Portside
Material of Interest to People on the Left
Portside
Material of Interest to People on the Left
Trump Gives a Taste of How Black People Feel Every Day
Defending Undocumented Caregivers
Immigrant Mothers Are Staging Hunger Strikes
Speak Freedom
Opposing Views on Trump-Putin Summit
America Must Deal with Donald Trump the Rogue President
Thing-makers, Tool Freaks and Prototypers
Climb Down From the Summit of Hostile Propaganda
Bulletin: Ocasio-Cortez’s Blueprint for a New Politics
Dispatches From the Cuture Wars - July 17, 2018
Culture
books
The Socialist Imperative from Gotha to Now
Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
Thinking about how the lessons of the 20th Century might inform a socialist vision for our times is the task the author of this book has set for himself. Reviewer Kai-Li Cheng offers an assessment.
film
Riveting Documentary Sheds Light On 'Dark Money' In Montana Politics
NPR
Dark Money is an air-raid siren of a documentary about the pernicious influence of corporate cash in American politics.
food
The Surprisingly Long History of Racial Oppression in Coffeehouses: Centuries before two Black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks, capitalists met at coffee shops to profit from the transatlantic slave trade.
Yes Magazine
Coffeehouses connected goods and capital streams with seekers, facilitating the very aspect of slavery that amplified capitalism. Enslaved peoples’ bodies were not only bought and sold, but made into part of the processes of of credit and finance.
tv
‘Harlots’ Review: Liv Tyler Joins the Cast for a Heartbreaking Season 2 Filled With Horrifying Machinations
IndieWire
“The Handmaid’s Tale” may have just ended its latest season, but the commentary on female oppression continues on Hulu with the return of “Harlots.” Now in its sophomore season, the drama about warring brothels digs deeper into the underlying issues
poetry
The Embarrassment of Being in the World
What Nature: Poems
Massachusetts poet Kathy Nilsson exposes feelings of alienation in the current state of the world: “I don’t recall being American, or even here.”
books
Taking on Dirty Power in Richmond, California
The Indypendent
A founding member of California's independent Richmond Progressive Alliance pens a memoir detailing how her fledgling group waged its successful electoral and community organizing effort against Chevron, the city’s largest, predatory employer.
books
Is Life in a 'Post-Truth' World Sustainable?
Pop Matters
We now live in a world where "alternative" facts have replaced truth and feelings are now counted as "evidence." How did such a discourse become so widespread? What does it mean? This new book offers some perspective.
Labor
labor
Defiant National Union Presidents Gathered in Pittsburgh Speak of Unity Following Janus Ruling
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The message was clear: The Janus ruling — as well as the prospect of more rulings against labor as President Trump seeks to install Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court — was another political attack on organized labor that unions would overcome.
labor
How Corporations Plan To Use Janus To Turn Workers Against Their Own Unions
In These Times
A union buster may be coming to your door.
labor
'We're Militant Again': US Teachers at Convention Galvanized by Wave of Strikes
The Guardian
Thousands of teachers gathered in Pittsburgh to discuss plan of action for new school year after strikes over pay and conditions
labor
OECD Employment Outlook 2018
AFSCME Information Highway
In particular, the report shows the United States’s unemployed and at-risk workers are getting very little support from the government, and their employed peers are set back by a particularly weak collective-bargaining system.
labor
New Hampshire Reacts To Janus Decision
NH Labor News
By joining together and working in union, we will fight the corrupt forces intent on dismantling worker protections and continue the fight for safe jobs with good wages and benefits, dignity and respect in the workplace for all.
labor
Why Union Support Matters In The Hawaii Governor’s Race
Honolulu Civil Beat
In the nation’s second-most unionized state, support from organized labor can often make or break a candidate for top elected office.
labor
Union Electric Steel Workers in Valpo End Strike After Getting Raises
nwiTimes.com
Workers at the Union Electric Steel plant in Valparaiso ended their strike after securing raises in a new four-year contract.
Friday nite video
video
Robert Reich: How to Prevent Future Trumps
Robert Reich argues that to stop the rise of more Trumps in the future we must go after the system that prepared the way for his rise to power.
video
'Black Identity Extremists' Report Is FBI's Cointelpro 2.0
Decades ago, the FBI targeted Black activists who were fighting for equality — now, this sad chapter of history is repeating itself.
video
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit | White Man's World
Acclaimed country music singer Jason Isbell tackles a world of racial inequality and injustice head-on, saying "I can't stay silent." (Review article.)
video
Green Day - American Idiot (With Lyrics)
Written and performed by British punk rockers Green Day for the George Bush presidency, and appropriately revived for Donald Trump's visit to Great Britain.
video
Movie | Sorry to Bother You Trailer
Boots Riley mines his own experience as a telemarketer into compelling storytelling magic about a worklife that millions of Americans have experienced (review). In theaters now.
video
Workplace Safety: Gun Edition
While we’re celebrating America, what’s more American than gun violence? Michelle Wolf mocks the NRA’s notion of a good guy with a gun.
video
What Is the Tragedy of the Commons?
What happens when individuals each seek to exploit a shared resource without rules that protect the common good? Another story of markets being irrational.
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