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NEWCASTLE — In a world full of demands, it is often hard to make time and find ways to help out those less fortunate than yourself. One simple way is to choose Fairtrade-accredited products, which meet agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards.
“We are lucky in Australia to have a national newspaper, Green Left Weekly, not beholden or shackled to big business or multinational corporations, whether they be church or state. Over many years it has remained a newspaper free to critique the capitalist system, which continues to reward those with capital and exploit those without.
WOLLONGONG— The Wesley Uniting Church in Wollongong Mall has sacked it's minister of 15 years, the Reverend Gordon Bradbery.
In June, a raft of new legislation was presented to parliament to in effect, outlaw homebirth midwifery in Australia. Indemnity insurance would be a legal requirement for medical practitioners, under a new national registration and accreditation scheme.
It's still unclear exactly what happened, but 13 hours after a schoolyard brawl during recess, year 9 student Jai Morcom was pronounced dead on August 30.
This month, Green Left Weekly is hosting free preview screenings of Rethink Afghanistan, a new film about the US-led war in Afghanistan. Mat Ward spoke to its director, Robert Greenwald, who has made more than 50 films, including Iraq For Sale, Wal-Mart and Outfoxed.
On September 10, 180 people attended a talk on HIV/AIDS given by retired high court judge Michael Kirby at the University of Western Sydney.
In early September, as federal parliamentarians debated whether to end the repulsive government policy of charging refugees for the costs of their own imprisonment in detention centres, damning revelations emerged that Australian navy personnel prevented badly burnt refugees from climbing onto rescue boats.
The world faces some of its greatest social and economic challenges ever. A failure to correct our path will mean catastrophic consequences.
More than 50 people attended a Greenpeace meeting with paroled Japanese anti-whaling activist Toru Suzuki on September 9.
Permaculture Diary 2010 Compiled by Michele Margolis Graphic design by Richard Telford $30 (including postage), pb Available from www.permacultureprinciples.com
The Last Whale By Chris Pash Fremantle Press, 2008, 218 pp, $29.95 (pb)