Call for clear HIV prevention messages in South Africa | Wellcome Trust

anyone hear that? it's the death knell for MCP campaigns...

The press release:AQUAMAT trial results show significant results favouring artesunate for severe malaria treatment

The science:Full text Lancet article

x-posted to public_health

It gets better is a new youtube project by Dan Savage of Savage Love (a sardonic sex/life advice column for the not-so-straight-and-or-narrow), to help LGBT adolescents know that life gets better after high school - and that it's worth sticking around to live that life. Please pass this link along to everyone you think it might help.

The strike has ground the country to a virtual stand-still, with the recent government injunction promising to fire those essential workers who continue to strike having no result but to anger the strikers.

The schools, already a month behind due to World Cup closures, are being heavily affected. But nowhere are the effects of the strike more heart wrenching than among the ill in the country's already overwhelmed public hospitals and clinics. The army has been tasked with keeping the hospitals open, but they cannot quell the fear of patients who worry about being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clinics and hospitals remain nearly empty, while the patients fear the very people tasked with their health.

Labor Unrest Empties South African Hospitals

By CELIA W. DUGGER

DURBAN, South Africa — Most patients in the hulking, seven-story tuberculosis hospital here — all infected with potentially lethal, drug-resistant strains of the disease — have gone home since a majority of nurses, orderlies and janitors went on strike a week and a half ago.

Dr. Ruben Naidu, the hospital’s chief executive, noted regretfully that the patients being released prematurely were highly contagious. “Out in the community,” he said, “they’re going to spread the disease.”

The missing workers are a small part of a sprawling, nationwide strike by hundreds of thousands of public employees that has paralyzed hospitals and schools across South Africa, undercutting major drives to combat AIDS and TB and to repair a deeply troubled education system.

At the tuberculosis hospital here, known as King George V, strikers brandishing whips and sticks chased doctors and nurses off their wards. Some workers, fearing for their lives, hid in locked offices. Services have not recovered.

And the strike seems to be intensifying. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, or Cosatu, the powerful federation that is part of the governing alliance led by the African National Congress, threatened secondary strikes of manufacturing and mining workers next week if union demands were not met.

South Africa’s trade union movement has a storied history in the struggle against apartheid, but this season of labor unrest has heightened a deep worry here that the country’s proud spirit of ubuntu — a generous human interconnectedness that flared during the World Cup — has taken a back seat to materialism.

Anastina Blose, 70, a retired nurse’s aide who now looks after her five orphaned grandchildren, said she wept as strikers invaded her ward in King George V, where she had worked for more than two decades during apartheid and now, breathless and weak with TB, lies abed in her pink bathrobe. “They want more money,” she said. “We’ve got no money; we just want our health. It’s not African, this behavior. If I’m your neighbor and you’ve got a loaf of bread, you give me a slice. But now everybody’s just grabbing.”

Public employees have gotten a series of annual pay increases that have led to a near doubling of government spending on wages in the past five years. This year, they are demanding an 8.6 percent increase, more than double the 3.7 percent rate of inflation. But the government has offered 7 percent. The workers also want a doubling of their monthly housing allowance to $137.

No one here maintains that public workers are lavishly paid. Their salaries are modest by first-world standards. The union says their members’ earnings need to grow to reduce the country’s gaping income inequality, which, by some estimates, is the worst in the world.

But economists say that the rising public wage bill — particularly with no agreement from unions that, for example, chronically absent teachers could be fired more easily — is squeezing out spending on textbooks, hospitals and roads, with no assurances that the quality of public services will improve.

In a nation where more than a third of the potential work force is jobless and over a million of its 50 million citizens have joined the ranks of the out-of-work since just last year, rising pay for public employees also reduces the government’s room to hire more people, officials say.

The strike seems motivated not just by wages, but also by resentment of the political elite. Cosatu contends that senior politicians in the A.N.C. are chasing what Cosatu this week called “a caviar lifestyle” while expecting workers to scrimp. The symbolism of ministers driving BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes at public expense has proved particularly toxic.

“Do they want ministers to ride on scooters when they do their work?” Richard Baloyi, minister of public services and administration, retorted in The Sunday Times. Mr. Baloyi, a figure in the government’s effort to settle the strike, added, in comments confirmed by his spokesman, “Even during apartheid time, ministers were using vehicles such as Mercs.” His remarks provoked outrage from workers.

The strike is also a show of strength by a labor movement deeply disappointed in the limited power it wields in the governing alliance. Cosatu played a critical role in the downfall of Thabo Mbeki, the previous president, and in the rise of President Jacob Zuma. It is frustrated that the government’s economic approach — a regulated free market with a focus on keeping inflation low and public debt under control — has largely stayed the same.

“Once you’re a minister, you forget where you came from,” said Bongani Xulu, 49, an office worker at King George V who was protesting outside the hospital this week. “What happened to Mbeki will happen to them. If they don’t do what we put them there to do, we’ll take them down. We’re kingmakers.”

The hospital was a ghostly, fear-ridden place this week. Nurses still on the job avoided answering the phone, fearful their voices would be recognized by strikers. “They can burn my house,” one nurse explained. A stone shattered the car window of another nurse on Wednesday morning as she drove out of the parking lot after her graveyard shift.

On the cavernous pediatric ward Wednesday, all but a handful of children had gone to stay with relatives. An 8-year-old boy wandered across the linoleum floor, the belt of his blue bathrobe dragging behind him, while a frail toddler in a high chair waved forlornly when visitors stepped onto the hushed ward.

That same morning, Nakayiphi Ngwane, 48, a widow in a black cape, brought her 16-year-old daughter, Nokwethemba, a pretty wraith of a girl with TB, back to the hospital. Nokwethemba had left a week earlier after strikers burst onto her ward. Mrs. Ngwane, destitute since her husband’s death, had been forced to borrow money to come and pick up injections as the medicines dispensed to them by the hospital were running out.

Once there, Mrs. Ngwane, who has AIDS, told the nurse in charge that it might be better if her daughter were readmitted. “She’s coughing a lot,” Mrs. Ngwane explained. “I’m scared to get infected.”

But the girl wanted to stay with her mother, and there are fears the strike may worsen. Early that afternoon, as strikers chanted, danced and sang across the street, Mrs. Ngwane and Nokwethemba walked silently past them, their eyes straight ahead, bound for home.

July 12, 2010

Who Really Won in South Africa?

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

From his office inside Holy Cross Anglican Church in Soweto, Father Steve Morero has seen the tour buses come and go by the hundreds.

From the beginning of the World Cup last month to its conclusion Sunday, Morero, the rector since 2006, has helped celebrate South Africa’s historic moment.

On May 30, Morero hosted Soccer Sunday and on Sunday his church hosted Thanksgiving Sunday to give thanks for the World Cup and all the good the event has brought to South Africa and to Soweto.

At one level the World Cup has been a short-term boon. Tourists emptied out of the tour buses, made purchases from street merchants and visited the Hector Pieterson Museum situated across the street from Holy Cross. They got back on the buses to return to their hotels in suburbs with high walls, confident that they saw the real Soweto.

“I live on the other side of Soweto and I haven’t seen a tour bus yet,” Morero said.

But now that the monthlong circus has left town, the hard questions that were raised by community activists before the World Cup are back: Who won? Who lost?

The event has generally been hailed as a great success, with talk now turning to a South African Olympics as a possibility. New stadiums were constructed along with new roads leading to the stadiums, construction that helped create thousands of jobs. But is South Africa — and a majority of South Africans — better off than before the World Cup came to town?

“How much of the profit FIFA makes will be left to develop the poor communities?” Morero said. “I do not think it is going to move the ball forward. There has been a concern from the community over who profits from the World Cup.”

Morero, who has served in Soweto for 18 years, described bed and breakfast owners who were promised they would get guests and other business owners who were promised additional revenue from increased traffic. According to Morero, neither materialized. “There are mixed feelings. You have this great event, but is it helping to elevate poverty?”

My overriding question upon arriving in South Africa at the outset of the World Cup was: “Who has the power?”

Apartheid’s imprint can been seen throughout South Africa. The economic engine is being driven by white South Africans; some black Africans have climbed aboard.

Morero, 51, has watched the evolution; in some ways the World Cup was a convenient — and eye-opening — opportunity to examine how far things have and have not come since the end of apartheid.

“Politically I think the power is now in the hands of the ANC,” he said. “But you can’t have the political power without all other power, and the first is economic power. I think it’s still in the hands of the white people, and let me add, in the hands of the Afrikaners.”

As is almost always the case when these sports circuses come to town, expectations exceed reality. And while the World Cup here was viewed as a success on many levels, some felt the event would take a huge bite out of poverty.

“The poor were hoping to get a piece out of this big cake,” Morero said. “Unfortunately, it’s like having 10 people — eight of whom are poor. The two will take 90 percent and give the poor the 10 percent to share.”

Morero quoted what a friend had said during the apartheid era: “If you have 10 black people who are hungry, the Afrikaners will give you a meal for one person. You’ll start fighting among each other for the small piece instead of saying, ‘Hey guys, wait, let’s not eat this piece; let’s go and fight this guy who is not giving us enough.’ “

The great fight facing South Africans is how to refocus and redefine the struggle for liberation after the dragon that represented their oppression — apartheid — was slain.

“What we need now is not a theology of liberation, although the struggle is not over yet,” Morero said. “What we need now is the theology of restoration.”

He quoted from the Book of Nehemiah, which tells the story of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

“He realized that the wall had fallen and he said to the people: ‘We can’t keep on blaming people who broke the wall, we need to raise the wall and do something about it.’ I think that is where we are,” Morero said. “That’s what we need. The theology of restoring our people. It’s a big challenge for us as a church.”

There is a South African concept, Ubuntu, that describes an approach to life that is characterized by selflessness, sharing, unity and respect. Morero fears the concept, vital for successful collective action, is slipping away.

“I’m afraid that we can no longer talk about that concept of Ubuntu in Soweto because we are slowly adopting the individualistic kind of living,” he said. “Because a small few have too many resources, it has shifted the focus of the masses of people to basic survival.”

In the wake of a successful World Cup, the theology of restoration, of whether those resources will be spread among the masses, looms large as so does the question: Who won and who lost?

E-mail:wcr@nytimes.com

Who Really Won in South Africa?

This is an interesting article dealing with a question that, thankfully, is beginning to be openly debated.

KAMPALA, 30 June 2010 (PlusNews) - Over a glass of wine in a bar in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, two young women have a heated discussion about Tim*, who is married to their friend Becky*; Tim's "side-dish", or mistress, is pregnant and the two women disagree over whether Becky should leave him or not.

"Becky knew what to expect when she married him; she shouldn't be surprised," one of the women says.

"No way - it's one thing to cheat, but for him not to wear a condom means he doesn't care about Becky at all... Next she could find out she has HIV," the other said.

While the women were at odds over Becky's next move, they both agreed that fidelity was not something one could expect from men in their society.

Multiple partners

Since the 1980s, Uganda's HIV prevention campaigns have focused heavily on fidelity to a single sexual partner, with abstinence and condom use being the two other major tenets.

However, there has been some debate about whether “multiple concurrent partnerships” are indeed one of the forces behind Africa's epidemic - a 2009 study found "limited evidence" that concurrency was driving HIV/AIDS in Africa - but for many Ugandans, the main problem with “zero-grazing” - sticking to one sexual partner - campaigns is their attempt to alter centuries of tradition. ....

full text of IRN PlusNews article

The vuvuzelas have been going since before dawn (click on the hyperlink if you feel left out or confused). Before my eyes opened I knew it was the opening of the World Cup. And after the late-night concert mini-party last night (including lounge football nearing midnight) I felt extremely mixed about those vuvuzelas, let me tell you. Nevertheless, here I am, kitted out in Bafana Bafana gear in rural KZN, hoping for a miracle against Mexico.

Happy World Cup all!

I watched the series finale of Lost last night, a series which amazingly enough, I have practically watched in real-time, all through my residence in Ghana, the UK and South Africa. I still haven't see the wrap-up episode with the cast (which I am guessing from the internet chatter actually aired before the finale (it comes as the 'last' episode from itunes), but...

really? I get that the 'off island' reality was a sort of purgatory. I get that the stuff on the island really happens. But what about the Black Smoke and the centre of the island light and the electromagnetic field and Dharma initiative and the button? What about the time travel and the dead people appearing and the polar bear? What is up with that? That is what I wanted answers to: the secret of the island. Not the last season or so when they live this parallel existence. Is it meant that the island really is this mysterious place and therefor we don't get answers? The writers have gone on and on about how the series was 'really about' the characters. Well, as interesting as the characters are, I was sucked into Lost because of the Island, not the characters. I donno, I felt it kind of sucked.

That said, it did have lots of feel-good emotional moments, especially at the end during the scene in the Church. Yet there are still questions about the characters at the end as well... I was a little shocked to see Boone at the church, as he was a really minor character- he was there because of Sayid yet I had practically forgotten about Sayid's love affair with his sister. It seemed as if they had to have them there, if only because Sayid (as a major character) had to be with someone and (as the writers must agree), his true love was really better without him. It brings Sayid a happy ending that seems a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Same with Claire - so after all of that back and forth this season it ends up that it only takes Kate's 'I'll help you' little speech to change her mind and go off to raise her son off-island? Michael and Walt were nowhere to be seen, off with the Polar Bear I suppose... it was odd to see Vincent appear at Jack's death without Walt and so I almost expected him to appear out of thin air as he (and the rest of the whisperers) normally do. Why doesn't Ben want to move on? What happened to Ben during his time as #2 where Hurley was able to find answers but Ben wasn't? And Ben's mirror, Alpert... I felt that was left a little unresolved as well.

I don't expect any series finale to have all the answers but I felt this was a bit of a disappointment. A real cinematic episode with all the tear-jerkers and emotional roller-coasters that are so familiar with Lost (and what make it a real addiction) but without most of the important (to me) questions answered.

I also saw the series finale of 24, the hyper-American TV drama starring Keifer Sutherland as the iconic Jack Bauer.

This is a series that I came to quite late, downloading it mostly to while away the long hours in remote locations I find myself so often these days. I was sad that the series ended with such a predictable and rushed ending. It seemed to be a preview for the next season... oh sorry - I mean the feature film. That said, I don't really expect a whole lot more from this show except what it does best: provide a great hour of edge of the seat entertainment. Jack is The Man in all that is man stereotypical goodness and I will be sorry to see him gone from TV. I only hope the movie will turn into something of a cult-classic rather than a money-making 3 part series that drags on with little substance.

Notes from SA from Constitutionally Speaking blog: No Blood Filled Dreams of Dread

International Lesbian & Gay Association's worldwide listing of events

how you can participate

Workers to Give out 2.5 billion Condoms in SA

March 25, 2010

Workers to Give Out 2.5 Billion Condoms in SAfrica

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 11:00 a.m. ET

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Thousands of health workers will help hand out 2.5 billion condoms and test 15 million people for HIV as part of the world's largest campaign in the country hardest hit by the virus, the health minister said Thursday.

After years of official denial and delay, South Africa's government last year embarked on an anti-AIDS drive, vowing to halve new infections and ensure that 80 percent of those who need them have access to AIDS drugs by 2011.

Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi has asked 9,000 retired South African doctors and health workers to help with testing and counseling during the $190 million campaign. He also has asked universities to lend their final-year medical students during the campaign's first week.

Every person receiving HIV counseling and testing will receive 100 male condoms each, and 1 billion others will be distributed to public facilities, including FIFA-accredited hotels for football fans during the upcoming World Cup tournament, Motsoaledi said.

The campaign being launched April 15 also will treat rape victims and encourage male circumcision as a measure to prevent the virus that causes AIDS.

The testing campaign hopes to ''bring HIV out of the shadows and into the mainstream, helping to erode some of the stigma around the disease'', said Mark Heywood of the South African National AIDS Council, the government-supported coalition behind the campaign.

Some 500 general practitioners already have pledged to provide free testing at their practices. Testing will take place at all government hospitals, clinics, some universities and pharmacies, as well as in mobile units sent to remote rural areas.

South Africa, a nation of about 50 million, has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than any other country.

President Jacob Zuma has been applauded for turning around AIDS policies after President Thabo Mbeki's stance was blamed for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths. Mbeki questioned whether HIV caused AIDS and his health minister distrusted drugs developed to keep patients alive, instead promoting garlic and beet treatments.

In contrast, Zuma has called for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive South Africans, and has urged people to get tested for HIV.

Zuma's turnaround is all the more remarkable because of his personal history. In 2006, Zuma was ridiculed after he testified while being tried on charges of raping an HIV-positive woman that he took a shower to lower the risk of AIDS. He was acquitted of rape.

Zuma shows you get the HIV epidemic you deserve

By Elizabeth Pisani

So Jacob Zuma is sorry about having unprotected sex with someone three decades younger than himself, who is not one of the five women he's married. That's a little better than last week's "You should be proud that I've admitted paternity and paid a fine. What are you all so uptight about?" HIV activists are pretty upset. Me, I prefer to see what he's done as a good thing.

I'm not one to get uptight about extramarital sex. But I am not president of a country where one in five adults is infected with a still-fatal sexually transmitted virus. Mr. Zuma has rubbed South Africa's nose in the fact that he racks up as many sex partners as he can, and he doesn't use condoms.

How is that a good thing? Well, it allows us to say the unsayable: countries get the HIV epidemics they deserve.

Want a hyper-epidemic? All you need is a tradition of polygamy AND high levels of female autonomy. Big Men have their little network of wives and/or lovers.

Women buy in to duty sex for the status and security, but get to run their own little networks on the side, for the fun of it. That has been the pattern in South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and a number of other countries where more than one adult in seven has HIV.

But woe betide anyone who points this out. At best, you are insensitive to cultural traditions. At worst, you are perpetuating racist myths of the hypersexualised African male, blah, blah, blah.

Now South Africa's president is unrepentantly living the myth. He has been married five times, and is currently shared by three wives (one of the others killed herself). He's got another fiancée in the wings for good measure. In 2006 he was acquitted of rape charges, and now we find he's bonking the daughter of an old mate who's running the World Cup organising committee. This puts him in good company. In neighbouring Swaziland, where one adult in three has HIV, the king sets an example by taking a new teenaged wife every couple of years - a baker's dozen so far.

Here's another thing that Mr. Zuma's behaviour has laid bare: HIV is a preventable infection. Good governments prevent it. Bad ones hide behind the very culture, tradition and customs that allow the virus to spread, and then throw their hands up when prevalence get so high that HIV will continue to spread even if behaviour does change.

The saintly Nelson Mandela was unforgivably slow to do anything to address the sexual behaviours that were spreading HIV. His successor Thabo Mbeki compounded the problem by simply denying that the sexually transmitted virus was in any way linked to a four-fold rise in death rates among young adults.

Besides spotlighting his sexual escapades, Mr. Zuma used his 2006 rape trial to give us a new perspective on how to stay HIV-free.

Sorry I had unprotected sex with an HIV-infected woman he said, but don't worry about me, I had a shower afterwards, so I won't catch anything.

Unfazed by his flagrant disdain for his own health ministry's HIV prevention efforts, (or by the pack of corruption charges that stalk him, or by his growing posse of wives) the people of South Africa support Jacob Zuma anyway. It's a healthy democracy, and that's their right. But I think it is time that voters in other countries stopped subsidising the fatally bad behaviour of South African leaders.

Why should Americans give South Africa over half a billion dollars of PEPFAR money a year, in part to promote abstinence, monogamy and condom use, when the electorate of the country supports a man who is the embodiment of the behaviours and attitudes that spread HIV?

Because, you might argue, the government of the richest country in Africa, which is also pocketing over US$ 160 million for HIV from the Global Fund, can't even organise itself to keep anti-retrovirals in stock. I'd say that's all the more reason to stop propping up bad leadership on HIV.

This post is for Dot and the thousands of other hard-working health care professionals in South Africa who have to pick up the pieces.

http://www.wisdomofwhores.com/2010/02/09/countries-get-the-hiv-epidemics-they-deserve/

This article in the NY Times speaks volumes about a South Africa divided by transport. The taxis are dangerous and many people have no other option. It's sad to see how violently opposed this safe affordable public transport initiative is.

The nearly universally accepted homophobia in sub-Saharan Africa is a main reason why I have such a push-and-pull relationship with my work and consequent residence in this part of the world. The following articles bring a bit of light on these issues.

Responses to homophobia in Africa discusses interesting ties of the US-based Christian conservative movement to sub-Saharan Africa, and the issues in the news in the last few years pertaining to homophobia within the area.

It is interesting how tied together discrimination based on gender and homophobia are. This article talks about some of the links. While I think the situation is much more nuanced than the author refers to here, this is an interesting take and I believe good points are raised: 'SA ought to look at power when it comes to prejudice about gender and sexuality'

And finally, an interesting article (and on further inspection, an even more interesting blog) on SA President Zuma's presumed appointment of homophobe Jon Qwelane as ambassador to Uganda.

Economist: Evidence Backing Gay Marriage Is In

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 20, 2010

Filed at 3:31 a.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Same-sex couples in some parts of the United States have been able to wed for long enough to conclude that expanding gay marriage to other states would not undermine traditional marriages, a University of Massachusetts economist testified during a trial on California's same-sex marriage ban.

Lee Badgett's testimony Tuesday finished off the sixth day in the historic trial, the first in a federal court to examine whether prohibiting gays and lesbians from marrying violates their constitutional rights.

Badgett, who also directs research for a gay-related think tank at the University of California, Los Angeles, took the witness stand on behalf of two same-sex couples suing to overturn Proposition 8, the state's voter-approved ban. She cited statistics from Massachusetts, which has allowed gay couples to marry since 2004, showing that marriage and divorce rates for straight couples have not been affected.

''I don't think we need to wait any longer to see what the impact will be. I think we know,'' Badgett said. ''Everything I've looked at leads me to the conclusion that there is no impact.''

Charles Cooper, a lawyer for Proposition 8's sponsors, spent several hours with Badgett trying to demonstrate that traditional male-female marriages suffered after same-sex marriages became legal in the Netherlands in 2001. During her cross-examination, he introduced a number of charts showing divorce and single parenthood rates increased while marriage rates fell in the that country.

Badgett rejected the comparison, however, noting those trends were firmly established long before gay couples won the right to wed in the Netherlands and were unrelated to same-sex marriage.

In other testimony, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders recalled the ''defining moment'' of his personal and political life when he decided that denying gays and lesbians the right to wed was discriminatory. The change of heart came about in part after he learned his daughter was a lesbian in a committed relationship.

''I had been prejudiced,'' Sanders said. ''I was saying one group of people did not deserve the same respect, did not deserve the same symbolism of marriage and I was saying their marriages were less important than those of heterosexuals.''

Plaintiffs' lawyers are expected to wrap up their case this week. They are scheduled to present testimony Wednesday from a gay man who was forced to undergo so-called ''conversion therapy.'' Ryan Kendall's testimony is being used to argue that sexual orientation is not a choice and usually cannot be changed.

Senegal's president says he will offer free land and "repatriation" to people affected by the earthquake in Haiti.: BBc reports Abdoulaye Wade's offer of land to displaced Haitians

I will believe this one when I see it.

I am sure that most of you have heard by now of the terrible earthquake in Haiti's capital city Tuesday evening. (If not, here is a link to an article) Thousands are assumed dead, and worse, the infrastructure of this already desperately poor country has been dealt a terrible blow. Natural disasters of this magnitude have terrible consequences long after the event: not only are buildings (including school and hospitals) collapsed but the water and sanitation systems integral to ensuring the continued survival of those who have lived through the catastrophe have been decimated as well. It is my opinion that the single most important way to help those most in need in situations like this is to donate to those agencies on the ground who respond to the health needs of the survivors. With that said I urge you to make a small donation to one of the below organisations, each of which has long standing programmes in Haiti and openly available information of how your money is spent. Please give what you can; the rewards come back in unimaginable ways.

UK site to donate to the Haiti effort of Medicine Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders)

US site to donate to the Haiti effort of Medicine Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders)

Partners In Health

apologies to those who got this as a personal email already.

NY State Senate Rejects Gay Marriage Bill

In the article it is mentioned that people don't want to pass this bill because of the economic downturn. How does this make any sense at all? If anything gay marriage would boost the economy: think of all the weddings, honeymoons, etc. And that's not mentioning the lawyers for prenuptial agreements, or, in some cases, divorce. Any how, this is another sad day for those in support of marriage equality. I am not a huge advocate of the 'gay marriage' movement, mostly because of the exclusionist way that the movement has gone forward and the questionable politics of those behind it, but I do support equality for all people under the law. It's just sickening to hear the lame excuses being passed up in denial of these civil liberties.

Address by the President of the Republic of South Africa, HE Mr Jacob Zuma, to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)

I am hoping that Zuma's relative popularity in the Zulu population will help to get this positive messaging against HIV-related stigma across. If it undoes half the damage that Mbeki did it will at least provide an inroad.

Vaccine fear has been gaining in the headlines again with Swine Flu (H1N1) topping incidence rates of 'seasonal' flu. My knee-jerk reaction to the vaccine fear is to call it a paranoia of the privileged, just so you know my view on the matter: full disclosure. However, knowing full well that science is fallible and adverse events are more than possible, I decided to take a look at the evidence. I have done my homework to begin to understand why people, many of them well-educated, well-meaning, some health professionals and some parents, refuse to get vaccinations.

Firstly, I learned of the association that autism had to early childhood vaccinations for MMR (Measals, Mumps, and Rubella). Dr Wakefield, in 1998 published an article in the Lancet regarding research that he did finding correlation between immunisations against MMR and onset of autism in children. This created quite a stir, as you can imagine: not only is a lot of money from pharmaceutical companies tied up in vaccines, but millions of people's lives around the world, most of them children, could be considered to be affected. So lots of research went into figuring out if this correlation was actually causal: if MMR vaccines increased a child's risk of developing autism.

I should stop and explain to the non-epidemiologists out there that the first rule of the science is 'correlation does not equal causation', which means just because things are related does not mean that one thing happens as a result of the other. For example, if someone goes to the beach when the sun is shining and that person drowns, does that mean that the sun caused the person to drown? No. Sure the sun is in there somewhere, related to the incident, but sun did not directly cause the drowning; someone can only drown in water.

So, back to MMR and autism. Following this publication scientists began to do what we love to do so much: dissect a study to prove its merit. It was soon found, as Lancet later reported, that the study did not have much scientific merit: the study sample was quite small and only among children who had gastrointestinal problems, neither of which leads it to be indicative of the general population of children who get MMR vaccinations. Still, the studies findings were so disturbing, found to merit a closer look by the scientific community, that the study was replicated following the strictest scientific guidelines, and the results showed conclusively that MMR did not lead to autism. Yet more studies were done, looking around all the possible corners to see if anything could have been missed and now, years later, numerous scientifically rigorous studies have been done and there is absolutely no conclusive scientific evidence to say that a child's vaccination against MMR will make him/her any more likely to develop autism. The research that has been touted to show causation of 'live virus' vaccination (such as MMR) to autism does not stand up to scientifically rigorous review. Yet thousands of parents refuse to give their children MMR vaccinations because they are afraid this might cause them to develop autism. I guess now would be a bad time to mention during my time in rural Ghana the kids who were seeking immunisation that we had to turn away due to lack of supplies or manpower. These mothers walked more than 20 kilometres to protect their kids from getting these diseases.

Back to the flu. So, if I get a flu shot and then I feel ill, is it the vaccination that caused the illness or something else? The injectable H1N1 vaccine has an inert (read: dead) virus, so it is biochemically impossible to get the H1N1/Swine Flu from this shot. Even with the live virus inhalant version, the risk of actually getting flu from the shot are minimal. It is true, however, that people getting the flu shot are usually at higher risk than the greater population to get the flu. Of course it is possible to already have the flu (yet not be fully symptomatic) when you get vaccinated. It is also possible to have the common cold before during or after getting a flu shot. Correlation does not equal causation. Epidemiological models show that when a significant portion of those most at risk are vaccinated the virus' chance of dying out rise exponentially (this is how diseases are eradicated, such as polio). Yet in NYC, most parents refuse the vaccine for their children. And, even more shocking, health care workers- those most likely to get -and spread infection refuse the vaccination even going so far as to win a legal suit over mandatory vaccination. So, essentially, my nurse has a right to choose not to get vaccinated but my choice is reduced to placing myself at risk of getting H1N1 by seeing her if I go in for something completely unrelated or not seek health care at all.

I'm not saying people should blindly follow any advice, even if it comes from the doctor. However, if you're concerned and reading this then you have access to a plethora of information right at your fingertips. Don't allow your fear to turn into real illness.

UK NHS fact sheet on MMR and Autism link

CDC fact sheet on MMR and autism

No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total population study

Wakefield's article

About.com article on MMR and autism

Time - H1N1 flu: Be A Little Afraid - but not of an unproven vaccine

An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All

In Choosing Who Survives Flu, Developing World Most Likely To Suffer

From "Africa is a Country" blog

I read things like this and really regret not going on that job interview some years back for human rights oversight of LGBT rights in sub-Saharan Africa.

Crime in South Africa, It Won't Go Away

The ID book as visual evidence of life before AIDS

Legacies of Apartheid

This is in a follow-up to yesterday's more tongue-in-cheek post.

The important realities of universal health care is not only that it exists in all the developed countries of the world aside from the US, or that health care is a human right for all people, or the actuality that we do have socialized health care plans in America (it's called Medicare and Medicaid), but that while no universal health care program is perfect, they do work for the majority of people. While I believe everyone, not just the majority should have health care that works for them, right now in the US the majority do not have good (or any) health care and the numbers are growing.

Yes, I know that here in the UK I play the 'postcode lottery' (referred to this way because medical practices are available by zone. for full disclosure purposes, there is more critique of the system ,here and here) with my universal health care that comes with my residence visa, and it's a hassle to try and get a new Dr every time I move. It's not a perfect system and it doesn't work for everyone. But it does work for most people who need preventative care, emergency care and maintenance for common medical illnesses. And I know that if God forbid, I should get hit by a car on my bicycle that I don't have to worry about a passerby calling an ambulance for me before my health insurance company can authorize it (if I did have insurance) or paying thousands of dollars for my medical care (should I be denied or not have insurance). And I know that I will never have to pay any more than £7.45 for a prescription that my doctor deems necessary. That I can go as often as I like to the doctor, (and people here do!) and there are no co-pays or forms to fill out, just me and my doctor. It eases my mind knowing that if I am too sick to get to my doctor they will come to me, at my house, or give me a consultation over the phone.

And you know what, comparing my income in NYC to a comparable income here in the UK I would be paying exactly the same amount in taxes.

Some of you reading this know very well why we need reform because you are in need of medical care and can't get insurance for one (or many) of the various cost-effective reasons the for profit insurance companies give. I for one would rather have a cost-effective health care system that was overseen by doctors and scientists in a not-for-profit arena rather than by business managers who are trying to earn bonuses. I would also rather have a universal health care program that is better than the existing ones around the world, modeled for contemporary US society.

But then, this is not just my opinion, here's one from our president:

Why We Need Health Care Reform by President Barack Obama

EDIT: here's another informative link on what health care costs for the US.

repost, thanks to kindaubiqitous's friend of a friend

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock, powered by the Public Power Monopoly, regulated by the US department of energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. I then turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the Weather Service of the National Oceographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather would be like using satellites designed, built and launched by the NASA. I did this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking drugs determined safe by the Federal Drug Administration.

At a time that has been kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I got into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on roads built and maintained by local, state and federal departments of transportation. I checked my mail delivered by the US Postal Service and dropped the kids of at public school.

After work I drove my NHTSA car on DOT roads back home, which has not burned down because of state and local building codes and a fire marshal’s inspection. My house has not been plundered in my absence because of the local police department.

I then log onto the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on the Fox News forum that health care = socialism.

found on huffingtonpost.com comments section

It's true that words are empty without action, but it is also true that words can usher in a new beginning. Let's hope that Obama brings actions as lucid and decisive as this remarkable speech is.

June 4, 2009

Text: Obama’s Speech in Cairo

The following is a text of President Obama's prepared remarks to the Muslim world, delivered on June 4, 2009, as released by the White House.

I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.

We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world – tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.

Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust.

So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." That is what I will try to do – to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

Part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.

I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at our Universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.

So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words – within our borders, and around the world. We are shaped by every culture, drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept: E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."

Much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected President. But my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores – that includes nearly seven million American Muslims in our country today who enjoy incomes and education that are higher than average.

Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state of our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That is why the U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.

So let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.

Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.

For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.

This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.

That does not mean we should ignore sources of tension. Indeed, it suggests the opposite: we must face these tensions squarely. And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together.

The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms.

In Ankara, I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security. Because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.

The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together. Over seven years ago, the United States pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support. We did not go by choice, we went because of necessity. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale. They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.

Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.

That's why we're partnering with a coalition of forty-six countries. And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists. They have killed in many countries. They have killed people of different faiths – more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace.

We also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who have been displaced. And that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend upon.

Let me also address the issue of Iraq. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said: "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."

Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future – and to leave Iraq to Iraqis. I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. That is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012. We will help Iraq train its Security Forces and develop its economy. But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron.

And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter our principles. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.

So America will defend itself respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law. And we will do so in partnership with Muslim communities which are also threatened. The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer.

The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world.

America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction – or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews – is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.

For decades, there has been a stalemate: two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive. It is easy to point fingers – for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond. But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.

That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest. That is why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience that the task requires. The obligations that the parties have agreed to under the Road Map are clear. For peace to come, it is time for them – and all of us – to live up to our responsibilities.

Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's founding. This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia. It's a story with a simple truth: that violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.

Now is the time for Palestinians to focus on what they can build. The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people. Hamas does have support among some Palestinians, but they also have responsibilities. To play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations, and to unify the Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist.

At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.

Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society. And just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.

Finally, the Arab States must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their responsibilities. The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems. Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state; to recognize Israel's legitimacy; and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.

America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs. We cannot impose peace. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true.

Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.

The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.

This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is indeed a tumultuous history between us. In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian government. Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians. This history is well known. Rather than remain trapped in the past, I have made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question, now, is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build.

It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve. There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect. But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point. This is not simply about America's interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.

I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other.

That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments – provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom.

Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind, heart, and soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive, but it is being challenged in many different ways.

Among some Muslims, there is a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of another's. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld – whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt. And fault lines must be closed among Muslims as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.

Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. We must always examine the ways in which we protect it. For instance, in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.

Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.

Indeed, faith should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. That is why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's Interfaith dialogue and Turkey's leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations. Around the world, we can turn dialogue into Interfaith service, so bridges between peoples lead to action – whether it is combating malaria in Africa, or providing relief after a natural disaster.

The sixth issue that I want to address is women's rights.

I know there is debate about this issue. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.

Now let me be clear: issues of women's equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead. Meanwhile, the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.

Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

Finally, I want to discuss economic development and opportunity.

I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory. The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence. Trade can bring new wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and changing communities. In all nations – including my own – this change can bring fear. Fear that because of modernity we will lose of control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities – those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith.

But I also know that human progress cannot be denied. There need not be contradiction between development and tradition. Countries like Japan and South Korea grew their economies while maintaining distinct cultures. The same is true for the astonishing progress within Muslim-majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai. In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education.

This is important because no development strategy can be based only upon what comes out of the ground, nor can it be sustained while young people are out of work. Many Gulf States have enjoyed great wealth as a consequence of oil, and some are beginning to focus it on broader development. But all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century, and in too many Muslim communities there remains underinvestment in these areas. I am emphasizing such investments within my country. And while America in the past has focused on oil and gas in this part of the world, we now seek a broader engagement.

On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo.

On economic development, we will create a new corps of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim-majority countries. And I will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create jobs. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops. And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.

All these things must be done in partnership. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.

The issues that I have described will not be easy to address. But we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world we seek – a world where extremists no longer threaten our people, and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes; a world where governments serve their citizens, and the rights of all God's children are respected. Those are mutual interests. That is the world we seek. But we can only achieve it together.

I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort – that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples – a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."

The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."

The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.

link: NY Times.com

Ten reasons why population control is not an answer to climate change

By Simon Butler

June 1, 2009 -- Climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has ever

faced. The scientific evidence of the scale of the threat is overwhelming,

compelling and frightening. Climate tipping points -- points which if

crossed will lead to runaway global warming -- are being crossed now.

We live in a time of consequences. So it.s crucial that the climate

justice movement -- made up of those determined to take a stand now to win

a safe climate future -- campaigns for the changes that can actually make

a difference.

A discussion has surfaced about whether population-control measures should

be a key plank in the climate action movement.s campaign arsenal. Below

are 10 reasons why such a decision would hinder, rather than help, the

necessary task of building a movement that can win.

1. Population does not cause climate change

Advocates of population control say that one of the most effective

measures we can take to combat climate change is to sharply reduce the

number of humans on the planet. This wrongly focuses on treating one

symptom of an irrational, polluting system rather than dealing with the

root causes.

People are not pollution. Blaming too many people for driving climate

change is like blaming too many trees for causing bushfires.

The real cause of climate change is an economy locked into burning fossil

fuels for energy and unsustainable agriculture. Unless we transform the

economy and our society along sustainable lines as rapidly as possible, we

have no hope of securing an inhabitable planet, regardless of population

levels.

Population-based arguments fail to admit that population levels will

impact on the environment in a very different way in a zero carbon

emissions economy. Making the shift to renewable energy -- not reduction

in human population -- is the most urgent task we face.

2. The world is not .full up.

The world is not experiencing runaway population growth. While population

is growing, the rate of this growth is in fact slowing down. This is

mostly due to rising urbanisation and marginal improvements in women.s

access to birth control technology. The rate of population growth peaked

at 2% annually in the 1960s, and has fallen consistently since then[1].

According to the United Nations the average number of children born per

woman fell from 4.9 in the late 1960s to 2.7 in 1999[2]. A December 2008

assessment from the US Census Bureau predicts a steady decline to 0.5%

annual population growth by 2050[3].

Between 1950 and 2000 world population increased by 140%. Experts predict

a rise of 50% between 2000 and 2050 and just 11% in the 50 years following

that.

In contrast, the rate of greenhouse gas emissions is rising out of

control. Polluting technology, rampant consumerism and corporate greed are

driving this increase -- not population.

Can we feed this many people? Studies by the UN.s Food and Agriculture

Organisation insist it is possible to feed well over 10 billion people

sustainably -- but only if we move to a very different food system. A

diversified and organic farming system which produces a balanced mix of

plant foods, along with small amounts of meat, could, according to British

biologist Colin Tudge, sustain 10 billion people without farming any new

areas[4].

A shift to sustainable farming is also desperately needed to cut

greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Social justice and women.s equality is the best contraception

Larger population growth rates in the Third World are a consequence of

dire poverty and restrictions on women.s ability to control their own

fertility. The evidence for this can.t be challenged.

The latest UN population report released on March 12, 2009, predicts

population will exceed 9 billion people by mid-century. Almost all of this

growth will occur in the global South.

The 49 poorest countries in the world will have by far the biggest

increases. In the richest countries, however, population will decline from

1.23 billion to 1.15 billion if projected net migration is left aside. (It

will increase to only 1.28 billion including net migration.)[5]

Raising living standards globally, eradicating hunger and poverty,

improving health care, providing access to education and achieving greater

equality for women are all necessary if we are to win a safe climate with

global justice. They will also result in lower birth rates.

4. The climate emergency demands immediate, transformative action now

Even if they could work in the long term -- a dubious proposition .

population-control schemes are plainly inadequate as a response to the

climate emergency.

The well-known Australian environmental writer Tim Flannery is also one of

the patrons of Sustainable Population Australia -- a group that argues

population reduction should be the number one priority to avert climate

change.

Yet in a recent survey of the latest climate science in Quarterly Essay

even Flannery had to conclude: .The truth is that if we wish to act

morally, we can influence population numbers only slowly. So, while it.s

important to focus on population decrease as a long-term solution, we

cannot look to it for answers to the immediate crisis..[6]

5. Population arguments wrongly downplay the potential to win

Left unchecked, climate change threatens life on the planet.

Recognition of this fact is the major impetus for the movement demanding

that governments take serious action on climate change without delay.

Populationists, however, try to turn this fact on its head. Climate change

will lead to a world so harsh, uncertain and polluted, the argument goes,

that it.s more .humane. to prevent future generations from being born at

all[7].

This .humane. population reduction argument is couched in terms of

containing, or mitigating, the apparently inevitable effects of

environmental destruction. Instead, the struggle for an alternative model

of development, based on meeting the needs of people and planet, should be

our main concern.

6. Population control is an old argument tacked onto a new issue

Climate change is just the latest in a long list of issues that has been

seized on by advocates of population control.

For centuries, simplistic population theories have been advanced to

explain the existence of poverty, hunger, famine, disease, war, racism and

unemployment.

In each case, the real social and economic causes of these social ills

have been glossed over. Time is running out to avert global warming -- we

need to take serious action that tackles the problem at the root.

7. Arguing for tighter migration restrictions is a dangerous policy

Reducing immigration intake into Australia is the current policy on the

anti-environmental Labor government[8]. As the climate crisis deepens, we

can expect the government and the big polluters will want to divert

attention from their own inaction. Migrants could be a convenient

scapegoat. Migrants are already being falsely blamed for adding to

unemployment. We can.t allow them to be blamed for corporate Australia.s

addiction to fossil fuels.

Supporting cuts in migration avoids the real burning issue -- Australia is

the highest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita in the world. Migrants

who come here should be welcomed and invited into our movement for a safe

climate. They are not responsible for the policies of past governments or

the greed of the big polluters.

8. Population control has a disturbing history

In practice, there has never been a population-control scheme that has had

acceptable environmental or humanitarian outcomes. Columbia University

professor Matthew Connelly has thoroughly documented this disturbing

history in his 2008 book, Fatal Misconception[9].

China.s one-child policy has been hailed as an environmental measure by

prominent population theorists such as Britain.s Jonathan Poritt..[10] But

he and others ignore that China.s population control has hardly solved

that country.s growing environmental problems.

The human costs of the policy, however, are shocking. Until 2002 Chinese

women were denied any choice of contraceptive method -- 37% of married

women have been forcibly sterilised[11]. Female infanticide has reached

epidemic proportions. The global ratio for male to female births is

106:100. In China today, male .births. outnumber females by 120:100[12].

9. People in the global South are part of the solution, not the problem

At its worst, population-control schemes put the blame for climate change

on the poorest people in the global South -- those least responsible for

the problem in the first place.

It.s a major mistake to see the masses of the global South as passive

victims of climate change. In truth, they are the pivotal agent in the

campaign to avert global warming.

We need a strategy of building stronger links and collaboration with

movements for climate justice in the global South -- not draw up plans to

reduce their numbers.

10. Who holds political power is the real `population. issue

There is one part of the world.s population that poses a genuine threat:

the small group of powerful, vested interests who profit most from

polluting the biosphere and are desperately resisting change.

The real .population change. we need to focus on is not artificially

reducing human numbers. Rather, it is about winning real democratic

change, i.e. dramatically increasing the numbers of ordinary people who

can participate in making decisions about investment in green industries,

agriculture, global trade and military spending.

Population control narrowly looks only at the quantity of human beings to

find a solution to climate change. Ultimately, its narrow vision makes it

a divisive policy.

The climate action movement, however, is really concerned with improving

the quality of human life.

On that basis we can build a movement of hope and solidarity strong enough

to penetrate national borders and restore a safe climate for future

generations.

[A shorter version of this article first appeared in Green Left Weekly.

Simon Butler is a climate change activist in Australia, and a member of

the Democratic Socialist Perspective, a Marxist organisation affiliated to

the Socialist Alliance.]

[1] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, December 2008,

http://www.census.

<http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpopchggraph.html.>

gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpopchggraph.html.

[2] The World at Six Billion, UN Department of Economic and Social

Affairs, Population Division,

http://www.census.

<http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpopchggraph.html.>

gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpopchggraph.html.

[3] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, December 2008,

http://www.census. <http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldgrgraph.html.>

gov/ipc/www/idb/worldgrgraph.html.

[4] Tudge, Colin. ``Can organic farming feed the world?..,

http://www.colintud <http://www.colintudge.com/articles/article06.php.>

ge.com/articles/article06.php.

[5] UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

.World population to exceed 9 billion by 2050., March 12 2009.

http://www.un.

<http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/pressrelease.pdf.>

org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/pressrelease.pdf.

[6] Flannery, Tim. ``Now or Never.., Quarterly Essay, issue 31, p 9.

[7] Sustainable Population Australia makes this deeply pessimistic

argument explicitly. See

http://www.populati

<http://www.population.org.au/images/stories/documents/gpr_spa_2007.pdf.>

on.org.au/images/stories/Documents/gpr_spa_2007.pdf.

[8] ``Kevin Rudd targets skilled workers to protect jobs..,

http://www.news.

<http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,27574,25191742-2682,00.html.>

com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,27574,25191742-2682,00.html.

[9] The preface of this important work is available online at

http://www.matthewc <http://www.matthewconnelly.net/fm_page.html.>

onnelly.net/FM_page.html.

[10] See http://www.sd- <http://www.sd-commission.org.uk.>

commission.org.uk.

[11] Quoted in Ward, Phil. ``Population Control and Climate Change, Part

One: Too Many People.., March 2, 2008,

http://climateandca <http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=348.>

pitalism.com/?p=348.

[12] Davidson, Shannon; Bunnell, Jennifer and Yan, Fei, ``Gender Imbalance

in China.., October 27, 2008,

http://aparc.

<http://aparc.stanford.edu/news/gender_imbalance_in_china_20081027/>

stanford.edu/news/gender_imbalance_in_china_20081027/.

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I can't even tell you how happy this would make me.

armer Still Under Consideration for Obama Administration Position, Takes Harvard Medical School Appointment

This news tops off a very good work day.

The New York Times reports that Gay Marriage Fight Is Slow to Stir New York Foes. Maggie Gallagher, who founded the National Organization for Marriage, based in Princeton, N.J., in 2007 says "I wish I would have started this six years ago". Ironic in that the homophobia has been going on for lots longer than that.

BBC News reports an interesting human interest piece: 'Boomerang' generation back home, a trend seeing young people in the UK moving back in with their parents after years of independent living. The reason? Recession recession recession.

One more study in the growing evidence reporting how early antiretroviral treatment saves lives from Kaiser Daily AIDS Report: Study Shows Decreased Risk of Death From Opportunistic Infections With Earlier Antiretroviral Treatment.

Also from Kaiser Daily AIDS Report, an opinion piece by former Senate Majority Leader and doctor Bill Frist: Global Poverty Eradication Efforts Should Start With Health Issues.

And lastly, not necessarily 'news' but a surprisingly good magazine online: The Afropolitan (you have to sign up but it's free to read the issues). The magazine is by and for (young) 'Black African executives' (read the blog entry from Africa is a Country here). But don't be turned off by this - it's a good read.

"There's no LOL in HIV", a for teens by teens media campaign for HIV prevention was highlighted in the NYTimes: Fighting AIDS, Peer to Peer. I thought it was brilliant that the piece was featured in the Media and Advertising section rather than Health, where these things are usually found (at least by the likes of me).

And, from Kaiser Daily Reports:

South African President Zuma Appoints New Health Minister To Replace Hogan. In the office there is some optimism in this as Motsoaledi is a doctor he may have a greater understanding of the needs of SA health services on the ground than Hogan does. (Hogan will continue to hold a place in the Zuma administration in the Public Enterprise ministry.) I tend to agree with the allafrica.com piece which talks of taking a 'wait and see' approach along with providing some good background on the situation.

Global Challenges | HIV Cases Increasing in Britain, UNICEF Report Says - Kaisernetwork.org

A Facebook “Bug” Revealed Personal E-mail Addresses - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com

A quiet weekend has afforded me time for the latest interesting news article round-up.

"justice" delayed?

African Union Panel on Darfur Will Meet ICC: Mbeki

Interesting, in terms of how little has been reported on the impact an actual pandemic of flu would have on the developing world. [As if the current pandemic weren't evidence enough.]

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Not enough drugs to handle a pandemic

A new report tells us that, strangely, giving people mosquito (bed)nets is effective at preventing malaria while giving whole populations behavior change education is not very effective at preventing HIV. I wonder how effective malaria prevention would be if we gave 30% of prevention funding to educate people how to avoid mosquito bites?

World Bank HIV/AIDS Programs Less Effective Than Its Other Health Programs, Report Finds

Ahh, and in the US we are still working on offering healthcare to everyone... Flash-forward to the UK:

Should the NHS offer us incentives to improve our health?

It's a bit long at 6 minutes, but very informative.

Was boy first to get flu?

BBC NEWS | Africa | Zuma cheered as ANC heads for win

U.S. / POLITICS

Obama on Spot as Rulings Aid Gay Partners

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: March 13, 2009

President Obama must decide whether to provide health insurance to same-sex partners of federal employees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/us/politics/13benefits.html

PlusNews Global | Southern Africa | South Africa | SOUTH AFRICA: One love could lower infection rate | HIV/AIDS (PlusNews) Prevention - PlusNews | Breaking News

PlusNews Global | Southern Africa | South Africa | SOUTH AFRICA: Lives lost as state coffers run dry | Care/Treatment - PlusNews Economy HIV/AIDS (PlusNews) | Breaking News

This is a very exciting piece taken from the newly refurbished washington.gov by President Obama:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

CIVIL RIGHTS

"The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen -- they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs.... We have more work to do."

-- Barack Obama, Speech at Howard University, September 28, 2007

President Barack Obama has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. Whether promoting economic opportunity, working to improve our nation's education and health system, or protecting the right to vote, President Obama has been a powerful advocate for our civil rights.

Combat Employment Discrimination: President Obama and Vice President Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

End Deceptive Voting Practices: President Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

End Racial Profiling: President Obama and Vice President Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support: President Obama and Vice President Biden will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama and Biden will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

Secretary Clinton Ditches Mark Dybul, The Abstinence-Only AIDS Coordinator!

RH Reality Check has learned that Secretary Hillary Clinton has asked Global

AIDS Coordinator Mark Dybul, who supported using PEPFAR money for failed

abstinence-only programs, to leave.

Jodi Jacobson reports on RH Reality Check

<http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/01/22/dybul-out-thank-you-hillary> :

Sworn in as Secretary of State just yesterday, Hillary Clinton wasted no

time cleaning house at the vast department she runs. Today, we have heard,

Mark Dybul was asked to submit his resignation as US Global AIDS

Coordinator, head of the office in charge of the President's Emergency Plan

for AIDS Relief.

This is a huge first step to ensuring the health and rights of all people at

risk of HIV and AIDS: Dybul oversaw the last several years of

abstinence-only programs funded by PEPFAR, hob-knobbed a bit too closely

with the far right, and never saw a law or policy restriction he could not

make even more restrictive. Curious for a self-identified Democrat? Not so

curious, I guess, if your career is dependent on pleasing the far right, and

if your desire to be Global AIDS Coordinator outweighs your desire to stand

up for what is right. Under the Bush Administration, brave professionals

such as Susan Wood, then-Assistant FDA Commissioner and Director of the

Office of Women's Health, resigned rather than carry out policies that

compromised science, evidence, ethics and human lives. Dybul instead did

everything he could to work with the far right to tighten policies, deny

women access to reproductive and sexual health care, and put in place

guidance that further restricted women's choices. I have no doubt that as a

result people in countries like Uganda were needlessly infected with HIV

under his regime and because of the policies he supported through his

unwillingness to stand up and speak out.

But we no longer have to abide such policies. Hillary Clinton has taken

swift action to show she will stand up for the health and rights of people

everywhere, for evidence-based policies to promote women's health. She and

our new President deserve our deep appreciation.

Thank you, Hillary!

*For Immediate Release*

*UN: General Assembly to Address Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity*

*/Statement affirms promise of Universal Declaration of Human Rights/*

(New York, December 11, 2008) -- As the world celebrates the 60th

anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UN

General Assembly will hear a statement in mid-December endorsed by more than

50 countries across the globe calling for an end to rights abuses based on

sexual orientation and gender identity. A coalition of international human

rights organizations today urged all the world's nations to support the

statement in affirmation of the UDHR's basic promise: that human rights

apply to everyone.

Nations on four continents are coordinating the statement, including:

Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, Japan, the Netherlands, and

Norway. The reading of the statement will be the first time the General

Assembly has formally addressed rights violations based on sexual

orientation and gender identity.

"In 1948 the world's nations set forth the promise of human rights, but six

decades later, the promise is unfulfilled for many," said Linda Baumann of

Namibia, a board member of Pan Africa ILGA, a coalition of over 60 African

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups. "The unprecedented

African support for this statement sends a message that abuses against LGBT

people are unacceptable anywhere, ever."

The statement is non-binding, and reaffirms existing protections for human

rights in international law. It builds on a previous joint statement

supported by 54 countries, which Norway delivered at the UN Human Rights

Council in 2006.

"Universal means universal, and there are no exceptions," said Boris

Dittrich of the Netherlands, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights program. "The UN must speak

forcefully against violence and prejudice, because there is no room for half

measures where human rights are concerned."

The draft statement condemns violence, harassment, discrimination,

exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and

gender identity. It also condemns killings and executions, torture,

arbitrary arrest, and deprivation of economic, social, and cultural rights

on those grounds.

"Today, dozens of countries still criminalize consensual homosexual conduct,

laws that are often relics of colonial rule," said Grace Poore of Malaysia,

who works with the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

"This statement shows a growing global consensus that such abusive laws have

outlived their time."

The statement also builds on a long record of UN action to defend the rights

of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In its 1994 decision in

/Toonen v. Australia/,/ /the UN Human Rights Committee -- the body that

interprets the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),

one of the UN's core human rights treaties -- held that human rights law

prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since then, the United

Nations' human rights mechanisms

have condemned violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity,

including killings, torture, rape, violence, disappearances, and

discrimination in many areas of life. UN treaty bodies have called on states

to end discrimination in law and policy.

Other international bodies have also opposed violence and discrimination

against LGBT people, including the Council of Europe and the European Union.

In 2008, all 34 member countries of the Organization of American States

unanimously approved a declaration affirming that human rights protections

extend to sexual orientation and gender identity.

"Latin American governments are helping lead the way as champions of

equality and supporters of this statement," said Gloria Careaga Perez of

Mexico, co-secretary general of ILGA. "Today a global movement supports the

rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and those voices

will not be denied."

So far, 55 countries have signed onto the General Assembly statement,

including: Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cape

Verde, the Central African Republic, Chile, Ecuador, Georgia, Iceland,

Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, San Marino,

Serbia, Switzerland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay, and

Venezuela. All 27 member states of the European Union are also signatories.

"It is a great achievement that this initiative has made it to the level of

the General Assembly," said Louis-Georges Tin of France, president of the

International Committee for IDAHO (International Day against Homophobia), a

network of activists and groups campaigning for decriminalization of

homosexual conduct. "It shows our common struggles are successful and should

be reinforced."

"This statement has found support from states and civil society in every

region of the world," said Kim Vance of Canada, co-director of ARC

International. "In December a simple message will rise from the General

Assembly: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is truly universal."

*The **coalition of international human rights organizations that issued

this statement include:* Amnesty International; ARC International; Center

for Women's Global Leadership; COC Netherlands; Global Rights; Human Rights

Watch; IDAHO Committee; International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights

Commission (IGLHRC); International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and

Intersex Association (ILGA); and Public Services International.

*For more information, please contact:*

In New York for Human Rights Watch, Scott Long (English):

+1-212-216-1297; or +1-646-641-5655; or longs@hrw.org

In London for Amnesty International, Kate Sheill (English:

+44-20-7413-5748; or ksheill@amnesty.

In Halifax, for ARC International, Kim Vance (English, French):

+1-902-488-6404

In Geneva for ARC International, John Fisher (English, French):

+41-79-508-3968; or arc@arc-internation

In Amsterdam for COC Netherlands, Bjorn van Roozendall (Dutch, English):

+31-6-22-55-83-00

In Washington for Global Rights, Stefano Fabeni (English, Italian,

Spanish): +1 202-741-5049; or stefanof@globalrights.org

In New York for IGLHRC, Hossein Alizadeh (English, Persian):

+1-212-430-6016; or halizadeh@iglhrc

In Brussels for ILGA, Stephen Barris (English, French, Spanish):

+32-2-502-2471; or stephenbarris@ilga.org

BBC: Ghana's new leader takes office

Election winner John Atta Mills gives thanks for his victory in church in Accra, 4 January John Atta Mills has pledged to be a "president for all"

John Atta Mills has been sworn in as Ghana's new president following a cliff-hanger election victory.

Mr Atta Mills took his oath of allegiance in front of thousands of people in Independence Square for the inauguration in the capital, Accra.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate beat the ruling party's Nana Akufo-Addo in a hotly contested poll by a margin of less than 0.5% of votes.

President John Kufuor has stood down after serving the maximum two terms.

He is the second elected head of state in Ghana's history to hand over to an opposition politician.

The BBC's Will Ross in the Accra says there is a carnival atmosphere in the capital.

Crowds began forming at the stadium before dawn - decked out in the national colours of green, yellow, red and black - amid an air of intense excitement after one of the closest election races in Africa's recent history.

Mr Atta Mills was dressed in a local kente cloth woven in the national colours, Reuters news agency reports.

After he was sworn in, he raised up the State Sword - representing government authority - to cheers from the crowd, the agency said.

A military unit then fired off a booming 21-gun salute.

Profile: John Atta Mills

Age: 64

Party: National Democratic Congress

Executive posts: Vice-president 1997-2000

Profession: University professor

Hobbies: Hockey, swimming

Family: Married with one child

On the eve of the inauguration, President Kufuor showed his successor around his new home, the presidential residence officially known as Jubilee House.

Ghana's new leader, who had lost two previous elections to Mr Kufuor, has pledged to be "a president for all".

Mr Akufo-Addo won the first round but not by enough to avoid a run-off in last month's knife-edge polls.

Mr Atta Mills was finally declared the winner on Saturday after a re-run of voting in the rural constituency of Tain, which was boycotted by the NPP.

Despite allegations of multiple voting and intimidation from both sides, electoral officials found no evidence of foul play and monitors praised Ghana's poll as a democratic example to others.

The stakes were raised further in the election by Ghana's recent discovery of crude oil, with production due to start in late 2010.

Turnout was high for Ghana's fifth set of polls since it embraced multi-party democracy in 1992.

The former British colony was the first African state to gain its independence in 1957.

A nation of 22 million people, it is the world's second biggest cocoa grower and Africa's number two gold miner.

Source: BBC

Story from Myjoyonline.Com News:

http://news.myjoyonline.com/politics/200901/24770.asp

Published: 1/7/2009

© Myjoyonline.com

looking at comics, originally uploaded by SeaBa*rd. I was with Liz at her site in Lawra. We gave the malnutrition kids/orphans at the Integrated Health Center where Liz works their Christmas gifts. They were psyched. Then we had lots of fantastic food and spoke over the phone to family for our private celebration.

The next day we had a party with the staff where we ate fufu and groundnut stew with pork and beer. Mmm... Amama's fufu... I'm going to miss it when I'm gone.

We spent the day after watercoloring with the kids. Young Picasso's all of them. :)

Check out the photos!

World AIDS Day VCT, originally uploaded by SeaBa*rd. Check out the rest of the photos on my flickr acct!

Hi all. I have been having a problem finding a way to get tax deductible status for donations to my NGO, specifically regarding the Option for Life Scholarship training program I have previously posted about. From what I understand, the way to get individual donors tax deductible status for their donations is for our NGO here in Ghana to be partnered with an NGO in the states with the tax deductible status. This way individuals donate to the US NGO, specifically to our project and the US NGO then transfers the funds to our bank account here. What I am looking for is to start such a partnership with a US NGO. If any of you work with such an NGO, please, I beg, give me some information for me to contact them! Thanks!!!

There have been several recent developments for me, work-wise. One is that our NGO in Bawku, formerly Youth Vrs HIV/AIDS, has changed it's name to Youth Development Alliance. Meeting with some high-ups in the Municipal Assembly my supervisior was advised to change the agency's name to more accurately represent our widening focus; with the new name we will be more eligible to get internal funding for non-HIV/AIDS related projects. I helped to choose the name, and designed the accompanying logo and letterhead. You will be able to see this soon, hopefully, since I am also working on putting up a website for the NGO. I've got about three days to work on the website at this go-round, and I am hoping that it will be enough time to post the link up here and give you all a preview.

Meanwhile, in the village, my pet project: creating a centralized committee of stakeholders and opion leaders to oversee the water and sanitation (WATSAN)conditions throughout the village, has finally taken off. After months of discussion and testing the proverbial waters to make sure it will be well recieved, we had our first meeting last Friday.

Each of the boreholes (water pumps) in my village - there are seven - has it's own WATSAN committee. This is good on the one hand, since working on such a micro-local level it becomes easier to create a sense of ownership and responsibility for the people relying on the pump. On the other hand, there is no sense of what the WATSAN needs are for the entire community, which plays out in wasted time and resources on the ground. One locality does not know that the other is also wanting an additional or improved pump, so instead of sending one representative to the MA to apply for funds, there are two committees going. When the reps get to the assembly (one week after the other) the MA people are confused - didn't they just see a representative from my village last week about this issue? - and no one can tell how many boreholes are requested. It just makes a confusing and difficult situation more confusing and difficult then it needs to be. Also, as I went from local meeting to local meeting, I noticed that what some committees were struggling with others were finding solutions for, but since there was no communication between the committees there was no way to share these solutions.

Thus, I called a meeting - the first meeting I have ever called in my community - and invited two executive members of each committee, as well as the chief and sub chief, and the local assemblyman. Everyone showed up, and somehow I was able to communicate the above reasons for why I felt there should be a central committee - they loved the idea - less work in the long term, the possibility for improved conditions, and no one has to spend a dime. I enticed them with the idea of getting additional water systems in place through grant proposals - a benefit of forming this centalized committee (they will have to help write the grant of course) - and they did like that idea as we desperately need more clean water in the area, but to my surprise they decided on their own that they need to put a strong focus on the rehabilitation of the broken market side borehole, and help struggling committees with their boreholes that need small repairs. During the meeting one local chairman asked me what he should do to get money from the community to help replace some wornout parts on their pump. Before I could speak another chair shared the solutions his committee had found when faced with the same problem. Not only that, but they decided that they would meet again in two days time to elect an executive board, which, upon my urging, will include women.

They decided to have the next meeting on their own - which I am all for - but, in the end, after meeting for two hours they requested that I should come to the meeting. I arrived at the meeting after the call to find the executive members were elected, the secretary busily taking notes, and an impressive list of specific questions regarding the new water project. The executive board was introduced to me and the vice chair and treasurer are both women. The men and women were sitting together (which I have never seen before in my highly traditional Muslim community) discussing how they can improve the village for themselves. I don't know if it will last, but that meeting couldn't have gone better. It was like they suddenly, after eight months of my saying so, agreed that they are the ones who best know how to improve their situation. I'll admit I was proud of myself for sticking to my goal of creating sustainable development - but more, much more, I am proud of them for realizing, (if only for a moment), that they have the right to say what they need in this life and go after it.

The following summary is of a program my partner ogranization and I developed and are currently looking for donors for. Contact details are below.

Option for Life Scholarship Program Summary

Bawku municipality lies in the Upper East region of Ghana, the second poorest region in this West African country. As of 2002, 49% of people living in Bawku are less than l4 years old. In Ghana the sexual debut of girls averages at 12 years old. Lack of education and poverty force many of these young people into the growing local commercial sex work industry. Youth Versus HIV/AIDS (YVA) located in Bawku township serves many of these young people. YVA is a local non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1998 and certified in 2001 based in the Bawku Municipality. YVA focuses on youth education and empowerment, emphasizing gender equality, youth poverty reduction, and behavior change in communication about sexual relations. By actively encouraging a discussion of gender roles the organization attempts to reduce to the rate of HIV transmission among the municipality's most vulnerable populations.

The proposed scholarship program, provisionally called “Option for Life”, aims to work with local, national, and international resources to train individual youth HIV infected and affected in order to provide an alternative livelihood to the commercial sex industry. The funds necessary from international donors are solely for the seed program; once the first set of youth has been established in their trades the program will be self-sustaining. The program goals are to increase the per capita yearly income of the region, reduce the HIV prevalence rate in youth, particularly orphans and other vulnerable children, and increase the education of youth in the municipality around adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues.

Trades in Ghana are taught under the apprenticeship system, with the apprentice paying a fee over the course of a number of years to work under the master without receiving wages. After the apprenticeship is completed the individual can set up her/his own shop and receive paying customers and apprentices of their own. The scholarship program will provide for the cost of the training in their appropriate prospective trade as well as provide health insurance, a modest stipend for living expenses and, for those eligible HIV infected individuals, Anti-Retroviral Treatment over the length of their training. Our proposed budget for 25 “seed” individuals is $20,000 over a four year period. Once these seed individuals complete the program they will act to keep the program running by training other eligible individuals in their mastered trades. A detailed proposal including a line budget is available for your review. Please comment on this journal entry or email me at meteoricpath@yahoo.com to find out how you can contribute to this project.

Thank you for your time and attention to this program that will greatly benefit our community. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Omar Seidu Sanda, Youth Versus HIV/AIDS Program Manager

Sebastian Fuller, PCV

I actually had no idea that there are so many varieties of mangoes in the world. In my area I can get the small yellow skinned mangoes I wrote about earlier, (delicious and totally worth the effort), small forest green skinned mangoes that are somehow oval and usually slightly bigger than the yellow ones, small round vibrantly red and orange skinned ones, bright green and yellow skinned mangoes that vary in size from a can of soda to an American football, and the standard green skinned mangoes that are the grafted mangoes. I am determined to try them all. So far the small forest green ones are my favorite. They are sweet, but not cloyingly so, and they have less fiber than the yellow ones. Sometimes I can get the small yellow ones that are not quite ripe, and those are actually better than the green ones, but it’s rare that I can get fruit that isn’t totally ripe.

Actually, that’s somewhat of a problem these days. This week I have been gifted more food than I have the entire time I have lived here. I am guessing that is because there is actually food to spare these days. The rain is a time of plenty. (Unfortunately that includes plenty of bugs.) Currently I have a dozen (tiny but delicious) guinea fowl eggs, six avocados, three mangoes (I just ate three), and a loaf of bread. Of course I also have lots of onions and some small garlic (it’s costly). But honestly that is more fresh food than I have had in my house since salad season.

I am hoping that the rain will decrease our power-shedding. Have I talked about this before? It’s insanity inducing. Right now we are supposed to be on a 36 hour rotating schedule of 12 hour blackouts. It is more like whenever the hell they want it to be off they shut it off. It very loosely follows the schedule; this week I have had three 16 hour stretches without power and one 8 hour stretch. It is virtually impossible to sleep without the power on; it’s too hot without a fan. Seriously, most of the PCV’s that don’t have power go without sleep at site, falling into an exhausted sleep until waking in a pool of sweat in bed. Actually the most remarkable thing occurred to me the other day – it’s incredibly physically uncomfortable to live here. And not just for me – for the Ghanaians too. What is remarkable is that this just occurred to me. Of course I compensate, make allowances, and do a lot to make myself more comfortable here. It’s just that I take it for granted.

So today I went around the village meeting with the remaining WATSAN committees. These meetings never thrilled me, which of course is why I haven’t done them already. I feel bad about that but it is pretty boring sitting around for stretches of time while everyone speaks a language I can’t even pretend to know at all. I get translated the bare bones of the conversation, which I hate - all the stuff that is left out is what I actually think is the important stuff. They are talking about the village politics, an incredibly long back-story, (we’re talking generations here), so I do know that it is a long and tedious thing to begin to explain to me. However, I am now being forced to make decisions on plans of action and/or solutions to problems without knowing the full story. Which I hate. It makes me feel like I am doing something half-assed. And the crying shame about it all is that these people surely know more about what to do to solve these problems then I could ever hope to know. It’s just impossible to get that across. So many years have gone by where things have been imposed upon the people here. So much so that people feel like they are unable to make decisions that deeply effect their lives.

Today I had a talk with the head nurse here, the man we all call doctor, about malaria. Of course with the rain it is now malaria season. The government health office – the Ministry of Health (MOH) - has an awareness initiative out about Malaria this year. This is primarily because this year Ghana is promoting a new Malaria drug, in response to the information that 25% of the sub-Saharan African population is effected with Chloroquine resistant malaria. As if this is new information (it’s been known since the early 90’s I believe). So anyway, there is also a USAID call for proposals for Peace Corps volunteers promoting the new drugs and the MOH plan for combating malaria. The plan, by the way, is basically subsidized anti-malarials, a media awareness campaign about them, and free insecticide treated bed nets and/or re-treatment kits for those with babies under two who have been regularly attending their local child health clinic. So I met informally with Doctor and some of the clinic volunteers and asked them to think about what they thought we should propose for the grant. Doctor said what they need is a new malaria prophylaxis to replace the chloroquine. It hadn’t even occurred to me until that instant but of course it’s true. To replace a 75% effective prophylaxis with a more effective cure for the illness is not really a fair trade; so now you can be treated better for malaria once you get it but it is more likely that you will fall ill in the first place. Nice. And of course there are malaria prophylaxis’ out there that are much more effective than chloroquine. They are just very expensive. Even I am not on the best one out there – the better one (one with less side effects and slightly more effective) is prohibitively expensive for our tiny portion of the US foreign affairs budget. (We have an expensive war to finance after all!) So I explained to him that there are other prophylaxis’ out there but they are not going to get them because they are too expensive.

It was a turning point for me in that I really hadn’t begun to explain the enormity of the inequality between the quality of healthcare available to the developed world and what is available here. He knows of course, but I think it is more in the way that he of course expects that there is more available, for example, in the US and Europe in general, but he has not specifically thought about things like the actual quality of the medication that is being supplied to people here. I mean, yeah, it’s dirt cheap. But when buying you have to be really careful that it isn’t expired since a good portion of it is, and a lot of people who are buying may not know this or be able to read well enough to determine that. And the options are few. There is one drug to combat an illness. If you are resistant then that’s it, you’re screwed. [And resistance happens because people can’t afford to by a full course of drugs at a time. They buy enough for today and try and find the money for tomorrow’s course tomorrow. If it’s an antibiotic people generally feel better before the course is finished, stopping the drugs before they can kill all of the disease, causing possible mutations to happen.] But people like Doctor need to know what is happening here; I feel that the only way true change can happen here is if it comes from Ghanaians.

20-04-2007

Kulungungu

The Art of Eating Mangoes

One of my favorite things about living in Ghana is that I truly do eat seasonally. In the last few weeks it has started to become “pear” (avocado) season, and now it is in full swing. I can always get fresh tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers (“pepe”) and so with a little advance hoarding of limes (which are sadly falling out of season, along with lettuce and the now vanished from market carrots), I can make a kick-ass guacamole. Since there is still lettuce (what is locally referred to as “salad” to my amusement) I can make a nice guacamole salad, complete with homemade croutons. After my two month long bout of amebas I am careful to soak my fresh veggies in iodine water then rinse them off with filtered water, and lo and behold I can have fresh salad!

Now, mangoes are also coming into season, and found everywhere are the small fist sized yellow skinned mangoes in the miraculously clean hands of small boys. My confession is that I have been struggling for weeks to consume these mangoes; the pit is easily two-thirds the size of the fruit itself. After peeling the mango I stupidly have been struggling to cut off the meat of the fruit with a knife, managing only to cover my hands in sticky orange stringy glue and eking out a tablespoon of the jam like substance onto my waiting plate.

We can get the larger, green skinned mangoes that I am used to seeing imported in the market stalls of NYC, large with plenty of fruit that can be sliced off and eaten by the chunk, it’s just that these mangoes (called grafted mangoes) are not yet in season. I decided that I just couldn’t be bothered anymore and I would wait for the larger fruits, which I had already seen appearing in the lusher, wetter, Northern region city of Tamale (which compared to the south is anything but lush). I finally learned the secret art of eating the small local mangoes from my friend and supervisor, Mallam. We were talking about food and nutrition, a favorite topic of ours, (along with “motos”, travel, funding, and disenfranchised youth), and I told him that I was waiting for the grafted mangoes to appear at market. Mallam, ever intuitive, (or just very used to Americans) told me that there is a way to eat them that you won’t get dirty and “you can enjoy the fruit very well”, that is, to peel and eat the mango like a banana, with the peel over your hand eating the fruit around the pit. He’s a genius. I still haven’t attempted it, but when I next see mangoes at market I will pick up a few and practice.

Some Nights Are Better Than Others

Last night I was forced out of my living room and into my bed and under my mosquito net by a swarm of insects. The swarm is what happens after or before, rain, or really whenever rain may be a possibility. Of course, like everything here, it’s a bit surreal – not actually dangerous, but like something out of a B horror movie. The insects, you see, are the African equivalent of no-see-ums, those ubiquitous and harmless bugs that invade your space at the beach on hot sultry summer days, driving you into the water only to be plagued by them again on your return to the scorching sands. These no-see-ums however, are African, so they are the size of small ants, but with wings of course. They come out at night, and when the power is on they flock by the hundreds to the incandescent light in my living room, and stay there attracted to my body heat and sweat. Some nights I can handle it, turn the fan on high, become absorbed in a movie, and swat my way through the night until bedtime. Not last night. I bathed, retreated to my bed net and waited out the heat until it was cool enough to fall asleep.

The Ethnographer at Work

“I am not a television” I finally pronounce in frustration to the gathering of women and small girls on the bench staring at me in my yard as I sit perched over my bucket of dirty soapy laundry. The girls laugh, mimic me, and, miraculously, turn around and face the other way. Sometimes you have no way of knowing what will translate across cultural barriers; words uttered in frustration have as equal chance of success as the best planned linguistic and cultural tactics.