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Letter from the US: Chevron targetted by 'Summer Heat' protests
One year after a huge explosion and fire at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California, there was a demonstration of thousands of people directed against the oil giant on August 3.
Richmond is part of the sprawling San Francisco Bay Area, where I live.
A significant aspect of the action was that it brought together environmentalists from the Bay Area and nationally, and activists from the Richmond community.
PHOTO STORY: New York rallies against NSA spying, to 'Restore the Fourth'
A rally, titled '1984 Day' was held in New York on August 4 to protest the National Security Administration’s surveillance programs exposed by whistleblow Edward Snowden. It was organised by a group called Restore the Fourth, which campaigns to restore the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution that bans unjustified searches by state authorities. Photos by Edward Leavy.
Elections an opportunity to challenge racism, offer solutions
A great part of being a candidate for the federal elections is that people want to talk to you. They want to tell you what’s happening in their lives and they want to let you know their opinion on lots of different issues.
Recently I was invited to address an Electrical Trades Union branch meeting in Geelong, Victoria. After I’d had my say, some members told me they agreed with me.
Wollongong remembers the bombing of Hiroshima
About 40 people gathered in Wollongong on August 6 to commemorate the 68th Hiroshima Day.
The day marks the anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the United States in 1945. The bomb caused tremendous devastation and instantly killed between 70,000-80,000 people. By the year’s end the bomb had claimed 140,000 lives.
PHOTOS: Redfern rally for Trayvon Martin
The Koori community and supporters rallied on the historic Redfern Block in on August 3 to show their solidarity with Trayvon Martin, the young black man who was followed and shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida, and to oppose racism and racial profiling anywhere in the world.
The action was organised by Koori community activists Chris Bonney and Dan Munro. Bonney told Green Left WeeklyIt is 2013 and I don't want my children to grow up experiencing the racism all us Kooris experience today. It is not right in the United States and it is not right in Australia."
Mine details will do in the devil, say campaigners
Campaign group Save the Tarkine has condemned federal environment minister Mark Butler’s July 31 decision to approve an iron ore mine in the Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania’s northwest, saying it could guarantee the extinction of the Tasmanian devil.
The Tarkine is home to more than 60 rare and endangered animal and plant species. It is also home to the last remaining disease-free population of the Tasmanian devil. Since 2008, the devil has been listed as an endangered species.
Market myths and the inclusion of people with disabilities
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, now to be known as DisabilityCare, has become a central theme of Australia’s national debate. This is a tribute to the many thousands of people who have campaigned tirelessly for better support for and inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
Carlo's Corner: Climate's not an emergency, desperate people on boats is an emergency
I was very glad to read about the US military exercise that involved bombing the Great Barrier Reef, because let's face it, climate change is just taking too damn long to kill the thing.
Rally for Refugee Rights
Not PNG and not Nauru. Rally for Refugee Rights. Murray St. Mall.
Event date: Sat, 24/08/2013 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm Event time: Sat, 24/08/2013 - 1:00pmRally for Marriage Equality
Rally one week before the election to keep pressure on the politicians.
Stirling Gardens, cnr Barrack & St Georges Tce, Perth city.
Organised by Equal Love WA
Event date: Sat, 31/08/2013 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm Event time: Sat, 31/08/2013 - 1:00pmSam 4 Freo: Socialist Alliance Election Launch
Support the campaign to elect Sam Wainwright to the seat of Fremantle
Socialist Alliance election launch - all welcome
6:30pm Thurs 22 August
Hilton Community Centre
1 / 34 Paget Street, Hilton
Ph 9218 9608, 0413 976 638
Hosted by Sam Wainwright, Socialist Alliance candidate
Event date: Thu, 22/08/2013 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm Event time: Thu, 22/08/2013 - 6:30pmSocialist Alliance Pot Luck Dinner
6.30pm Sat August 17
Bring along your signature winter dish and pay $10
No time or inclination to cook: Pay $25
This is a fundraiser for the Socialist Alliance federal election campaign for the seat of Fremantle.
Drinks available by donation. All enquiries to Janet Parker: 0433 539 639.
NTEU WA Bluestocking Week Forum "Holding the Line: Women Leading in the Public Eye"
2013 has been a tumultuous period for gender politics. This makes Bluestocking Week an even more critical moment for women working in higher education. The necessity of resistance to sexism in public life has perhaps never been so pronounced and this year the theme is "Holding the Line", with the focus being on women in leadership, either through formal roles or through informal networks and channels.
Event date: Wed, 14/08/2013 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm Event time: Wed, 14/08/2013 - 5:30pmIran: Rouhani sweeps to victory
Iran's presidential election on June 14 resulted in a large victory for self-described moderate, Hassan Rouhani, who received 50.7% of the vote in the first round, a high enough vote to ensure a second round vote was unnecessary.
Rouhani's win led to celebrations in many cities across Iran, as his candidacy had picked up momentum during the campaign. There were big pro-Rouhani mobilisations ahead of the vote.
No irony in Snowden's bid for asylum in Ecuador, Venezuela, say experts
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden finally left Moscow's airport, where he had been stuck for weeks evading capture by the United States government, on August 1 after being granted political asylum for one year in Russia. Snowden had sought to apply for asylum in places such as Ecuador and Venezuela.
Uruguay moves to legalise pot, place gov't at centre of legal industry
Uruguay took a major step on July 31 towards becoming the first country in the world to put its government at the centre of a legal marijuana industry.
President Jose Mujica's Broad Front coalition narrowly squeezed the measure through the lower house of Congress after 13 hours of debate, with all 50 government deputies overriding the 46 opposition MPs present. The measure will now go to the senate, where it is expected to pass.
Israeli minister: 'I've killed lots of Arabs'
A member of Israel's cabinet has declared his backing for killing Palestinian prisoners, rather than bringing them to trial, 972mag.com reported on July 29.
The Huffington Post said on July 29 that Israel announced it would release 104 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the US-brokered plan to renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.
United States: New march on Washington against civil rights attacks
The 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march on Washington led by Martin Luther King Jr will take place on August 24.
In 1963, a quarter of a million people marched for jobs and freedom. They gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial where King got up to deliver his “I have a dream” speech.
A year later, in 1964, the US Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. It outlawed racial segregation in public places, introduced equal employment opportunities, and guaranteed the right to vote regardless of colour.
ALBA leaders push greater unity, social mov'ts at summit
Cuban Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura praised Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on July 31 for their fight against US imperialism.
Machado said greater Latin American integration was aiding development across the region during the closing session of the 12th summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in Ecuador. But he stressed that social movements should lead the charge.
Detroit bankruptcy takes aim at pensions
Detroit hit the Trifecta on July 18 — the third in a series of body blows that politicians have landed on the city’s working people.
The Michigan legislature passed “right-to-work” in December and gave the governor the right to impose “emergency managers” on cities two days later. When Detroit’s emergency manager Kevyn Orr announced Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, he was following a predicted trajectory that will lead to further impoverishment and privatisation.
