It’s game on for Big Media and Big Politics, so where is SIM? : Melbourne Indymedia

The Sydney Sunday Herald (Fairfax) today page 22 Alex Mitchell column notes ABC radio’s Virginia Trioli is back on deck as well as the regular day time line up.

The report mentions Coalition and ALP election spinners Graeme Morris and Bruce Hawker, respectively will have to benched.

The NSW election is March 24th and being the largest prize in the state calender its definitely game on for the duopoly major parties.

Disturbingly the independent media sector is not entirely ready with the Sydney indymedia site down for most of the last 6 weeks. Allowing for the summer break and maintenance projects this is still quite worrying.

The Opposition leader Debnam in NSW is the contender from John Howard’s ultra right stable acceptable to the intolerant ultra right Christian lobby.

The Greens are busy issuing 3 news releases a day and getting decent coverage in Big Media as the third and minor party voice. This writer is publishing these and on average 3 stories a day of alternative flavour too on a makeshift

http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/

Yesterday ex Opposition leader Beazley explicity linked the outcome of the NSW election to the Federal election by suggesting the Liberal Party would disintegrate if the ALP wins every government in Australia. As appealing as that might sound to many lefties, the subtext is clear – If Iemma’s ALP wins, then swinging voters will vote for Rudd at the risk of damaging the checks and balances of a viable Opposition Coalition Party. What a strong reason to think twice about voting for Rudd.

In this way Beazley is achieving a subtle revenge. Of course if Iemma loses this greatly strengthens Rudd’s chances too. It was a genuinely weird story in Fairfax discussed at length on my alternative media blog at:

Saturday, 20 January 2007
Bogus Beazley projects his own existential angst in damaging story for Rudd?
Mood: incredulous
Topic: election Oz 2007

The original article is here:

"Out, but still the party man
Kim Beazley has no plans to dish dirt, or scorn colleagues, despite feeling he was robbed of his best chance to win the prime ministership, writes Phillip Coorey. "

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/out-but-still-the-party-man/2007/01/19/1169095977271.html

But there comes a time to call a spade a spade within the community media sector too. The SIM is calling for donations here:

http://sydney.indymedia.org/

and here

http://axxs.org/donations

which is all well and good but 6 weeks at such a sensitive juncture is taking too long for a reboot. I tried to raise this concern and got a flippant and frankly stupid response from a non citizen of this democracy. This writer is particularly not comfortable with a foreigner as a gatekeeper to Sydney’s independent media capacity. That frankly is unacceptable, xenophobic accusations or not.

Local citizens have the most to gain and lose from a viable community sector media at SIM. This morning I reposted two damaging stories about the DIMA from activist Jamal Daoud which should have gone on the SIM website. I have put up $100 donation. MIM are also stakeholders with $1500 dollars donated.

I have many personal and professional views about this situation but putting them all to one side the community sector needs some clear advice about what will happen at SIM and soon and address any systemic or personnel questions sooner not later.

How can the sector get the fucking thing up again?

If that was your comment?

You can think differently if you want think globally not trapped in a microcosm. Post your material anywhere on IMC and it will be read by people in Sydney no probs. No one else who reads IMC would miss it.

Your attachment to the local newspaper is the problem. Digital Info doesn't work like that. It's just a click away not in the next state.

If you had to travel down to MIM on your bike I would understand your concearn, my friend, but that's simply not the case.

So chill out to the max brother and remember...All good things come to those who wait.

its hot, programming is not fun in 40c heat.

that my excuse... now im off to the beach, its to damn hot.

Really? Actually Peter Debnam I think will ensure that NSW police can be used in political scams and frame up's for John Howard like in the alleged suspected terrorist rocket launcher nose job scam.

But then again Morris Iemma let'em do it too. Ah Shucks!

Man refused bail over rocket launcher charges, discrepancies?

Peter Debnam is also a 'chip off' the old neo-liberal rocket launcher 'war criminal', block, John Howard, who has a very good reason to hype up and generate fear in the community for an illegal and degrading war in Iraq. Sinister?

http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=42025

Really? Actually Peter Debnam will ensure that NSW police can be used in political scams and frame up's for John Howard like in the alleged $70 parking perjury - Solomons inquiry, Marcus Einfeld nose job scam.

But then again Morris Iemma let'em do it too. Ah Shucks!

Einfield's home raided in perjury investigation?

Is this how we're all going to be treated when someone wants to make a claim?

A police spokeswoman says officers from Strikeforce Chanter executed a search warrant on a Woollahra house this morning, where they seized computer equipment and personal belongings.

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/22056

After former Australian Federal Court judge Marcus Einfeld was appointed head of the Solomons’ inquiry—reportedly on Moti’s recommendation—he immediately became the target of a witch-hunt. Just five days after he accepted the position, the Australian media published a series of sensationalised reports, supposedly because of an unpaid speeding fine worth $77. The stories have since disappeared from the headlines following Einfeld’s withdrawal from the commission on September 17.

=======================

Your father is a war criminal and neo colonialist!

And your mother is draconian

An odd state of affairs

I’ve been reflecting today on the statistical oddities of recent Australian election results. As former Liberal Party director Michael Kroger pointed out on Saturday night:

Labor has won 20 out of 20 of the last state and territory elections
Labor has lost 4 out of 4 of the last federal elections

If elections were a random draw (which they’re not), the odds of one party winning 20 straight state and territory elections, and losing 4 straight federal elections, would be (2^20*2^4)*0.5=1 in 8 million. This exaggerates the odds, but it is nonetheless highly unlikely that this situation arose by chance.

Yet despite this, I know of virtually no scholarship looking at why Labor (the Coalition) has done so poorly (brilliantly) at a federal level, and so brilliantly (poorly) at the state level. I’ve heard people talk about competence, but it’s not clear to me that the federal Labor caucus is any less qualified to govern than its various state counterparts.

The best systematic explanation I’m aware of is Andrew Norton’s 2004 metaphor of the mummy party and the daddy party:

http://andrewleigh.com/?p=1245

=========================

My guess is though that Lab will win once again to continue to honour their agreement Lib/Lab have with PNAC. That is that Lib run central gov't and Lab run every other state and territory - as well paid losers. Do you have a job like that?

Just close your eyes, you didn't see nothing did you? But make sure you put on a jolly good show old beans otherwise the coffee won't be purked and you'll never get away with it.

But you have plenty of leverage with the political establishments press who won't ask you the wrong questions, hide what needs to be hidden and bow to your every whim, but not for a song.

And the people will believe you and the media together in harmony singing the same song. After all Australia has done more good things than bad things? Right? Just focus on that.

I could add some very serious federal discrepancies to this comment but I won't because I don't want to confuse the state and federal issues.

The question is though, would Lab bend over for Lib on federal issues like draconian laws? Amongst many others.....think about it. PNAC rules.

On that basis

I'm voting informal because I no longer have any faith in what has been described to the general public as democracy. Psudo democracy is not good enough when one takes into account the behaviour of the federal gov't.

if u follow the IMC network globally, it is obvious it is dying in the arse, especially in the States .. it has been infiltrated and destroyed from within .. can't comment on SIMC, but the Irish are down too. ... not good.

if anything it highlights the weaknesses in collectives, or tiny factions .. killed the Oz labor party and killed IMC ... are ppl round here hard learners or sumthin???

change the paradigm or die .. but be heartened over the fact that independent publishing is exploding in other forms .. text and pic are taking the background to vid

as usual, it's the quick and the dead ... the last thing a collective could be called is "quick" - lol

good luck, i mean it, cos u'll need it.

In the meantime, has anyone seen Kevin Rudd the dudd, talk about a milion issues to fight with atm, and the fuckwit is almost silent. good ol fuckin Oz ay, fuckin lamers!

what are we scared of manipulators?? Stop deleting content ... hiding is all that is required by law ... who has an agenda beyond the IMC policy?????????????????????

sub import_webcast
{

print "++++++++++n";

$active->prepare_retrieve_webcast;

while( my $webcast = $active->get_next_webcast )

{

### BEGIN article text pre processing ####

# prepend details about poster as part of the summary and article details
# my $details = "";
# print $webcast->{article} . "n";

my $details = "submitted by $webcast->{author} ";

$details .= "contact: $webcast->{contact} " if $webcast->{contact} =~ /.+/;

$details .= "phone: $webcast->{phone} " if $webcast->{phone} =~ /.+/;

$details .= "link: <a href='$webcast->{link}'>$webcast->{link} " if $webcast->{link} =~ /.+/;

$details .= " ";

my $attachementText = getAttachementText( $webcast );

my $finalArticleText = $details . $webcast->{article} . $attachementText;
# $webcast->{article} = $details . $webcast->{article} . $attachementText;

$webcast->{article} = $finalArticleText;

### END article text pre processing ####

# process story

# $userid, $title, $teaser, $body, $created, $changed

my $nid = $drupal->create_story_node( 0, $webcast->{heading}, $webcast->{summary}, $webcast->{article}, str2time( $webcast->{created} ), str2time( $webcast->{modified} ), $current_nid, $inputFormat );

$current_nid = $nid;

#add to category

# define drupal category ids

my $newswire_cat_id = 1;

my $hidden_cat_id = 2;

my $cat_id = $newswire_cat_id;

if (!$webcast->{display}) {$cat_id = $hidden_cat_id;};

$drupal->add_to_category($cat_id, $nid);

# $drupal->add_to_activeURLs( $webcast->{id}, $nid, $comment_id );

$drupal->add_to_activeURLs( $webcast->{id}, $nid, 0 );

# add any comments

my @comments = $active->_retrieve_webcast_comments( $webcast );

my $commentsOK = processComments( $webcast->{id}, $nid, 0, "", @comments );

#output some info

print "webcast_id: " . $webcast->{id} . "n";

print "Node ID: " . $nid ."n";
# print "Hidden: " . $cat_id . "n";
# print "Author: " . $webcast->{author} . "n";
# print "Heading: " . $webcast->{heading} . "n";
# print "Attachements: " . $attachmentHTML . "n";

print "++++++++++n";

}

$active->finish_webcasts;
}

u lifted some crappy code from "drupal" this package is "SF-Active" .. what else are you besides a fraud???????

besides, all u need is php with good structure .. its lean and mean

do backups and just move the back ups to freehosting...

google them

melb keep deleting this comment

which only deepens this mystery

Has our Tom - been threatened or compromised in some 'sleazy' manner
by deletion will only heighten concerns Sunday January 21, 2007 at 09:21 PM

Something is very wrong - when an influential legal activist - an eco warrior whose words shake the corridors of power - speaks like a mealy-mouthed, obsequious, hypocrite - we are concerned...

...has anyone seen Tom lately?

Strong words from Tom - "The fact IMC collective failed to defend my legal and moral rights will never be forgotten"

- Has Tom been threatened - or compromised in some "sleazy" manner?

- to donate to?

- promote sydney imc?

- discontinuing his support of d a r w i n imc?

not our Tom

- something is very wrong

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

by Tom - Ecology Action:41 AM -0500

"petty pride and power"

- Why St acy Sch eff ("blow in from North America") is trying to control Dar win indymedia using fellow unrepresentative liars and scam artists NAP.

____________________

Sta cy Sch eff has been "farting in public".

"I have few illusions why"

"Brett Collins can use her because he has a tolerance for reformed crooks which is all very admirable. I first met Brett in 1984 as a law student at a talk he gave as an ex prisoner.

The fact is Sc heff ignorantly destroyed my indy media empowerment plans for Turrella, a vision published in the Hub (which was endorsed by all including Sc heff who edited it). She did this when I blocked her theatrical and catering vision - an unethical unearned coo ption and misappropriation of community space she wanted FOR FREE.

Just another sleaze merchant, just another ambition on the make.

When I exposed Sch eff's stupid crap leveraging bad feelings against the Hub she launched a smear campaign against me in 2002 alleging fraud of a lease (actually vice versa, proven in court documents) and that I was of bad character (always on sly). All stock standard hypocritical emotional violence, often the more preferred form of violence of the sisters in the movement, and a blight on the green movement that eschew's physical violence, so go for the other.

My hidden stories by Sc heff had nothing to do with problems with seeking "a profit\\\", the truth is they discredited her whole house of cards smear to hide her very real history in MY activist movement, MY green movement particularly in Turrella. Not just mine to be sure but more so than any 'blow in' from North America.

The fact IMC collective failed to defend my legal and moral rights will never be forgotten. I don't look for support where there is none.

I leave you with this one request. Sc heff be banned from editing any of my posts on IMC. She has a conflict of interest pure and simple. Whether she is behind the hack or some green party apar atchik or some other sinister force is irrelevant."

Strong words from Tom - "The fact IMC collective failed to defend my legal and moral rights will never be forgotten"

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

- Has Tom been threatened? - or compromised in some "sleazy" manner? - by the notorious hate race site run by sydney indymedia imc - a site melbourne indymedia recently donated a thousand dollars to?

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

speak out if you can Tom - we are worried about you

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

My activist resources were dumped on the street back in 2002, which cheap lease I organised and subsidised my $15,000 donation campaign over 2 years to the No Alumysa winning challenge to a US$3B smelter hydro scheme in the 11th region of Chile. The company behind it was a Canadian multinational called Noranda.

This was the real effect in all the theatre. And unacceptable.

I took the activist lease to the Supreme Court and won. My then girlfriend (the reckless bipolar one) wanted me to move out her way but I was way too determined for that. The losers are where, doing what? Two are dead from illness and maybe felt some shame before they did. As Gaia is my witness and Protector.

I say the curse travels on for that low down attack on my work, and pity those who lack redemption.

I said 'never forget', but also move on folks, move on. Keep a focus, positive action. Stop the booze, eat lots of fruit and veg. Get some healthy exercise. If it's good enough for John Howard, its way easy for a disciplined fellow like me.

Don't get distracted by navigational hazards of life. Keep building progressive campaigns.

As for my well being, thanks for asking, I think everything if is fine and trust this is not famous last words.

One unhappy thought - they never did locate the alleged insider who informed on Scott Parkin. That's a real concern I retain to this day.

Turrella crashed and burned, though Mekanarky is still going well (which was a seed I planted in August 2001 also.

(There is plenty about Turrella that is not public knowledge, but police intel know all about because they were tracking the place like hawks - like the chop shop (car rebirthing) at the other north end closed down in August 2001 (cops turn up as I do the plumbing and want to get in). The closed group that appeared to operate there. The police fertive interest and menacing of lefty ARTV. The Holocaust denier on the local land committee 'only 20 thousand deaths'. Plans for a school 300 metres from the M5 East pollution stack. But it was cheap at $30 per metre per year. No wonder. So curious ethno religious stuff going on to the Right, weird disruptions on the Left. Green Party imperialism.

Thank God its all over not least for the health of those kids, 12 years of poison in their lungs.)

But now there is:

CAT web hosting of diverse grassroots groups has gone.

City Hub came damn close to going down.

SIM is down for now.

A pattern?

One point I also hold onto: the comment was made 'they are all so easy to con' here. I won't make the attribution. But that's what all Australian activists should keep in mind in this situation. The quote is hearsay reported by my then business business partner Donald Urquhart and I believe him. Go and ask him.

I notice JJJ hack show is launching again today at 5.30 pm.

This is the hysterical front page Sydney Daily Telegraph today

The Beazler (silly old geezer) interference in the article mentioned above has effectively been skewered by Rudd's launch of a bipartisan national meeting water summit.

The feds are resisting via loud mouth Turnbull especially to keep alive the NSW electoral tactics over desal plant and water etc.

Feds did this to The Greens too, scorning a summit, then holding it on Melbourne Cup day.

Now Maxine McKew has joined Kevin Rudd's staff on the abc radio headlines here.

My story on Beazley calls her 'a Beazley pilot fish' but obviously she has seen the light and works for Rudd as of this morning.

Sure is interesting time for a political hack like me, and the gears of democracy are really grinding and clunking and indeed proceeding forward in some fashion.

God help Australia too, not least water.

This story re USA military satellites at risk of China missile reach by Sheridan in the Australian is also very important:

p12 Chinese can hit enemies where it really hurts

* COMMENT
Greg Sheridan
* January 20, 2007

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21088241-25377,00.html

Under this article _It’s game on for Big Media and Big Politics, so where is SIM? _, by Tom McLoughlin Sunday January 21, 2007 at 01:39 PM, http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/hidden.php?id=137126 containing a major theme of "...Local citizens have the most to gain and lose from a viable community sector media at SIM... I tried to raise this concern and got a flippant and frankly stupid response from a non citizen of this democracy. This writer is particularly not comfortable with a foreigner as a GATEKEEPER to Sydney’s independent media capacity. That frankly is unacceptable, xenophobic accusations or not... I have many personal and professional views about this situation but putting them all to one side the community sector needs some clear advice about what will happen at SIM and soon and address any systemic or personnel questions sooner not later..." the author has remaining later unhidden posted comments on this theme such as:

_Help_ , by Tom Sunday January 21, 2007 at 01:44 PM, "How can the sector get the fucking thing up again?", and all 39 lines in the comment _my donation programme, done dusted_ by Tom McLoughlin Monday January 22, 2007 at 08:53 AM, including "But now there is:

CAT web hosting of diverse grassroots groups has gone.

City Hub came damn close to going down.

SIM is down for now.

A pattern?"

A PATTERN INDEED.

Join the dots, dear reader, what is the pattern?

Responding to the theme of the author's article and later comment I posted this now hidden comment:

_In Oz when you pass_ , by leve the gate as you found it • Sunday January 21, 2007 at 03:55 PM

Outside gatekeepers have not helped Darwin IMC. I've never been to the Territory, but view the goings on there with a feeling of natural empathy for the underdog, and a distaste for outsider "knows best" involvement.

I feel the under dog is the overall Top End community, not any particular faction there, and that outside hegemony is never appropriate in the local as political.

There are wrongs all round, I feel, in what has happened over there, but ephemeral asymetrical outside power intervention as ever failed to resolve issues of local and personality politics. Outside power seems to nullify not nurture the local. With even the best of intentions power has its own ends and seductions.

I commented on the failed/failing Darwin IMC documented history here:

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/137004_comment.php

MIM does a good job as a defacto national IMC, but, if that is all that is needed in the net age when riding a bicycle off to get the news is no longer required, why not just one world wide IMC?

As I understand it, it must be very hard to get up a viable local indymedia, and the local probs are just the beginning.
---------

What editorial policy dictates that this comment be hidden? When the article and other like comments remain unhidden?

What is the powerplay at Australian and Oceania IMCs? Why does it dictate a distorting arbitrary censorial editorial poicy? Why are we able to read here what we read, and what is not shown here at all to read?

I've had correspondence from a central voice at SIM, at least one of the voices left, and my feeling would be it won't be rebooted for quite a long time, and likely of no relevance to the NSW election work.

When I went on their IRC chat room in early December they put up a "bare bones" site for a week or so, then took it down, and then they suggested done by Christmas.

4 weeks later I was booted off their IRC chat yesterday after my question re timing. My concern was scornfully ignored even with the NSW election so close.

In the email today and I quote:

"I can really do without all this shit. I'm taking another day off from the website migration. I need to clear my head and get back in programming mode."

Apparently he has to take another day off from the stress of being asked how long? (Again.). Get the picture? As long as a piece of string. All the time in the world it seems. You can imagine why.

I think it's time to start looking for another Sydney community media collective who don't need to "clear my head" and can provide a community service at this critical time for democracy.

...elsewhere - you have earned a reprieve from my rampaging and some added respect - you are a political animal with some brains - excuse surprised tone

I do not agree with all your points - be bloody weird if I did - (and vice versa)

yet

- 'lock stepping autonomists' is a contradiction that has become rote here

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

Tom, this is just another excuse for you to stalk SS and Mick to call everyone racists. Personally, with paranoids like you harassing them I don't blame SIM activists for needing some time off.

There is the small matter of a $1,500 stake of the MIM people in SIM. That's why its relevant to "locals".

Second as said at the main post NSW election fate affects Victorians re Federal election outome. So we are joined at the hip.

As for SS. Well she keeps getting in my way, not the other way round, my lease, my vocational donation project, my employment, my local indymedia site, my communication with SIM committee cut off on Sunday by same. I mean talk about intrusive foreigner.

There are consequences of criminal fraud, even inhouse activists, and you know what, its a very good thing. I have a clear informed view of danger to the activist movement actually. Some people think TWS in Sydney was not robbed of $10K. Fraid so. Some think FoE Bookshop wasn't robbed. I know better. Some think The Lake Cowal Environment Foundation is a green project when in fact its green figleaf over a water wasting cyanide mine sponsored by Bob Carr to save his political neck. (Which is why Rainforest Information Centre reject the bogus mine and their greenwashing and I do too. ).

Big corruption and little corruption. It's real enough.

You think there is no corruption in the community sector? Now that's what I call naive. It's the same as every other sector in this sad respect and with my legal training well I am called and I am strong enough to the task.

is one of the seven deadly sins, and ought not be directed at SIM or MIM whatever their perceived flaws or achievements. I'm about solving problems.

the guys is perhaps burning out, needs a holiday and a break, possibly punchy from campaigns of attack from the north, of which perhaps my concern has been another straw on the camel's back. But it is still a real concern with the NSW election road testing White Supremacism writ large (Howard skulking in the wings, Vanstone not cruel enough!).

Usually the short circuit is step back make space for another to fill the vaccuum in the huge volunteer sector. Indispensibility is usually exageration.

it's a common problem of over work, hard to keep perspective. I don't know how it came to this either.

NSW election is road test for this, which is why SIM amongst many other threads is important counter balance. Media release of Senator Kerry Nettle follows:

23.01.07

Howard signals divisive election tactics with dropping of
multiculturalism

Greens Multicultural Affairs Spokesperson Senator Kerry Nettle today
called on incoming Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews to publicly commit
the government to supporting multiculturalism in Australia in the wake
of multiculturalism being dropped from the title of his department.

"Multiculturalism has been a massively successful policy in Australia
and Mr Andrews should acknowledge this and commit to supporting its
objectives of respect, celebration of diversity and non-discrimination.

"The Greens also call on Mr Andrews to start his new job by ending the
cruel practice on mandatory detention of asylum seekers and begin by
bringing the 7 Burmese asylum seekers now on Nauru to Australia.

"As far as Senator Vanstone is concerned then, if the rumour of an
overseas posting is true, perhaps a posting to Kabul, Afghanistan would
be the most appropriate job the Prime Minister could offer her."

Contact - Jon Edwards 0428 xxx xxx