Kathy Kelly shares the story of an Iraqi woman's struggle to survive; Nick
Turse writes about "the Pentagon-petroleum partner****p"; activist against
chemical plant receives "mysterious test results"; rapid decline in
orangutan
population caused by human activity; "extraordinarily high number of
***ual
harassment" claims filed against Chrysler and UAW; Martha Burk writes
about
how women can control this election; GOP senators pressured to reverse
Medicare cuts; foreclosures could mean trouble at the polls; and more ...
Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org
t r u t h o u t | 07.07
Go directly to our issues page: http://www.truthout.org/issues
Kathy Kelly | Cold Shoulders
http://www.truthout.org/article/cold-shoulders
Truthout contributor Kathy Kelly says, "Over the past two years, here in
Amman, Jordan, I've regularly visited the family of Umm Hamdi, an Iraqi
woman
forced out of her native Iraq four years ago by terrifying death threats
after
her husband, very likely prey to that same threatened violence,
disappeared.
Although often met with the proverbial 'cold shoulder' when trying to
improve
conditions for her family, she persists. In the daytime, she does child
care
for another family and, in the evening, she knits, sews and makes
handicrafts
to sell in a local market. Umm Hamdi is tough, strong and fiercely
determined
to provide for her children. Nevertheless, she's wretchedly insecure as a
single mother and one more refugee among thousands in a country where
resources to cope with her anxious needs are very slim. And she is worried
about her son, who is still in Iraq."
Nick Turse | The Iraqi Oil Ministry's New Fave Five
http://www.truthout.org/article/the-iraqi-oil-ministrys-new-fave-five
Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com, writes: "According to recent re****ts, the
proposed Iraqi service contracts, which may be paid off in cash or crude
oil,
will be worth $500 million each. That is roughly what the Pentagon paid
out on
June 18 alone - the day before the Times broke its story about Big Oil's
return to Iraq - for natural gas and aviation fuel. Over half the total
amount, in excess of $268 million, was handed over to one of the oil
giants
set to benefit from the Iraq deal: BP (formerly British Petroleum). Only
days
earlier, two of the other majors from the coterie of potential no-bid
contractors, ExxonMobil and Chevron, nabbed contracts from the DoD - in
ExxonMobil's case, a $73 million deal for gasoline and fuel oil; in
Chevron's,
a $16 million contract for aviation fuel."
Part 2: Crusader Against Plant Receives Alarming News
http://www.truthout.org/article/part-2-crusader-against-plant-receives-alarming-news
Susan Sward of The San Francisco Chronicle says, "Rita Smith curled up
alone
in her garage office, crying. Minutes before, a laboratory employee had
given
her the news over the phone: Her test results weren't good, and she should
see
her doctor. Quickly. It was 2005. For years, Smith had been embroiled in a
battle with the owners of a chemical plant in the California desert where
Smith and her husband, Steve, had worked."
Orangutans "On Fast Track to Extinction"
http://www.truthout.org/article/orangutans-on-fast-track-extinction
Michael Casey, The Independent UK, re****ts: "The orangutan could be the
first
great ape to become extinct if urgent action is not taken to protect the
species from human encroachment in Southeast Asia, according to a new
study."
Chrysler, UAW Face Slew of ***ual Harassment Complaints
http://www.truthout.org/article/chrysler-uaw-face-slew-***ual-harassment-complaints
Tim Higgins of the Detroit Free Press says, "In the past four years, nine
federal lawsuits have been filed in Toledo against Chrysler regarding
***ual
harassment at the Jeep plant. Seventy-three charges of civil rights
violations
have been filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.... The lawsuits and
claims together ****tray an assembly plant where certain supervisors and
union
leaders used their power to demand *** from female workers in exchange for
letting the women keep their jobs or favorable assignments."
Martha Burk | Women Can Control This Election
http://www.truthout.org/article/women-can-control-this-election
Writing for Ms. Magazine, Martha Burk says, "Too often an election will be
dramatically characterized as the 'election of the century,' or 'the most
im****tant election in our lifetime.' But this time it may be true."
Doctors Press Senate to Undo Medicare Cuts
http://www.truthout.org/article/doctors-press-senate-undo-medicare-cuts
Robert Pear of The New York Times writes: "Congress returns to work this
week
with Medicare high on the agenda and Senate Republicans under pressure
after a
barrage of radio and television advertisements blamed them for a 10.6
percent
cut in payments to doctors who care for millions of older Americans."
Will Foreclosures Affect Voting Rolls?
http://www.truthout.org/article/will-foreclosures-affect-voting-rolls
According to The Associated Press, "Election officials worry that Ohio's
home
foreclosure problem will pose a problem this November for voters still
registered at their former address, a newspaper re****ted Sunday."
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