Red Pepper News

Philippines state of emergency

Herbert Docena writes: Yesterday morning, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared an indefinite "state of national emergency" in the Philippines. Issued on the very week when Filipinos were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "People Power" uprising which ended Ferdinand Marcos' 14-year dictatorship, Arroyo's order authorizes the police and the military the power to do everything necessary to neutralize "enemies" of the state, bans all protest rallies, and threatens to take over media outlets. Effectively placing the country under martial law, Arroyo has restored what Filipinos ended twenty years ago.

About 10,000 of us defied the President's order and marched on Manila's busiest highway. We were violently dispersed. Twenty-six of us, including minors who were beaten up by the police, were arrested.

Nothing Stops Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Jordan Flaherty writes: In New Orleans’ Central Business District, a prominent billboard advertising Southern Comfort liquor proclaims “Nothing Stops Mardi Gras.  Nothing.”  The festive ad haunts me, seeming callous and cruel, "you've faced a huge loss, and now we want to use your city and cultural traditions to sell a lot of alcohol."

Citywide, Mardi Gras is everywhere, but not without controversy. Many are angry at the idea of a huge party taking place while bodies are still being recovered in Ninth Ward houses, And in diaspora communities such as Atlanta, there is a lot of anger at the idea of a huge party going one while they are kept out.  A past leader of the Zulu Mardi Gras Krewe even sued his organization (unsuccessfully) to stop them from parading this year.

 

It's never too late to move beyond the choices of the cold war

Apologies that this blog has been a little slow of late. In the meantime, you might be interested in Red Pepper editor Hilary Wainwright's contribution to a debate on socialism in The Guardian (her piece is a response to Martin Kettle).

Carbon Offset Controversy at Phone Co-op AGM

Heidi Bachram writes:On 28 January at the UK based Phone Co-op’s Annual General Meeting, members revolted against the company’s use of so-called ‘carbon offsets’. Member Andrew Wood put forward a motion to remove discontinue the practice and called such offsets, provided by Oxford-based firm Climate Care, a “scam” warning fellow members that their use “seriously threatens the ethical reputation of our brand.” He added that according to the Phone Co-op’s own surveys, 70% of its customers move their telecom services to the company because of its rigorous ethics and environmental commitment. Wood stated that because of the controversial nature of carbon offsets, the Phone Co-op’s reputation could be harmed.