En la Red - In the Net ...

Las bodas de la semejanza. Las actitudes del cristianismo hacia los homosexuales no han sido siempre la historia terrorífica de hostilidad y persecuciones implacables – por José María Pérez Gay /II. La Jornada, 27 de febrero de 2010,. - En Cristianismo, tolerancia social y homosexualidad (1993), el historiador John Boswell ha documentado –con la ayuda de fuentes hasta ahora desconocidas– algo hoy sorprendente: la historia de las actitudes del cristianismo hacia los homosexuales no ha sido siempre la historia terrorífica de hostilidad y persecuciones implacables

Nueva crisis en el Vaticano - Bernardo Barranco V., La Jornada, 17 de febrero, 2010 - El Papa no sólo está preocupado por recuperar la confianza y la credibilidad de la Iglesia en Irlanda. Benedicto XVI también está inquieto por el rumbo que ha tomado su desencuentro con Berlusconi. Para decirlo con una expresión: el Vaticano se ha covertido en un infierno.
Condena el Papa el crimen atroz de curas pederastas. / Pide afrontar con honestidad el problema en Irlanda, donde se documentaron miles de casos - La Jornada, 17 de febrero, 2010 - Ciudad del Vaticano, 16 de febrero. El Papa condenó hoy la pederastia por ser un “crimen atroz“, un pecado grave que ofende a Dios y una herida a la dignidad de la persona humana, tras analizar la crisis que golpea a la Iglesia en Irlanda por abusos sexuales del clero.
Hijos de Marcial Maciel lo acusan de abuso sexual - En entrevista con Carmen Aristegui, Blanca Estela Lara Gutiérrez y sus vástagos Omar, José Raúl y Christian platican cómo fueron víctimas del sacerdote, cuando niños, durante ocho años. Exigen al Vaticano resarcir del daño a todas las víctimas de los legionarios de Cristo.

Admite SCJN recursos de Morelos y Guanajuato contra matrimonios gays. El ministro Sergio Valls decidirá si se declaran o no improcedentes los juicios de controversia. Alfredo Méndez , La Jornada, 17/02/2010 1- México, DF. La Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación admitió a trámite dos juicios de controversias constitucionales que promovieron los gobiernos de Morelos y Guanajuato contra las reformas aprobadas en el Distrito Federal que permiten las bodas entre personas del mismo sexo. La primera fue firmada por el propio gobernador, Marco Antonio Adame.

Desastres naturales son por la violencia y bodas gays: Martín Rábago. El arzobispo de León dijo que ante la inseguridad y el sufrimiento de tantas personas es de preguntarse: ¿no nos estará hablando el señor? - Carlos García, 28/02/2010 - León, Gto. Los terremotos y desastres naturales que han cobrado la vida de cientos de personas puede ser un signo divino ante la violencia y las leyes que permiten la unión legal entre personas del mismo sexo, consideró el arzobispo de León, José Guadalupe Martín Rábago.

MEXICO: En el Registro Civil, nuevos formatos de actas, para bodas homosexuales. A la fórmula tradicional de él y ella se suman las de él y él y ella y ella. A partir de las 8 horas de hoy podrán hacerse los trámites, informa la consejera jurídica
MEXICO: ¿Quién controla a las fuerzas armadas? - Gilberto López y Rivas, La Jornada, 19 de febebro 20109 -En noviembre de 1998 se efectuó en el Congreso de la Unión el primer foro en torno de las fuerzas armadas mexicanas, en un país donde lo militar era y sigue siendo tema tabú de la política nacional. Ilusamente se consideraba posible hacer reformas sustanciales en esta materia, tanto constitucionales como legales, en el contexto de una transición democrática del Estado y la sociedad del México contemporáneo.

Jóvenes, educados y desempleados - Jean Maninat - Hace algunos años era común increpar a los jóvenes con un sal a la calle y encuentra un trabajo. Ahora esa exhortación no sirve para nada, pues hay 7 millones de personas de entre 15 y 24 años, que, por más que lo intentan, no logran ocuparse en los mercados laborales de América Latina, y se ven obligados a pasar los días sin oficio alguno.

Liberan a activista de la APPO acusado de matar a Brad Will - Es una prueba de mi inocencia, dijo Juan Manuel Martínez, tras haber permanecido 15 meses preso.- Notimex , 18/02/2010 - Oaxaca, Oax. Luego de 15 meses de permanecer preso y bajo proceso por su presunta responsabilidad en el homicidio del camarógrafo estadunidense Brad Will, esta mañana quedó en libertad Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno, al no haber elementos para procesarlo.

CUBA: Muere disidente cubano tras prolongado ayuno- Gerardo Arreola, corresponsal, La Jornada, 24 de febrero de 2010, - La Habana, 23 de febrero. El opositor Orlando Zapata Tamayo, que había sido adoptado por Amnistía Internacional como prisionero de conciencia y según fuentes disidentes había mantenido una prolongada huelga de hambre en varias cárceles cubanas, murió hoy en un hospital de esta ciudad a los 42 años de edad.

JUAREZ

Parálisis y deterioro – por Víctor M. Quintana S., La Jornada, 5 demarzo de 2010- No bastó la sangre de los jóvenes. A un mes de la masacre en Villas de Salvárcar, en Juárez, la respuesta gubernamental y la situación de seguridad en Chihuahua se resumen en dos palabras: parálisis y deterioro.

Otro tiroteo contra estudiantes en Chihuahua; un muerto y 7 heridos. La delincuencia organizada provoca otros 20 decesos en la entidad, nueve de ellos en Juárez. Detienen en esa ciudad a 10 integrantes de una banda de plagiarios; cuatro, menores de edad - Miroslava Breach y Rubén Villalpando, La Jornada, 28 de febrero de 2010 - Chihuahua, Chih., 27 de febrero. Pistoleros que tripulaban dos camionetas mataron a un joven e hirieron a siete el viernes alrededor de las 22:15 horas, cuando dispararon contra estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, el Instituto Tecnológico y el Colegio de Bachilleres del estado, quienes festejaban en una casa de la colonia Cumbres del Sur, de esta capital.

Sin un estado de derecho Juárez: Napolitano. “Han habido éxitos significativos en años pasados, (pero) hay trabajo significativo que queda por hacer", sostuvo la secretaria de Seguridad Interna de EU.- Notimex , 24/02/2010 - Washington. La secretaria de Seguridad Interna de Estados Unidos, Janet Napolitano, aseguró este miércoles que “no existe el Estado de derecho” en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, por lo que la violencia en la frontera con México "es un asunto de seguridad nacional".

Anulado, el imperio de la ley en Juárez, afirma Janet Napolitano - David Brooks, La Jornada, 25 de febrero de 2010, - Nueva York, 24 de febrero. La secretaria de Seguridad Interna, Janet Napolitano, declaró hoy que en Ciudad Juárez se ha perdido el imperio de la ley y que los cárteles mexicanos tienen presencia en comunidades a lo largo de Estados Unidos, por tanto, Washington necesita continuar un esfuerzo sostenido contra los grupos criminales del país vecino.

Con Casa Blanca, sólo intercambio de información: SG , Ningún funcionario de otro país realiza acciones reservadas por las leyes a las autoridades mexicanas, aseguró la dependencia.- La Jornada en línea , 24/02/2010 - México, DF. La Secretaría de Gobernación (SG) negó este miércoles que funcionarios de otras naciones lleven a cabo en nuestro país acciones reservadas por las leyes a las autoridades mexicanas, y “mucho menos se encuentran incrustados en unidades operativas mexicanas ni se contempla en el futuro esta figura en las acciones del gobierno de México”.

Insiste Calderón en fortalecer tejido social contra el crimen - En Ciudad Juárez, el jefe del Ejecutivo aseveró que la única manera de vencer a la delincuencia es contar con una sociedad “fuerte y participativa”, que exija, denuncie y supervise a las autoridades.- La Jornada en línea , 17/02/2010 - México, DF. En su segunda visita en menos de una semana a Ciudad Juárez, el presidente Felipe Calderón reiteró que no puede haber éxito en la solución de una problemática social compleja sin la participación ciudadana, y sostuvo que lo que hace funcionar a los gobiernos es la ciudadanía.

Impiden acceso a gente “incómoda” a reunión juarense de seguridad. Defensoras de derechos humanos como Cipriana Jurado, así como el diputado del PRD, Victor Quintana, no tuvieron acceso al recinto. La Jornada , Rubén Villalpando, corresponsal, y Claudia Herrera, enviada, 17/02/2010- Ciudad Juárez, Chih. Para evitar sorpresas como la de la anterior visita cuando se logró colar al sitio donde estaba el presidente Felipe Calderón la señora Luz María Dávila que lo cuestionó, en esta ocasión se amplió el filtro de seguridad en el hotel Camino Real donde fue la reunión del mandatario con sectores de la sociedad juarense y no permitieron ingresar a gente incómoda y defensores de los derechos humanos como Cipriana Jurado, ni tampoco al diputado del PRD Víctor Quintana, quien tenía proyectado entregar una carta con 10 propuestas para combatir la inseguridad pública que incluye un mando civil del Operativo Chihuahua.

Sicarios de Juárez matan por $1,500 a la semana más drogas. Sus ingresos eran casi 300% superiores a los de un trabajador de maquiladora. Militares los capturaron cuando discutían en un bar por fracasar en una ejecución. Ambos fueron migrantes - Ciudad Juárez, Chih., 22 de febrero. Dos presuntos pistoleros de La Línea, brazo operativo del cártel de Juárez, dijeron haber perpetrado 15 asesinatos y que recibían sueldos semanales de mil 300 y mil 500 pesos, respectivamente –las maquiladoras ofrecen salarios de 500 a 600 pesos a la semana–, así como estupefacientes para consumo personal.

Juárez, Freud y los hijos de puta - por Carlos Fazio, La Jornada - Cuando el 11 de febrero, Luz María Dávila, madre de dos jóvenes ejecutados por un comando paramilitar en el fraccionamiento Villas de Salvárcar, Ciudad Juárez, increpó de manera personal a Felipe Calderón, lo llamó mentiroso por haber afirmado que sus hijos y otros 13 muchachos víctimas de la matanza eran pandilleros.

CIENCIA Y CULTURA

Tras el enamoramiento, la relación depende de ciertos neurotransmisores. La producción de esas sustancias químicas determina el temperamento, señalan expertas - A mayor dopamina, la persona es más inquieta, aventurera; si es más la serotonina, más tradicional; en caso de la testosterona es directora, y si hay más estrógenos, negociadora, explican investigadoras de la UNAM

ENGLISH

Domestic Violence: A Pre-Existing Condition? - Posted on Mar2, 2010' By Amy Goodman March is Women’s History Month, recognizing women’s central role in society. Unfortunately, violence against women is epidemic in the United States and around the world.

Utah Abortion Bill Could Punish Women for Miscarriages, Domestic Violence * Utah lawmakers have approved a measure that would allow women to be charged with murder if they commit an "intentional, knowing or reckless act" that causes a miscarriage. Critics fear the measure could target women for all kinds of actions, including staying with an abusive partner.
Listen/Watch/Read: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/3/pregnant_women_utah

Utah Criminalizing Miscarriage- By Alicia PhD February 23, 2010 - I am speechless. On the surface, there are legitimate reasons for deterring women from obtaining pregnancy-ending services from non-physicians, though criminalization is harsh. But Utah is waiting for the Governor's signature on a bill that would make any miscarriage a potential murder case.

Utah Bill Would Criminalize Illegal Abortions - By KIRK JOHNSON, NYT, February 28, 2010 - DENVER — The origins of Utah State House Bill 12 lie in an act of dark and desperate violence. Last May in a small town in eastern Utah, a 17-year-old girl, seven months pregnant, paid a man she had just met $150 to beat her up in hopes of inducing a miscarriage that would resolve her crisis. He obliged, taking her to a basement and kicking her repeatedly in the stomach.

A Pro-Life Death Sentence – by Michelle Goldberg | February 25, 2010 | The case of a pregnant Nicaraguan woman who has been denied treatment for cancer is yet another instance of how women's health is disregarded by anti-abortion advocates. In the Nicaraguan city of Leon, a 27-year-old, known only as Amalia, is being denied treatment for cancer because she's 10 weeks pregnant and chemotherapy would harm her fetus.

Abortion tweets met with death threats. A woman who took to Twitter while terminating her pregnancy is made to fear for her life - Tracy Clark-Flory, Mar. 03, 2010 | The hatred and hypocrisy within the anti-choice community never ceases to amaze. Remember Angie Jackson, the woman who live-tweeted her abortion? She says death threats are being made against her as well as her 4-year-old son. In a recent YouTube video, Jackson explains that she's so spooked she has cops patrolling her house every hour and is in frequent contact with the FBI. Think she's overreacting? Two words: George Tiller.

Is Kenya About to Trample Female Reproductive Rights?- By Gillian Kane, AlterNet, Posted on February 16, 2010 - If western media is your sole news source, you’re likely to view the African women’s rights struggle as a one issue affair: female genital mutilation. But the battle over reproductive rights in Africa is just as fraught -- enmeshed in issues far thornier than the question of Super Bowl TV ads that has lately transfixed Americans on both sides of the abortion debate.

To Court Blacks, Foes of Abortion Make Racial Case - By SHAILA DEWAN, NYT, February 26, 2010-ATLANTA — For years the largely white staff of Georgia Right to Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group, tried to tackle the disproportionately high number of black women who undergo abortions. But, staff members said, they found it difficult to make inroads with black audiences.

Billboards Link Abortion to Racial Genocide – by Nikki Stern, for Open Salon - A series of billboards in Georgia are linking abortion with supposed "efforts" by various groups to reduce or limit the size of the black population. The ads first surfaced at the beginning of February, in time for Black History Month and have gradually been reported in the mainstream press

Black Women Don't Need Billboards. Black women are not targeted for abortions. But poor women and women of color do need more reproductive health services.- Shani O. Hilton | February 24, 2010 - In Atlanta, Georgia, a billboard campaign that started this month proclaims that "black children are an endangered species." On the campaign's Web site, TooManyAborted.com, the Radiance Foundation alludes to Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger's support of eugenics and cites the disproportionately high number of unintended pregnancies and abortions among black women

The Chastity Ring-Around - The college abstinence-only movement sells itself as empowering and pro-woman. Too bad the usual rejection of marriage equality and reproductive rights still applies.- Lena Chen | February 18, 2010 - Dozens of college students gathered in early February in a Harvard University auditorium to participate in the Love & Fidelity Network's Rethinking Sex conference. Their keynote speaker, however, was unable to join them.

ACLU Sues to Obtain Information About Taxpayer-Funded Religion in Abstinence-Only Programs Overseas - February 18, 2010 - CONTACT: ACLU , Will Matthews, (212) 549-2582 or 2666; media@aclu.org - NEW YORK - February 18 - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to obtain public documents detailing its overseas abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which a recent Inspector General's report says unconstitutionally promote religiously infused materials and messages.

ACLU Sues USAID: Are We Exporting US Taxpayer Funded Religion?- by Amie Newman. Published on February 19, 2010 by RH Reality Check - The ACLU has waited long enough. - On Thursday, February 18th, they filed a lawsuit [1] against USAID for refusing to comply with their Freedom of Information Act requests from July and September 2009, for documents related to USAID-funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs abroad. The ACLU has patiently awaited documents that may help shed light on an audit [2] completed last year suggesting USAID is dispersing money, unconstitutionally, for religiously-based HIV prevention programs.

USA: Shocking Report Reveals Epidemic of Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Prisons - By Anna Clark, AlterNet, Posted on February 17, 2010- An unprecedented report released last month by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has revealed some disturbing statistics about sexual abuse in U.S. juvenile detention facilities. Twelve percent of youth held in such facilities say that they have been sexually abused over the course of one year. Or, to put it another way, more than 1 in 10 of young people under state supervision are molested and/or raped. Nearly all of these incidents involve a staff member (about 85%), while the rest involve another incarcerated youth.

Cops vs. Kids – By BOB HERBERT, NYT, March 6, 2010 - If you don’t think the police in New York City need to be reined in, consider the way the cops and their agents are treating youngsters in the city’s schools. In March 2009, a girl and a boy in the sixth grade at the Hunts Point School in the Bronx were fooling around and each drew a line on the other’s desk with an erasable marker. The teacher told them to erase the lines, and the kids went to get tissues. This blew up into a major offense when school safety officers became involved.

The Archdiocese's Priorities. - The Catholic Church in Washington is punishing foster kids by throwing a temper tantrum over gay marriage.- by Adam Serwer, Tapped - Marriage equality is poised to become law in Washington, D.C., following the 30-day congressional review period, during which Congress can overturn the law Mayor Adrian Fenty signed last year. In response, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., has decided to punish the children of D.C. for same-sex marriage by withdrawing their foster programs:

Why women blame rape victims. A new survey showing female finger-pointing over sexual assaults should come as no surprise - Tracy Clark-Flory, Broadsheet, Feb. 16, 2010 | When it comes to rape, women may not be a girl's best friend. That's according to a new survey finding that more than half of women think sexual assault victims should take some responsibility for their own attack. By the speed at which this news is whipping around the Web, you might think it came as a shock -- but there's no surprise here.

NY Gov. Paterson Criticized for Alleged Interference on Aide's Behalf, a Look at Domestic Violence Nationwide * New York Governor David Paterson is facing increasing pressure from state Democrats to defend his actions or resign in the wake of allegations that he may have used his authority to influence a domestic violence case involving one of his top aides. As the pressure rises on Governor Paterson, we take a step back to look at the issue of domestic violence around the country with Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women.
Listen/Watch/Read: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/3/domestic_violence

Lesbians in South Africa Being Raped to “Cure” Them of Sexual Orientation - Posted by Tara Lohan,March 3, 2010 - The group ActionAid released a report about the shocking rise in homophobic attacks and murders in South Africa, especially Johannesburg and Cape Town where lesbian women are being raped as a “corrective” punishment for being gay.

What Happened When a Professor Got His Students to Participate in His 'Veil for a Day' Project -By Pierre Tristam, The Smirking Chimp, Posted on February 17 2010 - Jamil Khader is known around Stetson University as a professor who pushes his students harder than most. He teaches literature, gender and women's studies, among other boundary-testing disciplines.

Divorced Before Puberty - By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF, NYT, March 4, 2010 - It’s hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali. Nujood is a Yemeni girl, and it’s no coincidence that Yemen abounds both in child brides and in terrorists (and now, thanks to Nujood, children who have been divorced). Societies that repress women tend to be prone to violence.
Loosey Goosey Saudi - By MAUREEN DOWD, NYT March 3, 2010 - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia. The Middle Eastern foreign minister was talking about enlightened “liberal” trends in his country, contrasting that with the benighted “extreme” conservative religious movement in a neighboring state.

How the Unconscious Mind Can Act Out Our Prejudices - By Shankar Vedantam, Random House Publishing Group, Posted on February 18, 2010- The following is an excerpt from The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives by Shankar Vedantam (Random House, 2010). - Lilly Ledbetter's life followed a clockwork routine. When she worked the night shift at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plant in Gadsden, Alabama, she came home from work around nine-thirty in the morning. She took a hot bath, laid out her work clothes for her next shift, and slept until the afternoon. At around five, she set off again for the plant. Her shift did not start until seven, but the route from her home in Jacksonville involved a stretch of about ten miles on a country road, where she sometimes got stuck behind a slow vehicle.

For Women, Redefining Marriage Material – NYT, By THE EDITORS, February 21, 2010 - Women have outpaced men in acquiring education for a few decades now, with 185 women earning college degrees at age 22 for every 100 men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And more women are now employed because men are more likely to work in industries that are declining or cyclical.

"Girl Power": Riot grrrl revolution - A new book pays homage to the '90s punk rockers whose brazen attitude changed the course of women in music .- By Amy Benfer, Feb. 22, 2010 | Nearly two decades ago in Olympia, Wash., a group of lady musicians decided to plot a revolution, girl-style. "We really did sit down and say, 'How can we change what it means to be a girl?' and, 'How can we reinvent feminism for our generation?'" Bikini Kill's Tobi Vail told author Marisa Meltzer in her new book, "Girl Power."

Kathryn Bigelow: Feminist pioneer or tough guy in drag? - "Hurt Locker" director masquerades as a hyper-macho bad boy to win the respect of a male-dominated industry - By Martha P. Nochimson, Feb. 24, 2010 | In "The Hurt Locker," Sgt. 1st Class Will James (Jeremy Renner) is the second coming of John Wayne. Just not as cuddly.

'Enlightened Sexism' explores image of women - By LAURA IMPELLIZZERI, San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 2010 (AP) --"Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work Is Done" (Times Books, 368 pages, $26), by Susan J. Douglas: The title of Susan Douglas' newest work on women and their images in pop culture cuts brilliantly to the chase.

ULTRA-RIGHT

The Axis of the Obsessed and Deranged - By FRANK RICH, NYT, February 28, 2010-No one knows what history will make of the present — least of all journalists, who can at best write history’s sloppy first draft. But if I were to place an incautious bet on which political event will prove the most significant of February 2010, I wouldn’t choose the kabuki health care summit that generated all the ink and 24/7 cable chatter in Washington. I’d put my money instead on the murder-suicide of Andrew Joseph Stack III,...

Ayn Rand, Hugely Popular Author and Inspiration to Right-Wing Leaders, Was a Big Admirer of Serial Killer - By Mark Ames, AlterNet,February 26, 2010 - There's something deeply unsettling about living in a country where millions of people froth at the mouth at the idea of giving health care to the tens of millions of Americans who don't have it, or who take pleasure at the thought of privatizing and slashing bedrock social programs like Social Security or Medicare. It might not be as hard to stomach if other Western countries also had a large, vocal chunk of the population who thought like this, but the US is seemingly the only place where right-wing elites can openly share their distaste for the working poor. Where do they find their philosophical justification for this kind of attitude?

Heads Up: Prayer Warriors and Sarah Palin Are Organizing Spiritual Warfare to Take Over America by Bill Berkowitz | March 3, 2010 - Imagine a religious movement that makes geographic maps of where demons reside and claims among its adherents the Republican Party's most recent vice presidential nominee and whose leaders have presided over prayer sessions (one aimed at putting the kibosh on health-care reform) with a host of leading GOP figures.

Doctors Without Morals - By LEONARD S. RUBENSTEIN and STEPHEN N. XENAKIS, NYT, March 1, 2010 - AFTER five years of investigation, the Justice Department has released its findings regarding the government lawyers who authorized waterboarding and other forms of torture during the interrogation of suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere.

Terrorism: The Most Meaningless and Manipulated Word -by Glenn Greenwald. Published on February 19, 2010 by Salon.com - Yesterday, Joseph Stack deliberately flew an airplane into a building housing IRSoffices in Austin, Texas, in order to advance the political grievances he outlined in a perfectly cogent suicide-manifesto [1]. Stack's worldview contained elements of the tea party's anti-government anger along with substantial populist complaints generally associated with "the Left" [2](rage over bailouts, the suffering of America's poor, and the pilfering of the middle class by a corrupt economic elite and their government-servants). All of that was accompanied by an argument as to why violence was justified (indeed necessary)to protest those injustices:

With 1000 US Soldiers Dead in Afghanistan, Time to Revive the Anti-War Agenda - by Medea Benjamin, Published on February 23, 2010 by CommonDreams.org - U.S. Corporal Gregory S. Stultz, 22, of Brazil, Indiana, died on February 19, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. According to icasualties.org, Stultz's death marks the grim milestone of 1,000 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Robert Fisk on the Israeli-Arab Conflict: "State of Denial: Searching for Peace in Israel" -- The Israeli-Arab conflict is about land. It is about colonies and walls and about binational states and two states and—in the end—about who has power. The Israelis with their eternal American supporters? Or the Palestinians, hopelessly divided and soaked—in Gaza, at least—in corruption and nepotism.

Amy Goodman on Obama "Going Nuclear": "Obama’s Nuclear Option" -- President Obama’s publicly financed resuscitation of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. is bound to fail, another taxpayer bailout waiting to happen.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Cheney Confesses to Serious Crimes -- Torture Is Just the Beginning - Dick Cheney's statutory crimes are notable for their severity, their number, and his public confessions to them. READ MORE

COLOMBIA: Five Years After Colombian Massacre, Justice Is Still Elusive - By Moira Birss, AlterNet - Posted on February 20, 2010- February 21 marks the 5-year anniversary of a brutal massacre of eight people, including three children, from the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, Colombia. Horror about the crime -- in which bodies were beheaded, and others cut into pieces before being thrown into a common grave -- resulted in a six-month suspension of U.S. military aid to Colombia and the de-vetting of the 17th Brigade, which had been receiving U.S. military aid before being implicated in the crime. Ample evidence points to military-paramilitary collaboration in the crime, yet five years later, not a single individual has been punished.

IMMIGRATION AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Abusing Immigrants, Enriching Parasitic Attorneys -- on Your Dime - By Max Blumenthal, Truthdig
Posted on February 17, 2010 - This article first appeared on TruthDig.- When an architect named Norman Pfeiffer designed the Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse in Tucson, Ariz., he claimed to have been inspired by its natural surroundings. “From afar,” Pfeiffer told Architecture Week, “the desert tells little of what it knows. ... But upon closer scrutiny it reveals its true self.”

From Hatewatch Intelligence Files. Racist Skinheads. Learn more about the racist skinhead movement in the Intelligence Files.

Watching Certain People - By BOB HERBERT, NYT, March 2, 2010 - From 2004 through 2009, in a policy that has gotten completely out of control, New York City police officers stopped people on the street and checked them out nearly three million times, frisking and otherwise humiliating many of them.

VIDEO: On the Frontlines of Immigration Reform. New America Media, , Esther M. Gentile, Posted: Mar 01, 2010 - The personalities behind some of the nation's top immigrant rights groups describe the life experiences that inspired them to join the fight for comprehensive immigration reform. New America Media spoke with Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress, Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum, Andrea Black of the Detention Watch Network, Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza, Frank Sharry of America's Voice and Karen Narasaki of the Asian American Justice Center.

The Puerto Rican Birth Certificate Problem You Haven’t Heard About, Yet - Posted by Douglas Rivlin February 27, 2010 - This could turn into a very big story. According to this Associated Press story written by Suzanne Gamboa Saturday, every person with a Puerto Rican birth certificate will need to get a new one this year. A law passed in December invalidates all birth certificates issued by the Commonwealth as of July 1 of this year.

ECONOMY

From Democracy Now!: Nobel Economist Joseph Stiglitz on Obama's Stimulus Plan, Debt, Climate Change, and "Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy" *As President Obama defends the success of his one-year-old $787 billion stimulus package, we speak to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who says the stimulus was both not big enough and too focused on tax cuts. Stiglitz is the author of the new book Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy, which analyzes the causes of the Great Recession of 2008 and calls for overcoming what he calls an "ersatz capitalism" that socializes losses but privatizes gains. Listen/Watch/Read:http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/18/nobel_economist_joseph_stiglitz_on_obamas

A Sight All Too Familiar in Poor Neighborhoods / “Just as incarceration has become typical in the lives of poor black men, eviction has become typical in the lives of poor black women...” - by Erik Eckholm, Published on February 19, 2010 by the New York Times - MILWAUKEE - Shantana Smith, a single mother who had not paid rent for three months, watched on a recent morning as men from Eagle Moving carried her tattered furniture to the sidewalk. Bystanders knew too well what was happening.

ow the Monsters at Goldman Sachs Caused a Greek Tragedy - By Jim Hightower, AlterNet, Posted on March 4, 2010 - Another Greek-based cargo ship and its crew was recently hijacked by Somalian pirates, costing the Greek owners an undisclosed amount in ransom.Such ongoing acts of brazen piracy off the coast of Somalia have riveted the establishment media's attention. But the same news hawks have missed (or ignored) a much more brazen, longer-running and far larger robbery in Greece by Gucci-wearing thieves who are more sophisticated than common pirates

From New York to Liberia, Investigative Journalist Greg Palast Tracks Vulture Funds Preying on African Debt *Over the last five years, Britain, the United States and other countries have written off billions of dollars in loans to the world's poorest countries. But a small group of vulture funds have been trying to divert that money into their own pockets. Investigative journalist Greg Palast traveled to the West African country of Liberia to investigate how vulture funds have been operating there and why Liberia lost a $20 million case against two vulture funds in a British court.
Listen/Watch/Read: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/3/vultures

CHILE
Milton Friedman: Not quake-proof - The economist wasn't a fan of government building codes, and the collapse of some Chilean highways may prove it - By Andrew Leonard, Wednesday, Mar 3, 2010- Did Milton Friedman's Chicago boys actually make Chile more vulnerable to a massive earthquake?
Writing in response to yesterday's post, "The Chicago Boys and the Chilean Earthquake," reader rfkactionfront points us to an op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times by Sebastian Gray, a professor of architecture at Universidad Catolica de Chile.
Chile's Socialist Rebar - by Naomi Klein, Published on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 by CommonDreams.org - Ever since deregulation caused a worldwide economic meltdown in September '08 and everyone became a Keynesian again, it hasn't been easy to be a fanatical fan of the late economist Milton Friedman. So widely discredited is his brand of free-market fundamentalism that his followers have become increasingly desperate to claim ideological victories, however far-fetched.

HAITI
Haitian judge releases 8 of 10 missionaries, February 17, 2010 - Haitian judge Bernard Saint-Vil said eight of the Baptist missionaries would be allowed to return home without posting bail if they agreed to return to Haiti for any more questions in the pending investigation. Unfortunately for ringleader, Laura Silsby along with her nanny, Charissa Coulter, that isn't the case. They will be held back in Haiti assuming they have information the Haitian officials can use in determining whether or not there are grounds for a kidnapping charge. In related news, former legal adviser/child sex trafficker, Jorge Puello is still on the lam. Puello was helping the missionaries, offering his services free of charge — though the families wired him $12,000 last week. He is wanted in connection to a sex trafficking ring in El Salvador. Source:www.idahostatesman.com/AP

Questions Surface After Haitian Airlift - By GINGER THOMPSON, NYT, February 24, 2010 - PITTSBURGH — It was widely billed as the first uplifting story in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital: two young American women rescued 54 Haitian orphans in an airlift organized by Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania and supported by top Obama administration officials.

ercenaries Circling Haiti - by Bill Quigley | March 3, 2010 - On March 9 and 10, there will be a Haiti conference in Miami for private military and security companies to showcase their services to governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the earthquake devastated country.

ENVIROMENT AND HEALTH
World's Top Firms Cause $2.2 Trillion of Environmental Damage, Report Estimates- Report for the UN into the activities of the world's 3,000 biggest companies estimates one-third of profits would be lost if firms were forced to pay for use, loss and damage of environment- by Juliette Jowit, Published on February 19, 2010 by the Guardian/UK - The cost of pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world's biggest companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major unpublished study for the United Nations has found.

Gary Greenberg: "Manufacturing Depression: The Secret History of a Modern Disease" * Is depression manufactured? Two decades after the introduction of antidepressants, it's become commonplace to assume that our sadness can be explained in terms of a disease called depression. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 14 million Americans suffer from major depression every year and more than three million suffer from minor depression. Some 30 million Americans take antidepressants at a cost of over $10 billion a year. Gary Greenberg argues that while depression can be debilitating, it has also been largely manufactured by doctors and drug companies as a medical condition with a biological cause that can be treated with prescription medication.
Listen/Watch/Read:http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/1/gary_greenberg_manufacturing_depression_the_secret

GLOBAL WARMING -- Fifteen states have polluter-driven resolutions to deny climate threat: On Monday, the South Dakota Legislature passed a resolution telling public schools to "balance" their teaching about the "prejudiced" science of climate change by a vote of 37-33. Earlier language that ascribed "astrological" influences to global warming was stripped from the final version. South Dakota's denialism is not an anomaly -- Utah and Alabama have already adopted resolutions calling for the overturn of the Environmental Protection Agency's global warming endangerment finding, and a Progress Report investigation identified 13 other states in tow. Several of these resolutions suggest the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change is actually a conspiracy, citing the so-called "Climategate" e-mails. Every resolution makes the false claim that protecting citizens from hazardous climate pollution would hurt the economy. Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Alaska lawmakers talk about being "dependent" on the coal and oil industries, whose lobbyists are fighting climate legislation. Alaska, West Virginia and Alabama support national efforts to rewrite the Clean Air Act, led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND). These attempts to subvert science are being supported by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national organization that brings conservative state lawmakers together with industry lobbyists. ALEC promotes a resolution opposing the endangerment finding drafted by its Natural Resources Task Force, which includes over 120 lawmakers from around the nation and a similarly sized group of corporate representatives. While ALEC does not have an official position on the validity of climate science, the organization is "actively involved in helping people get together and share ideas," a representative told the Progress Report. For example, the spring ALEC task force meeting will feature Exxon Mobil-backed global warming denier Paul Driessen, the author of Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death.