Fat Tuesday, Dr. Oz, Big Food, Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture, Buzz-Kill; Abortion and Birth Control, Obamacare, VA, Think of the Children, Psych; Gone Viral, Vax Populi

Fat Tuesday

• Court: Teacher Teasing Overweight Student Is Child Abuse
• House GOP wants to cut Michelle Obama's healthy school lunches: These Republicans come from the unhealthiest states
• State high court rules NYC ban on large sodas is illegal—Suck it, Bloomie.
• China to recruit 'more portly' soldiers with brainpower—"China's military relaxes height, eyesight and weight requirements for soldiers in effort to attract more educated personnel, newspaper says."

Dr. Oz

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Dr. Oz and Nutritional Supplements
• Why Dr. Oz can say anything and keep his medical license
• A Snake Oil Salesman Alive and Well in Dr. Oz
• Twitter gets predictably snarky when Dr. Oz asks, "What are you eating that is Oz Approved"? Salon

Big Food

• Chipotle's anti-Big-Food ad wins Cannes PR award
• How the US Government Helps McDonald's Sell Junk Food—"The feds also helped bring you the Taco Bell Cantina Double Steak Quesadilla and several other fast-food gems."
• Hamburger Chef Jamie Oliver Proves McDonald's Burgers "Unfit for human consumption"
• Monsanto Tries to Patent & Control Natural, Non-GMO Tomatoes
• Whole Foods to pay $800,000 in overpricing case
• U.S. meat producers square off against consumer groups in request to peel back on labeling
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Letter of the Week -- POM Wonderful

Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture

• Undercover animal abuse videos could soon be outlawed
• Canada's Largest Dairy Farm Employees Accused Of Animal Cruelty
• The Abstinence Method—"Dutch farmers just say no to antibiotics for livestock." Gerbert Oosterlaken, owner of Hoeve de Hulsdonk farm, "believes the more you can see, the better."

Buzz-Kill

• Obama orders review of pesticides' effect on bees
• Pesticides threaten birds and bees alike, study says
• Pesticides linked to bee deaths must be banned, scientists say
• French scientists revive assault on pesticide, GM corn
• Study links pesticide exposure in pregnancy to autism

Abortion and Birth Control

• Supreme Court says employers with religious objections can refuse to pay for contraception
• Corporations Are People, And They Have More Rights Than You
• SCOTUS end of term: The Supreme Court’s conservatives are using the First Amendment as a weapon
• 'Supreme Court strikes down abortion clinic buffer zone
• Anti-abortion protesters take advantage of Supreme Court ruling
• Alabama Abortion Clinic Forced To Close Because Its Hallways Aren't Wide Enough
• The Rise of the DIY Abortion in Texas—"A pill that revolutionized reproductive rights in Latin America is now gaining ground on the black market in South Texas."

Obamacare

• McAuliffe Defies GOP: We're 'Moving Forward' With Obamacare Expansion
• Capitol police gave House clerks access to governor's office—"Father's Day budget delivery to the governor's secure suite of offices prompts protests from the administration, which alleged an 'unacceptable' security breach."
• Emails: GOP Secured Majority After VA Dem Promised Job, Phone And Car
• Analysis Shows GOP Fear-Mongering On Obamacare Premiums Is Probably Bogus
• Republicans Finally Admit Why They Really Hate Obamacare
• Here Is the Most Shameless Anti-Obamacare Argument Yet

VA

• White House report: Overhaul VA's 'corrosive culture' Politico
• Letters Claim Vets Were Mistreated At West Palm Beach VA
• Acton Vet Finally Gets VA Doctor's Appointment – 2 Years After He Died
• Obama to name new VA chief

Think of the Children

• Alaska to put free pregnancy tests in bars to curb fetal alcohol syndrome rate
• Is veganism child abuse?—"A mother is arrested for infant neglect after a hospital crisis that began with her veganism." Salon
• Meet the con man selling fake stem cell treatments to children—"Davide Vannoni is playing with people's lives, and the Italian government is paying for it."
• No, PETA, Cow Milk Does Not Cause Autism—"The group that brought you animal-fur horror stories has just launched a campaign claiming cow's milk causes autism. Hold on to your Cheerios, this one needs explaining."

Psych

• Cost of not caring: Stigma set in stone—"People with mental illness face prejudice and discrimination nearly everywhere they turn, from friends and employers and even insurance plans."
• Minnesota teen who planned school massacre: 'I think I'm really mentally ill'
• Stop Telling Your Depressed Friends to "Cheer Up"—"It's more helpful to express that their feelings are valid."

Gone Viral

• Untreatable virus spreading in the Caribbean now afflicts 4,600 LA Times
• Doctors Without Borders: Ebola 'out of control'—Experts say it's just the 'tip of the iceberg' and it's getting worse [WaPo].
• CDC: Up to 86 workers possibly exposed to anthrax

Vax Populi

• One unvaccinated child was patient zero of a measles epidemic
• Measles cases are spreading, despite high vaccination rates. What's going on?—In other news, Jenny allegedly-not-against-vaccinations McCarthy is no longer on 'The View'. WaPo
• First measles case in at least 6 years reported in Pierce County—"The case is connected to eight confirmed cases being investigated in South King County, all among members of the same extended family, officials said."
• Judge Upholds Policy Barring Unvaccinated Students During Illnesses NYT
• Ohio Amish begin vaccinations amid largest measles outbreak in recent U.S. history
• Blast from the Past: Fear and frustration dominated Somali community forum on measles, vaccines and autism

Fat Tuesday; Veterans; Obamacare, Big Pharma; Dying, Think of the Children; Contagious, Food Insecurity; Sports, Heights; War on Terror, Iraq'd

Fat Tuesday

• The 'Dr. Oz Effect': Senators Scold Mehmet Oz For Diet Scams
• Female Hormones May Be Making Western Men Fat
• 900-Pound Woman Has Wall Removed To Leave Bedroom For First Time In 2 Years
• Parents Arrested Over Obese 11-Year-Old Son—"Police have defended their actions saying it was rare to make such an arrest after questioning the couple over child cruelty."
• Climb stairs, cut calories: Southeast Asia fights flab
• Always Hungry? Here's Why NYT

Veterans

• F.B.I. Begins Criminal Inquiry in V.A. Scandal—"The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, said the bureau was looking into accusations that Department of Veterans Affairs officials had manipulated medical waiting lists." NYT
• VA Official Arrested For Allegedly Taking $40K In Illegal Gifts
• Phoenix VA gave out $10 mil in bonuses in last 3 years
• Price of coming forward: 37 VA whistle-blowers claim retaliation
• V.A. Punished Critics on Staff, Doctors Assert—"In response to employee whistle-blowers, the Department of Veterans Affairs has made clear over the years that it would not hesitate to retaliate, disciplining and even firing those who spoke up." NYT
• VA chief: 100,000 vets were on fake wait lists
• Audit: More than 57,000 await first VA appointment
• Lack of funding is the real VA scandal—Insufficient to handle the load.
• The VA Reform Legislation Is a "Trojan Horse" for Privatization—"It would do more harm than good."
• ABC, NBC Too Busy With O.J. Simpson Police Chase Anniversary To Cover V.A. Scandal
• Hospitals aren't the VA's only scandal—"The focus on VA hospitals health care for veterans obscures a separate but another scandal: a massive problem in another massive problem — a scandal of its own – the VA's disability-benefits system."
• Bill Cassidy said Senate Democrats only moved to fund new VA clinics after scandal—Politifact says: False. In fact, Republicans are the ones who blocked the latest bill prior to the outbreak of the scandal this year.

Obamacare

• Since Obamacare Passed 50 Months Ago, Healthcare Has Gained Almost 1 Million Jobs
• More insurers joining ObamaCare
• Obamacare cut Minnesota's uninsured rate by 40 percent
• More Young Adults Get Inpatient Psychiatric Care After Health Law
• Memo to GOP: The War over Big Government health care is over, and you lost WaPo
• Once again, U.S. has most expensive, least effective health care system in survey WaPo
• 80,000 Cover Oregon customers must re-enroll through federal health insurance exchange
• Why the New Obamacare Website Is Going to Work This Time
• GOP's quiet Obamacare disaster: How this week's biggest story got overlooked—"While everyone obsessed over the Bergdahl flap, the real story was revealed by a nomination hearing and new data." Salon
• Really, Dr. Carson? Obamacare Is Worse Than 9/11?—"The Republican presidential hopeful thinks that Obamacare has caused Americans more pain than jetliners crashing into the World Trade Center and two costly wars."

Big Pharma

• American drug companies don't want to pay US taxes—but they want global customers to pay US drug prices
• One simple drug switch could save Medicare $18 billion over the next decade
• The Sunshine Act Will Publicize Big Pharma's Undue Influence on Doctors
• India thwarts Big Pharma push at WHO assembly

Dying

• Quebec passes 'dying with dignity' bill—Act respecting end-of-life care, Bill 52, allows terminally ill patients to choose death
• Judge: Daughter Can Stop Food for Casey Kasem
• 'Millions denied end-of-life drugs'—"Lack of access to pain relief for dying patients is a 'public health emergency,' say experts."
• 'Right to Try' laws spur debate over dying patients' access to experimental drugs WaPo
• 'Scooby Doo' actor and radio legend Casey Kasem dies at 82—"The actor's decline was unfortunately marred by a public court battle between Kasem's four children and his second wife. Kasem's daughter Kerri made the decision earlier this month to take her father off a feeding tube, according to his written instructions."
• Opinion: Let the dying choose how they exit

Think of the Children

• Religious orders allowed over 2,000 Irish children to be used in medical experiments
• Newborns exposed to dirt, dander, germs may have lower allergy, asthma risk
• Bounce house hysteria: The biggest dangers to your kids this summer are not inflatable

Contagious

• Saudi MERS response hobbled by institutional failings
• California reports whooping-cough epidemic
• 4,000 pounds of beef, some at Whole Foods, recalled over fears of mad cow disease

Food Insecurity

• A superbug resistant to "last-resort" antibiotics has made its way into the food supply—"Researchers discovered carbapenem-resistant bacteria in raw squid for the first time." Salon
• Quality Egg admits to selling tainted eggs, bribing official
• 80% of Meat Labels Could Be Meaningless, Exclusive Report Says
• Costco keeps selling treats from China despite dog death—"Yorkshire terrier suffered and died from renal failure; other illnesses, deaths reported."
• FDA May Destroy American Artisan Cheese Industry—"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an executive decree banning the centuries old practice of aging cheese on wooden boards. One bureaucrat within the FDA, without surveying all of the scientific literature, and without public commentary, has rattled hundreds of small businesses across the United States."
• Supreme Court Hands Down Ruling in Major Pomegranate Juice Case—"The Pom Wonderful company, a purveyor of pomegranate juices, can sue Coca-Cola for marketing a competing 'Pomegranate Blueberry' juice that is 0.3 percent pomegranate juice and 0.2 percent blueberry juice, the Supreme Court ruled today."

Sports

• Renaissance Man—"An interview with MMA commentator, stand-up comedian, wild game hunter, television host, and deep thinker Joe Rogan"
• Why Do Football and Basketball Players Have to go to College?
• Blast from the Past: The Creation Of Yao Ming—"From the beginning, the life of China's biggest sports star was shaped by two powerful, often competing forces: his mother and the Communist government."

Heights

• Why did humans grow four inches in 100 years? It wasn’t just diet
• Short men and heightism: We short men need to stop attacking other short men.
• NFL players: height and weight over time

War on Terror

• Wikileaks: Obama Administration Secretly Worked To Prevent Prosecution of War Crimes By The Bush Administration
• Manning: The Fog Machine of War—"I saw firsthand how the United States military rationed what the American public knew about its operations in Iraq." NYT
• 'Inventing terrorists': New study reveals FBI set up terrorism-related prosecutions
• Afghan election: Taliban 'removed voters' fingers'
• Pakistan Launches Large Ground Offensive Against Taliban
• The Milk Carton Guy—"Bergdahl critics didn't howl when Bush freed prisoners." NYT
• The Dumbest Thing You'll Read All Day About the Benghazi Suspect Capture
• Heritage's ugly Benghazi panel—"Attendees taunted a woman in the room who wore Islamic head covering." WaPo
• Pa. town rues sacrifice of its war dead
• Just what are we getting for the $7 billion spent on the TSA?

Iraq'd

• Images purport to show 'massacre' by militants
• Tony Blair rejects 'bizarre' claims that invasion of Iraq caused the crisis—"'We have to liberate ourselves from the notion that 'we' caused this', argues former prime minister in website essay." Is this Catholic guilt trying to distance yourself from your fuck-up Blair?
• Bush's toxic legacy in Iraq
• Fox News Praises George W. Bush's Ability To Anticipate Problems In Iraq
• Mission never accomplished: Iraq exposes fallacies of US foreign policy
• The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where It Is Deserved—"We have reached the moment that skeptics of the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq warned about all along."
• Paul Wolfowitz, Bill Kristol, and Douglas Feith should be ignored: The neocons already destroyed Iraq once
• No, Obama Didn't Lose Iraq—"What the president's critics get wrong." Politico
• GOP Iraq Hypocrisy Hits Overdrive—"Obama is 'taking a nap' as ISIS takes over? It was Boehner's party that gave us this war, and it was Bush who negotiated the 'peace.' Is there anything they won't play politics with?"
• ISIS: The Saudis helped create a monster they can't control in Iraq
• Obama Critics Invent Absurd New Explanation For Iraq War
• Qatari: U.S. intervention in Iraq would be seen as war on Sunni Arabs

Happy Father's Day, Homme Videos; Paternity, Parenthood, Law and Disorder, Fake Rape, Sexual Assaults, Prison; Sperm, Penis, Circumcisions; Men, Teens; Male Fashion, Facial Hair

Happy Father's Day

• The Rise of the Single Dad—"More than 2.6 million households in America are headed by a single father."
• Growing number of dads home with the kids
• Lev Grossman on his daughter, Lily: How being a father ruined my life and made me a better writer.
• Terminally ill dad can't be there for daughter so gives her life's advice in one letter
• "Modern Family's" modern fathers: The decade's best sitcom is also its most important Salon

Homme Videos

• Baby Misses Dad's Beard
• Baby meets her dad's twin brother for the first time
• 40 year old tantrum

Paternity

• Nebraska high court again rules father's consent necessary for adoption
• Mother Can Exclude Father From Delivery Room, N.J. Judge holds
• Sports radio host Mike Francesca celebrates bad fathers everywhere, calls paternity leave a "scam"—"Your wife doesn't need your help the first couple of days." Salon

Parenthood

• Look-alike College Friends Discover They Are Sisters
• Rogue sperm donor may have fathered hundreds —Vince Vaungh, is that you?
• Judge rules Kan. sperm donor owes child support—Although "he signed a contract waiving his parental rights and responsibilities... the state contended the contract was moot because the parties didn't follow a 1994 Kansas law requiring a licensed physician to perform the artificial insemination when donors were involved."

Law and Disorder

• Male sex abuse reporting soars
• I was fired for denying lusty lady bosses: suit
• Nearly Half of Young Men Say They’ve Had 'Unwanted' Sex—"New study says it's possible for women to rape men: 18% of surveyed guys say women used physical force to make them have sex against their will."
• Chouteau man accused of shooting aunt claims he was tired of having sex with her in exchange for housing
• No jail time for Wausau woman accused of holding 2 men hostage, demanding sex
• Alexandra Rose Williams on good behaviour bond after in-flight bum grope
• Florida mom who had sex with teen son's friend gets asylum in Canada
• Judge questions why 'only the boy' is charged in underage sex case
• 17-year-old boy detained for 'exploiting' woman aged 21
• Tucker Carlson: We Have To 'Pretend' Boys Are Statutory Rape Victims

Fake Rape

• Angelina Jolie lookalike stabs man who refused sex—"Perijoc, who styles herself on Jolie's character in the movie 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,' was arrested on the scene and originally tried to claim she was the victim."
• Trainee barrister cried rape 11 times to avoid taking exams, court told—"Rhiannon Brooker, trainee lawyer, is accused of falsely claiming boyfriend repeatedly raped and assaulted her in attempt to dodge Bar exams."
• UA Student Arrested In False Sex Assault Report On Campus
• Jail for woman who told husband she had been raped to hide her affair
• Law graduate found guilty of falsely accusing former boyfriend of rape—A [Women Against Rape (War)] spokesperson said the prosecution of Brooker was 'completely disproportionate,' adding: 'Time and again we see police resources diverted from rape and put into prosecuting women instead.'" Don't you mean prosecuting liars?
• Minnesota Supreme Court reinstates charges against Billings woman accused of false rape claims

Sexual Assaults

• Retired Marine Reveals Secret Suffering of Male Military Rape Victims
• The 'Boys' in the Bunkhouse—"For decades, dozens of men with intellectual disabilities lived in an old schoolhouse and worked in a turkey plant. No one knew just what they endured." NT
• Boys 'rented out' for abuse at Salvation Army boys' home at Bexley in Sydney's south—Those who ran away got beaten up by police.
• Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church convicted of sexually abusing young boys
• UK launches £500,000 fund to help male victims of rape and sexual abuse—"Minister says he wants to break silence on 'taboo' subject after crime survey estimates 72,000 men a year are victims."
• Male rape in America: A new study reveals that men are sexually assaulted almost as often as women

Prison

• Sex in men's prisons: 'The US system cultivates rape. If you treat people like animals, they behave like it'
• Sentenced to Wait: Efforts to End Prison Rape Stall Again—"The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed in Washington 2003. It still hasn't been fully implemented."
• These 7 GOP Governors Are Refusing to Crack Down on Prison Rape. Now the Obama Administration Is Calling Them Out
• Meet the Vigilante Prisoner Who Beats Up Jail Rapists

Sperm

• Testicular time bomb: Older dads' mutant sperm
• The 6 most bizarre types of sperm found in nature—"You thought that 17-million-year-old sperm was weird? Well, it's in some very strange company." Salon
• Blast from the Past: Sperm-like cells created by scientists

Penis

• Penis politics: Sex, size and stereotypes in the gay community Salon
• Novi Man Discriminated Against For Big Penis, Tiny Speedo
• Exploiting Men's Insecurity About Their Penises Is a Terrible Way to Promote Vegetarianism
• For March Madness fans, vasectomy timing is everything
• 'Accidental Tyler Durden' as Fox news station KDVR airs penis picture during helicopter crash coverage
• Me and my codpiece
• Man accidentally shoots own penis, dies

Circumcisions

• New York Baby Infected With Herpes After Metzitza B'peh Circumcision Rite
• Sexually Transmitted Disease in Infants Following Ritual Circumcisions
• South Africa's dark secret: Botched circumcisions
• Circumcision rates declining in U.S., study says
• Circumcision Rates in the United States: Rising or Falling? What Effect Might the New Affirmative Pediatric Policy Statement Have?
• Penn & Teller: Bullshit on Circumcision
• College Humor: The Real Reason You're Circumcised

Men

• The Tortured Rise of the All-American Bro—"The misogynist portrait of modern American masculinity may be a historical accident. Here's how to fix it."
• Building a Bigger Action Hero—"A mere six-pack doesn't cut it in Hollywood anymore. Today's male stars need 5 percent body fat, massive pecs, and the much-coveted inguinal crease – regardless of what it takes to get there."
• Why Are Handsome Men Such Jerks?

Teens

• War on Boys
• Why teenage boys do stupid things
• More teen boys working as babysitters
• Confirmed: Teenage Boys Use Way, Way Too Much Body Spray
• Steroid Use Much Higher Among Gay and Bi Teen Boys

Male Fashion

• The worst men's grooming trends of all time
• Project Upgrade: Kevin Love—"We noticed Minnesota Timberwolves animal of a power forward Kevin Love has been looking a little shaggy lately. This season he's been playing the best ball of his career, so we called our go-to barber to give him a cut and a shave to match."
• How Men Can Fight Sexism by Wearing Very Short Shorts
• Why Are Guys Afraid to Wear Speedos?—"American men need to get over their Freudian fear of showing off their junk."

Facial Hair

• The Racially Fraught History of the American Beard
• Beard PhD
• Hipster wannabes get facial hair transplants
• Beard envy? Surgery may be the answer
• Mike Napoli says Elvis Andrus should shave off 'embarrassing' beard
• Beards Trim P&G's Sales as 'Movember' Fuels Hairy Look
• 10 Actors Who Improved with Mustaches
• Gillette Loses Its Way in Mustache Flap
• Hot gay daddies—NSFW video by Farenheit80.

Comply! Zero Tolerance, Bullying, Racism, School Shootings, Sexual Assaults, Law and Disorder, Juvenile Deliquence; Educamation, Teachers, That's Un-Possible! Parenting

Comply!

• Parents say middle school students suspended over FB post—"A group of Spalding County middle school students is facing suspension over a Facebook post about the school dress code."
• Student's awesome non-apology for wearing leggings
• North Carolina Senior Stripped of Diploma After He Strips at Graduation
• Running Coach Fired For Running Boston Marathon—He went on his personal day, and the athletic director goes on a power trip.
• Oakland High guard charged in abuse of student in wheelchair
• Campus cop fires gun at teens he caught making out in car parked at OK school
• Georgetown officer suspended 40 days after tripping incident
• Dad Arrested For Picking Up Kids At School By Foot

Zero Tolerance

• New Report on Zero Tolerance: Stop Expelling Kids for Ridiculous Nonsense
• Dad: NJ threatens to take away son after pencil-twirling incident—"A simple pencil-twirling incident landed Ethan Chaplin in hot water with his school, which threatened to suspend him after a classmate claimed he was spinning the writing utensil like a gun."
• School mum over dad's gun—Dad flashed his gun permit to the school principal during an argument "over a picture his son drew in art class of Gru, the main character in the movie 'Despicable Me,' 'shooting ping-pong balls at his minions,' which school officials thought was sexual in nature." School administration stupidty at work again.
• Boy, 7, may be expelled after telling teacher he accidentally brought toy gun to school
• Parent wants NEISD to reconsider sunscreen policy—"Girl, 10, not allowed to bring sunscreen on field trip due to 'toxic' nature."
• When your high school gets you arrested for a science project—"Last year Kiera Wilmot was busted for simulating a volcano with toilet cleaner and foil. Her record still lists felony arrest."

Bullying

• Was Rainier HS student suspended for reporting online bullying?
• Maryland girl pleads 'responsible' for bullying boy with autism—"A 17-year-old Maryland girl accused of assaulting an autistic boy pleaded 'responsible' to two misdemeanor charges after her case was transferred from adult to juvenile court."
• Torrence Collier: Westport parents insist town is not racist—"Parents in the tiny Newfoundland community of Westport say suggestions that their community is racist are wrong, with one saying that Torrence Collier, the 11-year-old black boy whose allegations of racially motivated bullying have made national headlines, is a bully himself."
• CPS investigating allegations of anti-Semitic bullying
• It's time to outlaw bullying

Racism

• Mich. teacher suspended over blackface lesson plan—"A community is outraged after a Michigan public school teacher was removed from the classroom for showing a video of white entertainers in blackface." Updated: The teacher has been reinstated. The administrator should be kicked out.
• UCI student council penalizes frat over themed party—"Critics say Phi Gamma Delta's annual Fiji Islander event is a slap because of how the nation was treated during colonial times."
• Hylton officials file complaint about racism following soccer game

School Shootings

• Seattle student credited with stopping campus gunman has wedding registry, honeymoon paid for by strangers
• Oregon school shooting leaves student, gunman dead
• The Daily Banter's Investigation Helps Catch Sandy Hook Memorial Thief

Sexual Assaults

• Brown University Student Speaks Out on What It's Like to Be Accused of Rape—"In April, Daniel Kopin was publicly accused of sexually assaulting his classmate. For the first time, he tells his side of the story."
• Judge Blocks Expulsion of Duke Student Accused of Sexual Misconduct WSJ
• More college men are fighting back against sexual misconduct cases
• Stanford won't expel student in sexual assault case
• Stanford sexual-assault case: Did the university do enough to punish a student it found responsible for sexual misconduct?
• Teacher charged with raping student flipped out over prom date
• Dad hits teacher with baseball bat after 'inappropriate' texts surface with teen daughter

Law and Disorder

• 14 charged in Wilmington College hazing incident at the Gamma Phi Gamma house
• Woman sentenced to 2 days for truancy fines dies in jail; judge says it was his only option
• 20 students taken to hospital after first grader brings heroin to school

Juvenile Deliquence

• Girls Charged in Stabbing Allegedly Tried to Kill for 'Slender Man'
• 13-year-old Ohio girl stabs mother in 2nd 'Slenderman' attack
• Teenager calls in hoax bomb threat so brother can finish Burger King shift early
• Man jumped in Patterson Park by teenagers who were filming attack

Educamation

• Obama Plans Steps to Ease Student Debt—"Borrowers' debt load is growing and retarding the ability to buy homes, start businesses or otherwise spend to spur the economy, economists say." NYT
• Bill To Allow Refinancing Of Student Loans Dies In Senate
• Cafeteria worker tosses child's lunch when he's 26 cents short
• Public Schools Are Hurting More in the Recovery Than in the Recession
• Half of college grads still relying on parents' money
• How Medicaid lowers high school dropout rates and leads to more college grads WaPo

Teachers

• Williamsburg students stage walkout to protest mistreatment of teachers
• North Carolina: Judge rules revocation of teacher tenure, 25% contracts unconstitutional
• Judge Strikes Down California Teacher Tenure—"A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers as unconstitutional Tuesday, saying such laws harm students — especially poor and minority ones — by saddling them with bad teachers who are almost impossible to fire."

That's Un-Possible!

• UNC's McCants: 'Just show up, play'—"Former North Carolina basketball star Rashad McCants told Outside the Lines that he could have been academically ineligible to play during the 2004-05 national championship season had he not been provided fraudulent academic assistance."
• School cancels reading program rather than promote "hacker culture"—"Boing Boing editor responds, offers 200 free copies to the school's students."
• This Made Us LOL—South Carolina takes a stand.

Parenting

• The day I left my son in the car—"I made a split-second decision to run into the store. I had no idea it would consume the next years of my life." Salon
• Stop helicopter-parenting other people's kids—"We've reached the point where parenting "mistakes" are being reported to the cops."
• Hawaii Man Gets Probation for Making Kid Walk Mile—He was sentenced to probation, but he shouldn't have been charged in the first place.
• Dad charged for forcing teen to carry landscape stone
• Brooklyn pub bans kids after being swamped by families—"The Hot Bird in Clinton Hill posted a sign reading 'Children are not allowed,' after hip parents kept taking their babies to the bar."

Fat Tuesday; Veterans; Obamacare, Medicaid; Mal-Practice; Health Issues, Vax Populi, Think of the Children; Breakthroughs; Sports; Brain; Sanitary

Fat Tuesday

• Global population of obese and overweight tops 2.1bn
• Australian obesity rates climbing faster than anywhere else in the world, study shows
• Top 10 Countries with the Most Obese People Named
• Japanese children 'not hungry to be sumo wrestlers'
• Mexican man, once world's heaviest, dies at 48
• One chilling reason Americans are increasingly overweight—"The new documentary "Fed Up" reveals how Big Food pushed the government to give out compromised health information." Salon
• Republicans for More Fat Kids—"Is it really cost that's driving the House GOP to fight Michelle Obama on school lunches? Of course not—it's the culture wars, the sugar lobby, and plain old hatred of her husband."
• Skinny People Make Overweight People Unhappy, New Study Finds
  
• Fat people stick together so they don't feel judged: Being overweight is considered OK if everyone around you is a similar size
• Coca-Cola accused of 'obscene' hypocrisy in £20 million 'anti-obesity' drive
• Many low-fat foods 'have SAME amount of calories as regular equivalents due to added sugar'
• The case for eating steak and cream—"Why everything you heard about fat is wrong."

Veterans

• Thoughts on Shinseki's resignation
• How the VA developed its culture of coverups—"Once a bureaucratic success story, the agency began to hide its problems from those in Washington." WaPo
• President Obama Finds New Veterans Affairs IG Report 'Deeply Troubling'
• Texas VA Run Like a 'Crime Syndicate,' Whistleblower Says—"For years, employees at a Texas VA complained that their bosses were cooking the books. For years, the VA insisted there was no widespread wrongdoing."
• Iraq Vet Killed In Gunfight With Police Was Turned Away by VA Hospital
• Report: 1,700 vets not on Phoenix VA wait list, at risk of being 'lost or forgotten'
• Veteran Sues VA After Diagnosis Delay Leads to Penis Amputation

Obamacare

• Obamacare Caused This Clinic To Close, And Its Doctors Couldn't Be Happier
• 21 things Obamacare does that you didn't know about
• Republicans are three times more likely than Democrats to say they know someone who was hurt by Obamacare WaPo
• Kentuckians Hate Kynect A Lot Less Than Obamacare—"Residents of Kentucky may hate Obamacare, but they're much less hostile toward Kynect, the state's health exchange created to comply with the law." McConnell says it has no connection with the ACA but he's talking out of his ass.
• GOP's Obamacare fears come true—More states deferring to federal exchanges than anticipated. Politico

Medicaid

• Missouri State Sen. Ed Emery to Voter: You Want Medicaid? Move to Oregon!
• A Health Care Scandal That's Way Bigger Than the VA
• Va. Republicans' lonely Medicaid stand—"Republicans in Virginia's House of Delegates have blocked hundreds of thousands of poor Virginians from getting health insurance under the Obama administration's Medicaid expansion. At the same time, they've refused to suggest any alternative method by which the needy people in the state might arrange health coverage." WaPo

Mal-Practice

• Brevard doctor ordered to pay Medicare $90M—For fraud.
• Sonoma County Man Battling Cancer Denied Coverage By Anthem Blue Cross After Paying $100K In Premiums
• Woman Gets $11.6M Bill After Death of Disabled Brother in NYC Facility
• Husband finds out wife still alive three days after turning off life support—"Husband watches wife 'die twice' after finding out she was still alive three days after he turned off her life support - but the hospital failed to tell him she had recovered."
• Trust your doctor, not Wikipedia, say scientists

Health Issues

• French lab shut after losing SARS virus samples
• Ebola: Deadly outbreak crosses border as mistrust hampers medical staff
• Thousands may have been exposed to hepatitis A at Missouri restaurant
• Year-old salmonella outbreak in California continues
• Portland issues boil water notice for the entire city after E. coli detected in 3 tests—How Oregon Trail.

Vax Populi

• Measles surge most since 1994 to 288 cases in U.S.
• The New Measles Outbreak: Blame the Anti-Vaxxers
• Delaying Vaccines May Increase Seizure Risk NYT
• Sunrise Police Searching For Missing Toddler —The mother said that if the husband let "them take her and vaccinate her and brainwash her; she says I cannot let a judge tell me how to raise my daughter."
• Canada: Time For a National Vaccine Registry

Think of the Children

• Childhood fluoride exposure has no effect on IQ—"Research comes in response to an NZ city's on-again, off-again fluoridation ban."
• Thousands of Toddlers Are Medicated for A.D.H.D., Report Finds, Raising Worries—"The practice draws concern, in part, because there has been little study on the use of A.D.H.D. drugs for children under 3." Piss-poor parenting really to blame? NYT
• Judy Blume: Parents worry too much about what children read—"Children's author Judy Blume, whose own books have been banned in the past, says children 'self-censor' reading material they don't understand."
  

Breakthroughs

• Woman's cancer killed by measles virus in unprecedented trial WaPo
• Teen Develops Early-Stage HIV Test For High School Science Project
• Drug Developers Take a Second Look at Herbal Medicines—"Desperate to develop new drugs for malaria and other ailments, researchers are running clinical trials with traditional herbal medicines—and generating promising leads."

Sports

• Ex-players: NFL illegally used drugs
• Classy Seahawks sign draft pick before having to cut him due to heart condition
• 91-Year-Old Marathoner Smokes the Competition—Did better than oldest woman in the NYC marathon.

Brain

• Why Are We So Obsessed With the Myers-Briggs?—"How personality tests become personal mythology."
• Sleepy brains neglect half the world—"A new study shows that drowsiness alters awareness in much the same way as a common form of brain damage."
• Scientists Selectively Erase And Restore Memories

Sanitary

• Lessons Learned From a Year Without Showering
• Urine and the bladder are not sterile, contain bacteria—"New studies challenge the belief that the bladder is bacteria-free."
• Watering gardens with lead, BPA and phthalates
• Levi's CEO Says You Should Never Wash Your Jeans
• One billion people still defecate in public despite health risks-UN

Police State, Brutality, Bad Cops, False Arrests; Trial and Error, Law and Disorder; Death Penalty, Prison; Recording, Phone, Body Cams; Animal Cruelty, Kids; Road Rage, Traffic

Police State

• Federal Court: The Police Can Stop and Search You for Behaving Innocently—Even stiff driving posture is suspicious behavior.
• Supreme Court: Pennsylvania cops no longer need a warrant to search citizens' vehicles
• Can cops legally fire "GPS bullets" at fleeing cars to track suspects?—"ACLU says technique is OK, but the scope of search must be limited."
• Cops Must Swear Silence to Access Vehicle Tracking System
• Lawsuit filed over freeway cash seizures—"'I just smelled weed. I know I did. I know I smelled weed.' The Humboldt County deputy never finds weed in the car he's searching after a traffic stop on I-80, but he does find $50,000 in cash and $10,000 in cashiers checks."
• Flipside: Minnesota Now Requires A Criminal Conviction Before People Can Lose Their Property To Forfeiture—"In a big win for property rights and due process, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill yesterday to curb an abusive—and little known—police practice called civil forfeiture."

Brutality

• Austin police chief is angry that people are angry about police misbehavior
• City of Huntsville denies wrongdoing after lawsuit alleges teen died from arrest injuries
• Border Patrol Threatens Mother, Slashes Her Tire, as Kids Watch
• Border Patrol agents rarely disciplined in abuse cases, records show
• How a Special Needs Kid Gets Handcuffed and Thrown in Jail "For Her Own Good"
• Man Nearly Blinded After Fayette County Deputy Shoots Taser In His Eye
• Dagsboro man settles Taser suit for $270,000

Bad Cops

• Outcry over latest fatal shooting by Albuquerque police—"Residents angered by deadly response of cops chanted for resignation of police chief at city council meeting."
• Police say off-duty NYPD cop shot man 6 times
• Three NYPD Officers Have Drunkenly Shot at People in the Last Week
• Officer suspended after pulling gun on group of children
• Lawsuit Claims That the NYPD Keeps Raiding an Apartment in Search of a Dead Man

False Arrests

• Police accused of false arrest, illegal search, excessive force
• Man Claims Police Planted Phone To Justify Shooting
• NYPD detective grilled about allegedly lying under oath

Trial and Error

• Attorney: Tech advances make courtroom cellphone ban unconstitutional
• Supreme Court Unanimously Slaps Conservative Appeals Court For Botching Police Shooting Case
• Man back in prison for 90 years after court error
• Flipside: Clerical error allows man sentenced to prison to walk free

Law and Disorder

• Denver Woman's 13-Minute-Long 911 Call Ends With Fatal Gunshot
• Philip Welsh's simple life hampers search for his killer—"Philip Welsh did not use a cellphone, or e-mail — making it hard to trace the days before he was slain." WaPo
• German student Diren Dede killed in 'castle doctrine' case—"On the night of the shooting, Mr Kaarma and his partner Janelle Pflager left their garage door open, and Ms Pflager left her purse in the garage in order to bait intruders, she told police."
• Texas 93-year-old woman shot dead by officer had fired twice, says nephew—""Pearlie Golden 'brandished handgun' after refusal to hand over car keys following denial of driver's licence renewal."
• Man trying to rob donut shop shot by police
• Canadian Teen Charged in "Swatting" Calls Throughout U.S.
• Mother claims funeral director essentially held baby's body for ransom
• Florida woman has neighbors' mobile home demolished, authorities say

Death Penalty

• Oklahoma Inmate Dies After Botched Execution, Second Execution Delayed
• Report urges one-drug lethal injection to avoid botched US executions
• Why are US states using untested drugs to execute prisoners? - video
• US states may go back to electric chair and firing squads—"Shortage of drugs for lethal injections leads states to consider alternative methods of executing prisoners."
• Oklahoma Lawmaker: I Don't Care If Death Row Inmates Are 'Fed To Lions'
• US President Obama calls for death penalty review

Prison

• Corporations Divest Nearly $60 Million From Private Prison Industry
• Interactive Map Shows How Much Prisons Cost in America
• More Than 4% of Death Row Inmates May Be Innocent

Recording

• One deputy fired, two on leave after UT party bust—Kudos the Knox County Sheriff's Office for their swift actions.
• But for video: Wisconsin deputy badly injures woman in crash, attempts to blame victim—It looked like he was going to get away with it. WaPo
• NJ Assembly releases bill requiring new police cars to have cameras installed
• Youtube Video of Police Shooting Man in Back Contradicts Initial Report
• Pembroke Pines officer charged after stealing watch from burglary scene

Phone

• Florida man uses iPhone to film arrest -- and gets arrested—"A Miami DJ says he followed police instructions to back away, but ends up in custody and facing charges. 'I was threatened,' the police officer says, 'by his presence.'"
• Cops Snatch Phone from Wheelchair-bound Man for Recording Them, Cite him with "Unauthorized Photography"
• NYPD Officers Expect Public To Be Stupider Than They Are; Justify Shutting Down Recording With 'iPhones Are Guns' Claim
• Man who recorded alleged police brutality says he was told to delete evidence

Body Cams

• Dallas police chief calls for body cameras after cops shoot unarmed teen, mentally ill man
• Seattle police will launch body camera pilot program
• Metropolitan Police officers start wearing body cameras—"Met Police officers are to start wearing tiny cameras on their uniforms as part of plans to boost transparency and accelerate convictions."

Animal Cruelty

• Dash camera video released from deputy shooting dog
• Video Shows Hammond Police Officer Allegedly Abusing Dog
• Fort Worth Vet Accused of Keeping Dog Alive for Transfusions

Kids

• Teen killed for cell phone, $10 and a sandwich; suspect speaks out
• Man smothered crying son over video game WaPo
• Aunt: My nephew beaten to death defending 12-year-old sister during assault

Road Rage

• Brain-injured teen receives $2 million in 'affluenza' case settlement
• Deputy to avoid jail, criminal record in road rage case, attorney says
• Speeding Alameda deputy won't be charged in fatal crash
• Palmdale Girl, 16, Dies After Suspected DUI Driver Slams Into Her Home
• Teenage girl accused of running down 10-year-old boy in road-rage incident
• Driver caught using cell phone jamming device

Traffic

• Colorado Weighs Ban On Traffic Enforcement Cameras
• Sign Installer Cited for Violating the Sign He Was Putting Up—"Overtime parking ticket issued in Santa Barbara while man was about to screw in sign."
• Firefighters Smash BMW's Windows to Stretch Hose Toward 8-Alarm Blaze—"Next time you think about parking in front of a fire hydrant, keep this BMW in mind."

Marriage Equality, Cases; Schools; Latta, Intolerance, LGBT; War on Women, Abortion and Birth Control; Religion, Think of the Children

Marriage Equality

• Republican Activists Push Party On Gay Marriage
• Illinois GOP Replaces Officials Who Opposed Chairman On Gay Marriage
• Nauseating political cynicism led to inspiring gay marriage triumph—"A new book details how Obama's evolution on marriage equality was orchestrated. It's sickening -- but encouraging." Salon
• Idaho Won't Allow Lesbian Veteran To Be Buried With Her Wife
• Stop twisting the Bible: There is no message against same-sex marriage—"Moses and Paul are being misinterpreted: They were against gang rape and pederasty, not loving relationships." Salon
• Blast from the Past: Wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Body-Slams Marriage Equality Critics

Cases

• Judge: Indiana Must Recognize Gay Couple's Marriage
• 10th Circuit arguments on gay marriage ban focus on family, fairness
• Ted Olson: Va. gay marriage ban 'flatly unconstitutional'
• Prop 8 lawyer's views on gay marriage evolving
• Italian Court Recognizes Gay Marriage for First Time
• Malta: Same sex unions approved - Celebrations in Valletta - Opposition abstains because of adoptions

Schools

• College basketball player comes out as gay
• Best Protest Ever: Students Walk Out During Anti-Gay Lecture, Leaving Room All but Empty
• Law society rejects school over gay policy—"Ontario's law society has refused to accredit a new law school at a faith-based university over a policy prohibiting same-sex intimacy that some say is discriminatory."
• Publicly funded school with anti-gay policy spurs Alberta review—"Alberta's education minister faced questions today about why tax dollars are going to a school with anti-gay policies."
• Religious Oregon teens wear 'Gay Is Not OK' shirts to school to protest lack of 'straight day'
• Washington school district will hire gay administrator forced out of Catholic school
• Trans teacher reinstated by school board following parent complaints

Latta

• Mayor Who Fired Lesbian Police Chief Caught On Tape In Homophobic Tirade—"I would much rather have.. and I will say this to anybody's face… somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children."
• Latta council fights for chief's job—"Mayor refuses to discuss police leader's dismissal before a packed meeting."
• South Carolina town rallies 'round fired gay police chief

Intolerance

• Tea Party Activist: 'Gay Supremacy Is Becoming A Monster That Carries Greater Evils Than White Supremacy Ever Did'
• Boy Scouts of America Shuts Down Seattle Troop Over Gay Scoutmaster
• Man gets 2 1/2 years for beating disabled brother to 'push the gay out'
• Brunei's new law permits stoning gay people to death
• Mistrust and Hate: The Frightening New Lives of Homosexuals in Uganda
• Serial Killer Arrested For Killing Gay Men In Pakistan
• For young women in China, slash fanfiction is a dangerous hobby

LGBT

• A frat boy's "gay experience"—"I always considered myself straight. What happened with Tom left me questioning everything about my sexuality." Salon
• Artist Creates Unique Portrait of Tom Daley to Combat Hate
• It's Not Just Frozen: Most Disney Movies Are Pro-Gay—"By preaching acceptance and questioning gender, the company's kids films offer a queer-studies crash course."
• Gun Barrel City mayor promises end to police surveillance of gay bar Garlow's
• Chelsea Manning: A Statement on My Legal Name Change

War on Women

• Chelsea Clinton's pregnancy gives birth to new conspiracies—"The news that Hillary Clinton is to become a grandmother has prompted questions about her ability to run for presidency. It's breathtaking sexism."
• Mitch McConnell Says He Stood Up for Women in a Senate Sexual-Harassment Scandal. The Real Story Is Damning.—"McConnell claims he led a 1995 investigation against a GOP senator accused of sexual misconduct. Actually, he took steps to keep it quiet."
• Prominent Republican: Women Need To Be Paid Less So They Can Find Husbands
• GOP Lawmaker Says Women Don't Deserve Equal Pay Because They're Lazier
• GOP Candidate: I'm Not Waging A War On Women Because I'm A Woman

Abortion and Birth Control

• North Dakota abortion ban ruled unconstitutional
• Lawsuit: Texas Hospital Caved to Anti-Abortion Activists' Demands
• Virginia GOPer: Incest exceptions in abortion restrictions unnecessary because sometimes incest is "voluntary"—"Asked to defend the remark, the delegate said, 'I don't care. ... if I say something in public, I say it in public.'" Salon
• South Carolina Bill Wants to Apply 'Stand Your Ground' Law to Fetuses
• Tennessee legislature passes bill to criminalize pregnancy: Women who have stillbirths after using illegal drugs may be charged
• The secret anti-abortion law that's sweeping America—"Pro-lifers can't reverse Roe v Wade. So they're shutting down clinics with red tape and a smile. Don't believe the lie."
• Nearly one-third of morning-after pills in Peru are fake

Religion

• Popes John Paul II and John XXIII made saints in double canonisation
• Pope Francis 'told divorced and remarried woman there is nothing wrong with her taking Communion', Italian newspaper says
• Britain in post-Christian era, says former archbishop of Canterbury—"Lord Williams says time of habitual worship is over and further decline of widespread faith likely in UK."
• "A Masturbation Lawsuit Is Rattling Christian Homeschoolers—"The sexual abuse lawsuit against 'Biblical Patriarchy' leader Doug Phillips is dividing Christian homeschoolers."
• Army approves 'humanist' as religious preference
• Court upholds ban on religious services in NYC public schools
• Shakespeare and atheism: What his works tell us about the playwright's religious views

Think of the Children

• Pope Francis asks forgiveness for child abuse by clergy
• Couple accused in death of daughter, 12, seek to exclude mention of faith healing
• 'Baptism is a crime against children': ECHR
• 'Muslim morality squads' accused of confiscating students' Easter eggs in U.K.
• SC Republican wants to end public schools: Nothing 'in the Bible about state education'
• W. Va. School Removes Bible Verse after Complaint
• US school's Bible class: Sinners will suffer