The Times newspaper’s website has lost two‑thirds of its audience following the implementation of a paywall, according to data published yesterday – a dramatic decline, but not as steep as many had forecast. Read more: Techdirt and Guardian
Nobody can survive without water, water is necessary for all life on earth. For the first time since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted 60 years ago, the UN General Assembly is finally poised to recognize the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. By the end of July 2010, the General Assembly will consider an historic resolution brought to the UN member states by the Bolivian government.
July 22 is an international day of action to protest against multinational corporations and pollution, calling for the human right to water and sanitation.
One and a half billion people across the world lack drinking water and another two billion lack clean water generally. In 20 years’ time these numbers will have doubled. Agricultural and industrial pollution is degrading the quality of fresh water supplies everywhere.
Billions of people are suffering because the world is not focused on providing water and sanitation for all. A strong UN General Assembly resolution will signal that water and sanitation is key priority for the international community. The date set for UN member states to consider the resolution is Wednesday, July 28th.
see also: http://www.blueplanetproject.net
http://www.ourwatercommons.org
International experts claim ACTA („WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights“) to threaten global access to affordable medicines. Read more
What is left after the World Cup?
Video: Wavering Flag by Playing Fields Connective
The FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa – a critical parody. Soccer stadiums were built, not schools, gains are being made by a few, many are left with debt.
In a short animation video, radical sociologist David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism, towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that could be responsible, just and humane. View his full lecture at the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).
You can’t imagine a more just, more sustainable planet, without also imagining a new kind of city. More than half of the world’s population is urban, and cities often amplify many of the problems we face as a planet: inequality, violence, pollution, isolation. Luckily, people around the world are joining forces to re-imagine how we design and live in cities, and they’ve come up with a number of exciting proposals!