last week appeared to suffer a setback Wednesday when the U.S. failed to get United Nations approval for use of force and British support was thrown into question. The collapse of diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria was expected. The British impediment was not.

WASHINGTON -- Senator Dianne Feinstein of California introduced a bill Tuesday night that would have the Senate resolve itself to supporting Secretary of State John Kerry's push for a two-state solution. The bill hit the Senate floor just hours after direct negotiations began in Washington between Israel and the Palestinians. The two parties agreed to negotiate in earnest over the next nine months— with the United States facilitating— addressing final status issues with the aim of establishing two independent states side by side. Calling the two-state solution the only way to "ensure the State of Israel's survival as a secure,...

House Republican leaders have a new problem. They can’t count on their members to support them on procedural votes. Sixteen Republicans defected Wednesday in a vote on the rule governing consideration of a government-funding bill meant to prevent a government shutdown. The defections could have caused the rule to fail since most Democrats voted also voted against it. Even more striking? Seven of the Republicans who voted against the rule then voted for the funding bill.