The movement that needs no name

By Aaron Peters, openDemocracy

Keith Kahn-Harris recently wrote about the genesis of a movement that is currently underway and represents no less than a “...spectre ...haunting the early 21st century world”. Kahn-Harris observes that this movement possesses the ability to radically transform the world as we know it, and yet he notes, it does not yet recognize itself as a movement.

The 'Movement' and the Twilight of Neo-Liberalism:

I agree with many of the basic propostions put forward in Naming the Movement, most notably the fact that we are seeing increased discontent in the OECD (read 'Western') countries with a world where social relations and civic institutions are entirely subordinate to profit and economic returns,

“...the movement is born out of a sense of frustration (explicit or implicit by turn) with the tendency of the contemporary world to fragment communities, to make education into a purely instrumental exercise, to accord everything a measurable price. In a time of rapid change, of what Zygmunt Bauman calls “liquid modernity”, the bonds connecting us all are ever more frayed, the collectivities within which we can find a home ever more insubstantial.”

I would add that the movement is not just born solely from an ethical concern with the current system but rather, after several decades of recognising neo-liberalism's ability to commodify every day life and desecrate the environment, those in the developed world are now beginning to understand the genuine threat to their own standards of living posed by it as an economic system whose negative implications far outweigh any positive ones. Furthermore it is being increasingly recognised as undermining norms of national sovereignty and basic democratic accountability in countries as politically and economically diverse as Puerto Rico, Greece, Egypt and the UK. One particularly pertinent point is that the movement(s) we are seeing, particularly in Southern Europe and the UK, are in opposition to the logics of unaccountable transnational bodies such as credit ratings agencies, international finance institutions such as the IMF and global banking oligopolies such as Goldman Sachs.

What Kahn-Harris fails to identify is that the existential crisis of 'affluenza' and the absence of any notion of the 'good society' within the developed market economies is now conjoined with structural economic changes which mean that many of these same economies will witness a decline in standards of living over the course of the next decade. The ideological vacuity of late twentieth century capitalism, which never satisfied the ethical demands of equality and human flourishing, is now accompanied by the fact that people's material economic conditions – whether they are blue or white collar workers – are worsening, be it with an increasingly precarious labour market or their (in)ability to afford education, healthcare and housing.

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Message from Anonymous to world leaders. [English voice #SpanishRevolution]

From #SpanishRevolution to #GlobalRevolution

Global Awakening - Finding out Who We Are - A Peaceful Revolution

Musical Innerlube: Anonameless - God Hates Clowns

Yo mister jester, I got a question for you, 
Where's topiary, nakomis and that fucker sabu? 
You talk a big game, Tryin hard to drop all the names, 
The only leak you've made? That you're an ignorant butt stain. 
Juggle all the balls, why don't you tell me a joke? 
How 'bout that time you tried to sink my boys in the lulzboat? 
What's wrong, bro? You starting to choke? 
The masters of the lulz remain afloat.

I guess "the jester" fits, your cheap magic tricks, 
You wrote apache codes? I upgraded 'em, bitch. 
You wear a mask, I wear a fucking top hat, 
We ain't even in the same class, you fatass. 
We're the kings of the lulz, the fast cracking masters, 
to all the snitches out there, we leaked your passwords, bastards. 
I'm the hacker elite, your hacks are all obsolete, 
What's wrong bro, you freezin' up? Here, ctrl+alt+del.

You're like a plague, but only the annoying kind, 
Like the one in that movie back in 1999. 
You whitehat sucka, god you're so misled, 
I wouldn't be surprised if you thought we were the Feds. 
And antisec? We're not just the solution, 
We're steps one and two to a global revolution. 
Terrorist? Go on, fucka, we the heroes, 
Floodin your servers, lotsa ones and zeroes.

I guess "the jester" fits, your cheap magic tricks, 
You wrote apache codes? I upgraded 'em, bitch. 
You wear a mask, I wear a fucking top hat, 
We ain't even in the same class, you fatass. 
We're the kings of the lulz, the fast cracking masters, 
to all the snitches out there, we leaked your passwords, bastards. 
I'm the hacker elite, your hacks are all obsolete, 
What's wrong bro, you freezin' up? Here, ctrl+alt+del.

Gaza flotilla activists: Queers welcome aboard aid ships

By Amira Hass, Ha'Aretz

John Greyson, a Canadian film director and Gaza flotilla activist told Haaretz in an interview that homosexuality is not a barrier to participating in the upcoming voyage, and in fact he and other flotilla participants have created an “unofficial queer caucus” on board the ship.

Greyson’s remarks come in light of a recent YouTube video in which a man related to viewers that Gaza flotilla organizers told him that he could not take part in the mission because he is a homosexual.

The video, nearly three minutes long, featured a young man who called himself Marc and claimed to be a gay and human rights activist. The man recounted a story in which he asked the organizers of the upcoming Gaza flotilla to join their mission, and claimed that his request was allegedly denied on the grounds that participation of the gay and lesbian group with which he was affiliated would not serve the flotilla’s “interests”.

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A gay Israeli responds:

Exposed here is the Israeli Government's hoax of a fictional LGBT activist that allegedly was refused participation in the 2011 Gaza Flotilla. 

Some updates on the Flotilla:

The Israeli navy, meanwhile, are preparing to deploy floating operating rooms aboard two missile boats to welcome the Flotilla.

Cairo Clashes: Violence back on Egypt Tahrir Square

There's been fresh unrest in Cairo where at least 50 protesters have been injured in clashes with police. Dozens were also injured on Tuesday as hundreds of protesters took first to the Interior Ministry, and then shifted to Tahrir square, the epicentre of the revolution in February. Protesters are angry about the slow process of prosecuting security officers, accused of causing the deaths of more than 800 people, during the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Celente on Greece: Int'l Mafia Federation stealing big!

Greeks are now facing 28 billion Euro in cuts, to be implemented over the next five years. EU officials have welcomed the plan, saying it will help the country get back onto a path of recovery. But Gerald Celente from the U.S based Trends Research Institute, says the austerity measures are actually a way to rescue the banks at the people's expense...

Keiser Report: The Counterattack!

This time Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, report on oil dumps and contango and on organizing counterattacks with silver. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Jeff Berwick of DollarVigilante.com about manipulation of oil and silver markets and new currencies and dead ones.

More videos of Athens riots

Scenes of police brutality:

Nibiru - Is Hollywood Warning Us?

Are there some in the elite that have a heart? Are they so scared of their elders that this is the best they can do? I think anything is possible. I believe this is the smartest way to go about it. By use of motion pictures, I believe some elites are trying to warn the general public. Hidden behind the curtain of entertainment, they are accomplishing what few are able to do and continue to live ridicule free lives. They are tip-toeing the line but their message seems quite clear, a planet is on its way into our solar system and it fly by will have an effect on our way of life. The Signs are there if you look and listen...

GREEK RESISTANCE-POLICE VIOLENCE 28-29/6/2011

Loukanikos, the Greek riot dog with Paul Mason in Athens, 17th June 2011

BBC Newsnight's Paul Mason, with Loukanikos the Greek riot dog, in Athens on 17th June 2011

[ Via The Informant ]

Loukanikos' recent star appearances:

European Revolution Spreading Across The Atlantic

From the US Day Of Rage site:

Free and fair elections remedy the ills and abuses of a government that preys on the resources and spirits of citizens.

Corporate influence corrupts our political parties, our elections, and the institutions of government.

Bought by hard and soft dollars, disloyal, incompetent, and wasteful special interests have usurped our nation’s civil and military power, spawning a host of threats to liberty and our national security.

We have had enough.

Legitimate government is born of the self-interest and will of the people expressed by its citizens in free and fair elections. It does not spring from a tyranny of corporate or royal patronage, or a system or ideology that runs counter to the aims of life.

The institutions of government were designed to protect the principles of our democratic republic and to serve the will of citizens.

Corporations, even those owned by foreign shareholders, use money to act as the voices of millions, while individual citizens, the legitimate voters, are silenced and demoralized by the farce.

Free and fair elections inspire good citizenship and public service, because they engage the intelligence and genuine good will of the American people.

They produce the kind of stewardship our nation desperately needs, because they ensure that citizens can influence their destiny, and make genuine contributions to society.

Free and fair elections remedy the myriad ills and abuses of a corrupt and illegitimate government, which preys on the resources and spirits of citizens.

These abuses and ills are listed on the official US Day of Rage twitter hash tag #usdor.

For these reasons, we come together now to organize a national and non-violent protest.

We demand that integrity be restored to our elections.

One citizen. One dollar. One vote.

Only citizens should make campaign contributions.

Campaign contributions by citizens should not exceed $1 to any political candidate or party.

Help us reclaim democracy on the US Day of Rage.

Manifesto: Against the persecution and criminalization of democracy #democraciarealya #europeanrevolution

From Europeanrevolution:

Below is the translation of the manifesto against the criminalization of outraged movement original text (in Catalan) and list of signatories here: http://suportindignats.blogspot.com/. The document has been signed by hundreds of university professors, artists, writers, journalists, activists and professionals, including singers such as Lluís Llach, Paco Ibanez and Xavier Sarria (Obrint Pas), Xavier Muntanyà journalists, David Fernandez, and Joanna Manu Simarro Grezner, professors like Etxezarreta Jordi Borja, Xavier Domènech, Josep Fontana, Susana Narotzki, John Subirats and Vicente Navarro, writers and actors like Henry Cassasses Carme Sansa and many more … the manifiesto was presented at the press conference held on June 18 2011 here http://acampadabcn.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/arriben-suport-de-totes-bandes-manifest-sobre-la-dignitat-dels-indignats/

MANIFESTO

Against the persecution and criminalization of democracy. In support of the dignity of the outraged population.

The protests organized over the last few months, embodied in moving 15-M, the camps and demonstrations against social cutbacks are a sign of a deep uneaseness caused by the present danger of a social breakdown. In a society where social exclusion, insecurity, unemployment and loss of rights are growing, policies developed by our institutions have shifted their focus from the measures to create jobs and protect the most affected by the crisis to a debate on public deficit. A discussion ballasted by a strong democratic deficit, imposed by non-democratic bodies which seeks to further advance towards a new model of society characterized by lack of equity and of social justice. In our home, the two most obvious tools of this process are the Budget Law and the Omnibus Act promoted by the CiU government. Two laws not supported by any electoral program or prior negotiation.

The foundation of the present social protest is the distress, while creativity and generosity have shaped its form and content, and peaceful actions typical of civil disobedience have been its clearest sign of identity. The media and the politicians reaction to the protest was first of surprise, as they did not understand it, then of concern, as they felt challenged by it, followed by pure repression, because they did not accept it, and now, finally, of criminalization. We are witnessing, after totally condemnable incident, the stigmatizing of a political protest which is pointing out the main problems of our country and is doing it outside the prevailing political and media consensus. To the extent that representative institutions obey the dictates from institutions that have not been not democratically elected (as the IMF, the financial markets and rating agencies), democracy is becoming meaningless in the eyes of a growing number of population; Is in this sense that this peaceful social protests are demanding a return to the sovereignty of citizens; they are defending democracy. Not the other way around.

The signatories of this manifesto condemn the criminalization that media and politicians are doing of the movement blaming the whole movement based on a partial incident. This protest seeks the most radical social transformation that our country has experienced since the beginning of democracy. We welcome the responsiveness shown by a growing part of the population. This criminalization is taking the form of treating speeches againstt against peaceful citizens and against those who, like Arcadi Oliveres, support them. Protest and rebellion have been the foundation of the conquest of our liberties, criminalization and prosecution can only be the prologue to their loss.

adhere to the manifesto: suportindignats@gmail.com

‘He’s the hope of all nations’: Rare white buffalo named

By Linda Stewart Ball, AP

GREENVILLE, Texas — Thousands of people came from miles around Wednesday to see and honor a legend in the flesh — the white buffalo born in a thunderstorm on a northeast Texas ranch.

The rare white buffalo calf, regarded as sacred by the Lakota Sioux, was honored with Native American prayers, religious songs and the solemn smoking of a pipe in a special naming and dedication ceremony at the Lakota Ranch in Greenville, about 50 miles northeast of Dallas.

Flag-flying patriotism, a steady Native American drum beat and scorching heat provided the backdrop for the spiritual event that drew about 2,000.

The calf was named Lightning Medicine Cloud — a reference to the thunderstorm that marked the arrival of his birth as well as a tribute to a white buffalo born in 1933 named Big Medicine.

According to Lakota Sioux tradition, Whope, the goddess of peace, once appeared in the form of a white buffalo calf. Some say the goddess will return once four such calves are born.

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Scientists find bizarre mushroom, name it after “SpongeBob”

What lives in the rain forest, under a tree? Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of mushroom almost as odd as the cartoon character scientists named it after.

“It’s just like a sponge with these big hollow holes,” said San Francisco State University biologist Dennis Des­jardin. “When it’s wet and moist and fresh, you can wring water out of it and it will spring back to its original size. Most mushrooms don’t do that.”

Its discovery in the forests of Borneo suggests that even some of the most charismatic characters in the fungal kingdom are yet to be iden­tified, he added. Shaped like a sea sponge, it was found in 2010 in the Lambir Hills in Sarawak, Malaysia. It’s bright or ange and smells “vaguely fruity or strongly musty,” according to a description by Des­jardin and colleagues published in the research journal Mycologia.

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The people fight back: Syntagma square flooded with demonstrators once again, after two days of unrecedented police violence in Athens

From Democracy and Class Struggle:

The waves after waves of police violence during the General Strike of June 28-29 
deterred no-one. Once again, thousands took to the streets and gathered in Syntagma to protest against the memorandum, the troika, the government but also, this time, the police. The change in the atmosphere was quite stunning, with anti-police slogans chanting through the air. The rage of the previous days was there, but the fear was gone. Tonight’s assembly was one of the largest Syntagma has seen.

Source: The Greek Streets

The End of America - Full Length HQ Film

From award-winning filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern (The Devil Came on Horseback and The Trials of Darryl Hunt) comes the provocative and expertly crafted film, THE END OF AMERICA, based on The New York Times best seller by the same name. In a stunning indictment of sweeping policy changes during the Bush years, author Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) makes a chilling case that American democracy is under threat.

Investigating parallels between our current situation and the rise of dictators and fascism in once-free societies, Wolf uncovers a number of deeply unsettling similarities—from the use of paramilitary groups and secret prisons to the targeted suspension of the rule of law. With this galvanizing call to arms based on her recent book, she urges regular citizens to take back our legacy of freedom and justice.

We are all in danger. A police state control grid is being established in the United States. Now is the time for all lovers of liberty to stand together and speak out against the growing tyranny destroying our Republic. We WILL be victorious against the New World Order.

Anonymous Launches HackerLeaks: WikiLeaks For Stolen Data

By Cooper Smith, The Huffington Post  

A new website called HackerLeaks, reportedly launched last week by members of hacker-activist collective Anonymous, invites users to submit hacked data for analysis and publication.
Similar to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, HackerLeaks operatives “receive documents through anonymous submission channel, analyze them, and then distribute them to the press,” Forbes's Andy Greenberg reported on Thursday.

The organization’s official mission statement, available on the HackerLeaks website (here), reads,

“In both security as well as overall strategy, HackerLeaks is closely modeled on WikiLeaks. Our first priority is to provide a safe, secure - and anonymous way for hackers to disclose sensitive information. Our team of analysts first carefully screens each submission for any possible trace of the senders identity. Our second commitment is to ensure that each and every leak receives the maximum exposure possible in order to achieve the most profound political impact for the risks taken by those submitting material. To that end, we work with media outlets all over the world.”

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