FLUFFY TOWN

There was once Alpha House, its sketch-Club, and all around a big city full of sky scraped by concrete and glass, and in between, other 'itch-hickers' taking over galleries and the street! I'm going down, down, down, down... to Fluffy Town!

Friday, November 24, 2006

Sweet December at Sheffer and Wei-Zen Ho at the Abercrombie Hotel

salut everybody!

Why am i out of town when it's summer and there's so much good stuff passing by in the sky of FLUFFYTOWN? like:

AT SHEFFER GALLERY
38 Lander St, Darlington Sydney

Sweet December

Sandra Winkworth, Hiromi Ozaki, Paola Talbert.

Opening Saturday December 2nd 5-7pm until 23rd Dec


...and like:

Who: Wei-Zen Ho, just back from overseas
Where:
Abercrombie Hotel, cnr Broadway and Abercrombie St Ultimo
When: Every Sunday from 4pm till 1am
How Much: Free before 7pm, $5 thereafter...

After a brilliant launch event last Sunday,
Uber Lingua at the
Abercrombie
offers an equally killer lineup in the well known Broadway beer garden
this
Sunday November 26th from 4pm...

http://www.uberlingua.com/syd

Indigenous hip hop artist Wire MC headlines with a live set of his
self-proclaimed "country rebel" and 'abo-digital" beats. A
Gumbayngirri
descendent from Bowraville (NSW), Wire MC has become a familiar,
rousing
force at many venues around the country with appearances at Homebake,,
Womadelaide and Sydney Opera House. In offering a viewpoint that
promotes
positive co-existence, international film maker, George Gittoes
('Soundtrack
to War') recently described him as "the best rapper in Australia".

Armed with only voice, sampler and delay pedal, Wei Zen melds South
East
Asian sounds with contemporary electronica. Described by Radio
National's
Tim Ritchie as "an aural and mental adventure", Wei Zen is the creative
force behind minimal electronic crew Tufa (on pause mode currently)
and has recently returned from twosolo shows in Beijing. She heralds
in the twilight with a live set at 6pm.

Bringing up the rear, The Herd bass player and long-time Frigid DJ
Prince V
drops tracks from his trans-lingual collection, plus there's sets from
Argentine selector Spex and collaborator MC Hernan, and Uber resident
Stu
Buchanan (host of FBi's Fat Planet).

Once again we'll be serving up a BBQ of marinated Tofu Strips, non-pork
based meats and all the extras you can think of... The Abercrombie as
always
has it's highly competitive grog prices...

The first 40 people down to the gig get either an admit one ticket or a
2for1 ticket to George Gittoes new film RAMPAGE that's set in the war
fields
of Miami!

Every event is recorded for use on our weekly SBS Alchemy Radio
residency
(see below)

--
Wei Zen
+61416 038 897

... so, enjoy!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

RAC on David Hicks, anti-environmentalist screenings and refugee actions ; 'Take Away', Jewellery at Gaffa; Brendan Penzer at 'Don't Look 'Gallery

Good on RAC for going on struggling against the enemy within!

Hi all, People may well be aware that GetUp! is running a (worthy) campaign to fund billboards aimed at shaming the Federal government in its refusal to meet with them over the 50,000 signatures they gathered demanding the return of David Hicks.
On 9 December, anti-war activists and civil rights groups around the country are planning to organise a National Day of Action around the issue of David Hicks to coincide with UN Human Rights Day, and have asked GetUp! if they would publicise these rallies by putting out an email and adding something to their email list.
It would seem the logical thing to do, but so far GetUp! seem far from keen to associate themselves with these rallies. The rally organisers are asking people involved in other movements to contact GetUp! to lobby them (I'm going to send this email on to some of the rally organisers). There are already links being made between Christmas Island detention centre ("Camp X-mas") and Guantanamo Bay.
This link has a campaigns email address and phone number...
http://www.getup. org.au/page. asp?page_ id=2
For NSW RAC folk...although we aren't meeting weekly at the moment, could people please let me know be if there are any objections to me sending a (polite but direct) letter off to them on our behalf. I guess it would be good to send it by the end of the week, so let me know ASAP. People should feel free to contact GetUp! as individuals anyway.
cheers/solidarity
Mark

Note: forwarded message attached.

.

__,_._,___
De:"GetUp"
À:mgoudkamp@yahoo.com
Objet: Make a billboard speak for you
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:31:36 +1100
Dear friends,

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has now twice refused to meet with GetUp to receive your 50,000-strong petition calling for David Hicks to be brought home. This is nothing more than a slap in the face to you, and our collective call for justice and the rule of law.

Since he won't meet with us, we've decided to take your message directly to him. Right now we are working with the best media buyers in the country to book strategic, highly prominent billboards where Alexander Downer, Philip Ruddock and John Howard can't ignore you - on the roads between where they live and work.

Can you help fund billboards like they've never seen? The more money we raise today the better resourced our campaign, and the more billboards we'll be able to purchase.

https://www.getup.org.au/secure/donatehicks.asp


We've been sidelined while our Government has ignored David Hicks' basic rights, along with the growing chorus of condemnation from world leaders, international legal experts, church groups, human rights campaigners and the public - for nearly five years.

What's worse, they've just broken their promise to have David Hicks brought home by November if he was still imprisoned without charge. And last week in Fremantle, as his US military defence lawyer Marine Major Michael Mori held a meeting with all state and territory attorneys-general to discuss his client's treatment, Philip Ruddock actually walked out. But you can still hear what Major Mori has to say on GetUp's latest blog.

Against the overwhelming recognition that enough is enough, our Government still wants David Hicks - and their refusal to protect his basic legal rights - to be kept invisible. Help us put the truth right in their faces.

https://www.getup.org.au/secure/donatehicks.asp


We have a crucial window to act now, before they plan to charge David Hicks under another made-up system so unfair military lawyers will be challenging it for years. All options are on the table to put the message out where it packs a punch: including interactive SMS counters so passers by can be added to the petition, as well as carbon-neutral mobile billboards to follow John Howard, Alexander Downer and Philip Ruddock around in their chauffeur-driven cars.

We don't have the power to bring David Hicks home from Guantanamo - our Government does. But we do have the power to make this human being and his appalling treatment visible again. With your help, those who have sat back and looked the other way will be held accountable, publicly.

Help us put our messages up where millions of Australians will see them. Click on the link below to donate, and you can also read the latest update to GetUp members from Major Michael Mori.

https://www.getup.org.au/secure/donatehicks.asp


Thank you for taking action to make our voices heard,
The GetUp team

PS: GetUp has also been working with the former Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, on the launch of www.AustraliansAll.com.au - a new website kicking off today aimed at promoting an open, diverse society where all people are protected by the rule of law. We encourage you to check out and support this important initiative.

Then there is an anti-environmentalist happening you have to react against if you care for environment, obviously...

Dear NAt'l RAC members,

(this is an edit of a forwarded message - original sender below)

The Institute of Public Affairs are screening an anti-activist,
anti-environmentali st 'documentary' : "Mine Your Own Business". The movie
is being shown with a requested "$10 donation" ---->>>> So let's fill it up
with people who refuse to donate the $10.

There's also a question time with the filmmakers at the end where we can
ask curly questions.

See the IPA website at http://ipa.org. au/events/ event_detail. asp?eventid= 120

There are one-off screenings in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Perth - table
below and on the website. Please forward this email far and wide.... we
want that cinema full of the very people they are against.

You need to register - so get your corporate gear on and let's fill it up!!

------
DETAILS:
The Institute of Public Affairs will be screening Mine Your Own Business at
the following locations

Melbourne, 20 November 2006 Arthur Streeton Auditorium, Sofitel Melbourne, 25 Collins Street. Hobart, 21 November 2006 Old Woolstore Theatrette, 1 Macquarie Street. Sydney, 22 November 2006 Dendy Opera Quays, Shop 9, 2 East Circular Quay. Perth, 23 November 2006 Cinema Paradiso, 164 James St, Northbridge. Screenings at all venues begin at 6pm. The film will be followed by a
discussion with Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney. $10 donations welcome.
Payment can be made at the door.

To register contact Georgina Hamilton on 03 9600 4744 or ghamilton@ipa. org.au

...and last thursday came that call out:

Not great news I'm afraid, but it shows why we need to keep the refugee movement alive, even if at a reduced level.
1. It's a pity that the SMH didn't run the diagram describing Christmas Island as "Camp Xmas" in its hard copy edition. But here it is in their online version. I reckon we could easily adopt that slogan (forgive me if any RAC groups have already been referring to it in this way)
2. Yet another high court decision catering to the government's needs. Two Afghan TPVers lose their case about ability of govt to deport them if their home country is deemed safe.
I think these events merit a media release. Does anyone have any time?
Mark


------------ -

ORIGINAL ALERT FROM:

Rebecca Hubbard
Community Campaign Coordinator
The Wilderness Society WA
P: 08 9420 7255
M: 0401 854 912
F: 08 9226 0994

A: CityWest Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St, West Perth WA 6005

... and since you do care for environment, you can go and visit this exhibition by Brendan Penzer, who seriously and creatively care about the matter:

Hello friends,

You are all invited to my latest exhibition - 'It's Time For A Climate
Change' an un(site)ly specific installation at Don't Look Experimental
New Media Gallery.

Exhibition Opening Wed 22 November
6pm-8pm

Don't Look Gallery
419 New Canterbury Rd

Dulwich Hill

Ph Greg for further information
0401 152 434

It would be great to see you there
Peace
Brendan Penzer






Opening at Gaffa, 330 Crown Street, Surry Hills,
this Thursday 23rd November 6-8pm


:::TAKE AWAY '06:::

An Annual exhibition by the JMGA (Jeweller's and
Metalsmith's Group of Aus)


Opening Thurs 23rd November (running until the 5th Dec)


JMGA's
annual member's exhibition will showcase an
incredibly diverse and
exciting range of contemporary
object art and craft. Work can be "taken away" at
time of purchase and a polaroid picture of the object
put in its place, bending the rules of the traditional
exhibition purchase.








Saturday, November 18, 2006

NAS "Late Fee" racket scandal

Gossip networks are great. There should be more of them around.

I received an email from a student yesterday: "hey, guys, did you pre-enrol for next year? The deadline is TODAY! and the late fee is $50."

Wot?

I checked the NAS website, at the "enrolment" page.
Nothun.

"- Oh, yeah, we put a notice on all the doors on Wednesday 15th.... the students services person said on the phone.
- But hold on, that's a 2 days notice, it's ridiculus! It's been announced after the end of the classes, no-one is on the campus!..."

Besides, I had gone there on Thursday 17th, and I must have gone through the two only doors they forgot to put the notice on... or what??!!
"- Look, that's beside the point. Do you want to get the application form online?..."

You bet I do. Can you include a petition form as well, so I can circulate it among all the students I know during the break and let you know what we think of such a practice? Because it is not beside the point to express concerns about the honesty of such a way to deal with enrolment. Even the Office of Community Housing shows more respect to its "valued customers" by allowing at least seven working day for reply.
Did we march on the Parliament House to keep a place like THIS?

T'fouh.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Gao Wingjian at 4A: an exceptional 1day exhibition

The interior landscapes of Gao Xingjian
>
> The Asia-Australia Arts Centre will hold a one-day exhibition on
> Thursday 23rd November 2006, of seven Chinese ink paintings by 2000
> Nobel Laureate Gao Xingjian – including the 300 cm long painting Goût
> de l’encre – to celebrate the new HarperCollins publication of his
> book The Case for Literature.
>
> Mabel Lee, of the University of Sydney, who has made Gao Xingjian’s
> works available in the English language through her acclaimed
> translations, will present a talk at 6.30pm on the topic: “Art and
> Literature in the Life of Gao Xingjian”.
>
> Best known internationally as a novelist and playwright, Gao
> Xingjian’s paintings grace the covers of the HarperCollins editions
of
> his books Soul Mountain (2000), One Man’s Bible (2002), Buying a
> Fishing Rod for My Grandfather (2004), and The Case for Literature
> (2006).
>

> The Asia Australia Arts Centre is delighted to host the first
> exhibition of Gao Xingjian’s paintings in Australia, which will
> include four original works, three limited-edition prints, and a
> number of posters for his plays.
>
> Gao Xingjian’s first solo exhibitions were held in 1985, in Beijing,
> Berlin and Vienna. He has since held more than forty solo exhibitions
> in France, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, Spain and
> Belgium. In 2005 a major retrospective exhibition of sixty works was
> held at the Singapore Art Museum, and in 2007 he will hold a solo
> exhibition at Notre Dame University in Chicago.
>
> His paintings have been included in major international exhibitions
> and public collections, and have been collected by private collectors
> from all parts of the world.

Events and exhibitions at The Asia Australia Arts Centre (Gallery 4a)
are free and open to the public. We cordially invite you to join us.

The Asia Australia Arts Centre (Gallery 4a)
181-187 Hay Street Sydney NSW 2000
ph (02) 9212 0380 f (02) 9555 0873

Alpha House Sketch-Club Models list, 19 Nov 06 to 4th March 07

2006


November

19th Nick or Tania

26th NO SESSION: BAS EXHIBITION


December

3rd Jaqi

10th Claire

17th Jill
24th NO SESSION: MERRY CHRISTMAS!
31st NO SESSION: HAPPY NEW YEAR!


2007

January

7st Tess (who's pregnant)
14th Jaqi
21th Lola
28nd Ole


February

4th Jill
11th Hank
18th Claire
25th Lola


March

4th Ole
11th Jill
18th
25th

... and then, you will see...


February

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Two Shows At Alpha House!



Alpha House Artists Co-operative is the centre of the world, didn't you know? Well, at least it is meant to be at the centre of this blog, so here are the last news (for the gossips, link on "Flâner la bombe". Fluffytown is 100% serious!)

If everything is all right, Saturday 18th November, 6-8pm, we'll have a re-enactment of "In Bed With The Enemy", the only demonstration in the world held by just ONE person (it was me, thanks...), with bed, enemy, postcards and video piece. Everybody welcome.

Then Friday 24th is the opening of the Brandling Street Art Society Painting & Drawing Exhibition, 6-8pm, running on Saturday 25th, 10-3pm, and Sunday 26th 11-3pm. Don't miss that vibrant contribution to our local community.

Alpha House Gallery, 226 Union Street, Erskineville, contact number Anna 0421 950 380.

Fluffy

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Fluffy Goes To Bollywood

... Fluffytown! is an international blog: so for the ones who don't disdain to have frog on their plate, this is what's happening in Paris at the moment: a new LGTB association called La Tapette En Bois (I won't even try to translate that now, it would take a fifty pages essay. Sorry dudes) is having its soirées GPT (Say JayPayTay if you don't wanna sound plouc, and keep in mind it means I farted...;) where "good taste" is really challenged, as well as prejudice and neo-liberalism/conservatism. Drinks, for it's a bar, practical workshops, political discussion forums, exchange fairs... la vraie vie, quoi. Just for the sake of exoticism...

Bonsoir CamaradEs
 
Et voilà dimanche de
18 à 23h on remet ça,
un espace différent
avec des consos à prix
modérés, une entrée sur
libre participation,
mais GPT c'est surtout
un moment pour les
TransPédéGouines où
tout est possible,il
suffit de proposer,
allez... vas-y, lance-toi !
 
voici le programme "prévu"  :
 
un atelier relaxation "visage et cul" par Victor
un atelier partage d'infos sur la résistance montante aux rafles d'expulsion des sans papiers, comment s'y
impliquer individuellement,collectivement ?
et nos ateliers de travaux pratiques : couture, coiffure, tricot...
 
et en plus des tables ...
foire aux fringues : apporte les fringues que tu mets plus, repars  
avec d'autres !
table de presse de la Mutants at work (sous réserve)
 
Pour celles qui ont peur de se perdre, voici l'adresse :
Péniche Antipode / Face au 69 quai de la Seine / Paris 19ème
En plus, voici le site de la péniche avec toutes les infos :
http://www.abricadabra.fr/acces.html
 
biz
Mr Katia pour La Tapette en Bois





....Closer from us Fluffysiders, tonight Thursday there's an opening at Gaffa!

(cf previous post "Back from Hell...to a hell (of a lot)".



Then at Gallery 4A in the city,
open the books on
Friday 17th November, 6-8pm;
the exhibition is running until
the 6th of December.


















That's all, Fluffs!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Luscious Wednesday night

Just a reminder that a couple of excellent gigs are on this Wednesay, and at 8ish, you'll have to choose between Kath Ellis and the Church of Kathellicism at the Buzzz bar, 349 King Street,Newtown (fortnightly gig) , and Jaqi Pascoe and friends at the Hollywood Hotel, Surry Hills (weekly residency).

Cheers!

Fluff

Monday, November 06, 2006

Back from hell...to a hell:(of a lot:)




no I haven't disappeared from the circulation, and I am not a slack. I just had a very confused and busy last fortnight. But, back on the track with a burning hot pack of (invites) cards. Ready for the 80's?

At the Mori Gallery (168 Day Street, Sydney):
Claire Conroy
Light speed
A journey across Sydney in a pinhole camera
 
A group show of Ngaanyatjarra artists from the Warburton Community
The money story
 
Khaled Sabsabi
 
 
Opening : Wednesday 8 November 2006
 
Exhibition: 8 November - 2 December 2006



...and read Zanny'paper on Claire's works...



Lightspeed

An exhibition by

Claire Conroy

MORI GALLERY

168 DAY STREET SYDNEY

Opening Wednesday 8 November 2006 6-8pm

Exhibition 8 November – 2 December 2006

Wednesday – Saturday

11-6 or by appointment +612 92832903


Nepean River 3m x 1m pin-hole photograph by Claire Conroy

Lightspeed: a journey across Sydney in a pin-hole camera

“The biggest piece of domestic machinery, which is an extension of our homes and our own private space, is the motorcar. When people drive they have the possibility of death at their own fingertips. And then, people are aware of a whole range of emotions that can't express when they're in their office, dealing with other people, that they can express alone in a car. You can't swear at your secretary for making a spelling mistake but you can swear at another driver behind your windshield” JG Ballard.

Lightspeed: a journey across Sydney in a pin-hole camera is an ambitious solo exhibition by Claire Conroy which opens at Mori Gallery on November 8. Conroy has transformed a 2 tonne truck into a pin-hole camera and taken a road trip across Sydney from Berry Island reserve in Sydney Harbour west towards the Blue Mountains. With a small hole drilled in the side of the truck Conroy stopped at various points along the way using the power of natural sunlight to document her journey. The results are a virtuoso series of 3 meter photographic paper negative prints of the view from the road – toll gates, motorways, bridges, roads, car parks and roadside scenery.

While the truck-stop has been a recurring source of artistic inspiration, perhaps most memorably captured in Ed Ruscha's photographs of gas stations from California to Oklahoma, Conroy's use of the pin-hole camera allows the viewer to return to the roadsid

e image in a startlingly new way. The long exposure times - Conroy spent hours holed up inside an often sweltering truck waiting for the image to expose – has the curious affect of capturi

ng the solid infrastructure of the road whilst deleting the moving elements of the cars.

This coupled with the negative quality of pinhole prints makes Conroy's images extremely dark, brooding and ominous. The black skies, ghostly white trees, and completely empty roads imbues Lightspeed with a post-apocalyptic feeling of life after the crash of civilisation.


Conroy explains that one of her inspirations for this work was David Cronenburg’s film adaptation of the 1973 novel by JG Ballard Crash. Ballard's controversial book uses the metaphor of the car crash to explore aspects of contemporary psychology. It tells the story, through the author's own voice, of a man who, after surviving a car crash, gets involved with a group of people sexually obsessed with celebrity, death and car crashes.

At a crucial moment in the film one of the characters tell the hero “that’s the future Ballard and your already part of it, there is a benevolent psycho-pathology that beckons towards us… the car crash [is a] fertilising rather than destructive event.” Conroy pursues this metaphor in her work by opening it up to a new layer of meaning. What if the crash were not the specific experience of tragedy on the motorway, fuelled by psycho-sexual addiction to cars, but the crash of motorway culture itself?

In each of Conroy’s prints she carefully counter poses organic and natural elements alongside the empty infrastructure of roads. These subtle and gentle juxtapositions remind the viewer of the environmental consequences of a society obsessed with cars. As Co

nroy explains “in using an old mode of photography such as pin hole photography I have attempted to in some way slow the world down.” Conroy’s work thus situates the viewer between the autopia and the autogeddon, a strange world where the structure of the landscape if dominated by the car and yet the car itself has all but vanished from the picture.

Of course this exit is not entirely complete. Central to Conroy’s work is the understanding that the images you are looking at were taken through the medium of a truck, which was driven west out of Sydney on the motorway. And attached to several images are a series of soundscapes composed by Kelly Sturgiss (Flat Products Division), Naomi Radom (Coda), Jarrah Kidd (BumbleBeez81), Kate Carr, Toni Buck (The Necks), David Haines and Joyce Hinterding (Sun Valley), Giovanna Picoi (The Lunettes) and Sam Johnson (Swinging and Tasty Bag). Each of these artists has worked with found soun

d at the sites of the photographic exposures, incorporating the hum of the road into a sound piece which matches the time Conroy took to expose each image. These traces of road culture allow Conroy to explore the themes of this exhibition from an ambiguous position situated somewhere between a sci fi vision of the future and the well worn path of a road trip.

Article By Zanny Begg



...and now a message from Diego Bonetto:

Hi all,

During Movember (the month formerly known as November)
I’ll be growin a moustache. That’s right I’m bringing
the Mo back because I’m passionate about changing the
state of men’s health.

Male health is a major issue, did you know:

Men are far less healthy than women. The average life
expectancy of males is 6 years less than females.
Every year in Australia 2,700 men die of prostate
cancer – more than the number of women who die from
breast cancer.

Depression affects 1 in 6 men…Most don’t seek help.

Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for
suicide. Rates of suicide are more than double the
national road toll.
Help me change the

face of men’s health by sponsoring

my mo.

Attached is my face on day one of this campaign, do
sponsor my mo to get updates on the growth!

Please go to http://www.movember.com.au/au/sponsor,
enter my Rego number which is 27961 and your credit
card details. All donations of $2 and over are tax
deductible.

You could also donate directly to me and I'll issue an
official recepeit.

The money raised by Movember will be used to change

the face of men's health by creating awareness and
funding research into prostate cancer and male
depression.


Movember culminates at the end of the month at the Gala Partè where I’ll be parading my Mo on the cat
walk for a chance to be crowned the Man of Movember.
If you want to be part of this great night you’ll have
to purchase a Gala Parte ticket for $33.00 (inc GST).

Cheers


diego


More info is available at www.movember.com.au



Movember is proud partners with the Prostate Cancer
Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national
depression initiative.

Please forward to anybody in your mailimg list,

thanks



... and what's happening at Gaffa Gallery?

Gaffa
330 Crown Street
Surry Hills
Sydney
NSW 2010
www.gaffa.com.au
ph (61) 02 93806266
gallery hours mon-fri 12-6 sat 11-6 sun 12-5

opening this Thursday 9th November 2006






















...and two messages from Mark Goudkamp and Jack Smit from the Refugee Action Coalition:

Hi all,

Asylum seekers are currently out of the media
spotlight, and detainees continue to trickle out of
Villawood and elsewhere (albeit often on bridging
visas or community detention arrangements) but this
doesn't mean that the campaign is over...not by a long

shot. For a start, there's the towed back asylum
seekers still on Lombok, and the Burmese who were sent
to Nauru the day after Howard's border protecion bill
was dropped (see 11 Dec forum below).
Also, the kind of demonisation John Howard and his
team used against asylum seekers during the 2001
election campaign and beyond continues under different
guises, particularly against people of muslim faith,
some of whom were in detention 5 years ago.


In this context, Malcom Fraser is right to warn:
"There are already suggestions that this next election
will be a Muslim election, as a while ago it was the
Tampa election. The groundwork has been laid for an
increase in fear and concern over the followers of
Islam."
http://www.smh. com.au/news/ national/ fraser-attacked- as-an-apologist- for-extremism/ 2006/11/01/ 1162339918511. html


In another issue related to the government's migration
program, RAC and many in the unions are concerned that
the Liberal Party's policy of 457 visas for guest
workers and their use by employers to obtain cheap
labour could result in a racist backlash, the only
beneficiary of which would be the government. Quite a
few of the detainees still in behind the wire wind up
there as a result of working "illegally".


To their credit, the unions are increasingly seeing
these hyper-exploited workers, not as a threat, but as
potential members whose wages and conditions ought to
be the same as their local counterparts.

RAC sees this issue as a very important cross-over
between the refugee, anti-racist and workers'
movements. The abuses carried out under the 457 visas

are starting to gain quite a bit of media attention.
http://www.smh. com.au/news/ NATIONAL/ Visa-workers- sacked-over- AWAs-union/ 2006/10/25/ 1161749192589. html
http://www.smh. com.au/news/ national/ exploited- chinese-staff- get-650000- back-pay/ 2006/10/31/ 1162278141522. html

Last night I attended an Industrial Relations forum
put on by the Teachers Federation, CFMEU and The
Greens, where the speeches by the delegate for the
Indian 457 guest workers and a Korean "illegal" were
very moving.


I've attached the leaflet, and copied the inline text
of it below. Please distribute as you see fit.

Also on the leaflet are details of our forum on the Pacific Solution on 11 December, and a plug for the

Gleebooks launch of "The sinking of the SIEV-X: a case
study for secondary students".

In solidarity
Mark Goudkamp for RAC
for more info, email offline to markgoudkamp@ gmail.com

************ *
Refugee Action Coaltion events for rest of 2006
1. Monday 27 November 6pm
Howard's 457 cheap labour visas: his next tool to
divide & rule?
Howard is again on the ropes in the lead up to a
federal election, mainly due to his anti-union IR
laws. We can be sure that over the next 12 months, he

will use any fear tactic possible.
This forum will discuss how to stand up to any fanning
of anti-foreign worker sentiment.
Tim Ayres: Ass't Secretary, Australian Manufacturing
Workers' Union (NSW); Nikolai Haddad: migration
lawyer; plus speaker from Refugee Action Coalition.


2. Monday 11 December 6pm
Stranded by the Pacific Solution
A night for UN Human Rights day/RAC Xmas party
Anna Rose & Tony Bozdagci, recent visitors to asylum
seekers on Lombok, will present their doco.
Charlotte will speak on the Burmese who were recently
sent to Nauru
Plus an update on West Papua

Both meetings are in Room 2, Level 1, NSW Teachers Federation, 23 Mary St Surry Hills
Refreshments provided (gold coin donation)
For more info, go to www.racnsw.net or call 0422078376
Subscribe to our email list:

racnsw-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com

Also… Monday 4 December, 6pm for 6.30
Launch of SIEV-X school case study
This case study for secondary school students has
already come under attack from the Federal government,


but is supported by the History Teachers Association
and the NSW Teachers Federation
Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, 9660 2333

Dear NAt'l RAC members,

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People and Planet: the 2007 Social Justice and Environment Diary
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In this email:

• The 2007 Social Justice and Environment Diary
• The Christmas season 2006: ALL your orders will be gift-wrapped!


Dear all,

I'm delighted to email you with some very exciting news: in a novel and
creative collaboration project with dozens of Australian Non-Government

Organisations (full list below) activist alliances and citizens' groups, we
can now offer a great item and a unique Christmas present:

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People and Planet: the 2007 Social Justice and Environment Diary
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For more information and to order:
http://www.safecom. org.au/people- planet-diary. htm

Made from fully recycled paper, the Diary shows seven days per page, is
designed using spiral binding, and features throughout the year photographs
from local communities around the world, including Tibet, Solomon Islands,
Bolivia, Laos, PNG, Peru and many other places, the Diary carries the small
price tag of $18.


Many of the groups and NGO's that support the The People and Planet Diary
2007, have their advertisement in the Diary. By purchasing the Diary from

us, you will help to support and fund the independent citizens' movement in
Australia.

So, buy one, two, three or four from us: as with all our products from now
on, they will all be individually gift-wrapped in the lead-up to Christmas
2006!

For more information and to order:
http://www.safecom. org.au/people- planet-diary. htm

Global Trade Watch (GTW), an Australian grassroots group campaigning for
democratic, environmentally sustainable and fair trading systems, can be
credited with starting the initiative for The People and Planet Diary 2007.
In the introduction GTW states:

"People and Planet 2007 has been published as a joint project between some
of the many hundreds of small organisations active in communities around

Australia. Organisations which are working quietly but diligently to create
a more just and more environmentally sustainable society - not only in
their own communities, but often nationally and internationally too. Few of

these organisations receive regular media coverage or have big public
profiles, but almost all are making a real difference to people and
environments in Australia and overseas."

For more information and to order:
http://www.safecom. org.au/people- planet-diary. htm

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List of participating organisations:
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|~ Aid/Watch ~|~ Australian Democrats (Qld) ~|~ Australian Peace Committee
(SA) ~|~ Borderlands ~|~ East Timor Women Australia ~|~ Eco-Shout ~|~
Environment Centre of the Northern Territory ~|~ Environs Kimberley ~|~
Fair Go Trading (Perth) ~|~ Food Irradiation Watch | Free West Papua
Campaign Pacifica (Melbourne) ~|~ Friends of Kolkata ~|~ Friends of the
Earth Adelaide ~|~ Friends of the Earth Melbourne ~|~ Friends of the Earth

Stawell ~|~ FutureWorld ~|~ Global Trade Watch ~|~ Hooked: Students for
Trade Justice ~|~ HOPE Queensland ~|~ Nature Conservation Counc

il of NSW
~|~ Pax Christi (Australia) ~|~ Project SafeCom ~|~ Refugee Action
Collective (Vic) ~|~ Refugee Action Committee, Canberra ACT ~|~ Rising Tide
Newcastle ~|~ Student Partnerships Worldwide ~|~ The Greens (NSW) ~|~ The
Trading Circle (Vic) ~|~ Toowoomba & Region Environment Council ~|~ Women's
Electoral Lobby ~|

http://www.safecom. org.au/people- planet-diary. htm

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Credit Card payments:
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Most of our products are now able to be purchased using your credit card.
Installation of a "Shopping Cart" system is complete for most items - it
takes just a few minutes to complete your transaction with the
well-credited PayPal system.


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Christmas presents galore....
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As per usual, we wrap all ordered items, from now on till Christmas, in
gift-wrap, ready for them to become your Christmas presents. Below is a
list of our products, ready for ordering by you.

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Currently in stock:
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The following titles are in stock on my latest count. This line-up is
"probably" correct: our Products Manager Justine is more informed than I am
these days about our products! If any of our products in "the shop" are
missing from the listing below, you can contact Justine through this
Shipping Query form:

http://www.safecom. org.au/shipping- query.htm


The Project SafeCom Shop:
http://www.safecom. org.au/products. htm


Antony Loewenstein, My Israel Question
http://www.safecom. org.au/israel- question. htm

Phil Sparrow, From Under a Leaky Roof
http://www.safecom. org.au/leaky- roof.htm

Helen Caldicott, Nuclear Power is not the Answer
http://www.safecom. org.au/caldicott .htm

Suad Amiry, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law
http://www.safecom. org.au/sharon- suad-amiry. htm

David Corlett, Following Them Home: the fate of the returned asylum seekers
http://www.safecom. org.au/following -them-home. htm

Janet Austin (ed), From Nothing to Zero, letters from detention centres
http://www.safecom. org.au/nothingto zero.htm

Tony Kevin, A Certain Maritime Incident - the sinking of SIEV X

http://www.safecom. org.au/tkevin- book1.htm


Robert Manne (ed), Do Not Disturb: Is the Media Failing Australia?
http://www.safecom. org.au/do- not-disturb. htm

Frank Brennan, Tampering with Asylum (2 copies only)
http://www.safecom. org.au/tampering .htm

(Music CD) The Scattered People Choir: Voices of Asylum seekers
http://www.safecom. org.au/scattered .htm

(DVD Movie) Dean Israelite's Spell Me Freedom (2 copies only)
http://www.safecom. org.au/spell- me-freedom. htm

Holiday Camp: the movie (VHS format) (2 copies only)
http://www.safecom. org.au/holidayca mp.htm

Dark Dreams: Australian Refugee Stories
http://www.safecom. org.au/dark- dreams.htm


To all of you who read this, I extend a warm thanks for your unrelenting
support shown to us at Project SafeCom during 2006, and best wishes for the
Christmas Season!

Until next year - Season's Greetings!

Jack H Smit
Project SafeCom Inc.
http://www.safecom. org.au/
P.O. Box 364
Narrogin WA 6312

phone (08) 9881-5651
mobile 0417 090 130
Fremantle Operations: (08) 9336-6048


...and if you were in Darlinghurst on Thursday arvo,
you had the opportunity to see Evil B.J. perform in full gear with her hospital bed and fluffy white gorilla Manilla between the National Art School and the College Of Fine Arts campuses. She gave her body to impersonate the hopes, fears and most of all ignorance surrounding the "wedding" that might happen during the summer break between two schools that would unite for the best and the worse. Especially the...



Check all the details by clicking on thr link "Flâner la bombe" or typing www.elfluff.blogspot.com