Big Soda’s New Campaign to Buy Silence and Inaction

Casey Hinds Beyond Chron
Fearing the federal government’s new recommendations against added sugars will embolden cities to adopt soda taxes, Big Soda is using tobacco industry tactics to stop cities like Seattle from regulating their products. Seattle was one of six cities awarded a grant from the American Beverage Association (ABA) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to fight childhood obesity, which is like getting a grant from the tobacco industry to fight cancer.

Yes, O'Reilly's Fabrications Are Damaging Fox News

Eric Boehlert Media Matters
Year after year, newsroom embarrassments like O'Reilly's undermine Fox's credibility to the point where it seems more and more journalists today start with a working assumption that Fox is not a legitimate news operation. That represents a major shift from President Obama's first year in office and it's a key reason why O'Reilly's fabrications matter.

The Real Social Security Crisis Is Income Inequality

Richard Long Campaign for America's Future
Senator Bernie Sanders proposes raising the percentage of income subject to the payroll tax. “You can start at $250,000,” he says, “and what the Social Security Administration has told us, their actuary has told us, is that if you do that, you’re going to make Social Security solvent for the next 40 years on top of the 18 years it’s solvent. “

'Chuy' Garcia for Mayor of Chicago

The Chicago Teachers Union says enough of closed schools, red light cameras, privatization, mandatory sentencing minimums, closed libraries and mental health clinics. Money does not vote. People do. And the people support Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia for mayor.

Men In Skirts Protest Violence Against Women In Turkey

Men in Istanbul put on skirts over the weekend to protest violence against women and the brutal murder recently of Özgecan Aslan. Hundreds of people turned out, chanting slogans and showing solidarity between the sexes.

Baba Brinkman - Religion Evolves

Baba Brinkman, a Canadian hip-hop performer with an intellectual bent, sexy beats and sumptuous lyrics, tackles where religion comes from, what purpose it serves and how it evolves. NYT: "like attending the best Ted Talk ever." See him at the Soho Playhouse in NY, or get his album (pay what you want) here.

Beethoven and the Epigenome

How is a heart cell different from a brain cell? Just as orchestras can perform one piece of music in many different ways, different types of cells can express the same genes differently.