There are a couple of articles in the September issue of The Progressive magazine that I think are interesting to juxtapose. One is by John de Graf and it is about how working more doesn't necessarily translate—and in fact often does not translate—into happiness. The author advocates for people to reduce the amount of hours they work, so that they have more free time to pursue other activities, and also calls for employers to reduce employee hours, rather than terminate employees. There is a stub article posted on the website here.

In another article, Ruth Conliff writes about a new book by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett titled The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. The book talks about inequality, for example how some CEOs pay is 400 times more than what the average employee is paid in the same company, and suggests that this inequality is a root cause of disease in individuals and in society. This article is not posted to the website (unless you subscribe,) so if you're not a subscriber, I recommend checking this one out at the library.

Here's a couple excerpts:

Living in a society with massive income inequality makes people anxious, depressed, even physically sick, according to British health researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

...and...

Brain research shows that cooperation and friendship stimulate the reward centers in the brain, while the experience of social exclusion involves the same areas of the brain as physical pain.

There are other interesting articles, including one by Jim Hightower about the "jobless recovery." I mean really, how does that make sense! It seems to me that the idea that the economy is recovering is a myth.

Berd

On February 18, 2010, Olympia city council member Joe Hyer was arrested by agents from the forfeiture-funded and citizen-feared Thurston County Narcotics Task Force for allegedly selling pot. An acquaintance of Hyer had contacted the task force and reported that he was able to procure cannabis from the council member, and that he was ready and willing to wear a wire and go "undercover" in a month-long, taxpayer-funded marijuana investigation cum political vendetta. ...

via email forwarded from local ai coordinator:

From: Juan Melendez

Subject: Please let ai members know that I will be sharing my story of
supreme injustice as innocent man who spent nearly 18 years on
Florida's death row in Seattle/Tacoma and Lacey, October 1-3:

Dear Amnesty International Coordinator:

Can you please help publicize the following events. I've included
below a little bit about my story and some testimonials to give folks
a sense of the powerfulness of my talk. I am also available to speak
at a middle or high-school in Seattle on Wednesday, October 1, so if
you know of any teachers or student ai groups which might be
interested in bringing me to speak at their school, please let them
know that I am available. A new book has just been published
containing my story as well as the stories of 4 other death row
exonerees. See Execution's Doorstep.

October 3: Talk at St. Martin's University, Lacey, Wa. at 4:00
p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
location update: It seems that Juan Melendez will be at the Worthington Center.

My name is Juan Roberto Melendez. I spent seventeen years, eight
months and one day on Florida's death row for a crime I did not
commit. (Voices United for Justice)