The study results released last week which revealed that 29 major tributary rivers leading to the Great Lakes all contained measurable concentrations of microplastics is but the most recent facepalm in the history of plastic. Humans have been making plastic-like materials, such as natural rubber, since ancient times, but starting in the mid-1800s, chemists began trying
For every public sexual harassment lawsuit covered by the media, there are countless others that never see the light of day. While it may appear a victory for Gretchen Carlson, who received a $20 million settlement from Fox News in response to her complaint against the network regarding the alleged sexual harassment she endured from
John Henricks, a former inmate of the Ohio state prison system, was awarded a $3 million dollar settlement by a jury earlier this week after the state failed to answer his complaint in the appropriate amount of time. Henricks, who initially represented himself when he filed the case, accused Dr. Ida Gonzalez, along with the
When will it end? In yet another disturbing case of police violence against blacks, 13-year-old Tyre King was shot multiple times by a Columbus police officer resulting in the young child’s death. I don’t care what the circumstances were that led up to the shooting, because they do not matter. What does matter is the
Hours after a pipe bomb exploded near the Jersey Shore during a 5K charity race for members of the United States Marine Corps on Saturday, the neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan was rocked by an explosion that left 29 people injured. New Yorkers were obviously left shaken by the blast, though Mayor Bill de Blasio
What galls us most about Mylan Pharmaceuticals’ inflating the price of the EpiPen to bursting is the stark image it presents of the fix we’re in. Like distant trees in a midnight flash of lightning, the hands of our corporate masters are for the moment seen clear as crystal squeezing a human throat. Such flashes
The state of Alabama is set to execute two inmates this year for the first time since 2013. The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of Tommy Arthur and Ronald Bert Smith, Jr. on Wednesday, August 14, 2016, setting their dates to die by lethal injection on November 3 and December 8 respectively. Smith
In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver died from a preventable brain infection. The Maryland youth suffered from a tooth infection that spread to his brain after his family, who had difficulty finding a dentist who would take Medicaid before their coverage lapsed, was unable to afford dental care. After Deamonte’s death, then-Maryland governor Martin O’Malley introduced
After conducting a two-year investigation into the actions of former NSA employee Edward Snowden, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a summary of their findings on Thursday, September 15, 2016; one day before the new film “Snowden” hits theaters. Only three pages of the 36-page report are unclassified, with the other 33 pages
What is fairness? We all know it when we see it, right? Yet somehow, we keep disagreeing with each other about what is fair, especially when we feel like we’re the ones getting shafted in any given situation. I submit to you that the problem lies in the multiple competing definitions of “fairness” that vary