Jan 26, 2002

The Israeli peace organization Gush Shalom reports that it has obtained information that the bulldozers used in the widespread demolition of Palestinian homes in the Palestinian territories come from Caterpillar Corporation, based in Peoria, Illinois.

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. – Over 2,000 steelworkers poured into Central High School Jan. 12 to hear United Steel Workers of America (USWA) pension experts report on the status of the LTV bankruptcy.

Gals, wondering what to do with your worthless Enron stock certificates? Decoupage! That’s right, Decoupage – the French art of dressing up surfaces with attractive scrap paper!

“When the civilian market is threatened by the glut of foreign imports, the military’s capability is put at risk. We all know the events of [Sept. 11] highlighted the need for a stable domestic steel industry. Not just steelworkers and their families – but all Americans – are made vulnerable by unfair imports.”

I heard Congressman Jim Colby (R-Ariz.) on National Public Radio (NPR) Jan. 18. He said it would cost $8 billion or so over the next 10 years to rebuild Afghanistan. (The new Afghan government puts it around $30 billion.) To listen a Real Audio file of the NPR story this article was inspired by, click here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Nearly 300 students, community activists, Muslim community members, and Christian church-goers attended a candlelight vigil outside the federal building here last month. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Ad Hoc Committee for Peace and the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor and Vicinity, the vigil called for the release of Rabih Haddad, an imam at the Islamic Center of Ann Arbor and community activist. For more information on this story, visit the Ann Arbor Ad Hoc Committee for Peace or the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor.

When the terrorist attack hit the World Trade Center on the 11th of September, rescue workers and ordinary people reached out to help their fellow human beings without regard to race, nationality, or economic standing. They saved those who could be saved, and many died trying to save others.

The Bush administration’s assaults on women’s programs continued right up until the ball dropped on 2001, with a late December announcement that the 10 regional offices of the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau will be axed this year.

GENEVA, Switzerland – In an important step by the World Health Organization (WHO), the international health body is granting official WHO relations status to Infact, the U.S.-based corporate accountability organization.

A Jan. 9 Wall Street Journal article warned: “Workers’ Comp Insurance Now Harder to Get.” Coupled with the ongoing coal operators’ attempt to gut coal miners’ Black Lung benefits, this highlights the failure of this crucial social insurance system.