The mixed messages of hurricane season 2012 – Saturday marks the end of the 2012 hurricane season. Florida escaped relatively unscathed for another year, but the season will live on as the year of “super storm” Sandy, which ravaged areas including New York and New Jersey. Experts note the season for its lack of intensity. For the third-straight season, there were a whopping 19 storms but only one reached Category 3 strength. The Miami Herald

ACLU files lawsuit over policy barring women from ground combat – The ACLU filed a suit this week in federal court challenging a U.S. policy that keeps women from 238,000 military positions in relation to ground combat. Women are not allowed in infantry or in smaller units engaged in combat. A Pentagon spokesman said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta remained committed to “the expansion of roles for women” in the military. The Christian Science Monitor

Syria’s Internet shutdown leaves information void, may signal escalating war – Syria went offline Thursday. Millions across the globe tracking the civil war via social media sites, blogs and other webpages ran into a wall as the Internet was shut down across that country. The shutdown sparked fears that President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to take harsher action against opposition forces. The Washington Post

General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N. – More than 130 states voted to upgrade Palestine to a nonmember observer state of the United Nations in a blow to Israel and its ally, the U.S. The new granted status will empower Palestinians with tools to challenge Israel in international legal forums. Nine states opposed the change and 41 abstained from voting, a sign of support amid difficult times for the Palestinians. The New York Times