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The Future of Work, Leisure, and Consumption... ...In an Age of Economic and Ecological Crisis

An Interview with Juliet Schor Dollars & Sense
Economist Juliet Schor is known worldwide for her research on the interrelated issues of work, leisure, and consumption. Her books on these themes include The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, The Overspent American: Upscaling, Downshifting, and the New Consumer, and Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth (retitled True Wealth for its paperback edition). She is also a professor of sociology at Boston College. —Eds.

The Freelancer Economy is Here. Should We Celebrate?

Kate Jenkins In These Times
The Freelancers Union’s attempt to claim 34 percent of the population as mostly delighted freelancers clouds our understanding of the need for reform. While the Freelancers Union is doing important work to support a select group of freelancers, its approach isn’t likely to work for other independent workers; those workers who are more replaceable may still need to go to war against industry leaders if they’re going to access acceptable working conditions.

Beyond Single Issues: Why the Climate Movement Must Stand with Ferguson

Dierdre Smith The Indypendent
I can’t stress enough how important it is for me, as a black climate justice advocate, as well as for my people, to see the climate movement show solidarity with the people of Ferguson and with black communities around the country striving for justice. Other movements have stepped up to the plate: labor, LGBTQ and immigrant rights groups have all taken the firm stand that they have the backs of the black community. Solidarity and allyship is important in and of itself.

Will Europe Enlist in Washington’s War Again?

Walden Bello teleSUR
As Britain, France, and other European states edge closer towards military alliance against ISIS, the anti-war movement is at a crossroads. ISIS is a barbarous creature, but as in so many other cases of humanitarian intervention, military action against it by the western powers is likely to increase its appeal to many resentful of Western domination. Like the war against Iraq and the bombing of Libya; this intervention is doomed to create an even worse situation.

Lessons Learned With Pride

David Sharkey Morning Star
Turned away by unions, ignored by officials and shunned by their own community, it wasn’t until the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group twinned with a small mining town in south Wales that anyone would take them seriously. LGSM went on to raise over £20,000 for the miners and their families and hosted one of the most audacious fund-raising events in the history of the1984-85 strike, the Pits and Perverts Ball.

Kurds Accuse the Turkish Military Of Supporting DAESH

Hassane Zerrouky L'Humanité
The involvement of Turkey -- NATO's second largest military force -- in support of Syrian and other Islamist forces is of long-standing. One part of Turkish territory along Syria's border has served for the past two years as a fallback zone for DASEH (ISIS) Islamists as well as to Al Qaeda. However, neither the US or French governments have asked Turkish authorities to stop helping the Jihadists.

Media Bits & Bytes - Three Card Monte Edition

Portside
Palestinians Blocked from Getting Smartphone Service; NSA Technology Simply Too Old to Search; Who Owns Your Data When You Die?; New Computing Physics Soon to Emerge from NASA-Google Partnership; GED Gets a Digital Makeover and Faces Competition

Another Citizens United—but Worse

Jeffrey Toobin The New Yorker
Citizens United was not an aberration for this Court. It emerged from a definite view about the intersection of campaigns and free speech.

Strikes, Alliances, and Survival

Harold Meyerson The American Prospect
Out of sheer existential necessity, then, unions have entered a period of experimentation. The fast-food campaigns that SEIU is backing won’t plausibly conclude with a contract with McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The more likely scenario is that those protesting will try to win minimum-wage increases for workers—either generally or in particular industries—at the city level, either through the vote of city councils or of voters at the polls.