How Residents of a Rural New Mexico County Fought the Fracking Barons and Won—For Now
In Mora County, New Mexico, corporations seeking fracking contracts came up against “querencia”—a traditional way of thinking about and defending the land.
Democracy
Kentucky Town Beats High Gas Prices—By Opening a Public Gas Station
Gas stations aren’t great for the climate, but the move is a step toward local control over economic decisions—a model that holds great potential for developing renewable energy in the long term.
This Former NASA Intern Just Wrote The Best Sci-Fi Book of the Year: Monica Byrne on “The Girl in the Road”
A future where India is the major world superpower, gender is flexible, and energy comes from waves? This writer’s version of the near future feels much more real than apocalyptic nightmares we’ve come to dread.
The Senate Just Voted to Keep Big Money in Politics. Three Reasons to Celebrate Anyway
The fact that the issue reached the Senate floor is a huge victory for the American people, who overwhelmingly say they want something done about corporate influence in elections.
Migrant Farmworkers Find Paths Out of Poverty Through Incubator Farms
Incubator farms help seasonal workers start their own businesses, where they get better pay and the support of a community.
A Wealthy Capitalist on Why Money Doesn’t Trickle Down
Nick Hanauer, venture capitalist and self-described “plutocrat,” says a healthy economy and an effective democracy depend on a thriving middle class of workers.
Today’s Movement for Racial Justice Has Found Its Graphic Designer (And Her Name Is Sandra Khalifa)
In this Q and A, the talented Khalifa talks about how she became interested in issues of racial justice, her work with the Dream Defenders, and the power of social media.
Video: Inside a Miami McDonald’s on Strike
More than 400 workers and supporters were arrested on Thursday amid a nationwide wave of walkouts and demonstrations.
To Save Family Farms from Corporate Buyout, Retiring Farmers Connect with a New Generation
In the next 20 years, many American family farmers are likely to retire—putting enormous amounts of land on the market. Here's how they're connecting with young farmers to make sure the family farm survives.
Obamacare Closed a Loophole for CEO Pay—And Won Taxpayers $72M
The savings from 2013 alone could pay for dental care for 262,000 Americans for an entire year.
The Antidote to Mansplaining: Rebecca Solnit on Everyday Sexism and What We Can Do About It
Useful as it may be as journalistic shorthand, “mansplaining” is cultural bubblegum in comparison to Solnit’s actual body of work.
For Walkers and Cyclists, A Swedish Road-Planning Strategy Helps Save Lives
Utah, Minnesota, and Washington have seen traffic fatalities decline by 40 percent. Here's how they did it.
6 Ways to Bring More Empathy to the Internet
We asked psychologists, user experience designers, and writers what web users could to do to promote more empathic interaction in online places. Here's what they said.
Let’s End Poverty: We Have the Money, Do We Have the Will?
47 million Americans live beneath the official poverty line, under a daily judgment of failure. The question today is: Whose failure?
Should Your Town Have the Right to Ban Fracking? These Laws Will Have to Change First
Unless the legal foundation for local self-governance is truly built on the rights of communities, victories like the one in New York can easily be overturned.
A Bike that Stamps Your Message on the Street, and 3 Other Open-Source Tools for Activists
StreetToolbox offers new tools for the political communicator—from a remote controlled car that writes messages in colored sand to a kit that turns your bike into a mobile printing press.
Remembering Stephen Gaskin: A Conversation with the Man Behind the Original Off-the-Grid Farm
Gaskin had a talent for thinking through ways to combine simple living with social engagement. He died on July 1, 2014.
To Strike Back at Hobby Lobby, Crafters Re-Knit the Wall Between Church and State
The campaign has collected 700 hand-knitted bricks to dump on the Supreme Court steps to protest its infamous decision.
Worried About Online Surveillance? Use Your Library
Librarianship may be shaped by the broader society, but it is also marked by opposition to a dominant commercial culture.
Gay Marriage Went From Unthinkable to Inevitable. Here’s What It Means for the Change You Want to See
The momentum behind the legalization of gay marriage came from grassroots action, not from court cases.
Protecting the Truth: The Japanese American Legacy Project
Many Japanese Americans were incarcerated in concentration camps during World War II. Densho is preserving their stories and the cultural knowledge that comes with them.
Red and Blue States Agree on Taxing Corporations More (And Lots of Other Stuff)
When you ask Americans specific questions about the policies they support, it turns out we're not so polarized after all.
How Mischief-Makers Built Australia Through Pranks and Protests
In his new book "How to Make Trouble and Influence People," Iain McIntyre offers readers an alternative version of Australian history.
Anti-Homeless Spikes? Heartless. Cementing Over Them? Ingenious.
Londoners have made their feelings clear about a corporate "solution" to the problem of homelessness—and the company listened.
Glenn Greenwald on Government Snooping: Why It’s Dangerous and What We Can Do About It
When it comes to stopping NSA surveillance, it may be more effective to write to Facebook and Google than to government officials.
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