They took all the treesPut 'em in a tree museumAnd they charged the peopleA dollar and a half just to see 'emDon't it always seem to goThat you don't know what you've gotTill it's goneThey paved paradiseAnd put up a parking lot
Surrealism was born during the lunch break between the wars, a century ago. What had become of the precious Earth, of life. Nothing made sense anymore. The bombing catastrophes of crushed homes and disfigured people. Normal life was a nightmare and people couldn’t talk openly anymore, so surrealism became a language also; a visual code.
In 2009 the NGV hosted the Dali exhibition ‘Liquid Desire’ and the most haunting and disturbing painting was Mountain Lake (1938). The painting captured the helplessness of what was coming.
The backstory was that the communications between Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister; and Adolf Hitler were cut, leading into the horrific 2nd War. Dali’s works are full of crutches, just as Melbourne artist John Brack’s shop windows, are of artificial limbs, for the war veterans that came home.
The war broke out in 1914, but before the turn of the Century the Pre-Rapaelites were encouraging people to return to nature.
What will the artists say now. Apartments have become prison cells. The health concerns are genuine, but we need to think in our isolation, where Australia will be in the future. Not just for us, but for all of us. We are not media fodder, we are an educated and intelligent community.
Armies have fought for our freedom.
The world has not been that kind to its creative minds. They are different, and when they warn, nobody listens. Our country was de-regulated when our Government was looking into its pocket, instead of the future. Property was once just a home, not a card deck for speculators; but without industry what else can we offer. We have crushed the hope of young families having a home. What is the option?
The Agenda 21 folk have an idea, I don’t think its a very good one. De-populate and put people in high rise ‘Commission’ type of flats. I personally like fresh air and a step to sit on, in a yard, with a nice tree.
Local street artist Peter Drew is looking forward to a hug.
During the recess of WW1 and WW2, could the German Jewish war veterans that fought for the German Army, have imagined that a new war was coming, that would destroy them, if it could. In those day’s Europe folded, now they follow the piper. These are new days.
In the second war, some unlikely alliances rose to survive; England, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the Old Commonwealth; then the Americans came to fight. As these quarters rested, new wars brewed and we often wonder, who lit the match. The Asian wars, the African wars and the Middle East. Nation against nation. Weapons, Hired Guns and Slaves are a thriving enterprise and someone is making a profit.
Refugees; homeless, all full of anxiety, rock in the ocean and await angry shores for a smile, a wave and a welcome new home. Could it be you, will it be you?
How do you prepare for war? Who are our friends, who is a spy? If the bully fails, are we safer or worse off? Do our blind guides know where they are going?
Will the garden idols save us? Who are the hired hands fighting for? Don’t lose your head, stay calm; why should we care?
How do you prepare for war? Will your house survive? Where will you hide? What will you wear? Can you make a fire, or plant a garden when the fuel and food are gone. Who will you pray too, when the bombs fall? Ask a refugee and ask how they survived a war.
There are 2 concepts of the Globe or Orb, that we live in. Most scientists claim that we live on Earths surface and the ancients believed, that we are within an enclosed structure known as the firament. In 1958 the the physicist James Van Allen discovered the ‘ceiling’ was made from radioactive particles, it became known as the Van Allen Belt.
The Belt region has posed an obstacle for those hoping to travel into the high regions and has been a serious blow to the advancement of the Space race. Debate and suspicion regarding the integrity of the moon landings was reconsidered and weighed up against the level of damage the craft and astronauts would have suffered if they went through it. Most satellites drift around in lower orbit.
In 1962, Scientists went to the Pacific to test its nuclear capacity by setting off rockets into the sky, it was known as Operation Fishbowl. Hundred’s of atomic explosions were hurled into space, during this era, making the islands below uninhabitable and causing unknown levels of destruction beneath the sea. It seems as though the rockets exploded below the Belt, however the Ring of Fire in the Pacific region has an unstable ocean floor, the plates can shift, creating earthquakes, tsunamis and setting off volcanoes in the vicinity.
In 2012 Scientists sent up the Radiation Belt Storm probe that was later renamed the Van Allen probe, it has been analysing the Belt with the intention to make way for future space missions. Ultimately the objective is to make a way through it. The data is currently being analysed with the hope of piercing it for Moon and Mars missions. It is seen as an obstacle, not a necessity.
Should the Space projects continue without a public ethics commission to assess the risks involved. Currently we are dealing with a leaking nuclear plant in Japan due to a earthquake and tsunami. Has the Ring of Fire damage been fully assessed after the last experiments. If they rip a hole in the Van Allen belt what will happen? Nobody seriously knows, but it can’t be good for the environment. Maybe it will rock the Earth off its axis so it swings like a drunk person. Maybe space debris will come hurling down with meteorites of fire or ice. What will the next generation inherit if we remain complacent.
Dictionary meaning:
Involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong.'the careers of those complicit in the cover up were blighted'
Complicit, a documentary by Heather White and Lynne Zhang, has completed a 2 year journey around the globe. Opening night began in London on March 11 2017 and it screened at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival on July 14 that year; since then, it has completed its epic run at the Friday Harbor Film Festival, Washington this month. It took 3 years to make and has earned 16 prestiges awards. The story is told by the victims.
‘We heard about a young man suffering from occupational leukemia who had decided to assist others also suffering from occupational diseases. We first met Yi Yeting—COMPLICIT’S main protagonist—when he invited us to join him on a visit to Ming Kunpeng, a 26 year-old former worker with late-stage occupational leukemia.
Kunpeng had developed cancer linked to a cleaning solvent containing benzene, a known carcinogen. He entered the factory when he was 19 years old and—by age 22—was diagnosed with leukemia. During our many interviews with electronics workers as well as those from other industries, we discovered that the incubation period for occupational leukemia in China’s electronics factories typically occurred after 2-3 years of exposure in the workplace.
For 18 months, Kunpeng’s family had unsuccessfully tried to get his medical expenses paid for by his employer, Dutch semiconductor manufacturer—one of Holland’s largest producers of components and semiconductor equipment for the electronics industry. The family and the company were at a stalemate when we arrived in 2013.
Yi was helping Kunpeng’s family petition for an acceptable settlement . They weren’t able to pay for chemo or surgeries without the company’s support, which eventually they received. Ultimately, Yi’s help led to a much higher settlement agreement (US $100,000) than the industry average. However, early treatment is critical, and doctors said Kunpeng had no chance of survival. Not wanting to be a burden on his family he committed suicide in 2015.’ H.White
Kunpeng is only one of the young men and women whose life is cut down. The gadget they were making will be upgraded for newer version in the same time that they receive their diagnoses. One persons smart purchase is another death sentence, how can this quandary be understood within a moral and economical context.
Is moral responsibility a luxury we can’t afford
In a world rich in technology have we become so poor in Spirit that we are scrimping to find time for each other, are we slaves to money and has money made us so poor that we can’t see the suffering anymore, or even care. What does it matter if we can park a car in front of a big house if the water and air is toxic. Chinas problems today are our problems tomorrow, it is the investing countries that have set the standard that our children will inherit.
‘Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see’Revelation 3
How can someone believe they are wealthy, when they can’t afford morality; to think they are free when money has bound them to silence.
‘COMPLICIT was filmed in several provinces in China— something we cannot imagine trying to do under today’s Chinese government crackdown on civil society. We also filmed in the U.S. and Netherlands. I decided the public interest would be better served by a film which powerfully conveyed all that we discovered, and put the book on hold to make a feature length documentary.
I hope that after watching COMPLICIT viewers will feel a sense of increased connection to the workers that make the devices we as consumers can’t live without, and understand the risks associated with chemicals used during their production.’ H White
As I complete this article and read todays news, the headline reads:
‘Teenage girl left with a screw lodged in her cheek after blow dart attack …narrowly avoided losing her eye.’ 9News
We have lowered our standards for economic wealth and our social environment is in tatters. It’s never to late to turn back and amend our wrongs. We have to boycott companies and banks that don’t merit our business.
*Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary Paris Alliance Cine – Human Rights Film Festival; Best Documentary Life After Oil, Sardinia, Italy;Best Documentary Workers Unite Film Festival NYC * “DOXA” Documentary Film Festival Finalist, Best Female – Directed/ *”Best Social Media Award”
Raw Science Film Festival/ * International Labor Film Festival Sao Paolo Brazil, Luis Espinal Prize/ award* semi-finalist: Hollywood International Independent Documentary Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
Human Rights Watch Film Festival – London, New York, TIFF/ Toronto, San Diego, Amsterdam / Geneva Switzerland Human Rights Film Festival / Melbourne Australia Documentary Film Festival//Solidarity Tel Aviv Human Rights Film Festival/ ACT Human Rights Film Festival, Colorado/ Sedona International Film Festival/ Belgian Millennial Film Festival/ Addis International Film Festival, Ethiopia/ New York Workers Unite Film Festival /
SF-DOCFest San Francisco / Human Rights Nights, Bologna, Italy/ DocuDays – Documentary Film Festival, Kiev/Friday Harbor Film Festival/Galway Film Fleadh, Galway and Belfast Cinemagic – Ireland
Since 1945 there have been 2056 known nuclear test explosions around the Earth, including Australia. Most of the tests have taken place on Aboriginal peoples land and small islands in the pacific. Whist it appears that “Climate Change’ is a central topic of motivation for a range of strategic outcomes, no plan can be complete without assessing extreme damage of nuclear blasts. Responsible steps toward disarmament, regardless of being unlikely, is the only rational option.
Dropping bombs has caused devastating havoc on our people, our land, the oceans and fault lines. We can’t take back time but we can consider that the impact is greater than anyone is willing to predict. Every bomb that hits the ocean kills marine life and pollutes our shores.
As early as ‘ March 1, 1954, the United States military tested nuclear bombs in the ocean around Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean to see what kind of damage they would do to ships. The largest explosion was set off 90 feet underwater: nicknamed “Castle Bravo,” the bomb blasted a crater 2 kilometers (more than 1.2 miles) wide in the coral reef and obliterated ocean life in the area‘ Ocean.Si.edu
Ceduna, known as the Cancer Capital of Australiahad nuclear dust blown in from the Emu Fields where 600 bombs were dropped in the 1950’s.
“It was in the morning, around seven. I was just playing with the other kids. That’s when the bomb went off. I remember the noise, it was a strange noise, not loud, not like anything I’d ever heard before. The earth shook at the same time; we could feel the whole place move. We didn’t see anything, though. Us kids had no idea what it was. I just kept playing. It wasn’t long after that a black smoke came through. A strange black smoke, it was shiny and oily. A few hours later we all got crook, every one of us. We were all vomiting; we had diarrhoea, skin rashes and sore eyes. I had really sore eyes. They were so sore I couldn’t open them for two or three weeks. Some of the older people, they died. They were too weak to survive all of the sickness. The closest clinic was 400 miles away.” Sami Lester iCAN website
Soil contamination and biological effects creates a legacy of devastation for the generations that follow the original victims. Space has also been a nuclear bomb playground. Every time a missile is fired on our Earth, a criminal act has taken place.
Type into Google, the reasons for Global Warming and these are some of the answers offered.
‘Burning Fossil Fuel, De-Forrestation & Farming’ WWF
English-born , George Orwell’s, 1984, will be re-visited.
MELBOURNE
Comedy Theatre
31 May – 10 June
Despite the age of the novel, its potent warning remains.
Orwell wrote the book in 1948, but it’s most relevant to those born in 1984 as the days of surveillance are upon us. ‘Big brother is watching’. Ironically Steve Jobs included a clip of the movie when Apple launched the Mac, in 1983. 1984 and the internet age coincide and determine the possibility of life imitating art.
Many of us read 1984 at school, a few of us saw the movie and though it’s been dormant for a decade or two, it resurfaces in a blaze.
Written as a Sci-fi, he wrote it based on events he witnessed as a Colonial Policeman in Burma. He never went to university and was not author previously, but what he wrote continues to resonate through time.
‘Why was he writing it? For the future, for the unborn’ (1984)
In ‘1984’, war is prolific, slavery, torture and imprisonment without trial, are common and fear abounds. The population is constantly aware that they are being watched and denied privacy.
He explains that ‘double speak’ is talk that reframes negative terms as positive and this language is used to subvert and confuse the masses.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Orwell knew the exploitation of power as he saw it first hand, as an inflicter, not a victim. He had used a female slave as a house companion, enforced cruelty and led men to their deaths. 1984 was to purge the pain of his conscience and to warn the innocent.
‘The hate had started.’ Orwell
1984
“To hold the population down by force, I was in the police, which is to say. I was part of the machinery” Orwell
Although Orwell engaged in an evil authority he could not digest it, it disturbed him and led him to undermine his future life in acts of penance. 1984 was written to warn the innocent and to have hope that a future he saw could be prevented.
“ I watched a man hang once …… I didn’t realise what it meant to destroy a healthy conscious man…cutting a life short when it is in full tide, this man was not dying, he was alive, just as we were alive. He and we were a party of men, seeing, hearing and feeling, understanding the same world and in two minutes one of us would be gone” Orwell
Today young children play killing games, in their rooms on their computers. Some of the video games are rich in realism which makes the malice more personal; some are playing on Defence websites that observe their results for recruiting purposes. Many parents adopt the slogan, ‘Ignorance is Strength.’
‘So vicious was the boys demeanor it was hardly a game, it was frightening like tiger-cubs that will grow into man eaters … Mrs Parsons eyes flitted nervously from Winston to the children and back again….they do get noisy, she said. They’re disappointed because they couldn’t get to see the hanging, I’m too busy to take them.’ 1984
Orwell like Vincent Van Gogh walked away from his middle class life to become ‘down and out in Paris and London’, as a hobo he hoped to rid himself of the imperialist past that haunted him.
According to Orwell, war is ‘double think’, it is to use the product of the machine without producing goods. It is designed to strip human resources so those that have absolute power, can enjoy power.
If people live hungry and are overworked, even when it is easy for all to live well, it serves cruelty. Orwell explains in 1984 that there is a surplus of resources and all are able to live well but this is contrary to the desires of the ruling class.
‘The slave population allow the continuous tempo of war to be sped up …the primary aim of warfare is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living, the problem of what to do with the surplus’ 1984
Acclaimed New Zealand Documentary Director, Annie Goldson was in Melbourne to launch her new (secret project) film. Goldson has a strong formidable countenance and she needs it, many of her subjects are capable of murder or the victims of the culpable hand. She needs to know when to back off.
ACMI hosted the Australian International Documentary Conference, which brought in talent from all over the globe. Goldson was doing a spot of shopping when we caught up.
“Its nice to have some time off and be wandering around Melbourne” Goldson
Goldson began her career as a Journalist and has ‘inched her way’ into filmmaking. She tackles the hard facts behind the news stream and goes into the bog, looking for the truth. As a political observer she finds her stories ‘everywhere’, she is curious and like Alice in a complex Wonderland, has to adapt quickly. We may wonder why the terrorists are so irate, she takes her team and her camera and asks them. She is a historians torch into the unknown.
He Toki Huna: New Zealand in Afghanistan
He Toki Huna: New Zealand in Afghanistan explores New Zealand’s involvement in the Afghanistan war that lasted longer than WW1 and WW2 combined. ‘Did we stay to long?’ the film asks. Can lessons be learned to prevent such long-term engagements for the sake of alliance.
Brother Number One was a challenging work as it was necessary to create a present from the past events of the Cambodian Genocide under Pol Pot. New Zealander Ron Hamill, the films source, explains how his carefree adventurous brother Kerry ,sailed into a nightmare.
“An innocent man brought to his knees and killed in the prime of his life”Ron Hamill
Goldson records Hamill’s emotional pain as he addresses the torture and death of his sibling at the War Crimes Tribunal.
The mass Genocide that murdered 2,000,000 ( a 1/4 of the population) was led by a ‘charismatic and smiling’ leader Pol Pot who was indifferent to the torture of babies. In 1975. He led the Kamor Rouge into Nu Pen and in 72 hours he had cleared the city of its inhabitants and sent them to work in labour camps, to grow rice that he would export as the population died of hunger, overwork or beating.
“Documentaries are always a challenge.” Goldson
Her films are intense political dramas that set the stage and cast its light into the ‘heart of darkness.’ Her other well-known films that she Directed are; Punitive Damage and An Island Calling
by April Forward
All photo’s courtesy of Annie Goldson film extracts.
White Ribbon Ambassadors are men who recognise the importance of taking responsibility and playing a leadership role in preventing men’s violence against women. They are formal representatives who have the knowledge, skills, attributes and determination to influence Australian men to critically evaluate their attitudes and behaviours toward women.
Brent with his mother Bernie
Brent Howard, a White Ribbon Ambassador, ran the Medibank Melbourne Marathon to raise money and awareness for the prevention of violence towards women. He is a young father and committed to the it’s objectives.
“Eva (his daughter) is why programs like White Ribbon are so important. I for one, don’t want my daughter to grow up in a country where Domestic Violence is a common occurrence. When she grows up I want to be able to look her in the eye and say I didn’t stand by, I did something to make her world a better place.
Howard was the grandson of a caring woman who was a victim of domestic violence.
The person I think of most when I run is my Nan. My Nan was subjected to domestic abuse by the man she married. He died long before she did and with it so did the abuse. But what he left behind was a wife and 6 kids. My Nan was the most determined, caring and courageous woman I’ve known. She earned the nick name Sadie as she worked 3 cleaning jobs to keep a roof over her children’s heads. Growing up my Nan was an avid runner, but I never knew her as a runner. This along with many other things is something you have to give up when left to pay the bills and look after a house full of kids.
I run for White Ribbon, for those like my Nan. – for those who can’t”
Not Silent
“Men’s violence against women is a serious social issue in Australia and has been for decades. Now this issue has a more focused spotlight, it is a critical opportunity for government and services to better work together, to create real social change”claims Libby Davies, CEO of White Ribbon Australia
Ms. Davies also called on governments to increase support for violence prevention:
“There is evidence that prevention is working. We have data showing that White Ribbon programs are driving the attitudinal and behavioral change needed to stop men’s violence against women.
Brent Howard raised $5,792.32 for the protection of women
“I use my love of running to raise awareness and funds for White Ribbon Australia.”
“Seven young women were huddled together on bare mattresses on the floor. Condoms strung over the garbage can, plastic bags of their street clothes and working clothes, just terrified. Beaten and terrified.
Blow by blow it hurts, it hurts on so many levels and then it hurts again. Every thing is affected when human relationships are punctured by trust.
Young European girls are lured by attractive boys or modelling prospects and then beaten,raped and resold as slaves. They are denied every level of freedom.
The terrible suffering of parents, brothers and sisters that mourn for them would be shocked to realise the protectors are the facilitator. Young women thrown in dirty cells untill the next United Nations officer pays the brothel, for her service.
Kathryn Bolkovac was a UN officer in Bosnia in the late 1990s. She was a police investigator for ten years and spent two years in Bosnia as a Peace Keeper with the United Nations.
She reported on the white slave trade and was dismissed in a cover-up by the UN, that not only utilised stolen women, they perpetuated the suffering. She discovered that the UN officers were frequenting a bar that used hostaged women as sexual objects and tortured them on stage.
Bolkavac went through the regulatory channels to report and help the young women. She was sacked.
A movie starring Rachel Weisz, ‘The Whistleblower‘ dramatised the main events that Kathryn Bolkovac witnessed. A book with the same title, names the perpetrators.
This is the account of what happened.in her own words.
. “I want to educate the naive ……. these injustices can only be described as a disease , it destroys the very frame-work that was created to set the example of law and justice.
I witnessed violent acts against women and children in the aftermath of Genocide that facilitated human trafficking
I saw disturbing and inexcusable acts (of UN employees) these included sexual harassment of female employees. Employers were becoming frequent users of (rape) pornography, frequenting prostitutes and admitting to purchase foreign women to keep at home with them as their ‘girlfriends’.”
I witnessed, experienced and lived the retaliation of those that tried to investigate a report. Reports of UN officers facilitating human trafficking across international borders.I heard deregulatory comments regarding the innocent, being refered to as whores of war.
I was demoted and dismissed.”
Slavery, tragically, is one of the strongest economic ‘industries’ in the modern world. Bolkavac claims that helping the healing process of the victims is a key to the important legal testimony of the crime.
The Whistleblower currently on NETFLIX
IN AUSTRALIA
Human Trafficking is a serious human rights violation globally and a crime here in Australia. People from 136 different countries were trafficked into 118 different countries between 2007 and 2010. Australia is one of the destinations where people are being trafficked.
Australian Red Cross has managed the government-funded Support for Trafficked People (STPP) program since 2009. The aim is to meet the health and welfare needs of people who have been trafficked and to help them re-establish their lives.
The program is an integral part of support and advocate for people who have been made vulnerable through the process of migration. Since beginning this work, Red Cross has provided support to more than 130 women and men who have been trafficked to Australia. Our clients come from diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, reflecting the global nature of human trafficking.
Providing this support cannot be done in isolation.The Red Cross works collaboratively with government agencies, NGOs, and service providers to meet the needs of people who have been trafficked. This ensures that they provide comprehensive support as they recover from their experience.
A person in a trafficking situation may not always be kept under lock and key. They may appear to have some freedom, but they may be subject to more subtle forms of control. Depending on the specific type of trafficking, members of the community – co-workers, suppliers, health care workers, social workers, shop owners, in fact anyone in the community – could have contact with a trafficked person.
Unless members of the community know the signs, they may not be able to recognise and report human trafficking. There are a number of signs which could indicate a person has been trafficked. It is important to remember that, on their own, these signs do not automatically mean someone is being exploited or trafficked. They simply tell us that ‘something’ may be happening and that we need to seek advice to find out more information.
Red Flags of Slavery
• Is deceived about working conditions in Australia.
• Has no control over their place of work or hours of work, or is being confined or isolated in the workplace and only leaves at odd times.
• Is not being paid or appears to be repaying a large debt to their employer or a third party (such as a recruitment service).
• Is subject to, or is threatened with violence in connection with their employment.
• Has personal documents, such as passports, held by a third person and they are not allowed to access these documents when they wish to do so.
• Is subject to different or less favourable working conditions than other employees who are permanent residents or citizens of Australia.
HOW A MELBOURNE MAN IN HONG KONG,
BECAME A QUIET HERO
He was wandering through an area in Hong Kong when a woman approached him,
“Help me!” She pleaded quietly, as the Brothel Madam watched on, in the distance.
“Go away” he yelled, as he whispered “I’ll be back”.
He came back and ‘rented her’ to procure her details. She was a educated woman offered a career advancement in Hong Kong, however when she arrived, her passport was taken from her and she was forced into sexual slavery.
He contacted the police and escalated the matter as far as it could go. A sting operation was organised to rescue her and the other victims.
She is now home safe in Thailand and corresponds her gratitude to her Australian Hero.
(for matters of security names are with-held)
Australian High Court and slavery, the case of Wei Tang:
Wei Tang The High Court has provided judicial guidance on the meaning of slavery in the Criminal Code in its ruling R v Tang (2008) 237 CLR 1 (R v Tang). The accused in this case was Ms Tang, the owner of a licensed brothel in Melbourne. In 2003, she had been arrested and charged for slavery offences allegedly committed against five women, all of whom were Thai nationals.
Ms Tang and her associates had ‘purchased’ each of these women for a fee of $20,000, with Ms Tang taking a 70 percent share in the purchase. Each of the women were considered to be contract workers, who had agreed to repay a debt of around $45,000, which was owed to the syndicate involving Ms Tang. For each client that the women serviced, $50 of the $110 service price would be applied to their debt and the remainder would go to the syndicate.
In other words, the debt could be repaid after the woman had serviced around 900 customers, during which time she effectively earned very little money to keep for herself.
melbourne press 