Tag: current affairs

Preparing for an apocalypse: Government officials, architects, and the history of the fallout shelter

April 20, 2011

In 1961, reacting to U.S. government plans to survey, design, and build fallout shelters, the president of the American Institute of Architects told the organization that “all practicing architects should prepare themselves to render this vital service to the nation and to their clients.” Here, David Monteyne, author of Fallout Shelter: Designing for Civil Defense … More Preparing for an apocalypse: Government officials, architects, and the history of the fallout shelter

Understanding the global nature of counterculture

April 13, 2011

Recent protests in Wisconsin are reminiscent of 1960s counterculture movements. Here, Steven Ridgely asks what, if any, form of counterculture might emerge from this highly politicized moment. Image source. BY STEVEN C. RIDGELYAssistant professor of Japanese literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison The recent protests in Madison, Wisconsin, by a coalition of students, organized labor, … More Understanding the global nature of counterculture

Working conditions, the battle at Tyson, and the Wisconsin moment

April 7, 2011

In Breaks in the Chain, Paul Apostolidis investigates the personal life stories of a group of Mexican immigrant meatpackers who are at once typical and extraordinary. After crossing the border clandestinely and navigating the treacherous world of the undocumented, they waged a campaign to democratize their union and their workplace in the most hazardous industry … More Working conditions, the battle at Tyson, and the Wisconsin moment

Japan’s Fukushima nuclear crisis is latest example of how containing radioactive materials is simply not possible.

April 5, 2011

Japanese residents undergo radiation checks. Image source. BY PETER C. VAN WYCKAssociate professor of communication at Concordia University, Montreal, and author of Signs of Danger: Waste, Trauma, and Nuclear Threat (2005). At the time I wrote Signs of Danger, the two great nuclear indices were Three Mile Island (1979), and Chernobyl (1986). Hiroshima and Nagasaki … More Japan’s Fukushima nuclear crisis is latest example of how containing radioactive materials is simply not possible.

Lamia Karim: The fall of Muhammad Yunus and its consequences for the women of Grameen Bank.

March 31, 2011

In 2006 the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh won the Nobel Peace Prize for its innovative microfinancing operations. In March 2011, Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus was ousted as head of the microfinance lender by the Bangladesh government, which owns 25% of the company. The government claims Yunus, 70, is far past its country’s mandatory retirement … More Lamia Karim: The fall of Muhammad Yunus and its consequences for the women of Grameen Bank.

Michael Fabricant: Disturbing trends in public education and why charter schools aren’t the answer.

November 11, 2010

This image was created by public-school art teachers Donna Barnard and Carol Dvorak of Oklahoma. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. BY MICHAEL B. FABRICANTProfessor in the School of Social Work and executive officer of the Ph.D. program in social welfare at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is author of Organizing for Educational … More Michael Fabricant: Disturbing trends in public education and why charter schools aren’t the answer.

A dramatic sequel to the 2008 MN Senate recount, you say? That’s unlikely.

November 5, 2010

BY JAY WEINER, author of This Is Not Florida: How Al Franken Won the Minnesota Senate Recount. ——- “So,” people are asking, “you gonna write a sequel?” “Actually,” I reply, “no way!” The sequel, of course, would be about this incredible second potential recount in Minnesota within two years, this time for the governor’s post. … More A dramatic sequel to the 2008 MN Senate recount, you say? That’s unlikely.