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The Syrian Labyrinth, Book Review

Conn Hallinan Dispatches From the Edge
Book Review: Inside Syria:” The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect “ by Reese Erlich Forward by Noam Chomsky, Prometheus Press, New York 2014 The book covers Syrian history without bogging the reader down. This is, after all, a report on the on-going civil war. But Erlich does not glide over the important details, including how the U.S. camel first put its nose under the tent.

Meet The Hedge Fund Wiz Kid Who’s Shrinking America’s Pensions

Alan Pyke ThinkProgress
Arnold’s spokespeople bristle at the suggestion that the billionaire is out to cut pensions, insisting that he only wants a realistic accounting of the under-funding problem. But the similarities between what Raimondo did in Rhode Island and what the Arnold Foundation advocates nationwide are striking.

Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff Re-elected in Close Vote

Emile Schepers People's World
Rousseff won most of Brazil's 26 states including Minas Gerais, Neves' home state where she was the governor from 2003 to 2010. Neves did well in a band of states in the West and South of the country, where the population is wealthier and predominantly of European ancestry, while Rousseff did well in the East and North, where there is a higher proportion of people of African and mixed African and European ancestry.

Pope Francis Declares Evolution and Big Bang Theory Are Right

Adam Withnall The Independent
Pope Francis broke with Catholic tradition Monday by declaring that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real, and remarking that God is not “a magician with a magic wand.” “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” the pope said at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, during a plenary meeting dedicated to evolving concepts of nature.

ISIS and the Cost of War

Imara Jones Colorlines
Before launching headlong into a third Iraq War it’s important to step back and review the costs of the past 13 years of combat. Not surprisingly, the sacrifice of war, monetary and otherwise are disproportionately borne by people of color and the young.

Political Prisoners in the Sacrifice Zone of Empire

Nozomi Hayase CounterPunch
From the margins where injustice shapes the landscape of everyday life, individuals like Jeremy Hammond and Mumia Abu-Jamal expose the lies of the government and hypocrisy of the criminal justice system. From the darkness inside, they cast a light on what those in power don’t want us to see.

Evo Morales’ Victory Demonstrates How Much Bolivia Has Changed

Federico Fuentes Telesur
The MAS’ response to protests has been to follow an approach of seeking dialogue and consensus, retreating where necessary, but always attempting to continue to drive the process forward towards its goal. Morales constantly sums up this approach using the Zapatista slogan “to govern by obeying”.

A Controversial Brand of Politics

Stephen Hallmark The People's Daily Morning Star
Russel Brand reminds us that all who grew up under Thatcher were taught that it is good to be selfish, that other people’s pain is not your problem, that pain is in fact a weakness and suffering is deserved and shameful.”

Indian Journalist Offers Harsh Critique of Globalization

Amitabh Pal The Progressive
Free-market globalization is strengthening that which is barbaric and regressive and smashing what is beautiful,” Examples, are the death of traditional handicrafts, such as pottery, and the loss of languages. At the same time, horrible institutions such as caste-based village councils are being bolstered as a backlash against the rural displacement caused by globalization.