labor

Cutting Haiti’s Forests

The major environmental problem facing Haiti’s biodiversity is explained, including video of tree-cutting within a national park.

Source: www.youtube.com

Deforestation does not happen in a vacuum–it occurs in an economic, political, and historical context. Having successfully staged a slave revolution against France in 1806, they were ostracized from the global community (since the powers that be did not want to see slave rebellions or colonial uprising elsewhere) and were forced to look within for their own energy resources. The nation’s forests were (and still are) converted into charcoal, leading to long-term environmental problems such as soil erosion, flooding, and habitat destruction for many species. All of this increased increased Haiti’s disaster vulnerability in the earthquake of 2010.

Tags: Haiti, biogeography, environment, ecology, video, poverty, development, economic, labor.

May 30, 2016 0

The Rise of Innovative Districts

“Today, innovation is taking place where people can come together, not in isolated spaces. Innovation districts are this century’s productive geography, they are both competitive places and ‘cool spaces’ and they will transform your city and metropolis.”

As described by the Brookings Institution in their exploration regarding innovation districts, they are geographic areas where leading-edge companies, research institutions, start-ups, and business incubators are located in dense proximity. These districts are created to facilitate new connections and ideas, speed up the commercialization of those ideas, and support urban economies by growing jobs in ways that leverage their distinct economic position.

Tags: density, sustainability, housing, urban, planning, unit 7 cities, labor.

June 21, 2014 0

The No Good, Very Bad Outlook for the Working-Class American Man

The U.S. economy once worked like a finely meshed machine. Not anymore. The U.S. economy is still a powerful engine, but workers aren’t seeing the benefits, less-educated men are struggling, and the rich have disconnected from everyone else.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

The problems with the economy are not universally spread throughout society. Certain segments are impacted more than others by the current struggles, especially when with look at axes of identity, such as class, gender and ethnicity. While planning on a blue-collar job in the 1950s could have been a solid career plan for a young man in the United States, not so in the 21st century.

Tags: labor, gender, class, industry, education.

See on nationaljournal.com

December 16, 2012 0

Labor Day 2012

If you are a fan of the 40 hour work week, 8 hour work day, health benefits, child labor laws and this lovely thing called “the weekend,” you have the labor movement to thank. The Department of Labor has put together a page entitled ‘The History of Labor Day.’ This helps us understand that the benefits that we enjoy today are the legacy of generations of workers who courageously fought for for workers rights.

Tags: Labor, industry, economics, unit 6 industry and video.

See on www.youtube.com

September 2, 2012 0