WHAT'S NEW AT INFOSHOP.ORG

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November 1, 2004 | number 4.1 | Pre-election chaos edition

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"Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune."

-- Noam Chomsky

Welcome to another update on Infoshop.org and the Alternative Media Project! This update is meant to help you find new features on our website and keep you updated on the projects of the Alternative Media Project. As Infoshop.org heads toward its tenth anniversary in January 2005, we are pleased to share with you all of the new things going on with our project.

Infoshop.org has been causing trouble on the web since it went online in January 1995 as the Mid-Atlantic Infoshop. We are a collectively-run project with volunteers participating from around the world. The website currently averages over 6 million hits per month and over 150,000 unique visitors. Infoshop.org is considered by many to be a valuable resource to the anarchist and anti-capitalist movements, as well as for thousands of people who are simply looking for alternative information in a system run by big media capitalists. The website is graciously hosted by the flag.blackened.net server, which is run by a collective of anarchist and anti-authoritarian digital activists. The Alternative Media Project, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Virginia, runs Infoshop.org. More info about AMP can be found at: http://www.infoshop.org/amp.html

Contact us at:

Alternative Media Project

PO Box 7171

Shawnee Mission, KS 66207

(mail sent to our Virginia address will still get to us)

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Announcements List

You can now join our special announcements-only e-mail list:

http://www.infoshop.org/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-announce

SMS Text Messaging Updates – The Infoshop “Smart” Mob

Infoshop updates and announcements now available via text messaging!

Set up an account at http://txtmob.com/ and
join the “Infoshop” channel.

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UPDATE ON RECENT DOWNTIME

Infoshop.org and all the websites on Flag.blackened.net
experienced an outage of several days. We are sorry that the FBI, hackers, or
right wing extremists didn’t cause this outage. Like most website outages, this
was caused by a mundane, yet frustrating, problem: we couldn’t reach the person
necessary to physically reboot the server. We have also experienced problems
lately due to the huge amount of traffic that comes to Infoshop.org and Flag
websites. We are working on plans to relocate the server and add new servers
early next year. We are also exploring partnerships with other sites that have
come forward to offer mirroring services for us. All of this should improve
service for Infoshop, increase uptime of Infoshop News, and make the website
“faster.”

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INFOSHOP.ORG IS 110% FRESHER

A website that is almost 10 years old gathers lots of dust and tons of dead links. In early October, we started a project to completely update the website. We’ve slimmed down pages such as the Infoshop home page. We are standardizing navigation features and are using stylesheets to give the website a more coherent look and feel. We’ve eliminated dead and obsolete pages and added new ones to help people find content on the website. We haven’t fixed our search engine yet, but people can temporarily search the website using Google.

This upgrade and overhaul of Infoshop will continue until the end of the year. We will be adding more pages and content. We need your help, especially in identifying dead links. If you have suggestions about content for pages, please send us material, link suggestions, and so on.

Infoshop.org is now running several wikis, which are interactive areas where people can add new content and edit existing material. We invite you to participate in these new features.

The Matrix

A database on corporations, capitalists, the ruling class and opposition to them

http://www.infoshop.org/octo/matrix/index.php/Main_Page

InfoshopOpenWiki

Our “open” wiki, featuring general subject pages, an anarchist encyclopedia, and much more.

http://www.infoshop.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Science Fiction and Fantasy Wiki

Everything for the fan of science fiction and fantasy

http://www.infoshop.org/sf/index.php/Main_Page

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COMING SOON!

Infoshop Online Store

Buy t-shirts, books, magazines and make donations. Our new Infoshop.org t-shirts are currently being printed.

Infoshop Food

A portal for those who love food, who work on farms, and/or live in rural areas

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NEW FEATURES AND PAGES AT INFOSHOP.ORG

Infoshop in French

http://www.infoshop.org/fr/

Speak French? Volunteer to help with this project. Submit news items and links.

Infoshop in Portuguese

http://www.infoshop.org/pt/

Speak Portuguese? Volunteer to help with this project. Submit news items and links.

Infoshop Media Guide

http://www.infoshop.org/altmedia.html

A growing section with links to independent and corporate media

Infoshop A to Z

http://www.infoshop.org/a_to_z.php

Infoshop by Subject

http://www.infoshop.org/subject_guide.php

News Feeds

http://www.infoshop.org/rss.php

We’ve got news feeds! And we tell you about some others too!

Media Reform, Media Monopoly, Media Revolution and DIY Media Activism

http://www.infoshop.org/media_monopoly.php

RNC Protests Archive

http://www.infoshop.org/rnc2004archive.php

Hate Mail
http://www.infoshop.org/hatemail.html

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New @ the Infoshop Library

Anarchosyndicalism by Rudolf Rocker

http://www.infoshop.org/library/anarchism/writers/rocker/anarchosyndicalism/as1.php

Reflections on Student Activism by Abbie Hoffman

http://www.infoshop.org/library/activism/writers/studentactivism_hoffman.php

A Project of Anarchist Organisation by Errico Malatesta

http://www.infoshop.org/library/anarchism/writers/malatesta/anarchist_organization.php

Malatesta on Syndicalism

http://www.infoshop.org/library/anarchism/writers/malatesta/malatesta_syndicalism.php

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UPDATES

Dear Emma has answered more questions:

http://www.infoshop.org/dearemma.html

Anarchist FAQ has been updated to version 11:

http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html

Anarchist Neighborhood section has been revamped and includes new cities:

http://www.infoshop.org/hood.html

Many of our other pages have been recently updated!

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BREAKING GLASS PRESS

Breaking Glass Press is Infoshop’s publishing imprint. We recently published a guide to representing yourself without a lawyer. Early in 2005, we will be publishing the Black Bloc Papers I & II. The first volume is newly updated and expanded from a previous edition and volume two will feature new material about black blocs from the past three years.

Going Pro Se (Representing yourself without a lawyer)

http://www.infoshop.org/breakingglasspress/ProSe.pdf

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PRACTICAL ANARCHY

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AMP ORGANIZATIONAL

The Alternative Media Project advisory board met in August in New York City.

The AMP Collective recently added Vlad as a member. Vlad is currently helping with Infoshop News.

AMP moved its main post office box to Shawnee Mission, Kansas, although the Arlington address is still current. Items that require immediate attention should be sent to the Kansas address.

AMP has made a partnership with Counterpoise magazine to provide them with reviews.

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HOW TO HELP!

First, some important, helpful pages:

Infoshop FAQ:

http://www.infoshop.org/faq.html

Volunteer:

http://www.infoshop.org/volunteer.html

Infoshop.org runs on the love of a growing cast of volunteers. There are many areas of Infoshop where one can become a volunteer right away. We are still looking for people to help with the Anarchist Youth (youth.infoshop.org) and science.infoshop.org websites. You can become a volunteer in these projects by registering at these sites and then sending us a message about yourself, your interests and how you'd like to help.

If you speak Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese or Swedish, you can also register at one of our corresponding language sites and become a volunteer.

INFOSHOP.ORG TRANSLATION AND HELP E-MAIL LISTS

The following lists are for Infoshop volunteers:

infoshop-ca :: Infoshop.org spanish

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-ca

infoshop-de :: infoshop.org auf Deutch

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-de

Infoshop-fr :: Infoshop.org in French

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-fr

infoshop-it :: infoshop.org in italiano

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-it

infoshop-pt :: Infoshop.org portuguese

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-pt

Infoshop.org Virtual Reference Desk

If you'd like to join a list to help answer Infoshop queries, please send an email to chuck [at] mutualaid.org

HELP PROMOTE INFOSHOP.ORG

We appreciate the grassroots efforts by folks to publicize the existence of
this website, including whoever spraypainted "infoshop.org" on that billboard
outside of Sacramento. You folks make it possible for the Graffiti Abatement
Squad workers to keep drawing paychecks. We also appreciate those of you who
are leaving our URL on the walls of restrooms of fine vegetarian restaurants
around the continent. We have a page with ideas and materials that can help
with this at: http://www.infoshop.org/outreach.html

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DONATE TO INFOSHOP

Infoshop.org and the Alternative Media Project really appreciate donations from our supporters. Right now we are raising money to publish the new issue of Practical Anarchy magazine, print Infoshop t-shirts, create a nest egg for Breaking Glass Press, and start covering staff costs. While our financial needs are modest, anything you can contribute will help this project thrive.

Please visit our donations page if you’d like to contribute:

http://www.infoshop.org/donate.html

Donate via snail mail:

Alternative Media Project

PO Box 7171

Shawnee Mission, KS 66207

Checks can be made out to “AMP” or the “Alternative Media Project.” Sorry, but AMP is not a tax-deductible project at this time.

MANY THANKS go out to those of you who have generously supported this project with your donations and words of support. If you’ve donated to us in the past year, you are welcome to join the Infoshop sustainers email list.

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NEWS WIRE FROM INFOSHOP NEWS

The Infoshop.org News email list disseminates a range of anarchist, activist and alternative news, both from alternative and corporate sources.

Subscribe today!

http://flag.blackened.net/mailman/listinfo/infoshop-news

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TODAY AT INFOSHOP NEWS

Morpheus: Elections Are A Scam

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/7212381

Tom Wheeler: Terror & Democracy

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/3175370

Jason McQuinn: Part-time Anarchists: Voting for Empire

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/4268020

Lawrence Jarach: Anarchists have forgotten their Principles

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/4048233

Anarcho: 100,000 plus dead. Mission Accomplished?

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/3285167

Moving On: Liberation from the ABB Straitjacket

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/2969171

RNC REDUX: Anarchist Analysis of the 2004 RNC Protests

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/1811976

Kirsten Anderberg: Exhibitionism, Trolls and Indy Media

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/31/2628729

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HOT LINK OF THE WEEK

Indymedia USA

http://indymedia.us/en/index.shtml

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Contact the Infoshop.org webmaster at: chuck [at] mutualaid.org

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Anti-copyright 2004

Infoshop.org

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