We must not ignore the >North-Koreans. Nothing on Earth compares to the horrifying scale of inhumanity there, and the extent of oppression and despair that render them incapable of revolution. We must not mistake their inaction for satisfaction with their condition. As free people in the most powerful country on Earth, it is *our* duty to come to their aid. Michael Kirby of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in DPRK, summed up the imperative: "At the end of the second world war, so many people said, 'If only we had known. If only we had known the wrongs that were done...' Well now, the international community does know. There will be no excusing a failure of action." For starters, let's pressure our government to hold the >Chinese accountable for abetting this regime. Let's support NGOs, such as LibertyInNorthKorea.org, that help refugees. Let's talk with friends about this, and about our responsibility for the weakest and most abused of our fellow human beings. But let's not ignore the North Korean people.

We're dismayed by Justin Cater's prosecution. It's another example of disproportionate prosecution of online activity in the tradition of Aaron Schwartz as well as online bullies who face no consequences whatsoever. Sure his remarks were crude when taken out of context, but that's not a requirement of the First Amendment. DA's need to familiarize themselves with digital rights and culture to properly calibrate their charges, or we'll be voting them out of office!

We are appalled by the numerous killings of dogs being carried out at the behest of the government. It's not like the >Russians found out yesterday that they'd be hosting the Olympics. They've had years to address this problem, and yet they've chosen to be reactive rather than proactive about this ethical issue. Russia has a long way to go before earning the respect of the international community.

We >hackers are very interested in what bitcoin, as a platform, has to offer for the future of our e-conomy. The interview from Vice (linked) is a great introduction to what the current state of the crypto-currency is and what types of disruptions it can cause.

Passion dictates action. We work hard for what we want, but we shouldn't work ourselves to death. We believe that one can work hard and be healthy! Measure your own success and keep your body, and mind, in mind.

The Keystone XL impact report is a farce! Anything that keeps us hooked on fossil fuels will have a significant, negative impact on the environment in the long term. The government is the only entity capable of impeding this project for the public good, since corporations can be relied on to fight tirelessly and solely for their own profit. Further, the main corporate beneficiary (TransCanada) is not even an American entity! >Americans are selling out their kids for Canada's sake?! (No offense, >Canadians.)

Glad the the stop-and-frisk chapter is closing. It was a shameful stain on this city's multicultural past spilled by this city's xenophobic elite. De Blasio's settlement, along with his pre-K education proposal, advances minority youth two steps forward to Bloomberg's one step back. But, hmm... Now that the police won't be busy stopping random kids of color, we wonder which esteemed NYPD effort they'll be bolstering with their free time: • weekend mounted unit petting zoo (amid rampant crime) in the Lower Eastpacking District, • highly-praised and constructive amateur counter-terrorism research in Afghanistan, or • "undercover" participation in citywide terrorization by motorcycle gangs. Curious indeed. Only time, and the next lawsuit, will tell.

We don't have to be in Chicago to listen to this, but if you're into the HipHop and or the Breakin'/Dance scene in general - we suggest you check out this online radio station hosted at http://www.que4.org/radio/ here in Chicago. Every Tuesday from 8:30pm - 11:30pm !!

We're disturbed by the weekend's violence in Egypt, as documented by many reports of military and mob violence targeted at >egyptians protesting the government, as well as at foreign reporters. It seems to us like the pro-military camp prefers absolute social order to a democratic republic, and we can't help but feel that's a short-term solution with severe long-term costs. We hope trust can be rebuilt so a new democratic attempt can be undertaken.

We welcome Obama's remarks but more must be done. His speech struck us, mainly throughout the first half, as cluttered with rhetoric, deflection, and rationalization. Eventually, he rattled off a slew of Presidential directives and orders (more internal oversight and restrictions, annual internal reviews to declassify information and address private and foreign interests, and time limits on NSL gag orders and storage of foreign citizen data). We give him some credit for these executive orders, but they're flimsy. They can be rescinded at any time, by Obama or successive Presidents. So we demand Congress resolve this permanently, and affirm a commitment to prevent similar crises in the future. Our trust in government rests largely on our ability to hold Congress accountable, so we take any action that inhibits accountability as a manipulative, abusive affront to democracy. We want oversight, because oversight motivates restraint. And as technology continues to amplify the effects of these transgressions, in questionable cases we prefer our government errs on the side of transparency rather than secrecy, as we accept that a free and open society fundamentally entails risks to our physical safety. So Obama's most important statements were in this very spirit. We look forward to the replacement metadata collection program he intends to take to Congress, and on his call for them to create an independent civilian panel to argue significant cases in FISC. We expect Congress to go further, not only to strengthen oversight and other checks on existing programs, but also to institute a general oversight framework for *any* secret powers granted now or in the future (we cannot know that all such secrecy has already been made public). An American once wisely said, "A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency." Today, five years later, he outlined a few steps his administration is taking to uphold that.

We're absolutely disgusted by Ohio's execution experiment that led to what can only be described as cruel and unusual punishment. "According to a pool report from journalists who witnessed the execution at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, McGuire took more than 15 minutes to die and made 'several loud snorting or snoring sounds.”