Google has dropped support for federated XMPP chat, in a move that tends to lock users in.

The change also hurts users' privacy and downgrades the use of free software clients. It is better to use other XMPP chat servers which continue to federate and thus don't lock people in.

Thugs crushed a protest in a Cambodian sweatshop by people working directly or indirectly for Nike.

Pressuring the UK to stay in the EU so it will suffer from a new free exploitation treaty.

The treaty is likely to include a nastier version of ACTA, as if the Digital Economy Act were not unjust enough.

Escaping from this will require every country to leave the EU.

The rest of the treaty will be harmful as well. In general, "free trade treaties" give business increased power over the government. What does business do with this power? It imposes austerity, evades taxation, trashes the environment, and hurts workers. The exact opposite of what the UK and all countries need.

Obama's speech allows progressives to imagine that Obama supports their goals, and allows hawks to imagine he supports theirs, and does not say much about what he will actually do.

That means we have to keep pushing.

Austerity in the UK has meant a boom for banks, but it is about to break the food banks.