Compared with people in other affluent countries, Americans are the least healthy and most likely to die young; according to televangelist Pat Robertson, “awful looking” women are destroying modern day marriage; meanwhile, America’s richest citizens are hoarding $3 trillion a year (thrice our deficit) by avoiding taxes. 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.

Americans ‘Are Sicker and Die Younger’ than People in Other Wealthy Nations
America may be one of the richest countries in the world, but its people are less healthy and more likely to die early from disease or accidents than those in any other affluent country, a damning official US report has found.

The 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2013
University professor tops the CareerCast.com Jobs Rated report of least stressful careers for 2013.

I Would Prefer Not To—What Paperwork Means in Modern Life
In Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, the hapless protagonist, Josef K., is asked to stand trial for a crime that has never been defined, in a court that is never in session. Instead of a trial, the protagonist spends his time arguing with bureaucrats over paperwork.

‘Hard-Nosed,’ ‘Awful Looking’ Women Are Ruining Marriages!
It always seems to be the woman’s fault. No really—check this one out.

Even A Military Judge Recognizes What Many Progressives Denied: Bradley Manning Was Mistreated
Watching self-proclaimed progressives attack and malign a courageous whistleblower, while defending the US military’s patently abusive detention practices and steadfastly defending the government’s extreme secrecy powers, is one of the most potent symbols of the Obama presidency.

Tax Avoidance On the Rise: It’s Twice the Amount of Social Security and Medicare
Three trillion dollars a year. That’s how much the wealthiest Americans avoid through the system of subsidies and schemes and sweet deals that deprive middle-class workers of their earned benefits.