The Girl Scouts are under scrutiny from Catholic bishops for the organization's policy on sexuality, birth control, and abortion. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Catholic bishops open investigation into the Girl Scouts

Submitted by HarukoHaruhara

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have launched an official inquiry into the Girl Scouts of America. The inquiry was prompted by reports that the Girl Scouts organization endorses material on sexuality and ties to Planned Parenthood that the church would not approve. The Scouts deny many of the claims and defend their alliances, but U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decided to continue their inquiry.

In a March 28 letter to his fellow bishops, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, wrote that "important questions still remain and need to be examined."

“I know we’re a big part of the culture wars,” the Girl Scouts’ spokeswoman, Michelle Tompkins, told The AP. “For us, there’s an overarching sadness to it. We’re just trying to further girls’ leadership.”

The FDA has allowed some corporations to repackage older food products and distributed them for sale. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

FDA Allows Corporations to ‘Recondition’ Old Food

Submitted by Radical_Centrist

The FDA justifies the unsafe practice of food producers reconditioning their recalled items by stating that it reduces water and saves money. For instance, in 2010 Basic Food Flavors heat-treated their products to remove salmonella and then reprocessed the food and resold it to the public. 

“I was appalled that there were actually human beings that were OK with this,” said Kantha Shelke, a food scientist and spokeswoman for the Institute of Food Technologists. “This is a case of unsafe food. They are trying to salvage that to make a buck.”

Shockingly, Jay Cole, former federal inspector who works with the FDA Group, says, “Any food can be reconditioned.”

Here are a few examples of allowable contaminants:
• In 8 ounces of macaroni there could be 225 insect fragments or 4.5 rodent hairs
• In 3.5 oz of canned mushrooms 20 or more maggots is ok
• In canned cranberry sauce there could be an average of 15% mold

The FDA accept these levels because there would be too much stress on food producers to follow a stricter policy for food safety.

The new Time magazine is receiving plenty of buzz for publishing a racy cover of young mother breastfeeding her 3-year-old boy. We're taking a closer look at this much-talked about story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Time Magazine Breastfeeding Cover Lewd or Legit?

Submitted by GossipandGab

The provocative image of a young woman with her son suckling on her breast is part of Time magazine's feature on attachment parenting. The popular approach encourages parents to have a closer bond with their children by breastfeeding longer, sleeping with children and keeping them physically attached to a parent with a sling. 

Time's managing editor reacts about what's being construed by some some as overly racy and sexual:

“To me, the whole point of a magazine cover is to get your attention,” says Rick Stengel, Time‘s managing editor. “From the moment that we started talking about this story as a cover possibility, it was like I couldn’t get out of the meetings. There was so much opinion and passion about it and discussion. What that told me is, boy, this is a story that people care a lot about.”

The two Fullerton police officers who brutually assaulted and killed a homeless man last year have been officially charged with involuntary manslaughter. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Trial ordered for 2 California police officers in beating death of homeless man 

Submitted by kennymotown

After a preliminary hearing in the beating death of a homeless schizophrenic man, a California judge found enough evidence to charge both officers in the incident to stand trial. In July 2011, the officers suspected Kelly Thomas of car theft, then repeatedly punched and used their Taser on the defenseless man. Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force. Both have been released on bail and have pleaded not guilty.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who's prosecuting the case, said the case "was a terrible incident, and we're going to proceed forward and get justice."

"This is a hard thing to file, a case of this nature against police officers, because we have tremendous law enforcement in Orange County," Rackauckas told reporters. "This kind of incident is very damaging to the community -- to everybody, the police, the community -- because it erodes that trust.

"It brings down the image of the entire community," the county's elected prosecutor said. 

After rumors swirled around his position on marriage equality, President Barack Obama has publicly announced his support for gay marriage. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

BREAKING: PRESIDENT Obama says he supports same-sex marriage

Submitted by Vic_Romano

Days after Vice President Joe Biden stated he was "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage, President Obama declared his support, becoming the first president to publicly endorse same-sex marriage. After receiving pressure to clarify his position on the issue, the president sat down with ABC's Robin Roberts on Wednesday:

“Over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” 

Obama told Roberts that first lady Michelle Obama was involved in his decision.

"This is something that, you know, we've talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do," Obama said.

The president’s announcement comes a day after North Carolina voted in favor of Amendment One that bans marriage equality.

To the disappointment of equal-rights advocates everywhere, North Carolina voters passed Amendment One that recognizes only marriage between one man and one woman, and bans any other type of "domestic legal union," such as civil unions and domestic partnerships. We're taking a look at this story and the bitter reactions from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

North Carolina Passes Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage

Submitted by jeffissleeping

North Carolina passed Amendment One, which defines marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, with an overwhelming 61 percent of the vote. The state constitutional amendment leaves no room for legal recognition of civil unions or domestic partnerships. North Carolina becomes the 30th state to adopt a ban on gay marriage.

The amendment also goes beyond state law by voiding other types of domestic unions from carrying legal status, which opponents warn could disrupt protection orders for unmarried couples.

The campaign manager for the group that opposed the amendment said the nation watched North Carolina on Tuesday night, wondering how the anti-forces came through.

"I am happy to say that we are stronger for it; we are better for it; our voices are louder now," said Jeremy Kennedy of Protect All NC Families. "We have courage like we never had before, and we have strength to continue on."

President Obama’s campaign says he was "disappointed" by the outcome of the election, however, the president just publicly announced that he now supports same-sex marriage.

A North Carolina student has already launched an online campaign in an effort to repeal Amendment One.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney claims he played a big part in recovering the auto industry. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Romney Taking Credit for Auto Industry Success

Submitted by FreeSpiritMuse

Mitt Romney believes he deserves a lot of credit for the auto industry's turnaround. Romney's 2008 piece, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," has already been previously slammed by Democrats, Republicans and auto industry insiders. Romney said the President Obama followed his lead that the industry needed to enter a "managed bankruptcy" process in order to fully recover.

"I pushed the idea of a managed bankruptcy, and finally when that was done, and help was given, the companies got back on their feet," Romney said in an interview inside a Cleveland-area auto parts maker. "So, I'll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry has come back."

The Obama campaign pounced on Romney's statement Monday night, calling it "a new low in dishonesty" and calling on him to have "the courage and integrity" to admit he was wrong.

New data reveals a sharp decrease in minority voter registration. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Amid Push For Voter Suppression Laws, Minority Voter Registration Declines 

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

U.S. Census Bureau confirms a decline in African American and Hispanic American voter registration since 2008. Experts suggest voter participation typically shrinks in non-presidential election years, however, this is the first time in 40 years that the number of registered Hispanics has dropped significantly. The Census Bureau estimate that the number of registered Hispanics between 2008 and 2010 declined by 5%. Also in recent years, Republicans have been pushing legislation making it harder for new voters to register.

“The only explanation out there is the massive job loss and home mortgage foreclosures, which disproportionately affected minorities,” said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute, a nonpartisan policy group that focuses on Latinos. “When you move, you lose your registration.”

After receiving overwhelming media attention, the Heartland Institute pulled its global warming billboard that compared those who believe in global warming to famous mass murders. We're taking a closer look at this unbelievable story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Heartland Institute compares belief in global warming to mass murder

Submitted by coolplanet

After releasing a billboard campaign comparing those who believe in global warming to the Unabomber, Charles Manson, Fidel Castro and Osama bin Laden, the right-wing Heartland Institute has pulled the billboard. Based in Chicago, the libertarian think tank initially chose the world’s most notorious killers on the billboards "because what these murderers and madmen have said differs very little from what spokespersons for the United Nations, journalists for the 'mainstream' media and liberal politicians say about global warming." The Heartland Institute promotes climate skepticism and describes its chief mission as promoting free-market solutions to social and economic problems.

The Heartland Institute released a statement:

“This provocative billboard was always intended to be an experiment. And after just 24 hours the results are in: It got people’s attention.

“This billboard was deliberately provocative, an attempt to turn the tables on the climate alarmists by using their own tactics but with the opposite message. We found it interesting that the ad seemed to evoke reactions more passionate than when leading alarmists compare climate realists to Nazis or declare they are imposing on our children a mass death sentence. We leave it to others to determine why that is so.

“We know that our billboard angered and disappointed many of Heartland’s friends and supporters, but we hope they understand what we were trying to do with this experiment. We do not apologize for running the ad, and we will continue to experiment with ways to communicate the ‘realist’ message on the climate.”

The first solar-powered boat just completed its trip around the world. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Solar-powered boat circumnavigates the world

Submitted by Vierotchka

After 19 months on the water, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, the Turanor PlanetSolar, finally finished its journey around the globe in Monaco. The vessel, equipped with more than 500 square meters of solar panelling, crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific, passed through the Panama and Suez canals and stopped in Miami, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and many places in between.

“We are extremely happy to have achieved this first world tour with solar energy,” the ship’s captain Swiss Raphael Domjan said from the dock. “We have shown that we have the technologies as well as the knowledge to become sustainable and safeguard our blue planet.”

“I strongly felt the wish to find something in order to demonstrate that solutions do exist, and that solar energy in general is functional,” Domjam wrote. “I was thinking of a world tour.”

It measures 31 meters long and 15 meters wide. Its top speed is 14 knots. The solar panels power two 60 kW electric motors, while six lithium-ion batteries store up to three days of power for when there is no sun. The Turanor PlanetSolar has traveled 53,000 kilometers, circumventing the globe in 584 days. 

According to a new study, scientists discovered plants are flowering much faster as the climate change rises. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Plants flowering much faster as global temperatures rise

Submitted by Vierotchka

Scientists have underestimated the effects of global warming on plant growth. The latest relevation could have devastating effects for food chains, pollination, nutrient cycles and water supply. The study draws from four continents and 1,634 species and found that some experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and growing leaves by 4 times.

"Predicting species' response to climate change is a major challenge in ecology," said researchers at the University of California San Diego and several other U.S. institutions.

"Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the magnitude of the advance - for both leafing and flowering - that results from temperature increases," the study said.

After ending his presidential run, Newt Gingrich shared some chose words about Mitt Romney's campaign. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Gingrich: Mitt Romney is still a liar but please vote for him anyway

Submitted by FreeSpiritMuse

In a recent interview with Wolf Blitzer, Newt Gingrich stated that Mitt Romney didn't tell the truth during the primary race. Despite previously calling him a "liar," Gingrich was less confrontational. However, the former Speaker of the House does plan on supporting Romney's campaign because he is the best available option:

“I still believe the Romney campaign said things that weren’t true," Gingrich said. "I also believe that compared to Barack Obama, I would trust Mitt Romney 100 times over."

"I said I'm going to campaign for him. I said he will appoint dramatically better judges than the president. He'll do a dramatically better job creating jobs than the president. He'll do far more to balance the budget than the president," Gingrich told Blitzer. 

President Barack Obama describes the killing of Osama bin Laden the "most important single day" of his presidency. We're taking a closer look at the conversation about this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

President Obama: Bin Laden raid is 'most important single day of my presidency'

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

In a recent interview with Brian Williams, President Obama admitted that the call to carry out the raid on Osama bin Laden was his ultimate decision. The momentous raid -- dubbed "Operation Neptune’s Spear" -- had to be a guarded secret to avoid tipping off bin Laden, code-named "Geronimo." A year after the "single most important day" at his time at the White House, the president and his advisers reflected on the months leading up to the raid on Osama's compound. 

"The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden rather than to take some other options was ultimately because I had 100 percent faith in the Navy SEALs themselves."

"This had to be such a close-held operation. There were only a handful of staff in the White House who knew about this."

The president said that the full impact of the mission hit him a few days later when he met the SEALs who had carried out the operation.

"They presented me with the flag that had gone on that mission, signed by all of them on the back and I think it’s fair to say that will probably be the most important possession that I leave with from this presidency," he said.

Secretary Hillary Clinton stands by the president's decision not to release the photos of bin Laden's body: 

"I think we made the right decision not to sensationalize this, not to desecrate it, so to speak. His body was flown to a Navy ship. It was given a proper Islamic burial at sea and I think that we handled it exactly right."

While many believed his campaign ended months ago, Newt Gingrich formally announced Wednesday afternoon that he is suspending his bid for the Republican nomination. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents: 

Newt Gingrich to drop out of Republican presidential race

Submitted by bailey78

During a press conference in Arlington, Newt Gingrich announced the suspension of his campaign for the GOP nomination, calling his run "an amazing year." The former Speaker of the House leaves with millions of dollars in campaign debt and having victories in only South Carolina and his homestate of Georgia.

“Today I am suspending the campaign, but suspending the campaign does not mean suspending citizenship,” Gingrich said, with wife Callista at his side.

Gingrich said, “Callista and I are going to focus on a series of key issues…and try to educate and move policies in Washington, D.C. Probably central to this is a deep commitment to American exceptionalism.”

Usually celebrated as International Workers Day, this May Day prompted more demonstrations than celebrations from the Occupy Movement. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Occupy May Day protests underway in New York and across globe; D.C. marches planned

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

In more than 125 cities, demonstrators are rallying against income inequality and government policies during this tough economic period. In New York City, the Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered outside banks and marched along various businesses. In Greece, more than 2,000 people protested around the country's harsh austerity program. Meanwhile, five men were arrested for plotting to blow up a bridge near Cleveland. 

Dozens of labor unions and immigrants’ rights groups were expected to join with Occupiers for another large-scale march from Union Square to Wall Street later in the day.

“This is our coming out. We’re calling it our spring awakening,” said Jackie DiSalvo, an English professor who is an organizer for Occupy Wall Street. 

“Hopefully this is a new era,” said Rob Brune, 46, a Columbia, Md., resident who was in McPherson Square on Tuesday. “People are speaking out. People are reacting.” Regardless of the day’s turnout, he said, “I look at things in the long haul. It could take years.”

The Obama camp has just released a campaign video revealing the president's new election motto. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

"Forward" Obama Campaign Releases New Video

Submitted by KB723

"Forward", a seven minute campaign video has hit the Internet showcasing the Obama adminstration's success during his first term and the upcoming challenges ahead. The video highlights that the administration cut taxes for 160 million Americans, ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," signed equal pay for women legislation, increased the use of wind and solar energy, signed Wall Street and credit card reform and ensured student loans remain affordable.

The voice over narration says it was “An economic disaster, the worst in a generation” but the president “never lost faith in America’s ability to meet the challenge.”

Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the first arrest was made in connection with a federal investigation of BP. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

U.S. makes first arrest in BP ecocide

Submitted by JanforGore

United States authorities have charged an ex-BP drilling engineer Kurt Mix with trying to destroy evidence tied to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Mix allegedly attempted to wipe messages from his phone revealing that BP knew that the leak was more than three times larger than its official estimates.

The charges say Mix was part of BP staff trying to estimate the amount of oil flowing from the well for the Top Kill effort aimed at halting it.

BP, based in Britain, had reported at the time that the well was leaking about 5,000 barrels a day of crude oil. The messages allegedly give a different picture.

"Too much flowrate - over 15,000," said one message Mix sent on May 26, the first day of the operation.

When the New York City Homeless Services Department went looking for people to play the homeless in a public service announcement, it put out a casting call — for actors. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Homeless aid group doesn't want icky homeless in its PSA

Submitted by congoboy

New York City's Department of Homeless Services is being criticized for hiring actors for an upcoming PSA. Instead of showcasing real homeless people, they put out a casting call for actors. The department said the talent should be "real people type, preferably ethnically ambiguous." Advocates for the homeless were quick to bash the idea of paying stand-ins for the real deal.

"With a record 41,000 kids and adults crowding the [shelters], the city doesn't need to spend taxpayer dollars on a casting call," a Coalition for the Homeless spokesman said. It also seems like PSA viewers would have a greater emotional response -- and perhaps be more inclined to get involved -- if they saw a real person dealing with homelessness, not an actor who can shrug off his tattered clothing after the director says "Cut." 

With over 3,000 distracted driving accidents occuring nationwide last year, a federal legislation seeks to ban all use of cell phone in vehicles. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

U.S. ban sought on cell phone use while driving

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. LaHood believes it is important for the police to have "the opportunity to write tickets when people are foolishly thinking they can drive safely or use a cell phone and text and drive."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 3,000 fatal traffic accidents nationwide last year were the result of distracted driving. Using a cell phone while driving delays reaction time the same amount as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08, the legal limit, the highway agency said.

LaHood said, however, he was not as concerned about people who eat, apply makeup, or perform other distracting activities in cars because "not everyone does that."

"But everyone has a cell phone and too many of us think it is OK to talk on our phones while we are driving," he said at the summit, sponsored by insurance company USAA, the Texas Department of Transportation and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Thirty-eight states already have laws that restrict the use of electronic devices while driving.