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Thomas Piketty: A New Deal for Europe

Thomas Piketty; translated by Anthony Shugaar The New York Review of Books, February 25, 2016 issue
Only a genuine social and democratic refounding of the eurozone, designed to encourage growth and employment, will be sufficient to counter the hateful nationalistic impulses that now threaten all Europe. We should put together a conference of eurozone nations on debt-just like those that were held in the postwar years, to the notable benefit of Germany. The objective would be to reduce public debt as a whole.

Tidbits - Feb. 11, 2016 - What do Wealthiest Deserve; Bernie or Hillary - Ben Jealous, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, Lee Saunders; Teaching with Protest Music; Uber Drivers Organize; Announcements; Resources; more...

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Reader Comments: What do Wealthiest Deserve?; Bernie or Hillary - Ben Jealous, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, Lee Saunders; Teaching with Protest Music; Israel Crackdown on Palestinian Peace Activists; Uber Drivers; B-52's Failed Against Hanoi; Announcements: Rebellious Lawyering; "The Fight to Vote Resources: New York Times Spoof Site Back Up; New Rosa Parks website; Black History Month - A Bad-ass from History; Tufts University Study on TPP'; The Armenian Genocide

Israeli Labor Party Adopts the Apartheid Mantra

Neve Gordon Al Jazeera
The Labor Party plan, because they see it difficult to envision a Palestinian state in the foreseeable future, Israel should no longer be ashamed for adopting a Bantustanian approach. The Labor Party considered by many a viable alternative to the current Likud government, has unanimously supported a plan that would have been applauded by apartheid South Africa. It does not seem likely that a just solution to the Palestinian plight will come from within Israel.

How Social Change Happens; Mass Support Because You Agree with Bernie Sanders

Bill McKibben; David Cay Johnston
Change comes precisely when you do change hearts -- and once that change has come, then the laws and the "allocation of resources," and the "way systems operate" follow pretty easily. Large majorities of Americans are, like Sanders, "democratic socialists." Sanders favors private ownership and markets, but with rules that protect little people from abuses and uncertainties. Even substantial majorities of Republicans support much of the Sanders economic plan.

The Chicago Community Bond Fund Is Taking On Cash Bond One Person at a Time

Cook County Justice Watch Cook County Justice Watch
Chicago Community Bond Fund’s mission is to help people get out of Cook County Jail. Growing out of a grassroots effort to bond out five activists arrested at an August 2014 community vigil for Desean Pittman, CCBF has now set its sights on less obviously political pretrial detainees. The group of activists, attorneys, and community members has established a revolving bond fund that will pay bond for people who simply cannot pay it themselves.

Prison Keeps Us Isolated. But Sometimes Sisterhood Can Bring Us Together

Chelsea Manning The Guardian
The day I first arrived at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas on 22 August 2013, I announced my status as a trans woman intent on transitioning as soon as possible. At the time, the idea of a trans woman in a US military prison was considered unprecedented and even outlandish to the military brass and the outside world. However, I was not the only trans woman at the facility, nor was I the first one to make such requests for treatment.

‘Soul Serenade: Rhythm, Blues & Coming of Age Through Vinyl’

Reginald Harris Lamda Literary
This new memoir by pop culture and music critic Rashod Ollison is about growing up with rhythm and blues, and, writes reviewer Reginald Harris, "about the role of music in the lives of everyday music lovers, as both a consolation and a vision of a possible different future." Ollison writes about coming of age, coming to terms with his sexuality, and about what his early twin loves, literature and music, taught him.

What I Didn't Read in the TTIP Reading Room

Katja Kipping War on Want
The secrecy surrounding the text of TTIP is revealing. Anyone who wants to enhance environmental protection, consumer protection and labor standards would have nothing to fear from transparency. Anyone who’s engaged in selling out democracy, on the other hand, is obviously going to want to avoid public scrutiny.

Participatory Budgeting: A School for Citizenship

Ruth Needleman Portside
Canoas, Brazil Mayor Jairo Jorge recently published a book exhorting the left, in particular, but all progressives, to Radicalizar a Democracia: “We must engage citizens increasingly in . . . governments, giving them decision-making power over investments, public policies and strategic development projects at the city, state and national levels.”

Lesson Plan: Teaching With Protest Music

By MICHAEL GONCHAR and KATHERINE SCHULTEN New York Times
Studying the protest music of the past or present can be a powerful and engaging teaching tool for students, whether the goal is to better understand a historical time period, analyze the power of lyrics and poetry, understand forces of social change or respond to current issues.