#343: Workrights Rallies Sat Aug 21

GLOBALPEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND
NEWSLETTER No.343, August 16, 2010

FAIRNESS AT WORK RALLIES ON 21ST AUGUST
Please support the Fairness at Work rallies 21 August: Auckland, Wellington,Christchurch – 22 August: Dunedin. The Fairness at Work campaign is opposingthe Government’s attack on the employment rights of all wage and salaryearners. We are calling for: •All workers to have protection againstunfair dismissal; •The preservation of workers’ right to free accessto union officials in the workplace; •No change to the rules on adoctor’s certificate for less than three days sick leave. All employeeswill suffer a reduction in the quality of their working lives if these andother measures are passed. Please send on this message to all your networks. Weask you, your friends and family to come out on 21 August (or 22 August inDunedin) to show that New Zealanders do not want these unfair laws forced uponthem. www.fairness.org.nz and join uson Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairness-at-Work/113487335368284

RALLY: Auckland * Wellington * Christchurch *Dunedin
Auckland: 1pm, Saturday 21st August QE2 Square (bottom of Queen St, oppositeBritomart)
Wellington: 1pm, Saturday 21st August, Civic Square,
Christchurch: 1pm, Saturday 21st August, Cathedral Square
Dunedin: 11am, *Sunday 22nd August* – Assemble at Dental School, Great KingStreet, March to rally at the Octagon

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Tuesday, Augusat 16, 12-1.30pm, AUT University Conference Centre,Building WA, Room 224, Wellesley Street, Auckland.
Journalism and PR to battle it out for human rights: Do stories about humanrights make the cut in our news bulletins? Or are they overshadowed bysensationalised pieces and so-called ‘headline grabbing’ stories?Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ, in conjunction with AUT University’sClub PR, is pitting public relations practitioners against journalists nextTuesday to debate whether human rights violations are being overlooked by theNew Zealand news media. Chaired by Russell Brown of Public Address, the charitydebate will see Martyn ‘Bomber’ Bradbury of TUMEKE! and KiwiFM’s and TVNZ 7’s Wallace Chapman up against PR directors, JaneSweeney of Porter Novelli and Carrick Graham of Facilitate Communications. Theteams will each be joined by one AUT student studying journalism and publicrelations. The debating teams will be asked to respond to the moot:‘Human rights in New Zealand; the news media create more heat thanlight’. For further information or comment, please contact AmnestyInternational Media Co-ordinator Pui-Yi Cheng: on 09 303 4526 or 021 0267 4857.Club PR President Naomi Ball: on 021 118 2074

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

Saturday, August 21, 1pm, QE2 Square, Downtown
Work Rights rally and march

Saturday, August 21, 7pm, Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 RichmondRd
Green Party Quiz Night. $60 per Team of 6. Call Ron 09 3761243

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/

Monday 6 September, 6.30-9pm, Rm 039, Clocktower bldg, 22 PrincesSt
Reflections on the Holocaust , a seminar presented by Continuing Education atThe University of Auckland. This symposium will consider the Holocaust or Shoahfrom Christian, Jewish and Muslim perspectives. Speakers: Douglas Pratt, PaulMorris, Zain Ali. Full details: http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz or ph: 0800864 266

Friday, September 10, 8.30AM – 5.15PM, The University of AucklandBusiness School, Room OGGB5, Level 0, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Rd
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 work pay’.Susan St John, CPAG’s Economics spokesperson will open and close the dayand Mike O’Brien, Claire Dale and Sue Bradford from our ManagementCommittee will also be participating.
BACKGROUND: the Government appointed a Welfare Working Group in April 2010 toconduct a wide-ranging and fundamental review of New Zealand’s welfare system,and make practical recommendations to improve the economic and social outcomesfor beneficiaries and New Zealand as a whole. The first report of the WelfareWorking Group is available here. The aim ofthis Welfare Forum is to move beyond the narrow terms of reference of theWelfare Working Group, and make recommendations that recognise the currenteconomic climate, and foreground the needs of children. In planning for thisday we have been particularly interested in learning from the Australianexperience. Three speakers from Australia will join with experts from NewZealand in what should be an informative and stimulating day. Please registeras soon as possible as places are limited. The forum programme is available here(29KB). RSVP:To register, please complete the registrationform before Tuesday 7 September 2010 and email it to Tressy Menezes t.menezes@auckland.ac.nz (withcheque or credit card payment). Standard registration $50; Student registration$30 (includes morning and afternoon teas, and lunch). Places are limited andregistration is essential.

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

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionaryspirit and go into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility topoverty, racism, and militarism": Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Every 10 years or so, the US needs to pick up some small, crappy littlecountry and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we meanbusiness." Michael Ledeen Special Adviser to US secretary ofstate Alexander Haig.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

December 13-21, 2010. 17th World Festival of Youth and Students, inSouth Africa. An invitation for youth and students in New Zealand and thePacific.
Join thousands of youth and students from around the world discussing anddebating the future of humanity under the banner, “Let’s defeatimperialism, for a world of peace, solidarity and social transformation.”The festivals began in 1947 as young people reacted to the brutalities of worldwar and have continued through the decades since, addressing the politicalchallenges for youth and students. A week of activities will includeconferences, seminars, workshops, sporting and cultural events. Each day isdedicated to a different region of the world and their particular struggles,and one day to South Africa as the host nation. Full details of the calldescribing the political focus for this year’s festival can be found atthe festival website, along with a programme of activities. http://www.wfdy.org/17wfys/ Yourorganisation may be interested in sending a representative to the festival orwould like to assist in building a delegation from New Zealand to South Africa,or you may be an individual keen to join a delegation. All participants willneed to cover their own travel costs and pay a one off registration fee for thefestival which will cover accommodation, transport and food while in SouthAfrica. For more information contact Annalucia Vermunt, Tel: 09-525-7407.Communist League & Young Socialists E-mail: ysnz@xtra.co.nz or P.O. Box3025, Auckland, New Zealand.

WELCOME TO THE MEDIA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM & TECHNOLOGYCONFERENCE DEC 2010
Practitioners, journalists, academics, researchers and students who work in thecreative industries are invited to participate in a Fourth Estate“conversation” at the inaugural Media, Investigative Journalism& Technology Conference 2010. The conference will be held at AUT Universityin Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, on December 4 & 5, 2010. Thisinternational conference is dedicated to exploring investigative journalism anddocumentary techniques, methodologies and technologies of critical value topublic interest issues and to identify and support journalists, photographersand film makers facing pressures and obstacles.

BEST ONTHE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

Revised Search and Surveillance Bill Still Flawed http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00177/revised-search-and-surveillance-bill-still-flawed.htm

Select committee backs police spycams http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4026464/Select-committee-backs-police-spycams

Long protest road leads to Gaza http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666001

Aid ship attack survivor plans new mission http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666004

Prisoners being delivered to brutal Afghan secret police http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/4025568/Prisoners-being-delivered-to-brutal-Afghan-secret-police

Renewed calls to bring SAS home http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666246

Comment on Government Welfare Working Group Report Monday, 9 August 20105:14 pm | Sue Bradford http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00109.htm

Digging for the truth: What the Welfare Working Group report really says http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1008/S00104/what-the-welfare-working-group-report-really-says.htm

Tapu Misa: Welfare due for review – but this isn’t it http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666272

CPAG – Wealthy working group bad for children http://welfarewatch.org.nz/2010/08/10/cpag-wealthy-working-group-bad-for-children/

John Minto: Fear and resentment drive welfare policy http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/blogs/frontline/4021295/Fear-and-resentment-drive-welfare-policy

What work counts? A new report from Child Poverty Action Group – What workcounts? asks whether work incentives really improve the wellbeing of soleparents and children. It finds that despite the prevailing philosophy that workis the way out of poverty, children are at risk economically from beingdependent on a volatile labour market for sufficient income. The ExecutiveSummary is here.

Israeli ambassador oversteps mandate, says groupc http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00116/israeli-ambassador-oversteps-mandate-says-group.htm

NZEI: Expert Research Backs Up National Standards Concern http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1008/S00039/expert-research-backs-up-national-standards-concer.htm

Press Council rules on peace group’s complaint over human rights report http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10665083

NCWNZ welcomes ACC announcement but still cautious http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00146.htm

Independent review of ACC changes needed http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1008/S00200/independent-review-of-acc-changes-needed.htm

Landslide for the left on cards in council race http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10666074

Steely leftie sitting at the bosses’ table http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666010

Watercare must come clean over water plans! http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00163/watercare-must-come-clean-over-water-plans.htm

Mum, Dad and kids no longer typical household http://www.nzherald.co.nz/simon-collins/news/article.cfm?a_id=135&objectid=10659951

Key all wrong on student loan debt http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/business/3979277/Key-all-wrong-on-student-loan-debt

NZ WORK RIGHTS

Heather’s 90 Day Unfair Dismissal Story: Heather Smith was unfairlydismissed from her job under the 90 Day law. Her story was featured on lastnight’s 6 o’clock news on TV One. View the full video at http://www.youtube.com/NZCTU, add yourcomments of support and send on to everyone you know.

CTU releases another 90 Day story http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00183/ctu-releases-another-90-day-story.htm

Unions begin ‘name and shame’ campaign http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/unions-begin-name-and-shame-campaign-3697470/video

CTU: Sick leave could be straw man to disguise changes http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00107.htm

90-day job trials: Mike Treen talks to TVNZ News at 8 (06:54) http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/poll-employment-law-changes-supported-3692141/video?vid=3692379

Poll: Employment law changes supported http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/poll-employment-law-changes-supported-3692141/video?vid=3692171

Chch trade union protest http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4003091/Chch-trade-union-protest

Tragedy-hit CTU cannot survive a farce By CHRIS TROTTER – The Dominion Posthttp://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/3951237/Tragedy-hit-CTU-cannot-survive-a-farce

Key’s union bashing uncalled for and a big step backwards By CHRIS TROTTER -The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/chris-trotter/3934833/Keys-union-bashing-uncalled-for-and-a-big-step-backwards

NZ ECONOMY

Bernard Hickey: A disconcerting state http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10666068

CTU: Overseas Evidence Shows High Risks Of PPP Projects http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00134/overseas-evidence-shows-high-risks-of-ppp-projects.htm

PSA: PPPs are an unnecessary long-term risk http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00138/ppps-are-an-unnecessary-long-term-risk.htm

The great credit card swindle http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666124

Rich and poor gap ‘plateaued’ in NZ http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4029288/Rich-and-poor-gap-plateaued-in-NZ

FEATURES

Change That’s Not: ‘Obama On Bush Route’ – Video Interview With John Pilger- "For the first time in US presidential history — it has not happened before– a president has taken the entire defense department bureaucracy, and theSecretary of State for Defense, from a previous discredited administration. Wehave basically Robert Gates and the same generals running American foreignpolicy with a lot of help from people of like mind." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26137.htm

Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/world/15shadowwar.html?_r=1

Why the left should support the boycott of Israel — a reply to the USSocialist Workers Party By Art Young http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1289

Mass Demolitions of Roma Settlements Planned In The Middle of "Decade ofRoma Inclusion" http://tinyurl.com/2ex4byq

New York Times’ Rohter Strikes Out Yet Again on South of the Border By MarkWeisbrot http://hnn.us/articles/129708.html

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

The Way We Live Now – What the Great Recession Has Done to Family Life http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/magazine/08FOB-wwln-t.html

The Jobless Effect: Is the Real Unemployment Rate 16.5%, 22%, or. . .? Raghavan Mayur, president at TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, follows unemployment data closely. So, when his survey for May revealed that 28% of the 1,000-odd households surveyed reported that at least one member was looking for a full-time job, he was flummoxed. http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/careers/what-is-the-real-unemployment-rate/19556146/?sms_ss=email

Borat economics – Rising wages and lower healthcare costs will make deficit cutting idiotic. So why do the debt hawks want to copy Kazakhstan? by Dean Baker http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/10/deficit-hawks-class-war-medicare

Elizabeth Warren Uncovered What the Govt. Did to ‘Rescue’ AIG, and It Ain’t Pretty http://tinyurl.com/28v6h6k

Wall Street’s Big Win – Finance reform won’t stop the high-risk gambling that wrecked the economy – and Republicans aren’t the only ones to blame http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/188551?RS_show_page=1#

From Marx to Goldman Sachs: The Fictions of Fictitious Capital http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26131.htm

Jobless millions signal death of the American dream for many http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/15/jobless-millions-death-american-dream/print

FOOD, FARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Russia, Pakistan show need for climate action http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45144

Greenland ice sheet faces ‘tipping point in 10 years’ – Scientists warn that temperature rise of between 2C and 7C would cause ice to melt, resulting in 23ft rise in sea level http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/10/greenland-ice-sheet-tipping-point

Ecosocialist Resources, 19 – August 6, 2010: Yet another recommended reading list for left greens and green lefts. BP, Cancun loopholes, Organizing, Zapatistas, Ecuador http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2919

Conspicuous consumption and destructive wealth – The case of Ira Lennert: There is no question that excessive consumption damages the environment, but are consumers really driving the runaway train? I offer the following as an indication that different drivers are in charge. http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2909

The U.S. Ploy to Promote Genetically Engineered Seeds and Pesticides to Poor Mexican Farmers Is Impoverishing Their Communities http://tinyurl.com/2dkal5j

Canola, Pushed by Genetics, Moves Into Uncharted Territories – Genetically engineered versions of the canola plant are flourishing in the form of roadside weeds in North Dakota, scientists say, in one of the first instances of a genetically modified crop establishing itself in the wild. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/science/10canola.html

Is Africa Still Being Looted? In a debate broadcast on Canada’s CBC radio network last week, a leading World Bank official defended neo-liberal policies, denied the reality of African economics, and even ignored the Bank’s own research by Patrick Bond http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2975

CULTURE

An open letter to Elton John: Dear Elton. Over the past few months you have managed to severely piss me off. And I’m not alone. In fact, it’s safe to say that you’ve pissed off thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people who are engaged in a whole spectrum of movements for justice and equality. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45120

‘The Other Guys’ End Credits: Giving a Silly Comedy a Serious Message (VIDEO) http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/08/09/other-guys-end-credits-sequence-video/

INCEPTION: Christopher Nolan’s latest techno-thriller offers a visual feast but lacks the substance and depth of the films that made his name. http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/features/92-film-review/6135-review-inception

Tony Judt: An Appreciation by Louis Proyect – a thoughtful appreciation in which he traces the principled evolution of this British historian and intellectual from Francophile Cold War liberal and young Zionist to a rigorous critic of Israel, capitalism, and our materialistic culture based on hyper-consumption. http://www.swans.com/library/art16/lproy63.html

Hard Times: A video report on an art show about the current economic situation that raises interesting questions about the relationship between representational art and the human condition http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/08/08/hard-times/

Warning: Racism Is Bad for Your Health – Harboring prejudice, it seems, may be bad for your health. Note: This month, Beacon Press is publishing the latest Greater Good anthology, Are We Born Racist? New Insights from Neuroscience and Positive Psychology. To coincide with its release, Greater Good featured a sneak peak at some of the contributions to the book, including this provocative essay by psychologist Elizabeth Page-Gould. http://www.alternet.org/story/147814/warning%3A_racism_is_bad_for_your_health

Palestine brought to life in "Behind the Wall" http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11436.shtml

Staying Human by Kim Petersen – Vittorio Arrigoni has written an on-the-spot account of what occurred in Gaza during Israel’s Cast Lead operation. Arrigoni — who lived in Gaza working as an authentic journalist and volunteer with International Solidarity Movement — exemplifies what it is to be a humanist. http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/staying-human/

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Women Have Already Been Abandoned by Ann Jones – I know Bibi Aisha, the young Afghan woman pictured on the August 9 cover of Time, and I rejoice that her mutilated nose and ears are going to be surgically repaired. But the logic of those who use Aisha’s story to convince us that the US military must stay in Afghanistan escapes me http://www.thenation.com/print/article/154020/afghan-women-have-already-been-abandoned

"Liberating" The Women Of Afghanistan By Huda Jawad – Aisha was attacked by the Taliban last year, the same time that thousands of foreign troops were running around the country under the guise of liberating it. TIME is repeating the inexcusable and now redundant mantra used by the Department of Defense and by just about every neocon politician: We’re in Afghanistan to save the women. Here’s the problem: as US troops remain in the country and have dominated it for the past 10 years, violence against women in Afghanistan has been increasing – not decreasing http://www.countercurrents.org/jawad090810.htm

AUSTRALIA

Indonesian workers fight Australian company http://aawl.org.au/content/indonesian-workers-fight-australian-company

Amnesty blasts Indigenous policies http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45119

BOLIVIA

Social tensions erupt http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45140

CUBA

The US Blockade of Cuba Is Pure Punishment for Cuban and American People http://www.alternet.org/story/147785/the_us_blockade_of_cuba_is_pure_punishment_for_cuban_and_american_people

CHINA

China’s Rich Have $1.1 Trillion in Hidden Income, Study Finds http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-12/china-s-wealthy-have-as-much-as-1-1-trillion-in-hidden-income-study-says.html

Disregarded by striking workers, China’s trade unions rethink role in bidfor relevance http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jmms_xSizdyGcquNPhTsYOYARuNw

These strikes are good for China – and for the world http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/30/china

GREECE

Greece’s economy deeper in recession than forecast: Record jump in Greekunemployment prompts that crisis could intensify social unrest http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/12/greece-recession-gdp-unemployment

HAITI

Haiti Earthquake Survivors Peacefully Demonstrate to Call Attention to theForced Expulsions and Horrific Conditions in Camps http://tinyurl.com/2f79pkc

The "international community" is in charge of rebuilding Haiti, and onething has become clear: it is not interested in any kind of democracy there,not even the low level of "democracy" that it has committed to in Iraq orAfghanistan. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/13/2956606/congress-must-put-pressure-on.html

France urged to repay Haiti billions paid for its independence http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/15/france-haiti-independence-debt

INDIA

Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan Shines The Spotlight On What’s Caused AnEstimated 150,000 Farmer Suicides In India By Sonali Kolhatkar http://www.countercurrents.org/kolhatkar140810.htm

Kashmir In Turmoil By Akhila Raman http://www.countercurrents.org/raman110810.htm

IRAN

How Would Iran Respond to US Attack? By Mahan Abedin – American politicaland military leaders would be mistaken if they believed they could get awaywith a "limited" military strike on Iran, designed to destroy that country’snuclear infrastructure. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26140.htm

IRAQ

Destruction Accomplished – The Great Success of the Iraq War by Gillesd’Aymery http://www.swans.com/library/art16/ga284.html

JAPAN

Deadly nightmare long way from home – A young Chinese worker’s death has putthe spotlight on the rise of a fatal job trend in Japan. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10666026

PACIFIC

FIJI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST LEAVES PERMANENTLY http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/story.htm?id=31888

AS ECONOMY FALTERS, FIJI BECOMES A VOLATILE PARADISE http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703435104575420982716811968.html

West Papua demands freedom – West Papuan independence leaders havethreatened a "total intifada" (uprising) against Indonesian occupying forces http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45145

PAKISTAN

Pakistani Floods Affect Millions, But Level Of International Aid Pitiful ByVilani Peiris http://www.countercurrents.org/peiris110810.htm

Labour Relief Campaign launches appeal for millions affected by floods http://links.org.au/node/1832

20 Million Made Homeless in Pakistan by Floods; Cholera Outbreak Feared:Impact of Pakistan floods as bad as 1947 partition, says prime minister http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/14/pakistan-flooding-disaster-partition-gilani

PALESTINE

Harvard University fund sells all Israel holdings http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000581912

Israel says ancient Muslim gravestones ‘built illegally’ http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305219

Israel Cannot be Both Jewish and Democratic By Ahmed Moor – Israel continuesto lurch and stagger in the darkened bog of tribal chauvinism. The Jewishstate’s further descent into the bellicose murk is being felt by the country’sminorities. Home destructions and deportations are portentous of a bleakerfuture for non-Jews in Israel. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26125.htm

The Tears of Gaza Must Be Our Tears By Chris Hedges – Chris Hedges madethese remarks Thursday night in New York City at a fundraiser for sponsoring aU.S. boat to break the blockade of Gaza. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_tears_of_gaza_must_be_our_tears_20100809/

International labor report’s omissions reveal pro-Israel bias http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11415.shtml

FAQ on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) http://imeu.net/news/article0019584.shtml

Besieging Israel’s siege – In just a few years the Palestinian campaign toboycott Israeli goods has become truly global by Omar Barghouti http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/12/besieging-israel-siege-palestinian-boycott

Veritas Handbook: a new guide puts Palestine history, debates inactivists’ hands http://www.israeli-occupation.org/2010-08-12/veritas-handbook-a-new-guide-puts-palestine-history-debates-in-activists-hands/

Why the Deadly Attack on the Freedom Flotilla Was the Breakthrough That Madethe World See Israel’s Cruelty in Gaza http://tinyurl.com/29na8kz

PANAMA

General Strike Against Killings http://upsidedownworld.org/main/international-archives-60/2614-panama-general-strike-against-killings

PHILIPPINES

Extrajudicial killings and the struggle for land reform under‘Noynoy’ Aquino http://links.org.au/node/1835

SRI LANKA

Grisly Photos Reveal The Genocide Of Tamil People In Sri Lanka By MuthamizhVendhan http://www.countercurrents.org/vendhan100810.htm

UK

The time to organise resistance is now – We reject these cuts as simplymalicious ideological vandalism, hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. Joinus in the fight – Tony Benn and 73 others http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/04/time-to-organise-resistance-now

BP, the government and deregulation’s deadly reality gulf http://www.hazards.org/votetodie/abuseofpower.htm

USA

ACLU Report: Obama Continuing Bush-Era Torture Policies http://www.alternet.org/story/147808/aclu_report%3A_obama_continuing_bush-era_torture_policies

The Omar Khadr case makes a mockery of US justice: Omar Khadr was a badlywounded boy of 15 when, in 2002, US forces captured him in Afghanistan. As thedust settled on a suspected al-Qaeda compound after a firefight that July,troops discovered him slumped in the rubble among the dead, leaning against awall. http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/08/omar-khadr-case-obama-trial

Bob Herbert: The Unemployment Horror Show: "When you combine the long-termunemployed with those who are dropping out and those who are working part-timebecause they can’t find anything else, it is just far beyond anything we’veseen in the job market since the 1930s." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/opinion/10herbert.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Signs of economic desperation in Atlanta: This video from a helicopter of amob in Atlanta, Georgia scrambling for application forms for public housing isstartling. People are now talking about a depression in America. With sceneslike this it’s not too hard to make the jump http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/38667261#38667261

VENEZUELA

The Quiet Revolution: Venezuelans experiment with participatory democracy.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26118.htm

Ending farmer exploitation http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5567

OLDER ANNOUNCEMENTS

OCTOBER15THSOLIDARITY.INFO NEWSLETTER NO. FIFTEEN – 2ND AUGUST2010
we send out irregular updates on the campaign to support the people arrested inthe state terror raids in Aotearoa (New Zealand) on 15th October 2007. Althoughcharges under the Terrorism Suppression Act were never laid, 18 people arestill facing charges under the Arms Act and 5 are charged with being members ofan organised criminal group. At the moment, the starting date for the trial is8th August 2011. DROP THE CHARGES!
UPCOMING EVENTS
1. 7th August – Documentary on Maori Television about October 15 2. 23rd August- a week-long hearing in the Auckland High Court 3. 15th October – three yearssince the raids
2. 23rd August – a week-long hearing in the Auckland High Court A week-longhearing in the Auckland High Court should determine where and when the trialwill take place. The defendants do not have to attend, but the hearing is opento the public.
3. 15th October – three years since the raids Events are planned for the thirdanniversary of the raids. We will keep you up to date with what’s happeningcloser to the time.
RECENT OCTOBER 15th SOLIDARITY MEDIA RELEASES

CAMP FOR CLIMATE ACTION AOTEAROA NATIONAL GATHERING – WELLPARKCOLLEGE OF NATURAL THERAPIES, 6 FRANCIS STREET, AUCKLAND, SEPTEMBER 4 &5
Camp for Climate Action Aotearoa is having a national Gathering in Auckland.The aim of the Gathering is to map out a coherent and collectively formulateddirection for CCAA, and YOU are invited. Get together with your local climatecamp group now as we are creating a bunch of proposals for Climate Camp whichwill be brought to the gathering and collectively addressed. Dont be shy! Allare welcome to attend!

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! EVERY SATURDAY, 1PM, JBHIFI, QUEEN ST,AUCKLAND
Blockade and Boycott- Queen Street JB Hifi- please pass on to your networks.Saturday 1 till 4pm. Support low paid workers fighting for a Living Wage. Week8 of the Queen Street protest, and 5,000 customers have now signed the petitionto boycoptt JB Hifi, until they pay the workers a 50c increase. Big Day ofAction on JB Hifi this Friday and Saturday- invite your friends- appealing foreveryone who can to come down. Bring drums, horns, vuvzelas, pots, pans,klaxons. its gonna be NOISY. Workers at JB Hi-Fi h Jack Lucas.

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. We are appealing for funds. PSNAwill underwrite the tour, but we definitely need financial help because we arehosting two people. The amount needed is $10,000. The two international faresfrom Europe is the biggest cost, at $6,000. We will keep their domestic traveland accommodation costs as cheap as possible.
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 it is for the Jalandoni tour. Or, we willsupply our bank account details upon request.
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

WAIHOPAI SPYBASE PROTEST JANUARY 21-23, 2011
The Waihopai spybase was subjected to unprecedented public attention by theMarch 2010 trial and acquittal of the three Ploughshares peace activists whopenetrated its high security in 2008 and deflated one of the two domesconcealing its satellite dishes from the NZ public. The Anti-Bases Campaign washappy to support this non-violent direct action anti-war activity, from startto finish. The public face of New Zealand’s role as an American ally isthe NZ military presence in Afghanistan. But New Zealand’s mostsignificant contribution to that, and other American wars, including the one inIraq, is the Waihopai electronic intelligence gathering base, located in theWaihopai Valley, near Blenheim. It is controlled by the US, with New Zealand(including Parliament and the Prime Minister) having little or no idea whatgoes on there, let alone any control. Join us for the weekend of anti-warprotest at this spybase. Come prepared for roughing it and camping out. Weprovide the food (we cater for vegetarians but vegans will have to bring theirown). Bring sleeping bag, groundsheet, a tent, torch, water bottle, eatingutensils, clothing for all weather, and $40 (or $20 unwaged) to cover costs. Noopen fires. How to find our camp at Whites Bay: turn off SH1 at Tuamarina (9kmnorth 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 theWhites Bay turnoff. There is a DoC public camp at the bay with basicfacilities. ABC has to pay a fixed charge per head. This will be the firstWaihopai spybase protest since the Domebusters’ acquittal on all chargesarising from their courageous citizens’ deflation action. Waihopai doesnot operate in the interests of New Zealanders or our neighbours. Basically itis a foreign spybase on NZ soil and directly involves us in America’swars.
CLOSE THE WAIHOPAI SPYBASE NOW! Organised by the Anti-Bases Campaign, P.O. Box2258, Christchurch. E-mail cafca@chch.planet.org.nz http://www.converge.org.nz/abc Make allcheques to ABC..

KIA ORA GAZA – KIWI AID TO GAZA
Gaza’s 1.5 million people are imprisoned by the state of Israel in agiant concentration camp. The Israeli military enforces a blockade of essentialsupplies. There is terrible suffering, especially among the children. Thecitizens of Gaza face collective punishment, which is illegal underinternational law. On 31 May 2010, a Gaza aid flotilla was hijacked on the opensea 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 offfrom London by sea and land. We want to see Kiwi volunteers and aid go withthem. Kia Ora Gaza is raising funds to make this possible. Please give yoursupport. Write a cheque for ‘Kia Ora Gaza’ and post to:• KiaOra Gaza, PO Box 59-007, Auckland. Or make a payment directly into our bankaccount:• Kia Ora Gaza, 03-0211-0447718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehungabranch. Encourage your family and friends to make a personal donation. Appealto • organisations you are involved with to make an institutionaldonation. All funds raised by Kia Ora Gaza will be audited by a professionalwho is independent of our bank trustees. Email: grantmorgan@paradise.net.nzWebsite: http://kiaoragaza.net/

BE MORE THAN JUST A TOURIST! JOIN THE SOUTHERN CROSS BRIGADE TOCUBA: DEC 27, 2010 TO JAN 20, 2011
Join the 28th Southern Cross Brigade and support Cuba in the mostdirect manner by working alongside Cubans, visiting unions, schools, hospitals,cultural sites, performances & urban agriculture projects, learning thesalsa, meeting Cubans, fraternising with other international guests and havingfree time in Havana. You will experience at first hand the cultural, politicaland social conditions in socialist Cuba. This year’s program will giveparticipants an opportunity to join in the celebration of ICAPs (Cuba Institutefor Friendship With The Peoples Of The World) 50th anniversary & theongoing success of the Cuban Revolution. Find out more at http://www.cubasolidarity.org.nz;register at wkcultur(03 7324010) or Ina at inashina@clearnet.net.nz ((093031755). Cost: $1100 (after July 31st, $1200) – excluding airfare, taxes andhealth insurance.

THE ROGER AWARD – NOMINATIONS OPEN
Nominations for the 2010 Roger Award are now open. The nomination form withdetails of the criteria and how to make a nomination is available in in Word(54 KB) or PDFformat (164KB). Nominations close on 31 October 2010. Send your nominationsto: The Roger Award, Box 2258, Christchurch, or CAFCA [cafca@chch.planet.org.nz] Fulldetails of the Roger Award, including all the past winners and theJudges’ Reports on them can be read at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/index.htmlThe judges for 2010 are: Paul Corliss, from Christchurch, anorganiser with the Tertiary Education Union and a life member of the Rail andMaritime Transport Union; Christine Dann, from BanksPeninsula, a writer and researcher; Sue Bradford, fromAuckland, a community activist and former Green MP; JoceJesson, a Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education, Universityof Auckland, and a community activist; and Wayne Hope,Associate Professor, Communications Studies, Auckland University of Technology.They will be given a shortlist of finalists. The winner(s) will be announced atan Auckland event in April 2011.

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 bedoing 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 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.