#254: BRUCE JESSON LECTURE MON, OCT 6, 6.30PM

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER #254, September 30, 2008

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 mike@unite.org.nz; Web page - media@ndu.org.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, P O Box 7175, Wellesley St, Auckland. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter visit http://www.gpja.org.nz/ or click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRUCE JESSON LECTURE MON, OCT 6, 6.30PM, MAIDMENT THEATRE, AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY
The Political Studies Department of the Faculty of Arts University of Auckland and The Bruce Jesson Foundation
Invite you and your friends to the 2008 Bruce Jesson Lecture to be held on MONDAY 6th October 6.30pm
Maidment Theatre University of Auckland The bar will be open from 5.30pm.
Speaker: Mike Lee – “Strangers in the 21st Century”. Mike Lee, will survey the New Zealand political landscape in
the light of Bruce Jesson's political legacy. New Zealanders have left behind the secure landmarks of the 20th century
and are now into unknown territory. Have New Zealanders lost their way? Is a lack of national direction and awareness part of our social/political malaise? Mike Lee will discuss these issues and the question of NZ nationhood
and examine again the case for constitutional change for New Zealand. A collection for donations to the Bruce Jesson Trust will be taken at the lecture

ACT NOW TO SUPPORT THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
On 13 September 2007, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration provides minimum standards of protection for the rights and well-being of indigenous peoples around the world. Its adoption by the General Assembly was described by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as "a triumph for justice and human dignity" [1], and by the General Assembly President as a "major step forward towards the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all" [2] .
The NZ government was one of only four UN member states to vote against the Declaration last year, and is now one of only three that continue to oppose it - extraordinary behaviour by a government that describes itself as "a firm and principled defender of human rights" [3], and is currently portraying itself as a "credible and committed" candidate for election to the UN Human Rights Council [4] .
This action alert, published to mark the first anniversary of the UN Declaration's adoption, has four main sections: 1) background information on the Declaration; 2) comment on the government's position on the Declaration; 3) what you can do to support the Declaration - with suggestions for collective and individual action, including details of an online register of organisations that support the Declaration, and a petition to parliament; and 4) where you can get more information. It is available online at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/decl0908.htm with a formatted printable version at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/decl0908.pdf

NZ COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE LAUNCHED
10th Anniversary of unjust detention by the US: Parliamentarians, Lawyers, academics, politicians, trade unionists and other ordinary New Zealanders have today launched a NZ committee for the release of the 5 Cuban patriots unjustly held in US prisons for trying to prevent terrorism against their country and its people.
The so-called crime of the 5 was to gather information about terrorist groups that operate on US soil and carry out attacks in Cuba. The actions of the 5 helped prevent terrorist actions and protected innocent civilians. It is a travesty of justice for them to remain in jail for so long.
On 4 June 2008 the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, upheld the convictions of the 5; Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González. This led to protests in the US and around the world.
On 2 September 2008, the full panel of the Atlanta Court of Appeals denied the defence request for a full-panel hearing to reconsider the Court's 4 June 2008 decision in the case of the Cuban Five. The 4 June decision upheld the guilty verdicts of the 5, reaffirmed the sentences of Gerardo (two life sentences plus 15 years) and René (15 years), and ordered Judge Joan Lenard in Miami to initiate a process leading to new sentences for Ramón, Antonio and Fernando. The lawyers for the Five have until 1 December 2008 to ask the United States Supreme Court to consider an appeal of the case.
The Cuban Five were engaged in a peaceful mission to stop Miami-based organisations from continuing to carry out terrorist attacks against Cuba. Following their arrest they were held for 17 months in brutal conditions of solitary confinement and near-total isolation to hinder the preparation of their defence.
At their trial there was not a single page of classified information produced showing espionage or any action directed against the U.S. government. Without any proof, frame-up charges of conspiracy were used to convict the five. They were tried and convicted in an atmosphere of hype and hysteria in Miami, Florida.
These men have been held in jail now for ten years. Continuation of their imprisonment is an absolute injustice. 10 years is too long. We urge the United States government to Free the Cuban Five now!
INCLUDED AMONG THE 80 INITIATORS ARE
Hon Jim Anderton, Leader of the Progressive Party, Minister
Dr David V Williams, Professor of Law, University of Auckland
Sue Bradford, Green Party MP
Dr Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law, University of Auckland
Gerald O'Brien, Former Member of the Parliament of New Zealand
Hon Matt Robson , Deputy Leader of the Progressive Party ,Associate-Foreign Affairs Minister 1999-2002.
Peter Cranney, Lawyer, Wellington
Helen Kelly, President NZCTU
Hon Laila Harre, National Secretary, National Distribution Union, Auckland.
(Former NZ Cabinet Minister)
Robert Reid, President, National Distribution Union, Wellington
Cr Paul Bruce, Greater Wellington Regional Councillor, Wellington.
Des Brough, Peace Council Aotearoa
Dr Carol Worthington
Ken Douglas, ONZ, Councillor, former President of NZCTU
THE FULL LIST OF THE COMMITTEE INITIATORS CAN BE SEEN HERE
http://otherpages.googlepages.com/initiatingmembersandsupportersofthe
THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE PETITION IS HERE
http://www.gopetition.com/online/21820.html

CON CUBA HOY- KIWI ARTS COMMUNITY GOES ONE STEP FURTHER
"Playwrights, poets, film makers and musicians have rallied to a request from their Cuban colleagues to call on the US to lift the economic blockade and in doing so have gone one step further and initiated a petition calling on the New Zealand Government to take decisive action to aid the Cuban people in the face of the devastation wrought by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
The petition coordinator, film director and playwright Paul Maunder, has called others in the Kiwi cultural community to "assert their solidarity as a national grouping" and request the Prime Minister to grant immediate aid to Cuba and intensify its efforts to have the US blockade of the country lifted.
The recent hurricanes have left Cuba devastated and it will take billions of dollars for Cuba to recover. A recovery Paul notes "that is made hugely more expensive and problematic because of the hypocritical US economic blockade of the country."
"For some reason, Cuban's 'human rights failings' (which includes presumably their ability to cope with these hurricanes with less loss of life than any of the other countries afflicted, including the US) means that this small but significant country, must be punished further, now that they have been punished so severely by the politically indifferent hurricanes."
The petition calls on the NZ Government; (i) to actively urge the US to lift the blockade, (ii) to grant Cuba immediate aid, (iii) and to be willing to support NGO agencies in the usual manner, if any wish to activate an aid programme with Cuba.
Included among the petition initiators are Jean Betts, Russell Campbell, Mark Derby, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, Wanjiku Kiarie, Dean Parker, Rolando Olmedo, Martyn Sanderson and the Equuslive collective
The petition is here http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/lift-the-blockade-and-grant-cuba-imm...
The Artists call is here" http://otherpages.googlepages.com/calltonewzealandartists,intellectualsa...
Action you could take:
- Circulate this broadly
- Urge the artists, writers, musicians, poets, etc, that you know, to sign on
- Circulate this to your local media/ drop copies at your favourite café
- Raise the issues relating to the blockade with your MP and/or other election candidates
- Raise the issues relating to the blockade at union / community group / sports club meetings
- Urge your favourite aid agency / NGO to get involved

MEDIA OWNSERSHIP
A revised version of my paper “News media ownership in New Zealand” is now available which updates the 10 January 2008 version. It is available either by clicking the above link or going to the CAFCA web site www.cafca.org.nz The changes from the 10 January version:
- Circulation statistics updated to the latest available (30 June 2008); commentary on trends
- Changes in ownership of further newspapers and magazines; other acquisitions; successes and failures of publications
- Changes in Fairfax involving centralisation, creation of BusinessDay.co.nz, place of The Independent
- The majors undermining NZPA
- Continuing developments in digital television, Freeview, Sky TV, and Sky’s subsidiary, Prime
- Developments with M?ori TV, Prime, Alt TV
- Further concentration, both in station ownership, and in internal structure of the two major radio owners.
- More on the increasing importance of the Internet, with a number of examples
- Murdoch continues to interfere in politics
- Some election year material
- Press coverage of crime
- Developments in local content of television broadcasts
- Developments with the TVNZ charter
- And more…
It has taken longer than I’d intended to complete this update, but I am hoping to do another over the New Year break. Comments are as always welcome. You may also be interested in my review of 2007, “NZ media 2007: The year of the accountant”, published in the current issue of Pacific Journalism Review. See http://www.pjreview.info/issues/14_01_08.html It’s a good issue of PJR in any case.
Bill Rosenberg

PEACE FOUNDATION LAUNCES YOUTH WEBSITE
The Peace Foundation Wellington office new ‘youth’ website – ENACT - www.enact.org.nz – was officially launched yesterday at the NZ Parliament Banquet Lounge by Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Youth Affairs. The website, developed with students and other youth, includes:
• Youth actions and initiatives to end bullying, mediate conflicts, promote non-violence and build cross-cultural understanding
• Youth promoting peace at home, in the community and around the world
• Information for youth on conflict resolution, human rights and disarmament
• Perspectives of young people on peace issues
You might like to check this out and pass the information on to others – especially other ‘youth’.
In peace, Wendy John, General Manager

DIRECTOR OF THE AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES CENTRE
Kia ora, this is message is to let you know that the appointment of the first Director of the Aotearoa New Zealand Peace and Conflict Studies Centre has now been confirmed - Professor Kevin Clements, currently Director of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (ACPACS), has accepted the position. More information about ACPACS is available at http://www.uq.edu.au/acpacs and information about the Aotearoa New Zealand Peace and Conflict Studies Centre Trust is at http://www.peacetrust.org.nz

ANTI-PRIVATISATION POSTCARDS
Privatisation, either full or partial, of public-owned assets is something that New Zealanders have learned to be very wary of indeed in the past two decades. And privatisation is rearing its ugly head again, as a major issue in the November 8 election, what with “leaks” about toll roads – the only point of bipartisan difference being how much motorists can expect to pay on them, not on whether they should exist in the first place; the whole saga of National’s “secret agenda” of public asset sales and Labour’s newfound zeal for public private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure projects. Not to mention Labour’s glee at being able to announce the commencement of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the US, one outcome of which will be the further dominance of NZ’s economy by transnational corporations, who will have the legally enforceable right to claim “unfair discrimination” by entities such as State Owned Enterprises.
Ironically this lemming like rush towards privatisation by both major parties is happening just as the much vaunted US financial sector (the engine of the global economy) is going belly up, undone by its own boundless greed. The question arises – why is NZ running towards the fire, instead of away from it?
For details of just what is wrong about privatisation, see http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/index.ht... where you will find some of the papers from the March 2008 Privatisation By Stealth Conference in Christchurch, organised by CAFCA.
We believe that all the politicians running in this year’s election, whether sitting MPs or those wishing to join them, need to be told in no uncertain terms that the people of New Zealand do not want any more privatisation, in any of its myriad forms. This applies to both Labour and National. And it certainly applies to the minor parties. To this end we have produced a pair of brief and to the point postcards (the text is below), one of which can be sent free of charge to any or all MPs. And the other one can be sent, with a stamp, to other candidates (you will need to write his/her name and address on that one).
You may have seen these cards as the subject of a flurry of political and media interest in early July. Are they in breach of the Electoral Finance Act, as alleged at that time by National? How can they be – they are simply letters from senders whose names and addresses appear on them, sent to MPs or candidates. They are not leaflets or any kind of “electioneering” material. The person who sends it, by definition, is the sender. CAFCA is not the sender; if we were, then our name and address would appear on it. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs if ordinary people can’t write to their MPs and/or candidates without being smeared as being part of a “covert campaign” run by “political parties” (which is what National falsely alleged).
Please help us to distribute these postcards by emailing CAFCA and ordering some. Include your postal address. Because of the printing processes involved, it is not practicable for us to supply you with one of each postcard. So, what we’re looking for here are bulk orders. Minimum order is 10 of each card. If you order hundreds (or thousands), we expect a koha to help with the costs of printing and postage. Let’s get these cards rolling!
More details about the cards and the issue are on our Website at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/po...
Murray Horton, Secretary/Organiser, CAFCA, Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa, Box 2258, Christchurch, New Zealand. cafca@chch.planet.org.nz www.cafca.org.nz
Dear MP (or candidate)
I don’t want my school run by a private equity corporation.
I don’t want my airport owned by a foreign pension fund.
I don’t want my hospital managed by an insurance company.
I don’t want my port or railways owned by a transnational corporation.
I don’t want my roads operated by an investment bank.
I believe that continued full public New Zealand ownership and control of New Zealand public assets and infrastructure is extremely important.
I will not be voting for any candidate or party who supports full or partial privatisation of our public assets and infrastructure.
Signature Date
Name Address

LE FEYT DECLARATION - PEACE IN IRAQ IS AN OPTION
The undersigned, friends of Iraq from France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United States of America, Egypt, Sweden and Iraq, organized in the International Anti-Occupation Network (IAON) and gathered in Le Feyt, France, from 25 to 27 August 2008, have adopted the following position and declaration reflecting our commitment to a true end to the occupation and to a lasting, sustainable peace in Iraq.
http://www.tlaxcala.es/detail_campagne.asp?lg=en&ref_campagne=5

LOCAL PEACE GRANTS 2008
Forwarded on behalf of Quaker Peace & Service Aotearoa/New Zealand. This message invites applications for the next round of Local Peace Grants, and the 2009 Loxley Award - the deadline for both is 31 October 2008. This information is online at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/qps1008.htm
Quaker Peace & Service Aotearoa / New Zealand invites applications for grants of up to $500 to assist with non-violent local peace work anywhere within Aotearoa-New Zealand. The deadline is 31 October 2008 (allow four weeks for notification of decision).
• 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 (deadlines are 30 April and 31 October).
Application form / enquiries: Local Peace Grants, QPSANZ, Friends (Quaker) Meeting House, 72 Cresswell Avenue, Christchurch 8061, email qpsanz@quaker.org.nz or from the Quaker Peace & Service web page at http://www.quaker.org.nz/groups/qpsanz - the flier advertising the Local Peace grants is at http://www.quaker.org.nz/file_download/67/2008_Local_Peace_Grants_Advert... with the application form at
http://www.quaker.org.nz/file_download/66/2008_Local_Peace_Grants_applic...

2009 LOXLEY AWARD
Quaker Peace & Service Aotearoa/New Zealand invites applications for the 2009 Loxley Award - a grant of up to $10,000 established to assist New Zealand Quakers or non-Quakers to undertake a study programme or project of their choosing, in New Zealand or abroad, which promotes understanding of peace, justice and environmental issues. Applications close on 31st October 2008. The first award given in 2008 supported a project to record the experiences of women who had come to New Zealand from the Middle East and New Zealand women who had lived in the Middle East. Information and application forms are available from QPSANZ, Friends (Quaker) Meeting House, 72 Cresswell Avenue, Christchurch 8061, email qpsanz@quaker.org.nz or from your nearest Quaker Meeting or from the Quaker Peace & Service web page at http://www.quaker.org.nz/groups/qpsanz - the flier advertising the Loxley Award is at http://www.quaker.org.nz/file_download/87/2008_Loxley_Awards_Information... with further information and the application form at http://www.quaker.org.nz/file_download/86/2008_Loxley_Awards_Application...

HUMAN RIGHTS LECTURE SERIES
- the Centre for Continuing Education, in association with the United Nations Association of New Zealand, brings you three lectures looking at human rights in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the declaration. You may choose to attend individual lectures or register for the series. The fee is $27 per lecture or $67.50 for the series. A concession of $18 per lecture or $45 for the series is available to students and unwaged.
ENROLMENT FOR THE SERIES Class Number: 78063 Cost: $67.50 (International Fee $106.90), $45 Student/Unwaged
When: 3 sessions, Monday 6, 13 & 20 October, 7 - 9pm Where: Room 018, ClockTower Building No. 105, 22 Princes Street Click here for more information and to enrol for the series http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz/cce/continuing/index.cfm?P=8548&ClassNumbe...
THE PLACE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN A GLOBALISED WORLD: THE UNIVERSALIST-RELATIVIST DEBATE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Mohsen al Attar LLB, LLM . Since the birth of human rights, a debate has raged between two camps. Universalists argue that rights should be regarded in exactly the same manner across the globe and thus criticise societies that do not follow the dominant Western model. Conversely, relativists maintain that cultures vary and that even fundamental human rights can be perceived differently from nation to nation; the one-size-fits-all model must give way to national autonomy. In this seminar, we will examine the place of this debate today. Are Asian values still a viable alternative to the universalist doctrine? Are First World feminists justified in challenging cultural practices that they perceive to undermine female autonomy in the Third World? What of the rebuttal of Third World feminists? How has globalisation and the 'neoliberal' Washington Consensus impacted our perception of socio-economic human rights and has the 'democratic socialist' Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela undermined this consensus? These issues, among others, will be discussed and debated.
Class Number: 78062 Cost: $27.00 (International Fee $40.15), $18.00 Student/Unwaged
When: 1 session, Monday 6 October, 7 - 9pm Where: Room 018, ClockTower Building No. 105, 22 Princes Street
Click here to enrol in this lecture only http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz/cce/continuing/index.cfm?P=8548&ClassNumbe...
HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE LAW Kris Gledhill, BA, LLM,Margaret Bedggood, MA, LLB
This lecture will be in two parts as follows: Part one, Enhancing the protection of economic, social and cultural rights in Aotearoa New Zealand will be presented by Margaret Bedggood. This lecture will outline developments in the protection of economic, social and cultural rights in the last decade at international, regional and local level. It will then consider the situation in this country in the light of these developments and international norms and suggest ways in law and policy in which such rights can be better protected for various groups in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Part two entitled, Taking Human Rights Seriously: Key Developments in the Human Rights Framework will be presented by Kris Gledhill. This lecture will trace the key steps which have the potential for turning the fine ideals expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into a practical reality, emphasising the role of a committed international judiciary in this process. An assessment will be offered as to whether New Zealand's government - including its judiciary – takes its duties seriously.
Class Number: 78053, Cost: $27.00 (International Fee $40.15), $18.00 Student/Unwaged
When: 1 session, Monday 13 October, 7 - 9pm, Where: Room 018, ClockTower Building No. 105, 22 Princes Street
Click here to enrol in this lecture only http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz/cce/continuing/index.cfm?P=8548&ClassNumbe...
"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE": SEXUALITY, GENDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS Joy Liddicoat, LLM (HONS)
In this lecture we will examine current issues of sexuality, gender and human rights in New Zealand and the Pacific region. We will consider both human rights and development theory changes, including from "women in development", to "women and development", up to the present day theories of "gender and development." In doing so, Joy will draw on experiences from New Zealand and the region to critically reflect on sexuality, gender and human rights issues, seeking to provoke discussion on such questions as: What happened to women's human rights? Is gender still relevant? Can we talk about sex and human rights?
Class Number: 78079 Cost: $27.00 (International Fee $40.15), $18.00 Student/Unwaged When: 1 session, Monday 20 October, 7 - 9pm Where: Room 018, ClockTower Building No. 105, 22 Princes Street
Click here to enrol in this lecture only http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz/cce/continuing/index.cfm?P=8548&ClassNumbe...

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2008 ROGER AWARD.
You can send your nomination, and any supporting material, by 1/ Filling in the below form and e-mailing it to this address. 2/ Or by sending it by snail mail to the Roger Award, Box 2258, Christchurch. The nomination form and full details about the Award, including past winners, Judges’ Reports, etc, can be accessed online at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/in...
Murray Horton, Secretary/Organiser, CAFCA, Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa, Box 2258, Christchurch, New Zealand. cafca@chch.planet.org.nz www.cafca.org.nz

INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE “50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION”
Dear Friends: Next year the Cuban Revolution will arrive to its 50th anniversary: 50 years of solidarity and friendship between Cuba and the peoples of the world. From October 5th through 19th this year, our Institute will welcome the “50th Anniversary of the Revolution” International Brigade and friends coming from all over the world will enjoy this unique opportunity to celebrate this important date in Cuba. We are looking forward to hosting you!!!!
Asia-Pacific Division, Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, Email: dasia@icap.cu Tlf: (53-7) 838 2430

INVITATION TO VENEZUELA EDUCATION STUDY TOUR
A Collaborative Exchange and Study Tour for Academics, Teachers & Students January 2009
Dear Friends and Colleagues, We would like to invite you to participate in the first Education Exchange and Study Tour of Venezuela. A number of educators here in Australia and internationally have become increasingly interested in the radical education reform currently taking place in Venezuela. The study tour will take place in January 2009 and will involve a range of meetings (seminars) and visits with educational groups, institutions, and community organisations. The details of the week are to worked out in conjunction with colleagues from the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, and local schools and community organizations in Caracas. For further details, to contribute ideas and/or to register your interest please contact the organising committee: Tom Griffiths Tom.Griffiths [at] newcastle [dot] edu [dot] au / Jo Williams Jo.Williams [at] vu [dot] edu [dot] au / Roberto Jorquera roberto [at] latinamericasolidarity [dot] org / Jorge Jorquera Jorge.Jorquera [at] rmit [dot] edu [dot] au

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Friday, October 3, 6pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
“STAND TOGETHER” - SONGS OF PROTEST, PEACE AND THE WORKING LIFE. Come and hear this community choir from Newcastle, Australia, sing no-holds-barred renditions with all the passion of a performance on the picket lines. Their depth of feeling for the songs and commitment to the cause is unmistakable.

Friday, October 3, 6-8.30pm, Peace Place, 2F/22 Emily Place, Auckland
AN EVENING WITH Claudette Werleigh Secretary-General of Pax Christi International (peace organisation). Former Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Haiti. [Light refreshments from 5.30 pm]

Monday, October 6, 6.30PM, Maidment Theatre, Princes St, Auckland University
BRUCE JESSON LECTURE - The Political Studies Department of the Faculty of Arts University of Auckland and The Bruce Jesson Foundation Invite you and your friends to the 2008 Bruce Jesson Lecture to be held on MONDAY 6th October 6.30pm Maidment Theatre University of Auckland The bar will be open from 5.30pm.Speaker: Mike Lee – “Strangers in the 21st Century”. Mike Lee, will survey the New Zealand political landscape in the light of Bruce Jesson's political legacy. New Zealanders have left behind the secure landmarks of the 20th century and are now into unknown territory. Have New Zealanders lost their way? Is a lack of national direction and awareness part of our social/political malaise? Mike Lee will discuss these issues and the question of NZ nationhood and examine again the case for constitutional change for New Zealand. A collection for donations to the Bruce Jesson Trust will be taken at the lecture

Wednesday, October 8, 7pm, Wesley Community Centre, 740 Sandringham Rd Ext.
Do you want the proposed WATERVIEW TUNNEL MOTORWAY CONNECTION to be built and run for PRIVATE PROFIT? Do you agree with TOLLS for this tunnel? We already pay road and petrol taxes!! Come along and support PUBLIC OWNERSHIP for PUBLIC SERVICES. Info: Ph 828 0238 or 836 6389 Organised by Citizens against Privatisation

Friday, October 10, AUT Conferemnce Room WA224, AUT
The Pacific Islands Media Association (PIMA) annual media conference. You are cordially invited to attend
'Pac2theFuture'. This year's programme is varied and offers something for everyone. The cost: $10 individuals, $5 students, $50 organisations You can register on our website: http://www.pima.org.nz/ Please RSVP to info@pima.org.nz

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men." – Sir Isaac Newton, after losing a fortune in the South Sea bubble

"All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind." Adam Smith - The Wealth Of Nations
"The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests.An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy." -- Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) 28th US President
BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND
Matt McCarten: US example puts paid to free market idea
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10534572&p...
John Minto: Capitalism rescues its biggest parasites
http://johnminto.org.nz/capitalism-rescues-its-biggest-parasites/
US Free Trade Agreement A Poisoned Chalice For NZ
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0809/S00328.htm
Danger ahead! US deal threatens all remaining foreign investment rules
http://nznotforsale.wordpress.com/danger-ahead/
GST-off-food petition going on People's Procession
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0809/S00105.htm
Sooden Files Complaint Against Israel Deportation
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0809/S00415.htm
McDonalds strike photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15427785@N04/tags/mcdonalds/show/
NZ media 2007: The year of the accountant
http://www.pjreview.info/issues/14_01_08.html
John Minto: Give us funds for the job - I chaired a public meeting on education in the Manurewa electorate last week. This is the community which has been the focus of media attention with several high-profile killings this year, giving it unwanted negative publicity. With this background the meeting was called to put education in Manurewa in the spotlight with local political party candidates invited to discuss education in the suburb.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4685170a16155.html

FISK TOUR OF NZ
Awesome coverage from the Pacific Media Centre hosted Robert Fisk seminar at AUT this week, supported by Amnesty International and the School of Communication Studies. The first from Fisk himself.
Robert Fisk's Week: Horrors of war our leaders never have to confront
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisks-week...
Robert Fisk profile - Sticks, stones and ‘balanced’ tragedies
http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/niusbeat/080909_Fisk-Small.shtml
Journalism isn’t working, says Fisk
http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/niusbeat/080909_AUDIO-Fisk.shtml
50/50 journalism'
http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/specialreports/080911_VIDEO-Fisk.shtml
Tea and terror with Robert Fisk
http://www.tewahanui.info/wordpress2/?p=819

ENVIRONMENT
The methane time bomb: Arctic scientists discover new global warming threat as melting permafrost releases millions of tons of a gas 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/exclusive-the-methane-time-bom...

FEATURES
John Pilger: The new world war - the silence is a lie
http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=503
Threat to Democracy in Latin America By Harold Pinter, John Pilger, Tony Benn - We are appalled by the failure of much of the international media to provide accurate and proportionate coverage of these events. All democrats throughout should rally to defend democracy in Latin America.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20820.htm
The Blood of Dresden By Kurt Vonnegut: The author Kurt Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in Dresden during the allied bombing raids and was later forced to dig out bodies from the ruined city. In papers discovered by his son after his death last year, he provides a searing eyewitness account of the 'obscene brutality' that inspired his novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20857.htm
Military Industrial Complex 2.0: Cubicle Mercenaries, Subcontracting Warriors, and Other Phenomena of a Privatizing Pentagon
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20791.htm

WORLD ECONOMY
Wall Street crisis: Poor to bail out the rich again
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39675
The end of voodoo economics - Wall Street ideologues have been gambling our money and screwing us all. Now is a chance to correct their excesses
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/sep/26/us.econom...
Bailout For Who? U.S. lawmakers and the George W. Bush administration are continuing their closed-door meetings through the weekend to try and fashion a softer 700-billion-dollar deal for Wall Street that will appeal to citizens angry at the prospect of the mega-corporate bailout
http://www.countercurrents.org/appel270908.htm
A Better Bailout By Joseph E. Stiglitz: The administration is once again holding a gun at our head, saying, "My way or the highway." We have been bamboozled before by this tactic. We should not let it happen to us again.There are alternatives
http://www.countercurrents.org/stiglitz270908.htm
$700 Billion Bailout: Let’s Do Some Simple Arithmetic By Michael Dickel: The Bush-Cheney-Haliburton administration proposes to hand over to Wall Street over twenty-five hundred dollars for each person over the age of 14 in the U.S. That’s over $10,000 for a family of four where the children are teen-agers. Do you know many families of four, with two teens, who can cough up $10,000 to help bail out Wall Street
http://www.countercurrents.org/dickel270908.htm
Do The Poor Count? An economic catastrophe occurred on August 26th 2008 that was quickly forgotten across the media: an extra 430 million people were classified overnight as absolutely poor. The cause was no tsunami or natural disaster, but simply the revisions of World Bank statisticians who adjusted the international poverty line from $1.08 to $1.25 a day
http://www.countercurrents.org/parsons190908.htm

AUSTRALIA
Terror trial: criminalising speech
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39663
Aboriginal policies: Rudd's hollow words
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39664

AUSTRIA
Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant Parties Make Gains in Austrian Elections
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/world/europe/29austria.html?_r=1&em&or...

BOLIVIA
Bolivia: 'This is a fight between rich and poor'
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39656
Is a U.S.-Approved Coup Under Way in Bolivia?
http://www.alternet.org/audits/99832/is_a_u.s.-approved_coup_under_way_i...
After Violence, U.S. Role in Bolivia Questioned
http://us.oneworld.net/article/357624-after-violence-us-role-bolivia-que...

CHINA
Behind the melamine milk scandal lies an emerging crisis in corporate branding. One of the reasons for the heavy promotion of "global" brands was so that consumers wouldn't know (and would eventually stop caring) where products are made. Now with a major food contamination scandal that has killed at least 4 babies in China and sickened thousands, consumers are asking why their favourite "local" ice creams, biscuits and dairy products are made overseas.
http://www.iuf.org/een613
Melamine, which can cause acute kidney failure when ingested, has become a favorite ingredient of Chinese food manufacturers to boost apparent protein content in adulterated products. Other transnational producers with operations in China have hardly covered themselves with glory in this affair. But Nestlé - the world's largest food company - has again distinguished itself by its dogged insistence on spin over precaution.
http://www.iuf.org/een607

COLUMBIA
Political prisoner speaks out - In an “open letter to the national and international community” written from prison, Colombian trade union and human rights activist Liliana Obando denounced the government’s unprecedented “new witch-hunt against the political opposition in Colombia”.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39662
Colombian trade unions fight on: While walking to his clothes shop at 8 am on August 8 this year in the heavily militarised Colombian town of Saravena, two men shot him 17 times. - The murder of this 43-year-old was not an act of retribution over a business disagreement or over a family dispute. Prada was killed - by men believed to be a right-wing paramilitary - for being a trade union leader.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/09/2008919201016521775.h...

ECUADOR
Correa win will help end US dream of South American free market
http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.2453822.0.correa_wi...
Ecuador's Constitution Gives Rights To Nature _ Jaguars, spectacled bears, brown-headed spider monkeys, and plate-billed mountain toucans may all just breathe a little easier next week if Ecuadorians approve a new constitution in a referendum on Sunday that would grant these threatened animals' habitats with inalienable rights
http://www.countercurrents.org/mychalejko250908.htm

INDIA
Attack On Christians Is Attack On Indian Secularism And Democracy By Madhu Chandra
http://www.countercurrents.org/chandra270908.htm
An Unholy Crusade By Sanjana
http://www.countercurrents.org/sanjana270908.htm

IRAQ
After the surge in Iraq: has the US won?
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39661
Mottaki: Occupiers should leave Iraq: Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that based on the new situation in Iraq, setting a timetable for withdrawal of occupying forces from the country was essential because presence of foreign forces in the country would bring more insecurity and instability to Iraq.
http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=259080&n=32
$13 Billion in Iraq Aid Wasted Or Stolen, Ex-Investigator Says: While many of the projects audited "were not needed -- and many were never built," he said, "this very real fact remains: Billions of American dollars that paid for these projects are now gone."
http://tinyurl.com/3teusy

IRAN
Iran tries to make nuclear arguments heard: Amid a chorus of criticism from the United States and its allies over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran is trying to make its case to the U.N. atomic watchdog that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, arguing that it's being tried on evidence that it's not allowed to see.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/25/europe/EU-Nuclear-Irans-Argume...

NEPAL
Nepalese Maoists set ambitious targets in budget
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39650

PAKISTAN
The Deadly Blast in Islamabad - Why was the Marriott Targeted? By TARIQ ALI - Hellfire missiles, drones, special operation raids inside Pakistan and the resulting deaths of innocents have fuelled Pashtun nationalism. It is this spillage from the war in Afghanistan that is now destabilizing Pakistan.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20843.htm
Pakistani Journalist Says US Destroyed His Life: "I was tortured and jailed for 11 months and 20 days for doing nothing," he added. "They have destroyed my future, my soul. I'll fight until they apologize to me and give me back what I have lost," he said.
http://poligazette.com/2008/09/24/pakistani-journalist-says-us-destroyed...
Six Years In Guantanamo By Robert Fisk
http://www.countercurrents.org/fisk250908.htm
The American War Moves to Pakistan - Bush's War Widens Dangerously By Tariq Ali
Why, has the U.S. decided to destabilize a crucial ally? Within Pakistan, some analysts argue that this is a carefully coordinated move to weaken the Pakistani state yet further by creating a crisis that extends way beyond the badlands on the frontier with Afghanistan.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20784.htm

PALESTINE
The Future Is One Nation: The two-state approach in the Middle East has failed. There is a fairer, more durable solution
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20865.htm
Racism, Propaganda, and The Palestinian Right to Return
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/racism-propaganda-and-the-palestin...

PERU
Peruvians defy land grab laws: Riots by indigenous groups in Peru have led to the repeal of controversial land laws. According to two new legal decrees, foreign oil, logging and mining companies could be sold whole swathes of aboriginal territory without first consulting the inhabitants.
http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=736&catID=6
Military Wants to Keep Massacres Buried: The Peruvian army continues to withhold information from the legal authorities who are investigating the murders committed by members of the military during the country's 1980-2000 armed conflict.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43923

PHILIPPINES
US Backed Arroyo Regime Terrorizes Media And Artists In The Philippines By E. San Juan Jr.
http://www.countercurrents.org/sanjuan220908.htm

SOMALIA
Analysis: Somalia crisis deepened by Ethiopia: The crisis over the past 18 months is exceeding even the worst-case scenarios dreamed up nearly two years ago, when occupation troops from neighboring Ethiopia arrived to oust a "radical Islamic" militia and support the Western-backed government..
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/24/africa/AF-ANL-Somalia-Analysis...

USA
Chronicle of an injustice: Summary of the case of the Cuban Five (+ video)By Leonard Weinglass, attorney for the defence
http://links.org.au/node/646
The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker by Steven Greenhouse: Time for a New Deal
http://www.powells.com/review/nybooks.html
Richest Americans See Their Income Share Grow By Jesse Drucker: In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1% of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation's adjusted gross income for two decades, and possibly the highest since 1929, according to Internal Revenue Service data.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20863.htm
Millions spend half of income on housing: Al Ray is so strapped for cash, the only time he eats out is on Wednesday or Sunday, when the local McDonald's sells hamburgers for 49 cents.
http://tinyurl.com/3lzvez

VENEZUELA
Venezuela: Chavez's 26 decrees -- US, opposition lies debunked
http://links.org.au/node/641