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Humanitarian Focus - Philippine
Prosecution |
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Human Rights Watch release report calling
for prosecution of state security
forces
Human Rights Watch released an 84-page report on
28th June, " Scared Silent: Impunity for Extrajudicial
Killings in the Philippines," based on more than 100
interviews, detailing the involvement of
government security forces in the murder or
"disappearance" of members of leftist political parties
and nongovernmental organizations, journalists,
outspoken clergy, anti-mining activists, and
agricultural reform activists. To date there have been
no successful prosecutions of any member of the
armed forces implicated in recent extrajudicial
killings.
Sophie Richardson, deputy Asia director at Human
Rights Watch, said "There is strong evidence of a
'dirty war' by the armed forces against
left-leaning activists and journalists. The failure to
prosecute soldiers or police suspected in these killings
shifts the spotlight of responsibility to the highest
levels of the government."
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Conscious
Living Contributors
Want to write a review for a book
you've read? Seen a film you think could raise
awareness? Have an issue you'd like
raised?
To contribute please contact
Editor |
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Issue Focus -
Self-harm |
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Why are
we talking about it?
Facts
- Although self-harm and suicide are
intimately related, self-harm is a method of dealing
with difficult emotions. Therefore self-harm
is about trying to stay alive rather than
taking one's life.
- Triggers for self-harm can include
bullying, bereavement, pressure at work,
abuse, financial problems, pressure to fit in
and relationship problems.
- The UK has one of the highest
rates of self harm in Europe, at 400 per
100,000 population
- 43% of the British
population know someone who has
self-harmed
Societal Conditioning
- 41% of people believe
self-harm is selfish and 55%
that it is stupid
- 25% of people believe only one in
1000 people have suicidal thoughts in any week,
whereas the real figure is one in
100
- More than one in four people
have no idea what to say to a suicidal
friend
Discover more so you know what to do
if faced with someone who is
self-harming
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Film of the Month - Black
Gold |
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Young filmakers take on the
Coffee Industry
Coffee
generates revenue of $80 billion per
year worldwide, up from a $30 billion
in 1990. This incredible surge is due in part to the
precipitous decline of the price of coffee in the last
five years, which is down 70% from a 1998
high.
In other words, the farmers who grow it get
poorer as Starbucks, Sara
Lee, Procter & Gamble,
Kraft and Nestlé get
richer, and decline to pass the savings on to you. So,
as Nick and Marc Francis' galvanizing, stealthily
devastating documentary "Black Gold" makes clear, the
price of coffee in Africa, unlike the price of tea in
China, is the result of a global confluence of linked
economic and political forces that have nothing to do
with the eventual market value of the product itself.
For a world that has become so coffee obsessed, the
film stands a poignant reminder that we should "think
before we drink." Whether or not the film will succeed
in changing the world's consumer ideals is unclear,
however it uses its power to engage with an audience and
relay its message in a coherent and provocative
manner.
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Environmental Focus - The Big
Ask |
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Ask your MP to make a
difference!
Last year over 130,000
asked their MP to support calls for a new law to make
annual cuts in carbon
dioxide.
In response the Government announced last November
that it would introduce a Climate Bill. This is a
fantastic success for The Big Ask.
The challenge now is to make sure that the Bill is a
tough one.
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Book of the Month - Feel the Fear and
Do It Anyway |
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Susan Jeffers bestselling book on how to
transform fear into confidence
Internationally renowned author, Susan Jeffers, has
helped millions of people around the globe to overcome
their fears and heal the pain in their lives.
Such fears may include: Public speaking;
Asserting yourself; Making decisions; Intimacy; Changing
jobs; Being alone; Ageing; Driving; Losing a loved one;
and Ending a relationship. "Feel the Fear
and Do it Anyway" gives an insight and tools to vastly
improve one's ability to handle any given situation.
"You will learn to live your life the way you want - so
you can move from a place of pain, paralysis and
depression to one of power, energy and enthusiasm."
This inspiring modern classic has helped thousands
turn their anger into love - and their
indecision into action - with Susan
Jeffers' simple but profound advice to 'feel the fear
and do it anyway'.
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