52 Shades of Greed is a fully illustrated deck of finance and OWS-themed playing cards with drawings from 28 top illustrators. Learn about who and what is breaking our financial system. Enjoy the incredible art on the cards!

After being contacted by a member of the Occupy Wall Street alternative banking group , illustrator Marc Scheff agreed to do a few drawings for a deck of cards depicting some of the people and institutions responsible for causing the Great Recession.

"As a freelance illustrator I don’t get many opportunities to visualize ideas that I am personally committed to, so this project was an exciting departure. I thought that my collaborator Daniel and I would do some face cards and combine those with a standard deck of numbered cards for a sweet little project. Then he suggested bringing in more illustrators, so we made some calls. Within a few days, the project snowballed into a massive collaborative undertaking involving 28 artists from around the world. The deck grew to 56 cards (52 in the deck plus 4 bonus) on an extremely tight deadline."

All of the illustrators came in with incredible excitement and ideas for this collaboration. The vision evolved into making a visually dynamic and coherent set of cards with text and illustrations that would give people a snapshot of who the players are in this casino we call the world financial system.

It was a huge success. The completed designs can be viewed here, where the creators are looking for funds for future projects if you'd like to give these talented people a hand.

The famed award-winning investigative reporting team of Donald Barlett and James Steele have just published a new book, "The Betrayal of the American Dream," a followup to their landmark bestseller, "America: What Went Wrong?" As Republicans and Democrats continue disputing who should bear the brunt of the tax burden, Barlett and Steele argue that America’s middle class has been decimated over the years due to policies governing not only taxes but also bank regulations, trade deficits and pension funds. Their book chronicles how the American middle class has been systematically impoverished and its prospects thwarted in favor of a new ruling elite. Barlett and Steele have worked together for more than 40 years, sharing two Pulitzer Prizes and two National Magazine Awards. The duo join Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow! to discuss the assault on the middle class, the great tax heist, deregulation, the outsourcing of U.S. jobs by companies like Boeing and Apple, and the end of retirement. "People are going to have to work forever, and yet what are those jobs going to be? What are they going to pay? And it also puts pressure then on people coming into the workforce. How are they going to get a job if people are having to work between 65 and 75 years old?," Steele says. The duo also discuss their past reporting on the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, headed by the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, and note he headed "an Olympic committee where that entire operation raided the federal Treasury like no other Olympics in history."

Full transcript here.

via Occupy Oakland

WHERE: Lakeview Elementary School, 746 Grand Avenue, Oakland CA 94610
WHAT: Sit-in Protest To Reverse Closures of Oakland Public Schools
WHEN: Beginning Friday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m. PST
WHO: Teachers, parents, students, allies, and all who believe in public education

At the end of this school year, the Oakland Unified School District plans to close five public elementary schools and hand children’s school buildings over to private charter schools and district administration offices. Hundreds of the displaced students have been placed by the district in elementary schools that are 10 miles away, and the school district has offered no guarantee that transportation will be provided for families. In response…

Oakland Parents and Teachers Are Sitting-in to Keep Neighborhood Schools Open!

We Need Your Support!!!

On June 15th, after the last day of school, Oakland parents and teachers will sit in at Lakeview Elementary demanding that the district keep all neighborhood schools open. The district has not listened to lawsuits, pleas from parents and teachers, or protests. We know the money exists, but still they insist on closing flatland schools serving predominantly black and brown children. We say no more excuses! We’re keeping the schools open the last way left to us, by sitting-in. But we cannot do this alone. We need your support! Demand the district and the politicians give us full funding for quality education in neighborhood public schools. Join the fight for our kids’ futures!

We demand:

Don’t Close the 5 Schools! Keep All Neighborhood Schools Open! Children’s Needs Before Administration’s!
Stop Attacks on Teachers and School Workers! Teacher Conditions=Student Conditions.
Refuse to Pay the Unjust State Debt!
Fully Fund Quality Public Education for All Students!

Support the People’s School for Public Education:

Friday 6/15 @ 1:00pm – Community Speakout & BBQ Friday 6/15 @ 4:00pm – Rally to Kick-Off Sit-In Saturday 6/16 @ 2:00pm – People’s School Solidarity Rally Every Night starting Friday @ 9:00 – Solidarity Watch

Join our work committees to organize for this action – Email education4the99 [at] gmail.com to get involved!

On Monday, the 18th, we will be starting a free, week-long social justice summer program for our kids – Email education4the99[at]gmail.com for more info and to enroll your child.

Spread the word – Tell your friends and family!

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The following are the Principles Of Action for Lakeview Elementary. This is a parent, teacher, and student led action. Please respect and abide by their principles:

Refer all interviews to parents, teachers, and people directly impacted by education struggle who are on a sit-in committee (they will be wearing a special shirt).
Do not confront the police.
No Black Bloc tactics.
No Drugs or Alcohol. This is intended to be a children and family atmosphere.
No Violence No destruction of property.
People sitting in will be people directly affected by education struggle and who work on a sit-in committee (wearing special shirts).
This is a peaceful action.

For more information, and to get involved: and education4the99.wordpress.com