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Third Rail (politics)
The third rail of a nation's politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is "charged" and "untouchable" to the extent that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems. Touching a third rail can result in electrocution, so usage of the metaphor in political situations relates to the risk of "political suicide" that a person would face by raising certain taboo subjects or having points of view that are either censored, shunned or considered highly controversial or offensive to advocate or even mention. It is most commonly used in North America. Though commonly attributed to Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, it seems to have been coined by O'Neill aide Kirk O'Donnell in 1982 in reference to Social Security. American examples of usage A wide range of issues might be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WMATA Third Rail At West Falls Church
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transport, public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit service under the Washington Metro, Metrorail name, fixed-route bus service under the Metrobus (Washington, D.C.), Metrobus brand, and paratransit service under the MetroAccess brand. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . The agency participates in regional transportation planning and the execution of transit infrastructure projects. Recent projects include an Potomac Yard station, infill station serving Potomac Yard and an Silver Line (Washington Metro), extension of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport. WMATA was created in the late 1960s by the United States Congress as an interstate compact between Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The authority's board of directors consists of two v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev Pragad, the president and chief executive officer (CEO), and Johnathan Davis, who sits on the board; each owns 50% of the company. In August 2010, revenue decline prompted Graham Holdings, the Washington Post Company to sell ''Newsweek'' to the audio pioneer Sidney Harman for one US dollar and an assumption of the magazine's liabilities. Later that year, ''Newsweek'' merged with the news and opinion website ''The Daily Beast'', forming The Newsweek Daily Beast Company, later called ''NewsBeast''. ''Newsweek'' was jointly owned by the estate of Harman and the company IAC (company), IAC. ''Newsweek'' continued to experience financial difficulties, leading to the suspension of print publication at the end of 2012. In 2013, IBT Media acquired ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Breakthrough Institute
The Breakthrough Institute is an environmental research center located in Berkeley, California. Founded in 2007 by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, The institute is aligned with ecomodernist philosophy. The Institute advocates for an embrace of modernization and technological development (including nuclear power and carbon capture) in order to address environmental challenges. Proposing urbanization, agricultural intensification, nuclear power, aquaculture, and desalination as processes with a potential to reduce human demands on the environment, allowing more room for non-human species. Since its inception, environmental scientists and academics have criticized Breakthrough's environmental positions. Mann, Michael E.; Tom Toles (2016). ''The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy''. Columbia University Press. Popular press reception of Breakthrough's environmental ideas and policy has been mix ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Environmental Impact Of Animal Agriculture
The environmental impacts of animal agriculture vary because of the wide variety of Agriculture, agricultural practices employed around the world. Despite this, all agricultural practices have been found to have environmental impact of agriculture, a variety of effects on the environment to some extent. Animal agriculture, in particular meat production, can cause pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, disease, and significant Land consumption, consumption of land, food, and water. Meat is obtained through a variety of methods, including organic farming, Free range, free-range farming, Intensive animal farming, intensive livestock production, and subsistence agriculture. The livestock sector also includes wool, Dairy farming#Concerns, egg and dairy production, the livestock used for tillage, and fish farming. Animal agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions. Cows, sheep, and other ruminants diges ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1978 California Proposition 13
Proposition 13 (officially named the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation) is an amendment of the Constitution of California enacted during 1978, by means of the initiative process, to cap property taxes and limit property reassessments to when the property changes ownership, and to require a 2/3 majority for tax increases in the state legislature. The initiative was approved by California voters in a primary election on June 6, 1978, by a nearly two to one margin. It was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1992 in ''Nordlinger v. Hahn'', . Proposition 13 is embodied in Article XIII A of the Constitution of the State of California. The proposition decreased property taxes by assessing values at their 1976 value, limiting the rate of taxation to 1% of the assessed value, and restricting annual increases of assessed value to an inflation factor, not to exceed 2% per year. It prohibits reassessment of a new base year value except in cases of (a) change in ownership, or (b) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is a legally binding interstate compact among the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The compact details how the states manage the use of the Great Lakes Basin's water supply and builds on the 1985 Great Lakes Charter and its 2001 Annex. The compact is the means by which the states implement the governors' commitments under the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement that also includes the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec. The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (formerly the Council of Great Lakes Governors)—which guided the negotiations that resulted in the Compact—now serves as secretariat to the Governors' Compact Council created by the Compact. Ratification Following approval by each of the eight member-state legislatures, the compact was signed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Support For Israel In The Gaza War
Following the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the outbreak of the Gaza war, the United States has provided extensive military, diplomatic, and financial support to Israel throughout the Gaza war. This included rapid deployment of warships and military aircraft, billions in military aid, expedited weapons shipments —including guided missiles, artillery shells, and advanced defense systems. The U.S. repeatedly vetoed multiple UN ceasefire resolutions and shielded Israel from international legal scrutiny even as civilian casualties in Gaza Strip, Gaza mounted and humanitarian conditions worsened. Despite internal State Department reports documenting more than 500 potential violations of international law by Israel, no action was taken. White House lawyers rejected internal findings that Israel was deliberately blocking humanitarian aid. Gaza war protests in the United States, Protests erupted nationwide, including resignations from over a dozen U.S. officials, and large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
School Segregation In The United States
School segregation in the United States was the segregation of students in educational facilities based on their race and ethnicity. While not prohibited from having or attending schools, various minorities were barred from most schools that admitted white students. Segregation was enforced by laws in U.S. states, primarily in the Southern United States, although segregation could also occur in informal systems or through social expectations and norms in other areas of the country. Segregation laws were met with resistance by Civil Rights activists and began to be challenged in the 1930s in cases that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Segregation continued longstanding exclusionary policies in much of the Southern United States (where most African Americans lived) after the Civil War. Jim Crow laws codified segregation. These laws were influenced by the history of slavery and discrimination in the US. Secondary schools for African Americans in the South were called t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gifted Education
Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G&T education) is a type of education used for children who have been identified as Intellectual giftedness, gifted or Talent (skill), talented. The main approaches to gifted education are enrichment and Academic acceleration, acceleration. An enrichment program teaches additional, deeper material, but keeps the student progressing through the curriculum at the same rate as other students. For example, after the gifted students have completed the normal work in the curriculum, an enrichment program might provide them with additional information about a subject. An acceleration program advances the student through the standard curriculum faster than normal. This is normally done by having the students skip one to two grades. Being gifted and talented usually means being able to score in the top percentile on IQ exams. The percentage of students selected varies, generally wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conscription In The United States
In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The fourth incarnation of the Conscription, draft came into being in 1940, through the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, Selective Training and Service Act; this was the country's first peacetime draft. From 1940 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces that could not be filled through voluntary means. Active conscription in the United States ended in January 1973, and the U.S. Armed Forces moved to an all-volunteer military except for draftees called up through the end of 1972. Conscription remains in place on a Contingency plan, contingency basis, however, in that all male U.S. citizens, even those residi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Effects And Aftermath Of Rape
Rape is a traumatic experience that affects the victim (survivor) in a physical, psychological, and sociological way. Even though the effects and aftermath of rape differ among victims, individuals tend to suffer from similar issues found within these three categories. Long-term reactions may involve the development of coping mechanisms that will either benefit the victim, such as social support, or inhibit their recovery. Seeking support and professional resources may assist the victim in numerous ways. Physical impact Gynecological Common effects experienced by rape victims include: * Vaginal or anal bleeding or infection *Hypoactive sexual desire disorder *Vaginitis or vaginal inflammation *Dyspareunia – painful sexual intercourse * Vaginismus – a condition affecting a woman's ability to engage in any form of vaginal penetration *Chronic pelvic pain *Urinary tract infections *Pregnancy *HIV/AIDS Pregnancy * Pregnancy may result from rape. The rate varies between ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abortion In The United States
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnancies. Deliberate actions to end a pregnancy are called induced abortion, or less frequently "induced miscarriage". The unmodified word ''abortion'' generally refers to induced abortion. Common reasons for having an abortion are birth-timing and limiting family size. Other reasons include maternal health, an inability to afford a child, domestic violence, lack of support, feelings of being too young, wishing to complete an education or advance a career, or not being able or willing to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest. When done legally in industrialized societies, induced abortion is one of the safest procedures in medicine. Modern methods use medication or surgery for abortions. The drug mifepristone (aka RU-486 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
