Media
On this day, 25 October 1983, the United States invaded the Caribbean island of Grenada. The stated justification of the invasion was to “protect” US citizens. However, the real reason was very different. In the wake of their defeat in Vietnam, the US was keen to demonstrate its military and political might, and as a senior US official told New York Times journalist Bernard Gwertzman, “What good are manoeuvres and shows of force, if you never use it?” Scores of people were killed in the invasion, with hundreds wounded, as the US government toppled the left-wing government which had been established after independence from Britain. 18 civilians were killed when US aircraft missiles hit a psychiatric hospital. The new, pro-US government which was subsequently set up, established October 25 as a national holiday called “Thanksgiving Day” to commemorate the invasion. Political scientist Stephen Shalom subsequently pointed out the hypocrisy of the invasion. While no US citizens were at risk in Grenada, in some other countries in the region, some US citizens really were in danger. For example the four US nuns who were murdered by right-wing death squads in El Salvador. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9784/us-invades-grenada* If you find our social media posts interesting, you should have a listen our podcasts. Check them out, and see sources and more info on our posts, in our links in bio. There, you can also have a look at and maybe join our Patreon, which is how our work is funded.

TIL the Ovsiankina effect describes the innate human urge to finish tasks we've initiated. This tendency to resume an interrupted action is especially prevalent when the action hasn't yet been achieved. [source, comments]

TIL that political opponents used to insult each other with the label "Pharaoh" before Hitler came around. [source, comments]

Mit der Tötung des Hamas-Chefs wollte Israel die palästinensischen Kämpfer:innen demoralisieren. Doch das scheint zu misslingen. https://www.woz.ch/!SZMEQ6R15VW5

NEW: Julius Malema’s EFF is facing its toughest challenge yet. Following an electoral disappointment and key defections to Jacob Zuma’s MK party, the EFF’s future looks uncertain. Dive deep into the split reshaping South Africa’s political left: https://africaelects.com/2024/10/15/a-socialist-civil-war-can-the-eff-survive-zumas-brand-of-conservative-socialism/

#RSA

People who experience discrimination show distinct differences in their gut microbiome, including lower levels of anti-inflammatory bacteria and altered gene activity. Researchers could predict with 91% accuracy which study participants faced discrimination by only analyzing their gut microbiome

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#GutMicrobiome #Discrimination #HealthResearch #Inflammation #MicrobiomeScience

#Uruguay, presidential election:

Preliminary results, 90.0% counted

Orsi (FA, left|centre-left): 45.9% (+0.5)
Delgado (PN, centre-right): 28.4% (-0.3)
Ojeda (PC, liberal): 16.9% (-0.2)
...

(+/- vs. 70% counted)

Orsi and Delgado will go to the runoff

Media
On this day, 27 October 1970, the administration of president Richard Nixon passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, as part of their "war on drugs". According to journalist Dan Baum writing in Harper's Magazine, a Nixon adviser, John Ehrlichman, later admitted to him in an interview: "The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and Black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."Our podcast episodes 43-46 are about the movement against the Vietnam war. Listen on every major podcast app or on our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/09/23/e43-46-the-movement-against-the-vietnam-war-in-the-us/Pic: Richard Nixon signing the Drug Abuse and Treatment Act of 1972

TIL one of the longest writings preserved in Pompeii is the poem of a woman yearning for another woman [source, comments]

#Liechtenstein, final result:

Privatisation of public broadcaster Radio Liechtenstein referendum

Support: 55.4%
Oppose: 44.6%

Turnout: 59.3%

➤ europeelects.eu/liechtenstein

Song of the Day 🆕️🔥:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0u8ONlIp5Ww8GpjsAFLQ7I