As profits swell to over $1.4 billion, Bell Atlantic -- the nation's second largest provider of exchange telephone service -- is pursuing a business plan that systematically and willfully underserves consumers. As telephone service declines and hardware fails, Bell Atlantic pours its profits into new, non-telephone technologies in wealthy communities and foreign countries while many customers are left behind. These developments set a bad precedent for all of us who care about on-line access at a fair price.
The Communications Workers of America -- which represents 600,000 workers in public and private employment, including 500,000 workers building the information highway -- encourages consumers, workers, and concerned citizens to e-mail Bell Atlantic at info@ba.com and tell the company that must put an end to its negligent policies and plans. If you decide to help out, CWA also requests that you forward your Bell Atlantic e-mail and any response to cwa@ix.netcom.com so we can keep a tally of how many people have spoken out. For more information, visit the CWA web site at http://www.dcarolco.com/cwa/.
On November 7, 1995, cities across the U.S. will hold presidential preference balloting in conjunction with already scheduled local elections. The purpose: to focus the candidates' attention on the issues of concern to voters in urban areas, 100 days before the "official" first events in rural New Hampshire and Iowa.
To date, 20 cities are participating with a cumulative population of 4 million people. Among our participating cities are Boston, Newark, Baltimore, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Tucson, Spokane, and Pasadena CA. This is roughly equal to the combined populations of both New Hampshire and Iowa.
All candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, will appear on one ballot. Voters can pick any candidate they choose. Thanks to CityVote's inclusionary criteria, among those candidates will be Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, independents, and other third-party candidates.
CityVote will host three televised debates during the month of October, with the first scheduled for Minneapolis/St. Paul on October 6. Like the ballot, candidates will be invited from all parties, as well as independents, and will directly debate one another on stage.
You can find CityVote information on-line at http://www.cityvote.org/cityvote/home.htm. You can reach CityVote through email at: cityvote@cityvote.org
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the ozone decline over the Antarctic which started at the end of July and continued through early September was so far the most rapid depletion on record. The area with severely depleted ozone at present covers about 10 million square kilometres (about the size of Europe) and is twice the size of that during the 1993 and 1994 austral springs in the same period. These two years had, until now, the lowest ozone values ever observed by scientists.
The Montreal Protocol, established in 1987, was a once promising international agreement designed to protect the deteriorating ozone layer from man-made chemicals and allow its recovery to begin. Today, scientific evidence shows much worse depletion than predicted and indicates much graver effects from the consequent increased ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation than previously imagined. Ozone depletion has outstripped the predicted rate of ozone loss for the past three years and is expected to get worse for the next 10 to 20 years. It may then it may begin a slow 100 year recovery, if delays, non-compliance and the use of ozone-depleting substitutes are stopped. However, the corporations who brought us ozone depletion in the first place -- and who continue to do so today -- have effectively gained control of the Protocol. In promoting ozone depleting substitutes for ozone depleting substances, these companies are establishing dangerous precedents that co-opt the public's and the planet's fundamental right to a healthy environment.
Ozone Action (http://www.essential.org/orgs/Ozone_Action/) is one of many groups who have resources for activists on the world wide web. Good starting points for scientic information on the web are at http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and at http://acd.ucar.edu/gpdf/ozone/unep/.
However, a really useful web page is published by the Environmental Defense Fund devoted to debunking the lies and misinformation that Dittohead #1 spreads about the ozone hole, the greenhouse effect and "environmental wackos!" (http://www.econet.apc.org/igc/rush.html)
Will Durst: Laughing at the Rightwing."A National Research Council study determined the spread of AIDS virus is drastically reduced when addicts can trade in dirty syringes for clean ones. And the exchange does not encourage illegal drug use. No matter what our Congressional weenies would like us to believe by their refusal to allow federal funds to be used for these programs. Do these self righteous hogs also believe shot glasses cause alcoholism? That makes sense. Everyone knows forks are the real cause of obesity."
This guy is really funny. Five times a week he post his columns to the Working Assets web site. Sometimes the jokes fall flat, othertimes Will is right on the mark:
It had to happen in Florida; somebody at a Wal-Mart complains about the front of a t-shirt that proclaims, "Someday A Woman Will Be President". And the store pulls the shirt saying it doesn't fit the store's family values standards. I just have one question: WHAT KIND OF TOXIC POISONS ARE IN THE WATER DOWN THERE AND WHY THE HELL ARE THESE MUTANT SQUEEZEBAGS LEGALLY PERMITTED TO PROCREATE? Could someone, anyone, tell me how a female President interferes with family values? Is it a conceptual problem? Perhaps the mere conjecture causes blood vessels in the brain to pop like rotting fire hoses and Dad gets distracted from the Florida State game due to the noise. Or maybe its the thought of a First Dude that frightens people so much? They're right. Let a woman in the Oval Office, next thing you know, they'll want control over their own wombs. I don't think a boycott until they apologize is enough. I think people should stop shopping at Wal-Mart for at least a year as a punitive measure. It would be like imposing a stupid tax. And after their probation period is over, you can go back and buy stuff at this non union sweatshop swamp of ignorance. Someday when somebody with a brain works there."
Check Will Durst out at http://www.wald.com/wa/columns.html
Hurry -- Classes Start October 1st. The Fall semester of LOLU will last ten weeks (unless particular faculty make special arrangements to go longer) and includes 6 course offerings. For more information email to: lbbs-info@igc.apc.org for more details, or go to gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:70/00/headlines/62