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Pine Gap insider: a trumpet-blower, not whistle-blower

Inside Pine Gap: The Spy Who Came in from the Desert By David Rosenberg Hardie Grant Books, 2011 216 pages, $35 (pb) David Rosenberg found 1960s television show Mission Impossible 鈥渋rresistible鈥 with its patriotic tales of high-tech US government spies thwarting the 鈥渂ad guys鈥. After an 18-year career as a US National Security Agency (NSA) electronic signals analyst at the CIA鈥檚 Pine Gap spy base in Australia鈥檚 remote interior, Rosenberg鈥檚 book, Inside Pine Gap, makes it clear that he has yet to grow up.

Philippines: Protests over energy costs, workers' rights

The Philippines, one of the poorest Asian nations with a huge foreign debt 鈥 caused by successive corrupt governments 鈥 remains a place of simmering class tension. In the past six weeks, there have been mobilisations around a range of issues. On October 11, there was a national day of action against rising energy costs. There were protests right across the archiapelago. Residents turned off their power for half-an-hour and created a 鈥渘oise barrage鈥 with whistles and horns.

Detention centre rooftop protests enter second week

The (DASSAN) released the statement below on October 31. * * *

Travels through 鈥榯he other鈥 鈥 the world imperialism has made

Inside Al-Qaeda and the TalibanM By Syed Saleem Shahzad Pluto Press, 2011 260 pp., $39.95 Deadly Waters, The Hidden World of Somalia鈥檚 Pirates By Jan Bahadur Scribe, 2011 300 pp., $29.95 The Interrogator, A CIA Agent鈥檚 True Story By Glenn Carle Sribe, 2011 321 pp., $32.95 The Wizard of Lies, Bernie Madoff & the Death of Trust By Diana B. Henriques Scribe, 2011 419 pp., $35.00

Unions respond to lock out: 'This is blackmail'

The decision by Qantas management to ground the airline's fleet and look out its workforce has caused uproar around the country. However, the mainstream media have overwhelmingly focused on the position and arguments publicly put by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
Occupy Sydney protest outside the Qantas conference at UNSW on October 28 2011.

Editorial: Corporate bastardry shows why Qantas should be nationalised

鈥淚 don't understand what the Occupy protests are all about,鈥 is one common complaint in response to the global movement against corporate power.

Egyptian socialists: 'Revolution has just begun'

In September, 麻豆传媒 Weekly spoke to Mamdouh Habashi and Dr Muhammad Hesham, members of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP), about developments in Egypt since the popular uprising overthrew dictator Hosni Mubarak on February 11. The ESP is one of several new parties formed since Mubarak's ouster. A longer version of this interview can be found at ThawraEyewitness.blogspot.com. * * * What is the role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF, who has been in power since Mubarak's ousting)?

Occupy Melbourne takes to the streets again

Despite the police brutality faced by Occupy Melbourne protesters just over a week before during their eviction from City Square, Occupy Melbourne returned to the streets on October 29. About 500 occupiers assembled at the State Library with the same anti-corporate message and a louder voice. After the meeting at the State Library, there was a march to Treasury Gardens where the general assembly (GA) was held. During the march, the numbers swelled to 1000 or more.

CPSU says reject ATO deal

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members in the Australian Taxation Office have voted to reject management's latest proposed enterprise agreement. As a result, the CPSU has launched a campaign for a "no" vote in the all-staff ballot to take place over November 9-15. Management is still offering a pay rise of only 9% over three years. The CPSU has produced posters highlighting the discrepancy between this 3% a year offer to workers and the 58% rise that Tax Commissioner Michael D'Ascenzo has sought from the Remuneration Tribunal.
Occupy Sydney

An inspiring week at Occupy Sydney

I joined Resistance just over a month ago and when I heard Sydney would join the Occupy Together movement, I wasn鈥檛 quite sure what to make of it.

Politicians for the 1% have about 1% credibility

The ABC鈥檚 program on October 24 was the first to discuss the Occupy movement sweeping the world. Reportedly there are now occupations in 2200 cities. It revealed why the politicians that represent the richest 1% have no credibility any more.

Colombia: Palm workers strike for their rights

Thousands of palm oil workers in the Puerto Wilches district, Colombia, were on general strike on October 27. The workers were defending collective bargaining and opposing the spread of casualisation and precarious work on palm oil farms. In early August, a major company, Palmas Oleaginosas Bucarelia, refused to enter into meaningful negotiations with the agricultural workers鈥 union Sintrainagro for the renewal of the collective agreement. Bucarelia instead proposed to cut benefits, restrict union activity on the farm and increase precarious work through more use of outsourced labour.