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Louisiana Court Rules That 7,000 Teachers Were Wrongfully Terminated

Diane Ravitch Diane Ravitch's blog
Didn’t Arne Duncan say that Katrina was the best thing that ever happened to the schools of New Orleans? Didn’t he celebrate the abrupt firing of all these teachers and their replacement by TFA? Well, yes. The courts say he was wrong.

She Worked Hard for the Money

Misty Upham Daily Beast
SAG nominee Misty Upham speaks from experience when she stands up for domestic workers.

Netanyahu vs. the Spooks

Carl Bloice Foreign Policy in Focus
Right-wing Israeli politicians like to boast about their country’s famed intelligence service, but they've gotten good at ignoring it when it tells them things they don't want to hear.

Labor Takes Historic Stride Forward as Walmart Joins Fair Food Program

Barry Estabrook Civil Eats
The Fair Food Program is unique in that it creates a legal framework linking laborers, tomato farm owners, and final purchasers of tomatoes. The purchasers have agreed to pay an additional penny per pound for the tomatoes they buy. In turn, the producers pass that penny directly along to the workers. A penny-a-pound might sound like a pittance, but it represents a 50 percent raise, the difference between making $50 and $80 a day.

Just a Dream

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam Oxfam

Should Syria’s Future Be Decided by Men With Guns?

Medea Benjamin Common Dreams
“When we talk about women at the table, the men see them as the tablecloth,” said Hibaaq Osman, an NGO leader who has been working with Syrian women and pushing for their inclusion. “The future of Syria should not exclusively be decided by those who carry guns.”

Celebrating MLK Day: Dream Defenders, Moral Mondays, and the Fight for 15

Clarence Lang Labor and Working-Class History Association
Thankfully, there is ample evidence of activists around the nation celebrating King’s legacy in ways that expose ongoing racial and economic inequalities. The Dream Defenders, the Moral Monday protests,and the Fight For 15 all exemplifiy King’s legacy.

America’s Secret War in 134 Countries

Nick Turse TomDispatch
In the waning days of the Bush presidency, Special Operations forces were reportedly deployed in about 60 countries around the world. By 2010, that number had swelled to 75, according to Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post. In 2011, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told TomDispatch that the total would reach 120. Today, that figure has risen higher still.