Taking action for a better world

Its just plain stupid and cruel that some governments and banks are still chasing Haiti for its outstanding debts.  Debts it has no hope of ever paying off.

Whilst concerned people, like us, are digging deep into their pockets to support this traumatised nation there are people out their still angling  for their pound of flesh.

Please sign this petition and let’s all try and give Haitians some hope for the future.

“I am not guilty, please appeal for justice for me….call all people together and do everything possible to help me overturn the verdict.”

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a highly revered Tibetan Buddhist lama is serving a life sentence in prison for allegedly “conspiring to cause explosions”.   Sentenced to death in 2002 in a closed door trial that failed to meet even the most minimal international legal standards.  No credible evidence has ever been found linking him to this crime.  Following an international campaign on his behalf, Tenzin Delek’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2005.

Please support this call for the case to be re-opened.

A new golf ball has been launched by Spanish company AlbusGolf – called the Ecobioball.

This 100% biodegradable ball is safe to use near water (think ocean liner cruises here as well as the local lakes and streams next to your golf course) and is totally non-toxic.

What’s more the fishes will love it as it contains – wait for it – fish food!  Miss hit your ball and it will biodegrade within 48 hours letting out a tasty meal for the fish.

Safe to flora and fauna alike.

Do you remember the petition I asked you to sign stopping hospitals making a profit from patients phoning them?

Well we won.  Hurrah!

Collective action works.

Check out Amnesty’s website for their annual greeting card campaign.

This year my card is going to the peace community of Colombia

The community was created in March 1997 when people living in villages in the municipality of Apartadó, north-western Colombia, pledged not to be drawn into the conflict which has pitted the security forces and paramilitaries against guerrilla groups for more than 40 years. Their stance has met with suspicion and hostility from both sides.

Since then 170 members of the Peace Community have been killed or ‘disappeared’, while others have been threatened or sexually assaulted. Despite repeated orders from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,  the Colombian authorities have failed to take effective action to protect the community, falling short of their obligations under international law.

Download a case sheet for the Peace Community (PDF)

Update: 27 November 2009

On 24 September, the laptop and a USB memory stick belonging to Eduar Lanchero, who is a member of the Peace Community’s human rights commission, were stolen from his house. No other valuable items that where in the house at the time were stolen.

On the morning of 11 October, Eduar Lanchero received a death threat from paramilitaries. Eduar has been followed and threatened repeatedly. He has reportedly been followed by members of Colombia´s Department of Administrative Security (DAS).

During the past months members of the security forces have continued to accuse the members of the community of being guerrilla members. Such accusations may lead members of paramilitary or security forces to justify attacks and threats against the community.

Please continue to take action in support of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó.

Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show…. more

One third of all recorded cluster bomb casualties are children. Yet despite efforts to ban these indiscriminate weapons, 138 banks and other financial institutions continue to invest over US$20 billion in companies that produce them. Email your bank now

Cluster bombs are large explosive weapons that scatter dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area. They cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians. Many submunitions fail to detonate on impact and, like landmines, continue to kill and maim people long after the conflict has ended. Find out more about Dtar’s story by watching this short film.

The good

The global campaign to eradicate cluster bombs, spearheaded by the Cluster Munitions Coalition, reached a major breakthrough in 2008 when governments negotiated an international treaty to ban them. So far, 103 countries have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, including the UK.

The bad

Although the UK government has signed the ban and stopped production of cluster bombs, UK banks still invest in cluster bomb producers in countries that have not yet outlawed them. A ban simply can’t be effective if there is still funding for the production of these weapons.

The downright ugly

A recent report* finds that UK high street banks are lending or providing investment banking services to cluster bomb producers to the tune of:

– Barclays: US$274 million
– HSBC: US$657 million
– Royal Bank of Scotland (includes NatWest): US$64 million

That could be YOUR cash. And if there’s one thing banks can’t do without, it’s customers: tell your bank to stop this shameful practice once and for all. If you’re not a customer of these banks you can still contact them to let them know that you find their investment in producers of cluster bombs totally unacceptable.

A stunning 87 countries around the world are still littered with undetonated landmines, and their impact is devastating. Tens of thousands of people are killed or injured by mines every year, and they pose a grave threat to ecosystems and wildlife. But an unexpected solution may be on the way–scientists have developed a special kind of bacteria that actually begins to glow in the presence of landmines.

….. More

End World Hunger

Next week’s World Food Summit in Rome is our best chance to hold world leaders to their minimum commitments and push them to take significant action to tackle global hunger.   Let them know we are watching them by signing the petition.

Thanks!

The following Charter for Compassion was launched on the 12th November 2009.
Please consider affirming the Charter by adding your signature

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

If you’d like to help make this a reality then please add your voice by signing the Charter