Archived material from historical editions of The Generator
The Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ) welcomed the NSW government’s decision to proceed with BASIX but said not going ahead with its full commitment to introduce 40 pc for all residential buildings was disappointing. Dennis D’Arcy, ICANZ President said that while the decision takes a number of steps in the right direction, Continue Reading →
By Blaine Harden
The Washington Post
INDIANAPOLIS – Middle-class neighborhoods, long regarded as incubators for the American dream, are losing ground in cities across the country, shrinking at more than twice the rate of the middle class itself.
In their place, poor and rich neighborhoods are both on the rise, as cities and suburbs have become increasingly segregated by income, according to a Brookings Institution study released today. It found that as a share of all urban and suburban neighborhoods, middle-income neighborhoods in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas have declined from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 2000.
Widening income inequality in the United States has been well documented in recent years, but the Brookings analysis of census data uncovered a much more accelerated decline in communities that house the middle class. It far outpaced the seven percentage-point decline between 1970 and 2000 in the proportion of middle-income families living in and around cities.
http://thankyoult.live.radicaldesigns.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=1
BREAKING NEWS – Fort Lewis, Washington (June 22, 2006) – U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada reported to duty at 2:00 a.m. early this morning and refused orders to move to the adjacent McChord Air Force Base to prepare to fly to Iraq. Lt. Watada believes that the war and occupation in Iraq are illegal, and thus participation in the war is also illegal. At this time he has been restricted to base and has been ordered to have no communication with non-military personnel.
Lt. Watada’s attorney Eric Seitz said, “This morning Lt. Watada has been restricted to base without any actual charges or proper process. By placing a complete gag order on Lt. Watada, the military has again shown that their first concern is silencing Lt. Watada’s speech in opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. We will immediately challenge these highly questionable and improper restrictions." Mr. Seitz is currently the only non-military person authorized to have any contact with Lt. Watada.
By Claudia Parsons
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=915962006&format=print
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A play about an American human rights activist who died in the Gaza Strip will open in New York in October, six months after it was pulled from the schedule at another theatre amid charges of censorship.
"My Name is Rachel Corrie" is a one-woman show based on diaries and e-mails written by the 23-year-old U.S. rights campaigner killed by an Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003, trying to prevent demolition of a Palestinian building.
Belinda Robinson, the chief executive of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association said " First down the catwalk came the renewable energy sector – alluring and seductive. Then came hydrogen – very sexy – catching everyone’s imagination. Clean coal was next. Very retro – a modern twist on the comfortable and familiar quickly became Continue Reading →
George Williams, the Anthony Mason professor and director of the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at the University of NSW, commented on Coalition legislation passed this week, " Our democracy is diminished. The Senate has passed a law that is a significant step backwards for the electoral system. The law closes the electoral roll before many have had the chance to register, takes away the vote from prisoners and allows political parties to accept secret gifts and donations of up to $10,000", he wrote in the The Sydney Morning Herald, (23/6/2006), p. 15.
How to stop 420,000 people voting: "Before this law, when an election was called and a writ for the election issued, there was seven days before the close of the electoral roll. During this time people could join the roll to vote or change their enrolment details. The new law mews the roll will instead close at 8pm on the day the writ is issued, with people wanting to change their details given a further three days to do so. If a person is not on the electoral roll, they cannot vote.
Young people stopped from voting: "This premature closing of the rolls will disenfranchise thousands of Australians, especially young people, who in the past have joined the roll for the first time when an election is called. The Australian Electoral Commission says that during the seven-day period before the close of the rolls for the 2004 federal election, 423,000 people either enrolled for the first time or changed their address or other details. Of these, 78,908 enrolled for the first time and 78,494 re-enrolled. For many first-time voters it is the calling of an election and the media attention it attracts that has prompted them to join the electoral roll. It is difficult enough to encourage some Australians to take part in elections. It makes no sense to turn them away at the very time they are most motivated to take steps to vote."
The Sydney Morning Herald, 23/6/2006, p. 15
Source: Erisk Net