Sex Amid the Stacks

The covering over a painting of a slave performing fellatio on a white man has been removed at the Newark Public Library after much controversy; foreign universities are struggling to compete with elite American ones in the online education market; meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal has revealed that the National Counterterrorism Center has been given massive amounts of authority to surveil Americans via datasets. 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.

Controversial Painting in Newark Library is Bared Once Again The painting that caused such a ruckus at the Newark Public Library is uncovered again, viewable by all, and the controversy around it gone.

Multinational MOOCs The rapid expansion of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has left many in international higher education asking how they can compete.

Netanyahu’s Nightmare: How Israel’s Elections Could Surprise Us Benjamin Netanyahu knows a thing or two about election-night surprises.

“Where Do We Go From Here?” In the summer of 1967, African Americans rioted in the poor neighborhoods of Detroit and Newark.

Israeli Voters Upset with Bibi – But will they Upset him Back? Over the past couple of months, there seems to have developed growing disconnect between most of Israel’s political analysts – and the actual dynamics of the campaign for Israel’s general elections.

Jodie Foster’s Non-Speech at the Golden Globes There has been a lot of comment these past few days over Jodie Foster’s non-coming-out speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.

In Greece, the Criminals Live in Other Villas Last week, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, together with Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias (the same man who threatened to sue the Guardian for publishing a report on the torture of 15 anti-fascist activists by the Greek police), ordered the police to raid one of the oldest and most active anarchist squats of Athens: Villa Amalias.

Massive New Surveillance Program Uncovered by Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal reported that the little-known National Counterterrorism Center, based in an unmarked building in McLean, Va., has been granted sweeping new authority to store and monitor massive datasets about innocent Americans.