Archive
How We Pay for CEO ‘Performance’
Federal unemployment benefits for 400,000 Californians out of work since last fall recently dropped 18 percent, a $52 cut out of weekly checks that average $297. Similar cuts are rolling out in other states. In all, long-term unemployed Americans will on average lose...
Hollow Bee Hives May Threaten Our Lives Too
You may think that your most significant interaction with bees is trying not to get stung. But, in fact, you have bees to thank for nearly one-third of all food crops: almonds, apples, peaches, honey, and watermelons, to name a few. If our bees are in trouble, then...
Fashion Victims
You see it in stores across our country and around the world: colorful and stylish clothing with happy-sounding brand names like Children's Place, Papaya, Joe Fresh, and Mango. But you don't see the factories where these cheerful garments are made. Nor are we shown...
Our Stake in Guatemala’s Genocide Trial
With Syria's strife, the NRA's annual meeting, and Kim Kardashian's prenatal woes to report, Central America doesn't exactly dominate U.S. headlines these days. So we understand that the octogenarian former dictator standing trial in Guatemala for unspeakable acts of...
Made in Bangladesh
Big Ag Chokes on Its Own Scam
Amy Meyer was curious. Then she was appalled. Then she was charged with the "crime" of using a cell phone to video what appalled her. Welcome to the Brave New World of "ag-gag" laws being pushed by agribusiness corporations to stop reporters, workers, animal rights...
This Week in OtherWords: May 1, 2013
This week in OtherWords, Jo Comerford and Donald Kaul weigh in on the government's reversal of sequester-driven cuts that inconvenienced air travelers as other budget woes hurt children, the elderly, and the unemployed. Below, you'll find a clickable summary of all...
The Internet Racket
Is your Internet bill too high? You can thank the phone and cable companies for that. Today, high-speed broadband services offered by these national carriers cost more than $500 a year and even more when customers are forced to bundle Internet access with cable or...
The Path We Should Follow after Syria Crosses the Red Line
President Barack Obama's recent announcement that he believes Syria has used a small amount of chemical weapons ignited a debate. Has the Assad regime crossed the "red line" the White House laid down? U.S. intelligence reports "varying degrees of confidence" that...
Banking on the Poor
What's a fair interest rate to pay on a loan? If you think a 300 percent annual percentage rate (APR) is no big deal, you can stop reading. But if you'd be outraged to learn that some of the country's biggest banks — like Wells Fargo, Regions , US Bank, and Fifth...
