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Michael S. Harper (1938-2016), Acclaimed African American Poet

Poetry Foundation
Michael S. Harper, who died on Saturday in Rhinebeck, N.Y. at the age of 78, was a major American and African American poet. He was a writer of complex poems that combined history and memory with a deep network of African American cultural, folkloric, and musical allusions and symbols. This brief biography of Harper is from the Poetry Foundation's website. A generous selection of Harper's work can be found on the Foundation's website.

The Mythology Of Trump’s ‘Working Class’ Support

Nate Silver FiveThirtyEight
As compared with most Americans, Trump’s voters are better off. The median household income of a Trump voter so far in the primaries is about $72,000, based on estimates derived from exit polls and Census Bureau data.

Teacher Challenges Low Evaluation in Court and Wins

Carol Burris The Washington Post
Sheri Lederman, the beloved fourth-grade teacher New York, won her battle to have her 2013-14 VAM score of “ineffective” rating vacated. Why this court ruling matters to more than Sheri Lederman.

Uber Recognizes New York Drivers’ Group, Short of a Union

By Noam Scheiber and Mike Isaac The New York Times
Unlike a traditional union, which contractors cannot form, the new Independent Drivers Guild will not be able to bargain over a contract that would stipulate fares, benefits and protections. But with Guild representation, drivers will be able to appeal decisions by Uber to bar them from its platform. Also, they will be able to buy discounted legal services, discounted life and disability insurance and discounted roadside help for problems they encounter while driving.

Uber Recognizes New York Drivers’ Group, Short of a Union

By Noam Scheiber and Mike Isaac The New York Times
Unlike a traditional union, which contractors typically cannot form, the new Independent Drivers Guild will not be able to bargain over a contract with Uber. The drivers will be able to appeal decisions by Uber to bar them from its platform, and can have guild officials represent them in their appeals. Also, they will be able to buy discounted legal services, discounted life and disability insurance and discounted roadside help for problems they encounter while driving.

Why Don’t Entitlement ‘Reformers’ Ever Talk About Military Spending and Tax Shelters?

Adam Johnson FAIR - Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
The Republicans put “entitlement reform” front and center as a major issue in 2012, but given Clinton’s ostensible opposition and the meteoric rise of Trump, who says he opposes Social Security cuts, the legendary “Grand Bargain” is now on the political back burner. This, predictably, has left some of the “entitlement reform” holdouts very upset.

Ilan Pappe: Israel Is the Last Remaining, Active Settler-Colonialist Project

Eli Massey In These Times
Zionism is the last remaining active settler-colonialist movement or project. Settler colonialism is, in a nutshell, a project of replacement and displacement, settlement and expulsion. Since this is the project, that you take over someone’s homeland and you’re not satisfied until you feel you’ve taken enough of the land and you’ve gotten rid of enough of the native people, as long as you feel that this is an incomplete project, you will continue with the project.