Feature Archives

James Brown, who was known as the Godfather of Soul, died early on Christmas morning. Brown, 73, had been admitted to Atlanta's Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday, suffering from pneumonia. A prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader and record producer, Brown influenced the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk. His music has been widely sampled by hip hop artists.

On December 20, 2006 Jason Robicheau of Harp Seals.org and Sky Valencia of the Vegan Vixens stood at the corner of Bay and Mason Street handing out flyers, t-shirts, stickers stuffed toy seals, and even rocks painted with a Seal face in hopes of urging the community to join them in their Boycott of Canadian Seafood.
Photos

On Friday, December 15th, US District Judge Jeremy Fogel said that the State of California's lethal injection protocol may be unconstitutional. In his 17-page decision, Fogel urged Governor Schwarzenegger to immediately address "significant problems" with the state's lethal injection procedures before executions can resume on the nation's largest death row. Fogel's decision stems from a challenge by convicted rapist and murderer, Michael Morales, that California's lethal injection protocol violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Most death sentences in the US are carried out through lethal injection. Florida has suspended executions after a medical examiner said the insertion of the needles when Angel Nieves Diaz was put to death this week was botched. Governor Jeb Bush has said that he will not sign any death warrants until the panel that is investigating the state's death process completes its final report.

At least 1,280 workers have been arrested in a series of immigration raids targeting six Swift & Co. meatpacking plants. The raids took place in Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Iowa and Minnesota It marks the largest sweep of its kind ever against a single company. Local Spanish radio host, Antonio Medina, describes the immigration raid as aggressive and ugly. “I went to the plant to see what was happening, but because I’m Latino they immediately asked me for my papers,” said Medina.

December 8th through 10th were National Days of Action to Support GI Resistance and GI Rights. Military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned community members took public action all over the US. In San Francisco, there was a rally and procession on Saturday, December 9th at at the War Memorial Veterans Building. Photos

While most of America focuses on the turkey they will eat on Thanksgiving, animal rights activists cannot forget the poor conditions millions of turkeys are forced to live in every day. Animal activists do not begrudge the celebration of family and friends on Thanksgiving, partaking in the camaraderie of the day themselves, but they are actively working to improve the living conditions of turkeys and/or to encourage the public to consider more humane animal-free alternatives.

Nursing mothers and their supporters will be gathering on Tuesday, November 21st at 10am for nurse-ins at Delta airport counters across the country to protest Delta's having kicked a nursing mother off of a flight. Emily Gillette was flying with her husband and 22 month-old daughter on October 13th, 2006 out of Burlington, Vermont on a Delta/Freedom Air flight, when a flight attendant asked her to cover up with a blanket while she was nursing. Ms. Gillette said no, and told the flight attendant of her legal right to nurse her child. Ms. Gillette and her family were removed from the flight. Just in time for the holidays, Delta announced this weekend that it has "disciplined" the offending flight attendant.