May 17
If the military-backed government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajia dissolved parliament, announced fresh elections and ordered a cease fire, the violence would end immediately and the Red Shirts would all go home.
Since the start of the latest bloody crackdown on May 13, the death toll in Bangkok, as of May 17, is 35, all civilians, except one air force personnel, all killed by the army. If you include the deaths from the April crack down, Abhisit is now responsible for 65 deaths with 1669 injured in order that his military-backed government can stay in power.
837
I have been selected as the Socialist Alliance federal election candidate for the seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne鈥檚 western suburbs. I have spent much of the last 13 years as a union activist here, working in the manufacturing industry.
This is the 鈥渞ust belt鈥 鈥 the old industrial heartland, and also one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the country.
As Tiger Woods returns to golf, not all his affairs are salacious headlines.
In Dubai, the Tiger Woods Golf Course is costing $100 million to build. Dubai relies on cheap Third World labour, as do certain consumer brands that have helped make Woods a billionaire.
Nike workers in Thailand wrote to Woods, expressing their 鈥渦tmost respect for your skill and perseverance as an athlete鈥 but pointing out that they would need to work 72,000 years 鈥渢o receive what you will earn from [your Nike] contract鈥.
Proportional, not preferential
The proposal by outgoing British PM Gordon Brown to have a referendum on the electoral system is fraught with danger for Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats.
Brown proposes a referendum on the British first-past-the post system and the Australian preferential vote system. A vote for the Australian system would be a death warrant for the Lib Dems.
Cuba provides the best conditions for motherhood among developing countries, Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2010 report has found.
The Times of India reported on May 5 that the report 鈥渆xamines 160 countries 鈥 43 developed and 117 developing ones 鈥 and analyses the best and worst places to be a mother based on 10 factors such as the educational status, health, economic circumstances of the mothers, as well as the basic well-being of children鈥.
In further moves to strengthen the state鈥檚 role in the economy, Venezuelan President Chavez announced on May 11 the creation of a publicly owned import-export company as part of a broader plan to combat 鈥渢he hegemony of the bourgeoisie鈥, speculation and inflation.
Despite price controls and a fixed exchange rate, inflation reached 25.1% in 2009 鈥 the highest in Latin America.
Central bank figures reported inflation climbed 5.2% in April (double that of March), bringing accumulated inflation for 2010 up to 11.3%.
One hundred people rallied in Brisbane Square on May 14 to commemorate Al Nakba 鈥斺 鈥渢he catastrophe鈥. Al Nakba took place on May 15, 1948, when Israeli forces drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians out of their lands, and consolidated the Jewish state.
A great dinner and cultural event was held on May 8 in Lidcombe in Sydney鈥檚 west, bringing together progressive migrant groups, Socialist Alliance and Greens members and 91自拍论坛 Weekly supporters.
A lively crowd of 120 people attended. Eight migrant groups were present. Food was donated by Cafe Rare Treats and the Australian Palestinian Cultural Centre.
Sudanese Communist Party member and Socialist Alliance Senate candidate, Soubhi Iskander, spoke about how refugees were being harmed and not helped by the ALP.
Photographer David Hoffman had his London home visited by British police on the day of the May 6 general elections. They forcibly removed a poster from his window featuring a photo of Conservative Party leader (and now prime minister) David Cameron and the word 鈥渨anker鈥, the British Guardian said on May 11.
Hoffman said police threatened him with arrest and handcuffed him during the visit, claiming the poster was 鈥渙ffensive campaign material鈥. Hoffman said police 鈥渨ent completely over the top鈥, the Guardian reported.
Labor Treasurer Wayne Swan鈥檚 third budget, delivered on May 11, continued the neoliberal austerity agenda of the previous Howard government. Delivered in the shadow of the Henry tax review, released by the government on May 2, Labor鈥檚 budget continues to grind away at social and environmental spending in the name of fiscal conservatism.
It鈥檚 another election year and we鈥檙e witnessing another round of racist fear-mongering. Along with refugees, Muslims are in the crosshairs once again and the Liberal/National Coalition opposition is trying to grab votes by playing on people's worst instincts.
On May 6, Liberal Senator and parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi called for a ban on the wearing of the burqa, after a case of armed robbery was committed by someone allegedly using the burqa as a disguise.
The hip-hop community in Arizona came together in a 鈥淣ot In My Backyard鈥 approach to protest the state鈥檚 new immigration law by remaking Public Enemy鈥檚 song, 鈥淏y the Time I Get to Arizona.鈥 A music video is soon to follow.
Hip-hop artists Queen YoNasDa, DJ John Blaze, Tajji Sharp, Yung Face, Mr Miranda, Ocean, Da'aron Anthony, AtlLas, Chino D, Nyhtee, Pennywise, Rich Rico, and Da Beast express multicultural perspectives on a law they collectively consider to be racial profiling.
- Page 1
- Next page