Jul 31, 2004

BOSTON – Expressing many of the same themes as the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, over 4,000 people came together to discuss the issues of the day in the Boston Social Forum (BSF) held at the University of Massachusetts July 23-25.

BOSTON – The families of the 3,000 people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack made a powerful appeal for peace, justice, and understanding both inside and outside the Democratic National Convention last week.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, with 560,000 members and roughly 10 million voters, is one of the world’s largest non-governing communist parties. It is also the only opposition party represented in the Russian State Duma.

CARACAS – Venezuelan opposition leader and two-time president Carlos Andres Perez has made a series of statements calling for violence to remove President Hugo Chávez from office, and hinting that the Venezuelan opposition may have to impose a dictatorial period to make his removal permanent.

Greece: Olympic construction takes big toll
Colombia: Communist farm co-op leader killed
South Africa: Metalworkers warn of strike
Ukraine: Mourning mine disaster

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – “This company is asking for so many concessions, we would be paying Circuit-Wise to work for them, instead of them paying us for our labor,” charged Dorothy Johnson, president of United Electrical Workers Local 299 at a plant gate rally held here July 15.

DALLAS – Sixty or more people rallied at the Mexican Consulate here July 17 in support of immigrant rights and against the recent upsurge in immigration raids being carried out by the California Border Patrol.

Wages have been in the news, and the news isn’t good. According to Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute, “real hourly and weekly earnings have fallen for six out of the last seven months.”

SACRAMENTO – In a landmark decision greeted with jubilation by representatives of the Hoopa and Yurok tribes, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the release of river flows for more fish habitat. The decision would compel the federal Bureau of Reclamation to release 47 percent of river flows for fish and 53 percent for agriculture and power.

There are reports popping up in the medical literature regarding the use of the Papanicolaou smear (PAP test) and its uselessness in women who have had their cervices removed. This has been debated from time to time over the years, but is now at the forefront. The conclusion was that the PAP is not needed without the cervix risk and that is becoming a recommendation by many authoritative gynecologic organizations.