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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Issue 39, Volume 79
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POLITICS
Social media platforms outpace old outlets Highly publicized SB2 was partially struck down, but effects will be felt for years Laura Gillespie News editor
Wendy Davis’ June filibuster shook the world of social media, many tweeters getting the facts before news sources. | Natalie Harms/The Daily Cougar
When Sen. Wendy Davis filibustered for more than 11 hours to fight against Texas Senate Bill 5 on June 25, the nation noticed. The bill, which would have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, required that abortion clinics have the standards of a surgical health care facility and required doctor supervision of abortion-inducing drugs. As a whole, the bill was met with national controversy. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled that the provision of the bill that restricts abortion was unconstitutional on the grounds that it “unconstitutionally restricted women’s access to abortion clinics and infringed on doctors’ rights to act in their patients’ best interests,” according to a USA Today article. Attorney General Greg Abbott filed the rest of the bill for appeal with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. With the majority of the bill gone, the process has proven to have lasting effects not only on the fate of abortion in Texas, but also on how social media is changing the way Americans share political information and interact with their
governments. “The fireworks were occurring late in the evening, and the mainstream press was not covering it. So if you wanted to find out about (the filibuster), the only place you could really go to find out about it was social media,” said Dwight Silverman, social media manager and tech blogger with the Houston Chronicle. “If you look at CNN on a Saturday afternoon, they often have a lot of cam shows. If something happens, it takes a while for CNN to react to it and get a crew in and so forth, and oftentimes, social media passes it by.” While Silverman said that news sources such as CNN are not bowing to social media any time soon, the overarching attention — both physical and online — was thunderous and turned what might have otherwise been an average Senate session into a lasting commentary on women’s rights and the impact of social media in politics and journalism. Creating a community Psychology senior Laila Khalili, president of the Student Feminist Organization at UH, was at the capitol during the filibuster and called
If something happens, it takes a while for CNN to react to it and get a crew in and so forth, and oftentimes, social media passes it by.” Dwight Silverman, on the delayed media response to the filibuster. the experience “incredible.” “For the first time in my 22 years living in Texas, I felt like I belonged here. I felt like there was a community of Texans who cared about the things I cared about and who were willing to do whatever they could to help the women of Texas,” Khalili said. “Suddenly, people were flooding to the capitol, setting up carpools — strangers who live in Austin offering a couch for other Texans to sleep on, so they could come testify and protest.” At its peak, nearly 200,000 people watched the filibuster from online WENDY continues on page 11
SUSTAINABILITY
Coffee grounds sprout new green initiatives across Texas Dennis Kunchoff Staff writer
Coffee composting at the University is part of a trend for waste minimization and sustainability that is growing across Texas. Last year, Austin-based Ground to Ground, a non-profit volunteer
program established by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Travis County and Compost Coalition, was initiated to reduce waste and recycle leftovers as compost for gardens. Coffee grounds are filled with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other key nutrients for fertile
soil, said Daphne Richards of AgriLife of Travis Country. “Composting is an important but under-utilized part of gardening, and coffee grounds make particularly good compost for plants in the southcentral Texas area due to their slight acidity,” Richards said.
The Sustainability Task Force at UH uses coffee grinds from the dining halls to contribute to its compost program. Denise Harrelson, a community captain for the Ground to Ground program, said participating businesses also see benefits from the
program. “Offering grounds for composting provides a way for businesses to interact with local community members on a more personal level,” Harrelson said. “In addition, businesses can also COFFEE continues on page 3