Posts Tagged ‘occupy’

How to Survive Police Interrogations

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

With more and more activists finding themselves detained or arrested by democracy-crushing law enforcement, it’s worth spending a few minutes with fast-talking and highly entertaining former Defense Attorney and current Law Professor James Duane, offering us some fine advice on surviving interrogations with police personnel.

In short, Duane’s words of wisdom are:

Never, ever talk to police. No matter what. It will never help you.

Massive Marches in Montreal

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Wow! Did you see the footage coming out of Montreal this week? Hundreds of thousands of protesters came out against proposed tuition hikes, flooding the streets and bringing the city to a standstill.

Amazing. Apparently Canadians can be mobilized to march. All it takes is the right catalyst, like a tax hike or a Tim Hortons coffee shortage.

I’m truly inspired to know that a whole new generation are experiencing firsthand how to exercise their political voice, and just how incredible it feels to do so.

Democracy in action. Well done, Quebecers!

Occupy Spring

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

Occupy is back! Not that it really went away… t’was just a mild hibernation over winter. Now, with Mother Nature being a little more hospitable, the uprising can switch back into high gear, louder and stronger than ever before!

To kick off this season’s social uprising, scores of protesters retook the famed Zuccotti park, aka Liberty Square, after which dozens were arrested. During the march up to the square, NYPD callously smashed a medics head into reinforced glass, breaking the glass and probably the medic’s skull (video above).

With greater numbers filling tighter-knit communities, weekly marches on Wall Street being planned,  and numerous Occupy-related events being held all the time, 2012 has all the makings for a glorious year of revolution!

Man, what an awesome time to be alive!

Extinct, Enslaved or Empowered?

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Navigating between extinction and enslavement, brave humankind could very well avoid both to reach compelling new heights.

Neils Bohr once said that prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future. Despite the words of caution from the pioneering quantum physicist, I’d like to offer you my take on the three potential futures that we, as a species, are facing.

The first is extinction. This is where the human race is no more because we’ve wiped ourselves out in some foolish conflict or scientific mishap. Either that, or the universe conspires to eliminate us using it’s vast arsenal. There’s not a lot we can do to avoid this, apart from building peace instead of war.

The good news, despite what the mainstream media may want us to believe, is that humankind is actually the most peaceful we’ve ever been. (more…)

Occupy Democracy

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

Former VP Al Gore and online entrepreneur Sean Parker spoke this week at the SXSW conference in a riveting tete-a-tete which left the audience clamoring for more.

“Our democracy has been hacked!” says Gore, comparing the special interests in the political spectrum to malicious users in the cyber-realm.

It is time, Gore believes, to form a “Wiki-democracy” of “digital flash mobs calling out the truth” and “a government square that holds people accountable.” And the best way to do that is to leverage the online realm and social media in ways that will “change the democratic conversation.” (more…)

Why Occupy?

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

The Occupy movement – part of the great global awakening – has forever reshaped the political landscape, with the biggest impacts yet to be realized.

Now, supposing you are still standing on the sidelines of this momentous revolution, (more…)

Highball the 1%

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

There’s a standard business negotiation tactic which has been brought into the realm of politics, used most effectively by right wing conservatives: ask for the stars and settle with the moon. So effective has this strategy been that the entire political spectrum has consistently shifted to the right over the past few decades.

Well, no more. (more…)

Occupy Hong Kong

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

Add Hong Kong to the growing list of places where the people, fed up with persistent injustice, have decided to take a stand against it.

Upwards of 5000 Hongkongers marched in protest today to voice their disdain for outgoing leader Donald Tsang, who faces allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Awesome stuff! (more…)

Homeland Security’s Analysis of Occupy and Anonymous

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Anonymous & Wikileaks have unveiled yet another tasty morsel from the treasure trove of confidential goodies known as the Global Intelligence Files. This one: a Homeland Security analysis of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, circa Oct 2011.

The 5 page document details the rise and proliferation of the Occupy uprising, noting how the movement “has drawn inspiration from recent protests in Europe and the Middle East, specifically citing the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and recent demonstrations in Spain. ”

More telling is a point made in the summary, (more…)

Ten Tips for Revolutionaries

Friday, February 17th, 2012

The Occupy movement is sailing over uncharted waters, mostly figuring out where to go with each new step. Helping guide us and inspire us, social futurist Sara Robinson offers 10 excellent tips to spark change:

  1. The world is different now. The rules have changed, and methods like petitions and mass demonstrations are proving themselves invaluable tools for reform. (more…)