Blog Posts By Duane Shank

Mine Disaster. The West Virginia mine where at least 25 workers died Monday in an explosion was written up more than 50 times last month for safety violations. Twelve of the citations involved problems with ventilating the mine and preventing a buildup of deadly methane. Farmworkers Win. Food service provider Aramark and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced a deal Thursday that calls for Aramark to increase wages for tomato pickers by about 70 to 80 percent. Palestinian Nonviolence. Something is stirring in the West Bank. With both diplomacy and armed struggle out of favor for having failed to end the Israeli occupation, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, joined by the business community, is trying to forge a third way: to rouse popular passions while avoiding violence. Quote of the Day. "I hope you realize there's a target on your back now. There are many people out there that want you dead. Now that you've passed your health-care bill let the violence begin." Message allegedly left on the phone of Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, by a Washington state man arrested on Tuesday. (USA Today)

Immigration. State and local police officers who enforce federal immigration laws are not adequately screened, trained, or supervised, and the civil rights of the immigrants they deal with are not consistently protected, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general. Iran Nuclear Agenda. Iran has said it will host a nuclear disarmament conference later this month as part of an effort to ease fears Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Baghdad Bombings. At least 41 people were killed and 237 wounded Sunday in three suicide car bombings targeting the Iranian and German embassies and the Egyptian Consulate in Iraq in a span of 30 minutes. Quote of the Day. “I’d love to have those numbers be higher, but I think that we have made a great start and have paved the way, with women now being able to perform the same duties as men in space flight.” Stephanie Wilson, one of three women aboard the space shuttle Discovery that successfully launched this morning on a mission to the International Space Shuttle, which also has a woman crewmember, setting a record for the most women in space at the same time. (Times Online)

Russia Bombing. A team of suicide bombers struck again in Russia early this morning following Monday's devastating attacks on the Moscow metro, killing at least 12 people and injuring 28 others in the unstable southern Caucasus republic of Dagestan. Offshore Drilling. President Obama announced Wednesday that his administration will approve significant oil and gas exploration off America's coasts, including a possible sale two years from now of leases off the Virginia shore. Death Penalty Report. China executed more people last year than the rest of the world combined, according to a report published Tuesday by Amnesty International. Quote of the Day. "Not only are the (speeding) tolerances much lower, but the frequency of a warning instead of a ticket is way down. Most people, if they're stopped now, are getting a ticket even if it's only a minor violation of a few miles per hour." James Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, suggesting that the recession may be leading police departments to stop allowing a 5 to 10-mph “cushion” in order to raise more revenue. (USA Today)

Attacks in Moscow. Female suicide bombers set off huge explosions in two subway stations in central Moscow during the Monday morning rush hour, Russian officials said, killing more than three dozen people and raising fears that the Muslim insurgency in southern Russia was once again being brought to the country’s heart. United Kingdom. Britain needs to use "sharp elbows" in its dealings with Washington because Barack Obama is "less sentimental" about the historic links between Britain and the United States, a former ambassador to the U.S. has claimed. Afghanistan. President Obama personally delivered pointed criticism to President Hamid Karzai in a face-to-face meeting on Sunday, flying here for an unannounced visit that reflected growing vexation with Mr. Karzai as America’s military commitment to defeat the Taliban insurgency has deepened. Quote of the Day. "We have seen need grow at certain times, but we have never seen a national economy like this. And we have never seen so many middle-class people lose their jobs and have to depend on emergency food assistance … It's no surprise that this is a very poor area. But I never would have expected to be No. 1 in food insecurity in the entire country." Susan Sanford, who has headed the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis for the past two decades, on a survey that found 26 percent of people in greater Memphis couldn't afford to buy the food their families needed at some point over the previous 12 months, the highest rate in the nation. (McClatchy)

Obama Signs Health-Care Bill. With the strokes of 20 pens, President Obama signed his health care overhaul -- the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades -- into law on Tuesday during a festive, at times raucous, White House ceremony. China-Google. Just over two months after threatening to leave China because of censorship and intrusions from hackers, Google on Monday closed its Internet search service there and began directing users in that country to its uncensored search engine in Hong Kong. Afghanistan. Pilots have always undergone intense debriefings after combat missions, but the questions focus now on whether they were certain that no civilians were endangered before they dropped a bomb or launched a missile. Quote of the Day. "Faith leads to action. We have a chance today to do something with our faith." Rev. Rick Cole of the Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, CA, explaining a community-wide effort among 80 houses of worship to help homeless people called "One Day to Prevent Homelessness," in which members donate one day's worth of rent or mortgage payment. (Sacramento Bee)

Children’s Health Insurance Eliminated. Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children’s Health Insurance Program when Gov. Jan Brewer signed an austere budget that will leave nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage. Financial Reform. If not for the sea of navy business suits and the hotel ballroom's chandeliers, the gathering Wednesday morning might have seemed more like a pep rally than a meeting of the American Bankers Association. But the 900 bankers were preparing to storm Capitol Hill, and they were getting revved up. Gaza. After Gaza rocket attacks resulted in the first fatality since last year's war, Israeli warplanes carried out retaliatory air strikes on at least six targets overnight. Hamas is struggling to contain unaffiliated militants in Gaza. Quote of the Day. “With the reality of 78 million baby boomers coming into an aging demographic, we need more housing choices for caregiving. It can be a great opportunity for connectedness across generations, but also an opportunity for conflict if family members don’t keep communications lines open.’’ Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s senior vice president for livable communities, on a new study showing that about 6.6 million U.S. households in 2009 were “multigenerational,” with at least three generations in the household. (Boston Globe/AP)

Thailand. Swelling crowds of anti-government protesters swarming in central Bangkok cheered and rattled their plastic clappers this afternoon as one of their leaders told the Thai Government to dissolve parliament within 24 hours or face the consequences. Israel-U.S. Israel's ambassador to the U.S. has said that relations between the two countries are at their lowest point for 35 years, Israeli media have reported. Mexico. Gunmen believed to be linked to drug traffickers shot a pregnant American consulate worker and her husband to death in the violence-racked border town of Ciudad Juárez over the weekend, leaving their baby wailing in the back seat of their car, the authorities said Sunday. The gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children. Quote of the Day. “Knowledge doesn’t equal behavior. A lot of people just can’t be bothered, which is extremely disheartening. They take the path of least resistance. So if it’s easier to throw it away, they’ll throw it away.’’ Claire Sullivan, director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative south of Boston, commenting on state statistics showing just over one-quarter of all residential trash was recycled in 2008, roughly the same percentage as 10 years ago. (Boston Globe)

Immigration. Overcoming their fear of deportation, a group of college-age immigrants publicly admitted their undocumented status at a rally at the Federal Plaza on Wednesday in hopes of putting a face on the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Financial Reform. Payday lenders, pawnbrokers, car dealers, and other companies that make loans but do not hold bank charters would be shielded from the scrutiny of a proposed federal consumer protection regulator under the terms of a tentative compromise between senators who are attempting to craft a bipartisan bill. Afghanistan Withdrawal Resolution. In a strong bipartisan endorsement of the Obama administration’s policy in Afghanistan, the House of Representatives on Wednesday soundly rejected a call to withdraw American troops by the end of the year. Quote of the Day. “A well-crafted carbon surcharge achieves two goals. The first is a drastic reduction in fossil fuel usage for energy, but the second, and more important for Los Angeles, is the creation of thousands of green-collar jobs.” Jay Carson, chief deputy mayor of Los Angeles on the city’s plan to increase electric rates to fund renewable energy programs. (Los Angeles Times)

Financial Reform. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched an ad campaign focused on limiting the reach of any new consumer regulatory agency, saying that a far-reaching entity would wreak havoc on a lot of mom and pop businesses that had nothing to do with the financial meltdown in the first place. Immigration. Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009. Iraq Election. More than 60 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections despite numerous attempts to disrupt the vote, officials have said. Quote of the Day. "This is like putting on every student's desk, when you walk into class, five different magazines, several television shows, some shopping opportunities and a phone, and saying, 'Look, if your mind wanders, feel free to pick any of these up and go with it.'" David Cole, Georgetown Law professor, on why he has banned laptops from his classes. (Washington Post)

Chile. Class war has broken out in the city that bore the brunt of the Chilean earthquake and tsunami and the wave of looting that followed. Aid has just arrived in Concepción but it is the rich who are being fed first. Armenian Genocide. A congressional committee voted Thursday to label as "genocide" the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians, shrugging off a last-minute warning from Obama administration officials that it would alienate Turkey, a key U.S. ally. Education Cuts Protests. A day of passionate protest against education funding cuts attracted thousands of demonstrators Thursday to mostly peaceful rallies, walkouts and teach-ins at universities and high schools throughout California and the nation. Quote of the Day. “We can live in fear and make bad policy based on fear, or we can have some backbone and make policy based on what really helps our communities. [Still,] I worry about it. I say a rosary every day.” Patricia L. Caruso, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections,on the growing trend by states to reduce prison populations by expanding parole programs and early releases in order to save money, with the risk that some will commit new crimes. (New York Times)

Chile. Chile’s government, after initially waving off outside aid, changed course Monday as the devastation from the powerful earthquake sank in and the nation’s pressing needs became clear. Afghanistan. The initial phase of the military offensive in southern Afghanistan to wrest Marja from insurgent control has largely ended, but the more daunting task of building a credible government in the place of Taliban rule has just begun, according to senior U.S. and Afghan officials. Financial Reform. The chairman of the Senate banking committee is seeking Democratic support for a Republican proposal to house a new consumer-protection regulator inside the Federal Reserve, a compromise that could clear the way for bipartisan legislation on financial reform. Quote of the Day. "They [terrorists] can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma [global brotherhood]. No, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire. There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered jihad." Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a London-based Pakistani Muslim scholar in a fatwa (religious ruling) against terrorism and suicide bombing. (Al Jazeera)

Health care summit. President Obama declared Thursday that the time for debate over health-care reform has come to an end, closing an unusual seven-hour summit with congressional leaders by sending a clear message that Democrats will move forward to pass major legislation with or without Republican support. Iran-Syria. The presidents of Iran and Syria on Thursday ridiculed U.S. policy in the region and pledged to create a Middle East "without Zionists," combining a slap at recent U.S. overtures and a threat to Israel with an endorsement of one of the region's defining alliances. Burma. The Supreme Court in Burma has rejected an appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against an extension of her house arrest.

Jobs. Senior Democrats say the House is preparing to quickly pass a $15 billion job-creating measure once it is approved by the Senate, illustrating new urgency on the part of Democrats to show they are taking steps to improve the national employment picture. Afghanistan. More than eight years after the Taliban was toppled from power, the number of U.S. military fatalities in the war in Afghanistan is nearing 1,000, a grim milestone in a resurgent conflict that is claiming the lives of an increasing number of troops who had survived previous combat tours in Iraq. Free Speech and Terrorism. The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to resolve a conflict between the free-speech rights of a Los Angeles-based advocate for international peace and a broad anti-terrorism law that makes it a crime to advise a foreign terrorist group, even if it means advising its members to seek peace. Quote of the Day. "The American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition. Protracted war has become a widely accepted part of our politics." Andrew Bacevich, retired Army Col. (and now history professor at Boston University) whose son was killed in Iraq in 2007, on how eight years of war have affected American foreign policy. (Washington Post)

Haiti. Next month in New York, the international community's commitment to Haiti's reconstruction will face its first big test. At a meeting of donor nations and international organizations, the Haitian government is to present its preliminary reconstruction plan, which it hopes will set the stage for a large and lasting commitment by the rest of the world. Afghanistan-Civilians Killed. One day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai made an impassioned plea for American-led forces to do more to avoid killing civilians in their fight against the Taliban, a NATO air strike killed as many as 33 civilians in southern Afghanistan. Immigration. An ambitious, multibillion-dollar project to hot-wire the new Southwest border fence with high-tech radar, cameras, and satellite signals has been plagued with serious system failures and repeated delays and will probably not be completed for another seven years -- if it is finished at all. Quote of the Day. "If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog. I'm a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they're wedged in, it's almost impossible." Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, on a study urging that hot dogs be "redesigned" so they are less likely to become stuck in children’s throats. About 17% of food-related asphyxiations in children are caused by hot dogs. (USA Today)

Deficit Commission. With the national debt soaring, Republican leaders reluctantly consented Thursday to join Democrats on a bipartisan commission to address the government's budget problems. Black Farmers. The Obama administration announced a $1.25 billion settlement Thursday to resolve charges by thousands of black farmers who say that for decades the Agriculture Department discriminated against them in loan programs. Climate Change. The sense of disarray in the global effort to address climate change deepened Thursday with the resignation of Yvo de Boer, the stolid Dutch bureaucrat who led the international climate change negotiations over four tumultuous years. Quote of the Day. "When people are not treated right, you have an obligation to do something about it ... So get in the way, get in trouble -- but good trouble." Rep. John Lewis, U.S. House member from Georgia and civil rights veteran, speaking at Central Piedmont Community College. (Charlotte Observer)

Foreclosures. Experts fear that a new wave of foreclosures will hit this year as prolonged unemployment makes it difficult for millions of homeowners to pay their mortgages -- and many of them aren't likely to get much help from a federal program aimed at keeping them in their houses. Haiti. The scale of devastation caused by the Haiti earthquake was far worse than the Asian tsunami and is almost certainly the most destructive disaster in modern history, according to a U.S. study. California Budget Cuts. Gov. Schwarzenegger's budget proposes saving $304 million by eliminating programs that provide a safety net for elderly, disabled, and low-income immigrants who don't yet qualify for federal welfare. Quote of the Day. "Rich countries have no excuse for failing to deliver the aid increases they promised five years ago at Gleneagles. The missing $21bn could pay for every child [in the world] to go to school and could save the lives of two million of the poorest mothers and children." Max Lawson at Oxfam on a study showing that aid to developing countries from richer nations will fail to hit targets set five years ago at the Gleneagles summit. (BBC)

Immigration. An unusually wet winter in Arizona this year has been lethal for illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the United States, with nine people dying from hypothermia since November. The same number of immigrants died of hypothermia during the previous three winters combined. School Lunches. By this summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have launched its most sweeping safety reforms in a decade for the food it buys for school lunches. But much work remains to ensure that food purchased for the National School Lunch Program -- in particular, ground beef -- is 'as safe, wholesome and high quality' as the best commercial products. Haiti. The Jan. 12 earthquake was an equal opportunity leveler with such mass deadliness that it erased the individuality of its victims. According to the Haitian government, more than 230,000 people died in the disaster, but initially few had ceremonies to mark their deaths. Quote of the Day. “If the government were not to continue the same level of support, it would be very detrimental, like cutting the legs off a wobbling child and expecting it to run a marathon. It’s very possible we’ll still be at this level of need five years from now.” John Katalinich, chief lending officer at the Inova Federal Credit Union in Elkhart, IN, on federal government plans to wind down many of its emergency programs for housing. (New York Times)

Mandela Freedom Anniversary. Celebrations are being held to mark 20 years since the release from prison of Nelson Mandela, a key step towards ending apartheid in South Africa. African Americans and Economy. President Obama hosted a rare Oval Office meeting with civil rights leaders Wednesday to discuss his plans for improving the dire economic conditions gripping much of black America. Haiti. Haiti has declared Friday a day of mourning to mark one month since a massive earthquake devastated much of the capital Port-au-Prince, amid conflicting death tolls by the government. Quote of the Day. "I just didn't meet people from all over the world like I do now doing this. I've had great discussions with doctors and nurses from India and Jamaica, from all over, about their work and their homes. It's fascinating." Matthew Tabor, Arlington, VA, who spent Wednesday picking up staff of Washington Adventist hospital and taking them to work through the blizzard in his four-wheel-drive Jeep. (Washington Post)

Costa Rica Election. Laura Chinchilla won the Costa Rica election Sunday. She'll be the country's first woman president, echoing a trend across Latin America where women are being voted into high-level political office in record numbers. Passing-Rep. John Murtha. John Murtha, the Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania and decorated former Marine whose fierce opposition to the Iraq war helped catalyze public sentiment against the conflict, died Monday. Iran. Iran's formal notification Monday to a United Nations nuclear watchdog that it will begin producing higher-grade enriched uranium marks a new and potentially dangerous turn in Tehran's confrontation with the West over its nuclear ambitions. Quote of the Day. "Public sentiment is negative. It is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary, principle-based approach" to establish "the safety of the product from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and [the] environment." Jairam Ramesh, Environment Minister of India on a decision to defer the commercial cultivation of what would have been its first genetically modified (GM) vegetable crop. (BBC)

Community Development. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it will offer up to $1 billion in low-cost loans to banks that focus on funding development in lower-income communities, part of the administration's new emphasis on helping smaller banks. Haiti. After a five-day suspension of medical evacuation flights from Haiti that threw the fates of hundreds of gravely injured earthquake victims into doubt, new Federal Coordinating Centers are now open for business at airports in Washington, D.C., and in Atlanta. Iran. Throwing up a challenge to the increasingly violent tactics of Iran’s ruling elite, the country’s two leading opposition figures are urging protesters to defy the government and take to the streets in an antigovernment rally on Feb. 11. Quote of the Day. “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (New York Times)

Budget. President Obama on Monday sent Congress a $3.8-trillion federal budget that includes a $100-billion jobs package, more education spending, higher taxes on families earning more than $250,000 a year and a focus on controlling the deficit. Climate change. The climate change accord reached at Copenhagen in December passed its first test on Monday after countries responsible for the bulk of climate-altering pollution formally submitted their emission reduction plans, meeting the agreement’s Jan. 31 deadline. Sudan. The number of people needing food aid in south Sudan has quadrupled in a year to more than four million, the UN's World Food Programme says. Quote of the day. "Many repairs are not being done or done properly, and too many flights are leaving the ground in what the FAA calls 'unairworthy,' or unsafe, condition," John Goglia, a former airline mechanic who was a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member from 1995 to 2004, commenting on an investigation into airline maintenance problems. (USA Today)

Haiti. More than two weeks after the earthquake that devastated much of this country’s southern half, the capital remains a city of teetering walls, dangling electrical wires and precariously balanced heaps of jagged cinder block and wrought iron, all rattled daily by aftershocks. Congress v. Supreme Court. Sensing a clear political opportunity, congressional Democrats are rushing to craft legislation to counter a Supreme Court ruling that they fear could lead to a flood of foreign spending on U.S. political campaigns. Army Suicides. Alarmed by the suicides of eight soldiers in the year's first eight days, the Army's No. 2 general told commanders to have face-to-face contact with GIs to remind them "each one is valued by our Army," according to the Jan. 8 memorandum provided to USA Today. Quote of the Day. “We don’t know exactly what is happening in this country. The president is putting on his karakul hat, talking about security in London, but here our mullahs are being killed, our soldiers are being killed, our innocent civilian people are being killed, and nobody cares.” Abdul Qadir, son-in-law of an Afghan Imam killed yesterday by shots from a NATO convoy. (New York Times)