(2023-01-07). [Perspectives] Unhealthy histories: sports and addictive sponsorship. thelancet.com Professional sport has been criticised for its role as a vehicle to market addictive products or services. Despite the harmful health effects on society, football audiences are inured to seeing sponsors of such products not only on pitch-side hoardings and shirts, but also embedded in television rights, competition names, prematch build-up, corporate hospitality, and social media. Tobacco's successful movement into sports sponsorship established the template on which other addictive sponsors, notably the alcohol and gambling industries, built their strategies.
(2023-01-07). Republicans elect House speaker on 15th ballot, Biden praises police and "patriotic" Republicans. wsws.org In the aftermath of the November midterm elections, media pundits proclaimed a "victory for democracy" and "return to normalcy" in American politics. The events of Friday, however, the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol by a fascist mob incited by the sitting president, have well and truly exploded all such fantasies.
(2023-01-06). Kiev Snubs Christmas Truce… No Peace or Goodwill From NATO and Its Frankenstein Monster. strategic-culture.org The United States and its NATO allies do not want any chance of diplomacy and peace breaking out. | Russia's unilateral truce for the Orthodox Christmas this weekend was rejected out of hand as "cynical propaganda" by the United States, European Union, NATO and the NeoNazi regime in Kiev that they support. Who are the real cynics here? | While Moscow declared on Thursday arrangements for a temporary respite in the conflict, the U.S. and its NATO allies were on the same day announcing plans for a further escalation with the new supply of tanks and more missiles to the Kiev regime. | Reports Friday also indicate th…
(2023-01-06). Wage Growth Slows as Unemployment Falls Back to Half-Century Low. truthout.org The December employment report showed a very strong labor market but much less evidence of inflationary pressures than in prior months. The unemployment rate fell back to 3.5 percent, its half-century low. The U-6 measure of labor market slack fell to 6.5 percent, its lowest level on record. At the same time, wage growth moderated. There was a sharp downward revision to the November data. With 0.3… |
(2023-01-06). Unemployment Falls Back to Half-Century Low, but Wage Growth Slows. cepr.net The pandemic increase in the length of the average workweek has been completely reversed. | The December employment report showed a very strong labor market but much less evidence of inflationary pressures than in prior months. The unemployment rate fell back to 3.5 percent, its half-century low. The U-6 measure of labor market slack fell to 6.5 percent, its lowest level on record. | At the same time, wage growth moderated. There was a sharp downward revision to the November data. With 0.3 percent growth in the average hourly wage reported for December, the annualized rate over the last three months is just 4.1 p…
(2023-01-06). 2 Years After Jan. 6, Part of Congress Has Been Shut Down Again by the Far Right. truthout.org Friday marks two years since the January 6 Capitol insurrection, when President Donald Trump incited thousands of supporters to violently storm Congress, attempting to overturn the 2020 election. The attack on the Capitol briefly shut down Congress as lawmakers fled for their safety from the mob, which included members of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and other violent extremist groups. |
(2023-01-06). Coup plotter McFaul turns his attention to Georgia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The MessengerJanuary 6, 2023 President Biden should call on President Zourabichvili to pardon Mikheil Saakashvili, Michael McFaul says The former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul published an extensive opinion letter about Mikheil Saakashvili in the Washington Post and called on President Joe Biden, together with European democratic leaders, to immediately come out with a …