(2020-07-17). A Proposed Origin for SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org 
In all the discussions of the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, enormous scientific attention has been paid to the molecular character of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including its novel genome sequence in comparison with its near relatives. In stark contrast, virtually no attention has been paid to the physical provenance of those nearest genetic relatives, its
(2020-07-17). Nicaragua: The Revolution Won't Be Stopped. popularresistance.org 2019 was an amazing year in the search for peace in Nicaragua with The Amnesty Law and the promotion of reconciliation between neighbors in every corner of the nation. It was a year of life-giving advances in all aspects of wellbeing: poverty reduction, health, education, gender equity, recreation, culture and infrastructure; strengthened food security, and a new highway that joins Bluefields to the rest of the nation making the first paved transit route from the Caribbean to the Pacific. | And all this despite cruel US unconventional warfare against the Sandinistas that has gone on for decades and reached a peak…
(2020-07-15). Hancock 'not frankly interested' in Gove not wearing a mask while shopping. thecanary.co 
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said he is "not frankly interested" in his Cabinet colleague Michael Gove being pictured in a shop without a mask ahead of them being made compulsory to slow the spread of coronavirus.The senior Cabinet Office minister, who had earlier sparked confusion by suggesting face coverings would not be mandatory in shops in England, was photographed uncovered in Pret A Manger despite insisting it was "basic good manners" to wear a mask.His maskless face was in stark contrast to that of international trade secretary Liz Truss, who minutes earlier had left the same store in Westminster wea…
(2020-07-14). Soft Power: Americans in Its Grip at Home Must Face the Mischief It Wields by BNimri Aziz July 11/2020. counterpunch.org I suspect most Americans would approve of what they understand to be this nation's global cultural reach as expressed through its 'soft power'. A term coined by an American political scientist, soft power "involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction". Contrasted with coercive measures, it's achieved largely through cultural means, although nevertheless