contributions

Americans accused of brutal ’punishment’ tactics against villagers
By Patrick Cockburn
The Independent (UK)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=452375
Dhuluaya, Iraq — US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops. (…)

Years of solitude The acclaimed autobiography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez provides a riveting insight into the life and loves of one of the world’s greatest writers. In this second set of extracts he recalls scraping a living as a lonely young journalist on El Heraldo, losing his virginity in a brothel and living with the consequences of his father’s serial philandering
Monday October 13, 2003 The Guardian
That night Alfonso told me he had spoken (…)

The Progressive
How Bush Prefers Chemical Companies to National Security
Open to Attack Bush gives in to chemical companies, leaving the nation vulnerable.
by Anne-Marie Cusac The Progressive November 2003 Issue
Since September 11, 2001, the nation has been on alert about the vulnerability of chemical facilities. And while the Bush Administration claims that homeland security is a priority, time after time, it has opted to do nothing dramatic to improve the security of U.S. chemical (…)

Dear all
this is a very important discussion and I hope that we can find the time to keep it going on the list before we meet again in November.
After the Bobigny assembly I found myself amazed once more at our decision making methods. Once again we left an issue of utmost importance to the last bleeding minute when all where exhausted and we had to leave the place we were at. We must find a way to avoid these situations.
I agree fully that consensus is important. At the same time, (…)

By Moti Bassok, Haim Bior and Ruth Sinai
Leaders of the opposing camps in the ongoing public sector and port strike turned up the rhetoric yesterday, as the Knesset prepared for today’s special recess meeting, where lawmakers will be asked to approve the first reading of a government-backed bill aimed at turning Israel’s three seaports into independent government corporations.
According to the proposed legislation, the government would be entitled to close down any of the ports - (…)

Until Hamas is drawn into a political role there can be no peace
Martin Woollacott Friday October 10, 2003 The Guardian
Not long after Bush’s big speech last summer, in which he called for two states, Israeli and Palestinian, living side by side in peace, important negotiations began. There were the talks between the US, the EU, Russia, and the UN which produced the "road map" for progress towards a final settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. But there were also more clandestine (…)

Waves of Protests by the Poor Keep a Divided Bolivia on Edge
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Fueled by poverty and Indian discontent, demonstrations have been turning violent. Many fear the unrest may lead to a civil war.
By Andrés D’Alessandro and Héctor Tobar Times Staff Writers
Los Angeles Times
October 7, 2003
EL ALTO, Bolivia - Parts of this impoverished, teeming community on the outskirts of La Paz are a kind of liberated territory, patrolled by men in helmets (…)

Poverty No Concern Of Deputies
Tatyana Skorobogatko
The Poor Left Out in the Cold
But why bother to combat poverty at all? The August report of the State Statistics Committee shows that in this years second quarter alone, four million Russians contrived to leave the below-the-poverty-line group without any help from the government. In early 2003, there were 37.2 million destitute people in that category; in the second quarter, 33.2 million. If this trend keeps up at the same pace over (…)

Putin: Why Not Price Oil in Euros?
By Catherine Belton
Staff Writer
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday Russia could switch its trade in oil from dollars to euros, a move that could have far-reaching repercussions for the global balance of power — potentially hurting the U.S. dollar and economy and providing a massive boost to the euro zone.
"We do not rule out that it is possible. That would be interesting for our European partners," Putin said at a joint news conference with (…)

Why do Americans still believe in the rags-to-riches fairy tale? In this final extract from his explosive new book, Michael Moore explains why the corporate bosses will never let the American dream become a reality
Michael Moore Tuesday October 7, 2003 The Guardian
Perhaps the biggest success in the war on terror has been its ability to distract the nation from the corporate war on us. In the two years since the attacks of 9/11, American businesses have been on a punch-drunk rampage that (…)