Portside

The CBC Alternative Budget for Fiscal Year 2014 puts forth a plan that reduces the deficit and alleviates harm inflicted by austerity measures in a responsible and fiscally sound manner. Furthermore, it proposes significant investments to accelerate our economic recovery and ensure that our recovery is felt in every community in America.

These regional disparities go back to Reconstruction, when Southern Republicans increased property taxes on defeated white landowners and former slaveholders to pay for the first public services — education, hospitals, roads — ever provided to black citizens. After Reconstruction ended in 1877, conservative Democrats — popularly labeled “the Redeemers” — rolled taxes back to their prewar levels and inserted supermajority clauses into state constitutions.

"God don't like ugly and the devil is a liar."

"We want to guarantee the access of all families to the benefits of social programs from the federal executive.”

"Both have two central elements in common. They criticize public education in their countries, and they're financed and backed by important people in the business world."

Bahraini police fired tear gas and sound bombs to disperse hundreds of youth protesting in several Shiite villages over Saudi-backed deployment that has lasted three years since uprising.

Unemployment, Climate Change, Public Education, Minimum Wage and More

Bittorrent has just released a new streaming service, BitTorrent Live, to the public. The goal is to make it possible for the public to send video to thousands of people, all over the world. From dissidents reporting on uprisings to soccer moms who want to send video of a game to family and friends, everyone is included. Bittorrent Inc's Justin Knoll says, “We’re aiming for this to be a democratization of streaming technology.”

Ideological purity! Patriots only! The heresy hunters of this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference sniffed out and rejected those who aren’t ‘suitably’ right wing, like Chris Christie and GOProud. It’ll ensure the same losing result, writes Michael Moynihan.

What are the implications for art and science collaborations? Despite popular perception, there are many similarities in the ways that artists and scientists approach their work. Ultimately, the methods and the products may be different, but if there is a mutual interest in, and respect for, the ‘other’ side’s practices, then these sorts of collaborations are likely to succeed. Through this kind of exchange, artists and scientists can learn from one another.