The Gates Foundation Education Reform Hype Machine and Bizarre Inequality Theory
Adam Bessie and Dan Carino, Truthout: Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, wants you to believe that the biggest cause of inequality is “the failures of public education,” and in particular, “bad teachers.” In this graphic, interactive investigation, take a look under the hood of the Gates Foundation’s multimillion dollar public relations machine designed to turn you into a reformer.
Henry A. Giroux | The New Authoritarianism in an Age of Manufactured Crises
Henry A. Giroux, City Lights: Important issues are buried in the fog of “manufactured crises,” designed to stir popular sentiment but actually legitimizing policies that benefit the wealthy and hurt working- and middle-class communities, says Henry Giroux in this excerpt from his latest book.
Envisioning Where We Want to Go: An Interview With Evolutionary Reconstructionist Gar Alperovitz
Leslie Thatcher, Truthout: Longtime activist, historian and political-economic theorist Gar Alperovitz conducted an email interview with us on the occasion of the creation of his new website, the Pluralist Commonwealth.
Blood on All Our Hands: Don’t Thank Me for My Service Redux
Camillo Mac Bica, Truthout: Years after writing the much-read and controversial piece “Don’t Thank Me for My Service,” Camillo (Mac) Bica reflects on the same theme, responding to readers who were taken aback by his approach and veterans who found comfort in his words.
Historically, Black Leaders Supported Palestinians; Why Less So Now?
Bryan K. Bullock, Truthout: Today‘s silence by mainstream black leaders in the face of Israeli aggression against Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip stands in stark contrast to the historic support of the Palestinians by African and African-American leaders.
Truthout Interviews William I. Robinson on the Israel Lobby Attacking Academic Freedom
Ted Asregadoo, Truthout: Professor William I. Robinson talks about his six-month ordeal defending his right to academic freedom and free speech against a coalition of groups that comprise part of the Israel lobby in the US.
Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report: Wearing hoodies for Trayvon Martin or shouting, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” in memory of Michael Brown may galvanize popular anger but they aren’t substitutes for revolutionary change. That is the only way to undo centuries of injustice.
Paul Krugman | Republicans Are Devoted to Protecting the Reagan Myth, No Matter What
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: Did you know that over the course of the Carter administration – January 1977 to January 1981 – the economy actually added jobs faster than it did under Ronald Reagan? But don’t expect the Reaganolators to acknowledge that. Their whole sense of identity is bound up with their faith.
What Chicago’s Upcoming Mayoral Race Says About the Power of Movements
Kate Aronoff, Waging Nonviolence: If the recent elections of Chokwe Lumumba in Jackson, Mississippi, and Kshama Sawant in Seattle are any indication, teachers and other forces on the left can actually build and consolidate power in the realm of electoral politics.
Four Things You Probably Don’t Know About the Ferguson Protests
Robin Marty, Care2: In Ferguson, Missouri, much of the focus has been on protests, media suppression and danger on the streets at night. Lost in all of that are a few key stories you may not be aware of.
Laura Finley takes a stand against urine sample drug testing at schools and work places;Svetlana Tsiberganova warns of fascist leanings in Ukraine’s “Left”; Max Eternity describes the appropriation of the “official” story about Ferguson and the Michael Brown shooting by white reporters; Kathy Kelly visits the extraordinary Borderfree Community Center in Afghanistan; Albuquerque poet laureate Hakim Bellamy writes about the dehumanization and killing of black men in the United States; Rory Fanning calls out CNN for a biased and inaccurate report on how police became militarized; Calvin F. Exoo considers the troubling politics behind illegal marijuana and legal alcohol; the Center for Constitutional Rightsannounces that a pivotal ruling in the first Guantánamo Bay conviction has been overturned; Reprieve reveals findings that a US citizen has been turned over to a secretive, US-funded court in Yemen; the Campaign to STOP Genetically Engineered Trees is gearing up to halt the global distribution of genetically modified eucalyptus trees; the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy says trade rules encourage gutting human rights to facilitate corporate profits; and more.
BuzzFlash
The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will return soon.
Obama Orders Review of Military Equipment Supplied to Police
Read the Article at The New York Times
ACLU: Heavily Redacted Ferguson Police Report on Michael Brown’s Death Violates Law, Omits Key Public Information
Read the Article at Yahoo News
London Rapper-Turned-Jihadist Believed to Be Under Investigation for the Murder of Journalist James Foley
Read the Article at The Independent
Cash Raised for Officer Darren Wilson Surpasses Donations to Michael Brown’s Family
Canada’s First Nations People Seek to “Evict” Energy Companies From Land
Read the Article at Al Jazeera America
Texas Court Decides Companies Can Legally Lie to Their Employees
Read the Article at Addicting Info
Rick Perry’s Indictment Will Curb His Gun-Toting Ways
Spirit In Action 