| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| 2003 September 10 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 7 Number 13 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Lower Income, Shorter Life |
|
"House Considers Measure to Cut Billions in Pension
Obligations," ran a recent headline in the New York Times. New research carried out by a task force of the Society of
Actuaries suggests that low income or blue-collar workers
lead shorter lives. The story said this means that
businesses would not need to contribute to pension funds
at the rate they now do for workers, since they won't have
to pay as much out later. Extra profits are on the horizon
if only Congress will rewrite the rules, allowing
corporations to put less away for their workers' pensions.
The report measures income using the size of the annual pension payment. By this measure, low income male workers (those who receive pensions smaller than $6,000 per year) aged 60-64 have death rates 60% higher than the average and 94% higher than high income workers (those receiving pensions in excess of $14,400 per year). The effect of income on longevity is smaller for female workers: 'only' 17% higher than average for ages 60-64 and 29% higher than high-income workers. The type of work you do is also an important indicator of your chances for long life. Male blue collar workers aged 60-64 had 37% higher death rates than the overall average for this age group and 57% higher death rates than white collar workers, while female blue collar workers had 22% higher death rates than average and 33% higher than white collar workers. The story as generally reported is that Congress will spend workers' tax money rewriting the rules for pension fund contributions, and corporations will be able to report a better bottom line, perhaps bringing their stock prices up after the long slump. But a more interesting headline would read: "Congress to Address the Sources of Inequity in Life Spans." Source: Center for Popular Economics |
| People Smuggler Faces 350 Manslaughter Counts |
|
A self-proclaimed people smuggler is about to go on trial,
on September 13. Abu Quassey, of Egyptian nationality, in
2000-2001 organised unauthorized boat voyages from
Indonesia to Australia for Middle Eastern refugees. The
charges of manslaughter concern 350 people on the boat now
known as SIEV X ("Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel, Unknown")
that sank on October 19, 2001.
According to human rights campaigner and former Australian Ambassador to Poland and Cambodia Tony Kevin, Quassey is alleged to have grossly overloaded this 19-meter boat by force with the help of 30 armed Indonesian police, sending it out to sea with 421 passengers on board with the clear intention that it sink--as a brutal signal to deter other asylum-seekers wanting to reach Australia. This massive human tragedy ended the illegal people-moving trade from Indonesia to Australia almost overnight, thereby securing John Howard's re-election 2 1/2 weeks later as Australia's Prime Minister. When this boat capsized and sank in international waters between Java and Australia's Christmas Island, some 60 miles south of the Sunda Strait, 353 people drowned including 146 children and 142 women. The dead were mostly Shia Iraqis, refugees from Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. Only 45 survived. Quassey's announced manslaughter trial in Egypt is of international human rights importance, because it is an opportunity to put a judicial spotlight on a category of major crime that is rumored to be happening more often, and not just in the troubled waters north of Australia. More and more asylum-seekers' bodies are now washing up on Mediterranean beaches. More Info: SIEV X Full Story: New Jersey Independent Media Center |
| The Energy Squeeze and Fickle Policy |
|
In his State of the Union address, the President proposed
"$1.2 billion in research funding so that America can lead
the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered
automobiles." His goal as stated was "to promote energy
independence ... in ways that generations before us could
not have imagined." Democrats joined euphoric Republicans
in signing on to the proposal. They've been doing this
energy dance off and on for 30 years.
At the time of the first energy crisis, in 1974, President Nixon put forth Project Independence to end American reliance on foreign oil through a series of energy programs, among them "hydrogen-fueled vehicles" that could be developed "to enable a shift away from oil." Takeoff date for the new technology: 1990. Mission not accomplished. In 1973, with the country importing 6 million bbl. of crude oil and petroleum products daily, Nixon pledged that "in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need." Today, more than 53% of America's daily consumption of oil and petroleum products comes from foreign sources, compared with 35% in 1973. President Carter in 1980 pushed legislation that he said would help "us to reach our goal of deriving 20% of all the energy we use by the end of this century directly from the sun." Last year solar energy accounted for about 0.07% of all US energy consumption. In pursuit of different agendas, competing interests tend to cancel one another out over time, leaving the nation with no coherent direction on energy. Lawmakers launch programs to develop alternative-energy supplies but later quietly cut or eliminate the funding so there are no realistic alternative sources. Worst of all, when politicians craft a conservation program that actually works, they abandon it. Americans are heading into their first big energy squeeze since the 1970s: A shortage of natural gas has triggered a sharp rise in prices that is likely to exact a heavy toll on low- and middle-income Americans, especially those living on fixed incomes. Home heating bills last winter more than doubled in some areas; they are expected to go up at least another 20% this winter. Electric bills also will spike because generating plants are increasingly gas-fueled. And in places like Louisiana, where the petrochemical industry makes up a big part of the local economy, the shortage is causing a loss of jobs, with at least 2,000 layoffs so far. The entire industry may be forced to move offshore. So it is that the US is likely to be faced with recurring oil and natural-gas crises for some years to come. Volatile prices--as with gasoline during the Iraq war, natural gas last winter, and electricity in 2000--are all but guaranteed. Source: Time |
| A Lesson in Microfinance |
|
Now I was standing in the middle of Tondo, a densely packed
slum and squatter area just a few miles down the bay from
the US Embassy. One of my fellow travelers was Steve
Daley, an Australian economist with George Mason University
in Virginia who came to evaluate microfinance loans and
other anti-poverty policies for USAID. Another, Annie
Amar, a branch manager for the Center for Community
Transformation (CCT), a local charity organization/NGO that
makes loans to the poor; she had offered to take us into
Tondo and introduce us to some of her clients.
Sometimes nothing more than a window that's literally been cut out of the front of a residence, a Sari-Sari store sells everything from soda and candy to fish and medicine. Apart from these stores, slums like Tondo would have almost nothing to show as an example of widespread enterprise. Clearly there is an economic pecking order: Some Sari-Sari operators are doing far better than others. Some recipients of small microfinance loans have invested their money wisely; others have squandered it. By giving small loans to the poorest of the poor, micro- lenders hope that the access to small amounts of capital-- a few hundred dollars or more--will naturally bring out the entrepreneurial spirit in people, leading to long-term economic growth. But microfinance loans don't always lead to success. Ruth didn't just operate a large Sari-Sari store. She had parlayed four loans into a business that extends far beyond it. She owned the shack across from her store that she had turned into a distribution center, delivering rice, cola and assorted goods to other Sari-Sari stores throughout the area. Ruth had also purchased an egg incubator and raises chickens and fighting cocks for profit. But the centerpiece of her expanded business was the movie theater. In the tin shack across from her store, in a 10' x 10' room, Ruth has set up a television set. She charges neighborhood children five pesos (about ten cents) to sit on small wooden benches and watch movies--at least on the days when Tondo isn't experiencing brown-outs. Steve returned from poking his nose around and said, "This is it. See, this is what I'm talking about. "Statistically, Ruth's income is not significant. But what she's doing is significant--she's engaging in behaviors that others are not. She sees needs and markets where others in her surroundings do not. And she's able to grow her business." Steve explained that the biggest problem among the poor in Manila wasn't just poverty, but a poverty of the imagination. They receive microfinance loans, but they are so poor and isolated that they have little exposure to the outside world and no concept of what free enterprise can create. Most of the recipients of microfinance loans open yet another Sari-Sari store rather than expand into new markets or recognize how to deliver a needed good or service in their community that hasn't been available-- these are the kinds of economic behaviors that lead to expansion and long-term growth. Source: A World Connected |
| Homelessness Grows as More Live Check-to-Check |
|
As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and
credit card debt explodes, more workers are a paycheck away
from losing their homes. Now the frail economy is pushing
them over the edge. With 9 million unemployed workers in
July, the face of homelessness is changing to include more
families shaken by joblessness.
Former neighbors and co-workers dwell on the streets, live with relatives or stay in shelters. Unemployed managers live with their elderly parents. Families who once owned their own homes now sleep on bunk beds in homeless shelters. Job seekers in suits and ties stop by soup kitchens heading out to afternoon interviews. With no place to live, some homeless camp out in their cars until work comes along. "There is still a mind-set that the homeless are substance abusers who have made bad life decisions," says Ralph Plumb, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. "But more and more, they are individuals responding to a catastrophic financial event. The homeless are us. They're regular folk." Requests for emergency shelter assistance grew an average of 19% from 2001 to 2002, according to the 18 cities that reported an increase--the steepest rise in a decade. The findings come from a 2003 survey of 25 cities by the US Conference of Mayors. Among the trends:
The majority of cities polled by the Conference of Mayors expect homelessness to increase over the next year. While the economy is driving some of the increase in demand for shelter and food assistance, other factors include mental illness, substance abuse and low-paying jobs, according to the Conference of Mayors survey. Source: USA Today |
| Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat |
|
The entire Habitat for Humanity community is urged to come
together in prayer on the International Day of Prayer and
Action for Human Habitat, observed during the third weekend
in September. Simultaneously gathering in churches and
synagogues around the world to pray for men, women and
children who need a decent residence, Habitat supporters
believe in the power of prayer.
Through prayer, Habitat for Humanity continues to make a dramatic difference in the lives of persons around the world. Many volunteers are drawn to this ministry after hearing God's call and seeking God's guidance through prayer. Other prayers are answered when families and communities grow in the shelter of God's grace. The hurdles of funding and building homes are overcome through the miracles of prayer. The Day of Prayer was begun in 1983 to make housing a matter of conscience in the faith community. The intent was to place in the hearts, minds and souls of people everywhere the idea that poverty housing is unacceptable. In seeking God's help, we also offer ourselves as instruments of service. Whether observing the day in individual worship services or in a community service of prayer, participants come into God's presence acknowledging the gifts they have been given and accepting the work to which they are called. The Day of Prayer can be the perfect celebration of a job well done, or it can initiate a new year of ministry, as Habitat affiliates and their church partners continue to build houses and lives together. Congregations are encouraged to observe the Day of Prayer by:
Related Info: Building On Faith Week |
| Life-Net News Extras |
| Typical US Family Now Has More Cars Than Drivers |
|
For the first time, the typical American family has more vehicles
in the garage than licensed drivers in the house. The nation has
107 million households, each with an average of 1.9 cars, trucks
or SUVs and 1.8 drivers, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics
reported. That equals 204 million vehicles and 191 million
drivers.
The last time the survey was conducted, in 1995, those numbers were equal. "This is the final realization of the entire American ethos," said Robert Lang, director of Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, which researches regional growth. "There's a real love of the road." Alan Pisarski, author of Commuting in America, said the trend had been clear for a long time. "We've added more cars than people for the last two decades," he said, "and the average number of people per household has been declining." Myriad reasons exist for the proliferation of vehicles: more families with two breadwinners driving separately to work, more teens with cars of their own, more families with recreational or weekend wheels, longer-lasting automobiles. Cars once were sent to the scrap pile with 100,000 or fewer miles on their odometers. Now it's common to drive them for 200,000 miles or more. "There is an extraordinary availability of low-cost automobiles," Pisarski said. "People are buying 10-year-old cars." Many Americans now use vehicles for specialized purposes. For example, he said, some people buy high-mileage cars for commutes and keep a gas-guzzling SUV for weekends and vacations. Americans love cars so much that they have remade their communities because of them, Lang said. Suburban subdivisions have replaced downtown apartment buildings in many areas. The result: more daily trips to buy groceries or go to the mall. The average person in the United States takes four trips per day. Nearly half--45%--of those trips are for shopping or errands. For those trips, cars have displaced bicycles and walking. The survey also found that 8% of US households do not have cars. Source: Associated Press |
| Project "Our Clean Port" Sets Example |
The goals of "Project Clean Port" were to diminish marine
contamination in the fishing port of Pucusana, Peru, to
raise environmental awareness of local people and to
establish a waste collection system for toxic materials on
the fishing dock. A survey, realized by staff of the
Peruvian NGO Mundo Azul for conservation and sustainable
development, released Monday, September 1, showed that the
project was a full success. Here's what they did:
Community surveys, realized before and after implementing the project, showed now that the project also had a significant impact on the environmental awareness of local people. For example, on the question if the harbor is contaminated, the number of people not being aware of the contamination decreased from 35% to 16% and the number of people being aware of the contamination rose from 11.5 to 23%, while the number of people being of the opinion the harbor was heavily polluted rose from 1 to 5.4%. Asked what was the cause for this contamination 70% mentioned sewage and 69% specified additionally the sewage from the fishing dock. The fact that the fishermen themselves share responsibility for the contamination by throwing their garbage overboard was recognized now by 55.4% of interviewees. Pucusana has proven for the other coastal communities that shared action in a fishing community is able to turn the tide, decrease contamination and benefit the community. Source: Mundo Azul |
| Different Worlds, Different Diseases |
|
Infectious and parasitic diseases such as AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria cause a quarter of the world's
deaths each year. Cancer, heart disease, and chronic
respiratory disease cause twice that.
These diseases primarily affect populations at opposite ends of the income scale--the affluent and the impoverished. People in Africa and Southeast Asia, many of whom lack access to clean water, adequate nutrition, or proper healthcare, account for 75% of global deaths from infectious diseases, but make up just 36% of the world's population. Europeans and Americans constitute just 28% of world population, but account for 42% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancers--diseases that are often triggered by lifestyle factors such as smoking, being sedentary, and eating foods rich in salt, sugar, and fat. Details: Worldwatch Institute |
| Teens, Spending Money, and Substance Abuse |
|
More than half (52%) of teens are at risk for substance
abuse if they have any one of three risk factors: stress,
frequent boredom, or too much spending money.
Of kids with weekly spending money of $15:
|
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