Portside

Far from offering a new or original vision of collective good, the Hindu right-wing, which is Modi's political home, peddles a recycled imperial understanding of India and is parasitic upon some of its worst civilisational assumptions and the repressive institutions the British Empire bequeathed its former possession. These include laws criminalising 'sedition' and criminalising homosexuality, both of which are embraced enthusiastically by the Hindu right.

The artist's essay that follows accompanies the 'online unveiling'—exclusive to Common Dreams—of Shetterly's latest painting in his "Americans Who Tell the Truth" portrait series, presenting citizens throughout U.S. history who have courageously engaged in the social, environmental, or economic issues of their time. This painting of union organizer and food community builder Peter Kellman is his latest portrait.

Closing the Jara case; Dropping ALEC like it's hot; Google, GE feed the deniers; Climate crisis feeds fatcats; How white is Green?; Bechdel and Chast: no respect for funnybooks

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Different palaeolithic populations around the world might have developed a crucial toolmaking skill independently. No mysterious migration required to explain how chipping technique appeared in different continents.