STUFF HAPPENING AT JUST FOCUS
Tena ra koe, e te hoa
Are you a JF member in Wellington or Auckland ?? Well it’s your lucky day!! Regional groups are about to be started in the two centres. The facilitators all got together this week to plan and share ideas with Chancey who runs the group down in Christchurch . They have heaps of great ideas about events, workshops and training, so keep your eye on the newsletter and the website for the latest.
RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS
British Muslims are leading a new campaign Muslims United which condemns the recent attempted car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow . The campaign aims to address the negative perceptions and stereotypes of Islam and British Muslims by engaging with the mainstream media. But in the Guardian’s weekly podcast Islamophonic, Riazat Butt asks why Muslims feel they MUST denounce the bombings, when it has nothing to do with them; do white Christian men have to denounce every action of George Bush they don’t agree with??
Scoop has put together a whole lot of info on immigration issues and the Ahmed Zaoui case, just in time for Monday’s review of the Security Intelligence Service and the security risk certificate they issued against Ahmed Zaoui. This is the first time a review like this has been conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, so no one really knows how it’s going to work, but if the Inspector-General does not uphold the Security Certificate against Mr Zaoui, his refugee status means he is free to live in Aotearoa New Zealand, if not it is possible he could be deported.
Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard has called the state of Aboriginals in the Northern Territories a “national emergency,” after a recent inquiry found violence and child sexual abuse rife in the area. Howard has responded with plans to take control of the territories and bring change through state administration, which some see as a backdoor way to get hold of Aboriginal lands ceded to them under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. 
A solidarity march in Aotearoa went largely unreported, except by Māori Television (about 9 minutes into the video). For more info about the march and upcoming protests keep an eye on Indymedia.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOU TO BE PART OF
It’s all about 07/07/07!!
No More Excuses is a photo petition organised by a group of young people in Christchurch , calling on the New Zealand government to meet its promise of giving 0.7% of its GNI (gross national income) as ODA (foreign aid). Check out their website for all the info. The photos and names will be delivered to a Member of Parliament on 7 July, which is tomorrow, so if you want to and haven’t already, go the website and add your photo to the petition!
Midway To The MDGs
The 7 July marks the midway point for progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Not sure what this is all about? Get yourself up to speed with the MDGs, MDG progress and MDG critiques using the new Dev-Zone Onepager on the topic.
Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7 July. Kevin Wall, executive producer of Live 8, and Al Gore have organised the event in the hope it will bring 2 billion people together and trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. So no major expectations then Al?! There is no concert planned for Aotearoa NZ, but find out how you can still be part of it. If you are in Wellington and want to promote the event tomorrow contact silviazuur@hotmail.com
NEW STUFF ON THE JUST FOCUS WEBSITE
The second of our “isms” articles for JET has just been posted- An Age Old Problem looks at discrimination facing young people in Aotearoa. Keep an eye out for Nicole’s article on cyber-activism in Global Citizenship in a Virtual World, which was just published in EXPAND magazine!
LINKS TO OTHER INTERESTING STUFF
Take a look at the vodcasts on Media Snackers, watch some short videos made by young people from around the world at One Minutes Jrs, sign the chocolate petition or check out the hype around Micheal Moore’s new film SICKO.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?
Why does freedom of the press not apply to NZ? That’s a good question. Check out the discussion on the forum prompted by the plan to change the rules for televising Parliament, including a new offence if footage is used for “satire, ridicule or denigration”.
Violent video games are under the spotlight again, as Manhunt 2 is due to be released here. This is a game which has already be banned in the UK and Ireland . Some are worried about the effect violent games have on young people but one JF member points out “It’s not just violent video games; it’s the violence everywhere that makes people violent”. What do YOU think? Does playing violent games lead to violent behaviour?
NEW STUFF FOR YOU
Check out the Highlights from the Dev-Zone film collection to get an idea of the great videos and DVDs we have in the library.
Email eva@globaled.org.nz for info on how to borrow them.
WANNA GET MORE INVOLVED?
Want to add stuff to the next newsletter or the Events Page, or to write an article/review, or take a photo/create an image for the Just Focus website? Reply to us at info@justfocus.org.nz, it’s always great to hear from you.