[alternet-l] The Alternet News #88

[Joanne Doyle]

THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 88

This issue:

HOT SITES/
MARCH FOR PEACE/
Nodo 50 CAMPAIGN/
NET FILTERING PROBLEMS/
WSIS PrepCom/
MEXICO WORKERS APPEAL/
FoE CRITICISES WWF/
GM CROPS/
JOBS & VOLUNTEERING/
AWARDS/
QUOTE/UNQUOTE/
DIARY/

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HOT SITES

To ensure that children’s views and opinions will also influence
discussions on the Future of Europe, Euronet, The European Children's
Network, have engaged in a Children’s
Participation Project around the European Convention and lanched their new 
site,
including a discussion forum for children and young people on the Future of 
Europe:

-->www.europeanchildrensnetwork.org/interaction/welcome.htm

Ricky Gervais of BBC's 'The Office', is promoting Jobability, a new
jobsite for people with disabilities:

--> www.jobability.com


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MARCH FOR PEACE

Talk abounds as to why so many people took to the streets last weekend, 
marching for peace. Never before have so many people demonstrated worldwide 
for a common cause. In Britain, it seems that many joined the march because 
as one person put it, they were on a roller coaster that they couldn't get 
off. Even those who would support a war backed by the UN took to the 
streets in the hope of regaining some control over our supposed democratic 
system.

But what control do we ever have?

In a recent article, George Monbiot comments: "Our marches were 
unprecedented, but they have, so far, been unsuccessful." He goes on to 
say: "Strategic thinkers in the US have been planning this next stage of 
expansion for years. "

--> www.monbiot.com/dsp_article.cfm?article_id=562

Now as Blair is pushing the moral case for war, Tariq Ali speaks to the 
Gaurdian about why a war on Iraq war is immoral and unjust, with or without 
UN backing:

--> http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,900090,00.html

Perhaps it is debateable that the demonstrations will have their intended 
impact, but
I'm sure there will be unintended impacts, at this stage its best to let 
the pictures speak rather than words...

Indymedia reports:
--> www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2003/02/2003-02.html#7355

Stop the War Coalition links to sites , each covering their contributions 
to the largest
worldwide demonstration on record (you have to scroll down their home page):
--> www.stopthewar.co.uk/

 From a GreenNet member:
--> http://mathaba.net/news/news1/peace/15feb03fotos.shtml

And a personal collection of images sent in to us:
--> www.hyperreal.org/~dana/

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Nodo 50 CAMPAIGN

GreenNet's sister organisation Nodo 50, based in Spain, is calling for 
support to
drop charges against Santiago Botana, a full time staff member of Nodo 50.

Nodo 50 reports:
On November 17th 1995, Santiago Botana was taken to hospital due to 
injuries caused by a detonation that took place at his home address.
The explosion was caused when he was handling home-made flares that he used 
for spelunking, a sport he has practiced since 1987. This event was quickly 
picked up by
the newspapers and made the headlines. The version printed by the
newspapers was based on police sources without the benefit of a doubt: the
closeness to November 20th, which is a fascist-antifascist mobilizations
date and his "ultra-leftist activist" profile turned the event into
"something arranged by marginal groups from extreme left-wing".
The press reported that Santiago was preparing a bomb for the demonstration 
that upcoming weekend.

It is impossible to establish that Santiago is guilty in just four hours of 
investigation. And we find that there is an official report of what 
happened without any
proof to support it. To support these charges the district attorney and the 
police use the different objects found in Santiago's house as "supporting 
evidence".
Things like the ikurrina and a poster supporting the insubordination
against the military, a placard supporting EZLN reveals his revolutionary
ideas, a placard with the music group Negu Gorriak that supports ETA, the
tools and extra parts to repair motorcycles (when three of the people
living in this house work as delivery boys and used motorcycles). Other
things like a bag of cat litter was supposedly going to be used as
splinter for the bombs, a broken flashlight and a pager suddenly became
"electric applicants to manufacture a bomb.

This pressure from the mainstream media and manipulated
"evidences" has ended up in a hard sentence of 4 years in prison.

Nodo 50 ask that you send a letter of support to the Spanish Embassy or 
Consulate in your city and country.

More:
--> http://www.nodo50.org/indulto/dossier-en.php

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NET FILTERING PROBLEMS

Government efforts to block offensive Web sites are technically
problematic and legally worrisome, a new study says.

The study from Harvard University's Berkman Centre highlights how
modern Web standards have permitted thousands of domain names to share
one Internet address. It concludes that instead of precisely targeting
only objectionable sites, attempts to restrict Internet addresses with
pornographic, political or gambling-related content inevitably make
legitimate sites unreachable too.

"The numbers are staggeringly high," said Ben Edelman, a student
fellow at the Berkman Centre and author of the report. "According to
my results, two-thirds of sites are hosted on Web servers with 50 or
  more domain names."

Find out more, see:
--> http://news.com.com/2100-1023-985216.html

This was also recently highlighted when an email filtering system introduced
into the Houses of Parliament, designed to protect MPs from obscene, acted 
to stifle debate.
A Liberal Democrat parliamentary affairs spokesman, Paul Tyler, said:
"Blocking filth is one thing, but stifling
debate and cutting MPs off from their constituents is not helpful
for democracy." The system is currently under review.

More:
--> http://politics.guardian.co.uk/commons/story/0,9061,891060,00.html

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WSIS PrepCom

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) PrepCom is currently
underway in Geneva.

The Transnational Radical Party presented a contribution to the works of the
second meeting of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS), drawing delegates' attention to the relations 
between three issues that link digital technology to democracy, namely data 
retention, e-democracy and cyber-nonviolence.

  Declaration of Gianluca Eramo, Transnational Radical Party representative at
  the WSIS:

"Political activism on the Net is a phenomenon that has changed the face of
  politics in the last few years. At this stage it is urgent to analyze the
  present situation and evaluate which actions could be taken in order to
  secure the use of the new technologies as tools of peace, freedom and
  democracy. After the 11th of September, fear is generating a negative
  influence on political decision related to the Information Society. Many
  Governments are appealing for the inclusion of generalized and massive
  surveillance laws to control citizens; moreover, the lack of democracy and
  political and civil rights represent a big menace for the development of a
  free and democratic cyberspace. What is needed is a general strategy that
  should combine the utilization of the new instruments of technology to allow
  the existence of an effective e-democracy, that means legislative and
  infrastructural condition to strengthen and expand individual rights and
  liberties and open access to all the public documents of the International
  Institution and UN member states."

  --> www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsispc2/c/S03-WSISPC2-C-0051!!PDF-E.pdf

Related links:
--> www.itu.int/wsis/index.html

Watch and listen to roundtables and workshops being webcast here:
--> www.itu.int/ibs/WSIS/pc2/

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MEXICO WORKERS APPEAL

Not long ago, workers at Matamoros Garments, a factory in Puebla,
Mexico, struck over wages and conditions and the right to form a union.
The factory responded by intimidating and threatening the workers -- and
by drafting in a 'company' union to police them.

Puma have responded by pulling out of Matamoros and leaving the workers
to take the heat.
In response to complaints from activists Puma claimed that they
inspected the factory, respected freedom of association and pulled out
for purely economic reasons.
The workers at Matamoros are, naturally, furious.
They are appealing to trade unionists all over the world to send a loud
and clear message to Puma's management in Germany:

* Puma must meet with representatives of the Centro de Apoyo al
Trabajador (CAT) and the Clean Clothes Campaign to urgently address the
situation.
* Puma must resume production at Matamoros and ensure that their code
and internationally recognised labour standards are respected.
* Puma needs to set up a system for independently verifying compliance
with these standards -- a system which includes workers and their
organisations, such as the CAT.
* Puma must insist on free trade unions and a living wage in all their
factories.

Under pressure from all over the world, Puma have provisionally agreed to 
meet the CAT
(workers' support centre) and the Clean Clothes Campaign in Germany next week.
The workers at Matamoros are asking Puma not to turn its back on them.
They are asking you to send thousands of email messages to the Puma
management in the next several days, in anticipation of the possible
meeting next week.

Join the campaign:
--> www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=10

More information:
--> www.nosweat.org.uk

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FoE CRITICISES WWF

WWF is being criticised for an intended £3m partnership deal with a French 
company
seeking to build a massive quarry on the island of Harris.
The quarry is opposed by most of the islanders, many British WWF
supporters, and the Scottish executive.
Lafarge, the £7.2bn cement and aggregates company, wants to quarry up to
600m tonnes of rock from Roineabhal mountain at Lingerbay, to export
largely for road building and other infrastructural projects in England.

British branches of WWF oppose the "superquarry", which would destroy
most of the mountain. WWF International, its parent body based in Geneva,
has made Lafarge a conservation partner and accepted its money on the
basis that it will work with the company to advise it and improve the
ways it works.

Lafarge was last year found guilty by the European Commission of
operating a price -fixing cartel in Europe and had a Û250m (£156m) fine
imposed. Under the terms of the five year contract with WWF, Lafarge can
display the WWF's widely recognised panda logo and benefit from the
conservation group's international reputation.

Full report:
-->www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,890655,00.html

Friends of the Earth, the world's largest grassroots environment organisation,
formally backed calls for international conservation group, WWF 
International to end its
£3.5 million partnership with French multinational, Lafarge Aggregates.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth International's Chair, Ricardo Navarro, said:

"Friends of the Earth International feels that such partnerships between 
industry and
non-governmental organisations are entirely inappropriate. In this 
particular case,
the agreement between Lafarge and WWF undermines the efforts of local 
opposition to the companys plans and weakens the environmental 
organisations like Friends of the Earth Scotland which support efforts to 
safeguard the environment and secure sustainable livelihoods.

More:
--> www.foe-scotland.org.uk/nation/pp200202.html

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GM CROPS

The issue of GM crops, although overshadowed lately in the news, has not 
gone without comment.
In an interview with 'The Ecologist' magazine, Michael Meacher, UK’s 
environment
minister, expressed strong doubts on the safety of GM foods, and describes 
GM as "not necessary”. He goes on to say "we have to rely upon the bio-tech 
companies themselves to tells us if they discover any other problems, such 
as, for example, health risks." He poses the question: "can we trust the 
companies and be sure that they are telling us all they know?"

Full story:
--> www.theecologist.org/article.html?article=371

In a previous interview in the Guardian, the environment minister had 
committed the government to consider changes in current legislation which 
would take account of the impacts of cross pollination on conventional and 
organic farmers from GM crops.

--> http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,893663,00.html

The government have extended the period for a public debate on genetically 
modified crops for another three months. However, this may not be all its 
cracked up to be. The general feeling is that public attitudes are changing 
towards GM.

Full report here:
--> http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,9061,899160,00.html

Have your say about the GM debate online with Genewatch UK. GeneWatch UK is 
a public interest group which aims to ensure that genetic technologies are 
developed and used in the public interest and in a way which promotes human 
health,
protects the environment and respects human rights and the interests of 
animals, here:
--> www.genewatch.org/Debate/Debate.htm

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JOBS & VOLUNTEERING

*Press Archive Officer needed for human rights organisation
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign needs a voluteer to maintain its
specialist press archive on human rights.
This is a good opportunity to gain valuable experience with a well-established
non-governmental organisation and to get involved in human rights work.
TAPOL needs someone to commit themselves to volunteering one day a week -
ideally for a minimum of four months.  Travel expenses and lunch provided.
Full training will be given.

For more information, contact Danny Bates at tapol at gn.apc.org, tel: 020 8771
2904, 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 8HW.
--> http://tapol.gn.apc.org

*Envolve works in partnership with organisations and individuals to achieve 
a more sustainable lifestyle.  These posts are in partnership with Somer 
Community Housing Trust and Bath City Farm.

Children and young people's involvement officer
£18-20,000 F/T
You will develop play and youth work with children and young people in the 
Foxhill area of Bath, and will also have a more strategic role which 
involves consulting and representing the needs of children and young people 
in other specific estates in Bath and North East Somerset.

Environmental youth and play worker
£16 - 18,000 pro rata P/T
You will consult with children and young people in the Bath City Farm area, 
to enable them to develop action plans to improve their local environment 
and enhance play opportunities.

Further details:
--> www.envolve.co.uk

*CAFOD VACANCIES - INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER
£24,890 to £27,540 p.a. pro rata - 28hrs per week

CAFOD (one of the UK’s leading development and relief agencies)
needs an experienced professional to improve the use and management
of information ­ how it is accessed, stored and communicated
throughout a busy diverse organisation. Principal tasks are to:
- Respond creatively to staff and organisational information and
communication needs;
- Improve the effectiveness of CAFOD's networked system for storing
and sharing documents;
- Develop the sharing and distribution of information about CAFOD’s
work;
- Manage a small specialist staff library and information service.

To obtain an application pack please go to our website
www.cafod.org.uk/jobs/ or email jobs at cafod.org.uk, quoting ref ISM,
or tel. 020 7326 5601. Closes 28 February 2003.

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AWARDS

The IFJ is now calling for entries for the 2003 Natali Prize for journalism.
The Natali Prize for Journalism: Excellence in Reporting Human Rights, 
Democracy and
Development was established in 1992 by the the European Commission and is 
administered by the International Federation of Journalists.

The 2003 Natali Prize is open to print and on-line journalists employed by 
the local media in the five regions listed above. Eligible journalists 
should have written reports, which focus on human rights, democracy and 
development. Each applicant or group of applicants must submit ONE article 
(or a series of articles on ONE subject) published between 1 January 2002 
and 31 December 2002.

It is easy to enter. Simply fill in the Application Form and mail or fax it 
along with a
copy of your article to one of the addresses listed below. Please read the 
Rules of the
Competition before submitting your entry. The deadline for entries is 31 
May 2003. There is no entry fee.

More information and rules to the competition here:
--> www.ifj.org/hrights/lorenzo/inpr.html

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QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the 
nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those 
conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse 
to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince 
himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he 
enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."

Mark Twain (as quoted by Tariq Ali, reported in the Guardian)
*****************************************************************

DIARY DATES

FEBRUARY:

* Sunday 23rd February. NO BASIS FOR WAR, NO BASES FOR WAR.
A day of protest and action at USAF Fairford, home of the B2 bomber.
Assemble Fairford Town Centre at 12 noon. See www.gwi.org.uk for more
information.
[Accommodation and training available in London on 22nd February + transport
from London on the Sunday morning. Contact 07817 061 183 or e-mail
fairfordcoachlondon at hotmail.com for more information. Please book in
advance.]

* Monday 24th February. TRIAL OF 'WARZONE WHITEHALL' DEFENDANTS.
Please come along and support them if you can! See
http://www.j-n-v.org/ARCHIVE/warzonewhitehall.htm for more info. on the
'Warzone Whitehall' action.
Where: Horseferry Magistrates' Court, London (nearest tube Covent Garden)
When: from 10am.
Contact voices uk for more details (voices at viwuk.freeserve.co.uk)

MARCH:

* Saturday March 1st. PLEDGE OF RESISTANCE GATHERING.
A day of workshops (on nonviolent action, the law, prison and presswork) and
discussion for all those interested in taking nonviolent action against the
war.
Where: 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES (nearest tube Aldgate East). When:
10.30am - 5pm.
Organised by ARROW and voices in the wilderness uk. See www.j-n-v.org or
contact 0845 458 2564.

*ASIAN WOMEN'S MOVEMENT CONFERENCE
Friday 7th March/Saturday 8th March /Sunday 9th March
Dreams, Questions and Struggles, Sapne Sawal aur Larai, - 25 years of
the Asian Womens Movement, a conference by and about Asian women On:

What is our history?
Where do we stand today?
What does feminism mean to us?
What kind of a future do we want?

and, or on Saturday 8th March
Celebrate International Women's Day with poetry, songs and music from
Razia Aziz, Kulwinder, Seni, DJ Ritu and many others.

For more details (eg Transport, Crèche, Stalls, Programme) on both events, 
phone: 0207 424 9535, or email:londec at hotmail.com

*OUR LIFE IN PIECES
Objects and Stories from Iraqis in Exile
An exhibition at the DIORAMA GALLERY, London
8 - 28th of March 2003
   34 Osnaburgh Street, London NW1 020 7916 5467
tube: Regents Park/ Great Portland Street
10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday

*One year on REMEMBER GUJARAT
2000 lives lost 200,000 made homeless Still no justice!
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
Monday 3 March 2003
4.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Outside the Charity Commission, Harmsworth House, Bouverie Street EC4. 
Underground: Blackfriars

*Capitalwoman 2003 conference, the London conference for women
Saturday 8th March
Venue: the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in SW1,
It is hosted by Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron and Diane Abbott MP. For details 
or to register, contact 020 7983 4302 or
email: capitalwoman at london.gov.uk.

*Why, For God's Sake?
Tuesday, 11 March 2003, 6pm
An LSE Public Lecture by Professor Eileen Barker
CHAIR: Professor ANTHONY GIDDENS

'Why do people believe such incredible things
and perform such irrational acts? How do we react to such alien
worldviews? Such questions raise issues that are more than 'merely
academic'.

The Old Theatre, London School of Economics
HOUGHTON STREET, LONDON, WC2A 2AE
This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a 
first come,
first serve basis.
For further information please email:
--> events at lse.ac.uk or phone 020 7955 6043.

*FoE PROTEST MARCH, March 25th
meet in London at midday

BP wants to build a huge new oil pipeline through Asia and Turkey.  More
oil means more climate change. The project will increase the risk of
conflict and human rights abuses in the region, may impact severely on the
local environment, and lead to more corruption and distorted local
economies, with very questionable benefits for local people.   And BP
wants UK taxpayers to help pay for it!

Email alexp at foe.co.uk for more details

For more information on BP's proposed pipeline, visit:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/baku_ceyhan/index.html

*DESIGNED BY NATURE
Friday March 28, 6.15pm for 6.45pm
Venue: The Princes Foundation, 19 22 Charlotte Road, Old Street, London 
EC2A 3SG (Exit 3 from Old Street Station, wheelchair accessible)

Resurgence Magazine & The Temenos Academy jointly present
With: Janine Benyus, Life sciences writer and author of "Biomimicry 
Innovation Inspired by Nature",
Rupert Sheldrake, Author of "Dogs that know when their owners are coming 
home - and other unexplained powers of animals",
and Satish Kumar, Editor of Resurgence & Director of Programmes at the 
Schumacher College.

Admission: £5.00 with wine
Enquires and bookings on: 01237 441293, or email: peterlang at resurgence.org

More Diary Dates on GreenNet:
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/calindex.shtml

Please add your events to the calendar here:
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/add.shtml

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