GPJA #396: OCCUPY AOTEAROA SAT OCT 15 / Organising meeting this Fri 7pm

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER No. 396, October 5, 2011

Occupy Auckland Planning meeting, Friday, 7pm, Unite Office, 6a Western Springs Rd, Morningside, Auckland.
GPJA is sponsoring a meeting this Friday to help coordinate plans for the Auckland protest. Come along if you want to help.

OCCUPY AOTEAROA SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 – “WE ARE THE 99%” – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
The time has come to show your support for injustices against the New Zealand people and the crimes of the Government! Let us unite and stand as one and show the world what we can do! We stand in solidarity with the Wall St Protesters and the many other protesters standing around the world that say 1% will not continue to steal from the 99%, which is happening right now. NZ is being stripped NOW! EMPOWER YOURSELF! You are the one you have been waiting for! There will be change. There will be justice! Inspired by Occupy Wall Street www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
AUCKLAND https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200962876639610
WELLINGTON http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Wellington-Nz/253279161382607
CHRISTCHURCH https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Christchurch/122557837848947
DUNEDIN http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Dunedin/141220149310691

First official statement from the Occupy Wall Street movement
http://zcommunications.org/first-official-statement-from-the-occupy-wall-street-movement-by-occupy-wall-street
Labor Movement Rolls Into Wall Street Occupation http://www.alternet.org/story/152591/labor_movement_rolls_into_wall_street_occupation?akid=7648.145638.unJ2jV&rd=1&t=5
OccupyWallStreet talks to Fox News
U.S. anti-corporate movement expands http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/us-anti-corporate-movement-expands

Monday, November 7, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland
GPJA Forum: Nicky Hagar on New Zealand’s role in the war in Afghanistan. Investigative journalist and researcher Nicky Hagar will speak about New Zealand’s war in Afghanistan following publication of his acclaimed (by all but a few politicians) book "Other People’s Wars" released in early September. In his book he details the real role of our troops and reconstruction teams in this country’s longest running war and the false and misleading information put out by politicians and our defence force officials. THIS FORUM IS NOT TO BE MISSED.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

VIVA PALESTINA – A MESSAGE TO FRIENDS FROM ROGER FOWLER
Hello all ….you may know that I have been selected to lead another Kiwi team on the next Viva Palestina international aid convoy to break the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza. Below is the latest statement from Kia Ora Gaza about the convoy and biographies of the Kiwi contingent. With the recent uprisings in the region, this initiative has a great potential for successfully opening up the gates of Rafah and ending Gaza’s isolation for good. I am asking my friends, old & new, to consider contributing towards this campaign. Our fund-raising target is $50,000. This will cover the team’s flight costs and two aid-packed ambulances. If we all help out we will be able to make it happen. [After the Israeli commando attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship, our first NZ team joined the Viva Palestina land convoy last year which broke through the siege with $7million of medical aid packed into 150 ambulances & trucks.] Please see the website for details on how to make a donation, or click ‘donate’ on: rogerfowler

MIGRANTE APPEAL FOR SUPPORT FOR TYPHOON PEDRING VICTIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Dear Compatriots and Friends of the Filipino People in New Zealand: In the spirit of bayanihan (cooperation), Migrante International is calling on its chapters around the world to raise funds in aid of families devastated by typhoon Pedring. Among those needing urgent support are poor peasant families in Southern Luzon who need to buy grains and recover their losses. They have barely recovered from typhoon Juan and the promised government assistance for grains has yet to come. Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand is endorsing Migrante International’s appeal for financial donations to support rescue missions, distribution and delivery of essential goods such as rice, canned goods and bottled water, setting up of soup kitchens and other relief missions to affected areas in Metro Manila and Southern Luzon. Donations may be deposited to Migrante Aotearoa’s ASB account. Account name: Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated; Account Number: 12-3136-0276480-00. Please note that Inland Revenue qualified Migrante Aotearoa as a donee organization, however cash donations for overseas use will not be qualified for tax refund. We hope to send the first wave of donations to Migrante International’s bank account in the Philippines on Monday, 10th October 2011; the second wave of donations on 17th October 2011 after our weekend food sale and collection of more donations. Thank you very much for your support. ARIEL GUANLAO, President,Migrante Aotearoa

EXPERIENCE THE REAL CUBA! JOIN THE 29TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN CROSS WORK-STUDY TOUR TO CUBA
Organised by the New Zealand – Australia Cuba Friendship Society 28 Dec 2011 to 20 Jan 2012. Be more than just a tourist join the 29th Southern Cross Work-Study Tour and support Cuba in the most direct manner by working alongside Cubans for a few days picking fruit, pruning or planting fruit trees or slashing grass and then visiting schools, hospitals, cultural sites & urban agriculture projects, etc. You’ll experience at first hand the cultural, political and social conditions in socialist Cuba. This year’s program will give participants an opportunity to celebrate the 51st anniversary of ICAP & gain an insight into how the Cuban people have triumphed over adversity to keep the revolution strong. For more information about the 29th Contingent of the Southern Cross Brigade visit the Brigade Webpage , email us or call 027 226 9950.

PETITION – STOP THE PERSECUTION OF RENÉ GONZÁLEZ: LET HIM RETURN TO CUBA!
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: René González is one of the "Cuban Five" prisoners who have now spent 13 years in U.S. prisons, having been falsely labeled as "spies," unjustly convicted in the anti-Cuban environment of Miami, and condemned to long terms in prison, all for the "crime" of fighting terrorism by infiltrating Miami-based terrorist groups to expose their continuing terrorist plots against Cuba. González will be the first of the Five to be released from prison on October 7, and, in a measure that can only be described as vindictive, the U.S. government wants to force him to spend his three years on probation in the United States, where he has no family, rather than allowing him to return to Cuba. http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-persecution-of-ren-gonzlez-let-him-return-to-cuba Email President Obama and Demand René Gonzalez be returned to CUBA! http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

WAIHOPAI SPYBASE PROTEST JANUARY 20-22, 2012
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. This legal saga has continued into 2011 with the Government changing the law to prevent their grounds of defence being used again and then suing the three activists personally for the $1.2 million damage to the dome. 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.
First announced in 1987, Waihopai is operated by New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in the interests of the foreign Powers grouped together in the super-secret UKUSA Agreement (which shares global electronic and signals intelligence among the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and NZ). Its two satellite interception dishes intercept a huge volume of civilian telephone calls, telexes, faxes, e-mail and computer data communications. It spies on our Asia/Pacific neighbours, and forwards the material on to the major partners in the UKUSA Agreement, specifically the US National Security Agency (NSA). Its targets are international civilian communications involving New Zealanders, including the interception of international phone calls. Post- 9/11 the GCSB and Waihopai now spy further afield, to those regions where the US is waging wars. The codename for this – Echelon – has become notorious worldwide as the vast scope of its spying has become public. New Zealand is an integral, albeit junior part of a global spying network, a network that is ultimately accountable only to its own constituent agencies, not governments, not citizens.

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.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. Waihopai must be closed. Organised by the Anti-Bases Campaign, P.O. Box 2258, Christchurch. E-mail cafca www.converge.org.nz/abc $40 Registration ($20 unwaged). Make all cheques to ABC

WHAT’S ON

Friday, October 7, 5.30pm-7.00pm, The Brewery (Cassels and Sons). Corner Garlands Road and Cumnor Terrace Woolston, Christchurch.
Farewell for Keith Locke MP. Please join us to to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Keith Locke MP as he farewells Parliament. At

With special guest : Keith Locke MP. Bar available. Nibbles provided. More information chchgreens or ph 372 1375. Hosted by the Aoraki Greens.

Friday, October 7, 7pm, 4/125 Grafton Rd, Auckland
Come to a meeting & social to discuss, celebrate, & raise funds for the international work of the Communist League. Cuba, Cambodia, Portugal. Socialist workers reach out to political openings. Socialist workers from different countries are preparing to participate in some important upcoming events: • In Lisbon, Portugal: the Assembly of the World Federation of Democratic Youth – organisers of the international anti-imperialist festivals of youth and students – meeting in November. • In Havana, Cuba: the International Book Fair, held each year in February. • In Phnom Penh, Cambodia: the March, 2012 Asia-Pacific regional conference in solidarity with Cuba. Each of these gatherings illustrates the openings that exist today for revolutionary minded workers and youth from different countries to link up their struggles. This kind of international work takes on increasing importance now, as workers and working farmers across the globe begin to resist the offensive against our rights and living standards by the ruling capitalist families. The meeting will hear presentations on these events, followed by a social and supper. It will launch a fund appeal to raise $5,000 for the Communist League to help cover the cost of international travel to participate in these events. Baskaran Appu, Janet Roth, and Annalucia Vermunt will speak. Hosted by the Militant Labour Forum. Suggested donation $5 waged, $2 unwaged – includes supper. By the corner of Grafton Bridge/Grafton Rd. Militant Labour Forums are held each week. Phone 369-1223 or email milauck To browse and buy Pathfinder Press books and the Militant newspaper, the hall is open one hour before the forum. For viewing at other times, call to make an appointment. On the web: Pathfinder Press books and pamphlets: www.pathfinderpress.com ; the Militant: www.themilitant.com

Saturday, October 8, 10am-4pm, St John’s Church, the corner of Willis Street & McDonald Crescent, Wellington
PEOPLE’S EXPO – organised by the W E A . – Come for 10 minutes or stay all day. 10 minutes or stay all day. Keynote address 11:00 a.m. Catherine Delahunty MP: ‘A Better World is Possible’. Live music and an open microphone. Forums and discussions throughout the day on a range of topics Including: becoming an activist, working inside and outside the system. Want to know what other people are doing? Got something to say? Get together with other people interested in a just and more equitable society. Live – Learn – PARTICIPATE – Organize – agitate – educate – Explore – discover – Share. THE WELLINGTON WEA INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR A DAY OF COMMUNITY ACTION & DISCUSSION. Organisations participating to date include: • Unions Wellington; P S A [Community Sector]; M M P Campaign; Peoples Centre; The Futures Trust; Freedom Shop; October 15th Raids Support Group; Tax Justice Campaign; Electoral Enrolment Centre; Residents Coalition; and probably a number of others e.g. Transition Towns Group; a Postal Workers campaign and many more. If your union/organisation wants to exhibit, there are tables still available (no charges) – For more information contact Victoria Quade Phone: 021 023 77 642 email: vntquade The Wellington Workers Educational Association is committed to the advancement, encouragement and provision of continuing and community education of adults that promotes a just and more equitable society which takes account of Te tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Saturday, October 8, 3pm, Cuba Mall stage, Wellington
Marking 10 years of war: Peace Action Wellington invites you to mark the 10th anniversary of the start of the bombing of Afghanistan on Saturday, 8 October at 3pm at the Cuba Mall stage. There will be speakers and Food NOT Bombs, and an open mike for anyone to talk about the issues. The war on the people of Afghanistan is New Zealand’s longest-ever foreign war. It has devastated the Afghan people, ruined the countryside and poisoned the environment. It has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 30,000 Afghan people. It has caused unimaginable suffering and horror. It has done all of these things based on lies and deliberately misleading propaganda. The war and occupation of Afghanistan must end, and the people of Afghanistan must be given our support and solidarity in order to rebuild their lives and their country. Peace Action Wellington calls for the withdraw of all troops from Afghanistan and an end to the counter-productive “war on terrorism”. Please help to spread this event to your friends, family and co-workers. Our facebook group is here: www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-Action-Wellington/170238716372507?sk=wall

Monday, October 10, 5.30pm, Rialto Cinemas, 167 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland
Warm Heart of Africa Screening + Discussion with Mustafa Davis. The Muslim Youth Advisory Council presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up and personal with the well-known photographer and director, Mustafa Davis. Mustafa Davis is a well-known American photographer and film m

aker whose work is primarily based around issues in the Muslim and wider community. The Muslim Youth Advisory Council is proud to host him on his first ever ‘extended’ trip to New Zealand whilst on his South East Asia Tour! The "Warm Heart of Africa" takes you on a journey in Malawi and discusses the blunt and harsh reality of the HIV/AIDs epidemic in one of the worlds’ poorest countries. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Mustafa Davis himself. For more work by Mustafa Davis visit www.mustafadavis.com Ticket Prices: Adult – $15; Student/Child – $10. VERY LIMITED SEATING. To purchase a ticket please email myac.nz@gmail.com with your name and contact details or contact Fatima Ali – 0210309287 or Moshin Khan – 02102736240.

Wednesday, October 12, 6.30pm – 9pm, Room 018, Clock tower Bldg, 22 Princes St, Auckland University
The 2011 New Zealand Election: The Centre for Continuing Education brings you this seminar which will grapple with and address some of the big issues looming in the 2011 election. Speakers include: Lisa Chant: Maori Politics at the Crossroads; Rod Oram: Do or Die: Strategic challenges for the New Zealand economy; Jennifer Lees-Marshment: Playing the Political Marketing Game with principles as well as pragmatism? An assessment of National and Labour against international practice . Fee: $55: Student/ unwaged $35. E-mail: je.davies Web: www.cce.auckland.ac.nz

Thursday, October 13, 7.30pm, Canterbury WEA, 59 Gloucester Street, Christchurch
The annual Lincoln Efford Memorial Lecture: The lignite plans of Solid Energy and why the coal must be kept in the ground – Jeanette Fitzsimons

All welcome! Any queries, please phone WEA, 366 0285; or email: cwea

Saturday, October 15, 3pm, Pomeroys, 202 Kilmore St, Christchurch
‘Books and Beers’ invites you to a reading/social group dedicated to good ideas and good beer! Books & Beers is an informal, open space and anyone interested is welcome to take part. We get together at a pub to discuss a chosen paper, zine or book—from topical themes and radical history, to ideas around organising and other random rants, we hope to gain some knowledge, exchange ideas, and have a few beers while doing it.

This event’s reading will be the short text: ‘Complex Everyday Realities: Women and Class’ (read it here: http://fullmoononwater.blogspot.com/2011/06/complex-everyday-realities-women-and.html?spref=fb . Have a read, then join us in occupying a few couches at Pomeroy’s.

Monday, October 17, 6pm to 7.30 pm, St Peter’s, Corner Willis and Ghuznee Street, Wellington
RESPONSE TO POVERTY IN WELLINGTON: Speakers: Stephanie McIntyre, Downtown Community Ministry; Brian Easton, Economist, Listener Columnist; Chair: Bishop Richard Randerson. More information: www.stpetersonwillis.org.nz

Monday, October 17, 6-8pm, Wellington Central Baptist Church, 46-48 Boulcott St, Wellington.
West Coast Environment Network Inc, Greenpeace NZ, Forest and Bird and Coal Action Network Aotearoa are pleased to invite you to: Say No to Fossil Fools. A panel discussion with groups campaigning against fossil fool extraction. Panellists: • Jeanette Fitzsimons (former Green MP, concerned grandmother) on Southland lignite; • Rod Morris (wildlife photographer) on the biodiversity rich conservation land of the proposed Denniston coal mine; • Mike Smith (Greenpeace NZ) on the threat of deep sea oil drilling happening off the East Coast; • Robyn Harris-Iles (Environmental researcher) on fracking (hydraulic fracturing). All welcome. Free entry; koha appreciated. Each panellist will speak for 15 minutes. There will then be 45 minutes for questions and discussion, followed by time to check out the stalls of groups working on fossil fuel / climate change / climate justice campaigns here in Aotearoa NZ. Tea, coffee, biscuits provided. Join the movement against the destructive expansion of fossil fuel extraction in the lands and waters of Aotearoa New Zealand. Protect our climate / health / conservation land / farmland / seabeds. For more information, please email: coalactionnetwork

Thursday, October 20, 6pm, Academy Cinema, Lorne St, below Auckland City Library.
Strange Birds in Paradise: A must see Documentary. While the Indonesian army continues to dominate the indigenous inhabitants of West Papua, three friends gather in Melbourne to record outlawed folk songs with renowned Australian rock musicologist David Bridie: Donny a recent exile to Australia, Jacob a former child soldier in the West Papuan Resistance Movement and Charlie Hill-Smith an Australian filmmaker who has formed close friendships with Melanesian & Javanese families he met as an exchange student. Afloat in an extraordinary musical tradition from the West Papuan highlands, hearing stories of escape, oppression and exile from Jacob and Donny, listening to the defiant songs of murdered musician and independence hero Arnold Ap, Charlie confronts a basic question: how could these two vibrant cultures be at war and how can the rest of the world seemingly not care? This film is his search for an answer. This is a joint event organised by Amnesty International, the Indonesian Human Rights Committee and the AUT Pacific Media Centre. Join us in the foyer for nibbles & drinks from 6pm onwards, learn more about the Human Rights issues affecting Papua and take action on behalf of Papuan activist Filep Karma, imprisoned in 2004 for raising the Morning Star flag. Tickets are available on event finder $20-00 marnilisa Map: www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/contact Strange Birds in Paradise website http://www.strangebirds.com.au/

Monday, October24, 2pm, Te Papa Museum, Wellington
“BREAD AND ROSES” – NEW VERSION: A new version of Gaylene Preston’s film Bread and Roses about the life of Sonja Davies has been compiled / cut by the National Film Studio. It is exactly the same film, but now made in a durable medium that will last. It will be launched on Monday 24 October – Labour weekend at Te Papa at 2 p.m. It is part of a retrospective of Gaylene’s films and she will be there to talk and discuss these in the theatrette from 1 p.m. onwards. The film itself is still 3 hours long.

Tuesday, October 25, 5.30pm, Lecture theatre 3, Rutherford House, Pipitea campus, Lambton Quay, Wellington.
A seminar: Sex, Lies and Pay Rates – Speakers: Catherine Delahunty – Green MP; Helen Kelly – NZCTU President; Lyndy McIntyre – Communication and Campaigns Advisor SFWU; Nicole Skews – Young Feminists’ Wellington Collective; Paul McKay – Manager Employment Relations Policy Business New Zealand; Susan Guthrie – Co author of “ The Big Kahuna”. Chaired By Christine Brookes – Wellington Improvisation Troupe. Hosted by the Pay Equity Challenge Coalition and the Women’s Studies Association, Wellington. http://payequity.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, October 26, 6.30pm, Maidment Theatre, Alfred Street, The University of Auckland
Bruce Jesson Lecture: Recreating full employment – Professor Paul Dalziel, AERU, Lincoln University. Bruce Jesson’s last book Only Their Purpose is Mad tracked the destructive impacts of what he termed “the open slather approach to economic reform”. Twenty years after the reforms, New Zealand still lives with the legacy of that period in the form of unemployment and poverty. The government’s response is to blame the social welfare system and to propose policy reforms that will take us along the same failed path of the 1990s. Bruce Jesson finished his book by arguing that “the challenge facing New Zealand is to redefine the role of the nation in the modern global economy”. He called for nation-building understood as “creating a cohesive society that can act internationally with some sense of purpose”. This lecture will address Jesson’s challenge. It aims to set out a concrete programme for nation-building built on strategies to recreate full employment. Paul Dalziel has been Professor of Economics at Lincoln University since 2002 and currently works full-time in the AERU research centre. His first research publication was an article on the 1984 Economic Summit Conference that began New Zealand’s decade of economic reforms. Since then he has produced more than 200 research publications on aspects of New Zealand economic and social policy. Paul is part of a multi-disciplinary research team involved in a five-year research programme on education employment linkages in New Zealand. He is President of the Australia and New Zealand Regional Science Association International and a Council member of its parent organisation, RSAI. In 2010, he was a member of the Welfare Justice group that acted as an alternative forum to the government’s Welfare Working Group.

Saturday, November 5, 2pm, QE2 Square, Downtown, Auckland
Auckland rally for justice and peace in Palestine: callout by NZ Palestine Human Rights Campaign. We rally on the first Saturday of every month. QE2 Square
, Customs St and Queen St intersection
 (outside Downtown shopping centre). Come support justice and peace based on: Ending 44 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (including East Jerusalem); Ensuring the right of return for Palestinianrefugees; Sharing Jerusalem; Vacating all settlementcolonies in Israelioccupied Palestine; Dismantling Israel’s annexation/apartheid wallin occupied Palestine.

Monday, November 7, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland
GPJA Forum: Nicky Hagar on New Zealand’s role in the war in Afghanistan. Investigative journalist and researcher Nicky Hagar will speak about New Zealand’s war in Afghanistan following publication of his acclaimed (by all but a few politicians) book "Other People’s Wars" released in early September. In his book he details the real role of our troops and reconstruction teams in this country’s longest running war and the false and misleading information put out by politicians and our defence force officials. THIS FORUM IS NOT TO BE MISSED.

Friday, December 2, Victoria University, Wellington.
New Zealand Labour Law Society Inc (In conjunction with Victoria University of Wellington Law School). Invites you to attend its Inaugural Conference. The New Zealand Labour Law Society Inc will hold its inaugural conference at Victoria University of Wellington on Friday 2nd December 2011. This conference which occurs shortly after the election will focus on two main themes: Labour law across the Tasman and future directions in labour law. Labour Law Across the Tasman: Professor Andrew Stewart (University of Adelaide) will give an address on the current state of labour law in Australia and on the impact of the Australian government’s Fair Work reforms. Professor Richard Johnstone (Griffith University) will speak on Australia’s proposed model OHS law. Future Directions for Labour Law?: The conference date is one week after the 2011 General Election – the ideal opportunity for crystal ball gazing. In addition to keynote speakers and commentators the conference will also feature special sessions looking at future directions in selected areas of the law. These (depending on interest and papers received) are likely to include: Legal Challenges in Advancing Pay Equity, Good Faith Bargaining, Workplace Health and Safety, Employment Security, whether New Zealand should adopt a comprehensive National Employment Standards on the Australian Model. Enrol online now at the Early Bird rate of $200 -Places will be limited. Online enrolment is now open at www.victoria.ac.nz/law/about/events/2011/labour-law-conf.aspx
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Glen Innes is lovely, it’s just a shame it was built for working families from neighbouring Mount Wellington.” Transformation Programme interim board chair, Lee Mathias—who also happens to be Sam Lotu-Iiga’s National Party electorate chair
"As nightfall does not come all at once," he wrote, "neither does oppression. In both instances there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." US Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

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WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

It Can Always Get Worse … http://economicsofimperialism.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-can-always-get-worse.html

Imperialism in our age – There are 65,000 MNCs, with 860,000 affiliates. Only 200 transnational mega corporations, 96% of which are headquartered in eight rich countries, have a combined volume of sales that is higher than the GDP of all the countries in the globe except the nine largest http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article23006

A double-dip recession may be the least of our worries http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/opinion/a-double-dip-recession-may-be-the-least-of-our-worries/11775/

The End of Poverty? Must Watch – Documentary – Martin Sheen, narrates , a feature-length documentary which explains how today’s financial crisis is a direct consequence of these unchallenged policies that have lasted centuries. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29256.htm

Roseanne Barr: Behead Bankers, Rich Who Won’t Give Up Wealth http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/10/01/roseanne_barr_behead_bankers_rich_who_wont_give_up_wealth.html

LAND, LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Trade unions must join the fight against climate change http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=5409

Carbon Trading: UK forestry company forces 20,000 Ugandans off their land http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/world/africa/in-scramble-for-land-oxfam-says-ugandans-were-pushed-out.html

Just Transition, Elections, And The Rights Of Mother Earth: Video clips from the question period following Ian Anguss Keynote talk at the Climate Change Social Change conference in Melbourne, Australia, October 1, 2011. http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=5433

Derek Wall: ‘Ecosocialism is a pragmatic, effective response to the crisis on our planet’ http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=5373

BAHRAIN

Outcry as Bahrain jails medical staff who aided activists: TWENTY Bahraini doctors and nurses who treated activists wounded during anti-government protests have been jailed for between five and 15 years in sentences denounced by medical bodies and human rights groups worldwide.

http://bit.ly/qKzOlV

BRAZIL

Strike Wave Sweeps Brazil: No Sector Unaffected; A New Union Movement On the March http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article23019

CANADA

Ottawa Tar-Sands Protest: Reports and Impression http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/549.php

Missing Aboriginal Women – Canada’s Secret Shame http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/03/canadas-secret-shame/

CHINA

The Opium War by Julia Lovell – review: Julia Lovell gives a mythbusting account of a shameful episode in British-Chinese relations http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/02/opium-war-julia-lovell-review/print

The Deadly Labor Behind Our Phones, Laptops and Consumer Gadgets http://sacom.hk/archives/888

CUBA

A Tireless Defender of Gay Rights http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/diaz011011.html

EGYPT

Egyptians gather to ‘reclaim revolution’: Thousands protest in Tahrir Square over slow pace of reform since Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201193011120832677.html

INDIA

Arundhati Roy : The Dead Begin to Speak Up in India: Kashmir is one of two war zones in India from which no news must come. But those in unmarked graves will not be silenced http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2011/sep/30/kashmir-india-unmarked-graves

IRAQ

Inside the World’s Largest Embassy: The World’s Biggest Embassy (104 acres, 22 buildings, thousands of staff members, a $116 million vehicle inventory), physically larger than the Vatican, was a sign of our commitment, at least our commitment to excess. "Along with the Great Wall of China," said the ambassador http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/baghdad-peter-van-buren-we-meant-well

LIBYA

Rights group calls on NATO supported Libyan rebels to stop prisoner abuse: Human Rights Watch called on Libya’s new rulers to stop armed groups from rounding up suspected Moammar Gadhafi supporters and abusing them, saying Friday that some detainees reporting beatings and electric shocks had the scars to prove it. http://bo.st/nM9RJo

Tensions rise as Tripoli residents urge rebel fighters out http://bit.ly/pDf4XJ

Libyans flee as NATO supported rebels attack city of Sirte: Aid agencies said this week that a humanitarian disaster loomed in Sirte amid rising casualties and shrinking supplies of water, electricity and food. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011930124025478468.html

PACIFIC

PT Freeport Mine Managers Turn Rabid on Indonesian Grasberg Strikers http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4672-PT-Freeport-Mine-Managers-Turn-Rabid-on-Indonesian-Grasberg-Strikers

Linguistic imperialism in the Pacific http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/09/language-lessons.html http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/09/liahona-attitude.html

PORTUGAL

100,000 rally against austerity in Portugal – in pictures: Enormous anti-austerity rallies shake crisis-stricken Portugal, with organizers estimating an attendance of at least 130,000 in Lisbon and 50,000 in Porto. http://roarmag.org/2011/10/100000-rally-against-austerity-in-portugal-in-pictures/

SYRIA

Assad will be toppled by the people – Syria is the centre of the Arab intifada against the imperial order http://www.antiimperialista.org/hadidi_assad_toppled_people

Dissidents in Syria reject foreign intervention: Kilo: "The opposition within the national council are in favour of foreign intervention to resolve the crisis in Syria, while those at home are not," Kilo claimed in remarks to AFP at his home in Damascus. http://www.france24.com/en/20110929-dissidents-syria-reject-foreign-intervention-kilo

USA

Turning up the heat on Wall Street – Danny Lucia reports from New York City on the latest stage of the Occupy Wall Street movement after the mass arrest of protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/03/heat-on-wall-street

Obama: A disaster for civil liberties http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turley-civil-liberties-20110929,0,7542436.story

Assassinated on Obama’s orders http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/03/assassinated-on-obamas-orders

A Terrifying Precedent – Anwar al-Awlaki’s Extrajudicial Murder By Michael Ratner – The law on the use of lethal force by executive order is specific. This assassination broke it – that creates a terrifying precedent. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29275.htm

The new sparks of labor resistance: There’s a new surge of labor struggles in the U.S.–and what unites them is the activism and solidarity on display, despite a hostile media and aggressive employers. http://socialistworker.org/2011/09/28/sparks-of-labor-resistance

Nearly 12,000 Prisoners Join California Hunger Strike To End Torture Conditions http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29295.htm

VENEZUELA

OLDER ANNOUNCEMENTS

PLEASE SIGN ONLINE PETITION AGAINST TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

This was originally going to close on July 4th, but it’s built up momentum, so it seemed a shame to stop it now. More and more of the disastrous implications of the TPPA are making themselves obvious. The new cutoff date (which won’t be extended again) is November 1st. So please sign it now (if you haven’t already done so). And if you’ve got a hard copy of it, please post it to New Zealand Not For Sale Campaign, Box 2258, Christchurch 8140. We urge you to circulate and publicise the petition, online and hard copy, through your organisations and networks. Murray Horton, Convenor, New Zealand Not For Sale Campaign, Box 2258, Christchurch 8140. nznot4sale www.nznotforsale.org

Petition: We the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of New Zealand call upon the Government of New Zealand. • to cease negotiations on the Transpacific Partnership agreement; and • to not sign this agreement; and • to cease work on any other in-progress or proposed international trade and investment treaties containing clauses which limit or abrogate New Zealand’s sovereign and democratic right to make and enforce laws and regulations and provide services which differ from those of other states or transnational organisations. Sign the petition

NOMINATIONS CALLED FOR ROGER AWARD
Nominations are now open for the 2011 Roger Award for the Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand. All details are on the nomination form, which is online at our Website. Here are the links to it, in both Word and PDF. http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/2011Nomination.doc http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/2011Nomination.pdf
You can use it to send us your nomination/s, either electronically, or print it it, fill it in and post it to us at the below postal address. And please distribute it far and wide. Murray Horton, Secretary/Organiser, CAFCA, Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa. cafca Please Join CAFCA’s Facebook Group & Follow Our Blog & On Twitter http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117427631610589&ref=ts http://www.watchblogaotearoa.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/#!/NZN4S

ME RONGO 2011 PEACE CONGRESS INFORMATION, REGISTRATION AND INVITATION 7 TO 21 NOVEMBER 2011, REKOHU (CHATHAM ISLANDS)
This message is to let you know that information about the Me Rongo 2011 Peace Congress – ‘Peace, Sustainability and Respect for the Sacred’ – the registration form and draft programme are now available. Below is the welcome message from the Congress hosts, an outline of the purpose and vision of the Congress, and an invitation for peace to groups to present workshops at it. The document with more information, the registration details, draft programme and contact details for the organisers, is available as a pdf file at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/merongo01.pdf and as a Word document at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/merongo01.doc This message is available online at http://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement-aotearoa/me-rongo-2011-peace-congress-information-registration-and-invitation/195449993835711