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The Enduring Power of Anticapitalism in American Politics

Jamelle Bouie The New York Times
From Debs to Sanders to Ocasio-Cortez, an ideal persists. If Sanders actually makes it to the White House, then he’ll be able to continue this work from the summit of American politics. If he doesn’t, then unlike Debs, he’ll have a natural successor.

Tidbits - Oct. 24, 2019 - Reader Comments: Impeachment; AOC, Bernie; Young Voters, Democratic Socialism; Nuclear Weapons; Kurds; Peter Handke; Zuckerberg; Girls' Soccer; Lynchings map; Future of Warehouse Jobs; World Social Forum; more ...

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Reader Comments: Impeachment; AOC, Bernie; Young Voters Choosing Democratic Socialism; Nuclear Weapons; Kurds; Zuckerberg defense; Girls' Soccer Team Penalized; American Lynchings map; Future of Warehouse Jobs; World Social Forum; announcements ...

Middle Class Racism

John Russo and Sherry Linkon New Geography
A core problem in discussions of racism IS the focus on individual attitudes rather than on structural inequities.

We Are Conquerors: Biographing Ben-Gurion

Adam Shatz London Review of Books
A bio of Israel's first prime minister by a leading Israeli journalist views Ben Gurion as not only a committed Zionist but an early advocate of "Greater Israel" and, like those succeeding him, a steadfast enemy of rapprochement with Palestinians.

Adjuncts Struggle to Unionize at a Liberal College

Michelle M. Tokarczyk Working-Class Perspectives
Adjuncts make up about 70% of the American professoriate. Adjuncts usually make $20,000–$25,000 a year, often by teaching courses at various institutions each semester. They have no job security, and frequently receive no health or retirement benefits. But they have begun fighting to improve their lot. SEIU is organizing in several states.

Film Review: "Taxi" – A Ridealong Career Selfie From Banned Iranian Director, Jafar Panahi, Takes Top Prize at Berlin

Peter Bradshaw The Guardian
“Taxi” is Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s third film since he was arrested in 2010 and charged with making anti-government propaganda. He was barred from making films for 20 years, from leaving the country and from speaking to the foreign media. He got around some of these restrictions this time by filming inside a taxi driving through the streets of Tehran, producing a beautifully humane fable. "Taxi" took the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

Volkswagen in Tennessee: Productivity’s Price

Chris Brooks Labor Notes
Company documents show VW’s management method is modeled on “lean production,” the philosophy created at Toyota, then popularized across the auto industry and beyond. In fact, VW is trying to out-Toyota Toyota. The German company aims to overtake its Japanese competitor and become the world’s most profitable automobile manufacturer by 2018. So the Chattanooga plant provides a window into the state of the art of brutal productivity-maximizing management schemes.