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When I read Newsweek, I generally skim it, and even then seem to grasp it all without having to really pay attention. But sometimes I hit the George Will column, “The Last Word,” like a brick wall. I have to go back over it carefully three times, and even then can only at best guess what he’s saying. His thinking is so far removed from mine, and he is so convinced that everybody already shares his views, that I often have a hard time grasping his message.

This was the case read more

Suburban sprawl has caught the critical eye of several labor leaders who see the decline of cities and inner suburbs as a threat to the future of unions.

Employees in new outer suburbs earn less than their city counterparts, while most cannot use public transportation or find affordable rental housing and child care near their jobs, according to Mike Fitzgerald, president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 in Chicago.

The move to the outskirts does not necessarily create read more

The Board of Supervisors Rules Committee,
by a 2-1 vote, on Tuesday sent on to the full
board with recommendation for approval a
proposal to create a countywide leash law for
dogs.

The committee tabled until October a
proposal to create an admissions tax for events
such as concerts or movies. It tabled indefinitely
read more

When they gave me tenure at the university I flew out to Wyoming to give my mother the good news face to face. I knew she’d appreciate that, and it had been a while, quite a while in fact, since I’d seen her. It was not the easiest time for such a trip. My new book was just coming out, with all the last-minute changes and all the obligations that involves. But I was able to grade student papers on the plane. And I needed the change of scene. Even my familiar boyhood home constituted read more

From Jen Kern

To Whom it May Concern,

I am a former colleague of David Swanson who worked closely with him in his capacity as Communications Coordinator for ACORN for over two years.

I found David to be hardworking, conscientious and passionate about the struggle for social and economic justice. He quickly adjusted to both the substance of his work (which often involved learning very detailed aspects of a range of complicated policy issues) and to the pace, climate, and values of the organization. read more