Thursday, 6 December 2012
BBC News - More people are sleeping rough, says Crisis charity
Homelessness in England has risen by almost a quarter, and is even higher in London, according to the charity Crisis.
The economic squeeze and a shortage of housing are leading to more people sleeping rough and seeking housing from their local authority.
The charity says young people have been particularly badly hit.
BBC News - More people are sleeping rough, says Crisis charity
Free Farm downtown San Francisco.
The Free Farm from Growing Cities Movie on Vimeo.
Check out our visit to the Free Farm right outside downtown San Francisco. This place is amazing! They grow tons of food right in the city and then give it away for free at the Free Farm Stand...no money involved whatsoever. A really amazing way to help feed people who need it most.
USA Uprising - Arrests made at Capitol; police spray protesters | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com
Arrests made at Capitol; police spray protesters | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com
LANSING — Michigan State Police say eight protesters have been arrested for disobeying lawful command, trying to push their way into Senate chambers.
Police sprayed chemical munitions into a crowd when it tried to rush the Senate floor, said Michigan State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk.
“When several of the individuals rushed the troopers, they used chemical munitions to disperse the crowd,” he said. “It would be a lot worse if someone gets hurt and I failed to act.”
The police blocked the entrance to the Capitol, leaving several hundred people outside waiting to get inside.
Adamczyk said later the building wasn’t at capacity, but that the protesters were so heavily concentrated in a few areas, including jam packed outside the Senate, that they didn’t want to add to that crush of people.
State police have blocked the outside doors to the Capitol, saying no more people are being let into the Capitol for fear of the building’s structural integrity.
Democrats said they have filed a lawsuit seeking to lift the lockdown.
A State Journal reporter witnessed one woman being escorted away in handcuffs.
Just before 1 p.m., union members were forming a line surrounding the state Capitol as part of demands that they be let inside. An estimated 700 to 1,000 people are inside the Capitol.
About 500 people are in front of the Capitol.
State police said two platoons of 32 state police officers are stationed at Capitol today.
Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.
LANSING — Michigan State Police say eight protesters have been arrested for disobeying lawful command, trying to push their way into Senate chambers.
Police sprayed chemical munitions into a crowd when it tried to rush the Senate floor, said Michigan State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk.
“When several of the individuals rushed the troopers, they used chemical munitions to disperse the crowd,” he said. “It would be a lot worse if someone gets hurt and I failed to act.”
The police blocked the entrance to the Capitol, leaving several hundred people outside waiting to get inside.
Adamczyk said later the building wasn’t at capacity, but that the protesters were so heavily concentrated in a few areas, including jam packed outside the Senate, that they didn’t want to add to that crush of people.
State police have blocked the outside doors to the Capitol, saying no more people are being let into the Capitol for fear of the building’s structural integrity.
Democrats said they have filed a lawsuit seeking to lift the lockdown.
A State Journal reporter witnessed one woman being escorted away in handcuffs.
Just before 1 p.m., union members were forming a line surrounding the state Capitol as part of demands that they be let inside. An estimated 700 to 1,000 people are inside the Capitol.
About 500 people are in front of the Capitol.
State police said two platoons of 32 state police officers are stationed at Capitol today.
Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.
DEMONSTRATION TO SAVE FRIERN BARNET LIBRARY!!
STOP PRESS
Court date may have moved to the 17th now,more as we get it.
DEMONSTRATION TO SAVE FRIERN BARNET LIBRARY!!
VIDEO: Voices from the Cooper Union Occupation in New York City
Twelve students have barricaded themselves inside a campus building of New York City’s Cooper Union demanding the school affirm its commitment to free education. Cooper Union recently approved graduate student tuition for the first time in its 110-year history, and students fear the undergraduate program may be next. The students received additional support from faculty members, while the administration has avoided direct communication with them. On Tuesday, Democracy Now!’s Martyna Starosta and Nemo Allen visited Cooper Union to interview student supporters, alumni, faculty and Cooper Union President Jamshed Bharucha, who walked away after being asked, "Will Cooper Union remain tuition free?"
Plebs occupy offices of "plebgate" MP Andrew Mitchell - UK Indymedia
Plebs occupy offices of "plebgate" MP Andrew Mitchell - UK Indymedia
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Capita and the Outsourcerers: Poof! Goes the Welfare State | Occupy News Network
In just the first half of 2012, Capita: The British Government’s Favourite Outsourcerer, won over £900m
of contracts to provide services previously delivered by the public
sector. This is three times the business it won during the same period
just one year earlier. However, the latter half of this year has seen
this ‘achievement’ dwarfed by the news that Capita has been selected as
the preferred bidder for a £1.7bn contract
to provide ‘educational support services’ for schools across
Staffordshire. With Capita poised to gobble up even more of Britain’s
public services, today’s article shed light on who Capita are, how much
of Britain they own, and why we should all be paying better attention to
the rise of the Outsourcerer.
......................................................
...........................CLICK ON LINK BELOW FOR FULL ARTICLE............................
Today, the outsourcing market for public services stands at over £80bn, with the Coalition Government announcing a further £70bn
of services soon to be opened out for tender. This, together with the
visceral attacks on the provisions of the welfare state, is somewhat
reminiscent of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which heralded the Workhouse.
Indeed, what is happening today in the UK, rather than being a
modernisation, as it is billed, is infact a regressive step back in
time. The ideas of private companies delivering education, health,
transport, post, energy and other services is not new. It is old. It
is how things used to be done. It failed miserably. The idea that
private services operate fairly and that philanthropy, charity and
voluntarism can deliver a fair society belongs in the past along with
its workhouses and its pauper lists.
The Welfare State rose out of the failure of this approach, to
ensure that through our contributions in tax and national insurance,
every citizen was guaranteed access to healthcare, education and all the
other supporting elements of the social contract. If this was
breached, the electorate could hold those offices of state to account.
Not so in 2012. So, it seems, we are called to repeat history and take
back the services which we all need, out of the hands of private
interests, and into the hands of those with a stake in the public
interest.
Get Involved
Join Residents of Barnet to protest Capita’s ever growing slice of the Council Budget – here
Keep up to speed on the latest sell offs at Corporate Watch – here
Organisations to watch:
[1] All figures and information in this section sourced from: http://www.capita.co.uk/about-us/pages/our-history.aspx
Today, the outsourcing market for public services stands at over £80bn, with the Coalition Government announcing a further £70bn
of services soon to be opened out for tender. This, together with the
visceral attacks on the provisions of the welfare state, is somewhat
reminiscent of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which heralded the Workhouse.
Indeed, what is happening today in the UK, rather than being a
modernisation, as it is billed, is infact a regressive step back in
time. The ideas of private companies delivering education, health,
transport, post, energy and other services is not new. It is old. It
is how things used to be done. It failed miserably. The idea that
private services operate fairly and that philanthropy, charity and
voluntarism can deliver a fair society belongs in the past along with
its workhouses and its pauper lists.
The Welfare State rose out of the failure of this approach, to
ensure that through our contributions in tax and national insurance,
every citizen was guaranteed access to healthcare, education and all the
other supporting elements of the social contract. If this was
breached, the electorate could hold those offices of state to account.
Not so in 2012. So, it seems, we are called to repeat history and take
back the services which we all need, out of the hands of private
interests, and into the hands of those with a stake in the public
interest.
Get Involved
Join Residents of Barnet to protest Capita’s ever growing slice of the Council Budget – here
Keep up to speed on the latest sell offs at Corporate Watch – here
Organisations to watch:
[1] All figures and information in this section sourced from: http://www.capita.co.uk/about-us/pages/our-history.aspx
Climate: Driving Toward Extinction - UK Indymedia
Climate: Driving Toward Extinction
Are we on the road to climate extinction? Dr. Guy McPherson lays
out the case in this speech at Bluegrass Bioneers in Kentucky. Then the
World Bank says "Turn Down the Heat". Daphne Wysham on their coal
addiction, and Olivia Maria
Serdeczny from the Potsdam Institute in Germany, authors of the report for the Bank. Is collapse our best way out of a Hellish world? Radio Ecoshock 121205
Serdeczny from the Potsdam Institute in Germany, authors of the report for the Bank. Is collapse our best way out of a Hellish world? Radio Ecoshock 121205
Download Radio Ecoshock (1 hour) in CD quality 56 MB
http://archive.org/download/ES121205Show/ES_121205_Show.mp3
Download in Lo-Fi (faster download, lower quality) 14 MB
http://archive.org/download/ES121205Show/ES_121205_Show_LoFi.mp3
This week on Radio Ecoshock, more revelations of coming climate disasters, as the fossil fuel bubble expands. Even the World Bank, which funded plenty of big coal plants, admits we are headed for a world 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Faherenheit hotter.
We talk with Olivia Maria Serdezny from the Potsdam Institute in Germany, authors of the report for the Bank.
I also include a short clip as Daphne Wysham explains the World Banks sorry record of funding big coal plants in Kosovo, South Africa, and India - lending billions of dollars. Isn't it a bit late to ask what happens when you fund all that coal burning?
But first, I toss you into the deep end. If our recent broadcast of Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Institute shocked you, Dr. Guy McPherson will blow you away. As recorded at the Bluegrass Bioneers conference in Louisville Kentucky November 2, 2102, courtesy of film-maker Ben Evans (at yert.com)
I'm not so sure our industrial system will collapse anytime soon, but I fact-checked everything McPherson said about runaway climate change. He's got it right. You need to hear this.
Show blog published Wednesday at http://www.ecoshock.info with all the links.
http://archive.org/download/ES121205Show/ES_121205_Show.mp3 Download in Lo-Fi (faster download, lower quality) 14 MB
http://archive.org/download/ES121205Show/ES_121205_Show_LoFi.mp3 This week on Radio Ecoshock, more revelations of coming climate disasters, as the fossil fuel bubble expands. Even the World Bank, which funded plenty of big coal plants, admits we are headed for a world 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Faherenheit hotter.
We talk with Olivia Maria Serdezny from the Potsdam Institute in Germany, authors of the report for the Bank.
I also include a short clip as Daphne Wysham explains the World Banks sorry record of funding big coal plants in Kosovo, South Africa, and India - lending billions of dollars. Isn't it a bit late to ask what happens when you fund all that coal burning?
But first, I toss you into the deep end. If our recent broadcast of Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Institute shocked you, Dr. Guy McPherson will blow you away. As recorded at the Bluegrass Bioneers conference in Louisville Kentucky November 2, 2102, courtesy of film-maker Ben Evans (at yert.com)
I'm not so sure our industrial system will collapse anytime soon, but I fact-checked everything McPherson said about runaway climate change. He's got it right. You need to hear this.
Show blog published Wednesday at
http://www.ecoshock.info with all the links.
Homepage:
News from the Hambach Forest: Eviction and resquatting - UK Indymedia
News from the Hambach Forest: Eviction and resquatting
During the last week happend a lot. On the 13th of November the
police started to evict the camp area near the hole. It took till
saturday17th early morning to get out the last persons.
There was some attention lokaly and in the whole press and TV in this language zone. On a press conference we gave on the 19th of November we anounced the we have since quiete a while another area. South of the forest.So we wasnt rally completly evicted and resquattet inside a week:) On Wednsday 21th of November police came to evict this new area, but didnt had any paper work, it happend that the owner of the area came to see his land , during this police action.
There was some attention lokaly and in the whole press and TV in this language zone. On a press conference we gave on the 19th of November we anounced the we have since quiete a while another area. South of the forest.So we wasnt rally completly evicted and resquattet inside a week:) On Wednsday 21th of November police came to evict this new area, but didnt had any paper work, it happend that the owner of the area came to see his land , during this police action.
He was taken in custedy by police, what wasnt such a good press
for them :) It seems he got angry on the police and RWE by this and
doesnt want to evict us from his ground.
This days its windy and security cars are going in the neigbourhood, there are even more people supporting,
its quiete much more known, be welcome.
Squat more. Resist here and everywhere.
Any time they hit us we come back much stronger :)
This days its windy and security cars are going in the neigbourhood, there are even more people supporting,
its quiete much more known, be welcome.
Squat more. Resist here and everywhere.
Any time they hit us we come back much stronger :)
e-mail:
The Hambach Forest is one of the oldest forests in Germany. He was 5.500 h 30 years ago. Now there are 1.000 h left, and in 5 to 10 years it's all gone. There are a lot's of villages that get destroyed by the open cast mining.
The open cast mining in the area is the biggest climat killer in europe. 1 Million tonnes of co2 a year gets into the air from the 3 large open cast mines. The Hambach open cast is the biggest and deepest (500 meters) in Europe. Also the open cast mines are radioactive and destroying the health of the people.
Come over and help us stopping this nightmare.
It's close to cologne and the german-dutsh baorder...
News from the Hambach Forest: Eviction and resquatting - UK Indymedia
New Amazon Logo Unveiled - #Dec5 - UK Indymedia
New Amazon Logo Unveiled - #Dec5
Captain Swing |
04.12.2012 23:21
| Public sector cuts
| Workers' Movements
Make stickers, post on Facebook etc, help yourselves....
Save Public Services, Tax the Multinationals! Join the Protest -
London Strand, assemble Kings College, Strand, London WC2, 5.30pm Weds
Dec 5th
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/12/503649.html
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/12/503649.html
Shift Campaign -Natalie Bennet New leader of the Green Party to speak at the Library Mon Dec 10th 7.30 pm
The SHIFT campaign is helping organise another THE ECONOMY FOR THE 99% - SHARE IDEAS & TOOLS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN event, this time on Monday the 10th of December, at 7.30 pm, in Friern Barnet library. Please refer to the attached leaflet for further details and circulate as widely as you can.
Rabbi Jeffrey Newman, who helped set up the Earth Charter UK (www.picturesofsuccess.org) in 2007, is one of the key organisers, Rabbi Newman, says 'we have to get on with it - better late than never, and SHIFT seems a really promising new alliance, pushing all the right buttons'.
It is apt that the meeting is being held in the Friern Barnet Library, which was closed down earlier this year by Barnet Council, a Conservative-run London borough with a fierce cuts policy. Its “One Barnet” strategy involves outsourcing nearly everything the council currently does – resulting in up to £1billion of contracts.
Eight occupiers entered the north London library early in September and since then it has been run by ‘community’ librarians who are keeping it open for 6 days a week. The council removed the stock of books but now thousands of books, fiction, non-fiction and children’s titles are stacked neatly on shelves, all donated by the local community.
The main speaker at the event will be Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party. Other speakers include Keith Sonnet (ex-Deputy General Secretary of UNISON), Phoenix (Occupy Movement), Sara Ayech (Transition Towns) and Peter Robinson (Secretary, Alliance for Jobs & Climate). There will be lots of opportunity for discussion and if you can come early, you will be able to meet the occupiers and they will tell you what they have been doing.
The Alliance for Jobs and climate is keen to organise similar events in other parts of the country. Have a look here for videos from the Camden event: http://jobsandclimate.org/videos-from-camdenshift/ Please email us at alliance@jobsandclimate.org if you are interested in helping set up similar events elsewhere.
And if you can get to Bristol on Saturday December 8th (11.00 am-4.30 pm) Charles Secrett, former head of FOE is organising a meeting for activists and organisation representatives that is being held in order to take the first steps towards building what he has called the ProActive Sustainability Movement in the UK. His paper is attached and his email address is cmsecrett@btinternet.com.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Push the boat out party on MS Stubnitz sat dec 8 th
Push the Boat Out Naughty Nauticals party, strictly Fancy Dress. Sat Dec 8, 8pm till dawn on the good ship MS Stubnitz, London E16 2BU, Pontoon Dock DLR. £10 on the door or presale £5 from www.pushtheboatoutnaughtynauticals.blogspot.co.uk
All activists welcome for a riotous night!network it tickets via www.accessallareas.org
All activists welcome for a riotous night!network it tickets via www.accessallareas.org
Richard Cornelius defends One Barnet on BBC Sunday Politics 2 Dec 2012 -Filmed in part at the Library a small interview with Phoenix
Its always intresting over the years how much the media films and how much they edit and put out.The interviewer on the studio show seemed very easy on the council and did not hear all the speakers in the studio.
There were 3- more interviews in the library biut they cut it to someone painting an anti one Barnet sign and my much edited interview.
In short usual BBC.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Criminalise squatting in commercial premises, say Tory MPs | Society | The Guardian
........................
It could soon be chucking out time at the Black Bull. The disused inn, around the corner from Chelsea's football ground in south-west London, has been occupied by squatters for two weeks. The landlord wants his property back.
The confrontation comes as Conservative MPs are pressing for the criminalisation of squatting to be extended to commercial premises to prevent abandoned pubs, empty offices and warehouses being targeted.
The demands are an attempt to prevent an influx of those who fear being driven out of houses and flats by changes in the law that came into effect on 1 September.
Making the occupation of residential properties with permission a criminal offence has coincided with a crisis in the pub trade. An average of 18 pubs a week are closing down. Shifting drinking patterns, competition from supermarkets and a rise in beer tax have been blamed.
Abandoned pubs have been selected as squatters swap sites to avoid risking a criminal record. Among them have been the Cross Keys in Chelsea, the Tournament in Earls Court, both in London, the Upper Bell Inn near Chatham, Kent, and the Bute Dock Hotel in Cardiff. Bar areas are classified as commercial, but any upstairs landlord's flat may be deemed residential.
Criminalise squatting in commercial premises, say Tory MPs | Society | The Guardian
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Save the Libraries cabaret sat dec 15th
Earth Circus Network Presents Save the libraries Cabaret on sat 15 th dec 7-10 pm at the occupied friern Barnet people's library 250 libraries, beacons of knowledge and free learning to be closed .forward the great libraries revolt. network it tell your friends safeguard the libraries for all future generations www.fbpeopleslibrary.co.uk
Love phoenix
Love phoenix
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