Hiroshima & Nagasaki Day

Remembering Hiroshima: Morning Vigil

This year will be the 65^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is also the 25^th anniversary of the South Pacific Nuclear Weapons Free Zone treaty. A Vigil sponsored by MAPW, Pax Christi and the Society of Friends will be held on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate and reflect, with a minute’s silence at 8.15, the time the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

• When: Friday 6 August, 7am to 9am
• Where: St Paul’s Cathedral (corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets).

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Memorial Concert

Sunday 8th August 2010, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Village Roadshow Theatrette @ State Library of Victoria, Melbourne

Tickets at door: $15/$10 conc.

Warm up a cold wintry Sunday at a concert for peace
Sixty-five years after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear blast, Japanese for Peace will bring together a diverse array of inspiring musicians, speakers and citizens of the world in a concert to celebrate peace and enable us to imagine a world without nuclear threat.

Performers:
Anne Norman – Shakuhachi
Dean Frenkel – Overtone Singer, Didgeridoo
Lee Morgan – Indigenous Musician
Liz Frencham – Singer/Songwriter
Wadaiko Rindo & Ayako Sato – Japanese Drums

Speaker:
Dave Sweeney – Australian Conservation Foundation

Supported by Victorian Multicultural Commission.
Concert proceeds to be donated to a charity organisation.

for more info http://mapw.org.au/

Carlton Conversations

Carlton conversations @ the Clare Castle Hotel

2010 series — ‘What I believe and why’

2010 Election Leaflets

Anyone for a bit of transparency in their 2010 election propaganda?

What a great idea. Thanks!

check out http://www.electionleaflets.org.au/

Election leaflets are one of the main weapons in the fight for votes in Australia.

They are targeted, effective and sometimes very bitter.

We need your help to photograph and map them so we can keep an eye on what the parties are up to, and try to keep them honest.

Election 2010 UCA Resources

Hi Guys, below is all the great work from uniting justice on some of the issues and things to think about leading up to the 2010 election. I have copied the page in full because it could do with a couple of home plus less clicks for you. I will have some hard copies at upperoom project this month or just download some now.  - Age

Your Faith, Your Vote, Your Voice

When it comes time to exercise one of our core democratic rights and responsibilities and vote in a parliamentary election, how do we think about our vote? Do we vote the way we always have? Do we vote on the basis of a single issue? Will we vote for whoever is promising the most? Is our vote based on which candidate will be better able to  represent our locality? Will we think about what kind of society we want and which politicians seem to share our values?

Building an Economy for Lifeinvites you to consider the values which underpin the policies of the political parties and candidates who are asking us to give them the responsibility of national leadership.

Download these resources

Building an Economy for Life Booklet

The cornerstone of the resources is the Building an Economy for Life booklet, which explores some of the major areas of public policy and current issues from a Christian perspective on human and ecological wellbeing. A fuller introduction to the theology and more detailed information about the purpose of the resource can be found here.

The booklet also includes an election toolkit with useful links to information on all things politics and elections and suggestions for planning activities such as pre-election candidates forums and a meeting with your local MP or candidates.

Click here to download the booklet

You can obtain hard copies of this booklet, free of charge, by contacting the Assembly office, on 02 8267 4300 or email enquiries@nat.uca.org.au

Hot Issues

The Hot Issues papers are A5 sized flyers that take a snap-shot look at particular topical issues such as Indigenous health, the Northern Territory intervention, gender pay equity, freedom of religion and multiculturalism. Several of these papers are available in hard copy - contact the Assembly office to place an order, on 02 8267 4300 or email enquiries@nat.uca.org.au

• Alcohol Misuse
• Christmas Island
• Taking the “Dis” out of Disability
• Gambling
• The State of Indigenous Health
• Northern Territory Indigenous Intervention
• Multiculturalism in Australia
• People Trafficking
• Freedom of Religion (web-only)
• Gender Pay Equity (web-only)
• A Tax on Financial Transactions (web-only)

Issues Papers

These web-only papers offer a more in-depth look at the issues and policies covered in the Building an Economy for Life booklet. Papers have been contributed from many parts of the Church, including the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and numerous Assembly agencies and units.

• Recognition and Respect: Justice for Indigenous Australians
• Protecting the Persecuted: Compassion for Asylum Seekers and Refugees
• Tackling Climate Change: Ensuring our Future
• Beyond the Urban Fringe: Issues for Outback Australia
• Protecting Human Rights
• Justice in Income Support
• Sharing the Wealth: A Just and Progressive Taxation System
• A Decent Life for Older People
• Embracing our Diversity: A Multicultural, Multi-faith Society
• Justice in International Development

Additional Resources

How to plan a candidates forum

Read the statement ‘An Economy of Life’ adopted by the 12^th Assembly. 
http://www.unitingjustice.org.au/uniting-church-statements.html#economyoflife.

* all Federal Election 2010 resources have been printed on ‘carbon neutral’ paper

Feature Clip - Pee in the Shower

This is clever and made me laugh (Almost enough to pee my pants)

UpperRoom - Permaculture

The upper room project meets the first Monday of each month (6:-8:30pm) to engage with spirituality and justice as struggled with and fought for by the Prophets and Jesus. We meet upstairs in the Shine Caf?/Bar (74 Kingsway Glen Waverley) with gallery space, discussion corners, opportunity for practical response and pondering space.

We hope the upper room will be

Space to rest/relax with your tribe

Be challenged by the prophetic call of compassion

Connect with heartbeats for living

There will be food, wine and friends plus

Please bring your friends - all are welcome

This month Upper Room - Di will be sharing about permaculture and some of what she learnt in a permaculture course in Uganda.  This quote from her blog should be enough to make conversations and debate a plenty

“One of the most challenging questions for me was: “If our faith is calling us to care for people and live with ethics, fair trade and care for the earth, how can we too live in solidarity with the poor?” Given that ethical and fair trade means are a more expensive option, how does this make us view our choices and options. This question I will explore more as I develop a deeper understanding of the connection of Permaculture and my Christianity.

Check out her thoughts here http://dianegreenwood.com/

Facebook event if your on it

Enrole to vote

Still no date for the election but I though a community announcement was due If this is your first time voting or you have changed address now is the time to click this link and enrol to vote.

By completing this one enrolment form you will be enrolled to vote in federal, state/territory and local government elections.

http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Update_enrolment.htm

Its a girl - Eureka St

A perspective on our new PM from MOIRA RAYNER - Eureka Street.

It’s a girl! (cross to three wise men looking bewildered)

At 9.35 this morning I twinged pre-emptively for Julia Gillard. Being Prime Minister is not so much grasping a poisoned chalice as throwing yourself at Damocles’ throne. Rudd was thrust onto rather than fell upon his sword. All political careers end in disgrace — who said that? — which is why a lot of women don’t want them (some of us can act disgracefully without a Party).

Gillard’s moment was thrust upon her, as was Rudd’s decision not to contest. Factional politics, media interest and big advertising provoked exactly the crisis that neither wanted, at least not now.

As a woman, a lawyer, a Victorian, and a feminist, I am delighted to have such a smart, confident, self-assured, genuine woman leading my country. Especially after such a hard struggle within the ALP to make sure women political candidates are treated as serious contenders for winnable seats so that they can demonstrate how good they are, and bring a different and important awareness of community and electorate issues to the table.

The importance of a woman getting the highest political post in the land — remember that our Governor General is a progressive, savvy woman as well — is not so much in its being a ‘first’, but that the new Prime Minister is her own woman. She has not turned into an ‘honorary bloke’. The singular attribute of Julia has been her obvious sincerity and the genuineness of her public conversations. And she can laugh.

Women do have a different experience of the world, not least in our socialisation (playground politics tend to carry on into the grown-up workplace), but also in our opportunities. It takes a particular kind of woman to, so obviously, revel in her role as a minister and deputy PM, and a particularly strong character to have leveraged a grudging respect from her factional foes and overcome the truism that nobody from ‘the Left’ could ever gain overall ALP support.

Continue reading here

There are a heap of other articles and perspective  about the last few days happening on ES go clicking.

Calling all Merry Peeps!

Ok guys now is the time to pull back the bow and let some arrows rip! -Age

The call out from Robin back in Sherwood…

Two months ago we asked Robin Hood supporters to write to Treasurer Wayne Swan and urge him to consider a financial transactions tax. An incredible 2,500 of you responded, filling out an online e-action letter that was sent direct to the Treasurer. Today, we are asking you to once again spend just 0.05% of your day – that’s less than a minute – on writing to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

On June 26 Kevin Rudd will attend the G20 Leaders Meeting in Toronto where proposals for a financial contribution to society by the global banking and finance sector will be discussed.

Of all the proposals on the table, the Robin Hood Tax is the only tax which both dissuades some of the finance sector excesses and makes a significant contribution to society. All other proposals are focused instead on simply recouping the direct costs of bail-outs or providing a money pot for future financial crises.

The Robin Hood Tax is an historic opportunity to leverage a tiny tax on short-term speculative trading to both improve the finance sector and make a giant change to people’s lives, and our planet, in this lifetime. We want Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to back this tiny tax on financial transactions that will bolster public services, reduce global poverty and help tackle climate change.

According to the IMF, it was the strong public campaign which was responsible for keeping the Robin Hood Tax on the table. But, without continuing public support, this crucial tax could be pushed aside at the G20 Leaders Meeting in Toronto. It is vital we act now.

What you can do

Add your voice to the growing global movement supporting the Robin Hood Tax. Write to the Prime Minister today. Show Prime Minister Rudd that you want Australia to lead the world in championing global financial reform. Show him you want him to take this historic opportunity to create a better world.

It’s easy: we have a letter ready that you can use.

Write to Kevin Rudd Now

Koornang welcomes Coorong

New hospitality house in the south east Suburbs Melbourne is welcoming 10 indigenous friends this weekend. Can you help?

Hannah will be needing more linen (sheets towels etc), plates and pots.

(She could probably do with a beds and side tables etc too)

The house is connected with the Koornang UCA (Murrumbeena) and  Hannah is the host welcoming friends from the Coorong SA.

Also, if you have been thinking about being a resident in this house - this would be a good to time to chat - not such a good time to move in

Contact Hannah Dungan

email: mousey_brown@hotmail.com

and her phone is 0422 628 028

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