Deaths of Despair and Support for Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election

Shannon M. Monnat Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education
Trump over performed the most in counties with the highest drug, alcohol and suicide mortality rates. Much of this relationship is accounted for by economic distress and the proportion of working-class residents. However, this relationship should not be interpreted as causal. What these analyses demonstrate is that community-level well-being played an important role in the 2016 election.

A Global Nuclear Winter: Avoiding the Unthinkable in India and Pakistan

Conn Hallinan Foreign Policy in Focus
The single most dangerous spot on the globe, the current situation in Kashmir cannot continue. The Kashmiris should have their referendum — and both India and Pakistan will have to accept the results. The world cannot afford the current tensions to spiral down into a military confrontation that could easily get out of hand. Neither country would survive a nuclear war, and neither country should be spending its money on an arms race.

More U.S. Factory Workers Are Saying ‘I Quit’

Jeffrey Sparshott The Wall Street Journal
The number of voluntary departures in manufacturing has outpaced the number of layoffs fairly consistently since 2011 and the gap between quits and layoffs is now the widest since 2007.

Amazon's Cancellation of the Feminist Drama 'Good Girls Revolt' Feels Timely — But Not In a Good Way

Meredith Blake Los Angeles Times
“Good Girls Revolt” resisted the militant bra-burning feminist stereotype, instead depicting ambitious young women from a range of backgrounds — a black lawyer, a blond princess, a mousy aspiring novelist — each inspired to take action for unique reasons. It made feminism seem like an endeavor that was not only vital, but thrilling — and not just because of the newfound sexual freedom.

Environmentalism Was Once a Social Justice Movement

Jedediah Purdy The Atlantic
The Trump Administration is likely to see the greatest revival of environmentalism as a confrontational, grassroots, and perhaps radical movement since the 1970s, as ever more people who believe the fate of the environment has become a life-or-death issue are going to start acting like it. But to be successful this movement will have to embrace environmental justice and incorporate the struggles for economic and racial equality and for the rights of indigenous peoples.

Friday Nite Videos -- December 9, 2016

Portside
Fake News, Real Consequences. Get Up Stand Up | Playing For Change. False Claims and Foreign Policy: A Closer Look. Dinosaur's Feathered Tail Found Remarkably Preserved in Amber. Water Protectors React to Standing Rock Victory.

Get Up Stand Up | Playing For Change

A unique rendition of Bob Marley's Get Up, Stand Up, featuring Keith Richards and Keb' Mo' in collaboration with musicians from around the world. 

Dinosaur's Feathered Tail Found Remarkably Preserved in Amber

An extraordinarily well-preserved dinosaur tail, with a fluffy covering of feathers, has been trapped in a piece of amber for 99 million years. Researchers from China and Canada identify it as a juvenile of some type of coelurosaur, a birdlike dinosaur that walked on two legs.