1) AUG. 15th DEADLINE FOR YDS JOB APPLICATIONS
                  2) LAST YDS RETREAT ALERT & WHAT COMES NEXT
                  3) GUIDE TO LEFTY PUBLICATIONS FOR SOCIALISTS
                  4) STRATEGY & RESOURCES FOR RELIGIOUS LEFTISTS
                  5) SUMMER ISSUE OF LOGOS ON-LINE
                  6) ACTION ALERT: ABC's ONE-SIDED WAL-MART REPORT

1) AUG. 15th DEADLINE FOR YDS JOB APPLICATIONS
Monday, August 15th, is the deadline for submitting applications for the YDS National Organizer position.  This is an exciting opportunity for a young person and/or recent college graduate who has great organizing, speaking, and social skills and who wants to build a strong left in the United States.
If you are interested in applying for the position, or know others who might, please check out the job posting here: www.ydsusa.org/organizer_job.html


2) LAST YDS RETREAT ANNOUNCEMENT
The YDS retreat is only 2 days away!
We will be adopting a new 2005-2006 Activist Agenda at the YDS conference and retreat from August 12-14.  We would like your input about what should be YDS' campaign and organizing priorities for the coming academic calendar year.  You can take a look at the Activist Agenda we passed last year to get a sense of ideas for the coming conference: www.ydsusa.org/aboutyds.html#do

After the conference we will be sending our passed 2005-2006 Activist Agenda and the updated text for the YDS Political Program: Rising Hopes, Raising Hell.
We will also be sending out resources to all our chapters, organizing committees, and other interested members and supporters. 

The fall semester starts soon!  Make sure to have thought up your organizing plan for the beginning of the new school year.  YDS is already starting to plan visits to campuses for teach-ins, trainings, and to help form new chapters and strengthen existing ones.  Contact us if you want us to send YDS resources, to schedule visits to your area or to assist in your local organizing efforts.

It's not too late to give us your ideas for the upcoming Activist Agenda... and it's not to late to register for our conference! 
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BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT
Ossining, NY (close to NYC)
weekend of AUGUST 12-14
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Contact YDS NOW if you want to come to our retreat.  There is space available, but we need a final head count.
www.ydsusa.org/confs/nyc_0805.html


3) GUIDE TO LEFTY PUBLICATIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS
On the YDS resource page we've listed some of the better sources of news, commentary and analysis available in print and on the internet.  There are democratic socialists who write for each of these publications, though they are all unique in the range of political perspectives they offer, the issues they cover, and the audiences they reach.  By the end of this weekend PDF versions of both this guide to progressive publications as well as a PDF version of our reading list of books will be available on-line.  We encourage our members and other leftists to check out these resources and share them with others.
Publications reviewed include: The American Prospect, Common Dreams, Dissent, In These Times, Monthly Review, The Nation, New Politics, The Progressive and Znet.
www.ydsusa.org/pp_guide.html


4) STRATEGY & RESOURCES FOR RELIGIOUS LEFTISTS
The Religious Left Fights Back
Van Jones refers to Rabbi Lerner's 'Spiritual Activism' conference, encouraging Lefties to open up to the (marginalized) religious folks among them
www.alternet.org/story/23965/

The newly founded Network of Spiritual Progressives: www.spiritualprogressives.org/

DSA's Religion and Socialism Commission
The Commission puts out a newsletter called Religious Socialism, the only periodical dedicated to people of faith and socialism in North America.
www.dsausa.org/rs/

A YDS chapter at the University of Central Oklahoma will be hosting a conference on Christianity and Socialism on September 23-24.  Jim Bissett, a leading scholar on the history of socialism in the American south, will be the keynote speaker.


5) SUMMER ISSUE OF LOGOS ON-LINE
The summer 2005 issue of Logos has just been released at: www.logosjournal.com
Logos features the works of democratic socialist and other progressive intellectuals.
in this issue read articles on:
the london terror bombings
      american failure in iraq
          morris berman on americanization
             rum and spirit of the american revolution
                 perspectives on the crisis of american unions
                    reflections on einstein
                 art by ken jacobs
               film reviews
             poetry by andrey gritsman
           reviews
         and much more....
all at: www.logosjournal.com


6) ACTION ALERT: ABC's ONE-SIDED WAL-MART REPORT
Does a big advertiser get special treatment?
www.fair.org/index.php?page=2617
This week, the largest class action suit in U.S. history goes to court in California, as plaintiffs representing over 1 million workers accuse Wal-Mart of sex discrimination.

In addition to being the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart also spends considerable money advertising on mainstream media outlets--including regular spots on network newscasts like ABC's World News Tonight, where the discount giant sponsors the show's regular "Person of the Week" segment.  Plastered with huge Wal-Mart ads, it's easy to confuse that feature's web page with a visit to the Wal-Mart website.  Wal-Mart regularly airs commercials during the newscasts, and underwrites ABC's daily email preview of the evening newscast (a plug for the company's "Wal-Mart Facts" website).

The company also sponsors the "Only in America" series on ABC's Good Morning America, an arrangement that was criticized by the United Food & Commercial Workers union (UFCW).  And ABC and Wal-Mart have other commercial ties as well, including a perfume line that was featured on an ABC soap opera and sold at Wal-Mart stores (Broadcasting & Cable, 2/14/05).

So how will ABC's nightly newscast handle the news of Wal-Mart's day in court?  In an August 7 preview, reporter Geoff Morrell called the lawsuit the "biggest civil rights case ever," and quoted plaintiff Chris Kwapnoski.  But then ABC lined up three sources to criticize the case, starting with Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott.  His comments were echoed by Steve Bokat from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who called the suit "fundamentally unfair."

Morrell then mentioned that "economists say that could have a chilling effect on big retailers, forcing them to raise prices and implement stricter policies for promotion."  To back up that point, the broadcast quoted Tim Kane of the right-wing Heritage Foundation--hardly representative of all "economists": "It will make the management risk-averse, that adds cost to you and I."

No experts or advocates in the segment spoke on behalf of the plaintiffs, aside from Kwapnoski herself, whose credibility was undercut by ABC's Morrell: "Ironically, Chris Kwapnoski was promoted three days after filing her suit."  The idea that this timely promotion was not irony but strategy on the part of Wal-Mart was not considered.

Giving its lucrative relationship with Wal-Mart, ABC's news reporting on its sponsor should take care not to leave viewers with the impression that the company gets an easy ride. But segments like the August 7 report only contribute to a suspicion that Wal-Mart's sponsorship of the news comes at a steep price--for ABC viewers who want to know more about the company than what the company's PR campaign tells them.

ACTION: Tell ABC's World News Tonight that its reporting on Wal-Mart--a major sponsor--should be more balanced.
CONTACT: ABC World News Tonight / Phone: 212-456-4040 / netaudr@abc.com


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