Venezuela Meeting, Palestine Rally, Conference On Pacific, Amnesty Evening

A reminder from GPJA for Friday's meeting on Venezuela and two new events not covered in last week's newsletter

Working Women's Resource Centre "Think And Drinks Evening" Friday June 4, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn (Drinks from 5pm and talk at 6pm)

"THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED" –

EYE-WITNESS REPORT ON THE VENEZUELAN REVOLUTION AND VIDEO of the defeat of a coup. Hear Coral Wynter, an Australian socialist activist who has been on a fact finding mission to Venezuela for the last 3 months. Coral has had the opportunity to meet leaders of Venezuelan workers who are struggling to transform their society. The Venezuelan elite has already tried to stage several coups against the government of resident Chavez with US support. The defeat of the April 2002 coup was captured in gripping detail by a group of Irish film makers.

"The revolution will not be televised" takes its title from the fact that most television stations in Venezuela are private and refuse to report on the positive achievements of the revolution. The film makers were inside the presidential palace when Chávez was ousted by a military-civilian uprising. The resulting documentary - underwritten by the BBC, Ireland's RTE, and other European broadcasters - is as thrilling a piece of political drama as you're likely to see and has won armfuls of prizes, including Britain's top documentary award, the Grierson.

It has aired repeatedly all around the world, has been shown in movie theatres and at film festivals, arguably becoming the prevailing interpretation of the continuing Venezuelan political crisis.

RALLY FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN PALESTINE / ISRAEL

Saturday 5th June 2pm, Aotea Square Come support JUSTICE and PEACE based on:1. Removal of Israeli Occupation from the Palestinian territories (Gaza, West Bank including East Jerusalem)2. Right of Return for Refugees.3. Sharing Jerusalem.4. Cessation of Jewish only Settlements in occupied Palestine.5. Stop construction of separation/apartheid wall

COLONISATION AND NEO-COLONISATION IN THE PACIFIC:

An Alternative Conference to the Pacific Island Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) Monday, June 7th (Queen's Birthday), Hurunga Marae, Hurunga AvenueRotorua. ALL WELCOME (This public meeting, open to all, is part of a three-day Pacific-wide consultation programme for students organised by the Asian Students Association, NZUSA and Arena)

PROGRAMME 9.00 am

Welcome

9.30 am Morning Tea

9.45 am Opening and Introduction

10.00 - 12.00 Colonisation in Aoteaora: A Current Perspective, Annette Sykes Colonisation in the Pacific: A historical perspective, VJ Naidu 12.00 - 1.00 Lunch

1.00 - 2.30 Structural Adjustment in the Pacific, Claire Slatter

2.30 - 3.00 Afternoon Tea

3.00 - 4.30 Trade Agreements in the Pacific, Jane Kelsey

4.30 - 5.30 Informal dialogue with some Pacific Finance Ministers

5.30 Close

Available at the meeting will be copies of 'Big Brothers Behaving Badly" a report on the PICTA/Pacer agreement commissioned by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) and written by Professor Jane Kelsey (*PICTA, Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement: Pacer: Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations)

ORGANISED BY: Arena (Action, Research & Education Network of Aotearoa), P O Box 2450, Christchurch. Tel: (03) 366 2803 Email: arena.nz@clear.net.nz Please RSVP to the above address before June 1st (We need to know for catering purposes) We ask that you make a voluntary contribution towards to costs of this event, lunch, etc (suggested contributions ($20.00 waged $10.00 unwaged/student)

Bonfires In The Night' An Amazing A - Z Poetry & Music Fundraising Marathon For Amnesty International & the Ahmed Zaoui campaign.

Organised by the Remuera Group of AINZ
Tuesday 15 June, 5.30 for 6pm till 8.30pm, with an interval The Music Theatre, School of Music, The University of Auckland 6 Symonds Street. (Just up from St. Andrew's on the corner of Alten Rd) Performers: Raewyn Alexander, Andelka, Bernard Brown, Lee Dowrick, Murray Edmond, Riemke Ensing, Bernard Gadd, David Guerin, Isabel Haarhaus, Siobhan Harvey, an Kemp, Philip Khouri, Michele Leggott, Linn Lorkin & Hershal, Rosemary Menzies, Jack Ross, Anna Rugis, Iain Sharp, Caitlin Smith, Denys Trussell, Wensley Wilcox, Ahmed Zaoui (in absentia) Door sales: $10 per person

Mike

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>