AltWeeklies Wire
Thabo Mbeki's Spectacular Fall from Gracenew
It was widely believed of South Africa's outgoing president, Thabo Mbeki, that the only time he wasn't plotting was when he was asleep. More than his bizarre views on AIDS or even his failure to do much for South Africa's poor, it was that reputation as an inveterate plotter that finally brought him down.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-24-2008 |
International
Louisiana Residents Once Again Face the Shock of Recoverynew
When it comes to rebounding from hurricanes, Louisiana's residents have been there before. But that doesn't mean it's getting any easier.
A Trip to Where Land Sinks into the Seanew
A trip to the land of the United Houma Nation after Hurricanes Gustava and Ike in Louisiana sheds light on a Native American people and a culture on the brink.
Facing Foreclosure? Con Man Paul Noe II Has a Deal for Younew
A few months ago, Dustanto Lopez got a phone call from someone offering him a tempting, if screwy, deal with a company called United First, Inc. that would supposedly help postpone foreclosure proceedings. What Lopez didn't know was that the president, secretary, treasurer, and director of that recently registered Nevada shell company was a con man.
What Will Lehman Brothers' Bankruptcy Mean for Two Long-Stalled Bay Area Developments?new
In the wake of the collapse of its biggest backer, the investment bank Lehman Brothers, SunCal's spotlight at the center of the current crisis has some Alameda officials worried that yet another developer might have to walk away from the massive Alameda Point project.
East Bay Express |
Rin Kelly |
09-24-2008 |
Housing & Development
Tres Strikes for Sen. Gordon Smithnew
How an undocumented immigrant worked at Smith Frozen Foods for nearly a decade.
Willamette Week |
Beth Slovic |
09-24-2008 |
Immigration
Comrade Bush Nationalizes the Banksnew
The panicky flight from free-market orthodoxy in the United States is bound to fuel a revival of government intervention and welfare-state policies in the rest of the world. In the United States itself, however, they are likely to hang the wrong culprit in the end.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-24-2008 |
Economy
Yoko Ono is Still Only Trying to Get Us Some Peacenew
Yoko Ono loves you. But that's only one of the messages the avant-guarde artist and widow of Beatle John Lennon is sending through her latest work, "Wish Tree for Pasadena." Now more than ever, it's time to give peace a chance.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joe Piasecki |
09-23-2008 |
War
Glendale Stewart Lives Way Off the Grid in Detroitnew
Six years ago, Stewart took a look at the world around him and decided to drop out of it. He quit working, bought an empty plot of land at a city auction, parked an old trailer on it, built a wood privacy fence around it and made it his home.
Metro Times |
Detroitblogger John |
09-23-2008 |
Housing & Development
We Don't Like Ikenew
We run down the greatest hits of the hurricane that keeps on giving.
Houston Press |
Staff |
09-23-2008 |
Disasters
Language Barriers at Texas' Child Protective Servicesnew
For the first year, Baby Raymond lived happily with his family. Then the agency took him away and even though his Chinese-American family fought to get him back, they couldn't find the right words.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
09-23-2008 |
Children & Families
Thanks to No Child Left Behind, Military Recruiters Swoop into Schoolsnew
NCLB forces high schools that receive federal funding to provide upperclassmen's contact information to the Armed Forces -- unless a parent specifically has opted out. The law also requires that military recruiters be given the same access to public schools afforded to college recruiters and potential employers. In response, some school districts limited the access of all recruiters to high schools, but others rolled out the camouflage carpet.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
09-23-2008 |
War
Save People, Not Bankers
Bailouts go to bankers. Why not help homeowners facing foreclosure instead?
How McCain's Economic Advisor, and Bill Clinton's, Screwed the Economynew
What we're experiencing is not just one of those occasional stock market swoons or interest-rate tangos. What's going on now is a calamity of the sort not seen since the dark days of 1929.
Eating Disorders Kill. Just Ask Featherweight Inc.'s Debbie Begenynew
Featherweight, Inc. was established to promote a healthy body image and educate the public about eating disorders. Founded by Debbie Begeny, an energetic woman who lost her only child Heather Begeny in 2003 to anorexia, the organization has worked in schools to inform parents, teachers and students about eating disorders. They also help with out-of-pocket expenses that one's insurance may not cover, paying for prescriptions and therapy.
