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

World Environment Day

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations in 1972 to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and encourage political attention and action. It is celebrated annually on 5 June.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, and the theme for World Environment Day this year, Many species, one planet, one future, reflects this.

Our buddies over at Uniting Justice have produced some resources including action ideas, sermon starter, information, reflections, activities and worship resources

http://www.unitingjustice.org.au/resources/world-environment-day.html

So no excuse for not having a go this year

oh and don’t forget that greenpeace pulled together that cool earth day clip this year too http://morepraxis.org.au/feature-clip-gp-earthday/

Shout Out for Climate Change Competition

Brave New World - The Climate Change Challenge - June 6-12

Thirty of the best minds on the climate change issue, in the one place, at the one time. The Deakins 2010.
More information over here…

Feature clip - GP EarthDay

The greenpeace clip for Earth Day

BTW - I understand Earth day is June 5 and that UCA Enviro Justice �Cath will have some some resources ready by May 24.

AVAAZ Action - Whales

Dear friends,

On Thursday, a proposal will be unveiled that would?legalize commercial whale hunting for the first time in 24 years.

The fate of the proposal will be determined largely by the world’s immediate reactions to it — and according to insiders,?many governments are planning to stand aside and allow commercial whaling to resume. An outcry is needed?now to ensure they stand strong to save the whales.

Avaaz has launched a last-moment petition to?show our leaders their people want to protect whales, not hunt, kill, and sell them.The petition will be sent to the delegates to the International Whaling Commission every time we raise another 100,000 signatures –sign here and forward this message:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/whales_under_threat/?vl

A strong international consensus has opposed whaling for decades — but for just as long, Japan, Norway, and Iceland have continued to hunt whales, ignoring the global ban on whaling or exploiting a loophole by claiming their expeditions were “scientific research.” Now?they could be rewarded by a “compromise” proposal, in which their commercial whaling would be made legal.

Worse still, a number of other countries are watching the process closely — with rumored plans to?start their own whaling programsif the proposal goes through. If Japan, Norway, and Iceland can hunt whales and sell their meat, others will ask “if them, why not us?”

It’s time to save the whales — again. Click below and forward this message to oppose the legalization of commercial whale hunting:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/whales_under_threat/?vl

Forty years ago, whales were on the brink of extinction. But thanks to a global social movement,?the world banned commercial whaling in 1986. The ban is one of the environmental movement’s great triumphs.

Today, whales still face many threats: not just the whalers’ harpoons, but also climate change, destruction of ecosystems by overfishing and pollution, and nets intended for other fish. A renewed wave of commercial whaling could devastate these extraordinarily intelligent and social cousins of humanity. This is no time to move backwards.

With hope,

Ben, Ricken, Paula, Iain, David, Luis, and the whole Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Background on the 1986 international moratorium on whaling:
http://www.avaaz.org/international_whaling_moratorium

The most recent public draft of the IWC compromise proposal that is currently being updated:
http://www.avaaz.org/recent_draft_IWC

An AFP article describing the state of whaling negotiations last week:
http://www.avaaz.org/compromise_under_attack_AFP

Sea Shepherd Tactics are effective

Earlier reports suggest the three countries are willing to cut their annual harvest for the next 10 years in half, resulting in the saving of around 5000 whales.

The compromise is an attempt by a group of IWC members, including New Zealand and the United States, to halt the slow erosion of the 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling.

Despite the moratorium, the number of whales killed annually has been rising, from 300 in 1990 to 1700 last year.

Not surprisingly, the chairman of the negotiating team, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, has not had a very sympathetic hearing back home in New Zealand where saving whales occupies the same sort of emotional territory as being anti-nuclear.

Particularly so when the buccaneers of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have shown there is another way to cut the catch in half.

This month Sea Shepherd was proclaiming that its Southern Ocean Whales Sanctuary campaign, dubbed Operation Waltzing Matilda, had been a spectacular success, and it was.

The whalers had sailed from Japan with a permit from their government to kill 935 protected minke whales, 50 fin whales and 50 humpbacks for scientific purposes. A total of 1035.

Harassment by the Sea Shepherd boats meant no humpbacks were killed, only one fin was caught and 506 minke whales. In total 528 were “saved” which, it could be argued, is better than the 50 per cent offered in the IWC compromise.

Meanwhile, in the North Sea, the group “Agenda 21″, which the Sea Shepherd website refers to as a spin-off from their organisation, was equally busy sabotaging a Norwegian whaler.

They declared “Norway announced an increased quota of minke whales so we decided to increase our quota of sunken whalers”. On April 2, saboteurs opened valves in the whaler Sofie, but the boat was rescued before it sank.

A year ago, the whaler Skarbakk was sunk at its moorings.

Whatever we might think of the Sea Shepherd’s methods, their direct action tactics seem to have been more effective than 25 years of moratoriums.

….. continue reading at NZHerald

Where you stand determines what you see

Hi Guys,

I have always believed it to be true that where you stand determines what you see. Thus, I think it’s a radical discipleship practice to stand with those without the power.

Below is the ICR’s Video of the crash and then below that the Sea Shepherd’s Video of the crash.

Both are using the footage of the same incident to back up their own position.

What do you think?

ICR’s Clip

Sea Shepherd’s Clip

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