[alternet-l] The Alternet News 113

Fri Jan 28 17:36:28 GMT 2005

THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE 113
28th January 2005

This issue:

WORLD WIDE WORRY/
EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE/
TOP 10 MYTHS OF DISASTER RELIEF/
THE TSUNAMI EFFECT/
AN AMAZONIAN ACHIEVEMENT/
DRY UP/
CONTROL FREAK/
THE RETURN OF THE NATIVES/
BREAKING PROMISES, MAKING PROFITS/
BIRD BRAINED/

QUOTE/UNQUOTE/
JOBS/
DIARY/

HOT SITES:

www.gooshing.co.uk - The free ethical shopping tool from The Good Shopping 
Guide, run by The Ethical Company Organisation. This aims to encourage 
more responsible corporate attitudes to people, animal welfare and the 
environment. 

www.e-parl.net - The e-Parliament is the first interactive world 
institution whose members are elected by the public. It links democratic 
members of parliament and congress into a global forum, combining meetings 
and electronic communication. Organisations, companies, journalists and 
individuals are all invited to participate. It is hosted by GreenNet.

http://www.veggies.org.uk/acd.php - Find the new Animal Rights Calendar 
for 2005 at this address (currently it is still a work in progress, and 
additional features will be added in due course). Subscribe to the 
announcements email list (see link at the website), to be kept informed of 
new events and developments to this GreenNet-hosted site.

WORLD WIDE WORRY

World population is estimated to have increased by 76 million people in 
2004, at an annual growth rate of 1.2 percent. The highest contributions 
to population growth (73 million people) proved to be within developing 
countries, where access to education and family planning services is 
limited. Industrial countries brought the total higher with the addition 
of an extra three million births. The U.S.A is the only developed country 
with a high birth rate, it accounted for four percent of this year's 
global population growth.
World population is projected to reach 6.4 billion in 2005.

http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/100696/3319/10475

EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE

Relief workers contributing to the tsunami relief effort fear that more 
lives will be needlessly lost in Aceh, the region hit hardest by the 
tsunami, due to continued military offensive by Indonesian soldiers 
against separatist rebels in the area.
"We're able to reach out in all of the affected countries except in 
(Indonesia's) Sumatra and Aceh at the moment," explains Jan Egeland, 
coordinator of UN relief services.
International access is restricted because the government failed to lift 
the state of civil emergency (imposed on the province since 2003) after 
the Tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. 

http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/100827/3319/11160

TOP 10 MYTHS OF DISASTER RELIEF

Many people donating to the international aid effort are unaware of the 
fact that most food and medicine needed in the aftermath of natural 
disasters can and should be purchased locally, about 80 percent of cash 
donations are sent directly to the disaster site, and most victims have 
never even heard of an insurance policy. 
Rich Moseanko, of the relief and development group World Vision, addresses 
several of the myths about disaster relief among the public.

http://www.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/101333/8/11785

THE TSUNAMI EFFECT

The tsunami, having caused over 160,000 human deaths and countless dollars 
in property damage, also wreaked havoc on the regions' fragile 
environments.  
It is feared that ecological damage along the ravaged coastlines of Sri 
Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and India may be long lasting.
Researchers have begun to survey the toll on coastal forests, coral reefs 
and wetlands. In addition to misplaced nesting sites, uprooted mangroves, 
and debris-laden reefs, the huge waves of saltwater have contaminated all 
of the groundwater supplies on some Indian Ocean islands, and it could be 
months or even years before those areas recover their freshwater reserves.  
Lynne Hale of The Nature Conservancy has declared that "We have an 
unprecedented opportunity to complete the reconstruction process in a way 
which doesn't repeat our mistakes."

http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=3940

AN AMAZONIAN ACHIEVEMENT

The World Wide Fund for Nature, after working closely with the Latin 
American state government, has announced that new measures to protect the 
Amazon will soon be set in motion. Movement and activities will now be 
restricted in three million hectares - a territory similar in size to 
Belgium - of forests and diverse landscapes in the Brazilian Amazon. The 
government has created a mosaic of protected areas there to preserve the 
region's biodiversity. 

http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/100836/3356/11160

DRY UP

The amount of land declared to be suffering from severe drought worldwide 
has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and rising global temperatures 
are the key culprit, announce U.S. researchers. They also note that other 
than parts of the country's West, the United States is one of the few 
places on Earth to have largely been spared from the drying trend. 

http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/101328/3319/11678

CONTROL FREAK

A groundbreaking new report by Scientists for Global Responsibility
(SGR), detailing the pervasive military presence within science and 
technology in the UK, was launched at Parliament on the 19th of January.

The report examines developments from the end of the Cold War to the
more recent trend of the "War on Terror" and demonstrates that the 
military still has considerable influence over science and technology. A 
full 30% of all public spending on research and development in the UK is 
funded by the Ministry of Defence, dwarfing that spent by, for example, 
the National Health Service.
The executive summary and full report are available to download
from the SGR website.

http://www.sgr.org.uk/

THE RETURN OF THE NATIVES

The first Decade of Indigenous People came to a close at the end of 2004 
with renewed global attention to the particular vulnerabilities and 
challenges faced by native communities around the world. 
But with the recognition of the need to do more, and to implement real 
changes to improve the lives of indigenous people, a second Decade of 
Indigenous People was launched on the 1st of January, 2005.
A voluntary fund was also established as a successor to the existing U.N. 
Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. The International Day of 
Indigenous People will continue to be observed on August 9 during the 
Second Decade.
"There are many key issues that still have to be addressed, including 
self-determination, ownership of resources, and recognition of territory," 
said Adelard Blackman, special emissary for Chief Elmer Campbell and the 
people of Buffalo River Dene Nation.

http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/101092/3319/11465

BREAKING PROMISES, MAKING PROFITS

GreenNet member Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPLinks) have published a 
joint-report with Christian Aid titled 'Breaking Promises, Making 
Profits', which documents the impact of mining on indigenous communities. 
As the Philippines government renews its commitment to promoting foreign 
investment in mining, the report calls on politicians and the 
international community to take responsibility for the ethical operation 
of both foreign and National mining companies. To highlight the concerns 
raised in the report and to provide a forum for discussing issues around 
international regulation in more detail, there will be a debate on 'Mining 
in developing countries: A conflict of interest?'(See Events below).

Copies of the report are available at: 
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/indepth/412philippines/index.htm

BIRD BRAINED

Urgent action is needed to stop a large-scale bird market planned to take 
place on Sunday the 13th of February 2005, in several halls at the Newark 
on Trent Agricultural Showground. 
The law, as it currently stands, prohibits the commercial sales of pets in 
public places. However, the organisers have argued that the market would 
not involve commercial sales, and that the tens of thousands of exotic 
birds on sale (many of them wild-caught) are really just a display of the 
personal pets of a collection of hobbyists! Instead of advising the 
organisers and the venue that sales of birds would constitute criminal 
activity, Newark & Sherwood District Council has instead opted to attend 
the event and monitor animal welfare. The Council, however, has no powers 
to monitor illegal activities.
The Animal Protection Agency sent two vets and a team of investigators to 
an event by the same organiser on 7th November 2004. Their verdict was 
that the event was 'inherently responsible for unnecessary suffering and 
cruelty to animals'.
How you can help: 
The Animal Protection Agency, Animal Aid and BirdsFirst are keeping the 
pressure up on the Council and need your help:
Please e-mail Richard Dix at richard.dix at nsdc.info, Chief Executive of 
Newark & Sherwood District Council. Request from him the Council¹s full 
legal rationale for not informing the organisers and the venue to advise 
them that any commercial bird sales could result in prosecution.
You can also e-mail Adrian Johnston at adrian at nnas.fsbusiness.co.uk,
Chief Executive of the Newark on Trent Agricultural Showground. Please 
remind him that any commercial sales of birds would be illegal and ask him 
to ensure that the market does not go ahead.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life 
simply by altering his attitude of mind."
- James Truslow Adams (1878-1949), American historian, writer.

JOBS

Advocacy Officer, Women in Development Europe.
Salary: Approximately 2,728 Euro per month gross (based on 100%), 
depending on experience.
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Closing Date: 01.02.2005  
http://www.oneworld.net/job/view/10711

Africa HIV Programme Funding Officer, Christian Aid
Salary: £25,059 - £28,037
Location: London, SE1, United Kingdom
Closing Date: 09.02.2005
http://www.oneworld.net/job/view/10724

Photovoice vacancy: Fundraiser and Office Manager (London)
Closing Date: Friday 18th February 2005  
Salary: £18,000 pa
For full details on the position and how to apply please go to
www.photovoice.org.

Programme Officer, World Vision UK
Salary: Salary £23,000-£26,000 depending on experience and skills
Location: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Closing Date: 04.02.2005
http://www.oneworld.net/job/view/10684

GreenNet needs you... the GreenNet Educational Trust is looking for new 
Trustees. We are looking for enthusiastic people who have a general 
interest in the issues surrounding ICTs, particularly as they relate to 
society and 'the right to communicate', either in the UK, Europe or 
globally.
If you are interested please contact the Trustees for further details on 
trustees at greenneteducationaltrust.org.uk (with the subject line 'New 
Trustee information').

EVENTS

The debate on 'Mining in developing countries: A conflict of interest?' 
will be held at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78 
Bishopsgate London EC2N 4AG, on the 9th February 2004 between 6- 8pm.
For more details please email either comms at piplinks.org
or cpritchard at christian-aid.org.

In the run up to the Kyoto Climate March in London, February 12th, (to 
mark the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol and protest against the 
non-participation of the USA) Campaign against Climate Change, with the 
Green Party and Globalise Resistance, is holding a number of Public 
Meetings on the 'Climate Crisis' around the country.  Discussion will be 
on the scale & nature of the Climate threat, the politics of Climate 
change, how to fight the Bush administration on climate and building a 
movement to press for urgent action.
Details of the meetings are constantly being updated at www.campaigncc.org
'No Sweat' and the London Institute Students' Union are putting on two 
major fashion shows at the London College of Fashion.
The two shows, at 2.30pm and 6.30pm on Friday the 25th of February, aim to 
highlight the abuse of sweatshop workers involved in garment production. 
The two February shows take place just after London Fashion week (13-17 
February).
Tickets cost £2.50, and all the money raised will go to a union 
organisation (Batay Ouvriye) which is attempting to unionise the Free 
Trade Zone on the Haitian-Dominican Republic border. 
http://www.nosweat.org.uk/article.php?sid=1150&mode=thread&order=0

Support 'Punk Aid Wales' for the Tsunami Appeal on February the 26th 2005, 
at the Bridgend Rec, South Wales.
http://www.welshpunk.f2s.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi

The World Healing ceremony will take place at 3pm on Sunday the 3rd of 
July 2005. The London Gathering begins with an optional march from Regents 
Park to Hampstead Heath, and will meet at 1pm for a 1:30pm start in Queen 
Mary's Gardens, near the Open Air Theatre (Baker Street tube). 
The London Ceremony will take place on Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath 
(Hampstead Heath tube).
People are encouraged to organise synchronised local events.
Full details of how to organise an event are available online
(www.thegreenfuse.org/healers), or by e-mail from adrian at gn.apc.org

See SchNEWS events at http://www.schnews.org.uk/pap/yourarea.htm

Add diary dates at http://www.gn.apc.org/calendar/calindex.shtml and 
http://www.networkforpeace.org.uk/events.htm (diary dates collected by NfP 
are passed on to Peace News for their diary page. In order to get a diary 
listing in PN, groups can email nfp at gn.apc.org with details).

This edition of AlterNet is edited by Lucie Evans for GreenNet.

Send your news and hot sites to actnow at gn.apc.org

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