Greece

Perhaps having built a barricade when you’re sixteen provides you with a sort of safety rail. If you’ve once taken part in building one, even inadvertently, doesn’t its usually latent image reappear like a warning signal whenever you’re tempted to join the police, or support any manifestation of Law and Order? - Jean Genet

Greece. What is happening there is too complex and amazing for me to really sum up in a blog post. However other people, much more capable than myself have been attempting to do exactly that.
Over at Libcom there is a great page of info. For those who're more or less unfamiliar with what's going on this article provides a decent summary, and over at hyperborea there is a nice article with some excerpts of manifesto's and other things that have been said and produced by those involved.

I really wish i could provide more stuff myself, but I've been quite busy in the last week or two subverting the capitalist exploitation of roof, wall and suburb fetishism (soon to be written about).

What's the G20?

Dubya is supposed to have asked "Revin" Rudd. Although where others have called them "Some of the world’s most brutal warmongers and economic rationalists", it's hardly the response I think Rudd would've given.
The libs have demanded that a federal police investigation be launched into who leaked the details. Rudd claims it never even happened. The libs also demand Rudd apologises to Bush, and now Rudd demands that the libs apologise to Obama. Wow.
The wonderful photo of the two rulers (above) is stolen from the terrorgraph, which I've included because i find it bizarre to have someone photoshop an image of the two together when photos like these (below) already exist:



GHOUL - A MOUTHFUL OF GOLD
And in news that might actually mean something to people. Sydney band Ghoul have released their EP. In fact they released it a little while ago, and I've just been quite late with this post. In keeping with awesomeness they have made the EP freely available for download, from here.
As the band is happy to boast, they have been described as "a young band with no hooks" by a "dude from bluejuice", and "a fantastic lo-fi(ish) band from Sydney with a definite haunting element to their sound" According to Polaroids Of Androids.

Apart from getting the chance the hear some awesome music, other incentives to see ghoul include;
- Free Ep Give aways at their gigs at COFA on the 26th of November + Oxford Arts Factory on the 27th.

Comprehensive failure of [extreme] Capitalism

Australia's Maoist PM (proof) Kevin Rudd has declared capitalism's failure is behind the recent economic disaster - almost. "What we have seen is the comprehensive failure of extreme capitalism — extreme capitalism which now turns to government to prevent systematic failure," said Rudd recently.
However Rudd makes sure he doesn't criticise the good capitalism, the capitalism where workers are exploited normally (not extremely!), and where divisions are fostered between human beings normally (not extremely!), and people alienated from one another and the product of their labour normally (not extremely!). The kind of capitalism Rudd likes is the one where the working class are kept firmly under the cosh, yet also in a home, and able to buy some distracting flat screens on credit once and a while.
However some of us might be asking - well isn't this outcome logical considering the kind of scum that controls markets and governments the world around?
Lumpen Professoriat has looked at this in a recent blog titled Not Forbidden. Lumpen Professoriat reckons that "What the striking lack of regulation in these strange new markets trading in mortgage debt has meant is that every risk becomes not just possible, but mandatory. The competition to produce the highest rate of return possible insures that those too squeamish to pursue unforbidden risks will fall behind. This is different from individual greed. It is institutionally required greed."

And some bloke frequently quoted is supposed to have said;
With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 per cent will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 per cent certain will produce eagerness; 50 per cent positive audacity; 100 per cent will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 per cent, and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged. If turbulance and strife will bring a profit, it will freely encourage both. - Karl Marx

Anyway, read the original post, it's much better than this.

Doll Praises Islam... and Satan
While some people choose to worry about a looming (is it still looming?) financial crisis, thankfully some people have their priorities right. It seems that ZOG has joined up with Islam in an attempt to convert American toddlers to "the light", while simultaneously praising Satan.
The toy company Mattel has fielded calls from consumers who wonder whether their Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo doll, which giggles, gurgles and coos, is also mumbling, "Satan is king" and "Islam is the light." More.
The reaction to this doll is bizarre.

Hugo Chávez - Paints a pretty picture

Much like Hitler, Venezuelan (quasi)revolutionary Hugo Chavez, has been revealed to have abit of an eye for painting.
And it also has been revealed that businessmen have an eye for the works created by the hero of the working class.
3 Businessmen recently bought this work "La Luna de Yare" or "The Yare Moon", for $255,000 in an Auction which started at $14,000.
Members of his party reportedly remarked that they were suprised of the price. Proceeds are expected to go towards funding his socialist party.

I Scream, You Scream...
An anarchist Ice cream truck is touring about the United states offering helpful tips and propaganda to its customers, as well as delicious ice cream.
The truck drivers name is Aaron and he is a co-founder of The Center for Tactical Magic, which says of itself;

The Center for Tactical Magic engages in extensive research, development, and deployment of the pragmatic system known as Tactical Magic. A fusion force summoned from the ways of the artist, the magician, the ninja, and the private investigator, Tactical Magic is an amalgam of disparate arts invoked for the purpose of actively addressing Power on individual, communal, and transnational fronts. At the CTM we are committed to achieving the Great Work of Tactical Magic through community-based projects, daily interdiction, and the activation of latent energies toward positive social transformation.

Aaron remembering his first customer says “My first customer was a little old lady who got an ice cream, and I asked if she wanted a piece of propaganda. She said: ‘Only one? I’ll take Anarchy, Black Panthers and Earth First.’ I was like, ‘Right on.’”

More Here

Nathan Rees

This is a photograph that accompanied this story about the corruption of the NSW Labor party in regards to their dealings with developers. But i think it's pretty appropriate now, if only Verity Firth were replaced with Carmel Tebbutt.

Nathan Rees sounds okay (relative), on paper, or more so, on his Wikipedia page.
He is a self described Westie, hasn't been a suit his whole life, formerly employed as a garbo and greenskeeper. But then again, Costa was an Ironworker-rigger and an engine driver for cityrail.
Rees also being an avid cycler - Hopefully will do something about the ruined cycleway, but I'm not holding my breath.

Rees' first few moves have been admirable, sacking Sartor and Costa - which Sartor hilariously dubbed "a mistake". But that is only 2 of 24 ministers, and then there is still the rest of the party to deal with.

For Tebbuts views on same sex adoption, see here.

Protests grow from the barrel of a gun

War Profiteers are heading to the small town of Adelaide. The scum intend to meet on the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One, presumably to mourn the 40 Million casualties, and also the fact that they were not around to personally profit from the business opportunities that presented themselves as much of Europe attempted to kill one another.
Some Punks reckon that "The profits of war are of course, huge and for every person who has their life destroyed by a gun, a mine, a bomb, a razor wire fence or a steel capped boot, for every child orphaned by and for every woman raped in war, there's an arms dealer making a tidy profit."
They go on to remind us that "The last time the world's arms peddlars held a show in Australia, AIDEX'91, the Australian people, churches, unions, solidarity and green groups showed them that they were not welcome here and successfully cancelled the proposed follow up show in 1993." So check these guys out.

This is what AIDEX'91 looked like:


While searching the interweb i stumbled across a link to this site, which i thought would be interesting for some of you. The Author says;

I've been planning this for a while now. Biking almost 4000 miles across the midwestern and eastern USA. If there's a definition of insanity I suppose that'd be it.

But I can tell you why I want to do this. Because I'm destined to live my life as a timid pencil pusher, at least until the day I get too old or too tied down to bike epic journeys. And I'm taking this opportunity to just say "F*** normality". I want to tell people that I did something so outrageous and insane, they wouldn't believe it.

I want to do it even if it kills me.

And if my bicycle breaks down midway, I'll walk.

We'll see what happens.

And you can see what happens, just check it out; http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/3510

Also! "SORRY Melbourne but Sydney is the only Australian city to be included in the first international version of the famous money board game, Monopoly.

The harbour city will appear on the game's red strip alongside New York and London, following a world wide poll on which cities should be included. " More.

Good(ish) News and Suicide Attempts

So on the very same day that Chris Evans announced changes to the policy of imprisonment without trial of people likely to have committed no offence, a man in Western Sydney's detention center of Villawood attempted suicide, Jamal Daoud has more;

On the same day of this good announcment, we learned that Chinese asylum seeker, Hongfei Wen, 35 years old, tried to commit suicide around 12 pm, Monday 28 July by stabbing himself by knife. My understanding that he was approached in the kitchen by around 10 security guards with a notice of deportation. He managed to grab a knife and threatened to kill himself if they would try to deport him by force. The security guards did not care and tried to catch him to remove him from the detention centre. He immediately stabbed himself in the stomach. His blood was spilt everywhere. Then he fell unconscious, when he was taken away by security guards. His friend do not know anything about him at the moment. They are very worried about his survival.

Jamal Daoud

The prison has also recently come under scrutiny over allegations of drug use and trafficking between guards, visitors and detainees.
The Age claims that the picture on the right shows a detainee preparing to mainline ice, while other photo's they received apparently show bags of Marijuana next to GSL paper work.

GSL however deny the claims saying that "Keeping drugs out [of] a centre like Villawood is one of our highest priorities. We really encourage our staff to blow the whistle." Blowing the whistle obviously being some sort of underground drug slang for smoking ice.
Chris Evans has also rejected calls by the opposition to allow a full police investigation into the matter. The opposition hilariously mentioned that the government had "a duty of care". A duty of care that was never more obvious then when the kind hearted John Howard said of a group teenage suicide pact, that people "often make threats and I think it's important people in my position understand that."

Reffo's Let In

After years of suicides, self harm, hunger strikes, protests and breakouts, there is now reform that seems to perhaps be significant.
Chris Evans from the labor party suggests that "A person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved".
The reform suggests that those who pose health or security risks will still face possible detention.
Though there is no mention of a change to who, the new ruling regime, will allow to stay. Those deemed by Rudd and company to be troublesome, liars or just not in that much danger at home, will presumably still be deported to war zones and poverty.

Advance Australia Fair!

But Chris isn't suggesting that this is the end of his great reforms saying that "A great deal more work needs to occur to develop a modern and robust system for management of people in immigration detention,"
However something about the words "modern and robust" and "management of people" don't seem to imply humane or compassionate.
Although Chris Evans is obviously a fucking saint, check out some of the cases which this suited bastard sitting in the halls of power on a healthy income in a Developed Nation thought weren't so bad;

* A single young woman from Ethiopia who was trafficked, enslaved by her employer and subjected to horrific abuse;
* An elderly couple from East Timor. Eight of their nine children are in Australia, and 6 of them are permanent residents. The couple fled violence and would be destitute upon return to Timor. The Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) flagged humanitarian considerations in this case as being appropriate for the Minister to consider;
* A family from a persecuted ethnic minority in the Ukraine whose 6 year old daughter was born in Australia. A suicide risk was flagged for the father. On Wednesday, after being told of his recent Ministerial refusal, he attempted suicide at the Asylum Seekers’ Resource Centre in front of his son.
* A young Kurdish man from Turkey who was detained and tortured in his home country. There is a real risk that he will be tortured upon return;
* A young man from China who was a member of an underground Christian church. There is a warrant for his arrest for his religious beliefs and he faces detention and torture upon return;
* A man from Sri Lanka who has been married to an Australian citizen for two years. He cannot return home to apply for a spouse visa because there is a warrant for his arrest as a result of his political membership;
* A woman from Sri Lanka whose nine siblings are all Australian citizens. Her daughter is a permanent resident of Australia. There are no members of her or her husband’s family remaining in her country country;
* A man of Tamil ethnicity from Sri Lanka who has been in Australia for 12 years and is the sole carer for his 91 year old mother. The mother is in the queue for an Aged Parent visa in Australia;
* A Sri Lankan father who has been in Australia for 10 years and whose immediate family, including his mother and three out of four siblings, are Australian citizens or residents. His wife’s two brothers and parents were killed during the tsunami;
* A 63 year – old East Timorese woman with a large extended family in Australia including her sister, two children and grandchildren. Due to the violence in her country she has not been able to locate her remaining family in East Timor

In not so surprising news, "AUSTRALIANS want to work less, saying they are overworked and their jobs interfere with their life."