#339: CTU calls emergency protest Sunday

GLOBALPEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND
NEWSLETTER No.339, July 16, 2010

Demand – Fairness at Work – Protest Sky City Hotel (Main entrance 72 Victoria Street West, AucklandCity) on Sunday 18th July. 10.30am

Support the protest action at the National Party Conference and give themthis government a clear message that we will not tolerate any attacks on WorkerRights.

Helen Kelly will be joining the protest action on Sunday amongst other unionleaders and said today that leaked information from the Government will bothextend the law that removes the right to appeal against unfair dismissal andrestrict union access onto worksites. This is a throw-back to the bad old daysof the Employment Contracts Act of the 1990s.

Attacks on workers and unions sinister

Leaked information that the Government will both extend the law that removesthe right to appeal against unfair dismissal and restrict union access ontoworksites is a throw-back to the bad old days of the Employment Contracts Actof the 1990s, CTU President Helen Kelly said today.

“We have already seen that National doesn’t understand thatemployment rights should include protection for workers from arbitrary employerdecisions when they first removed appeal rights,” said Kelly, “butthe revelation today that they also intend to stop unions accessing workplacesunless the employer agrees is a deliberate attempt to undermine the growingopposition of workers to the National/ACT industrial relations agenda. It is abreach of international law, anti democratic and will damage NewZealand’s image as a place where work rights are respected.”

“John Key will need to explain why unions are OK on the one hand whenissues like the economic crisis require co-operation, but then move to denyworkers the right to freely join unions. Union membership is voluntary in NewZealand and the right to access workplaces is essential for efficient unionoperations. Clearly, workers work in workplaces – that is where they talkabout work rights, collective bargaining, health and safety, productivity andother issues. To make union access subject to employer agreement will hinderthe ability of workers to have a voice at work but also create unnecessaryconflict between unions and employers.”

“It is important for every worker in New Zealand to have the right toappeal against unfair dismissal and it is a disgrace that the Governmentintends to remove that right from hundreds of thousands of workers.”

“The CTU has represented workers dismissed using the 90 day provisionsin very unfair and unclear circumstance. For a number of the young people wehave represented it has been a simply devastating experience. Unions have alsoexperienced restricted access rights during the 1990s. This saw many employersusing access as a tool to deny union membership. It included forcing workers tomeet union officials one on one in rooms such as a public tea room, agreeing toaccess and denying it when unions turned up and many other diversionarytactics. Relationships suffered in this period.”

Hammer the Pokies
GPJA is still on the quest for 200 people willing to take part in a civildisobedience exercise whereby they register their hammers for a “hammerthe pokies” protest. We have around 40 people registered so far but to besuccessful we need a lot more. There are over 20,000 pokie machines in localcommunities (non-casino pokies) which are sucking the lifeblood from low-incomeareas (over half the machines are in the poorest third of communities).Families coping with pokie addicts in the recession just adds to the misery ofwhole communities left behind by growing inequality. We’d like GPJAmembers to help spread the word. You can get a copy of the campaign flyer,register your hammer or for more information email johnminto@orcon.net.nz or phone Johnat 8463173.

Wanted For Corporate Greed! EverySaturday, 1pm, JbHifi, Queen St, Auckland
Blockade and Boycott- Queen Street JB Hifi- please pass on to your networks.Friday 4 till 6pm then saturday 1 till 4pm. Support low paid workers fightingfor a Living Wage. Week 8 of the Queen Street protest, and 5,000 customers havenow signed the petition to boycoptt JB Hifi, until they pay the workers a 50cincrease. Big Day of Action on JB Hifi this Friday and Saturday- invite yourfriends- appealing for everyone who can to come down. Bring drums, horns,vuvzelas, pots, pans, klaxons. its gonna be NOISY. Workers at JB Hi-Fi haven’thad a pay rise in 3 years, and now earn only 75c more than the new minimumwage. JB Hi-Fi is making record profits – up 29% this year to an estimatedNZ$140 million. CEO Richard Euchtritz has dismissed the workers’ pay claim of a50 cents per hour raise as "absurd" at the same time he has taken a NZ$1million bonus, bringing his net pay to $4 million. The NZ workers pay claimamounts to just under $200,000 per year to the company. "Our manager told methat I would never get a pay rise if I stayed with the . There was a lotof pressure put on me to resign. Now they’ve cut down on the areas I used tosell on in our store. It’s unfair- I’m rejoining the union and striking tostand up for my rights," explained Unite member Jack Lucas.

WHAT’SON IN AUCKLAND

Saturday 17 July 3-30 Sunday 18 July 5-45 and Monday 19 July1-30
Strange Birds in Paradise : A West Papuan story is on at the Film FestivalAuckland. It sounds great: While the Indonesian army continues to dominate theindigenous inhabitants of West Papua, three friends gather in Melbourne torecord outlawed folk songs with renowned Australian rock musicologist DavidBridie. Donny Roem is a recent exile. With his two young brothers and 42 otherrefugees, he crossed the Arafura Sea to Australia in a homemade canoe. JacobRumbiak was a child soldier in the West Papuan resistance movement. His movingstory is one of oppression, torture and escape. Charlie Hill-Smith, anAustralian writer, cartoonist and comedian, is their friend. His passion forcontact across cultures has led him to forge close friendships with theMelanesians and the Javanese families he met as a teenage exchange student. Anextraordinary story of an imaginative, adaptable culture confronting tyrannywith the joyful power of art, music and self-expression.

Friday, July 23, 5-6pm, CAG 14, University of Auckland
Amnesty on Camus presentation on the atrocities occurring in Sri Lanka.

Monday, July 26, 7pm, St Columba Centre, 40 VermontSt Ponsonby, Auckland.
CPAG AGM: Child poverty and current politics: Looking ahead with Sue Bradford– Guest Speaker. 7:00 pm AGM business. 7:45 pm guest speaker. Plenty ofparking is available on site. For further information contact Julie Timmins,CPAG Administrator admin or(09) 303-9260.

Monday, July 26, 5pm – 7pm, Eng 1.401, Engineering Building,University of Auckland
"Black July Photo Exhibit and Movie": Black July 23 July 1983, was theevent where an estimated 400-3000 Tamils in Sri Lanka were killed in riots andtens of thousands of houses destroyed, carried out by Sinhala mobs. The riotsoccurred when the Tamil Tiger Rebels killed 13 Sri Lankan Army soldiers in anambush, and it is generally seen as the start of full scale conflict betweenthe LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and the Sri Lankan government andthe start of the Sri Lankan Civil War which only ended last year. Despite theend of the civil war and the gradual attempt at reconciliation between Sinhalaand Tamil, there are still atrocities being committed in Sri Lanka as well as amedia blockade especially with regards to Tamil refugee camps in Sri Lanka.With talk of “boat people” (mainly from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan)reaching Australia and Prime Minister John Key talking up asylum seekersreaching New Zealand Shores on a regular basis, talk of setting up a detentioncentre on East Timor to process asylum seekers was recently put on the table.Detention centres have a reputation for being negative socialisation proceduresand produce long term physical, mental and emotional health effects on thepeople and especially children who have to wait there for extended periods oftime. PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and suicide rates are many timesthe national average of NZ amongst asylum seekers held in camps as a result.Come along to learn of the origins and the current situation and its relevanceto New Zealand.

Tuesday, July 27, 5:30pm – 7:30pm, F&PAA, Business School,University of Auckland
"Empowering Students on Global Humanitarian Issues" – Institute for the IndianMother & Child (IIMC). MSGA is a nation-wide, non-profit, student-runorganization, with the aim to empower medical students as future doctors tobecome more involved with local and global humanitarian issues. The IIMC is anon-profit NGO which carries out developmental projects in the rural districtssouth of Kolkata, India. Its activities, all managed by local volunteers,include 22 schools which serve over 2000 children, most of whom are sponsoredthrough an IIMC child sponsorship programme; 5 rural health clinics which serveover 50,000 patients each year; a microcredit lending programme to give poorpeople a start in business; a disabled children’s respite centre; and awomen’s empowerment and peace project. Dr. Sujit Brahmochary is thedirector of the IIMC. He specialized in paediatrics in Belgium with ascholarship from the Belgian Red Cross before returning to Kolkata to work withMother Teresa as Medical In-charge for two years before starting the IIMC in1989. Dr. Sujit’s aim is to reach out to as many Kiwis as he can in theshort period that he is here.

Wednesday, July 28, 6pm, Eng 4.501, Engineering Building, AucklandUniversity
DIY Independent Journalism Workshop. Interested in doing alternative media?Indymedia presents a professional workshop series on journalism for the masses.Spaces limited. Please RSVP to chris.zack@gmail.com for moreinformation. http://www.indymedia.org.nz/ & Theend of journalism Every Tuesday, 20 July – 24 August 2010, 1pm – 2pm. MaidmentTheatre. A workshop to dealing with the media, where experts with a wealth ofexperience from Professors to journalists within the industry, give a hands onapproach to students, complementing the Winter Lecture Series run By theUniversity, discussing the issues of “The beginning and ends ofjournalism”, “Watching the watchdogs”, “A question ofbalance”, “Citizens as gatekeepers”, “Politics ascomedy” “Paying the piper".

Thursday, July 29, 6pm, Gus Fisher Gallery, Kenneth Myers Centre, 74Shortland Street Auckland.
The University of Auckland Dance Studies Programme proudly presents a publiclecture and video screening on: "Dance and Political Identity in Palestine" ByDr. Nicholas Rowe. Nicholas Rowe will be presenting his illustrated book"Raising Dust: a cultural history of dance in Palestine" (2010, IB Tauris- seeattached file). Join us for drinks and meze. Places limited, please registerthrough- Frances Fernandez, f.fernandez@auckland.ac.nz Ph: 3737599 ext.88705

Monday, August 2, 7pm – 9pm, 260-098, Business School,University of Auckland
Freedom Week Amnesty on Campus (email amnesty.communications@gmail.comto get involved). "Is God the Source of Morality?" Dr Raymond Bradley v DrMatthew Flannagan. For those who don’t follow the atheist/apologeticstroll or otherwise troll the NZ blogosphere, Dr Bradley is an EmeritusProfessor of Philosophy with areas of specialty in Philosophical Logic,Metaphysics, Logical Atomism; he has previously debated Dr William Lane Craig.Dr Flannagan is an Auckland based Philosopher and Theologian with areas ofspecialty in Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Theology; he has previouslydebated Dr Bill Cooke. Both are considered leading experts in their respectivefields.

Tuesday, August 3, 6pm – 9pm, 260-098, Business School,University of Auckland
Nuclear disarmament debate: The pretty self explanatory moot being “Thetotal abolition of nuclear weapons is a pipe-dream”. Speakers for theAffirmative: Akif Malik, Treasa Dunworth, Curwen Rolinson Speakers for theNegative: Max Harris, Jacinda Ardern, Lyndon Burford. Yet again, get in touchwith us if you want to know of upcoming events or if you would like us to helppublicising/putting on events. Email: iao@ausa.org.nz

Tuesday, August 10, 5.30pm, University of Auckland BusinessSchool
Reshaping the NZ economy – What will fix NZ’s econpomy? Seminar with Dr RickBoven, Director of the NZ Institurte; Selwyn Pellet, CEO. Sponsor NZ FabianSociety http://www.fabians.org.nz

Tuesday, August 17, 6pm, Auckland Medical School, Park Road,Grafton (In the students study room behind Cafe 85 on theground floor)
CHILD POVERTY IN NEW ZEALAND • Are you 18 – 35 years old? • Doyou want to learn more about child poverty in New Zealand? Child Poverty ActionGroup Aotearoa NZ is holding an evening to share information and for youngerpeople to meet up and discuss issues. What: 6pm– Pizzas and drinks; 6.30-7.30– Presentations; 7.30-9pm– Drinks and discussion. Enquiries:Julie Timmins admin 093039260. Kind Regards, Julie Timmins, http://www.cpag.org.nz

Wednesday, September 1, 8pm, St Kevins Arcade, K road
David Rovics returns to Auckland on Sept 1st 2010. Come check him out, alongwith special guests, at the Wine Cellar. Tickets on the door for $20. DavidRovics grew up in a family of classical musicians in Wilton, Connecticut, andbecame a fan of populist regimes early on. By the early 90’s he was a full-timebusker in the Boston subways and by the mid-90’s he was traveling the world asa professional flat-picking rabble-rouser. These days David lives with hisfamily in Portland, Oregon and tours regularly on four continents, playing foraudiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union hallsand protest rallies. He has shared the stage with a veritable of who’s who ofthe left in two dozen countries, and has had his music featured on DemocracyNow!, BBC, Al-Jazeera and other networks. His essays are published regularly onCounterPunch, and the 200+ songs he makes available for free on the web havebeen downloaded more than a million times. Most importantly, he’s really good.He will make you laugh, he will make you cry, he will make the revolutionirresistible. http://www.davidrovics.com/

Friday, September 10 at the University of Auckland
Forum: Rethinking welfare for the 21st century: Beyond the terms of reference.Retirement Policy and Research Centre, the Department of Sociology, Universityof Auckland, and Child Poverty Action Group. The terms of reference for thegovernment-appointed Welfare Working Group were narrow. Researchers fromAustralia will join with their New Zealand colleagues in moving beyond theserestrictions in debating welfare in order to seek answers to the question:where to go from here? The aim is to explore workable social and economicsolutions to welfare issues, rather than to simply ‘make workpay’.

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.

Thursday, November 4, 9am-5pm, Conference Room 1 – Copthorne HotelAuckland City 196 – 200 Quay Street
Globalisation and Labour in the Pacific: Re-evaluating the 1890 Maritime Strike9.00-5.30pm, Thursday 4 November 2010 SYMPOSIUM INVITATION Organised by theAuckland Labour History Group and the Labour History Project In associationwith the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History and NZWALMI. Paperswill be presented on the 1890 strike, its broader political and historicalimpact, the nature of Pacific Rim connections in the labour market and betweenlabour organisations, lessons for contemporary labour relations in the maritimeindustry in the Pacific, and the impact of globalisation generally in PacificRim labour relations. Attendance: All welcome. Fee: $40 includes lunch andrefreshments. All registrations to Ann Williamson at nzwalmi@aut.ac.nz Information subject tochange

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MAKING THE DECLARATION WORK: THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THERIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Kia ora, we are pleased to let you know that we now have a limitednumber of copies of the second print run of Making the Declaration Work: TheUnited Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at a reducedrate for indigenous and non-governmental organisations (see details below). Thepublication is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the developmentand the potential of the UN Declaration. This message is available on-line infull at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/iwgia09.htm

JUSTICE AND LIBERATION: THE ROAD TO PEACE – FILIPINO PROGRESSIVELEADERS TO TOUR NZ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Luis Jalandoni is the International Representative of the National DemocraticFront of the Philippines (NDF), a post that he has held since 1977, and since1994 he has been the Chairperson of the NDF’s Negotiating Panel for peacetalks with the Government of the Philippines. The NDF is the coalition ofseveral underground groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippinesand its New People’s Army, which has been waging a war of liberationthroughout the Philippines for more than 40 years, making it one of the longestrunning armed struggles in the world. The country desperately needs peace withjustice and security, so resolving this people’s war is central to that.Luis (who previously toured New Zealand in 1987) will undertake a nationalspeaking tour between October 24 and November 14. His tour is beingcollectively organised and hosted by PSNA, Auckland Philippines Solidarity andWellington Kiwi Pinoy. His topic will be: Justice And Liberation: The Road ToPeace In The Philippines. He will visit: Christchurch, Blenheim, Wellington,Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Auckland and Whangarei. See below foritinerary.
Luis will be accompanied by his wife Coni Ledesma, who will also be speaking.She is a member of the NDF Negotiating Panel for peace talks; and is theInternational Spokesperson of MAKIBAKA, a revolutionary women’s groupwhich belongs to the NDF. This is the first time we’ve had two speakerstogether, let alone such high powered ones. Luis and Coni are both veteranleading figures in the Philippine revolutionary Left. He was a Catholic priestin the 1960s and she was a nun. Both were founders of Christians for NationalLiberation, a member group of the NDF. When Ferdinand Marcos declared martiallaw in 1972, both went underground. They were both arrested and spent time aspolitical prisoners. They left the clergy, and got married in 1974. They havelived in The Netherlands since 1976; they were the first Filipinos to apply forand receive political asylum there. They hold Dutch passports and travelextensively as NDF representatives.
We are appealing for funds. PSNA will underwrite the tour, but we definitelyneed financial help because we are hosting two people. The amount needed is$10,000. The two international fares from Europe is the biggest cost, at$6,000. We will keep their domestic travel and accommodation costs as cheap aspossible.
Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma’s tour presents a unique opportunity tohear firsthand about a four decades long war, and accompanying peace process,in our own backyard that is almost totally unknown to New Zealanders. Pleasehelp make this exciting tour possible.
Please make cheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch, with a note saying that itis for the Jalandoni tour. Or, we will supply our bank account details uponrequest.
ITINERARY
Tuesday October 26 – Christchurch: Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m. KnoxPresbyterian Church Lounge, 28 Bealey Avenue. Contact: Murray Horton, 0274307742 cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
Wednesday October 27 – Blenheim: Contact: Steffan Browning, 021 725655 greeny25@xtra.co.nz
Thursday October 28 & Friday 29 – Wellington: Public Meeting –7.30 p.m. Thursday 28, St John’s Hall, corner Willis & Dixon Streets.Contact: Rod Prosser 021 0744992 communitymedia@paradise.net.nz
Monday November 1 – Palmerston North: Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m.,1st Floor, PSA House, 49 King Street. Contact: Dion Martin (06) 3569658 (w),021 776029 Dion.Martin@ndu.org.nz
Tuesday November 2 & Wednesday 3 – New Plymouth: Public Meeting– 6.30 p.m. Wednesday 3rd, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, 42 Queen Street.Contact: Fiona Clark (06) 7547014; fionaclark@clear.net.nz
Thursday November 4 – Hamilton: Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m., WaikatoTrade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street. Contact: Bob Anderson, (07) 8297882, 021776023; ban
Friday November 5 to Friday November 12: Auckland & Whangarei. AucklandContact: Dennis Maga (09) 8276059, 022 6073918 dennis.maga@xtra.co.nz. WhangareiContact: Tim Howard 027 3089216 the-farm@ihug.co.nz
We thank the many organisations and individuals whose generosity has made thistour possible. Our budget is $10,000 and money is still needed. Please makecheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch, with a note saying that it is for theJalandoni Tour. PSNA bank account details available upon request. This tour iscollectively organised by Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA),Auckland Philippines Solidarity and Wellington Kiwi Pinoy

WAIHOPAI SPYBASE PROTEST JANUARY 21-23, 2011
The Waihopai spybase was subjected to unprecedented public attention by the March 2010 trial and acquittal of the three Ploughshares peace activists who penetrated its high security in 2008 and deflated one of the two domes concealing its satellite dishes from the NZ public. The Anti-Bases Campaign was happy to support this non-violent direct action anti-war activity, from start to finish. The public face of New Zealand’s role as an American ally is the NZ military presence in Afghanistan. But New Zealand’s most significant contribution to that, and other American wars, including the one in Iraq, is the Waihopai electronic intelligence gathering base, located in the Waihopai Valley, near Blenheim. It is controlled by the US, with New Zealand (including Parliament and the Prime Minister) having little or no idea what goes on there, let alone any control. Join us for the weekend of anti-war protest at this spybase. Come prepared for roughing it and camping out. We provide the food (we cater for vegetarians but vegans will have to bring their own). Bring sleeping bag, groundsheet, a tent, torch, water bottle, eating utensils, clothing for all weather, and $40 (or $20 unwaged) to cover costs. No open fires. How to find our camp at Whites Bay: turn off SH1 at Tuamarina (9km north of Blenheim or 20 km south of Picton) and drive to Rarangi on the coast. Follow the steep Port Underwood Road over the hilltop before descending to the Whites Bay turnoff. There is a DoC public camp at the bay with basic facilities. ABC has to pay a fixed charge per head. This will be the first Waihopai spybase protest since the Domebusters’ acquittal on all charges arising from their courageous citizens’ deflation action. Waihopai does not operate in the interests of New Zealanders or our neighbours. Basically it is a foreign spybase on NZ soil and directly involves us in America’s wars.
CLOSE THE WAIHOPAI SPYBASE NOW! Organised by the Anti-Bases Campaign, P.O. Box 2258, Christchurch. E-mail cafca www.converge.org.nz/abc Make all cheques to ABC..

KIA ORA GAZA – KIWI AID TO GAZA
Gaza’s 1.5 million people are imprisoned by the state of Israel in a giant concentration camp. The Israeli military enforces a blockade of essential supplies. There is terrible suffering, especially among the children. The citizens of Gaza face collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. On 31 May 2010, a Gaza aid flotilla was hijacked on the open sea by Israel’s military. Nine civilian aid workers were shot to death. To break the siege of Gaza, on 12th September mass aid convoys will set off from London by sea and land. We want to see Kiwi volunteers and aid go with them. Kia Ora Gaza is raising funds to make this possible. Please give your support. Write a cheque for ‘Kia Ora Gaza’ and post to:• Kia Ora Gaza, PO Box 59-007, Auckland. Or make a payment directly into our bank account:• Kia Ora Gaza, 03-0211-0447718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehunga branch. Encourage your family and friends to make a personal donation. Appeal to • organisations you are involved with to make an institutional donation. All funds raised by Kia Ora Gaza will be audited by a professional who is independent of our bank trustees. Email: grantmorgan

BE MORE THAN JUST A TOURIST! JOIN THE SOUTHERN CROSS BRIGADE TO CUBA: DEC 27, 2010 TO JAN 20, 2011
Join the 28th Southern Cross Brigade and support Cuba in the most direct manner by working alongside Cubans, visiting unions, schools, hospitals, cultural sites, performances & urban agriculture projects, learning the salsa, meeting Cubans, fraternising with other international guests and having free time in Havana. You will experience at first hand the cultural, political and social conditions in socialist Cuba. This year’s program will give participants an opportunity to join in the celebration of ICAPs (Cuba Institute for Friendship With The Peoples Of The World) 50th anniversary & the ongoing success of the Cuban Revolution. Find out more at wkcultur (03 7324010) or Ina at inashina ((09 3031755). Cost: $1100 (after July 31st, $1200) – excluding airfare, taxes and health insurance.

THE ROGER AWARD – NOMINATIONS OPEN
Nominations for the 2010 Roger Award are now open. The nomination form with details of the criteria and how to make a nomination is available in in Word (54 KB) or PDF format (164KB). Nominations close on 31 October 2010. Send your nominations to: The Roger Award, Box 2258, Christchurch, or CAFCA [cafca@chch.planet.org.nz] Full details of the Roger Award, including all the past winners and the Judges’ Reports on them can be read at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/index.html

DAVID ROVICK TOUR OF NZ: AUG 20 – SEPT 1
Friday, August 20th, Canterbury University, Christchurch
Saturday, August 21st, Sammy’s, Dunedin.
Sunday, August 22nd, 8 pm, Venue Dux de Lux, Christchurch
Wednesday, August 25th, The Brigand, Takaka
Thursday, August 26th, Riverside Community and Cultural Centre, Motueka
Saturday, August 28th, Newtown Community Centre, Wellington. Don Franks will be doing an opening set
Sunday, August 29th, Poverty Bay Club, Gisborne
Tuesday, August 31st, Biddy Mulligans Irish Bar, Victoria Street, Hamilton
Wednesday, September 1st, The Wine Cellar, Auckland

JOIN THE 2010 NATIONAL ELECTIONS BRIGADE TO VENEZUELA SEPTEMBER 17 – 28, 2010
The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s brigades to Venezuela are a once-in-a-lifetime experience – the opportunity to see first-hand an unfolding revolution that is not only radically transforming the lives of Venezuelans, but challenging the greed, exploitation and destructiveness of global capitalism by showing that a better world is possible. A special feature of the September 2010 brigade will be observing Venezuela’s vigorous democracy in action. The brigade will coincide with Venezuela’s next National Assembly elections, on September 26th, enabling brigadistas to observe the last week of campaigning – including the traditionally huge election rallies held on the weekend before – and polling day itself. As well as observing the national elections, brigade participants will experience Venezuela’s participatory democracy at work, with visits to communal councils and communes. They will also visit worker-run factories and cooperatives; free, high-quality public health and education services; Indigenous-run sustainable development programs; and community controlled media stations. During the 10 days, brigadistas will have the opportunity to speak to a wide range of grassroots organisations, community activists, trade unions and government representatives about the radical changes being implemented by the Venezuelan people. The 2010 national elections brigade is the 11th solidarity tour to Venezuela organised by the AVSN. Reports and photos from previous AVSN brigades are posted at http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org. We are also happy to put you in touch with people who have participated in AVSN brigades, if you would like to find out more.
Brigade registration and costs
The deadline for registering for the 2010 National Elections brigade is July 1, 2010. To express interest in participating and obtain a registration form, please contact brigades Participants will need to book their own international airfares, but the AVSN can help with advice. Accommodation, transport and English-Spanish translation within Venezuela will be organised for all brigade participants. You will need to 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 in Venezuela; and the brigade registration fee ($500 for workers, $300 for students or pensioners). For more information, email brigades or phone Lisa Macdonald +61 413 031 108, Jim McIlroy +61 423 741 734 or Roberto Jorquera +61 425 182 994.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress…but then, I repeat myself." Mark Twain

"I have seen men march to the wars, and then I have watched their homewardtread, And they brought back bodies of living men, But their eyes were cold anddead": Edmund Vance Cooke

BEST ONTHE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

Govt to extend 90-day trial – report http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10659037

TVNZ report tonight on employment law changes. Helen Kelly featured: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/employment-laws-in-line-shake-up-3646512

Fire at will extension compromises workers’ safety http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1007/S00154.htm

MUNZ: National anti-worker attack will be resisted http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1007/S00156.htm

Volunteers seek funds to say ‘Kia ora Gaza’ with world relief convoy http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3915702/Volunteers-seek-funds-to-say-Kia-ora-Gaza-with-world-relief-convoy

On the Waihopai ‘Claim of Right’ Defence, and Arming the Policehttp://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/07/15/gordon-campbell-%E2%80%98claim-of-right%E2%80%99-and-armed-police/

Brown’s voice getting lost in crush: expert http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10658388

ACC changes could encourage accident cover-ups – CTU http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/acc-changes-could-encourage-accident-cover-ups-ctu-126158

ACC experience rating will harm worker safety http://union.org.nz/news/2010/acc-experience-rating-will-harm-worker-safety-14710

Probe called into soaring student fees http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10658862

Work practices at mine ‘Victorian’ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10658864

Mayoral hopeful’s stand for locked-up ‘freedom fighter’ http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/3910393/Mayoral-hopefuls-stand-for-locked-up-freedom-fighter

NZ ECONOMY

Bill Rosenberg: We need stronger rules on foreign investment http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10658793

RMTU: Kiwi Jobs Bill Will Stem Loss Of Manufacturing http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1007/S00419.htm

CTU supports Kiwi Jobs Bill – but it should go further http://union.org.nz/news/2010/ctu-supports-kiwi-jobs-bill-%E2%80%93-but-it-should-go-further-14710

Bank searches for lighter hammer by By Brian Fallow http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10658792&ref=rss

FEATURES

Latin America & Twenty-First Century Socialism: Inventing to AvoidMistakes by Marta Harnecker http://monthlyreview.org/100701harneckerIntro.php

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

Taming Finance in an Age of Austerity By Joseph Stiglitz http://www.zcommunications.org/taming-finance-in-an-age-of-austerity-by-joseph-stiglitz

FOOD, FARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

REVIEWS

Timorese women’s step to freedom http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44714

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan: Thousands rally against occupation http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44765

AUSTRALIA

The refugee debate: us and them http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44728

CHINA

Beijing starts gating, locking migrant villages http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_re_as/as_china_fenced_in

INDIA

The Kashmiri Intifada http://www.zcommunications.org/the-kashmiri-intifada-by-yasmin-qureshi

IRAN

Castro: War on Iran ‘Imminent’ By Tom Melle – Cuban revolutionary FidelCastro warned on Monday that a US-Israeli attack on Iran is "imminent" andpredicted that this could trigger a global nuclear war. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25928.htm

Study: Attack on Iran Would be ‘Start of Long War’ By Daniel Tencer -Furthermore, the report suggested that any Israeli strike on Iran would cause alarge number of civilian casualties because the Israeli strike would likely notbe limited to the nuclear facilities themselves. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25940.htm

PACIFIC

Unprecedented mass mobilization in West Papua http://intercontinentalcry.org/unprecedented-mass-mobilization-in-west-papua/

PALESTINE

‘God Helps Those Who Help Themselves’: Interview with Norman G. Finkelsteinby Jamie Stern-Weiner http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/sw130710.html

What Would Einstein Have Said about Gaza? By Csar Chelala – "I saw thehorrors that the fighters had created. I saw bodies of women and children, whowere murdered in their houses in cold blood by gunfire, with no signs of battleand not as the result of blowing up the houses…I have seen a great deal ofwar, but I never saw a sight like Deir, Yassin," http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25934.htm

Pink Floyd reunites for Palestinian benefit concert http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/pink-floyd-the-other-wall/

Israel must change or collapse: On the impact of BDS by Rachel Giora,professor of Linguistics at Tel Aviv University http://www.boycottisrael.info/content/israel-must-change-or-collapse-impact-bds

The Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation – Hever: 18 families control60% of the equity value of all companies in Israel http://www.blogfrommiddleeast.com/?xstart=b&new=67860

Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman Cancel Participation in Israeli Film Festival http://bdsmovement.net/?q=node/750

Israeli Education Minister to Punish Supporters of Academic Boycott http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=41103

The Lancet on Health in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2010 http://www.thelancet.com/health-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-2010

Israel Announces: No Easing for Travel of People Into and Out of Gaza http://www.gisha.org/index.php?intLanguage=2&intItemId=1848&intSiteSN=113

UK

Classified Documents Reveal UK’s Role in Abuse of its Own Citizens By IanCobain and Owen Bowcott – The true extent of the Labour government’sinvolvement in the illegal abduction and torture of its own citizens after theal-Qaida attacks of September 2001 has been spelled out in stark detail withthe disclosure during high court proceedings of a mass of highly classifieddocuments. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25946.htm

USA

It’s Obama’s Empire Now By Stanley Kutler – July 15, 2010"Truthdig" – The American Empire is alive and well—and as expansive asever. We have established more than 700 military bases across the world,largely encircling the peripheries of Russia and China, which are now centralto the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The Cold War in the aftermath of WorldWar II drove the expansion as we searched for security—and markets, to besure. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25950.htm

1 Million American Households Likely to Lose Homes to Foreclosure This YearBy Associated Press – Nearly 528,000 homes were taken over by lenders in thefirst six months of the year. By comparison, lenders have historically takenover about 100,000 homes a year. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25952.htm

22 Statistics That Prove That The Middle Class Is Being Systematically WipedOut Of Existence In America http://tinyurl.com/2elz58u

VENEZUELA

Bolivarian Venezuela at a Crossroads, Part 2: Debate and Contradiction inthe PSUV http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5492

Two More Trade Unionists Murdered in Venezuela; National Union of WorkersDemands Justice http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5493

Documents reveal multimillion-dollar funding to journalists and media inVenezuela http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5495