Sightings
The Looming Threat to Sex Education: A Resurgence of Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only Programs?
"Abstinence-only programs violate adolescents’ rights, ignore their needs and do not work. Adolescents have a basic human right to complete and accurate information about their sexual and reproductive health. The abstinence-only-until-marriage approach withholds comprehensive information on effective ways to reduce the risks of unintended pregnancy, HIV and other STIs, which violates adolescents’ right to information and also requires educators to disregard basic ethical standards by providing incomplete and potentially harmful information to students." The Guttmacher Institute more »
Art Nouveau In the Netherlands, a Quest for the 'Truth', the 'Genuine', the Original; Leaving in Architecture and the Decorative Arts
A new art for a new, improved society. That is what many artists and designers were looking for around 1900. After a century of styles that literally quoted the past, new forms language emerged, based on asymmetry, curved lines and organic decorative motifs. The Netherlands played its own unique role in this artistic quest. The Gemeentemuseum is showcasing the finest decorative arts in a broad context, making the dynamics of the age (1884-1914) visible, tangible and recognizable in this age where authenticity and craftsmanship are once more highly prized. more »
Updated: Who Is Gina Haspel: The CIA's Biography of the First Woman to be Nominated as CIA Director; Recording of Live Testimony Before Senate Intelligence Committee
So she studied up on CIA, typed up a letter on her college manual typewriter, and sent it off. On the outside of the envelope she wrote simply, "CIA, Washington, D.C." "I wanted to be part of something bigger than just me," she says. "I think with my dad's service in the military, I saw that as a natural affinity. I wanted an overseas adventure where I could put my love of foreign languages to use. CIA delivered."
Gina’s first overseas assignment was as a case officer in Africa. "It was right out of a spy novel. It really didn't get any better than that." more »
Stateline: Why Most States Are Struggling to Regulate Airbnb
About 15 states debated bills to regulate the short-term rental industry this year. Only one, Indiana’s, was signed into law. Nebraska’s governor vetoed a bill approved by that state’s Legislature. A bill to regulate the industry also died in Hawaii. Home-owners and hotels have different business models, different perspectives and different agendas. These competing constituencies help account for the difficulty states have had in regulating and taxing the short-term rental industry, even as some cities have taken action to regulate short-term rentals. more »
