| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| 2003 May 21 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 7 Number 2 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Midwest Tornado Relief Takes All Faiths |
|
"The tornado went right around our church," said Beth, a
parishioner at Open Door Baptist Church, Kansas City, KS,
about the May 4 twister that came through here. "Thing is,
we had 200 children in here, and they were all singing.
They were singing so loud they couldn't even hear the
tornado."
On May 10, this congregation of more than 700 people had been busy collecting canned food and other donations. "We started with nothing," said children's minister Gary Jones, proudly pointing to a room filled with donated goods. Mennonite chainsaw crews--about 75 men--had been showing up at the church. They'd get directions to areas of need, then go out and clean up. On the Missouri side of Kansas City, The Salvation Army was setting up a massive donations center in an old K-Mart building. Rich Forney, administrator of The Salvation Army office in Lawrence, was running it. There was still plenty of empty space, but it was quickly filling up, he said. He pointed to several pallets stacked with boxes of cleaning supplies. Each box bore a sticker: "The Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ." The Salvation Army also has other guests sharing the warehouse. A local Lion's club had set up a table near the case management area, and they were handing out cash vouchers to storm victims. Then there were representatives from the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation. Jack Lin, the Topeka coordinator for Tzu-Chi, said his group was using a model established in the response to the 9-11 catastrophe. They cut checks for victims based on the severity of their loss--$1,000 for families who suffered a fatality, $500 for families who lost their home, and lesser amounts for lesser degrees of damage. The intent, Lin said, is to help people "go through the hard times quickly and easily." And one way to accomplish this is to "immediately deliver money to the families." Source: Disaster News Network |
| Physicist Invents Shape-Shifting Eyeglasses |
|
Cheap glasses that you can focus yourself, an invention by
atomic physicist Joshua Silver of Oxford University may
help fill the immense need for visual aid in developing
countries. One reason millions can't get help is that
there are not enough eye doctors in the world to fit the
masses with glasses. Another, of course, is cost.
Silver, who typically studies highly charged atomic ions, picked up a scientific trail that dates to 1879, when a French ophthalmologist made a fluid-filled lens that changed shape. Injecting water between two glass lenses changed the shape of the combined lens as the water pressure changed. But the hydraulic device was more than an eyesore; it was mounted on a lab bench. Silver, and his team at Adaptive Eyecare, found a way to use modern materials to create a pair of shape-changing lenses that could be worn. Using elastic lenses made of Mylar and filled with a highly refractive silicone oil, they were able to create a pair of glasses that the user can adjust to his or her own eyes and produce them for sale for as little as $5. Silver says that about 300 people in Ghana, South Africa, Nepal and other developing countries have benefited from the glasses so far. The World Health Organization has said that 180 million people worldwide need social, vocational, educational or rehabilitation services because of poor vision. Source: USA Today More Info: Adaptive Eyecare |
| Reducing Summer Swelter in the City |
|
City dwellers have long said that urban blocks are hotter
than suburban areas, and planners, scientists and
environmentalists have advocated trees as a way to cool
those smoldering blocks. Now, using Newark and Camden as
examples, a study from researchers at NASA's Goddard
Institute and Montclair State University has yielded data
that back these beliefs.
"People say it's usually hotter in downtown Newark, but there hadn't been a study to illustrate this common fact," said William Solecki, the Montclair State University geography professor who co-authored the study. In Newark during the summer, average surface temperatures are 10.6 degrees higher than suburban areas, the study found. Average air temperatures are 2.9 degrees higher than the suburbs. Over the next 50 years, the difference between Newark and the suburbs is only going to grow, the study forecast. But trees could help lower the mercury by several degrees, according to two studies funded by the USEPA and the state DEP. Newark is an "urban heat island," an area where the concentration of materials such as stone, concrete and asphalt, and dark-colored roofs trap solar radiation during the day. The objects then re-emit the heat at night. "Think of those hot summer nights where it's not cooling down," Solecki said. A lack of trees in urban areas only makes things hotter. Trees normally help reduce the heat by releasing water vapor that helps cool the air as they turn light into chemical energy, a process known as evapotranspiration. The side effects of higher temperatures in the city go way beyond a few droplets of sweat. As temperatures rise, smog levels increase, which increases the incidence of asthma, a condition that is at an all-time high in inner cities, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Other strategies would help cool Newark. Instead of dark roofs and asphalt driveways, lighter-colored concrete and light roofs would reflect heat. "When there is urban redevelopment or construction taking place, that is the time to work in those mitigating strategies such as trees and deciding between asphalt or concrete driveways," Solecki said. "It would be an expensive operation to plant trees just for the energy benefits," said Hashem Akbari of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Trees add quality of life, peace to the neighborhood; maybe they increase property values. Energy savings are just the icing on the cake." Let's not forget a reduction in heat-related deaths and suffering among people who can't afford air conditioning. Gov. James E. McGreevey is seeking a $38 million grant from the Board of Public Utilities to plant 100,000 trees in five of New Jersey's largest urban areas--Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, Paterson and Trenton--over the next three years. The state has already used a $1 million air pollution settlement with Conectiv Energy of Wilmington to plant 500 trees in Camden. Source: Newark Star-Ledger |
| Exonerated But On Their Own |
|
Prisoners exonerated by DNA evidence are not placed on
parole, nor ordered to report to a counselor, nor ordered
to do anything after they are shown the prison door. "Life
is hell," said Neil Miller, who walked out of a
Massachusetts prison after serving 10 years of a sentence.
Prisoners exonerated by DNA evidence number 127 nationwide. On May 8, a weekend of meetings and seminars drew 34 members of this microsociety to New York to learn basic ways of re-entering society. They had collectively served 436 years in prison, in 19 states. Perhaps most remarkable about the little convention was that there were enough invitees to warrant one: DNA exonerations, practically nonexistent in 1990, have grown steadily, one headline at a time. The particular challenges they face have attracted attention in Washington. Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft this month seeking a grant program to assist exonerated prisoners after their release. "By the time they are released from prison," the letter said, "many exonerees have lost their homes, savings, vehicles, spouses and custody of their children. Upon release, no financial support, housing, medical care, health insurance or vocational training is provided." Source: New York Times |
| Debt Fears Blamed for Dropout Rates |
|
Fear of debt makes poorer British students more likely to
leave university early than their wealthier counterparts,
research suggests. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found
those from deprived areas had a disproportionate dropout
rate and were less likely to go on to more advanced study
after their first degree. They also more frequently
switched courses, delayed taking up their place, or
repeated a year for non-academic reasons.
The co-author of the report, Professor Andy Furlong of Glasgow University, said, "Our work confirms disadvantaged young people are not enjoying as great a level of success in higher education as their peers. "They are often deterred by economic hardship and fear of debt from entering full-time education in the first place. But those who do make it to university or equivalent degree course are more likely to quit before reaching their academic potential. "Better financial help, especially non-repayable bursaries, would enable more of them to complete their degrees, especially those who enroll for longer, more prestigious courses." Lack of money and financial security limited poorer students' choice and length of course. Fear of debt incurred through student and commercial loans appeared to be a greater deterrent to staying in higher education than the actual sums borrowed. Source: BBC |
| Donated Food Stolen |
|
Three people were arrested recently after two volunteers
at the New Horizons for New Hampshire soup kitchen and food
pantry in Manchester allegedly stole meat and baked goods
destined for the hungry and homeless, police said. The
volunteers allegedly took $152 worth of food, including
meat and baked goods, and gave it to a bartender at the
Raphael's Young Men's Club on Granite Street May 1, O'Leary
said. He wouldn't comment on a motive.
Police said the volunteers picked up the food from the Goffstown Shop 'n Save and gave it to Raphael's bartender James Athas, 63, of Goffstown, who was charged with receiving stolen property. "We weren't very happy when we found out," Shop 'n Save store manager Chris Roux said. Arrest warrants were issued for the two volunteers, Robert St. Onge, 67, of Manchester, and William Egan, 70, of Hooksett, a retired Manchester police officer. Each could face a year in jail if convicted. Source: Manchester Union Leader This story appeared on the New Hampshire Homeless discussion list. A couple of confirmations followed: From serenitysam: Unfortunately this kind of perfidious behavior is the rule, not the exception. When I was employed by CASPAR here in Massachusetts, I caught one of my fellow homeless outreach workers doing his Christmas shopping from the supply of donated winter clothing intended for our homeless clients. When I reported the incident to my supervisor she did nothing. Because she did nothing I went ballistic. I'm the guy who ended up getting fired--supposedly because I lack boundaries! From wtinker: I too saw things that reeked of pilferage and graft and know of it first hand, because I cooked a large pot of American chop suey at a shelter when I was displaced, thinking I would have it to eat for 3 to 5 days. Well, needless to say it was all gone in one night, and it was not the other shelter persons who ate the food but members of the staff working at the shelter. I truly believe you're right, serenitysam, we must be watchdogs for justice all the time to protect the people we represent and to stop the misuses of donations and money! Source: New Hampshire Homeless |
| Zambians Now Die Youngest |
|
The southern African country of Zambia has set a new record
--one which no country would wish to hold. The average
life expectancy in the country is 33 years--by far the
lowest in the world--and it is all due to AIDS. The
illness has been called the "viral genocide", cutting
down 200 Zambians every day. One in five Zambians is
HIV-positive, which, for a country with a population of
only 10 million, is a devastating statistic.
A few years ago, it was Botswana and Sierra Leone which topped the grim league table of countries with the lowest life expectancy. Now Zambia is up there. The average Zambian can expect to live 11 fewer years than he or she could a decade ago. The best weapon in addressing the situation is to prevent new infections, predominantly among young people, said Dr Desmond Johns, director of UNAIDS. He said recent evidence shows that prevention efforts have led to young girls delaying sexual activity. "There is a greater use of condoms in casual relationships," added Dr Johns. People also now appear to have fewer sexual partners, surveys show. More than 50% of Zambia's population is under the age of 20. School enrollment has risen--but that is of little use in a country where thousands of teachers have died of AIDS. Dr Johns says removing the stigma and discrimination attached to AIDS is just one way to get the death rate down. He said the authorities also need to combine prevention with true access to treatment and care. Source: BBC |
| Life-Net News Extras |
| Candidate Plans to Ban Shelters |
|
San Francisco mayoral candidate Angela Alioto said
Thursday she would close the city's shelters, build housing
and make a significant dent in the intractable homeless
population within four months of taking office--without
spending an additional dime. She said she would recruit
1,500 volunteers from businesses, neighborhoods, city
departments and community groups to reach out to homeless
people and steer them toward 22 "triage" centers throughout
San Francisco.
City workers who are already on the payroll would identify homeless people's needs and place them in drug treatment centers, mental health clinics, job training and housing, she said. But not in shelters. "No shelters. And no programs that don't have a 60% success rate," Alioto said during a news conference in Civic Center Plaza. "We take the money from the shelters and give it to the experts. This won't cost more than we are already paying out." Alioto released her solution to homelessness at a time when San Francisco's most polarizing problem is also the campaign topic du jour. She is a liberal former supervisor and trial attorney who has long desired to follow her father, Joe Alioto, who served as mayor three decades ago. Her homeless plan is called "San Francisco Cares." Care is the buzzword these days when it comes to homeless policy. Supervisor Gavin Newsom, who also is running for mayor, started it last fall with his "Care Not Cash" plan to replace homeless people's welfare cash with housing and food. Then this week, Supervisor Chris Daly proposed "Real Housing, Real Care." It's an amendment to "Care Not Cash" that would bar the city from housing general assistance recipients in shelters rather than hotel rooms and cheap apartments. Said candidate Alioto, "By April 2004 you will see a visible difference in the homeless population." Source: San Francisco Chronicle |
| Worker-Friendly Business Thinking |
In Saving the Corporate Soul, author David Batstone
interviewed Massachusetts textile mill owner Aaron
Feuerstein, who, in his view, exemplified leadership.
From the interviews, Batstone teased out teased out
seven principles that lie at the heart of Feuerstein's
philosophy:
|
| Evangelicals Join Dialogue With Islam |
|
In an unusual public rebuke, leading evangelical Christians
condemned derogatory statements about Islam by the Rev.
Franklin Graham and others among their fellow religious
conservatives. They also pledged to improve relations with
Muslims.
The Christians, in a meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) early this month, said the derisive comments endangered Christian missionaries in the Muslim world, strained already tense interfaith relations, and fed the perception in the Mideast and beyond that the war on terrorism is a Christian crusade against Islam. "We must temper our speech," said the Rev. Ted Haggard, NAE president. "There has to be a way to do good works without raising alarms." Muslims were outraged when Franklin Graham called Islam "a very evil and wicked religion" following the Sept. 11 attacks and last summer when the Rev. Jerry Vines, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, called the Prophet Muhammad "a demon-possessed pedophile." The Revs. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson also have criticized the religion. Clive Calver, president of World Relief, the humanitarian relief arm of the evangelical association, said all of the statements have "placed lives and livelihoods at risk" overseas, where missionaries have become targets of Muslim extremists. To repair the damage to relations with Muslims, the NAE and the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative Christian organization, are drafting guidelines to begin interfaith dialogue with Islamic leaders. While Muslim leaders have been meeting regularly with liberal Protestants, no such national dialogue has taken place with evangelical Christians. Evangelicals will not participate in interfaith talks that require them to play down their beliefs--a concession they believe liberal Christians have wrongly made to befriend Muslims. And for some conservative Christians, said NAE spokesman Rich Cizik, Islam has replaced totalitarian Communism as the "modern-day equivalent of the evil empire." Source: Associated Press |
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