12.22.20 Newsletter (and Citations Needed Reading List!)

Hi all,

Hope your holidays are going well as they can.  Once again, thank you for your support. 

In addition to this fortnight's newsletter (below),  we have complied a reading list of all the books written by our guests over the years if you're so inclined. 

You can check it out here:

Citations Needed Reading List  

For those who celebrate, have a Merry Christmas, and Happy (belated) Hanukkah! 

- Florence, Nima, Marco, Adam, and Julianne 

-----------------

How The New Yorker Fell Into the “Weird Japan” Trap Ryu Spaeth, The New Republic (December 17, 2020)

The New Yorker’s 2018 article about a supposed Japanese rent-a-family industry was found to be based on false sources.The incident shows how western media is eager to write up poorly-framed stories chronicling Japan’s supposed weirdness with little interest in challenging their preconceived assumptions.

Billionaires Want to Be the Gatekeepers of the Solar System Eleanor Penny, In These Times (December 17, 2020)

Donald Trump issued an executive order April encouraging public-private “partnerships” for space travel and resource gathering. The future of space travel and research increasingly looks like a program to enrich corporate figures like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as they lay claims to outer space territory.

“No Choice but to Do It”: Why Women Go to Prison Justine van der Leun, The New Republic (December 17, 2020)

A survey of women in prison on murder charges found that many of these women had suffered through cycles of abuse and have had their claims of abuse looked down on in the legal system. They also reported inadequate legal counsel provided by the states during their trials.

Walmart and Amazon Are Making Record Profits. Their Workers Are Getting Scraps. Alex N. Press, Jacobin (December 20, 2020)

Walmart and Amazon have reported record sales numbers this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, but employees have only received less than 10% of the additional profits from both companies. As workers in supermarkets of Amazon factories risk infection in order for the companies to make profit, these corporations have hoarded the money.

Bodycam Video Shows ‘Mob Mentality’ Of Boston Police Who Responded To George Floyd Protests, Lawyer Says Eoin Higgins, The Appeal (December 18, 2020)

Video of Boston police responding to protests over the killing of George Floyd showed officers discussing how to suppress the protest and brutalize participants. The footage reveals a mentality within the department of crushing dissent and gleeful abuse of power.

My Prison Is Still Flouting Public Health Guidelines Jewish Currents (December 17, 2020)

An incarcerated reporter in Washington state reports on how the prison has failed to provide new masks for prisoners in months. He also says that prisoners fear retaliation in reporting guards for not wearing masks.

Pfizer Helped Create the Global Patent Rules. Now it's Using Them to Undercut Access to the Covid Vaccine. Sarah Lazare, In These Times (December 17, 2020)

Pfizer, one of the companies that has produced a COVID-19 vaccine, has been a staunch opponent of an exemption for global intellectual property rules for a vaccine that could speed up distribution of the vaccine to poorer countries. In the 1980s, Pfizer spearheaded efforts to create these intellectual property laws to place their profits over mass availability of drugs.

The Coles Warehouse Lockout Is a Front-Line Struggle in the Battle Over Automation Lauren Kelly, Jacobin ( December 19, 2020)

Warehouse workers for one Australian supermarket chain Coles launched a strike against the warehouse after the company announced they will not retain workers in an automated factory. The protest and the ensuing lockout by Coles could be a look at a future of labor disputes over automation and associated anti-worker policies.