Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Alternate Realities Roundup 1/21
Posted By Eric S. Peterson on January 21, 2014, 10:16 AM
A look at four questionable claims made by President Barack Obama during his NSA address.---
Top of the Alty World
“Four Questionable Claims Obama Has Made on NSA Surveillance”--ProPublica
Texas, Arkansas and Indiana are spending millions in taxpayer dollars to teach creationism in schools.--Slate
The most recent lawsuit against the NFL over hiding the dangers of concussions focuses on the science of the brain.--Wired
Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal to force death-by-electric chair on inmates to be executed.--The Nation
Congressional gridlock could cost Utah counties tens of millions of dollars.--Utah Political Capitol
A lawmaker is proposing a bill to rein in Utah's secretive $300 million, taxpayer-backed venture capital program.--Salt Lake City Weekly
Following layoffs and budget cuts at the Utah Pride Center, new boardmembers made promises to the LGBT community that have as of yet gone unfulfilled.--Q Salt Lake
Backers of the Count My Vote petition have conducted their own public opinion poll showing support for their initiative.--Utah Policy
Rantosphere
The Root looks at the racist reaction to the victory speech of the Seahawks' Richard Sherman.
“From behind a computer keyboard and a 140-character-limit wielded by the hands of the ignorant, a 24-year-old Stanford graduate was assaulted with arguably some of the most troubling words in the American lexicon. This is the battle and the passion and the ugliness of American history played out in violent sport, rolled into a sound bite and then released into the Internet-mosphere. It is a Twitter-sized snapshot of the trouble that white America has with an outspoken black athlete. It was a moment that captured both the hate that the Seahawks and 49ers have for one another on the field and, more importantly, the deep-rooted hate some feel when a black man speaks freely about his legacy.”--The Root
The Long View
The East Bay Express gives voice to day laborer Fidel Antonio an undocumented immigrants supportng a family in Mexico through odd jobs in America.
“There are a lot of bad people here. They say they'll pay $15 an hour, but when the time comes they only give you $10. Sometimes they don't pay you at all. They give you a little bit and say they'll pay the rest the next week, and then they give you nothing. If you call the phone number they give you no one answers the phone.This is a really big problem. People don't complain about it, because they're afraid. The contractor has a license, and an advantage over someone with no papers who doesn't speak English. When you're working they say they like you, but when payday comes they say, "there's the highway."--East Bay Express
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