Radical Reading Circle

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:50:21 GMT

I just read Next by Michael Crichton.

It was wonderful. I found it hard to get past the competition for gene patents between universities and companies, but I loved reading through transgenic apes and about gene-transplanted Gerard, the genius talking parrot.
It was a change from Juriasic Park, it reminded me more of The Andromeda Strain, but with more modern-word slang humor. That's a good thing.
Anyone else's opinion? On the book or Crichton...

New Reading Group

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 11:31:50 GMT

Ever just get the urge to talk about a book you just read?

Do you think you have something to contribute to others?

Are you disappointed with the anti-intellectual streak that's so prevalent?

Do you think that radical thought is more than just mental masturbation - that without revolutionary theories and ideas there can be no revolution?

Then come join us at dialecticus! We're a new reading group and we're still in the process of deciding on a reading list so come join us and help us get this group off the ground.

cross-posted a bunch of places...

where is everyone?

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:28:20 GMT

this community has probably been inactive for longer than I know of, but to change that, what should I do but post myself? here goes.

T.A.Z...poetic terrorism, ontological anarchy
HAKIM BEY

any or all thoughts on this book?
I find that I have to read it without trying to take everything literally, more of a semi-conscious understanding, because of the fact that a lot of it is written poetically and not as straightforward as your typical book.

Basically, "Chaos never died." Not your crazy bombthrowing anarchist chaos [as so described by mass media] but that disorder is natural, and what happens happens (and shouldn't be dictated by some bullshit government and laws over humans.)
My favorite parts are the poetic terrorism ideas/spirituality.

kid's stuff...

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 06:50:22 GMT

I’m 7.5 months pregnant and looking for children’s books, baby’s books, and children’s/baby’s movies/shows that are enjoyable, educational, have good politics, and strong female characters. I’ve already thought of a few but I’m looking to stock up on stuff in the last couple of months before I give birth… any suggestions?
X-posted a lot

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:21:57 GMT

I've put up some good ebooks in the resources section of my new site peoplewillriot.com if anyone is interested.

Comment if you found the site useful. I don't have too much of an ebook collection but I hope to add a lot more by the time the site is finished. If you have any files you would like to contribute that would be wonderful also. zaeem@[remove this]peoplewillriot.com send anything.

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:23:32 GMT

For those of you who ever scroll around the project guttenberg website, what is some of your favorite ebooks there???

"Flashflood Magazine: Communities Against Imperialism"

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 01:11:24 GMT

This is a 'zine one of my comrades from PDX is involved in. You can e-mail submissions to her at: leyeza at graffiti dot net.

Shout Out For Submissions:

"Flashflood Magazine: Communities Against Imperialism" is looking for
submissions to its first issue! The purpose and ethic of this
bi-monthly magazine is to give voice to struggles for
self-determination and against the oppressive forces of imperialism
on all fronts. Though large and cultural, these dynamics of
self-determination and oppression define the personal experiences of
all of us, in different ways.

This theme of the first issue is: Land and Liberation

What Kind of Submissions Are We Looking For?

We are looking for personal writing, how-to articles, interviews,
reviews, essays, black and white artwork, or other submissions that
describe their subject in an a context of resistance to imperialism.
Each issue has a theme, and articles related to that theme in any
fashion are given preference. We are looking for writing that is
accessible, and that reflects and respects individual experience. We
are looking for writing from people who are interested in developing
empowering relationships with their communities, with this magazine,
and with their own writing/work.
We are also looking for submissions to a Kid’s Page- writing and
drawings by and/or for kids, games, event announcements, and more.

How Does This Magazine Support Those Who Support It?

The first responsibility of this magazine and its publishing
collective is to our communities’ common struggle. This magazine will
be distributed widely wherever we can get it to, for a small or no
cost in venues from bookstores to laundramats to schools, and also
will be available by mail subscription. Any proceeds of the magazine
above and beyond production and labor costs will go into growing the
reach and accessability of the magazine.
We will not compromise the founding principles of the magazine. We
will print a letters page for feedback on the magazine. We will also
have a clear and honestly executed publishing policy so that the
magazine is as inclusive and focused as possible.

A related responsibility is to the publishing collective itself and
to the contributers to the magazine, because they are what sustain
the project. The magazine is starting out with no budget, but will
grow to become self-sufficient, and eventually, able to reimburse
both collective members and contributers for their time.

At this time, we can offer no resources except the opportunity to
publish your important work.

Publishing Policy

We will publish things that are in harmony with our founding
principles as long as space is available. Submissions related to the
issue’s theme will be given preference for that issue, but things
submitted and not printed one issue will be given preference in the
next issue.

We reserve the right to edit any or all submissions for length and
clarity, but we promise that all edits will be approved with the
author before they are published. If we can’t get a hold of the
author, we will either publish the submission without edits or not
publish the submission at all. If the author does not approve of
requested edits we will either run the submission without edits, or
not publish the submission at all.

Founding Principles:

We support the right of communities to self-determination and to
build their lives free of imperialist oppression.

We stand against classism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and all other
forms of oppression on both individual and cultural/political levels.
We stand for learning to create a common struggle, which involves
breeching silences created by these and other forms of oppression.

We support honesty and reconciliation in our communities, and are
focused on personal liberation as it relates to political liberation;
and political liberation as it relates to the personal.

We respect a diversity of struggle and the diversity of tactics that
are involved therin. We believe in a movement that supports
political prisoners and solidarity with all who struggle against
imperialist oppression.

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:08:27 GMT

Has anyone here read Oriana Fallaci's The Rage and the Pride?

I would love to hear some opinions on the book as I'm quite torn about it myself.

looking for tutors...

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:08:36 GMT

If there is anyone in the NJ/NYC area (I moved back from the bay area, my mom is sick) that is looking to make extra money, work on cool projects, teach/learn cooperatively and save me from failing unhigh school (really, I'm the only person I know who could fail my own curriculums, how embarrassing) contact me. It can also be worked out online.

I'm Max, an unschooler* who left high school in order to do more intellectual and creative work, and I'm looking for someone who can tutor me/supervise a college-level independent study of American history with a social justice slant
taught in chronological order. I'm aiming for a cooperative learning environment that uses media (radical non-fiction, novels, plays, poetry, documentaries, music, museums, workshops, whatever else). My particular interests are anarchist/leftist politics, political/social movements, sociology, and art-as-protest, and I prefer that my projects be oriented towards activist art (street theatre, culture jamming, play writing, movie making, whatever else) and/or creative writing. The only qualifications neccessary are knowledge of American history and activist art.

I'm also looking for a tutor in third world studies, human rights, Spanish and French with the same slant.

I live in a medium-sized town in New Jersey about fifteen minutes from Newark and less than an hour from NYC Schedule, study location, and payment are negotiable. I would like to work on this intensively three days a week beginning in November.

Must be anarchist friendly.

*From Wikipedia: Unschooling (also sometimes referred to as "natural learning", "child-led learning", "discovery learning", or "child-directed learning") is the term given to an increasingly popular method of homeschooling. Under unschooling education, parents act as "facilitators" and are responsible for having a wide-range of resources available to provide their children with a quality education."

email me: banditdreams@riseup.net
my space: http://www.myspace.com/banditdreams

x posted: anarchists, autonomous_art, modern_school, radicalhistory, radicalnyc, radicalreads

Disasters, Natural and Otherwise: Race, Class, and the Destruction of New Orleans by Tim Wise

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 16:11:13 GMT

letter written by tim wise, an author and activist for racial
justice who used to live in new orleans.

feel free to forward the letter to any appropriate contacts.

(sorry about all the little arrows, i copied this from an email.)

Hello all,
>
>This note is both an announcement and a call for assistance.
>
>Elaine Katzenberger at City Lights Books, in SF, has tentatively agreed to a
>book idea I floated to her yesterday, and which I would write in the next
>three months. Titled (for now): Disasters, Natural and Otherwise: Race,
>Class and the Destruction of New Orleans, it would provide a comprehensive
>analysis of the factors aggravating the impact of Katrina, as well as
>looking at the race and class biased media coverage, the politics of poverty
>and racism (and the way in which these things remain invisible to so many
>unless there's a tragedy such as this), as well as contrasting retail
>"looting" with the wholesale looting accomplished by the corporate class
>over the past several decades, etc. You get the picture. Basically, a race
>and class analysis of "Natural" disasters.
>
>Once completed, I am going to donate the royalties (which could be fairly
>decent, depending on how quickly I get it done), to the People's Institute
>for Survival and Beyond, in New Orleans: for those of you who don't know,
>one of the premier antiracism training organizations in the U.S., and which
>has lost its offices (and homes of its trainers and staff).
>
>Anyway, what I am looking for are any ideas you may have, analysis you may
>wish to provide (for which I would provide you credit, of course, and quote
>you where appropriate), historical references pertinent to N.O. itself or
>the Gulf Coast, source materials I might wish to consult, etc.
>
>I already have seen pretty much all of the good progressive and radical
>commentary on the storm so far, so I don't need links to stuff that has
>already been published. But if you stumble upon something really unique, or
>have something of your own unique to add, send it on.
>
>I am especially interested in anything that those of you who (like me) have
>lived in New Orleans, or lived there until the storm, might have to offer.
>Since I have been out of the city for about a decade, I am not necessarily
>as aware as I should be of the current political/economic and social
>dynamics in the city (except insofar as they are pretty much unchanged since
>96).
>
>Specific info I need (some of which I have, but just in case):
>
>Data on poverty, income, unemployment in the N.O. area.
>Analysis on the race and class dynamics behind Nagin's Mayoral victory
>Analysis of the ongoing salience of Institutional Racism in NO (info from
>People's Institute folks would be especially helpful here)
>Info on the role of Hope VI in tearing down public housing
>Info on the police (brutality incidents post-1996)
>Historical info on race and class in N.O.
>Info on wetlands restoration or the lack thereof in LA
>Info on former Gov. Foster's attack on environmental justice and the Tulane
>Environmental Law Clinic
>Info on the state of NO public schools
>Info on gentrification in and around the warehouse district of NO and the
>Bywater, Marigny, etc.
>Analysis on how these region-specific references and analyses dovetail with
>situations throughout the U.S., in other cities, etc.
>Info on the casino economy in and around Biloxi, etc
>
>And anything else you think might be especially important.
>
>The book will be a collection of essays, in which this material is
>interwoven. It is not going to be an academic treatment, but one that will
>be easily readable and accessible to folks who aren't already deep into race
>and class analysis, yet at the same time, still informative and meaningful
>to those who are.
>
>In the midst of this tragedy, we owe it to the people of New Orleans and
>Gulf Coast, as well as the nation, to try and open the eyes of those who
>have ignored racism and classism for so long, as well as to make sure our
>own eyes are always open. As a writer, this will be my part and my goal in
>that regard. Any assistance you can offer would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>
>Tim Wise
timjwise@msn.com

So let's try this

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:34:00 GMT

Okay, a few of you probably recognize me from my recent posts in Anarchist and Anarchisttheory Post. So I propose that this post be used as a discussion to decide what essays or books we should read for our first little Anarchist Reading Circle.

I suggest a few criteria, suggestions not demands.

1. That the work be related to Anarchism
2. That the work be easily accessible online, preferably providing a link for the location of the work.
3. That at least at first we keep the reading short, see how this works out and then we can go from there.

Also how long do you think we should give before we discuss? 1 week, 2 weeks, a few days? Maybe we should have a systematic way of deciding who will pick the reading for the next discussion, or should we all vote on it each time?

Any critiques of how we should do this, any other thoughts. Let's talk about this and get this project going!

Montana, Idaho and Utah Anarchists

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 22:01:15 GMT

My partner and I are travelling to Olympia, WA to visit friends and family. Both of us are working on a project called the Rocky Mountain Resister (www.rockymountainresister.org) which is both an online resource as well as a quarterly paper for anarchists and radicals in the Rocky Mountain region. Right now we are working mostly with people in Colorado and Wyoming, but we'd like to bring people in from Idaho, Montana and Utah. If you are in that area we'd love to meet you, swap stories, info, literature, etc. Also, if you know people and/or groups in that area and get us in touch with them that would be really good too. My email is claytondewey(at)gmail.com We'll be travelling through those areas on the 12th and 13th, and then back through again the 20th and 21st.
thanks!
x-posted to anarchists, anarchist theory, radicalreads

Che Cafe

Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:52:11 GMT

If anyone here lives in san diego, i assume you know the che, and how fucked its gotten lately, so eveyone in san diego needs to go to the meeting tonight at 8:30 and every thursday to go to there meeting and complain about whats been happening, and take the che back...

For everyone that doesnt know the che, it used to be a great anarcho vegan cafe on the UCSD campus. They booked punk, hip hop, spoken word and just about anything else that was progressive, they had free food day oncek, and allowed food not bombs to cook in there kitchen. Basically every other show was a benefit, and noone would every be turned away for lack of money, pre protest meetings were held there often, and it was open just about every day so you could go in, buy vegan food, read some great stuff out of there library of radical books and zines, or just play the anti-monopoly game, hah. Well about a year ago a bunch of indy and hardcore kids took the che over and banned the punks, and only played indy and hardcore shows. Since the punks were kicked out the che has degressed into pitifulness, food not bombs has left,and there hasnt been a free food day in about 4 months. There hasnt been a benefit show in forever, instead they moved onto booking bands such as PC deathsquad whose "fuck peace" backpatch weilding lead singer stated in an interview that he hated leftists the most. If thats not bad enough the Che is now shut down all the time exept for during shows, so really the che is for the scene kids and noone else. Yet, the funny thing is they still claim to be anarcho, they still claim to support all forms fo music in the underground scene, they still claim to only book radically progressive bands, what a sham.
Oh yea, the bouncer volunteers they ahve now wear walkie talkies and chase down kids they thought snuck in... what the fuck?

So everyone needs to go if they can, cause the che was probably the best thing happening in this militarized city of ours

venezuela

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 07:46:01 GMT

can anyone recommend some current books, articles, websites, etc. about venezuela/hugo chavez/the 'bolivarian revolution', in english or spanish?
i am attending the world youth and students festival in caracas, venezuela, in august. i want to educate myself as much as possible before then.

thanks in advance!

zines

Sun, 12 Jun 2005 17:34:38 GMT

sooo, does anyone here make zines, online or not?

Fri, 20 May 2005 00:34:40 GMT

Does anybody happen to know what book Ho Chi Minh was reading at his death? It's just a useless bit of trivia, but it's been bugging me for at least three days. I think it was an autobiography of an American, but other than that, I have no clue. Like John Brown or someone.

Tue, 10 May 2005 14:24:51 GMT

Romantic Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed by Robert A. Rosenstone

I picked this up a little more than a week ago at a used books store in my hometown for a couple bucks. I've yet to begin reading it, seeing as how I'm in the middle of re-reading A People's History by Zinn, and have a couple others I plan on reading before this.

anyone else read it?

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:27:03 GMT

Anyone know some sites with good (inexpesnvie) books?

My collection is still rather small and i'm looking for some new reads. Suggestions welcome! :)

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:36:01 GMT

I am sorry to post twice (this time in Anarchists, Crimethinc, and Radicalreads) but m_heart's question reminded me of an inquiry I have been itching to make for several months now. Though "Country Living" sounds great for rural survival I am looking for a book that is an encyclopedia on both urban and rural self-sufficiency. Have you run across any that are worthwhile? More than happy to put down 20-30 dollars for a hardy informative book. It would be a tremendous help, thanks!

-ter

Bourgeois accounts of Radical events

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 22:05:14 GMT

Hey everyone-

I was just wondering what people think about the subject I posted.

I just finished “The Spanish Civil War” by Hugh Thomas, which is just that. I've got a short report posted on my journal.

favorite avantgardening website

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:23:52 GMT

this is still one of my favorite gardening websites! it was totally influential on me and helped feed my interest in radical gardening. dig it.

http://www.primalseeds.org/

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 22:46:50 GMT

Albert Camus is amazing. I'm reading Lyrical and Critical Essays now. Does anyone else like any of his writing and can recommend their favorite piece?

Zapata

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 16:54:00 GMT

I'm reading about Emiliano Zapata, who was a Mexican Revolutionary. He led peasents in the southern state of Morelos, while other upper-class liberals fiddled around following the overthrow of the dictator Diaz in 1910.

Following the overthrow of Diaz, Madero set up taking over the reigns of the state, and quickly began betraying many of his old allies. Madero was in the pockets of the plantation owners, who did not like seeing peasents with guns. They arranged to arrest Zapata and disband his army before the revolution "went to far." After arguing and figuring out that Madero was no longer on his side, Zapata had enough.

In early December, probably on his brother Gustavo's advice, Madero sent another commission to see Zapata at a camp on the Puelba-Morelos border. But the commissioners brought no new offer. To the chief whom Madero had embraced in the August crisis in Cuautla, in the worst days of a time of lies and broke promises, to the chief whom Madero had then classified among all his revolutionary generals as his "truest general", to this chief the commissioners could now not even assure amnesty and a pardon if he laid down his arms.

The only guarantee they could assure him was a safe trip into exile. And Zapata, recalling the long months of strain he and Madero had labored together, exploded into resentment.

"I've been Senor Madero's most faithful partisan," he told the commissioners. "I've given infinite proofs of it."

"But I'm not anymore. Madero has betrayed me as well as my army, the people of Morelos, and the whole nation. Most of his original supporters are in jail or persecuted," Zapata continued, incensed at the purges he knew were going on in his own state and thinking they must be underway elsewhere too, "and nobody trusts him any longer because he's violated all his promises. He's the most fickle, vacillating man I've ever known."

What should they tell the president? the commissioners asked.

"Tell him this for me," Zapata concluded, "-Tell him to take off for Havana, because if not he can count the days as they go by, and in a month I'll be in Mexico City with twenty thousand men, and have the pleasure of going up to Chapultepec castle and dragging him out of there and hanging him from one of the highest trees in the park."

Wow.

taken from Zapata and the Mexican Revolution, by John Womack JR

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 05:58:51 GMT

are any of you familiar with a book that has the same premise of the spanish civil war compilation: authors take sides?

the idea is that a variety of contemporary authors submit essays about their take on the iraq war, im not sure who compiled it though, or what the title is.

---

also: suggestions for russian hist books during the empire? (peter i to 1917)

Cooperatives

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 09:20:09 GMT

Does anyone know any good reads about cooperatives (co-ops)?

I'm also looking for books on food and globalization. I have to organize a reading list for a class I'm in.