[pf] News From Switzerland, NZ And Elsewhere; activism

From: The Scoop Editor <editor@scoop.co.nz>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:57:21 +1300 (NZDT)
Subject: Scoop Today -  News From NZ And Elsewhere
X-URL: http://www.scoop.co.nz/frames/stories/HL0002/S00004.htm

Posting to Headlines Wire of Scoop
Article: Alastair Thompson
Date: Tuesday, 1 February 2000 Time: 5:56 pm NZT

Scoop Today -  News From NZ And Elsewhere

Anti Capitalist Protestors "Starbuck" McDonalds In Davos, Switzerland
protesting at the World Economic Forum; photo: 
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0002/2cb7cbcc02d35c554329.jpeg
For why, see.. 
http://www.scoop.co.nz/frames/stories/HL0001/S00106.htm

[ David's note: see article from Scoop, below the dashed line.  D.]

TOP SCOOPS

 Davos  A Prelude To Russian Visit For Albright

 – The Davos World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland has
seized the headlines today with the announcement of the Indonesian
President on the likely future of his armed forces chief General
Wiranto.  Yesterday some anti-capitalist protestors trashed McDonalds.
On the basis of the volume of material coming over Scoop's desk
today, the Davos political and business leaders meeting is being
used by the US as the launch pad for major push a global campaign
on the benefits of democracy and trade.  The conference has been
attended by President Clinton, Secretary Albright and Treasury
Secretary Larry Summers – the highest powered delegation ever
- they have been speaking in unison and optimistically – much
of what they have been saying is relevant to the next stop on
Albright's itinerary – Russia where she has now arrived.
Full Coverage - Albright, Summers Briefing on Global Economy
- Treasury Secretary Summers on US Global Engagement [1]  - Summers,
Sperling Briefing on Clinton Trade Agenda [2]  - Albright Address
to the World Economic Forum Davos [3]  - James Rubin Press Briefing
On Russian Visit [4]  - Albright Briefing Aboard Plane en route
to Moscow [5]   - Albright on Strengthening Democratic Societies
[6]  - Clinton Remarks to World Economic Forum  [7] 


[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0002/S00003.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0002/S00001.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0002/S00009.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0002/S00008.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0002/S00007.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0002/S00001.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0001/S00083.htm


 Scoop Editorial- Giving General Wiranto His Due

 - Today we have news that Indonesian Armed Forces Chief and
Cabinet Minister General Wiranto has been asked to resign by
the new democratically elected Indonesian President Abdurrachman
Wahid. See... Scoop Editorial: Setting A Good Example [1]  in
the Headlines wire.


[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0002/S00003.htm


 Opinion: Biased Timor Coverage

 - How well did the Australian media cover the East Timor debacle
in recent months? An Australian journalist based in Perth writes
for the Jakarta Post.  See...  Media Biased On East Timor Coverage
[1]  in the General wire.


[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0002/S00002.htm

 GE Protocol Not As Straightforward As It Seems

 -  Saturday's landmark Montreal Biosafety Protocol which regulates
trade in genetically modified organisms establishes a framework
for countries to use when making decisions about genetically
modified crops. But there are a couple of fish-hooks in it. John
Howard Reports ... See... Montreal GM Protocol  - The Devil Is
In The Detail [1]  in the Headlines wire. See also...US  Statement
Upon Adoption of Biosafety Protocol [2]  in the Business wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0002/S00001.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0002/S00009.htm



AmericaOne 2 Prada 3

 -  AmericaOne has won race five of the Louie Vuitton Cup convincingly
by a margin of fifty-four seconds. The heat was on the Americans
today after Prada stole a second victory off the team on Sunday.
 
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MAYDAY2K: Carnival Against Capitalism
  Monday, 31 January 2000, 12:47 pm

 (NOTE: Scoop will be posting a series of materials and reports on Mayday2K
over the coming months - either in the Headlines Wire or the General wire.
The Mayday 2000 global action is being organised on the internet in a
decentralised fashion and follows in the tradition of the N30
demonstrations in Seattle.
 The following is a brief introduction taken from the M1 news list. )

 Mayday 2000
 Global Day of Action, Resistance and Carnival against Capitalism

 (information as of January 24, 2000)

 May 1 this year will be the next Global Day of Action against Capitalism.
Already, many groups around the world are preparing for this event, in
recognition that the capitalist system, based on the exploitation of
people, societies and the environment for the profit of a few, is the prime
cause of our social and ecological troubles. May 1 will offer a perfect
symbolic and real opportunity to build up our struggles against it.
Activists in New York are planning to close down Wall Street, and in London
there will be a four-day long carnival against capitalism. Other major
cities involved are Sydney (Australia), Toronto (Canada), Manchester
(England), Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington (USA).
 The international contacts list, which is growing every day, now includes
groups and coalitions in more than 20 cities around the world. In addition,
May 1 has been endorsed as a Day of Action by the Peoples' Global Action
(PGA) international conference in India in August. 

 The May 1 Global Day of Action proceeds from the successes of the previous
global Days of Action against Capitalism, on June 18 and November 30 last
year, and expands on them in the same spirit.
 Through those Days our networks grew, we learned much, and we saw many new
people engage themselves. May 1 will continue this process of building up a
strong, bold, and creative grassroots movement for a society in which
people do not exploit or oppress each other, communities or the
environment, but one that is based on solidarity, co-operation, grassroots
democracy, and ecological sustainability. 

 As on previous occasions, people of different movements and different
countries will join forces on this day against the social, political, and
economic institutions of the capitalist system. Workers, the unemployed,
students, trade unionists, peasants, the landless, fishers, women groups,
ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, peace activists, environmental
activists, ecologists, and so on will work in solidarity with one another
in the understanding that their various struggles are not isolated from
each other. The simultaneous occupation and transformation of the
capitalist social order around the globe - in the streets, neighbourhoods,
fields, factories, offices, commercial centres, financial districts, and so
on - will strengthen mutual bonds at the local, national, and international
levels.

 As before, the day will be organised in a non-hierarchical way, as a
decentralised and informal network of grassroots groups that employ
non-authoritarian, grassroots democratic forms of organisation, struggle
independent of the social, political, and economic institutions of the
capitalist system, and seek to effect change directly through their own
action. Each event or action will be organised autonomously by each group,
while coalitions of various movements and groups can be formed at the
local, regional, and national levels. A strategy that may be useful at the
local level is that various groups co-operate in creating a surrounding
atmosphere of carnival and festivity as a setting for their various actions.

 Examples of conceivable actions are: 

 strikes - demonstrations - critical mass bike rides - carnivals, street
parties reclaiming streets, government land or office buildings for
non-commercial and good activities - marches - music, dancing, speeches -
handing out flyers - banner hangings - distributing community controlled
newspapers - street theatre - building gardens - handing out free food -
mock trade fairs - offering no interest loans outside major banks -
solidarity actions - pickets occupations of offices - blockades and
shutdowns - appropriating and disposing of luxury consumer goods -
sabotaging, wrecking, or interfering with capitalist infrastructure -
appropriating capitalist wealth and returning it to the working people -
declaring oneself independent from capitalism and authoritarian governments
- setting up grassroots' community councils and holding meetings outside
city halls - setting up economic alternatives, like workers' co-operatives
- promoting economic alternatives to capitalist companies - promoting
grassroots based forms of community organisation.

 If you or your group plan to join this day of action, please let others
know as soon as possible, to facilitate networking and communication. There
are several international mailing lists available for open discussions and
co-ordination (see below). A public international contacts list is
regularly posted to them in order to facilitate decentralized and
non-hierarchic networking. To have your contact information added to it,
please contact tcjohans@hotmail.com,
 indicating: 
 (a) the country and location in which you plan to take action, plus any
other information you see fit, for instance 
 (b) the name of your group, coalition or yourself, 
 (c) the events or actions being planned, 
 (d) your land address, 
 (e) email address, 
 (f) telephone number, 
 (g) fax number or 
 (h) web site. 

 There are many things we need to do, to make the best of May 1 at the
global, local, and national levels.
 We need to spread information about it among as many suitable groups and
movements as possible. We need to spread and share propaganda materials,
such as leaflets and posters. And, in general, we need to share our
experiences, thoughts and ideas with one other and help each other out. At
the local level, information about the day needs to be spread and discussed
among groups and individuals, meetings need to be organised, events
planned, leaflets printed and distributed, funds raised, laughter and
conversation shared.

 The process of building up our movements can and should be continued
through further global days of action against capitalism in the future. A
suitable occasion that has been proposed for next time, after Mayday, may
be September 27-28, 2000, because of the annual meeting between the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank taking place in
Prague, Czech Republic at that time.

 Any 'inquiries' or concerns about the Mayday global day of action should
be directed to other activists in the group, city, country or on the
various mailing lists, for us to mutually help each other with ideas and
advise. There is noone in charge or pulling the strings for the day. It
will be a radically decentralised and non-hierarchic event entirely of our
own creation in co-operation and solidarity with one another.

 NEEDED: Translators !!! To make Mayday information available in every
language, now especially:
 German, Russian, Arabic, Dutch, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Polish, Italian,
Greek, Indonesian, Swedish and Thai.

 MAILING LISTS (DISCUSSION AND CO-ORDINATION):

 ENGLISH (International discussion list)
 mayday2k@onelist.com. Join at: 
www.onelist.com/subscribe/mayday2k, or send a blank email to
 mayday2k-subscribe@onelist.com. 

 PORTUGUESE (International discussion list)
 n30-pt@listserv.fct.unl.pt. Join by sending a message with the text:
   subscribe n30-pt   to
 majordomo@listserv.fct.unl.pt. 

 NORTH AMERICA (continental discussion list)
 pga-org@lists.tao.ca To join, send a message to lists@tao.ca. In the body
of the message, include the following two lines:
subscribe pga-org
end

 UNITED KINGDOM (national discussion list)
 mayday2000@egroups.com. Join by sending a blank email to 
 mayday2000-subscribe@egroups.com. 

 IRELAND (national discussion list)
 Join by sending a blank email to 
 no_wto-subscribe@onelist.com.

 SOUTHWEST USA (regional discussion list)
 ArizonaDirectAction@onelist.com . To join, send a blank email to
 ArizonaDirectAction-subscribe@onelist.com or go to 
www.onelist.com/subscribe/ArizonaDirectAction.

 Please do set up a list for your own language, country or city, if you
feel it is needed!

 NEWS GROUPS:

 MAYDAY 2000 NEWS GROUP (international news group)
 Information surrounding Mayday 2000. (2-4 mess./week) To join, send an
empty email message to
globalaction-news-subscribe@onelist.com.

 WEB SITES WITH MAYDAY INFORMATION: 

 International Lobster Party http://www.lobster1.dircon.co.uk/
 Protest.Net http://m1.protest.net
 Mid-Atlantic Infoshop http://ww.infoshop.org/mayday2000.html
 WTO Caravan (Canada) http://wtocaravan.org/mayday2k/
 Mayday Seattle http://members.xoom.com/maydayseattle
 Mayday 2000 in London http://www.freespeech.org/mayday2k/
 Manchester May Day 2000 http://www.mayday2000.fsnet.co.uk
 AMR Helsinki http://www.dlc.fi/~ravelre/m1/index.html

 REFERENCES: 

 J18 
www.infoshop.org/june18.html or www.j18.org

 N30 
http://go.to/n30 or 
www.seattlewto.org/n30

 Peoples' Global Action (PGA)
www.go.to/agp or 
www.agp.org/agp/index.html , or contact pga@agp.org 

 Prague, Czech Republic, September 27-28, 2000 
www.bankwatch.org or 
www.mmf2000.webjump.com

 Please spread this message widely to sympathetic grassroots groups,
communities, and individuals!
 Translate if advisable.

 Let's make this the strongest show of solidarity and resistance yet!

 ENDS 

 [from: ] Scoop Media
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(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3142/Pg1-AD11.html
 or better: http://www.emucities.com.au/member/davd/
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