In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today!

[Content Note: Class warfare; civil rights violations] This one is from last month, but I hadn't seen it until Shaker NineOfCups sent it to me this morning: "Want to Predict the Future of Surveillance? Ask Poor Communities." Definitely a must-read.

In related news: "Rapid Improvements in Lidar Technology Could Have Surveillance Implications."

[CN: War on agency] The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the University of Notre Dame's "request for immediate relief from complying with the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) contraception mandate, upholding a lower court's ruling." Good.

A coalition of "more than 40 health care, consumer, and addiction treatment groups is urging the Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of the prescription drug Zohydro," a hydrocodone-based opioid analgesics which would be prescribed to treat chronic pain. The coalition writes: "In the midst of a severe drug epidemic fueled by overprescribing of opioids, the very last thing the country needs is a new, dangerous, high-dose opioid." Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of the advocacy group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, was even more blunt: "It's a whopping dose of hydrocodone packed in an easy-to-crush capsule. It will kill people as soon as it's released." The drug company which makes Zohydro says that definitely won't happen. Okay! It is very difficult to balance patient needs and safety in a for-profit healthcare market.

"Radioactive water from Japan's Fukushima power plant reaches Canada." There is, according to scientists, no reason to panic however. All right I will try not to panic!

Something about Bitcoin? I don't know. This is why you should keep all your money in Ronpaulbuxxx.

[CN: Consent issues] People magazine has a convoluted new policy about mostly not publishing images of celebrities' kids. Welp, it's a start.

LOL! "Missouri Spelling Bee Runs out of Words Because Kids Are Too Awesome." Love.

New Jersey police officer Rafael Burgos is being treated for smoke inhalation after rescuing all the animals inside a pet store during a fire. This fucking guy! In a good way!

A new Shelter Pet Project campaign for Maddie's Fund, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Ad Council features simple videos of shelter dogs and cats appealing directly to viewers, in the hopes of changing perceptions about shelter pets. (I love these ads so much!) Josh Hurley of the Ad Council writes a little bit about the process of developing the campaign and shooting the ads here.