One Million Food Stamp Recipients to Lose Benefits in 2016

Ned Resnikoff AlJazeera America
According to a new report, roughly 1 million of the nation’s poorest people will be cut off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the course of 2016, as states move to limit food stamp benefits for unemployed adults who aren’t disabled or raising minor children. These individuals, most of whom don’t qualify for other help, will lose their food assistance benefits after three months regardless of how hard they are looking for work.

Greece’s Syriza Party: The Antidote to Europe’s Austerity Disease

Paul Mason Channel 4, UK
Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece's Syriza Party (Greek Coalition of the Radical Left) and the Parliamentary Opposition is interviewed by British reporter Paul Mason. Tsipras and his anti-austerity Syriza Party are favored to win the January 25 parliamentary elections, which would send shock waves throughout the European Union. “We want a state that stands by its citizens,” Tsipras says.

Remembering the Conviction of Guatemala’s Gen. Rios Montt

Pamela Yates North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
In anticipation of the new genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt, the North American Congress on Latin America is running free episodes from the web series Dictator in the Dock directed by Pamela Yates. Yates recalls Rios Montt’s first conviction in 2013 upon which the film is based. On Monday, Guatemalan Judge Janeth Valdez was forced to recuse herself from the second trial. All proceedings are suspended until a new tribunal is formed.

Friday Nite Videos -- January 9, 2015

Portside
Koch Industries' Mysterious Swiss Bank. Black and White in the War on Drugs. The Courage of Stuart Scott. Why Are There No Women in The Hobbit? Jerusalem's Most Contested Neighborhood.

Koch Industries' Mysterious Swiss Bank

You may have heard of the Koch brothers, but you've probably never heard of Arteva Europe, a Koch Swiss branch that makes hundreds of millions of dollars, pays very little tax, and has no staff. The Guardian goes to Zurich to find out what happens at this lucrative office.

The Courage of Stuart Scott

Stuart Scott (1965-2015) was a long-time ESPN anchor who was a trailblazer in the freewheeling style of sports coverage. Keith Olbermann tells how Scott had to face down his hidebound bosses to win the right to speak in his own voice.

Why Are There No Women in The Hobbit?

SFF author Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), at Chicago's pop culture event C2E2, talks about why images of women are so often absent or distorted in scifi, video games and other media, and what to do about it.
 

Jerusalem's Most Contested Neighborhood

Over the past several months, Jerusalem has been a scene of clashes and violent attacks. Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood just steps away from Jerusalem's Old City, has been at the heart of the unrest, and is becoming one of the most contentious neighborhoods in the most contested city in the world. Israeli authorities have ramped up their practice of demolishing homes built without proper permits, which are near impossible for Palestinians to acquire. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in early November the reinstatement of the policy of demolishing terrorists' homes, which Palestinians claim is a form of collective punishment.

The Erosion of Collective Bargaining Has Widened the Gap Between Productivity and Pay

David Cooper and Lawrence Mishel Economic Policy Institute
Over the last few decades, productivity has grown substantially, but the hourly compensation of the typical worker has grown much less. Any effort to reestablish a link between pay and productivity growth will need to promote policies that enable workers to once again join unions and bargain collectively.

It's Critics of 'Selma' Who Are Distorting Civil Rights History

Jim Naureckas FAIR - Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
The attacks on the film Selma not only distort the actual relationship between King and Johnson, they distort the film's portrayal of the relationship. LBJ is not the villain of the movie; the movie presents him as a complicated figure who under prodding accomplishes something great.