Zuccotti Park Reoccupied

Barricades in Zuccotti Park have finally come down, causing protesters to immediately reoccupy; in the face of budget cuts, some teachers opt to work for free; meanwhile, Kopimism, a new religion based on file-sharing, emerges.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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Barricades Come Down at Zuccotti Park, Protesters Reoccupy Tuesday night the barricades that have been surrounding Zuccotti Park in downtown New York finally came down after repeated complaints and letters from the National Lawyers’ Guild and others.

Obama’s Mission Accomplished Moment? When it came to rolling out a new 10-year plan for the future of the U.S. military, the leaks to the media began early and the message was clear. One man is in charge of your future safety and security. His name is Barack Obama. And — not to worry — he has things in hand.

Economists Scoff at Obama, Romney Job-Creation Myths Mitt Romney’s campaign would have you believe that every job lost over the past three years is President Barack Obama’s fault.

Teachers Decide To Work For Free The Chester Upland School District in Delaware County, Pennsylvania suffered a serious setback when Gov. Tom Corbett (R) slashed $900 million in education funds from the state budget.

Kopimism: the world’s newest religion explained An interview with Isak Gerson, the spiritual leader of the world’s newest religion, Kopimism, devoted to file-sharing. On 5 January the Church of Kopimism was formally recognised as a religion by the Swedish government.

Mystery Chinese blogger scores a hit with Cultural Revolution novel A novel by an anonymous Chinese author living in America, which started life as a blog, has become a worldwide publishing sensation.

Why Libertarians Must Deny Climate Change As soon as it encounters environmental issues, the ideology of the new right becomes ensnared in its own contradictions.

Socialist Party Derides Rick Perry ‘Fairy Tale’ Of Obama As Socialist The Socialist Party USA is more than a little skeptical of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s claim Sunday that President Barack Obama belongs in their ranks.

A Radical Solution For America’s Worsening College Tuition Bubble Over the last three decades, through good economic times and bad, one of the few constants in American life has been the relentless rise in the price of higher education.

Citizen Journalist Arrests on the Rise at Occupy Protests Late last Friday journalists and protesters gathered outside the home of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to speak out in defense of the First Amendment.

How Austerity Is Killing Europe On the last day of 2011, a headline in The Wall Street Journal read: “Spain Misses Deficit Target, Sets Cuts.”