Category: World

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Power concedes nothing without a demand.

Josh sent me this quote, it came up in our conversation.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must pay for all they get. If we ever get free from all the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and, if needs be, by our lives, and the lives of others.

Here is the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass

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Dedicated to making New Zealand worse for people and better for OS Corporations!

Scoop: ACC clients ‘swamp-dwellers’ under new policy:

“The reports, prepared for the new ACC board last year, say ACC had ‘moved too far towards customer focus’ and needed to begin ‘tightening the gateway by reducing the level and costs of treatment provided – especially rationalising the range of services available’.

 “Perhaps the most disturbing example of the callous new approach however is the phrase used in the Morrison Low report to the ACC board which talks about the need to ‘significantly cut back to essential and core (services) – effectively draining the swamp,” Maryan Street says.

 “So ACC staff are now being encouraged to view ACC clients as swamp-dwellers? It’s not only offensive, it’s a very disturbing example of the type of culture now pervading ACC. “And what happens if staff fail to adopt the new ‘tough love’ approach (another phrase being used)? The reports make that clear. If they don’t turn down enough claim applications they will get the sack.

“One report says ‘there is a need for ACC to adopt more business/insurance-like behaviours…this may mean changes in the staffing and skills mix’ and ‘the introduction of stronger performance management mechanisms’.

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NSW Rivers in a State of Shock

This looks to be the most organised group I can find opposing the destruction of the Dharawal reserve.

Rivers SOS,
PO Box 73, Douglas Park,
NSW 2569
Enquiries to: riverssos@riverssos.com

Rivers SOS

NSW Rivers in a State of Shock Rivers SOS is an alliance of over 40 environmental and community groups concerned with the wrecking of rivers in New South Wales by mining operations.

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Someone hates Nature

This is on the South Coast Walk in the Royal National Park
From My Facebook (if it works!):
This is on the South Coast Walk in the Royal National Park, just South of Sydney. There must have been more than 5k of this grid. Why!! Ugly, unpleasant to walk on, expensive, and if it is there to prevent erosion, the rest of the 25K would have had heaps less with a bit of decent track marking and better drainage.

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Where is the People’s Internet?

The Future of Web Content – HTML5, Flash & Mobile Apps:

The recent introduction of the new Apple iPad has stirred the discussion over the future of web content and application runtime formats, and shone light onto the political and business battles emerging between Apple, Adobe and Google. These discussion are often highly polarized and irrational. My hope in this post is to help provide some balance and clarity onto this discussion.

My somewhat vitriolic comments follow

Continue reading “Where is the People’s Internet?”

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Woutertje Pieterse

My dutch name is Wouter.  I anglicised it myself in 1952, when I was about 8. I have been reflecting on how easily I made that transition to becoming a little Australian kid. On the one hand it was a good thing, I fitted in reasonably well. On the other I faked not being Dutch, I learned to cut off a whole other Dutch/Australian life. I built a wall dividing two cultures.

I was named after Woutertje Pieterse in a book by Multatuli. Researching that!  Here is an image of the character I was named after!

 

Van Gogh Museum – Jan Kruis tekent Woutertje Pieterse:  (DEAD LINK)

Het Van Gogh Museum toont de originele schilderijen en tekeningen die striptekenaar Jan Kruis vervaardigde voor de geïllustreerde versie van Multatuli’s Woutertje Pieterse. Aanleiding voor deze tentoonstelling is de presentatie van dit boek, uitgegeven door De Bezige Bij.

Woutertje Pieterse gaat over de onbevangen, maar onbegrepen Woutertje die opgroeit in een kleinburgerlijk 19de-eeuws milieu in Amsterdam. Als hij leest over de roverhoofdman Glorioso en van zijn leraar, Meester Pennewip, de opdracht krijgt een gedicht te maken, wordt hij geïnspireerd tot het Rooverslied. De inhoud daarvan schokt zijn familie en kennissen hevig. Met vele andere levendige gebeurtenissen en treffende personages geeft Multatuli zo een mild-satirische beeld van het bekrompen 19de-eeuwse burgerdom. Tegelijkertijd schetst hij een boeiend psychologisch portret van een kind, iets dat in zijn tijd uniek was.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multatuli

 

Eduard Douwes Dekker - 001.jpg

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Dharawal State Conservation Area

Further info re previous post:  I hope the National Parks and Wildlife Service has some clout and can be effective to stop coal mining in this area.

DECC | Dharawal State Conservation Area:

A beautiful and distinctive network of creeks, including the ecologically important O’Hares Creek catchment, make Dharawal a special place to visit. Swim in the peaceful creeks and rock pools, enjoy the superb waterfalls, or ride your mountain bike on signposted trails in the park. Birdwatchers will love the prolific bird life.

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Mining threat: Dharawal land and rock art

Sharyn Cullis the secretary of the Georges River environmental alliance (left) and Pat Durman an executive member of the National Parks Association (NPA) Macarthur branch (right) swims in O'Hares Creek, at a swimming spot called Cobong in the Dharawal State Conservation area

Among the state’s cleanest creeks … Sharyn Cullis and Pat Durman swim in O’Hares Creek in the Dharawal State Conservation Area. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Preposterous that coal mining could destroy this region!

This pool is just like the one where spent the endless summers of my childhood, Heathcote Creek, a tributary of the Woronora River, like O’Hare’s Creek a tributary of the George’s River. I am only recently learning about the Dharawal aboriginal people who are connected to this land.

I am reading: Rivers and Resilience: Aboriginal People on Sydney’s George River (I’ll post more later about that book)

I am outraged by the proposals to destroy these areas. This must be stopped. I hope that there is a massive opposition to these offensive plans. Please comment if you know of petitions, or campaigns.

Mining ‘threat to swamps and rock art’:

Resistance is growing to coalmine plans, writes Ben Cubby.

Full article from the SMH follows:
Continue reading “Mining threat: Dharawal land and rock art”

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The Kidnapping of Haiti

On Radio New Zealand news today there was a report of violence in the street and looting in Haiti, they made it sound as if the Haitians were the problem, gang violence, terrorism even, and the US were there to help. I know this is pure twisted reporting, part of an empire building strategy that we get such news. But it is so easy to sound like a conspiracy theorist, even to myself.

Then, the following items bring a more sane perspective:
I listened to:

Democracy Now

This daily report is so valuable, and essential listening IMO for anyone wanting to know what’s happening in the world. Just excellent journalism.

I listened to Cameron Reilly doing a useful synopsis of

Haiti’s history

Looks like he will have more Podcasts coming on this theme.

I like Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine site.

Am editing this post – Monday, 8 February, 2010 – to add this link from socialistworker.org – jus reading it makes it clear how Orwellian the neoliberal language for imperialism is: re-construction, healing, reform. Yeah Right!

The “shock doctrine” for Haiti | SocialistWorker.org:

With its intervention in Haiti, the U.S. is sending a signal to the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean–where masses of people have rejected neoliberalism and elected reform socialist leaders like Hugo Chávez, who aim to tame the excesses of capitalism and pass reforms to address social needs.

and read this Pilger item:

ITV – John Pilger – The kidnapping of Haiti:

The theft of Haiti has been swift and crude. On 22 January, the United States secured “formal approval” from the United Nations to take over all air and sea ports in Haiti, and to “secure” roads. No Haitian signed the agreement, which has no basis in law. Power rules in an American naval blockade and the arrival of 13,000 marines, special forces, spooks and mercenaries, none with humanitarian relief training.

The airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is now an American military base and relief flights have been re-routed to the Dominican Republic. All flights stopped for three hours for the arrival of Hillary Clinton. Critically injured Haitians waited unaided as 800 American residents in Haiti were fed, watered and evacuated. Six days passed before the US Air Force dropped bottled water to people suffering thirst and dehydration.

Full item follows
Continue reading “The Kidnapping of Haiti”

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