Sydney IMC

Gerry Georgatos
Sydney's Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA) held a rally outside the NSW state parliament in protest to the recent spate of perceived police brutality and to the five deaths in police custodial incidents in NSW.

Gerry Georgatos
Kabi Kabi Elder, and Bundaberg campus coordinator Nulloo Yumbah at Central Queensland University, Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian said she is devastated by the rising disenfranchisement of Aboriginal youth, and the world's highest suicide rates - of Australia's Aboriginal children.

"Across my desk came a study that reported 'the number of completed Indigenous suicides (in the Kimberley) last year exceeded the Australian Defence Force fatalities in Afghanistan'. I cannot comprehend this statement. It is too much," said Mrs Yavu-Kamu-Harathunian.

The death in custody of Roberto Curti at the hands of 6 NSW police officers early on Sunday 18 March 2012 is one that cannot be allowed to pass without a strong response.

Having watched the video of a part of the chase it is quite clear that the alleged “biscuits thief”, as he was described at the time of the chase, was running away from the 6 police officers and thus is proven to have not caused any danger to those officers. One officer is seen to be smashing his head against the frame of the shop window. There is no logical conclusion why he was then tasered in his back, THREE TIMES, as he staggered away. Also, it has been said that the victim had already been sprayed with capsicum spray and probably his eyes were burning, so he was running to get away from being sprayed again.
Sign the online petition calling for Justice for Roberto -- Solidarity Rally at the Brazilian Consulate Sydney April 2nd
Related:Footage of Tasering

On Thursday the 15th of March a massive 4 story squat in Ashfield Sydney was evicted by private security forces. For 3 inspiring and eventful months the building had been home to over 20 homeless students, workers and anarchists. The space had become a centre of anarchist organising and counter information, where many demos and actions were planned and countless zines, leaflets and posters were printed for mass distribution.
Inside the HQ people were able to collectivise their dreams and begin constructing the microcosm of a free society within the shell of an old building. Everyone involved in the space had equal say in how the space should be used and put a lot of time and effort in cleaning and fixing the place up. The squat was named after a large sign on the building labelling it “The Ideal Corporate HQ”

Gerry Georgatos

Former NSW premier, Bob Carr, autocratically selected by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, without it going to a vote of even the Cabinet, to fill the vacant Senate position meant Warren Mundine, who lobbied for the senatorial vacancy was overlooked - and who would have been the first ALP Aboriginal federal parliamentarian in the hundred year history of the party. The Prime Minister has publicly said that she values Mr Carr’s advice and that she has often consulted him on a range of issues.

By Gerry Georgatos
The Office of the Prime Minister continues to deny any involvement in sparking the Lobby restaurant incident - and their official spokesperson claims that Tony Hodges went rogue and acted alone. Two separate well placed sources in government and who are close to the Office of the Prime Minister have said that Mr Hodges did not act alone and that indeed the Office of the Prime Minister was extensively involved.

by hidup biasa An Indonesian activist website reports eight people killed, hundreds wounded, ten arrested and many hiding after a police attack on protesters demonstrating against a locally working mainly Australian gold mining company. hidup biasa says the attack was on the occupation of Sape port by thousands of residents of Lambu district, Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara, repressed and forcibly dispersed by police. The occupation, which had continued for five days, was by local people opposing the operations of PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara. The company is 95% owned by an Australian company called Arc Exploration, based in Chatswood, Sydney.

Related: Raw footage of police shooting into crowd -- ABC coverage of the shootings and protests | WALHI (FoE Indonesia) - Stop The Activity Of Mining & Slaughtering In Bima, Solidarity For Civilians Sby - Boediono Must Take Responsibility | Environmentalists call for Australian government to investigate massacre in Indonesia

In a landmark judgement concerning climate change, a judge in the NSW Land and Environment Court has given approval for the expansion of the Xstrata Ulan coal mine near Mudgee in Central western New South Wales, but conditional on the mine offsetting all of its greenhouse gas emissions generated in mining the coal.

Background: June 2011 - Legal Challenge to Xstrata Ulan Coal mine expansion

Report of the Resistance to the visit by US President to Canberra Thursday 17 November 2011 by Graeme Dunstan of Peacebus.com

Good to be standing for peace with friends outside the Parliament, while Obama was inside beating a drum for war in the Pacific. All in all it was an evocative witness, few in number, good in feeling and dramatically artful.

Related: Barack Obama & Julia Gillard: We accuse you of complicity in war crimes | Greenleft - Humphrey McQueen - Obama’s marines not welcome here | Photos from Peter Boyle | Darwin protest against Obama and bases | Christine Assange speaks at the Canberra Rally

Scientists have been studying the climate change impact on ice shelfs and glaciers for some time in Antarctica, and particularly around the Antarctic Peninsula where there is substantial warming occurring increasing ice shelf melt and the speed and discharge of glaciers. The most recent studies predict a faster retreat for the Thwaites Glacier and that warm ocean currents are already speeding the melting of the Pine Island Glacier and Ice Shelf and Getz Ice Shelf. A NASA Icebridge flight detected a major new rift in the Pine Island ice shelf on October 14 - the start of the calving of a massive iceberg. A recent paper in Nature Geoscience discusses the Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in a warming world and the likelihood of collapse that would raise sea level by more than three metres over the course of several centuries or less.

Related: Record Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2010 | The Wilkins ice Bridge collapsed in April 2009 as Polar regions felt the heat of climate change. I reported as far back as 2004 that warming in Antarctica was cause for concern with ocean food chain crashing due to Antarctic warming. More recently in April 2011 I discussed Penguin numbers suffering with krill decline due to Global Warming.

About 3000 people attended Occupy Sydney today. A camp was set up in Martin Place outside the Reserve Bank with people staying overnight. The atmosphere was peaceful and nonviolent. There was a related protest occurring in Sydney - Rally for Refugees outside the Sydney Town Hall which many people also attended.

Just before 10pm police started massing and then moved in taking down all tents and other structures. Tweets from @kateausburn from 10pm report that Police are removing tents Photo for #occupysydney at Martin Place. One activist U-locked himself to one of the garbage trucks, which then involved the police rescue squad having to remove the lock. Photo - Police removing neck lock. With police having impounded camping equipment and sleeping bags, they then backed off. A General meeting around 10.40pm voted to stay and continue the occupation over night.

Related: Occupy Sydney Website | Day 1 at Occupy Sydney Photos | Occupy Sydney Panorama Photos | Kate Ausburn Occupy Sydney photoset on flickr | More photos including of police action | Occupy events around Australia

I’m still riding a high from the IWD march now more than a week ago in my life. Marching along with a few thousand like minded people and being smiled at by pedestrians brings much joy. From the outset the energy was high, the celebration was just as important as the struggle for what we still confront to achieve Equality and Fairness for Women in this world we live in. I love the diversity of those who come to IWD, I love the different groups of women – our Indigenous sisters, those from other Nations, unionists, Lesbians, community groups, our elders of the feminist movement.

Australia Day on January 26th marks the day Europeans began their occupation of Aboriginal land. The process of occupation and colonisation has been a devastating one for the indigenous occupants of Australia. Mainstream Australia celebrated the day by proudly waving the flag on their cars, clothing or even draping themselves in the "Cronulla cape". Others were “relaxed and comfortable” as John Howard urged us years ago and attended bbq's or the beach. However many Australians attended events that called for justice for Indigenous Australia and to reject the idea that January 26th is a day that all Australians should “celebrate”. In Tasmania 400 people marched to demand a change to our national day. In Belgrave in Melbourne others attended a Survival Day concert. In Sydney hundreds marched in Redfern against the Intervention before attending the 2011 Yabun Festival. Hundreds also marched Brisbane at an invasion day rally.

Okay, climate change is now getting serious with global warming set to impact on the enjoyment of a nice strong cup of Assam tea or a good brew of Columbian coffee. Already the subtle flavors of Assam tea are starting to change. For the tea and coffee connoisseurs in the developed world we might find the price increasing on that skinny latte or cup of tea.

While we might bemoan subtle favor changes or price rises from the comfort of our street cafes and comfortable dwellings, the real hardship will be felt by the thousands of small growers in the developing world. Those who are dependent on tea or coffee as a major cash crop and boost to their local economies face the problems of increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns.

Coffee and Conservation | Oxfam Fairtrade coffee campaign | FairTrade Tea | Youtube videos: Two degrees up - Part One: Columbia | Sri Lanka Tea and Drought