LATEST PROJECTS
Democrats Don’t Have a Progressive Foreign Policy Vision. And They Need One
Former President Barack Obama once articulated his vision of foreign policy as not doing “stupid shit.” By this he meant not putting boots on the ground in long-term, unwinnable wars. What this vision didn’t include was ending those wars or pursuing a progressive foreign policy based on peace and diplomacy.
The Right To Know: How the Freedom of Information Act creates bureaucratic barriers to the truth
When investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson requested documents from the Pentagon via the Freedom of Information Act in 2003, her daughter was eight years old. By the time Attkisson received a response to her FOIA request, it was 2013 and her daughter was going off to college. “And the response they provided was heavily redacted,” Attkisson said.
Climate Change Activists Should Be Nervous About Brexit
With voters in the United Kingdom heading to the polls June 23 to decide whether or not to leave the European Union, polls are showing a close vote in the offing between those who want Britain to leave the EU and those who want to remain. “Brexit” would have many implications for the U.K., politically and economically. But another less-discussed impact a vote to leave the EU would have is an environmental one, as experts say Britain exiting the EU may have stark ramifications on the fight against climate change.
Buzzsaw Magazine
ThinkProgress
The Progressive
Natural Gas Pipeline Threatens the Appalachian Trail
Each August, for the past dozen years, my family has set out on a backpacking trip. We’ve hiked Vermont’s Long Trail, which runs from the state’s border with Massachusetts up the spine of the Green Mountains to the border with Canada. And in recent years, we’ve traversed parts of the Appalachian Trail.
The longest hiking-only footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail is a 2,190-mile trek ranging from Georgia to Maine, passing through fourteen states.
The Appalachian and Long Trail represent a crucial outlet for the millions of people who tread along these trails each year. But, as with so many natural treasures, these wild places are increasingly in danger from human development. In the case of the Appalachian Trail, that threat is the pending construction of a natural gas pipeline.
Internship Insincerity: The hypocrisy of ‘progressive’ but unpaid internships
A little over $50 million. That’s how much revenue the Center for American Progress (CAP) reported for the year of 2014. 175 dollars. That’s the amount of money per week each of us received while working as full-time interns at CAP. When broken down, we were each making about $4 an hour — even though the minimum wage in Washington D.C., where CAP is located, is $11.50. While we both also received a generous $350 stipend from the Park Center for Independent Media, that still didn’t bring us even close to making minimum wage.
Internship Insincerity: The hypocrisy of ‘progressive’ but unpaid internships
A little over $50 million. That’s how much revenue the Center for American Progress (CAP) reported for the year of 2014. 175 dollars. That’s the amount of money per week each of us received while working as full-time interns at CAP. When broken down, we were each making about $4 an hour — even though the minimum wage in Washington D.C., where CAP is located, is $11.50. While we both also received a generous $350 stipend from the Park Center for Independent Media, that still didn’t bring us even close to making minimum wage.
The Disturbing Trend In State Gun Laws After A Mass Shooting
One of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history — a massacre that left 49 people dead at a gay club in Orlando on June 14 — has prompted the all-too-familiar calls for Congress to take action to curb the epidemic of gun violence in America. However, the U.S. Senate’s recent rejection of a series of gun violence prevention measures, despite a long filibuster to force a vote, and the House’s refusal (so far) to take up any, despite a sit-in by dozens of House Democrats, leaves little hope for progress on the federal level. Does Congress’ intransigence on gun control mean advocates’ time would be better spent at the state level then?
Maybe not.
The Disturbing Trend In State Gun Laws After A Mass Shooting
One of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history — a massacre that left 49 people dead at a gay club in Orlando on June 14 — has prompted the all-too-familiar calls for Congress to take action to curb the epidemic of gun violence in America. However, the U.S. Senate’s recent rejection of a series of gun violence prevention measures, despite a long filibuster to force a vote, and the House’s refusal (so far) to take up any, despite a sit-in by dozens of House Democrats, leaves little hope for progress on the federal level. Does Congress’ intransigence on gun control mean advocates’ time would be better spent at the state level then?
Maybe not.
Ithaca College President Tom Rochon has complex tenure
Tom Rochon has been president of Ithaca College since July 2008. His tenure has seen several campus initiatives, but it has also been marked by campus controversies and problems with the college’s racial climate. This semester, major protests have erupted at the college regarding issues of race, diversity and inclusion at the college following several recent racially charged events. The demonstrations have been spearheaded by the group POC at IC, which stands for People of Color at Ithaca College.
The demonstrations have centered around improving the college’s racial climate and the removal of Rochon as a result of his handling of racial issues at the college and a perceived lack of inclusivity in decision–making, among other grievances. The demonstrators have used the rallying cry of “Tom Rochon: No Confidence,” and both a student and a faculty vote of no confidence in Rochon have been initiated.
ThinkProgress
The Ithacan
Ithaca College President Tom Rochon has complex tenure
Tom Rochon has been president of Ithaca College since July 2008. His tenure has seen several campus initiatives, but it has also been marked by campus controversies and problems with the college’s racial climate. This semester, major protests have erupted at the college regarding issues of race, diversity and inclusion at the college following several recent racially charged events. The demonstrations have been spearheaded by the group POC at IC, which stands for People of Color at Ithaca College.
The demonstrations have centered around improving the college’s racial climate and the removal of Rochon as a result of his handling of racial issues at the college and a perceived lack of inclusivity in decision–making, among other grievances. The demonstrators have used the rallying cry of “Tom Rochon: No Confidence,” and both a student and a faculty vote of no confidence in Rochon have been initiated.
Ithaca College staff members express lingering working condition concerns
In December 2015, the Ithaca College staff became the last constituency on campus to hold a vote of no confidence in President Tom Rochon. The results, released in January 2016, showed 48 percent of staff had no confidence in Rochon while 33 percent had confidence and 19 percent abstained from the vote.
Almost a year after that vote, The Ithacan spoke with 11 staff members about their perception of the atmosphere for staff on campus. While many of them said they enjoy working at the college, problems persist with morale, communication and a fear of speaking out.