Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Octobrrrrrr

Snow fell in London last night for the first time in October since 1934.

October snowfall: London had its first October snowfall since 1934

Snow and sleet also fell in northern Scotland and south-east England as temperatures plunged to -4C in parts of Britain.

Football matches were either postponed or abandoned at Luton, Northampton, Walsall and Wycombe because of the weather conditions.

Sky weather presenter Denise Nurse said: “It’s highly unusual to have snow in October - we haven’t seen October snowfall in London since 1934.

“But today will be cold, bright and frosty. Snow this afternoon will mainly affect Northern Ireland, Wales and the north of England. It’ll also be breezy, feeling almost blizzard-like.

Cheers for that Sky News :o)

Posted by Fi McKenzie at 09:03:44 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Speaking Out

In 2003, a close friend of mine killed himself. This post is dedicated not to him but to us - his friends and family who continue to grieve.

I grew up in Palmerston North, home to a fair few suicides during my high school years and I watched as people all around me were affected as friends committed suicide. At the time New Zealand had something like the second highest youth suicide rate in the world and no one I knew was left unscathed. Many of us from that group can tell you of someone we know and loved who died.

We set up support groups and networks. We gathered together. And we watched as the country went into lockdown. To talk about it too much was to encourage it.

That was a time when New Zealand’s suicides accounted for more death than road accidents.

We’re back at that time and we’re now looking at 80% of those dying over the age of 24.

I’m sick of this. 511 killed themselves between July 07 and June 08 in New Zealand. That’s 511 bereaved families and friends and people who need love. That’s 511 people who didn’t feel the love. What are we doing wrong New Zealand? How did we get to this point?

To BR - I hate what you did that day. I hate that you felt you couldn’t carry on and couldn’t rely on us to carry you. A lot of people loved you and we’re still hurting and missing your presence. I didn’t go to your funeral - I was too scared about saying goodbye, I didn’t know how to make it better and I’m not sure, five years on, I’ve gained any greater clarity. I really wish I had gone. I could have said goodbye. I hate that you forced us to say goodbye to you. I hate that I still cry over your death.

I’ve never quite worked out how to solve the problem. It’s the reason I love so passionately and need people to know that I care about them. It’s the reason I have a habit of wearing my heart on my sleeve. I don’t want you to die and not know how much you mean to me.

If you’re reading this and you don’t know me - then *know* that there is someone out there that feels like this about you too.

If you feel like the world is closing in and you feel like you’ve lost all faith, hope and love there are people you can talk to. People who won’t judge. And a God who loves unconditionally - no matter what you do, who you are, how unloved you feel.

Lifeline - 0800 543 354
Depression - 0800 111 757
Youthline - 0800 376 633; text free on 234; email talk@youthline.co.nz
Samaritans - 0800 726 666 (North Island only)

For more information take a look at the SPINZ website or Lowdown (for youth people about depression).

[Organisations listed are NZ based]

So this is me - speaking out against suicide and depression. I know this is just a blog post but for anyone who has talked to me about this you know that it’s so much more than a one post topic to me.

I hate that I’m writing these words knowing that they’ll make little impact and the person I cared about that  needed to read them most left this world 5 years ago. We miss you.

Posted by Fi McKenzie at 00:32:00 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Changing the World One Blog at a Time

Today has been Blog Action Day - bloggers all over the world devoting their posts to the issue of poverty.

I’m going to cheat on this one and re-post an article I posted after the last New Zealand General Election in 2005. We’re now three weeks away from the next election my Kiwi friends and it’s time to think seriously about who you’re going to vote for. Please make educated votes and think about others at this election.  So here goes my lobbying attempt:

[Written in October 2005] 

I have been wanted to write this since the election and finally now seems right.

But before I do, I want you to take one minute of your time to say a prayer to whoever you believe in, for the familes and friends of the thousands of people that died in Pakistan and Guatemala in the past couple of days. While you’re at it, consider the families of those that didn’t make it out of New Orleans, those who will never forget July 7, and those who died in the Asian Tsunami last December. Finally spare one thought for those 20,000 people that die from the effects of living in extreme poverty (7,500 young adults die of AIDS, up to 8,000 children perish from malaria, 5,000 parents die of tuberculosis, and thousands more are killed by diseases that attack bodies weakened by chronic hunger and malnutrition). It’s a fragile world.

Now I’m going to use this to fuel an angry rant, and I’m sorry if using this as a springboard offends anyone but it’s important . . . so important that peoples lives depend on it.

So we just had an election here in New Zealand, and 80% of the country voted. I know a whole heap of people who voted specific parties for great reasons, they truly believed in a party’s vision or they offered a range of policies that these people saw as important. Unfortunately, I’ve also met many more people who voted one party for a terrible reason. So you wanted to change the government and you thought ‘National’s the only way to do that and taxcuts would be good too’, so you ticked that box and went on your merry way. Or you voted Labour just ’cause they’ll cut interest on student loans”. If you voted for a party for some pathetic reason like this, then I’m sorry but you suck!! This rant is for you:

Today, we emptied our disaster relief budget, it’s all gone now because there’s been quite a few disasters lately (have you bothered to notice?) and it wasn’t the biggest budget either. Every year 0.26ish% of our Gross National Income is given to ALL aid. A very small part of that goes on giving some assistance to countries who are recovering from a natural disaster, like Pakistan and Guatemala currently. The Government pledged to give 0.7% to aid, 0.26% isn’t even half of that. We’ve run out of money to give to help countries that need help in disasters. Is this not more important than the interest on your student loan? A number of parties pledged to keep pushing the government to increase its aid volume, Greens and United Future were just two of those. But instead of thinking about what the world needs, you thought about you on election day. Maybe you considered your family for a brief second, and then went with what suited you best. Think silly people! Actually know who you are voting for, and consider making up your mind on something other than a bribe. New Zealand plays a crucial role internationally, and even though it’s a world away from here to there, they’re just as important as you.

For those voters who actually thought unselfishly this election - you are truly fantastic people. We need more of you.

If a typhoon hit a Pacific island tomorrow, there’d be no more aid to give them. How much would their lives mean to you?

For more information on the 2008 Election and international development, go to Oxfam NZ’s website.

Posted by Fi McKenzie at 22:19:31 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Roald Dahl

Important thing to remember #1:

I loved Roald Dahl books as a kid.

(This is part of a series of important things I have forgotten over time but which I must remember for the future)

Posted by Fi McKenzie at 22:51:16 | Permalink | No Comments »

Ode to Technology

I heart technology - I’m making a hobby out of exploring the future of communication and networking and thoroughly enjoying the benefits of dragging the Church Commissioners Pastoral and Closed Churches Department kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Not that they’ve mastered youtube fully yet but I am determined that I will leave them with a much better idea of how they can use the internet *for good* (a brilliant phrase).

Because of my lappie and the tinternet I am able to watch You’ve Got Mail, while typing this blog post, and listening to Kanye West Stronger on Last.FM (which is my life saver and I love it) all at once. In one click, I can get the latest news from NZ or the UK. In other click I can watch C-SPAN. I use Skype to talk to my family and Facebook and email to keep up with distant friends. My life has been irrevocably changed by the possibilities that technology has provided. And I am very very grateful.

I also get Tweets from Zimbabwe and listen to mashups from Norwegian Recycling. I’ve begun to use Google Maps mashups too . . . Sokwanele being one example of this.

And I’m writing this because I am listening to one of the characters on You’ve Got Mail talk about how evil technology is. He has two typewriters in front of him. I know it’s not flawless and I know it causes problems but look at the possibilities it provides…it’s amazing how much has changed in 10 years.
Posted by Fi McKenzie at 22:23:12 | Permalink | No Comments »