The death penalty, seen by a "mitigation specialist" who finds reasons for the jury to see a convict as a human rather than as a monster.

It looks like the Senate will pass the tiny reforms of the "USA Freedom Act". But we should keep fighting to oppose that.

Hong Kong to Get New Crowdfunded Independent Newspaper .

Seeds in a seed bank are better than nothing, as long as we do not suppose they substitute for diversity in agriculture .

What is reducing diversity? Partly globalization. Partly it is larger farms. Partly it is seed companies. And partly it is the laws that seed companies impose: plant variety monopolies, patented genes in plants, even laws against distributing seeds of unapproved varieties.

In the European Union, for instance, it is forbidden to sell seed varieties not specifically approved.

Israel will ban Palestinians from Israeli buses to the West Bank; they will be for Israeli citizens only.

The Palestinians will have to go home through checkpoints, which will take hours of extra time.