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Socialist
Standard
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February 2009
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 Published
since 1904
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Journal
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SIGN ON OR STARVE
"Sgt. Ryan Nyhus spent 14 months patrolling the deadly streets of
Baghdad, where five members of his platoon were shot and one died. As
bad as that was, he would rather go back there than
take his chances in
this brutal job market. Nyhus re-enlisted last Wednesday, and in so
doing joined the growing ranks of those choosing to stay in the U.S.
military because of the bleak economy. "In the Army, you're always
guaranteed a steady paycheck and a job," said the 21-year-old Nyhus.
"Deploying's something that's going to happen. That's a fact of life in
the Army — a fact of life in the infantry." In 2008, as the
stock market cratered and the housing market collapsed, more young
members of the Army, Air Force and Navy decided to re-up." (Yahoo News,
2 December)
BEGGING FOR WORK
"Paul Nawrocki says he's beyond the point where he cares about
humiliation. That's why he weekly takes a 90-minute train ride to New
York, where he walks the streets wearing a sandwich board that
advertises his plight: The former toy-industry executive needs a job.
"Almost homeless," reads the sign. "Looking for employment. Very
experienced operations and administration manager." Wearing a suit and
tie under the sign, Nawrocki -- who was in the toy industry
36 years
before being laid off in February -- stands on Manhattan corners for
hours, hoping to pass resumes to interested passers-by." (CNN.com, 6
December)
HALLELUAH IT'S A SLUMP
"The sudden crush of worshipers packing the small evangelical Shelter
Rock Church in Manhasset, N.Y. — a Long Island hamlet of
yacht clubs and hedge fund managers — forced the pastor to
set up an overflow room with closed-circuit TV and 100 folding chairs,
which have been filled for six Sundays straight. In Seattle, the Mars
Hill Church, one of the fastest-growing evangelical churches in the
country, grew to 7,000 members this fall, up 1,000 in a year. At the
Life Christian Church in West Orange, N.J., prayer requests have
doubled — almost all of them aimed at getting or keeping
jobs. Like evangelical churches around the country, the three churches
have enjoyed steady growth over the last decade. But since September,
pastors nationwide say they have seen such a burst of new interest that
they find themselves contending with powerful conflicting emotions
— deep empathy and quiet excitement — as they
re-encounter an old piece of religious lore: Bad times are good for
evangelical churches." (New York Times, 14 December)
ANOTHER LABOUR FAILURE
"Social deprivation, child poverty and long-term reliance on benefits
in parts of Britain are not alleviated or are increasing a decade after
Labour pledged reforms to tackle them, a report shows. Many of the
poorest households are not being reached by government initiatives to
tackle deprivation, with most key measures now making no progress. Of
the 56 poverty indicators tracked by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation,
including the number of children in low-income families, young adults
unemployed and children excluded from school, three quarters have
stalled or are getting worse." (Times, 8 December).
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| UK
Branches & contacts |
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International
contacts |
London
Central
London branch*
2nd
Wed
,6.30pm The Sekforde Arms, 34 Sekforde St., London EC1.
(nearest Underground/Thameslink; Farringdon 0.2miles)
Tel: Tristan 0207 6223811
Enfield
and Haringey branch*
Thursday 15th & 29th January,
8pm. . Angel
Community
Centre, Raynham Rd, NI8. Corres:
17 Dorset Road, N22 7SL.
South
London branch
1st Tues.
7.00pm. Head Office. 52 Clapham High St, SW4 7UN.
Tel: 020 7622 3811
West
London branch
1st & 3rd Tues.
8pm, Chiswick Town Hall,
Heathfield Terrace (Corner Sutton Court Rd), W4.
Corres: 51 Gayford Road,
London W12 9BY
Pimlico
C. Trinder, 24 Greenwood Ct,
155 Cambridge Street, SW1 4VQ.
Tel: 020 7834 8186
Midlands
West Midlands branch
Meets every two months on a Sunday afternoon (see
meetings page for details. Tel: Tony Gluck 01242 235615
Northeast
Northeast
branch
Contact: Brian Barry,
86 Edgmond Ct, Ryhope, Sunderland
SR2 0DY. Tel: 0191 521 0690.
Northwest
Lancaster
branch
P. Shannon, 10
Green Street, Lancaster LA1 1DZ. Tel:
01524 382380
Manchester
branch
Paul Bennett, 6
Burleigh Mews, Hardy Lane, M21 7LB.
Tel: 0161 860 7189
Manchester
Branch website
Bolton
Tel: H.McLaughlin.
Tel: 01204 844589
Cumbria
. Brendan Cummings, 19 Queen St, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4BG
Carlisle
Robert Whitfield.
tel: 07906 373975
Rochdale
Tel: R. Chadwick. 01706
522365
Southeast
Manchester
Enquiries:
Blanche Preston, 68 Fountains Road,
M32 9PH
Yorkshire
Hull
Keith Scholey, 12 Regina Crescent,
Victoria Ave, HU5 3EA. Tel: 01482 444651
Skipton
. R Cooper, 1 Caxton Garth,
Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5EZ.
Tel: 01756 752621
South
South/SouthEast
Southwest
South
West branch.
Meets every two
months on a Saturday afternoon
(see meetings page for details)
Ray Carr,
Flat 1, 99 Princess Road, Branksome,
Poole BH12 1BQ. Tel: 01202 257556.
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Bristol
Shane Roberts, 86 High Street,
Bristol BS5 6DN.
Tel: 0117 9511199
Canterbury
Rob Cox,
4 Stanhope Road, Deal,
Kent, CT14 6AB
Luton
Nick White,
59 Heywood Drive,
LU2 7LP
Redruth
Harry Sowden,
5 Clarence Villas,
Redruth,
Cornwall, TR15 1PB.
Tel: 01209 219293
East
Anglia
East
Anglia branch
meets every two
months on a Saturday afternoon
(see meetings page for details).
David Porter, Eastholme,
Bush Drive,
Eccles-on-Sea, NR12 0SF.
Tel: 01692 582533.
Richard Headicar,
42 Woodcote, Firs Rd,
Hethersett,
NR9 3JD.
Tel: 01603 814343.
Richard Layton,
23 Nottingham Rd,
Clacton, CO15 5PG.
Tel: 01255 814047.
Cambridge
Andrew Westley, 10
Marksby Close, Duxford, Cambridge
CB2 4RS.
Tel: 07890343044
Northern
Ireland
Newtownabbey
Nigel NcCullough. Tel:
028 90852062
Scotland
Edinburgh
branch
.1st Thur. 8-9pm.
The Quaker Hall,
Victoria Terrace (above Victoria Street),
Edinburgh.
J. Moir. Tel: 0131 440 0995
Edinburgh
Branch
website:
Lothian
Socialist
Discussion Group
.4th Wednesday of each month 7.30pm
ACE 17 ,West Montgomery Place,
Edinburgh
EH7 5HA
For more
info contact Jimmy or Fraser
Glasgow
branch
. 3rd Wednesday of
each month at 8pm in
Community Central Halls,
304 Maryhill Road, Glasgow.
Richard Donnelly,
112 Napiershall Street,
Glasgow G20 6HT.
Tel: 0141 5794109.
Glasgow
Branch website
Ayrshire
D. Trainer, 21 Manse Street,
Salcoats, KA21 5AA. Tel: 01294
469994. E-mail:
Dundee
Ian Ratcliffe, 16 Birkhall Ave,
Wormit, Newport-on-Tay, DD6 8PX.
Tel: 01328 541643
West
Lothian
. 2nd Weds in
month, 7.30-9.30. Lanthorn Community Centre, Kennilworth Rise,
Dedridge,
Livingston.
Corres: Matt
Culbert,
53 Falcon Brae, Ladywell, Livingston,
West Lothian,
EH5 6UW.
Tel: 01506 462359
Wales
Swansea
branch
. 2nd Mon, 7.30pm,
Unitarian Church, High Street. Corres:
Geoffrey Williams,
19 Baptist Well Street,
Waun Wen,
Swansea SA1 6FB.
Tel: 01792 643624
Cardiff
and District
. John James, 67
Romilly Park Road,
Barry CF62 6RR.
Tel: 01446 405636 |
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Africa
Kenya
. Patrick Ndege, PO Box 56428,
Nairobi.
Swaziland
. Mandla Ntshakala, PO Box
981, Manzini.
Zambia.
Marxian Education Group, PO
Box 22265, Kitwe.
Asia
India
. World Socialist Group, Vill
Gobardhanpur. PO Amral, Dist.
Bankura, 722122
Japan
. Michael. Email:
worldsocialismjapan@hotmail.com.
Europe
Denmark
. Graham Taylor, Ryslingvej
18, 8270 Højbjerg.
Italy
Gian
Maria Freddi
Casella
Postale n. 28
c/o Ag. PT VR 17
37131 Verona
gm.freddi@libero.it
Germany
. Norbert. E-mail:
weltsozialismus@gmx.net
Norway
. Robert Stafford. E-mail:
hallblithe@yahoo.com
Companion
Parties overseas
World
Socialist Party of Australia.
P. O. Box 1266 North Richmond
3121, Victoria, Australia.. Email:
commonownership@yahoo.com.au
Socialist
Party of Canada/Parti
Socialiste du
Canada
. Box 4280,
Victoria B.C. V8X 3X8 Canada. E-mail:
SPC@iname.com
World
Socialist Party (New Zealand)
P.O. Box 1929, Auckland, NI, New Zealand.
World
Socialist Party of the United States
P.O. Box 440247,
Boston, MA 02144 USA.
E-mail: wspboston@covad.net |
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