Food and revolution
I'm in such a tis! Here I am addressing the keyboard with my latest homily when I have other more pressing things to do. When your mind is elsewhere it is so difficult to be profound.
But when you live in the fast
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An eye-opening new book describes the nearly complete failure of all our attempts to regulate the behaviour of the chemical corporations. Toxic Deception, by Dan Fagin and Marianne Lavelle, is subtitled "How the Chemical
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Liverpool dockers Congratulations on the excellent article by James Vassilopoulos on the Liverpool dockers' strike. Last month, Mairi and I were in Britain and we attended a most inspiring meeting in Liverpool of about 50 women of all ages
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ATO staff to meet Community and Public Sector Union members employed by the Australian Taxation Office will hold stop-work meetings August 20-22 to consider industrial action against management's plans for compulsory redundancies. Fifty workers
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Crime By Brandon Astor Jones and Jenny Thomas "What is the answer to crime? Giving more power to the state will do nothing to eliminate crime. Crime is a function of a sick society: change society and crime will rapidly disappear."
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When John Howard finally announced on August 13 that he would be campaigning for a goods and services tax at the next election, it was anything but a surprise. The Coalition government and big business have been campaigning for a
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The myth of 'reverse discrimination' The NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal is currently hearing a case brought by Brett Halliwell against the owners of the (now closed) lesbian nightclub Sirens. Halliwell claims that he was refused entry to
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On June 18, the National Party Senate leader, Ron Boswell, rose in parliament to expose Pauline Hanson's links with some of the most extreme far-right and racist elements on the Australian political spectrum — the
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Boycott Reflex copy paperAmcor Ltd (Australian Paper) is the largest domestic user of woodchips in Australia. Its signature brands, Reflex and Copyright, consist of virgin eucalypt fibres. The overwhelming majority of this
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Rising breast cancer rates in Hawaii may be partially attributable to intensive pesticide use, according to a recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives. Breast cancer rates have increased for all racial groups in Hawaii since 1970, but only
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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. Access News — Melbourne
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Most people will have read the recent reports of how Microsoft chairperson Bill Gates has had his personal net worth soar over US$40 billion. He certainly knows how to make money. Consider that he made this money in the 22 years or so since Microsoft
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MELBOURNE — In April, several thousand people attended a public event here to support the East Timorese asylum seekers. Following an excellent rock concert in the Treasury Gardens and an enthusiastic march through the city, a
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Negotiations are under way over an agreement to cover staff employed in the federal government's new Commonwealth services delivery agency (CSDA), Centrelink. Centrelink, to be launched in September, will replace the Department
News
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CANBERRA — Activists from the Education Action Group (EAG) at the Australian National University are currently collecting the 800 signatures needed to allow a referendum on affiliation to the National Union of Students (NUS).
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Correction In our previous issue, an article on a University of Tasmania rally against exam changes reported that a motion by Resistance members calling on the SRC to organise a boycott of exams was "unsuccessful". In fact, the motion was
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MELBOURNE — Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology council chambers were occupied by angry students on August 12 when the council, which is dominated by representatives of big business, voted narrowly in
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Public meeting on WikADELAIDE — Around 300 people attended a public meeting organised by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) on August 11 entitled
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MELBOURNE — Students at Monash University reclaimed part of the Clayton campus as "corporate-free space" on July 24 in protest against up-front fees and the increasing privatisation of universities. Students
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Action against uranium mining at JabilukaBRISBANE — A week of action August 18-22 has been organised by a collective of environmental organisations opposed to the Energy Resources Australia uranium mine planned for
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Strong support for native titleWOLLONGONG — A 50-strong meeting of the Illawarra Residents for Native Title decided on August 13 to organise local actions in support of the national day of action on native title on
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Monash VC raises stakesMELBOURNE — On August 7 the vice-chancellor of Monash University declared that management was withdrawing from enterprise bargaining. Its initial offer included several clauses that would seriously
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Resistance activists discuss fight against racismBRISBANE — Thirty people came to the Resistance Centre on August 9 to hear Resistance national coordinator Sean Healy talk about strategies for fighting racism and the far
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'Fight Racism!' conferenceSYDNEY — The "Fight Racism!" conference in Sydney on September 27-28 will be an opportunity for young people and anti-racism activists to discuss the history of racism, the nature of racism today and
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Protest against One Nation planned in DarwinDARWIN — A coalition of political and community groups is organising a peaceful rally to be held adjacent to a One Nation party recruiting meeting in Nightcliff on August
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SYDNEY — In a major public address at the University of New South Wales on August 14, Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Jose Ramos Horta spoke out strongly on a number of critical issues of human rights in Australia and
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Government allows US ballistic missile testing The Australian government has agreed to cooperate with the US government in "Project Dundee" — ground to air Terrier missile tests off the coast of Western Australia. "These tests could threaten
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This is a change? "Pauline doesn't know what's going on around her any more." — George Merritt, chair of the SA Pauline Hanson Support Movement, who appears to have lost out in a power struggle among Hanson's lieutenants. Where did they
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Regular readers of 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly will be aware of our extensive coverage of developments in the struggle for democracy in the Asia Pacific region. From its beginning six years ago, 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ has placed particular importance on this region,
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Vigilante gang formed in IpswichBRISBANE — Police have received two firearm-related complaints and at least four complaints of harassment from young people against a local vigilante group known as White Knights. One
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In a submission to the government's West review into higher education, the Industry Commission has argued that radical "market-based" reform and more competition are the logical next steps after the deregulation of the 1980s.
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BLACKWATER Striking Curragh coal miners remain defiant despite attempts by the company, ARCO, to break their picket line and intimidate workers. The strike has entered its 15th week, as ARCO steps up its pressure on the miners to
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Debate in WA union strugglePERTH — Unions are discussing the "workers' embassy" established next to Parliament House in late April after more than 30,000 people demonstrated against the WA government's "third wave" of
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Roxstop: leave it in the ground It is more than 10 years since the first blockade at the Roxby Downs uranium mine in South Australia. The demand of those protesters was — "Leave it in the ground". A decade later, mining company WMC is planning
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Newcastle students organiseNEWCASTLE — Student activists have organised two important actions in the last few weeks. Around 1000 people came along to "The Big Noise" — a political concert and festival — on August
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Anti-racist public meetingMELBOURNE —"Stand strong against racism: Building the movement against Howard and Hanson" was the theme of a public meeting organised by Campaign Against Racism (CAR) on August 13. Speakers
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SYDNEY — The current military crackdown by Indonesian armed forces in East Timor has resulted in scores of East Timorese being killed and hundreds more being arrested and tortured. It is a direct
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Vanstone blames the victimsEducation minister Amanda Vanstone recently launched a campaign to blame the universities and schools under pressure from funding cuts for the adverse effects of privatisation begun under Labor
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On August 13, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) recommended to the Hunter Valley miners to continue negotiations and not resume their strike, following a recommendation by Justice Alan Boulton of
World
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"It is more a rebellion than a strike. The walkout by 185,000 drivers, loaders and sorters of the United Parcel Service is best seen as the angry, fist-waving response of the frustrated American worker, a revolt against the
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20 hurt in Brazil land clash @9point intro = Twenty members of Brazil's homeless movement were wounded by bullets on August 8 when 530 shock troops of Brasilia's militarised police moved to evict more than 16,000 squatters living in tents in an
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Brazilian environmentalists oppose hunting lawThe Brazilian environment organisation Ecopantanal is asking for help to oppose a new hunting law in the state of Mato Grosso. The law creates private hunting parks and permits
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MOSCOW — Why should Yeltsin want to bury Lenin? Rhetoric aside, this question has a quite literal meaning. For more than 70 years, the body of the first Soviet leader has lain embalmed and on public display in a mausoleum
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Promises not kept By A.V. Krebs "White House Subdued on NAFTA's Impact" (Washington Post), "U.S. Report to Congress Nafta Benefits Are Modest" (New York Times), "NAFTA deemed a moderate success" (USA Today), "Nafta Is Good for U.S., White
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In the 1970s, the British left was faced with the re-emergence of fascism on a significant scale — in the form of the National Front and a deepening of the racist offensive against black and immigrant workers by the state. This
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The Center for Voting and Democracy, an organisation in the United States that focuses on voter participation and fair representation, has released a report on elections to the House of Representatives titled "Monopoly Politics".
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JERUSALEM — Head towards the Gaza coast, past the smiling billboards of Yasser Arafat, and you will soon find what would once have been considered a joke — Gaza's tourist area. Here you can sip fruit cocktails and watch the
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The Full MontyDirected by Peter CattaneoWith Robert Carlyle and Mark AddyScreening at the Melbourne International Film Festival Review by Vannessa Hearman The Full Monty is a film about the human impact of privatisation and welfare cuts in the
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Against neo-liberalismMADRID — More than 1500 people from across Europe and around the world, including eight Zapatista members and members of the Basque liberation movement, attended the Second International Meeting
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HAVANA — At the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students from July 28 to August 5, 12,335 delegates representing 2000 organisations from 132 nations gathered to discuss their experiences in struggle against
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Greenpeace condemns incinerator plans for LebanonGreenpeace's Mediterranean office has condemned plans to build a waste incinerator in southern Lebanon. Lebanese officials have confirmed a that an unidentified German company
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Right-wing bomb in Cuba A small device exploded on August 4 in the lobby of the Melia-Cohiba Hotel in Havana, causing no injuries and only slight damage. It was the fourth explosion since April in a Havana hotel and the second in the
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Review by Ben Courtice
Culture
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SYDNEY — On August 29 a benefit night for Cuba will be held at the North Bondi RSL Club, Ramsgate Avenue in North Bondi at 8pm. Cuba is suffering greatly under the US economic embargo imposed in the early 1960s. Various members of performing
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MELBOURNE — The Centre for Contemporary Photography's (CCP) exhibition of documentary portraits traces the pain and dispossession of many groups in the world today. It is on display until August 23 and will tour Victoria
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BogartBy A.M. Sperber and Eric LaxWeidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997. 676 pp., $39.95 (hb) Review by Phil Shannon Humphrey Bogart's movie portrayal of the tough guy with the soft centre, the cynic who is capable of idealism, has made him one of the
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Class in AustraliaBy Craig McGregorPenguin, 1997. 327 pp., $24.95 (pb) Review by Jonathan Strauss "What I did that was new was to demonstrate: 1) that the existence of classes is merely linked to particular historical phases in the development
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Libertarias give-away Libertarias, tells a story of a group of women republicans and anarchists during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. The film explores the experiences of these Milcianas, fighting in the front lines against the Franco
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Anti-racists ROAR!CANBERRA — Local bands Smeg, Buttnugget, Tinnitus, Punchinello, Poinaz Dare, All Ords, Goons Hired Goons, Reign of Terror, Apathy, Alpha Team 1 and No Strings Attached will all be appearing at a mega
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For a guy who lived by the slogan —"nothing is true, everything is permitted" — William S. Burroughs managed a long innings. The icon of hipster cynicism died on August 3 at the age of 83. With his death passed the last of the