It's odd, what you're describing is the same with West Virginia; I think I mentioned as of 3 years ago, over 420 mountains had been 'topped' - you can see the desecration from space. Villages are destroyed everywhere. But the companies pay 60-100k to miners, so WV participates in its own destruction - there are no other jobs. Everyone knows what's going on of course. I think only now is resistance surfacing, and the Obama EPA is starting to take action. -
- Alan On Wed, 8 Dec 2010, Simon Biggs wrote: > Hi Alan > > You are describing a small part of the military-industrial complex operating > in its preferred environment. You should see what the coal mining companies > are doing to the Hunter Valley in Australia. It is prime farming country, > wine in particular. They say they make the best dry semillon in the world > there. Alongside it is one of Australia's largest national parks, an area > the size of Wales that has never been farmed, full of significant indigenous > people's historical and sacred sites. These are meant to be protected but in > practice they are not. The coal and shale gas companies are strip mining the > place and shipping the coal out of Newcastle to China. Biggest coal > operation in the world. The environment is fragile and being rapidly > depleted. Local, State and National politicians waive through the mining > rights due to their corruption or political obligations (same thing). It is > quite brazen, breathtakingly so. They don't really need to hide anything as > the authorities are up to their eyeballs in this shit (they are the same > people). > > Where do you start? > > Best > > Simon > > > Simon Biggs > [email protected] [email protected] > Skype: simonbiggsuk > http://www.littlepig.org.uk/ > > Research Professor edinburgh college of art > http://www.eca.ac.uk/ > Creative Interdisciplinary Research in CoLlaborative Environments > http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ > Electronic Literature as a Model of Creativity and Innovation in Practice > http://www.elmcip.net/ > Centre for Film, Performance and Media Arts > http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/film-performance-media-arts > > >> From: Alan Sondheim <[email protected]> >> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity >> <[email protected]> >> Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 19:10:29 -0500 (EST) >> To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity >> <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] arrested >> >> >> I wonder if this does make a difference to anyone in power, ultimately; I >> don't see vulnerabilities emerging, but, yes, retrenchment, deeper and >> more private channels. In the US, the stock market continues to rise; in >> my book the banksters are equally villainous, but they'll continue to >> escape - look at Obama's backing down on Bush's tax cuts. I tend to think >> that Mike Davis' City of Quartz draws the line well, or as Trump's kids >> said from their new hideous tower in Soho, we can look down on all the >> little buildings. >> >> Then again, even unbelievable, let's say, total, transparency, doesn't >> mean that bribes don't have their targets, that capital doesn't continue >> as usual. I'm amazed at politics in the US, with the Republican poor >> constantly voting, knowledgably, against their own best interests - given >> the relative unease of populations, symbolic capital becomes all the more >> important. >> >> We see signs of this across the street, where Ratner is building a stadium >> after razing buildings he seized by 'eminent domain' - after having the >> city declare the area 'blighted' (the area included new buildings etc.). >> All this in full view of the neighborhood; we brought suit after suit, and >> nothing worked except capital, lawyers, the violence of power on the other >> side. Apparently all of this is now featured in a musical, which is the >> best we can do, uselessly play while people are evicted. >> >> - Alan >> >> >> On Tue, 7 Dec 2010, Simon Biggs wrote: >> >>> It should be Assange arresting all the governments and their cronies. They >>> have it the wrong way round. >>> >>> Wikileaks has revealed, with concrete evidence, how so-called "democratic" >>> governments are little more than criminal cartels who are happy to >>> incarcerate those who seek to lift the veil on their activities. There is no >>> difference between China or the US, the House of Saud or the UK, Burma or >>> Germany. Each of these Mafia-like organisations recognises themselves in one >>> another. This is no surprise to them, only to us suckers who vote for them >>> (if they allow us this crumb of illusory comfort). >>> >>> We are obligated to do something to remove these criminals - but what? It >>> seems difficult when they have convinced us that they run the planet. >>> However, the Wikileaks approach looks a good option. If you pummel >>> government with evidence of their own lies they will retrench to their >>> safest ground, as all the paranoid will. Once retrenched, with a smaller (if >>> trusted) footprint, they are more vulnerable. This pressure has to be >>> sustained to work (that is why the leaks are let out slowly). Eventually the >>> circle of trust will be far smaller than the ring of threat that surrounds >>> it. Assange is quite brilliant, although this is basic anarchist theory. >>> >>> However, like a cornered animal, the government will, when the pressure is >>> at its most intense, be vicious and dangerous. The seizure of Asssange is >>> symptomatic of this and thus evidence they are on the run. I imagine Assange >>> might be quietly pleased by how this is playing out. However, the question >>> now is how to push the advantage? If that doesn't happen the veil will again >>> be lowered. But if the attack is pursued the power of these criminal elites >>> will evaporate in the harsh light of day. >>> >>> The next few days, perhaps weeks, will be critical. Any vestige of freedom >>> depends on it. >>> >>> Best >>> >>> Simon >>> >>> >>> Simon Biggs >>> [email protected] [email protected] >>> Skype: simonbiggsuk >>> http://www.littlepig.org.uk/ >>> >>> Research Professor edinburgh college of art >>> http://www.eca.ac.uk/ >>> Creative Interdisciplinary Research in CoLlaborative Environments >>> http://www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ >>> Electronic Literature as a Model of Creativity and Innovation in Practice >>> http://www.elmcip.net/ >>> Centre for Film, Performance and Media Arts >>> http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/film-performance-media-arts >>> >>> >>>> From: "xDxD.vs.xDxD" <[email protected]> >>>> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity >>>> <[email protected]> >>>> Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 23:58:16 +0100 >>>> To: <[email protected]> >>>> Subject: [NetBehaviour] arrested >>>> >>>> Julian Assange arrested >>>> http://julianassangearrested.tumblr.com/ >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>>> [email protected] >>>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >>> >>> >>> >>> Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland, number >>> SC009201 >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >>> >>> >> >> >> == >> email archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ >> webpage http://www.alansondheim.org >> music archive: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ >> current text http://www.alansondheim.org/qu.txt >> == >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > > > Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland, number > SC009201 > > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > == email archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ webpage http://www.alansondheim.org music archive: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ current text http://www.alansondheim.org/qu.txt == _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
