Millennials more likely than older adults to donate clothing rather than trash it

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In 2012, Americans sent more than 14 million tons of textile waste to trash dumps around the country, despite many options for consumers to repurpose or recycle textile waste, including donating old clothes to charities and recycling the materials to be remade into other products. Pamela Norum, professor and interim department chair of textile and apparel management …

Daniel Arsenault – The Off-Grid Rebellion The Media Doesn’t Want You To Know About

For many waking up in the modern world, the weight of the planet is on their shoulders. It seems like the more one learns, the more everything is in ruin. Climate catastrophe and secret financial institutions threaten devastation on all sides, the media is run by the corporate elite and filters the truth into coarse bits of marketing slogans, and …

Ashley Whillans – Want to do something good for your health? Try being generous

Every day, we are confronted with choices about how to spend our money. Whether it’s thinking about picking up the tab at a group lunch or when a charity calls asking for a donation, we are faced with the decision to behave generously or not. Research suggests that spending money on others can improve happiness, but can it also improve your physical health? …

Leid Stories – 10.13.15

Paying Their Way to Poverty: How Ferguson Is Forced Into Bankruptcy

Money Talks: Behind the Most Expensive Presidential Race in U.S. History

In the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 9 killing of Michael Brown by ex-cop Darryl Wilson last year, Ferguson, Missouri, became yet another symbol of legalized and enforced social, political and economic apartheid in America. It was the basis for nationwide mobilization; it was an open admission in a slew of official inquiries and reports.

Civil unrest has died down with the promise of administrative “reforms.” But the majority-Black city of 21,000 is still in the grip of economic apartheid and headed for Detroit-style, imposed bankruptcy.

Dr. Walter Johnson, Winthrop professor of History and African and African American studies at Harvard University, discusses his in-depth study on economic apartheid in Ferguson.

Five Democratic presidential candidates will participate in a nationally televised Q&A session (host CNN insists it’s a “debate”) tonight in Las Vegas. The venue is the opulent, five-star Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino—an ironic twist for a political party that swears it’s about the working class. Yet, it is perfectly in line with where politics is right now.

Dave Levinthal, who leads the Center for Public Integrity’s reporting team on federal politics, discusses the 2016 presidential race, which by all indicators will be the most expensive in U.S. history.

Ralph Nader – Lo, the Poor Enlightened Billionaire!

Among the hundreds of billionaires and megabillionaires in the U.S., there are more than several enlightened persons upset by the problems our society faces who could make serious improvements possible. The next step is breaking down a roadblock of sorts. A prominent, very rich businessman summed it up when he said to me: “Ralph, we all know how to make …

Feds bust four fake cancer charities that defrauded $187 million from Americans by L.J. Devon

A string of cancer charities — the Cancer Fund of America, Cancer Support Services, the Breast Cancer Society and the Children’s Cancer Fund of America — have turned out to be manipulative frauds run by a family of con artists. The money they raised for cancer patients actually went to pay for personal luxuries instead — Disney World trips, jet …

Walmart Accused Of Using Its Charitable Foundation To Build More Walmarts By Chris Morran

There are more than 4,500 Walmart stores in the U.S., but the nation’s largest retailer continues to expand. The company, once associated with rural communities, has recently made pushes into urban markets. And a new complaint to the IRS accuses Walmart of wrongfully using its tax-exempt Walmart Foundation charity to get a foothold in those cities. In a lengthy and …