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The Generator news service publishes articles on sustainable development, agriculture and energy as well as observations on current affairs. The news service is used on the weekly radio show, The Generator, as well as by a number of monthly and quarterly magazines. A podcast of the Generator news is also available.
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    Make the call for Bulga

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    John Krey, Bulga savebulga@fastmail.fm via sendgrid.info 
    9:41 AM (8 minutes ago)
    to me
    Neville —

    Rob Stokes may only have a few weeks left to intervene and stop the Warkworth coal mine expansion getting approved, or it will be too late. Can you give the Planning Minister a call now and ask him to save Bulga?

    My community has already beaten Rio Tinto’s proposed coal mine in court, twice. The judges found that it would be against the public interest for the mine to go ahead. It would kill our town, Bulga, and it would destroy an irreplaceable endangered bush ecosystem. But after our win in court, the NSW Government changed mine approval rules to make money trump the public interest. Then Rio Tinto resubmitted their mining application. Because of the unfair new rules, Rio’s new application is expected to be approved.

    The new Planning Minister, Rob Stokes, has indicated publicly that he thinks balance should be restored to mining assessments. But unless he acts soon, it will be too late, and the Warkworth coal mine expansion will be approved. Time is running out, can you pick up the phone today and urge Rob Stokes to save Bulga? Click here to get his phone number and some dot points to help you make your call.

    There’s a lot going on at the moment, and lots of ways you can get involved in the campaign to save our town from Rio’s coal mine:

    • Check out this great new video featuring one of the heroes of Bulga, AnneMarie McLaughlin. Share AnneMarie’s story on Facebook, and spread the word about our great community and our determination to beat Rio Tinto.
    • The Bulga Beats Festival is coming up on 20th June! It’s an exciting locally-organised event to celebrate our community, from the heritage Church to the wondrous mountains of the Wollemi National Park. The festival will showcase local music and arts, plus there’ll be vintage cars, market stalls, and food. This is your chance to be part of the epic battle to save Bulga… and have a fantastic time!
    • The NSW Planning Assessment Commission is accepting more public submissions about Rio’s proposed mine expansion. Please use this quick and easy guide to register your objection (again).

    Thanks for taking a stand with Bulga as we fight for justice and our community’s future. We can’t win this fight on our own.

    Sincerely,
    John Krey
    Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association

  • The Courier Mail says you “waged a jihad against Queensland”

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    The Courier Mail says you “waged a jihad against Queensland”

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    Sam R – GetUp!
    4:38 PM (1 hour ago)
    to me
    This is unbelievable, NEVILLE.

    In an extraordinary attack yesterday, the Courier Mail named GetUp amongst the “kings of deceit and lies” with “cult-like zealotry” for our efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.1

    It’s part of the Murdoch press’ ongoing transparent and desperate bid to convince investors to finance Adani’s huge new coal expansion on the Reef coast.

    On Friday the UNESCO World Heritage Committee handed down it’s report card for the Reef. Althought the Reef wasn’t classified as ‘in-danger’, it’s so far from the “clean bill of health” the Courier Mail writes of. UNESCO makes clear the Reef’s health is poor, and declining because of climate change, water quality and coastal development.2

    Simply put, the Murdoch press is trying to hijack UNESCO’s report and mislead investors to believe the Abbot Point coal terminal will be harmless for the Reef.

    With the Courier Mail in all-out attack mode, there’s a real threat they will convince key investors to fund Abbot Point and the devastating destruction it will cause.

    We can’t let them get away with it.

    We’ve designed a huge full-page ad with UNESCO’s own words to run in the financial press to set the record straight. Can you chip in to run the ad as soon as possible?

    The Courier Mail and Enviornment Minister Greg Hunt seem to be conveniently forgetting that the report names “climate change, poor water quality and impacts from coastal development” as major threats to our Reef.

    Climate change. Water quality. Coastal development. Doesn’t sound like much of a reason to dredge in Reef waters so hundreds of ships can load coal from a huge port on the Reef coast to make way for Australia’s biggest coal mine, does it?

    But if the Murdoch press and Minister Hunt get their way, key investors could believe that all is well with the Reef, taking the Abbot Point disaster one step closer to devastating our Reef and climate.

    We know Minister Hunt is desperate to control this message. That’s why he spent over $100,000 travelling to 15 countries to plead with UNESCO delegates not to list the Reef as ‘in-danger’.

    But we can fight back against the Government and Murdoch’s spin by using our combined power to run a powerful message targeting key investors.

    Click here to see the design and chip-in so we can run this ad in Australia’s financial press: https://www.getup.org.au/unesco

    Together we’ve fought so hard to protect the Reef from Abbot Point and Adani. We’ve funded legal challenges, exposed Adani’s track record, we’ve challenged three Environment Ministers and we’ve changed the course of a State Election. Now, we’re up against an angry Murdoch press.

    Let’s do this.

    Sam R and Adam – for the GetUp team

    [1] Editorial: The green movement’s role in the sorry Reef debacle exposes them as frauds, Courier Mail, May 31st 2015
    [2] Great Barrier Reef kept off UNESCO ‘danger’ list for now, Reuters, May 29th 2015

  • Consumption and Consumerism — Global Issues

    1. Consumption and Consumerism — Global Issues

      This section on the globalissues.org web site provides an insight into deeper issues of consumption and consumerism. … societal and life-style factors all have an …

  • The John James Newsletter 62

    3 of 28

     

    The John James Newsletter 62

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    John James
    		2:31 AM (6 hours ago)

    The John James Newsletter 62
    30 May 2015– Positano

    If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hearGeorge Orwell

    Stupid Australia: Brain drain leaves economy less able to competeThe country that brought you refrigerators, black-box flight recorders, bionic ears and Wi-Fi will cut its research budget by 7 per cent over the next 12 months, and another 10 per cent in the following three years. At the same time it’s offering tax cuts and write-offs in its budget this month for small firms to buy equipment like espresso machines and lawnmowers as the centerpiece of a plan to build a ‘stronger and more prosperous Australia’.http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/stupid-australia-brain-drain-leaves-economy-less-able-to-compete-51750
    “Rebuilding America’s Defenses”An influential policy document outlines a plan for American hegemony, pinpointing “problem areas” of the world and suggesting regime change of unfavourable governments so that eventually the whole world will be unified under the banner of American democracy.http://newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf. Failure of the US coup d’État in MacedoniaMacedonia has just neutralised an armed group whose sponsors had been under surveillance for at least eight months. This has prevented an attempted coup, planned by Washington for the 17th of May. The aim was to spread the chaos already infecting Ukraine into Macedonia in order to stall the passage of a Russian gas pipeline to the EU.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41969.htm A Revolution For MacedoniaThe National Endowment for Democracy (US) funds NGOs in countries targeted by Washington for political destabilisation who then develop cadres of idealistic students and disgruntled politicians and set them against the existing government. Washington spent $5 billion in Ukraine grooming politicians and creating NGOs so that when Viktor Yanukovich refused to align Ukraine with Washington’s interests, Washington unleashed its Fifth Columns, and Yanukovich’s government was overthrown with violence. Now the same fate may be in store for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgystan, and (for the moment) Macedonia.http://www.countercurrents.org/roberts230515.htm
    What if Putin is Telling the Truth?Russian intelligence has known for almost two decades that the terror in Chechnya and in the Caucasus in the early 1990’s was actively backed by the CIA to destroy Russia as a functioning sovereign state. Today this agenda has been expanded to the neo-nazi coup in Ukraine and financial sanctions.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41886.htm
    Happiness is Having Own Submarine-launched Ballistic MissilePyongyang’s nukes have always been to ward off a US-South Korean invasion – an operation that the two allies practice every fall, producing violent tantrums from Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un knows Iraq and Libya would not have been invaded if they had had nuclear weapons. The Kim dynasty’s days would be numbered without them.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41881.htm
    Is the US planning a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident in the South China Sea?The historic parallels are chilling.https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/05/18/pers-m18.html An already tense and dangerous situation in the South China Sea threatens to become even worse as the US considers plans to initiate systematic military patrols in that volatile area. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-about-make-fatal-mistake-the-south-china-sea-12905 US Bombers to Australia??Washington would “be placing additional air force assets in Australia, including B-1 bombers and surveillance aircraft. We will have a very strong presence throughout the region to back our commitments to our allies, to protect our diplomacy on the South China Sea.”http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41892.htm  One more Unintended Consequence of US interference in the Ukraine and the SpratleysChina rapidly upgrading nuclear arsenal with MIRVed missilesThe move comes decades after Beijing acquired the technology, indicating a strategy change.http://rt.com/news/259417-china-mirv-missile-upgrade/
    Fossil fuels subsidised by $10m a minuteThe IMF calls the revelation “shocking” and says the figure is “extremely robust”. The $5.3tn subsidy estimated for 2015 is greater than the total health spending of all the world’s governments.http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/18/fossil-fuel-companies-getting-10m-a-minute-in-subsidies-says-imf?CMP=share_btn_tw
    As Iran forswears the Bomb the Saudis get it. As the Saudis “Promise to Match Iran’s Nuclear Power” who then steps in to protect Iran? Russia? China? Treaties of support will tie this up and, as in 1914, war is possible. Saudis May Purchase Pakistani Atomic Bomb“Nuclear weapons programs are extremely expensive and there’s no question that a lot of the funding of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program was provided by Saudi Arabia,”http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41890.htm Intelligence agents and diplomats have claimed Riyadh has had nuclear weapons since 1998 kept in a secret underground compound several miles from Riyadh capital.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41850.htm Nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery Saudi Arabia ‘can get nuclear weapons from Pakistan’: Nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for deliverhttp://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-can-get-nuclear-weapons-from-pakistan-1.1252773
    France Declares All New Rooftops Must Be Topped With Plants Or Solar PanelsGreen roofs, as they are called, have an isolating effect which helps to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building during the winter or cool it in the summer. They are capable of retaining rainwater and reducing problems with runoff, and also offer birds a place to call home in the urban jungle.http://csglobe.com/france-declares-all-new-rooftops-must-be-topped-with-plants-or-solar-panels
    Green power success stories take the wind out of Tony AbbottGermany, the world leader in installing renewable energy, was producing so much electricity from solar, wind and biomass that more than half of the country’s electricity was flowing from these renewable sources. There was so much that the price of electricity fell to zero, and kept falling until it went negative. There were times on April 17 when wholesale electricity in Germany was selling for minus 14.91 euros for a megawatt hour. So it wasn’t free – it was cheaper than free.http://www.smh.com.au/comment/green-power-success-stories-take-the-wind-out-of-tony-abbott-20150526-gh9bd6
    Huge Insurance Company Cites Climate Change As Reason For Divesting From CoalLast year, AXA paid over €1 billion globally in weather-related insurance claims, citing climate change as a “core business issue”.  “The facts are undeniable. If we think we can live in a world where temperatures would have increased by more than 2C we’re fooling ourselves,” http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3662053/axa-insurance-coal-divestment/
    Formaldehyde is just one of 62,000 chemicals that Congress exempted from testing. Only 250 have been tested since.http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2015/04/how-american-industry-skips-some-chemical-safety-checkshttp://www.foreffectivegov.org/node/13411 EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIPUS trade officials pushed EU to shelve action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/22/eu-dropped-pesticide-laws-due-to-us-pressure-over-ttip-documents-reveal?CMP=ema_565
    Gaza economy ‘on verge of collapse’, with world’s highest unemploymentWorld Bank report says Israeli blockades and war and damaged governance have left 43% of people out of work and the strip facing dangerous financial crisis. The current market in Gaza is not able to offer jobs, leaving a large population in despair, particularly the youth. Of the $3.5bn pledged by the international community for Gaza’s reconstruction, just $1bn, has been disbursed so far.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/gazas-economy-on-verge-of-collapse-jobless-rate-highest-in-world-israel Which Countries Are Failing To Deliver Gaza Aid?Qatar has delivered just 10 percent of the $1 billion it promised, while Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait between them have handed over just over $50 million of the $900 million they pledged,http://www.countercurrents.org/slemrod220515.htm
    ‘Disaster after disaster’ hits Marshall Islands as climate change kicks inThree-part series examining the effects of climate change on the Marshall Islands and what is being done to adapt.http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/18/disaster-after-disaster-in-low-lying-marshall-islands.html
    Mapping the migrant crisisHow did thousands of Asian migrants come to be stranded at sea with nowhere to go?http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/18/southeast-asias-migrant-crisis-explained-in-maps-rohingya-boats/
    Megadeath Until 2008, conservationists appeared to be winning. But in that year the number of rhinos killed in South Africa rose (from 13 in 2007) to 83. By 2011, the horrible tally had risen to 448. It climbed to 668 in 2012, 1004 in 2013 and 1215 in 2014. In the first four months of this year, 393 rhinos have been killed, which is 18% more than in the same period last year.http://www.monbiot.com/2015/05/22/megadeath/
    An American-Made Army in Africa the most interesting part of this article is the later analysis of the Sudan situation and its causes in foreign interference.http://www.countercurrents.org/turse180515.htm
    Brutal truths about ISIL victoriesThe fight against ISIL is in many ways a fight between the idea of a nation state and the idea of a revolutionary ideological empire. Lessons learned about the intrinsic strengths of revolutionary insurgencies in comparison with the strengths of conventional armies are not being applied. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/iraq-truths-isil-victories-ramadi-150519050240243.html Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi defeatDefense Secretary Ash Carter said the Iraq forces lost their will to fight, despite the fact they “vastly outnumbered the opposing force.” ISIL captured Ramadi on May 17 with 1,000 fighters and are now reinforcing those forces from the west.http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/26/iraq-army-held-advantage-during-ramadi-defeat-sources.html
    48 Countries March Against MonsantoGlobal anti-Monsanto protests have been spurred by a recent WHO warning that the company’s signature herbicide “probably” causes cancer. Tens of thousands of activists rallied in more than 400 cities across the world Saturday to protest. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/48-Countries-March-Against-Monsanto-20150523-0010.html andhttp://fracturedparadigm.com/2013/04/02/boycott-monsanto-a-simple-list-of-companies-to-avoid/#axzz3bFcytGbU

    to John

  • A Call to Prayer for the Rohingyan Refugees

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    A Call to Prayer for the Rohingyan Refugees

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    Tim – Common Grace <info@commongrace.org.au>
    8:30 PM (5 minutes ago)
    to me
    Dear Neville,

    We are writing to you today with a call to prayer for the weekend ahead. Leaders throughout the Asia-Pacific began meeting today to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in our region.1  At this stage, around 7,000 Rohingya asylum seekers are still stranded on the same boats they have been on for over two weeks, with countries in the area continuing to refuse to accommodate them.

    As you probably are aware, our own government is also still refusing to help.2 It is a devastating situation for those of us who believe that all people are created in the image of God.

    The reality is that, as Christians, we know a Saviour whose response is one of inclusion and acceptance. Who says ‘Yes, yes, yes’ to the ‘whosoever’ that would come, and extends unconditional love to all. Yet we can find our earthly leaders’ response is the opposite, as rigid policies and political slogans take precedence over compassion and common sense.

    RohingyaYES.jpg

    Yet even in these times, we can hold on to the hope we have in Jesus, and bring our concerns to him in prayer.

    Let’s all join together this weekend and pray specifically that:

    • The Rohingyas are helped off the boats and given shelter.
    • A search and rescue operation is launched to find other boats from Myanmar.
    • Governments work together to end the persecution of the Rohingyas.
    • Governments provide a clear ‘front door’ for refugees to seek asylum in our region so that they aren’t forced to come on boats.
    • Australia takes a lead in the region by giving the Rohingyas and other refugees a permanent home.
    • The people of Australia will be generous and offer welcome to those in need.

    At the moment there seems little hope, yet we believe in a God who raises the dead and for whom nothing is impossible. Together, let’s believe God will work miraculously to bring a solution to this crisis.

    With Grace and Peace,
    Tim, Justin and the whole Common Grace Team

    PS. Why not forward this email to your pastor or the person who will be overseeing prayer in your church service this Sunday?

    [1] ‘Advisor to give governments tough love talk on smugglers’, The Australian, 27 May 2015
    [2] ‘Peter Dutton defends Tony Abbott on Rohingyas’, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May 2015

    Common Grace

    http://www.commongrace.org.au/

  • Two big updates Below is an update from Adrian Burragubba, on behalf of the Wangan and Jagalingou people — Traditional Owners of land in Queensland where multi-billion dollar company Adani wants to build their Carmichael coal mine.

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    Two big updates

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    Adrian Burragubba via GetUp!
    7:28 PM (51 minutes ago)
    to me
    Below is an update from Adrian Burragubba, on behalf of the Wangan and Jagalingou people — Traditional Owners of land in Queensland where multi-billion dollar company Adani wants to build their Carmichael coal mine.

    —–

    Hi NEVILLE,

    Adrian Burragubba here.

    Today, Wangan and Jagalingou people are announcing two huge moments in our campaign to defend our rights and culture, and protect our ancestral lands and waters from Adani’s monstrous Carmichael coal mine.

    First, we’ve filed an appeal and judicial review in the Federal Court of Australia. I made a trip to personally deliver the court papers to Adani’s Australian CEO this morning.

    We’re challenging the decision of Australia’s National Native Title Tribunal that says the Queensland Government can issue mining leases for the mine. It’s an unprecedented challenge in the history of Native Title Tribunal decisions.

    This historic action is funded by you and many other people from all across the country. For helping us make this landmark moment happen, thank you.

    Second, we’re announcing that in 48 hours we will embark on a world tour to hold high-level talks with investment banks on Wall St, in European finance capitals, and in Asia.

    This disastrous mine needs billions of dollars of finance if it is to ever go ahead. We will communicate to the banks that we do not consent to the Carmichael Mine, and the reasons we cannot allow this mine to go ahead. We will remind them that any bank that funds Carmichael will be breaching important human rights principles to which they are a signatory; principles requiring that projects of this scale that massively impact Indigenous Owners and their country have their free, prior and informed consent. We’ll urge them to honour their obligations and commit to ruling out funding for this project.

    While in North America, we’re going to meet with First Nations Traditional Owners who are also fighting massive fossil fuel projects, including the tar sands projects in Alberta, Canada. We will learn from them, form alliances, and draw strength from solidarity with other Traditional Owners fighting to defend their culture from destructive mining projects.

    I look forward to keeping you updated as we take this fight across the world. For more updates, extra information, to sign our petition or to donate directly go to http://wanganjagalingou.com.au – and share the website with your friends so they can stand with us too.

    State and Federal Governments have trampled our rights and interests to approve this mine. Adani has treated us with disrespect, betrayed us and taken aggressive legal action to extinguish our rights.

    But now, with the help of you and others, we are fighting back to defend our rights and culture, and protect our ancestral lands and waters. Thank you.

    We are willing to do whatever it takes to preserve our heritage and shape a positive future for our people. We won’t rest until this disastrous proposal is thrown on the scrapheap of history. Our people and country will live strong and thrive into the future as they have from time immemorial.

    Sincerely,

    Adrian Burragubba, on behalf of the Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council