Free Press Media Reform conference and other plans

One of the ten bazillion camera wielders at Free Press's Media Reform conference stuck the lens in my face and asked for five words describing the whole thing.

My thoughts:
"Fetid brontosaurus carcass ponders blogging."
"Irrelevant to anyone under 30."
"Geena Davis. Hanoi Jane. Snore."
"White wealthy liberals congratulate selves"

Yes, the conference is meant to be policy focused. However the almost complete absence of discussion of the effect of social networking, video blogging (web 2.0 stuff) was a gaping hole for any media conference, especially a grassroots one. It was easy to notice lack of discussion regarding current upheavals in the world of print media distribution such as Publishers Group West going under, smaller magazines like Clamor and Lip folding, and the far off cracks of layoffs at large newspapers. Yes, of course conversations on these subjects went on in the wings between folks whose jobs and institutions and publications stand to have their worlds rocked by bankruptcy, but Free Press certainly missed the ball on this one by taking the low road and not exercising leadership.

For anyone organizing a conference, there are basics that need to be addressed. One of which is the availability of healthy nourishing food, which was incredibly difficult to locate at the conference. The brain can't operate on coffee alone.

There's much more to say, and I've got a bit to transcribe - I think I interviewed all five of the attendants of the conference under age 20 at this thing - but we've got a plane to catch in an hour to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. Mormons and Redford await.

It's Bigger than Hip-Hop...

Dead Prez plays at the Muffathalle in Munich, Germany TOMORROW, July 19.
Not only are DP hosted by the most gorgeous venue in town (I'm serious. Do an image search on the Muffathalle), they are official guests of the City of Munich. How amazing is that?

Yet this extraordinary event was nearly monkeywrenched at the 11th hour by the EU Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. Senegalese HipHop legend Duggy Tee is performing with Dead Prez, along with Munich outfit Main Concept. The Embassy tried to deny Duggy Tee and crew their travel visas because the five "could not prove to have a regular income and a bank account", and claimed they might stay illegally in Europe. Nevermind they were invited by the City of Munich, by a promoter (the wonderful Patricia Mueller of the Munich Department of Arts and Culture) who has worked with hiphop artists from Senegal since 2000. And nevermind that over 90% of Senegal lives under poor conditions, making their lack of documented income hardly unusual. The embassy clerk merely gave Patricia this "advice" before hanging up: "You'd better work with European rappers!!!"

After a night of calls to influential institutions throughout Belgium and Germany (all of whom were shocked at this EU decision), at least three of Duggy Tee's crew got their visas.

In the meantime, Senegalese social groups and media are planning a huge manifestation of protest in front of the EU Commission in Dakar. For more than two weeks Senegalese journalists have been reporting extensively about this show in Munich. The TV and radio channels and the print media are especially willing to set an example.

Phew! Expect lots of pictures after the show.

MYSTERY PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION hacks the Yes Men

[ Word puzzle hint! Figure out the culprits name and win a prize: Clue: First syllable of "Evil" + middle syllable of "Texas" + final syllable of "moron" = ? The first 5 winners who figure out the puzzle receive a free TV-B-GONE courtesy of the Evil Twin Booking Agency - send submissions to: info [at] eviltwinbooking [dot] org ]

June 28, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE YES MEN HACKED BY PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY!

Contact: mailto:people (at) theyesmen.org

One day after the Yes Men made a joke announcement that ExxonMobil
plans to turn billions of climate-change victims into a brand-new
fuel called Vivoleum, the Yes Men's upstream internet service
provider shut down Vivoleum.com, the Yes Men's spoof website, and cut
off the Yes Men's email service, in reaction to a complaint whose
source they will not identify. The provider, Broadview Networks, also
made the Yes Men remove all mention of Exxon from TheYesMen.org
before they'd restore the Yes Men's email service.

The Yes Men assume the complainant was Exxon. "Since parody is
protected under US law, Exxon must think that people seeing the site
will think Vivoleum's a real Exxon product, not just a parody," said
Yes Man Mike Bonanno. "Exxon's policies do already contribute to
150,000 climate-change related deaths each year," added Yes Man Andy
Bichlbaum. "So maybe it really is credible. What a resource!"

After receiving the complaint June 15, Broadview added a "filter"
that disabled the Vivoleum.com IP address (64.115.210.59), and
furthermore prevented email from being sent from the Yes Men's
primary IP address (64.115.210.58). Even after all Exxon logos were
removed from both sites and a disclaimer was placed on Vivoleum.com
on Tuesday, Broadview would still not remove the filter. (The
disclaimer read: "Although Vivoleum is not a real ExxonMobil program,
it might as well be.")

Broadview did restore both IPs on Wednesday, after the Vivoleum.com
website was completely disabled and all mention of Exxon was removed
from TheYesMen.org.

While this problem is temporarily resolved, the story is far from
over. Meanwhile, though, two bigger problems loom, for which we're
asking your help:

1. THE YES MEN'S SERVER NEEDS A NEW HOME.

Broadview Networks provides internet connectivity to New York's
Thing.net and the websites and servers it hosts, including the Yes
Men's server. Thing.net has been a host for many years to numerous
activist and artist websites and servers.

At the end of July, Thing.net will terminate its contract with
Broadview and move its operations to Germany, where internet
expression currently benefits from a friendlier legal climate than in
the US, and where baseless threats by large corporations presumably
have less weight with providers. At that time, the Yes Men and two
other organizations with servers "co-located" at Thing.net will need
a new home for those servers. Please write to us if you can offer
such help or know of someone who can.

2. THE YES MEN NEED A SYSADMIN.

The Yes Men are desperately in need of a sysadmin. The position is
unpaid at the moment, but it shouldn't take much time for someone who
knows Debian Linux very well. It involves monitoring the server,
keeping it up-to-date, making sure email is working correctly, etc.
The person could also maintain the Yes Men's website (which will be
updated next week), if she or he wants.

Thing.net also needs a sysadmin: someone living in New York who knows
Linux well. The Thing.net position involves some money and the
rewards of working for an organization that has consistently and at
great personal risk supported groups like the Yes Men over the years.

THE YES MEN AND THING.NET THANK YOU!

THE YES MEN CRASH OIL EXPO - propose burning disaster victims for Fuel

For press and booking requests please click here:

Last Thursday 300 oil industry bigwigs at GO-EXPO (Canada's largest oil conference) heard an outrageous plan to "keep the fuel flowing" in the face of catastrophic climate change and natural disasters. The idea? Use disaster victims' corpses for fuel of course!

Exxon Mobil exec "Florian Osenberg" said not to worry about the future millions of dead people, mainly poor, because they would provide "feedstock" for Vivoleum, a new energy source distilled from human flesh. National Petroleum Council rep Shepherd Wolff called it the renewable resource the industry has been needing: "Something like whales, but more abundant."

Osenberg and Wolf explained that Vivoleum works in perfect synergy with Exxon. "The company's expanded fossil fuel production will lead to catastrophic climate change, resulting in migration and conflicts that would likely disable pipelines and oil wells, thus ceasing the production and transport of food, and starving humanity."

Osenberg continued, "Wouldn't it be equally cruel and tragic for all those corpses to go to waste, instead of being turned into fuel for the rest of us?

Commemorative candles made of Vivoleum, supposedly obtained from the flesh of an Exxon janitor who died while cleaning up a toxic spill, were lit and passed around by the rapt audience. It wasn't until viewing a video tribute featuring a janitor pleading to be rendered into candles after his death that Osenberg and Wolff were forcibly escorted from the stage.

Too bad that the conference organizers didn't realize Osenberg and Wolff were really master hoaxers THE YES MEN. The Yes Men are Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, two culture jammers who regularly impersonate executives from the world's nastiest corporations, then get themselves invited to speak at conferences on their behalf. While in the spotlight they exercise "identity correction" by telling the truths that the companies would never admit. www.theyesmen.org

Liz Cole is booking speaking dates for Andy and Mike for fall 2007 and winter/spring 2008. Yay! Bring them to your town, and they will share unreleased video, secrets and stories from their latest exploits. which will be featured in the new film, slated for festival release in 2008.

Text of speech, photos, video: http://www.vivoleum.com/event/

GO-EXPO statement: http://newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2007/14/c5086.html

press links:

BOING BOING: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/15/yes_men_crash_oil_ex.html

WIRED: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/yes_men_strike_.html

SCOOP: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0706/S00281.htm

DAILY KOS: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/14/214445/536

The Yes Men Need Your Help!

Foul plans are in the works with culture jammers The Yes Men. In just under two weeks, Andy and Mike will speak on behalf of what may be the world's nastiest company, at a very important conference.

Remember when The Yes Men rolled out the Halliburton Survivaball to insurance industry lawyers, extended the Management Leisure Suit of the Future to textile bigwigs, and went on BBC World TV to clarify DOW's feelings on the mess they made in Bhopal?

Well their newest plans are weirder, more tasteless and more elaborate than ever. But they need your help to pull it off. Why? Let's just say that two hundred stinky-poo props don't come cheap.

If you can help, please go here. (ignore the part about shipping and sales tax).

And, go to G8 tv for all the sizzling hot riot porn - no, really, news you won't see anywhere else - about the G8 summit in Heiligendamm.

Not that I am bitter about not being there. Certainly not I.

Lance Weiler joins Evil Twin and Lost Film Fest takes California

Lance Weiler - critically acclaimed award winning writer and director, tech iconoclast, digital media pioneer and Alternate Reality Gaming visionary - has just joined Evil Twin Booking for college speaking tours. Yay! Weiler's interactive presentations are a free survival kit for artists and mediamakers of all stripes who are rethinking and navigating the changing landscape of content creation, media consumption, and distribution.

And, Lost Film Fest has some incredible screenings in California coming up these next two weeks. Lost Film Fest is a performance that incorporates politically charged and humorous short films by folks like The Yes Men and the TV Sheriff. You'll also see pieces on radical urban sustainability, bike shenanigans, as well as news that doesnt make the news. The program is VJ'd and hosted by Scott Beibin (Evil Twin Booking Agency guy and mastermind of the Jerry Springer episode with JP of The Locust). Looky here:

UPCOMING SHOWS

May 17 Thu
Summerland @ Luna Cafe
2345 Lillie Ave. | 8pm | $5-10 donation

May 18 Fri
Isla Vista @ UC Santa Barbara /Isla Vista Theater
960 Embarcadero Del Norte | 8pm | $4
presented by Magic Lantern Films (www.magiclanternfilms.org) and HCSB 91.9FM

May 19 Sat
Santa Cruz @ UCSC - 1156 High St. | FREE
biofuels conference and sustainable transportation expo
noon-6 conference
6-7pm vegan dinner
8pm Lost Film Fest

May 24 Thu
San Francisco @ Chez Poulet | 3359 Cesar Chavez St @ Mission | 8pm | $5-10 donation

May 26 Sat
Oakland @ AK Press - 674-A 23rd St (near Greyhound station)| 7:30 | $5-10 donation

May 27 Sun
CA, Berkeley @ 924 Gilman St. | 5pm | $3 | Lost Film Fest Afternoon Matinee

Video blogger Josh Wolf is out of jail!

Yay! See here (CNET), here, and here .

And, Josh Wolf posted the entire video he shot of the anti-G8 protest in San Francisco to his blog. (Allow a bit of time for it to load). He will not have to testify before the grand jury about the events at the protest or the identities of its participants.

More news to come after the press conference! Woo hoo.

Slouching home from Bethlehem...

We are finally back from SXSW. This year Gay bi Gay Gay, the Todd P shows, and all the other free events totally overshadowed SXSW. I don't know where to begin, so here are some highlights: We added the 999 EYES CARNIVAL OF THE DAMNED to the Evil Twin family, and went marauding with That Damned Band. We reconnected with Lance Weiler and huddled with intimidatingly brilliant people from Second Life and Upcoming.org at the Creative Commons / GOOD magazine party. Scott performed LOST FILM FEST with wonderful, adorable SCREAM CLUB and THE PASTIES at 2105 Comal in beautiful East Austin.

Unfortunately I was accosted by the one thing capable of ruining that night - a scruffy, sullen, unknown lout who tried to put his arm around me and dance way too close during Scream Club's set. You'd think creepy gropey guys would steer clear of pansexual rap shows...I guess not.

The infamous Justin Pearson / Scott Beibin Jerry Springer episode

So, I just posted the Jerry Springer Episode Scott Beibin was on here with the full back story..

LOST FILM FEST

Scott went on the show awhile ago with Justin Pearson (The Locust, Some Girls, Ground Unicorn Horn, Swing Kids, Struggle, etc) and other friends ALysia and Christine....So, we finally posted all the shirt-ripping, chair-throwing , making-out ridiculousness.

Enjoy!!!

How things work

I'm late on this. So sue me. It takes time to readjust from Sundance. The altitude, the watery alcohol, the late-late nights and early mornings, trophy wives in fur outfits, A, B, C and Z list celebrities, and desperate hangers-on looking to get noticed for something can make one weary.

Last week YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley announced that the site will start sharing the spoils of ad revenue with some of its producers and posters of user-generated content. Hurley didn't give specific reasons for YouTube's new desire to pay for what it's been given freely, thus joining the ranks of similar sites like Revver.com and Break.com. It's worth noting that Hurley's announcement came hot on the heels of a subpoena from FOX demanding the identity of a person who uploaded pirated episodes of the Fox television network shows "24" and "The Simpsons." Of course it's easy to post anonymously on YouTube, and even if subpoenas urge the site to use server tracking on posters of copyright protected videos, anonymizer programs can make finding them difficult or impossible.

However, a more reliable way to track someone is to give them money and see where it ends up.

Hurley didn't give a model or timeline for introducing payment. One would assume it's made per download, or per ad click, like Revver.com. On the bright side, this could be a incentive for producers of popular videos to improve YouTube's signal to noise ratio.