(2019-02-04). US: Pentagon Deploys 3,750 Troops to Border in Political Stunt. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Department of State announced on Sunday the deployment of 3,750 additional troops to the Southwest border with Mexico during the next three months to bolster border customs and border protection. | The latest deployment raises the number of troops at the border to 4,530. The latest deployment was approved by the Pentagon in October 2018, with backing from Republicans in Congress. | The President attempted to justify the move suggesting that the Central American caravans,…
(2019-02-04). Kill That Bear: Anti-Grizzly Fever Hits Wyoming Again. counterpunch.org 
Anti-bear fever has again gripped Wyoming politicians in the wake of Judge Christensen's restoration of endangered species protections for Yellowstone grizzlies. Last week's press was peppered with hostile rhetoric from people in high places. Several inane bills are being debated in the state legislature that presume to strip federal grizzly bear protections and institute a grizzly bear hunt with the stated goal of "ensuring public safety." More
(2019-02-04). 2 Reasons 2019 Could Be the Planet's Worst Year Yet. truthdig.com Stand by for a year in which global warming can only get worse as human carbon emissions climb still further. British meteorologists warn that although 2018 broke all records for greenhouse gas emissions, 2019 will see even more carbon dioxide take up long-term residence in the planetary atmosphere. | And it will happen for two reasons, both of them nominally at least under human control. The overall release of carbon dioxide from power stations, factory chimneys, cement quarries, car exhausts and so on will continue to rise…
(2019-02-04). Poland: Gay Atheist MP Promises Social Transformation. telesurenglish.net Robert Biedron, a gay atheist politician, has launched a new party with a policy-agenda which contests the conservative control over politics exercised by Poland's political establishment and the Catholic Church. | RELATED: | UN Climate Talks End in Agreement at COP24 in Katowice | "We want no more Polish-Polish war, we want mutual respect and dialogue," said Biedron during the party's inauguration. The MP also told a conference hall packed to the brim that the party would be named Wio…
(2019-02-04). We'll Soon Be Eating Woodlice. counterpunch.org We'll Soon Be Eating Woodlice (or: Catastrophic Climate Change-Induced Starvation Will Lower Your Standards) What's it mean to dream of roly polies? You may know them well as woodlice — pill bugs to some — Armadillidíum are crustaceans that inhabit wood and taste like shrimp for all I know do you know, though, it's likely More
(2019-02-04). Disarmament, Not Low-Grade Nukes. counterpunch.org Seven-plus decades ago, as humanity was ensnarled in a monstrous world war, its instinct to win — to dominate others above all else — achieved ultimate manifestation: the capacity to annihilate all life on Planet Earth. Nuclear weapons are, you might say, the logical outcome of the 10,000-year journey of civilization: "God blessed them and said More
(2019-02-04). 'The Climate Crisis You Haven't Heard of': Even if Carbon Emissions Fall, a Third of Himalayan Ice to Melt by 2100. commondreams.org From the North Pole to Greenland to Antarctica, a series of recent scientific findings on ice loss has heightened alarm among experts, but a landmark study out Monday focuses on what the lead author called "the climate crisis you haven't heard of"—the "shocking" amount of ice the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is set to lose due to rising temperatures by 2100. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mount_everest.jpg…
(2019-02-04). Removing Arsenic From Groundwater: We Have the Tools, Let's Use Them. truthout.org Hamilton, Canada—Cost-effective technologies are available to remove arsenic in groundwater. Why then do tens of millions still fall ill to this chronic problem? | High natural levels of arsenic are characteristic of the groundwater supply in many countries, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Mongolia, and the United States. | Some of the contamination is caused by mining, fertilizers and pesticides, waste disposal, and manufacturing, but mostly it is due to arsenic leeching — dissolved from rocks underground by highly acidic water. | At least 140 million people in 50 countries have drinking water…
(2019-02-04). Aiming to 'Build a Movement Across Borders,' Ocasio-Cortez and Corbyn Discuss Climate, Immigration, and Economic Justice. commondreams.org Two popular progressive figures indicated that they'd formed a new alliance this weekend, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) spoke extensively with Jeremy Corbyn, head of the U.K.'s Labour Party, about their shared commitment to push bold, forward-thinking proposals. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/picmonkey_image21.jpg…
(2019-02-04). Indigenous Narratives Hold Power to Revolutionize Societal Views. truthout.org Janine Jackson interviewed Jenni Monet about indigenous journalism for the January 25, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.Janine Jackson: On January 18, thousands of people took part in the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, DC, with solidarity marches in other places around the US and Canada. A political demonstration, including songs, dancing and prayers as well as speeches, the march sought to call attention to a range of issues affecting Nat…
(2019-02-04). As the Climate Collapses, We Ask: "How Then Shall We Live?" truthout.org This is the first installment of a monthly series by Dahr Jamail and Barbara Cecil, entitled, "How, Then, Shall We Live? Finding Our Way and Peace of Heart Amidst Global Collapse."Although the wind | blows terribly here, | the moonlight also leaks | between the roof planks | of this ruined house. | —Izumi ShikibuThis commentary is the first of our series, "How, Then, Shall We Live?: Finding Our Way and Peace of Heart Amidst Global Collapse." It is about the moonlight leaking between the roof planks of this ruined house. | It is not written to convince anyone of anything, or to get things back on track. I…
(2019-02-03). CO2 on Track for Largest Rise in 62 Years. zcomm.org Ever since Paris 2015 nothing positive has happened to halt global warming, almost nothing…
(2019-02-02). Europe's interest in FETàñ. uwidata.com 
The European countries are almost competing with each other for the opportunity to take under their protection the Gàºlenists who fled from Turkey after the attempted coup d'etat on July 15. One gets the feeling that soon they will start organizing promotions to attract Gàºlen's followers and grant them citizenship. After the failure of the […]
(2019-02-01). Climate Jobs for All. zcomm.org Building Block for the Green New Deal…
(2019-02-01). Five new books for ecosocialists. greenleft.org.au 
Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at five new books for an ecosocialists' bookshelf. Inclusion does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement with a book's contents. | ***
Dust Bowls Of Empire: Imperialism, Environmental Politics, & the Injustice of 'Green' Capitalism | By Hannah Holleman
| Yale University Press, 2018 | A clear and insightful analysis of the role of capitalism and colonialism in causing the US Dust Bowl of the 1930s and destroying farmland ar…
(2019-02-01). Senegal: Make Talibé Children a Campaign Focus. hrw.org 
| | Talibés begging in downtown Dakar, Senegal, May 11, 2017. | © 2017 Lauren Seibert/Human Rights Watch | (Dakar) — Political parties and candidates for Senegal's February 24, 2019 presidential election should commit to ending the abuse and exploitation of talibé children, Human Rights Watch and the Platform for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (PPDH), a coalition of Senegalese rights groups, said today. | Hundreds of thousands of talibé children in Se…
(2019-02-01). Are Baby Boomers really selfish sociopaths? greenleft.org.au 
It is not unusual to hear someone blame the crisis in affordable housing and healthcare or the very expensive tertiary education system on Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946-64. | Writing in Business Insider, in an article entitled "This is how our parents became the most selfish generation", senior finance correspondent Linette Lopez quotes Cornell economics professor Lyn Stout as saying: "All of our social cues are telling us to be selfish right now. Lopez adds that Baby Boomers love this because it means they do not have to consider the needs of others, or sacrifice for anyone outside their immedia…
(2019-01-31). What Breastfeeding Has to Do With Economic Security. aclu.org A recent study from the Center for WorkLife Law reveals the heavy toll of breastfeeding discrimination and the pressing need for more protections. | The discrimination began almost immediately after Barbara, an emergency room nurse, returned from maternity leave. Like most breastfeeding parents, Barbara needed to pump regularly to keep up her milk supply and prevent infection. But while her co-workers got smoke breaks, Barbara wasn't allowed to take time to pump, leaving her in pain: "I'd feel like my breasts [were] bursting," she said. | When she did get breaks, Barbara found herself expressing breast milk for h…
(2019-01-31). Scrap Australia Day, acknowledge the past and fight for the future. greenleft.org.au 
Celebrating January 26 is a state-sanctioned exercise that rubs salt into the wounds of Indigenous Australia. It proclaims, "You lost, we won. Know your place." | But the desire for an honest conversation about modern Australia's origins in the violent and ongoing dispossession of Indigenous people is not going away. | Across the country Invasion Day marches were both bigger than ever, and took place in many more places. More local governments have dropped their January 26 activities and finally the ABC allowed Triple J to shift its Hottest 100. | The mood for change is gathering momentum — and it'..
(2019-01-31). Americans' Concern About Climate Change Surging to Record Levels. therealnews.com 
Dr. John Kotcher of George Mason University discusses a new poll about climate change and says improvements in media coverage have helped spur the public's concern about the issue
(2019-01-30). Another County Just Banned New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure. therealnews.com 
Climate justice advocate Anthony Rogers-Wright explains why a growing number of jurisdictions are saying no more fossil fuel extractions
(2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…
(2018-12-20). ANC Deputy Julio Escalona: 'The People are Angry Because They Consider that We Aren't Doing Our Job'. venezuelanalysis.com The revolutionary's criticisms came during the passing of 2019's budget, 75% of which is destined for "social protection."