Occupy. Resist. Produce.

I was able to watch The Take today. From Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, the film is about globalization, Argentina and how Argentinians reacted when their country became a 'globalized wasteland' in the late 90s when their then-president signed a bunch of deals with the IMF and basically privatized everything in the country. Factories closed down and unemployment skyrocketed. One day a bunch of workers from a clothing shop decided to go back to work, despite not having a boss. They couldn't understand why their families were starving while the factories were empty and gathering dust. More factory workers followed suit and them film tells the story of a group of automotive factory workers who take back their factory. Today over 1000 factories and outlets in Argentina are worker owned and they have their own unions and networks. Each factory works by its own rules and in many cases every worker gets equal pay. There is no one in charge and the factories are more productive than they ever have been because the workers are working for themselves. These factory workers basically revamped the country's politics and economics from the bottom up. It's an ongoing struggle and an inspiring story.

Some reading: The Ten Worst Corporations of 2004

Today in Iraq
Thirty marines and a sailor die in a helicopter crash.

An American soldier is killed and two injured in a roadside bombing.

Fifteen Iraqis killed in a car bomb attack outside the Kurdistan Democratic Party headquarters.

Five more Iraqis are killed in three more car bomb attacks.

Another American soldier killed in another attack.

Meanwhile . . .
Bush calls on the Iraqi people to fight the terrorists and spouts more rhetoric on how the Iraq is a better place now. He also asked Congress for an extra $80 billion for the war. I'm glad my tax dollars aren't going to this charade. BBC reports the US at 'running a budget deficit of close to $500 billion a year'. That's cool. And it makes sense. This all makes sense. Now let's invade Iran, because that'll make sense too. Makes me think of the reign Louis XIV except without the wigs.