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Ancient Greek ‘Yearbook’ Discovered On 2,000-Year-Old Tablet
A recently translated 2,000-year-old Greek marble tablet is being recognized as a primitive version of a yearbook that includes the signatures of students completing ephebate, a military training and civic education program of the era. What do you think?
Review: The Second and Third Internationals and the Vienna Union (1922)
This short book is a transcript of a long-forgotten meeting that took place in Berlin’s Reichstag in early April 1922. At the initiative the Austrian Social Democrats and their colleagues in what came to be known as the “two-and-a-half” International, representatives of the Second and Third Internationals came together to discuss possible joint actions and the holding of an international conference.
Everyone who was anyone on the international Left seemed to be there. From the old Second International, people like Britain’s Ramsay MacDonald, Belgium’s Vandervelde and even Georgia’s Tsereteli were present. Many of their representatives had participated in the international delegation that visited independent Georgia just 18 months earlier. The Communists sent Karl Radek as their main spokesman, backed up by such notables as Klara Zetkin, Bukharin and even the legendary Sen Katayama from Japan. The Vienna group included prominent representatives of the Russian Mensheviks, among them Martov.
Friedrich Adler opened the event with cautious optimism, but over the course of several sessions it was Radek’s voice above all that prevailed. Here, perhaps for the first time, we come across whataboutism as part of the Communist polemical toolkit. Both Socialist internationals come demanding that the Bolsheviks grant self determination to Georgia — an issue that comes up in every session. Radek’s replies are invariably along the lines of “What about Congo? What about Ireland?” As Tsereteli points in an appendix, this was the first time that the Bolsheviks publicly admitted that they had, in fact, invaded Georgia — they had not come to support a local workers’ uprising, as they had claimed during the previous year.
A century later, this short book still makes for compelling reading — and shows us the beginnings of the historic split between democratic socialism and Communism.
Global: IDWF Message on International Domestic Workers Day 2022
China: Unions to build power within China’s belt and road initiative
Company Offering $2,000 To Release 100 Cockroaches Into Home
A pest control company in Raleigh, NC is offering $2,000 to release 100 cockroaches into the homes of volunteers as part of a study on the efficacy of various DIY cockroach treatments. What do you think?
Tampon Shortage Solved After Woman Shakes Out Bag
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA—Following weeks of low stock and empty shelves at many of the nation’s drugstores, the maker of Tampax products announced Thursday that the tampon shortage had been resolved after a local woman shook out her bag and rummaged through all the items that had accumulated inside it. “Thankfully, we…
Top Experts Divided On Whether It’s Better To Beat The Heat Or Have Fun In The Sun
WASHINGTON—Debating the best public course of action for dealing with the record-breaking temperatures expected across the country this week, top experts were reportedly divided Thursday on whether it was better to beat the heat or have fun in the sun. “On the one hand, heatstroke is very serious and people should…
Study Links Postpartum Depression To Baby Immediately Slapping, Flipping Off Mother After Birth
NEW YORK—In what doctors are calling a landmark discovery vital to understanding mental health, a new study published Thursday in The American Journal Of Psychology found that postpartum depression was directly linked to a baby immediately slapping and flipping off its mother after birth. “In terms of a woman…
BREAKING: Onion Lotto Jackpot Up To 9 Bucks
CHICAGO—Boasting the largest payout in the history of the game, officials announced Thursday that the Onion Lotto Jackpot was now up to nine bucks. “Play the Onion Lottery now for your chance to win the grand prize of nine whole dollars—and counting,” the statement read in part, adding that it was not too late to buy…
Motorcycle-Revving Janet Yellen Folds Up Picture Of Cryptocurrency Before Speeding Away
WASHINGTON—Wrapping her leather-gloved hand around the throttle of a vintage Harley-Davidson, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen folded up a picture of a highly volatile new cryptocurrency, revved her bike’s engine, and sped away in pursuit, sources at the scene reported Thursday. “You can run, but you can’t stay…
Onion Gift Guide: Father’s Day Gifts For Every Type Of Dad
Dads. Almost everyone has between one and one thousand, and it’s about time to give them their due. This Father’s Day, you don’t want to be the only one who isn’t lavishing your special dad or 1,000 dads with a gift that speaks to their own special interests. The Onion provides recommendations for the best Father’s…
New Ohio Law Allows School Employees To Carry Guns With 24 Hours Of Training
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a new bill into law that makes it easier for teachers and staff to carry guns on school premises, reducing the hours of training required for armed school personnel from 700 to 24. What do you think?
India: On International Domestic Workers Day, We Must Recognise the Discrimination Many Still Face
Tunisia: Union holds massive strike in challenge for President Saied
Liberia: Health Workers of Liberia received Global Labour Prize
UK: We Demand Better: British unions to rally in London on Saturday