The following is a rundown of the day’s news drawn from other media sources with topics curated just for Money and Markets readers: Mandela Legacy, personal security and freedom and Obamacare!
Mandela Legacy
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Mandela Leaves Divided Legacy in Africa
In death, Nelson Mandela symbolizes Africa’s struggle for freedom and aspirations for democracy. In life, things were more complicated. Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 transformed South Africa and helped inspire a wave of democratic revolutions across the continent.
Family, Politicians Battle Over ‘Brand Mandela’
At stake is the inheritance that will go to Mandela’s more than 30 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, some of whom already use the Mandela name and image to market everything from clothing to reality TV.
Netanyahu to Miss Mandela Memorial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to attend a memorial service for Nelson Mandela this week because it is too expensive to travel to South Africa, Israeli media reported Sunday.
Dalai Lama Can’t Attend Mandela Funeral
The Dalai Lama was controversially denied a visa to South Africa in 2011 after being invited to give a lecture. That was the second time that Pretoria had denied the Dalai Lama entry after refusing him a visa in 2009.
Giant Laser Image of Mandela on South Africa’s Table Mountain
Table Mountain, a flat-topped 3,558-foot massif that dominates the skyline over Cape Town, South Africa, was illuminated Sunday evening with a giant laser image of the late president.
Personal security and freedom
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Method of Recording Brain Activity Could Lead to Mind-Reading Devices
The finding could lead to “mind-reading” applications that, for example, would allow a patient who is rendered mute by a stroke to communicate via passive thinking. Conceivably, it could also lead to more dystopian outcomes: chip implants that spy on or even control people’s thoughts.
Edward Snowden to Give Evidence to EU Parliament
On Thursday, Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope sent a letter to all members of the committee protesting against the invitation to Snowden, calling it “a provocative act that would enable [Snowden] to further endanger security around Europe and beyond.”
IRS Using Google Maps to Spy on Taxpayers
A redacted IRS letter dated Sept. 8, 2011, reveals that at least in one case the IRS’s examiners used photos of a property, obtained through Google Maps, as evidence to revoke the 501(c)(4) status of a homeowner’s association.
FBI Can Secretly Activate an Individual’s Webcam Without the Indicator Light Turning On
 “For several years, the FBI has used that technique mainly in terrorism cases or the most serious criminal investigations. Because targets are increasingly using mobile devices, there’s the realization they’re going to have to use these types of tools more and more.”
Cellphone Data Spying: It’s Not Just the NSA
Armed with new technologies, including mobile devices that tap into cellphone data in real time, dozens of local and state police agencies are capturing information about thousands of cellphone users at a time, whether they are targets of an investigation or not.
Obamacare
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Obamacare Created a Medicaid Time Bomb
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid account for 48% of federal spending. Within the next few years, those three programs will eat up more than half of federal expenditures. With Obamacare adding to Medicare spending, we are picking up speed on the road to insolvency.
Obamacare Architect: If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Pay More
“People are going to have a choice as to whether they want to pay a certain amount for a selective network or pay more for a broader network. No one guaranteed you that your premium wouldn’t increase. Premiums have been going up.”
70% of California’s Doctors Expected to Boycott Obamacare
“We need some recognition that we’re doing a service to the community. But we can’t do it for free. And we can’t do it at a loss.” An estimated seven out of every 10 physicians in California are rebelling against the Obamacare health-insurance exchange and won’t participate.
Generation Opportunity Takes ‘Opt-Out’ of Obamacare Message to College Students
“We’ve found that without a doubt, our message that they can take control of their health care and choose to ‘opt-out’ of Obamacare and find a better deal for themselves by buying private insurance outside of Obamacare, has really resonated with them.”
Harry Reid: I Pay $4,500 More for Health Insurance Because of Obamacare
“If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums,” Obama said during a 2007 speech unveiling his health-care plan. “That will be less.”
Best wishes,
The Money and Markets Team
