Amid Trump Push to Arm More Teachers, Students Injured After…

Fermin Gonzales IV, 17, was one of three students injured when a high school teacher accidentally fired an unauthorized gun during a public safety lesson at a school in California, according to local reports. Bolstering recent warnings about the dangers of giving guns to teachers-a proposal touted by the gun lobby as well as President Donald Trump and other Republicans following the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month-a high school teacher and reserve cop in California accidentally fired a weapon in his classroom this week, injuring three students, according to local reports .

While Progressive Nordic Nations Thrive on Global Happiness Index, US …

Finland was named the happiest country in the world on the annual World Happiness Report, while the U.S. ranked at number 18-down four places fropm 2017. Nordic countries with strong social welfare structures fared best, as they have in previous years, on the United Nation's annual accounting of global happiness-while the United States finished in 18th place, down four spots from 2017.

Despite Torture-Loving Pasts, Schumer Not Pushing Democrats to Oppose Pompeo or Haspel

The Senate's top Democrat is not calling on his fellow party members to oppose President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state-torture-praising Mike Pompeo-or his nominee to lead the CIA-" actual torturer " Gina Haspel. Schumer said Pompeo and Haspel face "lots of outstanding questions," but hoped that if Pompeo is confirmed, he "will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin."

Don Blankenship, Dead Miners, Humility, and the Limits of Free Speech in West Virginia

Don Blankenship, former coal company executive who was convicted of federal safety violations that led to the deaths of 29 coal miners in 2010, is now running for U.S. Senate. I was sitting at home in West Virginia tonight when a call came in from the U.S. Senate campaign for Don Blankenship.

Gaza’s Water Problems Continue to Compound

Red-faced and with his hair still wet, Hani Abu Amirah's grandson sobbed as he shuffled over to where she sat, looking out on the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza's Shati refugee camp. The boy's distress stemmed from his decision to go swimming a little earlier that morning, one that incurred his father's wrath when he was yanked out of the water and beaten for disobeying orders to stay away from the sea.

HTTPS

This site should now have a secure https://www.eschatonblog.com address. ...or maybe not. Messed up the comments and I don't have time to figure that out right now. HTTPS will be back soon, hopefully!

Mythology

I've long commented that Republican mythology is a bit like an X-files-type series that's gone on too long. The mythology gets more and more complex and incomprehensible, largely because it never really made any sense in the first place, as they keep piling on more and more layers of gibberish.

John Brennan vouched for Donald Trump’s pick to head the CIA despite…

Editor's note: ProPublica has published a major correction to its February 22, 2017, article -- cited in the piece below -- reporting that Gina Haspel oversaw the torture of two detainees at a "black site" prison in Thailand in 2002. The correction states that "Haspel did not take charge of the base until after the interrogation of [Abu] Zubaydah ended," though additional reporting by The New York Times indicates "she was in charge when [Abd al-Rahim] al-Nashiri was waterboarded three times."

Fox’s Jesse Watters Divorcing After Affair With 25-Year-Old Coworker

The network's prominent host Jesse Watters - who dined on Monday with President Trump - is in the midst of divorce due to an affair with a 25-year-old associate producer. Sources said the 39-year-old host informed the network of his adulterous relationship with Emma DiGiovine shortly after Noelle filed divorce papers.

Muslim Women at forefront of Science: 70% of Iranian Women Graduates come out with Science Degrees

"In wealthy nations, they believe that they have the freedom to pursue those alternatives and not worry so much that they pay less," said one professional. Iranian women are topping the charts with the highest number of female scientists in the world, far surpassing their western counterparts with over half of students leaving with science diploma.

Help, I’m Being Mauled by a Bobcat

Steve had a nice dinner of some canned mackerel and kibble that I warmed up and stirred together so he would not just eat the fish, and then he got a good brushing and is now so sound asleep on my shoulder he is drooling. Every so often in his sleep he reaches out with his paws and rests them on my chest, and he is snoring slightly in my ear.