Keith Suter’s Global Insights
What on earth is going on?
Articles (13 of 27)
Archive Article: Getsemane Gardens in New Zealand. 19 Dec 03.
December 23, 2008 | European cathedrals developed stained glass windows as "visual aids". They told Bible stories, which members of the congregations could "read" during the service. I have just returned from a conference New Zealand, held at Wellington University's historic old library. That has a stained glass window telling the story of New Zealand's participation in World War I. The next part of my lecture tour took me to Christchurch, on the South Island. While there, I visited the Gethsemane Gardens on the outskirts of the city of Christchurch. The Gardens tell the Bible story in flowers. Bev and Ken Loader bought the... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:02 PM Comment
Archive Article: GST and the taxation debate. 4 Sep 98.
December 23, 2008 | Now that Australia is going to have a federal election fought partly on a Goods and Services Tax, it is worth looking at the taxation debate that will come after the GST one. I have just returned from Germany. I was a guest at last week's luncheon at the Rotary Club of Hamburg-Blankenese, where there was a speaker on new environmental taxes. Before looking at the new form of taxes, it is worth noting that Germany has had a Goods and Services Tax - what is called the Value Added Tax - for three decades. This is a policy of... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 9:19 PM Comment
Archive Article: Human Rights Day. 11th Dec 98.
December 23, 2008 | December 10 was Human Rights Day. It was partly marked in NSW by a campaign to guarantee the existence of a body which has earned respect and credibility for its effective protection of the human rights of disadvantaged people: the Community Services Commission. The Community Services Commission was created in 1994 as an independent body to monitor the delivery of community services in NSW. It has an impressive record. Over 75 per cent of the complaints referred to it have been resolved swiftly and informally; it has reduced the number of deaths of babies and the risk of death or... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 9:13 PM Comment
Archive Article: Iran Has Been Back In The News. 25 Sep 98
December 23, 2008 | Iran has been back in the news this week, with some indications that there may be an improvement in its relations with western countries. But there are also other indications that the conservative Islamic clerics, who have such a major say in how the country is governed, may be resisting such changes. Dr Gary Sick has been in Australia and I attended a briefing he gave this week at the US Information Service. Dr Sick is the Executive Director of the Gulf 2000 project at Columbia University. He served on the National Security Council in the Ford, Carter and Reagan... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 9:07 PM Comment
Archive Article" Iraq Back In The News. 7 Aug 98.
December 23, 2008 | Iraq is back in the news again this week. There are renewed concerns about a confrontation over the international inspection of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. What are the lessons for the mass media arising out of these periodic confrontations? The World Association for Christian Communication is an organization of corporate and personal members who give high priority to Christian values in the world's communication and development needs. It is not a council or federation of churches. The majority of its members are communication professionals from all walks of life. The World Association has just published a booklet, edited by... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 9:03 PM Comment
Archive Article: Is Alcohol Part Of The Australian Culture? 5 Sep 03
December 23, 2008 | Last month's NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse, held at Parliament House, was an historic event. At long last there was a general recognition of the danger that alcohol presents to the community. Drugs like cocaine may get the publicity - but alcohol does the damage. One of the opening points (in the words of one of the official discussion documents) is "alcohol's cultural significance in Australian life and the various iconic meanings it can have for families and communities". The document went on: Alcohol consumption is embedded in Australian celebrations and recreational activities. For many Australians 'having a drink' is... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 8:59 PM Comment
Archive Article: Is The UN Bankrupt? 23rd Oct 98.
December 23, 2008 | October 24 is the 53rd birthday of the United Nations - and it is on the brink of bankruptcy. Many of the UN's member-governments are failing to pay their subscriptions to the organization. The United States remains the largest defaulter, owing about two-thirds of the total money outstanding to the UN. The UN spends about US$1.2 billion per year under its regular budget, while the entire system spends about US$8 billion. These are minute sums of money. The best way of looking at the figures is on the basis of comparisons. The annual expenditure by the world on the arms... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 8:51 PM Comment
Archive Article: John Wesley's 300th Anniversary. 6 June 03
December 23, 2008 | This month is the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birthday. Wesley Mission is part of an international network of churches and other organizations holding commemorative events. John Wesley lived for most of the 18th Century, from 1703 to 1791. He lived in one of the most momentous centuries of England's history. The century began with England as an impoverished small country on the edge of European affairs, with a minimal overseas empire. It ended with England undergoing the world's first industrial revolution and on the way to becoming the "workshop of the world" and creating an empire that in the... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 8:07 PM Comment
Archive Article: John Wesley And The British Enlightenment 20 June 03.
December 23, 2008 | Britain was the centre of Western civilization at the end of the 18th Century. It was starting point of the Industrial Revolution, the emerging economic system called capitalism and the beginning of what is now called liberal democracy. Roy Porter's "The Creation of the Modern World: The Untold Story of the British Enlightenment" traces the developments in Britain in that magnificent 18th Century. Britain began the century as a poor country on the edge of the European continent and it ended it as the emerging economic super power. One person who lived through most of that momentous century was John... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 7:58 PM Comment
Archive Article: John Wesley And Wealth. 13 June 03.
December 23, 2008 | The Bible has a great deal to say about the importance of wealth and how it should be handled. This month we are celebrating the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birth. He lived at the time of the British Industrial Revolution and he saw the great expansion in personal wealth being generated by the invention of factories and the transformation of production techniques. It was necessary to address the issue of the responsible use of money. He gave three pieces of advice: 1.Gain all you can: develop yourself and the resources entrusted to you to the greatest possible extent; make... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 7:47 PM Comment
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