[ELECTRON] International Womens Day Film Screening at the Electron Club

Tue Mar 9 20:12:32 UTC 2010

There's another battle on at the moment where groups are striving to get
open access to research papers. You know, where tax payers fund research
through universities, and the results then, bizarrely, end up under virtual
lock and key with academic publishers. To get access you need to either pay
for a journal subscription or online access to archives etc. Not
surprisingly these publishers are very unhappy at the prospect of free and
unimpeded access to research material, and have launched their own
counter-campaign, working to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt, to do all
they can to ensure that this doesn't happen.

I can't remember what the arguments against open access to research material
were, but should look it up out of interest. There are few things more
annoying than searching for something online, discovering there may be
answers in a research paper, but a "paywall" demands $25 for access.
Especially when you consider you may well have helped fund the research...

A.

On (18:10 09/03/10), Bob wrote:
> 
> Wheres a brilliant book just called "Propaganda" By Edward Bernays, wrote 
> in 1928. An amazing manual on corporate propaganda. He did a lot of work 
> for Philip Morris, on getting women to smoke - or making if fashionable to 
> smoke. There is a more recent book called "Toxic slug is good for you" 
> That's more about how corporations corrupt organisations through PR and 
> green wash. Projects like "Earth day" which were off shoots from pretty 
> radical environmentalists organisations from the 70s well connected to the 
> anti-war movement. These organisations have been completely taken over by 
> yer fag companies and all they change from one "Earth Day" to the next, is 
> the posters. It is amazing how propaganda infiltrates and controls so much 
> of our lives yet in proportion, there is very little written about it. I 
> think both these books can be purchased at RIB. Bob
> 
> 
> On 09/03/2010 17:07, Alan J Munro wrote:
> >A note on the sources of the article quoted below:-
> >Activistcash.com is backed by the Center for Consumer Freedom. It says
> >so quite clearly on their home page.
> >
> > From Wikipedia:-
> >"The forerunner to the CCF was the Guest Choice Network, which was
> >organized in 1995 by Richard Berman, executive director of the public
> >affairs firm Berman and Company, with $600,000 from the Philip Morris
> >tobacco company,[2] "to unite the restaurant and hospitality industries
> >in a campaign to defend their consumers and marketing programs against
> >attacks from anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-meat, etc. activists ..."
> >According to Berman, the GCN mission was to encourage operators of
> >"restaurants, hotels, casinos, bowling alleys, taverns, stadiums, and
> >university hospitality educators" to "support [the] mentality of
> >'smokers rights' by encouraging responsibility to protect 'guest
> >choice.'"[3] Philip Morris donated $2.95 million to GCN between 1995 and
> >1998.[4]"
> >
> >Hmmm. Interesting source. I think we can let that speak for itself.
> >
> >http://activistcash.com/
> >http://www.consumerfreedom.com/
> >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Consumer_Freedom
> >
> >alan
> >
> >
> >On 9 Mar 2010, at 12:13, James Beeley wrote:
> >
> >>On Mon, 2010-03-01 at 18:58 +0000, Marion Hersh wrote:
> >>
> >>>When there was an Earth First group in Glasgow I was involved in it. My
> >>>experience was of a group of gentle people rather than vandals and
> >>>bullies and opposition to the inappropriate use of technology, not
> >>>technology per se.
> >>>Marion
> >>
> >>Earth First! are anything but gentle:
> >>
> >>"In 1987, a 23-year-old mill worker was severely injured when his saw
> >>blade shattered after hitting a redwood tree that had been "spiked" with
> >>a long steel nail, following the standard Earth First! recipe. In 1990,
> >>Earth First!er Lyn Georges Dessaux was convicted of assault after
> >>stabbing two men with a ski pole in a save-the-buffaloes protest. Earth
> >>First!ers have set fire to a livestock auction. They've also torched
> >>logging equipment.
> >>
> >>Dave Foreman himself pled guilty in 1991 to conspiring to blow up
> >>electrical lines leading to an Arizona nuclear power plant (he wrote a
> >>check to pay for 50 grenades). While Foreman somehow got off with
> >>probation, his four co-conspirators landed in jail. And hundreds of
> >>other Earth First!ers have spent time behind bars."
> >>
> >>Source:
> >>
> >>http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/271-earth-first
> >>
> >>A film justifying this organisation has no place at all in a
> >>taxpayer-funded arts centre. And before anyone starts claiming the CCA
> >>is funded by the "common good" or whatever, a quick visit to the CCA's
> >>web page reveals that:
> >>
> >>"The CCA is supported by the Scottish Arts Council, Glasgow City Council
> >>and by the National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council."
> >>
> >>GCC gets is funding through council tax and a central government grant
> >>funded by a variety of other taxes such as income tax and VAT. The SAC
> >>similarly gets most of its funding via the taxpayer. Taxpayers money
> >>should not be abused to subsidise political activist groups.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>I think one reason there is a limited amount of electronic/maker
> >>activity in the EC is the restricted range of electronic tools and
> >>instruments available in the EC. More equipment, is to my mind, a
> >>priority. When I worked in the Electronics Dept. at Glasgow University I
> >>got a hold of various oscilloscopes, computers and other items which
> >>were being thrown out. I've also bought instruments secondhand from
> >>amateur radio rallies. Some of my lab kit is home-built.
> >>
> >>Another issue is lack of a place to store one's tools and projects, a
> >>big problem given that dismantled electronic equipment, and projects in
> >>progress are vulnerable to accidental damage. Theft of tools is also a
> >>risk. Lockers for individuals/groups would be a good solution.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>I think a meeting/social night to sort these issues out, as has been
> >>suggested, is not a bad idea. These things are better discussed in
> >>person than via email.
> >>
> >>
> >>Jim
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >
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> 
> 
> -- 
> 
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-- 
Andrew Back
a at smokebelch.org