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Life-Net Raw
November 13, 2002 |
ACCESS TO MEDICINES TO DOMINATE AGENDA AT SYDNEY WTO MINISTERIAL
By Murray Griffin, International Trade Daily
Access for agricultural goods to be another key item on the agendaCANBERRA, Australia (11/13/02)--Developing countries' access to medicines to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis will be "the first item and probably the most crucial item" on the agenda of an informal World Trade Organization mini-ministerial meeting to be held in Sydney on Nov. 14-15, according to Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile. The Quad Group (the United States, the European Union, Japan and Canada) has acknowledged access to medicines as the priority, Vaile told a Nov. 11 briefing, as have other countries set to participate in the meeting.
The Sydney discussions will take place as the deadline looms for ensuring that the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) does not act as a barrier to countries seeking low-cost medicines to fight pandemic diseases. At the WTO ministerial meeting a year ago in Doha, Qatar, ministers instructed the WTO's TRIPs Council to "find an expeditious solution" to the problem and report to General Council before the end of 2002. A key concern is how to allow poor countries without sufficient domestic manufacturing capacity to utilize TRIPs provisions on compulsory licensing in order to import low-cost medicines. In its current form, the TRIPs agreement only allows compulsory licensing to be used to produce cheaper generic equivalents for domestic use.
The EU favors amending TRIPs so as to allow the export of medicines produced under a compulsory license to countries that have limited manufacturing capacity. However, instead of amending TRIPs, the United States favors resolving the problem either through a moratorium on dispute proceedings against countries issuing compulsory licenses for this purpose or through a waiver from WTO rules.
Vaile Insists on Gains in Agriculture
Given agriculture's crucial role in any successful conclusion to the Doha Round, access for agricultural goods will be another key item on the agenda for the Sydney meeting, the minister said. "We bought and paid for reform in agriculture in the Uruguay Round and did not get it. We're not going to pay for it a second time," Vaile said. "We are not going to go through this round and agree to liberalization in other areas if we don't get it in agriculture to balance that off."
Other issues on the agenda include special and differential treatment and capacity-building to help developing countries fully participate in trade negotiations.
"The critical outcome of this meeting can be a commitment by all countries to meet the scheduled deadlines," the minister said. "There is a time frame for all these things to happen. If all the member countries don't meet that time frame, it is going to weaken the opportunity for a conclusive outcome."
Twenty-five trade ministers will attend the meeting, as will WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi. In addition to Australia, Asia-Pacific trade ministers from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand will attend. Also to be represented are the United States, Canada, the EU, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Lesotho, Senegal, and South Africa.
Before the Nov. 15 formal proceedings, ministers will meet informally on Nov. 14 with a range of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) interested in trade, the minister said. The NGOs represent "a cross-section that participate closely with government in terms of developing our WTO agenda."
Vaile, Zoellick to Discuss FTA
Vaile also flagged his intention to discuss with U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick developments regarding a potential free trade agreement between the United States and Australia. The Bush administration has "identified a range of countries that they wanted to embark upon deeper economic engagement with," Vaile said. "The majority of those have been announced. My understanding is Australia on that list is filtering very close to the surface, but it's a matter for the Americans. We will see when Bob Zoellick arrives [for the mini-ministerial]."
This article came from the Bureau of National Affairs' International Trade Daily.
STUDY DETAILS LINK BETWEEN LEARNING, FAMILY INCOME
From The Omaha Channel
Some programs help behavior, others learning(11/12/2002)--A new study offers an explanation of how family income affects how children do in school.
For some years, the relationship between home and school has been well known. But they study by New York University sociologist W. Jean Yeung finds significantly different mechanisms for the impact of family income on behavior and on educational achievement.
Yeung said that packages of family services could help those without economic advantages.
"If we want to improve low-income, young children's cognitive achievement, we should offer programs that seek to raise income levels, provide young children with stimulating learning materials, increase family literacy, and encourage parents to read to their children or take them on educational outings, rather than focusing solely on parenting skills," Yeung said.
But she said that if the goal is better behavior, it's more important to have stable income for parents.
Programs that promote family literacy, reduce parental stress, improve parenting and provide affordable, high-quality child care could go a long way toward improving young children's development, suggests recent research.
As expected, preschool children who lived in families with higher incomes scored higher on cognitive tests and had fewer behavior problems than those with lower family incomes. However, the researchers determined that family income may affect different aspects of children's development in distinct ways.
Much of the association between income and children's cognitive scores was found to be rooted in the family's ability to provide a stimulating learning environment. For example, higher income enabled parents to buy better living conditions and learning materials, engage in educational activities such as visits to museums, buy adequate food and pay for high-quality child care.
On the other hand, the researchers found the association between income and children's behavior was rooted in the level of economic instability at home. Low-income mothers who faced economic pressure were more likely to be emotionally distressed, less supportive, and to use punishment such as spanking.
The researchers acknowledge that additional factors, including some that precede a child's birth, may also have a major impact on a child's life chances. For example, they found that the mother's cognitive ability, ethnicity, and child's birth weight were also important predictors of a child's ability to solve problems.
See also the original article at The Omaha Channel.
LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS
By Melanie Burney, Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer
At a Camden high school, dreams inspire students' successCAMDEN (11/11/2002)--Principal Davida Coe was walking down a third-floor hallway of the Creative Arts High School when she heard a cry:
"Get me out of here! Help!" a young female bellowed from behind a closed classroom door.
Coe rushed to investigate, but returned a few minutes later, smiling broadly.
No one had been trapped; it was only sophomore Amanda Bowens, 15, honing theatrical skills. "I was basically acting," Bowens said, somewhat sheepishly.
"That's Amanda," said Douglas Overtoom, a Shakespearean actor and lawyer-turned-drama teacher.
At this school, students are encouraged to express themselves through visual arts, drama, dance, creative writing, instrumental music and costume design.
Established in September 1999, the school has carved out a niche in Camden, a rare success story in the city's troubled public school system.
In June, the school will graduate its first class. While the district's dropout rate hovers around 50 percent, about 95 percent of the Creative Arts High School's class expect to attend college.
"They're preparing us for the world outside," said senior Lacey McDonnell, a creative-writing student. "We all want to go to college or get a job and do something with our lives."
Last year, five juniors scored between 1000 and 1450 on the SAT. Several have caught the attention of Ivy League recruiters.
Students say their teachers set high expectations. They also attribute their success to the school's close-knit, structured environment and small classes. They have an extended school day with 10 periods, but no study halls.
"It's fun, but it's hard work," said senior Jasmine Bucey, 17, a costume-design student who plans to attend Clark Atlanta University next fall. "We worked hard, and they didn't accept anything less from us."
Seniors say one of their biggest challenges has been being the first class.
"It's like an adventure. We get to set the traditions and trends," said Tynesia Williams, 18, a creative-writing student who wants to become a computer engineer.
The school began with 48 freshmen, and a new class was added each year until a four-year complement of classes was reached. Currently, the school has about 190 students, who were chosen based on applications and auditions.
Coe, the principal, warmly greets every student by name, but enforces a strict discipline policy. Students say their teachers call their homes when they are absent or tardy. "They become our kids, almost," Coe said.
School runs from 8:15 a.m. until 3:15 p.m., about 17 minutes longer than days at most Camden schools. The additional time is set aside for two mandatory classes - SAT preparation and character education.
"My goal is to show that they they can perform artistically as well as academically," said Coe, an 18-year educator who began teaching in parochial schools in Philadelphia.
Creative Arts is the second magnet school in Camden, South Jersey's largest school district, with about 18,500 students. The Charles Brimm Medical Arts High School graduated its first class in 1998.
As enrollment grew, the arts school - housed in the former Mickle Elementary School in South Camden - quickly became overcrowded.
Trailers were added to the three-story brick building last year to ease congestion. There is still no cafeteria, so students eat lunch in shifts in two classrooms.
The state last year approved $437 million for new or renovated public schools in Camden - including a new building for Creative Arts.
In the third-floor arts wing, students meet in small classes for voice, dance, drama and instrumental lessons.
A handful of students in black leotards practiced a jazz routine in the dance studio under the watchful eye of teacher Arthur Leo Taylor.
Across the hall, senior music student Carlos Sime, 18, and vocal teacher Reid Westergaard were crammed into a closet-size room for a private lesson.
In the drama room, Bowens and four other students recited monologues. They also practiced stage-fighting with plastic swords.
While art is infused into lessons, the school's primary focus is academics. Its motto is "The art of learning is learning through the arts."
In addition to arts studies, students follow a full academic curriculum, taught by 27 teachers and three instructional assistants.
Last week in Timothy Jenkins' 10th-grade English class, students were instructed to write a short essay describing their worst fears.
"What if we don't have one?" Rashaan McGruder asked.
"No matter how macho or tough you think you are, there's something that everyone is afraid of," Jenkins replied.
Before the period ended, McGruder had submitted a hastily scribbled but poignant essay. His biggest fear - the death of his parents and grandparents.
"I know that they are up in age and death is coming," he wrote. "I just don't want to see that day."
Creative Arts students are frequently asked to perform in local parades and events. They've also seen Broadway shows and visited area cultural attractions.
In the spring, 15 students who have been studying Italian are expected to travel to Italy for a choir competition.
The school has also won rave reviews for its Shakespearean productions: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth. Its next production, Othello, will open next month.
Senior Porsche Johnson, 17, a costume-design student, said the school had made her aware of opportunities for college, and beyond: "You aren't really limited here."
Contact Melanie Burney at 856-779-3876 or mburney@phillynews.com.
See also the original article with photos at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Life-Net Radio Note: A trio of Creative Arts students talked to us on Show #231 last month. They were performing at the Hearts & Hands Arts Festival.
AMERICAN RELATIONS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
From Free Arab Voice, translation and summary by Muhammad Abu Nasr
A debate on Al-Jazeera's Opposite View program between Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush and Thomas Friedman(10/27/2002)
Intro:
On the evening of Tuesday, 27 October 2002, the independent satellite television station in Qatar, Al-Jazeera, broadcast its regular program entitled "The Opposite View". The debate that evening concerned American relations with the International Community and was hosted by Dr. Faysal al-Qasim. The two participants in the program were New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush, editor-in-chief of the Free Arab Voice.
Opening Remarks from Dr. Faysal al-Qasem:
Dr. al-Qasim began by introducing the topic. He asked why the gap between America and the rest of the residents of world was widening. He said that the activities of the great and powerful were the biggest thing threatening the world today. He explained that sentiments in the Arab world with regard to America were varied and contradictory and posed questions asked by different sides in the debate. Was American not a great danger? Why does America ignore the rest of the world? Why has it changed into something that resembles the empire of Genghis Khan who sowed death and destruction?
On the other hand, some ask if the danger of America weren't exaggerated. Are those who level accusations against America driven only by hate? And who says that America doesn't care for the international community? Wasn't the U.S. discussing the resolution on Iraq with other states in the United Nations? Indeed aren't the nations of the world falling over themselves trying to build good relations with the United States? Isn't it ridiculous to compare this great democracy with fascist military regimes?
It was questions such as these that he would be posing directly to his guests, the well-known American journalist Thomas Friedman and the Palestinian researcher and writer Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush.
After that, the conversation went as follows:
Dr. Faysal al-Qasim: Dr. Alloush, I'll begin with a simple question. Isn't it a great injustice, isn't it wrong to say as many do these days that America has become a fascist dictatorship and the worst fascist dictatorship on earth? Isn't there an offense against the truth in such false charges?
Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush: The truth is, Dr. Faysal and you dear viewers, that the whole history of the United States bears witness to it being a savage dictatorship since its inception, since it asserted control over the land owned by the American Indians, since it enslaved millions of Africans, since it occupied countries - the occupation of Puerto Rico, the occupation of Hawaii at the end of the 19th century. If we look at the history of the United States before 11 September, we find that it is a natural extension of what has taken place since 11 September.
If you'll allow me, Dr. Faysal, I want to enumerate a few facts here. I have in front of me here a partial list of 130 military interventions undertaken by the United States during the last century. It is compiled from a number of official American sources. If we look for example--of course I will enumerate some of them very quickly. There was the intervention in the Philippines, for example, from 1898 to 1910, where 600,000 Filipinos were killed as they resisted the American occupation. And there are dozens of other examples. If we look at Viet Nam, for example, between the years 1961 and 1975 we are talking about more than two million Vietnamese who were killed in that war. If we look at Latin America, we find dozens of incidents in which the United States intervened to impose by force governments dependent upon it. It even interfered in elections to impose presidents dependent on itself. An example of that is the occupation of Nicaragua for 20 years from 1912 to 1933. Also there was its occupation of Haiti for 19 years, and the occupation of the Dominican Republic for eight years. Of course there are many examples of such bloody interventions, such as the bloody intervention in the seventies in Chile in the coup that took the lives of thousands, and the bloody intervention in Indonesia in 1965 with a death toll of about 700,000. In addition to that, of course, there is the fact that the United States in Viet Nam used Agent Orange, which is recognized as a chemical weapon. This is to say nothing of the nuclear weapons dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima after the ruling council in Japan had inclined to surrender, after it had been inclined to surrender already. Finally, naturally, there are the 1,750,000 Iraqis killed because of the criminal embargo that the US and British governments have imposed on Iraq. And of course let us not forget the unlimited support that the United States of America gives to the Zionist Entity. So, I believe that what has happened after 11 September is nothing but an escalation in the use of means that have been employed for a century, since the United States began to play an international role characterized by savagery and crimes.
Dr. Faysal al-Qasim: Good. Mr. Friedman, I think you heard, via the translator, what Dr. Alloush has said. To sum up, he describes the United States before the events of 11 September and after that date as the worst dictatorship in terms of savagery in history.
Thomas Friedman: This is something that is very offensive. I don't know why anyone wants to go to school there now? I believe Dr. Alloush obtained his education--
Dr. Ibrahim Alloush [interrupting]: Know your enemy--
Thomas Friedman [resuming]: In . . . for 14 years, that is he spent 14 years studying these things.
Let's look at this a little. I think that millions of people in various parts of the world come to America and love--and aspire to live in America, because ... Is America a perfect country? Certainly not. Is it a power that has its national interests that cause it to make moves in various parts of the world? Certainly, yes. I am definitely not here to justify every American intervention in the history of the United States. But is ... It is of great concern to us that we did not hear on that list of the American intervention in Kosovo and its attempt to rescue the Muslims in Bosnia and in Kosovo. We didn't hear a mention in that list of the American intervention against Nazi Germany to liberate Europe, we didn't hear about the American intervention in Somalia. Unfortunately this failed, but its motivation was to help the people suffering from hunger and poverty. We also didn't hear mention of the American intervention in Japan. We didn't hear about the Marshall Plan. We didn't hear on that list of the hundreds of millions of dollars given as foreign aid and in world peace efforts. I'm simply saying and without doubt that America is a great power, and it occasionally acts on that basis and does stupid things or harsh things or savage things, but it also does very good things. It must be seen as a torch of hope and freedom and opportunity for millions around the world. There are many like Dr. Alloush in front of me who wanted to study and went to study in the United States, simply because they see it as a land of freedom and hope.
Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush: I want to say that the United States has been pursuing its interests, yes, but what are the interests of the United States? The interests of the United States are domination of natural resources and markets, preventing the rise of any rival power anywhere in the world. Are those same interests legitimate in themselves, before we discuss the legitimacy of intervention in order to pursue those interests? There is no such thing as "legitimate intervention" in pursuance of just any interests.
Let us quickly review the things that Mr. Friedman considered positive things in the history of American interventions around the world.
The American intervention in Kosovo - was that out of love for the Muslims? Whoever believes that, brothers, I mean, is only deceiving himself. I personally heard high military officials in the Pentagon say: we have intervened to pursue our interests. I want to say that whoever believes that the break up of Yugoslavia is something that benefited the Arabs, or the Muslims, must take another look at his reckonings.
As to the history of Nazi Germany and Japan, to be very brief, Doctor Faysal, I want us to remember what happened in the Second World War. America and Britain postponed the landing in Normandy from .. from 1942 to 1944 in order to exhaust the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. It was only when the Soviet Union was able to strike Nazi Germany and when it began to sweep into Eastern Europe that America intervened in order, I mean, to assert control over the biggest possible area of the theaters of operation. This is the thing that we can look at. The intervention in Europe was not for the sake of liberating Europe; it was for the sake of replacing German hegemony with American hegemony. We know that after the Second World War we had American hegemony there.
As to the Marshall Plan and American foreign aid, of course these are separate. The Marshall Plan was an aspect of the plan to contain Communism. It was an aspect of the Cold War. Therefore it was to attain American interests. Therefore we cannot say - in any way whatsoever - that this plan was the result of the generosity or goodness of the American government. As to American foreign aid in the Arab world, for example, let me illustrate that with a recent example. The resolution that Congress passed recently considering Jerusalem to be the capital of the enemy state ["Israel"] includes a paragraph that I would like the regimes that receive American aid to listen to carefully.
The paragraph says that American foreign aid is linked to the recipient country's recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the enemy state. This explains to us very well the role of American foreign aid. The United States, Dr. Faysal, I mean, after 11 September, has escalated its aggressiveness. I mean, a qualitative change has taken place from previous history. The qualitative change that has taken place is basically linked or, so that we don't get involved in details, let me quickly say that there are two documents that explain this change. The change is based essentially on intervention justified by-- intervention as a preemptive strike and the use of force to change regimes. Both these things violate international law. Therefore in actuality, the United States has changed into the biggest rogue state in the history of human society. Actually, Bush is today becoming a new Hitler just as the German Minister of Justice said.
Dr. Faysal al-Qasim: Mr. Friedman, you've no doubt heard these accusations. The last thing he mentioned was that America has changed into the biggest rogue state in the world, and he cited what the German Minister of Justice said about the American President, that he is a new Hitler.
Thomas Friedman: I believe-- Let me say in general, first, that it is ridiculous and a oversimplification of facts to talk about the United States in this way. I have no desire to . . . to respond to that.
Dr. Ibrahim Naji Alloush: Are you able to respond, though? Tom. ..Tom ...
Thomas Friedman: I have .. have.. have the desire, but I won't waste my time. And our viewers . . our viewers can decide. ...
Don't miss the rest of this sizzling exchange at Free Arab Voice.
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