(2021-10-21). Facebook 'whistleblower' Frances Haugen represented by a coterie of US intelligence insiders. thegrayzone.com The background of Haugen's Whistleblower Aid legal team indicates she was cultivated to complete Facebook's transformation into a vehicle for the US national security state A former employee of Facebook named Frances Haugen earned national renown after appearing before Congress on October 5, 2021 to accuse the company where she once worked of everything from poisoning the minds of young American women to aiding and abetting global evildoers. While Haugen has presented herself as a "whistleblower" who risked it all to …
(2021-10-21). Science Saturday: An inside look at the state-of-the-art supports enabling invention. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Throughout Mayo Clinic, innovation is the thread that weaves through countless initiatives aimed at improving patient care. While Mayo's most cutting-edge discoveries are often widely known, the vast majority of innovative endeavors occur behind the scenes. One of the more low-profile assets in Mayo Clinic Laboratories' innovation arsenal is the media kitchen, where specialized media and reagents used in some of the laboratories' most esoteric assays come to life. "Nationally, there aren't many media labs," says…
(2021-10-21). India Walton's campaign for mayor of Buffalo stands up to harassment & intimidation. zcomm.org With two weeks to go to the Nov. 2 elections, Walton remains strong…
(2021-10-21). In Sectarian Politics, Sauce for the Goose Is Never Sauce for the Gander. zcomm.org For some unmentionable reason, all rationality and political or cultural empathy disappears when the subject of Kashmir comes up…
(2021-10-21). 'Let's put a wrench in things now'. mronline.org 
Ten thousand John Deere workers in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas launched an open-ended strike October 14.
(2021-10-21). Nicaragua, with free health care and education, challenges U.S. domination. workers.org 
Managua, Nicaragua The writer was a member of a U.S. delegation that visited Nicaragua Oct. 3-10. Outside of àìscar Danilo Rosales Hospital in Leon, Nicaragua with members of medical staff and U.S. delegation, Oct. 5. Rosales, a surgeon and Sandinista hero, was killed in 1967 by the U.S.-backed Somoza regime. (WW . . . |
(2021-10-21). SOVEREIGNTY AND SOIL: WANTOKS, BURKINABàà BOUNTY, PANGANDOY, ABUELA GRILLO. peoplesforum.org OCTOBER SCREENING SERIES: SOVEREIGNTY AND SOIL (scroll down to RSVP) | Join us every month this fall for one weekend of films! The theme for October's films is Soil and Sovereignty, where we examine and revive how we imagine our relationships with the land. The films will be covering culture, land struggles, and agroecology projects from around the world, starting Thursday night, October 21st, with 4 short films. On Friday, October 22nd, evening, we will be watching an earlier work from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, that advocates against war for the protection of our planet. Finally, on Saturday…
(2021-10-21). SOVEREIGNTY AND SOIL: WANTOKS, BURKINABàà BOUNTY, PANGANDOY, ABUELA GRILLO. peoplesforum.org OCTOBER SCREENING SERIES: SOVEREIGNTY AND SOIL | Join us every month this fall for one weekend of films! The theme for October's films is Soil and Sovereignty, where we examine and revive how we imagine our relationships with the land. The films will be covering culture, land struggles, and agroecology projects from around the world, starting Thursday night, October 21st, with 4 short films. On Friday, October 22nd, evening, we will be watching an earlier work from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, that advocates against war for the protection of our planet. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, October 23r…
(2021-10-21). Australia: 2,000 StarTrack workers hold second 24-hour strike. wsws.org The TWU has brokered deals with numerous trucking companies in recent days, reducing the "national day of strike action" to a single company.
(2021-10-21). Mobilize the working class to eliminate COVID-19! Attend the October 24 meeting on "How to end the pandemic!" wsws.org The New York City Educators Rank-and-Files Safety Committee is calling on educators, parents and all workers to attend the October 24 webinar "How to end the pandemic," which is being hosted by the World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.
(2021-10-21). Blood donors urgently needed in Rochester. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center in Rochester, Minnesota, urgently needs donations of Type O-positive and Type O-negative blood. "We are continuing to suffer a national blood shortage. As a result, blood products are still difficult to bring in from external sources to supplement our local collection capabilities," says Camille van Buskirk, M.D., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program. "Despite these dire blood product shortages, the constant need for blood products for our patients…
(2021-10-21). Students say, 'The uprising continues' at 15th Annual SDS Conference in Minnesota. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On the weekend of Oct. 16-17, almost 170 students convened at the University of Minnesota for the 15th National Convention of National Students for a Democratic Society. It was the first time SDS organizers had gathered together physically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. | Last year, SDS hosted a series of national webinars, but this experience was vastly different. Student organizers gathered together to discuss the four crises of the last two years – pandemic, economic crisis, police killings, and environmental disasters. Another theme was "From George Floyd to Winston Smith, The Upr…
(2021-10-21). Students say, 'The uprising continues' at 15th Annual SDS Conference in Minnesota. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On the weekend of Oct. 16-17, almost 170 students convened at the University of Minnesota for the 15th National Convention of National Students for a Democratic Society. It was the first time SDS organizers had gathered together physically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. | Last year, SDS hosted a series of national webinars, but this experience was vastly different. Student organizers gathered together to discuss the four crises of the last two years – pandemic, economic crisis, police killings, and environmental disasters. Another theme was "From George Floyd to Winston Smith, The Upr…
(2021-10-21). Build action committees to fight for better wages and the defence of free education! wsws.org The unions anti-democratic shutdown of the long-running Sri Lankan teachers' strike was imposed without any discussion by rank-and-file teachers.
(2021-10-20). Rightist militia fires on demonstrators in Lebanon. workers.org 
Demonstrators at an unarmed march in southern Beirut Oct. 14 were fired on by snipers from the Lebanese Forces, a Maronite Christian party whose militia was notorious for its brutality during the 1975-90 civil war. Iranian oil tankers greeted in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Sept. 16. According to Johnny Achi, founder . . . |
(2021-10-20). Arab Americans for Syria activist says: U.S. applied 'divide and conquer' strategy to Lebanon, Iraq. workers.org 
Following the armed attack by the Lebanese Forces militia on Hezbollah and its allies at a demonstration in Beirut Oct. 14 and the subsequent firefight, Workers World correspondent Ted Kelly interviewed Johnny Achi, coordinator of Arab Americans for Syria. Below are excerpts from Achi's remarks. Johnny Achi voting in 2021 . . . |
(2021-10-20). Six Pro-Government Fighters Killed In Ammunition Depot Explosion In Syria's Hama. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook. | On October 20, a large explosion rocked an ammunition depot of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) located in the southern outskirts of Hama city, along the Hama-Homs highway. | According to several Syrian news sources, the explosion claimed the lives of six pro-government fighters, possibly members of the National Defense Forces or Iranian-backed factions. Many others were wounded. | Pro-government sources said that the ammunition depot explosion was the resu…
(2021-10-20). Six Pro-Government Fighters Killed In Ammunition Depot Explosion In Syria's Hama. southfront.org Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook. | On October 20, a large explosion rocked an ammunition depot of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) located in the southern outskirts of Hama city, along the Hama-Homs highway. | According to several Syrian news sources, the explosion claimed the lives of six pro-government fighters, possibly members of the National Defense Forces or Iranian-backed factions. Many others were wounded. | Pro-government sources said that the ammunition depot explosion was the resu…
(2021-10-20). Striketober: Labor Militancy Grows as U.S. Workers Walk Off the Job & IATSE Members Get Tentative Deal. democracynow.org 
We begin our coverage of what some are calling "Striketober" with a look at how the union of 60,000 television and film production workers averted a strike just hours before a midnight deadline on Saturday, when it reached a tentative agreement with an association of Hollywood producers representing companies like Walt Disney, Netflix and Amazon. The tentative deal brings members of IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, higher pay, longer breaks, better healthcare and pension benefits. Some members say the deal doesn't go far enough, and about 40,000 members from 13 Hollywood locals mus…
(2021-10-20). Science Saturday: An inside look at the state-of-the-art supports enabling invention. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Throughout Mayo Clinic, innovation is the thread that weaves through countless initiatives aimed at improving patient care. While Mayo's most cutting-edge discoveries are often widely known, the vast majority of innovative endeavors occur behind the scenes. One of the more low-profile assets in Mayo Clinic Laboratories' innovation arsenal is the media kitchen, where specialized media and reagents used in some of the laboratories' most esoteric assays come to life. "Nationally, there aren't many media labs," says…
(2021-10-20). Striketober: Labor Militancy Grows as U.S. Workers Walk Off the Job & IATSE Members Get Tentative Deal. democracynow.org We begin our coverage of what some are calling "Striketober" with a look at how the union of 60,000 television and film production workers averted a strike just hours before a midnight deadline on Saturday, when it reached a tentative agreement with an association of Hollywood producers representing companies like Walt Disney, Netflix and Amazon. The tentative deal brings members of IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, higher pay, longer breaks, better healthcare and pension benefits. Some members say the deal doesn't go far enough, and about 40,000 members from 13 Hollywood locals mus…
(2021-10-20). In OtherWords: October 20, 2021. otherwords.org From the look of things, Democrats are caving to a few conservative members of their caucus and considerably scaling back their plans to create jobs and strengthen America's social safety net. A major sticking point has been the 10-year cost of the package. | But as Sr. Karen Donahue writes this week, the annual cost of the full Build Back Better Act is less than half of our annual spending on the Pentagon, which just got another big budget increase with virtually no debate. Why, she wonders, is federal spending only controversial when it's supposed to help people? | Meanwhile, LeeAnn Hall takes a closer look at…
(2021-10-20). The Hypocrisy of the Federal Spending Debate. otherwords.org Right now, the United States is locked in a contentious debate over the Build Back Better plan, which will make a significant difference in the lives of millions of individuals and families. | Even though the provisions included in the plan — including universal child care, home care for seniors, better Medicare benefits, green jobs, fairer taxes on the wealthy, and more — are supported by majorities across the political spectrum, certain interests are determined to derail this historic legislation. | What I find particularly discouraging and disheartening is the disingenuousness and hypocrisy that su…
(2021-10-20). Public Transit, Built Back Better. otherwords.org If you follow the news about President Biden's Build Back Better agenda, you might have heard a lot about its 10-year price tag. But you probably haven't heard much about what it would actually do. | The bill will invest in care for children and seniors, cover more health care under Medicare, make the tax system more fair, and address the climate crisis. Those parts get some coverage, and they're all worth doing. | But there's one key thing that's gotten almost no attention: the bill's historic investment in public transit. This would have a tremendous positive impact on communities across the country. | The ongo…
(2021-10-20). Headlines for October 20, 2021. democracynow.org Brazil Senate Report Accuses Bolsonaro of Multiple Crimes for Mishandling COVID-19 Pandemic | , House Jan. 6 Committee Recommends Contempt Charges Against Steve Bannon, Climate and Social Provisions at Risk in Reconciliation Plan in Attempt to Appease Corporate Dems, Senate Panel Ups Pentagon Budget as Social & Climate Plans Get Sacrificed in Build Back Better Act, Climate Activists Start Hunger Strike in Front of White House, Water Protectors Shut Down Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline in Michigan, NYC Communities and Local Officials Condemn National Grid Pipeline and Price Hikes, Africa's Last Mountain Glaciers Could Me…
(2021-10-20). Headlines for October 20, 2021. democracynow.org Brazil Senate Report Accuses Bolsonaro of Multiple Crimes for Mishandling COVID-19 Pandemic | , House Jan. 6 Committee Recommends Contempt Charges Against Steve Bannon, Climate and Social Provisions at Risk in Reconciliation Plan in Attempt to Appease Corporate Dems, Senate Panel Ups Pentagon Budget as Social & Climate Plans Get Sacrificed in Build Back Better Act, Climate Activists Start Hunger Strike in Front of White House, Water Protectors Shut Down Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline in Michigan, NYC Communities and Local Officials Condemn National Grid Pipeline and Price Hikes, Africa's Last Mountain Glaciers Could Me…
(2021-10-20). Narrative traps in India's decision-making. mronline.org 
Any Indian would know that powerful narratives envelop India's deeply troubled relationships with Pakistan and China. The dominant narratives have become the means through which successive governments strove to assert values and identities.
(2021-10-20). Digital Vaccine Passports Pave Way For Surveillance Capitalism. popularresistance.org The death by starvation of Etwariya Devi, a 67-year-old widow from the rural Indian state of Jharkhand, might have passed without notice had it not been part of a more widespread trend. | Like 1.3 billion of her fellow Indians, Devi had been pushed to enroll in a biometric digital ID system called Aadhaar in order to access public services, including her monthly allotment of 25kg of rice. When her fingerprint failed to register with the shoddy system, Devi was denied her food ration. Throughout the course of the following three months in 2017, she was repeatedly refused food until she succumbed to hunger, alone i…
(2021-10-20). Public health or private wealth? How digital vaccine passports pave way for unprecedented surveillance capitalism. thegrayzone.com The titans of global capitalism are exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to institute social credit-style digital ID systems across the West. The death by starvation of Etwariya Devi, a 67-year-old widow from the rural Indian state of Jharkhand, might have passed without notice had it not been part of a more widespread trend. Like 1.3 billion of her fellow Indians, Devi had been pushed to enroll in a biometric digital ID system called Aadhaar in order to access public services, including …
(2021-10-20). Meet India Walton: Black Socialist on Democratic Ticket for Buffalo Mayor Snubbed by NY Dem Party. democracynow.org 
As early voting kicks off Saturday in a nationally watched mayoral race in Buffalo, New York, we speak with India Walton, who shocked the Democratic establishment when she defeated four-term Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic primary. Since then, the self-described socialist has faced stiff opposition from within her party, with many top Democrats in the state, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer, refusing to endorse her. State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs even compared Walton to former KKK leader David Duke in an interview, for which he later apologized. Walton is a Black sing…
(2021-10-20). China's road to economic development. indybay.org While we were all enthusiastically looking at Afghanistan and Central Asia, China has built a railway to the border of Myanmar with an access to the Indian Ocean for transiting goods.
(2021-10-20). Public health or private wealth? How digital vaccine passports pave way for unprecedented surveillance capitalism. thegrayzone.com The titans of global capitalism are exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to institute social credit-style digital ID systems across the West. The death by starvation of Etwariya Devi, a 67-year-old widow from the rural Indian state of Jharkhand, might have passed without notice had it not been part of a more widespread trend. Like 1.3 billion of her fellow Indians, Devi had been pushed to enroll in a biometric digital ID system called Aadhaar in order to access public services, including …
(2021-10-20). Senior Ahrar Al-Sham Leader Was Killed In Recent Artillery Strikes On Greater Idlib. southfront.org 
Sputnik/ Michael Alaeddin | A former senior commander of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement known as Abu Islam Bassams was the main target of the The commander was killed in the strikes, which were attributed to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), while his s…
(2021-10-20). It's Time to Ban Killer Drones. otherwords.org Everyone who followed the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan was horrified by the drone attack, Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for Nutrition and Education International, a U.S.-based aid organization, became the target because he drove a white Toyota, went to his office, and stopped to pick up containers of clean water for his extended family. | Those actions, deemed suspicious by the drone surveil…
(2021-10-20). Corporate Vets Serve Profit Over Animals. otherwords.org Question: What does a packet of M&M's and your local veterinarian have in common? Answer: Both are owned by Mars Inc., the global candy monopolist. | Since the 1980s, we've seen massive consolidations in industry after industry — from airlines to newspapers, the internet to candy. These monopolists run roughshod over consumers, workers, communities, suppliers, and our nation's commitment to the common good. | And now the corporate attitude seems to be, "why not let monopolization go to the dogs?" That's right — they're coming for your local vet. | This change has been led by private equity groups. The…
(2021-10-20). Some House Latinos Voice Frustration as Immigration Reform Stalls in Senate. latinorebels.com Five members of the House Hispanic Caucus, all Democrats, held a press conference on Wednesday to advocate for permanent immigrant relief provisions in the Democrats' sprawling budget bill currently being negotiated on Capitol Hill.
(2021-10-20). Why do bosses keep trying to kill us? mronline.org 
Wittenoom is an abandoned town in the desert north of Perth. Once, it had a population of almost 1,000, making it the biggest town in the Pilbara. Now, it's been removed from maps and cut off from all essential services, to stop people from visiting.
(2021-10-20). Ralph Nader on the Easiest Way to Harness Solar Energy. scheerpost.com 
[ By Ralph Nader | Solar energy comes to Earthlings in many ways. Ancient Persians used passive solar architecture. East Africans about the same time funneled cool ocean wind through tunnels to cool themselves. | Now at long last, solar energy is outpacing new fossil fuel and nuclear facilities on price, environmental safety, and speed of installation. | One use of solar that has not received enough attention is drying clothes with clotheslines or clothes racks. Before global warming and our climate crisis became a public concern…
(2021-10-20). Cinematic time and the accumulation of ecosocial crises. mronline.org 
In his essay, researcher and filmmaker Alejandro Pedregal traces back to the early days of cinema. The new art form emerged during a capitalist era which had fundamentally altered our perception of time.
(2021-10-20). A Discussion with John Bellamy Foster — Presenting the 2021 transform! yearbook. mronline.org 
A discussion with John Bellamy Foster, one of the world's leading figures in Marxian ecological theory.
(2021-10-20). Republicans Rebuked After Torpedoing Voting Rights Bill. scheerpost.com 
By Andrea Germanos / Common Dreams Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a compromise voting rights bill—the Freedom to Vote Act—sparking a deluge of criticism from Democrats and progressive groups who said it was the latest evidence of the need to get rid of, or at least reform, the filibuster. "Like clockwork, you can always count on Senate …
(2021-10-20). Bagels, grapes and marijuana: a day in the country. mronline.org 
The bagels at Homegrown are some of the best in northern California, in part because the owner, Stuart Teitelbaum, who was born and raised in Manhattan on the Lower East Side, and grew up eating bagels and bialys.
(2021-10-20). Former U.S. State Secretary Powell dies of COVID-19 complications. mronline.org 
In Feb. 2003, he claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The war against this nation began six weeks later. In 2005, a official report acknowledged his claim was "dead wrong."
(2021-10-20). An open letter from the Coalition for Civil Freedoms in support of activist Joe Lombardo. workers.org 
The Coalition for Civil Freedoms, its Board, staff, member organizations, and concerned individuals stand in solidarity with activist and organizer Joe Lombardo after an incident of FBI harassment. Joe has been an organizer in the anti-war movement for decades and is presently a co-leader of the country's largest and most . . . |
(2021-10-20). Another anti-China provocation: US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan Strait. indybay.org The Biden administration is goading China by continuing Trump's high-level contact with Taiwanese officials, increased arms sales to Taipei and frequent naval transits of the Taiwan Strait.
(2021-10-20). Samidoun Spain's outreach activities in Lavapies and Tirso de Molina, Madrid, highlight upcoming actions. samidoun.net 
Last Sunday, 17 October, the activists of Samidoun Spain in Madrid continued their actions of dissemination and communication to the public of the activities, events and protests that will take place on October 28, 29, 30 and 31 in Madrid in the framework of the celebration of the National Palestinian Conference in the Diaspora (Masar […] | The article
(2021-10-20). Will IATSE Members accept the settlement? peoplesworld.org 
LOS ANGELES — It's been a challenging, intense, and nerve-racking past four months as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) negotiated and reached a new agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The powerful AMPTP forcefully pushed back hard against any new proposals that would take away their control and …
(2021-10-20). Kentucky bourbon strike: Heaven Hill workers demand fair contract. peoplesworld.org 
BARDSTOWN, Ky.—"A month-long strike at one of the country's biggest distilleries merits more national media attention than it has received," says Bill Londrigan, Kentucky State AFL-CIO president. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 23D have been walking picket lines at the historic Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown since Sept. 11. "So far, …
(2021-10-20). President Maduro Appoints New Ministers for National Commerce and University Education. orinocotribune.com 
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, appointed new authorities in the Ministry for National Commerce and the Ministry for University Education on Tuesday, October 19, as reported on his Twitter account. | Tibisay Lucena, who has been serving as the president of the National Experimental University of the Arts (UNEARTE) since September 2020, was named minister of university education. "Her extensive experience and pedagogical vocation will contribute to raising the quality of education for national development," said the head of state regarding Lucena, who also chaired the National Electoral Council for 14…
(2021-10-20). Samidoun Spain's outreach activities in Lavapies and Tirso de Molina, Madrid, highlight upcoming actions. samidoun.net Last Sunday, 17 October, the activists of Samidoun Spain in Madrid continued their actions of dissemination and communication to the public of the activities, events and protests that will take place on October 28, 29, 30 and 31 in Madrid in the framework of the celebration of the National Palestinian Conference in the Diaspora (Masar […] | The article