13 of June 2007
source: info [at] handbookforchange.org, www.trapese.org

* Wandergesellen
An itinerant crafts people with a tradition dating back to the 12th century. Not only do they sport shapely, arse-hugging, double zipper cords and sexy Han Solo waistcoats they also created the most incredible camp at Reddelich. We were all feeling the spacious showers, the capacious bar and the bodacious children's playground. As a cultural phenomena they have gone from geek to chic in an astonishingly short space of time

* Widening the cracks
The resistance metaphor du jour and an 'an endless source of smirks, giggles and wise-cracks'. ho ho! . From the five fingers* widening the cracks of the G8 summit itself to the Anarchist Teapot Sound System for widening the cracks of activist music dogma. -cracks were widened everywhere.

* The unsung heroes of the resistance
It was not all about front-line glory - from the guy who spent every afternoon picking up the litter, Carlos Camper who fielded the world's media at the camp gates to the people that held the front-line of porta-loo hygiene. None of it would have been possible without them.

* Tandems - the new buddies

* The Concierge - Welcome tents are so last year

* Centralised washing up systems
A massive leap forward in camp hygiene and a possible explanation for this year's lack of Dissent!ry

* Pink and black international brigades t-shirts
This season's must have commodification of our resistance

* Out of Action barrio
Providing medical help, chill out, support spaces and great coffee! Mobile Kitchens at the blockades for feeding the front lines

* The Hedonist International
For squatting extra land at Rostock, for the old skool hay bale rave and for mobilising the musical cavalry to the demos and blockades Working with the local communities Never goes out of fashion. There was not enough but what there was, was hot

* Dry nights before actions
BLOCK FIRST - DRINK LATER Slightly undermined by all the other bars everywhere but a great idea.

* Forest, poppies and relentless sunshine

* The blockades

Both mass and autonomous- huge, diverse, sexy, inspiring- Que scorchio!!!!! You could not see the five fingers in action without it stirring your loins so many tales of caring, sharing, solidarity, dignity and grace under pressure. Having a plan made a big difference and we hope to be seeing more of this in seasons to come.

* And last but by no means least
A marked improvement from 2005- The main event was stopping the G8 from happening rather than welcoming them to do more--- Hot!

What's not

* Lack of queer male wandergesellen
Don't worry boys! The what's hot team have it on good authority that there is one joining in six months time

* Insurectionary ManArchists

* Aggressive,unreasonable, and a constant source of movement strife.
Can you please go and insurrect someone where else and come back after you have had some gender awareness workshops!

* "Confusing tactics with political principals
In reference to those who would rather fight than win"

* Gender balance in Turbulence
otherwise it would have been on the Hot list.

* Shitting by the sides of the blockades
Companer@s please!!!!!!

* Peter Wahl from Attac
Could you take any more distance? Actually yes, please take more distance.

* Chemical toilets and the absence of compost toilets

* Silo guarders
A big thank you to all the people that put there time and energy into protecting the strategically important grain silos. Not only were our beautiful Mexican companer@s not allowed up there but the Queer barrio took action against the silo guarders due to reports that they had their binoculars trained on the showers during women's showering hours... so not hot

* Queer Identitarianism
kind of defeats the whole point, no?

* Camera Paranoia
There are helicopters flying overhead with technology beyond our imagination, cops on every demo with a plethora of cameras and everyone has a mobile with a camera on it anyway. So why go intimidating and in some cases attacking movement-based independent journalists?

* The Suicide Block
For going 100m away from the camp to the small village of Reddelich, taking down some garden fences, dismantling a rockery garden, throwing some mollies around then going back home to bed. Oh and bringing the riot cops home with you. A lot of posturing for, well, nothing really.

* The Counter summit for taking place on the same day as the blockades. Whose bright idea was that?

Footnotes

*the word crack has several meanings, in this case it is provoking giggling as it is a slang word for the part between your buttocks.

*the five fingers tactic was the technique used to break through the police lines and worked incredibly effectively. Upon reaching a police line the mass of people would divide into five fingers- becoming an ungovernable mass.

Do It Yourself. A Handbook for Changing Our World Edited by The Trapese Collective Out May 2007

"This is a wonderful book. It starts from a simple and brilliant premise. We know that we are heading towards the destruction of humanity, but we don't know what to do about it...The book offers a simple suggestion: that we should do it ourselves, take our lives into our own hands... I recommend it with enormous enthusiasm." John Holloway, author of Change The World Without Taking Power

source: info [at] handbookforchange.org, www.trapese.org