On October 31 2009 there was a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Margaret Holmes. It took place at a packed St Luke's Anglican Church, Mosman, NSW (where Margaret and her late husband "Tag" had been active members). I was among the speakers who were asked to say a few words about her. I spoke on her involvement in the peace and social justice movements. I had reviewed her biography on Radio 2GB when she turned a 100 earlier this year and I spoke at an event to mark her 100th birthday at the Women's International League for Peace... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 5:23 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, peace

One of the most surprising announcements this week has been the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama. Even the White House seemed surprised when it handled the announcement from Scandinavia. I think that the decision was premature. He may yet turn out to be a worthy recipient but only time will tell. There were certainly other potential awardees and so there was no shortage of candidates. It is not that Obama was such an obvious front runner. The decision has been controversial across the political spectrum. Even the people who supported Obama in 2008 are dubious whether... Full article »

Tags: America, Asia, peace

War has never been for the faint hearted but back in the early 1800's many would have much rather died fighting than deal with the consequences of surviving a major trauma. It was during a protracted and bloody battle that Jean-Henri Dunant became so insensed at the blood-loss and tragedy of was that he felt compelled to act. His book "A Memory of Solferino" became his mouthpiece, gaining him access to many people of influence. Dunant went on to form international aid agency the Red Cross along with his business partner Gustave Moynier- a recipient of the boook! While this... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:46 PM 1 comment

Tags: charity, media, peace, reviews

                          Evelyn passed away on June 28 2009. I was invited to speak at a "Celebration of Her Life" event on July 12 2009 at the Dalton Gardens Retirement Village, Ryde, NSW (where she had spent her final years). The crowded event drew together both the three generations of her extensive family and her wider "family" of peace and social justice activists and members of the United Nations Association (where she was a Life Member). Tragically she passed away only weeks before Fairfield Council is due to commemorate... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:21 AM Comment

Tags: health, peace

Barack Obama's Cairo speech this month has been one of the important of his speeches this year. He has tried to set a new tone for US relations with the Islamic world. Of course from a cynical point of view, one could question why any speech on Islamic democracy should be made in Egypt - which is far from being a democracy. The problem is that there is no country in the Arab world which is a democracy! At least it could be argued that Egypt is the most populous Arab country. Egypt is also interesting because it is undergoing... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 5:49 PM 1 comment

Tags: Africa, America, law, Middle East, peace

Campaigning for peace is good for your health. That seems to be the message of the life of Margaret Holmes, who has just turned 100. On May 9 2009 I was a speaker at a commemorative event organized by the NSW Branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) - which Margaret created 50 years ago - to celebrate Margaret's life and achievements. Margaret unfortunately could not be there because she was having a holiday with one of her sons and his family on the NSW North Coast. Margaret is in good form for a 100 year... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:13 AM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, media, peace, reviews, sociology

Full review »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 1:02 PM Comment

Tags: environment, peace

Pete Seeger from Wikipedia. Photo By Anthony Pepitone

Pete Seeger turned 90 yesterday (3rd May) and celebrated a lifetime of making a difference through song. This much loved folksinger is synonymous with the American civil rights movement - a cause that ruffled the FBI enough to have them ban his band "The Weavers". Down but not out Pete continued to sing his protest songs, entertain and inspire the public through his work. He has been a tireless peace and anti-war campaigner as well as taking on many environmental issues. One of his most successful was the cleaning up of the Hudson River and the subsequent passing of the... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 12:16 PM Comment

Tags: America, environment, peace

The Playing for Change organization was set up by Mark Johnson in Santa Monica, California five years ago.  Mark recorded street musicians playing the famous Ben E.King song "Stand By Me" and was touched by the power of the songs message. Inspired, Mark took his camera's around America and later around the world, recording and interviewing street musicians  and sharing it through You Tube and later his web site: www.playforchange.com. The movement uses the power of music to transcend cultural, political, economic, ideological  and language barriers in order to build a more peaceful and harmonious future for the worlds citizens.  The... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:09 AM Comment

Tags: charity, peace, sociology

On April 21 2009 I was the Celebrant for the funeral service at Newtown and Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland for Joan Carey, a peace activist I had known for over three decades. Here are my opening remarks for the funeral service: Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 7:05 PM Comment

Tags: conflict, law, peace, science, security

Margaret Holmes has been a peace campaigner for many years and having just celebrated her 100'th birthday has only just started to take things easy. At a time when the internet did not exist and the only way into Europe and America was by boat, Margaret was both widely read and widely travelled. Full review »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:35 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, media, peace, reviews, science, sociology

A week is a long time in politics. There is always plenty of scope for change - and often that change can be for the better. Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 2:49 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, peace

The youngest country in the world is getting ready for independence. East Timor will shortly be free. Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 2:45 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, law, peace, security

In the last few days we have been marking the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. The good news is that such large international conventional warfare is now very rare - the bad news is that there are others forms of warfare to worry about. Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 1:12 PM Comment

Tags: conflict, peace

                                With troops continuing to march across the Israeli border into Gaza  and the death toll now topping 900 a resolution to this conflict seems as far away as ever. Yudit Ilany is an independent photographer and designer based in Jaffa, Israel. She is also works passionately for human rights causes while still finding time to doccument the events of her home town Jaffa in her blog: occupied.  This photograph is copyright protected by Yudit who can be contacted via her blog. How many more children will die?  What does the future hold for Gaza? Read Yudits blog post here:... Full article »

Tags: conflict, Middle East, peace

At a time when the world is still in such a state of shock over the tragedy in the United States, it is refreshing to have some optimistic news of hope - especially from a location that has seemed so hope-less for so long. Last weekend I was in Brisbane as a speaker at the National Conference of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad entitled "Surviving and Thriving in a World of Conflict". Another speaker was Jose Ramos Horta, now the Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation in the new Cabinet in East Timor. The speech by Jose Ramos Horta... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 12:48 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, charity, conflict, peace, religion, sociology

Recent events in Afghanistan mean that some progress can now be made in rebuilding the country after two decades of the civil war. Providing employment is an important way of working for peace. The Sydney-based Conflict Resolution Network has for many years campaigned on the importance of providing employment in all societies. This includes providing employment in countries that have been involved in conflicts. Therefore governments and non-governmental organizations should give greater emphasis to work for all who need it as part of their standard reconstruction programmes in their relief work. Work for all who need it is a vital... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:56 AM Comment

Tags: Asia, conflict, peace, security, sociology

Religion has made a comeback in world affairs - despite the predictions from some academics a few decades ago that religion was on the way out. Indeed, there is now probably more attention to religious issues in world affairs than for many decades. It was fashionable among some sociologists, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, to predict that religion was going to fade away. They argued that humans were somehow moving to a different era, in which science would solve all the mysteries of life and consumerism would be the main focal point of interest of humankind. Their predictions were... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:41 AM Comment

Tags: peace, religion, science, sociology

Cynthia Newlin O'Connor is a fine art photographer based in New York specialising  in photographing people, especially children. More examples of her Copyright protected work can be viewed on her company web site: A Thousand Words.   The picture below was taken at Cape May at Dawn. Entitled "Gathering of Angels" it depicts Amish girls on a morning stroll along the beach.  A truly Peceful moment.....      ... Full article »

Tags: America, peace

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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

Tags: Africa, conflict, law, peace, security