Researched by Chelsea Davis While profits hit a record high, oil giant Chevron lobbied the US Congress to punish Ecuador with loss of trade preferences if Ecuador’s government refused to quash the suit brought against Chevron by five indigenous tribes and residents of 80 rainforest communities for having caused what experts believe could be the [...]
Researched by Kerry Headley and Jennifer Donahue Evidence indicates that the CIA has been using a US air base as a secret prison for al-Qaeda suspects in the British territory Diego Garcia and working with the British government to prevent the return of the island’s original inhabitants who were forcibly relocated in the late 1960s. [...]
Researched by Lizbeth Malmstead and Ian Bridges The United States is operating secret “floating prisons” to house those arrested in its war on terror. According to human rights lawyers, the US has also attempted to conceal the number and whereabouts of detainees. Reprieve, a human right’s organization, claims there have been more than 200 new [...]
Researched by Leora Johnson and Stephanie Smith The world’s largest solar photovoltaic farm, generating electricity straight from sunlight, is taking shape near Moura, Portugal. It is expected to supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes. Portugal is pitching to lead Europe’s clean-tech revolution with some of the most ambitious targets and [...]
Student Researcher: Daniel Del Monte Faculty Evaluator: Heidi Lamoreaux “Careful deliberation and thoughtful debate have been cast aside as the Air Force has set itself on a fast-track mission to bail out the coal industry,” notes author Peter Montegue. In 2008 the U.S. Air Force began a major effort to define the future of energy [...]
Researched by Leora Johnson and Michael Saramin Coal River Mountain in West Virginia may soon become the center of an energy battle that pits fossil fuels against non-fossil renewable sources. At issue is this: Should we develop coal resources now if that will destroy wind resources that can be harnessed forever? Coal River Mountain offers [...]
Researched by Kerry Headley and Ryan Larkin The US Navy reactivated the Fourth Fleet after fifty-eight years so that it could begin patrolling Latin American waters in what the Department of Defense said was an effort to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and other activities. Because the US can point to no imminent military threat, some [...]
Researched by Kerry Headley and Jayson Reed Czech activists demanded the government of Mirek Topolanek halt the parliamentary ratification of a US missile-tracking high-speed radar base in the Brdy military district southwest of Prague. Military police ended the six-week occupation of Height 718 by activists representing Greenpeace and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia [...]
Researched by Rob Hunter They’re in millions of mouths worldwide, but have been linked to heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Now a report concedes they may have a toxic effect on the body. Amalgam dental fillings – which contain the highly toxic metal mercury – pose a health risk, the world’s top medical regulatory agency has [...]
Researched by Karene Schelert and Daniel DelMonte A report from the Center for American Progress shows the top five private oil companies spent an average of just one-half of one percent of total profits on renewable fuels. Energy companies such as BP, Standard, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and others publicly market in their ads and slogans their [...]
