Black women and breast cancer Black women would be disproportionately affected by changes in mammogram practices, report the TC Daily Planet and NPR. The TC Daily Planet reports:
According to the National Cancer Institute’s Snapshot of Breast Cancer, the incidence of breast cancer is highest in whites, but African Americans have higher mortality rates. In fact, African Americans have higher mortality rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group, and the gap is widening.
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As delegates from about 192 nations gather in Copenhagen to take action to mitigate or reverse global warming, only about half of the U.S. believes that climate change is happening. The Copenhagen conference, nicknamed COP15, runs December 7-18. The official website offers numerous articles, and links to live webcasts of proceedings, both in the original language and in English.
An NPR story explains two reasons for decreasing U.S. citiizen concern. First:
Anthony Leiserowitz of the Yale University School of Forestry puts one reason above all the rest: “First of all, it’s the economy, stupid.”People can only worry about so many issues at one time, he says. So it’s no surprise they worry about issues that hit closest to home.
Then there’s the psychological reason:
Even as scientists become more confident that climate change is a serious hazard, public opinion is shifting the other way, says Kari Marie Norgaard at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. …
[As] as people start to feel overwhelmed by the scope of the problem, they simply turn away from the topic. It’s a form of denial, she says.”We just don’t want to know about it, so we are actively distancing ourselves from it or trying to protect ourselves from it.”
Finally, “There’s a large and well-funded effort to block legislation that could hurt the industries most responsible for carbon emissions.”
The private prison in Appleton is closing, which means 125 jobs gone from the west central town of 2,700 people, report the Star Tribune and MPR. The job loss is only part of what looks like a disaster to Appleton. Continue reading
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Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak jumped into the gubernatorial race on Sunday, becoming the 11th DFL candidate. Rybak says he will abide by the party endorsement and not go to a primary fight, according to the Pioneer Press. The Star Tribune reports that Rybak and former Senator Mark Dayton have the most DFL support, with each of them polling at 30 percent. Other DFLers include House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, former House minority leader Matt Entenza, State Senator John Marty, State Representatives Tom Rukavina and Paul Thissen, State Senator Tom Bakk and former State Senator Steve Kelley, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, and perpetual candidate Ole Savior. Continue reading
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More Minnesotans are using food shelves and food stamps, according to a series of reports this weekend. The Twin Cities Daily Planet reports that food shelf use is up across Minnesota, and particularly in the Twin Cities: Continue reading
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November’s unemployment rate, announced this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, stands at 10.0 percent, down slightly from October’s 10.2 percent, surprising economists who had predicted either holding steady or a slight increase. The total number of officially unemployed, plus discouraged workers, people working part time because they cannot find full time jobs, and those “marginally attached” to the work force – 17.2 percent in November, down from 17.5 percent in October. Continue reading
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You may remember when the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued (and then rescinded) a “gag order” against Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman. The order came after he showed — on camera — that their inspector’s report about a sewage system was wrong, wrong, wrong. The sewage system in question belongs to the Waconia ballroom, which had just been purchased by Carver County. Continue reading
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Somalia A suicide bomber disguised in women’s clothing attacked the graduation ceremony for medical students in Somalia, killing at least 19 people, including four government ministers. BBC reports:
The students had been graduating from Benadir University, which was set up in 2002 to train doctors to replace those who had fled overseas or been killed in the civil war.
Students, families and government officials had gathered at the Shamo Hotel to celebrate the medical school graduation, the second in the country in more than two decades, according to AP.
The attack targeted one of Somalia’s most important efforts to extricate itself from anarchy and violence, explaining the presence of so many top government officials. The graduating medical students were only the second class to receive diplomas from the medical school. [The first class was last year.]
“The loss of our ministers is disastrous, but it is an outrage to target the graduation of medical students and kill those whose only aim in life was to help those most in need in our stricken country,” Somali Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke said.
Militant groups control most of the country and most of the capital of Mogadishu, while the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) struggles to survive. While anti-government militants belong to more than one group, the al-Shabab mlitia is the dominant militia and is believedto be linked to al-Qaida.
Pakistan Suicide bombers struck a mosque in Pakistan Friday, killing at least 35 people, reports NPR. They sprayed the crowd at prayer with gunfire and tossed grenades before blowing themselves up. The mosque was close to Pakistan’s army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Insurgents have targeted army and government installations over the past few months.
On Nov. 2, a team of militants attacked the army headquarters and held dozens hostage in a 22-hour standoff that left nine militants and 14 other people dead.
Violence in nuclear-armed Pakistan has escalated since the army launched an offensive in mid-October against Taliban militants in the northwestern tribal area of South Waziristan near the Afghan border.
Afghanistan NATO pledged to send an additional 7,000 troops to Afghanistan, starting in January,t. It’s not clear where the troops will come from.
Britain has already pledged 500 more soldiers, while Italy, Poland, Georgia and Slovakia are sending new deployments, from a few dozen to 1,000 — bringing the total NATO commitment of additional forces to as many as 8,000 troops, according to a senior diplomat at NATO headquarters here.
Adding up the numbers, that’s clearly less than half the 7,000. France previously said it would not send any additional troops.
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Qwest is closing two call centers, one in Duluth and one in Pueblo, Colorado. MPR reports that 52 workers in Duluth will lose their jobs, but that other Qwest offices in the city will remain open. Qwest cited a reduction in the number of 411 calls. Continue reading
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Tino Mager - Fotolia.com
State economist Tom Stinson released the November 2009 budget forecast yesterday, and the numbers are grim: a looming $1.2 billion shortfall in the 2010-2011 biennium and a staggering $5.4 billion deficit in 2012-2013. This is by far the biggest news in Minnesota today – yes, much bigger than the headlined Petters conviction, the rally at the capitol for a new Vikings stadium, or the MOA apology to Sarah Palin. The shortfall is due to declining employment and income for Minnesotans, which results in lower tax collections. The governor’s initial response was to talk about delaying local government aid (LGA) due to be paid to local governments in December, and to slash LGA for next year. Of course, he won’t consider raising tax rates, even on the wealthiest Minnesotans, even though LGA cuts will mean less police and fire protection, less road and highway maintenance, and less money for medical care and schools.
Stinson said that the recession is over, but that recovery will be extremely slow.
Minnesota’s October unemployment rate was well below the national average, but that does not mean the state’s economy has avoided the worst of this recession. … Employment in Minnesota is now expected to fall by more than 150,000 jobs between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2010, 30,000 more than projected last February. If this forecast holds true, more than a decade of job creation will be lost. The combination of substantial current and expected job losses and what is expected to be a slow recovery, leaves Minnesota employment below its pre-recession level through 2013.
Here are links to the report itself, and to insightful commentary:
• Summary of the report (pdf, 9 pages)
• Full text of the report (pdf, 77 pages)
• Press conference handouts (pdf, 9 pages, mostly tables and graphs)
• MPR report:
After seeing the forecast, Gov. Pawlenty repeated his long-standing opposition to tax increases of any kind. He said the budget should be balanced by spending cuts alone. Pawlenty also said he may be forced to unilaterally cut state aid payments to cities and counties known as LGA.
“For the most part, we are going to wait and invite the Legislature to join us in trying to find a collaborative solution to this challenge, but we may not be able to do that entirely as it relates to some payment schedules,” Pawlenty said. “One of them could be the LGA payment schedule at the end of December.”
• Minnesota Budget Bites calls for “long-term solutions to long-term problems,” and insists that tax increases are one part of the solution:
We need to raise revenues to help us resolve the current deficit – and future deficits. We can’t solve the whole problem by raising revenues, but it is unsustainable to continue to address budget deficits almost entirely by relying on one-time resources, spending cuts and budget gimmicks. Not only are those decisions hurting Minnesotans who need help the most during the current economic downturn, but they are also reducing the investments Minnesota needs to position our state to take advantage of an economic upswing. We wouldn’t be alone in raising taxes. Nationwide, 35 other states are currently facing budget deficits. And during the last year, at least 30 states have enacted tax increases to help close budget holes. It’s our turn.
• The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) noted in a press release that “Last May, MAPE outlined millions of dollars in waste that included out-of-state travel, uncollected revenue and the Pawlenty Administration’s bloated management. The result of MAPE shining the light on certain administration practices was $10 million trimmed from out-of-state travel and the Department of Revenue stepping up collection efforts on money owed to our state. These are positive steps, but more action is needed to cut waste to preserve vital services for Minnesotans.” The May MAPE press release identified $350 million in proposed savings.
• Politics in Minnesota offers Steve Parry’s analysis of the amount of money being spent, month by month, and the implications for unallotment and budget cuts.
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ICE is only one of the federal agencies surveilling people. Federal surveillance reaches far beyond immigrants. Federal agents use massive databases, facial recognition, cell phone photos, and license plate records. Beyond surveillance, they target and threaten people involved in protests, bringing the full weight of federal power to bear on individuals. Their actions often remain […]
Five years after the violent attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, the attacks on democracy and on elected officials continue. Yesterday, two politicians currently under attack by the Trump administration spoke out with anger and eloquence.
The New York Times today has plenty of coverage of who, how, when, and where the United States illegally attacked Venezuela and abducted its president and first lady. But that’s far from the whole story. A few easily overlooked but essential facts: For informed insights on the consequences of Trump’s attack on Venezuela, see:
50 USC Ch. 33: WAR POWERS RESOLUTION §1541. Purpose and policy (a) Congressional declaration It is the purpose of this chapter to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United […]
Over at Law Dork, Chris Geidner has a great column on the four key lessons we can and must take from 2025. The first: pushing back is essential — and it works. I won’t try to summarize his column, but encourage you to go and read it and, if you can, support the good work […]
Mary Turck