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Friday, June 21, 2013

How Giving Spying Power to Giant Corporations Is Dangerous to Your Future

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet

After two decades of downsizing government, we shouldn't be surprised that corporate spooks are surveilling us.

How American Society Unravelled After Greedy Elites Robbed the Country Blind

By George Packer, The Guardian

Thirty years ago, the old deal that held US society together started to unwind, with social cohesion sacrificed to greed.

7 Jaw-Droppingly Dumb Things Republicans Think About Science

By Evan McMurry, AlterNet

Masturbating fetuses is just the start. From trees causing global warming to fetuses in your Pepsi, here are some of the battiest things Republicans have said about science.

Are the Bible Thumpers Losing Their Grip on Our Politics?

By Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet

The Christian Right appears to be in decline, yet Republicans still pander to them. What gives?

Tennessee Official Says Complaining About Water Quality Could Be Considered 'Act of Terrorism'

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

The claim was made during a meeting with residents who say the "cloudy, odd-tasting water" is making their children sick.

Goodwill Legally Pays Disabled Workers As Low as 22 Cents an Hour

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

Republican Congressman's bill would phase out the exploitative practice.

How Wall Street Fraudsters Plunder Public Finances, And 5 Ways to Fight Back

By Alexander Arapoglou , Jerri-Lynn Scofield, AlterNet

Gaping regulatory holes that triggered funding crises in 2008 for states, cities, towns, and colleges have yet to be plugged.

6 Weirdest Plastic Surgery Procedures for Men

By April De Costa, AlterNet

Last year nearly 800,000 fellas went under the knife, a 121 percent increase since 1997.

Nazis Used Meth? 5 Things to Know About One of the World's Favorite Stimulants

By Robert Arthur, AlterNet

The degree of fear-mongering over meth is absurd.

Christian School Bans 12-year-old Girl From Football Team, Cites Bible

By Janet Allon, AlterNet

Boys might have 'lustful thoughts' school says, also girls should play 'girls sports.'

Life in the Green Lane: Protected Bike Lanes Transform the Experience of Riding

By Jay Walljasper, AlterNet

Protected bike lanes, now called Green Lanes, are popping up from Miami to Long Beach, Austin to Chicago.

9 Politicians Busted for Drugs (Even Staunch Drug War Supporters)

By McCarton Ackerman, The Fix

Talk about practicing what you preach against.

From COINTELPRO to Prism: Why the Government Spies on Communities of Color

By Seeta Pena Gangadharan, New America Media

Who is mined, who is profiled, and who suffers at the hands of an extensive regime of corporate and government surveillance raises issues of social and racial justice.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

I Went From Selling Drugs to Studying Them -- And Found That Most of What We Assume About Drugs Is Wrong

By Carl Hart, Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

A scientist with a rough past explains how he used his life experiences to blow the lid off modern drug research.

Lawsuit Claims Border Patrol Lets Agents Get Away with Murder

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

Maria Del Socorro Quintero Perez, along with her two children, claim U.S. Border Patrol treats rock throwing as “deadly force,” allowing agents to respond with deadly gunfire.

Clear Evidence That Corporate America Wants the Govt. to Treat Protesters as 'Terrorists'

By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet

Major company behind the Keystone XL pipeline wants American police to treat people sitting in trees like Mohammad Atta.

9 Politicians Busted for Drugs (Even Staunch Drug War Supporters)

By McCarton Ackerman, The Fix

Talk about practicing what you preach against.

Did U.S. Gov’t Lie about TWA Flight 800 Crash? Ex-Investigators Seek Probe as New Evidence Emerges

By Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!

Seventeen years ago, TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island, killing all 230 people aboard. Mechanical failure was cited as the cause, but experts coming forward want a re-investigation.

The Terror Con: How Keeping Americans Terrified Is Making Corporations Big Bucks

By Robert Scheer, Truthdig

The name of the game is threat inflation.

6 Unbelievable Ways the Big Banks Are Scamming You

By Dave Johnson, AlterNet

Five years since the crash, the big banks continue to screw over their customers.

Howard Dean Is Cool with the Government Spying on Us, Just as Long as It's Not a Secret

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

The one-time presidential candidate: "I think the American people are willing to give up some privacy in exchange for safety."

You Won't Believe What the Food Industry Is Doing to Keep Americans Hooked on Junk

By April M. Short, AlterNet

The junk food industry is getting sneakier in its tactics to entice people into consuming its concoctions.

Noam Chomsky: American Government and Corporations Are at War With the American People

By Fiona Harvey, The Guardian

Chomsky responds to revelations of massive NSA spying.

Co-Founder of Notorious Anti-Immigrant Minutemen Group Arrested on Suspicion of Sexually Molesting Three Girls

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

Chris Simcox of the Minutemen once cried out against migrants for "jeering at little girls walking on their way to school."

Why China's Plans to Be a Superpower Could Set It up for Collapse

By Pepe Escobar , TomDispatch

The pace in China remains frantic -- from the building of supercomputers and an explosion of innovation to massive urban development. But is it sustainable?

Exposed: The Harrowing Impact of America's Deadly Drone War in Pakistan

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

A drone strike that killed 42 people is the focus of filmmaker Robert Greenwald's new video on the American war in Pakistan.

US Refusal to Release Gitmo Prisoners Is a National Offense for Yemenis

By Medea Benjamin , AlterNet

What an insult: Congress passed an amendment saying that no US military funds could be used to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo back to Yemen.

The Long, Strange History of Sex Toys

By Wednesday Lee Friday, Kinkly

Whether for fashion, decor, worship, or for fun,dildos are a part of human history.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Big Lie: America Doesn't Have #1 Richest Middle-Class in the World...We're Ranked 27th!

By Les Leopold, AlterNet

America is the richest country on Earth. We have the most millionaires, the most billionaires—and a increasingly poor "middle class."

The Terror Con: How Keeping Americans Terrified Is Making Corporations Big Bucks

By Robert Scheer, Truthdig

The name of the game is threat inflation.

Noam Chomsky: American Government and Corporations Are at War With the American People

By Fiona Harvey, The Guardian

Chomsky responds to revelations of massive NSA spying.

70 Percent of Americans 'Emotionally Disconnected' at Work: Shocking Poll Reveals Workforce Zombieland

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Nearly one in five hates work so much they sabotage their employers.

Meet America’s Most Shameless Defender of the 1 Percent, Harvard Economist Greg Mankiw

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

Is there anything Mankiw won’t say to serve plunderers and plutocrats?

Gringos on the Ayahuasca Trail ... Young Americans Are Flocking to S. America for Pychedelic Promise

By Lisa Stansberry, The Fix

Young travelers flock to Bolivia and Peru to do hallucinogenic ayahuasca, which allegedly has spiritual, therapeutic qualities

An American City Govt. Seeks the Cruel Power to Keep People off the Streets in... Vermont?

By William Boardman, Reader Supported News

Burlington Vt.'s city ordinance allows the immediate and arbitrary banishment of people from public streets with no due process of law and no effective appeal process.

Noam Chomsky: Obama's Policies Are Creating Terrorism Around the World

By Laura Flanders, GRITtv

Video: NSA spying justified as preventing terrorism, when it is the administration's policies that are ensuring terrorism.

Celebrate the Defeat of the Granny Bashers! Billionaire-backed Campaign Fails to Cut Social Security and Medicare

By Dean Baker, Beat the Press

The Peter Peterson-inspired Campaign to Fix the Debt could not convince Americans to hurt seniors.

America the Brave New World: The United States Is Realizing the Dystopian Nightmares of Our Best Science Fiction

By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon

As in Huxley, Philip Dick, and "The Matrix," we chose the simulacrum of democracy and “freedom” instead of the real things.

When Drones Guard the Pipeline: The Militarization of Our Fossil Fuels

By Winona LaDuke with Frank Molley, Honor the Earth

The militarization of the energy fields is not new. It’s just more apparent when it’s in a first world country.
  • Speakeasy Blog

Superman Is An Immigrant, Too - Luckily He's White

By Alana de Hinojosa , AlterNet

Hairy Stockings: Latest, Wacky, Wrongheaded Product that Won't Solve Rape Culture

By Homa Khaleeli, The Guardian

What we really need is a change of focus from victims of rape to perpetrators.

Right-Wing Immigration Foes Get Burned by Reality

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet

The CBO says the Senate immigration bill would lower the deficit by $900 billion over the next 20 years.

What's the Hold-Up? Lynne Stewart, Imprisoned Human Rights Attorney Dying Of Lung Cancer, Is Supposed to Be Freed

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

The warden has signed for her compassionate release. Nonetheless, her cell stays locked.

Argentine Sex Workers Fight De-Humanizing Abuse with Legislation, Graffiti

By Roberta Radu, The Guardian

Argentine sex worker union fights to change societal perceptions of prostitution and change laws that leave police harassment and brutality unchallenged.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

9 Ways the Right’s Ayn Randian Experiment Screws Over the Young

By RJ Eskow, Blog for Our Future

The decades-long assault on our core social values is on the verge of consuming its first complete generation of Americans.

Why America & China's Future Plans Are Totally Nuts

By James Howard Kunstler, Kunstler.com

Big plans for the future for the world's biggest economies will take them both further down the hole.

Texas Republican Says He Wants to Ban Abortion Because ... Fetuses Masturbate?

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The comments came as the House of Representatives prepared to debate a bill that would outlaw all abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Bank of America Whistle-blower Bombshell: “We Were Told to Lie” to Rip Off Borrowers

By David Dayen, Salon

Bank of America whistle-blowers detail horrid schemes to fleece borrowers, reward staff for foreclosures.

NYU’s Gilded Age: Students Struggle With Debt While Vacation Homes Are Lavished on the University’s Elite

By Pam Martens, Russ Martens, AlterNet

The problems at NYU are emblematic of an insular institution whose Board is heavily dominated by the same Wall Street people who heaped disgrace upon their own institutions.

When the Government Asks, Tech Companies Usually Turn Over User Information

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

How often do technology companies hand over user information to the government? More answers to that question have come out in recent days.

7 Things to Know About the Draconian GOP Bill That Would Force Women to Birth Babies Without Brains

By Tara Culp-Ressler, Think Progress

Anti-abortion zealots are getting bolder.

Will Legalizing Pot Destroy Humboldt Or Transform It into the Napa Valley of Weed?

By Emily Brady, AlterNet

The marijuana capital of the world tries to figure out the future of its illicit product.

Permanent Washington’s Backlash to Edward Snowden

By David Sirota, AlterNet

The government officials, pundits and reporters who comprise Permanent Washington have derided Snowden and those who helped him disseminate his disclosures.

The New Generation of American Patriots Are the Whistlebowers Who Came of Age After 9/11

By Gary Younge, The Guardian

The violation of civil liberties in the name of security has compelled many to take enormous risks in the name of patriotism.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects GOP Voter Supression Tactic

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Arizona’s 2004 effort to fight ‘voter fraud’ rejected.

This Week in Poverty: Congress Turns Its Back on Rural America

By Greg Kaufmann, The Nation

Kansas, and other rural states and communities, are experiencing a harsh blow to early childhood education due to recent sequester cuts.

Israel Stirs the Pot in Syria

By Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch

In recent weeks Israel has moved from relative inaction to a deepening involvement in Syrian affairs.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Everything Americans Think They Know About Drugs Is Wrong: A Scientist Explodes the Myths

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

Columbia University scientist Dr. Carl Hart combines research and anecdotes from his life to explain how false assumptions have created a disastrous drug policy.

Obama and His Allies Say the Govt Doesn't Listen to Your Phone Calls -- But the FBI Begs to Differ

By Max Blumenthal, AlterNet

Given FBI acknowledgment that it monitors phone calls on a massive scale, with help from the NSA, gov't denials are hard to understand.

Texas Jailers Ran a 'Rape Camp' Behind Bars, Women Claim

By Cameron Langford, Courthouse News

This is unbelievable.

Edward Snowden Q and A: "The US Government Destroyed Any Possibility of a Fair Trial at Home"

By Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian

The whistleblower behind the biggest intelligence leak in NSA history answered questions about the NSA surveillance revelations.

9 Ways the Right’s Ayn Randian Experiment Screws Over the Young

By RJ Eskow, Blog for Our Future

The decades-long assault on our core social values is on the verge of consuming its first complete generation of Americans.

15-Year-Old Girl Humiliated By TSA Officer Who Told Her to 'Cover Yourself'

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The daughter of the founder of Boing Boing was 'shamed' and 'humiliated' by a Transportation Security Agency officer at LAX.

5 Ways the Global Security State Can't Stop Itself from Abusing Our Privacy and Destroying People's Lives

By Tom Engelhardt, Tom Dispatch

We face a strangely contradictory future in which ever more draconian regimes of secrecy will confront urges for ever greater transparency.

Christian College Expels Student Over Lesbian Relationship--And Then Demands $6,000 in Tuition

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

Nebraska-based Grace University is billing Danielle Powell for tuition after Powell was expelled for being in a same-sex relationship.

How Corporate Greed Is Starving Our Public School System

By Paul Buchheit, AlterNet

The total cost of K-12 educational cutbacks in recent years is about equal to the amount of state taxes left unpaid by these companies.

Miss Utah Bombs While Answering Question About Gender Wage Gap

By Katie McDonough, Salon

A rambling response about how to "create education better" from Marissa Powell is making the Internet rounds.

Lindsey Graham: GOP in a Death Spiral

By Laura Clawson, Daily Kos

He's not wrong that the GOP can't continue to be the party of white men, to hell with brown people, and succeed.

White Suburban Soccer Moms Love NSA Surveillance

By Falguni A. Sheth, Salon

Why should they care if the government has their data? They don't fear becoming innocent targets of persecution.

Minors Who Commit Sex Crimes Shouldn't Be Branded for Life as Sex Offenders

By Lindsey Bever, The Guardian

The punishment should fit the crime, certainly, but our system shouldn't brand teens 'sexting' each other as child pornographers.

If We Can't Stop Corporations from Hiding in Cayman Islands to Avoid Taxes, We All Need to Become Pirates

By Paolo Cirio, Creative Time Reports

We need to supplement public demonstrations with new, creative strategies of subversion.

911 Callers Who Report Overdoses Shouldn't Get Hit with Drug Charges

By Tessie Castillo, AlterNet

New laws seek to encourage life-saving 911 calls by protecting people who overdose or call for help from drug charges.

Fracking Is Already Straining U.S. Water Supplies

By Tom Kentworthy, Think Progress

Some of America's most intensive oil and gas development is occurring in drought-prone regions where water is scarce.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Everything Americans Think They Know About Drugs Is Wrong: A Scientist Explodes the Myths

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

Columbia University scientist Dr. Carl Hart combines research and anecdotes from his life to explain how false assumptions have created a disastrous drug policy.

5 Ways the Global Security State Can't Stop Itself from Abusing Our Privacy and Destroying People's Lives

By Tom Engelhardt, Tom Dispatch

We face a strangely contradictory future in which ever more draconian regimes of secrecy will confront urges for ever greater transparency.

Are the Young People That Shrinks Label as Disruptive Really Anarchists with a Healthy Resistance to Oppressive Authority?

By Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet

Many young people diagnosed with mental disorders have acted on their beliefs in ways that threaten authorities.

Edward Snowden Had a Breaking Point, Where He Decided to Risk It All to Fix This Country -- What's Yours?

By Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, AlterNet

Change starts with action, and each of us has a way to contribute.

How the Transition Movement Is Spreading to Towns Across America

By Jessica Stites, In These Times

Transition's focus on resilient communities finds a middle ground between the 'drop in the bucket' of personal action and the depressing inertia of government.

Do Women Have Less Fun Than Men?

By April M. Short, AlterNet

A new study shows a leisure-time gender gap that favors men.

A Fascinating New Theory About the Human Mind, Evolution and Mortality

By Ajit Varki, Danny Brower, Twelve

Why have other species failed to evolve human-like intelligence? The answer may lie in our conception of mortality.

How Predatory Reformers Are Destroying Education and Profiting at Our Children's Expense

By Michael Gecan, Boston Review

Online courses can't replace the good old fashioned teaching methods we once pioneered but are now driving Finland's educational success.

Why All Vaginas Are Beautiful and Labiaplasty Is Such a Scam

By Tanya Lee Markul, Rebelle Society

While we're at it, pubic hair is making a comeback, too.

Male Menopause? Scientific Study Says It's Possible—If 'Cougar' Women Have More Kids

By Anna North, Salon

Study authors note that if women preferred to have kids with younger men, female menopause would be reversed—men would go through it instead.

Investigate Booz Allen Hamilton, not Edward Snowden

By Pratap Chatterjee, The Guardian

The firm that formerly employed both the director of national intelligence and the NSA whistleblower merits closer scrutiny.

Investing in Education Creates More Than Twice as Many Jobs as Military Spending

By Jaisal Noor, The Real News Network

"Even on strictly economic terms, on job creation terms, invest in education. ... It's the single best route to creating jobs right now."

Saturday, June 15, 2013

The Dangers of Corporations Controlling National Secrets

By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet

The privatized national security apparatus isn’t just wasteful—it’s contrary to the founding principles of our democratic republic.

Major Push to End Sexual Assault Epidemic in Military Turned Back in Senate

By Adele M. Stan, RH Reality Check

Defense authorization bill won’t include Sen. Kristen Gillibrand's measure to remove reporting of sexual assault from chain of command—despite having bipartisan support.

Is the Rise of Filthy Gonzo Porn Actually Dangerous, Or Are People Overreacting?

By David Rosen, AlterNet

The ubiquity of dirty, violent porn has many people worried. But is it just the same old moral panic?

How America's Bully Economy leads to a "Bully Society"

By Jessie Klein, NYU Press

Jessie Klein's new book explains how school shootings, bullying and stressed-out kids stem in part from the U.S.'s cutthroat economy.

Did Hollywood Help Make NSA Surveillance Permissible?

By John Patterson, The Guardian

Movies have got us used to the sight of people as pixellated quarry, tracked by powerful technology.

Atheists Can Be Just As Obnoxious As Christians

By Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon

Just because you’re in the right doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk about it.

Can Utah's Beautiful Wildlands Survive an Energy Grab?

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet

A town known for its astounding natural beauty is in the cross hairs of energy developers.

How the Transition Movement Is Spreading to Towns Across America

By Jessica Stites, In These Times

Transition's focus on resilient communities finds a middle ground between the 'drop in the bucket' of personal action and the depressing inertia of government.

Activist for Undocumented Students Punks Audience with Fake Apology for Discriminatory College Applications

By Alana de Hinojosa , AlterNet

A prank calls attention to the discrimination and bariers undocumented students face in higher education.

The Latest Outrageous Waste of Money for the Pentagon's Playthings

By Medea Benjamin, James Marc Leas, AlterNet

'Noise zones' are being used to drive a money-soaked scheme for rich commercial developers, while putting thousands of families in affordable homes at risk.

The NSA and Pentagon Dream of Total Information Awareness

By Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

PRISM's Dark Side of the Moon-ish logo expresses the military's ultimate wet dream: 'Full spectrum dominance' over all of us.

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