The Council for Biotechnology (CBI) has widely circulated what it calls a “Biotechnology Basics Activity Book” for kids, to be used by “agriculture and science Teachers.” The book — called Look Closer at Biotechnology – appears to be a colorful and kid friendly science workbook that attempts to deliver a positive spin on the likely [...]
An equitable distribution of wealth and genuine connection to the workplace for workers are necessary aspects of a sustainable economy. One solution toward a sustainable future lies in worker owned cooperatives, which embody equitable distribution of power and offer employees a greater stake in the companies overall success. Evergreen Cooperative in Cleveland, Ohio started with [...]
In a newly released study of 51,000 Washington State community college students, Columbia University researchers found that students who took online courses were more likely to fail or drop out of the course than students who took the same course in person. Moreover, those students with the most Web credits were the least likely to [...]
Across the nation, people receiving a range of state-furnished benefits — from unemployment insurance and food stamps to cash assistance for poor families — are facing similar options and reaching the same conclusion. In 41 states major banks and financial firms have secured contracts to provide access to public benefits via prepaid debit cards. And [...]
China is stepping up their social media and instant messaging censorship. The communiqué from the Communist party central committee follows the growing boldness among users, who have discussed sensitive topics, highlighted scandals and attacked official abuses and inefficiency. For example, the handling of the recent high-speed rail crash in Wenzhou last summer resulted in an [...]
A University of Zurich study reports that a small group of companies – mainly banks – wields huge power over the global economy. The study was completed by Stefania Vitali, James B. Glattfelder, Stefano Battiston at the Swiss Federal Institute in Zurich The study is the first to look at all 43,060 transnational corporations and the web [...]
South Africa is one of the primary geographical areas where HIV/AIDS is prevalent. In Southern Africa, as elsewhere in the continent, the AIDS epidemic is not just a health crisis. It is also “a major threat to development and to human society.” “If there was no HIV/AIDS, South Africa would have 4.4 million more people [...]
A cement plant in Tehachapi, California, constantly releases mercury and other toxins into the air, and has been for decades. The Lehigh Southwest Cement plant has released the most mercury toxins in California, and is ranked the second highest in the United States. Inside the plant, workers burn coal to cook limestone mined from the [...]
In effort to gain a Congressional passage of the Colombian FTA (Free Trade Agreement) the Colombian Government, the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) and the support of the U.S. military have all contributed to the rationalizing of substantial anti-union killings in Colombia. In 2010, Colombia alone accounted for over 40% [...]
The manufacture of and trade in weapons is a business that counts its profits in billions of dollars and its costs in human lives. The arms trade drives the gargantuan amount spent on defense every year – $1.6 trillion in 2010 alone: $235 for every person on the planet. It accounts for almost 40 per cent of [...]
