25 May Newsletter
STUFF HAPPENING AT JUST FOCUS
Tena ra koe, e te hoa
Chancey and the Just Focus crew in Christchurch are running a Media that Matters Aotearoa film event on Wednesday 30 May 7.30-9.30pm at Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti, this high school can be found at the corner of High St and Cashell Mall. The first one in Wellington was a huge success, with great feedback… so those of you in Christchurch, show your support and get down to Unlimited next week. Email Chancey for more info.
Here in Wellington we have been plodding along, fending off colds and spammers. Eva attended the HOPE gathering in Taupo with a bunch of inspiring young change-makers, she came back inspired about the great people out there working to create change for a better world. The whole JF team attended a hui for the Outlook for Someday film competition, delivering and taking part in workshops. (If anyone is interested in taking part in this film competition, get in touch with Jennie).
Also, the new DIY guide has been published! It’s a fantastic guide that helps us tackle issues and make a difference.
Email Trina at the YWCA if you would like a copy of the guide.
RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS
Exiled Chagos Islanders have won a 40 year battle to return home after the court of appeal in London found the British government guilty of “abuse of power” for attempting to prevent them from reclaiming land that was taken from them by Britain to lease to the US for a military base in the 1960s. Yesterday’s ruling was greeted by silence from the Chagossians in court, who have seen hopes of a return dashed several times but their leader in exile, Olivier Bancoult, was feeling positive about the result. “I’m very happy for my people,” Mr Bancoult told a crowd of supporters and journalists. “We will go back and make Chagos great.”
If you ever have a spare hour and want to learn more what happened with the Chagos Islands check out John Pilger’s documentary Stealing a Nation.
Lebanon is the most politically complex and religiously divided country in the Middle East, the current violence is adding pressure to a region already in crisis. It is feared that the fighting in Palestinian refugee camp Nahr al-Bared could spread to other parts of the country as anger grows at the tactics of the Lebanese army. Refugees made the most of a shaky ceasefire to flee to Badawi, a camp of 45,000 refugees now heaving with an influx of nearly 10,000 new residents. You will find comprehensive coverage of the conflict on the BBC and at Znet.
Genesis Energy has filed a legal case against Greenpeace after a ruling by the High Court that declared that regional councils must take climate change into account when granting resource consents. This ruling involved Mighty River Power who wanted to convert the Marsden B power station in Northland to run on coal. Genesis has wants a declaration to reverse the High Court decision, saying such a declaration would help it gain resource consents for its Rodney power station. Greenpeace has also made international headlines after their attempts to have Louis-Pierre Dillais deported. The French intelligence officer who led the 1985 bombing of the Rainbow Warrior now lives in America where he heads an arms firm selling weapons to the FBI, Pentagon, and the department of homeland security.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOU TO BE PART OF
Horn of Africa: Awareness Campaign
A gathering on Saturday May 26 from noon in Civic Square, for peace for the Horn of Africa with a special focus on Darfur and Somalia. Special performances by Olmecha Supreme. Speakers include Yilma Tafere Tasew, Ced Simpson (Amnesty International), Dr.Ramon Das, Dr.Christopher, Dr Christopher LaMonica.
Protest against Youth Rates
James Sleep, a 15 year-old former supermarket worker from Masterton, has organised a protest outside Masterton Woolworths at 12pm on Saturday 26th May.
World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. World Environment day is also Arbor Day in Aotearoa New Zealand- an opportunity to raise awareness about the role trees play in addressing climate change and to demonstrate responsible global citizenship by helping neutralise Aotearoa New Zealand’s carbon footprint Go to DOC or the UN Environment Programme for more info.
Check out the Events Page for more info.
NEW STUFF ON THE JUST FOCUS WEBSITE
Nicole Mathewson adds to her growing collection of articles on women’s issues with The F Word, an exploration of feminism and Cameron Walker examines some brave acts of resistance in Eco-prisoners: from the US to the Pacific. Our JET writers have been focussed on discrimination and prejudice. Eliana and MZ answer there own question What is Sexism? It’s a Global Problem.
LINKS TO OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
You may be quite fond of your PVC pants, but you are wearing the poison plastic. Sam Suds is on the case.
Lots of us love Apple. And they know more about “clean” design than anybody, right? So why do Macs, iPods, iBooks and the rest of their product range contain hazardous substances that other companies have abandoned? And why are they exposing children in China and India to dangerous chemicals. Apple fans are demanding a greener Apple and are having some success!!
A new art series looks at contemporary American culture through the stark lens of statistics. Fifteen million sheets of office paper are used every five minutes in the US. What do fifteen million sheets of office paper look like?? Check out an An American Self-Portrait.
Depicts 1.14 million brown paper supermarket bags, the number used in the US every hour.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?
America’s war on drugs is now played out in the supermarket aisles of Columbia. Columbia’s president Alvaro Uribe is banning coca products used by the country’s indigenous Indians to make Coca Sek, an energy drink popular with Columbia’s urban youth, under obvious pressure from corporate giant Coca Cola.
Meanwhile a former Coca-Cola employee has been sentenced to eight years in prison for plotting to sell a secret formula for a new soft drink to arch-rival, Pepsi. Eight years was an unexpectedly long jail term, district judge Owen Forrester explained “This is the kind of offence that cannot be tolerated in our society.” THIS is the kind of offence that cannot be tolerated. Is he serious?? Maybe he should have a word with Mr Uribe!
Get onto the forum and tell us what YOU think?
WANNA GET MORE INVOLVED?
Want to add stuff to the next newsletter or the Events Page, or to write an article/review, or take a photo/create an image for the Just Focus website? Reply to us at info@justfocus.org.nz, it’s always great to hear from you.
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