Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
CANADIAN POLITICS:
FOUR STORIES-VERY LITTLE PRESS:
As the Olympic Flame made its way across western Canada in the past two weeks it was met by demonstrations in four prairie cities. The stories of each stop are given below, three from the No2010 website and a fourth from the Regina Leader Post. A few commonalities can be seen. One, the obvious, is that they are all about demonstrations against the upcoming Olympic circus. Another is that all the demonstrations were peaceful. What is most striking, however, is that the demonstrations attracted hardly any mainstream media reportage. This may have been because they were indeed peaceful and therefore "not entertaining". It may also be because they just weren't weird enough. The press seemed to have no hesitation about reporting all of the antics of PETA in each and every stop. PETA, of course, provides the necessary daily dose of weird in a daily newspaper. Something about "seals and the Olympics" I think, however they may connect. Here in Winnipeg the PETA circus was duly reported. The other demo attracted no notice in the Winnipeg Free Press, while the Winnipeg Sun reported that "another demonstration also took place, but nobody was sure what they were demonstrating about". I kid you not. The demonstrations in Regina and Saskatoon attracted the attention of the Regina Leader Post (but not, insofar as I am able to determine the Saskatoon Star Phoenix), and even there the PETA clowns were given more prominence.
So here, as a public service, are the three stories that have only been reported on the No2010 site and in a few internet forums, and the other Regina story that hasn't shown up in such forums.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Winnipeg: Olympic Torch Protested & Briefly Delayed:
January 7, 2010 - 09:04 — no2010
January 5 - The Olympic torch relay was successfully disrupted in Winnipeg this evening. The torch and parade were blockaded for fifteen minutes, after which time the relay was forced to extinguish the torch, and the torch and relay team were transported forward in a truck.
January 7, 2010 - 09:04 — no2010
January 5 - The Olympic torch relay was successfully disrupted in Winnipeg this evening. The torch and parade were blockaded for fifteen minutes, after which time the relay was forced to extinguish the torch, and the torch and relay team were transported forward in a truck.
The demonstration began when approximately 50 people assembled at the Forks and handed out literature to people attending the torch event.
The demonstration marched from the Forks down Broadway on the sidewalk, and then on the boulevard, to meet the torch relay from the opposite direction, posting "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land" stickers along the way.
Five people were dressed as Olympic rings and carried torches that were lit as the demonstration approached the official Olympic torchbearer.
Each ring represented an issue associated with the Olympics: Homelessness and the criminalization of the poor, massive police spending and the criminalization of dissent, environmental destruction, missing and murdered women, and the theft of native land.
When the demonstration reached the torchbearer, protesters took the street and blockaded the torch parade for fifteen minutes, chanting slogans and distributing leaflets.
The torch was extinguished and transported forward in a truck. Demonstrators were pushed out of the street by the Winnipeg Police Service.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Saskatoon Protests Olympic Torch Relay:
January 14, 2010 - 01:48 — no2010
Protesters peaceful at rally
By Jeremy Warren, Saskatchewan News Network, January 12, 2010
January 14, 2010 - 01:48 — no2010
Protesters peaceful at rally
By Jeremy Warren, Saskatchewan News Network, January 12, 2010
http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/2010wintergames/Protesters+peaceful+rally/2430999/story.html
While thousands of supporters at Kiwanis park waved flags and chanted encouragement for the 2010 Olympics, a small group of protesters had their slogans and flags that denounced the Olympic industry.
While thousands of supporters at Kiwanis park waved flags and chanted encouragement for the 2010 Olympics, a small group of protesters had their slogans and flags that denounced the Olympic industry.
About 30 protesters, part of a national movement demonstrating against the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, took their grievances to Saskatoon's Olympic torch relay event Monday.
"True Sport or Corporate Opportunism?" read one protester's sign.
Homelessness in Vancouver has worsened since the city's successful bid, which lead to the elimination of low income housing, and there's been much ecological destruction from construction and renovation of Olympic sites in B.C., said demonstration organizer Ashley Budd.
The corporations -- from Coca-Cola to Royal Bank of Canada, both of which had significant presence at Monday's event with company giveaways and booths -- are using the games to push product, not sport, said Budd.
"They're influencing these kids," said Budd, a University of Saskatchewan student. "This isn't an education. It's a corporate takeover."
Event organizers bused in more than 1,000 students to Kiwanis Park to watch the torch relay and lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Attendance was between 5,000 and 7,000 people, said organizers.
Spectators were handed free bottles of Coke products and flags and RBC tambourines.
Commercials played on a large screen above the performance stage. The entertainment MC spliced in corporate slogans in chants to rouse the crowd.
"Are you happy?" said the MC, to cheers from the crowd. "I can't hear you! Are you happy?"
The crowd cheered again. Then the MC revealed the Happiness is sponsored by Coca-Cola.
"Are you ready to open happiness, Saskatoon?" Then the Coca-Cola-sponsored performers took the stage.
The crowd was urged to cheer to "create a better Canada," (perhaps one without Coco-Cola-Molly ) to which again the crowd responded with cheers.
"Are you ready to create a better Canada? Let's do with RBC," said the MC. ( it obviously got stranger and stranger as the night wore on-Molly )
Saskatoon Olympic Torch Relay Organizing Committee chair Jill Cope said corporate sponsorship is necessary for the event.
"Putting on a torch run of this magnitude, you certainly need corporate sponsorship," said Cope. "(The advertising) wasn't blatant. (cough, cough-Molly ) I think the kids, and adults too, had fun."
While demonstrations disrupted torch relays elsewhere in Canada, the demonstrators in Saskatoon were peaceful. They drummed and stood silently and burned sage. When approached, they answered questions or distributed leaflets.
"We're not trying to stop the Olympics," said Budd. "We're trying to bring education to the Games."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Edmontonians stand up against capitalism
by Dawn Paley
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/story/2463
EDMONTON-- Dozens of people protested the official Olympics ceremony in downtown Edmonton this evening, an island of resistance in a sea of people out to see the big show.
EDMONTON-- Dozens of people protested the official Olympics ceremony in downtown Edmonton this evening, an island of resistance in a sea of people out to see the big show.
Those standing together against the torch drew attention to social and environmental issues that they argue are exacerbated by the Olympics.
"Capitalism just makes me feel gross," said Megan Heather, who was leafletting in the crowd gathered at Churchill Square. "It's sort of at the backbone of what is really fucking humans up," she said. (I'm sorry to criticize my "own side", but I just have to cringe at this sort of thing-Molly )
Activsts chanted slogans including "Homes not Games," and "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land."
They also drew a clear link between the tar sands and the 2010 Olympics, but the connection wasn't clear to bystanders.
"Most Edmontonians don't agree with it, they know where the bread and butter comes from," said Ed Dykstra, referring to a banner reading "No tar sands, No Olympics on Native Land."
As for why activists would be concerned about the tar sands, Dykstra also had no idea. "The tar sands is a very minuscule part of the greenhouse gas problem," he said. "As far as mining the ground is concerned, there is nothing growing there in the first place."
"The greenest games that are supposed to be carbon neutral are heavily sponsored by the companies active in the tar sands, the fastest growing contributor to climate change," said Macdonald Sainsby, who also organizes an an annual conference about the tar sands. This year's conference will focus on the Olympics as well as the tar sands.
Three people were handcuffed and detained on the torch route for allegedly swearing at the torch. They were later released without charge.
Audio from yesterday's actions in Edmonton:
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Finally, here's the article from the Regina Leader Post about the demonstration in Regina, the one not reported by the No2010 people. Once more, like in Winnipeg, the PETA people get prominence, or in this case equal play. All this for the sake of three paid staffers for the donation sponge that is PETA who travel from town to town following the Olympic Torch. I'd rather not get diverted into a full fledged attack on these people, but I would suggest that they are the lefty equivalent of tele-evangelists, and I'd suggest that nobody give them a penny.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Reginans stage protests before arrival of Olympic torch:
By Josh Campbell, Leader-Post
Reginans stage protests before arrival of Olympic torch:
By Josh Campbell, Leader-Post
January 7, 2010
REGINA — Not all Reginans want to hold the Olympic torch high this Saturday evening as it makes its way through the city.
REGINA — Not all Reginans want to hold the Olympic torch high this Saturday evening as it makes its way through the city.
Some would rather not see it at all.
Mere blocks apart in downtown Regina on Wednesday, two rallies took place, organized (by-Molly )groups that support the Olympics as a friendly international competition between athletes, but not as a means for corporations and countries to wash their hands of "dirty oil" and seal blood.
The first rally, outside the downtown Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) building, was spearheaded by the Council of Canadians (COC). It questioned RBC's sponsorship of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, saying this is a "greenwashing" tactic to get the public to believe the bank is environmentally friendly.
"They want to make themselves look better than they really are," said Jim Elliott, head of COC's Regina chapter.
A pamphlet COC distributed Wednesday read: "RBC is providing $15.9 billion in funding to coal and oil companies, including the tar sands. The 'make a pledge, carry the torch' campaign allows RBC to use the 2010 Games to market itself as a 'green' corporation and support tar sands development at the same time."
RBC representatives were contacted, but had not responded by late Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, at the corner of Scarth Street and Victoria Avenue, a giant inflatable seal was providing shelter to three shivering protesters.
One was Norfolk, Virginia, native David Shirk, a full-time employee with PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals). Shirk is travelling ahead of the torch and carrying his 10-foot-high inflatable seal with him to raise awareness about the annual seal hunt off the coast of Newfoundland and P.E.I.
Of the estimated 5.6 million seals off the coast of Atlantic Canada, the government allowed 280,000 to be hunted in the 2009.
According to Shirk, only three per cent of the overall seal kill is for Aboriginals. The rest is done by large corporations.( Love those "large Newfie corporations"-Molly )
"Just as China had a bad human rights record, so, too, should Canada be under scrutiny for the amount of seals they allow to be hunted," said Shirk. "I am horrified that people are still allowed to club baby seals over the head."
Shirk's belief in the cause has enabled him to handle the Canadian cold. "It's pretty cold up here," he said, "but it's nothing like getting skinned alive like baby seals do."
Labels: 2010 Winter Olympics, anarchism, canadian anarchist movement, demonstrations, Edmonton, local news, media, No 2010, olympic torch, olympics, protests, Regina, Saskatoon, sport, Winnipeg
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-GUELPH:
WHAT HAPPENED AT GUELPH:
The news media are abuzz in the last 24 hours over an incident during the Olympic Torch run in Guelph Ontario. The torchbearer, Cortney Hansen, was allegedly knocked over by a protester. There is, however, another side of the story, one that seems quite probable given the photograph above. The demonstrators allege that Hanson fell over because she collided with a policeman in the security detail. In other words she "tripped over a cop". The offending object in its Olympic outfit can be clearly seen in the photo above. The following article is from Global TV. Note that while the "stumble over cop" version is given that this take on the events is well buried below a headline that says the opposite. The same sequence of events was also reported by Tony Saxon, a reporter for the Guelph Mercury, who was apparently an eyewitness to the events. His story can be seen here. I find it interesting that the vast majority of news reports tell nothing about this other side of the story. By the time the matter has been clarified via the courts the Winter Olympics will probably have already come and gone, and it is doubtful if any retractions will be published at all, let alone timely ones. Here's the story.
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Olympic torch bearer knocked over by protester:
Katherine Laidlaw, Dean Tester and Philip Ling, Canwest News Service:
Olympic torch bearer knocked over by protester:
Katherine Laidlaw, Dean Tester and Philip Ling, Canwest News Service:
HANOVER, Ont. — A woman carrying the Olympic torch was knocked down by a protester Monday morning during the Olympic torch run in Guelph, Ont.
Brittney Simpson, 19, from Kitchener, Ont., was arrested and has been charged with assault, according to Guelph Police Service. She is scheduled appear in court in February.
Simpson allegedly knocked the torchbearer — Cortney Hansen, 28, from Milton, Ont., — to the ground at about 7:50 a.m. Monday morning.
A crowd of demonstrators appeared and disrupted the relay but the torch remained lit, police said. Hansen was treated at the scene for her injuries by Olympic Torch Run medical staff, but got back up and continued her leg of the relay.
A spokesman for the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee said the disruption was an “isolated incident” and was responded to “rapidly and appropriately” by the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit and the RCMP. The two groups are responsible for the safety and security of the torchbearer and the escort team.
“It is unfortunate that this torchbearer’s once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Olympic flame was disrupted in this manner,” said torch relay director Jim Richards.
“We understand that the Olympic Games are a high-profile event and will attract attention and that people have the right to express their opinions,” he said. “We ask that they do so peacefully and respectfully.”
The incident occurred in front of about 1,000 children and parents who attended the festivities, police said in a release.
Simpson is part of an anti-racism protest group known as Kitchener-Waterloo Anti-Racism Action, gathered to protest the flame passing over native land and the continued poverty in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, according to protester Alex Hundert.
Hundert said the protest was meant to be peaceful and blamed the police for the incident.
“The RCMP people kind of freaked out and basically caused the person with the torch to stutter-step and then trip,” he said. “And then things got much worse, because as that person went down, they basically (started) . . . what sounds like a minor attack on the protesters.
"Basically, the relay team caused a disaster and the police decided they needed to arrest somebody."
A local reporter said it appeared the woman fell after bumping into a police officer. (NB-MOLLY )
“The 28-year-old Milton woman hit the ground hard ... seemingly tripping over the leg of a police officer who was struggling with protesters trying to interrupt Hansen’s Olympic moment in downtown Guelph,” Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury wrote.
There have been protests throughout the torch relay, but it has been mainly peaceful.
The relay route was altered Dec. 21 as the torch made its way through the Six Nations community in Grand River, Ont. The move was a response to anticipated conflict with protesters.
One of the protesters gathered outside a news conference that day said she was protesting the Olympics as a call to fair treatment of aboriginal people in Canada.
The torch was briefly delayed in Toronto Dec. 17 when hundreds of protesters filled the streets shouting, "No Olympics on stolen native land!"
Several groups in Victoria caused disturbances early in the torch’s national relay. Though that protest began peacefully in late October, it grew to a parade of around 200 people who effectively blocked the route and cut 10 torchbearers out of the relay.
One protester that said there is concern about the amount of money being spent on the games when budgets for health and education are being stretched.
Later Monday, on the Saugeen First Nation leg of the relay, there was no sign of protest.
Community members gathered around a fire outside the Ojibwa reserve band office awaiting the flame.
Nearly 50 Olympic supporters stood, some waving signs and carrying Canadian, Ontario and aboriginal flags.
Adam Kahgee, one of the flag bearers, said the community was supportive of the Olympic relay.
He said he appreciated the relay’s efforts to reach as many Canadians as possible, keeping with what he called the “for-the-people attitude of the Olympics.”
“I think it’s a great thing,” the 27-year-old Saugeen resident said.
He added that although no one in his community was protesting, those who have demonstrated in other regions are entitled to their opinions.
“Obviously, everybody has a different opinion and can express those opinions. It’s Canada, right?” he said.
“There are two sides to every story and it’s good that both sides are being heard.”
Randy Roote, whose nephew Blaine was another Saugeen torchbearer, said more community members came out to support the relay than he expected.
“I haven’t heard any bad feedback. It’s a big thing for our people to have the torch coming through,” he said, adding that one day maybe his community will have an Olympian of its own.
Earlier Monday, Day 60 of the relay found the torch passing through Erin, Orangeville, Hanover and Walkerton.
“Don’t drink the water there.” That’s the tired phrase Colin Wells heard when he told people where he would be carrying the Olympic flame during his portion of the relay.
Walkerton is perhaps best known for the E. coli tragedy from nearly a decade ago, when contaminated water resulted in seven deaths and widespread illness.
With supporters carrying flags and homemade Olympic rings lined the streets, cheering in support of the torch, Wells said he hopes being touched by the flame will remove some of the town’s negative stigma.
“That’s getting old. I really hope it brings some positivity to the town. It’s such a nice town — we get the best sausage at our local place.”
As the 39-year-old London, Ont., resident carried the torch over a bridge and into the town, snow blustered around him and coated his glasses. The wintry conditions didn’t put out his flame — although a torchbearer later in the relay in Walkerton wasn’t as lucky, as her flame had to be re-ignited twice.
Wells was joined by his wife and 17-year-old son, as well as his father, who was dressed in his original red and white torchbearer suit, with the words “Calgary ’88” printed on his back.
Both Wells and his father had carried the torch in the 1988 Calgary Olympic torch relay, after Wells filled out countless applications for both of them until they were both chosen and passed the torch off between them.
Wells said he believes in the spirit of the Olympics, and doesn’t understand why the flame encounters protesters.
“It’s horrible,” he said. “We had an aboriginal girl on our leg of the relay and she didn’t have a problem with the Olympics. I don’t understand it.”
Later, in Owen Sound, where the torch ended its day’s run Monday night, things smoothly until its second-last leg, when runner Peter Kelly bent to light the flame of the next torch bearer, Paralympic medalist and quadriplegic Jason Crone, and it didn’t work.
"I went to light Jason’s and it wouldn’t light," Kelly said. "You think these torches are light but after running 300 metres with it and holding it for five minutes, it’s heavy!"
As Kelly began his portion, the self-described "Olympic nut" said he tried to go slowly to absorb what was going on around him.
"It was unbelievable, the crowds were amazing. The kids with their own torches, and there was this one guy who had made this huge torch out of cardboard. Everyone was waving as we went by," he said.
Kelly said he’s carried the regret of not running in the relay for the Calgary 1988 Olympics with him for the past 21 years. "The first time I ever saw the Olympics, it was on a tiny black and white TV at the cottage. You could only make out traces of what was happening but I was absolutely fascinated," he said. "It’s just the idea of gathering the best in the world, you know?"
After VANOC escorts dismantled Crone’s torch and got it lit, the relay started again.
Crone, who completed the final leg of the torch relay for Day 60, won a bronze medal in wheelchair rugby at the Beijing Paralympics and is an Owen Sound native. He lit the community cauldron at the city’s celebration after the relay concluded for the day.
The torch relay begins again Tuesday for Day 61, and is expected to pass through Blue Mountain, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, before stopping for the night in Barrie.
The torch’s trek began Oct. 30 in Victoria. It will make an appearance in 1,000 communities before Feb. 12, when it reaches its final destination of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
Labels: anarchism, anti-olympics, canadian anarchist movement, current events, demonstrations, Guelph., media, olympic torch, olympics, sports
Thursday, November 26, 2009
CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-VICTORIA:
THE POLICE HAVE LOST THEIR MARBLES:
It's been almost 3 weeks since a highly successful anti-Olympics protest in Victoria BC (see No2010 Victoria for more news on what's happening out that way). At the time the local media picked up on some "marble throwing incident" to, they hoped, spice up their coverage and also incidentally discredit the protesters. Since then this incident has become the "incredibly shrinking story". Here's Larry Gambone of the Porkupine Blog on how the incident was far less than what was reported at first, and how it may have a totally different implication than what was originally implied in the media.
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Olympic Torch Protest - the so-called marble throwing incident.:
I have waited 3 weeks to do this story to see if anything new came up – so far nothing, so here goes...
I have waited 3 weeks to do this story to see if anything new came up – so far nothing, so here goes...
On the night of the anti-Olympic protest the Victoria TV station was screaming about “cowardly protesters throwing marbles at police horses” and that “a young man with a back pack full of marbles had been arrested.” This way they drummed up hate among the sheeple against a rather successful protest.
Then the Times Colonist got in the act too with a similar line. Funny thing, the story then dropped out of sight.
Even odder was the fact that no one was arrested. Surely if the police had gotten their hands on someone who tried to throw marbles at them, they would be dragged off bleeding to the hoosegow.
Odd too, is the idea that NO2010 would somehow endorse such a stupid, counter-productive tactic. Of course they didn't.
Turns out no one actually threw any marbles, rather they were dropped. But then it gets muddy. Who did it and why did they do it?
There are a number of different viewpoints. First two letters to the Times Colonist:
"Just a note on the 'marble fiasco'. Maybe the media could take a second and follow-up on their so-called 'sources' (the police, and a woman who found a handful of marbles on the street) on marble THROWING. Being at the protest, I saw what happened with the marbles. None were thrown. Someone had them in his pocket (I would like to know why, but since carrying marbles is not a crime, I didn't feel it necessary to ask), his pocket broke and they FELL OUT. A number of us stopped to pick them up, and because we were afraid of being separated from the group, we weren't able to get them all. Many thanks to the woman who got the rest. I would like to see one person step forward that actually SAW anyone throw anything at the horses, because from my perspective, it didn't happen. Stop being lazy reporters, and do your job.
Lover of Horses
Nov 2
"Protesters also threw marbles at the feet of horses used by the Vancouver police mounted squad."
"Protesters also threw marbles at the feet of horses used by the Vancouver police mounted squad."
This is a lie. I was there when the marbles were released, at one of the intersections on Cook Street where we stopped for ten minutes or thereabouts. My friend and I commented on what a stupid thing that is, dropping marbles onto the street so that the horses, already enslaved and wishing they were in a warm barn somewhere, might slip on them. Others nearby expressed similar comments. We were at the back of the crowd, where I stayed for most of the route, and there were several police officers within earshot. It was clear that the officers were made aware of the marbles. The horses passed without incident.
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the marbles were released by agents provocateurs, who have been proven (and those from Montebello may actually go to jail for inciting violence) to be planted into crowds for the purposes of disrupting otherwise peaceful acts of civil disobedience. Janine Bancroft
Nov 2
Global Television weighs in on Nov 3:
"Anti-Olympic protesters say it was not them, but the police themselves, who threw marbles at police horses during the Olympic torch rally in Victoria Friday. They say a police "provocateur" planted among the demonstrators did so to discredit them.
The police, meanwhile, say the allegation is ridiculous.
"The public saw marbles coming from the crowd -- and Victoria police officers saw it," said Sgt. Grant Hamilton of Victoria police.
Tamara Herman, an organizer for the group No2010, said one of the protesters saw someone who was not part of their group drop marbles in the roadway.
Herman said she could not name the witness or offer other details. Nevertheless, she contends that a plainclothes police officer was trying to discredit the protesters.
"The Integrated Security Unit [responsible for Games security] stated they wouldn't rule out using provocateurs. Organizers at the back of the march saw someone they didn't recognize dropping a bag of marbles," Herman said. "
"Anti-Olympic protesters say it was not them, but the police themselves, who threw marbles at police horses during the Olympic torch rally in Victoria Friday. They say a police "provocateur" planted among the demonstrators did so to discredit them.
The police, meanwhile, say the allegation is ridiculous.
"The public saw marbles coming from the crowd -- and Victoria police officers saw it," said Sgt. Grant Hamilton of Victoria police.
Tamara Herman, an organizer for the group No2010, said one of the protesters saw someone who was not part of their group drop marbles in the roadway.
Herman said she could not name the witness or offer other details. Nevertheless, she contends that a plainclothes police officer was trying to discredit the protesters.
"The Integrated Security Unit [responsible for Games security] stated they wouldn't rule out using provocateurs. Organizers at the back of the march saw someone they didn't recognize dropping a bag of marbles," Herman said. "
The Martlet (U Vic paper) gets it partly wrong:
"Despite fears of a potential police crackdown on protesters, there were no arrests. The only visible attempted violence came when some protesters- who were not known to No-2010 organizers- threw marbles at the feet of the seven horses being ridden by the mounted squad The Martlet
Nov 23
What really happened? Some kid who plays marbles had his pocket split? Police agent provocateur? Or could it be a free lance provocateur? Don't put it past the far right to do such a thing. One thing for certain is that the media will seize upon any incident real or imagined to intimidate and discredit the forces of progress.
Labels: 2010 Winter Olympics, agents, anarchism, anti-olympics, canadian anarchist movement, current events, demonstrations, Larry Gambone, media, No 2010, olympics, Porkupine Blog, Victoria
Saturday, July 04, 2009
POPULAR CULTURE:
THE MICHAEL JACKSON DEATH CIRCUS:
Sigh!!!!!! I guess it's inevitable. Everyone has to have their two cents worth about the death of Michael Jackson, and Molly has joined the crowd. To be honest I never though much about Michael Jackson one way or the other before his death. He was lumped into the category of "celebrities whose names I was unfortunately unable to forget". I've spent years working towards the goal of being unable to recognize the name of any celebrity, music, sports, film, TV, etc.. I do this because I really and truly don't like having my thoughts manipulated. The thing about celebrity is that all so-called "facts" about them are absolutely unverifiable. This applies equally to "good Prole-feed" as it does "bad Prole-feed". Jackson may or may not have been a "great artist", but there are no objective criteria to judge this. He may or may not have been a child-molester. Probably, even though he has never been convicted. Not having been on a jury where all the facts were presented I, however, have no basis for a firm opinion one way or the other.
What I do have a firm opinion on is the obvious- that, like all objects of the "celebrity industry", Jackson was an occasion for making profit by an industry where the concept of "truth" is even more degraded than it is in the aphasic ramblings of post-modern "scholars". I often like to say of any celebrity that, "they don't exist", and in one way this is very true. Like the others the Michael Jackson that some (now a great number) worshipped and the Michael Jackson that some (temporarily a small number) hated never existed in the same sense as you and I and the others we meet in real life "exist". Whatever highly developed primate who was given the identity tag in the verbal system of the pair of mammals whose DNA united to form his fetus bears only a chance relationship to the 'Michael Jackson' that was produced for entertainment by the media.
I'm actually quite slack jawed in amazement about the circus that has been going on about his death, and the points of interest are many and various. The actual quantity of interest that I have, however, is quite limited. I hope to be able to forget all the hype, both good and bad. before I die. I have, however, opened up a poll over at our sister site Molly's Polls so that you can have your say about the matter. I guess that I'll have to place a post there so there is room for any ranters. A painful process actually as, comparing things, I definitely think more about the squirrels in my backyard and all their ramifications than I do about Michael Jackson. By a factor of about 100,000 to one actually. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them. They exist for sure. Whatever may be the primate designated by the term 'Michael Jackson', well, I'm not too sure.
See Molly's Polls for the question, "What Do You Think of the Michael Jackson Death Circus ?'.
WWWWWWWWWWW
By the way, for those of you with a taste for the weird, as I have, check out the "evolution of Michael jackson's face at http://www,uglychart.com/archives/2005/03/a_history_of_mi .
Labels: celebrity, media, Michael Jackson, nonsense, popular culture, post-modernism
Thursday, May 29, 2008
CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-VANCOUVER:
HISTORY OF THE FRANCIS STREET SQUAT:
The following item was taken from the "blogs" section of the Linchpin site. It is, of course, of historical rather than current events interest, but still rather interesting.
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Film on Vancouver squatting (1990) now online
The Beat of Frances Street: Squatting in East Vancouver (1990)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RZ1qSwo3kmE(in 5 parts)
or: download at http://www.mininova.org/tor/1415557
The Beat of Frances Street: Squatting in East Vancouver (1990)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RZ1qSwo3kmE(in 5 parts)
or: download at http://www.mininova.org/tor/1415557
The first half of the film contains footage of everyday life in the houses and presents responses to the question "why do you squat?" by fourteen residents. The second half of the film focuses on internal arguments over the use of barricades against imminent police assault and documentation of the assault itself (including commercial news footage) and community response.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Street_Squats
Labels: anarchism, anarchist media, canadian anarchist movement, Linchpin, media, squatting, Vancouver
CANADIAN LABOUR:
INFORMATION: MONOPOLY = MUZZLING:
The Canadian Labour Congress is presently holding its national convention in Toronto, and one of the subjects being discussed is the increasing corporate concentration in the media. Here's the statement of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on the subject.
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Canada’s major unions defending information
Toronto –
“The quality of information is threatened across the country and journalists are about to become an endangered species.” This is the opinion expressed by CUPE at the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) convention in Toronto. “The convergence of media and the perfunctory closure of newsrooms constitute a serious threat to the diversity of voices of information, and as a result, to the vitality of our democratic debate,” said Michel Bibeault, assistant director of CUPE-Québec.“ We are witnessing an accelerated decline in the plurality of sources of information, a phenomenon that can be seen everywhere, but that is felt especially in the outlying regions that are losing their local news. It is high time for the Harper government to change its political position, defend the public interest, and put pressure on the CRTC to maintain the newsrooms in radio and television stations serving a general audience.”
CUPE believes that the situation is particularly troubling in Québec, given the announced closure of the TQS newsrooms and the CHRC newsroom in Québec City, and cutbacks at Global TV, TVA-Québec and The Gazette, not to mention the lockout at the Journal de Québec that has been going on for over a year. “While our planet is becoming smaller and, at the same time, increasingly complex, large conglomerates control the bulk of our information, creating little news but continually broadcasting the same information on a variety of platforms. Does this serve the interests of our citizens? Does this allow us to know what is happening in our communities? Does this enable us to make enlightened choices? Definitely not. We are on a slippery slope, and the major Canadian unions are reacting before it is too late,” added Michel Bibeault.
Labels: Canada, CUPE, media, monopoly
Sunday, July 01, 2007
NEW FROM CHRISTIE BOOKS:
SALT OF THE EARTH:
Despite its name Christie Books is much more a film provider today than it is a book distributer. The latest item that thay have provided is a free viewing of the classic film 'Salt of the Earth' . This film was made during the mid-50s in the USA by people who had been blacklisted during the Mccarthyite witch hunts. It tells the tale of a strike carried on by immigrant workers in New Mexico. The strikers were prohibited by a court order from picketing to prevent scabs from entering the workplace, but the women of the community took up the struggle and prevented the scabs from breaking the strike and won even more. The film can be viewed at http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=1078950796 .
The Christie Books site also features a trilogy of new documentaries with the title of 'The Power of Nightmares'. These were made as a BBC documentary by Adam Curtis. They compare the rise of the American neoconservatives and the Islamist fascists, showing how much they are the same and depend upon each other. It further makes the argument that the Islamist fascist movement's importance has been greatly exaggerated for the purposes of the first movement. These films can be viewed at
1)Baby It's Cold Outside: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=9366696
2)The Phantom Victory: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=987353711
3)The Shadows in the Cave: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=979366695
See Molly's review of 'The Satanic Purses' earlier on this blog for more on the myth of Al Q' aida.
Labels: anarchism, international politics, media, USA
Thursday, November 23, 2006
The End of 'Black Flag':
Recent comments on the 'Anarkismo' site (see 'Links' on the left) seem to say that the British anarchist journal 'Black Flag' may cease publication after 35 years of spreading the anarchist word. The ins and outs of this possibility are discussed in the post and comments, and I'm sure that other comments will be added.
One thing I have to object to, however, is the implication that the era of a "print journal" is over. This isn't directly stated, but a casual reader could take this meaning from the article. The net is great, but it lacks artistry. No e-site will ever equal the aesthetic appeal of a well produced book, or even a journal such as the Match.
Even more importantly, journals are for browsing in the home, in the bar or in the restaurant. They are "cosier" and "slower". I'd hate to see a bar where the only people reading were those reading a screen. When you're done you leave the paper on the table for the next person. Print can reach out in public places in ways that the internet never will. The screen tends to suck the attention from the viewer in a way that print does not. A reader can easily glance up at the surroundings and return to the text in a much more comfortable way than a captive of the computer can. The book and journal are not such hard taskmasters.
At the same time the printed word holds the reader's attention in a way that the internet cannot. Things that are read on the printed page are much more likely to both "stick" and to provoke thought than things viewed on a screen- where the temptation is always there to treat the text in the same way as we treat television programs. Fuzz,blur, skip, jump,etc.. Unless, of course, you're plotting retribution against the author of the word on the screen. A bad habit that I occasionally indulge in- mostly in reference to those with the all the morality of a bad strain of typhoid fever. That temptation isn't present in reading the printed word, or at least the act is far harder to carry out.
Anyways, check out the post on Anarkismo and join it if you like.
Molly
Recent comments on the 'Anarkismo' site (see 'Links' on the left) seem to say that the British anarchist journal 'Black Flag' may cease publication after 35 years of spreading the anarchist word. The ins and outs of this possibility are discussed in the post and comments, and I'm sure that other comments will be added.
One thing I have to object to, however, is the implication that the era of a "print journal" is over. This isn't directly stated, but a casual reader could take this meaning from the article. The net is great, but it lacks artistry. No e-site will ever equal the aesthetic appeal of a well produced book, or even a journal such as the Match.
Even more importantly, journals are for browsing in the home, in the bar or in the restaurant. They are "cosier" and "slower". I'd hate to see a bar where the only people reading were those reading a screen. When you're done you leave the paper on the table for the next person. Print can reach out in public places in ways that the internet never will. The screen tends to suck the attention from the viewer in a way that print does not. A reader can easily glance up at the surroundings and return to the text in a much more comfortable way than a captive of the computer can. The book and journal are not such hard taskmasters.
At the same time the printed word holds the reader's attention in a way that the internet cannot. Things that are read on the printed page are much more likely to both "stick" and to provoke thought than things viewed on a screen- where the temptation is always there to treat the text in the same way as we treat television programs. Fuzz,blur, skip, jump,etc.. Unless, of course, you're plotting retribution against the author of the word on the screen. A bad habit that I occasionally indulge in- mostly in reference to those with the all the morality of a bad strain of typhoid fever. That temptation isn't present in reading the printed word, or at least the act is far harder to carry out.
Anyways, check out the post on Anarkismo and join it if you like.
Molly
Labels: anarchism, anarkismo.net, Black Flag, magazines, media
