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UK Newswire Archive

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Police arresting homeless in Birmingham

19-08-2012 19:39

Today activists from Birmingham Food not Bombs saw a dramatic decrease in
the number of homeless people attending the weekly food distribution
outside the Radision hotel on Holloway circus roundabout. Turnout dropping
from 30-40 people to less than 10 within an week.

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Atos Games

19-08-2012 13:24

Disabled People Against Cuts and UK Uncut have called for a week of action against Atos. Calling for people to organise an event outside Atos Office at St Aldates

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DEMO @ South Africa embassy Monday 1pm

19-08-2012 11:52

Demo/picket at the South African High Commission (embassy) in solidarity with the Lonmin strikers. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

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EDL Thugs Return To Hebden Bridge

18-08-2012 17:38

Another fight

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The Lonmin Massacre: Statement from the Unemployed People's Movement

18-08-2012 14:01

Ayanda Kota, spokesperson for the Unemployed People's Movement, on the Lonmin Massacre.

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Emergency demo at Lonmin HQ 4pm today

18-08-2012 09:47

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION in solidarity with South African miners. SATURDAY 4pm - 6pm. Lonmin HQ, 4 Grosvenor Place London SW1X 7Y.

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Neuroliberation - challenging the gambling act 2005

18-08-2012 00:35

Neuroliberation is a new campaign which aims to challenge the gambling act 2005 and raise awareness of social manifestations caused by the deregulating of the gambling industry in the UK.

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Sun 19 Aug: Julian Assange to give public address from the Ecuadorian embassy

17-08-2012 21:42

2pm on Sunday, Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge, London.
Nearest tube Knightsbridge. The Embassy is round the back of Harrods.

Julian Assange will give a public address to his supporters.
Solidarity and support are now needed more than ever.

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Support Rahim, a hunger strike asylum seeker, who sewed his lips

17-08-2012 16:03

Rahim began a hunger strike, sewing his lips since 01-Aug-2012 as a result of rejection of his asylum case. He is calling for help, support and solidarity from his tent in Rosebury Avenue, opposite Amnesty International, London WC1X 0DW.

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Lonmin massacre: statement from Abahlali baseMjondolo

17-08-2012 13:52

Statement from South African grassroots movement Abahlali baseMjondolo on the Lonmin massacre, the political context to the killings, and solidarity actions called so far in Cape Town and Auckland, New Zealand.

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Open letter to Ecotricity regarding its meter reading contract with G4S

17-08-2012 13:45

Dear Ecotricity,

We are writing to you regarding your contract with G4S Utility Services, which provides you with meter reading services.

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LOCOG Olympic/ Paralympic Ticketing Fails Again

17-08-2012 12:55

Using the Olympic ticketing website run by monopolistic Ticketmaster (owned by Live Nation Entertainments in California) has been described as USABILITY HELL.

 

Article is a work in progress

Once again the Olympic / Paralympic tickedting system has FAILED to world-wide condemnation.

As remaining tickets for the Paralympics are released for sale intending purchasers have experienced a whole gamut of frustrations with what should have been a Rolls Royce - all signing - all dancing - user friendly system.

After all Live Nation / Ticketmaster / LOCOG has had SEVEN years to build the system. Instead it appears that the Olympics system has been cobbled together by amateurs without any real appreciaiton of the basic concepts of good online selling practices. And it is obvious that no-one 'stress tested' it. Actually did anyone test it at all? It appears not.

Indeed it has been opined by many web professionals and hapless users around the world that the Olympics ticketing system is not and never wasFIT FOR PURPOSE. 

Despite international condemnation when the Olympics tickets were on sale, there was two weeks between the Olympics and Paralympics. Yet even during this time NOTHING WAS DONE TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM. 

Links below are only a few of the websites describing the deficiencies of the system.

Also Google search Wiki using search terms "ticketmaster wiki" and "ticketmaster wiki talk" - the Olympics are not the only issues with this monopolistic organisation.

BTW Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood, California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010 it merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation was the organisation accused of dumping food and water at the Olympic BTLive Events in London. See separate Indymedia London article.

[In 2008] Ticketmaster has also been criticized from those who claim its fees are excessive, with forty British MPs signing an early day motion criticizing the company for overcharging and for the lack of transparency in its pricing structure - see link below.

How on earth did this company get the Olympic / Paralympic contract from LOCOG?

 

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Solidarity With The Lonmin Miners

17-08-2012 12:02

Stop Lonmin’s massacre of striking workers at Marikana, South Africa
For a general strike to end the Marikana massacre

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Free Pussy riot flash mob in brighton - (Russian Punk band who sang anti Putin s

17-08-2012 11:50

Free Pussy riot flash mob in brighton - (Russian Punk band who sang anti Putin song) )

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SMASH HLS! AstraZeneca Knock Out - diary of actions revealed

17-08-2012 10:45

ASTRAZENECA KNOCK OUT
::Week of Action::
Mon, 27th - Fri, 31st August

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'Secret' Badger Cull Organisers Exposed

17-08-2012 10:36

The 'secret' syndicates behind the badger cull trials in Gloucestershire and Somerset have been identified and can now be revealed.

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In US, Centers For Disease Control Calls Mad Cow and Mad Pig West Nile Virus

16-08-2012 23:24

The US government conspiracy of silence about Mad Cow and Mad Pig Disease in the United States continues.

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Walk towards a nuclear free future.

16-08-2012 20:55


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Anarchists Detained by Counter-Terrorist Police

16-08-2012 17:13

For the past week, thousands of anarchists from across the world have been converging in St.Imier, Switzerland to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Anarchist international.
On returning from the St Imier gathering, two anarchists, one a member of the UK Anarchist Federation, were detained for nearly two hours at Heathrow by SO15 (counter-terrorist) intelligence

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Live Nation Dumping Food at Olympics / Paralympics

16-08-2012 16:55

FOOD AND WATER BANNED FROM BTLIVE EVENTS FOR OLYMPICS / PARALYMPICS

Live Nation's profile on Twitter states:

"Live Nation is the future of the music business" - GHU!!

Live Nation Entertainments (based in California, USA) was given the contract to arrange the entertainment events at the London Olympics. They also own Ticketmaster which handled the ticket sales with a system that has been described by professional web designers as 'not fit for purpose.'

Over the last few weeks Live Nation have reportedly upset numerous members of the public with its draconian rules for attendance at events especially BTLive with the banning of ALL home-produced or shop-bought food, and ALSO water.

The photos of the signs surrounding the Live Nation compounds in Victoria Park and Hyde Park leave visitors in no doubt as to how welcome they will NOT be, and the numerous draconian rules that they will be subject to.

The many large bins can be clearly seen in the phots into which perfectly good food has to be dumped, and water bottles emptied. This is at a time when there are raging famines and starvation throughout the world in Africa, the USA and elsewhere.

The security staff have also been reported as abusing festival goers in bodily searching for prohibited items, and rifling though bags. In many cases non-professional DSLR cameras were prohibited, however owners were told that they could leave them at the entrance but that they would not get them returned. In one case on Twitter a woman was told to delete images from her camera.

Here are some tweets from Twitter that are circulating around the web:

===

R... T...‏@rt...

Not sure I'm @ best place 2b - #BTLive #London2012 site at Hyde Park; like a festival; raucous, popular & scuzzy rather than nice & boutique

A... L...‏@al...

#BTlive should be ashamed of themselves allowing vendors to charge such outrageous found & drink prices

A... B...‏@ab...

#BTLive fuming after encounter with heavy handed security n marketing scam. Been frisked, searched for water n food, asked to delete photos

n... k...‏@nl...

#btlive. Biggest scam ever. Security gone mad and shameless commercialism. I thought we are celebrating the Olympics. Thanks Boris.

Ö... Ö...‏@oo...

How come btlive is not allowing people to bring in food at Victoria park when you can take anything into the Olympic park?

J... H...@TopTVCameraman

#BTLive Your morons barred my wife from entry at Hyde Park as she had a DSLR. No measurement, just a thicko's guess, stopped her seeing it.

C... M‏@cm...

Can somebody explain why you aren't allowed liquids over 100ml into #BTlive?! It's not a bloody plane!

S... B...‏@SB...

Live Nation bans food & drink at BTLive events yet LOCOG allows reasonable amounts to be taken into Olmpic venues. Why the difference?

S... B...‏@SB...

@TopTVCameraman#BTLive - HydePark - banned from entering w. DSLR. Could leave @ entrance, but no I wouldn't get it back.

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