LIFE-NET NEWS

by Ret Z.

Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices

February 7, 2007	No Profit; No Proceeds
Volume 10 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."

Seeking Firewood, They Find Danger

"We are afraid of these people," says 45-year-old Hawa, of the Janjaweed militia in Darfur. "They are living in the forest with their camels and horses and they have weapons and we don't."       "A relative of mine in another camp went to get firewood and was attacked by one of them," adds Hawa, who lives in Hamadiya camp. "When she refused him, he tried to stab her with a knife and she took several days to recover from her injuries."       It's a hazardous business, but the women have little alternative. They depend on wood in order to cook their families' meals.       Hawa never goes alone. She arranges to go with other women in the camp in groups of three or four.       Hamadiya is one of four camps around Zalingei town. Hawa is one of over 90,000 people who have been forced from their villages, who now live crammed into a few kilometers around Zalingei.       Hawa has lived in Hamadiya camp for three years. "There is no firewood nearby anymore, now we have to go far to collect wood," she says. With her companions, she leaves the camp at around eight in the morning and returns around three.       Coalition partners supported by Church World Service (CWS) are trying different strategies to help the women to decrease their need for firewood -- strategies that also have environmental benefits. In November, 100 women learned how to make energy-efficient stoves. The stoves decrease the amount of wood used and, in turn, the frequency with which women need to go out in search of firewood.       The energy-saving stoves, made from sand, clay, straw, and sun-dried animal dung, cost next to nothing to make. The stove creates an enclosure around the fire (traditionally an open fire on the ground), lessening heat loss and protecting from the wind, so the wood burns slower, too.       An agro-forestry project is helping to combat the deforestation and resulting desertification. In three tree nurseries in West and South Darfur, CWS coalition partner Sudan Social Development Organization planted more than 125,000 trees in 2006 and distributed 37,000 of them among all the households in Hamadiya camp for people to plant in their compounds.       Hawa received three trees. In two years, the trees will give substantial shade. "It will be good to have the shade of the tree to sit under," says Hawa. But she hopes that she will have returned to her village before the trees have grown so big.       Source: Church World Service

Sexual Orientation a Big Factor in Youth Homelessness

Homelessness is rampant among young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, according to a report released on Jan 30 by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless. While gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people constitute between 3% and 5% of the general population, they make up 20% to 40% of homeless youth in the US, according to the report.       "This report documents that there is an epidemic of homelessness of LGBT youth, and at the same time it's a national disgrace that the national government has completely failed to respond," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the task force, which is based in New York.       The report examines the problem and calls for federal spending to help this portion of the homeless youth population. "There are a multitude of reasons these youth become homeless," said report author Nicholas Ray, "but ultimately, family conflict is the major cause." Once homeless, the young people face a minefield of substance abuse, depression, and risky sexual behavior, including selling sex for money or shelter, according to the report.       Angelika Torres, a 20-year-old transgender woman who grew up in Manhattan, said she left her home after being forced to cut her hair and act more like a boy. She now lives in transitional housing there. "One thing I know from my own experience is that this needs to stop. Kids cannot live like this," Torres said during a press conference on the report.       The report, partially released in December, is based on numerous estimates and studies but no scientific counts. It states that youths often face harassment or discrimination in shelters and that less than $1 million of the $105 million the federal government spends to fund the Runaway, Homeless and Missing Children Protection Act goes to organizations that work exclusively with them.       Many kids who leave their homes go to New York and San Francisco, which are viewed as bastions of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people in need. But reality in those cities can be harsh, especially with regard to housing, said Jodi Schwartz, executive director of Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center in San Francisco. "They've come to the golden city for queer folks and expect to find everything they need here, and they find they're landing in a city like any other and there's no place to go."       Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Nobel Winner Gives Poor People Room to Grow

The Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and its founder were jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Created in 1976 by Professor Muhammad Yunus, with just £15 from his own pocket, the bank makes loans to farmers, fishermen, artisans and other poor people without demanding collateral. It now serves more than 6 million families across four continents, 97% of whom are women, with loans, savings accounts, insurance, information support and other services, enabling them to set up their own self-sustaining businesses and thus escape the hardships of poverty.       Yunus was born in 1940 in Chittagong, the business centre of what was then Eastern Bengal. He was the third of 14 children, of whom five died in infancy. Educated in Chittagong, he was awarded a scholarship, gained a PhD and in 1972 became head of Chittagong University’s economics department. But it was his mother, Sofia Khatun, who had always helped any poor person who came knocking on their door, whom he cited as being among his biggest influences.       In his Web site report, Muhammad Yunus writes how today’s society views poor people as human 'bonsais'. If a healthy seed of a giant tree is planted in a tiny flowerpot, he explains, then the tree that grows will be miniaturized, not through fault of the seed but because it has been denied a bigger landscape to grow in. In the same way, people are poor because society denies them a proper social and economic base in which to blossom. The way to solve this, he says, is to move the poor out of the 'flowerpot' and into the real soil of society.       Grameen Bank believes that financial credit should be accepted as a human right. It has, therefore, built on a system where those who possess nothing are considered the most suitable candidates for borrowing -- the opposite to how other conventional banks work. This alternative system recognizes that all human beings, including the poorest, are endowed with endless potential and it is this potential that is assessed prior to a loan agreement, as opposed to a recipient's assets or their material possessions.       "The basic principle," said Muhammad Yunus in an interview with Asia Source, "is that the people should not have to come to the bank but the bank should go to the people." The system has so far proved to be a huge success and today the bank operates in 40,000 villages, lending money to over 2 million borrowers for many different income-generating self-employment ventures.       "Professor Yunus is an extraordinary visionary whose unshakeable belief in the power of people to help themselves escape poverty has become a rallying call across the globe," says Alex Counts, President of the Grameen Foundation. "His dream to put poverty in a museum where it belongs, continues to be an inspiration to me and to countless others."       Source: Positive News       More: Grameen Bank Bhavan

Study to Examine Diet's Effects on Prisoner Behavior

It seems there's a vitamin or food prescription for every malady of mood. Depressed? Boost your vitamin B intake. Tired? Skip caffeine and go for some omega-3 fatty acids. Tense? Find relaxation through magnesium.       Oxford researchers are putting the healing power of food to the test with a new study in three prisons, including one in Scotland. According to a recent article in The Scotsman, prisoners would take part in a study that will track the influence of healthy eating on behavior. Scheduled to begin in the next three months, the study will provide 1,200 inmates with dietary supplements containing "a mixture of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids." A select number will serve as a control group, receiving dummy pills.       A similar study took place in an English prison a few years ago. Kristin Meyers and Joby Martin report in the Monterey County Weekly that "prisoners who received doses of zinc, iodine, potassium, and magnesium committed 37% fewer violent offenses" while incarcerated. They also point to a study conducted in the 1980s that analyzed the hairs of 27 murderers, including that of Charles Manson, and found significant zinc deficiencies. The conclusion reached in that study was that "a poor diet contributed to turning these people into monsters." According to Meyers and Martin, eating the right foods is as important as taking medication.       The hope amongst researchers is that, should the Scottish prison study prove successful, dietary adjustments can be applied to others with behavioral problems, including disruptive schoolchildren.       Source: Utne Reader

Dams Threaten Fishing Tribe

The isolated Enawene Nawe tribe has spoken out against a series of dams which could destroy their livelihood. The dams will have a devastating impact on the breeding cycle of the fish which are a vital part of the Enawene Nawe's diet, as they are one of the few tribes who eat no red meat.       Up to 11 dams are planned along the Juruena river, which flows through the Indians' territory. Besides being an essential part of their diet, fish also have huge ritual and symbolic significance for them. The dams will be funded by a consortium of businesses, many of whom are involved in the soya industry.       The Enawene Nawe are opposing the dams and have made an an appeal for support:       We are the Enawene Nawe of Halataikiwa village.       We have just been to a meeting. We did not seek this meeting, it was the Brazilians who invited us. Together with our representatives, there were representatives from the Nambiquara, Pareci, Myky, and Rikbaktsa tribes.       At the meeting we spoke with a Brazilian about the building of dams. The Brazilian said, 'Come and look at the first dam we have already built.' He continued, 'The dams are a good thing, not a bad thing. The fish will not die, the water will not become dirty, the forest will not die.'       We communicated clearly to the people who want to build the dams, 'Do not build the dams, we do not want them.'       As far as the Enawene Nawe are concerned, we are completely against the dams. We do not want a car nor do we want money.       We are thinking about fish, and the water.       The Rikbaktsa people think the same.       As soon as we got back home we, the Enawene Nawe, spoke together.       After this, we spoke in Cuiabá [the capital of Mato Grosso state], to the public prosecutor. This person said that the situation was very difficult.       So then we thought like this: OPAN [a Brazilian NGO working with indigenous peoples] and the Federal Ministry of Public Affairs should see the impact report together; and soon we must go to Brasília so that all the Enawene Nawe can speak there.       We are seeking help from others, as we are very unhappy, very unhappy indeed.       Source: Survival International

Hate Groups' Reply to Immigrant Protests: Growth

Huge street protests made millions of immigrants more visible and powerful last year, but they also seem to have revived a hateful counter force: white supremacists. Groups linked to the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis grew significantly more active, holding more rallies, distributing leaflets and increasing their presence on the Internet -- much of it focused on stirring anti-immigrant sentiment, a new report released by the Anti-Defamation League says.       "Extremist groups are good at seizing on whatever the hot button is of the day and twisting the message to get new members," Deborah M Lauter, ADL Civil Rights director, said Monday. "This one seems to be taking hold with more of mainstream America than we'd like to see."       Old Klan chapters have been revived and new ones started throughout the South, historically the heart of the group, and in other places such as Michigan, Iowa and New Jersey, says the report. Last May in Alabama, an anti-immigration rally included slogans such as, "Let's get rid of the Mexicans!" according to the document, titled "Ku Klux Klan Rebounds".       "The Klan is increasingly cooperating with other extremist groups and Neo-Nazi groups," Lauter said. "That's a new phenomenon."       Between 2000 and 2005, hate groups mushroomed 33% and Klan chapters by 63%, according to Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes. Precise data are difficult to pin down, but Potok's group counts as many as 150 Klan chapters with up to 8,000 members nationwide. More than 800 hate groups exist around the country, Southern Poverty research shows.       In the late 1990s, memberships in such groups was crumbling as they lost leaders and struggled to organize, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. Many hit bottom around 2000. "Whenever you think the Klan is down and out, they find another way to reinvent themselves."       Many white supremacists blame immigrants, particularly Hispanics, for crime, struggling schools, or unemployment. With many Americans already divided on how to revamp laws and practices to address the nation's swelling immigrant communities, Potok said, immigration "is an issue that works for hate groups."       Source: Associated Press

Faith Groups Cited as Key to Scaling AIDS Efforts Up

The US government must reach out more to faith-based organizations (FBOs) involved in HIV/AIDS work, according to Church World Service (CWS) Executive Director Rev John L McCullough. He was speaking with US Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul, at a recent meeting in Washington DC, where McCullough discussed CWS programs and advocacy around HIV/AIDS and objectives of the CWS Africa Initiative.       McCullough presented the Ambassador with "Scaling up effective partnerships: A guide to working with faith-based organizations in the response to HIV and AIDS". The guide reviews the relevant teachings and structures of five of the major world religions and how believers motivated by their faith have taken action to fight AIDS. It also gives examples of current responses and potential obstacles and provides case studies intended as practical advice for initiating or expanding collaboration at local and national levels.       According to Dybul, the true value of FBOs' help is their deep understanding of holistic responses. Though government agencies might be able to see a problem with many facets, they are often unable to collaborate on an array of issues. For example, a village might see an increase in the spread of HIV because there are many orphan-headed households, where the child taking the bulk of the responsibility has dropped out of school and may engage in risky behavior both out of a lack of education and in a desperate attempt to provide food and shelter for younger siblings.       Government agencies might be able to respond on one element such as reducing school fees, thus making it easier to for the child to go to school while other problems go ignored. In contrast, faith-based programs such as the Giving Hope project help communities and church-related organizations respond to the many needs of orphans and vulnerable children. These programs impart to children the life skills they need to manage their own well-being and that of their families, and to participate in the social and economic development of their communities.       Source: Church World Service       Guide: Scaling Up Effective Partnerships

#  LNN  #  Small  #  Hauls  #

A citizen drive to recall Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison ended Thursday with organizers acknowledging they fell far short of collecting the signatures needed to get the recall onto the May 8 election ballot. "Our biggest problem is we have no money to do this recall," Angel Cordero of the Latino Leadership Alliance's Camden County Chapter said. The organizers needed to collect 9,941 signatures from registered voters by March 15 to get the recall question on the ballot. Cordero said his group collected about 3,000 signatures. (Courier-Post) Increases in global temperatures and sea level caused by human activity will "continue for centuries ... even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized," according to a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The panel found that "most of the observed increase" in temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely (90% or more certainly) due to greenhouse-gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. The report foresees worse heat waves and droughts, more powerful storms, heavier rain, and gradually rising sea levels as temperatures rise and polar ice continues to melt. (USA Today) Eight months after Gov Jon Corzine plucked him from relative obscurity to run the largest department in New Jersey state government, the acting commissioner of human services, Clarke Bruno, abruptly resigned Thursday amid persistent questions about his fitness for the job. In a quick series of moves, Corzine accepted Bruno's resignation; elevated Bruno's deputy, Jennifer Velez, to fill that Cabinet-level position; and found Bruno a soft landing -- special counsel under the governor's chief counsel. Human Services employs 16,000 people, spends $9.4 billion a year, and serves about a million people a year living in poverty or with psychological, developmental, or physical disabilities. (Newark Star-Ledger) The Global AIDS Alliance thanked the US Congress on Jan 30 for agreeing to a major increase in funds to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and other regions for fiscal year 2007. Congress will increase funding by $1.3 billion, for a total of $4.5 billion. This will raise the US contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to $724 million. With the increase for the Global Fund, the US is much better placed to go to other countries and urge them to increase their contributions. A wide range of humanitarian, student, and religious groups worked together to urge Congress to provide the funding. (Global AIDS Alliance)

Life-Net News Extras

Ten 'Most Underreported' Stories of 2006

Doctors Without Borders' list, what they call the ten most underreported stories of 2006: Somalis Trapped by War and Disaster Fleeing Violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) Increasing Human Toll Taken by Tuberculosis Consequences of Bitter Conflict in Chechnya Civilians Under Fire in Sri Lanka While Assistance is Limited Effective Strategies for Treating Malnutrition Not Implemented Congolese Endure Extreme Deprivation and Violence Living in Fear in Colombia Violence Rages in Haiti's Volatile Capital Clashes in Central India       Source: Doctors Without Borders

'Lost' Wallets Test Honesty

The results of a sociological experiment testing human honesty have been made public by the webmaster of WalletTest.com. Data was collected with the help of hidden cameras that recorded 100 randomly chosen people in public places picking up 'lost' wallets that were planted there for them to find. The idea was to see who would be honest and return the wallets and who would be dishonest and keep them. Visitors to the website can view short films of all 100 wallet pickers and even listen to recorded phone conversations of the people who tried to redeem the fake gift certificates that were planted in the wallets.       What was in the wallets?  $2.10 in real money; a fake $50.00 gift certificate; a clearly written ID card with the name, address and phone number of the wallet's owner; a few miscellaneous items.       How honest were people?  Of the 100 wallets, 74 were returned and 26 were stolen.       How did women compare to men?  The men who were tested were over twice as likely to steal the lost wallets then the women who were tested.       How did young people compare to older people?  The young people tested were over twice as likely to steal the wallets then the middle-aged people tested and over three times as likely to steal the wallets then old people who were tested.       Source: Wallet Test

Prison and Work: A Comparison

Just in case you ever get the two environments confused, this should help clear things up: In prison, you spend the majority of your time in a 10x10 cell. At work, you spend the majority of your time in an 8x8 cubicle. In prison, you get three meals a day. At work, you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it. In prison, you get time off for good behavior. At work, you get more work for good behavior. In prison, the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you. At work, you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself. In prison, you can watch TV and play games. At work, you could get fired for watching TV and playing games. In prison, you get your own toilet. At work, you have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat. In prison, they allow your family and friends to visit. At work, you aren't even supposed to speak to your family. In prison, all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required. At work, you get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners. In prison, you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out. At work, you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars. In prison, you must deal with sadistic wardens. At work, they are called managers.       Source: E-mail forward via Jack S Fisher

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