Japan has suspended its annual Antarctic whale hunt after weeks of being tailed by anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. A big victory for international pressure married to pesky activism.

A Philadelphia homeowner and music promoter won a court judgment against Wells Fargo after the mortgage giant refused to answer his questions about their insane fees. But they still kept stonewalling. So now their stuff is scheduled for sheriff's sale to pay his court fees. Sweet.

There's been a spate of racist incidents at college campuses, including in Missouri, Kentucky, and (two) in Alabama, where a white frat boy spat the n-word at a black grad student. Though it distresses mightily, white frat boys doing such things probably shouldn't be a big surprise. Perhaps the bigger news is the level of uproar, action and debate it's engendered. In the here and now, does this constitute progress?