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Friday, August 2, 2013

What’s a Wall Street Billionaire Facing Indictment To Do? Party On, Of Course!

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

The Fed is going after Steven A. Cohen's firm, the legendary SAC Capital Advisors. But a Wall Street titan has little to fear.

10 of the Worst Terror Attacks by Extreme Christians and Far-Right White Men

By Alex Henderson, AlterNet

Most of the terrorist activity in the U.S. in recent years has not come from Muslims, but from radical Christianists, white supremacists and far-right militia groups.

GOP Meltdown: Senate Leader Faces Nightmare Election While Republicans in the House Defeat Themselves

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Kentuckians are tired of their obstructionist U.S. senator.

Are Humans Hard-Wired for Racial Prejudice?

By Robert M. Sapolsky, Los Angeles Times

The answer is more complicated than it would seem. Maybe there's hope for the human race after all.

Amazon Is Worse Than Walmart

By Daniel D'Addario, Salon

The company's war on bookstores and book culture is increasingly supported by, yes, the Obama administration.

Why Elites Want to Mask the Suffering of Poor Whites

By Chauncey DeVega, Daily Kos

White elites and opinion leaders are wary of poor white people because they expose the defects of capitalism.

10 Million Americans Have Had Their Homes Taken Away by the Banks -- Often at the Point of a Gun

By Laura Gottesdeiner, TomDispatch

Against all odds, and continued predatory Wall Street behavior, community activists are working to reclaim devastated neighborhoods.

How to Have a Fun, Healthy Sex Life Free of Anxiety and Hang-Ups

By Jill Filipovic, The Guardian

Pleasure-centered sexuality means that sex doesn't have to come with self-loathing or anxiety; sex doesn't have to be performative or even "normal".

Uruguay Braced to Become First Country to Legalize Marijuana

By Jeffrey Dhywood, AlterNet

Now that Uruguay's legalization bill has cleared its largest hurdle, the country appears likely to usher in unprecedented change.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Debtors' Prisons Are Alive and Well in America

By Sheila Bapat, AlterNet

Incarceration of child support debtors is part of a broader set of policies that, in the words of Ehrenreich, “rob the poor.”

3 Shocking Revelations from NSA's Most Terrifying Program Yet

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Yes, the government can search your email, chats, searches, attachments. Snowden's most shocking leak yet reveals America's National Security State.

10 Million Americans Have Had Their Homes Taken Away by the Banks -- Often at the Point of a Gun

By Laura Gottesdeiner, TomDispatch

Against all odds, and continued predatory Wall Street behavior, community activists are working to reclaim devastated neighborhoods.

Could Porn Be Censored in America?

By David Rosen, AlterNet

The UK, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China restrict online porn. Is the U.S. next?

Be Careful What You Google: Music Writer Says SWAT Team Raided House Based on Harmless On-Line Browsing

By Natasha Lennard, Salon

NSA in action? Joint Terrorist Task Force searched house based on innocent Googling of backpacks and pressure cookers, couple says.

Caught: 15-Year-Old Texas Female Inmate Has Video Evidence of Jailer Raping Her

By Cameron Langford, Courthouse News

Jailer groomed her with candy and presents, left his post nightly, raped victim during her two-month incarceration, parents say.

Where Are All the Women Atheists? 6 Places You Can Find Them

By Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet

The world of writers and activists is thick with women whose secularist values motivate their work.

What Passes for Education In America Is Often Just Indoctrination

By Elliot Sperber, AlterNet

The basic model and function of education is by and large not seriously questioned at all.

10 Things Your Org Can Do Right Now To Give the Progressive Movement a Chance to Win

By Larry B. McNeil, AlterNet

Do something. Quit complaining. Suppress your cynicism. And cancel half your meetings.

Overkill: Armed Agents Raid Wisconsin Animal Shelter; Kill Baby Deer Named Giggles

By Janet Allon, AlterNet

"It was like a SWAT team," shelter employee says.

Watch: Stephen Colbert Helpfully Explains Catfight Between Rand Paul and Chris Christie

By Janet Allon, AlterNet

"With any luck, this GOPissing contest will continue all the way to the convention."

Why Can’t Hemp Get You High?

By Erik G, The 420 Times

Why the plant that’s used to make everything from backpacks to bong-cozies is weaker in the high department than its THC-rich cousin.

I Spent Years in Solitary Without a Window, Listening to Grown Men Scream and Cry

By Michael Cabral, New America Media

Why the hunger strike going on across California's prisons matters.

The Top 5 Most Islamophobic Reactions to Huma Abedin

By Rod Bastanmehr, AlterNet

Anthony Weiner's wife has stood by him in a baffling show of support - and the media, both mainstream and right-wing does not know what to make of it.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Why Life in America Can Literally Drive You Insane

By Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet

It's not just Big Pharma.

Bombshell: Plutocrats Brazenly Collude to Hurt State Economies and Screw Working People

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlteNet

Illinois fatcats discuss plan to sabotage state bond ratings in scheme to destroy pensions.

Where Are All the Women Atheists? 6 Places You Can Find Them

By Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet

The world of writers and activists is thick with women whose secularist values motivate their work.

The Internet As We Know It Is On Its Deathbed

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Snowden's leaks show how the Internet can be turned against us.

Is Widespread Drug Use to Thank for the Inventions of the Classical World?

By Daniel Luzer, Pacific Standard

At least one scholar’s research indicates drug use was fairly common in ancient Greece and Rome.

The Madness of the Willful Destruction of Our Dependable Popular Way of Life

By John Pilger, AlterNet

Ubiquitous cameras are normal. Subverted freedoms are normal. Effective public dissent is now controlled by police, whose intimidation is normal.

GOP Nihilism Fully Revealed in Current Paralysis

By Elias Isquith, Salon

By their refusal to even consider President Obama's latest proposal, Republicans show they can't even help their ever-narrowing constituency.

DEA to Pay $4.1 Million to Man Forgotten in Cell

By Phillip Smith, Drug War Chronicle

San Diego student Daniel Chong did not even have to file suit.

Rumbles of Change in the Vatican: Pope Signals Openness to Gay Priests

By Lizzy Davies, The Guardian

"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?"

9 Wack Things White Guys Say To Deny Their Asian Fetish

By Kristina Wong, xojane

When I ask, 'What's up with your long history of dating Asian women,' these are 9 stupid answers I get.

My Little Future iPad Addicts

By Jackie Ashton, Salon

This new generation masters screen-swiping years before butt-wiping. So why am I still insisting on rules?

Why Growing Numbers of the Baby Boomer Generation Are Turning to Marijuana

By Victoria Kim, The Fix

In addition to recreational use, boomers are increasingly using pot to medicate the physical effects of aging.

Must-See Clip: What Rep. Steve King Has In Mind When He Hears 'Latino Outreach'

By Alana de Hinojosa , AlterNet

The three hateful amigos are at it again!

The “Free Market” Takes Its Pound Of Flesh, But Never From The Failed CEO

By Jonathan Tasini, Working Life

Let’s consider the price regular workers pay when something goes bad, versus the price CEOs never pay when something goes askew.

The Real Story of Detroit's Collapse: Banks Count, People Don't

By Rob Johnson, INET blog

The conversation about Detroit reflects our unconscious values about what is right and wrong.

Last Week in Poverty: Food Policy, EITC Expansion and Financial Security for All

By Greg Kaufmann, The Nation

Here is Greg Kauffman's overview of efforts across the states to thwart poverty this week.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Why Tom Friedman Is the Ayn Rand of Our Times

By RJ Eskow, AlterNet

Friedman is the dark prophet of unregulated marketplaces for every aspect of human activity.

Bradley Manning Found Guilty On Most Counts, Acquitted of 'Aiding the Enemy' -- Faces Over 100 Years in Prison

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The military intelligence analyst was found not guilty on the most serious charge of "aiding the enemy," but was found guilty of violating the Espionage Act.

Let's Face It, Most of Us Love Cheap Clothes -- and Don't Think Much About Whether Child Slave Labor Made It So Cheap

By Gethin Chamberlain, The Guardian

Despite a series of revelations about the brutal conditions in garment factories, companies, western consumers and India are still complicit in turning a blind eye.

Noam Chomsky: The State Fears Its Own People

By , AlterNet

Chomsky on terror, Snowden, and why "security" is usually an excuse for government repression.

Florida Cops Shoot Unarmed Black Man In His Mother’s Driveway

By Rebecca Leber, Think Progress

The deputies reportedly fired about seven shots at the unarmed man.

10 Worst Fox News Interviews of the Decade

By Prachi Gupta, Salon

Lauren Green's interview with Reza Aslan might have been the most embarrassing, but there are some close seconds.

Big Macs Would Only Cost 68 Cents More If McDonald's Paid Workers Double

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

A new study shows that doubling the salaries and benefits of every single McDonald’s employee would result in only a 68 cent increase in the price of Big Macs.

Fossil Fuels’ Deadly Summer and the Growing Resistance

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Disaster after disaster has plagued the fossil fuel industry, just as pressure is mounting to end its dominance.

Arkansas High School Arming Teachers With Guns

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

20 teachers, administrators and staff are using an Arkansas law to arm themselves while working at Clarksville High School.

$7.25 an Hour? US Fast Food Workers Walk Out in Organized Strike Against Low Wages

By Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian

A New York City-based campaign spreads around the country as workers unite to demand minimum $15 per hour wage.

Bill Moyers and Rep. John Lewis: 50 Years After the March on Washington, America Is a Long Way from True Equality

By Bill Moyers, John Lewis, BillMoyers.com

“To look out and see the best of America convinced me more than anything else that this is the product, this is the work of the movement,” Civil Rights Leader Lewis tells Moyers.

Rich Countries Are Betting on 3rd World Famine

By Jean Ziegler, The New Press

Jean Ziegler's new book explains how Western nations' priorities lie in bailing out delinquent bankers instead of solving world hunger.

Obama Admin. Deported More Than 13,000 Unaccompanied Mexican Minors in 2012

By Esther Yu-Hsi Lee, ThinkProgress

And, when it comes to deportation court hearings, it is not unusual for a toddler or a 6-year-old to appear in front of the judge without a lawyer.

What Drugs Have You Done and Why?

By Tony Newman, AlterNet

Let’s have an honest conversation about our personal drug use.

What the Federal Reserve Could Do to Help Hard-working Americans

By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt blog

The Fed could help with jobs, student debt, and bankruptcies like Detroit. So how abut it?

America's Real Subversives -- The FBI and NSA, Spying on the Public

By Amy Goodman, AlterNet

Over 50 years of bureaucratic overreach and abuse of power.

Monday, July 29, 2013

8 Shocking Ways America Leads the World

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

The New American Exceptionalism: Number one in obesity, guns, prisoners, anxiety, and more...

Religion Scholar Demolishes Fox News Bigotry

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

Fox News’ ignorance and anti-Muslim bigotry shined bright over the weekend.

5 Reasons There Aren’t More Women in Atheism

By Soraya Chemaly, Salon

Newsflash: sexism exists in atheist communities too.

Apple, Walmart, McDonald's: Who's the Biggest Wage Stiffer?

By Paul Buchheit, AlterNet

All three companies pay the majority of their employees poverty-level wages.

Noam Chomsky: The State Fears Its Own People

By , AlterNet

Chomsky on terror, Snowden, and why "security" is usually an excuse for government repression.

This CIA Operative Indicted for Extraordinary Renditions Vanished from the Map—Twice

By Tom Engelhardt, Tom Dispatch

After years in absentia, poof! Robert Seldon Lady, convicted of kidnapping by Italy, reappeared out of nowhere. Then he was gone again.

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity Booted Off Major Radio Broadcaster

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

Cumulus Media is reportedly set to drop Limbaugh and Hannity from its stations by the end of the year.

Recession Forever? 10 Reasons American Workers Are Screwed

By Moira Herbst, The Guardian

The US economy is engaged in a vicious cycle in which low-wage jobs and under-employment stimulate little demand, giving companies little reason to hire workers.

Lawsuit Claims Cops Let Police Dog Rip Apart Sleeping Woman's Leg, Joked That Dog Deserved "A Slurpee!"

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

A lawsuit says police allegedly watched their dog attack Katie Hess after she fell asleep.

5 Powerful Men Who Were Catastrophically Wrong About the Economy—But Reaped Rewards Anyway

By RJ Eskow, AlterNet

If recent history is any example, moral probity and clear-headed analysis are obstacles to advancement in the economics field.

Mass Shootings Are Not the "Shock" or Aberration the U.S. Media Reports

By Tom Diaz, The New Press

Tom Diaz's new book shows how changes in the gun industry are killing Americans and what it will take to stop the daily death toll.

CBS is Trying to Get Us to Raise Our Own Cable Bills

By Marty Kaplan, AlterNet

Big media companies now think Americans are as gullible as politicians do. The cable operators and networks take us for pigeons, too.

Want to Know Who the U.S. is at War With? Sorry, That's Classified

By Cora Currier, ProPublica

The government frequently targets “associated forces” with drone strikes, but won't reveal who those forces are.

How Doctors and Hospitals Help Corporations Cash In On a Diaper Scam

By Jennifer Margulis, AlterNet

The longer kids stay in diapers, the more money for companies—but at what cost to children's health?

Will the Royal Baby Reach 30 on an Apocalyptic Disaster Zone of a Planet?

By Nafeez Ahmed, The Guardian

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's little Prince will grow up on a planet that might be unrecognizable by adulthood, lest we change course.

Monogamous—Except Online

By Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon

Paging Anthony Weiner: Some manage to have Internet flings without the lies—and with their partner's permission.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

No Justice: Sex Offenses, No Matter How Minor or Understandable, Can Ruin You for Life

By Charlotte Silver, AlterNet

Why do we treat the most predatory and dangerous criminals the same as those who are not?

Immigrants Have Cantaloupe Calves, and 4 Other Unhinged Comments from America’s Lunatic Right-Wing Fringe This Week

By Janet Allon, AlterNet

We hope Rep. Steve King likes cantaloupe, because his office received hundreds from the immigrants and supporters he offended.

Does Your Boss Have the Right to Fire You For Being Physically Irresistible?

By Jake Blumgart, AlterNet

The Civil Rights Act, or any other law, may not permit you to defend yourself if the boss fires you for being too damn attractive.

“Ridiculous pseudo-science garbage”: Meet the GOP’s environment leaders!

By Jillian Rayfield, Salon

What do the 8 Republicans who sit on the Senate Environment Committee think about climate change? We break it down

Can We Solve Our Obesity Crisis By Transforming Fast Food?

By Ari LeVaux, AlterNet

David Freedman argues that the most efficient way to solve the obesity crisis, especially among the poor, is to improve the quality of fast food. Is he right?

Who Orchestrated the Prohibition of Marijuana?

By Fred Gardner, AlterNet

Cannabis was a popular medicine in the 1900s, but when it threatened authorities, a cockamamie scheme arose to outlaw the plant.

How Immigration Could Potentially Save Bankrupt Detroit

By Esther Yu-Hsi Lee, ThinkProgress

Yet another example of how immigrants can help foster the U.S. economy.

Egypt's Numbers Game: How Crazy Claims of 33 Million Protesters Were Used to Boost a Coup

By Max Blumenthal, Al Jazeera English

Uncorroborated turnout estimates of the June 30 protests in Egypt were used to justify the military's actions.

Tsunami of Public Outrage Builds in Colorado as Fracking Invades Cities

By Phillip Doe, AlterNet

What's happening in Greeley should frighten the citizens of every city that sits atop a shale deposit.

Wisconsin GOP Gov. Gives Thumbs-Up to Private Security Commandos Hired By Greedy Mining Co.

By Bill Berkowitz, AlterNet

The company has come up with a strategy to thwart future protests: label the protesters "eco-terrorists."

Saturday, July 27, 2013

6 Ways Rabid Republicans Are Declaring War On America

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Some of the biggest political fights in a generation are taking shape.

Do Colleges Care More About Rapists Than About Rape Victims?

By Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet

Officials seem more worried about shutting the victims up and not ruining the reputations of rapists than about making campuses safe for female students.

Eight Political Sex Scandals, Scored By How Much They Matter

By Katie Halper, Salon

This foolproof scoring system allows us to separate the merely distasteful from the downright hypocritical.

How Successful Cooperative Economic Models Can Work Wonderfully… Somewhere Else

By Frank Joyce, AlterNet

Capitalism rests on a foundation of myths, the first of which is that there is no alternative.

There Are Good Alternatives to US Capitalism, But No Way to Get There

By Jerry Mander, Counterpoint Press

Jerry Mander's new book explores the fatal flaws of the "obsolete" capitalist system and strategies for change.

After We Stop the Machine, How Do We Create a New World?

By Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, AlteNet

Countless numbers of us are building the world we want every day.

Democratic Establishment Unmasked as Cheerleaders for NSA Spying

By Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian

NYT: "The Obama administration made common cause with the House Republican leadership."

Big Mac Won't Satisfy Vietnamese Desire for Human Rights

By Andrew Lam, New America Media

In the last few years Hanoi has stepped up arrests of dissidents with no fear of international criticism or U.S. rebuke. Now they want our weapons.

How Charter Schools "Co-Locate" with Public Schools and Tear Them Apart

By Gary Cohn, Frying Pan News

A little-known statewide policy in California requires traditional public schools to share their facilities with charter schools.

Could Bank-Boy Tim Geithner Be the Real White House Favorite for the Federal Reserve?

By Richard (RJ) Eskow, Campaign for America's Future

He's busy right now raking in bucks from big banks on the speaker circuit, but could Geithner, rather than Summers, be the nominee?

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