Articles
This section contains a variety of articles and stories that appear in GEC publications and resources.
What Would Jesus Buy
'Super Size Me' Director Morgan Spurlocks latest film
In the weeks leading to Christmas, Reverend Billy and the Choir board a bus headed from advertising-thick Times Square through the heartland’s shopping malls to the commercial mecca — Disneyland.
MoreMusic For Change
Music That Shakes The World!
Music makes us happy, it makes us sad, it makes us dance ... And sometimes, it makes us mad. Music has always been used as a voice for social change. This month, tearaway takes a look at some of those voices...
MorePlanet Earth: Now You See It, Now You Don't
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
Turn off the stereo, throw out the x-box and uncover the truth behind climate change. What do they discover? It’s a vital issue for our generation – and much more pressing than who Paris Hilton is dating...
MoreDrugs: Nobody's Winning The War!
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
In the year 2000, the global drug trade was estimated at a value of US$400b. It’s an issue worth more than the price of feeding the planet over the same period of time. From the rainforests of South America to the remotest parts of Afghanistan to Pete Doherty’s Honker, we trace the journey of the most profitable crops in the world...
MoreFreedom of Expression: Express Yourself!
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
The freedom to express ourselves is something we can sometimes take for granted in New Zealand. So much so we couldn’t even say what ‘freedom of expression’ really means. Turns out there are more blurry lines than answers...
MoreTake Action: Seven Ways to Change the World
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
Every day we’re bombarded with stories and images of conflict, loss, environmental decline and poverty – yet our sympathy for these issues is lost as quickly as we change the channel...
MorePoverty: A World Divided
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
As we spin further into the twenty-first century our world remains a divided place. For a lucky few there is plenty; for most there is none. The richest 20 percent of the world’s population now consume 86 percent of its resources. For the vast majority of people, however, even the most basic necessities of life – clean water, food, shelter – are scarce.
MoreBranding: Label Bashers
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
Hoodies or miniskirts, ugg boots or sport shoes – whatever your wardrobe looks like, there’s no denying that we carry a sense of self-expression in our clothes, something to give the world a sense of “us”.
MoreColonisation - Eh?!
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
When you look deeper into the story of colonisation, when you look past its history of bloodshed and hatred, you also see the possibility for unity between peoples. New languages, new skills, new religion – not to replace those which were there before, but to exist alongside them, giving both the colonists and the colonised a chance to learn, understand and develop an appreciation for each other...
MoreNature's Pain
Just Focus articles originally published in Tearaway Magazine
Reading the environmental facts can feel like being subjected to one of those infomercials that just won’t shut up. Every time you think it’s over, it starts up again with more stuff you don’t want to hear. An area of rainforest roughly the size of a rugby field is hacked down every second. But wait! There’s more! Most domesticated cats eat more protein per day than an average person in Africa. And that’s not all! Ninety percent of all large fish have disappeared from the oceans in the last 50 years. And – YES! – the ozone hole is larger than Russia and China combined...
MorePeace Now!
Just Focus articles orginally published in Tearaway Magazine
The pain and suffering of war continues and the world never seems to learn. But violent conflict can and must be stopped. Everybody needs to work together to achieve a just world peace...
MoreDrug Money: The Real Costs
Just Focus article orginally published in Jet magazine
While taking drugs isn’t new, the incredible growth in the illegal drug trade is! Despite all the risks involved, it has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, and news seems to be spreading of the mula that can be made. It comes down to simple economics: the greater demand the higher the price. Drugs are in great demand and prices are high. But what is the real cost?
MoreThe Body Burden
Are additives in our food really safe?
Inside New Zealand’s recent expose “What’s really in our food” on 13 September 2007, appears to have hit a nerve for many viewers. In the first half of 2007 climate change got many people thinking about what they do and whether or not their actions are sustainable - there has been a veritable explosion of reusable shopping bag carriers and proud recyclers. How sustainable our diet is seems to be a natural next step. In the words of one interviewee, “we have cave man digestive systems” but what many of us accept as “food” could hardly be any less natural. Preservatives, sweeteners, colours and flavourings leave many products containing more additive numbers than food value.
MoreWhat are we losing?
Language is such a fragile thing
When you say ‘Kia Ora’ to someone, and te Reo is not your first language, you’re actually doing something really important – you’re helping to keep a language and culture alive. Recognising a language and speaking it helps raise awareness and encourages people to know more about the culture the language represents. A study carried out in 1991 by the M.I.T found that an estimated 3000 of the world’s 6000 languages are doomed, because no children speak them.
MoreThe Arms Trade
Who’s selling and who’s buying?
Most weapons are exported by just a few territories. In 2003 five territories made over US$15 billion from arms exports. They were the United States, the Russian Federation, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with 80% of this trade worldwide. 22 territories accounted for over 99% of arms export sales.
MoreRubies -The NEW Blood Diamond.
Rubies -The NEW Blood Diamond. Rubies from Burma are prized for their purity and hue. But they have a sinister flaw.
MoreMobile Phones:The Future In New Hands?
From September 2007, id21 insights, Issue #69
Young people in Aotearoa often refer to mobile phones as a 'non negotiable'. They are not alone. Half the planet's population would be lost with out this small piece of technology. The way it is being used will surprise you.
MoreHuman Trafficking
Article written by Rachael Stace for Just Focus, originally published in Jet magazine
Imagine being a child sold by your parents not knowing where you are going, or what lies ahead, the only thing you do know is that you will probably never see your family, your neighbourhood or anything that you have grown up with, and care about, ever again.
MoreMEDIA: They Made Thrones Tremble
NEW YORK, Nov 21 (IPS)
Nearly 500 journalists have been murdered in the last 15 years, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and about 85 percent of those crimes have gone unpunished.
MoreMadagascar's Sapphire Rush
Excerpt from BBC NEWS 24
Most of us know about issues surrounding blood diamonds and more recently we have learnt that Myanmar’s military rulers rely on the sale of precious stones, such as rubies, to fund their regime. But did you know about the other deadly gem?
More