Sea Shepherd is intervening to defend #Whales

On December 7, 2009 the Sea Shepherd’s – Steve Irwin will depart to defend endangered whales in the Antarctic Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Starting in December, the Japanese whaling fleet will be targeting 935 piked (Minke) whales and another 50 fin whales, and has threatened to add humpbacks to their quota as well. The Sea Shepherd intends to once again negate their illicit profits.

Because of Sea Shepherd interventions, the Japanese whalers have suffered losses for three years. They are making steady progress towards their objective of sinking the entire Japanese whaling fleet – economically.

You can support the Sea Shepherd in a variety of ways! Go to the Sea Shepherd website.

Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki face 10 years in prison for defending #whales, you can do something to help.

Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are two Japanese activists who have found compelling evidence of corruption within the Japanese whaling program last year. Instead of investigating the whaling industry, Japanese authorities responded by arresting Junichi and Toru. They have been denied their liberty for over 6 months, awaiting trial later this year.

Show solidarity with Junichi and Toru – ask the Japanese Government to free the Tokyo Two and put whaling on trial instead.

SIGN THE PETITION

Technomad, Global Raving Countercultures by Graham St John

Technomad: Global Raving Countercultures by Graham St John (Equinox, 2009)

Technomad: Global Raving Countercultures is the most wide-ranging and detailed of all the books on rave. More than the study of a musical movement or genre, Technomad offers an alternate history of cultural politics since the 1960s, from hippies and Acid Tests through the sound systems and ‘vibe-tribes’ of the 1990s and beyond. Like Greil Marcus’s Lipstick Traces, Technomad makes unexpected but entirely convincing connections between people, movements and events. Like Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, St John’s book introduces us to unknown heroes, committed geniuses and genuine revolutionaries. Beautifully written, with a genuinely international perspective on electronic dance music culture, Technomad is one of the best books on music I’ve read in some time.”
Professor Will Straw, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University

Book description:
A cultural history of global electronic dance music countercultures, Technomad explores the pleasurable and activist trajectories of post-rave culture. The book documents an emerging network of techno-tribes, exploring their pleasure principles and cultural politics. Attending to sound system culture, electro-humanitarianism, secret sonic societies, teknivals and other gatherings, intentional parties, revitalisation movements and counter-colonial interventions, Technomad investigates how the dance party has been harnessed for transgressive and progressive ends – for manifold freedoms. Seeking freedom from moral prohibitions and standards, pleasure in rebellion, refuge from sexual and gender prejudice, exile from oppression, rupturing aesthetic boundaries, re-enchanting the world, reclaiming space, fighting for “the right to party,” and responding to a host of critical concerns, electronic dance music cultures are multivalent sites of resistance.

Drawing on extensive ethnographic, netographic and documentary research, Technomad details the post-rave trajectory through various local sites and global scenes, with each chapter attending to unique developments in the techno counterculture: e.g. Spiral Tribe, teknivals, psytrance, Burning Man, Reclaim the Streets, Earthdream. The book offers an original, nuanced theory of resistance to assist understanding of these developments. This cultural history of hitherto uncharted territory will be of interest to students of cultural, performance, music, media, and new social movement studies, along with enthusiasts of dance culture and popular politics.

Contents

Earthsharing Australia

Earthsharing Australia is a Georgist organisation that provides free education services on economics. The bounty of the land is best shared amongst the people rather than hoarded by the privileged. Their teachings demonstrate the urgent need for the capture of resource rents for public benefit. With the capturing of this natural wealth, we can reduce wealth gap pressures and curtail the motivation to exploit our resources. This is the big picture reform we need to create the sustainable, walkable communities necessary to survive climate change.

Editor’s note: This is really a pretty busy crew with lots of events and campaigns going on under the guise of it’s Georgist roots. Worth spending some time to read the underlying philosophy of Henry George. Affiliated with Melbourne based outfit Prosper Australia you may think they’re a bunch of neo-marxists; but this would be a decidedly wrong interpretation. Marx saw the Single Tax Georgist platform as a step backwards from the transition to communism.

FamousWhenDead screens Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist, a documentary “focuses on suppressed historical & modern information about currently dominant social institutions, while also exploring what could be in store for humanity if the power structures at large continue their patterns of self-interest, corruption, and consolidation” it says rather modestly on the zeitgeist website.

Free screening at FamousWhenDead Gallery, Thursday 29 October, 7 pm.
Running time 90 mins.
For RSVP’s please  email JD Mittmann so he knows how many seats to supply.

FWD Gallery
207 Victoria Street
West Melbourne 3003 Australia

World Vision launches WorldVoice

WorldVoice, is a monthly online survey that will ask you to lend your voice on issues relating to poverty and injustice. Being so close to the Copenhagen summit, the first survey will be on climate change. If you could spare 10 minutes (max) to complete this survey, your views can be heard by world leaders, the media and decision-makers in the lead up to Copenhagen. Together, with other members, your voice will help World Vision show support for, and help create change.

Climate change survey closes Tues 27^th October.

You can access the survey here: http://www.worldvoice.com.au.

How To Make Trouble And Influence People. Book Launch at TINA

Pranks, hoaxes and political mischief making from across Australia!

Breakdown Press announces the publication of How To Make Trouble and Influence People! You may still have a copy from the original series of infamous zines in your toilet library, but this expanded version will set your troublemaking heart on fire.

Featuring over 300 colour photographs, interviews with some of our most loved troublemakers and of course tales of Indigenous resistance, convict revolts and escapes, picket line hi-jinks, student occupations, creative direct action, media pranks, urban interventions, squatting, blockades, banner drops, street theatre and billboard liberation, the collection reveals the vital history of creative resistance in Australia.

Written and researched by Iain McIntyre the new edition features interviews with The Chaser, Buga-Up, Kevin Buzzacott, John Safran, Pauline Pantsdown, Dave Burgess, Meredith Burgmann, Deborah Kelly, Order of Perpetual Indulgence, Stuart Highway, John Howard Ladies’ Auxiliary Fan Club, No To Pope Coalition and The Graffiti Games Organising Committee.

As McIntyre says in his introduction, “These tales and images also serve to remind us that political activity need not be a predictable and grim slog. As well-resourced as our opponents may be, they are vulnerable to the use of creativity, solidarity and humour. Indeed, these are often the only tools we have.”

For a sneak preview, check out http://howtomaketroubleandinfluencepeople.org

To purchase a copy, visit www.breakdownpress.org

Or come along to one of the launches featuring special troublemaking guests:

NEWCASTLE LAUNCH: Saturday the 3rd October at This Is Not Art Festival, The Festival Club (Mason’s) cnr King and Thorn Streets, Newcastle 4.30pm-6pm with Iain McIntyre and Dave Burgess (who painted No War on the Opera House, 2003).

MELBOURNE LAUNCH: Thursday 5th November at the Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Victoria and Lygon Streets 6pm-8pm with Iain McIntyre and a special guest appearance by the John Howard Ladies’ Auxiliary Fan Club.

SYDNEY LAUNCH: Saturday 5th December at The Red Rattler Theatre, 6 Faversham St Marrickville 8pm-midnight with Iain McIntyre and Dave Burgess plus music by Lee Memorial, The Kleber Claux Memorial Singers and NinetyNine.

#The Yes Men. #Age of Stupid. Climate Action Week in New York.

If you live in New York, please visit http://newyorkbigevent.com/ to sign up for some GIANT, extremely FUN, potentially WORLD-FIXING shenanigans on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. (Even if you don’t, you can sign up to participate in The Yes Men’s  “digital fun squad” by clicking the option on your profile.)

Everyone who shows up Monday morning will get a FREE GIFT you can SHOCK your friends with for years. Even just a few minutes Monday morning will help. Sign up now! http://newyorkbigevent.com/

The Yes Men can’t tell you much about what they”ll be doing, as the element of surprise here are crucial. But they can tell you that it’ll be huge and absurdly fun, and when a hundred world honchos meet the next morning to discuss climate change at the UN, you may have helped set the tone for progress.

Then, that evening (Monday, Sept. 21), we’ll unwind from the action by dressing up in our very best, er, suits and heading to the global mega-premiere of climate blockbuster The Age of Stupid (http://www.ageofstupid.net/). (LA Times: “Think An Inconvenient Truth, but with a personality”)

The premiere will be linked by satellite to 444 cinemas across America and 300 more worldwide,with special guests Kofi Annan, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke (singing live), Gillian Anderson, Heather Graham, Moby, James Hansen, Mary Robinson, and the film’s star Pete Postlethwaite.

The Sept. 21 events (http://newyorkbigevent.com/ and Age of Stupid premiere) are part of Climate Action Week in New York. A good way to warm up is to join an “international photo opportunity” coordinated by Oxfam on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 20 in Central Park: the Human Countdown.

Broome, Australia has the Power to Cease the Dolphin Killings in Taiji, Japan. Here is our letter.

Why write a letter to Broome councillors?

Broome is the sister city to Taiji in Japan. Taiji is a quiet coastal village that use to harbour a terrible secret. Now exposed in Louie Psiyohos’ film The Cove, more than 23,000 dolphins are killed during the ‘cull’ in Taiji each year. It is imperative that something happen to stop the killing season before it begins in September. This is a call out to exert political pressure on Taiji, and to help inform the people of Japan they are eating contaminated dolphin meat.

Australians, if you wish to show your encouragement towards Broome suspending their ties with Taiji, Japan until the dolphin killing stops, please let the Shire of Broome know your support so they can take the appropriate action. Apart from sending emails, you can sign the petition or donate to this campaign.

Here is a list of councillor names and email addresses, with an example letter attached.

Please address the email with :

Dear Councillors,..

councillor.campbell@broome.wa.gov.au
shirepresident@broome.wn.com.au
roebuckbayep@broome.com.au
eo.kacc@westnet.com.au
councillor.mitchell@broome.wa.gov.au
councillor.albert@broome.wa.gov.au
albert@garnduwa.com.au
mick.albert@ausport.gov.au
councillor.wevers@broome.wa.gov.au
nikwevers@bigpond.com
councillor.foy@broome.wa.gov.au
councillor.lander@broome.wa.gov.au
cocos@iinet.net.au
councillor.matsumoto@broome.wa.gov.au
ematsumoto@westnet.com.au
shire@broome.wa.gov.au
chris@arthousebroome.com

The following example/ letter has been drafted by Alex Burns and Rosie Cross

For more information, visit the Sea Shepherd site.

perverscite festival in montreal. demonstrating queer activism and gay pride

This year’s Pervers/Cité – Montreal’s 3rd Annual “Underside of Pride” – will be taking place from August 6 to 16, 2009 throughout the city of Montreal.

As Divers/cite becomes more and more corporate and less and less accountable to the history it represents, there is a growing need for a community response to the depoliticization of Pride.

Once again, a coalition of radical queer individuals and groups wants to organize a series of events, workshops, panel discussions, and actions to coincide with Divers/cite. The aim of this year`s series is to address issues normally pushed to the margins by the mainstream gay agenda.

http://www.perverscite.org/