Monday, November 03, 2008


CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-SASKATOON:
THIRD ANNUAL SASKATOON ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR:
Well the bookfair season isn't over yet. Here comes the third annual Saskatoon Anarchist Bookfair, coming up next weekend. Their announcement follows below. For more details see the link highlighted above. Sorta reminds me of that old country classic sung by Slinkin' Slim Stevie Harper, the poet laureate of Calgary......
"Oh bury me not on the lone prairie.
Where the deer and the anarchists roam.
Where seldom is heard
A Conservative word,
And the black flags they fly all day."
It brings a tear to your eye doesn't it?
.............................
Saskatoon, Third Annual Saskatoon Anarchist Book-Fair: An annual anarchist small-press bookfair taking place in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Expect free vegan food, free child-care, free workshops, and lots more!
---- Book Fair Schedule ----
FRIDAY
November 7th
- Cosmo Senior Centre (614 11th St E)
---- Celebration of Resistance!
---- Supper at 7:30
---- Celebration at 8:30
---- Featuring Dr. Allan Antliff from the University of Victoria
---- "War Against War"
---- In this talk, Allan deals with the history of European anarchist resistance to war from the late 19th century to the present.
---- Drinks, food, and dancing will take place!
SATURDAY
November 8th
- Cosmo Senior Centre (614 11th St E)
General Book Fair
- 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Check out the wide variety of vendors selling books, zines, t-shirts, music, movies, and much more!
Workshops
**Yoga - 10:00 - 11:00
Wake up with some free yoga, brought to you by Tamra Knaus. Bring your own mat, if you have it!
**Wither Marxism? An Interactive Role-Play
11:30 - 12:30
The "leaders" of our society today (and many self-described "anarchists") would have you believe that Marxism has long been consigned to the dustbin of history, being sufficiently discredited with the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991. But are the works of Karl Marx really that irrelevant, or are there lessons we can still learn today?
In this interactive workshop, Alex C of Edmonton will briefly introduce participants to the basic tenets of Marx's Labour Theory of Value (LTV) and place them in a role-play situation simulating a typical work environment today. The direction of the workshop will depend almost entirely on those who attend, so if you want to see how 19th-century theory can still influence action today (and have some fun in the process), this workshop is for you!
**Issues and Organizing for Young People
11:30 - 12:30
Saskatoon's Tracey Mitchell will help facilitate youth ages 10-15 to organize around specific issues, using creative games and tactics.
**FREE VEGAN LUNCH!
12:30 - 1:30
**Better Censorship Through Terrorism
1:30 - 2:30
This workshop deals with the recent (and not so recent) history of the extra-judicial censorship of activist art in the US and Canada. Presented by Dr. Allan Antliff of the University of Victoria.
**Book Making
2:30 - 3:30
Local literary enthusiasts Taylor Leedahl and Beth Matheson invite you to join their DIY bookmaking workshop at the 2008 Anarchist Book Fair. We have enough supplies for twenty participants, however, if the demand for the workshop is high, people can team up and enjoy making a book together.
All supplies and tools will be provided.
The workshop will include a tutorial, bookmaking extravaganza, and the chance to look at other bookmaking examples and materials.
If you're interested in signing up, please email us at tonight. its.poetry@gmail.com to claim your spot.
Workshop entry fee is by donation (suggested donation $10.00). All money will be donated to the Anarchist Book Fair and Station 20 West initiative.
**Direct Action in the Workplace
2:30 - 3:30
The IWW Edmonton chapter will be facilitating an interactive workshop on radicalizing the workplace and defending worker rights. Learn about "social mapping" your place of work and organizing around specific labour issues.
**Radical Cheerleading
3:30 - 4:30
Saskatoon radical cheerleaders Sheila and Candace will be leading a cheer-share. Current radical cheerleaders are encouraged to bring their cheers and people who have never cheered before should come, learn what it's all about, and join in on the radical street theatre!
**Know Your Rights!
3:30 - 4:30
Ever been searched by the cops without reason? Confused about what you are legally permitted to do when dealing with the legal system? This workshop is a primer for Canadian rights: everything from dealing with the police to the right to silence. Given by the Calgary Anarchist Black Cross.
**"Anti-fascism: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives"
4:30 - 5:30
A discussion on facism, anti-facism, why it's important, what it means, etc. Also, hands on section dealing with tactics, self-defense and organization.
**FREE VEGAN SUPPER!
5:30
Plus, help us decorate for the party!
**GLAMARCHY Party
Doors @ 7:30
--------------------
SUNDAY
November 9th
**Hangover Pancake Breakfast @ Le Relais (308 4th Avenue N) - 11:00 am
Learn the name of that person you danced with last! You will now have a pen to write down their e-mail address!
posted by The Saskatoon Crew

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-WINNIPEG:
THREE WINNIPEG WOBBLY EVENTS UPCOMING:
The local branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) are busy little beavers this season. Here are the announcements for three upcoming events to be held soon down at the Mondragon (91 Albert St.) and the Workers' Organizing Resource Centre(280 Smith St.).
...............................
Starlight on the Rails-A Tribute to Utah Phillips:
Event Info
Host:
Winnipeg IWW
Type:
Music/Arts - Performance
Time and Place
Date:

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:
Mondragon
91 Albert Street:
City/Town:
Winnipeg, MB
Contact Info
Phone:
204-478-1261
Email:
anarchamama@gmail.com
Description
Join the Winnipeg IWW All Star Orchestra for a night of songs and stories celebrating the life and legacy or Bruce "Utah" Phillips. Admission sliding scale $5 suggested donation.
..............................
Wobblies and Zapatistas:
A lecture and discussion with Andrej Grubacic
Host:
Winnipeg IWW
Type:
Education - Lecture
Time and Place
Date:
Friday, December 5, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:
Mondragon
91 Albert Street:
City/Town:
Winnipeg, MB
Contact Info
Phone
:
204-478-1261
Email:
anarchamama@gmail.com
........................................


Organizer Training Workshop:
Host:
Winnipeg IWW
Type:
Education - Workshop
Time and Place
Start Time:
Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 10:00am
End Time:
Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 4:00pm
Location:
Workers Organizing Resource Centre
280 Smith St
City/Town:
Winnipeg, MB
Contact Info
Phone:
204-478-1261
Email:
anarchamama@gmail.com
Description
Erik Davis of the Twin Cities IWW General Membership Branch will be facilitating a free two day organizer training workshop. The training will cover the entire union process from engaging co-workers up to negotiating a contract. This is a very participatory training and is open to all who are interested. The training will run Dec 6th and 7th from 10 am to 4 pm.
*Childcare will be provided for this event.

Sunday, November 02, 2008


CANADIAN LABOUR-MONTRÉAL:
BOYCOTT PETRO-CAN:


Since November 17, 2007 the members of SCEP Local 175 have been locked out of their workplace at the Petro-Can Montréal refinery. Labour organizations across the country are calling for a consumer boycott against Petro-Can and in support of the workers. First of all the notice from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
.................................
CLC BACKS PETRO-CANADA BOYCOTT:
2008-10-28 10:25
Please be advised that the Canadian Labour Congress has endorsed a National Consumer Boycott against Petro-Canada. The boycott is at the request of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and is in support of the 260 locked out members of CEP Local 175 at the Petro-Canada Montreal refinery. Members of Local 175 have been locked out since November 17, 2007.

Please find a copy of the letter in support of CEP from the Canadian Labour Congress and the speech that President, CLC, Ken Georgetti delivered on October 28, 2008.

The support of your organization and membership is requested for these CEP members.
.................................
And then a press release from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
.................................
CUPE backs Petro Canada boycott id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" title="Avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist while the company’s Montréal refinery workers are locked out" href="http://cupe.ca/updir/images/display/petro_canada_ottawa_080229_e-0.jpg" rel="lightboxset" alt="Avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist while the company’s Montréal refinery workers are locked out">
CUPE announced support today for the CLC's call for a boycott of Petro Canada to support workers (CEP 175) locked out of the company's Montréal refinery since Nov. 2007.

The CLC is asking union supporters to:
****cancel their Petro Canada credit cards
****avoid buying gas and heating oil from Petro Canada where alternatives exist

Please also take five minutes to Email Petro Canada President Ron Brenneman to urge him to end the lockout. Edit the letter to tell him you're not buying gas at Petro Canada until he does.
................................
Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to PetroCan management.
...............................
THE LETTER:
The actions of management at the Petro-Canada refinery in Montreal have dealt a devastating blow to your company's good name.

Just before Christmas, management at that plant locked out its 260 unionized workers, members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. They did this after trying -- in more than 30 bargaining sessions -- to provoke them into a strike.

It's bad enough that a company making billions of dollars in profits is picking a fight with a small group of workers who are asking for the same wage increase as their colleagues in other provinces. What's worse perhaps is that this lock out puts safety at the refinery and in the surrounding community in serious jeopardy as poorly-trained management workers attempt to carry on the business of the plant. (Indeed, management showed its disregard for safety early on in negotiations by calling for the elimination of the refinery's full-time health and safety position - one of the union's sticking points!)

As you know, operating an oil refinery requires highly specialized skills and dedicated safety training. Running it on a skeleton staff, inadequately trained and working extremely long hours without breaks, is a recipe for disaster. An inquiry into the explosion at the BP refinery in Texas in 2005, which killed 15 people, was unequivocal in its conclusion that fatigue and poor training were behind that tragedy.

I hope that you will intervene to end the lock out before matters escalate to that point.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-WINNIPEG:
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WEEK KICKOFF:
The people of the Winnipeg Anarchist Black Cross are planning events in mid-November around the theme of 'Restorative Justice'. To kick it off there'll be a concert on November 15. Details below.
..........................

Until All Are Free
Abolitionists Kick Off Restorative Justice Week:
Event Info
Host:
Anarchist Black Cross
Type:
Music/Arts - Concert

Time and Place
Date:
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
The Black Sheep Diner
540 Ellice Ave.
Winnipeg, MB
204-786-2822
Description
Loungeagandhi, See See Ryder, the 1919 Insurrectionary Orchestra and Starla! Ubiquitous are playing a show to kick off Restorative Justice Week on some solid prison abolitionist footing.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-OTTAWA:
ANARCHO-EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER IN OTTAWA:
Here from the Ontario-based Linchpin/Common Cause is a calender of upcoming events this November in Ottawa. May they generate enough heat to melt Harper's stony heart.
........................
Anarchist journal Linchpin #6 - November local events:
Regulars
---- on the 2nd Wed of every month, 5:30pm
Green Drinks
---- The Lieutenants Pump Pub, 361 Elgin.
---- 1st & 3rd Thurs of every month,
7:00pm
Labour & Social Justice Songcircle
Centretown Daycare Centre
94 James Street, near Lyon
All welcome.
Small fee
Contact 613.277.9208 or
---- Every Fri -
7pm doors,
7:30pm
Ottawa Cinema Academica
MacDonald Hall auditorium
MCD146 150
Louis Pasteur,
Univ of Ottawa Nov 7: Story of Stuff Nov 14: Be The Change; with film maker David Chernushenko.
---- Nov 21: Brazil (the film and documentaries about the film)
Nov 28: Social Girls; Deaf Film Night (will be Deaf accessible).
Wed - Sat, Oct 29 - Nov 1
One World Film Festival
National Library & Archives
Nov 1, 4, 13, 16
Screenings of `Be The Change'
Various locations
Sat Nov 1,
9:00am-1:00pm
Exile Infoshop's Free School
Ottawa Public Library
Main branch,
120 Metcalfe St.
613-237-9270,
9:00am - Queer Zine-Making
10:00am - Indigenous Solidarity
11:00am - Internet Security
12 noon - Guitar Skillzzzz
Sat Nov 1st
at 1pm
ACORN city-wide planning mtg
Vanier Legion,
294 Cyr
613-746-5999
Sat Nov 1,
2:00pm
From Impulse to Impact
Ottawa Public Library Auditorium
Main branch,
120 Metcalfe St
Talk by Denis Rancourt & Marc Kelly.
Sat Nov 1,
5:00pm
Under Pressure movie screening
Jack Purcell Community Centre,
near corner of Elgin & Gilmour.
Movies: `Raise the Rates'& `Les maux a l'action'
Sun Nov 2,
7:30/8:00pm
Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show
Exile Infoshop,
256 Bank St.
Pay-what-you-can.
Popcorn!
613-237-9270,
Sun Nov 2,
7:30pm
A Faith Response to Climate Change
Glebe-St. James United Church,
650 Lyon Street
Featuring David Lee, Charles Birchall, Kristina Inrig.
613-761-1301,
Mon Nov 3,
7:00pm
Failsafe: talk & book signing
The Green Door,
198 Main St
Join Ian Prattis as he discusses how instinct may trigger new ways of thinking, being and interacting.
Wed Nov 5,
3:30pm
Panel on Justice in Rwanda
Desmarais Bldg,
Room 3120
55 Laurier E,
Univ of Ottawa
Chair: Pacifique Manirakiza.
Panelists: Doris Buss, Susan Thomson, Chirstopher Huggins,Stephen Brown; Jennie E. Burnet.
Contact 613-562-5800 x 8987
Wed Nov 5,
4:30pm
Speaker: Dr. Ashraf Ghani
FTX 147,
Fauteux Hall,
U of Ottawa
Talk on how to put long-term solutions in place to address poverty, accelerate development and achieve social justice.
Thurs Nov 6,
8:30am-3:30pm
Speakers' panel on Resistance
Arts Court,
2 Daly Ave
"Return of the Excluded: Mobilization and Resistance of Afro and Indigenous Women of the Americas".
Featuring speakers Alta Hooker, Sonia Henriquez, Janet Mark, Donatille Mujawamariya,and Ellen Gabriel.
Bilingual.
613-562-5680
Thurs Nov 6,
1:00pm
Speaker: Jennie E. Burnet
Desmarais Bldg,
Room 3120
55 Laurier E,
Univ of Ottawa
"Sorting and Suffering: Gender,Ethnicity, and Social Classification in Post-Genocide Rwanda"
Contact 613-562-5800 x 8987
Fri Nov 7,
1:30pm
Speaker: Dale Turner
Kailash Mital Theatre,
Carleton U
"The Politics of Indigeneity in Canada, the U.S., New Zealand,and Australia" as part of Carleton's Indigenous Speakers Series
Fri Nov 7,
7:00pm
The Food Crisis & Climate Change
Bronson Centre,
211 Bronson Ave
With speakers Olivier de Schutter,Colleen Ross, Rene Segbenou.
Fri-Mon, Nov 7-10
Reclaiming Our Food System
Fri-Sun, Nov 7-9
Outaouais Social Forum
Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO),
Gatineau
, 819-351-3939
Sun Nov 9,
1pm
Failsafe: talk & book launch
Chapters, Kanata, 400 Earl Grey
Join author Ian Prattis (see Nov 3).
Mon Nov 10,
7:30pm
Canadian Dept of Peace Initiative
91A Fourth Ave
613-244-1979, 613-834-5055
Wed Nov 12,
7:00pm
The Myth of Water Abundance in Canada
St. Paul Univ Auditorium,
223 Main
MC Adrian Harewood, with Maude Barlow, Stephen Hazell,Meredith Brown, Clive Doucet, &short film.
Friday, November 14,
Sustainable High Schools
Conference
École secondaire Gisèle Lalonde
For high school students, youth sustainability leaders, teachers and administrators.
Free!
Wed Nov 19,
7:00pm
ACT 13: Election Reform
Hintonberg Community Centre,
1064 Wellington St.
Thurs Nov 20,
7:00pm
Panel Discussion
Ottawa Public Library
Main Branch,
120 Metcalfe
"Organizing: Possibilities, Problems, and Priorities"
613-656-549
Fri Nov 21,
7:00pm on
Launch of the Dominion Newspaper special issue on mining
Umi Cafe,
610 Somerset St W
Speakers, music, more. Part of the Organizing For Justice conference
Sat Nov 22,
9:30am all-day
Organizing For Justice conference
Morisset Library,
2nd floor,
University of Ottawa.
Workshops panels,
info-fair.
613-656-5498,
Sat Nov 22,
7:00pm
Upping the Anti journal #7
launch
Bar 1848,
University Centre,
University of Ottawa
Featuring speakers, music, more.
Thurs Nov 27,
7:00pm
Territorio Libre presents
location TBA
Film and discussion on Haiti.
Contact Juan 613-567-2179,
Mon Dec 1,
6:00pm-9:00pm
IPSMO Fundraising Feast
The Green Door,
198 Main St
Great food, speakers, music.
Benefit for Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa.ipsmo@riseup.net
Please post in public locations.
Also print, copy & distribute!



AMERICAN POLITICS:

LIKE FLIES TO...:

Only two more days until the circus down south elects the head clown/Emperor for the next four years. If you're in need of a little amusement during this bleak November click on the cartoon above to enlarge it for easier reading.

"My name is John McCain, and this message really pisses me off"

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-EGYPT:
EGYPTIAN WOMEN WORKERS PROTEST PRIVATIZATION:
The following article is from the British LibCom site.
..........................
Ghazl el-Mahalla workers protest privatisation:
Workers from the Ghazl El-Mahalla spinning factory held a demonstration Thursday against alleged plans to sell off the Ghazl El-Mahalla company to private investors.
At 3pm some 40 women workers had congregated outside the gate of the factory, located in the Delta town of Mahalla El-Kobra. At 2:45 pm hundreds of workers were filing out of the factory, ahead of the scheduled time for the end of the morning shift at 3 pm.

According to factory workers the morning shift was ended early — pursuant to orders given by security bodies — in an attempt to minimize the scale of the protest. The group of women workers entered the factory and, after a short altercation with factory security, were allowed into the factory’s central courtyard area, where workers were assembling.

Around 800 workers participated in the protest, chanting “The factory belongs to workers” and calling for the removal of the factory’s manager.

During the past two years the Ghazl El-Mahalla factory’s more than 20,000 workers have frequently staged strikes and demonstrations protesting pay and conditions. A successful six-day strike in the factory in December 2006 is credited with instigating the nearly 600 incidents of industrial action Egypt witnessed in 2007.

On April 6 a planned strike in the factory was aborted following intimidation by security bodies and workers divisions. A general strike against increasing food prices was called for by activists on the same day as the planned strike. Mahalla witnessed violent clashes between the police and crowds of demonstrators on April 6 and 7 and security bodies were heavily criticized for the way in which force was used against unarmed, peaceful demonstrators, and for the arbitrary detention of hundreds of Mahalla residents.

A group of 49 people from the town are currently on trial for acts of theft and criminal damage they are alleged to have committed during the course of the two days. Rights groups have criticized what they say are trumped-up charges against the group.

Three things to take note from the protests:
1) The protest was spearheaded, yet again, by the female garment workers…
2) No matter how big or small the protest was, it marks a huge step forward in breaking the barrier of fear in the factory, following the April police crackdown. As I posted before, political propaganda and agitation on the factory floor have been resumed following the severe setbacks due to the crushing of the April Intifada…
3) The major news wires AP, AFP, and Reuters, continue to be absent from the labor scene and social protests, ignoring the elephant in the room, focusing their reports as always on car crashes, Islamists, Gaza tunnels, and Mubarak’s efforts in brokering peace with the Israelis, bla bla bla…

AMERICAN LABOUR:
TELL RETAILERS TO SUPPORT BEEF NORTHWEST WORKERS:

Here's another appeal from the United Farm Workers, connected to their campaign to unionize workers at Beef Northwest. Despite having a majority of the workers signed up the company continues with stalling tactics in its efforts to avoid workers' rights at their facility. The UFW is asking you to help pressure customers of Beef Northwest who can influence the company and persuade it to stop its bully tactics.
............................
Tell Retailers to Quit Ganging Up on Beef Northwest Workers :
At Beef Northwest, even though the majority of workers have already voiced their support for a union, democracy takes a back seat. Despite casting their votes to form a union, employees continue to be denied a voice in the workplace.

Companies like Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville are trying to make sure these workers are silenced. These retailers are saying Beef Northwest gets to call the shots on their workers’ election. These companies--all non-union companies themselves--believe Beef Northwest workers' only opportunity to form a union should come through a management-dominated union election process.

Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville appear all too willing to hide behind the belief that a worker’s vote will be confidential. They want us to ignore the past consultants who've been hired to interrogate and intimidate workers over their support for the union. Workers are scared and fear for their jobs and livelihood. In this atmosphere, how is a free and fair election possible?

Let’s take a look at Beef Northwest’s disgraceful anti-union campaigning record:
Beef Northwest’s general manager leaves the farm to take pictures of pro-union workers at a union barbeque.

Beef Northwest’s supervisors circulate an anti-union petition while on the clock, threatening workers with job loss if they don’t sign.

Beef Northwest employee Fortunato Diaz is pulled off his normal duties and sent to do the work of four others in an effort to humiliate him, all because he supports the UFW. The company even posts Fortunato's picture in their office as a clear, intimidating warning to other workers--do not support the union.

The UFW refuses to participate in this undemocratic process. We support the majority sign-up method of organizing, as it helps level the playing field. This is a fair and democratic process where employers recognize unions if a majority of employees demonstrate their desire to form one. In June, a majority of Beef Northwest workers voted in support of the union. The outcome was verified by an outside, neutral third party.

Instead of recognizing the results of last June’s election, Beef Northwest is demanding a new one. If you don’t like the results of an election you get to call a new one? Democracy does not work that way.

Just yesterday Bon Appétit (a major food service provider at college campuses across the US) joined another socially responsible retailer, PCC Natural Markets in choosing to take a responsible stance and support the workers at Beef Northwest.

We need your help to demand that Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville abandon their support for an anti-democratic process and instead recognize that workers have spoken and a majority want the UFW to represent them. They should join retailers like PCC Natural Markets and Bon Appétit and say no to the sham election Beef Northwest is trying to force on its workers and demand that Beef Northwest negotiate with the union that the workers have already chosen.
Please send your e-mail today!

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/retailers
..................................
Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville.
...................................
The majority of Beef Northwest workers voted for the UFW to represent them on June 13. It is incomprehensible why corporations such as Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville--who claim to be "socially responsible"-- would side with an employer who has repeatedly threatened and intimidated workers. Instead you should respect the workers vote and add your voice to this issue.

Whole Foods, New Seasons and Burgerville appear all too willing to hide behind the belief that a worker's vote will be confidential. These retailers are choosing to ignore the past consultants who've been hired to interrogate and intimidate workers over their support for the union.
Workers are scared and fear for their jobs and livelihood. In this atmosphere, how is a free and fair election possible?

Look at Beef Northwest's disgraceful anti-union campaigning record:
* Beef Northwest's general manager leaves the farm to take pictures of pro-union workers at a union barbeque.
* Beef Northwest's supervisors circulate an anti-union petition while on the clock, threatening workers with job loss if they don't sign.
* Beef Northwest employee Fortunato Diaz is pulled off his normal duties and sent to do the work of four others in an effort to humiliate him, all because he supports the UFW. The company even posts Fortunato's picture in their office as a clear, intimidating warning to other workers--do not to support the union.

The UFW understandably refuses to participate in such an undemocratic process.They support the majority sign-up method of organizing, because it helps level the playing field. This is a fair and democratic union organizing process where employers recognize unions if a majority of employees demonstrate their desire to form one. At Beef Northwest, back in June, a majority of workers have voted in support of the union, and the outcome was verified by an outside, neutral third party.

It's time to become part of the solution. Take a public stand and demand that Beef Northwest negotiate with the union that its workers have already chosen.

Saturday, November 01, 2008



ANARCHIST HISTORY:

NEW FROM THE NESTOR MAKHNO ARCHIVE:


Here's the latest announcement from the online library, the Nestor Makhno Archive. Makhno was, of course, the famous Ukranian anarchist who fought both Whites and Reds during the Russian Revolution. The Nestor Makhno Archive is attempting to make his writings and materials on him available to thye worldwide anarchist community in a variety of languages, as the following item illustrates.

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

Nestor Makhno Archive - update:
by Nestor McNab
- The Nestor Makhno Archive makhno_archive at yahoo dot com




Nestor Makhno Archive - update
The Nestor Makhno Archive has been updated, with the addition of a large number of new documents in Arabic, Italian, English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Greek, Macedonian, Indonesian and Polish.




One major new addition is Makhno's second reply to Errico Malatesta, which we now publish in five languages!




Other important additions are the first translations of the Organizational Platform into Arabic, Macedonian and Indonesian. We are also including a large number of Polish and Greek translations of Makhno's articles.




Unfortunately, it was not possible to include all the documents in our possession into this update. They will be included next time round, so apologies to anyone if material they sent in is absent. As usual, all contributions of documents for inclusion, suggestions etc. are gratefully received.
In solidarity,
Nestor McNab
web-maintainer
NEW ON THE ARCHIVE SINCE LAST UPDATE
Arabic:
Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists, Group of Russian Anarchists Abroad
Italian:
Una seconda lettera a Malatesta, Nestor Makhno
French:
Une deuxième lettre à Malatesta, Nestor Makhno
English:
*A Second Letter To Malatesta, Nestor Makhno
*An Unsolved Mystery - the "Diary of Makhno's Wife", V. N. Litvinov
*Atamansha, The life of Marusya Nikiforova, Malcolm Archibald
Spanish:
*Una Segunda Carta a Malatesta, Néstor Makhnó
*Carta a las anarquistas españoles, Néstor Makhnó
*El Primero de Mayo: Símbolo de una nueva era en la vida y la lucha de los trabajadores, Néstor Makhnó
*Sobre la responsabilidad colectiva, Errico Malatesta
*Contexto de la "Plataforma", Frank Mintz
Portuguese:
O velho e o novo no anarquismo, Piotr Arshinov
Greek:
*Sympliroma stin Organotiki Platforma (Erotiseis kai Apantiseis), Omada Delo Truda
*To provlima tis organosis kai i ennoia tis synthesis, Omada Delo Truda
*Apantisi stous sygkhusmenous tou anarkhismou, Omada Delo Truda
*Deuteri epistoli pros ton Malatesta), Nestor Makhno
*Gia tin epanastatiki peitharkhia, Nestor Makhno
*To palio kai to neo ston anarkhismo, Piotr Arshinov
*I Platforma den einai pleon mono gia tous platformistes, Jeff Shantz kai P.J. Lilley
Macedonian:
Organizatsiona Platforma na Generalniot Sojuz na Anarkhisti, Delo Truda Grupa
Bahasi Indonesia:
Platform Organisasional Perserikatan Umum Anarkis, Kelompok "Delo Truda"
Polish:
*Nasza organizacja, Nestor Machno
*Idea równosci a bolszewicy, Nestor Machno
*Pamieci powstania w Kronsztadzie, Nestor Machno
*Historia Rewolucji Hiszpanskiej [1931 r.], Nestor Machno
*1 Maja - symbol nowej epoki w zyciu i walce pracujacych, Nestor Machno
*Machnowszczyzna a antysemityzm, Nestor Machno
*Kilka slów na temat kwestii narodowej na Ukrainie, Nestor Machno
*Wladza radziecka - jej terazniejszosc i jej przyszlosc, Nestor Machno
Related Link:
http://www.nestormakhno.info

ANARCHIST THEORY:
THE DESTRUCTION OF CHILDHOOD:
I am reprinting the following essay from Larry Gambone's Porkupine Blog as it expands what are often my own feelings, especially around a time of year like Halloween. Both Larry and I are old enough (and we both grew up in "the boondocks") to remember a time when children were allowed to be children, when their lives weren't regimented from sunup to sundown, when they weren't under the constant supervision of so-called adults.
My own childhood was hardly "injury free". From skull fractures, to a railway spike through the foot (hence my present Christ complex) to cutting my thumb to the bone on the neighbour's wood lathe to many other things, I hurt myself enough. Neither was it danger free, from plunging through the ice on a slough, to staying out in thunderstorms, to climbing up on a fence post and petting the meanest bull in the RM, to, once more, many other things, I seemed to be determined to make my parents pay for a funeral. But what I can say is that I actually lived a happy childhood. The operative term is "lived". I wasn't driven from school to home to dance classes to hockey practice to home again. I wasn't controlled and glared at (excuse me- "supervised") for every second of my waking life. My time was my own. I read, played, explored, imagined and fought the eternal countryside war against insects, crows and gophers either alone or in the company of other children whom i had freely chosen as my friends.
It's been decades since the majority, or even a significant minority, of children in North America have had such freedom. We adults may think we are doing the right thing by our obsession with control of our children, but are we really ? The "family values" of my childhood were hardly the sickly sentimental idea that you have to fill every second of your child's life that is so popular today, in both left and right wing versions. To speak as an old fart, back in dem days, you simply did what was right to protect and educate the kids. You had enough faith in them to leave the majority of their time to themselves.
But there again this is the voice of what Paul Goodman called a "neo-lithic conservative", someone who actually lived the small town life that the cultural right makes up fantasies about. It sure as hell wasn't the religiously governed totalitarian state that they imagine and want. Neither was it the opposite dystopia of the social working left and their school of indoctrination. It was what it was, not total freedom but a closer approach to it than any thing planned by present day ideologues.
Anyways, here's Gambone's essay. Read it, Enjoy. Try to imagine how we might once more let children be free people ie children rather than little robots enslaved to our illusions.
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The Day After Halloween:
Far fewer kids seem out on Halloween trick or treating these past few years. One more example of the decline of community. Halloween has been replaced by phony parties in the malls. Commercialism reigns triumphant once again. One aspect of this decline has been the fear generated by the media about what might happen to those kiddies roaming around in the dark in your neighborhood. Add to this the urban legends that always appear about this time – poisoned candy, needles in apples or oranges. The latter was current when I was a kid 50 years ago!

Halloween was part of communal culture. You went around in home made costume to your neighbors and got gifts from them. Back in my day and beyond, Halloween also served another function – a kind of safety valve in the community. Living in a very authoritarian and repressive society, the young were given this one day of the year to cause mischief and torment their tormentors. While aimed at adult authority in general, the holiday also served as pay back time to individual members of the community who were unpleasant to children, such as the nasty teacher or the hateful old man down the street. They would get their windows soaped or the air let out of their tires. And the kids would snicker about this for months after.

Today, for the most part, the brute authoritarianism is gone. Children now face a more sublimated kind of tyranny. Every aspect of their lives is monitored and organized. It is of course, like the floggings and denigrating tirades of the past, "done for their own good." For "out there" lurks an army of kidnappers, child-buggerers, and gang members just waiting to pounce on Little Jason and Amanda.

Somehow I doubt it is all that much worse than when I was a kid. The difference is the lack of community. With real towns and real neighborhoods, we kids knew who all the "pervs" were and avoided them. Today "the public"is too aware, but then, overt knowledge of such things as pedophilia and incest was suppressed. We kids understood and expressed our awareness through warnings about not bending over to get the soap in a public shower and jokes about scoutmasters, priests and choirboys.(Molly Note-Larry is a little bit older than me, but my father was born in 1895, so my old man had a few years on his. Old Tom used to tell us that the stories of priests and boys were current in his!!! day as a kid. Oh wow, I wonder how many centuries back this reaches) In real communities, as the late Jane Jacobs pointed out, there are thousands of eyes seeing what goes on. The sick can't get away with much.

The anonymity and alienation of suburban life has given a much freer rein to the emotionally sick amongst us. This creates fear, and fear in turn, further destroys community. The suburb is a vicious circle that eternally grinds down everything that makes us human.The only way Halloween and all other forms of communal, non-alienated activity will revive is through rejecting the American-style suburb and a return to living in real neighborhoods.

WINNIPEG-LOCAL EVENTS:
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN POSTER EXHIBIT OPENS MONDAY:
Molly has to admit that she gets a certain uneasy feeling from the fact that the following is based on the work of an Irish police officer. Still, I cannot discount the good intentions behind it. From the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) here's the announcement of the upcoming exhibition.
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Violence Against Women Poster Exhibition:
WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Exhibit of the ‘Violence Against Women Poster Exhibition’ will be opened next Monday, November 3rd.

The posters are the collection of Irish police officer Colm Dempsey. Note attached background and go to http://www.dvposters365.net/welcome.htm for more information on the Exhibit.

Monday, November 3, 2008 – 12:30 pm
Union Centre, 275 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Speakers:
- Honourable Gord Mackintosh, Minister of Family Services and Housing
- Honourable Nancy Allan, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women
- Brother Paul Moist, President CUPE National

Events planned for the week include:
- Tuesday, November 4th, 6:00 pm
Panel on Systemic Gender Inequity Speakers: Darlene Dziewit, MFL President and Rita Emerson, Executive Director, Mother of Red Nations
- Wednesday, November 5th
– Noon- Workshop “Impact of Witnessing Violence on Children” with Linda Chisholm from Wahbung Abinoonjiiag
- 1:00 pm – Genesis House Workshop on Dating Violence
- 6:00 pm – Winnipeg Labour Choir and the North End Women’s Resource Centre Drumming Group will perform.
Violence_Against_Women_attachment.doc
(291 kB)

HUMAN RIGHTS-UNITED KINGDOM:
HELP BOLANLE AND HER CHILDREN:
This item from the No Borders South Wales site is for our readers in the United Kingdom.
................................

Bolanle and her children urgently need your help:
Bolanle Ojulari is a pregnant mother with children aged 2 and 4. She is currently in hospital in Swansea after being admitted with bleeding, stomach pains and being unable to keep food down.

Bolanle contaced No Borders South Wales to ask for help to stop her being forcibly deported to Nigeria on Monday 3rd November on British Airways flight 0075, Heathrow to Lagos at 13:40pm.

She wishes to fight this deportation and needs our support urgently.
Bolanle came to the UK in 2005 after fleeing Nigeria. She is from the state of Zamfara which was the first state in Nigeria to introduce strict Islamic Sharia Law in 2000. Bolanle’s father had arranged for her to be married. However, she was forced to escape from Nigeria after she became pregnant by a different man and was threatened with punishment as she was not married.

Under Zamfara Sharia Law section 126, a woman who has sex outside of marriage will be punished by 100 lashes and one year of imprisonment. If a woman commits adultery she will be sentenced to being stoned to death.

None of the family have had anti-malaria medication, which government guidelines state should be given to those travelling to this region, particularly young children and pregnant women.
What you can do to help
1) Contact British Airways using this model letter, asking that they do not take part in this removal.
*Fax: 020 8759 4314
*Email: willie.walsh@ba.com
*Reservations & general enquiries: 0844 493 0 787 (06:00-20:00 daily)
*Customer Relations: 0844 493 0 787 (Monday-Friday 08:00-18:30)
2) Raise your concern with their Passenger Medical Clearance Unit that Bolanle is not fit to fly due to health complications which meant she was recently hospitalised and the family have not had essential anti-malaria medication:
*Telephone: 020 8738 5444
*Fax: 020 8738 9644
Email: PMCU.PMCU@BA.COM
3) Contact the Home Secretary using this model letter
*Fax: 020 8760 3132
*Telephone: 020 7035 4848
*Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

BLOGGING:
BLOGGERS UNITE FOR REFUGEES NOVEMBER 10:
The following notice is from the Bloggers Unite network.
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Bloggers Unite for Refugees, November 10th‏:
This Nov. 10, all eyes will be on BlogCatalog members and bloggers who participate in Bloggers Unite For Refugees. Will you be one of them?
Ever since we started helping bloggers unite for different causes, we've proven that a little good can go a long way in making the world a better place.
This time, because of our work to increase human rights awareness, many members chose to go one step further to raise awareness for refugees — people who are impacted by these issues. So, on Nov. 10, thousands of bloggers will write about the various challenges faced by the 11 million people who have no country to call home and the 40 million more who have been displaced because of war and natural disasters.
*YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE*
By writing just one post for this cause, you can help raise awareness about refugees and help our partner, Refugees United, connect with local non-government organizations (NGOs) to help refugees in their search for lost loved ones. Their goal is to reunite children with parents, husbands with wives, and family members with friends.
Participating is easy and you can learn more about this event at http://unite.blogcatalog.com. There, you will find action badges, source material for blog posts, and more information about these people who have no country to call home.
With you help, I know we can encourage thousands of more bloggers to get involved and make Bloggers Unite For Refugees as successful as our last event with Amnesty International. It's one of those events that even if we reunite just one family, then we have made an immeasurable impact on the world. Thanks so much for your continued support! We really look forward to reading your posts and the posts of your friends on Nov. 10!
Thanks,
The BlogCatalog Team
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P.S. We are launching a whole new Bloggers Unite in the coming weeks, make sure to stop by http://www.bloggersunite.org/ and sign up to be notified when it launches!

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
ARRESTS IN JAPAN-SOLIDARITY REQUESTED:
The following item is from the Asian Anarchist Network. It has been slightly edited for reasons of English grammar.
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3 arrested on the way to the PMs 62 mil dollars house‏:
Hi there,

We need your solidarity message from activists around the world!

Write us at asouq@sanpal.co.jp

3 Arrested on the Way to the PM's 62 Million Dollars House

(26th October in Tokyo)

On Sunday afternoon of the 26th October, 3 comrades were arrested on the busy commercial street of Shibuya in Tokyo. At the time of arrest, they were walking down on the sidewalk along with some 50 others as a part of the Reality Tour heading for a mansion owned by the super-rich Prime Minister Tarou Asou who is from a family of coal-mining magnates/conglomerate and a grandson of famous conservative Prime Minister in 1950s. In the early20th century, the Asou coal mine had a number of labour disputes including cases fought by former colonial Korean labourers.




The Reality Tour was organised as a part of Anti-War and Resistance Festa in which anti-war activists as well as independent unionists of the freeters/working poor/precariate were involved. The tour intended to see the reality of the other side of the disparity: the PM's luxurious housing estimated at 6.2 billion yen (US$ 62 million) for the land itself. His house stands in the centre of Tokyo, about 15 minutes' walk from Shibuya Station, and the Reality Tour was simply designed to take a walk on the public road from the station to the Asou mansion. It should have been no problem at all for people just passing by his magnificent house.




At the meeting point in front of the Shibuya Station, which the organisers publicly announced beforehand, the police stood-by and talked to the organiser that they "allowed" us to go through the street around the house of Asou whose vicinity was designated under the special security. After few blocks walked by the tour , however, a group of plainclothes police rushed at a person who was on the sidewalk and grabbed him by shouting "Obstructing official duties! Obstructing official duties!" In attempting to take the guy back,two others were arrested.




Following the incident, corporate media covered the story in duplication of the police announcement: 3 were arrested allegedly because of their 'violent' or 'brutal' interfering with the police in execution of their duties.




As a way of fighting back against the police as well as educating the corporate media, the Freeters' Union held a press conference and gave an account that the police lawlessly blocked and arrested 3 persons on the sidewalk and that the Reality Tour ended up in displaying the police brutality which protected the ruling class from the working poor. A number of footage on the unlawful arrest has been uploaded on the Internet by media activists.




Upon the arrest, a jail solidarity collective called Asou-Q has been formed and actively worked on whatever we can. At the time of writing, all the 3 are still in custody but they have kept in high spirit. In order to support our comrades, send us your solidarity message onasouq@sanpal.co.jp

For more details, visit at http://asoudetekoiq.blog8.fc2.com/

*Related links


Footage of the arrest


Newswire (English) 2008



We just got this news from an anti-G8 activist:

Protest against O26 repression


3 comrades were arrested yesterday 26th Oct in a walking-tour just to see the reality of a mansion owned by super-rich prime-minister Tarou Asou who is a son of conglomerate owner

[video] shows the situation of police conspiring just befor the arrest. http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0Z0Yvde8E

This 'reality tour' in which people intend to see the reality of the super-rich housing just by walking around the mansion owned by the current prime minister Tarou Asou who is a son of a conglomerate family, was a preliminary event for the coming Anti-war and Resistance Festa which will be held in 29th & 30th Nov.




Yesterday 26th, after a small protest gathering in front of the railway station. 50 people took a walking way to the mansion without any signs or banners , without even any loudspeakers. 3 were arrested allegedly because of their 'violent' or 'brutal' interfering with policemen in the execution of their duties according to every mainstream media last night. However, every report was based on the 'official' announcement made by the police. True brutality was committed by the police just after the walking started. The whole situations recorded by 3 or more our still and video cameras.




Today 27th Oct 1 pm a press conference will be held at the Freeter's Union Office in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Ask war_resisters_fes@yahoo.co.jp for more information.

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PLUS...here is an update on the situation that Molly just received today.
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3 Arrested on the Way to the PM's 62 Million Dollars House (Tokyo):‏
Here is the update situation of the arrest of 3 activists in Tokyo. The three are still in custody.
Now the footage of arrest with English subtitles is available at YouTube.(To see the subtitles, turn on the caption by clicking button on the bottom-right of player.)
Prime Minister Asou's House tour Arrests
"wanna see PM house? yeah no problem!"Say Police
STATEMENT DENOUNCING UNLAWFUL ARREST
"Show your face, Aso!! "
'Reality Tour' Solidarity Group
On October 26th, '"Reality Tour 2" What is 6,200,000,000 Yen like? Let's go and see the Prime minister Aso's House' was held as a pre-event to the Anti-war and Resistance Festa happening at November 29th & 30th.
During this event, 3 of the tour participants were arrested and are now still hold in police custody.
We are making it clear that these arrests are unlawful and denouncing Public Safety Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Shibuya police for taking away our comrades.
*Why a 'reality tour'
We did a reality tour to the 'rip off mansion' of a temp agency president and this was another version of it where we decided to go and see the Aso Taro's mansion which is said to cost 6,200,000,000 just for the land. There has been some press coverage on the Prime minister's sense of money recently,and we wondered what kind of life he has, as he is responsible for resolving the poverty and wealth gap. However, this tour "had" to be broken up by police.
*How the unlawful arrest happened
At 3pm, the Chief of security department of the Shibuya police said to us "If you want to go to the Prime minister's house by walking , that's fine",and "you can go and see the house in groups of 5 to 6 people in each turn" when we were gathering in front of Shibuya train station. We did some announcements of the tour for 30 or 40minutes, then about 50 of us started to walk.We held our signs and balloons, and we never used our speakers just as police told us to do.
Only 5 minutes later, when we were reaching Dogen Zaka Street one of our comrades who were holding a sign to show the way to other participants was held by his arm and wrestled to the ground by police. Police officers stared to get a full nelson on another 2 participant with the cue saying"go!go! It's KOBO (Short term for "interfering with policemen in the execution of their duties") It's KOBO!" and then they took away the 3.
On the news report they say the police gave us warnings many times but there weren't any except when we started walking. The reason for the arrest of the 3 given by police are "breaching public safety ordinance" and"interfering with policemen in the execution of their duties" but it's all clear in recorded film that there were no such acts.There is no evidence that the tour participants engaged in violence.
* Custody Visiting blocked and unlawful 10 days detention
Later on the same day, we went to Shibuya Police station to denounce the unlawful arrest and demand custody visiting and to take necessities (food, cloth, toothbrush etc) to the 3. But police did not let us meet the 3. Also even when the solicitor/lawyer arrived at 5pm police didn't let him visit the arrestees and blocked the visiting of the solicitor for 2 hours. It was only after 7pm that the solicitor could go in to visit the arrestees and the necessities were handed to our comrades. Later on the 28th, it was decided that the 3 were to be held for another 10 days and custody visiting by non-solicitors were banned. Police didn't only unjustly repress us but also openly infringed on arrestee's legal rights by blocking the custody visiting and holding the 3 unlawfully.
We can never condone this outrageousness. Since when do we have no right to walk the pavement? Who made the police guard us in large excess when we were only walking the pavement? Who told the press false information and trying to pin a crime on the innocent 3?
Police always do this, make their first move and make us take the blame. The police, fearing people are going to "see" the prime minister's house, never hesitate to trample on our comrades' freedom and lives.The police protect Aso. Then we will protect ourselves.
We say this with rage!
Release our 3 comrades immediately!
Apologize for the unlawful arrest!
Taro Aso, take the responsibility for your lack of supervision!
October 29th
Show your face,Aso!!
'reality tour' Solidarity Group
NOTE: The Tokyo Public safety ordinance is unconstitutional as the constitution says in Article 21 "Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed." But even this ordinance should not give the police or other public servants the power to ban or censor any political publications or signs or gatherings other than a march or demonstration.
As the Arrest Solidarity group,we strongly protest to this repression and demand the immediate release of the 3 arrestees. Please support our statement.
If you or your organization decide to support us send an email to asouq@sanpal.co.jp as follows
**************
"I Support the statement of Show your face,Aso!! 'reality tour' Solidarity Group"
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Name:
Title: (if you have one and don't mind letting us know. It can be work industry,organization name, or anything you do.)
Place you are living: (county,city or other)
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Name of organization:
Where it is based:
Please send us solidarity messages