The Infectious Myth – David Smith on Genital Autonomy – 07.19.17

In Episode 148, David Crowe speaks with David Smith of the UK charities Genital Autonomy and 15 Square. The conversation covers male genital mutilation (circumcision), female genital mutilation (FGM) and transgender changes of minors. They cover the reasons why circumcision still exists and why it is so much less common in the UK than in the US. They discuss the …

Zenobia Jeffries – It Was a Blighted City Block. But This Woman Is Turning It Into a Solar-Powered Ecovillage

Shamayim Harris ran three times for city council in her hometown of Highland Park, Michigan. Each time the voters rejected her. “They didn’t want me,” she says, with a smile. But that didn’t stop her from fulfilling her plans to give Highland Park residents new opportunities, starting with her own block on Avalon Street. The city of Highland Park is …

New Rate Survey of 500 U.S. Water Systems Finds Private Water Providers Charge 58% More

In the largest U.S. water rate survey of its kind, Food & Water Watch today released a comprehensive review of the 500 largest U.S. community water systems that found that large, for-profit privately owned systems charge 58 percent morethan large publicly owned systems. An overwhelming majority of U.S. water customers—87 percent—receive their water from a publicly owned, not-for-profit service provider. The …

This Is What Happens To Humans When They Are Exposed To Too Much Lead

In his State of the State address Tuesday night, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized for his handling of the Flint water crisis, which has left tens of thousands of residents without drinkable water. “To you, the people of Flint, I say tonight as I have before, I’m sorry and I will fix it,” Snyder said near the beginning of his …