Social Justice

Rendition Lawsuit Against Boeing Subsidiary Grows

by Bob Burton — August 14, 2007 - 4:06am

A lawsuit against airservices company Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc., has been re-filed to include two more victims of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's extraordinary rendition program. In December 2002, Bisher al-Rawi was kidnapped from Gambia and flown to a secret U.S. prison in Afghanistan and then the Bagram airbase.

Main Source: 
Chicago Tribune, August 2, 2007

Pulling the Charity Lever

by Bob Burton — July 15, 2007 - 5:41am

A six-all vote by Launceston City Council on a motion expressing opposition to a proposed pulp mill has irked Gunns, the Tasmanian logging company pushing the project.

Main Source: 
The Mercury (Australia), July 14, 2007

Blessed Unrest for a Wiser Earth: John Stauber Interviews Paul Hawken

by John Stauber — June 19, 2007 - 9:11am
  • Topics: Corporate Campaigns, Activism, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporations, Democracy, Environment, Social Justice

    • My first introduction to author Paul Hawken's work was his 1994 book The Ecology of Commerce. It is essential reading for anyone grappling with issues surrounding capitalism, social justice and ecological sustainability. Hawken is, among his plethora of accomplishments, a highly successful businessman, but The Ecology of Commerce pulled few punches in its criticism of even those companies truly trying to set and reach a higher standard of business social responsibility.

    Australian Government Revokes Critic's Tax Status

    by Bob Burton — May 30, 2007 - 3:49am

    A watchdog group that criticized the social and environmental failings of the Australian government's overseas aid policies has been stripped of its charitable tax status.

    Main Source: 
    Sydney Morning Herald, May 30, 2007

    Maldives Controversy Dogs Hill & Knowlton

    by Bob Burton — February 17, 2007 - 4:10am

    Source: Friends of Maldives.

    Supporters of the Maldives democracy movement protested outside the London office of the giant public relations firm Hill & Knowlton over its work f

    Main Source: 
    Minivan News (Maldives), February 14, 2007

    Secrecy's Side Effects

    by Bob Burton — February 17, 2007 - 3:24am

    Richard Zitrin, a San Francisco-based lawyer who teaches at the University of California, warns that the willingness of lawyers to reach secret out-of-court agreements with drug companies can have dangerous consequences for patients.

    Main Source: 
    Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2007

    Bush Signs Detainee Bill

    by Conor Kenny — October 18, 2006 - 6:35am
  • Topics: Terrorism, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Social Justice, U.S. Government, War / Peace

    • The much-debated Military Commissions Act of 2006 is now the law of the land.

    President Bush signed the bill yesterday which effectively strips detainees labeled as suspected terrorists by the president of rights traditionally guaranteed in American courts. Under the bill, suspects will have only a limited ability to view evidence used against them, and also be denied habeas corpus protection.

    PR or School Teachers? Maldives Party Asks

    by Bob Burton — October 9, 2006 - 5:22am

    The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for the termination of Hill & Knowlton's contract defending the repressive government of the Maldives. The MDP calculated that the PR firm has been paid $800,000 over almost three years.

    Main Source: 
    Minivan News (Maldives), October 7, 2006

    Did Sister Ruth Neglect to Reflect on McDonald’s?

    by Jonathan Rosenblum — June 15, 2006 - 10:22am
  • Topics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Third Party Technique, Labor, Social Justice

    • I first met Sister Ruth Rosenbaum at the University of Wisconsin’s Living Wage Symposium in 1999. Her Hartford-based Center for Reflection, Education and Action (CREA), established in 1995, had produced impressive reports on miserable wages and working conditions in Haiti and Mexico, and I soon assigned them to students in my course on global sweatshops.

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