Harm Minimisation Stall - Part 4 = Please Read!!

Part 1 http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/002537.html
Part 2 http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/002585.html
Part 3 ]http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/002623.html
Well alot has happened in the past couple of weeks that has seen Sydney progress in leaps and bounds, and Melbourne bogged in it's own shit. I have put too much time and effort to see all this pissed away - so I have taken some time away from the project, consulted with many people and come with the following solution. I am hoping for peoples kind and generous support in a project that will make an incredible difference.
After much debate it has been decided that this project needs to establish it's own indentity. We are ready to move into the next step - the step into professionalism and organisation - there has been enough talk. The project now stands on it's own two feet.
We have established a bulletin board specifically set up for this project - and thats all it is there for. Following events and having information accesible on a couple of threads on Bluelight has become tedious. We have also tried the email list, which is very scattered and hard to follow.
It is time to step up another level people!! Lets all get motivated again and full of the fighting spirit we had a month ago. This project will happen and it will happen in such a manner that we can all be proud of!!!
Everything will be posted on this board and nothing hidden from anyone - this is a peoples project, always has been and dammit, always will be!!!!!
Lets prove to everyone we are intelligent, organised and professional people who will make a change in a positive direction.
Candyflip & Chem Gen - where do you all stand with all this?
Anyway, I leave it all to you people, the link is down below. I've just set it up so there's nothing really on it, but we will be using it instead of Bluelight and the email list. I'll keep bumping this up for newcomers interested in becoming involved.
Thank You - Haste
http://pub30.ezboard.com/bpilltestingaustaliapta
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Sucker love is known to swing. Prone to cling and waste these things. Pucker up for heavens sake. There's never been so much at stake.
[This message has been edited by haste (edited 31 October 2000).]

uhhh... i dont see a link????
i'm hoping it's not just me

uhh, hastey,
and the link would be?
i'd be all smart and stuff and put it up here myself, but bluemail's down so i can't access it.

Yay

sorry guys - silly hastey
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Sucker love is known to swing. Prone to cling and waste these things. Pucker up for heavens sake. There's never been so much at stake.

*grabs thread by its balls*
WHAT?!?! u trying to get off the front page are u???
Heh!

bump

I am only new to this topic but have had a very interesting reading. A good friend has given me the link and thought I would put in a word, I hope this will be worth while.
It is good to see that there is a need for the next step, obviously there is confidence internally for there to be a next step.
I'm very interested in the tactic that is going to be taken to take the next step. Do you just open up and hope that you can do this discretly. There is alot of options that can be taken and I would be more than happy to help in forming the strategic approach, but first I have to read and learn more about this topic. I believe that information and the power of positive information will win at the end of the day.
Good work, I will stay posted.

*bump*
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"Sacred cows make the best hamburger."
[This message has been edited by Cowboy Mac (edited 05 November 2000).]

bump!!
More assistance would be very much apprecitated

oh and an update:
melbourne is no longer "bogged in it's own shit", we are actually doing it. our first pill testing happens tonight.
melbourne's philosophy is just do it. if you are in melbourne and want to be involved please follow the above link to the board or just email me.

hey fellow bluelighters...
i'd like to give you an from adventjah in brisbane on the 2 dec. One of our associates is the distributor for eztest in qld. He had his first stall at the rave...and it was wicked. people were initially a little hesitant to approach the stall, but as the night wore on, it got better. We made up a sign that said "attention bluelighters, come and chat" and the response was AWESOME. We had heaps of brissie bluelighters come up and introduce themselves. We also gave out free lollipops to whoever came up and introduced themselves as bluelighters...we handed out our own flyers with various links to sites like dancesafe, bluelight, ecstacy.org, erowid...etc etc. People that didn't know about bluelight certainly do now. It was absolutely fantastic guys.
We've decided to approach the adventjah team for the next rave and discuss the possibility of setting up a bluelight stall. We would of course get permission of the administrators of bl, we would print up banners, purchase a couple of shirts, have a donation jar, and whatever proceeds we make from the jar willgo to bluelight.
Just a point of interest,at the rave we had a few periodic problems with uniformed and undercover police hanging round the eztest stall, but apart from that, it was cool.
With the prospective bl stall, we will hope to hand out things like disposable earplugs, sell lollipops (they will be free to people who bluelight), candy and basically the proceeds we make from the sale of things will cover the cost of the lollies...but as i said, the proceeds of the jar will go to bl.
We have had various discussions with people regarding a pill testing stall, but there are a few big obstacles regarding that, such as promoters not liking the idea, the major police prescence at raves in brisbane(they would jump on us IN A SECOND if they saw us handling pills at a rave) , and the fact that our friend sells single dose kits at raves (he developed his own form of single dose eztest kits). so the next best thing is to work beside him, offering info on minimising neurotoxicity from use of mdma...which is essentially what we are concentrating on. Ravesafe already handle general info, so we decided to be a little more specific with our info.
anyway, i just thought i'd give you an update on what's been happening in this little hick town of ours...
I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions or comments!!!!
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when your fun becomes your reality...what do you do for fun???
[This message has been edited by samadhi (edited 03 December 2000).]

fantastic news. glad it went so well. i haven't heard back from our lot yet.
speaking as an admin i have no problem what so ever with the name Bluelight being used for this stall. in fact i'd prefer it, but thats my personal opinion.
i will of course respect everyone who feels otherwise, but i think it is a choice of the groups themselves.
so go for it. i just wish others had your courage.
does this mean i should start a queensland section on PTA?

hey Johnboy
Thanks so much for your support...we really appreciate it. This is the thing though...we aren't actually performing on-site pill testing, we are just making the full dose and single dose kits available to the punters on the night...with a semi-stern message to use their discression and commonsense when it comes to testing your pills at a rave. I know that some might call us cowards for deciding against testing pills onsite, but our goal from the beginning has been to educate people about neurotoxicity issues regarding mdma use. Also i would like to stress that we have such a drachonian government and police force up here, as i said before, the police were watching our the eztest stall for most of the night, so could you imagine if we went in there with no permission from or collaboration with the authorities and start testing pills, they would grab the punter for possession or when they hand it to us, grab us for possession!!!!
Of course, if it goes off without a hitch down south, then what's to say that it will set a precedent for the other states????
there is one other problem...we would like to set up a "bluelight" stall...now, the other states are starting an organisation that is separate and distinct from BL for the purposes of pill testing. If we happen to start testing pills in the future, would we still be able to use the name bluelight?
sorry this is so long, but as i type i keep thinking of things...
One other problem...there is a pretty big case of general paranoia in bris...due to the amount of people eating base...not everyone but alot. There were a few people who were initially sus on the stall, thinking we were undercovers etc etc, so i can't really see alot of people warming up to the idea of pulling out a pill, therefore "admitting" that they are in possession of an illicit substance. I'd like other peoples input on this subject.
In a nutshell, i think that we will initially start by setting up a bluelight stall working in conjunction with the chap who distributes eztest and see how we go with that.
Again, sorry about the length, and we really appreciate your input!!!

I'm off the Project, but you should be contacting B. at Chem. Gen. for more on their help with testing solution...
email : [email protected]
good luck..
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Drugs are the answer, now what was the question?....
[This message has been edited by candyflip (edited 03 December 2000).]

the important thing isn't onsite pill testing, it's education.
onsite pill testing is a great way of educating people. you've got the pill there, you can show them the reaction, you can talkabout what it means, all right at themoment they are going to take it...
BUT this is only one way of doing it. if for whatever reason a group can't do testing there are still many ways of educating. and it seems like your group is thinking of may ways of doing it.
the only reason why i think pilltesting has been stressed here as important is that there are already many groups in australia doing more general harm minimisation and education. melbourne has a ravesafe to hand out the pamphlets and earplugs etc. this is why we down here are getting behind the testing,because they are doing all the other things, and for political reasons are hesitant to test.
how many other cities have equivalent organisations? and of those who do, how many of them are actually a presence at major, and minor, events?
i think there is a growing need for more harm reduction, off all sorts, in australia. and i for one would be proud if it was done under the banner of Bluelight.
wether the larger pilltesting project is done under that banner i wouldnt want to guess at now. but by all means use the name, and promote it.
i think youhave a sound strategy in setting up a general stall and aligning yourself with ez-test or chem gen.

bump

we also have a ravesafe up here, but we both ( my fiance and myself) firmy feel that Bluelight needs to be plugged heaps more. I've posted a thread enlisting the help of other bluelighters, which has had a great response. We will sell blue lollipops, blue glowsticks, nutritional supplements and have a donation jar. Proceeds will go to bluelight in a postal order. (as well as costs, etc.)
We will also have a really comfy chill out area for bluelighters to hang if they are jelly legged, etc.

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when your fun becomes your reality...what do you do for fun???
we are not human beings having a spiritual experience...we are spiritual beings having a human experience...

Make sure you look after the stall's expenses first before you start sending money around, especially overseas. $300 australian would problably only buy quarter of a doberman in the US.

Of course we'll cover costs first, but i'm sure that BL will appreciate any money that comes their way, if it's from a BL stall in australia. At least they'll know that people have been making the effort to get the name BL out there and that we're educating people. Basically our primary objective for doing this is to educate people and because we love all that bl stands for, and we want to give something back. I'd like to think that they would be stoked with any money that is sent to them...they would see that there are people out there (like jb said) that are doing something for bl! Also, this will be our first bl stall (second if you count the eztest stall which sorta turned into a BL stall) so there might be slight losses, i'm sure, but all that is big once started small. one more thing...we are selling nutritional supplements...that is our own separate business, so a large chunk of profit from that will go directly to us,and we'll donate some of it to Bl as well. so really, we'll do alright!
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when your fun becomes your reality...what do you do for fun???
we are not human beings having a spiritual experience...we are spiritual beings having a human experience...
[This message has been edited by samadhi (edited 07 December 2000).]

what nutritional suppliments are you selling, and where are you getting them from? (how much profit can you expect to make per unit?)
i kinda like that idea i would love if we could have some suppliments and maybe some fruit (bananas! even tho i hate em) to make a lil extra $ to cover printing costs.
=)