The scary part is, she’s right.

“While there is a lower class I am in it;
while there is a criminal element I am of it;
while there is a soul in prison, I am not free”

-Eugene V. Debs

Happy Labor Day

Not only is Debs a generally handsome and determined fellow, he is also a big part of the reason you don’t have to work on Monday. During the Panic of ’93 the American Railway Union (America’s first industrial union, founded and led by Debs in 1893), got pretty fed up with working harder and getting payed less. So, with a big smile they decided to fold their arms and quit until conditions improved. The strike began when 3,000 employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company, led by Debs, started wildcat strike known as the Pullman Strike.

The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in United States history. Before coming to an end, it involved over 150,000 persons and twenty-seven states and territories and would paralyze the nations railway system. The entire rail labor force of the nation would walk away from their jobs. In supporting the capital side of this strike President Cleveland for the first time in the Nation’s history would send in federal troops, who would fire on and kill United States Citizens, against the wishes of the states.

-KansasHeritage.org

The President, Mr. Grover Cleveland sent in in 12,000 American troops to stop the strike. After all, some 150,000 workers had just about put a halt to the whole railroad system which, as you know, was a real big deal in The Turn of the Century to the economy as whole. So, after some military induced blood and gore, and after a whole lot of property damage, the boys all went went back to work, Debs was arrested, and then the President made reconciling with the labor movement a main political focus. He decided he’d better make the 1st Monday in September a big ‘ol holiday to keep the poor folk happy.

After spending some time in prison, Mr. Debs went on to run for President.

Saturday:
• Water the lawn!
• Buy Budwiser™ and CocaCola™
• Red Plastic cups and paper plates, Lots of ‘em, No dishes to wash!
• Call all your friends over!
• Laugh with them about how much you hate your job.
• Talk about the economy.
• Eat a lot of red meat.
• Drink too much, you don’t have to work tomorrow!

Monday:
• Sleep in.
• Water the lawn!
• Go Shopping. There’s great Sales!
• Watch TV

Nothin’ like superior Quality of Life!

OK kiddies, lace up your boots. This Saturday, September 4th, is a big night in Barrio Logan. Our friends at Set & Drift have invited us all (that’s you too) to the opening reception of Current at The Bakery in Barrio Logan. The show will be featuring Mercantile, a pop-up-shop showcasing hand crafted goods from 9 American designers as well as an amazing knitted lighting installation by Kwangho Lee.

As if this wasn’t enough, around the corner, Glasshaus is opening its doors for Device Gallery’s Creatures of Industry reception featuring the works of Greg Brotherton, Nemo Gould, Jeremy Mayer and Guillermo Rigattieri.

…There’s more, believe it. Across the street from The Bakery, the opening reception for the group photography show Keeping Time will be going off at Voz Alta. Allright, I’m tired of typing.

I love the title of this. you could put ‘Animated’ after anything and make it sound fun. David Harvey carefully suggests that it may be time to look beyond capitalism and The RSA does a magnificent job of making it playful and digestible.

If a Marxist perspective makes you squeamish then you may want to divert your ears and eyes. But hey, remember, being educated and using your brain to discern good ideas from bad ones is what makes you a good human… and plus, it’s Animated!

Tiga “Shoes” from AlexandLiane on Vimeo.

This song has always been just OK but the video just made me weep.

Catamaran made from 12,000 recycled plastic bottles crosses the pacific to raise awareness of our tendency to waste plastic like there’s no tomorrow …good idea? Here’s a cool video.

This is what capitalism sinking looks like. By the way, you might not be getting your new sneakers anytime soon. More on this here.

Positive mental attitude “a psychological term which describes a mental phenomenon in which the central idea is that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. PMA implies that one has a vision of good natured change in one’s mind; it employs a state of mind that continues to seek, find and execute ways to win, or find a desirable outcome, regardless of the circumstances.” -Wikipedia

Don’t care what they may say we got that attitude.
Don’t care what they may do we got that attitude.
Hey we got that PMA (positive mental attitude).
Hey we got the PMA. Hey we got the PMA. -Bad Brains ‘Attitude’

We got the PMA.

The smarties over at biccontrol.com are building an online HQ for cyclists and well…non-cyclists too, in the spirit of making San Diego safer, cleaner, healthier, and ultimately more livable. As we enter the Post-Petrol age, organizing ourselves as cyclists instead of motorists is a positive response to declining energy and rising rates of obesity. Now, go rescue your old Peugeot from behind the garage or jump on your buddy’s pegs and cut up the streets. Bangarang!