Snowden, undoubtedly, is referring to one of two possible stories: the well-known torturing of “terror” suspects under the Bush administration or the alleged CIA “black prisons” across the world, in which torture is supposedly a tool of interrogation.

Realistically, Snowden’s fears of torture are unfounded, and knowingly so – it’s a buzzword designed to both gain the support of the Russian government and public attention. Much as the US government has used Snowden’s “high school dropout” record against him, the “torture” term draws a certain perception.

To his credit, fellow leaker Bradley Manning has been held in circumstances that both the Guardian and Amnesty International coined “oppressive conditions”. Even internal Marine Corps investigations revealed the same.

Looks like Drake got to her first!

“I love Nicki Minaj, I told her I’d admit it
I hope one day we get married just to say we fuckin' did it
And girl I’m fuckin' serious I’m with it if you with it
Cause your verses turn me on and your pants are mighty fitted”

Which would be the law, if Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” measure were not in effect. Because of this measure, those feeling threatened by imminent harm can use force to respond, instead of running. Zimmerman’s reaction was justified under the measure, hence why the prosecution fought to establish ulterior motives.

Initially, police were not planning to charge Zimmerman, much less expect a court date. Citing Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows for justifiable self defense in the face of danger, police thought the case to be a standard act of protection. However, with mounting public pressure and more evidence of an unclear struggle, the arrest and case came to light. With no witnesses and little evidence, the prosecution struggled from the beginning to make the case, suggesting that public outcry, not legal prudence, drove the trial.

A President, along with most politicians, is tasked so often with representing everyone that they lose a sense of humility and self. In some, this manifests as ego, but for others, they simply detach. Obama did not.

As Jay said in his “Open Letter”:

“Politicians never did shit for me
Except lie to me, distort history”

It should be noted that this conference was not established to protect the health of the Arctic, but instead the economic possibilities: melting sea ice finally opened an easy “northern pass” shipping lane through the ice, saving billions in costs each year.

*Yellow represents the original spread of thick sea ice. Red represents the “northern passage” opened by melting ice.

To some extent, they already have. The Carteret Islands, part of Papua New Guinea, were completely lost due to rising sea levels. This is not an isolated case.

As sea levels rise, they will begin to flood and inundate coastal areas across the world. A major, if not the largest, part of global economic behavior is sea trade. Any amount of damage or change to the coasts means no more shipping and a massive restructuring of how the entire world operates. This ignores, of course, the damage to food production and coastal economies.

The ones in blue are shipping lanes…

The level of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere make is such that, unless a massive reduction in new releases occurs (allowing nature some time to automatically “sequester” and hold the old greenhouse gases) or we somehow begin to capture existing greenhouse gases faster than they are made, global heating will continue. Once the critical breaking point comes – the melting of Arctic ice and permafrost – there will be no turning back.

Methane rising from a Siberian lake

Current weather patterns are incredibly stable, driven in part the jet stream. Jet streams are air currents high up, driven by rotation of the Earth and heating, that move air, and weather, around the globe.

Jet stream 8 runs along the equator, impacting weather in Europe and North America. The tiniest shift in this jet stream would radically shift weather, bringing drought, heat, rain, and cold to new areas and ruining the economy and food production. What kind of shift could do this?

Climate change…

And rightfully so – this factor alone made the iPod better than the entire music market.