Nov 05 2009
A Woman Among Warlords – Malalai Joya Speaks Out
Born just three days before the Soviet invasion and occupation of her country, Malalai Joya is in many ways typical of Afghans aged 30 years or younger. They are a generation that has known only war. But in many ways Malalai Joya is an extraordinary person, as her political memoir reveals, risking her life in ways that few would, to break the silence on …
Born just three days before the Soviet invasion and occupation of her country, Malalai Joya is in many ways typical of Afghans aged 30 years or younger. They are a generation that has known only war. But in many ways Malalai Joya is an extraordinary person, as her political memoir reveals, risking her life in ways that few would, to break the silence on …
Is there life after Democracy? That’s the provocative question that Arundhati Roy, India’s leading social critic starts her new book with. India, the world’s largest democracy is plagued with many of the same problems facing other democracies: state violence, religious fundamentalism, free market reforms that make the rich richer and the poor poorer, militarization, and so on. In her …
A new survey released on Monday by the Consumers Union advocacy group found measurable levels of the chemical Bisphenol A in a number of name-brand foods. Published in the December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, the study revealed that BPA, as the chemical is also known, was traced in almost all of nineteen canned foods tested. Used for years …
Those are some of the local voices protesting the passage of Proposition 8 one year ago today. Prop 8 amended Article 1 of the California Constitution which reads “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” The measure overturned the California Supreme Court’s historic ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. In the days following …
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be formally announcing his choice of LAPD chief this morning. The three finalists who made it to the last round of interviews included the LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, and Deputy Chief Michel Moore. This morning’s LA Times blog reported just minutes ago that the Mayor has tapped Deputy police …
A popular theme at conservative tea parties and rallies this year has been the libertarian writer Ayn Rand. Placards reading “Where is John Galt,” “Ayn Rand was Right,” and “Atlas Shrugs,” invoke the philosophy of a woman whose books published half a century ago, are selling more strongly than ever during this recession. Alisa Rosenbaum was born during …
The parents of the 15 year-old victim allegedly gang raped outside a high school Homecoming dance in Richmond, California spoke out this past weekend. Pastor Jim Wheeler of the First Presbyterian Church of Richmond read their prepared statement by on Saturday that encouraged those enraged by the incident to “work toward changing the atmosphere in our schools and in …
