2004  U.S. Election Returns
The 2004 General Election took place on Tuesday, November 2. The election returns for the presidential race, the state governorships, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are available on the C-SPAN website. 

Free States vs. Slave States: 
Oh How Far We've Come... On the Pre-Civil War Map, the red areas were slave states and the brown areas were territories open to slavery, while the green areas were free states and territories.  These distinctions eerily correspond to the red states vs. blue states on the 2004 Election Map ~~ i.e., the blue (Kerry) states correspond to the pre-civil-war free states and territories, while the red (Bush) states correspond to what were the slave states and territories.

The TaxProf Blog Points us to a report from the Tax Foundation. This fascinating study shows exactly which states benefit from federal tax and spending policies, and which states foot the bill. Surprisingly, the "value conscious" Red States -- you know, the folks preaching independence and self reliance -- are the biggest hogs at the federal trough.

Closer look at Election 2004 Results A look inside each state. by Robert J. Vanderbei
Using County-by-County election return data from  USA Today together with County boundary data from the US Census'  Tiger database they've produced the following graphic depicting the results. Of course, blue is for the democrats, red is for the republicans, and green is for all other. Each county's color is a mix of these three color components in proportion to the results for that county. some not so funny.

Living In Canada
As a member of the G7 group of leading industrial countries, Canada enjoys an enviable standard of living, an excellent infrastructure, a highly educated and skilled labour force as well as a well-deserved reputation as a successful trading nation. In addition, Canada has a predominantly publicly financed health care system known as “medicare” and excellent social services. Canada is also known worldwide for its respect of human rights and freedoms as well its stand against discrimination and injustice.

Tips for Americans
Residing Abroad
The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs has prepared this publication for Americans considering residence abroad as well as for the more than three million U.S. citizens who are currently residing in a foreign country.  For country by country info, see Consular Information Sheets

U.S. Health Comparison to Other Nations
Health is ultimately the combination of our biology, the behaviors and choices that we make, the social environment in which we live, and our access to medical care resources. America's Health: State Health Rankings is intended to provide useful information for creating the environments necessary for optimal health status

FROM 1993

OIL POLITRICKs

US buys up Iraqi oil 
to stave off crisis

THE THIRTY YEAR ITCH 
Amid the 1970s oil crisis, a group of  Washington hawks 
laid out a plan for U.S.  domination of the Persian Gulf. 
Three decades later, the Bush administration is moving 
in for the endgame. 

TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN ENERGY POLITICS
It was the sudden spike in oil prices following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 that helped drive the US into the recession that made the first President Bush a one-term chief executive in the 1992 elections. 
 
 

INTERVIEW with Said K. Aburish 

How west helped Saddam 
gain power and decimate the Iraqi elite

CIA coup, Iranian invasions
fleecing of U.S. Taxpayers covered up
 

Lift The Cuban Embargo
 By Terra Lawson-Remer
The infant mortality rate in Cuba is one of the lowest in  the world (12 per 1,000 live   births). Life expectancy in Cuba far exceeds that in the rest of Latin America (73.5  years  as opposed to, for example, 64.3 years in Ecuador). The illiteracy rate has declined from  25 percent of the population before the revolution (mid-'50s) to 4 percent in the mid-'90s.   It's important to note that all this was achieved without the support of the U.S., the World Bank, 
or the International Monetary Fund.
 
Bad Trade: The Cuban Embargo 
and the Future of the WTO

The CIA's Covert Operations 
A lesson plan for students (Grades: 9th-12th)

CIA Involvement in Massacres,
Coups Documented in Official History

Black Panther Newpaper collection
This page makes available some of the original writings of the Black Panther Party from its first three years of existence (1966-1969) when it grew to be an explosive power and the predominant influence in the Black nation. These articles dispell a number of myths about the Black Panthers currently circulated by opportunists, lecture-circuit parasites and wannabe Hollywood directors.

Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation
 The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation is a community-based, non-profit research, education, and advocacy center dedicated to fostering progressive social change. By preserving the history of multicultural activism and community self-determination, by educationg the public about this history's continued relevance, and by creating a crucible for practicing ongoing progressive change, guided by the writings and teachings of Huey P. Newton, the Foundation seeks to empower all people, but especially urban youth, to be builders of a true global community.