Published September 2, 2011 Benefit talks & shows , Events Closed On October 27th, activist and singer/songwriter David Rovics will be performing in Detroit to raise much needed support funds for political prisoner Marie Mason. If you are in the Detroit area, check out this great event and bring as many of your friends with you!
If you are not near Detroit, you can look into organizing a benefit show with David through his website at http://davidrovics.com/organizeShow.php. David is a long time friend and supporter of Marie, talking about her case regularly on tour as well as writing the song, Marie for her. Learn more about David Rovics and his upcoming “No Fracking Way” Tour at www.davidrovics.com.
About Marie
Marie Mason of Cincinnati, Ohio is a long time environmental and social justice activist and loving mother of two. On March 10th, 2008 she was arrested by FBI, Homeland Security and local police on charges related to two Earth Liberation Front actions that occurred in Michigan, in 1999, and 2000.
Marie’s case is one of the latest developments in what many have dubbed the “Green Scare,” a recent wave of government repression aimed at disrupting and discrediting grassroots environmental activism and criminalizing dissent.
Please send cards and well wishes to the address below. Detailed mail guidelines can be found here.
Marie Mason #04672-061 FMC Carswell Federal Medical Center P.O. Box 27137
We are living through an astonishing rush of new discoveries of planets in deep space.
2011 Feb 2: Kepler-11 is a small, cool star around which six planets orbit
The race is on to announce the discovery of the first rocky Earth sized planet with water in the habitable zone of a nearby star… NEW EARTH ONE.
The Kepler orbiting detector data, to be released on 23rd Sept could include up to 1000 new planets.
Only in the last year have humans been able to detect Earth size planets, combining supercomputing, the latest techniques and space based observatories.
Only in the last months has it been proven that Earth sized planets are relatively common, so statistically there must be MILLIONS of them in the Universe
The latest batch of data from Kepler will be publicly released on Sept 23rd. Dozens of scientific teams are working flat out on the mass of new data already out.
Just 3 months ago an amazing new technique called BLENDER has come on line The blend of the foreground target star and the background eclipsing binary using the NASA supercomputer, Pleiades, to make more than 1015 (a 1 followed be 15 zeros or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000) or a quadrillion calculations to test a transiting planet.
Only last February the first rocky planet near Earth size was discovered. But it turned out to be an inferno.
Now there are 1000s of new candidates being discovered in just Kepler’s small field of vision, plus new planets being found by dozens of other discovery centers around the world, and huge new precision instruments being built.
Very soon the quest will not be for NEW EARTH ONE, but for which of many such planets really harbours life.
There are various interactive sites where you can follow the story. For the Kepler project Nasa is the best.. see HERE
US Day of Rage, a group participating in the September 17th occupation of wall street, has just released a tactical plan and “HowTo” for holding a legal and nonviolent demonstration in New York City. Their plan clarifies many legal concerns that have been raised and offers a viable strategy for holding a prolonged occupation. This information can be found on their website:
We’ve just received our first five photo submissions for the We Are the 99 Percent project. Thank you very much to everyone who submitted a photo and we hope to see more soon!
Hey you jammers, dreamers, patriots and revolutionaries out there,
Our occupation of Wall Street is less than two weeks away … do we have it together?
The perpetrators of the massive financial fraud have been allowed to slip quietly from the scene and continue business as usual. Our elected representatives in Washington have become so tightly intertwined with the financiers and bankers that public accountability has all but vanished.
#OCCUPYWALLSTREET is all about breaking up that cosy relationship between money and politics and bringing the perpetrators of the financial crash of 2008 to justice.
On September 17, 20,000 of us will descend on Wall Street, the iconic financial center of America, set up a peaceful encampment, hold a people’s assembly to decide what our one demand will be, and carry out an agenda of full-spectrum, absolutely nonviolent civil disobedience the likes of which the country has not seen since the freedom marches of the 1960s.
From our encampment we will launch daily smart mob forays all over lower Manhattan … peaceful, creative happenings in front of Goldman Sachs; the SEC; the Federal Reserve; the New York Stock Exchange … and maybe even, if we can figure out where they’re being held, at the sites of Obama’s private $38,500 per person fundraising events happening somewhere in Manhattan on Sept. 19 and 20.
Our strategy will be that of the master strategist Sun Tzu: “appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.”
With a bit of luck, and if fate is on our side, we may be able to turn all of lower Manhattan into a site of passionate democratic contestation – an American Tahrir Square.
We will do all this with peace in our hearts. Our unshakable commitment to nonviolence will give us the spiritual strength we need to inspire the nation and to ultimately triumph in the weeks and maybe months of struggle that will unfold after September 17.
PS. Last week Anonymous endorsed #OCCUPYWALLSTREET with a video that attracted over 70,000 views. The Department of Homeland Security has warned the nation’s bankers to be prepared. Corporate owned media is taking notice. Yesterday, a columnist for MarketWatch.com posted a rousing portrait of what may now unfold:
“Listen closely. This is not another internecine political squabble. These revolutionaries are pushing America back to its roots. You sense they’re drafting a new Declaration of Independence, driven by the same powerful motivations as the 57 original signers who wrote: ‘Whenever any form of government becomes destructive … it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.’ Back in 1776 King George III was the destructive force far away. Today greed is the corruptor, from within.”
S17 occupations of financial districts are also being planned in Milan, Madrid, Valencia, London, Lisbon, Athens, San Francisco and hopefully many other cities still to be announced. S17 could well be the catalyst that ushers in a new global economic order.
“It is deeply disconcerting that the oil industry not only has a swarm of lobbyists here in Washington, as well as in all the state legislatures where decisions about drilling are made, they’ve also got
‘truth’ is one more designer product
multimillion dollar advertising campaigns and think tanks”
Meanwhile a horde of ultra right wing bloggers, half of them fascists, religious fanatics or ‘Bots for the Kochs’, have infested the internet, so you can’t believe anything there either.
For the similar reasons the US is the only country in the world where most people REFUSE TO BELIEVE in Climate Change that has been proven millions of times.
Anything but corporate profit is false by definition. Scientific proof is routinely trashed.
While FRACKING is being banned on health grounds in European countries “The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is issuing a permit every two to 30 minutes, without having any idea what this could mean for the community or the environment,” Lo Basso stressed.
Most of the world’s oceans remain entirely unprotected and subject to rapid depletion by modern factory fishing, all kinds of pollution, climate change acidification, coral reef die-off, toxic oil spills, giant plastic dumps, multiplying Dead Zones, etc
Marine habitats – from species-rich reefs to fragile deep-sea ecosystems – are being fundamentally altered by exploitative practices like over-fishing, dredging
In the last twenty years alone, 90% of large fish species (like sharks, tuna and swordfish) have vanished globally – with 22 mammals and fish threatened in UK’s waters alone.
UK to get Marine Reserves
After a long hard campaign there’s good news from the UK which could serve as an example.
In this case there has been wide consultation. But we don’t yet know if this will be tailored to corporate profits or saving the seas and community use.
Protection for key nature sites in UK seas has come a step closer with the unveiling of proposals to create over 100 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
The zones range from tiny stretches of coastline to large tracts of sea floor.
The proposals stem from the 2009 UK Marine Bill and cover seas abutting the English coast and waters around Wales more than 12 miles from the coast.
They will be assessed by an expert panel
step forward for UK underwater parks
before the government makes its final decision, probably next year.
The government and its advisors hope that in part, the protection measures will benefit industries such as tourism and fishing, by securing features that divers like to visit and by providing secure “nurseries” for juvenile fish.
“All MCZs should be fully protected from damaging activities and bottom-towed fishing gears, and our work has shown overwhelming public support for this stance,” commented Melissa Moore, senior policy officer with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
“Fully protected sites have been shown to yield a fourfold increase in the weight of marine species, whilst species diversity increases by 20%.”
While some proposed areas have already been struck off the list by industry concerns, she said, conservationists welcomed the proposals that “are desperately needed so that marine habitats and ecosystems can begin to recover from decades of degradation.”
However this coalition has failed the Chagos islanders, exiled to create the Diego Garcia war base, where the huge new reserve was made without the consent of the ex residents, or of Mauritius which claims sovereignty. According to Wikileaks cables sent from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO) to the U.S. Embassy, setting up the marine reserve effectively “stymied the return of the former islanders.” This confirms that the Chagos reserve is a cynical ruse by the UK Govt to bury the claims of the expelled islanders, and the excellent Greenpeace Campaign for worldwide Marine Reserves has been badly badly tarnished by their implication.
Ocean Devastation
Somali fishermen become pirates, attack EU factory ships
In the Pacific partial agreements on a Yellowfin Tuna reserve are largely ignored.
Most of the world’s oceans remain entirely unprotected and subject to rapid depletion by modern factory fishing, all kinds of pollution, climate change acidification, coral reef die-off, toxic oil spills, giant plastic dumps, multiplying Dead Zones, etc
The UK Marine proposals are a step forward, the details and trade-offs remain to be seen, but they do include a wide consultation process and hopefully will be copied in many countries.
love and rage: life after the collapse of capitalism
Greetings to all, especially you FoFees (friend of the Free) hope you’re enjoying the book
Set in the Collapse of Capitalism our heroes escape their School and Family and fall in with the squatters, anarchists and gays, who are busy getting ready for the final confrontation and the Dawn of a co-op Money Free world.. It’s a thriller as well..
Just to say it is selling well..Not a surprise as it’s FREE (lol). It also makes a very economical present.
Abuse of power being consistent in our culture, where fear colludes with the bully, it is cheering to see victims organising and supporting each other . This will appeal to a great many young people. You give us moments of delight:… rolling her big eyes back to us girls … such scandal would zoom round and round the area – like a bee in a jar … Then her daffodil moment of glory: dancing and swirling, waving the flowers at the grey building … the golden snow. I’ve never heard of ‘testerical laughter’, but it kind of hits the mood of the moment.I really like your book and back it with pleasure. Pia (Course of Mirrors)
Wow; I can’t stop reading! I’ve just finished chapter 8, and I’m only stopping because it’s 1AM! It seems to remind me a little of ‘A Clockwork Orange’, combined with ‘A Child Called It’. I cannot wait to read on. I’m still not entirely sure about a lot of things (such as the political situation) but everything I’ve read so far has been wonderful. If I get the chance, I will buy this book.
Karen Eisenbrey I read three chapters and the glossary. I like your ideas for remaking society, especially the mix of practical, earnest things with more whimsical ideas of fashion etc. I especially like how in the first chapters, it’s not obvious that the story takes place in (I would guess) the near future in a shifting, alternative society. But there are little clues all over the place that things are falling apart and changing, present but not taking over the story. We start with Linda, a real, relatable character. You’ve nailed the voice here. She’s articulate and smart, but not at all formal; young, angry, scared, beaten down but ready to stand up. Good luck with The Free!…Karen Eisenbrey
Aaron Pattis wrote After three chapters, nothing will stop me from reading the rest of this book! Who couldn’t pull for a kid like this and wonder where she’s going to end up? There are some terms that I have difficulty with sometimes, like “lekky” and such, but soon enough figure it out. But I wouldn’t change that voice for this story because it adds to the richness realism in the characters. Great job and backed with pleasure..Aaron,”80 Grit”
Lmfrenchwrote Wow, what can I say? I love how you capture Linda’s voice. It wasn’t too long ago that I was a fifteen year old girl and…well…wow. I read some of this the other day and wasn’t too
Occupy The Planet. Abolish Debt. For a Co-Op world.
impressed, but I re-read it and trudged on to see what happened beyond the first page and I must say, I am very glad I did. I found myself giggling a bit and read on with a smile. It is a fun story. I am not normally a fan of 1st person POV but you seem to be able to still bring your characters to life. Very nice.
Great opening. Fast-paced and spirited way of writing. I like the talk about men drooling over Janice (lol); very typical. It’s real! and the “like a pack of randy dogs snifting after her”…This is what happens most of the time, in real life. Good job Mike. This work is so rich and moving, good humored. I can’t stop reading it.GOOD LUCK!! Emma Philips…The Dark Intruder
Well Mikey…a huge HUGE contemporary tale. Brutal and brave..comical and painful. Your style is enviably quirky. The language stripped yet so incredibly weighted. Congratulations, I wish you every success with THE FREE. . Dawn:ARK
Por fin se fue su ridícula santidad, y con él las hordas de devotos, pijos, fascistas y demás ralea que inundó Madrid durante la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud (y de la represión policial). La CNT madrileña da, por razones evidentes, por concluida su campaña que, por desgracia, se ha quedado corta: ni los 1500 carteles, ni los 4000 comunicados, ni las 5000 pegatinas editadas para la ocasión han sido suficientes para satisfacer a los muchos simpatizantes de esta campaña que se han acercado a nuestros locales en la última semana para llevarse unos pocos y se han encontrado que ya se habían gastado.
En otro orden de cosas, no nos cansamos de felicitar a todos los participantes en el concurso de diseños ateos que nos han enviado cerca de 50, y que han conseguido la simpatía de miles de visitantes a nuestro blog. A todos ellos/as trasladamos la invitación de Tinta Negra anARTchist blog a unirse a este proyecto. De las propuestas enviadas, habéis mostrado vuestras preferencias por el diseño “Noconmisimpuestos” enviado por Ángel desde Murcia, al quele llegará ese obsequio pobre en lo material pero rico en lo espiritual que le tenemos reservado.
Desde aquí debemos dar las gracias a los participantes y colaboradores en esta campaña que han contribuido a difundir carteles, pegatinas, comunicados, el blog, proponer iniciativas o que han acudido a la Semana de Cine Ateo, etc. y que han hecho posible que tome forma un mensaje humanista integral, la de aquellos que no queremos que nos gobierne ni un Dios, ni un viejo disfrazado, ni nadie, porque queremos gobernar todos los ámbitos de nuestra vida en sus vertientes tanto individuales como colectivas, y no nos cansamos de repetir:
“La religión dejará de ser necesaria cuando el hombre sea lo suficientemente inteligente como para gobernarse a sí mismo”.
We’ve just received our first five photo submissions for the 
The Free 