What Were Los Angeles Police Doing in Israel?

Top LAPD officers took a trip to Israel, at least in part paid for by taxpayer money, in search of policing tips; the question of whether Putin will take Crimea from Ukraine has arisen; and there are only about six different types of Twitter conversations.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.

LAPD Goes to Israel, Falls in Love with Drones and Mass Surveillance The Jewish Journal has an incredible write-up of the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) recent visit to Israel.

Will Putin Seize Crimea? As the battle on Maidan ends with the defeat and humiliation of President Viktor Yanukovych, some observers have turned their attention to Ukraine’s Crimea region with the following question: If Ukraine turns toward the European Union and the West, will President Vladimir Putin move to seize Crimea?

The Sisi Shuffle Monday morning Egypt’s military-installed cabinet resigned en masse.

How TPP Would Harm You At the Drug Store and On The Internet A law affecting content on the Internet that was rejected by Congress shows up in a trade agreement designed to bypass and override Congress.

25 Maps and Charts That Explain America Today At the start of every year, government agencies, think tanks and businesses release sets of data and reports charting the nation’s social, economic and demographic course.

Here’s the Worst-Case Scenario if the Government Has Access to Your Personal Data If the constant barrage of government surveillance news has given you privacy fatigue, here’s something to jump-start your outrage.

The Six Types of Conversations on Twitter A new report from the Pew Research Center and the Social Media Research Foundation says that Twitter conversations have distinct shapes — at least six of them with differing structures reflecting their social activity.