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only few hours left for the execution of Teres Lewis

23-09-2010 18:08

Governor McDonnell denied Teresa's petition for clemency on September 17, 2010. Without your help, Teresa will die on September 23, 2010.
 http://www.saveteresalewis.org/

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Palestine Today 09 23 2010

23-09-2010 17:02

Audio
Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday September 23, 2010.

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BNP moves its “operations centre” into the South West - An Update

23-09-2010 16:01

The BNP is about to move it's media operation to the South West - to Stroud, Gloucestershire to be exact. But local opposition is mobilising to stop them...
Here's the story:
Community groups, trade union activists and political representatives are to stage a meeting called Say No To The BNP in Stroud following news that the party is moving its national media department to the Five Valleys.

The meeting will be held at The Space in Lansdown and organisers say they want to send out a message that the party is not welcome here.

Speakers will include former MP David Drew and district councillor John Marjoram (Green, Trinity), who has gathered more than 100 signatures on a letter protesting against the decision to open the publicity department at Unit 13 on the Salmon Springs Trading Estate between Stroud and Painswick.

Chris Moore, a member of the Stroud branch of the Socialist Party, who recently co-ordinated the town's Save Our Post Offices campaign, is organising the meeting.

"I was shocked and disgusted to hear the BNP was proposing to set up a national propaganda centre in Stroud," he said. "Maybe the party thinks it can get away with it, thinking Stroud is just a little town. But we have a long history of organising demonstrations and protesting."

British National Party leader Nick Griffin recently sent an email to supporters, which is available on the party's website, announcing details about the new centre for media and communications, which will also run party's website.

In a statement sent to the SNJ, a spokesman for the BNP said the party had been using space on the industrial estate as an office for the last two years.

"We have had departments or staff working out of our Stroud office for several years now with no fuss, hassle or grief at any time," he said. "We are utilising an existing office unit, refurbishing it and relaunching it as a campaigns and communications hub.

"Stroud is a beautiful location and we are happy with the surrounding area and amenities."

The Say No To The BNP in Stroud meeting is on Wednesday, September 29 at 7.30pm. All are welcome.


http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/2010/09/say-no-to-bnp-....html

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Shell to Sea Occupy Shell's Drill Rig For 12 Hours

23-09-2010 15:04

As a continuation of Rossport's Beat the Boreholes campaign, this Monday 20 September two protesters from the Rossport Solidarity Camp tied themselves to a drill on one of Shell's platforms, and remained up there stopping work for a total of 12 hours, from 7am to 7pm.

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Ethical reflections on the 9/11 controversy: The responsibility of the media

23-09-2010 13:31

While it is recognized that through the use of meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials the standard of excellence in evidenced-based medicine (EBM) stands alone on a pinnacle, there is nonetheless an evidence-based methodology that can be applied across the board in other decision-making areas. Though research into the events of 9/11 has not yet attained the rigor achieved by EBM, it is still possible to rank the research in this field according to evidence-based principles. This article explains the principles, points to sources that exemplify them, and argues the ethical obligation of librarians and journalists to advance those sources.

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2nd Objection to Minorca Opencast Application

23-09-2010 11:32

This press release outlines why MOPG are still mounting objections to the Minorca Application on economic grounds.

PR 80 23/9/10

 

UK COAL FAILTO RESPOND TO TWO MORE OBJECTIONS RAISED BY PROTESTORS ABOUT THE MINORCA OPENCAST APPLICATION

 

Activists opposed to UK Coal’s plans for an Opencast Mine between Measham and Swepstone have now published information about their second objection which challenges economic aspects of UK Coal’s original submission made in July 2009.

Under the heading ‘Economic Viability and Saleability’ MOPG reiterate a set of economic arguments which Wardle Armstrong, acting as Agents for UK Coal had put forwards. As these arguments have not been addressed in UK Coal’s supplementary set of papers published in July 2010, despite UK Coal’s claims that they have addressed objections raised by the Minorca Opencast Protest Group, they have now been resubmitted by MOPG.

In their original submission Wardle Armstrong made reference to a set of policies that justified the application gaining approval because the previous Government’s 2007 Energy White Paper, in paragraph 4.31 stated that

“Making the best use of UK energy resources, including coal reserves, where it is economically viable and environmentally acceptable to do so”.

In their 2nd set of objections submitted in December 2009, MOPG argued that no analysis had been undertaken that assessed whether, when taking all the economic costs falling on innocent third parties, the social economic costs of working the coal, had been taken into account, it was economic to extract Minorca’s coal. The application, it was claimed, lack an ‘economic viability’ test. UK Coal has not responded to this claim.

In addition, in the same document the December 2009 set of submissions, the Minorca Opencast Protest Group also argued that UK Coal had also argued that this coal was needed for blending purposes and that the coal needed to be blended to improve its ‘saleability’. MOPG argued that the real reason for blending was to reduce the average price at which coal was sold to Power Stations as surface mine coal is cheaper that deep mined coal.

In their latest September 2010 submission MOPG draw attention to the fact that UK Coal has failed to address both of these objections. MOPG also have submitted further evidence that Minorca’s coal may not be as saleable as first thought, since UK Coal has deliberately delayed starting working at the Potland Burn site County Durham and could sell a site in Scotland due to produce 600,000 tonnes, Blair House, as soon as they has gained planning permission . Neither action has, is seems, prevented UK Coal from honouring its agreements to provide coal to Power Generators.

Both sets of documents referred to can be downloaded from:

http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/mopgs-2010-set-of-objections-to.html

Steve Leary, speaking for MOPG said:

“This apparent lack of concern by UK Coal plc to address issues raised by MOPG seems to be a real attempt to sideline MOPG’s objections as being of no consequence. If it is meant to be a way of silencing criticism then it is ineffective. We have already stated that UK Coal did not reply to our concerns about Traffic. Now we can reveal that two other objections we raised that question economic aspects of the original application have also been ignored.

MOPG stands by these two objections and has resubmitted them. Back in December 2009 we provided evidence that there needed to be a test of economic viability undertaken to assess whether it was, or was not economic, to work this coal. UK Coal has not addressed this issue at all.

Secondly we claimed that the ‘saleability’ argument was really an argument about reducing the average price at which UK Coal can sell its coal. Again UK Coal made no comment on this in its new submission. We also question, in our new submission whether UK Coal actually need this coal since anyway in light of recent evidence that the Company has taken steps to reduce the quantity of coal it produces.

People must judge for themselves why, on the one hand UK Coal can claim to have addressed issues raised by MOPG and yet ignore legitimate issues raised by MOPG. Despite these attempts to reduce the significance of MOPG’s objections we will continue to press Leicestershire County Council to take account of our concerns and reject this Planning Application when it comes before the Development Control and Regulatory Board at its meeting on October 15th

 

                          END

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTACT:

STEVE LEARY, SPOKESPERSON, MOPG

 tel 05601 767981,  

                                                                                   email steve46leary@googlemail.com

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MOPG PLEASE GO TO:

 

http://www.mopg.co.uk  or

http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/minorca-protest.html

 



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Monday 1st November – Wikileaks & Rethink Afghanistan [2]

23-09-2010 11:30

Monday 4th October 2010, 8pm at the Cube Cinema, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Monday 1st November – Wikileaks & Rethink Afghanistan
8pm at the Cube Cinema, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Entry £3/£4 (but nobody refused entry for a lack of funds.)
The Afghan war grinds on and on with no end in sight. A brutal guerilla conflict set against the backdrop of regional power-plays and endemic corruption, the war has become a bitter pill in contrast to the original optimism that the fall of the Taliban was trumpeted with. Then in July this year the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks publishes thousands of pages of classified material that showed that the brutality, civilian death toll and confusion of the the conflict was far, far worse than NATO had been willing to admit.

Bristol Indymedia is please to have Dr Lee Salter (UWE) introducing the powerful documentary 'Rethink Afghanistan'. Dr Salter's talk will look at WikiLeaks and what this means for journalism, propaganda and the future of the war. Rethink Afghanistan examines the terrible costs of foreign military intervention and occupation in Afghanistan. The continuing application of purely military logic to complex political, social and developmental problems have extracted a catastrophic toll on the population.

Any understanding of the diverse local and tribal issues of Afghanistan and the Pakistani borderlands is distorted by the news-speak simplifications of 'Taliban' or 'Al-Qaeda'. Visiting Afghanistan himself and working with groups in the country engaged in the search for peaceful humanitarian resolutions to the tragic legacy of conflict in the country Greenwald’s documentary is powerful, articulate and emotive.

Including interviews with Afghan women’s groups, local charity and peace workers, ex-Mujahidin fighters, Soviet-era generals and Afghan politicians, this compelling documentary cuts through the bias and spin of mainstream media accounts to deliver a devastating indictment of the disastrous nine year military intervention.

http://www.bristol.indymedia.org
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Afghan_War_Diary,_2004-2010
http://rethinkafghanistan.com/

Venue: Cube Cinema: Dove St South (off Kings Square), Bristol
Map: http://microplex.cubecinema.com/cubewebsite/directions.html

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Monday 1st November – Wikileaks & Rethink Afghanistan [1]

23-09-2010 11:30

8pm at the Cube Cinema, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Monday 1st November – Wikileaks & Rethink Afghanistan
8pm at the Cube Cinema, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Entry £3/£4 (but nobody refused entry for a lack of funds.)
The Afghan war grinds on and on with no end in sight. A brutal guerilla conflict set against the backdrop of regional power-plays and endemic corruption, the war has become a bitter pill in contrast to the original optimism that the fall of the Taliban was trumpeted with. Then in July this year the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks publishes thousands of pages of classified material that showed that the brutality, civilian death toll and confusion of the the conflict was far, far worse than NATO had been willing to admit.

Bristol Indymedia is please to have Dr Lee Salter (UWE) introducing the powerful documentary 'Rethink Afghanistan'. Dr Salter's talk will look at WikiLeaks and what this means for journalism, propaganda and the future of the war. Rethink Afghanistan examines the terrible costs of foreign military intervention and occupation in Afghanistan. The continuing application of purely military logic to complex political, social and developmental problems have extracted a catastrophic toll on the population.

Any understanding of the diverse local and tribal issues of Afghanistan and the Pakistani borderlands is distorted by the news-speak simplifications of 'Taliban' or 'Al-Qaeda'. Visiting Afghanistan himself and working with groups in the country engaged in the search for peaceful humanitarian resolutions to the tragic legacy of conflict in the country Greenwald’s documentary is powerful, articulate and emotive.

Including interviews with Afghan women’s groups, local charity and peace workers, ex-Mujahidin fighters, Soviet-era generals and Afghan politicians, this compelling documentary cuts through the bias and spin of mainstream media accounts to deliver a devastating indictment of the disastrous nine year military intervention.

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Afghan_War_Diary,_2004-2010
http://rethinkafghanistan.com/

Venue: Cube Cinema: Dove St South (off Kings Square), Bristol
Map: http://microplex.cubecinema.com/cubewebsite/directions.html

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UK Coal fails to respond to two more Minorca Opencast Objections

23-09-2010 11:22

This press release outlines why MOPG are still mounting objections to the Minorca Application on economic grounds.

Full article | 2 comments

US led militarization of the European Union

23-09-2010 11:06

US missile shield over Europe (Times, 18 September 2009)
The NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal on November 19-20 will inaugurate a new NATO military doctrine for the next ten years. It will confirm the bloc as a 21st century expeditionary force without geographical or thematic limits, one which will seek any opportunity to intrude itself anywhere in the world under a multitude of subterfuges.

The summit will voice unanimous support for a U.S.-led interceptor missile system to cover all of Europe. It will maintain the position that American nuclear weapons must be kept on the continent for "deterrence" purposes. And it will authorize the subordination of nations from Britain to Poland and Bulgaria under a common American-dominated cyber defense structure for war in the "fifth battlespace," for "full-spectrum operations in a new domain."

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Reclaim The Streets - PARTY at the Tory Party Conference!

23-09-2010 10:43

Reclaim the streets and bring some noise to the Tory Toffs!

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Egyptians Reject Inheritance of Power

23-09-2010 09:26

Gamal Mubarak
Hundreds demonstrate in Egypt to oppose the succession of power by the son President Hosni Mubarak

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Around the Campaigns Thursday 23rd September 2010

23-09-2010 08:51

Yarl's Wood five update, Sheffield Family Campaign, Iraqi deportations, Vietnam, EDM

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"Manufacturing Dissent": the Anti-globalization Movement is Funded by the Corpor

23-09-2010 04:31

"How is the process of manufacturing dissent achieved?
Essentially by "funding dissent", namely by channelling financial resources from those who are the object of the protest movement to those who are involved in organizing the protest movement.
Co-optation is not limited to buying the favors of politicians. The economic elites --which control major foundations-- also oversee the funding of numerous NGOs and civil society organizations, which historically have been involved in the protest movement against the established economic and social order. The programs of many NGOs and people's movements rely heavily on both public as well as private funding agencies including the Ford, Rockefeller, McCarthy foundations, among others.
The anti-globalization movement is opposed to Wall Street and the Texas oil giants controlled by Rockefeller, et al. Yet the foundations and charities of Rockefeller et al will generously fund progressive anti-capitalist networks as well as environmentalists (opposed to Big Oil) with a view to ultimately overseeing and shaping their various activities."

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Benefit Gig for Jock Palfreeman

22-09-2010 23:51

A punk rock benefit gig for imprisoned anti-fascist Jock Palfreeman!
Bastard Squad Collective presents:

BRAINDEAD
Extremist skacore from Hamburg
www.myspace.com/braindeadshit

ANARCHO FOLKO
Bristol folk punk skalliwags
www.myspace.com/anarchofolko

AXIS OF
North Irish melodic punk
www.myspace.com/axisof

At The Plough, Kilburn Street, Easton.

£4 on the door. All funds go to imprisoned anti-fascist Jock Palfreeman (www.freejock.net).

Doors open at 8PM.


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Will we cast our vote for the French Revolution or for the Paris Commune?

22-09-2010 22:06

Barbarism is already worldwide; our Hobson's choice, as a meager possibility, is now either global socialism or human extinction.

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Bookie's boss laughs at animal cruelty

22-09-2010 20:06

Demonstrators outside Ladbroke's Monmore Green Stadium
Ladbrokes chief slammed by campaigners after conference jokes

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photos from no tesco demo

22-09-2010 19:10

photos from no tesco demo: rally outside council house
pedals pusher xx

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Urgent call out! English Defence League heading to US Embassy for Muslims vigil

22-09-2010 16:55

The racists and Islamophobes of the English Defence League are heading to the US Embassy at 24 Grosvenor Square right now to disrupt a Muslim vigil for Dr Aafia Saddiqui who is due to be sentenced this week under terrorism laws. Starts at 7pm which is when the EDL are also due to appear.