A new study published in the journal Science shows that fracking can lead to earthquakes.---
Top of the Alty World
“Confirmed: Fracking Causes Quakes and Seismic Chaos”—Mother Jones
Thousands protested against lawmakers in North Carolina for quietly changing a bill designed to combat “Sharia law” over the holiday weekend into an extreme anti-abortion bill.—Rolling Stone
Obamacare will face a challenge based on the diseases affecting Americans, with a new study finding American living longer but sicker lives.—The Economist
Wired looks at the psychological toll that comes with solitary confinement, one of the main reasons 30,000 California inmates have gone on hunger strike.—Wired
Top of Alty Utah
A heated debate ensued as lawmakers in the House and Senate debated the audit of the Utah Attorney General’s Office.—Utah Political Capitol
University of Utah hospitals and the Salt Lake City VA Health Care System rank high for their treatment of LGBT patients.—Q Salt Lake
New "changes" at the Salt Lake Tribune involve layoffs, including letting go the paper's Business-section editor.--Salt Lake City Weekly
A unique scholarship program offers funding for drug treatment to those who have completed detox but couldn’t otherwise afford help.—Salt Lake City Weekly
Rantosphere
Stephanie Lauritzen talks about how designer Jessica Rey’s “modest” swimsuit line doesn’t help women’s perception of their own bodies.
“I don’t disagree with Jessica Rey that our society objectifies women. From a fashion industry that values the woman most resembling a clothing hanger to politicians who turn reproductive organs into campaign platforms, women are frequently seen as objects for men to manipulate. But, the idea that women are only “dignified” when wearing certain clothes also teaches girls and women that their bodies are objects—scary objects, used to torment men.”—Salt Lake City Weekly
The Long View
The Washington Monthly takes a look at a small, shadowy, powerful committee of doctors who meet to decide how much Medicare should pay their profession for the services they render.
“In a free market society, there’s a name for this kind of thing—for when a roomful of professionals from the same trade meet behind closed doors to agree on how much their services should be worth. It’s called price-fixing. And in any other industry, it’s illegal—grounds for a federal investigation into antitrust abuse, at the least. But this, dear readers, is not any other industry. This is the health-care industry, and here, this kind of “price-fixing” is not only perfectly legal, it’s sanctioned by the U.S. government.”—Washington Monthly