The Sun State Activist

RECENT HEADLINES:

SAUDI ARABIA EATS AFRICA. And not only Saudi Arabian but prosperous agri-businesses and their investors from around the world are buying up land from cash-strapped African governments to be used to grow products for the food and bio-fuel uses of people in wealthier countries. This "grabbing" of African lands is beginning to raise concerns in a situation in which African countries do not produce enough food to feed their own populations. The land "deals" are typically consummated without any consultation with local people. As one Ethiopian man says, "The only thing the local people see is people coming with lots of tractors to invade their lands."

WHEN CHOMSKY SPEAKS ON HAITI, THE WORLD HAD BEST LISTEN. Keane Bhatt conducts a wide-ranging interview with Noam Chomsky in which Chomsky comments on the "militarization" of U.S. response to the humanitarian crisis in the country, and the fact that Latin American countries like Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic stepped to the fore in providing relief to the Haitians and havens for earthquake refugees. He speaks as well of the U.S. role in deposing and keeping "deposed" Haiti's former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was taken out of power in a U.S.-engineered coup in 2004.

WITH THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK IN POLITICAL TROUBLE, THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR STEPS TO THE FORE WITH AN AUSTERITY PLAN TO SOLVE THE STATE'S BUDGET CRISIS. Richard Ravitch, often credited with "saving" New York City from a fiscal crisis in the 1970s, presents at Governor Paterson's request a proposal that would place state government on a spending discipline sharply limiting its ability to borrow money to pay its bills. Assembly leaders and the Governor himself express guarded approval, leery of a "solution" that looks too much like the "shock and awe" of cuts in public services that are imposed as conditions for loans to Third World countries from international bankers.

WHAT WILL THE P.R. PEOPLE AT DISNEY WORLD THINK OF NEXT? The Orlando enterprise offers free theme park admissions for people who agree to "Give a Day" to performing community services. A million people now signed up, they suspend the program. Last year they made the same offer of free admissions as birthday gifts and had 1.2 million takers. What will they think of next?

OTHER RECENT STORIES:

Palestinian human rights activist, not allowed to leave Gaza for 3 1/2 years, finally leaves and gives grim account of conditions in Gaza and of Israeli disdain for the rights of its people. h

Earthquake in Chile reveals fault lines of lack of disaster preparedness in a well "developed" country.

National church in Denmark is struggling over whether it should just "register" gay couples or fully recognize gay marriages.

Fulton County (Atlanta) school board, having already approved increase in class sizes, now targets cut of 480 teachers to help balance budget.

Nationwide U.S. movement to legalize or relax restrictions on marijuana use increases as "war on drugs" is seen as actually promoting accessibility of children to drugs.

11 year old Texas boy writes winning essay on his work to help the homeless, gains right to push the button to implode Texas Stadium.

New youth center in Edgewater FL is more about peer culture than about Bible study.

Florida legislators getting their first hard look at what revenues they may have to balance the state budget.

Much of near-shore coral reef was killed in chilly January weather in Florida keys, while that in diving and fishing areas was largely spared.

Faltering landscape maintenance and tight budget in Orlando lead to the city contracting with Florida Department of Corrections for prisoners to mow road medians and do other groundskeeping work.