Global Bits

Big Business: Saints or Sinners?

Ngā Pakihi Nunui – He Hato, he Tāngata Hara rānei?

In today’s world, there is barely a place on the planet that is not touched in some way by the long arm of Big Business. While many consider Big Business the oil that greases the machine of everyday lives and economies, there are others who believe that the immense power of global corporations is a threat to democracy, the environment and to the human rights and well-being of the great majority of people today.

In this issue of Global Bits, we explore the history and reach of these global corporations, and look behind the PR and ‘spin’ to explore the place Big Business holds in all our lives.

Slaves to Fashion: The Threads That Bind Us

Issue 14 |Te Kaupapa Matua o Tēnei Putanga

20 Pages

For as long as human beings have adorned their bodies, fashion has given us the means to express our unique identities. But whereas the earliest clothes were designed merely to protect and warm us, today’s emphasis on fashion is driven by dollars, status and corporate competition.

In this issue, produced in partnership with TradeAid, we look behind the glamour of the catwalks and examine the very fabric of the fashion trade – the power, control and manipulation wielded by the fashion giants, the slave-like conditions under which many of our garments are produced, and the personal choices and solutions each of us can engage in to create a fairer, more equitable industry for all.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Traditional Healing: Healing the World: Back to the Future?

Issue 13

20 pages

All human societies have beliefs that offer explanations for, and responses to birth, death, and disease. Throughout early history, illness was often blamed on witchcraft, demons, unfavourable astral influences, and the breaking of tapu or taboos, or on the will of the gods. While these ideas still retain some power, the rise od scientific (or 'Western') medicine in the past two centuries has altered or replaced many historic health practices. But does this wholly scientific approach to health really pave the way to healthier, happier people?

For many, intent on regaining control of their indigenous roots, the answer is not so black and white. Traditional healing provides as 'holistic' approach to the whole person -a way of reconnecting the physical with the spiritual. this reconnection is something many in today's increasingly complex world both need and crave, as central to their understanding of who they are and, therefore, to their long-term survival.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

The Trafficking Trap

Issue 12

20 Pages

There is nothing new about taking drugs. What is new, however, is the staggeringly vast multi-million dollar black market that has arisen to supply illegal drugs all around the world.

And it’s not just the trafficking of drugs that is sweeping the globe, but the trafficking of people, animals and rare plants as well. Everything is up for grabs...no drug too dangerous; no life too sacred.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Music for Change

Issue 11

20 Pages

Ever since the first humans gave voice to their to their thoughts, they have used song to help make sense of the world and events unfolding around them. Protest songs form a central part of our global social commentary – whether railing at the horrors of war, the injustices of racism or the fallout of September 11th.

The best music for change has the power to stir the heartstrings like no other medium – and provides a powerful rallying point for those who unite to fight for justice in an unjust world.

This issue is produced in partnership with Save The Children – a nonpolitical, non-sectarian development agency that delivers immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Weather Wars

Issue 10

20 pages

Every day we are bombarded with messages about the state of the world from famine in the Sudan to ever-increasing conflict in the Middle East. But of all the tales of doom and gloom, climate change must surely be the most immense, terrifying and hotly debated issue of all. It's time to face up to the facts: denial of human induced climate change can now be filed away as an historical curiosity... there is no debate. 

Human induced climate change is fact, and it's time we all looked at its background science, potential consequences, possible remedies and at the vested interests who are working so hard behind the scenes to undermine what is, no doubt, the most serious challenge the human race has ever encountered.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Violence Against Women

Issue 09

Every two seconds somewhere in the world, a woman is subjected
to violence.

Violence against women is the greatest human rights issue in the world today. No country is spared from its reach, and no woman safe from its potentially fatal grasp.

This special bumper issue of Global Bits –written in partnership with Amnesty International and YWCA NZ – will highlight some of the many horrifying human rights abuses inflicted on women around the globe, debunk the myths that allow such abuses to continue, and point towards the kind of action we can all take to halt the violence.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Who Are You?

Issue 08

20 Pages

This issue of Global Bits examines what identity is, how identity – or lack of it – impacts on our lives, and what can be done to strengthen our own sense of identity in an increasingly homogenised and globalised world.

It also heralds the start of our new format, broadening our reach to include all those in the community interested in discussion and exploration of global issues.

Vist the Community resource section, for accompanying A1 colour poster and activites that go with this resource.

Parihaka

Issue 07

16 Pages

The tale of Parihaka is one of strength, endurance and an uncompromising belief in the principles of equality and non-violent resistance.

It is the forerunner of many of the world’s most famous struggles for peace and freedom, and a model for life - a positive code to live by that impacts on all our personal relationships and on everything we do in our homes, communities, political and business lives.

Take Action

Issue 05

16 Pages

Global Education is about changing the world by learning, reflecting and taking action.

By understanding how our lives are shaped by global influences, and how each of us are also members of a larger 'global family', we can be inspired to take action for a more just, sustainable and peaceful world.

This issue of Global Bits will explore the attitudes, inspiration and skills necessary to take positive and achievable steps towards this goal.