If you drink tea, you may want to pay attention. Greenpeace East Asia has recently had samples of Chinese tea tested for pesticides and it found that, of the 18 samples sent, 12 came back as having at least one pesticide globally banned for use on tea. The pesticides found include, among...
May03
Arsenic Chicken Sandwich And A Coke, Please!
Maryland Bans the Use of Arsenic in Chicken Feed
Maryland has become the first state to ban the use of arsenic in chicken feed after John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and Arizona State University found that some chicken feed contains a pretty toxic list of additives including caffeine, acetaminophen, fluoxetine, antibiotics, and arsenic. While the claim is that the arsenic is a way to boost chicken growth, thus cutting down on production costs, you have to wonder what affects the additives have on people who consume chicken on a regular basis. Thanks to the work of delegate Tom Hucker and Sen. Paul Pinsky, House Bill 754 was passed “prohibiting a person from using, selling,...
Apr26
Bald, Beautiful, Barbie
Barbie Dolls For Kids WIth Cancer
What started as a mere Facebook group has turned into a petition-winning, corporation-convincing movement. Back in December, a page entitled Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let’s see if we can get it made appeared on the omnipresent social networking site. Just more than three months later,...
Apr16
WTF IS FLIXPAC!?
IS NETFLIX'S NEW SUPER-PAC PRO-SOPA/PIPA?
Web-based television and movie streaming service Netflix has found itself in a nice little flip-flopping situation. On April 5, the digital upstart filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Committee to create a new super-PAC dubbed FLIXPAC. Last week, RT reported that Netflix could use the funds relegated to that political action committee to support politicians who would in turn, help fund controversial bills like Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act (SOPA and PIPA, respectively). Soon thereafter, Netflix emailed RT with a response to the article that argued that FLIXPAC was not set up to financially support such bills. Joris...
Apr06
Tucker Max Donation
Rejected By Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Texas has been forced to scramble for funds following the Texas state legislature’s decision to cut off Medicaid funds to the organization for providing services that could *clearly* be just as easily be facilitated in a dark alley. Yet, even in its darkest hour the...
Apr06
Women Only
Kenya's Exclusive Village
In a world where men’s only clubs are still common (we’re looking at you Augusta National Golf Club), Kenya’s Umoja village is putting their own spin on it. For the last two decades, this women’s only village has been a refuge for many, and a place for women to learn,...
Apr06
Olympic “Clean Up”
Hookers & Homeless Booted
Social Issues – Bad news for brothels…and the poor! As the Olympic games near, London has begun ridding the city of its pesky prostitution and homeless problems. Anti-poverty charity Toynbee Hall notes that the number of sex workers arrested in Tower Hamlets, one of five Olympic...
Apr03
Slide from Secularism
Turkey's Education Bill
Human Rights – Protests and conflict have marked the passing of a controversial education bill in Turkey. The new law overturns provisions made by the military in 1997 by allowing for middle-school education in religious institutions. Turkey is built on secular foundations, despite being populated by a strong Muslim majority. The new bill has met with heated opposition from secularists who claim that it affords too much influence to Islamic schools and detracts from the country’s secular stance. Opponents claim that Islamic schools serve as a breeding ground for militant Islamism and remove the opportunity for middle-school...
Apr02
Numbers on the Rise
World Autism Awareness Day
Social Issues – Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and it is not just about being “aware” that autism exists, it’s also about being aware of what has been done, what still needs to be done, and what you can do to help. Autism is a lifelong disability that impacts...
Apr01
Action = Progress
Progressing Islam to Help It
Social Issues – Despite the sustained efforts of those who benefit the most from steps forward, normally we only hear the occasional bit of news about the efforts and accomplishments of progressive Muslims seeking to reform and modernize the faith’s image and its treatment of women...
Apr01
Which Came First?
The Fertilized Egg Debate
Social Issues – When it comes to age old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg, the answer is always arguable. According to Personhood USA this question now needs to also be asked amongst humans and fertilized eggs. In Oklahoma, a ballot initiative has been filed with...
Mar31
“Let’s Just Pass I...
Leahy Wants VAWA Re-Authorized
Women’s Issues – As the debate continues about the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was designed to protect and assist victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary, Committee, just wants it reauthorized. As a...
Mar27
Out in the Cold
Syria May Soon Stand Alone
Social Issues – The Syrian regime is facing growing isolation this week as Russia, one of its last remaining allies, edges nearer to international cooperation. With the situation growing increasingly dire and current UN figures suggesting that over 8,000 people have been killed in the...
Mar26
Soul for Soldiers
Bon Jovi's Soul Foundation to Help Homeless Vets
Celebrity Charities — The musical community has stepped up its collective game to help the homeless recently. Earlier this month, the (somewhat controversial) Homeless Hotspots initiative hit South By Southwest music and film festival in Austin and now, storied rock and roll singer Jon Bon Jovi is teaming up with the U.S. government’s Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Housing and Development to create a digital app that assists homeless veterans. Project REACH, as it’s called, stands for Real-time Electronic Access for Caregivers and the Homeless. And the three players—JBJ’s Soul Foundation, VA, and HUD...
Mar26
The Snatchel Project
Crochet Lady Parts in Protest
Women’s Issues – Annie Modesitt a knitting teacher in Golden Valley, Minn. and friends have created Government Free VJJ, a program “to protest controversial bills like one that would allow employers to dictate if an employee’s insurance would cover contraception,”...
Mar23
White Plague Spreading
TB on the Rise in Developed World
Social Issues – Those living in the First World often forget about a nasty disease called Tuberculosis (TB). However according to Reuters, a new form of TB, also known as the “white plague,” is on the rise in the industrialized and wealthy areas of the West, Africa, and...
Mar22
Thai Pest Problem
Pest Threatens Thai Rice Crop
Environment – Since 2009, rice production in countries throughout Asia has been affected by the brown planthopper (BPH), a pest which can transmit two viruses which damage rice yields, as well as eat away at the rice plants. In 2010, BPH caused the loss of 30 percent of Thai rice crop....
Mar21
Accio Donations!
Rowling Donates Billionaire Stat
Celebrity Charities – Last year Forbes magazine named J. K. Rowling, the creative genius herself, the first female billionaire author. A lot can happen in a year, though. It turns out Rowling has donated so much money in the past 365 days that she did not make the 2012 edition of...
Mar20
Humble Bundle
Video Games for Charity
Science & Tech – For gamers who care, the Humble Bundle offers a way to support both indie developers and people who need the fun that gaming can provide the most: hospitalized children. The Humble Bundle is a collection of indie games for multiple platforms that come at a...
Mar18
Peaceful Research?
Iran Not Making Nuclear Weapons?
Social Issues – Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and after searching for years for evidence showing otherwise, reports are coming in from Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Service, and a source in U.S. Intelligence, that there is no proof that Tehran is working on a nuclear weapons program. In fact, it is believed that Iran’s program was shut down in 2003. “Mossad does not disagree with the U.S. on the [Iraninan] weapons program,” an unnamed former senior U.S. Intelligence official told the New York Times. “There is not a lot of dispute between the US and...
Mar17
Can You Hear me Now?
AT&T, Verizon Threaten Democracy
Social Issues – In the big business of cellphones, there are essentially two big players: AT&T and Verizon. Together they have 60% of the market. Expand that to include the next two largest service providers and 90% of the market is accounted for. It’s a level of market control that threatens, some believe, the very democracy we consider so vital to being an American. A panel discussion at the South by Southwest Interactive conference concluded that this market dominance is resulting in a gradual decrease in options for customers. One example cited was both AT&T and Verizon’s placement of data limits on smart...
Mar16
Boycotting Eurovision in Azerbaijan
Poor Human Rights Record Cited
Human Rights – Eurasia – In 2011 Azerbaijan won the famed Eurovision singing competition, which draws 125 million viewers from more than 40 countries. In May they will host the 2012 contest in Baku, the capital. However, many people are calling for a boycott of the competition as the government has come under fire for a poor human rights record and its dissident clampdown. The Azerbaijan government was recently called out by Human Rights Watch (HRW) for entering into a controversial “city beautification” process in anticipation of Eurovision, which forced many people from their homes without compensation....
Mar14
Sickly System
Agribusiness Hurts World Health
Social Issues – Olivier De Schutter, the UN’s reporter on food, has recently stated that the current food conditions are negatively impacting our health and wellbeing worldwide. Most of the problems stem from the agricultural business sector, which holds significant weight over...
Mar14
Vision Problems
Poor Nations Struggle to See
Social Issues – While it is no surprise that developing nations struggle for proper medical care (cleft palate infomercials, anyone?), the images that cross our minds are typically those of infectious diseases and birth defects. The far more subtle — and, in some ways, insidious...
Mar13
Crisis in Mauritania
WFP Launches Emergency Aid
Social Issues – Africa – Severe drought conditions and an influx of Malian refugees escaping the Touareg conflict has left Mauritania in dire condition, and the World Food Programme (WFP) Mauritania has launched two emergency operations, in an effort to get aid to the area. The...
Mar13
Adding Amendments
PA To Vote On Same-Sex Marriage
LGBT Issues – House Bill 1434, which seeks to “define” marriage as being between one man and one woman is scheduled to be voted on today by a Pennsylvania house committee. If passed, the bill will also prohibit other legal unions that can be treated as marriage such as...
Mar13
Homeless Hotspots
Thinking Outside the Box At SXSW?
Social Issues – The annual South by Southwest tech-fest held in Austin, TX has a reputation for quirky, unexpected, innovative solutions. At least that’s the justification for a “charitable experiment” that has turned some of Austin’s homeless folks into walking...
Mar12
Catching a Ride
Cairo's Women Cabbies
Women’s Rights – It may seem like a regular Egyptian taxi with the radio playing and the meter on, but the eyes in the rear view mirror belong to a woman. Nadia Abdel-Gaber has broken through the barrier in the traditionally male dominated field, and it’s paying off as she is...
Mar11
Rockers For Lung Cancer Awareness
Maroon 5 Teams Up With Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
Celebrity Charities – Grammy award winning rock band Maroon 5 has partnered with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF) to launch a massive national and international awareness campaign to tackle the growing epidemic of the world’s number one cancer killer – lung cancer. Lung cancer kills over 450 people everyday in the United States and 1.3 million people annually worldwide, and the campaign encourages all people to get involved to help raise awareness and money for the cause. The general misconception regarding lung cancer is that only “smokers” can get it. The simple truth of the matter is...
Mar10
Deleting Knowledge
Library.nu Has Been Removed
Social Issues – The disappearance of a worldwide library called Library.nu, which contained digital tomes ranging from out of print math books to technical manuals, has made quite the stir. The content was scholarly in every sense of the word, however, there was just one problem; every...
The Daily Activist is an international collaboration of writers, journalists and online contributors, seeking to promote positive change and awareness of social, civil, and human rights issues.
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