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Essay outlines the fates of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

rampart: fortification.

What obligation do businesses have to be good citizens, and how do corporations committed to ethical practices fare against competitors who focus first and foremost on the bottom line? [interview of Chip Pitts, Stanford Law School Lecturer, former Chair of Amnesty International USA, co-author & editor of "Corporate Social Responsibility: A Legal Analysis"]

In a landmark case in Namibia, 22 hotel workers are taking their employer and a doctor to court for allegedly testing them for HIV without their informed consent...According to the [plaintiffs'] lawyer...Linda Dumba Chikalu, of the...Legal Assistance Centre...the test results were displayed on notice boards in the lodge's kitchen and reception area. Those who tested HIV positive were still not told what they had been tested for, but listed only as "reactive" and advised to see a doctor...Chikalu [said] she was confidant about the outcome of the case, which she predicted would set an important precedent. "I foresee ... employers' attitudes towards employees will change; they'll start respecting people's rights and respecting their dignity." [refers to Oshakati Country Lodge]

The oil industry in the Niger Delta of Nigeria has brought impoverishment, conflict, human rights abuses and despair to the majority of the people in the oil-producing areas, according to a new Amnesty International report...[T]he report...also details how the Nigerian government is failing to hold oil companies to account for the pollution they have caused. Oil companies have been exploiting Nigeria's weak regulatory system for too long, said Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International. They do not adequately prevent environmental damage and they frequently fail to properly address the devastating impact that their bad practice has on people's lives. [refers to Shell]

Anglo Coal has been recognised by the Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria for its pioneering workplace programme focused on tackling HIV/Aids in South Africa...The award was made in recognition of the groundbreaking work the...company does in South Africa, namely its comprehensive HIV/Aids programme for employees and their families...Employees who test positive can enrol on a free HIV management programme offering care, support and treatment...These awards are given to an elite group of companies who set the standard for excellence in business action to defeat disease, says GBC president and CEO John Tedstrom. "...The fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria cannot be won without the corporate sector stepping up and playing an active role. Anglo American and, specifically, its Anglo Coal division are doing exactly the kind of thing that all companies can and should do. Anglo American does not just talk, they take action and their action saves lives, he adds.

Is the ACLU seeking to remove cross-shaped headstones removed from federal cemeteries?

When 20,000 workers at a big Nike contractor near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam went on strike one year ago, Mr. T was fired. He can never again work for the factory, but some of his colleagues have paid an even higher price. They were harassed by the police and put under long-term surveillanceInternal Nike documents in our possession reveal that at this time the strike was handled in a close collaboration between government officials and the management at the factory with Nike on the sidelinesIn a statement the sportswear giant says that the company has never heard of threats to workers. Nike also states that no workers were fired as a result of the strike, that no workers were disciplined, and that the police was only called to protect the well-being of the strikers, the management and factory property.

With the global recession threatening health initiatives worldwide, and private sector expertise needed more than ever before, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will honor eight standard-setting companies for their innovative programs that help fill the growing gaps in government and multilateral funding against deadly global diseases. The companies to be honored are Standard Chartered Bank, Marathon Oil Corporation, Warner Bros [part of Time Warner], Shell, Unilever, Anglo American, Levi Strauss and Chevron.

Will forwarding a text message to ten other people get you a $60.00 credit on your cell phone bill?

Bank of America Corp was accused in a Manhattan federal lawsuit of discriminating against female brokers at the former Merrill Lynch & Co by offering them lower retention bonuses than male counterparts... [The lawsuit] contends that female brokers were typically eligible for lower bonuses because of gender bias at Merrill, including the brokerage's practice of steering wealthier clients to male brokers... A bank spokeswoman, Shirley Norton, said Bank of America will vigorously defend against the lawsuit. [also refers to Citigroup]

My role is to operationalize a UN Framework for Business and Human Rights, which I proposed in 2008 and which the Human Rights Council unanimously welcomed... At its essence are shared but differentiated responsibilities given the need for all social actors states, business and civil society to do many things differently to close existing governance gaps. This requires all actors to rethink long-held assumptions... For instance, I have too often seen stakeholders, including governments, wedded to uniquely voluntary or mandatory options without appreciating the need for a smarter mix of measures...

The State should be responsible for prisoners not private companies, the Human Rights Commission said today. Senior managers from private prison company GEO Group were present and heard groups condemn their business...[Cartias] noted that in the US the same people running private prisons were also involved in lobbying government for longer sentences...GEO Group Australia managing director Pieter Bezuidenhout said...he had listened to criticisms and said his company could only do what governments told it to.

Bankwatch member group Green Alternative releaseda new report that questions ongoing World Bank support for the controversial Khudoni dam project in northwest GeorgiaThe Bankwatch report findsthat the Khudoni project would result in the relocation of at least 1500 peopleand that the...impacts of hydro power development in the region would severely alter the ecosystem and water quality of the regionKochladze [Bankwatch coordinator for the Caucasus region] continued,Before moving forward any energy scenario for the country, it is important that the IFIs and Georgian government develop a strategic environmental impact assessment that assesses in detail all environmental and social impacts from Georgia's power sector development"

IBLF, IFC and the UN Global Compact are hosting their second online discussion on human rights impact assessments in early July...The topic for discussion will be: The costs and benefits of doing a human rights impact assessment. The political, economic, financial and social costs and benefits will all be considered...This online discussion will be open for one week from Monday 6th July 2009, 10am BST to Friday 10th July 2009, 5pm BST.

Canada Day rumor: The eleven points on the maple leaf of Canada's flag represent the number of Canadian provinces and territories.

Today, Newmont Mining Corporation and Minera Yanacocha SRL publicly released the summary of an independent review of Minera Yanacocha's security and human rights policies and procedures...Under the auspices of the VPSHR [Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights], Newmont and Oxfam agreed to the independent review, which was conducted by recognized jurist and noted human rights advocate, Gino Costa...As the first participants to take part in such an exercise under the Voluntary Principles, Newmont and Yanacocha are creating an important precedent...

Shareholders at the supermarket chain's annual general meeting in Glasgow on Friday will vote on a resolution tabled by the Unite unionThemotion calls for Tesco to make a non-executive board member specifically responsible for eliminating discrimination against foreign workers by suppliers, and says the Tesco board lags behind its peers in oversight of human and labour rights in its supply chainThe Tesco board says the union has provided no evidence of problems in its meat chainthe Equality and Human Rights Commission[launched] a formal inquiry into alleged systemic discrimination [of foreign workers in the British supermarket meat industry] in October last yearIt is expected to report at the end of the year. [also refers to Pensions and Investment Research Consultancy, Marks & Spencer]

Rothschildand Freshfieldshave become the first UK businesses to say they greatly regret their links with slavery. The acknowledgments and expressions of regret came after the Financial Times published previously unexamined documents showing that N.M. Rothschild, the founder of the banking dynasty, had benefited from slavery by mortgaging 88 slaves in Antigua...Rothschild bank officials saidWe greatly regret that Rothschild is linked in any way to the abhorrent institution of slavery. Rothschild as a firm strongly supports equal opportunities and human rights. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer said in a statement: We greatly regret that the firm is linked in any way to the inhumane institution of slavery. Freshfields has a long tradition of supporting equal opportunities, human rights and access to justice, and we are deeply committed to promoting these objectives.In the past five years, several US companies, including JPMorgan, the bank, and Aetna, the insurance company, have apologised for slavery...

Le groupe nucleaire francais Areva et l'un de ses cadres dirigeants etaient poursuivis mardi 23 juin devant le tribunal correctionnel de Paris pour provocation a la discrimination contre les Touareg du Niger. Le directeur de la protection du patrimoine et des personnes a Areva, l'ancien amiral Thierry d'Arbonneau, est accuse d'avoir appele le gouvernement francais a aider le Niger a "mater" la rebellion touareg, lors d'un colloque sur la "securite economique" organise par le Medef a Paris, le 21 octobre 2008.

Engage depuis 10 ans avec l'UICN dans le cadre de la Convention Ramsar sur la protection des zones humides, Danone a lance en octobre dernier un nouveau fonds pour soutenir des projets combinant la gestion des ressources en eau et la captation du CO2 dans les zones humides. Le premier est mis en uvre actuellement au Senegal.

L'organisation Human Rights Watch vient d'accuser les forces armees du Zimbabwe sous le controle du President Maugabe de torture et de travail force dans la region diamantifere de Marange, dans l'est du pays. Un rapport de 62 pages fait etat de la mort de plus de 200 personnes depuis que l'armee a pris le controle de cette region autrefois pacifique qui est devenue un enfer .

In ruling for a group of white firefighters in New Haven on Monday, the Supreme Court tried to address a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't quandary for many cities and other employers: what they should do when an employment test yields results that overwhelmingly favor whites... The 5-to-4 ruling applies largely to public-sector hiring and to civil service exams, but could also affect private employers that use tests or other screening methods. The court said that if an employer used a hiring or promotion test, it generally had to accept the test's results unless the employer had strong evidence the test was flawed and improperly favored a particular group.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday released a list of 44 coal-fired power plant waste sites in 10 states with a high hazard potential... Coal combustion waste stored...in impoundment sites at power plants contains toxins... The EPA said the high-hazard rating at the 44 sites didn't mean that they were structurally weak, but rather that a failure would probably kill people nearby. [refers to Duke Energy, Progress Energy, Kentucky Utilities (part of E.ON), Louisville Gas & Electric (part of E.ON), Georgia Power (part of Southern Company), FirstEnergy]

The World Development Movement, PLATFORM and People & Planet have today launched legal action against the Treasury for allowing public money, poured into the Royal Bank of Scotland to be invested in energy companies, and projects linked to climate change and human rights violations. [refers to E.ON, Tullow Oil, Cairn Energy]

Following on from an initiative put in place in March 2007, the AREVA group, Sherpa and Medecins du Monde have signed a pioneering agreement to set up health watchdogs near mining sites operated by AREVA, and a multi-party health watch group.

El Gobierno brasileno anuncio hoy un acuerdo con empresarios del sector azucarero para dignificar las condiciones de trabajo en los canaverales del pais, que han sido denunciadas por diversos organismos de derechos humanosEl documento, sin embargo, no tiene caracter vinculante y supone solo un "compromiso" de las empresas, que se declaran dispuestas a dignificar la situacion de sus trabajadores, mientras que el Gobierno se compromete a mejorar la fiscalizacion en todos los canaverales del pais. En el pacto no se establecen pisos salariales ni obligaciones formales de ningun tipo, pero ha sido respaldado por 303 de las 403 empresas del sector que operan en el pais...

Does sago palm pose a poisoning danger to household pets?

Pese a que la comunidad internacional ha pedido el retorno del ex presidente Manuel Zelaya, los empresarios descartaron que en el corto plazo regrese al pais el ex presidente Zelaya. El presidente del Cohep [Consejo Hondureno de la Empresa Privada], Amilcar Bulnes, reitero el respaldo al nuevo Presidente, Roberto Micheletti, para que ejerza un gobierno de integracion nacionalBulnes expreso que se debe exhortar que el pais se mantenga en paz y tranquilidad y se debe alejar el pensamiento de mas conflictos.

BPis being sued by Texas authorities who accuse the petrochemical giant of 46 pollution violations at its Texas City refinery including one tied to an explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 170 others four years ago "BP Products is charged with polluting our environment, concealing information from authorities and harming Texans," Attorney General Greg Abbott saidBP spokesman Ronnie Chappell said Thursday the company had no comment on the lawsuit specifically but that the company's goal was to "resolve this matter and address the state's concerns."

CSR Law commented last week on reports that Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) [joint venture Nokia and Siemens] provided technology to Iran that the regime used to monitor and repress protesters and dissidents. (As a CSR academic and activist who was privileged to work previously for Nokia...I was not really in a position to refrain from commenting on this matter.) The latest news, as noted here, and here, is that two high-powered U.S. Senators Schumer and Graham are drafting bipartisan legislation that would sanction such businesses providing surveillance capabilities to Iran...The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre...also invited the company to respond...As of the time of this writing, NSN has acknowledged receipt of the Resource Centre's invitation, and supplied the Resource Centre with its original generic denial. But no specific response has been received either by me or the Resource Centre to date...With all due respect to my friends at the company, these responses don't exactly give full and complete answers to the concerns that have been raised. [also refers to Psiphon, Inc.]

E-mailed account purportedly summarizes columnist Charles Krauthammer's talk about President Obama at the Center of the American Experiment.

Rumor claims Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson all appeared on the 'Tonight Show' on the same day.

Recycled hoax claims a star actor was killed in a fall from a cliff while filming in New Zealand.

Was sidekick Ed McMahon once Johnny Carson's commanding officer?

The latest of many proposals to repeal the 22nd amendment.

Is a can of wasp spray a preferable alternative to pepper spray for protection against assailants?

Is the state of Illinois going to begin using photo radar in freeway work zones?

Rumor claims a U.S. serviceman was refused service at the Shady Maple restaurant.

Did midshipmen not wear ceremonial swords at the 2009 U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremonies due to the presence of President Obama?

Does Zicam brand cold remedy cause a loss of smell in consumers who use it?

Did the Japanese prime minister made an embarrassing verbal gaffe upon meeting Barack Obama?

Photograph shows Michelle Obama serving a government funded soup kitchen meal to a homeless person with an expensive cell phone?

Legend claims a phony carpark attendant collected parking fees outside the Bristol Zoo for over twenty years.

Did a Pepsi distributor stop donating supplies to the God's Pit Crew relief agency because of the charity's name?

Photographs purportedly show the passenger cabin of an airliner immediately after a mid-air collision.

E-mailed warning cautions that consumption of star fruit is dangerous.

Did representatives sent by the White House to meet with the auto industry advocate legislatively changing the laws of physics?

Avoiding the Beast and financial transactions totaling $6.66.

Is teen Japanese pitching phenom Kazuo Uzuki poised to become a star in Major League baseball?

Video clip purportedly shows an F-35 executing a vertical flip on takeoff.

Are e-mailed invitations from friends to join the Tagged.com web site a form of scam or virus?

Text reproduces a Pravda editorial touting the 'American descent into Marxism.'

Photographs show the 'parrot plant,' a plant whose flowers resemble a parrot in flight.

Newspaper columnist's list of "45 lessons life taught me."

Image purportedly captures a bear seconds before it mauled its photographer to death.

Did San Diego County bar a couple from holding Bible study sessions in their home without a 'major land use' permit?

Some German states have banned Red Bull's 'Simply Cola' drink for containing trace amounts of cocaine.

Did the idea for FedEx earn that company's founder a failing mark while he was a college student?

Does an Arizona man keep his dead wife in a glass-enclosed coffee table?

Does a new federal government policy prohibit U.S. service members from speaking at faith-based public events?

Prayers are requested for Preston Loyd, a 4-year-old boy who was run over by a lawn mower.

Did a display at the National World War II Memorial excise the words 'So help us God' from a speech by President Roosevelt?

Did actor Lee Marvin and Bob 'Captain Kangaroo' Keeshan fight together at Iwo Jima?

A bill passed by the California senate seeks to designate May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

Account reports instances of customers being cheated by malfunctioning gas pumps.

Photograph purportedly taken in west Texas shows a tornado funnel and lightning bolt alongside a drilling rig.

Does a video clip show a chameleon rapidly changing colors to match sunglass frames?

Outdated message claims a bill currently before Congress would require that all handgun owners list their guns on their federal income tax returns.

Resurgent long-running jape claims consumers can receive free laptop computers from Sony Ericsson for forwarding an e-mail message to their friends.

A bill seeking to require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing mastectomies has been introduced to Congress for the sixth time.

Is the Library of Congress transferring its entire audio collection to 78 RPM platters?

Legend says Mr. Rogers' car was returned after the thieves who stole it realized it was his.

Woman accidentally leaves a bag of waste in her lover's apartment.

A girl on an amusement park ride was scalped when her hair got caught in the attraction's machinery.

Hitchhiker utters prophecy about Judgment Day being upon us, then vanishes.

Are criminal gangs in Arlington staging medical emergencies to lure drivers out of their cars and rob them?

Was the stethoscope invented thanks to a doctor's modesty?

Message solicits contributions for a statue of President George W. Bush.

Did TV children's host Barney the purple dinaosaur get caught with cocaine hidden in his tail and cuss out a child?

Why using gasoline to get rid of head lice is dangerous.

Do recently released records document that Barack Obama received college financial aid in the U.S. as a "foreign student from Indonesia"?

Mafia neighbor helps burglary victims by effecting the return of their stolen goods.

Are car thieves placing baskets under cars in mall parking lots to lure drivers out of their vehicles?

Does a prophecy that a black man would inhabit the White house "when pigs fly" tie the Obama presidency to the swine flu?

The return of downtown Spokane's amazing mother duck.

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