When Lab Mice Attack: Engineering Bio-Disasters

Engineered COVID-19-Infected Mouse Bites Researcher Amid ‘Explosion’ Of Risky Coronavirus Research

by Jonathan Latham, PhD - Independent Science News

August 13, 2020

University researchers genetically engineer a human pandemic virus. They inject the new virus into a laboratory mouse. The infected mouse then bites a researcher…..It is a plot worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster about risky coronavirus research.

But according to newly obtained minutes of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) of the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill, these exact events need not be imagined. They occurred for real between April 1st and May 6th this year.

Picking Kamhilla: Democratic Party Retrenches Right

The selection of Kamala Harris and the degradation of American politics

by Joseph Kishore—SEP candidate for US president  - WSWS

13 August 2020

With the selection of Kamala Harris to be the running mate of Joe Biden, the framework of the 2020 elections has been set. As was to be expected, the Democrats have chosen the most right-wing candidates to run the most right-wing campaign possible. There is a certain inevitability to the choice of Harris.

In July of last year, the World Socialist Web Site—based on a survey of who would be the worst, most reactionary and at the same time most suitable choice for second spot on the Democratic Party ticket—predicted that Harris would most likely be named the vice presidential candidate if she failed to win the nomination. 

Bye, Bye Pension Plan! Trump Circles Social Security/Medicare

Alert! Social Security and Medicare are in Critical Danger: Trump launches attack on key programs for the elderly 

by Dave Lindorff - This Can't Be Happening

August 10, 2020

Watch out! Uncle Donald is coming for your and all your relatives’ Social Security and your Medicare!

Street protests will be needed to save Social Security and Medicare 

from its attackers — Trump and complicit Democrats alike 

(photo by sagesnow licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The all-out attack on Social Security and Medicare, those two remaining standing edifices of the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, has begun in earnest with President Trump’s latest executive order calling for the postponement, until year’s end, of the payroll taxes by employees and employers that finance those critically important social programs.

Aftermath: Day of the Generals Dawns Again in Benighted Lebanon

The Politics of War: What is Israel’s Endgame in Lebanon and Syria?

by Ramzy Baroud

August 12, 2020

 On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon.

Israeli soldiers stationed at the border with Lebanon. (Photo: via Social Media)

“We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility in central Israel.

Building on Shaking Foundations:"Fracking Mess" Compound Site C "Geotechnical Problems"

A Big Fracking Mess: As Site C dam construction bogs down in geotechnical problems, thousands of earthquakes triggered by fracking operations occur nearby 

by Ben Parfitt - CCPA

August 12, 2020

Earthquakes triggered by natural gas industry fracking operations near BC Hydro’s troubled Site C dam construction project are far greater in number than previously thought, raising troubling questions about whether they are adding to the already formidable geotechnical challenges at the site.

Not only are more earthquakes occurring in proximity to the costliest public infrastructure project in British Columbia’s history, but many of the fracking-induced tremors—including one that shook the ground so hard two years ago at Site C that workers were ordered to evacuate—are occurring in a fault-riddled zone to the south of the dam that geoscientists have warned can become quickly unstable during fracking operations.

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Christopher Black, David Rovics August 13th, 2020

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

August 13, 2020

Welcome back to Gorilla Radio's continuing efforts, NOT broadcast live from CFUV Radio in the basement of the Student Union Building at the University of Victoria, but emanating live-to-tape via Skype from our home-based ... studios on this date, August 5th, 2020.

Twenty months in to her Vancouver house arrest, Huawei CFO, (and daughter of the Chinese corporate leviathan's founder) Meng Wanzhou entered a new court filing in B.C.'s Supreme Court. In late July Meng's legal team charged that, among other things the proceedings against their client had quote, "been poisoned" and "can no longer be reasonably regarded as fair...".

Meng has already lost one appeal to throw out the extradition petition filed by the United States in B.C. courts, and the case has predictably proven a particularly prickly political sticking point in Canada-China relations.

Christopher Black is a Toronto-based criminal lawyer specializing in international war crimes cases. He’s also an executive member of the Canadian Peace Congress.

Listen. Hear.

Black’s articles on international law, politics, and World events appear at New Eastern Outlook among other places. And, his timely novel, 'Beneath the Clouds' “a story of how people, acting collectively, can defeat tyranny” is newly out.

Christopher Black in the first half.

And; federal troops entered Portland nearly two months in to daily police brutality demonstrations there. The American president decided to deploy the "Minneapolis" treatment to the uppity city; or as Attorney General, Bill Barr calls it, the "Occupy Model". And Trump promises, more (Democrat Party-administered) cities are slated to receive the same.

Itinerant musician and now covid-caged broadcaster, David Rovics is in Portland, where his relatively mild-mannered home city has suddenly become the center of Civil War 2.020. As he can't tour, David is doing the next best thing, raising Hell on the internet, and helping foment a Renters strike at home.

David Rovics and resisting the tearing down of community in Portland in the second half.

And; CFUV broadcaster and host of Plant Based Radio, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events Bulletin of some of what’s good to do in and around our town in the coming week. But first Christopher Black and the international tug-of-war testing Canada's "Rule of Law" credentials.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

American Bonaparte: Waterloo, or Watch the Republic Die

Trump's illegal power grab and the specter of American Bonapartism

by Andre Damon - WSWS

10 August 2020

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced a series of measures ostensibly targeting the cutoff of federal unemployment benefits that mark a new stage in his effort to abolish all constitutional restraints on the power of the president.

Trump announced a deferral of the federal payroll tax, which would defund Social Security, and the extension of federal unemployment benefits at a much lower level.

Canadian Court Deems United States "Unsafe" for Refugees

Canadian court rules Safe Third Country Agreement with US violates refugee rights

by Laurent Lafrance  - WSWS

7 August 2020

Canadian Federal Court Judge Ann-Marie McDonald recently ruled that the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) violates refugee rights and the Canadian constitution’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The decision represents a blow to the Trudeau government, which has falsely presented itself as “pro-refugee” to provide a “progressive” cover for its reactionary policies at home and abroad.

Canada Burnishes Anti-Democracy Mettle with Bolivia Coup Support

Canada's Support for Bolivian Coup Deserves Closer Scrutiny

by Yves Engler - Ricochet

August 4, 2020

On August 12 the Canadian Latin America Alliance and Canadian Foreign Policy Institute are co-organizing a talk on Bolivia's fight to restore democracy and Canada's role. The event features former Foreign Minister of Ecuador Guillaume Long, MP Matthew Green and Bolivian journalist Ollie Vargas. Register here. 

 

If Indigenous lives really mattered to the Trudeau Liberals the Canadian government would not treat the most Indigenous country in the Americas the way it has.

A Coup in Three Parts: Bolivian Democracy Not Worth a Column of Western News Print

As Bolivian Regime Delays Elections a Third Time, Media Continue to Ignore Coup

by Bryce Greene - FAIR

August 6, 2020

In the Bolivian elections last October 20, incumbent President Evo Morales of the Movement Toward Socialism party (MAS in Spanish) won a 10-point victory over his nearest challenger, as pre-election polls predicted.

The next day, the Organization of American States issued a statement challenging the legitimacy of the elections, asserting a “hard-to-explain change in the trend of the preliminary results.” Immediately, right wingers violently took to the streets to protest the president. The OAS issued a followup statement confirming their analysis on November 10. The same day, the military forced Morales to step down. 

At the Water's Edge: Reversing the Tide of Militarism

Reversal

by Kathy Kelly - VCNV.org

August 6, 2020

With survival at stake, can weapon makers change course?

Another Mother for Peace - Lorraine Schneider, 1966

Today, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the atomic attack on Hiroshima, should be a day for quiet introspection. I recall a summer morning following the U.S. 2003 “Shock and Awe” invasion of Iraq when the segment of the Chicago River flowing past the headquarters of the world’s second largest defense contractor, Boeing, turned the rich, red color of blood. 

Ceasing the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement

End the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement

by Yves Engler

August 4, 2020

On Sunday a demonstration is planned in Montréal against the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA). Under the banner “Against Israel’s annexation of the Jordan Valley. No to the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement!”, the march seeks to politicize CIFTA amidst Israel’s plan to formally annex parts of the West Bank.

The march follows an open letter released last month by over 100 Montréal artists and activists calling for the cancellation of CIFTA.

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Dimitri Lascaris, Steve Poikonen, Janine Bandcroft August 6th, 2020

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

August 6, 2020

Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s continuing efforts, NOT broadcast live from CFUV Radio in the basement of the Student Union Building at the University of Victoria, but emanating live-to-tape via skype from our home-based … studio on this date, July 29th, 2020.

Before Covid, social justice and environmental issues were top and centre here in British Columbia. Now, following four months of near monomaniacal media coverage of the global coronavirus outbreak, it’s important to remember the sun also rises, and though “the Earth remain the same forever” if we humans are to continue living upon it we must address the real single existential issue of our times, climate change. To that political end, the Green Party of Canada is the only party in this country making an honest attempt.

The Greens are in the midst of a leadership contest, the nine contenders doing their utmost to campaign in these Covid-challenged times. Dimitri Lascaris is one of those nine candidates and he’s been on the island this past week, taking his message for the future of the Greens to both current and prospective party members.

Listen Hear.

Lascaris is a lawyer, activist, and journalist whose vision for the party promises to, in his words: “Defy the powerful. Confront injustice. [and] Unite progressives.”

Dimitri Lascaris in the first half.

And; almost a year and a half after being seized from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, WikiLeaks founding publisher, Julian Assange is still in Belmarsh Prison. He’s awaiting the next phase in the protracted extradition process the United States has initiated with Britain.

Steve Poikonen is host of Slow News Day, the Patreon.com available online current events program covering “stories that you won’t find on establishment, or the majority of “lefty” or “independent” channels”. Steve’s also co-host of the #FreeAssange Vigil and organizer with Action4Assange.

Steve Poikonen and back to Washington for the World’s foremost political prisoner, Julian Assange in the second half.

And; long-time Gorilla Radio contributor and Green Vegan Grandma Youtuber, Janine Bandcroft will be there at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of the good things to be gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week.

But first, Dimitri Lascaris and emboldening Canada’s Greens.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

U.S. Lawfare Opens New Front in Assange Persecution

Assange appears in court, as lawyers warn case may be delayed by new US indictment

by Thomas Scripps  - WSWS

28 July 2020

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s case management hearing yesterday continued the travesty of legal due process to which he has been subjected for more than a decade.

The journalist and publisher is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces politically motivated frame-up charges of espionage with a combined potential sentence of 175 years. He has not attended hearings via videolink for the last three months on the advice of doctors, due to his fragile state of health and the threat of exposure to coronavirus.

What Desecularizing Hagia Sofia Means

Hagia Sophia: Religion As Politics

by Christopher Black - NEO

July 24, 2020

Sultan Abdul Hamid II, in the face of a rising secular nationalism in the late 1800s, that culminated in the Young Turk movement, tried to restore the influence of the Ottoman Empire among Islamic nations and the Empire’s many peoples by stressing the importance of Islam and the Ottoman Caliphate, of the role of the Ottomans as the protectors of Islam and, in the modern world, a bulwark against western colonialism.

Over a hundred years after he left power, after the Empire was broken up by the western powers after the First World War, after the Turkish nationalists under Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, kicked the British, French, Greeks and Italians out of Anatolia and Constantinople and established Turkey as a secular democratic state in 1923, President Erdogan has adopted the mantle of Abdul Hamid, and his claim to be the defender of Islam, as a means of shoring up his own weakening support in Turkey, and as a means of raising the prestige of Turkey among Islamic nations and the world.

Exploring Bolivia's Fight to Restore Democracy - Canada's Role

Bolivia's Fight to Restore Democracy - Canada's Role

by www.claa.ca 

 Speakers: 

Guillaume Long, former Foreign Minister of Ecuador
Matthew Green, MP for Hamilton Centre (NDP)
Ollie Vargas, Bolivian Journalist for Radio Kawsachun Coca

The Canadian Latin American Alliance and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute invites you to an online event on how and why Bolivia's first Indigenous president was overthrown, what is taking place in the country right now and the role Canada has played.

Go to www.claa.ca to register 

Skripal Poisoning Claims Another Victim: MI6 Head "Retires" Following Novichok Fiasco

MI6 CHIEF YOUNGER FOLLOWS CABINET AND NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF SEDWILL OUT THE DOOR — SECOND SKRIPAL PLOTTER HAS BEEN OUSTED 

by John Helmer, Moscow

@bears_with

July 29. 2020 

Novichok still kills.

 

The world’s slowest acting nerve agent, sprayed on a front door handle in a dead-end street in Salisbury, England, in the early afternoon of March 4, 2018, has just resulted in the career termination of Sir Alex Younger (lead image, right), chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). 

Past As Prologue: Trading First Amendment Rights for Freedom of Movement

Banned from Protesting in the Nation’s Capital for Five Years Back in 1967

by Dave Lindorff - This Can't Be Happening

August 3, 2020

Portland isn't the first time federal judges have made accepting a ban on protest a condition for avoiding jail

As I was reading reports that judges and magistrates in the Federal District Court in Portland, OR have been handing out sentences to protesters arrested by President Trump’s Homeland Security goons that included bans on future protest in Oregon, I suddenly had a sense of deja vu.

BORTAC Strikes Back: Border Troopers Storm 'No More Deaths' in Arizona

US Border Patrol raids “No More Deaths” humanitarian aid camp in southern Arizona

by Meenakshi Jagadeesan - WSWS

3 August 2020

On Thursday, US Border Patrol (USBP) agents raided a camp set up by the migrant aid group No More Deaths (NMD) near the ranching community of Arivaca, Arizona, approximately 11 miles north of the US-Mexico border. The raid resulted in the arrest of one person and the setting up of ongoing surveillance and enforcement operations at the campsite.

 

The actions of the USBP agents have been justified by Tucson Sector Chief Roy Villareal as part of a regular law enforcement operation in a “key smuggling route for both undocumented immigrants and drug traffickers.” However, this seems to be a vindictive retaliatory action by the agency against NMD for having further exposed the expanding role of BORTAC—the shadowy, highly trained special operations force—in USBP’s policing actions.

Heritage in Minutes: The Lies Canada Sells Itself

The stunning misinformation and whitewashing of racism behind Canada's Heritage Minutes 

by Tyler Shipley - The Canada Files

July 31, 2020

A generation of Canadians was influenced by the Heritage Minutes, those little historical vignettes that began in 1995 and which are still in circulation today. While presented as neutral and apolitical, the Heritage Minutes reflected Canada’s true core: settler capitalism and white supremacy.

 

As usual, all of this is given broader context and much more detail in Canada in the World: Settler Capitalism and the Colonial Imagination (available in physical and electronic formats, discounts available by directly messaging this account.)