Campaigns against racism are spreading to other US universities.

"Mizzou" seems to be an affectionate nickname referring to the University of Missouri, used by people who work or study there. Since I have no relationship with that school, for me to use that nickname would mean pretending to an intimacy I don't have. Thus, I call the school by its official name.

PEN calls on the US government to stop prosecuting whistleblowers under the Espionage Act.

The Paris climate conference has been set up to fail, just as Copenhagen was, with governments making efforts to spin failure as success.

Walmart tried using face recognition to compare everyone in the store to a list of faces of known shoplifters.

If this works, and it is extended a few small steps, I see a danger that anyone who has ever shoplifted will never be able to buy groceries again — in any store. This could be a choice between a death sentence and life imprisonment.

For the most part I don't see a problem in having Walmart (or some other store — I refuse to buy from Walmart, after all) scan my face and not keep records of it. What I object to is if someone scans my face on the street and keeps track of where I go. Especially if this is done by the state.

Australia plans to deport Ian Whiteman, who has lived in Australia since he was one year old, to a country he hardly knows.

This because of a crime that caused no damage but is considered "serious".

Deportation of criminals is justified, sometimes, but not in a cruel and mindless fashion. A person whose only family ties are in Australia, and who could easily have become a citizen, should not be deported if not likely to be a repeat criminal or if some other country is not "home".

Stopping his parents from visiting him is cruel also.

Several people will be deported to New Zealand because of membership in an arbitrarily banned motorcycle club.