Whether or not to allow plantations into the fair trade model is not the only debate raging within the specialty coffee industry. Another, and more wide-reaching debate, is whether certification schemes benefit producers, or if they are in fact barriers to trade. While millions of small-scale coffee producers have benefited from certification systems like Fair [...]

Back in January, in response to Fair Trade USA’s (FTUSA) decision to begin certifying plantation-grown coffee, I wrote that fair trade was dead. Some critics vehemently disagreed with my assessment, seeming to take issue with the sweeping declarative statement I made, and accusing me of conflating the concept of “fair trade” with the products distributed [...]

As Raj Patel illuminated in his 2007 book Stuffed and Starved, the global food system–dominated by large multinational corporations–does not work for most of us. Those of us who live in developed, Westernized nations are eating (on average) more than we should, while those who labor to produce the food we over-consume are starving. Millions [...]

“Unwed mothers suffer long-term health woes,” read the headline in the Los Angeles Times on June 2. I felt myself cringe as I took it in, not just because of the significance of this statement, but also because of the use of the term “unwed mother.” After reading the full article, my initial cringe turned [...]

October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and since that time, I’ve been thinking a lot about this widespread problem in our society. I noticed, as you likely did, that numerous methods for supporting patients and further research were promoted during the month. October saw a barrage of advertisements and events, both material and virtual, [...]

The Social Network, the film that tells the tale of the founding and rise of Facebook, has taken a lot of flack from feminist critics since its release on October 1. The film and its screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, have been accused of creating and promoting misogyny, of pigeon-holing women into hyper-stereotyped roles in which they [...]

“No! Where am I supposed to go to buy cheap goods now?!” read the comment on a link posted by one of my friends on Facebook. The posted link opened to a breaking news story about the recent scandal surrounding Target Corporation, the home goods darling of young liberals and hipsters alike. Back in August, [...]

“By the power invested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you a married couple.” I’ve heard variations on this phrase many times in my life. It is familiar to anyone who has ever attended a wedding, or who has seen a wedding portrayed on film or television. In other words, we [...]