[In the News] Building a Movement
The 2005 International Drug Policy Reform Conference lived up to its theme of "building a movement" last week in Long Beach, California. Nearly a thousand people gathered from all over the country and the world to energize, learn and connect with fellow drug policy reformers.
In a speech to kick off the conference, Alliance director Ethan Nadelmann challenged attendees to participate in panels that seemed as far removed as possible from their daily work. Many took this advice to heart, resulting in an atmosphere of openness, learning, and reassessing the true breadth of the drug policy reform movement. The diversity of panels, combined with attendees' receptivity to new topics, pulled down some of the barriers that often separate prison reformers from harm reductionists or medical marijuana activists from international policy players.
There was recurring discussion of difficult or controversial topics, with race and racism in the drug war coming up repeatedly. In addition to panel sessions on the subject, there was also a provocative impromptu plenary.
Many panels saw debate and disagreement on a range of issues, but for the most part the respectful quality of the dialogue suggested that people were eager to be challenged and learn from each other.
Openness was evident in the lineup of speakers as well. There were over 200 presenters, meaning that panels were led not only by academic experts, but by people directly affected by the policies being discussed. Speakers included formerly incarcerated people, drug users, youth, parents and more.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) were both present in large numbers, with the LEAP folks making a big splash in t-shirts that read, "Cops say legalize drugs. Ask me why." There was also a more sizeable population of women at this year's conference than at reform conferences past.
This expanded inclusiveness makes perfect sense, as the war on drugs affects women, law enforcement, young people, and of course many other groups. The diversity of people and ideas at the conference demonstrated that as we acknowledge the breadth of issues that make up drug policy reform, we are indeed building a movement.
Link To Original Article
Michigan Cities OK Medical Marijuana Residents of Traverse City and Ferndale, Michigan, cast their votes in support of medical marijuana access last week by approving two ballot initiatives.
The Traverse City initiative makes marijuana use or growth by a patient with a doctor's recommendation the lowest law enforcement priority. Ferndale's initiative removes the threat of arrest for people who grow or use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.
The city ordinances may not have an immediate practical effect on patients and their advocates since state law still prohibits medical marijuana, but these wins add to the momentum of similar victories in Detroit and Ann Arbor last year.
JOY Meets LOVED UP. Friday 9th December @ Mission, Leeds JOY meets LOVED UP
Friday 9th December at Mission, Leeds
Revival of House
After last months blow out with the man like DJ Nipper, we return once again with another exclusive line up including one of my personal favorites DJ IAN OSSIA, back from been on tour with Renaissance. Anyone who isnt so familiar with this guy really does need to do their homework, a true legend and pioneer from back in the day. Helped set up the famous Renaissance nights in the early 90's and has enjoyed workin across the globe with the like of Sasha and co.
Also returning to Joy once more is the mental, legend that is... LUVDUP with another exclusive set so expect some crazy going on's if you make it to the after party..
Steve luigi, Kells&Tots, DaleTheDisc, Sully and Caine Brown will also be doing their thang along side your compare for the evening...MR MC FOX!!!
Room 3 will as usual be upfront US soulful house with my good pals from club Space, Alex Church and Alex Clarke
This month we also invite one of Londons premier club classics events, LOVED UP who will be coming along and transforming the club with their unique visuals....
Doors open: 10pm till 4am
Admission: £8/£10
09/12/05 *Alphawave Meets Mindzai* – Festive Fairy Frollocks 10.30-6AM The Alphawave Project • Festive Fairy Frollocks!! • Friday 9th December 2005 • 10:30pm-6am
The Warehouse (AKA The Street) • 105 Union Street • Plymouth • PL1 3NB • 01752 662586
Here we go again, another Fun filled themed night in store!!!
After a Mental Mental full on B-day party and oh boy did
we enjoy the vibe. The hardcore crew brought the love of our friends and some awesome sets were heard by all in both rooms!!
Big respect to Loke for catching the train after car troubles and a storming set, For those of you that missed this, Don’t worry he will be back on New Years eve!! As will Agent24 who played out her first 2hr set on CDJ's and showed all, that she has the true technical skills to slam it in there!!
This month we join forces with MindZAI and become one collective
working equally with all our idea’s, equipment and our separate personal touches.
In the festive spirit of things this will be a fancy dress party with a free ticket give away to our monster 12hr non stop New Years Eve party for the best dressed girl & boy.
We welcome the return of the fantastic DJ Zai Goat from MindZAI who was responsible for ripping it up at our -> Seventh Heaven party Main Hyperdelic Zone Chill Room Info
dialogue with land managers NB This should go with the "getting parties legalised" thread but a filter won't let me post to it.
sorry if this sounds very despondent (which is why I have waited some time before posting this so I could do some further research) - but my only thought is at the present time and with the rave scene in its present form "why on earth would there be a dialogue?"
those in charge of the land have power and support from their neighbours, and who negotiates away a position of power?
As elraveon correctly mentions we are dealing with an age-old feudal system of land ownership and class structures, to which has been bolted the modern concept of free market capitalism; a powerful machine indeed which is swiftly repaired when any attempt is made to sabotage or damage it and which adapts to changing circumstances.
our current so-called "rave community" cannot claim to be "starving peasants" or "oppressed minorities".
whatever pressures the "babylon system" puts on us, few of us are short of food, we can usually get some kind of work or income, some form of shelter, and have access to a phenomenal amount of resources such as motor vehicles, fuel, sophisticated computers and multimedia equipment and most importantly spare time, even if in many cases it has been obtained by not wishing to climb the "social ladder" by spending more time at work or study. one common reaction I have noted from farmers where raves happen on their land is complete disbelief that people spend time, money and fuel travelling such a distance merely to listen to music...
the current argument of the antis (which unfortunately has a lot of credence amongst conventional society) is that "there is already a proper channel to hold these events via the Public Entertainments Licensing system, after appropriate liason with the Police and other authorities, and that all costs incurred by the public purse should be recovered from the organisers".
Another argument is "are these events essential to society? What value do they add, or do they in fact merely cause problems of noise, mess/contamination, violent behaviour and a legacy of problematic drug use and health problems which burden the NHS?"
Going back in time, it appears that the "Merrie England" of fairs and festivals never actually existed; at least not in the carefree form people think it did.
I have a strange feeling that the "Merrie England" elraveon refers to may have been considerably more recent - in an era where Maddie Prior was a sort of hippy pin-up girl, people thought they were Robin Hood in camper vans ;) and outdoor events were tolerated a bit more but only because England was a bit more prosperous (so Middle England felt less threatened) and amplifiers/loudspeakers were not as loud as they are now.
Even so many of these festivals were squashed or commercialised by the end of the 1970s..
The real Middle Age fairs were not "socialist utopias" but organised by the kings and lords as commercial enterprises and markets, and often employment agencies for servants, peasants and other muddied rabble, and such events as the sale of unwanted wives and the purchase of comely wenches for the pleasuring of the masters, whipping of strumpets at the cart tail etc.
The entertainments were put on merely as a sop to keep the peasants relatively happy until their next bout of feudal slavery; the lords would pay a shilling to the organisers as a "tab" so the new staff could enjoy the pleasures of the fair. These included binge-drinking, chasing after maidens, and games not dissimilar to modern soccer and rugby which usually ended up in a free fight between rival villages; and and such "sports" as shin-kicking and gurning (cue Benny Hill theme tune and chase scene of peasants/lords/wenches etc).
there were however a few notable occasions of collective bargaining for better wages/conditions because the peasantry were assembled in such number; which would account for fairs being notable in socialist/progressive political circles.
perhaps this is as much as we can hope for? occupying land and partying by force (if only force of numbers) has already been done - for 15 years - the ultimate result has been irate locals and the TSG cops being deployed more often and more rigs being confiscated.
There are still obvious ethical problems such as rubbish clearance - clearing up 97% of the bags still leaves 3% of contamination; often the human waste that no-one (understandably) wants to clear up but is classed as serious contamination on a farm (it can lose the farmer grants etc)
The only glimmer of hope I can see is that the drop in farm susbsidies next year may make land managers and locals realise that low-cost music events are not so bad and could provide some extra income - but theres he obvious risk of over-commercialisation or regulation.
there is also the "community farm" project but after the exodus débacle few believe in that anymore (incidentally exodus came really close to getting our culture accepted by government, they literally fought each other at the finish line and destroyed everything seconds before winning the race) - but something like this is more likely to get the ear of country types as it shows commitment, discipline and understanding of the local area rather than mere hedonism- but it may be that exodus have already poisoned the well..
Another issue is that if the rave scene is sucessfully stoppped, it will not stem the demand for a release of energy through music, dancing and in some cases recreational substances, and will only swell the numbers binge-drinking, going to commercial clubs or worse still just hanging around streets or estates and/or taking more dangerous class A drugs (interesting that TVP report a massive increase in violence and anti-social behaviour co-incident with the zero tolerance policies on raves!!!).
raves may well be the least of many evils in society....
18/11/05 Synergy Family Gathering – this Friday @ The Synergy Centre The Gathering will feature chilled sets from DJs closest to the heart of the community (Liquid Ross, Mudra, Pete Ardron, Jon Bingly Bongly, Christian Davies, Darren Sangita), with no doubt a few visuals thrown in from some of the Projects leading VJs. Plus a performance by the Centre residents Kakatsitsi, Master Drummers from Ghana and, who knows, some passing Synergy poets, to create that unique Synergy multimedia environment, all set in the wonderful surroundings of the converted warehouse, now resplendent with the new wooden floor.
Entry will cost a strongly recommended donation of £5 or £7 waged, with all proceeds going into trying to get Synergy back on its feet after the hard blow received from the recent ticket scam at the last party and to the Synergy Centre Refurbishment Fund. Doors will open at 10 and the gathering will go at least until dawn. Whole-food and drink will be provided by the Synergy Café
The Synergy Centre is located at220 Farmers Road, London SE 5, which is off Wyndham Road, in turn off Camberwell New Road, London SE5. The nearest tube is Oval.
Check the website for more info
The Synergy Community
OUR XMAS PRESENT TO YOU! What comes to mind when you think of Xmas?
Xtravagant? Xtortionate?? Xpensive???
You'd be right in thinking all three.
That’s why this Christmas Total Mayhem have got something Xtra special for you.
Allow us to introduce the Total Mayhem Xmas Payback.
We are bringing you, the faithful raver the cream of London’s DJing talent for an unbelievable price of £5 ON THE DOOR... ALL NIGHT LONG!!!
That's right! Turn up at the door, hand over your fiver and party all night long at one of London’s finest. It’s our way of saying thank you for making Total Mayhem the talk of the town over the last 3 years.
TOTAL MAYHEM PRESENTS
£5 XMAS PAYBACK
FRIDAY 2ND DEC
@ HIDDEN (formally Studio 33), VAUXHALL
10PM-6AM
3 ARENAS
18 DJS
8 HOURS OF MAYHEM
£5 ALL NIGHT ON THE DOOR
ARENA 1
HARDDANCE
PHIL REYNOLDS (HEAT)
BILLY DANIEL BUNTER (Tasty)
STEVE BLAKE (Impact Recs)
EL GREKO (Frantic)
BILBSTAR (Spangled Sundays)
MICKEY.C (Total Mayhem)
KIERON TONG (Total Mayhem)
ARENA 2
TRANCE HOSTED BY "SHUT UP AND TRANCE"
EHREN STOWERS (Trance Generation xclusive 90 min set)
BEN BEATON (Vaccine)
THE VICEROY (Vaccine)
IAN EDWARDS (Total Mayhem)
SYMBIOSIS (harddancelondon.com)
MATT VONHOLTZ (Total Mayhem)
KESTAS (Total Mayhem)
ARENA 3
FUNKY HOUSE ROOM
MONI (Antiworld)
SIMON WILLIAMS (WiLDCHiLD)
GOLIATH JONES (Kinky U)
MATT VONHOLTZ (Total Mayhem)
For info call 07984 721 366 or email mickeyc@totalmayhemuk.com
Check out our new website www.totalmayhemuk.com
EVERY TUESDAY – Hustle @ Bar Copa . Santa Monica
Martin East & Lars Behrenroth
play Rare Grooves * Soul * Jazz * Funk * NY Disco * Classic House
EVERY TUESDAY AT
Bar Copa
2810 Main Street
Santa Monica, Ca. 90403
9pm – 2am / 21 and over / full bar / no cover
18.11 The Poke – rob da bank, nathan fake, Lo recordings Friday November 18th
10 PM till 6AM
THE POKE: A Lo Quality Birthday Party
celebrating ten years of Lo Recordings
Rob Da Bank (sunday best/radio 1)
The Chap [live] (Lo)
Richard Thair (toob/red snapper)
Milky Globe [live] (Lo)
Cursor Miner [live] (Lo)
Si Begg (noodles)
Osymyso (antidote)
Nathan Fake [live] (traum/border community)
Secondo [live] (Dreck)
Nick Luscombe (Flo-motion/xfm)
Unique 3 (bleep.com)
Lo DJs
John Power (furthur)
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
Jacks, Crucifix Lane / Shand Street, London, SE1
Nearest Tube/BR: London Bridge
Tickets: £10 in advance from Ticketweb.co.uk / £12 on the door
sign up to the Furthur Mailing List and you'll get a code to buy tickets for just £8
Adavnce Tickets
Info: [url=html://www.furthur.info]Furthur[/url] / furthur.promotions@gmail.com
Ten years is a longtime in the music industry, so when a label that has stuck to their resolutely uncommercial roots makes it into double figures that's generally a good reason to celebrate. When you're talking about Lo Recordings who in their 10 year history have championed everything from hard edged electro to blissful ambience, avant-garde rock to library music and funk rarities, you've got one hell of a good excuse to throw a massive party.
So that's what we've done, on Friday November the 18th, we celebrate 10 years of musical innovation down at The Poke, with a stellar line-up of artists from the label, plus one or two like minded souls and DJs who have championed the label over the years.
A truly eclectic party spread over two railway arches, we are proud to present everything from the acclaimed art-rock of The Chap to the deranged electro pop of Cursor Miner, on the way taking in some of the leading lights of today's leftfield music scene, Radio 1's Rob Da Bank, XFM's Nick Luscombe, Noodles mainman Si Begg and the reigning bastard pop king Osymyso, alongside stars of tomorrow such as Nathan Fake and Secondo.
LO RECORDINGS
Founded ten years ago by Jon Tye, Lo has gone onto become one of the premier independent labels in the UK today, having championed the likes of Squarepusher and Luke Vibert in their careers infancies, released records by artists as diverse as The Aphex Twin and Thurston Moore and been responsible for the resurrection of many an obscure psyche or library record, Lo have gone onto provide a home for some of the most forward thinking acts around today, with the diverse likes of The Chap and Cursor Miner all happily under one roof.
Home Do you like having the occasional trip on your own or do you feel its more of a waste, i quite like it because everything niiice but only everysorandomoften
RE RAVE ALL@THE MASS BRIXTON 19/11/05 Saturday 19th November
@ the Mass,
Re-Rave-All
St Mathews church, Brixton, London SW2 1JF
3 Rooms of Techno, Old Skool/Nu Skool and Drum`n`Bass.
Room 2 Techno
Ben Long and Jamie Bissmire AKA the Space Djs, London (Potential Recordings, 50hz)
Phil Kieran (Skint/Soma)
Egebamyasi (Binary Bassline Records, Rotterdam Records)
Saytek (Colnsole/Kingsize)
Steve Strawberry (Tilted Disco/Dice People/3 Deck Funk)
Miss Daisy (Malfaiteurs)
Russell Skellon (Motronic)
Room 2 Old Skool/Breaks
Stu Allen
Demolition Crew (Eruption/Raindance)
Search and Destroy (Destructive)
Demolition Crew (Eruption/Raindance)
Phuture Sonic (Sonic Sound System/Re-Rave/All)
Louise Plus One (Re-Rave-All, Malfaiteurs, Interface)
Jerome (Don`t)
Nikki Dimensions (Vinyl Touch/Raindance)
Artem (Re-Rave-All)
Room 3
Drum`n`Bass Room hosted by DNAudio
80 percent MC Free
D Bridge (Exit Recordings, Bad Company, Metal Heads)
Chase and Status (Renegrade Hardware, Breakbeat Kaos, BC)
Vicious Circle (Renegade Hardware, Defcome, 1210)
Silent Witness (DN Audio)
Break (DN Audio)
Squire (DN Audio)
MC Bassline (Ruud FM Tectonic)
Info 07970 229 274
23:00 to 07:00
£10 before midnite £13:00 after
Advance tickets £8 plus booking fee available from
www.accessallareas.org 0207 267 8320
Decksterity Records 0208 265 2000,
Kenetic Records 0207 323 5303,
Zurich clubs…. Hi all, so glad I found this site!
I'm looking for a good party/club in Zurich where I might find some friendly people and some fun substances. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm far, far from home so my little black book is not helping much, I'd appreciate some advice!
Thanks, and cheers to a great weekend,
L
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