Consumerism

Seven individuals who were arrested while dressed as zombies then jailed for two days after they participated in a 2006 street protest of “mindless” consumerism have agreed to accept a $165,000 settlement from the city of Minneapolis that includes their attorney’s fees.Police said they were carrying simulated weapons of mass destruction. However, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was apparently persuaded by the white-powdered faces, dark-ringed eyes, fake blood and lurching walk with which members of the group sought to make their point that they should have been treated as street protesters rather than criminals, according to the Star-Tribune.The city never charged any of the protesters with a crime and, although a federal district judge initially dismissed the plaintiffs’ civil rights case, the 8th Circuit resurrected it earlier this year, finding that no probable cause to arrest the seven.City Attorney Susan Segal said Minneapolis police … [Read more...] about Zombies Win $165K Settlement for Arrests Over Consumerism Protest

In response to consumer demands for more personalized health care at a lower cost, employer onsite health clinics and retail clinics will continue to be on the rise in 2016, and telemedicine will be crucial to those clinics offering expanded services at a lesser cost.With employers projecting a 6% rise in health care benefits costs for 2016 and many bracing for the possibility of increased costs from a looming excise tax under the Affordable Care Act, onsite health clinics are part of an extended strategy to cut down on employees’ expensive visits to the ER and other costly providers. Many of these clinics already employ telemedicine, but that number is expected to compound in 2016. A full 74% of respondents to a Business Group on Health survey plan to offer telehealth services to employees — up from 48% the previous year.On the retail side, savvy health care businesses have learned that many consumers are embracing telemedicine as a means for reducing … [Read more...] about Consumerism Drives Employer & Retail Clinics’ Telemedicine Adoption in 2016

The Indian Supreme Court referred the curative petitions to reopen its 2013 decision in Suresh Kumar Kaushal v Naz Foundation to a five-Judge Constitution Bench in February this year. With the current chief justice retiring in January next year, and the next chief justice also having a very limited tenure of seven months, there is considerable uncertainty, and anxiety about when the Constitution Bench would be set up, and whether it could answer the principal plea of the petitioners to recognise their sexual freedom, in the near future.The issue of guaranteeing freedom for India’s sexually marginalised– even if they constitute the “minuscule” minority as the Kaushal Bench chose to call them in order to justify its decision, not to decriminalise Section 377 IPC – seems to have, in the meantime, significantly influenced culture and politics, even while freezing its legal dimension. But this interface between law and cultures of activism has its … [Read more...] about Decriminalising S.377 Will Not End Homophobia & Transphobia: Interview With Oishik Sircar & Dipika Jain

The Supreme Court passed a significant order last weekend responding to a plea by three infants for the ban on the sale of firecrackers in NCR, Delhi. The Court through Chief Justice TS Thakur reiterated: “Keeping the grave air quality in mind, we can intervene to suspend the license”. The petition, citing WHO reports, stated that Delhi has retained the unique distinction of being the most polluted city in the world. Levels of particulate matter are highest and across the country, over 7 lakh deaths occur annually due to air pollution-related diseases and that citizens of India have 30 per cent lower lung capacity than Europeans. The children are worst affected, as their lungs are not fully developed, making their systems more vulnerable.The Air in several places in the country becomes laden with toxic matters generally, and around Diwali, in particular. Another equally chilling investigation titled ‘Death by Breath’, covered by Express Investigation also … [Read more...] about My Right To Existence – The Sordid Saga Of Future Generations Through A Child

Lt. Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung has appointed Right to Information activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal as consultant to the Delhi government.Agrawal, who holds the Guinness World Records for maximum number of published letters to editors, will provide guidance and training on provisions of the RTI Act, 2005 to all PIOs/First Appellate Authorities under the Delhi government during his one-year tenure. Agrawal will also suggest ways and means for better implementation of the RTI Act.He has utilized the RTI Act to reveal crucial information from all wings of governance including Judicial system, having filed about 6000 RTI petitions, all in the public interest, with about 600 of these having reached to the Central Information Commission (CIC). It is a matter of fact that almost all the CIC verdicts have gone in his favour.Agrawal is known for his path-breaking applications which brought the office of the Chief Justice of India under the ambit of the RTI Act.His application, along with … [Read more...] about RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal Appointed as consultant to Delhi government