In April, Arizona passed SB 1070, a controversial law that encourages police officers to harass residents they "reasonably suspect" to be undocumented migrants. Chuck D, from hip-hop legends Public Enemy, spoke to sports journalist, broadcaster and author Dave Zirin about SB 1070. Abridged from Zirin鈥檚 website, Edge of Sports .
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DZ: Why did you choose to record 鈥淭ear Down this Wall?鈥
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Forty years after the first equal pay test case, the gap between male and female wages continues to widen.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on May 20 put the pay gap (as of February 2010) at 18%. Women on average now earn $239.30 a week less than men.
The pay gap has increased 0.5% over the quarter (from 17.5%) and 1.5% over the year (from 16.5%). The gap is now at its highest level since August 1994.
International outrage against Israel鈥檚 May 31 massacre of activists on a boat bringing aid to Gaza has been expressed through ongoing mass protests around the world, condemnation of Israel's actions by most governments (except the US), and calls for the immediate lifting of Israel鈥檚 blockade of Gaza.
Nicaragua has suspended diplomatic ties with Israel. Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Ecuador and South Africa have recalled their envoys. Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia had already cut their diplomatic ties with Israel.
On May 30, 2010, 91自拍论坛 Weekly published an article titled 鈥淎ustralia expels diplomat but remains 鈥榝irm friend鈥 of Israel鈥. It contained the untrue and defamatory suggestion that Paul Howes, National Secretary of the Australian Workers鈥 Union, was thrilled by the killing of Palestinian Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhoh in Dubai in January this year.
Community group Save Our Rail held a lively picket outside a 700-strong meeting of the anti-rail lobby Fix Our City (FOC) at Newcastle Town Hall on June 3.
FOC is a business and developer lobby group whose explicit aim is to have the Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) 鈥渦rban renewal report鈥 implemented.
The HDC report鈥檚 main proposal is to cut the Newcastle at Wickham station.
Save Our Rail drew 150 people to the counter-rally. It had the support of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, which brought several large union banners.
Hundreds of Thais and an Australian remain in jail, as the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva continues to repress the grassroots pro-democracy Red Shirt movement. Some Red Shirt protesters are still in hiding.
This follows the full-scale military assault on May 19 that ended a six-week protest by thousands of Red Shirts in the commercial centre of Bangkok. Australian Colin Purcell, of Perth, has been caught up in the repression and is still detained by police.
The following is a talk delivered by Scott Weinstein to a public forum in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 7. Weinstein is a Montreal-based nurse who volunteered for five weeks of medical duty in Haiti shortly after the January 12 earthquake. The full speech can be read at .
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The following text is from a petition by the World People鈥檚 Movement for Mother Earth, which demands that United Nations climate change negotiations include proposals from the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in April. You can sign the petition . Find out more about the Cochabamba summit, including resolutions passed,
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The picture is clear: the activists attacked in the Israeli military鈥檚 May 31 nighttime commando raid on a boat bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza were not armed.
In Israel, the media is broadcasting disinformation, using edited videos. But it is clear there was no crossfire during the raid, just Israeli fire.
Israel claims there was an attempt by activists onboard the Mavi Marmara, to steal weapons from soldiers. But either the army鈥檚 spokespeople or the soldiers themselves are telling false tales.
Israel鈥檚 latest atrocity
After yet another terrible massacre by Israel, this time against mostly foreign nationals in international waters, it must be said that several Western countries bear a lot of the responsibility for this and previous Israeli crimes.
These nations, principally the US, Britain and Australia, have constantly tolerated Israel carrying out atrocities without any condemnation or repercussions. In fact they usually make pathetic excuses for Israel鈥檚 actions, and stop criticism of Israel in the UN and other forums, granting Israel impunity.
One sentence in the final declaration of the Search Foundation鈥檚 Left Renewal Conference (From Global Crisis to Green Future) captured the key issue: 鈥淐apitalism has been unable to address inequality, war and ecological degradation, and must be replaced by a democratic system that puts human need before greed, and socialises wealth instead of debt.鈥
Moshe Dayan, Israel鈥檚 most celebrated general, famously outlined the strategy he believed would keep Israel鈥檚 enemies at bay: 鈥淚srael must be a like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother.鈥
Until now, most observers assumed Dayan was referring to Israeli military or possibly nuclear strategy, an expression in his typically blunt fashion of the country鈥檚 familiar doctrine of deterrence.
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