Monday, May 26, 2008

flippyknows


the first and only Wifi party in the Philippines
Araw ng Kalayaan
June 12, 2008, Thursday
7pm onwards
10:30 pm is Open Mic!
222 Wilson St. My Little Art Place Gallery, San Juan

This event is brought to you by

B.I.T.A.W.
(Being Inspired Through Active Wonder)

in cooperation with
My Little Art Place
and
DAKILA
(Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism)

For more info, log in to www.flippyknows.com or e-mail flippyknows@gmail.com

Cindy's is the place to be

DAKILA has found a new home at 14B Scout Limbaga, Brgy. Laging Handa, Timog, Quezon City. A shared space with some of our artist-members, Cindy’s (yeah, that’s what we call the place) is DAKILA’s new home/office/headquarters/production house/tambayan. So, to all DAKILA members, watch out for our housewarming party this June. We will keep you posted on the final date and time.

Meanwhile, here’s our wish list and must have for our new home. [Ehem, in short, sana may maantig sa inyong puso at magdonate kayo….]


1. chairs [tatlo lang po ang monoblock chairs na nage-exist sa cindy’s, yong 2 dun ay tinakas pa mula sa bahay ng isang member]
2. table [office table, working table at kahit anong table basta may makainan, mapatungan ng stuff at ano pang pwedeng gawin sa table]
3. sofa [bagay kasi na may sofa sa receiving area – naks! receiving area!]
4. any old furniture na sa tingin niyo mapapakinabangan sa office.
5. computer or laptop [kahit luma basta capable ng powerpoint, pagemaker at photoshop, sige na nga kahit i-mac pwede na J]
6. printer [sana yong matipid sa ink]
7. scanner
8. fax machine
9. photocopier or risograph [naks!]
10. electric fans [please! ang init talaga so we need at least 2 electric fans. Aircon sana kaso wala kaming pambayad ng kuryente.]
11. cork board
12. white board
13. office supplies [bond paper, folders, envelopes, stapler, scissors, manila paper, pens, puncher, lahat ng magagamit sa office ]
14. filing cabinet or shelf [lagayan ng sandamukal na files at anik-anik]
15. file boxes
16. digital camera [wow, wish namin ‘to para madocument lahat ng dakila activities]
17. lcd projector [wow, mas matinding wish namin ‘to para may magamit sa mga film showing sa schools, communities, etc.]
18. sound system [now, we can have all the concerts we want anywhere, sandali nakecarried away na ako…]
19. curtains o blinds [ seryoso, walang kurtina yong office]
20. landline and internet connection [mura na lang ngayon – P700/month baka mahabag ka at mag-sponsor ng kahit 1 month lang]
21. web hosting [hmm, may domain name na, web hosting na lang which is around P1,500 to P1,800 per quarter, hehe]
22. plants [ para naman marefill ng oxygen ang brain cells ng mga tao. Atsaka, maganda maglagay ng plants sa harap para homey ang dating]
23. cleaning materials [seryoso, kailangan din nito to maintain the chaotic cleanliness of Cindy’s – mop, broom, cleansing solution, etcetera]
24. lots of throw pillows, banig, carpet, bean bags, etc. [para may maupuan, mahigaan, mapagmeetingan ang mga members]
25. cash! Para di ka na mahirapan mag-isip. Seryoso. Cash donations to dakila are very much welcome. We exist through the commitment and dedication of our members pero your financial support will really help fund our projects. Yahu!

For cash or check donations, you may deposit to:

DAKILA-Phillippine Collective for Modern Heroism Inc.
Savings Account No. 3570047800
Banco de Oro Loyola Heights-Katipunan

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Sunday Silence 7


consistent
agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory; constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc.; holding firmly together; cohering; fixed; firm

Sunday Silence 7
May 25, 2007, Sunday, 3pm till sunset,
at the Baywalk Stretch across Malate Church,
Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

The Sunday Silence is a year long activity [November 2007-November 2008] that happens every third Sunday of the month. Conceptualized by Ronnie Lazaro of DAKILA and Gang Badoy of Rocked Philippines, the Sundays of Silence reflects the current state of this generation. The activity itself (whether a Sunday Silence or a Sunday Siren) is a statement in itself. It is a gathering of individuals to express their stands on various social issues and concerns. Sunday Silence is a collective rehearsal against apathy.

Together with Rocked Philippines and Lomo Manila, the 7th Sunday Silence is a test of consistency to our advocacies and beliefs. Every third Sunday of the month, we gather, wear blue, discuss/talk among ourselves issues, concerns that we are passionate about then when the sun begins to set, we stand facing the sunset, enjoy the majestic view and the few minutes of silence. That is our statement.

The 7th Sunday Silence is all about consistency. We have done 7 Sundays and 5 more to go. Our goal is to form a line along the whole stretch of Baywalk from CCP to US Embassy. Our objective for the 7th Sunday is to be consistent to our principles, call, stand, advocacy, concept and belief.

So, we call on all DAKILA members (old and new) and invite the public to join us for the 7th Sunday of Silence. We will gather at around 3pm.

For the new members of DAKILA and for those interested to be part of DAKILA, please come for the orientation session that will be held there. We would also like you to meet your fellow DAKILA members.
For more info, e-mail dakila.philippines@yahoo.com or text 09054292539.

You can also visit the following sites:

http://www.dakila.org.ph
http://www.dakilacollective.multiply.com

Thursday, May 01, 2008

working class heroes

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world. The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, and is a commemoration for those involved in the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, Illinois. As the culmination of three days of labor unrest in the United States, the Haymarket incident was a source of outrage and admiration from people around the globe.

DAKILA salutes the Filipino Workers whose toils and sweat oil the wheels of our economy. We are with the workers in the struggle for the protection and advancement of labor rights and welfare and the uplift of labor dignity.

Working Class Hero
by John Lennon


As soon as you're born they make you feel smallBy giving you no time instead of it allTill the pain is so big you feel nothing at allA working class hero is something to beA working class hero is something to be
They hurt you at home and they hit you at schoolThey hate you if you're clever and they despise a foolTill you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rulesA working class hero is something to beA working class hero is something to be
When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd yearsThen they expect you to pick a careerWhen you can't really function you're so full of fearA working class hero is something to beA working class hero is something to be
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TVAnd you think you're so clever and class less and freeBut you're still fucking peasants as far as I can seeA working class hero is something to beA working class hero is something to be
There's room at the top they are telling you stillBut first you must learn how to smile as you killIf you want to be like the folks on the hillA working class hero is something to beA working class hero is something to beIf you want to be a hero well just follow meIf you want to be a hero well just follow me


*The song "Working Class Hero" is a classic exposition of the humiliation of being a worker in such settings as home, school, and work. John Lennon, though himself a millionaire many times over, has nonetheless here identified with the plight of working masses and himself arrived at full class consciousness when he sings that: "There's room at the top they are telling you still, but first you must learn how to smile as you kill, if you want to be like the folks on the hill." (from www.worldsocialism.org)
*Regarded as one of John Lennon's most caustic and overtly political songs, "Working Class Hero" explores themes of alienation and social status from childhood to adulthood, and comments on elements that "distract you from your fate": In 2007,
Green Day contributed a cover of the song to the Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, which was released on June 12, 2007, proceeds from which help support Amnesty International's campaign to focus attention on the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. When asked why they chose the song, front man Billie Joe Armstrong said, "We wanted to do 'Working Class Hero' because its themes of alienation, class, and social status really resonated with us. It's such a raw, aggressive song -- just that line: 'you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see' -- we felt we could really sink our teeth into it. I hope we've done him justice.". Blind Melon covered the song in many of their live shows. Marilyn Manson covered it on his 2000 single "The Fight Song." Ozzy Osbourne recorded a version for his 2005 collection Under Cover. (from wikipedia.org)

WORKERS OF THE WORLD, AWAKEN
By Joe Hill (1914)

Workers of the world, awaken!Break your chains. demand your rights.AII the wealth you make is takenBy exploiting parasites.Shall you kneel in deep submissionFrom your cradles to your graves?ls the height of your ambitionTo be good and willing slaves?
CHORUS:

Arise, ye prisoners of starvation!Fight for your own emancipation;Arise, ye slaves of every nation.In One Union grand.Our little ones for bread are crying,And millions are from hunger dying;The end the means is justifying,
'Tis the final stand.


If the workers take a notion,They can stop all speeding trains;Every ship upon the oceanThey can tie with mighty chains.Every wheel in the creation,Every mine and every mill,Fleets and armies of the nation,Will at their command stand still.


Join the union, fellow workers,Men and women, side by side;We will crush the greedy shirkersLike a sweeping, surging tide;For united we are standing,But divided we will fall;Let this be our understanding --"All for one and one for all.''


Workers of the world, awaken!Rise in all your splendid might;Take the wealth that you are making,It belongs to you by right.No one will for bread be crying,We'll have freedom, love and health.When the grand red flag is flyingIn the Workers' Commonwealth.


A songwriter, itinerant laborer, and union organizer, Joe Hill became famous around the world after a Utah court convicted him of murder. Even before the international campaign to have his conviction reversed, however, Joe Hill was well known in hobo jungles, on picket lines and at workers' rallies as the author of popular labor songs and as an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) agitator. Thanks in large part to his songs and to his stirring, well—publicized call to his fellow workers on the eve of his execution—"Don't waste time mourning, organize!"—Hill became, and he has remained, the best—known IWW martyr and labor folk hero.

Hill became more famous in death than he had been in life. To Bill Haywood, the former president of the Western Federation of Miners and the best-known leader of the IWW, Hill wrote: "Goodbye Bill: I die like a true rebel. Don't waste any time mourning, organize! It is a hundred miles from here to Wyoming. Could you arrange to have my body hauled to the state line to be buried? I don't want to be found dead in Utah." Apparently he did die like a rebel. A member of the firing squad at his execution claimed that the command to "Fire!" had come from Hill himself.

After a brief service in Salt Lake City, Hill's body was sent to Chicago, where thousands of mourners heard Hill's "Rebel Girl" sung for the first time, listened to hours of speeches and then walked behind his casket to Graceland Cemetery, where the body was cremated and the ashes mailed to IWW locals in every state but Utah as well as to supporters in every inhabited continent on the globe. According to one of Hill's Wobbly-songwriter colleagues, Ralph Chaplin (who wrote the words to "Solidarity Forever," among other songs), all the envelopes were opened on May 1, 1916, and their contents scattered to the winds, in accordance with Hill's last wishes, expressed in a poem written on the eve of his death:

My body? Ah, if I could choose,I would to ashes it reduce,And let the merry breezes blowMy dust to where some fading flowers grow.
Perhaps some fading flowers thenWould come to life and bloom again.This is my last and final will.Good luck to you.

*Hill was memorialized in a tribute
poem written about him c. 1930 by Alfred Hayes titled "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", sometimes referred to simply as "Joe Hill". Hayes's lyrics were turned into a song in 1936 by Earl Robinson. Joan Baez's Woodstock performance of "Joe Hill" in 1969 is the most well-known recording. Bob Dylan claims that Hill's story was one of his inspirations to begin writing his own songs. His song "I dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" is loosely based around the story and Robinson's version. The Nightwatchman (a.k.a. Tom Morello, former guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) refers to Joe Hill in his song "The Union Song". For Rage Against the Machine's second Album, Evil Empire, a suggested reading list was included. Included is the biography Joe Hill written by Gibbs M. Smith. (from wikipedia.org)