IMF's Economic Forecast: Lousy, Gary Johnson Polls at 5.3 Percent, Software Defeats Censorship: P.M. Links
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Get used to a sputtering economy. The IMF forecasts slow economic growth for the next two years, with even worse on the way if Europe's financial crisis and America's budget woes aren't resolved.
- Mitt Romney accused Barack Obama of paying off his contributors with government favors, in a sign the GOP hopeful is going on the offensive after a week-long pounding. Meanwhile, surveys show that many Americans are willing to overlook both major candidates' obvious flaws and, instead, dislike them for stupid reasons.
- Gary Johnson scored 5.3 percent support in a national presidential preference poll by JZ Analytics. Polling by the same firm had him at two percent in May.
- Senate Democrats are prepared to let income tax cuts expire for those earning more than $250,000 per year, but continue for one year, over the course of the election, for those earning less. Capital gains taxes would rise for everybody.
- Internet censorship imposed by authoritarian regimes is bypassed by hundreds of thousands of people every day courtesy of software designed in Canada that encrypts and channels traffic through remore servers.
- A technical decision by France's high court could force Google to censor the autocomplete function for Internet searches.
- Amateur video is an increasingly popular source of news, widely viewed online at sites like YouTube, and constituting a large percent of the footage broadcast by professional television news services.
- With the warrant used to search his house ruled illegal, the government ordered to surrender evidence it wants to use against him and an extradition hearing pushed of until next year, MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom volunteered to fly to the U.S. to face charges — provided he's guaranteed a fair trial and given back his funds so he can pay attorney fees.
- Houston cops killed Ruffino Lara, who was unarmed, had his hands raised and had sought their help to deal with pursuers. Police promptly confiscated a phone from a witness attempting to record the scene.
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