Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
demmiblue
demmiblue's Journal
demmiblue's Journal
October 30, 2016
Space Station Fisheye Fly-Through 4K (Ultra HD)
October 30, 2016
Proof That Donald Trump Is Actually B.P. Richfield From Dinosaurs
October 29, 2016
More: http://mashable.com/2016/10/29/nicu-babies-halloween-costumes/?utm_cid=hp-r-1#_gr9kTykkSqK
Babies in intensive care get the best Halloween costumes
Source: Mashable
Over 30 premature babies in a Kansas City NICU were treated to a very special Halloween.
The newborns were outfitted with handmade costumes and then treated to memorable photoshoots with three volunteer photographers all of whom gave birth to premature babies.
The March of Dimes and Saint Lukes Hospital of Kansas City, MO teamed up for the special occasion. March of Dimes volunteers and hospital nurses made the tiny costumes, most of which were superhero-themed.
"March of Dimes came up with the idea of making the cute costumes for our NICU babies at Saint Lukes Hospital of Kansas City. Families in the NICU may spend weeks or months here, and it can be an emotional time," Jennifer Hamblin Robinson, marketing and communications manager for March of Dimes, wrote to Mashable.
The newborns were outfitted with handmade costumes and then treated to memorable photoshoots with three volunteer photographers all of whom gave birth to premature babies.
The March of Dimes and Saint Lukes Hospital of Kansas City, MO teamed up for the special occasion. March of Dimes volunteers and hospital nurses made the tiny costumes, most of which were superhero-themed.
"March of Dimes came up with the idea of making the cute costumes for our NICU babies at Saint Lukes Hospital of Kansas City. Families in the NICU may spend weeks or months here, and it can be an emotional time," Jennifer Hamblin Robinson, marketing and communications manager for March of Dimes, wrote to Mashable.
More: http://mashable.com/2016/10/29/nicu-babies-halloween-costumes/?utm_cid=hp-r-1#_gr9kTykkSqK

October 29, 2016

When Susan B. Anthony died in 1906 at age 86, her funeral overflowed with mourners. Despite the fact that there was a blizzard raging in Rochester, New York, thousands packed into the church service and over 10,000 others showed up to pass by her flag-draped coffin and pay their respects. Yesterday, over a century later, admirers of the suffrage icon came to her grave with a different kind of tributedozens of I Voted stickers.
Related Content
Rochester women have been coming to Anthonys grave with flowers and stickers since at least 2014. One of them, Sarah Jane McPike, told The Huffington Posts Caurie Putnam that the first year she voted, she brought flowers to Anthonys grave. She isnt the only oneas of 6:15 yesterday, the grave in Rochesters Mount Hope Cemetery was covered with two bouquets and at least 28 stickers. In a Facebook post about the tribute that is now becoming a tradition, Brianne Wojtesta wrote that the cemetery has taken an official stance that they love this. Its seen as a way of interacting with and honoring the legacy of one of their permanent residents.
And what a legacy: Anthony fought for equality for women for over 60 years and laid the foundation for the legal right to vote that American women enjoy today. Not only did she encourage women to agitate for the vote, but she herself illegally voted and served time for her defiance.
<snip>
But to Anthony, the right to vote was worth it all. It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens, nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union, she said in an 1873 speech. And we formed it, not to give the blessings or liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole peoplewomen as well as men. And it is downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican governmentthe ballot.
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-women-bring-their-i-voted-stickers-susan-b-anthonys-grave-180958847/
Why Women Bring Their 'I Voted' Stickers to Susan B. Anthony's Grave
Source: Smithsonian

When Susan B. Anthony died in 1906 at age 86, her funeral overflowed with mourners. Despite the fact that there was a blizzard raging in Rochester, New York, thousands packed into the church service and over 10,000 others showed up to pass by her flag-draped coffin and pay their respects. Yesterday, over a century later, admirers of the suffrage icon came to her grave with a different kind of tributedozens of I Voted stickers.
Related Content
Rochester women have been coming to Anthonys grave with flowers and stickers since at least 2014. One of them, Sarah Jane McPike, told The Huffington Posts Caurie Putnam that the first year she voted, she brought flowers to Anthonys grave. She isnt the only oneas of 6:15 yesterday, the grave in Rochesters Mount Hope Cemetery was covered with two bouquets and at least 28 stickers. In a Facebook post about the tribute that is now becoming a tradition, Brianne Wojtesta wrote that the cemetery has taken an official stance that they love this. Its seen as a way of interacting with and honoring the legacy of one of their permanent residents.
And what a legacy: Anthony fought for equality for women for over 60 years and laid the foundation for the legal right to vote that American women enjoy today. Not only did she encourage women to agitate for the vote, but she herself illegally voted and served time for her defiance.
<snip>
But to Anthony, the right to vote was worth it all. It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens, nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union, she said in an 1873 speech. And we formed it, not to give the blessings or liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole peoplewomen as well as men. And it is downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican governmentthe ballot.
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-women-bring-their-i-voted-stickers-susan-b-anthonys-grave-180958847/
October 27, 2016
Russian punk band Pussy Riot has come a long way since it first entered the global imagination four years ago. In February 2012, five of its members performed a rebellious stunt at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior that eventually landed two of them in prison and turned the group into the unlikely poster child for dissent in President Vladimir Putin's Russia.
<snip>
In an interview with the Guardian, Tolokonnikova explained that she wanted to write a song that celebrates the female anatomy. She also considered it a riposte to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whose comments about women notably a remark that he grabs them by the p---- have shadowed the election campaign.
This song could be considered an answer to Trump, she told the Guardian. But I believe the idea of powerful female sexuality is much bigger than any populist megalomaniac man Vagina is bigger than Trump.
She went on to denounce Trump's reportedly sympathetic relationship with Putin and his embrace of an avowedly tough, perhaps chauvinistic, political style. Politicians are praising strong leadership, she said. Trump openly supports the authoritarian methods of Vladimir Putin. And its scary. Its not the world in which I want to live.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/26/pussy-riot-dedicates-its-new-music-video-about-female-private-parts-to-trump/
Pussy Riot dedicates its new music video about female private parts to Trump
Source: Washington Post
Russian punk band Pussy Riot has come a long way since it first entered the global imagination four years ago. In February 2012, five of its members performed a rebellious stunt at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior that eventually landed two of them in prison and turned the group into the unlikely poster child for dissent in President Vladimir Putin's Russia.
<snip>
In an interview with the Guardian, Tolokonnikova explained that she wanted to write a song that celebrates the female anatomy. She also considered it a riposte to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whose comments about women notably a remark that he grabs them by the p---- have shadowed the election campaign.
This song could be considered an answer to Trump, she told the Guardian. But I believe the idea of powerful female sexuality is much bigger than any populist megalomaniac man Vagina is bigger than Trump.
She went on to denounce Trump's reportedly sympathetic relationship with Putin and his embrace of an avowedly tough, perhaps chauvinistic, political style. Politicians are praising strong leadership, she said. Trump openly supports the authoritarian methods of Vladimir Putin. And its scary. Its not the world in which I want to live.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/26/pussy-riot-dedicates-its-new-music-video-about-female-private-parts-to-trump/
October 23, 2016
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/trump-advisers-took-group-of-reporters-to-vegas-strip-bar-before-last-debate/
Trump advisers took group of reporters to Vegas strip bar before last debate
Source: Raw Story
A trio of campaign advisers from the Donald Trump campaign reportedly took a group of media personnel to a Las Vegas strip club the night before the third and final presidential debate.
Page Six.com reported Saturday evening that senior communications director Jason Miller, deputy communications director Jessica Ditto and spokesperson A. J. Delgado went to Sapphire Las Vegas Gentlemens Club and took a group of media workers from CNN, NBC and ABC with them.
Sapphire calls itself the largest strip club in the world, boasting over 70,000 square feet of topless entertainment.
Sources told Page Six that the Trump delegation were accompanied by CNN producer Noah Gray, NBC News reporter Anthony Terrell and a camerman from ABC News.
Page Six.com reported Saturday evening that senior communications director Jason Miller, deputy communications director Jessica Ditto and spokesperson A. J. Delgado went to Sapphire Las Vegas Gentlemens Club and took a group of media workers from CNN, NBC and ABC with them.
Sapphire calls itself the largest strip club in the world, boasting over 70,000 square feet of topless entertainment.
Sources told Page Six that the Trump delegation were accompanied by CNN producer Noah Gray, NBC News reporter Anthony Terrell and a camerman from ABC News.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/trump-advisers-took-group-of-reporters-to-vegas-strip-bar-before-last-debate/
October 23, 2016
It's rare to find a woman in television kicking butt on camera, forget behind it.
Netflix's Jessica Jones is attempting to accomplish both. At Transform Hollywood on Friday, Melissa Rosenberg, the show's executive producer, announced that all Season 2 episodes will be directed by women.
Women directed slightly under a third of the show's first season. A study from the Center for Women in Television and Film found that women made up approximately 12 percent of all television directors in 2015.
Next season's Game of Thrones, by contrast, will not have any female directors.
The show has received widespread praise for its writing, strong female heroes and female friendships. It has carefully tackled issues of sexual assault and has earned a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
More: http://mashable.com/2016/10/23/women-direct-jessica-jones/?utm_cid=hp-r-2
Women will direct every single episode of 'Jessica Jones' Season 2
Source: Mashable
It's rare to find a woman in television kicking butt on camera, forget behind it.
Netflix's Jessica Jones is attempting to accomplish both. At Transform Hollywood on Friday, Melissa Rosenberg, the show's executive producer, announced that all Season 2 episodes will be directed by women.
Women directed slightly under a third of the show's first season. A study from the Center for Women in Television and Film found that women made up approximately 12 percent of all television directors in 2015.
Next season's Game of Thrones, by contrast, will not have any female directors.
The show has received widespread praise for its writing, strong female heroes and female friendships. It has carefully tackled issues of sexual assault and has earned a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
More: http://mashable.com/2016/10/23/women-direct-jessica-jones/?utm_cid=hp-r-2
October 23, 2016

BERKELEY, Calif. I was 21 weeks pregnant when a doctor told my husband and me that our second little boy was missing half his heart. It had stopped growing correctly around five weeks gestation, but the abnormality was not detectable until the 20-week anatomy scan. It was very unlikely that our baby would survive delivery, and if he did, he would ultimately need a heart transplant.
<snip>
For us, the decision was about compassion for our unborn baby, who would face overwhelming and horribly painful obstacles. Compassion for our 2-year-old son, who would contend with hours upon hours in a hospital, missing out on invaluable time spent with his parents, and the death of a very real sibling. It was about compassion for our marriage. Perhaps most important, it was about our belief that parenthood sometimes means we sacrifice our own dreams so our children dont have to suffer.
As the day of my termination approached and I felt my babys kicks and wiggles, I simultaneously wanted to crawl out of my skin and suspend us together in time. I wanted him to know how important he was to me, that the well of my grief and love for him would stretch deeper and deeper into the vastness of our familys small yet limitless life. He may have moved inside me for only five months, but he had touched and shaped me in ways I could never have imagined.
<snip>
Saying goodbye to our boy was the single most difficult and profound experience of my life, and the truth is, it has come to define me. Today I am a better mother because of him. I am a better wife, daughter and friend. He made me more compassionate and more patient. He taught me to love with reckless abandon, despite the knowledge that I could lose it all.
We named him Lev, the Hebrew word for heart.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/late-term-abortion-was-the-right-choice-for-me.html?_r=0
Late-Term Abortion Was the Right Choice for Me
Source: New York Times

BERKELEY, Calif. I was 21 weeks pregnant when a doctor told my husband and me that our second little boy was missing half his heart. It had stopped growing correctly around five weeks gestation, but the abnormality was not detectable until the 20-week anatomy scan. It was very unlikely that our baby would survive delivery, and if he did, he would ultimately need a heart transplant.
<snip>
For us, the decision was about compassion for our unborn baby, who would face overwhelming and horribly painful obstacles. Compassion for our 2-year-old son, who would contend with hours upon hours in a hospital, missing out on invaluable time spent with his parents, and the death of a very real sibling. It was about compassion for our marriage. Perhaps most important, it was about our belief that parenthood sometimes means we sacrifice our own dreams so our children dont have to suffer.
As the day of my termination approached and I felt my babys kicks and wiggles, I simultaneously wanted to crawl out of my skin and suspend us together in time. I wanted him to know how important he was to me, that the well of my grief and love for him would stretch deeper and deeper into the vastness of our familys small yet limitless life. He may have moved inside me for only five months, but he had touched and shaped me in ways I could never have imagined.
<snip>
Saying goodbye to our boy was the single most difficult and profound experience of my life, and the truth is, it has come to define me. Today I am a better mother because of him. I am a better wife, daughter and friend. He made me more compassionate and more patient. He taught me to love with reckless abandon, despite the knowledge that I could lose it all.
We named him Lev, the Hebrew word for heart.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/late-term-abortion-was-the-right-choice-for-me.html?_r=0
October 20, 2016

That didn't take long.
A day after the final presidential debate of the 2016 campaign, a yoga instructor and lifestyle coach appeared at a news conference to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
Fighting back tears, 45-year-old Karena Virginia became the 10th woman to accuse the Republican presidential candidate of inappropriate behavior.
She alleged that in 1998, Trump walked up to her at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, grabbed her arm, and then touched her breast, according to NBC News.
"I was in shock. I flinched. 'Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who I am?' That's what he said to me," she told reporters at a New York news conference Thursday that was announced by women's rights attorney Gloria Allred during Trump's debate with Hillary Clinton.
Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/19/gloria-allred-announces-new-sex-misconduct-accuser-against-donald-trump.html
Yoga instructor accuses Donald Trump of sexual misconduct
Source: CNBC

That didn't take long.
A day after the final presidential debate of the 2016 campaign, a yoga instructor and lifestyle coach appeared at a news conference to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
Fighting back tears, 45-year-old Karena Virginia became the 10th woman to accuse the Republican presidential candidate of inappropriate behavior.
She alleged that in 1998, Trump walked up to her at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, grabbed her arm, and then touched her breast, according to NBC News.
"I was in shock. I flinched. 'Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who I am?' That's what he said to me," she told reporters at a New York news conference Thursday that was announced by women's rights attorney Gloria Allred during Trump's debate with Hillary Clinton.
Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/19/gloria-allred-announces-new-sex-misconduct-accuser-against-donald-trump.html
October 18, 2016
Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/10/18/women-not-ok-trump-video/?utm_cid=hp-h-1#H_MbQeBo3aqw
Wonderful video, but it is unfortunate that Whoopi "I know it wasn't rape-rape" Goldberg was featured in the video.
Women tell Trump his obscene comments are 'not OK' in powerful new video
Source: Mashable
Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer and Rose McGowan are among the famous faces that appear alongside women who have experienced sexual assault in a powerful new video condemning Donald Trump.
The clip, entitled "It's Not OK" and produced by pro-Clinton group Humanity for Hillary, mixes footage from the leaked 2005 audio tape in which Trump talks about touching and kissing women with first person accounts of sexual assault.
The video also features clips of Trump dismissing his comments as "locker room talk" and claiming all the subsequent claims of assault against him are false, contrasted with some stark reminiscences from women about times they've been sexually assaulted.
Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Lena Dunham also feature in the clip, lining up to tell Trump that "it's not OK."
The clip, entitled "It's Not OK" and produced by pro-Clinton group Humanity for Hillary, mixes footage from the leaked 2005 audio tape in which Trump talks about touching and kissing women with first person accounts of sexual assault.
The video also features clips of Trump dismissing his comments as "locker room talk" and claiming all the subsequent claims of assault against him are false, contrasted with some stark reminiscences from women about times they've been sexually assaulted.
Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Lena Dunham also feature in the clip, lining up to tell Trump that "it's not OK."
Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/10/18/women-not-ok-trump-video/?utm_cid=hp-h-1#H_MbQeBo3aqw
Wonderful video, but it is unfortunate that Whoopi "I know it wasn't rape-rape" Goldberg was featured in the video.
Profile Information
Member since: Thu Feb 14, 2008, 10:58 AMNumber of posts: 37,997