Smugglers Offer Crammed Big Rigs as ‘V.I.P. Treatment' to U.S.
Associated Press
Behind the deaths of migrants inside a sweltering tractor-trailer at a San Antonio Walmart lies a durable business model for people smugglers: carrying large groups in big rigs across elaborate networks, and charging thousands of dollars per person. Trucks grew in importance after the North American Free Trade Agreement, which allowed big-rig smugglers to blend in with higher cross-border freight traffic. Women think they're less likely to be raped in a truck, with witnesses present, than in the perilous open desert. That's just one of the reasons stifling truck transit is now considered "the V.I.P. treatment." We Won't See You in Court: Era of Tort Lawsuits is Waning
Wall Street Journal
Supposedly litigious Americans are filing far fewer lawsuits. Fewer than two in 1,000 people filed tort lawsuits in 2015 over medical malpractice, faulty products and the like. That's down sharply from 1993, when about 10 in 1,000 Americans filed such suits. Reasons for the drop: state restrictions on litigation, its rising cost, improved auto safety and a campaign by businesses to turn opinion against plaintiffs and their lawyers. Disability Benefits Divide Rural America
Washington Post
Between 1996 and 2015, the number of working-age adults receiving federal disability payments increased dramatically across the country — but nowhere more so than in rural America. A continuing Washington Post series explores how disability is distorting the culture, economy and politics of these small communities. Meet the Money Man Behind the Alt-Right
BuzzFeed
The rise of Donald Trump gave legitimacy to what William H. Regnery II had seeded long before: the alt-right. Now, in an interview in his hometown of Boca Grande, Fla., the press-shy white separatist breaks his silence. "I just like living around people with whom I'm most comfortable, and that's white," says the 76-year-old scion of the conservative Regnery publishing dynasty. He adds that whites on the left, in a "sublimated" way, prefer segregated neighborhoods and schools too. Oregon Takes Kids From Parents, Citing Low I.Q.s
Oregonian
Forced sterilizations are no longer common for people with low I.Q.'s, but states still interfere in their lives. Case in point: Oregon has taken a couple's kids away not because they're abusing or neglecting them, but because it doesn't think they're smart enough to raise them properly. Eric Ziegler and his partner, Amy Fabbrini, both have below-average I.Q.s—72 and 66, respectively—according to documents provided to the Oregonian. Yet, as the story reports, the couple have worked hard to improve their parenting skills. A City's Solution to Too Many 911 Calls
Atlantic
To cut down on non-emergency medical calls -- a major driver of health-care costs nationwide -- Memphis is taking an experimental approach. Now when low-priority calls come in on weekdays, the city first dispatches medical providers in cars instead of ambulances. Sixty-six percent of the calls subsequently did not require an ambulance. And the savings add up: Medical bills start at $1,000 per ambulance ride, and another $1,000 for an emergency-room visit. Journals Publish Fake 'Star Wars' Science
Discover
An anonymous blogger for Discover conducted a publishing "sting" operation to see if scam-inclined, so-called scientific journals would publish his fake study inspired by "Star Wars." Three did. His "study" consisted of copying and pasting the Wikipedia entry for "mitochondria" and changing some of the wording to reflect themes of the cinematic space opera franchise. One journal even invited him to serve on its editorial board. The Deadly Secret Cruise Lines Don't Want You to Know
MarketWatch
Since 2000, nearly 300 people have gone overboard from cruise ships and ferries, according to data collected by Ross Klein, a Canadian professor who tracks operational incidents involving cruise ships. Additionally, Klein estimates 49 people have gone missing while traveling or working on cruise ships in that time — many of whom are also presumed to have gone overboard. Hello Muddah, From $20,000 Camp Mildew
MarketWatch
Times were when summer vacation meant your precious "Baby" learning to grind on the dance floor with Patrick Swayze. Today the well-heeled prefer the down-to-earth trappings of crafts and archery at sleep-away camp -- and they're willing to pay for it: $20,000 a 10-week session. "These are really wealthy families, but these kids are not living in the lap of luxury," reports one happy mom. "They're in a house that smells a little mildewy. I appreciate that very much." |
