With a big effort, one very harmful US software patent was invalidated.

One down, hundreds of thousands to go. It is a shame to talk about "bad patents" as if only some computational idea patents might be good.

Trying to make software safe from patent extortion by fighting patents one at a time — under the patent system's current rules — is like trying to make people safe from malaria by swatting mosquitos (and only the ones that come within reach of your hands). We need to get rid of them all, and I've proposed the way.

Obama is finalizing a rule that will require insurance to cover contraception for employees of most employers.

The policy as originally proposed was better, but this is pretty good.

The issue of "religious" employers would not exist if not for the misguided US policy of associating health care with employment. This causes several problems:

• It gives companies an incentive to replace US workers with foreign workers or machines, so as to reduce what they pay for their employees' health care.
• It gives companies an incentive to use part-time workers who are not entitled to health coverage. Walmart does this.

• It means unemployed people often have no health care. (Though Obama's health care law may reduce this problem.)
• It gives religious employers an excuse to meddle with the health care of their employees.

We should tax companies based on their income, and use the money to provide health care for all Americans whether employed or not.

Global heating is wiping out forests in Oregon. When trees burn, they don't come back.

The US mainstream media are pushing a federal shield law that would protect only the journalists of the mainstream media.

These are the same media that call Snowden a traitor; not much use for telling us what the government is really doing.

The mother of murder victim Stephen Lawrence says it will take time for the thugs (who tried to smear her and her relatives) to regain her trust.

Mere time should not suffice: unless they stop their violence and lies, and their sabotage of democracy, nobody should trust them.