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8 Things You Need To Know This AM — Sep 15 2015

Photo: Marcus DiPaola/NurPhoto/Rex/REX USA
A Missouri commission looked into the state's racial inequality and proposed fixes. (There are a lot of them.)

The Ferguson Commission, a 16-person panel assembled by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon after Michael Brown’s death, recommends in a new report that police curtail use of “militarized weaponry” and consolidate its infrastructure. The report also insists that elected officials tackle a broad range of social problems, including an unlivable minimum wage and healthcare reform. (New York Times)
Facebook intends to bring virtual reality to your phone so you can experience FOMO in 3-D. Sick of only being able to obsess over your ex’s new vacation photos in 2-D? Well, Facebook has the app for you — or they will soon. Facilitated by its acquisition of the virtual reality tech company Oculus VR, the social networking site is allegedly developing a phone app that will allow users to become immersed in spherical, or 360-degree, videos. (Wall Street Journal)
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Kim Davis returns to work, but she still refuses to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples — because apparently, laws don’t matter. It looks like marriage equality supporters (and, you know, people who believe in following the law) have finally reached some sort of detente with Kim Davis: the recently released county clerk said that while she will still refrain from issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples, she won’t stop her deputies from doing the job. As for the licenses handed out during her stint in jail, Davis questioned their validity, since they lack her authorization. (USA Today)
Justin Bieber struggled to shotgun a beer while in Vegas — so looks like he’s off the celebrity flip cup team that only exists in our dreams. The Biebs may be crooning and weeping his way right back into America’s heart, but in the parlance of Sporty Spice, he’s still just a boy who thinks he can, rather than a man. For proof, look no further than the singer’s latest Instagram video, in which he’s soundly defeated in a beer chugging race by an anonymous backwards-capped man. But as Bieber’s caption reminds us, he did miss out on all those Drinking Games 101 seminars one takes in college, so we should probably be easier on the lad. (Vulture)
The newly crowned Miss America believes Tom Brady cheated. Is it any coincidence that we selected her for our queen? Sure, a federal judge may have officially overturned Tom Brady’s four-game suspension, but one of America’s most vital voices in law and football just weighed in on the side of #DeflateGate truthers. Shortly before being crowned our new Miss America, Miss Georgia, Betty Cantrell, was asked her thoughts on Brady’s balls. “I think that he definitely cheated and he should’ve been suspended for that,” she said. “That’s not fair.” Check and mate, Patriots fans. (SB Nation)
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Australian Twitter is honoring recently ejected Prime Minster Tony Abbott with pictures of onions...it’ll make sense in a second. In a political upset straight out of a movie, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott lost control of the Liberal Party and his office after rival Malcolm Turnbull challenged his leadership to a vote. Australian Twitter is now alight with photos of onions, a nod to the politician’s trip to a Tasmanian farm where he bit into a raw, unpeeled onion without hesitation or tears. (The Independent)
Gabrielle Union discusses fertility issues and waiting to start a family: “The penance for being a career woman is barrenness. For all of the internet’s think piece tug-of-war on whether women can indeed have it all, it often feels like the real world is firmly on the side of “cannot,” especially when it comes to women who postpone motherhood. Actress Gabrielle Union opened up about her struggles to conceive with husband Dwyane Wade, telling Redbook, “There’s a certain amount of shame that is placed on women who have perhaps chosen a career over starting a family younger...You feel like you’re wearing a scarlet letter.” (People)
There's a fancy cookbook for stoners, for all of you who've thought "the only thing missing from this omelet is a ton of weed." The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook is out today, focusing on super-fancy culinary classics — all infused with marijuana. A perfect gift for the stoner/chef living in a weed-legal state in your life. (Refinery29)
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