A Steampunk Benefit for Riseup.net and UBEW

On Saturday, December 11, 2010, a local Santa Cruz tech collective will be hosting an unusual evening of food, auction, and performance. The United Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (UBEW) will be holding its first ever fundraiser to support a goal of empowering people to use technology in a way that is sustainable, collaborative, and liberating.

An Evening of Extraordinary Proportions: A Benefit for UBEW and Riseup.net

The event will be held at the Pacific Cultural Center, 1307 Seabright Ave in Santa Cruz, at 6pm. Tickets are available on a sliding scale of $20 to $45 and can be purchased online at http://tickets.ubew.org or at the door. The evening will consist of 19th Century formal/steam punk dress, an elegant three-course dinner, a silent auction of Unusual and Curious Items, and finally, an exhibition boxing match between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

"On the night of this event, Mr. Edison and Mr. Tesla will settle their historic dispute like gentlemen," said Elizabeth Burchfield, an organizer of the event. A hundred years ago, these two electrical engineering heavyweights engaged in fierce campaigns in support of their respective inventions, direct current and alternating current . "Several rounds of fisticuffs will settle the infamous War of the Currents."

A three course vegetarian dinner will be served, featuring fresh seasonal produce from local farms and orchards. Throughout the dinner, the event will feature a three-phase "semi-silent" auction featuring a wide-range of Unusual and Curious Items, including art from local artists, "geek dates," donated items from local merchants, libations, and opportunities to destroy frustrating technology.

Attendees of the event are encouraged to dress in historically-inspired costumery, including 19th Century and Victorian formal wear, SteamPunk, and its many derivatives. "Ambiance is an important element of this event. We firmly suggest that attendees put Thought and Imagination into their preparations for this Unusual Event, " said Burchfield. The organizers have put together a guide from which attendees may draw costume ideas at http://costume.ubew.org


About UBEW

UBEW provides mutual support to anti-authoritarian groups making radical social change through direct action, community involvement, and education. Specifically, UBEW focuses on

* Creating technical infrastructure for the local radical community, making the results of this development generally available for distribution to a wider community of radicals and activists,
* Educating people about responsible and sustainable uses of technology that work toward a better world, and
* Informing people about issues at the crossroads of technology and activism, privacy, surveillance, and liberatory politics.

UBEW has roots in the anarchist traditions of autonomy,cooperation, mutual aid, solidarity, and direct action. UBEW is a collectively-run, all-volunteer, non-profit organization, fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

The event is a joint benefit for Riseup.net, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that provides online communication tools for people and groups working on social change. Riseup is a project to create democratic alternatives to commercial technical infrastructure.