When prisoners at Guantanamo Bay go on hunger strikes to protest their detention, the US military has a policy of forced-feeding them to prevent their deaths. The process has become controversial as details have emerged about how the procedure is implemented. An 18-year naval nurse — and officer — refused to take part and is now in danger of punishment and loss of veteran's benefits.
The Guardian reports that the American Nurses Association has sided with the nurse, arguing to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel that a nurse's professional code of ethics includes the right to "make an independent judgment about whether he or she should participate in this or any other activity.” The organization's letter insists that a nurse's primary commitment is to the patient. The Defense Department has not yet replied — but a decision is expected soon.
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A British couple paid £36, about $57, to stay at a hotel in Blackpool, England, but was unhappy with the accommodations. Like all modern travelers, they took to the Internet to voice their displeasure — shooting video of some of the room's deficiencies and posting it, as well as critical comments, on the travel review site TripAdvisor.
According to the BBC, that's where things went off the rails. The hotel fined the couple £100 ($157) for their critical comment — in keeping with the hotel's policy. "We felt extremely upset by their actions and insulting comments towards our staff," explained the hotel. Fortunately for the couple, the hotel reversed its fine after learning such a policy "was not good practice."
Much of India's food culture revolves around street vendors, who ply neighborhood roads selling fruits and vegetables. Yet as supermarkets and shopping malls become more common, they are crowding out the street merchants and cutting into their livelihoods.
RHitu Chatterjee told PRI's The World about how her neighborhood food vendors organized a protest outside the Indian headquarters of Walmart. They just wanted one restriction on the company's operations there.
China's Communist Party is streamlining its rule book, announcing hundreds of changes after a two-year-long review. But one change proved to be a bridge too far: Chinese communists will still be required to refer to each other as "comrade."
The rule is 49 years old — and one of just 487 regulations to remain in force after the review. All told, the Chinese Communist Party evaluated 1,178 documents related to "organisation and member discipline issued between 1949 and 2012."
According to the South China Morning Post, the term comrade came from French and is often used by members of left-wing organizations to refer to one another. The idea is to express equality and avoid hierarchical titles that are considered a a “decadent practice of old society.”
Humans have paid for many trips to the moon, both by astronauts and by unmanned space probes, through their taxes. But the newest proposed moon mission is taking a more direct approach. A British company is starting a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough money to launch an unmanned lunar lander, according to PRI's The World.
Lunar Mission One is offering up some nice rewards for people who chip in, too. People can write text messages or submit photos that will be sent to the moon. Some high donors will even be able to submit samples of their own hair, which will be buried beneath the surface of the moon in special time capsules. Campaign organizers plan to raise $1 million for their project.
Almost seven feet of snow fell on parts of Buffalo, New York, this week, leaving whole swaths of the town literally trapped in their homes. At least five people died from the storm, which shut roads and stranded motorists for 24 hours or more. All that snow, though, made for some pretty incredible photos. Buzzfeed has collected 24 of the most unbelievable.
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