SHOCK HORROR

Amnesty International Urges Stricter Limits on Police Taser Use as U.S. Death Toll Reaches 500

 

Two days after the death of a Georgia man who was shocked with a police Taser -- raising the known death toll from tasers to 500 in the United States -- Amnesty International today repeated its call for tighter limits on police use of the weapons.

 

According to data collected by Amnesty International, at least 500 people in the United States have died since 2001 after being shocked with Tasers either during their arrest or while in jail.

BIG BROTHER

Facebook spies on phone users' text messages, report says

Facebook admitted reading text messages belonging to smartphone users who downloaded the social-networking app and said that it was accessing the data as part of a trial to launch its own messaging service, The (London) Sunday Times reported.

Other well-known companies accessing smartphone users' personal data - such as text messages - include photo-sharing site Flickr, dating site Badoo and Yahoo Messenger, the paper said.

It claimed that some apps even allow companies to intercept phone calls - while others, such as YouTube, are capable of remotely accessing and operating users' smartphone cameras to take photographs or videos at any time.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 

Occupy our food supply

Our food is under threat. It is felt by every family farmer who has lost their land and livelihood, every parent who can't find affordable or healthy ingredients in their neighborhood, every person worried about foodborne illnesses thanks to lobbyist-weakened food safety laws, every farmworker who faces toxic pesticides in the fields as part of a day's work.

When our food is at risk we are all at risk.

Over the last thirty years, we have witnessed a massive consolidation of our food system. Never have so few corporations been responsible for more of our food chain.

MAD SCIENCE

Normal grieving is ‘not depression’

the new DSM-5 suggests that depression could co-occur with grief. Critics see the changes as suggesting the DSM is trying to “medicalize” normal grieving. Anyone who experiences grief after a tragic or significant loss will now be at risk for receiving — heaven forbid — mental health treatment and a diagnosis.

SEXUAL DEVIATION

Sex education: far from decent

In one presentation for Year 8 and 9 students, one middle-aged couple declared actor Scarlett Johansson was promiscuous (rather than, say, "responsible") for publicly declaring she had regular STI checks.

They argued condoms were ineffective and "flimsy", and showed an American video lecture that urged women never to get abortions, even in the case of rape. Afterwards, they invited students - kids between the ages of 12 and 14 - to sign virginity pledges.

A similar organisation told young women the contraceptive pill was tantamount to abortion, that condoms were immoral before marriage (and blocked a husband's "essence" during marriage) and that homosexuality was exclusively caused by sexual abuse at a young age. These aren't fringe organisations.

They're well-funded by churches and donors, and regularly invited speak at both private and public schools in the regions and capitals.

TO MY OLD MASTER

"Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire."
– Jourdon Anderson

Read his letter in full.