Gun Control, NRA, Deaths, Educamation, Videogame Violence

Gun Control

• Lack Of Up-To-Date Research Complicates Gun Debate
• Gabby Giffords: 'Too Many Children Are Dying. We Must Do Something
• Gayle Trotter Opposed Law To Protect Women Before Testifying On Guns For Moms
• Rick Perry Says Prayer, Not Gun Control, Will Keep American Children Safe From Violence
• Father of Newtown victim heckled at hearing
• Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theory Video Debunked By Experts
• Colbert: Obama's Gun Grab—"Since King Gun Snatcher the Magnificent knew his gun policies weren't going to pass the smell test, he stoops to surrounding himself with children during his speech."

NRA

• Unmasking the NRA's Inner Circle—"[T]oday's NRA, widely considered to be disproportionately influential in politics, operates more like a corporation or politburo than a typical nonprofit or lobbying organization."
• LaPierre Fights To Stop The 'Nightmare' Of Background Checks—Sen. Dick Durbin fires back, "Mr. LaPierre, that's the point. The criminals won't go to purchase the guns because there'll be a background check. We'll stop them from original purchase. You missed that point completely. It's basic."
• How To Convince The NRA That Assault Weapons, Not The Media, Are Responsible For Gun Massacres
• How the NRA spent $32 million on politics in 2012
• Jon Stewart Trashes NRA: They Must Be A Michael Moore-Run Covert Op To Make Gun Owners Look Stupid

Deaths

• 15-Year-Old Girl Who Performed at Inaguration Shot And Killed In Kenwood Neighborhood Park
• Georgia man shoots and kills young Latino who accidentally pulled into his driveway, police say
• Jimmy Lee Dykes Accused Of Killing Alabama Bus Driver, Taking 6-Year-Old Hostage

Educamation

• Missouri Bill Would Require All First Graders To Take NRA-Sponsored Gun Class
• 'Firearms instructor' hired as school guard leaves handgun in student bathroom
• Charges: Dad points AK-47 at daughter for getting two B's in school

Videogame Violence

• Yes, a US Senator just said games are a bigger problem than guns
• Obama Urges $10 Million to Study Video Games and Violence WSJ
• How the Video-Game Industry Defends Itself from the NRA — and Joe Biden
• I'm Mentally Ill, I Love Violent Video Games, And They've Never Made Me Feel Like Killing Anyone
• Video Games are Now Cigarettes with New Proposed Taxes, Labels and Restrictions

Aaron Swartz, Ortiz; Cybersecurity, Hacks and Scams; Corporate Misconduct, Apple; Facebook, Social Media

Aaron Swartz

• Congressmen want answers from Aaron Swartz prosecutors
• Why Did the Justice System Target Aaron Swartz?
• Aaron Swartz, Financial Fraud and the Justice Department—"The Justice Department's determination to commit substantial time and resources to prosecuting Swartz presents a striking contrast to its see-no-evil attitude when it comes to financial fraud by the Wall Street banks."
• How the Legal System Failed Aaron Swartz—and Us
• Congresswoman to Propose Computer Crimes Amendment in Wake of Activst's Death
• What the Aaron Swartz Tragedy Means to His Generation
• Aaron Swartz protesters take over government websites, install Asteroids

Ortiz

• Carmen Ortiz and Stephen Heymann: accountability for prosecutorial abuse—"Imposing real consequences on these federal prosecutors in the Aaron Swartz case is vital for both justice and reform."
• Prosecutor in Aaron Swartz 'hacking' case comes under fire—"''He was killed by the government,' Swartz's father, Robert, said at his son's funeral in Highland Park, Ill."
• Aaron Swartz's embattled prosecuting attorney releases first statement, says conduct was 'appropriate'
• Still More About The Death Of Aaron Swartz—"United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who still has political ambitions beyond her current station, and her husband, and some unfortunate media enablers, have finally organized a response to the torrent of criticism she and her office have received in regard to her breaking-a-butterfly-on-a-wheel prosecution of activist Aaron Swartz, whom Ortiz's office tried to throw in prison for the crime of stealing stuff the actual owners eventually said that they didn't care that much about."
• Aaron Swartz prosecutor 'drove another hacker to suicide in 2008 after he named him in a cyber crime case'
• Swartz didn't face prison until feds took over case, report says—"The late Internet activist was facing a stern warning from local prosecutors. But then the U.S. Attorney's office, run by Carmen Ortiz, chose to make an example of Aaron Swartz, a new report says."
• White House Must Respond to Petition to Remove U.S. Attorney in Aaron Swartz Case

Cybersecurity

• Web inventor says governments stifling net freedom—"The inventor of the World Wide Web warned Friday that government control is limiting the possibilities of the Internet, as dozens of countries and businesses signed a cybersecurity deal at the Davos forum."
• Homeland Security's Napolitano invokes 9/11 to push for CISPA 2.0
• Pentagon to increase cyber security force fivefold - report
• Greenwald: Pentagon's new massive expansion of 'cyber-security' unit is about everything except defense—"Cyber-threats are the new pretext to justify expansion of power and profit for the public-private National Security State."
• The Hunt for Red October: Virus Hunters Try to Catch Diplomatic Time Bomb—It's been going on for five years.

Hacks and Scams

• 31 Years Ago Today, the Computer Virus Was Born
• Cisco Annual Security Report: Threats Step Out of the Shadows
• Researchers Find Serious Security Flaws in Universal Plug and Play—The recommendation is to turn it off.
• Oracle: 'We Have to Fix Java'—And Java's vulnerabilities aren't the only problem with it.
• Zero-day exploits: Should the hacker gray market be regulated?
• Apple Now Locking Screenshots for Submitted Apps, Shutting Down Popular Scam Tactic
• Internet criminals: so reliably dumb at hiding their tracks

Corporate Misconduct

• How Newegg crushed the "shopping cart" patent and saved online retail—Patent trolling should be illegal.
• CNET forbidden from reviewing Aereo following CBS-Dish controversy—Throwing their journalistic integrity out the window.
• Sim City beta EULA includes company-wide ban for unreported bugs
• Amazon deletes negative feedback, but only for its own shipping service
• How PRWeb Helps Distribute Crap Into Google & News Sites

Apple

• In Asia's trend-setting cities, iPhone fatigue sets in
• Has Apple finally abandoned its sad claim to the 'Multi-Touch' trademark?
• Judge: Samsung didn't 'willfully' infringe Apple patents—"A California judge made a post-trial ruling today in the Apple vs. Samsung case that will most likely prevent the iPhone-maker from collecting millions more in damages."

Facebook

• Social oldies mean Facebook loses its cool
• Facebook: Yeah, We're Getting Tough With Developers—"Under fire for cutting off popular new apps, Facebook has announced new rules for developers using its social network."
• Addicted To Facebook? It May Be Time To Rethink Your Priorities, Consider A "Facebook Diet"

Social Media

• Instagram Asking For Your Government Issued Photo IDs Now, Too
• Watch out Facebook, Google+ is now the world's second largest social network and it's growing fast!
• The last three months on Foursquare

Fat Tuesday; Obamacare; Diseases; Vaccine; Psych; Health Issues

Fat Tuesday

• Shaming fat people into losing weight is the only way to solve obesity epidemic, leading health academic claims
• Obese who refuse to exercise 'could face benefits cut' in the UK
• Male Jurors More Likely To Find Fat Women Guilty, According to Depressing Study
• Coca-Cola weighs in on obesity fight
• Tax Soda? How About Making Fruits And Veggies Cheaper, Too?

Obamacare

• ObamaCare in Plain English: What it Means for You
• Rick Scott Under Fire For Inflating Cost Of Health Law's Medicaid Expansion
• Whole Foods CEO: Obamacare Is 'Like Fascism'
• Bachmann can't find a co-sponsor for her 'repeal Obamcare' bill
• Public Option Resurfaced By House Democrats As Deficit Reduction Measure
• Health Care Spending Target Could Save U.S. $2 Trillion Over The Next Decade, Study Finds
• Papa John's PR firm targets bloggers—"Papa John’s public relations firm has been tracking down bloggers who write posts about the pizza mogul’s comments on Obamacare for months and asking them to correct or remove their posts."

Diseases

• First Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Cases Detected in North America
• 700 cases of flu prompt Boston to declare emergency—In related news, a study says that flu shots are only 59% effective in healthy adults.
• World Economic Forum Warns That Patents Are Making Us Lose The Race Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
• Dengue is fastest-spreading tropical disease, WHO says
• How India Fought Polio — and Won

Vaccine

• Houston councilman votes to reject federal money for childhood vaccines—"I'm going to vote against this. You don't die from the flu."
• Joe Lastinger, Father Whose Child Died From Flu: 'We Paid Horrible Price' For Not Vaccinating
• Anti-vaccine book tells kids to embrace measles Salon

Psych

• Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed—"We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing."
• Manic Nation: Dr. Peter Whybrow Says We’re Addicted to Stress—"'The computer is electronic cocaine for many people. Our brains are wired for finding immediate reward.' Which is why we can’t stop."
• How Aggressive Narcissism Explains Lance Armstrong—"Given his persistent lying and bullying, his arrogance and apparent indifference to the feelings of others, and the pain he inflicted on so many people, it's difficult to feel much compassion for Armstrong -- to even care to understand why he behaves the way he does. But let's try."
• Teacher claims discrimination over her fear of kids—"Maria C. Waltherr-Willard, 61, of Greenhills says the district in which she worked for 35 years discriminated against her when it reassigned her in 2010 from its high school to its junior high and then pressured her to resign."
• Yes, lead poisoning could really be a cause of violent crime—"It seems crazy, but the evidence about lead is stacking up. Behind crimes that have destroyed so many lives, is there a much greater crime?"
• Dealing with Depression: All Blacks Don't Cry
• Brown eyes appear more trustworthy than blue

Health Issues

• Dr. Oz: The Operator—"Is the most trusted doctor in America doing more harm than good?"
• The antioxidant myth is too easy to swallow—"People are hooked on the fallacy that 'antioxidant' is a byword for 'healthy' – perhaps because the truth is less appealing."
• Dismissed cancer patient gets her Redlands Jo-Ann's job back—The company reinstated her "due to the unique circumstances involved in this case," most probably the amount of negative PR they got for dismissing her in the first place.
• Conservative Think Tank Ranks Countries With Government-Run Health Care As The Freest In World
• Canadian 'gitchhiker' completes cross-country charity trip in only his underwear

International Privacy Day, Surveillance, Your Rights Online, Facebook; Lego Day, Entertainment, Tech, Ships

International Privacy Day

• How Generation Y really feels about online privacy
• 112th Congress Finished Its Term By Taking Away More of Your Privacy, In The Worst Possible Way
• For the first time, a small data breach draws a big fine ($50K)
• Student Suspended for Refusing to Wear RFID Tracker Loses Lawsuit
• How-to stop getting tracked in your Browser

Surveillance

• Surveillance Strategy Is 'Privileged and Confidential,' FBI Says
• U.S. Spy Law Authorizes Mass Surveillance of European Citizens: Report
• Now The FBI Has A Program That Scans Emails For 3,000 Suspicious "You're Up To No Good" Phrases
• Court Again Says It's Okay For The Feds To Snoop Through Your Digital Info Without Telling You
• Anti-surveillance activists turn smashing CCTV cameras into a competitive game

Your Rights Online

• Google stands up for Gmail users, requires cops to get a warrant—"As e-mail privacy laws stall in Congress, Google pushes for stronger standard."
• Nokia: Yes, we decrypt your HTTPS data, but don't worry about it
• Yahoo Mail users quietly given HTTPS security option following pressure from privacy advocates

Facebook

• Facebook's Graph Search Makes It Official: You Are Its Product--It could be the greatest invation of privacy ever.
• On Facebook, users can no longer hide from search results
• Yes, Randi Zuckerberg, Please Lecture Us About 'Human Decency'

Lego Day

• My buddy made this out of Legos...
• Cool anatomical sculptures of Lego people
• How many Legos are needed to build your house?
• How tall can a Lego tower get?
• Lego Mystery Box redux
• 1.8-million-Lego map of Japan will make you feel like Godzilla
• "hello."
• Now that's customer service! Lego tracks down rare train set for Asperger's boy, 11, who saved up for it for two years only to discover it was no longer made

Entertainment

• Movie Scenes in Lego
• A Life Size Lego Hobbit Environment!
• Shaun of the Dead Lego set
• Lego Minecraft fuses best of both worlds
• Lego Dalek

Tech

• Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space—"Using home-stitched parachute and equipment found on Craigslist, two 17-year-olds send Lego-naut 80,000ft into the air."
• Drone made of Lego takes flight.
• Video: Supercomputer made of 64 Raspberry Pis and Lego bricks

Ships

• Awesome Lego Builder Crafts a Massive Replica of Khan's Sweet 'Star Trek II' Space Ride
• Serenity insanity - Giant Lego Serenity spaceship astounds
• Lego Battleship

War on Drugs, Legalization and Decriminalization, States, 'Stop and Frisk'; Bad Cops, Florida; False Rape

War on Drugs

• The Human Casualties of the War on Drugs
• The war on drugs is a war on people
• Drug Testing Unemployment Measures To Get Boost In State Legislatures
• Harris-Perry: Ending drug war may be 'best gun control measure we can enact'
• Mexico: Nine killed in Coahuila bar shootings
• Police drug search intrudes on husband's final moments with deceased wife—"A man says Vernal police disrupted an intimate moment of mourning with his deceased wife of 58 years when they searched his house for her prescription medication without a warrant within minutes of her death."
• PSA: Hey kid, want some drugs?

Legalization and Decriminalization

• How Billionaire Peter Lewis Is Bankrolling Marijuana Legalization
• Calls to legalize pot are gaining America's support
• Why marijuana should be legal for adults
• White House drug czar: We're having a "serious conversation" about pot
• Marijuana dispensary operator Aaron Sandusky sentenced to 10 years
• Despite Legalization, WA Continues Prosecuting Marijuana Cases
• Would Legalizing Marijuana Be Too Hard on Simpletons?—"That's the latest argument offered by a prominent critic of legal cannabis. And it fails even if you accept the need for paternalism."
• The DEA's marijuana mistake—"The DEA and the National Institute for Drug Abuse block serious research on medical uses of marijuana, creating a ridiculous circle of denials."

States

• 59% of Arizonians Want Marijuana Regulated Like Alcohol
• 57% of Hawaiian Voters Support Marijuana Legalization
• Daylin Leach offers a wry, liberal, influential voice in the Pennsylvania Senate

'Stop and Frisk'

• NYPD's controversial 'Stop and Frisk' policy ruled unconstitutional—Part of it anyway, but a big part.
• Cuomo pushes marijuana decriminalization after court ends 'stop and frisk'
• Is Stop-And-Frisk Spreading to Other Cities?

Bad Cops

• Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous Takes On Ohio Sheriff
• Blind man seeks compensation for police Taser mistake
• NC Woman Sues NYPD Over Empire State Shooting—"A North Carolina college student hit by police gunfire during a shooting outside the Empire State Building argued in a lawsuit Tuesday that the police department and the officers involved need better training to deal with such confrontations in the future."
• Seattle protester files suit after video shows police lie
• Too little punishment for Pr. George's police officer's assault—"If a witness hadn't shot video of two Prince George's County police officers savagely beating John McKenna... that would probably have been the end of it."

Florida

• Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Who Arrested Speeding Miami Officer Files Lawsuit
• Michael Dunn, Florida Man, Invokes 'Stand Your Ground' Law After Shooting Black Teen
• Florida: Changing Car Color Does Not Justify Traffic Stop—"Florida Court of Appeal rules repainted cars should not be automatically subject to traffic stops.

False Rape

• Teenager falsely accused of rape beaten to death by gang—"Five killers carried out the 'extraordinarily callous, violent and brutal' murder of a teenager after the sister of one wrongly claimed he had raped her, a court heard today."
• Mum-to-be Sabrina Johnson jailed for a year for crying rape
• Wymore man sues after false rape accusation

Gun Control, NRA, Conspiracy Theories, Educamation, Violent Videogames

Gun Control

• US gun debate: Obama to unveil gun control proposals--Good luck having Congress approve them
• Unhinged Tactical Response CEO threatens to 'start killing people' over Obama's gun control--His online rant lost him his permit to carry, which he's pleading to get back.
• Sales of Guns Soar in U.S. as Nation Weighs Tougher Limits NYT
• Bill called 'toughest gun control package in the nation' passed by New York Senate--It makes the PATRIOT Act look good by comparison.
• Texas lawyers give $1 million to gun control super PAC--"Steve and Amber Mostyn, wealthy Texas lawyers who donated millions to help elect Democrats last year, are giving $1 million to a new gun control super PAC created by former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly."
• Jon Stewart Goes After Gun Control Opponents On The Right
• Piers Morgan: No regrets over calling US gun lobby stupid

NRA

• NRA Vows To Stop Tucson From Destroying Guns
• NRA 'disappointed' by meeting with Biden
• NRA hits Obama over 'hypocrisy' of armed guards for daughters
• CNN interrupts coverage of Biden on the NRA with news of another school shooter
• The NRA once supported gun control--"It may seem hard to believe, but for decades the organization helped write federal laws restricting gun use." Salon
• Maddow: NRA fades from important to impotent
• Colbert Report: Gun Control Backlash

Conspiracy Theories

• Exposing Newtown conspiracy theory--"Some people are actually claiming the Newtown school shooting was staged (Salon) by the government and media who are in support of stricter gun control laws."
• Sandy Hook Conspiracy Video Goes Viral, Questions Everything
• This man helped save six children, is now getting harassed for it--"Gene Rosen sheltered six kids during the Sandy Hook massacre. Now he's become a target of conspiracy theorists." Salon

Educamation

• Newton Victim: Wrestling With Details of Noah Pozner's Killing
• Armed Janitors Approved By Montpelier, Ohio, School Board To Stop School Shootings
• After Newtown shootings, Pennsylvania county hires armed school guards
• Dad poses as gunman to test school security, gets arrested
• Why Are Poor Kids Paying for School Security?

Violent Videogames

• One Month After Newtown Shooting, NRA Releases Shooting Game App With Coffin-Shaped Targets--Yet another nail in their crazy coffin.
• Makers of Violent Video Games Marshal Support to Fend Off Regulation NYT
• Rep. Diane Franklin wants tax on violent video games

Trillion Dollar Coin, Fiscal Cliff; Class War; Super PACs; GOP; Immigration; Financial Crisis

Trillion Dollar Coin

• Treasury: No, we won't mint $1 trillion platinum coin to avoid debt ceiling
• Krugman: Lazy Jon Stewart--May have to brush up on his economics.
• Drum: Platinum Coins and Banana Republics

Fiscal Cliff

• Obama press conference: Refusing to raise debt ceiling 'absurd'--Republicans playing politcs to preserve their primary victories.
• Secretary Geithner Sends Debt Limit Letter to Congress--"Even a temporary default with a brief interruption in payments that Congress subsequently restores would be terribly damaging, calling into question the willingness of Congress to uphold America's longstanding commitment to meet the obligations of the nation in full and on time."
• Debt debate: No easy path to avoid chaos
• Krugman Slams GOP For Debt Ceiling Threat On ABC's This Week: 'This Is Hostage-Taking'
• Half of Republicans in Congress Are Apparently Cool With America Defaulting--One of them says of shutting down the government: "It's a good thing."

Class War

• America’s Productivity Climbs, but Wages Stagnate--"The debt-ceiling debate is unlikely to alter one major factor contributing to income inequality: stagnant wages." NYT
• The Five-Step Process to Cheat the Middle Class Worker
• Labor mural removed by Maine gov. back on display Salon

Super PACs

• Ben & Jerry's: Stamping out big money in politics
• Comedy Central star Colbert to reward Pitt students who solved super-PAC puzzle
• 2012: Reviewing the year of the super PAC

GOP

• Dysfunction Junction: Why the GOP resembles a failed state.
• Bob Schieffer Grills John McCain: Why Is The GOP 'Against Every Single Person' Obama Nominates?
• No Longer the 'Party of Eisenhower and Reagan'--"Republican opposition to defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel reveals just how far the party's thinking has drifted on foreign policy."
• Powell: GOP has 'a dark vein of intolerance'
• The House GOP can't be beat: It's worse than gerrymandering

Immigration

• Obama Will Seek Citizenship Path in One Fast Push NYT
• Residents in Arizona town feel 'invaded by Border Patrol'--"Many locals in and around Bisbee say agents and new security infrastructure have created a military-like occupation in their once-sleepy hamlets."
• Immigration enforcement: $18 billion spent more than all other federal law enforcement combined

Financial Crisis

• Goldman bankers set for bonus windfall as profits rise--"Goldman Sachs bankers are poised for a bigger windfall when bonuses are handed out later this month after the US investment bank enjoyed a stronger 2012."
• Paying the Price, but Often Deducting It--"In many cases when the government reaches a financial settlement with a corporation, the companies later deduct the payments on their taxes." NYT
• Blast from the Past: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Financial Crisis

Aaron Swartz; Copyfight; PayPal; Facebook; Google; Data Caps; Trouble with Telcos; Media Manipulation; Hoaxes and Scams

Aaron Swartz

• Remember Aaron Swartz
• RIP, Aaron Swartz
• Lessig: Prosecutor as bully
• Remember Aaron Swartz by working against government abuses--"The internet activist was an advocate for open society who faced an abusive prosecution from the government. He will be missed."
• The inspiring heroism of Aaron Swartz
• MIT Responds to Death of Activist Aaron Swartz, Begins Internal Investigation
• Expert witness describes Aaron Swartz's "crimes"--The US AG wanted to jail him for 30 years.

Copyfight

• "Buffy vs Edward" remix is back online, but no fallout for Lionsgate--""I'm happy that 'Buffy vs Edward' is back on YouTube but what's to stop this sort of thing from happening again? Will Lionsgate face any repercussions for abusing YouTube's system and sending this bogus DMCA takedown? "
• Public domain: Access denied
• Why There Are Only 100 Copies Of The New Bob Dylan Record--"Only available in Europe, Dylan's new, limited-edition compilation aims to extend the copyright on unreleased material from the beginning of his career."

PayPal

• Jay Lake v. PayPal--"Yet I cannot help wondering how this would have gone without my own social media footprint and widespread network of friends and fans. Would I be looking at weeks of paperwork and a continually frozen account, as my friend has experienced?"
• PayPal "guilty until proven innocent" account freeze
• PayPal Demands Invites to Private BitTorrent Trackers

Facebook

• Monetization on steroids: Facebook's $100 experiment
• Facebook UK loses 600,000 users in December
• Reverse trolling sweeps American schools with craze for Facebook pages dedicated to anonymous compliments

Google

• Does Constant Googling Really Make You Stupid? 
• Google's ultrafast Internet draws startups to KC
• Plus-One This: Proof That Google Plus Will Prevail--They're also innovating more quickly.

Data Caps

• Why Data Caps Suck: The Animated Examination
• Cable Industry Draws Scrutiny For Putting Internet Users On A Scale
• FCC Hires New Cap Loving Chief Economist--"Steven Wildman previously used by ISPs to justify caps."

Trouble with Telcos

• How the iPhone 5 prompted my divorce from AT&T and new life with Verizon
• Do You Really Need a Voice Plan with That Fancy Smartphone?
• Why Consumers of U.S. Wireless Carriers Need a Google

Media Manipulation

• I Was a Paid Internet Shill: How Shadowy Groups Manipulate Internet Opinion and Debate
• Don't read the comments! Online communities shape risk perception--"More people get science news from blogs, where commentary shapes opinions."
• Vietnam admits deploying bloggers to support government

Hoaxes and Scams

• After a half-decade, massive Wikipedia hoax finally exposed
• Watch How A 4chan Hoax Happens--"BuzzFeed sat in on a private chatroom full of anonymous 4chan members as they put together a follow-up prank to their #Cutting4Bieber Twitter hoax...."
• Internet Bieber hoax fuelled vicious cycle--"Prank a sign of cynicism, experts say."

Science Under Siege, Saving Science, Fake Science; Culture War; Islamists; Sex Abuse Scandals; LGBT

Science Under Siege

• Meet The House GOP's Anti-Science Committee--"All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell."
• Fox News Does Its Part In War On Science, Demands 'Recount' Of Weather Temperatures
• Systematic Corruption Alleged Within Italian Research Ministry
• UK: Science spending falls even faster than feared despite government pledge
• Italy disaster head Luciano Maiani quits over L'Aquila
• Teacher tried to dissuade Nobel winner from science

Saving Science

• Nikola Tesla museum campaign earns $500,000 online in two days--TheOatmeal's latest fundraiser hit its $850k goal in one week and has gone past a million.
• Library of Congress Acquires Carl Sagan Papers--Thanks much in part to Seth McFarlane.
• A plan to open up science journals--"Cambridge’s Labtiva applies the iTunes sales approach to often costly research."
• Physicist Elected to Congress Calls for More Scientists-Statesmen

Fake Science

• False positives: fraud and misconduct are threatening scientific research
• Fake Science
• Fake Science 101: 11 Brilliantly Inaccurate Scientific Explanations

Culture War

• GOP looks for ways to stop the rape comments
• Rick Perry’s War On Women Could Cost Texas Nearly Half A Billion Dollars
• Pat Robertson: "Awful-looking" women are ruining marriages Salon
• Saudi court ruling divorces teenager from 90-year-old man
• Lawyer for one of the rapist blames the victim in India

Islamists

• Pakistan mob mutilate and kills man for 'burning Quran'
• Preacher alarms many Egyptians with calls for Islamist vice police
• France confirms Mali military intervention

Sex Abuse Scandals

• Catholic Church in Germany drops sex abuse inquiry
• Jimmy Savile scandal: Report reveals decades of abuse
• Anti-gay activist lawyer guilty of child pornography after videotaping daughter Salon

LGBT

• Vatican: Children should have mom, dad after Italy high court upholds custody for gay mother
• Protest against gay marriage: Huge crowds expected in Paris--"Strongly backed by the Catholic hierarchy, lay activists have mobilized a hybrid coalition of church-going families, political conservatives, Muslims, evangelicals and even homosexuals opposed to gay marriage for the show of force."
• Lesbian couple: Restaurant owner hands them letter condemning homosexuality
• Alabama's Sex-Ed Curriculum Teaches Kids Being Gay Is 'Criminal'
• Anti-gay pastor withdraws--"The Rev. Louis Giglio, who called homosexuality a 'sin,' has backed out of Obama's inauguration ceremonies." Salon

Hacking; Your Rights Online; Censorship; Free Speech; Copyfight; Tech Cases; Bandwidth; Netflix

Hacking

• Critical Java vulnerability made possible by earlier incomplete patch--"Memo to Oracle: Security bugs are like mushrooms. Don't stop picking too early." This issue is being "massively exploited" so turn off Java now.
• Massive bank cyberattack planned
• Internet Explorer vulnerability lets hackers track your mouse movements

Your Rights Online

• Why the UN's push to control the Internet isn't over
• Cyberlaw Predictions: International Pressure on Internet Governance
• 'The Internet is threatened': Google's chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf
• Senator Wyden lays out "digital freedom" agenda--"The 'Senator from the Internet' preaches to the choir at CES."
• The new politics of the internet: Everything is connected--"Can internet activism turn into a real political movement?"

Censorship

• France's censorship demands to Twitter are more dangerous than 'hate speech'
• Google concedes defeat in China censorship battle--"US company quietly drops warning message that Chinese users saw when searching for politically sensitive phrases."
• A Chinese Web censor snaps, goes on public rant
• Judge can't order Yelp user to edit negative review
• CBS blocks CNet praise for legal foe Dish--"One day after CNET named the DISH Hopper to an awards shortlist, the tech blog's parent company CBS stepped in and nixed the accolade because of a legal battle."

Free Speech

• Nicola Roxon's discrimination laws draw flak from media--"The nation's media giants have slammed Labor's plans to make it unlawful to offend or insult people under the proposed overhaul of discrimination law, warning it could encourage audiences to be unnecessarily thin-skinned and outlets to restrict contentious or complex material." The Australian
• Nick Kristof live-tweets his Bahrain visa crisis--They didn't want him to report what's been happening inside the country.
• Remy Couture found not guilty of corrupting morals

Copyfight

• Republican staffer fired for copyright memo finally speaks --He's standing behind his work.
• The Guardian: Why the entertainment industry's release strategy creates piracy--Dotcom sums up succinctly.
• Dotcom files against US government, accuses FBI of dodgy dealing
• "Buffy vs Edward" remix unfairly removed by Lionsgate--Purported model of fair use gets DMCA'd to death.
• Verizon's "Six Strikes" Anti-Piracy Measures Unveiled

Tech Cases

• Hacker Gary McKinnon will not face UK charges
• The bizarre tale of John McAfee, spymaster
• Hacker, Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide

Bandwidth

• Susan Crawford: "Captive Audience"--"[W]e've allowed a handful of cable companies to become monopolies that stifle competition and innovation. Their monopoly status is also why Americans pay more money for worse Internet service than consumers in most other developed nations."
• Gangnam Bandwidth, American Style --"For most Americans, five years from now, the best network available to them will be the same network they have today."
• Senator introduces bill to regulate data caps
• U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Google CIO To Unveil Free WiFi In NYC's Chelsea Neighborhood
• FCC to unleash unlicensed spectrum, relieve 'Wi-Fi traffic jam'
• Why Is Google Fiber the Country's Only Super-Speed Internet?
• China Shames U.S. With Plan to Speed 'Last Mile' Internet

Netflix

• Netflix gains eight Warner Bros. TV shows Salon
• Netflix to debut new 'Arrested Development' episodes in May
• Netflix, Cable and Redefining the "Hit"
• HBO Inks Exclusive, 10-Year Deal With Universal To Keep Content Out Of Netflix's Hands
• AT&T takes on Netflix, Hulu with own VOD service--"In what appears to be a defensive move, AT&T will offer its TV customers access to a library of movies for $5 a month. The company says it's just an enhancement of its service."

Bailout; Banks; Reckoning; Occupy Movement; Eurozone Crisis

Bailout

• Secret and Lies of the Bailout--"The federal rescue of Wall Street didn’t fix the economy – it created a permanent bailout state based on a Ponzi-like confidence scheme. And the worst may be yet to come."
• Rescued by a Bailout, A.I.G. May Sue Its Savior--Facing public backlash, the AIG board declined to join ex-CEO Greenburg's suit. NYT
• How many more bailouts will we allow? Salon

Banks

• Surprise, Surprise: The Banks Win--"For borrowers, a proposed settlement with big banks over foreclosure practices is likely to mean tiny slices of a shrunken pie." NYT
• A case of Wall Street greed gone too far--"By the time the ball dropped in Times Square, regulators had been notified that $65 million in Goldman stock had been granted a month early, helping a cluster of powerful multimillionaire executives trim their tax tab."
• Too Big to Bust?--"It's one thing if a bank is too big to fail... [i]t's another if the bank is too big to be brought to justice...."
• How much is enough to make a banker happy?--"Greg Smith's tale of exile from Wall Street shows that even the rich can feel inadequate compared to the super-rich." Salon
• What Good is Wall Street?--"Much of what investment bankers do is socially worthless."

Reckoning

• Senator pushes to ban bankers from Fed boardrooms--"An outspoken Senate critic of the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that he would reintroduce legislation to ban bankers from the boardroom of the 12 regional Fed branches, citing potential conflicts of interest."
• US SEC levels first post-crisis charges versus auditors
• Senator Elizabeth Warren gears up

Occupy Movement

• What the FBI's Occupy Docs Do—and Don't—Reveal
• Baker v. Katehi--Pepper-sprayed protestors to be paid $730,000 damages by UC Davis.
• The Team Behind '99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film' Peel Back the Curtain on the Movement

Eurozone Crisis

• An amazing mea culpa from the IMF's chief economist on austerity
• Spanish city's locksmiths say they'll no longer assist with evictions
• Confidence in Southern European Banks Rising in Sign of Crisis Hope

Big Energy; Taxing Alternative Fuel; Climate Change; Environment; Ecology

Big Energy

• Big Oil Lobby Claims The Industry 'Gets No Subsidies, Zero, Nothing'
• Canada: Energy industry letter suggested environmental law changes--The Great White North getting gray.
• Maddow: inconsistencies found in Shell story of grounded oil rig

Taxing Alternative Fuel

• Virginia gov. proposes nixing gas tax, raising sales tax, hitting hybrids with $100 fee
• Oregon officials propose per-mile tax for gas sippers--"Oregon state officials are proposing an alternative tax for drivers who have bought efficient or electric vehicles that seldom or never stop at the gasoline pump, where government has traditionally collected money to build and fix roads."
• Indiana lawmakers may look to add tax to alternative fuel vehicles

Climate Change

• Leaked Report Confirms Human-Induced Climate Change
• Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits
• Temperatures off the charts as Australia turns deep purple--It got hot enough to vaporize fuel.

Environment

• Australian wildfires: clinging to life, a family defies wall of flame--"Photograph likely to become one of the defining images of a disaster that has seen wildfires sweep south-eastern Australia."
• Environment and economy on collision course
• Pollution from car emissions killing millions in China and India
• Ghana bans second-hand fridges--"A ban on the import of second-hand refrigerators is coming into force in Ghana to reduce energy consumption and harm to the environment."
• China to Flatten 700 Mountains to Build a City
• Poison the well: Chinese city fails to report huge toxic leak, cuts off water to 1 million
• Warren Buffett Just Bought The Largest Solar Energy Project In The World--Is this a way to break out of Big Oil's control?

Ecology

• To Save Wildlife, and Tourism, Kenyans Take Up Arms--They better act quick or even more elephants will die. NYT
• Costa Rica bans hunting as a sport--"The biodiverse nation, with 25% of its land protected as reserves, becomes first Latin American country to ban hunting."
• Australia condemns Japan for whale hunt--"Environment minister threatens Japan with diplomatic action unless it stops 'scientific' whaling programme."
• Days after bluefin tuna sells for £1m conservationists warn species is dying out
• Hong Kong dries thousands of shark fins on rooftops to avoid prying eyes of environmentalists
• Chinese animal rights group helps rescue bears from "bile farm"
• Vodka 'saved' elephants in Siberian freeze

World Robot Day; AI; Ex-ter-mi-nate; Do the Robot

World Robot Day

• Boy sends robot to school in his place
• 5 Household Robots That Make Your Life Easier
• HyTAQ Robot--Hybrid Terrestrial and Aerial Quadrotor

AI

• Robot learns to recognise itself in mirror
• Teaching IBM's Watson the meaning of 'OMG'
• New video of Machine Perception Lab’s creepy robot baby shows that it is indeed creepy
• PhD student creates AI machine that can write video games
• Futurist Ray Kurzweil joins Google, will focus on machine learning and language processing

Ex-ter-mi-nate

• Risk of robot uprising wiping out human race to be studied
• Kenshiro robot has muscle and bones, is ready to stretch its way into your nightmares
• Will a Robot Take Your Job?
• Look, No Hands! E-Commerce's Favorite Little Robot
• Why Making Robots Is So Darn Hard--"Computer processors keep getting faster and faster and memory gets cheaper and cheaper. But the motors and actuators that move robots aren't improving nearly as fast."

Do the Robot

• Amazing Tron Dance performed by Wrecking Orchestra
• Disturbingly perfect robot dance
• The Ultimative Human Robot Dance

Books; Google vs. Newspapers; Paywall; Immobile News

Books

• The Bookstore Strikes Back
• How Mergermania Is Destroying Book Publishing
• Penguin settles with Department of Justice in ebook pricing case
• Amazon is gutting Barnes & Noble
• Programmer creates 800,000 books algorithmically, starts selling them on Amazon
• The music industry dropped DRM years ago. So why does it persist on e-books?
• Will Gutenberg laugh last?

Google vs. Newspapers

• Google threatens to omit French media from search
• Gloves Come Off in Google vs. Germany; Expect Newspapers to Lose by Winning; Buggy-Whips vs. Autos
• Google Settles with Belgian Newspapers--"Google Inc. settled a six-year-old copyright dispute with Belgian publishers, as it looks to stave off possible legislation in France and Germany aimed at making search engines pay to link to news articles online." WSJ
• Brazilian newspapers leave Google News en masse
• Google Has Officially Eaten the Newspaper Industry
• Coming to terms with Google's power
• Taxing times-"As newspapers' woes grow, some are lobbying politicians to make Google pay for the news it publishes."

Paywall

• Free online news era on its way out
• Why US newspaper publishers favour paywalls
• Washington Post said to add paywall for online news
• Linking to an Irish newspaper article? That'll be €300--Destroying the foundation of the web.
• Andrew Sullivan's Ad-Free Publishing Experiment Sees Six-Figure Revenue In First Six Hours

Immobile News

• Twice as Many Mobile News Readers Prefer Browsers to Apps--All those seconds wasted in app-switching add up.
• Why 'The Daily' Failed--Murdoch's ill-conceived news app goes offline.
• Why Magazine Apps Suck

Republicans; War on Terror; Guns; Racism; Sexism, Prostitution, India

Republicans

• Welcome to the new Civil War--"Lincoln's unfinished war rages on, as the neo-Confederacy tries to turn back the clock on women, gays, God and guns." Salon
• Andrew Sullivan: Enough!--"[T]he Republican slide into total epistemic closure and political marginalization has now become a free-fall."
• Send in the Clowns--"If Republicans continue to be led by a base that denies global warming after Sandy and refuses to ban assault weapons after Sandy Hook, then the party has no future." NYT
• Bachmann introduces first bill in 113th Congress…to repeal Obamacare--Like the 33 times they've tried this didn't already waste enough time.
• Tea Party Senator: 'I Don't Think What Washington Needs Is More Compromise'

War on Terror

• The Real Reason Republicans Hate Hagel--"It has more to do with President Obama than the former senator from Nebraska."
• Defense Department of Canada removes report on killing of Canadian soldier by Israeli forces
• Christopher Elliott: The TSA Wants To Be Everywhere In 2013 -- Here's Why We Shouldn't Let It

Guns

• Four dead in townhouse shooting in Aurora, Colorado
• Thai man arrested over death of British tourist--"A Thai man has been arrested after the death of Stephen Ashton, the 22 year old British tourist who was reportedly killed by stray gunfire on the island of Koh Phangan on New Year’s Eve."
• Philippines: 10 dead in Cavite shooting rampage

Racism

• Signs at Milford School District playgrounds spark controversy
• Fox Nation v. Fox News Latino On Obama's New Immigration Rule
• Bristling Dixie--"Uncle Walt thought Song of the South would be his masterpiece. Now it's invisible."

Sexism

• The war on female sexuality: Is globalization to blame?--"From New Dehli to the war on women here, sexual freedom has sparked a global conflict. An expert explains why." Salon
• Fox News Op-Ed Says Women's Nature Is To Be Dominated By Men
• Backers hope to revive Violence Against Women Act--Does it overstep its boundaries?

Prostitution

• Australia's Mining Boom Creates Demand For Sex Workers
• Prostitution and plunder at Honduran embassy Christmas party in Bogotá--"Press reports say the Honduran embassy in Colombia was ransacked and looted while partygoers cavorted with prostitutes."
• Catarina Migliorini Mark Two? New Brazilian Girl Offering Virginity for Sale--"In a video posted on YouTube, the 18-year-old explained that she is selling her virginity to raise money for her bedridden mother, who recently suffered a stroke."

India

• Uttar Pradesh: Girl set on fire for resisting eve-teasing dies
• Women should be just housewives and men the earning members, says RSS chief
• Delhi rape: India looks within itself for answers--The trial is underway.
• Father reveals gang-rape victim daughter's name 'to give courage'
• The rapes that India forgot

Epiphany; Marriage Equality; Intolerance; Politics and Media; International

Epiphany

• Church of England drops opposition to gay bishops in civil partnerships--"The announcement, from the Church's House of Bishops, would allow gay clergy to become bishops if they promise to be celibate."
• First LGBT-friendly mosque opens in France
• Five LGBT Religious Advances in 2012

Marriage Equality

• Pope signals inter-religion alliance against gay marriage
• Former Navy Chaplain On Newt Gingrich Gay Marriage Stance: 'Worthy Of Death'
• Despite national momentum and Obama's backing, gay marriage remains a tough sell in Illinois
• UK: Muslims demand gay marriage exemption--"Muslim Council of Britain says it is appalled by 'utterly discriminatory' legislation on same-sex marriage."
• Thousands demonstrate in support of gay marriage in France--"The rallies come after even more people took to the streets last month to protest against it."
• Hints of Taiwan Leading the Way on Same-Sex Marriage in Asia
• Why should I be allowed to marry? I chose to be gay--/s.

Intolerance

• Catholic University Rejects LGBT Student Group
• Tea Party Republicans favor spending taxpayer money on anti-gay discrimination
• Bank of America to Pay $7,500 for Antigay Discrimination

Politics and Media

• Rep. Brian Sims is the first openly gay lawmaker elected to the Pennsylvania legislature
• Tammy Baldwin Sworn In To Senate, Becomes First Openly Gay Senator
• Stephen Colbert takes on "ex-gay" therapy
• Star Wars: The Old Republic embraces same-sex romance
• The Roles of Featural and Configural Face Processing in Snap Judgments of Sexual Orientation--Short version: Researching gaydar.

International

• Chile apologizes to lesbian judge denied custody of her daughters for being gay
• Cameroon upholds 3-year term for gay text message
• Alan Turing: Scientists call for pardon for codebreaker