Your Holiday Shrimp Cocktail May Have Been Peeled by Slaves
Shrimp peeled by enslaved adults and children in Thailand is making its way into the U.S. market and possibly being sold at stores and restaurants like Wal-Mart, Red Lobster and Olive Garden, an Associated Press report revealed. It’s part of a massive, human trafficking ring surrounding the seafood industry, according to the press. Many of the workers were smuggled into Thailand from Burma and other surrounding countries and were forced to work 17-hour days with 15-minute lunch breaks. If a worker tried to escape and was caught, they were brutally beaten. [AP]
Saudi Arabia Got Its First Female Elected Officials This Weekend
The Wall Street Journal covered the first election in Saudi Arabia’s history where women were able to vote and run for office. After casting her vote, a 73-year-old widow said, “It is something that I deeply wanted—being able to give women a voice. I never thought this would happen.” [WSJ]
NBA Referee Comes Out as Gay After a Player’s Anti-Gay Tirade
Bill Kennedy has reffed NBA games for 18 seasons. Earlier this month, Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo angrily stalked Kennedy around the court, shouting anti-gay slurs at him, before being dragged away by his teammates. Kennedy came out as gay in an interview with Yahoo Sports, saying, "I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that it will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are." [Yahoo Sports]
We <3 NY
New York Magazine has released its annual list of “Reasons to Love New York,” and it contains several things that should help remind you why paying more than $1,000 a month to live in a basement might be worth it after all. This year’s list of 60 reasons includes “Because the Oldest Person in the World is Living in Brooklyn,” “Because the Mets Have Better Hair Than Gisele and Beyoncé Combined” and “Because the Pope Went to H&M.” Oh, and also “Because Our Rats Have Discriminating Taste.” #LongLivePizzaRat [NY Magazine]
North Carolina Town Rejects Solar Farm Fearing It Will 'Suck Up the Sun’s Energy'
Woodland in North Carolina rejected plans for a solar farm after residents expressed fears it would “suck up all the energy from the sun.” According to a local newspaper, one of the residents, a retired science teacher, also worried that the solar panels could inhibit photosynthesis, keeping plants from growing, and said that it could not be determined whether solar panels did not cause cancer. The proposal was being debated by the town as part of a rezoning application that would have allowed the Strata Solar company to build a solar farm in the area, which, according to published reports, is popular among solar companies because it has an electrical substation to hook into. [International Business Times]
An Abortion Doctor Describes Decades of Terror and Violence
A doctor who performs abortions in Chicago wrote an essay on a medical website describing 42 years of fearing for his life due to threats of violence — and actual attempts on his life — that ended a marriage and continue to this day. [STAT]
Former Gangbangers Try to Keep the Peace
The New York Daily News released a report on gang violence and one particular group that aims to keep at-risk youth away from guns. The report has interviews with gang members about the violence they see on a regular basis and those who have seen it and are trying to do something about it. [Daily News]
Welcome to Herointown, New Jersey’s 4th Largest City
The number of people addicted to heroin and opiods in New Jersey is nearly 130,000 — a population that’s exploded over the past 10 years, and is larger than most cities in that state. The writer takes a look at the far-reaching consequences of drug addiction — these aren’t back-alley drug users, they're your neighbors, friends and family. [NJ.com]
Amazon Pulls Hoverboards From Its Site as Exploding Devices Spark Safety Fears
Even though “hoverboards” don’t actually hover, those motorized scooters could pose some dangerous risks. Amazon has pulled some of the high-tech devices from their site following instances of hoverboards catching fire and exploding, The Guardian reports. One factor could be the quality of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries — but if you’re keen on gliding around the city, make sure you’re on the right side of the law. [The Guardian]
Get Rich or Die Vlogging: The Sad Economics of Internet Fame
Having millions of followers online rarely leads to a financial or professional windfall, according to Gaby Dunn, who has amassed more than 500,000 subscribers on the YouTube channel Just Between Us which she runs with her friend. In an essay for Fusion, Dunn explains the disconnect between success online and in real life and why it’s difficult for web personalities — even relatively popular ones — to make a living off of their work. [Fusion]
Cool Maps Show How People Commute Across the Country
Be prepared to get lost in a set of maps that use 2014 Census data to break down commuting information by every county in the country, including: how long it takes people to get to work, where people work from home and where people take public transportation. There’s lots of head-scratching data here. You’d think that L.A. County residents, with their legendary traffic, would beat out New Yorkers for longest commute. Not so. New Yorkers have by far some of the longest commutes in the country. [Quartz]
Converts to 'Jedi' Religion on the Rise, Church Says
The new "Star Wars" movie is creating more than buzz. The “Church of Jediism” told the Telegraph they’ve seen a major uptick in converts to their "Star Wars"-based religion, which was created as a joke for the 2001 census, the group told the newspaper. [Telegraph]
An NYU Grad Student Made a Robot That’ll Pick Your Tinder Matches
True Love Tinder Robot from Nicole He on Vimeo.
Tired of swiping left or right with your own two hands? Let a machine do it. An NYU grad student has created the True Love Tinder Robot, which picks your Tinder matches for you based on how sweaty your hands get when looking at their photo. Romantic, no? [Daily Beast]
The Best Authors of the Year Dish on What They Read This Year
You should always be on the lookout for a good book, but the holidays are the perfect time to pick one up, whether you're preparing for a long bus ride or looking for something in which to bury your nose and hide from your family. Who better to take suggestions from than the people who wrote the best books you already read this year? [The Fader]
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Lisha Arino, Camille Bautista, Jeanmarie Evelly, Emily Frost, Gwynne Hogan, Noah Hurowitz, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Irene Plagianos, Eddie Small, Rachel Holliday Smith, Danielle Tcholakian and Shaye Weaver.
