FLUXLIST: Internet petitions do not work
The Internet petition circulated here several times has no value Internet petitions do not work. If you care enough to make a difference, you must write a personal letter. Sending an internet petition has two effects. It makes the person who signs it feel as if he or she has done something of value for a cause he or she supports without doing anything for the cause at all. It takes up time and fills up space, in this case Fluxlist. To make petitions meaningful requires an understanding of petition protocol. The issue is not the validity of the idea, but the validity of the petition. To show that thousands of people or millions of people support a petition, it is necessary to document their participation. Since there is no way to document or to assure the validity of Internet signatures at this time, Internet petitions are not valid. Further, since Internet petitions spread through different lists and move through different chains, the same names appear dozens or even hundreds of times. There is no way to establish whether a final petition has the signatures of many different individuals or far fewer individuals whose names occur repeatedly. If a petition arrives with 12,863,436 signatures, there is no way to know whether this is 12,863,436 separate individuals or 189,932 individuals whose signatures have crossed and multiplied through different chains. To find out which is the case requires expensive staff time that no agency can afford, and there is still no valid documentation of the signatures. A legally valid petition in most cases requires 1) a signature, 2) a printed name, 3) an address or location. While some public opinion petitions neglect the third, all three are required for a petition have the kind of legal standing required to place a political party on the rolls or to invoke a plebiscite. One may argue that this is merely fastidious rhetoric. It is not. This principle goes to the core of democratic participation in government decisions. Governments must know that citizens are actually speaking before acting on civic will spoken through the collective voice of a petition. International petitions must reasonably represent a large, global constituency to be impressive, and this means a record of valid signatures. The format of the Internet petition offers merely a list of names. There is no assurance that any named individual actually signed it. Paper petitions are routinely refused or invalidated for lack of valid documentation. Some believe that that the purpose of Internet petitions is simply to draw attention to issues. This is only partly true. Internet petitions draw attention to issues, but they are not a particularly useful way to do so. Debate and informed conversation draws attention to issues. Invalid petitions merely waste time. In this case, bombarding a government ministry with the same petition along multiple routes is a guaranteed way to annoy the appropriate ministers rather than educating them. By now, all these ministers have shifted their email accounts for current business or set filters to sweep these petitions into the garbage unopened. Rather than circulate Internet petitions, it is far more effective to ask those who would sign such a petition to write a proper letter and email it directly with their own signature bock including a return address. While validation is still an issue, the fact of a properly signed letter with name and return address in the signature block can be checked. To make it easy to write such a letter, those who propose the petition can write a sample letter than can be pasted into the body of a new email document and signed. In this case, filters and fax blockage probably mean the only effective way to deliver such a letter now is by old-fashioned paper post. A cause that deserves support requires that you take the time to write a letter and send it personally. If you care enough about the Johannesburg Biennial to do something, write a letter or send a personalized email. Ken Friedman --
Re: FLUXLIST: Fold/spindle/shred/mutilate the altered joshstory
Well, I'd quite like to add my ten penn'th to the Josh Epic Could you maybe add my name to the bottom of the list? XXX Roger
Re: FLUXLIST: odds and sods
I wonder if I might have a go at the Josh Story? Maybe it could be produced as a little book of short stories? All very similar but... Any more thoughts on on-line poems, Allen? Ceyda, my address is still the same... Joe Decie now has a new home in Leeds. BFN Roger
Re: FLUXLIST: Internet petitions do not work
On Fri, 21 Jul 2000, Ken Friedman wrote: Internet petitions do not work. When Ivo Mesquita was recently fired from the Sao Paulo Bienal for no apparent reason it was the efforts of the global art community that made the bureaucrats realise the consequences and reconsider their decision. Reading this sentence those people who circulate the Johannesburg-petition hope and believe in a sort of effectivity of their invalid solidarity and effort. aa
FLUXLIST: SNAPSHOT: call for submissions Contemp. Museum of Baltimore
***
PLEASE FORWARD
You are invited to participate in a new exhibition organized by the
Contemporary Museum, Baltimore. This exhibition, titled Snapshot, will be
composed of 1,000 or more photographs from international artists and arts
professionals. Each participant is invited to contribute one 4x6in. or
smaller unframed "snapshot" with a title or caption. Participants should
also submit a current résumé for publication.
Organized by Gary Sangster, Executive Director of the Contemporary Museum,
the exhibition and accompanying catalogue will explore contemporary
techniques of popular folk imagery and family documentation-the
snapshot-within the realm of artistic discourse, seeking to identify
overlaps and correspondences between art and non-art imagery, between mass
culture and fine art, and between public image-making by artists and the
personal image-making of individuals.
Snapshot will open at the Contemporary Museum on November 3, 2000. Artists
are requested to submit their materials as early as possible in order to
guarantee their inclusion in the exhibition. No snapshots will be accepted
after October 15, 2000. The exhibition is meant to travel to various
locations so the return date for the snapshots will be determined after the
travel schedule has been set.
Artists at all stages of their careers are invited to participate. The
Contemporary Museum has already received submissions from hundreds of
artists, including Polly Apfelbaum, William Kentridge, Pepon Osorio, Kiki
Smith, and John Waters. Please forward this email any additional artists
you think may be interested in participating.
To be included in the exhibition, snapshots must be 4 x 6 ins. or smaller.
They may be vertical or horizontal. The snapshot should be accompanied by a
caption or title. Each participant should submit no more than one snapshot.
No other conditions apply to the snapshot to be included in the exhibition.
Photographs will be displayed under protective covers and safely mounted in
a uniform format. They will be installed in alphabetical order in a grid
arrangement.
The Contemporary Museum, founded in 1989, is dedicated to promoting creative
interactions between artists and the public, connecting new art to everyday
experience and bringing art directly to diverse and underserved communities.
Well known for its collaborative exhibitions, including Mining the Museum,
an installation by Fred Wilson at the Maryland Historical Society, the
Contemporary Museum opened a permanent exhibition facility in the Fall of
1999.
At the end of this message, you will find a copy of the Loan Agreement form.
An Excel version of the Loan Agreement (with the fine print) is included as
an attachment. Please print out and complete the Loan Agreement form and
return it to the Contemporary Museum with your snapshot, caption and résumé.
If you have any questions about this exhibition, please feel free to contact
Adam Lerner, Associate Curator, via email ([EMAIL PROTECTED]),
telephone (410-783-5720x101), or fax (410-783-5722).
Snapshots should be sent to:
Contemporary Museum
100 W. Centre Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201 USA
Attn: Snapshot
Please print this form and mail to the Contemporary Museum with your
photograph.
Please do not return via e-mail.
SNAPSHOT Loan Agreement Form
Exhibition Dates: November 3, 2000 - February 12, 2001
Lender's Name(s)_
Street Address___
City, State, Zip___
Telephone Number(s)__
Facsimile Number(s)___
Artist Name_
Artist Country and Date of Birth__
Current place of living and working
Title of Snapshot__
Date of Snapshot__
Type of Snapshot_
Measurements of Snapshot__
Current estimated retail value or insurance value (in US dollars)
for insurance carried by the Contemporary Museum
___
Is the work available for sale? (circle one) YES NO
Precise catalogue and label information ("Courtesy of" or "Collection of")
___
Permission to photograph for Museum purposes? YES NO
Lender's signature and date: I have read and agree to the General
Conditions Governing Loans to the Contemporary Museum. I
certify that I have full authority to enter this agreement.
___Date:
Contemporary Museum signature and date
Gary Sangster, Executive Director
___Date:
FLUXLIST: philtre/medication
1900s Hershey Chocolate Bars (1900). Hills Bros. Ground Vacuum Packed Coffee (1900). Barnum's Animal Crackers by Nabisco (1902). Pepsi Cola (1903). Campbell's Pork and Beans (1904). Dr. Pepper (1904). French's Mustard (1904). Ovaltine (1905). Kellogg's Corn Flakes (1906). Hershey Kisses (1907). 1910s Hellman's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise (1912). Oreos (1912). Peppermint Life Savers (1913). Kellogg's 40% Bran Flakes (1915). Clark Bar (1917). Marshmallow Fluff (1917). Moon Pie (1917). 1920s Baby Ruth Candy Bar (1920). Wonder Bread (1920). Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink (1923). Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1923). Welch's Grape Jelly (1923). Popsicles (1924). Wheaties (1924). Hostess Cakes (1927). Kool-Aid (1927). Peter Pan Peanut Butter (1928). Velveeta Cheese (1928). 1930s Hostess Twinkies (1930). Snickers Candy Bar (1930). Fritos Corn Chips (1932). Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (1933). Ritz Crackers (1934). Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner (1937). Spam (1937). Lay's Potato Chips (1938). 1940s MMs (1941). Dannon Yogurt (1942). La Choy Canned Chinese Foods (1942). Minute Maid Frozen Orange Juice (1946). Cheetos (1948). V8 Juice (1948). Pillsbury and General Mills cake mixes (1949). Sara Lee Cheesecake (1949). 1950 Sugar Pops (1950). Swanson and Sons Frozen Turkey TV dinner (1951). Mrs. Paul's Frozen Fish Sticks (1952). Eggo Frozen Waffles (1953). Butterball Turkey (1954). Imperial Margarine (1956). Sweet 'N Low (1957). Tang (1959). 1960s Diet Rite, Tab and Diet Pepsi (1962). Pop-Tarts (1964). Cool Whip (1965). Shake 'N Bake (1965). Gatorade (1967). Pringles Potato Chips (1969). 1970s Hamburger Helper (1970). Orville Redenbacher Gourmet Popping Corn (1970). Quaker Oats 100% Natural granola (1972). Snapple fruit juices (1972). Miller Lite (1974). Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies (1975). Perrier (1976). 1980s Fruit Roll-Ups (1980). Lean Cuisine frozen dinners (1981). Scramblers (1982). New Coke (1986). Campbell's Special Request soups (1987). Snapple bottled iced tea (1987). 1990s Harvest Burger (1993). Progresso Healthy Classics soups (1993). SnackWell's cookies and crackers (1993). Fruitopia drinks (1994). Lay's Baked Potato Crisps (1996). Frito-Lay WOW! chips (1998). __ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/
Re: FLUXLIST: philtre/medication
Candy. Ain't it dandy. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemtc=psitem=387675707 2000 WorldWide Sport Nutrition "Pure Protein" bar "Kitty Kaviar" Rod Stasick wrote: 1900s Hershey Chocolate Bars (1900). Hills Bros. Ground Vacuum Packed Coffee (1900). Barnum's Animal Crackers by Nabisco (1902). Pepsi Cola (1903). Campbell's Pork and Beans (1904). Dr. Pepper (1904). French's Mustard (1904). Ovaltine (1905). Kellogg's Corn Flakes (1906). Hershey Kisses (1907). 1910s Hellman's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise (1912). Oreos (1912). Peppermint Life Savers (1913). Kellogg's 40% Bran Flakes (1915). Clark Bar (1917). Marshmallow Fluff (1917). Moon Pie (1917). 1920s Baby Ruth Candy Bar (1920). Wonder Bread (1920). Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink (1923). Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1923). Welch's Grape Jelly (1923). Popsicles (1924). Wheaties (1924). Hostess Cakes (1927). Kool-Aid (1927). Peter Pan Peanut Butter (1928). Velveeta Cheese (1928). 1930s Hostess Twinkies (1930). Snickers Candy Bar (1930). Fritos Corn Chips (1932). Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (1933). Ritz Crackers (1934). Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner (1937). Spam (1937). Lay's Potato Chips (1938). 1940s MMs (1941). Dannon Yogurt (1942). La Choy Canned Chinese Foods (1942). Minute Maid Frozen Orange Juice (1946). Cheetos (1948). V8 Juice (1948). Pillsbury and General Mills cake mixes (1949). Sara Lee Cheesecake (1949). 1950 Sugar Pops (1950). Swanson and Sons Frozen Turkey TV dinner (1951). Mrs. Paul's Frozen Fish Sticks (1952). Eggo Frozen Waffles (1953). Butterball Turkey (1954). Imperial Margarine (1956). Sweet 'N Low (1957). Tang (1959). 1960s Diet Rite, Tab and Diet Pepsi (1962). Pop-Tarts (1964). Cool Whip (1965). Shake 'N Bake (1965). Gatorade (1967). Pringles Potato Chips (1969). 1970s Hamburger Helper (1970). Orville Redenbacher Gourmet Popping Corn (1970). Quaker Oats 100% Natural granola (1972). Snapple fruit juices (1972). Miller Lite (1974). Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies (1975). Perrier (1976). 1980s Fruit Roll-Ups (1980). Lean Cuisine frozen dinners (1981). Scramblers (1982). New Coke (1986). Campbell's Special Request soups (1987). Snapple bottled iced tea (1987). 1990s Harvest Burger (1993). Progresso Healthy Classics soups (1993). SnackWell's cookies and crackers (1993). Fruitopia drinks (1994). Lay's Baked Potato Crisps (1996). Frito-Lay WOW! chips (1998). __ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/
