Demand The Impossible

With wit and a remarkable grasp of the political marginalization of the 99%, Mike Davis crafts a striking defense of the Occupy Wall Street movement. This pamphlet brilliantly undertakes the most pressing question facing the struggle– what is to be done next? Mike Davis is the author of more than twenty books.

The insurgent activist and educator shares a vital rally cry for today’s movement-makers in “a manifesto that should be read by everyone” (Angela Y. Davis). In an era defined by mass incarceration, endless war, economic crisis, catastrophic environmental destruction, and a political system offering more of the same, radical social transformation has never been more urgent—or seemed more remote. Demand the Impossible! urges us to imagine a world beyond what this rotten system would have us believe is possible. In critiquing the world around us, Bill Ayers uncovers cracks in that system. He raising the horizons for radical change and envisions new strategies for building the movement we need to make a better world for everyone.

A fascinating and comprehensive history, 'Demanding the Impossible' is a challenging and thought-provoking exploration of anarchist ideas and actions from ancient times to the present day.

An astute exploration of the complexities of working and learning in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care, Professor Helen Penn tells of her experiences of working as a teacher, social worker, campaigner, researcher and writer, and so reflects on the perennial and complex issues which shape this expanding field. Mapping the author’s career from the mid-sixties onward, ‘Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible’ is a tribute to the progress that has been made in Early Childhood Education and Care over the past seventy years, and is a celebration of those who have acted on their principles to articulate and remedy hidden suffering. A first-hand commentary on adult-child relations, poverty, working with families, and engaging with democracy and inequality, Penn’s narrative reconstructs her past, and in doing so, produces a social history, which records the various shifts in policy and public attitudes which she has witnessed. The author recognizes the collective effort and teamwork of working within organisations but also the constraints and the tensions such organizations can create. She comments on the wider political system, and assesses the particular pattern of educational inequality and oppression which afflicts the UK. One of the most well-known and respected figures in her field, Penn provides a unique perspective on change and provides a framework for understanding, assessing and working within the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. Insightful and frank, witty and funny, this book will be a valuable read for students, academics, researchers and practitioners involved in Early Childhood Education and Care.

The Redress Movement refers to efforts to obtain the restitution of civil rights, an apology, and/or monetary compensation from the U.S. government during the six decades that followed the World War II mass removal and confinement of Japanese Americans. Early campaigns emphasized the violation of constitutional rights, lost property, and the repeal of anti-Japanese legislation. 1960s activists linked the wartime detention camps to contemporary racist and colonial policies. In the late 1970s three organizations pursued redress in court and in Congress, culminating in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing a national apology and individual payments of $20,000 to surviving detainees.

Born from the wave of activism that followed the inauguration of President Trump, Demand the Impossible asks scholars what they can do to help solve present-day crises. The twelve essays in this volume draw inspiration from present-day activists. They examine the role of history in shaping ongoing debates over monuments, racism, clean energy, health care, poverty, and the Democratic Party. Together they show the ways that the issues of today are historical expressions of power that continue to shape the present. Adequately addressing them means understanding their origins. The way our society remembers the past has long served to cement inequality. It is no accident that the ahistorical slogan "make America great again" emerged after decades of income inequality and a generation of funding cuts to higher education. But the movement toward openly addressing injustice and inequality though historical inquiry is growing. Although many historians remain tucked away in ivory towers of their own making, we join a long tradition of activist scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, C.L.R. James, and C. Vann Woodward, as well as a growing wave of engaged colleagues including Keri Leigh Merritt, who penned the foreword for this volume. As historians and citizens, we feel a responsibility to preserve an authentic vision of the past in a moment riddled with propaganda and lies. In doing so, we hope to help provide a framework to fight the inequities we inherited from prior generations that are repurposed and enshrined by the powerful today. Nathan Wuertenberg is a doctoral candidate at The George Washington University. He is conducting research for a doctoral dissertation on the 1775 American invasion of Quebec, entitled "Divided We Stand: The American War for Independence, the 1775 Quebec Campaign, and the Rise of Nations in the Twilight of Colonial Empires." William Horne is a PhD candidate at The George Washington University researching the relationship of race to labor, freedom, and capitalism in post-Civil War Louisiana. His dissertation, "Carceral State: Baton Rouge and its Plantation Environs Across Emancipation," examines the ways in which white supremacy and capitalism each depended on restricting black freedom in the aftermath of slavery. Contents I. LIBERALS, LEFTISTS, AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Be Realistic: Demand the Impossible! Ben Feldman This Really is Your America, Nathan Wuertenberg II. RACISM AND RIGHTS: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND CONTESTED CITIZENSHIP(S) "Hands off D.C." Race and Congressional Control of Washington, D.C., Kyla Sommers Ferray vs. Pompeyo the Free Black: Fear and Black Masculinity in the Era of the Haitian Revolution, Sarah Senette III. MONUMENTS AND POWER: RACISM AND PUBLIC MEMORY Monuments, Urbanism, and Power in Urban Spaces: Looking at New Orleans, Louisiana from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Douglas McRae Producing and Protesting Invisibility in Silver Spring, Maryland, David Rotenstein IV. JOBS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: MOVING BEYOND THE HERRENVOLK DEMOCRACY OF COAL Energy and the Trump Administration: Pipelines, Promises, and the Third Energy Shift, Tom Foley Bring Back Our Jobs: Work, Memory, and Energy Infrastructure, William Horne V. INSURING MENTAL HEALTH: TREATMENT AND ACCESS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL Treating Mental Illness in Victorian Britain, Jade Shepherd Inheriting Expulsions from the Insurance Industry, Kathleen M. Brian VI. POVERTY AS POLICY: WAGELESSNESS AND AID Taxing Values: What Our Tax Code Says About Us, Tessa Davis From Moral to Political Economy: The Origins of Modern Philanthropy's Charitable Feedback Loop, Thomas Barber Conclusion: Policing Patriotism and the Responsibilities of Activist History, Cory James Young

Have you set yourself goals for this coming year? Do you want to reduce anxiety? By making the impossible possible, this book is the blueprint for success in achieving your new year goals and maximising your potential. Greg Whyte learnt from an early age that the biggest obstacle in life was people telling him 'No, you can't'. But we all have the ability to achieve what others may tell you is impossible. Don't listen to them. Success is not a chance event. With proper planning, preparation and vision, Professor Whyte has the knowledge and methods that can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, mortals into elite athletes, to deliver not dream. Using the examples of iconic Comic Relief and Sport Relief challenges achieved by the likes of David Walliams, Eddie Izzard, John Bishop and Davina McCall under his guidance, Greg Whyte shows that anyone can do anything.