
Syria is the latest Middle Eastern nation to be overtaken by popular demands for reform. On Wednesday, at least 20,000 protesters gathered at the funerals of 9 Syrians who were killed by state police during anti-regime rallies. Tension has remained high since then, and earlier today police fired tear gas into the 4,000-person strong crowd gathered in Deraa, one of Syria’s big cities. Now, people are waiting on a big announcement in the coming days from the current president, Bashar al-Assad. Protesters hope he will meet some of their demands, including the release of political prisoners, trials for those who have killed protesters in the past weeks, more freedoms, and an end to the country’s dirty politics.
South Dakota enacted a law Tuesday requiring all women to wait three days after meeting with a doctor before an abortion, the longest waiting period in the country. The bill, signed into law by Governor Dennis Gaugard, is expected to be challenged in court. In similar news, some legislators in Ohio are pushing the “heartbeat bill,” which would ban abortion once a heartbeat can be detected.
The U.S. continues its involvement in violence-ridden Libya. Tonight, all eyes will be on the president as he addresses the nation on the state of affairs in the warring country and defends the military action some congressmen have called unconstitutional. Early in the week, the U.S. and allies enforced a no-fly zone over the country in an attempt to prevent further advance of pro-government fighters. On Wednesday, the job was transferred to NATO, and the U.S. is beginning to focus more on its second goal- protecting Libyan citizens from the violence. According to the U.N., about 350,000 Libyans have fled in the past weeks, and thousands more are clogging the borders.
OMG, LOL and muffin top have officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. This week, the over 600,000-word tome was officially updated with the new entries. OMG is defined as “expressing astonishment, excitement, embarrassment,” LOL is “used to draw attention to a joke or humorous statement, or to express amusement,” and muffin top is “a roll of flesh which hangs visibly over a person’s (esp. a woman’s) tight-fitting waistband.” I passed the news onto my mother, but she is still convinced lol stands for “lots of love.” lol.
Photo of the Week:

(Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo)
Rallies haven’t just been happening in the Middle East- here, a firefighter responds to a call from a work protest in Brussels, Belgium.










The reign of social media lives on as the 






How to Screw Up the First Date
Why Jennifer Lawrence is the Coolest Actress Ever
Men in Black Take on The Avengers
Jeopardy Without Trebek?!
Stop Sleeping With Your Ex!




