The popular saying is “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” It is often used to explain the reasons for a rumor, or to describe another firearm metaphor “the smoking gun” (the hidden truth that will blow the story wide open). The fires we all saw in Minneapolis on Thursday night (May 28th) illuminated a lot more […]
Archives for May 2020
“An Injury to One is an Injury to All” A Minneapolis Bus Driver on Solidarity with Minneapolis Protesters
Adam is a bus driver in Minneapolis and a member of ATU Local 1005 and Socialist Alternative MN. In the midst of the ongoing protests in Minneapolis, he made the decision to refuse police officers’ request to use his bus to transport arrested people to the precinct. As a consequence of this and other pressure, […]
Cats, Rats and Bats: Dick Whittington’s Cat, Rat Infestations and the Trump Quackery
At the foot of Highgate Hill in North London is a statue of Dick Whittington’s cat. The Dick Whittington story is a part of English folklore. It has been embellished over the centuries, and re-enacted through ballads, nursery rhymes, poetry, theater, pantomimes, and even puppet shows. Dick Whittington might be a stranger to people who […]
ON THE TB WARD: A few stories of lungs
When I was being treated for TB in the old St Mary’s Hospital on Harrow Road in London – this was in 1972, a long time ago – the nurses used to give the patients a bottle of Guinness every day, to aid our recovery. The trolley would come round at about 4pm, and we’d […]
Advertising in the Virus Age
To borrow a phrase from the Madison Avenue ad people “In these difficult times, it’s reassuring to know that we still have enough of what we need.” Well, let’s be more truthful here. We may have limited access to some of what we need. We may not have enough masks, or tests or essential drugs. […]
“Enough is Enough!” A Letter from Ramsey Orta
“These DOCCS employees working under the color of law with a badge of authority from the State of New York, knowingly and maliciously engage in criminal activity with state sanctioned impunity from acting Commissioner of DOCCS, Anthony Annucci. And because there are no safeguard procedures in place to prevent this behavior, their lack of diversity […]