A Heartfelt Tribute to Our Comandante, Friend

REMEMBRANCE 

Eduardo Palomares

Granma | September 17, 2020

Photo: Archive

The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez dedicated floral wreaths to Comandante de la Revolución Juan Almeida Bosque, on the occasion of a ceremony commemorating the 11th anniversary of his physical disappearance, September 11.

The tribute took place before the monumental site where his remains rest, in the mausoleum for heroes and martyrs of the Mario Muñoz Monroy Third Front, which Almeida founded and led, on orders from Fidel. The event was headed by Party Central Committee members Lázaro Expósito Canto, president of the Provincial Defense Council, and Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, vice president of this body.

Big Data and the Science of Manipulating the Masses

BIG DATA

Raúl Antonio Capote

Granma | September 17, 2020

At the beginning of the 20th century, Edward L. Bernays, publicist, journalist, and inventor of the theory of public relations, considered the father of modern propaganda and the engineering of consensus in the United States, stated in one of his texts, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”

Tale of Two Capitalisms

CAPITALISM 

David F. Ruccio

Occasional Links and Commentary | September 16, 2020

In this post, I continue the draft of sections of my forthcoming book, “Marxian Economics: An Introduction.” This, like the previous post, is for chapter 1, Marxian Economics Today.

A Tale of Two Capitalisms

Marxian economists recognize, just like mainstream economists, that capitalism has radically transformed the world in recent decades, continuing and in some cases accelerating long-term trends. For example, the world has seen spectacular growth in the amount and kinds of goods and services available to consumers. Everything, it seems, can be purchased either in retail shops, big-box stores, or online. And, every year, more of those goods and services are being produced and sold in markets.

The Indian Economy is Hurtling Toward Disaster

INDIA 

Prabhat Patnaik

News Click | September 12, 2020

The gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter (April-June) of 2020 over the first quarter of the previous year has been minus 24%, according to preliminary official estimates. But most knowledgeable people believe that even this is an underestimate of the actual contraction brought about by the lockdown. In fact, a former Chief Statistician of India, Pronab Sen, believes that the actual contraction would have been about 32%. Others put the figure even higher.

Left to Starve: How COVID-19 is Hitting India’s Children

COVID-19 IN INDIA

Kundan Pandey

Down To Earth | September 16, 2020

Anganwadis in most states have stopped operating since April (Pphotograph: Srikant Chaudhary)

Nearly half of India’s children are already undernourished and the country’s handling of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is expected to push many more to malnutrition.

“Anganwadis have not provided food to children since April, when the centres were either converted into quarantine centres or closed down due to the pandemic,” says Sundari Tirki, general secretary of Anganwadi Karmchari Sabha in Jharkhand.

Media Narratives About China Endanger World Peace

PROPAGANDA AGAINST CHINA

Daniel Renken

People’s World | September 16, 2020

U.S. warships photographed recently in the South China Sea indicate that geopolitical and economic interests are what is behind much of Washington’s anti-China propaganda. | AP

In recent months, Americans have received a barrage of news on TV, social media, and even late-night talk shows discussing the “aggressive” actions of the People’s Republic of China. Whether it’s the disputed waters of the South China Sea, the Hong Kong protests, or accusations of religious discrimination and genocide, the presentations of the national media regarding China are generally negative.

The Trump administration relentlessly slanders the country, as a quick look at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Twitter page will show you. But that should lead to an important question: Why now? All of these stories focused on China are not new, they’ve been off-and-on stories for years. So why the sudden spotlight on them, when so many important things are happening here in the United States and elsewhere around the world?

How USA and Turkey Plunder and Loot Syria with Impunity

IMPERIALIST EXPLOITATION OF SYRIA

Rick Sterling

While President Trump lashes out at rioting and looting in Portland and Kenosha, half way around the world, the USA and Turkey are plundering and looting Syria on a vastly greater scale with impunity and little publicity.

Turkey Loots Syria, then Disrupts Safe Water Supply  

Turkey has been plundering the Syrian infrastructure for years.  Beginning in late 2012 and continuing through 2013 some 300 industrial factories were dismantled and taken to Turkey from Aleppo, the industrial capital of Syria. “Machinery and goods were loaded on trucks and carried off to Turkey through the Cilvegozu and Ceylanpinar crossings. Unfortunately, ‘plundering’ and ‘terror’ have become permanent parts of the Syrian lexicon when explaining their saga.”

As Venezuela Foils CIA “Terror Plot” Pompeo Tours Its Neighbors To Talk Regime Change

U.S. IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION AGAINST VENEZULA 

Alan Macleod

MintPress News | September 14, 2020

Venezuela’s government has announced it has foiled a potential terror attack, arresting a former CIA operative while he was on a stakeout near the country’s largest oil refining facility.

Bezos Doubles Wealth as Amazon Essential Product Prices Rise 1000% Amid Pandemic

CAPITALISM 

Alan Macleod

MintPress News | September 14, 2020

Anew report from advocacy group Public Citizen details how retail giant Amazon “misled the public, law enforcement, and policymakers about price increases during the pandemic,” raising their prices on essential products “to levels that would be considered violations of price gouging laws in many states.” The prices of many products in high demand during the pandemic jumped by over 1,000 percent when compared to this time last year.

Journalist Carlos Rabascall Replaces Rafael Correa as Vice-presidential Candidate

PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN ECUADOR 

Peoples Dispatch | September 17, 2020

The UNES’ presidential ticket, Andrés Arauz and Carlos Rabascall, vowed to recover the future and hope of all Ecuadorians. Photo: Twitter

The Union for Hope (UNES), an alliance of progressive forces, on September 16, elected journalist Carlos Rabascall as the new candidate for the vice-presidency of Ecuador in the general elections scheduled for February 7, 2021. The decision was taken after Rafael Correa was disqualified from running as vice-presidential candidate.