Culture

RT | – Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has frequently said that he does not regret blowing the whistle on the agency’s mass surveillance programs. However, he has now stated that he would change one thing if he could do it all again. He would have leaked the information earlier. Snowden made the […]

African-Americans

In New Gilded Age, Social Protest dominates Academy Awards Ceremony

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – If social and economic inequality were a mine, and if America were deep in this mine with a canary in tow, the canary would long since have expired. Some 400 billionaires have more wealth than the bottom half of Americans. We lived through a year of dramatic incidents […]

Culture

Snowden Reacts as Documentary about his Leaks wins Oscar

contributors

By Rainey Reitman | (EFF) – CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras’ riveting documentary about Edward Snowden’s efforts to shed light on gross surveillance abuses by the United States government and its partners, just won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Tonight’s Oscar win recognizes not only the incredible cinematography of Poitras, but also her daring […]

film

War Porn: Hollywood and War from World War II to “American Sniper”

contributors

By Peter Van Buren | (Tomdispatch.com) – In the age of the all-volunteer military and an endless stream of war zone losses and ties, it can be hard to keep Homeland enthusiasm up for perpetual war. After all, you don’t get a 9/11 every year to refresh those images of the barbarians at the airport […]

Christianity

Fox News Contributor: Fifty Shades of Grey Heralds the End of the World

contributors

Ana Kasparian | (The Young Turks) – “”Fox News contributor Robert Jeffress believes that gay marriage and the film release of Fifty Shades of Grey are signs that the apocalypse is nearing. Jeffress said “the Bible prophesized that in the End Times, there will be a lack of moral restraint. And I think we’re seeing […]

Entertainment

The Daily Show was never ‘real’ news – but came (depressingly) close

contributors

Julia Fox, Indiana University | (The Conversation) Jon Stewart’s Tuesday night announcement that he’ll be leaving the Daily Show garnered an audible cry of disbelief from his live studio audience. Stewart himself was visibly emotional: “What is this fluid?” he jokingly asked, making Frankenstein’s monster-like gestures toward his eyes and heart. “What are these feelings?” […]

art and photography

Beaten over call for co-existence: French artist’s religious graffiti

contributors

RT | – “French grafitti artist ‘Combo’ got beaten for a graffiti of himself in Arabic clothes with the world ‘coexist’, with symbols of three different religions instead of some of the letters.” RT: “Beaten over call for co-existence: French artist’s religious graffiti”

Culture

Huge Win for the Open Internet! FCC Officially Embraces Title II

contributors

By Corynne McSherry | Electronic Frontier Foundation | — Well done, Team Internet. After a year of intense activism, we may have finally convinced the Federal Communications Commission to change course and craft clear, bright-line rules to protect the open internet, based on legal authority that will actually survive the inevitable legal challenge. According to […]

Cartoon

Fast Times at ISIS High: What Terrorists Want to Teach your Children (Taiwan Spoof)

contributors

Taiwanese Animators | (ISISville Series) – “Welcome to ISISville! The animated series that examines life under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant! You’ve read the headlines. So you know ISIS is growing in power as the terrorist organization murders thousands of innocent Muslims as it tightens its stranglehold on parts of Iraq and […]