Economist predict green win

Nice to see them quote Andrew Dobson who was my Phd examiner.http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15821483The campaign trail (1)Fertile ground?Why the Green breakthrough may finally have comeMar 31st 2010 | BRIGHTON AND LONDON | From The Economist print editionCaroline Lucas, a grown-up GreenTHE buzz among Green activists in Brighton, a southern seaside town famed for

Venezuela film showing Sheffield 25th April

More details herehttp://alborada.net/insidetherevolution-venezuela-sheffield-250410

Son of Labour Minister joins Greens

'All the signs are that Ian Chamberlain will take the seat for the Green Party – I wish him good luck. As the ex Chairperson of the Labour Party Constituency of Lancastr & Fleetwood, I resigned my membership of Labour (disgusted with Iraq and the expenses scandal). I recently joined the Green Party in Lancaster and am working hard to convince floating voters to use their vote wisely on 1st April

Thought for today

Impossible escape

Impossible escape by Erik Johansson

Escape strategy

Escape strategy by Peter Schrank

Crossroads

Crossroads by Erik Johansson

Fortnight of Shame

Please join us in taking action to keep BP out of the tar sands- the single most destructive project on earth. The BP Fortnight of Shame is a call to action from the UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide UK and the Camp for Climate Action to force BP to reverse their crazy plans to move into Canada's tar sands. It runs between the annual Fossil Fools day on April 1st and BP's Annual General Meeting

Juan Carlos Piedra solidarity protest at UCL

Universitites outsource and workers are exploited....time to protest.

In HInkley's Shadow

In Hinkley’s ShadowChris Ledgard looks at the impact Hinkley Point nuclear power station has had on the surrounding Somerset communities, in particular the Quantock village of Stogursey. Featuring Stop Hinkley campaigners.Listen here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rmr68/In_Hinkleys_Shadow/The villages around Hinkley Point in Somerset have lived with nuclear power for nearly half a

Please sign Social Ecological Union open letter against Uralchem

# 121-0131.03.2010Morgan Stanley Board of Directors John J. Mack1585 Broadway New York, NY 10036, USAPlease email Guy Taylor who is working very hard on this to sign the protest letter...he is on office@resist.org.ukRussian Greens have an extremely tough time, they really need solidarity in general and this campaign is about a huge scandalabout to be visited on Dieppe.UBS Board of

Vote Green

As I see it, the Green Party is the most progressive force in British politics, with a visionary agenda for democratic reform, social justice, human rights, global equity, environmental protection, peace and internationalism.With an empowering new political and economic paradigm, the Greens offer the best hope for radical reform, as set out in our Manifesto for a Sustainable Society.Unlike the

Greens in by-election battle

Just saw this from Luke, hope you don't mind me open sourcing it.This week there is an all important by-election in the John O’Gaunt ward in Lancaster. The sitting Labour councillor stood down leaving the ward with one Labour councillor and one Green councillor. If the Greens win the seat they will be the largest party in the Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in terms of councillor numbers.

Vote Labour if you love radiation

Resist Nuclear New Build in Britain - Short film and discussion nightWednesday, 7 April 2010, 7 - 9.30pmVenue: London Action Resource Centre62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1EShttp://www.londonarc.orgNearest tube: Aldgate East / WhitechapelMap: http://tinyurl.com/LondonARCJoin us for an evening of short films and presentations about nuclear power, followed by a discussion on how we can build strong

The indigenous struggle for Mother Earth and the Commons

This is from good friend Hugo Blanco, I will translate (well google will take a lot of the strain on this) and repost in English.Indígenas luchan en defensa de la Madre Tierra y de su organización colectivaHugo Blanco (para desinformémonos)La población indígena de América viene luchando desde hace más de 500 años en defensa del medio ambiente y de su organización social colectiva.Con la

"Pope must resign" over sex abuse cover up

just had this from Peter, thanks amigo.Prosecute the Pope as an accomplice to sex crimes Papal visit to the UK should be cancelled, says Protest the Pope campaign London, UK - 28 March 2010Fifty protesters from humanist, secular, women's and gay organisations today accused the Pope of "covering up child sex abuse by Catholic clergy," calling him a "protector of paedophile priests" and "an

The extractive model will fail

Hey its not just Peru, its locura everywhere, the idea that we can extract natural resources as quickly as possible from the Earth, shape them into commodities and throw them away at accelerating speeds, is kaput every where.viva Marx, viva Elinor Ostrom, viva Aidesep...a possible world is possible, lets leave the impossible behind.Servindi, March 28, 2010 .- The South American countries hold

UCU left win big!

Just had this, Green Left activist in the UCU like me support UCU left, great to see them do so well...there is a big fight against cuts in British universities, this complements left gains in student unions such as Clare Solomon's victory at ULU. In the recent (2010) UCU national elections some 16 supporters of UCU Left were elected to the NEC of UCU. They complement our existing supporters on

'new federation of left/green/social justice and ecology activists'

Pat Kavanagh has just passed on this message....its aimed at Irish activist of course.'anybody who would like to get involved in the new federation of left/green/social justice and ecology activists can email emeraldforum@gmail.com'She is a Ind green councillor in Wicklow and a very inspiring person.The gombean men and women will be on in a minute telling me I should love motorways and that

Joseph Healy fights for the rights of Juan Carlos

On Friday I joined campaigners from the UNISON branch at London University and other political activists, including my Green Left comrade and parliamentary candidate for Greenwich, Andy Hewett, and went to protest about the sacking of Juan Carlos Piedra, at UCL. Juan Carlos is a migrant Latin American cleaner and union activist who was sacked by UCL for trying to organise a union there. Supported

Wisdom in Nature news

I am a great fan of Islamic environmental thought and action, I must also say I have really enjoyed working with local Church of England people here in East Berkshire.Religion can be intolerant but it can also promote justice, the commons and ecology....here is the latest news from WIN the Islamic environmental group, although of course, they include people of other faiths and none.Must, must get

Knight of Tara discusses John Gormley-ism

Just got this, worth making up front and public.Knight of Tara said...Marcus and Anonymous, I was a campaigner on the Campaign to Save Tara for years, from 2007. The Irish Green Party may not have authorized the M3, but they campaigned for stopping it and not only did they fail to stop it, they helped in its construction, which still isn't finished. They could have stopped it all, but instead

Stop UralChem!

Dear FriendI am writing to you regarding an international campaign that is now taking shape. There are links following to various documents and websites, but I shall outline the issues here:UralChem, Russia's biggest fertilizer company, is currently extending its operations into the European Market. UralChem has an appalling record on human rights, workers rights, safety of workers and those who

John Gormley speech

John Gormley speech to Irish Green Party convention, see what you thinktheorists and talkers.....wonder who he means.Just thinking about when I went canvassing in North Belfast and Bangor....now Bangor has a Green Party Assembly Member.I must admit I would like to see a bit more green politics from the Irish Green Party!Green is a double fight, you have to fight to be elected and fight to keep

The Battle for Algiers

Just re-watching 'The Battle for Algiers'An amazing and inspiring film.Pretty smart review hereThe film's resonance with the current moment is undeniable. The suffocating military occupation, the resounding imbalance of power and the clampdown through checkpoints all call to mind the Israel/Palestine conflict. Mathieu's whimsical choice of “champagne” to name his operation anticipates the

Second advance in a week for Green Party in Suffolk

John Matthissen has just sent me this, cheers amigo.Second advance in a week for Green Party in SuffolkHuge by-election gain from Tories follows councillor defection earlier this week Rachel Eburne has been elected to join Andrew Stringer and John Matthissen as the third Green Party councillor on Mid Suffolk District Council, following the defection to the Greens of Babergh DC Tory councillor

Chris Mullin MP goes all Elinor Ostrom.

"As to the longer term, I doubt there is a future for an economy based on shopping. This is only a very temporary period in human history. The frantic consumerism of recent decades surely contains the seeds of its own destruction. One way or another we have to devise lifestyles that are sustainable and which may require changes that most people have only dimly begun to contemplate. The future is

Green by-election win points to Caroline Lucas MP

The Green Party came from nowhere to win a by-election last night.Shows we are on the up and points to Caroline winning in Brighton.Result: Mid Suffolk District - Haughley and Wetherden: Green 444, C 176, Lib Dem 51, Lab 32, Ukip 25. (May 2007 - C 354, Lib Dem 309, Green 122). Green gain from C. Swing 33.2% C to Green.

Impossible triangles

Impossible triangles by Pregiirl123

Green History

Would I want you to buy this, no actually. Most of the copies are a bit pricy which embarrasses me but its in the library system so go and social share it if you are interested.Put it together because I thought it would be good to look at the historical examples of green thought and action, to reject the view that green politics has no history approach.Spent a lot of time in the British Library,

Room of Illusions 3

Room of Illusions 3 by Alan King

Fertilizer campaign!

I am so so so busy, so normal service is unlikely to be resumed for a little while.However I am very pleased to have had an email from Guy Taylor of Globalise Resistance, who is doing brilliant work to oppose a Russian fertilizer giant expanding amidst problems with pollution and workers rights.Politicians in France have joined environmentalists on both sides of the Channel in protests at the new

A bigger war than Iraq or Afghanistan continues in silence

This legacy of rebellion has left behind a furious people who have been deliberately isolated and marginalised by the Indian government. The Indian Constitution, the moral underpinning of Indian democracy, was adopted by Parliament in 1950. It was a tragic day for tribal people. The Constitution ratified colonial policy and made the State custodian of tribal homelands. Overnight, it turned the

'Any Asian could be a Muslim'

'Any Asian could be a Muslim. Any Asian wearing a headscarf or a beard must be a Muslim. Every Muslim is a fundamentalist. Every fundamentalist is a terrorist. We are in danger of creating a culture of suspicion and distrust not only between communities but within communities, indeed within families and between individuals - which can hardly count for British values or democracy!'More

Malawi gay trial protest 22 March: Free Tiwonge and Steven

Reminder: We hope to see you and your friends on MondaySteven and Tiwonge are appealing for Londoners to support them, asthey face a lengthy jail sentence. Show that you support them. Love is no crime. Malawi gay trial protest 22 March: Free Tiwonge and StevenDrop the charges and repeal anti-gay lawsCommonwealth must condemn homophobic persecution in MalawiLondon - 21 March 2010You are urged to

RIP Chris Hutt and other Bristol heros.

Devastated to find out that Chris Hutt, who I used to know in my Bristol days, died yesterday.A very sad loss.I hope as a memorial the local authority will not wreck the Bristol-Bath cycle path, which he worked so hard to defend.I believe he died from a heart condition, sadly so many cyclists are killed in the saddle, he died at homePete Taylor, another cycling campaigner, and a good friend, died

Handsworth Revolution

'chevere este cancion. la verdad unos de los mejores artistas reggae!' as they say, a bit of reggae, dread town Birmingham.I have had a bit of dread influence, thin white guy that I am, most notably working with Nandor.Ital as they say is vital.Do catch Nandor's blog Dread Times

Massive anti-Berlusconi protest

just got this from Fabio, grazie amico. Even the Economist are against Berlusconi, what a night mare...The government of Silvio Berlusconi is setting up a project of privatizationof the public water in Italy. In november, the government approved the lawproject and now it is under approval at the parliament. The possibility tosee italian water held by corporations alarmed a lot of people and

Nothing is Real

Nothing is Real by Bob Seal

Zeitgeist exposed

One World government.Centralization of political power.Rule by and for bankers.Or something more sinister.More here

Bassekou Kouyate Live In Los Angeles

Earlier this month I was practically apologizing for writing about my favorite new restaurant in L.A. here because... well because it's in L.A. and so am I and I just have to drive 15 minutes to get there. And here I am back with the L.A. stuff again. Kind of. It's L.A. via Mali.

If you follow this travel blog at all, you may recall that a couple years ago I was wandering around Mali and Senegal. While waiting for my friend Roland to arrive so we could head out to the world's biggest mud mosque in Djenne and then on to the unpaved wilds of Dogon Country, I somehow wound up in Ali Farka Toure's recording studio watching Bassekou Kouyate complete I Speak Fula, the follow up to Segu Blue, his widely acclaimed 2007 international debut album.

In the way of context, let me tell you I've been very lucky with music in my life. Even before becoming president of Reprise Records, I had always had good music juju. I was knee-high to spit when I snuck off to the Brooklyn Paramount Theater to catch Maxine Brown. Not only did she sing my favorite song, Oh No, Not My Baby, but she came out the stage door afterwards and gave me a big kiss and an autograph that I treasured until I went to Afghanistan 5 years later. In the interim I booked concerts at my school by Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Temptations, The Fugs, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Pink Floyd, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, The Byrds, the Dead... all the regular stuff we used to dance around to in college back then. And I was a dj and so on. Even when my music juju screwed up, it didn't screw up too bad. I once drove all the way to some village near Lyallpur in Pakistan, the familial home of the famous Ali Brothers (of my most enjoyable acid trips) only to find the Ali Brothers, Nazakat and Salamat, the world's greatest Qawwali singers, away on a concert tour. Years later I was working in a meditation center in Amsterdam and someone persuaded me to go upstairs to hear some "trippy Indian music" and it was... Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan. Point: I've seen everyone (except The Beatles, all of whom I've seen individually). And the further point, when I saw Bassekou is the Jimi Hendrix of the ngoni, a description that is now widely used, and that the concert I saw him play at the French Cultural Center in Bamako was one of the greatest and most inspired live shows I've ever seen in my life... well, it's not like some kid telling you about the first live music he's ever seen. I knew Jimi Hendrix when he was the lead guitarist for the Night Hawks fronting John Hammond. He did his first American concert after he became the Jimi Hendrix Experience for me and that night I watched incredulously as he and my mother smoked a joint. I hung out with him in Essaouira and saw him play at the Isle of Wight Festival before he died and I went off in search of the Alis.

That said, Bassekou is not just playing in L.A. tomorrow (Sunday), he's playing a free show-- at Amoeba Records on Sunset, around the corner from that favorite L.A. restaurant I was talking about! If you're in the L.A. area-- unless you're lucky enough to have tickets for one of the shows at the Getty Center-- don't miss this chance.

Bassekou plays ngoni on President Obama's favorite record, Kulanjan but he's not well know in the U.S. yet, although he's a superstar in Africa and on his way to being one in Europe. This is what I wrote after seeing him play in Bamako:

I don't know how to describe the concert without losing the essence of what the music did for everyone involved-- both on and off the stage. Let me tell you, though, as magnificent as the recorded versions of his songs are, the live show is what makes it so amazing. The concert defined hot. When those syncopated rhythms get going, there is no resisting their power. Mali is the birthplace of the blues-- and the blues is still very much alive and vibrant here-- and it is the ancestral home of rock'n'roll in every imaginable way. Bassekou has that coursing through his blood and he knows exactly how to convey it to the audience.

And the dancing was as good as the music! Absolutely breathtaking! Truthfully, I can't remember the last time music compelled me to jump out of my seat and dance in the aisle. Last night it did.

I found this video on YouTube-- Bassekou at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC a couple weeks ago. I wonder if Heath Shuler made it to the show. Bassekou will be in Savannah on April 2nd and I'll definitely tell Regina Thomas to check it out; it's right up her alley.  In this clip it looks like a local banjo player found his way onto the stage; you can tell who he is because he's the one with the store-bought instrument. If you're in L.A., hasta mañana. Otherwise, Bassekou's U.S. tour schedule is here. Wow! 4 nights in Minneapolis and three in Lafayette, Louisiana!

Ten thesis on the new extractivism

The Latin American left, for all their, virtues are still linked to an extractive economy, based on getting oil, gas, minerals and metals out of the ground as quickly as possible.While less aggressive than the Latin American right in Peru and Colombia, the basic contradiction remains.At least in Latin America there are networks of indigenous people and ecosocialist activists oppose to this, in

Möbius Gardens

Chinese garden with endless staircase by Melissa Benson

Ken Livingstone and the Green Party

Ken Livingstone appeared with Green Party activists in Cambridge.He didn't as a Labour Party member endorse the Greens but he came close.As an independent he was first elect Mayor of London with some Green Party support.More here

Army of Crime

Watching Army of Crime about the left resistance in France, pretty good.do miss France, must make a trip, I am so much more in touch with Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Australia, even Germany and Turkey.Michael Lowy my French (also Brazilian) ecosocialist friend is such a good person and has written so much excellent stuff.Review here

Alberto Durango demo 5pm Liverpool St

Just had this from Dave Broder, thanks Dave!Hi everyoneJust in case you'd forgotten, the day of action against Swiss bank UBS in solidarity with under-fire cleaners and sacked shop steward Alberto Durango is today (Fri 19th).There's going to be demos in London, Zurich, Manchester, Edinburgh, Stockholm, New York, Kyiv and Buenos Aires...The London protest is from 5pm at 100 Liverpool Street -

Respect leader on course to win election as MP

The party leader, Salma Yaqoob, who finished second in Birmingham Sparkbrook in 2005, is standing in the neighbouring Hall Green seat where Labour's Roger Godsiff is defending a notional majority of 4,191. Yaqoob is popular in the area, a third of which is Muslim, and she has been helped by the local Green Party's decision to stand aside and endorse Respect. http://www.newstatesman.com/

Violated in the name of progress

Every day, we see the blatant abuse and destruction of our Sacred Sites. Because all humans are indigenous to the Earth, it is up to all of us to protect and preserve the resting places of our Ancestors and other sites that are a rich part of our cultural, spiritual, and traditional heritage. We live in a time where our natural landscapes are fast disappearing, our Sacred Sites are violated, our

Empty prosperity leads to catastrophe

In this hidden world of cause-and-effect, the environmental movement and the public stand at a crossroads. Is growth a product of “consumerism” — the most socially acceptable and socially neutral explanation that we usually encounter in discussions of environmental deterioration? Or does growth occur because of the nature of production for a market economy? To a certain extent, we can say. both.

Ecological advertising

Ecological advertising from Indinesia with endless staircase.

Images by Francisco Andriani

Ténèbres

Cover of XIX century French book "Ténèbres" by Alcide Morin.

Victory in Afganistan

Victory in Afganistan Cartoon by Christian Adams

Screnshots from game Chrono Cross

Here, there are screenshots from Japanese RPG game Chrono Cross from the level Dimension Vortex, where labyrinth is the impossible figure itself.

L.A.'s Best New Restaurant: Lifefood Organic

I don't write much about restaurants and hotels or any kind of attractions in Los Angeles, not because it's an unworthy of tourist attention, but because I live here. But it dawned on me the other day that with so many tourists flocking to L.A. I should point out my newest favorite restaurant. Sort of restaurant... most exclusive restaurant in town (only 6 seats)! I want to back track first.

A few weeks ago I was with some friends celebrating my birthday at an old L.A. favorite, A.O.C. Our regular wonderful waitress Suzanne (from Sweden) wasn't there and we got stuck with someone who would rather be an asshole than be helpful. So when I asked for the sublime Brussels sprouts in parsnip purée dish I had had earlier in the week to be brought with no bits of pork or ham or whatever pig flesh they use to screw it up with, she said it wasn't possible. But it was possible. Suzanne had gotten it for us a few days previous and I had been dreaming about it since. In fact, it's why I picked A.O.C. for the celebration. She said I was mistaken. I ordered the broccoli with garlic and chili instead and the meal was very good. Everyone loved everything they ate. Afterwards a cook came over to say happy birthday and discuss the Brussels sprouts problem. Turned out her name is Suzanne too-- Suzanne Goin.

I don't watch cooking shows on TV and I don't follow chef celebrity but my friend Heather was kvelling. Turns out Suzanne Goin is the chef-- and one of the most renowned in the chef celebrity circuit. She was very sweet too. Heather mentioned she's also the chef at Lucques, where I hadn't been since I turned in my company credit card. But Suzanne sure knows how to cook up some good food-- and Lucques is a lot closer than A.O.C. to my home so... a few nights later Roland and I tried to get into our favorite local raw vegan joint, Cru and, as happens more and more frequently these days, it was too crowded and we had to walk away. On the spur on the moment we decided to go "someplace different" and I called Lucques and they said, "Come on down." We did. Of course it was delicious. But I had a realization while I was eating. It was heavy-- really heavy. Everything was cooked in sticks of butter. And when I chatted with the waiter about... the Brussels sprouts, well... they were cooked in veal stock. The food tasted good but was clearly deadly healthwise and very, very expensive. Why bother? How had I drifted so far away from raw vegan to find myself, at least once or twice a week, in places like A.O.C. and Lucques?

The next day, I met up with Roland for dinner again and he basically had had the same thoughts. "Let's eat someplace simpler. Lucques was too heavy." I said "OK, I have just the place!"

Livefood Organic at 1507 Cahuenga in Hollywood, just a few feet from the corner of Sunset Blvd-- and very conveniently located to ArcLight and Amoeba, isn't really a restaurant. It's a raw, vegan take-out place. But there's a nice communal table in the window with 6 stools. It's only been open a few weeks and so far there's always been a little room at the table.

First of all, every single thing they prepare is absolutely delicious, healthy and incredibly inexpensive. And... you can order stuff to go with dignity. I mean that's what it's all about-- that and the healthy eating thing. My mouth is starting to water as I write because I'm thinking of the delicious lasagna I have in my fridge right now that I'll be eating when I'm done writing. Lasagna and blueberry cobbler. Eating at Lifefood Organic isn't about making any compromises with taste. Their food is unquestionably more delicious-- not to mention nutritious-- than the "same" dishes you'll find in conventional restaurants, including-- if not especially in the A.O.C.s and Lucques of the world. If you're a raw foodie, think about this-- their dishes are as good as anything you'll find at Pure Food and Wine in New York City! I've been all over Italy and-- more to the point-- I grew up in NYC and I've never tasted better tiramisu than at Lifefood!

Click on the menu so you can read it-- and a warning: they usually only have a few things on any one day-- but they're ALL yummy

Logotype of EKRA

Calendar of EKRA