Resources for March 24, 2014

Brooks, Diane. "These Seattle Teachers Boycotted Standardized Testing - and Sparked a Nationwide Movement."Truthout (March 18, 2014)

Mayer for Mayor commenting on the Lexington Herald-Leader article "Rupp redesign project manager says project will likely need 'bridge funding' soon":
"In crony capitalism, success is not determined by a free market and the rule of law. It's instead dependent on the favoritism that is shown to it by the ruling government in the form of tax breaks, government grants and other incentives. Crony capitalism is a good description of our current Mayor's signature plan for downtown: Rupp Renovation. Here are some members of his hand-picked 47-member Rupp Arena Task Force who, without a single public representative on it, approved public money for the project, their position on the Task Force, and what they and their businesses have since made off the first $5.5 million installment in public money for the project they approved:
--Frank Butler (Technical Advisory Group), a former UK Vice President, gets $290,000/year in salary and benefits for "overseeing" the project.
--Urban Collage (support staff) gets $10,000 for urban planning.
--Lord, Aek & Sargent (via Stan Harvey, support staff) gets $250,000 for TIF funding knowledge
--NBBJ (Arena Feasibility) gets $2.78 million for beginning designs.
This amount totals $3.3 million of the first $5.5 million spent in public funds."


Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 20, 2014


Electronic Frontier Foundation: 404 Day: A Day of Action Against Censorship in Libraries
On April 4th, EFF is bringing attention to the long-standing problem of Internet censorship in public libraries for 404 Day. Join us for a digital teach-in with some of the top researchers and librarians working to analyze and push back against the use of Internet filters on library computers. Everywhere.


Iraq War veteran and Occupy protester Scott Olsen wins a major settlement against the city of Oakland: Freedom Information Network: "Court Victory for Occupy Protester Scott Olsen Who Was Shot by Oakland Police" and NBC Bay Area: Iraq War Veteran Scott Olsen Reaches $4.5M Settlement in Occupy Oakland Bean Bag Case





Scott Ritter, John Stauber, Pepi Leistyna, Loretta Alper, and Tom Scott. "Stupefying the Group Mind (Managing the Class War with PR and TV)." Unwelcome Guests #301 (April 8, 2006)

Blum, William. Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions since World War II. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 1995.

Uprising Radio: "Daily News Flash with Robert Jensen on Egypt Death Sentences, UN Women’s Rights Declaration, and Texas Oil Spill"

Mosher, Holly and Jonah Minkoff-Zern. "What is At Stake in Supreme Court’s McCutcheon Ruling?" Uprising Radio (March 24, 2014) ["In what some are calling Citizens United Part 2, the US Supreme Court will make a landmark ruling on the case McCutcheon v. FEC this week. If the Court rules in favor of McCutcheon, caps on individual donations to federal officeholders will be completely removed, eviscerating the last vestiges of untainted elections. ..."]