who's in control now?

So we all know that the world is being run by giant corporations--but did you ever want to visualize these interconnections? Here to bring us the lowdown is They Rule. Made by my friend Amy Balkin's husband, Josh On, it allows the viewer to see the myriad ways in which corporate power is both consolidated and overarching. Warning: beware looking at it right before bedtime--it's enough to give you nightmares or run out of your house screaming!

The They Rule links area and Josh's little blog attached to it are a supergreat resource for issues relating to art and political activism, too...

Amy's also done a great project: thisisthepublicdomain.com, documenting her attempt at creating a "permanent international commons"--akin to the British idea of the "commons" (public space) that is slowly being eroded away be private property laws. It's also in line with the idea of the "creative commons"--an anti-copyright movement in which makers/writers register their works as being available for use or modification, similar to how the UNIX programming language is available for all.

All this writing on controlling powers is making me think of the striking French workers right now, where up to 30% of public workers have walked out, and it's amazing how the French have such a strong cultural understanding of worker's rights. They strike incredibly often and it's sort of a given that they may turn violent and aggressive. As opposed to the US where we don't have such a culture of labor dissent ingrained in our idea of what's possible. Our forms of picketing and strikes are childs play compared to how the French wind up totally shutting things down every so often!