Miserable Monogamy

Posted on Sep 15, 2011

An expert decrees that monogamy is unnatural and unnecessary; Mexican “Indignados” protest President Felipe Calderon’s failed “War on Drugs”; meanwhile, scientists have discovered a new “Super Earth” that may contain water. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

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Is monogamy making us miserable?
Marriage can be tough. But one expert believes it doesn’t have to be – that our ‘one mate for life’ rule is unrealistic, unnecessary, even unnatural. Perhaps he has a point.

Now that publishers get it, comics and the iPad are a perfect pair
DC Comics recently began selling digital versions of its new comics on the same day that print editions show up in local comic book shops.

Myth of the Modern Religious War
While religion is a popular motif for describing national or international strife, a closer look suggests that’s really just a veneer for less spiritual issues.

‘Likejacking’ Plagues Facebook
A new report from Symantec suggests that nearly 15% of all the videos posted on Facebook are attempts at “likejacking,” a derivation of clickjacking where malicious programs take over a user’s Facebook profile.

Lady Gaga: Pop’s leading conservative
Lady Gaga is blah? Last week, Lady Gaga took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards dressed in drag, her hair smoothed back into a greaser’s coif and her mien recast into the swagger of a Sicilian tough.

Mexico’s “Indignados” Have Had It Up to Here
Last week, Mexican President Felipe Calderon gave the fifth state of the nation speech since his (many say fraudulent) election in 2006. He didn’t have an easy time finding a positive spin for the escalating toll exacted by his war on drug gangs—50,000 dead, mostly innocent civilians, in the last five years.

Get Krugman!
Early on Sunday morning, as the rest of NYTimes.com was turned over to 9/11 anniversary, Paul Krugman vented his spleen.

Astronomers Discover New “Super-Earth”
But don’t pack your bags just yet: Scientists are cautioning that there are still many questions that need to be answered before determining whether the planet is habitable.

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