Category Archives: Rag Bloggers

Mike Klonsky : Drive-By Teachers and the Great Charter School Scam

Drive-by teachers: The Wal-Mart model. Image from Gawker. Drive-by teachers: The great TFA/charter school scam ‘Short careers by choice’ translates into teachers being reduced to low-wage information-age delivery clerks while most ‘learning’ is done by students sitting in front of … Continue reading

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INTERVIEW / Jonah Raskin : The Quest of Cannabis King Jorge Cervantes

Jorge Cervantes with some of his queenly Cannabis plants. Photos special to The Rag Blog. An Interview with Jorge Cervantes: The king of marijuana cultivators andhis quest for the ‘Queens of Cannabis’ Marijuana will keep its underground character for a … Continue reading

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Ron Jacobs : Autumn in America, 1973

Lines at New York City gas station, 1973. AP photo. Image from SeattlePI. Fall 1973:Autumn in America Tempers were heating up. The nightly news on WABC usually featured at least one story per broadcast of a fight or sometimes a … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : The March for Jobs and Freedom After 50 Years

50 years later:The March for Jobs and Freedom While King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech is clearly worthy of distinction, our memories of the event have shunted aside one of the primary purposes of the March: to push for a … Continue reading

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David McReynolds : Reflections on the ’63 March on Washington

A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin on the cover of Life Magazine, September 6, 1963. A socialist remembers:Reflections on the March on Washington The climate in Washington, D.C. that day was timorous. White Washingtonians feared some riotous upheaval. By David … Continue reading

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Harry Targ : The CIA’s Iranian Coup and 60 Years of ‘Blowback’

Supporters of Mohammed Mossadegh demonstrate in Tehran, July 1953. Placard depicts an Iranian fighting off Uncle Sam and John Bull. Image from The Spectator. The overthrow of Mossadegh:Sixty years of Iranian ‘blowback’ The overthrow of Mossadegh and the backing of … Continue reading

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Kate Braun : Third Quarter Moon Is Time to Banish Negative Energies

Third quarter moon. Image from Leaders in Science. Moon Musings: Third Quarter Moon (August 24-26, 2013) This is a time to banish negative energies, to rid yourself of bad habits, bad jobs, bad relationships, bad choices. By Kate Braun | The Rag … Continue reading

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Michael James : ‘El Lechero’ in San Miguel de Allende, 1962

‘El lechero’ in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, August 1962. Photo by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul. Pictures from the Long Haul:‘El lechero‘ in San Miguel, 1962 We arrive early and … Continue reading

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HISTORY / Bob Feldman : A People’s History of Egypt, Part 7, 1917-1921

Scene from the Egyptian Revolution of 1919. Image from Egyptian History website. A people’s history: The movement to democratize Egypt Part 7: 1917-1921 period — British oppression leads to nationalist revolution and beginnings of a labor movement. By Bob Feldman … Continue reading

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Alan Waldman: ‘The Vice’ is a Gritty, Dark Cop Series About London’s Vice Squad

Waldman’s film and TVtreasures you may have missed: From 1999 to 2003, Ken Stott headed a strong cast as a police inspector battling prostitution, pornography, and other sex crimes. By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | August 20, 2013 … Continue reading

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Bruce Melton : Kick the Climate Deniers off the Island

The Greenwood Acres fishing pier on Lake Buchanan, west of Burnet, Texas. Photo by Bruce Melton / The Rag Blog. The climate science is certain: Time to kick the deniers off the island In just eight years, permanent climate conditions … Continue reading

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BOOKS / Ivan Koop Kuper : Vicki Ayo’s ‘Boys From Houston’ Documents a Thriving ’60s Music Scene

Vicki Welch Ayo’s ‘Boys From Houston‘ describes a thriving ’60s music scene The book is a real eye-opener for those who would have never believed that the city once known as ‘Baghdad on the Bayou,’ referring to its oppressive climate … Continue reading

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