I listened to a main stream radio show which had a reporter on the scene, who described nothing of what I later learned had really happened. I watched a 24 hour news show on TV but nothing was showing about this police action, before I wrote what I did.

So here is what I wrote then:

As you see on  this video though, it appears that  the police were fairly mild in comparison with their behaviour on all the demos I’ve been on in my life.  I’ve seen plenty of police violence and been subject to it myself. I think back to the Springbok tour while South Africa was still an Apartheid state. The police on horseback lost control of themselves completely. Then there was the Richmond secondary college days. The conservative state government here closed a lot of schools but a couple were occupied. Then the police moved in and there was a picket line outside the gates. Later the police moved baton forwards into the picket. Those people involved all got compensation because of that police action.

Oh and the G8 and S11 protests……………the police were viscious. I remember people were bleeding from baton wounds to their heads. “Tomato sauce” said one of my co-workers at the time. No such luck for the people involved.

The reaction of people in general on talk back radio was different too. After all, 99% of us should be able to identify with the Wall St occupiers. It’s the 1% who own as much as the rest of us put together. So people were generally sympathetic to the protesters in Melbourne, which surprised me because at all other protests there are usually many complaints and abusive statements made about protesters.

Later I learned a few more things by people who I trust who had been there. Here is a report from a friend who was there. He got arrested for taking photos and reporting in to a community radio programme.

The occupy Melbourne protest today was as brutal as I have witnessed in over 30 years. The use of police horses and the special operation group to capsicum peaceful protesters was completely without justification.I was arrested for doing my job of taking photos and broadcasting directly to our radio station .The use of force was directly in contrast to the peaceful protest and the Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and the Victoria police should hang their heads in shame.

 

This was Denis Evans. His blog site where I’m sure he will soon write his version is at http://www.denisevans.com

I have also heard from two other sources that the police would surround small groups of protesters and spray them with capsicum and then remove and/or arrest them. Pressure points were being used to move people too. Police horses galloped through crowds. Police dogs were used.

The point of all this? The mass media does not tell the truth. One had  to be there to witness what really happened. The press cover up police brutality. I fell victim to that. If I can fall victim to it, and I’m a long term socialist who should have know better, then imagine what the general population comes to think?

I now think these young people were very brave in the face of what they stood up against.

Related articles

• Riot police tackle Melbourne protesters (news.theage.com.au)
• Police surround protesters in Melbourne (news.theage.com.au)
• Police surround City Square in standoff (theage.com.au)
• Occupy protesters given eviction notice (heraldsun.com.au)
• Occupy elsewhere, Baillieu tells protesters (heraldsun.com.au)
• We are the 99% Occupy Melbourne: First Look (intentious.com)
• Rally occupies itself in most polite company (theage.com.au)
• Riot Police Brutalize Occupy Melbourne Protesters (buzzfeed.com)
• WATCH: Occupy Melbourne Protest Turns Ugly (huffingtonpost.com)
• ‘Occupy Melbourne’ savaged by riot police (weblog1848.com)

PM Rudd announced today that the government would set up a new government and privately funded organisation to set up a fibre to home broadband for every school, business and home in the country.

The cost is huge and much more than previously thought, but the reason for that is that the main telecommunication company in Australia did not put forward a tender for this operation. This company also controls the lines to homes and businesses, making it difficult for other telecommunication companies to rent their lines. Also, it was to be fibre to node before, but the old copper wiring used by the main telecommunications company made the speed slow. The speed will be as fast as in Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and New Zealand.

This is a huge task, given the size of Australia but without knowing how much it will cost for the individual, I think it’s great. I’ve never liked Wireless. Too insecure for my liking.

Why was this bushfire so much worse than any others? The debate begins. I say it is climate change and we can expect these again along with such high temperatures. The areas concerned have been in drought for years, including Melbourne.

I normally listen to the ABC on radio and it has kept me awake at night with more and more horrible news. Some fires were deliberately lit. Both domestic and wild animals have been burned. Thousands of houses have been burned. People got caught both in their homes and on the roads and have been killed. Some identities will not be confirmed for a long time. Police see bodies where they are not sure if there are one or two of them. It is like a war zone.

Our electricity in the week before when temperatures were over 43c for 3 days got cut several times. That was bad enough. In the bushfire areas, electricity, gas, phones, mobiles, roads, bridges, water pumps and generaters failed to operate.

Now relief centres are being set up with goods and services. But how do you begin again? I have no idea. Some had nothing but the shirts on their backs. No identity papers. I wouldn’t even know which company insures my house and contents.

It makes me think what I would take if I had had time, which most people didn’t. Surely one should keep all relevant papers, medicines, photos, identity cards in a box near the door, plus have cat boxes and dog boxes. At least I have a car.

Here is the best link to view what is happening and if you want to contribute money or your services.

http://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/

How can an illiterate person be president of the USA?

Here are some of his best known sayings.

‘The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.’

‘If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.’

‘Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and
child.’

‘No senior citizen should ever have to choose between prescription drugs
and medicine.’

‘I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and
democracy – but that could change.’

‘One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that
one word is ‘to be prepared’.’

‘Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.’

‘I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in
the future.’

‘The future will be better tomorrow.’

‘We’re have the best educated American people in the world.’

‘One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some
fantastic pictures.’ (Said during an education photo-op)

‘Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having
it.’

‘We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.’

‘It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities
in our air and water that are doing it.’

‘I stand by all the misstatements that I’ve made.’

Someone who had just come back from San Francisco (where Google Site View has been in operation for some time), said it was a boon to his travelling experience. He could look up where he wanted to go, check how to get there, have a look at some landmarks and organise his own trip round San Francisco without ever asking someone how to get somewhere. He felt more in control being able to do this.

I have looked up my place and yes you can see my house and move 360 degrees around and move via the arrows through the streets seeing every house. My car was outside at the time of the photo and because of a few indicators I could work out when the photos were taken by Google. Some months ago. My registration number was blurred and any people’s faces are blurred, but this doesn’t really protect my car or those people because they could still be recognised.

George Orwell and 1984 or just a static and old picture that anyone who goes past my house right now can see anyway if they wished?

I tended to agree with the talk back callers last night in that it was an invasion of my privacy, but after looking at my own house, I decided it wasn’t. I thought too that it had many uses. Real estate searches and tourism were obviously two of them. Being able to map out how to get from one place to another is another.

Having a look at some old places I’ve lived and checking them out now? I could do that within an hour anyway by driving around a couple of suburbs.

Google did pass Privacy laws in this country before it began the process. What those privacy laws don’t cover though is the advent of the internet. I can see many worse invasions of privacy that the internet can be used for. Showing a picture or video of other people taken with a mobile phone or Cyber bullying.

The most frightening use of Google Street View is the possibility of a terrorist attack. But I really don’t think home grown terrorists would use Google View to go about their business. I think they’d know their targets. Similarly overseas terrorists would not really be using Google street view to plan attacks. Our houses are not really their targets. Crowded places are or embassies and they know where they are already.

Australian law should be reviewed as far as privacy goes with the potential privacy invasions the internet can now cause to people. But my house isn’t a concern to me. Don’t you already have security if you are concerned about burglaries? Don’t you have insurance? My credit card details and my actual address would be something I would never publish. But you can’t look up my house now can you, because I don’t say where I live anywhere on any of my public blogs, web sites, Face book or whatever else.

Domestic tourism is also a benefit. The old country drive is a thing of the past. But now I can go see (in very low resolution), places that I might have gone in the past. I don’t even have to get out of the car!

What do you think?

Millions got caught with this scam and other like scams. Research in the US has shown that since 2004 about 50 million people worldwide have been sucked in by these scams. At Fraud.org, of the top internet scams for 2007, Nigerian money offers rank 4, with the highest average loss of $4043. Friendship and love frauds now net an average of $3038. Scamming in Nigeria is now the fourth largest industry there behind oil, natural gas and cocoa.

On a personal level my son was scammed. He clicked on one of those “Lucky you. You are the 1 millionth viewer of this page. Click here”. It was a holiday for much reduced rates. He went for it, used my credit card and got caught because it was in the Bahamas, which is miles from where we live and of course airfares were not included. That’s precisely what they bargained on. That you wouldn’t be able to take up the holiday. It wasn’t something he could ever really use. So he had to pay me back and he could never use my credit card again. Now, my boy is a bright boy, so if got caught then anyone can.

What has developed in reponse to this is scambaiting. In 2004 TheScambaiter.com was born and has 20,000 members. There are many others like this now too. What they concentrate on is humiliating the scammers. They try to catch them out with their own game, but not illegally. Others email the scammers back so they lose money and time.

Here are some links if you’d like to join the anti-spam movement.

thescambaiter.com

ebolamonkeyman.com

scambuster419.co.uk

419eater.com

aus-scambaiters.com

Source: Green Guide, The Age, 17 July, 2008, p.28

Certainly ‘working families are hurting because of the skyrocketing price of fuel, high grocery prices and interest rates. Any government would need to address such issues to ensure political survival. Ultimately, these issues are a distraction; people can’t expect a goverment to do what it can’t, however much they would like them to.

People should be expecting the government to focus on areas where it can have some influence, such as dismantling the diabolical ‘Work Choices’ policy of the Howard goernment. This was an area that most people did very quickly see for what it was; a bad joke. The very name ‘Work Choices’ was a joke; the only choices most workers were being offered by their bosses was ‘my way or the highway’.

Government can exercise meaningful control over areas, like:

* developing a more compassionate immigration policy (no more children behind razor wire please)

* a more reasonable approach to the Nothern Territory intervention and indigenous affairs

* a more equitable and efficient health system

* an improved education system

* a telecommunications/broadband network that doesn’t lag years behind the rest of the world

* an improved public transport system

* a more progressive environmental policy

These are areas towards which the Rudd government has at least made some positive moves. Wayne Swan can be partially forgiven for his anatine appearance.

Contributed by Liam Alexander from Liam Alexander

Statement on behalf of Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery and Bill Henson

After much consideration we have decided to withdraw a number of works from the current Bill Henson exhibition that have attracted controversy. The current show, without the said works, will be re-opened for viewing in coming days.

Bill Henson is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists and is internationally respected. His works are held in every leading art institution in Australia and are included in the collections of a number of the world’s most prestigious art museums. The Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria have both recently held a retrospective of 30 years of the artist’s work.

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery will remain closed while the current exhibition is re-hung.

Someone had complained to the police and the Vice Squad removed the photographs on the grounds that the photos were pornographic.

Since then, controversy has raged on TV, in newspapers and on radio in Australia.

I must stress here that I have not seen these photos before they were removed. I have only seen what Google, TV and newspapers have shown.

What are the photos? They are nude photos of 12 to 13 girls and boys. The photography is, in my opinion, very artistic. Shadows are used to show what the artist says he intends. To evoke the vulnerability and fragility of that stage of adolescence. Coming from the light to the dark or vice versa. The shadows also act to cover most of the sexual parts of the bodies, although not all. I don’t know if that was the photographer’s intention. Also, the pose often hides breasts and pubic areas with the use of limbs. Bill Henson has been showing such photos around the world and in Australia for many years. He says this stage of life fascinates him. He also takes many other photos of subjects not so controversial.

Recently, the Australian Government held a Twenty 20 summit including the experts in all fields of life’s endeavours. Many ideas were floated and presented. It was seen to be a success. But the Creative stream of the conference, headed by Cate Blanchette, released their statement saying that this was censorship of art.

Now, I don’t think it is censorship of art until the matter has been through the courts. If the works are said to be pornographic (which I don’t think) then the gallery and the artist has committed a crime and the works should not be shown. It has not been the Censorship Board which has made these decisions.

What bothers me most is that a girl or boy of that age is not in a psychological or emotional state to be able to give informed consent to being models for the photographer. Of course their parents gave consent. But is that right? I don’t think I would.

The photographer is now 52 and therefore in a position of power during photo shootings. I’m not at all suggesting that the young people were not safe in this environment. The photos portray the youths as almost asexual really. Now I don’t know what control the parents or youths have after giving consent to the photo shoot. Do they have control of the finished shot? Presumably this would have to be the photographer’s decision.

I know nudes of all ages have been portrayed in art. But in photos? And in these times of hypersensitivity to pedophiles and child sexual abuse and exploitation? Of course there are the really sexualized images of young girls in advertisements but these girls are clothed. I hate it, but I wouldn’t censor it.

I don’t think these Henson photos are sexualized. But it still disturbs me.

Well, the matter is in the hands of the police now, so I guess not much more can be said, except that Henson so far will not talk to police on his lawyer’s advice and he will not name the model or her parents and he will not say when the photos were taken.

But I’m interested in your view. I cannot show any images here. They are copyrighted. But you can do a google search for them. Many galleries do not allow viewing of larger images however.

As of June 6 2008, no charges are being brought. The Classification Board also classified the works as PG.

The Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005 (Revised) is legislation intended to hamper the activities of any potential terrorists in Australia. It was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 6 December 2005.

The previous Anti-terrorism Act was passed in 2004.

My source is wikipedia.

Summary of changes

* Potential for preventive detention: short term detention for named individuals: without evidence; and without criminal involvement; the detainee may be interrogated by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO); disclosing that an individual has been so detained or interrogated is, in almost all circumstances, a crime.
* Control orders: Potential for almost unlimited restrictions on named individuals: freedom of movement; freedom of association (including one’s lawyer); banning the performing of named actions and owning named items, including actions and things necessary to earn a living; unlimited requirements to be, or not to be, at specified places at any or all times of the day and week; wear a tracking device; and including encouragement to submit to re-education. These restrictions are referred to as “control orders”, and may be granted for a period of one year before review.
* Significant restrictions on the right of any citizen to express certain opinions: including criticism, or “urging disaffection”, of the sovereign, the constitution, the government, the law, or ‘different groups’; exemptions may exist where the target of criticism is agreed to be ‘in error’; exemptions appear to exist where the claim is that a feature of a group of people is in some way offensive to the mainstream of society; onus of proof of goodwill is on the defendant – the presumption is not of innocence.
* It becomes a crime, punishable by life imprisonment, to recklessly provide funds to a potential terrorist: funds include money and equivalents and also assets; it is not necessary that the culprit know the receiver is a terrorist, only that they are reckless about the possibility; it is not even necessary that the receiver is a terrorist, only that the first person is reckless about the possibility that they might be.
* Police can request information from any source about any named person: any information about the person’s travel, residence, telephone calls, financial transactions amongst other information; professional privilege does not apply; it can be an offence to disclose that such documents have been obtained.
* A legislative provision for ‘hoax offences’ will create a more serious charge for people who cause chaos for the public and emergency services by dreaming up devastating terrorist-inspired hoaxes.

Let’s be clear. I am not a supporter of terrorism, but these laws have led to a lot of mistakes and injustices. I’m not a lawyer, but the whole principle of Habeas Corpus is missing here.

As far as I know a “suspect” can be detained without a lawyer and without anyone knowing, not even family. This is a breach of human rights and in my opinion has achieved what terrorism hasn’t been able to do: it has limited the so-called freedom that the Western countries are so keen on protecting from terrorism. Now, terrorism is not new. So why have these laws been enacted? To restrict the rights of a country’s own citizens. To keep them scared. To discriminate against Muslims.