(2022-12-27). Pandemic Poverty: Ray Suarez on How COVID-19 Set Back Low-Income Workers in the U.S., Especially Women. democracynow.org 
A new series of video reports by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Intercept called "Insecurity" looks at women leaving the workforce, the impact of the expanded child tax credit, and the wave of union organizing during the pandemic. The series spotlights people navigating food, housing and healthcare insecurity — who are falling through the cracks of the social safety net in the process. We feature clips from the series and speak with the host, Ray Suarez, former PBS correspondent and longtime journalist and an author, and Alissa Quart, executive director of the Economic Hardship…
(2022-12-27). Australian poverty report reveals impact of COVID austerity drive. wsws.org One in eight people in Australia, and one in six children, are now living below the poverty line as cost-of-living pressures increase.
(2022-12-27). The top 10 inequality victories of 2022Ôøº. nationofchange.org Champions of a more egalitarian society made important strides, building the power of workers while reducing the power of wealthy tax dodgers and greedy pharma execs.
(2022-12-27). Saturday 1/14: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: Less Is More. indybay.org Online: Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.
(2022-12-27). Sarath Kumara: Sri Lankan Trotskyist fighter dies at 57. wsws.org Sarath was a principled working-class fighter for Trotskyism until the very end—a life shortened by the economic circumstances and social misery created by capitalism.
(2022-12-27). Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen top three most attractive cities for people born after 1995: survey. ecns.cn Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are the top three most attractive cities for people born after 1995, who have an obvious tendency of working and living in cities in the east part of China.
(2022-12-27). "A Criminal Act": Taliban Government Bars Women from University, Working for NGOs in Afghanistan. democracynow.org 
International aid groups are suspending their relief programs in Afghanistan after the Taliban government announced on Saturday that humanitarian organizations are barred from employing women. The edict is the latest blow to women's rights in the country as the Taliban reimpose draconian rules they employed in the 1990s, when they were previously in power. Last week, the government also barred women from attending universities. We speak with Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which is one of several NGOs to suspend operations in the country, as well as Afghan educator and women's righ…
(2022-12-27). Turkey's new minimum wage accelerates collapse in living standards. wsws.org As big corporations and banks reap huge profits, the Erdoğan government's new minimum wage is accelerating the unprecedented decline in living standards.
(2022-12-27). Judge Donna Ryu condemns City of San Francisco's attacks on the homeless encampments. indybay.org Protest Against Attacks On San Francisco Homeless Encampments:…
(2022-12-27). Santa Cruz Homeless Death List for 2023: Follow-Up. indybay.org Two public ceremonies were held December 21st where the names of the unhoused dead for the year (some of them) were read. My response was the attached flyer, reprinted in the Serf City Times, suggesting some obvious but likely to be ignored remedies to ward off the 2023 deaths list. Also attached is the Homeless Persons Health Project/County report.
(2022-12-26). India Becomes Top Sugar Producer As Sugarcane Workers Fall Into Debt Due to Climate Change Destabilizing Farming. towardfreedom.org Oppressed people in India have helped build India into one of the largest sugar producers. But with that has come the bitter taste of labor-law violations and an endless loop of debt. Sanket Jain reports from the sugarcane fields of western Maharashtra.
(2022-12-26). 2022 FLASHBACK: Shaming Biden Into Ceasing Attacks On Student Debtors. levernews.com 
(2022-12-26). Save the Children among NGOs halting Afghan operations after ban on female staff. tribune.com.pk 
Three foreign aid groups, including Save the Children, announced on Sunday they were suspending their operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered all NGOs to stop their women staff from working. | The announcement came as top officials from the United Nations and dozens of NGOs operating in Afghanistan met in Kabul to discuss a way ahead after the Taliban's latest restriction delivered a blow to humanitarian work across the country. | "We cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without our female staff," Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE…
(2022-12-26). OIC condemns Taliban ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan. tribune.com.pk 
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday condemned the Afghan Taliban's announcement, which ordered all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to stop their women staff from working, saying that the ban is "self-defeating and disserving the interests of Afghan people". | The statement issued on the cooperation's official Twitter handle stated that OIC Secretary-General, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha expressed his concern over the reported ban, adding that the "move reflects a willful policy by the de facto leadership apparently seeking to further impact Afghan women's rights". | The…
(2022-12-26). Program to beef up plastics recycling. ecns.cn A joint working group consisting of industrial associations, plastics producers and recyclers has initiated a program to beef up the recycling of flexible plastics in China, a move experts believe will reduce waste and help with national climate targets.
(2022-12-26). More NGOs halt Afghan work after Taliban ban on women staff. tribune.com.pk 
Christian Aid and ActionAid on Monday became the latest foreign aid groups to suspend operations in Afghanistan after the country's Taliban rulers ordered all NGOs to stop women staff from working. | Announcements by the two groups take to six the number of bodies who have paused their operations in the country. | Christian Aid was "rapidly seeking clarity… and urging the authorities to reverse the ban", head of global programmes Ray Hasan said in a statement. | "Whilst we do this, we are unfortunately pausing the work of our programmes," he added. | ActionAid said that if women were banned from working with…
(2022-12-26). Autonomous Winter Support Mobilization: Street Patrol Basic Guide. popularresistance.org According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, approximately seven hundred people experiencing or at risk of homelessness are killed from hypothermia annually in the so-called United States. | Absolutely no one should be left to sleep outside during cold weather yet a range of factors may force people to sleep in the cold; from discriminatory shelters kicking people out, being kicked out of a house during a storm, being forced to flee an abuser, simply being unprepared, etc. Raids sweeps and anti-homeless laws, such as anti-camping ordinances push people to camp in hidden and dispersed areas which puts the…
(2022-12-26). With Nearly 60 Frostbite Injuries In Unhoused Community, Advocates Encourage Denver To Do Better. popularresistance.org Denver, Colorado — Thursday's weather is expected to be one of the coldest on record in the city of Denver due to an arctic cold front, bringing temperatures to well below zero degrees with the wind chill. In the weeks leading up to this potentially record breaking cold, medical health professionals with Denver Health and Hospital Authority and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) wrote a joint letter to two city directors recommending the city "take immediate steps to address current deficiencies in 1) criteria used to determine when warming centers are open, and 2) policies and procedures related…
(2022-12-26). Wednesday 12/21: Ninth Annual Homeless Person's Interfaith Memorial Service in San Jose. indybay.org Plaza of SCC Gov. building | 70 W. Hedding Street | San Jose, CA 95110…
(2022-12-26). Amid Inflation and Short-Staffing, Labor Organizers Demanded More in 2022. truthout.org Was it the pandemic? Was it new disasters from climate change? Was it the fact that employers are still begging for more workers? Whatever it was, workers were ready to throw down this year. In the face of inflation and short-staffing we demanded more money in our paychecks, and more time for our lives outside of work. We organized; we even exercised our strike muscles. And crucially… |
(2022-12-26). The Top 10 Inequality Victories of 2022. juancole.com By Sarah Anderson | Inegality.org | Congratulations to everyone who worked to move the country and the world towards greater equity in 2022. Herewith are 10 of the most inspiring economic inequality victories of the year. 1. The Union Boom No question. The union organizing surge has been this year's top story. Petitions for …