Nick Huggins - Five Lights in Releases : Mess+Noise

Make Mine Freedom

Extremely pertinent to the situation today---

Psywars

A very interesting, informative and enlightening documentary about the history of propaganda, PR, psy-ops and the various techniques used by politicians and corporations to "manufacture consent". It tears away the veils of perception and will make you adjust your world view and challenge many of the assumptions that you unconsciously make. Important viewing!! Seeing through the spin will make you more resistant to manipulation and more empowered and free. metanoia-films.org

The Money Fix

Watch this!! Everyone needs to understand how money works, and how much of a fictitious scam it is and be aware of the alternatives

4, of billions of reasons to occupy

The Plan - Anonymous

While Anonymous are painted to be "cyber terrorists" and other such diatribe by the mainstream media, they articulate extremely sound and salient points from an intelligent and reasonable perspective and I completely agree with them. http://www.whatis-theplan.org/

Where you stand determines what you see

Where you stand determines what you see

I am a Baptist minister and trainer in nonviolent conflict transformation who attended the Occupy Melbourne demonstration on Friday.
We have a saying in nonviolence practice: "Where you stand determines what you see." Here's what I saw.
On Friday morning I was one of the last into the area before it was completely fenced off. I spent the next two hours moving between the lines of police and occupiers, asking them to remain human to one another, eventually kneeling in the space between them to pray for same. It's only when we dehumanise one another that we are capable of violence. People become "problems" to be solved instead of brothers and sisters to reason with and convince.
I read Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle's op-ed in the Herald Sun. I don't fit Mr Doyle's stereotype of "rabble". Neither did more than half the crowd there on Friday. I saw professionals, students, mothers, and tradies. In fact, the more violent the police response, the more diverse the crowd became as bystanders flocked to join the occupiers. I saw elderly shoppers in tears, clearly shocked by the brutality. Where you stand determines what you see. What they saw clearly helped them choose a side.
Mr Doyle asked of the Occupy Melbourne group, "What were those knives, hammers, bottles, bricks and fuel for?" Simple: they were used in the camp kitchen, Mr Doyle, to feed anyone who wanted food, including the homeless. The knives were used to butter bread, the bottles for drinking from, the fuel for cooking, the bricks and hammers to set up the camp. If any of those items were intended to be used as weapons, as you so obviously imply, why were they not used or even brandished as such? The occupiers had ample time and opportunity to do so. They didn't.
In fact, I ask Mr Doyle to show the public one instance of documented violence by the occupiers. If there was any such instance, you can be certain it would be all over the news - yet it is not. In fact, despite almost 100 arrests, not a single person has been charged with anything. On the other hand, YouTube (and even the Herald Sun website) is awash with examples of excessive police violence.
What is more, the eviction strategy backfired spectacularly. It moved the peaceful occupation of a public space onto the street where it was far more disruptive than it would otherwise have been. The police were clearly not in control, or they would have dispersed the group. As it was, they were incapable of moving the group more than a couple of hundred metres in more than seven hours, where they remained blocking intersections. Now far from being "returned to the people", the city square is blocked off with fences, security and guard dogs rendering it useless to anyone.
Certainly there were times when the language of demonstrators was inflammatory and abusive towards police. Arrests were often met with shouts of "Scum!" at police, which did nothing to calm the situation or advance the cause, particularly given police were frightened due to being clearly outnumbered by demonstrators. But while verbal violence went both ways, physical violence only went one way.
One chant Mr Doyle neglected to mention was, "The whole world is watching!" And thanks to mobile phones and social media, now the world knows what happens in Melbourne to those who express dissent for more than a day or two. Mr Doyle has embarrassed our state and our respected police force, by sending them in to do a job they should never have done. As a result of this overly aggressive 'strategy', the Occupy movement has attracted more sympathisers. They will return, and their numbers will only grow.
"The city must return to normal at some point," Mr Doyle declares. Whether you think "normal" is desirable depends largely on where you stand. In a country where more than 100,000 people go homeless every night while a small minority own billions, normal is precisely the problem this movement is decrying.
Many people have tried to justify police violence under the rubric of the occupiers' refusal to leave City Square voluntarily. Yet civil disobedience is a perfectly legitimate expression of political dissent in a democracy. As Lord Hoffman said in the UK House of Lords, "Civil disobedience on conscientious grounds has a long and honourable history…  It is the mark of a civilised community that it can accommodate protests and demonstrations of this kind." There was nothing civilised about the way police were used on Friday. Why send the riot squad to quell something that was never remotely riotous? Escalation of conflict and intimidation are the only answers, and were clearly the intent, to discredit and frighten what has been a peaceful occupation of a public space by a broad range of Melburnians.
"Where you stand determines what you see." Unfortunately Mr Doyle never actually attended the camp himself, so his perspective is less informed than it could have been, but if he thinks this movement - which has expressions in more than 1,500 cities around the world - are a "tiny number" he clearly stands with the 1 per cent, not the 99.

Rev Simon Moyle is an ordained Baptist minister with the GraceTree Community in Coburg. He is a nonviolence trainer with Pace e Bene Australia.

Art and industrial design made from miscellaneous junk and recycled materials

Mechanical clock by Tom Seville

A sweet bust made from miscellaneous junk by Tom Seville

Maybe a bit perilous, but awesome nonetheless

Outrageously cool chair made of recycled poly pipe

More funky recycled industrial design

An illustration of the absurd

Non Violence Non-Compliance

Props to Kayrae Smith for his work
http://n-v-n-c.blogspot.com/

WORD!

Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now by Naomi Klein

 

Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now

By Naomi Klein - October 6th, 2011

Published in The Nation.

I was honored to be invited to speak at Occupy Wall Street on Thursday night. Since amplification is (disgracefully) banned, and everything I said had to be repeated by hundreds of people so others could hear (a.k.a. “the human microphone”), what I actually said at Liberty Plaza had to be very short. With that in mind, here is the longer, uncut version of the speech.

 Photo by Ed Kashi


I love you.

And I didn’t just say that so that hundreds of you would shout “I love you” back, though that is obviously a bonus feature of the human microphone. Say unto others what you would have them say unto you, only way louder.

Yesterday, one of the speakers at the labor rally said: “We found each other.” That sentiment captures the beauty of what is being created here. A wide-open space (as well as an idea so big it can’t be contained by any space) for all the people who want a better world to find each other. We are so grateful.

If there is one thing I know, it is that the 1 percent loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.

And there is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99 percent. And that 99 percent is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.”

That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began.

“Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”

Many people have drawn parallels between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called anti-globalization protests that came to world attention in Seattle in 1999. That was the last time a global, youth-led, decentralized movement took direct aim at corporate power. And I am proud to have been part of what we called “the movement of movements.”

But there are important differences too. For instance, we chose summits as our targets: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the G8. Summits are transient by their nature, they only last a week. That made us transient too. We’d appear, grab world headlines, then disappear. And in the frenzy of hyper patriotism and militarism that followed the 9/11 attacks, it was easy to sweep us away completely, at least in North America.

Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So when storms come, they get washed away.

Being horizontal and deeply democratic is wonderful. But these principles are compatible with the hard work of building structures and institutions that are sturdy enough to weather the storms ahead. I have great faith that this will happen.

Something else this movement is doing right: You have committed yourselves to non-violence. You have refused to give the media the images of broken windows and street fights it craves so desperately. And that tremendous discipline has meant that, again and again, the story has been the disgraceful and unprovoked police brutality. Which we saw more of just last night. Meanwhile, support for this movement grows and grows. More wisdom.

But the biggest difference a decade makes is that in 1999, we were taking on capitalism at the peak of a frenzied economic boom. Unemployment was low, stock portfolios were bulging. The media was drunk on easy money. Back then it was all about start-ups, not shut downs.

We pointed out that the deregulation behind the frenzy came at a price. It was damaging to labor standards. It was damaging to environmental standards. Corporations were becoming more powerful than governments and that was damaging to our democracies. But to be honest with you, while the good times rolled, taking on an economic system based on greed was a tough sell, at least in rich countries.

Ten years later, it seems as if there aren’t any more rich countries. Just a whole lot of rich people. People who got rich looting the public wealth and exhausting natural resources around the world.

The point is, today everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well. We are overfishing our oceans, polluting our water with fracking and deepwater drilling, turning to the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet, like the Alberta tar sands. And the atmosphere cannot absorb the amount of carbon we are putting into it, creating dangerous warming. The new normal is serial disasters: economic and ecological.

These are the facts on the ground. They are so blatant, so obvious, that it is a lot easier to connect with the public than it was in 1999, and to build the movement quickly.

We all know, or at least sense, that the world is upside down: we act as if there is no end to what is actually finite -- fossil fuels and the atmospheric space to absorb their emissions. And we act as if there are strict and immovable limits to what is actually bountiful -- the financial resources to build the kind of society we need.

The task of our time is to turn this around: to challenge this false scarcity. To insist that we can afford to build a decent, inclusive society – while at the same time, respect the real limits to what the earth can take.

What climate change means is that we have to do this on a deadline. This time our movement cannot get distracted, divided, burned out or swept away by events. This time we have to succeed. And I’m not talking about regulating the banks and increasing taxes on the rich, though that’s important.

I am talking about changing the underlying values that govern our society. That is hard to fit into a single media-friendly demand, and it’s also hard to figure out how to do it. But it is no less urgent for being difficult.

That is what I see happening in this square. In the way you are feeding each other, keeping each other warm, sharing information freely and proving health care, meditation classes and empowerment training. My favorite sign here says “I care about you.” In a culture that trains people to avoid each other’s gaze, to say, “Let them die,” that is a deeply radical statement.

A few final thoughts. In this great struggle, here are some things that don’t matter.

- What we wear.

- Whether we shake our fists or make peace signs.

- Whether we can fit our dreams for a better world into a media soundbite.

And here are a few things that do matter.

- Our courage.

- Our moral compass.

- How we treat each other.

We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening. Always be aware that there will be a temptation to shift to smaller targets – like, say, the person sitting next to you at this meeting. After all, that is a battle that’s easier to win.

Don’t give in to the temptation. I’m not saying don’t call each other on shit. But this time, let’s treat each other as if we plan to work side by side in struggle for many, many years to come. Because the task before will demand nothing less.

Let’s treat this beautiful movement as if it is most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is.

Editor's Note: Naomi's speech also appeared in Saturday's edition of the Occupied Wall Street Journal.


http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-most-important-thing-world-now

Pirates and Emperors

Also from the Radical House Wives Baking Club and Terrorist Society group's page "States Are Vile, Coercive Institutions: United States is a Terror State Cartoon "

A touching sentiment from the Radical House Wives Baking Club and Terrorist Society group's page

An awesome cross-stitch from the Radical House Wives Baking Club and Terrorist Society group's page.

Not For Sale

People all around the world are becoming increasingly dependent on a small number of large multinational businesses. Monsanto controls 90% of the production of genetically modified seeds. Microsoft holds an 88.26% market share of the software industry, followed by apple with Mac who hold 9.93%. Everyday, 150 million people throughout the world, buy an Unilever product without even realising it. McDonalds, serve 58.1million meals a day around the world. 51 of the worlds 100 biggest economies are businesses. The state loses power at the same rate as businesses gains it. Globalisation has created a context which requires a redefinition of the rules for global 21st century society. Watch this!

Word!

More random gold from the internets

I'm not moving

Precisely!

Art made from recycled materials= awesome

 A self portrait by artist,

 

An incredibly rendered ape sculpture made with coat hangers by David Mach

                            A belt buckle made from recycled Ford engine parts by Steven Shaver

"This is a peaceful protest"

As Melbournian's who were gathered to protest the gross inequality and injustice of criminal corporate behavior the victorian police responded in a typically heavy handed approach. As the crowds linked arms, chanting "This is a peaceful protest", members of the police force aggressively attacked the protestors, punching one man, who moments before had been holding his hands in a peace sign, viciously in the face Shame!! They are supposed to protect and serve. Protect and serve whom exactly?

100,000 Monks in prayer for better world.

In other news..

Occupy Melbourne

Scenes of police brutality as Melbournian's are forcibly evicted from their peaceful protest in the city square in Melbourne today [21/9/11]. A supposedly democratic right to gather and express views is stripped away by this violent goon squad as the crowds chant "Scum, scum, scum..". Tomorrow protesters will be regrouping and doubling efforts. BE THERE.

Go figure

Mountains in your mind

from http://www.helloneest.com/

Most profound facebook status update yet

What is your life except this very moment, starting right now, and everything is new. Nothing precisely like this has happened before.

There is compassion, there is love, there is joy, without any need for superstitious cliches. There is understanding and compassion for all the sorrow, misery and tears.

There is a refuge from the chaos, brutality and pain. There is a refuge from the storm. There is a boat to cross the sea.

You are a boat for those with oceans to cross. You may build yourself to be a sturdy vessel. You may coming to understand yourself, and learn how nourish yourself in order to nourish others.

You are a tree with deep roots, an old trunk and new green shoots. You are ancient and new. Children may come play undeneath you and birds may rest on you branches. You grow your roots down deep and you sprout new leaves afresh. You grow - not too fast, not to slow - you are in harmony with yourself. You breathe in and out - giving oxygen in symbiotic relationship with the world, supporting many beings.

You are strong and your new children leaves are laughing. Your older motherly leaves are laughing with them.

If tractors and bulldozers try to destroy you, you are not afraid, for you know the ocean of existence, of which you are just a wave, cannot be destroyed.

You are of the source and the source is invincible. Tractors rust and decay, yet the source abides always becoming new, as each ripple and each wave is always new.

Yet the ocean remains as the ground of all being and everything is one, everything is death, decay, birth and creation, love, a reality beyond the lips of a poet's dream, an adventure beyond what your grandest imagination can comprehend.

Everything is in cosmic conflict, everything is in cosmic peace. You are the source, the source is in you and the source is in everyone.

The whole universe is creating itself anew spontaneously and effortly and grinding with infinite weight, crushing with primal force, delicately suspended in multi-million light year distances of galaxies and untold epochs.

And there is enough space for us to breathe.

Ever so quietly I wonder what would happen if our world made love to another world, if the distance of light years of were surpassed, if we could come next to each other, side by side, and celebrate.

As joy gives birth to unpredictable things, we observe what a new emerging consiousness brings, while singing to the root of all things.

We are here to celebrate life itself. Do not celebrate an opinion or an idea. The constructions of the mind do not satisfy, for we have tasted a roaring fire of unnameable mystery. Let the mystery burn and return to all that is true and good without confining it in human definitions and assumptions.

My chest is beating with a rhythm originating in my heart with a melody to undress worlds, to undress myself and become naked in the desert, in the wilderness to discover I am one with all and all with one, before putting on my clothes again to return to the city and shout in praise of almighty innocence which allows me to continue knowing merely a fraction of the whole, yet this fraction consists of a telescope of a mind which enables me to see beyond this world, beyond boundaries. It consists of a microscope in my mind which enables me to see things in miniscule, precise detail. And you are all this too. I have two eyes, just like you, which enable me to see you and know your truth and celebrate you and know that, however secretly, however hidden, you are part of all that is good.

I allow my tears to fall and they cleanse civilizations away in a torrent, a tide wave. I allow laughter to roar from inside me and it creates a lushious paradise in the desert. I allow silence to thunder inside me.

I smile in silence at your unanswerable questions and offer you a flower.

As you heal, I am healing too. When you thrive and do wonderful things I am the ground beneath your feet silently supporting you.

I am a mother, and I am a father cradling a new born child, singing to her of great love, singing to her of adventures and telling stories and nurturing her.

I am the dream itself, I am the pause between dreams and I am the dreamer.

I am reality slapping one in the face. I am the cheek stinging after it has been slapped.

I am she and he who continue to love, give birth, celebrate, toughen up and wise up, in the face of a harsh, brilliant world.

I am a stone, a pebble sinking to the bottom of the ocean to be discovered thousands of years from now. I am vibrant with potential. I am silent with subtle knowing.

I have the weight of endless centuries on my back. I cheerfully sing as I unburden myself of it, and jump of a cliff, discovering that I can fly.

I am an eagle, fierce, free, dignified.

I am a nomad singing poems in urban landscapes finding and uncovering secrets, laying open oneself, so that those who wish to may find jewels hidden in the mud.

May a diamond awaken one in burning silence of perfection. Whispering, speak of what is beyond this world.

Go beyond the city into the forest. Notice a light, soft like sunshine in spring, which is inside you.

These guys are awesome!!

Charlie Veitch and co. in action out on the streets with a megaphone shouting satirical, on-point reverse psychological political messages, confusing police by giving them hugs and generally being funny buggers.

Occupy Melbourne.. and EVERYWHERE!!!

It's about time this happened!!!
I am in complete solidarity with all of the people around the world who are sick of the inequality and systemic corruption in the economic system and in politics- where big business buys off politicians and has the system rigged so that they are able to make the most profit for themselves possible a the expense of the environment, workers rights, social welfare and equity and the greater good.
Governments have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to act in the people's interests and must be reminded that they exist to represent and serve the interests and will of the people- not just to stay in power and make money for themselves and their cronies.
The police, too, have demonstrated that they too do not protect and serve the people and are merely a hired good squad to protect the interests of those holding the power [ie. money ] and have, the world over, demonstrated despicable brutality towards people peacefully protesting. Something which is supposedly a "democratic" right.
People can see through the power structures that are primarily in place to protest the position and interests of the "ruling class", and understand the depth of the hypocrisy touted in order to keep people in line, and the morally bankrupt, criminal behaviour it routinely displays to make profits while making people and the environment pay the cost.
It's time for people to take the power back and no longer recognise their "authority" and reclaim our sovereign rights and freedoms as natural human beings.
Now is the time!!!

Floating Points Ensemble - Post Suite

Lushness upon lushness...

The Clonious feat. Muhsinah - One At A Time

So lush...

The revolution begins at home - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

The revolution begins at home - Opinion - Al Jazeera English