In The News

Long, Cruel Road to the Slaughterhouse

Emily Dugan February 14, 2008
Ten major animal charities investigated the global trade in livestock, documenting the cruelties that live animals endure on journeys that last thousands of miles, from countries like Australia and Brazil to Europe and the Middle East. “Thousands of animals die en route from disease, heat exhaustion, hunger and stress,” reports Emily Dugan for the Independent. Low transportation costs encourage...

Genocide Prevention: 60 Years of Abject Failure

Eric Reeves February 6, 2008
Genocide is a horrific crime, condemned throughout the world since the Holocaust. But the world still struggles to prevent genocide, even 60 years after passage of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, writes English professor Eric Reeves, in the Christian Science Monitor. Perpetrators elude punishment and condemnation by escaping media attention or...

“Ancient Civilization . . . Broken to Pieces”

Alexandra Zavis January 25, 2008
Iraq is dotted with archaeological sites containing the remains of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Islamic and other civilizations. The sites have long been subject to theft, but with chaos following the 2003 invasion, sites and museums were openly plundered. Sold on global markets are “coins, jewelry and fragile clay tablets etched in wedge-like cuneiform script, recording myths, decrees,...

“Ancient” Forgeries Fool Art Markets

Matthias Schulz January 24, 2008
As the world accumulates more wealth, eager investors pay exorbitant fees for art. To help supply meet frenzied demand, art forgery is also on the rise. Even established collectors, including governments and museums, get fooled, reports Matthias Schulz for Spiegel Online. Globalization and advances in technology – with new chemicals; access to antiquated stone, paper or even tools; and elaborate...

US Courts Consider Legality of Laptop Inspections

Adam Liptak January 11, 2008
Travelers often lug laptops with them, and the US government claims that inspecting the computers is no different than checking suitcases. But privacy advocates and some academics and business people are increasingly concerned, supporting searches only when there is reasonable suspicion. A lone judge has weighed in on the case, adding that information stored on a computer is an extension of one’s...

Slave Labor That Shames America

Leonard Doyle January 3, 2008
The agricultural sector keeps costs low by relying on immigrant labor to harvest fruits and vegetables quickly and efficiently. Employers confront rising energy costs and consumers balk at higher prices. With a political environment that encourages public resentment over illegal immigration, many employers take advantage of the vulnerable illegal workers, reducing pay and imposing brutal work...

After Bhutto, Pakistan on Edge

Ahmed Rashid January 1, 2008
Pakistan grieves the sudden, yet foreseen death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a courageous woman who threatened the status quo. Urged by the US, Bhutto agreed to a power-sharing deal with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, if both won election. She vowed to end appeasement of extremists and cooperate with the US in pursuing all sources of terrorism, in and out of Pakistan. She...