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Al-Aqsa Status Quo at the Heart of New Violence

Mike Hanna Al Jazeera
It is understood that Kerry intends to meet Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and, importantly, King Abdullah II of JordanSeveral sources- Palestinian, Israeli and European- say Kerry is focusing on one major issue that many argue is the root cause of the current conflict: the status quo of what Israel calls the Temple Mount - the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. These are the mutually agreed arrangements that govern access to a site holy to both Jews and Muslims.

Clinton Clinches Labor Majority

BRIAN MAHONEY Politico
Hillary Clinton’s endorsement Friday by the country’s largest public employee union marks a turning point in her nomination battle as she shores up support from a labor movement that flirted in recent months with Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.

‘Supergirl’ Leads a Wave of Female Heroes

DAVE ITZKOFF The New York Times
When “Supergirl” has its premiere on Oct. 26, it will enter a cultural landscape where female superheroes are better represented than ever before: where they have nearly as much opportunity to right wrongs and fight crime – and to play the central roles in their own stories — as their muscle-bound male counterparts.

The Propaganda Precursor to "The Act of Killing"

Jon Emont The New Yorker
“The Act of Killing,” in which Oppenheimer shows members of North Sumatra’s Pancasila Youth making a film about slaughtering leftists in 1965. On-screen, Paramilitary members brag about the murders they perpetrated, but also, at different moments, make blunt admissions about the guilt that haunts them. Oppenheimer’s next film, “The Look of Silence,” switches focus by exploring the way that violence has affected the relatives of the victims.

F*** a Wage, Take Over the Business: A How-To with Economist Richard Wolff

Andrew Smolski / Richard D. Wolff CounterPunch
This interview discusses wages, the struggle for $15/hr, stagnating worker incomes, and TPP’s attack on wages in the US and develops into a much broader critique of the current system’s political economy, a way to fundamentally alter the way we produce, distribute, and consume. It is not enough to bargain with capitalists. We must instead look to how workers can take over the means of production and employ them for the benefit and wellbeing of all.

As Police Commander's Trial Nears, a `Black in Blue' Legacy is in the Spotlight

Glenn Reedus Chicago Reporter
The trial of Police Commander Glenn Evans, which is scheduled to begin in December, highlights divisions in neighborhoods where crime is often highest and police misconduct complaints are frequent. Evans, a 28-year veteran of the Police Department, is accused of shoving the barrel of a gun down a man’s throat while simultaneously holding a stun gun to his genitals.

Even Avogadro Didn’t Know Avogadro’s Number

Rhett Allain Wired
Avogadro's number is sort of like a bridge. It bridges chemistry and atomic physics. In chemistry we measure bulk properties like mass, pressure, volume, temperature. However, when we consider these things from an atomic perspective we look at individual atoms and the momentum, velocity of these particles. Avogadro's number connects these two ideas and allows us to explore atomic-level things by measuring macroscopic level quantities. It’s a big deal.

Argentina: Major Structural Challenges As It Elects Its Next President

Charles Dolph North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
Voters in Argentina’s October 25th national elections will help define the future of Latin America’s third largest economy. While the three main Presidential candidates and their parties are all seeking to lay claim to the populist legacy of former President Juan Domingo Perón, voters will nonetheless be choosing between candidates with sharply different views on the role of the state as Argentina faces major structural economic challenges.