Keith Suter’s Global Insights
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Margaret Holmes - 1909 - 2009
November 1, 2009 | On October 31 2009 there was a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Margaret Holmes. It took place at a packed St Luke's Anglican Church, Mosman, NSW (where Margaret and her late husband "Tag" had been active members). I was among the speakers who were asked to say a few words about her. I spoke on her involvement in the peace and social justice movements. I had reviewed her biography on Radio 2GB when she turned a 100 earlier this year and I spoke at an event to mark her 100th birthday at the Women's International League for Peace... Full article »
WEA. 2009 The Year In Review
October 30, 2009 | Friday December 4th 2009 2009 has been another turbulent year, with Australia's involvement with the world's superpowers creating as many problems as opportunities. Among the topics to be reviewed this morning are: • How is Barack Obama doing? • Global Economy: Breakdown or breakthrough? • Global Environment: Winning battles but losing the war? • 21st Century: "The Asian Century"? Course No. 94HM381 1 session 10 am - 12.30 pm Cost: $39 (No Concession) Morning Tea included WEA House, 72 Bathurst St, Sydney 2000 Tel: (02) 9264 2781 Fax: (02) 9267 6988 Internet: www.weasydney.nsw.edu.au A non-profit organisation established 1913... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 3:41 PM Comment
Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers
October 16, 2009 | A few points on the asylum seeker issue: The basic problem is that the conflict has gone on for over half a century (with roots going even further back) with no clear system for now resolving it. The Hindu Tamil dominated north should have been given a measure of local autonomy when the country became independent of Britain in 1948. Instead, an increasingly nationalistic majority Buddhist Sinhalese government in Colombo has ignored the local community demands. This has brought on its own adverse reaction from the Tamil community. As with other localized conflicts, one thing led to another in a... Full article »
Witches Today
October 1, 2009 | Witchcraft is now on the agenda of the United Nations. The UN itself - as a secular organization on the church/state split of the United States Constitution -cannot get involved in the official propagation of witchcraft or any other sort of religion. But witches who are persecuted for their religious belief may become "refugees" and so very much a matter for the UN. Like all other humans, they have basic human rights. In my current radio interviews I am making three points 1. Witches as Victims The current media interest (September/ October 2009) comes from discussions at the UN refugee... Full article »
Driving On The Left
September 27, 2009 | Samoa has made history - it has changed from driving on the right to driving on the left. The September 2009 changeover has been done at the right time - this tiny South Pacific country is gradually getting wealthier and there will soon be more motorized vehicles on the road.... Full article »
Controversial Owner at the Melbourne Cup
September 27, 2009 | The Melbourne Cup is the horse race that stops a nation. This year's race will attract even more interest than usual because of one of the horse owners: Chechnyan President Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov has been compared with "Stalin" because of his treatment of political opponents. A person making this comparison, courageous human rights journalist Anna Politkovskaya, was coincidentally shot dead a few weeks later in Moscow. (She risked her life offending powerful interests in Russia). Allegations against him have been filed at the European Court of Human Rights. But he has not been found guilty of any crime. Chechnya is... Full article »
Food Security
September 13, 2009 | If you want to push your particular issue up the political agenda, then it is necessary to add "security" to your noun eg "water security", "climate security" and "education security". I think that there should be a national campaign to emphasize "food, fibre and fuel security". On Friday September 11 2009 I spoke in Brisbane at the Queensland AGFORCE 2009 State Conference. This was an appropriate anniversary on which to be speaking about new approaches to "security"! People now expect more "safety" from their governments. There has been a revolution of "rising... Full article »
Edward Kennedy 1932-2009
August 28, 2009 | The passing of Edward Kennedy is the end of a special kind of era. For many Baby Boomers, their first introduction to the exciting world of politics was the Inauguration of his brother John as President in January 1961. Politics was then seen as an honourable profession with a belief that political leaders could actually work for the betterment of human society. People paid high taxes in those days (the highest marginal tax rate was 87cents in the US$ in the conservative Eisenhower years of the 1950s) and people could see via the New Deal and winning World War II... Full article »
Al-Shabaab Now Designated as a Terrorist Organization in Australia
August 22, 2009 | Al-Shabaab, the Somalian Islamicist group, has been designated as a terrorist organization in Australia. This brings Australia into line with the US's similar designation (February 2008). Five Australian men were arrested in early August and charged with terrorism-related offences. It will be alleged that they had some connection with Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab is loosely linked with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda (in terms of wanting a medieval caliph to run the region, this time the Horn of Africa) and it can also be compared with Afghanistan's Taliban (in that it wants the implementation of strict Koranic law and order). In domestic Somali... Full article »
Our Prisons- Human Rights, Mental Health & Privatisation
August 19, 2009 | The International Commission of Jurists Australia and the Community Justice Coalition are hosting a seminar on 5 September 2009. The seminar "Our Prisons - Human Rights, Mental Health & Privatisation" will take place in the elegant surroundings of the State Library of NSW. This is the first of a series of seminars on the custodial system for adults and juveniles. The Hon John Roberston MLC, Minister for Corrective Services will open the seminar with Mr Victor Dominello MP who is speaking on behalf of Shadow Attorney General Greg Smith SC MP. Featured speakers also include Dr Eileen Baldry, Associate Dean... Full article »
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