Keith Suter’s Global Insights
What on earth is going on?
Articles (6 of 27)
Archive Article: Building Communities 5th April 02
December 30, 2008 | Communities are more than just the physical spaces in which we live, work and play. They are as much about the people we interact with in different facets of our lives, as they are about geographic locations. A new report brings all this to life in a very useful way. Last Tuesday, Mission Australia launched a very important report entitled "There's Something Different About this Place": Local, National and Global Directions in Community Capacity Building. "Community capacity building" is part of the new way of looking at social welfare. An example from assistance to developing countries helps to clarify the... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:54 AM Comment
Archive Article: When Are We Old? 12 April 02.
December 30, 2008 | In the United States, a person turning 100 used to be congratulated by name on the TV programme "Good Morning America'. Now there are so many Americans turning 100, a person has to be 105 before they get this national recognition. One of the great achievements of the 20th Century was the extension of life expectancy. There was a total gain in western developed countries of 25 years between 1899 and 1999. This increase in life expectancy was equivalent to what the human race had acquired over the previous 5000 years. Now that there is increased medical research (such as... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:49 AM Comment
Archive Article: International Criminal Court. 19 April 02
December 30, 2008 | Some events occur which get little publicity at the time and it is only in the long sweep of history that people can see that in fact a major event has taken place. Such an event has taken place in the last few days - and Australia missed out on it. Back in July 1998, at the end of one of the most violent centuries in human history, the international community agreed on a treaty for the creation of the International Criminal Court. There is already the International Court of Justice that deals with disputes between governments. But there is... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:43 AM Comment
Archive Article: Conflict And Resolution. 26 April 02
December 30, 2008 | Our thoughts this week have very much been of Australian service personnel who have served in war. I have been reading about one Australian peacekeeper, who was a returned serviceman who went on to become a major - if poorly recognized - asset to Australia's foreign policy. Allan Griffith served in the RAAF in World War II and then went on to study at the University of Melbourne. He then joined the Prime Minister's Department and served there for 30 years. It is a very rare for a person to serve so long in a senior position in one... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:33 AM Comment
Archive Article: Homeless People And Their Care 3rd May 02
December 30, 2008 | Wesley Mission is one of the country's largest providers of accommodation for homeless persons. Unfortunately, current trends suggest that the Mission's work will continue to grow. Wesley Mission has been involved in providing accommodation for homeless persons for well over a century. This began with the Mission low priced accommodation centres for working men at Castlereagh and Kent Streets in the City. By the way, with all the controversy over immigration, the Mission provided its first accommodation for migrants back in 1907 - about a half a century before the Commonwealth Government created the current Department of Immigration. The Mission's... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:29 AM Comment
Archive Article: Funding For Social Welfare 12 May 02
December 29, 2008 | The Commonwealth Budget is always studied closely by Wesley Mission. Next Tuesday night's will be no exception - especially for its impact on social welfare. In particular, there is the question of whether the Commonwealth Government will match the commitment of the NSW State Government to ensure the continuation of social welfare services. The Superintendent of Wesley Mission has written to the Treasurer, The Hon Peter Costello MP, urging him to ensure that the Commonwealth Government pays its contributions to the funding of the new NSW Social and Community Services Award. The NSW Industrial Relations Commission made its decision on... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:38 PM Comment
Archive Article: East Timor - Free At Last 17 May 02.
December 29, 2008 | East Timor is now the world's newest country. The current independence celebrations are a vindication of all the campaigning that a number of us have done over the years to win the freedom of East Timor. The then Indonesian government invaded East Timor in 1975. The war was, in per capita terms, one of the world's most violent wars of the 20th century. About 200,000 people were killed (the population in 1975 was about 600,000 people). But the Indonesian government under-estimated the desire of the East Timorese for independence. Despite of all the years of war and suffering, the Indonesians... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:33 PM Comment
Archive Article: How Many Countries Are There?
December 29, 2008 | East Timor has now been welcomed into the international community. This is the first country of the new millennium. How many other new countries we will see in the coming years? On the day East Timor came into existence I was interviewed by a radio station that wanted to know how many countries there are. The answer is not all that clear. The United Nations has a membership of 191 countries (including both East Timor and Switzerland, its two latest members). But there are many other potential countries. The Palestinians obviously hope that eventually they will be able to... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:29 PM Comment
Archive Article: Miracles Today 31st May 02.
December 29, 2008 | There are still miracles today. People who work with recovering alcoholics see miracles all the time. God is at work in this world partly through the lives that get saved from the evils of alcohol. The Drug Awareness Council - formerly the NSW Temperance Society - held its 120th Annual General Meeting on May 29. It goes back even further - to 1832. The 1832 decision to create an organization to combat the evils of alcohol came from the many settlers who were strongly opposed to liquor and the ruin it induced. While Australia is notorious overseas for alcoholic image... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:24 PM Comment
Archive Article: Improving Religious Dialogue 14 June 02
December 29, 2008 | Australia is becoming a country of many faiths. How are to improve the quality of religious dialogue? The current edition of "Christian Social Action", published by the US Methodist Church, has an article by Washington DC layperson Kevin Logghe on how to improve religious dialogue. The article is meant for an American audience but the lessons apply here in Australia. First, understand the difference between "trying to explain" and "trying to convince". He suggests a technique whereby people wishing to share their faith, do so by simply setting out to explain it. A person who detects that that they are... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:10 PM Comment
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