C'e' stato il voto del Consiglio Comunale di Vicenza, che approva la nuova base militare statiunitense, e rifiuta il referendum popolare sull'argomento. Leggo sul Giornale di Vicenza:

21 a 17. Più due consigliere che si astengono. Più un assente da calcolare per chiudere il conto dei 41. In sala Bernarda è finita come doveva finire, senza sorprese. Risicata ma compatta, la maggioranza di centrodestra ha votato il suo “via libera” alla super-caserma Usa al Dal Molin

L’ha dato con tanti “se” (quelli legati alle condizioni chieste a Roma) e però scavalcando il doppio “ma” tornato ad aleggiare negli interventi dell’opposizione: «Ma se fra qualche anno gli Usa chiederanno anche le piste dell’aeroporto? Ma se né loro né il governo italiano pagheranno tutto quello che Vicenza richiede?». L’ha dato - questo okay al raddoppio della Ederle con una nuova cittadella a Stelle & Strisce in viale Sant’Antonino - affidandosi a due cose: le rassicurazioni dei generali statunitensi e del capo di gabinetto del ministero della Difesa sull’intangibilità dell’aeroporto civile; e le sensazioni riportate a Vicenza dal sindaco Enrico Hùllweck, dopo l’incontro nella capitale con Arturo Parisi. Soprattutto l’ha dato proteggendosi dietro lo scudo su cui sta scritto: «Noi diamo solo un parere, a decidere sarà il governo, che comunque dirà Sì per rispettare gli obblighi di alleato e le convenienze nei rapporti con gli Stati Uniti».

il centrosinistra [...] ha tentato di spostare in avanti la resa dei conti: «Serve un referendum, solo così il parere di Vicenza sarà completo su un tema che non è mai stato scritto nei programmi elettorali di nessuno». Una linea condivisa dalle consigliere dissenzienti.
Il centrodestra - che teme l’esito del voto popolare e l’ha detto chiaro nelle scorse settimane proprio con Hùllweck – ha avuto tre reazioni. [...] Ma la discussione e il voto ottenuti dall’Unione sono serviti solo per far decidere al centrodestra – con il ricompattamento della coalizione - che il referendum non si deve fare.

CI sono stati movimenti anche a livello nazionale:

Poche ore prima del consiglio comunale chiamato a decidere sull’ampliamento della base americana a Vicenza, è cominciato un singolare fuoco incrociato, portato da alcuni senatori dell’Ulivo, Rifondazione Comunista e Verdi-Pdci contro il governo ed un eventuale “si” del Comune al progetto Dal Molin.
La prima pallottola è stata sparata da alcuni senatori della maggioranza che in Senato hanno presentato un ordine del giorno con il quale chiedevano al Governo di ignorare un eventuale “sì” alla base espresso dal Comune e di tenere conto della volontà popolare vicentina schierandosi a favore di un referendum popolare sulla questione.

Il Programma dell'Unione ha soltanto questo da dire, sotto la voce Stati Uniti:

dobbiamo proporre per il nostro Paese una collocazione strategica che lo veda saldamente inserito in Europa, come protagonista delle politiche di integrazione europea nonché come alleato leale degli Stati Uniti.

Bella roba. Alleati leali, vabbene, anche quando usano le basi imperiali che hanno sul nostro territorio per trasportare personale e armamenti verso conflitti illegali e ingiusti? Anche quando il nostro territorio nazionale viene usato come zona di passaggio per persone che poi vengono torturate, oppure quando cittadini italiani vengono rapiti dalla CIA per poi essere torturati all'estero?

Bella roba. Alleati leali, vabbene, anche quando usano le basi imperiali che hanno sul nostro territorio per trasportare personale e armamenti verso conflitti illegali e ingiusti? Anche quando il nostro territorio nazionale viene usato come zona di passaggio per persone che poi vengono torturate, oppure quando cittadini italiani vengono rapiti dalla CIA per poi essere torturati all'estero?

Capisco che a Vicenza ci sia gente che lavora grazie alle basi militari degli Stati Uniti. Ma questi politicanti mi fanno abbastanza schifo.

Ho letto quanto segue sul manifesto:

Un disegno di legge «collegato alla finanziaria» per dare ai privati trasporto locale, luce e gas gestiti fin qui dagli enti locali. Resta pubblica soltanto l'acqua
Di tante «riforme» che la globalizzazione ci sta imponendo ce n'è una che proprio non è tollerabile per il «popolo di sinistra», le associazioni, i sindacati, i cristiani impegnati nel sociale... (insomma, tutti quelli che hanno votato per il centrosinistra): la privatizzazione dei «beni comuni» e dei servizi sociali.
I ministri Linda Lanzillotta (Dl), Pierluigi Bersani (Ds) e Emma Bonino l'hanno capito talmente bene che hanno presentato un disegno di legge per privatizzare tutto, tranne - bontà loro - i servizi idrici.

Quindi sono andato a controllare il programma dell'Unione, che effettivamente dice:

Per noi liberalizzare [ovvero: vendere al miglior offerente] significa contrastare rendite monopolistiche e corporative, migliorare qualità e prezzo per il consumatore, garantire fondamentali clausole sociali per gli operatori [si e' mai vista una privatizzazione che abbia avuti questi effetti? mi piacerebbe conoscerla...], promuovere investimenti e crescita industriale.

Ciò vale anche per i servizi pubblici locali. In questo caso liberalizzare [ovvero: vendere al miglior offerente] deve significare altresì garantire comunque le caratteristiche universalistiche dei servizi.

Ovvero, fanno quello che hanno promesso. Magari si fosse saputo prima che l'avevano promesso, ma mica l'hanno spiegato! anzi, hanno prodotto un documento colossale (280 pagine) che in italia avranno letto in mille e capito in cinquecento.

Rimango dell'idea che privatizzare e' SBAGLIATO. in teoria, se c'e' un problema con un servizio pubblico, posso lamentarmi con il sindaco, e se il problema e' sufficientemente grosso, posso convincere altri a venire a lamentarsi con me.

Chi si lamentera' presso la Sodexho o la Halliburton? guardate cosa gli tocca fare in Iraq per avere un po' di corrente e d'acqua potabile...

I got this from the Star Legder. It seems all reasonable...

The dilapidated buildings that Newark Mayor Cory Booker has called home will be razed in favor of three mixed-income structures, the director of the city's housing authority said yesterday, hours after reaching an agreement with tenants.

 

Newark Housing Authority Director Keith Kinard said Brick Towers, the two 16-story, 300-unit towers on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, are now vacant. Booker moved out of his 16th-floor apart ment a few days ago and has lived at a Newark hotel since Sunday, according to Desiree Peterkin Bell, his spokeswoman.

 

Rising in place of the well- known buildings will be three separate structures totaling 250 rental units. The largest structure will be on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and have about 11 or 12 stories. There will be retail space on the first floor and office space on the second floor.

 

Between 25 to 50 of the 250 units will be reserved for people who make half of the area's median income. The median income for Newark households is $30,665. The remainder of the units will be reserved for people who make either 80 percent or 115 percent of the median income, Kinard said.

 

The last dozen residents, who had been living without heat or hot water for two years, finally agreed to move to affordable housing -- Townhomes at Northpoint in the North Ward earlier this month. Booker had said he would not leave Brick Towers until an acceptable plan was in place.

 

Kinard said the new building will try to keep the large rooms and apartments that Brick Towers was known for. Underground parking is another amenity under consideration.

 

Residents will be allowed to have a voice in the selection of a developer and design. Kinard said there also are plans to help the Brick Towers Tenants Association form a nonprofit community group to help area residents.

 

The 24 residents who still lived in the building as of Aug. 17, and other legal residents who were current with their rent as of Oct. 1, 2005, will be offered the chance to return to the new buildings. Their rent will be decided based on their income level.

 

Richard Henry, treasurer of the Brick Towers Tenants Association, said the remaining residents voted in support of the new building plan. In addition to the current plan, tenants were offered the option to gut the current buildings while keeping the framework, or replacing the twin columns with a single building.

 

Henry, 62, who moved to Northpoint earlier this month after 37 years at Brick Towers, said he's anxious to move to the redesigned Brick Towers. "I've raised both of my sons there. It's more home," he said.

 

 

Settlements grow on Arab land, despite promises made to U.S. from Haaretz

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

A secret, two year investigation by the defense establishment shows that there has been rampant illegal construction in dozens of settlements and in many cases involving privately owned Palestinian properties.

The information in the study was presented to two defense ministers, Amir Peretz and his predecessor Shaul Mofaz, but was not released in public and a number of people participating in the investigations were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.

According to security sources familiar with the study, the material is "political and diplomatic dynamite."

In conversations with Haaretz, the sources maintained that the report is not being made public in order to avoid a crisis with the U.S. government.

The findings of the study, security sources say, show an amazing discrepancy between the Civil Administration\'s data and the reality on the ground. The data in Spiegel\'s investigation served as the basis for the report on the illegal outposts prepared by attorney Talya Sasson and made public in March 2005.

"Everyone is talking about the 107 outposts," said a source familiar with the data, "but that is small change. The really big picture is the older settlements, the \'legal\' ones. The construction there has been ongoing for years, in blatant violation of the law and the regulations of proper governance."

Three years ago, in talks with the Americans, Israel promised that all new construction in the older settlements would take place near existing neighborhoods. The idea was that construction would be limited to meeting the needs of the settlements\' natural growth, and bringing to an end the out-of-control expansion over territory.

In practice, the data shows that Israel failed to meet its commitments: many new neighborhoods were systematically built on the edge of areas of the settlement\'s jurisdiction, which is a much larger territory than the actual planning charts account for.

The data also shows that in many cases the construction was carried out on private Palestinian land. In the masterplans, more often than not, Palestinian properties were included in the construction planned for the future. These included Palestinian properties to which the state had promised access.

However, exploiting the intifada and arguing that the settlers should not be exposed to security risks, Palestinian farmers were prevented access to their properties that were annexed by Israeli settlements.

In many settlements, including Ofra and Mevo Horon, homes have been constructed on private Palestinian land.

"The media is busy with the outposts, but how many of these are really large settlements like Migron? In most cases, it\'s a matter of a few mobile homes. Spiegel\'s study shows the real situation in the settlements themselves - and it is a lot more serious than what we knew to date," one of the sources said.

A senior security official expressed concern that with Spiegel\'s retirement, the data base will not be updated and the data will be lost.

"The [defense] establishment does not necessarily have an interest in preserving this information. It may cause diplomatic embarrassment vis-a-vis the Americans and cause a political scandal. It is not unlikely that there will be those who will seek to destroy the data," the senior officer says.

Other relevant sources said it is necessary for an objective, external source, like the State Comptroller\'s office, to intervene in this matter.

A statement issued by the Defense Minister\'s office in response said that "the matter is being examined internally and staff work will be completed soon, and the parts of the report that can be published will be made available. The Defense Minister will discuss the matter with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert."

Meanwhile, construction in the new outposts has intensified. Sources in the Yesha Council say that since the Lebanon War, "Junior officers on the ground are in our favor and in many instances turn a blind eye regarding mobile homes in place."

The sksycraper at 1180 Raymond Boulevard in downtown Newark was completed in 1930 - possibly the last 'great work' the city of Newark has experienced.

It has been vacant for a number of years, but it has recently been renovated into apartments. It has been aggressively marketed to yuppies who commute into Newark to work at the various financial institutions.

I read in the October 18th edition of the portuguese language paper LusoAmericano about the details of the rentals (which follow).

The important issue is: the Mayor, faced with budget constraints, has raised taxes by 8% on homeowners. Cogswell Realty Group, together with Lehman Brothers Holding, owns 1180 Raymond Boulevard, along with the other skyscraper (744 Broad Street), for a combined 1,081,000 square feet of residential and office space. Do they pay ANY taxes? Heve they faced a tax increase?

The amenities of 1180 include:

8,000 square foot health club, lounge with pool table, conference center, indoor basketball court, a 4-lane bowling alley, and 24-hour security. (the building is also at most across the street from the Newark City Subway, ensuring that the residents of 1180 need not ever meet or talk to the people of Newark).

The prices are outrageously beyond what the average Newarker can afford: they START at $1,500 for a one-bedroom apartment and at $2,500 for a two-bedroom apartment.

i attended "Social Justice Saturday", an event put on by Christian Leaders for Community Empowerment and the Newark/North Jersey Committee of Black Churchmen. Ras Baraka (VP at Weequahic high school) was one of the featured speakers. The event took place at New Hope Baptist Church (where West Side HS's graduation ceremonies have been).

The event consisted of a series of four great sermons - in the tradition of African American churches. They spoke at length about the need for people to work together to overcome the challenges faced by their communities - gangs, violence, the poor quality of schools and health services in the communities. The war on Iraq and wasteful spending there, the genocide in Darfur, and the flight of manufacturing jobsfrom the city were also mentioned. Great emphasis was placed on educated voting (possibly as a swipe against Mayor Booker? he was opposed by Ras Baraka and his family).

The incoming pastor of New Hope Baptist said that it would be the first of an ongoing series of events, every third saturday of every month at New Hope Baptist Church.

The one thing that seemed lacking was an organizational agenda: action steps and sharing of contact information. However, the Pastor said that there were organizations in in the Church basement that migt have fulfilled that role - i left and did not see them, though i did not look very hard (to my demerit). I should take the opportunity to say that I have paid my dues with the People's Organization for Progress and i went to a couple of meetings before i left for italy this summer - andi greatly recommend their work.

As i was leaving, i also got a flyer about a rally outside of City Hall on November 8th to oppose a specific set of policies initiated by the Booker administration: Some of the demands i recognize and support:

-Enforce residency requirements for city employees

-Stop hiring NY residents for City of Newark jobs

-Establish a Civilian Complaint Police Review Board

Other items i just didn't understand, or i am unclear about (though one, the firing of new police director McCarthy apparently had support of the NY Times, for what it's worth).

In other Newark News, i read in Friday's Star-Ledger that there is "a draft report released yesterday by the Regional Plan Association after more than 100 plans for city development were scrutinized." I looked online for the actual report, but could not find it. What's in the Star-Ledger talks about the preservation and expansion of affordable housing, and a "revitalization" of the Dowtown district in conjunction with the Devil's Arena.

It will be interesting to read the full thing and to compare it to what i read in a report by Columbia Economics Professor Dan Flaherty about Newark, available here.

Ho letto un ottimo articolo sul Guardian, quotidiano di Londra, riguardo alla questione delle donne che si coprono il volto.

[…]in tutte le tradizioni religiose ci sono gruppi che pongono enfasi sulle influenze corruttrici del mondo e sul fatto che vanno tenute a distanza. Il Cattolicesimo e il Buddismo hanno la tradizione del celibato monastico. L’Islam della scuola legale Salafi ha un determinato modo di vestirsi e di comportarsi in luoghi pubblici. Le nostre societa’ sono cosi’ intolleranti che non riescono a far posto queste piccole minoranze di spirito religioso puritano (nessuno si aspetta che piacciano)?

Ma la parte piu’ grave di questa storia e’ stato il fatto che Jack Straw si sente di avere il diritto di poter esprimere la sua reazione emotiva senza mettersi in discussione. [...] E quanto a suo agio si puo’ sentire una donna che usa il niqab mentre visita un parlamentare, abituato ad avere grande potere e autorita’, nel suo contesto culturale? “Essere a nostro agio” e’ un modo disastroso di misurare le interazioni in una societa’ eterogenea. Ho una lunga lista di persone con le quali non mi sento a mio agio. Questo forse mi autorizza a fare delle richieste agli altri? Trovo difficile parlare con le persone cieche perche’ faccio affidamento sul guardare gli altri negli occhi. In modo simile, trovo problematici gli occhiali scuri. Inoltre, con mia vergogna, spesso smetto di conversare con chi ha difficolta’ di udito perche’ faccio troppo affidamento sulle chiacchiere per creare intimita’.

 

 

 

Per cui dimentichiamoci lo “stare a nostro agio” come condizione elementare della tolleranza. La tolleranza richiede immaginazione e impegno. [...]

Questo dibattito sul niqab e’ l’altra faccia di una discussione (guidata dalle donne) riguardo alla iper-sessualizzazione di un sottoinsieme di donne che si veste in modo molto provocante (e nessun uomo se ne lamenta). Uno degli impulsi per le donne che scelgono si vestire il niqab deriva dal modo estremo in cui sono stati sessualizzati gli spazi pubblici. Come si puo’ comunicare il proprio rifiuto – la propria revulsione – verso quello che si ritiene simil-pornografia urlata da tutti i cartelloni?

 

 

 

Vale la pena riflettere sul fatto che una minoranza di giovani donne sono cosi’ offesse da quanto offre la femminilita’ in Gran Bretagna (incluso un tasso di alcolismo e di malattie trasmesse sessualmente in rapido aumento) da scegliere una opzione cosi’ drastica come il niqab.

Questo e’ l’aspetto piu’ dannoso dell’intervento auto-indulgente di Jack Straw: il niqab e’ una scelta drastic ache molte donne musulmane rifiutano. E’ la risposta di una minoranza che si sentono in un clima a loro ostile. I commenti di Straw hanno scatenato una tempesta di pregiudizio che puo’ solo esacerbare quelle stesse tendenze che suggeriscono ad alcuni musulmani di racchiudersi ancora di piu’. [...] Hanno elevato la situazione di una piccola minoranza di donne, spesso le piu’ spaventate, al rango di problema nazionale: addirittura queste donne sono una barriera all’integrazione.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a long article about Newark's new mayor in the New York Times, which is apparently going to closely follow his first year in office. It was on the front page of today's edition.

It has a narrative of "an idealistic young man" confronting "the political system." It does describe the fact that Cory hired a bunch of his white New York friends to high positions with high salaries.

Apparently the Times also came out with an editorial opposing Booker's choice for police director, who (as i understand) voided a traffic ticket received by his daughter. To no effect - the man was appointed and approved by the city council.

There is this tidbit of information from Ha'aretz:

Peretz weighs legalizing some West Bank outposts

By Nadav Shragai and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service

Defense Minister Amir Peretz [of the "leftist" Labor Party] is considering granting legal status to some unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts, in exchange for which the Yesha Council of Settlements will evacuate the rest.

Security sources said Peretz met several times in recent days with leaders of the settlement movement. They said that negotiations continue on the issue of outpost evacuation.

How can Peretz do this? The 4th Geneva Convention of 1949 (section 3 is about Occupied territories)states unambiguosly:

Art. 49: [...] The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

Oh, wait, i keep forgetting. The unwavering support of the US government, and its taxpayers, ensure that Israel's actions in the Occupied Territories are above the law.

Si avvicina finalmente il momento del voto finale sulla questione della base militare statunitense a Vicenza. Sul Giornale di Vicenza si legge che

La data è fissata: giovedì 26 ottobre. La sede anche: sal a Bernarda, palazzo Trissino. Sciolte le ultime riserve, il consiglio comunale si prepara ad andare al voto sul progetto presentato dagli Usa per potenziare la Ederle costruendo una nuova caserma all’aeroporto Dal Molin. Si discuterà a lungo su quello che si sono detti realmente il ministro della Difesa Arturo Parisi e il sindaco Enrico Hüllweck nei 105 minuti di colloquio riservatissimo: agli annali della piccola storia vicentina, però, passerà la decisione di convocare un Consiglio monotematico e di esprimere un giudizio di accettabilità che il Governo invoca dalla scorsa estate.

Rimane comunque il fatto che il ministro della difesa, a quanto diceva il GdV, abbia convinto il sindaco a premere a favore della base.

Prodi o Berlusconi, la ricetta a quanto pare e' la stessa: rimaniamo supini difronte all'impero di basi militari degli Stati Uniti.

There have been a number of new violent events in Newark, and i have come to understand that the Star-Ledger perhaps does not even report every violent incident - or at least not all of them appear on their website (among them, for example, a double homicide in the South Ward).

The most recent story calls into question the effectiveness of the Mayor's "safe schools" initiative. Someone started shooting from across the corner of Weequahic high school as the children from the high school and the close-by elementary school were leaving - tens of witnesses, and at least anectdotal evidence that some of the high schoolers knew that something was about to 'go down'. No-one was killed, but a 16-year old was injured. (and yet somewould leave us to believe that "schools have control over their own success").

Most disturbingly to me, however, is that i NEVER read in the paper that anyone was ever apprehended, that there are any consequences for violent and dangerous acts. It seems like every time the statements are the same: Police may have a suspect in the shooting, but he was still at large last evening [...]. No motive was given for the shooting.

At least in this case they have a suspect, but otherwise the story is distressingly the same: no suspect, no motive. And no follow-up in the newspaper.

I am left to imagine that the Newark PD is just as incompetent in violent cases as the US government is when they try to catch Osama Bin Laden.

No wonder kids run scared. People shoot wildly in broad daylight, and there appear to be no consequences, and it appears as if no-one is ever held accountable.

e' stato fatto un sondaggio sull'opinione dei vicentini riguardo alla base militare USA all'aereoporto Del Molin.

Qui ci sono i risultati.

This is about Internet freedom. "Network Neutrality" -- the First Amendment of the Internet -- ensures that the public can view the smallest blog just as easily as the largest corporate Web site by preventing Internet companies like AT&T from rigging the playing field for only the highest-paying sites.

But Internet providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are spending millions of dollars lobbying Congress to gut Net Neutrality. If Congress doesn't take action now to implement meaningful Net Neutrality provisions, the future of the Internet is at risk.

Network Neutrality — or "Net Neutrality" for short — is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet.

Net Neutrality ensures that all users can access the content or run the applications and devices of their choice. With Net Neutrality, the network's only job is to move data — not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service. Net Neutrality prevents the companies that control the wires from discriminating against content based on its source or ownership.

Net Neutrality is the reason why the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online. It's why the Internet has become an unrivaled environment for open communications, civic involvement and free speech.

What can I do to help?

Sign the SavetheInternet.com petition.

Call your members of Congress today and demand that Net Neutrality be protected.

Encourage groups you're part of to join the SavetheInternet.com Coalition.

Show your support for Internet freedom on your Web site or blog.

Tell your friends about this crucial issue before it's too late.

For the Star Ledger:

It would be interesting to hear the details of the "efforts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons" that have reached a "turning point" after North Korea's nuclear test.

Israel has about 200 non-declared nuclear warheads, which it obtained through western help and it maintains with western complicity. They are unmentionable in Washington, particularly when we present Israel our annual gift of $2 billion.

Our government imposed some sort of sanctions against India and Pakistan until their strategic value became too great. Now Pakistan is out first ally in the "war on terror", and we are actually proposing nuclear cooperation with India.

The only option a sane person could accept would be to demand that our own government finally begin to act in a way that lessens the threat of a nuclear holocaust, rather than selectively impose sanctions on countries our "dear leaders" disagree with.

Matteo Tamburini

Ho una proposta alternativa:

1) Nomino Vandana Shiva come segretaria generale delle nazioni unite:

 

2) nomino Wangaari Mathai come segretaria generale delle nazioni unite

In un mondo dominato dalle guerre fatte da noi uomini, e in alcuni casi ipocritamente giustificate da una fasulla intenzione di migliorare "la condizione della donna" nei paesi avversari (ma MAI in Arabia Saudita), quale affermazione di civilta' potrebbe essere simbolicamente superiore a quella di nominare ed eleggere una donna a capo dell'ente preposto a mantenere la pace nel mondo?

I read in the October 6th edition of the Portuguese language newspaper Lusoamericano (available for sale in the Ironbound section of Newark) that census data shows that during an average workday the population of Newark rises to 330,00 from an average number of residents 270,000. This takes into account the number of Newarkers who leave to work out of town.

People come from outside Newark to work at the airport, the seaport, the financial institutions, PSE&G, and the four universities - not to mention maybe 2/3 of the teachers...

In other words, people who certainly make more money than the median Newarker. So why not tax them and reinvest the money they make in Newark and use it for job training for the residents? (hint: Pridential doesn't like the idea).

 

The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, which is always a good source of information about Israel, has a section devoted to ranking potential US presidential candidates.

They are allegedly being ranked in order of "friendliness to Israel" - a contentious turn of phrase if i ever heard one - by a panel of pundits selected by Ha'aretz from "all sides" of the political spectrum. They are mostly Israeli intellectuals and former government/diplomatic officials. i think it's pretty safe to say that the guy who work for the Nethanyahu government is to the right, but i couldn't figure out who the people on the "left" (i would presume, people who support a withdrawal of ALL the settlers, who are willing to share Jerusalem as a capital with a new Palestinian state, and who support nuclear disarmament) are supposed to be.

from the rankings, i get the impression there aren't very many leftists in the group.

The fact is that currently the top three are all Republicans. Hillary Clinton is the first democrat (she said after Israel invaded Lebanon: america stands with israel because israel stands for american values" - i'm sure she meant invading other countries withount UN authorization and cause massive devastation from aerial bombardment to civilian infrastructure).

Feingold, the Democrat i like the most in the Senate, is third to last - even though he supported a bill calling for the transfer of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, symbolically recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and validating the occupation and encirclement of Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Still, if the rankings put Clinton close to the top, and Feingold close to the bottom, it's all the more reason to like Feingold better.

Grazie a Tommaso per avermi segnalato questo articolo di Repubblica:

[...] quando le aziende devono decidere di assumere un nuova risorsa pensano sempre di meno ai giovani. Conferma arriva dai dati dell'indagine Excelsior appena presentata da Unioncamere, che ha chiesto a un campione di 100 mila imprese italiane di esprimere i fabbisogni occupazionali per tutto il 2006.

L'erosione delle opportunità per le nuove generazioni sembra mostrare un andamento inarrestabile (vedi tabella). Nel 2004 il 43,3 per cento delle nuove assunzioni riguardava i giovani con meno di 30 anni, l'anno scorso si è scesi al 40,9% e quest'anno la quota ha subito un'ulteriore riduzione, seppure più attenuata, che è arrivata al 39,5 per cento.

E in piu' ho trovato anche questo:

La povertà colpisce sempre di più le famiglie italiane e in particolare le generazioni più giovani che vivono un nuovo disagio, quello di "voler stare dentro la società dei consumi ma senza averne i mezzi". E' questo il dato che emerge dal rapporto Ires-Cgil "I salari dal 2002 al 2005". A rischio di impoverimento in Italia sono 16,5 milioni di cittadini e se si considera la soglia dei 1000 euro netti al mese: secondo i dati della Banca d'Italia, sono circa 6,5 milioni i lavoratori che ne guadagnano di meno e circa 10 milioni i pensionati che percepiscono una pensione che raggiunge al massimo gli 800 euro netti al mese. Ma le persone a rischio salgono a 20 milioni se si considera anche la fascia di lavoratori con un reddito inferiore alla soglia appena più alta di 1.350 euro netti mensili.

E riguardo alla situazione dei nuclei familiari il rapporto parla chiaro: negli ultimi anni si sono moltiplicate in maniera esponenziale le famiglie che, per arrivare a fine mese, sono costrette a rivolgersi alla rete di supporto sociale esterno, come ad esempio la Caritas. Ed è proprio quest'ultima ad andare a fondo del problema, con un'indagine che riguarda le nuove generazioni di poveri, diplomati e laureati con uno stipendio minimo o addirittura in attesa di un primo impiego: i più fortunati, ossia quelli con un lavoro, pur essendo qualificati percepiscono uno stipendio di circa 18 mila euro annue, con un contratto al di sotto dellle loro necessità.

Dal 2002, secondo il dossier, si è registrato uno sbilanciamento delle risorse in favore dei ceti medio-alti: i redditi dei capofamiglia operaio o impiegato si assesta intorno alle 1.434 euro mensili, in netta contrapposizione rispetto a quello degli imprenditori o dei liberi professionisti che arriva a 9.053 euro. Se nel 2000 il reddito delle famiglie di operai era circa la metà di quello delle famiglie con a capo un imprenditore, nel 2005 tale distanza si è amplificata: in Italia, il reddito netto di una famiglia con un imprenditore o un libero professionista come persona di riferimento. risulta quasi 3 volte superiore al reddito di una famiglia con capofamiglia operaio.

The Star-Ledger, newspaper of Newark, has an editorial about Iran and North Korea, which prominently omits to mention the other belligerent nuclear-armed state. This is my response.

You are correct in identifying a nuclear armed Iran as a threat. What you fail to mention is that there is another country in the Middle East that has "gotten away with belligerent games" and which has been "nose-thumbing" international efforts to rein in its extensive nuclear program, not to mention its extensive nuclear arsenal.

 

That country is Israel, and its principal "enabler" is our own government, which each year gives Israel $2 billion of our taxes in an unparalleled aid program.

 

Our efforts to create a world safer from the threat of nuclear annihilation would be much improved by an honest appraisal of our own policies.

 

 

Matteo Tamburini

 

By Haaretz Editorial. Aside from what Haaretz says, this occurs with US tax dollars

While the state was busy with other matters, says Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer, the settlers continued to expand and strengthen their hold on West Bank outposts, as well as expanding existing construction.

The semiannual Peace Now report states that expansion work, including road building and preparing ground for construction, is underway in 31 outposts. It also states that permanent structures are being constructed in 12 outposts and mobile homes are being added to 13 outposts, while 10 additional outposts are the sites of infrastructure work and the construction of new roads.

Although this extensive activity is classified as illegal and contradicts Kadima's vision of convergence and a pullout from most of the West Bank, it could not have taken place without state assistance. How is it possible that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to talk about withdrawing to the settlement blocs, while Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says that the outposts need to be removed "yesterday, today and tomorrow," regardless of the withdrawal, but the settlers continue to strengthen their hold over the heart of the West Bank?

[...] The construction of the separation fence - which was intended to bring Israel back to the 1967 borders, or at least close to them - was meant to put an end to investment in settlements beyond the fence, on the assumption they would be evacuated sooner or later. The fence remains in place, and the Palestinians have paid in full by having their land expropriated for the construction, but the settlements east of the fence have not been dismantled; instead, according to the Peace Now report, the opposite has occurred. Every once in a while, a weak promise about evacuating outposts can be heard from the direction of the defense minister. But it has now become clear that while some speak, others act - to build houses and outposts.