| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| April 18, 2007 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 10 Number 17 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Open Markets Make Fisherfolk Poor |
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Hundreds of local fishing communities are being pushed into poverty in Pakistan due to overfishing by international trawlers. The warning comes in a report, "Taking the Fish", claiming that poor fishing communities in developing countries worldwide could be devastated by moves to open up fishing markets as part of the latest WTO trade talks.
Pakistani fisher groups say trawlers from China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan encroach on their local waters and use giant nets to scoop up and deplete fish stocks under Pakistan's policy of opening up its waters to international fleets. Coastal communities say their right to fish is being violated. They report dramatically reduced catches of local species. They face widespread debt, hunger, and deprivation. Rogue trawlers are accused of using damaging nets and of indiscriminately catching and dumping huge quantities of young, unwanted, or dead fish at sea -- leaving less for locals to catch. "The trawlers have nets one to three kilometers in length, and the mouth of the net is equal to three American Statues of Liberties," says Mohammad Ali Shah, chair of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum. "They catch all types of fish, and when they sort them 90% is discarded." "The people are starving," says Tahira Ali, deputy general secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in Karachi. "They don't have bread to eat and they weep when they come home without fish at night." Source: ActionAid |
| Food Stamps Buy Less and Less |
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The value of food stamp benefits has been eroding. On average, the program supplies only $1.05 per person per meal. That's $3.15 a day.
To address this benefit shortfall, Congress needs to undo some of the damage from the 1996 welfare overhaul. Congress at that time made two changes that cut benefit levels below the amount needed for a healthy diet. It froze the standard deduction that allows for family expenses on items other than food. The change is still in effect for small families, so food stamp benefits can't keep pace with inflation. Congress also eliminated a provision that used to compensate for the fact that by the time the government's standard for the cost of a nutritious diet took effect, prices had already risen. This 3% cut guarantees that food stamp recipients never get quite enough financial help to meet the actual cost of eating. Next year, the benefit for a typical low-income working family with a parent and two children will be lower -- by more than $45 a month or $500 a year -- than before 1996. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that if nothing is done to restore these lost benefits, New Jerseyans will lose $30 million in food stamp benefits next year. These cuts might not sound like much until you consider the income level of people who rely on food stamps. To be eligible, a three-person family can't make more than $1,800 a month -- or take home more than $1,385. On income that low, every penny available for food makes a difference. Research shows that when low-income families get food stamps, they have more nutritious food compared to other eligible families. Much-needed changes could be made through the farm bill, in which the food stamp program is contained. The farm bill introduced by the Bush administration wouldn't make them. Source: New Jersey Policy Perspective |
| Money Transfer Service Wows Kenya |
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The lives of many Kenyans are being transformed by an innovative mobile-phone money transfer service. The free account, M-Pesa, is offered by Safaricom Kenya [SK], a leading mobile phone service operator.
SK calls M-Pesa a technological breakthrough. It enables a subscriber to send a large amount of money in an instant transaction. The service, which is in the process of rolling out to most major towns in Kenya, is also cheap, costing on average about $1 to send or receive money. Just a month after launch, M-Pesa is already providing cutthroat competition to existing money transfer agencies, notably the government-owned Postal Corporation, a market leader with a massive network of branches. Statistics at the Communication Commission of Kenya indicate that there are more than 6.5 million mobile phone subscribers countrywide. SK has about 5 million customers, and most are expected to be hooked up to the new service in the coming months. Sasanet has even introduced a fleet of vans, located at markets, housing estates, and busy bus stops in the city to reach more subscribers. A sim card is needed to operate an M-Pesa account. This has a money transfer menu that allows account funds to be managed. "It's simple," said Shella Njeri Thiong'o, an agent at a transfer shop in the central business district. "You just deposit cash to one of our shops and we issue you with an e-value cash voucher on your M-pesa account. The vouchers can be cashed at any appointed agent across the country." Many people applying to become M-Pesa accountholders are, however, concerned over the safety of the whole process, Thiong'o said. "This should not be a worry. Security PIN codes are provided and no-one else can access the voucher in an individual's account." Most Kenyans living in rural areas exist in abject poverty, most on less than a dollar a day. They have to rely financially on relatives in the cities. Samson Tela, one of the many curious mobile phone users who made his way to the transfer agency, said, "My brothers in a rural area depend on me a lot, so each month I have to send some money home." On most occasions, he sends money using postal money orders, but this can be a slow process, which causes him a great deal of inconvenience. "Sometimes when I have to send money urgently, I just package in an envelope as a letter and give it to bus drivers to deliver," he said. "I have lost cash this way in past but I cannot claim a refund as it's just a gamble." The new M-Pesa service proved to be an instant relief. Plans are under way to test this on an international stage in an effort to tap the large amounts of money transferred to Kenya by its citizens spread throughout the world, said SK chief executive Micheal Joseph. Statistics show $93 billion in remittances is sent by migrants overseas to Africa each year. Source: BBC |
| Big Medical Step Starts with NYC's Poor |
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For years, policymakers have said that the next big step in American health care should be electronic records systems that remind doctors and patients about needed care. Such systems, they've said, should also make it easier for doctors to share information with one another.
New York City officials on Monday announced what they hope is a leap in that direction: free software for doctors who treat hundreds of thousands of people. City officials, and makers of patient records software, said they do not believe any state or large local government has tried such a thing. Defying the usual pattern of wealthy patients benefiting first from technological advances, the city is starting with the poor. "We will cover half of all the high-volume Medicaid providers in the city, those where over 30% of their patient encounters are Medicaid or the uninsured," said Farzad Mostashari, an assistant city health commissioner overseeing the project. Over the next two years, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) will distribute the software to about 1,500 medical practices. The department spent months shopping for an electronic records system before awarding a $19.8 million contract to eClinicalWorks, a Massachusetts company that is a sales leader in the field. The medical practices will have to supply the computers. Some already have the equipment; others might qualify for a state program that awards grants to upgrade medical technology. Many doctors' offices have computer systems for billing and scheduling, but most don't have software for patient care. The software the city is buying combines all those functions, Mostashari said. The project is intended to address one of the biggest flaws in modern medicine, that even people who have regular doctors often do not get preventive care. For instance: Every year, tens of millions of Americans fail to get recommended flu and pneumonia vaccines. Surveys have shown that many doctors fail to ask patients who smoke whether they want help quitting. "As a doctor, I'm likely to pay attention to the patient's acute complaint, and not to notice, 'Oh, my goodness, she hasn't had a mammogram,'" Mostashari said. "The computer never forgets, and it will remind me." Then the doctor can advise the patient. The DHMH plans to compile the information in the systems. Each practice will then be informed as to how it is doing at making sure its patients are receiving routine care. One of the biggest problems with electronic records has been that different software systems cannot communicate with one another. For example, an emergency room doctor might not be able to instantly call up records kept by a patient's cardiologist. Mostashari said that no program available commercially is trouble-free on that score, but that creating a network of so many doctors using the same system is a start. Source: New York Times |
| Mars Melt Hints at Solar Cause for Warming, Says One |
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Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory. "The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," says Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia.
In 2005, data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row. Abdussamatov says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun. He believes that changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on both planets. Mars and Earth, for instance, have experienced periodic ice ages throughout their histories. "Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance." By studying fluctuations in the warmth of the sun, Abdussamatov believes he can see a pattern that fits with the ups and downs in climate we see on Earth and Mars. Abdussamatov's work, however, has not been well received by other climate scientists. The conventional theory is that climate changes on Mars can be explained primarily by small alterations in the planet's orbit and tilt, not by changes in the sun. All planets experience a few wobbles as they orbit. Abdussamatov's theory dismisses the greenhouse effect, in which atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide help keep heat trapped near the planet's surface. He claims that carbon dioxide has only a small influence on Earth's climate and virtually no influence on Mars. He predicts something quite different from the standard global warming scenario: "The solar irradiance began to drop in the 1990s, and a minimum will be reached by approximately 2040. It will cause a steep cooling of the climate on Earth in 15 to 20 years." Source: National Geographic |
| CHIP to Expand -- The Battle is Over How Much |
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The Bush administration says it will strenuously resist Democratic plans for a threefold expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This ensures a clash with Congress over the most important healthcare legislation being considered this year.
Administration officials said that much of the new government coverage proposed by Democrats would simply replace private insurance. They expressed concern about a sharp increase in the proportion of children covered by public programs in the last decade. Dennis G Smith, the federal official in charge of Medicaid and CHIP, said 45% of all children were now covered by the two programs, up from 28% in 1998. "The original intent of [CHIP] was to cover low-income children who were uninsured," Smith said in an interview. Democratic proposals to cover millions of additional children "would change the complexion of the program and take it away from its original intent. "At higher income levels, families are more likely to have private health insurance. If they become eligible for [CHIP], you are more likely to be substituting public for private coverage. You could add billions of dollars to the program without insuring many new kids." The administration says that 36 million children were enrolled in the programs last year -- 29.4 million in Medicaid and 6.6 million in CHIP. More than eight million children remain uninsured. Democrats want to expand CHIP as a first step to universal coverage, a goal endorsed by all the party's major candidates for president. But HHS secretary Michael O Leavitt said the program "should not be the vehicle by which we insure every adult and every child in America." The federal government has spent $25 billion on CHIP in the last five years. President Bush wants to increase allotments to the states by $4.8 billion, providing a total of nearly $30 billion over the next five years. Democrats want to triple spending on the program by adding $50 billion over the same period. "[CHIP] has given Democrats a wide-open door for socialized medicine," said Rep Jack Kingston (R-GA). But, he added, "The door was left open by Republicans, who were in the majority when we passed the original legislation in 1997." Congress faces a deadline for action on CHIP. Legal authority for the program expires on Sep 30, and 14 states expect to run out of money before then. Source: New York Times |
| The Origins of Modern Protest Strategy and Tactics |
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If you have ever signed a petition, worn a charity wristband, or taken part in a demonstration, you owe something to Thomas Clarkson. The preacher's son from Cambridgeshire is one of the great unsung heroes of the fight to abolish slavery and the slave trade. Every modern protest technique, from celebrity endorsement to political lobbying and consumer boycotts, was pioneered by the abolitionists more than 200 years ago.
The abolitionist movement began in the Quaker meeting houses of the 1770s, with the establishment of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. At that time, the slave trade was widely seen as a legitimate, profitable, and even "genteel" profession. The pro-slavery lobby attempted to dehumanize Africans by claiming they lived like savages and were grateful for the opportunity to escape Africa. They were said to enjoy the crossing and enjoy good living conditions on the plantations. The abolitionists, led by Clarkson, set out to provide evidence that none of these things were true. Clarkson was adept at getting decision makers to take up the slavery issue. He worked in the same way that political lobbyists do today. He helped persuade MP William Wilberforce to become the parliamentary spokesman for the campaign. He helped organize a 300,000-strong boycott of slave-harvested sugar, in the first known example of consumer protest. The celebrities of the day also queued up to lend their support. Actors, cartoonists, and artists like JMW Turner and William Blake provided visual representations of slavery that reached audiences in ways the written word could not. In 1787, Josiah Wedgwood designed a seal for the campaign, the forerunner of today's campaign logos. The image depicts an African man kneeling in supplication, or perhaps in prayer, under the slogan "Am I not a man and a brother?" The image would probably alienate many potential supporters if used today, but in the late 1700s it pushed all the right buttons, particularly among Christians who felt slavery went against God's teachings. The abolitionists were also pioneers of investigative journalism. Clarkson interviewed sailors, ships' doctors, and traders in London, Bristol, and Liverpool to document the treatment of enslaved people. He bought shackles, thumbscrews, and a device for force-feeding slaves who went on hunger strike, to provide physical evidence of abuse and confirm the testimonies he collected. But, in another forerunner of today's campaigning techniques, Clarkson would present the evidence in a rational, dispassionate way, free from the moral exhortations and bloodcurdling rhetoric often seen on religious pamphlets of the day. The abolitionists also knew how to appeal to the self-interest of their target audience, for example producing statistics to show that almost as many British sailors as Africans died on slave ships. They made the subject real to their audience by holding public meetings where freed slaves would tell harrowing stories of brutality and abuse. The abolitionists showed how it is possible to influence the political agenda through more subtle means. If you can get the middle classes talking about an issue at dinner parties, it is not long before it is being discussed in Parliament. The abolitionists were the first membership organization to campaign for political change, forming local groups and sending out newsletters to keep members updated on progress. "We totally copy those methods," says Sarah Green, of Amnesty International, who says the abolition movement continues to be an "inspiration". Source: BBC |
| # LNN # Small # Hauls # |
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| Life-Net News Extras |
| Time for a Raise |
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$60 a day or $7.50 an hour! That, according to Professor Andrew Downes, is the starting point for any discussion on minimum wage legislation in Barbados.
Downes, who is the Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, made this revelation as he presented his study on the "Impact of a Minimum Wage Policy on the Economy of Barbados". He based his $60 a day figure on considerations of cost of living, family/household needs, the ability of employers to pay, and the likely effects of such a wage on the economy. According to the professor, some of the likely effects of implementing a minimum wage policy would be an increase in the standard of living, an increase in the average level of wages, poverty reduction, enhancement of decent work and reduced wage/salary differentials. However, these benefits would also be accompanied by increased prices, immigration to Barbados, greater part-time work, and some dis-employment of very lowly paid workers. The effect on prices and employment wasn't viewed as significant as according to Downes, research showed that wages had a low impact on employment and prices in Barbados. From this, he concluded that minimum wage policy was unlikely to have a significant impact on the Barbadian economy. Results weren't so promising for the organization which commissioned Downes to perform the study -- the Center for Policy Studies at the Barbados National Productivity Council -- and employers. Downes' results showed that a minimum wage policy would have no perceived impact on productivity, output or competitiveness. The results were, however, slightly promising for workers -- 84% of surveyed employers supported the introduction of a minimum wage policy in the country. "There was significant support for a combined minimum wage structure -- single national plus; either sectoral or occupational -- due primarily to the differences in the characteristics of the sectors," Downes said. Unfortunately for workers, what employers are willing to pay as minimum wage is approximately 33% below the $60 mark cited by Downes. According to Downes, the wage most employers were willing to pay as minimum wage was $40 a day or $5 an hour. The Professor also found that this was actually the lowest known wage paid to Barbadian workers. "The most frequent amount that respondents in the survey indicated that they would be willing to pay, corresponds to the threshold level for one person, and currently the lowest known wage rate ... This tended to be persons who were involved in the care of the elderly, restaurant employees, domestics ...," said Downes. His research showed, however, that the daily threshold of economic comfort for one adult with one child was approximately $50, a figure above what most employers were willing to pay as minimum wage. Downes noted that his study could not be used as a definitive pronouncement on the impact of minimum wage policy in Barbados due to his survey's small response rate. Of the 300 surveys issued, only 67 were usable. Source: Barbados Advocate |
| Meanwhile in Canada ... |
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"Why should low-income people have to wait years for increases to their wages when politicians automatically get their raise every April 1st based on the average weekly earnings index," asked Bill Moore-Kilgannon, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. A new study by Stuart Murray and Hugh Mackenzie of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, "Bring Minimum Wages above the Poverty Line", shows that Alberta's $7 minimum wage is significantly below the Statistics Canada Low Income Cut Off and loses value each year. Alberta's minimum wage reached its peak in 1977 when its value in 2005 dollars was $9.31 per hour. The study also shows that women are more likely than men to earn less than $10/hour; of all women earning less than $10/hour in Canada, 52% are more than 24 years old. (People's Voice)
Source: People's Voice |
| Low-Cost Government-Built Homes Falling Apart |
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Damp ceilings, cracked walls, bad plumbing, and shoddy bricklaying are among the structural defects plaguing the owners of about 2,500 low-cost houses across the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. Poor workmanship on the part of inexperienced building contractors has been blamed for the defects, the Local Government Research Center reports in its latest South African Local Government Briefing. The center says an investigation by the National Home Builder's Registration Council (NHBRC) revealed widespread evidence of such defects. According to the NHBRC's executive director of technical services, Jeffrey Mahachi, most of the 2,473 houses inspected late last year -- after numerous complaints from homeowners -- had structural defects that, if not addressed soon, may pose a serious threat to the lives of thousands of low-income homeowners.
Houses in nine areas -- including Guguletu, Manenberg, Mitchells Plain and Philippi -- were checked individually, and it was found that 98% of them had defects. Although most of the houses had only minor structural defects -- which would not affect a home's structural integrity -- many of these "affect the habitability of these houses" and some would "end up being structural if not attended to in time", the registration council reported. Using a scale of 0% to 100%, with 100% for a house without defects, most of the houses scored between 65% and 70%. In one area, the average was 30%. The council said it would cost about R20-million to repair homes with major defects and about R15-million for those with minor defects. The total of R35-million is nearly twice the amount spent to build them. This excludes R10-million that has already been spent by the Cape Town municipality in recent years on short-term repairs. The low-income rental houses were built in 2000 by the Cape Town Community Housing Company (CTCHC). The City of Cape Town and the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) were equal partners in that company. The CTCHC has appealed to the city council for a contribution to the R35-million repair bill, the research center reports. The center's head, Clive Keegan, says a report by the University of Cape Town found that the CTCHC had contravened building regulations. It was also recently reported that the municipality and the NHFC would spend R2.6-million fixing the structural problems. Source: Mail & Guardian |
| How Well Do Health Coverage Tax Credits Help Displaced Workers |
Despite important accomplishments, Health Coverage Tax Credits (HCTCs) have been generally ineffective in providing health care to displaced American workers for several reasons:
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