I cite

I've not met Jodi Dean, but I like her style - a little anxiety at an error on the last page of her new book I can surely understand (since my first book - Rumour - had an error on page two - gnnng). And I like the way you can have a little anxiety and still do self promotion (which is what this blog is about - see Trinketization for better-more-the same...)...

Anyway, her book comes out in two weeks - so I am pre-ordering as from what I heard of it in advance it looks good.

"I cite August 09, 2006
[jodi writes:]
My advance copies of Zizek's Politics arrived today.
Apparently, books will be in the warehouse in two weeks.

It's weird. On the one hand, I'm happy to have the book out. On the other, I feel a kind of pit in my stomach, anxiety over the book's appearing. Somehow, the appearance of this book makes me feel more exposed than I have with other books and articles. It may be that this sick feeling is linked to the difficulties during copyediting, a process that was more complicated than usual because I had to
make a bunch of alterations after Parallax View appeared.

The sick feeling was confirmed and heightened just now when I discovered that the last sentence of the book makes no sense (a word is missing or one word should be
changed), that there is a mistake in it. The mistake is, of course, mine. But I wish I had caught it. Or that one of the various copyeditors had. Oh god, this makes me feel so completely ill. I'm afraid of looking through it and finding more errors."

Don't look any further Jodi - you can't change em now. It will be fine.

Riotinto in court strife

Of course picking on arms trader Spicer over Bougainville as I have done previously, perhaps overlooks the real gangsters in this scenario - the mining company, pretend 'community friendly', plunderer of Islands, destroyer of worlds - RioTinto Zinc. It was they that ripped the hole in the planet that was the Panguna mine on Bougainville, and their posting of 3.8 Billion in net income during the rise of copper prices this year only reminds us that its the legalised fat cats that sit in head office 6 St James Square London - and shareholders like Queen Lizzie and her nefarious gang - that were the real target of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army uprising and war throughout the 1990s. Austrailian military support and the PNGDF were just the front for the company's interests.

Lawyers seem to be making a decent effort to corner some of the gangsters though. News from the US circuit court offers something to smirk about. Light up your fat-cat stodgies now! May they go the way of Enron. Thanks Vikki John, check Partizans.

"Islanders Win Court Appeal - Reuters August 7 2006.

By Steve James

NEW YORK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday reinstated a human rights claim brought by Bougainville islanders in Papua New Guinea against international mining giant Rio Tinto Plc (RIO.L: Quote, Profile, Research).
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled the case may be heard in the United States. A U.S. District Court had dismissed the suit, siding with the State Department that the case could not be heard in U.S. courts.
There was no immediate comment from Rio Tinto and a State Department official said it had no comment until it looked into the ruling.
The suit claims that London-based Rio Tinto conspired with the government of Papua New Guinea to quell civil resistance to an environmentally devastating copper mining operation, actions that led to the deaths of thousands.
The State Department argued the case could interfere with the peace process on Bougainville, which is the largest of the North Solomon islands and is part of Papua New Guinea, off the northeast coast of Australia.
The ruling remands the case to U.S. District Court in San Francisco, and says Rio Tinto could be held liable for actions by the PNG government if the company's involvement is proven.
The suit was filed in 2000 and seeks to represent Bougainvilleans exposed to toxins resulting from the Panguna copper mine, people who lost property due to environmental contamination, and people injured or killed during the Bougainville conflict between 1989 and 1999.
Under the Alien Tort Claims Act, foreign nationals can bring suit in the United States against companies that violate international law. Rio Tinto's subsidiary, U.S. Borax Inc., has headquarters in Los Angeles.
The Panguna mine and the political events that erupted since the mine was established are at the core of the case. Between 1969 and 1972, the Australian Colonial Administration leased land on the island to Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. The suit claims that landowners unsuccessfully resisted intrusion onto their land, and many Bougainvilleans were forced to move or flee the island.
According to the suit, Rio Tinto destroyed villages, razed the rain forest, sliced off a hillside and established the world's largest open-pit mine. The mine excavated 300,000 tons of ore and water every day between 1972 and 1988.
The suit alleges that Rio Tinto improperly dumped waste rock and tailings, emitting chemical and air pollutants. The waste destroyed local fish stock, it alleges.
The Bougainville people -- especially children -- began dying more frequently from upper respiratory infections, asthma and tuberculosis, the suit states.
According to the complaint, in 1990, villagers started an uprising which closed the mine, and in response, Rio Tinto and the Papua New Guinea government brought troops in to reopen it. The complaint alleges that Rio Tinto provided transport for the troops and played a role in instituting a military blockade of the island that lasted for almost 10 years."
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Japan sees manned moon station in 2030. 02/08/2006. ABC News Online

Japan sees manned moon station in 2030. 02/08/2006. ABC News Online:

"Last Update: Wednesday, August 2, 2006. 7:31pm (AEST)

Japan sees manned moon station in 2030

Japan's space agency has set a goal of constructing a manned lunar base in 2030.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has revealed its ambition to an international conference in Tokyo this week but has not yet been allotted the budget for the ambitious project.
JAXA hopes to launch a satellite into lunar orbit next year, followed by an unmanned spacecraft that will land on the moon and a probe ship that will collect samples from the moon.
Under the plan, the astronauts will be sent to the moon by around 2020 so that they will start construction of the base to be completed by 2030.
Japan had earlier given 2025 as the target date for a lunar base.
'The feasibility of the plan is unclear at this point as we need to gain understanding by the Government and the Japanese people on our plan, but technologically it would be possible in a few decades,' Satoki Kurokawa, a spokesman for JAXA, said.
'Exploring a frontier is always a mission of science. In addition, space programs have the potential to create cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the field of robotics.'
Japan's space program has been on a rebound with a series of satellite launches after an embarrassment in 2003, when it had to abort a rocket carrying a spy satellite just 10 minutes after lift-off.
The United States is planning to put a person on the moon by 2015, the first since another American, Eugene Cernan, on December 11, 1972.
US President George W Bush has set the goal of a manned mission to Mars by 2020.
The European Space Agency plans a human flight to the moon in 2020 and China and India are preparing unmanned missions in the next two years"
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pic - George Melies - Voyage to the Moon 1902.
See also Federation Big Brother and to see what the place might be like, see the film by Ichikawa Kon

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Protest against Condi Rice in Kuala Lumpur - Get Lost adn Get Out

Protest against Condi Rice in Kuala Lumpur


http://parti-sosialis.org/
STOP MEDDLING IN ASEAN AND MIDDLE EAST!CONDI RICE TOLD TO GET LOST AND GET OUT

Kuala Lumpur, 27 July 2006

A small crowd of two hundred people called on US Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice to get lost and condemned the Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as well as ASEAN foreign ministers for having an audience with Rice.
The crowd led by Coalition Against War Malaysia gathered in front of the KLCC Twin Towers and walked to the KL Convention centre where the 39th. Asean Ministerial meeting was to take place. The Coalition was led by political parties and Non Government Organisation. The gathering today was mainly participated by members of the Parti Socialist Malaysia (PSM), Malaysian Justice Party (PKR) and the Islamic Party PAS. Others present were the Coalition of the Oppressed People – JERIT. Food not Bombs, DEMA and SUARAM. A huge number of media people were present to cover the event.
In a surprising move, the police contacted the organisers in the morning and gave an express permit for the gathering in spite of no parties applying for one.

From the KLCC towers, the group carried their banners and walked to the Convention Centre. The groups then gathered in front of the Convention centres and shouted slogans and gave speeches. A moderate presence of Police blocked the entrance and put up a human barricade. The demonstrators went on shouting slogans. Among the most used phrase was “ Down with US”, “Rice get lost”, “ Stop the War”, “ Down with Zionist Israel” .
A string of speakers gave speeches bombarding the US and its role in the current crisis in Middle East. Among the speaker’s were PSM’s National Chairperson Comrade Nasir Hashim, PAS National Treasurer Hatta Ramli, JERIT Coordinator. Letchimi Devi, SUARAM Executive Director Yap Swee Seng and PKR Vice Youth Chief Shamsul Iskandar.

S.Arutchelvan, the Secretary General of PSM as well as spokesperson for the Coalition Against War Malaysia read the joint statement. The joint statement called on the following
Israel immediately stops its attack on Palestine and Lebanon
The US immediately stops its occupation of Iraq and pull out its troops from Iraq
Israel and the US be held accountable for the crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression and be prosecuted under International law
The United States close down the infamous Guantonomo Bay detention centre
Malaysian government not to negotiate free trade agreement with the US that will further promote its imperialist agenda and economic hegemony at the expense of Malaysians.
Attempts to submit the joint memorandum failed as no one from the ASEAN Secretariat wanted to receive the joint statement in spite of numerous attempts made by the police to contact them. Finally a delegation of five people walked to the staircase of the convention centre accompanied by policemen and placed the joint statement at the stairs of the Convention centre and left the venue.
The gathering today was a small one but was a symbolic gesture that the US is not popular anywhere in the world. The people gathered today were frustrated with the US and even more frustrated for them to be given special audience by ASEAN.

STOP ISRAEL AGGRESSION ON PALESTINE AND LEBONAN !
STOP THE WAR !
US OUT OF IRAQ ! NO TO FTA

Updates on the aggression against lebanon

Updates on the aggression against lebanon: "Mapping of Israeli assault: July 12-24

posted by zeina at 8:18 PM 3 comments
Minute by Minute:: July 25
14:01 Six Israeli air strikes on environs of al-Khiam, Ibl al-Saqi and al-Khiam/Marjeoun road
13:58 Lebanese army command calls on all soldiers and reserves to help with relief work
13:50 Nabih Berri: only solution is for Israelis to withdraw from Sheba'a Farms and K'farshouba hill, hand over landmine maps and exchange prisoners; afterwards if US wants comprehensive solution, Lebanon will be part of it
13:37 Israeli shelling of populated area in Mays al-Jabal
13:35 Renewed Israeli shelling of several villages near Sour (Tyre)
13:30 Nabih Berri: Israelis lost number of tanks in Maroun al-Ras and were not able to advance; that is why every single house in Bint Jbeil is being demolished; there is no difference in outlook with Siniora
13:24 Italian Prime Minister: main aim of Rome conference is implementation of ceasefire in Lebanon
13:20 Nabih Berri: Israel's policies in Lebanon unrelated to abduction of two soldiers; timing for their abduction was known since last exchange of prisoners, which was incomplete; [DR!] Rice's effect on Lebanon remains, although she is no longer here, through her minions; Rice did not give priority to cease fire and her conditions are danger to Lebanese unity; Rice called for keeping border area uninhabited, till after reconstruction; Israel is blocking swift exchange of prisoners; we only suggested prisoner exchange
13:14 Nabih Berri to al-Arabiya TV: meeting with Rice was tense
13:12 German News Agency: 25 injured in Haifa as result of Hezbollah shelling
13:10 Fouad Siniora to lead Lebanese delegation to Rome
13:05 Olmert in favor of continuing war, Rice calls for new Middle East
...cont...
The horror, the horror...
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3quarksdaily deluge on the tongue, taste that, anticipate, our appetites agog...

3quarksdaily: "Pynchon on Amazon
In Slate:
Things did not delay in turning curious when the first beats of the drumroll began for Thomas Pynchon's forthcoming book. Last month, lit-bloggers and news-writers reported that Penguin Press would issue the author's sixth novel in December. This whetted the palates of those hard-core fans who have spent the years since 1997's Mason & Dixon speculating that Pynchon was at work on a doozy about lady mathematicians of the old school and also, uhm, Mothra. Last week, Amazon.com put up a page that listed Untitled Thomas Pynchon at a svelte 992 pages and bore a description purportedly written by the master himself. In fact, it purported quite well indeed and also rather charmingly, promising an archetypal Pynchonian buffet of settings, characters, and old tricks ('Characters stop what they're doing to sing what are for the most part stupid songs. Strange sexual practices take place. Obscure languages are spoken, not always idiomatically.') Then the description just vanished from the page.
Was this a hoax? A jump-the-gun glitch? A hype?
Posted by Robin Varghese at 05:04 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0) "

publish.nyc.indymedia.org | Three Letters from Beirut

publish.nyc.indymedia.org Three Letters from Beirut:
[thanks to Kee Yong for pointing towards this]

"As per the usual of Lebanon, it's not only about Lebanon, the country has paradigmatically been the terrain for regional conflicts to lash out violently. Off course speculations abound. There is rhetoric, and a lot of it, but there are also Theories.

1) Theory Number One. This is about Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah negotiating an upper hand in the negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah have indicated from the moment they captured the Israeli soldiers that they were willing to negotiate in conjunction with Hamas for the release of all Arab prisoners in Israeli jails. Iran is merely providing a back support for Syria + Hamas.

2) Theory Number Two. This is not about solidarity with Gaza or strengthening the hand of the Palestinians in negotiating the release of the prisoners in Israeli jails. This is about Iran's nuclear bomb and negotiations with the Europeans/US. The Iranian negotiator left Brussels after the end of negotiations and instead of returning to Tehran, he landed in Damascus. Two days later, Hezbollah kidnapped the Israeli soldiers. The G8 Meeting is on Saturday, Iran is supposed to have some sort of an answer for the G8 by then. In the meantime, they are showing to the world that they have a wide sphere of control in the region: Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon. In Lebanon they pose a real threat to Israel. The "new" longer-reaching missiles that Hezbollah fired on Haifa are the message. The kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia issued statements holding Hezbollah solely responsible for bringing on this escalation, and that is understood as a message to Iran. Iran on the other hand promised to pay for the reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructures in the south. And threatened Israel with "hell" if they hit Syria.

3) Theory Number Three. This is about Lebanon, Hezbollah and 1559 (the UN resolution demanding the disarmement of Hezbollah and deployment of the Lebanese army in the southern territory). It stipulates that this is no more than a secret conspiracy between Syria, Iran and the US to close the Hezbollah file for good, and resolve the pending Lebanese crisis since the assassination of Hariri. Evidence for this conspiracy is Israel leaving Syria so far unharmed. Holders of this theory claim that Israel will deliver a harsh blow to Hezbollah and cripple the Lebanese economy to the brink of creating an internal political crisis. The resolution would then result in Hezbollah giving up arms, and a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon under the control of the Lebanese army in Lebanon and the Israeli army in the north of Galilee. More evidence for this Theory are the Saudi Arabia and Jordan statements condemning Hezbollah and holding them responsible for all the horrors inflicted on the Lebanese people.

There are more theories... There is also the Israeli government reaching an impasse and feeling a little wossied out by Hezbollah and Hamas, and the Israeli military taking the upper hand with Olmert.
"
So, this all is a more elaborate way of saying its shit from all sides. Lebanon gets it bad whatever the scenario.
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Fun^Da^Mental's 'All Is War'

hawgblawg: "Positive review of Fun^Da^Mental's 'All Is War'
At last, a critic able to actually engage with Fun^Da^Mental's forthcoming release (due out at the end of the month) All Is War--a review by Chris Campion, writing in The Observer. Some choice bits:

Strip away the outrage, then, and what's left is an album pieced together with great consideration. To provoke not just a reaction but thought and debate...Musically, too, it's audacious and, at times, exhilarating...it is underpinned by a militant faith: a faith in humanity to lance the boil afflicting society and reveal the poison swelling up within. Fear, intolerance, ignorance and self-interest are the hallmarks of Blair's Britain underneath its thin veneer of civility and morality.
posted by Ted Swedenburg @ 8:57 PM "

Aki here and FDM here.
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