Humane Education Issues in the News...

Each week we post links to news about relevant humane education issues, ways that people all over the world are manifesting humane education, and items that provide excellent material for discussing humane issues, from human rights to environmental preservation, to animal protection, to media and culture.

San Francisco becomes seventh “fair trade town” in the U.S. - Plenty (6/08)
SF is joining a small but growing group of cities and towns in the U.S. who are seeking to become “fair trade towns” by meeting specific goals.

Students become “agents of change” - Courier Post Online (6/10/08)
“From lead poisoning to steroids to genocide, fifth-graders tackled issues that are changing the world adversely, and suggested ways to channel those negatives into positives.”

Immigration crackdown means U.S. citizens being deported - Alternet (6/10/08)
“Thanks to a recent Bush Administration crackdown, the net cast by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) is wide--so wide, it turns out, that some of those being deported are US citizens.”

Bermuda schools to teach sustainable development - Royal Gazette (6/9/08)
“Children will receive lessons in sustainable development in a bid to raise awareness of the Island's need to become more self-sufficient.”


Study reports “stay away from cows” for climate-healthy diet – Worldchanging (6/8/08)
A study examining the environmental impacts of different types of foods shows that animal products – especially cows – aren’t climate-friendly.


Cost of oil causing companies to rethink their businesses - New York Times (6/8/08)
With continuing increases in oil prices, those companies who manufacture products made with petroleum are having to rethink how they do business.

In midst of food shortage, biotech firms in patent frenzy - Independent.co.uk (6/8/08)
“Giant biotech companies are privatising the world's protection against climate change by filing hundreds of monopoly patents on genes that help crops resist it, a new investigation has concluded.”

HSUS leading campaign to end shark fishing tournaments - New York Daily News (6/8/08)
The Humane Society of the U.S. is leading a campaign to end shark fishing tournaments for cash, citing the drastic decline in numbers of shark species, and the inhumane ways in which the animals are caught and killed. At least one food bank in Long Island has decided to no longer accept donations of shark meat, citing health and welfare concerns.

UN critical of U.S. treatment of detained juveniles - Common Dreams.org (6/7/08)
A recent United Nations report criticized the U.S. for its treatment of youth detained at Guantanamo, and in Afghanistan and Iraq, and called for the recruitment of young people under 18 into the military to cease.

Citizens clamor for bottled water – but at what cost? - USA Today (6/7/08)
Reports that demand for bottled water has skyrocketed, but there are numerous costs.

Sudanese child refugees being sold as soldiers - Guardian.co.uk (6/6/08)
“Thousands of child refugees from Darfur, some as young as nine, are being abducted and sold to warring militias as child soldiers, a British human rights group reports today.”


Interview with Adrienne Maree Brown - Democracy Now (6/6/08)
Amy Goodman interviews Ruckus Society’s executive director about media justice and the upcoming elections.

“Indiana Jones” speaks out against illegal wildlife trade - ABC News (6/5/08)
Actor Harrison Ford has created three PSAs, speaking out against illegal animal trafficking. Some of his PSAs are being played before the new Indiana Jones movie in theaters.

Plan to save the whales stalled - CNN (6/5/08)
“Whaling fleets nearly wiped out North Atlantic right whales last century. Now these huge mammals are threatened by other human behavior: big ships, fishing gear and entanglement in federal bureaucracy.”

Development due to forced labor - CNN (6/4/08)
A U.S. State Department "Trafficking in Persons Report," reveals that those countries currently experiencing higher levels of economic growth, are doing so due in part to forced and slave labor.

Water wars and woes – Alternet (6/4/08)
Interviews Eliabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and How We Bought It, about water issues in the U.S.

Reasons kids develop eating disorders varies by gender - U.S. News & World Report (6/3/08)
A new report reveals that girls are most likely to start binging and/or purging in order to look more like images in the media, and boys are most likely to start due to negative comments from their fathers.

Fantastic plastic voyage - NPR (6/2/08)
Reports on two marine scientists sailing a boat made out of plastic bottles to raise awareness about plastic debris in oceans.

Skyrocketing food prices mean less savory school lunches - Miami Herald (6/2/08)
Reports on the impact that increased food prices have had on school lunches, causing cafeterias to give up fresh fruit and whole grains for less healthy, cheaper fare.

No place like Utah - Washington Post (6/1/08)
Reports on the unusual, awkward state of race relations in Utah.

Interest in virtual dissection growing - AP (5/31/08)
With concerns about animal welfare, and increasing availability of alternatives, more schools are turning to virtual dissection options.