Zimbabweans Cast Votes in Crucial Election

Zimbabweans began voting on Saturday in the most crucial election since independence from Britain in 1980, with veteran President Robert Mugabe facing the biggest challenge of his 28-year-rule.

read more | digg story

HIV cases could jump in Asia by 2020: UN report

The number of people in Asia infected with HIV could jump by more than 150 percent, or 8 million, by 2020 unless more is done to combat the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, a report presented to the U.N. secretary-general said on Wednesday.

read more | digg story

Iraq, $5,000 per second?

"The Iraq war is now going better than expected. Here's what it amounts to: We've cut our casualty rates to the unacceptable levels that plagued us back in 2005, and we still don't have any exit plan for years to come -- all for a bill that is accumulating at the rate of almost $5,000 every second!...But if you believe that staying in Iraq does more good than harm, you must answer the next question: Is that presence so valuable that it is worth undermining our economy?...If the war backers believe that the Iraq war is so essential, then they should be willing to pay for it partly with taxes rather than charging it."

read more | digg story

Public Tuning Out

Rep. Chris Murphy was a bit surprised to have people less concerned about Iraq and more rconcerned about other matters, such as the economy (and rightly so!), in a town forum this week. Maybe not surprised, but people are not making the link to the cost of the war. Cost estimates range from $1tril by the government to $3tril by a recent study. The cost estimate in lost revenues alone for Hartford, CT, is $200 million.

read more digg story

At What Cost, This War?

What has the war cost your city? The Hartford, CT, city council has estimated the war to cost their city alone $200 million in lost revenues. In a city whose public high schools have a 35% drop-out rate, and neighborhoods with almost 50% unemployment, the war has cost the residents this city a better life and a better future. Who knows the cost for future generations to this and many cities across the country.

read more digg story

The Pimps’ Slaves

If the Spitzer affair causes us to lose sight of the broader reality of prostitution, then the biggest loser will be the girls for whom selling sex isn’t a choice but a nightmare.

read more | digg story

A letter to Jeffrey Sachs, re: Common Wealth, his new book

Wolf writes to Jeffrey Sachs (will we read a Sachs reply?) regarding his new book, Common Wealth. Considering all the noise surrounded "The End of Poverty," does this one add anything to the conversation? Wolf highlights some of the areas with which he agrees, but also poses questions on areas he disagrees.

read more digg story

The faith of George Bush?

The Bush Tradegy, an excerpt from "What Bush Believes" by Jacob Weisberg, on slate.com.

What exactly does Bush believe? Evangelicals have hailed him as a God-fearing man, and point to his daily prayers in the Oval Office. But have Evangelicals been merely puppets to Bush's political interests? An examination of his "faith" would say, "yes, they have."

read more digg story

Iraqis still ask if U.S. invasion was worth it

Are Iraqis better off now than they were before the U.S. intervened? It depends on who you are, where you live, what tribe you belong to. Either way, it is a difficult question to answer definitively.

"The human cost is staggering -- anywhere between 90,000 and 1 million Iraqi civilians killed, according to various estimates; nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead; while 4 million Iraqis are displaced."

read more digg story

The Fallout of Subprime Loans-NY Times

An analysis of subprime loans shows they are more prevalent in urban areas where more than 50 percent of the population consists of members of minority groups. This is a must read if all you've been hearing about sub-prime loans as problems with speculators. This is a real story of the deception of lenders and their victims.

read more digg story

From the New Deal, a Way Out of a Mess

There are varied reports of how many subprime loans and possible foreclosures are speculators vs. people who live in the homes. While people look to the market to 'care' for families who live in these homes, to protect them from losing their homes, this article gives a real solution. Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC), established in 1933, was a New Deal program to help families who were at risk of losing their homes during and after the Great Depression. Surprisingly, all the loans were eventually paid back and the office was closed in 1951, after the last loan was pai off. It is a potentially realistic program that could help the families that may become homeless as a result of the current situation.

read more digg story

How Would Jesus Vote?

Evangelical? Democrat? Politicians come out of the closet. And I, for one, appreciate it!

read more digg story

Gaza humanitarian crisis worst in 40 years: report-Reuters

By Tim Large LONDON (Reuters) - Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip has created the worst humanitarian crisis since the Israeli occupation began in 1967, aid and rights groups said on Thursday. Food shortages, crumbling health services and a water...

read more digg story