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P r a c t i c a l @ n a r c h y



O N L I N E



Issue 2.5, November/December  1993

Winter Solstice Edition



A bimonthly electronic zine concerning anarchy from a practical point of

view, to help you put some anarchy in your everyday life. The anarchy scene

is covered through reviews and reports from people in the living anarchy.



Editors:



Chuck Munson



Internet        [e-mail]

Bitnet  [e-mail]

Postal address

Practical Anarchy

PO Box 173

Madison, WI 53701-0173

USA



Subscription of PA Online is free in it's electronic format and each issue

is anti-copyright and may be distributed freely as long as the source is

credited. Please direct subscription matters to cardell at the above

address.



We encourage our readers to submit articles and to send in bits of news

from everywhere. Local or worldwide doesn't matter -- we publish it. Send

mail to the editors.



******************IMPORTANT NOTE***************************

        THIS IS THE LAST ISSUE OF PRACTICAL ANARCHY ONLINE, at least for a

little while]

        This zine needs some new editors if it is to continue in 1994.  I

recently found out that my acting position will be filled by someone else,

so my job future as of January is up in the air.  I'll also be losing

access to the Internet for awhile, so I won't be able to put this zine out.

 I'll put out three more issues and then someone else will have to pick up

the reins.  The paper edition of Practical Anarchy will continue to be

published by me.  So if you are in general agreement with the philosophy of

this zine (an emphasis on practical anarchy, anti-statism, anti-capitalism,

and anti-vanguardism) please send me a note.  Ideally we should have at

least two people doing this publication.  I can also send you the current

mailing list.

        I will be out of town from December 19th to January 4th.  You might

be able to reach me via email in January, but I can't guarantee that.

Contact me at my post office box if you need to.

*********************************************************************



=@= NEWS AND SCENE REPORTS =@=

SPUNK NEWS

        Spunk Press, an electronic archive of anarchist and alternative

materials, keeps growing]  An upcoming update to the archive will bring the

total number of etexts to over 160.  We are still looking for more

materials and more volunteers.  Spunk Press is run by an international

collective.  The archive may soon be available from multiple sites.

Contact us for more details.  Members of Spunk also get together weekly for

a chat session on the IRC.  Check out the #Spunk channel every Saturday at

1800 UT.  If you can't access Spunk via FTP, you can ask one of the

collective members to print out the material you want and they will mail it

to you.



To get more news about Spunk Press, send a message to [e-mail]



To access the archive via FTP:

        Archive is located at etext.archive.umich.edu





=@= FOCUS SECTION =@=



ANARCHY & ECONOMICS  Part 2



What is MONEY?

mby boog highberger.  This originally appeared in *The Gentle Anarchist*

#15, Fall 1987y



        Thinking about money in this society is like being a fish wondering

about the nature of water.  We build our lives around money, we live money,

we breathe money, we swim in it like fish in the sea.

        Millions of people spend (so to speak) 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a

year doing nothing but playing with money-printing it, minting it, counting

it, recounting it, taking it from here, sending it there, juggling it,

smuggling it...sitting in offices in huge buildings making phone calls and

shuffling bits of paper, adding & re-adding endless columns of numbers to

make sure that they come out exactly the same...yeah, but...







"I don't know what money is today, and I don't think anybody at the Fed

does either."

Richard Pratt, Chairman of the Board of the

Federal Home Loan Bank, 1982





Money is Inevitable

        Money is not an accident. Neither was it the "invention" of some

particularly progressive culture or clever individual. Money in various

forms has arisen independently, in different ages and on every continent,

wherever the local economy has evolved beyond the level of subsistence.

Wherever there is surplus, trade inevitably follows, and primitive barter

economies progress almost inevitably to money economies, as certain

articles of recognized usefulness slowly come to symbolize wealth and are

accepted at a fixed value. In an area where cattle are the common form of

wealth, money is born when a cow comes to have the value of 1 cow,

regardless of its size, weight, health, or other physical  characteristics.

>From there the process of abstraction continues: cattle come mtoy be

represented by tokens bearing pictures of cattle, the tokens evolve into

coins symbolizing value in general, and on down to our own day where value

is symbolized by marks on paper and the magnetic configurations of silicon

wafers.

        And the inevitability of money is clear even in the present day.

Wherever national governments have attempted to impose worthless currencies

as the means of exchange, black markets dealing in "hard" currencies have

arisen. This phenomenon perhaps reached the peak of absurdity in the 1970s

in Communist Laos, where the official money of the country was the "kip",

but the only money accepted by the Laotian government was the US dollar.



  The Soviet Union is the only country in the world where counterfeiting is

a capital offense (so to speak).



Money is Inequality

                John Locke thought that money arose before society, and

that by its use people have consented to class society:



"it is plain, that Men have agreed to disproportionate and unequal

Possession of the Earth, they haying by a tacit and voluntary consent found

out a way, how a man may fairly possess more land than he himself can use

the product of, by receiving in exchange for the overplus, Gold and Silver,

which may be hoarded up without injury to any one, these metalls not

spoiling or decaying in the hands of the possessor. This partage of things,

in an inequality of private possessions, men have made practicable out of

the bounds of  Societie, and without compact, only by putting a value on

gold and silver and tacitly agreeing in the use of Money

 memphasis addedy."



        Georg Simmel, writing two hundred years later, was not nearly so

naive about the nature of money and society. Simmel recognized that money

is "entirely a social institution", and said that "When barter is replaced

by money transactions, a third factor is introduced between the two

parties: the community as a whole, which provides a real value

corresponding to money."  Those who become "rich" are those who manage to

monopolize big chunks of the social wealth for their own ends. Far from

being a tacit agreement, this is done despite the sometimes violent

resistance of those whose share of the social wealth is being taken away.

        The division of labor in society depends on a money economy. And so

does capitalism. It's very hard to extract surplus value in a system based

on barter exchange. The growth of the state has gone hand in hand with the

growth of the money economy- the emerging nation-states imposed taxes

payable only in money, replacing taxes payable in kind and driving more and

more people into alienated labor and the money economy. Like S. Herbert

Frankel says, "a trustworthy, disciplined monetary system is indispensable

for the free unfolding of the extended division of labor on which the

growth of world economies depends... A reliable standard in which

long-term debts can be expressed is indispensable for the growth of

capital."

        So capitalists didn't invent money... but perhaps we can say that

money invented capitalism. For once money  has been born into the world it

quickly begins to recreate the world in its own image.



        Chrematophobia: Fear of Money.



Money Is Midas

        Like King Midas, money turns everything it touches to gold, or at

least into commodities that can be exchanged for gold.  Unique living

beings become standardized things.



"Trade is the reduction and quantification of the world to commodity

equivalents, the leveller of quality, skill, and concrete labor to

numerical units that can be measured by time and money, clocks and gold."

        Murray Bookchin



        And as money itself becomes more abstract and divorced from

concrete reality, so do the society and people that use it.  As Simmel puts

it, "The increasing replacement of metal money by paper money and the

various forms of credit unavoidably react upon the character of money-in

roughly the same way as in personal relations when somebody allows himself

to be represented by others, so that finally he receives no greater esteem

than is accorded his representatives...The idea that life is essentially

based on intellect, and that intellect is accepted in practical life as the

most valuable of our mental energies, goes hand in hand with the growth of

a money economy."



Money Is What Money Does



        Featured on the back of the Swiss 1000-franc note, the highest

valued item of currency in regular circulation in the world, is a figure of

the Grim Reaper.



Money Is

the Secret Name of All Things

In many ancient cultures, to know the name of something was to control it,

to have power over it.  In the Christian Bible, Adam is given authority

over the animals of the world when God allows him to name them.  In the

underworld of the ancient Egyptians, the dead had to pass through a series

of gates to reach the Kingdom of Osiris, the Land of the Blessed.  The key

to passing through each gate was to know the secret name of the gate and

the secret name of the gatekeeper.  Today everyone and everything has the

same secret name:  MONEY.



Money Is White Sugar



"What we call the primitive is a mature system with deep capacities for

stability and protection built into it. In fact it seems to be able to

withstand everything except white sugar and the money economy trading

relationship; and alcohol, kerosene, nails, and matches."

              Gary Snyder



Money is electricity: power stripped from its context and refined to its

purest form. We have created elaborate networks for its circulation. We

have devised ingenious instruments and mechanisms to let it do our work for

us. It jumps through hoops at our command but it is no longer clear who is

the master...



Money Is A Pyramid Scheme

        It's highly appropriate that there's a picture of a pyramid on the

back of the US dollar bill, because money is the original pyramid scheme.

        Here's how it works: You go to work to help make something for the

boss. At the end of the week you get a few pieces of paper that are a

promise that somebody else will give you some stuff you want. So you worked

all week for the promise of a promise.

        But where did the boss get the money to pay you? Well, either he

sold the stuff that you had already made for him (and pocketed his share),

or he "borrowed" it. And where did this "borrowed" money come from? From a

bank. And where did the bank get it? From somebody like you, who had some

money to save, who wanted to wait a while to cash in their promises. So the

bank gives the money to the boss, who gives it back to you. And all this

works just fine, most of the time. The only problem is when everyone wants

to cash in their promises all at once and they find out there are more

promises than stuff. Every pyramid scheme eventually crashes, and when a

pyramid scheme crashes somebody always gets burned. Guess who?



Money Is Shit



        Freudian psychoanalysts equate money and feces. Ernest Bornemann

says that "according to ancient Babylonian doctrine, gold was referred to

as the 'feces of hell', and Theodor Reik mentions that the Aztecs used to

call gold the 'feces of the gods'." Freudians also make a connection

between money and guilt. Again according to Bornemann, "capital

accumulation and indebtedness are as closely related as feces accumulation

and feelings of guilt." Unfortunately Bornemann uses this sound base of

symbolic insight as a jumping off point for some painfully goofy flights of

imagination, as when he speculates that  "there is no reason to assume that

a desire for the private ownership of the means of production would have to

persist in a socialist society with appropriate weaning and toilet

training."



"Money is like muck, not good except it be spread."

              Francis Bacon



The phrase "money doesn't smell" was coined by the Roman Emperor Vespasian

who had taxed the collection of urine because the ammonia it contained was

used by the Romans to do their laundry. The Roman Emperor Tiberius feared

that he was made of feces, and forbade Romans to enter public toilets with

rings or gold coins showing his portrait.



Money Is A Disease

        A 1972 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association

found 21 different disease-causing microorganisms living on samples of

paper money. 42% of the bills tested carried one or more of the pathogens.

        In medieval Russia, there existed silver coins so small that it was

impossible to take them by hand from a table. When transactions took place,

the buyer emptied his purse on the table, the amount to be paid was

separated out, and both parties then picked up their share of the coins

with their tongues and spat them into their respective purses.



Money Is Freedom,

Money Is Slavery;

Money Is Community,

Money Is Alienation

        Yeah, and money is a paradox...What money gives on one level it

takes away on another. Money frees us to realize our wildest desires-money

is pure choice-but at the same time it binds us to a system of wage slavery

in which we have to sell our time to survive. Money strengthens our

connections to our fellow human by tying us into a system of production

that makes us all mutually dependent... but at the same time it cheapens

and destroys even the most intimate of our interpersonal relations by

reducing them to the level of commodity exchanges.

        Locke celebrated the fact that "money... replaced the utter

dependence on nature by a new dependence, a dependence on other individuals

and on society." Locke looked forward to the promise of such freedom with

an optimism that seems naive from our jaded 20th century perspective. As

Frankel explains it: "Today we have more freedom but are unable to enjoy it

properly; money makes it possible to buy ourselves not only out of bonds

with others but even out of bonds with our possessions. We develop a

rootless search for ever new things because money is our only nexus with

them. Money's abstract power to command anything ultimately seems to

command nothing."

        And again with the paradoxes: while money as an institution may

threaten our freedom and our sanity, in the short run certain forms of

money work greatly in our favor. In particular, banknotes and metal money

are a protection against the people who want to monitor our every motion.

Consider this serious proposal from a lawyer who had a friend whose wallet

had just been ripped off:





 ABOLISH PAPER MONEY AND ELIMINATE MOST CRIME



        Paper currency is the lifeblood of crime and corruption in the

United States. Without paper money it would be virtually impossible for

criminals and corrupt officials to profit from illegal activities. If all

substantial transfers of money were recorded in bank transactions, nobody

could conduct profitable illegal activities without creating highly visible

permanent evidence of the illegal activities or of income tax evasion or

both. With the chances of profit from illegal activities so slim, it is

difficult to visualize large numbers of persons running the risks of

imprisonment. Crime would be reduced dramatically to the point where

today's police forces could effectively control it. Fortunately, technology

has advanced to the point that today there is a substitute for paper money:

a 'payment card' system keyed to bank accounts.

        Each person wishing to spend money other than coins, which would

remain in circulation, would be required to have a bank account. The bank

or federal government would issue to each depositor a U.S. payment card

similar to plastic credit cards. In addition to the necessary codings, each

card would contain the photograph and fingerprint of the depositor... Every

business establishment, including taxicabs, would be equipped with a

terminal in which the payment card could be inserted...(and) make a visual

display of the charge so that the customer could see the exact amount being

deducted from his bank account. . . In the event the customer did not have

the amount in his account the terminal would so indicate...



O Brave New World that has such people in it]



Money Is Faith, Money is Power



        Non aes sed fides:  not by iron but by faith.  This inscription

formerly found on Maltese coins sums up a very important truth about money:

that the value of every kind of money, including metal money, rests on

trust.  Money cannot be enforced, and money is accepted only when people

exchange it for a certain amount of real stuff at some point in the future.

        This is perhaps an important point to remember in times of

impending economic crises.  In the face of short term economic upheaval,

conservatives are correct to insist on accepting only gold and silve as

"real" money, since they are relatively rare and can't be manufactured out

of common materials by the government.  But ultimately the value of gold

and silver as money rests on faith and trust in the future, just like paper

currency does.  When the real crunch finally comes, it may be useful to

remember that there are more calories in paper than in silver or gold.

        And here we come to yet another of the paradoxes of money: while

money depends on trust at the personal level, that trust ultimately depends

on the power of the issuing authority. Our currency is backed not by the

gold in Fort Knox but by the guns in Fort Knox.  The value of money,

whether gold or paper, ultimately rests on faith, and the value of the US

dollar rests on the faith that the US domination of the world economy is

backed by the US Army, Air Force, and Marines.

        For several hundred years economists have recognized that our money

has value "to the extent of our faith in a viable tomorrow."  Thus it seems

surprising that no economist has drawn a connection between the dawn of the

nuclear era and the chronic inflation that has characterized the post-war

economies of the industrial nations. Perhaps this can also help explain the

willingness of both liberals and conservatives in this country to rack up

huge federal deficits-what's so bad about stealing from tomorrow when

there's not going to be a tomorrow?





MONEY

Money, get away

Get a good job with more pay and your O.K.

Money it's a gas

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream,

Think I'll buy me a footbal team



Money get back

I'm all right Jack keep your hands off my stack

Money it's a hit

Don't give me that do goody bullshit

I'm in the hi-fidelity first class travelling set

And I think I need a Lear jet



Money it's a crime

Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie

Money so they say

Is the root of all evil today

But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're

giving none away



Money Is Information



        Money is information-the only problem is that it's not very much

information.  Money talks, but it doesn't say much.  In the wonderful world

of capitalism, everything-and everyone-has a price, and that price is the

only information that matters in the marketplace.  For the marketplace to

work, reality has to be simplified and standardized.  As our everyday life

becomes more and more characterized by exchnages, by buying and selling,

many of the facts and observations about the objects in our lives become

irrelevant and are no longer valued.  Commodities have no history.  There

are no tenses in the lenguage of money-prices are always now.

        Interest rates, stock prices, and commodity index futures all

provide information about the economy and provide clues as to how to most

efficiently organize society's resources. But as with prices, lots of

information is lost in the translation of daily life into economic

indicators. Countless facts about millions of people doing millions of

different things get reduced to a few bits of data which are interpreted by

economists like Chinese mystics prophesying from the pattern of I Ching

sticks-all economics is voodoo economics. Through their interpretation of

the magic signs, the best allocation of economic resources is

determined-but best for who? Priests who prophesy against their masters

usually don't have much job security...

        This development is an inevitable consequence of the increasing

abstraction of money. When money becomes intellectualized, intellectuals

control money and the economy. And, as always, the intellectuals are

controlled by the governments and corporations that sign their paychecks.

        And thus the productive forces of a society are organized to

maintain the existing power relations of that society. Simmel again: "Money

is thus one of the great cultural elements whose function it is to assemble

great forces at a single point and so to overcome the passive and active

opposition...by this concentration of energies. We should think of the

machine in this context."

        Welcome to the machine...



Money Never Sleeps



The speed of electricity approaches that of the speed of light, and today

the speed of money is the speed of electricity. Every day billions of

"dollars" race the sun around the globe. As one financial market closes,

the dollars rush on to the next so that not a moment is wasted.



        "Knowledge - Zzzzzp]  Money - Zzzzzp] - Power]

    That's the cycle democracy is built on]"

               Tennessee Williams



What Can I Do?



        Raoul Vaneigem says that "a truly new reality can only be based on

the principle of the gift." And many anarchists have argued the need for

the abolition of money. But history has shown that money cannot be

abolished before people's need for money has been abolished. Until we have

created a society of the gift that is no longer built on a system of

commodity exchanges, money will be necessary or perhaps even desirable. So

what we need are some practical short term strategies that will move us in

the direction of the type of society we want to see, and at the same time

we need to create new monetary institutions that will reduce some of the

more destructive effects of money in the meantime.

        Burning money is always good theater, but until we have provided

ourselves with a permanent non-money means of sustenance, doing very much

of it will be counterproductive. Removing as much of our daily lives from

the arena of commodity exchange seems important, since that's how the new

reality will be created- by individuals consciously removing themselves

from the old, destructive system. So freely giving and receiving as much as

possible seems like a step in the right direction.

        And while money is still with us, we need to place limits on the

money we use. Instead of passively accepting ever expanding and

accelerating forms of money like they were divinely commanded by some

all-powerful god, we need to raise the awareness that money is essentially

a social relationship  and as such we have the right to collectively

determine the nature of that relationship.

        Some anarchists in the past have argued for placing time limits on

money, such as issuing money that expires and has no value after a certain

date. What seems more practical is to create new forms of money that are

spatially limited- regional, decentralized currencies only good in a

specified area. This may seem impractical, too, but experiments like this

have worked in the past, and one such project is in progress right now in

the United States.

        Part of the benefit of regional or local currency comes from the

fact that a banknote essentially represents an interest-free loan to the

central government. In the Isle of Man in the early 1800's, citizens there

replaced all the English money on the island with their own local currency,

invested the English money, and in a few years had earned enough interest

to finance the construction of a new public hall.

        In the Berkshires area of Massachusetts, the SHARE (Self Help

Association for a Regional Economy) program is currently making loans that

encourage greater regional self-sufficiency in the production of basic

necessities, and plans to soon issue a regional currency called

"Berkshares", with a value based on the value of cordwood. Berkshares are

designed to meet the criteria for an appropriately scaled currency proposed

by Robert Swann of the E.F. Schumacher Society.  Swann says that the new

local currencies should be: 1) consistent with customary practices (i.e.

taking the form of cash and checks and being compatible with common

accounting systems); 2) redeemable in some form of real everyday value; 3)

based on local production but tied to a universal measure of value; and 4)

controlled by the community, perhaps through a non-profit bank. It's too

early to evaluate the success of the Berkshares program, but in its first

stages it seems to be a short but firm step in the direction of local

autonomy.



Closing Benediction and Words of Inspiration



        Capitalists understand far better than the rest of us what money

does, but with rare exceptions they seem to have little idea about what

money is. It's the same with computers-often the best programmers have

little idea of how their machines are built.  And Beethoven didn't know how

to make pianos.

        But here is where our opportunity lies.  Only those who understand

their tools can really control them (what happens to Beethoven when his

piano is broken?), and only if we understand the tools that are used to

control us can we fight back effectively.  So, by coming to understand the

reality behind the shell game & light show of the current world economic

system, perhaps we can learn to build the hardware for a new way of

organizing our productive activities that will build community instead of

destroying it and will empower us as individuals rather than enslaving us

and reducing us to cogs in an incomprehensible and uncontrollable machine.



        boog



"Go out and fight so life shouldn't be printed on dollar bills."

                Clifford Odets





And So, For Further Reading

Regional Currencies

        For a packet of information on the SHARE program, write to SHARE,

PO Box 125, Great Barrington, MA 01230 meditor note: this address has

probably changed since this article was first publishedy. For a copy of the

Robert Swann paper "Community Survival in the Age of Inflation" (which lays

out the ideas behind the Bershares program) send a buck or two to the E.F.

Schumacher Society, Box 76, RD 3, Great Barrington, MA 01230.



Some Books About Money

The Brotherhood of Money, Murray Teigh Bloom, BNR Press, 1983

The Psychoanalysis of Money, Ernest Bornemann, Urizen Books, 1976

Money and Liberty, S. Herbert Frankel, American Enterprise Institute, 1980

The Phenomenon Money, Money and How It Gets That Way, Henry Miller



And For The Intellectual Masochists Among Us

The Philosophy of Money, Georg Simmel, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978





=@= ARTICLES =@=



_Permanent TAZs_



TAZ-theory tries to concern itself with existing or emerging situations

rather than with pure utopianism. All over the world people are leaving or

"disappearing" themselves from the Grid of Alienation and seeking ways to

restore human contact. An interesting example of this-on the level of

"urban folk culture"-can be found in the proliferation of hobby networks

and conferences. Recently I discovered the zines of two such groups, Crown

Jewels of the Hlgh Wire (devoted to the collection of glass electrical

insulators) and a journal on cucurbitology (The Gourd). A vast amount of

creativity goes into these obsessions. The various periodic gatherings of

fellow-maniacs amount to

genuine face-to-face (unmediated) festivals of eccentricity. It's not just

the "counter-culture" which seeks its TAZs, its nomad encampments and

nights of liberation from the Consensus. Self-organized and autonomous

groups are springing up amongst every "class" and "sub-culture". Vast

tracts of the Babylonian Empire are now virtually empty, populated only by

the spooks of MassMedia, and a few psychotic policemen.



TAZ-theory realizes that THIS IS HAPPENING- we're not talking about

"should" or "will be"-we're talking about an already-existing movement. Our

use of various thought-experiments, utopian poetics, paranoia criticism,

etc., aims at helping to clarify this complex and still largely

undocumented movement, to give it some theoretical focus and

self-awareness, and to suggest tactics based on coherent integral

strategies-to act the midwife or the panegyrist, not the "vanguard"]



And so we've had to consider the fact that not all existing autonomous

zones are "temporary". Some are (at least by intention) more-or-less

"permanent". Certain cracks in the Babylonian Monolith appear so vacant

that whole groups can move into them and settle down. Certain theories,

such as "Permaculture", have been developed to deal with this situation and

make the most of it. "Villages", "communes", "communities", even

"arcologies" and "biospheres" (or other utopian-city forms) are being

experimented with and implemented. Even here however TAZ-theory may offer

some useful thought-tools and clarifications.



What about a poetique (a "way of making") and a politique (a "way of

living-together) for the "permanent" TAZ (or "PAZ")?  What about the actual

relation between temporariness and permanence? And how can the PAZ renew

and refresh itself periodically with the "festival" aspect of the TAZ?



THE QUESTION OF PUBLICITY



Recent events in the US and Europe have shown that

self-organized/autonomous groups strike fear into the heart of the State.

MOVE in Philadelphia, the Koreshites of Waco, Deadheads, Rainbow Tribes,

computer-hackers, squatters, etc., have been targeted for varying

intensity-levels of extermination. And yet other autonomous groups go

unnoticed, or at least unpersecuted. What makes the difference? One factor

may be the malign effect of publicity or mediation. The Media experience a

vampiric thirst for the shadow-Passion play of "Terrorism", Babylon's

public ritual of expiation, scapegoating, and blood-sacrifice. Once any

autonomous group allows this particular "gaze" to fall upon it, the shit

hits the fan:-the Media will try to arrange a mini-armageddon to satisfy

its junk-sickness for spectacle and death.



Now, the PAZ makes a fine sitting target for such a Media smart-bomb.

Beseiged inside its "con-pound", the self-organized group can only succumb

to some sort of cheap pre-determined martyrdom. Presumably this role

appeals only to neurotic masochists??? In any case, most groups will want

to live out their natural span or trajectory in peace and quiet. A good

tactic here might be to avoid publicity from the Mass Media as if it were

the plague. A bit of natural paranoia comes in handy, so

long as it doesn't become an end in itself. One must be cunning in order to

get away with being bold. A touch of camoflage, a flair for invisibility, a

sense of tact as a tactic...might be as useful to a PAZ as a TAZ. Humble

suggestions:-Use only "intimate media" (zines, phonetrees, BBSs, free radio

and mini-FM, public-access cable, etc.)-avoid blustering-macho-

confrontationist attitude-you don't need five seconds on the Evening News

("Police Raid Cultists") to validate your existence.

Our slogan might be:-"Get a life, not a life-style."



ACCESS



People probably ought to choose the people they live with.

''Open-membership" communes invariably end up swamped with freeloaders and

sex-starved pathetic creeps. PAZs must choose their own membership

mutually-this has nothing to do with "elitism". The PAZ may exercize a

temporarily open function-such as hosting festivals or giving away free

food, etc.-but it need not be permanently open to any self-proclaimed

sympathizer who wanders by.



THE EMERGENCE OF A GENUINELY

ALTERNATIVE ECONOMY



Once again, this is already happening-but it still needs a huge amount of

work before it comes into focus. The sub-economies of "lavoro nero",

untaxed transactions, barter, etc., tend to be severely limited and

localized. BBSs and other networking systems could be used to link up these

regional/marginal aeconomies ("household managements") into a viable

alternative economy of

some magnitude. "P.M." has already outlined something like this in

bolo'bolo-in fact a number of possible systems already exist, in theory

anyway. The problem is: -how to construct a true alternative economy, i.e.

a complete economy, without attracting the IRS and other capitalist

runningdogs? How can I exchange my skills as, say, a plumber or moonshiner,

for the food, books, shelter, and psychoactive plants I want-without paying

taxes, or even without using ally State-forged money? How can I live a

comfortable (even luxurious) life free of all interactions and transactions

with CommodityWorld? If we took all the energy the Leftists put into

"demos", and all the energy the Libertarians put into playing futile little

3rd-party games, and if we redirected all that power into the construction

of a real underground economy, we would already have accomplished "the

Revolution" long ago.



THE "WORLD" CAME TO AN END IN 1972



The hollowed-out effigy of the Absolute State finally toppled in "1989".

The last ideology, Capitalism, is no more than a skin-disease of the Very

Late Neolithic. It's a desiring-machine running on empty. I'm hoping to see

it deliquesce in my lifetime, like one of Dali's mindscapes. And I want to

have somewhere to "go" when the shit comes down. Of course the death of

Capitalism needn't entail the Godzilla-like destruction of all human

culture; this scenario is merely a terror- image propagated by Capitalism

itself. Nevertheless it stands to reason that the dreaming corpse will

spasm violently before rigor mortis sets in-and New York or LA may not be

the smartest places to wait out the storm. (And the storm may already have

begun.) mOn the other hand NYC and LA might not be the worst places to

create the New World; one can imagine whole squatted neighborhoods, gangs

transformed into Peoples' Militias, etc.y Now, the gypsy-RV way of life may

be one way to deal with the on-going melt-down of Too-Late Capitalism - but

as for me, I'd prefer a nice anarchist monastery  somewhere-a typical place

for "scholars" to sit out the "Dark Ages". The more we organize this NOW

the less hassle we'll have to face later. I'm not talking about

"survival"-I'm not interested in mere survival. I want to thrive.  BACK TO

UTOPIA.



FESTIVALS



The PAZ serves a vital function as a node in the TAZ-web, a meetingplace

for a wide circle of friends and allies who may not actually live fulltime

on the "farm" or in the "village". Ancient villages held fairs which

brought wealth to the community, provided markets for travelers, and

created festal time/space for all participants. Nowadays the festival is

emerging as one of the most important forms for the TAZ itself, but can

also provide renewal and fresh energy for the PAZ. I remember reading

somewhere that in the Middle Ages there were one hundred and eleven

holidays a year; we should take this as our "utopian minimum" and strive to

do even better. mNote: the utopian minima proposed by C. Fourier consisted

of more food and sex than the average 18th century French aristocrat

enjoyed; B. Fuller proposed the term "bare minimum" for a similar concepty



THE LIVING EARTH



I believe that there exist plenty of good selfish reasons for desiring the

"organic" (it's sexier), the "natural" (it tastes better), the "green"

(it's more beautiful), the Wild(er)ness (it's more exciting).  Communitas

(as P. Goodman called it) and conviviality (as I. Illich called it) are

more pleasurable than their opposites. The living earth need not exclude

the organic city-the small but intense conglomeration of humanity devoted

to the arts and slightly decadent joys of a civilization purged of all its

gigantism and enforced loneliness-but even those of us who enjoy cities can

see immediate and hedonic motives for fighting for the "environment". We

are militant biophiles. Deep ecology, social ecology, permaculture,

appropriate tech..we're not too picky about ideologies. Let 1000

flowers bloom.



PAZ TYPOLOGY



A "weird religion" or a rebel art movement can become a kind of non-local

PAZ, like a more intense and all-consuming hobby network. The Secret

Society (like the Chinese Tong) also provides a model for a PAZ without

geographic limits. But the "perfect case scenario" involves a free space

that extends into free time. The essence of the PAZ must be the

long-drawn-out intensification of the joys-and risks-of the TAZ.  And the

intensification of the PAZ will be....Utopia Now.



Hakim Bey

D R E A M T I M E, A U G U ST 1 9 93



CONTACT:



DREAMTIME

VILLAGE * ROUTE 2 BOX 242W VIOLA WI 54664 $4      FOR NEWSLETTER



_Bioregionalism_

Bioregionalism in the Heartland:

Still Far From Home

by Richard Taylor



About two years ago I borrowed a book called HOME]: A Bioregional Reader.

This book is a collection of articles describing a way of life that seems

sensible enough to me: living within one's means. Bioregionalism is about

the association of life with place, about sustainability through reliance

on local resources. The bioregionalist ideal is that the kind of life

people live depends on what the land provides them. As a result of this

dependency on a bounded area, people must take the well-being of other

creatures and of the land itself into account with their decisions.

        Well, this all seems fair enough, so in the fall of 1991 I went to

the First Annual Ohio River Watershed Bioregional Gathering in Oldenburg,

Indiana. My comments here refer to that experience and to the subsequent

gathering which I attended in fall of 92, with some remarks on

bioregionalism in general. I have both positive and negative feelings about

what I have seen, and for purposes of this article I am going to focus on

the negative.

        The gatherings were held on a farm owned by a Franciscan convent,

with a barn, some pasture, and a small wooded area in which people were to

camp. I felt disappointed when I saw that people were driving their cars

from the barn area less than a quarter-mile through the pasture to the

woods and unloading coolers and other gear. I had brought a single backpack

and although I did not hike to Oldenburg I thought the least I could do at

this sort of event was to walk a little ways to the woods. At a meeting

that evening, it was requested by staffers that people remove their cars to

the parking area by the barn, but they did not. The cars stayed in the

forest until it was time to leave Sunday morning. This scenario was

repeated at the second gathering, despite the attempted establishment of a

no-drive zone at the edge of the pasture. Literally, an example of not

walking the talk.

        Another disturbing event was the "Council of All Beings" held the

first morning of the gathering. This is a practice drawn from a certain

North American native tradition wherein people form a meeting circle, then

go out into the surrounding area a little ways to find some creature or

element (like a tree, or wind for example) and try to picture themselves as

that thing and grasp its point of view on the world. Everyone then comes

back to the circle and tells of their experience as the thing. This was ok

with me until it got to the part of coming back and telling about it. Not

as if I have a hard time flexing my imagination or anything, but I think

these people took it way too seriously.

        The Council of All Beings seems to be mainly a way for the group to

create a sense of fellowship through mutually declaring a certain

suspension of disbelief; sort of like declaring the body and blood of

Christ during a Eucharist. In this case though, my disbelief is in the

possibility of really swapping places with other entities. The rationale is

that these other entities have no voice and so it is necessary for humans

to embody them, but how do we know the "interpreters" aren't just playing

their own game? I had a religious studies class once where I was told a

story about a woman who "channelled the spirit" of a giant redwood tree;

the message was not to worry about saving the trees, the redwoods were

saying they would let themselves be cut down and thereby awaken human

consciousness as to the evil being done. Taking such "representation"

seriously would be as disastrous for ecological affairs as it is for civil

rights. It requires you to suppose that you are even capable of putting

yourself in the position of another being. To me this is supposing a lot,

and it probably stems from the familiar chauvinism about the human ability

to adapt and imagine, plus environmentalism's equivalent of white guilt.

The best statements one can make about how nonhuman life experiences itself

amount to speculation-- which is not necessarily bad, except speculation

should not masquerade as experience. Pretending to get into other beings'

heads like this seems really arrogant to me. In trying to avoid being

human- centered, this Council winds up putting a human face on everything.

        In the HOME] book, it says that the acid test of a bioregion is

whether its inhabitants recognize it as such and in this regard my

"bioregion", as it was presented to me, fails miserably.

        A watershed is an area of land that drains (sheds its water) to a

certain river or stream. The "Ohio River Watershed Bioregion" extends from

the junction of the Ohio and the Mississippi to upstate New York, south to

Tennessee and north to Wisconsin. The basic problem is that it's larger

than any of the states that it overlaps; from a perspective that human

institutions must operate on a human scale, this is intolerable.

Bioregionalists continually insist that the proper boundaries for human

activity are watersheds. Actually, land can be divided up in many ways

using many geographic constructs, but the people at the gathering did not

seem to accept that the watershed is just another such construct; for them

the watershed comes first and other talk about geography is based on it. I

see this "watershed- ism" as taking the easy way out; it's much simpler for

a small group to autocratically decide that people's experience of the land

should be based upon some physical feature than it is to actually get

people engaged in dialogue about how they perceive the place where they

live and discuss how the land is boundaried in their consciousness. The

people I met seemed more intent on making their point by pretentiously

asking others near what river they lived. Wink wink nudge nudge.

        This tendency exists at the national level also. In the 1980s,

there was a North American Bioregional Congress which was attended by

several Mexicans. The Mexicans expressed concern that the term North

American was exclusionist and applied only to the white peoples north of

the Rio Grande. Ok so the whites decided that in order to get around this,

they would change the name of the whole continent to Turtle Island. I see

this as very undemocratic in that these congress participants had no way to

gather ideas and consensus from the populations that live on the continent.

The usual bioregionalist rationale is that all the North American native

tribes share a mythology in which the continent is represented as a big

turtle. I am not convinced this is true, but even if so it raises another,

more serious issue; how do the indigenous people feel about this group of

middle-class neo-Europeans appropriating native traditions for their own

purposes?

        Much of the concern and interest that I see among whites for

natives is directed more toward picking up the "fallen mantle of a great

culture" than with building bridges to actual native communities. The

culture and religion of aboriginal peoples is based on their relationship

to the land, and the most extreme and pressing issues for them right now

are treaty rights and recovery of ancestral lands, as well as things like

hazardous waste dumping and rampant alcoholism. This is where their

struggles lie, and they have little time for cultural voyeurs who would

rather just mimic their rituals. It is probably no accident that the native

people are very scarce at these sorts of gatherings.

        Bioregionalism's spirituality strongly resembles its geopolitics.

The root of the word religion is lig, which means -to bind- ; a religion is

a set of beliefs that binds a community of people together and affirms

their common interests and heritage. Work in anthropology seems to show

that the religious or spiritual life of a society is modeled on the social

relationships that exist in that society. Spirituality, then, can be seen

as something coming forth from community. But bioregionalism tries to

contrive a spiritual tradition first and hopes that community will follow.

This is no surprise, having noted some of its autocratic sentiments, and it

is no wonder that an exercise like the Council of All Beings feels as

artificial as it does. Bioregionalist spirituality is described as

"earth-centered", but it comes off like an earth-spirit theocracy with no

room for atheists.

        Even the bioregionalist "movement" as such seems to have grown in

kind of a top-down way; initially there were national congresses, and only

more lately have there been regional or local gatherings. This has resulted

in far-flung policy statements that have little popular input and which do

not address the needs of individual regions. To me this goes against the

original idea of decentralized communities forming larger levels of

organization through voluntary association, but that is certainly not

unique to bioregionalism. Nobody likes to feel lonely, and it has always

been easier for a marginal group to identify with a paper tiger at the

national level than to do something tangible in its locale.

        On the last day of the gathering, some people from Indianapolis

drove down to Oldenburg for the morning circle. On the way, they had seen a

box turtle crossing the road and had picked it up and brought it to the

gathering, three counties away from where they found it. They placed it in

the center of the circle where it sat and cowered in its shell. People

began saying things about the turtle, of which I forget the words, but the

general theme was that we should all try to identify with this turtle as it

represented the earth spirit or something like that. It must have been a

field day for people who claim they live on something called Turtle Island.

        Box turtles are those little orange-and-black critters with the

hinged bottom plate on the shell, and I know a couple things about them.

Don't try to eat one unless you would starve otherwise; they can eat toxic

mushrooms and store enough toxin in their tissues to nail you later. I've

also read they don't taste that great anyway...

        But the other thing is, they are territorial and don't like to be

whisked miles from their home ranges by narcissistic humans. I don't know

what became of the poor animal, but it was wrong to seize it and force it

into a role like they did. This episode nearly provoked me to get up and

leave the gathering forthwith. It was pure paternalism, manifested as

disrespect, and it heavily colors my feelings towards the people in the

midwest who are "into bioregionalism".

        This review is drawn mainly from what I have seen of midwestern

bioregionalism in action, and does not amount to a blanket indictment of

all principles described by bioregionalists. Some of the principles have

sense in them, and should be worked out into practice. The tendencies I

have described are those either unworkable or at variance with

bioregionalist precepts in the first place. They need to be confronted.





=@= LETTERS TO THE EDITORS =@=



Please send us your comments and letters and we'll print them here.



=@= ZINES =@=



PAPER ZINES

The following zine reviews appeared in Practical Anarchy #8 (print

version).  All were reviewed by Chuck.



Reviewers this issue:

Zines: Chuck

Music: Fred Weaver, Chuck

Books: Chuck



A. INFOS  No.35 / June 1993 is a newsletter that details what the French

anarchists are doing.  This time I got an edition in French, so I can't

tell you much about it. It appears that this issue includes a flyer on a

libertarian school.  This project also appears to have affiliates in other

countries.  Humeurs Noires-Federation Anarchistes, B.P. 79, 59370

Mons-en-Baroeul, FRANCE.  S-8-LP-?. mSend money for sample or tradey.



Adbusters  Summer 1993 (vol.2, no.4)  is an excellent magazine for folks

interested in media activism and fighting advertising.  If you are

interested in "culture jamming" this is the place to go for fresh ideas.

The Media Foundation, 1243 West 7th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., V6H 1B7 Canada.

S-82-T,M+,F-Q  m$5.75/$16y



Alternative Press Review Fall 1993 (vol.1, no.1) is the promising new mag

from the folks who publish Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed. This new

publication, which bills itself as "your guide beyond the mainstream,"

accomplishes in one issue what Utne Reader tried to do for years, but was

afraid to accomplish.  It brings us reprints from mainstream alternative

magazines like Gnosis and Mother Jones, but it also includes reprints from

zines like Lookout, Madworld Survival Guide, and Mesechabe.  The anarchist

press is well represented.  One of the promising aspects of this project

will be the focus on zine, magazine, book, and film reviews.  C.A.L. Press,

PO Box 1446, Columbia, MO 65205-1446  S-84-T,M+,F-Q m$4.95/$16y



Anarchy:  A Journal of Desire Armed  #38 / Fall 93  features Dina Fisher's

essay on the FBI and the Branch Davidians, an article titled "A World

without Morality", an article on "half-assed radicalism", and another

article on the Spanish Civil War.  Also includes a section called "On Gogol

Boulevard", an excellent roundup of anarchist and antiauthoritarian news

from around the world.  And, as usual, excellent reviews and letters

section.  C.A.L, PO Box 1446, Columbia, MO 65205-1446. S-84-T,C,M-Q.

m$3.50/$12y



Animadverse #9  July/August 1993  is an anarchist zine with articles on

anti-racist action, prisoner support, South Africa, and the Anarchist Queer

Cross. Also includes reviews and short news items.  PO Box 57464, Jackson

Station.  Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8P 3X4  S-16-LP-B m$1/$8y



Autonomy  May 1993 is the newsletter of Some Chicago Anarchists.  News and

opinion from some very traditional anarchists.  Useful for finding out

about anarchist activities in Chicago.  Some Chicago Anarchists, Box 163,

1340 West Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 60613  S-2-LP-Mo m$1y



Bayou La Rose #42 is an anarchist newspaper that usually has excellent

coverage of native peoples and labor. Editor Arthur Miller reflects on

where the anarchist movement is headed. He makes a good case for why

anarchists should avoid the trap of constantly reinventing the wheel.  Why

should we always tear everything down in order to start from scratch.

These folks are also publishing what they call a "guide to useful

publications and organizations, antiauthoritarian, Native American, Labor,

Prisoners, Ecology and more."  Bayou La Rose, PO Box 5464, Tacoma, WA

98415-0464.  Bulk copies are available from Left Bank Distribution.

T-16-T-Q  m$2/$7.50y



Black and Red #4 is the newsletter of the Anarchist Caucus of the

Committees of Correspondence.  News and networking for anarchists in the

New York area.   11 John St., Rm. 506, New York, NY 10038  S-8-LP-B

m$1/$10y



Blue Ryder: the best of the underground press (November-December 1993)  is

a decent alternative newspaper that does an excellent job of keeping up

with the alternative scene.  Cartoons, zine reviews, music reviews, and

articles.  Blue Ryder, Box 587, Olean, NY 14760  T-16-T-B m$1.50/$8y



Cybertek  #8 is the zine for all of you anarcho-hackers, phreakers, and

techie-survivalists.  I don't have the technical knowledge to know if any

of this really works, but hey, it's for educational purposes only]  Stuff

on data taps, home security, pink boxes, and garbage channels.  I found the

recipe for making your own claymore mine to be tasteless and offensive.  I

hope anybody assembling such an abomination blows themselves to pieces

(would do the rest of us a favor). OCL/Magnitude, PO Box 64, Brewster, NY

10509.  S-18-D-B m$/$15y



Crash  (July 1993) is "your guide to travel thru the underground."  This

excellent issue is devoted to bicycles with special articles on Critical

Mass, the direct action movement which started in California and is

currently spreading to other cities.  Crash, 519 Castro #7, San Francisco,

CA 94114  HS-20-LP-B  m$1/$5y



Discussion Bulletin #60 (July/August 1993) is a discussion and letters zine

for those interested in syndicalism, anarcho-communism, industrial

unionism, and socialism.  No party line here, just dialog.  This issue

includes a reprinted debate that originally appeared in the e-zine

Organized Thoughts.  Discussion Bulletin, I.U.C.E., PO Box 1564, Grand

Rapids, MI 49501  HL-32-R-B  m$/$3y



dreamtime talkingmail  Number 4 / Summer 1993 is the newsletter of the

folks up at Dreamtime Village. The Village is located in rural Wisconsin

between Madison and Lacrosse.  It's an exciting project which combines

avant-garde art with permaculture farming.    A calendar of ongoing events,

up-to-date information on the Village, and stuff on bioregions,

permaculture, and temporary autonomous zones.  Highly recommended.

Dreamtime Village, Rt.2 Box 242W, Viola, WI 54664. S-24-T-3  m$4/$12 for 3

issuesy



Dumpster Times  #12 (April '93) is one of the hippest anarchist zines

around right now.  Another of those that are hard to put down once you've

started reading.  The theme of this issue is the drug war and resistance to

it.  An excellent book review section.  Highly recommended.  HL-48-LP-Q

m$2/$10y



East Coast Exchange 1993 (vol.1, no.4) is an "underground" zine serving the

East Coast. The focus here seems to be on music: record reviews as well as

interviews with bands Helmet, Agnostic Front, the Cows, and the Mighty

Mighty Bosstones. Ethan Minsker, 184 Lexington Ave. Apt. 7B, New York, NY

10016-6841  S-28-LP-I  m$1.50y



Eidos: sexual freedom & erotic entertainment for women, men & couples

vol.7, no.2 1993  The publisher of this newspaper, Brenda Loew Tatelbaum,

is to sexual liberation in the 1990s what Emma Goldman was to the same

movement in the 1890s.  If liberating sexuality from the modern day

Puritans is your cause this publication is for you.  Eidos has an

extensive, excellent review section of the alternative press.  I especially

like the reproduction of letters from libraries asking that they be taken

off the mailing list.  Includes a big section of personal ads, guaranteed

to offend at least one of your neighbors.  PO Box 96, Boston, MA

02137-0096.  T-72-T-Q m$10/$30y



Empathy is a collection of Mike Squirrel's poems and drawings.  Lots of

rants against religion and America.  His work has a very anarchist tone.

Mike's a cool guy so ask him for a copy of this.  PO Box 4513, East

Lansing, MI 48826  HS-?-HL-I m$1y



Exposing Mirage #1 is a cool new anarcho-zine with a personal zine flavor.

The editor used to publish Bushwacker zine.  With a range of articles and

collage throughout, this is a fine example of what zines are about.  Rants

about anarchy, why birth control pills are bad, war tax resistance, the

Philly anarchist gathering, and much more.  22 Standard Ave., West Warwick,

RI 02893.  HS-44-LP,C-I  m$2y



Factsheet Five #49  (1993 ) is THE guide to zines.  Mostly zine reviews,

but they also review catalogs and books.  Zine reviews are arranged

alphabetically within categories such as Queer, Art, Fringe, Politics, Sex,

B-Movies, Obsessions and so on.  The reviews are usually very thorough and

well written.  Factsheet is starting to find its own style, but still lacks

the idiosyncrasies of the original.  Layout is excellent and all reviews

are indexed.  Most of the contents are available over the Internet via

email, gopher, or anonymous FTP.  Send a message to [e-mail]

for more details.  Factsheet Five Subscriptions, PO Box 170099, San

Francisco, CA 94117-0099  S-114-T-B m$6/$20y



Fargo Planet is the zine published by the F-Kripz, a techno, hardcore, hip

hop band.  Their music is great; see the review in the music section.  PO

Box 30033, Kansas City, MO 64112.  HS-16-LP,C-I m$1y



Fifth Estate  vol.28, no.2 /Summer 1993 is Detroit's long-running voice of

anarchy.  This issue focuses on "Dope, Queer Sex & Anarchy".  The folks

that publish FE have recently acquired a computer and they include a long

piece on why they got one.  This issue is really worth getting because of

the full-color cover and the excellent back cover portrait of Mao with

paint on his visage.  4632 Second Ave., Detroit, MI 48201.  T-24-T,F-Q

m$1.50/$6y



Flipside #86 (October/November 1993) is one of the big alternative music

magazines.  I like it, but it's not as punk as Maximum RockNRoll or Second

Guess.  LOTS of band interviews, if you like that sort of thing.  Wish I

could afford to send out a pair of 3-D glasses with each issue of my zine]

PO Box 60790, Pasadena, CA 91116  S-1,000,000-T,F-B m$2.50/$10y



Flour Power #3 September 1993 is a new anarchist zine which describes

itself as " a mag of anarchist politics-punk music-reporting the news from

an alternative perspective. If you are anarchist in the northwestern U.S.

or in western Canada you should check this out.  Reports from the Frenzy

Anarchist Gathering which was held last summer.  Other pieces deal with

squatting, how to get an abortion, and the Clayoquot campaign.  Rejoice, PO

Box 78068, RPO Grandview, 2606 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, BC V5N 5W1

S-48-R,LP-I m$1/$2y



The Flush Rush Quarterly  Summer 1993 (vol.1, no.2) is a newsletter for

people who are NOT fans of Rush Limbaugh.  Filled with humor about Rush as

well as analysis of Rush's odious shows.  I choose to ignore Rush, but I'm

glad publications like this one are out there.  PO Box 270525, San Diego,

CA 92198  S-12-LP-Q m$3.50/$13.95y



Fringe Ware Review  mPremiere issuey is a new zine for folks who are

interested in cutting edge "fringe" technology like PGP software and other

weird hardware.  Includes a reprint of Bob Black's The Abolition of Work,

an article on cypherpunks and anarchy, and a list of Internet lists for the

anarcho-techno-hip.  Pretty cool.  Fringeware, Inc. PO Box 49921. Austin,

TX 78765. Internet: [e-mail]  S-50-T,M-Q  m$3.50/$12y



Global Mail  September 1993 (Issue 6) is THE guide to mail art shows being

held around the world in the next few years.  It also lists archive,

anarchist, email, and tape and video projects.  An indispensable resource

for mail networkers.  Also available via the Internet. Global Mail, PO Box

597996, Chicago, IL 60659.  S-8-LP-3  m$ T, Soapbox Junc.y



Gray Areas Fall 1993 (vol.2, no.3) is one of Chuck's current magazine

favorites.  Each issue examines the shady side of law, music, technology,

and popular culture. A recent issue had an excellent interview with a

hacker.  This issue has an interview with a phone sex fantasy girl and Ivan

Stang of SubGenius fame.  Several articles take a look at music piracy. An

excellent review section which covers everything from zines to software.

PO Box 808, Broomall, PA 19008-0808.  S-132-T,F-Q  m$4.50/$18y



High On Propaganda Until I Die  #1 is an angry little anarcho-punk zine

with a witty anti-religion flavor.  Sort of a multimedia experience-my copy

came with a matchstick.  PO Box 4453, Laguna Beach, CA 92652.  HS-31-HL/C-I

 m$1y



Industrial Worker  September 1993 (vol.90, no.1563) is the monthly

newspaper of the IWW.  I bet most of you zinesters are looking forward to

the day you put out #1563.  I know that IWW members and anarcho-punks look

at each other like each is an alien from Planet X, but both tendencies need

to learn from and support each other.  The Worker always has stuff of

interest to anarchist activists.  The look and feel of it these days

reminds me of the Love & Rage newspaper.  Each issue includes the humorous

supplement, Wage Slave World News, which in this issue exposes Beavis and

Butthead as secret members of Clinton's cabinet.  IWW, 1095 Market St.

#204, San Francisco, CA 94103. T-16-T-Mo  m$1/$15y



Kokopelli Notes (vol.3, no.2) is a magazine devoted to "transportation

choices for a Green planet."  Lots of articles devoted to exploring

transportation alternatives, especially bikes.  PO Box 8186, Asheville, NC

28814  S-32-T-?  m$4/$16y



Love and Rage  November 1993 (vol.4, no.5)  is the bimonthly publication of

the Love and Rage Revolutionary Anarchist Federation.  The old L&R network

split over the summer and one faction has decided to continue the

newspaper. News, articles, and scene news.  Includes a section on the

Anarchist Black Cross.  Special expanded coverage of the ongoing fight

against racism and police brutality.  An account of anarchist activities

that happened last summer and a review of Ursula K. LeGuin's The

Dispossessed.  And once again these folks have put out another jam-packed,

good-looking paper. PO Box 853, Peter Stuyvesant Station, NY, NY 10009.

T-24-T-6 m$1/$13y



Madworld Survival Guide: New Orleans Anarchist Quarterly  #9  Spring 1993

is a fine zine that should appeal to fans of practical approaches to

anarchy.  This issue includes features on women's self-help, herbal

remedies, community gardens and farming, practical bioregionalism,

reproductive control and the poor, and underground contacts.  Excellent

review section.  The antiauthoritarian flyer brigade sounds interesting;

the anarchist movement could definitely use a distro network for flyers.

MSG, PO Box 791377, New Orleans, LA 70179  HS-60-LP-Q  m$1/$5y



"the man is clampin' down": notes on revolution is an interesting zine

published by some folks here in Madison.  This effort is meant to be a

dialogue on what social change and revolution mean to the members of the

Harlequin Collective.  Thoughts on the politics of sex, society vs. the

individual, and how the grind of daily living interferes with making the

revolution happen.  Also an account of the Philly @ gathering.

Recommended]  Aaron Donsbach, c/o Harlequin, PO Box 349, Madison, WI

53701-0349.  HL-16-LP,C-I mSend money for postagey



The Match]  Number 88  (Summer 1993) is an uncompromising traditional

anarchist journal.  A great editorial on why they will no longer review

books with ISBN numbers.  Excellent book reviews including one that takes

several swipes at the zine phenomenon.  Several serialized fiction pieces

continue in this issue.  Fred Woodworth, ed., PO Box 3488, Tucson, AZ 85722

 HL-76-T,F-I m$2.50/$10y



Maximumrocknroll  October  / 1993  is an excellent place to find out what's

going on in the alternative music scenes.  Mostly music-oriented, but

occasionally you can find some anarchist political stuff. This issue

includes a news report on the Philly gathering.  Each issue is crammed with

band interviews, scene reports, record and zine reviews, and features some

of the best writing on music around today. Does anyone keep up with all

these 7" records anyway? PO Box 460760, San Francisco, CA 94146-0760.

S-100 plus-T-Mo  m$3/$18y



Meander Quarterly: Newsletter of Evolutionary Anarchists  November 1993

(vol.5, no.3) is a highly recommended letters, opinion, and news zine for

us evolutionary anarchists.  The editorship revolves so the zine is looking

for a person to volunteer to be editor for a year.  Also available

electronically; contact the editor of Practical Anarchy for more info.  Ed

Stamm, PO Box 1402, Lawrence, KS 66044  HS-28-D-B  m$1/$5y



MSRRT Newsletter  September 1993 (v.6, no.7) is the newsletter of the

Minnesota Library Association Social Responsibilities Round Table.  News of

interest to progressive librarians.  Should Junior ROTC be allowed in St.

Paul schools?  Thoughtful reviews of alternative books fill the

"Recommended Reading" section.  They also review alternative publications]

Chris Dodge / Jan DeSirey, 4645 Columbus Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55407.

S-16-D-10  m$/$15, MLA/MSRRTy



Meshuggah  #8 is a "journal of oddball fiction and subversive thought."   A

zine that successfully mixes seriousness with humor.  Inside you might find

reprints from Ernest Mann's Little Free Press, dreamtime talkingmail, World

Domination Review, or quotes from Wendell Berry.  Definitely eclectic]

Feh] Press, 147 Second Ave. #603, New York, NY 10003-5701  S-40-LP-Q

m$1.50/$6y



Profane Existence  #19/20  (Summer 1993)  Profane is back with this

outstanding double issue]  Excellent section devoted to anarchist news in

the Twin Cities area as well as around the world.  Also includes a section

devoted to On Gogol Boulevard.  Stories on practical anarchist projects.

Unforgettable centerfold aimed at the anti-choice forces.  Also band,

record, and zine reviews.  This publication continues to be an inspiration

to me]  If you only request one issue of Profane, get this one]  PO Box

8722, Minneapolis, MN 55408. T-?-T-B m$3/$9.00y



Satan wears a bra # 3 (April 1993) is a cool grrrl zine. Plenty of humorous

collages and a great irreverent attitude.  Check out the "Suburban slumber

party diaries."  Where did they take the guys during the menstruation

lesson in school? The gym?  Debby Wolfinsohn, 41 7th Ave., Brooklyn, NY

11217  HS-?-LP,C-I  m$?y



Second Guess #7 (Summer 1993) is my favorite punk zine.  This issue

includes an account of a trip to L.A., an interview with the band

Screeching Weasel, a piece on Charles Bukowski, letters, and really good

zine and music reviews.  Bob, the editor, is never afraid to say it like it

is, he even takes Practical Anarchy to task for running a list of

suggestions on how to deal with Operation Rescue (reprinted from Wind Chill

Factor).  He's on target--the inclusion of the piece was a last minute

space filler and shouldn't have been included. SG, PO Box 9382, Reno, NV,

89507  HS-56-LP-I m$2/?y



Ship of Fools #3 (Summer 1993) is a big smorgasbord of stuff for those

interested in anarchy and freedom.  This tabloid zine is chock-full of

stuff of interest to anarchists: anarchist projects, prisoner support,

environmental actions, zine reviews, drug decriminalization and more.  Also

has recent news about the Davis family's fight with the damn Feds. This

could almost be called "The Anarchist Year in Review: 1993".  Definitely

worth checking out] Ship of Fools, PO Box 2062, Westminster, MD (No zip

listed)  T-56-T-Q m$2/$5y



SLAM #4 June/July 1993 is a fine review-oriented zine.  They review zines,

books, and music.  Each issue usually includes several band interviews.

This issue includes articles on micro-radio and political prisoners.  PO

Box 22861,  Alexandria, VA 22304  S-32-T-6  m$2/$10y



These Are Revolutionary Times #5 / September 1993 is an excellent new

anarchist tabloid.  They do a good job of covering the New England

anarchist scene.  This issue includes portraits of famous anarchists such

as Voltairine de Cleyre and John Henry MacKay.  Media reviews.  TART.

Wayland Square, Box 3146, Providence, RI 02906  T-8-T-Mo. m$.35/$5.00y



The Web is "Southern California's Anarchist Journal."  Contents include

pieces on high school organizing, the Whittier Food Not Bombs group, the

southern California Anarchist Retreat, as well as info on other anarchist

events happening in southern California.  Includes a contact list of area

anarchist groups.  PO Box 187, N. Hollywood, CA 91603  HS-20-R,HL-I  m$?y



Woozy #2 is a anarchist-flavored music/culture zine published in Australia.

 Interviews with alternative bands, comics, collages, and articles on Riot

Grrrls and squatting.  All of it hand-lettered which gives it an

interesting visual look.  PO Box 4434, Melbourne Uni, Parkville, Victoria,

3052 Australia.  S-48-HL-3  m$?y



PAMPHLETS



The Abolition of Work by Bob Black.  A new pamphlet featuring Black's

classic rant against work.  This edition published by Feh] Press also

includes several other Black anti-work pieces as well as a suggested

anti-work reading list.  Feh] Press, 147 Second Ave. #603, New York, NY

10003  m$2y



Zine Key



Description codes:

A. Size of paper



S -Standard (8 1/2" x 11")

HS - Half Standard ( 5 1/2" x 8 1/2")

L - Legal (8 1/2" x 14")

HL - Half Legal (7" x 8 1/2")

T - Tabloid (11" x 17" newsprint)

M - Mini (smaller than half standard)

O - Oversize (larger than tabloid)



B.  Number of pages



C. Notes



R - Photo reduced type

D - Dot matrix printed and xeroxed

LP - Laser printed

T - Typeset or offset

C - Lots of collages

HL - Hand lettered

M - Multicolored cover

M+ - Color throughout publication

F - Full color cover



Frequency (per year)

Mo - Monthly

W - Weekly

10 - 10 times a year

Q - Quarterly

A - Annual

I - Irregular/Infrequent



Price

mprice of sample / followed by subscription cost (if available) for one

year (usually third class)y

ALWAYS send money or stamps for postage if you are sending away for a sample]

A $ sign before the slash mean that a sample price was not listed--send a

couple of bucks.

Trades accepted are indicated by "T"

A name inside the brackets indicates who a check should be made out to.



BOOKS



Are ISBN numbers becoming licenses to publish?  Fred Woodworth of The

Match] seems to think so.  In a recent edition he outlines the case against

ISBN numbers.  They have decided to no longer review books with ISBNs.  We

support their project and will disseminate info on Woodworth's arguments,

but this publication will continue to review books with ISBNs for now.



The Last Days of Christ the Vampire by J.G. Eccarius.  mIII Publishing.  PO

Box 170363, San Francisco, CA 94117-0363 / Also available from Left Bank

Distributiony  188pp.  $7.00  Paperback.  This has to be one of the best

novels, if not best anarchist novel, of the 1980s. An account of how some

freedom loving anarchists topple worldwide religion and have fun doing it.

You won't find very many books where the radicals are the ones that win in

the end.

         A grassroots movement of freedom-loving radicals who can think for

themselves gradually spread the word that Christ was actually a vampire.

This message, often spread with graffiti, is not taken lightly by church

officials and those who actually are immortals, the Primes.  The Christ the

Vampire movement is mostly composed of young punks, but includes several

professionals.  They travel around the world, spreading their message of

"blasphemy."  They soon learn that there are vampires in control of the

world and that Christ the Vampire is not just a metaphor.  Christ himself

is still alive.  The movement actually builds momentum and eventually

millions of churchgoing Americans decide that going to church is a waste of

time, and that money given to churches could be better spent actually

solving problems.  A wonderful message.

        This book is well written, gripping, funny, and should be inspiring

to those of us who are trying to create alternatives to the worldwide

megamachine.  If you are familiar with fiction that deals with the

Illuminati, you should enjoy reading this novel.



The New Political Consciousness: a context for ecocommunity by Wendell G.

Bradley.  mLysander Spooner Publishing , Mark Ziesing, PO Box 76,

Shingletown, CA 96088y  165pp. Paperback.  We all know that liberal

environmentalism sucks, but what about the current Western political system

known as "liberalism"?  Liberalism has been the dominant political

consciousness for centuries in North America and Europe.  Why do so many

people still cling to a system that has obviously failed?  Bradley examines

this any many more questions in this excellent thought-provoking book.

        Bradley takes a critical look at the weaknesses of

constitution-based liberalism.  He also defines more clearly what

anarchists oppose: archism.  He accurately refers to the "Archist

Revolution" that has been going on for over 4000 years.  Most of the human

species' history has been characterized by egalitarian societies. Archism

and civilization are recent inventions.

        Bradley also examines social freedom, disciplinary control, human

nature, feminism, alternatives to education, and the prospects for

ecocommunities.

        This book is an excellent addition to the social ecology movement.

It echoes Murray Bookchin's The Ecology of Freedom.  Another current book

that more anarchists and those interested in building ecocommunities should

read.  My copy now has penciled notes all throughout.

*  *  *  *  *

The conventional environmental activist seeks more informed or considerate

leadership and better laws. This "liberal justice" approach typically

focuses on greedy executives in an exploitative industrialism, condoned by

coopted government officials. The radical ecological approach, however,

goes to the root. It is concerned with the archist liberalism's inherently

destructive social consciousness and how it pervades nearly every facet of

existing society, public and private.

*  *  *  *  *

The temptation to get in power and prescribe for others betrays an archist

disposition. The forms of social freedom can only be developed organically,

as people arrive at shared values in an open process (actually form

authentic community).  Those who prescribe, thinking their consciousness is

"pure," need to be reminded that social blueprinting is how we got into the

mess we are in.



Having Little, Being Much: A chronicle of Fredy Perlman's fifty years by

Lorraine Perlman.  mDetroit: Black & Red, 1989 / Available from Fifth

Estate Bookstore, 4632 Second Ave., Detroit, MI 48201, or Left Bank

Distributiony 155pp  $3.50  Paperback.    I first heard of Fredy Perlman

when I started reading the Fifth Estate during the mid 80s.  He was the

author that wrote these really strange, but brilliant essays on the nature

of civilization and nationalism.  Later I learned that he was held in high

esteem by much of the anarchist movement.  A couple of years ago I had the

fortune of reading one of his books, Against His-story, Against Leviathan.

In it Perlman traces the history of civilization in a critical,

metaphorical fashion.  This book helped me make some personal insights

about the nature of civilization and helped me understand some of the

"anarcho-primitivist" flavor that has characterized Fifth Estate magazine.

        Having Little is an account of Fredy's life as told by his wife

Lorraine.  She relates the academic, activist, and personal side of his

life.  We get a good look at his intellectual struggles, his projects, and

his experiences with activists.  Fredy approached activist politics in the

U.S. as one who had lived in eastern Europe during the 50s and 60s.  His

primary contribution to the radical movement in the U.S. were his books and

his involvement with the Black & Red cooperative printshop in Detroit.

        One of the valuable aspects of biographies like this one is the

insight it gives readers who are social change activists into the

experiences of other activists.  Activists always seem to spend a lot of

time reinventing the wheel.  This biography show us the frustrations Fredy

experienced in dealing with left sectarianism in relation to the

cooperative printshop.  Another valuable aspect is the detail the

biographer provides on Fredy's intellectual struggles and what he was

trying to accomplish with his writings.



Divided We Fall  by Robert Millis.  mGemini Brew.  2305 Northwest Kearney

#240, Portland, OR 97210y 151pp.  Paperback.  So what happens after the

Revolution?  What would it be like living after the big event?  You would

think with all the left-leaning authors over the years there would be

novels about post-Revolution America.  You would also think that at least a

few science fiction authors would have devoted some ink to the topic.  It's

actually somewhat difficult to name some novels that deal with life after a

leftist style revolution.  Millis attempts to bring us a glimpse of life

after the REVOLUTION in this novel.

        Jonathan Palmer is a young revolutionary who is getting involved in

the resistance movement once again.  The faction that he joins controls

territory in Oregon.  Most of the novel deals with his stay at resistance

hideouts.  Several times the faction skirmishes with the surviving U.S.

government.  Eventually Jon has to come to terms with his involvement in

the "war".  Should he stay involved or should he leave?  Can he resume a

normal life?

        In his author's note Millis notes his reservations about the type

of revolution some people preach about.  He succeeds for the most part in

portraying what would probably happen after an armed uprising.  The rebel

factions start to resemble those they oppose.  Outfitted with tons of

weapons and power they start to become just like the government they

opposed to begin with.  Hierarchy and coercion reintroduce themselves in

this situation.  Anarchists have pointed out for years the futility of

revolutions that aim to seize state power.  The revolutionaries rapidly

transform to resemble the old guard.

        Divided We Fall is a decent book, but I wish that it had been much

longer and that the characterization was more developed. It is a good

attempt to portray the benefits and drawbacks of an armed revolution, a

situation that many leftists dream about, but often don't examine the real

consequences of such a strategy. An interesting addition to any leftist's

bookshelf.



Loompanics' Golden Records edited by Michael Hoy.  mLoompanics Unlimited.

PO Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98369y  199pp. $14.95  Trade paperback.  A

big compilation of articles, fiction, and information that have appeared in

the pages of the Loompanics catalogs in the last few years.  The Loompanics

Catalog is the most interesting book catalog around these days.  Each one

is chock-full of graphics, articles, and lengthy descriptions of the books

that they sell.  They aren't afraid to carry the controversial.  If you are

looking for material on Holocaust revisionism as written by those who

believe that the Holocaust was a hoax, they carry that stuff.  If you need

to prepare for Armageddon or are just seeking revenge, they got books for

you too.  But the best part of Loompanics is that they carry anarchist and

anti-authoritarian materials.  Definitely send away for a copy today]

        Golden Records is an eclectic collection of material.  Inside you

will find classic material from anarchist iconoclast Bob Black including"No

future for the Workplace" and the funny "Bob's Hopeless Desert Classic".

Most of the articles have a libertarian bent: "Pissing away our basic

rights," "What is the FIJA"  and articles on gun control.  Several pieces

take on Big Brother and the increasing threats to our rights.  This is an

excellent way of learning about the hidden issues and history that the

mainstream media ignore.  Send away for their catalog while your at, it's

worth the wait.



The American Heretic's Dictionary with definitions by Chaz Bufe and

illustrations by J.R. Swanson. mSee Sharp Press.  Tucson, AZ.  1992y 85pp.

$7.95  Paperback.  Another great reference item from the guy who published

the immensely useful Heretic's Handbook of Quotations.  In the tradition of

Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary.  The definitions in this volume are

hilarious and cut to the often painful truth.  Bufe has "decided not to

attack the usual butts of American 'humor,' that is, those who have little

power and who are routinely victimized; I decided not to attack women,

racial or ethnic groups, or gay or bisexual people; instead, I decided to

concentrate on business, government, the military, and the everyday

stupidities and slimy practices which make living in the United States such

a joy."

*  *  *  *  *

NATIONAL INTEREST, n. That which increases the wealth and power of the

wealthiest 10 percent of the population at the expense of the other 90

percent.

*  *  *  *  *

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, n. A government agency which serves the people by

extorting billions of dollars from them annually under threat of force,

much as the Immigration and Naturalization Service serves the people by

raiding homes and workplaces, and by maintaining concentration camps.

*  *  *  *  *

LIBERTARIAN PARTY, n. 1) An oxymoron; 2) A group of socially liberal

Republicans who dislike paying taxes.  Finding genuine libertarians in a

political party is as unthinkable as finding hyenas dining at a vegetarian

restaurant.

*  *  *  *  *

LENINIST, n. A marxist who is unable or unwilling to learn from past

events. An individual who believes that a peaceful, free, and egalitarian

society can be built through the systematic use of terror, violence, and

coercion by a small elite.  A believer in classes, but an "F" student in

History.



Freedom Road by Harold Hough.  mLoompanicsy  178pp. $16.95  Paperback

If you feel the urge to pull up stakes and live constantly on the road,

then this is a practical guide for you.  Hough looks at life on the road

from the perspective of somebody who owns a RV.  Covers practical

considerations such as which state you should get a driver's license from

and where should you maintain a maildrop.



Books Received (will be reviewed in next issue)



Shadow Merchants: Successful retailing without a storefront by Jordan L.

Cooper.  Loompanics. 152pp  $12.95



Boundaries of Home: Mapping for local empowerment edited by Doug Aberley.

New Society Publishers. 138pp  $9.95



Democracy in small groups: participation, decision making & communication

by John Gastil. New Society Publishers. 213pp  $14.95



Scram: relocating under a new identity by James S. Martin. Loompanics. 78pp  $12



Unconditional Freedom: social revolution through individual empowerment by

William J. Murray. Loompanics.  260pp  $15.95



Common Harvest: an alternative food and agriculture directory compiled by

Dan Guenther, Rick Bonlender and Dick Kulisheck.  Food Action Network

(Minneapolis) 1993 / 150pp. $11



MUSIC



Reviewers are:

CM - Chuck Munson

FW - Fred Weaver



Please send all music to be reviewed to:

Fred Weaver

City of Champions Records

303 W. Market St.

Clearfield, PA 16830



Jesus Lizard - Lash - 3x7" (Touch & Go)

Two new songs "Glamorous" (Incredible) and "Deaf as a Bat" (sounds like a

Dead kennedys song) coupled with four live songs that thoroughly document

the fact that the Lizard is one of the best live acts in the world. (FW)



Seam - The Problem With Me - CD (Touch & Go)

9 great new songs.  Much better than Headsparks with arrangements that

bring Soo Young Park's former band, Bitch Magnet, to mind.  Currently my

favorite record.  Tight, powerful drumming from Bob Craig (Ex: Poster

Children) and incredible hooks reminding me of Dinosaur Jr's (You're

Living...) heydey.



Palace Bros. - There Is No One-What Will Take Care of You (Drag City)

Three former members of Slint reform to back their pal, Will Oldham on a

record of, get this, folk/country songs. The songs are imaginatively

written with quite a bit of tongue in cheek humor poking fun at traditional

country lyrics.  Interesting, if not amazing.  I just heard that Slint has

reformed-rejoice]  (FW)



Gastr Del Sol - Serpentine Similar - EP (Teen Beat)

David Grubbs' new band isn't as extreme as Bastro, but it entertains just

as much. Long drones and odd guitar riffs combined with inspired poetry may

sound retro but in this case it sounds very new. (FW)



Dis - Small Fry Sessions - CD (12 Inch Records)

This band has everything (Steve Albini as their producer; they're on the

Poster Children's label) except the talent of the company they're keeping.

Sounds like a Slint/Pavement influence is very strong here.  There are a

few good songs and original ideas, though. (FW)



Don Caballero - For Respect - CD/LP/CS (Touch & Go)

Instrumental powerhouse from my home state-what can I say bad?  Maybe it's

too much of a good thing, some of the songs are incredible but a few seem

to lose power in artsy transitions and arrangements-not as good as their

first two 7"s but definitely worth owning. (FW)



Shiny Beast - 5 song CD (Boner)

An instrumental band that is peerles as far as I'm concerned.  The CD

features guest vocals on four of the songs.  I saw these guys in the Spring

and they aren't as loud and heavy as this record makes them seem.  I heard

a demo of their new material that more accurately portrays the live act and

it is outstanding. (FW)



Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker - CD (Dischord)

This has some good songs on it.  They seem to be more angry than on Steady

Diet...I think that Guy is a better songwriter than Ian and he's proven it

on this ("Rend It" "Smallpox Champion").  There are some songs that are

mediocre. (FW)



Not Your Friends - Don't Even Try It - Cassette (Thin Frail Genetics) These

guys are my friends and they play a kind of pop/hardcore along the lines of

All or My Name.  They have that California kind of sound, I guess.

Whatever points they lose for originality they make up for with good

songwriting, talented playing and sincerity. m$4 from Thin Frail Genetics.

PO Box 78.  Force, PA 15841y (FW)



F-Kripz - Envy The Dead - Cassette (Molotov Records)

Boy was this a pleasant surprise when I popped it into my cassette player]

Rap that sounds sometimes like a cross between hip hop and industrial.

Very political stuff that doesn't knock you over the head with a message.

I think this might be DIY rap.  Hey this is better than most of the big rap

acts] mPO Box 141129, Minneapolis, MN 55414y (CM)



Rehash - Thru The Eyes of Flies - Cassette

Punk music from some local folks.  "Nova Ember" is a real slow tempo,

instrumental, moody piece.  The other songs are straightforward competent

punk.  Thumbs up] m$4 from REHASH. PO Box 295. Madison, WI 53701-0295y (CM)



Sludgeplow - EveryTHING - Cassette

These tunes really "sludge" along.  Punk that def has a slow tempo.  Is

this influenced by a heavy metal genre I don't know about?  m?$ from RR #1

Box 127, Blairstown, IA 52209y (CM)



Blow Out Kit / Donora   7" (City of Champions Records)

DIY hardcore from central Pennsylvania.  Both tracks are instrumental

pieces from each band.  Great hardcore though-well produced.  Can't say

much more because this because Blow Out Kit was Fred's group and it's hard

for me to be objective.  I did get a chance to see Blow Out Kit play in

Altoona last August before they broke up.  Very loud, but definitely good

stuff.  I hope that Fred starts another band whenever he isn't too busy

with his DIY label.

mCity of Champions Records.  303 West Market St., Clearfield, PA 16830y (CM)



Pagan Invasion - Fuel For The Flame - Cassette (City of Champions Records)

I  was there when the Pagans started to record this tape.  The end result

is rather good.  The title track is a forceful rap on supporting pro choice

and women's rights.  They also do a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption

Song."  Do-It-Yourself rap from central Pennsylvania.  mThe Pagans. 303

West Market St., Clearfield, PA 16830y (CM)



The Storm Lillies - Untitled - Cassette

This Chicago punk quartet pumps out some pleasant-sounding tunes.  One of

the band members is an anarchist who I have the pleasure of knowing.  Only

three tunes; when will we get more? To get a copy call [phone] (CM)



Fugazi - In on The Kill Taker - CD (Dischord)

I like this CD even though it's not as good as Repeater.  Definitely worth

the money, unlike some of the other high-priced shit out there.  Fred and I

tried to see Fugazi in Pittsburgh but it was sold out.  Bummer.  Wish they

could come to Madison.  (CM)



Chuck's Top Ten

1.  The Breeders - Last Splash - CD

2.  Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker - CD

3.  Blow Out Kit/Donora - Split 7"

4.  F-Kripz - Envy The Dead - Cassette

5.  House of Pain - Fine Malt Lyrics - CD

6.  Menace II Society - Movie

7.  El Mariachi - Movie

8.  Pagan Invasion - Fuel for the Flame - Cassette

9.  Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been - CD

10. Beavis & Butthead - The episode where they mow an anarchy symbol into

the front lawn of their high school.





=@= ANNOUNCEMENTS =@=



Call for submissions



To a Book of Essays on the Topic of

PRACTICAL ANARCHY

Forthcoming for the Summer of 1994



We are an editorial collective dedicated to elaborating the fullest range

of possibilities under anarchy, and to investigating new ways to invigorate

the anarchist presence in North America. We hope to collect essays,

bibliographies, addresses and other resources which detail an array of

practical strategies and tac- tics and sensibilities that include but are

not limited to:



o Food production and Consumption (horticulture, community spon- sored

agriculture, communal farming, gardening collectives, &c)



o Housing (Squatting, Urban and Rural Co-ops, &c)



o Neighborhood and campus organizing, integrated strategies for local

political organization



o DIY art, music, and beautification (stenciling, wheatpasting, alteration,

zine production, publication, &c)



o How-to ideas on putting together a People's Bank of Goods & Services,

Pirate Radio Stations, Anarchist hostles, reading rooms, study groups,

bicycle repair collectives, a Free University, an anti-racist action

network, &c)



o Women's Health and defense, Menstrual Extraction and other issues of

specific concern to women



Send Submissions, Ideas, Graphics, Hate Mail To:



joseph average

c/o B A U

po box 3207 bloomington

in 47402-3207



OR



chuck munson

c/o Practical Anarchy

po box 173 madison

wi 53701-0173



*****************************************

The November 1993 edition of Practical Anarchy zine (#8) is now available.

This issue's focus is on Anarchy and Economics.  Sample copies are $2 and

subscriptions are $7.  Send cash or checks to the mailing address listed

above.

*****************************************



=@= PRACTICAL ANARCHY =@=



Practical Anarchy Suggestions



@  Organize an alternative reading room.  Check out the latest Alternative

Press Review for an article on one such room in North Carolina

@  Work against the privitization of the Internet]

@  Talk to your friends about the GATT

@  Take over an abandoned building and turn it into housing

@  Start an infoshop

@  Organize a space for teens

@  Work for the abolition of national borders.  Combat anti-immigrant hysteria.

@  Speak out against the Klan

@  Speak out against censors like Katherine MacKinnon

@  Organize your workplace

@  Write a letter (I hate to say this) to Bill Clinton asking for the

release of Leonard Peltier



=@= CALENDAR =@=

Keep an eye out for several gatherings next year.  Planning has recently

started for an anarchist gathering to be held in Humboldt County,

California.  Another gathering is tentatively scheduled next summer for the

New England area.  Check out the anarchist press for more details, or

contact the aaa-web list for upcoming events.  <[e-mail]>



=@=  NEXT MONTH =@=

Since this publication is on hiatus, we can't promise anything]





THE END

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