Maybe this is common knowledge to you, but if you didn't get the chance to read the news:

Things I Learned Reading the NY Times:
1. A fishing village in China protested against an illegal power plant that was going to take their land and pollute it. They made some gradeschool caliber bombs and the government shot at them. Now no one is allowed to talk about it. IN FACT: they are bribing the villagers to pretend all of the bodies with bullet holes are the product of their own bombs. Bribing them 15,000 dollars when they are poor. OH, and if you don't take the bribe they beat the shit out of you. You can't visit family in the hospital and they cut off all communication to Hong Kong, where they are allowed to publish the real story.

2. A Turkish author is being charged for slandering Turkish identity (against the law - including criticizing the state, government, army, etc.). He is a best selling author who is translated in 34 languages in trouble b/c he mentioned the slaughter of a million Armenians in 19 freaking 15 and the deaths of thousands of Kurds since the 1980's. WTF! And they want to be in the EU. Good luck.

3. A guy in Brazil invented the walkman and fought 25 years for the credit.

4. The Republicans and George Bush have been eavesdropping on thousands of conversations without warrants. (Recently-disclosed.) Enough of Congress is filibustering like hell to fight the renewal of the abusive post-9/11 laws. Oh, and I like McKain.