(2018-08-31). Fifteen Ways the Democrats Can Lose the November Elections. counterpunch.org 1. Focus on Donald Trump's personal scandals, the Russian interference, and Trump's outrageous and hugely distracting daily tweets. 2. Overlook what Trump's henchmen are specifically doing to cause more deaths, injuries, and disease. Ignore this administration's efforts to scuttle health and safety standards; stop law enforcement against corporate outlaws who pollute the environment, marketplace, and workplace; take More
(2018-08-30). The 'Ethics' of the Catholic Bishops? Freud Had a Name for That. alternet.org 
Freud developed his hypotheses about human nature in precisely the kind of situation that Catholic dogmas have created: a culture that is highly repressive of sexuality. | As Pennsylvania investigators worked to confirm up to 1000 cases of sexual abusecommitted by Catholic priests, a (2018-08-30). VA Attracts Private Firms Pushing Dubious PTSD Treatments. truthdig.com As the Department of Veterans Affairs attempts to address a mental health care crisis, top officials warn of medical claims "made falsely, with ill intent."
(2018-08-30). Venezuela Denounces Regional Anti-Migrant 'Xenophobia' as Brazil Militarises Border. venezuelanalysis.com The Maduro administration contrasted the recent attacks against Venezuelan migrants to its own open door policy which has seen foreigners benefit from free health, housing, education, and food programs.
(2018-08-30). US teens swap books for social media, reading drops from 60 to 16 percent in half a century – study. rt.com 
Researchers are sounding the alarm over US teenagers' mental health and abilities, as a new study finds they've almost completely dropped books for social media. In the 1970s, 60 percent read books and in 2016 – just 16 percent.
(2018-08-29). Progressive Andrew Gillum the victor in Florida Dem gov primary. peoplesworld.org 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Tallahassee, Fla., Mayor Andrew Gillum, who touted his working-class roots and his progressive stands — such as Medicare For All and the Fight for $15 and a union — on the campaign trail, upset establishment favorite Gwen Graham to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Florida's August 28 primary. | Gillum thus becomes the third African-American — along with Maryland's Ben Jealous and Georgia's Stacey Abrams — the Democrats will field for governorships this fall. All are progressives, backed by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., National Nurses United or all of the above. And Abrams picked up the endorsement, last year, of the Georgia AFL-CIO. | To put their nominations in perspective, only two African-Americans — Virginia's Doug Wilder and Massachusetts's Deval Patrick, both Democrats — have ever held governors' chairs anywhere…
(2018-08-29). DeVos scheme to divert education dollars to guns under fire. peoplesworld.org 
neatoday.org | "Arming teachers and school staff is not the answer. According to an NEA survey, seven in 10 educators said arming school personnel would be ineffective at preventing gun violence in schools and two-thirds said they would feel less safe if school personnel were armed." | NEA quoted Norwich, Conn., elementary school teacher Corinne McComb: "We don't want to be armed. We want better services for our students: More psychologists and counselors who can be present for the students more than one day a week or month. We need services for families. We have the money, we can do this." | Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was one of the 14 students — and three AFT-member teachers — massacred at Douglas High, angrily tweeted: "DeVos, after my daughter was murdered, you yelled 'Don't talk about guns, talk about mental health.' Your brain-dead…
(2018-08-29). 'Skyrocketing' US STDs: Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea & syphilis reach record levels. rt.com 
Health officials have issued stark warnings as data reveals that sexually transmitted infections are soaring in the US. A report has found that cases of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea have spiked for the fourth year in a row.
(2018-08-29). Smoking hot: E-cig explodes in man's pants (VIDEO). rt.com 
The health risks of vaping are up for debate but at least one California e-cigarette owner might think twice about puffing on one in the future after his device suddenly exploded inside his pocket.
(2018-08-27). At least Trump is not a 'zombie' telling 'beautiful lies' — Tech investor Peter Thiel. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump may be a "rude, mean person" but he is a "very healthy corrective" to a culture of political correctness and ideological platitudes, former Silicon Valley magnate Peter Thiel has said.
(2018-08-26). Beware the Race Reductionist. theintercept.com 
A hostage situation has emerged on the left. And progressive policies like "Medicare for All," a $15 minimum wage, free public education, a "Green New Deal," and even net neutrality, are the captives. | The captors? Bad-faith claims of bigotry. | According to an increasingly popular narrative among the center-left, a dispiriting plurality of progressives are "class reductionists" — people who believe that economic equality is a cure-all for societal ills, and who, as a result, would neglect policy prescriptions which seek to remedy identity-based disparities. | Of course, race and class are so interwoven that any political project that aims to resolve one while ignoring the other does a disservice to both. As Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., presumptive leader of the progressive movement, put it this spring when I asked him about the never-ending race versus class debates: "It's not…
(2018-08-25). Medics warn of dangerous 'kissing bug' disease as 300,000 Americans already infected. rt.com 
Health experts are warning that the potentially lethal parasitic disease spread by 'kissing bugs' has taken hold in the US, with more than 300,000 Americans contracting it. |
(2018-08-21). Headlines for August 21, 2018. democracynow.org In Historic Letter, Pope Condemns Catholic Church Sex Abuse and Cover-Up, Trump to Announce Massive Rollback of Obama-Era Coal Regulations, In Racist Comment, Trump Says Hispanic Border Agent "Speaks Perfect English", Taliban Fires Rockets at Afghan Presidential Palace, India: Death Toll Rises to 400 in Kerala's Historic Flooding, French Oil Company Total Withdraws from Iran in Wake of U.S. Sanctions, Microsoft: Russian Hackers Targeting Conservative Think Tanks, Michigan Health Director Faces Involuntary Manslaughter Trial over Flint Water Crisis, NYT: #MeToo Leader Asia Argento Paid Off Her Sexual Assault Accus…
(2018-07-23). Venezuela to Invest €293m to Modernise Public Health System as National Nurses' Strike Continues. venezuelanalysis.com Maduro has called for a "revolution within the revolution" in the health sector.