According to a new study, the methods used to suck up atmospheric air while filtering out carbon dioxide (CO2) are something that can be improved by adding copper to the filter material. When this is done, it potentially opens up the technology to many other uses that could produce a huge difference in the fight against global warming and climate change.

Bu adding copper, it also converts the CO2 that was captured into a harmless baking soda that can be stored in the oceans or otherwise turned into a saleable product.

Some scientists suggest that carbon capture is the only way to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C over this century if humanity begins to extract some of the CO2 that it’s been adding to that atmosphere through carbon capturing methods.

These machines come in two forms. The first of the two machines uses large fans to extract air from the environment, filter out CO2, and then store it underground to produce other chemical products. The second one does the work directly at the exhaust point of industrial facilities, natural gas wells, or power plants.

The old method deals with CO2 at very few parts per million, while the new method does as well, but at much higher concentrations. However, the placement in limited to industrial facilities.

The new study, published in Science Advances, reveals that adding copper to the ammine-based filter devices on the large ambient carbon-capture machine increases their efficiency while reducing costs.

Lead author and professor, Arup Sengupta, from Lehigh University in the United States, shares, “To my knowledge, there is no absorbing material which even at 100,000 ppm, shows the capacity we get it in direct air capture of 400 ppm.”

In addition to improving the filter’s performance, adding copper also presents a new opportunity for where the captured CO2 can be stored – in the ocean. The ocean is one of the largest carbon repositories on Earth, but excess CO2 causes acidification.

Fortunately, the copper in the amine filter causes a chemical reaction in seawater, which is to convert the captured CO2 into non-acidic baking soda or sodium bicarbonate. This breakthrough enables carbon capture facilities to be located in places with significant underground storage and drilling infrastructure, as well as along coastlines, making carbon capture more accessible.

Professor Catherine Peters from Princeton University, who was not part of the study, told BBC, “I am happy to see this paper in the published literature, it is very exciting, and it stands a good chance of transforming the CO2 capture efforts.”

Sengupta’s new method turns the captured CO2 into baking soda for depositing into the oceans, although other methods actually involve baking soda itself.

Just last July, there was another report that shared how Tata Chemicals Europe opened its first industrial-scale carbon capture and usage plant in the UK. The plant is capable of capturing 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is approximately equivalent to removing more than 20,000 cars from the roads.

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Bulldozers are high-powered, versatile machines used in construction, forestry operations, and mining. These machines are fashioned to move large amounts of earth and debris, making them perfect for various applications. The most common use of bulldozers is during road, residential or commercial construction, where a lot of digging into the earth is involved. 

If you’re new to construction, it’s wise to understand bulldozer types, know when to use them, their benefits, and the factors to consider before doing so. Although the topic might sound complex, stick around for more insights.

Bulldozers Types

Bulldozers come in different types, sizes, features, and capabilities. More information about them will help you choose the suitable machine for any project and complete the job perfectly. Here are the different bulldozer types, uses, and detailed descriptions. 

Crawler Bulldozers

Crawler bulldozers are the most common in construction and are mainly used in mining and construction sites. They’re designed differently with metallic tracks instead of wheels, allowing them to navigate rugged terrain easily. These bulldozers are perfect for heavy-duty projects like grading and excavation. Moreover, they’re also commonly used in forestry operations when clearing land for new vegetation. 

Wheel Bulldozers

They are similar to crawler bulldozers, but wheel bulldozers are equipped with wheels instead of tracks. Wheel bulldozers are mainly used in agricultural and forestry applications and sometimes in construction projects where the terrain isn’t so rugged. These bulldozer types are also used to remove snow and road maintenance in municipal applications.

Mini Bulldozers

Mini bulldozers are smaller than standard bulldozers and are primarily used in landscaping and smaller construction projects. They are firm and easy to move, making them ideal to work in tight spaces. Mini bulldozers are also popularly used in residential constructions like driveway constructions and small retaining walls.

Swamp Bulldozers

Swamp bulldozers are fashioned for wetland environments and equipped with broad tracks. The tracks aid them in navigating through the soft and muddy terrain. They are mainly used in forestry projects to clear land for new vegetation and construct access roads in swampy areas.

Angle Dozers

Angle dozers have curved blades that push material to the side and straight ahead. Their design makes them ideal for projects where material needs to be moved to the side, like road construction projects. They’re also used in forestry operations like clearing land for new growth.

Hybrid Bulldozers

These are new bulldozer types that have a combination of a powerful diesel engine that is as efficient as an electric motor. They’re more fuel-efficient than the typical bulldozers and emit less carbon. Hybrid bulldozers are increasingly preferred for many construction projects and mining operations.

When Do You Need A Bulldozer?

Bulldozers are robust, flexible machines that can work in challenging areas. These are some of the everyday situations that might need a bulldozer:

• Land Clearing – You can use bulldozers to clear land before construction or for agricultural purposes. They remove obstacles like trees or stumps on land fast and efficiently, paving the way for new activity. 
• Road Construction – During road construction, a lot of digging is necessary, making bulldozers the ideal machine. They level the ground and are commonly used in road construction projects to level the ground, build roadbeds, and create barriers.
• Mining – Bulldozers move large amounts of earth and debris in mining operations. They are also used to construct access roads and other infrastructure.
• Landscaping – Engineers use bulldozers to grade land for landscaping projects like installing a new lawn or garden.

How To Choose The Right Bulldozer For Your Project

The project you’re working on matters most when choosing a bulldozer. With so many options available, it may be an uphill task to get the suitable machine for the job. However, we have included some factors to consider when selecting a bulldozer.

• Size – The project you want to work on will determine the size of the bulldozer you need. Larger projects will require more extensive, powerful bulldozers.
• Power – The power of a bulldozer is crucial because more powerful machines are required for heavy-duty applications.
• Blade Type – The blade type on a bulldozer depends on the type of project. For instance, straight blades work well for general purposes, while angle blades are ideal for pushing material sideways.
• Track Type – Whether you choose to track or wheels mainly depends on the terrain of a project. Wide tracks are ideal for soft and muddy terrain, while narrow tracks work well on hard or rocky terrain.

Advantages Of Using A Bulldozer

Bulldozers are perfect for working on rugged grounds and large projects before construction and are beneficial in many ways. Here are the significant benefits: 

• Efficiency – Bulldozers are efficient machines that move large amounts of material efficiently, making work more accessible. 
• Versatility – Bulldozers are used differently, making them versatile machines for different jobs.
• Power – Bulldozers are potent machines that handle heavy-duty projects.
• Precision – Bulldozers are designed with blades for grading and levelling.
• Increased Productivity – Bulldozers work on extensive grounds. Hence, they get the job done quickly and efficiently. They can excavate significant ground and debris quickly, lowering labor costs. 

The Downside Of Using Bulldozers

Bulldozers are heavy-duty machines used in constructing roads, forestry clearing, earthmoving, and demolishing unwanted buildings. While bulldozers are handy in heavy-duty projects, they also have some downsides, and they include: 

• Limited Maneuverability – Bulldozers are big machines designed to push and pull heavy loads. However, they’re limited in maneuverability, making it difficult to operate them in tight or confined spaces. 
• Environmental Impact – Bulldozers can negatively impact the environment through erosion, air pollution, and habitat destruction, mainly when used to clear land and construction. 
• Noise Pollution – Bulldozers are noisy, making them a problem when working in a residential area. The loud noise can cause hearing impairment, disrupt sleep, and decrease productivity.
• Cost – Bulldozers are expensive to purchase, maintain, or hire. Repairing, replacement of parts, and maintenance can amount to significant expenses over time. 
• Safety Risks – Bulldozers can be hazardous when poorly operated. Since they’re heavy machines, they can cause serious injuries or even fatalities if they tip over or collide with other equipment.

Conclusion

Generally, bulldozer types are variant, useful machines for large construction projects like roads and demolishing older or unwanted buildings. Bulldozers are powerful machines that can be used in individual or commercial projects due to their efficiency, flexibility, and high productivity. As powerful machines, they can work extensive grounds quickly, making them convenient and affordable for working on large projects.

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Some were born blessed, others had to work hard for it, while many also found themselves in difficult situations for the entire lives. The people with money to spare are able to help those in need, and we need to commend the charitable folks who have gone out of their way to do just that.

MacKenzie Scott decided to do just that – to be that philanthropic individual who helps society’s backbone just to make their lives better. Many have expressed great gratitude for what she’s been doing and we can only hope that she’ll be the beacon who others may follow.

MacKenzie Scott was married to Jeff Bezos. While the marriage fell through, she opted to continue living her life and giving back to society. In fact, she donated $15 million just so she is able to provide hundreds of thousands of farmers with eyeglasses that they need.

Many claim that this may be the largest private donation that goes towards assisting uncorrected blurry vision. The money given will greatly benefit low-income tea, coffee, cocoa and artisan workers from third-world countries such as India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

There are more known charities out there, and many billionaires have pledged billions of dollars to save the world and to help with climate change. With this one, however, a pair of eyeglasses will be a big help that’s both personal and quick.

The money was given to VisionSpring, a non-profit organization that aims to provide better vision to those less than $4 per day. The farmers that the glasses were given to produce around $1 billion each year and are there extremely valuable for the economy. They have been very productive and could be more with the help given.

“The gift from Ms. Scott is an incredible acknowledgment of the power of a simple pair of eyeglasses to unlock earning, learning, safety and wellbeing for people vulnerable to poverty,” VisionSpring’s chief executive Ella Gudwin said.

“And, with this powerful endorsement of our work, we are embarking on a multi-year journey to put Livelihoods in Focus, addressing the massive vision care gap among agricultural and artisan workers in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.”

Scott, on the other hand, was married to Bezos in 1993. This was a year before he started Amazon while working in his garage in Seattle. She said, “There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others – time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor [and] compassion.” She also added, “In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”

VisionSpring said that the benefits that come with wearing the right pair of eyeglasses are immediate. This can reduce anxiety and depression. This will also be able to enrich their lives because they are able to see the faces and expressions of their loved ones and other people more clearly.

Better vision also comes with long-term benefits. This will also be able to increase productivity and income. It is especially helpful when it comes to doing tasks that require fiddling such as hand-pollinating a cocoa tree or from reading, particularly to farmers who want to enhance and increase knowledge by reading books or going to school.

The donation from Scott was made through Giving Pledge, which is an organization that was set up to push through with the several commitments from America’s richest to give away half their wealth and donate the money to charity and to outreach institutions.

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Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker, 38 and 35 years-old, used to lived a life not so different from many of us. Jonathan, web designer by profession, remembers how their lives seemed to just revolve around making mortgage payments on their 4-bedroom home.

Tired and “bored of suburbia,” the couple, who used to live in Knoxville, Tennessee, had an idea of setting out on a wild adventure: to travel around the U.S. with their four children. Since Jonathan’s business allowed him the freedom to work from home or on the road, and their children were already being homeschooled by Ashley, the couple’s outlandish plan might not be impossible after all. In April 2015, Jonathan and Ashley sold their home, paid off the remainder of their mortgage and used what was left to set out on their dream adventure.

The couple first bought an RV and used that to travel to Maine the following month of May, 2015. The spent a few months there and then travelled south to Florida for the winter. They decided to let go of the RV in exchange for a 1972 Airstream trailer home which they fixed-up. Six months and $30,000 later, the family was back on the road and has been travelling ever since.

The trailer’s features were far from what their large house had back in Tennessee. Inside it is a small table that transforms into a queen-sized bed which the couple uses. The kids, Adali, Jett, Jax, and Ada, each get bunk beds that turn into couches when not in use. There is no washer dryer in the trailer, a perk that Ashley misses but for her, the price for giving that up in exchange for the positive experiences that their children get to enjoy now, was more than worth it.

The family has already traveled 100,000 miles, visiting 30 states after making that brave decision to let go of the normal life. They more or less spend an average of 20 days in each destination, enough time to soak up what that new “address” has to offer.

Their daily routine is no different from what normal families have, with work and schoolwork taking up their mornings. Expense-wise, food and fuel are the biggest they spend on but for the Longnecker family, it is but a small price to pay for being able to live their dream: To spend beautiful afternoons hiking and tent-camping under the star-filled skies, together.

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Most strategies to combat and reverse climate change are obvious and constantly repeated. Constant reminders to “reduce, reuse, recycle, renewable energy, electric cars,” are just some examples. But one very important strategy is largely unknown, overlooked or pushed aside: Put girls in school in order to support and protect their education.               

A new study by Christina Kwauk and Amanda Braga from the Brookings Institute is titled “Three platforms for girls’ education in climate strategies.” The research underlines an important, sad reality: the most vulnerable populations are the most severely impacted by global warming. Data recorded from 1850-2011 said developing countries were only responsible for 21% of carbon emissions, but in 2015 these countries paid 78% of the social cost of climate change— due to weaker infrastructure, exposure to natural disasters and less reserve capital.

According to the research, “For every additional year of schooling a girl receives on average, her country’s resilience to climate disasters can be expected to improve by 3.2 points.” The research refers to critical points such as fertility, population growth, reproductive rights and leadership training.

Schooling for girls in developing nations is often de-prioritized in government, social and family realms. Girls are more likely than boys to be kept out of school to help work and earn money, r do domestic chores such as caring for younger siblings. They are also more likely to drop out of school early due to marriage or pregnancy.

According to the Brookings Institution blog post: “Studies show that female leaders are incredibly effective in conservation and protection efforts, and are more likely to pursue more sustainable futures for their communities.” 

Embracing female leadership, promoting equal rights and giving girls the skills to be independent are critical factors in mitigating climate change.

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By: Jack Burns/The Free Thought Project Colorado, like most states, forces convicted criminals to pay court costs, fees, and restitution after they’ve been found guilty. But the question arises, “What happens when someone who’s been found guilty, has paid their dues and then has their convictions overturned on appeal? Do they get their money back?” Not in many states, like Colorado. But all of that has changed after a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

The state not stealing money from innocent people sounds like common sense, right? Well, unfortunately, in the land of the free, it was necessary for SCOTUS to step in and tell the greedy state that they do not have a right to steal people’s money.

According to Forbes, “defendants, Shannon Nelson and Louis Madden, were convicted of sexual offenses and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in court costs, fees and restitution. Between her conviction and later acquittal, the state withheld $702 from Nelson’s inmate account, while Madden paid Colorado $1,977 after his conviction. When their convictions were overturned, Nelson and Madden demanded their money back.”

Colorado refused, even after the plaintiffs won in a state-level appellate court. The state, instead, insisted that if they wanted their money back, they’d have to file a claim under the Exoneration Act, forcing the defendants to once again prove their innocence to retrieve their funds. The plaintiffs appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, who sided with the citizens in a 7-1 ruling, declaring Colorado’s law unconstitutional.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion for the court declaring “the Exoneration Act’s scheme does not comport with the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.”

Ginsburg wrote that Nelson and Madden are “entitled to be presumed innocent” and “should not be saddled with any proof burden” to reclaim what is already theirs. In other words, they shouldn’t have to demonstrate they’re not criminals after the court has already made such a determination. According to Forbes:

Ginsburg forcefully rejected Colorado’s argument that “[t]he presumption of innocence applies only at criminal trials,” and not to civil claims, as under the Exoneration Act:  “Colorado may not presume a person, adjudged guilty of no crime, nonetheless guilty enough for monetary exactions.”

The decision, on its surface, may not seem like much but holds promise for putting an end to the much-criticized practice of local law enforcement agencies around the country who engage in civil asset forfeiture.

The Free Thought Project has worked diligently to highlight such fiscally abusive practices taking place all around the country. Take for instance rapper Blac Youngsta’s recent run-in with the law back in January.

He was detained by Atlanta police withdrawing $200,000 cash from his bank account. He’d planned to take the money and buy his favorite sports car but police were notified and Youngsta was detained as being a possible bank robbery suspect.

Youngsta and his entourage were apprehended while police pointed their weapons at them. The so-called authorities then put everyone in handcuffs, confiscated their personal weapons, and took half of the rapper’s $200,000 withdrawal saying he could get it back after it was processed as evidence at police headquarters.

In essence, the police seized his money and forced the rapper to reclaim his own funds after proving he was entitled to it. They robbed him. The police shakedown made international news and smacked in the face of common sense, as many were left scratching their heads and asking how police could get away with doing what common street thugs often do, take other people’s money.

Matt Agorist with TFTP reported, from 1998 to 2010, more than 12-billion dollars was raked in from law enforcement at all levels of government. This translated into the government taking away 600 million more dollars than all the robberies and thefts during that same period, making authorities seem more crooked than the individuals they’re trying to arrest.

And the practice isn’t limited to local law enforcement either. As we previously reported, the “DEA seized more than $4-billion in cash from people since 2007, but $3.2-billion of the seizures were never connected to any criminal charges. That figure does not even include the seizure of cars and electronics.”

The Inspector General of the Justice Department concluded their practices constituted a threat to everyone’s civil liberties, and now, apparently, the SCOTUS agrees. Everyone is entitled to due process under the law and are likewise entitled to keeping their assets once they’re found not guilty in criminal court. It’s a good day to be an American. Maybe now law enforcement at all levels will stop such controversial practices.

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By: Isaac Davis/Waking Times A recent report by Oxfam International highlights the dramatic rise in income equality by noting that the combined wealth of the world’s top 8 individual billionaires is more than the lower half of the world’s population, some 3.6 billion people. The intention of the report was to bring awareness to the unfairness and injustice inherent in our global economic system.

“It calls for a fundamental change in the way we manage our economies so that they work for all people, and not just a fortunate few.” [Oxfam]

Listed below are the 8 billionaires along with their estimated wealth, which combined equals $426.2 billion.

• Bill Gates – $75B
• Amancio Ortega – $67B
• Warren Buffett – $60.8B
• Carlos Slim Helu – $50B
• Jeff Bezos – $45.2B
• Mark Zuckerberg – $44.6B
• Larry Ellison – $43.6B
• Michael Bllomberg – $40B

Oxfam’s assertion is that world economies are mismanaged in favor of the wealthy, which is largely true, however, the report failed to hit the mark on this serious issue by not acknowledging the greatest problem with the world’s economy, which is the global central banking model of privately owned debt-based fiat currencies.

The current banking model is the product of hundreds of years of planned development, structuring, manipulation, force and trickery which began in earnest with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who first established banking and finance houses in Germany in the 18th century.

The careful cultivation of his wealth with the assistance of his five sons allowed Rothschild to profit immensely during the French Revolution by providing financing and war materials to Austria, which in turn allowed the budding family empire to evolve into a multi-national organization, henceforth becoming a major financier of industry and war.

“Around that time, Rothschild sent his five sons to live in the capital cities of various European countries. His goal was to have each of his children establish a banking business in Frankfurt, Naples, Vienna, Paris, and London, and throughout the 1800s, they did. With Mayer Rothschild’s children spread across Europe, the Rothschilds became the first bank to transcend borders. Lending to governments to finance war operations for the past several centuries provided ample opportunity to accumulate bonds and shore up additional wealth in a range of different industries.” [Source]

Fast forward to 2016, the Rothschild family is a dynasty of unimaginable wealth which manages to somehow conceal it for the most part, never quite being publicly credited as the richest and most influential family in the world. By dividing their capital and holdings up amongst the many members of the family, including numerous descendants and heirs, occasionally a single member of the family will appear on a list of the world’s top individuals, however, the family as a whole represents the largest fortune ever known.

“Traditionally, the Rothschild fortune is invested in closely held corporations. Most family members are employed by these corporations directly or invested in operations that generate family wealth. The remarkable success of the family has largely been due to a strong interest in cooperation, being entrepreneurs and the practice of shrewd business principles.” [Source]

Investopedia estimates the family’s total wealth at over $2 trillion in assets and holdings, including some of the world’s oldest living corporations:

“…their holdings span a number of diverse industries, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy and even charitable work.There are a few Rothschild-owned financial institutions still operating in Europe, including N M Rothschild & Sons Ltd in the United Kingdom, and Edmond de Rothschild Group in Switzerland. The family also owns more than a dozen wineries in North America, Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.” [Source]

At $2 trillion plus, the family’s reported wealth is closing in on five times as much as the combined wealth of the world’s top 8 individual billionaires, meaning that the Rothschild family alone controls more wealth than perhaps three-fourths or more of the world’s total population.

What are your thoughts? Please share, like, and comment on this article!

This article (Rothschild Family Wealth Is Five Times That Of World’s Top Billionaires Combined) by Isaac Davis is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and Waking Times

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Antibiotic resistance happens when a bacteria evolves to a point that it becomes fully resistant to modern medicine, completely disregarding the presence of an antibiotic and just continues to multiply anyway.

And in case you’re wondering, that is exactly what we are dealing with right now, with our antibiotics losing its ability to control and kill bacterial growth.

So, if our antibiotics are no longer working as good as they are supposed to, pharmaceutical companies should now be investing their time and resources trying to develop new medicine right? Unfortunately for the rest of us, that is just not the case. It turns out that research and development of new medicine simply don’t pay as much because they don’t want to have antibiotics that will just sit on a shelf waiting for a major health crisis to happen.

According to Ghada Zoubiane, program manager for infection at the Medical Research Council in the UK, says that –

”it has to be a big concern. It’s a silent problem that hasn’t hit us in the face yet.”

In order for us to combat this, one economist, Jim O’Neill, says that if pharmaceutical companies won’t do anything about it, they must be forced to pay for the research and development of those entities who are willing to do the work. By forcing drug companies to ”pay or play” people will benefit either way.

”We think there is a credible case for the pharmaceutical industry itself to pay, given how important antibiotics are for 7 billion people around the world,” Jim O’Neill said.

What do you think of this problem that we are facing? Do you believe that pharmaceutical companies should do more than what they are doing right now? Let us know in the comments below and share this news.

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You wouldn’t want to be French President François Hollande right now. Aside from the fact that he is regarded as the least popular president that France had – ever since the French started to tabulate stuff into little polls to find out what works and what doesn’t, he has the unenviable task of trying to piece together what’s left of a nation in chaos and civil unrest, something that prompted France to be in a state of emergency as a result.

In case you don’t know, France is being plagued with protests left and right, all of these stemming from Hollande’s Socialist government and its efforts to fix their country’s unemployment rate – which right now stands at 10 percent. In hopes of alleviating this problem, the French government has been trying to make changes to the labor law, but instead of being embraced by the French people, labor strikes and public outcry ensued.

France has been in so much chaos lately that aviation and the public transport system has been paralyzed – thanks to strikes at oil refineries and nuclear power plants that led to shortages of fuel and electricity. Violent riots and street protests have filled the streets as well, plunging France down into something that is really not tourist-friendly, all thanks to President Hollande and his government’s shenanigans.

You see, it turns out that instead of making jobs more accessible to citizens, what the French government did was make it easier for companies to fire people. In fact, some even say the new set of proposed changes don’t even protect workers at all and instead, the planned reforms make them more vulnerable to the whims of their respective employers.

Some of the changes to France’s labor law include an increase to the maximum number of hours an employee can work into 12 hours – a couple hours more from where they are right now at 10; and the added flexibility for companies to lay off their workers with new grounds for dismissals that include economic reasons and the safeguarding of a company’s competitiveness. The French government believes that the current labor laws are too rigid for both employers and their employees, and the proposed changes should fix that – even though some say that it will only erode job security.

Be that as it may, the French President believes that this is the answer to France’s problems with unemployment and he’s sticking by his proposed reforms, no matter what the rest of his people think of him.

”I will not give way, because too many (previous) governments have backed down,” French President François Hollande said in an interview.

”I prefer that people have an image of a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing.”

What do you think of France’s new labor laws? Let us know in the comments below and share this news.

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Originating back in 2009 to ”fix” Amsterdam’s problems with waste disposal, the appropriately dubbed ”Repair Cafe” in the capital city of the Netherlands remains to be one of the prime examples on how to successfully promote local-level sustainability in the urban landscape.

Launched by Dutch journalist Martine Postma, what was once an outlet for the city to help people reduce waste has now become a community of people who volunteer for not only their love for fixing things but also their desire to help their neighbors.

Postma believes that there are still so much that we can get out of the things that we would normally throw away, and the Repair Cafe aims to establish just that, with the help of her group of volunteers.

”In Europe, we throw out so many things,” Martine Postma, who worked as a journalist before she thought of the concept, said in an interview.

”It’s a shame, because the things we throw away are usually not that broken. There are more and more people in the world, and we can’t keep handling things the way we do.”

”I had the feeling I wanted to do something, not just write about it,’‘ she added. 

”Sustainability discussions are often about ideals, about what could be. After a certain number of workshops on how to grow your own mushrooms, people get tired. This is very hands on, very concrete. It’s about doing something together, in the here and now.”

This simple brainchild of hers has now become a movement, spawning the Repair Cafe Foundation wherein she was able to expand to roughly 1,003 centers around the globe – including key locations in Belgium, Britain, and Germany that allow local residents to bring in broken items and get them fixed for free.

Would you volunteer if a Repair Cafe spawns in your neighborhood? Let us know in the comments below and share this news.

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