Author Archives: Thorne Dreyer

Report : Skyrocketing Profits for Big Insurance Companies

Photo by Tanya J. Harding from stock.xchng.Report: Big insurance companies out of control The top five insurers made $12 billion in profits last year, while dropping coverage for 2.7 million people. By Chris Frates / February 12, 2010 With health … Continue reading

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BOOKS / ‘The New Class Society : Goodbye American Dream?’

New Class Society:Making class analysis relevant By Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / February 12, 2010 I am using a text by Robert Perrucci and Earl Wysong called New Class Society: Goodbye American Dream? (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008) in … Continue reading

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Texas State University : Escalate the Peace!

Bobby Whittenberg, Iraq Vet, at Escalate the Peace! rally, Texas State University in San Marcos, Wednesday, February 10. Photo by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog.Escalate the Peace! San Marcos demonstrators rally in the sleet By Alice Embree / The … Continue reading

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Sarah Palin : Popularity Dropping Like a Rock

She may still be a good storyBut Palin’s poll numbers keep going south By Ted McLaughlin / The Rag Blog / February 12, 2010 The teabaggers, Republican right-wingers, political pundits, and media talking heads seemed determined to keep Sarah Palin … Continue reading

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Marc Estrin : Happy Birthday, Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht, 1948. Photo from Deutsches Bundesarchiv / Wikimedia Commons.Of Poor B.B.:Bertolt Brecht speaks from the grave By Marc Estrin / The Rag Blog / February 11, 2010 [German playwright, poet, and theatrical director Bertolt Brecht was born on February … Continue reading

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Harvey Wasserman : Vermont’s Radioactive Nightmare

Image from This Week in Nuclear.Radioactive fallout:Vermont Yankee one of 27 U.S. reactorsKnown to leak carcinogenic tritium By Harvey Wasserman / The Rag Blog / February 11, 2010 Like a decayed flotilla of rickety steamers, at least 27 of America’s … Continue reading

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Sgt. Travis Bishop : Ft. Hood War Resister to Get Out Early

War resister Sgt. Travis Bishop flashes peace sign to supporters as he is taken to the Bell County (Texas) Correctional Unit after being sentenced to one year in prison at court martial on August 14, 2009. Photo by Eric Thompson.Afghanistan … Continue reading

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FILM / David McReynolds : ‘Never Cry Wolf’

Profoundly mystic:Carroll Bellard’s Never Cry Wolf By David McReynolds / The Rag Blog / February 10, 2010 We each have our own habits, and one of mine is tracking down films that had been well received in their time, but … Continue reading

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Landrieu and the Saints : A New Day for New Orleans?

New Orleans mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu. Photo from AP.Who dat mayor:A new day for New Orleans? By Jordan Flaherty / The Rag Blog / February 9, 2010 NEW ORLEANS — In a city consumed by the Superbowl and Mardi Gras celebrations, … Continue reading

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Robert Jensen : Mainstream Media and the Conventional Wisdom

Ethan Bronner, Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times. His son joined the Israeli army.NY Times and Palestine imbroglio:No conflict of interest with conventional wisdom by Robert Jensen / The Rag Blog / February 9, 2010 The New York … Continue reading

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Fearful Symmetry : A Tale of Two Presidents

Job losses under two presidents — December, 2007-January, 2010. Chart from Bureau of Labor Statistics / Speaker’s Office / TPM Documents.The red increase in job loss is the climax of Republican White House control. The blue decrease in job loss … Continue reading

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Primal Scream : White Racism and the Tea Party Movement

Sign at Tea Party in Madison, WI, April 14, 2009. Photo by cometstarmoon / Wikimedia Commons.Bubbling under the surface:Racial resentment in the Tea Party movement By Rich Benjamin / February 9, 2010 [Rich Benjamin’s commentary on the underlying “white grievance” … Continue reading

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