Murray Bookchin y el anarquismo español

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Al comienzo de la Guerra Civil española Bookchin tenía tan solo 15 años. Era demasiado joven para viajar como brigadista internacional a luchar a favor de la causa republicana como hicieron algunos de sus amigos. Sin embargo, la que él y otros autores catalogaron como revolución española marcaría su pensamiento e ideología.

Frontpage of the book "To Remember Spain"

En 1977 publicó el libro “Anarquistas españoles. Los años heroicos 1868-1936” un recorrido por el movimiento anarquista español desde sus orígenes hasta mediados de los años 30. Y aunque tenía en mente publicar otro libro que se centrase en el anarquismo durante los años de la guerra, nunca llegó a escribirlo. Pero si publicó “Para recordar a España” una colección de dos ensayos que complementan su primer libro sobre la tradicción anarquista española.

Murray Bookchin estaba especialmente fascinado por el carácter “extraordinariamente anárquico” de las formas de organización creadas por los obreros y los campesinos. Así que decidió viajar a España y también a Francia e Inglaterra (países en los que se encontraban exiliados miembros de la CNT-FAI) para reunir documentación y escribir el libro que serviría de legado a las generaciones posteriores de “un acontecimineto revolucionario inspirador”.

Aunque en su libro Bookchin reconoce que “en algunos momentos determinados grupos o personas de forma minoritaria hicieron uso de la violencia”,  defiende que “pocas imágenes de una sociedad libre han sido tan groseramente tragiversadas como las del anarquismo”. El autor norteamericano presenta el anarquismo como una doctrina basada en “el apoyo mutuo, respeto, solidaridad y hospitalidad. Un movimiento opuesto a toda jerarquía, que se impondría en la sociedad a través de una filosofía libertaria que impregnase a todos los miembros que la componen”.

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Translated: Maira Asare reviews Philip Ruff’s “On A Towering Flame to Heaven”

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Maira Asare’s review in Kulturas Diena of Philip Ruff’s book “On A Towering Flame to Heaven – The life and times of the elusive Latvian anarchist Peter the Painter” has been translated from Latvian into English by Irene Huls.

“Philip Ruff’s book about the Latvian anarchist Janis Zhaklis dispels some myths which have been intentionally created to cover up the factual smithereens, which for many dozens of years had been presented as the true history of the 1905 revolution.”

“School history text-books and other publications for readers interested in this period, used phrases like “chaotic riots”, “disorganised peasant uprisings”… illustrated by dull drawings and picture reproductions – peasants, armed with pitchforks and spades against the background of a burning castle… The purpose of such interpretations is clear – they were meant to show the Bolsheviks as the only true liberators of oppressed nations and workers against the background of the 1905 events.”

“Philip Ruff’s book removes the foggy veil from the dull, lacklustre reproductions in those text-books; it purposefully and methodically draws the connection between the seemingly disparate events and gives them a logical, fact-based and completely different content and interconnectedness.”

“Before the publication of Ruff’s book, next to nothing or very little was known about what really lies at the basis of anarchist ideas. All these myths (or rather, lies) Philip Ruff’s book deconstructs in a quiet, convincing story, richly supported by historical facts.”

Click here to read the full review

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Atos Protests Continue

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New protests have been planned to force Glasgow 2014 to drop Atos as sponsors.

This news comes after demonstrations were held in tandem with the paralympics, protesting against Atos’s poor record in their fit-for-work assessments.

The coming protests still aim to bring the inferior assessments to public light and are hoping to take Atos out of the sponsor list for Glasgow 2014, where they are hoping to gain good press.

Below is a video of one of the protests held during the paralympics games


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Keith Garner on Rob Tincknell

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Keith Garner, local architect and member of the Battersea Power Station Community Group, has laid out a tyraid of questions to the chief executive of the Battersea Power Station Development Company, Rob Tincknell.

In an article described as ‘sycophantic and uncritical’ by Garner, Tincknell answered a series of questions about his involvement with the new plans for the regeneration of Battersea Power Station.

Garner responded strongly to the article, posing probing questions that still need answering. For example;

Why did Treasury Holdings not complete any substantive work in the five years they owned Battersea Power Station between 2006 and 2011, when you were in charge?

Why is the river walk connecting to Battersea Park still not built when your colleagues at Treasury Holdings promised at a meeting in 2011 that this would be done?

Why are you currently carrying out a “public consultation”, when it is clear that you have no intention of responding to any of the concerns raised?

The list ended with Garner asking, ‘Perhaps you would put some of these questions to Rob Tincknell as well?’

We can’t see the Architects Journal being so bold, but are keen to have these questions answered ourselves.

If you have any questions you want answering, let us know and we’ll try to pose them to the companies behind Battersea.

You can read the article itself, and Keith’s full response here, http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/rob-tincknell-committed-to-battersea/8635755.article

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Kulturas Diena Review Pa Stāvu Liesmu Debesīs

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Philip Ruff’s book Pa Stāvu Liesmu Debesīs has been reviewed by Maira Asare in Kulturas Diena.

To read, click the image below for full size.

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‘Justice and Security’ Bill to Silence Civil Courts

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A new bill proposed aims to silence future court rulings involving secrets sensitive to the government, such as British Intelligence collusion in torture.

It is claimed that the bill will allow for better disclosure within the courts, whilst silencing the coverage of discussions, but the realities of this seem to be a move towards secreet courts.

This comes after secrets surrounding the torture and degrading conditions imposed on UK residents in Guantanamo Bay were discussed openly in court, after the High Court ruled that information disclosed by the CIA to MI5 and MI6 was to be released.

The bill will mean that future hearings won’t have the publicity they once did. Yet another sheet to cover the dealings of international governments from society.

Whether or not the truth behind Guantanamo’s conditions will ever be publicly admitted to or not seems continually unlikely; giving those campaigning for Shaker Aamer’s release another hurdle to overcome in the fight for justice.

For more on the bill, read The Guardian’s article and Parliament’s Official Page

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Brian Barnes Skeptical of Latest Battersea Plans

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Brian Barnes has publicly said that he’s continually doubtful of the new plans set out by Sime Darby to regenerate Battersea Power Station.

Barnes, the driving force behind the Battersea Power Station Community Group that he begun 29 years ago, has seen many plans come and go in his time and is sure the recent proposal from the Malaysian giant will be just another in a long list of failed plans.

He has also criticised the plans for not having enough affordable housing, claiming that no-one from the local area will be able to afford to live there, especially young people looking to get onto the property ladder.

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Battersea Plans Unveiled

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Sime Darby have released their plans for their regeneration of Battersea Power Station. This Friday (14th) 10:00am-6:00pm and Saturday (15th) 10:00am-4:00pm will see an exhibition of these plans at the Consultation Suite, Battersea Power Station (Gate 2).

These plans have been reported to involve the demolition of the chimneys, and replicas being constructed as the degredation of the current structures is said to be too much to allow a conservation effort.

Around 3,400 homes, including 500 classified as “affordable” will be built on the 29-acre site, as well as two hotels, 160,000 sq ft of offices and dozens of shops and restaurants in a new “high street”. This work is part of their 12-year development project, with a park and walkway projected for completion as early as next April.

Visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk for more information.
Email powerstation@batterseasociety.org.uk with your thoughts on the proposed plans.

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The Dark Side of Olympic Sponsor, Coca-Cola

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As one of the world’s largest brands, Coca-Cola is drunk globally at most major events, organisations and in normal day-to-day life, but controversy is never far away from the corporation’s door as their actions are felt by all of those unable to defend themselves.

They pedal their work in communities, but always fail to mention their crippling effects on non-western countries, the drastic effects to the environment around their bottling plants and the mysterious deaths associated with their work.

The Olympic sponsor’s chokehold on the drinks market is unassailable, but as opposition to their activity grows, legal challenges will continue to bombard Coca-Cola until something drastic changes in their behind-the-scenes work.

Carmen Garcia and German Gutierrez made the following film telling the story of Daniel Kovalik and Terry Collingsworth as they attempt to take on one of the most recognisable companies on the planet using The Alien Tort Claims Act, an act dating back to the early days of the American Constitution.

Click below to watch the film on the ever-intriguing thoughtmaybe.

Wikipedia hosts a broad summary of a number of the criticisms of Coca-Cola.

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Why Germany Isn’t Rooting Out its Neo-Nazis

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Far-right violence against immigrants has become endemic in parts of Germany and that won’t change anytime soon. The public and the police are too often indifferent to extremism, despite the risk it poses to the country’s reputation. Deep down, Germany still hasn’t grasped that it needs to embrace its minorities…

The rest of the article can be found here.

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