Feature Archives

Indybay reporter Charles Slay recently noticed copies of Penn & Teller’s TV series, entitled “Bullshit," which began airing on the Showtime cable television channel in January 2003. Each episode of "Bullshit" sets out to debunk a false claim or pseudoscience, such as, alien abduction, spoon bending and creationism. Then came the chapter on “Environmental Hysteria” on the final DVD. In it, Penn Gillette—the duo member who does all the talking—begins attacking the subject of Global Warming. He states, “no one in the scientific community agrees on global warming, the science is inconclusive and no one knows if global warming is a natural fluctuation or not.” According to Slay, Penn neglects to mention experts such as Climatologist Stephen Schneider, Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry Kendel, and the Union of Concerned Scientists Instead, Penn & Teller present as their expert on global warming, as well as all things environmental, statistician Dr. Bjorn Lomborg of Denmark’s Aarhus University. Lomborg is the author of “The Environmental Skeptic,” a book that suggests, through the use of statistics, that environmentalists have greatly exaggerated the effects of pollution, deforestation, and global warming. Lomborg contends that aside from some localized problems, the environment is actually improving. Penn & Teller forget one important fact about Dr. Lomborg’s work, “The Environmental Skeptic” is a highly controversial book within the scientific community. Judging by the criticisms leveled against Dr. Lomborg’s tome by such prominent scientists as Dr.E.O. Wilson and Dr. Norman Meyers of Oxford University the work is not held in high regard. A scathing review of “The Environmental Skeptic” in the January 2002 issue of Scientific American sheds more light on the subject. To present the other side, Penn and Teller call upon journalist Ross Gelbspan. When Gelbspan makes the statement, “1998 was the hottest year on record,” Gillette cuts him of with the sarcastic refrain, ”so we’ve peaked, now what, an ice age?”
Having “debunked” global warming, Penn & Teller segue into the realm of deforestation. To back themselves up they call upon Patrick Moore. Penn & Teller are quick to point out that Moore was a cofounder of Greenpeace, but they fail to mention he now heads an organization called Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. This is a public relations firm whose clients include, among others, the Canadian Pulp & Paper Association and the National Association of Forest Industries. Mr. Moore states that the environmental movement consists of “elitists and morons” and “every tree that’s cut causes a new one to be planted.”
Just to be fair on the subject Penn & Teller decide to ask forest activist Julia Butterfly Hill what she thinks about the state of our forests. In a brief clip Ms. Hill states, “I would rather not see trees cut down for paper.” Gillette then interjects “What would we print medical textbooks on? And what about all of Picasso’s great artworks?” When Charles Slate interviewed Ms. Hill, she told him, “Penn & Teller just took a clip of me”—they didn’t interview her—“and they presented what they wanted.” He asked Ms. Hill to elaborate on her comment about cutting trees for paper and she gave a statement on using recycled paper and alternative sources of pulp, something Penn & Teller might have used. She pointed out that both of her books were printed on 100% recycled paper—presumably medical textbooks could be, as well. Slay's perspective is that the entire episode of “Bullshit” is an attempt to discredit environmentalists in general and global warming in particular. Penn & Teller make a half-hearted attempt at softening their critique by suggesting environmentalists are “well meaning, but naïve.” “It’s noble to want to save the environment, but …” Penn & Teller ignore important information, and select what suits their preconceived notions. They attack opponents on a personal level and misrepresent and oversimplify their positions. A new season of “Bullshit” has begun on Showtime. Penn and Teller declined Charles Slay's invitation to be interviewed for this article- Read More
Disinfopedia reviews "The Skeptical Environmentalist"

9/12/2004: The 6th annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival was held on Saturday, September 11th, as over 20,000 people jammed into Golden Gate Park's Speedway Meadow, from 11AM to 6PM. The day kicked off with yoga in the park at 10am. “Stand Up and Be Counted” was the theme for this year's festival- part of its mission was to engage people to get to the polls and vote. The hosts on stage were dj's from KPFA's Hard Knock Radio, and the show was broadcast live on KPFA from 2-6pm. The festival featured an open-air art gallery of visual artists, a healing arts tent offering massage and yoga, guerrilla theater, a DJ tent, green commercial vendors and food booths, alternative fuel-sourced vehicles and demos, a kid’s zone, bike parking, and info tables of an array of social, environmental and political organizations. Lineup More about the event: Live performances by Spearhead, String Cheese Incident, Gift of Gab, John Butler Trio, and Xavier Rudd had folks dancing between alternating sunshine and fog. Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, Mario Africa, Barbara Lubin, Dennis Kucinich, and a host of Youth Speaks! poets kept things flowing between sets. Despite a 45-minute interruption in the show due to a blown power generator, folks seemed to enjoy the afternoon, check out the dozens of community organizations and “peace/green vendors”, and just hang out—who could complain for a completely free show? Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 8


An afterparty was held that night at Space 550 (550 BARNEVELD (between Industrial & Oakdale St. in Bayshore SF), beginning at 10:00PM. The afterparty featured three rooms of music, ranging from live musicans to breaks, house, downtempo-dub, deep soul, and more. The main stage was a "911 All Star Jam" with Michael Franti and Spearhead, Fire Performance by Blaze & Co., and a variety of decorations and visuals. A Social Justice Forum was planned for Sunday the 12th.
Carpool Info to PTTP | Spearhead Website | Power to the Peaceful Website | 2003 Power to the Peaceful Festival

7/8/2004: Dr. Kurtz's charges were lowered to what his attorney calls "petty larceny," or four counts of mail and wire fraud. Dr. Steve Kurtz, professor of art at SUNY Buffalo and a member of the Critical Art Ensemble, was charged on June 29th by a federal grand jury in Buffalo, New York—not with bioterrorism, as listed on the Joint Terrorism Task Force's original search warrant and subpoenas, but with "petty larceny," in the words of Kurtz attorney Paul Cambria. The laws under which the indictments were obtained cover mail and wire fraud. This is a far cry from the bioterrorism charges originally sought by the District Attorney. Also indicted was Robert Ferrell, head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Public Health. The charges concern technicalities of how Ferrell helped Kurtz to obtain $256 worth of harmless bacteria for one of Kurtz's art projects.

Kurtz was detained as a suspected bioterrorist following the arrival of police at his house due to the death of his wife from cardiac arrest on May 11. When the police arrived, they became suspicious of Kurtz's art supplies and called the FBI. Soon agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI detained Kurtz, cordoned off the entire block around his house, and later impounded Kurtz’s computers, manuscripts, books, equipment, and even his wife’s body for further analysis. Dr. Kurtz and CAE are internationally recognized lecturers in the areas of biotechnology, information technology and media studies. Nine artists and one book publishing company, Autonomedia, were subpoened in this case.
Original Press Release | CAE Defense Fund | More Info | What is a Grand Jury?

Liberated Space has been extended until August 9th! It showcases the 2000-2003 works of Indybay photographer Peter Maiden. Whether candid close-ups of small, affinity-group lockdowns or stunning aerial views of massive anti-war marches, from San Francisco to Tijuana, we're offered an arresting glimpse of an alternative history -- one which a study of mainstream media would suggest never happened. Maiden's full-size prints -- with exponentially greater richness and definition than anything on the web -- thrust us headlong (back?) into those fleeting, energy-filled moments. From the artist's statement:
"When the left goes into the streets, people temporarily liberate the public space, turning it into a venue for the expression of their beliefs. Indymedia amplifies and disseminates the messages that are expressed in that way. A crucial part of that task is undertaken with photographs."
The show can be seen at the Reverie Café in the Haight District, from June 16 through August 9th; an opening reception was held on June 24.
Listen to an interview by reporter Sarah Olson with Peter Maiden speaking about art and media in this time of social struggle.

6/3/04: The local outcry against the assault of gallery owner Haigh has continued, with some local supporters debating whether or not to post photocopies of the controversial painting around the city. Supervisor Aaron Peskin has proposed hanging the painting in "the people's building" of City Hall, as a show of solidarity.
5/31/04: Following news that an unknown assailant punched Lori Haigh in the face, giving her a black eye, and the SFPD advised her to close the gallery rather than offering protection, the community met on Tuesday, June 1st, 7pm, at nearby Live Worms Gallery to discuss this brutal assault on artists, galleries, and freedom of expression.
5/29/04: Supporters gathered at the gallery: Photos | Video
5/26/04: SF's Capobianco Gallery has been forced to close after right-wingers made death threats and demanded that owner Lori Haigh shutdown her exhibit of works by East Bay artist Guy Colwell. In a series of incidents, Haigh was spat on, the gallery was pelted with eggs, trash was dumped in front of the entrance, her children were threatened, and she was called "anti-American" for showing the work. Colwell's The Abuse depicts Pfc. Lynndie England and another soldier smiling gleefully as they look upon a trio of naked, hooded Iraqi prisoners who are hooked up to electrical wires. In the background, a third American soldier is escorting a Muslim woman in a robe into the torture chamber. The painting is black and white, except for American flag patches on the soldiers' uniforms, which appear to be splattered with blood. Read more

As part of the preparations for Reclaim The Commons, the talented folks at Whispered Media offered up several flicks intent on education and inspiration. The program, Organisms Unite! was a collection of films and shorts about Bio-Tactical creativity and resources to protect our environment. more...

WARNING: The persons presenting these films will likely speak to you, and may even allow you to ask them questions!

May 20, 8pm @ ATA, SF || May 26, 12:30pm and 7:30pm @ Alameda Naval Base || May 27, 12:30pm @ Thoreau Ctr for Sustainability, Presidio, SF

April 15-29 The 2004 San Francisco International Film Festival offered up a cinematic panopticon of world affairs and lyrical lives far from the nauseating and ubiquitous Hollywood-centric, commodities-only menu, including some insightful pieces of a larger Middle East puzzle too complex to be wrapped up in one film. This year’s program took the pulse of creativity from Iceland to Peru to Lebanon to Afghanistan to find the peoples’ creativity is thriving and limitless, while sharply reminding us that cultures everywhere are endangered, under siege, and in horrific conflict. Reports from the front row: Middle Eastern Films | The SLA and Patty Hearst |In The Sumptuous Reel Worlds | Chisholm 72 Unbought and Unbossed At right: Control Room, directed by Jehane Noujaim.