(2021-01-23). [Perspectives] Poverty and love. thelancet.com "Whit a funny wee bastard ye are." Shuggie Bain is often subjected to such pointed observation: he is an outsider, jutting against the grain of his surroundings, even as he tries, heartbreakingly hard, to fit in. He is the child of Agnes and Shug Bain. Agnes is a glamorous, proud woman who can be funny, charming, and beautiful; and she is an alcoholic. Shug is a violent, belligerent womaniser who rapes and beats Agnes regularly. Agnes is trapped in her relationships—as is Shuggie. By the time Agnes dies, sinking, drunk in a chair "like a melted candle", Shuggie is starving, the benefits of money having gone…
(2021-01-22). Statues to be removed in London over links to slavery. thecanary.co 
Statues of two politicians in central London will be removed over their links to the slave trade.The City of London Corporation voted on Thursday to re-site monuments to William Beckford and Sir John Cass in Guildhall because they accrued wealth through the slave trade and symbolise "a stain on our history".This comes days after communities secretary Robert Jenrick said Britain should not try to edit its past, as new legal protections meaning historic statues will be removed only in "the most exceptional circumstances", came into force on Monday.Under the new legislation, if a council intends to grant permission…
(2021-01-22). Happy economic numbers hide widening inequality and growing poverty. greenleft.org.au Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is very upbeat about the economy, despite an official unemployment rate of 6.6% and a growing wealth divide. Peter Boyle investigates.
(2021-01-22). MPower Action Co-Founder Linda Sarsour Releases Statement on Andrew Yang's Comments on BDS. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-22). Farmers' Protests Reflect Existential Crisis of Indian Agriculture. counterpunch.org With over 800 million people, rural India is arguably the most interesting and complex place on the planet but is plagued by farmer suicides, child malnourishment, growing unemployment, increased informalisation, indebtedness and an overall collapse of agriculture. Given that India is still an agrarian-based society, renowned journalist P Sainath says what is taking place can be described
(2021-01-21). New York City workers demand action to defend Hunts Point strikers. wsws.org Teachers, transit and other workers in New York City denounced Tuesday's police attack on striking warehouse workers and are calling for unified action to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty wages.
(2021-01-21). With Yellen at Treasury, Can we Finally get a Progressive Carbon Tax? juancole.com 
By Rachel Kyte | — Janet Yellen is poised to be the next U.S. Treasury secretary, and her inbox will require every ounce of her vast experience to pilot the economy through a daunting confluence of challenges. How the U.S. manages the economic recovery from COVID-19, the financial risks from climate change and inequality together …
(2021-01-21). 'A Big Deal': Lawmakers Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United. commondreams.org "We cannot allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to flood our elections with cash through complex webs of super PACs and dark money groups that put special interests above the will of the American people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/citizens-united-ninth-anniversary_0.jpg …
(2021-01-21). Martin Luther King's Radical Anticapitalism. popularresistance.org In a posthumously published essay, Martin Luther King, Jr. pointed out that the "black revolution" had gone beyond the "rights of Negroes." The struggle, he said, is "forcing America to face all of its interrelated flaws—racism, poverty, militarism and materialism. It is exposing the evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society. It reveals systemic rather than superficial flaws and suggests that radical reconstruction of society itself is the real issue to be faced." | But it had not started out that way. Over the course of a decade, the black struggle opened up a deeper interrogation…
(2021-01-21). Wednesday 2/3: Talk on the Mothers of the Civil Rights Movement w/ Author Anna Malaika Tubbs. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-01-20). Dean Baker on Beating Inequality & COVID-19: Tackle Patent and Copyright Monopolies. theanalysis.news Intellectual property like pharmaceutical patents is one reason so many people face a long wait for COVID-19 vaccines says Dean Baker. GPEnewsdocs…