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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Venezuela resists another imperialist coup attempt -- An overview of the day's dramatic events


Supporters of Maduro rally at the Presidential Palace
Early this morning (Tuesday, April 30) the American imperialist stooge self-appointed "president" of  Venezuela, Juan Guaido, arrived outside a Caracas airbase with a group of heavily armed paramilitaries to proclaim that a military coup was occurring to oust the legitimate President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido claimed to be in control of the base, which was rather quickly determined to be totally false. 

Shortly after Guaido did this "President of the National Constituent Assembly of Venezuela Diosdado Cabello denied the capture of La Carlota Air Base after a small group of soldiers revolted to promote a coup d'état with the far right against the government of Nicolas Maduro. 

"No military installation has been violated in the country, they are on the street in the Altamira Distributor and we are directing operations from La Carlota Air Base," he explained."


Guaido and his people later moved on from the airbase which was never in their control.

In fact, it would seem that only "a few thousand civilians and very few soldiers heeded the call" to join in this "uprising". 


So far the military appears to be remaining loyal to the legitimate government.

From The Guardian




That the ongoing attempt to overthrow the legitimate Venezuelan government of Maduro is a constant series of violent provocations on behalf of American imperialism and the American administration is made clear by the administration itself.


Venezuelan Foreign Minister


Be under no illusions about the kind of future Trump and crew have planned for Venezuela: Blackwater Founder Lobbying for Mercenaries in Venezuela to Oust Maduro: Report


US Green Party leader Jill Stein had some choice words for the administration and its media quislings: 



In contrast, Canada's Foreign Minister descended into farce. Only Chrystia Freeland could possibly go on about respecting "peaceful" protests when the day literally started with imperialist stooge Guaido arriving at a military base surrounded by heavily armed men calling for a coup against the country's legitimate government:


Far-right agitator and provocateur Leopoldo Lopez, who fled house arrest this morning to join with Guaido during the early triumphant claims that Maduro was about to be overthrown appears to have admitted that the coup has failed:



Predictably, Trump, unable to admit the administration narrative may be failing yet again, became unhinged threatening Cuba while his Secretary of State tried to pretend that Maduro remaining in power was all Russia's fault.  

Trump tweeted "“If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete....embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!”"

Cuba has remained a steadfast ally of the Venezuelan people. 


"We strongly condemn the attempted coup d’état under way in Venezuela. Cuba offers firm support and loyalty to Nicolás Maduro, the constitutional president of our sister nation and to his chavista and Bolivarian government. Let there be an end to the assaults on peace in Latin America." - Bruno Rodríguez, Foreign Minister of Cuba

For continuing live updates from a non-imperialist source see Telesur English. 

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Green Party...Not on the Left!


What garbage.

In an era when rapacious capitalism is destroying the planet and when just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions, if you are not on the left, you ARE on the right.

(Meme is an official Green Party of Canada tweet from April 25, 2019)

Reckless Ontario Cuts, Creeping Towards a Biden Disaster, the NDP and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 21 - 28


This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of April 21 - 28.



Among many others it has links to articles related to the Ontario cutbacks, the disastrous idea of a Biden nomination and opens with an excellent article and a podcast that take the blinders off about the NDP.

1) Want to Know What the NDP Believes In? Believe New Democrats

Stuart Parker 

We go to great lengths to perform a folk exegesis on the pronouncements of NDP officials so that we can understand them to be statements of practicality, unrelated to values and principles. We do that work. Nobody asks us to. We just do it for ourselves. The idea that the NDP wants to do something different than its actions in government and election platforms say has no evidentiary basis. This belief is derived not from evidence but from wishful thinking by social movement activists who do not want to face the work of creating new electoral political strategies and organizations.

2) Predictably: Welcome to Hellberta

Alberta Advantage Podcast 

Predictably, the Alberta NDP’s focus-grouped and poll-driven strategy to get re-elected failed, despite Jason Kenney’s campaign having multiple run-ins with xenophobia and white nationalism. Who could’ve foreseen after the 2016 Clinton-Trump contest that people would vote for magic nostalgic “make the economy better” beans, even if the leader in question is an asshole? Surely in Alberta, where Ralph Klein was Premier for 14 years, people at the ballot box ask themselves “hrmm I wonder who is more fit to be Premier?”

3) Public transit should be free, Victoria council says

Lindsay Kines,  Times Colonist

Victoria city council wants to see free public transit for everyone in the capital region.

4) If Victoria wants free transit, let city pay for it, premier says

Katie DeRosa  & Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist

Premier John Horgan pumped the brakes on the City of Victoria’s suggestion that the province fund free public transit in Greater Victoria, saying that if Victoria wants it, they can pay for it.

5) Worst timing ever: Ford budget cuts funds for flood protection

 Randy Robinson, Behind the Numbers

It seems like the wrong time to be cutting back on flood protection.

6) A Tory MPP wanted to triple Ontario's 50 Million Tree Program in 2015. Doug Ford just cancelled it

Fatima Syed, National Observer 

Not so long ago, a Progressive Conservative politician in Ontario was dreaming about trees.

7) Mississauga students learn electives being cut as Ontario moves to increase class sizes

Caroline Alphonso, The Globe and Mail

Senior students at a high school in Mississauga have learned that a number of courses in the arts, technology and social sciences are being scaled back or cut in the next academic year – providing a first glimpse into the impact of the Doug Ford government’s plans to increase class sizes.

8) 'An attack against libraries.' Officials react to loss of inter-library loan program

Denis Langlois, Owen Sound Sun-Times

Reactions from local library officials range from disappointment to anger over a massive government funding cut to the Southern Ontario Library Service that will result in an end to the inter-library loan program.





9) Rainforest Cafe workers strike against Ford’s race to the bottom

Leanne Pearce-Graham and Ryan Hayes, Rank and File

A pitched battle is currently taking place in Niagara Falls with implications for the future of decent work in Ontario. On Clifton Hill, the heart of Niagara’s tourist district, a courageous group of nearly 100 restaurant workers are on strike against one of the region’s largest employers: Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc.

10) CHEO issues list of fees for autism services: 'We are used to people handing us an OHIP card, not a bank card'

Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen

For the first time ever at CHEO, parents will be asked for a bank card so their children can receive autism treatment services.

11) A Massive "Strike Against Doug Ford" Is Being Held In Ontario Next Week

Jordyn Posluns, Narcity

Ontarians are fighting against the Premier's countless policy changes next week. A "General Strike Against Doug Ford" is being planned at Toronto City Hall on May 1st.  The strike's organizer describes on the event's Facebook page that the objective of the rally is "To make our voices heard, our numbers seen and our opinions respected by Mr. Doug Ford."

12) 4 Caricom Leaders Leave OAS Meeting to Boycott Guaido Rep

Telesur

Ambassadors from four Caribbean countries—St Vincent, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago—boycotted the spokesperson for the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, before he addressed the Organization of American States (OAS) in New York. The Caribbean leaders got up and left the room just before Gustavo Tarre spoke to the OAS to protest Guaido's claims and in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

13) Venezuela Blackouts Part of Planned US Operation: Russia Defense Ministry

Telesur

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin said the recent series of blackouts in Venezuela was due to a planned operation led by the United States.

14) Cuban Workers' Congress Raises its Voice Amidst U.S. Blockade

Telesur

Besides renewing commitments to their country, Cuban workers expressed their solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

15) US Sanctions 'Have Taken Thousands of Venezuelan Lives' Says Arreaza to UN

Telesur

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza at a United Nations (U.N.) meeting denounced the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and asserted that they are not against officials, but against the general population.

16) US imposes sanctions on Venezuela's foreign minister

RT

Washington has slapped sanctions on Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and a judge based in Caracas. The sanctions come a day after a damning report implicated US sanctions in the deaths of 40,000 Venezuelans.

17) US Ends Sanction Waivers for Countries Importing Iranian oil

Telesur

The waiver allowed China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece to buy Iranian oil without the risk of sanctions by Washington.

18) Moroccans protest prison sentences of anti-poverty activists

Amira El-masaiti, Associated Press

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Morocco's capital Sunday to condemn lengthy prison sentences given to dozens of activists, including the leader of the Hirak Rif poverty-fighting movement.

19) Bolsonaro: the First 100 days

Jörg Nowak, Socialist Project Bullet 

Near the end of the first 100 days of the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro – the first radical-right Brazilian president since the moderated transition from military dictatorship in 1985 to a democratic regime – the first meaningful protests, apart from some popular mocking and chants directed against him during Carnaval in February, took place since he assumed office on January 1st of this year.

20) TRUMP’S NEW ASYLUM POLICY IS LEAVING PEOPLE DESPERATE, SICK, AND STUCK IN MEXICO

Emily Green, Vice News 

Defendant #5 was sleeping in his father’s arms when his name was called.

21) The Greek Island That Became an Open-Air Prison for Refugees

Helen Benedict, The Nation 


A three-year-old EU-Turkey deal has made living on Samos a nightmare, especially for women.

22) Turkey's only communist mayor vows small steps to socialism

Reuters 

Turkey’s sole socialist mayor, who just stepped into office as mayor of the central district of the eastern province Tunceli, believes that despite capitalism’s firm roots in Turkey, he will have success in nudging it along “the path to socialism,” Reuters reported.



23) Oilsands CO2 emissions may be far higher than companies report, scientists say

Zach Dubinsky · CBC News

A number of major oilsands operations in northern Alberta seem to be emitting significantly more carbon pollution than companies have been reporting, newly published research from federal scientists suggests, which could have profound consequences for government climate-change strategies.

24) Why gender pay-gap truthers are on the rise

Zoe Williams, The Guardian 

The gender pay-gap truther”. It is such a distinctive phrase: that neologism of “truther” sitting peculiarly against the throwback of “pay gap”. Something about it tells you immediately that these truthers, like anti-vaxxers, like Russian trollbots, have been around longer than you realise. And you would be right: in polemical YouTube comment sections and Reddit threads, the gender pay gap is already a myth. End of. Simples.

25) Why Do Coops Hate Unions?

Marianne Garneau, Organizing Work 

Grocery coops not only inflict the same indignities on workers as corporate, for-profit stores – low pay, harassment, lack of benefits, etc. – but they are just as intolerant of unions. In fact, coops are arguably even worse than corporate groceries, because they cynically use the language of community and social mission to deepen their exploitation of workers, while using their supposedly democratic structures to evade accountability. They are a nightmare masquerading as a utopia.

26) Ilhan Omar Was Right on 'Black Hawk Down' Events in Somalia Despite Right-wing Media's Lies

Telesur 

In the latest attack on Ilhan Omar, the right-wing media dug out an old tweet criticizing death of Somalian civilians by U.S. troops but she was not wrong.

27) What a false accusation of antisemitism from Winnipeg’s mayor reminds us about political power

James Wilt, Canadian Dimension 

On Tuesday, Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman delivered a press conference calling for Linda Sarsour, a prominent Palestinian rights activist and New York-based co-chair of the Women’s March, to be removed from an upcoming speaking event for the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg’s centennial anniversary event.

28) THE BLOODY HISTORY OF BORDER MILITIAS RUNS DEEP — AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IS PART OF IT

Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept 

LAST WEEK, American vigilantes captured hundreds of migrants — including women and small children — along a darkened stretch of the border in New Mexico. The group, calling itself the United Constitutional Patriots, or UCP, uploaded video of its score to Facebook. Illuminated by the fluorescent glow of flashlights, the shaky footage showed weary mothers, fathers, and toddlers kneeling in the dirt, heads bowed, as the armed men circled around them.

29) In an election with religious undertones, Kerala’s Communists campaign on tolerance

Diana Kruzman, The Groundtruth Project 

On a sweltering March evening in India’s far south, as rows of red flags fluttered limply around a sea of red chairs, hundreds of people stood to watch Mariam Alexander Baby make his entrance.

30) Rahul Gandhi may think Wayanad is a safe seat, but the local Communists disagree

 Annalisa Merelli, Quartz India 

Wayanad, a rural district in the southern Indian state of Kerala, is the kind of place that could have inspired the descriptions of the Garden of Eden.

31) Why Is My Teacher Hanging Out With Sebastian Gorka?

Ben Pike, Jewish Currents 

LAST MONTH, a delegation of my fellow students from TanenbaumCHAT, a Jewish high school in Toronto, attended the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington. They were accompanied by a teacher, Aviva Polonsky, and a vice principal. One of the many speakers who addressed them over the course of the weekend was Sebastian Gorka, former advisor to Donald Trump, who was taking part in a National Congregation of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) event separate from the AIPAC festivities. Polonsky, who is the president of the Federation of Teachers in Hebrew Schools in Toronto, took to her personal Twitter account to share a photo of her and Gorka, as well as one including a group of students. The tweet, since deleted, read: “Honoured to finally meet the great @SebGorka the former Deputy Assistant to @realDonaldTrump and expert on #counterterrorism. #students of @TanenbaumCHAT heard an inspirational talk &Thank you for taking the time to empower them to stand up to #Antisemitsim &#AntiIsraelrhetoric.”

32) Schools out in Poland as 600,000 join strikes

Andy Zebrowski, Socialist Worker 

An all-out education strike in Poland is deepening as workers develop new forms of organisation to run the action.

33) OPP officer videotaped throwing girl to the ground during arrest in Sioux Lookout

Willow Fiddler, APTN National News

The incident, including a struggle where the officer is seen throwing the teen to the ground, was recorded by Dr. Debby Wilson Danard and her daughter.

34) Teen in care ends up in coma after complaining to family services about pain for weeks

Marina von Stackelberg · CBC News

The family of a Manitoba teenager who ended up critically ill in hospital says her medical concerns were ignored and dismissed for weeks by the youth detention centre and the group home responsible for her care.

35) 'You did not act in time': Greta Thunberg's full speech to MPs

Greta Thunberg, The Guardian 

My name is Greta Thunberg. I am 16 years old. I come from Sweden. And I speak on behalf of future generations.

36) Greta Thunberg teaches us about autism as much as climate change

Ian Birrell, The Guardian 

The young environmental activist has shown that being different is a gift. But too many people with autism still face cruel treatment.

37) Thousands of penguin chicks wiped out

BBC News

Thousands of emperor penguin chicks drowned when the sea-ice on which they were being raised was destroyed in severe weather.

38) U.S. Forces and Allies Killed More Afghan Civilians in Early 2019 Than the Taliban

Democracy Now

In Afghanistan, the United Nations says U.S., its NATO allies and Afghan security forces have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban. New U.N. figures show that, between January and March, anti-government fighters killed 227 civilians, while Afghan and international forces killed 305 civilians. The report also found U.S. and NATO airstrikes have killed 145 civilians so far in 2019—half of them women and children.

39) NYT Report: Navy SEALs Were Ordered to Remain Silent on War Crimes

Democracy Now

The New York Times is reporting that Navy SEALs who witnessed their platoon chief commit war crimes in Iraq were encouraged not to speak out, and told they could lose their jobs for reporting him at a private meeting with a superior officer last year. According to a confidential Navy criminal investigation obtained by the Times, the commandos said they saw Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher stab and kill an unarmed teenage captive, shoot to death a young girl and old man, and fire indiscriminately into crowds of civilians. But when the men on Gallagher’s team called a private meeting with their troop commander and demanded an investigation, they were told to stay quiet on the matter, and no action was taken. The group of seven SEALs eventually were able to force an investigation, and Chief Edward Gallagher was arrested in September on more than a dozen charges, including premeditated murder and attempted murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison. His trial begins May 28.


40) One year after the van attack, 'incels' are unrepentant

CBC News 

One year after the deadly van attack in Toronto, the misogynistic online community that inspired it remains unchanged. The alleged driver left posts on Facebook shortly before the attack using language from "incel" (involuntary celibate) forums, where men post anti-women vitriol and threats of sexual violence. Reporter Zack Beauchamp talks about the year he spent investigating incels. He says they continue to take no responsibility for the attack.

41) GOP judges launch bizarre attack on Black Lives Matter and the First Amendment


Ian Millhiser, Think Progress 


An opinion handed down Wednesday by three Republican judges could chill the First Amendment rights of protesters — and potentially allow police to shut down political movements by filing lawsuits harassing movement leaders.

42) Kansas Supreme Court Rules State Constitution Protects Right To Abortion

NPR

The Kansas Constitution protects a woman's right to an abortion, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

43) “A Shameful Week for the U.S.”: Trump Admin Guts U.N. Resolution to End Rape as Weapon of War

Democracy Now

The Trump administration is under fire after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to end rape as a weapon of war on Tuesday that excluded any mention of sexual and reproductive health. The resolution was gutted after the U.S. threatened to veto the measure altogether unless language referencing reproductive health was taken out due to the Trump administration’s belief that the language was code for abortion. The watered-down measure also weakened references to the International Criminal Court, making it harder for women and girls to seek justice. We speak with Jessica Neuwirth, director of the Human Rights Program at Roosevelt House at Hunter College and the director of the Sisterhood Is Global Institute. She sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo protesting the U.S. stance on the Security Council resolution. We also speak with Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen.

44) Rape and reproductive coercion are forms of violence against women. The UN should oppose both

Glosswitch, New Statesman 

What the Trump administration is doing is not about protecting unborn lives. It’s about power. It’s always about power.

45) REDress Forces Canada to Remember Murdered Indigenous Women

Telesur 


The color red signifies blood as a source of energy and power, but also a representation of violence and "the loss of that sacred lifeblood  through violence."

46) Exclusive: Some of the men executed in Saudi Arabia claimed their confessions were forced

Tamara Qiblawi and Ghazi Balkiz, CNN

Long before Saudi Arabia announced it had carried out one of the largest mass executions in its history earlier this week, some of the men condemned to death had made impassioned pleas to the courts in a bid to save their lives.


47) Bernie Sanders Calls Out Netanyahu's 'Racist Government'

Telesur 

U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in a recent discussion with CNN.

48) Israeli forces shoots blindfolded, handcuffed 16-year-old Palestinian boy in West Bank village

Yumna Patel, Mondoweiss

The Israeli military is coming under criticism after its forces opened live fire on a bound and blindfolded Palestinian teenager as he ran away from a group of soldiers attempting to detain him.

49) For NYT, Israel Is Always Nearing ‘Apartheid,’ but Never Quite Gets There

Gregory Shupak, FAIR

For almost 20 years, the paper has suggested that Israel/Palestine risks devolving into an apartheid state if it continues to rule over Palestinians in the territories—Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem—who cannot choose their rulers. This population includes approximately 4.75 million occupied Palestinians—320,000 in East Jerusalem, 2.8 million in the rest of the West Bank and 1.8 million in besieged Gaza—to say nothing of the millions of Palestinian refugees who cannot return to their homes and participate in elections because the people who put on those elections won’t let them.

50) 'Enough with Threats, Ultimatums,' Cuba Tells US


Telesur 

Cuba has had enough of U.S. threats and ultimatums, said President Miguel Diaz-Canel, denouncing 60-years-worth of northern power’s attempts to destabilize Cuba.

51) Police: Man plowed his car into crowd because he thought they were Muslim

Kiley Kroh, Think Progress

Isaiah Joel Peoples, a 34-year-old army veteran, deliberately drove his car into a crowd of people in Sunnyvale, California, because he thought some of them were Muslim, police said Friday.

52) San Diego Area Synagogue Shooting Leaves One Dead, Suspect in Custody

Audrey McNamara, Pilar Melendez, Justin Miller & Pervaiz Shallwani, Daily Beast

Officials called the incident a “hate crime” based on “statements the shooter made when he entered.” The shooting took place six months to the day since Pittsburgh attack.

53) Anita Hill Won’t Support Joe Biden After Disappointing Call Earlier This Month

Matt Shuham, TPM

Anita Hill, who testified before the Joe Biden-led Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 that then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her, said Thursday that she was not satisfied with a recent conversation she had with Biden about his conduct.

54) Joe Biden Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Branko Marcetic, Jacobin

Joe Biden just announced his candidacy for president. Of all the terrible candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, he is the worst.

55) Joe Biden is the Hillary Clinton of 2020 – and it won't end well this time either

Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian 

His is the vaguest and most centrist of battle cries: let’s go back to, you know, ‘all those good things’.

See also: Notre Dame Fire Exposes Deep Hypocrisy, Ontario Austerity Attacks, Revolution in Sudan and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 14 - 21

Friday, April 26, 2019

Peace, Friendship, Happiness - Lithuanian Internationalist Poster, c. 1980


Peace, Friendship, Happiness - Lithuanian Internationalist Poster, c. 1980

Thursday, April 25, 2019

After Work Cook Book w. Sweet Potato-Turkey Pie, Cheese-Crumbed Cornish Hens, Meatball Hot Pot & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: After Work Cook Book

Publication Details: Better Homes and Gardens, 1974

The After Work Cook Book from the folks at Better Homes and Gardens was one of many 1970s cookbooks they published, this one filled with recipes that were supposed to save you time and effort while  still impressing. As with a fair percentage of 70s cookbooks, this one is very high on the camp value and, among lots of classic or interesting recipes, has some period entries of humorously dubious taste.

We even looked at one of these previously in our post: Frank-Kraut Dinner - Sure to Get Everyone Buzzing.

Today we take a more general look at the book with, admittedly, an emphasis on some of the more outlandish fare.

There is the fondue setting that looks like it is lifted from the set of Logan's Run, the Confetti Meatball Supper that kind of has to be seen to be believed and the Sweet Potato-Turkey Pie that actually sounds like it would taste better than it looks.

We have also departed from our usual habit of headlining with an image of the book's cover as the photograph of the Sweet-Sour Chicken Mold is really quite a sight. It was also stamped as one that would be an "Entertaining Special". Indeed.

(Click on images to enlarge)













 



Carnation Revolution Ends Fascism in Portugal -- April 25, 1974


The Carnation Revolution (so-called due to its relatively peaceful unfolding and its leftist character) began in Portugal on April 25, 1974 sweeping away decades of fascist rule and bringing to power a popular and far left/Communist influenced government. The revolution not only liberated the Portuguese people from fascism, it also ultimately led to the end of the Portuguese colonial empire. After a series of sweeping reforms and democratization in all aspects of Portuguese society the far left attempted to seize power in November, 1975 and failed. This led to a wave of counter-revolution that, after elections in 1976, entrenched a liberal capitalist system in power.

Despite this setback the importance of the revolution for the people of Portugal, as well as for the people of countries like Angola and Mozambique, should not be underestimated. It stands as a magnificent example of how the power of the people can bring dramatic and positive change.

To learn more about the aims of the revolutionary government see our post: Portugal Freedom Year One 1926 - 1975, Ministry of Mass Communication

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Friends - P. P. Parhet, Ukrainian SSR 1947


Friends - P. P. Parhet, Ukrainian SSR 1947

One of the more evocative and emotionally powerful pieces of military art I have come across, Friends was done by Soviet artist P. P. Parhet just after the Second World War. Parhet understood his subject all too well having served in the Red Army during the war and having been awarded the Order of the Red Star for his service fighting the Nazis.

Parhet was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was born in Odessa in 1907 where he also died in 1986 after a lifetime spent, during times of peace, as a successful and noted artist. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Baked Salmon with a Sour Cream, Dijon and Dill Sauce


with Natalie

Today we are going to take a look at a recipe for baked salmon that uses a two-temperature method for cooking and that is served with a delicious sour cream, Dijon and dill sauce.

This is a very easy dish to make but it delivers a main that seems far more complex. Our favourite kind of cooking!

To begin you want to make the sauce that will go on the salmon at the end. It is good to make it a little bit before you start cooking the salmon to let the flavours blend. If you are making the sauce more than 30 minutes prior to cooking, however, you should refrigerate it and then bring it back to room temperature while the salmon cooks.

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 heaping teaspoon dried dill weed (If using fresh dill double the portions)
1 heaping tablespoon copped capers
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
dash or two (or to taste) of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend these ingredients thoroughly together in a bowl.

Once you have made the sauce take one large piece of skin-on salmon and place it in a shallow baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Season the salmon with salt, pepper and dried dill weed. Then drizzle some olive oil over the salmon. Let sit for 15 minutes.



Place the salmon in an oven preheated to 400 degrees and cook for 10 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 450 and cook for 5 or 10 minutes more depending on thickness and your desired doneness.



Serve cut into individual portions topped with the sauce and extra lemon wedges. This goes perfectly with a side of seasoned egg noodles or rice.



Enjoy.


Monday, April 22, 2019

Now 1988


1988 with a cigarette. Always with a cigarette.
I spent Saturday at Sandy's though it went nowhere good
melting ice cream from the ice cream trucks
kids laughing at the park poolsides
summer sings to lovers and we were lovers then



Bright sunshine Sunday Speedo tight getting ready for the beach
cars rolling by we got some beer and wine in the cooler
Topsy-turvy time growing up in the shadow of the bomb
but it was all really part-time jobs and sneaking fucks in the park
or bedrooms with mom and dad gone or that shed that no one could really see

Singers sing of perfect memories and perfect times but I just remember Monday
work done saving for school
making out on the subway not heading home but heading to your place
crashing early you left the TV on late night

Twilight on Tuesday and the patio is full
Danny singing again with Gil and Sam but they are never going to be anything other than high school stars
The waitress asked for your ID but not mine
You laughed after at the thought anyone could think you were named Breta.

Wednesday whimsical every week that season looking back
talking so intense so serious
seeming just a wish or a will away
falling asleep reading poetry classics
listening to the songs of parents and thinking we understood them more
listening to the new songs we heard them first

Forgetting things that would be left undone
You always hated getting up long mornings lying together when we could
Trains and buses take us
But Thursdays thrilling thinking forever love half price drinks
Funny those half price drinks

Saw you the other day
Friday driving home from work
Cell ringing my daughter calling
looked over to the oncoming lane
and you were on the phone two kids in the back
I thought you looked over for a second before you were gone

Happy Birthday Lenin! - Born April 22, 1870


Happy Birthday Lenin! - Born April 22, 1870

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Notre Dame Fire Exposes Deep Hypocrisy, Ontario Austerity Attacks, Revolution in Sudan and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 14 - 21

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of April 14 - 21.

It starts with sections related to the Notre Dame fire and the ongoing austerity attacks of the government in Ontario.

1) The billionaires’ donations will turn Notre Dame into a monument to hypocrisy

Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian 

Not least among this litany of ironies is that it takes a Catholic cathedral to remind us that we have barely advanced an inch from the medieval buying of indulgences, when the rich could amass their fortunes in as filthy a fashion as they liked – and then donate to the Church to launder their reputations and ensure their salvation. What was it that old Friar Tetzel used to say? “As soon as gold in the coffer rings, the rescued soul to heaven springs.”

2) Reaction of the rich to the Notre Dame fire teaches us a lot about the world we live in

Carl Kinsella, JOE

The next time someone tries to pretend like you need to choose between homelessness or immigration, nurses' pay or a tax cut, a children's hospital or a motorway, remember this moment. The money is there at a click of a finger. It just isn't in our hands.





3) Normandy Yellow Vests Statement About the Notre Dame Disaster

Stalker Zone

When we triumph, when democracy – true, direct, without a state, leaders or representatives – will be there, when we will self-manage our lives and our places of life, so we will decide what is necessary, vital, and important. So the markets, profits and money will be distant memories.

4) Notre Dame fire: Alt-right conspiracy theorists are using the cathedral blaze to spread anti-Muslim rhetoric

Clark Mindock, The Independent 

The inferno that has engulfed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris has been seized upon by far right provocateurs to spread anti-Muslim hate and conspiracies, even as officials said they have ruled out arson as the cause.



5) Ontario’s cuts to legal aid for refugees: Racist, xenophobic and possibly unconstitutional

Sharry Aiken and Sean Rehaag, The Conversation 

The recent Ontario budget included a 30 per cent cut to legal aid. This will cause hardship for many low-income residents of Ontario, who are disproportionately drawn from racialized communities.


6) Province slashes Ontario Library Service funding by 50%

CBC News 

Southern Ontario Library Service says it's facing a 50 per cent budget cut from the province, which would need to be absorbed into the current 2019-20 fiscal year.

7) Ontario budget cuts millions in compensation to victims of violent crime, advocates say

Alyshah Hasham, The Toronto Star 

Victims of violent crimes will get significantly less compensation after proposed changes in the provincial budget, including capping awards for pain and suffering at $5,000, advocates say.



8) Another 155 teachers receive surplus letters as Ford deflects questions about cuts

 Shanifa Nasser, CBC News 

Just one day after hundreds of teachers in Peel Region received word that they would no longer have permanent positions come September, over 150 more in neighbouring Halton Region learned they face a similar fate, the union representing them says.

9) Ontario’s Right-Wing Ford Government Advances Unconstitutional Bill To Silence Critics of Israel

Dimitri Lascaris

With the support of Ontario’s right-wing Premier, Doug Ford, a staunchly pro-Israel member of Ontario’s legislature is pushing a private member’s bill designed to silence critics of Israel.

10) Ontario slashes Toronto Public Health funds by $1B over a decade, board chair says

Lauren Pelley · CBC News

The Ontario government is slashing Toronto Public Health's funding by $1 billion over a decade as part of a plan to consolidate local public health units across the province, says the chair of the city's board of health — a move that's prompting an outcry from city officials.

11) Ont. university funding will be tied to graduates' earnings, minister says

The Canadian Press

Ontario's minister responsible for post-secondary education says institutions' future funding will depend on metrics such as graduates' earnings.

12) ACLU Warns of “Fascist Militia” Holding Migrant Border Crossers at Gunpoint

Democracy Now


The American Civil Liberties Union is warning that armed vigilantes are working directly with the U.S. Border Patrol to unlawfully detain hundreds of migrants at gunpoint along the U.S.-Mexico border. The ACLU cites videos posted on social media showing members of a militia group pursuing migrants in New Mexico’s desert west of El Paso, Texas, and effectively kidnapping them against their will. In one video, vigilantes armed with assault rifles are seen approaching a group of several dozen people seated on the ground, as the video’s narrator, a man named Jim Benvie, films.

13) The FBI Has Arrested The Leader Of An Armed Militia Detaining Migrants At The Border

Adolfo Flores, BuzzFeed News 

The FBI arrested the head of an armed right-wing "patriot" group that had detained hundreds of migrants at the New Mexico border on Saturday for being a felon in possession of a weapon.

14) Police Chief Rails At 'Nazis' Enforcing Laws After Girl Is Ordered Deported Without Mom

Mary Papenfuss, HuffPost US

An infuriated Houston police chief blew up Friday on Twitter after an 11-year-old girl was ordered to be deported without her family.

15) Defiant Resistance: The Venezuelan Crises and the Possibility of Another World

Jeremiah Gaster, Socialist Project Bullet 

Bob Dylan once said, “Let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.” February 23rd, 2019, was the day that Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed President of Venezuela, had “authorized” “humanitarian aid” to enter Venezuela, an attempt to force the Maduro government, and thus the Venezuelan people, to their knees. There is great urgency as an ever-increasing escalation of violence is being perpetuated by those who would destroy Venezuela, including several attacks on Venezuela’s electrical grid over the last few weeks. But let me be clear: the Venezuelan poor are resilient, and any change will be on their terms. Most importantly, Venezuelan politics is collective, and there is a deep form of solidarity across communities along with an abiding interest in building a different form of politics. In short, if one does not unearth this collective politics, one cannot understand what is happening in Venezuela.

16) Russia To Help Venezuela Probe Cyber Attacks on Electric Grid

Telesur 

Russian deputy foreign minister said Russia will help Venezuela in investigating the cyber attacks on the country which cause nation-wide blackouts.

17) Attendees of Secret Meeting for 'US Military Assault' on Venezuela Revealed

Eoin Higgins, Common Dreams 

A group dedicated to regime change in Venezuela held a secret meeting on overthrowing the country's government last week, according to reporting from The Grayzone Project.

18) US Pushing for War with Venezuela: Moncada

Telesur 

The President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, is secretly preparing for a war against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Samuel Moncada, said on his Twitter account.

19) With tightening of blockade, U.S. seeks to strangle Cuba…again

W. T. Whitney Jr., People's World 

“The Trump administration has declared the most severe new sanctions against Cuba since President John F. Kennedy imposed an economic embargo banning all trade with the communist island in 1962.” That was the assessment of William M. LeoGrande, a widely respected Cuba analyst, in reaction to announcements on April 17 by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton concerning new economic sanctions being imposed on Cuba.

20) Cuba just started giving PrEP away for free to those who need it

 Gwendolyn Smith, LGBTQ Nation 

A pilot program that began on March 6 has Cuban officials distributing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to those in need.

21) 'Pompeo has Lost His Mind': Chinese Ambassador to Chile

Telesur 

“There are numerous examples, including the relentless blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba for more than half a century, President Trump's construction of a separation wall along the border between the United States and Mexico, and the very little assistance provided by the United States to Haiti and Central American countries. Chileans are also well aware that Chile's development achievements are not the result of American charity."

22) Bolivian Lawmakers Ask for US Intervention in a Letter to Trump

Telesur 

A group of 10 deputies, two senators and three representatives of political and non-government organizations sent a letter to United States President Donald Trump asking to “intercede” in their country’s affairs, resulting in heavy criticism from Bolivian President Evo Morales.



23) The far right is trying to make crucifixes mandatory across Italy


Andy Hayward and Andrew Potter, Vice News

A northern Italian town in the heartland of Italy’s far-right League Party has adopted a new emblem, one that sends a clear message about the country's history: a Christian cross.

Cops in schools is the ultimate bad policing idea:



24) Contempt charges dropped against 14 protesters blocking B.C. pipeline project


Betsy Trumpener · CBC News

All contempt charges have been dropped against 14 people who were arrested at a blockade in northern British Columbia in January for barring access to a pipeline company.

25) Finland's Left Wing Party Scores Narrow Election Victory, Far-right Party Comes in 2nd

Telesur 

Finland’s leftist Social Democrat party (SDP) leader Antti Rinne has declared victory in Sunday’s general election after results showed his party winning by a very tight margin with 17.7 percent.

26) “Democracy has been hijacked in Guatemala”

People's Dispatch 

Daniel Pascual, coordinator of the Committee for Peasant Unity (CUC), speaks about the struggle for the rights of Indigenous and peasant people and for the defense of territory in Guatemala at a conference in Basque Country.

27) Man Charged with Hate Crimes over Fires at 3 Black Louisiana Churches

Democracy Now

A man accused of setting fire to three historically black churches in Louisiana was charged with hate crimes Monday. Holden Matthews, the 21-year-old son of a deputy sheriff, was also charged with three counts of arson after being arrested last week. The first blaze occurred at the end of last month, and the two others in early April. All three churches were in St. Landry Parish, about 30 minutes north of Lafayette.

28) Leaked Docs Show Saudis 'Overwhelmingly Dependent' on Western Weapons to Wage War on Yemen

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams 

Leaked documents from France's military agency "show that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are overwhelmingly dependent on Western-produced weapon systems to wage their devastating war in Yemen," The Intercept reported Monday.

29) What Alberta’s new UCP majority government means for the environment

Sharon J. Riley, The Narwhal 

Regulations and renewables are on the outs and battles with environmental groups are in, as Kenney promises to accelerate approvals of energy projects, scrap efficiency measures and fund an ‘energy war room’ to fight anyone who criticizes the province’s energy sector.



30) Ultranationalism in Ukraine – a photo essay

Felipe Dana, The Guardian 

The growing presence of far-right groups in Ukraine leaves the west in a quandary. The ultranationalists have played a key role in fighting Russia-backed separatist rebels and are now challenging government corruption. But they are pushing for changes that go against democratic ideals.

31) Rethinking Ottawa’s Transit System

Julia Szwarc, Socialist Project Bullet 

During the week of February 4-10, Free Transit Ottawa challenged Ottawa’s City Councillors and Mayor to take the Transit Week Challenge. The idea was simple: To get the people who make decisions about public transit to experience the system firsthand. To the surprise of the organizers, the majority of Council chose to participate. Some, such as Shawn Menard, Laura Dudas, and Theresa Kavanagh, enthusiastically took the challenge.

32) Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population

Rob Evans, The Guardian 

Half of England is owned by less than 1% of its population, according to new data shared with the Guardian that seeks to penetrate the secrecy that has traditionally surrounded land ownership.


33) ‘Citizens don’t feel safe’ as hate fills Edmonton’s streets

Omar Mosleh, Star Edmonton

Standing onstage, a man in a video recites a white supremacist slogan in Churchill Square — a place named after a world leader instrumental in defeating the Nazis.

34) Which has failed—capitalism or socialism?

Rick Nagin, People's World 

Although nearly every issue of The Wall Street Journal tries to combat growing public support for socialism, this only proves that Marx and Engels got at least one thing right when they wrote in the Communist Manifesto that the specter of communism continually haunts the ruling class.


35) Illinois Approves Ban On ‘Right-To-Work Laws’

CBS Chicago 

With the support of labor unions, a new bill prohibiting municipalities in the state from enacting “right-to-work laws” was signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker last week.

36) Sudan sit-in shows how ordinary people can run society and win real change

Charlie Kimber, Socialist Worker 

Sudan’s ruling class is desperately trying to reassert control as protests continue demanding fundamental change.

37) A First Victory for the Sudanese Revolution

Sungur Savran, Socialist Project Bullet 

Omar al Bashir, the 30-year long dictator of Sudan, the perpetrator of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the Darfour and South Sudan wars, the enemy of the working class and the poor of Sudan, the ally of the Muslim Brothers (the Ihwan), the collaborator of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP of Turkey, has been ousted. This is a result of the power and resilience displayed by the popular movement, the revolutionary struggle that has lasted for four and a half months. Blessings to the peoples of the Middle East and Africa! We owe a debt of gratitude to the people of Sudan for having demonstrated once again that despots are not stronger than a people in action. Our hearts beat for the success of the Sudanese revolution.

38) The Sudanese Revolution seeks unity against US imperialism and reactionary governments

International Communist Press

According to the statement of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party, issued on 15 April, the forces for Freedom and Change, including the Sudanese Communist Party, continue to play a leading role in furthering and consolidating the unity of the masses in the streets.

39) Our leaders are ignoring global warming to the point of criminal negligence. It's unforgivable

Tim Winton, The Guardian 

Humanity survived the cold war because no one pushed the button. On climate change, the button has been pushed again and again.

See also: Ontario Austerity, Far Right Win in Israel, Libya & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 7 - 14