Discussions about atonement for the enslavement of Black Americans have a long history in the United States, and efforts toward reparations for slavery and racial discrimination have moved forward in some places in recent years. In 2021, Evanston, Illinois, became the first U.S. city to create a reparations plan for its Black residents, and California that year set up the nation’s first state-level reparations task force. Earlier this year, Harvard University created a $100 million “Legacy of Slavery” fund to allow scholars and students to examine the university’s connections to slavery. Americans view the prospect of reparations mostly negatively, a 2021 Pew Research…
Author: World News Intel
Having a baby can be an empowering experience when women are treated with kindness and respect. However, some women are left feeling traumatised by how they were treated. When women receive disrespectful and abusive care from health providers during pregnancy, labour and birth, or after the baby is born, it’s called obstetric violence. This includes verbal, physical and emotional abuse, threats or coercion by health providers. Our study, published today in journal Violence Against Women, is the first to look at Australian women’s experiences of obstetric violence. Of the 8,804 women we surveyed, more than one in ten (11.6%) indicated…
The current justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States) As the Supreme Court prepares to consider whether a Christian web designer can refuse to make websites for same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs, a September Pew Research Center survey shows a jump in the share of U.S. adults who see the Supreme Court as “friendly” toward religion. About a third of Americans (35%) now see the high court as friendly toward religion – nearly double the share who said this in a Center survey conducted in March and April…
American designer Kelly Wearstler has unveiled her Nudo furniture collection in an installation at stone company Arca’s showroom during Miami art week. The collection features 16 pieces of furniture, including chairs and tables, and six accessory pieces such as platters and bowls to complement the furniture. Kelly Wearstler released a line of furniture with Arca at Miami Art WeekWearstler designed the pieces using marble supplied by the Miami-based stone company Arca. “With these designs, I was deeply interested in exploring the possibility of creating a real softness through curvaceous shapes within the fortitude of marble,” said Wearstler. “A nuanced and…
Last week, the chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt released the autumn statement, which he says will deliver a plan to tackle the cost of living crisis and rebuild the economy. The budget, which has been nicknamed ‘the memorial service for Trussonomics’, comes amid findings from the UK’s economic forecaster that household incomes will dive by 7% and unemployment will rise by more than 500,000 across the country. Hunt says the statement of November 17 prioritises stability, growth and public services, and is providing “fair solutions” despite taking “difficult decisions”. High borrowing, high debt, high tax In terms of cash,…
Four years ago, New Zealand’s trust company Perpetual Guardian introduces 4-day week to work less for the same pay. The attempt was so successful and the worldwide response so enormous that director Andrew Barnes and a colleague founded an international lobby organization for the 4-day week: 4 Day Week Global. In an interview with Kontrast, founder Andrew Barnes says the 4-day work week is an opportunity to change the world. The “4 Day Week Global” works with leading universities, such as Boston College, the University of Queensland or the University of Sydney, among others, and have already reached 5.5 billion…
Today’s young adults have been on the job with their current employer about as long as young adults over the past four decades, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the U.S. government’s most recent job tenure data. Among 18- to 34-year-old workers in the United States, 44% reported in January 2022 that they had been with their current employer three years or more. The share of young employees who have been with their employer three years or more has remained relatively steady over time. But it is down somewhat from the share during the aftermath of the Great…
If the debate about Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter tells us anything, it’s that people – including those in governments – don’t understand how the World Wide Web works. We know that the algorithms Twitter uses to recommend content can guide people to develop more extreme views, but what is considered extreme has changed since Musk’s takeover. Many things he considers free speech would previously have been thought to be derogatory, misogynistic, violent or harmful in many other ways. Many countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand as the co-initiator of the Christchurch Call, are looking to Twitter and other platform providers…
Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises that the right to work is a fundamental right, but under UK law people seeking asylum are not allowed to work. With growing public support, the charity Refugee Action asked the Treasury an important question: would it accept £300m a year in exchange for lifting the ban? That’s how much the treasury could profit from allowing people seeking asylum the right to work. To coincide with Jeremy Hunt’s announcement of the autumn statement, campaigners from Refugee Action presented the treasury with a cheque of £300m for the next year. The sum…
On Black Friday, in over 40 countries, Amazon employees protested to draw attention to the poor working conditions in the distribution centers. With the “Make Amazon Pay” initiative, the workforce is demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Although the company is making record profits, many of its employees can barely live on their salaries. For many, “Black Friday” is simply a day on which to look for a bargain or two. For the Amazon workforce, it is a day of worldwide strikes and protests to draw attention to the miserable working conditions in the distribution centers. In the past,…