I have exciting news to share!
In 2007, you helped us educate Congress and President Bush about HIV and AIDS, and the earmark that requires one-third of all global HIV prevention funding to be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs. This one-size-fits-all restriction ignores the daily reality of millions of women and weakens CARE's ability to help vulnerable people avoid HIV infection.
You played an important role by drawing attention to this issue and encouraging your representatives to support legislation to overturn this flawed policy.
On December 26, President Bush approved a provision that gives the president the flexibility to support effective HIV prevention programming and to ignore the abstinence-until-marriage restriction.
This is a significant victory and we want to thank you. Your voice made a difference.
While this is a step forward, we're not done yet. We will need your support later this year when Congress considers current legislation regarding HIV and AIDS. Help us hold Congress accountable for a strong new law that addresses the social, economic and cultural reasons that make people, especially women, vulnerable to HIV.
As a member of the CARE Action Network, you understand the importance of reaching out to legislators during critical times throughout the year to make your voice heard in Washington. Your vital outreach helps educate policymakers and the public about problems facing the world's poor and helps CARE communicate effective solutions that can give hope and health to millions.
We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2008. Together, we can raise our voices in support of policies that help people lift themselves out of poverty and claim a brighter future for their families.
Best wishes for a happy new year! We'll stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Giulia McPherson
Legislative Communications Coordinator
CARE USA
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Port Phillip Bay Cyber Action
Dear friends
At the beginning of February dredging will begin at Port Phillip Bay (Melbourne, Australia) by Dutch company Royal Boskalis Westminster, putting marine life in the bay at risk.
The southern waters of Australia, including Port Phillip Bay, have the highest diversity of marine species anywhere in the world.There are 5,000 species in the bay, 90% occur nowhere else on Earth and many have never been fully studied.
Blue Wedges, who are taking on the developers in a Federal court case to be heard on 10 January 2008, and Friends of the Earth Melbourne need your support.
Please visit our website at http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/take-action/port-phillip-bay to send an email to Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett (ex lead singer of environmental rock band Midnight Oil), who approved the project in late December 2007.
It only takes 2 minutes and could help put a stop to this damaging project.
Please forward this message to your contacts and ask them to take action too.
Thanks for your support
Debra Broughton
Friends of the Earth International
At the beginning of February dredging will begin at Port Phillip Bay (Melbourne, Australia) by Dutch company Royal Boskalis Westminster, putting marine life in the bay at risk.
The southern waters of Australia, including Port Phillip Bay, have the highest diversity of marine species anywhere in the world.There are 5,000 species in the bay, 90% occur nowhere else on Earth and many have never been fully studied.
Blue Wedges, who are taking on the developers in a Federal court case to be heard on 10 January 2008, and Friends of the Earth Melbourne need your support.
Please visit our website at http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/take-action/port-phillip-bay to send an email to Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett (ex lead singer of environmental rock band Midnight Oil), who approved the project in late December 2007.
It only takes 2 minutes and could help put a stop to this damaging project.
Please forward this message to your contacts and ask them to take action too.
Thanks for your support
Debra Broughton
Friends of the Earth International
Friday, December 21, 2007
Close Guantanamo - Action
David Hicks is due for release from Adelaide's Yatala Labour Prison next week on 29 December, but does not know whether he will be subject to a control order. We believe control orders violate human rights, and that he must be allowed to return to a normal life.
As we approach the sixth anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre on 11 January, there are still 290 men detained there without charge.
We are marking the anniversary with a global day of action. Join us outside the U.S. Consulate in Sydney's Martin Place at 8am on Friday 11 January 2008. Meet our new National Director, members and staff as we call for the U.S. to immediately shut down Guantanamo Bay. Take part in the largest orange jumpsuit action in Australia.
Check out all the action info at the link
As we approach the sixth anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre on 11 January, there are still 290 men detained there without charge.
We are marking the anniversary with a global day of action. Join us outside the U.S. Consulate in Sydney's Martin Place at 8am on Friday 11 January 2008. Meet our new National Director, members and staff as we call for the U.S. to immediately shut down Guantanamo Bay. Take part in the largest orange jumpsuit action in Australia.
Check out all the action info at the link
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Exciting, defining times for women
Exciting, defining times for women
Tracee Hutchison
IT'S HARD to identify the exact moment I knew Australia was
experiencing a seismic shift in identity and direction over this past
week. There have, after all, been so many monumental occurrences to
choose from, it seems impossible to rank or compare them.
John Howard's comeuppance. Julia Gillard's sustained grace in the
tally room. Maxine McKew's unbridled euphoria as she resisted the
temptation to gloat. And Peter Costello's smug exit. All of it gold.
But if I had to nominate a flashpoint when I felt my body jolt upright
with exultant anticipation and gushing love of country, it actually
came courtesy of the first lady-elect, Therese Rein.
When Kevin Rudd walked on stage to claim his place as Australia's 26th
prime minister, the woman he calls his life partner stood with her
hand in his beside him, and shimmied. She leant forward and, with a
cheeky glint in her eye, shook her shoulders from side to side and
shimmied. And it was glorious.
If ever there was an image to differentiate the old from the new on
election night, it was Therese Rein's shimmy. As surprising as the
revelation that I've placed a shimmy above Australia electing its
first female deputy prime minister and Maxine McKew's "in heaven no
one's blind" moment might be, the shimmy said it all.
It was sassy and confident and delicious. And 100% woman. Suddenly we
had a first couple who were smart, successful AND sexy. It was magnificent.
And it set the tone for how the rest of the week unravelled. The new
Opposition crumbled and the Government-elect unveiled its new line-up,
complete with a posse of impressive, talented women who would help run
the country.
After too many years of twin-sets and pearls in the federal
government, Australia finally has a group of governing female MPs who
reflect the status of women and the diversity of our lives in
contemporary Australia.
Finally, we have a group of women in the highest office in the land
who don't make me feel like a freak.
Women who are the daughters of migrants, women who are single and/or
childless, openly gay, unmarried with children, married with children
but who haven't taken the surname of their husbands and others who have.
Our first couple will be known as the Prime Minister and Ms Rein. Oh,
for the moment our PM is name-tagged Kevin Rein on an overseas trip.
It is significant and noteworthy that half the women Kevin Rudd has
given high-profile cabinet and portfolio responsibilities to are
childless and/or unmarried – the Deputy Prime Minister to name just
one. It is a great moment for generational change and validates the
often difficult choices so many of us have made to pursue our careers.
And it is so very welcome.
Finally, Julia Gillard gets the long last laugh over those appalling
misogynist attacks on her character, her life choices, her hairdo, her
voice and her wardrobe – that undermined so many other women in the
process – as Deputy Prime Minister.
The daughter of working-class Welsh migrants, 46-year-old Gillard came
to Australia in 1966 when she was five.
She'll juggle the massive portfolios of education, employment and
workplace relations. And become acting Prime Minister later this month
when Rudd is in Bali for climate change talks. So much for the empty
fruit bowl barbs; her plate looks pretty full to me.
There are many other great stories in Labor's new team of leading
women: 37-year-old Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Housing and the
Status of Women, 40-year-old Nicola Roxon, the Minister for Health and
Ageing, and 39-year-old Senator Penny Wong, the Minister for Climate
Change and Water – the first Asian-born female MP and openly gay – are
just a few.
Look out for 30-year-old Kate Ellis, the new Minister for Youth and
Sport. She's young. And it's exciting. As is the parliamentary debut
of Maxine McKew, who – after tipping out PM Howard in Bennelong –
becomes the parliamentary secretary to PM Rudd. Then there is Labor
veteran and former deputy leader Jenny Macklin, the new Minister for
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
These are exciting and defining times in Australian political life and
in our nation's history. And they are exciting and defining times for
Australian women. We are finally at the table of power in this country
and it's been a long time coming.
Let's all get down and shimmy!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tracee Hutchison is a Melbourne writer and broadcaster.
Tracee Hutchison
IT'S HARD to identify the exact moment I knew Australia was
experiencing a seismic shift in identity and direction over this past
week. There have, after all, been so many monumental occurrences to
choose from, it seems impossible to rank or compare them.
John Howard's comeuppance. Julia Gillard's sustained grace in the
tally room. Maxine McKew's unbridled euphoria as she resisted the
temptation to gloat. And Peter Costello's smug exit. All of it gold.
But if I had to nominate a flashpoint when I felt my body jolt upright
with exultant anticipation and gushing love of country, it actually
came courtesy of the first lady-elect, Therese Rein.
When Kevin Rudd walked on stage to claim his place as Australia's 26th
prime minister, the woman he calls his life partner stood with her
hand in his beside him, and shimmied. She leant forward and, with a
cheeky glint in her eye, shook her shoulders from side to side and
shimmied. And it was glorious.
If ever there was an image to differentiate the old from the new on
election night, it was Therese Rein's shimmy. As surprising as the
revelation that I've placed a shimmy above Australia electing its
first female deputy prime minister and Maxine McKew's "in heaven no
one's blind" moment might be, the shimmy said it all.
It was sassy and confident and delicious. And 100% woman. Suddenly we
had a first couple who were smart, successful AND sexy. It was magnificent.
And it set the tone for how the rest of the week unravelled. The new
Opposition crumbled and the Government-elect unveiled its new line-up,
complete with a posse of impressive, talented women who would help run
the country.
After too many years of twin-sets and pearls in the federal
government, Australia finally has a group of governing female MPs who
reflect the status of women and the diversity of our lives in
contemporary Australia.
Finally, we have a group of women in the highest office in the land
who don't make me feel like a freak.
Women who are the daughters of migrants, women who are single and/or
childless, openly gay, unmarried with children, married with children
but who haven't taken the surname of their husbands and others who have.
Our first couple will be known as the Prime Minister and Ms Rein. Oh,
for the moment our PM is name-tagged Kevin Rein on an overseas trip.
It is significant and noteworthy that half the women Kevin Rudd has
given high-profile cabinet and portfolio responsibilities to are
childless and/or unmarried – the Deputy Prime Minister to name just
one. It is a great moment for generational change and validates the
often difficult choices so many of us have made to pursue our careers.
And it is so very welcome.
Finally, Julia Gillard gets the long last laugh over those appalling
misogynist attacks on her character, her life choices, her hairdo, her
voice and her wardrobe – that undermined so many other women in the
process – as Deputy Prime Minister.
The daughter of working-class Welsh migrants, 46-year-old Gillard came
to Australia in 1966 when she was five.
She'll juggle the massive portfolios of education, employment and
workplace relations. And become acting Prime Minister later this month
when Rudd is in Bali for climate change talks. So much for the empty
fruit bowl barbs; her plate looks pretty full to me.
There are many other great stories in Labor's new team of leading
women: 37-year-old Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Housing and the
Status of Women, 40-year-old Nicola Roxon, the Minister for Health and
Ageing, and 39-year-old Senator Penny Wong, the Minister for Climate
Change and Water – the first Asian-born female MP and openly gay – are
just a few.
Look out for 30-year-old Kate Ellis, the new Minister for Youth and
Sport. She's young. And it's exciting. As is the parliamentary debut
of Maxine McKew, who – after tipping out PM Howard in Bennelong –
becomes the parliamentary secretary to PM Rudd. Then there is Labor
veteran and former deputy leader Jenny Macklin, the new Minister for
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
These are exciting and defining times in Australian political life and
in our nation's history. And they are exciting and defining times for
Australian women. We are finally at the table of power in this country
and it's been a long time coming.
Let's all get down and shimmy!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tracee Hutchison is a Melbourne writer and broadcaster.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Every Day Heroes
Turn Your Everyday Living into Giving
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/
is an organisation whose mission is to connect people with the charities and causes they care about to increase overall giving.
Multiply your fundraising efforts, turn everyday purchases into donations. Join now and turn your everyday living into giving.
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/
is an organisation whose mission is to connect people with the charities and causes they care about to increase overall giving.
Multiply your fundraising efforts, turn everyday purchases into donations. Join now and turn your everyday living into giving.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
New Australian online Political Party
SOL launches Australia's first online political party
Senator On-line claims to be Australia's first internet-based political party, and says if its gets a candidate elected to the Senate, all Australians will be able to view and vote on every bill which goes through the Senate. SOL senators will vote in line with the majority ruling of the people's vote. I'd like to be able to vote online (if the technology was unriggable and not a "hanging chad" disaster like the voting machines in the last American election) and being able to scrutinise the political process online would be great. But what if you don't have internet access? I'd like SOL's ideas better if they offered a plan to ensure internet access for all Australians.
(From Springwise Newsletter)
Senator On-line claims to be Australia's first internet-based political party, and says if its gets a candidate elected to the Senate, all Australians will be able to view and vote on every bill which goes through the Senate. SOL senators will vote in line with the majority ruling of the people's vote. I'd like to be able to vote online (if the technology was unriggable and not a "hanging chad" disaster like the voting machines in the last American election) and being able to scrutinise the political process online would be great. But what if you don't have internet access? I'd like SOL's ideas better if they offered a plan to ensure internet access for all Australians.
(From Springwise Newsletter)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Bottled Water Not Cool Anymore
This blurb is from the Mercola.com health newsletter....
“ Bottled water is pricey, contributes to global warming, litter, and solid waste, and is usually no safer or healthier than tap water. Increasing numbers of environmentalists, shareholder activists and church groups are targeting the leading sellers of bottled water.
" For example, shareholders working with an activist group called Corporate Accountability International have asked Coca-Cola to report on the sources and safety of its bottled water, and environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have urged their supporters to consume less bottled water.
"Salt Lake City's outspoken mayor, Rocky Anderson, asked city officials to stop handing out bottled water at meetings, and a handful of high-end restaurants have stopped serving it.”
Check out more on this issue at http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Bottled-Water-Not-Cool-Anymore-12481.aspx and read more about plastics in an up-coming issue of Action Change. www.actionchange.com
“ Bottled water is pricey, contributes to global warming, litter, and solid waste, and is usually no safer or healthier than tap water. Increasing numbers of environmentalists, shareholder activists and church groups are targeting the leading sellers of bottled water.
" For example, shareholders working with an activist group called Corporate Accountability International have asked Coca-Cola to report on the sources and safety of its bottled water, and environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have urged their supporters to consume less bottled water.
"Salt Lake City's outspoken mayor, Rocky Anderson, asked city officials to stop handing out bottled water at meetings, and a handful of high-end restaurants have stopped serving it.”
Check out more on this issue at http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Bottled-Water-Not-Cool-Anymore-12481.aspx and read more about plastics in an up-coming issue of Action Change. www.actionchange.com
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Live Earth Concert - tix on sale tomorrow
Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the Sydney Live Earth concert at Aussie Stadium on July 7.
Included on the bill are Crowded House, Missy Higgins, Jack Johnson, Wolfmother, Eskimo Joe, Toni Collette and Sneaky Sound System.
The Live Earth Concerts will be across 9 continents, on the very special date of 07.07.07.
As well as Sydney the concerts, which will cover 24 hours around the globe, will be in New York, London, Johannasberg, Shanghai, Tokyo, Rio, Hamburg and Instanbul.
The concerts aim to promote awareness of environmental issues, particularly Climate Change.
Tickets are on sale through Ticketek.
Included on the bill are Crowded House, Missy Higgins, Jack Johnson, Wolfmother, Eskimo Joe, Toni Collette and Sneaky Sound System.
The Live Earth Concerts will be across 9 continents, on the very special date of 07.07.07.
As well as Sydney the concerts, which will cover 24 hours around the globe, will be in New York, London, Johannasberg, Shanghai, Tokyo, Rio, Hamburg and Instanbul.
The concerts aim to promote awareness of environmental issues, particularly Climate Change.
Tickets are on sale through Ticketek.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
The Solution to Eco Friendly but Ugly Cars
I’ve thought for a while that I would one day buy a car when manufacturers came up with a sexy eco-friendly model.
I’m not just talking about an LPG-run car, but a truly all-round enfren product from the car seats to the fuel. So far I haven’t found one that looks good as well.
I’ve just realised the solution was there all along. Instead of forking out 30 to 40 grand for an ugly enfren car, I can buy a used diesel model, any one I like, and fill it up with filtered vegetable oil from my local organic vego restaurants!
It’s easy to do, uses up cooking oil that would otherwise be put into land fill, is the cheapest fuel around, and I get to reuse a car to boot (ha ha).
If you’re interested in making diesel fuel from recycled cooking oil, check out these websites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
www.dancingrabbit.org/biodiesel/vegetable_oil_fuel.php
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html
www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/
I’m not just talking about an LPG-run car, but a truly all-round enfren product from the car seats to the fuel. So far I haven’t found one that looks good as well.
I’ve just realised the solution was there all along. Instead of forking out 30 to 40 grand for an ugly enfren car, I can buy a used diesel model, any one I like, and fill it up with filtered vegetable oil from my local organic vego restaurants!
It’s easy to do, uses up cooking oil that would otherwise be put into land fill, is the cheapest fuel around, and I get to reuse a car to boot (ha ha).
If you’re interested in making diesel fuel from recycled cooking oil, check out these websites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
www.dancingrabbit.org/biodiesel/vegetable_oil_fuel.php
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html
www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Format E-mag launched!
Well, the new HTML format of the e-mag is out and about and hopefully you would have all receieved it by now. Please let me know if you didn't, as I'm trying out a new automated subscritpion service.
A couple of business things first:
Correction in Product Hits. Mark from envirosax tells me that their bags are designed in Oz and the company is Australian, but the bags are in fact made in China. Apparently this is the case with all bags nowadays.
Correction: In the EFT article, I mention a book You Can Heal Your Life, by Loiuse Hay, but I wrote Denise Hay. Apologies.
Well all that being said it's great to finally have it out in a big glossy format that's easier to read and can fit in oodles of piccies. I'd love your feedback on what you love and what you'd like to see change or improve. Send your letters to me at editor@actionchange.com. They'll be a new Reader's Letters column in the next edition, so look out for that one.
Thanks for tuning in and sending in all your news, views and ideas.
A couple of business things first:
Correction in Product Hits. Mark from envirosax tells me that their bags are designed in Oz and the company is Australian, but the bags are in fact made in China. Apparently this is the case with all bags nowadays.
Correction: In the EFT article, I mention a book You Can Heal Your Life, by Loiuse Hay, but I wrote Denise Hay. Apologies.
Well all that being said it's great to finally have it out in a big glossy format that's easier to read and can fit in oodles of piccies. I'd love your feedback on what you love and what you'd like to see change or improve. Send your letters to me at editor@actionchange.com. They'll be a new Reader's Letters column in the next edition, so look out for that one.
Thanks for tuning in and sending in all your news, views and ideas.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Plastics and recycling symbols article
A friend of mine at ENVOSO, Sarah Crawford, requested a while ago an article on plastics, and what the symbols on the bottom of plastic containers means. So in an upcoming edition of Action Change I'll put in this info. Just to let you know, just because plastic has a circle or triangle of arrows on it, doesn't mean it's recyclable. It needs to have the symbol of what plastic it is in the triangle. And even then, just because something IS recyclable, doesn't mean that we in Australia, or your local council recycles it. The best thing to do in the meantime is contact your local council and find out what plastics they are currently recycling: often they'll have a printed guide.
I've also been asked about the safety of plastics for food and water. A program on health, viewed on one of our commercial networks recently had this as one of their stories. I was very interested to see that the person they used as their `expert' on the safety of plastics was a head of the plastics industry in Australia! Does anyone else see how biased that is? I often wonder if everyday Australians think about things like that: even recognise what happened in that situation. We're not really taught to be media savvy, and I thnk it washes over most people. It would've been ok if they at least sought the opinion of someone on the other side of the fence, but the program failed to do even that. I am not impressed. Especially from a program that touts itself as being the real deal about health issues. Stay tuned...
I've also been asked about the safety of plastics for food and water. A program on health, viewed on one of our commercial networks recently had this as one of their stories. I was very interested to see that the person they used as their `expert' on the safety of plastics was a head of the plastics industry in Australia! Does anyone else see how biased that is? I often wonder if everyday Australians think about things like that: even recognise what happened in that situation. We're not really taught to be media savvy, and I thnk it washes over most people. It would've been ok if they at least sought the opinion of someone on the other side of the fence, but the program failed to do even that. I am not impressed. Especially from a program that touts itself as being the real deal about health issues. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Mother's Day Green Present Ideas
I've just read in the on-line mag Shesaid.com some great ideas for Mother's Day that don't cost the earth. It's a great idea and so I've listed a short version of each of the gift ideas...
• Extraordinary Friendships through Breast Cancer: Celebrity Portraits by Rankin is a stylish and inspirational photography book, perfect for Mum’s coffee table. Launched to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation and Breast Cancer Foundation W.A., the book holds thirty stunning celebrity portraits captured by internationally renowned photographer Rankin. From actors like Goran Visnjic to supermodel Jerry Hall, the striking imagery and powerful stories demonstrate the important relationships these Breast Friends have formed. The Breast Friends book is available online at www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au and www.breastcancer.org.au RRP: $25.00
• Treat your mum to some nostalgia with Not All Tea And Scones, directed by Carmel Travers. Not All Tea And Scones provides a sensory feast as we follow the journey of a small group of rural women as they prepare for the annual “The Land Cooking Contest” in Narrabri, in far western New South Wales. The DVD is filled with beautiful imagery as the women tell their remarkable stories of strength against adversity in the Australian outback, and share recipes for great country fare.
Available on DVD for SRP $29.95 from ABC Shops, ABC Centres, ABC Online www.abcshop.com.au and leading video retailers.
• When you choose one of seven beautiful cards from Gifts that Give, you choose to donate towards the health, education and protection of children in developing countries. For example, the Wellbeing card ($14) will provide a vaccine carrier to remote locations; the Discovery card ($30) provides pencils and exercise books for 180 children; the Comfort card ($40) provides mosquito nets for four families to protect against Malaria; and the Nurture card ($60) can save the lives of 14 severely malnourished children. UNICEF gifts can be purchased online at www.unicef.org.au or by calling 1300 365 943.
• Is your mum a nature lover? Why not surprise her this Mothers Day by adopting a shark? She won't have to cook or clean for it, but she will be helping bring the endangered grey nurse shark back from the brink of extinction. There are fewer than 500 of these magnificent animals left of the east coast of NSW due to overfishing and loss of habitat. All proceeds of marine themed gifts from the Nature Conservation Council go back into the grey nurse shark conservation program. Choose from cute gifts like a Save Fluffy! T-shirt, or some risqué jewellery. From $70. Click here for more info. • The perfect gift for Mother’s Day, charity initiative The One-Armed Cookbook, contains a collection of easy and delicious recipes from celebrities - including international celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Hot Chocolate Fondant; Lorna Jane’s Toasted Muesli and Kochie’s Hello Dolly Squares and Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s Beef Wellington. The recipes are specifically chosen for busy people wanting to create tasty food on the run. 100% of funds raised will be donated to Australia’s largest Perinatal Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, helping Australia’s premature babies get the best possible start in life, and helping women become mothers of healthy babies. RRP: $29.95 The One-Armed Cookbook can be purchased at www.onearmedcookbook.com or by calling 1300 363 786.
• This Mother’s Day, War Child Australia is encouraging you to give your mum an invaluable gift she will treasure – donate to War Child and help a child affected by the turmoil of war. All donations over $2 made to the War Child Relief Fund are tax deductible and donations can be made via cheque, money order, direct bank deposit or by credit card through Pay Pal.For more information about War Child Australia visit www.warchild.org.au For the full article go to shesaid.com and get the email newsletter from 17th April 2007
• When you choose one of seven beautiful cards from Gifts that Give, you choose to donate towards the health, education and protection of children in developing countries. For example, the Wellbeing card ($14) will provide a vaccine carrier to remote locations; the Discovery card ($30) provides pencils and exercise books for 180 children; the Comfort card ($40) provides mosquito nets for four families to protect against Malaria; and the Nurture card ($60) can save the lives of 14 severely malnourished children. UNICEF gifts can be purchased online at www.unicef.org.au or by calling 1300 365 943.
• Is your mum a nature lover? Why not surprise her this Mothers Day by adopting a shark? She won't have to cook or clean for it, but she will be helping bring the endangered grey nurse shark back from the brink of extinction. There are fewer than 500 of these magnificent animals left of the east coast of NSW due to overfishing and loss of habitat. All proceeds of marine themed gifts from the Nature Conservation Council go back into the grey nurse shark conservation program. Choose from cute gifts like a Save Fluffy! T-shirt, or some risqué jewellery. From $70. Click here for more info. • The perfect gift for Mother’s Day, charity initiative The One-Armed Cookbook, contains a collection of easy and delicious recipes from celebrities - including international celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Hot Chocolate Fondant; Lorna Jane’s Toasted Muesli and Kochie’s Hello Dolly Squares and Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s Beef Wellington. The recipes are specifically chosen for busy people wanting to create tasty food on the run. 100% of funds raised will be donated to Australia’s largest Perinatal Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, helping Australia’s premature babies get the best possible start in life, and helping women become mothers of healthy babies. RRP: $29.95 The One-Armed Cookbook can be purchased at www.onearmedcookbook.com or by calling 1300 363 786.
• This Mother’s Day, War Child Australia is encouraging you to give your mum an invaluable gift she will treasure – donate to War Child and help a child affected by the turmoil of war. All donations over $2 made to the War Child Relief Fund are tax deductible and donations can be made via cheque, money order, direct bank deposit or by credit card through Pay Pal.For more information about War Child Australia visit www.warchild.org.au For the full article go to shesaid.com and get the email newsletter from 17th April 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Fair Trade Easter Eggs
The issue before last in Action Change I mentioned that fair traded easter eggs are now available in Australia, and now I've found some more.
They are available in Oxfam shops and come in little easter egg bags $8.50 or single big ones $7.50. They definitely have them in the Centrepoint shop because I went there today and saw them!
Otherwise you can get the Scarborough Fair ones through Coles, Woolies and some organic/health food stores.
Adios!
They are available in Oxfam shops and come in little easter egg bags $8.50 or single big ones $7.50. They definitely have them in the Centrepoint shop because I went there today and saw them!
Otherwise you can get the Scarborough Fair ones through Coles, Woolies and some organic/health food stores.
Adios!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Dealing With Impatience
You can find freedom from anxiety over when things will come, by discovering the freedom in nature.
When you can see that there is unlimited time to achieve your goals, suddenly you can give yourself some slack, sit back and enjoy life and where you are at right now. It really takes the pressure off HAVING to do anything. And having to do something is a sure sign your not going in the right direction.
You see impatience tends to block inspiration and realisation because it interrupts the natural flow of events as they are best to happen. Impatience is misleading because it tells you that you are ready for something when you may not be.
If you can look at what is in your life right now and see the perfection of that, see it from another angle or perspective, over time you’ll also see that each event unfolds perfectly, in the perfect time, for you to get where it is you want to go. And then life is a pleasant walk through the fields - as Stuart Wilde said - rather than a mad dash through the traffic!
When you can see that there is unlimited time to achieve your goals, suddenly you can give yourself some slack, sit back and enjoy life and where you are at right now. It really takes the pressure off HAVING to do anything. And having to do something is a sure sign your not going in the right direction.
You see impatience tends to block inspiration and realisation because it interrupts the natural flow of events as they are best to happen. Impatience is misleading because it tells you that you are ready for something when you may not be.
If you can look at what is in your life right now and see the perfection of that, see it from another angle or perspective, over time you’ll also see that each event unfolds perfectly, in the perfect time, for you to get where it is you want to go. And then life is a pleasant walk through the fields - as Stuart Wilde said - rather than a mad dash through the traffic!
Monday, March 26, 2007
How to Make Your Business Greener
GREEN BUSINESS
1. Use recycled paper; email instead of using paper for communications/advertising/your newsletter; install energy efficient light globes; keep files on CD rather than printing out files of paper; use plant based inks; recycle ink cartridges; Get a business green audit. Move into an enfren business building.
2. Support green organisations by putting their details on the bottom of all your emails
3. Join a green business network
4. Donate a portion of your profits to green projects
5. Put green links on your website
6. Become a carbon neutral business. Follow the Carbon Diet for your business.
7. Hold minimum impact events
ETHICAL BUSINESS
8. Invest your money in green and ethical profiles; provide ethical super for employees
9. Know where your products come from, are made, who makes them etc, and if there is any link in that chain that leads to slave labour, child labour, developing world debt etc, and do something about it! There are many ways to get your products made and out there without resorting to unethical behaviour. If you need a place to start, go to Oxfam
PEACEFUL BUSINESS
10. Do business differently: link into spiritual business networks and people who are running ethical businesses. Check out employee contracts in countries such as Scandina, who’s people are the happiest in the world. Creating peace in the world by starting it yourself (within yourself first, then at home, then in business) Take up a meditation practice, take time to walk in nature, rest and play as much as you work.
For more information and links see the full article in Volume 2 Issue 7 of the Action Change Newsletter. Go to www.actionchange.com and subscribe to the fortnightly e-zine.
1. Use recycled paper; email instead of using paper for communications/advertising/your newsletter; install energy efficient light globes; keep files on CD rather than printing out files of paper; use plant based inks; recycle ink cartridges; Get a business green audit. Move into an enfren business building.
2. Support green organisations by putting their details on the bottom of all your emails
3. Join a green business network
4. Donate a portion of your profits to green projects
5. Put green links on your website
6. Become a carbon neutral business. Follow the Carbon Diet for your business.
7. Hold minimum impact events
ETHICAL BUSINESS
8. Invest your money in green and ethical profiles; provide ethical super for employees
9. Know where your products come from, are made, who makes them etc, and if there is any link in that chain that leads to slave labour, child labour, developing world debt etc, and do something about it! There are many ways to get your products made and out there without resorting to unethical behaviour. If you need a place to start, go to Oxfam
PEACEFUL BUSINESS
10. Do business differently: link into spiritual business networks and people who are running ethical businesses. Check out employee contracts in countries such as Scandina, who’s people are the happiest in the world. Creating peace in the world by starting it yourself (within yourself first, then at home, then in business) Take up a meditation practice, take time to walk in nature, rest and play as much as you work.
For more information and links see the full article in Volume 2 Issue 7 of the Action Change Newsletter. Go to www.actionchange.com and subscribe to the fortnightly e-zine.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
International Women’s Day
The human race can never advance until women take their place beside men in leadership. The world is made up of both men and women, so the world will always be unbalanced until the other half of the population is of equal right. Saying that, women do not work in the same power structures as men. We meet in homes, in the community and make decisions directly, that directly affect our lives. So trying to fit women into a male leadership structure will never work.
Women continue to rule the world from our homes, our communities and our organisations. It's just a shame that the male structure is seen as being the only one of validity, and that men continue to be resentful of this power that comes so naturally and without force in women. When men are able to lay their weapons and their egos down, women will again take their rightful place in history.
Men have nothing to fear from female power. We are mostly peaceful and loving souls, with the family and each other as our primary motivators. I think men may be afraid of female power because they only see themselves in others. But women have shown generation after generation that their love of humanity, and indeed their humanity, always prevails.
Women continue to rule the world from our homes, our communities and our organisations. It's just a shame that the male structure is seen as being the only one of validity, and that men continue to be resentful of this power that comes so naturally and without force in women. When men are able to lay their weapons and their egos down, women will again take their rightful place in history.
Men have nothing to fear from female power. We are mostly peaceful and loving souls, with the family and each other as our primary motivators. I think men may be afraid of female power because they only see themselves in others. But women have shown generation after generation that their love of humanity, and indeed their humanity, always prevails.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Giving up the Addiction to Worry via Poodle Sitting
I’ve been poodle and house minding for a friend in the Blue Mountains this past week, and being with dogs always reminds me how much I worry and wonder and stress about every day things.
The poodles sleep, and when they are not sleeping they play, and when they are not playing or sleeping they eat. That’s what they do. And dog is god backwards. Maybe that means that being dog-like is very ungodly, or does it mean that being dog-like is very god-like? I mean I’ve heard that a simple life is a good life, that being in the moment is grand, and that doing what you love is an excellent way to live, and it seems the dogs have it. My mind, however, has other ideas….
The dogs though certainly don’t seem to be worried whether they are following the right path in life, or stressed that the weekend is nearly over, or feeling guilty for watching the midday movie. Nor do they balk at scratching the treats cupboard until they get one, or seem to care about a walk tomorrow.
Dogs are like kids I suppose, and kids are supposed to be the closest to God. So while I sit here writing and wondering, pondering on whether acting like a dog is a good thing, or whether I’m using it as an excuse to be lazy, or whether if I did live a dog’s life (common, I know you’ve wanted it too) whether I will indeed go to hell, the poodles meanwhile have gone out into the sunny garden I can see out the window, and are chasing butterflies and each other and yapping in pure exhilaration.
And if I shut off the nagging hag in my mind, and put my hand on my heart, it’s them I want to join. And apparently my heart is my spirit, which is the part of me that is God, so by Jove, I think the dogs have it. My heart is my god and my head is the devil. If I just keep chanting this over and over to myself I know I’ll be all right. I’m with the gods…er…dogs!
The poodles sleep, and when they are not sleeping they play, and when they are not playing or sleeping they eat. That’s what they do. And dog is god backwards. Maybe that means that being dog-like is very ungodly, or does it mean that being dog-like is very god-like? I mean I’ve heard that a simple life is a good life, that being in the moment is grand, and that doing what you love is an excellent way to live, and it seems the dogs have it. My mind, however, has other ideas….
The dogs though certainly don’t seem to be worried whether they are following the right path in life, or stressed that the weekend is nearly over, or feeling guilty for watching the midday movie. Nor do they balk at scratching the treats cupboard until they get one, or seem to care about a walk tomorrow.
Dogs are like kids I suppose, and kids are supposed to be the closest to God. So while I sit here writing and wondering, pondering on whether acting like a dog is a good thing, or whether I’m using it as an excuse to be lazy, or whether if I did live a dog’s life (common, I know you’ve wanted it too) whether I will indeed go to hell, the poodles meanwhile have gone out into the sunny garden I can see out the window, and are chasing butterflies and each other and yapping in pure exhilaration.
And if I shut off the nagging hag in my mind, and put my hand on my heart, it’s them I want to join. And apparently my heart is my spirit, which is the part of me that is God, so by Jove, I think the dogs have it. My heart is my god and my head is the devil. If I just keep chanting this over and over to myself I know I’ll be all right. I’m with the gods…er…dogs!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Alliance for New Humanity
Deepak Chopra is founding member of the Alliance for New Humanity, an international social organisation based on the premise that as everything is connected, our well-being is the well-being of everyone. Singer Ricky Martin is also a founding member, and the organisation has a board of directors, patrons and advisors.
Their Mission: To connect people who, through personal and social transformation, are committed to creating a just, peaceful, and sustainable world, reflecting the unity of humanity.
‘News for a New Humanity’ is their newsletter and you can subscribe to it free from the site. www.anhglobal.org
“Deepak Chopra has committed to reach the first million people so that we can take that evolutionary leap. Let us harness our resources and be part of that first million to reach the critical mass - and we too then can re-write the story for a new humanity. Let Creativity and Caring be our mantra.”
Their Mission: To connect people who, through personal and social transformation, are committed to creating a just, peaceful, and sustainable world, reflecting the unity of humanity.
‘News for a New Humanity’ is their newsletter and you can subscribe to it free from the site. www.anhglobal.org
“Deepak Chopra has committed to reach the first million people so that we can take that evolutionary leap. Let us harness our resources and be part of that first million to reach the critical mass - and we too then can re-write the story for a new humanity. Let Creativity and Caring be our mantra.”
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Thing is Not to Think Much, but to Love Much
The main thing is not to think much, but to love much - Mother Theresa
So when you start to worry, just love
When you start to fear, just love
When you start to doubt, just love
When you start to think, just love
So when you start to worry, just love
When you start to fear, just love
When you start to doubt, just love
When you start to think, just love
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
How to Know Your Heart
I've been doing this execise for a while now, and it seems to work for me. I'm an Aries so I'm always in my head rationalising and thinking through problems and questions I have. So I have to actually physically tune into my heart to find out what's really going on and what I'm really feeling about a situation.
So I sit in a quiet place, put my hand on my heart, close my eyes and meditate for a minute on my heart beat. This seems to take me out of my head, and if I do this with a question in mind, once I'm tuned into my heart beat, I receive an answer.
This is also a good technique generally to use in the morning, before I get out of bed. I create my day this way, as I know it's more in tune with where my soul is going, so there's no pulling the other way: it's all plain sailing.
So I sit in a quiet place, put my hand on my heart, close my eyes and meditate for a minute on my heart beat. This seems to take me out of my head, and if I do this with a question in mind, once I'm tuned into my heart beat, I receive an answer.
This is also a good technique generally to use in the morning, before I get out of bed. I create my day this way, as I know it's more in tune with where my soul is going, so there's no pulling the other way: it's all plain sailing.
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