Social Cause 01 (Jul 08 - Jul 15)

[winston]

More than 400,000 Israelis protest for 'social justice' by Michael Blum

More than 400,000 Israelis poured into streets across the Jewish state on Saturday to protest the high cost of living, after organisers called for a "million-man march" to revitalise their movement.

The estimated figures were record-breaking, exceeding the 300,000 people who took part in similar demonstration on August 6, and lending new life to the six-week old movement calling for sweeping economic reforms.

Most Israeli media estimated that more than 400,000 people were demonstrating in cities and towns across the Jewish state, taking to the streets shortly after the end of the Jewish Sabbath.

Israeli police declined to give estimates for crowd figures, despite having given them during previous demonstrations.

In Tel Aviv, a vast crowd of mostly young and secular demonstrators chanted slogans skewering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who protesters accuse of failing to take seriously their calls for sweeping economic change.

"The land of milk and honey, but not for everybody," read one sign carried by a demonstrator in the coastal city. Other protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted against Israel's main supermarket companies, accusing them of unfair pricing.

Addressing the crowd in Tel Aviv, student union president Itzik Shmuli said the turnout showed the continued strength of the movement.

"They told us that the movement was slowing down. Tonight we are showing that it's the opposite," he said.

"We are the new Israelis, determined to continue the fight for a fairer and better society, knowing that it will be long and difficult," he told the cheering protesters.

Protesters called the rallies a "historic" time for Israel.

"When my daughter will be older she will remember with pride that she took part in the largest social protest of Israel's history," said Gali Zeitun, a Tel Aviv teacher who came with her four-year-old daughter.

Adi Markovitch, a 28-year-old graphic artist, said she was taking part in the demonstration because "I want to continue living in my country.

"But how can I do that if I can't make ends meet."

Organisers said they hoped to bring record-breaking numbers of people into the streets, exceeding even the unprecedented August 6 turnout.

Those protests marked something of a high point for the protest movement, which began in mid-May when frustrated young Israelis pitched tents on of Tel Aviv's trendiest neighbourhoods to illustrate their inability to find affordable housing.

The movement quickly attracted support from across Israeli society, prompting Netanyahu's government to pledge action.

But in recent weeks, and particularly in the wake of a militant attack that killed nine Israelis, the movement appeared to have lost some momentum and commentators questioned whether it had peaked.

Ahead of the demonstrations, organisers said Saturday's turnout would show the movement remained strong, and would pile new pressure on Netanyahu's government, which has yet to take any concrete reform measures.

"We going to prove to those who have buried the movement that they were wrong and that the people are ready to go into the streets for social justice, affordable housing and the defence of public education and health services," protest leader Stav Shafir told AFP.

"We must maintain pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu, this is not the moment to cede ground, while he has not listened to us and done absolutely nothing," Shafir said.

Netanyahu's government has pledged to take the protesters' calls seriously and set up a committee head by respected economist Manuel Trachtenberg to examine their demands.

But the demonstrators say the measure is an attempt to stall, and point to Netanyahu's insistence that his government will not finance reforms by spending outside its current budget.

"We have formulated very specific demands in terms of necessary budget increases for housing, education and health, but no far not a single concrete measure has been taken," protest organiser Uri Metuki said.

Source: AFP Global Edition

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

It is only through sacrifice that you can create something or change the world.
~ Dr. Pillai

[kennynah]

words cannot express such acts of altruism :

Hougang SMC Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong (Worker's Party)

[iam802]

Over at #occupywallstreet






A dishwasher pours dirty water into a grey water system. The system filters dirty dish water through woodchips, soil and plant roots to create cleaner water suitable for watering the flowers and trees around Zuccotti Plaza.






More images here:
http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2011/10/po ... /?pid=1197

[winston]

Singapore warns against anti-finance protest

Singapore police warned anyone planning to attend an Occupy Wall Street-style demonstration in the city-state's financial district this weekend that their involvement would be "unlawful".

Singapore keeps a tight rein on public protests, with organisers required to apply with the police for a permit which are mostly rejected due to what authorities see as law and order risks.

"We are occupying Singapore's Central Business Districts to demand accountability and change," said the Facebook posting, which also criticised state-linked investment firms Temasek Holdings and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp.

Source: AFP Asian Edition

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[iam802]

Some of the frustrations that the people has on govt. spending at OccupyWallStreet movement.

--

[iam802]

At OccupyWallStreet....

Hidden Content:

The bull (market) must be protected at all cost

[winston]

TOL:-

Will this 'Occupy Wall Street" thing be big enough, to bring down some of the "dictators" and their cronies, at some of the financial institutions ?

[winston]

Protesters to rally worldwide against greedy rich by Michel Rose

MILAN (Reuters) - Protesters worldwide geared up for a cry of rage on Saturday against bankers, financiers and politicians they accuse of ruining global economies and condemning millions to poverty and hardship through greed.

Nick Carson, a spokesman for OccupyMelbourne.Org, said protests were planned for all of Australia's major cities.

"I think people want real democracy," he said. "They don't want corporate influence over their politicians. They want their politicians to be accountable. They want proper representation."

In Britain, demonstrators aim to converge on the City of London -- a leading international financial center -- under the banner "Occupy the Stock Exchange."

Angry at taxpayer bailouts of banks since 2008 and at big bonuses still paid to some who work in them while unemployment blights the lives of many young Britons, he said: "People all over the world, we are saying, 'Enough is enough'."

Concrete demands are few other than a general sense that the "greedy and corrupt" rich, and especially banks, should pay more and that elected governments are not listening.

"It's time for us to unite; it's time for them to listen; people of the world, rise up!" proclaimed the website United for #GlobalChange. "We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us ... We will peacefully demonstrate, talk and organize until we make it happen."

In the United States, the hundreds of protesters at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park called for more people to join them. Their example has also prompted calls for similar occupations in dozens of U.S. cities from Saturday.

In Houston, protesters plan to tap into anger at big oil companies.

Source: Reuters US Online Report World News

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

Protesters Fail to Occupy Singapore

For a group that boasted defiance, and even designed a profile picture on Facebook with the words, “we will not remain silent,” the organizers of the planned Occupy Raffles Place event in Singapore were very quiet.

Despite planning a demonstration in Singapore’s financial district at 2 p.m. Saturday, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and global protests happening across Asia, the organizers themselves failed to identify themselves.

The small crowd at the central square outside Raffles Place MRT station included mostly journalists and photographers, looking listless and bored.

Some plainclothes policemen were also present, after they had earlier warned potential protesters that such a protest would be “unlawful.”

The Facebook page for the event is no longer available, with the group’s @occupysg account posting this message on Twitter: “We should try this again on Monday morning?” The Twitter page has 30 followers.

At 4:15 p.m. Singapore time, two hours after the event was meant to take place, organizers of “Occupy SG” posted this Facebook update: “We are obviously very disappointed with the lack of on the ground support. We take the blame for lack of logistics and planning and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Respondents to the Facebook post blamed organizers for failing to contact their supporters or organize any meetings before the event.

http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2011/10/1 ... _news_blog