Leonardo Di Caprio: ‘Greta Thunberg a leader of our time’ – BBC News

The actor shared a picture of himself with the climate change activist on Instagram.

He wrote he hoped “Greta’s message is a wake-up call to world leaders everywhere” and that the “time for inaction is over.”

He also praised the teenager for her work and said because of her he is “optimistic about what the future holds”.

he image has had almost 4 million likes since it was posted 22 hours ago.

Greta Thunberg has helped start an international youth movement against climate change.

The Swedish teenager first staged a “School Strike for Climate” in front of the Swedish Parliament in August last year.

Her strike has inspired students from around the world, leading tens of thousands of students from Germany, Japan, the UK, Australia and many more to join her #FridaysforFuture demonstrations.

Leo wrote: “There are few times in human history where voices are amplified at such pivotal moments and in such transformational ways but @GretaThunberg has become a leader of our time.

“History will judge us for what we do today to help guarantee that future generations can enjoy the same liveable planet that we have so clearly taken for granted.”

…(read more).

Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education (The William G. Bowen Series): Derek Bok

Is everything in a university for sale if the price is right? In this book, one of America’s leading educators cautions that the answer is all too often “yes.” Taking the first comprehensive look at the growing commercialization of our academic institutions, Derek Bok probes the efforts on campus to profit financially not only from athletics but increasingly, from education and research as well. He shows how such ventures are undermining core academic values and what universities can do to limit the damage.

Commercialization has many causes, but it could never have grown to its present state had it not been for the recent, rapid growth of money-making opportunities in a more technologically complex, knowledge-based economy. A brave new world has now emerged in which university presidents, enterprising professors, and even administrative staff can all find seductive opportunities to turn specialized knowledge into profit.

Bok argues that universities, faced with these temptations, are jeopardizing their fundamental mission in their eagerness to make money by agreeing to more and more compromises with basic academic values. He discusses the dangers posed by increased secrecy in corporate-funded research, for-profit Internet companies funded by venture capitalists, industry-subsidized educational programs for physicians, conflicts of interest in research on human subjects, and other questionable activities.

While entrepreneurial universities may occasionally succeed in the short term, reasons Bok, only those institutions that vigorously uphold academic values, even at the cost of a few lucrative ventures, will win public trust and retain the respect of faculty and students. Candid, evenhanded, and eminently readable, Universities in the Marketplace will be widely debated by all those concerned with the future of higher education in America and beyond.

Beyond the Ivory Tower: Social Responsibilities of the Modern University: Derek Bok

Derek Bok examines the complex ethical and social issues facing modern universities today, and suggests approaches that will allow the academic institution both to serve society and to continue its primary mission of teaching and research.

What Would Happen If We Had Free Energy? Vandana Shiva

Shadowlight Films

Nov 3, 2019

From the upcoming documentary, The Great Energy Descent. Subscribe to our website or channel to stay informed of the film’s release. http://www.unitednaturesmedia.com What Would Happen If We Had Free Energy? Vandana Shiva

Government Has Spent €5 Billion Trying To Stop Venice Flooding | Massive Enginee ring Mistakes

Discovery UK

Jul 13, 2019

Since the 1980’s, the Italian government has been trying to engineer a movable barrier intended to stop tidal surges from engulfing Venice in water. After endless setbacks and mistakes, the project has still not been completed.

ON CONTACT: In conflict with the natural world with Amitav Ghosh

RT America

Nov 23, 2019

Chris Hedges talks to author Amitav Ghosh about the natural world and sacred forces that sustain life and the conflict when treated by the human species as an inert commodity to exploit. In his novel Gun Island, Ghosh explores how these ecosystems have turned with a vengeance on the hubris and collective lunacy of modern industrialized society.

Impeachment inquiry is ‘only just beginning’ after testimony

PBS NewsHour

Nov 23, 2019

As Congress takes a Thanksgiving break, Democratic and Republican staff members are drafting reports on the impeachment inquiry that will determine the next phases of the process. Jami Floyd, a host and legal editor at WNYC New York Public Radio, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

Harvard and Yale students disrupt football game for fossil fuel protest | US news | The Guardian

Emily Holden in Washington

Sat 23 Nov 2019 16.16 EST

Students began campaigning in 2012 for both universities to stop investing in oil and gas companies that contribute to climate crisis

Students and alumni from Harvard and Yale disrupted the annual football game between the two elite universities on Saturday, occupying the field in New Haven, Connecticut, at half-time and demanding the colleges divest from investment in fossil fuels.

More than 200 protesters stalled the high-profile game for around an hour, many chanting: “Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Fossil fuels have got to go!” The protest was briefly booed by some in a crowd of 44,989 and discussed widely on social media.

After the protest had delayed the TV broadcast of the game and pushed it toward sunset in a venue without floodlights, most of the protesters left the field voluntarily, escorted by police officers. A handful who remained were told they would be arrested. The number of arrests made was not immediately available.

Students began campaigning in 2012 for both schools to stop investing in oil and gas and coal companies that contribute to the climate crisis. Both universities refused, arguing that they would be in a better position to encourage corporate climate action if they remained shareholders.

…(read more).

See related:

• Divest-Invest: Mapping the Transition to a Sustainable Future
• The Harvard Divestment Controversy in its Historical Context
• Hundreds of Divestment Protesters Storm Field, Interrupting Harvard-Yale Game | News | The Harvard Crimson

Op-Ed: Nancy Pelosi’s New Year “Mueller” Surprise for President Trump

Reflect

Nov 23, 2019

Nancy Pelosi has announced Democrats will start another line of impeachment to go alongside the charge that Trump bribed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky–a reprisal of Mueller’s obstruction of justice charges.

The China Syndrome: Part One – Is China taking over the South Pacific? | 60 Minutes Australia

60 Minutes Australia

Jun 18, 2018

Australia has always considered the South Pacific our “patch of paradise” to protect and nurture. But now the Chinese are moving in and splashing their cash in places like Fiji and Vanuatu. So what’s next? Reporter: Tom Steinfort Producer: Gareth Harvey For forty years, 60 Minutes have been telling Australians the world’s greatest stories. Tales that changed history, our nation and our lives. Reporters Liz Hayes, Allison Langdon, Tara Brown, Charles Wooley, Liam Bartlett and Tom Steinfort look past the headlines because there is always a bigger picture. Sundays are for 60 Minutes.

Jun 18, 2018

60 Minutes Australia

Australia has always considered the South Pacific our “patch of paradise” to protect and nurture. But now the Chinese are moving in and splashing their cash in places like Fiji and Vanuatu. So what’s next? Reporter: Tom Steinfort Producer: Gareth Harvey For forty years, 60 Minutes have been telling Australians the world’s greatest stories. Tales that changed history, our nation and our lives. Reporters Liz Hayes, Allison Langdon, Tara Brown, Charles Wooley, Liam Bartlett and Tom Steinfort look past the headlines because there is always a bigger picture.