7gen Bloc

Thomas Geoghegan, writing in a recent issue of Harper's Magazine, puts forth a theory that at first glance seems almost too silly to voice, let alone take seriously. He argues that it was not derivatives, hedge funds, gambling insurance companies, or excessively paid financial executives that destroyed our economy, but crippling interest rates levied on the poor and middle class. ...

As we near an agreement that will begin to curb our country's CO2 emissions, much of the debate centers on how the auctioning of emissions will impact various industries. Largely out of view is the massive impact on human health that lies ahead and the fact that the most devastating effects will fall upon those who are already the most vulnerable. ...

As the financial crisis continues to unfold, headlines increasingly focus on the pain and hardship ordinary Americans are suffering. Let us not forget that the wealth accumulated by a small handful of Americans, often at the expense of others, was obscene and remains largely intact. ...

Legislative progress on climate change is moving forward, but it won't be easy. Though we read about legislative committee hearings, most of the action takes place out of sight and goes unreported in the media. The Multinational Monitor, a media outlet that tracks corporate activity around the world, recently reported on the intensity of the lobbying activity: ...

The BBC recently reported that British Petroleum, now known as BP, has given up on the idea that BP really stands for Beyond Petroleum. BP was widely recognized as the first oil company to acknowledge the real threat of climate change, and under the leadership of their former CEO, Lord Browne, they developed an in-house carbon trading program. ...