LIFE-NET NEWS
by Ret Z.
Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices
2005 February 2 No Profit; No Proceeds
Volume 8 Number 22 All-Volunteer

"Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal;  give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life."

Opportunistic Proselytizing a Post-Tsunami Concern
      Since 2000, evangelical Christians across the globe have mounted a missionary effort targeting the "10/40 Window": the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist nations between 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitude. East Asians, such as Koreans, and Westerners are active in several countries.
      But now the tsunami has drawn a host of smaller Christian groups to the region. They see the tragedy as an opportunity to present their spiritual message along with material aid. There are reports in Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka of groups handing out Christian tracts purporting to explain the tragedy, seeking to move Muslim children into Christian orphanages, or urging those they provide with goods to attend prayer meetings.
      "I think evangelists do this out of the best intentions, but there is a responsibility to try to understand other faith groups and their culture," says Vince Isner, director of FaithfulAmerica.org, a program of the National Council of Churches USA, who just returned from Sri Lanka.
      "There's a power imbalance when people are in dire need," he adds. "When others offer aid and ask, 'By the way, do you know why this happened to you? There's a better way,' it becomes a delicate power struggle."
      Sri Lanka's Buddhist roots go back 2,500 years. Now linked in the minds of many there to colonialism, Christianity arrived first with the Portuguese, then with the British. Today, the island is mostly Buddhist (70%) but has minorities of Hindus (15%), Muslims and Christians (each 7%).
      A group of Buddhist monks was elected to parliament last April as members of the radical National Heritage Party (JHU). The JHU promotes anti-conversion legislation, a constitutional amendment to make Buddhism the state religion, and an end to government corruption. In December, the JHU threatened to fast unto death unless the government agreed to bring the anti-conversion bill up for a vote.
      Since the tsunami, it has publicly questioned the legality of the funds World Vision is getting, saying they should be distributed by the government. World Vision, like several major organizations with faith connections, subscribes to a Red Cross code of conduct that bans proselytizing.
      Sri Lanka is a signatory to the international covenants that ensure political and religious rights. The US State Department, on the other hand, has expressed concern about the "overall deterioration in religious freedom" there.
      Some worry the massive relief efforts now under way present a potentially explosive situation in Sri Lanka. A few instances of genuine proselytizing have been reported. But, says Devinda Subasinghe, the country's ambassador to the US, most groups are "focusing on delivering the relief people require."
      Source: Christian Science Monitor

High Schooler Refurbishes Bikes for Prisoners' Kids
      Nearly a hundred scratched and dented bicycles line the fence in Clayton Lillard's backyard. They are blue, green, red, black, pink -- new and old. One gold relic is propped against the fence, awaiting a chain replacement. One boy's bike has slashed seats and a flattened front tire. When these are repaired, they will be stored in sections of the yard designated for boys, girls, and toddlers. Eventually they will be adorned with bright bows and donated to children whose parents are incarcerated.
      "I never in my wildest dreams thought helping less fortunate kids would have been so rewarding," says 16-year- old Lillard. "But when you see their smiles -- and tears -- you understand what giving is all about."
      Since 1998, Lillard has collected used bikes and repaired them with the help of neighborhood volunteers and school friends, which he has dubbed Clayton's Backyard Crew. The youngsters have restored and donated more than six hundred bikes to San Antonio (TX) children.
      Recently the crew spent weeks sweating over a hundred bicycles. They say that they did it so that kids who are left without a father or mother -- through no fault of their own -- will feel that someone cares about them. They point out that children with a parent in prison are more likely to end up in prison themselves someday, and the crew wants to do its part to help break the cycle of crime.
      One day, years ago, while walking in their neighborhood, Lillard and his mother Vicki Gil found two battered bikes piled on top of brush and awaiting trash pickup. Lillard had just completed a Junior Achievement class, which helps young people learn the importance of community service, and he was looking for a project.
      "Think of the kids who'd love to have those bikes," he had muttered, pulling a bike from the pile and examining its flattened tire. Then the idea hit him: "It would be really great to fix them up and give them to kids who don't have one."
      He sought knowledge and found that over 300,000 children have one or both parents in a Texas prison. The thought of so many of them not getting a Christmas present that year bothered him. He decided to do something about it.
      A fifth-grader at the time, ten-year-old Clayton Lillard persuaded a local radio station to announce that he was looking for used bicycles. Soon, other news media began reporting on his project. After they mentioned his home address, dozens of bikes were dumped on his front porch, so he organized Clayton's Backyard Crew to help repair them. Now, when he gets a local newspaper or TV news operation to visit his backyard shop, an appeal goes out for a hundred "gently used" bicycles.
      Source:  WorldAndI.com

New Filter Promises Clean Water for Millions
      A handful of clay, yesterday's coffee grounds, and some cow manure are the simple ingredients that could bring clean drinking water to developing countries around the globe. An innovative new technology, developed by Australian National University materials scientist Tony Flynn, allows water filters to be made from commonly available materials and fired on the ground using manure -- without the need for a kiln.
      The filters have been shown to remove common pathogens including E-coli. Unlike other water filtering devices, they are simple and inexpensive to make.
      "They are very simple to explain and demonstrate and can be made by anyone, anywhere. They don't require any western technology. All you need is terracotta clay, a compliant cow, and a match," said Mr. Flynn. "Everyone has a right to clean water; these filters have the potential to enable anyone in the world to drink water safely."
      The production of the filters is extremely simple. Take a handful of dry, crushed clay, mix it with a handful of organic material, such as used tea leaves, coffee grounds or rice hulls, add enough water to make a stiff biscuit- like mixture, and form a cylindrical pot that has one end closed. Dry the pot in the sun, then surround them with straw, place in a mound of cow manure, light the straw, and then top up the burning manure as required. In less than an hour the filters are finished.
      "A potter's kiln is an expensive item and can could take up to four or five hours to heat. It needs expensive or scarce fuel, such as gas or wood, to heat it, and experience to run it. With no technology, and no insulation, none of these restrictions apply.
      "We are deliberately not patenting this technology in the hope that it will be used widely around the world. A simple water filter really does have the capacity to save many lives in the developing world."
      The filtration process is simple but effective. The basic principle is that there are passages through the filter that are wide enough for water droplets to pass through, but too narrow for pathogens. Organic materials which are combined with the clay burn away during the firing process, leaving cavities that help produce the structure in which pathogens will become trapped.
      The invention was born out of a World Vision project involving the community of Manatuto in East Timor. The charity wanted to help set up a small industry manufacturing water filters, but initial research found the local clay to be too fine -- a problem solved by the addition of organic material. Manure firing, with no requirement for a kiln, has made this zero-technology approach available anywhere it is needed.
      Tests with the deadly E-coli bacterium have seen the filters remove 96.4% to 99.8% of the pathogen -- well within safe levels. Using only one filter, a liter of clean water can be produced in just two hours.
      Source: Australian National University

How to Start Your Own 'Food Not Bombs'

  1. Start by getting a phone number and a mailing address. By using either a voice mailbox or an answering machine, you can have an outgoing message with information about the next meeting time and place, and you can receive messages so you never miss a call. Likewise, use a commercial mailbox or post office box for your permanent address.
  2. Next, make flyers announcing the existence of a local Food Not Bombs. By handing them out at events, posting them around town, and mailing them out to your friends, you will get additional volunteers. It is helpful to have regularly scheduled weekly meetings or always know the date of the next meeting.
  3. Arrange for the use of a vehicle. Between the members of your group, there may be enough vehicles of the right size for your needs. If not, you might be able to borrow a van or truck from a sympathetic church group or similar organization. If you are very lucky, you could be able to find someone to donate one to you. And, if none of the above leads to obtaining a vehicle, you could always hold fundraising events to raise money specifically for the purchase of a van.
  4. With flyers in hand, begin looking for sources of food. The first places to approach are the local food co-ops and health food stores. These types of stores tend to be supportive and are a good place to practice your approach. Tell them you plan to give the food to shelters and soup kitchens to feed hungry people. If they are interested and willing, arrange for a regular time to pick up the food each day or as often as is practical. Where it is appropriate, leave literature which explains what Food Not Bombs does.
  5. Deliver the bulk food you collect to shelters and meal kitchens. It is important to get to know the food pantries and soup kitchens in your area. Learn where they are located, whom they serve, and how many they serve. This information will help you plan your delivery route and distribute appropriate types and amounts of food to each program. It is usually desirable to arrange a regular delivery schedule with each kitchen.
  6. Once this network becomes established, start to skim some food out of the flow without disrupting the program. With this food, start to prepare meals to serve on the streets. At first, go to rallies and demonstrations. There, the group can recruit more volunteers, collect donations, and lift the spirits of those at the event. Giving out meals at a rally builds community and supports the cause in a very direct way.
  7. Once enough people are involved, consider serving meals one day a week to the homeless on the street in a visible way. Cooking and serving food on the street builds community within the group and is hard work but also great fun. Pick locations that are highly visible. Part of our mission is to help make the "invisible homeless" more visible. We also want to reach out to everyone with our political message, "food not bombs," and we want to be very accessible.
      Source:  Food Not Bombs

Alms
      "Alms" are not some kind of tree, but something you should know about -- and do. The Greek word translated alms in the New Testament originally meant mercy or kindness then came to represent the kind deeds caused by mercy and kindness. So it came to mean charitable giving to the poor -- or giving motivated by love. Many times this word is translated as "charitable deed."
      "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys." (Luke 12:33 NKJV)
      Jesus often spoke of giving alms. But He made it clear that our motives are important: "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Mat. 6:2-4)
      The Bible tells of Cornelius, "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always." An angel brought him a message: "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God." (Acts 10:2,4) God was impressed with this Roman soldier's giving to meet the needs of the poor.
      Alms are not offerings to God or His ministers. Alms are deeds of charity, gifts to the poor and needy, help for people in trouble.
      Alms impress God.
      Source:  Church For All

Education Solutions You Can Provide
      For the TV-besotted or very deprived poverty-zone child, it is possible that "pre-kindergarten is a good start toward a better future workforce," as a commentary in the Philadelphia Inquirer stated earlier this year. But it's also true that the later the middle-class child enters school the higher their ultimate achievement level. Thus, the homeschoolers are on top of the heap socially, psychologically, physically, intellectually, and academically.
      In the meantime, while parents can always do better, one of the best things we could do is to stop schooling and start educating.
      Most schools and colleges are well-meaning but somewhat coercive, scary, boring, Prussian-derived and factory- oriented institutions. Resentful, anxious, depressed young people there show a significant loss of sociability, confidence, curiosity, creativity, physique, and self- directed learning capacity. They come out with, usually, very poor basic skills and quickly forgotten subject matter. A mere one-third of high-school seniors are proficient readers while 17% can do arithmetic well. Fear, anger, invidious judgments, and failure are widespread and clearly contribute to both mental illness and criminality.
      What to do:
  • Stimulate learners with interesting [to them] material.
  • Read aloud to them.
  • Do choral reading.
  • Use the daily newspaper.
  • Play math games.
  • Exercise.
  • Stop quizzing.
  • Deep-six testing.
  • Encourage teamwork.
  • Ask them to show what they're able to do, after which we permit ourselves to help them do better. (This mirrors how people acquire skills in the real world.)
      What it all adds up to: The credential society notwithstanding, a learner who looks happy is probably in a good learning situation.
      Source:  Robert E Kay, MD (e-mail)

#  LNN  #  Small  #  Hauls  #

  • Church World Service has provided blankets and mosquito nets to some 3,000 ethnic minority children staying in boarding schools in sparsely populated areas of Laos. Many villages there have no schools, and the children must travel long distances to attend school. So schools become "boarding schools," with students returning home on weekends or less frequently. The blankets help to keep the children warm during cold nights, and the nets protect against vector-borne disease. (Church World Service)

  • The FamilyCare bill (S2366), which cleared the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on January 24, promises to more than double the current enrollment of 214,000 working poor New Jerseyans over the next three years, relying on little, if any additional state money, said Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex County), the sponsor. The $56 million needed to launch the expansion in fiscal year 2006 will be found through a $40 million Medicaid bonus, and by reducing administrative costs, he said. (Newark Star-Ledger)

  • A bill that would boost the minimum wage in New Jersey to $7.15 an hour by October 2006, a goal trumpeted by acting Gov. Richard Codey in his State of the State address, cleared a Senate committee on Jan. 24 after legislators agreed on a compromise with business interests. After a lengthy hearing, the Senate Labor Committee approved the bill to raise the minimum wage, now $5.15 an hour, to $6.15 this October and then to $7.15 a year later. It's the first proposed increase since 1999. Currently, about 235,000 workers in New Jersey earn less than $7.15 an hour. (Newark Star-Ledger)

  • Catholics of the 135-parish Camden Diocese and students in area Catholic schools have donated about $1.17 million toward emergency relief to the regions devastated by the tsunami of December 26. The money was raised through a special collection by the diocese's parishes and missions on Jan. 8-9, as well as through collections at many of the diocese's 55 elementary and 10 secondary schools. The $1.17 million is the largest special collection ever taken up by the diocese, diocese officials said. It's more than double the 2001 collection taken up in response to the 9/11 attacks. (Courier-Post)

  • No sooner had the long-awaited UN action plan on poverty, bearing the stamp of the Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs, hit the street in mid-January than some economists took shots. "Utopian central planning by global bureaucrats," carped one. Points of the plan:
    • Provide mosquito nets for children who live in malaria- infested regions.
    • Eliminate school and uniform fees to ensure that poor children don't stay home because they can't afford to go to school.
    • Provide farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with soil nutrients to ensure healthier crops.
    • Reform and enforce legislation guaranteeing women and girls property and inheritance rights.
    The report says now is the time to try the radically different approach of giving bigger amounts of real, quality aid directly to recipients on the ground. That means money to clinics and schools, to build generators and buy medicine and food, instead of the usual low-interest loans to benefit companies back home. (New York Times)

Life-Net News Extras

Board OKs Grant for New City Arts Center
      The Economic Recovery Board of Camden on January 25 unanimously approved a $233,000 grant for the Walt Whitman Arts Center to build an arts center in North Camden across from Cooper's Poynt School at 2nd and York streets. The goal is to build a storefront-style building to hold arts classes that are affordable and accessible to the community. "It really will be a storefront with huge picture windows," said Pamela Bridgeforth, executive director of the Whitman Center, "so people walking by or driving by can look inside and see all sorts of arts classes going on."
      Bridgeforth said other funds for the project include $50,000 pending approval by the Camden Empowerment Zone Corp. Due to weather, the CEZ's board meeting was canceled. The board is expected to vote on the funds at its February meeting.
      Also, the city is contributing $75,000 in community development block grants. Bridgeforth said Assembly Majority Leader Joe Roberts, D-Camden, lobbied to get the center a $100,000 state appropriation. Those funds will go toward constructing the 3,200-square-foot facility that will host classes on everything from painting to dance. For operations, the center has also received $360,000 over three years from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation based in Miami.
      Bridgeforth said a small fee will be charged to interested residents. "What we don't want to see happen is that we do everything to get the building built and wind up having to close it down," Bridgeforth said. "By charging a small, nominal fee, we hope to get resources to (the proposed) center that will allow it to outlast even the Walt Whitman Center as a cultural center."
      The Whitman Center is working with the North Camden Land Trust on the project. The proposed center is the first of a possible series of centers throughout the city, said Sandra Turner-Barnes, director of development and external affairs. Construction could begin by summer.
      "This will mark the first building of its kind to be built in the city since the Walt Whitman Center opened 100 years ago," said Bridgeforth. "We are very excited and quite humbled."
      Source:  Courier-Post (Camden)

Mom Targets NJ Drug Laws
      Mary Burke, the mother of a 22-year-old man who was sentenced to three years in prison for selling two ounces of marijuana to an undercover officer, called for a change in New Jersey's mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offenders. "I never knew how damaging New Jersey's drug laws could be until I learned the hard way," said Burke, who has since moved to Easton, Pa. "It was his first conviction. He was 21 years old and attending college."
      Even though Brian Burke was a first-time offender, he was charged under the school zone law which requires a minimum of three years in prison by prosecutors in Hunterdon County, which at that time had no drug court. "We had no idea these laws even existed in our state and could not believe the judge was not able to factor in that Brian was so young and had no prior convictions. But the judge's hands were tied. Instead of attending college, Brian served nine months in prison."
      Burke spoke at a State House press conference yesterday called by the nonprofit group Families Against Mandatory Minimums to announce the results of a poll that showed New Jerseyans overwhelmingly favor changes that would put the disposition of cases for minor, non-violent drug offenses back in the judges' hands. The poll of 804 residents by the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling found that 80% support sentences of mandatory treatment and community service if those sentences will reduce the amount the state spends on incarcerating people.
      Laura Sager, the national campaign director for FAMM, noted the poll's results reinforce recent Supreme Court decisions that give federal judges more discretion in sentencing. "For the very first time a New Jersey poll shows that citizens support restoring judges' ability to fit the punishment to the crime for low-level, nonviolent drug offenses," Sagar said. About three-quarters of those polled favor giving judges more discretion in these kind of cases and 73% favor the use of drug courts which require treatment for drug offenders.
      Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, D-South Orange, supports overhauling the strict sentencing laws. "At a time when the state is facing a potential $4 billion budget deficit," wrote Caraballo in a statement, "New Jersey needs to get smart on crime instead of tough on crime."
      Source:  The Times (Trenton)

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