Filling Gaps in Iraq, Then Finding a Void at Home. Rented immigrants working for war.
This is the face of battle in a new war and a new century — a 46-year-old Pakistani-American woman, part of a rented army of 130,000 civilians supporting 160,000 United States soldiers and marines. Taking the place of enlisted troops in every American army before this one, these contract employees cook meals, wash clothes, deliver fuel and guard bases. And they die and suffer alongside their brothers and sisters in uniform. About 1,000 contractors have been killed in Iraq since the war began; nearly 13,000 have been injured.--NYTimes

Roger Williams University board chairman gets bitten by the racist fairy. Oops, I, did it again...
The longtime chairman of the Roger Williams University board admitted Monday to using the N-word during a board meeting, saying it “kind of slipped out.” “I apologized for that,” Ralph Papitto said in an interview on WPRO-AM. “What else can I do? Kill myself?”--Carmen for Racialicious.

'Talk to Me': A Political Movie that Lacks Politics. Ahh naaw.
Don Cheadle's new film, Talk to Me, about Petey Greene forgets Greene's most important accomplishment: He was a community activist who railed against poverty and racism.--Alternet

Winslet Under Fire From Race Relations Campaigners. Tres bien.
Pressure is mounting on actress Kate Winslet to stand down as spokesmodel for cosmetics giant L'Oreal after the company was found guilty of racism in a French court.--SFGate

Child wedding 'stopped by pupils'. The power of group.
Classmates of a 13-year-old Bangladeshi school girl due to enter a forced marriage have united to stop the ceremony going ahead, police say.--BBC