Portside

Baseball players reveal how humans evolved to throw so well. A catapult-like mechanism allows energy to be stored in shoulder and torso, a video study of pitchers reveals.

In the Lechmere case, the Supreme Court rejected the clear language of the NLRA and Congress' intent by judicially amending the NLRA to limit the definition of employee to "an employee of an employer." In doing so, the court gave greater weight to the employer's property rights, which are nowhere mentioned in the NLRA, than to the clearly protected rights of the employees to join together.

The government's crackdown on whistleblowers is a direct threat to our efforts to reform U.S. foreign policy to make it more just. Faced with the threat of persecution by the U.S., NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has applied to the government of Ecuador for political asylum. He has also called attention to the extent to which national security operations have been privatized. Join in urging President Correa to grant Snowden's asylum request by signing the petition below

Robin D. G. Kelley's "Open Letter," "in the style of Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail, directed at the best known African-American lobbyist organization for Israeli policies - the Vanguard Leadership Group," prompted by the recent Portside post - Alice Walker's Open Letter to Alicia Keys, and the resulting responses from Portside readers.

Brazilian President met with national union leaders to discuss their demands in an effort to avoid a July 11th general strike. Unions are seeking a reduced work day, stronger pensions, and increased resources directed to health and education. Also, new research reveals that workers' declining share of national income, due to technology-related productivity increases, is an international problem. Two articles are presented below.

Walmart just Fired 10 Strikers; Reader Comments - Rosenberg Case; North Carolina 'Moral Monday' Protests; NSA Spying; FBI's License to Kill; Syria; James Gandolfini; Summer Reading - what we missed; Population Decline and Climate Change; Message from Berlin Demonstration for Bradley Manning; March on Washington 50th Anniversary - Unfinished March Symposium - Washington DC - July 22; 60th Anniversary of Rosenberg's Execution - Carry it Forward - event report

A broad coalition of South African organizations, including COSATU, has called for mass demonstrations against President Obama's visit to Johannesburg. Coalition is in opposition to the University of Johannesburg plan to award Obama with an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the international community. Among the coalition demands are freedom for Bradley Manning, support for the Cuban Five, and the closing of Guantanamo.