She writes alot...

This is another arictle she submitted.

Cheers to Living Moderately
-Alexandra Hoefinger

"We could be richer than industry as long as we know that there's things that we don't really need." Other than a slight grammatical error, that line from Willy Mason's song "Oxygen," is brilliant, I say. It extols the simple logic of minimalism that is frequently abandoned or not even considered at all. We as a population are obsessed with having and buying and consuming more things that lead to excess. Its the entire concept of "more" that does us in. Its no new breakthrough that for many people, material goods are the key to inner happiness and self-content. But wouldn't it be lovely if we could all just quit complaining, give more than we take, and reach the frame of mind in which we realize that we've already got everything we need?

I think it comes down to a necessary shift of values, from continuous desire to acquire quantities to an appreciation of anti-consumerism. Its about simply being pleased with what we have and just not wanting more to begin with. Its not like some torturous crash diet in which you still want what you're not letting yourself have, that's just an unhealthy mode of self-restraint.

A few months ago I read an article about a married couple that, for one full year, did not go shopping or purchase any luxury items like movie tickets, hotel rooms, jewelry, etc. They didn't even buy cups of coffee. Obviously they purchased simple food and necessary goods to sustain basic, healthy lifestyles; they just didn't buy any extra frills. I thought this was an amazing accomplishment and it inspired me to test out that same plan for just one month.

It was quite difficult and it did require a bit of brain work at first but in the end it really did make me realize how little I really do need to buy. As expected, I saved substantial amount of money by not spending it on stupid, disposable shit like cups of chai latte, semi-ugly dresses at the Salvation Army, and crappy movies at the mall. This test of anti-consumerism and minimalism also lent itself to an increased value of engaging in real human interaction and relationships. We played a lot of old board games and used our imaginations to stimulate entertainment. Anyway I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I certainly wasn't as successful in living as minimally as I originally set out to do, but it did open my eyes wide to tides of new appreciation for simple things.

Not everyone can or should surrender all of his or her goods in order to adopt the life of a monk or a nun. But living moderately with less excess baggage and making due with what is already there seems to be a morally satisfying way to get by. We have so much that we take for granted. Its long past time that we consider giving more than we take and loving more than we hate.

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Another Article

This is an article my friend Alex submitted to us to be submitted to us to be published in the zine. Read, post comments, think about it.

pantSTOPoverty
<>-Alexandra Hoefinger

Started last year at the hand of my sister's boyfriend, Ben Ramsden, Pants to Poverty is an ethical underwear company that exhibits a 100% transparent line of production. This means that when you purchase a pair of these fairtrade underwear, you can trace each precise step that they go through in the process of manufacturing- from the final product all the way back to the ethical cotton tree plantations at which they were started in India, called Agrocel Pure and Fair Cotton Grower's Association. The message behind the underwear, as stated on the website www.pantstopoverty.com, is that "manmade poverty is a scandal and together we can find beautiful ways to wipe it out."

The pants are more than just trendy black exact rip-offs of Calvin Klein's male and female designs, they are a tool for powerful change in manufacturing and business. Recently a swanky British department store, called Top Shop, rang up Ben's cell phone to offer sales of the pants in its shops. The pants are not sold in any stores yet, but Ben turned down the offer because Top Shop wanted to charge one extra pound per pair for their own profit. The price of the pants is calculated by the price of the cotton, the fair wages of the laborers, the exit tariff in India, and a handful of other factors, but individual profit is not included whatsoever. Therefore Top Shop's one pound profit would not comply with the ethical history of the underwear. But its about negotiating. Ben didn't cut ties with the store, but rather encouraged them to consider less of a profit margin and objectively change its business practices.

The line was launched on a rainy day this past Spring at a demonstration in front of the Royal Exchange, widely known as the heart of London's finance and banking. Over one hundred people of all ages danced around the front steps of the building, wearing nothing but shoes and Pants to Poverty, shouting anti-poverty slogans. Naturally the event drew the press and sizeable crowds and began the progress of public awareness and appeal for the underwear. Not long after that, Pants to Poverty landed a fashion shoot in an ethical magazine in England but the next shipment of underwear had not arrived at the time. When it came down to a panic on the day and hour of the shooting, with no pair of Pants to Poverty for the model to wear, the only option was for Ben to rip off the pair he was wearing and hand them over. To this day, few know the true story behind the crusty pair of underwear modeled in that mag.

It's a gritty, innovative project organized by real human beings with a sincere passion for human rights and ending poverty in creative new ways. They are lovely underwear. Pants to Poverty is all about having a great time while cracking the capitalist whip in the opposite direction! Let's sting those greasy fat fingers and make them listen… change is in our pants!

From the United States, they can be purchased online at the very Zen-like website that features quotes from Mohandas Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Theresa: www.pantstopoverty.com!!!

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An Article Submitted to Us

My Experiences of April Revolution in Nepal

-Gagan Kr. Thapa

Nepal's formalised struggle for democracy is marked by the revolution of 1950, a political manoeuvre coordinated between the Nepali Congress and King Tribhuvan (an ineffective figurehead) to overthrow the Rana regime, which had monopolised political power since 1846. Multi-party democracy with constitutional monarch was established after the King fled to India for refuge and the Nepali Congress conducted a military assault on the Rana state infrastructure. Many of the participants in this rebellion were students who had been exiled to India in 1947 for participating in the student movement Jayatu Sanskritam ('Victory to Sanskrit'). This student movement was the first recorded organised protests by students against the Rana regime. Since then students have been fighting for the democratic movement in Nepal.

In the post-1990 democratic era, student organisations had a co-dependent relation with the parties. In fact, for the first time in political history, it was possible for one's tenure as a student to be the beginning of a guaranteed political career. But also during this period, the students returned to their campuses. Their movements at this time once again became norm-oriented and they contested issues like tuition increases, facility improvement, and petrol and transportation price decreases. They did not have reasons to fight on the ideological grounds, so they agitated for issues that concerned the student population and general public. The nature of these student movements according to the students' convenient description- that they are social movements that served the larger public good- worked on a number of different levels that benefited both the students and politicians. The process of student movements and the discourse around them were exploited as general categories that attempted to perpetuate public commitment to party ideals regardless of whether the parties were presently following those ideals.

It was not until after 2002 when King Gyanendra interfered in the parliamentary process that the role of student movements returned to a value orientation once again. Their mission was to radicalise the discourse of the political parties' movement against regression by taking the risk to make political demands that their more conservative mother organisations (the political parties) did want to take. The students not only saw this as move against the king's autocratic actions but also as an opportunity to carve a space of political autonomy for themselves. It was at this time I was charged with the act of sedition against state for shouting anti-king slogan. The student movement was so spearheaded that it compelled the centrist party like Nepali Congress to remove the constitutional monarchy from its statue.

Coup d'etat that took place in the 1^st February displayed fully in a state of emergency, arrests of party leaders, suspension of fundamental constitutional rights, censorship of media and the return of an absolute monarchy. The political process and activism was in the stagnant phase until the 12 points understanding took place between the Maoists and the political parties thus, making the triangular political conflict a bi-polar. This put the confident among the political activist that together the Maoists and the political parties are in a position to thwart with the monarchy in Nepal. Thus the movement was called by the Seven Party Alliance which was backed-up by the Maoists. This was followed with the intense repression and curfews for almost 19 days which people of Nepal defied and were vowed to overthrow the institution of monarchy once and for all. April revolution came to an end with the King decision of reinstating the dissolved House of Parliament.

I have personally experienced the April revolution as I have been assigned by my party to ignite the movement in the constituency No. 3 in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. One day prior to the indefinite strike, I was addressing a corner meeting. We were only twelve participants and I personally thought that this struggle would be another episode for three years long struggle. On the day of the strike, people were scared but we managed to enter the prohibit zone. Two young guys who were just in front of me sustained rubber bullets. But we continued our protest. Second day of the general strike was unbelievable as thousands and thousands of people came to streets completely ignoring the curfew orders, peacefully rallying in different parts of the country. I started to move at time when curfew was lifted for limited time and could see that people were participating more and more. I managed to evade arrest and addressed nine mass meetings in a week's time.

Then government was losing its hope and was applying every possible measure of repression like deployment of excessive forces, brutal tortures and in fact, it was fuelling the movement. The news was coming out from different parts of the country; people were their leaders themselves. They did not have directives from the leaders but even though they participated wholeheartedly. When the "Ring Road Gherao (Circling City)" program was announced by the seven party alliances, million people turned up. I personally walked for almost eight hours which was continued the next day as well. King Gyanendra finally vowed thus reinstating the parliament that was dissolved in 2002.

I went on to different parts of the city even during the time of curfew igniting the mass for the complete revolution. In my experience, April revolution has been fundamentally different to that of the revolution of the past as this movement was spearheaded by the alliance of seven political parties largely supported by the middle class Nepalese and the Maoists largely supported by the rural mass and peasants. This was a unique combination that established the importance of non-violent movement in Nepal. However; the mandate of the April revolution is less likely to be materialised as the political parties are derailing the process of going to the election of constituent assembly election. "Democratic Republic Nepal" was the mandate of the April revolution and if not materialised, Nepal is likely to move forward for the 3^rd round of political revolution which would be largely led by the youth of present generation. What I really experienced from this movement is the strength of non-violence, hunger for change of the Nepalese people and finally display of Nepalese character that was ready to give its life to buy liberty.

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Update

So this week's meeting is again at Rob's. I'll be posting the usual info towards the end of this entry. I hope everyone has something written. I haven't gotten a chance to rewrite my article, but everyone who was at the last meeting got a chance to read it and I got a positive reaction to it. When its completely rewritten I will post it on the blog so everyone can make comments. Also please bring donations of money, food and/or clothing. The meeting is Wednesday 10:30PM at Rob's.

Here's the usual info:

Apartment 274 Knox Village Complex New Windsor, NY 12553

Apparently, mapquest doesn't give very good directions. So we made our own:
From 5 corners in Vails Gate, go north on 94. Make right onto Marshall Drive (1st road after Hanaford) take that all the way down until stop sign where you can only make a right or left, make left. Apartment is on the right, bottom Apartment #274.

Hit Rob up for help with Directions: (845) 781-0984

Hope to see everyone there

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