Christmas is coming!
Cultural festivals, such as Christmas, are undoubtedly enjoyable and an important time for families and friends to relax together. Many have important religious significance. On the other hand, such events are often defined by excess and waste...lights, fireworks, over-packaging, excessive spending, over-eating and embarrassing self indulgence.
What do you think? Is Christmas sustainable? How would it all work in a changed world?
Or should all the 'do-gooders' leave our festivals alone!!!!


What Christmas means to me
For me Christmas is a special event in which I share quality time with those I love dearly. I can honestly say that now a days is not about presents, but about being together, being with the one's I love most. It is about appreicating one another. I will admit in previous years it was more about the presents and all the 'nice, posh' food. But times change. I have memories of piling up the presents, comparing with my brother and sister, who had the most, or who had the largest. I could never contain myself when my stocking was sat full on the end of my bed, I always had to peek before the morning. I remember being fustrated that we had to wait to open all our presents until everyone had been through the bathroom in the morning and we had had breakfast. Our breaksfasts on Christmas day use to consist of the chocolate in our stockings! - It makes me sad when I look back, those times were so happy. We don't tend to go to Church on Christmas day, but this year we are going to. It is strange what events that happen throughout the year can shape how you spend your time and how you can feel on Christmas Day. This is just about my Christmas Day though, and everyone's is different and has different meanings for each individual.

The True Meaning of Christmas???
The real meaning of Christmas is often forgotten. It has become a non-religious holiday! More children believe in Father Christmas than in Jesus. Christmas Day is a time for eating and drinking too much and watching television.

Please take a look at this link which provides an online video of 'The World to Come' by David C. Pack

http://www.thercg.org/landing/holidays.html?s_kwcid=TC7299the%20meaning%20of%20christmasS3271296331&gclid=CJKtyvyN2Z4CFUgA4wodDzibrQ


I agree that often the true meaning of Christmas is forgotten. From a religious aspect the real Christmas story is found in the Christian Bible. It is told in two different books: Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2.


Read the Christmas story from an ancient biographer, Luke (Chapter 2).
Luke's biography records how Mary and her husband Joseph left their home in Nazareth to travel to Joseph's ancestral home, Bethlehem, to enroll in the census ordered by the Roman emperor, Augustus. Finding no room in inns in the town, they set up primitive lodgings in a stable. There Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger or stall. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the home of the house of King David from which Joseph was descended, fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. This is confirmed to Mary by a visit from angels and shepherds.
Read the Christmas story from an ancient biographer, Matthew (Chapter 1).
Matthew's biography begins by recounting the genealogy and virgin birth of Jesus, and then moves to the coming of the Wise Men from the Orient (likely China) to where Jesus was staying after his birth in Bethlehem. The wise men, or Magi, first arrived in Jerusalem and reported to the king of Judea, Herod the Great, that they had seen a star heralding the birth of a king. Further inquiry led them to Bethlehem of Judea and the location of Mary and Joseph. They presented Jesus with treasures of "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."





It is here that we have developed many Christmas stories and practices, however today the stance of these traditional stories has taken a more modern day approach and diverted from the real teachings.




I believe that children are an important factor for Christmas, they make Christmas magical, and there is nothing so rewarding than to see my little foster sister's eyes light up when she see's Santa and all her Christmas parties! However, I think is also important that children (from a age of about 4 years and upwards) do know to some extent about the background religious story of Christmas and what it means. Sometimes it can be easily forgotten and spoilt children just associate it with presents. Without putting the dampers on such a magical event, this is a link to a website that is well worth a look at, it teaches Children the true meaning of Christmas in a child-friendly way without losing the main meaning http://www.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/meaning.htm, the most valuable quotation for me personally from this website is “Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten”








Blogs on ‘The Meaning of Christmas’
Whilst researching I came across this blog and found it rather interesting, so thought I would include a blog entry in my blog!
‘Here is an interesting exercise, list all the rules Jesus gave his followers. You'll find very few. I am sure you can agree Jesus gave no instruction for exploring space, none for heart surgery and never told anyone how to build a church building (architecture), neither did he say "don't do those things".
Jesus never said "don't celebrate my birth" and he never said "do". No where in the collective works found in the modern bible does it say "don't" or "do". If another religion celebrates an event on one day must I celebrate on another? What would happen if the pagans celebrate on all days, where would be a time for celebrating something else?
The argument "because it was pagan" is weak. Much of our culture, language and behaviors can be traced back to "pagans" and "barbarians" yet we don't throw them out. We use pagan months in our calendar, the stars are named after pagan gods. So If I don't worship the stars or the months or the gods of old or celebrate who the pagans did - how is it I am celebrating a pagan holiday?
Trappings is also a weak argument, it shows me that those who thought of it are put off by comparisons. Yup, there are lots of celebrations in historic and modern religions of renewal and rebirth, the birth of a special god and the creation recycled but that does not mean Jesus was not born, and it does not mean we should not celebrate his birth; it only means there are lots of other uses for December 25th. What would happen if I told your boss at work, you practice pagan rituals in your office during work hours? Oh yes "tapping", "chanting", "reciting the names of the gods"; yet you don't do this as a pagan celebration, you call it typing, memorizing things, and reading a calendar.
Okay I admit, Jesus was likely NOT born on December 25th, the biographers of the day record "shepherds being in the field" and December is too cold for that, so since we celebrate "as often as we do theses things" atonement / Eucharist / communion, which proves you can celebrate something; why cant we celebrate anything we want, whenever we want - make up celebrations we feel good about and worship God with freedom and freedom of criticism and condemnation? Did not the Father celebrate the return of his lost son? The widow the lost coin? Luke 15.
Jesus used these words: "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the Son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
It is not harder then that unless one makes it so.
I will celebrate Jesus birth, I love the idea, and the season. Thank God for it. '






This blog is courtesty of a bloke named Victor Emmanuel - Thankyou Victor!
Source http://www.jesuscentral.com/ji/lands/christmas.php




Studies about Christmas

There have even been studies into questioning 'Should We Celebrate Christmas?' for example
CHRISTMAS: Somebody's Cooked Your Goose! A Study by Tricia Tillin of Banner Ministries. © 1998 Tricia Tillin.written in 1984. I have included an entry from the introduction of this book.



‘It is almost impossible to be impartial about Christmas. So much of the celebration is now fixed for us by popular entertainment, commerce and the Church that the most we can do is to avoid the worst examples of bad taste and put our own particular mark on the food and decorations.

The study looks into media influence; family pressure; the hypocriscy of Christmas; Christmas as a Christain festival and arguments for and against the celebration of Christmas.

Media Influence
I am in agreement with Tricia that the media present Christmas as an idylic day. It becomes almost a crime to mention a mean or selfish act at Christmas. We are taught to believe hostility must be forgotten; goodness and kindness must flourish. The real world no longer seems to exist. But yet, as Tricai reports 'we all know that the usual hooliganism, robbery, drunkenness and vice will soon afterwards be reported, and the figures for suicide and divorce will rocket as ordinary mortals try to reconcile the fantasy with their reality'

Family Pressure
'The enormous pressure on families to spend more than they can afford, coupled with the encouragement to ‘eat, drink and be merry’ at any price, is no part of a genuine Christian festival.'

Hypocritical
Is this not a hypocritical stand to take? We, who are generally so careful to avoid pagan practises, and who pride ourselves in being biblically accurate, somehow switch off our powers of discernment at Christmastime, and "anything goes". The time for such self-indulgence is now over. We MUST now make a stand!

Is Christmas a Christian Festival?
Christmas has become big business, and undoubtedly it is a festival of self-indulgence for many, but, despite this, can Christmas still be a holy festival, full of meaning for those who celebrate it as the birth of the Lord Jesus? Can the religious undertones of crib and carols, nativity plays, candle-lit services and midnight mass raise Christmas to a higher level, above the bleep of electronic toys and the clinking of glasses? Unfortunately not; and this is nothing new, for the Church has been fighting a losing battle against the rites of the Winter Solstice for many centuries.
As we hear yet again the annual lament that the Christian aspects of the festival have taken second place, let us pause to wonder if this is because Christmas is, after all, a pagan festival.

For and Against
Since the beginning of the Church, there has been a sharp division of opinion on the subject of pagan customs, including the festival of ‘Christmas’. On one side were those who wanted to ‘christianise’ the practises in order more easily to win over the heathen as converts, and on the other side were those who abhorred idolatry in all its forms and sought to eliminate the customs root and branch.
For example, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (339-397) says of December 25th, the Roman Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, "Well do Christian people call this holy day on which our Lord was born, the day of the new sun".


I have only taken the most relevant abstracts from this website, but please feel free to investigate further:
Source http://www.intotruth.org/misc/xmas1.html




Christmas and Sustainability

Western countries celebrate Christmas very differently to less economically developed countries and I would argue it is becoming quite unsustainable. In many countries of the world, the celebration of Christmas on December 25th is a high point of the year. From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows. In streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' (real or plastic evergreen 'conifer' trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments. I confess I buy my Christmas presents throughout the year! I do question how sustainable christmas is though. For one factor, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees and coloured lights and most homes around where I live have some sort of lighting outside aswell. There is one particular close around the corner, called Summerhayes, which is actually featured on the local news. It is a whole cold-de-sac where every house is covered in lights, singing blown-up santa's, dancing snow men, little runaway trains - it is quite an experience. Every Christmas eve and Christmas Day Evening as a family we walk round there to soak up the atmosphere. When the lights are turned on on the first weekend in December, my brother plays in the local brass band and everyone gathers for mulled wine and mince-pies, it is very much a community event. However, I admit until recently I had not even considered the electricity so many lights use for this display and even though money is raised for the local Willen Hospice Charity, the whole thing must be unsustainable! These days, so many more people decorate garden trees or house walls with coloured electric lights - just think of the electricty.


Then there is the issue of Christmas Cards! In UK this year, the British Post Office expects to handle over 100 million cards EACH DAY, in the three weeks before Christmas. The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times. I am beginning to object to Christmas cards! I hate writing so many, I hate recieving so many (where to we put them all!) We hang ours using ribbon and then they all fall down and it gets so fustrating as we have to keep hanging them up, then we run out of room to hang them! - All the same I do recycle my Christmas cards, we is more to say that the majority of people!



Here are a few interesting facts to think about:

• In Britain we create over two million tonnes of waste at Christmas. Once the presents have been unwrapped, we dispose of five and a half million Christmas trees, over 20 million bottles, over two million aluminium cans and over 80 square kilometres of wrapping paper!!
• In the UK over the Christmas period we consume 5.5 million jars of mincemeat, 12 million jars of pickles and 6.5 million jars of cranberry.Thinking about a sustainable Christmas?

Enjoying a sustainable Christmas doesn’t mean you have to miss out on anything - all you need to do is have a think about your actions, and perhaps change a few basic things. Local governments have published useful guides about how to celebrate the Christmas season most sutainably.

Ideas prior to Christmas,

• when buying wrapping paper, look for recycled paper or save your paper from the year before.

On Christmas Day itself

• With extra visitors and extra cooking your home will feel warmer, why not turn your thermostat down by 1degree. Maintain this temperature throughout the year and by next Christmas you could have saved around £30.00 on your energy bills.
• Decorative lights in your home and on your tree - Lessen the impact on energy use by turning off more lights elsewhere – you will get a lovely atmosphere as well.

After Christmas

• how many items you can recycle

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas! - Twelve ways for a sustainable Christmas
Penrith City Council’s Dreaming of a Green Christmas campaign celebrates the fun and festive aspects of Christmas while encouraging people to think about ways to make it more sustainable, this is Penrith City Council's guide for 12 ways for a sustainable christmas

Source http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=2833

1. Shop locally

2.Shop with companies with a fair trade ethic

3. Buy sustainable gifts

4.Give a gift that keeps on giving

5.Wrap presents with recycled paper

6.Turn Christmas lights off overnight

7.Spend lots of time with family and friends

8.Buy locally-grown or organic produce for your Christmas lunch

9.Give charity, recycled or e-cards

10. Make a donation to a good cause

11. Buy Green Power for your Christmas event

12.Pool your Christmas shopping into fewer bags

I guess Christmas could be made more sustainable that it already is, however I do question to what extent it can ever be regarded as a sustainable event. And I predict in the years to come it will become more and more unsustainable as we as humans are becoming more and more unsustainable!


My Conclusion to Christmas
To conclude Christmas in my opinion is a time for celebration, giving and spending time with family and friends. For most, it is a positive time, but it can also be a time of great stress, loneliness and expense. For many it has religious meaning; the Birth of Jesus, but sadly it has equally become for a large proportion of people now-a-days a day of greed and selfish celebrations. As previously mentioned I don't believe Christmas can ever be regarded as sustainable, however I am of the opinion that we can change small practices to make the event a little less unsustainable, as the future looks bleak in terms of sustainability if we continue the path we are currently taking. I don't want to be a scrooge, so I think individuals should take their own responsible steps. I think 'do-gooders' take things to the extreme and if they are hell bent on celebrating their Christmas' differently then that is up to them, but they should not ruin it for others. Equally, at the other end of the spectrum, those that are obsessively greedy and selfish should consider how they are ruining the Christmas celebrations for others.

I have expressed my own thoughts about Christmas but Christmas has 1001 different meanings to so many people, it is not for me to judge or comment on the outlook of Christmas for the world as a whole. I shall leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions.

Apologies, but I can't seem to put this images where I want!

Most newspapers sold in the United Kingdom are tabloids. Only one broadsheet features in the top six selling newspapers of January 2009 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2009).
1. The Sun 3,146,000
2. The Daily Mail 2,200,398
3. The Daily Mirror 1,366,891
4. The Daily Telegraph 783,210
5. The Daily Star 768,534
6. The Daily Mirror 736,340

The most watched television programmes in the United Kingdom have limited history of dealing with serious issues!
/e 8 Nov 2009
000's
1
THE X FACTOR RESULTS (SUN 1959)
15,003
2
THE X FACTOR (SAT 2000)
13,051
3
CORONATION STREET (MON 1932)
10,851
4
CORONATION STREET (MON 2029)
10,542
5
DOC MARTIN (SUN 2102)
10,285
6
CORONATION STREET (FRI 2029)
9,459
7
CORONATION STREET (FRI 1932)
9,164
8
CORONATION STREET (THU 2031)
8,601
9
EMMERDALE (MON 1900)
7,456
10
EMMERDALE (THU 2000)
7,379
so....To what extent do the best selling UK newspapers cover stories related to serious issues? To what extent would you think that it is their role to do so? In your opinion does the tabloid media and 'low budget entertainment' (reality shows, soaps) have too much power and influence in this country?

Firstly - What is considered a serious issue? This is a highly opinionated question in itself. For my little foster sister a ‘serious issue’ would be the fact that ‘Iggly-Piggle & Upsy Daisy soft toys’ have been recalled and are off the shelves due to the health and safety concerns of the buttons on their outfits, so she won’t be getting that for Christmas! Whereas for my dad a serious issue may be the falling interests rates of HSBC bank. When reading my thoughts about UK newspapers, media coverage, tabloids and TV please consider whether you have the same perception as me, because this is a highly controversial and opinionated subject in study.

The media is highly influential and has gained more power as it has become more established. According to McQuail (1969:2)’mass communications comprise the institutions and techniques by which specialized groups employ technological devices (press, radio, films, etc.) to disseminate symbolic content to large, heterogeneous, and widely dispersed audiences’. The mass media – particularly television – have become ‘the cultural epicentre’ of our world (Castells, 1996:336, 333). It has become part of our daily rountine to encounter the media and media production is now one of the largest and most lucrative industrial sectors in the global economy. Connel (1988) says media, particularly the TV have been credited with ‘fabulous’ powers to change people and have been blamed for contributing to most social ills. This fact does not bode well especially as the most newspapers sold in the United Kingdom are tabloid, commonly know for not being compiled of intellectual discourse!


Below is a list of what Wikipedia claim to be Newspapers focused on serious journalism
Broadsheet format
Daily
The Daily Telegraph (est. 1855) – owned by David and Frederick Barclay – Conservative
Financial Times (est. 1888) – owned by Pearson PLC. A business-oriented daily. Economically liberal.
Sunday
The Sunday Telegraph (est. 1961) – owned by David and Frederick Barclay – Conservative
The Sunday Times (est. 1822) – owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Centre-Right.
Berliner format
Daily
The Guardian (est. 1821) — owned by the Scott Trust; The Guardian switched to Berliner size on 12 September 2005. Left-of-centre, socially liberal
Sunday
The Observer (est. 1791) — owned by the Scott Trust; switched to Berliner size on 8 January 2006. Left-of-centre, socially liberal
Compact format
Daily
The Independent (est. 1986) – Daily compact from May 2004. Centre-left, liberal views.
The Times (est. 1785) – Daily compact from November 2004. Owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Centre-right, Conservative.
Sunday
Independent on Sunday (est. 1990) – Sunday paper compact from October 2005. Centre-left, liberal views.

But these papers are not the commonly read in the UK – tabloids are! The Sun itself even advertises its content as ‘Get the latest news and features at The Sun - Showbiz, TV, babes, celebrities, sport and racing, national and international news’ – in which news is mentioned last!

According to the Guardian – ‘Politicians should stop sucking up to the tabloids It makes them look unprincipled and probably won't help them win elections either’
– is this just bitterness and rivalry between newspapers?

In addition, analysis of the media power focuses on the growing popularity of the TV. The UK the average daily TV viewing time is 3 hours, according to OECD's “Communications Outlook 2007”, but this sounds a little unrealistic to me!- I double checked this with National statistics.gov.uk and they are coming up with complimentary figures, so I guess it must be right!

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=602

(sorry tried to include table from Office for National Statistics about Figures show the average time spent watching the television, video and DVD. but for some reason wouldn't let me copy and paste - if you are interested please find it on this website)

http://http//www.longcountdown.com/2008/05/24/tv-viewing-figures-vs-iq-ranking-by-country/

Looking at the graph (at top of blog entry!) – us Brits don’t seem as much as a ‘couch potato’ as the US!

Unfortunately a great proportion of viewing time is of ‘social’ programmes and not informative channels, such as documentaries. Which leads onto my next example:
X Factor viewing figures to top 12 million? The number of viewings reflects the popularity of the show, and then all the press afterwards shows its influence!

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/shelleyvision/x-factor/

Tabloids and ‘low budget entertainment closely link their work, it could be considered collaborative media coverage. This way the public get ‘double wammy’ and both succeed in gaining greater power and influence of our society.

Here is more food for thought:
The tabloids are highly influential, but to want extent are they telling us the truth? Typically the media, any form of media have an agenda; some social commentators have an agenda and pursue their agendas regardless of facts. In her article Demonised by the tabloid media, Terence Grange discusses the true agenda’s behind tabloids. (http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/about/CI/CP/the_edge/issue24/demonised.aspx)
“The tabloid newspapers and tabloid television and the hunt across TV channels for ever more CCTV footage demonstrating the fecklessness, violence and anti-social attitudes which prevail are clear evidence of two things; firstly, these things are happening and secondly, the tabloids, both press and media, are only too willing to show them. Is what they show evidence that modern youth has a problem, the problem being that modern youth is as pictured by the press and TV? Or is it evidence that the tabloid media has an obsession and is pursuing that obsession regardless of overwhelming evidence that what they show is the exception rather than the rule?”
Her writing demonstrates the high influence such media has in our country, and how much of it do we take literally and how much should we take with a pinch of salt? In this circumstance I consider the content in discussion, (teenagers in society today) a rather serious issue, but nevertheless is it a justice account that she is anaylsing. When the tabloid do decide to cover more serious issues, I believe they do not do it well, this is probably because they rarely cover ‘serious issues’ (in my eyes) so when they do it is merely their own obscured taking on the matter!

Here are some opinions of the media, taken from Yahoo comments:‘Its never the truth in the media, only what u wanted to hear’
‘The media is just a load of B******KS’
‘I love the media, I love juicy gossip’

Books such as Tabloid Prodigy: Dishing the Dirt, Getting the Gossip, and Selling My Soul in the Cutthroat World of Hollywood Reporting illustrate the role in which Tabloids play and the coverage they consist of. Tabloid press have a lot of power.

Here is another thought and evidence how much influence and the extent to which tabloids will go to to influence us – the death of Princess Diana - at the time tabloids were getting bad press because Princess Diana’s death was as a result of a car accident involving the paparazzi.

To conclude, if tabloids wish to present themselves informing the public of juicy, gossip and latest celeb news then is it their role to cover serious issues? Is this not what broadsheet newspapers and documentaries set out to do. The tabloids are aiming for different markets and if they were to cover serious issues then I believe that respectively their sales would drop! (I know I am being stereotypical – you might have guessed I am not a Sun reader!). Lastly, unfortunately I do believe that the media in general to hold far to much power and influence in this country, and with tabloid and ‘low budget entertainment’ popularity being greatest, the influence is not beneficial in my view. We are educating the people of our country with jargon! And not serious issues at all. However, it is up to the individual to seek their own form of education, and enlight themselves of the news that they wish to receive. It could eb argued that it is for this reason why we live in such an unsustainable, un manageable hooliganism world. However, it is going to take more that tabloid and ‘low budget entertainment’ coverage to change the greater problems that we face.

One of the central themes underpinning sustainable development is equality and fairness. This is reflected in the concept of 'empowered citizenship'- in that we can all make a contribution to making our community (our local area, our region, our country, our planet) a better place now and in the future. Some important areas are quite difficult to understand. Science, economics, politics are often quite difficult to comprehend and yet are central to decisions that are made by others about our lives.

To what extent do you think that it is your duty as a citizen to be 'informed'? Are you informed? How do you get to be informed about serious issues? To what extent do you think that you should leave the complicated decisions up to others?

By definition, a 'citizen is an individual with certain rights and duties under a government and who, by birth or by choice, owes allegiance to that government.' Citizenship involves many duties and responsibilities, the basic is to contribute to the common good.

According to wilkipedia citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, or national community.
Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities. "Active citizenship" is the philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community through economic participation, public service, volunteer work, and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens.

In a more understable language, our responsibilities are governed and enforced upon us through our goverments. These legally enforced responsibilities or duties of citizenship vary depending on one's country. Examples include:

• paying taxes


• serving on a jury


• Voting


• serving in the country's armed forces when called upon


• obeying the criminal laws enacted by one's government, even while abroad

American citizens have First Amendment freedoms:•

• Religion—Government may not establish an official religion, nor endorse, or unduly interfere with the free exercise of religion.


• Speech—Individuals are free to express their opinions and beliefs.
  
• Press—The press has the right to gather and publish information, including that which criticizes the government.


• Assembly—Individuals may peacefully gather


• Petition—Individuals have the right to make their views known to public officials.
  
  http://civics.pwnet.org/CE/CE.4.html
  

Whereas in China, The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China regulates how Chinese lead their lives.

I would therefore argue, that if we are dutifully bound to follow laws and regulations imposed by our country of residence, then in return we are at least owed the power of knowledge, learning and understanding. We as citizens have a right to be informed, and informed the truth.

To be informed means to communicate knowledge and there are many ways to inform people and for people to be informed. Here are just some examples:

• books


• magazines


• visual advertisements - e.g. posters, billboards


• media advertisement -e.g. radio broadcasts, TV programmes/documentaries


• through music and songs


• leaflets/handouts


• newspapers


• the internet


• through the spoken word - simply talking to one another

I would say that the internet has become one of the most popular sources for information - you have the whole world at your finger tips. However, it can be dangerous and often the information is not factual, you have to be very careful to find the source and appreciate that you can not believe everything you read.

As an individual it is the source of the information which is relevant and important to me, nearly as much as the information itself. The source must be reliable for me to act responsible to it. A poor/negative source can greatly infuence the outcome of the information. It is how this information is provided and commuicated which is also of importance.

Looking at a wider scale it is positive to see progress in informing citizens by local councils. In a document pubished by http://www.communities.gov/ (April 2006) councils are to develop new ways to keep their citizens better informed. It states:
'Everyone has the right to request information held by public sector organisations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000'

It is believed that improvements in public services and effective citizen empowermet rest on transparency of information. In the current climate we are turning to advanced technology to inform us and teach us. For example, companies such as Digital Engagement believe in empowering citizens & Government through Digital Innovation. It claims “Government has been actively exploring the key issues around the use of digital technologies in the public sector and determining how it can engage more effectively with citizens to increase social inclusion and efficiency whilst delivering better public services.” http://www.publictechnology.net/

In relation to my own life experiences, I believe I am very much an independent person when requiring information, in the sense that I shall often go actively in search of the information as in general it is not provided to an adequate level for my demand. It is very much dependant on the type and source from which such information is being requested. For example, if I merely wanted a bus timetable then I can just look at my local bus stop or if I required the telephone number for a pizza delivery service then I could turn to my local yellow pages - all of which the local government provide. However, when it comes to more serious issues or I require a greater depth of knowledge on more complicated topics, I feel as if I have to search a lot harder for the information I so wish for and then I also have to question the extent to which the information I have found provides me with a fair answer, or is it derived by somebody's opinion and not factual. For example, one topic I believe I have little knowledge on, due to the lack of appropriate information, is politics. I find it confusing what I read in the media or what I watch on the television (like in the Houses of Parliment). I tend to forget about politics because of my lack of understanding, however I would very much like a non-bias account about what is going on in the world of politics and why.

In addition, I also believe that some people are more informed than others, and this to me is unfair. It is not neccessarily those of a more previledged background (e.g. they can afford the internet or have 6 televisions and one in their own room!) I believe under the power of the present government some groups of people benefit more than others. For example, those of a working class background are more informed about the benefits that they can recieve, than someone of an upper-class knows what number to ring when they need specialist advice about a health condition. Please note this is only my opinion and I do not wish to offend anybody nor do I mean to be subjective to different classes of people, this is merely an example to try and explain my beliefs.
The information that one is presented with is very much governed and controlled by 'people in high places'. In terms of serious issues, I feel as if we are almost too sheltered from the reality due to the lack of information that we are provided with. Is this the intention? If we are taught little, then perhaps we as a nation will question less the success (or generally the unsuccess) of our leaders (by this I am referring to our government bodies and the 'people in high places').

I therefore would argue that we should not always leave the complicated serious decisions in life up to others because who is to say that they know best? In some circumstances it would be more appropriate to, e.g. a doctor would usually be best to diagnose treatment when presented with a certain health condition (invariable anyway) as they have obtained plenty of information to give them expertise with the situation. However, one must make their own judgement as to whether or not to leave questions and problems for others to find the answers to. I would just recommend that you should be aware of 'spin' on situations and never completely trust the outcome or believe everything you are presented with.

Al Gore and the Inconvient Truth

Al Gore (and the IPCC) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 (BBC 2007) largely for the production of the film 'An Inconvenient Truth'
The committee cited "their efforts to build up and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change".



To what extent do you think this was deserved? Having watched this film in class did you feel that your opinion (or perhaps the opinion of others) to the issue of climate change could be positively influenced? What did you think of this film? Was it effective?





Firstly I would like to introduce you to Al Gore:-






A man who I have a lot of respect for, and who I believe would have made a better president of the United States than George Bush, but then again anyone would have!!!


Here is a factfile I found on the BBC website about him - just to give a little background knowledge.




Fact File
Date of Birth:31st March 1948
Famous For: Making thousands think 'What if?' when Dubya beat him to the presidency by just 547 votes
Infamous For: His immodest - but arguably correct - boast that he helped create the internet
Soundbite: "You know the old saying: you win some, you lose some... and then there's that little-known third category"
Useless Fact: He was Tommy Lee Jones' roommate at Harvard

I noticed that he cannot be a fool as he went to Harvard, and I have questioned his efforts in the creation of the internet, but my research didn't make me anymore the wiser as to whether or not this was a myth or the truth.

All the same I personally praise all his efforts (in relation to climate change awareness) and believe his worthy of the Nobel Piece Prize. To what extent he can make a difference is questionnable, however he has done all he can within his capability to draw attention (even if it be through the media) to the realities and severity of climate change.

Some would argue Al Gore is an unlikely film star, however I don't think he would regard himself as a film star, I just think that it was a very ingenious way to promote an extremely important message to the people of today and is probably the most efective way to communicate. Personally, the success of the film (An Inconvienient Truth) for me is the fact it takes climate science out of the textbook and moulds it into something which we can see, rather than bore us with lists of facts and statistics, the film uses real life realities to display the severity of the situation. For example, Kilimanjaro. This photo should scare people:

‘Within the decade there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro."

I think that the views of climate change could be positively influenced after watching the film. It has definately caught the attention of the US, as it became the third highest grossing documentary of all time, returning more than $23m (£12m) and to some extent it has clearly captured the attention of the wider US, where 2.3 million people have seen it.

It has recieved numerous positive comments and Al Gore was praised as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted", through his lectures, films and books.

Al Gore's motives behind his research are very personal and touching, to me this illustrates the 'human-side' of Al Gore, after all he is an individual, like you and I, I think he is deserving of the award and some people are only against him due to past publicity. From his personal perspective Al Gore hoped the award would bring a "greater awareness and a sense of urgency" to the fight against global warming and he said he would donate his half of the $1.5m prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection, who he praises non-stop.

The award can only be seen as a positive thing as Al Gore claims "I will be doing everything I can to try to understand how to best use the honour and recognition of this award as a way of speeding up the change in awareness, and the change in urgency." Even President George W Bush, who defeated Mr Gore for the presidency in 2000, was "happy" at the "important recognition" for his rival and the IPCC, however he has not fully supported Gore's attempt to raise public awareness and educate the world's people about climate change as he has refused to adopt a more "Gore-style" approach to the global warming issue.

All the same, a few flaws have been identified in the film. There have been several claims that it leaves out some of the uncertainties in projections of climate change, and could be accused of concentrating on worst-case scenarios - although as Chris Rapley of the British Antarctic Survey has pointed out, worst-case scenarios can turn out to be the ones that happen. Other's argue that pitifully small screentime has been given to the solutions.

Richard Black, the BBC Environment correspondent believes, 'The main aim, I think, was to scare viewers - to wake people, particularly Americans, from a coal-fuelled comfort zone and demand action from political leaders.
And in a congenial, user-friendly, understated way, he has perhaps created the most terrifying movie of all time'

Post not finisihed - To be continued

What actions could you (in theory) undertake that would improve the 'sustainability' of your lifestyle? What might be preventing you from doing these?

In response to sustainable living, I would like to consider myself as leading quite a sustainable lifestyle within my capabilities and in comparison to a lot of people my age. However, there is always room for improvement.

Firstly, looking at the Agenda 21 of the Rio Declaration on Environmental Development 1992, 37 issues were raised, one being Waste Recycling which could be tackled at national, local and individual levels. I believe, this is one way I could easily improve the sustainability of my lifestyle especially as where I live (in MK) a brand new major recycling scheme has gone underway very recently and we have been delivered a little caddy and a green wheely bin!!! The recycling facilities in MK are really good so there should be no excuse for me not to do all I can at home. In addition, I am going to try and get my family on board - easier said then done though! Here is a link to my local community website about all I can do to support the recycling schemes in MK http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/recycling/home.asp. The only thing that I can think of that would stop me from participating fully in the scheme is the lack of time. It takes time to wash all the plastic, empty the caddy, remember what is suppose to go where and when it is suppose to go out for collection - however this is laziness and I do not consider myself lazy!

I already use public transport a lot as I do not have a car nor can I drive, so this is more sustainable. I lift share to uni when I can and all other times I catch the train and buses. Unfortunately, public transport is unreliable and always has been, this is why lots of people do not choose it over the car, despite it often being cheaper. Again it is also inconvient especially in winter. If I could drive, then I would definately choose a car over public transport, despite it being the less sustainable option.

To improve the sustainability of my lifefstyle I could evaluate what, where and when I buy. I found an excellent website by Channel 4 - http://www.channel4learning.com/sites/planet/takfooknwsus.html
It tells me how to live a sustainable lifestyle and has recommended some very good tips, including:
ALWAYS support local shops.
ALWAYS share a shopping trip with a friend or neighbour.
ALWAYS read the labels on the food you buy and find out where the ingredients come from.
ALWAYS buy a local alternative, if you can.
ALWAYS buy only what you know you will eat and not too much.
ALWAYS buy food that tastes good rather than looks good
These ideas are all well and good, but again it is usually a more expensive, time consuming and inconvienent solution. For example local shops charge far more than TESCO and when you go to TESCO it is all under one roof easier than going to a bakery, then a delicatessen, then the butchers and a seperate fruit and veg store, takes far more time and effort. Time is something a lot of people in this day in age simply can't afford to waste. I would like to buy more fair trade products as this is something I feel very strongly and passionately about, however, it is more expensive again and not always available. I have decided though not to be so greedy in buying, for example at Christmas. This is a way lots of people can cut back, essentially this year there is no present that I need, but people often feel obliged to buy gifts - this is seen as greedy in my opinion! It is different if you need something but to accept lots of gifts for the sake of it is wasteful especially when you don't use half of them and they stay in the packaging for half a year. I could recycle christmas presents this year! That is sustainable!

I shall add some more sustainable living ideas on a new post later on in the week, but I hope I have done this correctly? I am sure Greg you can let me know as I haven't quite got my head around this blogging idea.

My First Ever Blog

Not sure I have done this right!