Australia's PM Gillard rejected a
plea from Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd for Australia to abstain in a
vote on Palestine joining a key United Nations body, instead siding
with Israel and the US to oppose the proposal.
________
SBS Insight
Tues
8:30pm & Rpt
Wed 2:00pm SBS ONE,
Friday 8:30pm SBS TWO
Dateline: Tues 9.30pm SBS ONE
Wednesday 1.00pm SBS ONE (rpt) Friday 7.30pm SBS TWO (rpt)
Coal seam gas and you Search
Tool to explore the full extent of coal seam gas mining in
Australia and it impact on the Great Artesian Basin.
We do need to face up to this
issue.Cash paradise: the state vs tax havens - Tax
havens are heightening inequality and poverty, corroding democracy,
distorting markets, undermining financial regulation and limiting
economic growth. Either way, sovereign governments—including Australia.
Punishment and profit:
the reports of Commissioner John Bigge on the Colonies of New South
Wales and Van Diemen's Land, 1822-1823; their origins, nature and
significance...
1822 Bigge criticised Governor Lachlan Macquarie's administration of the colony, in particular his liberal policies towards former convicts (known as emancipists),
his active public works program and his seemingly lenient treatment of
convicts. Three reports, submitted by Bigge between 1822 and 1823,
changed the way in which the colony of New South Wales was
administered.... there was an increase in the severity of punishments
meted out to convicts... one is not surprised to find a scarcity of
this information on google and, one does wonder how Australia's current
leaders will be remembered in history given the potential wealth of
this nation and how it is being squandered along similar economic
mindsets as those previous in their modern context!
As 'stiff spin' rests in humanitarian policies - the ways we treat the other... not in an iron fist.
Consider; "What is perhaps of more lasting interest than the results of
the actual inquiry, is the historical record of the various colonial factions and conniving between them that would have made Machiavelli blush.
I suspect that these petty jealousies and factionalism had a lot in
common in colonial life in other remote colonies." Note to arguement of
past & present when it comes to motives behind those claiming
"living off the store" .
As said by
others... ahead of buz words and spin, "diplomacy can only go so far
ahead of public opinion. It is not only diplomats who must change, but
the Australian public and politicians". It's not good enough now for a
prime minister to say: "Foreign policy is not my passion." where actions speak louder then any of these words... 'Thought would destroy their paradise. No more; where ignorance is bliss, Tis folly to be wise. ' see below the story about Ranjiuni, ASIO [demand for a proper appeal process]
and the person this government allows to stay in excile, in Sweden
based on shallow reason mis-using policy's about "our" citizenship. I
question our citizenship if this kind of 'political character' reflects
this countries idea of 'nationalism' and reflects our leadership.
"Go Back to Where You came From" gets Golden Rose for Best of 2012 at a ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland. more
AID URGENTLY NEEDED: United
Nations World Food Programme bosses in Australia today to request
and discuss with the Australian government the need for continued
aid to Somalia and South Sudan. The delegation will meet with senior
AusAID officials to plead a case that the troubled Horn of Africa
region should not be overlooked as Australia decides where to direct
its foreign aid spend.
One million children at risk of dying from malnutrition in the Sahel-
Urgent action needed to address ‘cascading crisis’ in Africa’s Sahel region – Ban Ki Moon | UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes, Louis-Georges Arsenault,
said in a news release. “We need more resources to really scale up our
response before it becomes too late and too many lives are lost.” There
are currently 15 million people facing food insecurity in the Sahel,
which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The nutrition
crisis is affecting people throughout Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, and the northern regions of Cameroon, Nigeria and
Senegal.
Despite making up half of the world’s population,
women represent around 70 per cent of the 1.2 billion people living in
poverty and own only1 per cent of the worlds’ wealth
UN humanitarian chief urges donors to support Afghan
people. The population that has been affected by conflict and natural
disasters... Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator, Ms. Amos underlined that the government and humanitarian
partners need to focus on ways of providing more effective relief to
natural disasters as well as working to build the longer term
resilience of local communities.
Australia's budget slows on Foreign Aid which is being put off - Our "Foreign aid vow broken" Good article account by Daniel Flitton - TIMELESS IS THIS MESSAGE: A memory of Solferino: (Un souvenir de Solferino)...
'“When the sun came up on the twenty-fifth June 1859 it disclosed the
most dreadful sights imaginable.... most badly hurt, had a stupefied
look as though they could not grasp what was said to them…'
History of how & why the Geneva Convention came to life? Today it must be about resources support recovery and "The Right to Development", where the challenges and crises are interconnected. Economic, social and environmental concerns are inseparable.
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the budget would deliver a small A$1.5
billion (948.48 million pounds) surplus in the year to June 30, 2013,
with cuts in spending on defence and foreign aid and abandoning planned
tax cuts for companies and savers.
The ALP government under Kevin Rudd had promised to devote 0.5 per cent
of Australia's gross national income to foreign aid by 2015 — raising
total spending to potentially as much as $8 billion. That increase will
now be delayed another year to 2016, despite Labor renewing the 2015
pledge at its national conference in December.
Deferring the target will save the government $447 million this
financial year, with savings to almost double annually over the next
three years to a total of $2.9 billion and moving into $7.7
billion by 2015-16.
Fears of aid cuts in the run up to the budget had generated a vocal
campaign by charity groups, including stark warnings children will die
should Australia fail to met its target. But Treasurer Wayne Swan denied the government was balancing its books on the back of the world's poor and insisted Australia could be proud of what it would achieve in overseas development.
Western Sahara is one of the poorest, most hotly disputed regions in
the world, a state in excel. Rich in phosphate, claimed by Morocco, is
illegally sold under international law,throughout the world. Malak Amidan has
come to Australia to call for an end of phosphate imports from the
territory, to raise awareness of the brutal occupation of her homeland.
DEAD _ KILLED AND THE VIOLENCE CONTINIES - 10,000
people have been killed in Syria since the anti-regime uprising broke
out in March 2011, according to UN estimates while the Observatory puts
the figure at more than 11,100. This is not a calming effect and frankly the claim that 'monitors create a calming effect' is hopefulbut
doubtful, given the true complexities. People are being killed,
displaced and other countries - with less then Syria being strained by
the economic lack of funds to deal with all those needing the urgent
help. Calm... makes the claim of working for Peace virtually facile! As
we as world citizens watch and listen and attempt to keep any faith on
seeing a resolution to this process, we know the worse is yet to come
unless something, more strategic to stop the slaughter of civilians can
be done in Syria. The Syrian forces are not listening and neither is
Syria's regime.... || Fifty of a planned 300 United Nations observers
are already in Syria to monitor the cease-fire, but the violence
continues, 14 months after Syria's revolt began with peaceful
pro-democracy protests. |||| You
simply cant have an election Syria, when so many tens of thousands of your citizens
live displaced in other countries, fearing for their life as a result
of violent hostilies from your own regime forces. Some Syrians vote amid heavy security, scattered violence and opposition boycotts .... Secretary-General condemns bomb attack near UN observer convoy in Syria
|Amid concerns from the international community over the prospects of a
“full civil war” in Syria, the Joint Special Envoy of the United
Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian Crisis, Kofi
Annan, said Wednesday that the ongoing levels of violence and
human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country are unacceptable and
the UN observer mission is possibly the only remaining chance to
stabilize it.|Watching this Bloodbath, we throughout the world watch in grief..... Syria continues to 'kill civilians amid talks'| more
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people
2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians
3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all
areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour
humanitarian pause
4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons
5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists
6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully
Meanwhile
- "The international community awaits a response by the International
Criminal Court, who has been provided eye witness reports and evidence,
disseminated by the international media for close to one year. To
abandon civilians without food, water, electricity or medical care has
severely damaged the credibility of the United Nations as a
representative body, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
International Law." -- Stephen Michael Apatow, Founder of
Humanitarian Resource Institute (UN:NGO:DESA) and the United Nations Arts Initiative.
”Peace begins in the minds of those who perceive diversity as an element of betterment and growth.” - Kofi Annan
NOT GOOD ENOUGH Ms Gillard: Australia's
Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard has failed to speak or say one word to
her public distraught about situation of Ranjini, a refugee mother
detained with her two children.
The ALP conference voted unanimously to require the National Security Legislation Monitor to
propose how adverse security assessments of asylum seekers could be
reviewed in a way that protected ASIO's sources but ensured procedural
fairness for asylum seekers.
NOT er SQUEAK: miacat.com accuses the Attorney-General Ms Nicola Roxon, former Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women of double standards.
As a Federal ALP 'feminist leader' Ms Roxon shows contempt for her
party's platform and to the status of women. Former PM Kevin Rudd,
possible alternative Attorney-General Ms Penny Wong nor women like
Tanya Plibersek MP.... I doubt would ever allow a mother and her
children, after all they have been "honestly" through to be thrown BACK
in detention[given what we really do know] without some statement
explaining how the Government intends to deal with this.
When will people come before status and a politicians own political
power. Power is true leadership shared. We can't share with people who
are paid like politicians but fail to lead on the most critical aspects
that reflect who we are as a Nation.
My question is
does either Nicola Roxon or the Prime Minister represent me, and other
Australians who sincerely believe in the complex work of the UN or NOT?
Please Give refugees the right to appeal security assessments – just
like the rest of us where; the right to a Fair trial: Every individual
is entitled to a fair and public hearing by competent, independent, and
impartial processes established by law, in the determination of any
criminalcharges against him/her or of his/her rights and obligations in
a suit at law.
Is Australia like a billard table, a world nation state solid, opaque,
and impenetrable, like those that act like spheres similar to billiard
balls, when it comes to International, Human Rights?
Apart from the Refugee Convention ought we not consider the The
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (CAT) (1984), together with the word 'other
status' Article 2 and Article 5, 7, 8,9,10 and 11 with reference to
Article 14 in Human Rights. Or do Australian's just not care?
When it comes
to UN Australian women against structural violence against women and
children, what is Australia doing to advocate a case for Ranjini and
her children?
SIGN PETITION HERE
A
Parliamentary Committee has already recommended that there should an
independent review and appeals process for ASIO findings - a basic
principle of justice.
What about the 'right' not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest,
detention or exile... what about Opinio juris, the belief that a
practice is rendered obligatory by the existence of a rule of law requiring
it... where given the chance, it would be legislative, in all fairness
rather then just an appeal to customary law.
As Karl E. Klare wrote, “the human rights project is to erect barriers between the individual and the State, so as to
protect human autonomy and self-determination from being violated or crushed by governmental power.”
Rights are attached conversely to duties. If a
person has the right to freedom from torture,
then the state has a corresponding duty not to 'torture', her.....
Uncertainity in prolonged Detention, especially for those who can not
appeal against a negative ASIO assessment in Australia.... is a form of
degrading deprivation to their freedom and liberty.
What stands out is that it is female leaders in charge doing it to
Ayslum Seeks regardless of their own knowledge and standing of Gender
policies that are their to protect women from war-torn regions.
Turning Points in Australian History by
Martin Crotty, David Robert. Bigge Report... 'but also a community that
would long suffer residual effects of embarrassment and uncertainty
about it's ignominious origins and character".. words of terror and
terrorism carry a distinct and contemporary resonance. Or would you
prefer An Unruly Child: a History of Law In Australia
by Bruce Kerche;.... '‘no longer fit to live upon the earth’ but was
‘to be exterminated asa monster and a bane to human society’ Of course
not to forget "There Goes The Neighbourhood". Australia and the Rise of
Asia by Michael Wesley 'Try a Pacific islands forum. Boat people? How about a Bali regional process?... "Australia will need to take the world seriously'....
And this one takes the CAKE: Gillard turns her back on reform choosing to leave a mentally ill person in exile - dammed regardless, over any human option.If the present ALP team is hoping for my vote this coming election it has lost it on the grounds of it's Humanitarian ruthless, inexcusable critieria and the fact that it IS no different to a Howard Government. Even when it is given an opportunty to do something it decides to make things even worse.
IE: The federal ALP government of Australia, a Gillard Government [this
hursts] is rejecting a landmark UN Human Rights committee ruling by
refusing to allow the return of an Australian-raised convicted
criminal, who came to Australia when he was 27 days old and the ALP
Federal Government has deported to Sweden, even though he served his
sentence and has not been in trouble for the tens before he was
[surprisingly given the time-lapse], deported. When it comes to "character test"
whose are we truely talking about? The person deported speaks no
foreign language other then English and has no ties or network of his
own in Sweden, where he has been deprted. Seems the ALP lets us down in all areas that really count.
This deprtation is abusive and reflects a government unable to deal
with complex issues or show leadership where it counts. This
deportation makes this particular ALP government look like a gang of
silo-driven politically non-correct deperately seeking FOOLS!
AUSTRALIA DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE PART OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL:
Unfortunately Australia is no better then China when it comes sorting
out it's approach to vunerable persons caught up between policies of
common sense and it's Human Rights, Refugee, or associated protection
policies.
Let down is the idea of "Fair-Go" Australia by this ALP Federal
Government who is weak at the knee's on Human Rights when and where it
counts most. It can not solve a problem, it prides itself on tough,
inhuman acts that leaves it no room when it comes to choosing to vote
now for alternative parties.
Worse now is the idea of an "informal" vote just to ensure the ALP gets
nothing for it's callous, cold-hearted, unsympathetic view of "others"
at the most bottom end of the worlds disadvantaged ladder of need. What
is the point of politics when the leaders are deaf, archaicand uncaring
about individuals, mothers and children .... anyway?
They think it is a game of two-up, we think it is about peoples lives!
In 1822 The Bigge Report on the colony of New South Wales disagreed
with Macquarie and advocated for harsher punishment of convicts in
Australia .... when it comes to Refugee's - Australian Detention Centres, ASIO
- the Gillard Governments attitude toward Maritime Asylum Seekers ... I
believe Australia is having a backward moment. On the deportation of
the x-crim come man now mentally ill that this ALP government turns
it's back on it Sweden.... as I said the entire filthy story takes the
cake.The story doesn't very good for Sweden either given all that they
say they are with their 'high & mighty' ethical policies they spray
across the worlds media.
Letter To Australia's Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard [Written last weekend and link twitted to PM who gave not a word of concern about the situation.... anywhere!]
Prime Minister, a Mother and her two Children [possibly in absolute shock] have been taken out of community, by ASIO and placed in detention.
They don't know why.
They have no way of finding out nor defending themselves action.
Yes they are Refugees, and yes they were on a Community Refugee program.
With respect Prime Minister I ask if this is Australia or do as they do in China?
Our treatment of people to date is extreme. Refugees are being denied
visas because of adverse assessments by ASIO. So many are sitting in
limbo in detention centres. Look at the damage we are doing to these
people..... Prime Minister is this our way?
I ask Prime Minister please, can you look at this problem urgently.
I ask that you do something constructive to help this Mother and her
Children, quickly... as their life, their health and civic well-being
may be further scarred by this shocking, adversely dramatic kind of
treatment.
Prime Minister, their a many people now being held in detention in
Limbo. They have UNHCR clearance but become a target from within the
ASIO process. ASIO staff themselves have said something needs to be
done about this.
As you know Prime Minister Gillard, ASIO also does assessments on
Australian citizens and permanent residents. Australian citizens or
permanent residents however, who get an adverse security assessment
have the right to receive a "statement of reasons". Additionally is the
problem of Human Rights. That not even the Human Rights Commissioner is
allowed to have a confidential account of a "statement or reason" due
to the secrecy of our national ASIO, Australia's key security
organisation.
Prime Minister, I remind you of the Muhamed Haneef case.
While I may be spitting hairs, it is the things said by citizens beside
the claims of the ALP over the way he "grabbed" and
"detained" and then many years later we found reason not only to let
him go but compensate him for the way we had, as a nation, represented
by our authorities had treated him. I ask that you remember all that we
said in his defense at that time, about decency, about justice, about
human rights.
Given the character and demonstrated potential goodwill that has been
shown by"Ranjini" so far, while she has been a refugee
resident with her two boys, within the community, I ask you
please Prime Minister to please not allow this family to become victims
of a system that is not always perfect. A system that we all
agree can at all times find ways to be improved.
As our ALP Prime Minister I ask that you show your hand, to intervene
on this case and give us some hope that this kind of thing is not going
to be the only way we resolve complex issues directly impacting people
from other countries - all the time.... every time there is a negative
projection, formality... glitch in our own system.
I would as a citizen like to support the actions of ASIO however, I
find myself at odds with the ways it does treat people, Prime Minister.
Imagine this woman, with her children was you or me or even Her
Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO. If we say we care for women and
their families, If we say our policies mean anything through speeches
and on paper, Prime Minister let us do something that reflects our own
dignity and respect in this light.
Mr Whish-Wilson, 44, has two children and lives in Launceston with his wife Natalie.
Mr Whish-WilsonHe is also an
economics lecturer at the University of Tasmania, with a focus on
sustainability and climate change. His previous work in investment
banking has taken him to Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne and New York.He
also has military experience, having started his varied career as the
Australian Defence Force Academy in the 1980s. More
Broad Daylight Blackmail!
Money over citizenship - Many of us are becoming quite alarmed by the directions multi-national media giants are taking. As we watch people like Eduardo Saverin
- renounce his U.S. citizenship, to avod tax... we also see a growing number of
peeps in the 1 percent are giving up their citizenship to cut their tax
liability.
What most people missed on Apples Mac product growth and now the
growth of
products in social media.... is how much citzens, in their energy,
support,
creativity and enthusiam contributed to the creation of these products.
Not only toward the design but then with their loyality and
probing ideas.
Who is niaf or are their questions to be asked given these
organisations are begining to look like they own us, the world in the
same ways as do the Banks?
As
we watch politics and the media hence we also see the problems deep in
the notion of marketing on Facebook which is testing a policy "pay to
promote". The line crossed is authenticity. The factor lost is the
value of social capital unless you believe only those with money to "pay to promote"
are the best for politics or only those product that have the money to
"pay to promote" are the most authentic products. What beats me is how
skew whiff the worlds socio-economic environment has become. Dog eat
Dog appears to be the only norm. All those many generations that gave
hope to the idea of democratic politics, fair exchange in the market
place and now.... under the banners of both education and social media,
the social capital is being milked in the same ways China milks
resources out of Africa, Australia milks the potential economic and
social self-determination from the people of Western Sahara by buying illegal "Phosphorus" from Morocco. Is the problem about values, ethics or a new form of cultural imperialism?How do we discuss this?
*****
How do we get those $$$ standards back?
Hear ROBERT SHILLER AND FINANCE IN A GOOD SOCIETY Good One Geraldine Doogue more please....
TOP NEWS!
Yepee! Now we are talking. At last Consumer Choice is heard and the government plans to do something about it.
Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy, has signed off on the inquiry,
which will also consider the pricing of software and other IT-related
material.Consumer advocate CHOICE, which has been lobbying for an
investigation into the price differential, is among many who welcomed
the parliamentary inquiry. In a letter Mr Conroy said, ''I agree that
Australian businesses and households should have access to IT software and hardware that is fairly priced relative to other jurisdictions
… the global digital economy is likely to make it increasingly
difficult to sustain business models that are based on a geographic
carve-up of markets.''
Companies like Adobe and Microsoft are charging Australian businesses
up to 145% more for the same products in Australia. According to
Stephen Conroy's office several IT Companies will be asked to explain
to the Federal Labor Parliament why Australians are being asked to pay
over 100% more for the same products in Australia. Canon & Sony's
face price gouging appears to be also on the list.
Highly Disturbing: Mystery surrounds deaths of 877 dolphins washed ashore in Peru. Officials in Lima said last week that 877 carcasses have washed up, an unprecedented number, along 100 miles
of the Piura and Lambayeque coast. Nearly all are bottle-nosed
dolphins, many in an advanced state of decomposition. Whatever the
reason.... it has to do with our what is occurring in our oceans... |||
Irrawaddy dolphin deemed a critically endangered species
- there are 100 or less of Irrawaddy Doplins left in the wild and
there has been no dophin calf sight or born in over a decade.
We are Part of Africa Problem: " I think Australia does have an obligation to make up
for what is in effect an unplanned $700 to $800 million-a-year gift
from developing countries to ours via the value of the medical
workforce which is now working in our country, not in the country that
paid to train them."
Doctors in Africa and Australia's role in development support?
Each Day we complain about the world, that it is not fair, that markets
are uneven and that the world neglects it's most poorest.
Round and round we go.... each day discussing aid, trade, and the
degree of hopelessness that follows us historically as we promote our
own market interests over those in greatest need.
I live for this story. It outlines the core of all that is wrong
about market capitalism and it's exploitation of human resources in
countries that need our support rather then depletion.
This story is yet another story from Africa from reporter Ginny Stein.
I take my hat off to Ginny Stein for the ways that she continues to
bring us stories that focus on the needs of Africa [and other places] while at the same
time gives us a mirror at ourselves.
This story, among the hardest to articulate is bottom line. Rather
then go on about [Charity] Aid and Trade, simply a look at how we
relate as
nations in geo-politics and exchange. True development would go
further then our
poor rhetoric that comes nowhere near addressing the solutions of
health, education and economic development. We are all partly
responsible for poverty levels still exisiting in the lesser developed
world. In the same ways we are responsible for the poverty levels
experienced by those in our developed world. Austerity measures and all
the spin just do not cut when the clock is ticking! Market Capitalism
has a lot to answer for and, especially when governments themselves
encourage us to take the easy road.
Unbelievable:Abbott compares asylum seekers with drug runners.
Tony Abbott’s Friday comparison of asylum seekers with drug runners
should be treated with utter disdain, says senior correspondent Barry
Everingham.
In United States constitutional law the expectation of privacyis
a legal test which is crucial in defining the scope of the
applicability of the privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment to the
United States Constitution.|||| A.C. Graylingprivacy is a complicated issue.
He argues that we are at a 'crucial phase' when it comes to our privacy
online. This is the topic ... 'The Private, The Public and The Line
Between' he will be dicusing at the Sydney Writers' Festival [Yep... I agree with Grayling.... The ownership is a pressing issue. On
the issue of openness however, I actually believe perhaps because of
'population'... we have gone backward regardless of all the TV &
social media. How many of us actually have the opportunity these days
to really know our neighbours.... or is this yet again... another class
thing?] - On the Spirit of Things, AC Grayling gentle as he may be speaks as no shrinking violet.
I appreciated his "humanity", the ways he points to us, ourselves and
questions "what are we doing", who are we reading... what are we
thinking... where are we going?.... In a conversation with
Rachael Kohn, the interview includes readings from Graylings new
book... " The Good Book", including the opening words to his 'Genesis'.
Vital Stuff, I thought. My ears want more!
The face of poverty in Burma - As one listens to
the world down talk the unfairness of austerity measures, it is hard to
believe much will change in the present conditions under market
capitalaism, given the way it works. In places of Burma it is no
different. The conditions for ethnic minorities have improved little
and activists say closer ties with the military junta should be conditional on an improvement in their human rights.
STORY OF MABO - COMING ABC June 10th ABC
FOUR CORNERS - Judgment Day: Native Title in Australia.
A story with exclusive interviews on the political historical process
fought in Australia by the Keating Government leading into the Mabo
Decision during 1993. [Well Done Liz Jackson & Co]
Don't miss this account. Catch-Up online video.
What was valuable from the FOUR CORNERS - Judgment Day: Native Title in Australia. video aired on ABC last week is the look at politically at culture
Australia. As we watched the players of then and compare their journey
since, we can see ourselves through their eyes and that in most ways we
are still arguing the same as same today.... Keating is a Brother to
ALL when it comes to MABO and, it took a leader to do what still has to
be done, when it comes to leadership of this Nation, Australia.
Indigenous "fit to plea" claim: While understanding the argument
presented... it falls short of core issues in the legal system. IE: No
proper preparation and brief statements presented to "fly-in" lawyers
who often meet their clients only minutes before going into court. The
entire design of legal representation in regional remote areas is poor,
lacks funding and therefore equity when it comes to understanding
the issues surrounding crime in Indigenous community. Most critical is
the poor input in the area of Crime Prevention that is not taken
seriously by any government at a community level and least of all by
the police force itself. Much More Needs to be DONE!! Breakfast
Dealing with Long-Term Planning: Indigenous Community Programs to support intervention are critical
if "Stronger Future" is to have any sense of fairness. The problem to
date is that Indigenous Programs for over 40 years have been Ad Hoc an
experiment of Development sabotaged by Short-term rather then Long-term
funding. Local Planning in all locations needs a greater focus.
Mental
Health Community Coalition ACT to better linkages, engagement and
community care in Mental Health provisions for Prisioners: Push for Gaps in mental health support for the ACT's prisoners
are contributing to high rates of suicide, drug overdose and
recidivism, advocates say. The Mental Health Community Coalition ACT's
budget submission has highlighted deficiencies in support for mentally
ill prisoners being released from the Alexander Maconochie Centre. The
group estimates that up to 80 per cent of prisoners have a mental
health issue, and describe the jail as Canberra's largest mental health
facility.
What a Life? Overlooked by Mining Companies is the culture they produce..... when it comes to "Gloomy miners suffer in silence"
Awesome question: "How do we teach optimism and yet value negative emotions? How do we acknowledge the structural forces at work in culture and society and foster a sense of agency and control for the individual?" ||| Is
it worth questioning welfare, as something that has been central to
liberal and social democratic thinking since the end of the Second
World War...
or go deeper and examine today those that we ought to
be questioning, given the benefits they received too had gained from
these benefits, including public housing and 'secure' public service
jobs accumulating a form of as inter-generational wealth from
previous policies. [Seems there are two sides to this question and we
better be quick in the ways we articulate it... before the growing
crisis in markets, capital and the worlds capital exchange of resources
totally narrows.]... IE: "Meanwhile, the world outside carries on.
Nations burn, vested interests seize the state and the billions of
dollars it offers, insurgents and secessionists oppose them and, when
they succeed, tear up agreements. Because this layer of policymaking doesn't explicitly address politics, the resulting instability often renders such technical assistance mechanisms null and void."
Mixed Messages on the role of university... what is the purpose of learning... [these days,] do we need to consider a structural change, a whole approach to our higher 'learning' institutions?
Elliot Perlman on Late Night Live: If this
interview were completely about Auschwitz, then I may not have
listened. Instead, it is about so much more. When it comes to the
reference of the Austrians however... it is difficult to argue.
However... when it comes to us true Austrians? What I have learnt is
not to be a bystander. It is a bystanders apathy that tolerates
injustice that breeds serious dysfunction within a society.... Phillip Adams interviews author Elliot Perlman, whose latest book is "The Street Sweeper".
Shin Dong-Hyuk was born in a political labour camp in North Korea. He is one of the few to ever have escaped. Blaine Harden tells us part of his story in a book "Escape from Camp 14: One man's remarkable odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West"
Special on Lateline - Education programs for pre-school children, what is the challenge. PART 1: Neuroscience research shows that 80 per cent of brain development occurs before age three, meaning educational interventions need to start two years before primary school. | Interview with Federal Education Minister Mr Peter Garrett -PART 2: Tuesday on Lateline... will focus on issues of States and specifically NSW. And PART 3,
an interview with world's leading neurologists, Dr Judy Willis, says
educational engagement with children in the early years pays off. ***** ||| Flexability is key to learning. As
Headmaster Ben Van Aantholt tells us, "I've always had a theory: you
have to provide the doorways and the more doors and windows that you
put into a school, the more people that will walk through them.".
Australia: The Time Traveller's Guide. The fourth and final episode saw us racing down the last 65 million years to the present day.This story is the heart of our National Treasure.
It is this year, Miacats Logie Award for most relevant Film of the Year. A Film that makes sense of this Nations Beginning and the End of all Time.... An Australia we need to understand NOW.
I especially found the final episode to be the most powerful for it's editing, content and presentation, a wrap all in one.
Alongside this Award is a special tribute to Paul Lockyer and his family for their work producing the book "Lake Eyre: A Journey Through The Heart Of The Continent".
A book that explains the magic of life in Lake Eyres basin which makes
up one sixth of the Australian continent. Using words and images
– from its ancient history as a lush home to megafauna, to the present
day where it can change from a deeply inhospitable salt pan to a
wetland teeming with birds and wildlife..... I hope to own a copy of
this book one day.
Peter Andrews,Natural Landscape Ecologist goes to Wooleen Station,
about 700 kilometres north of Perth. A landscape that was
suffering from not enough low plants to slow down the water and stop
the erosion... once over stocked but now after much effort and
courage... under restoration.
LOVE THIS STORY - especially after all the years of controversy over the true meaning and value of ecology.
Can we hope for Peace or will this all mean more of the same from the past?
It is difficult for us on this side of the world to know what is truly occurring in Sudan. Eric Reeves has perhaps an alternative view to mainstream media... "Scandalous international hypocrisy on Sudan" ||| His website has more 'Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy'. Of
specific interest is his article 'Former Members of the UN Panel of
Experts for Darfur Offer a Damning Alternative to the “Official”
Report'.
Mali 'on brink of major disaster'...
following a coup and rebellion in the north, Amnesty International
says. | People and aid agencies warned the uncertain situation in Mali
face a humanitarian catastrophe. According to Oxfam, more than 210,000
people fleeing the violence, drugs and food depots have been looted. more
France Dismisses Mali Rebel Independent Nation Claims after Mali Rebels proclaim Independent State in North.... So does the US, Canada so do Malian northerners, who are apparently dismayed and rally in Bamako saying they are ready to fight to dislodge the rebels
occupying the north after the desert Tuaregs proclaimed their
independence. Meanwhile, A rebel spokesman admitted in an interview
with France 24 that there was some “confusion” on the ground between
groups over who controlled what, and a Malian security official told
Agence France-Presse that Ansar ud-Din, the Islamist group, was in
charge and not the rebels who declared independence. [go to this
artlcle for related sources]. Wiki - Tuareg rebellion (2012) - [March-press article on early conflict]
Confidential police reports have detailed the suicides of at least 40 people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria,
and have urged a new inquiry into these and many other deaths suspected
to be linked to abuse in the church. In a damning assessment of the
church’s handling of abuse issues, the reports say it appears the
church has known about a shockingly high rate of suicides and premature
deaths but has "chosen to remain silent."
Austian Priests attempting to stand up to the Pope. Helmut Schüller of the Preachers’ Initiative,
who formally headed Caritas Austria plans a global movement saying to
the Pope "2012 will be the year of internationalisation". Pope Benedict
however has re-stated the Roman Catholic Church's ban
on women priests, teachings on celibacy and warned that he would not
tolerate disobedience by clerics on fundamental teachings.... but some
think not so sharply?
Some 15% of Austrian priests belong to the Preachers'
Initiative and have been calling for change for at the last six years.
Once it was just about being lonely in a crowd but today... "Australia's urban planning too often emphasises productivity and sustainability at the expense of friendliness and community, a new report finds." It says, 'the report says bad town planning can 'build in' social isolation, with long-term damage to quality of life and our physical and mental health.'
[ Or, forced to endure long-armed indifference, discrimination and
stigmatised degrees of treatment by those in mainstream, supported by
their policy roles or connectivity.]
More then Mental Health being a topic demanding "No more silence: mental illness should be talked about",
its general causes ought to be central to the discussion. For too long
the social economic and cultural pressures of society itself, has been
ignored as a major factor underlying peoples control over their own
networks and circumstance. As the goal-post keeps moving, the
systemic filter that once safe-guarded peoples rights to
self-determination is breaking down. The gap widens every where
People not normally in difficulty are now too being caught in the net,
and too many, in the media, community and government services standby,
for what ever reason... The most shocking part of this reality is that
genuine "hardship" itself has become perceptively labelled with tags
and false classifications within the Mental Health and Community
Services system. At this rate.... things will get worse.
Faith in Future
Development: A "whopping
50 tonnes of plastic waste into a 90 foot bridge that is durable enough
to accommodate heavy-duty vehicles. Yep... That's right folks....
First Foot Bridge Made of Recycled Plastic Was Built
in Less Than 2 Weeks!
The project reuses 50 tonnes of plastic waste that was otherwise slated
for either local landfills or China, is that it won’t rust, it requires
very little maintenance, and not a drop a paint had to be applied to it.
Marking International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Racism undermines peace, security, justice and social
progress,”
Mr. Ban added. “It is a violation of human rights that tears at
individuals and rips apart the social fabric.” Also, Defeating racism,
tribalism, intolerance and all forms of discrimination will liberate us
all, victim and perpetrator alike.
We thank the ALP government and Telstra. We thank all involved in this
most
complex and progressive set of announcements because of what it means
to this
nations future here from the bush to cities, from Australia "anywhere"
to the world-----wide.
"The decision entrenches the structural separation of Telstra – and
paves the way for the NBN to increase its customer numbers sharply as
the roll-out continues. The government says splitting Telstra will also
temper its marker dominance, boosting competition and delivering lower
prices to consumers."
Turnbull responds to NBN's Mike Quigley on
timeframe for connecting 750,000 houses to the NBN
Problem: Contradictions.... The Labor Government is tightening up Australian law in areas that will have a direct impact on organisations such as WikiLeaks. Only the Greens are challenging the new bills in parliament, and they are receiving scant media attention. | Regarding China however....
I understand and agree with the government given China's
governmental role in Hacking, how this works... and their record
on Human Rights.... Trust is a central issue... I don't tust
China's record on Human Rights which is where Trust starts.
Transparency works two-ways... China government, it's legal system is
too big - closed when it comes to ... interests outside China.
Well argued reasons why "convergence" is a key to reviewing 1001 reasons why Australia's Media regulation needs to be updated.
"Sweeping changes to the Australian media have been proposed by the
government's Convergence Review Committee. Its 200-page report
recommends the government establish one regulatory body to oversee
journalistic standards across all media platforms and another to
regulate mergers and acquisitions."
When it comes to enforcing 50% Australian content, I support the
call on the same grounds as I do health and community development
policies as opposed to neo-liberal profit policies that look for the
cheapest most superficial production methods in most cases, which
unfortately actually contribute to a depletion of Australia's true
identity, and the national conversation that needs to explore the need
to strengthen Australia's cohesive elements. Be it Mining or Media....
you see the same as outcomewhen it comes to the reality of todays
society which is held ransom for the sake of multi-national and big
business profits. We do need balance and by demanding 50% local content
through media it is just one more way to ensure investment and jobs go
to local consumers over the current rort.
Without Consent: "What happens when young, educated, Australian-born girls are forced into unwanted marriages - often with relatives overseas?"
Very Important Story! The ramifications of this story spread wider then just one woman, man and their families.
I support Australia's call to stop "Forced Marriages" in Australia, by
law. The move will help free the way forward for many generations to
come... problem, it will take time.
Afghanistan,
a story on the daily situation for women, as Foreign Correspondent follows Noorjahan Akbar and
her friend Anita Haidary who have established an
organisation Young Women for
Change, dedicated to improving the lives and rights of Afghan women.
Very Hard Story - An IoS investigation: To the Chinese and the Indians,
the spoils of a terrible war
Shared risk means 'shared responsibility'.... a model where mutual
agreements side-track the usual a-typical profit value measure by
focusing all forms of 'real trade' on orthodox
principals. The books it could be said are brought back to the means of
exchange. It is considered a safe framework for investment, as
trade is based on the money value itself dropping many of the Wests
known add-ons such as 'interest, 'futures' and even 'insurance'.
Find more from
podcast.
A little of this, ethically mixed with that, could go a long way. Who
knows what things would look like in the next 50 years. ie: What is it
that the some serious Finance Gurus are saying to Wall Street Lobbyists
Question: Has Europe looked at some of
this?
Regarding the Australian home front:"Getting wealthier, feeling poorer"....
this article does not account for the factors that contribute to "job
insecurity", casual and part-time labor as well as other indicators
that are essential for a proper reading on "mobility" itself.
We,
throughout the world call the Syrian authorities to end the killings
immediately and to put a halt to human rights violations. SYRIA: Secretary Clinton
Intervention at the Friends of Syrian People Meeting
We women's organizations from a broad spectrum of political views demand
an end to the bombing and other tools of death,
and call for the immediate start of deliberations to talk peace and not
make war. The dance of death and destruction must come to an end. We
demand that war no longer be an option, nor violence a strategy,
nor killing an alternative. The society we want is one in which every
individual can lead a life of security - personal, economic, and social.
"If we care about the children, the grandchildren, the future
generations, we need to make sure that they do not become the cannon
fodder of the future....", said veteran journalist Helen Thomas
Africa
Support Human Rights
Watch's efforts to end tyranny. Find latest video "Tyranny Has a
Witness" here.
Other ways to give here....
Global Witness quits blood diamond scheme citing the scheme's failure
to break the link between diamond sales and violence.
Philippines: In the
southern hills of the island, lucrative mining projects backed by
foreign investors destroy forests and threaten indigenous tribes who
live off the land. How can the Philippines' government balance development with the interests of its people?
The
very Least we can do is learn about this issue. Sea Level Change and
Small Island States
No issue is more pressing for Small Island States then Sea Level Rise
and the recognition that their entire populations may in the not so
distant future have to relocate to mainland nations as "environmental
refugees" [a crude term], because of what their Islands face. SBS
takes us to life on Kiribati. From Copenhagen to now. Where is the
International concern. Who is failing their promises to these Small
Island States?
Are we naval Grazers or are we prepared to deal with the world as it
presents us all with the challenges ahead?
We have the information but what do we do about it?
SBS Dateline has done a series on E-WASTE. devastating story on illegal trading of
old computers and TVs from countries like Australia being found dumped
in impoverished Ghana. During part-2 Dateline calls the
government to
account.
E-Waste, toxic chemicals in the waste are slowly poisoning the
children... who work with no masks, gloves, shoes for virtually no real
pay. Find this Podcast and related links, do what
you can to shout against this immorality.
Eva Cox. Revisit Boyer Lectures 1995. "In
a civil society, we need to recognise the supreme importance of
social connections which include plenty of robust goodwill to sustain
difference and debate. This possibility exists within Australia today,
but we risk squandering it in our search for illusory economic
development. I want to question some too common assumptions, challenge
many beliefs seen as truths, and recast some old ideas which have
fallen out of fashion. I want to persuade those in high places to
recognise that we are social beings."
".... Without our social bases we cannot be fully human. Social capital
is as vital as language for human society.
We become vulnerable to social bankruptcy when our social connections
fail. If most of our experiences enhance our sense of trust and
mutuality, allowing us to feel valued and to value others, then social
capital increases."
Give me breath Eva Cox where she states rightly; "There is no
question in my mind that the intellectual belongs on the same side with
the weak and unrepresented"
and clapp here "Destroying the present in pursuit of an uncertain
future is not the way to go." [note her pointed discussion on
questioning what we mean by progress].Me too Eva [no one loves a
perpetual critic]. "I am trying to learn when to stop and how to move
on. So raising the issue of debate and dissent is a somewhat personal
exploration as well as a political intervention".
Do you believe in Civic society?"The term 'civil
offers
alternate paradigms to counter the current public policy assumptions
about competition and privatisation which are unravelling the social
fabric."As she says.... "We create the ways of acting which become the truly
civil society!"
Four
Corners - 'Great Barrier Grief' Queenslands natural
gas (LNG) industry is growing at a very fast rate. Reporter
Marian Wilkinson examines why the Federal
Government did not tell the World Heritage Committee in advance about
the planned port expansion, given the potential to impact on the
World
Heritage Area. "To
service the huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers and expand its
coal loading capacity, Gladstone Ports Corporation is now undertaking
the biggest dredging operation ever attempted inshore from the Great
Barrier Reef. Part of the spoil dredged up will be taken out to sea to
a dump site within one kilometre of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park."
Jerilderie Garden Project - Celebrations on
the first tomatoe in the garden. However without being too inpolite it seems it stops there?
Our finger print - Their journey? Where is the world on the two
sides of War? Amid
the heat of violence, terror and instability. At a time where
no training of the Afghan forces is near ready, and the government has
no way of transfering the US engagemnt to locals.... amid the
politics, poverty and scores reported with some printed of death,
Australia pushes a bilateral deal that could see Australia forcibly
repatriate failed asylum seekers, by sending them back to Afghanistan
with a policy that says it 'aims to protect lives'? The countries
receiving the largest number of Afghan asylum seeker claims were the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. When is a compromise of the rules between protection vs engagement acceptable?
When is humanitarian negotiation acceptable? Is it ever? What is meant today by 'humanitarian'? Podcast on Medecins
Sans Frontieres book, called "Humanitarian Negotiations Revealed". ||
Perspective from the forces. Military, their Services and Police. SBS
Insight brings you up close with people who have killed as part of
their job. Watch Online. Amid a international climate filled with controversy.... full of questions.
We ask... who is naive? Who doesn't understand the two sides of war and
the neglect of Human Rights, civilian rights... by Australia and its
involvement with world counter-parts.... at War. Australia's ''Prime
Minister has said she wants the facts on the table
- well, the facts show Australia takes very few asylum seekers, and
those that come are among the world's most desperate,'' said the
Greens' immigration spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young. And then there are the Moral Crimes toward women, in Afghanistan. "Human Rights Watch has found more than 400 Afghan women are in jail for so-called moral crimes.
These crimes can include running away from home, fleeing an abusive
husband or sex outside marriage." On this side of the world, Darwin
hospital struggling with asylum trauma, attempted suicide, and some
have to be admitted to the psychiatric ward. "The patients are sent back to exactly the same conditions that have caused their high level of psychiatric illness," AMA Territory president Paul Bauert said. Australia's ALP government says it wants to see fewer people in immigration detention
and believes their time there should be as short as possible... After
an investigation into Immigration Centres, Greens spokenwoman who chaired
the committiee Senator Hanson-Young said, a "90-day period is what medical professionals over and over again told this committee is the key benchmark by which people's mental health starts to deteriorate and, ASIO security risks 'deserve the right to appeal'.... Good News - Refugees get right of appeal against ASIO rulings... [this speak of "special cases" is disturbing given the history of non-transparencies so far!!]. See Lateline Friday. more "LACK OF CARE" at ground level is something Afghans are accusing Western powers of in Afghanistan, quoted someine on John Cleary, Sunday Nights [April 1st] program by someone who is close to what is occuring in Afghanistan.
Australia
is breaching international human rights law by detaining poor
Indonesian fishermen for an average of 161 days - 20 times the maximum for suspected
terrorists - before they are charged with people smuggling
offences. AFP slammed over long detentions -
Lawyers and human rights activists have slammed the Australian Federal
Police's detention of mainly young Indonesian boat crews without charge
for more than five months.
"Casualties in the War on People Smuggling".
We need to draw the line on Human Rights here. It is not correct that
we as an intelligent "developed" nation continue to target the wrong
people in the present focus of Australia's unfair immigration 'war on
asylum seekers' framework which burdens the wrong people at a costly
price to Australia and hits on villages dragging out their resources
into this dysfunctional crime net. Either
we stand on Millennium
Goals or we don't?
Controversial as it
is.... there is still more to consider on Australia's Immigration
policy. Find a interesting discussion with John
Menadue former Head of Immigration during 1980's under Fraser
Government whose view explains why 'The
Plight of Refugees is not a Political Opportunity' on
National Breakfast Friday. Interesting and directive. He credits
Malaysia for it efforts on Refugee's compared to Australia's
de-humanising treatment of these desperate people & explains why
the Governments focus on 'People Smugglers' misses the mark when it
comes to the bigger picture.*****
Smash all you want; it won't deter the people smugglers. Khalid
Koser argues "Prime Minister doesn't appear fully to understand the
model, and thus her Government's efforts to "smash" it are unlikely to
be effective."
As
Helen Clark UNDP advocates;
"In development, I say we're in the hope business, and I like being in
the hope business - there's always something practical you can do."
If
only.... "In the final episode of Meltdown, we hear about the sheikh
who says the crash never happened; a Wall Street king charged with
fraud; a congresswoman who wants to jail the bankers; and the world leaders who want a re-think of capitalism."
LABOR WOES - ALP long time observers - historian
Rodney Cavalier, politician Barry Jones and
journalist Paul Kelly - about how the Labor Party can recover
from the ugly 2012 leadership split. Good Discussion. Trumps to Paul
Kelly!
One of the under-reported consequences
of the Arab Spring is the massive displacement of people. Dr Khalid
Koser also discusses Syria's refugees and the fact that there are still
1 million people today in Syria from Iraq. Bruce Shapiro discusses various issues including
ongoing frustrated debate over Syria.
Exceptional interview with George Joffe
who outlines the complexity of power, past and future as we all look at
what is going in Syria and the Middle East at large.
Suu Kyi wins landmark seat in parliament: Interview with Robert Kaplan Stratfor's Geopolitical Analyst, on Late Night Live, "BURMA: LONG ROAD AHEAD" *****
Afghan returnees are targeted by their countrymen for having left their country says
Phil Glendenning Director, Edmund Rice Centre. This is because they are
seen to be favourable towards the West, and because they are falsely
held to have converted to Christianity. Phil Glendenning has recently
returned to Afghanistan to see how the returnees he met there several
years ago are faring. He says Australia has an obligation to reassess
those people's asylum applications, as many were not done adequately
the first time around. || Deportees to Afghanistan living in 'extreme danger' || Research uncovers grave dangers for deportees from Australia sent to Afghanistan.
Sand,
by Michael Welland. Imagine, Sand used to make computers,
windows, toothpaste, cosmetics... Sand has played a
dramatic role in human history, commerce, and begs our imagination. Audio interview with Michael
Welland.
Dirt pdf - Ch 1Dirt:
The Erosion of Civilizations,
by David R. Montgomery. The root of our existence, dirt supports our
feet, our farms, our cities. Today, slow but a recent rise of organic
and no-till farming gives hope for a new agricultural revolution
that might help avoid the fate of previous civilizations.
Embedded
in our need to tackle changing climate are
issues surrounding food security, shrinking resources and environmental
degradation. All are issues linked by one inescapable fact. "Geography on the Edge."
The increasing amount of dissolved carbon dioxide oceansis driving fish crazy. CO2 threatens fish's very
survival in
oceans. Some 2.3 billion tonnes of human CO2 emissions dissolve
into the oceans every year, home to fish and other species, altering
their chemical environment. Researchers say, "We've now established it
isn't simply the acidification of the oceans that is causing disruption
- as is the case with shellfish and plankton with chalky skeletons -
but the actual dissolved CO2 itself is damaging the fish's nervous
systems."
Beautiful Photos. Sometimes the only way to reflect a deep felt
prayer.
'Love is misunderstood to be an emotion; actually, it is a state of
awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and
others.'