Author: Justin Lane

It’s been a rough stretch for Wal-Mart recently, getting busted for illegally dumping hazardous materials will do that, and California is saying they’re over the bad practices. It’s no secret that Wal-Mart orchestrates forcing low wages on their employees so that those employees are eligible for federal aid and California is stepping up to the plate to do something about it. There is currently legislation being pushed through the California legislature that would fine Wal-Mart up to $6,000 for every employee that it abandons to its state medicaid program, Medi-cal. The legislation is getting its push as a response...

As it would happen, the technology of tomorrow will come with fits and spurts, pains and progress. Nowhere is this more true than in the realm of health technology. Whether it’s a WiFi-enabled pill that sends biometric data updates to your smartphone, or your doctor’s office via the internet, your mobile app that tracks your workout stats, or improved cameras that will supplement laboratory technologies, danger abounds. In remote areas of the emerging world, these technologies may serve to improve health and awareness but it is important to remain skeptical as the technologies can be prone to error and...

Below are Ring of Fire’s top stories from the past week. Wal-Mart Stores Caught Dumping Hazardous Waste into California Drains, Company Pleads Guilty Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Tuesday for dumping hazardous waste from Wal-Mart stores into sanitation drains across California. As part of the plea deal, the company has been ordered to pay $81 million in fines, which will also cover charges to the company in Missouri. They also pleaded guilty in the Western District of Missouri for violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) after improperly handling pesticides. … Read more....

A society is measured by how it treats the least among it and the conditions of inmates are often met with callous oversight. Unfortunately, incidences are not often discussed, and some estimates place nearly 1 out of every 10 inmates experiencing some form of abuse. The tragic situation is made even more disappointing when the abused suffer from a mental or psychiatric condition. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported yesterday that it has filed a lawsuit against East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF). The facility is responsible for the treatment and incarceration of prisoners with severe psychiatric disabilities. According...

On Tuesday, Facebook announced via an open letter on the site, that it will begin working more directly with groups that feel they have been or are the victims of controversial, hurtful or hateful speech through the website to remove and limit the exposure of hateful content. The announcement came as a response to recent complaints from political and activist groups that the social-mecca has been slow and sometimes unresponsive in addressing instances of hateful, hurtful and controversial speech on the site. The announced changes are to take effect immediately and mark an increase in the scope of censorship...