by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
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Now use your scissors to cut the weighted socks off the clothesline, while keeping a firm grasp on both ends of the line.
Each person ptdls both ends of their clothesline so that the banner rises evenly Pull until the molly bolt passes through the carabineer and snaps open. This can be the most difficult part. You may need to jiggle the lines to get the molly bolt through, but don't panic ... if it gets stuck, keep jigghng (figure 2.8).
Once your molly bolt is caught on the carabineers, pull just one end of the clothesline until the other end falls free of the loop. Then . . . you're done! If everything goes smoothly the entire hoist should only take a minute or two.
Practice throwing! Once you get out there, traffic lights can be higher than you thought. Maybe you'll be a Httle nervous. Gain confidence by practicing your throws beforehand. Take a doubled clothesline with weighted socks attached and practice on a quiet street at night.
Scout out your area ahead of time. Figure out who is going to stand on which side. Look for possible problems like power lines or tree branches. Monitor traffic flow. Walk and talk through all the steps to make sure you and your partner get it.
If you are doing this anywhere near power lines, wait for a dry day!
To determine the height of a pole . . . Stand around fifty feet from the pole. Hold a small ruler at arm's length. Position the ruler so that the zero is at the base of the pole. Now measure the pole's height in inches as if you were measuring a photograph of the
The Hoist
2.7
Banner Hoists S3
2.TI
pole {figure 2,c)). Let's say that, in your view, the pole is "9 inches" high. Stay in the same space and keep your arm straight. Pivot the ruler so that it is horizontal {figure. 2.10). Measure from the base of the pole to some point on the ground that is "9 inches" away. Make note of something at that point?^let's say there's a crack in the sidewalk there. Now you know that the crack in the sidewalk is the same distance from the bottom of the pole as the pole is high. Use a tape to measure the distance?or, if you know the length of your stride, you genius you, pace it out. Remember?the doubled clothesline must go over the pole and all the way back dovm to the ground. That means each line must be at least four times the height of the pole.
You can convert this method for solo operations. Fix one carabineer in the center of the banner. Connect one line to both ends of the banner so that it is loose like a picture-hanging wire. Tie the molly bolt rope to the center of the loose rope. Otherwise, follow the same directions as above and you shoidd be able to hoist the banner by yourself.
Banner Toss
Banner Hoists 84
This small-scale banner-hanging technique takes its cue from that perennial feature of suburbia, sneakers wrapped around power lines. Add text to a strip of cloth, plastic, or Tyvek about four inches wide by about three feet long. At each end, sew or glue a loop big enough to fit a four-inch section of broom handle. Cut two such sections, and use waterproof glue to secure them in the loops. Tie about four feet of string to one end of the banner, and tie a third section of broom handle to the other end of the string. Roll the whole thing up?it should fit in your pocket?and take it out to the streets. Practice tossing until it only takes one try to get your string wrapped around the power lines and your banner hanging dovm {figure 2.11).
Behavioral Cut-ups
Our civilization prizes linear progress and development, in which an individual sets goals and pursues them; but there is another kind of growth, another kind of learning, in which an individual broadens her frame of reference. Focusing only upon linear progress, a person might work his whole life and attain all his objectives without ever expanding his awareness of life's possibilities. Indeed, in this objective-oriented society, it is difficult not to develop tunnel vision; and even if you pledge yourself to a life of exploration, in which every day is to be an adventure, routine is bound to set in sometimes.
