Terrorists don't bother with encryption
23 April 2016
Real terrorists don't bother with encryption.
Systematic bigotry
23 April 2016
There's a persistent pattern that Muslim passengers on US airlines are treated as terrorists for doing things that are totally innocent.
It's a form of systematic bigotry, comparable to the systematic bigotry that leads many US thugs to irrationally regard black males as threats, and kill them.
Fantasies used to justify torture
23 April 2016
Implausible fantasy situations, as unlikely as the "trolley problem", are regularly used to justify torture and drone bombings.
I've also written about why the trolley problem is not pertinent to real life moral choices.
Salafi Arabia continues bombarding Yemen
23 April 2016
The cease-fire in Yemen has not worked: Salafi Arabia continues its US-supported bombardment.
Urgent: Protect manta rays
23 April 2016
US citizens: tell the National Marine Fisheries Services to recommend protecting manta rays under the Endangered Species Act.
Pastafarian Church wedding
23 April 2016
The Pastafarian Church has conducted its first wedding.
March against harmful "security" measures
23 April 2016
Thousands marched "against terror and hate" in Brussels, calling for an end to useless and harmful "security" measures.
Afghan army uses schools
23 April 2016
The Afghan army uses schools for military purposes, sometimes even when children are there.
Fetuses with Down's syndrome
23 April 2016
Dawkins is right: when a fetus has Down's syndrome, you should abort it and try again.
(Some) mothers can indeed love a child with grave handicaps, but that's no excuse for saddling the child with them.
Ending tax dodging
23 April 2016
Methods for ending tax dodging, both the legal kind and the illegal kind. The only hard part is building a movement powerful enough to actually do it.
With enough political will, a state can simply refuse to treat payments to a hidden company as business expenses. They will more or less disappear, then.
Brazil's political crisis
23 April 2016
An interview with Lula about Brazil's political crisis.
Islamic law
23 April 2016
A quarter of British Muslims want to impose Islamic law, which means they are against many human rights. Half of them want to prohibit homosexuality. About 40% are against equality for women.
We must respect people's freedom to choose their beliefs in the sphere of religion, but that doesn't mean we can't condemn their choices.
We don't have to ignore people's religious views in deciding whether to admit them as immigrants. It is rational to refuse to admit immigrants who hold the views that many British Muslims hold.
One way to do this, which has the virtue of rejecting to fanaticism regardless of which religion it is inspired by, is to require immigrants to sign a public declaration in favor of equality and human rights. That implies, in particular, rejection of Islamic law and inequality. Those willing to put their names publicly on this statement are ok.
Attack on feminist art festival
23 April 2016
Thugs and religious fanatics joined to attack a feminist art festival in Indonesia.
This is what US support for Salafi Arabia has wrought.
Killer robots
23 April 2016
Human Rights Watch: Why We Need to Ban Killer Robots.
They would allow countries to bring about likely war crimes for which no one would be legally responsible.
UK gov't to gag scientists
23 April 2016
The UK government is about to gag state-funded scientists from talking about the political implications of their research.
Air pollution near highways
23 April 2016
Living near a highway, like 10% of Americans, is bad for your health due to the air pollution, including ultrafine particles.
I suppose that poor Americans are more likely to live near highways, so this explains part of the 14-year difference in life expectancy between rich and poor American males.
I think these ultrafine particles are what diesel engines produce so much of, and Volkswagen was found to be falsifying in emissions tests.
Raising cattle on grass
23 April 2016
Raising cattle on grass rather than farmed grain avoids causing antibiotic resistance, as well as being far more efficient.
If we ate only the beef that can be grown this way, we would eat less beef and that would be good for our health.
No excuse for pursuing journalists' sources
23 April 2016
Snowden points out that "We didn't break any laws" is not an excuse for pursuing journalists' sources.
The TPP
23 April 2016
Shoe manufacturer New Balance says the US government offered it a contract in exchange for not condemning the TPP.
Obama said that intervening in Libya was his biggest mistake, but history will say that was the TPP and such like.
Automatic basic income to be tested
23 April 2016
An automatic basic income for citizens is about to be tested by Finland and maybe Switzerland.
Tasmania heat wave
23 April 2016
A heatwave in the sea is playing havoc with marine life near Tasmania.
Avril Henry escapes life
23 April 2016
Dr. Avril Henry killed herself at age 81 because various illnesses were making her life unbearable. She was already too sick to go to Switzerland for help in suicide, but her suffering could have continued for many years.
To get materials for this, she had to fool thugs who tried forcibly to prolong her suffering.
I am sorry for her that she became so ill that she could not have a life worth living, and glad for her that she succeeded in escaping in the only possible way. As for the thugs, shame on them for their "illogical and cruel" policy of forcing the innocent to suffer.
Hillary Clinton hawkish candidate
23 April 2016
Hilary Clinton is the most hawkish candidate in the two main parties. She seems to have learned nothing from the repeated failures and backfires of US interventions.
AK47 buying scheme
23 April 2016
Criminals and terrorists get AK47s in the EU through a simple scheme: they are modified simply to "deactivate" them, sold lawfully, then criminals revert the change to make them work again.
The European Union has known about this for almost a decade but is only beginning to think about changing the laws to stop it.
Banksters and Greece
23 April 2016
The banksters' imposed spending cuts and their attacks on Greece's industries have produced the expected economic contraction, and increased deficit; so now, as predicted, they demand even more cuts.
Greece will have to default. The sooner, the better, since each year of surrender to the banksters' attacks enables them to make Greece weaker and more helpless. Greece will need to act aggressively, looking for any and all threats it can make against the banksters and their institutions — including ways to cause a bigger crisis.
Real reason for Dilma’s impeachment
23 April 2016
The Real Reason Dilma Rousseff's Enemies Want Her Impeached.
Quack treatments
23 April 2016
Don't believe quack claims for treatments to "cleanse" or "detox" the inside of your body.
Silicon valley executive China ties
23 April 2016
What's worse for a Silicon Valley executive: ties to the Chinese military or friends in the US Defense Department?
Iran political prisoners medical care
23 April 2016
In Iran, political prisoners don't get proper medical care.
Nigerian abortion prohibition
23 April 2016
The prohibition of abortion in Nigeria drives women to illegal abortions and regularly they die.
Panama not only to blame
23 April 2016
Although the Panama papers came from a business in Panama, it would be a mistake to single out Panama for blame.
However, we should not let Panama off the hook. All the governments that bow down to the plutocrats in ways that hurt the public are to blame, Panama included.
It sounds like Panama allows companies to route income through Panama and thus avoid taxes on it, and that is a specifically bad policy.
GCHQ data collection
23 April 2016
GCHQ grabs all sorts of private data bases with information about all sorts of people.
Diesel models fail emissions tests
23 April 2016
93 different diesel cars tested recently in Europe all failed emissions tests in real driving, even though they did not have specific "defeat devices" to cheat.
What they do have are systems that have many tunable parameters: enough that it is possible to tune them to reduce emissions under the sort of conditions found in the test, while increasing performance at the cost of excessive emissions in other circumstances.
There would be less pressure to create this sort of problem if the state's method for bringing about greenhouse gas emissions were a general carbon tax instead of specific measures such as "Make more diesel cars." However, the way to end this particular abuse is to test car emissions by real driving.
Coal replaced with wood
23 April 2016
Replacing coal with wood from forests that won't recover after being logged does not constitute renewable energy.
Russia flying into Aleppo
23 April 2016
Russia is flying artillery into Aleppo, apparently planning to terminate the cease-fire and attack the Syrian rebels supported by the US and various tyrannical regimes.
Mitsubishi falsifying emissions data
23 April 2016
Mitsubishi admitted falsifying emissions data for 600,000 cars, and the Japanese investigators raided an office to look for documents.
FSF Job Opening
23 April 2016
Job opening at the Free Software Foundation.
Sanders committed to victory
22 April 2016
Sanders campaign’s commitment to victory irritates media, offends Clinton campaign.
Closing of Guantanamo
22 April 2016
How can the Guantanamo prison be closed?
Honduras' human right issue
22 April 2016
Berta Cáceres's daughter asks European countries to stop aid to Honduras to pressure for human rights.
The US deserves a president who won't support coups such as the one that crushed human rights in Honduras. In other words, not Clinton.
New York removes voters
22 April 2016
New York State removed a large fraction of voters from the electoral rolls before the primary this week.
Some voters are suing.
There were other obstacles to voting, too.
UK bulk data collection
22 April 2016
UK Spy Agencies Have Collected Bulk Personal Data Since 1990s, Files Show.
Even when the data is about persons "of interest", that should not mean it is ok for them to collect whatever data they can get.
Nauru minors show mental illness
22 April 2016
Australia brought back 54 minors from prison on Nauru. Half of them show mental illness.
Drought in Africa
22 April 2016
Drought in Africa means more than just crop failure — people actually have trouble getting enough water to drink.
Australia Panama papers loopholes
22 April 2016
Calling on Australia to close the loopholes that enable shell companies to dodge taxes.
San Francisco solar roofs
22 April 2016
San Francisco has adopted a law that new buildings must have solar generation or solar water heating on the roof, unless they are over 10 storeys tall.
Instead of that strange exception, they should require taller buildings to have solar panels on the south-facing walls as well as on the roof.
Activists block coal export terminal
22 April 2016
Activists in Oakland, California are fighting to block a new coal export terminal.
It is crazy to boost the coal trade; it shows the US is not serious about avoiding disaster. The only redeeming feature is that maybe no one will buy the coal. China is cutting down its use of coal, to reduce air pollution that makes it impossible for cities to operate; India mines its own coal. The investment of building coal terminals could be wasted.
But we can't be sure of that, so it is important to fight against the terminal.
Global heating disasters
22 April 2016
Going from 1.5C of global heating to 2C would mean a big increase in worldwide disasters.
Radioactive waste at Handford endangers workers
22 April 2016
A leak of radioactive waste at Hanford, perhaps the largest ever, is very dangerous to workers trying to clean it up, and will increase the contamination of the whole site.
Why Isn’t Everyone In Favor of Taxing Financial Speculation?
22 April 2016
Why Isn’t Everyone In Favor of Taxing Financial Speculation?
The US could also direcly limit the kinds of financial derivatives that may be traded.
South Australia now produces half its energy from solar and wind
22 April 2016
South Australia already gets half its electricity from wind and solar power.
A program to subsidize building owners in buying batteries would quickly go the rest of the way.
Obama threatens to veto 9/11 victims bill
22 April 2016
Why does Obama threaten to veto a bill that would allow victims of the September 2001 terror attacks to sue foreign governments if they are responsible?
Maybe because he doesn't want the US government to be sued for things like drone bombings. Or maybe he is defending Salafi Arabia. Both reasons are bad. Maybe it is both. He may not want Yemenis to sue the US for providing weapons that Salafi Arabia is using to bomb civilians there. Both Sanders and Clinton support the bill, but Sanders also calls for publication of what the government's report said about Salafi Arabia.
As for the Salafi threat to sell some assets in the US, the US should not cower in fear of that. On the contrary, it suggests that Salafi Arabia has reason to expect it will lose such a lawsuit. The US needs to stop supporting Salafi Arabia in any case, so that it can't keep spreading fanatical Islam around the world.
Urgent: Stricter conditions on US arms
22 April 2016
US citizens: tell Congress you support the bill to impose stricter conditions on US arms for Salafi Arabia.
The country's official name is "Saudi Arabia", but "Salafi Arabia" reminds people of that country's most important export: an oppressive and fanatical form if Islam.
Removed from flight for speaking Arabic
22 April 2016
Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, who moved to the US from Iraq as a child, was taken off a flight in the US because another passenger found it suspicious that he was speaking Arabic.
Eradicating feral cats
22 April 2016
High-tech traps are designed to eradicate the feral cats that threaten Australia's small wildlife.
Maybe in the future it will be possible to eradicate other feral animals that endanger unusual local species in other places.
World's rich grabbing from the poor
22 April 2016
Oxfam reports hat the world's rich are rapidly grabbing the world's wealth from the poor: they have taken a trillion dollars since 2010.
They do this with dooH niboR policies designed to take from the poor and give to the rich. Often these actions are lawful, but that doesn't make them legitimate.
The rich are not entitled to hold on to this wealth merely because the laws they procured legalized their grab. We must strengthen Robin Hood so that he defeats dooH niboR.
March against UK "austerity" policies
22 April 2016
Tens of thousands marched in London against bleed-the-poor "austerity" policies.
Neoliberalism
22 April 2016
Neoliberalism — the Ideology at the Root of All Our Problems.
Renewable energy investment
22 April 2016
Renewable energy investment has succeeded in decoupling economic growth from growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
UK's new catch-22 for low-paid workers
22 April 2016
The UK's new catch-22 for low-paid workers who are forced to work unpredictable hours demands they come frequently and uselessly to appointments at a "jobcenter", and if their working hours make them miss an appointment, they get fined.
The Tories' general aim is to take as much as possible for the rich that they serve, and generate excuses to condemn and crush everyone else.
Verizon refusing to fix copper lines
22 April 2016
Verizon is forcing customers to switch from copper lines to fiber through a policy of refusing to fix those.
New global heat record for March
22 April 2016
This March set a new global heat record for March.
Each of the last 11 months has set a global record for that month.
Secret evidence perverts justice
22 April 2016
UK spy agencies presented secret evidence to quash the lawsuits of Libyan dissidents that those agencies handed over to Qadhafi's regime for torture.
This demonstrates how such secret evidence perverts justice.
German "defamation" law
22 April 2016
German "defamation" law is extremely broad censorship.
This shows why we must fight all attempts to criticize "hate speech." People have a right to insult anyone, even you or me.
Human rights in Salafi Arabia
22 April 2016
The US State Department's report on human rights in Salafi Arabia is a gross whitewash of the US-supported bombing campaign in Yemen.
Tool to report texting while driving
22 April 2016
The idea of a tool to determine whether a driver's phone was used for text messaging at the time of an accident is fine in principle, but it is almost impossible in practice unless it snoops on a lot more than that.
I get the impression Android Auto is based on using proprietary software to restrict users.
SCROTUS gives cable companies a present
22 April 2016
SCROTUS gave cable companies a present by passing a bill that threatens the FCC's network neutrality requirements.
SCROTUS = Sleazy Congressional Republicans Of The United States.
Lifespans of rich men vs poor men
22 April 2016
In the US, rich men live 14 years longer than poor men. Now dooH is taking years from the poor and giving them to the rich.
FBI find nothing interesting in cracked iPhone
22 April 2016
Syed Farook's iPhone turned out to have nothing interesting on it, but it was a handy excuse to try to set a precedent.
Solution to migrant crisis: jobs
22 April 2016
The Solution to the Migrant Crisis is Jobs in Low Income Countries.
However, that should not be taken as a reason to replace well-paid workers with poverty wages. The right way to boost jobs in poor countries is to block the rich elites of those countries from sneaking their wealth into tax havens.
Wild places destroyed by humans
22 April 2016
A collection of recordings of the sounds of wildlife is now the only remnant of many wild places that humans have destroyed.
Time Magazine not to be believed
22 April 2016
Don't believe Time Magazine's national debt panic — it's as wrong now as it was before.
Corporate taxes
22 April 2016
This Study Shows How Low Corporate America's Taxes Really Are, But Tax-Dodging CEOs Complain about High Rates All the Same.
Internet "services"
22 April 2016
One less than obvious injustice of many internet services is that they decide what "service" means. If you use these more than very rarely, their algorithms run your life.
Many of the companies they talk about have bigger, absolute injustices which absolutely rule out their use. Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and Uber are examples. But even if a site isn't outright unjust, using it to the point that its algorithms control your life is unjust.
I am looking for people to a couple of additional volunteers to help edit the pages on the site for me. If you'd like to help me in this way, please write to rms at gnu period org.
UK Catering to Erdogan
21 April 2016
Is the UK refusing to recognize PISSI's genocide a matter of catering to Erdogan?
Thousands of species displaced
21 April 2016
Over a thousand species of animals and plants have been moved by humans because humans endanger their survival in their original ranges.
Urgent: Tax Filing Simplification Act
21 April 2016
US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2016.
Arizona voter suppression law
21 April 2016
In Arizona, poor people have often voted by absentee ballots which volunteers bring to the polling place. This is because there are too few polling places where poor people live. Now the antidemocratic politicians of Arizona have passed a law to imprison those volunteers.
Whorephobia
21 April 2016
Never mind arguing whether the embarrassment of dating a sex worker should remain private, or be exposed. The main wrong here is whorephobia.
Canada's New Democratic Party
21 April 2016
Canada's New Democratic Party has made itself useless with a swing to the right, a la Bill Clinton and Tony B'liar. Now it is considering adopting a platform to really address national and world problems.
Sanders criticizes Netanyahu
21 April 2016
Sanders announced in the debate the need to support Palestinians against the Israeli occupation, and criticized Netanyahu for unjustified violence.
Protesters at London arms fair
21 April 2016
Protesters arrested at a London arms fair argued in court that they were preventing crimes…and the judge dropped the charges.
Digital technology driving down wages
21 April 2016
It is pretty clear that digital technology is increasing unemployment and driving down wages.
We need to defeat the plutocrats and share their income with the non-rich.
Prosecution of comedian for insult
21 April 2016
Merkel authorized prosecution of a German comedian for insulting Erdoğan.
Since the existing law says that such prosecutions require authorization from the government, Merkel is telling a falsehood when she claims that the decision is not for her to make and she is only recognizing independence of the courts.
If the case results in repeal of that law, at least there will be a positive outcome.
Attack on women
21 April 2016
SCROTUS's latest attack on women is a bill to ban choosing an abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus.
Some feminists want to ban sex-selection abortions, because they are often based on a preference for male children. I've warned that this position is misguided and would put abortion rights in danger.
Swatting
21 April 2016
An article about tracking down a swatter shows details that could provide an easy way to stop swatting: just take note when the call to 911 is not a local call.
Privatized prison
21 April 2016
A UK privatized prison company has been fined 100 times for violating its contracts.
For such companies, contracts are made for cheating on.
Divestment from coal companies
21 April 2016
Norway's giant investment fund has divested from coal companies.
Australia attacking journalism
21 April 2016
Australia is attacking journalism by accessing journalists' phone records.
Prosecuted for trying to commit suicide in Nauru
21 April 2016
A refugee dumped by Australia in Nauru tried to commit suicide. He didn't die, and was prosecuted instead.
Journalists are effectively excluded from Nauru so there is not much good information about how these refugees are treated.
Psychedelics
21 April 2016
Learning about what psychedelics do to the brain, from brain scans.
Dependence on food bank aid in UK
21 April 2016
A UK food bank organization warns that dependence on their aid is now normal for poor people in the UK.
The Tory goal, though Tories don't openly admit it, is to stop helping poor Britons survive. This shows how successful their policies have been.
Missing Mexican students
21 April 2016
Missing Mexican Students Abducted in Front of Federal Police, Witness Says.
Coal vs Coral
21 April 2016
Coal vs Coral: will Australia destroy the Great Barrier Reef with coal mining?
Those of help the rich dodge taxes
21 April 2016
The chutzpah of those who help the rich dodge taxes: "If it isn't illegal, you can't blame me."
What nonsense! Impoverishing the rest of society does not become ok just because the rich procure a law that lets them do it.
When it isn't illegal, we cannot prosecute them for it. But we can condemn them as enemies of society, boycott them, shun them and ostracize them — as part of the movement to make their tax-dodging illegal.
Death squads sent to Tanzania
21 April 2016
Burundi's tyrant is sending death squads into refugee camps in Tanzania.
Chinese human rights lawyer arrested
21 April 2016
A Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested, apparently for posting information about the secret offshore bank accounts of relatives of high officials.
Tropical deforestation
21 April 2016
Beef, soy, palm oil, and wood products are the main causes of tropical deforestation.
BYU goes beyond blaming the victim
21 April 2016
Beyond blaming the victim: investigating the victim. Students at Brigham Young University who report being raped are suspected of violating the "honor code", and are investigated for this.
This reminds me of countries where, under unjust Islamic law, women who are raped are convicted of having sex outside marriage.
America's two-tiered justice system
21 April 2016
Goldman Sachs vs. Democracy Spring: America's Two-Tiered Justice System on Full Display.
Western companies and Chinese censorship
21 April 2016
Western companies should stop collaborating with Chinese censorship.
EU is undemocratic
21 April 2016
Corbyn says that leaving the EU would allow Tories to attack the rights of workers and the non-rich.
The EU is undemocratic, and should be abolished if it isn't fixed. But Tories don't want to fix what is wrong with the EU; they want to unleash it.
Same arguments used to justify Corporations United
21 April 2016
Clinton, defending the millions of dollars rich people spend on her campaign, uses the same arguments that were used to justify the Corporations United decision.
That group of corporations called itself "Citizens United", but we should not repeat their falsehood just because they said it. The name "Corporations United" describes them correctly.
Tory Minister's scandal
21 April 2016
Tory Minister John Whittingdale's scandal is not that he had a non-business relationship for six months with a woman who was a sex worker, but that he pleads about how fast he broke up with her when he found out.
Influence of money
20 April 2016
Money Influences Everybody. That Includes Hillary Clinton.
Nuclear waste storage facilities
20 April 2016
Terrorists in France were at least considering an attack on a nuclear waste storage facility.
These sites are impossible to defend properly. Maybe they could keep out people armed only with bombs, guns and cars, but they can't keep out a hijacked airliner. These wastes should be stored underground in tunnels with few, well-guarded entrances.
Water shortages and violence
20 April 2016
Leaked US diplomatic messages show that US officials are very worried about violence caused by water shortages.
Global heating is not the only cause of water shortages, but it will make them worse.
Transgender man required to use women's toilets
20 April 2016
A transgender man in North Carolina has prepared cards to hand out in the women's toilets that he is now legally required to use, to allay the anxiety of other women about the presence of a man.
Microsoft sues Justice Department
20 April 2016
Microsoft is suing to defend customers' right to know if the US government looked at their email.
It is a worthy attempt, but I doubt you will ever have the same rights over your email stored in a company's server that you have over your data in your own server.
New European directives
20 April 2016
The European Parliament voted for three directives that protect privacy inadequately or harm it.
Haiti cholera epidemic
20 April 2016
The UN could have avoided loosing cholera in Haiti with a $2000 package of tests and antibiotics.
German law against insulting foreign rulers
20 April 2016
The German law that criminalizes insulting foreign rulers dates from the time of the German empire.
Italy, Poland and Switzerland have similar laws. All these countries must take this opportunity to repeal those laws.
Panama Papers
20 April 2016
Was the Panama Papers leak a CIA operation? There is some suggestive evidence.
Canada considers law offering euthanasia
20 April 2016
Canada is considering a law offering euthanasia, but only to Canadians with terminal illnesses.
Once again, this omits people who are paralyzed and likely to live years of boredom and futility. And why be cruel to non-Canadians?
March across India for Dalits
20 April 2016
Marching across India, to free Dalits from the job of manually pawing though human excrement, without any protective gear.
That work is not only disgusting, it also exposes the workers to disease.
1968 global heating warning
20 April 2016
The US oil industry was warned in 1968 about the danger of global heating and how disastrous it could be.
New Documents Reveal Oil Industry Knew of Climate Risks Decades Earlier Than Suspected; Suggest Coordinated Efforts to Foster Skepticism.
Schools with thugs
20 April 2016
It's Time to Get Cops Out of Schools.
A school that has thugs is asking for its students to be jailed for minor things, thus set on a path to a life of persecution.
"Too big to fail"
20 April 2016
Five big US banks still present themselves as "too big to fail": they have not provided credible plans to for handling their bankruptcy.
Global heating
20 April 2016
Above 1.5C of global heating, we are likely to encounter tipping points that will drive large global changes.
When deportation means death
20 April 2016
Luqman Onikosi knows that being deported to Nigeria will kill him.
Verizon workers strike
20 April 2016
Verizon is raking in billions but demands to treat its workers worse. They have gone on strike.
Bernie Sanders joined their picket line.
Would Clinton do that? I doubt it. She loves getting endorsements from the leaders of unions but doesn't really care about their members.
Urgent: Support Peace Now
20 April 2016
US citizens: call on Congress to support Peace Now rather than AIPAC.
Missing torture documents
20 April 2016
ACLU Sues Bureau of Prisons Over Missing Torture Documents.
Knowing convictions of innocent people
20 April 2016
Keith Allen Harward was convicted of murder because the prosecutor denied his lawyer the evidence that proved the culprit was not him. 30 years later, this evidence got him freed. But prosecutors keep on with the same trickery, knowingly convicting innocent people.
Exaggerated significance of minor event
20 April 2016
A foolish man, Brok, saw a beautiful woman in a store. He posted her photo, asking people to introduce him to her.
Brok has foolishly attached exaggerated significance to a minor event, a momentary infatuation. He will learn that seeing beauty in someone is no reason to think that the two would like each other. He will learn that he has the same chance — the same minuscule chance, I suppose — of finding happiness or pleasure with any of the other fish in the sea.
The author has also foolishly attached exaggerated significance to a minor event, namely Brok's posting of the photo. However, the author's reaction is far worse, because it attacks everyone's human rights. The author advocates making it a crime to take photos of people you see in public places and publish them.
Money spent to get tax refund
20 April 2016
Low-Income Americans Spend As Much As $400 to Get Tax Refund, Report Finds.
Israeli expansionism
20 April 2016
Israeli Expansionism Is Key Driver of Violence.
Israeli right wing
20 April 2016
The Israeli right wing attacks human rights organizations because it is hostile to the general idea of rights that everyone deserves.
The Israeli population is becoming ever more right-wing, nationalist, and opposed to equal respect for human rights.
Palestinians' Security Council resolution
20 April 2016
Obama should support the Palestinians' Security Council resolution.
Death penalty in Georgia
20 April 2016
Campaigners against the death penalty in Georgia hold a vigil every time someone is executed.
I have never understood the idea that execution is wrong specifically and only for people who are mentally deficient. I think the death penalty is wrong in all cases — for the mentally deficient, for geniuses, and for people of average intelligence.
Homeless teens in Delhi publish newspaper
20 April 2016
Homeless teenagers in Delhi publish a newspaper.
(I don't want to call teenagers "children" because I think that will support the idea of limiting their rights.)
Historian faces imprisonment in Poland
20 April 2016
A historian faces the possibility of imprisonment in Poland under an outrageous censorship law redolent of France or Turkey, but much broader.
Regardless of whether the Polish government charges Professor Gross, it is guilty of contempt of human rights.
Repression against UK resident foreigners
20 April 2016
The UK is imposing a system of extreme repression against resident foreigners, restrained only by occasional court decisions.
US corporate tax-dodging
20 April 2016
The 50 largest US corporations are storing over a trillion dollars in foreign countries to dodge taxes.
Tiananmen Square massacre museum
20 April 2016
The Hong Kong museum dedicated to the Tiananmen Square massacre is being shut down by its landlord. The museum operators scent Chinese meddling.
Racist taxi drivers in Australia
20 April 2016
Many taxi drivers in Australia are racist and refuse to take indigenous passengers. One who is famous is using that fame to push for an education campaign.
Zika
20 April 2016
Zika causes many kinds of prenatal brain damage.
I think that subhuman babies should not be considered human beings. It is legitimate to euthanize them rather than bear the burden of taking care of them for decades.
Canadian arms sales to Salafi Arabia
20 April 2016
The new Canadian government said it was too late to cancel arms sales to Salafi Arabia, while in fact it hadn't yet signed the permits.
Cruz's fanatical opposition to sex
20 April 2016
Just how fanatical is Ted Cruz in opposition to sex?
Proposal to give more power to thugs
20 April 2016
Part of Australia proposes to give thugs power to impose restrictions arbitrarily on citizens.
Urgent: Investigate voter suppression
20 April 2016
US citizens: call for an investigation into a federal official's decision to let some Republican-controlled states require voters to show proof of citizenship.
Such rules are very effective at preventing some US citizens from voting, particularly poor people.
Uber data on millions of customers
20 April 2016
Uber gave the US government data on millions of customers.
Female actors' dialog in Hollywood movies
20 April 2016
In Hollywood movies, female actors have less dialog than male actors, and it gets to be even less when the female actors are over 30 years old.
Overprotection of children
20 April 2016
There are some who want you to be very very worried any time a stranger talks to your children.
Misconduct by prosecutors
20 April 2016
The Massachusetts Supreme Court rebuked prosecutors for misconduct in 250 cases, but the prosecutors never face punishment for this. Usually their names are not even published.
Demolition of Palestinian homes
20 April 2016
Israeli soldiers dumped rubble and sand on a Palestinian's farm, apparently because the inhabitants of a nearby unofficial Israeli colony want the land.
Israel's latest excuse for demolishing many Palestinian homes near the center of Jerusalem is to create new "national parks" and a "Bible trail".
Oxfam says that Israel is increasing the rate of demolitions.
Tax avoidance
20 April 2016
EU Plans to Tackle Tax Avoidance Are a Good Start — But Only a Start.
Widespread melting of ice in Greenland
20 April 2016
Greenland has set a new record for widespread melting of ice.
Making elected officials heed voters
20 April 2016
How to make elected officials heed the voters that elected them: keep reminding them.
EU proposal to stop tax dodging
20 April 2016
The European Union's woefully inadequate proposal to stop tax dodging.
Clinton pretends
20 April 2016
Clinton turns reality upside down, pretending that the coup in Honduras was not a coup.
Tritium from Fukushima
20 April 2016
Dumping tritium from Fukushima into the ocean may be the safest thing to do with it.
It is a small amount of tritium compared with the amounts already in the ocean.
Living in a wooden "pod"
20 April 2016
A man who announced he was living in a wooden "pod" in someone else's house has been forced to stop, based on "safety rules".
These rules are beneficial when it is possible for everyone to get housing that follows them. However, that's not true today. Is the pod more dangerous than living on the street?
Edible cutlery
20 April 2016
Disposable cutlery that's also edible.
Religion
20 April 2016
Mariah Walton's parents, religiously cruel, condemned her to a life of suffering by denying her a heart operation when she was a baby.
That's religion for you.
How young Iraqis see the US
20 April 2016
A poll found that more than 90% of young Iraqis consider the US an enemy of Iraq.
I can't blame them.
When US thugs kill
20 April 2016
When US thugs kill, fairly often the state quietly decides to make no charges against them, with no announcement.
Chicago thugs kill teenager
20 April 2016
Chicago thugs killed a teenager, then said he had pointed a gun at them.
You can't take their word about such things.
USDA silencing scientists
20 April 2016
Why Is the USDA Silencing Its Own Scientists' Warnings About the Dangerous Effects of Pesticides?
Idaho thugs smash child's face
20 April 2016
In Idaho, thugs are authorized to arrest runaway children, but does it make sense to arrest one because he has returned home? And smash his face, while they are at it?
Overfishing
20 April 2016
Global Fisheries Are Collapsing — What Happens When There Are No Fish Left?
Overfishing is an example of extractivism: treating the whole Earth as something to use up and throw away.
Planting trees saves town from floods
20 April 2016
Planting 40,000 trees saved a town in England from the floods that affected the surrounding region.