In The News

Here is some stuff in the news today!

Pfc. B. Manning has been found not guilty of "aiding the enemy" for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, but has been convicted during the military court-martial of "six counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917" and other charges. Manning "faces a theoretical maximum sentence of 136 years in prison, although legal experts said the actual term was likely to be much shorter."

Clear Channel pulled ads for the South Wind Women's Center in Wichita, KS, where the late Dr. Tiller practiced, citing "decency standards." Whoops your definition of decency!

[Content Note: Sexual harassment] Pay up, Filner: "The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to file a lawsuit against Mayor Bob Filner to recover any money the city has to pay due to the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former top aide to the mayor." Eight women have now come forward with allegations of harassment.

[CN: Guns; racism] A writer at Bloomberg discovers that US gun culture is deeply invested in white supremacy. Huh!

Zynga is suing the makers of the "Bang With Friends" anonymous casual sex app for trademark infringement. Might I suggest "Casual Sex Roulette Except in This Game There's Only One Person You Hope Will Get Randomly Chosen and Every Other Outcome Is Terrible So Maybe You Should Just Invite Your Friend to Have Some Consensual Casual Safer Sex with You Like Two Grown Adults in a Modern World" as an alternative?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences elected Cheryl Boone Isaacs as its next president. She is "the first African-American and third woman to lead the powerful 86-year-old organization that's responsible for the Oscars."

"We're gonna get louder!" Fast-food strikes continue in New York City and begin to spread to other cities. In related news: "If McDonald's workers were paid the $15 they're demanding, the cost of a Big Mac would go up 68 cents, from its current price of $3.99 to $4.67." Not remotely the doubling of price that hand-wringers who don't understand (or are keen to mask) how food production works are warning would happen if fast-food workers earned a livable wage.