| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| March 5, 2008 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 11 Number 21 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Anti-Malaria Net Production Begins in Africa |
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Vice President Dr Ali Mohammed Shein on February 8 presided over the dedication of the new Olyset Net factory in Arusha, Tanzania, before an audience of distinguished guests. Olyset, a long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN), is a crucial tool in the fight against malaria -- and the only WHO-recommended LLIN manufactured in Africa, where a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds.
"The Olyset model produces a vital public health product and simultaneously boosts economic development in Africa," said Shein. "This is truly an advance beyond aid, toward self-sustaining enterprise in the service of public health." The Arusha net factory is a 50/50 joint venture between Sumitomo Chemical, a Tokyo-based multinational, and A to Z Textile Mills, a Tanzanian company. The joint venture legal entity, Vector Health International, is an expansion of a business relationship that commenced with a royalty-free technology transfer in 2003. The new facilities bring Olyset production capacity in Arusha to 10 million nets per year. Over 3,200 jobs have been created in the venture, supporting at least 20,000 people. "Our collaboration has grown to a full-fledged joint venture," said Hiromasa Yonekura, president of Sumitomo Chemical. "From here, we will further expand our Olyset Net operations in Africa, and we will enhance our efforts in the fight against malaria and to contribute to Africa’s economic development." LLINs are proven, effective tools in the fight against malaria. Olyset Net was the first LLIN to be submitted to the World Health Organization’s Pesticide Evaluation Scheme and remains the only LLIN to have passed all four stages of the evaluation process confirming efficacy and longevity. The Olyset Net is tough, durable, and wash-proof. Insecticide is incorporated within the net's fibers during manufacture, for slow release over a sustained period of time. Consequently, the net never needs re-treatment and is guaranteed to be effective for at least five years. In field tests, Olyset nets have been shown to remain effective after seven years in Tanzania. "Africa needs direct foreign investment to build strong economies, and when 90% of the malaria deaths are in Africa, why should we have to import bednets?" said Anuj Shah, CEO of A to Z Textile Mills. "These jobs are transforming our community, and we are seeing that children are staying in school longer as one immediate result." Source: AllAfrica |
| Fewer Code Blue Days, But More Families Seek Shelter |
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A warmer winter has meant fewer code blue days in
Burlington County NJ, but more families are seeking emergency shelter when the weather turns cold. County Human Services administrator Gary Miller said officials declared a code blue emergency 18 times between 12/1/07 and 2/15/08. They called for a code blue 44 times during the
same period the year before.
Miller said 259 people sought shelter during those 77 days last winter. Only 80 people have done so this season. "Last year was a particularly harsh winter," Miller said. "What made it especially difficult was we had many code blue days in a row." A code blue is declared when the temperature is at or below 25 degrees for at least 12 hours. Homeless people then are guaranteed temporary shelter in church-based programs or area motels. Extended Hand Ministries in Mount Holly and the Christian Caring Center in Pemberton Township provide shelter for single people during a code blue, but the Mount Laurel-based Interfaith Hospitality Network is the only local program that has space for adults with children. Network director Pat Lasusky said 29 families have contacted her for help during code blue emergencies between December and mid-February, up from 16 over the same 77-day period last winter. She added that more people who call her are willing to go into a shelter now, even if it means sleeping on "a bed in the hallway." She believes there are more families seeking help because there is no homeless shelter in Burlington County and because rental housing is getting more expensive. "We have these dramatic stories on code blue days, but what about every other day when we have people sleeping in cars with their kids?" "People who are low-income are in very precarious housing," she added. "They're staying with friends or family and they could be asked to leave at any moment. People have evictions. The basic problem is the lack of housing for low-income families. Most callers that we get are working or have income." The Christian Caring Center can shelter up to 14 single people during a code blue emergency. Madelyn Mears-Sheldon, director of the center, said her facility was filled to capacity several times last year. This year, she hasn't had more than 10 people during a code blue. Mears-Sheldon often works with people who illegally erect tents in wooded areas of Pemberton Township and nearby Woodland. She said because it hasn't been as cold as often this winter, more people are trying to wait out the cold. Source: Burlington County Times |
| World Urged to Help Poor Adapt to Climate Change |
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The developed world should help poor countries brace for global warming by assisting them in taking steps like restoring coastal forests and training health care workers, the head of the UN's climate panel said. "In the developing
countries it's critical we think of combining mitigation measures with adaptation measures," said Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Recognizing that climate change may be hard to reverse, experts are now examining "adaptation," or how to deal with potential catastrophes. "We know extremes of temperatures are going to go up, now we have to adapt to them," said Pachauri at a climate panel at Columbia University. The UN agreed to start an adaptation fund for poor countries during the December climate talks in Bali. It comprises only about $36 million now but might rise to as much as $5 billion a year by 2030 if investments in green technology in developing countries increase. "There is a global imperative for us to find means by which the worst afflicted regions of the world can be protected," said Pachauri, adding that the developed world was responsible for most of the planet-warming gases already in the atmosphere. Much of the global effort to fight climate change has concentrated on trying to cut greenhouse gas emissions through technologies like solar, wind, and geothermal power. That strategy should be combined with adaptations like restoring mangrove forests, which can protect coastal dwellers from the threat of rising seas, he said. Many of the developing country adaptations involve water, said Pachauri, because climate change is likely to increase the frequency of droughts and floods. Source: Reuters |
| Anti-Overcrowding Bill Sparks Vigorous Debate |
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A controversial bill that would target overcrowding in rental units cleared its first hurdle in the New Jersey Legislature on February 14. The bill would allow municipalities to increase fines levied on landlords found to have too many tenants sharing quarters. It would also
allow the residents themselves to be fined. The measure would apply only to buildings with four or fewer units.
Proponents argued the bill would give towns ammunition to crack down on the sometimes dangerous conditions that are created by overcrowding. But critics testified that the measure would unfairly target poor tenants, often recent immigrants, who often live in overcrowded quarters because they can't afford to live anywhere else. The bill, said opponents, also would grant landlords unprecedented and unreasonable powers to evict tenants. Shai Goldstein, executive director of the NJ Immigration Policy Network, said the legislation would do nothing to address the lack of affordable housing, nor would it punish landlords who take advantage of the poor. "This bill, whatever its intent, punishes the economically disadvantaged tenant." State Sen Anthony Bucco (R-Morris), who sponsored the bill, said he had received complaints from towns in his district that overcrowding was straining municipal budgets for garbage collections, police and fire protection. Bucco said the bill would allow towns to fine a landlord $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for a third. Previously, the fine for all offenses ranged up to $1,500. Bucco noted that unscrupulous landlords don't mind paying the current fine because they can earn many times that amount in rent. Jessica Culley, a community organizer with CATA, a Latino farmworker organization based in Glassboro, said that she was troubled by the legislation. Much affordable housing, especially housing available to immigrants, is substandard, Culley said. She wondered what would happen to tenants who complained about poor conditions. "It's an easy way to get rid of people and give them very little legal recourse in fighting an eviction," Culley said. In towns where officials might be prejudiced against immigrants, Culley said, she feared housing officials could use the legislation to sweep immigrants out. She said the provision of the bill that could fine tenants themselves was particularly worrisome. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Nigerian Prisons a National Scandal |
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Nigeria's prisons are teeming with people who have waited years for trial in cramped and squalid cells, according to London-based Amnesty International (AI). Most of the country's tens of thousands of prisoners have not been convicted, said AI in a new report on Nigerian jails. The report calls the nation's criminal justice system a "conveyer belt of injustice, from beginning to end."
Of Nigeria's 40,000 prisoners, at least 65% have not been convicted of the crime for which they are being held, AI said, and some have been waiting up to a decade for the outcome of their trials. "The Nigerian government is simply not complying with national and international obligations when it comes to the criminal justice system and must begin to do so seriously and urgently," said AI's Aster van Kregten. AI said reforms recommended by various government commissions had not been acted upon. Most prisoners are too poor to afford legal representation, and just one in every six has a private lawyer. There are only 91 lawyers available for free counsel in the country. Overcrowding is a serious problem. One prison in Lagos was holding more than two times its official capacity. Often, more than a dozen prisoners are packed into a 56-square-foot cell, with only a bucket for a toilet, the rights group said. Proper bedding was rare, with inmates sharing beds or sleeping on the floor. Food, drinking water, and health care were substandard, with the group noting that such conditions increased risks for spreading infection among prisoners. Source: Associated Press |
| Nonprofit Aims to Produce More 'Extreme Makeovers' |
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Affordable Homes of Millville Ecumenical Inc (AHOME) is set to begin its second phase of rehabilitation and construction of new affordable housing in downtown Millville NJ. The 15-year-old nonprofit has given "extreme makeovers" to 38 homes in a 40-block radius. Those homes were then sold
below market value, according to executive director Donna Turner.
AHOME has a new goal, and it hopes to dramatically increase its total in the next year. AHOME received a grant from a state program to make 23 more homes available. Turner said it already owns 11 sites for those houses. AHOME sold five houses in 2007, she said, and it wants to provide between six and ten this year. It will begin the next phase after it completes its biggest project, a once-rundown house on Main Street that AHOME officials affectionately referred to as "Big Blue". "It was a total eyesore" according to construction manager Donald Olcese. The home will be sold in the next few months to a city resident who committed to buy it before work was even completed. AHOME's goal is not only to provide affordable housing but also to improve the city's overall appearance by transforming blighted properties. AHOME provides home ownership opportunities to people who make 80% or less of the area's median income as calculated by HUD. The cutoff for a family of four is $44,000, and $35,500 for a single person. AHOME usually sells homes at about $100,000 less than the cost of acquiring and transforming them. Raising money is critical, Turner said. Most homes cost about $150,000 to acquire and rehabilitate, and the houses sell for between $70,000 and $95,000. The mortgage is between $600 and $700 a month, about one-third of a client household's monthly income. AHOME educates their clients, many of whom have been renters their whole lives, on keys to homeownership, including maintaining the building and keeping appliances up to date. Clients also take a budgeting class. Source: Vineland Daily Journal |
| A Birthday Party in Gaza |
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Adapted from a piece by Omar, a humanitarian worker in partnership with Oxfam:
My two daughters turned seven today. I had been saving for months so that I could afford to make their birthday celebrations special. There is very little children can look forward to these days, so this is important for them -- and me. I invited as many families and friends as possible for their party. In the end, only a few came. Some of them did not tell me why, perhaps because they did not want to admit the sad truth that they could not afford to attend this family event or even buy presents. Transportation is difficult given the trickle of fuel that is being allowed into Gaza at the moment. This means that travel costs have soared and many families, including mine, do not have fuel to put into their cars or the money to pay for taxis. Nonetheless, we had a good time. I was pleased as it has been a long time since we have had such a happy event -- there are so many problems around us and little for us to celebrate. My children were delighted and surprised to receive the sweets and chocolates I had finally managed to find. I had even bought a cake for each of them. I was pleased, as I had been unsure that it would be possible. I had tried to find apple juice -- their favorite drink -- but the shops had no stock to offer. The shop around the corner from our home is known in Gaza for its cakes. Every time I visit the shop, it is brimming with sweet things and bustling with people. When I went there today, the shelves were almost bare, and I was the only customer -- another reminder of what the blockade is doing to people here. I asked the shopkeeper why there was so little. He replied, "I have had electricity cuts in my shop which makes it difficult to bake. Anyhow, there is no need to make too many cakes, people cannot afford them and if I make too many, they will only go to waste and I will lose money." I searched for birthday candles but they were nowhere to be found. But I managed to find some powder, which comes in a tube and sparkles as you light it. My children's faces lit up when they saw this -- their smiles were priceless. Usually, I buy them clothes on their birthdays, but there are hardly any for sale in the markets of Gaza, not even second-hand clothes. It is not surprising that people are now recycling their own clothes out of old ones. As a father, I am sad to say that of late, I buy clothes for my family made from the material for sofa covers. Our windows are made of glass and they vibrate whenever there are incursions. We always fear that they might smash and harm us, so another dilemma faced me. Do I leave the windows open so that the glass does not fall on them? Or do I keep the windows closed for warmth? I had to make the decision as to which would cause the least harm. These are the kind of decisions that you have to make every day living in Gaza. Source: Oxfam GB |
| South Jersey Farm Honored for its Produce Donations |
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Duffield's Farm -- a 225-acre spread in Gloucester County that has yielded tons of fruits and vegetables every summer since 1953 -- was named winner of the Neil Robson Farmers Fighting
Hunger Award for its record of donating fresh produce to the needy. The Duffields received the award at the New Jersey State Agricultural Convention on February 5.
"It's surprising how many children go to bed hungry at night. There's no reason for so many people to be affected by hunger," said Tracy Duffield, daughter-in-law of the owners. Since 1999 the farm in Sewell has donated crops, mainly corn, squash, and green beans, to New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger (NJFAH). Run by the New Jersey Agricultural Society, a nonprofit agency, the program collects surplus crops and delivers them to a distribution center, often a church, where the food is divided among various hunger-fighting agencies at no cost. Since the program began in 1996 it has collected more than 12 million pounds of produce. The arrangement between Duffield's Farm and NJFAH seems a perfect fit. The busy summer season makes it difficult for farm workers to distribute excess crops themselves, so the program picks up and delivers the produce. "Without them we wouldn't be able to get all the food out," said Duffield, "and it would be wasted." NJFAH coordinator Judy Grignon credits farms like the Duffields' for doing their part to reduce the burden of needy families. "If it wasn't for our generous New Jersey farmers we wouldn't have these programs," Grignon said. "Farming is not a get-rich business, but farmers are still donating to us. I can't thank them enough." The Duffields' produce goes mainly to distribution centers in Camden and Browns Mills, but the program also delivers to Mount Holly and Trenton weekly. With the rising costs of food and housing, the program faces a greater demand than ever. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer |
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| Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling |
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Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile -- the list goes on and on.
It's no more than anecdotal evidence, to be sure. But now, that evidence has been supplanted by hard scientific fact. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA, GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to reverse, at least temporarily, most of the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down. Scientists quoted in a past DailyTech article link the cooling to reduced solar activity which they claim is a much larger driver of climate change than man-made greenhouse gases. The dramatic cooling seen in just 12 months time seems to bear that out. While the data doesn't itself disprove that carbon dioxide is acting to warm the planet, it does demonstrate clearly that more powerful factors are now cooling it. Let's hope those factors stop fast. Cold is more damaging than heat. The mean temperature of the planet is about 54 degrees. Humans -- and most of the crops and animals we depend on -- prefer a temperature closer to 70. Historically, the warm periods such as the Medieval Climate Optimum were beneficial for civilization. Corresponding cooling events such as the Little Ice Age, though, were uniformly bad news. Source: DailyTech |
| US Economy Good for 'Repo Man' |
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As cash-strapped Americans fight to keep their homes, an increasing number are losing their cars. The nation's busting economy has been a boom for the repo man. Nationwide, auto repossessions are at a 10-year high, according to an economist at one of the nation's biggest
wholesale auto auction houses.
"At the end of the day, you're going to protect your house before you protect your car," said Bill Gerhard, director of bank products for AAA Financial Services. The lot at Bryan's American Towing and Recovery in New Castle DE is jammed with SUVs and sedans. Repossessions have increased by about a third over the past two years, said Charlie Bryan. He now repossesses about 400 vehicles a month. Thomas Webb, chief economist for a unit of Atlanta-based Manheim, which has about half of the national auto auction business, said that by the end of the year, repossessions are likely to have increased by about a third over 10 years ago. Most of the repossessions come from large lending companies or banks like GMAC, Wachovia, or Chase, said Webb. Lenders in recent years relaxed their standards and took on riskier clients, leading to more defaults. The economy has slowed, Webb said, and more people are taking out loans on new or used cars, as opposed to leasing. Many repossessions are not hostile. A lot of Bryan's business is taken care of for him -- people are voluntarily turning their automobiles back in to their dealer. Stephen Bennett of Hawkeye Recovery of Wilmington said business "is always good, and it's getting better. As the economy goes down, we get more and more work." Source: Wilmington News Journal |
| India Hotspot for New Infectious Diseases |
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India is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), a study by an international team of scientists, which recently published its findings in the journal Nature, has warned. Of special concern are zoonoses (diseases that travel from animals to humans) such as bird flu, incidences of which have risen worldwide.
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the US-based University of Georgia and Columbia University's Earth Institute analyzed 335 incidents of previous disease emergence, beginning from 1940, and determined that zoonoses are the current and most important threat in causing new diseases to emerge. Most of these, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in mammals. "India risks new epidemics as the human population expands into natural wilderness, coming into contact with a diverse range of wildlife that harbor unusual diseases," said Kate Jones, a ZSL biodiversity scientist and the lead author of the international study. Jones said there was an urgent need to prevent further intrusion into areas of high biodiversity. Other zooneses in India include incidences of Japanese encephalitis in the country's most populous state Uttar Pradesh. There's also the Surat plague, leptospirosis, and more common infections such as rabies and anthrax. Worldwide, the study found that disease emergences have roughly quadrupled over the past 50 years. The team made a map showing that China and sub-Saharan Africa, too, have an increased risk of infectious disease emergences. Source: Times of India |
| Village Wants Alaska State Troopers Out |
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The village of Aniak says living with Alaska State Troopers in its community is like living with Big Brother. Earlier this month, the Aniak Traditional Council sent a letter to Alaska State Troopers asking that troopers be permanently removed from the Aniak post. The council cites unfair treatment and disregard of tribe members' civil rights as reasons and says it feels the scrutiny is racially motivated.
The council complains troopers cite and fine young children for hunting or trapping ptarmigan and rabbits without a license. They say law enforcement officials also place roadblocks and conduct car searches in search of drunk drivers and bootlegged liquor without cause. Chief Wayne Morgan says it's so bad people are afraid to live their lives freely. "We respect the law and follow the law, but to be looked for and asked and checked that we are ensuring that we are not breaking the law and questioned all of the time, to me that is harassment." Alaska State Troopers say they take the allegations seriously and will look into the council's claims. But in a written statement troopers explain they won't be leaving Aniak: "We do not have the option or authority to decide not to serve the people of Aniak." Troopers say they cannot withdraw from a service area unless another state authorized public safety entity is in place. Source: KTUU-TV |
| Celebs Rally Against Human Trafficking |
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Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery that must not be tolerated, a senior UN official and celebrities said on Feb 13. Pop star Ricky Martin, Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, and Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak were among dignitaries who urged action at a three-day UN conference on trafficking.
"Two hundred years after the end of the transatlantic slave trade, we have the obligation to fight a crime that has no place in the 21st century," said Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. "Let's call it what it is: modern slavery." Some 2.5 million people are involved in forced labor as a result of trafficking, and 161 countries -- on every continent and in every type of economy -- are affected by the crime, the UN said. Most victims are between the ages of 18 and 24, and an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year, UN figures show. Estimated annual profits from trafficked forced labor is around $31.6 billion. "How can we allow so many children to be kidnapped and exploited?" said Mubarak, president of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement. Martin said he first witnessed the horror of human trafficking during a trip to India several years ago. "My hope is to secure every child the right to be a child," said Martin, a five-time Grammy winner who has set up a foundation for children. "Human trafficking has no place in our world today and my slogan is: 'React. It's time.'" Thompson, who chairs the Helen Bamber Foundation, told the story of a young victim from Moldova lured to England by a local woman who befriended her and won her trust. Once she got to Britain, she was forced into prostitution. Costa said governments aren't doing all they should. "'Our girls are beautiful ... it's only prostitution,' high-ranking officials have told me." Source: Associated Press |
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