Skidmark Bob interviews John Anderson of Media Minutes and www.diymedia.net about his media history, program, website and pirate/micro radio, copyright, filesharing and a hell of alot more Sam an Joe end song "Save the Fuckin Children"

John Anderson spent several years practicing commercial radio journalism before leaving that career in 2000. In 2001 he co-founded the Workers Independent News Service, the first nationwide labor-centric radio news service in 50 years. He is now a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Institute of Communications Research and spends much of his free time exploring the worlds of microradio and media collage.

Audio: Listen to the Stream or Download the mp3 (36:20 minutes / 16.6 MB)

[ DIYmedia.net || Media Minutes || Free Radio Santa Cruz || Truthful Translations || GWB: Skidmark Bob Megamixes ]

On May 22, Alli Starr and Medea Benjamin spoke at Bookshop Santa Cruz on behalf of CodePink Women For Peace and a new book called "Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism." Local Folk-Goddess Diane Patterson got the evening started by singing and playing guitar.

Audio: Download the mp3 (44:22 minutes / 15.2 MB)

A discussion time followed the presentation and Medea talked about her experience at the Halliburton Shareholders meeting which took place on May 18, 2005 in Houston, Texas. She also talked about her experience at the Iraq War Protest which took place in Fayetteville, North Carolina on March 19, 2005 and included Iraq veterans, military families and resisters. Medea says that one good thing going on these days is that the U$ Imperial Forces have been too busy to stop the momentum of Latin American social movements.

Alli talked about the Art in Action camp which takes place each summer in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Q and A: Download the mp3 (11:05 minutes / 3.8 MB)

Palestine Awareness Week at UCSC features seminal speakers and an evening of Palestinian culture.

The Committee for Justice in Palestine at UCSC invites the public to attend a series of stellar events focusing on the Israeli occupation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian culture. The events are free and open to all.

Please come share in the stories of struggle and survival and the celebration of Palestine’s ancient cultural heritage. On Tuesday, May 24, we will hear from Israeli Robi Damelin and Palestinian Nadwa Sarandah from Parents Circle and Bereaved Families Supporting Peace and Tolerance. On Wednesday, May 25 Khalil & Noura Isa will talk about the psychological effects of the occupation and Arab activism in the United States and abroad. Thursday evening will feature professional Debkeh Preformers (traditional Arabic Dance), Music, Food, Art and Dress from the Middle East.

May 25 in downtown Santa Cruz: From Loss to Hope: Israeli and Palestinian Women Work for Reconciliation

Take Back the Night is an international rally and march that is organized in local communities with the purpose of unifying women, men, and children in an awareness of violence against women, children and families. The event is a collaboration of community and campus and other interested persons who are ready to take a stand against violence and make the night safe for everyone.

Women are often told to be extra careful and take precautions when going out at night. In some parts of the world, even today, women are not allowed out at night. So when women struggle for freedom, we must start at the beginning by fighting for freedom of movement, which we have not had and do not now have. We must recognize that freedom of movement is a precondition for anything else. It comes before freedom of speech in importance because without it freedom of speech cannot in fact exist.

Audio interview with three of the organizers: Download the mp3 (9:20 minutes / 8.5 MB)

Photos and Report Backs from Take Back the Night 2005 at UCSC

From the open publishing newswire: More than 125 people marched through UCSC Campus Thursday night, participating in 2005's Take Back the Night and demanding that UCSC address safety issues on campus.

The evening began with a rally at UCSC's Baytree Plaza, where students gathered to hear poetry and presentations, and to get information from campus and community organizations dedicated to helping survivors of sexual violence and ending rape and sexual assault. More words and photos...

From the open publishing newswire: On the night of Thursday, May 19, the UCSC community 'Took Back the Night' from various forms of violence, especially violence against women.

This year's march had a different feel than in previous years due to the wheelchair friendly route, the inclusion of men, and the continued expansion of the definition of 'violence'. More words and photos...

"Why is it media reform? it should be media revolution!" I stepped into the 2005 national conference for media reform with very few personal expectations. i am new to indymedia, just getting back into photojournalism and really need to study up on what's going on within the field... so i asked my fellow san diego indymistas what they might like for me to ask - and set out to see what i could find. happily - it did not take very long... [ read more at san diego imc... ]

This conference was about reformist politics, academic speech, and money. Reformers are generally people that recognize that a problem exists, and use their dollars and sense to rectify that problem. These people exist everywhere. In this incantation the people had recognized that the media may not be telling the truth all of the time and in some cases may also be working or the governement or the corporations that own them in an attempt to trick the people into thinking a certain way or beleiving a certain set of lies... [ read more at portland imc... ]

For me, the NCMR really threw into relief the gulf between the perspective of IMC and the media justice groups versus a media "reform" agenda. Below are some of the reasons I was deeply troubled by the vision of media change articulated by free press and most of the people I heard speak on panels. [ read more from nyc imc ]

I am here in St. Louis, MO attending the National Conference for Media Reform where many of the nation's most prominent left-leaning journalists and media scholars have gathered. Well, that is, many of the nation's white left-leaning journalists and media scholars. [ read more at dc imc... ]

other sources: IMC takes action at NCMR I Pics from NCMR I At Tennessee IMC I At NYC IMC I At St. Louis IMC
more about the conference: I FreePress.net I Download Session Audio I Streaming Video I Other Press Coverage

Know your rights, and fight back against government harassment of the Bay Area activist community

Since the arrest of Peter Young in Santa Clara County, after over 7 years on the F-B-I's WANTED list, there have been increasing levels of activity by the feds in the counties of San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz. This comes as no great surprise as the Department of Justice seems desperate to try and blame their failure to arrest Peter on some sort of vast consiparacy.

It is especially important during this time of increased government repression to stand up for our rights and just say NO to government harassment. You have the right to remain silent - use it!

You do not have to talk to FBI agents, police or any law enforcement agent. If approached tell them you have nothing to say.

Escalations in protest against military recruitment locally and nationally have shown results. Recuiters have been harassed, confronted, sued, kicked out, and engaged in dialogue. And they are worried.

May 20th, 2005, all US Army recruiting offices will be CLOSED in order to "reaffirm" their "oaths." This should be seen as a victory to those who have engaged in dialogue with recruiters--who have fallen short of their "goals" for enlistment consistently the past few years.

Free Radio call-in (.mp3) and info from the Capitola Recuiting office and the Watsonville "job" faire.

See also: Mumia Abu Jamal: Harder and Harder to Recruit || UCSC Students Kick Military Recruiters Off Campus || www.Indymedia.us || Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors || RCNV's Draft & Military Alternatives Program || CodePink's Counter-Recruitment Campaign

Two student organizations at UC Santa Cruz will host ‘Drug War Awareness Week’ May 16-19. The UC Santa Cruz chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) have formed a coalition to combat “the misguided and harmful policies that have kept the War on Drugs going despite years of ineffectiveness and outright societal degradation,� said Daniel Bear, a member of both groups.

Drug War Awareness Week features a variety of events appealing to all members of the community, including an open mic night, film screenings, a lobbying phone slam, and a panel discussion entitled ‘Real Life Co$ts of the Drug War.’ Speaking on the panel are noted UC Santa Cruz professor and chair of the Women’s Studies department Angela Davis, Valerie Corral of the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), representatives of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project, other professors, and Friends Outside.

See also: Phone Slam California Senators (5/16)

[ NORML/SSDP of Santa Cruz || Letter to D.A. Bob Lee || NORML's State By State Guide to Marijuana Laws || Students for Sensible Drug Policy ]

Actions calling for an end to the Iraq war were held across the US on Sunday, May 15. Protestors wore numbers to dramatize the more than 100,000 Iraqis and 1,600 US soldiers who have died in the war. In Philadelphia, anti-war activists staged a die-in at the Liberty Bell, while in Seattle, Boston, and elsewhere, peace advocates held candlelight vigils, and other actions. FSRN's Vinny Lombardo reports from Santa Cruz, CA where about 40 people handed out leaflets to educate tourists about the costs of war. (call to action)

Audio: Download the mp3 (2:47 minutes)

Photos from Santa Cruz: The Cost of War: Iraq as of May 15th, 2005

[ CountingTheCost.org ]

On May 12, S.E.I.U. workers, students, labor organizers and other commmunity members demonstrated outside Sunshine Villa Assisted Living on Beach Hill in Santa Cruz. Sunshine Villa is owned by Regent Assisted Living which is based in Portland, Oregon. The owner is very worried that if Sunshine Villa is unionized, then the many other assited living facilities he owns in 7 other states will become unionized as well.

S.E.I.U has filed bad faith bargaining charges against Sunshine Villa. While the Labor Board makes a decision, it’s important for Santa Cruz to show Sunshine Villa that we will not be silent while they attempt to bust the Union.

Audio from the May 12th Rally: Download the mp3 (14:55 minutes / 5.1 MB)

See also: Rain Doesn't Halt Sunshine Villa Workers Solidarity Rally (3/22/05)