Anti-military Protests Ahead of Defence Expo

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 11:14

In a weeklong “Festival of Resistance” anti-militarism activists are disrupting work at the Rheinmetall and DB Schenker warehouse in Redbank. 

The arms manufacturers are set to participate in this week’s controversial Land Forces Defence Expo.

Disrupt Land Forces spokesperson Margaret Pestorius says both companies are stained with blood with a history of supplying arms to “fascist” camps from Germany to West Papua.
 

$8 Million grant to create job opportunities

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 11:14

Minister for Employment Di Farmer is announcing an $8 million grant to help create jobs over the next two years.

The Social Enterprise Jobs Fund aims to help the sector to grow, scale-up activities and create more training and employment opportunities for vulnerable and disadvantaged Queenslanders.

The grant applications will open on Thursday 3 June 2021, with further grants to be rolled out in the coming months.

Victorian Lockdown Continues

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 11:08

Victoria’s fourth lockdown continues, following the mystery COVID-19 case of a person working in aged care.

People who are vulnerable to COVID-19 were meant to have been vaccinated by Easter, but not all have been.

The deputy prime minister, and senior ministers, are arguing about whether the country should be ‘racing’ or not to vaccinate Australians against the virus.

Victorian industry groups call to bring back JobKeeper

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 11:06

The Victorian industry groups are calling on the Prime Minister to bring back JobKeeper amid the state’s 4th lockdown.

It is reported that 90,000 businesses have been affected by the current lockdown. 

While the Victorian state government has introduced grant packages to support businesses, there is a push to get federal funding as well, as Victorians worrying they will be left without a job.

Canadian PM comments on Indigenous Children remains found

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 10:58

Content warning: This story mentions the death of Indigenous Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of what was once Canada’s largest residential schools for Indigenous children on Friday is a shameful reminder of Canada’s colonial history.

The children were students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, which closed in 1978. 

Sachém - Part of The Picture

Submitted by charlottec on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 07:58
North Stradbroke Island local Sachém is an artist whose intellect and creativity reaches new levels. With his name being a title given to the Native American chief from the Mohegan tribe in the North East of the USA, it was prophetic that frontline First Nation/African American leader Sachém would become a talented writer and orator. The rapper, singer, and spoken-word poet has combined his greatest works into his debut EP Part of the Picture. Most of the collection was recorded with Mules Mecca at District Studios, with "Take It Off" and his latest single "Chasin" recorded with Papertoy in Gadigal and "Gemini" with K Rasta in Meanjin. The EP's guest artist appearances include RMC, Grand Master Absent and Sol Chld. "This is a collection of music gathered from significant parts of my life over the last 18 months," Sachém explained of the art piece. As expected, the powerful songwriter manages to give a perfect snapshot of his intersectional experience of life in the EP. "I would like the listener to gain a better understanding of the complexities of a young Indigenous person living in this colonised world. The many emotions, thoughts and struggles that come up within our lives as a result of our history and current experience, challenge the morals and values of our cultural lens. So we are forced to sit in this weird space that lies between the two worlds. This is a space that not many people outside this experience would understand. And despite this we still manage to survive, create and express. This EP is only Part of the Picture that makes up the Blak experience in Australia." Having played at Yonder Festival in 2020 and Mountain Goat Valley Crawl 2021, fans who see Sachém live can expect to be enamoured by a "young indigenous man, conflicted and exhausted, amidst a turbulent battle of ego, monetary gain and self-discovery" which manifests in a theatrical and emotive performance. The artist also won the 2017 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize through Queensland Poetry Festival and 2020 Brisbane City Council Best Original Song Award. Sachém laces rhymes with personal stories, while touching on poignant social & cultural issues that have and continue to impact his life.

Australian charities put at risk by new Federal laws

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Fri, 28/05/2021 - 11:20

The Federal Coalition government is considering new regulations that would deregister charity organisations if any of their volunteers is convicted of a summary offence, the lowest level of legal breaches.

The regulations would apply to over 59,000 registered not-for-profit groups, many of which engage in political advocacy. 

University of Sydney academic, Professor Ruth Phillips, says these regulations target political protest and dissent.

SpaceX resupply mission to bring baby squids and tardigrades to space labs

Submitted by Zedlines Contributor on Fri, 28/05/2021 - 11:20

SpaceX is launching its 22nd cargo resupply mission on 4 June, which will carry science experiments supplies, including 128 baby luminescent bobtail squid and 5,000 tardigrades.

The research will investigate how zero gravity affects the symbiotic relationship between the squid and the beneficial microbes that they host. On the other hand, the tardigrades, a species famous for tolerating extreme environments, will be studied for effects of spaceflight on biological survival. 

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