Monthly Archives: May 2010

History on the Platform, Memory in the Street Notes from May 1, 2006 Chicago

This is a reflection on the May Day actions of 2006 and a sudden conflict that brought to life the complex relationship between “history” as spoken from the platform and “memory” as lived in the street. In 2007, 2008, 2009 … Continue reading

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Kiwane Carrington Update

According to Champaign City Manager Steve Carter, the appeal of a 30-day suspension given to Daniel Norbits, the officer who shot and killed Kiwane Carrington, was denied. A day after the suspension was announced, an attorney with the Fraternal Order … Continue reading

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What is Tamms?

Tamms Super Maximum Correctional Center, which opened in March 1998, is Illinois’ only “Supermax” prison. It is located at the southern tip of Illinois, originally opened under the guise of being for short-term incarceration. • There is no bus service … Continue reading

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The Aging of America: Is It an Economic Problem?

For decades, environmentalists concerned about overpopulation and social workers concerned about families have both advocated family planning, and by that they mostly mean having fewer children. And indeed, throughout the world, including both developed and underdeveloped countries in every continent, … Continue reading

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A Tale of a Small Tech Business

Calling tech support. We’ve all been there: Long hold times with bad music, automated phone trees that go nowhere or are unclear, support staff that are required to follow a script and have a hard time deviating to accommodate different … Continue reading

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Precarity. You Live It, But Do You Know What It IS?

DEFINITION From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Precarious work is a term used to describe non-standard employment which is poorly paid, insecure, unprotected, and cannot support a household. In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in precarious work due … Continue reading

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Ben Fletcher IWW

Born in Philadelphia in 1890, Ben Fletcher was the most important African American labor leader in the most influential union of the early 20th century, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). This was no small accomplishment considering that this … Continue reading

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The Public i Honors Workers Who Sacrificed Thier Lives For Corporate Profits

An explosion in a coal mine in the mountains of West Virginia killed 29 miners on the morning of April 5, 2010. The Upper Big Branch mine was owned and operated by Massey Energy, which had been cited for numerous … Continue reading

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The April 21st March on Springfield

It was a common refrain of rally organizers that they had trouble sleeping the morning of April 21, 2010 before a Save Our Schools rally was to take place in Springfield. Most of us were up at 3:30 or 4:00 … Continue reading

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The Campus Faculty Association at U of I Fights Back: In Springfield and on Campus

In a political climate of incredible irresponsibility, ineptitude, and corruption, the Campus Faculty Association (CFA) at the U of I has been letting our state legislators know that we will not put up with the privation to which public education … Continue reading

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