Category: Articles

By I Steve

If you’re picking up this issue in the near or distant future (from 2009 AD), let me refresh your memory. Late New Year’s Eve, BART police came to the Fruitvale station responding to a report of groups of youth fighting. While they detained many suspects, one BART policeman, Johannes Mehserle, pulled his revolver, waited, and then fatally shot Oscar Grant. Over the next week, people from many paths realized “Whoa! What the fuck!” and a protest happened, which turned into a march, which became an outburst of property destruction and disposal container abuse with over a hundred arrests. This awakened and actualized the natural human capacity to realize another world is possible. Hopefully anyway. Most rational observers acknowledge that the militant protests were the key factor in getting the system to take the killing seriously.

The media (and we assume the police) have noticed a substantial presence of perceived anarchists. This includes everyone who engaged in direct action and covered their faces, and many of those people probably were anarchists. The protest was demonized by the media. Many anarchists feel threatened because times like these are the only time that mainstream media notices anarchists.

People who read between the lines may wonder, who are these anarchists? Are they real? Such a one might consider looking at an anarchist publication from the East Bay to understand such a perspective; perhaps that’s you.

Elements of bullshit regarding the Oakland riot and anarchists:

A powerful, orderly protest was hijacked by anarchists, radicals and/or gangsta youth

The corporate media and the government have two preferred responses to protest; downplaying and ignoring, or demonizing. Only when these fail will they consider appeasement, negotiation, or concession. When, because of lack of opportunity or finesse, only the first two outcomes are available, condemnation is all too often better that irrelevance. Wasn’t it P.T. Barnum who said, “The only bad publicity is no publicity?”

There were no good protesters and bad protesters. A broad variety of views exist among both the community and the protesters, and even the rioters as well. Some thought the basic idea of riotous protest was good, but found the vast collateral damage regrettable. A hefty faction thought an in-your-face aggro march was good but would prefer no trashing or scuffling. Some thought there wasn’t enough destruction. Many wished we had never left Fruitvale BART. A lot of people thought everything turned out the best way possible, but I’m not sure how many of them always think that.

The anarchist and “Berkeley radicals” were outsiders and/or opportunists

Yeah yeah, fuck you too. Oakland probably has more anarchists per capita than any mid-sized American city. And outside of what? Oscar Grant lived in Hayward, Johannes Mehserle wasn’t from Oakland, and only a few of the kids on the BART platform probably were. Are we native to the BART system? We use public transit hella more than the assholes who call us outsiders.

They say that anarchists and “Berkeley radicals” were using the shooting to push another agenda. Why yes actually, we do believe events like the BART shooting illuminate the need for a better society. Despite our idealism, there is also a very practical concern that is the basis of solidarity with youth of color and other oppressed communities. Police don’t like anarchists (they especially don’t like anarchist youth of color). If police can kill people with impunity we’re in an awkward situation.

Those wacky anarchists don’t know what they want

We is me and a couple friends but…

We want people to look at the shooting as part of a social problem. The pigfucker media has been portraying this as “did the cop somehow accidentally shoot the guy, or did he blink and become a murderous zombie for a moment?” Every step of the way BART stalled for ways to find an alibi. The state exists to institutionalize incompetence, alienation and cruelty.

Reading the bathroom-wall comments on SFGate comment boards, we read overt racists saying “Why the big fuss about a police killing, but nothing about all the gang-banging shootings?” The covert-racists liberals avoid this question because the answer is so obvious: the police presence in marginalized communities is consistently oppressive, and petty police murder is too much icing on the cake, a sledge-hammer that breaks the camel’s back.

We want a massive overhaul of how our society deals with personal and social justice,

We want a broader appreciation of the powerful idea of a coherent strategy for reclaiming, seizing and transforming public space. This involves many elements; a cohesive plan for grass-roots community security, the procurement of free territory by many ways that create spaces of freedom from ambient atomizing paranoia, and the liberation of anyone connected to such land. This involves communicating a shift of tactical fantasy from random destruction to liberated utopia.

All you who dared to bust loose, what is thy vision?

On January 1, 2009 Oscar Grant was murdered by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) cop Johannes Mehserle. The killing of Grant was captured on cell phone videos by other passengers on the train. It is important to note that the police attempted to collect all the cell phones that had recorded the incident, as “evidence.” In fact, it was a part of a failed attempt to cover-up the murder. We are lucky that not everyone was slavishly obedient to police demands of their personal property. The videos were posted on the Internet and broadcast on TV news making it crystal clear what had happened. The people were justifiably angry. This was not a time for the pacifist gibberish about loving your enemy.

Almost 1,000 folks came to the funeral for Grant in Hayward on January 7 and over 700 rallied at the Fruitvale BART station to demand “Justice for Oscar Grant”. Following the rally many of the demonstrators marched to downtown Oakland.

This was not the first time a BART cop has killed an unarmed citizen: Back in 1992 Jerrold Hall, an African American youth, was killed at the Hayward station by BART cop Fred Crabtree [who was white]. Hall was shot in the back in broad daylight. Crabtree got away scot-free. At 4 a.m. May 28, 2001 Bruce Seward, a car salesman, was shot and killed at the Hayward BART. This African American citizen was clearly going through a severe psychological crisis, as he was found naked when confronted and killed by BART cop David Bentancourt. One would think in a decent society “public servants” would be prohibited from killing mentally ill people for being mentally ill. Bentancourt walked.

Here is something you will never read in the “mainstream press”: the activities of those who were protesting the murder of Oscar Grant forced the authorities to arrest BART cop Johannes Mehserle on a fugitive warrant and charge him with murder. All the other BART police have walked.

The Role of the Corporate Media and the Police

After the January 7, 2009 rally, the corporate media went into full effect. They reported that over 300 businesses were destroyed and that hundreds went crazy in the streets. These reports were grossly exaggerated. The actual damage: about 40 store windows were smashed, a couple of dozen garbage cans thrown in the streets, and significant damage to a few vehicles. Hardly the end of human civilization. Nevertheless, the indiscriminate nature of some of the property destruction did not help our cause and made it easier for media to depict the demonstrators as psychos and sociopaths. Thus the people who oppose this wanton murder are turned into their opposite in the minds of people who know little of the struggle except what they see on the TV. When the “mainstream” media reports inaccurate information or outright lies they are not making a mistake. The role of the corporate media is to create and regenerate false-consciousness.

In regards to the police, media loyally promotes the necessary illusions that the police maintain law and order in the interests of all. “Serve and Protect” is the motto of police departments throughout the country. But who did the police “Serve and Protect” by murdering Oscar Grant? Certainly not the public.

To place this senseless murder in its proper social context it is useful to explain what kind of society we live in and how it operates. We live in a capitalist society. The big bosses, bankers and landlords constitute the ruling class in this society. As such they are a tiny minority of the population. Working people, the overwhelming majority of the population, own very little of consequence while the capitalists own the lions’ share of the national wealth. This is why the capitalists must maintain a repressive state apparatus, i.e. the army, police and prisons, to impose their will on society.

The role of the police, as a part of the state, is to “serve and protect” the capitalist class and their interests.

On December 6, 2008 in the district of Exarchia in Athens, Greece a 15 year old student, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, was murdered in cold blood — shot by a police officer. Spontaneous resistance, including a General Strike, exploded in Athens and Salonika, spreading to the rest of Greece. Compare this to demonstrations and unrest that have occurred here after the killing of Oscar Grant. Why the difference? The level of social awareness and solidarity, class consciousness, and regard for human life are obviously higher among the Greek working people. At this moment in history our Greek brothers and sisters are better organized that we are, which is reflected in their massive resistance. This, of course, is subject to change.

Everything the BART officials did revealed a desire to cover-up the killing of Oscar Grant. First they refused to release the cop’s name. they neglected to interrogate the officer. Then district attorney Tom Orloff refused to meet with Black clergy and politicians about the case. By every utterance and action made by these officials it appeared that business as usual was the order of the day, until the protesters made it clear that they would raise the social and economic cost of injustice.

The capitalists will never give up anything unless they fear losing everything.

These instructions are mostly taken from The New Orleans Residents’ Guide To Do It Yourself Soil Clean Up Using Natural Processes, published by the Meg Perry Healthy Soil Project (2006). The handbook includes great info for general soil cleanup, condensed here for space reasons.

Step 1: Soil evaluation and testing

Research historical contamination on/near the property using city/county records, aerial photographs, building permits, Sanborn fire insurance maps, property deeds, and EPA databases. Get your soil tested by a local agricultural extension or by UMASS Amherst.

Step 2: Soil preparation

If the soil is dead or compacted begin by aerating the soil. Pierce the soil with a garden fork or shovel but don’t turn the soil because this may bring toxic substances to the surface. If grass or other plants are already flourishing you may not need to aerate the soil. Wear at least a paper respirator when working if it’s dusty. Then spray compost tea to increase the amount of beneficial bacteria.

Compost tea: Fill a 5 gal. bucket with non-chlorinated water. (Let city tap water sit out over night to let chlorine volatilize. If your area uses chloramine, like the East Bay, add some citric acid to break it down.) Put an aquarium bubbler in the bucket to aerate the brewing tea. Suspend 1 cup of worm castings or aerobic compost in the water in an old stocking and squeeze it gently. After an hour, add 1/4 cup of food: molasses, humic acid, or fish hydrolase (ideally a mixture). Let the brew bubble for 24-36 hours, not longer or it will go anaerobic and smell! Apply it to damp soil within 4 hours before it goes bad, using a watering can or sprayer.

Step 3: Treating for High Levels of Metals like Lead and Arsenic

Different soil conditions are needed for the removal of metals such as lead (cationic metals) and metals such as arsenic (anionic metals)–that is, they cannot both be removed at once. Soil must be acidic (low pH) for removal of lead and other cationic metals. Soil must be basic (high pH) for removal of arsenic and anionic metals. This means that if you have both lead and arsenic in your soil, you will need to remove the toxins in several steps, rotating between acidic soil conditions and basic conditions.

Start first with the metals that are most highly concentrated. If both arsenic and lead are present, with higher concentrations of lead, for example, lower the pH and plant lots of sunflowers and Indian mustard to absorb lead. When these plants are fully-grown harvest them and throw them away. The next crop of Indian mustard should be in beds of high pH to treat for arsenic. Raising the pH to extract arsenic will also help immobilize lead.

Lead, Antimony, Barium, Cadmium, Copper, Mercury, Thallium, Zinc (cationic metals):

When trying to extract this group of heavy metals, lower the pH level by adding coffee grounds, organic sulfur or pine needles. The best lead absorbing plants are Indian mustard and sunflowers. Indian mustard will also uptake selenium, cadmium, nickel, and zinc. Sunflowers will also uptake cadmium and zinc. Plant seeds as directed, covering the area thoroughly; water and tend normally. When plants are grown spray compost tea around each plant a week before harvesting because this makes metals available to be absorbed by plants. Harvest and carefully discard in plastic bags that will go to the dump or be treated as toxic waste. Do not eat the mustard greens!

Arsenic and Chromium (anionic metals):

Grow Indian mustard in more basic conditions. Use thinly spread Phosphorous in some organic form such as bat guano or agricultural lime to raise the pH.

Step 4: Retesting and Repetition

Retest soils after each harvest or as often as you can. It is impossible to predict how long this will take because of ever-changing soil conditions; it will probably require many repetitions.

Personal Health and Safety:

Avoid direct contact with sediment. Touching sediment with bare hands, getting it in your mouth or eyes, or breathing the dust could be hazardous. Do not bring young children into contaminated areas, where they might touch sediment and then put fingers into their mouths.

Grow mostly fruiting crops (peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, corn, etc.)–these are safest because most plants don’t store toxins in their fruits. Avoid eating the roots, stems or leaves of plants if your soil has high toxin levels. Do not plant greens–broccoli, kale, mustard greens, spinach and lettuce are some of the common greens that take up toxins. Cabbage is the safest of leafy crops.

By Dortell Williams

The Los Angeles City Council is intertwined in a dusty ruckus as challenges loom against their decision to continue with a $24 million, 3.6 acre “Pachyderm Forrest” at the city zoo.

Animal rights advocates say the zoo exhibit is inadequate in size and makes for excruciating lonely days for the single elephant named Billy.

This controversy is interesting in view of the concurrent controversy regarding the medical condition of crammed and crowded California prisoners. Human rights advocates have prevailed in proving that the bustling concrete behemoth is so swelled that it infringes on the basic health rights of the captives.

Zoo officials lament that 12 elephants have died at the exhibit since 1968. Experts believe past care practices contributed to the demise of the creatures, but those practices — such as concrete floors and tight enclosures — have now been replaced with soft dirt courtyards laden with trees and greenery.

Human rights advocates cite an average of one prisoner death a week due to neglect or malpractice in the state prisons. That was until Thelton Henderson, U.S. District Justice for the northern district intervened by taking over the prison medical system in 2006.

Following an embarrassing early December trial before a three-judge panel, including Justice Henderson, it was determined that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is desperately overcrowded. The prison system was designed to hold 100,000 by an expanse of 33 prisons. However, the current population is a fluctuating 172,000 at it’s zenith, causing deaths, mental health deterioration and the rampant spread of diseases.

At the zoo, the geographical ethnicity of the most recent elephants to expire, Tara, a friendly 39 year old elephant who died in 2004; and Ruby, a careful 47 year old elephant who passed on to elephant heaven last year, was African. Then there was Gita, a gentle 48-year-old Asian elephant who slipped from life in 2006. Billy, the only remaining elephant at he zoo is a young 23-year-old Asian stud.

In contrast, the majority of California’s prisoners are of African American and Latino descent. As a result of a long held practice of state sanctioned racial segregation, a bloody froth of ethnic tension has developed, spilling over into innocent communities and making carnage of uninvolved citizens and their blameless children.

Hate-filled prison shanks are replaced on the streets by indiscriminate high-powered, rapid-fire semi-automatic weaponry. And while the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a straightforward cease and desist on the vile practice of racially segregating prisoners in a 5-3, 2005 vote, many believe this violent community cancer has already seriously escalated gang rivalries that have spread nationally and even internationally.

Critics of the zoo exhibit argue that 3.6 acres is not nearly enough for a half dozen or more elephants planned for the sanctuary. Some would like to see a 35-acre elephantine spread to be shared by as many elephants. Zoologists say the 3.6 acres is enough and will be furnished with a deep pool for swimming, fallen trees, a waterfall and rocks for the creatures to push or walk around.

Still, animal rights advocates explain that elephants are natural roamers and need to trek miles not acres to achieve optimum health and happiness. They also cite a high rate of infant mortality in captivity because without the opportunity to learn social skills from others the new mothers are ignorant of how to care for their young.

In the prison system there is such a thing as “social overload”. Overcrowding forbids prisoners the room to move about, resources are scarce and rationed, and privacy is almost non-existent because someone is always around. Paradoxically, loneliness still prevails because so many people are brought in and out of the system — in a constant cycle of recidivism and transfers — that people are rarely allowed to engage in meaningful friendships.

Indeed, the American Correctional Association recommends that prisoners — people incarcerated — be afforded a minimum of 60 square feet, and for those confined in their cells for more than 10 hours per day, 80 square feet.

Animal experts complain that elephants like Billy who show a neurotic habit of repetitiously bobbing their heads are signaling bouts of depression. Meanwhile, as the three-judge panel now contemplates how to remedy the gross inadequacies of the prison system, Justice Henderson has expressed concern about prisoners being subjected to extreme idleness and lack of productive rehabilitation programs that lead to mental deterioration and an inferior existence.

Dr. Joyce Poole, an animal behaviorist who has studied elephants in Africa for decades says that elephants bob their heads ” because they’re frustrated and bored and have a life that has no meaning…”

Perhaps people and pachyderms have more in common than we ever thought, yet only time will tell who’s right.

The author is a California prisoner. Write him at Dortel Williams #H-45771, A2-103, PO box 4430, Lancaster, CA 93539.

I had a revelation recently that we are beyond the realm of “politics” and more into “evolution”, that the scope of what is set in motion is beyond our human wills to turn around. And yet of course, it still seems relevant what we do; as the day of action, the decision what to eat, the words sung, may be the straw that carries a species through.

I find myself strangely at peace to accept the larger cycles of life that include extinctions. Nothing breaks my heart more than to imagine the disappearance of such beautiful and amazing creatures as Sand Hill Cranes, Sea Otters, Checker-spot Butterflies, all the birds and salamanders, insects, fish flowers; life people know so little of as it disappears forever. Are we alive on the planet with the last pair of Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers? How many other species will we see the last of? How many will we not notice?

And yet. These are the generations of Mother Earth. She has three times already raised a planet full of amazing beautiful species that have come to cataclysmic ends. And some species made it through and new life came again. It seems we are in the third major species die-off on the planet. Now. Kinda a lot for a mere human psyche to wrap around. But hey, I remind myself, there are lots of agents for mutation that will hasten new life to evolve and fill the niches; chemicals, radiation, biotechnology, nano-tech. And whatever does live, I was reminded by Dan, “will have a lot of available carbon.”

So just try not to be so attached to the beautiful world we know now.

And then there are the humans. I have to say some days I’m rooting for us but other days I feel this foolish species has caused enough trouble. ‘Spose it’ll be determined by if we can wake up and adapt or not. Humans sure are fascinating and creative. What other creature has come up with tapestries, orchestras, ipods? Thousands of unique languages. Cathedrals, plastic, poetry? What would it all mean without us?

And what does a human do with the precious day in these times? Enjoy it? Try like hell to save wild places? Awaken the Brethren? Grow gardens? Carry on like we don’t see?

Seems to me it would help if we would wake up and protect the diverse life on earth and that which sustains it. Stop using anti-bacterial soap for goodness sake and all those toxic chemicals in our “products.” Simplify. Slow down. Walk. Reconnect with the earth, with food, with community. Wash with water. Detach from stuff. Sing. The adaptation required is profound. People lived for a long time without all the toys that surround modern Americans. Make decisions in light of the whole, and listen to your heart. Care and Share. We children of the changing times, surf the waves of change with beauty. Adapt. Can we tip human consciousness?

If you want to talk about real hope and change, check out the growing decentralized network of anti-profit community spaces around the world. Just since we printed the 2009 organizer, we’ve heard about a whole bunch of new spaces. Each of these spaces is the culmination of community, engagement, and a vision of a different way for people to relate to each other — pursuing cooperation and mutual aid, not just profit. Let us know if you have suggestions of other spaces and check-out updates to our radical contact list on-line at slingshot.tao.ca.

SubRosa Infoshop – Santa Cruz, CA

Folks have opened an all-volunteer, collectively operated community space for art and radical projects next to the bike church in Santa Cruz. It features a lending library, zine and book shop, cafe with cheap coffee, art gallery, gardens and performance space. They transformed their parking lot into a garden courtyard with seating. The space hosts monthly art shows, Free Skool classes and a weekly Open Mic on Thursdays at 8pm. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. M-F and 10 – 8 Sat/Sun. 703 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-426-5242, subrosaproject.org

Treasure City Thrift – Austin, TX

They are a volunteer/collectively run extra-cheap, anti-capitalist thrift store, infoshop, free store and reuse center. They direct money to a long and exciting list of grassroots organizations. They also host a community bike shop and various experiments in alternative economics. Open Mon- Sat, 11 – 6. Visit them at 1720 E 12th St. Austin, TX 78702 (512)524-2820 www.treasurecitythrift.org

The Real School (A.K.A. Dragon Valley) – Houston, TX

A school run by a collective of anarchists and other de-schoolers. 1525 East 32nd 1/2 St, Houston Texas 77022 832-767-0404 www.therealschoolhouston.org

Blast-O-Mat – Denver, CO

They are a collective show space, art gallery, and record store that hosts sliding scale shows and other events. Check them out at 2935 W 7th Ave Denver, CO 80204 (831)-331-1272

Biko Co-op – Isla Vista, CA

An activist house with some free literature. 6612 Sueno Road, Isla Vista, CA 93117 858-722-8768

Lichen Spiritual Archives – Chicago, IL

They have a lending library, zine distro and archive, wireless internet and radical community space for hosting meetings and workshops. They currently have weekly meals Sunday and Monday and free food pick up at other times. They have Spanish as a second language, a study group and meetings on radical mental health and police accountability. Open Fri- Sun 11-7, Mon 6-10 and Tues 11 – 7. 1921 S Blue Island, Chicago (mailing address PO BOX 08378, Chicago, IL, 60608.) pilsenradicalspace@riseup.net

George Street Co-op – New Brunswick, NJ

They are a vegetarian natural food co-op with a small free literature section. They saw the cover art on the 2009 organizer and thought it was funny because they have a carrot on the front of their store and are across the street from a library, just like the food coop in the drawing. Open 10-8 Mon-Fri, 8-7 Sat and 10-6 Sun. 89 Morris Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732.247.8280

Mississippi Market – St. Paul, MN

A food co-op with two locations that you can check out: 1810 Randolph Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105 651-690-0507 and 622 Selby Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55104

Peace Action and Education Center of Eastern Iowa – Iowa City, IA

They have meeting, office and event space for peace groups. 26 E. Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 319 354-1925 peaceiowa.org

Birdhouse Collective – Buffalo, NY

A house that hosts shows and do-it-yourself activities. No regular hours. 92 Bird St. Buffalo, NY 14202 716-884-2797

ReBelle – Lexington, KY

A boutique store with some eco products, etc. 371 S. Limestone St. Lexington, KY 40508 859-389-9750 www.ReBelleGirls.com

Gulf of Maine Books – Brunswick, Maine

They are a 30 year old independent alternative bookstore. 134 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine 04011

Casa T.I.A.O. – Valparaiso, Chile

Which stands for Trabajadores Independientes de Artes y Oficios (Independent Art and Trade Workers). It is a casa okupa (occupied house) i.e. squat with a rehearsal/training space for various classes: trapeze, acrobatics, capoeira, African dance, screenprinting, wood-block printing, etc. 30 people live there and they host performances: circus, punk, traditional theatre, hip-hop, etc. Visit at Yungay 1772, Valparaiso, Chile, tiaocasa.blogspot.com

Kulturhuset Underjorden/SPATT – Gothenburg, Sweden

A social center that hosts shows, do-it-yourself activities and an infoshop. (Mail: Box 30, 40120 Gothenburg, Sweden.) www.spatt.info

CSA La Torre – Rome Italy

A squatted radical community center. Visit at: via Bertero 13 Roma, Italy, www.inventati.org/latorre/

Katipo Books – Christchurch/Otautahi, New Zealand

They are a worker coop publishing group with a bookstore. 15 Winchfield Street, Aranui, Christchurch, New Zealand 8061 www.katipo.net.nz (mailing: PO Box 377, Christchurch Mail Centre Christchurch 8140)

India Däck Bookcafe – Lund, Sweden

A coffee shop/book exchange. Stora Algatan 3, 224 51 Lund, Sweden www.indiadack.net, idc@indiadack.net

Smålands Nation – Lund, Sweden

A student community center. Kastanjegatan 7, 223 59 Lund, Sweden, 046-12 06 80, www.smalands.org

Brian MacKenzie Center closes after 9 years

We are saddened to learn of the demise of the BMC infoshop. Keeping a volunteer collective together over a span of years requires constantly renewing the core group with new members. This is a challenge every similar project faces — we still have a lot to learn about solving this problem as a typically youthful scene. They are seeking donations to help them pay off debts. Check out: www.dcinfoshop.org. Until a planned radical library project gets going, Ryan suggests visiting some of these spots if you’re in DC:

• The People’s Media Center – an Independent media lab and event space for workshops, punk shows and all sorts of radical activist stuff. 4132 Georgia Ave NW, Washington DC, 20011 www.dcspeakout.com

• Sankofa books and cafe – a radical and black liberation book and video store with a coffee shop and cafe attached. 2714 Georgia Avenue NW Washington, DC 202-234-4755

• Emergence – a community center that does a lot of theater type stuff, dance classes, herbal and other health workshops, arts and film screenings. Less of a drop-in space and more of a specific event space. 733 Euclid St. NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 462-2285

Mistakes in the 2009 organizer

• The Fargo-Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop in Fargo, ND recent moved. Their new address is 1418 1st Ave N #1 Fargo, ND 58102, 701-478-4021, info@fmbikeworkshop.org

• The OKC Infoshop is at 29 (not 33) NE 27th St. in Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

• The In Our Hearts Infoshop in Brooklyn NY is now called the 123 Space. Same address.

• Spartacus Books in Vancouver, BC, Canada is on the ground floor, not the second floor. The street address listed is otherwise correct.

• It looks like we mis-spelled the name of the city in the Philippines in which Sadee’s Kitchen is located — it is Davao, not “Davae” as printed in the organizer.

Rest In Peace

• Broad Vocabulary, a long-standing feminist bookstore in Milwaukee, WI, closed at the end of 2008. They say that perhaps a co-op will re-open the store at a new location.

• We heard that Crow’s Place in Brooklyn, NY no longer exists.

• Someone told us the GLBT Center in Mishawaka, IN no longer exists.

• It looks like Feed Your Head books in Salem, MA is gone.

• We heard that the Pitchpipe Infoshop in Tacoma, WA closed.

• We got a letter saying that Southmore House in Houston no longer exists.

• Someone tried to visit the Tallahassee Infoshop at 825 Railroad — it wasn’t at that address anymore. Not sure if it moved or expired.

• We got packages returned from the following places — if you know whether they moved or died, let us know:

* Sweet Bee Infoshop at 513 E. St. Des Moines, IA 50309

* Rocktown Infoshop 85 E. Elizabeth St. Harrisonburg, VA 22802

* Sin Reading Room 918 Ward St. Nashville, TN 37207

* Rosetta News Collective 212 W. Freeman Carbondale, IL 62901

Bike Collective Network

For an impressive listing of community bike shops that encourage a do-it-yourself relationship with your bike on a non-profit, low-cost, sometimes volunteer-run, basis, check out www.bikecollectives.org. Many have classes, space where you can work on your bike, and recycled parts. At the moment, Slingshot has been listing some of these spaces in our organizer and our radical contact list when they ask us to or when that is the only alternative group that has a physical space in a particular town. Let us know if you think we should include the entire list in our contact list.

Earth First! road show

Earth First! has been organizing a cross-country road show that is slated to hit the road in February. The road show will be traveling with a variety of topics, skills and resources, including (but not limited to): forming affinity groups and planning direct action, blockading, climbing and occupations, bioregional news from campaigns and projects around the country, tools for challenging oppression, up-to-date news on resisting the Greenscare, independent and corporate media work, community organizing strategies and more.

For more info on setting up shows or if you want to share your thoughts and insights, visit http://earthfirstroadshow.wordpress.com/ or earthfirstroadshow@gmail.com

Tentative Schedule

Phoenix/Flagstaff/Prescott, AZ 2/24

Austin/San Antonio, TX 3/3

New Orleans, LA 3/10

Gainesville, FL 3/17

Athens/Atlanta, GA 3/24

Appalachia/Blue Ridge area 3/31

Maine/Vermont 4/14

NYC/Hudson Valley 4/27

Michigan/Indiana/Ohio 5/5

Wisconsin/Minnesota 5/12

Great Plains 5/19

Colorado/Utah/Tetons 6/2

Bay Area 6/9

Humboldt/Ashland 6/16

Olympia/Seattle/Bellingham 6/23

Thanks to everyone who got a 2009 Slingshot organizer — selling them enables us to publish and distribute this paper. Perhaps in part because of the economic collapse, we have a ton of extra organizers hanging around looking for a home. If you want to order some or know of someone who might want some, please let us know. We’re about 60 percent of the way to paying the printing bill, so if you have an outstanding invoice, please pay us anything you can even if you can’t afford to pay the whole bill. We realize many projects are on the verge of collapsing financially — hopefully we can all pull through this together. If you are an infoshop or bookstore with extra organizers that you want to return, please contact us before you physically return them since we’re so overstocked.

We tried a few new things in the 2009 organizer and we would love to get feedback on whether we should try them again in 2010 (assuming a revolution or famine prior to 2010 doesn’t make next year’s organizer a moot point.) If you noticed, liked, or didn’t like these changes, drop us a card or email to let us know:

• Laminated cover for pocket organizer: good, bad or didn’t notice

• Month-at-a-glance calendars in pocket organizer: good, bad or didn’t notice

• Lay flat binding in pocket organizer: good, bad or didn’t notice

Each of these features costs extra money and uses additional natural resources. The lamination uses plastic, which we don’t like, but if it keeps the organizer from falling apart it may be worth it. This year we did half laminated and half non-laminated so people could decide which they liked better. Should we make both kinds again next year or just make them all either laminated or non-laminated? The month-at-a-glance calendar makes the organizer 16 pages longer which increases the printing bill by about 10%. We could add it to the spiral calendar in 2010 but we might have to raise the price because the spiral calendar is already expensive to print and bind. Do you think it is worth it?

We’ve noticed a few mistakes in the 2009 organizer and we’re sorry about them:

• We got the wrong address for a zine listed in our zine reading list: Cracks in the Concrete is really at PO Box 2748 Tucson, AZ 85702.

• We mistakenly described the subject matter of POZ magazine — it is about people living with HIV/AIDS.

• The wrong date was given for Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s birthday, his real birthday is March 24. He turns “90.”

Let us know if you spot any other errors.

Work on the 2010 organizer will start in June. We send it to the printer in mid-August. Please send us cover art, corrections, additions, historical dates, ideas for features, doodles, radical contacts, and/or move to the Bay Area to join our collective by July 31. If you think the organizer is hard to use, you can make some pages next year that address the problems. The 2010 organizer will be available October 1, 2009.

Finally, because we have so many extra organizers hanging around, we would like to figure out ways to give some extra organizers away to projects that could get them out to people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the organizer or who could not afford to pay for it — think inmates, oppressed high school students, homeless, etc. Contact us if you have any ideas.

Long before Coke, Pepsi, or any other soft drink, people were brewing their own small, (less alcoholic), beers for the “Pause that refreshes.” Shakespeare was noted to have drunk small beer and a recipe for it is found in George Washington’s notebooks. In Colonial America these small beers were generally brewed from herbs, berries and bark, with each individual having their own recipe. They were originally brewed for celebrations and family reunions. They were never intended to be stored away in casks or bottles. Early American industrialists, ever greedy for new products to sell, substituted forced carbonation for natural fermentation, longer shelf life, and marketed these beers as Birch Beer, Sarsaparilla, Ginger Beer and Root Beer. This article will show you how to brew an original simple root beer using roots, herbs, spices, and/or using a commercial extract. I’ve fucked up these recipes a few times (as well as exploding a few bottles), so I’ll list any mishaps I’ve had in each step, so that you can avoid repeating my mistakes.

To create 5 gallons of Root Beer:

Before starting, I can’t emphasize the importance of having all of your equipment clean. Bacteria can easily contaminate your root beer and make it really nasty. Scrupulously wash all of your bottles, pots and other equipment and rinse with hot water, unless you want your root beer to taste like old socks.

If you’re using commercial root beer extract, (obtained from your local brewing supply store or off of the internet), proceed to step #4, substituting lukewarm water for the root-beer tea. Be sure to add the commercial extract to the sugars before dissolving them into the water.

One of the primary ingredients in all of the following recipes is sassafras root bark, which contains safrole. Safrole is listed as a carcinogenic by the Food and Drug Administration because it causes cancer in laboratory rats. However, those of you who view the FDA’s pronouncements with a bit of skepticism might note that Sassafras root bark was commonly used by the Native Americans and is still brewed as a tea and tonic in the Southern United States. The fact that Safrole can be used as precursor to synthesize several Hallucinogenic drugs might have also have something to do with the continuing ban.

Step #1 Start by gathering the roots, herbs and spices for brewing a root beer tea. You can buy these from your local herbal supply and/or health food store, but a better way is to harvest most of them yourself.

Sassafras root-bark in particular should be foraged. The brew tastes much more flavorful and less woody than that made using the dried root bark sold in stores. Sassafras has a wide distribution range throughout the eastern United States and is commonly found in scrub woods, abandoned playing fields, and along roadsides. In fact, you can even find it Central Park in New York City. But you shouldn’t forage the roots from road-sides because of lead contamination. Also avoid harvesting any root bark in the late spring, unless you like the taste of brewed tree sap.

I’ve made a tasty brew using just Sassafras, Sarsaparilla Wintergreen, and a little bit of allspice.

Sassafras root-bark, 5 oz / 5 Gallon

Sarsaparilla, 5 oz / 5 Gallon

Wintergreen 5 oz / 5 Gallon

Whole Allspice 1 1/4 oz / 5 Gallon

Below is a list of common flavoring ingredients I’ve compiled from a number of different recipes. The final root/herb mixture should be about 3 ~ 4 oz / Gallon. The spices should be adjusted to taste.

Burdock root

Dandelion root

Ginger root

Hops (go light on the hops it’s pretty strong and can easily overwhelm the other flavors)

Juniper berries

Prickly Ash bark

Spicewood

Spikenard root

Wild Cherry bark

Yellow Dock, Yellow Dock root

Stick Cinnamon

Licorice root

Star Anise

Vanilla bean

Coriander seed

Step #2 Add a few handfuls of raisins to 5 gallons of cold water and bring to a boil. Add the herbs, roots and spices, just like making a tea. Then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for the next twenty minutes or so.

I find it a lot easier to wrap the herbs and roots in a pre-boiled large undyed cotton bag rather than placing them directly to the boiling water. This makes the next step, (filtration), much easier.

Do not continue to boil the water after you’ve added the root/herb mixture or it’ll taste like tree bark!!!!

Step #3 Filter the mixture into a second container. You can accomplish this by pouring the mixture through a several layers of boiled cheese cloth or boiled flannel placed in the bottom a large sieve. As an alternate method, you can just use a standard coffee filter and a lot of patience.

Do not skip this step. If you have particulate matter in your root beer, the finished product will erupt from the bottle. When I opened a bottle once, the resulting geyser splashed against a twelve-foot high ceiling.

Step #4 Dissolve 4 pounds of cane sugar into the tea. Substitute brown sugar, molasses, malt and/or honey for part or all of the cane sugar.

Be sure NOT to use honey as only sweetener. Honey ferments very slowly and you probably don’t want to wait the months it will take to drink your finished product (See the “Drink Mead” article in Slingshot issue #69).

Step #5 Wait until the tea has become lukewarm, (about the temperature of a nice but not too hot bath). Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of lukewarm water, then stir and let sit for a few minutes. Add this yeast mixture to your root beer tea and mix thoroughly. You can use bread yeast, but the yeast greatly effects the final flavor so my suggestion is that you experiment with the many different brewing yeasts available.

Most ale yeasts ferment fairly quickly and become inactive once your root beer is refrigerated (no exploding bottles). Champagne yeast works slower, but the bubbles are also smaller and produces a fizzier brew . However, champagne yeast, (as well as bread and lager yeasts), continue to work even after refrigeration. So you don’t want to leave the bottles in the refrigerator for three months if you’re using these yeasts.

Step #6 Cover the container and wait for at least a day. The yeast will start eating the sugar and huge amounts of carbonation and foam will result and then subside. After the foaming subsides, is time to bottle.

The resulting beverage will contain between 2% and 5% alcohol. If you don’t want to consume alcohol or are just in hurry to drink this, you can skip this initial fermentation and proceed directly to bottling. While there will still be alcohol in the finished product, it will be a very minimal amount (less than 1%). Most people’s bodies metabolize alcohol so quickly that you’d have to drink a gallon at once in order to feel any affect..

Step #7 Bottle it. You can buy a bottle-capper and caps from your local brew supply store and recycled glass bottles that don’t have twist-off tops. As an alternative, you can use plastic screw-top bottles. Plastic screw top bottles are an increasingly popular choice because they minimize the potential of exploding bottles. However, recycled plastic bottles will always retain some of the flavor of their original contents, they don’t get as clean as glass, and there are limited number of times you can reuse the plastic bottles.

If you’re one of those non-alcoholic folks that skipped step #6, I suggest you bottle your brew with the plastic instead of glass bottles. Your brew will ferment in the bottles much faster than the alcoholic stuff and give the nasty bacteria less time to to reproduce and dominate your brew and there will be a much higher possibility of exploding bottles. (Once, I forgot that the root beer I was brewing was supposed to be non-alcoholic and left the brew outside for three weeks. Almost
all of the glass bottles and the top of the picnic cooler they were stored in exploded. An incredibly sticky mess and I’m still finding shards of glass.)

Whether you using glass or plastic bottles, fill each bottle to within about 1 ½ to 2 inches from the top.

If you are planning to serve your root beer at a large party you might try fermenting your root beer into one of those stainless steel beer kegs instead of bottling it. I’ve never tried this method, but it should work.

Step #8 Place the bottles on their side in a cool dry place. This should take approximately two to three weeks for the standard root beer and two to four days for the N/A, (if you’re using the plastic bottles, the sides of the bottle should feel hard after a forceful squeeze), and refrigerate for twelve hours. If the drink is not bubbly enough, simply let the remaining brew stay outside until it is.

Step #9 Now, you can’t drink all 5 gallons of root beer by yourself. So, throw a big party!

Slingshot will award its fourth annual Award for Lifetime Achievement (the Golden Wingnut) at its 21th birthday party on Friday, March 13 at 3124 Shattuck in Berkeley (8 pm). The winner will have their biography featured in our next issue, and will receive a wingnut trophy and wingnut super-hero outfit. Slingshot created the Wingnut prize to recognize direct action radicals who have dedicated their lives to the struggle for alternatives to the current self-destructing system. Wingnut is the term some of us use to refer to folks who walk on the wild side of reality — rejecting social, political and economic norms while fighting for a different world. A wingnut is more than just another boring radical, and more than just a nutcase — he or she is a blend of the best parts of both.

We’re looking for nominations for the 2009 prize. An individual has to be currently alive and must have at least 25 years of service to get the award. Please send your nominations by 5 p.m. on March 1 along with why a particular person should be awarded the wingnut title for 2009 to 3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705 or slingshot@tao.ca.