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Poem: The things I see

The things I see are not part of the constructed collective consciousness. The things I see are terrifying. They haunt me in nightmares. They fill me with anguish. They make me cry and want to scream my desolation with big

Letter from the US: Two-party system under strain

Two-party system under strain The two-party system is showing signs of strain. Polls indicate a growing distrust of both Democratic and Republican politicians. Fuelling this unease is the fact that in the past two decades, real wages have fallen

Learning from Howard's forerunners

Altered States: the regional impact of free market policies on the Australian statesEdited by John Spoehr and Ray BroomhillCLS Research Paper Series No 4, December 1995In association with the Social Justice Research FoundationReviewed by Melanie

Scab driver runs down picketer

By Geoff Spencer GEELONG — On April 23, one of the locked-out workers at E.P. Robinson Pty Ltd was run down by a car driven by a scab crossing the picket line. Steve Baker suffered severe bruising in one leg as a result of this hit and run. The

News briefs

Move to ban marijuana cards BRISBANE — Queensland Attorney-General Denver Beanland has launched an investigation into the sale of "marijuana swap cards" from vending machines at shopping centres, after complaints from a Townsville parent.

SA unions begin discussing fight back

By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — More than 60 union officials and rank and file gathered for a seminar on April 16 to discuss strategies for fighting the Brown Liberal government's economic rationalist agenda and the need for renewing the labour

Write on: letters to the editor

The almighty car While the battle between pedestrians, cyclists and skaters drags on, the Almighty Car drives on its merry polluting way and consumes more space than all three. As per capita Greenhouse emissions are an international disgrace

Military build-up and casualties in West Papua

By Matthew Gilmore Sources in West Papua report a massive build-up of Indonesian firepower and personnel in the past weeks. A report from Biak indicates that the Indonesian military has tortured and killed a youth, Rumpaidus (20), from the village

The long walk of Nelson Mandela

Long walk to freedomBy Nelson MandelaAbacus, 1995. 768 pp., $16.95Reviewed by Brendan Doyle Long walk to freedom is Nelson Mandela's moving account of one of the greatest stories of the struggle for justice and human dignity. Written in an informal,

Boral, Daishowa push for increased woodchip quota

By Pip Hinman Two of the biggest companies in the woodchipping industry, Boral and Harris-Daishowa (Australia), are pushing for the federal Coalition government to lift 1996 woodchip export quotas. The export volumes for 1996, set by the former

Anti-uranium rallies on Chernobyl anniversary

Marking the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, activists around Australia held pickets and rallies on April 26 and 27 to protest against the nuclear industry and the Australian government's role in it. Actions were organised by

Indian land rights jeopardised in Brazil

Brazilian ranchers, loggers, and local and state governments and squatters all rushed in by the April 8 deadline to file claims against Indian land rights. They were taking advantage of a federal decree on January 8 that gave anyone who thought they