Amazon’s union campaign is succeeding where other unions failed
Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are currently voting by mail on whether or not to form a union. Their campaign against one of the world's most powerful -- and most anti-union -- corporations has captured public imagination, and inspired young activists, in a way that hasn't happened in almost a century. 1. The President and VP want Amazon workers to join a union! On Sunday evening, President Biden expressed...
It's the beginning of the end of the 'Uberisation' of work
Founded as an upmarket limousine service in California just over a decade ago, Uber today provides cheap taxi rides in thousands of cities across the world. The company has consistently maintained that it is merely a ridesharing platform – which, crucially, means that it does not employ its drivers. The freedom to choose when and where to work, Uber argues, trumps old-fashioned rights designed for an era of 9-5 jobs. It has gone to...
The world's first driverless water taxi has been built in Tennessee
Α month ago Don Βutler hopped on board a modular pontoon boat with four other guys for a ride along the Knoxville side of the Tennessee river. It was a sweet day; cloudy, but balmy. The boat speed went up to four knots, and its passengers traveled for a total of ten minutes up the river, and then for another ten minutes back down to the marina. The traveling group enjoyed a chit chat while marveling at the beautiful fall colors of...
Face filters: the new way to consume contemporary art
Since Snapchat’s launch in 2011, editing your photos with a filter has been a tap away, and these filters have come a long way from the dog ears and tongue first offered to us. Almost all social media platforms have some form of photo function with AR add-ons and image editability. Instagram now has thousands of interactive filters: quiz filters can give you a prediction of just about anything, from what you’ll be doing this...
A brief guide to Morgan Lewis, Amazon’s anti-union law firm at Bessemer, Alabama
Between February 8 and March 29, 5800 Amazon distribution center workers in Bessemer, Alabama will vote on whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). If the Bessemer employees vote yes,...
Virtual reality churches have been thriving throughout the pandemic
In August 2020, Mathias Melendez, 22, from San Antonio, Texas, stumbled upon a Facebook ad of Life.Church Online, the cyberchurch of the American evangelical multi-site church Life Church. Having struggled with seizures for a long time, which led to depression, and ultimately thoughts of suicide, Melendez decided to attend a service and see whether it could help him tackle his psychological demons. “I felt so welcomed,” he...
