"¡Farouk Vive! ¡La Lucha Sigue!"
Vigil Commemorating the Life of Farouk Abdel-Muhti

New York-based Palestinian activist Farouk Abdel-Muhti died suddenly of a heart attack on July 21, 2004, three weeks before his 57th birthday and 100 days after he was released from immigration detention. Federal agents and New York City police arrested Farouk in April 2002, just as he was beginning to work as a producer of segments on Palestine at New York's WBAI-FM. The US government then held him in a series of county and federal facilities for nearly two years—in clear violation of his constitutional rights—and refused to release him until ordered to do so by a federal district judge.

From the LA Times, July 18:

Masked gunmen kill 42 in attack at Shiite market in Mahmoudiya

BAGHDAD -- Masked gunmen wielding rocket launchers and grenades swarmed a predominantly Shiite market in a town south of the capital Monday morning, firing at terrified men, women and children on the streets.

From Lebanon's Daily Star, July 19:

Latest targets of air blitz: milk and medicine
BEIRUT: Israel switched gears in its military campaign against Lebanon Monday and Tuesday, launching a series of debilitating air strikes against privately owned factories throughout the country and dealing a devastating blow to an economy already paralyzed by a week of hits on residential areas and crucial infrastructure.

From the International Middle East Media Center (IMEC), July 18:

Troops invade Nablus, occupy a building belonging to its municipality
Israeli soldiers operating in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus broke into a building belonging to the Nablus municipality and used it as military post. Soldiers also occupied a school and fired shells at several houses in Old City.

Press release from Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney's campaign, July 18:

DIEBOLD ELECTRONIC MACHINES MALFUNCTION, VOTE FOR OTHER CANDIDATE

(Decatur) After one hour of voting, the McKinney campaign has received numerous calls that the voting machines are malfunctioning. Voters casting votes for McKinney are reportedly having their votes switched by the machines for Hank Johnson. This is not a new problem with Diebold machines. Lawyers for the campaign have been alerted and said that If this situation is not corrected, Cynthia McKinney for Congress will be forced to take additional measures.

From La Jornada, July 15, translation via Chiapas95:

In a large and violent operation - according to witnesses - the police of Yucatan arrested last Thursday in the community of Caucel more than 40 Maya ejidatarios [communal farmers], who were protesting peacefully against construction works imposed by the government of the PANista [governor] Patricio Patron Laviada in communities next to Merida, among them an airport - still in progress - in Hunucma, whose inhabitants have reiterated that they will not allow the dispossession of their land.

With the Middle East spinning out of control, few are taking note of how close the USA's southern neighbor is to a social explosion. From the LA Times, July 17 (via Chiapas95), with annotation and corrections added, buzz-words in bold (at risk of being obvious):

MEXICO CITY -- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador led a massive protest march to Mexico City's central square Sunday and called for peaceful civil resistance to press his demand for a full recount in the presidential election he narrowly lost to a conservative rival. [Why is the LAT taking it for granted that in fact lost?]

From DPA, July 18:

At least 47 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Monday and 10 more bodies were found, pushing the death toll from the Israeli offensive to more than 200 over the past six days.