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Announcements

May 18, 2005 - 2:09pm -- hydrarchist
Announcements
All Topics

Against The Wal Coalition writes:
Protest annual Wal-Mart shareholder's meeting in Arkansas

When: June 2-3, 2005

Where: Fayetteville, Arkansas, University of Arkansas,
Bud Walton Arena (yes, the brother of Sam Walton has an arena named after him on a state school's campus)

Why: Take the heat to Wal-Mart's home territory:
Northwest Arkansas. Meet other progressives, WM activists, and labor folks. Last year, people came
from New York, California, and Canada to greet Wal-Mart's shareholders.

May 10, 2005 - 3:37pm -- jim
Announcements
Independent Media

Viva writes:

"Mistaken Identity: Sikhs in America"

Winner of three first prize awards at documentary film festivals "Mistaken Identity: Sikhs in America" is a 9/11 story of the racial profiling, verbal abuse and physical assaults and killing on American Sikhs. Mistaken for terrorists because of the turban and beard, which they wear for religious reasons, Sikhs are being shot and killed to date.


Film was produced by two non-Sikh women, 22-year old Amanda Gesine who hosted and initiated the idea one week after 9/11. She never had a Sikh friend in school or college, and felt that racial profiling was due to "ignorance and fear."


Check out websites: www.cultural-diversity.biz.co.uk, www.mistakenidentity.tv; and www.mi-sia.com where you can review 3 min of film on streaming video and buy VHS/DVD via Pay Pal.

May 10, 2005 - 2:57pm -- jim
Announcements
Theory

NOT BORED! writes:

"Guy Debord's Letters, 1957–1964"

Not Bored!

I believe that all of the people who prefer personal letters to the [situationists'] journal lack the ability to elevate themselves to the generality of the same problems. Thus, they don't see that it is the same position, the same thing, but more utilizable by more people. Of course, if it is a question of saying, "we are all better than that" (than all writing), this is obvious. It is one of our basic themes. But an epistolary correspondence, even with a friend, even if one is understood, seems to me further away from the importance of living than the most profoundly calculated texts. It is even less satisying. (Guy Debord, Letter of 2 September 1964 to Ivan Chtcheglov)

Despite Guy Debord's reservations about epistolary correspondences, he engaged in a great many of them — so many, in fact, that it's going to take six full-sized volumes for Editions Fayard to publish them all. To date, four of them have come out: Volume 1, 1957–1960 (published in 1999); Volume 2, 1961–1964 (2001); Volume 3, 1965–1968 (2003); and Volume 4, 1969–1972 (2005). It isn't known what will be contained in Volume 5 (1973–1976? 1973–1994?). But it is known that Volume 6 will include the pre-1957 period, plus letters that have been received between 1999 and the conclusion of this immense work.

May 9, 2005 - 2:00pm -- jim
Announcements
News

Anonymous Comrade writes:

Support Anarchist Anthropologist David Graeber

After a decision at a meeting convened by tenured faculty at the department of anthropology, Yale University, David Graeber’s [author of 2004 Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology] contract was not renewed.

This is not a situation of David being denied tenure, but rather that the extension of his contract has been denied, and this is an extremely rare situation. In light of his exemplary scholarship and mentoring, many of David’s students and colleagues strongly support his continuing at Yale.

To this end we have created an open petition. As the review process of the decision is going to take place very soon, we request you to support this endeavor by signing this petition as soon as possible. We would also appreciate any other support that you are able to provide. The link of the petition is below. Please feel free to forward this petition to any interested persons or listserves.

http://www.petitiononline.com/dgraeber/petition.ht ml

Thanks,
Durba Chattaraj,
department of anthropology, Yale University;
Devika Bordia,
department of anthropology, Yale University

May 6, 2005 - 8:17am -- jim
Announcements
Events

New Media Education and Its Discontents

Conference, Friday, May 6th, 2005

The Graduate Center, City University of New York

This conference is organized by the Institute for Distributed Creativity
in collaboration with The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Elebash Recital Hall

The Graduate Center

City University of New York

365 Fifth Avenue, New York City

Join us for an intensive one-day conference about new media education.
Connect with other new media researchers and educators, present and discuss
urgent topics in new media education, exchange syllabi or swap resources.
The conference will be podcast and live blogged. Bring your USB memory key
and laptop.

May 2, 2005 - 2:20pm -- hydrarchist
Announcements
Culture

Anonymous Comrade writes:
Stephen Wright talks on Use-Value and Art-Related Practice


Where: 16 Beaver Street, 4th floor (directions below)


When: Monday Night 05.02.05 @ 7:30 Pm Who: Open To All

2. The Future of the Reciprocal Readymade: An Essay on Use-Value and Art-Related Practice


Stephen Wright

In a late text, Marcel Duchamp set out to distinguish several different types of readymades. Of particular interest here is the genre which he punningly described as “reciprocal readymades.” Anxious, he claimed, “to emphasize the fundamental antinomy between art and the readymade,” Duchamp defined this radically new, yet subsequently neglected genre through an example: “Use a Rembrandt as an ironing-board.” (1) More than a mere quip to be taken at face value, or a facetious mockery of use-value, Duchamp’s example points to the symbolic potential of recycling art – and more broadly, artistic tools and competence – into the general symbolic economy of everyday life. For in that respect, the reciprocal readymade is the obverse of the standard readymade, which recycles the real – in the form of manufactured objects – into the symbolic economy of art. Historically speaking, the readymade is inseparably bound up with objecthood: it refers to a readymade, manufactured object Yet, it would be reductive to confine the readymade to its objective dimension alone, if only because it provides such a strong general image of the reciprocal logic between art and the real.

April 27, 2005 - 9:57am -- hydrarchist
Announcements
The State

Anonymous Comrade writes:
Manhattan Community Board 2 Rebukes Mayor over Repression of Bicyclists

Manhattan CB 2 passed two unanimous resolutions of "profound concern" about violations of the Constitution committed by Bloomberg's administration.
The City's attornies are trying to gag and enjoin bicyclists from participating in the regular Critical Mass bicycle rides. The rides are aimed at "traffic calming" to make automotive drivers more considerate of bicyclists in the city.
This Friday, April 29th at 5:30 p.m. in Union Square South the international group "Still We Speak!" is throwing a press conference to hoot and holler for our rights. The Reverend Billy presiding.

April 27, 2005 - 5:41am -- nolympics
Announcements
In the Streets

The New SPACE (The New School for Pluralistic Anti-Capitalist Education),
New York City

1.  Upcoming Talks and Course
2.  Additions to our Pluralism Page

1.  UPCOMING TALKS, April 27 and May 25
===================================
(Donation:  $7-10, sliding scale)

 THE MARXIST CRITIQUE OF IDEOLOGY: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT WORKS, AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT - ESPECIALLY NOW
Bertell Ollman
Wednesday April 27, 7 pm

 FIGHTING FOR REFORMS WITHOUT BECOMING REFORMIST
Robin Hahnel
based on his new book, _Economic Justice and Democracy_
Wednesday May 25, 7 pm

UPCOMING COURSE, starting May 3
===============================

 TAXATION AND FINANCE
Instructor:  Howard F. Seligman.
Tuesdays, 7:45 - 9:45 pm
8 classes, May 3 - June 21
Tuition:  $88-$115, sliding scale
Course description below.  See our website for syllabus and instructor's
bio: http://new-space.mahost.org/taxation.html

April 25, 2005 - 7:31am -- nolympics
Announcements
Independent Media

Anonymous Comrade writes
Bored by the prospect of another May Day “celebration” that threatens to be neither enjoyable nor interesting, a few radicals in Portland, Oregon have decided to shake things up as they can. Rather than using this coming May Day as a means to “speak truth to power”—those at the reigns of power are our enemies, and we do not address ourselves to them—we have decided to speak instead with those struggling each day against the conditions imposed by our society, those who, like us, feel the need for revolt.

As one small contribution to such a discussion, we have prepared a pamphlet of radical anti-capitalist, anti-state perspectives. We will distribute this pamphlet at May Day events in Portland. We also plan to talk face-to-face, play, enjoy ourselves and generally not act like oh-so-serious militants or political missionaries. None of us believe that we have final answers; we’re simply putting our perspectives out there in the hopes that they will inspire further thought, discussion, and action against the capitalist order.

Our pamphlet includes an article on the revolutionary history of May Day that challenges leftist mythologies surrounding this day; information on the May 4th day of action for the “Aachen Four” anarchist prisoners in Germany; musings on class, alienation and revolt; and a reprint of “Some Notes on Insurrectionary Anarchism” from Killing King Abacus #2. The pamphlet is available online as a.pdf file here:
http://www.socialwar.net/main/mayday.pdf

We encourage comrades in other locations to print and distribute this document as part of their own May Day celebrations. We hope that it provokes dialogue, critical exchanges, and action to transform our world.

Feel free to circulate the pamphlet link widely.

In revolt –

Troublemakers somewhere in Portland"

April 25, 2005 - 2:47am -- jim
Announcements
Independent Media

Anonymous Comrade writes:

Introducing ZineLibrary.net

ZineLibrary.Net is now the biggest collection of Anarchist zines on the internet.

Have you ever noticed how so many anarchist ideas remain on the internet? Have you noticed that the few anarchist publications around get more contributions than production help, and that so many ideas never make it into any of them? Have you also ever noticed that many people won't take the time to search for anarchist ideas even though they may agree with them? We think we have some ideas to get anarchist ideas off the internet, have unlimited printing and distribution possibilities, and to put anarchist ideas into the hands of curious people.

This isn't a new idea, it is based on Schnews in the UK and fax spammers of the 90's. The idea is to use people's existing printers and copy machines for a radically decentralized printing and distribution network. This idea will also complement existing anarchist papers, pamphlets, zines and flyers. The idea is to make a copy of your print work in the Adobe PDF file type. Literature can then be laid out and put into a PDF file which will make these ideas printable and therefore accessible to those not looking for anarchist ideas on the internet or visiting a radical bookstore. The best part is that the printing is free from any State or workplace printer.

ZineLibrary.net's name is self-explanatory. We hope to provide a widely-accessible, permanent distribution system for zines, which otherwise reach a limited number of people.

We ask you to join this printing revolution by making a copy of your print materials in PDF form for accessible and decentralized printing. We can share these ideas without having to pay hundreds of dollars in printing costs.

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