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Ideas to resist the empire

BY MARGARITA WINDISCH MELBOURNE — One hundred and twenty socialists attended the Socialist Alliance's Victorian state conference, held on November 15 around the theme "Resisting the Empire". Renowned Marxist historian Humphrey McQueen opened

MEXICO/UNITED STATES: NAFTA at 10

BY DAVID BACON SAN FRANCISCO — There is a free-trade agreement that gives an idea of what Latin America can expect from the US President George Bush's Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In a few weeks, the North American Free Trade Agreement

Broad-scale land clearing continues in Qld

BY ROBYN MARSHALL BRISBANE — On November 13, Louise Matthiesson of the Wilderness Society addressed a public meeting in New Farm to highlight the lack of action by Premier Peter Beattie's Labor government on stopping land clearing. In May, the

The greatest terrorist state of all time

REVIEW BY SIMON BUTLER Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War IIBy William BlumZed Books 2003469 pages, $33.95 (pb) What is the link between an elderly peasant in Vietnam debilitated by exposure to chemical weapons, a

Loose cannons

Aussie battler "I believe I am entitled to be paid for my labour irrespective of how much of the company I own." — Frank Lowy, who last year was paid $13.39 million as executive chairman of Westfield Holdings and who also heads the company's

Skilled Engineering refuse work to Patrick staff

BY SHANE BENTLEY SYDNEY — On November 17, the notorious anti-union labour-hire company Skilled Engineering refused to hire Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) maintenance staff employed at Patrick Stevedores terminals at Port Botany, Sydney and

Meeting hears harrowing tales of mistreatment of refugees

BY KERRYN WILLIAMS CANBERRA — "More 'babies overboard' and outright lies" was how refugee advocate Marion Le described immigration minister Amanda Vanstone's response to the recent arrival on Melville Island of a group of Kurdish refugees. Le

Frida: an injustice to Kahlo, art and Trotsky

REVIEW BY LOUIS PROYECT FridaDirected by Julie TaymorWritten by Clancy Sigal, Diane Lake and Gregory NavaWith Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas and Edward NortonBuena Vista DVD Frida is a really stupid

On the box

Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. Includes the 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ news. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Sunday, 9pm. Phone (02) 9564 1277. Visit

SCOTLAND: 'Bush' thrown out of parliament

BY NORM DIXON There was uproar in the Scottish Parliament on November 20 when "George Bush", who was in the public gallery, jumped up and shouted: "God bless my fellow war criminals in the Scottish Parliament. God bless my fellow mass murderers. If

DET workers strike against job cuts

BY MARCUS PABIAN MELBOURNE — Following a three-month campaign to resist job cuts, workers employed in the state Department of Education and Training (DET), frustrated by intransigence of Premier Steve Bracks' Labor government, went on strike on

UNITED STATES: 30,000 protest against FTAA

MIAMI — The November 20 protests against the US-sponsored, neoliberal Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) climaxed with a large and peaceful march of more than 30,000 people opposed to corporate globalisation. However, riot police violently