Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of France yesterday, disrupting schools and transport in a nationwide strike to pressure prime minister Dominique de Villepin to withdraw his controversial new employment law. Organizers of the marches claimed that 3 million people joined marches with major demonstrations in Marseille, Bordeaux and across the country. In Paris, there was an estimated 700,000 people in the biggest and 4,000 riot police. Angelique Chrisafis reports.

Walter Mosley's latest monograph, "Life Out of Context," is a cognitive journey that tackles big questions. Mosley also addresses possible solutions. Among his suggestions are the formation of a Black Party and a House of Representatives comprised of elected officials representing identity groups—gay people, blacks, angry white men, the elderly, etc.—rather than geographical areas. Interview by Maria Luisa Tucker.

Quoting Friedrich Schiller—"With stupidity, even the gods struggle in vain"—Willima Blum, author of "Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War Two", discusses some things we need to know before the world ends. US War on Iraq and other actions….

The explosion of outright civil war in Iraq may be the beginning of the end for Iraq as a nation. Retaliatory strikes on Sunni and Shiite mosques are still occurring, ethnic cleansing has multiplied and Shiite-based death squads are operating with impunity. A report by A.K. Gupta.

President Bush has an uncanny ability not to see the big message.

Exactly one year ago, American taxpayers were treated to some Mexican TIT, and it felt damn good. Now we are poised to get some more of that thang at bargain-basement prices, thanks to the generous pimps over at the U.S. Trade & Development Agency (TDA). For the full story on this latest NAFTA-related development, visit:

The first state to get IRV-Rank Choice Voting?

A commentary on the context and ideology of the events that followed the publication of the Danish anti-Islamic cartoons.