BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW
From the redoubtable compilers and editors at Common Dreams a must-read briefing for scrappy scribes and stalwart citizens who want to remain in the know about pharmaceutical racketeering and corruption, in this case especially in relation to the sale of opiates, in this account as regards the recent two part series in the Charleston Gazette about the nearly one billion dose influx of painkillers into the State even as overdoses and attendant deaths spiraled upward, an eventuality that belies much of the bullshit of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ at the same time that it calls into question the notions of ‘expert’ recommendations about ‘medicine’ as an alternative to the proven effective and safe self-deployment of such remedial herbs as marijuana.
This Day in History
In general, today marks the solstice, the furthest extent of light in the Southern Hemisphere and of the dark in more Northern climes, while Plymouth, Massachusetts commemorates Forefather Day; in Rome, as restiveness and even rebellion threatened a thousand nine hundred and forty-seven years ago, the fourth emperor in a year, Vespasian, who had commanded the crushing of the Great Jewish Revolt, assumed command; a mere three years into the future, in 72, the author of the Gospel According to Thomas, died at the hands of persecutors; eight hundred ninety-eight years ahead of today, the baby boy first cried out who would rise as the martyr and leader of the British Church, Thomas Becket; a hundred nineteen years past that conjunction, in 1237, Mongol fighters under Batu Khan, having used catapults to reduce the city’s fortifications, sacked the ancient Rus city of Ryazan and executed almost everyone in it; MORE HERE
A Thought for the Day
Balancing the more or less absolute necessity, on the one hand, of having income that exceeds outgo, so as to avoid upkeep that leads to downfall, with the less crucial but nonetheless salubrious longing, on the other hand, to follow one’s most passionate inclinations, remains a central paradox of the creative existence, a conundrum that dissipates quickly enough in a social democratic environment but amplifies to such an extent where ‘bourgeois towns’ are the norm that only those to the manor born or otherwise of ‘independent means’ or endowed with either ineffable genius or irresistible, even psychotic, persistence have the vaguest prayer to produce the work that their imaginations and cultural capacities would permit in more clement social contexts, altogether at once a recommendation of socialist social relations and a loss of inventive output of immeasurable extent in the environs where capital’s rule and profits motives are the only rubrics to gauge the good.
anarchism OR "social anarchism" OR socialism OR "democratic socialism" comparison OR similarities OR parallel OR congruent contrast OR differences OR debate OR conflict "one or the other" OR "important choice" necessity OR crucial OR central transformation OR change OR revolution history OR origins analysis OR deconstruction marxist OR radical = 2,670,000 Linkages.
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Art Farm Writers Residency Program
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OPPS/SUBS/CONTESTS
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A Colombian Female Fighter’s Lament
A Guernica post that takes a closer look at the words and thoughts of one of the brave women who have sought to foment justice in spite of huge odds: “The Female Fighter Series pairs female writers with women who are fighting, or have fought, in armed resistance movements worldwide to bring to light the distinctive personalities, politics, and circumstances of participation. This Guernica series is in partnership with the Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative and V-Day: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls. Subsequent essays will be published in 2017.”
A New Inquiry exploration of one of the most fascinating and evolving literary genres, which can provide lots of food for thought for scrappy scribes who are interested in the medium: “ON November 3 2016, PEN America hosted science fiction and fantasy authors Deji Bryce Olukotun, Maria Dahvana Headley, and Haris Durrani for a reading and panel. The trio discussed the limits of heroism, the politics of reality-building, and the whitewashing of publishing. The following is a transcript, edited for length, of their conversation.”
Self-Publishing Writing Rescues
A Medium/Startup opinion piece that looks at the many benefits of the existence of a self-publishing platform, even when its financial rewards are scant: “I read jay caspian kang’s open letter to minority journalists this morning, and it reinvigorated my faith in my decision to self publish. I’ve never held an official writing position, never been in the room for editorial meetings, never stepped into a publication’s headquarters to report for duty. But I’ve been freelancing for over a year, and even in my limited experience, I can identify with the content of the letter. I’ve seen how the industry at large, with the exception of a few (often minority-led) publications, tailors itself to trends and power over integrity. I’ve found that, as Kang asserted, there’s no security in it for writers like us unless we “build our own shit.””
Stability & Popularity in Syria
A Duran look at the volatile situation in Syria, from a vantage view of the reality of the Syrian people: “The Syrian people, like any people who have experienced a history of civil strife, coups and general political instability, crave the peace that is only possible with stable government. Bashar al-Assad who took over from his father in 2000, has remained in power despite the continued conflict. This is something no previous modern Syrian leader had been able to achieve, and until Russia came to Syria’s aid in the war against terrorism, Assad largely stood alone.”
Alienation, Apps, Sharing, Bullshit
A New Geography article that contextualizes the actual risks, opportunties, conflicts, and contradictions built into the newly touted ‘sharing economy’ which cannot bring relief or fulfillment to working people: “Regardless of whether we buy these claims about benefits to workers, there are numerous signs that the sharing economy creates antagonism between workers and customers. The apps and automated systems that underlie these new work structures require both workers and customers to rely on technology, yet the systems are often faulty and poorly designed. While these systems promise transparency and trust, they also create tensions. For example, such systems unfailingly include algorithmic performance assessment of service industry workers. As technology writer and software engineer Tom Slee has argued, “Rather than bringing a new openness and personal trust to our interactions, [such shifts are] bringing a new form of surveillance where service workers must live in fear of being snitched on, and while the company CEOs talk benevolently of their communities of users, the reality has a harder edge of centralised control.” “