In 2012, the 100 richest people made a profit big enough to eradicate extreme poverty in the wolrd 4 times over

The year 2012 was marked by economic meltdown followed austerity measures. That was the reality that everybody had to face. Well, except the those who created the crisis and are taking advantage from it.

The world's 100 richest people earned a stunning total of $240 billion in 2012 – enough money to end extreme poverty worldwide four times over, Oxfam has revealed, adding that the global economic crisis is further enriching the super-rich.

“The richest 1 percent has increased its income by 60 percent in the last 20 years with the financial crisis accelerating rather than slowing the process,” while the income of the top 0.01 percent has seen even greater growth, a new Oxfam report said.

For example, the luxury goods market has seen double-digit growth every year since the crisis hit, the report stated. And while the world's 100 richest people earned $240 billion last year, people in "extreme poverty" lived on less than $1.25 a day.

Oxfam is a leading international philanthropy organization. Its new report, ‘The Cost of Inequality: How Wealth and Income Extremes Hurt us All,’ argues that the extreme concentration of wealth actually hinders the world’s ability to reduce poverty. The report was published before the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, and calls on world leaders to “end extreme wealth by 2025, and reverse the rapid increase in inequality seen in the majority of countries in the last 20 years.”

The problem is a global one, Oxfam said: "In the UK inequality is rapidly returning to levels not seen since the time of Charles Dickens. In China the top 10 percent now take home nearly 60 percent of the income. Chinese inequality levels are now similar to those in South Africa, which is now the most unequal country on Earth and significantly more [inequality] than at the end of apartheid."

In the US, the richest 1 percent's share of income has doubled since 1980 from 10 to 20 percent, according to the report. For the top 0.01 percent, their share of national income quadrupled, reaching levels never seen before. “We can no longer pretend that the creation of wealth for a few will inevitably benefit the many – too often the reverse is true,” Executive Director of Oxfam International Jeremy Hobbs said.

Hobbs explained that concentration of wealth in the hands of the top few minimizes economic activity, making it harder for others to participate: “From tax havens to weak employment laws, the richest benefit from a global economic system which is rigged in their favor.”

The report highlights that even politics has become controlled by the super-wealthy, which leads to policies “benefitting the richest few and not the poor majority, even in democracies.”

“It is time our leaders reformed the system so that it works in the interests of the whole of humanity rather than a global elite,” the report said.

Source : http://rt.com/news/oxfam-report-global-inequality-357/

Report Oxfam:
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/cost-of-inequality-oxfam-mb180113.pdf

Hempcrete ! Can Change The Way We Build Everything

CNN report on eco friendly sustainable hemp house built in Asheville, NC. Benefits include carbon negative construction, breathability, and reduced cost of heating and cooling. 



Imagine you had a building material that was energy-efficient, non-toxic and resistant to mold, insects and fire. The material may even have a higher R-value, or thermal resistance, than concrete, a claim that is still being investigated. 

The only problem? The base of the Hempcrete creation is hemp, which comes from the cannabis sativa plant -- the same one that produces marijuana, which is a federally banned substance. Because of this, industrial hemp production is illegal in the United States. 

Portable Solar Power - Stick It On Your Window.

You can just stick this portable outlet to your window to start using solar power! So far we have seen solutions that act as a solar battery backup, but none as a direct plug-in. Simple in design, the plug just attaches to any window and does its job intuitively. 

According to the designers, Kyuho Song & Boa Oh: “We tried to design a portable socket, so that users can use it intuitively without special training.” 

It's a portable socket that gets its power from the sun rather than the grid. You plug into a window instead of into the wall. It's easy.

The solar panels suck energy from the sun. The charger converts that energy into electricity. You plug in to the charger.

The Window Socket pulls solar power to an internal battery, which can be either used immediately or saved for use during night time hours or when you are away from the sun. 

After 8 hours of charging, the socket provides the user with 10 hours of electricity.