text:
"Shining through tears, like April suns in showers, that labour to overcome the cloud that loads 'em."
– Thomas Otway
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
– George Orwell, 1984
(March here & May here)
30/4/18:
Mexico, Chihuahua: heavy clashes as co-operative farmers attack illegal wells of wealthy farm family (backed by corrupt local state & cops) because they are effectively stealing their water"During the scuffle, two peasants were injured with a firearm, while the peasants stoned the wells and four trucks parked on the ranch.…Julián LeBaron, said that more than a hundred people attacked his property, forcing the family to leave the premises"
South Africa, Cape Town (Macassar): housing office burned down in housing protest"Computer equipment, furniture and office records were destroyed in the fire."…Cape Town (Vrgrond): residents chuck petrol bombs, demanding right to build informal housing on contested land"The ownership of the land is believed to be the matter of a legal dispute. Community leader Daniel Nomavila said: "The residents are very angry at the municipality. Law enforcement came to break down their structures and shacks on the land." Protesting residents set alight a sports clubhouse in Seawinds, petrol bombed neighbouring apartments and set a car alight…."City of Cape Town Traffic reported that Prince George Drive has been closed at Military Road, direction towards Sunrise circle for traffic due to protest action and community members wanting to vandalise the Capricon Park Mall. All necessary Law Enforcement agencies are on the scene." Rubber bullets were fired to disperse the crowd. The City of Cape Town's Maxine Bezuidenhout said the roadway was later opened. Residents vowed to illegally occupy Xakabantu as talks with mayor Patricia de Lille collapsed last week. De Lille held a meeting with residents following violent protests in the area two weeks ago. Protesters have continued to burn tyres and debris. The protest began on April 16 after residents complained of overcrowding in Vrygrond and the lack of access to land."
US, Arizona: report saying state-wide teachers' strike may be illegal
Morehere "Republican governor, Doug Ducey, proposed to give teachers a 20% raise. The proposal, which would still have left the state's educators among the worst paid in the US, was rejected by the teachers' union and the Arizona Parent Teacher Association after it was revealed that the plan would be paid with cuts to other state programs."
France, Besançon: business school covered in graffiti"YOUR WORLD IS A ZONE TO DESTROY", "OUR PAVING STONES ARE NOT LISTED ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE", "SCHOOL OF SHEEP" , "RATHER AGITATORS THAN SALESMEN", "ON 1 MAY, WE FEAST ON BOURGEOIS"
Rwanda, Kiziba: refugees and cops clash at refugee camp"Rwandan police fired teargas on Monday at refugees and injured at least one child after senior police officers and government officials visiting their camp were pelted with stones…The refugees said they feared the police intended to arrest the executive committee that helps to run the camp. In February police killed at least five refugees and injured 20 at the camp after protests over cuts in food rations turned violent. "They are firing teargas. One child was injured in (the) head and was transferred to Kigali," Muligande Ntabana, a refugee at the camp told Reuters"
South Africa, KwaZulu Natal: 32 trucks torched, some looted, in riot More here"…police officers were engaged in running battles with rioters for most of the night….Sources reported that some officers came under fire from the crowds…the source of the consternation is veiled in mystery"
Belgium, Brussels (Anderlecht): youth who (allegedly) repeatedly threw stones at cops & journocops over several months arrested "A series of incidents in which police officers have been hit by projectiles thrown from the roofs of buildings, have occurred sporadically within the neighborhood of Peterbos since the end of 2017. Last Sunday, controllers of the Stib [city's transport company] were assaulted by young people during a ticket control operation. Monday, it was a team of the VRT [TV & radio broadcasters], filming in the district, which was hit by a projectile…. throwing stones in the neighborhood have so far given rise to the opening of a judicial investigation into a dozen "attempted murders"."
France: Tolbiac damage to walls etc. estimated to cost over £600,000Typical shallow flippant BBC journalism…Lyon: 2nd day of clashes with cops in popular area More here "In response to projectiles thrown from the street or windows of buildings, the national police fought back with tear gas and a few flashballs".
Bangladesh, Sylhet: rickshaw drivers in heavy clash with cops over them being banned from main highway"The protesters got into a violent clash with police as the latter tried to disperse and prevent them from blocking the road. The autorickshaw drivers, who sustained bullet injuries in the incident, refused to get admitted to Habiganj Sadar Hospital fearing that they might be arrested by law enforcers if they go there for treatment. However, they later received treatments at local clinics and doctors' chambers. The injured policemen were admitted to the hospital."
Senegal, Sedhiou: high school riots in support of teachers' strike spread to another area
Nicaragua: the struggle continues"…the clashes have killed more than 2 dozen people including students and 2 police officers…Ortega has caved to demands and reversed the social security reforms that triggered these protests in the first place, but the protests haven't slowed down. "This protest isn't only because of the reforms, this protest is because we're tired of all this abuse". Now marchers are calling for him to step down."
See also "nicaragua and the sandinistas", on this site.
Poland, Warsaw: disabled children's parents occupation of Parliament now a week-long and not over"Although parents occupying the Sejm receive visits from politicians, none offer solutions to their problems. …Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki promised protesters a "road map" but cautioned that federal coffers were empty. Nevertheless, the parents have no intention of giving up."
France, Loire-Atlantique: English-language reports on ZAD occupationThis site is largely from an insufficiently critical perspective that ignores most of the contradictions that developed which showed the weaknesses of the ZAD in dealing with the divisions that were complicitous with the state's divide-and-rule.…Ariege: administrative buildings & engineering laboratory of tungsten mine, aimed at supplying arms industry, sabotaged & torched"…the arsonists first smashed a wall with a sledgehammer at the back of the workshop, before bringing in several tires that lay outside and set them on fire. A tank containing 18,197 liters of fuel oil exploded in the fire and a generator was destroyed, as was the roof of the workshop, whose metal frame was partly melted. In the offices, a second fire started damaging the PVC floor." This mine had recently been re-opened after 30 years of closure. Everyone in the area apart, maybe, from the prefecture and the company, are likely to have celebrated this sabotage, as they invariably have opposed it on the grounds of health & safety. Tungsten is one of the strategic metals for civil and military use. For example, it is amalgamated with depleted uranium, or replaces it, for perforating "shock cones" and, given its relative rarity, its current price reaches that of "rare metals", the group of metals without which it would be impossible to build any processor. In this region the extraction and refining of tungsten has very harmful effects on health: anorexia, amnesia, and so on, sometimes including lung cancer. Combined with asbestos used for decades in the mine…not hard to imagine the rest. The miners were often immigrant workers from North Africa who, now retired, have developed chronic diseases, never recognized, of course, as occupational diseases. For several months, the protests intensified against the reopening of the mine.
Senegal: high-school students ransack town hall and riot in 3 different areas in attempt to force government to give in to long-running teachers' strike over wages"In … the commune of Gandiaye, the ransacking of the premises of the town hall of Gandiaye and the blocking of traffic for hours with burnt tires on the national road number 1… gendarmes who tried to reason with them, came out with injuries as a result of projectiles and pebbles thrown …In total, three gendarmes were injured …Storming the town hall of Gandiaye, the schoolboys also ransacked the premises of the municipality of the aforementioned commune by breaking the windows."
Mainstream media reports often imply that these high-school students are opposed to the teachers' strike, but reading between the lines and often simply explicitly it shows they support the teachers' demands and want the state to settle the strike in the teachers' favour.
South Africa, Gauteng: hospital workers striking for unpaid bonuses & overtime trash a bit of hospital"Throughout last week they trashed the hospital and on Tuesday police fired rubber bullets to disperse them," DA Gauteng MPL Jack Bloom said. …"I visited the hospital on Thursday last week and found mounds of trash, including medical waste, scattered in various places. A cold drink dispensing machine was also tossed on its side"
South Africa: state warns against proletarian "violence" as official General Strike to raise minimum wage begins"…the South African Federation of Trade Unions … and its more than 20 affiliated unions, are set to stage protest marches all around the country on Wednesday in protest at the basic minimum wage of R20 [about £1.20p] an hour. Government, in a statement early on Monday, said marches had played a central role during the apartheid era and culminated into the transition from apartheid to democracy. "Today, marches continue to play a role in the democratic South African society wherein people have a place to make their voices heard….We call on all those participating in the marches across the various provinces to refrain from violence, destruction of property and intimidation. The rights of people who do not want to participate in the marches must be respected. When marches deviate from the intended cause and becomes characterised by violence, looting and civil-disobedience it is less likely to produce democratic progress." Government further called upon the convenors of the march to ensure that chaos does not ensue around Parliament, as this is a national keypoint and the highest law-making arm of the State. The same sentiments should be applied to other areas across the country". Now obviously anyone with some basic radical sense cannot simplistically support such gestures launched by the South African Trade Union rackets. But the fact that they're having to do this indicates a simmering fire & fury that pushes these bureaucracies to take the heat out of the situation, to turn it off before it boils over…Strike unlikely to impact legislation "Saftu's national strike on Wednesday is more about the federation flexing its muscles and is unlikely to have an impact on the legislative process of amending labour laws. This is the view of labour analysts… the Saftu strike was .. an attempt to try and sell itself as a alternative federation for unions that are unhappy with Cosatu." …lefty "libertarians" give uncritical unnuanced support for this circus
Taiwan, Taipeh: clashes outside parliament as vets protest against pension cuts and show healthy disgust towards the professional liars of the media"Taiwanese military veterans on Wednesday scuffled with police as they tried to storm parliament in the latest of a series of protests against planned pension cuts. Hundreds gathered outside the legislature's main entrance and some threw smoke bombs and water bottles at police guarding the building in central Taipei. They also tried in vain to hurl an empty wooden coffin into the parliament compound's courtyard, television footage showed….Around 63 protesters were taken away after they climbed parliament's gate according to police. Others tried to pull down the gate using ropes and chains. Some barricades outside the compound were torn down by protesters, while 32 officers and 11 reporters were injured…Many journalists were injured and their equipment was damaged … protesters intentionally used violence and inflicted injuries"
Iran, Marivan: houses of 2 of the states' counter-"revolutionary" guards torched after they murder a local villager"The clash took place when Pasdar-Colonel (IRGC colonel) Kaveh Kohneh-Poushi along with another Pasdar, Latif Nikpay, murdered an inhabitant from one of the villages of Marivan. The people burnt down the houses of the two criminals in protest of this crime. The anti-riot unit started attacking and beating these people in support of the two criminals. The clashes, which lasted for hours, continued up to the Bu'ali Hospital in Marivan. …In Baneh and Javanrood, the strike of the merchants and shopkeepers continued for the eleventh day. The intelligence agents arrested a protesting woman who was calling on people in the Baneh main street to continue the strike, and transferred her to a police station. The people of Baneh, having gathered outside the police station, forced the mercenaries to release her. …The poor farmers in the east of Isfahan continued their protests by staging a sit-in in front of the governorate building…." This report continues, providing interesting information which the racket behind this site would suppress themselves if they ever achieved any similar position to the scumbags presently in power, because this opportunist gang would obviously be forced to be as brutal in the unlikely event of assuming control of Iran's specific capitalist interests.
South Africa, KwaZulu Natal: police station spontaneously combusts"DA Police Portfolio Committee member Dianne Kohler Barnard tried conducting her own investigation into the incident. "Conflicting stories are being told. The police at first said a case of arson had been registered, and a source said it seemed there was no foul play. This means a SAPS station has simply burnt itself," she said…."We have so few stations and such a huge need. The sight of this destroyed building hurts…"
Senegal, Bargny: clashes between farmers and state as farmers & locals try to stop work on port, having been cheated out of promises of compensation and employment
France, Hauts-de-Seine: logistics depot of SNCF blockaded by 300 students, train drivers, hospital & striking post office workers This, unlike the almost invariably abstract "convergence of struggles" called for from on high, at least has the merit of something concrete, despite (apparently) the absence of any suspicion towards the union agenda.
South Africa, KwaZulu Natal: several hours of clashes with cops as informal settlers, demanding free water & electricity, erect barricades of burning tyres & portable toilets, blocking motorway…probably provoked by the death of this 9-year-old…North-West: looting & barricades as protests spread outside Maheking"Protests in the North West have flared up once again, with Taung and Delareyville now affected.As a result, the police have responded, stopping looting in Taung. On Sunday night, roads were also barricaded with burning tyres in Vryburg.The situation in Mahikeng, however, where the protests began last week – remains calm with a heavy police presence…despite some looting in Taung on Monday, the police have been able to bring all the affected areas under control"...cops kill 16-year-old during protestVideo of clashes here shows attacks on school conditioning factories
France, Hauts-de-Seine (near Paris): over 150 workers occupy SNCF (state-run railway) building during another 24-hour strike; most trains cancelledThis was mainly workers with CGT or SUD flags. Hard to know if this was yet another merely symbolic action, if the occupation lasted beyond a couple of hours…Another reporthere. See this site's critique of these unions here…Loire-Atlantique: renewal of clashes at Notre-Dame-des-Landes (video)…80-year-old Zadiste arrested…4 breakdown lorries belonging to company helping the cops with the ZAD destruction destroyed in solidarity with ZADists A text on some of the divisions in the movement, talked about below (especially entry for 9/4/18), here.
Zimbabwe, Marange: diamonds are fornever – clashes with cops as villagers demand work"Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC)'s…chief executive officer Morris Mpofu, however, chose to downplay the incident, saying…"This is a small group who are demonstrating and we don't know their motive…." Among other grievances, the villagers claimed the diamond mining firms had desecrated their graveyards, provided them with inadequate accommodation and taken away their grazing lands." Report with videos here
Nicaragua: pension reforms withdrawn as result of riots"Several television stations were taken off the air as the government tried to stem the unrest…."We have to restore order. We cannot allow for chaos, crime and looting to prevail," Ortega added in his televised address. "We cannot allow it. And we will act under the rule of law and under the constitution to ensure and guarantee the restoration of stability and social peace so that workers can peacefully go to work."…. death toll rises to at least 25"A further 43 people were reported to have "disappeared" over the weekend…Snipers were reportedly placed in Nicaragua's national stadium to shoot at protesters holed up in Managua's cathedral. The demonstrators symbolically pulled down one of the brightly coloured Tree of Life sculptures erected in the capital by the vice-president, Rosario Murillo, Ortega's wife….In the city of León, university offices were torched …Ortega, who is facing the biggest crisis of his leadership, said on Saturday that he was ready to consider changing an unpopular social security overhaul announced last week, which would increase worker contributions and lower pensions. He said, however, that talks would only be held with business leaders and not with other sectors of society…people spilled back on to the streets in seven cities including the capital, after tensions had calmed somewhat on Friday night." Video here…Morehere"Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa said more than 30 had died…Some students vowed to keep the pressure on the government up as their demands had now widened beyond protecting pensions. "We are fighting …for all those years of pillaging of the people by the Sandinista regime," an engineering student in Managua who identified himself as Cristofer told AFP news agency."
The people pillage back a tiny fraction of what has been pillaged from them:
Proletarian shopping, Managua –
Bargains galore! Everything must go go go!!!
Italy, Piemont: protesters trying to help refugees cross French-Italian border clash with copsThis Daily Express article describes the protesters as "anti-fascists". The only indication that these people adopted this label is that some called the cops "fascists' – clearly an original appellation and obviously something only a self-defined "anti-fascist" would shout. Apparently among some of those arrested face up to 10 years in jail for simply helping someone cross a border (meanwhile the French cops have transgressed the sacred border without much problem, surprise surprise).
"Burn the borders"
Greece, Lesbos: clashes between nationalists and refugees & supporters
South Africa, North West: "calm", apparently, has returned to Maheking(see entries for last 3 days below) "The situation was calm in Mahikeng on Saturday despite two attempts to burn buildings overnight, North West police said. A petrol bomb caused minor damages at the house of a traffic officer in Magogwe Tar village on Friday night, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said. "No one was injured during the incident. In the second, separate incident, a petrol bomb that was apparently meant to cause fire and damage to [the] Mmabana Arts Foundation building failed. This is the same building that was burnt on Thursday." He said the situation in Mahikeng was relatively calm on Saturday. "At this stage, despite visible objects that were used as barricades, traffic is flowing on most of the roads" …Twitter feed here
Locals loot cement from an AfriSam cement truck during protests in Mahikeng
Nicaragua: report about 3 days of clashes with the Sandinista state and its neoliberal policies…at least 10 dead"…Violent protests against pension reform left at least 10 people dead in Nicaragua on Thursday and Friday. Called "riots" organized by individuals seeking "to break peace and harmony" by Vice President Rosario Murillo, the protests hardened on Friday, the third day of mobilization, with barricades erected, clashes with police and attacks on government buildings, in Managua and in other cities of the country. About 80 people were also injured in these demonstrations, the most violent since Daniel Ortega came to power eleven years ago. Four independent TV channels were prevented by the government on Thursday from covering them…This mobilization seems to have taken the government by surprise, which until now had managed to contain the discontent thanks to the influence of the ruling party in the public and military spheres. "It's a grassroots protest, not a political party…I think the government did not anticipate this reaction"
France, Paris: Tolbiac occupation evicted, blockade lifted by cops…at least 4 hospitalised as media claims eviction happened without incident…man hit by BAC (Brigade Anti-Criminel – psychotic cops in "plain clothes") in a coma – immediate demonstrations in various parts of the country…cops deny this, calls it a "rumour"No confirmation either way, though this report in French, gives 3 witness accounts confirming that this event happened, though whether the guy, despite having been unconscious, fell into a coma or not is not clear. The implication is a possible state cover-up with media complicity. "A small group of occupants – including the witnesses, homeless people who had been actively involved in the occupation for about ten days – tried to flee the police by escaping from the back of the building, via the terraces, by a ladder connected to an adjacent street, rue Baudricourt. Police officers of the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) gave chase. All occupants managed to get down to the street, except one. As he was about to get down, a BAC officer grabbed his leg. The occupant lost his balance, his head tilted forward and he crashed at least three meters below. Two witnesses saw the policeman's action and the fall of the fugitive. A third witness confirmed to Reporterre their description of the body, which he saw on the ground. The injured person, who fell on his face, had blood coming out of his mouth, nose and ears. The witnesses tried to revive him, in vain. The man was in a state of unconsciousness. One of the witnesses immediately called the fire brigade, who arrived at the scene thirty minutes later and took away the young man. Shortly afterwards, police blocked access to rue Baudricourt, the site of the fall. At seven o'clock, municipal cleaners entered the street. One of the two direct witnesses saw them erase traces of blood on the ground." The report continues giving accounts from various people which neither clearly confirm nor genuinely deny this incident, partly because no-one knows which hospital this guy was taken to, or whether he was taken away by state representatives and dumped on the street – after all, who would care about an isolated homeless guy? In 1986 the death of an Arab at the hands of the cops was the main factor forcing the government to withdraw its education reforms. But the fact that the state has an obvious interest in making out that this is fake news does not in itself mean that it is true. Moreover, a culture of lying in order to manipulate people pervades those who claim to be fighting the ruling world almost as much as the ruling world itself, a culture which either breeds cynicism and passive resignation or anger against both sides in this manipulation war. Hopefully we shall discover the truth of this sinister event soonish.
Reinforcing class power: cops give students a lesson
South Africa, North West: protests spread to 3 areas outside regional capital (see 18/4/ & 19/4 below) "A petrol station along the Vryburg road was looted and damaged … An ATM next to the filling station was bombed. Cars were also torched….The administration block of Mmabana Foudation in Mmabatho was partially burnt and two vehicles were torched in front of the building. A filling station and a liquor shop were looted and damaged"….more extensive coverage here… National bus strike intensifies …3 prisoners awaiting trial escape
Zimbabwe: confrontation between striking nurses and government builds up as 16,000 strikers are sacked
Iran, Kazerun: "Beware of the day when we arm ourselves" chanted on 5th day of anti-government protests (video) See entry for 19/4/18
US, Michigan: lecturers & students occupy building on university campus in support of wage rise
France, Paris: teargas & water cannon v stones etc. during demo & strike; windows of businesses smashed (video here)
Hotel Marriott, Paris: "Legal or not, our fury in your gob"
…Nanterre university blockaded & occupied See English translation of a leaflet I co-wrote for a demo on 14 april 2018 for a critique of some of the significant contradictions of this movement. When I find time, footnotes will be added to explain more concretely some of its general reflections. From afar this movement might seem like something BIG, when, for the moment at least, it is far more dominated by dreadful ideologies than, for instance, the movement of 2006. Of course, all this could change. Or not. The leaflet was received well by at least some young people, which is a change from the illusions of 2 years ago, but let's not be over-optimistic. Both optimism and pessimism compete in people's heads to stop those who want a development of self-organised struggles from trying to become clearer and from drawing practical consequences from striving to assess the pros and cons of events.
A student from the Immobilisation Committee of Montpellier's occupied faculty talks to the media
This is a reference to the fact that, despite the media having clearly lied about the clashes on 14th April, in particular the regional rag Midi-Libre, students from the Mobilisation Committee gave interviews to these scum and allowed them to film a largish conference of the occupied section of the university, knowing full well that being filmed would prevent anybody with a less traditional, more radical, point of view from speaking their minds. In the movement of 2010the media were prevented from coming onto the campus, but nowadays being famous for 15 minutes is considered a worthier pursuit than striving to attack the journalist thought-police along with all other cops. They somehow think that the media can help, by potentially filming cop brutality, to restrain the cops from such violence, even though they'd done their usual filthy work of deliberately distorting events last Saturday (April 14th) when the cops had been especially violent. More details later…
Guinea, Conackry: youths block main crossroad with burning tyres on 2nd day of riots protesting electricity cuts
South Africa, North West: angry protests continue (see below) "Shops were closed and streets blockaded with burning objects as the calls for Mahumapelo to step down mount. A group of youngsters armed with rocks and sticks barricaded Nelson Mandela Drive linking the North West capital and Botswana, with burning objects littering the road. "We do not talk to media, go and talk to Supra, we do not want Supra and his cabinet," said one man from the group. On the same road, about 10 kilometres away, a truck trailer was torched and youngsters were also piling burning tyres on the road. Elsewhere, a police armoured vehicle (Nyala) was petrolbombed in Danville near the capital, while in Dibate near Mmabatho, a group of youngsters looted tuck shops and police resorted to firing rubber bullets. Protesters, who were aggressive to the media, said they want Mahumapelo to resign as the premier of North West….The capital was totally shut down on Thursday. The protest started on Wednesday in Montshioa where a bus was torched. This was apparently sparked by the death of two people at the Montshioa Stad Clinic, after they reportedly did not get help due to the ongoing strike by nursing staff. Members of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) have been on strike since February 26, demanding the dismissal of head of the health department Dr Thabo Lekalakala, the termination of contracted companies by the department, bonus payments, the payment of occupation specific dispensation (OSD) for employees at provincial offices and increases of Community Health Workers salaries." …one person killed by cops…More here "…a police armoured vehicle (Nyala) was petrol bombed in Danville south of Mahikeng….a police officer's house was also attacked by a rioting crowd in Danville."
Iran, Kazerun: heavily armed riot cops surround demo on 4th day of protests against state plans to divide city
US, Georgia: wildcat strike by school bus drivers The strike (a sickout) continued until 23/4/18. "…nearly 400 school bus drivers and monitors in DeKalb County called in sick, aiming to pressure school district officials to boost driver pay, improve retirement packages and reclassify drivers from part-time to full-time employees. The drivers have 50 demands in all. Some paint a picture of a bus system in disrepair: Drivers say they need restrooms at parking lots, working intercom systems, air conditioning on buses. Other demands, like "fair treatment for bus drivers," tell a story of workers who are tired of being pushed around. While district officials say they fired "ringleaders," drivers say plans for the sickout emerged informally, and spread by word of mouth. Drivers in DeKalb, which covers part of Atlanta, are not unionized, and as public employees in Georgia, they're barred from collective bargaining and striking. But Brown, who's 51, felt like she had to speak out. The sickout comes after months of meetings in which drivers voiced concerns over benefits and pay to district officials. And it follows waves of wildcat strikes by public school teachers across the South and West who are demanding better treatment and pay."
South Africa, North West: looting & burning barricades as protest against ANC regional premier turns to rioting in regional capital (formerly Mafeking of Boer war fame) "North West police were outnumbered overnight as angry protesters shut down the entire Mahikeng town. Police vehicles were forced to make u-turns while trying to respond to the chaos that was unfolding as residents barricaded the roads with burning tyres and pelted motorists with rocks. The protesters are calling for premier Supra Mahumapelo to step down. He is reported to have spent the night at his Haartebespoort Dam home. Almost all intersections in Mahikeng and neighbouring villages were closed and police were prevented from coming near to the blockades. Prominent businessman Sefidvash Naraghi and wife Sanao were admitted at Victoria hospital after their vehicle was attacked. According to a family friend, the couple was stopped by protesters who demanded money and cellphones before pelting them with stones….The last time Mahikeng experienced riots like this was in 1994 when residents took to the streets to force the late Bophuthatswana president Lucas Mangope out of office. In Ramosadi, Seweding, Phola, Danville and Motshioa townships, small groups of people were burning tyres. Foreigners are running for help as protesters have emptied their shops while some residents were shot with rubber bullets." More here "Police in Mahikeng had to use teargas and fire rubber bullets when Lonely park residents went on a rampage looting foreign owned shops this morning. Children as young as 10 years-old were seen running out of the shops with stacks of money in their hands. Protesters also looted refrigerators , mattresses and groceries. Petrol bombs were being readied to be used for breaking into more shops….Residents complained that it was unfair for Mahumapelo's son to get R1-million pilot bursary whereas they were struggling to get funding for tertiary education.Over the weekend reports emerged that Mahumapelo Junior had received the bursary from state arms manufacturer Denel. At the crossing shopping complex a food outlet McDonalds , owned by Mahumapelo's wife Kule is situated, shops were forced to closed. Protesters threatened to burn down the outlet before the end of today."If he does not want to step down, this town will be on fire," said one of the protesting youths."We want his Mc Donalds, we want those burgers." …cop's armoured truck torched…National bus strike
France, Nantes: pallets set on fire at all 4 roads of major roundabout in solidarity with nearby ZAD struggle
Niger, Niamey: students seriously injured in clashes with state over demands for reinstatement of expelled students and withdrawal of security forces on campus "We barricaded the road that goes in front of the campus, and the security forces burst onto the campus…some of the injured are fighting for their lives"
Greece, Lesbos: 200 refugees occupy main square See also this analysis of aspects of the social relations concerning "the refugee problem", particularly in Greece (but also in Germany)
France, Lyon: about 30 youths clash with cops whilst they try to stop an unofficial motorbike race in street…Toulouse: 3rd night of riots
12 cars burn at Citroen car dealership, Toulouse
Zimbabwe, Bulawayo: students loot food, block access to campus in protest against high fees, service delivery, etc.
US, Philadelphia: Starbucks occupied after arrest of black guys for "loitering" whilst waiting for friend (video) More detailed report here
South Africa, Western Cape: interesting housing protests
"Protests flared up again in Vrygrond, near Muizenberg on Tuesday. It appeared to be a continuation of a housing delivery protest that started on Monday night, where residents set alight debris, obstructing traffic …A vehicle was also set alight, and a Pick n Pay liquor store was looted. The protest is linked to vacant land which residents want to occupy. Residents of Vrygrond claim they own the land. The police maintained a strong presence in the area as protesters continued to burn tyres and other debris. "We are struggling. We use our Sassa money to pay our rent and we still need to buy food. We can't cope," resident Deborah Brant said."
France, Toulouse: 2nd night of riots extends to 3rd area
South Africa, Western Cape: liquor store looted, burning barricades, after illegal settlers are evicted by cops
France, Toulouse: police station attacked with molotov, 11 vehicles burn, cops stoned, burning barricades as youths from 2 popular areas express their fury at prison death of local man…though this in English says it was because a woman was arrested & charged with "rebellion" for refusing to remove veil…Loire-Atlantique: further clashes at ZAD
Notre -Dame-des-Landes, 15/4/18
UK, Buckinghamshire: surveillance cameras and fire alarms wrecked as youths smash up prison wing
France, Nantes: clashes between Zadists and cops after cops prevent several 1000s on ZAD demo meeting up with train drivers & student demo – shop & bank windows smashed…Montpellier: cops teargas demo within a few minutes of it starting; subsequently shop & bank windows smashed, burning bin barricades etc.
The usual route of demos here is from outside a park at the top of a hill downwards past some shops towards the station. This was the first time ever the route was blocked by a line of cops, who immediately started firing a considerable amount of teargas grenades after 1 stone was ineffectually thrown towards the lines of cops. A TV report threw in footage of a minor incident of a guy throwing a barrier towards the cops, which happened in another part of town at a later time, as if it was part of the reason for the cops launching teargas immediately. However the cop spokesman was more honest than the media, saying simply, without claiming that the teargas launched was against any "violence", that it was to prevent shop windows being smashed up. In fact, the reason for this unprecedented blocking of the normal route was the fact that the march was lead by the black block, a tactic that had been announced several days in advance at a fairly public planning meeting on part of the university campus, abandoning the basic minimal strategy of surprising your enemy.
Despite this, the cop strategy didn't really work as the march turned round and went along a route that included even more shops and businesses, some of which had their windows smashed or tagged. However, the flag-waving leaders of the march, which by this time seemed to be a student organisation, turned off just 10 metres before the main square of the city (where just 4 vans of unarmoured non-riot cops were placed, though at the far end of the square – about 150 metres away – the heavily armoured CRS were ready) along a small road leading to the other end of the road that the cops had previously blocked off. On this Saturday, the main square is full of tourists and others eating and drinking in cafes and restaurants or waiting for their tram, and it would have been a lot harder, causing them a great deal of bad publicity, for the cops to have fired teargas grenades there than they later did when they seemed to have broken up the march and attacked part of it from both ends. More windows and businesses are tagged and smashed (mainly estate agents, banks, temp agencies, luxury shops, jewelers…), as the riot cops massively teargas one end of the demo and attack with troops the other end. Not all cops have gas-masks, and some are seen crying from their own gas. A woman in a wheelchair very slowly drove in front of a tram for 5 minutes to slow it down until the tram company sent a car along to ask her in repressed angry tones to please get off the track.
Apparently the regional deputy Muriel Ressiguier, from the Leftist Melenchon racket "La France Insoumise" (literally translated as "Unsubmissive France"), shouted out some demagogic crap inciting the youths to attack the cops (as if they hadn't already wanted to do so) and that as soon as they got into power they'd do everything necessary to reverse the neoliberal policies. Later on, after at least 40 shops & businesses had had their windows "smashed" (well, cracked really because nowadays business windows are, as most people know, pretty much stone-resistant, never really leaving the goods on open display ready to be liberated) a spokesman for the business "community", along with the city's mayor from the Socialist Party, called on her to be prosecuted for such incitement. Shit-scared, she made a rapid U-turn and called on people to grass up the "casseurs" (window-breakers) and that they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law: "Unsubmissive France" indeed. Perhaps she remembers a tag put up on 4th September 2017 on her newly opened local HQ which said "Unsubmissive generation".
"Capital – murderer", Montpellier
A wildcat march – now numbering about 250, including a small group of youths who spontaneously joined because it seemed like more fun than strolling around gawping at pricey goods – meandered through the back streets setting up innumerable "barricades" of burning bins to stop traffic. Some local residents shouted out against them from their windows, telling them to leave "their" neighbourhood; others complained that they were endangering their street-level drug-dealing. Some car drivers were confronted when they tried to drive through them because their journey was delayed for 5 minutes. Eventually, after over 2 hours of going round the back streets on their way to the university campus, the BAC and the CRS suddenly caught them unawares (they'd requisitioned a few of the town's tram company vans, from which they unexpectedly emerged) and, despite two sets of burning bin "barricades, which would have allowed far more people to escape through side streets, some 40 or more went into a supermarket to escape, but the back way was blocked and they were trapped and very badly beaten, a couple being hospitalised. 55 were kept in custody and the next day about 200 or so people amassed outside the town's Hotel de Police (which sounds like a hotel – sadly the only mini-bars are on the cell windows), cheering as one by one most of them were released.
See, in French, 2 texts on some of the contradictions of the current movement, including one distributed in Montpellier on this day and the next (outside the Hotel de Police).
Iran, Isfahan: cops crack down on 5th consecutive day of illegal protests against water shortages following day on which large amounts of women joined demonstrations "The protest movement expanded on Friday, with conservative women from area farms seen marching in Isfahan for the first time in a social media video identified as having been filmed that day. The Iranian government's Shi'ite prayer leader in Isfahan, Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabaye-nejad, lost patience with the protesters on Friday, accusing them of seeking to cause "riots and sedition."
France, Paris: Sorbonne occupation evicted; train strikes resume The strikes are pretty much ritualised union gestures to allow the bureaucrats to retain their power round the negotiating table. See France Goes Off The Rails, about the 1986 – 87 strike, a successful wildcat organised independently of the unions. Quote: "At the beginning of November '86, a non-union driver on the Paris Gare du Nord network put into circulation a petition demanding the amelioration of the drivers' work conditions and the suppression of a project for a gauge of salaries based on promotion by merit (the petition also threatened the unions with "suffering the consequences" if they didn't support the strike). The petition rapidly received over 200 signatures. Only the CFDT, whose presence amongst this category of employee is virtually insignificant, agreed to announce a strike for the 18th December. Very quickly, several depots in Paris & the provinces walked out on strike illegally, without previous announcement…."….Tolbiac university occupation threatened with eviction as president of university spreads calumnies that the place was being used for prostitution…Lyon: clashes between students and riot cops at university blockade …Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique): clashes continue as virtually all squats destroyed "The gendarmerie said it had made about ten arrests. There are wounded on both sides. According to the figures of the police, 45 gendarmes were wounded. According to the local medical teams, some sixty Zadists were affected, 130 according to the activists of the communication cell."
Pile of teargas canisters – "Madame Prefect: next delivery – to the Prefecture"
China, Shanghai: report on partially successful sanitation workers' strike and on the general strike situation in China "Over the years the pattern around China has been that after workers unite and strike, and receive the support of public opinion, local government and firms make some temporary concessions. But then they begin to carry out harsh retribution against the most active rights defenders among the workers; they claim that they were taking orders from hostile foreign forces, and in some cases even frame up charges and get them sent to prison. This, however, doesn't frighten workers, who are fighting for their own survival and that of their families. This is different from, for instance, the struggle for freedom of speech. Stripping workers of their income and benefits is a direct threat to their lives — but no one dies because they can't speak the truth."
South Africa, Durban: informal settlers block roads with burning tyres in protest against electricity cuts
France, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique): barricades destroyed by the gendarmes the day before are rebuilt "I had confidence in the prefect's speech, in his overtures towards us. Negotiations were under way, and from the first day, we excluded people whose project was rigid…I feel betrayed, my sense of citizenship has been affected a little"…at least 6 cops injured in ambush 80 Zadists had been injured the day before, but today, despite (or maybe because of) 29 squats being destroyed, there seems to have been quite a counter-attack: apart from the ambush, 10 cops were injured, five of whom were burned by acid on their legs, and one wounded by several little explosions from an "improvised explosive device". Five gendarmes were evacuated to hospital
armoured vehicles clearing away barricades, Notre-Dame-des-Landes
…Paris: Sorbonne occupied From afar this may seem like something big, because of its symbolic connection to May '68 (see, for example, this, which speaks, amongst other things, of the occupation of the Sorbonne in '68) …but unrealistic hope born out of an underlying despair desperately tries to convince itself that a lot more is happening than most of the evidence suggests. It ignores the enormous absence, so far, of critical vigilance (e.g. towards the unions) and of independent activity, of ideas-in-action – unlike May '68, which is not to nostalgically minimise the problems of that epoch. No predictions of course – optimistic or pessimistic, but we live in an epoch where the unexpected rarely happens and, unlike 50 years ago, the large communities of working class rebellion hardly exist. But maybe from the little communities of discussion striving for practice beyond discussion combining with the little communities of rebellion within work places…well, you never know…Essonne: meeting of Minister of Labour plunges into darkness after locals sabotage transformer
Indonesia, Papua: local regent's residence torched, airport blockaded with burning tyres as 'fun walk' becomes fun riot "The incident was reportedly triggered by disappointment regarding the regent's failure to fulfill his promises to give door prizes to participants of a fun walk event held to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Pegunungan Bintang regency. The crowd also blockaded Oksibil Airport. Before burning down the regent's house, they set fire to a stage, tents and chairs prepared for the anniversary celebration."
Germany: report in French about various actions over the last 2 weeks 12/4/18: Berlin – 2 vans of estate agents with €21bn worth of assets Europe-wide torched & burnt out; 11/4/18: Berlin – cop vehicle forced out of area after being stoned from a bridge; 11/4/18: Munich – underground garage of French Consulate sabotaged in solidarity with N-D-D-L ZAD; Berlin – vehicle belonging to armament company supplying Turkish state torched…etc.etc.
South Africa, Eastern Cape: council meeting to work out 5-year plan violently attacked by 200 locals "The meeting started at 18:00 and just before 19:00, a group of about 200 local community barricaded the hall entrances at its gates with burning objects. Seven vehicles were damaged with stones and rocks thrown at them…one Metro vehicle, a Nissan NP200 bakkie, also had a flammable object thrown inside the cab causing fire damage to the seat. Some of the windows of the hall were also shattered by stones…. the Public Order Police Unit (POPS) had to use rubber rounds to disperse the stone-throwing crowd after their vehicles were also thrown with stones. POPS members forced open the gates in order to free the delegates that were trapped inside the hall. By 21:00 some of the crowd moved to the N2 in Colchester where they attempted to close the road with burning tyres and objects and threw stones at passing vehicles. A further nine vehicles, including four trucks, were damaged by these stone throwers."
No mention of what this meeting or the plan was about or why there were such angry protests.
France, Loire-Atlantique: 3rd day of clashes and burning barricades at Notre-Dame-des-Landes as about 150 Zadists continue their resistance to the divide-and-rule 'compromise' that leaves them landless & homeless (see entry 9/4/18 below)
Notre-Dame-des-Landes meets Wimbeldon
"By destroying the settlements around the D281, the gendarmes destroyed collective agricultural projects. Hence the anger of the ACIPA, the main association of opponents of the ex-airport project, and a feeling of betrayal expressed on Tuesday by zadists who believe they played by the rules of the game with the prefecture and have been cheated. The significance of the operation led opponents to call for mobilization. "If tonight the prefecture does not withdraw its troops, there'll be general mobilization," said Julien Durand, spokesman for Acipa, on Tuesday….On Tuesday, the clashes were more violent than the day before, with twenty-eight injured gendarmes…According to Wednesday morning's assessment of the medical team of zadists, about twenty opponents were injured, including one who was hospitalized after thirty being injured on Tuesday, including two hospitalized."…Montpellier: about 30 masked students sabotage administration's internet site (including smashing up machines) during blockade and part-time occupation of campus; site no longer functions This action was in response to the admin's decision to organise exams via the internet, and was followed by about 200 personnel & professors demonstrating against this sabotage, though amongst radical students it was popular, obviously. The site was back up within 36 hours, and the admin said that no data was lost, but several students suspected that this was them trying to put up a good front, that it was not true.
Kyrgyzstan,Toguz-Toro: gold recovery plant torched during riots against the company owning it
Colombia, Medellin: riots and burning barricades as riot cops evict squatters
Argentina, Santa Cruz: miners and other workers clash with cops after cops prevent march against austerity & precarity from advancing (videos)
9/4/18:
South Africa, Gauteng: 16 prisoners escape…2 of them later shot dead by the filth
Bangladesh, Sundarganj: state paramilitary camp torched during heavy clashes with cops and locals resisting construction of solar plant which would steal their land "Locals have been against the set up of the solar power plant since the beginning of the initiative, and have been holding demonstrations under the banner of the "Krishi Jomi and Bastobhita Rokkha Shongram Committee." They claim the project is hampering their livelihoods as they lose farm land.On Saturday, when Teesta Solar Ltd workers set up a river dredging machine to fill the river with sand, locals went to the area and interrupted the company's operations. Subsequently, a clash ensued between the villagers and workers, and the dredger was vandalized. Teesta Solar Ltd filed a case with Sundarganj police station over the incident. When police went to investigate the scene at 4pm on Tuesday, villagers clashed with them as well and 10 were injured after police opened fire. Later, the villagers surrounded the police and set fire to the Ansar camp on the Teesta Solar compound. Extra police forces were deployed to the scene and rescued their trapped colleagues."
Ansar camp, Sundarganj
France, Loire-Atlantique: clashes as about 2,500 riot cops etc. attack the 250 squatters resisting eviction of Notre-Dame-Des-Landes ZAD; burning barricades and stones v. teargas and stun grenades (videos) More here and here, in English. However, it's not just the official state cops that have been attacking those who don't want to negotiate with the state. On March 20th, 5 masked people, armed with baseball bats and teargas sprays, raided a squat on the ZAD. This squat opposed the divide-and-rule compromise with the state, which involved legalising some people's land and houses, but not others. These scum beat up people at the squat and then kidnapped the most outspoken opponent of the compromise, tied up his hands and legs, blindfolded him and gagged him with duct tape. They put him in the boot of their car and drove off. Later, they beat him again, broke one of his legs and arms, finally abandoning him in the night next to a psychiatric hospital. The most vociferous defenders of the compromise in the assemblies there have been the Invisible Committee, the "Appelistes". They've done this kind of thing before, though less brutal (gagged and bound a guy who'd burnt out a tractor, bundled him into a carboot and left him in the middle of the woods). So most people are 99.99% sure that it was the "invisible committee" who'd done this red-fascist shit. They've always sat on the fence, playing revolutionary anarchists to the revolutionary anarchists, reformists to the reformists, leninists to the leninists. In this instance they were playing the filth to the filth. And not the kind of "playing" that's fun. See here and %
Posted on March 29, 2018 by Sam FantoSamotnaf	— 18 Responses ↓
18 Responses to april 2018
1/04/2018:
' "Play fool fe get wise" [by Johnny Clarke] is an absolute scorcher. It is a divine truth that you have to play the fool to catch the worldly wise in their wiliness.'
Chu Konwea, 10 months ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBlwXMqGZH4
These are the means capital uses to prop up its ailing economy:
Where is its' opposition?
The Appelistes playing the filth to the filth | Anti Government says:
[…] From the News of Opposition http://dialectical-delinquents.com/news-of-opposition-5/2018-2/april-2018/ […]
More repression news and upcoming events for mid-April | Cautiously pessimistic says:
[…] In international news, big struggles are ongoing in France, as a wave of industrial action takes place at the same time as the attempted eviction of the occupied space known as La ZAD. As ever, the Dialectical Delinquents site is an excellent resource for keeping up with the news, especially i…. […]
Undercover cops (http://antigovernment.net/?p=9295) and union protest are opposition to capital?
You've lost me Sam
History repeating itself:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ZwXCsbkq8
History repeats itself:
https://www.lalsace.fr/actualite/2018/04/12/nddl-les-forces-de-l-ordre-maintiennent-la-pression-sur-la-zad
Don't get we wrong. I and I are not cynical of this attempt to leave Babylon, squatting this site of the proposed airport in France or sceptical of the fact that "gendarmes destroyed COLLECTIVE AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS"; neither ungrateful for the military defence by the MEN IN BLACK.
Nobody nah know dem:
https://www.sott.net/article/307726-The-War-on-Terror-Whos-Behind-the-Mask
Sam Fantom awaits moderation, lol
Class War says:
Airstrikes in Syria! Third World War? Show or Reality? One War, the Class War!
https://www.autistici.org/tridnivalka/wp-content/uploads/guerre_de_classe_07-2018-fr.pdf
Our comrades write:
"En mars 2011, un important mouvement de lutte, un soulèvement
de nature prolétarienne, s'est déclenché contre la misère, contre
l'augmentation des prix, contre le chômage, contre les mesures
d'austérité drastiques imposées durant la précédente décennie en
Syrie, contre la répression… "
To state this as fact without highlighting the social democratic (bourgeois) nature of the demonstrations in various Syrian cities orchestrated through a US social media site, that laid masses of proletarians open to be slaughtered by state bombardment, thus opening the way to a civil and international war on worldwide revolution; this omission is most telling. It is an attempt to recuperate what was a fundamental error by our own class, the proletariat, that subsumed us into the bourgeois mass, thus negating our very essence. By adopting social democratic protest in Syria in March 2011 we allowed our revolution to be snuffed out just as it's flames were starting to spread, thereafter to be continued as an imitation of itself.
This is my perspective, and my experience.
"Hundreds of Syrians have staged a rare protest in the capital, Damascus, calling for democratic reforms and the release of all political prisoners.
Six protesters were reportedly detained by the security forces, a witness told the BBC Arabic Service.
The AP news agency said government supporters later broke up the rally by punching and attacking the protesters.
A Facebook group, The Syrian revolution against [President] Bashar al-Assad 2011, is said to have called the march."
British state news agency, 15 March 2011
Leftists will argue that it matters not who calls a demonstration as long as we DO SOMETHING. Not true: the piper plays the tune.
A clear refutation of this caricature by James can be seen both implicitly in this text on the Kurdish proto-state: http://dialectical-delinquents.com/on-rojava-and-the-kurdish-proto-state/ and explicitly in the comments boxes below it.
19/4/2018:
Whilst capital prearranges the spoils of war — reconstruction — in Syria, social democracy engages the established state in Paris with it's now accustomed pantomime of big union rally and anarchist smashing spree.
Meanwhile the working class keep on producing, the proletariat keeps on reproducing; until it's time comes again.
The proletariat's time will come again only when proletarians like James get off their arses and out of their armchairs; James (and proletarians like him) remains essentially a spectator even if he thinks his bland abstract comments give him the illusion he's not. If at times one must "know how to wait", knowing how to wait means using that time to experiment and critique, not just sit around waiting for one's time to come again, a time which will never come if one doesn't strive to confront contradictions in the present, however limited such an effort is bound to be.
The proletarian state again rises up against the bourgeois state:
https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180420&t=2&i=1253670310&r=LYNXMPEE3J1ZH&w=1280
Social democratic forces continue their rally in Armenia:
https://twitter.com/evn_report/status/988114683323453440
This is a good overview of the Empire Windrush Timeline of the 'hostile environment' policy. Missing is what happened under Labour.
2012: Home secretary Theresa May: 'The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration.'
2012: Hostile environment working group established, involving many government ministers.
2013: Sarah Teather MP raises concerns about the working group and it's stated aims.
2013: Government introduces bill which became the Immigration Act 2014, and introduces key measures of the hostile environment.
2014: Chasing Status warns of a 'virtually invisible and rarely acknowledged group who can't easily prove their legal status'. Home Office responds: 'It is up to anyone who does not have an established immigration status to regularise their position – however long they have been here'.
2014: Civil society organisations brief parliament during the passage of the 2014 Immigration Act that 'individuals often do not have any identity documentation or confirmed status but have a right to remain in the UK'.
2014: Impact assessments of a Right to Rent scheme warn: 'Some non-UK born older people may have additional difficulties in providing original documentation.' Officials respond that work had been done to ensure checks 'do not have an adverse impact on any age group'.
2016: A letter from immigration minister James Brokenshire reveals he knew of a Windrush victim having extreme difficulty proving he had arrived in the UK before 1971, and knew repeated legal action had been mounted to persuade the Home Office to recognise the rights of a man who had lived here for 49 years.
To anyone living anywhere besides the UK and exposing themselves to the British media the timeline above will appear meaningless. The context in which it was written is a scandal that the British Government has been embroiled in: deporting and attempting to deport it's subjects that emigrated to the UK without documentation under their parent's Passports. These numbers pale into insignificance when compared to the huge number of people that the UK state deports every year but have an emotive pull because of the length of time these people have resided in Britain.
In a wider context, these ongoing "news" stories can be seen as an attempt by the state to bind the atomised population into a homogenous whole, The Nation.
Entrepreneurial enterprise:
https://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/titulo:76153-saquean-comercios-en-toda-managua-
Social democratic bandwagon rallies again in South Africa as it's trade union federation organises a successful General Strike, lauded by the British libertarians here:
http://libcom.org/news/general-strike-south-africa-25042018


text:
Smoph Writes
Where I put my little bits of creativity
Smoph's Musings
Continuing a tale: Part II of The Wardrobe Monster
I'm participating in another challenge from Chuck Wendig at terribleminds, but it's a bit late. This one has been brewing…Part II in a three part colaboration.
The Wardrobe Monster (Pt I) by Mozelle
The power had gone out soon after the storm started up, and pretty soon after, her e-reader died too. She looked outside and noticed the whole neighbourhood was in darkness. Sighing, Savannah showered by torchlight and went off to bed.
But not for long… only a few minutes after she switched off her torch, she started hearing noises coming from her wardrobe – noises she had never heard before.
Unnatural noises.
Her folks had told her there was no such thing as monsters when she was a kid.
That was crap.
She knew it.
But then, she had seen this thing destroy people's lives in a split second, and now she was sitting up in her bed terrified of it.
Savannah knew it was crap, and closed her eyes, "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real…" she kept chanting to herself to see if it would make the noise in her wardrobe stop.
To make her mind from going crazy…
To make her nerves from being on edge…
…to make her relax again.
She pulled the covers of her bed up to her chin and watched the door handle of the wardrobe as the shadow of the trees moved across it, "Crap, I'm in my twenties and …" she swallowed dryly, "I'm too fucking old for this shit!" kicking off her covers, she pulled on her Ugg boots, dressing gown and grabbed the waterproof torch she kept by her bed when storms like this hit and switched it back on. Walking toward the wardrobe, she followed the large circle of light.
Five feet out, the noise started to sound like a grunting pig. She thought it was cute – but weird – seeing it came from where her clothes were stored.
Three feet out, her gut cooled as she heard scratching coming from inside… along with screams. The grunting was gone.
One foot, and Savannah noticed smoke was seeping from underneath the doors as she reached forward to open the door…
The door handle suddenly rattled loudly… clearly… and…
The whole door shuddered as though somebody bashed against it!
Savannah shuffled back, tripped over her glory box at the end of her bed, and sat on the end of her bed as the two wardrobe doors opened…
Part II (moi)
Silhouetted in the doors, a man in jeans and a leather flack jacket dusted off his sleeves. He looked up, with a sly little half-smile. "Savannah."
Under the mischievous glance of big green eyes, Savannah found all her words dried up, her lips gaping like a fish.
"I know, I know." He strode into her room, a bounce in his step. "I'm not what you were expecting. But you should know, that was a monster sent direct from the deepest levels of hell."
"But…why?" Savannah gaped at him.
His eyes ran over her and Savannah pulled her robe tight, a fiercely hot blush on her cheeks. The smirk said everything. "Not all is as it appears on the first sighting." He took her hand and the blush felt like it crept further down her body. "You, my dear, are the Turnpoint, the one who will change the balance of power in the spiritual world."
His earnest gaze unsettled her. "And who do you represent?"
"Myself." That bright flash of smile again, the mischief in blue eyes. "Me…I prefer the delights of chaos."
The only answer was that smile again, and he inclined his head, the smirk rising from his lips to his eyes. He brushed a lock of dark curly hair out of his eyes. They understood each other, Savannah was sure.
"What does that mean for me?" Savannah asked, peering into the wardrobe.
Elegantly, her guest gestured at the open doors. "We enter the spiritual plane."
Savannah drew back from the mist that curled cooly around her ankles. The idea made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.
"I'm certainly not dressed for the occasion." She drew back towards her bedroom door, surreptitiously kicking some discarded underwear under the bed.
"That won't be a problem." With a shrug, Loki clicked his fingers, and she had on her favourite jeans and sweater. He quirked an eyebrow, gauging her reaction with a thoughtful look, before he extended her a hand.
Nervously Savannah smoothed back her hair. Why her?
A beating began at her bedroom door, when Savannah knew they were alone in the house. The door bent inward with the ferocity of the attack as a high-pitched yowling that descended into a deep growl.
"Or you could wait here, to meet the envoy of the planes of Hel."
With a gulp, Savannah took Loki's hand. The frenzy at the door intensified, as with quick steps, Loki lead her to the door. Holding her breath, they passed between the planes, where the crossing burned and froze in the same searing moment and the howling fury of life and death rang in her ears.
His hand gently squeezed hers. "Welcome to the other side Savannah."
Savannah opened her eyes to a darkness of the deepest fog. Flashes of light illuminated standing figures, frozen in a moment of time, the hue of light flickering.
"People in the throes of the choices that may cost them their souls…Or free them…"
Savannah looked at the figures with sadness. At that moment, out of the darkness, strode a young woman, her features resolving as she moved closer.
"Here's trouble," Loki mused under his breath, his easy half-smile emerging once again.
This entry was posted in fantasy on September 19, 2014 by Smoph.
← The Cure
2 thoughts on "Continuing a tale: Part II of The Wardrobe Monster"
Dean McSmith September 20, 2014 at 1:26 am
I like the direction you chose, taking the action elsewhere. Little details were exceptional (kicking the underwear under the bed, loved that!) I…think I know where I'd take this tale, and as it's so different from my own writing it would be a lot of fun. Going to let my muse play with this one over the weekend and see where it goes.
Smoph Post author September 22, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Thanks for your thoughts Dean! I had a little fun with it.
I liked the darkness in yours but there was a lightheartedness that shone through it for me, underneath.
Breathing Around Our Abandon
Finding Foxglove
Brave the storm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
WCRC developing response to pandemic
Posted on June 23, 2020 by Phil Tanis
A global consultation began a process for the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) to discern how the Communion can "provide for a prophetic theological response" to the COVD-19 pandemic and to prepare the Communion to move towards becoming a confessing church in terms of the "global apartheid" that the pandemic has unveiled.
"COVID-19 has opened our eyes on many challenges and realities," said Najla Kassab, WCRC president. "In the midst of our pain and struggle we see hope, mainly because God is with us and we are together, strengthening one another. This is a time of building a strong communion, a prophetic one, an impactful presence in every place that hurts."
"In our conversation today we are trying to make the immediate response that will involve all levels of our family and will be both specific to dealing with the COVID crisis and also moving forward to our long-term goals," said Chris Ferguson, WCRC general secretary. "This is to start a conversation, to enable a communion-wide discernment on the crisis and provide a theological response."
A ten-point paper was presented for discussion and introduced by Philip Vinod Peacock, WCRC executive secretary for justice and witness; Hanns Lessing, WCRC executive secretary for communion and theology; and Meta Ginting, WCRC intern from Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP).
"What we do not need is a return to normal," said Peacock. "What is normal is what made this crisis what it is. This is an opportunity to build a new world."
"The virus exposes the segregation we have built into our societies and the whole world over," said Lessing. "We are very much called to respond on the theological level, but also on the political level, and also on the way we are being church."
"In this context of pandemic, churches and the faith based community should play their role as the agency of change and transformation from below," said Ginting. "As we look forward to the 'new normal' we seek to recover together and work together for justice and peace in the future."
The discussion, moderated by Lungile Mpetsheni, of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, drew a wide variety of responses from the global group.
"The Reformation was born in the aftermath of the black death pandemic. This pandemic pushes us to revisit our own vision and the theological vocabulary we are using," Joas Adiprasetya of WCRC Indonesia.
"I think the COVID crisis really calls on us to reframe the script we're using," said Angela Martins, convener of the Caribbean and North American Area Council. "We are required by this virus to step outside of our traditional, single, global box and bring a renewed and refreshed theological understanding."
"We need to reimagine, really reimagine the whole economy of life," said Rathnakara Sadananda, a member of the WCRC Strategic Plan Programme Group (SPPG). "This is something that calls for a reformation."
"It raises the big question about what it means to be church and living with uncertainties. It is redefining what it means to be church," said Roderick Hewitt, of the SPPG. "They are rediscovering a different way of being church that does not carry all of the paraphernalia. This is a time of revisiting, the theological, the language, just all of these."
Mpetsheni, noting that "this is just the beginning of a process," concluded the meeting by stating that a working group will be established to carry the process forward, moving the discernment into regional settings, along with ecumenical partners.
Anticipated outcomes of the process include:
Drafting of a WCRC statement on the Covid-19 pandemic
Production of resources that would allow member churches and regions to participate in the process
Organization of webinars to address crucial topics
Addressing important justice questions in other WCRC programmes
Exploring the wider vision that will emerge from the COVID-19 response that will guide the organization on the way to the 2024 General Council
The 30+ participants were geographically diverse, "zooming" in from Colombia to Australia, and included WCRC officers, Executive Committee members, regional leaders, SPPG members, representatives from the Council for World Mission, and staff.
The consultation was held on Friday, 19 June.
Category: News, Slider Tags:
← Joint Ecumenical Peace Message
Member Church News: Korean Peace, More →


text:
Samkhya
Categories: Hinduism
Samkhya, also Sankhya, (Sanskrit: सांख्य) is a school of Indian philosophy, and is one of the six astika or Hindu philosophical schools of India. It is regarded as the oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems in Hinduism. Its philosophy regards the universe as consisting of two eternal realities: purusha and prakrti; it is therefore a strongly dualist and enumerationist philosophy, characterized by a worldview that sees the universe as an evolving mixture of distinct dualities (light/dark, male/female, etc). Historically, the Sankhya school has been closely associated with the Hindu Yoga school of philosophy. The sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible. The definitive text of classical Sankhya is the Sankhya Karika, written by Ishvara Krishna, circa 200 CE.
1 The metaphysics of Samkhya
2 Also see
The metaphysics of Samkhya
Metaphysically, Samkhya maintains a radical duality between spirit/consciousness (Purusha) and matter (Prakrti). All physical events are considered to be manifestations of the evolution of Prakrti, or primal nature (from which all physical bodies are derived). Each sentient being is a Purusha, and is limitless and unrestricted to its body. Bondage arises when the Purusha is misled as to its own identity and confuses itself with the physical body. The spirit is liberated with the realization that it is distinct from and not restricted to physical matter.
The evolution of primal nature is also considered to be purposeful - Prakrti evolves for the spirit in bondage. The spirit itself is only a witness to the evolution. The evolution obeys cause-and-effect relationships, with primal nature itself being the material cause of all physical creation. The cause and effect theory of Sankhya is called Satkaarya-vaada, and holds that nothing can really be created from or destroyed into nothingness - all evolution is simply the transformation of primal nature from one form to another.
All matter has three fundamental gunas or attributes - Rajas (creative attribute), Satva (preservationist attribute) and tamas (destructive attribute). The evolution of matter occurs when the relative strengths of the attributes changes. The evolution ceases when the spirit realises that it is distinct from primal nature and thus cannot evolve. This destroys the purpose of evolution, thus stopping Prakrti from evolving for Purusha.
The purushas (souls) are many, conscious and devoid of all qualities. They are the silent spectators of prakrti (matter or nature), which is composed of three gunas (dispositions): satva, rajas and tamas (steadiness, activity and dullness). When the equilibrium of the gunas is disturbed, the world order evolves. This disturbance is due to the proximity of Purusha and prakrti. Liberation (kaivalya), then, consists of the realisation of the difference between the two.
This was a dualistic philosophy. But there are differences between the Samkhya and Western forms of dualism. In the West, the fundamental distinction is between mind and body. In Samkhya, however, it is between the self (purusha) and matter, and the latter incorporates what Westerners would normally refer to as "mind". This means that the Self as the Samkhya understands it is more transcendent than "mind".
Samkhyan cosmology describes how life emerges in the universe; the relationship between Purusha and Prakriti is crucial to Patanjali's yoga system. The evolution of forms at the basis of Samkhya is quite unique. It is the influence of Samkhya that evolution has been discussed in ancient Hindu scriptures, including the Mahabharata and the Yoga Vasishtha.
Sankhya also has a strong cognitive theory built into it; curiously, while consciousness/spirit is considered to be radically different from any physical entities, the mind (manas), ego (ahamkara) and intellect (buddhi) are all considered to be manifestations of Prakrti (physical entity).
There is no philosophical place for a creator God in the Sankhya philosophy; indeed, the concept of God was incorporated into the Sankhya viewpoint only after it became associated with the theistic Yoga system of philosophy.
Hindu philosophy
Sankhya philosophy (http://www.philo.demon.co.uk/enumerat.htm)
How to drink Coffee - Sankhya view (http://www.cse.iitd.ac.in/~csu01118/6Coffee.pdf) - an introduction to the Sankhya theory of cognition, illustrated in the process of drinking coffee.
Comparison between Indian and Greek cosmology (http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0303001)
Wikipedia. (2005). Samkhya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samkhya). Retrieved on July 17. 2005.
Retrieved from "http://thelemapedia.org/index.php/Samkhya"


What are the other benefits of Orient DC Inverter?
Orient DC Inverter Heat and Cool works on full capacity, both in cooling and heating modes. Wide operating temperature ranges and extended air-throw maximizes the comfort level as it operates in extreme weather conditions.
Kindly tell me that what is the approximate current draw in ampere of Orient ultron plus 1.5 ton dc inverter when it achieves room set temperature at 26 degree centigrade.


or 6 weekly interest-free payments from NZ $1.29 or 6 weekly interest-free payments with an initial payment of NZ $1.29 and weekly payments of NZ $1.29 What's this?
Green 3mm acrylic folded sign with white "RESERVED" text screenprinted on both sides.
Great for restaurants, cafes, bars, meeting rooms and many other uses.


Mr. Michael David Rumbolz is the Independent Chairman of the Board of Employers Holdings, Inc. He has served as a Director of Employers Holdings, EGI and their predecessors since their creation in April 2005. Beginning June 2016, Mr. Rumbolz was appointed Chairman of Employers Holdings and EGI and as a Director and Chairman of EICN, ECIC, EPIC, EAC, and ESI. He was also a Director of EICN from January 2000 to March 2007 and a Director of ECIC from August 2002 to May 2004. Mr. Rumbolz has over 30 years of experience in the gaming industry. He was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Cash Systems, Inc., a public company, from January 2005 until the company was purchased by Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc. ("GCA"), a publicly traded provider of cash access, data intelligence services and electronic gaming devices and systems to the gaming industry, in August of 2008. He was the Corporate Strategy Advisor to the CEO of GCA from September 2008 until September 2010 when he joined the GCA board of directors and the board of directors of its wholly-owned subsidiary Global Cash Access, Inc. The company changed its name to Everi Holdings, Inc. effective August 24, 2015. It also changed its trading symbol from GCA to EVRI concurrent with the name change. He currently serves as the CEO of Everi Holdings, Inc. He is also the president and Director for several Everi Holdings, Inc. subsidiaries. He joined the Board of Directors of Poydras Gaming Financial in April 2014 and resigned from the Board on March 17, 2015 due to an acquisition by Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc. which created a conflict with his role as a Poydras director. He received a B.A. degree with distinction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a J.D. degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law.
Mr. Douglas D. Dirks is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Employers Holdings Inc., since April 2005. He has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Employers Holdings, EGI and their predecessors since their creation in April 2005 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of EICN, ECIC, EPIC, and EAC since February 1, 2011. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of EICN and ECIC since January 2006 and as Chief Executive Officer of EPIC, EAC, EIG Services, Inc. since November 2008, as well as Pinnacle Benefits, Inc., and AmSERV, Inc. from November 2008 to June 2013 when they merged into EIG Services, Inc. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of EICN from January 2000 until January 2006, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ECIC from May 2002 until January 2006. Mr. Dirks has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Elite Insurance Services, Inc. ("EIS") since 2002 and Employers Occupational Health, Inc. ("EOH") from 2002 to January 2014 when it merged into EIG Services, Inc. He has been a Director of Employers Holdings, EGI and their predecessors since April 2005, a Director of EIS since 1999, EICN since December 1999, EOH from 2000 to January 2014, ECIC since May 2002, and a Director of EPIC, EAC, EIG Services, Inc. since November 2008, and Pinnacle Benefits, Inc. and AmSERV, Inc. from November 2008 to June 2013. Mr. Dirks is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of NCCI Holdings, Inc., the Board of Governors of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and Board of Directors of the Nevada Insurance Education Foundation. Mr. Dirks holds B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Texas and a J.D. degree from the University of South Dakota.
Mr. Michael Scott Paquette serves as Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, Treasurer of the Company effective January 1, 2017. He is also serving as Treasurer of EGI and Elite Insurance Services, Inc., and as Director and Treasurer of EICN, ECIC, EPIC, EAC, and EIG Services. Mr. Paquette previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. from 2008 to 2015 and Chief Financial Officer of Blue Capital Reinsurance Holdings Ltd. from its inception in 2012 to 2015. Mr. Paquette spent 18 years with White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. in various capacities, including Senior Vice President, Controller, and 4 years with KPMG LLP as an auditor. Mr. Paquette holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Financial Manager, and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Mr. Stephen V. Festa is Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President of Employers Holdings, Inc. Mr. Festa has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Employers Holdings since August 2013. He served as Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer of EICN and ECIC and their predecessors since 2004 and EPIC and EAC since 2008. In his role as Chief Claims Officer, Mr. Festa was responsible for all of the Company's Claims and Policyholder Services including Claims, Care Management, Premium Audit, Fraud Investigations and Loss Control. Mr. Festa has been a Director of EICN, ECIC, EPIC, and EAC since February 1, 2011, EIG Services, Inc. and its predecessors since April 6, 2011, Pinnacle Benefits, Inc. from April 2011 to June 2013 when it merged into EIG Services, Inc., and Employers Occupational Health, Inc. from 2007 until January 2014 when it merged into EIG Services, Inc. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Festa was Executive Vice President of Crawford and Company from 1998 through 2003 and led the company's Third Party Administrator (TPA) division. Mr. Festa also serves as a member on the Board of Governors of the California Insurance Guarantee Association. He also previously served as Director of Arbitration Forums, Inc. He attended the University of Southern California and has completed the Advanced Executive Education Program sponsored by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (AICPCU) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. John P. Nelson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Employers Holdings Inc., since June 2008. He has been Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Employers Holdings since February 2007 and Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of EICN and ECIC since July 2004. Prior to joining the Company, he was Vice President, Human Resources & Administration for Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California from October 1993 to June 2004. Mr. Nelson has over 30 years of experience in the fields of Human Resources and Administration.
Ms. Lori Brown has been appointed as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer of the company effective January 1, 2019. Ms. Brown has practiced law for over 25 years, joined the Company in January 2006 and has served as Deputy General Counsel since that time. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Brown was Senior Legal Counsel of DHL Worldwide from May 1996 to April 2005. She holds a Bachelor's degree from UC Riverside and a J.D. degree from the University of San Francisco.
Ms. Tracey Lynn Berg serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer of the Company. Ms. Berg has been Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Employers Holdings since November 2017. She originally joined the Company in January 2017 as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining the Company, she was Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer at West Bend Mutual Insurance Co., since 2012 and Chief Information Officer since 2009. Before joining West Bend Mutual Insurance Co., she held various positions at Assurant Employee Benefits and Assurant Shared Business Services holding several leadership and technical positions. Ms. Berg has over 25 years of information technology experience. Ms. Berg holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Dr. Joao (John) M. de Figueiredo is appointed as Director of the Company, effective April 1, 2019. He is currently the Russell M. Robinson II Professor of Law, Strategy, and Economics at the Duke University Law School and Fuqua School of Business. Prior to joining Duke, Dr. de Figueiredo held faculty positions at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, UCLA Law School, and the MIT Sloan School of Management. He has also served as a strategic management consultant at Monitor Company. His research specializes in business and innovation strategies in regulated industries. His scholarly articles, papers, and reviews on strategy, innovation, economics, and business-government interactions have appeared in numerous scholarly and management journals in a variety of disciplines. Dr. de Figueiredo received a Ph.D. in Business and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Sc. degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, and an A.B. degree from Harvard University, and he has been a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research since 2007.
Mr. Prasanna G. Dhore is an Independent Director of Employers Holdings, Inc. Mr. Dhore has served as a Director of Employers Holdings and EGI since October 2015. Mr. Dhoré is the Senior Vice President and Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Equifax, Inc., one of the three largest American consumer credit reporting agencies. Prior to joining Equifax in 2012, Mr. Dhoré served as Vice President of Global Customer Intelligence of Hewlett Packard. He also served as Senior Vice President of Mellon Financial Corporation and Executive Vice President of Dreyfus Corporation. Mr. Dhoré received a Master of Science Degree in Statistics and Operations Research from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Kansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Mysore and is a Chartered Financial Analyst ("CFA").
Ms. Valerie R. Glenn is Independent Director of Employers Holdings Inc., since April 2006. Ms. Glenn has served as a Director of Employers Holdings and its predecessor since April 2006 and EGI since February 2007. Ms. Glenn is President and CEO and majority owner of MPR, a Nevada corporation, (dba The Glenn Group, a privately held marketing communications firm in Nevada; and dba Wide Awake, a national marketing communications firm focused on the gaming and hospitality industries). Ms. Glenn had been co-owner and publisher of Visitor Publications, Inc., which published the Reno/Tahoe Visitor, from January 1998 until May 2012 when she sold the company to Morris Publishing. She was a founding partner in the advertising sales firm of Kelley-Rose Advertising, Inc. from 1981 to 1994. Ms. Glenn began her advertising career in San Francisco in 1976 with international advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. Ms. Glenn graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.A. degree. Ms. Glenn is a past chairman of the boards of the Nevada Museum of Art, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Women's Fund, and University of Nevada College of Business Advisory Board. She currently serves as President of the Nevada Chapter of the International Women's Forum, as a member of the Nevada Museum of Art board, and on the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee.
Ms. Barbara A. Higgins is Independent Director of the Company effective March 1, 2018. Ms. Higgins currently serves as the Chief Customer Officer of Duke Energy Corporation with focus on designing end-to-end strategies for measurement, valuation and improvement of the residential and commercial customer experience and had also served as their Customer Experience Advisor. Prior to that, she held various Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer positions for Allstate Insurance Company. Prior to that, she held various Vice President, Customer Experience positions with United Arlines, Inc. For almost 20 years, she served in every Disney-owned and operated theme park location world wide in various customer relations management positions. Since 2013, she has served as Director at DeVry University and was an advisory board member from November 2011-2013. Ms. Higgins received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration and her MBA from the University of Florida, Warrington College of Business Administration.
Mr. James R. Kroner is an Independent Director of Employers Holdings, Inc. Mr. Kroner has served as a Director of Employers Holdings and EGI since September 2013. Mr. Kroner was formerly the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. ("Endurance"), which he co-founded in 2001 and from which he retired in December 2005. In addition, he served on its Executive Committee and its Board of Directors. Since his retirement, Mr. Kroner has served as a consultant to various insurance companies and as a private investor. Mr. Kroner recently served on the Boards of Terra Industries Inc. ("Terra") and Global Indemnity plc ("Global Indemnity") and its U.S. insurance subsidiaries. He served as a member of the Audit Committees of Terra and Global Indemnity and Chair of Global Indemnity's Investment Committee and 162(m) Committee. Prior to founding Endurance, Mr. Kroner was Managing Director at Fox Paine & Company LLC and served as a Managing Director and co-head of insurance industry investment banking in the Americas for JP Morgan & Co. Mr. Kroner received a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Northwestern University and a Master's Degree in Management from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Mr. Michael J. McColgan serves as Independent Director of the Company effective July 1, 2017. He also serves as a Director of Tufts Health Plan, Inc., Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization, Inc., and Tufts Associated Plans, Inc. Until July 2017, Mr. McColgan was a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) providing assurance, risk management, business advisory, and other services to clients primarily in the Financial Services Industry. During his 38 year career with PwC, including 27 years as a Partner, Mr. McColgan held various leadership positions, including serving as the East Region Assurance Leader, the Firm's largest Assurance Practice, Managing Partner of the New York Metro Insurance Practice and Managing Partner of the Northeast Financial Services and Insurance Practices. He was also a member of the PwC Extended Leadership Team and served as the Global Engagement Partner for several of PwC's largest insurance company clients. Mr. McColgan received a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Villanova University, is a Certified Public Accountant, and is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants.
Mr. Michael J. McSally is an Independent Director of Employers Holdings, Inc. Mr. McSally has served as a Director of Employers Holdings and EGI since September 2013. Mr. McSally retired in 2010 and is currently a private investor with a focus on insurance and related businesses. In May 2016, Mr. McSally became a director of IAT Insurance Group. In December 2013, Mr. McSally became the majority owner and non-executive Chairman of Provider Insurance Group, LLC. Mr. McSally served as Senior Vice President at OneBeacon Insurance Group ("OneBeacon") and through his career at OneBeacon, led commercial lines, distribution and agency management and personal lines from 2001 through 2010. Prior to that, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of John Hancock's property and casualty operations, as Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Union York Insurance Company, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of York Insurance Company of Maine. He has also served on several boards of directors of privately held insurance companies and was an Executive Partner of Charter Oak Capital Partners, LP. Mr. McSally received a Bachelor's Degree from Providence College, is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Ms. Jeanne L. Mockard is Independent Director of the Company. She has served as a Director of Employers Holdings and EGI since March 1, 2018. Since 2009, Ms. Mockard has been the Principle at JLM Capital and Consulting performing services as a consultant to financial and technology companies and investor in start up businesses. Prior to that, she was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager with Putnam Investments for over 20 years. She received a B.S. degree from Tufts University and an MBA from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business. Ms. Mockard is a CFA and currently serves as a Director and member of the Finance Committee of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited.


Sorry I may have misled you with the post title. I'm not gonna list out 1,000 reasons because that would be ridonkulous. However, as of writing this, Facebook currently has 2.23 Billion monthly active users. That's about a third of the world's population.
Let's be honest, if you've worked hard on your film and have a concrete vision for it, there's a high chance you should be able to get at least 1,000 of those billions of individuals on board with your idea. That isn't even a thousandth of a percent of total users on the platform. But you get those 1,000 and all of a sudden you've got something solid to work with. Let's burn through some of these benefits real fast because, as I can probably guess, you are already salivating at the thought of having 1,000 fans.
As I noted before, with all those fine folks on the social network, you should be able to get a decent following. When people complain they are not getting any followers, most of the time it is because they just aren't doing it right, don't have a passion for their project, or just aren't being patient enough. Getting that level of exposure can take time and the right strategy. Exactly who do you want to target your film towards? Knowing that persona will help you target the right people who will give you the right kind of exposure.
Remember when we talked about how to demystify email marketing? This is it right here baby. 1,000 people following you means you now have that valuable Facebook page real estate to drop a line on those folks. Give them an easy way to sign up via social media. Plus you can give them a free perk for just signing up…maybe it's that one outtake reel that you never showed anyone. Instead of showing just your friends, shoot it out to your fans so they can get a behind the scenes look at all your hard work.
Gone are the days of having to drop an ad in Variety so that one specific producer might get interested in following up on your film. That was very costly and you couldn't really figure out whether he found out about it without him directly communicating with you. Now you can target that same producer (or type of producer) because he's most likely on Facebook. Just go to the ads section of your page and filter down to exactly who you want to get in front of. Set a budget and boom, you'll be in their feed in no time.
As noted in the previous tip, dropping an ad in Variety never gave you real-time data on how your ad performed. With Facebook Insights, on the other hand, you can get a wealth of knowledge through the platform's powerful analytics dashboards. Search for which posts are performing the best and then optimize that kind of content to get an even better user experience for your target audience.
You've created your site and you've created your Facebook page. Now it is time to connect the two. One way of doing this would be to post linked content that takes people straight to your website's page.
If you look closely, you'll see that the ad is actually a link that will take my page visitor to the film's website. It's a little sneaky but hey, whatever gets them to the site to check out more content from the film. Afterward, use a Facebook Pixel to track their behavior on your website in Google Analytics.
A follow up of the previous tip, posting links on your Facebook page to your site drives up that off-page SEO that can then spill over into traffic for your site. When this site traffic starts to rise, so will your page ranking on Google search. Plus your Facebook page might also show up on the first page which is never a bad thing. Two results on the top ten page for your short film? Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all my friend.
Ok so we are not exactly "spying" here but we are using Facebook to gather competitive data intelligently. If you click on the "Pages to Watch" section in the "Page Overview" portion of your "Insights" page, you'll find some nice competitor information like page likes, percentage page likes increased or decreased, and number of engagements this week. Root around in this and try to uncover how your genre competitors are using Facebook to get their results. Who knows, you might learn something about your audience and start posting to optimize for it.
I understand this is a lot but remember, it is only the beginning and just how creative you are will determine how successful you are on Facebook-last time I checked there was no limit to creativity-we are storytellers for Pete's sake!
Remember to keep your head down and use these tips to get those first 1,000 followers. Try to experiment with business pages and a whole new world can open up for your film that you might never have thought existed before.