Monday's Daily Brief

Monday, August 29, 2011 Arianna Huffington: Third World America: One Year Later Arianna Huffington: A year ago, I wrote a post announcing the publication of my book Third World America. As I explained at the time, and in the book, America was clearly not a third world country, but there were many troubling trends taking us in that direction. I wanted the book to serve as "a warning, a way of saying that if we don't change course -- and quickly -- that could very well be our future." Well, twelve months on, the paperback version of the book is coming out and, sad to say, almost none of those troubling trends have been reversed -- or even addressed. Indeed, from unemployment, to housing, to poverty, to schools, to our crumbling infrastructure -- by practically any measure you want to use, things are not going well. BLACK VOICES Martin Luther King Family And Friends Remember Landmark Speech GREEN Hurricane Irene: Major Flooding Hits Upstate New York, Vermont POLITICS Rick Perry Stands By Contentious Remarks TECHNOLOGY Apple Kills TV Show Rentals CELEBRITY Beyonce Is Pregnant! BLOG POSTS Harry Shearer: "Katrina" Plus Six What most people think they know is that, post-Katrina, "the levees have been fixed." And that could be said to be true. To get Clintonian for a moment, it all depends on what your definition of "fixed" is. Robert Kuttner: It's Not a Great Recession With unemployment rising, growth slowing, housing prices continuing to fall, and government dithering, it's time to retire the term "The Great Recession" as entirely inadequate and misleading. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke: Fighting to Fulfill "The Dream" Standing in the symbolic shadow of Dr. King offers a stark reminder of the sacrifice, vigilance and perseverance required to attain and maintain the dream of equality in our nation. The very idea fills me with the sense of obligation to continue the pursuit of Dr. King's dream. Michael Kieschnick: President Obama, Look Out Your Window! I run a mobile telephone company, and expect to be arrested in Washington today just outside President Obama's window representing my customers' view on global warming. Seriously! Aurelia Fierros: ¿Did You Know August is Immigrant Pride Month? The LA City Council proclaimed August as Immigrant Pride Month, celebrating with diverse events including a commemoration at Dodger stadium with a Dodgers-Rockies game this Sunday, August 28th.

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