Portside

While the United States is "still in the coup-support game" in Latin America, nowadays the U.S. relies more on the mobilization of so-called "civil society" to destabilize democratically-elected progressive governments and make the country ungovernable. Like before, U.S.-backed military coups take place under the guise of establishing stability. But unlike before, today the military returns to its barracks, leaving a civilian dictatorship in power.

Respondents gave their answers to the following prompts: The economic impact of robotic advances and AI: Self-driving cars, intelligent digital agents that can act for you, and robots are advancing rapidly. Will networked, automated, artificial intelligence (AI) applications and robotic devices have displaced more jobs than they have created by 2025?

A new report by Standard & Poor's, one of the country's Big Three credit-rating agencies, points to increasing income inequality and the danger it poses to continued U.S. economic growth. In its report,. "How Increasing Income Inequality is Dampening U.S. Economic Growth, And Possible Ways to Change the Tide," S&P cites "all sorts of nasty" economic and political problems that flow from this growing inequality, but few solutions.

In moves likened to the privatization of East Germany’s state-owned enterprises following unification, international finance has placed the privatization of Greece's public sector, one of the most developed in Europe, in the hands of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED). This "extra-legal organization" has close ties to the banks and no accountability for the impact of so-called austerity measures on Greece's increasingly impoverished population.

Why did they strike? After 17 years of reform and disrespect, they were fed up with the bullying. They were tired of the non-educators and politicians telling them how to teach and imposing their remedies. Reform after reform, and children in Chicago still don't have the rich curriculum, the facilities, and the social services they need.

Greek workers carried out a 24-hour general strike today as 50,000 people demonstrated in Athens against austerity. The conservative coalition government is proposing $15 billion of further cuts to pensions and salaries...When Greece took an unfortunate pioneering role in the economic crisis, economic shock therapy meant that most working people saw their lives turned upside down in a matter of a few months..

Bonnie has balanced an astonishing musical range with a message and a way of carrying herself that are firmly rooted in her Quaker heritage

After more than a decade of top-down dictates, disruptive school closures, disregard of teachers' and parents' input, testing that squeezes out teaching, and cuts to the arts, physical education and libraries, educators in Chicago said "enough is enough." With strong support from parents and many in the community, teachers challenged a flawed vision of education reform that has not helped schoolchildren in Chicago or around the country. It took a seven-day strike -

Pallo Jordan's speech at the Bisho massacre memorial lecture in King William's Town, Eastern Cape, on September 7, 2012

Three posts reflecting on victory of Chicago teachers & students after the strike - Diane Ravitch, Jesse Jackson and Juan Gonzalez