From szczym w obin.org Sat Dec 9 08:31:46 2006 From: szczym w obin.org (szczym) Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2006 17:31:46 +0100 Subject: [Bnd] Fwd: Adbusters Newsletter #34: BUY NOTHING XMAS!! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Culture Jammers Network Date: Dec 9, 2006 1:47 AM Subject: Adbusters Newsletter #34: BUY NOTHING XMAS!! To: Culture Jammers Network ----------------------------------- ADBUSTERS.ORG ----------------------------------- Dear Jammers and Creatives, Now that the dust has settled, we can finally say with confidence that -- thanks to the fantastic efforts of organizers and activists from all over the world -- Buy Nothing Day 2006 was one of the most successful yet. We've caught wind of street parties, community events, and direct actions in at least 101 cities in 26 countries, as well as over 200 media hits from across 6 continents (though we're still waiting to hear from Antarctica!). Here are some of the highlights: * MANCHESTER, UK: A radical samba band storms a mall with their irresistible rhythms. * MONTREAL, CANADA: Shocked downtown shoppers witness the terrifying "shopping spree of the dead." * TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Frolicking "buy no evil" monkeys entertain crowds in the shadow of the world's tallest building. * MADRID, SPAIN: Despondent "shoppers" wail and grieve to passersby in a crowded commercial district. * NAGANO, JAPAN: Corporate brands compete to wallop the Earth in a game of Global Cup Soccer. * MUMBAI, INDIA: Young activists celebrate what is quite possibly the first ever BND in India! * PHILADELPHIA, USA: The USAntiheroes use their considerable superpowers to throw a massive downtown block party. * NEW YORK, USA: Reverend Billy and his faithful followers exorcize the consumerism devil from a Victoria's Secret cash register. * PIRACICABA, BRAZIL: University students hold a conference on overconsumption and its consequences. * COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: Experimental theatre group Terra Nova brings a frenetic display of gluttony to a city square. * VIENNA, AUSTRIA: Santa Claus sets out lawn chairs and free soup and coffee to help shoppers take a break from consumption. For more details, pics and posters, visit: Once you've had a chance to take a look at all of the events and media hits, you may notice a certain trend: a lot of people are making the connection between the day-to-day overconsumption that Buy Nothing Day seeks to expose, and the stressed-out, hyped-up, dumbed-down orgy of shopping that we still quaintly call "the holidays." So why not keep up the non-shopping momentum with a Buy Nothing Christmas? With the simplest of plans you can create a new rhythm, purpose and spirit for one of the West's chief cultural rituals, now warped beyond recognition. Consider it a cultural project for the those seeking a little consumer sanity, a way to rescue our shared traditions from corporate interests and those who confuse big sales with real cultural meaning. And if a Buy Nothing Christmas is too extreme for grandma and the kids, maybe try a Buy Less Christmas. Or a Buy Fairer Christmas. Or a Slow-Down Christmas. Invent the new and rediscover the old. Whatever you decide, 'tis the season to reclaim our celebration from the grip of commercial forces. We'll be launching our new online headquarters for Buy Nothing Christmas next week; in the meantime, visit our existing site at to find out how like-minded people worldwide are preparing for a less materialist, more meaningful holiday season. Cheers, The Buy Nothing Team. ----------------------------------- NOW ON NEWSSTANDS ----------------------------------- Pop by Adbusters.org or your local magazine rack for a copy of our latest special issue: The Big Ideas of 2007. * THE REVOLUTION WILL BEGIN WITH A TEXTBOOK Ecological economist Tom Green on why two new textbooks have the power to change the world. * BELIEVERS & DECEIVERS Cognitive dissonance and the psychology of US power at play on the global political stage, by Deborah Campbell. * THE GREAT URBAN OUTDOORS David Nicholson-Lord's take on how affluence and self-indulgence are steering us away from the natural world. * MY FIRST RIOT A tale of race, rebellion, and amateur theatrics in a California prison, by Saint James Harris Wood. Plus opinion, analysis & fiction by Tariq Ali, Peter Herman, Eric Rumble, Mark Lynas, Eric Johnston, Jorge Barrera, David Kootnikoff, Janet Biehl, Gregory Benchwick . . . Illustrations & images by Gregory Crewdson, Rene Burri, Lorna Simpson, Larry Sultan, Randall Cosco, Hugo Tillman, Sebastian Diaz Morales, Anne Wallace, Ed Kashi, Tomas Sanchez, Wayne Coe . . . SUBSCRIBE TODAY at . Get a two-year subscription, or re-subscribe for two years, and you'll get a 2007 Adbusters calendar free of charge! ----------------------------------------------------- READ IT NOW AT ADBUSTERS.ORG ----------------------------------------------------- FIRST WORLD FASCISMO By Adbusters Staff After seventy years of being bandied about willy-nilly, fascism - the epithet - doesn't seem to have quite the punch that it used to. Yet fascism may still have a surprise or two in store for us... READ MORE: BRAZIL'S LANDLESS PIONEERS By Wilson McCourtney In a country like Brazil, which has both the land and the natural resources to feed the needs of all of Latin America, it's hard to believe that people are forced to live hand-to-mouth in overcrowded urban ghettos, but this is indeed the case. Today, Brazil has become a breeding ground for organizations that are willing to adopt radical means to forcibly re-distribute farmland to the urban and rural poor... READ MORE: -------------------------------------------------- Get this from a friend? Want to join the Culture Jammers Network? Visit: To unsubscribe from the list, simply send a blank message to: jammers-unsubscribe w lists.adbusters.org -- szczym w obin.org