(2020-12-27). Europe's Lack of Confidence Hampers Signing of Trade Agreement with China. globalresearch.ca After seven years of tough negotiations, the European Union and China were close to signing an investment agreement. However, at the last moment, it hit a road block as it faced pressure from those wanting Washington's involvement, or those wanting …
(2020-12-27). Ilhan Omar censures Trump's Blackwater pardons. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (MNA) — US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has slammed Trump's pardoning the US security contractors convicted of the 2007 killing of 14 Iraqi civilians, including two children, in Baghdad.
(2020-12-27). Colonialist injustice: The pardoning of the Blackwater killers. liberationnews.org 
Along with a motley collection of wealthy swindlers and fraudsters, President Donald Trump on Dec. 22 pardoned four former Blackwater private contractors (mercenaries) convicted in the infamous Sept. 16, 2007, Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad. Seventeen Iraqis were killed and 14 seriously wounded in an unprovoked attack by the four, who indiscriminately fired machine guns, …
(2020-12-27). Mass Media Propaganda Is Enemy #1. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | The most Orwellian tool of our rulers which does the most damage and affects the most lives is not surveillance, nor police militarization, nor government secrecy, but domestic mass media propaganda. It's also the most overlooked. It's good to protest the other mechanisms of authoritarian control, but propaganda is enemy number one. | You don't need the ability to spy on dissident groups if you can control public thought enough to prevent those groups from forming in the first place. You don't need the ability to quash public uprisings if you can propagandize people away from rising up at a…
(2020-12-27). Two injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org The airstrikes on Saturday also caused damage to a hospital, a mosque and a several residential buildings. Electricity and water supply of the citizens of Gaza was also affected…
(2020-12-27). The European Citizens' Initiative for a Basic Income. counterpunch.org 
There are no precedents that can serve as a reference for Europe's economic and social situation right now. The 2020 European Commission indicators show a drop of 8.3% for GDP growth, while the OECD sets the figure at about 9% for the eurozone. The country-by-country forecasts showing considerable inequality within the EU are calamitous and,
(2020-12-27). What prisons are like during COVID lockdown: interview with a Pennsylvania incarcerated worker. workers.org 
Philadelphia Since the start of November 2020, more than 3,000 incarcerated workers and at least 1,200 guards and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC). Since last March, at least 58 people behind DOC bars have died from the pandemic, the majority of . . . |
(2020-12-27). 'Wait! We actually love the anime community': Arizona GOP in hot water on Twitter after vow to block users with 'anime avatars'. rt.com 
The Arizona Republican Party has been forced to proclaim its admiration of Japanese animation fans after getting mocked and roasted online for threatening to block Twitter accounts with anime avatars. | The trouble started on Sunday, after the Arizona GOP Twitter account announced its "new policy" of blocking people on social media. They promised to block everyone "whose accounts were created in or after November 2020, use Anime avatars, have fewer than 25 followers, and spam reply our tweets." | It was not clear what prompted the group's warning. However, the Arizona Republicans said they were not "big fans o…
(2020-12-27). Israel and the UAE working together to eliminate UNRWA: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Israel and the UAE working together to eliminate UNRWA: Report | Report in Le Monde says Abu Dhabi would be 'rallying to a long-standing demand from Israel', which has long insisted the Palestinian refugee agency perpetuates conflict | Sun, 12/27/2020 – 19: 44 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), US President Donald Trump (C) and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahya…
(2020-12-27). A new chance to challenge murder conviction: court rejects 'evidence-free' effort to block Mumia appeal. workers.org 
By Dave Lindorff The following slightly edited article first appeared in ThisCantBEHappening.net on Dec. 22. Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the "voice of the voiceless" for his compelling writings and short audio tapes, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest . . . |
(2020-12-27). Selected Articles: Warning: COVID Vaccines! Huge Risks, Huge Injuries — Huge Compensations? globalresearch.ca 
By The Covid cases here are thankfully small but the lock-downs apply all the same with the closure of busin…
(2020-12-27). Yemen: Anger as newly sworn-in cabinet excludes women for first time in 20 years. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen: Anger as newly sworn-in cabinet excludes women for first time in 20 years | Women activists take to the streets declaring new Saudi-backed government illegal and demanding representation | Sun, 12/27/2020 – 11: 13 | Dozens of female activists protested in Taiz city demanding women be given positions in the cabinet (MEE) | The swearing in of a new government in Yemen on Saturday h…
(2020-12-27). American Psychosis — Chris Hedges — the United States of Narcissism. counterpunch.org 
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(2020-12-27). Democracies Don't Start Wars. But U.S. Democrats Do. globalresearch.ca It may have been President Bill Clinton who once justified his wrecking of the Balkans by observing that liberal interventionism to bring about regime change is a good thing because "Democracies don't start wars with other democracies." Or it might …
(2020-12-27). Covid-19: How Likely Is a Second Wave? globalresearch.ca Important text first published on September 25, 2020 | Executive Summary | Evidence presented in this paper indicates that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic as an event in the UK is essentially complete, with ongoing and anticipated challenges well …
(2020-12-27). Japan bans foreign travelers to stop outbreak of new Covid-19 variant. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Dec 27 (efe-epa).- Japan has banned the entry of all foreign travelers into the country to prevent the outbreak of the new and rapidly-spreading strain of the coronavirus. The ban, announced by the government late Saturday, will be effective from Monday until the January end. However, the government has exempted Japanese citizens and residents …
(2020-12-27). German pilot makes point with syringe in the sky. yenisafak.com German pilot Samy Kramer has traced a giant syringe in the sky, flying 200 kilometers to remind people about the start of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Europe.The 20-year-old pilot mapped out the route he would need to take on a GPS device before taking to the skies near Lake Constance in southern Germany. The syringe-shaped route showed up on internet site flightradar24."There are still relatively many people opposing the vaccination and my action may be a reminder for them to think about the topic, to get things moving", Kramer told Reuters TV on Sunday, adding that his flight should not be understood as…
(2020-12-27). Trump's Intervention Puts Flawed But Necessary COVID Relief Bill at Risk. truthout.org And then, seemingly out of nowhere, just before Christmas,
(2020-12-27). Big Pharma Propaganda and the COVID-19 Vaccine: The U.S. Government's Legacy of Human Experimentations. globalresearch.ca It is important to focus on the history of experimental vaccines. | This article reviews the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in Macon County, Alabama that began in 1932 as well as other US government experiments that infected sick and vulnerable people with …
(2020-12-27). Tuesday 12/29: COVID-19 Vaccine & the Black Community: Safety, Efficacy & Dispelling Fear. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-12-27). 2020: 'Biggest international challenge' ever taken on by UN humanitarians. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic has been the "biggest international challenge" since the Second World War, according to the United Nations and has been the focus of the work of the UN's humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, throughout 2020.
(2020-12-27). Covid Death by Ventilator — A Personal Story — for the World to Know. globalresearch.ca This is a personal story. Actually, a story told to me by a very close friend, so close that I asked him whether he would allow me to personalize his story and publish it — because it was important for …
(2020-12-27). 'Our Government Needs to Protect Workers, Not Corporations'. zcomm.org Interview on worker safety and Covid relief…
(2020-12-27). Hundreds of Thousands of Birds fell out of the Sky in Southwest and now we Know Why. zcomm.org The Megadrought is clearly not over, 21 years in. In fact, we stand at the beginning of lots of Megadroughts…
(2020-12-27). Donald Trump's Unpardonable Pardons. Can Presidents Pardon Themselves? globalresearch.ca The US Constitution lets presidents grant pardons or clemency under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 — stating the following: | The president "shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of …
(2020-12-27). Washington's favorite Venezuelan opposition leader exposes links to Colombian paramilitary and narco networks. thegrayzone.com While the US government and media glorify Leopoldo López as a new MLK, the Venezuelan opposition leader collaborates with Colombia's narco-affiliated, death squad-sponsoring former President àÅlvaro Uribe and his protegé Iván Duque. According to Western corporate media outlets and human rights groups, Venezuela's far-right opposition leader Leopoldo López is a hallowed saint. The New York Times glorified López as the would-be "savior" of Venezuela, akin to none other than Martin Luther King Jr., while Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International …
(2020-12-27). Der Verrat der eigenen Berufsethik stà∂àüt die Menschheit ins Elend! globalresearch.ca Ein Ehrenkodex ist laut Duden ‚Äûdie Gesamtheit der in einer Gesellschaft oder Gruppe geltenden, die Ehre und das ehrenhafte Verhalten betreffenden Normen" (1). Dieses ungeschriebene Regelwerk àºber das Wohlverhalten von Berufsgruppen, das mit entsprechenden Verpflichtungen und Privilegien verbunden ist, scheint …
(2020-12-27). Guatemala: War and Revolution. globalresearch.ca The CIA coup to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 would put the nation of Guatemala on the path to a nightmare future of poverty, war, and genocide. The United States would reshape Guatemala's intelligence military and police to fight a …
(2020-12-27). How Will Joe Biden "Resolve" the Syrian Crisis? The Viewpoint of a French Diplomat. globalresearch.ca While, much of his analysis demonstrates professionalism; he misses a very important point …
(2020-12-27). Why are people going hungry if India has surplus foodgrain stocks? peoplesdispatch.org A country that ranks 94 among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index can't be said to be self-sufficient in foodgrains. The surplus stocks are due to shortage of purchasing power in peoples' hands…
(2020-12-27). Medical Doctor Warns that "Bacterial Pneumonias Are on the Rise" from Mask Wearing. globalresearch.ca First published in October 2020 | "A group is suing Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart, saying the city's mask mandate is harmful to healthy people," reports
(2020-12-27). Is Iran Contemplating Vengeance in Regards to the Murder of Its Two Prominent Leaders? globalresearch.ca Brigadier General Mohsen Fakhrizadeh of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Command (IRGC) and Iran's most important nuclear scientist was assassinated not too far from Tehran recently. Iran immediately accused Israel , an allegation confirmed by a senior Washington official soon after. …
(2020-12-27). Samos Dreaming: Reflecting on the Life, History and Social Injustice on Greece's Samos Island. globalresearch.ca There is a tragic lack of attention given to the achievements and activities of people and communities in tackling the problems they confront. It is tragic because people need hope and inspiration in these dark times and the thousands upon …
(2020-12-27). Multicultural Cooperation between BRICS Member States: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. globalresearch.ca In this interview, Alena Peryshkina, Co-Chair of the BRICS Civil Forum, Director of the AIDS Infoshare Foundation, Co-Chair of the BRICS and G20 CSOs Working Group, discusses some aspects of multicultural dimensions, especially the need to institutionalize cultural ties and …
(2020-12-27). Multicultural Cooperation between BRICS Member States: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. globalresearch.ca In this interview, Alena Peryshkina, Co-Chair of the BRICS Civil Forum, Director of the AIDS Infoshare Foundation, Co-Chair of the BRICS and G20 CSOs Working Group, discusses some aspects of multicultural dimensions, especially the need to institutionalize cultural ties and …
(2020-12-27). Step Forth Divine Human. The Worldwide Rising Tide of Human Consciousness. globalresearch.ca The forces at work to subdue humanity into abject slavery are well aware of the rising tide of consciousness sweeping across our world at this time. They know their own existence is under threat due to the rising momentum of …
(2020-12-27). The best TV shows of 2020 that made staying at home bearable. salon.com The worst year still gave us some incredible TV. Salon's TV critic shares her top 10 favorites…
(2020-12-27). What Time Is It in Lockdown? globalresearch.ca 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 …
(2020-12-27). The Tragedy of Corbynism. counterpunch.org Corbyn's election as leader of Labour party in 2015 was seen by much of the British left as their best chance to reverse the neoliberal imperialist trajectory of the British state for at least a generation. With a solid track record of opposition to war, nuclear weapons and privatisation, he was able to capture the
(2020-12-27). Propositions Won or Lost because of Money, Media, and Meaning, Solutions 2021 are Needed. indybay.org California delivered a landslide for a Democratic president, and yet gave majorities to Republican positions on state propositions. Why?>
(2020-12-27). Next Steps in Fighting the Anti-Homeless Sweeps? indybay.org An outreach demonstration today on Pacific Avenue seeks to gather perspectives and supporters for a sane and fair solution to the Winter Shelter crisis. The crisis has been provoked and intensified by City Manager Bernal's Sweeps, the overboard powers granted him by Myers' City Council, the lack of any walk-in shelter, and the police destruction of homeless gear in violation of the Boise v. Martin "no tickets without shelter" decision.
(2020-12-27). 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…
(2020-12-27). Mèxico: La Misià≤n Zapatista. indybay.org Mèxico | Tercera parte: La Misià≤n Zapatista…
(2020-12-27). 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)…
(2020-12-27). Relatives, Activists, and Attorneys Demand Justice for Andre' Hill, Unarmed Black Man Killed by Columbus Police. commondreams.org "Until we get justice for Andre' Hill, there won't be no peace in Columbus, there won't be no peace in Ohio, there won't be no peace in America," vowed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump at a Saturday vigil. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/hill_1.jpg …
(2020-12-27). Power Requires Structure, Structure Requires Discipline. zcomm.org Ordinary Americans will never win the reforms we need to survive until or unless hundreds of thousands of poor and working-class people across the United States participate in the political process…
(2020-12-27). In the Georgia runoffs, 'poll chaplains' continue King's legacy. zcomm.org "I want people to go to the polls knowing that they have nothing to fear — that their right to have their voice heard will be encouraged, uplifted, and defended by people of hope"
(2020-12-27). The Stunning Workers' Victory in New Mexico That You Haven't Heard About. zcomm.org New Mexico made it way easier for workers to form a union. Here's what it means…
(2020-12-27). Local Candidates Embrace Bolder Climate Policies as Federal Policy Has Faltered. zcomm.org Hyperlocal activism is becoming a preeminent strategy to address climate change…
(2020-12-27). Elections in Venezuela: The Trump-Guaidó "Pyrrhic Victory" and Its Achilles Heel. globalresearch.ca On December 14, a live webinar was broadcast on the topic of "The National and Regional Impact of Parliamentary Elections in Venezuela." It was organized by the Washington DC-based
(2020-12-26). Republicans block pandemic aid including $2000 checks, 14 million lose unemployment benefits. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – Republicans in the House and Senate have blocked an effort by Democrats to increase the amount of individual payments in the new pandemic aid act from $600 to $2000. Many progressive Democrats including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had tried to increase the amount during the negotiations over the new aid package. These payments have been very popular, and at the last minute, President Trump chimed in, saying that he would refuse to sign the bill unless the larger amount was included. | While Democrats will try for a new vote on Monday, December 28, this delay m…
(2020-12-26). Condemning Trump's Pardons for Blackwater Murderers—and Illegal, Unjust, Unending War. commondreams.org "We call on President Trump to pardon real heroes like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/vfp.jpg …
(2020-12-26). A Marxist Solution to the Eviction Crisis. realprogressives.org As long as the capitalist mode of production continues to exist, it is folly to hope for an isolated solution of the housing question or of any other social question affecting the fate of the workers. The solution lies in The United States is facing an eviction crisis of unprecedented proportions. According…
(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). '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). 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). 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). Thousands Reportedly Protest Outside Netanyahu's Residence in Jerusalem – Videos. sputniknews.com Anti-government demonstrations have been ongoing for over six months, with citizens demanding Bibi's resignation over the trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.
(2020-12-26). A Country in Turmoil. zcomm.org Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel's Political Crisis…
(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). Trump vetoes defense bill because of Section 230, calls it a national security threat. nationofchange.org The House will meet on Monday to vote to override the President's veto of the NDAA and Senate will do the same on Tuesday.
(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). Sanders rips GOP for happily endorsing Trump's assault on Democracy but refusing to back his call for $2,000 checks. nationofchange.org "Republicans in Washington are happy to cheer on Trump's bogus conspiracy theories on non-existent election fraud, but refuse to support him when it comes to providing a $2,000 direct payment to working-class Americans facing economic desperation."
(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). How to make juicy shredded chicken to use everywhere. salon.com Learn time-tested techniques for making a mountain of tender shredded chicken…
(2020-12-26). Remember that stupid thing Donald Trump did? Hard as it is to pick, here are the top 10. salon.com Donald Trump is a dull, nasty and childish man — but his legacy of amazing idiocy will be long remembered…
(2020-12-26). 11 handy sugar substitutes to keep in the pantry (and the fridge). salon.com Because asking a neighbor for a cup of sugar isn't always possible…
(2020-12-26). Lost in the middle: Will the arrogant certainty of "centrism" destroy America?>. salon.com From Bill Clinton through Barack Obama and now Joe Biden, the centrist consensus has failed — and learned nothing…
(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). Netflix's "Tiny Pretty Things" challenges the idea that bulimia is only a white woman's disease. salon.com The soapy teen ballet series is high on melodrama, but its eating disorder plot rings true to life…
(2020-12-26). Seamus Mullen's love affair with tortilla española: Find beauty in the simplicity of this dish. salon.com The former chef at Boqueria and Tertulia in New York City explores the most emblematic dish from Spain…
(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). 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 …
(2020-12-26). 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). 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). Mumia Wins Hearing in State Court on PCRA appeals. indybay.org Mumia Abu-Jamal, former president of the Black Journalists Association, framed and illegally convicted for a 1981 murder of a cop, by Democratic District Attorney of Philadelphia, Ed Rendell, has defeated the Fraternal Order of Police's King's Bench petition to remove the current DA Larry Krasner and now may proceed to the superior court to challenge the rejection of…
(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). 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). Wednesday 12/30: Text Banking for Georgia w/ Poor People's Campaign. indybay.org Online webinar training in text banking…
(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). Biden will wage war on the Kurdish revolution. greenleft.org.au President elect Joe Biden has been described as a "friend of the Kurds", writes Marcel Cartier, but under his presidency, US attempts to undermine the Rojava Revolution by any means necessary is likely to continue.
(2020-12-26). Holding Our Breath for Four Years. thenation.com Holding Our Breath for Four Years…
(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). 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). 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). 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). '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…
(2020-12-25). Meet the pseudo-left imperialists fighting against universal healthcare. thegrayzone.com Over the past week comedian Jimmy Dore has single handedly exposed a collection of self-styled leaders of progressive media as imperialist hacks joined at the hip with the Democratic Party and NATO. This video report originally appeared at Behind The Headlines. It's no coincidence that the pundits who are circling the wagons around AOC and seething at a comedian for pushing for a Medicare For All floor vote are also a bunch of pseudo-left imperialists. They've positioned themselves as guard …
(2020-12-25). Salvadorans Reject Bukele's Delegitimizing Speech in El Mozote. telesurenglish.net El Salvador's human rights defenders Thursday rejected the delegitimizing speech President Nayib Bukele gave last week in El Mozote, scene of the largest massacre that occurred during the Salvadoran war (1980-1992). | RELATED: | He presented his government as the only one interested in clarifying the events in El Mozote, where 986 people, including 558 children, were murdered in 1981. | "I am angry that El Mozote i…
(2020-12-25). 'Our Blood is Cheaper than Water': Anger in Iraq Over Trump Pardons. zcomm.org Biden to be lobbied to reverse decision to pardon security guards jailed over massacre…
(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). 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). 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). 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). Lisa Gilbert on Lame Duck Trump, Dean Baker on Trickle-Down Economics. fair.org 
(image: Public Citizen) | This week on CounterSpin: Media critic Margaret Sullivan made a
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Roaming Charges: Welcome to the Malarky Factory. counterpunch.org 
Joe Biden is by no means a smooth politician, but over the course of five decades in office he has mastered the art of the political bait-and-switch, a sleight of hand which has come to define the operating profile of so many Democratic bosses in the age of neoliberalism.
(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). 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). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. commondreams.org Trump and future presidents cannot be allowed to brazenly dishonor justice and undermine the rule of law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/roger_stone_0_1.jpg …
(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). 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). As Biden gets sworn in, White House will get scrubbed down. salon.com The executive mansion will get a deep clean after two COVID-19 outbreaks this fall…
(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). 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 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). '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). 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). The U.S. and Yemen: Will Biden End the Nightmare? counterpunch.org Over 100,000 people have perished in Yemen since Saudi Arabia began bombing it in 2015, in a doomed attempt to dislodge rebel Houthis. More than 85,000 have starved to death. Those are long, slow, excruciating deaths. According to the International Red Cross last week, roughly 24 million Yemenis need aid and "the majority of the country really needs UN and humanitarian funding in order to meet their basic day-to-day needs." Aljazeera reports that last month, "Yemen had received less than half of the emergency funds it needed this year…About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity." Four millio…
(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). Trump's Big Lies, and Biden's. counterpunch.org People with eyes to see and ears to hear realize that Donald Trump is a pathological liar. He lies about little things and big things. Some lies seem off the cuff, others well planned. The lie about Obama's birthplace was one of the latter. It was a racist lie designed to rally racists as the
(2020-12-25). Charter School Promoters Comfortable with Cardona. dissidentvoice.org President-elect Joe Biden recently nominated Miguel Cardona to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Education. Hardly anyone in education circles has heard of or spoken about Cardona, let alone in an open and serious way. For weeks there was endless speculation and confusion surrounding the "top potential pick" for this position. All kinds of …
(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). 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). 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). "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). 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). 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). Christmas Letter to those I Know and Don't Know. zcomm.org What can I say? Holiday season. I wish you as bright a holiday as our times permit. I wish you much joy, some sharing, much learning, some caring. I wonder if you are well. In body and in mind. I wonder if you are relating each to the rest. Not drifting. Souls alight. Souls aflame.
(2020-12-25). New Year Vaccine. thenation.com New Year Vaccine…
(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). 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). 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). 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). To Restore American Leadership, the Biden Administration Should Focus on Global Hunger. thenation.com To Restore American Leadership, the Biden Administration Should Focus on Global Hunger…
(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). 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…
(2020-12-25). 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). 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…
(2020-12-24). Trump pardons Blackwater killers for Nisour Square massacre. wsws.org The four mercenaries, all former Marines, killed 14 unarmed Iraqis in 2007, in an unprovoked slaughter in Baghdad.
(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). No, Joe, Don't Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers. counterpunch.org It was painful enough to live through the U.S. invasion of Iraq that caused untold devastation and human misery for no justifiable reason. Now we are again reminded of the grim Bush legacy with President-elect Biden's nomination of Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence. Haines, who has an inside-the-beltway reputation for being nice and
(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). 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). 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). Indian women revive non-violent civil disobedience movements against the extinguishment of citizenship rights. mronline.org 
On 11 December 2019 one of the largest peaceful Civil Disobedience Movements in India after Indian Independence in defence of the Constitution and Constitutional rights, began under the leadership of Indian Muslim women in Delhi.
(2020-12-24). Colombia's President shows his disdain for democracy and Venezuelans. mronline.org 
On December 8, a Conviasa flight prepared to take off from Caracas, Venezuela, for Mexico City. It planned to carry 200 election observers and journalists who came to Venezuela from a range of countries to monitor the National Assembly elections that were held on December 6.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 'The Courts Are a Sham': New Hampshire Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Rights of Nature, Healthy Climate Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Right-Wing Soap Opera in the Netherlands: the Second Act of Thierry Baudet? counterpunch.org Europe has its fair share of right-wingers. Some are members of rather visible and socially active parties such as the National Rally in France, Austria's Freedom Party, and the Sweden Democrats. Others prefer the label of a street-focused or intellectual movement like Pegida in Germany, the English Defence League, the various transnational anti-Islam networks online,
(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). 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). 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). Sunday 12/27: Putting Christ Back into Christmas: Compassion for the Poor & Homeless (NUH & Kairos Cntr). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-12-24). Trump May Be Leaving But The Damage He Caused Isn't Going Anywhere. commondreams.org A Christmas poem and a plea for congressional oversight in the New Year. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_culling_the_herd_1.jpg …
(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 …
(2020-12-24). [Research Paper] Safety and immunogenicity of INO-4800 DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A preliminary report of an open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial. thelancet.com INO-4800 demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability and was immunogenic in 100% (38/38) of the vaccinated subjects by eliciting either or both humoral or cellular immune responses.
(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). '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). 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). 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). President-Elect Biden's Voting Rights To-Do List. commondreams.org Trump's assault on our democracy reinforces the Biden administration's obligation to do everything within its power to protect the right to vote. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1250970135-170×170.jpg …
(2020-12-24). Trump's Foreseeable Coup Attempt. commondreams.org American exceptionalism lulls us into thinking that what has happened in other countries cannot happen here. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-836239068.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). Pay Attention to the Risk of Martial Law. commondreams.org The latest ravings of our tyrannical President highlight a true threat to democracy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/p13-trump.jpg …
(2020-12-24). Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz 'Soul'. thenation.com Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz 'Soul'
(2020-12-24). This California Law Offers Biden a Tool in the Fight for Environmental Justice. thenation.com This California Law Offers Biden a Tool in the Fight for Environmental Justice…
(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). 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…
(2020-12-23). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Redbaiting derails people's needs in Georgia Senate runoff. workers.org 
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 of "rigged elections" and threats of . . . |
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). After Trump Blocked UN Inquiry of Racist Violence, NGOs Are Conducting Their Own. zcomm.org "You in the United Nations are your brothers' and sisters' keepers in America. I'm asking you to help us — Black people in America."
(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). 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). 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). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org  …
(2020-12-23). Trump's Judge Picks Will Cause Lasting Harm. progressive.org Over the past four years, the president has stacked the federal courts with ultraconservative judges.
(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). 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). Trump supporters file a lawsuit against Mike Pence. salon.com The lawsuit against Trump's vice president is a desperate last-ditch effort to overturn the election…
(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). 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). 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). Exclusive: the UK is lighting up red as Labour's leadership is challenged by local groups. thecanary.co Regions of the UK continue to turn red as local Labour groups continue to challenge Keir Starmer's leadership. How do we know? We've been tracking it. | The Canary's investigations team has verified 92 constituency Labour Party (CLPs) who are challenging Labour's leadership. | As part of our #FactOfTheMatter series, The Canary has been
(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). 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). 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). [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). [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). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…
(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…
