Futureheads go underground for Oxjam A quickie cos we haven't said hello for a while (we've been busy recovering from Leeds Festival which was just awesome - watch this space for pics and a review, in the mean time have a look at these angry Leeds faces). Also, remember we told you 'bout The Futureheads playing a secret gig for Oxjam on the London Underground? Well, the gig was just amazing, the band played to a select crowd of Oxjam organisers and (very excitable) competition winners. They busked exclusive acoustic versions of Decent Days & Nights, Hounds of Love and new song Skip To The End from the album News and Tributes. Lovely stuff, lovely boys, lovely gig. Happy days. More on the Oxjam website >> posted at 11:07 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Do something small, change something big Single-handedly saving the world from the threats of climate change, terrorism and global poverty might seem a little out-of-reach, so why not do the small things that make a big difference? It can be as simple as downloading your favourite music and recycling your mobile phone - and you can monitor the progress you're making, challenge your friends and family to take an action and view how many actions have been taken so far. So what are you waiting for? Do it now! posted at 1:13 PM | Permalink 1 comments

Stop press! Watch the Futureheads busk on the tube! To celebrate the launch of Oxjam, rock-pop super-dudes the Futureheads are playing a tip-top-secret one-off acoustic gig at an underground station in London on Friday morning - and the NME has 10 pairs of tickets to giveaway! What are you waiting for? posted at 2:57 PM | Permalink 1 comments

Badly Drawn Boy goes on tour for Oxjam Our behatted, furry-bearded chum Badly Drawn Boy (pictured here supporting Control Arms) is donating money from his forthcoming September tour to Oxfam. The all-round good lad will donate £1 from every ticket sold, and is encouraging as many people as possible to get involved with Oxjam this October. "Oxjam offers the chance for thousands of people to use music to achieve something together, which is an idea that gets me excited," he says. "No matter how small your event, you'll be forming a part of the biggest music festival this country has ever seen. I'd encourage everyone to get involved if they can - it's as simple as picking up a guitar." In case you hadn't heard, Oxjam is an absolutely MASSIVE month of music events held throughout October, where anyone and everyone can put on their own gigs to help fight poverty. And this week it's launched a special VIP backstage area to its website where you can add your name and event to the Oxjam line-up, get loads of tips and advice and speak directly to experts in the music industry. So sign up now... More about Oxjam >> posted at 11:21 AM | Permalink 1 comments

Help people caught up in the Middle East conflict Oxfam has launched an appeal for donations to help people caught up in the conflict in the Middle East. The money raised will provide life-saving clean water, safe sanitation and public hygiene to thousands of people who are returning to their homes or who do not have homes to return to. In Lebanon alone the aid effort faces a huge challenge, with nearly one million people displaced - a quarter of the country's population. In three days, 200,000 people returned to their homes, or to the site of what was once their home. Can you and your friends help? Just £35 will provide hygiene kits for two families that contain soap, towels, washing bowls, sanitary pads and other essential items. Perhaps you could organise a fundraising event to help raise money? More about the Middle East crisis >> posted at 9:45 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Called to be Peacemakers: Youth Conference 2006 Just a quick message - just been told that the nice folk at the Fellowship of Reconciliation in England are organising a youth conference in late October, looking at what it means to be working towards peace in today's world - and at the role of religion in contemporary conflict. It will have expert speakers, in-depth workshops, training and "delicious vegetarian food", or so says their website. The weekend is open to anyone aged 18 to 30 (ish) and will be an opportunity to meet with others from around the country who are exploring how to be peacemakers in their own lives and communities. More information and booking form >> posted at 11:21 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Forget Google - try GoodSearch This is a neat idea: the next time you're doing a search, have a look at GoodSearch. It's an American search engine powered by Yahoo (and so returns the same results) which has a field where you can put your favourite charity. Then, if you click on one of the sponsored links from the results page, the advertiser will pay half the money to the charity (and the other half to the search engine). As well as this, GoodSearch donates money to a user's charity of choice every time they conduct a web search - regardless of whether they've clicked a sponsored link. "It's a really effortless way for people to support their favorite charity or school," says GoodSearch co-founder Ken Ramberg. It's only in America at the moment (so you can only select Oxfam America from the list), plus it warns strongly against people misusing the search - but it's still a lovely idea. GoodSearch estimates that each time a charity's supporter conducts a unique Web search, the organisation will receive approximately one cent. While this might not sound like a much, a charity with 1,000 supporters who each perform two GoodSearch queries per day, for example, could earn more than $7,000 in just one year. posted at 1:30 PM | Permalink 2 comments

This is nice... Oxfam photo blog Just seen a lovely new feature on the big Oxfam website - a photo blog which collects some of the amazing images taken for Oxfam around the world. The inspiring pics have commentary from the photographer Howard Davies, along with the story behind them and how they were taken. This pic is of bike-mender Manikkam Alagavasa, who was living in a transitional shelter Oxfam had made for him in Sri Lanka after the tsunami. Latest from the Oxfam photo blog >> posted at 4:10 PM | Permalink 5 comments

Oxfam at the International AIDS Conference, Toronto The 16th International AIDS Conference is underway in Toronto, Canada. Oxfam International is there pushing for massive investment in health systems. "For the first time in human history, we have the resources to stop HIV/AIDS from killing millions of people. What we do not know is whether our leaders will muster the generosity to save these lives," said Dr, Mohga Kamal-Yanni, senior health and HIV policy advisor for Oxfam International. "We must see signs of serious commitment to saving lives at this week's conference." More about Oxfam at the 16th International AIDS Conference >> 16th International AIDS Conference official website >> posted at 4:37 PM | Permalink 0 comments

UN International Youth Day Don't forget International Youth Day is tomorrow and there are loads of ways to get involved. This year's theme is 'Tackling Poverty Together' - according to the World Youth Report 2005 there are an estimated 515 million young people across the world living on less than 2 dollars a day. We'll be spending the day showing how angry we are about poverty and making a big noise about how important young people are to society. If you want to join us and show how angry you are simply send us a photo of your angriest face and you could win a year's worth of music. Find out more about how you can get involved in International Youth Day 2006 >> posted at 9:35 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Rakhi day is today Rakhi is a Hindu festival when sisters tie a bracelet on their brothers' wrist to celebrate their special bond. You can celebrate Rakhi, and join the millions around the world who care enough to do something to fight poverty, by giving an Oxfam fair trade Rakhi to your brother today. You can buy them online or from selected Oxfam shops around the country. Bhangra singer Juggy D is celebrating Rakhi day with his sister Veronica (pictured) and supporting Oxfam, too. Find out more about Rakhi >> posted at 2:14 PM | Permalink 0 comments

And the winner is... Thank you to everyone who entered our competition to win 2 VIP tickets to V Festival in Weston Park, Stafford on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 August 2006. Over 1000 of you searched the site for the hidden green campers in a bid to win the tickets and be in with a chance of meeting legends like Faithless, Radiohead, Razorlight and Groove Armada. And the winner is (drum roll please)... Kate Murphy from Solihull! She won after her brother, Joe Murphy, entered as a surprise for her (Aw, bless!). We spoke to her earlier today and she told us she is 'really excited and can't wait for the festival'! She promised to report back for us after the weekend so keep your eyes on our festivals blog for this and more information on our V Festival experiences! More information on Oxfam's festival tour 2006 >> posted at 1:52 PM | Permalink 1 comments

Time Out in Beirut and Tel Aviv Just come across the story of a friendship between the editors of the Tel Aviv and Beirut editions of Time Out magazine which really brings home the personal impact of the conflict in the Middle East. Amir Ben-David and Ramsay Short met in May and developed an immediate raport but the two men now find their relationship under unbearable strain. The front cover of the latest Tel Aviv edition of the magazine shows an illustration of the region in crisis. The Beirut edition, produced just before the conflict began leads with a feature on Lebanon's summer festival season. How long will it be until we see stories about 'the best beaches and summer travel' on the newstands of Beirut again? Full story from the 'On the Face' blog >> Latest on the Middle East crisis and how Oxfam is responding >> posted at 8:08 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Middle East blog Shaista Aziz "There are no streetlights in Beirut as they have been switched off to conserve energy, which means it's very difficult to see anything. The sky was jet black and I couldn't see a thing even though the sounds of the aircraft became louder." The situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate rapidly. Hundreds have already died and an estimated 500,000 people have had to flee their homes and have been forced to shelter in buildings with little or no help to meet their basic needs. Shaista Aziz is a member of Oxfam's Rapid Response Team, assessing the situation in Lebanon. Shaista is blogging directly from Beirut, offering us a personal perspective on the situation as the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues. Read Shaista's Blog >> Latest on the Middle East crisis and how Oxfam is responding >> posted at 3:20 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Glasto game: just the ticket Tickets for Glastonbury 2007 will be like gold dust - so I'm guessing that if you had the chance to win some and have a bit of fun dodging mud, finding your tent and outsmarting the likes of Jo Whiley and Edith Bowman at the same time you'd be interested, right? Visit Glastonbury: just the ticket and all will become clear. Oh, and don't forget to turn your computer speakers on - that Jo Phillips has a lovely voice. posted at 9:59 AM | Permalink 1 comments

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