Upcoming Events

Tuesday, January 20 – Film Night

Terrorizing Dissent – a documentary about police repression at the Republican National Convention in 2008.

7:30pm – $3 suggested donation
Division Avenue Arts Cooperative 115 S Division

SPANISH CLASSES @ The Bloom Collective

Every Wednesday, 6:30 – 8pm

*Starting February 4

Free and open to everyone!

Sessions will focus on politics, social movements & current events taken from the latest local & international Spanish-language news. These are informal classes for anyone, regardless of any background in Spanish. Feel free to join us any Wednesday! Starting whenever you can, for as many weeks as you like.

For more information, email JohnKroondyk@gmail.com or call (616) 460-0528

Empowering Women’s Health: a One Day Workshop
March 7, 2009

Presentations and discussions around how women can take charge of their bodies through natural modalities, education and an empowered stance in traditional healthcare settings. More details coming soon!

New Materials

Books

• Abolition Now: Ten Years of Strategy and Struggle Against The Prison Industrial Complex

• Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Crisis

• The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal

• The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power

• He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know

• Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Towards Social Justice

• Columbus and Other Cannibals

DVDs

• The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships

• Generation M: Misogyny in Media Culture

• Chomsky on Anarchism

Zines

• Cracking the System

• Using Space

• Living Without Permission

New 2009 Hours at the Bloom

• Monday 4 – 7pm

• Tuesday 4 – 7pm

• Wednesday 9am – 1pm

• Thursday 1 – 5pm

• Friday 1 – 5pm

• Saturday 1 – 5pm

Looking for resources at the Bloom Collective on Israel/Palestine? We have lots of stuff.

Books

• Live From Palestine: International and Palestinian Direct Action Against the Israeli Occupation

• Dishonest Broker: The US Role in Israel and Palestine

• The New Intifada: Resisting Israel’s Apartheid

• Blood and Religion: The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic State

• Israel/Palestine: How to End the War of 1948

DVDs

• People and the Land

• Occupation 101

• Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: US Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Interested in Volunteering with the Bloom Collective? Contact us at bloom AT mediamouse.or

12/08 – Bloom Film Night at the DAAC – 7 PM Double Feature Night

Shelter: A Squatumentary – With skyrocketing property values, rent and home ownership have become unaffordable at best, and impossible at worst. Thus people all over the world are reclaiming housing as a basic human right by continuing the tradition of squatting. This documentary film explores the squatting movement in the East Bay from 2004 to 2007.

Surfing the Waste – A musical documentary about dumpster diving.

Location – 115 Division

$3 suggested donation Bring a chair if you can!!!

DECEMBER 4: HOLIDAY HOP EVENING HOURS

During the Wealthy Street Holiday Hop we will be open for you to access resources or purchase some of our used books, buttons and patches. We will also have handcrafted Zapatista items from Chiapas, Mexico for sale, with the money going to support their cooperatives.

HOLIDAY HOURS

The Bloom Collective will be closed on Thanksgiving day and the Friday afterwards; Christmas eve, Christmas day and the day after, New Years Eve, New Years Day and the day after.

NEW MATERIALS

Books:

· Winter Soldiers: An Oral History of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War

· Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals

· Neither Man nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals

· On the Public Agenda: Essays for Change

· War Without End: The Iraq War in Context

· Letters From Young Activists

· The Democrats: A Critical History

· Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It

DVDs

· Unwritten Future: RNC Police State Tactics

· Blood and Oil

· Surplus: Terrorized into Being Consumers

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Would you like to volunteer at The Bloom but thought the requirements were too much for your schedule? Our new volunteer policy makes it easier if you’d just like to flier, help at an event or do an occasional shift at the Bloom. Stop by and ask us how you can help!

STOP IN FOR A CUP OF TEA OR COFFEE!

The Bloom Collective is now providing some hot tea and coffee on these cold dreary days. Stop by and warm up with a beverage and some good conversation.

TAKE OUR SURVEY

If you haven’t had a chance to take the Bloom survey please do so as it will help us determine how best to serve our members and our mission. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=LGZRyPAOeg5EG8iMsH4qyQ_3d_3d

EVENT RECAP

Our October Potluck and discussion was a great success. The topic was “Electoral Politics and Social Change.” The Bloom Collective space was packed with people and vegan foods. We had a lively discussion about the history and function of elections and whether or not they can bring about significant social change. We also talked about the current election and whether or not the support for Barack Obama will translate into real social change. Now that the election is over we encourage this discussion to continue. One way for that to happen is to check out our books, DVDs and zines that focus on radical social change and analysis. Another way to keep the conversation going is to come to future potlucks and events. Just check the website or stop by for flyers and help us promote whatever we got going.

REFER A NEW MEMBER. RECEIVE A PASS TO A FILM SHOWING!

As a Bloom Collective member, you know what a wonderful resource The Bloom Collective is for anyone involved in social change issues–whether that involvement is learning the basics or finding the materials you need to sustain success.

Please tell your friends! We will give you a free film showing pass for every new member you refer.

BENEFIT THE BLOOM COLLECTIVE

The Bloom Collective does accept money and used book donations, from people like you and from events like local benefits. One small point: we can’t accept checks or credit cards. Want to support radical social change?

Contact us for more information on how you or your organization can benefit The Bloom Collective. We’re also looking for tabling opportunities so we can invite even more people to become a part of The Bloom Collective.

09/15 GRIID CLASS: MAKING SENSE OF US FOREIGN POLICY: A 6-WEEK WORKSHOP
MONDAYS 7-9M @ THE BLOOM, 1134 WEALTHY SE.

Do you want to make sense of what the US is doing globally? What motivates US policy in Iraq, Israel and Venezuela? Discuss US foreign policy since WWII, politically, economically and militarily. Decide what kind of actions can be taken to resist those policies. To sign up contact Jeff at jsmith@mediamouse.org.

09/22 CATCHING OUT
8 PM @ THE DAAC, 115 S. DIVISION AVE. $3

Contemporary hobos dissent against mainstream American consumer culture by traveling for free on freight trains. The film follows a seasoned eco-activist named Lee, a young nomad named Jessica, and a tramp couple known as Switch and Baby Girl navigating between the constraints of society and the freedom of the road.

10/TBD RNC REPORT BACK & FILM SHOWING
7 PM @ THE DAAC, 115 S. DIVISION AVE. $3

Hear how the actions at the RNC went down from local activists who were on the scene. See documentary footage of the actions how they really happened–not how they were reported by corporate media.

10/19 ELECTORAL POLITICS DISCUSSION & VEGAN POTLUCK
3 – 5 PM @ THE BLOOM, 1134 WEALTHY SE.
Can voting really change things? What do the candidates really stand for? Who’s financing them? Who will they really be working for after the election?

NEW MATERIALS:

Savage Mules: The Democrats and Endless War by Dennis Perrin. Americans consider Democrats the “anti-war party,” yet they have supported the surge and continue to approve spending on the was in Iraq. “Savage Mules shows a party at odds with its public image on this key issue in the race for the white house.”

How Shall I live My Life? On Liberating the Earth from Civilization by Derrick Jensen et al. “Discusses the destructive dominant culture with tenpeople who have devoted their lives to undermining it.”

Disaster and Resistance Comics and Landscapes for the 21st Century by Seth
Tobocman. A visual storytelling that outlines pressing social and political struggles at the dawn of the 21st century.

Toolbox for Sustainable City Living by Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew. Step by step instructions for city dwellers on producing one’s own food, collecting water, managing waste, reclaiming land and generating energy. Burning the Future. DVD. Documents how West Virginia is being devastated by mountaintop removal coal mining and shows how some West Virginians are trying to stop the resulting flooding, water contamination, illness and death. Michigan’s existing and proposed coal energy plants depend on this coal for operation.

Catching Out. DVD. Contemporary hobos traveling for free on freight trains navigate between the constraints of society and the freedom of the road.

REFER A NEW MEMBER. RECEIVE A PASS TO A FILM SHOWING!

As a Bloom Collective member, you know what a wonderful resource The Bloom Collective is for anyone involved in social change issues–whether that involvement is learning the basics or finding the materials you need to sustain success.

Please tell your friends! We will give you a free film showing pass for every new member you refer.

NEW VOLUNTEER POLICY

Would you like to volunteer at The Bloom but thought the requirements were too much for your schedule? Our new volunteer policy makes it easier if you’d just like to flier, help at an event or do an occasional shift at the Bloom. Stop by and ask us how you can help!

MALLORY KNOEDEL COLLECTIVE ORGANIZING WORKSHOP DRAWS CROWD FROM GR, TOLEDO

It was a full house Aug. 3 for this workshop which shared valuable insights on how to run an organization collectively, by consensus. Mallory tailored the workshop to meet individual needs of those in attendance, which included Bloom Collective members, folks from Toledo’s October Fifteenth Anarchist Collective, representatives from some GR nonprofits and more.

BENEFIT THE BLOOM COLLECTIVE

The Bloom Collective does accept donations, from people like you and from benefit events. One small point: we can’t accept checks or credit cards. Want to support radical social change? Contact us for more information on how you or your organization can benefit The Bloom Collective. We’re also looking for tabling opportunities so we can invite even more people to become a part of The Bloom Collective

GONE PROTESTING!

Closed Aug. 29 through Sept. 5

The Bloom Collective will be closed from August 29 through September 5 because many of our collective members will be taking action at the RNC in the Twin Cities, MN. Watch for RNC updates on mediamouse.org.

The Bloom Collective will not be open during regular hours Thursday, May 1 so that our volunteers can attend the local IWW/Starbucks press conference, 4 p.m. at the East Grand Rapids Starbucks, 2172 Wealthy St SE. Come out and show your support!

Summer Volunteers Needed!

Come to the 5/17 potluck if you think you’d like to help out.

Summer Hours

* Monday – Closed
* Tuesday – 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
* Wednesday – 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
* Thursday – 5 – 8 p.m.
* Friday & Saturday 1–5 p.m.

Upcoming Events

04/30 – FILM: MEETING RESISTANCE
7PM @ THE DAAC (115 S. DIVISION AVE)

What would you do if America was invaded? Meeting Resistance raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle, and documenting for the very first time, the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation’s citizens when their homeland is occupied. Voices that have previously not been heard, male and female, speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a missing perspective from the Iraq War.

Following the film there will be a brief presentation by the local antiwar group, ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids SDS) about antiwar organizing in Grand Rapids. $2 donation encouraged but not required.

Sponsored by The Bloom Collective and Mediamouse.org

5/ 17 ANARCHISM: 101 VEGAN POTLUCK &
DISCUSSION 3 P.M. @ The Bloom, 1134 Wealthy SE.
There’s a good chance you are an anarchist and just don’t know it.

5/ 18 BIKE REPAIR WORKSHOP
1 PM @ The Bloom, 1134 Wealthy SE.
Learn basic maintenance and repair. Bring your bike and get help fixing it!

Benefit The Bloom Collective

Were you a part of the fun at the Meanwhile Bar benefit for The Bloom Collective? The Bloom Collective does accept donations, from people like you and from events like the Meanwhile benefit. One small point: we can’t accept checks or credit cards. Want to support radical social change? Contact us for more information on how you or your organization can benefit The Bloom Collective. We’re also looking for tabling opportunities so we can invite even more people to become a part of The Bloom Collective.

New Materials

Books:
-I See Black people: The Rise and Fall of African American-owned Television and Radio
-From Outrage to Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice
-McCain: The Myth of a Maverick
-Conversations with Edward Said
-Magical Urbanism: Latinos Reinvent The US Big City
-The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World

DVDs

-What Would Jesus Buy?
-A Place Called Chiapas
-Putting Ward Connerly on Trial
-Fraude Mexico 2006 Spanish with English subtitles
-De Dadie Spanish, no subtitles
-Elogio de Virtud (the life of Fidel Castro) Spanish, no subtitles
-Injerencia (history of CIA intervention in Latin America) Spanish, no subtitles.

Puppets & People Power

On Wednesday, April 9 some 30 people snuggled into The Bloom Collective space at 1134 Wealthy to hear a presentation by 2 members of a group called Root Force. By using a puppet show, a sing along song, video excerpts and Q & A, the Root Force team talked about the importance of demolishing colonialism at its foundation. They said that for the infrastructure of colonialism & capitalism consisted of things like ongoing resource extraction, transportation of resources & goods and a means to power the production and extraction of resources. If you can stop one of these components the system is vulnerable. Root Force members said we can all learn from what the Animal liberation movement did by focusing on anti-vivisection as a way of exposing how vulnerable the industry of testing/experimenting on animals was. This caused major problems for the industry and forced many of the companies to stop testing/experimenting on animals.

Applying that same thinking the two Root Force members talked about the super highways that are being built to connect Central America, Mexico, the US and Canada in what some are calling the NAFTA Super Highway. The capitalist power structure wants to create a corridor from Panama to Toronto to be able to move goods and resources from poorer countries in Central America to the US and Canada. If we can make it difficult for these transportation systems to be constructed it could seriously threaten the system. The Root Force members spoke about what people in El Salvador and Mexico are doing to resist and how we need to do the same thing here in the US, either where the highways are being built or at the headquarters of the companies that are involved. They spoke about tactics and strategies and encouraged people to visit their website for ideas, resources and organizing a Root Force chapter locally. (http://www.rootforce.org/) The discussion after the presentation was lively and we were all happy that so many people came to hear this important presentation.

Love & Rage,
The Bloom Collective

We have new and hopefully improved hours. They are:

Monday: 3:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday:  3:00pm – 7:00pm
Thursday: 3:00pm – 7:00pm
Friday: 1:30pm – 5:00pm
Saturday: 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Also, you can always return items when we are closed by putting them through the mail slot.

NEW MATERIALS

We’re always getting new materials, here’s a sampling of what we have added recently:

The People Decide: Oaxaca’s Popular Assembly – A book about the social movements in Oaxaca City (Mexico) that temporarily replaced the government in the city by establishing rule 0via popular assemblies. The book also talks about how corporate television and radio stations were seized and run by the popular movement.

Pacifism as Pathology – An updated version of Ward Churchill’s (classic?) critique of pacifism. Churchill presents a scathing critique of pacifism and its effectiveness in both the United States and around the world.

The Prince of War: Billy Graham’s Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire – A biography and exploration of evangelist Billy Graham’s politics. It talks at length about his support for U.S. imperialism and opposition to racial justice.

Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States – In this book author Jules Boykoff offers an interesting account of how the government has sought to suppress radical movements in the United States.

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation – A gripping history of the origins of the hip-hop movement as a response to development in the Bronx through the contemporary era.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD

We always need help advertising, so if you could mention us to folks that you think would be interested, it would help us out a lot.

IDEAS?

Do you have any idea ideas for the space? Ways to more effectively use the space? Items we should carry? Things to improve? Send them our way or stop by and let us know!

Love and Rage,
- The Bloom Collective