I've recently had a bit of a learning curve on the subject of Global warming. I know the information has been out there for a long time and the media seems to be on a bit of climate change spree at the moment (well at least they are in Aus) but you never know quite what is actually right or relevant when you are reading the information from the newspaper now.

One thing i did stumble across two weekends or so ago was an article reporting the announcement of the live earth campaign by al gore and the concerts to be accompanying it on the 07/07/07. I had been meaning to see an inconvenient truth but, as is always the case, hadn't gotten around to it but with my interest piqued rented it out and watched it that very night. I was impressed and shocked all at once. Impressed at how the documentary had actually been made interesting to watch, they were able to get across all the damning information and included the personal bits about his life in a non-complicated form and shocked at just how bad the problem is, i was left cursing myself about not understanding more, earlier.

My school is now going to be showing parts of the DVD during a lunch break which is fantastic, but one of the main questions I suppose I still have is, is it going to be really effective? While their is no doub that the spread of awareness should be huge but will it really cause as great a change? I look at the Live 8 concerts and while it was a fantastic movement that not only united most of the world and increased the spread of awareness about the true scale of poverty around the world, it just seems in the aftermath that there is still so much out there to be done that the impact almost seems to gently fade into the background, and I worry that this might happen with these concerts. I really hope that it doesn't and I think that a lot of work will have to be done so that there is a huge change made in response tothe concerts!

With peace and love always
hil

This post comes to you from Borgo San Lorenzo, a small town just outside Florence in Italy, and it's beautiful! I'm currently on an exchange over my summer holidays and am loving every minute of it, it's been great immersing myself in another culure and let's you appreciate the differences that exist in the world.

I hope that everyone has had a fantastic New Year! (Buon Anno Nuovo, in Italian!) I also thought I'd take the time to say that I hope that everyone is proud of everything that was achieved in the last year. Although I know that we are still a long way way from achieving all of the Millennium goals, and as we approach the halfway mark for the target of 2015 it seems that we have to be even more energetic in our effort to mobilise governments to come through on the promises they made in 2000. But after receiving a Millennium Campaign e-mail for the start of the new year, it stressed the importance of being proud of the achievements made so far and using them as our inspiration for doing even more.

I hope that everyone has a safe and fruitful 2007, may it be a year for even bigger and better things!

Peace/ Pace

Hilary

One of the recent big news issues in Australia have been the comments made by Sheik Alhilali, one of Australia's most prominent Muslim clerics. An extract from a news report on the ninemsn website:
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"Sheik Alhilali outraged Muslim community leaders and politicians across the political spectrum with his comments, made during a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney last month.

Excerpts from a recording of the 17-minute sermon appeared in The Australian newspaper.

The Sheik alluded to rapes in 2000 in which four women were separately gang-raped by young Muslim men, including Bilal Skaf, who received a 55-year jail sentence, later reduced.

He said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and inappropriate clothes, "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years," The Australian reported.

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat," the sheik asked.

"The uncovered meat is the problem."

"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (head scarf), no problem would have occurred."
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Although the Sheik and many of his spokespeople have defended the comments, saying that they have been taken out of context, they stil annoy me to a large degree. It's effect and the appearance of intolerance is similar, although to a smaller degree, with the comments made by the Pope earlier in the year.

I get angry when leaders, any type although religious will apply in the context of this blog, who are considered by followers of a certain belief to be able to represent them confidently and looking out for the interests of them make comments that stir up prejudices and cause outrage. When a large proportion of the Australian population still do not have even a basic understanding of the Islamic religion, especially the diversity in which it is practised an followed in Australia, comment made like that only make it easier for people to strenghten ignorant prejudices.

When so many people, of all faiths, are working so hard to try and shake off stereotypical images presented of them and to reach out and make connections and encourage inter-fatih and intercultural dialogue it is distressing to see their work being torn apart. In a coutnry as multi-cultural as Australia all religious leaders, while entitled to make any comment they choose, must be able to represent their religion in the context of our society and ensure that they are not adding unnecessary burdens to the people who look to them for representation and guidance.

Just food for thought.
Peace,
Hilary

Finally term 3 holidays have arrived and I can get rid of my terrible winter unifrom for good before I move into the senior uniform for next winter. I can get up when I want, do what I like. Oh and study. Our school is just so fabulous that they have decided to put our exams on the second day back of term. How convenient, I hear you say. How nice of them to consider us and our want of burning all school books, by making that all but impossible.

Oh well. At least I get to go to school, right?