Free Speech, Surveillance & Privacy, Copyfight, Canada, DRM, Trouble with Telcos, Google, Digital Justice or Digi-lantes?, Trolling

Free Speech

• New Law Criminalizing Online Student Speech Takes Effect Dec. 1
• China arrests blogger for Twitter joke
• Court bans Pussy Riot video clips
• New York Times parody account restored to Twitter after outcry
• The Internet's most hated lawyer finally gets served in free speech lawsuit--"For months, Charles Carreon has delayed case brought by 'Satirical Charles.'"
• How Ordinary Chinese Are Talking And Fighting Back--"Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, is changing the way the Chinese communicate and has become a major source of news. Its more than 300 million users are, among other things, using it to criticize government policies, stop official injustice and help ordinary people — but only up to a point."
• Cop Protects First Amendment of Journalist Against Airport Official.

Surveillance & Privacy

• Raided for running a Tor exit - Accepting donations for legal expenses
• Email Privacy Bill On Hold Till 2013--The Senate Panel has passed it but it's won't be up for a full vote yet.
• Why email is and must remain private--"Private communication, if monitored, will damage trust between individuals, making it harder to form relationships."
• Britons! Stop the Snoopers' Charter, end the government's spying plan!
• Citing hunt for pedophiles, Dutch government to make refusing to help decrypt computer a crime
• Jones Meant What it Said: EFF Urges Court to Stop Warrantless GPS Tracking
• Long Island cops probe how secret information became NYC confetti
• Does Using Certain Privacy Tools Expose You to Warrantless NSA Surveillance? ACLU Files FOIA to Find Out
• New data on privacy policies shows 20 percent of sites may sell data
• Please stop posting that fake Facebook privacy notice--Even Facebook calls it shit. Salon

Copyfight

• U.K. student strikes deal to avoid extradition in copyright case--"Richard O'Dwyer of TV-Shack fame will not be extradited to the United States to face copyright infringement charges, and will pay compensation instead."
• Members Of The Republican Study Committee Do Twitter Q&A, Ignore Every Single Question About Fixing Copyright
• "Six strikes" copyright enforcement postponed until 2013
• Verizon and Time Warner will throttle speeds and limit browsing under new Copyright Alert System
• Police Raid 9-Year-Old Pirate Bay Girl, Confiscate Winnie The Pooh Laptop--This has the makings of a PR nightmare.

Canada

• Canadian Copyright Reform In Force: Expanded User Rights Now the Law
• Canada prepares for crackdown on BitTorrent movie pirates
• Why Liability Is Limited: A Primer on New Copyright Damages as File Sharing Lawsuits Head To Canada

DRM

• DRM error causes problems for legitimate Game Maker users--"Popular development tool overwrites user-made assets with a skull and crossbones."
• Barnes & Noble Decides That Purchased Ebooks Are Only Yours Until Your Credit Card Expires
• When a mouse requires an internet connection, you're doing the "cloud" wrong

Trouble with Telcos

• Bad Connections: It's time — once again — to bust up the telecom trusts--"The result of having such sweeping control of the communications terrain, naturally, is that there is little incentive for either player to lower prices, make improvements to service or significantly invest in new technologies and infrastructure. And that, in turn, leaves American consumers with a major disadvantage compared with their counterparts in the rest of the world." NYT
• Free Market Failure: Telcos Charge More For Sending A Text Next Door Than Cost Of Sending Data From Mars
• Consumer Reports carrier rankings 2012: AT&T worst, Verizon best
• Dear Google Fiber: Please, please, please come to Boston and rescue me from Comcast--More and more people are realizing they've been bamboozled into paying more for bad service.
• BT website lets anyone upgrade your phone package

Google

• Google promotes Speak2Tweet initiative to give disconnected Syrians a voice online
• Australia: Google Must Pay For Libelous Search Result, Says Court
• Google won't be prosecuted over Street View in Germany
• Google's 'Defend your Net' campaign asks Germans to resist copyright changes
• Trolling Android app reviews now requires your real name--I have got to wean myself off the Google eco-system.

Digital Justice or Digi-lantes?

• 'Anonymous' turns in hacker who targeted children's charity
• What Happens When You Taunt 4Chan: The Story of Lacey Vicich
• Vigilantism and hate-shaming on the web – who’s the bully?

Trolling

• Don't Feed the Troll, and Other Dumb Advice
• Fend Off Trolls, Bots and Jerks With 'Empathy' Test
• The Story Of An Internet Troll With A Surprising Twist

Debt and Taxes, Rich, CEOs, Pledge, Elections Aftermath, Wingnuttery, Walmart, Fucks News, Murdoch Mysteries

Debt and Taxes

• The Myth of the Obama Cave-In--"With the 'fiscal cliff' looming, the conventional wisdom is that the president capitulated during the last tax cut fight. Here's what really happened."
• Lindsey Graham's reasonableness comes with fine print--"Democrats, after a very successful election cycle, are being asked to accept a deal in which Dems concede on tax rates, concede on entitlements, and accept the reward of Romney's revenue plan? This is what passes for bipartisan compromise in late 2012?"
• Public To GOP: Stop Saying 'No' And Start Compromising--A few people were a bit more graphic in their protest.
• Reid: Debt Limit Must Rise In Budget Deal
• No, Speaker Boehner. Some things have no pricetag--He rejected a call to pass tax cuts for those making less than $250,000.
• Leading House GOP figure's compromise plan gets shot down
• Bernie Sanders Blows the Lid Off the 'Bipartisan' Plan To Cut Taxes for Corporations and the Wealthy

Rich

• White House: Tax Rates On The Rich Will Go Up--Obama is turning to those who voted him back in for support (NYT).
• Ronald Reagan, the original class warrior?--"We're going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that have allowed some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share." These loopholes "sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying 10 percent of his salary, and that's crazy. It's time we stopped."
• Warren Buffett: A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy--They've been avoiding paying their fair share for far too long. NYT
• Kristof: A Failed Experiment--"[T]he top 1 percent of Americans now have greater collective net worth than the entire bottom 90 percent." NYT
• Kristol: "Republicans Are Going Into Contortions" Defending Millionaires
• Joe Scarborough: "There Is Something Immoral" About The Wealthiest Americans Paying A 15 Percent Tax Rate
• 'Romney is Wall Street's worst bet since the bet on subprime'

CEOs

• Morgan Stanley CEO Pushes 'Fiscal Cliff' Bipartisanship As Bank Lobbies For Tax Breaks
• Goldman's multi-billion dollar bailout queen CEO insists on Social Security, Medicare cuts--These guys can't manage their own companies' petirement plans.
• What the CEOs in Washington Today Are Really After--"The sacrifice preached by these CEOs in the fiscal cliff debate is most certainly one-sided."

Pledge

• Grover Norquist's rear-guard action on taxes
• Chambliss fires off on Norquist's anti-tax pledge--And a couple more join the list but some would rather compromise.
• Norquist says he'll go after pledge-breakers--Why does he still matter?

Elections Aftermath

• Cenk Ugyur: Legal Issues, Remedies & Strategies To Get the Money Out of Politics
• Trump Calls On GOP To Be More Appealing To Minorities--
• Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason they pushed new election law--"Former GOP chair, governor - both on outs with party - say voter fraud wasn't a concern, but reducing Democratic votes was."
• FiveThirtyEight: In Silicon Valley, Technology Talent Gap Threatens G.O.P. Campaigns NYT
• Chart of the Day: The GOP's Generation Gap Problem

Wingnuttery

• Revenge of the Reality-Based Community--"My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong."
• Gun Sales Surge After Obama’s Re-Election
• RINO Hunters Fire Warning Shots At Republican Senate Candidates
• Republican Congressional candidate who campaigned on 'family values' arrested for slapping wife weeks after losing election
• Kids hate-tweet Obama, echoing what they hear at home
• Teacher reprimanded for writing "You can't be a Democrat & go to heaven"--"A complaint was filed against a Kentucky teacher for writing the message on her class whiteboard." Salon
• Documentary maker Ken Burns: Secession petitions spurred by racism

Walmart

• Wal-Mart's strategy of deniability for workers' safety
• WalMart earns record profits while supporting Republicans who want to slash their employees' food stamps
• The Daily Show: The Employees Strike Back

Fucks News

• Fox and Unfriends--"Roger Ailes has helped kill conservatism in America, by never allowing it to criticize itself. When journalism puts power above truth it isn't, to coin a phrase, 'actual journalism'. It's propaganda."
• Is Fox Even Helping the Republicans Anymore?
• Here Are The Tricks That Fox News Uses To Manipulate Statistics On Its Graphics
• Fox News: Tom Ricks Apologized For Benghazi Criticism; Ricks: No, I Didn't--Calls the apology "horseshit."
• Fox News Host Stuart Verney stunned by millionare who wants his taxes raised.

Murdoch Mysteries

• Leveson report proposes tougher press self-regulation--"A tougher form of self-regulation backed by legislation should be introduced to uphold press standards, the Leveson report has recommended."
• News Corp exposed to growing legal threat following charges for tabloid duo--"Charges for Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson raise prospect that News Corp could be prosecuted under US anti-bribery laws...."
• Hacking victim: Stress led to marriage breakdown

Jobs, Wage Slaves, Walmart, Unions, Cars, Rise of the Machines, Quittin' Time

Jobs

• The Surprising Global Shortage of Skilled Workers--"Even as economists and politicians fret about the problem of global unemployment, those with the right résumés are in hot demand."
• Carpentry business creates hope for craftsmen down on their luck
• Time Banks Provide New Way to 'Spend' an Hour--"Time-based currency provides a sense of value for skills that the larger job market doesn't pay for."
• You Should Always Tell Your Employer That You're an Honest Person--"The Wall Street Journal reports that more and more companies are turning to software to make hiring decisions for them, rather than using human interviewers."
• What Do You Do With the Brilliant Jerk?--"Based on sheer loyalty, most entrepreneurs are inclined to try to find a way to make things work. That's almost always a mistake." NYT
• The 5 Questions That Will Tell You Everything About a Company’s Culture
• The 11 Worst Companies To Work For In America

Wage Slaves

• Krugman: The Fake Skills Shortage--"Whenever you see some business person quoted complaining about how he or she can’t find workers with the necessary skills, ask what wage they’re offering." NYT
• Harris-Perry guest: real job creators are 'low-wage workers who spend every dime that they get'
• How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart--"Costco Wholesale, the nation's fifth-largest retailer, pays its workers 42 percent more on average than its closest rival, Sam's Club." What's their secret? NYT

Walmart

• Grayson: Walmart is 'the largest recipient of public aid in the country'--Welcome back, Alan.
• Why Raises For Walmart Workers Are Good For Everyone
• Why Walmart Organizers Can't Build A Union The Old-Fashioned Way

Unions

• Fox Attacks Unions for Bargaining for Better Pay and Benefits for Their Members
• Failed CEO Carly Fiorina, with $40m retirement package, says union pensions too high
• Poor management, not union intransigence, killed Hostess

Cars

• Romney never overcame bailout opposition in Ohio
• U.S. auto industry makes the cover of Time
• When American industry was great Salon
• Happy July 4th, American automakers
• How Germany Builds Twice as Many Cars as the U.S. While Paying Its Workers Twice as Much

Rise of the Machines

• Nine jobs that humans may lose to robots
• Skilled Work, Without the Worker NYT
• Google's self-guided car could drive the next wave of unemployment
• Will your next iPhone be built by robots?
• Are droids taking our jobs?

Quittin' Time

• Ready To Quit Your Job? Here Are The 5 Things You Must Do Before Giving Notice
• I Sold Everything To Buy A Lamborghini And Drive Across The Country
• Be More Productive. Take Time Off--"Take a tip from the seasons and introduce change into the workplace." NYT

Fat Tuesday, Obamacare, Big Pharma, Brain, Psych, Hypnosis and Mind Control, Lines, Bad for your health, Biking, Medical Devices

Fat Tuesday

• "Don't Blame Me for Being Fat"--"We need to teach people to be healthier while ensuring their dignity."
• 'Ideal Weight' Ballooning With American Waistlines
• 'Fat But Happy' Gene Raises Questions About Obesity, Depression
• American killer is too fat to die--"An American on death row has claimed he is too fat to die by lethal injection."
• Why Pepsi's New 'Fat-Fighting' Soda Shouldn't Be Allowed In The U.S.

Obamacare

• Supreme Court Revives Lawsuit Against Obamacare On Religious Grounds
• White House: Obamacare Off The Table For Debt Reduction--Boehner doesn't want to quit.
• Millions will qualify for new options under the health care law. Most have no idea.
• How red-state governors are opening the doors to Obamacare--And perhaps a single-payer system.
• Jon Stewart on Papa John: Let's Stop Pretending Bosses Have Transformed into Assholes Because of Obamacare
• 'Why are they making this more difficult for us?'--"A Texas woman searches for health care as state officials move to defund Planned Parenthood."
• Dealing With Doctors Who Take Only Cash NYT

Big Pharma

• How Drug Company Money Is Undermining Science--"The pharmaceutical industry funnels money to prominent scientists who are doing research that affects its products--and nobody can stop it."
• Experts fear shortage of 'unprofitable' cancer drug--"German cancer experts are warning of a looming shortage of one of the most widely used drugs to treat the disease – because pharmaceutical companies say it is not financially worth their while to make it any more."
• As drug industry's influence over research grows, so does the potential for bias
• WHO fake drugs meet bars experts after India objects
• Fake drug? Checking authenticity is just a click away

Brain

• Touring the brain--"Our brains are rather like a city that has existed since ancient times." Salon
• Lazarus pill miracle for E Cape man--"After reading a report in City Press last month, his wife, Nomfundo, insisted that he be given a prescription for the sleeping pill Stilnox, which has the opposite effect on those with brain injuries."
• Vegetative patient Scott Routley says 'I'm not in pain'
• Human Brains Develop Wiring Slowly, Differing from Chimpanzees, George Washington University Professor Finds
• Why dissonant music strikes the wrong chord in the brain

Psych

• How Partisans Fool Themselves Into Believing Their Own Spin--"Science shows that we often allow our moral judgment to overshadow factual arguments."
• How to confuse a moral compass--"People can be tricked into reversing their opinions on moral issues, even to the point of constructing good arguments to support the opposite of their original positions...."
• Singapore is world's least emotional country, poll finds--"Only 36% of Singaporeans report feeling positive or negative emotions on a daily basis, compared to 60% in the Philippines." A Singaporean tweets, "not sure how to feel about that."
• The History of Boredom--"You've never been so interested in being bored." And there's even a conference about "the dullest subjects in the world."
• Edge of the abyss--"Michael Schofield thought his young daughter, Janni, was a genius, until he realised her bright mind masked an inner darkness."
• No link between full moon and mental problems--"Myth may come from 'self-fulfilling prophecies,' study says."
• xkcd: Nightmares

Hypnosis and Mind Control

• Oklahoma State football: Why OSU hypnotizes its quarterbacks
• Not getting sleepy? Research explains why hypnosis doesn't work for all
• Video: Puppets

Lines

• Why Waiting Is Torture--"We'll never eliminate lines altogether, but a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make those inevitable delays a touch more bearable." NYT
• 'High value' air passengers may get fast-track passport checks--"UK Border Agency working on plans for priority passport lanes for rich travellers at Heathrow and other British airports."
• Priority queues: Paying to get to the front of the line
• Mathematicians suggest new way for aircraft boarding
• We all know this feeling

Bad for your health

• The Most Preventable Causes of Death in the U.S.
• The 'nutrition gap' between Britain's rich and poor is vast – and wicked
• Neck Cracking, Dangerous? Spinal Manipulation May Increase Risk Of Stroke
• Myths of Running: Forefoot, Barefoot and Otherwise
• EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration--"Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed... after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration."

Biking

• To Encourage Biking, Cities Forget About Helmets NYT
• As gas prices soar, city cycling more attractive
• Heated cycle lanes to warm Dutch winter cyclists
• Italian bicycle sales 'surpass those of cars'
• Futuristic Cycles Become Today's Reality
• Cardboard bicycle 'close to mass production': tough, green and just $20
• The BICE study

Medical Devices

• Man hacks Kinect to help his mother e-mail after stroke
• Cancer-Detecting Smart Bra Could Soon Surpass Mammograms in Accuracy
• UCSD Student Wins Prestigious Award for Inventing Nano-Wiffle-Balls for Cancer Therapy

Cyber Monday, Apple, Google, Facebook, e-Media, Tech Death, Zynga

Cyber Monday

• What in the Internet World Is Cyber Monday Anyways? A Guide
• The Legacy of Linus Torvalds: Linux, Git, and One Giant Flamethrower
• Lenovo bucks trend with decision to manufacture in U.S.
• Have smartphones killed boredom (and is that good)?
• ThinkPad turns 20: how IBM';s 'black box' defined the laptop industry
• Study: Falling in Love with Gadgets Is Possible
• xkcd: Microsoft

Apple

• Apple loses U.K. Samsung appeal; must run 'apology' ads--And they were later on reprimanded by the court for making these ads 'false and misleading.'
• Apple must share HTC settlement details with Samsung--Is trying to kill the competition by litigation backfiring?
• SNL's Sketch Pits iPhone 5 Factory Workers Problems Against The Tech Critics--Have iPhones lost their mojo?
• iTunes Match Uses Cellular Data Even When You Say No
• Teacher Accidentally Puts Racy Photo On Students' iPad. School Bizarrely Suspends Students--"Sounds like Photo Stream gone awry."
• Developers: We warned Apple about iOS maps quality
• Former Apple engineer: Everything Apple does involving the Internet is a mess

Google

• United Nations Telecom Agency ‘Not Surprised’ By Google Campaign--Personally, I find the UN has been wishy-washy when dealing with despotic, autocractic regimes who'd like nothing more than to eliminate any form of dissent.
• Accidental email wipes $22bn from Google's shares
• Congressman to FTC: Hands Off Google--US regulators reexamining their antitrust case.
• Google competitor DuckDuckGo says it's getting shut out
• Can Google AdWords Customer Service Be Saved?

Facebook

• It's complicated: why our Facebook romance is fading
• Mark Cuban: Facebook Is Driving Away Brands - Starting With Mine
• Facebook couples pages: You can't opt out, but you shouldn't care
• Facebook proposes ditching user votes on policy changes--"Comments to replace user voting attracted 'quantity over quality' of feedback." Quality Facebook comments is an oxymoron. They just don't want a repeat of what happened before. They'll change your privacy settings, and there's nothing you can do about it!
• Facebook makes it official — an external advertising network is coming soon

e-Media

• Pick a book: Electronic copyright laws are bugging readers—and authors
• With Amazon Publishing Stonewalled By Retailers, Tim Ferriss Taps BitTorrent To Market His New Book
• Amazon closes woman's account and wipes her Kindle, refuses to say why--And they're tight-lipped as to why they've restored it.
• DRM be damned: How to protect your Amazon e-books from being deleted
• Barnes & Noble Is Shutting Down E-Book Pioneers Fictionwise.com, eReader.com And eBookwise

Tech Death

• Microsoft has failed--Is this the new "Apple is doomed"? In any case, not everyone agrees.
• RIM shot: Can BlackBerry regain its corporate ripeness?
• Fitch cuts Sony, Panasonic debt to junk
• Why Color Both Failed And Could Still Come Out Millions Of Dollars Ahead: Patents And Trademarks
• Lotus: Farewell to a Once-Great Tech Brand

Zynga

• Zynga’s financial troubles worsen, company falling faster than before
• Why Zynga Failed: Too many developers, not enough softcore gamers?
• Zynga stock plummets below value of its cash and real estate
• Zynga just Laid Off 100+ Employees during Apple event to keep it quiet
• Can Anyone Save Zynga?

Church and State, Intolerance of Religion, Blasphemy, Atheism, Sex Abuse Scandal, Abortion and Birth Control, Creationism, Republicans, Jesus

Church and State

• Pat Robertson Admits He Blew The Election Prediction He Got From God
• Franklin Graham: God May Have to Cause "A Complete Economic Collapse" to Save Nation From Obama--I think God saved America from people like him.
• German reporter goes underground at Patrick Henry College--"Nearly all of the students at Patrick Henry College have been home-schooled by ultra-conservative evangelical Christian parents. [...] Students are taught to kneel before images of Jesus and Ronald Reagan...."

Intolerance of Religion

• Islamic hardliners announce fatwa on Malala Yousafzai--"British-based Islamic radicals are preparing to announce a fatwa on Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl shot by the Pakistan Taliban, for her role in standing up to extremists."
• Turkish schoolbooks denounce Darwin, Einstein as 'Jews'
• Egypt: Women assault, cut hair of Christian woman on metro
• Salvation Army Official: Gays Deserve Death--Unsurprisingly, "the Salvation Army has officially distanced itself from Craibe's remarks...."
• Malians Rally Against Religious Extremism--"Several thousand people have turned out for a rally in Mali's capital, Bamako, to show support for 'the authentic Islam' and to say no to religious extremism." NYT

Blasphemy

• Pak man shot dead after being acquitted of blasphemy
• Pakistan acquits girl of blasphemy charges--"Charges against Rimsha Masih of burning Quran have been thrown out after police accused cleric of framing her."
• Blasphemy Charges On The Rise In Pakistan
• Nigeria riot over 'blasphemy' against Islam's prophet
• Bitten: Apple's 'blasphemous' logo under fire in Russia--"Some Russian Orthodox Christians see the iconic logo as a symbol of sin that they would like to see outlawed."

Atheism

• A Year in Jail for Not Believing in God? How Kentucky is Persecuting Atheists
• Robertson: Atheists 'Miserable' and Trying to 'Steal' Christmas Like the Grinch
• UK: Schoolboy 'banned from Scouts for being an atheist'
• No God, not even Allah--"Ex-Muslim atheists are becoming more outspoken, but tolerance is still rare."
• 'Fighting Reality': Life as an atheist in Saudi Arabia

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Former priest alleges 'system of abuse cover-ups'--"I became aware that some of the other priests were actually paedophiles and were not necessarily becoming priests because they wanted to help people, but because they were paedophiles who wanted the opportunity."
• Australia to launch national investigation of child sex abuse--"The decision came after a string of accusations surrounding the Roman Catholic Church outraged Australians and spurred regional inquiries." And victims to be able to sue church.
• 'Priests believe child abuse forgivable'
• AP Interview: Vatican sex crimes prosecutor on sin--"When Pope Benedict XVI announced last month he was transferring his respected sex crimes prosecutor to Malta to become a bishop, Vatican watchers immediately questioned whether the Holy See's tough line on clerical abuse was going soft -- and if another outspoken cleric was being punished for doing his job too well."
• The Redemption of Sinead O'Connor

Abortion and Birth Control

• U-turn for Irish health chiefs as senior consultants are axed from team leading probe into death of Savita Halappanavar--These senior consultants worked for the very hospital that's being investigated.
• Six Affairs, Two Abortions and Another Term in Congress -- Tennessee Republican Rep. Scott Desjarlais--"He now looks back with regret, he says, on the sexual relationships he had with two patients, three co-workers and a drug company representative while he was chief of staff at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper."
• US abortions fall 5 percent, biggest drop in a decade--"The reason for the decline wasn't clear, but some experts said it may be due to better use of birth control during tough economic times. Their theory is that some women believe they can't afford to get pregnant."
• After Cutting Tax Credit For Children, Michigan Republicans Consider One For Fetuses--It's like they don't care about kids after they've left the womb.
• Uh-oh, Dan Patrick's Got Another Idea to Improve Women's Health--"It almost seems as if state Sen. Dan Patrick, the talk-radio Republican from Houston, spends his free time thinking up ways to antagonize people who are already in a politically disadvantaged position."

Creationism

• Rubio: Maybe Earth was created in 7 days because 'I'm not a scientist, man'--A wannabe President pandering to conservatives? God forbid.
• Here Is What Louisiana Schoolchildren Learn About Evolution
• Evolutionist James Kirk Wall responds to young earth creationist Randy Ruggles

Republicans

• GOP's Domination Was Only Temporary
• Krugman: Grand Old Planet NYT
• A Thanksgiving Letter to the Republican Party
• Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mitt
• Tea Party Path to Victory: Go After Moderate Republicans in 2014

Jesus

• Jesus was born years earlier than thought, claims Pope
• The Inside Story of a Controversial New Text About Jesus
• The Best Of Jesus Is A Jerk

Human Rights, Europe, Greece, Italy, Africa, South Asia, China, Quebec, BBC

Human Rights

• Slavery's last stronghold--"Mauritania's endless sea of sand dunes hides an open secret: An estimated 10% to 20% of the population lives in slavery. But as one woman's journey shows, the first step toward freedom is realizing you're enslaved."
• Bahraini court confirms jail terms for medics who aided protesters
• Georgia prisons minister resigns after revelations of inmate torture and rape--What does the scandal say about the Rose Revolution?

Europe

• Moscow bans protest against political repressions 'due to lack of political repressions'
• Spain: "Laws are like women -- they are there to be raped."
• German customs seize Stradivarius violin, demand $1.5 million

Greece

• The Crisis Has Yet to Hit the Wealthiest Greeks
• Journalist who embarrassed Greeks with Swiss bank accounts is acquitted
• Corruption Continues Virtually Unchecked in Greece
• Claims of rising racism in Greece as young Egyptian tortured by employer
• Greek protesters hurl coffee at German diplomat

Italy

• Corruption Is Seen as a Drain on Italy's South NYT
• Italian Town Fires Entire Government Over Mafia Connections
• Italian politician 'slashes tyres of disabled man'--"Just when it seemed the behaviour of Italy's political class could get no worse, a member of Silvio Berlusconi's party has been forced to resign after being caught slashing the tyres of a car owned by a disabled man."

Africa

• "Nigeria Is Africa's Most Corrupt Nation!"- KPMG Report
• South Africa's president Jacob Zuma faces investigation over plans to renovate home--To the tune of £16.62m.
• How to Rob Africa--"Why does the Western world feed Africa with one hand while taking from it with the other?"

South Asia

• Scandal Poses a Riddle: Will India Ever Be Able to Tackle Corruption? NYT
• Karachi's factory fire exposes Pakistan's lax health and safety regime
• World Bank cancels Bangladesh bridge loan over corruption--And it appears that Bangladesh is taking its own anticorruption drive seriously.

China

• Yang Jisheng: The man who discovered 36 million dead--"Newsnight's Paul Mason meets Chinese journalist and author Yang Jisheng, whose acclaimed book exposing the truth about the Chinese famine 50 years ago cannot be published in his own country."
• Home Amid Chinese Highway a Symbol of Resistance--The eldery couple in Wenling, Zhejiang province refused to sell their property.
• Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan protest map of territorial claims in new Chinese passports--Add India to the list.

Quebec

• Corruption in Quebec
• We rigged contracts, gave Montreal Mafia 2.5% cut of project: Quebec construction boss at inquiry
• Montreal group hacks away at corruption one spreadsheet at a time

BBC

• 'Ghastly mess' at BBC: Ex-chief's pay questioned, more quit amid sex scandal
• BBC settles politician's libel claim in child abuse story for $293,000
• How the BBC can salvage its reputation

Middle East; Law and Disorder, Identity Crisis, War on Drugs, Legalization and Decriminalization, Jail Tales, Recording, Suits, Road Rage, Good Cops

Middle East

• Israeli soldiers open fire in 'buffer zone'--Leading up to the first Palestinian death since Wednesday's ceasefire.
• Egypt's President Mursi assumes sweeping powers--Declares himself answerable to no one.
• Libyan Leader Opposes Foreign Aid to Syrian Rebels

Law and Disorder

• Ohio Bar Association Pressured Judge To Keep Quiet About Justice For Sale
• How California's Three-Strikes Law Struck Out
• Matt Gurney: A victory for self-defence, but only a partial one
• Why British police don't have guns
• 'Guru' swindler of French aristocrats gets 8 years
• Piedmont officer is fired over public urination ticket--"Piedmont city officials have fired a police officer who wrote a public urination citation to the mother of a 3-year-old who dropped his pants in the family's front yard."
• Blast from the past: Death case defendant sues for lack of lawyers

Identity Crisis

• Hacker steals entire nation's identity--"A Greek hacker stole the personal data of about 9,000,000 Greek residents, which is approximately the same as the population of Greece itself."
• Thomas Quick: the Swedish serial killer who never was--"It reads like a real-life Scandinavian crime novel. In the 1990s, Thomas Quick confessed to more than 30 murders, making him Sweden's most notorious serial killer. Then, he changed his name and revealed his confessions were all faked."
• Google search reveals true identity of suspect in Navy charity scam
• Man loses job over mistaken identity
• Tunni Rai: A life without identity

War on Drugs

• The Fight Over Medical Marijuana--"While Jerry Sandusky got a 30-year minimum sentence for raping young boys, Mr. Williams is looking at a mandatory minimum of more than 80 years for marijuana . . ." NYT
• Time to end the war on drugs
• B.C. marijuana activist wins $25 million
• Afghan addicts help run daring new restaurant in Kabul
• Blast from the Past: Super Soldiers? Military Drug is Rage Among Students, Young Professionals

Legalization and Decriminalization

• The Feds Should Quietly Allow Colorado and Washington to Experiment with Marijuana Legalization
• The Secret Ingredients for Marijuana Legalization: Moms and Hispanics
• Former cop: Time for Obama to lead on marijuana legalization
• Legalized marijuana: Is Iowa next?
• Marijuana legalization or decriminalization backed by most Canadians: poll
• How marijuana legalization will affect Mexico's cartels, in charts
• Mexico lawmaker introduces bill to legalize marijuana

Jail Tales

• Nation's First Privately Owned State Prison Riddled With Violations Of State Law
• Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me. Then I Went Inside America's Prisons.
• Death row inmates choose comfort food for their last meals

Recording

• Glasses equipped with camera create transparency for SLCPD
• Jury says journalist arrested while videotaping police is not guilty
• LAPD officer used Taser on handcuffed woman--"Elements of the officer's version of events are contradicted by video footage."

Suits

• Paralysed woman's £6m damages claim against pool owner dismissed--"The defendant was not required to adopt a paternalistic approach to his visitors, all of whom were adults, all of whom were making choices about their behaviour that night."
• Woman breaks nose on Apple store, sues for $1M
• Tennessee Fraternity Denies Buttchugging Charge in Press Conference That Really Happened

Road Rage

• KFC ram-raided after staff refuse to serve bargain bucket meal
• TrainingPeaks founder's video nabs driver
• Stop coddling people who behave badly

Good Cops

• Canada
• Denmark
• Los Angeles, CA
• Bethlemem, PA
• Amarillo, TX

Happy Thanksgiving, Walmart; Denial, Conservatives, Christie, Libertarian; Elections, Punditry, Journalism; Reckoning

Happy Thanksgiving

• How to Avoid a Thanksgiving Food Fight
• $282 million of turkey trashed during U.S. Thanksgiving
• The Pilgrims Should Have Been Thankful for a Spirochete--"A gruesome disease granted them uninhabited, cleared land and a sweet brook."

Walmart

• Why You Shouldn't Shop at Walmart on Friday
• Walmart Strikes: Lone Worker Walks Out, Receives Trespass Warning Ahead Of Black Friday
• The Waltons: The few, the proud, the very rich--And you should see what Walmart really pays its workers.

Denial

• Archconservatives: anger, denial but no acceptance of Obama's victory--How's that 47% working out for them?
• Tea Party Nation Still Trying To Make Romney President
• Conservative Republicans fight back after Romney loss

Conservatives

• The sad state of zealots with microphones--"Leonard Pitts sees little hope that the flame-throwers of the right will change their ways."
• GOP civil war: Limbaugh vs. the consultants--"A top Republican strategist calls conservatives 'loons and wackos.' Limbaugh is not pleased." Salon
• What I Learned at a Conservative Think Tank: Propaganda Now, Facts Later!
• Republican Politicians Must Stop Pandering to Conservative Populism--"Marco Rubio said Earth's age is a great mystery. Fellow rising star Bobby Jindal’s state teaches creationism alongside science. Both Republicans are preaching reform, but if they and others keep pivoting away from common-sense science, the GOP will remain the Stupid Party—and fail."
• Studies Reveal that Conservatism is Promoted When People Rely on 'Low-Effort' Thinking--Willfull antiintellecutualism.
• Gun Seller Made Liberals Squirm Even Before Obama Ban
• Republican Underground Emerges From The Shadows--"They are few, but they are vocal: the pro-same-sex marriage, pro-choice, pro-tax Republican activists." Too little, too late?

Christie

• Romney Camp Is Fairly Confident That Christie Made Them Lose the Election
• Christie's Post-Hurricane Embrace of Obama Outrages Many in G.O.P.--Sickening that there were those who wanted him to put politics over people who gladly approved of his actions. NYT
• Chris Christie Drops By 'SNL' Weekend Update, Yells At Seth Meyers, Quotes Springsteen--Not surprised that there are those making a big deal out of it.

Libertarian

• Ron Paul's Last Speech to Congress: 30+ Strangely Ordered Questions--To be fair, I'd like a lot of these questions answered.
• The GOP's growing Libertarian problem
• The Libertarian Matrix--"The Republican Party is often very disappointing from a libertarian perspective. So take it over. Change it. Improve it. Yes, it's very hard to do. Things are tough out here in the desert of the real world. It's so much more comfortable back in the Matrix. But we're all out of blue pills. They've been regulated away by ObamaCare."

Elections

• Election Day should be a federal holiday
• Here's a thought. Why don't we make voting easy?
• Obama Doesn't Need Tech Wizardry to Fix Voting

Punditry

• Frum: Paying People to Lie to You Has Consequences
• From the Maker of Unskewed Polling Comes: The Obama Voter Fraud Map
• Joe Scarborough to Nate Silver: "I'm sorry" Salon

Journalism

• Maine News Anchor Team Resigns on Air Over 'Unbalanced News'--"Two anchors who have worked at Maine sister television stations, ABC affiliate WVII and Fox affiliate WFVX, for a combined 12 years cited 'unbalanced news' after they surprised staff on Tuesday by tendering their resignations on the air."
• MSNBC chief — Fox cheerled; we didn't--That's not what the study says.
• Glenn Greenwald on The Next 4 Years with Obama and Journalism Tips

Reckoning

• Rajat Gupta, Ex-Goldman Director, to Serve 2 Years in Trading Case NYT
• Adoboli Trading Loss Hastened UBS Investment-Bank Retreat--"Adoboli was sentenced by a London judge to seven years in jail on the fraud conviction, and must serve at least half of that term. The jury cleared him on charges of false accounting." He was responsible for losing over $2 billion and the elimination of 10,000 jobs.
• Wall Street Bonuses Cut

Protect Internet Freedom, Free Speech, Facebook, UK, Surveillance, Tech Tracking, Copyfight, Piracy, Megaupload, Telcos, Billing

Protect Internet Freedom--Google invites you to take action.

Free Speech

• Senator Wyden Puts Hold On Intelligence Authorization Act Over Free Speech Concerns
• For the first time ever, Twitter censored a controversial account run by neo-Nazis--The slipping continues.
• NYT tries to shoot down Twitter critic who tweaked its T logo--Squealching parody.

Facebook

• Thailand: Netizens warned against 'liking' photo
• Two arrested in India for Facebook comment--"The pair were due to appear in court on Monday 'charged for hurting religious sentiments.'"
• Philippines: Militants slam arrest for 'libelous' Facebook post--"Youth group Anakbayan lambasted the arrest of an anti-mining activist in Cagayan province... over an allegedly libelous statement on Facebook amid the halted Cybercrime Prevention Law."

UK

• Rowan Atkinson: we must be allowed to insult each other--"Rowan Atkinson has launched a campaign for a change in the law that bans 'insulting words and behaviour.'"
• Sticks and stones! Push to reform notorious UK 'insult' law gains momentum
• Britain's High-Tech Thought Police--"British authorities target bloggers, tweeters, and t-shirt wearers for speech crimes."

Surveillance

• Leahy scuttles his warrantless e-mail surveillance bill--I thought they were looking into increasing e-mail privacy in the wake of the Petreus scandal.
• Canada: Supreme Court rules employees have right to privacy on work computers--"The court said an individual's Internet browsing history alone is capable of exposing his or her most intimate likes, dislikes, activities and thoughts."
• You're Not Paranoid, That Department Store Mannequin Really Is Watching You

Tech Tracking

• How to Commit Internet Suicide and Disappear from the Web Forever
• Why big data could sink Europe's 'right to be forgotten'
• Zuckerberg: In 10 years, folks will share 1,000 times what they do now
• Online Analytics Firm Settles Suit Over Unstoppable User Tracking
• Australia: Backdown on internet filter plan

Copyfight

• Influential GOP group releases, pulls shockingly sensible copyright memo--Big Content no likey.
• TorrentFreak Trolls a Copyright Troll--Site turns law firm's scare tactics into educational opportunity.
• Congresswoman Crowdsourcing Domain-Seizure Bill on Reddit

Piracy

• Germany: Parents off the hook for kids' illegal downloads
• iOS apps hijack Twitter accounts, post false "confessions" of piracy
• Two sentenced to prison for online copyright infringement--"According to court documents, Lambert and Lovelady went to theaters and recorded the audio of the films."
• New Zealand: Accused student prevails in first "three strikes" copyright case
• 'Six Strikes' programs from ISPs & MPAA: Here’s what you need to know

Megaupload

• Megaupload Is Dead. Long Live Mega!
• Megaupload Assisted U.S. Prosecution of Smaller File-Sharing Service
• Obama discusses fate of Megaupload's Kim Dotcom with New Zealand prime minister

Telcos

• Google's Internet Service Might Actually Bring the U.S. Up to Speed
• AT&T bandwidth cap controversy: refuses to explain bandwidth meters
• Verizon called hypocritical for equating net neutrality to censorship

Billing

• Upper Darby T-Mobile customer stabbed while disputing bill
• Frenchwoman receives phone bill for 11,721,000,000,000,000 euros--At first the company "told her they could not amend the computer-generated statement or stop the balance from being debited from her bank account," which was "nearly 6000 times the country's annual economic output."
• Cell phone "bill shock" nearly eradicated, FCC declares

Gaza & Israel; War on Terror, Civil Liberties, Police States, Drones, Military Industrial Complex, Soldiers Under Siege, TSA

Gaza & Israel

• Israel-Hamas truce possible as int'l mediation continues
• Obama: Israel has "right to defend itself"
• Jimmy Carter: "Israelis' Policy Is to Confiscate Palestinian Territory"
• Israel must "flatten Gaza" like the US flattened Japan, says Sharon's son
• The story behind the photo: Journalist's 11-month-old son killed in Gaza strikes
• Anonymous declares 'cyberwar' on Israel
• Is Gideon Levy the most hated man in Israel or just the most heroic?--"For three decades, the writer and journalist Gideon Levy has been a lone voice, telling his readers the truth about what goes on in the Occupied Territories."

War on Terror

• What High School Taught Millennials About the War on Terrorism
• Disturbing Video Shows U.S. Defense Contractors Allegedly Drunk and on Drugs in Afghanistan
• Taliban fails to BCC an e-mail, reveals its entire PR mailing list

Civil Liberties

• How an Innocent 26-Year-Old Got Sold Into Guantanamo Hell for a $5,000 Bounty
• US Citizen Says He's Stranded In Hawaii By No-Fly List Because Of His Controversial Views--"It's scary to know that something like this can happen in a free country. You're not accused of any crime. You haven't been contacted by anyone. No investigation has been done. No due process has taken place."
• "I went to the mall, and a little girl called me a terrorist."--"The mother hushed her child, glared at me, and then took her daughter by the hand and led her out of the store."

Police States

• President Obama Unilaterally Gives Cybersecurity Powers to the Military--After the Senate voted against the Cybersecurity bill... again.
• Spain Considers Banning Photos of Police on Duty NYT
• Dutch Propose Powers For Police To Break Into Computers, Install Spyware And Destroy Data -- Anywhere In The World
• FBI Accused of Dragging Feet on Release of Info About "Stingray" Surveillance Technology
• Feds Cite 'State Secrets' in Dragnet Surveillance Case — Again

Drones

• Ban 'Killer Robots' Before It's Too Late--"Governments should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict...."
• Kucinich: Obama administration must account to Congress for targeted assassinations
• Apple blocks 'objectionable' app that reports deaths from US drone strikes--Kucinich cries foul.
• China unveils new drones aimed at buyers in developing countries
• Pakistan developing combat drones

Military Industrial Complex

• Petraeus scandal puts four-star general lifestyle under scrutiny
• Air Force scraps massive ERP project after racking up $1 billion in costs
• Another Day, Another $678 Million Stealth Jet Wrecked

Soldiers Under Siege

• Tell Republicans to Stop Dishonoring Veterans by Cutting Benefits and Blocking Jobs
• 'You should've served US better and died!' Debt collector berates disabled veteran
• "I was absolutely dumbfounded": Soldier sacked 72 HOURS before he gets his full pension--"Sergeant Lee Nolan will lose out on at least £100,000 after he became one of 20,000 soldiers who are being axed in savage military cuts."

TSA

• TSA removes X-ray body scanners from major airports--"Desire to speed up checkpoints, not safety, driving scanner switch."
• Security Flaws in the TSA Pre-Check System and the Boarding Pass Check System
• TSA plans to fire 25 employees, suspend 19 for improper screening of bags at Newark airport
• TSA arrested artist for wearing 'weird' watch
• San Diego TSA Director Retires Amid Rumors of Misconduct

Class War, Taxes; Petreus, Transparency; Election Aftermath, Republicans, Campaign Finance, Voter Suppression, Racism, Punditry

Class War

• Wal-Mart Files With N.L.R.B. to Block Union-Backed Protests--This upcoming Black Friday is too big a deal for them. NYT
• 5 Ways Most Americans Are Blind to How Their Country Is Stacked for the Wealthy
• Moyers: 'The Religion of Inequality'

Taxes

• Pelosi: Fiscal cliff deal must include tax hikes for rich Salon
• GOP senators block Dem 'insourcing' bill--"Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked an "insourcing" bill from Democrats that would have ended tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas." Three cheers for the (overseas) job creators!
• Millionaire migration a myth, say researchers at Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality--And if they do leave, so be it.

Petreus

• Stray penises and politicos
• The Petraeus Scandal Takes a Turn for the Shirtless
• Veteran F.B.I. Agent Helped Start Petraeus E-Mail Inquiry NYT
• ABC Affiliate: 'All Up In My Snatch' Petraeus Book Graphic A 'Mistake'
• Petraeus Case Raises Concerns About Americans' Privacy NYT
• Republicans skip Benghazi hearing; complain about lack of information on Benghazi
• 5 things we've learned from Petraeus scandal

Transparency

• White House Wins Open-Government Award; Keeps It Secret
• Obama Cabinet Flunks Disclosure Test With 19 in 20 Ignoring Law
• Google transparency report: Government Surveillance Requests Are Way Up—and the U.S. Is the Leader

Elections Aftermath

• Graphic: Highly Detailed Election Results Map
• Gay Vote Seen as Crucial in Obama's Victory
• Democrats, don't get too cocky
• Democrats Unlikely to Regain House in 2014
• Now That's What I Call Gerrymandering!--"Americans didn't intend to elect a Republican majority to the House of Representatives. Thanks to GOP-engineered redistricting, they did."
• FFRF sues IRS to enforce church electioneering ban--"The Freedom From Religion Foundation is taking the Internal Revenue Service to court over its failure to enforce electioneering restrictions against churches and religious organizations, calling it a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and of FFRF's equal protection rights."
• How to Rig an Election: The G.O.P. aims to paint the country red

Republicans

• Tea Party Learns Its Painful Electoral Lesson: That Mitt Romney Was Too Moderate--And they blame the Republican establishment. The fact that they're bat-shit crazy has nothing to do with their losses.
• Jindal: End 'dumbed-down conservatism'--So brave saying this after the elections are over, but then again, he probably doesn't really mean it (Salon).
• Jon Huntsman: Tune out 'pontificators'--"Jon Huntsman on Monday joined a chorus of center-right critics who are questioning the GOP's reliance on the conservative media establishment, saying the party needed to move beyond 'pontificators …who are making millions.'"
• Let's Just Say It, Karl Rove Is A Big Part Of The Problem
• In California, 'Republican' Is Becoming A Toxic Label--But that won't stop them from pushing on.
• Allen West falls further behind--And hopefully all the way out of the House.
• Jon Stewart: 'How On Earth Did Mitt Romney Find Out About The Extraordinary Bag Of Gifts?'--Romney complained to his donors that Obama 'bribed' his way back to the White House.

Campaign Finance

• Republicans Aren't So Good With Money After All
• Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS Never Filed Legally Required Registration
• Campaign Finance Reformers Get Back To Work After Record Election Spending
• Sen. Franken: Put Citizens United in the Dumpster of Bad Ideas
• Colbert Super PAC SHH! - Secret Second 501c4--Guess what happens to SuperPAC money?

Voter Suppression

• Arizona Republicans Sue To Block Ballots In Latino Precinct --Around 100,000 votes may be thrown out (NYT).
• Judge Slaps Husted's Last-Minute Ballot Change In Ohio
• Romney Co-Chair: Romney Would Have 'Absolutely' Won Wisconsin With Voter ID Law

Racism

• Maine GOP's Charlie Webster: 'Unusual' To See Black People Voting
• Paul Ryan: Obama won because of 'urban' turnout
• Romney's Hispanic chairman says candidate made mistakes--And now they're trying to make nice as far as immigration reform goes.
• Why a Rush Limbaugh Listener Thinks Calling Obama a 'Magic Negro' Is Okay
• Exclusive: Lee Atwater's Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy

Punditry

• Gallup is very upset at Nate Silver Salon
• Dick Morris: I Predicted Romney's Landslide To Help Him Win
• Pundit Shaming