Activism
GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY NOTES
Prop 8
Michael Bronski
ANTI-WAR ORGANIZING
GI Coffeehouses
Isabel Mcdonald
WORKER ORGANIZING
Domestic Workers
Elizabeth Martinez
Commentary
SUMMER SCHOOL
ZMI 2009
Z Staff
MEMORIAL
Odetta, 1930-2008
Z Staff
FROM THE WEB
Net Briefs
Z Staff
JOURNAL OF THE 22ND YEAR
Media Matters
Z Staff
FOG WATCH
Bailout & Sellout
Edward Herman
CONSERVATIVE WATCH
Heritage Fights Back
Bill Berkowitz
LAW & ORDER
Trojan Horse
Sherwood Ross
LA MIGRA
Crossing Lines
Carlos Perez de alejo
LATIN AMERICA
Democracy?
Erica Thompson
GAZA
No Lights
Andrea Becker
EYES RIGHT
Brownshirt Anarchism
Chip Berlet
Culture
BOOK REVIEW
War Without End
Jeremy Kuzmarov
Features
EMPIRE BUILDING
No Dividend
Paul Street
THE ECONOMY
Epic Recession
Jack Rasmus
THEORY & PRACTICE
Neoliberalism's End?
Damien Cahill
GREEN TIDE
Campesina V Agrofuel
John e. Peck
Zaps
FREE LISTINGS
Zaps
Various Contributors
NEW DVD
Elections & Change
Z Staff
SPECIAL OFFER DVDS
Goodbye to Bush Offer
Z Staff
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Outrageous Gift Offer
Z Staff
NOTE: Z Magazine subscribers and sustainers have access to all Z Magazine articles here and in the archive. The latest Z Magazine articles available to everyone are listed in the Free Articles box at the top of the table of contents, and are starred in the list below. Questions? e-mail Z Magazine Online.
Z Media Matters
In a January 2008 article "The Greatest Media Revolution Since Gutenberg?" Lydia Sargent wrote, "If you've kept up with the growing concern among media people about the future of print, you know that its total demise is being predicted—some say in the next decade, others say by mid-century…. So it's depressing to think that our 20th year may be the last for Z Magazine in its current form." Well, as you can see, the print magazine is still around, with some modifications. And Z is doing, not great, but okay.
Z Communications
True, we're doing okay, but because we depend on our readers, subscribers, and contributors, if these drop off significantly, we will be in financial trouble very quickly. So far that doesn't seem to be the case. The Sustainer donations are up and provide well over half of Z's yearly income. The rest comes from magazine subscriptions, donations, and video sales.
Z Magazine
We did some cost-cutting—from 64 to 48 pages, cheaper paper, and, unfortunately, stopped paying writers and illustrators except in cases of extreme need (we had been paying everyone since 1988). This has helped cut expenses of about $5,000 a month. Subscriptions are still dwindling a little, but not enough to make further changes at this point. Response to current mailings has been favorable.
We had hoped that our upgraded website would help increase subscriptions, but at the moment glitches and a convoluted ordering process at the Z Store have made it more difficult to subscribe than coming up with the theory of relativity. To counter this, we hope to make the magazine available on Amazon through EBSCO. Right now the easiest way to subscribe/renew is to fax or call us (see inside front cover).
ZNet
The news is mixed on our upgraded website. The recent and first semester of the online Z School was only marginally successful. Though many people signed up, few participated meaningfully. The most likely explanation is over extension and time constraints that so many leftists suffer, but probably there are structural causes, as well. We are mulling that situation.
The site went through a two-month period of chaotic disruptions, partially due to denial of service attacks from outside enemies, partly from use-levels outrunning server power, and partly from residual problems with the upgrade. This seems to be corrected.
We are now correcting lots of bugs and working, too, on some innovations, particularly for Sustainers, Use is high and climbing. We have recently begun recycling classic content, which gives the site new life.
Z Video Productions
We continue to produce videos and have put previews of some of them on our website, along with an introduction to Z Media Institute and a handful of satiric shorts—one on Britain's ID program, one on the National Endowment for Democracy, and one called Raditrol where staff member Lydia Sargent learns to deal with radical rage by applying Raditrol: "It's a patch. You still get pissed off, but at much lower levels."
We hope to add to that collection of video shorts and introductions to various Z projects to "dress up" our otherwise text-heavy site.
Z Media Institute
Our nine-day school returns this year and will be held June 3 to 12 (see ad this issue). This project involves around 20 faculty, an average of 63 students, and 28 politics, media, skills, and organizing courses. It's exhausting, especially when we have to prepare the July/August issue of the magazine two days after the students leave. But each of the sessions from 1994 to 2007 have been incredibly rewarding.
What Else?
If our finances hold firm, we hope to start making some political documentaries on various themes and to produce books for activist and classroom use—Z Books and Z Readers are two of the projects under discussion right now. We also hope to get all of the back issues of Z Magazine (from 1988-2000) online. If there is anyone out there interested in helping with this project, please get in touch.
Thanks
We want to take this opportunity to thank all the writers and artists who have graciously accepted a subscription to Z in lieu of payment or who have waived payment altogether or who have let us put them on account for better financial times. We also want to thank all those who have supported us. So many of you have included an "extra donation for Z" on your subscription or renewal form. We are constantly amazed at readers' financial generosity and also by notes of encouragement often scribbled on small pieces of paper and shoved in an envelope along with a check. One of our favorites—from Kate—simply said, Thanks! And wow! Back at you, Kate, and all of you.
Z
To contact us: zmag@zmag.org; 508-548-9063; fax 508-457-0626.
Z Magazine Archive
Announcements
OCCUPY TOGETHER - Occupy Together is the unofficial hub for the various occupations springing up across the country in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. Towns and cities worldwide are participating.
Contact: http://www.occupytogether.org/.
MAY DAY - May 1 is May Day, also International Workers Day, celebrating the successful fight of workers for rights such as the eight-hour workday. A General Strike is called for May Day by many groups, and events are planned worldwide.
Contact: http://maydayunited.org/; http://www.may1.info/; info@maydayunited.org.
LABOR - The 2012 Labor Notes Conference, themed Solidarity for the 99%, will be held May 4-6, in Chicago. Thousands of union members, officers, and grassroots labor activists will attend the event, which features workshops, meetings and organizing opportunities.
Contact: 313-842-6262; http:// labornotes.org/conference.
MARIJUANA MARCH - On the first Saturday of May (this year: May 5) marijuana legalization activists will hold informational and educational events, rallies and marches in over 300 cities around the world.
Contact: http://globalcannabismarch.com; http://cannabis.wikia.com.
AMERICAN MUSLIMS - KinderUSA will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with a Fundraising Banquet Dinner in Los Angeles on May 5. The keynote speaker will be Norman Finkelstein. KinderUSA was founded as a group of concerned humanitarians and physicians, and has become a leading American Muslim charity organization helping families through health development and emergency relief.
Contact: http://www.kinder usa.org/.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE - SWAN (Service Women’s Action Network) will present Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence in Washington, D.C. on May 8. The conferences will give survivors the opportunity to share their stories with congressmembers, policy experts and the general public; with key panels by military law and policy experts on major topics involving military sexual violence and survivors’ access to justice.
Contact: http://truthandjustice summit.org/.
MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media Youth Summit 2012 will be held May 8 at Pierce College in Philadelphia, PA. The summit will consist of four one-day symposia that provide a public forum for discussion about media and news literacy in America. Participants will include educators, community leaders, media professionals, journalists, nonprofit leaders, policymakers and students.
Contact: http://www.allcommunitymedia.org.
MOMS/BOMBS - Moms Against Bombs and the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action will honor the long history of women’s resistance to injustice, war and nuclear weapons on May 12. A full day of activities is planned, including Orientation to the Trident Nuclear Weapons System, Nonviolence Training, Action Planning and Preparation, Mother’s Day Proclamation for Peace, and a Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action at the Bangor Trident Submarine Base.
Contact: Anne Hall, 206- 545-3562, annehall@familyhealing.com; gznonviolencenews@yahoo.com; www.gzcenter.org.
MOTHER’S DAY/PEACE - The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace began in 1996 for families who had lost their children to violence. On a day that celebrates mothers and children, the Walk became a place for families and friends to feel support and love with thousands of others who pledge their commitment to peace.
The day has also become a way for thousands of people to financially support the work of the Louis Brown Peace Institute. Mother’s Day is May 13.
Contact: http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/; http://www.ldb peaceinstitute.org/.
BRECHT FORUM - The Beginning Is Near: An Evening with Michael Moore & Cornel West, a special benefit for the Brecht Forum, will be held May 18 at Hunter College in New York City.
Contact: https://brechtforum.org.
LABOR - The Pacific Northwest Labor History Association’s 44th annual conference, A Century of Bread and Roses, is scheduled for May 18-20 in Tacoma, WA.
Contact: PNLHA, 2402-6888 Station Hill Drive, Burnaby, BC, V3N 4X5; 604-540-0245; pnlha@shaw.ca; www.pnlha.org.
HOMELESSNESS - PM Press and First Presbyterian Church will host author Summer Brenner at the Conference on Homelessness on May 19 in Palo Alto, CA.
Contact: First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, VA 94301; http://www.pmpress.org/.
NATO/G8 - The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda is organizing protests at the NATO and G8 meetings being held in Chicago, May 19-21. A legal, permitted, family-friendly march and rally are planned for May 19. An Occupy Chicago month-long occupation is being planned to begin May 1. The Network for a Nato-Free Future and American Friends Service Committee will also be hosting a Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice May 18-19 at People’s Church in Chicago.
Contact: http://cang8.wordpress.com/about/; http://www.natofreefuture.org/.
ANARCHY FEST - A month-long Festival of Anarchy is scheduled for May in Montreal. The festival includes The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair (May 19-20).
Contact: http://www.radical montreal.com/;http://www.anarchist bookfair.ca/.
TRUTHDIG - Truthdig.com will be gathering May 20-25 in New Mexico with other concerned people to assess current prospects for progressive change. Speakers include Dennis Kucinich and Chris Hedges.
Contact: http://www.truthdig.com/event/santafe.
FEMINIST SCI-FI - The feminist science fiction convention WisCon 36 is scheduled for May 25-28 in Madison, Wisconsin, featuring discussion and debate of sci-fi/fantasy ideas relating to feminism, gender, race and class.
Contact: WisCon, c/o SF3, PO Box 1624, Madison, WI 53701; concom35@wiscon.info; www.wiscon.info.
MULTICULTURE - The 25th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) holds its annual conference May 29 -June 2 in New York City.
Contact: Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies, 3200 Marshall Avenue, Suite 290, Norman, OK 73072; 405- 325-3694; www.ncore.ou.edu.
BIKING - Bikes Not Bombs is holding its 24th annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival in Boston, MA on June 3, with several bike rides scheduled, music, exhibitors and more.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; mail@bikesnotbombs.org; www.bikesnotbombs.org.
RADIO - The 37th Annual Community Radio Conference is scheduled for June 13-16 in Houston, TX with discussions and workshops.
Contact: National Federation of Community Broadcasters, 1970 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-451 -8200; conference@nfcb.org; www.nfcb.org.
PEOPLE’S SUMMIT - The People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice during Rio+20 is an event by global civil society that will take place between the 15 and the 23 of June at Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro—alongside the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20.
Contact: contato@rio2012. org.br; http://cupuladospovos.org.br/en/.
ADC CONFERENCE - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ACD) holds its annual conference June 21-24 in Washington, DC, with panel discussions and workshops on civil rights, media, the Mideast, etc.
Contact: ADC, 1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20007; 202-244-2990; convention@adc.org; www.adc.org/convention.
MEDIA - The 14th annual Allied Media Conference will be held June 28-July 1 at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Participatory workshops and skillshares will emphasize DIY alternative media to advance visions of a just and creative world.
Contact: Allied Media Projects, 4126 Third St., Detroit, MI 48201; www.alliedmediacon ference.org.
LA RAZA - The annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Conference is scheduled for July 7-10 in Las Vegas, with workshops, presentations and panel discussions.
Contact: NCLR Headquarters Office, Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-785-1670; www.nclr.org.
PEACESTOCK - On July 14 the 10th Annual Peace- stock: A Gathering for Peace will take place at Windbeam Farm in Hager City, WI. Peacestock (formerly “Pigstock”) is a mixture of music, speakers, and community for peace. The event is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115 and has a peace-themed agenda.
Contact: Bill Habedank, 1913 Grandview Ave., Red Wing, MN 55066; 651-388-7733; billhabedank@yahoo.com; http://www.peacestockvfp.org.
POPULAR ECONOMICS - The Center for Popular Economics is holding its 2012 Summer Institute July 23-27 at Columbia University in New York City. No background in economics is needed for this intensive training. This year’s theme is Economics for the 99%.
Contact: Center for Popular Economics, PO Box 785 Amherst, MA 01004; 413-545-0743; programs@populareconomics.org; www.populareconomics.org.
CUBA/PASTORS - The 23rd annual Pastors for Peace Friendship Caravan to Cuba is scheduled for
July1-July 31. Volunteers will travel across the U.S and Canada collecting aid and educating about the unjust blockade against Cuba, before an orientation in Texas July 15-18, followed by an education program in Cuba July 21-29, and finally a return back to the U.S. People can participate by attending or hosting local events, donating materials, or sponsoring a traveler.
Contact: IFCO/Pastors for Peace, 418 W. 145th St., New York, NY 10031; 212-926- 5757; cucaravan@igc.org; www.pastorsforpeace.org.
COMMUNITY MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media 2012 National Conference is scheduled for July 31-August 2 in Chicago. Hands-on workshops and skillshares will be offered by this grassroots coalition of community media groups. This year’s theme is Collaborate!
Contact: ACM, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102; www.alliancecm.org.
VETERANS - Veterans for Peace is holding the 27th annual convention August 8-12 in Miami, FL. This year’s theme is, Liberating the Americas: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact: Veterans For Peace, 216 S. Meramec Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105; 314-725-6005; www.vfpnationalconvention.org
COMMUNITIES - The Communities Conference is a networking and learning opportunity for co-operative or communal lifestyles, with workshops, events and entertainment; scheduled for August 31-September 3 at the Twin Oaks Community in Louisa, Virginia.
Contact: Twin Oaks Communities Conference, 138 Twin Oaks Road, Louisa, VA 23093; 540-894-5126; conference@ twinoaks.org; www.communitiesconference.org.
