Forests in China are suffering from huge surges in disposable wooden chopstick demand; the country produces 80 billion chopsticks per year — equivalent to the destruction of 20 million 20-year-old trees. WORLD -2   

If you’re planning on buying a flat-screen at Walmart this Black Friday, you might just witness a flash mob by fed-up Walmart employees who are calling for higher wages and greater respect for the 1.3 million associates that work in the U.S.   

Germany’s Der Spiegel reported today that during 2011 German police shot only 85 bullets, and most weren’t even aimed at humans. Out of 85 bullets fired, 49 were warning shots. These numbers make it seem like it might be possible to greatly reduce the number of times per year in this country a person gets shot to death by the police in a situation where it seems like other resolutions could have been reached.  

Hoping to capitalize on growing public enthusiasm for all things local, some of the world's biggest corporations are brashly laying claim to the word "local." This new variation on corporate "green washing" — local washing — is, like the "buy local" movement itself, most advanced in the context of food. Even Wal-Mart is getting in on the act, hanging bright green banners over its produce aisles that simply say "Local."  

According to a report from the AP, Apple and the four major music conglomerates are hashing out a plan to enhance sales of full album downloads. With the rise of iTunes and other legal download services, music fans have chosen to download single tracks over full-lengths, meaning less money for the cash-strapped music industry.