Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

Post-Capitalist Futures? Work After Automation

Details: Published on Friday, 26 February 2021 03:10; Written by editor

Post-Capitalist Futures? Work After Automation

Brent Toye

Widespread social concern about potentially negative consequences of technological automation for workers is nothing new. Since the era of early industrialism, commentators and economists have mused about the potentially damaging effects of technological change that augments and displaces human with machine labour. Mid-19th century theorists like Charles Babbage, John Adoplhus Etzler and, and Andrew Ure envisioned the coming of fully automated industrial factories, where human labour would be reduced to a supervisory and maintenance role. Marx believed automation had the potential to de-skill and permanently replace human labour. In one memorable passage, Marx highlights the destructive potential of the sewing machine, arguing...

Oh, this old thing?

Details: Published on Thursday, 25 February 2021 17:02; Written by editor

Oh, this old thing? r1 ...

Great News: We stopped Big Oil

Details: Published on Thursday, 25 February 2021 15:34; Written by editor

PAOV -

We got some big news today. Thanks to our people-powered push, we kept Big Oil out of Canada’s Net Zero Advisory Panel.

I’ll share more in just a second but before I do, I just wanted to say that this news is only possible thanks to the support of people like you.

If you’re able, can you make a $3.50 contribution today to support 350.org’s hard-hitting campaigns for climate action in Canada?

Late last year, after the government announced Bill C-12, their Net-Zero Accountability Act, we launched a campaign pushing to make that bill stronger.

One of our core demands about C-12 was banning fossil fuel executives and lobbyists from the Net Zero Advisory Panel the bill would create. Today, Trudeau’s Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson released the names of that panel and I’m happy to report that there are no members from Shell, Suncor or any of the other Big Oil companies that have undermined climate action for decades.1

We did this. Together. After thousands of people signed the petition calling on federal leaders to be brave and strengthen Bill C-12, the topic was debated...

You won!

Details: Published on Thursday, 25 February 2021 12:44; Written by editor

You did it again! RBC, the fifth biggest funder of fossil fuels in the world, just made a commitment to reduce GHG emissions, with a net-zero by 2050 announcement.

This is an important first step and wouldn’t have been possible without you. We also want to thank a few super committed SumOfUs members who used their shares to submit a progressive shareholder proposal and force RBC to the negotiating table.

Can you share this great win on Facebook?

And even though we are celebrating today, we know that the work is only beginning. Net-zero commitments sound good, but without any short- or medium-term concrete plans to back them up, this could just add up to another empty promise made by a big corporation.

But we know that you won’t let it get away with that. We will continue to push RBC to do more to address its role in the climate crisis. And with your support, we can hold RBC accountable to its commitments and push the massive bank to really pull the plug on fossil fuels.

For now, though, we can celebrate this announcement as a testament to what people power can do. Ordinary people, like you and I,...

The Class Character of the Expansion of COVID-19

Details: Published on Thursday, 25 February 2021 05:30; Written by editor

The Class Character of the Expansion of COVID-19:
The Case of Peru’s Capital City Lima

Jan Lust

At the end of December 2019, the world was notified about the existence of a new coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China. This virus, SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), rapidly spread and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. In response, Peru was the first country in Latin America to implement a nation-wide lockdown and strict quarantine measures. These measures were implemented through a declaration of a state of emergency, with the military and the police charged with controlling the population.

This early response has not prevented...

Siemens: we now have proof

Details: Published on Thursday, 25 February 2021 05:14; Written by editor

Siemens is providing crucial technology to a toxic new coal mine that will hasten the death of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

But we have new evidence that could force Siemens to reconsider.

Can you help build a global outcry to show Siemens that the risks of this mine are too big to ignore?

Sign the petition

Time is running out to stop one of the biggest new coal mines in the world.

Despite years of opposition and delay, the Adani Carmichael mine could be exporting massive shiploads of dirty coal through the Great Barrier Reef in as little as six months.

But to become operational, the Adani mine relies on a key piece of train signalling technology that only German engineering giant Siemens is willing to provide.

We’ve been fighting for over a year to get Siemens to reconsider its support for the Adani mine. And now...

Urgent Medical Support Needed in Honduras

Details: Published on Wednesday, 24 February 2021 17:36; Written by editor

Urgent Medical Support Needed in Honduras r1 ...

Trudeau told Biden that climate is a top priority

Details: Published on Wednesday, 24 February 2021 14:00; Written by editor

Friends,

I wanted to reach out one more time to ask you to sign the petition calling for a Just Transition Act. If you sign today, your name will be included when we deliver these petition signatures to Trudeau’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson next week.

Yesterday, PM Trudeau and President Biden had their first meeting together as heads of states. The climate emergency was at the top of the agenda, with talk of a “continental alliance to tackle climate change.”1 That’s great news but, if Trudeau wants Canada to be a real ally in this fight, he’s got some catching up to do.

Just one month into his presidency, Biden has already taken major steps by cancelling fossil fuel projects and cutting subsidies for Big Oil. He also announced the creation of the Civilian Climate Corps - a program that will put a generation of Americans to work tackling the climate crisis.

These moves send a clear signal that the fossil fuel era is over.

Workers and communities here in Canada, especially those most dependent on fossil fuels, will...

Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency with Seth Klein

Details: Published on Wednesday, 24 February 2021 11:16; Written by editor

Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency with Seth Klein r1 ...

Remembering Larry Nozaki: Enemy Alien, Unionist, Socialist

Details: Published on Wednesday, 24 February 2021 06:08; Written by editor

Remembering Larry Nozaki: ‘Enemy Alien’, Unionist, Socialist

Sadly, Larry Nozaki (1940-2020) died in Surrey BC on December 5, 2020. Larry was a casualty of the anti-Japanese internment camps during the war, long-time union activist in Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), and a member of the League for Socialist Action (LSA) Vancouver Branch. Below is a photo of Larry, and remembrances by his cousin and others who remember Larry, his life, and his contributions to revolutionary socialism.

“Governmental Cruelty and the Kindness of a Friend,” by JoAnne Maikawa (Larry’s cousin) and Richard Roman
“A CUPW Pioneer Leaves Us,” by Evert Hoogers, past president, Vancouver CUPW
“Mentor, Friend, Working-Class Leader,” by Joan Campana
“A Life of Militant Spirit and Socialist Conviction,” by John Riddell

You're invited: Get to know our Associate Clerk, Vince Zelazny

Details: Published on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 13:28; Written by editor

You're invited!

This Thursday, Feb 25th at 7pm Eastern

Join Canadian Friends Service Committee for a free chance to learn more about our Associate Clerk (vice chair of the board of directors) Vince Zelazny.

This is part of an on-going series all year...

Lululemon

Details: Published on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 10:22; Written by editor

r1 Fashion brands need to stop relying on coal to produce clothes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌

r33

Hi friend,

You wouldn’t think that health-conscious brands like The North Face, Lululemon, and Columbia would pollute the air with coal fumes, right? Unfortunately, these household names are doing exactly that because their supply chains are heavily reliant on coal power. So, as our beloved Lulu yoga pants, durable North Face jacket, and favourite Columbia windbreaker are produced, the stacks are spewing more and more deadly pollution into the air.

The North Face, Lululemon, Columbia

Details: Published on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 10:14; Written by editor

r33

Hi friend,

Will Andrés Arauz Be the Next President of Ecuador?

Details: Published on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 06:14; Written by editor

Will Andrés Arauz Be the Next President of Ecuador?

Vijay Prashad and Pilar Troya

In Ecuador’s presidential election held on February 7, 2021, Andrés Arauz won the largest number of votes but could not prevail in the first round against 15 other candidates; he won 32.71 per cent of the vote, short of the 40 per cent needed to win the election outright (a winner also requires a 10 per cent lead over the second-place candidate, which Arauz did achieve).

More than a week after that first round, it remains unclear which of the two candidates who most closely trailed Arauz will go head-to-head against him in the second round...

We are the Council of collective action

Details: Published on Monday, 22 February 2021 15:32; Written by editor

We are the Council of collective action r1 ...

Powerless in Texas

Details: Published on Monday, 22 February 2021 05:46; Written by editor

Powerless in Texas

Snehal Shingavi

Two images capture the crisis in Texas perfectly. First, nurses at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center came to work on Thursday to this: “A notice said the water went out. The notice then listed some instructions for using the restroom, such as to not put toilet paper in the toilet when urinating, and to use trash bags to remove feces from the toilet and to then place it in a biohazard bag.” Reminder, this is in the middle of the pandemic. Second, Ted Cruz, the senior Republican senator from Texas, got on a plane to head to Cancun, Mexico. When asked about why...

Three events next week

Details: Published on Sunday, 21 February 2021 10:44; Written by editor

Socialists on Social Media Platforms and Imagine Platform Socialism

Tuesday, February 23 / 6:00 pm EST

Tanner Mirrlees: Communicating within and Against Digital Capitalism.

Derek Hrynyshyn: Imagine Platform Socialism.

Voices Beyond Borders: A Poetic and Musical Tribute to Paul Robeson

Thursday, February 25 / 7:00 pm EST

This evening of poetry and music, organized by the Culture Committee of the Socialist Project, is a tribute to Paul Robeson’s contribution to his internationalism, and a celebration of Black History Month. Performances by George Elliott Clarke, Evie Shockley, Lillian Allen, Michael Fraser, Honey Novick, Jim Phelan. MC'ed by Giovanna Riccio.

r0

Forward to a friend: this link

r39
powered by phpList

Glyphosate killed her daughter, now shes fighting back

Details: Published on Sunday, 21 February 2021 06:48; Written by editor

A brave mother in Argentina has been fighting to ban glyphosate for over two decades.

Now, she has a historic opportunity to take her case to court.

Will you chip in CA$90 to help Sofía ban glyphosate in Argentina?

If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:

Donate CA$89 now Donate another amount

Twenty years ago, a baby girl was born in a small Argentinian community. Three days later, she passed away. The cause of her death: poisoning by pesticides. The community is surrounded by soy fields drenched in Monsanto’s glyphosate.

The baby’s mother, Sofía, decided to fight for justice and take on one of the biggest companies in the world: Monsanto, sparking a decades-long battle to ban glyphosate.

She knew her baby would not be the first or last to fall victim to Monsanto’s pesticides. A study later...

Ontarios Care Crisis /w Pat Armstrong

Details: Published on Sunday, 21 February 2021 06:16; Written by editor

Ontario’s Care Crisis /w Pat Armstrong

In this episode we continue our discussion of the crisis in long-term care homes in Ontario. This time we are joined by Dr. Pat Armstrong, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Sociology at York University. Dr. Armstrong’s career has focused on feminist political economy, healthcare and care work, and comparative social policy. She helps us unpack how commodification and privatization have led to Ontario’s current long-term care crisis, as well as provides illuminating examples of how these same politico-economic trends have been dealt with abroad.

r0

Forward to a friend: this link

r39
powered by phpList

Shock Therapy: Public Funding and the Crisis at Laurentian University

Details: Published on Saturday, 20 February 2021 04:54; Written by editor

Shock Therapy: Public Funding and the Crisis at Laurentian University

John Peters

Here we go again. A major crisis. Governments cutting taxes. Bailouts in the billions for banks and corporations. And suddenly public services – including universities like Laurentian – are on the chopping block. This has been the story in Canada, the United States, Australia and many other countries over the past thirty years.

And now, with Sudbury Ontario’s Laurentian University declaring insolvency – the first public university to do so in Canadian history – we can anticipate even more public sector “crises” to come in the very near future.

Claiming they have “unsustainable” debts, Laurentian University has gone to...