Climate Change Is Making Us Sick
Murder in the Amazon ; Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Hospital Bills ; and More Picks
Jeff Bezos Admits Amazon Writing Its Own Laws on Facial Recognition (DonkeyHotey)
From Raw Story: “This technology, says one critic, ‘poses a profound threat to the future of human liberty that can’t be mitigated by industry-friendly regulations.’”
Murder in the Amazon Heightens Fears for Isolated Tribes (Mili)
The author writes, “The recent murder of a rights activist assigned to protect isolated tribes in far western Brazil has raised fears for the security of the Amazon’s indigenous populations and those who defend them. The worker, Maxciel Pareira dos Santos, was shot and killed on September 6 by an unidentified hit man riding on the back of a motorbike along the main street of Tabatinga, a frontier city near sprawling Javari Valley Indigenous Territory. The protected area harbors the largest concentration of uncontacted and isolated tribes in the world.”
These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.”
Inmate Says Deputies Didn’t Treat Her Scabies, Then Sprayed Her Cell With Insecticide (Chris)
The author writes, “A former inmate is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging it failed to provide her with medical care for a skin disease and accusing deputies of spraying her cell with insecticide. Valerie Arismendez, 26, who served time in the Century Regional Detention Facility, says in the lawsuit that deputies were negligent, intentionally caused emotional distress and inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on her.”
A Material Derived From Tobacco Is as Strong as Wood or Plastics (Chris)
From MIT Technology Review: “[A California Institute of Technology research] team measured its mechanical properties and compared it to softwoods such as pine; hardwoods like poplar, oak, and walnut; and commercial plywood and MDF. They also compared it to synthetic plastics of similar density, such as polystyrene, polypropylene, and low-density polyethylene.”
