The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Christian Parenti -
What can a humble loaf of bread tell us about the world?
The answer is: far more than you might imagine. For one thing, that loaf can be “read” as if it were a core sample extracted from the heart of a grim global economy. Looked at another way, it reveals some of the crucial fault lines of world politics, including the origins of the Arab spring that has now become a summer of discontent.
Consider this: between June 2010 and June 2011, world grain prices almost doubled....
We are told that "the banks are too big to fail" but its the planet that is too big to fail says a panel of ecological experts.
Sadly, economic growth still seems to be taking place at pace with little consideration for its impact on the finite resources of the planet and within a system devoid of any consideration for justice.
If every human were to enjoy the living standard of the average North American, we would need four planet Earth's to sustain us all. The opportunity to...
Juan Cole -
In 1957, a United States shocked by the Soviet launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite bounced into action to compete on the world stage. More than 50 years later, in May of 2011, the U.S. is facing a new challenge. The Chinese Communist Party has decided to launch a crash program to produce green energy, a field where it already has a commanding lead over the U.S. The difference between 1957 and 2011 is that American politics in the meantime have been captured by parasitic or corrupt industries...
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, Ethos is a documentary that lifts the lid on a Pandora's box of systemic issues that guarantee failure in almost every aspect of our lives; from the environment to democracy and our own personal liberty. Ethos examines and unravels these complex relationships, and offers a solution -- a simple but powerful way for you to change the system.
The film includes interviews with notable activists such as Noam Chomsky,...
Michelle Pressend -
South Africa is no stranger to hosting major United Nations (UN) events. In 2001 the World Conference Against Racism was hosted in Durban and in 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place in Johannesburg.
In late 2011 the contentious climate change negotiations will continue at the UN 17th Conference of the Party (COP 17) in Durban where the South African government is hoping they could clinch the deal for a “fair, balanced and ambitious outcome,” on...
Former Irish president Mary Robinson spoke on a panel about climate change this weekend at the COP16 climate conference in Cancún, Mexico. Robinson talked about the need for a global climate fund that will help poor people protect themselves from the growing threats of global warming.
Robinson recently launched the Mary Robinson Foundation–Climate Justice.
MARY ROBINSON: I believe that this is the biggest human rights issue of the 21st century, and I believe that...
