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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.
As well as Giovanni’s articles it picks up the most pertinent articles from a range of other news services. You can publish the news feed on your website using RSS, free of charge.
 

  • They’re drowning AVAAZ

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    They’re drowning

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    Emily Mulligan – Avaaz Unsubscribe
    10:42 PM (10 hours ago)
    to me

    Images of the body of a 3 year old refugee washed up on a Turkish beach are spreading all over the world — it’s the heartbreaking face of the global refugee crisis. Here in Australia we could take 20,000 Syrian refugees with a stroke of Minister Dutton’s pen. Join the growing call to help the most vulnerable call Australia home:

    Sign now
    Dear friends across Australia,

    Heartbreaking images of a Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach are spreading all over the world. Aylan Kurdi was 3 years old. He should have been laughing with joy as he played with friends or safe in the embrace of his mother’s arms; not alone and lifeless, far from home. This is the human face of Syria’s war and the global refugee crisis — but there is something we can do.

    Aid agencies are urging Australia to take in 20,000 emergency refugees from Syria — it’s possible with just a stroke of Immigration Minister Dutton’s pen. But he needs to know that Australians support the plan; that we care about those seeking sanctuary from fear; that we know no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.

    Let’s overwhelm the Minister with our call to make Australia home for a fraction of the world’s most desperate people. Add your name now — Avaaz will work with those leading the call for this emergency intake to ensure every single voice is heard by Mr Dutton.

    For every refugee who has perished seeking safety, for every parent’s hope for their child’s future, sign and share this urgent petition:

    https://secure.avaaz.org/en/australia_home_for_syrians_loc/?bhPqncb&v=64465

    The news is currently dominated by refugees arriving in Europe, but this isn’t just a European issue — it’s a global issue. Right now, Syrian refugees are locked up in Australia’s offshore detention centres like Nauru, which a report this week declared “not safe for children” due to endemic sexual assault, rape and child abuse.

    Our country has a proud tradition of welcoming people fleeing persecution and war, but right now we’re part of the problem. This is a moment to turn that around — to not only make room for an emergency intake of Syrian refugees, but also grant asylum to those Syrians in detention and work with the UN to address the broader problem.

    The global refugee crisis is complex, but the core of our response can be very simple — treating others as we would wish to be treated, recognising that if the luck of our birth had placed us somewhere else in the world, we’d be the ones seeking refuge and hoping that others would see us as people, just like them.

    Let’s not allow fear and narrow political interests to triumph over love and compassion. If all of us sign and recruit our friends to sign by sharing all over the internet, we can open our arms to those desperate to keep their families alive. Join now and tell everyone:

    https://secure.avaaz.org/en/australia_home_for_syrians_loc/?bhPqncb&v=64465

    Avaaz members have been at the forefront of actions to help refugees. Earlier this year, our amazing community raised funds for the most effective private rescue mission in the Mediterranean and delivered aid to thousands of refugees arriving at Greek islands. And our campaigning efforts helped get the EU to offer sanctuary to people escaping war. But the magnitude of what is happening demands of us even more — and in Australia we can rise to the need together.

    With hope and determination,

    Emily, Nic, Luis, Mais, Alice and the whole Avaaz team

    SOURCES

    Shocking images of drowned Syrian boy show tragic plight of refugees (The Guardian)
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/shocking-image-of-drowned-syrian-boy-shows-tragic-pligh…

    Australia’s Brutal Treatment of Migrants (New York Times)
    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/03/opinion/australias-brutal-treatment-of-migrants.html?_r=2

    Abuses at Nauru Detention Center Prompts Australian Senate to Advise Moving Families (Time)
    http://time.com/4018253/abuse-australias-detention-nauru-asylum-refugees/

    Why Al Jazeera will not say Mediterranean ‘migrants’ (Al Jazeera)
    http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/editors-blog/2015/08/al-jazeera-mediterranean-migrants-15082008222630…

  • The John James Newsletter 77

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    The John James Newsletter 77

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    John James
    5:19 AM (3 hours ago)
    to John
    The John James Newsletter 77
    5 September 2015
    Congratulations! We are now 13 months old sharing news that is avoided in the press. Knowledge will seldom on its own change the world, but it certainly gives us a view into our own history.
     
    China ready to launch military power from artificial islands in South China Sea
    China has won the first round of its contest for control in the South China Sea by completing construction of an archipelago of artificial islands, and there is little that will stop China from winning the next round, as an indecisive US struggle to challenge unlawful Chinese claims with “freedom of navigation” exercises
    Police drones with weapons: Tasers, pepper spray, sound cannons and rubber bullets.
    Welcome To The Trade Deal Wars
    Few are aware that Beijing is engaged in three titanic tasks; to shift growth from exports to services; to tackle the negative role of state-owned enterprises; and to deflate at least three bubbles — debt, real estate speculation and the stock market — in the context of global stagnation. All this while there is virtually no Western coverage of the China-led Eurasian trade integration push, which will consolidate the Middle Kingdom as the largest economy in the world.
    Putin Says Dump Dollar
    The creation of a single financial market between Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and other countries of the former Soviet Union.
    Refugee crisis worsens
    Germany has become a magnet for refugees fleeing war, violence and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East as 218,221 people arrived seeking asylum in the first six months, and expects a further 600,000 in the next six months.
    Kurdish Guerrillas Are Ready for War
    With peace negotiations in tatters, the insurgency’s leaders are preparing for conflict against Turkish government.
    Gaza uninhabitable in less than five years
    Wars and economic blockade have wiped out their capacity to produce for the domestic or export market while leaving almost all of the population destitute.
    SURELY THIS IS THE ISRAELI INTENTION? make them boat people so they go away and leave the land to Israel.
    Palestine Overwhelmed by Illegal Israeli Immigrants
    Israel illegally annexed part of the Palestinian West Bank to its district of Jerusalem and then settled it with squatters – some 350,000 Israeli squatters who have usurped Palestinian land.
    To understand the extent of this encroachment examine the map
    Qld govt steps in to protect 130MW solar project
    The Queensland Labor government has stepped in to end a planning dispute standing in the way of the development of one of Australia’s biggest solar farms that has been on hold since July, after action by local monopoly sugar cane company Wilmar Sugar, on the grounds it would take up good quality agricultural land.
    Canning byelection poll: renewable energy trumps national security 
    The semi-rural seat on the south-eastern fringe of Perth is shaping up to be a battleground for renewable energy
    Endangered butterfly defies climate change with new diet and habitat 
    Quino checkerspot, native to Mexico and California, shifts to higher altitude and chooses new species of plant for laying eggs
    It’s Going To Cost A Lot To Do Nothing On Global Warming
    To prevent 2ºC of warming, a third of the world’s oil reserves, half of its gas reserves, and more 80% of its coal reserves need to stay in the ground.
     
    Lebanon – What if it Fell?
    The “You stink” movement first organized the protests when thousands of people hit the streets in response to an ongoing garbage crisis, which, according to many, has made the already difficult life in Beirut almost unbearable.
    and
    Russian Military Forces Arrive In Syria, Set Forward Operating Base Near Damascus
    Russian pilots flying combat missions in Syrian skies will definitely change the existing dynamics in the Middle East
    Europe in Free Fall
    You could say that the Titanic is sinking and the orchestra keeps playing, and you would be close to the truth. Everybody hates the Captain and crew, but nobody knows whom to replace them with.
    Four months after quakes, Nepal fails to spend any of $4 billion donor money
    Almost three million survivors – 10% of the population – need shelter, food and basic medical care, many in mountainous, hard-to-reach areas.
    Morphological defects found in Japanese fir trees around Fukushima nuclear plant
    Coal is not the answer to India’s energy poverty, whatever Tony Abbott says 
    India’s population of 1.24 billion, 68% live in rural villages and 45% of these  – 75 million – have no electricity. These figures have not changed appreciably since 2001, though around 95,000 MW of new largely coal-based electricity generation capacity was added during the intervening decade.
    The making of the best film of all time – Citizen Kane
    Robots will cut 25% of US jobs in 4 years, transform workforce
    The study’s findings were drawn from government employment data, and interviews with businesses and academics.
    Something remarkable is happening in American politics
    Thanks to the Iran nuclear deal,: the irreconcilable conflict of interest between most Americans on one side and Israel and its American supporters on the other is on full display and impossible to ignore.
    China’s nouveau riche have landed
    Thanks to the immense purchasing power of the growing Chinese middle class, enter the entitled fu’erdai, or the second-generation scion in a wealthy family, who studies abroad in order to return home to run the family business.

  • Running scared… CFEMU

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    Running scared…

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    Michael O’Connor
    1:50 PM (36 minutes ago)
    to me

    Dear Inga,
    Tony Abbott and Andrew Robb are running scared. They know Australians are concerned about the China Australia Free Trade Agreement and so they’re going to roll out a giant nationwide advertising campaign in an attempt to sell the dud deal to people across the country.

    But they can’t dispute the facts. Under the agreement, overseas workers could be paid less than Australians. When I said this on ABC Radio I was FactChecked by The Conversation, and they agreed 100%. Why would a company hire a local worker when they could instead get access to cheap temporary overseas labour?

    That’s why we want to send a message to Canning voters to help us stand up and speak out for jobs. We’ve hired some mobile billboards and we want to put a banner on them highlighting the indisputable facts.

    Mobile Billboard

    Can you donate and help us spread the message to Canning voters?

    Free trade can help economies like Australia with investment and innovation. But this free trade agreement is historic for all the wrong reasons. It will hurt local jobs, threaten worker safety, and increase the exploitation of overseas workers.

    Please donate and help spread the message to Canning voters that the China Australia Free Trade Agreement will hurt local jobs and our kids’ future.

    Together we can Stand Up, Speak Out, and Fight Back.

    In unity

    Michael O’Connor
    CFMEU National Secretary

    P.S. Thanks to everyone who donated to get our ad on The Voice – we were able to show it on the finale where more than one and a half million people tuned in.

  • 7-Eleven: A sweatshop on every corner

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    7-Eleven: A sweatshop on every corner

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    Australian Unions Team <info@actu.org.au>
    10:37 AM (27 minutes ago)
    to me

    Inga —

    The widespread abuse of workers at 7-Eleven that was revealed on ABC TV’s Four Corners this week is what we’ll see on a bigger scale if Tony Abbott’s inquiry into our rights at work gets its way.

    His inquiry has recommended cutting penalty rates, unfair dismissal protections and the minimum wage. It has also called for weakening the independent workplace umpire and giving employers the power to offer take it or leave it contracts.

    As the 7-Eleven case demonstrates it is already far too easy for employers to rip off workers. That’s why we need stronger protections for workers, not less.

    It’s time to stand up and fight back.It’s time to stand up and fight back.

    The Productivity Commission will be holding public hearings about its report to Abbott on how to slash and burn your rights at work.  Join a local protest at your closest hearing.

    And, if you know anyone who works at 7-Eleven, let them know that the SDA – the union for retail workers – has a 24-Seven Support hotline to provide advice and representation to workers employed by 7-Eleven. Call 131-SDA or visit http://www.24sevenhelpline.com.au/

    In unity, 

    Dave and Ged

    Australian Unions Team

    http://www.australianunions.org.au/

  • NAB has refused to fund Adani’s Carmichael coal mine! GET UP
    6 of 70

    NAB – Not Adani’s Bank

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    Sam R – GetUp!
    11:12 AM (4 hours ago)
    to me

    “NAB is not involved and has no plans to be involved in any financing for the Carmichael coal mine.”1 – NAB

    Wow, NEVILLE,

    NAB has refused to fund Adani’s Carmichael coal mine!

    They’re now the second Australian bank to abandon the mining giant in the last month, and the 14th major bank to rule it out across the world.

    The momentum against Adani’s monstrous coal project is undeniable. Tens of thousands of Australians have conviced their banks to do the right thing. It’s people power at its best, and banks are starting to realise they can’t get away with funding a project that will damage the Great Barrier Reef and cook the planet.

    But there are two big Aussie banks who could still provide Adani with the funds they need to build the Carmichael mine — Westpac and ANZ.

    If we can get Westpac and ANZ to do the right thing and abandon Adani then Carmichael could be finished forever. Putting visible pressure on Westpac and ANZ now is the best chance we have of forcing them to do the responsible thing and choose coral over coal.

    Can you ask Westpac and ANZ not to fund Adani’s Carmichael mine?

    Tweet at Westpac
    Tweet at ANZ

    Write on Westpac’s Facebook wall
    Write on ANZ’s Facebook wall

    Or, if you’re not on social media:

    Click here to email Westpac.
    Click here to email ANZ.

    This is another huge win, but it’s vitally important that we keep the pressure up on the Australian banks who are yet to distance themselves from Adani.

    Right now, we face a brand new dredging proposal for Abbot Point, and the Abbott Government looks likely to re-approve the Carmichael mine.

    And it gets worse. Staggeringly, our coal-hearted Prime Minister could be getting ready to pledge millions of dollars of public money to prop up the unprofitable mine. Last week, Treasurer Joe Hockey confirmed he was in talks with Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt to discuss strategy for funding the mine.2

    If the Abbott Government becomes the first player to invest, it makes it less risky for banks like Westpac and ANZ to follow suit, and could pave the way for Adani to proceed.

    It would be a ludicrous investment for a Government to spend taxpayer money on a project that’s unviable, unpopular and environmentally disastrous. But as we’ve seen time and time again, this Abbott Government is willing to do anything to protect its friends in the coal lobby.

    If we can get ANZ and Westpac to rule the project out, funding Carmichael will become almost impossible for Adani, even with a crazy Government handout.

    Can you help snuff out Adani’s best hope of finding funding by contacting your bank now?

    Tweet at Westpac
    Tweet at ANZ

    Write on Westpac’s Facebook wall
    Write on ANZ’s Facebook wall

    Thanks for all that you do,

    Sam R and Adam, for the Getup Team

    PS – Huge thanks to our brilliant friends at 350 Australia, AYCC, Greenpeace, and Market Forces for making this happen. And to the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners, who’ve now succesfully lobbied two banks to abandon Adani’s Carmichael mine.

    PPS – More good news! Korean giant LG have declared they will not be buying Adani’s Galilee coal. Which means Adani have now lost half their existing customers.3

    References
    [1] National Australia Bank rules out funding Adani’s Carmichael coal mine, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 September 2015
    [2] Abbott government hints Adani could be considered for rail funding, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 August 2015
    [3] Adani loses LG as big customer for Carmichael mine, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 September 2015

  • State Government delays release of Central Coast growth plan amid heat from Labor MPs September 1, 2015 3:43pm

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    Central Coast
    State Government delays release of Central Coast growth plan amid heat from Labor MPs
    September 1, 2015 3:43pm
    Matt TaylorCentral Coast Gosford Express Advocate
    Gosford Council says it is getting on with the job of planning for the future while it waits for the draft planning strategy.

    THE Baird Government says it will not be rushed into a long-term plan for the Central Coast after the delay of a much-anticipated blueprint.

    Planning Minister Rob Stokes said the government would release the draft Central Coast Regional Growth and Infrastructure Plan for public comment by the end of 2015, more than a year after he launched it.

    “The delivery of the plan is being co-ordinated with the release of other regional plans, rather than being put out in an ad hoc fashion,” the former Central Coast Minister said.
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    “The Central Coast regional plan is an important document which will set the scene for the region’s sustainable growth and will link up with the billion-dollar investment the NSW Government is making in health, education and transport on the Central Coast.”
    Wyong MP David Harris.
    Planning Minister Rob Stokes.

    Mr Stokes was responding to claims by the region’s Labor MPs on Monday that the government had no plans for the Coast.

    “This was just a pre-election thought bubble,” Opposition Central Coast spokesman and Wyong state Labor MP David Harris said.

    “We need a plan for the ­region so that our basic services and infrastructure are able to keep pace with population growth.

    “This is why our councils have had to become entrepreneurial, because the State Government has left the field.”

    According to government projections, the Coast will need more than 30,000 new jobs to be created and almost 37,000 more homes to be built to cope with an expected population growth of 64,250 — or 20 per cent — over the next 20 years. It is estimated that 26 per cent of the population will be aged over 65 in 2031.

    Wyong Mayor Doug Eaton doubted the planning report would be “visionary”.

    “We’ll use the figures for jobs and housing benchmarks, but I think it will fall short on specifics and how we should achieve certain bigger-ticket goals,” Cr Eaton said.

    Meanwhile, Gosford Council says it is getting on with the job of planning for the future while it waits for the draft planning strategy.

    “While the department has been developing this plan, we’ve also been working through our own planning processes to make sure any growth in Gosford City is properly managed and balanced for the benefit of our community,” Gosford Council chief executive Paul Anderson said.

    Mr Harris said the region’s four state Labor MPs, including David Mehan (The Entrance), Kathy Smith (Gosford) and Yasmin Catley (Swansea), had already started their own community consultations.

    “We held a health forum last week, which included doctors and nurses and looked at issues like palliative care, the role of GPs and how we can take pressure off our hospitals,” Mr Harris said.

    “We have lost a Minister for the region, and unfortunately the Parliamentary Secretary (Scot MacDonald) doesn’t have a seat at the Cabinet table.”

    Mr Harris called on the government to focus on youth unemployment, ­affordable housing and building a sustainable ­community.

    Regional Development Australia Central Coast chief executive John Mouland said he was “looking forward” to seeing the planning report.

    “We’re not sure why it’s been held up, but it’s critical to our future planning.”
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    John
    John
    1 hour ago

    This is what happens when you vote for a party that had no chance of winning the election. The Central Coast voted for Labor, so it’s no use whinging now when the Liberals won’t spend money on a Labor Area. Get used to it.
    FlagShare
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    steve
    steve
    4 hours ago

    blah blah blah seems like another reason why the central coast is going backwards.both gosford and wyong councils should be removed under a no confidence vote,be another 50 years before anything changes on the coast,be prepared to ship your kids of to sydney for work because there not going to be any work on the coast for a long time,i bet it takes up to 5 councillors to approve the building of a footpath and that would be a debate!sack the council!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!