A prayer for inclusive worship

from Derick:
All-loving God, we thank you for the Good News of your love for us.
Help us to resist building walls around the Gospel -
walls to make us safe, walls to exclude others.
Give us the vision to break down every barrier that divides us
from one another and from you.

ACT Carbon Emissions

On radio (666) talkback this morning a caller asked why the focus on households, rather than asking governments and business to reduce their emissions?

Yes, but this is where we can reduce. We are in control of our own consumption. Take the power! Yes we Can!

(and the best way to save emissions is not to use what emits it.)

in The Canberra Times today:

"The ACT Greenhouse Inventory, compiled by environmental consultants Pitt & Sherry, found Canberra's greenhouse emissions have increased at an average annual rate of 1.7 per cent since 2000. The national average increase during the same period was 0.7 per cent." http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/canberra-doubles-carbon-use/1575732.aspx?src=enews

Is it Israel or Palestine?

checking email I find this link and essay: http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/tema-okun.html

Tema Okun writes:
I am a Jew. I am a religious Jew. I am an anti-Zionist Jew. I realize that to make this last claim is to risk that you will stop reading, as often any claim of anti-Zionism brings with it a label of traitor, anti-Semite, self-hating Jew. I hope, however, that you will give me the benefit of the doubt, at least for the few minutes that it will take you to read what I have to say."

July 20, 2009

This is well worth reading. It is a small essay and easy to read compared with Yakov Rabkin's book "Jewish Opposition to Zionism". (yes, I am hoping to have finished this before the trip to Palestine/Israel in September) There are also many comments which are useful to read.

Other links I chased up tonight include a very solid review of Prof Rabkin's book at http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann06052006.html by Michael Neumann. in which he writes:

"Professor Yakov Rabkin offers us an unusual book. It is not history, because it does not present a narrative of Jewish opposition to Zionism, nor a systematic analysis of its causes and development. It is not polemic--though Rabkin's sympathies are clear, he presents the arguments of others far more than his own. It has too much anecdote and too many vignettes to count as philosophy; it is too philosophical to count as politics or sociology."

And there is more on the Ha'aretz site at: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerGuest.jhtml?itemNo=796902 It is interesting to see a how the internet can foster discussion and exchange of ideas (not just the "comments", this is discussion.)

Canberra's Carbon Footprint

Canberra's carbon footprint:

We all knew it was bad, but...
Will the new consumer push to buy fabulous things like photovoltaics change this?
Somehow I think there is a need for a whole new way of thinking. I'm not sure that I am there yet at all!

in today's Canberra Times:

ACT's housing density falling

BY JOHN THISTLETON BUSINESS EDITOR

21/07/2009 7:02:00 AM

Housing densities in Canberra are falling, not rising, according to urban management expert Brian Roberts.

An emeritus professor at the University of Canberra,"

...

"His research found Canberra was one of Australia's most expensive cities to run in terms of electricity, kilometres travelled by car and the cost of doing business.

Professor Roberts has found the urban envelope of Australian cities is expanding at 3.3 per cent per annum, well ahead of population growth, which is running at 1.6 per cent per annum.

He said that annual vehicle kilometres per person had totalled 2850 in Canberra in 2002. By 2020 vehicle person kilometres would increase 25 per cent to 3550..."

testing address and web sites links

needing to test address so fiddling again; this is from my gmail email linda.anchell AT gmail.com

and the three main web sites I maintain (sometimes) are  these three

http://members.tip.net.au/~lindafrd/ [my home page; I am slow to update these days]
http://www.refugeeaction.org/index.html Refugee Action Committee Canberra, also slow recently (mid 2009)
http://www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au/ usually updated every week when I am taking my pills! slowly coming along.

My apologies to later comers; I would normally delete this post but will keep it in while travelling.

a quick test

testing the mailing facility. This could lead to too much garrulousness though! beware!

This is the beginning; the start; first words; forewords...

This is the start, the beginning... Confusion reigns; ..

But why blog? I already have a home page. (http://members.tip.net.au/~lindafrd/) But it is languishing. Not that it is difficult to load, but I hand code the html and methinks I am getting older!

But the first reason for this blog is the imminent trip to France and Israel and Palestine. (and Jordan and UK) (September 2009)

I might at least post some comments during that endeavour. I hope my brain will be refreshed and will see the world with new eyes during that time!