nous les 99%

Published on open Democracy, by DANIELA IKAWA, Nov 19, 2016.

Why the failure to enforce social, cultural, and economic rights means that the lives of some groups are valued more than others.

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Over the past five decades, there has been growing recognition of economic, social and cultural rights in both international and domestic systems of law. However, there is still resistance to accepting the indivisibility between civil and political rights on the one hand and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. Continuer la lecture de « Asking whose lives matter in the battle for social, cultural, and economic rights »

Published on Dissident Voice, by James Petras, Nov 23, 2016.

US officialdom and their media megaphones have systematically concocted narratives having less to do with political reality and more with their hallucinogenic world view. Pre-election and post-election reportage weaves a tapestry of fiction and fantasy.   Continuer la lecture de « The Financial Press and its Keepers – Foibles, Fables, and Failures »

… try reading these conservative websites – Published on The Guardian, by Jason Wilson, Nov 22, 2016.

In his last broadcast of the year, John Oliver talked about how his own show offered comforting political catharsis to people who already agreed with him. Continuer la lecture de « So you want to get out of your bubble »

• Gypsy Child Thieves (BBC Documentary), 58.55 min, uploaded by Toc A Terra, Sept 27, 2013;
• Britain’s Child Beggars (BBC Documentary), 59.19 min, uploaded by Toc A Terra, Sept 26, 2013 … meet ‘Alice’. She is a four-year-old child out on the streets of London begging hours on end, day in, day out. ‘Alice’ is just one of Britain’s Gypsy child beggars, and she can earn hundreds of pounds a day;
• Street Kids in Romania, 107.54 min, uploaded by Eduard Barna, July 30, 2011 … Documentar despre copiii strazii din Romania;   Continuer la lecture de « Gypsy children and their clans in Europe »

• Trump confirmed willing to mend ties – Putin, on Y net news, Nov 21, 2016: the Russian president meets with outgoing US President Obama on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima; Putin: ‘I told him that we would be happy to see him in Russia anytime if he wants, can and has the desire;
• US: Snowden-Hater Michael Pompeo May Be CIA Director, on WIRED,by Lily Hay Newman, Nov 20, 2016;
• Economic Update: Economics of Trump, 58.29 min, Podcast on Richard D. Wolff, by Web-owner, Nov 20, 2016;   Continuer la lecture de « todays latest links »

Published on Angry Bear, by Sandwichman, Nov 19, 2016.

Currently, Hillary Clinton leads POTUS-delictum Donald J. Trump by 1,677,000 votes. As we know, though, Trump has an overwhelming electoral college advantage. The original intent of the electoral college, according to Hamilton – the politician, not the Broadway musical – was to thwart the possibility of interference by a foreign power in choosing the chief executive … // Continuer la lecture de « White Supremacy as a Political Doctrine »

Published on World Socialist Web Site WSWS, by Nick Beams, Nov 19, 2016.

Financial markets have priced in as a virtual certainty that the US Federal Reserve will raise its base interest rate when it next meets on December 13–14. Fed chair Janet Yellen lifted expectations of a rate rise when she told a congressional hearing this week that such a move could “become appropriate relatively soon” … // Continuer la lecture de « Fed set to lift key interest rate »

Published on The Guardian, by Faiza Shaheen, Nov 16, 2016.

These seemingly bland organisations are actively undermining employment rights, driving precarious workers into the arms of exploitative companies … // Continuer la lecture de « In the gig economy, recruitment agencies are the gangmasters »

… bevor wir wieder zur Tagesordnung übergehen:

• Willy Wimmer: Die Trump-Wahl bewahrt uns vor einem großen Krieg, 12.41 min, von Mad Madursklix am 10. Nov 2016 … Herr Wimmer, was haben Sie gedacht, als Sie heute die News aus den USA gehört haben? Ich war so erleichtert, wie lange nicht in meinem Leben, denn ich hatte heute Morgen das Gefühl, diese Wahlentscheidung bewahrt uns vor dem großen Krieg. Ich gehe davon aus, dass der neue amerikanische Präsident, anders als seine Gegenkandidatin, für eine vernünftige, praktikable, vertrauensvolle Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Staaten auf dieser Welt bereit ist — und das gibt Hoffnung, (mein Kommentar: genau so denke ich auch – Heidi); Continuer la lecture de « … ein letzter Ueberblick »

Published on truthout, by Skanda Kadirgamar, Nov 16, 2016.

… Aggressive Trainings:

The ITOA conference is one of many tactical trainings and weapons fairs that occur across the United States. These trainings offer participating police departments a variety of training opportunities such as licensing officers to use « less than lethal » weapons like tear gas and tasers. Continuer la lecture de « US: Schooled in Terror, the Tactical Trainings where Cops Militarize their Brutality »

Published on Dissident Voice, by Mohammed Mesbahi, Nov 15, 2016: a spiritual education for the Art of Being (Part One; Part Two).

… The lack of right education in our societies therefore highlights our underlying dilemma, in that the sharing economy is a viable idea, a potentially colossal and planetary idea, if it is accomplished in a wholly inclusive and moral way by firstly concentrating all our attention on the needs of the world’s struggling poor majority. Continuer la lecture de « The True Sharing Economy: Inaugurating an Age of the Heart, Part 3 of 3 »

Published on Countercurrents.org, by Mirza Yawar Baig, Nov 15, 2016.

Dire Straits’ famous song has some very politically incorrect lyrics but the refrain, ‘Money for nothing and the chicks for free’ sums up the situation of black marketeers and owners before the demonetization and the name of the songsters – Dire Straits – sums up their situation in India today. But what are the implications of demonetization? We have seen many theories; conspiracy and otherwise. One of the best articles that I have read is by former Finance and Economic Affairs Secretary, Arvind Mayaram, which is here:   Continuer la lecture de « India: Demonetisation And The Loss Of Faith In Rupee »

… including most kids in Afghanistan – Published on RT, Nov 15, 2016.

.. Thirty-two percent also said their schools were not always safe. The ‘Small Voices, Big Dreams’ survey, conducted by the ChildFund Alliance, interviewed 6,226 children between the ages of 10 and 12 who live in 41 countries – 31 of which are developing nations across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Of the students surveyed, 3,658 were from developing nations. Continuer la lecture de « One-third of children in developing countries miss school to work – survey »

Published on The Spectator, Brendan O’Neill, Nov 9, 2016.

If you want to know why Trump won, just look at the response to his winning. The lofty contempt for ‘low information’ Americans. The barely concealed disgust for the rednecks and cretins of ‘flyover’ America who are apparently racist and misogynistic and homophobic. The haughty sneering at the vulgar, moneyed American political system and how it has allowed a wealthy candidate to poison the little people’s mushy, malleable minds. Continuer la lecture de « The sneering response to Trump’s victory reveals exacytly why he won »

Published on In The Half Light, by PaulOC, Nov 9, 2016.

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, much like the Brexit vote in the UK earlier this year, has been greeted by mainstream commentators with a mixture of vapid incomprehension and shrill, moralistic denouncement. The emptiness of these responses reflect a central problem for liberals, centrists, so-called ‘leftists’ and others in advanced capitalist countries, namely that their gods have failed them. Capitalist development and competition, wedded to (and notionally tempered by) limited, representative democracy and consensus politics have all proven inadequate to the historical tasks before them. Continuer la lecture de « Trump, Mair and The Gods That Failed »

Published on Let’s Try Democracy, by David Swanson, Nov 9, 2016.

Dear Democrats, are you finding yourselves suddenly a bit doubtful of the wisdom of drone wars? Presidential wars without Congress? Massive investment in new, smaller, « more usable » nuclear weapons? The expansion of bases across Africa and Asia? Are you disturbed by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen? Can total surveillance and the persecution of whistleblowers hit a point where they’ve gone too far? Is the new Cold War with Russia looking less than ideal now? How about the militarization of U.S. police: is it time to consider alternatives to that?   Continuer la lecture de « Now We Can Finally Get to Work »

Published on Dissident Voice (first on New Eastern Outlook) NEO, by Andre Vltchek, Nov 7, 2016.

People all over the world are fed up with capitalism … // Continuer la lecture de « Top Secret: These are actually Socialist Countries »

Published on RT, Nov 6, 2016.

Among the many ways in which the 2016 US presidential election has been out of the ordinary is the invocation of Russia as a looming threat to American democracy, basically putting “Putin on the ballot” in the words of the Washington Post. Continuer la lecture de « 'Red Scare 2', Russia and the 2016 US election »

Published on Informed Comment, by Juan Cole, Nov 4, 2016.

The Turkish government has detained 11 members of parliament from the leftist, feminist and pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP),including the party’s co-chairs. This step is intended to give Erdogan the majority in parliament he needs to make himself president for life, and to give Turkey (currently a parliamentary government) an imperial presidency on the Egyptian model. The pretext was that these MPs declined to testify in a witch-hunt inquiry. I.e., this is precisely McCarthyism.   Continuer la lecture de « Turkish Gov’t arrests 15 Opposition MPs in Further Descent into Dictatorship »

Published on New Statesman, by John McDonnell, Nov 2, 2016.

After four decades, the economic consensus is crumbling, what can politicians do next? Continuer la lecture de « UK: Caught at a crossroads, it's time to build an alternative to neoliberalism »

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E- Bulletin No 1324, by David Bush, editor at RankandFile.ca., Nov 3, 2016.

There is major disorientation on the left in many Western countries when it comes to Syria and about how antiwar activists should respond to events on the ground in Syria and Iraq. The highly complex nature of the Syrian war involving a multitude of foreign states and non-state actors would, in the best of times, present the left with a real challenge to find political clarity. The fact that this is occurring precisely when the antiwar movement in countries like Canada and the United States are relatively weak only adds to the confusion. Continuer la lecture de « Syria and the Antiwar Tradition »

an Open Letter to Law Enforcement and National Guard in North Dakota – Published on ZNet, by Winona La Duke, Ann Wright and Zoltan Grossman, Nov 2, 2016.

So you joined law enforcement or the National Guard because you wanted to uphold the law, protect innocent civilians against the bad guys, and help your community in times of need. Instead, they’re having you blockade unarmed people who are trying to hold a prayer vigil, chasing them with armored vehicles and ATVs, raiding their tipis and sweat lodges at gunpoint, and shooting them (and their horses) with pepper spray, concussion grenades, tasers, and rubber bullets. You thought you’d be the cop on the beat or the citizen soldier, and they’ve made you into the cavalry riding in with Custer. Continuer la lecture de « Public Servants or Corporate Security? »

Published on New Economic Thinking, by Dean Baker, Oct 27, 2016.

Offshoring manufacturing may have hurt many working people in America, but professionals and intellectual property have been robustly protected. Continuer la lecture de « US: Inequality As Policy, Selective Trade Protectionism Favors Higher Earners »

Published on ROARmag.org, by Harriet Paintin and Hannah Kirmes-Daly, Oct 31, 2016.

Chaos and confusion prevail as the autonomous migrant camp in Calais is being cleared, but few have any doubts that before long new Jungles will arise. Continuer la lecture de « France: burnt homes and broken promises, the Jungle evicted »

Published on Global Research.ca, by F. William Engdahl, Jan 28, 2016. Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don’t (first published in same blog on Dec 4, 2007) … //

… No project is more interesting at the moment than a curious project in one of the world’s most remote spots, Svalbard. Continuer la lecture de « Doomsday Seed Vault in the Arctic »

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 1321, by Leo Panitch, Oct 29, 2016.

Canada’s Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland’s sense of amour propre was clearly dented last week when the latest talks to salvage the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada appeared to fall apart in face of the refusal of the Belgian regional parliament in Wallonia to accede to the Belgian government’s support for it. Continuer la lecture de « What is Really the Matter with CETA? »

Published on by Systemic Disorder, Oct 26, 2016.

Class warfare is poised to reach a new milestone as this year’s combined total of dividends and stock buybacks by 500 of the world’s largest corporations will exceed US$1 trillion.   Continuer la lecture de « Work harder so speculators can get more »

Published on Dissident Voice, by Binoy Kampmark, Oct 26, 2016.

… It grew out as an organic consequence of failure – a failure on the part of Europe’s authorities to come to some measure of proportionate and even handed procedures to assess and process desperate refugees who have very little intention of returning back to their countries.   Continuer la lecture de « Clearing the Jungle, the Calais Refugee Operation »

Published on ZNet (first on TomDispatch), by Nomi Prins, Oct 27, 2016.

As this endless election limps toward its last days, while spiraling into a bizarre duel over vote-rigging accusations, a deep sigh is undoubtedly in order. The entire process has been an emotionally draining, frustration-inducing, rage-inflaming spectacle of repellent form over shallow substance. For many, the third debate evoked fatigue. Continuer la lecture de « Waking Up in Hillary Clinton’s America »

… diaporama: where the Blackbirds go, on Spiegel Online International, by Christoph Seidler, Oct 22, 2016 (Photo Gallery): there are 1.6 billion songbirds in Europe and half of them fly south for the winter. Scientists would like to follow them – using sensors attached to the International Space Station. But keeping up isn’t easy [VIDEO].

… Researchers believe that blackbirds migrate individually, but because of the astounding paucity of data, they aren’t even sure about that. Larger birds like albatrosses or geese can easily be outfitted with GPS transmitters. But blackbirds, which only weigh around 100 grams, aren’t able to carry heavy technical equipment. That is why Wikelski’s team is using lighter radio transmitters — and, if they can get their equipment to work, chasing them with cars … // Continuer la lecture de « Space Odyssey: A New Technology for Following Songbirds »

Published on Consortiumnews, by Gilbert Dortorow, Oct 24, 2016.

With Hillary Clinton calling Donald Trump a Russian “puppet” and Trump calling her a “nasty woman,” the third presidential debate descended into personal insults that had special resonance in Russia, as Gilbert Doctorow describes. Continuer la lecture de « How Russia Saw America’s Third Debate »

Published on Global Research.ca, by Adeyinka Makinde, Oct 24, 2016.

Recent media focus on the humanitarian crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo has revealed the government promoted propagandistic methods of the Western mainstream media, which shorn of context and rich in bias uncritically accepts the narrative presented by politicians and attempts to shape public opinion to suit the needs of a war agenda … // Continuer la lecture de « The Syrian Tragedy: Western Foreign Policy and its Useful Idiots »

Published on Jacobin, by Luke Savage, Oct 21, 2016.

Wikileaks’ latest document dump vindicates Bernie Sanders’ critique of Hillary Clinton and the Washington establishment … // Continuer la lecture de « Why Bernie Was Right »

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin no 1318, by Frederic Heine and Thomas Sablowski, Oct 21, 2016.

The unequal development of the countries of the euro area since the outbreak of the crisis is causing increasing friction that threatens to tear the monetary union apart. Contrary to what many critics of the monetary union suggest, responsibility for this development lies not alone with its internal structure, but is rather a general feature of capitalist development. It is illusory to believe that under the dominance of the capitalist mode of production a spatially even development would ever be possible. Rather, the current monetary regime reinforces the cycles of capitalist crisis … // Continuer la lecture de « The Future of the Euro Area »

… a conversation with Noami Klein (the transcript and the podcast, 32.21 min) – Published on The Intercept, by Glenn Greenwald, Oct 19, 2016.

… GG: … //

• … I think WikiLeaks more or less at this point stands alone in believing that these kinds of dumps are ethically — never mind journalistically — just ethically, as a human being, justifiable. Continuer la lecture de « Is disclosure of Podesta's emails a step too far? »

… with a video, 11.51 min – Published on RT, Oct 20, 2016.

A chief liaison officer of the White Helmets has acknowledged to RT that his organization, which claims to be “non-governmental” and “neutral,” receives funding and equipment from several western states, including the US, the UK and Germany. Continuer la lecture de « We don’t hide it: White Helmets openly admit being funded by Western govts »

… journal of the change of world order #11 – Published on Voltairenet.org, by Thierry Meyssan, Oct 19, 2016.

Washington is attempting to hold to its positions without having to start a Third World War, but it looks like an impossible task. Moscow is offering the United States a safe exit in Syria and Yemen. But if they should choose this option, they would be obliged to abandon some of their allies. Continuer la lecture de « The cost of downgrading »

… Western Media Propaganda Goes Wild – Published on Global Research.ca, by Moon of Alabama, Oct 16, 2016.

… The terrorists in east-Aleppo are encircled and besieged. The Syrian army nibbles away piece after piece of their territorial hold while the Syrian and Russian air force attack any recognized concentrations of forces or material. It is only a question of time until they are completely defeated.   Continuer la lecture de « Al-Qaeda Fighters In East-Aleppo Encircled and Besieged »

Published on Defend Democracy, by Mars Lambropoulos, Oct 13, 2016.

The position I will be defending in this short intervention is that the subjection of Greece to memoranda and its consequent social and economic destruction is not simply a product of the global economic crisisthat was initiated in the United States in 2007-2008, with the explosion of subprime loans and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and then exported from America to Europe. In fact, hidden behind all this was a set of machinations undertaken, on the occasion of the crisis, by the European Directorate, which is mainly controlled by German interests … // Continuer la lecture de « The destructive course of Greece »

Published on AlterNet, by Vijay Prashad, Oct 12, 2016.

Those who carry these passports from countries like Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia arrive at international borders only to discover they aren’t considered people. Continuer la lecture de « Millions of Refugees Are Suffering from the Crisis of Having a Passport from 'Nowhere' »

Published on Counterpunch, by RAY MCGOVERN, Oct 12, 2016.

During the Reagan administration, I was one of the CIA analysts assigned to present to White House officials the President’s Daily Brief, which summed up the CIA’s views on the pressing national security issues of the day. If I were still in that job – and assuming CIA analysts are still able to speak truth to power – I am afraid that I would be delivering alarming news about the potential of a U.S.-Russian military clash … // Continuer la lecture de « Russia Throws Down the Gauntlet: Fly at Your Own Risk »

Video with Richard D. Wolff, 96.33 min, uploaded by Democracy At Work, Oct 12, 2016 … these programs begin with 30 minutes of short updates on important economic events of the last month. Then Wolff analyzes several major economic issues. For October 12th, these will include:

• 1. Corporate and government debt huge + real wages flat = trouble
• 2. Inequality + consumers unable to spend = looming crisis
• 3. Crisis looms + govts desperate = govt spending + worker coops rise
• Websites: Democracy At Work.info; Richard D. Wolff.com; Left Forum.org;   Continuer la lecture de « Global Capitalism: A Looming Capitalist Crisis, Major Candidates Ignore It »

Published on Spiegel Online International, Oct 11, 2016.

Syrian refugees on Sunday night captured a man suspected of planning a terror attack in Germany, tied him up and turned him over to police. As information about his plans continues to emerge, Syrians in Germany are celebrating the man’s capture … // Continuer la lecture de « Attack Plans in Germany: Refugees Celebrate Capture of Terror Suspect »

Published on ZNet, by Dilip Hiro (first on Tom Dispatch), Oct 11, 2016.

In the strangest election year in recent American history — one in which the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson couldn’t even conjure up the name of a foreign leader he “admired” while Donald Trump remained intent on building his “fat, beautiful wall” and “taking” Iraq oil — the world may be out of focus for many Americans right now … // Continuer la lecture de « American Power at the Crossroads »