Democracy

New Participatory Project: Information on the Top 100 Foundations by Giving in the U.S.

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

SourceWatch is CMD's on-line, collaborative encyclopedia of people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. Granting foundations -- regardless of their areas of interest or position on political spectrum -- certainly fit the bill. The Foundation Center has a list of the top 100 foundations by giving as of March 2007. Can you help us include this information in SourceWatch?

Yes
Main Source: 
Foundations on SourceWatch
Topics: 
Activism
Citizen Journalism
Democracy

Coming Up This Week in Congress: Immigration, Labor, and Defense

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each chamber expected to debate and consider several important bills and resolutions. Highlights include:

  • The Senate will return to debating a comprehensive immigration bill. Senate leaders have agreed to a list of twenty-four amendments that will receive floor votes, with a final vote on the bill expected by the end of the week.
  • The Senate will consider the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill previously passed by the House which would make it easier for workers to form unions.
  • The Senate may consider the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Defense Department authorization bill, which was approved by the House last month.
  • The House will vote on two fiscal year (FY) 2008 spending bills; a $21.4 billion Financial Services measure and a $27.6 billion Interior-Environment bill. If passed, the Interior measure could face a veto threat as it is $1.9 billion above the Bush administration's request.

After the jump is a full listing of this week's House and Senate hearings, courtesy of GovTrack.

TheWeekInCongress (June 18-22, 2007)

There was lots of action on Capitol Hill this past week, as many high-profile issues were debated and considered in both the House and Senate. The House took up veterans’ legislation and a State Department appropriations bill, while the Senate passed comprehensive energy legislation. For an in-depth look at the bills considered in Congress since Monday, we again turn to Robert McElroy’s TheWeekInCongress.

The "Family Jewels" Show: The More Things Change...

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

On June 25, the Central Intelligence Agency will declassify its "full 693-page file amassed on CIA's illegal activities by order of then-CIA director James Schlesinger in 1973 -- the so-called 'family jewels.'" The non-governmental research institute National Security Archive "separately obtained ...

No
Main Source: 
National Security Archive, June 21, 2007
Topics: 
Activism
Journalism
Democracy
Ethics
Human Rights
International
Secrecy
U.S. Government

Blessed Unrest for a Wiser Earth: John Stauber Interviews Paul Hawken

Cover of Blessed UnrestMy first introduction to author Paul Hawken's work was his 1994 book The Ecology of Commerce. It is essential reading for anyone grappling with issues surrounding capitalism, social justice and ecological sustainability. Hawken is, among his plethora of accomplishments, a highly successful businessman, but The Ecology of Commerce pulled few punches in its criticism of even those companies truly trying to set and reach a higher standard of business social responsibility.

Coming Up This Week in Congress: Energy, Immigration and Labor

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each chamber expected to debate and consider several important bills and resolutions. Highlights include:

  • The Senate will continue to debate a comprehensive energy bill, including provisions which would raise corporate fuel economy standards, require utilities to produce at least 15% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, and add loan guarantees to enhance private investment in coal-to-liquids plants.
  • The Senate will consider a long list of amendments pertaining to a comprehensive immigration bill, including one which would provide more than $4 billion for border security and employment verification initiatives.
  • The Senate will vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill previously approved by the House which would make it easier for workers to form unions.
  • The House will likely take up several appropriations measures this week, most likely aiming to pass the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Operations spending bills.

After the jump is a full listing of this week's House and Senate hearings, courtesy of GovTrack and Thomas.

Yahoo: Notice What We Say, Not What We Do

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

One day after the mother of Chinese reporter Shi Tao announced she was suing the Internet company Yahoo for helping Chinese officials imprison her son, Yahoo said it was "dismayed that citizens in China have been imprisoned for expressing their political views on the Internet." Yahoo's brief statement did not mention Shi Tao, who received a 10 year jail sentence for "leaking state secrets" in 2005. He had forwarded an email describing media restrictions placed by the Chinese government. The court that sentenced Mr.

No
Main Source: 
Associated Press, June 12, 2007
Topics: 
Internet
Corporations
Democracy
Human Rights
International

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