January 2012 - Page 2 of 7

Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam Stirs Controversy

Gabriel Elizondo January 26, 2012 Gabriel Elizondo

About 24,000 people will be displaced from towns in the Amazon to make way for the world’s third biggest dam.

Altamira, Brazil – Drive about 90 minutes outside this sultry Brazilian Amazon town, and into the thicket of the jungle, and a surreal, other-worldly scene appears.

It’s a place where dozens of steel arms with giant claws from land excavators cut into the red earth, carving out deep holes.

There are earth movers, growling bulldozers and dump trucks crossing switch back roads that lead into colossal man-made craters, while clusters of hard hat-wearing engineers, glare down inspecting it all. read more

The Surefire Way to End Online Piracy: End Copyright

Dean Baker January 26, 2012 Dean Baker

Source: Truthout

The popular rebellion against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was an impressive display of democracy in action. The opponents of the bill were able to use the web and various social media venues to educate the public about the specifics of the bill. The resulting flood of emails, phone calls and letters caused the bill’s Congressional sponsors to cut and run.

While this revolt against the entertainment industry’s effort to rein in the web was inspiring, there is a real issue at stake. It is getting ever harder for creative workers to get paid for their work. read more

A Super Bowl of Workers’ Struggle?

David Zirin January 25, 2012 David Zirin

Source: Edge of Sports

The Super Bowl is supposed to bring attention and even glory to its host city. But thanks to an anti-worker, anti-union assault by Indiana’s Governor Mitch Daniels and the Republican controlled legislature, the big game, to be held this year in Indianapolis, is bringing a different kind of attention altogether. The NFL Players Association joined the ranks of unions across the state last week in opposing efforts to make Indiana join the ranks of so-called “Right to Work” states. “Right to Work” laws have also been called “Right to Beg” or “Right to Starve” since they undercut wages, benefits and the most basic workplace protections. Coming off their own labor battle, the NFLPA released a statement where they promised that they would not be silent on these laws during the buildup to the Super Bowl. I interviewed NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith about why they felt it was important to take a stand against this legislation. read more

Lessons for Obama: How FDR Fended Off The 1%’s Attacks Against His New Deal Reforms

Gerard Colby January 24, 2012 Gerard Colby

Many of the same ultra-right families of the richest 1% in the U.S. currently attacking New Deal reforms protecting working families are the same families who attacked President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s for introducing these reforms.

South Africa: The Impacts of Coal Extraction

Glenn Ashton January 24, 2012 Glenn Ashton

Against the background chatter about nationalization and environmental sustainability, South Africa needs to carefully consider the continued development of its vast mineral resources.

Beware the ‘Gush-Up Gospel’ Behind India’s Billionaires

Arundhati Roy January 24, 2012 Arundhati Roy

Source: Financial Times

Is it a house or a home? A temple to the new India, or a warehouse for its ghosts? Ever since Antilla arrived on Altamount Road in Mumbai, exuding mystery and quiet menace, things have not been the same. “Here we are,” the friend who took me there said, “pay your respects to our new ruler.”

Antilla belongs to India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. I’d read about this, the most expensive dwelling ever built, the 27 floors, three helipads, nine lifts, hanging gardens, ballrooms, weather rooms, gymnasiums, six floors of parking, and the 600 servants. Nothing had prepared me for the vertical lawn – a soaring wall of grass attached to a vast metal grid. The grass was dry in patches, bits had fallen off in neat rectangles. Clearly, “trickle down” had not worked. read more