Issue 475 of New Internationalist
Reader-owned global journalism
September 2014
Gold
We take a look at our crazy lust for the shiny yellow metal. Once tied to our currency, gold now floats free in value, completely unconnected to any actual use to us in our daily lives. Dipping yesterday, zooming up today, tomorrow who knows? Best buy some just in case.We are now mining more of the stuff than ever before. In an era when we desperately need to rethink core notions of growth and our unsustainable ecological footprint, we are intensifying destructive goldmining for no other purpose than to make a few people rich.
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Included in this issue
The gold standard is nothing but a shiny distraction
And it offers a false sense of security in an unstable world, says Philip Pilkington.
Mother Teresa's troubled legacy
S Bedford reports from India on a dirty truth behind a squeaky-clean image.
Why is college so damned expensive?
As college tuition fees keep soaring, Mark Engler wonders what the future has in stake for him.
Would Scottish independence be good for radical politics?
Read what writer and activist Adam Ramsay and professor and author Jim Gallagher think - then join the debate.
India's gold obsession is increasing the wealth gap
Jaideep Hardikar reports from a country in the grip of gold fever.
The myth of ethical gold
Certification schemes notwithstanding, clean gold is a bit of a scam, says Stephanie Boyd.
Stop the gold rush!
Our appetite for the shiny metal is both pointless and dangerous, argues Richard Swift.
Sweden faces far-right election gains
Despite anti-fascist protests, Adam Bott fears the Sweden Democrats could double their tally in the general election.
Past issues
You can see our whole archive on the past magazines page.
A world to win
The cost of greed crisis
Take back the land
Whose railway is it anyway?
Rivers of life
How we stop Big Oil
Jailbreak: reimagining justice
Romani lives matter
Shifting horizons: the future of work
Who gets to eat?
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