[lbo-talk] To Doug

Chuck Grimes c123grimes at att.net
Sat Oct 22 18:01:23 PDT 2011


I don't try to sell or promote anything. Once or twice a month, I post a link to research I'm engaged in. I do so when I believe that this research may be of interest to members and readers of your list. I cannot see why such postings should be conditioned on my participation in the day-to-day discussion.

Johnathan Nitzan

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Don't get your knickers in a twist.

I had to look up the posting which announced a conference at University of York. Capitalist Mode of Power Oct 20-1.

There is no follow up, like a quick summary or video to watch. I live in Berkeley. I have no way of knowing about what went on in Uni York on Friday. Do you care to fill us in?

Patrick Bond sent an announcement that David Harvey was going to give a lecture at the UCB Geography Dept. I got off my ass and went. One of the best lectures I ever remember. It kept me busy most of the fall watching his reading of Capital.

He taught me something that I've been chewing on ever since, because of the uprising of the Arab Revolutions. What he taught me was how to understand my past and its political failings in the 60s-70s and the promises that might face us if OWS gets further along.

Harvey also taught me how to analyze my current consultant job trying to revitalize a once very active local community organization that had fallen from grace and almost died. Today I got home, much cheered up. This might actually happen, a return to direct service delivery and political action to bind together much of the local disabled community for nearly free. This group has already had several cuts in service and `austerity' measures taken against them.

Now Harvey's kind of information is entirely different than a formal conference in the academy. I've been to several of those where I also learned a fair amount of bioscience. It also had its political dimension, which was never mentioned, which was the use of genetically modified crops and food---and impending disasters as assaults on agriculture around the world.

Also the other night I watched the full panel discussion at Bluestocking bookstore featuring several list members.

So that's my complaint. Show me something more than a conference announcement and an open request for papers. Did you ever post any papers or a link to them you thought were worth reading? Did you ever post a conference summary? See the problem?

CG



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