Brazilian Former President Lula Freed from Prison

Brazilian ex-President Lula gives speech after prison release
Thousands of supporters of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have gathered to see the former Brazilian president after he was released from prison.

Lula spoke at a metal workers union meeting near Sao Paulo on Saturday, and was greeted with applause and cheers by the crowd.… Read the rest

Microsoft Japan Says Four-Day Work Week Experiment Led to a 40 Percent Increase in Productivity

This past August, all Microsoft Japan employees participated in the “Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019,” during which they conducted all meetings in 30 minutes or less, replaced face-to-face conversations with virtual ones whenever possible, and—most importantly—didn’t work on five consecutive Fridays.

According to Bloomberg, the switch to a four-day work week resulted in a 40 … Read the rest

HOW TO MAKE FABRIC FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

Make no mistake: Recycled fabrics are the most sustainable fabrics you can find. “Ya, but recycled fabrics still use so much energy to convert old stuff into new fabric…” Yes, but they don’t use nearly as much energy or resources as creating fibers and fabrics from scratch.

Take new polyester vs. recycled polyester. Virgin polyester … Read the rest

Thailand is betting big on cannabis. Visit its first legal lab.

The unraveling of harsh anti-pot laws across the world is finally coming to Asia. In East and Southeast Asia, democracies and dictatorships alike have long skewed toward severe penalties for marijuana users. Thailand, a key ally in America’s global war on drugs, has been no exception.

But the perception of cannabis has begun to change … Read the rest

‘The Most Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Bill Ever’ Introduced in Congress

A new bipartisan bill to remove cannabis from the schedule of controlled substances has just been introduced in the U.S. Congress. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act (the MORE Act) of 2019 aims to decriminalize “cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement … Read the rest

Kumkum to create green energy! Indian scientists develop low-cost, eco-friendly solar cells using vermilion dye

Scientists at IIT Hyderabad have developed low-cost, environment-friendly solar cells by employing an off-the-shelf dye used to make kumkum or vermilion in India. The dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) is based on New Fuchsin (NF) dye with aqueous electrolyte and platinum-free counter electrodes, according to the research published in the Solar Energy journal.

The most familiar … Read the rest