| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| 2004 June 30 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 8 Number 7 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Arms Exporters Oblivious to Their Impact on the Poor |
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Arms-exporting governments are reneging on their promises by failing to
take into account the impact that the trade has on poverty, Oxfam says
in a report published June 22. Sales are diverting resources from areas
such as health and education. "Government failure to stick to their own
promises on arms exports means that children are denied an education,
AIDS sufferers are not getting treatment and thousands are dying
needlessly," the director of Oxfam Great Britain, Barbara Stocking,
said. The report, Guns or Growth, says six developing countries -- Oman, Syria, Burma, Pakistan, Eritrea and Burundi -- spend more on arms than they do on health and education combined. Among the report's findings:
Source: The Guardian (UK) |
| Bolivian Poor See More Public Spending |
|
Since 1994 Bolivia has undergone a dramatic process of political
decentralization. Recent research has analyzed this decentralization
process and argues that it has made the Bolivian government more
responsive to the needs of the poor by redirecting public investment to
areas of greatest need. A report from the Development Research Centre at the London School of Economics compares the effects of political decentralization in two different towns in Bolivia. It places this in the context of what was happening in the national economy. Up until 1994, the relatively few central government officials that were stationed beyond the national and regional capital had little incentive to concern themselves with local demands. The only route to success and career advancement was to implement policies set by the central government. In 1994 however, Bolivia introduced the Law of Popular Participation, making local authorities responsible to local voters for the first time. As a result, there has been a dramatic change in the way government money is spent. Resources have been redirected into Bolivia’s smallest and poorest municipalities. Government investment has shifted from economic production and infrastructure to spending on social services, education and training. The amount of money spent on education, water and sanitation services has risen in those places where it is most needed -- areas with the highest rates of illiteracy and lowest rates of water and sewage connection. Source: ID21 |
| Black Church Ignores AIDS in Atlanta |
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The black church stands as the cornerstone of the African American
community, but there is one pressing social issue it has turned a tin
ear to -- AIDS. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter asked William
Sheals if he could name a black church in metro Atlanta besides his
that offers educational programs on the killer virus. If anybody would
know, it's Sheals, pastor of Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in
Norcross for nearly three decades. "You know," he said, "I can't think of a one. I am perplexed by it, and I don't understand it." This spring, the Morehouse School of Medicine hosted an AIDS seminar to educate black leaders about the disease. Invitations went out to many black churches, including Hopewell, an 18,000-member congregation. Clergy attendance was dismal. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
| World Bank Rebuked for Fossil Fuel Stategy |
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The World Bank's drive to promote fossil fuel-generated power for 1.6
billion people lacking electricity will drive developing countries
deeper into debt, a June 21 report by a development think tank claimed.
Says the New Economics Foundation, fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and
coal, will never provide enough power for developing nations because of
the cost of connecting remote communities to a national grid, whereas
renewable forms of electricity generation could provide a cheaper
solution. The subsidies paid by the World Bank and export credit agencies to fossil fuel industries to expand in the developing world, particularly Africa, are driving countries deeper into debt rather than helping the poor as is the declared intention, stresses the foundation. It criticizes the president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, who has dismissed renewables as an expensive solution. The report says Wolfensohn "at best has a bad grasp of basic economics and at worst reflects the entrenched interests of the Bank's major donors, the fossil fuel industries." Rural communities in poorer countries, particularly in Africa, are often many kilometers from any kind of power grid. On current trends, in 2030 there will be more people relying on wood and dung for cooking and heating than there are now, according to the International Energy Agency. But with small-scale hydroelectric schemes and wind and solar power, developing world villages could become self-sufficient in power. The death rate among women and children from respiratory diseases brought on by fumes from unsuitable stoves would fall dramatically. Source: Mail & Guardian (South Africa) |
| Rich-Poor Gap Splits Britain |
|
The poor in the UK are getting poorer while the north-south divide is
getting wider, researchers have claimed. People living in the south are
likely to be better educated and earn more money than their northern
counterparts, a Sheffield University study suggests. The researchers used census data from 1991 and 2001 to compile an atlas of 500 maps tracking population trends. Combining this data with surveys designed to measure poverty, they found that overall more households in the UK were poorer, up from 21% to 24%. The poverty measure used is the Breadline Britain measure, which defines a household as poor if the majority of people in Britain, at the time of calculation, would think that household to be poor. This means that as overall living standards rise, poverty can also rise if society becomes more unequal. The largely London-based financial sector had created more than 1.7 million jobs in the 10-year period, fuelling the divide. Skilled trade workers, based almost exclusively in the north -- defined as Wales and all counties north of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire -- suffered the biggest decline of any sector over the same period, with a 500,000 drop in the workforce. Key findings:
Source: BBC |
| Quality of Life Rated in 100 Largest US Cities |
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A report and Web site published by the State University of New York
(SUNY) Downstate Medical Center describe changes from 1990 to 2000 in
the rates of extreme and concentrated poverty, adults without high
school diplomas, adults with college attendance, unemployment, violent
crime, and other characteristics for the largest 100 US cities. The
report also ranks cities by a "Social Deprivation Index" and compares
racial/ethnic diversity with "Quality of Life Indicators". Some findings:
Report: Quality of Life in the Nation’s 100 Largest Cities and Their Suburbs |
| Ruinous Times for Andhra Pradesh Farmers |
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The rural landscape in Andhra Pradesh, India, is a shambles.
Agricultural credit and finance systems have collapsed. Taking their
place are new entities that can make the village moneylender seem
relatively less coercive. Prices have pushed most inputs beyond the
reach of the small farmer. For many, the move from food crops to cash
crops proved fatal. In some cases, the shift was towards high-outlay,
water-guzzling crops such as sugar cane. All this, in an era of huge
power tariff hikes. A steady shrinking of local democracy further
deepened the chaos. Add to this, big drops in purchasing power and the worst performance in rural employment seen in years. Landed farmers and agricultural workers have both taken a terrible beating. The people of Andhra Pradesh are paying the price for a "Vision" that sought to displace 40% of those in agriculture from that sector without a clue as to where to take them next. All the households in a survey by The Hindu had incredible levels of debt. Many had failed to gain the credit needed at the start of this season. All have seen crop failure for two or more years. Almost every one of them had made distress sales of land or cattle or both in the past few years. Just 20 of them combined had health expenditures running into a few lakhs of rupees. Most had changed crops in recent years. All of them had spent unbelievable sums in their search for water, mainly sinking borrowed money into borewells. All were selling their produce to creditors of some sort at well below market price. This is the canvas on which Prof. K. Nagaraj of the Madras Institute of Development Studies sees "a predatory commercialization of the countryside." Over 300 farmers took their lives in the six weeks before last. Thousands since the structured assault on agriculture in Andhra Pradesh began years ago. For every farmer who has committed suicide, countless others face morale-sapping despair. Large numbers of people are also in a zone marked by growing hunger and a fragile equilibrium. There have been hunger deaths, too, this year. One more bad season could push many over the edge. Parliament met on June 2. The first day of the new session, eight farmers took their lives in Andhra Pradesh. By the time the session ended on June 10, 69 had died the same way. It was a new Lok Sabha meeting after a historic election, yet the Finance Minister was absent from the House on the very first day. He was busy drying the tears of the distraught millionaires of Dalal Street. Source: The Hindu |
| Third of Europe's Child Deaths Environment-Related |
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Dirty or unsafe environments are to blame for a third of all child
deaths in Europe, says the World Health Organization. The results come
from the world's first "audit" of environment-related childhood deaths
over an entire geographic region. It reveals that 100,000 young
Europeans die every year from exposure to pollution or unsafe living
conditions. The researchers, led by Giorgio Tamburlini of the Institute for Child Health in Trieste, Italy, found that accidents were the single biggest "environmental" killer, accounting for three quarters of the 100,000 annual deaths. In Europe's poorest countries, major causes of death also included pneumonia caused by indoor air pollution and diarrhea caused by lack of sanitation and clean water. The researchers' report, published in The Lancet, estimated environmental impacts on individuals from birth to the age of 20, auditing the effects of outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution, poor sanitation, lead contamination, and injuries. The team divided Europe's 52 countries into three socioeconomic zones: the rich "old" Europe, the "emerging" Balkan and Turkish zone, and the former Soviet bloc. Accidental injuries exacted the largest overall toll. Road traffic deaths rose noticeably as children got older and spent more time away from home. Drownings and fire deaths predominated in younger, housebound infants. Injuries were the only category that made a major impact in the prosperous zone, still accounting for almost a third of all deaths each year. Suicides were also higher in the richer countries. But unlike their richer brethren, children in the poorer regions still pay a heavy price by inhaling polluted air, drinking unclean water, and absorbing lead contamination. Poor sanitation and lack of clean water claims around 13,500 lives a year, mainly from diarrhea. Indoor air pollution claims almost 10,000 lives a year, mostly in the "emerging" zone countries where people still burn coal and wood in unventilated homes. Source: New Scientist |
| Black Farmers Truck North to Save Their Heritage |
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African American farmers drove a truckload of watermelons, cantaloupes,
peaches, tomatoes, collard greens and sweet corn from their farms in
Georgia to a farmers market in the predominantly Black and Latino town
of Harvey, Illinois, on June 19. Melvin Bishop, president of the African American Family Farmers Association (AAFFA), was elated that all the fresh produce was sold after the grueling 14-hour drive from his farm near Eatonton, Georgia. Three other Black farmers traveled with him in the refrigerated truck. "Once they tasted that sweet melon and those juicy peaches, people came back asking for more," he said. "We didn’t have enough so we will bring more on our next trip. People are spreading the word about how good our fruit and vegetables are so we expect an even bigger turnout next time." The AAFFA represents about 375 Black farmers in Georgia and 500 family farmers across the South. "We need help not only to sell our products but also to save our land, save our homes, and save our heritage," Bishop said. The project was initiated after Harvey’s official spokesperson, Robert Storman, made a trip through the South recently. He was impressed by both the quality of Black farmers’ produce and struck by their economic plight, since they are mostly frozen out of the market by corporate agribusiness. "If we don’t pay attention and do something now, by 2010 there will be no Black farmers in the South, and by 2015 there will be no family farmers left at all," he said. "That’s why this venture between North and South is so important." Black farmers from other states will be invited each weekend to truck their produce north to this Chicago suburb throughout the summer. The town is helping subsidize the project by covering transportation and lodging costs for the farmers. In 1910, 890,000 Black farmers owned 16 million acres, according to US Census figures. Today less than 29,000 Black farmers survive, and land ownership has dwindled to 2 million acres. Source: People's Weekly World |
| Life-Net News Extras |
| Health Care Actions Bridge America |
|
From San Francisco to Philadelphia, tens of thousands of union members,
community activists and their families marched for "Health Care for
All" on June 19. In Philadelphia, hundreds gathered outside of City
Hall. They heard troubling statistics from Fabricio Rodriguez of
Philadelphia Jobs With Justice: Over 2.8 million Pennsylvanians have no
health care. 77% of them are in working families. In Pennsylvania,
52.9% of Latinos and 43.3% of African Americans have no health care
coverage. Adult Basic, a health insurance plan for low-income adults funded with Pennsylvania’s tobacco settlement money, closed its enrollment after the fund was raided to plug the state budget deficit. Some 100,000 Pennsylvanians were left stranded on the program’s waiting list, State Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Phila) informed the crowd. However, Blue Cross, a "non-profit" which administers the plan, is sitting on a $3.5 billion surplus. Josephs’ bill in the Legislature, HB 2562, calls for Blue Cross to use part of this surplus to fund Adult Basic for those on the waiting list. "It is a scandal," said Josephs. "Let the governor know how you feel." At the Independence Blue Cross building, Susan Turpening, the uninsured granddaughter of Blue Cross founder E.A. van Steenwyk, reminded marchers of the original purpose of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which she accused of "operating as a for-profit in every way but name." Mindy Barbakoff, director of Childspace Co-op, said it would be impossible for the daycare center to continue paying for full benefits for its workers if insurance rates rise 29%. This is an ongoing problem for all small businesses and agencies. Dr. Gene Bishop pointed out that 18,000 Americans died last year because they lacked health care. "I can’t do what I was trained to do in medical school," he said. Before leaving the Blue Cross building, the crowd shouted, "Shame! Shame!" as a giant inflated rat was delivered to Blue Cross executives. Source: People's Weekly World |
| To Combat AIDS, President Now Supports Condoms |
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President Bush, looking for votes in the great swing state of
Pennsylvania, last week unveiled a new outlook on how to combat AIDS:
He now supports the use of condoms. This is the first time that the
president has used the C-word, which makes conservatives jittery. His conversion happened at the Greater Exodus Baptist Church in North Philadelphia. The president then went on to promise $20 million for a program to get AIDS drugs to patients now on waiting lists who can't afford them. He promised a $15 billion anti-AIDS effort in his 2003 State of the Union address, but only $350 million has been released. He also wants to cut the United States' contribution to the multilateral global AIDS fund. And he still remains opposed to funding sex- and health-education agencies that also provide information on abortion. Source: Philadelphia Daily News |
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