the guy by the door …

Mako Hill

Eben Moglen, President of the Software Freedom Law Center made some interesting remarks about why Free Software managed to get as far as it did, whereas other works have suffered more damage. Basically, software was easy to protect because there was not a prior body of law rigidly defining property rights. Other works are covered by pre-existing long standing law.

Meeting in Pound Hall [where Registration also happens] with a few sessions in the Ames Courtroom in AUstin Hall, It is really quite exciting. I don’t multi-task as well as the young people so my reporting will lag a bit, but you can follow the action through streams on the conference website. The conference will continue through this afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday. Y’all come! It does cost money. People with employers that respect them could ask for professional development money? Details are on the conference website.

Jimbo Wales talk gave a much richer picture of the political economy/sociology/cognitive model of the organization behind Wikipedia and related projects. It is much more realistic than catch phrases that appear in the news. At the same time, Wales has built what is overwhelmingly a volunteer organization and seems to understand that he has to take direction from them as well as give it. It is a relatively open communication model. Very different from … oh … say … the Harvard College Library. I’ll go into this in more detail in time.

My apologies to the folks in Harvard’s Lamont, Littauer, and Widener Libraries. I misjudged my time and didn’t get to invite y’all personally.

I must further apoligize! I should have invited everybody in Havard College Library. Heck Harvard University Library. Heck alll 5000 members of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers. Ok Derek, you can come too.

Randy.f

Union steward AFSCME local 3650

Out of Iraq Caucus Press Conference, July 13, 2006. It is now day 25.
July 28, 2006

Dear Randy,

We have exciting news to share with you today! After being rebuffed in our numerous attempts to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, including setting up “Camp Al-Maliki” across from the Iraqi Embassy and publishing an open letter to him in one of the largest Iraqi newspapers, we received an amazing invitation: Five members of the Iraqi Parliament who are working on a Reconciliation Plan to end the violence in their country contacted us. Moved by the commitment of the long-term fasters and dismayed by their prime minister’s refusal to meet with us, these parliamentarians asked us to join them in Amman, Jordan next week to discuss their Reconciliation Plan, on condition that we break our long-term fast with them!

Capitol police remove Medea Benjamin from the House gallery after she disrupted a speech by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Capitol on July 26, 2006, as the prime minister addressed a joint meeting of Congress. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

Code Pink cofounder Medea [Μήδεια] Benjamin interrupted the speech of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shouting from the House vistor’s gallery, “Iraqis want the troops to leave, bring them home now! Listen to the Iraqis!”. She was referring to an op-ed in the July 20 Washington Post by Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie, “The eventual removal of coalition troops from Iraqi streets will help the Iraqis, who now see foreign troops as occupiers rather than the liberators they were meant to be.” In the speech Benjamin interrupted, al-Maliki appealed for more money and troops clearly identifying Iraq as part of the war on terror. He made no mention of Hezbollah, Lebanon, or Israel. Benjamin, 54 of San Francisco, was lifted from her seat by officers and carried out.

You go, girl!

The text of al-Rubaie’s Washington Post op-ed and Benjamin’s commentary available at After Downing Street.

Code Pink’s coverage.

For me, ‘unthinkable” usually means thermonuclear war, but for the Black Commentator it refers to the threat to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

————

The unpleasant truths of this political moment are:

1. Renewable portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) seem increasingly likely to die in the Congress this session.

2. Recent Supreme Court decisions indicate the court is inclined to “interpret” permanent provisions of the Voting Rights Act into meaninglessness.

3. Democrats in the US. House and Senate seem disinclined to fight very hard for the voting rights of blacks, and;

4. With no superpower rival on the international scene and the domestic mass movement disbanded and sent home a generation ago, the powers that be face little or no meaningful consequences at home or abroad for killing the VRA.

——-

The full article includes a brief and cogent history of voter disenfranchisement in the south. The Associated Press reports that the Senate passed renewal of the Act 98-0. Last week the House passed renewal 390-33. Bush vowed to sign it in his speech before the NAACP. I can’t tell exactly how intact the Act is and how significant it is. The AP report mentions that the “preclearance” by the Department of Justice of changes to voting procedures in specified southern states has survived challenge by sourthern lawmakers. But with the current DOJ [under Alberto ‘torture guy’ Gonzales], how much protection is this? On the other hand, the renewal has a life of 25 years and might mean more down the road.

As part of the International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantanamo, Brookline Peace Works gathered gathered in front of the Holyoke Center.

On the map: The World Doesn’t Need Another Unjust War

Later they presented the film “The Road to Guantanamo” at the Democracy Center [45 Mt Auburn St] . There will be another free showing at:

The Coolidge Corner Library
31 Pleasant St
Brookline

When I was on the edge of hell, I did not know Reverend Earl Kooperkamp of St. Mary’s parish. His Witness Against Torture brings back some of the rare good moments of that time.

You can help the detainees prisoners of an illegal, unjust, unnecessary war by contributing to the Center for Constitutional Rights whose lawyers work to help the Guantanamo prisoners.

Have you ever showed a co-worker how to perform a task at work? Have you ever been asked to look over someone else’s work? If so, the Bush appointed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is poised to make a decision which could affect your right to join a union.

Jobs with Justice has the full story….

I am a registered girlie man. Anybody have problem with that?

Join the Troops Home Fast!To pledge your commitment to fast: June 29, 2006 Dear Randy, The Bush administration has repeatedly stated that when the Iraqis stand up, our soldiers will stand down. But when the Iraqi government and several armed groups tried to stand up by unveiling a serious reconciliation plan, the U.S. government scuttled this plan by forcing them to eliminate two key aspects of the original proposal—the withdrawal of U.S. troops and amnesty for Iraqis not involved in the killing of civilians. Click here to read more. A courageous number of people, however, have decided to implement their own peace process: U.S. soldiers who are refusing to fight in this war. On Tuesday, CODEPINK participated in actions all over the country to support the first officer who refused to deploy to Iraq, Lt. Ehren Watada. “A war can end when the soldiers choose to stop fighting it,” Lt. Watada said when he announced his decision to resist. He is joined in his resistance by Army Specialist Suzanne Swift, who refused to deploy with her Army unit to Iraq; she is now being held in Ft. Lewis and needs our support. These two brave soldiers are joined by hundreds of U.S. military personnel who have gone to Canada to avoid being sent to Iraq, and over 6,400 U.S. military who have deserted their posts. Read Ann Wright’s article here. Lt. Watada’s mom, Carolyn Ho, wrote to CODEPINK, “As a mother, I have evolved from fearing for his safety and for his future to the realization that there is a higher purpose to all that has transpired. My son no longer stands at the crossroads. He has chosen ‘the road less traveled’.” As part of that “road less traveled,” Lt. Watada and his mother have both decided to participate in the Troops Home Fast on July 4, and invite you to join them. The growing list of fasters includes Cindy Sheehan, Dick Gregory, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Graham Nash, Dolores Huerta, Julia Butterfly Hill and over 1,500 more. You can join us in DC or at home; you can fast for one day, one week or leave the process open-ended. Go to www.troopshomefast.org to learn, sign up, or donate funds to make this fast as effective as possible. Let’s stand up with those in the U.S. military who are taking peace into their own hands by refusing to fight. If enough of us stand up, the war-makers will be forced to stand down! Standing tall, Allison, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany P.S. Remember, you can join in many travel opportunities this summer, from a New Orleans work camp to Camp Casey in Crawford to a retreat/spa in Austin. Click here for info. Don’t forget to forward this message to friends check out our online store to get your solidarity “I Support the Troops Home FAST” tshirts, tank tops and buttons!

Last Monday, cartoon voice actor [the Simpsons] Dudley R. Herschbach gave a most[ly – another post] excellent talk on “Einstein as a Student” Why have an actor talk about Einstein? Well it seems that in his troubled youth, Herschbach won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His Nobel Lecture, “Molecular Dynamics of Elementary Chemical Reactions,” is about the then young field of chemical kinetics that is, going beyong what combines with what – getting a “moving picture” of how molecule A interacts with molecule B. His work was both experimental – actually shooting A’s at B’s – and theoretical.This was part of a new summer program called PRISE. Well worth the price of admission [free] and well worth the time. I’ll keep you abreast of future editions.
Note to WordPressinados. This thing not only has bugs, but different bugs in different themes. 🙁

It was close to closing time at Tealuxe, the Harvard Square vessel of high tea adventures. Rachel was on the bridge doing the accounts while John was battaning down the galley. John served me Ti Quan Yin, “The Iron Goddess of Mercy”. It was my second trip of the day. I found the Goddess quite compelling. He had told me the tale of Quan Yin. I must defer retelling that tale for now.

Rachel called down from the bridge. She and John conferred over navigation. I had taken pictures of them but not yet posted here. Rachel offered a few poses. I have no experience with flash and picked the wrong mode, but despite my ineptitude, beauty will out. Even in good hands, on-camera flash is prone to red eyes. I will pursue her with my new Rebel.

A fermata is a note held longer than its normal value. It is denoted by the upside down smile above the note [below the word]. The bottom of the shirt says, “Hold Me”. Sadly, I’m probably older than her father and should understand this figuratively.

On September 11, 2001 Vice President Cheney issued an order to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air after the nationwide grounding. [The 911 Commission report suggests that that order was too late to be of any usefulness.] Recently on PBS, Frontline documented how Cheney pushed through the NeoCon “War on Terror” over the objections of CIA Director George Tenet.

Cursor.org linked reviews that accuse Frontline of overlooking CIA missteps and George Tenet’s own deportment. Frontline definitely mentioned both. Whether they gave them short shrift is a matter of judgement.
The program, which originally aired on Tuesday June 20, is still available online.

In the recent anti-immigrant frenzy, Mario Rodas, an honor student who graduated last year from Chelsea High School, was detained by immigration and is currently facing deportation. Mario moved to Chelsea with his family from Guatamala at age 12. He has no criminal record. Given the troubles the Chelsea Schools have had, tgbtd wonders if it’s good for Chelsea to let go of such a promising young man. The We Are Mario campaign thinks not. SLAM is joining them. Hop over and give a hand?

The guy by the door missed this call on Wednesday from S.E.I.U 615 to support Harvard janitors laid off for the summer. Fortunately, SLAM was on the case:

——

RALLY TO SUPPORT HARVARD JANITORS!

Every year the Unicco Service Company at Harvard temporarily lays off several
janitors and during this period the janitors lose their health insurance.

Many of the workers have children and it’s dangerous for them to be without
insurance.

Join in solidarity with the janitors from SEIU Local 615 to say:

STOP PLAYING WITH OUR HEALTH!
CONSISTENT HEALTH COVERAGE FOR ALL!

—-

Unicco’s labor practices were the subject of the hunger strike at University of Miami this spring. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any of my own coverage of Wednesday’s rally and the Crimson didn’t cover it. However, the SLAM Website has gone to “community portal” software. Anyone who went to the rally can hop over to the site, create an account* and post an article. There is no substitute for a good rally, but why get as much mileage as you can out of it?

*The account create function works. Thanks to the Havard Computer Society.

Thanks to j of the Thursday Bloggroup at the Berkman Center for pointing out the upcoming Grassroots Use of Technology 2006 right near my home at Umass Mandela*. The center of mass of the conference will probably be a quasi-liberal optimism about the possibility of reversing the ever greater concentration of wealth and power with it’s concomitant/enabling control of the mainstream media. Still I will go to see if as Marx once said to Friedrich Engels, “there is something we can use.”** Further, I will urge others to go. At the same time, I will urge folks to keep an eye on the “net neutrality” legislation in Congress. Verizon and cohorts may claim to own the pipes, but we’re letting them use our right of way. The grass roots have a right to water flowing through pipes on public land. Should you wish to add your voice, Save the Internet is a good site.

*I refer, of course, to the almost forgotten proposal that the poor and disenfranchised of Boston would be better served if they seceded and renamed Roxbury, Dorchester, and parts of the South End. after the Nobel Peace Prize winning South African leader Nelson Mandela. I was not sure if I remembered the geographical boundaries correctly and the current Wikipedia entry does not mention Dorchester, but Websters Online does.
**I greatly admire Marx and am informed by him, but his critique of science, while bold for his day, is, in the light of subsequent developments, naive. I will show that the notion of ‘Natural Law’ in and of itself has marketing/political component, but I need to elaborate the Greenberger Universe to do that. Also, I am significantly skeptical of Marx and his derivatives’ eschatology.

We’ve been getting ready for you.

And we’re glad to do it, but here’s the thing. We need to live. That pretty much means we need a living wage. Some of y’all worked on that as did some of today’s graduates. The new bunch changed the name to Student Labor Action Movement [SLAM]. I understand that each generation of students has to have it’s own sense of contribution, but the idea that they alone can transform Harvard permanently is probably a bit of infantile omnipotence. Certainly leaving y’all out of the picture [as they pretty much did this year] makes no sense.

Anyhow, the Dining Service Workers, represented by Unite-HERE! Local 26, are coming up on contract renewal [June 19]. There is apparently a tentative contract agreement. Administration, no doubt, wanted to put the best possible spin on this for y’all. Harvard’s PR machine also cooked up this new bit for y’all. SLAM doesn’t have quite the same resources as administration :), so give them a bit to come up with their response.

SLAM has pointed out on their list that the tentative agreement says nothing about summer employment. Without new language in the contract, most of Harvard’s cooks will not work during the summer and thanks to the Bush administration [there’s that ugly word again] they cannot collect unemployment. Long ago, Dining Service workers could bid on other summer jobs on campus. Harvard administration no longer allows that.

There is another point in the tentative agreement that SLAM has not looked at yet. Joe Wrinn cites $31,000/year as the average salary. Is that an actual $31,000 or is it $23,250 for nine months ANNUALIZED! Lest you think I’m just being picky, administration did something like the latter with the HUCTW contract. They claimed a 4.5%/year increase for the first year, but it would not take effect until 4 months into the contract. In dollar terms that worked out to 2.8% which was about the the rate of inflaltion at the time of contract negotiation. Subsequent oil shock inflation pushed our “raise” into the negative in real terms.

So I hope y’all enjoy your visit. Sorry about the whether. I told Sally to order up some better whether, but she’s the last one to listen to the employees. Anyhow, I hope y’all will keep an eye on things over the summer. We won’t have as much student support so your help is unusually important.

Thanks.

Not quite the picture described by Billy Joel, occupants of the the houses in the Yard move out on completion of their first year at Harvard. In many cases, they have the help of Harvard parents. In other cases, they call on professionals:

I stopped by OPML camp in Austin Hall today. It reminded me of my days at Intermetrics working on the Ada Integrated Environment. It was supposed to be a full suite of tools for writing software. Ada was conceived as a “broad spectrum” language – a kind of a Swiss Army knife approach to language design. While most compilers to that time had two ends – front and back – AIE had three with the included “middle end” so the translation from ‘high level language’ to naked bits passed through not one but two intermediate languages [IL’s]. The front end obeyed then current design principles – one did not write a parser, but rather a parser generator which then wrote the parser. But to be a little more than modern the two IL’s were written and read not by hand written modules, but by modules generated by programs. These latter were, unfortunately, of necessity touched by human hands.

The first $4,000,000 bought a compiler which could compile The Null Program. This is the program that loads into memory, does nothing, and achieves a normal [non-error] exit. And this feat was only possible because Seth Tucker Taft stayed up all night the night before the brass came, massaging each of the various intermediate forms by hand to get it to jump through the next hoop. [Tucker is a Harvard alum unlike most of his family which went to Yale.]

I’m trying to see that things are better now. I’m having a hard time.

AIE was paid for by the Air Force. I did not like the feeling, but the 60’s were clearly over and I didn’t think I could put off any longer figuring out how to survive in the ruling paradigm. Some people called the AIE a “baby burner.” That was unfair. Those of us who worked on it and still cared about such things called it a “baby burner generator.” That was fair. OPML is clearly not a BB and not clearly a BBG. Some good news. On the other hand, it seems like more and more abstraction layers with associated learning curves. More buttons and dials, less ideas holding it all together. In exchange for this the user gets benefits that are large in anticipation. BUT …

I’m trying to see that things are better now. I’m having a hard time.

If it is not too far past 1:00 P.M you can join in. They have extra robes and hoods in the boxes at their feet. North Yard in front of the Science Center. Of course I know who they arewere.

“>
Organizer Dan Nicolai of S.E.I.U. Local 615 outside UNICCO headquarters in Boston.

TO: Allies & student leaders in Boston area

As you know, janitors are in the 7th week of a strike against UNICCO at the University of Miami. Also, a hunger strike by workers and students has now been going on for 18 days. At least three workers and one student have been hospitalized.

Last week, a group of students occupied the Admissions Office to demand union recognition for striking janitors. More information about student and community actions can be found at www.yeswecane.org

http://www.yeswecane.org/> .

University of Miami President Donna Shalala so far refuses to agree to janitors’ demands for card-check recognition of the union. Workers are demanding card-check instead of an election because UNICCO has already threatened and intimidated workers (this is under investigation by the National Labor Relations Board) and would continue to do so in an election campaign.
Beginning tomorrow (Saturday 4/22) leaders from community, student and religious organizations around the U.S. are going to Miami to meet with the hunger strikers, student leaders, and SEIU President Andy Stern. WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER AN EMERGENCY DELEGATION TO MIAMI, LEAVING ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY AND RETURNING MONDAY. THIS IS AN INVITATION FOR STUDENT LEADERS AT CAMPUSES CLEANED BY UNICCO.

I know it’s a busy time of year, but please consider taking a couple of days to participate in this. If you are interested and/or have questions, please email or contact me at 617-523-6150 ext. 425 or 617-416-8577(cell).

Dan Nicolai
Organizer, SEIU Local 615
——-
Of the two legal routes to Union recognition, card-check is preferred to NLRB [i.e. Bush Administration] supervised elections. UNICCO after weeks of striking and hunger striking has admitted that they have agreed to card check at other sites. The refusal is clearly coming from “liberal” president Donna Shalala. Rumor has it she is on the short list for president of Harvard. Is this any way to run a University?

I was depressed. My friend said, “Cheer up! Things could be worse!” So I cheered up and sure enough – things got worse. Bada bum.
-every comedian in my father’s lifetime.

Just when you think things couldn’t possibly be any worse, they get worse.
-Howard Zinn

But seriously folks, Howard Zinn has been a candle in an – at times – dark life. This invitation is conveyed through the Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice.

On Friday, April 14
Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove are speaking
6:00pm, Northeastern University, Cargill Hall Room 97
(directions below)

As part of the End the War tour, on

THE LOGIC OF WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ

Why the US should pull out now?

1. THE U.S. MILITARY HAS NO RIGHT TO BE IN IRAQ IN THE FIRST PLACE
2. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT BRINGING DEMOCRACY TO IRAQ.
3. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT MAKING THE WORLD A SAFER PLACE BY OCCUPYING IRAQ.
4. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT CONFRONTING TERRORISM BY STAYING IN IRAQ.
5. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT PREVENTING CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ.
6. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT HONORING THOSE WHO DIED BY CONTINUING THE CONFLICT.
7. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT REBUILDING IRAQ.
8. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT FULFILLING ITS OBLIGATION TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE FOR THE HARM AND SUFFERING IT HAS CAUSED.

Come hear the case for complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq from: Howard Zinn is a professor emeritus at Boston University. He is the author of numerous books, including A People’s History of the United States.

Anthony Arnove is the editor of Iraq Under Seige and the co-editor, with Howard Zinn, of Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Anthony is currently on tour promoting his groundbreaking new book, Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal.

Friday, April 14th, 6 pm
Northeastern University School of Law,
Cargill Hall Room 97

(Take the Orange Line to ‘Ruggles’ or the Green Line ‘E’ Train to Northeastern)

Sponsored by THE NEW PRESS, International Socialist Review, Mass Global Action, Lucy Parsons Center, Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition

Contact isoboston@yahoo.com
http://us.f335.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=isoboston@yahoo.com> or
781-551-6649 for information or to co-sponsor the event

Boston Branch
International Socialist Organization
781.551.6649
isoboston@yahoo.com
http://www.socialistworker.org
——–
I have to guard the library until 6:00 PM. I’ll be there as fast as my little Charlie Pass will carry me.

… and the World.

Did or did not the late Larry Summers exhort us to be a global university? Well the net is a bit Amerocentric, but it’s a start. This Harvard SLAM list has been alive with notices about vigourous student action on other campuses. :

• Students at the University of Miami joined with SEIU hunger strikers Wedenesday Feb 12, but were locked out of the Ashe Building.
• Students at the University of Virginia began a sit-in on Wednesday February 12th to demand that the university pay its employees a living wage! [More from IndyMedia Richmond.]
• Students at the University of Colorado are currently on Hunger Strike until the University adopts the Designated Suppliers Program.
• At midnight, police arrested TEN students at the University of California-Riverside for participating in a non-violent civil disobedience demanding that their university adopt a policy ensuring that university apparel and uniforms are produced in factories in which workers are represented by a democratic union and earn a living wage.[ A second round of arrests.][More from LA IndyMedia. and WWW IndyMedia.]
• Students at ColombiaUniversity who are sitting in at the Low Library to demand that Columbia adopt the Designated Suppliers Program, so that collegiate apparel be made in factories where workers have democratic representation. [More from Zach of the Graduate Students Union]

Most support to living wage campaigns at other campaigns[universities?], and complaints to the administration can be done at

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/uvalivingwage/alerts

with the exception of the call to action at Colombia University. I include below a draft of my letter to the president of Colombia; do feel free to use it as a template.

Cheers
K…

Dear Mr. Bollinger,

I am writing to support the struggle of those brave students at Colombia
University who are sitting in at the Low Library to demand that Columbia
adopt the Designated Suppliers Program, so that collegiate apparel be made
in factories where workers have democratic representation, and to which
companies pay enough to allow workers to negotiate for a living wage from
management.

The students claim to have presented this proposal to Columbia in
September and have not seen any action despite going through many meetings
and attempts to work with the University administration. You’ve stated
support for “the goal of promoting basic fairness in wages, working
conditions, and a voice for workers”, and this student request is asking
you to live up to those exemplary principles and to act to make sure those
goals are met.

My thanks, and best wishes,
_______ ________
_______ University

SEIU Local 615 and friends in front of UNICCO Hq. – Boston City hall behind.

Boston Community Leaders and Clergy join Miami workers.

Workers of UNITE HERE! Local 26 supporting the fast. Many workers in this union are cooks.

Picketline reports from Miami that a few of the hunger strikers are having problems with blood pressure and Odalys Rodriguez has been taken to the hospital.