Nowtopian

July 1916

The Masses, an amazing political journal of art, poetry, prose, biting satire and gripping reportage, was shut down by the U.S. government of Woodrow Wilson after the U.S. entered WWI. Prior to that sorry occurrence, it was one of the edgiest, most brilliant, poignant and funny publications ever to be published in this country. There are two collections in print, Echoes of Revolt: The Masses 1911-1917 (Elephant Paperbacks, Ivan R. Dee, Chicago: 1989) and Art for the Masses (Temple University Press: 1988). You’ll be delighted at how timely it still is, nearly nine decades later.

Oil and money

Still finding myself spending an inordinate amount of time cruising around a circuit of websites, seeking news on the war, the unfolding story of falling oil reserves (or not?), global warming stories like the melting Arctic and glaciers, and finally the impending decline of the U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency. How many years (months?) will it be before we see something approaching an Argentinian collapse that leads to bank closures and the amazing disappearing savings accounts? And if this is a reasonable expectation, what can anyone do to “prepare” for such a widepsread catastrophe? The even odder question is if you are like me, and thus in favor of the abolition of money as the organizing institution of daily life, how do we promote awareness and self-organization to cope with this “other” way of abolishing the money system, i.e. by internal contradiction and collapse?

Continue reading Oil and money

Readings this week and beyond!

THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, November 16 at Modern Times 7 p.m. (888 Valencia) for The Political Edge (with Bianca Henry, Marlena Sonn, Quintin Mecke, Rick Prelinger, David Rosen, and Med-o Whitson).
Friday, November 19 at AK Press 7:30 p.m. (674A 23rd St. Oakland) for The Political Edge (with Iain Boal, Erick Lyle, Hugh D’Andrade, Alli Starr)
LATER:
Nov. 30, 7 p.m. Bird & Beckett (2788 Diamond St. SF)
Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Books Inc. (2274 Market St.)

AFTER THE DELUGE Readings:
Dec. 7, 7 p.m. Modern Times (888 Valencia)
Dec. 15, 7 p.m. City Lights Books (261 Columbus)