I don't think it matters a whole lot whether or not same-sex couples choose to get married. What mattered (and continues to for those living in the 36 states where such unions remain illegal) is the principle of being able to do so.
I found the point about how many who identify as LGBTQ+ see marriage as an oppressive institution with patriarchal/heteronormative connotations to be rather interesting. I think it makes sense too, considering that these are the individuals who tend to have to fight gender norms more often, and, by extension, have to think more consciously about both their presence and effects.

I see that the Bark wanted to cover this in as timely a manner as possible, and with this in mind, I'd say they did a fairly good job in reaching out to people, and explaining why certain information was unavailable to them. However, I also think they could have dug deeper, maybe talking with a player who knew more of the "why" behind the altercation, or push more people to come up with concrete alternatives than just "change the rules." In this latter respect, I would expect them to publish a follow-up story when the details are decided upon.

The Israeli military has the right to set its own regulations and guidelines for how its soldiers should behave... to a point. First, there needs to be equal reprimanding, with equal penalties, for any soldier who goes against the standards established. Secondly, I think it might be too much to try and monitor the soldiers if they act out in ways/times that don't directly connect them to their military duty. Considering the fact that Israeli youth are mostly required to join the army, I'm not sure if its fair to hold them to the standards of that job 24/7, and in areas where their military position is irrelevant. That said, the posing girls and the dancing guy were obviously connected to their posts during their pictures/video, respectively, so I think that this connection does warrant some form of reprimand.

This is a really cool idea that would have a lot of benefits for our publication. Firstly, it would likely attract a returning readership. Secondly, this could draw people to our website if it were to be digitally published; update links via Facebook could serve as a hook for more students to get on our servers and be lured into further stories. Thirdly, this idea is one that can be very inclusive; if done correctly this could give us the opportunity to showcase the style of students from a wide range of backgrounds and social groups, thereby upping the diversity of our content and, potentially, our readership. Fourthly, this would be a great addition for archival purposes. Tam Newsies are sure to find us hilarious when they look through the Archives in fifteen years or so.

Thoughtless teens posting/sending nudes doesn't seem to be a "phenomenon" that's going away any time soon. Snapchat, however, seems to broadcast the false conception that these photos are irretrievable after the timer winds down. I'm fairly sure that legally, if such images are being sent to/from minors, Snapchat is liable for some sort of suit regarding child pornography. While I personally think Snapchat conduct should be the responsibility of the users themselves, I also think that perhaps the app needs to better warn its teen users that images can, through screen-capping and the likes, be saved and potentially distributed. Perhaps by being reminded the userbase that, as Jake said, Nothing is ever really deleted on the internet," randy Snapchatters will think twice before clicking send.

Recently major protests with violent government backlash have started up in Turkey. For a while, no Turkish news outlets reported anything, with current coverage at a surprising low. What do you think of the use of Twitter/social media to share images/brief reports of the violence?

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/add-tear-gas-and-stir-images-of-police-brutality-fuel-anger-in-turkey/?ref=europe

While schools often attempt to place restrictions on guys' clothing (sagging/drug reference shirts), in no way are they equally reprimanded for breaking the rules.

The argument for banning "skimpy" female clothing on the grounds that it is distracting is wildly sexist. It's not up to women to solve males' perceived inability to concentrate when in proximity to bare skin. I think that this mindset stems from the problematic "Boys will be boys" excuse that is used to laugh off much of the wrongdoing of young boys. We can't necessarily expect men to be courteous to women/hold themselves accountable for their actions if we don't raise them in such a way.

What, if anything, can be done to alter the apparently deeply-rooted sexual harassment of women in the military? And if such harassment is unchangeable, is it ethical to allow women to be drafted (a possibility now that we've been cleared for combat on the front lines), even though their person and their privacy are at risk of assault by their own comrades?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/us/sergeant-accused-of-secretly-filming-female-cadets.html?ref=education

I think that, to an extent, the question of "whether this will change things," is somewhat arbitrary. In a society that often labels itself as "Allies" but then sits back and justifies said title by telling LGBT youth that "It Gets Better," any action, especially for the vastly ignored transgender population, is to be commended. Might there be issues with cisgendered students crowding the lines for the bathrooms? Probably. Will there be stumbles to correctly implement preferred pronouns? Probably. But what matters is that something is being done to actually try and accommodate transgender students, and these changes will likely help build wider acceptance and understanding. Real action is better than no action.

Aside from the obvious question of the suspicious unfairness in this specific pursuit of alleged under-aged sex, do you think that the petition, which was successful in garnering publicity, will ultimately prove effective in helping Hunt's case?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/us/florida-18-year-old-arrested-for-encounters-with-friend-14-gets-online-support.html?ref=florida&_r=0