News

In Other News: September 20, 2013

by Rachel Krantz

Looks like Asaad is carrying out his end of the deal, at least so far: Syria has begun submitting information about its chemical weapons stockpile, ahead of Saturday's deadline to provide a full list of information.

Amanda Knox will not be traveling to Italy for a trial appealing her acquittal for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. Knox says she expects to be acquitted again, and is presumably busy catching up on the 78 Lifetime movies made about her anyway.

The Hairpin has a powerful interview with Dr. Samantha Robinson, one of the last four doctors in the country who openly provides abortions in the third trimester.

Blackberry announced they plan to cut 4500 jobs, to the surprise of no one.

If being all Jobsian and fighting over the new iPhone 5S isn't your style, you can always go ahead and download iOS7 to get your fix. A new GIF uploaded by Redditor Cer0zer0 shows the interface evolution that has led us to this groundbreaking moment in time. Mmmm, boxes.

We all leapt to newly crowned Miss America Nina Davuluri's defense when Twitter went hella racist on her perfect smile, but The Nation's Samhita Mukhopadhyay reminds us that her crowning is no perfect symbol of progress.

Russia's children's ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov (who we presume might have helped with the country's anti-gay propaganda laws) is now suggesting that Russian literature like Anna Karenina be used as sex-ed for kids in schools. The Guardian provides us with some useful summaries of what that might look like:

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, 1877
Anna is trapped in a loveless marriage to the stiff government official Karenin, and begins an affair with the dashing Count Vronsky. Her marriage collapses, and she becomes increasingly depressed and paranoid about her relationship with Vronsky. Angry and upset, Anna commits suicide by throwing herself under a train.

I know whenever I want to avoid getting pregnant, it's always good to remember the train-track contraceptive method is there for me.

New York Magazine has your latest Beyonce conspiracy theory, and it has to do with her new Shape cover, which — what a shocker — promises us flat abs again this month.

And finally, watch Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage break down Simon Says on Sesame Street. Dude can sing.