{"id":21865,"date":"2018-08-18T23:44:22","date_gmt":"2018-08-19T07:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=21865"},"modified":"2018-08-19T01:05:59","modified_gmt":"2018-08-19T09:05:59","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-freed-sunday-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-freed-sunday-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Freed Sunday News!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Puerto Rico Teachers on Strike: Stop Privatization of Schools\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_zBAiUkBtzw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/thumb1.shutterstock.com\/display_pic_with_logo\/2226233\/1018438903\/stock-vector-three-clenched-fists-raised-in-protest-on-grunge-background-with-sun-rays-retro-style-poster-1018438903.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for clenched red fists\" width=\"304\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/08\/17\/less-voting-more-revolution\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Less Voting, More Revolution<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>You\u2019re looking around at the unleashed white supremacy, the rampant misogyny, the war machines churning death and destruction unchecked, and a growing culture of nihilistic hatred, and you know it doesn\u2019t have to be this way. You believe in a world free of oppression based on sex, gender, sexual identity, or ability; free of racism and privilege; perhaps even one free of exploitation, with a radical redistribution of the world\u2019s wealth and resources based on collective betterment and the preservation of the planet.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably read your Marx and Engels, some Lenin and Luxemburg, and possibly even picked out your choice of diverging paths from the likes of Mao or Trotsky or Goldman. And like me, you\u2019re looking at the tiny left, hearing the loud voices of our enemies, and are deeply worried about the future. You\u2019re tired of watching the police exercise their complete impunity by murdering young people of color in real-time video, and anxious about the kind of society for which a handful of demagogues and too many of our neighbors are clamoring. Like me, your anxiety is through the roof.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also possible that you\u2019re looking at the phenomenal growth of the ideologically mercurial Democratic Socialists of America and the rise of a handful of charismatic young reform politicians running on Democratic Party tickets and wondering if maybe you should set aside what you\u2019ve studied, and listen to the voices of those warning against purity and perfection in the face of unprecedented danger. Everybody\u2019s talking about socialism now so maybe this defensive posture of incrementalism with a dose of electoral optimism holds a path forward to hope? I mean, something\u2019s gotta give\u2026 maybe the voices urging us to get out the vote in the next, surely most important, election of our lives are right?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m here to tell you no, if you really consider yourself a socialist and want the lasting realization of that better world, then tell those voices to shut the fuck up.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/img.freepik.com\/free-vector\/clenched-fist-on-radial-beam_23-2147734102.jpg?size=338&amp;ext=jpg&amp;ve=2\" alt=\"Image result for clenched red fists\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you grew up in the USA like I did, you grew up learning that we live in a representative democracy. You were taught that your vote was your sacred voice as a citizen, and your path to contributing to our nation\u2019s bright and shiny future. You know that\u2019s all a big fat lie, right? There is nothing representative nor democratic about the United States of America.<\/p>\n<p>You won\u2019t have to dive too deeply back into your stack of Marxist classics to be reminded that what we actually live in is a dictatorship: the dictatorship of the bourgeois class over the rest of us. Turns out that a dictatorship doesn\u2019t require jackboots and concentration camps to be real, though my money certainly isn\u2019t on writing off those particular trappings from some of our potential futures.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is that the system we live in, administered by the capitalist class for its own benefit, is designed to preserve itself and prevent its displacement. There is zero chance, let me repeat, <em>zero chance<\/em>, that the capitalist class and its representatives will ever be voted out of power.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/08\/17\/less-voting-more-revolution\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/08\/17\/less-voting-more-revolution\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/novaramedia\/videos\/2182432981797857\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/novaramedia\/videos\/2182432981797857\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Congratulations on the publication of:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/InMotion-203x300.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21868\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/InMotion-203x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/InMotion-203x300.jpeg 203w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/InMotion-203x300-102x150.jpeg 102w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31975\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31977\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31978\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31979\"><i id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31980\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31981\">In Motion<\/span><\/i><\/b><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31982\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31983\"> by Andy Piascik<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31984\"><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31985\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31986\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31988\"><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31989\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31990\">Summer 1976. A city deluged by plant closures and runaway unemployment; the despair of the young and the proliferation of hard drugs; police brutality and an arson wave that is burning people out of their homes. Unfolding during the country\u2019s over-the-top celebration of the Bicentennial, this is the time, place and zeitgeist of <i id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31991\">In Motion<\/i>. <br id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31992\" clear=\"none\" \/><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31993\"><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31994\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31995\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31997\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<div id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31998\" dir=\"ltr\"><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_31999\"><i id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_32000\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_32001\">In Motion<\/span><\/i><\/b><b id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_32002\"><span id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_32003\">, first and foremost, is a story of solidarity: the solidarity of two sisters, the solidarity of the sisters and their mother, the solidarity of the multi-racial residents of a city under siege. Most of all, <i id=\"yiv4181178014yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1534181961132_32004\">In Motion<\/i> is the story of the solidarity of Jackie and Jack, two passionate lovers on the cusp of adulthood seeking to live authentically.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<h1 class=\"css-1ixnm1o ejekc6u0\">Good Health Wishes to our friend and comrade, Substance News Editor George Schmidt.<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.substancenews.net\/assets\/images2\/1944507459.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for substance news chicago\" width=\"304\" height=\"213\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">George Schmidt Fired<\/h1>\n<div id=\"content-area\">\n<div id=\"node-1298\" class=\"node node-type-article build-mode-full clearfix\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<p>The Chicago Board of Education has fired George Schmidt, a long-time high school teacher and publisher of Substance newspaper. Schmidt was fired for printing six of the city\u2019s pilot CASE exams (see Examiner, Spring 1999). The city is continuing a million-dollar \u201ccopyright infringement\u201d lawsuit against Substance and Schmidt. In that case, Schmidt is arguing a defense in the tradition of the Pentagon Papers, that the public\u2019s need and right to know is more important than the government\u2019s need for secrecy.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairtest.org\/george-schmidt-fired\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.fairtest.org\/george-schmidt-fired<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title\">Boots Riley Calls Spike Lee\u2019s \u2018BlacKkKlansman\u2019 a \u2018Fabricated\u2019 Pro-Cop Story: \u2018Really Disappointing\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BlacKkKlansman-1.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BlacKkKlansman-1.jpg 618w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BlacKkKlansman-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BlacKkKlansman-1-340x226.jpg 340w\" alt=\"BlacKkKlansman\" width=\"618\" height=\"412\" data-portal-copyright=\"TheWrap\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry to Bother You\u201d director Boots Riley has taken to Twitter to voice his many political objections to Spike Lee\u2019s \u201cdisappointing\u201d new movie \u201cBlacKkKlansman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is being pushed as a true story and it is precisely its untrue elements that make a cop a hero against racism,\u201d Riley wrote in a three-page essay about the film, based on the true story of an African American undercover police officer who infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a made up story in which the false parts of it to try to make a cop the protagonist in the fight against racist oppression,\u201d Riley wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s being put while Black Lives Matter is a discussion, and this is not coincidental.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlacKkKlansman\u201d is based on Ron Stallworth\u2019s memoir about his experience as the first black cop in Colorado Springs \u2014 a book which, Riley noted, was \u201cpublished by a publisher that specializes in books written by cops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe deal with racism not just from physical terror or attitudes of racist people, but in pay scale, housing, health care and other material quality of life issues,\u201d Riley wrote. \u201cBut to the extent that people of color deal with actual physical attacks and terrorizing due to racism and racist doctrines \u2014 we deal with it mostly from the police on a day to day basis. And not just from White cops. From Black cops too. So for Spike to come out with a movie where a story points are fabricated in order to make Black cop and his counterparts look like allies in the fight against racism is really disappointing, to put it very mildly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley also objected to the way in which Lee took liberties with the facts laid out in Stallworth\u2019s memoir, creating new characters and plot points that he said amplified the heroic status of the law enforcement figures, including Stallworth himself (played by John David Washington in the film).\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/boots-riley-spike-lee-blackkklansman-disappointing-fabricated-pro-cop\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.thewrap.com\/boots-riley-spike-lee-blackkklansman-disappointing-fabricated-pro-cop\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/07\/opinion\/07oakley-illo\/07oakley-illo-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/07\/opinion\/07oakley-illo\/07oakley-illo-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/07\/opinion\/07oakley-illo\/07oakley-illo-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/07\/opinion\/07oakley-illo\/07oakley-illo-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-1ixnm1o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">In Learning Math, Calculating the Value of Practice and Passion(Susan Ohanian)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz euv7paa0\">To the Editor:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Re \u201c<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/07\/opinion\/stem-girls-math-practice.html\">Make Your Daughter Practice Math<\/a>,\u201d by Barbara Oakley (Op-Ed, Aug. 8):<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">As a longtime teacher, I take strong exception to the message to parents that they should make their kids practice math. Yes, memorizing certain basics is important, but first should come many experiences of finding joy and excitement in math\u2019s possibilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">I remember reading \u201cAnno\u2019s Mysterious Multiplying Jar\u201d to my class of third graders who had been segregated as the least capable in our school. When we reached the last page, the children clapped their hands and cheered. Imagine that: 8-year-olds labeled deficient cheering about the concept of factorials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">An education foundation sent me to 26 states to record how primary-grade teachers were transforming their approach to math instruction, and the title of the resulting book gave a clue to what I found: \u201cGarbage Pizza, Patchwork Quilts and Math Magic<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The journey to math competence is varied. When the whole family is involved, it can be exciting. Math opportunities can start in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"header\" style=\"text-align: center;\">SDSU prez De la Torre gets raise to $441,504 (Identity politics is $$$)<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.sandiegoreader.com\/img\/photos\/2018\/08\/14\/CL_RADAR_de_la_Torre_589x_t658.jpg?ff95ca2b4c25d2d6ff3bfb257febf11d604414e5\" alt=\"Adela de la Torre \u2014 edged out only by the chancellor of the system\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Adela\u2019s big fat salary<\/h3>\n<p id=\"h934191-p1\" class=\"permalinkable\">It didn\u2019t take long for new San Diego State University president <strong>Adela de la Torre,<\/strong> on the job for less than a week, to collect a tidy boost to her already sizable pay. Picked as successor to departed campus head <strong>Elliot Hirshman<\/strong> back in January, de la Torre finally took charge at SDSU on June 28 with a starting base salary of $428,645. Then on July 24, California State University trustees approved a $12,859 raise for de la Torre, taking her to $441,504, at the very top of the system\u2019s presidential salary heap&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Before de la Torre arrived in San Diego, she had been making $313,000 as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California Davis, when in 2016 <strong>she refused to open her Google email account to investigators for the university who were looking into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/jan\/31\/ticker-new-sdsu-president-withheld-email\/\">allegations of improper influence<\/a> against then-UC Davis president Linda Katehi. <\/strong>\u201cThus, there may exist relevant communications or documents that were not made available to the investigation team,\u201d per the consultant\u2019s report. <strong>On August 9, 2016, Katehi quit after investigators found \u201cnumerous instances where Chancellor Katehi was not candid, that she exercised poor judgment, and violated multiple University policies.\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/aug\/15\/radar-sdsu-prez-de-la-torre-starts-428645\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/aug\/15\/radar-sdsu-prez-de-la-torre-starts-428645\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"lede-text-only__hed\"><span class=\"lede-text-only__highlight\">How Long Will Student Housing Be Big Business?<\/span> Cashing in on Campus<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.bwbx.io\/images\/users\/iqjWHBFdfxIU\/iiSeZlJZpQ7w\/v1\/1000x-1.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The London, a student housing complex in College Station, Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Isaac Sitt and Elliot Tamir had been investing in real estate for years when they stumbled onto the idea. They\u2019d bought a few apartment buildings in Brooklyn in 2008 and, after the financial crisis, were struggling to rent units. So they decided to put up ads at the nearby Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, expecting to lease to doctors. Instead, they got medical students. With jobs scarce, tons of people were going to school, they realized. Sitt remembers thinking, \u201cHey, this is a good business,\u201d even in a downturn. \u201cNot only does it make sense, but I think we can raise equity for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, Sitt and Tamir run\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/quote\/1447837D:US\">Vesper Holdings LLC<\/a>, one of the largest owners of student housing complexes in the U.S. If you\u2019ve visited a college town such as Athens, Ga., or Lawrence,<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"lede-media-image__caption caption\">Kan., in recent years, you may have seen one of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vesperholdings.com\/portfolio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">their properties<\/a>. They have names like The Ivy and The Gramercy, meant to evoke a boutique hotel. Many have pools, study areas with free Starbucks coffee, and \u201cgyms that look like Equinox\u201d\u2014the kinds of amenities, Sitt says, that millennials really want. It\u2019s been a lucrative niche. One of the few dangers for the business is bringing back the draft, Sitt jokes. \u201cThat would be a problem for the college population,\u201d he says. The other, he adds, \u201cis overbuilding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.bwbx.io\/images\/users\/iqjWHBFdfxIU\/iqPflEdk2fjM\/v1\/1000x-1.jpg\" alt=\"The pool at The London.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"news-figure-caption-text caption\">The London serves students living near\u00a0Texas A&amp;M University.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-08-14\/how-long-will-student-housing-be-big-business?cmpid=BBD081418_BW&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_source=newsletter&#038;utm_term=180814&#038;utm_campaign=businessweek\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-08-14\/how-long-will-student-housing-be-big-business?cmpid=BBD081418_BW&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_source=newsletter&#038;utm_term=180814&#038;utm_campaign=businessweek<\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"asset-paging-container hidden-print\">\n<div id=\"asset-paging-e947857d-3a40-5a43-93bd-20dc1f334d22\" class=\"asset-paging\">\n<div id=\"paging-prev-e947857d-3a40-5a43-93bd-20dc1f334d22\" class=\"paging-link prev\">\n<div class=\"item animate\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<div class=\"head text-uppercase\"><small>Previous<\/small><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"content-item__title\">U. of Akron Will Phase Out 80 Degree Programs and Open New Esports Facilities<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/\/img\/photos\/biz\/photo_88544_landscape_850x566.JPG\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"dropcap\">T<\/span>he University of Akron will phase out 80 degree programs, about 20 percent of what it now offers, in part, to save money for the future, the university announced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The cuts come after a yearlong review of Akron\u2019s degrees and degree tracks. Among the university\u2019s strengths are nursing, biosciences, engineering, dance, and music, Akron\u2019s Board of Trustees said in a statement. The 10 Ph.D. programs, 33 master\u2019s programs, 20 bachelor\u2019s programs, and 17 associate-degree programs that will be phased out suffered low enrollment or were duplicates of prosperous programs at other, similar institutions.<\/p>\n<p>The process will take a few years, and will free up about $6 million for reallocation, Alex Knisely, a university spokesman, said in an email. There\u2019s no plan to terminate any faculty or staff members because of the program cuts, the statement said. Akron also wants to hire 31 full-time faculty members in those programs identified as priorities, the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>As the university ends what it deems unpopular degrees, it is leaning into a current trend on college campuses: competitive video gaming, known as esports. On Thursday, Akron announced that it would open three facilities to accommodate varsity, club, and recreational gamers.\u00a0 The university said the centers would represent \u201cthe largest amount of dedicated esports space of any university in the world to date.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/article\/U-of-Akron-Will-Phase-Out-80\/244293\/#.W3d0Ll5-hqw.facebook\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.chronicle.com\/article\/U-of-Akron-Will-Phase-Out-80\/244293\/#.W3d0Ll5-hqw.facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1>Florida\u2019s teacher shortage is \u2018real, and it\u2019s going to get worse,\u2019 State Board of Ed member worries<\/h1>\n<div id=\"paging-prev-e947857d-3a40-5a43-93bd-20dc1f334d22\" class=\"paging-link prev\">\n<div class=\"item animate\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<div class=\"articleInline col_3 ad\">\n<div id=\"widesky1\" data-google-query-id=\"CJiIo4jG99wCFcnLZAodug0H-A\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/4605\/TPC\/Skyscraper_0__container__\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images.currentaffairs.org\/2018\/05\/board-106588_960_720-1024x646.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for teacher shortage\" width=\"304\" height=\"192\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As millions of Florida&#8217;s school children returned to classes this week,\u00a0many schools struggled to find enough teachers greet and teach them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are very concerned about the growing teacher shortage,&#8221; Cathy Boehme of the Florida Education Association told the state Board of Education on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Her review of three years&#8217; worth of statewide teacher job vacancies posted to district websites\u00a0in the days before school began revealed a disturbing trend.<\/p>\n<p>Two\u00a0years ago, Boehme said, the number of advertised teaching positions was about 2,400. Last year, the number rose to 3,000.<\/p>\n<p>This year, it reached 4,063.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the acceleration in the teacher shortage you need to be looking at,&#8221; Boehme told the board.\u00a0&#8220;This is a critical problem we must address.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/blogs\/gradebook\/2018\/08\/16\/floridas-teacher-shortage-is-real-and-its-going-to-get-worse-state-board-of-ed-member-worries\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.tampabay.com\/blogs\/gradebook\/2018\/08\/16\/floridas-teacher-shortage-is-real-and-its-going-to-get-worse-state-board-of-ed-member-worries\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"asset-masthead \">\n<header class=\"asset-header\">\n<h1 class=\"headline\">Hundreds of teaching jobs unfilled as school starts with most Oklahoma districts saying hiring is worse than last year<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/011\/573\/original\/Teacher_Shortage.jpg?w=1667&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for teacher shortage\" width=\"304\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"news-figure-credit credit\">\n<div class=\"subscriber-preview\">\n<p>A new statewide survey found public schools in Oklahoma are starting another academic year with nearly 500 teaching vacancies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The fifth annual survey to gauge the extent of the state\u2019s teacher shortage by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association was completed by 276 districts that serve nearly 78 percent of all public school students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>More than half of superintendents reported that teacher hiring is worse this year compared to last year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>OSSBA Executive Director Shawn Hime said the vacancies, combined with a still-increasing reliance on hires who have yet to complete the state\u2019s requirements for traditional or alternative teaching certification, underscored how much work remains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Hime has long advocated for the development of a state plan to at least reach the regional state average in public education funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cWe have so much work left to do, but I think Oklahomans understand what\u2019s at stake for our children,\u201d Hime said. \u201cI continually hear from education advocates and legislators who are committed to working together to keep investing in students and their schools.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/education\/hundreds-of-teaching-jobs-unfilled-as-school-starts-with-most\/article_e947857d-3a40-5a43-93bd-20dc1f334d22.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/education\/hundreds-of-teaching-jobs-unfilled-as-school-starts-with-most\/article_e947857d-3a40-5a43-93bd-20dc1f334d22.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\">Maryland\u2019s Goucher College is eliminating several majors, including math<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IllusionFactory.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21893\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IllusionFactory.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"341\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IllusionFactory.jpg 341w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IllusionFactory-150x148.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text \" data-elm-loc=\"1\">Math majors at Goucher College will soon be a thing of the past. Gone, too, will be physics majors, music majors and students in a range of subjects the school is eliminating from its offerings as part of a cost-cutting \u201cacademic revitalization\u201d announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"2\">\u201cA small college can\u2019t just keep adding majors,\u201d President Jose Bowen said in a statement to the Baltimore Sun. \u201cSometimes we need to move resources from one to another and subtract too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"3\">The liberal arts school in Towson joins a growing number of institutions removing majors such as math and physics to save money. Seven Texas universities began eliminating their physics programs in 2010. The University of the District of Columbia <a title=\"www.washingtonpost.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/at-udc-distress-over-academic-cuts\/2013\/11\/20\/89ad3fe0-51fe-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html?utm_term=.964129ec2391\">cut 17 degree programs<\/a>, including physics, five years ago.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"4\">Liberal arts colleges in particular have faced closures and cutbacks&#8230;.Other majors to be cut include Russian studies, studio art, theater, religion, elementary education and special education. Minors to be phased out include book studies, German and Judaic studies.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/marylands-goucher-college-is-eliminating-several-majors-including-math\/2018\/08\/16\/31c62228-a173-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.4651fd9e0deb\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/marylands-goucher-college-is-eliminating-several-majors-including-math\/2018\/08\/16\/31c62228-a173-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.4651fd9e0deb<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">At Hotchkiss, Sexual Misconduct and \u2018Missed Opportunities\u2019 to Stop It<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/18\/nyregion\/18HOTCHKISS01alt\/18HOTCHKISS2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/18\/nyregion\/18HOTCHKISS01alt\/18HOTCHKISS2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/18\/nyregion\/18HOTCHKISS01alt\/18HOTCHKISS2-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/18\/nyregion\/18HOTCHKISS01alt\/18HOTCHKISS2-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">A classics teacher sexually abused numerous students and later married two of them. A school doctor performed unnecessary \u201cgynecological\u201d examinations. And administrators were alerted to some of the abuse going on at their school, but did not act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">All this was documented in a report released on Friday by the Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Conn. With its investigation, Hotchkiss becomes the latest in a string of prestigious schools to acknowledge that faculty members who were trusted to teach and care for children were sexually abusing them instead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cMembers of the Hotchkiss administration were aware of at least some of the instances of sexual misconduct at the time it was occurring,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWhat emerges from our investigation is a series of missed opportunities stemming from cultural deficiencies around prioritizing student safety,\u201d it continued, attributing part of the administration\u2019s silence to a desire to deal with sexual misconduct internally and a reluctance to bring in outside authorities.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/17\/nyregion\/hotchkiss-school-sexual-misconduct\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/17\/nyregion\/hotchkiss-school-sexual-misconduct<\/a>. html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"pg-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Teachers donating sick days is a symptom of a wretched system<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=1024\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=150 150w, https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=768 768w, https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"406434\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/news\/local\/south-florida-school-employees-donate-sick-days-to-teacher-with-cancer\/attachment\/robert-goodman\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Courtesy Robert Goodman&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Teacher Robert Goodman ran out of paid sick days fighting cancer. In four days, his colleagues donated enough additional sick days to cover an entire semester.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Robert Goodman&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Robert Goodman\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sunbeamwsvn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/s097438304.jpg?quality=60&amp;strip=color&amp;w=1024\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">On July 24, Florida high school teacher Robert Goodman posted a picture of himself during chemo treatment. Having run short on sick days, Goodman appealed to fellow school employees, who donated enough days for him to take a semester off and complete treatment.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Goodman&#8217;s is one in a slew of stories about teachers and workers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/14\/health\/iyw-florida-teachers-cancer-support-donation-trnd\/index.html\">donating sick time<\/a> or<a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/human-interest\/2018\/07\/donating-paid-leave-time-to-pregnant-co-workers-isnt-a-trend-its-a-travesty.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> parental leave<\/a>, a trend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmorningamerica.com\/living\/story\/donating-vacation-time-moms-trendy-worker-baby-shower-55632450\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lauded <\/a>earlier this summer by Good Morning America. But while it&#8217;s heartwarming to see the extent to which teachers support each other, part of the reason that&#8217;s true is that teachers have become so acutely economically vulnerable. As his students start school this week without him, lack of paid leave &#8212; for personal sickness like Goodman&#8217;s, the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for a loved one &#8212; shows just how vulnerable teachers are, and how inhumane the system has become.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/17\/opinions\/teachers-sick-days-broken-system-durana\/index.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/17\/opinions\/teachers-sick-days-broken-system-durana\/index.html<\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"css-1ixnm1o ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">The Bane That Is Betsy DeVos<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-p2vh5c ewc5vgb0\">Watch out, the secretary of education is on the loose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mut aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs2ak0QdnXbT13FGcXDHlkbRjxEZvh5Ppt9OLZ-EmxRwZi6W2jtw\" alt=\"Image result for idiot devoss\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz euv7paa0\">I\u2019m so glad you got Trump University in there.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">DeVos has stuffed her department with people from the for-profit education industry. The guy who\u2019s supposed to be overseeing fraud investigations is a former dean of a for-profit named DeVry University, which paid $100 million to settle a lawsuit over misleading marketing tactics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz euv7paa0\">But you still promised me Omarosa. Find a way to work her in.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The famous memoir claims Trump calls his secretary of education \u201cDitzy DeVos\u201d and vowed to get rid of her. The first certainly sounds likely. But by now we are well aware that the current president of the United States is incapable \u2014 oh, irony of ironies \u2014 of firing anybody. And I don\u2019t want to give you the impression that Trump has any reservations about for-profit colleges that make grandiose promises to their students about future careers, while taking their money and preparing them for nothing whatsoever.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/17\/opinion\/betsy-devos-for-profit-colleges.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/17\/opinion\/betsy-devos-for-profit-colleges.html<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"asset-masthead \">\n<header class=\"asset-header\">\n<h1 class=\"headline\">USC names retired aero(WAR) space executive Wanda Austin as acting president, announces Nikias\u2019 departure<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/news.usc.edu\/files\/2018\/08\/Austin_Wanda_Interim-USC-president-web-824x549.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/news.usc.edu\/files\/2018\/08\/Austin_Wanda_Interim-USC-president-web-824x549.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The University of Southern California appointed a retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post.<\/p>\n<p>Nikias, beleaguered over his administration\u2019s handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients, relinquished his duties after a meeting of USC\u2019s board. The trustees tapped one of their own, Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., to temporarily run the university.<\/p>\n<p>The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of search company Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick &amp; Struggles, will also advise trustees.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettextra.com\/news\/nation_world\/usc-names-retired-aerospace-executive-as-acting-president-announces-nikias\/article_f5836a45-9ed1-52cf-8f47-bb8947589842.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.gazettextra.com\/news\/nation_world\/usc-names-retired-aerospace-executive-as-acting-president-announces-nikias\/article_f5836a45-9ed1-52cf-8f47-bb8947589842.html<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Corruption endemic in capitalist schools: Cafeteria Workers Stole Nearly $500,000 in Lunch Money From Schools, Police Say<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/15\/autossell\/15xp-lunchladies\/merlin_142328523_9f4703d8-51d3-438f-872f-97ee052f3f97-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/15\/autossell\/15xp-lunchladies\/merlin_142328523_9f4703d8-51d3-438f-872f-97ee052f3f97-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/15\/autossell\/15xp-lunchladies\/merlin_142328523_9f4703d8-51d3-438f-872f-97ee052f3f97-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/15\/autossell\/15xp-lunchladies\/merlin_142328523_9f4703d8-51d3-438f-872f-97ee052f3f97-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In the well-to-do town of New Canaan, Conn., families pay top dollar to live on picturesque New England streets, frequent the area\u2019s upscale boutiques and send their children to some of the best schools in the state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But in recent years, a scandal had quietly been brewing at a couple of those schools: Someone had been taking the children\u2019s lunch money \u2014 after it had been paid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For years, cash was disappearing from cafeteria registers at the high school and middle school, apparently unbeknown to school officials. Nearly $500,000 was pilfered from 2012 through 2017, the authorities said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">On Monday, the New Canaan Police Department announced that it had arrested two women: sisters who worked in the cafeteria system.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/nyregion\/connecticut-school-cafeteria-theft.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/nyregion\/connecticut-school-cafeteria-theft.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Managers Want to Write An Obituary for Higher Education<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Capitalist-Chalkboard.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21894\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Capitalist-Chalkboard.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Capitalist-Chalkboard.jpg 460w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Capitalist-Chalkboard-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>I remember long long back Avijit Pathak wrote a piece after his interview for promotions in Mainstream and described how the people sitting on the other side of the table behave. He was right and anyone who has appeared in an interview would agree to his observations. The fact is that the two sides of the table in an interview are best instances of how power works within an \u2018academic\u2019 realm. Those who have filled up their API forms in Indian universities or other world class places or have filled up Annual Reports to prove their worth would it better today.<\/p>\n<p>It does not matter who knows how much and whether there is a possibility of a dialogic relationship there. Despite all rhetoric of \u2018be comfortable\u2019, \u2018dont be nervous\u2019, \u2018 have some water\u2019 and so on the structure remains that of someone seeking a favour \u2013 promotion, job or regularisation \u2013 and someone taking a decision whether you should be given that favour or not. It does not matter whether the people on the other side possess even sufficient knowledge on what you are to be tested. (The tragedy is that you are to be \u2018tested\u2019; you have to prove your \u2018merit\u2019 and \u2018ability\u2019 and so on). All this does not begin at the table where many pairs of eyes insatiably await to prove your incompetence with questions like \u2018what is sociological about it?; What is the difference between peasant and farmer\u2019; why do you publish from Rawat Publications or Aakar Books because the quality is doubtful and so on? Sometimes they even ask you to explain in a few sentences how Gandhi, Foucault and Marcuse can be critiques of modernity. They might also ask you that \u2018why is your article so short in length\u2019? Or \u2018 what is the impact factor of the journal you published\u2019? In other words, you can\u2019t escape their predatory nature. They are out there to really \u2018test\u2019 you.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/againstcapital.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/10\/the-managers-want-to-write-an-obituary-for-higher-education\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">againstcapital.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/10\/the-managers-want-to-write-an-obituary-for-higher-education\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX\/12grunts-ss-slide-7RNX-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-h17b5a ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">War Without End<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1wacogy ewc5vgb0\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>The Pentagon\u2019s failed campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan left a generation of soldiers with little to fight for but one another.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">&#8230;The governments of Afghanistan and Iraq, each of which the United States spent hundreds of billions of dollars to build and support, are fragile, brutal and uncertain. The nations they struggle to rule harbor large contingents of irregular fighters and terrorists who have been hardened and made savvy, trained by the experience of fighting the American military machine. Much of the infrastructure the United States built with its citizens\u2019 treasure and its troops\u2019 labor lies abandoned. Briefly schools or outposts, many are husks, looted and desolate monuments to forgotten plans. Hundreds of thousands of weapons provided to would-be allies have vanished; an innumerable quantity are on markets or in the hands of Washington\u2019s enemies. Billions of dollars spent creating security partners also deputized pedophiles, torturers and thieves. National police or army units that the Pentagon proclaimed essential to their countries\u2019 futures have disbanded. The Islamic State has sponsored or encouraged terrorist attacks across much of the world \u2014 exactly the species of crime the global \u201cwar on terror\u201d was supposed to prevent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Almost two decades after the White House cast American troops as liberators to be welcomed, large swaths of territory where the Pentagon deployed combat forces are under stubborn insurgent influence. Areas once touted as markers of counterinsurgency progress have become no-go zones, regions in which almost no Americans dare tread, save a few journalists and aid workers, or private military contractors or American military and C.I.A. teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Across these years, hundreds of thousands of young men and women signed on in good faith and served in the lower and middle ranks. They did not make policy. They lived within it.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/war-afghanistan-iraq-soldiers.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/08\/magazine\/war-afghanistan-iraq-soldiers.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"blkBorder b-loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2013\/03\/25\/article-2299043-18EBCBA6000005DC-824_634x441.jpg\" alt=\"As the British forces retreated and were massacred only Dr William Brydon, illustrated in this picture, survived\" width=\"634\" height=\"441\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As the British forces retreated and were massacred only Dr William Brydon, illustrated in this picture, survived (0f 20,000&#8211;1842)\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2299043\/Incredible-story-British-soldier-survivor-19th-century-Afghan-conquest--warnings-today-s-military-missions.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2299043\/Incredible-story-British-soldier-survivor-19th-century-Afghan-conquest&#8211;warnings-today-s-military-missions.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IWbp5hxzXTo\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IWbp5hxzXTo<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-h17b5a ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">W<\/span>hat&#8217;s Wrong with the New War Manual? Plenty!<\/h1>\n<p>It appears as though we have decided that insurgents are no longer a threat and we would rather fight a near-peer enemy. In the new Army field manual,\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/standto\/2017-10-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FM 3-0\u00a0<\/a><i>Operations,\u00a0<\/i>the U.S. Army has apparently decided to forget past lessons learned. FM 3-0 signals a shift in military strategy and a focus back to large-scale ground combat operations against near-peer threats, where belligerents possess technology and capabilities similar to the U.S. military. Essentially, we no longer want to do the \u201cVietnam or Iraq thing\u201d again.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s odd here is we find similarities when comparing the latest FM 3-0, published in October 2017, to\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org\/cdm\/ref\/collection\/p4013coll9\/id\/38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FM 100-5\u00a0<\/a><i>Operations of Army Forces in the Field,\u00a0<\/i>published in September 1968 while Gen. William Westmoreland was the Army chief of staff. FM 3-0 resembles the losing strategy Westmoreland used in Vietnam. He sought victory by winning a head-to-head war by \u201cgrinding down\u201d the enemy.<\/p>\n<p>If you were to compare the two Army field manuals, you would find that they are nearly identical. There are similarities in how we determine and define the following: Combat Power, Phasing, Offensive Operations, Multi-Domain Extended Battlefield (Multi-capable Forces), Conflict Continuum and the Range of Military Operations (Spectrum of War).<\/p>\n<p>Another glaring similarity is how we define \u201cwinning\u201d in FM 3-0 \u2013 and yes, we do actually define how to win\u00a0in the Army field manual.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/5\/59\/SadSackCBcover.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for sad sack military\" width=\"187\" height=\"274\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Winning is the achievement of the purpose of an operation and the fulfillment of its objectives. The Army wins when it successfully performs its roles as part of the joint force during operations. It wins when it effectively shapes an OE for combatant commanders, and when it responds rapidly with enough combat power to prevent war thorough deterrence during crisis. When required to fight, the Army\u2019s ability to prevail in ground combat at any scale becomes a decisive factor in breaking the enemy\u2019s will to continue fighting. The Army wins when an enemy is defeated to such a degree that it can no longer effectively resist, and it agrees to cease hostilities on U.S. terms. To ensure that the military results of combat are not temporary, the Army follows through with its unique scope and scale of capabilities to consolidate gains and win enduring outcomes favorable to U.S. interests.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest flaws in Westmoreland\u2019s strategy in Vietnam was that he sought to win battles through a war of attrition. He determined success by using the number of enemy kills (i.e. the \u201cbody count\u201d). He defined winning as fulfillment of objectives, yet the objectives were never clear in Vietnam. Westmoreland sought victory through the defeat of the enemy to such a degree that the opponent could no longer resist.<\/p>\n<p>So, what\u2019s wrong with FM 3-0? It should be quite obvious. We are essentially using the same failing strategy Westmoreland used in 1968 in Vietnam. What\u2019s wrong with this? Well, we lost Vietnam. For those who argue that we never lost on the battlefield, I will leave you with the following conversation in Hanoi in April 1975,\u00a0 as related by Harry G. Summers Jr. in\u00a0<i>On Strategy<\/i>:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cYou know you never defeated us on the battlefield,\u201d said the American colonel. The North Vietnamese colonel pondered this remark a moment. \u201cThat may be so, but it is also irrelevant.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/i><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Who Is Winning the War in Afghanistan? Depends on Which One<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fighting ceases in Afghanistan&#039;s Ghazni, but fear remains\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u3fB9QBG7FU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Two wars are convulsing Afghanistan, the war of blood and guts, and the war of truth and lies. Both have been amassing casualties at a remarkable rate recently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The first is that messy war in which, just in the past week, more than 40<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/15\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-base-attack-taliban.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fworld\"> high school students<\/a> were blown to pieces in their classroom, hundreds of bodies were left <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/15\/world\/asia\/ghazni-conflict-taliban-afghan-army.html\">abandoned<\/a> for a week in the streets of Ghazni city or dumped in a river, and two important Afghan Army units <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-ghazni-taliban.html\">were destroyed<\/a>, almost to the last soldier.<\/p>\n<p>The other is the war in which most of that, according to official accounts, did not happen \u2014 or at least was not as bad as it sounded. Not until late on the third day of the Taliban\u2019s assault on Ghazni did President Ashraf Ghani\u2019s aides even inform him of the desperation level there, two government officials said privately; Mr. Ghani himself later confirmed that publicly. By then the Taliban had control of nearly every neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>Government spokesmen, confronted with a crisis, basically responded by asserting that everything was fine. They repeatedly denied that Taliban fighters were in control of Ghazni. By day six, when the insurgents <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=u3fB9QBG7FU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no longer were in control,<\/a> official denials converged with the truth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The American military\u2019s chief spokesman, Lt. Col. Martin L. O\u2019Donnell, insisted there was no big problem \u2014 just insurgents looking for \u201cinconsequential headlines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Discerning fact from fiction is challenging in any war, of course. But in Afghanistan, where most of the population has known only war, narratives are often total contradictions of one another.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/18\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-war-reflections.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=second-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/18\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-war-reflections.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=second-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Idiot Wapo&#8211;End U.S. support for this misbegotten and unwinnable war&#8211;in Yemen&#8211;and what of Afghans, Iraqis, Syria, Libya (thanks Hillary)?<\/h1>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"1\">ON AUG. 9, an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in\u00a0Yemen struck a bus packed with young boys in the northern village of Dahyan, killing\u00a0<a title=\"www.washingtonpost.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/middle_east\/fighting-between-pro-government-factions-in-yemen-kills-18\/2018\/08\/14\/bb403c04-9fda-11e8-a3dd-2a1991f075d5_story.html?utm_term=.28c901f3669d\">at least 51 people<\/a>, including 40 children, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. As Saudi spokesmen defend this horrific massacre \u2014 one called the bus a \u201clegitimate military target\u201d \u2014 Trump administration officials are being pressed by members of Congress and reporters to say whether the bomb that was dropped was supplied by the United States, and whether the plane that dropped it was refueled by the U.S. military under an ongoing support operation.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"2\">The administration\u2019s response has amounted to a shrug. When journalists questioned a senior U.S. official\u00a0thisweek,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/after-dozens-of-children-die-trump-administration-faces-mounting-pressure-over-yemen-war\/2018\/08\/15\/64a822b6-a0a3-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html?utm_term=.e1e53b9146f4\">he responded<\/a>: \u201cWell, what difference does that make? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/global-opinions\/end-us-support-for-this-misbegotten-and-unwinnable-war\/2018\/08\/18\/35a1f256-a249-11e8-93e3-24d1703d2a7a_story.html?utm_term=.1e2ffa17f187\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/global-opinions\/end-us-support-for-this-misbegotten-and-unwinnable-war\/2018\/08\/18\/35a1f256-a249-11e8-93e3-24d1703d2a7a_story.html?utm_term=.1e2ffa17f187<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">UN report: Up to 30,000 Islamic State members in Iraq, Syria<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/DbiLL5_3LqcsnjrbHt0QSu9qJ9g=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/KTDTCTRVU5DSPLCYUOOXNMRIM4.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The Islamic State extremist group has up to 30,000 members roughly equally distributed between Syria and Iraq and its global network poses a rising threat \u2014 as does al-Qaida, which is much stronger in places, a United Nations report says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The report by U.N. experts circulated Monday said that despite<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/24\/defeat-of-isis-in-syria-just-2-3-months-away-commander-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and most of Syria<\/a>, it is likely that a reduced \u201ccovert version\u201d of the militant group\u2019s \u201ccore\u201d will survive in both countries, with significant affiliated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/08\/08\/us-commander-no-need-for-major-change-in-afghan-war-plan-as-new-general-takes-over\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supporters in Afghanistan<\/a>, Libya, Southeast Asia and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/07\/30\/after-deadly-niger-ambush-us-military-in-africa-says-changes-made-to-protect-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The experts said al-Qaida\u2019s global network also \u201ccontinues to show resilience,\u201d with its affiliates and allies much stronger than ISIS in some spots, including Somalia, Yemen, South Asia and Africa\u2019s Sahel region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Al-Qaida&#8217;s leaders in Iran &#8220;have grown more prominent&#8221; and have been working with the extremist group&#8217;s top leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, &#8220;projecting his authority more effectively than he could previously&#8221; including on events in Syria, the experts said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The report to the Security Council by experts monitoring sanctions against ISIS and al-Qaida said the estimate of the current total ISIS membership in Iraq and Syria came from governments it did not identify. The estimate of between 20,000 and 30,000 members includes \u201ca significant component of the many thousands of active foreign terrorist fighters,\u201d it said.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/08\/14\/un-report-up-to-30000-islamic-state-members-in-iraq-syria\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/08\/14\/un-report-up-to-30000-islamic-state-members-in-iraq-syria\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Afghanistan: Gunmen attack spy training center in Kabul<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/image\/45107963_303.jpg\" alt=\"Afghan security forces at the site of the attack\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gunmen on Thursday launched an attack on an intelligence training facility in the Afghan capital of Kabul, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>The assault is part of a wave of attacks across the country targeting security forces, which have left scores of soldiers, officers and civilians dead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What we know:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At least two gunmen were killed in the attack.<\/li>\n<li>No group has claimed responsibility, according to local officials.<\/li>\n<li>The training center is overseen by the National Security Directorate, Afghanistan&#8217;s intelligence agency.<\/li>\n<li>The latest wave of attacks comes in the wake of a nationwide ceasefire between the Afghan government and Taliban militant group announced in June.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/afghanistan-gunmen-attack-spy-training-center-in-kabul\/a-45101165?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2016.08.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.dw.com\/en\/afghanistan-gunmen-attack-spy-training-center-in-kabul\/a-45101165?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2016.08.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"pg-headline\">Bomb that killed 40 children in Yemen was supplied by the US (video inside)<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/main_image_article_page\/public\/main-images\/2018-08-09T134234Z_1371628273_RC1BE64A5B40_RTRMADP_3_YEMEN-SECURITY.JPG\" width=\"620\" height=\"461\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">The bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition in a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/09\/middleeast\/yemen-bus-intl\/index.html\">devastating attack on a school bus <\/a>in Yemen was sold as part of a US State Department-sanctioned arms deal with Saudi Arabia, munitions experts told CNN.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Working with local Yemeni journalists and munitions experts, CNN has established that the weapon that left dozens of children dead on August 9 was a 500-pound (227 kilogram) laser-guided MK 82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of the top US defense contractors.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">The bomb is very similar to the one that wreaked devastation in an attack on a funeral hall in Yemen in October 2016 in which 155 people were killed and hundreds more wounded. The Saudi coalition <a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2016\/10\/15\/middleeast\/yemen-funeral-strike-saudi-arabia\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blamed &#8220;incorrect information&#8221;<\/a> for that strike, admitted it was a mistake and took responsibility.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">n March of that year, <a href=\"https:\/\/cnn.com\/2016\/03\/16\/middleeast\/yemen-airstrike\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a strike on a Yemeni market<\/a> &#8212; this time reportedly by a US-supplied precision-guided MK 84 bomb &#8212; killed 97 people.<\/div>\n<div data-ad-id=\"ad_nat_btf_01\" data-ad-position=\"desktop\" data-ad-refresh=\"default\">\n<h1 class=\"articlePostTitle\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>But, war means work and votes <\/em><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"articlePostTitle\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>so what the hell?<\/em><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">In the aftermath of the funeral hall attack, former US President Barack Obama banned the sale of precision-guided military technology to Saudi Arabia over &#8220;human rights concerns.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__read-all\">\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">The ban was overturned by the Trump administration&#8217;s then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March 2017.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/17\/middleeast\/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl\/index.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cnn.com\/2018\/08\/17\/middleeast\/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl\/index.html<\/a><\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"courtesy-of-the-lazy-loader aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/3Thl3HgzDPCeF41P4jnOMAoZS0Y=\/323x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/KRR5HKNACE6HRJHSE5ONK2BXPY.jpg\" data-hi-res-src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/ljKfu9GoVW20I7XjNqIohMa8MPc=\/1000x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/KRR5HKNACE6HRJHSE5ONK2BXPY.jpg\" data-low-res-src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/3Thl3HgzDPCeF41P4jnOMAoZS0Y=\/323x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/KRR5HKNACE6HRJHSE5ONK2BXPY.jpg\" data-raw-src=\"https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/KRR5HKNACE6HRJHSE5ONK2BXPY.jpg\" data-threshold=\"323\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_title trb_outfit_featuredArticleTitle\"><a class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_title_a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/courts\/sd-me-bribery-scandal-20180817-story.html#nt=oft12aH-2la1\">New indictments, same perks of hotels, booze and sex in &#8216;Fat Leonard&#8217; Navy bribery scandal\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/d1i4t8bqe7zgj6.cloudfront.net\/02-01-2018\/t_1517515576204_name_Wolfpack_LGF_Japan_20092_copy.jpg&amp;w=800&amp;h=450\" alt=\"Image result for fat leonard\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_content_text\">A federal grand jury in San Diego returned indictments Friday against a retired Navy captain and two retired chief petty officers for their alleged roles in the ever-expanding \u201cFat Leonard\u201d bribery and fraud case, the worst corruption scandal in the military service\u2019s history. David Williams Haas,&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>David Williams Haas, Ricarte Icmat David, and Brooks Alonzo Parks are accused of accepting a variety of now-familiar gifts \u2014 cash, fancy meals, hotel-suite parties with prostitutes \u2014 in exchange for approving inflated invoices and for steering Navy contracts to the ship-services company run by a Malaysian businessman named <a id=\"PEBS00045\" title=\"Leonard Glenn Francis\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/business\/leonard-glenn-francis-PEBS00045-topic.html\">Leonard Glenn Francis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt feels good living like a KING on an E-6\u2019s salary!!!\u201d Parks wrote in one email to the firm, asking for a suite to use during vacation, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p>The trio faces up to 20 years in prison each, according to federal prosecutors, who have now charged 32 people in a case that cost the Navy at least $35 million over two decades. Twenty of the defendants have pleaded guilty.<\/p>\n<p>As of Friday, none of the defendants had appeared in court to enter pleas.<\/p>\n<p>Francis, known as \u201cFat Leonard\u201d because of his size, pleaded guilty to bribery in 2015 and has been helping investigators unravel the dealings between his Singapore-based maritime company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, and the Navy.<\/p>\n<p>His favorite target appeared to be the Blue Ridge, the flagship overseeing operations in Asia and the Western Pacific for the Navy\u2019s <a id=\"ORMP0007\" title=\"Seventh Fleet\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/unrest-conflicts-war\/defense\/armed-forces\/seventh-fleet-ORMP0007-topic.html\">7th Fleet<\/a>. More than 15 officers from the ship have been charged in the case, including Haas, 50, a former captain who now lives in Kailua, Hawaii, and, according to his LinkedIn profile, works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.<\/p>\n<p>Under investigation since he was suspended in late 2013, Haas is accused in an eight-count indictment of accepting at least $145,000 in bribes from Francis.<\/p>\n<p>They included \u201clavish parties at five-star hotels and opulent restaurants\u201d in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, \u201cthe frequent services of prostitutes\u201d \u2014 including one two-day party in Tokyo that reportedly cost $75,000 \u2014 and a 50th birthday celebration for his wife.<\/p>\n<p>In return, the indictment says, Haas helped steer ships and submarines to ports where Francis\u2019 company provided tugboats, security, food, fuel, trash removal and other services \u2014 at one point even using his influence to get the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis routed to Malaysia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLove it when my plan falls in place,\u201d Francis e-mailed his staff after he got the news, the indictment states. He billed the Navy $3 million for the carrier visit.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2012, Haas and his second-in-command, Michael Misiewicz, met with Francis at the <a id=\"ORCRP009473\" title=\"Marriott International Inc.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/business\/tourism-leisure-industry\/hotel-accommodation-industry\/marriott-international-inc.-ORCRP009473-topic.html\">Ritz-Carlton<\/a> in Tokyo and allegedly gave him classified information about upcoming ship visits\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/courts\/sd-me-bribery-scandal-20180817-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/courts\/sd-me-bribery-scandal-20180817-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"articlePostTitle\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Army Special Forces Soldier Charged With Smuggling Kilos Of Cocaine On Military Aircraft<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.tvm.com.mt\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/06\/Kilos2.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for kilos cocaine\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<p>An Army Special Forces soldier was arrested Monday for smuggling 40 kilos of cocaine into the United States hidden in two backpacks aboard a military aircraft, NBC News <a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/military\/u-s-soldier-charged-smuggling-90-lbs-cocaine-colombia-florida-n901761?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Master Sgt. Daniel Gould was taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration agents after\u00a0two military-issue \u201cpunch out\u201d bags somehow connected to him were discovered filled with 40 kilos (90 lbs) of cocaine on a U.S. military aircraft bound for Eglin Air Force Base.<\/li>\n<li>NBC News reports that cocaine was identified after another service member \u201cfound the drugs on the plane while it was on the ground in Colombia and reported the discovery.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Gould, assigned to the\u00a07th Special Forces Group at Eglin, was already in the United States when the drugs were discovered, according to NBC News, which reported that the Green Beret \u201cused a proxy\u201d to get the bags onto the aircraft.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe are aware of recent allegations concerning a U.S. soldier assigned under U.S. Army Special Operations Command for reportedly attempting to smuggle narcotics from Colombia into the U.S.,\u201d Army Special Operations Command spokesman\u00a0Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/military\/u-s-soldier-charged-smuggling-90-lbs-cocaine-colombia-florida-n901761?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">told<\/a>\u00a0NBC News. \u201cWe are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials concerning this matter.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/taskandpurpose.com\/army-special-forces-cocaine-smuggling\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">taskandpurpose.com\/army-special-forces-cocaine-smuggling\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\">Destroyer executive officer fired for &#8216;loss of confidence&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p><img class=\"trb_em_ic_img\" title=\"\u00a0\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1260px) 750px, (min-width: 1060px) calc(100vw - 559px), (min-width: 840px) calc(100vw - 419px), (min-width: 800px) 800px, 100.1vw\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/350\/350x197 350w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/400\/400x225 400w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/450\/450x253 450w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/500\/500x281 500w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/550\/550x309 550w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/600\/600x338 600w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/650\/650x366 650w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/700\/700x394 700w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/750\/750x422 750w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/800\/800x450 800w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/850\/850x478 850w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/900\/900x506 900w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/950\/950x534 950w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\/998\/998x561 998w\" alt=\"\u00a0\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b775978\/turbine\/sd-1534548341-c6yno900ny-snap-image\" data-c-nd=\"998x561\" data-role=\"imgsize_srcsetdisplayitem\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Navy Cmdr. Blandino A. Villanueva has been fired as the executive officer of the San Diego-based guided missile destroyer Decatur due to \u201closs of confidence in ability to lead,\u201d the Navy said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, Rear Adm. Michael A. Wettlaufer, relieved Villanueva on Wednesday. The relief was not tied to one specific incident, according to Navy spokesman Cmdr. Patrick Evans.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/military\/sd-me-navy-firing-20180817-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/military\/sd-me-navy-firing-20180817-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21880\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade-399x500.jpg 399w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Trump-parade-500x626.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>Trump parade: Rained upon.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/amp.businessinsider.com\/images\/5884db32f10a9a6d008b96b7-750-563.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for jamie dimon greed\" width=\"304\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"_21349 quartz a756e none\" style=\"text-align: center;\">JPMorgan thinks Jamie Dimon\u2019s services are worth $30 million a year, the most in a decade<\/h1>\n<p>Jamie Dimon didn\u2019t need to jump on the 1,000% bitcoin rally last year to make a decent buck. JPMorgan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/Archives\/edgar\/data\/19617\/000001961718000008\/compensation2018.htm\">compensated its CEO $29.5 million in 2017<\/a>, a 5% increase on the previous year. It\u2019s the most since 2007 when Dimon received a staggering $50 million&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"container _92842 quartz\">JPMorgan is the US\u2019s biggest bank\u2014and one of its most profitable. This year could be even better for Dimon and his pay packet thanks to tax cuts passed into law at the end of last year. In 2017, $28 million of Dimon\u2019s pay was for a \u201cstrong performance in 2017 and through the cycle,\u201d the regulatory filing said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"container _92842 quartz\">The bank said were it not for<a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/1178515\/jpmorgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-is-happy-about-a-2-4-billion-tax-hit-to-the-banks-latest-earnings\/\"> a $2.4 billion tax charge<\/a> in the fourth quarter,\u00a0it would have be able to report a record profit for the year. Looking ahead, Dimon expects lower corporate taxes to benefit the bank to the tune of $3.4 billion. He also said the tax gains would lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/29c06cc8-f7af-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00\">higher wages and better benefits<\/a> for employees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"container _92842 quartz\">Then again, assuming Dimon claims residency in New York City, his take-home pay may shrink because he\u2019s gonna be hit with those drastic new limits on deducting local, state, and property taxes from his federal taxes. Assuming, of course, he itemizes.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/1183937\/jpmorgan-paid-ceo-jamie-dimon-30-million-last-year-the-most-in-a-decade\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">qz.com\/1183937\/jpmorgan-paid-ceo-jamie-dimon-30-million-last-year-the-most-in-a-decade\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/38806641_2183768568304414_122683017800974336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=1cb62fd6544799d8389ebf76089bf14c&amp;oe=5BFB7EE7\" alt=\"Image may contain: drawing\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__heading\">CEO compensation surges dramatically while average workers get no significant pay raise<\/h1>\n<div class=\"article__summary summary \">A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute shows that top managers are getting higher compensation every year, while their employees\u2019 salaries barely change.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__text text \">\n<p><em>\u201cIn 2017 the average CEO of the 350 largest firms in the US received $18.9 million in compensation, a 17.6 percent increase over 2016. The typical worker\u2019s compensation remained flat, rising a mere 0.3 percent,\u201d<\/em> the report said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe 2017 CEO-to-worker compensation ratio of 312-to-1 was far greater than the 20-to-1 ratio in 1965 and more than five times greater than the 58-to-1 ratio in 1989.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The difference between the compensations of CEOs and other very-high-wage earners is also growing, with CEOs of large companies earning 5.5 times more than the average earner in the top 0.1 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The key reason for the surging gap is the stock price evaluation of firms. Many CEOs\u2019 compensation is tied to the stock performance of a company, not by changes in salaries or cash bonuses.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, CEO compensation is rising higher than stock indices, the reports shows. CEO compensation rose up to 1,070 percent between 1978 and 2017, while the stock market index (S&amp;P) rose only 637 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The report notes that it is important to notice this gap, because \u201chigher CEO pay does not reflect correspondingly higher output or better firm performance, exorbitant CEO pay therefore means that the fruits of economic growth are not going to ordinary workers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Economic Policy Institute suggests solving the problem by reinstating higher marginal income tax rates for top management, setting corporate tax rates higher for firms that have higher ratios of CEO-to-worker compensation, setting a compensation cap and approving measures to allow company shareholders to vote on top executives\u2019 compensation.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/business\/436197-ceo-compensation-average-worker-report\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.rt.com\/business\/436197-ceo-compensation-average-worker-report\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/39044691_10160690740475335_8109055424881229824_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=f5cae3739f9a356350d8703321e222da&amp;oe=5BF2C86E\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming | Nick Hanauer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q2gO4DKVpa8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The War on Reason<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Morning Report: Out of Space, ICE Is Turning to Border Patrol to Detain Migrants<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/shutterstock_580473-800x532.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has turned to Border Patrol to help them hold immigrants awaiting their criminal proceedings under zero tolerance.<\/p>\n<p>ICE has been trying to prioritize bed space in the Otay Mesa Detention Center with immigrants who have bonded out of criminal custody, but are still awaiting their trials. But due to the large number of people coming into the agency\u2019s custody under the Trump administration\u2019s zero tolerance policy \u2013 up to 40 or 50 people a day at times \u2013 ICE is turning to Border Patrol to temporarily hold some detainees, reports VOSD\u2019s Maya Srikrishnan.<\/p>\n<p>This arrangement has criminal defense attorneys raising alarms. The attorneys say that Border Patrol facilities aren\u2019t equipped to hold people long-term. They cite a lack of access to medical care, hygiene \u2013 like showers, toothbrushes and clean clothes \u2013 and inability to access their legal counsel while they\u2019re going through criminal proceedings.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/news\/morning-report-out-of-space-ice-is-turning-to-border-patrol-to-detain-migrants\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=11a88c3547-Morning_Report&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-11a88c3547-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-11a88c3547-81862829\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/news\/morning-report-out-of-space-ice-is-turning-to-border-patrol-to-detain-migrants\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=11a88c3547-Morning_Report&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-11a88c3547-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-11a88c3547-81862829<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"td-attachment-page-image\" src=\"https:\/\/trofire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Needle-in-arm-drugs-heroin.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-4k02h2 ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Bleak New Estimates in Drug Epidemic: A Record 72,000 Overdose Deaths in 2017 <\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans last year, a record number that reflects a rise of around 10 percent, according to new preliminary <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/nvss\/vsrr\/drug-overdose-data.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimates<\/a> from the Centers for Disease Control. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/06\/05\/upshot\/opioid-epidemic-drug-overdose-deaths-are-rising-faster-than-ever.html\">H.I.V., car crashes or gun deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Analysts pointed to two major reasons for the increase: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly. It is the second factor that most likely explains the bulk of the increased number of overdoses last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The picture is not equally bleak everywhere. In parts of New England, where a more dangerous drug supply arrived early, the number of overdoses has begun to fall. That was the case in Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island; each state has had major public health campaigns and has increased addiction treatment. Preliminary <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/files\/documents\/2018\/05\/22\/Opioid-related%20Overdose%20Deaths%20among%20MA%20Residents%20-%20May%202018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2018 numbers<\/a> from Massachusetts suggest that the death rate there may be continuing to fall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But nationwide, the crisis worsened in the first year of the Trump presidency, a continuation of a long-term trend. During 2017, the president declared the opioid crisis <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefings-statements\/president-donald-j-trump-taking-action-drug-addiction-opioid-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a national public health emergency<\/a>, and states began <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/newsroom\/press-announcements\/201612141015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tapping a $1 billion grant program<\/a> to help fight the problem.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/15\/upshot\/opioids-overdose-deaths-rising-fentanyl.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/15\/upshot\/opioids-overdose-deaths-rising-fentanyl.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/20799185_1397199407002655_1060437725747735451_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=20015257ad2cca3eb38e80c3de3bee8f&amp;oe=5BFF0529\" alt=\"Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, meme and text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Now available:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Documenting Hate: Charlottesville&quot; | Preview | FRONTLINE\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OCF6gmahj7U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/video\/documenting-hate-charlottesville-25ks-iob3fi\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.pbs.org\/video\/documenting-hate-charlottesville-25ks-iob3fi\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Mandela\/ANC Betrayal: Children Die in Pit Toilets, South Africa to Fix School Sanitation<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.forwardcdn.com\/images\/cropped\/b-mandela-slovo-1206-1423655578.jpg\" alt=\"Nelson Mandela, wife Winnie Mandela and Joe Slovo, 1990\" width=\"630\" height=\"369\" data-src=\"https:\/\/assets.forwardcdn.com\/images\/cropped\/b-mandela-slovo-1206-1423655578.jpg\" data-high-res=\"https:\/\/assets.forwardcdn.com\/images\/cropped\/b-mandela-slovo-1206-1423655578.jpg\" data-srcset=\"\" data-was-processed=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Nelson Mandela with puppet master Joe Slovo<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Under pressure from education activists and the courts, South Africa\u2019s government announced on Tuesday that it would tackle a crippling sanitation backlog in schools, where two children recently drowned in <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/04\/world\/africa\/south-africa-anc-david-mabuza.html\">pit toilets<\/a>, the only facilities available for hundreds of thousands of children across the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The initiative, known as Sanitation Appropriate for Education, would \u201cspare generations of young South Africans the indignity, discomfort and danger of using pit latrines and other unsafe facilities in our schools,\u201d said President Cyril Ramaphosa at a kickoff in Pretoria, calling the lack of school sanitation facilities an \u201cemergency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But education activists said the announcement was long overdue and not nearly enough to solve a crisis that has been brewing for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Nearly 4,000 schools nationally are equipped only with pit toilets, according to government figures. In the Eastern Cape, South Africa\u2019s poorest province, one in four public schools have no other options for students to relieve themselves.<\/p>\n<p>The recent drownings have cast a harsh spotlight on the governing African National Congress. The party took power in 1994 promising both to roll out essential services and to overhaul education for South Africa\u2019s black majority, who were denied opportunities for social, economic and political progress during apartheid.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/africa\/south-africa-school-toilets.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/africa\/south-africa-school-toilets.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">FCA-UAW conspiracy ran deeper, longer, lawyer says<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bill Clinton Addresses the UAW at Solidarity House\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_k7_cQ4JIT8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">A vast conspiracy designed to corrupt contract negotiations between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and the United Auto Workers started long before\u00a0the automaker&#8217;s former labor negotiator, Alphons Iacobelli, got involved, his lawyer said Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">A sentencing memo filed in federal court Monday indicates more Fiat Chrysler executives were involved in the $4.5 million conspiracy but does not publicly identify who, if anyone, orchestrated the conspiracy or ordered illegal payments. The filing suggests Iacobelli is fulfilling his obligation to cooperate with an ongoing FBI investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Iacobelli, 59, of Rochester Hills faces\u00a0up to eight years in federal prison when sentenced Aug. 27 for his role in the scandal. Iacobelli <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/2018\/01\/22\/iacobelli-fca-guilty-plea\/109718250\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">pleaded guilty in January<\/a>\u00a0to one count of conspiracy to violate the Labor Management Relations Act and one count of subscribing a false tax return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">An eight-year prison sentence would be unwarranted and unjust because Iacobelli is not responsible for all of the misconduct involving Fiat Chrysler executives and UAW officials, defense lawyer David\u00a0DuMouchel wrote Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The corruption that is the focus of this case did not begin with Al Iacobelli. The practices that form the backbone of this case did not begin with Al Iacobelli. The system of corruption that has been exposed here did not begin with Al Iacobelli,&#8221; DuMouchel wrote. &#8220;Mr. Iacobelli\u2019s hope is that such practices \u2014 which did not originate with him \u2014 nor for that matter the others who have been convicted here \u2014 will end with him.&#8221;\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/chrysler\/2018\/08\/13\/fca-uaw-conspiracy-ran-deeper-longer-lawyer-says\/981325002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/chrysler\/2018\/08\/13\/fca-uaw-conspiracy-ran-deeper-longer-lawyer-says\/981325002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sourcetoday.com\/sites\/sourcetoday.com\/files\/styles\/article_featured_standard\/public\/uploads\/2015\/10\/red-stamp-counterfeit_1.jpg?itok=4yk1XNru\" alt=\"Image result for counterfeit\" width=\"304\" height=\"158\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>I am one of five people primarily responsible for the creation of what is now the largest local in the UAW, Local 6000, Michigan state workers, not auto. We, in the State Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) led a militant, honest, battle rooted primarily in the reality that workers and bosses have only contradictory interests. We seized buildings, fought cops, went to jail, got fired time and again. <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/9\/8295\/7937404628_093422969d_b.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for swoc state workers organizing committee\" width=\"304\" height=\"197\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>We fought, not only for ourselves, but against welfare cuts, reduced mental health services, and against imperialist wars. Our Marxist study groups involved hundreds of working people and youth, first in Michigan and later around the U.S. Over time, we were picked off by the state, permanently fired, and replaced by a ring of opportunists who back the UAW line of \u201cpartners in production,\u201d a profitable fiction for both the company and the union which led directly to the current second-tier forms of corruption. The UAW cannot be reformed. It needs to be destroyed by rank and file action, work councils in auto and out, for direct action on the job and against the UAW Quisling conspiracies. RG<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2013\/10\/23\/counterfeit-unionism-in-the-empire\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Counterfeit Unionism in the Empire<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"post_author_intro\">by<\/span> <span class=\"post_author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/author\/rich-gibson\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Rich Gibson<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"post_content\">\n<p>With respect to nearly anyone who is trying to fight back in our current context, I differ from what most people think about the current state of US unionism.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, none of that can be split away from an analysis of our current circumstances which I believe is an international hot war, and economic war, of the rich on the poor and the rapid emergence of fascism as a popular movement.<\/p>\n<p>It does not have to be that way.<\/p>\n<p>Let us hope that another scenario is possible if we take on the hard tasks of the immediate future and connect them to a vision of what can be. One of those tasks is to determine the role of the unions and the relationship of radicals to them.<\/p>\n<p>Labor bosses at all levels are the nearest and most vulnerable of workers\u2019 enemies. Rather than \u201cmove unions to the left,\u201d better, \u201cdemolish the labor quislings, take their treasuries, seize their buildings, as we build a mass class conscious movement to transcend the system of capital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why does that make better sense?\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2013\/10\/23\/counterfeit-unionism-in-the-empire\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.counterpunch.org\/2013\/10\/23\/counterfeit-unionism-in-the-empire\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1><a class=\"postid-12856942\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/08\/15\/norman-seabrook-found-guilty-of-bribery\/\">Cop-union boss Norman Seabrook found guilty of bribery (most cops are &#8220;unionized&#8221;<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"standard-article-image\" src=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/seabrook.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618&amp;h=410&amp;crop=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 618px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/seabrook.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300&amp;h=200&amp;crop=1 300w, https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/seabrook.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618&amp;h=410&amp;crop=1 618w, https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/seabrook.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;crop=1 600w, https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/seabrook.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236&amp;h=820&amp;crop=1 1236w\" alt=\"Norman Seabrook (center)\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Former city jail-officers union boss Norman Seabrook was found guilty Wednesday of bribery \u2014 less than a year after his first trial <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2017\/11\/16\/norman-seabrooks-bribery-case-declared-a-mistrial\/\">ended in a hung jury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Seabrook, 58, faces up to 40 years in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 30.<\/p>\n<p>A jury of nine women and three men found Seabrook, the once powerful head of the Correction Officers\u2019 Benevolent Association, guilty on two counts, including honest-services wire fraud and conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>The conviction is a huge win for the feds, who have been racking up corruption convictions this year, including the retrials of former Albany political leaders Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos, former Cuomo aide Joe Percoco and Cuomo\u2019s \u201ceconomic guru\u201d Alain Kaloyeros.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeabrook\u2019s conviction marks the fifth major public-corruption conviction by our office in the last five months,\u201d said Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Seabrook was convicted of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/08\/06\/norman-seabrook-blew-19m-on-hedge-fund-testimony\/\">funneling $20 million of union funds into troubled hedge fund Platinum Partners in exchange for cash<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, he transferred $5 million of the union\u2019s operating funds \u2014 used to pay for office rent and salaries \u2014 without the union\u2019s knowledge, witnesses said.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/08\/15\/norman-seabrook-found-guilty-of-bribery\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">nypost.com\/2018\/08\/15\/norman-seabrook-found-guilty-of-bribery\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/39397716_10217656062130840_3267811599280242688_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=b6fec5b06ea7780241e3990fe1954f0b&amp;oe=5C01AC01\" alt=\"Image may contain: one or more people\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"_1nb_ fwn fcg\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;C&quot;}\"><span class=\"fwb\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;;&quot;}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alewitz?hc_ref=ARRmk2Fg9nRioqSE6RCrIMxCgL5SuOyQb1grXhmVCiHBRSkasp2_OpuSR4QuoblEwWw&amp;fref=nf&amp;__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDuZ7yoBgy4ucp01EbeLB6kjmALS-pldM25MZBWUWxo3P4bb8vFRCFjN-oAMxMkTATeeyW1ZGsUh935-4z0vafDrYyj7vpT4RN6rAwNAxo3pvSxcn6FDDvRt4DbsiT6lK72iE8j6OFX&amp;__tn__=CH-R\" data-hovercard=\"\/ajax\/hovercard\/user.php?id=1157866386&amp;extragetparams=%7B%22hc_ref%22%3A%22ARRmk2Fg9nRioqSE6RCrIMxCgL5SuOyQb1grXhmVCiHBRSkasp2_OpuSR4QuoblEwWw%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D\" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show=\"1\" data-hovercard-referer=\"ARRmk2Fg9nRioqSE6RCrIMxCgL5SuOyQb1grXhmVCiHBRSkasp2_OpuSR4QuoblEwWw\">The P 9 Mural by Mike Alewitz<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"feed_subtitle_10217656062050838:5:0\" class=\"_5pcp _5lel _2jyu _232_\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mtm _5pco\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}\">\n<div id=\"id_5b78d54882cf58f85638329\" class=\"text_exposed_root text_exposed\">\n<p>ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL &#8211; P-9 PROUD!<\/p>\n<p>On August 17, 1985, 1500 members of Local P-9, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, struck the Hormel meat-packing<span class=\"text_exposed_show\"> plant in Austin, Minnesota. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text_exposed_show\">\n<p>The strike began as an economic struggle by workers to defend their standard of living and fight against giving further concessions to a profit-rich company. It ended as a bitter conflict that galvanized workers&#8217; support from around the country and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>In the course of their struggle, the P-9ers took on the local authorities, the courts and the press, all of whom acted on behalf of the company. The National Guard was called in against them. But the union mobilized its members, often nightly, in a display of democracy not seen in the labor movement for many years.<\/p>\n<p>Unionists and activists poured into Austin to participate in the pickets, demonstrations and rallies. It became a fight of rank and file unionists throughout the nation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Destroyed by international officers of the United Food &amp; Commercial Workers Union<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More info: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/media\/set\/?set=a.4107488243033.2178013.1157866386&amp;type=3&amp;__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDuZ7yoBgy4ucp01EbeLB6kjmALS-pldM25MZBWUWxo3P4bb8vFRCFjN-oAMxMkTATeeyW1ZGsUh935-4z0vafDrYyj7vpT4RN6rAwNAxo3pvSxcn6FDDvRt4DbsiT6lK72iE8j6OFX&amp;__tn__=-UKH-R\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;-U&quot;}\">www.facebook.com\/media\/set\/\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">The Iraqi Spy Who Infiltrated ISIS<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/12iraq-spy\/merlin_141881331_32c0f4dd-26f2-4e5d-84af-0d9c0752b435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/12iraq-spy\/merlin_141881331_32c0f4dd-26f2-4e5d-84af-0d9c0752b435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/12iraq-spy\/merlin_141881331_32c0f4dd-26f2-4e5d-84af-0d9c0752b435-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/12iraq-spy\/merlin_141881331_32c0f4dd-26f2-4e5d-84af-0d9c0752b435-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ResponsiveMedia-captionText--2WFdF css-fyuj2v emkp2hg0\">Capt. Harith al-Sudani\u2019s wife, Raghad Chaloob, center, and their three children, Riyam, Rawan and Muamal, atop their home in Baghdad.<\/span><span class=\"ResponsiveMedia-credit--3F-q_ css-ymj87 emkp2hg1\"><span class=\"css-1dv1kvn\">Credit<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In death, Captain Sudani has achieved a level of fame unusual in the shadow world of spies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Iraq\u2019s joint operations command issued a statement about his sacrifice for the nation. The Falcons published an ode to his bravery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">On the rutted, dirt road in front of his father\u2019s house, a pair of giant posters lauding the hero-son adorn the courtyard wall. A portrait of him is tattooed across Munther\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But the Sudani family is still struggling to get what they consider proper respect. Because they do not have a body, they have been unable to obtain a death certificate, a prerequisite to receive benefits due to fallen servicemen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cI have a wound on my heart,\u201d said the father, Abid Al-Sudani. \u201cHe lived and died for his country. The nation should cherish him the way I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For the Falcons, Captain Sudani\u2019s successes helped it win bigger budgets, a wider appreciation among allies and better training for its men. The Americans and the Russians are now helping it penetrate the Islamic State, Iraqi intelligence officials say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The town of Qaim was taken by Iraqi security forces last November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Falcons sent a team to try to recover Captain Sudani\u2019s corpse. They never found it.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/middleeast\/iraqi-spy-isis.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=photo-spot-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/12\/world\/middleeast\/iraqi-spy-isis.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=photo-spot-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Report Reveals Widespread Sexual Abuse By Over 300 Priests In Pennsylvania<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/12\/ap_110110123111_wide-1e8a7851221181288edb17bb56431cd3732a4529-s1700-c85.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A long-awaited grand jury investigation into clergy sexual abuse in Pennsylvania was released Tuesday in an interim, redacted form. The report detailed decades of alleged misconduct and cover-ups in six of the state&#8217;s eight Roman Catholic dioceses.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/media-downloads.pacourts.us\/InterimRedactedReportandResponses.pdf?cb=32148\">roughly 900-page report<\/a>, thought to be the most comprehensive of its kind, paints a horrid portrait of activity that occurred in the dioceses of Scranton, Allentown, Harrisburg, Greensburg, Erie and Pittsburgh, implicating 300 &#8220;predator priests&#8221; statewide who committed &#8220;criminal and\/or morally reprehensible conduct.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>One priest in the Diocese of Harrisburg abused five sisters in a single family. Another, in the Diocese of Greensburg, impregnated a 17-year-old girl, married her, then divorced her months later.<\/p>\n<p>A priest in the Diocese of Erie admitted to assaulting at least a dozen boys, yet was later thanked by the bishop for &#8220;all that you have done for God&#8217;s people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The grand jury said it reviewed a half-million pages of internal church documents and &#8220;secret archives&#8221; that were readily available to bishops. It found credible allegations by more than 1,000 victims, adding, &#8220;We believe that the real number &#8230; is in the thousands.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The findings revealed a pattern of abuse that occurred in hundreds of parishes in 54 of Pennsylvania&#8217;s 67 counties going back at least 80 years. It detailed how fellow clergy members conducted shoddy investigations into sexual abuse allegations and how bishops often sided with abusive priests.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The pattern was abuse, deny and cover up,&#8221; said Attorney General Josh Shapiro at a press conference in Harrisburg on Tuesday, who described a &#8220;systematic cover-up&#8221; and a &#8220;failure of law enforcement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The report counted 41 &#8220;predator priests&#8221; in the Diocese of Erie, 37 in Allentown, 20 in Greensburg, 45 in Harrisburg, 99 in Pittsburgh, and 59 in Scranton.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/14\/636855561\/report-reveals-widespread-sexual-abuse-by-over-300-priests-in-pa\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/14\/636855561\/report-reveals-widespread-sexual-abuse-by-over-300-priests-in-pa<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Louis CK learns about the Catholic Church\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VABSoHYQr6k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-4k02h2 ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal: 7 Excerpts From the Grand Jury Report<\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Those cases include a priest who the grand jury says raped a 7-year-old girl while visiting her in the hospital after she got her tonsils out. Another priest made a 9-year-old boy give him oral sex, \u201cthen rinsed out the boy\u2019s mouth with holy water to purify him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60115\" src=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=900\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=150 150w, https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=300 300w\" alt=\"Francis\" data-attachment-id=\"60115\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.com\/2016\/01\/03\/pope-all-should-kiss-baby-jesus\/francis\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=900\" data-orig-size=\"500,333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;AP&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Pope Francis kisses a statue of the baby Jesus as he arrives to celebrate a New Year mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Vatican City Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. (AP Photo\\\/Andrew Medichini)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1420110007&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Francis&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Francis\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=900?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/baby1.jpg?w=900?w=500\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-l1fb44 e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/pa-tears\/pa-tears-articleLarge-v2.png?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/pa-tears\/pa-tears-articleLarge-v2.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/pa-tears\/pa-tears-jumbo-v2.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/pa-tears\/pa-tears-superJumbo-v2.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2040w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__src\" src=\"https:\/\/s-i.huffpost.com\/gen\/1261234\/images\/h-POPE-BABY-628x314.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/tear155\/tear155-articleLarge.png?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/tear155\/tear155-articleLarge.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/tear155\/tear155-jumbo.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/14\/world\/tear155\/tear155-superJumbo.png?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2040w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline___CuovH f8 f9-m fw3 mb3 mt0 publico-hed lh-title\">The grand jury report about Catholic priest abuse in Pennsylvania shows the church is a criminal syndicate<\/h1>\n<div class=\"dekSummary___GcgCT f4 f5-m f6-l f7-xl publico-hed lh-copy fw3 ls-normal mb3 mb6-m\">The Catholic church hierarchy systematically covered up the abuse of at least 1,000 kids by 300 priests over 70 years.<\/div>\n<p>It is time to face the horrible truth: The Catholic church is a pedophile ring.<\/p>\n<p>According to the grand jury report of six dioceses in Pennsylvania, over a period of 70 years, 300 priests abused over 1,000 children in Pennsylvania and church officials repeatedly covered it up. The release of the report is a searing indictment of the filth that has existed in the Catholic church.<\/p>\n<p>Sexual abuse has been institutionalized, routinized and tolerated by the church hierarchy for decades. If you think this statement is hyperbole, consider that the grand jury report includes, but is by no means limited to, the case of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/news\/faith-religion\/2018\/08\/14\/grand-jury-pennsylvania-sexual-abuse-pittsburgh-diocese-george-zirwas\/stories\/201808140141\">ring<\/a> of pedophile priests in Pittsburgh, who raped their male victims, took pornographic pictures of them and marked them by giving them gold crosses to wear so that they could be easily recognized by other abusers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/pope-children-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21877\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/pope-children-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/pope-children-2.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/pope-children-2-150x107.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At an emotional news conference Tuesday, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro stood before some of the victims of the abuse in the six Pennsylvania dioceses (which include Pittsburgh and the state capital Harrisburg). Announcing the report, Shapiro said that, for the first time, \u201cwe can begin to understand the systematic coverup of church officials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report was written by 23 grand jurors wrote over the course of two years, and is very clear about how the authorities of the church protected the clergy while further abusing victims with payoffs, silencing and attempts to denigrate their character. Two cardinals, Cardinal Wuerl and the now-<a class=\" vilynx_listened\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/46216103\/ns\/us_news-life\/t\/philly-cardinal-dies-ahead-child-sex-abuse-trial\/\">deceased<\/a> Cardinal Bevilacqua (who also figured prominently in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/243723-16-2011-01-21-philadelphia-grand-jury-final.html\">Philadelphia<\/a> grand jury report), are among those who disciplined but moved around clergy who sexually abused children.<\/p>\n<p>While this report covers only six dioceses in Pennsylvania (there are eight in total, but the archdioceses of Philadelphia and the diocese of Altoona-Johnston were the subject of three previous grand jury investigations), it is breathtakingly horrific in documenting the scope of sexual abuse of children. It chronicles in detail how the Catholic hierarchy from the diocese to the Vatican worked not only mitigate the church&#8217;s legal exposure, but to maintain strategies to \u201cavoid scandal.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/think\/opinion\/grand-jury-report-about-catholic-priest-abuse-pennsylvania-shows-church-ncna900906\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nbcnews.com\/think\/opinion\/grand-jury-report-about-catholic-priest-abuse-pennsylvania-shows-church-ncna900906<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Editor, NY Times<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Re: Catholic Church Abuse<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>I have 5 things to say. People make gods; gods don\u2019t make people. No god should need a building, a nation, nor a bank. No god should need interpreters demanding alms and threatening hell. If your god tells you to kill people, perhaps you worship a devil and, having abandoned reason, tests in practice, you would have no way to tell. If your god has been protecting rapists through the work of interlopers, your god is weak and worthless. One more: Try the Flying Spaghetti Monster if you must worship.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OccupyDemocrats\/videos\/206797616858211\/?t=40\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/OccupyDemocrats\/videos\/206797616858211\/?t=40<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/36087434_10215302881037576_3406200101301911552_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=e1eec27a27c17303a6b876c829f4adc3&amp;oe=5C00766E\" alt=\"Image may contain: outdoor\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-1ixnm1o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Dogfight in the Ruling class, torturer John Brennan: President Trump\u2019s Claims of No Collusion Are Hogwash (and the proof is where?)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The only questions that remain are whether the collusion that took place constituted criminally liable conspiracy, whether obstruction of justice occurred to cover up any collusion or conspiracy, and how many members of \u201cTrump Incorporated\u201d attempted to defraud the government by laundering and concealing the movement of money into their pockets. A jury is about to deliberate bank and tax fraud charges against one of those people, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/politics\/paul-manafort-trial.html\">Paul Manafort<\/a>, Mr. Trump\u2019s former campaign chairman. And the campaign\u2019s former deputy chairman, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/23\/us\/politics\/rick-gates-guilty-plea-mueller-investigation.html\">Rick Gates<\/a>, has pleaded guilty to financial fraud and lying to investigators.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/16\/opinion\/john-brennan-trump-russia-collusion-security-clearance.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/16\/opinion\/john-brennan-trump-russia-collusion-security-clearance.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-18irvwu ejekc6u0\">Sy Hersh discusses his book &#8220;Reporter,&#8221; killing OBL, and more (video)<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"s-access-image cfMarker aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51dQBMhLD9L._AC_US218_.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51dQBMhLD9L._AC_US218_.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51dQBMhLD9L._AC_US327_QL65_.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51dQBMhLD9L._AC_US436_QL65_.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51dQBMhLD9L._AC_US500_QL65_.jpg 2.2935x\" alt=\"Reporter: A Memoir\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" data-search-image-load=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?446997-1\/reporter\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.c-span.org\/video\/?446997-1\/reporter<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-18irvwu ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">In Praise of Karel Capek<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/17\/books\/17enthusiastcapek-cover\/17enthusiastcapek-cover-popup.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"50vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/17\/books\/17enthusiastcapek-cover\/17enthusiastcapek-cover-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 302w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/08\/17\/books\/17enthusiastcapek-cover\/17enthusiastcapek-cover-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 302w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Two things keep Karel Capek\u2019s \u201cWar With the Newts\u201d from getting the recognition it deserves: its cover and its title. The best translation\u2019s cover design, black text on teal, has all the panache of a dishwasher manual. And the title evokes spacesuit-clad heroes racing around cheap sets, firing laser guns at unscary animatronic lizards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Forget all that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWar With the Newts,\u201d published in 1936, is a funny, bizarre, dystopian masterpiece, and Capek deserves a place on the Mount Rushmore of authorial seers, right alongside George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Margaret Atwood. To the extent that Capek is remembered today, it is largely by crossword puzzlers who know that he invented the word \u201crobot\u201d (and even this is dubious: Capek credits the term to his brother).<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The book starts out on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, where a dissolute sea captain named Van Toch discovers a race of large and oddly intelligent newts. They stand about 4 feet tall, have small and dexterous hands, and, most important, eat oysters. That means, for Van Toch\u2019s purposes: easy access to pearls&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>Capek, who was Czech, wrote the book in the 1930s, so you might reasonably conclude \u2014 watching the newts sweep to global power \u2014 that he had fascism on his mind. He was in fact an avowed anti-fascist \u2014 in his politics, and in his funny, rueful war-weariness, he belongs to the lineage of Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/16\/books\/in-praise-of-karel-capek.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/16\/books\/in-praise-of-karel-capek.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\">Former Oklahoma state senator admits to child sex trafficking while in office<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hi-res-upsize courtesy-of-the-lazy-loader\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/2zwQ7AN5qLaTVrljC6MOiq2T_d8=\/960x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/Q5GCT7YE6M3WHIYQIAY35ENWSY.jpg\" data-hi-res-src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/2zwQ7AN5qLaTVrljC6MOiq2T_d8=\/960x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/Q5GCT7YE6M3WHIYQIAY35ENWSY.jpg\" data-low-res-src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/GkA0F7asXhnvUWnlCRJBCf1l4lM=\/311x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/Q5GCT7YE6M3WHIYQIAY35ENWSY.jpg\" data-raw-src=\"https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/Q5GCT7YE6M3WHIYQIAY35ENWSY.jpg\" data-threshold=\"311\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"1\">Former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors months after investigators uncovered a secret life that they say involved child pornography and a rendezvous with a 17-year-old boy he had met through Craigslist\u2019s personal ads.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"2\">Shortey, a Republican who resigned last spring amid allegations that he had solicited sex from the teen,\u00a0will plead\u00a0guilty to a child sex trafficking charge, his attorney, Ed Blau, said.\u00a0Prosecutors will drop three child pornography charges as part of the plea deal.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"3\">\u201cAfter looking at all the evidence and case law and statutes and everything else, we just felt that this would give him the best opportunity to come out with the best outcome possible,\u201d Blau told The Washington Post. \u201cIt would\u2019ve been an extraordinarily difficult case to win a trial.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/post-nation\/wp\/2017\/11\/20\/former-oklahoma-state-senator-admits-to-child-sex-trafficking-while-in-office\/?utm_term=.2699ee3b216d\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/post-nation\/wp\/2017\/11\/20\/former-oklahoma-state-senator-admits-to-child-sex-trafficking-while-in-office\/?utm_term=.2699ee3b216d<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/39261829_10155561063951891_697959059210371072_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&amp;oh=91d9588d223e68fb815cfdb865491f61&amp;oe=5BF65C8F\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1>World acclaimed Marxist thinker Samir Amin dies<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Amin \" src=\"http:\/\/english.ahram.org.eg\/Media\/News\/2018\/8\/12\/2018-636697036690909342-90.jpg\" alt=\"Amin \" \/><\/p>\n<p>He authored many books including <em>The Liberal Virus 2003, A life Looking Forward 2006, Accumulation on a World Scale 1970 <\/em>and <em>Capitalism in the age of globalization<\/em> <em>1997<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Ahram Online in 2012 Samir Amin said that he believes that &#8220;this neo-liberal phase is in state of collapse. It doesn&#8217;t mean that capitalism is collapsing; but that its current form is collapsing and we&#8217;re entering a new phase. It has to adapt, and whether the new system will be biased to the ruling class or the masses, is still be revealed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He also said that &#8220;We should not just look at the Muslim Brotherhood as a political Islamist power but as a backward movement that rejects workers movements and social justice, preferring to talk about charity as a form to ensure their control over the people.\u00a0 The Islamists accept the policies of dependency under the guise of open market and private ownership rights; they openly accepted the American role in the region and the USA support for Israel, including the Camp David agreements.&#8221; <a href=\"http:\/\/english.ahram.org.eg\/NewsContentP\/18\/309519\/Books\/World-acclaimed-Marxist-thinker-Samir-Amin-dies.aspx\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">english.ahram.org.eg\/NewsContentP\/18\/309519\/Books\/World-acclaimed-Marxist-thinker-Samir-Amin-dies.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"title entry-title\">Samir Amin at 80: An Introduction and Tribute<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"byline\">\n<div class=\"mr-byline\"><em>by<\/em> <span class=\"coauthors test\"><a class=\"author url fn\" title=\"Posts by John Bellamy Foster\" href=\"https:\/\/monthlyreview.org\/author\/johnbellamyfoster\/\" rel=\"author\">John Bellamy Foster<\/a><\/span>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/monthlyreview.org\/2011\/10\/01\/samir-amin-at-80-an-introduction-and-tribute\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">monthlyreview.org\/2011\/10\/01\/samir-amin-at-80-an-introduction-and-tribute\/<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"title entry-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">We Remember Adam Renner, Rouge Forum Community Co-ordinator<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/rougeforumremembersadam\/_\/rsrc\/1293128151695\/home\/AdamOct30edit2.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/rougeforumremembersadam\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">sites.google.com\/site\/rougeforumremembersadam\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! &nbsp; Less Voting, More Revolution You\u2019re looking around at the unleashed white supremacy, the rampant misogyny, the war machines churning death and destruction unchecked, and a growing culture of nihilistic hatred, and you know it doesn\u2019t have to be this way. You believe in a world free of oppression based on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21865"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21900,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21865\/revisions\/21900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}