Activism

Slate’s Person of the Year: Edward Snowden

Staff / Truthdig Dec 11, 2013 Though Pope Francis beat the whistle-blower for the title in Time magazine, Snowden's story remains one of the most influential of 2013; the Russian government will set up protest zones at the Sochi Winter Olympics; and Instagramming every moment may be altering your memory. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Top Authors Lend Their Names to Anti-Surveillance Campaign

Staff / Truthdig Dec 10, 2013 At least they'll put it really well: A coalition of more than 500 major writers from some 81 countries has composed and signed a petition condemning the increasing violation of civilians' privacy by state-sponsored surveillance programs. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Another Casualty of L.A.’s Cultural Indifference?

Paul Von Blum / Truthdig Dec 10, 2013 The artistic record in a region that aspires to world-class status has been problematic when it comes to censorship and preservation. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Nelson Mandela

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Dec 10, 2013 It speaks volumes about Nelson Mandela's political transcendence that this former militant socialist was just praised by a conservative like Newt Gingrich as "one of the greatest leaders of our lifetime." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Ukrainians Topple Lenin Statue in Protest

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 9, 2013 Hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where Sunday they pulled down a statue of Vladimir Lenin to seek the resignation of the government for refusing a deal that would integrate the country more closely with the European Union. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Unemployment IS Down: When Good News Really Isn’t

BLANK Dec 9, 2013 Those who were heartened by the recent drop in the unemployment rate have less to cheer about than it seems as the gap between those with jobs, and those who have given up, yawns widely. The percentage of working-age Americans with jobs is still painfully low -- and not likely to change soon as corporations hoard cash. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

How Elizabeth Warren Is Scaring the Crap Out of Think Tanks and Banks

Staff / Truthdig Dec 8, 2013 The Massachusetts senator caused a stir this week after the Third Way think tank wrote an op-ed Monday warning Democrats not to follow Warren "over the populist cliff." But what's truly behind this resentment toward Warren? Fear, of course. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

L.A. Social Workers Say ‘Social Worker-to-Child Ratios’ Unsafe

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 7, 2013 "More than 1,600 social workers in Los Angeles County have gone on strike for better pay and fewer caseloads, saying excessive demands were buckling the system and jeopardizing children's safety," The Guardian reports. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

McDonald’s Advises Workers How Much to Tip Their Pool Boys and Au Pairs

BLANK Dec 6, 2013 McDonald's once again displayed its utter ignorance of the lives of its low-wage workers in an online advice column recommending seasonal tipping rates for luxury services And on the same day those workers joined a nationwide walkout protesting poverty wages Yes, Ronald McDonald is a clown, but still . Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Before Mandela Was a Hero, the Right Called Him a Terrorist

BLANK Dec 6, 2013 As the world mourns Nelson Mandela's death, it also should take a clear-eyed look at his life and the world in which he struggled -- and remember those who aligned with the racist apartheid regime of South Africa. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Economics of Wage Slavery

Staff / Truthdig Dec 6, 2013 This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: Raising the minimum wage, how Oprah Winfrey enabled a self-help disaster, the media vexxing of Hillary Clinton, and we look for the worst judge in America. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Egypt’s Revolution: Director Jehane Noujaim Talks About Capturing the Tahrir Square Uprising

Emily Wilson / Truthdig Dec 5, 2013 The Egyptian filmmaker says what happened in Tahrir forever changed the consciousness of the country. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )