Calling all women Illustrators!

We are in the throes of issue 5 and in need of your talented selves! Some of the topics covered in this years issue are:

Widows curses and old wives tales.
The Witch Hunts in Ireland
Immigration.
Reading Fiction.
Death and Bereavement.
Water and clothes/ the fashion industry.
Pregnancy/ Midwifery.
New media - the pros and cons.
Online sexism and the women taking it on in humorous and creative ways.
Interview with Lashings of Ginger Beer (queer feminist burlesque troupe www.lashings.org for some nice pictures!)
Gender Politics of the Black Panthers.
An Anarchafeminist Eyeballing the Recession.
Sex Work in New Zealand.
Protesting Creatively (Laughter/ Humour as Activism)
Women and Mental Health Services

Looking forward to hearing from you!
ragdublin@riseup.net

Laura Sheeran and Exploding birds - Rag Benefit Gig!


Rag Presents:

A night of great music and fun featuring -

Laura Sheeran - http://www.myspace.com/laurasheeranmusic

Laura Sheerans music has been described as “like an episode of Twin Peaks in female form”.
Her music combines ambient sounds, electronica and a range of instruments (notably the bowed saw, but also ukelele, accordian, flute, melodica, guitar, keyboards, etc.) to create an atmospheric soundscape that provides support for her voice and lyrics. The latter are often tinged with a sense of imminent threat, yearning, mortality and mystery.

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Exploding Birds - http://www.myspace.com/expoldingbirds

Exploding Birds are an elusive Dublin group creating a caustic mix of hardcore/grind.
Loud. Fast. Slow. Noise.

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+ Guest DJ's and vegan food
Zine distro with amazing feminist and diy zines from around the world

Saturday 3rd of July 8pm untill late
In Seomra Spraoi,10 Belvedere Court, (off mountjoy sqaure) Dublin 1
Suggested donation €5 - more if you can, less if you can't

BYOB

New Media open meeting: 1st part recording


Hey folks,

For those of you who missed the open meeting on New Media on the 14th June, here is a two part recording available from Indymedia:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/97029
 

The discussion was left quite open and we covered topics ranging from security, privacy, copyright to identity and manifestations of sexism online. Because the discussion focused mostly on issues of security and privacy, Rag are hoping to host another meeting in the future which will focus primarily on the body, identity and gender in relation to New Media and the internet.

Thanks again to the five fantastic speakers, those who came along and Seomra Spraoi for hosting us.

Emily of RAG

A discussion on New Media and Social Media


RAG open meeting Monday 14th June
On Monday 14th June at 7.30pm, RAG will host a discussion on the many uses and dangers of 'new media', the possibilities for positive change and 'radical democracy' via the internet, the dilemma of 'internet neurosis' where feelings of vulnerability and fears of exploitation need to be negotiated in order to utilize the internet as activists, artists and self-publishers and the potential of the internet as a force for oppression and control.

The discussion will take place in Seomra Spraoi. All welcome.

Wikipedia describes new media in the following terms:

New media is a broad term that emerged in the later part of the 20th century to encompass the amalgamation of traditional media such as film, images, music, spoken and written word, with the interactive power of computer and communications technology, computer-enabled consumer devices and most importantly the internet. New media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. What distinguishes New media from traditional media is not the digitizing of media content into bits, but the dynamic life of the "new media" content and its interactive relationship with the media consumer. Another important promise of New Media is the "democratization" of the creation, publishing, distribution and consumption of media content.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media)

This meeting will be facilitated by Emily Aoibheann.

Speakers include:

Angela Nagle:
I have an English degree and an MA in Popular Literature from TCD. I've just started working as a researcher for a TV documentary production company called Cashmere Media. I have worked as a script reader and script editor for Film Companies (Element and Samson Films) and have been writing for Film Ireland (magazine and website) as a film reviewer and feature writer. I have also written, more recently, for James Redmond's website 'soundtracksforthem', primarily doing feminist book reviews. I'm interested in writing more about New Media, particularly from a feminist angle and what I am looking at now is the preparation for a media conference that is a few months down the line.

Fionn Kidney:
Fionn spent his early career with one of Ireland's top creative agencies, including a year as Director of Digital during which he lay the foundations for Strategem to win Best Digital Direct Campaign in 2008's An Post DMA awards. Since then he has divided his time between film, photography and consultancy work and concentrated on small-scale creative projects. Fionn has chaired seminars for both Darklight Festival and the EU Commission relating to online film. His interests in online relate principally to the projection and perception of identity.

Andrew Flood:
Andrew Flood is a Dublin anarchist who has been using the Internet for organising since before the web came into existane. Today he is totally addicted to Facebook and finding ways to make social networking a powerful tool for building struggles in thereal world.

Vanessa Monaghan:
I'm a mature student studying Multimedia. I went back to college after working in the music industry, which I still dabble in. I started blogging for a college assignment and forgot to stop. I was a finalist in the Student Media Awards for Blog of the Year this year. I love the internet, love twitter and love the freedom that its gives people, especially artists trying to get their art, whether it be music, writing, painting, out to a global audience. I love the informality of twitter and the ability to converse with people you may never meet with. One of the things I really dislike about Facebook it has seemed to turn some people's lives completely into the virtual world. They don't seem to function, or even have a real world. I get asked a lot what my blog is about. Why does it have to be about anything? My blog is a personal blog, probably an extension of diary writing. Its about my radio shows, college, video, photography, I don't want to spend all day writing about politics or whatever. I've made it enjoyable for myself so I keep doing it.
I try and link my blog, twitter and facebook, posting links if I blog on twitter and Facebook. I guess I'm finding that its a good way to show people what i'm doing now and what I'm capable of for when I leave college.

Caroline Campbell:
Caroline Campbell is a filmmaker and lawyer who specialises in digital cultures. She has been on the programming committee of the Darklight Festival since its inception www.darklight.ie. where she has programmed events on open source and open-culture, social media and network cultures. She holds an M.A. Art in the Contemporary World from N.C.A.D. Current research interest in network cultures include the post-workerist writings on immaterial labour.

RAG at Baby Beef stall at London Zine Symposium


Hey Folks,

RAG were hoping to make it to this years London zine symposium happening tomorrow the 29th May in The Rag Factory, Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
Girl does it look good!

Thanks to Sarah of Baby Beef art-zine, a limited number of RAG issue 4 will be on sale at the Baby Beef stall, alongside other Irish zine 'Loserdom' (or so I've been told...)

So yeah, head along and have a mooch, looks to be a great day out! We're very sorry we can't be there ourselves, but thanks again to Baby Beef!

RAG news ...

The website humanrights.ie are hosting a seminar tomorrow on New Media and the protection of Human Rights. Emily of Rag will be contributing to a panel on the subject, considering the following questions:

1. Do the media have a positive or negative impact on the protection of human rights?

2. What role do you envisage for blogging and media/social media in:

a. Informing the public on issues of human rights?

b. Bringing together like-minded individuals and groups to campaign for rights protection?

Panel III will be held from 3.40pm - 4.40 pm at the NUI in Merrion Square.

There will be an opportunity for open discussion in the last 20 minutes of this session so please come and contribute or listen. It will also be filmed and streamed live online.


A final copy of the agenda for the seminar is here:



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Bank Bailout protest Tuesday 25th May

Members of RAG will be along to the Bank Bailout protest on Tuesday (25th May). Details in post below.

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Dublin Anarchist Bookfair Saturday 29th May
Come and join us at Dublin's Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday, 29th May. RAG will have our zine/book/interesting things stall and a give a workshop. The bookfair starts at 10.30am in the Liberty Hall, Dublin. Our workshop, which will explore issues around mental health, takes place at 11.30am. The bookfair, organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement, hosts a day of workshops, discussions and of course lots of book stalls. Please drop in. More information can found be here.



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RAG open meeting Monday 14th June
On Monday 14th June at 7.30pm, RAG will host a discussion on the many uses and dangers of 'new media', the possibilities for positive change and 'radical democracy' via the internet, the dilemma of 'internet neurosis' where feelings of vulnerability and fears of exploitation need to be negotiated in order to utilize the internet as activists, artists and self-publishers and the potential of the internet as a force for oppression and control.

The discussion will take place in Seomra Spraoi. All welcome.

Wikipedia describes new media in the following terms:

New media is a broad term that emerged in the later part of the 20th century to encompass the amalgamation of traditional media such as film, images, music, spoken and written word, with the interactive power of computer and communications technology, computer-enabled consumer devices and most importantly the internet. New media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. What distinguishes New media from traditional media is not the digitizing of media content into bits, but the dynamic life of the "new media" content and its interactive relationship with the media consumer. Another important promise of New Media is the "democratization" of the creation, publishing, distribution and consumption of media content.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media)

This meeting will be facilitated by Emily.
Visiting speakers to be confimed.

Rag Takes To The Streets - Stop The Bank Bailouts

Members of RAG carried our banner along to the anti-capitalist bloc of last week's right to work protest, demanding an end to the bank bailouts and also condemning the gardai's heavy handed dealings with an earlier protest outside anglo-irish bank.
Check out these links for details of the march.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96602
http://www.wsm.ie/c/anti-capitalist-protest-dublin-may-18th-2010

We will also be attending tomorrow's march to the dail part 2
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96700

The Rag, Issues 1 to 6

The Rag, Issues 1 to 6