#329: Hammer the Pokies

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND
NEWSLETTER No. 329, May 12, 2010

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Contact details:
Forums – John Minto, Work: (09) 845 2132, Home 09 846 3173 jbminto
Newsletter Editor & Website – Mike Treen 0295254744 mike
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HAMMER THE POKIES
GPJA is still on the quest for 200 people willing to take part in a civil disobedience exercise whereby they register their hammers for a “hammer the pokies” protest. We have around 40 people registered so far but to be successful we need a lot more. There are over 20,000 pokie machines in local communities (non-casino pokies) which are sucking the lifeblood from low-income areas (over half the machines are in the poorest third of communities). Families coping with pokie addicts in the recession just adds to the misery of whole communities left behind by growing inequality. We’d like GPJA members to help spread the word. You can get a copy of the campaign flyer, register your hammer or for more information email johnminto or phone John at 8463173.

WANTED FOR CORPORATE GREED! SATURDAY, 1PM, JBHIFI, QUEEN ST, AUCKLAND
Richard Euchtritz, CEO of JB Hi Fi, gets paid $4 million per year. His company, JB HiFi, is set to make $150 million profit this year alone. Profits up 29% New store opening in Palmerston North. But he hasn’t given his workers a pay rise in three years, and has dismissed their demand for a pay rise as "Absurd". This Saturday, saddle up and join the Posse for a how down outside JB Hi Fi store. Yer all Deputies of the Unite Union now, neighbours. Expose this Corporate Cowboy!

NOISIEST PICKET EVER? Video of Protest at JB hifi last week- http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.com/2010/05/jb-lo-pay-pickets-in-auckland-and.html and photos of the Solidarity protest in Melbourne, Australia http://www.unite.org.au/2010/05/10/unite-in-solidarity-with-jb-hi-fi-workers/

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Friday, May 14, 4.30pm, ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Antony Loewenstein "My Israel Question" – General Admission, Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, Event 33. The election of Barack Obama brought hope to millions around the world and has seen renewed diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, yet the Israel-Palestine conflict goes on unabated. Antony Loewenstein’s bestseller, My Israel Question, generated a storm of controversy, critical praise and robust public debate when it was first published in 2006. A third, fully updated and expanded edition of his forensic discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict came out in 2009. He examines the prospects of the Middle East peace process in the new geo-political context, and alternative suggestions on how to tackle the crisis, mapping out where hope lies for a resolution. Chair: Treasa Dunworth. Ticketing information: Festival Club members, Patrons and Friends of the Festival tickets available until 12 May from the Aotea Centre Box office or by calling 09 357 3354. Earlybird tickets available until 12 May. For group bookings call 09 357 3354. Doors open 4.00pm. Event 4.30pm – 5.30pm. (Times are approximate and are subject to change). For more information visit www.writersfestival.co.nz This event is General Admission. Please note General Admission tickets cannot be reprinted if they are lost. We strongly recommend you select "courier" as your delivery method. http://www.the-edge.co.nz/Event-Pages/A/AWRF-main-events/33-My-Israel-Questio.aspx

Saturday, May 15, 1pm, JB HIFI, Queen St Auckland
Picket in solidarity with JB HIFI workers

Saturday, May 15, 9am-2pm, New Lynn Community Centre in Waitakere City
ECOMATTERS ENVIRONMENT TRUST PRESENTS: A REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HUI "Thriving In Our Changing Environment". All groups and individuals working in the environmental sector in the Auckland Region are welcome to attend this event on Saturday 15 May. Prior registration is required. The purpose of the Hui is: 1. Networking and 2. To share views on thriving in our changing environment. We will meet at the New Lynn Community Centre in Waitakere City at 9am for registration. Anyone wishing to bring a small display may do so, set-up is from 8.30am. The Hui will last until approximately 2pm. An optional tour of the EcoMatters Environment Trust site in New Lynn will follow. The format of the day will comprise brief presentations and open space working on specific, relevant topics. If you would like to suggest a group discussion topic for consideration please let us know when you register. A full programme will be released to registrants nearer the time. Registration fees will apply: Groups $40 (covers 2 individuals); Individuals $25; Unwaged $10. Includes lunch. Please register online by visiting: For any further enquiries please contact info

Saturday, May 15, 9am to 4pm at St Matthew-in-the-City, corner Wellesley and Hobson Streets, Auckland
Disturbing the Peace: A Day of Reflection, Discussion & Networking. Purpose of the day: – meet other people interested in issues of peace; – talk about how peace and spirituality intertwine; – talk about how peace and justice intertwine; – save the world. Questions to be explored: Is peace just unrealistic? Is peace toothless verbiage? Has/is the church invested in the continuation of violence? Is peace just a word that politicians use to buy time in order to re-arm; or to get their country’s companies to move in to maximize profits in a new market? What difference does doing anything in NZ make to anyone anywhere? Should NZ have soldiers? Should we be involved in ‘peace keeping’ operations – like Afghanistan? What are the limits of violence in non-violent protest? Who will be there? The day will feature as keynote speaker Canon Paul “Apostle for Peace and Reconciliation” Oestreicher, retired Director of the Centre for International Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral; founding Chair of Amnesty International; Vice President, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Quaker Chaplain to the University of Sussex and a lifelong worker for peace and social justice. Leading New Zealand peace advocates have been invited to respond to his two presentations:
♦Fr Peter Murnane, Peace activist recently acquitted in the Waihopai 3 trial
♦Revd Sande Ramage, School chaplain and former military chaplain
♦Ms Edwina Hughes, Coordinator of Peace Movement Aotearoa
♦Associate Professor Peter Lineham, Historian of Peace Movements
♦Dr Heather deVere, Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies
♦Mr Andrew Shepherd, Peace theologian
Programme for May 15:
9.00 Registration and morning tea
10.00 Address by Paul Oestreicher
11.00 Panel response and Q&A
12.30 Lunch (and Morning & Afternoon Teas) provided by the Women’sInternational League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
1.30 Address by Paul Oestreicher
2.30 Panel response and Q & A
4.00 Finish with afternoon tea and informal conversation
Canon Oestreicher will also be the guest preacher at St Matthew-in-the-City thenext morning, 8am & 10am, Sunday, May 16. Cost: $40.00 Registration /$20.00 for Students & Unwaged. (Includes lunch and teas for those whopre-register) Lunch cannot be guaranteed for those who do NOT pre-register forthe event. For more information email Clay Nelson at clay@stmatthews.org.nz or call StMatthew’s office: 09 379 0625

Monday, May 17, 6pm – 7.30 pm, 039 Clock Tower, University ofAuckland City Campus
In association with University of Auckland, ECOFEST presents a paneldiscussion: "A Financial Transactions Tax — Can Robin Hood save theworld’s poorest?". Tim Hazledine, Professor of Economics, University ofAuckland; Jim Stanford, Economist, Canadian Auto Workers’ Union; BarryCoates, Executive Director, Oxfam New Zealand. Moderated by YvonneUnderhill-Sem, Director of Development Studies, University of Auckland. Ourpanel will discuss the Financial Transactions Tax, a tiny tax on banks whichcould provide billions of dollars of vital funding for tackling poverty andclimate change. There’s growing international momentum behind the socalled ROBIN HOOD TAX, so come along and find out what it’s all about!

Monday, May 17, 7pm, Liston Hall (entry off St Patrick’sSquare or Hobson St). Parking – Wilson’s CathedralCarpark, Cnr Hobson /Wyndham Sts. $1 after 6.30 pm for ticketsvalidated in Liston Hall
The ROLE of PALESTINE in GLOBAL PEACE with Antony Loewenstein author of bestseller “My Israel Question” interviewed by Afroz Ali.

Tuesday, 7pm, May 18, Conference Centre Lecture Theatre, 22 SymondsStreet, University of Auckland, Auckland CBD
QUESTIONING ISRAEL – Liberated Jewish thought on Palestine/Israel – A talk byAntony Loewenstein, Sydney-based journalist, blogger and author of best seller"My Israel Question". Gold coin koha appreciated

Friday, May 21, 7.30am, School of Population Health, Tamaki CampusUniversity of Auckland. Gate 1, 261 Morrin Rd, (Bldg 730, Function Room 220 onlevel 2), Glen Innes, Auckland
10TH ANNUAL CPAG POST-BUDGET BREAKFAST BUDGET 2010: ACCOUNTING FORCHILDREN? This year’s Budget is looming as one of great concern to allwho are interested in the welfare of our children. Pre-budget commentary andannouncements from the Government are pushing us to a status of“alarm”. The impact of the fiscal policies of the 1990s is beingstill felt keenly today and this Government appears to not only be willing toignore this impact, but also determined to drive the wedge of inequality deeperinto our society. The response to the present recession is primarily aimed atcost-cutting, which increases the exposure of the vulnerable , especiallychildren. The proposed tax changes will do nothing to improve the position ofat risk families in New Zealand. Of particular concern is the proposal to raiseGST which will directly hit the pockets of the poorest families. CPAG’sannual Post-Budget Breakfast will this year feature two of CPAG’s ownexecutive. Susan St John, Associate Professor of Economics atUniversity of Auckland dissects the budget. “Is this 1991 all over again?Were the welfare reforms just to soften us up? Where are the children in thisbudget?” Alan Johnson, Economist and Salvation Armysocial policy analyst will reframe poverty through the lens of the“deserving and the undeserving”. Alan will examine our treatment ofthe children of beneficiaries and non- beneficiaries, and compare our treatmentof the young and the elderly. This is CPAG’s stellar event on our annualcalendar and is considered one of the most stimulating and discerningdiscussions around the Budget. RSVP and Enquiries: contact Julie Timmins at admin@cpag.org.nz ph (09) 303 9260 toregister. Cost: $30 waged, $15 unwaged. Payment: prefer direct credit CPAG38-9003-0066858-00 giving surname, ref ‘Breakfast’ + # of attendees) or sendcheque, advising contact details + # attendees, PO Box 56-150, Auckland 1446.Early payment will secure your booking. Kind Regards, Julie Timmins. http://www.cpag.org.nz

Monday, May 24, 5.30pm-6.30pm, Clock Tower, Princes Street,University of Auckland
Lecture: A new way to stop whaling through international law? ProfessorRothwell, expert on international law and Gareth Hughes, Green MP will speak."The International Law Options to halt Japanese Whaling in the Southern Ocean".Since 1987 Japan has conducted whaling in the Southern Ocean notwithstandingthe global moratorium on commercial whaling. Japan asserts that its whalingoperations are consistent with the 1948 International Convention for theRegulation of Whaling and that it has an unlimited right to take whales underthe Article VIII of the Convention which permits so-called ‘special permit’whaling. But are Japan’s Southern Ocean whaling activities really consistentwith the Convention or in violation of international law, and what can NewZealand do to challenge Japan’s whaling before the International courts?Professor Rothwell will explore these issues with particular reference to theproposed reforms to the International Whaling Commission and the legal optionsavailable to New Zealand to challenge Japan’s Southern Ocean whaling.

Monday, May 24, 4.30-9pm, AUT UNIVERSITY, CITY CAMPUS,WA 224, Conference Centre, Wellesley St entrance
PMC, RED CROSS TO HOST WAR REPORTING SEMINAR AUCKLAND (Pacific MediaCentre/Pacific Media Watch): The Pacific Media Centre, International Committeeof the Red Cross and New Zealand Red Cross are jointly hosting twin specialevents on reporting wars at AUT University next month. They are:
• 4.30-6.45 pm, May 24, WA224 (AUT city conference centre): Screening ofthe film Balibo about the killing of six journalists in East Timor in 1975.This is followed by a Q and A session with one of the film’s consultants.
• 7.15-9pm : Reporting Wars: The Ongoing Challenges seminar, featuring aspecial video message from Chris Cramer, head of multimedia news of Reuters,New York, and a panel debating "cutting edge issues", including the safety andprotection of journalists.
The panel will include war correspondents Cameron Bennett (TVNZ), MikeMcRoberts (TV3) and independent journalist Jon Stephenson. Guest speaker willbe former ABC journalist Tony Maniaty, of the Australian Centre for IndependentJournalism, who was at Balibo shortly before the TV journalists were killed. Heis author of the recent book Shooting Balibo and was a consultant for themaking of Balibo. The seminar will be chaired by Dr Camille Nakhid of the PMCAdvisory Board. It follows up two conferences on war reporting in Sydney andWellington sponsored by the ICRC last May. A special edition of PacificJournalism Review on reporting wars will be launched at the event by Jean-LucMetzker, head of the ICRC Delegation in the Pacific, based in Suva. The editionhas been edited by professor Wendy Bacon (ACIJ), Dr David Robie (PMC) and AlanSamson (Massey). Refreshments will be served between the film screening and theseminar. This will be a compelling event for media and communicationprofessionals, journalism students, NGOs, and those interested in internationalhumanitarian law – don’t miss it. Open entry and free. Register to attend withrosemarie.north@redcross.org.nzMore information: Pacific Media Centre niusblog http://pacificmediacentre.blogspot.com/2010/04/pmc-red-cross-plan-war-reporting.html

Thursday, June 24, 4pm, Case Room 2, 260-057, University of AucklandBusiness School
Beware the “Insurance” Model for Unemployment Benefits: CautionaryEvidence from the Canadian Experience. Dr Jim Stanford will review thestructure and recent experience of Canada’s Employment Insurance program,considering the advantages and weaknesses of its conception as an“insurance” scheme. This experience is relevant in light ofproposals to restructure New Zealand’s unemployment benefit system.Stanford will also answer questions regarding recent developments in Canadianpension and social policy. Dr Stanford is economist for Canada’s largestprivate-sector union (sister union to the EPMU here), the Canadian Auto Workersunion in Toronto, Canada. He received his PhD in economics in 1995 from the NewSchool for Social Research in New York, specializing in international trade,macroeconomics, and the economic impact of labour and social institutions.Stanford’s research on a wide range of economic topics has been published innumerous academic and popular outlets. He is the author of Paper Boom, 1999,published by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives & James Lorimer &Company. Stanford also writes regular columns for CBC News Magazine, and is aregular economics columnist for the Globe and Mail newspaper. See: Bottomline: Canadian banks should pay their fair share , April 2010; Areason to celebrate, March 2010: thelowest paid in Ontario just got a raise, March 2010; CorporateCanada’s enemy lurks within, October 2009. More recently, he authoredEconomics for Everyone, a primer in critical economics for trade union membersand other activists. (See: http://www.economicsforeveryone.com)Followed by: 5.30-6.30pm (pay for your own) Drinks at Spicers (level 3 OGGB).RSVP: Space is limited. Please book your seat with Tressy Menezes t.menezes@auckland.ac.nz

September 29-30, Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre, ManukauCity
JUST ACTION CONFERENCE: Just Action is for all those with a heart for TheSalvation Army’s mission to fight suffering in all its forms, to speakout and act against injustice, and to be a force for justice, faith and mercyin the world. Here’s some information to bring you up-to-date on plansfor next year’s Just Action Conference, ‘The Power toChange’, which is being held as part of Mission 2010, a combined congressof The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory. Full Conferencedetails and registration information will be available next year. For moreinformation, contact Major Ian Kilgour, The Salvation Army Social Policy andParliamentary Unit. p: (09) 261 0883 or e: ian_kilgour@nzf.salvationarmy.orgPlan to join us and explore how the Gospel can bring international, national,community and neighbourhood change. Plan to join us and explore how the Gospelcan bring international, national, community and neighbourhood change.SPEAKERS: Jim Wallis is a best-selling author, publictheologian, speaker, preacher and international commentator on religion andpublic life, faith and politics. He is President and Chief Executive Officer ofSojourners, where he is editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine. DaveAndrews, Coordinator for training with the Community InitiativesResource Association, and educator-atlarge for TEAR Australia. Dave, his wifeAnge, and their family, have lived and worked in intentional communities withmarginalised groups of people in Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India andNepal for more than 30 years.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TE TAKUTAI MOANA – THE FORESHORE AND SEABED
"The Crown is required by the Treaty of Waitangi to act in good faith towardsMaori, which must mean honest dialogue with Maori when their rights to propertyare at stake.” – Anglican and Catholic Bishops statement on the Foreshoreand Seabed legislation, 2004 http://www.catholic.org.nz/statements/1005foreshoreseabed.php

CAMPAIGN TO BUILD ROLLING STOCK IN NZ
Wayne Butson advises that the RMTU has now implemented an online petition toenable people to register support via the internet and also a form email whichis sent to KiwiRail CEO Jim Quinn and Transport Minister Steven Joyce. http://www.rmtunion.org.nz/articles/article-building-rolling-stock-in-nz.php

WAIHOPAI DOMEBUSTERS ACQUITTAL: DEFENCE FINAL ADDRESSESAVAILABLE
The March acquittal, on all charges, by a Wellington jury of the three WaihopaiDomebusters – Adrian Leason, Peter Murnane and Sam Land – sparkedoff a media frenzy and a good old moral panic among various commentators andpoliticians. Much of what they said would be hilarious if it wasn’t sosad. Much of the reaction was based on complete ignorance and, ironically, theprime culprit was the very same media that led the righteous indignation aboutthe verdict. Reporters attended the first and last day of the trial – itlasted eight days, which meant that the great majority of the case wentunreported. To those of us who actually did attend the case, listened to theevidence under cross-examination and saw the impact it was having on the jury,the total acquittal (after just two hours of deliberation) was no surprise. Tohelp people better understand what happened in the trial, and why it was nosurprise that the Domebusters were completely vindicated, the Anti-BasesCampaign bought the transcripts of the three defence closing addresses from theWellington District Court. They make for illuminating reading. If you wouldlike to read them for yourself, please reply to this e-mail with “Send MeDomebusters’ Defence Final Addresses” in the title line and includeyour name and e-mail address. They will be sent to you as one e-mail containingthree small Word attachments.

4TH INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE, 6-9JUNE 2010, AUCKLAND, AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND
"Kei muri i te awe kapara he tangata ke – behind the tattoed face astranger stands: Recognising, engaging, understanding difference" http://www.traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nzTena Koutou Katoa (Greetings), There is just over a week to go before theclosing date for abstracts on Friday, 30 April, 2010. • Find all thedetails about Abstracts here: http://www.traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz/submissionsand information about the conference theme here: http://www.traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz/explanation-key-questions
• Scholarship recipients please submit outlines or title talks toproceedings@traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz by Friday, 30 April, 2010
• Visit our conference website http://www.traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz toRegister for the Conference online (early bird rates end on May 14th 2010)
Contact details: enquiries@traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz / Telephone+64-9-3737599 ext 82376 or 84220

AFGHAN WAR FOR CHRISTCHURCH STAGE JULY 16—AUG 14.
329BC, Alexander the Great conquers Bagram, crossroads of Asia.
1839, the British army takes Kabul.
1970, a kiwi hippie gets stoned on quality hash beneath the Hindu Kush.
1980, the Socialist Action League organises a meeting in the Wellington TradesHall to explain Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
2010, a New Zealand army unit sets out on a mission to the Chagai hills,southern Afghanistan….
All of this in “The Perfumed Garden,” a New Zealand play aboutAfghanistan, opening at The Forge / The Court in Christchurch, July16—Aug 14. http://www.courttheatre.org.nz/index.cfm/0,26,231,html?previewid=241

JOIN THE 2010 NATIONAL ELECTIONS BRIGADE TO VENEZUELA SEPTEMBER 17 -28, 2010
The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s brigades to Venezuela are aonce-in-a-lifetime experience – the opportunity to see first-hand an unfoldingrevolution that is not only radically transforming the lives of Venezuelans,but challenging the greed, exploitation and destructiveness of globalcapitalism by showing that a better world is possible. A special feature of theSeptember 2010 brigade will be observing Venezuela’s vigorous democracyin action. The brigade will coincide with Venezuela’s next NationalAssembly elections, on September 26th, enabling brigadistas to observe the lastweek of campaigning – including the traditionally huge election ralliesheld on the weekend before – and polling day itself. As well as observingthe national elections, brigade participants will experience Venezuela’sparticipatory democracy at work, with visits to communal councils and communes.They will also visit worker-run factories and cooperatives; free, high-qualitypublic health and education services; Indigenous-run sustainable developmentprograms; and community controlled media stations. During the 10 days,brigadistas will have the opportunity to speak to a wide range of grassrootsorganisations, community activists, trade unions and government representativesabout the radical changes being implemented by the Venezuelan people. The 2010national elections brigade is the 11th solidarity tour to Venezuela organisedby the AVSN. Reports and photos from previous AVSN brigades are posted athttp://www.venezuelasolidarity.org. We are also happy to put you in touch withpeople who have participated in AVSN brigades, if you would like to find outmore.
Brigade registration and costs
The deadline for registering for the 2010 National Elections brigadeis July 1, 2010. To express interest in participating and obtain a registrationform, please contact brigades@venezuelasolidarity.orgParticipants will need to book their own international airfares, but the AVSNcan help with advice. Accommodation, transport and English-Spanish translationwithin Venezuela will be organised for all brigade participants. You will needto budget for a total cost of approximately $4000. This will cover:international return airfares and taxes (approximately $2500 from Sydney);accommodation (twin-share basis); transport and basic food while you are inVenezuela; and the brigade registration fee ($500 for workers, $300 forstudents or pensioners). For more information, email brigades@venezuelasolidarity.orgor phone Lisa Macdonald +61 413 031 108, Jim McIlroy +61 423 741 734 or RobertoJorquera +61 425 182 994.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come fromthe subjects of government. The history of liberty is the history ofresistance. The history of liberty is a history of the limitation ofgovernmental power, not the increase of it": Woodrow Wilson

"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a justman is also a prison ..": Henry David Thoreau

"The idea of creating systems designed to threaten, coerce, and kill, and toimbue such agencies with principled legitimacy, and not expect them to lead towars, genocides, and other tyrannical practices, expresses an innocence we canno longer afford to indulge": Butler D. Shaffer

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozledlong enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longerinterested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It issimply too painful to acknowledge — even to ourselves — that we’ve been socredulous": Carl Sagan

"The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders ofthe Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate soentirely from its media all objectivity – much less dissent.": GoreVidal

BEST ONTHE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

Scorching of Tuhoe must stop http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00159.htm

Pressure for full apology over rugby’s Maori ban http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=10643957

Protest a glimmer of hope in our doormat country http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10643659

John Minto: The booze barons are at it again http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00074.htm

On Gordon Brown’s exit, and the SAS role in defending women’soppression in Afghanistan http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/11/campbell-gordon-brown%E2%80%99s-exit-women-in-afganistan/

Wallace & Manning – Why Maxim’s Poll Backfired – Wallace Chapman &Selwyn Manning – Why Maxim’s UMR Poll BackfiredKiwiFM Audio: WallaceChapman and Scoop’s Selwyn Manning discuss how Maxim Institute, a conservativethink-tank, commissioned a survey asking New Zealanders whether they support anincrease in GST, land tax, cuts in Government spending, including cuts toWorking For Families, KiwiSaver, and free interest rates for student loan. IfMaxim’s hope was to identify support for the Natonal-led Government, itbackfired. The majority of those polled supported policies advanced by theformer Labour Government. Why is this so? http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00075.htmClick here to download the Maxim Institute’s UMR Survey (pdf) http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1005/MaximUMR_Survey_on_Tax.pdf

Murray Horton Interviewed On "Earthwise", Plains FM, 10/5/10 http://plainsfm.org.nz/podcasts/programme/earthwise/

Pupils pawns in masters’ games By JOHN MINTO – The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/john-minto/3678920/Pupils-pawns-in-masters-games

Anti- Zionist Jew speaks out against racism and apartheid in occupiedPalestine http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/05/12/interview-with-the-new-zealand-listener/

Gordon Campbell: The Ongoing Peter Saunders Saga And The UK Election Yes,Bennett has indeed appointed the bloke who writes paranoid, Islamophobicscience fiction novels and who sees a link between social class and lowintelligence… http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00069.htm

Private Prisons cost more http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00160.htm

How Much Does ACM (aka GEO)’s Prison Really Cost? http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0405/S00262.htm

Gordon Campbell: CEO Pay, Calls To Hike The OCR Lets get this straight.Paying schoolteachers is said to be a very very bad thing to do as we emergefrom the recession – but letting CEOs in the private sector make out likegangbusters is totally fine, even while they’re preaching austerity to… http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/07/gordon-campbell-ceo-pay-calls-to-hike-the-ocr/

FEATURES

"The People of Greece Are Fighting for the Whole of Europe": By Tariq Aliand Mark Weisbrot – ‘People are asking, in Greece and elsewhere, "How come weare being victimized? All the cuts in public spending affect us; they don’taffect the rich. And why are the bankers not being punished? Well, why is thissystem, the system created by neoliberalism, of deregulation, of actuallylegalizing financial speculation, why is this not being stopped?" http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25421.htm

Norway Builds the World’s Most Humane Prison: Norway’s second largestprison, with a capacity of 252 inmates, opened on April 8. It embodies theguiding principles of the country’s penal system: that repressive prisons donot work and that treating prisoners humanely boosts their chances ofreintegrating into society. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1986002,00.html?xid=huffpo-direct#ixzz0n14GEJYS

Is firebombing a bank an acceptable tactic? http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/is-firebombing-a-bank-an-acceptable-tactic/

FOOD, FARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill: An Accident Waiting To Happen By John McQuaidhttp://www.countercurrents.org/mcquaid110510.htm

U.S. exempted BP’s Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study:The Interior Department exempted BP’s calamitous Gulf of Mexico drillingoperation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according togovernment documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massiveoil spill was unlikely. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html?hpid=topnews

Ecosocialist Resources, 13 – Climate and Capitalism’s continuing guideto essential current reading for left greens and green lefts http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2424

We are NOT “all in this together” – The concept of climate debtrests on the fact that no solution to climate change is possible unless it alsoguarantees justice and social equality http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2419

‘The Plundered Planet’ — Dangerous neoliberal quackery andignorance – A new book by a heavyweight economist regurgitates the politicallyconvenient opinions of rich governments and institutions and displays theblindness and greed that passes for state-of-the-art economic thinking in theliberal establishment http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2409

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

David Harvey BBC HARDtalk interview, 2010 "Capitalism is amoral and shouldbe overthrown"

REVIEWS

War Epics on Screen Skip Mass Slaughter of Civilians – Does the history dietfed to Americans by Hollywood promote an unhealthy national memory? The latestscreen epic about American heroism in World War II – the HBO miniseries "ThePacific" – is clouded by an unintended irony. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25405.htm

AFGHANISTAN

"Progress Toward Security and Stability?" The Latest Official Report onAfghanistan http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp05072010.html

Afghanistan’s My Lai Massacre – There was a massacre recently that was not amistake – a massacre, which, while it only involved fewer than a dozen innocentpeople, bears the same stench as My Lai. It was the execution-style slaying ofeight handcuffed students, aged 11-18, and a 12-year-old neighboring shepherdboy who had been visiting the others in Kunar Province on December 26 http://www.countercurrents.org/lindorff110510.htm

ALGERIA

On the social situation in Algeria http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article17194

AUSTRALIA

UNITE in solidarity with JB HI-FI workers http://www.unite.org.au/2010/05/10/unite-in-solidarity-with-jb-hi-fi-workers/

ANZACs vs Bolsheviks http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44033

BOLIVIA

Speech by President Evo Morales to the G77 at the United Nations regardingthe conclusions of the First World People’s Conference on Climate Changehttp://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2010/05/speech-by-president-evo-morales-to-g77.html

CANADA

A reason to celebrate: The lowest paid in Ontario just got a raise http://tinyurl.com/ykzf4wd

CUBA

Reflections by Fidel Castro: The Heatful Tyranny Imposed on the World -Leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro wrote that such developments likethe recent environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico show how little thegovernments can do against those in control of capital which, both in theUnited States and in Europe, through the economy of our globalized planetdecide the fate of the peoples, are those who decide the fate of the people http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=186559&Itemid=1

GREECE

Slash and Burn: Greece’s Austerity Measures The Greek government, andits citizens, are feeling the economic pinch. A brutal reaction to protestorswho fear the winding back of the country’s social system has stunnedvisitors and the public alike. A general strike has been in progress … http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00065.htm

INDIA

Battle For Dandakaranya – The Indian militia calls the battle, operation"Green Hunt", which is aimed at flushing out the Maoists from the mineral richforest land so that Indian and multinational corporations can fatten theirbottom line by exploiting iron ore, coal and bauxite. The Maoists are fightingto protect the 40,000 square kilometers of dense forest land known asDandakaranya from these marauding companies http://www.countercurrents.org/desai110510.htm

Arundhati Roy On Fault Lines – Arundhati Roy talks to Avi Lewis aboutfighting on the ground, battles over corporate control of Indian land, Indiaand the US after the Cold War, ‘Islamophobia’ and terrorism, tribal resistancein India and Afghanistan, and the issues behind the so-called Maoist insurgencyhttp://www.countercurrents.org/roy100510.htm

IRAN

FARZAD KAMANGAR and 4 Other political prisoners EXECUTED! http://www.astreetjournalist.com/2010/05/09/farzad-kamangar-and-4-other-political-prisoners-executed/

IRELAND

Ireland- protest calling for General Strike against banks bailout tries tostorm parliament http://www.tv3.ie/article.php?article_id=37423&locID=1.2.139.&pagename=home

Spirit of Greece comes to Dublin- http://www.swp.ie/index.php?page=883&dept=News&title=Spririt+of+Greece+comes+to+Dublin+as+2%2C000+march+to+the+Dail

Major victory for BDS campaign- Dublin People Before Profit councillors wincouncil motion on Israel boycott http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/ipsc/displayRelease.php?releaseID=335

NEPAL

Nepal: Deadlock as the people fight for power http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44064

JAPAN

Chalmers Johnson: Another battle of Okinawa: Despite protests, the U.S.insists on going ahead with plans for a new military base on the island. http://freedomsyndicate.com/fair0000/latimes00184.html

PALESTINE

HEY ELTON by Canadian filmmaker John Greyson – Palestinian civil society hascalled on Elton John to respect their boycott call and cancel his June 17thconcert in Tel Aviv. If he does so, he’ll be joining Santana and Gil-ScottHeron, who recently cancelled their spring concerts in Israel. This videosuggests six reasons why Elton should join the BDS (boycott, divestment,sanctions) movement. PLEASE WATCH HERE:

My Mandate on Gaza was Even-Handed, My Loyalty is to Justice – RichardGoldstone, author of the UN report on Operation Cast Lead, argues that thereport was not biased and that it promoted international justice. He notes howIsraeli involvement and cooperation with the Goldstone Report was encouragedfrom the beginning, and that the Israeli government denied the requests. Also,Goldstone asserts that if Israel had presented a credible counter-report, theconsiderations would have been taken into account – unfortunately, such areport was not forth-coming. http://tinyurl.com/289a7cx

A massacre of arabs masked by a state of national amnesia – Sixty years on,the true story of the slaughter of Palestinians at Deir Yassin may finally comeout http://tinyurl.com/34m2vd5

Apartheid State or a Bi-national State? http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15941

A Tale Of Lies, Deceit, And Terrorism: The Birth Of Israel By William A.Cook – The Untold Story of the Zionist intent to turn Palestine into a JewishState. Based on classified documents from the Jewish Agency and its affiliatedorganizations seized by the British Mandate Police, materials that confirm thatthe Zionist controlled Jewish community intended to remove the Arab inhabitantsof Palestine from their land and make the whole of Mandate Palestine a JewishState, an intent that continues to the present day as the new book, The Plightof the Palestinians: a Long History of Destruction, available at Macmillan.com,demonstrates http://www.countercurrents.org/cook110510A.htm

Legislation: Education Bill Rings Alarm Bell For Greens John Key’sGovernment is softening up New Zealand’s education system for PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs) and privatisation, the Green Party said today. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00090.htm

PHILIPPINES

The Blood in Your Coffee (and Milk) Thickens: Nestl Replaces Union onStrike, Continues to Flout SC Decision http://tinyurl.com/22rw9qe

ROMANIA

Romania braces for austerity: ROMANIA braced on Friday for a wave ofprotests after the president unveiled austerity cuts in public sector wages andpensions to meet a deficit target set by the IMF and avoid a Greek emergencyscenario. http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Money/Story/STIStory_523829.html

THAILAND

Red Shirt protests — what has been achieved? http://links.org.au/node/1676

UK

UK: Unions warn of Greek-style riots: Unions today sent a chilling warningof Greek-style strikes and protests after winning a major legal victory forcivil servants made redundant. http://snipurl.com/w5k01

USA

The Return of Hooverian Economics: The Real Story Behind the State BudgetCuts http://www.zcommunications.org/the-return-of-hooverian-economics-the-real-story-behind-the-state-budget-cuts-by-anthony-dimaggio

The Taserification of America – The whole justification for police to gettasers in the first place was to subdue potentially violent suspects — butit’s gone way, way, past that. http://www.alternet.org/story/146755/the_taserification_of_america

The Downward Slope of Empire – Talking With Chalmers Johnson http://www.counterpunch.org/kreisler05062010.html

Forces Align Against Arizona: 4 Major Cities Threaten Boycotts, BaseballFlexes Its Muscles, Citizens in Uproar http://www.alternet.org/story/146712/

Look Out, Obama Seems to Be Planning for a Lot More War – The Barack Obamaadministration’s pronouncements and actions in recent months point to evengreater war-making across the planet. http://tinyurl.com/23zh57s

Meet the Economist Who Says the Government’s Economic Numbers Are Lies http://tinyurl.com/22vwrzx

Systemic Injustice Against Two Longtime Political Prisoners By StephenLendman – Their names – Marshall "Eddie" Conway and Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald,both activist COINTELPRO-targeted Black Panther members, unjustly imprisonedfor four decades for crimes they didn’t commit http://www.countercurrents.org/lendman090510.htm

VENEZUELA

Venezuela Creates Public Import-Export Company to Combat Capitalis http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5352

Massive Turnout in PSUV Primaries Shows Support for Change http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5346

WESTERN SAHARA

Polisario Blasts UN over W.Sahara Human Rights http://tinyurl.com/2eamtob

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