The mention of screenwriter John Howard Lawson conjures up images of a dauntless, spirited genius, Dean of the Hollywood Ten, a leader among artists determined to defend himself and his colleagues in the face of one of the worst, most repressive campaigns against free speech in American history.

¿Alguna vez has oído mencionar a la Fundación Nacional por la Democracia (Nacional Endowment for Democracy, o NED, por sus siglas en inglés)? Muy poca gente la conoce. Sin embargo, la NED recibe fondos del erario público y lleva acabo una política externa sin ningún grado de transparencia ni control público.

The WTO negotiations have turned into a fight by developed countries to open markets in developing countries to favor their big companies. The agricultural subsidies in the North, which mainly go to agricultural and food companies in the US and Europe, will not only continue but will actually increase, as demonstrated by the 2008 Farm Bill in the United States.

There's "a change a-comin'." It's gonna be big, huge. Think China earthquake; think tsunami. Like an earthquake it's going to shake the foundations of US political life from the ground up.

An unprecedented discussion is sweeping the country about how to change direction for the common good. Tens of thousands of union members are knocking on the doors of millions of co-workers and their families to talk about the issues.

The federal minimum wage is due to increase today, July 24, to $6.55 per hour. Passage of the increase was one of the first accomplishments of the new Democratic-controlled Congress, and the wage is scheduled to rise again next summer to $7.25.

Dozens of women's, health care, religious, civil rights, and labor organizations are protesting proposed new Department of Health and Human Services’ draft regulations that could significantly limit women’s access to basic reproductive health services, including some of the most common forms of birth control.

A dozen anti-Cuban organizations are under investigation in the United States for fraudulent operations with US taxpayer funds allocated by the Bush administration to subvert order in the island.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), a leader for health care reform on Capitol Hill, is the first Democratic National Convention delegate to sign a new statement urging that the convention adopt a plank in the 2008 party platform to "guarantee accessible health care for all."

Describing racism as an "evil" that damages working families and the labor movement, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, earlier this month, spoke at the United Steelworkers convention and called for support for Barack Obama.

In the face of the latest disturbing economic news, congressional Democrats are crafting a second stimulus package, according to AFSCME's GreenLine Blog. Discussions on how to proceed with a new stimulus package began this week with meetings between Democratic leaders and economists.

Most buildings are designed to shed rain, and as such are built with hard, impenetrable roofing surfaces. As a result, rainwater bounces off and collects as runoff, picking up impurities on the way to municipal storm sewers, which in turn eventually empty out into local bodies of water.

The Beltline Affordable Housing Advisory Board (BAHAB) held the first citywide conversation on affordable housing as it relates to the BeltLine, on July 08, 2008, the first in a series of meetings seeking to generate feedback from the community over the coming weeks.

While preparing a lecture on the Great Depression, I saw TV news clips of George Bush saying that the economy was “sound.” He has actually said that a few times in the last few weeks.

Arizona's November ballot will feature an anti-marriage equality initiative. Republicans, who control the state senate, passed the measure by the barest margin earlier this month. If passed by the voters, it would put in place a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Member groups of United for Peace and Justice will hold actions across the United States July 19-21 to press Congress to take action to prevent war with Iran.

It wasn't the first or last time John McCain failed to have command of the facts or even knowledge of his past positions on an issue, but when a reporter asked him on July 9th about birth control John McCain was dumbfounded.

If there's one thing that Errol Morris has proved since his first documentary about a pet cemetery in Gates of Heaven (1978), it is that he doesn't adopt standard operating procedure.

Former Vice President Al Gore in a speech in Washington this week called for a policy that would lead to the elimination of all fossil fuel based electrical power production in the US and its replacement by solar, wind, and other renewable energy source.

Ever wonder why health care policy hasn't changed much in close to 40 years? One big reason is the amount of money the big pharmaceutical companies pour into Washington each year, into the pockets of politicians like John McCain, to maintain the status quo or to win new benefits for them.