I just went to the CBC book sale and picked up some pretty good stuff. Highlights include:
Petr Kropotkin – Mutual Aid, Donald Dunn – Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons (Broadway Library of Larceny), All three Vol of The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault, Stanislaw Lem – The Cyberiad, Mary Appelhof – Worms Eat my Garbage, Noam Chomsky – Hegemony or Survival (for sale soon!), Sergei Eisenstein – Essays in Film Theory, an Ezra Pound biography… some other stuff. Basically I was only overjoyed by the first two. But for $1 a book ($2 for Chomsky, because it was a hc) I was pleased.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
again, internet radio
Some of my favorite radio shows are available on the 'nerd now.
Anarchy Radio hosted by John Zerzan is archive at archive.org (here).
Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (co-founded by Peter Lamborn Wilson) is archive at wbai here. Its on Wednesday mornings starting at 00:00.
Another favorite that has been archived forever is Off the Hook hosted by Emmanuel Goldstein, Bernie S. et al. Perhaps the best hacker radio show. Certainly the most anti-war and anti-authoritarian. Its here. Its sister show Off the Wall is also archived on 2600.com. Its good, but not as good as Off the Hook.
Audio Anarchy is an interesting project. It produces Audio Anarchy radio and also anarchist audio books including: Against The Logic Of Submission by Wolfi Landstreicher, The Anarchist Tension by Alfredo M. Bonanno, a collection of anti-work essays etc.
The A Info Radio Project is a good project that has a lot of interesting things archived at it. Radio Free School is very interesting. I also enjoy the Shortwave Report (a news program pulled together from various short wave broadcasts; Chinese, Cuban, Dutch and Russian state radio mostly. So all state propaganda, but all in english and still interesting), Changesurfer Radio (A Left Libertarian futurist show. All about trans-humanism, extropianism, sentient machines etc. A lot of uncritical technophilia but also some interesting stuff), lots of other shows plus lots of interviews with favorites such as Derrick Jensen, Ward Churchill, Chellis Glendinning, bell hooks, plus all the usual suspects: Chomsky, Howard Zinn, both Parenti's, Angela Davis, Vandana Shiva, Mumia Abu Jamal, most of the AK Press audio releases etc.
So, yeah. Good stuff.
Anarchy Radio hosted by John Zerzan is archive at archive.org (here).
Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (co-founded by Peter Lamborn Wilson) is archive at wbai here. Its on Wednesday mornings starting at 00:00.
Another favorite that has been archived forever is Off the Hook hosted by Emmanuel Goldstein, Bernie S. et al. Perhaps the best hacker radio show. Certainly the most anti-war and anti-authoritarian. Its here. Its sister show Off the Wall is also archived on 2600.com. Its good, but not as good as Off the Hook.
Audio Anarchy is an interesting project. It produces Audio Anarchy radio and also anarchist audio books including: Against The Logic Of Submission by Wolfi Landstreicher, The Anarchist Tension by Alfredo M. Bonanno, a collection of anti-work essays etc.
The A Info Radio Project is a good project that has a lot of interesting things archived at it. Radio Free School is very interesting. I also enjoy the Shortwave Report (a news program pulled together from various short wave broadcasts; Chinese, Cuban, Dutch and Russian state radio mostly. So all state propaganda, but all in english and still interesting), Changesurfer Radio (A Left Libertarian futurist show. All about trans-humanism, extropianism, sentient machines etc. A lot of uncritical technophilia but also some interesting stuff), lots of other shows plus lots of interviews with favorites such as Derrick Jensen, Ward Churchill, Chellis Glendinning, bell hooks, plus all the usual suspects: Chomsky, Howard Zinn, both Parenti's, Angela Davis, Vandana Shiva, Mumia Abu Jamal, most of the AK Press audio releases etc.
So, yeah. Good stuff.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Teenage Skytrain Bandits
Here's a weird story about the teenage bankrobbers that is totally bizarre .
(OK, if I was thinking I would have posted the whole story, which is no longer available).
"At least one boy was doing well in school, Morrow said, 'so it's not a typical case - this one kid, at least, what I have been told - of being a schoolyard bully.'"
What is that supposed to mean? Bullies are often bank robbers? Or go on to become bank robbers. Bullies don't do well in school. They quote some criminologist who is either an idiot or they quoted him hilariously out of context. He talks about how this case is unique and then proceeds to make all sorts of generalizations about what kinds of youth get involved in this sort of serious criminal activity. I'll generalize about what kinds of thirteen year olds rob banks: Really cool ones, and not enough.
My hope is that these teens either a) just thought bank robbers and bank robbery is cool, b)were practicing a radical synthesis of illegalist anarchism and teenage liberation, c) were going to use the money to fund their nascent alf cell, d) were funding a significant collectable card game habit
Obviously I'm projecting onto these people a lot. In any case, I hope they don't get into too much trouble. Whatever their motivation, good on them. Too bad they got caught.
(OK, if I was thinking I would have posted the whole story, which is no longer available).
"At least one boy was doing well in school, Morrow said, 'so it's not a typical case - this one kid, at least, what I have been told - of being a schoolyard bully.'"
What is that supposed to mean? Bullies are often bank robbers? Or go on to become bank robbers. Bullies don't do well in school. They quote some criminologist who is either an idiot or they quoted him hilariously out of context. He talks about how this case is unique and then proceeds to make all sorts of generalizations about what kinds of youth get involved in this sort of serious criminal activity. I'll generalize about what kinds of thirteen year olds rob banks: Really cool ones, and not enough.
My hope is that these teens either a) just thought bank robbers and bank robbery is cool, b)were practicing a radical synthesis of illegalist anarchism and teenage liberation, c) were going to use the money to fund their nascent alf cell, d) were funding a significant collectable card game habit
Obviously I'm projecting onto these people a lot. In any case, I hope they don't get into too much trouble. Whatever their motivation, good on them. Too bad they got caught.
Monday, May 08, 2006
kids these days
"Police in the Vancouver area have arrested three teens under age 15 who are suspected of a string of bank robberies in the Lower Mainland." That's from a CBC story. I know this isn't directly related to libraries, but I have been meaning to post a review of "Where the Money Was: the Memoirs of a Bank Robber" by Willie Sutton. Which is an amazing book. Then again he didn't rob a bank at thirteen. I'm guessing there is no way this could happen, but if I could somehow get a statement (or exclusive interview) from these kids for No Quarter #2... Good lord! Seriously, if these kids did what they are accused of they are so cool. I hope they don't get jail time.
On a somewhat related note, the founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa was in my neighbourhood at some point this weekend talking smack about how it was crime ridden and full of drug addicts and prostitutes. In case you are reading this Curtis a little message: I like drugs and prostitutes. I hate Yuppies and scumbag vigilanties. If Calgary needs to get cleaned up, clean up all the sleazy condo developers and the genocidal mining companies. If you want the Librarylove scorecard for this week it reads: Teenage bankrobbers = cool, Vigilanties = suck!!!
On a somewhat related note, the founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa was in my neighbourhood at some point this weekend talking smack about how it was crime ridden and full of drug addicts and prostitutes. In case you are reading this Curtis a little message: I like drugs and prostitutes. I hate Yuppies and scumbag vigilanties. If Calgary needs to get cleaned up, clean up all the sleazy condo developers and the genocidal mining companies. If you want the Librarylove scorecard for this week it reads: Teenage bankrobbers = cool, Vigilanties = suck!!!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Here's a pamphlet I had at the Anarchist Bookfair
Obviously, some of this material has been covered before on this web page. In any case, here is the text of the flyer:
The Friends of Ann Clayborne present a list of radical scifi books.
Ursula K. Leguin – The Dispossessed
An anarchist society. An ambiguous utopia. Twin planets with very different societies. Ursula K Leguin is awesome. Most of her other books are great too. The Earth Sea books (6 of them starting with A Wizard of Earthsea) in addition to being the subject of the worst tv mini series ever made, and an upcoming Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) film, are awesome YA fantasy. The Telling, Birthday of the World, Four Ways to Forgiveness, Left Hand of Darkness- are all well worth checking out.
Octavia Butler – Kindred
A Black woman is repeatedly drawn back in time to the ante-bellum south and has to deal first hand with the trauma of slavery. This book is amazing. Her last book (Octavia Butler died recently, Feb 24, 2006), Fledgling, is about Vampires. She wrote 12 other books. All the ones I’ve read are good.
Samuel R Delaney – Stars in my Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Gay interspecies public sex. The extermination of life on a planetary scale. A radical critique of “the family”. This book is amazing. He has a four book series (Tales of Nevèrÿon, Neveryóna, Flight from Nevèrÿon, The Bridge of Lost Desire) which is sword and sorcery about slave rebellions, women’s contribution to science, gay SM, AIDS, calculus etc.
Kim Stanley Robinson – Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars
When and if colonists are sent to Mars, I hope they see fit to send anarchists in the first batch. Radical ecology takes on new meanings on the red planet. These books are awesome! He also wrote Antarctica which has similar themes, and two recent books about the changing climate, feral orangutans in Washington DC, feral humans and other good stuff (40 Signs of Rain, and 50 Degrees Below). The new hard scifi at its best.
Joan Slonczewski – A Door Into Ocean
Another anarchist society on a moon threatened by profitarians from its planet/moon. Written by everyone’s favorite eco-feminist biologist Quaker.
John Brunner – The Sheep Look Up
A book much beloved by many an Earth First!er. Radical ecology meets urban guerrillas. All in an entertaining and somewhat depressing novel.
Robert Heinlein – The Moon is a harsh Mistress
An entertaining book about a libertarian revolution on the moon which does not have any evidence of Heinlein’s otherwise weird and sometimes scary politics.
Rudy Rucker – Software, Wetware, Freeware, Realware
Anarchist robots, cloning, immortality and a trans-human future. This series has it all, except for the last book which isn’t as good as the others.
Marge Piercy – Woman out of Time
A radical critique of psychiatry and mental institutions. A time travel book about an anarchist future. Both, in fact. Wonderful!
Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea – The Illuminatus Trillogy
The Illuminati want to bring about the end of the world by feeding everyone to Nyarlathotep. Meanwhile anarchists who venerate Eris, the Greek goddess of discord and strife are planning to stop them in their golden submarine. Sex, Drugs, weird religions, weirder humor. Mind blowing. Most of what Robert Anton Wilson has written is awesome, although most isn’t Science Fiction. The Schrodinger’s Cat trilogy is though.
Semiotext(e) SF
Edited by Peter Lamborn Wilson, Rudy Rucker, and Robert Anton Wilson. In addition to those authors it has work by William S Burroughs, Hakim Bey, Ivan Stang, Lewis Shiner, Phillip Jose Farmer, J. G. Ballard, Bruce Sterling and many more. And when I say magazine think 380 page oversized book. Published by Semiotext(e) and AK Press.
Judith Merril & Emily Pohl-Weary – Better to have loved: The Life of Judith Merril
Judith Merril was a pioneering scifi writer who wrote prolifically starting in the 40s. She was also a leftist, involved in anti-war activities, eventually moved to Canada and participating in the free university movement. She co-wrote this with her grand daughter Emily Pohl-Weary. Its fairly easy to find collections such as Daughters of the Earth (actually there are two different collections of her short stories by that name) at used book stores as well as a nice new anthology Homecalling and Other Stories: The Complete Solo Short SF of Judith Merril.
Saab Lofton – AD
So there is this company called III Publishing that published mainly really weird scifi, often with anarchist and otherwise radical themes. This is one of their books. It was inspired by Star Trek, The Black Panthers and Noam Chomsky. Its set in a future USA that has been divided between Tom Metzger’s White Aryan Resistance and the Nation of Islam. The main character is a black man in Lost/Found Nation of Islam. He ends up travelling to the future and winds up in a Libertarian Socialist Democracy (LSD). Hijinx ensue. A Pretty weird book, but worth reading if you can find it.
Lewis Shiner – Slam
This guy gets out of jail for tax evasion and gets a job as a live in care taker for a bunch of cats in a big house who’s owner just died. Nearby a bunch of teenage skaters are squatting a half-built all concrete house that seems like something out of Tony Hawk Pro-skater (houses with skateboard ramps built into their roofs). A big influence on this book was The Abolition of Work by Bob Black. Not really SF at all, but some of Shiner’s other books are SF. Deserted Cities of the Heart (another of his books) is about guerrilla warfare in Mexico and time travel using psychedelics.
Cory Doctorow – Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
Alan (Adam, Abel) renovates a home in Kensington market to write a story in. Instead he helps a 30 year-old punk rock hacker dumpster dive free wifi for all of Kensington Market with dreams of covering the whole city. But do the anarchists want in on this action? Adam also has to deal with his murderous dead six year old brother. Alan’s dad is a mountain and his mom is a washing machine. Maybe the solution to his problems is drinking a lot of very strong coffee. Cory Doctorow works for the Electronics Frontier Foundation (an electronic civil liberties group) and is an open source evangelist. Apparently one of his other books (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom) is about a future Anarcho-syndicalist Disney World. At least that’s what one reviewer said. I haven’t read it.
Angélica Gorodischer - Kalpa Imperial
This was translated from the Spanish by Ursula K Leguin. Its sort of a fable about the ebb and flow of a vast empire. It has a lot to say about the growth of cities, community, and lots of other stuff. Gorodischer is from Argentina. Kalpa Imperial is her only novel translated so far into English.
The Friends of Ann Clayborne present a list of radical scifi books.
Ursula K. Leguin – The Dispossessed
An anarchist society. An ambiguous utopia. Twin planets with very different societies. Ursula K Leguin is awesome. Most of her other books are great too. The Earth Sea books (6 of them starting with A Wizard of Earthsea) in addition to being the subject of the worst tv mini series ever made, and an upcoming Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) film, are awesome YA fantasy. The Telling, Birthday of the World, Four Ways to Forgiveness, Left Hand of Darkness- are all well worth checking out.
Octavia Butler – Kindred
A Black woman is repeatedly drawn back in time to the ante-bellum south and has to deal first hand with the trauma of slavery. This book is amazing. Her last book (Octavia Butler died recently, Feb 24, 2006), Fledgling, is about Vampires. She wrote 12 other books. All the ones I’ve read are good.
Samuel R Delaney – Stars in my Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Gay interspecies public sex. The extermination of life on a planetary scale. A radical critique of “the family”. This book is amazing. He has a four book series (Tales of Nevèrÿon, Neveryóna, Flight from Nevèrÿon, The Bridge of Lost Desire) which is sword and sorcery about slave rebellions, women’s contribution to science, gay SM, AIDS, calculus etc.
Kim Stanley Robinson – Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars
When and if colonists are sent to Mars, I hope they see fit to send anarchists in the first batch. Radical ecology takes on new meanings on the red planet. These books are awesome! He also wrote Antarctica which has similar themes, and two recent books about the changing climate, feral orangutans in Washington DC, feral humans and other good stuff (40 Signs of Rain, and 50 Degrees Below). The new hard scifi at its best.
Joan Slonczewski – A Door Into Ocean
Another anarchist society on a moon threatened by profitarians from its planet/moon. Written by everyone’s favorite eco-feminist biologist Quaker.
John Brunner – The Sheep Look Up
A book much beloved by many an Earth First!er. Radical ecology meets urban guerrillas. All in an entertaining and somewhat depressing novel.
Robert Heinlein – The Moon is a harsh Mistress
An entertaining book about a libertarian revolution on the moon which does not have any evidence of Heinlein’s otherwise weird and sometimes scary politics.
Rudy Rucker – Software, Wetware, Freeware, Realware
Anarchist robots, cloning, immortality and a trans-human future. This series has it all, except for the last book which isn’t as good as the others.
Marge Piercy – Woman out of Time
A radical critique of psychiatry and mental institutions. A time travel book about an anarchist future. Both, in fact. Wonderful!
Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea – The Illuminatus Trillogy
The Illuminati want to bring about the end of the world by feeding everyone to Nyarlathotep. Meanwhile anarchists who venerate Eris, the Greek goddess of discord and strife are planning to stop them in their golden submarine. Sex, Drugs, weird religions, weirder humor. Mind blowing. Most of what Robert Anton Wilson has written is awesome, although most isn’t Science Fiction. The Schrodinger’s Cat trilogy is though.
Semiotext(e) SF
Edited by Peter Lamborn Wilson, Rudy Rucker, and Robert Anton Wilson. In addition to those authors it has work by William S Burroughs, Hakim Bey, Ivan Stang, Lewis Shiner, Phillip Jose Farmer, J. G. Ballard, Bruce Sterling and many more. And when I say magazine think 380 page oversized book. Published by Semiotext(e) and AK Press.
Judith Merril & Emily Pohl-Weary – Better to have loved: The Life of Judith Merril
Judith Merril was a pioneering scifi writer who wrote prolifically starting in the 40s. She was also a leftist, involved in anti-war activities, eventually moved to Canada and participating in the free university movement. She co-wrote this with her grand daughter Emily Pohl-Weary. Its fairly easy to find collections such as Daughters of the Earth (actually there are two different collections of her short stories by that name) at used book stores as well as a nice new anthology Homecalling and Other Stories: The Complete Solo Short SF of Judith Merril.
Saab Lofton – AD
So there is this company called III Publishing that published mainly really weird scifi, often with anarchist and otherwise radical themes. This is one of their books. It was inspired by Star Trek, The Black Panthers and Noam Chomsky. Its set in a future USA that has been divided between Tom Metzger’s White Aryan Resistance and the Nation of Islam. The main character is a black man in Lost/Found Nation of Islam. He ends up travelling to the future and winds up in a Libertarian Socialist Democracy (LSD). Hijinx ensue. A Pretty weird book, but worth reading if you can find it.
Lewis Shiner – Slam
This guy gets out of jail for tax evasion and gets a job as a live in care taker for a bunch of cats in a big house who’s owner just died. Nearby a bunch of teenage skaters are squatting a half-built all concrete house that seems like something out of Tony Hawk Pro-skater (houses with skateboard ramps built into their roofs). A big influence on this book was The Abolition of Work by Bob Black. Not really SF at all, but some of Shiner’s other books are SF. Deserted Cities of the Heart (another of his books) is about guerrilla warfare in Mexico and time travel using psychedelics.
Cory Doctorow – Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
Alan (Adam, Abel) renovates a home in Kensington market to write a story in. Instead he helps a 30 year-old punk rock hacker dumpster dive free wifi for all of Kensington Market with dreams of covering the whole city. But do the anarchists want in on this action? Adam also has to deal with his murderous dead six year old brother. Alan’s dad is a mountain and his mom is a washing machine. Maybe the solution to his problems is drinking a lot of very strong coffee. Cory Doctorow works for the Electronics Frontier Foundation (an electronic civil liberties group) and is an open source evangelist. Apparently one of his other books (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom) is about a future Anarcho-syndicalist Disney World. At least that’s what one reviewer said. I haven’t read it.
Angélica Gorodischer - Kalpa Imperial
This was translated from the Spanish by Ursula K Leguin. Its sort of a fable about the ebb and flow of a vast empire. It has a lot to say about the growth of cities, community, and lots of other stuff. Gorodischer is from Argentina. Kalpa Imperial is her only novel translated so far into English.
Anarchist Bookfair
I had a table at this years Calgary Anarchist Bookfair. Obstensibly to sell my zine, but also used books. I had a lot of fun, and it was a very positive experience for me. So, thanks to the Haymarket people (and especially Rachel for helping move my table) and everyone else involved. Thanks to everyone who bought my zine, or books. Feel free to email me about my zine if you see fit. And I'm not fishing for complements, mainly feedback. Big thanks to Edmonton IWW/ Black Books, Amy / twelve oh two (also from Edmonton), and Turning the Tide from Saskatoon for coming down for it.
Hopefully I can make it up for the Edmonton Anarchist Bookfair. Also, if you live in Edmonton Black Books took some copies of No Quarter, which will no doubt sell like hotcakes, but you might luck out.
Hopefully I can make it up for the Edmonton Anarchist Bookfair. Also, if you live in Edmonton Black Books took some copies of No Quarter, which will no doubt sell like hotcakes, but you might luck out.
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