As if they don’t own enough of the world already!
Make Property History!
Police evict aspaceoutside and the wake
by @ndy Friday November 17, 2006 at 10:23 PMHey folks! The police are currently in the process of evicting aspaceoutside and the wake squats!
G20 eh?
aspaceoutside is on the corner of johnston street and trennery crescent, abbotsford. the wake is on 170 sydney road, brunswick.
end the rot — squat the lot!
slackbastard.anarchobase.com
Treasurer urges peaceful protest
Dewi Cooke
The Age
November 16, 2006TREASURER Peter Costello has called for peaceful demonstrations at this weekend’s G20 meeting.
He urged protesters not to disrupt the meeting of finance ministers and central bankers at Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt Hotel.
“It’s perfectly legitimate to make your point on any of these issues, but the important thing is that they are non-violent,” he told Southern Cross radio. Up to 10,000 people are expected to protest against the meeting, which has been criticised for its “neo-liberal” agenda. Police said they had been talking to protest organisers and will be there to avoid the violence that erupted in 2000.
Mr Costello said: “There are some socialists, there are some anarchists, there are some people that want to disrupt world trade. What do you want the international footage to be of? People trying to disrupt world leaders or a warm, friendly, welcoming city?”
Er…
Following a very tired old script, the overpaid hacks in the corporate sector that abuse the term ‘journalist’ have been working overtime, busy providing a skeptical Australian public with an ideological framework within which the forms of police violence on riotous display in Melbourne six years ago — when repeated on the weekend — may receive political justification. One standard trope of such reportage, dating back to the late 1800s, is the presence of ‘foreign agitators’. Australians apparently require the presence of comrades from other islands to think, act and (who knows?) to even breathe and stand upright. Then it was a plane-load of British anarchists; now it’s “a dozen international activists considered potential trouble-makers”: the International Communist Conspiracy has obviously had to resort to some fairly savage budget cuts in the intervening period…
G-20 trouble-makers fly in
Michael Harvey, Mark Dunn and Matt Cunningham
Herald-Sun
November 17, 2006
POLICE will closely watch a dozen international activists considered potential trouble-makers at this weekend’s G20 summit.
But they don’t believe there is an increased threat of terrorism.
Several agitators are known to have flown to Melbourne from Europe and elsewhere to disrupt the summit.
“There is about a dozen who are very experienced organisers and co-ordinators of protests at international political summits,” a source said.
Treasurer Peter Costello, who will chair the meeting of the world’s most powerful bankers, confirmed intelligence reports that professional agitators were arriving in Melbourne.
“I say to them that we want this to be a successful summit,” he said.
“We do not like violence and disruption in Australia.”
Protesters are expected to stage sit-ins in the foyers of several big companies around the city today…
See also : The Corporation | Manufacturing Consent : Noam Chomsky & The Media
Sarah Ferguson
Village Voice
November 14, 2006
The last time I saw independent journalist and activist Brad Will was in September in an East Village yoga studio. I turned my head and found him lying on the mat next to me in the darkened room, his pale, flat stomach rising and falling serenely with the rhythm of his breathing. So on October 27, when I saw the photos posted on the Internet showing the 36-year-old Will’s mortally wounded body laid out on a street in Oaxaca, Mexico, I cringed. There was that same pale, flat stomach now punctured by a bullet.
Around the world, activists and friends who knew Will—and many people who didn’t—were having the same visceral reaction. Within hours of his shooting by plainclothes gunmen firing on a group of striking demonstrators, images of his murder ricocheted around the Web. There were photos of Will’s limp body being carried through the streets by frantic demonstrators screaming for help. Equally shocking were the pictures posted by El Universal and other Mexican media showing his alleged killers firing brazenly into the crowd, as if aiming at the cameras. The same gunmen who shot Will also wounded a photographer for the Mexico City daily Milenio, who was at Will’s side.
When images of the shooters aired on Mexican TV, viewers began phoning in to identify the gunmen. They have since been confirmed in the media as the police chief and two officers from Santa Lucia del Camino, the municipality where Will was shot, along with the town councillor for the state governing party, his chief of security, and the former head of a neighboring barrio.
Then came the most horrifying evidence of all: Will’s final videotape, uploaded on the Web the next day. In his zeal to capture the state-backed repression of the popular uprising that has rocked Oaxaca for the last five months, Will succeeded in recording his own murder.
Armed with an HD camera he had picked up on eBay, Will went to Oaxaca to document the broad-based movement of striking teachers, peasants, urban residents, and left-wing forces that had seized control of government offices and taken over the central square to demand the removal of governor Ulises Ruiz.
But by becoming the first American journalist killed in the unrest, Will became a pretext for Mexican president Vicente Fox to send in 4,000 federal police officers to put down the revolt, which Fox characterized as “radical groups, out of control,” who “had put at risk the peace of the citizenry.” Since then at least two more protesters have died in the heavy clashes with federal police, who stormed the barricades with tear gas and water cannons, and more than 80 demonstrators have been arrested as the federales continue to vie for control of the city…
Win, lose or draw, Jeff “The Snowman” Monson is a fuckin’ champ…
Monson Keeping Things in Perspective before the Big Fight
Thomas Gerbasi
[http://www.ufc.com]
November 13, 2006These days, each interview begins the same for Jeff Monson. Every one, without fail, starts with a question about the 11 inch height discrepancy between the 5’9″ Monson and his 6’8″ opponent this Saturday [November 18], UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. That can get tiring.
“Oh my God, I’m very tired,” he chuckles. “It’s the first question everybody asks. It’s like they have a sheet out and it’s the same question over and over.”
So. I guess I’ll have to re-phrase a bit. Is fighting an opponent close to a foot taller for the heavyweight championship much ado about nothing?
“No, it’s definitely something,” admits Monson, whose height hasn’t stopped him from compiling a pro MMA record of 24-5 that includes a 16 fight winning streak. “If he (Sylvia) didn’t use it to his advantage, then it wouldn’t be that big a deal, but he’s good at keeping people away and striking [at?] them, so it’s definitely a task, but it’s something where if I’m in tight, it could be to my advantage to be shorter.”
Then, if Monson can get inside and nullify Sylvia’s long distance striking, it’s anybody’s fight, since The Snowman‘s speed and world class grappling can then have a chance to be displayed. Have his advantages been ignored while Sylvia’s strengths are amplified?
“I think some people realize it and some people don’t,” said Monson. “It’s one of those things where who knows what’s gonna happen in a fight. I’ve just prepared well and I’m sure he’s prepared well, so I’ve just got to take the fight where my strengths are and I think the winner will be determined by where the fight plays out more.”
It’s a simple deduction, but then again, a lot of aspects of the fight game which seem complex can be boiled down to simpler terms when two fighters of a high level clash, and many times, the difference between winning and losing can come down to who ran the extra mile or who is on point mentally once the bell rings. In this case, it may come down to who had the better camp – Sylvia with Iowa’s famed MFS Elite squad, or Monson with Florida’s highly regarded American Top Team. Monson agrees that when it comes to his success, his training team plays a huge role.
“There’s really no secret,” he said, when asked how he’s been able to stay at a high level in a fickle sport like MMA and win 16 fights in a row. “It’s just hard work, forgetting about ego. I’m working with a great team in American Top Team, and I’m put in a position where I’m getting beat up, kicked, punched, or submitted in practice all the time, so it makes you better. That degree of skill and aptitude in the room just makes you better.”
Like most mixed martial artists, Monson is quick to deflect praise from himself while humbly giving credit to others for his success – something you rarely see in other sports, where it’s always ‘me, me, me’. In the culture of this sport though, it’s very team-oriented – despite the fact that the athletes compete alone – and even those who are fighting each other have an odd respect and camaraderie. It’s just another way the stereotypes of prizefighters are being shattered each time people get to interact with or listen to them.
Take Monson for example. As imposing as the tattooed heavyweight title challenger may appear, he is a holder of Master’s and BA degrees in Psychology, and is one of the most – if not the most – politically active athletes competing today. Yet his anti-war stance has drawn fire in the past, and even recently, Saturday’s opponent, Sylvia, told FoxSports.com‘s Dave Doyle, “He (Monson) disrespects our soldiers and our country and our President. I’ve been out to talk to soldiers and they deserve all the support they can get. I want to go out and teach this guy a lesson.”
Monson begs to differ though.
“Everyone knows I’m against the war, but hopefully I can win and use it as a platform to say let’s come together and support our troops in a way to get them home, and take care of one another and use our money for education and that type of thing, instead of necessarily bashing certain institutions or people in government,” he said. “I want to promote a positive message.”
And strangely enough, given the recent election results, Monson’s views may find wider acceptance now.
The angry electorate
According to the New York Times‘ exit polls, six in ten voters said their vote was based on national, not local, issues. The same percentage disapproved of the war in Iraq and said the war had not increased the security of the United States. Six in ten voters also disapproved of the way Congress was handling its job. Six in ten voters who described themselves as “independents” voted Democrat, while two-thirds said they were dissatisfied or angry with Republican leaders.
There was also a class component to the Democrats’ victories. About half of all voters said they had just enough money to continue at their present standard of living (otherwise known as living a paycheck or two away from poverty), while one-fifth said they were falling behind financially…
“I think people are more receptive to it, but the thing I think though is that a lot of times – and everybody’s different – if you have someone who goes to work for 40 hours a week, comes home, watches a little TV, puts the kids to bed, and all that, they probably want to hear a more positive message. I just want to send a message that we can do this thing ourselves. Let’s put the pressure on and get together, not to just focus on this one guy, but on the fact that we want our soldiers home. Let’s support them that way.”
It’s not what you usually expect from a pre-fight interview, but then again, that’s precisely the point that was made a few paragraphs back. These guys aren’t strictly about what happens during competition, and the various views and interests of each athlete in the sport is what makes it worth covering.
“I know the guys on my team are really smart individuals that have a lot of good things to say and I’m not talking about things in support of what I’m doing, because I haven’t talked to a lot of fighters about these issues,” said Monson. “But I know there are a lot of smart guys out there that have families and careers outside of fighting, and to be able to show that we’re not just gladiators or fighters out there entertaining is a good thing. We do have other parts of our lives that are important. So if I can contribute in some way to that, even in a little way, I think that’s good. I know a lot of guys are involved in charities as well, and there are a lot of standup guys. I have a friend with cancer and a lot of guys came forward out of the woodwork, signing shorts and offering support – guys I had never met, some I did know, and there was really a lot of support and it touched me and touched him. A lot of people don’t know that, and we’re real people and have real concerns and if I can contribute in some way to get the guys known as more than just fighters, then I’m all for that.”
The mainstream has responded, with Monson making a recent appearance in Rolling Stone magazine [the 2006 ‘Hot List’?!?] and appearing on a talk show with Audioslave‘s Tom Morello and System of A Down‘s Serj Tankian.
“It’s just part of the job really,” he said. “I do like talking to people and I’ve got to meet a lot of different people, and you get to talk about other things besides just fighting, which I like. So it’s been a good experience.”
Now all he has to do is win the UFC title on Saturday night and his journey will be complete. Or will it? Don’t bet on hearing that from Monson, who admits that he’s “never satisfied.”
“It means a lot, but a lot of it is what people put on it,” said Monson of winning the belt. “To be the UFC heavyweight champ would be a dream come true – it would be great, and it’s not just another fight, but in a way it is just another fight and it’s an event that I don’t want to lose. I can go to the NAGA and have four little matches against guys I don’t know, but I don’t want to lose there either. This is the same thing and I don’t want to lose and I’m gonna do everything I can to prevent that from happening because I can’t deal with losing. It’s big, but I try to keep it in perspective.”
Ask and ye shall receive: Rich businessmen and politicians have succeeded where poor environmentalists have failed, Government authorities yesterday (November 14) declaring — in preparation for the G20 meeting this weekend — the Melbourne CBD off-limits to (parked) cars (ABC; The Australian). Yet another reason to applaud the G20 — which, according to Peter Costello, seeks to eradicate poverty. On this subject, Costello (and Abbott) would do well to give serious consideration to the WTO’s recent proposals with regards grossly inefficient African workers. The new industrial relations regime — yesterday, as expected, given the official stamp of approval by the High Court — is certainly a step in the right direction, but it would be mistaken for The Man Who Will Never Be PM to rest on his WASP laurels, and making Australian workers more productive is — let’s face it — a never-ending and largely thankless task.
Well, apart from the large sums of filthy lucre.
A typical example of the dull, routine analysis which serves to obscure both fabulous wealth and the grinding poverty it depends on for its generation is provided by technocrat Tim Harcourt, ‘New world order comes to Melbourne’, The Age, November 15, 2006; some token acknowledgement of the death and destruction being crafted by neo-liberal forums such as the G20 may be found in a ‘Call for debt relief, financier [?] reform’, Andra Jackson, The Age, November 15, 2006.
Another party which cannot afford to rest on its laurels is Dr. James Saleam‘s Australia First Party. Following its success in Adelaide, the party party party has announced its candidate for the NSW state electorate of Cronulla: John Moffat. Like Bruce Preece, this is the second time Moffat has stood for the AFP, the last occasion being in March 2003. Then Moffat got 814 votes.
November 13, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WTO ANNOUNCES FORMALIZED SLAVERY MARKET FOR AFRICA
US Trade Representative to Africa, Governor of Nigeria Central Bank, weigh in at Wharton…
Philadelphia – At a Wharton Business School conference on business in Africa, World Trade Organization representative Hanniford Schmidt announced the creation of a WTO initiative for “full private stewardry of labor” for the parts of Africa that have been hardest hit by the 500 years of Africa’s free trade with the West.
The initiative will require Western companies doing business in some parts of Africa to own their workers outright. Schmidt recounted how private stewardship has been successfully applied to transport, power, water, traditional knowledge, and even the human genome. The WTO’s “full private stewardry” program will extend these successes to (re)privatize humans themselves.
“Full, untrammelled stewardry is the best available solution to African poverty, and the inevitable result of free-market theory,” Schmidt told more [than] 150 attendees. Schmidt acknowledged that the stewardry program was similar in many ways to slavery, but explained that just as “compassionate conservatism” has polished the rough edges on labor relations in industrialized countries, full stewardry, or “compassionate slavery,” could be a similar boon to developing ones.
The audience included Prof. Charles Soludo (Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria), Dr. Laurie Ann Agama (Director for African Affairs at the Office of the US Trade Representative), and other notables. Agama prefaced her remarks by thanking Schmidt for his macroscopic perspective, saying that the USTR view adds details to the WTO’s general approach. Nigerian Central Bank Governor Soludo also acknowledged the WTO proposal, though he did not seem to appreciate it as much as did Agama.
A system in which corporations own workers is the only free-market solution to African poverty, Schmidt said. “Today, in African factories, the only concern a company has for the worker is for his or her productive hours, and within his or her productive years,” he said. “As soon as AIDS or pregnancy hits–out the door. Get sick, get fired. If you extend the employer’s obligation to a 24/7, lifelong concern, you have an entirely different situation: get sick, get care. With each life valuable from start to finish, the AIDS scourge will be quickly contained via accords with drug manufacturers as a profitable investment in human stewardees. And educating a child for later might make more sense than working it to the bone right now.”
To prove that human stewardry can work, Schmidt cited a proposal by a free-market think tank to save whales by selling them. “Those who don’t like whaling can purchase rights to specific whales or groups of whales in order to stop those particular whales from getting whaled as much,” he explained. Similarly, the market in Third-World humans will “empower” caring First Worlders to help them, Schmidt said.
One conference attendee asked what incentive employers had to remain as stewards once their employees are too old to work or reproduce. Schmidt responded that a large new biotech market would answer that worry. He then reminded the audience that this was the only possible solution under free-market theory.
There were no other questions from the audience that took issue with Schmidt’s proposal.
During his talk, Schmidt outlined the three phases of Africa’s 500-year history of free trade with the West: slavery, colonialism, and post-colonial markets. Each time, he noted, the trade has brought tremendous wealth to the West but catastrophe to Africa, with poverty steadily deepening and ever more millions of dead. “So far there’s a pattern: Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. That’s why we’re so happy to announce this fourth phase for business between Africa and the West: good for business–GOOD for people.”
The conference took place on Saturday, November 11. The panel on which Schmidt spoke was entitled “Trade in Africa: Enhancing Relationships to Improve Net Worth.” Some of the other panels in the conference were entitled “Re-Branding Africa” and “Growing Africa’s Appetite.” Throughout the comments by Schmidt and his three co-panelists, which lasted 75 minutes, Schmidt’s stewardee, Thomas Bongani-Nkemdilim, remained standing at respectful attention off to the side.
“This is what free trade’s all about,” said Schmidt. “It’s about the freedom to buy and sell anything–even people.”
Weird shit.
‘Nationalist’ Australian clothing company True Blue Productions — which, while claiming to be “100% Aussie”, uses t-shirts manufactured overseas by Gildan Activewear* — is engaged in a guerilla advertising campaign called ‘The Great Australian Bikini March’. According to ‘Christine Hawkins’, “outraged Australian women and their male supporters will reassert Australian values by taking to the streets in a bikini march on… mosques on Saturday December 9, 2006”. In Melbourne, Christine claims that “the march will end at the Islamic Information & Support Centre of Australia in Brunswick, headquaters of Sheik Mohammed Omran“.
The march follows hot-on-the-heels of another attempt (by the same company) to cash-in on Sheik Hilaly‘s well-publicised comments likening women to ‘uncovered meat’:
‘Uncovered meat wear’
The Daily Terror
November 9, 2006WOMEN are being encouraged to “show the Sheik how things really are and Sheik your booty in this quality infidel clothing”.
An entrepreneurial Sydney man is cashing in on the controversy surrounding outspoken cleric Sheik Hilaly by flogging a range of “uncovered meat” t-shirts, aprons and g-strings.
Sold through US online site cafepress.com, the apparel [boasts] a pink cat embossed with the words “uncovered meat”.
Even if the event flops, which it will (who the hell wants to march to a mosque in a bikini?), it’s certain to draw attention to the fledgling business, contribute to economic growth, and be welcomed by all Right-thinking columnists.
Recent news on Gildan Activewear is available via the labour rights monitoring project the US-based Workers Rights Consortium: Final Update Report on Gildan Activewear (Honduras), 27 July, 2006 [PDF].
The Sun
November 11, 2006
The leader of Britain’s Communist Party has become a multi-millionaire — inheriting a £20.5 million painting that had been stolen by the Nazis.
Anita Halpin’s huge windfall came when Berlin Street Scene, by German artist Ernst Kirchner, was sold at auction.
It was snatched from the home of her German grandparents in 1936, but was returned to her as sole surviving heir under Nazi restitution laws.
Ms Halpin, 62, lives in Bow, East London. Asked how she would spend the cash, Ms Halpin, whose party believe in spreading wealth equally, said: “It’s too early to call — let’s leave it at that”.
The picture sold to New York’s Neue Galerie after frenzied bidding at Christie’s in Manhattan.
See also : ‘Communist chief joins the rich list with £20.5m for masterpiece’, The Times, November 10, 2006; ‘Comrades, fellow tankies, let’s not fall out over £20m’, The Sunday Times, November 12, 2006
This song tells the unlikely but true story of the good capitalist, Earl Scheib, and how through his business he helped the People and shared his wealth. It is widely believed that his mysterious death was at the hands of ruthless Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca, rumoured to be fearful of Comrade Scheib’s influence on both the Proletariat and contemporary U.S. economic theory.
Source : Liner notes, Killdozer, Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (Touch & Go, 1994)
Louder, slower! LOUDER, SLOWER!!!!! LOUDER, SLOWER!!!!! ROCK AND ROLL!!!!!
