Hmmm...

Homemade vegan food.

Katharine Ainger: Once beaten for stating the obvious, our time has come

from The Guardian (UK)

Katharine Ainger:
Once beaten for stating the obvious, our time has come

Ten years ago, the anticapitalist movement predicted this recession. Now
it must envisage an alternative global future

It was 1999 and the summer of corporate love. Many pundits - now talking
of "bad apples" and applauding bailouts - were predicting the
stockmarket
would go up forever. Not coincidentally, it was also a decade ago
that the
anticapitalist movement emerged with a rambunctious "carnival against
capital" in London's Square Mile; the contagion spread to the streets of
Seattle where the World Trade Organisation meeting was shut down by
protesters later that year.

The movement, which was essentially demanding democratic control over
the
global economy, wreathed summit after summit of the G8, the WTO and the
World Bank with protest and teargas. It was wild, infuriating,
diverse and
sometimes incoherent, as only a network that encompasses indigenous
peoples, radical environmentalists, workers and kids in hoodies could
be.
The movement was like the child in the crowd as the emperor of global
neoliberalism wheeled by, pointing out that his cloaks were woven from
financial fictions and economic voodoo.

They must now be credited for their prescience. Today, everybody can see
the emperor has no clothes; but as the G20 meets in London next week to
ensure financial "stability" for a return to business as usual, it
appears
rather as though the emperor has rushed back to the very same
discredited
tailors to bail them out and commission several new outfits.

And what of the movement that predicted the crash? Post 9/11 it lost
momentum as it was forced to rechannel energy into fighting rearguard
actions against state repression and the war on terror. Yet the less
visible but vital processes of developing workable alternatives,
building
grassroots movements, and popular education continued. The movement also
effected a palpable cultural shift of alternative economic ideas and
environmental concerns towards the mainstream; in Latin America social
movements helped elect governments that were prepared to challenge
neoliberal doctrine. Movement demands also foreshadowed a rebalancing of
power towards the global south, and helped to delegitimise the
institutions of the global economy.

These ideas have never been more relevant or necessary. Clearly we
need a
vision, and it doesn't look as if the G20, still so in thrall to
financial
capital, will deliver one. So could this be the hour for a movement that
was beaten, teargassed and imprisoned for pointing out the now
blindingly
obvious?

NGOs, churches and trade unions are mobilising thousands to turn out
on 28
March with the demand to "Put people first"; 1 April is "Financial Fools
Day", when direct action activists and environmentalists will be setting
up a climate camp outside the European Climate Exchange in London -
because the same financial system now in crisis is being entrusted to
cut
emissions through the artificial creation of a market in carbon credits.
Meanwhile another group called G20 Meltdown is promising a carnival
at the
Bank of England. The climate camp has an open process and has worked
hard
to establish its social base of legitimacy; the carnival is more of a
hotchpotch, and it's unclear who will turn up. Perhaps some windows will
be broken - and frankly, it would be astonishing if no one was angry
enough to do so.

Whatever they decide, the G20 and other leaders are going to be faced
with
increasing unrest from those paying with their jobs, their social
security
and their taxes for a crisis not of their making and a bailout not of
their choosing. From Haiti to India, people are rioting over food. We
are
entering a singular moment of climate chaos and food shortages, a social
and energy crisis as well as financial meltdown. The solutions the
"alter-global" networks have developed offer a way out that is based on
whole systems thinking. Fundamental to this vision is an economy that
meets the needs of everyone on a planet of finite resources.

Which is why the climate camp in the city, with its slogan "Because
nature
doesn't do bailouts", is one of the most interesting of all the
movements
coalescing in London next week. It's a potent mix of seasoned
anti-globalisation activists who are skilled in creative direct
action and
a new generation that is energised and refreshingly undogmatic. The camp
has taken a key component of the globalisation movement - the temporary
autonomous zones of street parties and convergence centres liberated in
cities during summit protests - to a new level, creating a
transformational space which prefigures the world they want, featuring
everything from wind turbines and composted waste to decentralised
decision-making and creative play.

At the end of this year, almost exactly 10 years to the day since
Seattle,
this new incarnation of the movement will be on the streets during the
Copenhagen climate summit demanding real climate justice that does not
rely on the current "business as usual" proposals. Perhaps
anticapitalism
had the right idea at the wrong moment in history. Perhaps its moment
has
come.

• Katharine Ainger is co-author of We Are Everywhere, a book documenting
global social movements.

http://www.climateaction09.org

Anarchist Movement Conference 2009 (London, UK) // 6-7 June

Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:11:53 -0700 (PDT)
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.753.1)

Anarchist Movement Conference 2009
June 6th/7th 2009, Queen Mary & Westfield College , Mile End, London

As the world economy heads deeper into an unprecedented recession,
the spectre
of social unrest is again spreading across Europe and the World. In
the UK we
have experienced an extended holiday from wide-spread class struggle
as social
democracy and capitalism worked hand in hand to maintain social
peace. But as
the guarantees of the banks have gone, so too have the guarantees
that the
state can manage the emerging social conflict, which could
potentially turn
into social rebellion unseen in the UK for decades.

So, where does that leave the Anarchist Movement? Are we relevant? Do
we exist
in a form coherent enough to actually be called a movement? Are we
progressing?
The Anarchist Movement Conference is a chance to put our ideas on the
table and
rebuild ourselves. The barriers that exist need to be broken down, the
experiences and ideas of those involved in anarchist politics need to be
shared, discussed, critiqued and debated. The task is urgent,
practical and
necessary - are we as a movement mature enough to face the challenge?

How and where should we organise? Who are we are speaking to? How do
we relate
to the wider world as anarchists? These are some of the discussions
that might
happen during the course of the weekend. We want this conference to be a
historical turning point, a point where we manage collectively to
come together
to look at the problems and work towards the solutions. Anarchists
from every
federation, network and local group, those involved in diverse
struggles from
environmental direct-action to community work, trade unionism to DIY
projects -
we invite you and encourage you: Claim your place at the table and
help make a
movement!

If we truly aim to be part of making history we need to remake
ourselves as an
organised, pragmatic movement to become an effective part of
revolutionary
change. If we do not learn from the mistakes of the past we are
doomed to
repeat them. The anarchist ideals of mutual aid, solidarity and the
desire to
live as equals have been echoed throughout our history, in every
country, by
women and men, regardless of race or ethnicity. We have a proud
history, this
conference is both about recognizing where we have come from and
organizing
where we want to go. Be a part of it!

Anarchist Movement Conference 2009 will happen at Queen Mary & Westfield
College on Saturday June 6th and Sunday June 7th, 2009. The space
will include
20 rooms and a large hall as well as a creche for both days. People
will need
to register before hand to ensure that the conference runs as
smoothly as
possible. More information will be made public every month as the
conference
takes shape.

To be involved: conference@haringey.org.uk // more updates soon at:
http://www.conference09.org.uk

CARBON TRADING AND ACTION PLANNING WEEKEND, LONDON, 21/22 MARCH

CLIMATE CAMP 2009:

CARBON TRADING AND ACTION PLANNING WEEKEND
LONDON,  21/22 MARCH

Everything you were gagging to know about carbon trading, and how we can put this new-found knowledge into practice at the G20 and beyond!

Day 1
Workshops and discussions on the problems with carbon trading, with speakers from the Cornerhouse, FERN, Carbon Trade Watch and the World Development Movement. Subjects will include the basics of carbon trading, similarities with the financial crisis, carbon markets and forestry and how emissions trading in the EU paves the way for Kingsnorth and the 3rd Runway.


Day 2
Action planning and trainings. A big chunk of this will be devoted to the Climate Camp in the City on the 1st of April, but it will also deal with our plans for the Summer and Copenhagen, and will include options like speaker training, media training and action planning.


Both days will take place at the new Synergy Centre:  Carlisle Lane SE1 7LG.
A light lunch will be provided on both days and both days will run from 10am to 5pm.


* We'd like to keep an eye on numbers, so please email london@climatecamp.org.uk.
* Let us know if you need a place to stay in London. We are also looking to support people who need help paying their travel. Please give us an idea of how much you would need to be reimbursed, but please book cheaper train and bus tickets in advance.
* Call 07534 598 733 for more information and to book your place.

SMASH MISS CONTEST - The Video

Protest Groups Disrupt Miss University London

Protest Groups Disrupt Miss University London

 

11.03.09    4:30 AM

smashmisscontest@gmail.com

 

Protest groups disrupt Miss University London beauty pageant.

 

"Now I know why my mother's generation did what they did in the 60s.  I feel amazing.  Tonight we did what we said we would – we smashed Miss University London!"

-       Martina Pasonaria, 30, Musician

 

At 1.30am this morning a group calling themselves SMASH MISS CONTEST[1] infiltrated Miss University London and caused disruption throughout the event with stink bombs and personal alarms, culminating with a stage invasion bringing the show to a halt during the announcement of the winner.  A questionnaire and open letter to participants were scattered to the audience, contestants and compere.

 

Miss University London re-emerged two years ago amongst widespread controversy.  Set up by 121entertainment, led by Christian Emile, the event drew in three different protest groups.  Miss-Ogyny[2], a group specifically set up to resist the pageant's presence on campus, rallied opposite the entrance.  They were joined by The Space Hijackers[3] who handed out tissues to men queuing for the pageant.

 

"They couldn't hide what the event was – a crass judgement of women based on their looks, all so that they could make money."

-       Helen Bradshaw, 21, Student

 

Notes to Editor:

1. www.smashmisscontest.wordpress.com"
2. www.miss-ogyny.org
3. www.spacehijackers.org

 

 

 

 

 

C.R.A.S.H: A post capitalist A to Z

The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination presents:

C.R.A.S.H: A post capitalist A to Z 

 

Take part in a free course combining art, activism and permaculture or get paid to actively imagine a postcapitalist world !

 

 

We are looking into an unprecedented abyss of economic and social turmoil that confounds our previous perceptions of historical risk. Our vertigo is intensified by our ignorance of the depth of the crisis or any sense of how far we might ultimately fall.

 

Mike Davis, Historian and social commentator.

 

The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination is a network of socially engaged artists and activists whose work falls in between resistance and creativity, culture and politics, art and life. We are inviting creative resisters, unemployed workers and art activists to take part in our latest project - C.R.A.S.H: A post capitalist A to Z  - in London's financial district in June 2009.

 

As we accelerate towards the collapse of our ecological life support systems and suffer the consequences of reckless economic fantasies, the question of what our future could look like has never been more vital. This June the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination will be experimenting with radical sustainable alternatives to the ecological and economic crisis in the symbolic heart of the capitalist system. We are inviting you to either participate in the course and/or apply for one of the £500 intervention commissions.

 

C.R.A.S.H contains two parts: 1)  C.R.A.S.H Course  is free two week long (1-14 June) intensive training combining permaculture design, art activist tactics and skills for building radically ecological and deeply democratic communities. 2) C.R.A.S.H Culture is a week (17-21st June) of commissioned actions, street art, skill-share performance lectures and interventions across the City and a nightly promenade performance in an abandoned office block. 

 

C.R.A.S.H is part of  "2 degrees" Artadmin's festival of art and climate change.

 

To Download more information and an application go to http://labofii.net/experiments/crash/

You can apply for both the course and the commissions Deadline for applications is Friday April 3^rd

Please forward to your networks...

Bye bye bike

You were lovely and i'll miss you. Night night x

Capture the flag 2

Friday the 20th at 6.30. Liverpool st station