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“Eleven miles by ferry from Perth is Western Australia’s “premier tourist destination”. This is Rottnest Island, whose scabrous wild beauty and isolation evoked, for me, Robben Island in South Africa. Empires are never short of devil’s islands; what makes Rottnest different – indeed, what makes Australia different – is silence and denial on an epic scale…”

...click here to go through to Pilger’s piece in full @ the guardian...

Life on Earth or business as usual?

The US’s leading climatologist talks about what our future looks like if we continue along with business as usual — and what we could do to prevent catastrophe:

“…Well, I think the government should be asking the scientific community. We have a National Academy of Sciences that was formed at the request of Abraham Lincoln to advise the government on technical matters, which require scientific expertise. So if the government wants to do something it could ask the Academy to give it a report to provide some guidance and that’s not really happening. Instead, we’re allowing the politics to control the discussion and that then ends up leading to little if any action because politics is not going to allow it simply because there’s such a preference among the fossil fuel industry and the people who are making a lot of money off of it to continue business as usual…”

This article was published 24 April ’13, in partnership with GlobalPossibilities.org.

…Click here for the piece in full @ AlterNet…

 

(r)evolution

catdude

V11

VII The Magazine

VII The Magazine is an innovative online project that will give
readers unprecedented intimate access and insight to the work of
the world’s leading photojournalists.

VII Photo represents 29 photojournalists working at the forefront
news industry. Their work appears regularly on the covers and pages
of the world’s leading news media including Time Magazine, National
Geographic, The New Yorker, The Times and now online at VII The
Magazine.

“How the photographers see the world”

…simply click the pic to go through to…

                                  VII The Magazine

Australia’s inhumane refugee policies are shaming us all and we all deserve that shame. Yes the Gillard Government deserve blame for giving in to the oppositions fear tactics and for not exposing their exaggerated claims about Australia being swamped with “illegal boat people”. Worst of all they adopted the cruel, impractical and expensive Liberal policies which both the media and the opposition are ironically now criticising them for. They caved in because the oppositions fear mongering was costing them votes.

The policies of our major parties are not designed to assist the refugees but to keep them out of Australian territory. Like the Wizard of Oz our political leaders have created a paper-mache monster to raise our fear levels. To ease our consciences we are of course not stopping refugees, we are “stopping the boats and the people smugglers”.

So what does that say about our courage and intelligence, especially those of us who have changed voting intentions on the basis of “border protection” , meaning not an invasion by malevolent forces but protecting us from men, women and children who are seeking our help.

Our response so far shows that when we hear unsubstantiated horror stories we give in to our fears instead of our using our reason. Furthermore it shows that in order to feel safe some of us are prepared to lock up innocent people and their children in harsh concentration camps out of sight, out of mind and with no end point to their suffering.

The most disappointing outcome of our blind fear is that we do not engage our intelligence in finding creative solutions to either the causes of the refugee crisis or how we can help the refugees to be settled in a new country without adding to their trauma.

Blind Freddy can see that most refugees are not coming straight from conflict to Australia. They are escaping from a lifetime spent in refugee camps with no identity no connections and little hope of an improved life for them or their families. No wonder they will risk their lives on a leaky boat, they have no life.

What can we do as a compassionate nation rather than a fearful nation to help their hopeless situation? Here are some ideas that would assist these people and help ourselves at the same time.

The first stage is to restore hope for people with no future and this may be achieved by diverting the massive funding from “border protection” and from shutting down our overseas concentration camps. With this funding the Government could build education facilities from primary to tertiary close to the major refugee camps.

By providing carefully targeted tertiary education and training to refugees it will make them more attractive as immigrants to Australia and to countries all over the world.

Another step would be to provide funding to speed up the processing of refugee claims and increase our refugee intake. Refugees who achieved required skill levels could be granted a speedier pathway to Australian citizenship.

The above measures would have a great impact on the morale of refugees by providing them a pathway out of their meaningless existence and lift their feelings of self-worth.

The advantages to Australia are that the flow of boats to our shores would be greatly diminished and when people arrived here as refugees they would be pre trained to take up employment meaning that they would not be welfare dependent for long periods.

A major bonus would be that our national psyche will be healed when the feeling of mean spirited, fear ridden, hatred and division that shrinks our imagination and diminishes our self-respect, is replaced by a new creative spirit of cooperation and connection to one another.

艺术界 LEAP

LEAPCoversLEAP is the self-described INTERNATIONAL ART

MAGAZINE of contemporary CHINA.

Click a cover

to check it out…

ap

 April 2013

special report Venezuela without Chávez;Hollande’s rapid conversion to neoliberalism; Régis Debray, why France should leave Nato;Naples, model for a Europe in decline?Karachi, mirror of Pakistan’s failed state;Kenya, grandiose plans for a deep-water port; the high cost of cheap meatGuantanamo, the women who wait… and more…

…simply click the pic above to access English language edition…

The desperate, human plight of refugees and asylum seekers.

Let’s reject the myths and embrace our empathy and compassion…

Join the conversation by adding#rethinkrefugees to your tweets…

a well founded fear…

“I was kept in detention for more than a month (in Sri Lanka). During this time, I was questioned and beaten up every day. They asked me about my activities with the LTTE in France. They brought pictures of my participating in antiwar protests in France and accused me of betraying the government. They asked me for the names of others who had organized the protests in France. I was locked in a dark room and my hands were tied in the position of a crucifix. I then was burned all over my arms in this position. I was beaten with hot metal rods on my back and thighs. I was sometimes poked with the end of a hot poker and they kicked my head with metal-toed boots. I was raped many times. Two men would come to my room and one would hold me down. They would take turns raping me.”

source: Human Rights Watch, “We will Teach You a Lesson” (Feb 2013)

TamilHRW

Human Rights Watch has released “We Will Teach You a Lesson”

(February, 2013)

Sexual Violence against Tamils by Sri Lankan Security Forces:

(London) – Sri Lankan security forces have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected members or supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said in a report released February, 2013. While widespread rape in custody occurred during the armed conflict that ended in May 2009, Human Rights Watch found that politically motivated sexual violence by the military and police continues to the present...2013...
...Please click the image above to freely download the 144page report via HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH... 

March 26, 2013 Richard Denniss @ www.tai.org.au

“A cabinet reshuffle provides the perfect opportunity for a prime minister to clarify the role of incoming ministers. Now that Gary Gray has been confirmed as the Minister for Resources and Energy, the big question is whether the former director of corporate affairs for Woodside Petroleum will be responsible for Australia’s natural resources or follow Martin Ferguson’s lead and act as minister for the companies that extract Australia’s resources.

There’s a big difference.”

TooMuch

Too Much is an innovative not for profit site “dedicated to the notion that our world would be considerably more caring, prosperous, and democratic if we narrowed the vast gap that divides our wealthy from everyone else.”

Here @ the interpretOr, we came upon TooMuch via AlterNet which recently flagged signing up for their inequality weekly.

Too Much | A project of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.

About the IPS:
IPS is a community of public scholars and organizers linking peace, justice, and the environment in the U.S. and globally. We work with social movements to promote true democracy and challenge concentrated wealth, corporate influence, and military power.
As Washington’s first progressive multi-issue think tank, the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) has served as a policy and research resource for visionary social justice movements for over four decades — from the anti-war and civil rights movements in the 1960s to the peace and global justice movements of the last decade. Some of the greatest progressive minds of the 20th and 21st centuries have found a home at IPS, starting with the organization's founders, Richard Barnet and Marcus Raskin. IPS scholars have included such luminaries as Arthur Waskow, Gar Alperovitz, Saul Landau, Bob Moses, Rita Mae Brown, Barbara Ehrenreich, Roger Wilkins and Orlando Letelier.

bobby“We’re living in extreme times and if you listened to modern rock music you wouldn’t know that,” says Gillespie. “I just think it’s odd there’s no protest, resistance or critique of what’s going down. It’s like people are tranquilised. All the rights people had fought for – people like trade unionists, anarchists, artists – are being clawed back by extremists. These people [in charge] aren’t rational thinkers. Someone like Boris Johnson hides behind that bumbling public schoolboy image but he’s a sinister rightwing c**t trying to bring in anti-strike legislation … we’ve got to fight these fucking people!”

Bobby Gillespie’s primal scream: click here to go to the interview in full @ the guardian

What Free Speech ?

The teeth gnashing and squealing of Australias “free press” over the proposed media laws is a little like watching and listening to feeding time on a pig farm.

Acting as though they are the outraged agents of the God of Truth they line up to save the citizenry against the devils who would kill free speech.

And what is it the threat? The Government wants to upset the industries self regulation body by adding an independent overseer in the public interest. This, according to the Murdochracy puts us as a nation on par with Nazi Germany and Iran. Nothing brings out the baying dogs of the press more than a threat to their total supremacy in the market of ideas.

Lets get real there is no diversity of opinion in Australian media. The Murdoch empire dominates Australian media and the first edict of the Australian press theocracy is “ I am thy lord thy emporer and there shall be no other emporer beside me”.

When one media proprietor completely dominates the discussion there is no plurality of ideas being discussed. In Australia the lack of plurality is as evident as the dominance of Pravda in the old Soviet Union.

The Levenson inquiry in the United Kingdom showed that free speech looks more like corruption when fearful subservient politicians do the bidding of newspaper proprietors. It lead to an appalling lack of morality by British tabloids even criminal acts that trampled on the rights of privacy for many Britons. The Murdoch newspapers were the worst offenders.

In Australia the hegemonic powers of Murdoch,s Australian press is even greater. There is no doubt that it has been destabilising the Gillard Government with such fervour and lack of balance it competes with Fox news as the most dishonest media outlet in the Western world.

It is interesting that the media as one push for an independent body to examine the police saying that because of their power, in a proper democracy the police cannot and ought not judge themselves. How often have we seen headlines saying “Who should police the police?”.

In an industry that wields an even greater power, the power to create new truths and realities, the power to destroy governments, the media ardently believes they should be their own police.

The concept of free speech is largely derived from the ideas of influential philosopher John Stuart Mill who said:

…the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection. … the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. (On Liberty ch.1 ¶9)[2

Mill never envisaged a mass media that would be dominated by few extremely powerful individuals and corporations,or that proprietors would happily destroy the good name of others for entertainment of their audience, or deliberately mislead their viewers about life and death issues like climate change.

Is it healthy for one individual to dominate political discourse to the extent that members of parliaments are so fearful of being politically destroyed that they bow to the will of that proprietor at the expense of their constituencies and good governance?

Despite the growth of online blogs there is not a healthy plurality of views being aired in Australia as the corporate monopolistic mass media drowns out alternative views and furthermore it has dependent governments hooked on its ability to give and take power.

At this moment a conga line of such politicians in the parliament are selling us out while bowing to their puppet master and clamouring for his anointment in the upcoming election. Even Craig Thompson has joined in the chanting of the penitential rites.

Priest (Abott): Have mercy on us, Lord Rupert
Congregation: For we have sinned against you.
Priest (Abott): Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
Congregation: And grant us your salvation.

Priest (Abott): May almighty Rupert have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life (tenure).

Congregation Amen

Peta, I’ve just Googled ‘abbott fascist’ said Tony…

“I think it is important that people, especially women, hear the truth about Tony Abbott, and not just the myths,” said Peta…

 

“Tramtracks” Tony. “Tramtracks.”petaa

Look, Peta, I am recalcitrant. At the end of the day, easing off the throttle, errr, literally and metaphorically…has paid dividends. Dividends. There are even times when I think this “being nice” malarkey  is my tramtrack…

…the rails, Tony, rails by which team negative shall emerge from the shadows…’nd into the dazzling daylight of our great and efficient mining monarchy. An enhanced brand proposition of trustworthiness, family connection and dare I say, increasing cosmopolitanism…‘K Tony, Brian and I had a nanosecond to confer at the gym Sunday and quite frankly, your tweet leading into the weekend of late exyooodid tramtracks. Andrew concurs, too…d’ya’remember it…

Friday night at the movies then Kam Fook Chinese for dinner with ‪@TonyAbbottMHR ‪@abbott_frances and mum ‪#familytime ‪pic.twitter.com/gPsfBjgf1a Retweeted by Tony Abbott

No mesothelioma people…

Oh Tony. No. No mesothelioma people. No…mesotheleoma people.

That’s all behind me now…

We’re moving forwards, with opportunity…with opportunity to win…

(…TBC…)

debt

“..In climate policy, the US lags behind other countries. Quotes a current scientific review: “109 countries have enacted some form of policy regarding renewable  power, and 118 countries have set targets for renewable energy. In contrast,  the United States has no adopted any consistent and stable set of policies at the  national level to foster the use of renewable energy” or adopted other means  that are being pursued by countries that do have national policies. Some things are being done in the US, but sporadically, and with no organized national  commitment. That’s no slight problem for us, and for the world, in the light of  the great predominance of American power – declining to be sure as power is  diversified internationally, but still unchallenged…”

(Noam Chomsky via AlterNet: March ’13 – click here for piece in full)

“The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate – ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?

Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, conversations, explorations and examples taken from what’s in the news to what we do in the kitchen – all driven by a large slice of curiosity.

Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.”

BBC Radio 4: click here to enter ZOO…

PLUS…

An interpretOr was introduced to this incredible talk by Aboriginal psychologists working here in Western Australia. I’m still processing the magnitude of Prof McDaniel’s message and compassionate call to action, but in the interim, thought I’d share this extraordinary talk with you, our readers and visitors. Words that still resonate are reconciliation, collective responsibility, appreciation, belief and action…

biography:

Professor Michael McDaniel is an Aboriginal man who is a member of the Kalari Clan from the Wiradjuri nation of Central New South Wales. Michael's involvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education spans more than two decades. 

Michael has previously been the Professor and Dean of Indigenous Education at the University of Western Sydney and the Director of Warawara Department of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University. Michael also previously taught at UTS, where for some years he was Director of Indigenous Programs within theSchool of Adult Education. 

Michael has held part-time lectureships in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education at the Australian Catholic University and the University of Sydney. Michael is also a member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC). On a number of occasions Michael participated in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as part of the NATSIHEC delegation. For the period 2013-2015 is a Ministerial appointed member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council (ATSIHEAC).

bigotpaper

 

lemmarch13

March 2013

… Iraq ten years on, special report; Tunisia, Ben Ali all over again? France’s unspoken shift to the right; Colombia, who’s missing from the table? South Africa’s new apartheid; Slovenia’s crisis is political; the great shale gas swindle; Benedict’s Latin America message; 3D printers, return to a craft ethos?buy before you fly

…just click any story above to access…

 

Sydney residents were warned to stay clear of of an angry deluded Christian man who has been attacking people without any rational reason in Sydney’s Western suburbs.

The man who says he has been annointed by God, is displaying his psychotic state by his shouting extreme fascist slogans and claiming that he is Australia’s next immigration minister.

So far his verbally aggressive attacks have been focussed on people with good suntans and have not yet become physically violent. His attacks have forced residents with dark skin to take refuge inside their houses. Police fear he is incititing other mentally unstable members of the community to maim or kill innocent people.

There is great concern that he may find his way to to beach side suburbs like Bondi where many beach goers have dark naturally tanned skin and even more are sporting fake orange tans. These residents need to take a precautionary approach and under no circumstances should they approach this man who is extremely dangerous.

Abbott and Morrison are gutless, nasty and deeply foul conservative men who have craven form in demonising the defenceless for political gain – refugees, terminally ill former asbestos workers etc. What’s even more repulsive is that they press their buttons of fear and bigotry with the demented expectation that a majority of Australians support their views.

Well, come September, let us the people prove them WRONG.

(the interpretOr will also examine the timing of this latest burst of xenophobia, when our time permits. It may be no cooincidence that Morrison gushed his bile on 28th Feb, 2013…)

Cordt Schnibben @ spiegelONLINE:

“the Japanese disaster waiting in the wings.” 

Iranian regime arrests scores more journalists, including bloggers and film makers, late January 2013.

IranWire, a project led by Maziar Bahari, produced this video calling for the journalists’ release.

Committee to Protect Journalists reports that Iran has maintained a revolving-door policy for imprisoning journalists, freeing some detainees on furloughs even as new arrests are made. In its December 2012 prison census, CPJ found that Iran was the world's second-worst jailer of journalists, with 45 journalists imprisoned in reprisal for their work. The threat of imprisonment has led scores of Iranian journalists to flee into exile in recent years.

the interpretOr supports open media and we now reach over 90 countries (source: WordPress.com). Why not share this post or video and let the Iranian regime know that the world is watching.

Wikipedia on Colin Barnett’s “Controversial Policies”:

In October 2004, Barnett led a campaign to re-criminalise homosexuality for anyone under the age of 18. This policy was met with fierce criticism from the community and was opposed by all other parliamentary parties, including the Nationals.[19]
In October 2009, Barnett announced a series of new policies relating to drug legislation including a repeal of the Cannabis Control Act 2003.[20] The previous laws were formulated by Geoff Gallop's drug summit, taking input from experts such as academics, police, social workers, lawyers, medical professionals and members of the public.[21] Barnett has stated it is his intention to overturn these laws because of his beliefs and stated that the drug summit members made a mistake introducing them[22] and that cannabis was a "gateway drug".[23] To help with the enforcement of this new policy, Barnett also supported legislation to give police the power to search and seize property without any suspicion or belief that a crime has been committed.[24] A Liberal parliamentarian, Peter Abetz, voiced support for these laws in parliament by drawing reference to the work Adolf Hitler did to bring security to Nazi Germany.[25][26] Barnett stood by Abetz's statements, saying he was making a valid point.[27]

JButler

Twoy’s our boy, Lord Chwissie!” enthused a gushing Gina. “Twoy’s our…”

            …Boy…Gina. Dear, dear Gina. Pray tell, pray tell…

He’s just sooper. He’s our boy, that Twoy!! Aherrrha. Can I wead you a bit of his Wikipedia computer entwy thingummy…here we are now…Wiki…pedia! Right then, right, just popping his name in to the search box thingummy…

            Splendid, dear Gina. Splendid….

Here we go now, ahumphh…I’ll wead you a bit..here we go…

…On 27 April 2008 further allegations were published, these included the sniffing of a chair of a female Liberal staffer as well as claims he crawled around on his hands and knees pretending to be the staffer’s husband. Buswell first refused to deny the allegations,[14] and then subsequently admitted to the act.[15] The woman later revealed Buswell “was groaning and writhing in sexual pleasure”.[16]

Ohhh, ohhh, what a fella, dear Gina. An ebsolute card! Hmmahh, rather partial to the odd studded Chesterfield, meself…

Here’s another good bit, Lord Chwissie…Twoy…Twoy’s our…

…Buswell “squirrel gripping” (grabbing the ahhh, the ahhh testicles of) Liberal MLA Murray Cowper and just wound the corner…round in parliament. Cowper did not deny the incident, saying “As far as I’m concerned the matter’s dead and it’s time for everyone to move on, the media included.”[20]

Squirrell gwipping, no less!? Well, well now. A squiwell-gwipping-ripping-gweat-safe pair of hands. Smeashing. Twoy’s our boy.

Better dash, Lord Chwissie.. The poptastic Sir Cliff’s in town and, and, and, and Twoy boy is escorting me for the evening’s entertainment!!

On all fours, no doubt, my dear, dear Gina…

Burton“On one side of the courtroom was Darryl Zanuck and half the corporation boys in America. On the other side was me, alone; I didn’t have a lawyer. I played it very English, very Ronald Colman.

At one point one of the lawyers jumped up and shook his fist at me and said, “you shook hands with Mr Zanuck on this agreement. You shook hands with Mr Zanuck in his own office.”

And I said, “I dont believe Mr Zanuck said that because he’s an honourable man. But if he did say it, then he’s a fucking liar. The place broke up in complete confusion…”

A West Australian man whose children were taken away from him by the authorities has rejected suggestions he was a drinker who neglected his kids.
Donald Collard has been giving evidence in a Stolen Generations compensation case, which is expected to set a precedent for others in WA.
Mr Collard, his wife Sylvia, and seven of their children are seeking damages and costs over the removals, which occurred from 1958 to 1961.
Mr Collard has said he was the victim of social and institutional prejudice because he was classified as one-quarter Aboriginal, while his wife was considered "native"...

...click here to go through to David Weber's piece in full @ ABC

Freechina

The Weekend Australian of September the twenty fourth features another of Brendan O’Neill’s heart rending defences of the tattered image of News Ltd. Brendan is furious at “bigwigs who will poke their noses into the behaviour and morality of the media.” Given that the Murdoch press was poking their noses into other people’s behaviour and morality in a way that made it a criminal act seems to have been missed by Brendan. Here’s a tip Brendan, when you commit a criminal offence you will get noses poked in your business. Another point is that if you lie about knowing about the committing of a criminal offence that too will be scrutinised and judged by people with big wigs.

Now Brendan it is interesting that you have dredged up John Milton to complain about the paradise that you have lost.  “If then his Providence – Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, – Our labour must be to pervert that end,” Perhaps Milton did have some premonition of the Murdoch press. However, I don’t believe he had any inkling at that one man could so dominate world media and thereby politics, so pervasively and aggressive that any opposing voice is shouted down and campaigned against using not reason and debate but by personal abuse as was hurled at Cate Blanchette.

Brendan claims “Milton argued that public discussion, the battle of ideas, did not require a referee, certainly not one as powerful and biased as the state.”  This paraphrasing is a rather imaginative extrapolation from Milton’s “Let Truth and Falsehood grapple,” and “Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?” While this is a noble statement it does not fit his argument as the Murdoch media is not prone to presenting both sides of an argument and as Brendon’s article shows nor does it stick to the truth. For example Brendon states Not content with having brought about the closure of the News of The World, a paper read by7.5 million people, some campaigners seem to want to eradicate all publications they consider scuzzy and inferior.”

This statement is blatantly false. It was Rupert Murdoch who closed the News of The World in a desperate effort to limit the damage to the corporations credibility caused by that papers criminal hacking of phones and computers. The campaigners had nothing to do with it.

I note that Brendan presents himself as the “ordinary bloke” on the side of the man in the street. He bravely takes on the “elites” and the politicians and “celebrities’ and ‘bigwigs” and of course “academics”;  to whom he ascribes as exhibiting “eye swivelling snobbery”, whatever that is. This dislike of anyone who has intelligence or social status seems at odds with him choosing an archaic classical poet to give some credence to his defence of his master, who I might add, is clearly a bigwig.

Brendan’s ordinary bloke portrayal even goes so far as to use an identifying photo in which he has forsaken the usual business attire for the black tee shirt and facial stubble. One could easily imagine that it was snapped in his garage while he was tuning up his FJ Holden. There is a distinct odour of the Roger Ailes – Fox News resentment methodology in the Brendan O’Neill articles. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of Ailes “He takes the shame of people who feel that they are being looked down on, and he mobilizes it for political purposes. Roger Ailes is a direct link between the Nixonian politics of resentment and Sarah Palin’s politics of resentment. He’s the golden thread.”   Brendan is our own Aussie nickel plated version.

|

 

heart

Love is older than capitalism. But the romantic variety, along with its peculiar pains, takes cultural center stage just as capitalism makes its debut. That’s no coincidence. Capitalism and romantic love have grown together, reinforcing and reflecting each other in ways that we hardly notice…click here for piece in full @ free @AlterNet

“Look, good morning cadet Australians. This is none other than me…me, your leader…all rise for the flag” said Tony Abbott.

“I’m starting this morning’s national assemblies schools address series with the thrilling news….the thrilling news, cadets, that Don Voelte AO…Don Voelte AO is to become…look…Chairman of  new ABC INC…cadet Australian’s, Don’s legendary partnership with another great Australian, none other than Sir Pete Gammell d’Bush-Family- Hospitality, saw him appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Seven West Media Limited, circa June 2012. A loyal Australian tower of moral courage across our rugged colony…Don’s been a director of Seven West Media Limited, and prior to the formation of Seven West Media Limited, West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited since December 2008…

…As you’ll know from your history books, significant experience in the global oil and gas industry is a prerequisite of leadership in our great colony…and, prior to his retirement in June 2011, Donny was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the legendary Woodside Petroleum Limited, a position he had held since joining the company in 2004, cadet Australians. Appropriate comunications are a hallmark of my Abbott administration and will stand our great colony in good…”

(TBC…)

 

Why, despite being one of the world’s wealthiest countries, is Australia unable to break the cycle of poverty? Al Jazeera:

http://aje.me/14P5foE

“According to surveys and reports, 2.2 million Australians live below the poverty line, while more than 600,000 children under 15 live in households where no one has a job.”

melt

Just this January, deadly floods have devastated Queensland and we’ve had to add a new colour to the weather map as parts of Australia broke records reaching nearly 50 degrees. This could be the new normal, but the election has just been called and we have a chance to push our government to do much more to combat climate change. 

It seems crazy, but taxpayers in Australia pay $1.7 billion every single year to fuel mega-mining machines. These gas guzzling trucks, diggers and bulldozers fry the planet. If we can close this huge loophole, we will save mountains of money and could force the richest companies in Australia to be more efficient with their fuel. Let’s end their fuel free ride. Treasurer Wayne Swan can strike this line from our national budget —sign the urgent petition below to urge him to act, then forward this email to everyone. When we reach 100,000 signers, Avaaz will set up a mining truck installation outside Parliament House to deliver our call to Swan’s front door:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/were_paying_for_the_floods/?bBdLddb&v=21656

Drought, fires, flooding, tornados; we’ve seen it all. Scientists predict that without more immediate actions, the temperature of the planet could rise by over 4 degrees before the end of the century. Sign the petition now, and then forward this email widely: 

http://www.avaaz.org/en/were_paying_for_the_floods/?bBdLddb&v=21656

MORE INFORMATION:
Clean-up launched after deadly Australia floods (AFP)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/16026957/clean-up-launched-after-deadly-australia-floods/

Australia goes purple as temperatures soar off the charts (CBS)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57562752/australia-goes-purple-as-temperature-goes-off-the-charts/

Billions spent on fossil fuel incentives (The Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/billions-spent-on-fossil-fuel-incentives-20110228-1bbsn.html 

G20 and fossil fuel subsidies (ACF)
http://www.acfonline.org.au/sites/default/files/resources/G20_fossil_fuel_subsidies_25-6-10.pdf

“The major energy-producing countries are still firmly under the control of the Western-backed dictatorships. So, actually, the progress made by the Arab Spring is limited, but it’s not insignificant. The Western-controlled dictatorial system is eroding. In fact, it’s been eroding for some time. So, for example, if you go back 50 years, the energy resources — the main concern of U.S. planners — have been mostly nationalized. There are constantly attempts to reverse that, but they have not succeeded…

….Take the U.S. invasion of Iraq, for example. To everyone except a dedicated ideologue, it was pretty obvious that we invaded Iraq not because of our love of democracy but because it’s maybe the second- or third-largest source of oil in the world, and is right in the middle of the major energy-producing region. You’re not supposed to say this. It’s considered a conspiracy theory…”

Click here for Chomsky’s piece in full @ AlterNet