twenty sixth issue
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| Issue 26 July 2014
4.
The future of the international negotiations on climate change, sustainable development and the post-2015 agenda.
8. 12.
Fernando Mรกrquez
hypocracy within
matthew lee
Things that travel has taught me - Part II Ioana-Alexandra Tache
24. 26.
DIVERSITY IS GARY MAK
Staying Positive in a Negative World Jonathan Adzokpe
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The future of the international negotiations on climate change, sustainable development and the post-2015 agenda.
Fernando Mรกrquez
The future of the international negotiations
I
n our actual international community the issue of climate change is taking the attention of several national leaders, stakeholders, experts and media. This attention is not casualty, climate change is a reality that for several years had been underestimated, but the results of that lack of attention and action are being very aggressive to the environment and to the world. Since 2000 the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were put into action, leaded by United Nations in an effort to establish 8 main goals to resolve until 2015. One of this goals is to “ensure environmental sustainability”, but since 2000 the levels of emissions of CO2 instead of decreasing, have dramatically
| Fernando Márquez
increased. Data from United Nations and the MDG reports declare that “Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50 per cent since 1990.” Neither of the MDG have been fully accomplished internationally, this due to many reasons, but one of the main reasons was that the MDG were and are very general, without specific and accomplishable goals in a short period. As established before MDG will reach an end in 2015, and the United Nations is working in a new agenda to guide the international efforts to reach a better world, the “post-2015 agenda”. To establish this agenda the United Nations has been doing a big effort to organize panels, events and surveys in all countries to work in an inclusive agenda where the goals that result are the goals that most of the population of the world wants and needs.
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In this agenda the sustainable development is an important piece. The official page of the United Nations for the post-215 agenda establishes: “The post2015 agenda will reflect new development challenges and is linked to the outcome of “Rio+20” -- the UN Conference on Sustainable Development”. Other international efforts to reach a positive change in climate change and sustainable development are the Climate Summits of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that
was created in 1992. Recently in Bonn the last convention took part on June 2014. The main events of the UNFCCC will be held in Lima, Perú on November 2014 and in Paris, France in 2015, to negotiate the results and future goals to reach in the topic. Another international initiative to take action against climate change and to reach a real sustainable development is GLOBE (Global Legislators Organization) that holds Global summits focused in the environment. On June 2014 the 2nd. Global summit on Environment was held in México where approx. 500 legislators from
The future of the international negotiations
more than 70 Parliaments around the world gathered to compromise to work on their national Parliaments to reach better laws and initiatives for the environment and for the development of their people. Some of the resolutions reached in this event were: “To reach mechanisms within UN and other international processes on sustainable development to recognize, strengthen and support national legislation and broader governance structures”. Some countries already have a specific law on environment protection and/or against climate change, but these laws haven’t been really executed, it’s very important to work with international organisms such as Un to reinforce this mechanisms.
| Fernando Márquez
“Where appropriate, strengthen the legislative responses in advance of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in 2015, including the consideration of carbon pricing and incorporating natural capital accounting concepts in national accounting procedures”. As mentioned before, the CO2 emissions have increased instead of decreasing, it’s crucial that the carbon pricing comes to effect for all companies in every country and that it’s accounted in the national accounts. The natural capital is the environmental resources that each country has, that can be used in sustainable development (that can be recycled, that have the needed care to be sustainable, etc.).
As we can appreciate by these international efforts and negotiations on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, this 2014 and 2015 are very important to develop real compromises that result in accomplishable goals for the near future, that can change the climate and environment reality to a better one.
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Hypocracy Within Written: Matthew Lee Translated: Jeremy Yeo & Wendy Chen
hypocracy within | matthew lee
I
would rather be the friends of the oppressed, the rejected and the poor (aka the activists and the homeless), than to be friends with the self-righteous religious hypocrite. 我寧願做受欺壓的、被拒絕的和貧窮的（包括了積極份 子、同性戀社群、無家可歸的）的朋友，也不願意做自 以為崇高的偽君子的朋友。
In Luke 12:51 Jesus says “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 在路加福音12章，耶穌說：“51 你 們 以 為 我 來 ， 是 叫 地 上 太 平 麼 ？ 我 告 訴 你 們 ， 不 是 ， 乃 是 叫 人 分 爭 。52 從今以後，一家五個人將要分爭：三個人和兩個人 相 爭 ， 兩 個 人 和 三 個 人 相 爭 ；53 父 親 和 兒 子 相 爭 ， 兒子和父親相爭；母親和女兒相爭，女兒和母親相 爭；婆婆和媳婦相爭，媳婦和婆婆相爭。
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What does this mean? It would seem that he would come here to unite? I would rather be the friends of the oppressed, the rejected and the poor, than to be friends with the self-righteous religious hypocrite. 這是什麼意思呢？祂不是來合一的嗎？ 我寧願和 那些被欺壓，被拒絕，還有貧窮的人做朋友 ，勝 過與那些自以為崇高的偽君子當朋友。 One lesson I have been learning from Him is that He is here for the broken and the weak, not for the self-identified as good and well Pharisees. In Mark it said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 我跟耶穌學習一門很重要的課。那就是，祂為了軟弱並有心靈憂傷痛 悔的人而來。祂並不是為了自以為正義的法利賽人而來到世上。馬可 福音記載，“康 健 的 人 用 不 著 醫 生 ， 有 病 的 人 才 用 得 著 。 我來本不是召義人，乃是召罪人。 (Guys, when you read this, I am referring to the "Christian" as righteous, and everyone else who self-aware enough to identify themselves as sinners. You should not read "sinners" in a tradition sense with a negative connotation. It addresses the internal struggle that we all share and the vulnerability that comes from within that we should acknowledge and cut off, aka pride, addiction, self-worship, etc.) 朋友，當你們讀這篇文字的時候，我是把"基督徒"寫成自以為公義的人，然後"罪人" 是那些承認自己有罪的人。 不要把"罪人"畫上不好的等號。 它包含了我們每個人內 心的掙扎和軟弱。我們不止要承認我們的軟弱，我們還要停止我們的以我為中心的 虛榮和敬拜以及我們個人的癮頭。
hypocracy within | matthew lee
He taught me how to love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is a upside-down kingdom that He is bringing down. The last would be first and the first would be last. 耶穌教我愛鄰舍如同愛自己。祂的國度是顛倒的。那在最後的， 將要在最前；在最前的，將要在最後了。 He is the one who cleanse the temple and curse the fig tree. He allows that seemingly glorious empty shell (the physical temple) to DIE because the church is corrupted and restoration can only come from within. Dang right, I am talking about the 5.18 parade in Hong Kong. 耶穌也是那潔淨聖殿的、詛咒無花果樹的人。祂讓外表神聖但裡頭空缺 的聖殿滅絕因為當時的教會是腐敗的。祂拆毀了聖殿的牆 (代表只有光 鮮亮麗的外表卻沒有內在的事物），為了要讓腐敗的教會可以從最裡層 被更新。對了，我指的是香港5.18遊行！ Christians are bearing false witnesses and it breaks my heart. 許多基督徒在當假見證人，而這讓我心碎。 They are turning against the oppressed, the rejected and the poor. 他們背叛了那些受壓制、被拒絕和貧窮的人。 Dear friends, let’s pray for the church and our friends. We do not wish this would be the start of a 21st century crusade. 親愛的朋友們，讓我們一起為教會和我們的朋友禱告。 我們不願意讓這作為 21世紀的聖戰的開始。 After all, he asked us for one thing and one thing only. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 耶穌只要我們做一件事：你要盡心、盡性、盡意、盡力愛主你的神。其次就是：要愛人 如己，再沒有比這兩條誡命更大了。
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Things that travel has taught me Ioana-Alexandra Tache
Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
e - Part II “Maybe you had to leave in order to really miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was.” – Jodi Picoult
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| Issue 26 July 2014
ast time I told you some of the positive things that travel has taught me. But besides all the good experiences that travelling brings, there are also some moments which you would not want to go through every time you change places. So, today, I am going to tell you some of the ‘not-so-positive’ things that travel has taught me.
Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
1
You might not fit in
All people and places are different. Sometimes it might be easy to get acquainted to the people and places, but sometimes it might be more challenging than you thought. Having to fit in can be demanding at times, given that, at some point, you are not around the people you already established a connection with and you have to start over. Being a ‘foreigner’ around the locals can be exciting, but if you are the only ‘outsider’, it makes it definitely harder to fit in. And sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t – so be prepared for any instance.
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Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
2
Homesickness
Say you managed to get around, you created some connections and everything seems to fall into place. Even so, being in the same place for several months might become too ordinary, part of the routine. And routine is a good thing‌ until it’s not anymore. When this happens, most chances are that you will become homesick – and for that, be ready! Dealing with homesickness is definitely not a charm and it drains out your energy; but nothing lasts forever, so there will be ways or people who will eventually help you get over it.
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Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
3
Getting used to people and places
There you are – you met new people, you got used to the new place, things begin to look great again. After a while, you start to enjoy every single bit of it and you don’t think how hard/easy it was to get there. So, eventually, you get used to the new people you met and to the new place you live in; but make sure you get there sooner, rather than later, as it is better to remember the good things in life – because who wants to remember the negative stuff?
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Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
4
Packing/ Unpacking
Probably one of the most frustrating things that travel has taught me is that packing is not that fun as I imagined in the beginning. I do not think of myself as the clichĂŠ movie girl, who literally has to carry around all of her belonging; still, moving away for the first time, I felt that I need to pack as much stuff as possible, so that I feel cosy in the new place. Eventually, I realised that it was a mistake, as with time it gets really annoying to unpack everything and then pack it back again when you need to move. (Self) Reminder: pack only the basic stuff, as there will always be more to pack when you move away!
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Things that travel has taught me - Part II | Ioana-Alexandra Tache
Saying goodbye You fit in, you get over the being homesick part, you get used to the people and places, you (hopefully) manage to pack everything, you are ready to move away. The last thing left to do is to say goodbye. And this is possibly the hardest part in the entire circle of travelling. In the end, there will be a fifty-fifty chance of you liking or disliking a place. My experience tells me that however you end up thinking about a place, never mind the amount of time you spent there, it is always hard to say goodbye. And saying goodbye is upsetting, as you remember all the people you met, all the good times you had and overall, all the memories you created in a particular setting. Therefore, make sure that when you say goodbye, only good vibes will flash back and that it will always be a pleasure to return. Having to deal with the last three situations myself at the moment, it makes it easier to share it with ‘the world’. One last piece of advice, which is neither positive nor negative, whenever you are travelling do not close up and try to share your feelings with whoever is there for you. Might be the next-door neighbour, might be your best-friend on Skype, might even be a stranger standing in line at the supermarket; it is always better when you share, as you might find out that other people feel the same way, and therefore you will not feel alone. This being said, I have to return packing – because I missed it so much (not). Until next time, open your eyes and your ears to what the world has to tell you!
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DIVERSITY IS
| GARY MAK
Diversity is Gary Mak
Diversity is killing the story that everyone likes to tell, so that little saplings get to grow from the bloated remains. Diversity is getting sweat stains on the white dress shirt, because it was a hot day when you took the bus with a car-less buddy. Diversity is playing an utterly unfamiliar sport with new friends. It’s crying where you once feigned interest, and beaming when new literacies expose and then fulfill your yearnings. Diversity is understanding that Jimmy’s donairs beat anything you’ve ever eaten, grinning like an idiot at the way he swears.
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Staying Positive in a Negative World | Jonathan Adzokpe
I
Staying Positive in a Negative World
t’s no news these days to tune in to your radio or television, or even log on to your favourite social media network and other online news portals and read tons of negative news of war, hunger, murder, political turmoil, natural disasters and so on and so forth. In such array of negative news, one could easily slip into thinking and perceiving the world in a negative light. Jonathan Adzokpe
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One of my friends recently related the story of his near-slip into depression when he began thinking of all the negative news making the rounds in his home country. Many other people have related similar experiences of how happenings in the external world affect their mental and emotional state. This therefore calls for a conscious effort on our part to stay positive. The challenging thing about our being surrounded by negativity is that we might end up thinking in like fashion; and like the law of attraction, whatever you think is what you get. When you think negative, you get negative. How do we then continue to stay positive even though we are immersed in oceans of murder, armed robbery and whatnot?
Staying Positive in a Negative World | Jonathan Adzokpe
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Let’s take a brief look at the following quickly‌
1. Have a buffer to contain all the negativity
Staying Positive in a Negative World | Jonathan Adzokpe
When I was as young as 12, I assumed the School Prefect position in school till my completion of Junior High School. As a student leader, I had to interface with our headmaster who was a natural abuser. He abused students physically, and emotionally. He could speak such negative words that you would wish the earth could open and be swallowed up. He said all the wrong and negative things about me. At some point in my final year, I had to convince my parents that I would withdraw; but they wouldn’t let me. What my mum advised me thereafter was to turn a deaf ear to his destructive criticisms and insults. While I must admit it wasn’t easy for me especially as a teenager, it helped in the long run. Over time, I realized that I cared less about his negative comments of me. In other words, I had built an internal buffer system that soaked all the wrong things he muttered. Building a buffer system is similar to saying, “Whatever the situation, I have the ultimate responsibility to how I feel.” Indeed, we all have no control over what happens in the world. But ultimately, we have control on how we react to them.
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Staying Positive in a Negative World | Jonathan Adzokpe
2. Secondly, speak positive words about yourself... always!
In primary school, we were taught integers; positive and negative integers. The only way to offset negative integers, we were told in class, was to add a positive integer. That is to say, if you want to continue in a positive lifestyle in a world where there’s so much of negativity, you will have to become the ‘positive integer’ to offset the negativity out there. Sometimes, it could be that you find yourself working for a boss who speaks all the wrong things about the job you do. What do you do? Do you just sit and allow such negative comments to become your reality? No way! You need to make positive affirmations such as, “I love who I am”, “I am the best”, “I think positive”, “I respond positively to situations.” These may be mere words, but you will be surprised at what world of difference they can make when you say them consistently to yourself.
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3. Surround yourself with positive people
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Staying Positive in a Negative World | Jonathan Adzokpe
Another way to live a positive life is to find yourself in the group of positive friends who also think and react positively to all the negative things the world might hand them with. As a personal philosophy, I have little to do with negative people. Negative people drain the energy inside of you. They can overreact and exaggerate over the mildest of issues. You should make it a point to let go of negative people in your inner circle of influence. A continuous exposure to their venom brings no good to you. As much as you can, spend little or no time with them. Rather than meeting them in person, you can talk with them over the phone for a few minutes and say goodbye. Keep them at bay. That way, you have good control over what you listen and relate to. Living positive in such a negative world can be a daunting task, I must confess. But a conscious effort to offset the negative effect of the happenings in the world, and to selectively associate with positive people makes it even easier. Speak positive things about yourself, even when things are tough. It might be difficult, but it’s always worth a try.
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