More than 2 million U.S. youths depressed: study. Reuters. 5/13/2008.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
Continue reading More than 2 million U.S. youths depressed: study.
African Women Making Change. Ann Jones. Mother Jones. 5/13/2008.
It's like the old days of the women's movement in the U.S. and the informal consciousness-raising get-togethers that blew the collective mind of my generation.
It's like the old days of the women's movement in the U.S. and the informal consciousness-raising get-togethers that blew the collective mind of my generation.
Continue reading African Women Making Change.
Argentina Tries to Reconcile Exporting Food With Prices at Home. Monte Reel. Wa. Post. 4/26/2008.
G7 loses grip on global policy to O5. Barry Herman. Asia Times. 5/09/2008.
A distinct set of global institutions governs the international economic system: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Each has its specialty, and they are complemented by a number of even more specialized institutions with more restricted membership, such as the Bank for International Settlements and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
A distinct set of global institutions governs the international economic system: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Each has its specialty, and they are complemented by a number of even more specialized institutions with more restricted membership, such as the Bank for International Settlements and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Continue reading G7 loses grip on global policy to O5.
Is in vitro meat the future?. Carol Midgley. Times/UK. 5/09/2008.
Chicken, beef and pork that has never been a living animal could be better for people and the planet. But will it catch on?
Continue reading Is in vitro meat the future?.
Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says. Ian Urbina. NY Times. 5/09/2008.
The general manager and possibly other senior staff at the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah, where 9 miners died in August 2007, hid information from federal mining officials that could have prevented the disaster and should face criminal charges, according to a Congressional investigation whose results were released Thursday.
The general manager and possibly other senior staff at the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah, where 9 miners died in August 2007, hid information from federal mining officials that could have prevented the disaster and should face criminal charges, according to a Congressional investigation whose results were released Thursday.
Continue reading Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says.
DEVELOPMENT: Food Crisis Linked to Doha Deal. Aileen Kwa. Inter Press Service. 5/08/2008.
GENEVA, May 8 (IPS) - The issue of rising food prices was raised at the WTO's General Council meeting Wednesday, and for the first time, discussed in some detail. But there remains, as one African delegate put it, "a lot of confusion about the rising prices of commodities and the Doha Round. Somebody needs to demystify the links. The D-G (Director-General) is using this as a bait to catch us on concluding the Round as soon as possible."
GENEVA, May 8 (IPS) - The issue of rising food prices was raised at the WTO's General Council meeting Wednesday, and for the first time, discussed in some detail. But there remains, as one African delegate put it, "a lot of confusion about the rising prices of commodities and the Doha Round. Somebody needs to demystify the links. The D-G (Director-General) is using this as a bait to catch us on concluding the Round as soon as possible."
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: Food Crisis Linked to Doha Deal .
ENERGY-AFRICA: From Kerosene to the LED, O-HUB and O-BOX. Stephen Leahy. Inter Press Service. 5/08/2008.
ACCRA, May 8 (IPS) - In many of Africa's towns and villages, smoky kerosene lamps are all that keeps the darkness at bay after sunset. However, kerosene is a dangerous and increasingly expensive source of light for Africans who do not have access to electricity -- about three-quarters of those living on the continent, according to the World Bank.
ACCRA, May 8 (IPS) - In many of Africa's towns and villages, smoky kerosene lamps are all that keeps the darkness at bay after sunset. However, kerosene is a dangerous and increasingly expensive source of light for Africans who do not have access to electricity -- about three-quarters of those living on the continent, according to the World Bank.
Continue reading ENERGY-AFRICA: From Kerosene to the LED, O-HUB and O-BOX.
ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Controversy Over Indigenous Land and Biofuels. Mario Osava. Inter Press Service. 5/08/2008.
BRASILIA, May 8 (IPS) - The legal status of an indigenous territory in the far north of Brazil, and biofuels, are two hot potatoes at the Third National Conference on the Environment being held in the capital city, which is focusing on climate change.
BRASILIA, May 8 (IPS) - The legal status of an indigenous territory in the far north of Brazil, and biofuels, are two hot potatoes at the Third National Conference on the Environment being held in the capital city, which is focusing on climate change.
Continue reading ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Controversy Over Indigenous Land and Biofuels.
CHINA: Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security. Antoaneta Bezlova. Inter Press Service. 5/09/2008.
BEIJING, May 9 (IPS) - Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies.
BEIJING, May 9 (IPS) - Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies.
Continue reading CHINA: Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security.
Child Labor Rings Reach China's Distant Villages. David Barboza. NY Times. 5/10/2008.
LIANGSHAN, China -- The mud and brick schoolhouses in the lush mountain villages of this remote part of southwestern China are dark and barebones in the best of times. These days, they also lack students.
LIANGSHAN, China -- The mud and brick schoolhouses in the lush mountain villages of this remote part of southwestern China are dark and barebones in the best of times. These days, they also lack students.
Continue reading Child Labor Rings Reach China's Distant Villages.
US Urged to Reform Foreign Aid. Ida Wahlstrom. One World. 5/09/2008.
WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld) - More than 800 development and human rights activists are gathering here this week, developing and calling on Congress to implement new strategies to tackle world poverty and hunger.
WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld) - More than 800 development and human rights activists are gathering here this week, developing and calling on Congress to implement new strategies to tackle world poverty and hunger.
Continue reading US Urged to Reform Foreign Aid.
U.S. Legal Work Booms in India. Rama Lakshimi. Wa. Post. 5/11/2008.
New Outsourcing Industry Is Growing 60 Percent Annually
GURGAON, India -- When Aashish Sharma graduated from law school two years ago, his father had visions of seeing him argue in an Indian court and eventually become an honorable judge.
Continue reading U.S. Legal Work Booms in India.
System of Neglect - Immigrant Detention. Dana Priest & Amy Goldstein. Wa. Post. 5/11/2008.
As Tighter Immigration Policies Strain Federal Agencies, The Detainees in Their Care Often Pay a Heavy Cost
Continue reading System of Neglect - Immigrant Detention.
"Literally, This Is Energy From Dirt". Inter Press Service. 5/10/2008.
Interview with Lebônê founder Hugo Van Vuuren
ACCRA, May 10 (IPS) - You've heard of solar power, and also wind power. Now, you might start hearing about soil power as well.
Interview with Lebônê founder Hugo Van Vuuren
ACCRA, May 10 (IPS) - You've heard of solar power, and also wind power. Now, you might start hearing about soil power as well.
Continue reading "Literally, This Is Energy From Dirt".
World's Giants to Alter Food Equation. Evan Osnos & Laurie Goering. Chicago Tribune. 5/11/2008.
As China and India Rise, Diets Change and Demands Soar.
BEIJING - Nothing about the lunch rush at a McDonald's in China would feel out of place in America: Students huddled around video games and fries; a computer salesman scarfing a chicken sandwich; a teacher lingering over a hamburger and coffee. And in that all-American scene lies the next great challenge to the world's food supply.
Continue reading World's Giants to Alter Food Equation.
Harmful Chemical Wafts Off Your TV. Scott Streater. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5/11/2008.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Common household dust has long been known to carry pesticides, allergens and other irritants.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Common household dust has long been known to carry pesticides, allergens and other irritants.
Continue reading Harmful Chemical Wafts Off Your TV.
The Myth of the Stay-at-Home Mom. Paul Nyhan. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5/13/2008.
The media buzzed in recent years with reports of mothers opting out of the work force to raise their children. It turns out the revolution among mothers has been canceled -- and maybe never even started.
The media buzzed in recent years with reports of mothers opting out of the work force to raise their children. It turns out the revolution among mothers has been canceled -- and maybe never even started.
Continue reading The Myth of the Stay-at-Home Mom.
Many Hispanics Are Hit Hard by Economic Slump. Many Many Hispanics Are Hit Hard by Economic Slump. Peter Goodman. NY Times. 5/13/2008.
DALTON, Ga. -- In his first years in the United States, Carlos B. Jacinto endured the itinerant life of a Guatemalan migrant worker, from picking fruit in Florida to moving logs at a sawmill in Washington. Eventually, he settled here in northern Georgia and erected a middle-class American life.
DALTON, Ga. -- In his first years in the United States, Carlos B. Jacinto endured the itinerant life of a Guatemalan migrant worker, from picking fruit in Florida to moving logs at a sawmill in Washington. Eventually, he settled here in northern Georgia and erected a middle-class American life.
Continue reading Many Hispanics Are Hit Hard by Economic Slump.
Tornado might sound death knell for Oklahoma town. Kevin Murphy. KC Star. 5/12/2008.
PICHER, Okla. | A tornado did what the federal government could not.
PICHER, Okla. | A tornado did what the federal government could not.
Ellis Jones had been a holdout in the government's quest to pay everyone to leave Picher, contaminated from its long-closed lead mines.
Continue reading Tornado might sound death knell for Oklahoma town.
US confession: Weapons were not made in Iran after all. Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII). 5/10/2008.
In a sharp reversal of its longstanding accusations against Iran arming militants in Iraq , the US military has made an unprecedented albeit quiet confession: the weapons they had recently found in Iraq were not made in Iran at all.
In a sharp reversal of its longstanding accusations against Iran arming militants in Iraq , the US military has made an unprecedented albeit quiet confession: the weapons they had recently found in Iraq were not made in Iran at all.
Continue reading US confession: Weapons were not made in Iran after all.
The Green Machine: Monsanto Co's Transgenic Products Tightens Their Control of Seed Market. Jennifer Kahn. Resugence Magazine. 1999.
This letter, sent by the agrochemical company Monsanto to 30,000 farmers last fall to warn them that saving and replanting seeds from genetically engineered crops constitute "piracy," appears to be the act of a company on the defensive. But, in truth, it's a display of corporate sovereignty, Monsanto's way of staking the flag of empire upon the land. Thanks to advances in transgenics--inserting a gene from one species into an unrelated organism's DNA--seeds are now considered "intellectual property." According to the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), more than one third of the world's commercial-seed sales are controlled by a handful of corporations. Among them, Monsanto--the world's third-largest agrochemical and second-largest seed company (with a majority of the U.S. cotton, corn, and soybean markets)--is the most aggressive.
This letter, sent by the agrochemical company Monsanto to 30,000 farmers last fall to warn them that saving and replanting seeds from genetically engineered crops constitute "piracy," appears to be the act of a company on the defensive. But, in truth, it's a display of corporate sovereignty, Monsanto's way of staking the flag of empire upon the land. Thanks to advances in transgenics--inserting a gene from one species into an unrelated organism's DNA--seeds are now considered "intellectual property." According to the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), more than one third of the world's commercial-seed sales are controlled by a handful of corporations. Among them, Monsanto--the world's third-largest agrochemical and second-largest seed company (with a majority of the U.S. cotton, corn, and soybean markets)--is the most aggressive.
"Transgenic Seed Companies Lie and Bribe". Interview with Jesús León Santos, Winner of Goldman Prize. Inter Press Service. 4/24/2008.
MEXICO CITY, Apr 24 (Tierramérica) - Biotech corporations that developed genetically modified seeds are bribing authorities and carrying out costly advertising campaigns "plagued with lies in order to create monsters that attack life," says Jesús León Santos, an indigenous man who is one of this year's winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
MEXICO CITY, Apr 24 (Tierramérica) - Biotech corporations that developed genetically modified seeds are bribing authorities and carrying out costly advertising campaigns "plagued with lies in order to create monsters that attack life," says Jesús León Santos, an indigenous man who is one of this year's winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Continue reading "Transgenic Seed Companies Lie and Bribe".
Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World. Elizabeth Rosenthal. NY Times. 4/26/2008.
Cod caught off Norway is shipped to China to be turned into filets, then shipped back to Norway for sale. Argentine lemons fill supermarket shelves on the Citrus Coast of Spain, as local lemons rot on the ground. Half of Europe's peas are grown and packaged in Kenya.
Cod caught off Norway is shipped to China to be turned into filets, then shipped back to Norway for sale. Argentine lemons fill supermarket shelves on the Citrus Coast of Spain, as local lemons rot on the ground. Half of Europe's peas are grown and packaged in Kenya.
Continue reading Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World.
Punjab reaps a poisoned harvest. David Loyn. BBC. 4/26/2008.
The governments of many poor nations are alarmed at the rise in food prices. There are even problems in the Indian region of Punjab, where science once seemed to have found answers for a hungry world.
The governments of many poor nations are alarmed at the rise in food prices. There are even problems in the Indian region of Punjab, where science once seemed to have found answers for a hungry world.
Continue reading Punjab reaps a poisoned harvest.
Where Every Meal Is a Sacrifice. Anthony Faiola. Wa. Post. 4/28/2008.
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania Even before he took a butcher knife to the she-goat's throat, Likbir Ould Mohamed Mahmoud knew it would only make things worse.
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania Even before he took a butcher knife to the she-goat's throat, Likbir Ould Mohamed Mahmoud knew it would only make things worse.
Continue reading Where Every Meal Is a Sacrifice.
Emptying the Breadbasket. Dan Morgan. Wa. Post. 4/29/2008.
For decades, wheat was king on the Great Plains and prices were low everywhere. Those days are over.
Continue reading Emptying the Breadbasket.
Warming 'affecting poor children'. BBC. 4/29/2008.
Climate change is already affecting the prospects for children in the world's poorer countries, according to Unicef.
Climate change is already affecting the prospects for children in the world's poorer countries, according to Unicef.
Continue reading Warming 'affecting poor children'.
New Look at Death Sentences and Race. Adam Liptak. NY Times. 4/29/2008.
About 1,100 people have been executed in the United States in the last three decades. Harris County, Tex., which includes Houston, accounts for more than 100 of those executions. Indeed, Harris County has sent more people to the death chamber than any state but Texas itself.
About 1,100 people have been executed in the United States in the last three decades. Harris County, Tex., which includes Houston, accounts for more than 100 of those executions. Indeed, Harris County has sent more people to the death chamber than any state but Texas itself.
Continue reading New Look at Death Sentences and Race.
Global press freedom declines in 2007: study. The Age / AU. 4/30/08.
Global press freedom declined in 2007 for the sixth year running, with worrisome restrictions imposed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, the rights group Freedom House has stated in a report.
Global press freedom declined in 2007 for the sixth year running, with worrisome restrictions imposed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, the rights group Freedom House has stated in a report.
Continue reading Global press freedom declines in 2007: study.
RIGHTS: Native People Warn U.N. of Biofuels Disaster. Haider Rizvi. Inter Press Service. 4/30/2008.
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 30 (IPS) - Growing demand for biofuels by the world's rich nations is propelling attacks on indigenous people and destroying their lands and forests, according to native leaders attending a three-week international meeting here.
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 30 (IPS) - Growing demand for biofuels by the world's rich nations is propelling attacks on indigenous people and destroying their lands and forests, according to native leaders attending a three-week international meeting here.
Continue reading RIGHTS: Native People Warn U.N. of Biofuels Disaster.
UN: Biofuel Production 'Criminal Path' to Global Food Crisis. Environmental News Service. 4/29/2008.
GENEVA, Switzerland - The United States and the European Union have taken a "criminal path" by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food said today.
At
a press conference in Geneva, Jean Ziegler of Switzerland said that
fuel policies pursued by the U.S. and the EU were one of the main
causes of the current worldwide food crisis.
GENEVA, Switzerland - The United States and the European Union have taken a "criminal path" by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food said today.
At
a press conference in Geneva, Jean Ziegler of Switzerland said that
fuel policies pursued by the U.S. and the EU were one of the main
causes of the current worldwide food crisis.
Continue reading UN: Biofuel Production 'Criminal Path' to Global Food Crisis.
Chevron Complicit in Abuses in Burma - Rights Lobby. Marwaan Macan-Markar. Inter Press Services. 4/20/2008.
BANGKOK - An environmental group is warning U.S. energy giant Chevron to clean up its act in Burma or face legal proceedings where the multinational's links to gross human rights violations in the military-ruled country could be exposed.
BANGKOK - An environmental group is warning U.S. energy giant Chevron to clean up its act in Burma or face legal proceedings where the multinational's links to gross human rights violations in the military-ruled country could be exposed.
Continue reading Chevron Complicit in Abuses in Burma - Rights Lobby.
Oil Majors Rapped Over Secrecy, Corruption. Abid Aslam. International Press Service. 4/30/2008.
WASHINGTON - Leading oil firms impede efforts to stamp out poverty and corruption by shrouding their financial dealings in secrecy, says a global watchdog.
WASHINGTON - Leading oil firms impede efforts to stamp out poverty and corruption by shrouding their financial dealings in secrecy, says a global watchdog.
Continue reading Oil Majors Rapped Over Secrecy, Corruption.
Bolivia nationalises key firms. Al Jazeera. 5/01/2008.
The Bolivian president has nationalised the country's leading telecommunications company and announced plans to return four foreign-owned gas companies to state control.
The Bolivian president has nationalised the country's leading telecommunications company and announced plans to return four foreign-owned gas companies to state control.
Continue reading Bolivia nationalises key firms.
Oxygen-poor ocean zones are growing. Kenneth Weiss. LA Times. 5/02/2008.
Linked to global warming, these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic cannot sustain most marine life, a new study warns.
Linked to global warming, these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic cannot sustain most marine life, a new study warns.
Continue reading Oxygen-poor ocean zones are growing.
Blocking the Transmission of Violence. Alex Kotlowitz. NY Times. 5/04/2008.
LAST SUMMER, MARTIN TORRES WAS WORKING AS A COOK IN AUSTIN, Tex., when, on the morning of Aug. 23, he received a call from a relative. His 17-year-old nephew, Emilio, had been murdered. According to the police, Emilio was walking down a street on Chicago's South Side when someone shot him in the chest, possibly the culmination of an ongoing dispute. Like many killings, Emilio's received just a few sentences in the local newspapers. Torres, who was especially close to his nephew, got on the first Greyhound bus to Chicago. He was grieving and plotting retribution. "I thought, Man, I'm going to take care of business," he told me recently. "That's how I live. I was going hunting. This is my own blood, my nephew."
LAST SUMMER, MARTIN TORRES WAS WORKING AS A COOK IN AUSTIN, Tex., when, on the morning of Aug. 23, he received a call from a relative. His 17-year-old nephew, Emilio, had been murdered. According to the police, Emilio was walking down a street on Chicago's South Side when someone shot him in the chest, possibly the culmination of an ongoing dispute. Like many killings, Emilio's received just a few sentences in the local newspapers. Torres, who was especially close to his nephew, got on the first Greyhound bus to Chicago. He was grieving and plotting retribution. "I thought, Man, I'm going to take care of business," he told me recently. "That's how I live. I was going hunting. This is my own blood, my nephew."
Continue reading Blocking the Transmission of Violence.
Major Arctic sea ice melt is expected this summer. Randolf Schmid. Associated Press. 5/02/2008.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said Friday.
Continue reading Major Arctic sea ice melt is expected this summer.
Small-town residents living on deadly ground. Ronnie Greene. Miami Herald. 5/03/2008.
Residents of Tallevast blame toxins that leaked into the ground and their water supply as a factor in the 80 cancers of family members and neighbors over the years, and they want someone held accountable.
Continue reading Small-town residents living on deadly ground.
Multinationals Make Billions In Profit Out of Growing Global Food Crisis. Geoffrey Lean. Independent/UK. 5/04/2008.
Speculators blamed for driving up price of basic foods as 100 million face severe hunger
Continue reading Multinationals Make Billions In Profit Out of Growing Global Food Crisis.
No let up in India farm suicides. Prachi Pinglay. BBC. 5/05/2008.
The rate of farmer suicides in India's Maharashtra state has gone up in recent years despite expensive relief schemes, a government report says.
The rate of farmer suicides in India's Maharashtra state has gone up in recent years despite expensive relief schemes, a government report says.
Continue reading No let up in India farm suicides.
Sinking Without Trace: Australia's Climate Change Victims. Independent/UK. 5/05/2008.
Like Kiribati and Tuvalu, the islands of the Torres Strait are slowly being submerged. But unlike their Pacific neighbours, the plight of their inhabitants is being overlooked.
Continue reading Sinking Without Trace: Australia's Climate Change Victims.
Reports Find Racial Gap in Drug Arrests. Erik Eckholm. NY Times, 5/06/2008.
More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising. And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, even though the two races use illegal drugs at roughly equal rates.
More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising. And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, even though the two races use illegal drugs at roughly equal rates.
Continue reading Reports Find Racial Gap in Drug Arrests.
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World. Josh Gerstein. NY Sun. 4/21/2008.
Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
Continue reading Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World.
Load Up the Pantry. Brett Arends. Wall Street Journal. 4/21/2008.
I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
No, this is not a drill.
Continue reading Load Up the Pantry.
Biofuels starving our people, leaders tell UN. Allegra Stratton. Guardian/UK. 4/28/2008.
The leaders of Bolivia and Peru have attacked the use of biofuels, saying they have made food too expensive for the poor.
The leaders of Bolivia and Peru have attacked the use of biofuels, saying they have made food too expensive for the poor.
Continue reading Biofuels starving our people, leaders tell UN.
India rules out new farm debt aid. BBC. 4/22/2008.
India's agriculture minister has rejected calls for additional debt cancellation for millions of farmers.
India's agriculture minister has rejected calls for additional debt cancellation for millions of farmers.
Continue reading India rules out new farm debt aid.
Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death. AP. 4/22/2008. Link to report summary
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes.
Continue reading Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death.
The Great Shopping Spree, R.I.P.. Robert J. Samuelson. Newsweek. 4/28/2008.
For two decades, it's been driven by rising debt levels. At the end of 2007, household borrowing was a dizzying $14 trillion.
For two decades, it's been driven by rising debt levels. At the end of 2007, household borrowing was a dizzying $14 trillion.
Continue reading The Great Shopping Spree, R.I.P..
Bangladesh children toil to survive. Al Jazeera. 4/14/2008.
It was a routine raid by Bangladeshi police on a textile factory in a shadowy suburb of the capital, Dhaka.
It was a routine raid by Bangladeshi police on a textile factory in a shadowy suburb of the capital, Dhaka.
Continue reading Bangladesh children toil to survive.
Despite Tough Times, Ultrarich Keep Spending. Christine Haughney & Eric Konigsberg. NY Times. 4/13/2008.
Who said anything about a recession? Sometime between the government bailout of Bear Stearns and the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that America lost 80,000 jobs in March, Lee Tachman spent roughly $50,000 last month on a four-day jaunt to Miami for himself and three close friends.
Who said anything about a recession? Sometime between the government bailout of Bear Stearns and the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that America lost 80,000 jobs in March, Lee Tachman spent roughly $50,000 last month on a four-day jaunt to Miami for himself and three close friends.
Continue reading Despite Tough Times, Ultrarich Keep Spending.
Bangladesh Faces Climate Change Refugee Nightmare. Masud Karim. Reuters. 4/14/2008.
DHAKA - Abdul Majid has been forced to move 22 times in as many years, a victim of the annual floods that ravage Bangladesh.
DHAKA - Abdul Majid has been forced to move 22 times in as many years, a victim of the annual floods that ravage Bangladesh.
Continue reading Bangladesh Faces Climate Change Refugee Nightmare.
DEVELOPMENT: Reinventing Agriculture. Stephen Leahy. IPS. 4/15/2008.
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 15 (IPS) - The results of a painstaking examination of global agriculture are being formally presented Tuesday with the release of the final report for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 15 (IPS) - The results of a painstaking examination of global agriculture are being formally presented Tuesday with the release of the final report for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: Reinventing Agriculture.
NBC Universal, ad agency to create product-centered programs. AP. 4/18/2008.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) -- A newly formed NBC Universal production unit is teaming up with an advertising agency to create programs around sponsors' products, the company said.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) -- A newly formed NBC Universal production unit is teaming up with an advertising agency to create programs around sponsors' products, the company said.
Continue reading NBC Universal, ad agency to create product-centered programs.
South Korean workers on edge of burnout. Bruce Williams. LA Times. 4/19/2008.
SEOUL -- "Life Is Wonderfull" is the boast from Korea Telecom that shimmers from the billboard-size TV screens that loom over downtown Seoul, but you might get an argument at street level about the accuracy of the company's English slogan.
SEOUL -- "Life Is Wonderfull" is the boast from Korea Telecom that shimmers from the billboard-size TV screens that loom over downtown Seoul, but you might get an argument at street level about the accuracy of the company's English slogan.
Continue reading South Korean workers on edge of burnout.
Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand. David Barstow. NY Times. 4/20/2008.
In the summer of 2005, the Bush administration confronted a fresh wave of criticism over Guantánamo Bay. The detention center had just been branded "the gulag of our times" by Amnesty International, there were new allegations of abuse from United Nations human rights experts and calls were mounting for its closure.
In the summer of 2005, the Bush administration confronted a fresh wave of criticism over Guantánamo Bay. The detention center had just been branded "the gulag of our times" by Amnesty International, there were new allegations of abuse from United Nations human rights experts and calls were mounting for its closure.
Continue reading Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand.
Food price rises are "mass murder": U.N. envoy. Reuters. 4/20/2008.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Global food price rises are leading to "silent mass murder" and commodities markets have brought "horror" to the world, the United Nations' food envoy told an Austrian newspaper on Sunday.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Global food price rises are leading to "silent mass murder" and commodities markets have brought "horror" to the world, the United Nations' food envoy told an Austrian newspaper on Sunday.
Continue reading Food price rises are "mass murder": U.N. envoy.
Exposed: The Great GM Crops Myth. Geoffrey Lean. Independent/UK. 4/20/2008.
Genetic modification actually cuts the productivity of crops, an authoritative new study shows, undermining repeated claims that a switch to the controversial technology is needed to solve the growing world food crisis.
Genetic modification actually cuts the productivity of crops, an authoritative new study shows, undermining repeated claims that a switch to the controversial technology is needed to solve the growing world food crisis.
Continue reading Exposed: The Great GM Crops Myth.
DEVELOPMENT: Reinventing Agriculture. Stephen Leahy. International Press Service. 4/15/2008.
The results of a painstaking examination of global agriculture are being formally presented Tuesday with the release of the final report for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).
The results of a painstaking examination of global agriculture are being formally presented Tuesday with the release of the final report for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: Reinventing Agriculture.
A faltering economy hasn't slowed American CEOs' pursuit of wealth. David Walsh. World Socialist Web Site. 4/16/2008.
The incomes of American chief executives surged ahead in 2007 and into early 2008, despite an economy that was beginning to unravel and various half-hearted (or less) efforts to bring the process under control.
The incomes of American chief executives surged ahead in 2007 and into early 2008, despite an economy that was beginning to unravel and various half-hearted (or less) efforts to bring the process under control.
Continue reading A faltering economy hasn't slowed American CEOs' pursuit of wealth.
Child brides 'sold' in Afghanistan. BBC. 4/15/08.
In northern Afghanistan it appears some parents are being driven by poverty and hunger to marry off their daughters at an early age. Jenny Cuffe investigates for Radio 4's Seven Days.
In northern Afghanistan it appears some parents are being driven by poverty and hunger to marry off their daughters at an early age. Jenny Cuffe investigates for Radio 4's Seven Days.
Continue reading Child brides 'sold' in Afghanistan.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants. CNN. 4/17/2008.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday, detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim's Pride, one of the nation's largest poultry companies.
Continue reading Immigration agents detain hundreds at poultry plants.
Three Amigos Summit. Manuel Perez Rocha & Sarah Anderson. Foreign Policy in Focus. 4/15/2008.
President George W. Bush will soon host what has become an annual "Three Amigos Summit." The leaders of Mexico, the United States, and Canada will be gathering in New Orleans on April 21 and 22. What do you suppose is on the agenda? A rational response to immigration, perhaps? A thoughtful renegotiation of the unpopular North American Free Trade Agreement? Lessons from Canada's affordable medicines program?
President George W. Bush will soon host what has become an annual "Three Amigos Summit." The leaders of Mexico, the United States, and Canada will be gathering in New Orleans on April 21 and 22. What do you suppose is on the agenda? A rational response to immigration, perhaps? A thoughtful renegotiation of the unpopular North American Free Trade Agreement? Lessons from Canada's affordable medicines program?
Continue reading Three Amigos Summit.
Wall Street Winners Get Billion-Dollar Paydays. Jenny Anderson. NY Times. 4/16/2008.
Hedge fund managers, those masters of a secretive, sometimes volatile financial universe, are making money on a scale that once seemed unimaginable, even in Wall Street's rarefied realms.
Continue reading Wall Street Winners Get Billion-Dollar Paydays.
Illegal immigrants pay billions in taxes. CNN. 4/15/2008.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- The tax system collects its due, even from a class of workers with little likelihood of claiming a refund and no hope of drawing a Social Security check.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- The tax system collects its due, even from a class of workers with little likelihood of claiming a refund and no hope of drawing a Social Security check.
Continue reading Illegal immigrants pay billions in taxes.
Union Killings Peril Trade Pact With Colombia. Simon Romero. NY Times. 4/14/2008.
BOGOTÁ, Colombia -- Lucy Gómez still shudders when speaking of the murder of her brother, Leonidas, a union leader and bank employee who was beaten and stabbed to death here last month. His murder was part of a recent increase in killings of union members in Colombia, with 17 already this year.
BOGOTÁ, Colombia -- Lucy Gómez still shudders when speaking of the murder of her brother, Leonidas, a union leader and bank employee who was beaten and stabbed to death here last month. His murder was part of a recent increase in killings of union members in Colombia, with 17 already this year.
Continue reading Union Killings Peril Trade Pact With Colombia.
I.R.S. Scrutiny of Big Firms Plummets, Study Says. Lynnley Browning. NY TImes. 4/14/2008.
Most Americans dread tax season. But corporate America seems to have less to fear from the Internal Revenue Service than it used to, according to a new study.
Most Americans dread tax season. But corporate America seems to have less to fear from the Internal Revenue Service than it used to, according to a new study.
Continue reading I.R.S. Scrutiny of Big Firms Plummets, Study Says.
GLOBALISATION: New Curbs on Investment From the South. Julio Godoy. International Press Service. 4/14/2008.
BERLIN, Apr 14 (IPS) - Germany's decision to introduce controls on investments from the South in strategic domestic sectors is yet another indicator of growing protectionism in European and other industrialised countries against the neo-liberal globalisation they once masterminded.
BERLIN, Apr 14 (IPS) - Germany's decision to introduce controls on investments from the South in strategic domestic sectors is yet another indicator of growing protectionism in European and other industrialised countries against the neo-liberal globalisation they once masterminded.
Continue reading GLOBALISATION: New Curbs on Investment From the South.
Made in China. Finlo Rohrer. BBC. 4/14/2008.
In the run-up to the Olympics some opponents of China's regime are boycotting not just the games but all Chinese products. There have been many boycotts before, but with its dominance in manufacturing, those vowing not to buy Chinese face an especially tough challenge.
In the run-up to the Olympics some opponents of China's regime are boycotting not just the games but all Chinese products. There have been many boycotts before, but with its dominance in manufacturing, those vowing not to buy Chinese face an especially tough challenge.
Continue reading Made in China.
Robots seen doing work of 3.5 million in Japan. Reuters. 4/08/2008.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Robots could fill the jobs of 3.5 million people in graying Japan by 2025, a thinktank says, helping to avert worker shortages as the country's population shrinks.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Robots could fill the jobs of 3.5 million people in graying Japan by 2025, a thinktank says, helping to avert worker shortages as the country's population shrinks.
Continue reading Robots seen doing work of 3.5 million in Japan.
Toxic shock: how the banking industry created a global crisis. Jill Treanor. Guardian/UK. 4/08/2008.
The warnings began eight years ago, but even the most respected financiers did not understand all the risks
The banking industry is gripped by a credit crisis that has taken the US economy to the brink of recession. Two banks have, in effect, been nationalised, house prices are tumbling and it is harder to secure a home loan. In a major investigation, Jill Treanor looks at the flawed financial products at the heart of the credit crunch and explores how the banks brought the crisis on themselves and how it could mark a return to basics.
The warnings began eight years ago, but even the most respected financiers did not understand all the risks
The banking industry is gripped by a credit crisis that has taken the US economy to the brink of recession. Two banks have, in effect, been nationalised, house prices are tumbling and it is harder to secure a home loan. In a major investigation, Jill Treanor looks at the flawed financial products at the heart of the credit crunch and explores how the banks brought the crisis on themselves and how it could mark a return to basics.
Continue reading Toxic shock: how the banking industry created a global crisis.
IMF plans gold sale to raise $6bn. BBC. 4/07/2008.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed selling some of its gold holdings as part of radical plans to shore up its troubled finances.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed selling some of its gold holdings as part of radical plans to shore up its troubled finances.
Continue reading IMF plans gold sale to raise $6bn.
Credit crunch costs '$1 trillion'. Stevern Schifferes. BBC. 4/09/2008.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch will reach $945bn (£472bn) and could be even higher.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch will reach $945bn (£472bn) and could be even higher.
Continue reading Credit crunch costs '$1 trillion'.
As income gap widens, recession fears grow. Tami Luhby. CNN. 4/09/2008
Incomes fell for poor and stagnated for middle-class families since late 1990s, making it tougher for them to weather economic downturn.
Continue reading As income gap widens, recession fears grow.
For Many, a Boom That Wasn't. David Leonhardt. NY Times. 4/09/2008.
How has the United States economy gotten to this point?
It's not just the apparent recession. Recessions happen. If you tried to build an economy immune to the human emotions that produce boom and bust, you would end up with something that looked like East Germany.
How has the United States economy gotten to this point?
It's not just the apparent recession. Recessions happen. If you tried to build an economy immune to the human emotions that produce boom and bust, you would end up with something that looked like East Germany.
Continue reading For Many, a Boom That Wasn't.
In Justice Shift, Corporate Deals Replace Trials. Eric Lichtblau. 4/09/2008.
WASHINGTON -- In 2005, federal authorities concluded that a Monsanto consultant had visited the home of an Indonesian official and, with the approval of a senior company executive, handed over an envelope stuffed with hundred-dollar bills. The money was meant as a bribe to win looser environmental regulations for Monsanto's cotton crops, according to a court document. Monsanto was also caught concealing the bribe with fake invoices.
WASHINGTON -- In 2005, federal authorities concluded that a Monsanto consultant had visited the home of an Indonesian official and, with the approval of a senior company executive, handed over an envelope stuffed with hundred-dollar bills. The money was meant as a bribe to win looser environmental regulations for Monsanto's cotton crops, according to a court document. Monsanto was also caught concealing the bribe with fake invoices.
Continue reading