New York, New York; We Built These Cities; Money, Money, Money; The 'Shopped 'Shopped Song; Never Gonna GIF You Up

New York, New York

• Reasons to Love New York 2011
• Photos of 1980s New York City
• What really cleaned up New York Salon
• The Evolution of the New York Skyline--What it most probably look like in 2030.
• Blast from the Past: I LEGO N.Y. NYT

We Built These Cities

• A cabbie's view of Chicago--"A gritty new book chronicles the author's strange passenger encounters while driving a taxi around the Windy City." Salon
• The Grand Rapids LipDub--Grand Rapids' response to Newsweek calling it a "dying city."
• Rust Belt chic: Declining Midwest cities make a comeback Salon
• Five Years After Banning Outdoor Ads, Brazil's Largest City Is More Vibrant Than Ever
• No One Wants to Move to Vietnam’s New Cities
• When Modern Cities Become Ghost Towns
• London, France's sixth biggest city
• It's true: Cities are meaner--"Urbanites are viewed as selfish and unconcerned about others. Research proves it -- but for surprising reasons." Salon
• Australian cities jump in global cost rankings
• Architects And Engineers Say These Are The Most Amazing Tall Buildings Of The Year

Money, Money, Money

• Dowling Duncan redesign the US bank notes
• The Mysterious Imagery of The Dollar Bill
• Art with Dollars
• Travel Money
• Canada: The penny's days are numbered

The 'Shopped 'Shopped Song

• Software to Rate How Drastically Photos Are Retouched--Check out some samples.
• How Andrew Brooks is Photoshopping the World
• North Korea, most of Asia terrible at Photoshop Salon
• An Honourable Photoshop Master- BaoJun Yuan
• Epic Photoshop Clone
• How to properly conceal alcohol in your Facebook pictures
• This is what happens when I get bored at work

Never Gonna GIF You Up

• Far Better Than 3-D: Animated GIFs That Savor A Passing Moment
• The Art of the Animated GIF
• The Art Of The GIF
• iwdrm.tumblr.com
• Happy Birthday to the GIF: The Internet's Greatest Treasure Turns 25--Here's a montage.

Obamacare Aftermath, Public-Private Partnerships, ALEC, GM, Monsanto, Corporations

Obamacare Aftermath

• What the health care ruling means to you
• Did John Roberts switch his vote?--"The dissents suggest the court was set to overturn Obamacare -- until Roberts suddenly changed his vote " Salon
• GOP governors vow to ignore Obamacare
• Don’t Celebrate Yet--"The Supreme Court’s decision will make it much harder to extend health insurance to America’s poor."
• Conservatives Freak Out Over Health Care Decision
• The Daily Show: CNN & Fox News Report Supreme Court Decision
• Blast from the Past: I Don't Want Health Care If Just Anyone Can Have It The Onion

Public-Private Partnerships

• Members of Congress trade in companies while making laws that affect those same firms
• Most Anti-Environment House Of Representatives In History Voted 109 Times To Enrich Big Oil
• Fla. Senate president comes to aid of lobbyist's firm--"When a politically connected company was in danger of losing a $9.4 million no-bid contract with the state, Senate President Mike Haridopolos came to the rescue of the outfit — a firm that employs his good friend and political benefactor as a lobbyist."

ALEC

• Arizona FBI Probe Linked To ALEC, State Legislators
• Does ALEC influence politics, laws?--"The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative, Washington, D.C.-based think tank, has come under fire in some quarters lately for allegedly improperly influencing legislation in statehouses around the country, including Alabama."
• Dell Latest Company To Leave Controversial ALEC After Trayvon Martin Shooting

GM

• Meet the Corporate Front Groups Fighting to Make Sure You Can't Know What's in Your Food
• Senate votes 73–26 to deny states the right to label GMO foods
• GM grass linked to Texas cattle deaths--"A cattle ranch in Elgin, Texas., where 15 head succumbed to death by cyanide poisoning after eating genetically-modified grass."

Monsanto

• Monsanto maize banned in France--The EU blocks the ban.
• Monsanto may lose GM soya royalties throughout Brazil
• Government tyranny: Illinois Department of Agriculture secretly destroys beekeeper's bees and 15 years of research proving Monsanto's Roundup kills bees
• Superbug vs. Monsanto: Nature rebels against biotech titan
• Monsanto 3Q profit soars, maintains year view

Corporations

• Corporations Have Feelings (A Short Story by the GOP)
• Vandana Shiva: "People should see that corporations have abandoned them long ago."
• Opinion: Should Corporations Have More Leeway to Kill Than People Do? NYT

Obamacare; Dark Ages, Conservatives, Marriage, DOMA, Immigration, Racism

BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds 'Obamacare'

Dark Ages

• Pitirim Sorokin--"Sorokin believed that present-day Sensate/scientific culture was in a state of fatigue; that it had run its course. When you have the excessive domination of a single system, he wrote, eventually it begins to exhibit signs of self-destruction. "
• Conservatives Attack Scientific Findings About Why They Hate Science (Helping to Confirm the Science)
• Dark Ages Redux: American Politics and the End of the Enlightenment
• As America Grows More Polarized, Conservatives Increasingly Reject Science and Rational Thought
• Are Americans dumb?--"Retiring congressman Gary Ackerman thinks so -- is he right?" Salon
• Americans are dangerously uninformed--"'The Newsroom's' Emily Mortimer calls the Tea Party a 'lunatic fringe,' and says Americans fall too easily for lies." Salon
• The Texas GOP Platform's Horror Show for Children--"We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."

Conservatives

• Robert Reich: Some Republicans Have A Stupid Idea Of Patriotism
• Maher on What Teenage Right-Wingers Represent: Conservatism Today Is "Just Being a Dick"
• Homophobia, the church and politics: How the religious right seized political power
• Judge Tosses WND Suit Against Esquire Over 'Birther' Parody Post
• Washington parent: Sex education is 'just the same as raping somebody' --Ignorance is dangerous.
• Science or sex: Which does the right hate more?--"Parents and right-wingers revolt when a teacher dares answer fifth-graders' questions with honesty and respect." Salon
• Americans for Prosperity vs. Metrorail

Marriage

• The Myth About Marriage
• Divorce Rates Are Highest Among Evangelicals
• I Don’t!: How a bizarre legal case involving a mysterious billionaire could force 1.2 million Canadians to be married, against their will.

DOMA

• Defense Of Marriage Act Ruled Unconstitutional By Second Federal Judge
• DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Appeals Court
• The Defense of Marriage Act, Exposed--"The federal courts that have reviewed this law since 2010 have found that it fails to meet the most elementary test of constitutionality." This test is one of consistency across states. NYT

Immigration

• Marco Rubio's 'DREAM' dead for now--"President Barack Obama's move to allow some children of illegal immigrants to remain in the United States appears to have sunk Rubio's effort to push forward a Republican version of the so-called DREAM Act before the November elections."
• How Jan Brewer and Many Others Got the Supreme Court's Immigration Ruling Wrong
• 'Papers please' ex-legislator booted from AZ Mexican restaurants in fundraiser flap
• Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Office Arrests 6-Year Old Girl Suspected Of Undocumented Immigration
• Colbert: Arizona Needs To Assert Its Sovereignty On All Sorts Of Things

Racism

• Racist Arizona GOP radio host calls Obama "First Monkey President"
• Inge Marler, Arkansas Tea Party Leader, Resigns After Racist Joke
• Cop who bragged he 'fried another n-----' admits he falsely busted an S.I. black man to teach him respect for law enforcement
• Racist Tube rant woman Jacqueline Woodhouse jailed
• Black Man Kicked Out of Racist Bar; Cops Don’t Help, But Social Media Does

War on Drugs, Jail Tales, 420, DEA, Medical Marijuana, Legalization and Decriminalization, Healthcare Reform, Billing

War on Drugs

• Richard Branson: Stop the drug war to fight AIDS--"As an entrepreneur, if one of my businesses is failing year after year I’d close it down or change tack - I would not wait 40 years...the war on drugs is perhaps the greatest failure of global policy in the last 40 years."
• War on drugs 'unsustainable,' ex-justice Louise Arbour says
• Penn Jillette Accuses Obama Of Class Warfare For Drug Policy, States' Rights
• Roger Clemens acquitted on all charges--Deflating Congress' hard-on for sports-related drug use.
• A Victory Against the War on Drugs--"Eight-term incumbent Silvestre Reyes won't be returning to Congress next year. He was ousted from his El Paso district by pro-marijuana legalization candidate Beto O'Rourke."
• Bath Salts drug ingredient to be made illegal in Canada
• Western banks 'reaping billions from Colombian cocaine trade'

Jail Tales

• 24-Year-Old Gets 3 Life Terms in Prison for Witnessing a Drug Deal: The Ugly Truth of Mandatory Drug Sentencing
• Without a Card to Play, Texas Grandma Sentenced to Life Without Parole for First-Time Drug Offense
• Time Spent In Prison For Drugs Has Exploded Since The 90's

420

• The Union: The Business Behind Getting High --"The Union crew has decided to place a high quality version of The Union on-line for those who are unable to afford the film, as it is our belief that everyone should have the right to view it regardless of their financial situation."
• Marijuana law just creates criminals
• More teens smoke pot than cigarettes, says CDC survey
• Candidate: I'll smoke a joint on Hill
• Map of world weed use

DEA

• Top DEA agent won't admit heroin more harmful than marijuana--But claims that alcohol prohibition "worked."
• DEA Chief Administrator Slips Up, Says Medical Marijuana Is Between Patients and Their Doctors
• DEA’s Michele Leonhart: If Science Disagrees, We’ll Shut Down Research

Medical Marijuana

• LA Hospital Denies Life-Saving Organ Transplant to Medical Pot User (Again)--"Cedars-Sinai hospital told medical marijuana users they must test negative for six months to re-qualify for the wait list, and also take drug abuse counseling for the same period."
• Medical marijuana legalized in Connecticut
• Medical marijuana brings relief for sick kids in Michigan but the treatment is controversial
• Marijuana Is Real Medicine for a Long List of Ills
• Pot shops closed by feds can't move to new city
• Newark Mayor Cory Booker Declares Drug War 'A Failure,' Endorses Medical Marijuana
• Cannabis 'does not slow multiple sclerosis' progress

Legalization and Decriminalization

• Efforts to relax pot rules gaining momentum in US
• NY: Cuomo Seeks Cut in Frisk Arrests NYT
• NY GOP Kills Marijuana Decriminalization Reform
• NJ panel OKs marijuana decriminalization bill
• Marijuana veto in New Hampshire bucks regional trend--"New Hampshire's Democratic governor on Thursday vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature that would legalize medical marijuana in the state, bucking a trend towards legalization in New England."
• Marijuana Decriminalization Makes It Onto Texas Democratic Platform
• Michigan Supreme Court clears way to let Detroiters vote on legalizing marijuana
• Chicago may decriminalize small amount of marijuana possession
• Hundreds of Economists: Marijuana Prohibition Costs Billions, Legalization Would Earn Billions
• Legalizing ecstasy would save lives

Healthcare Reform

• U.S. Supreme Court to Announce Health Care Decision Thursday
• Most Americans oppose health law but like provisions
• Health Insurers Secretly Spent Huge To Defeat Health Care Reform While Pretending To Support Obamacare
• The GOP's Plan To Dismantle All Of Obamacare No Matter How The Court Rules
• Mourdock Accidentally Releases Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Reaction To 'Obamacare'

Billing

• Taxpayers paying twice for veterans' health-care plans
• Tort reform has not reduced health care costs in Texas
• Getting Lost in the Labyrinth of Medical Bills NYT

World Drug Day, Police State, Fast and Furious, Mexico, Elecciones

World Drug Day

• Former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski: Saying No to Costly Drug Laws--"We were mistaken on both of our assumptions. Jail sentences for the possession of illicit drugs — in any amount and for any purpose — did not lead to the jailing of drug traffickers. Nor did it prove to be a deterrent to drug abuse." NYT
• Guatemala President Otto Pérez Molina: Stop Following a Failed Policy NYT
• After 33 years, I can no longer ignore the evidence on drugs
• Should Illicit Drugs be Legalised in Australia?
• Uruguay government aims to legalise marijuana--In defiance of the US rhetoric.

Police State

• "The Whole System Relies on These Arrests": The NYPD's Racist Marijuana Arrest Crusade And Its National Implications--"New York's marijuana arrests, says a growing chorus of critics, are a prime example of how the nation's drug laws disproportionately impact black and Latino communities."
• Man sues police over 'forced catheterization'--"A 22-year-old college student has filed an $11 million federal lawsuit against police in central Utah, claiming they forced a catheter in him after he refused to consent to a search for marijuana."
• A Report From Obama's "Humane" Drug War: "My son screamed for his mother for what seemed like an eternity"
• DEA wants to scan all license plates on Utah’s 'drug corridor'
• US Judge: GPS Use Illegal in Kentucky Drug Bust

Fast and Furious

• Obama invokes executive privilege over DOJ documents--Issa has no evidence of the White House's involvement in the program.
• Jon Stewart Blasts Obama's Use Of Executive Privilege On Fast And Furious
• House panel votes 23-17 to place Holder in contempt of Congress
• Darrell Issa Doubles Down on Fast and Furious Conspiracy Theory on Gun Control
• What 'conspiracy' lies behind Eric Holder and 'Fast and Furious'?--There are five signs if you're a conspiracy theorist.

Mexico

• Mexico drugs war: 'This is a hell that is just too big'
• Mexico's Zetas rewrite drug war in blood
• Mexico finds cartels making fake military uniforms
• How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions NYT
• Cartel web presence could be used against them: experts
• The legend of Mexico's drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman
• Mexico arrests son of top drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman--But there was a case of mistaken identity.

Elecciones

• Drug war victims' families blast Mexican candidates
• Mexicans Want New Approach To Bloody Drug War
• Mexican Voters Don't See Drug War Violence As a Sign of Success
• Mexico's candidates vow a different kind of drug war
• Mexico elections: failure of drugs war leaves nation at the crossroads
• Mexican election could mean drug war strategy shift, U.S. officials say
• Mexico's presidential election: Will we see a 'Mexican Spring'?

Trans-Pacific Partnership, Copyfight, International, Canada, Megaupload, TheOatmeal vs. Funnyjunk

Trans-Pacific Parternship

• TPP: Corporate Power Tool of the 1%
• Apparently The USTR Thinks 'Unprecedented Transparency' Means Hiding TPP Details From 98% Of Congress
• Wyden To Obama: Hollywood Shouldn't Know More About TPP Than Congress
• SOPA Supporters Urge White House To Use Secretive TPP Process To Insert Draconian New IP Laws
• Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken Campaign Promises
• Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement Pushes Corporate Sovereignty Over Environmental Law
• New World Order Blueprint Leaked

Copyfight

• Capitalists Who Fear Change--"Digital technology is reinventing our whole world, in service of you and me. It's free enterprise on steroids. It's bypassing the gatekeepers and empowering each of us to invent our own civilization for ourselves, according to our own specifications."
• Supreme Court to Decide Application of First Sale Doctrine to Foreign-Made Copyrighted Works
• Congressional Staffer Says SOPA Protests 'Poisoned The Well', Failure To Pass Puts Internet At Risk
• Comcast Protests "Shake Down" of Alleged BitTorrent Pirates--"The ISP is now refusing to comply with court-ordered subpoenas, arguing that they are intended to 'shake down' subscribers by coercing them to pay settlements."
• DOJ Realizes That Comcast & Time Warner Are Trying To Prop Up Cable By Holding Back Hulu & Netflix
• Creator posts original film to YouTube, BMF claims copyright--YouTube's fault for flagging the film over the sound of wind.
• Letter to Emily White at NPR All Songs Considered

International

• Wikipedia's founder calls for Richard O'Dwyer extradition to be stopped--"Jimmy Wales launches campaign calling on Theresa May to stop extradition to US of UK student facing alleged copyright offences."
• ACTA rejected by committee in crucial blow before final EU Parliament vote
• The Pirate Party Gains Steam Overseas; Will It Catch in the U.S.
• Norwegian student fined for subtitle piracy
• Japan Passes Jail-for-Downloaders Anti-Piracy Law--They also want to "spy on all user activity."

Canada

• Big Content wants to bring SOPA-style policies to Canada
• The MPAA's Secret Lobby Campaign on Bill C-11 and a Canadian SOPA
• Copyright bill finally clears Commons--"Act hasn't been updated since 1997, now in Senate's hands to pass before summer."

Megaupload

• DOJ tries to block return of data to MegaUpload user--"U.S. files motion asking a federal court to deny a request from a former MegaUpload user for the return of his football videos," as doing so "would set a bad precedent."
• Retired Judge Joins Fight Against DOJ’s 'Outrageous' Seizures in Megaupload Case
• FBI told to copy seized Dotcom data--"The FBI has been ordered to start copying 150 terabytes of data - including 10 million emails - contained on the seized computers belonging to internet mogul Kim Dotcom."
• New Zealand's High Court Steps Into Extradition Fight Over Kim Dotcom
• Megaupload: U.S. Intentionally Disrespects Foreign Sovereignty

TheOatmeal vs. FunnyJunk

• FunnyJunk is threatening to file a federal lawsuit against me unless I pay $20,000 in damages
• FunnyJunk's Lawyer responds to the Oatmeal by trying to shut down the fundraiser--He continues to fail.
• The Oatmeal v. Funnyjunk: How The Court Of Public Opinion Beats The Court Of Baseless Legal Threats
• FunnyJunk's lawyer vows revenge on The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman
• FunnyJunk's lawyer sues American Cancer Society and National Wildlife Federation
• FunnyJunk lawyer to subpoena Ars and Twitter
• EFF Will Represent The Oatmeal Creator in Fight Against Bizarre Lawsuit Targeting Critical Online Speech

International LGBT, States, Psych, Marriage Equality, Religion, Worley, Salon.com

International LGBT

• Moscow bans gay pride for century ahead
• French prime minister promises to implement equal marriage and adoption rights for gays
• Malawi to overturn homosexual ban, Joyce Banda says
• South Africa: Gay pageant winner murdered--"Makutle apparently got into an argument with two heterosexual men over his sexuality, and the attackers allegedly followed him to the room where he was staying."
• Northern Ireland Health Minister stands by the existing ban on gay blood donors
• Uganda bans 38 organisations accused of 'promoting homosexuality'--But in a startling turnaround, Uganda says gays now free to meet.
• Special report: Gay-4-Pay in Prague

States

• Kansas House passes bill legalizing discrimination based on sexual identity
• GOP ends call to keep gay sex law on books--"The Montana Republican Party is ending its call to make homosexual acts illegal, but the party is reinforcing its opposition to gay marriage."
• Tennessee 'Don't Say Gay' Bill To Get Axed--And now "a group of residents in Vestal, N.Y., are campaigning for their local high school to remove a Tennessee state senator [who sponsored the bill] and former student from its hall of fame, because of his controversial remarks on homosexuality and HIV/AIDS."

Psych

• The Science of 'Gaydar' NYT
• How One Flawed Study Spawned a Decade of Lies--"In 2001, Dr. Robert L. Spitzer, psychiatrist and professor emeritus of Columbia University, presented a paper at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association about something called 'reparative therapy' for gay men and women. By undergoing reparative therapy, the paper claimed, gay men and women could change their sexual orientation."
• APA Blasts Allegedly Biased Report on Gay Parents--"On the basis of a remarkably consistent body of research on lesbian and gay parents and their children, the American Psychological Association and other health, professional, and scientific organizations have concluded that there is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation."

Marriage Equality

• Major opponent of gay marriage switches sides--"'Whatever one’s definition of marriage, legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness,' says founder of Institute for American Values."
• Mary Cheney, daughter of former vice president, marries longtime girlfriend
• Mormon Church Condemns Marriage Equality in UK for the "Good of Society"

Religion

• Vatican hit by gay sex scandal
• 'Jesus in Drag': Straight Christian 'Comes Out' for New Book
• How the Christian Right's Homophobia Scares Away Religious Young People--"The Christian right is increasingly out of step with how Americans feel about gay rights. This issue might be the one that destroys them in the end."
• Indonesian city seeks gay ban in local Sharia laws
• Mormons march in Gay Pride Parade to build bridges

Worley

• Local Pastor Calls For Death of 'Queers & Homosexuals'
• Charles L. Worley: 'Forty Years Ago [Gays] Would've Hung...From A White Oak Tree'
• Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State writes IRS about Pastor Charles Worley
• Standing ovation greets Pastor Charles Worley, who made anti-gay statements
• Anti-gay rhetoric alarms supporters, Christian conservatives

Salon.com

• My secretly bisexual husband--"He's been with four men he met on Craigslist. Do I stick with him for our teenage daughters? "
• How my ex became my brother--"We were high school sweethearts, now we’re siblings. It’s weird, but I wouldn’t have it any other way."
• My favorite john: My very own "Pretty Woman"--"Hector was a handsome Argentine. I was the male escort he hired. What happened next surprised us both."
• "Are you on the cover of a magazine?"--"During a trip to the bookstore, my mom wandered into the gay section -- and saw my face."
• My gay art-porn debut--"I was a 20-something journalist looking for a new challenge. Who knew it would be on-camera sex?"

Alan Turing Centenary, Resistance is Futile, Robots, Nokia, RIM, Passwords, Texting

Alan Turing Centenary

• Britain still owes Alan Turing a debt
• Alan Turing: Gay codebreaker's defiance keeps memory alive
• Crack the Alan Turing Cipher
• Alan Turing: why the tech world's hero should be a household name
• Remembering Alan Turing
• The highly productive habits of Alan Turing--"On the week of his 100th birthday, we celebrate the mathematician's life."
• Thousands back £10 note tribute to Bletchley Park hero Alan Turing--The petition is still ongoing.

Resistance is Futile

• The end of evolution--Goodbye homo sapiens, hello homo technicus
• Bionic Suit Helps Paralyzed Woman Complete Marathon--"Claire Lomas became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic walk-assist suit."
• For Science, Nanotech Poses Big Unknowns
• Machine Man: a discomfiting novel about the antihuman side of transhumanism
• xkcd: Skynet

Robots

• Musicians Wage War Against Robots
• Canon Camera Factory To Go Fully Automated, Phase Out Human Workers
• Thingpart: "Congratulations, it's a beautiful baby robot."

Nokia

• Death of a Ringtone: The Rise and Fall of Nokia--Predicated year of demise: 2014.
• The Nokia torture--"Once the leader in the mobile phone field, Nokia is now in a tailspin – taking its employees into the ground."
• Microsoft Screws Over Nokia

RIM

• Former RIM CEOs Paid Millions and Millions for Ruining Company
• RIM manufacturing partner pulls the plug on BlackBerry phones
• RIM: What the hell happened?--"Research in Motion went from a sleepy Canadian backwater to the world's most innovative and fastest growing phone company in no time. Now, with its Blackberry business all but stalled, the company's future has never looked more uncertain."

Passwords

• Lessons learned from cracking 2 million LinkedIn passwords--It's gotten Dickensian. Here's a top ten list of hacked passwords.
• Passwords are dead! Now what...?--eHarmony and last.fm were also hit.
• MD5 password scrambler 'no longer safe'
• Older Internet Users Pick Better Passwords Than Teens
• Your brain could become your password

Texting

• Texting While Walking Banned in New Jersey Town
• NJ judge: Texter not liable for driver's car crash
• Massachusetts teen sentenced to prison for texting while driving

Supreme Court, Obamacare, Insurance, Bills, Smokin', Suicide

Supreme Court

• Justices Reject Patents for Medical Tests Relying on Drug Dosages NYT
• Supreme Court throws out human genome patents
• Health-care law puts Supreme Court atop a slippery slope

Obamacare

• The Great Healthcare Rip-Off, Ctd
• Democrat To Offer A 'Lifeline' For Single-Payer Health Care
• Senate Republicans Signal Big Shift On 'Obamacare'--Are they being hypocrites?
• For 20-somethings, Health Care Act Makes A Difference
• Insurance Companies Owe $1.3 Billion Back to Policy Holders
• Romney Confirms He Will Deny Insurance To Millions With Pre-Existing Conditions If Obamacare Is Struck Down
• Germans Can't Fathom US Aversion to Obama's Healthcare Reform

Insurance

• Does Medicaid Actually Help People?--Short answer: Yes.
• The Reward for Donating a Kidney: No Insurance NYT
• Blue Shield sued over insurance policy shifts
• Oops! Aetna discloses political donations
• Most employers plan to continue offering health care coverage--"The overwhelming majority of employers say they will continue to offer health care plan coverage to employees in 2014 when key provisions of the health care reform law kick in, according to a survey of benefit professionals."

Bills

• Australian couple has $1 million hospital bill after baby born in B.C.
• Million-dollar hospital bills rise sharply in Northern California
• Health care costs rose faster than inflation despite weak economy
• Why do Hospitals Charge $4,423 for $250 CT Scans? Blame Arizona Republicans
• More Americans Are Checking Prices Before Getting Health Care

Smokin'

• The Book Big Tobacco Doesn't Want You to Read--"With 'Golden Holocaust,' historian Robert Proctor deconstructs an industry that still kills more than 400,000 Americans a year."
• Prop. 29's tobacco tax teeters on the edge of defeat
• Quebec sues big tobacco for $60 billion
• Tobacco giant Philip Morris infiltrated Swiss university
• Diesel exhausts do cause cancer, says WHO

Suicide

• Laws banning assisted suicide infringe on charter rights: B.C. Supreme Court
• The paralyzed man who tweets with his eyes, and wants to die--"A British man will plead with a court to argue that he should be allowed to legally end his life — but he's taking to Twitter first, using his eyes to send messages."
• Cracked.com: Worst Suicide Intervention Ever

War on Terror, Drones Foreign and Domestic, Surveillance, Your Rights Online, TSA

War on Terror

• New NSA docs contradict 9/11 claims--"Over 120 CIA documents concerning 9/11, Osama bin Laden and counterterrorism were published today for the first time, having been newly declassified and released to the National Security Archive. The documents were released after the NSA pored through the footnotes of the 9/11 Commission and sent Freedom of Information Act requests." Salon
• President Obama as 'warrior-in-chief'
• FBI Terror Plot: How the Government Is Destroying the Lives of Innocent People
• Courts Rule US Government Above the Law--"Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein has declined to hold the CIA in contempt for destroying videos that it had been ordered by the courts to preserve."
• Sweden Violated Torture Ban in CIA Rendition

Drones Foreign...

• How Drones Help Al Qaeda NYT
• Greenwald: U.S. drones deeply unpopular around the world Salon
• Deadly Drone Strike on Muslims in the Southern Philippines
• CREW calls on Holder to release secret drone strike memo
• CIA Refuses to Confirm or Deny Drone Attacks Obama Brags About

and Domestic

• Poll: Catching criminals is fine, but don't use drones for speeding tickets, Americans say
• TYT: Drones Over America
• Senate bill aims to crack down on domestic drone surveillance--Also going through the House.
• Secret 'Kill List' Tests Obama’s Principles--Get yourself on the national Do Not Kill registry. NYT
• Revealed: 64 Drone Bases on American Soil

Surveillance

• CISPA sponsor: Obama will back down from his veto promise
• Lone Senator Blocks Renewal of NSA Wiretap Program--"Wyden has barred the Senate from a routine vote using a little-used legislative power" ... "because the government refuses to say how often the spy powers are being used."
• House Committee Approves Sweeping, Warrantless Electronic Spy Powers--"A House committee on Tuesday reauthorized broad electronic eavesdropping powers that largely legalized the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program."
• NSA: It Would Violate Your Privacy to Say if We Spied on You
• Canadian government wants to fill airports with KGB-style hidden microphones--The Federal Public Safety Minister, however, has "ordered a stop to the process until a full 'privacy impact assessment' can be completed."

Your Rights Online

• FBI, DEA warn IPv6 could shield criminals from police--"The FBI, DEA, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police say IPv6 may erode their ability to trace Internet addresses -- and warn new laws may be necessary if industry doesn't do more."
• UK: Don't let the state search my internet searches--"The Communications Data Bill is an unnecessary government intrusion into personal privacy - and won't stop paedophiles, as the Home Secretary Theresa May claims."
• Open Letter to Internet Companies: Tell Us How Much We Are Being Surveilled
• Big Brother is watching Facebook and Twitter
• Apple patents anti-surveillance technology that clones your identity online
• How to be completely Anonymous online
• EFF: How to Turn on Do Not Track in Your Browser

Censorship

• Google reports 'alarming' rise in censorship by governments
• Washington State Tries To Criminalize Service Providers For User Behavior; Internet Archive Sues
• 'Censorship creep': Pirate Bay block will affect one-third of U.K.--"Nearly 10 years ago, 'Cleanfeed' was designed to protect the British public from child abuse imagery. A decade later, the same system is used to enforce ISP blocks on sites like The Pirate Bay. How did the U.K. fall into 'censorship creep'?" Slippery slopes.

TSA

• Female Passenger Groped by TSA Gropes Back, Charged with Battery
• Med Student Rescues Body Part From Airport Security
• Watch TSA Nude Body Scanners Get Defeated

Rankings, Rio+20, Eurozone, Egypt, Russia, Greece, Germany, Philippines, China

Rankings

• Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted Thanks Hector!
• Canada rises to 4th in world peace rankings--"Canada rose to fourth on an annual ranking of world peacefulness, trailing only Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand, while Syria posted the biggest drop on the list."
• Ireland up to 20th in world competitiveness list
• World Rankings: Zimbabweans close-in on Nigerians on fraud--Why do 'Nigerian scammers' say they're from Nigeria, anyhow?
• Myanmar improves in U.S. slavery rankings as reforms continue

Rio+20

• Environmental activists 'being killed at rate of one a week'
• Brazil's blueprint for reforestation
• Brazil: Hundreds Occupy Brazil's Belo Monte Dam Construction Site
• Canada wants to hold on to fossil fuel subsidies, leaked document reveals--"Canada is making waves heading into the global Rio+20 Earth Summit by trying to prevent the conference from adopting commitments requiring an end to taxpayer subsidies of the fossil fuel sector."
• Furious Greenpeace moves to 'war footing' at Rio+20

Eurozone

• Angela Merkel tells rest of Europe to get real about eurozone crisis--Her own parliament has issues about that.
• Hollande party wins majority in French parliament--More trouble for Merkel?
• Greek voices: 'We just feel betrayed. We are the EU's scapegoats

Egypt

• Egypt voters' 'loss of faith'--""We thought Tahrir Square was the only place we can change everything. We should have thought about how to move from the square into decision-making spots."
• Egypt's military grants itself sweeping powers--Martial law makes a comeback.
• Military official disputes report of Mubarak's clinical death

Russia

• Russian lawmakers adopt controversial protest bill
• Opposition rally in Moscow draws tens of thousands
• Putin is defiant despite march

Greece

• Far-right Greek MP who punched woman in the face on live TV sues his victims for defamation
• Golden Dawn threatens hospital raids against immigrants in Greece--"Far-right party says it will throw immigrants and their children out on the street, as some hospitals run short of supplies."
• Greece: far-right party returns to parliament

Germany

• German far-right lawmakers removed from parliament--"The president of Saxony's state parliament expelled eight far-right lawmakers from the assembly Wednesday for wearing clothes favored by German neo-Nazis."
• Germany bans Salafist organization amid raids--"German authorities launched a nationwide crackdown Thursday on an ultraconservative Islamic organization, raiding homes, meeting halls and mosques, while banning one related group and opening in an investigation of two others."
• A Party On The Rise, Germany's Pirates Come Ashore--Trouble brewing in the horizon?

Philippines

• Philippines accuses China of deploying ships in Scarborough shoal--Tensions have somewhat abated.
• Beware of Chinese Jingoism--They're stoking nationalistic fervor.
• The US Will Re-Open Massive Philippine Bases Not Occupied Since The Cold War

China

• China Has The Ability To Shut Down All The Telecommunications Technology It Sold To America
• China tells US Embassy to stop reporting Beijing pollution
• Chinese secretly copy Austrian town

Fat Tuesday, Medical Breakthroughs, Never Seconds, Food and Drink, V-Jay-Jay, Pakistan and Polio

Fat Tuesday

• Due To U.S. Obesity, Global Population Is 17 Million Tons Overweight
• Beating back obesity Salon
• Feeding the obesity crisis--"Fast food restaurants are leading a new campaign for a 'fourth meal.'" Salon
• Losing The Gut Race: Obesity In America - Why Other Countries Are Slimmer Than Uncle Sam
• Fitness trainer gains and loses 70 pounds in 1 year -- on purpose
• 'Diet or quit' Pakistan tells pot-bellied police
• '60 stone' woman still in hospital

Medical Breakthroughs

• Cancer test scores $75,000 science prize for teen
• Canadian researchers thwart Ebola virus
• Hunting down my son's killer--A genetic, detective story.

Never Seconds

• Nine-year-old's lunch blog shames school into making changes
• 9-Year-Old Who Changed School Lunches Silenced By Politicians
• UK council reverses ban decision, will allow nine-year-old girl to blog about her school meals
  

Food and Drink

• New York: Health panel talks about wider food ban--"The board hand-picked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that must approve his ban of selling large sugar-filled drinks at restaurants might be looking at other targets."
• Former Coke executive slams ‘share of stomach’ marketing campaign
• Coffee Drinkers Have Lower Risk of Death, Study Suggests
• Sugar seeks sweet revenge against competition from corn--"A lawsuit claims false advertising by producers of increasingly popular high fructose corn syrup, whose relation to obesity has come under increased scrutiny."
• FDA Rules Corn Syrup Can't Change Its Name To Corn Sugar
  
• Tweaking dietary fat intake could help slow brain aging, study suggests

V-Jay-Jay

• Michigan GOPers just pissed all these women off, capitol was taken, extreme anti-choice bill delayed
• Lawmaker Barred After Vagina Comment
• Massive Crowd Gathers For Reading Of Vagina Monologues At Michigan Capitol

Pakistan and Polio

• Cleric declares jihad against polio campaign--"A cleric in Muzaffargarh declared the polio campaign 'un-Islamic' and announced at the local mosque that Jihad should be carried out against the visiting polio vaccination team."
• Taliban to U.S.: End drone strikes in Pakistan, or no more polio vaccines
• Blast from the Past: Polio situation grim in Pakistan: Unicef

Bad Cops, Deaths, Corruption, Recording, Caught on Cam, International

Bad Cops

• Welcome to PoliceMisconduct.net
• Justice Thomas D. Raffaele Says Police Officer Struck Him NYT
• N.J. State Police beating of disabled man is 'disturbing' and 'unacceptable,' N.J. lawmaker says
• Mesa police to release results of misconduct investigation in road-rage incident
• Police in Utah tourist town targeted foreigners for fines
• Man Loses $22,000 In New 'Policing For Profit' Case
• Jail for ex-cop who assaulted U-Haul manager, lied
• Cop's Credibility On The Line In Kaufman Murder Trial--"On the stand, Howell admitted lying in earlier testimony; not being truthful about her relationship with the fellow cop."
• Ohio man's littering ticket tossed after uproar
• Cop's arrest roils Troy--"Sgt. Patrick Rosney, 53, was arrested Friday morning when he arrived for work at police headquarters. [...] It was a sting operation involving a New York City police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to several people briefed on the arrest."

Deaths

• Mortician discovers gunshot wound in body after man's death ruled natural
• Driver in diabetic shock killed by cops with pepper spray and Tasers
• Johannes Mehserle, Ex-BART Officer, Asks Court To Overturn Manslaughter Conviction
• B.C. police shooting video sparks calls for new probe--"Mentally ill man crawling when killed by Vancouver officer's shot."
• Seth Adams Was Still Alive After Deputy Sheriff Shot Him Four Times in Parking Lot of Family Business; New Details From Family Attorney, None From Police

Corruption

• Corrupt Kentucky sheriff brought down by reporters
• Editor says police retaliation is behind bust at wife’s spa
• Back to Collinsville--"A Collinsville, Illinois, police officer has been charged with four counts of obstruction after pulling over a motorist without cause."
• Rookie cop takes heat for arresting off-duty officer
• Broward Sheriff's detective accused of tampering

Recording

• Federal appeals court blocks Illinois law against recording police doing their jobs--It's free speech.
• U.S. Department of Justice Slaps Baltimore Police Over Right to Record Issue
• St. Louis Cops Worry That In-Car Cameras 'Are Being Used Against Them'
• Michigan Cop to Citizen: "You do have the Constitutional right to not videotape that."
• Stop-and-Frisk Watch App--Is "a free and innovative smart phone application that will empower New Yorkers to monitor police activity and hold the NYPD accountable for unlawful stop-and-frisk encounters and other police misconduct."

Caught on Cam

• White House Photographer Sues Police--"Abusive police officers arrested an 'award-winning and distinguished professional photographer' and maliciously prosecuted him for filming them as they arrested two Hispanic men, costing him his White House press pass...."
• Photographer Suing L.A. Sheriff's Dept. Detained Again For Photographing Deputies
• Connecticut Cop Arrested After Pulling Gun On Cop Who Photographed Him
• NYPD Sgt.'s filthy tirade captured in shocking cellphone video
• Kidnapping by Mexican Police Caught on Video

International

• European court says 'kettling' tactics in 2001 lawful
• Revealed: government plans for police privatisation--OCP anyone?
• RCMP 'to ease Canadians into the idea' of U.S. agents in Canada

Happy Father's Day, Law and Disorder, Men, Science, The Internet is for Pr0n

Happy Father's Day

• JCPenney Responds to Homophobic Boycott Calls with Gay Father's Day Ad
• Father's day songs to learn and perform, by Groucho Marx
• Diary of an Accidental Dad: Father's Day is Just Another Day Salon
• Teen's dad spends school year waving at bus, embarrassing son
• One Sperm Donor, 150 Sons and Daughters NYT
• A Father's Love is One of the Greatest Influences on Personality Development--"A father’s love contributes as much — and sometimes more — to a child's development as does a mother's love."
• WKUK: Dad Will Take Care of It

Law and Disorder

• Father Cleared of Rape Allegations--Gay father Paul Rusconi had his twin daughters taken away for 6 months because of baseless rape accussations by a homophobic nanny and her husband.
• Man hounded for child support for 20 years, but it's not his kid
• Iowa Supreme Court creates "paternity fraud" as a cause of action against mothers who lie
• Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation
• Father, 56, fighting for life after being stabbed trying to shield dying son from frenzied attack by hoodie gang outside pub after Chelsea match
• Father kills his daughter's molester in Texas
• Grieving father struggles to pay dead son’s student loans--"Despite the help of a lawyer, Reynoso has not been able to determine exactly how much he owes, or even what company holds his loans." Salon

Men

• Model Melissa Stetten Live-Tweets A Pathetic Pickup Attempt By Married Actor Brian Presley
• She called me a "manwhore" Salon
• "New Girl's" new manhood--"Schmidt isn't just the show's breakout character, he's a fascinating archetype of 20-something masculinity." Salon
• It’s a man-child’s world--"There seems to be no cure for Peter Pan syndrome in the movies. But if the trend hasn’t gone away, it could be because its real-life basis is still prevalent."
• Frame of Mind--What are men thinking?

Science

• Jamaican Men Love Oral Sex--"Jamaican men love oral sex. I mean they just love to talk about sex."
• Hitler ordered Nazis to make sex dolls so soldiers wouldn't catch syphilis from prostitutes
• Watermelon has effect similar to Viagra
• Sleep Apnea Treatment Might Boost Men's Sex Lives
• Penis Size World Map

The Internet is for Pr0n

• Could You Really Get Rid of Porn on the Internet?
• How Newt Gingrich Saved Porn--"In the 1990s, the speaker of the House fought against censorship of sexually explicit materials on the internet."
• Bible Belt Loves Porn
• New York High Court OKs Child-Porn Web Surfing--"Accessing and viewing child pornography over the internet is not necessarily a crime under New York law...."
• UK ISP forced to hand over details on IP addresses to porn producer
• Porn Troll Wants Wi-Fi Providers to Pay for Others' Illegal Downloads
• US judge rules in downloaders' favor in porn-copyright case--The judge won't support copyright holders who support settlement program with no intention to Litigate."

Marriage Equality, Religion, Politics and Media, Military, Educamation, Comics

Marriage Equality

• 54% of Americans now support gay marriage--Tell that to the 20% of Nevada Republicans, 63% of whom support legalizing brothels.
• Court: Rejection of Calif. Prop 8 stands--Setting up a Supreme Court showdown.
• Indiana Republicans, Democrats pull a platform reversal over gay marriage
• ACLU challenges Ill. same-sex marriage ban
• Australia: NSW upper house votes to back gay marriage

Religion

• Maine churches raising money with collection plate to fight gay marriage
• Group objects to voting on gay issue at N.C. churches
• Catholic Cardinal Authorized $20K To Pay Off Pedophile Priests, Then Railed Against 'Immorality' Of Gay Marriage
• Church of England warning on gay marriage
• Denmark Approves Gay Weddings In Church

Politics and Media

• Victory, unprecedented Salon
• State Sen. Stacey Campfield defends comments on origin, transmission of AIDS--Says the "facts out there" that states that the disease "originated from a man having sexual intercourse with a monkey."
• Charlie Crist Gay? Former Governor Allegedly Paid Men To Cover Up Affairs
• Eagle scout challenges Boy Scouts with 275,000 signatures demanding it change its anti-gay policy
• In a sign of new times, NY court says it's no longer slander to falsely call someone gay
• New Mexico Appeals Court Rejects Claim That Religious Right Can Ignore Anti-Discrimination Laws
• Spreaker Pulls Down Hate Speech by Gay-Bashing Radio Host Caiden Cowger

Military

• Pentagon to mark gay pride month--"Last summer, gays in the military dared not acknowledge their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking June as gay pride month just as it has marked other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups."
• House Republicans vs. Gay Troops--"Don't Ask, Don't Tell is dead, but thanks to congressional Republicans, the fight over gays in the military is just beginning."
• House Republicans Attempt To Ban Gay Marriages On Military Bases
• Gay Students Graduate Openly at Military Academies
• Israel: Army's 'gay soldiers' photo was staged, is misleading--"Male soldiers holding hands in IDF's viral photograph are not a couple, only one is gay, and they both serve in spokesman's unit."

Educamation

• Kameron Slade, New York Fifth Grader, Prohibited From Giving Gay Marriage Speech At School --The school has since changed its decision
• Minnesota Catholic School Forces Teacher to Resign for Disagreeing with Church on Gay Marriage
• Shorter University's 'Personal Lifestyle Statement' Which Bans Gay Employees Leads To Faculty Exodus
• Cincinnati School Hires Music Teacher, Then Calls Him In, Asks if He is a Homosexual, and Fires Him
• ACLU: Allow anti-gay T-shirt at Conn. school--"The ACLU says it disagrees with the student's opinion, but that he has the right to express it."

Comics

• Gay Superheroes & Same-Sex Marriage: Why Comics? Why Now?
• James Robinson Talks Alan Scott, DC's Gay Green Lantern--The "new"Alan Scott isn't the iconic version of Green Lantern.
• Asking DC Comics The “Gay” Question
• One Million Moms targets DC, Marvel over gay storylines--They temporarily retreated to "Vacation Bible School" after their bigotry backfired and have now returned.
• Archie Comics to reprint gay wedding issue for Comic-Con--One Million Moms launched an attack against the marriage of Kevin Keller that fell flat on its face.