Not sure why this isn't ranked higher. The entire issue with Verizon is that it refused to do this. They can't complain about intermediate systems when they have been provided the chance to bypass many of them.
When looking at headphones, I HIGHLY suggest figuring out what you want to use them for. I use several sites, but HeadRoom (http://www.headphone.com) is probably my favorite because they do some nice graphs of the frequency response for most sets.
I just picked a Sennheiser HD558 to complement my older HD555 I just cleaned up (replaced the cushions, cleaned the drivers, did the HD595 removal of foam mod). I've had that HD555 for over 8 years now, and I would highly recommend those or the newer HD558s easily.
I'm a huge fan of Sennheisers for open-ear headphones, but for environments where I need closed, I've got a Shure SRH440 that is pretty awesome. For travel, I've got the Sennheiser PX 200-II, which replaced an older pair of AKGs that didn't feel so good over the ear. The folding AKGs did have better sound though.
You are forgetting there is a difference between the perception of freedom and actual freedom. While someone may be free to write about the problem, if there is no change in the system, is there actual freedom?
People in the US often equate the freedom of the press, which is under attack as it is, with freedom. The freedom to speak is not the freedom to act, and for many reasons rightly so. In this case, if the justice system doesn't uphold justice, we end up with only an escape valve for the pressure, but no change in the fundamental system.
Looking at the last 50 years, I would find it hard to say that everyone has it better. Look at the convictions for possession of crack cocaine versus cocaine powder. Things have gotten better for some people, but for many others, the world hasn't changed that much, especially for minorities in criminal cases.
On the regex front, I highly recommend starting with reference sheets[1].
There are also a great many testers out there. The best way to figure it out is by just testing your regex patterns against various strings. You'll eventually start to understand how each item works.
Don't get too frustrated with it! It can be tough to learn because of the syntax, but you'll get the hang of it once you practice.