i-JK Web Solutions by Jim Kirkpatrick | Winchester, Southampton, Hampshire, UK aggregator

Green Party News: Green MP welcomes Trafigura court decision

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:37:00 +0100

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP today welcomed a court's decision to heavily fine Trafigura, the company which was this year at the centre of a major controversy in the UK concerning an alleged cover-up of a toxic waste scandal in Africa (1).

Now, in a separate case brought in the Netherlands over toxic waste dumping in Ivory Coast, an Amsterdam court has ruled that Trafigura must pay a fine of 1 million euros.

In her maiden speech to parliament this year, Caroline Lucas spoke out against the way British courts had then been used to silence criticisms in the UK of Trafigura's dumping of toxic waste in other countries. Today, the Green MP expressed her satisfaction that Trafigura was being held to account.

"Thousands were made ill and at least 15 people killed by this toxic waste"

In the latest case, the ship, the Probo Koala, chartered by Trafigura, attempted to offload caustic soda and petroleum waste in Amsterdam. Port officials refused to treat the waste, as it turned out to be far more toxic than had been assumed. The ship then sailed to the Ivory Coast, where the waste was dumped on tips in and around the city of Abidjan. Thousands fell ill, and a UN report ruled that the death of at least 15 Ivorians has been attributed to chemical poisoning by the waste.

Green Party News: Greens celebrate honorary doctorate for Peter Tatchell

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:44:00 +0100

In a ceremony at the Brighton Dome, today at 330pm, Peter Tatchell will receive an Hon D.Litt (Sussex), for his services to human rights, from the Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar.

Green Party Leader and MP for Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas commented:

"We are incredibly proud of the work which Peter continues to bring in human rights and that he is a member of the Green Party. Whether it is his advocacy on behalf of LGBT asylum seekers or his ongoing campaign for gay marriage, we are thrilled that the staff and students of the University of Sussex have decided to thank him in this way. Peter is truly one of our greatest LGBT heroes."

Councillor Amy Kennedy, Alumna of Sussex University, and a Green Party councillor in Brighton added:

"Peter brings invaluable work to often overlooked areas of human rights: the citizens of our city, our country and our world are indebted to him for his work. We celebrate with him for an award which I am proud to say has come from my alma mater."

Phelim Mac Cafferty, National Chair of LGBT Greens concluded:

Green Party News: No prosecution for officer in Ian Tomlinson case

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:15:00 +0100

Reacting to the Crown Prosecution Service deciding that the police officer involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson will not face criminal charges, Jenny Jones, Green member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said:

"This decision by the MPS won't please anyone. It won't satisfy the family, who don't have justice. It won't satisfy the officer, as he hasn't been officially cleared, just not prosecuted. And it won't satisfy the police as their reputation will be damaged yet again. "

"Time and again, the police appear to get away with serious assault or even manslaughter. From Blair Peach to Jean Charles de Menezes, they aren't being held to account for their crimes, and it's damaging to their public image."

"A trial for the officer would have tested the reputations of the medical experts involved. I am confident that a judge would come down on the right side of justice."

Notes

Transition Network News: Portrait pattern of an initiative

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:56:17 +0100

Our Rob has been very busy thinking about the next Transition Handbook and how to communicate Transition between ourselves and others. His thoughts have lead him to seeing and talking about Transition as a 'Pattern Language'. He ran several workshops on the topic at the conference (workshop recordings here), put all the patterns up for comment, and got some sound feedback.

We will soon have a new online directory for the patterns which will enable Rob and Helen (who is doing lots of research into them) to share their thoughts and invite Transitioners to offer comments, suggest projects, images and more.

In the meantime, you can't keep a good idea down, nor a passionate movement quiet (not that anyone would want to). Ideas seed themselves and spread, rooting themselves in the different experiences and cultures of initiatives, taking on different forms and working in different ways.

WinACC: Low carbon food - bring and buy, share ideas and a picnic

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:41:23 +0100

7 August 2010 - 10:30am - 12:00pm

St Lawrence Parish Room, Colebrook St, Winchester, SO23 9LH

The next WinACC open meeting has the theme of Low Carbon Food, and will include a bring and buy stall of home-grown produce and a picnic lunch afterwards in Abbey Gardens (unless it rains).

We want to share ideas about low carbon food, share allotment or garden surpluses, and build links across WinACC supporters with an interest in food. All welcome - a good chance to meet new people who share your interest in food.

Transition Network News: People Powered Renewable Co-op

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:35:55 +0100

Themes:

Energy

If you are one of those people who want to go renewable, but are not sure how to go about it, Transition Maidenhead may have the answer. The group has set up a co-op to help people navigate the minefield of renewable technologies and take advantage of new Government legislation which rewards householders for going solar. And you can raise much needed funds for your Transition Town at the same time. Cindy Barnes, one of The Smart Energy Co-op’s founders, explains how it works.

A List Apart: JavaScript Minification Part II

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:00:42 +0100

Variable naming can be a source of coding angst for humans trying to understand code. Once you’re sure that a human doesn’t need to interpret your JavaScript code, variables simply become generic placeholders for values. Nicholas C. Zakas shows us how to further minify JavaScript by replacing local variable names with the YUI Compressor.

A List Apart: SVG with a little help from Raphaël

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:00:02 +0100

Want to make fancy, interactive, scalable vector graphics (SVGs) that look beautiful at any resolution and degrade with grace? Brian Suda urges you to consider Raphaël for your SVG heavy lifting.

WinACC: GinACC - the WinACC pub night

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:19:05 +0100

27 July 2010 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Hyde Tavern, Hyde St, Winchester SO23 7DY

"GinACC", WinACC informal drinks and chat for anyone interested, on 27 July at the Hyde Tavern, Winchester SO23 7DY from 6.30pm. Probably the last we'll organise, so your last chance if you've been meaning to come.

Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN): New toolkits for the Refugee and Migrant sector

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:38:28 +0100

We have published with the support of the Baring Foundation 3 toolkits to support our work with the refugee and migrant sector on climate change. These focus on issues of forced migration, the challenges of climate change to refugee organisations as well as offer a practical guide for reducing your office carbon footprint.

For more information and downloads click here