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Global Notebook 6/98

Super User June 14, 2005 Super User

Russia Faces a Crime Revolution

MOSCOW – Big money is a major factor in Russian politics as the newly – sometimes illicitly – rich gain control over democratic institutions. A recent example was the April mayoral victory of a controversial businessman with a criminal record in Nizhny Novgorod, the country’s third largest city. Afterwards, the winner, Andrei Klimentiev, was arrested for bribing voters and violating an earlier court order to leave town.

Fearing a criminal takeover, President Yeltsin has backed legislation to prevent criminals from being elected or getting government jobs. The Interior ministry estimates there are now 12,000 criminal organizations in Russia, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that the country "is on the verge of becoming a crime-dominated oligarchy." Russian bureaucracy is a perfect playground for corruption: Salaries are low, and many officials accept bribes. read more

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Global Notebook 3/98

bbytes June 14, 2005 bbytes

 Global Tax Gets Another Look

LONDON – Proposals to pay for international aid, peacekeeping, and other humanitarian causes through global taxes have long been shunned by the US Congress. Suggestions range from an international lottery to a tax on the arms trade. But one idea – a tax on foreign currency transactions – may have a better chance after the currency fluctuations that crashed the “Asian miracle.”

Although congressional Right-wingers see it as a plot against US sovereignty, cuts in Western aid budgets and recent economic jitters are reviving consideration of the so-called Tobin Tax. Originally suggested by US Nobel laureate James Tobin, a tax on currency transactions supposedly would discourage trading and reduce exchange-rate volatility. With $1.2 trillion washing through the global economy every day, the proceeds could reach $80 billion a year. Princeton economist Peter Kenan suggests that funds be used for projects like disaster relief, AIDS research, and environmental clean-ups. read more

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Global Notebook 2/99

Compiled and Edited by Greg Guma June 14, 2005 Compiled and Edited by Greg Guma

Moving Beyond Borders

PRETORIA – When southern Africa was wracked by civil wars in the 1980s, an electric fence was strung across the no-man’s-land separating South Africa from Mozambique. But it’s about to be replaced by a huge, trans-boundary "peace park" linking Kruger National Park in South Africa with two others across the border. Together with a reserve in Zimbabwe, the plan represents a new trend in nature conservation and regional cooperation. read more

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About

Super User June 4, 2005 Super User

Toward Freedom: a progressive perspective on world events since 1952 

Toward Freedom envisions a world ethic that honors the human spirit and the right of individuals to freedom of thought and creativity; advances movements for human rights, peace, justice, enlightenment, and freedom from oppression; and celebrates the contributions of the world’s diverse cultures.

Read a letter from the publisher and editor about TF’s new website

Who We Are

Publisher: Robin Lloyd read more

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Uranium Casualties

RON CHEPESIUK June 3, 2005 RON CHEPESIUK

Members of the 42nd Military Police Company of the New York National Guard remember the place in Iraq where they were stationed as a hellhole. "The place was filthy; most of the windows were broken; dirt, grease, and bird droppings were everywhere," Sergeant Agustin Matos later recalled. "I wouldn't house a city prisoner in that place." There were also the frequent sandstorms, blowing dust right into the area where Matos and his fellow company members were based. Sergeant Hector Vega, a retired postal worker from the Bronx who had served in the National Guard for 27 years, said the smoke "was so thick, you could see it."

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Mexico: short Wave Radio (03/04)

ZAIDEE ROSE STAVELY June 3, 2005 ZAIDEE ROSE STAVELY

The sound of a trombone emerges from the foliage of the northern Veracruz mountains. It plays a single note, then another. As trumpets, cornets, tubas, and drums join in, musicians march out from the pines. They have walked miles to reach Pie de la Cuesta and participate in the celebration.

Blasting away, they take their places in the line. Another nine bands are already waiting. One group of musicians is decked out in matching blue suits. Others sport ponytails and Che Guevara T-shirts, while many wear baggy jeans and baseball caps. The drums are decorated with the names of the bands and colorful images of deer, mountains, starry skies, and roads winding their way between houses. read more