magazine September 2007

A Freegan World

Hundreds of urban activists, combining the words "free" and "vegan" have set out to change the way we think and act

By Sergio Burns    activism environment theory

Labor Takes a Seat in the Classroom

Educators are taking steps to bring union history into American schools

By Adam Doster    education labor

Extending Tours, Stressing Troops

Despite a growing body of medical research, the Pentagon is extending tours of duty to their longest levels since World War II, precipitating the first time in history that active-duty soldiers will spend more time in combat than at home

By Sarah Olson    military military war

Farming the Concrete Jungle

In cities across the country urban farmers are growing communities, greening the landscape and revolutionizing food politics.

By Phoebe Connelly and Chelsea Ross    agriculture environment

Creating the 21st Century Library

The Prelinger Library eschews the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress systems, and is organized instead by what Megan Shaw Prelinger calls "a map of my brain"

By Aaron Sarver    books media theory

A Dream Deferred

Only sustained community activism will reverse the Supreme Court's most recent betrayal of Brown v. Board of Education

By Lewis M. Steel    education judiciary judiciary race

Scorned on the Bayou

Louisianans fear a new plan to restore costal wetlands could destroy their way of life

By Melinda Tuhus    environment natural disasters

Palestinians in Iraq Face a Second Exile

Threatened in Iraq, these refugees have no country to return to.

By Robert S. Eshelman    middle east

In Condemnation of Opting In

Our voices are being drowned out by our peers in the supposedly independent media, like Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore, who calls Starbucks "the new record store," and music journalists like the Chicago Reader's Miles Raymer, who argued in a piece called "In Praise of Selling Out" that the music industry's decline can be "rescued by corporations that make everything but music"

By Anne Elizabeth Moore    art media

Restoring Classroom Justice

Restorative justice in schools has picked up steam in response to "zero tolerance" policies, which lead to "schoolhouse-to-jailhouse tracking"

Universal Health Care for Wisconsin?

In late June, the Wisconsin state senate ratified "Healthy Wisconsin," a plan that is "the boldest and most comprehensive health care reform from any state," according to the Progressive States Network

The Promise of Low Power FM

The voices aired on low-power stations include evangelists, social critics, tomato pickers and indie rockers--all linked by the credo that radio should reflect the heterogeneity of the communities it serves

No Match? No Mas!

The Department of Homeland Security is trying to force employers to either fire workers whose names and Social Security numbers don't match. Widespread job loss often results when the government dons its immigration-enforcement blinders

The Kids Aren't Alright

Daniel Brook's The Trap reminds us that inequality is bad for everyone, rich and poor

books

The Secret Lives of Plutocrats

In Richistan, Robert Frank offers a breezy, well-observed peek into this gated community. You too could visit if you graduate from "butler boot camp" and become a $120,000-a-year "household manager"

By David Moberg    books economy social justice

books

Unveiling Muslim Feminism

Muslim women's bodies are too frequently used to symbolize the state of Islam in Iran, and the degree to which it associates itself with the West

By Erin Wiegand    gender middle east

Blogs Up, Hacks Down

Oh, what a difference a year makes. At the second annual YearlyKos conference in Chicago in early August, now-confident progressive bloggers played nice… more

Climate Change Refugees

It has already started. The first ripples from rising seas are inundating low-lying areas, threatening coasts and islands. Climate refugees around the world… more

How Does Laura Bush Sleep at Night?

Laura provides PR cover for George, pretending that they're helping children while he screws them through 'No Child Left Behind.'

Gitmo's Last Honest Man

The difference between Abraham and the Bush White House is that Abraham has an attachment to justice and fairness.

The Counterproductive War on Gangs

'Aggressive tactics make the situation worse by alienating local residents and trapping youth in te criminal justice system.'

The Crafting of Obama

To my esteemed colleague, In These Times Senior Editor Salim Muwakkil: I love your work, but I have to call you out on… more