Blog Heap of Links for the day 13 May 2015

On Monday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill withdrawing the state from the Common Core education standards…

"…Soon you’ll be able to read books, and everything there is to know is in them! You’ll be able to find out whatever you want!…"

A missing Marine helicopter has not been spotted, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command told Military Times on Wednesday. …was carrying six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers when it disappeared Tuesday during a mission in a remote mountainous region in Nepal

Graphics and cartoons for your mid-week enjoyment.

The Bangladeshi blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was confronted and hacked to death on the street by masked Muslim activists carrying machetes. It is thought that Mr. Das had aroused his assailants’ anger by his writings opposing religious fundamentalism and in favor of secularism.

In other news from South Asia, another powerful earthquake — this one having a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale — struck Nepal, killings dozens of people and causing additional damage.

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…American Conservative Union releases their ratings of U.S. lawmakers… Most Republicans scored over 60 percent, but only sixteen scored a 100 percent conservative voting record. Of those, only one is officially running for president. …Sen. Ted Cruz.