Confronting rising medical school debt
On Sept. 21 a daylong conference on Capitol Hill discussed the crisis in skyrocketing medical school tuition, high medical student debt and the implications for our nation’s health care.
Detroit rallies for HR 676
DEARBORN, Mich. — Several hundred Detroit area residents gathered here Oct. 17 to speak out on the health care crisis in the U.S. and to demand a national solution.
This week in labor
Philly transit sets strike; EFCA gains support; Low jobless benefits in Gulf; Wal-Mart week of action; Calif. firefighters burning up; NEA on student loan cuts; GM runs over autoworker health care
World Notes
Angola: Refugees return home; China: Retirement rules called unfair to women; Britain: Mothers to camp out at Blair’s place; Pakistan: 1 million jobs lost in quake; Haiti: UN official calls rights ‘catastrophic’
Canada turns blind eye to torture, report charges
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada is deporting persons to countries where they risk being cruelly treated and tortured, Amnesty International (AI) said in a report released Oct. 13.
Israels continuing occupation of Gaza
The Israeli occupation of Gaza Strip didn’t end — it merely changed its form. With the completion of the Israeli army withdrawal from Gaza Strip and the eviction of the settlers, the occupation has seemingly ended. And indeed, if by “occupation” we mean a direct military presence, then sure enough, Gaza Strip is no longer occupied by Israel. But is this truly the situation?
Texans oppose anti-gay amendment
HOUSTON — In a dramatic protest here against the discriminatory Texas Marriage Amendment on the ballot Nov. 8, 100 activists donned “tragedy masks” and black clothing, and carried signs spotlighting some of the many federal protections afforded to married couples that are denied to same-sex and common-law couples and their families.
DeLay booked in Houston
HOUSTON — Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land) turned himself in to the Harris County sheriff’s department here Oct. 20 to face money laundering and conspiracy charges. The charges stem from allegations that he illegally used corporate funds in the 2002 state elections.
Campaign launched to honor Benjamin Davis
NEW YORK — Benjamin Davis, the Communist city councilor from Harlem who was removed from the council and imprisoned during the McCarthy period, was finally honored nearly 60 years later at an overflow meeting in Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Oct. 16. It was the kickoff of a campaign to rehabilitate his name.
National Clips
CHARLESTON, W.Va.: Homecoming queen wore cleats; DALLAS: Miers cashed in on highway land deal; MIDDLETOWN, Pa.: Stop federal budget cuts, protesters demand; HAMILTON, Ohio: GOP legislator slimes undocumented workers; BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: Conyers calls for universal health care
