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
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. [...]
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
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
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. [...]
By David Swanson
Let me get this straight. The Senate will pass a public option if the House will. And the House will, because it already did. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t allow it. So the mortal enemy of public-option backers is . . . Dennis Kucinich.
Why? Because when Congressman Kucinich said he'd stand for a public option he stupidly thought he was supposed to mean it.
Let's review a brief history of the disease known as "health insurance reform."
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By David Swanson
As long as we're going to dump most of our money into wars and the military and Wall Street and health insurance bailouts, students are going to have to go into debt to afford college. But it would cost the students less and the government less, if private companies were not permitted to act as middlemen profiting off public loans to students.
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We hope to see you at the Left Forum! Held at Pace University in New
York next weekend April 19 - 21, 2010.
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. [...]
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
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
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
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
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
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
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. [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
This week on CounterSpin: A new law in Utah says some women who miscarry should go to jail. You may have seen some coverage, but are journalists asking the right questions about the law's implications, and is there a bigger story here that's being missed? We'll hear from Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
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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