A leader of the Bolivian Confederation of Peasant Workers (CSUTCB) is in Ireland this weekend to visit the local people who continue to resist Shell's experimental gas pipeline in Rossport and to demand that the Irish government investigate the role of Shell's security company IRMS in the attempt to start a civil war in Bolivia. Meanwhile in the wake of the An Bord Planala decision Shell's dangerous experimental pipe has been exposed as just that and many people are starting to question the wisdom of giving the energy corporations 420 billion of oil and gas for next to nothing.
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The Student's Union of NUI Maynooth has confirmed, via email correspondence, that they will not be encouraging NUIM students to support the strike on Tuesday. The full text of the email correspondence is presented below. ... read full story / add a comment

In the late 1970s and early 80s Dublin was a city spinning out of control due to the first devastating epidemic of heroin addiction. Inner city communities were under siege as drug users converged from all over to buy drugs in their flat complexes. By early 1983 hundreds had died as a result of drug related problems. Ordinary citizens mobilised and took to the streets in an attempt to stop the sale and distribution of drugs which were killing their families, friends and neighbours. ... read full story / add a comment

As conventional sources of oil become rarer the energy corporations have started the mass extraction of oil from the tar sands of Alberta. This is a filthy process that involves vast open cast mines, tailing ponds that can be seen from space and the use of huge quantities of water and energy making it a major cause of climate change. On Saturday Heather Milton Lightening of the Indigenous Environmental Network spoke to a national Shell to Sea meeting in Dublin about this struggle (last night she spoke in Inver, Erris). This is a 50 minute recording of that talk and the discussions that followed it. ... read full story / add a comment

Hollman Morris is a familiar name in Colombia, both for his TV programme Contravía (Counter-current), which he has been directing for many years and represents a unique window to glimpse into the realities of the Colombian conflict, and also for the accusations and harassment which he has suffered from the State intelligence agency (DAS) and by the very president Uribe. ... read full story / add a comment

A landfill, a waste transfer site, a World Heritage site, two masts and turf-cutting ... read full story / add a comment

Public Service Strike 24th November

Friday, 13 November 2009

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, Irish Federation of University Teachers, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and Teachers Union of Ireland

Up to 65,000 teachers, lecturers to take industrial action

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An Bord Pleanála Board has overruled its own Inspectors and given the go ahead for a high voltage power line to run through South and West Donegal. This ESB Networks and Eirgrid project is not, as they maintain, to supplement the energy needs of County Donegal but rather to facilitate wind energy developers in their rush to profit at the expense of people in Donegal and their environmental heritage.
However local opposition is strong and Donegal Alternatives to Pylons is not going away. ... read full story / add a comment

Hanafin cancels Christmas for 2 million people - decision to scrap annual Christmas Bonus condemned by the Workers' Party ... read full story / add a comment

Transition Galway meeting to organise local Transition events. All welcome. ... read full story / add a comment

Sligo's elected representatives have ignored the majority of public opinion and have voted to reopen O'Connell Street to traffic. What can we do?? ... read full story / add a comment

Cuba, an isolated island nation, rebuilt its quality of life following the collapse of cheap oil, supplied by the former Soviet Union. This fascinating and empowering film shows how communities pulled together, created solutions and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy. ... read full story / add a comment

The first in our autumn/winter programme of awareness raising evenings, Transition Town Donard-Glen will be screening 'End of Suburbia' in Donard hall. The film will be followed by a talk on peak oil with local geologist, Jerome Kelly (Tullow Oil). Absolutely everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend and we can all wash down the bitter pills of reality with a few pints in the pub afterwards. ... read full story / add a comment

The duration of the movie is 1.5 hours, starts at 3:00 pm on Wednesday the 18th of November.

The story of the movie deals with a wedding in Syrian Golan Heights which is occupied by Israel and shows the troubles caused by this still unsolved situation. ... read full story / add a comment

An incinerator, two powerlines, two quarries, two masts, a windfarm, a recycling facility and turf-cutting ... read full story / add a comment

I'm happy to report that, today, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinians ably assisted by Israeli activists and "internationals" tore down a section of the obscenity called the Apartheid Wall near the IOF checkpoint of Qalandiya outside Ramallah in the West Bank. giving a much needed fillip to Palestinian morale and people of good conscience around the world. The action was noteworthy for its meticulous planning and execution which ensured jubilant success. ... read full story / add a comment

An important study which illustrates the paucity of US media reports of civilian deaths in Iraq. hence it is hardly shocking that US citizens are unaware tof the true extent of civilian casualties. Full story at related link.

In February of 2007 Associated Press conducted a survey of 1,002 adults across the United States about their perceptions of the war in Iraq. Whilst the respondents accurately estimated the death toll of U.S. soldiers (the median estimate was 2,974 while the actual toll at the time was 3,100), they grossly underestimated the number of Iraqi civilian casualties (the median answer was 9,890 at a time when several estimates put the toll at least 10 times that number and some as high as 50 times that number). ... read full story / add a comment

This Christmas you can give a truly great gift with Oxfam Ireland, by choosing your presents from its exciting new Christmas catalogue Unwrapped.
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Badgerwatch (Ireland) is calling on Environment Minister, Mr. John Gormley, for an immediate halt to the killing of badgers for their alleged role in the spread of bovine TB.

Latest figures released by the Department of Agriculture (DAFF) shows that almost 7,000 badgers were slaughtered by Department trappers in 2008.

Ironically, close on 30,000 ’reactor’ cattle failed to pass the TB skin test for the same period indicating a rise in TB levels over the previous six years.

I ... read full story / add a comment

This week (monday 2 - friday 6) the Barcelona International Climate Change Talks are happening, five days of formal negotiations, in the lead up to COP 15. Since Saturday there have been a series of actions in the cities streets as well as at the conference centre to raise awereness, to unite eco movements and to try to force change during this window of opportunity in the conference centre at the far side of Montjuic. But will it be enough to get us out of our AGE OF STUPID? Perhaps not, news has just come through today that African countries have abandoned the talks.

Talks Timeline
Saturday - Manifestation in Barcelona streets - The climate is not for sale
Sunday - Outdoor film screening in city streets - 11th hour - Age of Stupid - Eco hopes
Monday - TckTckTck wake up call for climate talks - Anarchist night greeting
Tuesday - Africa boycott U.N. climate talks, demands CO2 cuts ... read full story / add a comment