Portside

Conditions for 70,000 workers at Pegatron plants allegedly worse than those reported in the Foxconn scandal.

Bradley Manning, acting on what he felt was true patriotism leaked documents revealing the killing of journalists in Iraq; corruption in Tunisia that led to the first of the Arab Spring revolts; the use of drones, and the secret drone war; US spying on UN diplomats; and John Kerry's pressing of Israel to return to pre-1967 borders. Yes, Bradley Manning has changed the world we live in.

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."-Aldous Huxley. University of Georgia student Courtney Parker shares impressions of her recent trip to Cuba - one of the legal educational tour programs allowing U.S. citizens to visit neighboring Cuba. Additional post on background of Cuban Travel Ban, and resources on how you can go to Cuba - today, and legally.

Reader Comments - Songs of Immigration; Fruitvale Station; Blow the Whistle, Face Life in Jail; Bradley Manning; On Vultures and Red Wings: Billionaire Gets New Sports Arena in Bankrupt Detroit; U.S. Prison Population; North Carolina Worst Voter Suppression Law; Shorts - You Helped Cut the Pentagon Budget; Justice Department's Bold Voting Rights Move; Conference - The Global E. P. Thompson: Reflections on Making of the English Working Class after Fifty Years Oct. 3-5

Today Portside is posting another comment on Brooklyn College plans for the Graduate Center for Worker Education. This response comes from Manny Ness to his BC colleague Robin Corey's statement, posted yesterday. The focus for the debate on what is the nature of workers' education programs, who is admitted to them, and how they are run, is at Brooklyn College. However the issues have ramifications for the broader education and labor movement.

Fast-food workers one day strike spreads to many cities. Workers at MacDonald's, Taco Bell, Popeye's, Long John Silver's and other restaurants hold one day strike demanding higher wages.

Over the past decade, state legislatures and governors across the South have tilted far to the right, embracing photo ID and other voting restrictions. That there are still elected officials in those states who can apply checks and balances against laws when it appears they are undermining citizens' fundamental rights is good for democracy.

A school boycott will be painful for families, but I think it is worth a parent-led debate and discussion. The alternative is too costly. Once the public schools are gone, they are gone for good.