By Yaël Ossowski / April 16, 2015 / Watchdog.org After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans charter schools are giving students more hope for academic success than their peers, the latest studies reveal. A study brief released last week by Tulane University’s Cowen Institute details the rise and promise of Charter Management Organizations in reorganizing education in New Orleans’ schools. These organizations ensure that…
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2015 European Students For Liberty Conference
After over a year of hard work, the 2015 European Students For Liberty Conference finally came together at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany on April 10-12. There were over 500 participants from over 40 countries, united to celebrate libertarian ideas. It was an honor to organize this along with my colleagues.
Students flocking to Atlanta charter schools brings funding boost
By Yaël Ossowski / April 10, 2015 / Watchdog.org More students than ever are opting for Atlanta charter schools, and they’re about to get a bigger piece of the financial pie. In the 2016 budget proposal to be voted on next week, Atlanta charter schools are expected to get a funding boost of $21 million to “meet expected enrollment increases,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent…
Seizer-in-chief: Obama sets eyes on cyber hackers’ goods
THE PUNISHER: President Obama signed an executive order declaring hacking a “national emergency” and offers sanctions to seize their property and effects By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org If cyber hackers are aiming their malicious code at American companies or government bureaus, they now face the wrath of brutal U.S. sanctions. That’s the latest law of the land to come from President Barack Obama’s pen —…
Conservatives push guest worker program to halt illegal immigration
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org An easy way to fix the convoluted immigration system in the United States entails making it easier for foreigners to be hired, without a lot of red tape in their way. Even the 8.1 million illegal immigrants now in the workforce. That, at least, was the consensus of the five witnesses convened to present at the Senate Committee on Homeland…
Don’t act like that: TSA defends screening program amid lawsuits, won’t release documents
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org The Transportation Security Administration is defending its controversial “behavior detection program” against a torrent of criticism by civil libertarians and a fresh lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. “The Behavior Detection and Analysis (BDA) program is designed to detect individuals who exhibit anomalous behaviors indicating they fear discovery and may pose a risk to aviation security,” TSA spokesman Ross…
The Difference between Expats and Immigrants? It’s Passports, Not Race
Immigration Restrictions Create Distinctions, Not Skin Color Yaël Ossowski | March 26, 2015 | PanAm Post Is classifying white westerners as “expats” and others as “immigrants” when they live outside their home countries racist? That’s the question put forward by Mawuna Remarque Koutonin on the Guardian website last week: “Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?” As both an immigrant…
Can the FCC be trusted with its net neutrality regulations?
By Yaël Ossowski / March 24, 2015 / Watchdog.org Much of the debate on the net neutrality regulations — now a reality — hinged on the FCC’s role in enforcing the rules. But after all the lobbying, all the pressure, and all the attention, is there a chance for abuse? For many activists who care about this issue, the final release of the new rules…
The tech media still doesn’t understand the FCC’s net neutrality regulations
By Yaël Ossowski / March 19, 2015 / Watchdog.org Since the Federal Communications Commission released its net neutrality regulations last week, there have been some strange interpretations about what these rules mean for Internet consumers. For instance, an article by Newsweek says the regulations will prohibit Internet service providers from limiting traffic based upon “commercial interests,” a phrase that never makes an appearance in the…
White House’s new data scientist is ready to give you homework
By Yaël Ossowski / March 19, 2015 / Watchdog.org In his first month on the job, the nation’s chief data scientist DJ Patil has been busy assigning Americans some homework. As part of his effort to celebrate Pi Day (3.14.15), Patil conjured up a geometry question for Americans to solve. “Imagine you have a rope snug all the way around the equator of the Earth….