It’s Illegal to Be Gay in 76 Countries

Today on the list: the 76 countries where it’s illegal to be gay, a WikiLeaks editor is interrogated at the border, and the tyranny of high heels.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that 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.

The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.

Wikileaks editor interrogated by US border police A senior volunteer for Wikileaks in the US has been detained, questioned and had his phones seized when he returned to the country from Europe, as the FBI steps up its investigation into the leak of thousands of Afghanistan war secrets to the whistleblower website.

The cognitariat The right-wing futurist Alvin Toffler invented the useful concept, “the cognitariat” a quarter of a century ago (1983). Sometimes those people get something right.

China is too big to fail The Chinese model is not sustainable in the long run — and the global community must do all it can to help China rise again.

Four Deformations of the Apocalypse If there were such a thing as Chapter 11 for politicians, the Republican push to extend the unaffordable Bush tax cuts would amount to a bankruptcy filing.

British PM on the Pink List: A celebration — and a challenge for us all The Prime Minister salutes our Pink List, and says that, 10 years since its inception, it still has a vital role to play.

Cops love iPhone data trail Detective Josh Fazio of the Will County [Illinois] Sheriff’s Department loves it when an iPhone turns up as evidence in a criminal case.

Personal Details Amassed Via Biggest U.S. Websites The largest U.S. websites are installing new and intrusive consumer-tracking technologies on the computers of people visiting their sites—in some cases, more than 100 tracking tools at a time—a Wall Street Journal investigation has found.

The High Toll of High Heels Heels may be glamorous, but they exact a huge toll on the health of your feet.

Foreign Viewers Shape U.S. Films When director Adam McKay pitched a sequel to his 2004 hit movie “Anchorman,” he thought it would be a no-brainer for Hollywood.

The incandescent bulb, an obituary The hot filament of the incandescent bulb has illuminated our loved ones, our books, our rooms for so long that its glow has come to feel as natural as daylight — maybe more so, since most of us spend the majority of our waking hours indoors and accompanied by its light. But now the days of Edison’s bulb are numbered.

Being Gay Is a Crime in 76 Countries People are being killed for their sexual orientation, despite progress made by some nations, including Britain, to eliminate prejudice.