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Hidden stories from African football

Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African Football by Ian Hawkey Anova Books, 2009, $24.95
More Than Just A Game: Football v Apartheid, The most important football story ever told by Chuck Korr & Marvin Close Harper Collins, 2008, $25.99 The world is in the final stages of counting down to the biggest show on earth 鈥 the football World Cup in South Africa 鈥 the first time it has ever been held on the African continent.

Greek myths, folk opera and a post-apocalyptic USA

Hadestown Anais Mitchell CD, Righteous Babe Records The 鈥渇olk opera鈥 Hadestown is an interpretation of the ancient Greek myth of the poet Opheus鈥 doomed quest to rescue his wife Eurydice from the underworld. It is set in a near-future post-apocalyptic US, beset by ecological and economic disaster. Orpheus, representing all poets, believes in the healing power of nature, but his wife is seduced by the promises of the huckster Hades.

Israel denies Chomsky entry, Costello cancels gigs

Veteran left-wing academic and author Noam Chomsky was banned from entering Israel on May 17. Chomsky, a strong critic of Israel and US foreign policy, had been planning to give a lecture at Bir Zeit University in the Israeli occupied West Bank. On May 18, English singer Elvis Costello announced he was cancelling two planned gigs in Israel, citing the 鈥済rave and complex" sensitivities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict鈥, Christian Science Monitor said on May 19.

Voices from threatened land

The land around Muckaty Station, 120km north of Tennant Creek, was nominated in 2007 as a possible nuclear waste dump site by the Northern Land Council. A small group of traditional owners, hoping for a combination of cash and improved services like roads, housing and education, agreed. Many other traditional owners remain opposed to the plan and have been highly critical of the process and approach taken by resources minister Martin Ferguson. Labor simply repackaged John Howard鈥檚 racist laws for the dump.

Protest supports democracy for Thailand

MELBOURNE 鈥 Protesters added their voices to the international day of solidarity with the democracy movement in Thailand on May 20, gathering outside the offices of Thai Airways. May 20 is the anniversary of the end of Black May in 1992, when the Thai government used the military against thousands of pro-democracy protesters. The rally demanded the military end its repression, not just for the sake of Thai workers, but because it gave confidence to other governments to use force against workers everywhere.

Public housing 鈥榥ot a right鈥 鈥 Western Australian MP

Kalgoorlie MP John Bowler said public housing is 鈥渘ot a right鈥 but a 鈥減rivilege鈥, after the federal government passed legislation that will shift community housing from a federal to a state responsibility in Western Australia. The state Liberal government will get about $500 million to fund new, and upgrade existing houses. The takeover has been defended by Bowler, who says the change will encourage better treatment of the housing by tenants.

Sydney: Queer artists evicted from squat

Five young queer artists 鈥 the Centrepiece Collective 鈥 were evicted by Marrickville Council from the abandoned former nurses quarters at the old Marrickville hospital on May 18. The artists set up a work and refuge space in the 鈥渘urses quarters鈥 in the inner west in April. Sydney's rental market is prohibitive and, for artists, studio art space is an added burden. The multi-storied building had been vacant for 15 years.

Rally protests Black deaths in custody

Sam Watson, Aboriginal community leader and Socialist Alliance senate candidate for Queensland, spoke at a May 19 rally outside state parliament. He called for the sacking of police commissioner Bob Atkinson; the charging and conviction of police who kill Indigenous prisoners; for investigation of police to be carried out by an independent, community panel; and for a new Royal Commission into Black deaths in custody.

Global warming records surpassed

Around the world, disturbing new evidence of rapid global warming has come to light in the past few weeks. Past temperature records have tumbled. The warming is consistent with climate change predictions. Victoria and Tasmania had their hottest 12-month period recorded, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on May 3. Victoria鈥檚 weather was warmer than average month-by-month for year to April. Tasmania was warmer for 11 of the 12 months.

John Pilger: The Greek heresy offers hope

As Britain鈥檚 political class pretends that its arranged marriage of Tweedledee to Tweedledum is democracy, the inspiration for the rest of us is Greece. It is hardly surprising that Greece is presented not as a beacon but as a 鈥渏unk country鈥 getting its comeuppance for its 鈥渂loated public sector鈥 and 鈥渃ulture of cutting corners鈥 (as the British Observer said). The heresy of Greece is that the uprising of its ordinary people provides an authentic hope unlike that lavished upon the warlord in the White House.

Qld forests sold cheap

"An American-based company accused of bulldozing trees in koala habitats in Victoria has emerged as the buyer of Queensland's major forests in a $603 million deal with the State Government鈥, said the May 19 Courier-Mail. 鈥淭he deal is the first major privatisation of state assets by the Bligh Government.鈥 This is the first of several fire-sales of public assets, including forests, rail, ports and motorways, proposed by the state Labor government since last year. Unions and community groups have strongly opposed the privatisation plan.

7-Eleven workers ripped off

The Fair Work ombudsman began legal action on May 19 against a 7-Eleven store operator in Geelong who owed hundreds of hours in unpaid wages to four workers. The decision came after a two-year campaign by the Unite union, which organises workers in part-time and casual work. The ombudsman alleges that four workers were owed a total of $85,408 for work over 2005-09. One worker alone was underpaid $40,583.