(2022-02-18). United Steelworkers on strike at Sherwin-Williams. fightbacknews.org Pittsburgh, PA – 55 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14919 began an unfair labor practice strike against Sherwin-Williams on Saturday, February 5 at the company's facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio. | Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement. | Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, "All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and sec…
(2022-02-17). The Western Allied Nations Bully the World While Warning of Threats From China and Russia. towardfreedom.org China and Russia see the West's actions in both eastern Europe and Taiwan as the West working against their ambitions, writes Vijay Prashad.
(2022-02-17). Canada's ruling elite applauds Trudeau's use of emergency powers against far-right Freedom Convoy. wsws.org If the ruling class is ready to use emergency powers to supress small far-right protests, how will it respond to the eruption of mass working class opposition to its criminal pandemic policy or a new round of capitalist austerity?
(2022-02-17). The Gains of Nicaraguan Women During the Second Sandinista Government. orinocotribune.com By Stansfield Smith — Feb 14, 2022 | Women, particularly those in the Third World, often find themselves with limited ability to participate in community organizations and political life because of the bondage poverty and their traditional sex role imposes on them. On them falls sole responsibility to care for their children and other family members, especially when sick; they maintain the home, cook the meals, wash the dishes, the clothes, bathe the children, clean the house, mend the clothes. This labor becomes unending manual labor when households have no electricity (consequently, no lights, no refrigera…
(2022-02-17). Sanders Rips Into Billionaires for Creating "Oligarchic" Society in US. truthout.org 
On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) gave a powerful speech on the Senate floor, excoriating billionaires and CEOs for accumulating unfathomable amounts of wealth while millions of Americans struggle to get by. | Since the start of the pandemic, millions of Americans have struggled economically, gotten ill or died — but for billionaires, "this moment has never been better,"
(2022-02-17). Father sentenced in college admissions scandal, ordered to pay $200,000. rt.com 
A wealthy parent arrested as part of Operation Varsity Blues was convicted of bribing US schools with $1.2 million | The head of a private equity firm in Massachusetts was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for his involvement in a US college admissions scandal that also saw high-profile Hollywood celebrities including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman face time behind bars. | John Wilson was charged with using $1.2 million to bribe his three kids' way into college as Division I athletes, despite the fact that they were not athletes competing at such a high division. Wilson's arrest was par…
(2022-02-17). AOC warns failure to cancel student debt has 'demoralized' critical voters. mronline.org 
"This really isn't a conversation about providing relief to a small, niche group of people," said the congresswoman. "It's very much a keystone action politically." —AOC…
(2022-02-17). Mortgage Servicer Accused Of Pushing Homeowners Onto Its Auction Site. popularresistance.org When Benita Guzman moved from the San Joaquin Valley to Southern California to be closer to family, she was confident that her husband, Alfonso, would find work as a carpenter. The couple bought a $370,000 home in San Jacinto, California, in 2006 with $50,000 in savings, including money withdrawn from Alfonso's retirement account. | But the housing bubble burst the following year. "Nobody was building houses anymore," remembers Benita, 66. She took various jobs working in payroll, including on Native American reservations, but the couple was ultimately unable to keep up with mortgage payments. The Guzmans managed…
(2022-02-17). £2.1 million grant for research into brain activity 'avalanches'. imperial.ac.uk Researchers working to understand how the brain functions in various states of health have received a £2.1 million grant for their project.
(2022-02-17). Sunday 2/27: Dangerous Truths. indybay.org
(2022-02-17). Inquest into deadly construction accident convenes 12 years after four workers fell to their deaths in Toronto. wsws.org The interminable delay in the hearings reflects the perennially low priority assigned to cases of unsafe working conditions in Canadian labour jurisprudence.
(2022-02-17). Ingenious Venezuelan Inventor Proposes to Make Biofuel from Poisonous Tuber Waste. orinocotribune.com 
For more than a decade, the technologist José Gregorio Jiménez has been working on this alternative that could reduce the costs of gasoline production by up to 70%, in the midst of the privations caused by the economic blockade. | Curiosity led a Venezuelan to become interested in a fetid and poisonous liquid that emerged from the pressing of cassava, a tuber native to South America and popular in traditional cuisine. After experimenting in his laboratory, Jiménez verified that he could obtain biofuel from this substance, which is usually discarded. | José Gregorio Jiménez is a grassroots inventor who was born in…
(2022-02-17). Leaked Audio Shows Amazon Official Threatening Workers Over Union Election – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Amazon union avoidance official threatened workers with minimum wage and warned that things might get worse if they unionize and enter negotiations with the company, Vice reported on Thursday, citing a leaked audio from an Amazon meeting that it obtained.
(2022-02-17). Homeless community in San Diego resists police terror and demands safe housing. liberationnews.org 
Early on the morning of February 14, several dozen advocates including the San Diego County Homeless Union and the Poor Peoples' Campaign gathered in defense of an encampment of unhoused community members in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego.
(2022-02-17). Biden's multi-Billion Afghan theft gets scant mention on TV News. mronline.org 
Two months ago (FAIR.org, 12/21/21), I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine.
(2022-02-17). From the Kingpins of Private Equity, A New Dagger to Democracy. inequality.org