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Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Alty News: Troops at the Food Bank and the History of America's Militarized Police
Posted By Eric S. Peterson on August 19, 2014, 8:43 AM
A new study finds 25 percent of United States troops use food banks to provide groceries for their families.
Top of the Alty World
“Study Finds 25% of Troops Use Food Banks”—Military
President Barack Obama will chair an upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting, marking only the second time a US President has done so.—Think Progress
ProPublica explains what to look for in autopsy reports of Michael Brown the unarmed teen shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri.—ProPublica
The Economist explains the politics and economics behind the United States' highly militarized police force.—The Economist
Top of Alty Utah
A majority of Utahns want the Legislature to pass non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens.—Utah Policy
GOP Chair James Evans warns candidate against participating in debates against Democrats.—Utah Political Capitol
A taxpayer group is keeping a close on the controversial Heber Power & Light co.—Salt Lake City Weekly
Rantosphere
The mother of Trayvon Martin sends a letter to the parents of Michael Brown.
“Further complicating the pain and loss in this tragedy is the fact that the killer of your son is alive, known, and currently free. In fact, he is on paid administrative leave. Your own feelings will bounce between sorrow and anger. Even when you don’t want to think about it because it is so much to bear, you will be forced to by merely turning on your television or answering your cell phone.
You may find yourselves pulled in many different directions by strangers who may be well-wishers or detractors. Your circle will necessarily close tighter because the trust you once, if ever, you had in “the system” and their agents are forever changed. Your lives are forever changed.”—Time
The Long View
The author takes a trip to see for himself the great mass of garbage threatening the ocean and all the life in it and considers the perils of plastic that accumulate in the oceans.
“Plastic doesn’t readily biodegrade, of course. That is one of its great anti-microbial virtues, as well as its curse. It can persist for centuries in landfills, and longer in the sea, scientists believe. Plastic does photodegrade, however. Exposed to sunlight, it loses its useful qualities, its plasticity—becomes stiff and brittle and breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces. Meanwhile, as a typical 2-liter soda bottle made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) circles the drain, eventually breaking up into bits, it acts as a molecular sponge for whatever poisons it encounters, absorbing “persistent organic pollutants” like PCBs—which are known to cause cancer in lab animals and are probable human carcinogens linked to increased incidence of melanomas, liver cancer, and gall bladder and brain cancer.”—Medium
Top of the Alty World
“Study Finds 25% of Troops Use Food Banks”—Military
President Barack Obama will chair an upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting, marking only the second time a US President has done so.—Think Progress
ProPublica explains what to look for in autopsy reports of Michael Brown the unarmed teen shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri.—ProPublica
The Economist explains the politics and economics behind the United States' highly militarized police force.—The Economist
Top of Alty Utah
A majority of Utahns want the Legislature to pass non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens.—Utah Policy
GOP Chair James Evans warns candidate against participating in debates against Democrats.—Utah Political Capitol
A taxpayer group is keeping a close on the controversial Heber Power & Light co.—Salt Lake City Weekly
Rantosphere
The mother of Trayvon Martin sends a letter to the parents of Michael Brown.
“Further complicating the pain and loss in this tragedy is the fact that the killer of your son is alive, known, and currently free. In fact, he is on paid administrative leave. Your own feelings will bounce between sorrow and anger. Even when you don’t want to think about it because it is so much to bear, you will be forced to by merely turning on your television or answering your cell phone.
You may find yourselves pulled in many different directions by strangers who may be well-wishers or detractors. Your circle will necessarily close tighter because the trust you once, if ever, you had in “the system” and their agents are forever changed. Your lives are forever changed.”—Time
The Long View
The author takes a trip to see for himself the great mass of garbage threatening the ocean and all the life in it and considers the perils of plastic that accumulate in the oceans.
“Plastic doesn’t readily biodegrade, of course. That is one of its great anti-microbial virtues, as well as its curse. It can persist for centuries in landfills, and longer in the sea, scientists believe. Plastic does photodegrade, however. Exposed to sunlight, it loses its useful qualities, its plasticity—becomes stiff and brittle and breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces. Meanwhile, as a typical 2-liter soda bottle made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) circles the drain, eventually breaking up into bits, it acts as a molecular sponge for whatever poisons it encounters, absorbing “persistent organic pollutants” like PCBs—which are known to cause cancer in lab animals and are probable human carcinogens linked to increased incidence of melanomas, liver cancer, and gall bladder and brain cancer.”—Medium
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