| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| January 10, 2007 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 10 Number 11 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Global Warming Swallows Its First Inhabited Island |
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Rising seas, caused by global warming, have for the first time washed an inhabited island off the face of the earth. The obliteration of Lohachara island, in India's part of the Sundarbans where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal, marks the moment when one of the most apocalyptic predictions of environmentalists and climate scientists has started coming true.
As the seas continue to swell, they will swallow whole island nations, from the Maldives to the Marshall Islands, inundate vast areas of countries from Bangladesh to Egypt, and submerge parts of scores of coastal cities. Eight years ago, the first uninhabited islands -- in the Pacific atoll nation of Kiribati -- vanished beneath the waves. The people of low-lying islands in Vanuatu, also in the Pacific, have been evacuated as a precaution, but the land still juts above the sea. The disappearance of Lohachara, once home to 10,000 people, is unprecedented. It has been officially recorded in a six-year study of the Sunderbans by researchers at Calcutta's Jadavpur University. So remote is the island that the researchers first learned of its submergence, and that of an uninhabited neighboring island, Suparibhanga, when they saw they had vanished from satellite pictures. There are now a dozen "vanishing islands" in India's part of the delta, according to Dr Sugata Hazra, director of the university's School of Oceanographic Studies. The islands' populations total 70,000. The area's 400 tigers are also in danger. Until now the Carteret Islands off Papua New Guinea were expected to be the first populated ones to disappear, in about eight years' time. Lohachara has beaten them to it. Source: The Independent |
| Physicians Embrace a New Role: Advocate |
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Adapted from a piece by Boston Globe correspondent Dr Michael Hochman:
According to a survey of physicians published in the Nov 22 Journal of the American Medical Association and conducted in part by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, 90% of doctors now believe participation in community activities, political involvement, and healthcare advocacy are an important component of their jobs. This represents an attitude shift that is, perhaps, not surprising since doctors' work includes some of the most vulnerable and oppressed members of society. Despite their good intentions, however, over the last generation doctors haven't done enough to bring about social change, according to several of the speakers who came to a health advocacy class I took as part of my medical residency at Cambridge Hospital. In fact, they said, most healthcare reform has been passed by politicians with little input from doctors. Part of the problem is that doctors have attempted to address social injustices and make change happen primarily by doing research. "Don't get mad, get data," one physician told the class. If you think you have a better way to treat heart attacks, we were instructed, prove it by comparing your method with existing treatments in a formal study. Dr Paul Farmer at Brigham and Women's Hospital, for instance, has used research to show that treating HIV/AIDS in the developing world is not only possible but much less expensive than many had thought. But even Farmer admits that progress in response to such research projects has been too slow. Something more is needed to get the attention of policymakers, who don't respond as readily to evidence-based medicine as do doctors. We "will have to learn more about advocacy and about which levers to pull in Washington and in the international policy community," Farmer said in a speech at the American Public Health Association's annual convention in early November. This is starting to happen because of pioneer physician advocates such as Farmer himself, who has brought life-saving medications to the developing world by working closely with policy agencies including Congress and the UN. Other examples of successful physician advocacy include work by Physicians for Human Rights, which won a Nobel Peace Prize a decade ago for its efforts to ban landmines worldwide; and a group of doctors in the Southwest who recently helped persuade Congress to compensate Americans harmed by radiation from Cold War nuclear experiments. More important, for the first time health advocacy is becoming an accepted career pathway for all doctors. In addition to the program at Cambridge Hospital, a group of students at Boston University School of Medicine have recently developed an advocacy elective. And the pediatric residency program at Boston University includes a module on community-based health advocacy. Source: Boston Globe |
| Sued by a Camdenite, Rental Giant Loses US Appeal |
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The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a challenge to New Jersey consumer protection and usury laws filed by the
nation's largest rent-to-own company, which operates 43 stores in the state. The NJ Supreme Court had ruled, last year, that Rent-a-Center Inc was subject to a 30% annual interest rate cap that applies to other retailers who allow customers to pay for their purchases in installments. The
suit accused the company of violating the cap.
Rent-a-Center says that it has conducted business in New Jersey for 20 years on the basis that the state's retail installment sales act does not apply to rent-to-own transactions. The Plano, Texas, company rents household goods to consumers, typically without a down payment or credit check and with an option to purchase the goods. The suit was filed by Hilda Perez of Camden NJ. Perez obtained furniture and electronics equipment in 2001 and 2002 that carried a cash price of $9,300. Under her agreements with Rent-a-Center, she would have had to pay more than $18,600 over two years to assume ownership. She paid $8,200 before stopping payments, according to the NJ Supreme Court. The decision could mean that other consumers who paid interest rates of more than 30% were entitled to refunds from Rent-a-Center and possibly from other rent-to-own retailers that also charge higher rates. Lawyers for Perez want to have the state court certify the lawsuit as a class-action suit so that other Rent-a-Center customers in NJ could qualify for a refund. Source: Associated Press |
| Mexicans Trained as Leaders Against Human Trafficking |
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Concerned Women for America (CWA) says its Bridge Project has reached 7,000 people across Mexico in an effort that sponsored 17 sessions training Mexican nationals for leadership in the fight against sex trafficking. Also thanks to the project, hundreds of individuals are now
capable of lobbying for changes in Mexican law to crack down on human traffickers.
CWA's Beverly LaHaye Institute launched The Bridge Project through a grant from the US State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking. Sixteen Mexican leaders, including members of Mexican pro-family coalition Red Familia ("Family Net"), came to Washington, DC, for a weeklong training session in 2005 after the government grant funded the start of the project. Five of those leaders, all from Red Familia, were chosen to initiate projects in Mexico through their organizations. The delegates returned to their country to begin building a support structure and to further the training. The Institute's senior fellow Dr Janice Shaw Crouse serves as director of The Bridge Project. She calls the effort "one of the most satisfying and successful projects that I have ever been involved with" and says it has laid the groundwork for "the beginning of the end of trafficking in persons in Mexico." "We have been able to work with one of the groups in setting up a shelter," Crouse points out. The Mexican participants "have the [shelter] blueprints already" she says; and "they have a manual ready to go," she adds, referring to a manual produced for shelter workers as a guide in the rescue of sex trafficking victims. Meanwhile, Crouse notes, more than 600 people have now been trained as advocates and are lobbying for stronger Mexican laws to prosecute traffickers. "Another group has done a database of where people are being trafficked and who's doing the trafficking." Also, The Bridge Project workers have produced a 56-page analysis of the legal aspects of this crime in Mexico's federal Penal Code and have collected 1,318 articles and 17 books on the subject of human trafficking, Crouse observes. She says the Mexican team has also produced 80 policy recommendations and launched a human trafficking awareness campaign for tourist industry personnel. Source: AgapePress |
| Schwarzenegger Proposes Mandatory Health Insurance |
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California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled plans on Monday to require all state residents to have health insurance and to extend coverage to an estimated 6.5
million uninsured. Under his plan, insurers would not be able to deny coverage based on age or pre-existing health conditions; healthy lifestyles would be rewarded; and the state would expand its existing health insurance for the poor, which may bring more federal funds to the state.
"My solution is that everyone in California must have insurance," said Schwarzenegger, who was inaugurated to a second term on Friday after time in the hospital to repair a broken leg. "If you can't afford it, the state will help you buy it, but you must be insured." Americans are not guaranteed healthcare. Millions of working people are without coverage because they cannot afford private insurance but earn too much to qualify for public programs. Some federal lawmakers have proposed a nationwide healthcare system, but so far such efforts have faltered. Last year, Massachusetts became the first state to pass a law requiring all individuals to buy health coverage. A handful of states, including Illinois, Maine and New Jersey, already provide health coverage to all children through state programs. "My proposal is a beginning," Schwarzenegger said. "Everything will be on the table and I want to hear from everyone." Under the proposal, firms with 10 or more workers would offer health insurance to employees or pay 4% of payroll to the state so it can provide coverage. Firms with fewer than 10 employees would be exempt. Additionally, doctors would pay the state 2% of revenues and hospitals would be taxed 4% of their revenue to support a new state insurance pool. Since taking office in 2003, Schwarzenegger has opposed any new taxes. "There is no debate about whether to provide medical care for people who are in California illegally," he said. "I know this is controversial, but federal law requires us to treat anyone who shows up at an emergency room in need of care. So the decision for my team was, do we treat them in emergency rooms at the highest cost available or do we do it right and do it efficiently?" Source: Reuters |
| Drug-Resistant TB Exceeds Previous Estimates |
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The extent of tuberculosis that is resistant to treatment from two or more of the most commonly-used antibiotics is greater than had been thought, and it's particularly high in China, India, and Russia, according to a fresh report from World Health Organization scientists. Based on continuing surveillance in 79 countries, Dr Mario
Raviglione and colleagues reported in the medical journal The Lancet that they found drug-resistant TB in virtually every one of these countries, and they estimate that there were 424,000 new cases in 2004, or more than 125,000 more cases than had been estimated before.
That’s still just a fraction of the tens of millions of people around the globe who are infected with TB every year. But the trend is worrisome, even for Americans, for several reasons. Experts say roughly a third of the world’s population is infected with TB, but in most people, the immune system keeps the germs in check. Only about 5% to 10% actually develop illness when the bacteria activate in their lungs, frequently when their immune system is disrupted or damaged by HIV. But this supposedly manageable disease killed 1.7 million people worldwide in 2004. And WHO estimates that as many as 50 million people worldwide may be infected with a drug-resistant strain. Drug resistance to TB generally occurs because patients don’t stick with prescribed drugs for the required six to nine months. Ending treatment early allows naturally resistant TB bacilli to multiply until eventually the majority of bacilli are resistant. It is possible to treat most strains of drug-resistant TB with more advanced drugs, but it requires taking the drugs for many months, even years, and demands that patients be closely supervised and monitored, even isolated in some cases. Treating resistant TB becomes even more complicated if patients have suppressed immune systems. The cure rate is 90% for nonresistant strains of TB. For multi-drug resistant strains, 50%. About 1% of the TB cases in this country are multi-drug resistant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO study found that incidence was declining slightly in the US. But Americans are hardly out of harm’s way. Source: Nashua Telegraph |
| Redevelopment Czar Quits |
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Arijit De, architect of Camden's ambitious but stalled redevelopment plans, resigned Thursday from his $125,000-a-year position as executive director of the Camden Redevelopment Agency. He will be replaced, on an interim basis, by John Kromer, a senior consultant for the
Fels Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
For the past four years, De was both a lightning rod for controversy and a passionate believer in the city's ability to recover from decades of economic decline. He championed billion-dollar plans that would have required thousands of city residents to surrender their older homes to make way for new development. Some credit De for believing so deeply in the city that he worked for six months without salary when he was first hired, while legal and contractual issues were resolved. Others complain that De and Randy Primas, the city's former chief operating officer who resigned late last year, did not seek input from residents before announcing sweeping plans. "That's what irritated people about both Randy Primas and Arijit De. They were arrogant and did not listen to people. They patronized people," said Roy Jones, co-chairman of the South Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and a city activist for 38 years. At least four plans have been stalled by court challenges and community opposition. De came to the Redevelopment Agency in 2002 after shepherding the construction of the highly praised Baldwin's Run development for Camden's housing authority. He often expressed exasperation that people would not believe that they would be better off if his plans for rebuilding the city moved forward. "Certainly people will be unhappy if they need to move. I understand that," De told the Courier-Post last year as the Cramer Hill plan was being debated. "But what's the alternative? To do nothing? That's unacceptable." Carmen Ubarry-Rivera, president of the Cramer Hill Residents Association, said De was unwilling to search for compromise solutions. "I look forward to working with the new people," said Ubarry-Rivera, who is on the 18-member national search committee to find a new leader for Camden to replace Primas. "I hope they understand the importance of residents' input." Source: Courier-Post |
| # LNN # Small # Hauls # |
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| Life-Net News Extras |
| O Little Slum of Bethlehem |
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Adapted from a piece by Mary Ann Weston, associate professor emerita at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism:
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."-- Luke 2:7 The beloved words of the Nativity story evoke reverence and awe. But a recent visit to Bethlehem left me wondering: If Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem today, would they get in? Would they make it to the manger, or would the holy child be delivered at an Israeli checkpoint? The city of Christ's birth is now partially surrounded by a wall, much of it 25 or more feet high, an unbroken expanse of solid, gray concrete, a medieval city wall updated with 21st-century cameras and razor wire. The wall snakes through Bethlehem and the nearby countryside, separating farmers from their fields, workers from their jobs, and families from their neighbors. The wall effectively annexes Israeli West Bank settlements, although they are considered illegal under international law. Bethlehem is surrounded by 27 settlements containing 73,000 people, according to Open Bethlehem, a local advocacy group. The settlements are connected by bypass roads that are off limits to Palestinians. The wall and other Israeli restrictions on movement have made Christian and Muslim areas of the West Bank such as Bethlehem virtual ghettos. Once, Bethlehem was easily accessible from Jerusalem. Now, for Palestinians, it's an ordeal of checkpoints, with their prison-style walkways covered with wire mesh, multiple turnstiles, baggage X-rays, metal detectors and document scrutiny. On any given day no one can predict when or even if he or she will be allowed to pass. It's a cruel roulette in which Palestinians gamble daily on getting to work or school on time, or getting a sick child to the hospital. Tourism, traditionally Bethlehem's economic mainstay, has dropped dramatically. The Christian population, which was 80% in 1948, is now less than 20%. Christians traditionally have been among the more prosperous citizens, those with means to move elsewhere. Less fortunate are residents of the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. On a recent visit to the camp, my companions and I climbed to the roof of an apartment house. Here we could see over the wall to a lush olive grove on the other side. "That was a park for the children from the camp," said Ayed Alazzeh, who runs the Lajee Center, a recreation and educational center in the camp. Now the wall makes the olive grove, which belongs to a local church, inaccessible to the children. In December Alazzeh's 12-year-old nephew was shot and seriously wounded while playing on the balcony of his home. The shots came from Israeli soldiers manning a guard tower on the wall nearby, Alazzeh said. The reality of life in Bethlehem today confounds the traditions of the Christmas story: How could the shepherds, abiding in their fields beyond the wall, visit the Christ child? And what about the Magi? Would they have the proper travel documents to enter Bethlehem? Would their gold, frankincense and myrrh be confiscated at a checkpoint? In the troubled "little town" of Bethlehem, the angels' song of "Peace on Earth" seems faint indeed. Source: Chicago Tribune |
| Youth Push for Discounted Transit Pass |
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While the legal status of young adults changes upon reaching the age of 18, their lifestyle, economic standing, academic and societal pressures do not improve, and more often than not become more challenging. Nevertheless, youth are struck with a 350% increase in their monthly transportation expense as a birthday present to celebrate their adulthood.
The fact is by turning 18 most youth do not have doors of opportunity flying open, allowing them to take on more financial responsibilities. Rather, the opposite is most often the case. For youths 17 and younger, a modest $10 MUNI youth pass becomes a drastic $45 monthly expenditure the day they turn 18. The result of this aggressive jump in fares for youth is additional challenge for transitional youth, and lowers ridership creating less revenue for Muni. This issue was heard Monday, December 4, at 4:00pm at San Francisco City Hall. The proposal is being pushed by the San Francisco Youth Commission, which is the City body charged with advocating and advising the rest of local government with better policies, programs, and budget priorities that pertain to youths’ lives. Legislation pertaining to this issue will be heard in the City Operations and Neighborhood Services committee before going to the full Board of Supervisors. Shadi Elkarra, appointed by Mayor Newsom to the Youth Commission, commented on the issue, saying, "San Francisco should be promoting public transportation, but how can we if we're not making it financially accessible for young people who are already struggling?" Commissioner Kemi Shamonda, of District 6, agrees, "I know how low the wages are for working youth. Many of us are low-income and our jobs help support our families." Youths 18-24 contribute $11.7 million a year to the MTA in the purchase of adult MUNI Fast Passes, and make 34 million bus trips annually, according to the Office of the Legislative Analyst at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (OLA). The OLA also found that a 30% discount to the Adult Fast Pass would spark a 7.2% increase in ridership among 18-24 year olds, according to the forthcoming report from the OLA. This makes the fiscal impact of having this discount approximately $5.7 million annually. Currently, the sharp price hike deters many from continuing their use of the public transit system. "With the cost of living escalating in San Francisco," says Iqra Anjum, who as Chair of the Youth Commission conceptualized the plan, "the City and the Municipal Transportation Authority must re-affirm their commitment and invest in young adults." Source: Poor Magazine |
| Arsenic Poisoning Wells in Burkina Faso |
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With signs that people are developing diseases linked to arsenic poisoning, the government of Burkina Faso government said late last month that it had turned off pumps to 11 deep-water wells in areas in the north of Burkina Faso where water is particularly scarce, adding that it may still have to close down hundreds more wells.
"People were coming to our health centers with skin diseases in abnormally high numbers," regional director for health in the north, Moussa Dadjouari, said. "So we conducted investigations and found that it was linked to drinking water." Over the last two years officials from the ministry of agriculture and hydraulic resources found that the level of arsenic was often higher than 10 micrograms per liter, a threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Short-term symptoms of arsenic poisoning include vomiting, stomach aches and bloody diarrhea, according to the minister of health. Prolonged exposure can damage kidneys and lungs and cause skin cancer. People in the north complained bitterly about losing their precious water sources, according to the state-owned newspaper. The government said that it had started building more wells to replace those closed. On Friday, UNICEF said that it has also been testing water in 360 wells it built in the northern provinces of Yatenga and Lorum between 1999 and 2004 and found that seven wells were contaminated. UNICEF said it too had started building new wells to replace them. Tidiane Zougouri, an environmentalist critical of the policy of closing wells in areas where people are in desperate need of water, said that up to 80% of arsenic can be eliminated using a sand filter. "Studies have shown that arsenic is stopped by the iron contained in the sand," Zougouri said. "And it’s a cheap solution because sand is everywhere in the area." Zougouri warned that with erosion, arsenic is not only affecting underground water but also water that has risen to the surface. "The danger comes from any water that has not been able to oxygenate." The risk is also not limited to the north but to the whole country, according to Francis Bougaire, the general director of water resources. "Arsenic was not on the agenda when officials were evaluating soil before digging the wells," said Dadjouari. The government has now set up an inter-ministerial committee to try to address the problem. Source: IRIN |
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