Australia's controversial prayer

A primary school in Perth (Western Australia) has decided to stop saying the Lord’s Prayer, a Christian prayer, in their school assembly. As a consequence, there has been a negative response from many parents and other members of the public from all around Australia, who believe this is an “un-Christian” and “cowardly” act on their behalf and think it should not have been abolished.

The recital of the Lord’s Prayer in assembly at this school was stopped in the first place due to certain allegations of parents who believe it can be against the secular Education Act that is in effect in Australia as, in some way, it is imposing the Christian religion on those who attend this school.

The controversy has made many people involved have to defend their position, as this action has been considered as “insensitive”; but on the other hand, due to the secular system, schools should not put a certain belief above any other at any school in the country so they should not have to be in this situation in the first place.

Despite all this, many agree that all the hate mail this school has been receiving from all over the country is completely unacceptable and they should not be attacked or accused of facts that are not sufficiently backed up or true.

I personally agree with the fact that schools should not impose a certain religion or belief on their students, as I believe it is something personal that everyone should be given the option to choose. This situation has been extremely controversial, but I am sure it is not going to be the only one, as the Australian Education Act has a secular nature and they are in their right to keep religion aside.

I do not agree at all with those who sent the so-called “hate letters” as I believe it is completely disrespectful and if they really are Christians and want their children to say the Lord’s Prayer every day, they have other options. They could possibly take these children to a different school or simply say the Prayer with them at home when they are not at school with the others.

Source: The Australian

Link to article: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/school-hate-mail-as-prayer-dropped/story-e6frgczx-1226144044387

Pope Benedict in Germany: Pontiff's state visit home

Unlike the previous visit to Germany in 2005, where the Pope was regarded as a big German success, the recent visit to his homeland has provoked harsh criticism among certain groups of German society. Besides the already usual street protests, many theologians have shown their dissatisfaction and even 40 MPs of the Bundestag left their seats during the pontiff's speech. Nevertheless, his down to earth speeches and his references to the German history have gained him a general approval in the secularized Federal Republic.

The reception of a Catholic spiritual leader was not easy in a country whose President is a divorced and remarried Catholic not allowed to receive communion, a Chancellor daughter of a Lutheran priest and an openly gay Mayor of Berlin. Despite all the previous critics, Benedict XVI has proved that the Church is a link between Germany's past and present, he has expressed concern about the darkest times of the country but also about its new challenges like the economy or the environment. Joseph Ratzinger may not have the charisma of John Paul II, but has a progressive view (as progressive as a 2000 years old institution can afford) on controversial aspects such as the use of contraception or the talks with other religions. The media, mostly ignorant of the reality of the Church, still presents him as a reactionary Nazi old man. As usual, History will tell.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15039491

Looming predicament: Dengue could spell disaster, if not curtailed

There are currently two prevailing problems in Pakistan. The first is that torrential rains have cause heavy flooding in some rural areas of Pakistan, affecting almost 4.9 million people. Jersey has sent 90,000 pounds as aid to help these people rebuild and relocate. The second problem is that there is an outbreak of Dengue fever in the country that is getting out of hand. Almost 8,000 people of Pakistan have been by infected Dengue, a virus that is transmitted by the female mosquito, and if untreated can lead to death. While the government is trying to find ways of controlling the spread of this virus, 59 people have already died. The season will continue until December, after which the mosquitoes will die due to temperature changes.

Opinion: I think that the main problem Pakistan is facing right now is population. There are simply too many people (170m) to be looked after properly given the limited resources and financial condition of the country. Between the floods, viral outbreaks and faith-based violence, there are simply too many people needing help at once. The crowding and population density is a managerial disaster for the government. The medical facilities, especially in rural, low-income areas are substandard and insufficient. The Dengue virus is also something that hits the country every year in this season. Medical specialists and opposition leaders predict the outbreak every year, and yet poor people die from the virus every year. Until and unless population is reduced to a more manageable density, the virus will not be controlled. As for Jersey's aid, it has come at a very needed time and will surely help the people rebuild. However, Pakistan is already heavily in global debt. Aids and loans, primarily from the US, help the country provide for the immense population. This means that every year that Pakistan maintains it's current population, the country must take additional loans to cover the deficit and just keep spiraling deeper and deeper into debt.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/255972/looming-predicament-dengue-could-spell-disaster-if-not-curtailed/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-15000306

Are we there yet? Philippines on the road to end corruption

Current Filipino president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s III government seems to have gained international trust during his first year in power. In addition, this newly credited position has been strengthened due to the Philippines’ leading role in the establishment of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) launched on the 20th of September this year, an initiative to which Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States are also a part of. Mr. Aquino argues that this increase in credit has been possible thanks to the exercise of good governance and the fact that his presidency is fighting to regain Filipinos faith by endorsing a more transparent and honest administration. Both Barack Obama and Dilma Rouseff, United States and Brazilian Presidents respectively, invited Aquino to be part of this brand-new initiative.

As I see it, the Filipino government seems to have improved with Aquino’s presidency over the last year. However, not long ago, the Philippines were considered one of the most corrupted governments in Southeast Asia. Previous administrations have been plagued with considerable scandals, such as the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal of 2005, during Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency, and other practices such as ‘populism’ and ‘clientelism’, also exercised by other administrations prior to Arroyo’s. Aquino, son of the murdered “Nonoy” Aquino and former Filipino president “Cory” Aquino, also known as being the leader of the People’s Power Revolution in 1968 (EDSA) which finished with Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship and established democracy in the country, was elected last year with a very small margin of votes. In fact, his candidacy to the 2010 elections was tainted with the sudden – and fortuitous – death of his mother, and he took a clear lead in the surveys to win the polls. 

In spite of years of corrupted political narrative, in which no Philippine presidency, even Corazon Aquino’s, was free of corruption, it appears that Aquino “the reformist” has proven to be different to his predecessors although further outcomes of his administration are yet to be seen. 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/63959/aquino-filipino-again-held-in-high-esteem-in-the-world

Pirates in Berlin!

Pirates' Strong Showing in Berlin Elections Surprises Even Them

Last Sunday's elections in Berlin brought many surprises in the city-state's political arena: not only the crash suffered by Angela Merkel's party, the Christian Democrats, but also the unexpected "victory" of the Pirate Party.

The Pirates won 8.9 percent of the vote and all 15 candidates on their lists obtained seats, surprising even them.

Regarding to their program, which at first was only based on file sharing, data protection and online privacy, they have also included social issues as well as the promise of using the Internet as a tool to give more power to the people: giving party members what they call "liquid democracy"- a form of participation beyond only voting in elections.

The question now is whether this new party is just a focus of protests, a joke or the reflection of the electoral disgust with all established electoral parties; or a new experiment in a new form of online democracy.

While the Pirates were celebrating the result in a club in Kreuzberg, other politicians and scholars made their first comments about this new and still small political force.

Some of them see the party as something serious and important for the future, while others made the first critics, such as Berlin's Mayor Karl Wowereit's comment on gender politics and the Pirate Party, which is only composed by white young men. However, the Pirates are working to solve this.

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Last summer, some of the participants of this blog and I attended a curse in Berlin. We were surprised to find this new group- the Pirate Party- through the publicity made for the elections.

That is one of the reasons why I choose this article. It is interesting to know that this party, which at first sounded funny, has obtained a big support among the Berliners.

I would have my doubts about a party like this winning in some other cities, however, berlin has this atmosphere and mixture of people that make sit a unique city, where it doesn't seem that difficult to see the Pirate Party obtaining seats for all their candidates the first time they run for elections.

Another important reflection that could be extracted from this article is the creation of new small parties that want to represent people's will and values. In my opinion, that is a sign of a healthy democracy. It is easier to find yourself identified with politics if there are more principles and ideas offered by more than one or two parties. It is necessary to bring new ideas, above all during this period of crisis.

http://http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/world/europe/in-berlin-pirates-win-8-9-percent-of-vote-in-regional-races.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&_r=1&emc=tnt

Turkey sends oil ship to Cyprus as tension grows

There is a confrontation of opinions between the two countries; Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had already spoken about a possible dispute between the countries in a speech to the UN General Assembly last Thursday. He explained they would do what they had to do, while Cyprus President, Demetris Christofias, condemned Turkey's attitude saying that an intervention of Turkey would cause serious complications in the region. The Cypriots supports they have the full right to exploit their area to find energy, but Turkey argues that offshore natural resources belong to both communities of the island. Therefore, after Turkey warned Cyprus to stop their drilling for gas plans and Cyprus ignoring it, Turkey has sent an energy exploration ship to look for gas and oil in the Mediterranean Sea, in waters off the Turkish-controlled north of Cyprus.

Cyprus's modern history has been dominated by enmity between its Greek and Turkish inhabitants and their respective governments. In my opinion, these events will clearly harm reunification talks between the countries. Furthermore, these disputes are most damaging Turkey’s international image, because, since Cyprus is an EU member, any attack or sovereignty dispute would quite affect the chances of Turkey to enter the European Union. At first, the best solution would be to renounce to natural gas explorations by the two sides for now, and make an agreement on how to divide and distribute the natural resources of the area.

23 September 2011

Source: BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15037774