WEEKEND READING BEFORE TAX DAY (April 11, 2014)

Income tax stories to make you smile (America Comes Alive).

Dianne Feinstein is too emotional to judge CIA interrogation programs, according to former CIA director - and the obviously much more "objective" - Michael Hayden (Slate).

Businessweek has a cool interactive graph of the NSA's spy machine (Businessweek).

I missed this one ... the last Japanese World War II soldier, who didn't surrender until 1974, died at the age of 91 this past January (UK Mail Online / More on the soldier's life here).

It appears that Babe Ruth was quite the ladies man (Today I Found Out).


MORE REASONS WHY OUR ECONOMY IS MESSED UP
Tennessee Governor used $300 million in taxpayer funds to convince Volkswagen to go against the Volkswagen union vote in Tennessee (MSNBC).

This is what globalization means ... Caterpillar has no factories in Switzerland but dodged $2.4 billion in U.S. taxes by booking 85 percent of its profits there (TYT Network).

America's liquidity trap (i.e. periods where low to zero percent interest rates don't restore full employment) is determined by money hoarding oligarchs and big business (Paul Krugman / NY Times).

Overworked America: 12 charts that will make your blood boil (Mother Jones).

For-profit universities account for 13 percent of our nation's student population but their students make up almost half of all student loan defaults. Here's how their industry buys Congress (The Nation).

Retirement, 401(k)s, and how you're probably getting ripped off (Wall Street Cheat Sheet).


IN THE 'WTF' DEPARTMENT
It's hard being ridiculously good-looking, according to Rob Lowe (NY Post / Page Six).

Toddler charged with attempted murder in Pakistan granted bail by judge (The Independent).

Kansas Republican wants miscarriages to have birth certificates and reported to the government (Addicting Info).

Bigoted bakery owner would rather serve jail time than serve gay customers (Addicting Info).


CONSERVATIVE NOTES
How Republicans rationalize (in their world) voter suppression (Slate).

Conservatives unhappy when media reports on GOP voter repression bills (Slate).

Conservative 'family values' Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) caught kissing female staffer who is "not his wife" and asks for forgiveness from God, his wife, his kids, and his staff (Addicting Info).

Rand Paul (R-KY) says Dick Cheney pushed for Iraq War so Halliburton would profit (Mother Jones).


LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM?
We're not #1, we're not #1 ... when it comes to livability and social progress the U.S. is #16  (Nicolas Kristof).

Popular culture ... 50 signs that you watch too much Fox News (Addicting Info).

The Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act. What happened next in these 8 states will shock you (Mother Jones).


MISCELLANEOUS
Vintage sexist ads that wouldn't go over well today (Amusing Planet).

What causes headaches (Today I Found Out).

A history of the First World War in 100 moments: The Germans advance into Brussels (The Independent).

Why Sunnis and Shiites are fighting, explained in two minutes (Washington Post).

Abusive and frivolous patent suits (NY Times).

Former Russian oligarch and billionaire Boris Berezovsky found dead in London (Bloomberg).

- Mark