PORTSIDE List Archives
Updated: 4 min 47 sec ago
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 22:18
Fewer Black Firefighters In The Ranks'We are definitely moving backward'By Cynthia DizikesChicago TribuneMarch 12, 2010http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-100312chicago-firefighters,0,3733595.storyMark Townsend joined the Chicago Fire Department in 1988hoping to help pave the way for future blackfirefighters in an agency long plagued by charges ofracism.But as Townsend nears retirement, he faces a troublingfact: Despite years of diversity training and a highlypublicized minority recruitment campaign, the percentage
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 22:17
1. Interview: Venezuela's State TelevisionVenezuela's revolution has often been tied to the slogan"Socialism in the 21st Century." What might that meanconcretely in changes under way in the renationalisedstate telecommunications company, CANTV?Transnational Institute fellow Daniel Chavez has beenpart of a team of international advisers working withVenezuelan researchers and CANTV to review the statetelecommunications company's history and put forwardproposals for converting it into an effective socialistpublic company. [...]
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 22:16
Limbaugh Endorses Socialist ParadiseBy Sara RobinsonCampaign for America's FutureMarch 9, 2010 - 4:41pm EThttp://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010031009/limbaugh-endorses-socialist-paradiseSo Rush Limbaugh has threatened to move to Costa Rica ifhealth care reform passes.As Brian Docksteader wrote, the irony of this is almosttoo rich to believe. Given Rush's well-knownproclivities, you have to wonder: Why Costa Rica? Ifhe's looking for beaches, palm trees, and warm weather,why not head off to Somalia -- that free-market paradise
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 22:15
The Great Prostate MistakeBy RICHARD J. ABLINNew York TimesMarch 9, 2010http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/opinion/10Ablin.htmlEach year some 30 million American men undergo testingfor prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme made by theprostate. Approved by the Food and Drug Administrationin 1994, the P.S.A. test is the most commonly used toolfor detecting prostate cancer.The test's popularity has led to a hugely expensivepublic health disaster. It's an issue I am painfullyfamiliar with - I discovered P.S.A. in 1970. As Congress
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 22:14
The Iranian TsunamiBy Conn HallinanForeign Policy in FocusMarch 12, 2010http://www.fpif.org/articles/the_iranian_tsunamiEarthquakes, like the recent Haitian and Chileanmonsters, are not subtle events: They flatten buildings,crush houses, and turn infrastructures into concrete andsteel confetti. But earthquakes can also generate apower that remains largely unseen, until a huge tsunamirises out of the sea and obliterates a coastline. [...]
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 14:24
REWIND - A Week of Quotes & CartoonsSUNDAYQuote of the DayMarch 7, 2010'As more details surface about how derivatives helpedGreece and perhaps other countries mask their debtloads, let's not forget that the wonders of thesecomplex products aren't on display only overseas.Across our very own country, municipalities, schooldistricts, sewer systems and other tax-exempt debtissuers are ensnared in the derivatives mess. [...]
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 12:22
Job Creation Begins at HomeBy Phaedra Ellis-LamkinsTheRoot.comMarch 10, 2010http://www.theroot.com/views/your-take-job-creation-begins-homeToday the Senate Energy Committee will begin debating aweatherization bill known as Home Star that aims tomake American homes more energy efficient, whilecreating thousands of American jobs in the process.Home Star has the potential to significantly reduceresidential energy consumption, saving consumers almost$10 billion over the next ten years, while cutting
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 12:21
March for California's Future Highlights State ParkClosures at Colonel Allensworth State Historic ParkBy Willie PeloteAmerican Federation of State, Countyand Municipal Employees (AFSCME)California Progress ReportMarch 11, 2010http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=node/7543Participants in a 260-mile trek from Bakersfield toSacramento attended a rally at Colonel AllensworthState Historic Park as part of the "March forCalifornia's Future" to highlight how budget cuts haveforced the closure of state parks throughout
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 12:19
Dispatches from the EdgeDubai: Debacle or Dangerous Prelude?By Conn HallinanAt first glance, the recent assassination of a mid-level Hamas operative in Dubai by the Israeliintelligence organization, Mossad, was a comedy oferrors, as if the Three Stooges has suddenly been putin charge of one of the fabled agency's hit squads:Easily traced passports and credit cards were used;team members put on fake mustaches and beards,sometimes so clumsily they could clearly be identified;and a female agent slipped on a disguising wig, only to
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 12:09
Immigration Reform: An Assessment & a Rewiew(1)Righting the Moral Wrongs of Immigration ReformBy David A. LoveL.A ProgressiveMarch 12, 2010http://www.laprogressive.com/immigration-reform/righting-moral-wrongs-immigration-reform/President Obama has set his sights on immigrationreform, and that's a good thing. The issue has been apolitical lightning rod, with demagogues exploiting theissue of so-called "illegal aliens" for political gain.They conjure up the image of the Mexican worker who
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:51
Lessons from a Revolutionary's Lifetime Crusade forJusticeAlbie Sachs lost an arm and half his eyesight andlived in exile for years, but he never lost hisvision for a just and equitable society in SouthAfrica.By Maria ArmoudianMarch 10, 2010 |http://www.alternet.org/world/145976/lessons_from_a_revolutionary%27s_lifetime_crusade_for_justice?page=entireAs a member of the African National Congress' struggleagainst apartheid, Albie Sachs had his home raided, wasimprisoned without charge, tortured, left in solitary
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:50
Timetable for Health Bill Passage (w/o Public Option) Locks Inposted by JOHN NICHOLS03/12/2010 @ 1:35pmhttp://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/540377/timetable_for_health_bill_passage_w_o_public_option_locks_inThe debate about health care reform is finally gettingserious.How serious?President Obama, who rarely if ever allows anything toget in the way of his international sojourning, isdelaying his trip to Guam.At the same time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, is saying finally -- and presumably
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:49
Israeli Left Emerges from Coma Amid Atrocitiesby Mel FrykbergInter Press ServiceMarch 9, 2010http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50600SHEIKH JARRAH, Occupied East Jerusalem, Mar 9, 2010(IPS) - Amid the wave of violence that swept throughthe occupied Palestinian West Bank, including EastJerusalem, over the last few days, there are signs thatthe Israeli left may be emerging from its collectivecoma. [...]
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:49
What Makes a Transformational Presidency?Dr. Philip NechesMarch 9, 2010http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-philip-neches/power-plays_b_490700.htmlWhat a difference a year makes. The Obamaadministration took office with an outpouring of goodfeelings. Democracy worked. It established a newmilestone on the centuries-long path towards racialjustice. Many Americans who voted for the other guystill felt a sense of pride in what their country couldshow to the world. [...]
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:49
1 Jon Stewart on Eric Massa and Glenn Beck2 Citizens Arrest Insurance Companies3 Raging Grannies Flip Bird At Supreme Court Five4 Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion=====11111Sour GropesJon Stewart concludes that Glenn Beck's interview withRepresentative Eric Massa wasn't a total waste of time-- he got a new sign-off phrase.http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-march-10-2010/sour-gropesMarch 10, 201007:36 [...]
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 23:50
Wars, Genders and the Academy AwardsZillah EisensteinMarch 9, 2010submitted by the author to portsideI started writing this the week running up to the AcademyAward Ceremonies for best picture, best director, beststory, best of whatever. It would be dishonest of me to actas though I am not interested and engaged in all the hypeand beauty of it all. And even though most of the panoramais about fantasy and chimera and glitz, movies matter andspeak and reveal the cultural stories that they tell. So it
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 23:50
Tidbits - March 11, 2010* Frank Lumpkin, 1916 - 2010 (Chicago Tribune obituary andlink to television tribute on WTTW)* Re: Can Democrats get immigration reform right?(David Wilson)* Lift Your Voices Against the Wars on Iraq and Afghanistan!Teaneck, New Jersey - March 19* Re: North Korea In Transition (David Ecklein)* Re: How Sports Attacks Public Education (Chris Lowe)* Re: A Gene for Alzheimer's Makes You Smarter (John) [...]
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 23:50
Obama administration plans to close International LaborComparisons officeBy Alec MacGillisWashington Post - March 3, 2010http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030201568.htmlLike a scorekeeper for the world, a tiny unit within theBureau of Labor Statistics tracks globalization's winnersand losers, and the results are not always pretty for theUnited States. Manufacturing jobs here, for example, havefallen faster since 1979 than in Canada, Germany or Japan.
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 23:48
Finally, a bold legislative response to the jobs crisis1. Finally, a bold legislative response to the jobs crisisEPI News - March 11, 20102. Job market stuck on "pause" by Heidi Shierholz==========EPI News - March 11, 2010Economic Policy Institutehttp://www.epi-data.org/epinews/epinews20100311.htmlEPI applauds the new Local Jobs for America Act by U.S.Representative George Miller (D., Calif.), a bold jobcreation policy that incorporates some of therecommendations of EPI's economists and policy analysts. [...]
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 23:48
Congress Votes for Afghan War with 65 AgainstCongress Votes for Afghan Warby Tom HaydenThe Nation.com - March 11, 2010http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100322/hayden2A plain reading of yesterday's vote on the Kucinich warpowers resolution is that an overwhelming majority of theHouse has authorized the Afghanistan war, including amajority of Democrats. The war now has greater legitimacy.The vote was 356-65-9. [...]
In these short videos, May First/People Link Co-Director Alfredo Lopez discusses some of the issues our organization has been grappling with and talking about: issues that we believe are of critical importance to both the Internet and the Progressive movement. Each of Alfredo's presentations is about 15 minutes long, using Flash format. Feel free to comment.
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