Radical media, politics and culture.

Culture

Radha Vij writes:

"The Colonization of Perception:
Government Seduction Blocks Visions of Truth"

Radha Vij

Over two hundred and fifty thousand voices sung over fifty different protest songs in discordant harmony at the RNC in New York City, opposing what some have termed the Bush Dictatorship. Torn t-shirts, designer handbags, good will bargains, high heel stilettos, jeweled necks, and college hemp-wear paraded from Midtown to Union Square defying conventional “convention behavior.” Though there were umbrella concepts tying together the rally — the end to the war, a women’s right to chose, gay rights, the failing economy, etc. — the protesters were just as diverse in their political opinions as they were in their background and fashion style — testament to the fact that the true beauty of New York City is its insuppressible diversity.

NomIg writes

"Revolution: USA"

A Coldcut/NomIg Project

Revolution USA is an online, multimedia political art project put together by Coldcut and collaborators NomIg. Using samples of the last 40 years of American presidents and media figures, we have created an online Archive of Political Corruption and Scandals.

This site features an interactive timeline of major US political scandals and corruption with an integrated database containing: pertinent video clips and samples for download and streaming; pictures; a textual description of each event and offsite links for further research. The site contains hundreds of clips of US politicians in ‘awkward’ moments and other relevant footage, free audio loops and tracks created by Coldcut which are available for download (currently totaling over 13GBs).

carter writes:


Scandinavian Exhibition on American Activist Art


After spending one month in Vancouver, B.C., working with Adbusters I came to New York yesterday. I am curating an exhibition with the name "America vs. America". We want to give activists and artists a medium to speak to an audience of 7 cities in Scandinavia during spring and summer of 2005. The process of this fall's work and the response we get on the exhibition in Scandinavia will be put together into a documentary film. The idea is to try and create contacts across the Atlantic and to show the Scandinavian people a little bit of what the grassroots in the US are doing. We do this because we know that not all americans are stupid, ignorant, lazy Hollywood-plastics who vote for Bush and think that war is a good thing for democracy — many people in Europe and Scandinavia do think that way though.

"Keep Warm, Burn Britain!" Screening, New York, Oct. 3, 2004


"Keep Warm, Burn Britain!" is filmmaker Ross Lipman's documentary/memoir of
the
squatting movement in England in the mid 1980s. It chronicles the lives of
the anarchists, outcasts, and punks who lived in a small enclave of
abandoned buildings south of the Thames in East London; an area known in
the anarchist community as "Squatter's Paradise". After a brief outsider
renaissance the buildings were destroyed and their dwellers dispersed; a
forgotten moment in the broadscale gentrification of Docklands
Development.


"Keep Warm, Burn Britain!" moves freely from the chaotic lives
of the squatters to the broad social canvas in which their tales unfold;
buildings and lives swept up in the sea of change that swallows cities and
time.

A Review of "The Take"

Daniel Morduchowicz, ZNet

In the early 90’s, Argentina was largely regarded in the mainstream as
the poster child for neoliberal globalization. Time magazine announced,
in one of its covers, “Menem’s Miracle”, referring to the country’s
president at the time and his success in turning the economy around
after many decades of serious downturn. Moreover, he did so by adhering
strictly to the mandates of the IMF and the World Bank, privatizating
everything in sight and putting every state owned company up for a fire
sale.

THE CULTURE PROJECT (home of The Exonerated and Sarah Jones Bridge and Tunnel) presents the new HIT political drama…

GUANTANAMO: HONOR BOUND To DEFEND FREEDOM.

Called “The Most Important civil liberties case in half a century ” by The New York Times.

Summary: Weaving together personal stories, legal opinion, and political debate, Guantánamo: 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom' looks at the questions surrounding the detentions in Guantánamo Bay, and asks how much damage is being done to Western democratic values during the 'war on terror.'

“Given the material, there is no need for histrionic acting. The facts literally speak for themselves. The evening left one stirred, questioning and with a sense that one could no longer seek refuge in ignorance.”-The Independent on Sunday.

“I want anyone who is seriously interested in the values that sustain civilization to see this production.”-The Financial Times.
Plays Tuesday-Saturday at 8PM and Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday at 3PM.
GET TICKETS on the web or over the phone through Ticketmaster.com or #212-307 4100, or in person from 12:30-7:30PM daily at the box office at 45 Bleecker St. (@ Lafayette) #212-253-9983.


Tickets Normally $55/60.

***SPECIAL INTER ACTIVIST DISCOUNT ONLY $25!***


Use secret code JGACT. Offer expires 10/19.

"Splendid Isolation: Urban and Rural Flows and Counterflows in Electronic
Music and Related Media"

February 10-12, 2005, Berlin, Germany

Held in conjunction with club transmediale.05 [BASICS]


The relationship between communication technologies and the city has been a
long and complicated one, where the density of communicative activity has
often been taken as defining characteristic of urban life. By contrast,
rural areas have been idealized and marked by the relative absence of these
technologies, a perception which tends to obscure the social and spatial
consequences of communication technologies in rural areas. Out of this
dichotomous set of associations has emerged a constellation of forces,
ideas, images and experiences which have defined both the city and rural
zones in unique and singular ways.

"Delving Into Democracy's Shadows"

Scott McLemee, Chronicle of Higher Education

The sociologist Michael Mann took a detour from his epic study of
power in human history. It led him straight to the horrors at the
center of modern life.

Scholarly books often resemble the pyramids erected for minor
officials in ancient Egypt. Impressive in their way — and built to
last — they are, nonetheless, difficult to tell apart. By contrast,
The Sources of Social Power, by Michael Mann, a professor of
sociology at the University of California at Los Angeles and a
visiting research professor at Queens University Belfast, is
"audacious in scope, ambitious in objective, and provocative in
challenge," as the American Sociological Association put it in
presenting Mr. Mann its 1988 award for distinguished scholarly
publication.

DVDs

The Velvet Light Trap

A Critical Journal of Film & Television

Issue Number 56, Fall 2005

Issue Theme: DVDs

Less than a decade after their entry into the market, the impact of DVDs has already become visible in media production strategies, legal and economic policy, marketing and distribution, exhibition environments, and audience reception habits. Decisions on style and content during shooting of film and television programs increasingly take into consideration possibilities for cross-media consumption. Recent years have also seen increased visibility of short forms such as making-of documentaries and other bonus features. Direct to consumer sales have created lucrative markets for otherwise marginal films and television programs and have affected habits of consumption. The home viewing environment, finally, opens possibilities for interfaces with other end-user entertainment technologies.


The Velvet Light Trap invites papers exploring issues surrounding DVD technology as part of audiovisual culture and practice. In addition to papers focusing on technology, we seek papers that examine DVDs in relation to questions of aesthetics, narrative construction, genre, production, promotion/distribution, exhibition, and reception — including issues of economic consumption and cultural use — from local, national, or global perspectives.

Norm Rejection writes:

Ten Years of Norm Rejection

Both NR Albums Online


It was back in 1994 that the Maltese agitprop crossover metal band Norm Rejection was founded, releasing its sold-out debut release "Subtly Mesmerized?" during the same year. Subsequently, Norm Rejection released two singles "Trance Upon the Chessboard" (1995) and "Where's the Green?" (1997) before releasing its two full-length albums "Deconform" (1998) and "0002" (2000), both of which are practically sold-out. Norm Rejection's line-up for these recordings was made up of Wilfrid Pace (Vocals), Sean Vukovic (Guitars), Mike Briguglio (Drums), Jo Kerr (Bass) and Andrew Martin (Keyboards).

Norm Rejection is commemorating is 10th year by making available online all songs of the "Deconform" and "0002" albums on its website, www.normrejection.com. Among the 17 songs in question one finds "Malta Not For Sale", "Caged", "6479, "Faceless" , "Urged" and "The Death of the Subject". Check them out!

On http://www.normrejection.com">www.normrejection.comone may also find Norm Rejection’s lyrics, biography, news and links.

Further info from Norm Rejection may be obtained through email at mikebrig@maltanet.net

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