#201, September 21, 2007

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER #201, September 21, 2007

Website http://www.gpja.org.nz/ Contact details: Forums – John Minto, Work: (09) 845 2132, Home 09 846 3173 jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor – Mike Treen 0295254744 / 09 845 4027 mike@unite.org.nz; Web page - media@ndu.org.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, P O Box 7175, Welesley St, Auckland. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter visit http://www.gpja.org/ or click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.

Dear friends,

PUT POKIES UNDER THE HAMMER - CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL – OCT 1 MEETING - This proposal is being presented by Global Peace and Justice Auckland as part of our Parasites on Poverty Campaign which aims to stop loan sharks and pokies from their parasitical practices in New Zealand communities (mainly low income communities). Please read through the proposal outlined below and come to the meeting to discuss it. The meeting is being held at – Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Monday 1st October, 7.30pm. Please forward this proposal and meeting invitation around your networks.
BACKGROUND
- Pokie machines are eating the heart out of our communities.
- 88% of people referred to problem gambling organisations have pokies as their addiction. (Compare this to the 0.6% who are addicted to either lotto, scratchies and keno combined)
- 47% of pokie venues are in the poorest one third of our communities. This is also where 56% of Maori and 72% Pacific peoples live.
- Put another way, in our high incomes communities there is one pokie machine for every 465 people but in our lowest income communities there is one machine for every 75 people. Let’s not kid ourselves who these machines are designed to suck money from.
- An estimated 50,000 New Zealanders now suffer from severe problem gambling. (For example in a small Maori community in an isolated rural area, twice a week the locals get into cars to drive 150km to the nearest pokie machines to feed their addictions)
- People gamble on pokies through a mixture of desperation and hope.
- There are 20,302 pokie machines in New Zealand – up from 14,000 when Labour led the government from 1999. (Numbers peaked in 2003 and have been dropping very slowly since)
- More than one billion dollars is lost from New Zealand communities each year from pokies.
- Some of the proceeds of gambling fund community groups but communities lose $3 for every $1 given in community grants.
- The proceeds don’t even end up in the fleeced community. (For example one trust owning pokie machines in a South Auckland hotel sends the proceeds to a pony club in a wealthy Auckland suburb).
- Governments have been impervious to the views of the community. Despite the people of Hamilton being overwhelmingly opposed to a casino licence being issued in their city it was deemed through a government body to be in the “national interest” that they have one.
- Global Peace and Justice Auckland has asked the government to require all local authorities to hold referenda on pokies alongside the local body elections later this year. The government has declined.
PROPOSAL
That the Parasites on Poverty campaign website set up an on-line register for people to register their hammers for acts of civil disobedience. When there are a minimum 200 hammers registered an evening meeting will be called in a local Auckland community, a pokie venue will be visited, the machines disconnected and removed to the footpath where the hammers will be put to work.
OBJECTIVES
- To sharpen public debate about the destructive effects of pokies.
- To reduce the number of machines operating.
- To embarrass local authorities and government into action to close down on pokies.
- To begin a shift of democratic power back to local communities
INVITATION
Anyone interested in the health of our local communities is invited to attend the meeting. Please think about this proposal and extend the invitation to individuals and networks to which you belong.
We look forward to seeing you on the 1st of October. Regards, John Minto, for the POP Campaign
Ph 8463173 (H), jbminto@xtra.co.nz

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE STATE OF OUR WORLD
The Centre for Continuing Education at The University of Auckland, in association with the United Nations Association of New Zealand, brings you three lectures looking at the state of the world. You may choose to attend individual lectures or register for the series. The fee is $27 per lecture or $67.50 for the series. $18 per lecture or $45 for the series is available to students and unwaged. There will be an opportunity at the end of each lecture for questions and discussion. To register contact:
Continuing Education, phone 09 373 7599 ext 87831/87832, or email conted@auckland.ac.nz
Website: www.cce.auckland.ac.nz
THE STATE OF THE PLANET, WEDNESDAY 3 OCTOBER, 7-9PM
Klaus Bosselmann, Dr Iur F.U.Berlin, David Kettle, ME, PhD. In the last 50 years ecosystems have changed more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely due to the growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on earth. This lecture will look at the concept of sustainable development (with specific reference to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report 2005) and will discuss actions to conserve resources and use them sustainably. New Zealand’s commitment to the environment and sustainable development will be discussed, using results from the 2007 OECD Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand. The lecture will conclude by discussing the concept of Earth Governance and will present an ethical and legal framework for a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
Klaus Bosselmann is a Professor of Law at The University of Auckland and Director of the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law
David Kettle is an engineer and over the past eight years he has focused on sustainable water and waste solutions
THE STATE OF OUR PEOPLE, WEDNESDAY 10 OCTOBER, 7-9PM
Susan St John, PhD, Barry Coates, Masters in Public and Private Management (Yale). This lecture will give an overview of poverty and the Millennium Development Goals established for reducing it. The broader measures of poverty (beyond income), which include issues of natural resources, environment and culture, will be discussed as will the policies, roles and interventions of governments, Non Governmental Organisations, official aid programmes and international campaigns. Causal drivers (why are people poor?) and the relationship of poverty to conflict, unsustainability and human rights will be addressed, along with the undermining of the welfare state, and the widening gap in wealth and income distribution. The enigma of child poverty in New Zealand and poverty in our neighbourhood (Melanesia) will be examined and discussed.
Susan St John is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at The University of Auckland
Barry Coates is Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand
THE STATE OF PEACE, WEDNESDAY 17 OCTOBER, 7-9PM
Treasa Dunworth, LLB (Hons), LLM (Harvard). Terence O'Brien, BA. How can the world sustain a state of peace and co-operation? Can this be achieved collectively or by hegemony? This lecture will look at the pros and cons of various methods for attempting to reach a state of sustained peace and co-operation, and will discuss what we can expect from America and the rising powers of India and China. The traditional dichotomy between unilateral and multilateral approaches to peace and co-operation is blurring in the light of what has been termed "unilateralism in multilateral disguise". This lecture will also identify, and critique that trend.
Treasa Dunworth is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at The University of Auckland
Terence O’Brien is a former New Zealand diplomat and UN ambassador

VOICES - A Filipino Muslim Woman On The US “War On Terror” And Its Impact On Her People.
TOURING NZ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007 - Amirah Ali Lidasan is the National Vice-Chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro Party List Organisation, which aims to get representation in Congress for the Philippines’ several million Muslims (known as Moros and heavily concentrated in the southernmost islands). Amirah is a young progressive Muslim woman, with a history of senior leadership in the student movement in Manila, and is a leader in groups such as the Moro Christian People’s Alliance. She has an international profile. In March 2007 she was part of a Philippine human rights delegation which toured North America and Europe, drawing international attention to the human rights crisis at home.
ITINERARY
TUESDAY OCTOBER 23 – DUNEDIN.
Public Meeting 7.30 p.m, Gazebo Lounge, top floor University Union Building, access off Cumberland St opposite Otago Museum. Contact: Greg Hughson, ph (03) 4798497; 027 2121048; e-mail: greg.hughson@otago.ac.nz
WEDNESDAY 24 – CHRISTCHURCH.
Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m. Knox Presbyterian Church, 28 Bealey Avenue. Contact: Murray Horton, ph/fax (03) 3663988 (day/night); 0274 307742; e-mail: cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
THURSDAY 25 – BLENHEIM.
Public Meeting: to be advised. Contact Steffan Browning, ph 021 725655; greeny25@xtra.co.nz
FRIDAY 26 – WELLINGTON.
Public Meeting, 5 p.m. St Johns in the City, Willis Street. Contact: Mary Ellen O’Connor, (04) 9707147; 0274 810770; oconstance@gmail.com
MONDAY 29 – PALMERSTON NORTH.
Public Meeting, 7 p.m. 1st Floor, PSA House, 43 King Street (opposite rear entrance of Farmers).
Contact: Dion Martin, ph (06) 3569658 (w); fax (06) 3591333 (w); 021 776029; e-mail: dion.martin@ndu.org.nz
TUESDAY 30 & WEDNESDAY 31 – AUCKLAND.
Public Meeting: Tuesday night, Trades Hall. Contact: Helen Te Hira, ph (09) 3039018; 021 0554969; e-mail: helent@nzctu.org.nz
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1 – WHANGAREI.
Public Meeting: to be advised. Contact: Tim Howard, ph (09) 4346633 (h); (09) 4307464 (w); e-mail: the-farm@ihug.co.nz
We thank the many organisations and individuals whose generosity has made this tour possible. Our budget is $5,000 and money is still needed. Please make cheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch, with a note saying that it is for the Lidasan Tour.

DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL AUCKLAND
http://www.skycitycinemas.co.nz/?Control=FilmFestival2&festivalid=8#cont...

PEACE MOVEMENT AOTEAROA
"On this International Day, let us promise to make peace not just a priority, but a passion. Let us pledge to do more, wherever we are in whatever way we can, to make every day a day of peace." - from the UN Secretary General's message for the International Day of Peace 2007, the full message is at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11135.doc.htm Below is information about the International Day of Peace and the linked International Day of Prayer for Peace, and listings of related events from 20 to 26 September in Rodney District, Auckland, Whanganui, Kapiti Coast, Hutt Valley, Wellington, Christchurch, Wanaka and Dunedin. This message is available online at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/idp07.htm - any other events received before 21 September will be added to that page; if you would like your event included there, please send the details to pma@xtra.co.nz with the subject line 'For Intl Day of Peace page'.

LOCAL PEACE GRANTS 2007
The Religious Society of Friends - Te Hahi Tuhauwiri - Quaker Peace & Service Aotearoa-New Zealand. The next closing date for Local Peace Grant applications is 30 October 2007 (allow four weeks for notification of decision).
· Applications are invited for grants up to $500 to assist with non-violent local peace work anywhere within Aotearoa-New Zealand;
· Applicants need not be Quakers;
· Preference is given to work which is innovative in content or starting up. It could be a one-off occasion (constructing a mobile peace stall; printing / advertising; inter-faith peace conference; peace / green fair; non-violence training day) or for a longer project (eg. restorative justice; a new organisation);
· Grants are decided twice a year.
Application form from / enquiries to: Local Peace Grants, QPSANZ, Friends (Quaker) Meeting House, 72 Cresswell Avenue, Christchurch 8061 or email qpsanz@quaker.org.nz Or download the form from the Quaker Peace & Service web page at http://www.quaker.org.nz/groups/qpsanz

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE THE ROGER AWARD
Nominations are now open for this most prestigious and keenly contested annual Award (won by Progressive Enterprises in 2006; the previous winners are: Westpac/BNZ, Telecom, Juken Nissho, Carter Holt Harvey, TransAlta Monsanto and TranzRail – 3 times). Nominations close on October 31.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0706/S00327.htm

INVITATION TO JOIN THE NEXT AUSTRALIAN SOLIDARITY BRIGADE TO VENEZUELA
November 23 - December 3, 2007 - The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s brigades to Venezuela are a unique opportunity to see first-hand the unfolding revolution in that country. The Venezuelan people, led by George Bush’s arch-enemy, President Hugo Chavez, have taken over more workplaces, set up more cooperatives, established hundreds of free public education and health programs, organised their neighbourhoods and taken big steps towards exercising “popular power” at every level of their society. Participants on the November-December 2007 brigade will meet with a wide range of community organisations involved in transforming Venezuelan society, visit occupied factories and educational institutions, see participatory democracy at work in the communal councils and people’s banks, and speak to government and grassroots organisations about the radical changes being implemented by the Venezuelan people. This brigade will include a special focus on justice for Indigenous people, and will include visits to Indigenous communities and meetings with Indigenous activists and leaders. Accommodation, transport and English translation in Venezuela will be organised for participants, and the AVSN can help you book your travel to and from Australia. The total cost, including return international airfares, is around A$4500. The deadline for registering for the November-December 2007 brigade is August 31. If you are interested in being part of this inspiring and educational experience, please complete the registration form at www.venezuelasolidarity.org, email brigades@venezuelasolidarity.org

VISIT CUBA THIS SUMMER
Cuba consistently makes the news: whether it is it’s health care system (see Salud or Sicko), its response to its oil crisis, its environmental programmes, or by remaining a political opponent of US imperialism for forty years. It is also the home of salsa and its music is world renowned.
Registrations are open for the 25th Southern Cross Brigade to Cuba. Members of the Brigade, which is made up of Australians and New Zealanders, spend approximately four weeks in Cuba, leaving 27th December and returning 24th January. The all up cost is $5500, including airfare, spending money and all accommodation and meals. Members of the Brigade often stay longer in Cuba as private travelers or move onto other countries in the region. For further enquiries and registration e- mail Ina at inashina@clear.net.nz or Paul at wkcultur@ihug.co.nz (03 732 4010).

International Solidarity Forum Oct 11-14 - Agenda
LATIN AMERICA AND ASIA PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FORUM - OCT 11-14, 2007 "Fighting and organising globally against neo-liberalism" Trades Hall & RMIT Storey Hall. Melbourne, Australia. Trade unionists, social movement activists, academics, students, progressive political parties and all interested members of the community are invited to participate in the Latin American & Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum. The four-day forum aims to strengthen international coordination and solidarity with those fighting neoliberalism. More than 30 representatives from progressive organisations and campaigns in 22 countries will address the forum. (see list below)
Forum Agenda
THURSDAY, October 11 Victorian Trades Hall
9.00-10.00am Registration
10.30-12.30pm Plenary - Resisting war and neoliberalism
12.30-1.30pm Lunch
1.30-3.15pm Multiple Workshops
3.30-5.15pm Multiple Workshops
5.30-7.30pm Major Session- Che Guevara 40 years on: the influence of his example and ideas today
plus two concurrent workshops
FRIDAY, October 12 Victorian Trades Hall
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.15am Multiple Workshops
11am-1.00pm Major Sessions
1. The global influence of the Zapatistas
2. Confronting the new colonialism in the Pacific
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-3.45pm Plenary Workers' struggle, global fight
4.00-5.45pm Multiple Workshops
6.00-9.00pm Public meeting - Rebellion and liberation in Latin America
SATURDAY, October 13 RMIT Storey hall, RMIT
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.00am Plenary - Indigenous struggles and resistance
11.00-1.00pm Plenary - Movements of resistance in the Asia Pacific
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-4.00pm Plenary - The Venezuelan revolution and its global impact
4.30-6.30pm Multiple Workshops at Victorian Trades Hall
7pm til late Solidarity Fiesta @ Brunswick Town Hall
SUNDAY, October 14 - Victoria Trades Hall
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.00am Plenary - Strategies for ecological and human survival
11.15-1.00pm Major session - Alternatives to neoliberalism
plus two concurrent workshops
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-3.45pm Multiple Workshops
4.00-5.30pm Plenary - Building links, strengthening international solidarity
Register early and help fund the forum. You can register and pay online using PAYPAL (a secure third-party payment site). PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE. http://solidarityforum2007.org/?q=node/8 Or you can Download a registration form and send the completed form with your payment attached to LAAPISF, PO Box 813, North Melbourne 3051. Make cheques/money orders payable to Latin America & Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum.
http://solidarityforum2007.org/files/LAAPISF%20registration%20and%20work...
Or you can deposit registration fees directly into the forum bank account. Please then email info@solidarityforum.org to confirm and identify the payment. Bendigo Bank; BSB: 633000 Account number: 130716889
Submit a workshop proposal
Conference organisers are inviting all interested groups and individuals to submit workshop proposals. All submissions must be recieved by September 24th. You can submit your proposal online
DOWN LOAD THE LEAFLET http://venezuelasolidarity.org/?q=/files/images/LAAPISF_Leaflet_FINAL2.p...
Visit the October Forum website http://solidarityforum2007.org/
Further Information: Email solidarityforum2007@yahoo.com
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
Aotearoa/New Zealand
* Sina Brown Davis, Maori/Pasifikan activist
* Vaughan Gunson, Socialist Worker NZ
* Phillip Ferguson, NZ Workers Party
Bangladesh
* Abul Hossain, President, United Labour Federation
Bolivia
* Eduardo Yssa, National Coalition for the Defence of Water, Basic Services, the Environment and Life of Bolivia
Canada
* Roger Annis, Canada Haiti Action Network
* John Riddell, Socialist Voice
* Suzanne Weiss, Venezuela We are With You
Chile
* Ismael Duran, musician and grassroots community activist
* Payo Grondona, musician and cultural activist
* A representative of Xeg-Xeg Development and Communication Mapuche Coalition, Temuko-Chile
Colombia
* Liliany Obando, National Federation of Agricultural Farming Unions (Fensuagro)
Cuba
Nélida Hernández Carmona & Ifrahim Miranda León, Cuban Consul-General & Consul in Australia
El Salvador
* Sigfrido Reyes Morales, Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) Member of Parliament and Political Commission member
Eucador
* Efren Calapucha, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE)
India
* N Vasudevan, Trade Union Solidarity Committee, Mumbai
Indonesia
* Dita Sari, President, People's Democratic Party
* Agus Priyono, Chairperson, National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)
Malaysia
* Irene Xavier, Coordinator, Transnational Information Exchange-Asia Malaysia
Mexico
* Estela Morales, Radio new generation and The Other Campaign, a Zapatista initiative
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
* John Chitoa, Coordinator, Bismarck Ramu Group (Madang)
* Rosa Koian, Coordinator, Village Information Centre, Madang
Philippines
* Ric Reyes, Laban ng Masa
* Crispin Beltran, Anakpawis
South Korea
* Reverend Jang Chang Weon, Osan Laborers and Migrants Shelter, Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links Korea
Timor Leste
* Avelino Coelho, General Secretary, Socialist Party of Timor
* Tomas Freitas, Luta Hamutuk ("Struggle Together")
* Mericio "Akara" Juvenal, Luta Hamutuk
* Jose Teixeira, Fretilin, Member of Parliament
Venezuela
* Vladimir Villegas, Vice-Minister for Asia, Middle East and Oceania, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
* Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez: Washington's War on Venezuela
* Sandino Carrizales, youth and environmental movements activist
* Dr Carolus Wimmer, International secretary, Communist Party of Venezuela
* Nelson Davila, Venezuela's Charge d'Affairs in Australia
Vietnam
* Tran Quoc Khanh, Vietnam's Deputy Consul General in Australia
* Vietnam General Confederation of Labour delegation
* Tran Dac Loi, the secretary general of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation
West Papua
Anak Jehudi, Patron, West Papuan Students Association, Port Moresby, PNG

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Sunday, September 23, 3pm, St. Matthew-in-the-City, crn. Hobson and Wellesley Streets
United Nations International Day of Peace –Celebrates the declaration of Auckland Peace City and the 20th Anniversary of Nuclear Free New Zealand legislation. Also, SGI Exhibition launch for ‘Creating a Culture of Peace: The Right to Human Security’. The event includes Interfaith Choirs, music and youth readings, plus Mayor Dick Hubbard and local MPs. Event organised by UNANZ, Ak. Interfaith Council and Soka Gakkai International. More info. contact Laurie Ross on 811 8696 laurie-ross@xtra.co.nz

24th Sept. – 5th Oct. – Exhibition ‘Creating a Culture of Peace: The Right to Human Security’ produced by Soka Gakkai International as part of the United Nations Decade for Peace. Available for public viewing at AUT Library foyer in Wellesley Street.

Monday, September 24, 7-9pm, Auckland Central Methodist Mission, 370 Queen Street, opposite
the Town Hall.
FORUM FOR AUCKLAND CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATES: The Auckland Green Party is proud to host a "Forum for Auckland City Mayoral Candidates". The Mayoral Forum provides candidates, including Dick Hubbard and John Banks, the chance to express their policy positions during both prepared speeches and answered audience questions. Candidates will address questions based around the Green Party's four principles of ecological wisdom, social responsibility, appropriate
decision-making, and non-violence. The questions will touch on distinctively local issues including
public transport, housing affordability, regional governance, and public safety. People with a passion for a Greener future for Auckland City are encouraged to attend.

Tuesday, September 25, Aotea Chapel, 370 Queen St, Auckland Centreal
RAJ PATEL, AUTHOR OF ''STUFFED AND STARVED - MARKETS, POWER AND THE HIDDEN BATTLE FOR THE WORLD FOOD SYSTEM'', will be visiting New Zealand September
20-26. He will be giving public talks and leading activist workshops in Christchurch (Friday 21 / Saturday 22), Wellington (Monday 24) and Auckland (Tuesday 25/Wednesday 26). Raj's visit is a unique opportunity to hear and to work with an intellectual and activist from the frontline of the struggle against unjust, unsustainable globalisation. If you are able to publicise Raj's visit to your networks/members please get in touch, and we will send a poster and full programme. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Christine Dann for Fair World Links. (Raj's visit is organised by Fair World Links and supported by Christian World Service, THE Council for International Development, the Development Resource Centre, Nature's Organics, Oxfam, Trade Aid, and World Vision. So far - if
you/your organisation would like to make a donation towards the tour then cheques (made out to Fair World Links) can be posted to P.O. Box 46, Diamond Harbour 8941, or money can be deposited in Kiwibank account Fair World Links 389002 0983080 00 50) Contact: Christine Dann christine.dann@clear.net.nz

Wednesday, September 26, 11.30am-1.30pm, Unite Union, Level 12, 300 Queen St
WORKSHOP WITH RAJ PATEL (See above). Hot drinks provided; please bring your lunch.

Wednesday, September 26, 12-2pm, AUT Student Quad
Special lunchtime event to mark the annual U.N. International Day of Peace. Speakers, music, information stalls. More info. contact Laurie 811 8696

Thursday, September 27, 6pm, NDU Office, 20 Church St, Onehunga
MEETING TO DISCUSS A LIVING WAGE/ANTI-POVERTY COALITION/CAMPAIGN:

Thursday, September 27, 5-6.30pm, WS116/7, Science and Technology Building, AUT, 24 St Paul Forum on Maori TV current affairs: Native Affairs - behind the scenes with a challenging new programme. Native Affairs presenter Julian Wilcox. Pacific Media Centre/Creative Industries Research Institute.. Thursday, September 27, 5-6.30pm. Followed by drinks.

Saturday, October 6, 7.30pm, the Crypt, St Benedicts Church, 1 St Benedicts Church, Newton: entrance on Alex Evans St - (signposted on the night)
THE TEKEE TOKEE TOMAK TOUR - clarinettist Ros Dunlop and composer Martin Wesley-Smith
a program of multimedia pieces about West Papua, East Timor etc. Admission: Koha (funds raised above costs go to IHRC) Organised by Indonesia Human Rights Committee – contact: maire@clear.net.nz

Wednesday, October 10, 6.30pm, B28 (under University Library), Alfred St
U.S. PEAK OIL EXPERT RICHARD HEINBERG is visiting Auckland, discussing life after oil
Richard Heinberg is one of the world's foremost Peak Oil (oil depletion) educators and has earned his reputation lecturing, writing several well-known books, and appearing in popular films. The Green Party and Engineers for Social Responsibility are happy to host Richard Heinberg in Auckland and warmly invite you to come to his talk. Co-hosted by the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and Engineers for Social Responsibility. Richard Heinberg is one of the world's foremost Peak Oil (oil depletion) educators and is a Research Fellow of Post Carbon Institute. He is the author of eight books including The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies (2003), Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World (2004), and The Oil Depletion Protocol (2006). He is a journalist, educator, editor, lecturer, and a Core Faculty member of New College of California where he teaches a program on “Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community”. Since 2002, he has given over three hundred lectures on Peak Oil to a wide variety of audiences—from insurance executives to peace activists, from local and national elected officials to Jesuit volunteers. Richard Heinberg appears prominently in the film The End of Suburbia (2003), which has been widely screened in NZ, as well as more recent documentaries such as 11th Hour (produced and narrated by Leonardo diCaprio, 2007); and Oil, Smoke & Mirrors (2006). For Auckland contact details please contact Kim Mazur Ph. (09)-302-0166 greenmps.auckland@greens.org.nz

Friday, October 12, 6pm, WS116/7, Science and Technology Building, AUT University, 24 St Paul St
PACIFIC MEDIA CENTRE launch by Associate Minister for Pacific Affairs, Hon. Luamanuvao Winnie Laban. This coincides with the Pacific Islands Media Association (PIMA) annual conference. Pacific Media Centre/CIRI

Tuesday, October 30, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
VOICES - A Filipino Muslim Woman On The US “War On Terror” And Its Impact On Her People.
Amirah Ali Lidasan is the National Vice-Chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro Party List Organisation, which aims to get representation in Congress for the Philippines’ several million Muslims (known as Moros and heavily concentrated in the southernmost islands). Amirah is a young progressive Muslim woman, with a history of senior leadership in the student movement in Manila, and is a leader in groups such as the Moro Christian People’s Alliance. She has an international profile. In March 2007 she was part of a Philippine human rights delegation which toured North America and Europe, drawing international attention to the human rights crisis at home.
Contact: Helen Te Hira, ph (09) 3039018; 021 0554969; e-mail: helent@nzctu.org.nz

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND
Protests haunt Clark and the USNZ Forum - Our World Is Not For Sale Protests against the USNZ Partnership Forum began early this morning and will continue throughout the day as peace activists, trade unionists and social justice campaigners converge on Auckland.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0709/S00141.htm
Gordon Campbell: Zaoui – The Final Chapter?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0709/S00242.htm
Lawyer: Herald In Fantasyland On Zaoui Info Claim
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0709/S00245.htm
Scoop Video: Ahmed Zaoui & Legal Team Face Media - Video of the media conference held
by Ahmed Zaoui and his legal team shortly after the SIS director announced he had withdrawn a security risk certificate that had accused Mr Zaoui of being a risk to New Zealand's national security.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0709/S00231.htm
NZ indigenous rights stance 'shameful' - Maori Party
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4202223a10.html
Unite abolishes youth rates at McDonalds
http://www.epmu.org.nz/SITE_Default/news/union_news/2007_09_19_McDonalds...
Protestors demand "Free Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi - The ongoing solidarity fast in support of Irom
Chanu Sharmila's struggle to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has broadened its agenda congruent with the declarations of past New Delhi (2005) and Lahore (2006) Peaceful South Asia Conventions ...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0709/S00382.htm
NZ in 'Coalition of Willing' vs Indigenous Rights - PartyThe Government’s decision to continue its collusion with Australia, Canada and America in defiance of the United Nations, and vote against the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, will be viewed with dismay by
tangata whenua ...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0709/S00256.htm
Association of University Staff - University’s employment woes attract international attention Recent employment woes at the University of Auckland have attracted international attention, with the English newspaper, the Guardian, reporting three recent high-profile departures from ...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0709/S00039.htm

REVIEW
Ken Loach interviewed about his new film, It's a Free World
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=12975
New Randall Robinson Book Reveals Truth on Aristide Kidnapping
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&...
Who Said Marx Wasn't Green? by William Bowles
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/bowles100907.html

WORLD
Economic Crisis: The U.S. Political Leadership Has Failed: As the 2007 economic collapse picks up speed, it's time to take a hard look at the performance of the U.S. national political leadership in meeting some of their most fundamental responsibilities. It's time to face the fact of serious failure over the last quarter century.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6750
The Coming U.S. Hard Landing By Nouriel Roubin - The utterly ugly employment figures for August (a fall in jobs for the first time in four years, downward revisions to previous months' data, a fall in the labor participation rate, and an even weaker employment picture based on the household survey compared to the establishments survey) confirm what few of us have been predicting since the beginning of 2007: the U.S. is headed towards a hard landing.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18368.htm
A Catalogue Of Crimes Against Trade Unionists - an appalling total of 144 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers¹ rights in 2006, while more than 800 suffered beatings or torture, according to the Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, published by the 168-million member International ...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0709/S00441.htm

ENVIRONMENT
'Too Late To Avoid Global Warming' - The latest study from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put the inevitability of drastic global warming in the starkest terms yet, stating that major impacts on parts of the world – in particular Africa, Asian river deltas, low-lying islands and the Arctic – are unavoidable and the focus must be on adapting life to survive the most devastating changes
http://www.countercurrents.org/milmo190907.htm

AUSTRALIA
Photo Essay: "Peace!" Sydneysiders Walk The Talk
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0709/S00158.htm
Workers badly done by as managers strip rights
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/managers-strip-worker-rights/2007...
AFP Expansion: Don’t Mention the Riots
http://www.newmatilda.com/home/articledetailmagazine.asp?ArticleID=2462&...
Colonial Ideology And Aboriginal Australians - As the majority of Aboriginal Australians and experts proposed, the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill is a racially and ideologically motivated take-over of Aboriginal land and should be vigorously opposed by all concerned Australians
http://www.countercurrents.org/hassan020907.htm

BURMA
Myanmar labour activists get 20 years
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=71555
Burmese Monks Demonstration In Rangoon [Images] Terry Evans - Monks across Burma demonstrated as they commenced a boycott of Burmese generals and their families. Tens of thousands
of onlookers applauded the protesting monks as they marched. Witnesses said the marching monks were disciplined.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0709/S00455.htm

PHILIPPINES
Communist leader Sison walks free
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?a...

VENEZUELA
Workers to Join Chávez’s PSUV
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/887/1/
Washington Promotes 'Independent' Media in Venezuela
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/896/1/
An Engaged Political Culture in Venezuela
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2594
Venezuela's Chavez says US aggression would meet with Vietnam-style guerrilla wars
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/09/america/LA-GEN-Venezuela-US.ph...

BOLIVIA
Bolivia needs our solidarity
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/09/bolivia-needs-our-solidarity.h...
Voices In Defense Of Bolivia
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2626

ECUADOR
Correa outlines "Socialism of the 21st Century"
http://ecuador-rising.blogspot.com/2007/09/correa-outlines-socialism-of-...

CUBA
Justice long overdue for widow in Cuba - Mary McCarthy, 107, has waited half a century for her money from a Boston bank. It's time she got it
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=2452f...
SPECIAL REPORT: First world results on a third world budget - According to Michael Moore's latest film Sicko, Cuba's medical care puts America's to shame. Rory Carroll investigates
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cuba/story/0,,2167200,00.html
Cuba: Restoration Drama
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661038,00.html
MILLS' RETURN - By Ricardo Alarcón, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba, Lecture delivered at the Workshop “Dialogos Políticos”,
http://www.walterlippmann.com/alarcon-09-07-2007-english.html
Cuba: Gender, Sexuality, and Women Rappers
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/872/43/

COLUMBIA
Colombian Elites Fear Chavez's Growing Influence
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/904/1/
Chiquita pays for paramilitary ties: A US-based banana company has been fined $25m for paying millions of dollars to Colombian paramilitary groups between 1997 and 2004.
http://snipurl.com/1qvsu
Colombia Outraged Over Chiquita Fine: Colombia's interior minister slammed a U.S. judge's approval of a $25 million fine for Chiquita Brands International Inc., saying Tuesday the company was able to "purchase impunity" for its payments to a drug-funded militia responsible for killing thousands of Colombians.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/20845192/for/cnbc/

CHILE
Chileans take to streets in anger at regime
http://www.bolivariancircle.org/?q=node/317

GUATEMALA
Back to the Future in the Guatemalan Elections - The September 9 election to replace Guatemalan President Oscar Berger featured more body bags than tangible ideas to improve the country. Now facing a runoff election, voters are left with the tired choice between a military strongman and an oligarch.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18386.htm

NICARAGUA
Daniel Ortega’s first 100 days: a time of contradictions
http://www.bolivariancircle.org/?q=node/313

IRAQ WAR
Checkbook Imperialism - The Blackwater Fiasco By Robert Scheer - Please, please, I tell myself, leave Orwell out of it. Find some other, fresher way to explain why "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is dependent upon killer mercenaries. Or why the "democratically elected government" of "liberated" Iraq does not explicitly have the legal power to expel Blackwater USA from its land or hold any of the 50,000 private contractor troops that the U.S. government has brought to Iraq accountable for their deadly actions.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18420.htm
Meet Gen. David Petraeus: His Militia Strategy Plunged Iraq Into a Civil War, And Now He’s Back for More
http://www.indypendent.org/2007/09/10/meet-gen-david-petraeus-his-militi...
What They’re Saying in Anbar Province
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/opinion/16langer.html
A Deafening Silence On Report Of One Million Iraqis Killed By Patrick Martin
http://www.countercurrents.org/martin170907.htm
It is the death of history - A special investigation by Robert Fisk: the near total destruction of Iraq's historic past – the very cradle of human civilisation – has emerged as one of the most shameful symbols of our disastrous occupation.
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2970762.ece

USA
RESISTANCE IN THE RANKS - Three antiwar soldiers--two veterans and one active-duty--sat down for a roundtable discussion about the occupation of Iraq and the antiwar struggle inside the U.S. military.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2007-2/644/644_06_Resistance.shtml
US home foreclosures soar 36 percent in August: survey: Home foreclosures in the United States surged 36 percent in August from the prior month and more than doubled from a year ago, a leading foreclosure data firm said Tuesday.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gQl8aUMHEtStO2_q8ZUy-ArN826w
Prepare for prolonged turmoil, says US Treasury Secretary: Investors should brace themselves for a prolonged period of market turmoil, Henry Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, said yesterday as he held emergency meetings with the Chancellor and the French Finance Minister.
http://snipurl.com/1qvt4

UK
Fears grow for British economy as panic over Northern Rock spreads
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2169906,00.html
Run on UK bank continues: Northern Rock 'shredded' as savers withdraw £9,600 a second: THE future for troubled bank Northern Rock was looking increasingly desperate last night after it emerged that customers had withdrawn more than £2 billion in savings since Friday.
http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1485112007
Iraq And The Stink from Britain's Parliament - Christopher King urges the British people to call to account their representatives who unleashed war on Iraq and "failed not only our interests but also those of the Iraqis they claimed to be helping by acting.... from corrupt motives, with recklessness, bad judgement and incompetence".
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18399.htm

SOMALIA
World looks elsewhere as Somalia misery grows: The bleeding in Somalia goes on, with thousands dead, more than 300,000 displaced and the survivors of the conflict threatened with rape, starvation and disease.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/257642

PALESTINE
How War Was Turned Into a Brand By Naomi Klein - Political chaos means Israel is booming like it's 1999 - and the boom is in defence exports field-tested on Palestinians.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18400.htm