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Friday, June 14, 2013

Secret Trade Agreements Threaten to Undo Our Last Shreds of Food Safety

By Katherine Paul, Ronnie Cummins, AlterNet

You could soon be eating imported seafood, beef or chicken products that don’t meet even basic U.S. food safety standards.

Texas Students Thrown in Jail for Days ... as Punishment for Missing School?

By Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica

Texas's solution to truancy appears to be making kids miss even more school as they sit in jail.

Why the Media and Power Establishment Prevented the Public from Understanding the Tsarnaev Bomber Brothers' Motives

By Mark Ames, Not Safe for Work Corporation

The Boston Bombers' ties to Chechnya and Dagestan must come to light if we're ever going to get to the bottom of "why" they did it.

10 of the Most Lied About Drugs

By Tony O'Neill, The Fix

The hysteria over drugs like Spice, bath salts and kratom is drowning out the facts.

26 Members of Congress to Live Off Food Stamp Budget to Protest Cuts

By Rebecca Leber, Think Progress

Could you eat off $4.50 a day?

WATCH: John Oliver Humiliates Pat Robertson, Who is Afraid of Gay Boy Scouts

By , AlterNet

Our favorite British guest host takes on our favorite right-wing, Christian extremist.

AlterNet Comics: Tom Tomorrow on NSA Surveillance

By Tom Tomorrow, AlterNet

Behold the five stages of living in a national surveillance state.

Unprecedented Coalition Pushes Back on Government’s Domestic Spying

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Nearly 100 groups, tech companies and 110,000 letters in first 48 hours.

Sailing to Save The Polynesian Islands From Climate Destruction

By Imani Altemus-Williams, Waging Nonviolence

The Hōkūleʻa will sail worldwide for four years.

WATCH: Colbert Skewers WSJ over Rant Against 'Totalitarian' Bikeshare Program

By , AlterNet

What does Citibike have to do with the "advent of the vertical, interior be-cabled car"?

Man Beaten to Coma by Border Patrol, Wife Stops Deportation

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

And Congress wants $6.5 billion for border "security."

Police Trained to Treat Keystone XL Protesters as 'Terrorists' (View TransCanada's PowerPoints)

By Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet

Peaceful environmental protesters framed as criminals? Guess who’s scared of people power…

Should Men Avoid Posting Naked Selfies If They Want to Score Online Dates?

By Jodie Gummow, AlterNet

What your profile picture is telling women about you.

Edward Snowden: How the Intelligence Story of the Age Leaked Out

By Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

A full report on how Snowden came to release the NSA documents, as well as why he chose to speak to the Guardian.

When a Woman Wants Sex Like a Man -- Why Do We Deny the Intensity of Female Lust?

By Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon

Writer and academic Katherine Angel bares all in a strikingly honest book about women's desire, and her own sexuality.

In Praise of Darkness

By Rebecca Solnit, Tom Dispatch

What darkness and the far north have to do with creativity and empathy.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Shocking Amount of Wealth and Power Held by 0.001% of the World Population

By Andrew Gavin Marshall, Occupy.com's Global Power Project

The level of inequality around the world is truly staggering.

10 Dumbest Pundit Reactions to NSA Revelations

By Evan McMurry, AlterNet

They may not know what they're talking about, but they have strong opinions nonetheless.

You Wouldn't Believe Bank of America's Latest Scam

By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet

It appears that big bank Bank of America is up to the same old dirty tricks that helped contribute to America’s financial meltdown in the first place.

8 Most Un-Christian Things the Christian Right Has Done Recently

By Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet

When it comes to using religion as a weapon to push hard-right ideology, un-Christian behavior runs rampant.

Supreme Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented, Striking Down Breast and Ovarian Cancer Gene Patents

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

The Court's unanimous decision is a major public-interest victory.

Watch: John Oliver Rails on Media for Trivial Snowden Coverage

By , AlterNet

“I never thought that I would say this, but I am not interested in any pole dancing YouTube channels right now.”

Crackdown on Turkish Uprising: Police Hammer Youth Revolt as Fight Continues Against Inequality and Repression

By Jesse Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Istanbul's revolt enters a new stage as a heavy-handed police force battles youth protesters.

Meet the 23-Year-Old Freaking Everyone Out With Her Wildly Explicit Sex Writing

By Daniel D'Addario, Salon

How a 23-year-old author shattered taboos surrounding sexuality in print — and freaked out the critics.

Catholic School Fires Teacher for Being a Domestic Violence Survivor

By Steven Hsieh, AlterNet

“I mean that’s why women of domestic violence don’t come forward."

Utah Cops Assassinated 21-year-old Woman Sitting in Her Car, Parents Claim

By Jonny Bonner, Courthouse News

Widespread corruption and violence alleged in now-disbanded narcotics unit.

Edward Snowden Alleges US Hacked Hundreds of Targets in China

By Ewen MacAskill, Tania Branigan, The Guardian

Snowden claimed that the US had hacked hundreds of targets in Hong Kong – including public officials, a university, businesses and students in the city.

New Film 'Dirty Wars' Exposes America's Ruthless, Covert Wars

By Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet

Jeremy Scahill’s new documentary reveals how dirty wars take innocent lives and make us less safe.

The Absurdity of Calling Edward Snowden a Traitor

By Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly Political Animal

Why are both parties accusing this whistleblower of being treasonous?

6 Little-Known Facts About Nipples

By Ducky Doolittle, Kinkly

Nipples are more interesting than one would think.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

It's High Time We Abolished the Department of Homeland Security

By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet

It's the path to national sanity.

7 Ways Obamacare's Surrender to Hospital and Big Pharma Profits May End Up Coming Out of Our Wallets

By Karen Higgins, AlterNet

Does the Affordable Care Act have a fatal flaw?

Cops Plead Guilty to Helping Plant Drugs on Woman Sexually Harassed by Judge

By Clarence Walker, Drug War Chronicle

A judge responded to an assault victim by demanding sex in exchange for 'legal favors.' She filed a complaint, and he sent cops to plant meth in her car.

Why Libertarians Are Basically Cult Members

By Michael Lind, Salon

Simply note libertarianism's fatal flaw and you'll get an enraged, hysterical response. They still don't get it

More GOP Idiocy: 'The Incidence of Rape Resulting in Pregnancy Are Very Low'

By Laura Clawson, Daily Kos

And it's not even Todd Akin who said it.

Cop Shot Litter of Kittens in Front of Screaming Children

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

Nonetheless, the police department chief says this cop did nothing wrong.

Enough of These Comic Book Hero Movies -- It's an Endless Parade of Sexist, Semi-Fascist Bores

By Joe Queenan, The Guardian

Superman is a big warning that Hollywood needs a break from superhero movies.

Obama Nominates America’s Biggest Walmart Cheerleader as His Chief Economic Adviser

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

Jason Furman thinks Walmart is a “progressive success story.”

Sick: Rhode Island Vocational School Pushed Disabled Students into Sweatshop Labor

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

A reflection of the sad state of America's education system.

Washington Has Been Stopped in Its Tracks by Republican Tea Party Types, and It's Destroying the Country

By Robert Reich, RobertReich.org

It's as if an entire branch of the federal government—the one that's supposed to deal directly with the nation's problems—has gone out of business.

New Documentary Claims Nuclear Power Can Save the Planet -- Should We Buy in?

By Mark Hertsgaard, Terry Tempest Williams, The Nation

A conversation about a new documentary "Pandora's Promise," its provocative claims—and the facts it leaves out.

Last Week in Poverty: Denying a Head Start in Washington State

By Greg Kaufmann, The Nation

To get a sense of just how foolish and shortsighted the $85 billion across-the-board sequester cuts are, you don’t have to look any further than Washington's Head Start program.

Why Humanity Is More Vulnerable to the Power of the Ocean Than Ever Before

By Brian Fagan, Bloomsbury Press

We're in for environmental refugee crises.

Judge: Unpaid Interns on "Black Swan" Film Should Have Been Paid

By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet

In a big victory for production interns, a federal judge granted class-action status to a suit against Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

America's Most Anti-Democratic Institution: How the Imperial Presidency Threatens U.S. National Security

By Fred Branfman, AlterNet

It's evil, lawless and authoritarian. And as NSA leaker Snowden has shown us, its aims are to be all-powerful.

Obama Nominates America’s Biggest Walmart Cheerleader as His Chief Economic Adviser

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

Jason Furman thinks Walmart is a “progressive success story.”

14-Year-Old Rape Victim Slut Shamed by Town: "I Can’t Walk Outside Without Someone Calling Me a Whore or Slut”

By Rebecca Leber, Think Progress

This ordeal is common for victims of sexual assault.

Class of 2013: All Dressed Up and No Place to Work

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

A weak job market, killer student loans and a crappy economy mean continued struggle for America’s college grads.

Court Officer Sexually Assaults Woman in Court, Arrests Her When Everyone in Court Ignores Her Pleas for Help

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The Clark County family court is under heavy scrutiny after a video showed a woman who said she was sexually assaulted being arrested.

Russia Hints It Could Protect NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The comments are a way to needle the U.S. from a country often criticized for human rights abuses and crackdowns on their own whistleblowers.

7 Ways Obamacare's Surrender to Hospital and Big Pharma Profits May End Up Coming Out of Our Wallets

By Karen Higgins, AlterNet

Does the Affordable Care Act have a fatal flaw?

7-Year-Old Killed During Police Raid Filmed by Reality TV Crew, Grandmother Testifies

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed by a Detroit police special response team as her grandmother watched.

Edward Snowden's Explosive NSA Leaks Have US in Damage Control Mode

By Dan Roberts, Spencer Ackerman, Tania Branigan, The Guardian

White House refers Snowden's case to Justice Department while Republicans in Congress call for whistleblower's extradition

Our Government's Secrecy Has Caused Far More Deaths Than 9/11

By Chase Madar, TomDispatch

Bradley Manning has done more for U.S. security than SEAL Team 6.

Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Marijuana Now

By Carmen Yarrusso, Truthout

Prohibition creates, sustains and handsomely rewards the illegal drug industry while pretending to fight that very same industry.

How Right-Wing Ideology Has Suckered Millions of Americans into Hating Their Own Government

By Lawrence Davidson, Consortium News

Pervasive propaganda is doing great harm to one of the few solutions the people have to deal with their problems: government

My Boyfriend, the Sex Addict

By Laura Barcella, Salon

I never believed in that diagnosis -- until I dated Jack, and saw what it was like to be powerless to your desires

Red States Get More Extreme -- How America Is Splitting Apart Without Bothering With Civil War

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

Not since the real Civil War have we witnessed such a clear divide between the states on central issues affecting Americans.

Is the White House Open for Hedge Fund Business?

By Les Leopold, AlterNet

How the insider trading game is played in government...and at the White House.

5 Ways the Tech Companies Are Making Monster Profits by Stealing from Our Future

By Paul Buchheit, AlterNet

Companies like Apple and Google haul in huge profits, but invest minimally in America and skirt the tax laws that pay for the next generation's education.

America Continues to Fund Death Squads in Honduras

By Lauren Carasik, Al Jazeera English

The U.S.-funded Honduran National Police are dispatching summary justice to gang members.

The Neocons Are Losing: Advocates for Syria Intervention Run Into Wall of American Opposition

By Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service

The latest polling shows that Americans don't want to get involved in another Middle Eastern war.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Daniel Ellsberg: Edward Snowden, Saving Us From the United Stasi of America

By Daniel Ellsberg, The Guardian

Snowden's whistleblowing gives us a chance to roll back what is tantamount to an 'executive coup' against the US constitution.

What Happens to Snowden Now? 5 Government Whistleblowers Under Attack From Obama

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is the latest to find himself in the crosshairs of the government.

What If Leaving Your Abuser Means Living on the Street? How Budget-Cuts Make Life Even Harder for Abused Women

By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

Budget cuts have strained domestic violence resources. What does that mean for women who need a safe place to go?

What the Cellphone Industry Doesn't Want You to Know About Radiation Concerns

By Brad Jacobson, AlterNet

A leading expert on health effects from cellphone radiation goes to battle against a multi-trillion-dollar industry.

Police Bully Teen into Dropping Rape Charge, Rapist Sexually Assaults Another Woman

By Alex Kane, AlterNet

The woman's story was proven true after the rapist was arrested for sexually assaulting another woman.

“Digital Blackwater”: Meet the Contractors Who Analyze Your Personal Data

By Tim Shorrock, Salon

Private companies are getting rich examining your private information for the government. Here's who they are.

Children See Father's Suicide on Fox News

By Jamie Ross, Courthouse News

A mother claims that after Fox showed the suicide on "Studio B with Shepard Smith," her children found it on YouTube and now are so depressed they can't even go to school.

Meet the Whistleblower Responsible for the Massive NSA Leak

By Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, The Guardian

The 29-year-old source behind the biggest intelligence leak in the NSA's history explains his motives, his uncertain future and why he never intended on hiding in the shadows.

Why the NSA’s Secret Online Surveillance Should Scare You

By Zack Beauchamp, Think Progress

A citizenry that’s constantly on guard for secret, unaccountable surveillance is one that’s constantly being remade along the lines the state would prefer.

America's Baby-Boomer Potheads Are Toking More—and More Openly

By Victoria Kim, The Fix

Laxer laws and attitudes make it easier for 60-somethings to be open about "dope," though some still hide it from their kids.

How U.S. Law Pre-Convicts and Pre-Punishes American Muslims

By Victoria Brittain, Tom Dispatch

Giving humanitarian aid, expert advice, or “political advocacy” in “coordination” with any group on the State Department’s terrorist list can lead to being tried as a terrorist.

5 Ways the Tech Companies Are Making Monster Profits by Stealing from Our Future

By Paul Buchheit, AlterNet

Companies like Apple and Google haul in huge profits, but invest minimally in America and skirt the tax laws that pay for the next generation's education.

Rachel Kushner’s Ambitious New Novel Scares Male Critics

By Laura Miller, Salon

When a woman—not a venerable male auteur—writes the Great American Novel, male reviewers get flummoxed.

Red States Get More Extreme -- How America Is Splitting Apart Without Bothering With Civil War

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

Not since the real Civil War have we witnessed such a clear divide between the states on central issues affecting Americans.

Free Will is a Myth — But We Can Still Have Ethics and Hold People Accountable

By Heidi Ravven , The New Press

How free will is a particularly American and Western way of conceiving human nature.

"We Steal Secrets:" Why The New Movie About WikiLeaks Pisses WikiLeaks Off

By Danny Schechter, MediaChannel.org

Julian Assange even got its hands on the script before the film’s release and annotated it to challenge its veracity.

The Trash-Talking Blood Sport of Economics

By Richard Eskow, The Smirking Chimp

Economists are engaged in a battle royale where everybody with a fist, glove or folding chair can jump out of the audience and into the ring.

AlterNet Editorial: Wow! 4 Million

By Don Hazen, AlterNet

It comes down to strong content and good friends who share our articles with their friends on social media.

Fight Rages On for Medicaid Expansion in Texas—State with Highest Rate of Uninsured

By Khalil Abdullah, New American Media

Gov. Rick Perry and Tea Party have postponed debate in legislature to 2015, unless public pressure can change minds.

Grand Canyon Threatened by Uranium Mining

By , Sierra Club

Here's what is at stake and what you can do to protect the Grand Canyon.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Meet the Whistleblower Responsible for the Massive NSA Leak

By Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, The Guardian

The 29-year-old source behind the biggest intelligence leak in the NSA's history explains his motives, his uncertain future and why he never intended on hiding in the shadows.

Half Lives: Why the Part-time Economy Is Bad for Everyone

By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet

In America today, a whole job is increasingly hard to find.

Democracy Now! Glenn Greenwald on the NSA Program and the Massive Surveillance State

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

"The objective of the NSA and the U.S. government is nothing less than destroying all remnants of privacy."

How Google and Silicon Valley Screw Their Non-Elite Workers

By Jake Blumgart, AlterNet

Silicon Valley’s biggest firms outsource blue-collar and service jobs to subcontractors, who bid low by scrimping on labor standards.

Why Student Loans Are an Even Bigger Sham Than You Know

By David Dayen, Salon

You can't refinance, or get rid of the debt through bankruptcy. Here's how college loans are even worse than you think.

We Are All Bradley Manning: New Video Explains Why

By April M. Short, AlterNet

Since it’s the public who benefited from this information, does that make us the enemy? What price will future whistleblowers pay?

I Was Almost a Victim of the Student-to-Prison-Pipeline

By Alana de Hinojosa , AlterNet

Why are schools so eager to adopt police roles and assist in the creeping (and creepy) militarization of U.S. institutions?

The Do’s and Don’ts of How to be an Effective Ally in a Political Movement

By Andrew Stelzer, Making Contact

From white Americans in the civil rights era, to Israelis in Palestine, to Latino-Americans working with the undocumented — how does one work to support another’s struggle?

Saturday, June 8, 2013

10 Things Americans Underestimate About Our Massive Surveillance State

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

The latest revelations are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Most Dishonest Words in American Politics: 'Right to Work'

By Steven Wishnia, AlterNet

Right-to-work measures appeal to freedom and choice, but they're all about busting unions.

12 Shocking Examples of Police Brutality...Just This Month

By , AlterNet

Decades of the drug war have warped the priorities of many police departments. The results can be tragic.

Lesbian Myths, Debunked

By Jodie Gummow, AlterNet

Gender stereotypes about the lesbian community distort gay women's experience.

Did a "Troubled Teen" Rehab Create Murderers?

By Maia Szalavitz, The Fix

In a string of horrific crimes, one "tough-love" rehab is the common denominator.

Victory for Grassroots Activism and Public Safety: San Onofre Nuclear Plant Closure Announced

By Harvey Wasserman, AlterNet

This victory at San Onofre is a falling domino. Had the public not fought back, those reactors would have been “fixed” at public expense.

It's No Coincidence that the Public Education and Poverty Crises are Happening at the Same Time

By David Sirota , Salon

New data exposes school “reformers'” schemes, revealing that one in five public schools was considered high poverty in 2011.

Attention Non-Profits: Here's Your One-Time Chance to Build Progressive Media This Year

By Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet

Annoyed that the Kochs may buy up your media? Here’s how your own organization can capture a spot on the airwaves.

Could Senator Warren's Idea for Cheap Student Loans Help Make Rich Kids Richer?

By Dean Baker, Beat the Press

Hidden subsidies sometimes have unintended consequences.

Filipino Seniors in U.S. Looking to Return Home—with Medicare

By Sluggo Rigor, New American Media

Immigrants are appealing to Congress for "Medicare portability" so they can receive benefits overseas and save the program money.

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