Inside Occupy Wall Street's 'People's Library': Chomsky, Zinn, Klein

A demonstrator browses books at the library of the Occupy Wall Street protesters' camp at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan in New York.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Another blue-skied weekend at Occupy Wall Street saw the usual congeries of activists, drummers, pontificators and sympathizers converge on Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park.

Folk musicians strummed guitars next to environmental campaigners agitating against the practice of fracking. By the northern face of the park, a man visiting from Florida angrily denounced the bailout of banks before a broadcast streamed across the Internet. Viewers watching online texted back their support in an open chat window.

Not far from this real-time vox pop, three volunteers sat sorting a pile of books. One raised a copy of an Estonian dictionary. “Is this for reference or foreign languages?” she asked. “Foreign, I think,” came the considered answer.

Occupy Wall Street's “People's Library” is, like much else at the movement's adopted home, somewhat surprising. Taking up a good chunk of the northeastern corner of the park, it consists of a maze of tables and hard plastic boxes marked by genre — fiction, classics, sci-fi, children's, and so on. The movement's designated librarians say there's somewhere between 2,500 to 4,000 volumes in the park, with more in storage and dozens of new books donated by visitors and supporters every day. “As the occupation and movement has grown,” says Zachary Loeb, an actual librarian in the New York City area who volunteers at the site, “so too has its library.”

(MORE: Occupy Wall Street's Own Mini-Government, Complete With Library)

The ten or so volunteers who man the library at any given moment record the ISBN number of each book and tag the books' bindings with pink stickers marked “OWSL” — making the collection, despite its unorthodox home, look like something not out of place in any public library. But there is no formal method for borrowing from the People's Library. It exists on an unwritten honor code among denizens of Occupy Wall Street.

While I was speaking with Loeb, a visitor asked him whether there was any system to returning books. “None,” Loeb replies. “You'll just have my eternal gratitude.” Hristo Voynov, a student at Hunter College and another volunteer at the library, claims that simple trust works at Occupy Wall Street. “Every night, the library ends up with more books than it started with.”

One may wonder why Occupy Wall Street needs to invest time and energy into maintaining a library, not least as New York's bitter, oft-snowy winter approaches. Loeb turns the question around: “Why is it important to have a kitchen, a [tents and blanket] station, a press table and not a library? Information matters. We are feeding people's minds.”

The most popular books on offer do seem to be what one would expect: leftist tracts on history and politics by authors like Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, or Naomi Klein. These populate a set of shelves in the People's Library of books that cannot be borrowed because they're so popular and in demand. Yet also in the most popular mix are satirical commentaries from The Onion, a binder of ponderous articles explaining the financial crisis and myriad anthologies of poetry, including one of poetry written explicitly by participants of Occupy Wall Street or in honor of the protesters. That collection even boasts works submitted by famous American poets such as Adrienne Rich and Anne Walmdan.

(PHOTOS: Occupy Wall Street Protests Go Global)

In the Sunday afternoon sunshine, one adolescent boy sits amid the crowd in yellow socks and soccer cleats, reading a comic book entitled “Addicted to War,” about the militarization of American society. Myriad New Yorkers and protesters file through the library's aisles, perusing and sitting down on nearby park benches with copies. Amanda Hartkey, another library volunteer, says that the library is emblematic of the wider spirit in the park. “I'm inspired by how so many different people come here and treat each other with respect. No one interrupts the other and now they read together.” Through wireless headphones passed around to those in the park, the library has recently started its own public readings series. It's Zuccotti Park's local radio station.

But, away from the almost quaint pleasantness of the library, all's not rosy for Occupy Wall Street. Winter is coming and the scramble is on to amass enough warm sleeping bags and clothing so that the occupiers could withstand below freezing temperatures. Organizers claim they'll be prepared, but also acknowledge that the park's overnight numbers may slip dramatically as activists opt for warmer, indoor spaces. Meanwhile, some among the group are pushing for the movement to consider Occupying Central Park, a move that could more easily incite police intervention and which is opposed by a good number of the organizers at Zuccotti Park.

Moreover, concerns are growing about local community complaints over the disturbances caused by protesters — including incidents of public urination and the incessant noise of the park's drum circle. Organizers claim to have reined in the hours during which the drummers bang away and some grumble about wanting to sabotage the musicians' equipment. Occupy Wall Street has the money to rent Port-a-Potties, but protesters say New York City authorities have so far denied them the right to set those up. “We are doing everything in our power to abide by the laws and respect our neighbors,” says Sherman Jackson, an Occupy Wall Street media representative, who adds that many on the neighborhood community board support their presence. Still, the threat of eviction is a perennial, invisible presence in the park.

Back at the library, there are more immediate problems. Voynov, one of the volunteers, struggles to preserve the integrity of the sci-fi/fantasy shelf. “People just put back books anywhere,” he says. But he admits it's impressive that books once borrowed come back at all. Of course, not all are returned. The People's Library had on reserve two copies of Steal This Book, by 1960s activist rabble-rouser Abbie Hoffman. Both volumes have been stolen.

LIST: Occupy Wall Street Protester in 2011's Topical Halloween Costumes

Ishaan Tharoor is a writer for TIME and editor of Global Spin. You can find him on Twitter at @ishaantharoor. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEWorld.

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The eBay of the East: Inside Taobao, China's Online Marketplace

In 2005, when the scrappy Chinese e-commerce company Taobao was locked in battle with eBay for control of the lucrative China market, Jack Ma, the former English teacher who founded Taobao parentcompany Alibaba, confidently predicted that victory would be his: "Ebay may be a shark in the ocean, but I am a crocodile in the Yangtze River. If we fight in the ocean, we lose — but if we fight in the river, we win."

He was not only right, he underestimated his company's potential. Taobao (which means "searching for treasure" in Mandarin) isn't a mere crocodile today, it's a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Or a mutant creature from another planet hell-bent on global domination. Point is, it's big — very big. Just eight years after its launch, Taobao has 370 million registered users across its three main platforms — more than the entire population of the United States. Taobao Marketplace (the site most similar to eBay) virtually owns the country's online consumer-to-consumer business, with a 90% market share, while Taobao Mall, a separate site where brands like Gap and Uniqlo sell directly to consumers, has captured close to 50% of the B2C market — nearly triple its nearestcompetitor. Taobao's gross merchandise volume (total value of all goods sold) last year reached an estimated $60 billion — double its 2009 volume and topping eBay's $53 billion.(Read why Silicon Valley is no longer king in China.)

According to Alexa, a Web tracking firm, Taobao.com is the third-most visited site in China and the 15th-most visited site in the world — smack between Yahoo! Japan and Google India. (eBay is No. 22.) Goldman Sachs predicts the company will make $716 million in pre-tax earnings and be worth $14.3 billion in 2013, which is impressive considering it makes the majority of its revenue from advertising — unlike eBay, it doesn't charge listing or transaction fees in its C2C business. One of the main reasons that eBay didn't succeed in China was that Taobao offered a similar, or, perhaps, superior, service for free.

Though Taobao is tops in China, it's hit something of a rough patch. It seems the bigger the firm gets, the more trouble it has trying to control what's actually being sold on its sites. Given the ubiquity of counterfeits and illegally made goods in China, this is a serious problem.

Take the trade in illicit drugs and other medical supplies, for instance. Last month, the China Daily, a state-run newspaper, reported that vendors on Taobao were selling dried and ground human placenta, a popular ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, in violation of federallaw. Months earlier, a scandal erupted when mothers were found selling excess breast milk for upwards of $16 per bag on the site. Fertility drugs have turned up on Taobao, as have diet pills containing tapeworm eggs. In each case, Taobao said it didn't condone such sales and it shut down the vendors as soon as they were discovered.(Read about Alibaba's relationship with Yahoo!.)

Counterfeit goods, though, are an even bigger problem — and not just for Taobao. According to a survey conducted last year by the website tech.qq.com, nearly 95% of Chinese Internet users believe that counterfeit goods are "running wild" online. And on Taobao, foreign brands are beginning to take notice now that they've started setting up shops in the Taobao Mall. In July, three Swiss watchmakers resorted to litigation: Omega, Longines and Rado sued Taobao in Beijing for failing to stop the sale of knockoff watches in Taobao Marketplace. The companies said Taobao should ban listings of their watchespriced at under RMB 7,500 ($1,180); a search on Tuesday turned up a number of Omega watches priced at about half that amount.

Taobao Marketplace maintains it is serious about stamping out counterfeits, but with 800 million products listed on the site at any given time, the task is difficult, says Florence Shih, an Alibaba spokeswoman. The site has keyword filters that prevent sellers from postingbanned items and price filters meant to weed out luxury goods offered at incredibly low prices. The company also has teams who scan the site and manually take down listings in violation of Taobao policies. Earlier this year, it launched an online reporting system that allows brands to submit product listings they believe to be fakes. In 2010, the company removed 14 million listings for intellectual property infringement, and in the first half of this year, it deleted 47 million listings, Shih says. "We do the best that we can," she says. "This is a bigger society problem. Counterfeit goods don't simply exist on Taobao Marketplace."

Wang Hai, a well-known Chinese consumer rights advocate, isn't sold. Two years ago, he submitted a report to the government accusing the company of allowing some online stores to operate illegally and infringing on buyers' rights by concealing the real identities of its sellers. Nothing has changed since then, he tells TIME. "There is no guarantee of the quality and authenticity of products. Neither Taobao nor consumers are certain of sellers' locations. Nor do regulatory authorities know where sellers are. So Taobao sellers escape from any form of supervision," he says. "Consumers rely on luck or the sellers' sense of morality."

The fact that Taobao continues to grow suggests that many consumers are willing to take a chance — especially if the price is right. Christina Wang, a 26-year-old in Shanghai who spends about $150 per month on Taobao, says the key is to search for sellers with good customer feedback and be prepared to deal with small quality issues. "I might be tricked (with a fake), but the possibility is quite low if you know what you're doing," she says. She avoids big-ticket clothing items in case they may be counterfeit — as well as anything edible. "I don't trust them that much on food items."

See the top 10 Chinese knock-offs.

Read about the top 10 outrageous eBay auctions.

Inside the Ludicrous Donald Trump Primary

Inside the Ludicrous Donald Trump Primary | Swampland | TIME.com /* */ Home TIME Magazine Photos Videos Specials Topics Subscribe Mobile AppsNewslettersRSS @TIME NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Tech Health Science Entertainment Opinion SEARCH TIME.COM Full Archive Covers Videos 2012 ElectionDebatesDemocratic PartyPollsRepublican PartyMichele BachmannMitt RomneyRick PerryWhite HouseBarack ObamaJoe BidenCongressBudgetsHouseSenateLobbyingJohn BoehnerMitch McConnellNancy PelosiHarry ReidDomestic PolicyAbortionAgricultureDebtEconomyEducationHealth CareHousingForeign PolicyAfghanistanChinaDiplomacyHillary ClintonIranIraqPhotosSpecialsVideos Republican PartyInside the Ludicrous Donald Trump PrimaryBy Alex Altman | @aaltman82 | October 18, 2011 | View CommentsTweet

With her poll numbers sagging, her political organization dwindling and prognosticators declaring her moment to have passed, Michele Bachmann called in a big gun Monday night: Donald Trump.

In a bid to bask in the reflected glow of Trump’s spotlight, Bachmann held a tele-town hall billed as an exclusive opportunity for fans to hear a real-estate mogul turned reality-TV star — whose signature phrase is “You’re fired” — hold forth on how to create jobs.

“We’re extremely excited to have Mr. Trump,” Bachmann said, during an effusive introduction in which she thanked him no fewer than four times. “He’s on the call because he’s admired, he’s respected, he’s known all over the world as a man who knows the economy.”

Never mind that the forum was news to Trump. (“I didn’t even know I was doing it until you just told me,” Trump told Fox & Friends a few hours before the conference call.) The invitation, extended by Bachmann during a breakfast meeting last week, underscores the degree to which a confab with the Donald has become an obligatory pit stop on the path to the Republican nomination. Since abandoning the successful publicity gambit of pretending to seek the presidency, Trump has gobbled pizza with Sarah Palin, talked shop at tony Jean-Georges with Rick Perry, and hosted Mitt Romney and Herman Cain on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. Neither Trump’s slim political resume nor his regrettable fling with the birther movement has dissuaded these presidential aspirants from seeking his counsel.

“He’s the godfather of politics. Everybody comes to kiss the ring,” boasts Michael Cohen, a Trump executive and confidante who has steered the mogul’s quest for political clout. “Right now in the GOP there are four recognized kingmakers. Number one, there’s Donald Trump. Number two, there’s Chris Christie. Mike Huckabee. And the fourth – is it Senator or Governor DeMint?”

Beyond the bluster, there’s a kernel of truth to this. Trump’s political platform consists mostly of gassy pronouncements about America’s declining might and the need to assert its dominance over its rivals, but it has struck a chord with a fearful electorate. “I have to give you very high marks,” Barry from Pennsylvania told Trump on the call, “because you were the first and a very profound voice to call out OPEC.”

“They suck the blood out of you every time the economy starts getting good,” Trump agreed.

While Trump’s call for tightening the screws on China may be gaining currency — the Senate passed a bill last week that would punish the Chinese for manipulating theirs — that isn’t why the Republican field is taking turns making the pilgrimage to his Fifth Avenue skyscraper. Trump has a pair of assets far more valuable than any scraps of policy wisdom he might dispense: a thick Rolodex and a significant soapbox.

For candidates struggling to fill their coffers, Trump’s connections could be a valuable ticket into Manhattan’s moneyed elite. “Trump can deliver anything to whoever the GOP nominee would be,” Cohen says. “Many of Trump’s closest friends are the titans of Wall Street, the largest developers in the world. He can raise an inordinate amount of money.”

Maybe so. But what Trump is really selling is his own ubiquity. There are few people with his bold-face cachet, which makes Trump’s endorsement — splashed across his TV show, social media platforms and the headlines he generates — a coveted one. By the same token, his megaphone is loud enough that it’s worth paying obeisance to avoid having it turned against you. Public courtship has its benefits for suitors, each of whom has been the recipient of praise for their efforts. “I have a lot of respect for Michele Bachmann,” Trump announced at the tele-town hall. “We had a wonderful breakfast the other day.”

Trump is hardly the only potential rainmaker on presidential hopefuls’ agendas; he just brags about it more. And his months roaming the fringe questioning Obama’s citizenship have made him a target for political opponents. On the day Romney slipped into Trump’s office a few weeks ago, the DNC released a video linking the two. Jon Huntsman hasn’t participated in what his spokesman has derisively dubbed “Presidential Apprentice,” and taken pains to highlight the fact that Romney has. Establishment Republicans are not going to ask how high when Donald Trump tells them to jump.

Bachmann, on the other hand, is appealing to a segment of the electorate for whom Trump’s dalliance with birtherism or boilerplate about President Obama’s weak leadership is hugely appealing. But in the end, she may be wasting her time. Trump has said he may not endorse until next summer, and that if Republican voters don’t tap a candidate he deems capable enough, he’ll consider an independent bid for the presidency.

This isn’t a credible threat. (Why would a guy who claims he’s committing to ousting Obama make that task tougher by vulturing conservative votes?) But by cracking the door a tad, Trump ensures that he’ll be able to siphon off the political spotlight a while longer. It’s a fitting plot point for a presidential campaign that has become the most sordid reality show of all.

Related Topics: donald trump, herman cain, jon huntsman, Michele Bachmann, mitt romney, rick perry, Republican Party
emailprintshareLinkedInStumbleUponRedditDiggMixxDel.i.ciousWriteView Comments@TIMEPoliticsLatest on SwamplandUncategorized | October 17, 2011The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

It’s sort of fun to watch as the right-wing press attempts to handle the phenomenally unprepared and unworthy Herman Cain with kid gloves. Here, for example, is the neoconservative Weekly Standard, explaining Cain’s cluelessness about neoconservatism on Meet the Press:

 ”Would you describe yourself as a neoconservative then?” [David] Gregory asked.

Like any good Socratic neoconservative, Cain answered the question with a question: ”I’m not sure what you mean by neoconservative?  I am a conservative, yes.  Neoconservative?–labels sometimes will put you in a box. I’m very conservative, but…”

“But you’re familiar with the neoconservative movement?” Gregory asked.

“I’m not familiar with the neoconservative movement,” Cain replied. “I’m familiar with the conservative movement.” Cain was able subtly to indicate that he knows, unlike Gregory, that neoconservatism is apersuasion or tendency, not a movement.

Are you kidding me? A subtle Socratic? Actually, Cain has a tendency to be unsubtly unpersuasive on a cornucopia of issues.

From our PartnersJimmy Carter: 'I'm Optimistic' Obama Will Win 2012Huffington PostFive Questions for President ObamaPoliticoMichele Bachmann: Rick Perry Rewarded Donors With State MoneyHuffington PostBarack Obama | October 17, 2011Obama’s ‘Campaign’ for the Jobs Bill

Arizona Senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain took to the Senate floor Monday to lambast the President’s listening tour this week on jobs. From his remarks:

The president is now on his listening, quote, listening tour, at taxpayers’ expense the president made these remarks on a taxpayer-paid-for, riding in a Canadian bus, visit for the next three days… White house officials insist the trip is about jobs, not votes. So much so, in fact, they a conference call to reiterate that point several times pointing out that the trip is fully on the taxpayers’ dime, not the republicans’ re-election campaign. So the president has taken to the road and, I mean, he spent a number of minutes attacking our plan, and I understand that. I think he has the — certainly in a political venue — the right and privilege to do that. I think the question might be, though, is that appropriate on the taxpayers’ dime, since it is clearly campaigning. And, I must say again, I’ve never seen an uglier bus than the Canadian one. He’s traveling around on a Canadian bus touting American jobs. So — and one of the reasons why Americans and I and my colleagues are a bit skeptical, because we’ve seen this movie before. We saw this movie before. It feels a little bit like something we’ve heard before.

Setting aside the fact that, as White House Communication director Dan Pfeiffer pointed out to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, McCain’s Straight Talk Express bus was made by the same company, there are two interesting points here.

previousThe Soft Bigotry of Low Expectationsblog comments powered by Disqus The Page Updated 3 hours agoLibya: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in TripoliGilad Shalit freed in Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swapIowa Picks 1/3 for CaucusNH Lawmakers Push Romney to Skip NV CaucusObama's Approval Falls to 41 Percent in Granite State Poll More on TIME.comThailand, Flooded: Photos from the Rising WatersBefore Wall Street: America's Top 10 Protest MovementsPhotos: Indy 500 Champ Dan Wheldon Dies in Fiery CrashFull ListMost PopularTIME.COMSwamplandMove Over, China: Why India May Be the Better Partner for Latin AmericaToddler Hit-And-Run Sparks Outrage in ChinaMaldives: In a Troubled Paradise, Time Runs Out on Environmental DeadlineStudy: 1 in 6 Cell Phones Contaminated With Fecal MatterScandal and the Vatican: Let's Not Talk About Kansas CityJudge Orders More Review on Polar BearsGilad Shalit and the End of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Processjapan's booming sex niche: elder pornWhat Slovakia's 'No' Means For The EuroWhat If the China Bubble Bursts?What the Alleged Iran Assassination Plot Means for 2012The Soft Bigotry of Low ExpectationsIn Herman Cain’s Writings, a Startling Lack of ForesightObama’s ‘Campaign’ for the Jobs BillHerman Cain’s Credibility: Questionable, but Will It Matter?Why Occupy Wall Street Is More Popular than the Tea Party*Will Evangelicals Doom Romney?Will the Underwear Bomber’s Plea Unblock the Gitmo Trial Logjam?Occupy Wall Street: A Tea Party for the Left?Morning Must Reads: Desperate VideosMore Videos Powered by WordPress.com VIP Stay Connected with TIME.comSubscribe to
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Inside the Numbers: Why Romney Would Outperform Perry Against Obama

Inside the Numbers: Why Romney Outperforms Perry Against Obama | Swampland | TIME.com /* */ Home TIME Magazine Photos Videos Specials Topics Subscribe Mobile AppsNewslettersRSS @TIME NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Tech Health Science Entertainment Opinion SEARCH TIME.COM Full Archive Covers Videos 2012 ElectionDebatesDemocratic PartyPollsRepublican PartyMichele BachmannMitt RomneyRick PerryWhite HouseBarack ObamaJoe BidenCongressBudgetsHouseSenateLobbyingJohn BoehnerMitch McConnellNancy PelosiHarry ReidDomestic PolicyAbortionAgricultureDebtEconomyEducationHealth CareHousingForeign PolicyAfghanistanChinaDiplomacyHillary ClintonIranIraqPhotosSpecialsVideos PollsInside the Numbers: Why Romney Outperforms Perry Against ObamaBy Alex Altman | @aaltman82 | October 14, 2011 | View CommentsTweetTristan Spinski / CorbisRepublican presidential candidates Rick Perry, left, and Mitt Romney, applaud during the Fox News/Google GOP Debate in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 22, 2011.

After weeks of shaky debates and swirling questions about his record in Texas, it’s no surprise that Rick Perry is running behind Mitt Romney in head-to-head general election matchups against Barack Obama. Perry lags 12 points behind Obama, 50% to 38%, in TIME’s new poll, while Romney trails the President by a 46% to 43% margin, within the margin of error in most polls. Thirteen months before the election, the utility of horserace figures is limited. Still, the poll captures a useful snapshot how Perry’s support has softened even among the conservative blocs that seemed poised to rally behind his candidacy.

There are two areas in particular that should give immediate pause to Republicans looking ahead to a general-election tussle. For one, Romney is far better position to vie for the independent voters who help swing tight battles. He leads Obama among self-identified independent likely voters, 45% to 42%. Obama, by contrast, has a 47% to 39% edge over Perry in the fight for the same group.

The second area where the former Massachusetts governor boasts an edge is in the Midwest, home to an industrial corridor where the shrinking manufacturing base and sluggish recovery has dragged down Obama’s support. The ability to retake states like Ohio and Indiana would be a critical boost to the Republican nominee’s prospects, and Romney, who hails from Michigan — the state his father ran for a stretch — is in better position right now to accomplish that feat. Romney leads Obama in the Midwest by seven points, 46% to 39%. Perry trails the President in the region by the same margin.

But Perry’s most alarming area of under-performance is among evangelicals, a conservative faction squarely in Perry’s wheelhouse. This is a governor whose revival rally filled a Houston football stadium, who courts conservative bigwigs in language that reveals a Biblical fluency. Less than a week ago, a Perry supporter sparked a kerfuffle by suggesting that Romney, a Mormon, would not appeal to Evangelicals on the hunt for a true Christian candidate rather than an adherent to a “cult.” And yet in TIME’s poll, Romney outperforms Perry among Evangelicals, leading Obama 51% to 39%. Perry leads Obama among Evangelicals as well, but by a slimmer 46% to 40% margin. That head-to-head deficit in a prime Perry demographic may underscore the degree to which his faltering performance has sowed doubts among potential supporters.

The poll, conducted for TIME by Abt SRBI, surveyed 1,001 voters on Oct. 9-10.

Related Topics: 2012, evangelicals, gop, independents, midwest, mitt romney, rick perry, Polls
emailprintshareLinkedInStumbleUponRedditDiggMixxDel.i.ciousWriteView Comments@TIMEPoliticsLatest on SwamplandMust Reads | October 14, 2011Morning Must Reads: BurdenBoehner orders up infrastructure, aviation and trade bills. Het gets prickly with Obama on jobs.The White House weighs a plan to woo private firms into a bigger role in housing finance.Romney continues Sino saber-rattling on trade.From our PartnersJimmy Carter: 'I'm Optimistic' Obama Will Win 2012Huffington PostFive Questions for President ObamaPoliticoMichele Bachmann: Rick Perry Rewarded Donors With State MoneyHuffington PostArticles of Faith | October 14, 2011Will Evangelicals Doom Romney?

Mitt Romney can’t seem to broaden his appeal beyond a quarter of the Republican electorate. Despite his commanding debate performances and general election promise, his support in primary polls has rarely surpassed 26%, which is close to where he peaked in 2008. He does not pick up new backers when support for opponents like Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann fades. What’s going on? It’s the evangelicals, stupid.

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