Letters - March 8, 2008
Don’t cut afterschool programs Sad news Cuban Five discussed with Vatican Don’t steal the election Lessons from India’s communists ‘Plan Colombia’ Puzzler solver Author seeks information
True costs of war
Just in time for the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a new book by economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes attempts to project the real cost of the war. “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict” was published Feb. 29.
Privatization of trash-hauling enrages residents
UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – The city council here had planned a quick union-busting decision to privatize waste collection, a sweet-heart deal with non-union Texas-based Inland Waste Service. They figured to give the swift boot to the Teamsters Local 284 workers who’d done that work in UA for over 50 years.
Okinawa rape provokes fury at role of U.S. base
What would happen if there was a highly organized group of people in a U.S. state that was responsible for more than 100 crimes per year on average? What if a member of that group was likely responsible for the rape of a 14-year-old junior high school girl? What if another member was responsible for another rape only a few weeks later?
Kenyan leaders sign power-sharing agreement
Facing the prospect of a new round of mass protests, the Kenyan regime headed by Mwai Kibaki agreed to a power-sharing arrangement last week negotiated by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Worldnotes - March 8, 2008
Cuba: Vatican reaffirms ties United Nations: Food scarcity looms Iraq: Public health declines Vietnam: Agent Orange victims shortchanged Colombia: FARC releases hostages Nigeria: China pledges economic help
Calls grow for Israel-Hamas truce
Calls are mounting for an end to the Israeli bombardment and lockdown of Gaza and for Israel-Hamas talks to end their armed confrontation. Egypt and other countries were reported to be working behind the scenes for an agreement that would end the violence and also provide some immediate relief for the besieged people of Gaza by reopening its border with Egypt.
Labor leaders slam politicians who ignore the real problem with NAFTA
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — As trade issues took center stage in the Democratic primaries March 4, the AFL-CIO Executive Council, meeting here, criticized politicians and the media for handling the trade problem as a “separate and secondary issue that can be treated with small tweaks in trade policy or worker displacement programs.”
Self-righteous Vegetarians?
There has never been a better time to go vegetarian. Mounting evidence suggests that meat-based diets are not only unhealthy, but that just about every aspect of meat production—from grazing-related loss of cropland, to the inefficiencies of feeding vast quantities of water and grain to cattle, to pollution from “factory farms”—is an environmental disaster.
True costs of war
Just in time for the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a new book by economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes attempts to project the real cost of the war. “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict” was published Feb. 29.
