(2020-12-26). China Has the World's Largest Economy: Get Over It. cepr.net 
It is more than a bit annoying to hear reporters endlessly refer to China as the world's second largest economy. It isn't. It's the world's largest economy and has been since 2017. Here are the data from the International Monetary Fund. Source: International Monetary Fund. As the chart shows, China's economy first passed the U.S. …
(2020-12-26). Veteran diplomat: US confronts China to protect supremacy, not security. thegrayzone.com Veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman says that despite talk of a New Cold War between the US and China, the US in reality is reacting aggressively to a rising Chinese power whose economic gains threaten US global supremacy. "We've become accustomed over the past 75 years to be the overlord in East Asia," Freeman says. Chas Freeman, who served in top State Department positions and as Richard Nixon's chief interpreter on his historic 1972 visit to China, discusses the state …
(2020-12-26). The Year in Bad. progressive.org How do I hate thee, 2020? Let me count the ways. Sure, there was plenty of cartoon material, but I'd have much rather we had a boring ol' year. No such luck this turn around the sun.
(2020-12-26). Dairyland in denial: Red states & the myth of the real American. nationofchange.org Unless or until progressives start to recognize the cost of losing the underpopulated red states in Middle America, ultra-right-wing Republicans will continue to have power in Washington all out of proportion to the popular will.
(2020-12-26). Extinction Rate Is Doubling in One of the Most Biodiverse States in the Country. truthout.org When longtime environmental journalist Ben Raines started writing a book about the biodiversity in Alabama, the state had 354 fish species known to science. When he finished writing 10 years later, that number had jumped to 450 thanks to a bounty of new discoveries. Crawfish species leaped from 84 to 97 during the same time. | It's indicative of a larger trend: Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, but few people know it. And even scientists are still discovering the…
(2020-12-26). Is this the way? "The Mandalorian" depicts struggling belief more realistically than that last Jedi. salon.com The removal of the helmet doesn't just allow Din to breathe and expand … but the Star Wars galaxy as well…
(2020-12-26). 'Freedom Is Blossoming': After Dismembering a Journalist, Saudi Arabia Goes on a PR Spree. commondreams.org Behind the media and money blitz, the kingdom remains one of the world's worst human rights violators—both at home and abroad. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/khashoggi_1.jpg …
(2020-12-26). Palestinians, Advocates Blast New U.S. Rule Requiring 'Made in Israel' Label on Settlement Goods. commondreams.org "Such a decision attempts to legitimize settlement-manufactured goods as well as the theft of Palestinian land and products," said Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/psag.jpg …
(2020-12-26). Mask Up/Sink or Swim: Feedback Loops, Lag Times, Albedo Effects. dissidentvoice.org 
I remember a long time ago, finding a Life (or Look) magazine at a swap meet in Arizona, on the outskirts of Tucson. Man, those were the days — 1977. Every sort of snow bird and desert rat out there swapping any number of a million things: from shrunken and powdered dog testicles (for the …
(2020-12-26). A Country in Turmoil. zcomm.org Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel's Political Crisis…
(2020-12-26). Thousands of trucks make it back to continent after UK backlog. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 26 (efe-epa).- Thousands of truckers who had been stuck in the south of England after France closed its borders with the United Kingdom amid concerns of a new variant of Covid-19 have on Sunday made it back to the continent, according to the British government. UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said all the …
(2020-12-26). Deadly fire hits Egyptian hospital treating Covid-19 patients. middleeasteye.net 
Deadly fire hits Egyptian hospital treating Covid-19 patients | At least seven people killed and several injured at a private hospital on the outskirts of Cairo | Sat, 12/26/2020 – 13: 03 | The hospital was evacuated and closed, while patients were transferred to a public hospital in Cairo (AFP) | A fire killed at least seven people and injured several others on Saturday at a private hospi…
(2020-12-26). Iraq's Central Bank under investigation for alleged money laundering. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq's Central Bank under investigation for alleged money laundering | Country's Supreme Judicial Council also probing allegations of involvement in terrorist financing by Central Bank of Iraq, along with 13 private banks | Sat, 12/26/2020 – 16: 11 | Police guard the Central Bank of Iraq HQ in Baghdad on 22 December 2020 after a currency devaluation caused panic and anger among Iraqis (AFP)…
(2020-12-26). My year of obsessive, indifferent baking. salon.com I've never needed my kitchen, and needed to get away from it, more…
(2020-12-26). Iran, Armenia discuss gas exports, barter. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (MNA) — The heads of the Iranian and Armenian delegations have held constructive talks on gas exports and extension of a gas-for-electricity barter contract.
(2020-12-26). Holding Our Breath for Four Years. thenation.com Holding Our Breath for Four Years…
(2020-12-26). 10 times Imperial made us smile in 2020. imperial.ac.uk This year has been far from typical, but Imperial College London has created some rainbows amongst the clouds.
(2020-12-26). Justice for All Essential Workers. zcomm.org In jobs where the risk of infection and even death stalks workers every day, the term "living wage" now takes on a new meaning…
(2020-12-26). A Lonely Christmas in Texas. zcomm.org To date, 330,000+ Americans and 1.41 million additional humans have lost their lives due to this predictable, preventable, vicious, and indifferent virus. The best way to properly remember their lives is by taking care of the living…
(2020-12-26). Restoring the soul of America. zcomm.org Change is coming, one way or another. We can run from it and hide, and become its victim, or we can open our political soul and create the future…
(2020-12-26). 'Utterly baffling, without merit:' University of Mississippi fires anti-racist professor. zcomm.org All progressive and revolutionary people should stand in solidarity with Felber, Caffera and Thomas as well as the affected students, staff and other faculty in Oxford, as it is clear that UM caters to racist monied donors…
(2020-12-26). Brexit: Capitalism's Civil War. zcomm.org "Farage and his ilk are just tools of something much bigger & much deeper than they are"
(2020-12-26). America's Climate Fair Share. zcomm.org One recent study tells us that, under the climate shadow, ninety-seven per cent of young Americans are worried about having children of their own. We're facing an emergency and we know it…
(2020-12-26). How to navigate talking about feminism like a pro. zcomm.org The very mention of the f-word still turns too many conversations into arguments. Here are six tips for holding your own when the heat is on. #12DaysofResistance…
(2020-12-26). The real Corbyn 'tragedy' — and 'Jewish Currents' refusal to publish an opposing view. zcomm.org In a recent article on the "tragedy" of Jeremy Corbyn, Jewish Currents overlooks the rightwing bigoted records of those criticizing Corbyn because of his support for Palestinian rights…
(2020-12-26). Wednesday 12/30: Text Banking for Georgia w/ Poor People's Campaign. indybay.org Online webinar training in text banking…
(2020-12-26). Saturday 12/26: Georgia Comes Alive! Virtual Music Festival to Support Georgia Voters & Equal Voter Rights. indybay.org Virutal music festival…
(2020-12-26). Saturday 12/26: Spread the Word Gather Forces Stop the San Lorenzo Evictions! indybay.org In front of the Bookshop Santa Cruz at 1520 Pacific Avenue | (weather and scanty pedestrian traffic may have us moving to the sidewalk in front of the main Post Office)…
(2020-12-26). Saturday 12/26: "Hip Hop Helps" Benefit Concert for Homelessness Funds w/ CA Poor People's Campaign. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.wirelounge.com/hip-hop-helps…
(2020-12-26). Polish Women Resistance Video. indybay.org Polish women and men are using animation, music and art to fight against the attacks on women…
(2020-12-26). Mèxico_Oaxaca_UniTierra: Repensar la pandemia. indybay.org Mèxico_Oaxaca_Universidad de la Tierra: Repensar la pandemia | Contra el miedo: La esperanza…
(2020-12-26). Sunday 1/3: S.F. – The Path Towards a Just Transition and Clean Economy. indybay.org Zoom meeting of the Unitarian Universalists of S.F. Forum…
(2020-12-26). FROM THE FIELD: Warlords and warehouses; reflections of retired Myanmar WFP staffer. news.un.org Negotiating with warlords in Somalia and rebels in the South Sudanese bush, and salvaging food from the chaos of the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, was once routine for a retired staff member of the World Food Programme (WFP) from Myanmar.
(2020-12-26). Publishing giants sue those trying to make knowledge accessible for all. peoplesdispatch.org Three of the world's most profitable publishing houses have filed a case in Delhi High Court against Sci-Hub and Libgen. These two websites provide an essential service to students, researchers, teachers, and the public in general, across the world, by bypassing the prohibitively high paywalls put in the way of accessing knowledge. Prabir Purkayastha talks about the implications of this case for the Indian research community.
(2020-12-26). For Mao's birthday, read what he had to say about the U.S. fightbacknews.org To mark the 127th anniversary of the birth of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, December 26, Fight Back News Service is circulating quotes from some of his writings on the United States and its role in the world. | "Chiang Kai-shek and his supporters, the U.S. reactionaries, are all paper tigers too. Speaking of U.S. imperialism, people seem to feel that it is terrifically strong. Chinese reactionaries are using the 'strength' of the United States to frighten the Chinese people. But it will be proved that the U.S. reactionaries, like all the reactionaries in history, do not have much strength. In the United Stat…
(2020-12-26). Christmas Visions: Children and the Importance of Redemption. globalresearch.ca The Factory | "And such should childhood ever be, | The fairy well; to bring | To life's worn, weary memory | The freshness of its spring. | But here the order is reversed, | And infancy, like age, | Knows of existence but its worst, | One …
(2020-12-26). The Forgotten Christmas Truce of 1914. Unlearned Lessons which could have Prevented a Century of War (1914 — 2014). globalresearch.ca It was exactly 106 years ago this month when the Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred, when Christian soldiers on both sides of the infamous No Man's Land of the Western Front, recognized their common humanity, dropped their guns and fraternized …
(2020-12-25). Ads All Tell Us To Kill Our Future. Worth Discussing? counterpunch.org Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I am a hypocrite. (Although I'm not sure why I'm talking to my dad about it. He doesn't read my columns because he's too busy watching survival reality shows set in Alaska. . . . Maybe I'll factor something about eating a squirrel into the coming paragraphs to
(2020-12-25). Cuba's Hotel Nacional to Reopen Doors on its 90th Birthday. telesurenglish.net The famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba will mark its 90th birthday on December 30 with the reopening of its doors following several months of closure due to the Covid-19 confinement measures and restrictions. | RELATED: | Luis Miguel Díaz, General Manager of the Hotel Nacional, shared with the press some of the improvements that have been achieved in this "dead" time. The facility is being converted into a smart hotel where…
(2020-12-25). The DC Political Monopoly Just Doesn't Get It. counterpunch.org The spectacle of political "leaders" disconnected from basic social realities survived Trump's defeat. He and his GOP had shown little grasp of the two great crises of 2020: the crash of capitalism and the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump's resulting political defeat did not reconnect them. The Biden Democrats already show they learned little from Trump's loss; disconnection governs them too.
(2020-12-25). An End to Stability. counterpunch.org 2020, with its pandemic and its protests, was many things to many people: a hardship for those who lost homes, livelihoods and people they loved to COVID and insufficient government support; an inspiration for activists who have been working for years to call attention to police brutality; and an imposition to those who resent anything
(2020-12-25). COVID-19 Exposed the Urgency for a Right to Housing. progressive.org Without giving renters the option to buy their homes, this crisis could be even worse than the Great Recession.
(2020-12-25). Demonstrators besiege California prison HQ: 'Mass releases now!'. workers.org 
Sacramento, Calif. Dec. 17 — Under the banner "From Balloons to Bullhorns," an angry group of protesters converged on the steps of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to demand mass releases of incarcerated people due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The vigil and rally organized by Sistas With Voices . . . |
(2020-12-25). Climate activists mount utility strike to urge the shutdown of New England coal plant. nationofchange.org The Strike Down Coal campaign provides a COVID-safe form of disobedience, building on more than a year of direct actions to shut down Merrimack Station.
(2020-12-25). COVID-19: A Fabricated Second "Tidal Wave" of Poverty and Injustice. globalresearch.ca Here we are at the end of a year filled with upheaval, facing yet another round of lockdowns, this time ostensibly intended to fight off a supposed "second wave of COVID-19." | In the foreground, we have the completely co-opted mainstream …
(2020-12-25). 'Holidays Can't Be Jolly If Your Family Is Not Safely Housed': Progressives Urge CDC to Extend Eviction Moratorium. commondreams.org "Allowing tens of millions of people to be evicted in the dead of winter in the middle of a resurgence of Covid-19 cases and deaths is unconscionable." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cancel_rent.jpg …
(2020-12-25). 'How they manage to keep going is incredible': No K-pop concerts left Gen Z 'SCARRED' by pandemic, says Reuters. rt.com 
World Wars? No big deal. Global recession? Child's play. According to a group of Gen Z kids interviewed by Reuters, their generation was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic more than any other, and is "scarred" by the experience. | Imagine a world without K-pop. To some, this would seem a utopia, but for super-fan Lee Ga-hyeon, not getting to see her favorite group, BTS, this year, was a tragedy. "BTS is like a vitamin for me, but the coronavirus took it from me which made me really angry," she told Reuters, describing her BTS posters, lookalike dolls, and bedsheets that adorn her home near Seoul. | Hers was one…
(2020-12-25). The Gold Comes Off: A COVID-19 Outbreak in Sydney. counterpunch.org Australia has various advantages as an island continent. It is monumental and only accessible in the most impractical ways. It is discouragingly far and almost impossible to invade without a huge investment of personnel and material. The decision to place convicts on the island by the British was audaciously cruel and illogical, setting a precedent
(2020-12-25). 1,158 Strikes Since March First. popularresistance.org Back in 2019, Payday was one of the few national outlets in the country to cover the first-ever statewide teachers strike in South Carolina. Now, teachers in school districts throughout South Carolina are increasingly calling "sickout" strikes to protest unsafe COVID conditions. | A growing sickout strike in the suburbs of the state capitol Columbia is now entering its second week. Our friends at The State have the story: | "Our main thing is to go back to the hybrid model," said an Airport High School teacher, who asked to remain anonymous. Schools in the district previously operated on a rotating two-day in-per…
(2020-12-25). WARNING: Covid Vaccines! dissidentvoice.org Did you know that the US Government since 1988 paid as of 1 December 2020 more than 4.4 billion dollars to vaccine-injury victims? It's your money, Taxpayers money. This is Health Services and Service Administration Vaccine Injury Compensation Data The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), was set up in 1988 to compensate for the …
(2020-12-25). Former Chief Science Officer for Pfizer Says "Second Wave" Faked on False-Positive COVID Tests, "Pandemic Is Over" globalresearch.ca First published by Global Research on September 24, 2020, this analysis of former V-P of Pfizer Michael Yeadon has been the object of censorship | In a stunning development, a former Chief Science Officer for the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says "there …
(2020-12-25). COVID-19 Relief Bill Includes $500 Million to Buy American Dairy. indybay.org The proposed Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 set to be signed into law includes $500 million in government funding allocated towards the "Dairy Donation Program" which provides payments from the government to dairy producers.
(2020-12-25). The Coming Battle Over Vaccines. counterpunch.org With the new COVID-19 vaccine available, Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans can begin to achieve herd immunity by next summer. Herd immunity occurs when so many people are immune to the virus that it can't spread, because an infected person won't have anyone left to spread it to. Yet as of November, four in ten
(2020-12-25). Mumia Gets a New Chance to Challenge His Murder Conviction. counterpunch.org 
State Supreme Court rejects Faulkner Widow's 'Evidence-Free' Effort to Block Mumia Appeal Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the "voice of the voiceless" for his compelling writings and short audio tapes about life behind bars, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest appeal of his conviction
(2020-12-25). IDF Says Intercepted 2 Rockets Fired From Gaza Strip – Videos. sputniknews.com TEL AVIV (Sputnik) — The Israeli Iron Dome aerial defense system has intercepted two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
(2020-12-25). What's Not Being Said About the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine. "Human Guinea Pigs"? globalresearch.ca The Pharma giant Pfizer use an experimental technology known as gene editing, specifically mRNA gene-editing, something never before used in vaccines. Before we rush to get jabbed in hopes of some immunity, we should know more about the radical experimental technology and its lack of precision.
(2020-12-25). Indian Farm Suicide Widow: "There's No One to Depend On" counterpunch.org 
"Kondra Sammaiah…consumed pesticide poison due to mental agony regarding financial debts…" said the FIR. The FIR (first information report) was filed on September 17, 2017, at the Tharigopulla police station, three kilometres from Narasapur, the village where Sammaiah and his wife Kondra Sagarika cultivated Bt-cotton on six acres of rain-fed land. Their debt had reached
(2020-12-25). Ma Don't Take No Mess. counterpunch.org 
The Netflix film of the late August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a knockout. His writing informs and moves us on many levels. One is class. That is who makes and takes black music, the subject of Gerald Horne's Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music (Monthly Review Press,
(2020-12-25). Las empresas mienten, los trabajadores contraatacan. workers.org 
Estamos en medio de una pandemia épica y creciente en los EE.UU. Hay 200.000 casos nuevos casi a diario y las muertes se están acelerando. Todos sabemos esto. Lo que falta es cómo, al menos, frenar, si no detener, las trágicas pérdidas que más golpean a las personas en situación . . . |
(2020-12-25). JatiIndia Flag of the Week: Atrocities Caste, Present and Future. counterpunch.org 
Sandip, Ramu, Lavkush and Ravi. Those are the names of the upper-caste Thakurs who tortured and gang-raped a 19-year-old girl in Hathras, Utter Pradesh, JatiIndia, on September 14. Folding his palms, [Manisha's father] pleaded, 'Our daughters are no longer safe. We are helpless, I request the nation to stand with us, help us get justice
(2020-12-25). "I Am the Man They Call Sue Mundy": Civil War Kentucky's "Female" Confederate Guerrilla. counterpunch.org 
There was no Sue Mundy. There was an orphan boy. There was a clever, unscrupulous newspaperman. And there was a long, cruel and bitter war. It was a war between slavery and freedom, between secession and union, between North and South. Kentucky was split: Southern in culture and sympathy, a slave state (originally part of Virginia), but Northern in commerce and strategic importance.
(2020-12-25). Thebes of Myth and History. counterpunch.org 
Thebes was one of about 1,000 poleis (city-states) spread all over the mainland of classical Greece, the islands of the Aegean and Ionian seas, the Black Sea coast, Asia Minor, north Africa, southern France, eastern Spain and southern Italy and Sicily. There were so many Greeks and Greek city-states in Italy and Sicily the Romans
(2020-12-25). Stealing Native Children: the Revolting Legacy of Canada's Residential School System. counterpunch.org 
Tsi Wá: ton tsi Enskarihwahserón: ni — Tsi Niká: ien Rati'terón: tahkwe ne Ronnonkwehón: we Tsi Ionteweiénsta Ronwati'terontáhkhwa "… [I]f anything is to be done with the Indian, we must catch him very young. The children must be kept constantly within the circle of civilized conditions." -Nicholas Flood Davin, Report on Industrial schools for Indians and Half-Breeds, 1879. Of late,
(2020-12-25). Is Society Collapsing? counterpunch.org 
Twenty-five years ago, when the high-tech Second Industrial Revolution had just begun, I made a bet with an editor from Wired magazine that global society led by the United States would collapse in the year 2020 from a confluence of causes created by modern technology out of control.
(2020-12-25). Death Row, Texas: A lonely birthday for innocent Rodney Reed. workers.org 
Bastrop, Texas Rodney Reed's family and supporters had a press conference and rallied outside the Bastrop County Courthouse, with its Confederate monuments 25 yards away on the lawn. Reed was railroaded to death row inside the courthouse in 1998 by Bastrop County's historically racist injustice system. Rodrick Reed, speaking to . . . |
(2020-12-25). Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel. middleeasteye.net 
Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel | Morocco is the fourth Arab nation to normalise ties with Israel in exchange for various incentives | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 22: 45 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Morocco's King Mohammed VI congratulated each other over the renewal of ties between the countries (AFP) | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Morocco's King Mohammed…
(2020-12-25). What Time Is It in Lockdown? dissidentvoice.org 
Here where I dwell in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has just occurred. The darkest day of the year in a dark year. A few days ago was also the Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, which is interesting to those who like the musical Hair …
(2020-12-25). PDF of December 24 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. Georgia Senate runoff Redbaiting derails people's needs Youth in vanguard; Russell Maroon Shoatz; The real 2020 heroes; Amazon union drive in Ala.; Five hottest years; Vaccine chaos; Editorial: Too little, too late GLOBAL: Amauta in Peru; 'Soft coup' attempt in Cuba; BLM in France. TEAR DOWN . . . |
(2020-12-25). U.S. attempts 'soft coup' in Cuba. workers.org 
By Rosa Miriam Elizalde From Resumen English Dec. 10 ‚àí Invasions get bad press — those close-ups of foreign boots marching over a beach or a neighborhood like El Chorrillo in Panama in 1989, where they still don't know the total number of people who the U.S. troops killed. After . . . |
(2020-12-25). Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals. middleeasteye.net 
Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals | The Lebanese newspaper published a report on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's plans to finance the new Arab normalisation agreements with Israel
| Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 56 | The reception space of the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper office in Beirut (Screengrab\Haitham al-Mousawi) | The website of the Le…
(2020-12-25). Best of 2020: Marriage in the time of coronavirus. salon.com Our 2020 retrospective continues with this essay set in Seattle's first outbreak, in the early days of the pandemic…
(2020-12-25). Coalition sues Trump administration over 'outrageous assault' on Tongass National Forest protections. nationofchange.org "Trump's reckless plan to clearcut old-growth trees in the Tongass will irreversibly damage our climate, kill wildlife, and devastate Southeast Alaska communities."
(2020-12-25). Tackling the Infrastructure and Unemployment Crises: The "American System" Solution. dissidentvoice.org A self-funding national infrastructure bank modeled on the "American System" of Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt would help solve two of the country's biggest problems. Millions of Americans have joined the ranks of the unemployed, and government relief checks and savings are running out; meanwhile, the country still needs trillions of dollars …
(2020-12-25). Minority Rule in America? counterpunch.org On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that." Rank? Lee is saying that if all eligible voters are allowed to do so, they will thwart "prospefity"? Who knew? For an American politician
(2020-12-25). Fatal Shore, the Sequel: the Fate of Australia's Refugees. counterpunch.org Dark irony There is a pitch-black irony about Australians imprisoning refugees on a foreign island. It makes you wonder what happened to the collective memories of the Fatal Shore. Yet island prisons, granted the Orwellian-bland name 'offshore processing' by successive Canberra governments, have been operating on and off for years. Of course, there are differences
(2020-12-25). EU bans plastic waste exports to poorer countries. nationofchange.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal."
(2020-12-25). Music is the Highest Revelation. counterpunch.org There was once a club on San Francisco's Vallejo Street called Keystone Korner. Before it became a jazz legend, it was a topless bar and then a rock club. It lasted barely a decade as a jazz club in the 1970s and early 1980s. I stumbled into it one day in the late 1970s in
(2020-12-25). The First Decade of the Arab Revolutionary Process. zcomm.org Ten years ago, a young street vendor in the town of Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia sparked a political firestorm that soon engulfed the whole country, before spreading across the entire Arabic-speaking region, in what has been known since 2011 as the 'Arab Spring'
(2020-12-25). Yes co-founder Jon Anderson: "I wouldn't be here but for the Beatles" salon.com On this episode of Everything Fab Four: The Hall of Famer talks his Beatles journey, from revelation to revolution…
(2020-12-25). What is tempeh? All about this hearty plant protein. salon.com Looking for a new way to perk up your meat-free meals? Tempeh is climbing the ranks of our top vegan ingredients…
(2020-12-25). My Christmas among the spies. In the Holy Land. In 1974. salon.com Spending the holidays in Beirut didn't make much sense. Unless you were 27 — and you had lost your mind…
(2020-12-25). Dickens, refrigeration and New World turkey: Behind the decline of the traditional Christmas goose. salon.com The bird that used to dominate holiday tables became a ghost of Christmas past, but some say that is changing…
(2020-12-25). "Wonder Woman 1984" is "chaotic" and "delightfully cheesy": Reviews of this year's superhero sequel. salon.com Patty Jenkins' follow-up to her 2017 blockbuster is a totally '80s adventure with two villains and fanny packs…
(2020-12-25). No Holiday for Honduran Anti-Mining Activists Fighting for Freedom. commondreams.org A judge has refused to release eight water protectors detained for more than a year for protesting against a mining project that threatens local rivers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/photo-demo-courthouse-3.jpg …
(2020-12-25). A People's Agenda for a Better Nation. commondreams.org The Poor People's Campaign and Congressional Progressive Caucus team up to chart a course for the future. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/william_barber_0.jpg …
(2020-12-25). New Year Vaccine. thenation.com New Year Vaccine…
(2020-12-25). UK and EU reach trade agreement but questions remain. peoplesdispatch.org The deal will now have to be ratified not only by the British Parliament, but also by all the 27 member nations of the EU and the European Parliament, before December 31 to avoid major trade uncertainty…
(2020-12-25). Dr. Wodarg and Dr. Yeadon File Application for Suspension of All SARS CoV-2 Vaccine Studies and Call for Co-signing the Petition. globalresearch.ca On December 1, 2020, the ex-Pfizer head of respiratory research Dr. Michael Yeadon and the lung specialist and former head of the public health department Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg
(2020-12-25). Long march to peasant unity. zcomm.org The unprecedented unity among peasant organizations is not a sudden development. It has been built over several struggles, which have expanded the base of the peasant and snowballed into the massive protests against the new farm laws…
(2020-12-25). Participatory Economics 101 | Pt. 2. zcomm.org 'What do you want?' is a constant query put to economic and globalization activists decrying current poverty, alienation, and degradation…
(2020-12-25). Chicago Teachers Pledge Collective Action as January Reopening Approaches. zcomm.org Interview on the perils of Chicago's hybrid reopening plan and why "simultaneous instruction" simply doesn't make sense…
(2020-12-25). Working for the revolution in Rojava. zcomm.org Interview on the political and military upheaval taking place in Rojava and northern Syria from the perspective of someone who not only witnessed the struggle but was an active participant…
(2020-12-25). DDC Poll Results Are an Emphatic Rejection of the Scrapping of J&K's Special Status. zcomm.org The core of Kashmir's secular politics remains in place, and Kashmiriyat has yet again triumphed over sectarian majoritarianism…
(2020-12-24). Reject the SEIU sellout: Mobilize the working class to defend HCA nurses in southern California! wsws.org With the pandemic spreading out of control and California hospitals strained beyond capacity by the flood of nearly 20,000 COVID-19 patients, including at least 3,500 in ICUs, nurses in Southern California have taken a stand to demand safe staffing levels and protections that are critical to save the lives of health care workers and patients alike.
(2020-12-24). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.
(2020-12-24). Propaganda pandemic: The craziest COVID claims of the year. mronline.org 
No matter how many Americans die, corporate media is desperate to shore up support at home and attempt to discredit foreign countries for handling the pandemic properly. Behind The Headlines' Dan Cohen reviews the most absurd COVID propaganda of the year..
(2020-12-24). Screen Shot 2020-12-22 at 1.29.25 PM.png. progressive.org COVID-19 has sparked a new wave of activism.
(2020-12-24). 'Merry… Christmas': Watch Rep. Debbie Dingell Drop House Gavel in Disgust Over GOP's Covid-19 Cruelty. commondreams.org "I feel like she wanted to insert a choice expletive in the middle of that." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-12-24_at_3.03.19_pm.jpg …
(2020-12-24). All the Cannons Will Silently Rust. zcomm.org In Kerala, the government operated in a measured, swift, and deliberate way to inform the public, to use the government machinery to test the population for COVID-19, to carry out contact tracing, to isolate and treat the infected, and to take all possible measures to flatten the curve…
(2020-12-24). Incarcerated People Should Get Priority Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine. It's the Smart and Human Thing to Do. aclu.org Governor Jared Polis of Colorado — otherwise a trailblazer when it comes to criminal legal reform — recently
(2020-12-24). Why Can't CEO's Pay for Their Own Lunch? counterpunch.org While the world is reeling from the pandemic, corporate lobbyists have been focused on making taxpayers subsidize lavish lunches for wealthy executives. And their work has paid off in the new Covid relief deal. Buried in the details of this modest aid plan is a provision to give executives unlimited tax deductions for their business
(2020-12-24). Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza | Meanwhile, Kuwait detains six children recruited by Islamic State group via video games; new trial faces Algerian journalist released after serving term for threatening national unity | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 12: 37 | A Palestinian medical worker performs a Covid-19 test on a woman at a mosque in Gaza City on 20 September 2020 | UAE s…
(2020-12-24). US Airports Are Portals for Disease Spread. Venezuela Shows Another Way. zcomm.org People in the United States do have a lot to learn from Venezuelans and from people in many other countries that are handling the pandemic well…
(2020-12-24). Pardoning the Blackwater killers: It's a scandal, but not specific to Donald Trump. salon.com It was difficult to prosecute these 2007 war crimes, and Republicans were eager to whitewash them from the get-go…
(2020-12-24). The White Helmets fraud in Syria. mronline.org 
The most recent denunciation from Syria confirms the support of Western powers to the alleged humanitarian organization of the White Helmets which is also a fraud of crude media manipulation.
(2020-12-24). Border Patrol Surveils and Harasses Humanitarian Aid Station on Christmas Eve, Telling Volunteers They are Seeking a Warrant to Raid. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-12-24). Migrants face uncertainty after fire in camp in Bosnia. peoplesdispatch.org A large fire broke out in the Lipa refugee camp, in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina which hosts close to 1,200 migrants on December 23. There are no injuries or casualties but most of the infrastructure has been destroyed.
(2020-12-24). Mexican Wolf Killings Expose the Dark Underbelly of Western Culture. counterpunch.org 
For over a year, my colleague at Western Watersheds Project and I have been paging through gory reports of dead livestock, most of them (questionably) attributed to Mexican wolf predation. I've gotten somewhat inured to seeing the bloody corpses of cattle, decapitated calves, and dissection necropsies. It's unpleasant work, but it's turned up some very
(2020-12-24). Cuba: Presa Levisa de cara al futuro. peoplesworld.org 
Aunque el grueso de las obras del trasvase Este-Oeste ya ha sido ejecutado, no cesa la construcción de otras que ramifican túneles y canales desde el nororiente cubano. Sorteando pinares y terrenos rojizos aparece el área donde se erige la presa Levisa, en la que casi se mueven montañas para aprovechar al llamado Oro Azul. …
(2020-12-24). Nostalgia, Protest and a 9/11 Everyday. counterpunch.org 
In 1971, an important year for antiwar protest in the US, Abbie Hoffman (Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture, 1980) encountered a group of young people dressed in hippie garb. He greeted them and asked where they were headed to from Greenwich Village in Manhattan. They responded that they were going to a celebration in
(2020-12-24). The Heat: Social media's influence. america.cgtn.com 
Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.
(2020-12-24). The Heat: Climate Change Challenges for 2021. america.cgtn.com 
In 2020, the world reeled from the worst public health crisis in a century and extreme weather events brought on by climate change. So, what challenges lie ahead in 2021?>
(2020-12-24). UN agencies not above playing politics with statistics. zcomm.org It's clear that technical departments within the UN have their work corrupted by the US government and its allies. Consider recent reporting by the Grayzone on OPCW whistleblowers who exposed manipulation of an investigation into alleged chemical weapons use in Syria in 2018. Going further back, Hans Blix, the Swedish diplomat who was in charge
(2020-12-24). 'I Ain't Marching Anymore'. zcomm.org From the American Revolution through the Global War on Terror, author Chris Lombardi tells the inspiring stories of people who refused to kill…
(2020-12-24). Hugo Chávez and Maoism: A Conversation with Chris Gilbert. counterpunch.org Professor of political science at Venezuela's Bolivarian University, Chris Gilbert is creator and co-host of Escuela de Cuadros, a Marxist educational program broadcast in Venezuelan public television and a participant in the Barcelona-based project Seminari Taifa. Gilbert's articles have appeared in Rebelión, LaHaine, Monthly Review, and CounterPunch, and he has coauthored the recently-published book Venezuela,
(2020-12-24). 2020 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide May Rise Again. dissidentvoice.org The balance between the US drive to dominate Latin America and the Caribbean and its counterpart, the Bolivarian cause of regional independence and integration, tipped portside by year end 2020 with major popular victories, including reversal of the coup in Bolivia and the constitutional referendum in Chile. Central has been the persistence of Venezuela's Bolivarian …
(2020-12-24). In a Crisis, a Compromise Solution Is Worse Than No Solution at All. counterpunch.org The raging argument on the left between progressives who argue for radical change and centrists who advocate incrementalism is hardly new. Nearly a century ago, progressive titan and Wisconsin governor Robert La Follette and FDR were often at loggerheads over the same question. Roosevelt, La Follette complained, was too quick to compromise with reactionaries. FDR
(2020-12-24). Kids Are NOT Falling Behind. They Are Surviving a Pandemic. commondreams.org The economy is what they're really worried about. They want to keep it chugging along so they can continue siphoning profit off of the working class and into their pockets. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1214253536.jpg …
(2020-12-24). California is 40% Latinx. In Alex Padilla, it will finally have its first Latinx senator. nationofchange.org "This is really a reflection of the historic importance of Latinos."
(2020-12-24). UK regulators give okay to use psychedelic drug to treat depression in first clinical trial. nationofchange.org "We think this could be a treatment for a number of depressive disorders besides major depression, including PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and possibly some types of substance abuse."
(2020-12-24). Let's call environmentalism what it is. nationofchange.org We should call environmentalism what it is: A problematic term that has been manipulated to fit the needs of those who are—intentionally or otherwise—hiding reality.
(2020-12-24). Wearing a Cross But Violating Basic Christian Values. counterpunch.org Everything that comes out of the White House today — the lies, the false claims of election fraud, the absurd lawsuits — makes me retreat and recoil. But I feel a particular sense of dread whenever I am watching the TV news and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany steps up to the podium in the White
(2020-12-24). Ultra-crispy roast potatoes from a secret cooking club in Indonesia. salon.com Shreds of chewy ginger and sweet twists of green onion give more textures for your fork to chase…
(2020-12-24). Revenge never tasted so deliciously venomous in the slick and twisty "Promising Young Woman" salon.com "Killing Eve" head writer Emerald Fennell & actress Carey Mulligan create a satisfying yet surprising dark fantasy…
(2020-12-24). Shot In the Head: What Kind of Boundless Evil Is This, America? commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/further/goon_tease_kid_pardon_kid_ep49qf0w4aer2vp_0.jpg …
(2020-12-24). Activists and Parliamentarians Join Together to Prevent Armed Drones in Germany. commondreams.org "People are saying they cannot think of any peace movement struggle in recent years that has won such a striking victory. This brings hope to the whole peace movement." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ban_drones_germany.jpg …
(2020-12-24). Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz 'Soul'. thenation.com Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz 'Soul'
(2020-12-24). John Locke and America's Cult of Private Property. thenation.com John Locke and America's Cult of Private Property…
(2020-12-24). 'The Dissident' Details the Life and Death of Jamal Khashoggi. progressive.org The spine-tingling film documents the assassination—and cyber hacking—of the Saudi journalist, dissenter, and activist.
(2020-12-24). Sudan and Ethiopia fail to reach an agreement on border demarcation. peoplesdispatch.org The meeting between the authorities of the two countries to demarcate the land border came a week after the attack on a Sudanese army patrol by Ethiopian forces on December 15. The failure of talks may lead to more clashes…
(2020-12-24). What will Israel's next government look like? It depends on us. zcomm.org I want my political party to stand for social equality with sufficient safety nets to provide for the weakened sectors of the society…
(2020-12-24). Voters' Motives and Left Agendas. zcomm.org On the left we therefore shouldn't passively hope against hope that public officials will serve humane priorities. We should grow our organized, informed, activist power to force the outcomes we desire…
(2020-12-24). Racist practices at the SF Health Service System will no longer be tolerated: Remove Mitch. indybay.org SF Bay View Editor Malik Washington reports on systemic racism in the SF Health Service System…
(2020-12-24). Sunday 12/27: Putting Christ Back into Christmas: Compassion for the Poor & Homeless (NUH & Kairos Cntr). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-12-24). Discover the Hawaiian Seamen who built Sutter's Fort and settled the Sacramento Region. indybay.org Eight experienced Hawaiian seamen, whom King Kamehameha selected escorted Johan Sutter from the Sandwich Islands to establish a colony inland Northern California. The agreement to pay them ten dollars a month and return them back to the Hawaiian Islands after three years if they wished to leave. The "hidden figures of authentic Sacramento History comes alive for 2020 Sacramento County Kwanzaa…
(2020-12-24). Wednesday 12/23: Honoring South African & U.S. Homelessness Activists w/ National Union of the Homeless. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-12-24). World War I: The 1914 Christmas Truce. globalresearch.ca An excerpt from Jacques Pauwels' book The Great Class War, 1914-1918 | The situation in the fall 1914, after the "war of movement" has given way to the infamous stationary "trench warfare": | The ordinary soldiers developed more and more antipathy and …
(2020-12-23). Is the U.S. facing a revolutionary situation? workers.org 
The inescapable duty of a socialist revolutionary is to perceive the changes taking place in society which sharpen the class struggle and act on those changes without hesitation. Any socialist or socialist organization which fails to do so cannot be considered a defender of the proletariat (the working class), much . . . |
(2020-12-23). COVID and prisons: No walls, no borders in the workers' struggle. workers.org 
Texas "It's a nonviolent protest going on right now because the officers [in an unnamed Texas prison], in the middle of the coronavirus, have refused us electricity for several hours, no showers or anything." The voice is that of an incarcerated human being on video taken inside a Texas prison. . . . |
(2020-12-23). Are There Any Good Cops? dissidentvoice.org 
Yes, there is a pandemic. And, yes, the COVID-19 numbers and deaths are rising in certain locales. In the Canadian province of Alberta, lockdown measures were put into effect that include shutting all casinos, gyms, dine-in restaurants, and bars. Mask wearing, despite what science says, has been mandated. As well, all outdoor and indoor social …
(2020-12-23). The Gold Comes Off: A COVID-19 Outbreak in Sydney. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-12-23). COVID-19 Lockdowns Are in Lockstep with the 'Great Reset'. globalresearch.ca Who benefits from lockdowns that are destabilizing all facets of our society? Look no further than the emerging global oligarchy. | In October 2019, a pandemic simulation exercise called …
(2020-12-23). Best of 2020: I'm a public defender. My elderly client might die in prison from COVID-19. salon.com Our 2020 retrospective continues with this essay on why releasing some from prison won't fix a broken system…
(2020-12-23). Smoking Meat, Hoping to Survive. thenation.com Smoking Meat, Hoping to Survive…
(2020-12-23). British Government Contracts Firms to Make COVID 'Freedom Passports'. globalresearch.ca While the government is still saying …
(2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca 
By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …
(2020-12-23). Worthless PCR Tests for COVID. "Almost all" PCR Tests Produce False Positives. globalresearch.ca PCR tests are a scam. They don't work as claimed. | Yet their widespread use provides a foundation for manipulating people to be vaxxed with experimental, hazardous to human health vaccines. | PCR tests produce false positive results up to 90% of …
(2020-12-23). Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Many employees at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., have reservations about taking the COVID-19 vaccine, and CEO Anita Jenkins is trying to get workers to follow her lead by getting vaccinated, according to The hospital, a major …
(2020-12-23). Labor creates all value, including vaccine value. peoplesworld.org 
As I watched the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines on television recently, I thought of that old line, "Labor creates all value." Above all, it is labor power—mental labor and muscle labor—that is producing safe, effective vaccines in quantities sufficient to vaccinate the 340 million people of the United States. People mistakenly credit Karl …
(2020-12-23). Video: US Navy Deploys Nuclear Submarine to Persian Gulf Amid Heightened Tensions with Iran. globalresearch.ca The Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Georgia along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf, the US Navy announced on December 21. | The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia …
(2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org 
Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…
(2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A
(2020-12-23). Interview with Amaurie Johnson: 'There's a lot of things that I want changed'. liberationnews.org 
In cell phone videos that went viral, Amaurie Johnson was assaulted by now former officer Matt Dages on May 27 in La Mesa, Ca.
(2020-12-23). With racism, red-baiting/Georgia run-off elections fail to focus on people's needs. workers.org 
By Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges . . . |
(2020-12-23). FBI's Newest Prerogative: Shooting Subway Passengers. counterpunch.org 
Was the torrent of media editorials and exposes denouncing police violence earlier this year all a sham? Thirty-six years ago, Bernie Goetz pulled a pistol and shot four youths who were shaking him down on the New York subway. This was front-page news for weeks and spurred a deluge of anti-gun denunciations as well as
(2020-12-23). Peruvian agricultural workers' strike met with violent repression. peoplesdispatch.org 
Agricultural workers are mobilizing to demand that the Peruvian government and Congress follow through on their promise to pass a law granting labor rights and ensuring better working conditions for workers in this sector…
(2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org 
It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |
(2020-12-23). Trump's Carnage: Testing America's "Democracy" counterpunch.org 
Benjamin Franklin, the most democratic of the Founding Fathers, was walking out of Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention of 1787, when a woman shouted, "Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A republic if you can keep it." Alexander Hamilton, one of the least democratic members among the Founding
(2020-12-23). The Myth of a Golden Age of American Liberalism. counterpunch.org 
In The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America, authors John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge spend considerable time rehashing the conventional wisdom that says the United States was, from roughly 1900 to 1980, the world's Great Progressive Hope, a woke nation led by men of liberal values. Micklethwait and Woodridge write: "Fifty years ago, America lacked
(2020-12-23). Black Panther in struggle: The continued imprisonment of Russell Maroon Shoatz. workers.org 
Since 1972 — nearly half a century ago — Russell Maroon Shoatz has languished in a prison cell built on stolen land, poisoned and irradiated by the fossil fuel industry. A Black Panther Party member and soldier in the Black Liberation Army, Shoatz was falsely accused of killing a cop . . . |
(2020-12-23). New Amazonian Atlas reveals that a third of the rainforest is threatened. peoplesworld.org 
A third of the Amazonian rainforest is threatened by extreme pressure. For the last few years, the deterioration has intensified. The following is a special interview with Julia Jacomini from a publication of the Amazonian Network of Socioenvironmental Information (RAISG), which puts the latest data about the rainforest into perspective, in the first additions to …
(2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org 
Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …
(2020-12-23). The Youth Are the Vanguard. workers.org 
A talk given at a "Young Communists Speak: Why Join a Revolutionary Party?" webinar sponsored by Workers World Party on Dec. 10. We are gathered here today to talk about the crisis facing young workers and the intense radicalization of younger generations here in the heart of the empire. It . . . |
(2020-12-23). Alabama warehouse workers take on Amazon. workers.org 
Amazon workers at a Bessemer, Ala., warehouse took a big step toward organizing the first union ever in that behemoth company, when the National Labor Relations Board green-lighted their request for a unionization vote. Bessemer is a former steel-producing city adjoining Birmingham. On Dec. 18 the NLRB affirmed it was . . . |
(2020-12-23). A worker dies every 99 minutes from being injured on the job. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—A worker died every 99 minutes from fatal occupational injuries in 2019, the Labor Department revealed Dec. 16 in its annual report on the prior year's data. And that wasn't the only dubious job safety record set last year. The report, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said 5,333 workers died from on-the-job injuries, …
(2020-12-23). Boris Johnson's Brexit Deal (Or No?) Undermined By Incompetence. counterpunch.org 
In 2016, BoJo Johnson travelled into the future and arrived at a post-Brexit Britain. The vista he faced pleased BoJo immensely. Writing in The Telegraph, the charlatan fantasist and future prime minister said of the panorama in front of him: "The markets were calm. The pound did not collapse. The British government immediately launched a
(2020-12-23). 'Right Vibration' by Farmer Dave & The Wizards Of The West. counterpunch.org 
…
(2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net 
Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…
(2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co 
Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…
(2020-12-23). Las vacunas mundiales de China: un cambio revolucionario. workers.org 
En Estados Unidos, con menos del 5% de la población mundial, existe poca preocupación por el destino del otro 95% del mundo que se enfrenta a la pandemia. Cuándo, cómo y bajo qué condiciones se distribuirá una vacuna en los EE. UU. es la mayor preocupación de los EE.UU. Las . . . |
(2020-12-23). 'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee. middleeasteye.net 
'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee | The committee has been widely criticised online, forcing Kuwait's precarious position on gender equality back into the spotlight | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 21 | Members of Kuwait's Parliamentary Women's Committee (Screengrab/ twitter) | The newly appointed, all-male parliamentary Women's Committee of Kuwait has been met with ridicul…
(2020-12-23). Why Progressives Must Not Give Biden a Political Honeymoon. counterpunch.org The third time would not be a charm. People on the left did very little to challenge Bill Clinton after he won the presidency in 1992. Two years later, a big Republican wave took control of Congress. People on the left did very little to challenge Barack Obama after he won the presidency in 2008.
(2020-12-23). Imperial Intent: Destroying India's Farm Sector. dissidentvoice.org Agriculture in India is at a crossroads. Indeed, given that over 60 per cent of the country's 1.3-billion-plus population still make a living from agriculture (directly or indirectly), what is at stake is the future of India. Unscrupulous interests are intent on destroying India's indigenous agri-food sector and recasting it in their own image. Farmers …
(2020-12-23). Medicare for All Would Save Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Annually. zcomm.org The most exhaustive study on Medicare for All just came out. Its conclusion: a single-payer system would guarantee health insurance to all people while reducing overall health spending by hundreds of billions of dollars every year…
(2020-12-23). [Research Paper] Consequences to patients, clinicians, and manufacturers when very serious adverse drug reactions are identified (1997—2019): A qualitative analysis from the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR). thelancet.com Because very serious ADRs impacts are so large, policy makers should consider developing independently funded pharmacovigilance centers of excellence to assist with clinician investigations.
(2020-12-23). Sharyl Attkisson and Rachael Jolley. projectcensored.org In the first half of the show, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Sharyl Attkisson shares ideas from her new book "Slanted. " She contends that in recent years corporate and government forces have dramatically expanded their intervention into the conduct of journalism, to the extent that some types of investigative stories can no longer be reported. | Then Rachael Jolley, former editor-in-chief for the Index on Censorship, joins the program from the UK to explain how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the work of reporters — in Europe and elsewhere. She notes that even while the pandemic has…
(2020-12-23). Did the pandemic stave off climate change? Here's what the science says. salon.com Humans drove less, flew less, and commuted less in 2020. But greenhouse gas accounting is notoriously tricky…
(2020-12-23). Paul Farmer on How We Tell the Story of a Pandemic. thenation.com Paul Farmer on How We Tell the Story of a Pandemic…
(2020-12-23). US Attack: Treasury Department Imposes New Sanctions on Cuba and Nicaragua. globalresearch.ca The US imposed sanctions on three Cuban entities and three Nicaraguan citizens, the US Treasury Department reported today. | The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department sanctioned the Cuban companies Grupo de Administración Empresarial, Financiera Cimex and Kave …
(2020-12-23). How the fracking revolution is killing the US oil and gas industry. nationofchange.org "Does investing in oil and gas companies still make sense?"
(2020-12-23). Beyond the "Fear and Greed Index" dissidentvoice.org Investors are driven by two emotions: fear and greed. — CNN-Money These days, for the 5% of Americans who have substantial cash to invest, it has become increasingly easy to acquire large capital-gains in stock-market equities, even over the short-term. Super-wealthy investors, with periodic bolstering from the Fed, nowadays produce the frequent bubbles of absurdly inflated …
(2020-12-23). Arkansas Politicians' Relentless Push to End Abortion Access, and Humiliate and Shame Abortion Patients. aclu.org This week, the ACLU is back in court working to protect the constitutional right to abortion in Arkansas. In 2017, the state legislature passed four anti-abortion laws to severely restrict access to abortion. If allowed to take effect, these laws would ban the only method of abortion provided in Arkansas after approximately 14 weeks in pregnancy; require that patients' partners or others be notified of their abortion; force the health care center to report teenage patients' abortion to local police where there is no reason to suspect a crime; and force physicians to request a vast number of medical records for…
(2020-12-23). Charter Schools Spend Millions On Advertising and Marketing. dissidentvoice.org Unlike public schools, private businesses like charter schools spend millions of public dollars a year on advertising and marketing. Putting aside widespread fraud and corruption in the segregated charter school sector, this is an enormous waste and abuse of public funds, especially at a time when public schools are being starved of much-needed public funds …
(2020-12-23). Don't Blame the Soviets for the War in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca In the final week of September, an Azerbaijani offensive renewed hostilities in the perennial armed conflict and territorial dispute in the South Caucasus between Armenia and its neighbor over the Nagorno-Karabakh ("Mountainous Karabakh") region. | By October, the clashes had escalated …
(2020-12-23). Holiday paper schedule. workers.org NOTE FROM THE EDITORS Dear readers, Due to the upcoming holidays, the issue of Workers World dated Dec. 24 will be the last in 2020. There will be none dated Dec. 31. The next issue will be dated Jan. 7, 2021. Please monitor workers.org for new online articles during the . . . |
(2020-12-23). A Tale of Two Body Camera Videos. aclu.org Over the past month, two high-profile incidents reaffirmed why police body cameras cannot serve as a police transparency and accountability tool as long as state law empowers the police to determine what footage the public gets to see. As we have said
(2020-12-23). The Cuban Medical Brigade Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. dissidentvoice.org Lawrence B. Wilkerson, retired US Army Colonel and former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, has nominated the Cuban Medical Brigade Henry Reeve for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Wilkerson is also a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy at William and Mary College. Wilkerson's interest in Cuba's medical …
(2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org  …
(2020-12-23). US Sanctions London-based Family of Assad's Wife Under Caesar Act. globalresearch.ca The US issued fresh sanctions on Tuesday against the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and members of her London-based family, in the latest designation on Syria's ruling family under the Caesar Act. | In addition to designating Asma al-Assad for …
(2020-12-23). Colombian social organizations hail release of peasant leaders, condemn 'frame-up'. peoplesdispatch.org Following mobilizations calling for their release, the judge overseeing the case ruled that the three leaders – Teófilo Acuña, Adelso Gallo and Robert Daza – will not be held in preventative detention while they await trial…
(2020-12-23). The solace of Joni Mitchell's "River," a holiday song that defies merry and bright expectations. salon.com There's a reason why this moody yet festive song has been covered more then 760 times & continues to resonate…
(2020-12-23). Nothing to see here: Why media keeps downplaying Trump's coup attempt. salon.com Trump's cabal of desperate conspirators is more dangerous than ever, but mainstream media tells us to move on…
(2020-12-23). [Research Paper] Parent-adolescent relationships and their associations with adolescent suicidal behaviours: Secondary analysis of data from 52 countries using the Global School-based Health Survey. thelancet.com Despite the potential benefits of parents-adolescent relationships on suicidal behaviours among adolescents, research on these topics are importantly limited by lack of comprehensiveness, difficulties in cross-country comparisons, and limited generalisability, among others. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of various aspects of parents-adolescent relationships and suicidal behaviours by sex and region, and to investigate their associations.
(2020-12-23). [Research Paper] Benznidazole decreases the risk of chronic Chagas disease progression and cardiovascular events: A long-term follow up study. thelancet.com In a long-term follow-up, BZN treatment was associated with a decreased incidence of CD progression from ICF to the cardiac form and also with a decreased risk of cardiovascular events. Therefore, our results indicate that BZN treatment for CD patients with ICF should be implemented into clinical practice.
(2020-12-23). The CASE Act Is Just the Beginning of the Next Copyright Battle. commondreams.org Internet users and innovators, as well as the basic legal norms that have supported online expression for decades, are under attack. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1220525148.jpg …
(2020-12-23). A Campaign Under Quarantine. thenation.com A Campaign Under Quarantine…
(2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…
(2020-12-23). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project (GERD) and the Quest for African Unity. globalresearch.ca Since November 4, the focus of the international community in their observations of the internal conflict in Ethiopia has largely been centered on the central government's suppression of a rebellion against its authority in the northern region of Tigray. | Within …
(2020-12-23). The Winter's Tale: Solstice on the Streets of Paris. zcomm.org Ahmad Soheil Ahmadi interviews Obaidullah Alam Babakarkhil, the chairman of the French Refugee Council, about the privations suffered by homeless refugees as the winter solstice approaches…
(2020-12-23). Leo Panitch (1945—2020). zcomm.org The global left has suffered an irreparable loss with the passing of Leo Panitch this weekend. He was incredibly warm, inviting, and generous to others. And he remained committed to the end to the cause of socialism and human emancipation…
(2020-12-23). Outrage After Sacramento Police Illegally Detain and Terrorize 14-Year-Old African-American. indybay.org An African-American mother has expressed outrage at the ongoing practice of illegal detention by the Sacramento Police Department after the City's police officers detained and harassed her under aged son without provocation for the second time in fifteen months.
(2020-12-23). Friday 12/25: No Justice, No Cheer. indybay.org Meet at La Playa Safeway (850 La Playa St.) at 9: 30am, roll out at 10am. We'll be driving through some of the richest neighborhoods in SF.
(2020-12-23). Joy Is Possible Despite 2020 Mutating Coronavirus. indybay.org Peace starts with you. Peace starts with me. Share the peace and joy of the season despite Coronavirus. (Please be safe while doing so.)…
(2020-12-23). Saturday 1/9: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Complexity Blog Symposium. indybay.org Online via Zoom. Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com for the invite.
(2020-12-23). Community Asks Oakland's Reimagining Public Safety Taskforce Members to Defund Police. indybay.org Community Asks Oakland's Reimagining Public Safety Taskforce Members to Stand with City Residents and Defund Police…
(2020-12-23). Much-Needed Federal Protection for America's Beloved Monarch Butterfly Warranted, but Precluded. indybay.org U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees that monarchs are threatened with extinction, but does not yet provide the protection that monarchs need to recover.
(2020-12-23). Monarch Butterflies Put on Waiting List for Endangered Species Act Protection. indybay.org WASHINGTON, December 15, 2020 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that protection for monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act is warranted but precluded. This puts the imperiled butterfly on a waiting list for listing but confers no protection in the meantime.
(2020-12-23). Podcast: Politics in Brazil today — Eyewitness discussion with journalist Michael Fox. greenleft.org.au Green Left host Jacob Andrewartha sits down with long-time multimedia journalist and radio reporter Michael Fox to discuss politics in Brazil.