Europe is in recession. Britain’s Office for National Statistics confirmed today (Wednesday) that in the first quarter of this year Britain’s economy shrank .2 percent, after having contracted .3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011. (Officially, two quarters of shrinkage make a recession). On Monday Spain officially fell into …
Why has Big Pharma failed to produce new antibiotics for deadly infections like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci), C. Difficile and Acinetobacter baumannii even as they leap from hospital to community settings? Because there is no money in it. Pharma executives “have shown less interest in medicines like …
This year, International and Immigrant Workers’ Day, May Day, will usher in a spring of protests fueled by the rise in anti-immigrant legislation and enforcement, a lopsided economic recovery that favors the few, and a reemergent Occupy movement poised to challenge corporate power. If past coverage is any indication, corporate …
In 2005, the antibiotic fluoroquinolone was banned by the FDA for use in poultry production. The reason for the ban was an alarming increase in antibiotic-resistant campylobacter bacteria in the meat of chickens and turkeys – “superbugs”, which can lead to a lethal form of meningitis that our current antibiotics are no longer effective …
New York City Council Member Peter F. Vallone,Jr. will hold NYC’s first-ever Stop Fluoridation Rally and Press Conference on May 15th at 11 am on City Hall steps. Last year, Councilman Vallone drafted legislation (Introduction Number 463) to ban the addition of fluoride chemicals into New York City’s public water supplies. Since then special-interest groups …
We all know that “Every Day is Earth Day” and many environmentalists feel that their eating habits are their daily affirmation of a commitment to the planet. But what does it look like to take action for the environment, beyond the fork? There are many options, of course, but one …
It is urgent that humanity work towards equity of consumption and slow the growth of the world’s population or we’ll head towards a “downward vortex” of ruin, according to a report published today. People and the Planet, the report from the Royal Society, is the result of a nearly two-year …
-My Latin American Insider’s seminar is all booked up but if you’re interested in getting on the waiting list for the Guatemala event, email me at theexpatfiles@gmail.com with the word WAITING LIST in the subject line or better yet, go towww.expatwisdom.com and sign in with your email to get full …
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Today, Justice arrested former BP engineer Kurt Mix for destroying evidence in the Deepwater Horizon blow-out. I once ran a Justice Department racketeering case and damned if I would have ‘cuffed some poor schmuck like Mix––especially when there’s hot, smoking guns showing greater crimes by BP higher ups. Last week, …
The austerity fetish of those making economic decisions is killing Europe’s economy. The last few days have provided further proof. “Spain officially slipped back into recession for the second time in three years Monday, after following the German remedy of deep retrenchment in public outlays, joining Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands …
The White House on Thursday announced the formulation of the National Bioeconomy Blueprint, aimed at shoring up the U.S. commitment to bioscience-related research. But critics warn that the new program focuses too much on economic concerns, placing too little emphasis on either social issues or on the environment itself. “We’re …
Frontline Has Well-And-Truly Joined The Mainstream A puff piece on the recent history of the economy and efforts to save it. Good for the info, bad for the (non-existent) analysis. More on the scandal surrounding the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). The funds never went where Congress had been informed …
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