#352: Oct 21 Forum – After Paul Henry- How do we fight racism in New Zealand?

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND

NEWSLETTER No. 352, OCTOBER 15, 2010

Public Rally: After Paul Henry- How do we fight racism in New Zealand?
Thursday, October 21, 7pm, Library Basement Lecture Theatre, University of Auckland, Princes Street
The recent Paul Henry case has ignited a huge debate in New Zealand about race and what a real Kiwi is in the 21st Century. Unite on Campus hosts speakers from the many different communities that make up modern Aotearoa, asking the question – After Paul Henry, how do we Fight racism in New Zealand? Confirmed speakers so far – John Minto, Global Peace and Justice Auckland; Syd Keepa, Convenor The CTU Runanga (the representative body for Maori workers whose unions are affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi.); Lei Jin, Chinese Workers Association; Mohsen al Attar, Lecturer in International law, Auckland University and opponent of Islamphobia; also representatives from the NZ Indian community, NZ Muslim community and others. All welcome. Organised by Unite on Campus.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

OCT 30: WORLD TEACHERS DAY
Celebrate, value, protect teaching and learning. NZ has a world class education system – we think that is worth celebrating www.nzei.org.nz

LOCAL PEACE GRANTS AND LOXLEY AWARD
this message is to remind you about the next round of the Quaker Peace & Service Aotearoa New Zealand (QPSANZ) Local Peace Grants, and the Loxley Award for 2011 – the deadline for applications to both is 31 October 2010. This information is available online at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/qps1010.htm

2010 ROGER AWARD NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON OCTOBER 31ST
Nominations for the 2010 Roger Award are still open for the rest of this month. The nomination form with details of the criteria and how to make a nomination is available in Word or PDF format. Nominations close on 31 October 2010. Send your nominations to: The Roger Award, Box 2258, Christchurch, or to this e-mail address. cafca@chch.planet.org.nz

STAND UP FOR YOUR WORK RIGHTS
On 20 October 2010 thousands of workers all around New Zealand are standing up for fairness at work and protesting at the proposed employment law changes that the Government is pushing through Parliament. While there isn’t a union meeting happening in your town that day, here’s three things you can do to be part of the day of action.

1. Join a stopwork meeting in your area.
2. Discuss fairness at work on 20 October at smoko break, and why your work rights are important to you
3. Sign some postcards to the Prime Minister: call Member Support Centre on 0800 438 638 to have some sent out to you
4. Send in a photo of your workmates taking action or making your lunchroom a Fairness at Work zone on 20 October to www.fairness.org.nz

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Saturday, October 16, 2.30pm, Lynfield Room, Fickling Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, 3 Kings.
Migrant Workers Network Seminar: The Employment law Changes – What do they mean for migrants? Speaker: Robert Reid, General Secretary of the National Distribution Union. Comments: Ariel Guanlao, Migrante Aotearoa; Ghurbej Chhabra, Migrant Workers Network; Anu Kaloti, Shaeed Baghat Singh Charitable Trust.

Tuesday, October 19, 6.30pm, Lecture Theatre Library Basement 15, University of Auckland, Alfred Street.
Chance to meet former Amnesty Prisoner of Conscience, Aung Khaing Min. Since the age of 14, Aung Khaing Min has dedicated his life to the fight for human rights in Myanmar (Burma). But he has paid a heavy price for his activism – he has been unfairly imprisoned and tortured, lost the right to live in his home country, and forced to leave behind friends and family members still languishing in prison. He will speak about his experience as a human rights activist since the age of 14 in Myanmar (Burma) and also as a political exile based in Thailand who continues to campaign daily for human rights for his people. Contact: Media Co-ordinator, Pui-Yi Cheng, media@amnesty.org.nz or 09 303 4526. Entry: Free, koha welcome. Please bring two passport-sized photos to add to our photo petition calling for the release of all of Myanmar’s Prisoners of Conscience, including Aung Khaing Min’s family members.
See more about Aung Khaing Min here.

Wednesday, October 20, 6.30pm, Academy Theatre, 44 Lorne St, City
On Wednesday 20 October The Global Poverty Project is launching the 1.4 Billion Reasons DVD around the world. It’s hitting 112 countries with official premiers in London and New York – and Auckland is first. 1.4 Billion Reasons is an engaging, thought-provoking multimedia presentation that is travelling the world, inspiring and empowering audiences in its path. It asks the tough questions: What is extreme poverty? Can we do anything about it? What are the barriers to ending extreme poverty? Why should we care? What can I do? Invite your friends and join us at the Academy theatre – a great venue and one with a strong connection to human rights. RSVP: wendy.steele@globalpovertyproject.com

Thursday, October 21, 7pm, Library Basement Lecture Theatre, University of Auckland, Princes Street
Public Rally: After Paul Henry- How do we fight racism in New Zealand? The recent Paul Henry case has ignited a huge debate in New Zealand about race and what a real Kiwi is in the 21st Century. Unite on Campus hosts speakers from the many different communities that make up modern Aotearoa, asking the question – After Paul Henry, how do we Fight racism in New Zealand? Confirmed speakers so far – John Minto, Global Peace and Justice AucklandSyd Keepa, Convenor The CTU Runanga (the representative body for Maori workers whose unions are affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi.); Lei Jin, Chinese Workers Association; Mohsen al Attar, Lecturer in International law, Auckland University and opponent of Islamphobia;also representatives from the NZ Indian community, NZ Muslim community and others. All welcome. Organised by Unite on Campus.

Wednesday, October 27, 6.30pm, Maidment Theatre, University of Auckland
2010 Bruce Jesson Lecture Annette Sykes Ngäti Pikiao Lawyer and Activist. “The Politics of the Brown Table”. A self-annointed Iwi Leaders Group, a Maori Party that supports a National/ACT government, and a group of Crown mandated intermediaries drawn from retired politicians and bureaucrats, are today’s agents for the manufacturing of consent and the management of discontent amongst Maori. The commercial deals on Treelords, the Emissions Trading Scheme, geothermal resources, national parks, private prisons, mining, whanau ora are all harnessing Moari to a global capitalism that impoverishes the mass of working class Maori and making them dependent on its survival. Most whanau and hapu are excluded from decision-making and denied the rights over their resources just as they always have been. Bruce Jesson foresaw these trends back in the 1980s. This lecture challenges this agenda and identifies the basic principles for a politics that genuinely empowers the people. Professor Margaret Mutu, chairperson of Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngäti Kahu, will be the discussant on the lecture.

Saturday, October 30, QEII Square 10.30am. March to Albert Park by 12.00 Noon
NZEI Auckland Area Council invites members of all Auckland unions to our Rally and March Saturday 30th October. This is to celebrating the successes of our world class education system. A family fun day with a strong message.

Thursday, November 4, 9am-5pm, Conference Room 1 – Copthorne Hotel Auckland City 196 – 200 Quay Street
Globalisation and Labour in the Pacific: Re-evaluating the 1890 Maritime Strike. Organised by the Auckland Labour History Group and the Labour History Project in association with the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History and NZWALMI. Papers will be presented on the 1890 strike, its broader political and historical impact, the nature of Pacific Rim connections in the labour market and between labour organisations, lessons for contemporary labour relations in the maritime industry in the Pacific, and the impact of globalisation generally in Pacific Rim labour relations. Attendance: All welcome. Fee: $40 includes lunch and refreshments. All registrations to Ann Williamson at nzwalmi@aut.ac.nz Information subject to change

Monday, November 8, 6.30pm, Lecture Theatre B28, (Beneath library, Alfred St), Auckland University
Is peace in the Middle East possible? Hear the surprising answer from award-winning speaker Anna Baltzer, former Fulbright scholar, Columbia University graduate, author, grand-daughter of Holocaust refugees, and recent guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Baltzer will present eyewitness reports on the conflict & the exciting nonviolence movement for peace. She will be signing copies of her acclaimed book, Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories.
CHAIR: Dr. NICHOLAS ROWE, Senior Lecturer Dance Studies and author of ‘Raising Dust: a Cultural History of Dance in Palestine’. KOHA requested. Hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine, Palestine Human Rights Campaign & Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom www.palestine.org.nz Raised with a traditional view on the issue, Baltzer’s perspective changed when she moved to the West Bank to work with nonviolent Palestinians and Israelis. Baltzer’s courageous voice for coexistence and insistence on honest reporting has led to more than 200 television appearances and lectures at more than 500 universities, churches, synagogues, mosques, think tanks, and other policy institutes around the world. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Research Journalism Institute, Grassroots Jerusalem, and The Council for the National Interest.

Monday, November 8 –11, SkyCity Convention Centre,
On the 8-11th of November, the World Dairy Summit is being held in Auckland, New Zealand. The World Dairy Summit is an international conference organised by the International Dairy Federation, a non-profit private sector organization representing the interests of various stakeholders in dairying at the international level. The main platinum sponsor of this event is Fonterra. The conference will bring together dairy experts from around the world to discuss topics such as government policies, farming, science, nutrition and health, marketing and the environment. The Coalition Against the World Dairy Summit (CAWDS) is made up of animal rights, social justice and climate activists who are coming together to highlight the animal abuse, environmental destruction and social aspects of the global dairy industry. Fonterra are the main corporate dairy power in New Zealand and one of the biggest exploiters of cows, ‘third world’ markets and the earth. We would like solidarity actions whether it is symbolic or direct actions and liberations against your local Fonterra targets or the dairy industry in general. Start getting a group together, research a target and get in touch with the co-alition for more details!! www.cawds.org.nz cawds10@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 9, 5.30-7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
BOOK LAUNCH: with Jane Kelsey (Professor of Law, Auckland University) and Lori Wallach (the Research Director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch). The free trade agreement between the US and NZ has expanded to a US-plus-eight negotiation called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that also involves Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. In NO ORDINARY DEAL: UNMASKING THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP FREE TRADE AGREEMENT Jane Kelsey has brought together eighteen other experts from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Chile to expose the realities and risks of negotiations that aim to lock in the failed model of global free markets for the indefinite future. Lori Wallach, a leading US activist against free trade deals, will launch the book and discuss the US politics surrounding the negotiations under the Obama administration. Refreshments provided.

Tuesday, November 9, 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
NZ Speaking Tour By Filipino Progressive Leaders. WHY SHOULD NEW ZEALANDERS BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF PEACE TALKS AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PHILIPPINES? Two senior international representatives of the NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) Mr Luis Jalandoni and Ms Coni Ledesma will be in Aotearoa this November hosted by local Solidarity organisations to speak under the theme “Justice and Liberation: The Road to Peace in the Philippines.” Auckland Philippines Solidarity (APS) will hold public meetings to draw the attention of New Zealanders to one of Asia’s most vibrant people’s movements. The speaking tour will be an opportunity for New Zealanders to critically view the ties that bind the Philippines and NZ.

Wednesday, November 10, 9am-12pm, Rm 101 Maori Strudies, Auckland Uni.
WISE WOMEN SPEAK: An intergenerational – inter movement korero on the liberation of women and self determination. FEATURING: International Guest Coni Ledesma –Makibaka, Free Movement of New Women, Philippines; Titewhai Harawira – Ngapuhi; Annette Sykes – Lawyer and activist. RSVP Helen Te Hira aotearoasolidarity@gmail.com 09 280 3372 or 0272888894

Friday, November 12, 7pm, Civic Building, Strata 17, Civic Building, Mayoral Drive
Solidarity Dinner for Justice and Peace in the Philippines: Tickets $30 (Dinner, entertainment cash bar). Contact: Luke Coxon (09) 8276059, 028 25803203 luke_coxon@yahoo.com

Sunday, November 21, 9.30am – 4pm, AUT Wellesley Street Conference Centre
Refugee Stories Symposium: This Symposium will consist of a day of testimonies about various aspects of the refugee experience, presented by former refugees who are now resident in New Zealand. REGISTRATION: Early bird Registration (by 1 October 2010) $75.00. Standard registration (after 1 October) $90.00. How to register and further information at www.aut.ac.nz/cre The day will also include a keynote speaker and cultural items. For all enquiries contact AUT Centre for Refugee Education Ph administration 921 9367 | refugeecentre@aut.ac.nz

Saturday, November 27, 8pm, 3 Pearce St, Onehunga
GRAN TOCATA SOLIDARIA con la Nacion MAPUCHE: Doors open : 8PM. Show will start at 8;30pm until late. Entry$10. The show will include the following artists: Makehue Dance Group; Manu Da Banda; Jah Red Lion; Calle Latina and others. JUSTICE FOR THE MAPUCHE in CHILE – FREE ALL MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISIONERS NOW. Organised by AOTEAROA MAPUCHE NETWORK Red MAPUCHE de AOTEAROA. WHAT TO DO IN AOTEAROA TO SUPPORT THE MAPUCHE STRUGGLE. BECOME INFORMED. BE A DONOR- WEEKLY AND MONTHLY TO SUPPORT DIRECTLY A MAPUCHE COMMUNITY. EDUCATE OTHERS.
For more information FACEBOOK PAGE http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111802392214336

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“We should live in a simple way for others to be able to live as well.” Mahatma Gandhi
“He who is richer is not who has more, but who needs less.” Zapotec saying, Oaxaca, Mexico
“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence”. –Leonardo da Vinci
‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters”. – Frederick Douglass
“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” – – Mahatma Gandhi
Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.-Jean-Paul Sartre

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND
Gordon Campbell: Key’s backbone problem with China http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/10/12/gordon-campbell-keys-backbone-problem-with-china/
Unfair funding switch in tertiary education http://union.org.nz/news/2010/unfair-funding-switch-in-tertiary-education-121010
30 more houses won’t fix NZ housing crisis – Green Party http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1010/S00126.htm
Mining threat to Coromandel remains http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1010/S00123/mining-threat-to-coromandel-remains.htm
NZ designates seven groups as terrorist entities http://johnkey.co.nz/archives/1049-NZ-designates-seven-groups-as-terrorist-entities.html
Latest terrorist designations undermine New Zealand’s role as a peacemaker by Keith Locke, MP http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/10/13/latest-terrorist-designations-undermine-new-zealand%E2%80%99s-role-as-a-peacemaker/
Minto: John Banks is half-right http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/blogs/frontline/4220189/John-Banks-is-half-right
Govt. gives up leadership on waste – Green Party http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1010/S00211.htm
Report: Profit-driven aged-care needs revolution http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10680672
Inquiry Report: Aged Care sector near crisis point http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1010/S00249/inquiry-report-aged-care-sector-near-crisis-point.htm
Goff’s concerns about Raids cases are gutless point scoring http://indymedia.org.nz/article/79009/goffs-concerns-about-raids-cases-are-gut
Fears for affordability of preschool education http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10680590
Production “pause” Deals Blow To Pasifika http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1010/S00053/production-pause-deals-blow-to-pasifika.htm
Editorial: Voters have chosen action, not ideology http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/editorials/4225598/Editorial-Voters-have-chosen-action-not-ideology
Auckland vote a ‘disaster for government’ http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/latest-news/4216275/Auckland-vote-a-disaster-for-government/
Matt McCarten: Left wing flying high over the Supercity http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10679363

PAUL HENRY CASE
New Zealand envoy apologises for anchor’s racial slur on Sheila http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/indian-govt-objects-to-racist-remarks-against-sheila-dikshit-57679?trendingnow&cp
Henry resigns after meeting TVNZ chief http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10679637
Paul Henry resigns http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4217179/Paul-Henry-resigns
Laws ignores PM’s apology call http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10679636
Michael Laws apologises for ‘fat Indian’ comments http://www.3news.co.nz/Michael-Laws-apologises-for-fat-Indian-comments/tabid/418/articleID/180804/Default.aspx
Minto: A boil on the backside http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/blogs/frontline/4202566/A-boil-on-the-backside
Brian Rudman: Henry isn’t the only one who needs to go http://tinyurl.com/2b8xln8

NZ WORK RIGHTS
CTU: Quit the rhetoric and resolve The Hobbit dispute http://union.org.nz/news/2010/quit-the-rhetoric-and-resolve-the-hobbit-dispute-111010
Australian And International Unions Join Auckland Pay Stoush‎ http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1010/S00387/australian-and-international-unions-join-protest.htm
Dr Russel Norman Speech to the NDU Conference http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/10/dr-russel-norman-speech-to-the-ndu-conference/
Funding reshuffle bad move, says union http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10680154
Teachers’ strike off after new Govt offer http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10680156
Meatworks bars entry, says union http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/4232452/Meatworks-bars-entry-says-union
Lab workers resume strike action http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10680546

NZ ECONOMY
CTU Releases Alternative Economic Strategy http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/ctu-releases-alternative-economic-strategy/5/66926
The full CTU Alternative Economic Strategy document
http://union.org.nz/sites/union/files/NZCTU%20Alternative%20Economic%20Strategy.pdf
A one page summary is also available at
http://union.org.nz/sites/union/files/Alternative%20Economic%20Strategy%20-%20one%20pager.pdf
Bryan Gould: Three years on looking good, but still feeling the pinch http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10679812
CTU’s call for Financial Transaction Tax welcomed – Citizens for Tax Justice http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1010/S00118.htm
Crafar banked on land prices rising http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/4225705/Crafar-banked-on-land-prices-rising
Parliamentary Library Monthly Economic Review http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/1ADB0BCC-C36D-4CF1-BC41-7DC64FB89832/162552/Oct11.pdf
The Next Oil Shock (Parliamentary Library) http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/ParlSupport/ResearchPapers/4/6/a/00PLEco10041-The-next-oil-shock.htm
Banks ease lending rules as house sales slump http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10680712
CTU: Government has room to do more on stalling economy http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1010/S00155/government-has-room-to-do-more-on-stalling-economy.htm
House sales down 33% in september yoy http://tinyurl.com/2afptj5

CULTURAL DISSENT
“Power to the People” – The Lost John Lennon Interview By TARIQ ALI and ROBIN BLACKBURN http://www.counterpunch.org/lennon12082005.html
Two Australian movies dealing with the aboriginal experience: Red Hill; Samson and Delilah – http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/red-hill-samson-and-delilah/
Any colour you like, as long as it’s red – a review of Made in Dagenham http://tinyurl.com/2cmztou
New Book Exposes the Dirty Truth Behind Coca-Cola: Accusations of Murder and Environmental Destruction http://tinyurl.com/2572xz7
Moshe Lewin obituary – Lively, provocative scholar of Soviet social history http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/27/moshe-lewin-obituary
Injustice: Why Social Inequality Persists is an excellent, sharp and at times poignant analysis of the political, social and economic situation that capitalism as a social system is in today. http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/features/53-reviews/6808-injustice-why-social-inequality-persists
Socialism’s vision of the future: Shaun Harkin reviews Tariq Ali’s short answer to the question: What is Communism? http://socialistworker.org/2010/10/12/socialist-vision-of-the-future

LAND, LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The red mud catastrophe of Hungary: natural or man-made disaster? http://www.marxist.com/red-mud-catastrophe-hungary-natural-or-man-made.htm
The limits to energy efficiency – “Historical evidence shows unequivocally that advances in energy efficiency have not led to any declines of aggregate energy consumption.” http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45659
Earth Is Parched Where Syrian Farms Thrived http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/world/middleeast/14syria.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&pagewanted=print

FEATURES
Europe: A continent in crisis, a rising far right http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1931
Richard Stallman and the free software movement http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45532
Why Are There So Many Dumb Misconceptions About Men and Sex? http://tinyurl.com/28ks564
George Monbiot: The Values of Everything Progressive causes are failing: here’s how they could be turned around http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/10/11/the-values-of-everything/
Does Social-Democracy Have a Future? http://www.iwallerstein.com/does-social-democracy-have-a-future/

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS
Major banks forced to suspend foreclosures after ‘robo-signing’ of documents exposed http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=14597&news_iv_ctrl=1261
The Soros Syndrome By ALEXANDER COCKBURN http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn10082010.html
Speech by Eric Toussaint at the United Nations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Despite the fact that the millennium goals are exceedingly modest, they will not even be achieved http://www.cadtm.org/Speech-by-Eric-Toussaint-at-the
Strikes, protests and street battles in action against Euro austerity http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/news/132/6793
Robert B Reich: Aftershock: The next economy and America’s future http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpSdKZm1D2A&feature=player_embedded
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart – Foreclosure Crisis
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-7-2010/foreclosure-crisis
Nobel people By michael roberts http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/nobel-people/
Soros, Stiglitz and Wolf Find (Gaping) Holes in New Financial ‘Reform’ http://tinyurl.com/274nxw5
The boys at South Park look at the problems with banking in the United States. Now you see it. Now you don’t. http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/222624/the-importance-of-saving-money

AFGHANISTAN
Damning Revelations, a Fraudulent Election, and Possible Extension http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1349
9th Anniversary of US Invasion of Afghanistan: 4.9 Million Afghans Dead By Dr Gideon Polya http://www.countercurrents.org/polya101010.htm
US, NATO can’t win Afghan war – Fidel http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=14620
Obama’s Shadowy Drone War: Taking Out the “Terrorists” by Remote Control:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,722583,00.html
Afghans say Nato ‘as bad as the Taliban’ http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/views/129013-afghans-say-nato-as-bad-as-the-taliban.html

AUSTRALIA
The burqa: reject the fake ‘feminism’ of the right http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45667
The advertisement appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian newspapers on 9 October 2010 and Australian Jewish News on 8 October 2010.
JEWS SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: “The attitude we adopt towards the Arab minority will provide the real test of our moral standards as a people.” – Albert Einstein, in a letter to the New York Times, 1948. http://www.iajv.org/node/193
Australian Housing: A Bubble in Search of a Prick http://www.unconventionaleconomist.com/2010/09/australian-housing-bubble-in-search-of.html

BOLIVIA
Bolivia: ‘Never before have we seen such changes’ http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2010/10/bolivia-never-before-have-we-seen-such.html
Evo Morales Passes Law Against Racism And All Forms Of Discrimination http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2010/10/bolivia-evo-morales-passes-law-against.html
Private Sector Gives Way Under Government’s Public Push http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2010/10/bolivia-private-sector-gives-way-under.html
The Concept Of “Living Well” – A Bolivian Viewpoint http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2010/10/concept-of-living-well-bolivian.html

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Elections Will Matter for the Rest of the World http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weisbrot/brazils-elections-will-ma_b_763126.html

CANADA
Rallies in Vancouver Protest Continued Detention of Tamil Asylum Seekers http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1358

CHILE
John Pilger: Chile’s Ghosts Are Not Being Rescued http://www.truth-out.org/chiles-ghosts-are-not-being-rescued64160
Top Ten Questions About Chile Mine Collapse By Juan Cole http://www.countercurrents.org/cole141010.htm
The Brave Chilean Miners By Partha Banerjee http://www.countercurrents.org/banerjee141010.htm

CHINA
iPhone maker faces new criticism over China labour practices http://tinyurl.com/29d7n8b
Swimming against the Tide: A short history of labour conflict in China and the government’s attempts to control it http://www.clb.org.hk/en/files/File/research_reports/Labour%20Conflict%20Report%20final.pdf

CUBA
Cuban Revolution: challenges and changes http://links.org.au/node/1939
Nuclear Weapons And The Survival Of Homo Sapiens By Fidel Castro
http://www.countercurrents.org/castro111010.htm
Reflexions by Fidel Castro: The Empire from the Inside (Part I) http://tinyurl.com/2cj564p

ECUADOR
Coup defeat reveals Correa’s strengths and weaknesses http://links.org.au/node/1932

FRANCE
French Senate Votes to Raise Retirement Age as Unions Prepare for a Day of Strikes http://revitalisinglabour.blogspot.com/2010/10/french-senate-votes-to-raise-retirement.html
French Labor Activism, US Labor Passivism by Rick Wolff http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/wolff111010.html
French strikes: 3.5 million take to streets to protest pension reform http://tinyurl.com/275thrz
French Strikes Raise Spectre of May 1968 Protests The Guardian, October 12, 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/11/french-strikes-protest-sarkozy-pensions

HAITI
U.S. Providing Millions in Electoral Assistance for “Election” that Excludes Major Political Parties from Ballot http://tinyurl.com/24dtrl9
Nine Months After The Quake – A Million Haitians Slowly Dying By Bill Quigley
http://www.countercurrents.org/quigley111010.htm

IRAQ
I Was a Professor at the Horribly Corrupt American University of Iraq… Until the Neocons Fired Me http://tinyurl.com/25endmq

IRELAND
Ireland- the ToLetarian State by Joe Carolan http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.com/2010/10/ireland-toletarian-state.html

JAPAN
A-bomb survivors outraged at Obama over subcritical nuclear test http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101013p2a00m0na019000c.html

KOREA
US Often Weighed North Korea `Nuke Option’ http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26552.htm

NICARAGUA
Prospero’s baloney : COHA, ALBA and the propaganda war in Nicaragua http://tortillaconsal.com/prospero.html

PAKISTAN
Strong Anti-American Sentiment Persists In Pakistan: Zaidi says the U.S. cannot use aid to overcome negative perceptions of the U.S. generated by U.S. military actions such as drone strikes.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130573026

PACIFIC
Fiji poverty statistics paint a disturbing picture http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201010/s3033503.htm

PALESTINE
Israel chooses apartheid over peace http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/09/israel-chooses-apartheid-over-peace.html
“If, and as long as between the Jordan (River) and the (Mediterranean) Sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic,” warned (Israeli Defence Minister) Ehud Barak, speaking at Israel’s annual Herzliya security conference. “If the Palestinians vote in elections it is a binational state and if they don’t vote it is an apartheid state.” http://www.fmep.org/analysis/analysis/the-apartheid-will-end-when-israelis-have-to-face-its-cost
Israel’s Loyalty Oath: Disciminatory By Design By The Guardian
http://www.countercurrents.org/guardian121010.htm
Controlling the narrative in Israel and Palestine http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/controlling-the-narrative-in-israel-and-palestine-20101005-1655t.html

PHILIPPINES
KMU Leader Freed From Jail, Proven Innocent After 3 Years http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/10/14/kmu-leader-freed-from-jail-proven-innocent-after-3-years/
Catholic church apologizes to indigenous peoples for ‘sins’ http://www.gmanews.tv/story/203362/catholic-church-apologizes-to-indigenous-peoples-for-sins

UK
Ken Loach and Michael Heseltine on Newsnight: The man who closed the pits and threw 30,000 miners on the dole (in October 1992) – loses his temper, whilst Ken Loach (“We should talk about the undeserving rich”) is a model of restrained, focused anger. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6OLguh7_P8&feature=player_embedded
House prices hit as properties flood the market http://tinyurl.com/2b89u94
More than 100,000 British firms are facing financial distress
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/13/insolvency-group-reports-on-uk-companies
Britain, the jobless capital of Europe: One in eight adults live in house where no one works http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1319446/Britain-branded-jobless-capital-Europe.html

UKRAINE
Union threat to disrupt Ukraine-IMF deal http://tinyurl.com/247pukh

USA
How the banks got us coming and going: Lee Sustar looks at the crisis that has led some of the country’s biggest banks to declare a temporary moratorium on home foreclosures. http://socialistworker.org/2010/10/12/banks-got-us-coming-and-going
Lou Dobbs, Immigrant-Basher, Uses Undocumented Workers on his Horse Farm http://tinyurl.com/25f6lpv
Surprise — The Very Dark Side of U.S. History http://www.alternet.org/story/148451/surprise_–_the_very_dark_side_of_u.s._history?page=entire
Across the U.S., Long Recovery Looks Like Recession: “I say to myself ‘This can’t be happening to us: We saved, we worked hard and we’re under tremendous stress,’ ” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/business/economy/13econ.html?_r=1&hp
US judge orders an end to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ military policy http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/12/us-judge-dont-ask-dont-tell-gay-army

VENEZUELA
Workers Rally to Support Venezuela’s Nationalization of Veneco http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5711
Venezuela Commemorates Indigenous Resistance with Abya-Yala Congress, Demonstration http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5713

OLDER ANNOUNCEMENTS
JUSTICE AND LIBERATION: THE ROAD TO PEACE – FILIPINO PROGRESSIVELEADERS TO TOUR NZ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Luis Jalandoni is the International Representative of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF, http://www.ndfp.net), a post that he has held since 1977, and since 1994 he has been the Chairperson of the NDF’s Negotiating Panel for peace talks with the Government of the Philippines. The NDF is the coalition of several underground groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army, which has been waging a war of liberation throughout the Philippines for more than 40 years, making it one of the longest running armed struggles in the world. The country desperately needs peace with justice and security, so resolving this people’s war is central to that. 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 the International Spokesperson of MAKIBAKA, a revolutionary women’s group which belongs to the NDF. Luis and Coni are both veteran leading figures in the Philippine revolutionary Left. He was a Catholic priest in the 1960s and she was a nun. Both were founders of Christians for National Liberation, a member group of the NDF. When Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, both went underground. They were both arrested and spent time as political prisoners. They left the clergy, and got married in 1974. They have lived in The Netherlands since 1976; they were the first Filipinos to apply for and receive political asylum there. They hold Dutch passports and travel extensively as NDF representatives. We are appealing for funds. PSNA will underwrite the tour, but we definitely need 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 costs as cheap as possible. Please make cheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch, with a note saying that it is for the Jalandoni tour. Or, we will supply our bank account details upon request.
ITINERARY
Tuesday October 26 – Christchurch: Public Meeting – 7.30p.m. Knox Presbyterian Church Lounge, 28 Bealey Avenue. Contact: Murray Horton,0274 307742 cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
Wednesday October 27 – Blenheim: Public Meeting, 7.30pm,Nativity Centre Lounge, cnr Alfred and Henry Sts. Contact: Steffan Browning,021 725655 greeny25@xtra.co.nz
Thursday October 28 & Friday 29 – Wellington: PublicMeeting – 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., Catholic Diocesan Centre (Te Rau Aroha), 33 Amesbury Street Contact: Dion Martin(06) 3569658 (w), 021 776029 Dion.Martin@ndu.org.nz
Tuesday November 2 & Wednesday 3 – New Plymouth:Public Meeting – 6p.m. Wednesday 3rd, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, 42Queen Street. Contact: Fiona Clark (06) 7547014; fionaclark@clear.net.nz
Thursday November 4 – Hamilton: Public Meeting –7.30 p.m., Waikato Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street. Contact: BobAnderson, (07) 8297882, 021 776023; ban@xtra.co.nz
Friday November 5 – Whangarei: Public Meeting Manaia PHO Rooms, Rust Ave,central Whangarei. Contact: Tim Howard 027 3089216 the-farm@ihug.co.nz
Tuesday 9 November – Auckland: Public Meeting, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, 7pm
Wednesday 10 November – Auckland: Women’s Forum with Connie Ledesma, Auckland University, Maori Studies 9am – 12pm (RSVP to Maori Studies)
Friday 12 November – Auckland: 7 p.m. Solidarity Dinner for Justice and Peace in the Philippines, Civic Building, Strata 17, Civic Building, Mayoral Drive: Tickets $30 (Dinner, entertainment cash bar). Contact: Luke Coxon (09) 8276059, 028 25803203 luke_coxon@yahoo.com