Challakere – a new city on red sand
Sunflowers and ground-nuts (peanuts, to some of us), still waiting for the rains in their sandy furrows, have brought an economic boom to Challakere. Surrounded by villages where people are…
Vasai – room to move
On the north-east edge of Mumbai, where the seven islands underlying the city merge with the rest of the state of Maharashtra, St Augustine’s High School, Vasai Road, finds itself…
Dadar – between the cemetery and the city
As you arrive at Mumbai Airport, you are greeted by a mural depicting, amongst many aspects of Mumbai, a pair of house crows. It is a fitting tribute to some…
Human Rights and Climate Change
I attended the Human Rights Council session on “Human Rights and Climate Change” recently. The session took the form of a short input from a range of experts on different…
Saving the Black Robin – Auckland, May 28 – 30, 2009
New Zealanders once brought the black robin, the world’s rarest bird, back from the brink of extinction. There were only six birds left – the only black robins left in…
Oceans and Islands – Brisbane (Province Centre), May 20 – 23, 2009
Oceania, as a Province, is about linking islands and oceans (East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines). It is fascinating to watch how a province renews itself,…
Assisi – Where We Begin (May 12 – 16, 2009)
For Saints Francis and Clare, this little town clinging to the flanks of a rugged ridge overlooking the Umbrian plains was where it all began. Casting off their old ways…
Big Doings in the Big Apple – New York, May 2 – 10, 2009
New York is famous for its ‘buzz’. Brian Bond and I spent a week there, not sampling the lifestyle but visiting the warren of offices, centres, meeting rooms, and halls…
A River and a Town – New Orleans, April 28 – May 1, 2009
At the bottom of the United States, New Orleans is perched uneasily on the coils of the Mississippi, in its final meandering into the Gulf of Mexico. The relationship between…
Talking with the 'enemy'?
I have followed with some interest the furor in the US surrounding the invitation to President Obama to speak next month at Notre Dame University, one of the leading Catholic…