READING FOR THE WEEK (2-12-14)

Republican-led House report makes it clear that the U.S. military couldn't have changed the Benghazi outcome ... which debunks many right wing myths about President Obama and Benghazi (Think Progress).

NSA program gathers data on 1/3 of nation's calls, officials say (NY Times).

Do you believe markets are efficient, and absorb external costs efficiently? Think again. Here's the opening diary of a dying country (Moyers & Company).

National Republican Congressional using fake Democratic websites to attract voters (CNN/ Political Ticker).


INTERESTING / AMUSING
Suicide bomb trainer accidentally blows up entire class (NY Times).

Are you procrastinating? Here's a relatively simple IQ test with no registration or other nonsense required (mbti123.com).

People in Russia doing the right thing (YouTube).

Some of the worst celebrity plastic surgeries, ever (Rant Lifestyle).

12-year-old sums up women and relationships in a really short book (Huffington Post).


MEANWHILE, IN CRAZY LAND ...
Ex Navy chaplain says consequences of sin forces gay soldiers to wear diapers in combat (Raw Story).

Fox Nation vs. Reality: The voter ID photo fallacy (News Corpse).

Wall Street Journal editor says that if a woman is drunk during an assault/rape they are just as guilty as their attacker (Media Matters).

Bill O'Reilly claimed that his Super Bowl day interview with President Obama would "go down in journalistic history, as what should be done" (News Corpse).

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana) moves to block states from granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants (Think Progress).


RELIGION
Something to keep in mind the next time you argue with a creationist who claims that we aren't related to other primates (YouTube).

Bob Jones University shuts down year long investigation of sexual abuse on campus (Patheos).

Atheist and Christian argue about hell in a Starbucks (Patheos).


MISCELLANEOUS
The Washington Post's Dana Milbank explains why Bill O'Reilly really was little more than a howling blow hard during his Super Bowl Obama interview (Dana Milbank).

Fracking is depleting water in America's driest areas (Moyers & Company).

Don't believe the hype, JP Morgan's mortgage settlement isn't as big as it seems (Think Progress).

Lawsuit call government's sweetheart deal with JP Morgan "unlawful" (Think Progress).

- Mark

UPDATE: One of my former students took the IQ test from the INTERESTING/AMUSING section and scored a 130. Congratulations.