Mooncake Awakenings

Dec 27

[video]

Jul 02

theatlantic: The Only Advanced Country Without a National Vacation Policy? It’s the U.S. There’s no wrong way to celebrate American exceptionalism, but this might not be the best candidate for cheering this July 4th Week: The United States is practically the only developed country in the world that doesn’t require companies to give their workers time off. In Germany, workers are guaranteed a month. In the UK, they’re guaranteed more than five weeks of paid vacation. In the U.S., unique in its class, there is no such guarantee. Read more. [Image: Rebecca Ray, John Schmitt/ETUI]

theatlantic:

The Only Advanced Country Without a National Vacation Policy? It’s the U.S.

There’s no wrong way to celebrate American exceptionalism, but this might not be the best candidate for cheering this July 4th Week: The United States is practically the only developed country in the world that doesn’t require companies to give their workers time off. In Germany, workers are guaranteed a month. In the UK, they’re guaranteed more than five weeks of paid vacation. In the U.S., unique in its class, there is no such guarantee.

Read more. [Image: Rebecca Ray, John Schmitt/ETUI]

Jun 24

theatlantic: What Killed Us, Then and Now The chart ranks the top ten causes of death for each year. In addition to the remarkable decline in mortality overall, it’s also noticeable how heart disease and cancer have surged to become two of America’s top killers. In 1900, cancer and heart disease accounted for 18 percent of all deaths. Today, that figure’s jumped to 63 percent. In addition to being responsible for a greater share of deaths overall, the absolute number of people being killed by these chronic conditions has also grown, from 201 people out of every 100,000 in 1900 to nearly 380 per 100,000 today. Read more. [Image: New England Journal of Medicine, via Sarah Kliff]

theatlantic:

What Killed Us, Then and Now

The chart ranks the top ten causes of death for each year. In addition to the remarkable decline in mortality overall, it’s also noticeable how heart disease and cancer have surged to become two of America’s top killers. In 1900, cancer and heart disease accounted for 18 percent of all deaths. Today, that figure’s jumped to 63 percent. In addition to being responsible for a greater share of deaths overall, the absolute number of people being killed by these chronic conditions has also grown, from 201 people out of every 100,000 in 1900 to nearly 380 per 100,000 today.

Read more. [Image: New England Journal of Medicine, via Sarah Kliff]

motherjones: discoverynews: Lonesome George, Last-of-Its-Kind Galapagos Tortoise, Dies Lonesome George, the giant tortoise who became the face of the Galapagos Islands conservation effort, was found dead in his corral Sunday morning, according to a statement by the Galapagos National Park Service. He was believed to be more than 100 years old and weighed 200 pounds. keep reading Image: Teddy Garcia / Reuters R.I.P.

motherjones:

discoverynews:

Lonesome George, Last-of-Its-Kind Galapagos Tortoise, Dies

Lonesome George, the giant tortoise who became the face of the Galapagos Islands conservation effort, was found dead in his corral Sunday morning, according to a statement by the Galapagos National Park Service. He was believed to be more than 100 years old and weighed 200 pounds.

keep reading

Image: Teddy Garcia / Reuters

R.I.P.

(Source: msnbc.com)

Feb 22

The secrets to ending chocolate slavery -

SAN

theatlantic: In Focus: Rising Protests in China A wounded villager from Wukan is seen after a riot with the police the day earlier in Lufeng, a city of 1.7 million, in the southern Chinese Guangdong province, on September 23, 2011. Hundreds of villagers in southern China protested on Friday over a government seizure of land, the latest outbreak of trouble in Guangdong province that illustrates growing public anger at the practice of land grabs. See more. [Image: Reuters]

theatlantic:

In Focus: Rising Protests in China

A wounded villager from Wukan is seen after a riot with the police the day earlier in Lufeng, a city of 1.7 million, in the southern Chinese Guangdong province, on September 23, 2011. Hundreds of villagers in southern China protested on Friday over a government seizure of land, the latest outbreak of trouble in Guangdong province that illustrates growing public anger at the practice of land grabs.

See more. [Image: Reuters]

Feb 20

World Social Justice Day - UN -

20 February 2012 – Calling on people to tap into the spirit of recent public protests worldwide against inequality, corruption, repression and a lack of decent jobs, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the need for economic development to ensure greater social justice for everyone.

Apple & Foxconn To Raise Wages for Workers -

International pressure brought attention to workers’ plight