sobota 31. října 2009

bieda britskeho robotnika

Kríza žánru Autonómna zóna George Orwell 30.10.2009
Úryvok z Orwellovej, na Slovensku ešte nevydanej, politickej eseje, ktorá prvý krát vyšla vo francúzskom týždenníku Le Progrès civique (Občiansky pokrok), 29 decembra 1928. Osemdesiat rokov jej na aktuálnosti (žiaľ) neubralo.

Anglicko! Nezamestnanosť! Neoddeliteľné pojmy. Nezamestnanosť je jednou z charakteristických čŕt povojnového života v Anglicku; a tiež odmenou robotnému ľudu za vojenské útrapy. Nezamestnanosť síce existovala aj pred vojnou, ale ľudí bez práce bolo relatívne málo, a tak ich bolo možné prehliadať. Boli „rezervnou armádou práce“ - slúžili na reguláciu príliš rýchleho rastu platov a príležitostne na zaplátanie zvýšeného dopytu po pracovnej sile. V tej dobe stroj hospodárstva fungoval, alebo sa aspoň zdalo, že funguje bez väčších zádrheľov. Verejná mienka bola pokojná a nepripúšťala si, že by sa mašina mohla pokaziť.

úterý 27. října 2009

Queer & Rebel; Schwarzer kanak bleibt!

Sychravý podzim v německém Berlíně. Zablácený plácek krčící se mezi rozpadajícími se zdmi bývalé továrny, nad kterou jako memento starým časům trčí do výšky cihlový komín s obrovskou vykousnutou dírou uprostřed. Přes stěnu ohromný nápis NO DEPORTATION a pod ním rozesetých několik starých maringotek, traktůrek a pár letitých obytných vozů.Tak vypadalo místo akce Queer & rebel, legendární Schwarzer kanal. Domov skupiny radikálních queers – lidí, kterým jsou mainstreamové škatulky pohlaví a sexuální orientace poněkud těsné a kterým život v komunitě umožňuje vytvářet prostředí, kde lze žít jinak.
Slovíčko queer už se pomalu etabluje i v Česku, především v prostředí nevládních organizací. Pro lidi okolo Schwarzer kanalu ale rozhodně neslouží jako lákavá vějička pro grantové donory tak, jak je tomu u nás. Naopak, queer pro ně znamená rebelii, boj za svobodnou společnost, organizaci na principech neautoritářství a antikapitalismu. Tedy postoj, který je v mnoha zemích poměrně hojně rozšířený, vcelku přirozený a logický – queer a gay a lesbické skupiny tvoří nezřídka součást anarchistického hnutí. U nás tomu tak naneštěstí není, i když to vypadá, že se blýská na lepší časy...

pátek 2. října 2009

October Freegan Events in New York

If you come to an event & can’t find us, call Janet: (347) 724-6954
More info? ask@freegan.info * www.freegan.info

Freegan Bike Workshop and Sewing Workshop temporarily on hold!
Sadly, because of a eviction of the 123 Community Space, the bike
workshop and sewing workshop will not be regularly scheduled for the
month of October while it moves locations. Check back to see future
workshop plans! For more information on the situation of the 123 Space,
see www.123communityspace.org or call their hotline at (206) 333-1355.

Monday, October 5 • Freegan Meeting and Trash Tour
Join us for an organizational meeting to report on working group
activities and discuss and decide on policies and activities. Meetings
are for freegan.info volunteers and people interested in volunteering,
and are not educational presentations or introductory discussions about
freeganism. After, we will explore the area’s wasted food and other
goods. The meeting is NOT open to media, but the trash tour WILL be
open to media that have scheduled in advance.
When and Where? Meet at 7:30pm at the Sakia public atrium, 150 Park
Ave. at 42nd St., right across from Grand Central train station. To
come just for the tour, meet us at 9:30pm at the northwest corner of
38th St. and 3rd Ave.

Tuesday, October 6 • Freegan Feast
Share in food preparation and then in the good company of a group of
people who care about each other and about change. Media WILL be
welcome with appointment.
When & Where? For the location please RSVP (at least a day ahead) to
Janet at (347) 724-6954. Meet at 5pm to help cook and around 8pm to
help eat!

Wednesday, October 7 • Media Spokesperson Training
For everyone who might be interested in helping to represent freeganism
and freegan.info in the media: we need your help! And, because it can
be intimidating to begin to talk to the media, and we want you to be
the best representatives for freeganism out there, we're going to have
a media spokesperson trying. This is for anyone who might be willing to
take on a media interview now and again, and not just for folks who
want to be part of the nuts and bolts of the media working group. We'll
talk about why we talk to media, media messaging, how to master
different media interviews, different tactics for dealing with media
that we've found to work well, and some we've found don't work so well,
and much more!
When and Where? Meet at 6:45pm at the Sakia public atrium, 150 Park
Ave. at 42nd St., right across from Grand Central train station.

Saturday, October 10 - Wild Foods Discussion and Walk
Tim Vireo Keating, director of Rainforest Relief and a forager for over
30 years, will bring us through Prospect Park to forage for common wild
edibles. As a long-time urban forager, Tim will show how foraging
common wild plants in city parks can not only provide fresh and
healthful greens but can play an essential part of a freegan lifestyle.
Tim will collect donations for the tour to support the work of
Rainforest Relief, but everyone is absolutely welcome, whether you are
able to donate or not.
When & Where? Meet at 1pm at the at stone benches at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. (Take the 2 train to Grand
Army Plaza or the Q train to 7th Ave.)

Monday, October 19 • Freegan Meeting and Trash Tour
Join us for an organizational meeting to report on working group
activities and discuss and decide on policies and activities. Meetings
are for freegan.info volunteers and people interested in volunteering,
and are not educational presentations or introductory discussions about
freeganism. After, we will explore the area’s wasted food and other
goods. The meeting and tour are NOT open to media.
When and Where? Meet at 7:30pm in the cafe area of the Barnes and
Noble at 106 Court Street (near State St.) in Brooklyn Heights (M or R
to Court Street or 2, 3, 4, or 5 to Borough Hall). To come just for the
tour, meet us at 9:30pm out in front of the store.

Thursday, October 22 • Trash Tour
Join us to collect the quality products that stores throw out. We give
advice on how to salvage these goods & comment on the reasons for such
waste. NOT open to media.
When & Where? Meet at 9pm in front of the bakery on the southwest
corner of 8th St. and 5th Ave.

Want to get more involved? Join a freegan.info working group!
Working groups organize many of the events and do the behind-the-scenes
work that makes freegan.info happen. Groups are open to all who want to
help, and you can attend one of the following meetings to get involved.
If you want to get involved in a working group but cannot attend this
month's meeting, please email: ask@freegan.info (Working group meetings
are not open to the media.)

Media Working Group
Meet Wednesday, October 7th at 8pm (after the media spokesperson
training)
at the Sakia atrium, 150 Park Ave. at 42nd St.

Films and Forums Working Group
Meet Monday, October 12th at 8pm
at Marketplace Cafe on the east side of 6th Ave. btwn. 8th St. and
Waverly.

Ongoing Sustainable and Freegan Events

Saturday, October 17 • Sunset Park Very Merry Free Market
This is a space for community members to draw strength from one
another's skills and surplus resources. At and after the
event, strangers make friends and friends share ideas, connections and
conventions. Skilled practitioners of arts, crafts, trades, and
professions will offer skillshares and free services; and all sorts of
goods: clothes, toys, electronics, food, drinks, and more will be
shared for free. In short, EVERYTHING everyone brings or takes is free!
Come prepared with sturdy bags. If you need more info, contact:
VVFMarket@gmail.com or (718) 781-3595.
When & Where? From 2-6pm in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The event will be
held under the flagpoles in the park. Enter where 6th Ave ends at 44th
Street and then follow the straight path into the park until you can't
go any further. Take the R train to 45th St. or the B63 on 5th Ave. to
45th St. It will be held rain or shine, but on the day of the event, in
case of lightning or very heavy rain, we'll move to the Fourth Avenue
Methodist Church, 4616 4th Ave, which is at the corner of 4th Ave &
47th St.

Sunday, October 25 • Really Really Free Market
The Really Really Free Market is a bazaar & celebration, where we
discard capitalist notions of interaction and have fun trying new
models of exchange. Expect and share free food, skills, clothing, books
and fun! Brought to you by In Our Hearts: inourhearts@gmail.com
When and Where? 3-7pm at Judson Memorial Church at 55 Washington Square
South.

Composting
Lower East Side Ecology Center accepts organic material for composting
(fruit and vegetable peelings, cut flowers and similar organic
material). LESEC has drop-off bins at the Union Square Greenmarket
(Mon, Wed, Fri, & Sat. from 8am-5pm), or drop off at the center on E.
7th St. btwn. Aves. B & C any time through the opening in the gate. For
more info see www.lesecologycenter.org
The W. 181st St. Beautification Project has compost drop-off at the
garden at 880 W. 181st St. in the Bronx.
6/15 Green is a public compost site where the general public is invited
and encouraged to add compostables during open hours from April through
October: Tuesdays 3-5pm, Thursdays 6-8pm, Saturdays 10am-2pm, and
Sundays 4-8pm, or whenever the gate is open. At the Green Community
Garden at 6th Avenue & 15th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Computer and Electronics Recycling
Per Scholas is a recycling facility in Hunts Point that allows
individuals to drop off residential computer & electronic equipment.
They accept equipment Mon. to Fri. 9am-4pm at 1575 Bronx River Ave. in
the Bronx. For more information, see www.perscholas.org

Plastics Recycling
Park Slope Food Co-op accepts many plastics for recycling that are NOT
collected by the city. They accept: #1 and #6 transparent plastics (but
NOT bottles, which NYC recycles), #5 plastics (remove any paper
labels), and clear plastic film only. All plastics must be CLEAN AND
DRY. They’re open every month on the 2nd Sat, 10am-2pm; the 3rd Thurs,
7pm-9pm; & the last Sun, 10am-2pm. The co-op is at 782 Union St. (btwn.
6th & 7th Aves.) in Park Slope. See: www.foodcoop.com/go.php?id=112
Whole Foods now accepts #5 plastics and Brita filters (bagged after
being allowed to dry out for 3 days) at their stores at Union Square,
Columbus Circle, Greenwhich St. and Houston St. Many of their stores
also accept household batteries for recycling.

Weekly Bike Repair Workshops by Times Up
Times Up! bike repair workshops are now in two locations! See
www.times-up.org for more info.
Manhattan workshops are in the basement of ABC No Rio, at 156 Rivington
St. between Suffolk and Clinton in the Lower East Side.
Women & Trans Bicycle Repair Night: Every Mon, 6:30pm. No previous
experience required.
Bike Repair Workshops: Every Tuesday, 6:30pm. Come learn how to fix
bikes, do simple maintenance and tune-ups at the bike mechanic skill
share.
1st Sunday- Basics for Beginners
2nd Sunday- Brakes and Gears
3rd Sunday- Cups, Cones, and Bearings
4th Sunday- Wheels and Spokes
Fix Your Bike Workshop: Every Thursday, 6:30pm. Share skills and fix up
your own bike.
Brooklyn workshops are at the new Times Up Brooklyn space at 99 South
6th Street, off Bedford Avenue
Fix Your Bike Workshop: Every Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Share skills and fix
up your own bike.
Bike Repair Workshops: Every Sunday, Lessons from 2-4 p.m., Open
Workshop from 4-6 p.m.
1st Sunday- Basics for Beginners
2nd Sunday- Brakes and Gears
3rd Sunday- Cups, Cones, and Bearings
4th Sunday- Wheels and Spokes

Textile Recycling (NEW LOCATIONS!)
Of course, the best thing to do with clothes and other textiles is to
reuse them! BUT, if you have scraps that can’t be used even one more
time, there is textile recycling:
Fridays: 8am-2pm at the 97th St. Greenmarket, 97th & Columbus in
Manhattan
Saturdays: 8am-6pm at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan;
8am-4pm at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket in Brooklyn;
8am-3pm at the Inwood Greenmarket on Isham St between Seaman &
Cooper in Manhattan;
8am-3pm at the Fort Greene Greenmarket in Washington Park at DeKalb
in Brooklyn; and
8am-2pm at the McCarren Park Greenmarket on Bedford & Lorimer in
Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Sundays: 8am-4pm at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket, E. 7th St. &
Ave. A; and
8am-3pm at the Jackson Heights Greenmarket on 34th Ave between 77th
& 78th Streets in Queens
Mondays: 8am-6pm at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan

Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs in Manhattan offers a vegetarian meal share (using
donated food that would otherwise be wasted) Sundays at 3:30pm in
Tompkins Square Park. Help cook at ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington St. btwn.
Clinton & Suffolk at 1pm. More info: fnb@abcnorio.org or (212) 254-3697
ext.395
Bushwick Food Not Bombs prepares food Thursdays at 10:30am at Surreal
Estate, 1st floor of 15 Thames St. (L to Morgan) and serves at 1pm at
Maria Hernandez Park, formerly Bushwick Park, at Knickerbocker Ave. &
Starr St. in Brooklyn. For more info email fnbbushwick@gmail.com or
call (972) 743-5669.

Wild Food Tours
“Wildman” Steve Brill holds tours where you can learn to find wild
growing plants for food and medicine. The fee is $12 ($6 for children)
sliding scale, but no one is turned away for lack of funds. Tours this
month in NYC are 10/3 in Central Park; 10/4 in Forest Park, Kew
Gardens, Queens; 10/17 in Central Park; 10/24 in Prospect Park,
Brooklyn; and 10/31 in Central Park. See details and reserve a spot at
www.wildmanstevebrill.com or call (914) 835-2153.

Grub Community Building Meal
1st & 3rd Sunday every month. A mostly freegan dinner for strangers and
co-conspirators in a relaxed environment. There is no charge but
donations are requested. At Rubulad, 338 Flushing Ave. (btwn. Classon &
Taaffe) in Brooklyn. Doors at 6:30pm; dinner at 7.
www.suckapants.com/grub.html