Elon Musk to Purchase Twitter for $44 Billion
Twitter announced Monday that it had reached a roughly $44 billion deal with Elon Musk who is purchasing the company with plans to take it private, according to Reuters. Twitter’s board voted unanimously in favor of the agreement after conducting what board chair Bret Taylor described as “a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon’s …
Stop Swapping Forests for Solar Farms
More and more solar arrays are cropping up around the world, as countries move to replace oil and gas with sustainable energy sources. While the shift toward carbon-neutral power production has never been more crucial, few seem to recognize the counterproductive impact of building solar farms on previously forested land. Take Rhode Island, for example, …
The Hypocrisy of Cannabis Capitalism
A growing portion of the country is embracing marijuana legalization, thus fueling the legal industry’s growth. As of April 2022, nearly three-quarters of all U.S. states have legalized medical cannabis, and over one-third have sanctioned its recreational use by adults. However, due to marijuana’s historic criminalization, millions of people of color remain incarcerated for low-level …
Elizabeth Warren Blasts Intuit for Hindering Free Tax Filings
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is insisting that financial software platform Intuit provide answers about its ubiquitous TurboTax e-filing system. Warren penned a letter to Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi regarding the company’s use of “extensive lobbying and adroit influence peddling” to impede people from e-filing their taxes for free. “The Free File program has been a …
Over 100 Scientists Arrested in Global Climate Protests
More than 1,000 scientists in 25 different countries carried out acts of civil disobedience this month as part of protests organized by the international climate movement Scientist Rebellion. Over 100 participants, many donning lab coats, were arrested in demonstrations around the world. Organizers and supporters signed an open letter emphasizing the “grossly inadequate” efforts to …
Netflix Rolls Out “Double Thumbs Up” Rankings
Netflix debuted its new Double Thumbs Up ranking system this week, giving users more nuanced control over how they rate entertainment on the platform. Viewers can now differentiate between content they “like” versus “love,” according to TechCrunch. “Providing an additional way to tell us when you’re really into something means a profile with recommendations that …
Etsy Sellers Strike Over Increased Transaction Fees
Many Etsy merchants are closing their virtual shops this week in protest of the platform’s transaction fees, which rose from 5 percent to 6.5 percent on Monday. CEO Josh Silverman announced the change in February, claiming the 30 percent fee hike would be necessary to enhance marketing efforts and improve other tools available to sellers, …
Ed Sheeran Wins ‘Shape of You’ Copyright Lawsuit
A London High Court judge ruled on Wednesday that British musician Ed Sheeran did not plagiarize grime artist Sami Chokri’s song “Oh Why” in writing his 2017 hit “Shape of You,” according to BBC News. Chokri, who performs under the pseudonym Sami Switch, insisted that the “Oh I” hook in Sheeran’s song was “strikingly similar” …
Staten Island Amazon Workers Vote to Unionize
Workers at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse are celebrating a historic unionization triumph this month. On Friday, JFK8 staff cast 2,654 votes in favor of the union to 2,131 against it. The 8,000-employee facility is an anomaly considering that there is not a single other unionized fulfillment center among the company’s 110 sites nationwide, according …
First Microplastics Found in Human Blood
Plastic is no longer merely inundating landfills or washing up on coastlines, but has now found its way into the human bloodstream. In a recent study conducted at the University of Amsterdam, researchers found microplastics in the blood samples of 17 out of 22 donors, or around 77 percent of participants. “Our study is the …