We support VA chief Shinseki He may be an easy target but he is not the source of current Veterans Affairs problems. As stated by Gen. Barry McCaffrey, “He is determined, focused and wants to factually understand a problem so he can get a sensible solution.” He is a soft-spoken soldier who does not pound the table or raise his voice. In 2003 he stood up to Rumsfeld when he said thousands more troops would be needed to secure postwar Iraq. For that he lost his job but not his integrity. We do not want a competent and honest man to be replaced with a glad-hand politician.

We think you can learn a lot about yourself from your dreams. This is good for the mind. "While one might use lucid dreaming to act out all kinds of fantasies, researchers think there are applications for lucid dreaming beyond mere entertainment. Psychologists and other researchers are looking for ways it could improve our waking experience. " Dreams into art -- http://dreame.me/

Democracy requires both Liberty and Justice. And giving billionaires orders of magnitude greater influence on elections than ordinary citizens is not just. This ruling pushes American society further along a cycle of increasing corporate influence from which it will be difficult to return.

Senator Yee, what in hell have you done? Bribes? Wire fraud?? Conspiracy to deal firearms?!! Your selfish attempt to make money any way you could shows a total lack of respect for the people who trusted you to represent them. Your actions have inflicted serious harm on the Democratic party and especially on the image of hard working Chinese Americans. Resign your position immediately. >Californians do not want you. "Shrimp Boy?" Give us a break.

Obama's termination of the NSA's bulk phone metadata collection is a significant step forward! We're relieved to see it happen. However, the greater problem goes on: that there is little transparency or oversight of the FISC and other secret powers granted by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Fixing that is how we repair our damaged democracy.

California policyholders congratulate Kaiser Permanente for their recognition as highest in customer satisfaction -- seven years in a row. Keep up the good work and continue to improve. Meanwhile, Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are neck in neck in their race to the bottom of customer satisfaction as they appear to follow the motto, “profits before patients.”

Mexico’s Avocado cartels >Americans, particularly >foodies, face another dilemma as conscience shoppers; are we supporting violence against Mexican farmers and workers by snacking on our beloved guacamole? The Knights Templar, one of Mexico’s most violent gangs, extorts nearly every working citizen in many areas of Michoacan. Through kidnapping, assault and intimidation they collect at least 10% of earnings from everyone in the avocado business: from growers, pickers, truckers and exporters to sellers of pesticides and other farm products. We praise brave >Mexicans as they band together in armed citizen defense groups and begin to openly oppose the gang. Their actions have forced the Mexican government, notoriously corrupt at every level, to finally stand up to the cartel and provide additional support to the people of Michoacan. Thanks to KCRW for the broadcast on their Good Food blog: “Jose de Cordoba: Avocado Cartels”

Programming languages are not foreign languages, just as mathematics, sheet music, and art are not foreign languages. Specifically, programming languages don't have anywhere near the expressive power of natural languages, nor are they formed by thousands of years of cultural history. Kids need to become computer literate, no question about that. But this shouldn't come at the expense of exposure to foreign cultures. In fact, we need to ensure our kids are getting more exposure to other cultures, as the globe becomes smaller and smaller.

Plant milkweed; save the monarch. Monarch butterflies have one food source: milkweed. American farmers are destroying milkweed in their rush to plant genetically modified corn and soybeans. First through the use of herbicides that kill all plant life (save the modified corn and soybeans) and second by increased planting of corn and soybeans on acreage that historically grew milkweed. The winter migrations of monarch butterflies used to blanket over 16 acres of forests in western Mexico. This year they were recorded on only 1.7 acres; a 90% decrease. Our elected officials must take the lead in restoring milkweed. One easy to implement recommendation is to plant milkweed on the sides and medians of US roads along the butterflies’ migratory route. In the meantime each of us can act by planting milkweed around our homes and neighborhoods. Seeds are available for the cost of postage (copy/paste URL in your browser) https://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds... The disappearance of the monarch would be an ecological tragedy and we can prevent it. Act now.

We stand behind LA’s Republique restaurant and their decision to add health care for their 85 full-time employees. The money to do so comes from a three percent surcharge added to each customer’s bill. Very reasonable; especially when you consider how many restaurants treat their employees, especially the wait staff. Republique’s method surprised some patrons and actually offended others (notably whining Yelpers). Sure they could have simply raised their prices by 3% but we agree with the statement they are making and the trust they are seeking from their customers

We find the treatment of gays in Russia horrifying. (See attached video.) This is not a civil society. This is a backward-looking society that refuses to accept reality of any kind. It doesn't look like this will change anytime soon. The struggle for equality continues in America, and the gains currently achieved were hard-won. But with proactive government opposition, it seems the struggle will be much harder in Russia. The only recourse may unfortunately be to wait for the culture of the >Russians that champions conformity and nationalism to reach some self-destructive extreme, after which the pendulum of civility can swing back the other way.

We call for Coca-Cola, General Electric, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa, all sponsors of the International Olympic Committee, to take a stand against Russian anti-LGBT law that bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” We praise AT&T for acknowledging that "Russia’s law is harmful to LGBT individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society."