The Briefing 12-10-13

1) Same-Sex Marriage legal in Australia – but legal challenges remain

Australia Holds First Same-Sex Marriages, but Legal Challenge Remains, Wall Street Journal (Rob Taylor)

An ACT of love as gay couple begin their ‘great journey’ in marriage, The Sydney Morning Herald (Tony Wright)

Uniting Church minister Roger Munson only religious celebrant able to perform same-sex marriages in ACT, ABC (Adrienne Francis)

2) Latest Obamacare controversy as massive wealth re-distribution comes to light

High Deductibles Fuel New Worries of Health-Law Sticker Shock, Wall Street Journal (Leslie Scism and Timothy W. Martin)

Political Scene: The Politics of Income Inequality, The New Yorker (Matthew McKnight)

3) American education not measuring up. The major solution often not considered: Parents

Can’t We Do Better?, New York Times (Thomas Friedman)

Who Says Math Has to be Boring? New York Times (Editorial)

How do smart students get that way? – A Conversation with Amanda Ripley,  Thinking in Public

4) In North Korea, it’s dangerous to be a Christian, a tourist, or the uncle of the leader

A Gamble for North Korea’s Young Leader, New York Times (Choe Sang-Hun)

American Veteran Seized by North Korea During a Tour Returns Home, New York Times (Norimitsu Onishi)