Saturday, April 08, 2023

Main Blog Moved to Kersplebedeb.com!

Since March 2013, the main Kersplebedeb website has been migrated to a primarily wordpress format.

What this means in practical terms is that everything you are used to seeing on Sketchy Thoughts is now being posted straight to Kersplebedeb and simply being automatically mirrored here. So in general, you will probably have a better reading/viewing experience if you head over to Kersplebedeb.

For those who prefer the Sketchy Thoughts blogger layout for whatever reason, this page will continue to be automatically updated whenever something is posted to Kersplebedeb, for at least the short-term future. However, as additional functionality is added to the Kersplebedeb site via wordpress, the Sketchy Thoughts page will probably begin to show its age more and more.



Friday, November 09, 2018

Three Months Inside Alt-Right New York



An undercover antifascist descends through all nine circles of the alt-right inferno. During my three months inside New York’s alt-right, The Daily Stormer Book Club never got around to reading any books.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Three Months Inside Alt-Right New York



Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Un-mappable Fascism: What maps can (and can’t) explain about the Brazilian election



Brazil has been lobotomised twice in the last two months. In the first lobotomy on 2 September, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro was burnt down, in a catastrophe directly attributable to the austerity policies of current president Michel Temer.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Un-mappable Fascism: What maps can (and can’t) explain about the Brazilian election



Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Americans Strongly Dislike PC Culture



On social media, the country seems to divide into two neat camps: Call them the woke and the resentful. Team Resentment is manned—pun very much intended—by people who are predominantly old and almost exclusively white.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Americans Strongly Dislike PC Culture



Et Tu, BrutesDonna Zuckerberg on How Misogyny Red-Pilled the Classics



When the Red Pillers—online communities of far-right, anti-feminist men—need to back up their misogynist and racist claims, they look to Ovid, Euripides, or the Stoics.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Et Tu, BrutesDonna Zuckerberg on How Misogyny Red-Pilled the Classics



Sunday, September 16, 2018

Danish left veering right on immigration



COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s right-wing government might once have expected pushback from the left-wing opposition when it introduced a controversial new integration policy. No longer.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Danish left veering right on immigration



Sunday, March 25, 2018

Imperialist Realities vs. the Myths of David Harvey - ROAPE



By John Smith When David Harvey says “the historical draining of wealth from East to West for more than two centuries has largely been reversed over the last thirty years,” his readers will reasonably assume that he refers to a defining feature of imperialism, namely the plunder of living labou

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Imperialist Realities vs. the Myths of David Harvey - ROAPE



Monday, March 19, 2018

Support Herman Bell!

15-lens-herman-bell-embed-blog480Last week the New York State Board of Parole granted Herman Bell release. Since the Board’s decision, there has been significant backlash from the Police Benevolent Association, other unions, Mayor De Blasio and Governor Cuomo. They are demanding that Herman be held indefinitely, the Parole Commissioners who voted for his release be fired, and that people convicted of killing police be left to die in prison.

We want the Governor, policymakers, and public to know that we strongly support the Parole Board’s lawful, just and merciful decision. We also want to show support for the recent changes to the Board, including the appointment of new Commissioners and the direction of the new parole regulations, which base release decisions more on who a person is today and their accomplishments while in prison than on the nature of their crime.

Herman has a community of friends, family and loved ones eagerly awaiting his return. At 70 years old and after 45 years inside, it is time for Herman to come home.

Here are four things you can do RIGHT NOW to support Herman Bell:

1- CALL New York State Governor Cuomo’s Office NOW
518-474-8390

2-EMAIL New York State Governor Cuomo’s Office
https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

3- TWEET at Governor Cuomo: use the following sample tweet:

“@NYGovCuomo: stand by the Parole Board’s lawful & just decision to release Herman Bell. At 70 years old and after more than 40 years of incarceration, his release is overdue. #BringHermanHome.”

4- Participate in a CBS poll and vote YES on the Parole Board’s decision
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/…/herman-bell-parole-police-ou…/
The poll ends on March 21st. Please do this ASAP!

Script for phone calls and emails:
“Governor Cuomo, my name is __________and I am a resident of [New York State/other state/other country]. I support the Parole Board’s decision to release Herman Bell and urge you and the Board to stand by the decision. I also support the recent appointment of new Parole Board Commissioners, and the direction of the new parole regulations, which base release decisions more on who a person is today than on the nature of their crime committed years ago. Returning Herman to his friends and family will help the heal the many harms caused by crime and decades of incarceration. The Board’s decision was just, merciful and lawful, and it will benefit our communities and New York State as a whole.”

Thank you for your support and contributions.

With gratitude,
Supporters of Herman Bell and Parole Justice New York



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Sunday, March 18, 2018

Herman Bell Granted Parole!

15-lens-herman-bell-embed-blog480A respected elder, Herman Bell, was granted parole having met all the criteria for release according to his sentence.  The parole commissioners recognized his progress after serving nearly 45 years in prison and granted his parole application.  He is looking forward to being reunited with his family and friends.  We welcome him home.


 

There is a predictable police-instigated backlash to the parole board’s decision — one thing you can do to oppose this is go to the CBS news poll on facebook, and register your support for releasing Herman (go here — https://www.facebook.com/CBSNewYork/posts/10155802154019024 — and vote ‘yes’)



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2HIEUjS



March Sale at Leftwingbooks.net

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A number of books from Kersplebedeb (and other publishers!) are on special on the leftwingbooks.net website for the rest of the month of March, 25% off or more — some of the books on special include:

and many more … you can check them all out at https://www.leftwingbooks.net/sale

(This sale ends March 31)

 



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2pmby3s



Friday, March 16, 2018

Prosecutors Say A Woman Who Went Undercover With An “Anarchist Extremist Group” Will Testify At Inauguration Protest Trials (repost)

In the next round of trials against people charged with rioting during President Donald Trump’s inauguration, federal prosecutors want to put a witness on the stand under an alias who spent two years undercover with “an anarchist extremist group” in New York.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Prosecutors Say A Woman Who Went Undercover With An “Anarchist Extremist Group” Will Testify At Inauguration Protest Trials



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2pjAOHv



Assembly of First Nations, RCMP co-operated on response to mass protests in 2007 (repost)

The Assembly of First Nations worked closely with the Mounties and provincial police to exchange information about protests and develop common stances before a national aboriginal day of action in the summer of 2007, according to RCMP documents.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Assembly of First Nations, RCMP co-operated on response to mass protests in 2007



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2IxHH0q



Prosecutors Say A Woman Who Went Undercover With An "Anarchist Extremist Group" Will Testify At Inauguration Protest Trials



In the next round of trials against people charged with rioting during President Donald Trump's inauguration, federal prosecutors want to put a witness on the stand under an alias who spent two years undercover with "an anarchist extremist group" in New York.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Prosecutors Say A Woman Who Went Undercover With An "Anarchist Extremist Group" Will Testify At Inauguration Protest Trials



Assembly of First Nations, RCMP co-operated on response to mass protests in 2007



The Assembly of First Nations worked closely with the Mounties and provincial police to exchange information about protests and develop common stances before a national aboriginal day of action in the summer of 2007, according to RCMP documents.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Assembly of First Nations, RCMP co-operated on response to mass protests in 2007



Thursday, March 01, 2018

Montreal Screening: The Gentleman Bank Robber

when: Friday, March 9 at 7 PM – 10 PMGBR_FINAL_POSTER_DIGITAL
where: qpirg concordia, 1500 de maisonneuve ouest (montreal)

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1065764840275933/

The Gentleman Bank Robber is a portrait of revolutionary rita bo brown, a white working class butch from rural Oregon who became known as “The Gentleman Bank Robber” in the 1970s for combining her butch style of dress with a polite way of demanding funds from bank tellers.

The film moves between everyday moments with bo in and around her current home in Oakland, California, and historical retelling of the events of bo’s extraordinary life through interviews with bo and her collaborators, archival materials, and rare social movement ephemera.

The Gentleman Bank Robber weaves together personal and political perspectives on 20th century social movement histories, including queer liberation in the 1960s; militant, underground activity with the George Jackson Brigade in the 1970s, a revolutionary prison abolitionist group; political prisoner support work in the 1980s, and prison activist work into the present day. bo brown is a model for how to lead a life of committed activism while maintaining a sense of humor and humanity.

Note that this event is pay what you can, and all funds received will go to support Bo’s medical expenses (see below)

Books from Kersplebedeb will be available, including Lumpen: The Autobiography of Ed Mead (one of Bo’s comrades from the George Jackson Brigade), at big discounts.

Childcare will be available.

Directed by Julie Perini, 47 minutes, 2017
With original music by Marisa Anderson & Lisa Schonberg

SUPPORT BO BROWN!

In the summer of 2016, bo was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dimentia, a terminal neurodegenerative disease. As of October 2017, bo’s community is raising funds to support her in-home medical care. Donate to the Bo Brown, Forever Activist, Forever Survivor fundraising campaign here:https://www.youcaring.com/bo-brown-655777

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

QPIRG Concordia is a wheelchair accessible and scent-free space see http://www.qpirgconcordia.org/accessibility/ for further details

 

for more information email info@kersplebedeb.com



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2F5tVQx



Thursday, February 22, 2018

Winter Pride Mini Queer Between the Covers

qbcwinterTuesday, February 27 at 12 PM – 4 PM
Concordia University’s EV Atrium (the building glued on to the metro; you can enter via the metro or Guy though the official address is 1515 Saint-Catherine St W)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/914229078746543/

 

As part of Concordia University’s first Winter Pride//Fierté en Hiver celebration, QBtC is holding a mini bookfair in the University’s EV Atrium. Our mini fair is happening on Tuesday, February 27th from 12-4 PM. Come join us for some fun, zines, art and queer culture as part of Concordia’s Winter Pride, and check out the other cool events happening, too!



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2FkuDdG



Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair: March 3rd and 4th

hamiltonbookfair2018-squaregraphicThe Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair – Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4, 2018 – takes place at Westdale Secondary School (700 Main St. W. MAP) Easily accessible from the 403 and a quick bus ride from MacNab Terminal in the downtown Hamilton area.

At the bookfair there is dozens of booksellers, zinesters, distributors and organizing groups from all over Hamilton, Ontario, North America, and beyond, sharing their publications and materials, most of which are hard or impossible to find at mainstream book stores. Many of the materials are available for free, and much of it is published specifically to be available at the Bookfair. Please note: Booksellers and vendors will be displaying on both days: Saturday, March 3 & 4. Workshops, theme rooms, and more will also take place on both days.

During the weekend, there is an Anarchist Film Room screening videos and documentaries produced by individuals and grassroots collectives.

There is also art installed and displayed in the space as a part of the Art and Anarchy exhibit.

Free childcare and kids activities are available at the Bookfair in the Kid Zone; kids and parents are welcome and encouraged to attend the Bookfair!

For everyone who attends, there’s also a Chill Space. The Chill Space was created out of the recognition that a Bookfair can be really overwhelming and intense for a variety of reasons, and that folks might need a place to be apart from the main Bookfair without feeling like they have to leave altogether.

There are also workshops and presentations throughout the weekend. Some are intended as introductions to anarchism for those who are new to anarchy, while others explore an anarchist-themed subject in some depth.

In general, during the Bookfair, don’t hesitate to ask members of the Bookfair collective, or folks who are tabling or presenting, any question or inquiry you have about the ideas and practice of anarchism. The Bookfair collective actively strives to create an accessible and safe(r) event.

The Bookfair site is close to a handful of restaurants, bus stops and a grocery store.

The entire Bookfair is free, and open to all; however, your donations are appreciated so that we can meet our expenses.

Essentially, the Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair is for people curious about anarchism and wanting to learn more.

For more information: http://www.steelcitybookfair.ca



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2GBMVqs



Saturday, February 17, 2018

Organizing the lumpenproletariat: Cliques and communists in Berlin during the Weimar Republic - Eve Rosenhaft



During the Weimar Republic, popular anxieties about the state of society became focused on a field of problems in which youth, political radicalism and a general brutalisation of social and political relations were assumed to be directly linked with one another in peculiarly threatening ways.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Organizing the lumpenproletariat: Cliques and communists in Berlin during the Weimar Republic - Eve Rosenhaft



Organizing the lumpenproletariat: Cliques and communists in Berlin during the Weimar Republic – Eve Rosenhaft (repost)

During the Weimar Republic, popular anxieties about the state of society became focused on a field of problems in which youth, political radicalism and a general brutalisation of social and political relations were assumed to be directly linked with one another in peculiarly threatening ways.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Organizing the lumpenproletariat: Cliques and communists in Berlin during the Weimar Republic – Eve Rosenhaft



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2EAdkEq



Friday, February 02, 2018

Reality has a surprising amount of detail (repost)

My dad emigrated from Colombia to North America when he was 18 looking looking for a better life. For my brother and I that meant a lot of standing outside in the cold.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Reality has a surprising amount of detail



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2GG5ASC



The Terrifying Rise of Alt-Right Fight Clubs (repost)

Anastasia Yankova, a Russian model-turned-mixed martial artist who has appeared in a Nike commercial, was a month away from her professional debut when she took to Instagram to post a cartoon of Adolph Hitler.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at The Terrifying Rise of Alt-Right Fight Clubs



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2s3uU1U



Friday, January 19, 2018

Florida Prisoners Are Laying It Down (repost)

During early 2018 prisoners across Florida are gonna “laydown” in nonviolent protest of the intolerable conditions in Florida’s prisons.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Are Laying It Down



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2DkUHDQ



5 Ways to Support FL Prisoners Going on Strike Tomorrow (repost)

Tomorrow, prisoners across the state of Florida plan to launch a work strike against prison slavery, high canteen prices, and to fully return parole – among other demands.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at 5 Ways to Support FL Prisoners Going on Strike Tomorrow



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2DRoEMV



Florida Prisoners Set to Begin Strike (repost)

Inmates at Florida state prisons prepared to strike Monday to protest brutal living conditions and their work for little or no pay. The strike, which has been coordinated between 10 prisons in the state, is expected to last one month or longer.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Set to Begin Strike



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2DhuYfv



5 Ways to Support FL Prisoners Going on Strike Tomorrow



Tomorrow, prisoners across the state of Florida plan to launch a work strike against prison slavery, high canteen prices, and to fully return parole – among other demands.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at 5 Ways to Support FL Prisoners Going on Strike Tomorrow



Florida Prisoners Are Laying It Down



During early 2018 prisoners across Florida are gonna “laydown” in nonviolent protest of the intolerable conditions in Florida’s prisons.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Are Laying It Down



Florida Prisoners Set to Begin Strike



Inmates at Florida state prisons prepared to strike Monday to protest brutal living conditions and their work for little or no pay. The strike, which has been coordinated between 10 prisons in the state, is expected to last one month or longer.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Set to Begin Strike



Sunday, January 14, 2018

Florida Prisoners Are Preparing to Strike Against Unpaid Labor (repost)

People incarcerated throughout the state of Florida are planning a January 15 work stoppage to protest their conditions, and they say they are prepared to continue the protest for more than a month.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Are Preparing to Strike Against Unpaid Labor



on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2qYQXWO



Florida Prisoners Are Preparing to Strike Against Unpaid Labor



People incarcerated throughout the state of Florida are planning a January 15 work stoppage to protest their conditions, and they say they are prepared to continue the protest for more than a month.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Florida Prisoners Are Preparing to Strike Against Unpaid Labor