Create to Advocate Art Competition and Exhibition

If you’re handy with a brush, a pencil, a computer or any other artistic medium then Create To Advocate could be for you. We’re looking for art works that express your vision to end poverty. The Millennium Development Goals provide great inspiration. Use themes such as education for all, halving world hunger, improving maternal and child health or climate change to express your thoughts and ideas. There are cash prizes and selected art works will be exhibited at Parliament House in Canberra. Entires close on 29 August, so check out the details, download the entry form and get creative! Want to have a say in the Make Poverty History Campaign? If you’ve got a great idea you think we could use in the coming year or feedback on activities we’ve already done, let us know! We value your ideas and want to know what works in your communities. We’re especially interested in any ideas around our campaign focus areas of maternal and child health and climate change. This is your opportunity to influence the Make Poverty History campaign. Don’t miss out! Email any ideas to us by 15 August.

“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” Nelson Mandela Pass this email on to a friend so they can join us to get regular updates about how they can help make poverty history.

Appeal for Abebe Fekadu

 

Dear Friends

 

I am approaching you on behalf of Abebe Fekadu, an asylum seeker supported by the Refugee Claimants Support Centre and the community for many years. Last year he was finally allowed to become an Australian citizen – and he couldn’t be more grateful and proud. After all of his struggles and hardships, his only goal is to repay his chance for a life in freedom to the Australian community that have helped him to survive and remain hopeful. The dream of this former Ethiopian refugee is about to come true! The Paralympic committee has just announced his official nomination as the Australian representative in powerlifting in Bejing in September 2008!! We are all so very proud of this wonderful kind and gentle man, who is a hero to other asylum seekers and refugees, as well as all of the friends he has made in the general community. He is also a hero to many people struggling with adversity because of their disability. His will to survive has brought him so far. He wants to win Gold for Australia , and his chances are indeed very very good.

 

The only thing that stands in his way, is his need for sponsorship! In the months leading up to August, he needs to focus on his training. He currently holds a job for Armaguard Brisbane but needs to scale down his work. Expenses for rent, special food, physiotherapy and a trainer to keep him healthy through the guelling training schedule, wheelchair maintenance and his car expenses to get to and from training are coast he can only cover if he works full-time. His travel expenses to and from Bejing, and his accommodation in China will be covered by the Pralympic Committee. Everything else is in his hands and that of his sponsors.

 

You can watch Abebe’s story on ABC LATELINE on FRIDAY 6 JUNE at 7.30pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We need to raise just under $10,000. And in a hurry. It is June already. If you would consider helping Abebe with any amount, it would be much appreciated. If you are a bisuness sponsor: Abebe offers his sponsors to wear and display their logos, and promote their support in the extensive media coverage expected during and after his Olympic bid. There is already interest by ABC Australian Story, commerical television and print media to follow his path to Beijing . You can also make a tax deductable donation to the Sporting Wheelies who will support Abebe for his sport related expenses. Please contact Ray Ebsteen on 3253 3333.

 

 

 

If you would like to assist Abebe Fekadu with a sponsorship and discuss your interest in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact him:

 

 

Abebe Fekadu

5/8 Centra Rd

Bowen Hills, Qld. 4006

Mobile: 0421 828 350

Email: abbaassefa@yahoo.com.au

Or

Gaby Heuft, heuft@optushome.com.au 0404 87 2313

refugees@refugees.org.au

 

Conclusions From Vatican Meeting on Care of Homeless

“No One Can Claim to Be Exempt From the Risk of Becoming Poor“

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 22, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the final document of the International Meeting for the Pastoral Care of the Homeless on the theme “In Christ and With the Church at the Service of the Homeless,” held Nov. 26-27 in the Vatican.

The meeting was organized by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, and the document was released this week by the dicastery.

JOIN THE WAVES OF SUPPORT FOR TIBET AT ST MARY’S

Tibetans have exploded onto the streets in frustration–call on China to respect human rights and enter dialogue with the Dalai Lama now: Sign the Petition!

Tony Robertson a photographer and Social Justice Advocate in Brisbane helped St Mary’s Catholic Community South Brisbane launch a campaign supporting the calls for Freedom for Tibet on Easter Sunday.Following the Easter morning Mass, Mr Robertson invited parishioners to join a photography campaign by standing under a “Free Tibet” banner as an act of solidarity with the current political crisis in Tibet..

St Mary’s Church South Brisbane has a tradition of hanging banners on the corner of the Church car park which faces a major intersection carrying traffic into the southside of Brisbane.

The ‘Free Tibet” banner was the inspiration of a Buddhist Nun, the Venerable Ree, who is student at the Brisbane Institute of Art. A team of students in the Fabric Printing group joined Ree in the screen-printing of the banner as a class exercise. We thank Nancy Brown,Angela and Gerry for their contribution to this project.

Mr Robertson said:”The banner reminds our community and those who drive past our Church that our Easter faith is is about life and liberation.The great Exodus story we retell at the Easter Vigil echoes in our own day as the cry of “let my people go” is heard on the lips of the people of Tibet.

Mr Robertson, a community photographer has also invited local businesses, residents and community groups to join the campaign by having their photo taken under the banner in the lead up to the Olympic Games in Beijing.Mr Robertson said he will use the images on web sites and other media to promote the cause of the Middle Way proposed as a political solution by the Dalai Lama since 1979.

 

After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people’s frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change.

The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet surrendered “will be punished”. Its leaders are right now considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.

We can affect this historic choice–China does care about its international reputation. China’s President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention–and we need it in the next 48 hours.

The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world’s people to support him. Click below now to sign the petition–and tell absolutely everyone you can right away–our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/9.php

China’s economy is totally dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China, respected as a leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability — some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in London, New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number before we deliver the petition. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book–it will come up after you sign the petition.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak–we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

PS – It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block the Avaaz website as a result of this email, and thousands of Avaaz members in China will no longer be able to participate in our community. A poll of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that over 80% of us believed it was still important to act on Tibet despite this terrible potential loss to our community, if we thought we could make a difference. If we are blocked, Avaaz will help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for all Chinese people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our community.

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet

Human Rights Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking Protesters

Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction

New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet Protests

The Apology: Resources

Bringing Them Home

To read the full text of today’s apology, click here. MP3 Windows Media Real Media

First Step

To read the Brisbane Catholic Justice and Peace Commission’s media release on the matter, go to http://cjpcbrisbane.wordpress.com/

HREOC Resources

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) has produced a range of resources for the community, schools, journalists and historians, supporting HREOC’s watershed Bringing them home report of 1997. The resources include Us Taken-Away Kids, a magazine launched in late 2007 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Bringing them home report. The magazine represents artwork and stories from members of the ‘Stolen Generations’ throughout Australia, and serves as a testament to the resilience of Aboriginal people and their ability to triumph in the face of despair. There is also the recently – updated Bringing them home education module: Learning about the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and their families ; which has additional activities that complement the Us Taken-Away Kids magazine, and of course the Bringing them home report itself.  HREOC’s online resources also include: * the Bringing them home report Community Guide (1997); * Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the ‘stolen children’ and the Inquiry; * personal stories from the report; * the Sorry FAQ by Reconciliation Australia; * content of apologies by state and territory Parliaments; and * ‘From Dispossession to Reconciliation’ by John Gardiner-Garden, Australian Parliamentary Library Research Paper series (1999). All resources can be located here.

Mythbusters

Online activists, Get Up, have organised a campaign to challenge the myths surrounding the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.  They are asking for your help to challenge these myths and, as part of their campaign, they have produced a fact sheet to help you to challenge these myths. Go to http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/Mythbusters/

Taking Action

While it is important for us to mark this special day with rituals and celebrations, it is also vital that we continue to encourage governments to implement the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home Report.   To read the recommendations and many other resources on the issue and to find out what action you can take, go to the site of the National Sorry Day Committee http://www.nsdc.org.au/

Join the Circle of Peace!

Support Fr. Louie Vitale and Fr. Steve Kelly – Join the Circle of Peace!

Home

Fr. Louie Vitale and Fr. Steve Kelly
took a stand against torture.

 Now it’s our turn.

 Join the Pace e Bene Circle of Peace to support
Fr. Louie and Fr. Steve
as they serve five months in prison –
and to lend your name
to their call for an end to torture and war.

Yes!  I want to join the Pace e Bene Circle of Peace!

 Fr. Louie’s first letter

Frr. Louie’s second letter

Peacemaker David Hartsough visits Fr. Louie in prison

Franciscan Fr. Louie – co-founder and staff-member of Pace e Bene — and Jesuit Fr. Steve Kelly tried to deliver a letter opposing the teaching of torture at Fort Huachuca in November, 2006. The priests were arrested as they knelt in prayer halfway up the driveway at the Army base in southern Arizona.

 On October 17, 2007 a federal judge in Tucson sentenced the two priests to five-month prison sentences, which they began serving immediately.

In their trial, Fr. Louie and Fr. Steve tried to present evidence – gathered by military and human rights investigations – that troops are being trained in the techniques of torture at the fort.  Though the judge ruled against introducing this evidence, Louie and Steve declared that “we will keep trying to stop the teaching and practice of torture.”

“We have done our part,” they added. “Now it is up to every woman and man of conscience to do their part to stop the injustice of torture.”

To support Fr. Louie and Fr. Steve’s call for an end to torture,  Pace e Bene has launched The Circle of Peace, bearing the names of people from across the United States and around the world who stand with them through prayer, action, and financial support.  Over 500 people have joined the Circle of Peace (see left column).

We invite you to stand with Fr. Louie and Fr. Steve by adding your name to the Pace e Bene Circle of Peace and — if you are able — to make a sacrificial year-end tax-deductible contribution to Pace e Bene. Please make a $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or other contribution as you are able to support Pace e Bene’s work for nonviolent change.

We will add all signers to the Pace e Bene Circle of Peace on this website. We will try to deliver this list of supporters to Louie and Steve on December 10. Thank you!

Prayer for Peace Christmas 2007

You might like to take some time out to read and reflect on the Prayer for Peace from John Dear SJ. John Dear is a Jesuit priest, peace activist, and the author of more than 20 books, most recently, Transfiguration (from Doubleday, with a foreword by Archbishop Tutu). Other books include You Will Be My Witnesses, Living Peace, The Questions of Jesus and Mohandas Gandhi. He has served as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the U.S., and after 9/11, as a coordinator of chaplains for the Red Cross at the New York Family Assistance Center. From 2002-2004, he served as pastor of four churches in New Mexico. He has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 75 times for peace, and given thousands of lectures on peace across the country. He lives in the high desert of northeastern New Mexico.

St Mary’s joins International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel

St Mary’s joins International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel

Incursions, assassinations, settlement expansion, road blocks, wall, closures, siege –  on-going “life” for Palestinians continues to be one of hardship, destruction and death.  Talks are taking place, but the reality on the ground continues to worsen.   

 The humanitarian work of the Palestine Red Crescent Society continues to be carried on in conditions of harassment and danger to its personnel and patients being cared for. 

See also

Annual Violations Report 2007  –  link on home page of  www.palestinercs.org  

 Further details of the crisis situation being faced by Palestinians as a result of the harsh conditions imposed by the occupation are given on a number of websites and publications. Some of the relevant links are given below.

http://icrc.org

www.un.org/unrwa

www.miftah.org

www.palestinemonitor.org  

www.righttoenter.ps  

A Faith Perspective on Climate Change

Climate Change Conference 18-20 November 2005

This major National Conference brought together diverse members of the Catholic Church as well as representatives of public bodies, other faith communities, NGOs and international guests.

Bishop Christopher Toohey presented the Bishops’ position paper:

Climate Change – Our Responsibility to Sustain God’s Earth

The text only version is on: this page

The Story of Stuff

Sit back and take in this amazing presentation of how we use stuff and what we can do to reduce our stuffing up!!

The Story of Stuff

MikeL said… A great video, quite well-produced for the net. It might be interesting as well to check out the work of Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer who makes images of a lot of the sites where materials are extracted and also broken down (often with toxic effects).

His images are an important part of the documentary Manufactured Landscapes (scroll down Burtysnky’s site for more), which makes many of the same points as The Story of Stuff.

When you have another bit of time come over and look at this amazing site: