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 […]
Archives for 2020
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 […]
Losing Kathy: Slow Violence and Social Service Work in New York City
One of my last conversations at Ladders Services was with the Medical Examiner’s office after I heard Kathy had died.* My cubicle was in a cellar with an open floor plan, shared with other cubicles, and my boss and I agreed that I should call the Medical Examiner from a room with a door. Privacy. […]
To Our Readers:
We hope that you have been following our steady stream of articles and interviews about life under the COVID 19 pandemic. We’re planning on continuing to put things up as fast as possible. If you have ideas about something for us to cover or, even better, if you have something you’d like to contribute, please get […]