The Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, by a vote of 54-45, with three Democrats joining the Republicans to vote in favor.

In other news, the death toll in today’s Stockholm terror attack has risen to five. Three perpetrators are thought to have been involved, and one is still at large.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Caroline Glick, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, RRN, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

A 1,389 Year-Old ‘Phobia’?

Muslims, continue raiding, plundering, massacring, and enslaving “infidels” that fear and dislike of Islam-what is called “Islamophobia”-exists to this day.

Take Reza Aslan, CNN’s resident “cannibal”: he recently claimed that “Islamophobia”- defined by CAIR and others as “unfounded fear of and hostility towards Islam”-was created by a few “clowns” in 2014…

But Aslan’s lament is not that people were once ignorant but now are wise to Islam. Rather, he accuses a number of writers and activists-the aforementioned “clowns”-of manufacturing a menacing image of Islam, which, in turn, has prompted Western people to develop an “unfounded fear of and hostility towards Islam”-or, in a word, “Islamophobia.”

Such a claim relies on an obscene amount of historical ignorance. The fact is, Western peoples, including some of their luminaries, have portrayed Islam as a hostile and violent force from the very start-often in terms that would make today’s “Islamophobe” blush.

As far back as the eighth century, Islam’s scriptures and histories-the Koran, hadith, sira and maghazi literature-became available to those Christian communities living adjacent to, or even under the authority of, the caliphates. Based solely on these primary sources of Islam, Christians concluded that Muhammad was a (possibly demon possessed) false prophet who had very obviously concocted a creed to justify the worst depravities of man-for dominion, plunder, cruelty and carnality. This view prevailed for well over a millennium all over Europe (and till this day among “Islamophobes”); and it was augmented by the fact that Muslims were still, well over a millennium, invading Christian territories, plundering them, and abducting their women and children. The United States’ first brush with Islam-the early nineteenth century Barbary Wars-came by way of Muslim raids on American ships for booty and slaves in the name of Allah.

Here is a miniscule sampling of what Europeans thought of Islam throughout the centuries:

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Busted: ‘Safest Neighborhood’ Home to Global Sex Trafficking Ring

Large international trafficking bust in one of America’s safest cities

In one of the safest cities in the United States, Irvine CA, Infowars reporter Millie Weaver covers one of the largest international sex trafficking busts.

A mother and her daughter were caught operating online sex services in an upscale neighborhood and running a prostitution ring across 29 states.

Young women and girls from China were used as sex slaves and forced to work up to 14 hours a day.

The actual bust occurred in Minnesota where investigators discovered the hub of the operation was conducted out of Irvine, CA.

The arrests took place late last week.

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Caroline Glick: Israel and Obama’s Political War

Eli Lake from Bloomberg set off a firestorm in the US this week with his revelation on Monday that in the last six months of the Obama administration, Susan Rice, former president Barack Obama’s national security adviser, requested that the US intelligence community enable her to use foreign intelligence collection as a means of gathering information about Donald Trump’s advisers.

According to Lake’s story, during the course of the US presidential campaign, and with steadily rising intensity after President Donald Trump won the November 2016 election, Rice used her access to intercepted communications of foreign intelligence targets to gather information on Trump’s advisers. Some of those reports were then leaked, injuriously, to the media in violation of US criminal statute.

Whereas in the normal course of events, the identities of American citizens whose conversations with foreigners are intercepted by the US intelligence community are shielded, in the final months of the Obama administration, Rice repeatedly — on “dozens of occasions” — asked that the identities of Americans who conversed with foreigners be exposed.

The Americans in question were Trump’s advisers…

CNN Host: ‘Trump Became President’ After Bombing Syria

Calls for more military action and return to “following global norms.”

CNN host Fareed Zakaria, who has been slamming the President on air for months, exclaimed this morning that Donald Trump ‘became the President of The United States’ last night after launching missiles into Syria.

“It is day 78 of the Trump presidency. What changed last night?” Alisyn Camerota, host of CNN’s “New Day” asked Zakaria.

“I think Donald Trump became president of the United States,” Zakaria responded, adding “I think this was actually a big moment.”

Zakaria, who recently called the President a “bullshit artist” on a live broadcast, dramatically changed his tune after Trump flip flopped on the Syria situation following an alleged gas attack by Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad.

[Comment: Zacharia is a puppet of the globalists.]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Cognitive Dissonance Destroyed: Racist, Sexist, Xenophobic Myth Debunked

SJW talking points are already old

David Knight and Lee Ann McAdoo talk with a caller from California about why he feels that America is becoming increasingly Islamphobic and continues violating the First Amendment.

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Justice Gorsuch: Senate Confirms Trump’s First SCOTUS Pick

The Senate voted just before noon Friday to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Nation’s highest bench.

The vote, originally set for Friday evening, was moved up to the morning after Democrats agreed to waive part of the final debate period. Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace conservative anchor of the Court, Justice Antonin Scalia, was confirmed by a vote of 54-45, with Democrats Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) joining a unanimous Republican Caucus.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Sharia Law Alert: Department of Education Unconstitutionally Indoctrinating Students

Anti-American rhetoric spreading across U.S. school system

As ISIS celebrates yet another pro-Sharia attack on the innocent in the dank subterranean corridors of St. Petersburg, Russia, thousands of miles away a creeping pro-sharia academic curriculum blankets the United States thanks to the Department of Education, PBS, the George W. Bush administration, and the former Muslim Brotherhood lackey in chief Barack Obama.

An unabashed initiation of Sharia law indoctrination unleashed on feral fifth to twelfth grade American minds.

A system completely opposed to the U.S. Constitution, American traditions, and a stepping stone into the savage underbelly of homegrown jihadism.

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



‘Sick of Fancy White People’: Possible Hate Crime Charge Against NJ Woman Who Attacked Man, Vehicles

Used hammer to damage boat, SUV, also clawed man in altercation

Members of the Essex County, N.J. Sheriff’s Office, Fugitive Unit, arrested 26-year-old Angela Jones Wednesday in connection with the April 1 assault at the Carmel Church Exxon station located on Route 207, near I-95, in Caroline County.

Witnesses described seeing who they believed to be Jones, use a hammer to inflict damage to a 2016 Porsche S.U.V. and a boat being towed by the S.U.V. in the parking lot of the Exxon station.

Jones, according to officials, attacked the owner of the S.U.V. and the boat while allegedly referring to him as “rich” and “white.”

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



English Film Icon Praises Brexit: ‘Rather be Poor Master Than Rich Servant’

Hollywood legend dismisses racism, xenophobia smears

Sir Michael Caine delivered an interview to Sky News in which he sung the praises of Brexit and said he voted for “freedom” alongside his fellow Englishmen who support leaving the totalitarian European Union and a return to national sovereignty.

“I voted for Brexit,” he said. “I look at it in the final thing, and I’ll tell you what it is with me — I would rather be a poor master than a rich servant.”

“It wasn’t about the racism, immigrants or anything, it was about freedom.”

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Italy: Nine Million Euros in Assets Seized From Balducci

Case concerns alleged corruption linked to mayor events

(ANSA) — Rome, April 5 — Finance police on Wednesday set about executing a warrant to seize nine million euros in assets from former public-works chief Angelo Balducci. The move regards a probe into alleged corruption linked to several major events in Italy, a statement said. These events included the 2009 G8 summit — which was originally meant to be held at La Maddalena in Sardinia but was moved to L’Aquila to give the area an economic boost after a devastating earthquake — the 2009 world swimming championships in Romeand the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification in 2011.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Itedi-Espresso Group to be Called Gedi — Elkann

Will be Italian news leader, one of biggest in Europe

(ANSA) — Turin, April 5 — The publishing group formed by last year’s mergerof Itedi (La Stampa) and L’Espresso (La Repubblica) will be called Gedi, Agnelli family holding company Exor Chairman John Elkann told shareholders Wednesday. “Gedi will be an Italian news leader, one of the biggest in Europe, led by a very talented manager like Monica Mondardini”, Elkann said. Thenew groups, which also gets Genoa paper Il Secolo XIX from Itedi, will have overall earnings of around 700 million euros, a productivity among the highest in the sector, and an aggregate average diffusion of around 740,000 copies a day for more than 5.8 million readers.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Record 19 Bn Tax-Evasion Recovery in 2016 — Orlandi

Amount has trebled in 10 years says tax agency head

(ANSA) — Rome, April 5 — Italy raised a record 19 billion euros from the fight against tax evasion in 2016, Rossella Orlandi, the head of inland revenue agency l’Agenzia delle Entrate, told a Lower House committee on Wednesday. “It’s the best result ever achieved by the institution,” Orlandi told the House finance committee. She said the figure was a 28% increase on the 14.9 billion recovered in 2015 and three times more than the 6.4 billion registered in 2007. Orlandi also told the committee that the agency had compiled a list of around 750 Italians to feature in the Panama Papers — leaked client information from many offshore entities. She said that, with the help of offshore entities, these people had presumably hidden from the Italiantax authorities “significant activities of a financial nature and assets held in non-collaborative countries”.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Schengen Border Delays as Security Checks Enforced in Terror Warning

TERROR threats have prompted tougher security controls on borders and caused huge delays for those who enter or exit the passport-free Schengen area.

Passengers at airports and sea ports, and people crossing land borders across the European Union, will now have their ID documents checked whenever they enter or leave the the 26-country zone.

And border control officers will now be able to crosscheck the documents of all travellers against databases like the Schengen Information System, Interpol and registers of wanted persons.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Stockholm Slaughter: Terrorists Plow Stolen Truck Through Crowds, Killing Five

Attack mirrors jihadist massacres around Europe

Suspected terrorists commandeered a stolen beer delivery truck through the streets of Stockholm, plowing through crowds of pedestrians, killing at least five, and eventually ramming into the front of a department store before bursting into flames.

Reports from the ground indicate that at least three persons exiting the truck after it crashed, and that shots were fired in the ensuing chaos.

At least two of the perpetrators have been arrested, with a description of the remaining suspect released by Swedish media that simply states, “green jacket, grey hooded sweat top, white shoes.”

The Telegraph is reporting that five people have already died, and many more are injured.

[Comment: When will Swedish men realize their political leaders are traitors?]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Sweden Horror as Truck Rams Into Crowds in Stockholm — Four Dead

A HIJACKED truck has driven into crowds on a crowded street in central Stockholm, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more.

The vehicle drove into crowds on Drottninggatan (Queen Street) — one of the city’s major pedestrian streets, just before 3pm local time, before crashing into Åhlens Mall.

Armed police remain at the scene and the incident is being treated as a suspected terror attack, according to local media.

At least 15 people have been injured — nine of which are in a serious condition. Among the injured are two children — one with serious injuries.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Tommy Robinson Hunts Down Punk Who Called for His Assassination

“Please someone just murder Tommy Robinson”

Britain’s Tommy Robinson saw a Tweet saying, “Please someone just murder Tommy Robinson” and decided to look up the Twitter user’s personal information.

Within fifteen minutes Robinson had the young man’s name, school and address.

Tommy has received many similar threats over the years and has reported around three hundred cases to the authorities, but not once have they ever responded to him.

Due to the negligence of the local authorities, Tommy decided to take the matter into his own hands and confront the man in person.

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Serbia-Croatia: PM Plenkovic Accepts Serbian Pralines

After unpleasant event with President Grabar Kitarovic

(ANSA) — BELGRADE — Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, visiting Mostar on the occasion of the opening of the International Economy Fair, gave his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic a box of ‘made in Serbia’ chocolatecandies.

Apparently, a normal and quite ordinary gesture of courtesy, but in this particular case, it is related to what happened in Dubrovnik last December, when the gift of Serbian chocolate candies to a group of children by the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic caused negative reactions throughout the country. This event prompted the President to apologize for her gesture.

The event further exacerbated relations — which are certainly not idyllic -between the Two former Yugoslav countries, which have always been bitter rivals. In Mostar, Vucic, visiting some Serbian stands at the local fair, bought a box of chocolate candies producted by company ‘Pionir’ in Subotica (northern Serbia) and gifted it to his Croatian counterpart. Answering the inevitable question posed by journalists, whether he liked the Serbian chocolate candies or not, Plenkovic — after thanking Vucic — said that with “noproblem at all” he will try the Subotica pralines.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Farage: ‘A Lot of Trump Voters Will be Scratching Their Heads’ Over Syria Airstrikes

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has expressed concern over “supporter and friend” U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s decision to approve the launch of 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles on Syria’s Shayrat air base in south-east Homs.

“I have to say, I woke up to this news this morning very, very surprised. And I think a lot of Trump voters will be scratching their heads hard and asking, ‘where does this go from here?’“ said Mr. Farage Friday morning, speaking on the LBC radio network.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Islamist Rebels Praise Missile Strike: ‘It is Definitely a Positive Development’

Islamist rebels are praising the U.S. airstrike against a Syrian airbase Thursday as a “positive development” in their fight against the Assad government.

Labib al-Nahhas, foreign political relations head for Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist rebel group in t region, heralded the attacks while calling for further U.S. intervention.

[Comment: Trump has been played. The US has been manipulated — via a globalist/ISIS false flag operation — into becoming the air force for ISIS. Trump should have ensured the bombs “accidently” dropped on ISIS — that would have made a change from those “accidental” air drops of supplies under Obama. This would have ended any future false flag operations, ISIS would be afraid to “accidentally” get bombed.]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Russian PM Says U.S. Syria Strikes ‘One Step Away’ From Clashing With Russia

‘On the verge of a military clash with Russia’

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev complained on Friday that U.S. cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase were one step away from clashing with the Russian military.

U.S. officials informed Russian forces ahead of the strikes — intended to punish the Syrian government for what they say was a chemical weapons attack earlier this week — and avoided hitting Russian personnel.

Satellite imagery suggests the Shayrat air base that was struck is home to Russian special forces and military helicopters, part of the Kremlin’s effort to help the Syrian government fight Islamic State and other militant groups.

Medvedev, writing on social media, said the U.S. strikes were illegal and had been “one step away from military clashes with Russia.”

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Syria Strike Brings Rare Criticism for Trump From France’s Le Pen

U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to order a missile strike on Syria brought rare criticism on Friday from French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has until now viewed the American leader as an ideological soulmate.

The U.S. strike reverberated through the French presidential election campaign, just two weeks before the first round of voting, with most leading candidates taking a cautious, or a critical, stance toward the U.S. action.

“I am a little surprised because Trump had said repeatedly that he didn’t intend the United States to be the world’s policeman any longer and that is exactly what he did yesterday,” Le Pen told France 2 television.

The United States fired cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase on Friday as punishment for a suspected chemical weapons attack on Tuesday which killed at least 70 people.

“Is it too much to ask to wait for the results of an independent international investigation (into Tuesday’s attack) before carrying out this kind of strike?” Le Pen asked.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Syria Strike: Donald Trump ‘Convinced by Ivanka to Take Action’

DONALD Trump’s decision to rain down 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian air base was sparked by his daughter Ivanka’s “heartbroken” response to Assad’s chemical attack, insiders have claimed.

Trump has long opposed military intervention in Syria — both as a private citizen when he criticised Obama’s intervention in the region, and as President.

But the Republican firebrand is believed to have made his dramatic U-turn after being convinced by his daughter Ivanka’s impassioned response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons on Tuesday.

A source close to the first family said: “Increasingly, Ivanka is having more and more influence over her father.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Trump’s Syria Strike: What They’re Not Telling You

Strikes could trigger reconciliation, coalition with Russia to stop ISIS

While this is not meant to be an endorsement of President Trump’s missile strike against a Syrian air base, here’s some points to consider:

The air strikes were limited to an airfield, yet the runway was unharmed, meaning the air base is still operational. Six MiG-23s were destroyed along with a storage depot, a training building, a canteen and a radar station. Six people were killed and several others wounded.

The Syrian government called the strike “blatant aggression,” but stopped short of calling it an act of war.

Russia was warned about the strike beforehand… and Russian officials likely warned Syria as well. [Comment: Imagine all the talking heads bursting their blood vessels on mainstream media should this happen. If this was Trump’s plan all along then I was wrong to think Trump got played — he was the one playing the tune.]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Senator Schumer Tells China That America is Weak

Schumer shows where his loyalty lies

Chuckie Schumer is simultaneously attacking Trump and sucking up to his Chinese masters by trying to discredit Trump in the American media and saying he is weak on trade with China.

[Comment: What a .]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



‘I Could See Nothing But Eyes, Black’: Woman: 67, Reveals Horrifying Moment Teens Armed With a Hammer and Metal Pole Attacked Her During Violent Shop Burglary

A teenage gang has been arrested after four violent burglaries on St Albans convenience stores in Melbourne (pictured).

— Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]



South Africa: Children Not Safe at School, Parents Claim

Concerned parents of Hoërskool Evander took their children out of school earlier today.

EVANDER — This came after parents raised their concerns about their children’s safety at the school.

It is alleged that an 18-year-old pupil had a fight with another pupil on Monday. The following day, the alleged attacker threatened that he would beat up white pupils with a Zulu stick (Isagila).

According to the white victims, the alleged attacker was with his gang and they said he threatened to kill the white girls and rape them.

“His eyes were red and he was intimidating and that’s when some of us decided to call our parents.

“We told the school management, but nothing was done.

“The school management said everything was under control whereas on the same day, the alleged attacker came into our class with his gang and demanded us to clap hands for him,” said a pupil.

According to an eye witness, two groups were standing next to the school gates on Wednesday morning. The groups consisted of black pupils and white pupils. The white pupils were accompanied by their parents.

As they were standing, it is alleged that the alleged attacker came towards the groups and the group of black pupils were chanting at him and clapping hands.

It is then that the parents of the white pupils took their children home.

The Ridge Times spoke to some of the parents and they said they are taking their children home because they fear for their children’s safety at school.

“I signed my child out because the school is not safe for him and the school management is doing nothing.

“They keep saying everything is under control, whereas we all see that this boy is bullying and threatening to kill our children.

“The school is only concerned about their reputation, instead of our children’s safety.

“If there is a bloodbath at this school, that blood will be upon the school management’s conscience.”

The Ridge Times visited the school and met with Mr Van Wyk, deputy principal, who said everything was under control and that people were exaggerating.

He could not comment further, because the principal was in a meeting.

— Hat tip: RRN [Return to headlines]



Iraqi Asylum Seekers Given Australian Visas Running Multi-Million Dollar Car Insurance Scam That Has Driven Up Your Premium by $200

The Green Slip fraudsters, who are believed to be helped by Vietnamese and Afghan associates, make claims on minor or fake crashes in an attempt to win payouts from insurers.

— Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]



Majority of Germans Claim They ‘Cannot Take More Refugees’ Study Finds

THE majority of Germans feel the country can not support any more refugees, according to a recent survey.

Chancellor Merkel faced stern criticism from German officials after her open door refugee policy saw up to a million people enter the country in 2015.

Now a study by the country’s Bertelsmann Foundation has claimed the majority of Germans feel their nation is unable to cope with any further increases in immigration.

The study shows a huge surge in opposition to allowing more refugees to enter Germany — rising from 40 per cent in 2015 to 54 per cent.

But the vast majority of Germans still said they felt immigrants and refugees currently inside the European superpower’s borders were “very welcome, or quite welcome”.

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



Polish PM Condemns This ‘Fatal Mistake’ By EU During Furious Rant

THE POLISH Prime Minister has accused the European Union of trying to ‘blackmail’ the country.

Beata Szydlo made the claim during a furious rant against Brussels over its migrant policy.

Mrs Szydlo said the bloc had made a “fatal mistake” by considering massive fines or withholding funds against countries for every single migrant they refuse entry.

She said yesterday: “Poland will continue a prudent and reasonable immigration policy. I am resistant to blackmail and pressure, which are used by, among others, Brussels.”

— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]



How Educators Train Your Child to be a Follower

The political “Hot Potato” is testing what shouldn’t be tested on your children. It is called “Grit”. “Grit” is the new hot potato. Why? Because it is illegal. It is based on the Common Core Social, Emotional, and Behavioral standards that are illegal. This is being done without full disclosure and written informed parental consent.

Parents, the social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of your children are being monitored, evaluated, and CODED. Interventions are being performed without your written permission or consent. Sometimes the names for this are changed to such flowery phrases as mindsets, character development, citizenship, “grit”, or even civics. This tactic effectually catches some parents off guard. Why? Because it sounds so good. Do we really know what is being tested and taught in America’s classrooms? Do you know what data is being collected on your child? Education has moved away from academics. There is now a full focus on personality with teaching and testing. The goal is changing the social, emotional, and behavioral personality traits of your child.

The “whole child” (head, heart, and hand) becomes the focus of the federal government. The recently passed federal ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) is the latest draconian effort to test and teach values, attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions. This was legislated as the new education law in December 2015. The National Governor’s Association (NGA) and Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), who copyrighted the original Common Core which was developed by ACT, added dispositions (“grit”) to the Common Core. Academics play second fiddle — – they are diluted, missing, and dumbed down. The ultimate goal is to squash all individualism in America. Parents beware! This falls under mental health. It is psychological conditioning. It also happens to be illegal the way they are doing this on children in the United States…

One of the authors (Berryman) in the 1992 Department of Labor SCANS report stated that, children do not go to school with a blank slate. The purpose of this sort of education is to wipe the slate clean. In other words, remove everything that you as a parent have taught your child. Particularly the American ethic, such good qualities as individuality, patriotism, and a belief in God. Since the early 1990s the Department of Labor has officially deemed your child “human capital,” be prodded and toyed with in the classroom to increase his/her “value” to the workforce.

The Common Core agenda is about performance, but not academic. It is about challenging your child’s moral absolutes and change their behavior. This cannot be done without altering and controlling your child’s feelings, attitudes, values, dispositions and beliefs. A “fixed mindset” means believing in absolutes. The goal of this transformational education is to inculcate in children a “growth mindset.” This pseudo-scientific agenda is mind-bending and has absolutely nothing to do with academics. This system pushes a child toward universal values. Your children are not safe. Your children’s beliefs are being challenged every day in the classroom. It is embedded in the curriculum, the testing and the teaching methodologies. This is indoctrination.

You can identify these standards appearing in the Common Core classroom when education “elites” like Angela Duckworth and Robert Rothman (below) indicate that these qualities are needed for college and career readiness. These standards include efficacy, cooperation, interpersonal skills, ethical behavior, honesty, responsibility, and adapting to change, all subjectively scored and arbitrarily collected and coded by regular classroom teachers. You might think you know what these words mean, but many of them have been redefined.

[Comment: Recommended reading.]

— Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Your Guide to the Most Habitable Exoplanets

Exoplanets are now a dime a dozen. Before 1995 it was unknown whether or not other main sequence stars even hosted their own planets, but now we know that, statistically, almost every star in the galaxy is likely to have at least one planet, and many even have multiple.

Thanks to missions like Kepler we now have 3400 confirmed exoplanets and another 5400 waiting to be officially added to the list. Many of these are gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, some are Neptune like and covered in ice, but there are a few that are rocky like our home.

Of the 3400 confirmed exoplanets, there are only around 15 that fall into the category of ‘habitable’ and out of those 15, there are five that SETI astronomer Jeff Coughlin thinks are the most interesting.