Efforts over a decade to stabilise the Earth's rising temperature are on the verge of collapse, Worldwatch Institute researchers announced in a special issue of World Watch magazine in October. Negotiations over the details of
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As Green Left Weekly goes to press, the US and Britain look set to finish the complete destruction of Iraq and its people, begun in the Gulf War and continued through eight long years of sanctions, which have killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
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Dita Sari: 'I am so optimistic'Dita Sari, Indonesia's only woman political prisoner, was arrested while leading a 20,000-strong workers' demonstration in the industrial city of Surabaya on July 8, 1996. She was tried in 1997 for
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Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 10pm and Saturday, 7pm. Ph 9565 5522. Access News —
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Indigenous rights and the NT constitution DARWIN — Following the October 3 defeat of the referendum on statehood for the Northern Territory, public discussion has now resumed on a new constitution for the NT. COL FRIEL presents some of the issues
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After announcing that he will be a more humane, "caring-sharing" kind of prime minister, John Howard suggested to his big business mates that they follow his lead. Speaking to a room full of corporate heads recently, he urged them to dig a bit deeper
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...God forbid!' By Brandon Astor Jones "The woods were made for he hunters of dreams,The brooks for the fishers of song;To the hunters who hunt for the gunless gameThe streams and the woods belong." — From The Bloodless Sportsman, by Sam
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Dee Margetts on Howard's second term In the last federal election, the Greens' WA senator, DEE MARGETTS, lost the final Senate spot in WA to the Australian Democrats. For the first time in over a decade, WA will not have a Green in the Senate.
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Australian big business has a new worry, according to a feature article in the October 27 Bulletin. It's the "class action" lawsuit. A class action suit is one in which all the people deemed injured by some action jointly sue the
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Figures released in November by the NSW Department of Corrective Services reveal that the number of Aboriginal people imprisoned in the state has increased dramatically during the last 10 years. Aboriginal prisoners were 8.5% of
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Human Rights Commission inquiry into death An Aboriginal death in Alice Springs in March has attracted the attention of the Human Rights Commission. It is the first coronial investigation into a case of this kind in which the HRC has sought to
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School uniforms So the Queensland Teachers Union is trying to enforce school uniforms even after the Ombudsman has ruled such actions are illegal. As a child who, luckily, never had to wear a uniform to primary school, but who was forced to wear
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Speakers representing indigenous people throughout Australia and across the globe will be featured at the Global Survival and Indigenous Rights Conference, to be hosted by Friends of the Earth (FoE) on November 20-22 in Maribyrnong, Melbourne. The
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Special appeal Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) has received an urgent appeal for money to buy medicines, vitamins and other needs for the students under attack in Jakarta. Money can be sent: by international
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Eric Wicker defended WOLLONGONG — Supporters of Eric Wicker, the Port Kembla unionist charged with extortion, gathered outside the Wollongong courthouse on November 9 to support Wicker in his struggle for justice. The case was postponed
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Playing by the rules Now there's something you don't read about every day. — What's that? A shootin', tootin', bang up war. — A war? Yep. This time with Iraq. — But we had a war with Iraq last time, didn't we? Sure did. This
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and ain't I a woman?: The myth of motherhood As part of the backlash against women living their lives beyond the home and family responsibilities, stories about the inadequacy of public child-care and the importance of care by the mother have
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This week in history November 24, 1787: Birth of Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in New York. Born into a slave family, she was sold to a variety of "owners" during her childhood. She was freed in 1828 under the New
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Indonesians demand: Army out!At least 15 dead — including five university students and one high school activist — and more than 300 seriously injured: that was the cost of the stage-managed meeting of the Indonesian regime's
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Organisations that participated in the demonstrations Organisations that participated in the demonstrations Forum Kota (FORKOT — City Forum) — A cross-campus activist coalition established in May. It was one of the two student coalitions that
News
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I have a longstanding argument with one of my brothers about the incidence of workplace injury. He counters my emphasis on the outrageous statistics of workplace deaths with the notion that if it was really as bad as I claim,
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CFMEU organiser jailed PERTH — On November 4, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union state assistant secretary Joe McDonald was arrested for trespass at Woodside Petroleum's project in North Fremantle. McDonald was refused entry to the
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The $64 question for anyone who seriously wants to change society is: how? Is it possible to work within the present system, and out of it create something more just and democratic through peaceful, bit-by-bit reforms? Or is the
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BRISBANE — Resistance high school members initiated Resistance clubs on two schools, Brisbane State High and Coorparoo State High, on November 5. Called RAGE (Resistance AGitate Educate), the Resistance clubs are the result of
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Centrelink workers prepare for industrial campaignBRISBANE — Community and Public Sector Union members around the country will hold stop-work meetings on November 19 to discuss industrial and community action in response to
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Pub promotes racist, sexist performerBRISBANE — On November 6, the show at the Wickham Hotel, promoted as Brisbane's "premier gay dance venue", was disrupted by a protest against sexism and racism. Holding placards which read
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There are gangs operating widely in western Sydney. They carry guns, drive expensive cars, communicate with each other by radio, are recognisable by their distinct clothing and make their presence fully felt on the streets. They
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Protesters picket Liberal galaSYDNEY — Approximately 40 protesters picketed a Liberal Party gala on November 14 to protest against the Liberals and the Jabiluka uranium mine. The gala, held at Fox Studio, was to celebrate the
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HOBART — About 200 people attended a November 14 rally outside parliament to protest against the presence of the US nuclear aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, visiting Hobart on its way back from the Persian Gulf. The rally was
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Dili massacre commemorated November 12 was the seventh anniversary of the massacre by Indonesian troops of 270 East Timorese at the Santa Cruz cemetery. The unarmed East Timorese were attending the funeral of a student who had died during an
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New BHP steel agreementWOLLONGONG — A small proportion of the 5000 workers at BHP's Port Kembla steelworks met on November 6 and endorsed a new three-year steel agreement. The agreement "reflects a commitment by the company,
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Queensland native title law passedBRISBANE — The state Labor government's native title legislation was passed by the Queensland parliament on November 11, granting most of the mining and pastoral industries' demands. The law
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Campaign against arms fairADELAIDE — Resistance and the Anti-Adtech Alliance held a joint campaigning stall and information display in Rundle Mall on November 7. The stall was to build the rally against the Adtech Arms Fair, held
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Over the past four weeks, we have been trying to establish a club at Brighton High in Adelaide. This has been more of a challenge than we had expected. Teachers and staff have been doing their absolute best to close down our
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Hunger strikers protest war in Kurdistan By Kerryn Williamsand Arty Titiz MELBOURNE — On November 9, Kurdish women here began a hunger strike on the steps of Parliament House to protest against the war on the Kurdish people by the Turkish
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Jabiluka campaign debates perspectives and plans national day of actionDiscussion around a controversial set of new perspectives proposed for the anti-Jabiluka mine campaign by the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) is
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Why I joined ResistanceUnlike a lot of people who think they can't make a difference, I knew with a little effort I could. Before joining Resistance, I was incredibly lethargic and did nothing. I wouldn't even go to school. My
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WOLLONGONG — Over the last month, Resistance has noticed an increase in the number of young people being asked to "move along" in the Crown Street Mall by uniformed and undercover police. Last week, the mall security guard was
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Workers, activists endorse steelworker candidate By Stephen O'Brien and Alison Dellit NEWCASTLE — The Democratic Socialists have received support from a wide range of sources in the Newcastle by-election. Green Left asked some of those who
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Anyone who is on unemployment benefits at the moment, and particularly any young person, would know that just to stay on Newstart is fast becoming a full-time job. (Which is just as well, really, because there aren't any others out
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On November 5, the NSW Board of Studies announced that a new course on the history of East Timor would be offered for future higher school certificate candidates, a recognition of the widespread public support for the Timorese. The
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Activists discuss the future of unionsMELBOURNE — The re-election of the Howard government threatens to bring in a new period of extensive attacks on workers' rights and trade unions. Seventy people attended a seminar, organised by
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NATIONAL — Resistance branches across the country held launches of the new Resistance magazine on the weekend of November 14. Stay tuned for more news next week. SYDNEY — On November 6, the Sydney Resistance branch set an exciting path for
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No hurry "I think the [Liberal] Party has to develop perhaps a little bit more of a social conscience in this term of office." — Tasmanian Liberal Senator John Watson. He's relaxed "If you tell people enough that they are working too hard, in
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MUA-Fluor Daniel deal criticised By Susan Priceand Ben Reid MELBOURNE — News of the agreement between the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and contractor Fluor Daniel has caused uproar among unionists. The agreement, which entails substantial
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SA public sector pay disputeADELAIDE — Industrial action is to disrupt the state public sector over the next few weeks because of workers' dissatisfaction with the state government's enterprise bargaining pay offer. Clerical
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By Susan Priceand Ben Reid MELBOURNE — The sincerity of the intentions of the state Liberal government's royal commission into the Longford gas disaster is being questioned. The fire at the Longford plant in September left much of Victoria
Analysis
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Cancel the debts! In the aftermath of catastrophic destruction by hurricane Mitch, foreign governments have now pledged some US$200 million in assistance to Nicaragua and Honduras, the countries worst hit. This sum, while considerably more than the
World
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Despite Beijing's repressive rule, pockets of small protests persist across China. In recent years, the number of such protests have risen sharply in reaction to mass sackings, rampant corruption by Chinese Communist Party officials
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On November 9, activists who failed in their recent attempts to have the newly formed Chinese Democracy Party (CDP) registered, defied the authorities and launched CDP branches in Beijing and the nearby city of Tianjin. In response,
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Turkey invades Kurdistan again Turkey's latest invasion of Kurdish-populated northern Iraq has taken place, ignored by the world's press. About 25,000 Turkish troops, supported by planes and helicopters, crossed the border on November 6. Turkish
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Zimbabwe cops kill strikerOn November 11, Zimbabwe riot police fired tear gas canisters at 25,000 striking workers and unemployed youth in the small town of Mutare, about 270 kilometres east of the capital, Harare. At least one
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Kurdistan Workers Party leader arrested Abdullah Ocalan, the general secretary of the left-wing pro-independence Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was seized by Italian police as he left a plane at Rome airport on November 12. Ocalan had been forced
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East Timor remains tense following November 12, the seventh anniversary of the Dili massacre, in which more than 270 East Timorese were killed by Indonesian soldiers at Santa Cruz cemetery. The anniversary was marked by gatherings of
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Korean workers march against bosses On November 8, about 20,000 South Korean workers marched around the Seoul headquarters of the Federation of Korean Industries to demand the jailing of the bosses of big businesses, whom they accuse of bringing
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MOSCOW — Russians, like other northern Europeans, tend to be tall if properly fed. "If" is of course the important word here: throughout most of Russia's history, the nutrition of the bulk of the population has been abominable.
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Kanaky: independence postponedOn December 8, residents of the French Overseas Territory of New Caledonia voted 71.86% in favour of a referendum proposal to shift more decision-making powers from Paris to the territory. The
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Canadian PM in hot water over APEC '97As the APEC leaders prepare to meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 15-18, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is still battling calls for his resignation following the
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[Ahmad Qatamesh was the longest serving administrative detainee (imprisoned without charge or trial for five years) and was released by the Israeli government early this year. He is a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation
Culture
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Review by Phil Shannon Rebecca West: A LifeBy Victoria GlendinningPhoenix, 1998288 pp., $19.95 (pb) Cicely Fairfield was not one to blindly accept the wisdom of her elders. Despite her father's view that the women campaigning for the vote in 1906
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East Timor: lest we forget Remembrance DayBy Graham PittsSidetrack Studio Theatre, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville, SydneyTuesday to Saturday, 8pmUntil November 28Tickets $12/$9 concessionPhone 9560 1255 for bookings
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Two Nations: The Causes and Effects of the Rise of the One Nation Party in AustraliaBookman, 1998. $14.95 Review by Suriyakumaran and Michael Cooke For most of the year we have been saturated with news of the rise and rise of One Nation. Our
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Jam packed with funny poems 0 Funny Little PoemsBy Denis KevansLorikeet Publications, 199863 Valley Rd, Wentworth Falls 2782Phone (02) 4757 3119 Review by Alex Bainbridge This book is exactly what it claims to be — jam packed with funny little
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Sex, money and God — for breakfast Sex, money and God — for breakfast By Arun Pradhan MELBOURNE — How would you like sex, money and God first thing on Friday mornings? This is the question being posed by Radio Resistance, which is