Articles by Grist staff

Documentary on massive sweatshops in Tijuana airs Tuesday on PBS

Get out your day planners, people. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, (that's next week) at 10 p.m. (but don't trust me, check your local listings) PBS partners with Grist to present Maquilapolis, a documentary about the hidden costs of cheap electronics and the realities of life for Mexican maquiladora workers. (And you thought I was only interested in brain-numbing reality television ...)

The term "Maquilapolis" refers to the "city of factories" in Tijuana, Mexico, where huge warehouses turn out televisions, electrical cables, toys, clothes, batteries, and medical equipment. And the film is focused on the workers in those factories: women like Carmen Durán (pictured at left, photo: David Maung). From the film's website, here's a brief glimpse at what life is like for Carmen and other maquiladora workers:

See You Later, Navigator

Grist off discovering vacation, claiming it for themselves Whatever you think of when you hear “Columbus Day” — genocide, getting lost, or just a day off school — it’s sailing our way on Monday. In order to contemplate all that’s gone awry on this continent since 1492, and give us time to think of more […]

Well’s Hells

Faulty natural-gas well drowns Indonesian villages in mud and water An Indonesian natural-gas well drilled using faulty practices has become a huge human-made disaster. In May, mud began seeping through the unprotected walls of the well at a depth of about 6,000 feet; drillers plugged the well hole, but the pressure of the mud eventually […]

The Log Days of Bummer

GAO blames Bush administration for high cost of Biscuit timber salvage The Bush administration, not environmental lawsuits, is to blame for the nearly $11 million cost of a logging project that will salvage only $8.8 million worth of timber, says a new study from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. After the 2002 Biscuit fire burned […]