Chinese Doctors Violently Attacked Over Medical Costs

China’s government is trying to enhance security in hospitals to protect health care providers from patients’ furious relatives; Obama seems completely indifferent to outrage over the NSA leaks; meanwhile, Wikipedia’s volunteer workforce is dwindling. 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.

China Trying to Stop Patients from Killing Doctors China plans to beef up security in its hospitals to prevent the deaths of doctors and nurses in attacks by patients’ relatives who become violent in their anger over the cost and quality of care.

Israelis, Saudis Just Getting Started in Opposing U.S.-Iran Detente The trick to finding an agreement between the P5+1 world powers and Iran has become clear: keep Israel and Saudi Arabia out of the room.

Who Killed Michael Hastings? Early in the morning on June 18, a brand new Mercedes C250 coupe was driving through the Melrose intersection on Highland Avenue in Hollywood when suddenly, out of nowhere, it sped up.

Texas Mom Ripped Off Son’s Scrotum and Then Superglued It Back On The wife of a soldier stationed at Joint Base San Antonio was taken into custody by the FBI this week after she allegedly tore her six-year-old son’s genitals as punishment, and then used superglue to fix them.

Don’t Call Us Rock Stars Ah, the life of a superprofessor.

Gay UK Art Student Will Lose Virginity in Live Sex Show Clayton Pettet, a 19-year-old student at the prestigious Central Saint Martins art school in London, plans to lose his virginity in front of a group of 50-100 spectators as part of an art project.

Racist from ‘Daily Show’ Segment Resigns! The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi introduced the world to Don Yelton, the Republican precinct chairman for North Carolina’s Asheville area.

The Power of Patience There may not be such a thing as teaching in general, or any truly essential teaching strategy that can be abstracted from the various contexts in which it is practiced.

Stop The TPP A coalition of public interest groups wants Congress to stop the Trans Pacific Partnership.

How the Sunni-Shia Schism is Dividing the World The unprecedented Saudi refusal to take up its Security Council seat is not just about Syria but a response to the Iranian threat.

Why is Obama So Indifferent to the NSA Scandal? Given that the NSA is guilty of some of the most wide spread crimes against the largest number of American citizens since the country had slavery, it is curious that Obama seems so passive, and almost indifferent, to the problem.

1-in-3 Americans Are Facebook News Consumers On Facebook, the largest social networking site, news is a common but incidental part of the experience, according to a new online national survey.

Glenn Greenwald and the Future of Leaks Glenn Greenwald, the lawyer-turned-journalist-turned-global headline for his reporting on leaked NSA documents, says there is about to be a revolution that will radically change how news organizations cover governments and other big institutions.

In Praise of Social Sciences Should we expect the social sciences in general, and anthropology in particular, to enlighten us about society’s problems and how they might be solved?

Does Academic Freedom Vary by Nation? Chinese Scholar’s Case Spurs New Debate The case of Xia Yeliang, a Peking University professor fired, he and his supporters contend, for his political beliefs, is raising anew questions about Western universities’ international engagement.

The Real Privacy Problem As Web companies and government agencies analyze ever more information about our lives, it’s tempting to respond by passing new privacy laws or creating mechanisms that pay us for our data.

The Decline of Wikipedia The sixth most widely used website in the world is not run anything like the others in the top 10.