Rebel rappers want revolution
The News Review:
- Rebel rappers want revolution
- Insider challenge for giant network
- Home Depot Profit Beats Estimates, Shares Increase (Update5)
- Mandela may bury the hatchet with Bush
Rebel rappers want revolution
The Age – May 17, 2005
A hip-hop band that was formed out of the Jabilukaprotest must be serious, writes James Norman. Anyone who thought Australian hip-hop was just a feeble excusefor spoilt white kids to sing about sexy chicks and indulge theirnavel-gazing, think again. From a grimy Footscray squat, a newbreed of home-grown political rap is making inroads. Melbourne outfit Combat Wombat, recently signed to Elefant Traksrecords, has plenty of subject matter for its funky, PublicEnemy-inspired, hip-hop, which takes a swipe at national identity,the treatment of refugees, indigenous sovereignty and uraniummining. But what makes Combat Wombat special is that the band membersnot only talk the talk, they’re full-time political activists andsquatters. At Combat Wombat’s core is the Lab Rats Solar Sound System,formed at the Jabiluka uranium mine protests in 1998. Bandco-founders Monkeymarc and MC Izzy are also Australian pioneers ofvegetable oil conversions for diesel engines: their national tourvan is powered by used fish-and-chips oil…
Anyone who thought Australian hip-hop was just a feeble excusefor spoilt white kids to sing about sexy chicks and indulge theirnavel-gazing, think again. From a grimy Footscray squat, a newbreed of home-grown political rap is making inroads. Melbourne outfit Combat Wombat, recently signed to Elefant Traksrecords, has plenty of subject matter for its funky, PublicEnemy-inspired, hip-hop, which takes a swipe at national identity,the treatment of refugees, indigenous sovereignty and uraniummining. But what makes Combat Wombat special is that the band membersnot only talk the talk, they’re full-time political activists andsquatters. At Combat Wombat’s core is the Lab Rats Solar Sound System,formed at the Jabiluka uranium mine protests in 1998. Bandco-founders Monkeymarc and MC Izzy are also Australian pioneers ofvegetable oil conversions for diesel engines: their national tourvan is powered by used fish-and-chips oil. Their fully equippedmobile studio runs off the solar panels on the van’s roof, and thegroup’s second album, Unsound System, was written and recordedusing this same eco-friendly energy.
Insider challenge for giant network
Australian IT – May 17, 2005
We need to make sure things are secure, but by the same token we are not a bank and we can’t apply bank-like security, stopping people from freely accessing information. Although it is Australia’s largest network with 500,000 users, 200,000 computers, (including 38,000 laptops) and 6000 servers at 1700 sites, Meadows says, hackers don’t regard it “a highly valued trophy”. The network handles private student information, student records and payroll information. A combination of student hack attempts and unwitting malware outbreaks led to the department upgrading security in 2001. Before her arrival in 2001, security was a quarterly virus update mailed to all schools. Not all computers connecting to the network were owned by the department. Some were student and teacher laptops, some desktops were bought by the individual schools, and there were different operating systems, even home-grown web servers without security…
Before her arrival in 2001, security was a quarterly virus update mailed to all schools. Not all computers connecting to the network were owned by the department. Some were student and teacher laptops, some desktops were bought by the individual schools, and there were different operating systems, even home-grown web servers without security. “If we don’t own the equipment it creates problems as to what we can mandate, but we insist that every computer runs antivirus software before it connects,” Meadows says. After a public tender and third-party evaluation four years ago by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology test labs, the department chose Symantec’s Antivirus Enterprise Edition, centrally managed. Now it also runs intrusion detection, vulnerability assessment and disk imaging tools. “As well as constant updates we have reporting capability,” she says.
Home Depot Profit Beats Estimates, Shares Increase (Update5)
Bloomberg – May 17, 2005
, based in Mooresville, North Carolina,reported yesterday that its earnings rose 31 percent, the most insix quarters, on a sales increase of 14 percent. Its sales havegrown an average of 18 percent annually the past five years,compared to 16 percent for Home Depot. Home Depot, at almost twice Lowe's size, is nearingsaturation in the U. and is looking for new ways to expand bygrowing overseas. Nardelli, 57, plans to add 19 stores in Canadaand 10 locations in Mexico and last June set up a business-development office in China.
Mandela may bury the hatchet with Bush
Independent Online – May 17, 2005
“Such disagreements are not uncommon among friends,” he told a meeting of the Brookings Institution think tank. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who once characterised Bush as a leader who “cannot think properly”, said democracies should be built on consensus and inclusivity that allows people to decide change on their own. true democracy cannot be imposed nor transported, it must be home-grown,” said Mandela. Although officially retired from public life, Mandela’s visit is mainly to promote the US-based Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust which will raise funds for his humanitarian work in Africa…
true democracy cannot be imposed nor transported, it must be home-grown,” said Mandela. Although officially retired from public life, Mandela’s visit is mainly to promote the US-based Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust which will raise funds for his humanitarian work in Africa. Ahead of a July summit of the Group of Eight rich nations, Mandela is urging wealthy countries to increase aid to Africa, saying G-8 leaders should show the “political will” to help pull Africa out of poverty and debt “on terms that are more flexible and responsive to the priorities set by Africans themselves”, he said. “Africa and its people expect nothing less. We mean it when we say Africa’s time has come.