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Labor Movement

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005
In June,

In June, six Iraqi labor union leader - representatives of three major Iraqi labor organizations - visited the United States to discuss their struggle for equitable labor practices under U.S. occupation. Saddam Hussein issued Law 150 in 1987 to prohibit workers in state-owned enterprises from joining unions.

News Bites

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005
  • School Work. Seminarians teamed up with security guards in five U.S. cities over the summer to work on issues of low wages and lack of benefits in security work. The 10-week program was sponsored by Interfaith Worker Justice and the AFL-CIO.
  • Seeing Black. In May, a broad coalition of African-American leaders launched the Millions More Movement and announced a three-day mobilization to be held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14 to 16. The event will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Million Man March.
  • 70 x 7.

Boat Bounty

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005
In May,

In May, residents of Adele, Somalia, received fishing boats with the help of SAACID, the first Somali women’s NGO, in response to the December 2004 tsunami. The project, which provided boats and fishing supplies to 46 households and a month’s supply of food to 100 households, was sponsored by

A Classified View

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005

In May, the Pentagon accidentally released classified sections of a U.S. report on the killing of Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari by U.S. forces at a checkpoint along "Route Irish," the highway between the Baghdad airport and the Green Zone. The report, which revealed information about daily life on the front lines, also noted that "the U.S. considers all of Iraq a combat zone." Below are more stats from the report.

Foxhole Conversions?

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005
The Gregg Gift Company started selling Bible covers in 1971 out of a garage in Southern California.

The Gregg Gift Company started selling Bible covers in 1971 out of a garage in Southern California. While most of the company’s stock tends toward inspirational products, with designs from artists such as Thomas Kinkade and Mary Engelbreit,

Sundays for Darfur

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 09-01-2005
Hundreds gathered at sites around Washington,

Hundreds gathered at sites around Washington, D.C., in June and July to pray for and demand justice in Darfur, Sudan. The series of public worship services on five consecutive Sundays was organized by Brian McLaren of Cedar Ridge Community Church in

News Bites

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 08-01-2005

  • Music Man. Elmer Maas, 69, a musician, philosopher, civil rights worker, and one of the founders of the Plowshares anti-nuclear movement, died May 7 in Connecticut.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 08-01-2005
Imagine the scene.

Imagine the scene. The Sunday school class crowds around in a circle, waiting for the morning Bible story. The teacher sits down, opens the Holy Book, and with a whoosh the word of God ignites before the astonished faces of impressionable youth.

Counter Recruiters

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 08-01-2005
On Capitol Hill in May,

On Capitol Hill in May, faith-based organizations announced the "I Will Not Kill" campaign to educate youth targeted by military recruiters. The campaign’s goal is to make youth more aware of their rights regarding military service, educate them about the impact of war, promote a culture of life

Hope in Fallujah

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 08-01-2005
An Iraqi boy helps with a cleanup project organized in Fallujah,

An Iraqi boy helps with a cleanup project organized in Fallujah, Iraq, by the Muslim Peacemaker Teams. Street cleaning and praying with Sunni Muslims were the teams’ first public actions. The Muslim Peacemaker Teams, founded in February, grew

Life Education

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 08-01-2005
In May,

In May, Taiwan’s legislative branch was pressured to revise its Genetic Health Law to require a six-day waiting period, rather than three days, before an abortion. A bipartisan group of women legislators, church groups, and civil society organizations launched the Grand Alliance for Respect of Life and

Armed with Pens

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
War veterans,

War veterans, families with relatives in the military, peace activists, and others met in Washington, D.C., in March to publicly sign a statement of support for U.S. soldiers in Iraq who are refusing orders to fight for reasons of conscience. Signers could be charged with violating U.S. Code 18-2387, which

Fair Trade Towns

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
Manchester and Salford,

Manchester and Salford, England, jointly became the 100th Fairtrade Towns in March, ushering fairly traded coffees, teas, and chocolates into local cafés and achieving a landmark victory for the growing trade justice movement in Great Britain. "The towns raise awareness and sales of fair trade, which

What Would Jesus Say

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
Talking Bible Dolls has released its newest product -

Talking Bible Dolls has released its newest product - a huggable, washable, and talking Jesus plush doll. With his fuzzy dreadlocks and satiny beard, Talking Jesus recites seven "actual scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible." When you squeeze his red heart,

News Bites

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
  • Always Low. The Wal-Mart clan-America's wealthiest family with $84 billion-joined forces with 65 other "high-wealth families" organized by the Policy and Taxation Group in Santa Ana, California, to seek a permanent repeal of the estate tax.
  • Abolish Me. The New York State Assembly's Codes Committee defeated a bill to reinstate New York's death penalty. Out of 170 witnesses who testified at five public hearings, 148 opposed the death penalty, nine argued for it, and five supported it with changes.
  • About Time.

Check Your Gun at the (Church) Door

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
Brazilian churches have taken on that country'

Brazilian churches have taken on that country’s handgun epidemic by organizing their parishes and community centers to host drop-off sites for weapons - no questions asked. "Christian churches have adopted an active and committed position with civil society in the struggle against the weapons

Civics Lesson

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 07-01-2005
Three hundred Israeli high-

Three hundred Israeli high-school students signed a letter refusing to participate in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, according to a letter they sent to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in March. The students believe that the occupation leads to inhumanity, infringes on the right to life,

News Bites

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 06-01-2005
Quiver Power.
  • Quiver Power. Nottingham, England, best known as the home of Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, will no longer sport a jaunty rainbow-colored archer with an oversized bow as its logo. A haute couture fuchsia "N" is the town’s new brand.

All Lawyered Up

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 06-01-2005
More than 70 Christian bankruptcy attorneys issued an open letter to religious leaders,

More than 70 Christian bankruptcy attorneys issued an open letter to religious leaders, urging them to take action against Senate Bill 256. The bill would overhaul U.S. bankruptcy law - ostensibly to address fraud and corruption but in reality making

Painting the Kingdom Green

by Rose Marie Berger, by Mark Betz 06-01-2005
The Church of England is painting the kingdom green.

The Church of England is painting the kingdom green. The general synod, the largest gathering of the church in the U.K., met in February—one day after the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change went into force - to unveil a new report on ecological justice titled "Sharing God’s Planet: A