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A Letter to Brazil, from a Friend Living Under Duterte

Walden Bello October 29, 2018 Walden Bello

Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

This commentary is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and TheNation.com.

Dear friends:

I’m writing to you on the eve of your going to the polls to determine the future of your wonderful country.

I think it’s no exaggeration to say that the fate of Brazil hangs in the balance. It’s also hardly a hyperbole to assert that the election will have a massive geopolitical significance, since if Brazil votes for Jair Bolsonaro, the extreme right will have come to power in the western hemisphere’s two biggest countries. Like many of you, I’m hoping for a miracle that will prevent Bolsonaro from coming to power. read more

“We Feel Abandoned and Disposable:” How Thousands of Mexico’s Seniors are Exploited in Unpaid Jobs

Tamara Pearson October 18, 2018 Tamara Pearson

In Mexico, over 30,000 people over the age of 60 are working long unpaid shifts as bag packers in supermarkets. These unpaid laborers are up to 89 years old. They have no work contract and receive no benefits. These workers frequently have to perform other duties such as cleaning and stocking, for no pay or tips. And although they aren't being physically or violently forced to do this work, they don't really have a lot of choice.