The Transit Lounge

Meera Atkinson

Our Christmas celebrations still retain the roots of a pagan solstice event that was co-opted by the Roman Church. The Transit Lounge looks at four Christmas traditions: the tree, Santa Claus, giving gifts and kissing under the mistletoe.

Grace Stevens 

HIV AIDS has been rising steadily in developing countries in recent years. There are now 33 million people living with HIV worldwide. On 1 December 2008 we acknowledge the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. 

Nicole Reardon

Australia is a lucky country. We have one of the world’s healthiest democracies and, while there is always room for improvement, Australian governments are committed to upholding our human rights. Yet, not all countries protect their citizens in this way, and so sometimes we feel compelled to bridge the cultural gap and advocate for human rights overseas.

Meera Atkinson

Few roles are more important than that of the peacemaker. In the home, at work and in social situations we all strive for peaceful relations with those around us. However, there are those for whom peacemaking is done on a much larger scale. Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP) operates in many countries, effecting peace and change.

Jeff Atkinson-Phillips and Nicholas Breheny 

The recent push to address climate change has focused on reducing carbon emissions. That's terrific, but it doesn’t do much to help the 1,141 of the world’s mammal species threatened with extinction — not to mention all the other non-cuddly species that receive noticeably less sympathy from the human population.