BLOGGING:

REPORT FROM THE MOLLY UPDATE DEPARTMENT:

I did it ! I did it ! I did it ! After some rather humbling communication from a Bosnian comrade last December I set myself the task of editing the links section. Today Molly is happy to announce that at least a large portion of this task is completed. The 'Blogs and Facebook Pages' section of the Links has been thoroughly screened. All dead links have been deleted, and any items that have shown no action for a year have been removed to the 'Baron Mollydi's House Of Zombies' section. God only knows if any of them will return from the dead.

There's still a lot of go in the other sections, though I have been working on them piecemeal. Sooner or later, however, it will all be done, even the, literally, hundreds of items that are in the queue to be added. Much thanks to Srdjan and his Kad Budu Gorjeli Gradovi blog. There's also a tip of the Molly hat to Srdjan because the blog linked above in Tumblr is the third one he has had since mid December. For some reason that is beyond me he managed to get banned from both Blogger and Wordpress for the infamous and ever mysterious "violation of the terms of service". I've never known anybody else who managed this, and it is very mysterious to me as I never saw anything tremendously offensive at his sites. The Lords of the Internet move in mysterious ways.

So I toast Srdjan and thank him profusely.

PERSONAL:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Oh the guilt. Oh the shame. After having had a personal conversation with a friend where he remarked about "how I was able to keep the links current" I was visited by a comrade from Bosnia who pointed out some dead links on this blog. It takes me way back to an internet conversation with an "anarchist hero" I shall refer to as "Dink Ass", and his refusal to list a certain anarchist site because it had "dead links". This was despite the fact that he had "dead links" in his own listings that were at least 7 years dead and perhaps ten years in the grave.

All that being said those words plus the undeserved admiration and the unexpected help from Bosnia put me on a campaign track. As far as I can determine this blog has the most complete listing of the libertarian left in the entire world. It is, of course, a work in progress, and will continue to expand. The way that I have devised is; whenever I add a new listing is to go four or five listings both above and below the new one. I look for things that have to be either deleted or put into the 'Zombie' (long inactive ) category. The latter is not entirely useless. Some things actually do come back to life. Recent examples include the 'Institute For Social Ecology', 'Barking Coins Blog' and the 'Centre For A Stateless Society' which were inactive for a long time but are quite alive today. The 'Zombie' category has its uses.

This is how I hope to keep the links on this blog current (something that anyone with experience with anarchist websites knows is a problem). Quite frankly I cannot go down the lists of literally hundreds of items to try and eliminate dead links, but this method will allow me to "punt the corpses" rather efficiently. Once more I request anyone who detects dead links to report them at the 'Molly's Suggestion Box' link on this blog. Until then I hope this method serves everybody well.

PERSONAL:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Can you imagine ? It's mid-July and I'm still planting flowers. Rain, rain and rain. They aren't likely to do well, but I make the effort anyways. It's been a very busy spring and summer, and, of course, my productivity at this blog has fallen off. Hopefully this will change in the next few weeks.

On a rather happier note I can say that the project of listing the SAC contacts is finally coming near to the end of the tunnel. I've even managed to learn a tiny, itsy bitsy bit of Swedish during this. Or at least how to type their accents. Not enough for sure to get me more beer and complain about the price in Stockholm, but it is interesting nonetheless.

On an even happier note the hacking into my personal email seems to have ended. The last "check" as to what I was writing about Siemans came in through the usual front door rather than through my email. I went all the way up to have the most secure password possible as the first password change was also 'decoded". It is also possible, however, that they simply lost interest in me. I hope to rectify this situation. As an even greater chuckle Siemens itself, according to Business Week, has been attacked in its operating system by something called the 'Stuxnet Worm'. Somehow I have extreme difficulty working up sympathy for them. Or suppressing my giggles for that matter.

That's it for now. The squirrels continue their antics in the backyard. Put the nuts out last night. The grey squirrel came early, and, as they say, "the early squirrel gets the nut". At the same time, however, as I was loading the car for the day one of the lazy red squirrels showed up. Big squirrel fight with the red chasing a grey at least three times its size. Over the garage and far away. I still am in amazement at people who report that grey squirrels "replace" red squirrels in various localities (anecdotal here in Winnipeg, documented and fretted about in England ). Maybe all that it is is that they are less than double plus thick to the 3rd power as to where they bury the nuts. That may be hard to believe if you have ever seen a grey squirrel close up (I have). They tend to project stupidity.

PERSONAL:

HERE AT MOLLY'S

BLOG:

What can I report besides the obvious ? Molly's 'Links' Section continues to grow day by day. Right now I'm on the last of the syndicalist unions that deserves a separate section, the SAC of Sweden. This will be the last major addition (I hope), and the rest will be tidying up and additions in the listings of other organizations. I dearly hope to be proved wrong on this. I await another country coming into a "multiple contact" situation. I have hardly finished the listings for the SAC. As the second largest anarchosyndicalist organization in the world (after the Spanish CGT) I guess that I should expect unexpected layers of complexity. It doesn't help that Swedish is a totally foreign language to me. Bear with me in the next couple of weeks as I add to the SAC listings. Once more the listings on our Links section are designed to be as comprehensive as possible. No doubt there will be call in the future to subdivide various headings. Also no doubt some of the listings are out of date despite my best efforts in deleting dead links.

As to the "content" of this blog, well that is my personal responsibility. It will always vary in terms of subject matter (and even stray from politics entirely- it is a blog after all) , but it will hold to one overwhelming principle. This blog is an anarchist blog for non-anarchists. You'll find no academic gobbledegook here,no "discourses", "dialectics", "intersectionalities" nor any other pseudointellectual words that dress up the speaker's ignorance. You may find rather uncommon words. They will be used properly according to their sense, unlike in leftist "theory". Use a dictionary. The basic ideas of anarchism are just that...basic, and after almost 40 years reading leftist essays I have come to the unshakable conclusion that pretty well all of what passes for "theory" is a waste of breath, especially when it is dolled up in the academic fashion of the day. This is especially true in the age of the internet. After dropping in on enough internet forums I have come to realize that there is an infinity of ways to make erudite, intelligent, well crafted defences of what is utter nonsense. Not that there isn't room for debate about the perennial "what is to be done", but I'm convinced this should be framed in English rather than in "leftish".

OK enough bitching. On with the show.

MOLLY'S LINKS:

OUR LINKS:

Molly continues to 'chug down' her links ala the Spanish CNT. I'm presently at the CNT in Catalonia, and there is a lot more that I have to list before I get out of the anarchosyndicalist ballpark. What can I say for now. Despite being restricted (more or less) to links that are in English, French or Spanish Molly's Blog is now far and away the most comprehensive list of links for anarchists contacts anywhere. We intend to complete expanding this section of the blog, and we hope you will help us. If any of our links are "dead" please inform us here or via Molly's Suggestion Box so that we can eliminate them. Help keep a listing current in less than four years.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-MALAGA:

YES VIRGINIA THERE IS AN ANARCHIST LAWYER:

Every once in awhile, while working on the 'Links' section of this blog (now far and away the most extensive set of links on the 'anarchonet') I come across things that snap my head back. The last time I can remember such a double take as what follows is when, a couple of years back, I came upon and listed items such as 'The Mormon Worker' and other "Mormon anarchists". What gives me pause is that, after the double take, I do a triple take and realize that I have no real objection whatsoever. There are indeed things in the wonderful world of anarchism that are truly disturbing, and I'm occasionally visited by demons from these netherworlds. I don't, however, see why a Mormon couldn't be a good anarchist, though I have to bite my tongue to avoid arguing about religion with same. Mercifully, the older and lazier I get the easier this becomes.

The following is one such experience. While dutifully chugging through the CNT listings for Andalucia I was readying the CNT Málaga items for future inclusion. I came across the following link within the site: Sección Sindical De CNT En El Colegio De Abogados De Málaga. Say What ??? This means "Union Section of the CNT In The College of Lawyers". Anarchist lawyers ? Well, I went searching, remembering the conference many years ago in the Netherlands on 'Law and Anarchism'. The two are not mutually contradictory, unlike the clowns who try and marry (a shotgun marriage if there ever was one) anarchism and right wing politics, especially of the neo-fascist kind (yes, there was one of these serpents who once visited Molly's paradise). Neither is this sort of thing immediately repulsive in a moral sense.

To be honest I think that an "anarchist lawyer" is worth more to the movement than 300 political science graduates who can sling academic non-words around. An anarchist accountant or an anarchist economist would be equally valuable. No, it's not a contradiction in terms. It seems, however, that at least one of the members of this Sindicato is in trouble with the Spanish equivalent of the local 'Legal College' in Málaga, as per the following article from the CNT Málaga website: 'El Colegio De Abogados De Málaga Impone Dos Nuevas Sanciones A Nuestra Delegado Sindical'. This translates as 'The Law College Of Malaga Imposes Two New Sanctions On Our Union Deleagate'. Seems that those who profit by the law are somewhat ticked about a visible anarchist in their midst, and, human nature, being nothing if not petty, are out to get the poor bugger. You can read the article in Spanish here. If there is overwhelming popular demand I will translate it into English (though I already have two Spanish translations sitting "in the queue").

Yes, I definitely feel sorry for the man and his compañera (also mentioned in the article). The site, however, gives no mechanism whereby we, on the other side of the world, can do anything for them. I do, however, wish him well. Check out the article, and the previous items there on this persecution, at the CNT Málaga site. May the guy keep pissing off the "forces of evil" and be happy about it.

Good luck compañero !

PERSONAL:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Well, it's been back to work these past two weeks, after recovering from surgery, and my blog production has dropped off accordingly. It doesn't help that I am spending what I consider an excessive time on 'blog promotion'. Too bad the crowds don't flock to you without effort. The present readership has essentially doubled in the past year, but there are still many hills to climb.

One summit, however, has been achieved. Finally, after months of effort I have finished the listings for the Spanish CGT (see our Links section). 491 items. Larry Gambone, of the Porkupine Blog, gave me a little warning when I started this enterprise many months ago. Now I know. Now I know. The listing is actually more complete in a way than the CGT's own 'Directorio CGT' because I went into all sorts of subcategories that aren't directly accessible from the main CGT site. There are still, however, some items left out. Some are deliberate such as a few sites that contain computer threats. Also there are numerous publications of the CGT whose only address is a pdf file. I had trouble with these, so I omitted them.

There are still a few loose ends to tie up as there are many 'peripherals' to the CGT such as ateneos, radio stations, movie theatres, etc. that may or may not be listed. It took me months to list all of the CGT sites in the Links section. It didn't help that my usual typo ratio was one out of five, and so I was forced to do a lot of editing. The CGT is certainly the most successful anarcho-syndicalist organization in the world. As a matter of fact one could total the membership of all other anarchist organizations, both syndicalist and otherwise, in the entire world and not come close to that of the CGT. What they have done is to make anarchosyndicalism relevant to the modern world. That is something the rest of us are still working on.

As has been stated before on this blog this is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Spanish CNT, and the CGT sees itself as the legitimate heir of this tradition. I'll be presenting more from both the CGT and the much smaller CNT-AIT during the course of this year, hoping to show how anarchosyndicalism is still rlevant in the 21st century.

Til then.

LOCAL NEWS-WINNIPEG:

THE VIVA MONDRAGON FACEBOOK PAGE:

Molly just recently joined a new Facebook group, the Viva Mondragon for fans of Winnipeg's local infoshop and vegan restaurant (now also a grocery store). Here's all the info about them from their page.

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Basic Information

Hometown:
Winnipeg, MB
Relationship Status:
It's Complicated
Interested In:
Women

Men
Political Views:
anarchist & pareconist
Religious Views:
something about an opiate
Contact Information
Phone:
204-946-5241
Current Address:
1A- 91 Albert StreetWinnipeg, MB R3b 1G5
Website:
http://mondragon.ca

Groups

See All (72)

Member of:
Peace Alliance Winnipeg, The Royal Albert Arms, The Lo Pub, Critical Mass - Winnipeg, MB, No One Is Illegal RADIO, Room 720, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), Makeshift Productions presents Concrete Jungle @ The Embassy Lounge , scott nolan, Get rid of Mayor Sam Katz!, Stop the Privatization of Winnipeg Water, I Support Comprehensive Insured Health Services for Transgender Manitobans, The Tallest Poppy, the Outspoken Wordsmiths, March on Gaza, Jan. 1, 2010 - Gaza Shall Not Die!, Democracy Now! @ The Organic Underground each weekday at 5:00 pm, Victoria Anarchist Bookfair, Youth Activist Retreat, Remembering Stonewall, Friends of the UWSA Community Garden :), Ashanincan Shaman Visits Winnipeg, W.A.A.R., People Against Beating Kids, The Boreal Action Project, Bike Winnipeg, War All The Time, Precursor Productions / intomusic.ca, FemRev - new rebELLEs OC, Free The Pirate Bay, Salon du Livre Anarchiste de Montreal @ Montreal Anarchist Bookfair

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Oh, oh, Molly feels one of her petty gripes (or puzzlements) coming on. I guess that it is fair game to also have a website. I checked. It is still active. A lot of groups, people, businesses, etc. do this to increase their exposure. But the new group made me look to the old Mondragon facebook page to see if it was time to give it a decent burial from the Links section and move it to 'Zombies'. To my amazement it is still active as well. For the life of me I can't see the point of this. No doubt there are individuals in this world who have more websites, blogs, Facebook and Myspace sites than I have fingers and toes. Personally I doubt that such a thing will get them even 15 nanoseconds of fame. Can somebody please enlighten me as to the purpose of having two Facebook groups running in tandem.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-LATIN AMERICA:

NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR LINKS:

As regular readers of this blog know the Links section is in a continual process of updating, expansion and editing. As part of this Molly is happy to announce the addition of two new Latin American links that have been added to both the 'Platformist and Especifista' and the 'Enlaces En Espanol' categories. This deserves special mention because it signifies a further expansion of the concept of coherent anarchist organization into countries where the idea has been "thin on the ground" in the past few decades. The links are the Unión Socialista Libertaria from Peru and the Organización Anarquista Por la Revolución Social in Bolivia. Check these links out for a new perspective from the Americas.

BLOGGING:

ALMOST BOO-BOOED:

As regular readers of this blog know I am forever updating the Links section, both adding items and deleting dead links. A lot of this action is performed using scraps of paper on which I have written the items in question, and, as may be expected, the "to do" pile keeps getting shuffled like a pack of cards. Thus, earlier today, I accidentally added one item from the bizarre mutation known as "national anarchism". Like most such outré examples of ideological monsters this item came from the USA. There must be a lot of stray radiation in that part of the world. It is the throbbing heart of many sorts of "para-anarchisms", such as primitivism and post leftism, that hardly bear any family resemblance to anarchism elsewhere.

I guess that I should have checked before I listed, but, in the interests of efficiency I usually leave that sort of thing to the confirmation check after adding the link. I'm very glad I at least do this. The link to the great sewer minds has been duly removed. While being a pretty comprehensive listing of anarchists contacts of various sorts and persuasions this blog does have certain standards. What the so-called "national anarchists" have done is take justifiable doubt about such things as political correctness and identity politics (which can get pretty weird themselves) and attempt a strange marriage between two things that are obviously genetically incompatible, the mountain flower of anarchism and the dung beetle of fascism. Needless to say the children produced are quite monstrous.

No doubt this is an easy target. Sort of like something that a blind man could hit at midnight at the bottom of a coal mine. So far I can remember only one other item that I have removed from this list when I was advised of its real nature. If I recall correctly it was anti-Semitic. Some things, however, are much more subtle. Are there any of the links here that any readers find morally objectionable ? I say morally , not politically. No bitching about how some of the links here are religious please. Please advise me of such, and I'll look into it.

BLOGGING:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Time moves on, and so does Molly's Blog. This summer this kitten will be three years old. A long time in cat years, but a short time in most other chronologies. In that time the blog has (hopefully) improved, and it has certainly expanded. It has spun off a sister site, Molly's Polls, and more will be yet to come. I continue to work pretty well every day on the Links section. I think that I have almost completed the listings for the French CNT, the "CNT-Vignoles". The other French CNT, the "CNT-AIT" is still to come, but it will be a far shorter listing. My attempt to put some order into the CNT listings is, I have to say, hampered by what I find a rather opaque method of numbering their locals on the part of the CNT, rather than simply listing them as a geographic local. So be it. They share this characteristic with pretty well every union in the world, whatever its political stripe. I do, however, continue to plow through. To be honest I find the CNT-F task easier than the previous IWW task, even if there are many more "projects" and "publications" in the CNT than in the IWW. Not unexpected. By most estimates the CNT-F is far larger than the IWW, and, besides, the French really love to put out publications(and to form organizations from splits for that matter). It's a classic.

You know where this is trending. I shudder when I finally have to face the task of listing the Spanish CGT, or even the Spanish CNT. No doubt I will undertake simpler tasks first, such as listing the contacts for the FAU or the USI. Still, I suspect that I have two years of work ahead of me here. it will, however, eventually be finished.

All this is against a background of gradually expanding and editing the other categories in the Links. This goes on at its usual slow bit steady pace. Further editorial subdivisions will be done in the months (and years ?) to come to make the list more user friendly.

As to the blog posts I have to emphasize that the "balance" is always a work in progress. I see that I have finally, after a hiatus of many months, published something today that is not political. Obviously I have missed the idea of balance that I originally strived for, but the correction does eventually come. The balance between local, Canadian and international posts is also always a moving target. I have expressed my own priorities before, and I hardly have to repeat them now. What I will say is that what actually shows up in the posts is, at best, 5% of what is actually worthy of publication. Many significant things that come to my attention never see the light of day here. There is an even greater continent of things that never come to my attention at all.

Anarcho-purists may quibble about how much of this blog is devoted to things that are obviously not connected with anarchism. My response to this is that these things are connected at a deeper level than labels would admit. They are connected at the level of "class struggle", a term I hate to use but one that is very descriptive. My own idea of anarchism is not some self-referential idea of being some sort of "ultimate radical" and wandering off into what can (kindly!!!) be described as intellectual masturbation. My idea of anarchism is grounded in the actual needs and struggles of ordinary people, not the delusions of some sort of subculture that deludes itself with the lies of its own superiority. To put it bluntly, anarchism is about the needs, struggles and desires of ordinary people or it is not anarchism; it is only a religious cult without this anchor.

In some ways this is a blessing. It cuts out huge swatches of what one anarchist news site thinks is important. I don't have to pay any attention whatsoever if somebody breaks a window in Woebegone Iowa with a presumptive political purpose. Neither do I have to pay attention when some fool imagines that arson is, by some trick of magical thinking, a way to "preserve the Earth", and I don't have to pay attention to their trials and tribulations when they are eventually and inevitably caught (sometimes because infiltrators put them up to it, but more often because they are simply incompetent fools). Hey, no problem, no worry. Let them live in their delusions, in or out of prison. I...Don't...Give...A...Fuck. The only disturbance is that these people think they can define 'anarchism" as what they do. Quite frankly I find the actions of such people (mostly Americans) very reminiscent of the attempt of American creationists to smuggle in religion via so-called "intelligent design".

On the other hand this liberation from arrogant cultism has a drawback. I have to pay attention to a far greater field of struggle with which people outside of the mutual admiration society are intimately concerned from day to day. This means that I am obligated to try and report things from a vastly wider field of human existence than a cultist has to pay attention to. Obviously this often involves me in compromises that I don't feel too comfortable with, but it is a reality. The point that i see as relevant is how to push these struggles into a more and more libertarian direction. All that while not having the hubris of imagining that I am producing anything more than a tiny blog that only 100 to 150 people a day drop by to read. Not big potatoes in the cosmic scheme of things.

So here is Molly's Blog, continually trying to find its balance. The balance will never be "finally' found because it is an ever shifting target. The journey, however, is the whole story. The goal is an ever receding mirage that merely leads me on. Some things I am absolutely certain of. My decision to pay attention to the lives of ordinary people is both a moral and aesthetic choice. The morality of it should be obvious. The aesthetics revolve around the fact of just how ugly the cultish forms of anarchism, all of which depend on an overwhelming arrogance, actually are. For myself I have absolutely no desire, let alone need to buoy up my ego by identifying with a pseudo-superior group. Life itself has more than enough meaning for this tiny little cat, and I see no reason to accept lies just because they lead to self-exaltation.

Other things I am much less certain of. Negation is always easier than affirmation. In most things i preserve an attitude of scepticism. Perhaps I grew old while my back was turned. Come along with Molly as she explores this unknown universe in the years that are left to me.

BLOGGING:

INTRODUCING "MOLLY'S POLLS":

If you look to the left of this page you will see a new heading..."Molly's Polls". This is the public opinion research centre of that gigantic international conglomerate Mollymew Inc.. It's also a lot of fun. Each poll there will last a week, but popular ones will be reset to keep on going. The first one is 'How do you describe yourself politically ?". I don't know if this will get much response, but toddle on over if you want you two bits worth.

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In the same vein I'll be doing my "Best Anarchist Websites of the Year" feature again this January. This time around there will be two categories, my personal choices and the public favourites. This is to announce the opening of nominations for the public choice. Please leave your ideas as a comment here. Also, I'd like to do a "Best 2008 Anarchist Story/Headline". The first choice is obvious, the events in Greece, but, once more, leave your suggestions here. I'll be bugging the readership for suggestions at regular intervals.

............................................

One more housecleaning matter. I have finally finished separating the general links section into Canadian and other links, but there is still a long way to go before I am done the necessary editing. This is obviously going to be a very long term project.

Keep smiling, and don't forget to vote.

BLOGGING:

EDITING MOLLY'S BLOG-INTERUM REPORT:

It's a long hard road we travel. I am only half way through the editing of the general 'Links' section, and I'm already aware that separating off the Canadian and other links is going to be totally insufficient for clarity. I'll continue on with this, going through other sections as well such as 'Anarchist Music' or 'Liens En Français' amongst others with this method, as well as beginning to separate off the texts section- which I continue to grow- into particular authors and others. Still...I'm obviously going to have to subdivide further. So much for getting this project done before the New Year. Still...it has to be done eventually.

BLOGGING:

EDITING MOLLY'S BLOG:

There are some changes that will be happening in our Links Section here at Molly's Blog over the next little while. Some have commented on the "comprehensive" nature of our links in the past. The problem is that the huge number of links has made navigation amongst them unwieldy for the readers. Thus we are beginning to divide various sections up into sub-sections. The start of this is to divide such areas as "Links", "Blogs", "Liens En Français", "Anarchist Music", etc. into "Canadian" and "Other" sections.

To say the least this will be a long process, but it is also an opportunity for editing. Dead links will be removed. Inactive ones will be transferred to our "Zombie" section. Alphabetical order will be restored. The process is long because it involves checking each and every link, retyping it into the new section and eliminating it from the old. So far I've only begun with the letter "A" in the general Links section. If the Links list still seems unwieldy it will be further subdivided in the future.

This is also the time for a note on "language". In general Molly has only listed links that have at least some content in either English, French or Spanish because these are the only languages that I can read and judge as to content. There are some exceptions, especially for special sections such as "Anarcho-Syndicalist Links" or "Platformist and Especifista Links" and for some sites in Czech and Greek with which I have a passing acquaintance or Italian and Portuguese where I can "guess" my way through via cognates. Perhaps this policy will change in the future, especially in regards to such languages as Italian and Portuguese, but for now I find that it is hard enough to keep up with new sites in the 3 languages mentioned. One can sincerely hope for a situation where anarchist sites in Mandarin , Cantonese, Arabic , Hindi or others would be numerous enough to deserve a special section, but that is for the distant future. For now this is the best I can do. As I said, exceptions are sometimes made.

I beg the reader's indulgence as I slowly edit the links. Don't be disconcerted by duplications. They are only temporary as I plow through the list.

BLOGGING:

THE BEST OF THE BLOGS- THE LETTERS "AN":

Here we are again with Molly's irregular feature, 'The Best of the Blogs', where she goes down the blogs on her links section, choosing those that have particularly interesting recent content. Today we do the letter combination "an".

A. Over at the Anarchia blog Asher muses on the existential condition of loneliness in 'On Being Alone'.

B. The Anarchist Philosophy Blog is more didactic, and the author explores his thoughts as to what anarchism is and isn't in his 'Anarchism Essay'. Special emphasis on the fact that the philosophy is not merely "negative"

C. The Anglican Resistance blog is closing down. The author, an Anglican priest, will be moving most of his efforts to his parish blog, the Blog of the Good Shepherd. He also recommends a couple of other blogs where his work occasionally appears, The Episcopal Cafe and The Covenant Journal.

D. Meanwhile out on the west coast the Anarcho-Cyclist has some interesting material on the "local foods movement". Check out his 'Radical Gardening and Local Food Production' and 'Saltspring Seeds 'Zero Mile Diet' Seed Kit'.

BLOGGING:

THE BEST OF THE BLOGS - FROM AA TO AM:

Every once in awhile Molly remembers some of her previous projects. Today I'm back at my 'Best of the Blogs' list, drawn from the blogs listed here at Molly's cathouse. Today we go from the beginning of the list to the "AM" line.....

A. Over at the Acts of Hope blog there's an article titled 'The New Media Monopoly', a review of a book by the same name by Ben Baydikion.

B. There's an interesting article on 'Voting' at the Against the State blog.

C. Alas a Blog has an article 'Is There Something to Celebrate' about International Women's Day and how much further we still have to go.

D. And then at the All Spin Zone there's an award winning item, 'What Do Nataline Sarkisyar and Brittany Spears Have In Common', all about the difference that the rich and the poor receive when they enter the medical system.

BLOGGING

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Things chug along at their usual slow speed here at Molly's Blog. I have begun the editing process ie the addition of Baron Mollydi's House of Zombies and the section for links in French (Liens en Francais), but there's still a lot of work to do on both. In terms of the Liens en Francais those that are listed in the general links section will be moved there, but those that are listed under some other categories such as 'Anarcho-Syndicalist Links", 'Platformist Links', etc. will be duplicated in both sections. Enlaces en Espanol will begin in the near future.

But now, I'd like to alert the reader to our growing texts section. Recent additions revolve around the extended reprint of Doug Newdick's 'Anarchy and Game Theory' on the main blog. I hope to complete this soon. The reprints are not just reposting but also contain info on other links that bear on this subject, so don't forget to look for them. The texts section now contains both this essay and Newdick's other essay 'Power and Consent'. There is also Jam Okra's 'Can Cooperation Ever Occur Without the State ?' and an interesting essay of the "tragedy of the commons" by Dennis Fox entitles 'Psychology, Ideology, Utopia and the Commons'. Molly found this while looking up things revolving around her comments about 'The Rebel Sell'. Molly read the latter book some time ago and planned to review it here, but , like many things it fell into the cracks in time. Maybe I should actually do it. But, speaking of Fox, look for an introduction to this man here at MB. His main site and blog have also been added to our links, and I have to say that he is well worth reading.

More later.

ANARCHIST WEBSITES:

UPDATE TO THE NESTOR MAKHNO ARCHIVE:

The Nestor Makhno Archive, devoted to the collection of all things related to the life of Ukrainian revolutionary anarchist Nestor Makhno and the revolution that he led has had a few recent updates. Texts in a number of different languages ((Bulgarian, English, Spanish, Greek, German, Portuguese, Russian and Polish) have been added. In English the two most recently added texts are:

*'In the Social Storm:Memoirs of the Russian Revolution' by Boris Yelensky

*'A Siberian Makhnovshchina ?' by Frank Mintz.

The website also contains a number of new images and songs. Drop on over to check out what it is all about.

ANARCHISM/CANADA:

A MEDLEY OF CANADIAN ANARCHIST NEWS:

Lots of things are always happening across Canada anarchy-wise. Here's a medley of some of the latest announcements. events and appeals:

MONTREAL:

As previously reported here at Molly's Blog No One is Illegal-Montreal held a picket at Les Plais de Congres in Montreal yesterday. Just as the demonstration was breaking up the police attacked. NOII-Montreal is calling for even more people to join them for tomorrow night's picket to demonstrate that the police cannot intimidate dissent. This is their statement:

"Police attacked at the end of the anti-racist picket and speak-out against the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on Tuesday night, organized by No One Is Illegal-Montreal. Four people were arrested; three were released but one person still faces charges. We call on all friends and allies to attend the second scheduled picket and speak-out against the Commission this Thursday, November 29, at 6:30 pm (please note the new time) at the Palais des Congres (corner of Viger and de Bleury, near Metro Place D'Armes). We encourage you to attend in large numbers, to show that we will not be intimidated by police violence, and to continue to denounce the racist, xenophobic and sexist basis of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission."

MONTREAL(2):

TADAMON APPEAL:

Call for Financial Solidarity: Annual Appeal for Supporters of Tadmon:

"Throughout the past year Tadamon ! , a volunteer-run collective of social justice organizers based in Montreal, has maintained an unique and important presence on the forefront of political organizing in North America in solidarity with struggles for social and economic justice in Lebanon and the Middle East. Today, Tadamon ! is calling for your financial solidarity in order to sustain our important work by becoming an annual supporter. Concretely we are asking for individuals, groups and organizations to commit an annual donation of between $20-$100 dollars which will be directed towards our ongoing work. Tadamon!'s current fund raising goal is to confirm $2,000 in donations by January 1st, 2008. Please help us reach this goal by contacting us to become a financial supporter and passing the word on to others.

Tadamon! calls for your financial support in order to cover the growing overhead costs related to our political campaigns, events and actions. Your financial support will be directly funneled into our organizational expenses which include printing costs, office materials. website, telephone messaging service, event advertising,etc..

Tadamon! has organized multiple ground-breaking events including politically-charged lectures, dynamic cultural nights, front-line political actions and grassroots popular education efforts in the Montreal area. Tadamon!'s work has successfully pushed the boundaries of political debate in Canada concerning the Middle East while fueling grassroots organizing in Montreal and throughout Canada in support of social justice and human rights in the region.

In response to the 2006 Israeli attack on Lebanon, Tadamon! played a central role in organizing multiple demonstrations, political actions and events in direct collaboration with multiple Lebanese community organizations and social justice groups in Montreal, with the aim to build popular opposition to the Conservative government of Canada's implicit support for the deadly Israeli attack on Lebanon.

Your donation will benefit Tadamon! Montreal's ongoing work and campaign directed at building solidarity between movements for social and economic justice from Montreal to the Middle East. Tadamon!'s ongoing political campaigns operating in Canada, including the campaign for boycott, sanctions and divestment of the apartheid Israeli state and the campaign to challenge the listing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government.

In order to become a supporter of Tadamon! please fill out the details requested below. In becoming a supporter of Tadamon! you will automatically receive postal updates concerning our ongoing work, while ensuring that our important work continues in a sustainable and long-term fashion. Please send us the following details: *full name,*telephone contact. *email contact, *mailing address, *committed amount for annual donation to Tadamon!...

You can send written checks to the following address. Be certain to include the important contact information above in the mailing:

Tadamon! Montreal

c/o QPIRG McGill

3647 University St.

Montreal, Quebec

H3A 2B3

Canada

http://tadamon.resist.ca

KINGSTON, ONTARIO:

CALLING ALL KINGSTON-AREA ANARCHISTS, ANTI-AUTHORITARIANS:

The following is an announcement of a new anarchist website servicing the area of Kingston, Ontario:

"A new website (http://kingston.roadnetwork.org ) focusing on anarchist and anti-authoritarian relevant groups, campaigns, projects, institutions and media in the Kingston area has been created. there are also regional links. if we haven't included something that ought to be on that site (ie are in harmony with the points of unity) please send an email to kingston@roadnetwork.org .

This is an initiative of the Revolutionary Ontario Anarchist Development (ROAD) Network collective in Kingston. The points of unity of the ROAD Network are posted on the website. The purpose of ROAD Kingston is to help facilitate anarchist communications and networking through the website and coordinating encounters between anarchists in the area. More on this in the future. Check out the page and feel free to register as a subscriber and/or contributor. once approved you can add content to the blog as well.

ROAD Kingston

http://kingston.roadnetwork.org

Molly Note: Molly really has to interject here. The ROAD has certainly developed considerably since it was the "Rural" Ontario Anarchist Development Network. A couple of years back it allowed itself to be used as a cat's paw by one of the Maoist sects/cults who wanted to draw people here to Winnipeg to oppose some urban military training exercises being held here. Molly went ballistic on that one, trying to discourage any and all from following such a "call". Not that it isn't worthwhile to oppose militarism, but a simple rule of thumb should apply. NEVER be seen in association with any Leninist organization that isn't willing to cover its presence with enough bullshit to leave it undetectable. That eliminates EVERY Maoist organization on Earth. It lets a few Trots and the "real commies" past the screen. THESE people don't try and cover an essentially religious impulse with political window-dressing. To put it plainly, allying with commies is EQUAL in the public eye to allying with Nazis. The only real difference is that the general public assumes that the death toll was the same while, in fact, communist governments have murdered close to ten times as many victims in the last century as fascist ones have. Being seen with as being buddy-buddy with Leninist cultists should be seen as being the equivalent of soiling your pants in public, and the only thing that you should be thankful for is that the general public doesn't realize that your friends are worse than Nazis. They merely think they-and you- are the same. As it was a few members of the travelling rent-a-riot did show up, totally oblivious to how silly they looked "in costume" on streets that they would risk their lives in walking about in the dark. Nothing much happened. They got herded by the commies(mooooo!), and some actually participated in real anarchist events here. In any case ROAD has matured considerably since that time, and I doubt that they'd be so naive today. Anyways, back to more pleasant matters.

BRITISH COLUMBIA:

What follows is a report of an event held out in the "dreaming west" last weekend. this certainly was a much happier event than drawing naive young people to a political tourist event in Winnipeg, and it will probably have much more long term benefit.

"This weekend 14 people gathered at Ron and Sheila's on Denman Island for the first meeting of the BC Anarchist Writers; Group. This is not the "official name"-Black Ink has also been suggested. We ranged in age from mid-twenties to mid-sixties. We hailed from various places on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands as well as Vancouver and the Kootenays. As well as BC, our backgrounds and experiences ranged from Illinois, Alberta, Newfoundland, Toronto and Montreal. We were poets, essayists, journalists, historians, song-writers, playwrights, performance artists, zinesters, film-makers, Surrealists, chapbook publishers and radio pirates.

Most of us had never met before, so much of our time was spent in getting acquainted, sharing ideas, zines, and other publications. There was a lot of preliminary discussion about interests, directions and ideas. People wanted to stay in touch and share projects, not just by email, but to mail out our writings for comment and support. We had a really enjoyable time together, much laughter, sharing of fine food and wine. We planned our first public event- an evening of reading, film, music and performance in the Denman Island Community Centre. About 35 people showed up-usual for such a small place- and it went on for four hours. Afterwards, we all agreed that the evening had been a great success and plan to have more of these in other parts of the province.

After a leisurely Sunday breakfast we headed over to Tree Frog radio, and a number of us went on air. Hugging everyone goodbye we headed back to our respective homes in anticipation of the next gathering.

In Solidarity,

Larry.

Molly's usual last word: The other day I was reading an exchange on the LibCom site about "deghettoizing anarchism". A lot of the posts were really and truly "despairing", but I think that the posters approached the whole matter from a rather limited historical perspective. I am almost certain that the really pessimistic posts originated from people who came out of "subcultural anarchism" and are reacting, like a reformed alcoholic, to same. Not that anarchism shouldn't aim to be "popular" and escape all identification with "purchasable identity". Both Larry and I, however, come from a different generation. Over 35 years ago we became anarchists, and we have seen the movement expand and diversify in way that younger people may not appreciate. Today it is possible to form a "writers' group" in a tiny segment of one province. Thirty five years ago this might have been a project for the whole bloody country. What I don't think younger people appreciate is just how much anarchism has grown over the last few decades and how diversified it is now. One wag on LibCom stated that there "is no anarchist movement". He was wrong. There is ! It is not restricted to a travelling freak-show that responds mindlessly to Maoist manipulation. As Molly has emphasized over and over on this blog, younger anarchists are becoming increasingly practical and are creating real institutions that go far beyond a juvenile,empty and fruitless "post-leftist temper tantrum". The anarchist movement today exists ! , and it is far more diverse than some pessimists might think. There will be no "revolution" in the little time left to Molly on this Earth, but I think that it is entirely possible that I may live to see the situation in Spain today replicated across most of the developed world (and some of the developing countries), where up to 5% of the population is influenced by anarchist ideas. This may seem "tiny", but it is actually real political power to advance the cause of freedom. It all depends upon the skill of anarchists and how they approach their work.

BLOGS:

THE BEST OF THE BLOGS: THE LETTER "B":

Once more Molly goes down her blogroll looking for the gems that lie on the surface of the internet stream. Today we do the letter 'B':

*The Balkan Anarchist blog has an extensive discussion about the Serbo-Croat language and its dialects. Great for anybody with an interest in languages and the Slavic ones in particular. Entitled 'Divanimo naski' (Don't ask me to translate-but the article is in English). Much of this was way over Molly's head as the only Slavic language that she has a "travelling acquaintance" with is Czech, with a smattering of Russian and Ukrainian. Still, a very informed presentation.

*Balkan Baby has an article entitled (take a deep breath) 'I Wanted Freedom. Bound and Restricted, I Tried to Give You Up, But I'm Addicted'. Whatever it may sound like it's all about the situation in Kosovo and well worth reading.

*Janet Biehl's blog continues the presentation of her graphic novel about the life of Murray Bookchin with an aside into the politics of the 1930s ala Stalin's machinations.

*Bill Bumpus continues to present the latest news about the IWW, along with an ever fresh selection of general labour news. Great site to help you keep up with things wobbly.

*The Blork Blog has an interesting piece about the new Airbus A380 airplane and its overstated claims to "green credentials". A great piece of myth-busting.

*The Blue Voice has an useful links reference to Joschka Fisher's (the ex-leader of the German Greens) more recent writings.

*Bob From Brockley reprints a piece from Venezuelan anarchists critical of the Chavez regime. The title is 'Hallucinating the Bolivarian Revolution'.

*Butt Darling has a report from the recent No-Borders camp on the US-Mexico border entitled 'Lost Patrol'. Find out what went down down there.

That's it for now. See you at the C.