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- Nazis, you have to feel sorry for them…
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- April 15, 2005 at 8:51 am
  
  [deleted]
- Simpol-UK – Simultaneous Policy: Using Our Votes to Take Back the World Thought this might be of interest to people on here. Would also be interested in people's opinions, pros, cons, any fatal flaws? Seems to make sense to me. Although I reckon it'll be something that will take time to gather momentum. As awareness of it increases, and as more political candidates sign up, the pressure on those who haven't increases, so it should snowball. Simpol-UK Simultaneous Policy: Using Our Votes to Take Back the World PRESS RELEASE: 2nd March 2005 Global Justice Campaign Wins First UK Marginal Constituency Jim Knight, Labour MP for the marginal constituency of South Dorset, has become the latest MP to support the Simultaneous Policy (SP), an international citizens' campaign for global justice and sustainability, also known as "Simpol". Simpol-UK, the UK branch of the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation, is a movement of citizens who use their votes in a new way to solve global problems, but Simpol is not a political party. Instead it invites citizens to develop the Simultaneous Policy as their own set of policy measures to address global issues such as global warming, corporate abuse, unsustainability and unfair trade. They then vote at election time for any candidate who has signed a pledge to implement SP simultaneously alongside other governments or, if they have a party preference, they encourage their party to sign the pledge. The implementation of problem-solving policies by many governments simultaneously is seen as a way of eliminating the fear of economic competitive disadvantage that prevents many global problems from being solved. Similar 'simpol' campaigns are also running in many other countries. "The more parliamentary seats become increasingly marginal, the lower is the number of SP adopters needed for politicians to see supporting SP as being in their vital electoral interests. With citizens' support growing rapidly, candidates who fail to support SP could soon find themselves un-seated by those that do," said John Bunzl, Simpol's founder. At the last General Election, Mr. Knight won his seat by a mere 153 votes. Seeing the opportunity to capitalise on the vulnerability of marginal constituencies, Simpol-UK is now gearing up to gain further support in the forthcoming general election and has published a web page listing MPs and candidates that have so far signed on. "The forces of globalisation are making the world effectively a smaller place. It is increasingly necessary to act together internationally to tackle the problems we face at home. Simultaneous action on issues such as climate change, fair trade, immigration, terrorism and health pandemics is the ideal means of resolving them," said Mr. Knight in signing the SP Pledge. He joins six other MPs including three Labour, two Liberal Democrats and one from Plaid Cymru, in his support for SP. Members of the European and Australian Parliaments have also signed the SP pledge and more are expected to follow. For further information visit www.simpol.org (global site) and/or www.simpol.org.uk (UK site) Or contact Mike Brady on 07986 736179. Adopting SP is free. Go to: http://www.simpol.org/dossiers/dossier-UK/html-UK/how_do_i_adopt_sp-UK.html
  Started by
  CookieMonster
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- April 11, 2005 at 8:31 am
  
  CookieMonster
- Man made demons I'm not sure how widely this has been reported but I'm sure we're going to hear a lot about it. Israel's considering it's right to pre-emptively attack (note my choice of words) Iran this week and mr bush's pledged to support them. ironic really when you think he's spent the week talking about common goals and working together with the rest of the world. very sad / deeply worrying when you think Saddam Hussein turned to islam, armed himself and started his rampage when israel destroyed his nuclear program 20 years ago. iran became an islamic state when the CIA assasinated their democratic president (or prime minister - I can't remember exactly) in favour of the pro-american sha. and both countries were armed by Regan, Bush senior, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Then again israel's only doing what mr bush wants them to. i mean how transparent and hypocritical, not to mention outright evil, is all this really?! rant, rant, rant :(
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- April 10, 2005 at 9:01 pm
  
  [deleted]
- Free Party Documentary While the mainstream media (or louise mason of bbc fame) have run scared from documenting our scene, for whatever reasons, it has inspired me to get a documentary made chronicling the new wave of Free Parties, as although theyre on the rise, they are still underground and not known about by the mainstream. This might be a strenght that will be lost if this happens, but then if we have more folks on side, maybe we wont get as shat on... What i would like to hear from you all is who has video footage of parties, and who would be willing to send me a copy of their footage. I know a lot of people will be thinking- "whyou? its my footage, i can edit, send me your footage". Fair does is alli can say, but i have the time, energy and contacts at the mo to make a broadcast documentary. if anyone would like to help, has any advice etc, post now. if anyone has some footage to donate, pm or email me and ill sort out how to get it down. They say write what you know about, so i think the docu will centre around the rise and fall of Raves in surrey, as i think it's idicative of the scene in general. I will add comments from other crews, media, police, ravers, locals, organisers etc, interspersed with positive rave reports and footage of how well some raves work. If everyone can try and be diligent with the camera next season, i'll try and get some broadcast quality cameras and operaters to our next lot of parties, to swank all the mini DV footage up. Who's with me? I think this could be blinding 1 2 3
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- April 9, 2005 at 11:49 pm
  
  [deleted]
- I think I have some good PEL news for those in this latest case or cases. and I am going to take it on myself to post before I go to bed as I think it is very important, I have been talking to someone who was charged and pleaded guilty at the beacon hill party. I am in no doubt that they were advised very badly and they would of very certainly of got off or the case would of been dropped IMO from what I have just learned. I was unaware that the licensing act 2003 in which the amendments place Rigs and Entertainers liable does not come into force completely yet and is in a roll out period. It seems that the Beacon Hill summonses were under the old act and these new ones are too, that is good news to some extent. As I said the Beacon Hill people were advised badly, they were charged with being organizers but there was no proof as we all know having rig does not make you an organizer especially at a multi-rigger, under the new law it does, which is why they have amended it. Even at a single rig party, the rig may be hired by an organizer, and so not liable. Often no one can find the organizer because they are flighty and run off at the first sign of trouble, are called "Dave" and call everyone up by phone, which is why they made the amendments but they are not implemented yet, soon but not yet. Now why on earth at the Beacon Hill party did rigs who didn’t organize the party plead guilty when they were innocent, why I suggest because they were advised very badly. It didn’t even matter at this point with the old law that some fools said it was a public party because only the organizers or the management are liable, and having a rig doesn’t make you an organizer. I know they were shown a case where a driver and a rig were proved to be an organizer or admitted they were but I know there have been case’s where rigs have been found not guilty of organizing. The truth is anybody can organize a party. “Hey I am doing a party I have a venue do you want to bring a rig. my names dave, I’ll call you later let you know where to go, it all legal, it’s a private party, you can bring your friends.” now that was legal before the amendments and it will still be legal after. Anyone who has just had a summons need not worry to much, they will have to prove you were an organizer and under the old law having a rig does not make you an organizer. That’s a fact and you all know that. now Im going to bed and I may add or rewrite it in the morning
  Started by
  elraveon
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- April 9, 2005 at 1:02 am
  
  elraveon
- Green Party came up in another thread, i was checking out their website and found this. Every time i find out something new about this party i'm so impressed.... Quote: Statement of Core Principles Updated: May 18, 2001 Please see also our full Philosophical Basis We believe that: Life on Earth is under immense pressure. The environment around us is threatened with massive destruction. Conventional politics has failed us because its values are fundamentally flawed. The Green Party isn't just another political party. Green politics is a new and radical kind of politics guided by these core principles; 1. Humankind depends on the diversity of the natural world for its existence. We do not believe that other species are expendable. 2. The Earth's physical resources are finite. We threaten our future if we try to live beyond those means, so we must build a sustainable society that guarantees our long-term future. 3. Every person should be entitled to basic material security as of right. 4. Our actions should take account of the well-being of other nations and future generations. We should not pursue our well-being to the detriment of theirs. 5. A healthy society is based on voluntary co-operation between empowered individuals in a democratic society, free from discrimination whether based on race, colour, sex, religion, national origin, social origin or any other prejudice. 6. We emphasise democratic participation and accountability by ensuring that decisions are taken at the closest practical level to those affected by them. 7. We look for non-violent solutions to conflict situations, which take into account the interests of minorities and future generations in order to achieve lasting settlements. 8. The success of a society cannot be measured by narrow economic indicators, but should take account of factors affecting the quality of life for all people: personal freedom, social equity, health, happiness and human fulfilment. 9. Electoral politics is not the only way to achieve change in society, and we will use a variety of methods to help to affect change, providing those methods do not conflict with our other core principles. 10. The Green Party puts changes in both values and lifestyles at the heart of the radical green agenda. www.greenparty.org.uk well worth a perusal.
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- April 8, 2005 at 1:17 pm
  
  [deleted]
- Gunman into Hitler and Zombie (A MUST READ) On Monday, March 21,2005 a sixteen year old boy woke up shot is grandfather and his grandfathers girlfriend then went to school and killed nine people injured seven and two are in criticle condition, his father killed himself in Germany and his mother suffers big head damage from a car wreck. His idol was Adolf Hitler and loved drawing comics with people killing each other he also idoled zombies, he called himself "Angel of Death". What is the world coming to :hopeless: keeping you informed, :cloud9: pixy
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  [deleted]
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- March 23, 2005 at 4:29 pm
  
  [deleted]
- Half decent journalism on freeparties! This geezer has a book out soon called "Why Our Kids Are Turning Their Backs On Everything We Thought We Knew" and he doesn't seem to be a twat. bonus. the full article is on http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1359415,00.html Always encouraging to see the media stepping out of their role as poorly informed scare mongers, and this book might be worth getting (or you could just wait for me to read it and repeat all the arguements on this site). Hats off to Nick Barham "At a flat in Dalston, east London, Natalie talks with passion, enthusiasm and intelligence for an hour and a half, showing me photos, cuttings, articles, pamphlets - a very ordered documentation of protest and parties. Playing with her dreads, pulling at her lip ring, she tells me about squatting and dodging police, about the lack of faith she has in the British government, in British society, but it doesn't seem to matter, because with her friends she has found everything she needs outside it. As with most of the people I speak with, the government represents a distant, irrelevant force. She doesn't vote, and doesn't know many people who do. ("Why would we want to vote for them? It's like going into a shop and there's loads of stuff to buy, but you don't want any of it.") So, in the absence of a democracy, you might as well go somewhere where you are represented, somewhere you do have a voice, where someone listens to you. For Natalie, those places are parties. She talks about rigs and parties and protests. Names like Manik. Panik. Random. Headfuk. They do free parties. Which is all about taking over a space and making it yours. With your laws. And your people. "It was when I first moved into London and my flatmate took me to a rave. He kept going on about these parties, saying you have to come to these parties. And I didn't know what he was talking about because I'd never been to a rave before or anything like that, and so I just went along. It was in this theatre and I remember the guy on the door had a hardcore face, and he asked for donations and so I subbed him a few quid, and he pulled aside this black curtain and just got in there, and there was just people running about, selling their shit, it was just people doing exactly what they wanted, just partying exactly how they wanted, and my first thoughts were: I've found my people. I always knew there was this sort of group out there. And I never looked back." Breaking the law is part of the fun and the point of the party. "Breaking into somewhere to set up a rig is a real buzz. You find somewhere maybe the night before, break the lock, or get through a window, and then lock the door again from the inside. When you've got a nice place like a cinema, it's wicked, you just sit in the seats and watch the rig go up and dance a bit. And there's no trouble when you're there. Leave us alone and there's no trouble. It's only when the police come and try to break it up or move you on that it can get nasty." From Natalie, there is the strong belief that these apparently lawless groups of people are able to behave perfectly sensibly outside the law, as long as they are left alone. They are self-regulating and have their own codes of behaviour. "It's safer to get drugs in there than in clubs. I'd buy drugs off anyone at a party. Because you know who you're buying off. Or someone knows them. And if they sold you shit, then people would find out. It's not about the money or ripping people off. You can get most drugs - pills, ketamine, crack, heroin - if you want, but there's not much of a scene. It goes up and down. There was a crack scene for a bit and then some rude boys came in, and then more violence and some guns, and the parties were more moody. So they were less publicised, it became word of mouth, you'd get told by a mate, and so on." Parties conform to different rules, exist in different times and take place in different zones. Natalie talks with enthusiasm about their disconnection from normality. "When you have a good party, you don't even think about anything bad that might have happened. You feel like you're one up on the world. They're all tucked up in bed or they're all doing such normal shit and you're breaking into a building on a massive high. Anyone's welcome, it's never more than about three quid. If it's a big party and there's a lot of rigs there, it might be a fiver. If the pigs turn up, it's just like, right, quick, everyone in, close the doors. They won't do anything. I haven't been to a party that's been busted for ages." The party scene is driven by passion and the pull of a tight-knit social group. You versus the rest of the world. "You got so many hundreds of people coming from everywhere, on their phones waiting for the address. It's a bit like cat and mouse. We're just having a laugh, though. You feel like a kid again. But it's all safe, it's wicked. It's about community. I go to any party, here or in Europe, and I always know someone. Or bump into someone. Or sort something out." Accompanying her hedonism is a sense that there is injustice in the UK and an interest in doing something about it. "The criminal justice bill really made things feel different: the British government seemed to ban everything that you liked." And for all the focus on the party, there's a nod to more serious theory. Natalie tells me about Temporary Autonomous Art Exhibitions that go on, which refer to Hakim Bey's work on Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZs) and Pirate Utopias: spaces where, for a short time, normal rules are ignored and a more playful, less hierarchical set of behaviours can take place. As she puts it, "We have to take spaces because we're not given them." As I move across Britain, on marches, at parties and cruises, in bedrooms and in skate parks, there is a powerful sense of disconnection from British society. Nobody I speak to feels strongly attached to a British way of life - as represented by its laws, its governments, its elders. As an age group, as a bunch of people, they feel that they have very little representation or understanding in the traditional corridors of power. That has probably been the case for decades. Perhaps the most significant disconnection that I discovered was that between young Britons and the media that claim to represent them. Any misunderstood system looks chaotic from the outside, so perhaps mainstream media portray British youth as amoral, superficial, wasted and dumb because their behaviour seems inexplicable. Many of the accusations levelled at young Britons are correct: they take drugs, they play violent computer games, surf porn, listen to furious lyrics, have little respect for the government, think fashion is vitally important, and look to distant, unreal celebrities for life advice. But the more people I spoke to, the more unfair these accusations appeared. Or rather, they are elements of truth that are distorted. Life is far from rosy for many kids. As always for this age group, there is violence, prejudice, poverty, depression, insecurity. But the strategies of disconnection - from the past, mainstream politics, traditional forms of education, from taboos and, most importantly, from reality - are not those of a stupid, uncaring vacuous bunch. They are practical, sociable and often enjoyable responses to a world that is difficult for everyone. And this disconnection has not led to apathy, but instead to passion, creativity and influence. It's not the skaters or the clubbers or the vid game addicts or even the tokers that you should be worrying about. Nor the fame-obsessed or the sneaker collectors. It's the ones without the interests and the passion. The "I don't know" or "I don't care" kids. It's the aimless kids, the unhyperactive, the ones who cannot see the plethora of options that exist for them" © Nick Barham, 2004.
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- March 22, 2005 at 12:30 pm
  
  [deleted]
- UK : RIP BBC? I am so fucking glad now I got out of IT in the media industry and went to a normal "boring" IT job (even though its not much more secure) The worst part of this is I bet its all the younger creative staff who get shoved out due to the fact its cheaper to get rid of them (they have less service which counts towards redundancy payment) The BBC should be reducing its reliance on "track records" / "star talent" (FFS, the two ronnies were funny but it seems a bit unfair putting these geriatrics on the box when there are so many talented youngsters) and taking more risks and being innovative, not downsizing TBH I'd rather Eastenders was downsized (do we really need so many episodes of a depressing and dysfunctional soap opera?) and a few crime dramas didn't get made (FFS there is enough crime on news and current affairs surely?) than all these job losses sacrifice a few has-been ego-ridden celebs, not the young talent... BBC to cut 2,000 programme jobs The BBC is to cut more than 2,000 jobs in its programme-making divisions. The 2,050 job cuts - including 424 announced in December - take total job losses at the BBC to 3,780, saving £355m a year to reinvest in programmes. They are part of director general Mark Thompson's plans to streamline the BBC. He told staff it was "the toughest period any of us can remember". The National Union of Journalists said the cuts would "rip the heart out" of the corporation. Monday's announcement of 2,050 losses comes after news earlier this month that 1,730 jobs would go in support services such as finance and personnel. The 3,780 represents 19% of the workforce. BBC JOB CUTS BY 2008 TV - 47 Radio & Music - 150 New Media - 58 Nations and Regions - 735 Drama, Entertainment and CBBC - 150 Factual & Learning - 424 News - 420 Sport - 66 Professional Services - 1,730 Total - 3,780 The latest cuts will be made across the production divisions from TV and radio to news and new media. Mr Thompson said it was "a difficult and painful process but necessary". The cuts and savings will be made over the next three years. Money saved would go back into programmes, including drama, news and local output, he said. "This is all money we plan to spend on programmes and content, both to improve the services we deliver to audiences right now and to build strong BBC services in the future," Mr Thompson said. "All divisions are now finding ways of achieving these savings through genuine improvements rather than crude cuts." 'Political pawns' National Union of Journalists general secretary Jeremy Dear said staff were being used as "political pawns" in "an unsavoury and grubby deal between government and senior BBC management". REINVESTMENT PRIORITIES £52m for Nations & Regions £47m for TV drama £45m for News £32m for New Media £27m for Radio & Music £23m for TV factual £14m for CBBC "How can hard-working staff maintain quality whilst trying to do not only their own job but that of thousands of their colleagues too?" he said. "The inevitable result is that staff will face burn-out whilst standards and quality will be damaged." Union leaders will discuss a response to the cuts later this week but say a ballot for strike action will be called if any redundancies are compulsory. Luke Crawley, an official at the broadcasting, entertainment and theatre workers' union Bectu, said: "This is the worst day in the BBC's history. "I can't see how the BBC will deliver all Thompson's promises about new services after ditching so many staff, and life for those who survive is going to be miserable. "We're not against an efficient, productive BBC, but many of Thompson's proposals are going to make it worse, not better, and that's what we'll be fighting against." Mr Thompson previously said he wanted to transform the BBC into a "simpler, more agile and creative digital broadcaster". A three-pronged plan involved a "bold new programme and content strategy" based on excellence and a transformation into a "state-of-the art digital broadcaster". The third aim was to have an "irreversible shift in the culture of the BBC towards simplicity, opportunity and creativity", he said. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4366545.stm Published: 2005/03/21 16:23:35 GMT © BBC MMV
  Started by
  General Lighting
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- March 21, 2005 at 8:36 pm
  
  General Lighting
- smokey jO http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4363075.stm :you_smart
  Started by
  globalloon
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- March 21, 2005 at 4:04 pm
  
  globalloon
- Free West Papua – ONLINE PETITION Dear friends, In case you haven't already heard, there is a new on-line petition calling for genuine self-determination for West Papua. Please also pass this on as widely as possible. http://www.petitiononline.com/free800 Best wishes and many thanks for your solidarity and support, Richard Richard Samuelson Free West Papua Campaign Oxford, U.K. E-Mail: samoxen@aol.com Tel: +44 (0)1865 241200 www.freewestpapua.org
  Started by
  [deleted]
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- March 11, 2005 at 6:41 pm
  
  [deleted]
- UK: Chronology of Tolworth TEKNIVAL – September 2000 Chronology of the rave By thisislocallondon - Friday 08 September 2000 Copyright: thisislocallondon Thursday evening: Residents report sightings of ravers arriving at Tolworth Court Farm to check out the site. Friday evening: Six vehicles arrive and force an entrance to the field. 7.05pm: Police officers arrive and begin to negotiate for ravers to leave. 8pm: 10 more vehicles arrive and organisers threaten police with "trashing" town centre. Police agree to allow ravers to continue with event on the condition it finishes by Sunday evening and they clean up. Friday night-Saturday morning: Seven sound stages pump out music which can be heard four miles away. Saturday, 8am: Ravers disperse leaving an almost empty field. Saturday afternoon: More ravers arrive, by train and car from as far away as Holland. Site visited by chief environmental health officer Bob Smart. Saturday 7pm: The police say they can't support Mr Smart in his efforts to switch off the sound systems so he can't go in. Saturday night: The rave climaxes with up to 3,000 party-goers dancing through the night. Residents spend another sleepless night. Sunday, 6pm: Council chief executive Bruce McDonald arrives to find why the music is still going on. Sunday, 8.30pm: Police arrive and music is finally switched off. Sunday, 12am: Left-over ravers throw bricks at a police car after a man is arrested. Bank Holiday Monday am: The organisers of the rave clear up the rubbish. Monday pm: The last of the ravers leave as travellers arrive in a bid to occupy the field themselves. Council workers try to make it secure. http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
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  [deleted]
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- March 8, 2005 at 3:28 pm
  
  [deleted]
- Massive party rasing awareness of the G8 and other globilisation issues Shakedown ‘05, March 12th, all-nighter 10pm – 10am (Big Fuck Off Anti G8 All Nighter) www.m12.org.uk, Venue will be announced on the night. This is not a hoax! Some of you might have already heard about it, others will have already signed up as a volunteer while most of you will be wondering what all the fuss is about… ’Shakedown ‘05' will bring together the diversity of Nottingham’s cultural life (live bands, DJs, visual artists, performance artists) at this very big one-off non-profit DIY all-night event that tries to bring together as large a variety of people, music and arts as possible. Showcasing the best of Nottingham’s sound systems, party collectives, breakdance crews, clubs, bars, art exhibitions, and community groups, people will be shaking down to 12 hours of solid Jump-up Live Party Hip Hop, Heavy Dub Reggae, Hard House, Pissed off Punk Rock, Horny Horns Ska, Dirty Drum & Bass, Rabble Rousing Folk, Banana Broken Beats, Beef hearty-Hillbilly Funk, Filthy Techno, Boogie Blues, Warped-out Punk Disco, Skankin’ Soul and Jolly Jungle. Shakedown ‘05 also aims to raise awareness of some global issues such as world poverty, climate change and global institutions such as the World Bank, IMF and the G8. Stalls, film showings and a cocktail bar run by various campaign groups will try to raise awareness of these issues among people in a positive way. Line up so far; (more to be confirmed) + ALLIGATOR Funky Underground Break Beat Hip Hop + BC 400 has cancelled... + BISON Skankin’ Horny Horns Ska, Sheffield + DELTA RAYS Let's get deep down with the Indie Rock! + DUTCH COP Need we say more? + ESPACOLIGISTS Alternative Rock + FAT DIGESTER Funked Up Latin Groovy Beats + GRACE Alternative Rock + GRAIN Beefhearty-Hillbilly Funk, Notts + IDIOT JOY Warped-out Punk Disco, Nott’m + INNER TERRESTRIALS Hard mix of Anarcho-Dub-Punk-Reggae-Ska, London + KODA COLLECTIVE Real funky hip hop beats & freedom sounds + LEFT OF THE DEALER Deep Latin Funky Indie Rock + LIGHTNING TREE Rabble Rousing Folk, Nott’m + LOST CHEREES Kick Ass Punks from London (TBC) + OLD BASFORD Heavy Boogie Blues, Nott’m + PAIN Heavy Dub Reggae, good time Ska and pissed off Punk Rock, London + PEARCYDREAD FROM THE NATURALITES Don't miss out shaking down to the tunes of this amazing internationally acclaimed Dub/Reggae artist + dj RUBBISH Notoriously Entertaining Live Hip Hop, Peckham + SOUND EXPLOSION Rock and Roll at it's best! (TBC) + VACCINE Live Deep & Dirty Drum & Bass + CHIV (The Shop, Sheffield) + DAGOBAH: Dave Filth / Dom - + DAN LYE Loft-style Deep, Soulful Grooves + FEVER DJ’s + dj FRIENLDY Broken-Funk + Electronica + the HOME COOKIN' CREW (Birmingham): Block rockin' beats from the unstoppable mixing, scratching and cutting skills of; + MAD MAXWELL + MR MUZ + dj FEVER + DAMON THE DELICIOUS (percussion) + MOSSOP (Filty Resident) + NICK SHAW (Basement Boogaloo) + NICK STICKS Funk, Soul & HipHop + PETENOTBOMBS Sheffield + RICK DONAHUE + SMOKESCREEN + SIMON DK (DIY) More info on the venue at the pre-events at the Moog Bar, Alley Cafe and the Sumac Bar on the night. Please check website or phone the info numbers for more details. “ Everybody involved is doing it for love, all performers, crew and organisers are doing this for free and it's a lot of work but we reckon it's worth it, people are coming from all around the country so we want it to be the best party that we can get together." Info numbers; 07910 428 895 / 07910 428 896 Check out the website on www.m12.org.uk
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  [deleted]
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- March 1, 2005 at 11:03 pm
  
  [deleted]
- NanoTechnology :::::STOLEN FROM SQUAT JUICE (posted by Col)::::: A briefing published by Corporate Watch (UK) intended to give people an idea of the emerging use of nanotechnology by many major corporations. NANOTECH: What it is and How Corporations are Using it What is Nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter at a size so small that it is measured in Nanometres,(one billionth of a metre) the scale of atoms and molecules. It’s difficult to grasp quite how small the nanoscale is. To give some reference points: one nanometre (nm) is one millionth of a millimetre, a human hair is 80,000nm across, a red blood cell is 5,000nm in diameter, a DNA molecule is 2.5nm wide and it takes 10 hydrogen atoms arranged side by side to measure 1nm wide. Everything is the same When viewed at the nanoscale the whole world starts to look the same, everything both living and non-living on this planet is made up of atoms and molecules, and at the nanoscale that’s all you see. Things behave differently Below about 50nm the rules that govern the behaviour of the elements of our known world start to give way to the rules of quantum mechanics, and everything changes. To take the example of gold, we are all familiar with gold at the macro scale, for instance, a normal gold ring is a familiar shiny orangey/yellow colour. The same is true of a particle of gold 100nm wide, but, a particle of gold 30nm across is bright red, slightly bigger than that it is purple and going smaller still it’s brownish in colour. It’s not just colour that changes at the nanoscale -- other properties including strength, reactivity, conductivity, electrical properties also change as size and shape change. Why is the nanoscale interesting to corporations? For corporations nanotechnology opens up a whole new world of possible applications and product opportunities across all sectors of the economy: smaller and faster computers; drugs that permeate the body more effectively and can target specific cells; catalysts (used to speed up chemical reactions, including oil-refining processes) can be made more reactive; sensors can monitor everything with much greater precision; materials can be stronger, lighter and 'smarter'. Given the diverse range of applications to which nanotechnology can be put it is perhaps more accurate to talk of nanotechnologies. What are the problems? Toxicity: Corporations have rushed into commercialising the first generation of nanotechnology based products (nanoparticles) before adequate safety testing procedures, let alone regulations, are in place to deal with them. Given that nanoparticle products, including cosmetics and wound dressings, are already on the market and food and environmental remediation applications are not far off this should be ringing alarm bells. There is a growing body of scientific opinion which claims that a unique set of problems are associated with the toxicity of manufactured nanoparticles. The concern is two fold: Firstly that by being reduced to the nanoscale materials become more reactive and therefore potentially more toxic. Secondly, that our bodies have not evolved to recognise nanoparticles. Before their deliberate manufacture as nano-particles relatively few particles of this size existed in the world. As a result our bodies protective filters, ranging from the skin to the lining of the lungs to the blood/brain barrier, do not filter out nano foreign bodies -- with potentially dangerous effects. There is evidence that UFPs [Ultra Fine Particles or nano particles] can gain entry to the body by a number of routes, including inhalation, ingestion and across the skin. There is considerable evidence that UFPs are toxic and thereforepotentially hazardous. The basis of this toxicity is not fully established but a prime candidate for consideration is the increased reactivity associated with very small size." -Dr Vyvyan Howard, Toxicologist Despite nano particle based products already being on the market there are very few published studies on the toxicology of nanoparticles. Those studies that have happened have shown problems, for example fish exposed to carbon nanoparticles quickly developed brain damage. Even the traditionally pro-technology Royal Society has urged caution about the use of nanoparticles and has stressed the need for regulation to be put in place. We are only dealing with the first generation of relatively simple nanotechnology based products and there are already safety issues. As the scope of commercial nanotechnology increases we can expect further safety problems to arise. For 1 example what will the biosafety implications of Nano-biotechnology be? Where next? Nano encapsulation: food, pharmaceutical and chemical companies, are all working on nano sized capsules containing flavourings, drugs, pesticides designed to break open and release their contents only under certain conditions. Nano devices: shrinking the size of electronic components and devices to the nanoscale. One example is nano sensors, already US defense agencies as well as corporations (including Intel) are using advances in nanotechnology to develop ever smaller wireless sensors capable of monitoring everything from farms to threats to ‘homeland security’. Nano biotech: An area of expanding research is nanobiotechnology, the nanoscale mixing of biological and non-biological material: Incorporating non-living nano-materials into living organisms; Creating new synthetic materials incorporating biological materials; Harnessing natures ability to ‘self assemble’ to build complex structures from the level of atoms up; Treating DNA as a molecule and atomically engineering life atom by atom. What products are already on the market? Pilkington: ‘Activ’ self cleaning glass transparent sunblocks often use nanoparticles -- including some products sold by The Body Shop and Green People. Smith&Nephew: ‘Anticoat’ wound dressings Oxonica/Cerulean International: ‘Environex’ fuel additive (in the process of being rolled out to the entire Stagecoach UK bus fleet) L’Oreal: ‘Plenitude Revitalift’ anti-wrinkle cream Kodak: ‘ColorLast’ inkjet printer paper Stain resistant fabric used on some clothing lines by Levis, Regatta, Marks and Spencer Wrinkle resistant fabric used on some clothing lines by, GAP, Lee, Levis and Kathmandu And what’s coming? NEC laptops powered by nano tube fuel cell batteries. Flat screen displays using carbon nanotubes. Biotech broke the species barrier Nanotech breaks the life/non-life barrier Lots of interest has been generated by the concept of technological convergence -- the idea that nanotechnology will enable the eventual merger of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive neuroscience. Known by several names including NBIC (Nano Bio Info Cogno) and BANG (Bits Atoms Neurons Genes) convergence reaches into a brave new world where human enhancement, machine/mind interfaces become achievable goals. Although it sounds like the stuff of a bad sci-fi novel, nano-enabled convergence is likely to become science fact as it is attracting interest from major corporations and US defence agencies. What's already happening? Most commercial nanotechnology involves nanoparticles -- molecules with novel properties due to altering chemical reactions at the nanoscale. These are currently in products ranging from paints to cosmetics to tennis rackets to clothing to glass to computers. An example of a new particle is titanium dioxide. At the conventional scale a particle of titanium dioxide is white, good at reflecting UV light, widely used in sunblock. If manipulated to form particles only 20 nm wide the properties of titanium dioxide change -- it keeps its UV light scattering properties, but turns transparent and provides the basis for making see through sunblock. Other nano particles include new forms of carbon; carbon naturally occurs as either diamond or graphite. Nanoscale manipulations have produced new forms of carbon such as ‘Bucky Balls’ and ‘Nano Tubes’, with radically changed electrical and strength properties and a huge number of commercial applications. Colonisation of the Nano scale Just as 18th century explorers hoisted the flag of their home country to lay claim to their new found colonies, so too corporations have used corporate logos to lay claim to their stake in the new world of thenanoscale. In 1989 scientists working for IBM announced to the world their ability to manipulate matter atom by atom by using a scanning tunneling microscope (IBM's own patented technology) to rearrange 35 xenon atoms to spell out the letters I-B-M on the surface of a nickel crystal. Nano disruption As nanomaterials become widely used there is the potential for major traded commodities, from iron and copper to rubber and cotton, to be replaced by nano equivalents. For example, the use of carbon nanotubes in the electronics industry looks set to make a sizeable dent in the copper extraction industry. The harshest impacts of these changes will be felt not by large corporations dealing in copper (who will simply relocate or diversify) but by local communities who depend on the copper mining industry. Changing the size and shape of corporations Just as the biotechnology revolution resulted in the lifesciences company (in which chemical, pharmaceutical, seed and materials interests were merged together) nanotechnology is likely to result in companies with different areas of operation working together, merging or buying each other due to their interest in the nano scale. For example, Bridgestone is finding that its nano applications, initially developed for tyres, are equally useful in making flat screens. Given the diverse range of companies embraced by a nano-enabled technological convergence what are the corporate mergers of the future going to look like? How powerful will those companies be? Which companies are involved in nanotech? Big Companies Virtually all of the Fortune Global 500 companies are investing in nanotechnology research. Unlike with biotech, big companies have been involved with nanotech from the start. They are both developing nanotechnologies for their own products and are using technologies developed by each other. Major corporate nano developers/users include Computers/Electronics: IBM, NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Philips, Hewlett Packard, Samsung, Motorola, Mitsubishi, General Electric, Microsoft Food: Kraft, Unilever, Nestle, Heinz, Sara Lee Drugs/Healthcare: Glaxo, Smith and Nephew, Merck, Oil: BP, Exxon, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, Haliburton, Clothing: Burlington, Nike, Gap, Defence/Aerospace: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Qinetiq, Cosmetics: L’Oreal, Chemicals: Dupont, Degussa, Dow, Henkel, Agricuture: Syngenta, Monsanto Cars/Automotive: BMW, Renault, General Motors, Ford, Caterpillar, Small Companies: Nanotech has also spawned hundreds of small nano specialist companies. These are often spinout companies commercialising the results of university research. Small nano-companies include Nanosys, Nanophase, C60, Altair, Nanomix, Veeco, Flamel, Nanogate, Arryx, Nanoproducts. UK based companies include Oxonica, Thomas Swan & Co and Skyepharma. New enclosures/new monopolies Just as biotechnology’s ability to manipulate genes went hand in hand with the patenting of life, so too nanotechnology’s ability to manipulate molecules has led to the patenting of matter. Over 800 nano-related patents were granted in 2003, and the numbers are increasing year on year. Carbon nanotubes have a wide range of uses, and look set to become crucial to several industries. However, two corporations, NEC and IBM, hold the basic patents on carbon nanotubes. Further Reading The Big Down and The Little Big Down by the ETC Group available online at www.etcgroup.org May 2003 edition of the Ecologist Nanotechnology Special Report Down On The Farm by the ETC Group available online at www.etcgroup.org
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- Global warming pics And corporate America still denies the problem.. http://news.com.com/Photos+Glacier+meltdowns+amid+global+warming/2009-1008_3-5587955.html?tag=st.num
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