Portside

This is a response by Greg Grandin to a review of his book, The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World. The review was titled, “Slavery: Not Black or White.” It appeared in the Economist and was unsigned.

The truth is that a huge number of young, well-educated, professional Israelis have already decamped, or are making plans to do so, to more hospitable climes in Europe or elsewhere. They do so for many reasons: some are economic, seeking greater financial, professional or educational opportunities. Some are security-related. And some find the climate in Israel to be stifling either culturally or politically.

When the Supreme Court ruled that unions could not collect dues from the home-care workers they represent, the justices set workers and their clients on a course that could harm them both.

NPR taketh away; The team with a racist name; Truthy-ness; Net neutrality; El Machete strikes

"The term “union” is a dirty word in some circles, even in this city, where labor still has considerable clout and has catapulted many workers into the middle class. But no one can deny that these union workers savor something that is all too rare in the retail industry right now: guaranteed minimum hours — for part-time and full-time employees — and predictable schedules."

Race plays an unmistakable part in the Democratic challenge in conservative states and districts. And it's deeper than just antipathy to Obama; in fact, it goes back half a century.

Tax avoidance in the United States contributes to the national debt, but in developing countries it’s literally causing people to go hungry.

Figuring out where we are in the universe makes "Where's Waldo" look like child's play. Wait, "Where's Waldo" is child's play, but locating our location in the universe is really cool science.

OK, you didn't see this one coming. Canada, yes, Canada, leads the world in forest degradation, according to a new mapping project.

In a dangerously provocative decision, the heads of state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided last week to deploy a "rapid response force" for Eastern Europe. Citing what it termed "Russian aggression," NATO will develop a "spearhead" of some 5,000 elite troops to deploy against Russia. Russian leaders have long warned against NATO's eastern expansion as a threat to its security and a violation of agreements made to end the the Cold War.