The Entitlement of the Very Rich

Dean Baker Truthout
If the public has a clear understanding of the agenda of the Immelts of the world, and their political allies, it will be better positioned to protect the entitlements that workers depend on have paid for.

What’s Exceptional About Ferguson, Missouri?

Zoe Carpenter The Nation
The racial disparities that define Ferguson are indeed shocking. More than two-thirds of the town’s residents are black, but almost all of the officials and police officers are white: the mayor and the police chief, five of six city council members, all but one of the members of the school board, fifty of fifty-three police officers.

One for All, and All for Hunt

Natalie Angier The New York Times
The dogs are “true altruists,” essentially willing to shorten their lives for the sake of the hive, They’re even further along the line of evolving into the mammalian equivalent of honeybees than we thought.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

A first look at the stunning new science series hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. For a discussion of the relation of science and religion in the first episode, go here.

Tony Benn, Veteran Labour Politician, Dies Aged 88

Patrick Wintour and Rowena Mason The Guardian
Tony Benn served in the House of Commons and in Labor cabinets, but he was perhaps most influential after he resigned from Parliament. He wrote and campaigned in favor of genuine democracy tirelessly, and on other issues including against the invasion of Iraq.