[alternet-l] ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 73

Thu Apr 25 18:24:54 BST 2002

THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 73

This issue:

HOT SITES/
GREENNET JOB/
MAY DAY FESTIVAL/
ONLINE CENSORSHIP/
THREAT TO OLD GROWTH FOREST/
ARCTIC RESERVE SAVED/
GMO MEETING/
ESSO/BUSH DUMP SCIENTIST/
SHARON - ONLINE PROTEST/
ORGANIC EXTRA/
QUOTE/UNQUOTE/
DIARY/

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HOT SITES
Charities @ Work raises funds for UK charities through the Payroll Giving
scheme. Payroll Giving is a tax effective way of donating money to charity
through your monthly salary:
--> www.charitiesatwork.org.uk/

The London Cycling Campaign are offering free cycle route maps:
--> www.lcc.org.uk/benefits/cycle_route_maps_for_london.htm

Bendall's Farm in Somerset run short environmental education courses. The
courses aim to build skills for greater self reliance, help incubating
small ecological businesses and provide therapeutic opportunities for
people with learning difficulties.
--> www.bendallsfarm.com

Your Future is a unique service helping you to find a socially and 
environmentally responsible career. 
To subscribe, visit www.peopleandplanet.org/ethicalcareers

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GREENNET JOB

GreenNet is seeking a full time user support person, salary £20,034.
You must have a good telephone manner, work well under pressure and be happy
dealing with clients, promoting GreenNet's services. Experience of the
voluntary sector is an advantage.

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter via email to coord at gn.apc.org.
Closing date for applications is 1st May.

Interviews with be held the following week, provisionally on the 9th and
10th of May.

Full job description at:
--> www.gn.apc.org/GN%20job.html

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MAY DAY FESTIVAL

The Mayday Festival of Alternatives will create a great diversity of events
and actions with a large happening on Wednesday 1st May itself - Mayday in
Mayfair, from 1pm with multiple independent meet-up points.

Mayday in Mayfair will consist of four strands: 

* The Travelling Circus - jesters, jugglers, minstrels, show girls,
gypsies, pagan sorcerers, ring masters, ring mistresses and clowns...

* The Wake for Capitalism - A vibrant and luminous celebration of the
imminent death of capitalism)...

* Carniball! A rambling, co-operative gigantic game that
reclaims the UK's precursor to football...

* Critical Mass...

--> www.ourmayday.org.uk

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ONLINE CENSORSHIP

Despite the power of the Internet, plenty of nasty regimes have learned to
control it. Andrew Stroehlein of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting,
believes that publishing banned information is a 'game for elites'.

Read why in these extracts from the Online Journalism Review:

China has tens of millions of Internet users and has easily one of the
fastest growing online populations in the world. Still, the authorities'
control points are several...All external information runs through
government servers, so the authorities can and do block outside Web sites
they deem potentially dangerous. 

In Turkey, if a Web site publishes something the military-dominated state
finds unacceptable, the ISP's will receive a quick visit or a phone call
from someone "suggesting" the immediate removal of that site. Failure to do
so would be very detrimental to one's health, so the ISPs naturally comply.

...there is some reason for cautious optimism. A. Lin Neumann [Asia
Consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists], for example, reminded
me that, "elites, generally, tend to lead the movement toward change so the
fact that the Internet is somewhat confined to elite communication in some
places does not disqualify it as a change agent."

Neumann also told me that the nature of the Internet means, "It is simply
harder, even for the Burmese bad guys, to keep secrets from the world,
because once information gets out it circulates widely."

Full Story:
--> www.ojr.org/ojr/world_reports/1018991587.php

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THREAT TO OLD GROWTH FOREST 

Goolengook, one of the greatest old growth forests in the World is
threatened by logging. The Australian forest has been continuously
blockaded for over five years, but on 5 March the blockade camp was busted.

Goolengook contains many endangered species, rare cool and warm temperate
rainforest, and the Goolengook river which is listed as a heritage water
catchment. In 1998 Goolengook was visited Dr David Bellamy, who remarked
that if he could save any one area of temperate forest in the world it
would be Goolengook.

Protest to Premier Steve Bracks.
Write to: The Honourable Steve Bracks, Premier of Victoria, 1 Treasury
Place, Melbourne, 3000, Australia

E-mail:
steve.bracks at parliament.vic.gov.au

More:
--> www.goolengook.forests.org.au/

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ARCTIC RESERVE SAVED

The US Senate has rejected President Bush's plans for oil drilling in an
Arctic wildlife refuge by a wide margin. The vote was a blow to the
administration, which has repeatedly cited development of the Alaska 
refuge's oil as a centerpiece of its energy policy.

Activists are now planning their next steps to ensure that 
the area remains protected from future environmental threats.

More:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storycid=514ncid=716e=4u=/ap/20020
418/ap_on_go_co/arctic_refuge

Background:
--> www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/overview.html

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GMO MEETING

Scientists and environmental experts from nearly 200 countries are
gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, for a week of talks on how to prevent
genetically  modified organisms from damaging the environment.

The conference will call for a moratorium on planting GM crops 
close to native species, where they might cross with original strains. 

More:
--> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1943000/1943129.stm

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ESSO/BUSH DUMP SCIENTIST

Robert Watson, one of the most outspoken and respected voices in the global
warming debate, was voted out of his position as chair of the U.N.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Friday.

Evidence points to the U.S. government engineering his removal as a
favor to the energy industry. Bush had only just come to office last year
when ExxonMobil (called ESSO in the UK), sent over a memorandum that
criticized Watson and asked, "Can Watson be replaced now at the request of
the US?"

As Cindy Baxter of the StopEsso campaign put it, ExxonMobil did
not like the science coming out the IPCC, "so they changed the scientist."

May 18 is StopEsso Day. There will be 300+ events across the UK. 
--> www.stopesso.com/sed/

More on Watson story:
--> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1940000/1940117.stm

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SHARON - ONLINE PROTEST 

In protest against the military action in the West Bank, the electrohippie
collective are mounting an 'electronic civil disobedience action' against
the Israeli government. The action is specifically aimed at the role of
Ariel Sharon in the current conflict.

There are three elements to the action:

# online tools to jam the electronic Internet services of the Israeli
government.

# extensive directory of email contacts within the Israeli government and
diplomatic service.

# links to local/independent news services.

Unlike 'computer hacker' actions against Internet sites, the tools
developed by the collective have 'democratic accountability' built into
them. Unless significant numbers of people take part in the online actions 
there will be no effect on the Israeli's information systems. However,
if significant numbers do take part then the target systems will collapse
under the weight of traffic.

More:
The main action page 
--> www.fraw.org.uk/peace.html

The action justification - 
--> www.fraw.org.uk/ehippies/peace/peace_justification.html

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ORGANIC EXTRA

What's the difference between organic and non-organic food? So far there
has been little scientific evidence to suggest that organic food is any
healthier than conventional produce.

But now John Paterson, a biochemist at Dumfries and Galloway Royal
Infirmary has found that organic vegetable soups contain up to six times as
much salicylic acid as non-organic brands. Salicylic acid is responsible
for the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin, and helps combat hardening of
the arteries and bowel cancer.

"Eating organic may be good for you," says Paterson. The finding will
reignite debate over the health benefits of organic food and may force
regulatory agencies to reconsider their position.

--> www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992033

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QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in
your way of thinking."

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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DIARY DATES

Walk in Peace for Peace
Every first Sunday of the month. Meet at Speakers’ Corner (by Park Café),
Hyde Park 10.45am for 11am. The walk will take about an hour.
If you arrive a bit late don’t worry, you’ll see the Walk on ‘Broad Walk’
going south from Speakers’ Corner.
Enquiries: Clare Brunt 020 8755 0353

The Campaign for Co-operative Socialism Campaign meet at The Global Cafe in
London's Golden Square every Wednesday from 11-1:

--> www.cooperative-socialism.org/

APRIL

26th:
London-wide Critical Mass bike ride, meeting at Waterloo at 6pm.

27th:
Free workshop - Seeing Who You Really Are. 87B Cazenove Rd, Stoke
Newington, London N16 6BB. Saturday morning, 10am - 1pm.
More: 
-->www.headless.org/intro.htm

MAY

1st:
Mayday Festival of Alternatives:
--> www.ourmayday.org.uk

4th:
Annual Cannabis March & Festival. Brockwell Park, Brixton, London
--> www.cannabiscoalition.org

4th and 5th:
NEWCASTLE COMMUNITY GREEN FESTIVAL
A programme of the radical and funny films will be screened 
throughout the weekend in the Groovy Movie Cinema. Lots of other 
activities (and music on the Sunday) at Leazes Park.

12th: 
1pm Trafalgar Square. Rally No more attacks on asylum rights
With Ken Livingstone, Diane Abbottt MP, Fazil Kawani

15th: 
Christopher Hitchens etc. debate
Institute of Education, WC1. 7pm
Tel 0800 018324

18th:
StopEsso Day. Join one of the 300+ events across the UK. 
--> www.stopesso.com/sed/

18th:
Demonstration called by Palestine Solidarity Campaign
1pm assemble Hyde Park

18th:
Free workshop - Seeing Who You Really Are. 87B Cazenove Rd, Stoke
Newington, London N16 6BB. Saturday morning, 10am - 1pm.
More: 
-->www.headless.org/intro.htm

SUMMER FESTIVALS:

Buddhafield
July 17th to 21st Devon.
Free tickets are available to contributors, total numbers are limited and
advance booking strongly recommended. For more information contact
info at buddhafield.com or check www.buddhafield.com

Big Green Gathering
24th to 28th July

http://www.big-green-gathering.com/

Welsh Green Gathering 8th to 11th August

http://www.big-green-gathering.com/wgg/WGG2.html

Eastern Green Gathering 
August 29th, 30th & 31st. Near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

http://www.easterngreengathering.com/

More Diary Dates on GreenNet:

--> webboard.gn.apc.org:8086/default/

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