Protecting His Sources Scott Jaschik Inside Higher Ed Social scientists who study illegal activities periodically face criticism for their commitment to protecting the confidentiality of their research subjects, who regularly break the law. Supporters of Scott DeMuth, a University of Minnesota graduate student in sociology, say that his recent prosecution by federal authorities is an extreme and dangerous example of such criticism. Professors are organizing on his behalf, saying that federal authorities are using inappropriate measures to try to get DeMuth to reveal what he knows about underground animal rights groups. The case may be a difficult one for some in academe because the victims of the criminal activities DeMuth may have studied are academics: The legal dispute involves an investigation into an attack on research laboratories at the University of Iowa in 2004. The attack -- for which the Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility -- included vandalism of facilities, the removal of rodents being studied, and the trashing of faculty offices. Many professors and graduate students lost years of work as a result of the attack. A grand jury is hearing testimony about the attacks, and DeMuth was ordered to appear before it last month, after authorities came to believe he had knowledge of the attacks, based on a journal he had that was seized in the investigation of protests that occurred during the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Cooperation and Human Nature Bernard Marszalek JAS Econ Here are two excerpts from a recent news feature. "I cannot direct anybody to do anything that they do not want to do. All decision-making is by consensus." All around . . . groups organized themselves in democratic cooperatives, arranged in an anti-hierarchy. All deliberations are open -- and exhaustive. Everyone gets their say no matter how long it takes. "It is bottom-up and not top-down." Members of cooperatives will recognize these comments. In fact they are so commonplace as to be burdened with a ton of baggage. For some a smile will approach the lips in appreciation of the value of these statements. Others might feel their teeth clenching in anticipation of the seemingly endless meetings that they associate with deliberations over meaningless details. The quotes however do not emanate from a co-op board meeting. They are attributed, in a Wall Street Journal blog, to the scientists working on “the largest machine in the world.”1 That happens to be the Large Hadron Collider -- a $6 billion particle accelerator near Geneva, with thousands scientists involved in its operation.

David Graeber: Anarchist and More

By Rebecca White

From Souldish

David Graeber, intrepid anthropologist and anarchist, talks about the magical battles and spiritual jujitsu of Madagascar, the trials of being a political dissident, and the emerging "Anarchist Century."

It's not often that we get to sneak a peak into the minds that will no doubt be remembered. David Graeber is one such mind. But more than a mind, he is a man whose work has been met with varying opinion in the past few years due to the threatening nature of his anarchist beliefs.

When I met him, I was faced with a slew of discussion topics to choose from. In the scholarly world he's known for his research on Madagascar. In the world of gossip, he's known for being the anthropology professor at Yale who was fired without due cause.

Either way you look at it, David is an anthropological scholar, an anarachist, and an all around witty guy with a wry sense of humor one wouldn't expect from someone so feared by the "ruling class".

Are you an anthropologist that’s an anarchist or an anarchist that happens to be an anthropologist?

I guess it depends on what kind of day it is. In a way, both. I guess I considered myself an anarchist for most of my life, but then I’ve been interested in anthropology for most of my life, too. I imagine they came from the same impulse which was this sort of belief that there’s got to be something better than this. An interest in human possibilities.

Much of your anthropological work was done in Madagascar. Why did you choose Madagascar for your doctoral thesis?

That’s an interesting question. I wasn’t originally thinking of studying Madagascar when I went to graduate school. I was sort of vaguely thinking somewhere in Indonesia. There seemed to be various practical reasons that that wasn’t such a good idea. Polynesia was also an option but I decided not to go there because I didn’t want to eat yams everyday. I don’t really like yams.

Then my advisor mentioned I should take a look at Madagascar, so I started reading about it. I started reading folk tales, actually. I wanted to get an idea of what people were like there. What I found was they’re incredibly subversive. There’s all these stories about people playing tricks on God. It just seemed like these were people whose attitude I would appreciate.

"Earth Headed for Global Warming Catastrophe"

Michael T. Neuman

A leading worldwide climate research institute in Hamburg,
Germany predicted last week that the Earth is heading for a climate
catastrophe in the next 100 years, with sea ice in the North Pole
region predicted to completely melt in summer and extreme weather
events increasing in both frequency and strength.

The study is being followed up this week by the release of a report
from the UK's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
to the presidency of the European Union, on the impact of climate
change on migratory species. The report details and predicts major
losses in many of the world's animal populations with continued
global warming.

The releases come on the heels of another release issued by National
Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), a part of the Cooperative Institute
for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, which has reported that summer Arctic sea ice fell far below
average for the fourth year, with winter ice seeing sharp declines,
and spring melts beginning much earlier that even 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, the U.S. mainstream media and government continue to
abdicate their responsibility to appropriately inform and alert
Americans to the growing threat of global warming, as well as the
need for timely and responsive change to slow global warming through
massive reductions in fuel burning and other greenhouse gas releasing
sources.

clore writes: "[This seems like RAW at his very best to me."]

"The Semantics of 'Good' & 'Evil'"
Robert Anton Wilson, Critique

The late Laurance Labadie once told me a parable about a king who decided that everytime he met somebody he would kick them in the butt, just to emphasize his power. My memory may have elaborated this yarn a bit over the years, but basically it continues as follows: since this maniac wore a crown and had an army, people soon learned to tolerate being kicked fairly often, and even began to accept it philosophically or stoically, as they accept taxation and other impositions of kings and governors. They even learned to bend over as soon as they saw the king coming.

Benefit Auction for Critical Art Ensemble Legal Defense

New York City, April 17, 2005

Art Auction to Support indicted Artist Steven Kurtz as Bioterrorism Charge Threat Returns

More benefits and donations needed

An April 17 benefit auction at Paula Cooper Gallery in NYC has
attracted donations from some of the biggest names in the
contemporary art world, including Hans Haacke, Richard Serra, Cindy
Sherman, Martha Rosler, Sol LeWitt, Ruben Ortiz Torres, Kiki Smith,
Lorna Simpson, Chris Burden, and many others. (See details at bottom
or here).

Louis Lingg writes:

"Alternative Press Review has published an examination of the mass hypnosis techniques used by George Bush and the rhetorical and emotional confusion used to overcome critical thinking:

"Bush–Hitler: Hypnotizing the Masses"

Anti-Biotech Artist Indicted for Possessing ‘Harmless’ Bacteria

FBI Confiscates Artwork Critical of Biotechnology

Brendan Coyne, New Standard

Jul 6 — A federal grand jury in Buffalo, NY investigating charges against art professor Steven Kurtz finally handed down an indictment on Tuesday, ending deliberations that began on June 15.

According to Dan Herbeck, reporter for the Buffalo News, the grand jury in Buffalo, New York today returned minor indictments against Steve Kurtz of the Critical Art Ensemble and Robert Ferrell, Head of the Genetics Dept. at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Public Health.

The two professors are being indicted for "mail fraud"
and "wire fraud" under Title 18 United States Code sections 1341 and 1343,
2 counts each (4 total). Ferrell is alleged to have ordered $256
worth of bacteria (Serratia marcescens and Bacillus globigii) — $126
each, about 1 gram each — and to have given them to Kurtz for his work.

The new case is called United States of
America vs. Steven Kurtz and Robert Ferrell. Paul Cambria, Jr., defense attorney for Kurtz, says the government is "basically claiming that Steve and Ferrell defrauded the
laboratory by buying materials through Ferrell and giving them to Steve,
and defrauded the University of Pittsburgh. The simple response to these
charges is that they clearly acted with no criminal intent — the intent was
to educate and enlighten. If the University of Pittsburgh feels there was
a contract breach, then their remedy is to sue for the $256."

The current charges are said to be a pale reflection of the "bioterrorism" or "health and safety" charges in the original warrants or subpoenas. Cambria characterized them, tongue in
cheek, as "federal petty larceny charges."

The FBI was unable to issue an
arrest warrant for such small charges. No bail will be required.

CAE supporters were relieved, but had mixed responses. "This is still a case of intimidation and harrassment," said one. "The FBI
is pissed at having gone to such lengths and having found absolutely
nothing besides a $256 technicality that won't even stick. They're pissed
about how they have been made to look like total idiots in the press for
pushing ahead with this, when everyone can see there's nothing there. And
they're probably pissed about CAE's writings, which I remember someone
speculating they paid someone to read very carefully."