Howdy folks! It’s the end of the first week of 2017, and that means it’s time, finally, for an update on what we’ve been doing over the past seven days!
No More Hiatus
The last couple of months have been hectic here at C4SS. After the 10th anniversary and the Oklahoma SFL Regional Conference – and then, astonishingly, after the election – life just sort of went into overdrive. A lot of what we’ve been doing since November has been behind-the-scenes, and we’re super excited to reveal what we’ve come up with. And we’re not resting on our laurels from there, either.
That said, you can expect the return of weekly updates, starting now. Life may not come at us any slower but these updates will stand strong, immovable, against the tide of hi- what was I saying? Oh yeah, these will be going up regularly.
The Week in Commentary
Every week, we release new commentaries out to the media on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The following statistics are taken following each distribution.
Kevin Carson swept week one of 2017, pumping out articles on open manufacturing, the manufactured “white genocide” outrage and Nestlé’s outrageous policy of simply taking drinking water from communities whenever and wherever it pleases.
“2017 and ‘Killer Apps’ for the Transition” was republished at Counterpunch, the Augusta Free Press and the Gilmer Mirror. It marks Carson’s first article at Counterpunch since September 2016.
“Who are the Real ‘Genociders?’” was republished at the Augusta Free Press. “No Right to Free Water – Except for Nestlé” has not received any pickups yet because it was published on Saturday, which means it is scheduled for Monday (1/9) distribution. We’ll update you on this arcticle’s reprint status next week.
The Week in Features
While we don’t normally run or count features in the pickup list, this week we did see the republication of Edmund Berger’s stellar late December 2016 feature, “The Coming State of Fear,” in Counterpunch alongside Kevin’s “Transition.” It also got into the Shillong Times in India. It’s a fantastic piece on the incoming president’s desire to start a second Cold War with Vladimir Putin.
Logan Yershov penned their first new C4SS contribution in nearly two years with their takedown of Jeff Deist, “Anarchism not Nationalism.” The feature examines Deist’s reasoning behind their piece, “Market Borders not Open Borders,” and dismantles their idea that, as Yershov put it, “libertarians should embrace the quick-fix solution of selling privatization through the lens of border security.”
The Week in Book and Film Reviews
We got two new reviews this weekend!
James C. Wilson has a review of “Steal This Film,” a movie by the League of Noble Peers which delves into the history of, narrowly, the Pirate Bay; and broadly, file sharing itself. His verdict:
Both parts of the film provide a thought-provoking exploration of ideas that have only become more relevant since its release. Copyright critics and opponents should not only watch the film but share it, copy it and distribute it too.
C4SS editor Chad Nelson has a review of “Cloak and Jaguar: Following a Cat From Desert to Courtroom,” by Janay Brun. The book details the life – and death – of the second-known male jaguar living in the United States, as well as the events that followed its demise by human hands. Chad’s verdict:
Brun’s book concludes with, among other things, the mention of a newly-spotted male jaguar (might he be Macho B’s son or grandson, she wonders?) who has been seen regularly in Macho B’s old stomping grounds. There is hope that individual actors like Brun, who now know about the vicious assault on these beautiful animals, will be motivated to sabotage the conservationists’ and state wildlife authorities’ inevitable efforts to capture and kill him.
Destroy the traps, cover the animals’ tracks, and let them live in peace with the freedom and anonymity they deserve!
Housekeeping
Throughout the next month we’ll be rolling some new features out. Until then, I do just want to mention that we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that relies on your tax-deductible donations to keep rolling along, putting anarchy into the hands of folks all over the world. Come say hi at ISFLC 2017, be like the generous individuals who have already donated this month, or follow us on Twitter at @c4ssdotorg.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? email me at trevor@c4ss.org or tweet at me at @trevor_c4ss.
