[img_assist|fid=44|thumb=1|alt=guantanamo] 13 September 2005, AP (via Al-Jazzera)

Nearly 40 more detainees have joined a hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for terrorist suspects, bringing the total to 128. Eighteen prisoners have been hospitalised, including 13 who are being tube fed, said spokesman for the detention centre Captain John Adams on Tuesday.

Alberta will examine the possibility of having private insurance compete with the public health-care system for all medical treatments, Health Minister Iris Evans told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. "I'm not trying to be an anarchist, I'm just saying that while we're doing this actuarial review, isn't it responsible to look at all the options that are available?''

Solid Waste & Recycling magazine | 12th September 2005

Overlooked in many news reports about the unfolding storm disaster in the southern United States, especially in the City of New Orleans, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, is a potentially dramatic pollution issue related to a toxic landfill that sits under the flood waters right in the city's downtown, according to map overlays of the flooded area. The situation could exacerbate the already dire threat to human health and the
environment from the flood waters.

by Scott Weinstein | September 14, 2005

Take the huge disaster we saw in the planning and rescue for Hurricane Kristina and imagine an alternative scenario where progressives, firefighters and nurses were in power. While the natural disaster might not have been avoided, the humanitarian disaster could have been completely prevented.

By Rupert Cornwell | The New Zealand Herald | September 13, 2005

Washington - The Pentagon has drawn up a new strategy, built on the 2002 "Bush doctrine" of pre-emptive military strikes, that would allow the US to make first use of nuclear weapons to thwart an a WMD attack against the country.

According to the Washington Post, one possibility is an enemy that is using, or "is about to use" weapons of mass destruction against US military forces or civilian population.

The Bush Administration has relied heavily on the private sector to pick up what should be a government priority, this mess can be directly attributed to the fact that under the Bush regime they privatized FEMA! And one of the worst examples of the privatization of FEMA is the the fact that they contracted out corpse removal, but failed to sign the contract so corpses which were to be removed and disposed of weren't. And the company they have signed with is from George II home state of Texas, and is under investigation for descerating corpses. Yep privatization is so much more efficient than public services.

When one thinks of Hip Hop it is hard not too imagine the corporate images that have inundated our televisions and airwaves. Hip Hop culture has become commodified, a money making machine, within the music industries's smoky parade of sex, power and money. The roots   of Hip Hop and its social value as a political force are often lost because of these assumptions and stereotypes. We aim to break these notions by showcasing global works that encourage and exalt positive and inclusive Hip Hop culture.The VIHF celebrates all elements of the global Hip Hop community; Dance, Music, the Visual Arts, and Scholarship.

Video from the dynamic reaction by anarchists against the harsh greek government's policies, especially in relation to the economy, employment and suppression of personal rights and liberties.

...Remember Neil Bush, and how he was implicated in the Savings and Loan (S&L) scandals, where innocent Americans' bank accounts were emptied out by tycoon investors, and the Feds just looked the other way? Or how about George Bush Sr.'s little "October Surprise?" That was the first time we saw the Bush family implicated in an illegally rigged election. And how about that farce of an election we saw GWBush rigging, with brother Jeb, and daddy Bush's old friend Rehnquist handing Little Georgie the reins? Remember the Iran-Contra affair? George Sr. was right in the thick of it. And remember, George Sr. was also the DIRECTOR of the C.I.A. before rigging his vice-presidency by seemingly making deals with Iranians to hold the American hostages longer than needed, so they could be released at the exact HOUR of the Reagan/Bush inauguration. And do not get me started on the Weapons of Mass Destruction or the heartless massacre of Americans on American soil, over money, class, and race, that happened after Hurricane Katrina....

Ray Fulcher | Green Left Weekly | September 14, 2005

PM John Howard announced on September 8 an "unusual but necessary" increase in the state's repressive armament, supposedly to fight the "war on terror".

Taking his cue from British PM Tony Blair following the terrorist bombings in London, Howard is seizing the opportunity to introduce draconian new "anti-terror" laws, adding to a plethora of existing "anti-terror" legislation. The new laws will, according to many commentators, move Australia decisively towards becoming a police state.

And the Four Day Week.

While surfing I came across this interesting site on an alternative to downsizing workers, downsizing the work day.

Not a new idea but one that resurfaces when whenever capitalism adopts new technology to reduce labour costs. As Dr. Marx pointed out the class struggle is all about reducing the work day.

By COLIN FREEZE AND KAREN HOWLETT | Globe and Mail | September 12, 2005

Toronto -- Seeking to end months of debate, Premier Dalton McGuinty now says "there will be no sharia law in Ontario" -- an announcement that should quell a growing public-relations crisis concerning the use of Islamic law, but which also exposes Queen's Park to attacks from other religions.

Yep another two Grizzly's are slaughtered by their tradtional enemy, humans.

Callously, without regard for where they are the vehiclular murder of these two defenseless cubs shows that the National Parks are less about protecting wilderness and more about profit. In this case the traffic on the Trans Canada is heavy and fast enough that animals are at risk in an area that is technically their refuge.

Read the whole article at:

http://redbetweenthelines.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=735621

Mr. Dodge said that demographic shift threatens to push the world economy into stagnation for years, as consumer spending sags, dragging down growth and pushing up unemployment. "There really is a risk of a prolonged deficiency in global demand as we look out over the next couple of decades," he said, speaking to the Spruce Meadows roundtable conference in Calgary. A higher rate of savings might seem to be an unalloyed virtue, but for economists too much thrift is a bad thing, if it eats into demand too much.

Editorial | NY Daily News | Sept 10, 2005

Announcing the removal yesterday of FEMA chief Michael Brown from direct involvement in Hurricane Katrina relief operations, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said: "Michael Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge."

Now, there's a quote that's open to interpretation. It's like saying, "SpongeBob SquarePants did everything he possibly could to master quantum physics." He just failed miserably, not having the remotest ability to deal with the matter at hand.