PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
What Climate Scientists Can Teach Us About Dealing With Climate Change Doom (Maria)
The author writes, “The warnings keep coming of more heatwaves, droughts, floods, and global temperatures rising. Many young people worry it’s already too late. So what can you do if you’re worried the planet is doomed? The BBC reports that a group of scientists in the field said taking simple actions in their own lives — recycling, eating plant-based diets, insulating their homes, going on marches, and engaging with politics — helped to ease their anxiety.”
Financial Secrets of International Elite Are Exposed in ‘Pandora Papers’ (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Hundreds of politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the last quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 international firms. The report, released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. It’s being dubbed ‘Pandora Papers,’ because the findings shed light on the previously hidden dealings of the elite and the corrupt, and how they have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars.”
Illinois Bill Would Allow Lawsuits Over Unwanted Pregnancies, Create Public Abortion Fund (Sue)
From KHQA: “‘What would the implication for Illinois be if we adopted a similar approach? What is the impact on our civil court system? What is the impact of deputizing neighbors to turn each other in for money?’ Those are the questions Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, asked before she introduced the ‘TEXAS Act’ in Springfield earlier this month. Otherwise known as The Expanding Abortion Services (TEXAS) Act, the newly introduced legislation (HB4146) would allow a person to sue anyone that causes an unintended pregnancy, and create a public abortion fund for non-Illinoisans.”
Texas Man, 24, Admits Shooting at Minneapolis Police Station During Riot (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “A man who had been part of a far-right group that wants to foment a civil war admitted in federal court Thursday he traveled to Minneapolis from the San Antonio area to sow chaos after the police murder of George Floyd. Ivan Harrison Hunter, 24, of Boerne, Texas, pleaded guilty to a single count of rioting. The charge carries a maximum prison term of five years.”
‘About Damn Time’: First Nation Gets Clean Water After 24-Year Wait (Laura)
The author writes, “Residents of a First Nations community in Canada, who were deprived of clean drinking water for nearly a quarter of a century, can now drink from their taps after a water treatment facility became fully operational earlier this week. Shoal Lake 40, a community on the Manitoba-Ontario border, has been under drinking water advisory since 1997. On Wednesday, residents celebrated the opening of the community’s C$33m (US$26m) water treatment facility.”
Food Brands Fight the Background Check (Dana)
From Taste: “‘It’s the same work I was used to in prison, but the difference is that, in prison, I was working for 10 cents a day.’ Alvin Wilson is a 66-year-old baker. Living in New York’s Westchester County with his sister, he’s spent the last seven years mixing brownie batter ingredients and packing the baked result at Greyston Bakery, the organization whose brownies can be found in your favorite scoop of Ben & Jerry’s, from Chocolate Fudge Brownie to Brownie Batter Core. Greyston was founded in 1982 as an ‘incubator for open hiring,’ says the company’s CEO, Joseph Kenner. Open hiring, second-chance employment, and ‘Ban the Box’ activism are company practices that both eliminate background checks and actively recruit formerly incarcerated individuals, who are often up against stigma and discrimination while searching for jobs.”
For $84,000, an Artist Returned Two Blank Canvasses Titled ‘Take the Money and Run’ (Dan)
The author writes, “The money was supposed to be used to create modern art. And it was — but not in the way a Danish museum expected when it gave an artist the equivalent of $84,000. In return, it received two empty canvases. The artist, Jens Haaning, says the blank canvases make up a new work of art — titled ‘Take the Money and Run’ — that he calls a commentary on poor wages. One thing it’s not, he says, is a theft. ‘It is a breach of contract, and breach of contract is part of the work,’ he said, according to Danish public broadcaster DR.”
