Venezuela: Resistance in Images: A Productive Workers’ Battle in El Maizal Commune

Venezuelanalysis.com | February 17, 2019

Between February 4th and 9th, 2019, a group of skilled workers called the “Productive Workers’ Army” went to the flagship El Maizalcommune in Lara state with the goal of helping jumpstart production in a few key areas.

The Productive Workers’ Army is a self-organized initiative that calls its volunteer labor sessions “battles.” The helping hand they extended to El Maizal was the thirteenth battle the group has undertaken in an ongoing effort to rebuild the besieged country’s productive apparatus.

Maduro Continues Campaign for Peace, Dialogue with Opposition

teleSUR | February 17, 2019

President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly called for the restoration of talks between his government and the opposition in order to maintain peace. | Photo: Twitter: @NicolasMaduro

“I believe in frank and open dialogue,” the President said.

The Bolivarian state is willing to establish a “frank and open dialogue,” with the political opposition, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed Sunday.

How’s the Coup Going? VA Asks Opposition Supporters

Venezuelanalysis.com | February 15, 2019

When can Guaido be expected at Miraflores Palace? The answers we received were rather ambiguous at best.

Venezuelan Opposition’s Servitude to Foreign Interests Attacked

teleSUR | February 17, 2019

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, one of the leaders behind unseating Venezuela’s legitimate government | Photo: Reuters

Political analyst Jose Vicente Rangel hit out at the lack of self profile of the Venezuelan right, for carrying out its actions following foreign factors based on a strategy of aggression against the country.

Russia Demands World Stop Imposing Ultimatums on Venezuela

Venezuelanalysis.com | February 17, 2019

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced the attempts of international interventionism. | Photo: Reuters

Russia is demanding an end to the list of ultimatums against Venezuela by foreign powers, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday.

Lavrov urged the international community to call for a frank dialogue in Venezuela , so that the inhabitants of the South American country can resolve their disagreements in peace.

“If we rely on international law, the Venezuelan situation is an internal matter, and the international community should urge Venezuelans to find a solution among them, in favor of which Uruguay, Mexico, the countries of the Caribbean, Russia , China, Iran, Bolivia and many others,” said the Russian foreign minister.

India’s Stake in the Crisis in Venezuela

by Suvrat Raju

The Wire | February 17, 2019

The Modi government has a choice: will it at least take a pragmatic stance on Venezuela, or does it only want to cosy up to Trump? Credit: Reuters

On January 23, at the urging of the Trump administration, a previously-obscure parliamentarian, Juan Guaido declared himself the interim president of Venezuela, challenging the government of President Nicolas Maduro, and plunging Venezuela into a deep political crisis.

Guaido is now backed by most Western and several right-wing Latin American governments, but progressive governments on the continent, including Mexico and Bolivia, have urged that Venezuelan sovereignty be respected. The world media’s coverage of this crisis has focused on Venezuela’s recent economic troubles. However, its true roots lie far deeper: Guaido’s attempted coup continues a 20-year-long effort by traditional Venezuelan elites and successive US governments to dismantle the popular movements that gained ascendancy with the election of Hugo Chavez in 1999.

India: Building a Feminism That Centres the Voices of the Oppressed

by Asha Kowtal

The Wire | February 15, 2019

Dalit women carry a portrait of Ambedkar as they block traffic during a protest in Ahmedabad. Credit: PTI/Files

What do we understand when we identify ourselves as feminist?

The Wire’s Histories of Feminisms project is an attempt to emphasise that there is no linear or one way of understanding and experiencing feminism. Through a series of articles, The Wire draws your attention to some of the different narratives and debates that, over the decades, have come to define feminism. For instance, we recall the first generation of feminists in Kerala, the first women lawyers who surmounted formidable challenges to claim their rightful place in the legal system. We shine a light on women authors who pushed the boundaries of feminism in literature, bring before you the perspectives and experiences of feminist Dalit and Muslim women. We talk about how protagonists of many radical movements and uprisings in public memory are usually male.

Slow recovery for federal workers after Trump shutdown

by Mark Gruenberg

Peoples’ World | February 15, 2019

“We all deserve an open and functioning government so we will continue to rally, march, protest and make our voices heard until all federal workers and contractors know they can go to work, be paid fairly and treated with respect.” AFGE

WASHINGTON—Recovery from GOP President Donald Trump’s 35-day shutdown and lockout of almost one-third of the federal workforce – including people who toil for nine Cabinet departments and many smaller agencies – will be long and slow for both them and the country, affected workers predict.

And that assumes Trump doesn’t do it again.

Amazon will pay $0 in taxes on $11,200,000,000 in profit for 2018

A  Journal of People report

“Those wondering how many zeros Amazon, which is valued at nearly $800 billion, has to pay in federal taxes might be surprised to learn that its check to the IRS will read exactly $0.00”, wrote Fortune in a story on Amazon’s payment of Federal Income Tax (“Amazon Will Pay a Whopping $0 in Federal Taxes on $11.2 Billion Profits”, Laura Stampler, updated: February 15, 2019, originally published: February 14, 2019).

Bernie Sanders twitted: You know what Amazon paid in federal income taxes last year? Zero.

Without considering class, bike-friendly city is impossible

by Anne Lusk

Designing for bikes has become a hallmark of forward-looking modern cities worldwide. Bike-friendly city ratings abound, and advocates promote cycling as a way to reduce problems ranging from air pollution to traffic deaths.

But urban cycling investments tend to focus on the needs of wealthy riders and neglect lower-income residents and people of color. This happens even though the single biggest group of Americans who bike to work live in households that earn less than $10,000 yearly, and studies in lower-income neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Boston have found that the majority of bicyclists were non-white.