Plutocracy

Oxfam: “The gap between the rich and poor is spiralling out of control. Just 85 individuals have the same wealth as half the people on our planet. Such extreme economic inequality is standing in the way of ending global poverty, and widening other inequalities like the gap between women and men. It is time to […]

Bahrain

Artificial Billionaires: Regimes’ Crony Capitalism Stifling Middle East

contributors

World Bank Across the Middle East and North Africa, countries are being forced to face up to a harsh reality—that, left as they are now, their economies won’t create anything like enough jobs for the hundreds of thousands of people entering their job markets each year. Popular discontent will continue alongside widespread economic inactivity. What […]

Economy

Does Fox “News” cultivate Closed Minded “Right Wing Authoritarians”?

contributors

TheLipTV “Is Fox News creating content that appeals to closed minded people of a “right wing authoritarian” mind state? That is the case being argued by a University of Alabama Psychologist, Dr. William Hart, who cites the Republican slanted cable news channel as a mirror for similarly ideologically minded people. Does this create a distortion […]

Economy

Top 1% ‘own half global wealth’

contributors

BBC News: “The richest 1% of people own nearly half the world’s wealth, according to a report out this week. With total global wealth more than doubling this century, total household wealth in China is now the third highest in the world, only surpassed by the US and Japan, says the report by banking giant […]

Climate Change

Walmart Plots to derail Rooftop Solar Energy Revolution

contributors

By Deirdre Fulton via Commondreams.org The Walton family—who, as heirs to the Walmart fortune, have more wealth than 42 percent of American families combined—are impeding the nation’s transition to a clean energy future, a new study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) finds. “The Waltons claim to have a deep commitment to sustainability, but […]

Economy

Super-Rich Oil and Gas Companies Routinely Underpay own Workers

contributors

By Naveena Sadasivam via ProPublica A ProPublica review of U.S. Department of Labor investigations shows that oil and gas workers 2013 men and women often performing high-risk jobs 2013 are routinely being underpaid, and the companies hiring them often are using accounting techniques to deny workers benefits such as medical leave or unemployment insurance. The […]

Banking

Climate Protesters Flood Wall Street – And A Polar Bear Is Arrested

Juan Cole

AJ+ “Hundreds of people attended the #FloodWallStreet demonstration to protest the role big business plays in fueling climate change. The protest was largely peaceful, but police arrested a number of people by the end of the night, including a polar bear.” AJ+ : “Protesters Flood Wall Street – And A Polar Bear Is Arrested”

Economy

Student Debt Factories: The Scandal of For-Profit Colleges

contributors

By Astra Taylor and Hannah Appel via Tomdispatch.com Imagine corporations that intentionally target low-income single mothers as ideal customers. Imagine that these same companies claim to sell tickets to the American dream — gainful employment, the chance for a middle class life. Imagine that the fine print on these tickets, once purchased, reveals them to […]

Climate Change

NYC Climate Demo: Top 5 Massive Rallies that had no Effect

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole Don’t get me wrong. I am all for demonstrating and admire everyone who came out in New York City on Sunday (some 400,000 according to Time magazine) to demand that world leaders deal urgently with climate change. But I just do have to point out that holding large rallies doesn’t always result […]