Category Archives: Rag Bloggers

Obama’s First Year : A ‘B-Plus’? Get Real!

Cartoon from Orange County Register.A year at the helm:Does Obama make the grade? By Ted McLaughlin / The Rag Blog / December 27, 2009 President Obama has been in office for nearly a year now. I had not thought about … Continue reading

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U.S. in Afghanistan : 1979-2009

Afghanistan: Mujahedin in 1984. Photo from U.S. Foreign Policy in Perspective.The thirty years war:The United States in AfghanistanBy Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / December 27, 2009 When the Soviet Union sent 85,000 of its troops to Afghanistan in … Continue reading

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Coltan in Venezuela : Chavez Putting Chips on War?

Above, image from Intimidad Violada. Below, capacitor made with coltan.Valuable electronics ore mixes with oilTo produce rumbles of war with Colombia By Marion Delgado / The Rag Blog / December 26, 2009 WARS. There are so many of them that … Continue reading

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Colombia : Rebels Accused in High Profile Political Assassination

Above, Governor Luis Francisco Cuellar of Caquetá state in Colombia, who was kidnapped Monday and killed by alleged rebels. Below, relatives and friends carry coffin containing his body as people wave white flags during his funeral service in Florencia, southwestern … Continue reading

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2010 : A New Year and New Hope for Social Change

“Solidarity.” Pastel by genevievemc / photobucketAfter 2009’s dashed hopes:A progressive movement in motion By Jack A. Smith / The Rag Blog / December 23, 2009 With a new year around the corner, let’s look at the year now ending, and … Continue reading

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Yes, Virginia : The Truth About Santa Claus

Does Santa exist? Coke thinks so.The truth about Santa Claus The hope of us all is not that children will finally learn that Santa Claus is not real but rather that adults will finally realize that he is very real. … Continue reading

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UT’s InCite : Documenting a Diverse Community

Patience and attention to detail go into producing a fine quilt. See story about Austin’s Blackland Quilting Group, below. Photo by Priscilla Villarreal / InCite.InCite into Austin:Online publication kicks UT journalism up a notch By James Retherford / The Rag … Continue reading

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New Years Wish List : Forrest Gump Congressional Reform

First Continental Congress. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators who serve their term(s) and then go home and back to work. New Year’s wish list:Forrest Gump’s Congressional Reform Act of 2010 … Continue reading

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Health Care Reform : Framing the Issue

FDR signs the Social Security Act. Photo from Felton M. Johnston Collection / University of Mississippi Libraries.Historical thumbnail:Insurance reform and social securityBy Dick J. Reavis / The Rag Blog / December 22, 2009 For the past few weeks Americans who … Continue reading

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After Copenhagen : Lighting a Candle for Climate Change

Hundreds of climate activists gathered in Copenhagen December 17, in a candlelight vigil. Photo from tcktcktck.org.After Copenhagen:Vigils shine a light on emerging movement By Rabbi Arthur Waskow / The Rag Blog / December 22, 2009 I am writing from the … Continue reading

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Mexico City : Christmas not so Merry for Out of Work ‘Electricistas’

At top, Mexico City’s giant Christmas tree. Photo by Gary Denness / Creative Commons. Below, members of the electrical union protest the government’s decision to dissolve the state-run electricity company Luz y Fuerza del Centro in Mexico City on Oct. … Continue reading

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Grannies to Toys’R’Us : War is Not a Game

Granny and grandpa at Times Square. Photo by Bud Korotzer / NLN / The Rag Blog.Grannies at Times Square:‘No more war toys, no more war’ By Fran Korotzer / The Rag Blog / December 21, 2009 NEW YORK — On … Continue reading

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