7 reasons it’s time to shut down the Department of Homeland Security

Congressional Republicans are once again holding the government hostage against a budget authorization bill, this time threatening to put the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into furlough. Maybe it’s time to call them on their bluff and go one step further: Let’s shut down the DHS. The agency is no longer relevant in an age where cyberterrorism may be the new normal,…

Read More

Institutional Barriers for Women of Color at Code Schools by Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera | Model View Culture

If attending a code school can be life-changing for the average student, imagine what the prospect would mean to womyn of color. Since our communities are among the most impoverished, we stand to gain the most from the flexible, high-paying jobs of today’s tech empire. But in an industry where black, Latina, and indigenous womyn…

Read More

Guantánamo torturer led brutal Chicago police regime of shackling and confession | US news | The Guardian

The results of a Guardian investigation into Richard Zuley’s detective work, particularly when visited on minority communities, suggest a continuum between Guantanamo interrogation rooms and Chicago police precincts Illustration: Nate Kitch for the Guardian A Chicago detective who led one of the most shocking acts of torture ever conducted at Guantánamo Bay was responsible for…

Read More

The disappeared: Chicago police detain Americans at abuse-laden ‘black site’ | US news | The Guardian

While US military and intelligence interrogation impacted people overseas, Homan Square – said to house military-style vehicles and even a cage – focuses on American citizens, most often poor, black and brown. ‘When you go in,’ Brian Jacob Church told the Guardian, ‘nobody knows what happened to you.’ Video: Phil Batta for the Guardian; editing:…

Read More

Grace Jones is greeted with laughter at her duet with Pavarotti (then she blows them away) | Dangerous Minds

Grace Jones is greeted with laughter at her duet with Pavarotti (then she blows them away) I’ve been attempting to track down the entirety of Luciano Pavarotti’s Pavarotti and Friends, a 2002 benefit concert for Angolan refugees, ever since I saw his brilliant duet with Lou Reed on “Perfect Day.” There’s just something so absurd…

Read More