Hunting lame ducks in South Africa
Has South Africa’s fledgling democracy entered its own version of a lame-duck season? With Thabo Mbeki constitutionally unable to stand for a third term as South Africa’s head of state and the presidential season just over a year away, some pundits have begun speculating that the leading figure in South African politics for the past decade is a spent force.
EDITORIAL: A step forward
A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the Social Security Administration from sending revised “no-match” letters to 140,000 employers, potentially covering the records of approximately 8 million workers. Many feared the letters would create massive economic disruption and injustice.
EDITORIAL: Are we safer now?
On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy, as ceremonies are planned to commemorate nearly 3,000 lives lost in the terrorist attacks that day, a question looms in the minds of many Americans: Has the Bush administration’s response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon made the world a safer place?
Healthy living tips for activists
A critical issue that receives no attention from researchers and very little attention in progressive circles is the health status and health outcomes of progressive activists and organizers. This column will explore a few critical healthy lifestyle points that everyone in the progressive community should strive to follow.
Stem cell battle has big implications
Missouri continues to be a major battleground between proponents of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research and anti-abortion groups.
Bush pays surprise visit to reality
President George W. Bush departed from his planned itinerary on Labor Day to make a surprise visit to reality, later calling the two-hour stop in the real world “informative.”
Homecare workers win major gains
SALEM, Ore. — Hardworking and tenacious homecare workers represented by Service Employees Local 503, Oregon Public Employees Union, have won significant improvements to wages, benefits and working conditions. They settled their 2007-2009 contract Aug. 30 after two days of mediation.
THIS WEEK IN LABOR: Sept. 8
American workers most productive and most exploited Unions endorse for president Labor’s watchdog needs watching UAW members authorize strike
WORLD NOTES: Sept. 8
Chile: General strike triggers police repression Japan: Peace activists pressure U.S. military Iraq: Millions displaced, needs unmet Spain: Biofuel production means high prices, food shortages Nigeria: New president discards national oil company
Neo-Nazis in Germany, or dj vu?
BERLIN — An argument at a summer fair in the small town of Muegeln, between Leipzig and Dresden, ended with a mob of 50 drunken young men chasing eight men from India, longtime Muegeln residents, across the town square. The drunken men were wielding knives and other weapons and shouting, “Foreigners get out!”
