Today, more than one billion people around the world do not have access safe water to drink. Unless something is done, this problem will only get worse. Corporations are making the global water crisis worse by turning water into a profit driven commodity, like oil. One of the most visible examples of this is bottled water. Bottled water corporations are threatening local control of water supplies in communities across the US and around the world. Coke, Nestl� and Pepsi are misleading consumers into believing that bottled water is better for you than tap water--but the fact is that bottled water is actually less regulated! These corporations have spent tens of thousands of dollars to convince us that bottled water is cleaner, healthier and safer than tap water. So, as these corporations profit off our water, they are undermining support for our public water supplies, which could pave the way for corporate privatization of our public water systems. Tell Coke, Nestl� and Pepsi to stop misleading promotion of their bottled water brands and to stop interfering in policies that protect our water! http://www.stopcorporateabusenow.org/campaign/exposebottledwater Learn more: http://www.stopcorporateabusenow.org/campaign/exposebottledwater/explanation

Global warming. Toxics in toys. Sub-prime mortgage lenders preying on the poor. Hired U.S. guns killing civilians in Iraq - it�s been a year of widespread corporate abuse. Corporate Accountability International has compiled information about eight corporations and put nominated them to be placed in the "Corporate Hall of Shame" Click here to learn more about each corporation (Mattel, Countrywide, Wendy's, Walmart, etc.) and what they have done (or refused to do) to continue to harm our world and community. Then vote for who you think you should be placed in the "Hall of Shame!" Voting closes on July 4th but their abuses will continue to be exposed--making sure to publicize genuine efforts at reform.

Crocodyl is a collaboration sponsored by CorpWatch, the Center for Corporate Policy and the Corporate Research Project. Our aim is to stimulate collaborative research among NGOs, journalists, activists, whistleblowers and academics from both the global South and North in order to develop publicly-available profiles of the world's most powerful corporations. The result is an evolving compendium of critical research, posted to the public domain as an aid to anyone working to hold corporations increasingly accountable.

Has your cell phone company trapped you with a whopping early termination fee�$150 to $200? They may also "lock" the phone itself, to make doubly sure you don't leave, even if the service is poor. Cell phone companies promise a clear connection, strong customer service and fewer dropped calls�but that's not always what they deliver. After years of delay, Congress is finally stepping in to improve the competition among cell phone companies for your benefit.

As the cost of living rises, so must wages. Burger King, the second-largest food chain in the world, has failed to recognize the basic economic needs of their farmworkers - instead they continue to pay wages at slave labor rates. Can you imagine making under $5 per hour in the United States while working a full day of physical labor? Farmworkers who pick tomatoes for Burger King earn 40 to 50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, a rate that has not risen significantly in nearly 30 years. Workers who labor from dawn to dusk must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day. Recently, McDonalds and others have agreed to higher wages for these workers, but Burger King has not. McDonald's and other fast-food chains, including Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, have committed to increasing wages and enforcing better working conditions in the fields. But Burger King�the second-largest hamburger chain in the world�has so far refused to work with farmworkers to improve wages for those who pick their tomatoes. Please tell Burger King to join with McDonald's and others in improving farmworker wages.

Don't let your social activism end when you graduate. Take the graduation pledge and vow to fight for change after you finish school. http://www.youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=6310

Read qhjones' interview with Green Dimes, a business that is actually trying to save the planet AND get rid of junk mail. http://www.youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=6143#

Corporations used to be (in the 18th & 19th centuries) publicly licensed entities created to do civic work. Now they have morphed into powerful, amoral, profit-driven engines that can easily manipulate whole countries and make a mockery of our legal system. Educate yourself - realize that corporations are here to serve US, not for us to serve THEM! Back in the late 1800's the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the SAME rights as you and I (but none of the responsibilities) - setting the stage for the massive corporatization of America.

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