The Working Life Podcast With Jonathan Tasini – WEST VIRGINIA TEACHERS WALK THE LINE; CLIMATE CHANGE GETS REAL IN WASHINGTON STATE; HAWAII PROGRESSIVE RUNS

Nine days striking isn’t the longest walk-out you will see. But, when you do that in defiance of the law, whoa, now that’s showing some spine. I kick off the podcast with a chat with the president of the West Virginia Education Association, Dale Lee, to get a read on what we can learn from the teachers’ victory. I, then, …

Leid Stories—Betsy DeVos, the Meaning of Freedom In Our Time: A People’s Survey—02.08.17

Vice President Mike Pence yesterday cast a history-making, tie-breaking vote that confirmed as secretary of education Betsy DeVos, one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees. Pence’s vote came after two Republican senators—Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—joined a unanimous Democratic vote against DeVos, a prominent philanthropist who twice served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

Jennifer Berkshire – How Parents May Be Signing Their Children’s Rights Away by Enrolling Them in Charter Schools

Here’s a question for you: If you dramatically scale up schools in which students have fewer rights than students who attend traditional public schools, with what do you end up? If you answered “more students with fewer rights,” congratulations — you have won the opportunity to learn more on this important, yet little discussed topic. Dr. Preston Green [3] is a professor …

What Women Must Know – How to Read a Blood Test for a Longer, Healthier Life with James LaValle – 02.04.16

James LaValle, R.Ph., C.C.N. is a nationally recognized clinical pharmacist, board certified clinical nutritionist, author, educator, industry consultant and clinical practitioner/pioneer in the field of natural therapeutics.

He is one of the nation’s top influencers in legitimizing integrative medicine, and was named one of the “50 Most Influential Pharmacists” by American Druggist magazine as well as 2011 Clinician of the Year by the Natural Products Association.

LaValle is also the author of more than 20 books and eBooks including, is most recently released publication, Your Blood Never Lies, as well as his best seller, Cracking the Metabolic Code.

LaValle was appointed Metabolic Medicine Institute (MMI) Committee Chairperson in 2014. He is also affiliated with George Washington University as the course director in systems biology and clinical lecturer.

jimlavalle.com

Lawrence Davidson – Deep Poverty in America: the On-Going Tradition of Not Caring

In the assessment of poverty in the United States there is a category known as “deep poverty.” The definition of deep poverty, as given in a recent article on this subject in the Philadelphia Inquirer of 30 September 2015, goes as follows: “deep poverty is measured as income of 50% or less of the poverty rate.” In other words, the …

Leid Stories – 09.03.15

After the Labor Day Carnival, Life for U.S. Caribbeans Is No Party
Four days from now, on Labor Day, a 3-mile stretch of Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be the venue for one of the nation’s largest public parades, and certainly the largest and oldest event celebrating Caribbean culture.
Known officially as the West Indian American Carnival Parade, the Pan-Caribbean festival, now in its 48th year, has been known to attract upwards of 2 million people, the vast majority of them reconnecting with a way of life they knew back home.
But after the revelry, lavish costumes, “home food” and the “jump up,” what’s the state of affairs with Caribbean people in the United States?
Our guest, Dr. Waldaba Stewart, sheds light on the issue. Dr. Stewart for more than 25 years has been a capacity building specialist and political action organizer for disadvantaged groups and communities in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Diaspora. A former state senator, he currently is chairman of the Caribbean Resource Center at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, and is widely recognized as the foremost African American expert on immigration policy reform.

A growing number of charter school teachers want to unionize, the American Prospect’s Rachel M. Cohen tells Salon – Elias Isquith

When you think of charter schools, there are probably a few people and concepts that come to mind: Michelle Rhee, “grit,” Bill Gates, Eva Moskowitz, KIPP, etc. And if you happen to think of teachers unions at some point during this education policy reverie, you’ll probably have them in the role they’re traditionally assigned by the media — as anti-charter …

Leid Stories – 07.14.15

Downgrade: Behind the AFT’s Superhyped Endorsement of Hillary

Garner Family Settles Chokehold Case: Money Talked, Justice Walked

The American Federation of Teachers made big news July 11 when its president, Randi Weingarten, a longtime friend and political supporter of Hillary Clinton, announced that the 1.6-million-member union voted “overwhelmingly” to back the presidential contender.

Dr. Thomas C. Pedroni, associate professor of curriculum studies and policy sociology at Wayne State University and co-director of the Detroit Data and Democracy Project, explains why the AFT is drawing heat from the rank and file over the endorsement, and how Clinton’s record on education betrays her right-wing agenda.

The family of Eric Garner has agreed to settle a $75-million lawsuit it threatened against the City of New York for Garner’s police-chokehold death on July 17 last year. The family will accept a $5.9-million payout, and the city admits no liability for the actions of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who placed Garner in the banned chokehold, nor any other city employees involved in the fatal encounter.

Leid Stories explains how money talked and justice walked.

Why It’s Time for Interns to Unionize By Randi Weingarten

Last week, 30,000 summer interns descended on Washington, D.C., to toil for tiny wages in policy shops, think tanks, the White House and, yes, labor unions. Despite the sweat, for many it’s a rewarding experience, helping them develop the skills and street smarts needed for success in life and career. Countless union and civic leaders, and even members of Congress, …