Seattle too cold, everyone goes home

Thursday has been, well, different. Could be 'cause the cops are swiftly running out of gas and pepper spray. They've put a rush order out to their supplier.

The surrounding of the jail was the city's crown jewel today. I was at work when the marchers started rolling down the street - everyone peered out the windows on our very, very high floor. Our office building was put under lockdown, and very shortly thereafter was evacuated. Good excuse as any to get down there. Hung around for a couple of hours, then decided my evening would be better spent resting up.

The Landlubber Pirates

another fable for the kiddies by Robin Banks

Once upon a time there was a band of pirates. At least, they called themselves pirates, and they wore what they thought were pirate outfits -- black eyepatches, filthy bandanas and hats, worn-out parts of sailors' uniforms, and so on. They spoke in slang that they believed to be quite piratish: "Arr, matey! Shiver me timbers! Walk the plank!"

However, despite their clothing and speech and self-identification as pirates, they never left shore. In fact, they spent most of their time on the beach, using an old tarnished spyglass to watch other pirates put out to sea or make raids on frigates.

"Yarrrr!" they would shout when they spotted a pirate ship overtaking a merchant vessel. "Board 'em! Board 'em! No mercy for the merchant scum!" At the height of their excitement they would often unfurl a battered old Jolly Roger and wave it frantically in support of their seagoing brethren.

KEEP IT UP, DON'T LET VIOLENCE DIVIDE US

I've been trying to write something for the J18 "critique" publication for some time now, but I have been finding it difficult after being swept up in Friday's events in London, and the subsequent media fall-out. Originally, I wanted to write a piece about the ups and downs of electronic discussion groups, the challenges of global networking, etc., but I find myself unable to. I should have done it before Friday! Now I have seen so much vitriol written about the "violence" at the carnival, that I feel compelled to write a more sympathetic account.

EDITORIAL

This project arose during the run-up to June 18th, as a result of the need felt by people with varying degrees of involvement with J18 to stimulate critical debate around the politics behind the international day of action in financial centres. Contributions were invited. The point was made that this was not intended to be a discussion of the minutiae of the organisation of the day or the effectiveness of particular tactics, although the line between these questions and the “politics” of J18 is of course blurred. Originally the idea was to produce the discussion booklet before the event. It soon became apparent that this would not be feasible, nor necessarily desirable.