Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer Diabetes is an ever-growing concern in the U.S. and around the world. During a three year study, completed in November 2008, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in children doubled . Just as shocking is the rate of diagnosis: in the U.S., one person is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds. Yet, despite these alarming numbers, the majority of Americans...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer A piece of proposed legislation, introduced into Congress earlier this year, would allow illegal minors to earn their citizenship through education or military service. Called the DREAM Act (The Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors), this legislation would change the status of students who are long-time residents of the U.S., but entered...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer The Yes Men have been creating humorous, over the top pranks together for the past ten years. Their unique brand of alternative activism has garnered a lot of attention, and their latest campaign is no exception. This time, Yes Men Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno took on corporate giant Coca-Cola over their labeling on Dasani bottled water, in hopes...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer The Kellogg Foundation, a morning staple of American families since 1930, has just announced that they will be giving away $32.5 million in grants to support local food initiatives. The nine projects that will receive the funding range from urban farming initiatives to mobile food stands. The main focus of the foundation, however, is empowering...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 16/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer You love playing in the sprinklers with your puppy, or taking your dog on a long walk, but how much do you really know about your animal's life before you came into the picture? Many of our furry friends spent their first few months in horrific conditions and many others may never find a happy home of their own. It's time for the truth. Here are...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 14/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer Each year come December, my church youth group joined thousands of others buying toys for families we “adopted” that season. We’d raise money or pool our own to purchase items from a list provided by the family for each child’s needs and wants, from diapers to Transformers and beaded ankle socks. Inevitably, we’d all...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer On one of the most remote islands in the world, Kure Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, albatross chicks are suffering from huge levels of plastic consumption. Joined by seals, turtles, and hundreds of thousands of sea birds, these albatrosses scavenge the area for flying fish eggs and other tasty morsels each day, but often end up eating as much as ten...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 09/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer We’ve all read about the effects of the U.S. meat industry on our health, whether it is a question of added hormones or polluted run-off into our water. So, it seems a fair assumption that hospitals, a place dedicated to healing and health and the vow to “First, do no harm” would be wary when considering meat in their menus. Unfortunately,...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 04/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer Farmers markets have rapidly become a regular structure in communities across the nation. For many Americans, who have become aware of the despicable conditions of factory farms and the damaging effects they have on the environment, eating locally is the only way to go. With more than 4,800 farmers markets of various sizes already established in...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 03/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer Propaganda has a long history in times of both war and peace; this time it's gone high-tech. A new website posted by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has many outraged at the audacity of the President to so glibly ignore the violence in Darfur and feign innocence. President al-Bashir was arrested in July of 2008 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 02/11/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer This month is Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, and it has come not a moment too soon. Teen homelessness rates have soared in the U.S., with fewer jobs available for teens to help their family financially and more stresses pushing more kids to leave their homes and live on the streets. With more than three-quarters of these cases going unreported...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer In May, President Obama cut the Title V grant program and all funding for abstinence-only sex education, but the fight for comprehensive sex education isn't over yet. Last month, the Senate Finance Committee accepted an amendment to the health care reform bill sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch that added $50 million in funding for abstinence-only...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 23/10/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer The proliferation of health claims on food packaging has reached a tipping point for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Tuesday, the FDA announced plans to reassert their presence by addressing potentially misleading food labels, just one of many recent actions taken by the organization. The frustration with these labels, and the reason...
Causecast - Latest News (Free subscription) | 22/10/2009
by CLAIRE GRINTON , Contributing Writer A crucial piece of legislature is on the Senate floor right now that can affect employment practices across the nation. Currently, gay and lesbian individuals can be fired in 29 states for their sexual orientation; transgender individuals can be fired in 39 states. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is a proposed bill that would prohibit...
