It was a typically tumultuous International Workers Day around the world, with tens of thousands of protesters in myriad countries. Moroccans marched for higher minimum wages; Australians marched in protest of a recommendation to cut the minimum wage by 25%; but here in San Francisco, like the rest of America, just a small contingent took to the streets for a higher minimum wage, immigration reform, and affordable housing. Yet it's tough times for workers everywhere -- just ask Glenn Reed. Depression and insomnia lead him on a late night walk in suburbia, attempting to outwalk the furthest city light, where one encounters the night patrol, homeless, and Wall Street syncophants' assault on humanity, bringing to mind Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot. Jan Baughman looks at the assaults on American humanity after a week filled with a botched execution, ongoing attacks on abortion, and no help from a divided Congress for the growing ranks of the poor. How ironic that the week that did nothing for the workers ended with the annual love-fest for the elite, when politicians, press, and celebrities attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Gilles d'Aymery has a few thoughts on the gala, as well the ongoing contretemps between Russia and Ukraine thanks to US meddling.
Turning to culture that's free for the masses, Paul Buhle reviews The Cost of Lunch, Etc., by Marge Piercy, and Raju Peddada considers how objects acquire a spiritual dimension with age and association. Peter Byrne remembers the gifted author Gabriel García Márquez, who was denied a US Visa for 33 years because he was viewed as subversive. Finally, Guido Monte tells a story of a homeless man in Palermo and his two dogs, in a way that only Guido can, with a wonderful collage by Pippo Zimmardi.
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Glenn Reed: Insomnia, The Wee Hours, & The Furthest City Light
Depression and insomnia lead to a late night walk and thoughts of Robert Frost. More...
Jan Baughman: Another Week In The Culture Of Life
Another week in the American Culture of Life, with a botched lethal injection, more attacks on abortion, and a thrwarted effort to increase the federal minimum wage while the number in poverty grows. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Le Roi S'Amuse
A few thoughts on the American press corp dining with the political elite at the annual WHCA dinner, the war boiling over in Ukraine that originated in the US, and some unusual bedfellows. More...
Paul Buhle: A Writer On Her Own Path
A review of The Cost of Lunch, Etc., by Marge Piercy. More...
Raju Peddada: The Museum Of Sentiments - Part II
In Part II of his series on sentiments, the author considers how objects acquire a spiritual dimension with age and association. More...
Peter Byrne: Burying Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014)
Gabriel García Márquez: journalist, author, and once considered subversive in the land of the free. More...
Guido Monte: Pino's Tale
A story of a homeless man in Palermo and his two dogs, by Guido Monte, translated by Adele Ward. More...
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