Weekend Reads 7/2/16

The Families That Can't Afford Summer

A real investment in affordable summer learning programs could improve children’s success in school, while relieving their parents of a stress that shouldn’t be part of the season we still refer to as “vacation.”

There is a model for the new politics we need. It’s in Spain

An initial call on 15 May 2011 for Spaniards to mobilise against the country’s political establishment attracted thousands of protesters. It was the catalyst for a phenomenon that has transformed Spanish politics. Over the course of many months, millions of Spaniards took part in protests and occupations.

It was this movement that laid the political foundations for the rise of Podemos. Its critical contribution was to ensure that the focus of Spanish anger was the powerful, rather than migrants. Podemos activists believe that without this movement, Spain could also have succumbed to anti-immigration sentiment.

Meet Jigsaw, the ransomware that taunts victims and offers live support

In the case of Jigsaw, a ransomware package that was first spotted in April by researchers with the Bleeping Computer security site, the answer is to be as brazen and mean-spirited as possible while at the same time making the payment process as easy as possible.

Republicans in Congress passed a law giving EPA more power

The new bill means the EPA can finally evaluate cancer-linked substances like BPA and styrene used in plastics and formaldehyde found in fabrics and cars. It establishes uniform standards for evaluating about 20 chemicals at a time, and means more funding can be directed toward studying high-priority problem chemicals, especially those used near drinking water.