RaceWire's Tammy Johnson on comic strip coverage of Obama: "In these strips, the face that pursued and captured the highest office of the land, the face that now is government, and holds the hopes and fears of millions, is a Black face. But with a sweep of a pen that face is used by comics to delegitimate, dehumanize and deflect from real issues. The daily sting of racial injustices experienced by millions is rarely addressed. These comics remind us that no matter who or how it’s delivered, the joke is still on us."

White supremacists recruit military personnel for their access to firearms and weapons.  The US military recruits white supremacists because standards have dropped due to increased needs.  In These Times' Jacob Wheeler on skinheads in the army.  

Would you like fries with that?  Help Balkinization explore gender and happy meal toys by reporting [...]More

At n+1, Brian Thomas Gallagher examines the superficiality in radical aesthetic of Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" portrait which mirrors Obama's progressive posturing.

Three weeks ago, as the world focused on the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, another massive campaign was moving ahead in northeastern Sri Lanka, pitting government forces against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  Dissent has the story.

The Senate's version of the Stimulus Bill cuts women workers out in a serious way: Dollars & Sense blog.
 
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Alain Gresh on the situation in the Middle East after the recent Gaza War. Ralph Nader on the Clinton administration's key contribution to financial deregulation. John Bellamy Foster and Fred Magdoff offer detailed analysis of the current financial crisis.More

Speak Up! Media Skills for the Empowered Sex Worker:  a day-long seminar offered by the New York-based organization Sex Work Awareness (SWA). 

Media groups file complaint against AT&T for discriminating against local channels.  The Alliance for Community Media reports: ”AT&T’s treatment of PEG channels is inferior in virtually every way that matters to a viewer, preventing the public’s ability to easily access safety alerts, health information, town hall meetings, educational and other local programming.”

Briarpatch announces new newspaper: The Sasquatch: news with a bite.  Check it out.  


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Review of the new Notorious B.I.G. biopic from RaceWire, the ColorLines blog

Lindsay Beyerstein from the Media Consortium writes about the new US economic stimulus package funding birth control: "the idea that birth control coverage is less important than any other kind of healthcare spending is absurd. Reproductive rights activists pushed hard for the provision because they believe it would give more women access to family planning."More