Several deaths in Malawi
               strike

               A strike by medical staff in Malawi is reported
               to have resulted in the deaths of at least 14
               people.

               A BBC correspondent in Blantyre said six babies
               were amongst the casualties at the main
               Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

               Senior health official Richard Pendame has
               denied that the deaths are a direct effect of
               the strike, which started on Friday.

               He said he knew of only one death that was
               connected to the strike.

               About 200 people are said to be in a critical
               condition.

               Negotiations to resolve demands for an
               increase in salaries and allowances have so far
               failed to end the strike.

*****

Hungry Resort to Desperate Tactics

UN Integrated Regional Information Network
October 5, 2001
Posted to the web October 5, 2001
The international NGO World Vision said this week that it was carrying out a
food and nutrition assessment in Malawi to determine how best to combat the
hunger that is ravaging most of the country. Many desperate people are
reportedly eating maize husks and wild roots.
The assessment was initiated following recent pleas for assistance in the face
of a looming famine in the southern African nation. Almost half of the 27
administrative districts in the country reported serious food shortfalls, in the
wake of the worst floods to hit Malawi in recent years, according to World
Vision. In the floods, which wreaked havoc earlier this year, 15 people were
killed and over 320,000 were left homeless. In addition, crops were destroyed
just when the staple food, maize, was ripening.
Since then, there have been persistent reports of people starving, particularly
in rural areas. World Vision said it had assisted several communities in areas
near projects in southern Malawi with relief food. WFP has also used World
Vision project staff to help distribute food. Those affected by the food
shortfalls, in both rural areas and cities such as Blantyre, Mzuzu and Lilongwe
(the Capital), have now resorted to eating maize husks, normally reserved for
animals. A recent report in the 'Malawi News', a popular weekend newspaper,
revealed that some villagers are now eating bitter roots and tubers from
indigenous shrubs.
The government has stated it needs to import 150,000 mts of maize from South
Africa to meet the shortfalls. However, technical hitches, including a railway
workers strike, have hindered food importation. In addition, maize prices have
skyrocketed recently by as much as 170 percent. A 50 kg bag of maize is now a
prohibitive US $12. The results of World Vision's 10-day assessment in various
parts of the country are expected to be available in a week's time.


*****

Pest Outbreak Threatens Timber Industry

UN Integrated Regional Information Network
October 5, 2001
Posted to the web October 5, 2001
Malawi's lucrative timber industry has been threatened by a pest outbreak that
has attacked trees across the country's northern forest reserve, AP reported on
Friday quoting foresters. "The fast multiplying pest, called Aphids of Cypress,
is wreaking economic havoc for Malawi's second largest industry, said forester
Amadeus Nyondo.
Scientists were attempting to control the outbreak which, if left uncontrolled,
threatened to destroy the entire forest, the report said. This could cost the
country millions of dollars in export losses, according to Nyondo.
Large portions of the troubled forest were destroyed last year when disgruntled
laid-off workers set fire to it. The jobs of some 1,200 workers in the northern
forest reserve could be at risk if the current crisis was not checked, the
report said.


*****

Region Moves to Protect Girls From Prostitution Syndicates

African Eye News Service (Nelspruit)
October 8, 2001
Posted to the web October 8, 2001
Blantyre
Hobbs Gama
International sex syndicates are luring pre-pubescent girls into a life of
slavery and abuse from impoverished African countries such as Mozambique and
Malawi, the international police organisation Interpol has warned.
The girls, some as young as eight or nine-years old, are lured from their homes
with promises of work in homes and restaurants in neighbouring South Africa and
Zimbabwe.
The girls are instead forced to work in brothels serving older men, who believe
that younger prostitutes are safe from HIV/Aids.
The scams are so widespread that Interpol and Southern African Development
Community (SADC) immigration authorities met this week to develop strategies to
tackle the trade.
The bodies have agreed to work with non-government organisations such as the
Exploitation of Children Prostitution and Sex Tourism (ECPAT) board to
co-ordinate efforts against the syndicates.
ECPAT spokeswoman Bernadetta van Vuuren said: "We will collaborate with Interpol
and immigration authorities to form focal points around the SADC region to
rescue and protect girls from the syndicates."
The core initiative of ECPAT is to lobby other non-governmental organisations in
the SADC to intervene where abuse is detected.
Analysts blame widespread poverty in the developing world, especially
sub-Saharan Africa where young girls become easy pray for pedophiles. - African
Eye News Service


*****

Church Leaders Frown On Women Who Wear Trousers

African Eye News Service (Nelspruit)
October 8, 2001
Posted to the web October 8, 2001
Brian Ligomeka
Blantyre, Malawi
Things are hotting up in Malawian churches where more women are wearing trousers
and fashionable garb to church services and upsetting traditional church
leaders.
Malawi amended its decency and dress act in 1994 but seven years on many church
ministers still cling to the belief that it is ungodly for women to wear
trousers and they forbid female worshippers from wearing masculine clothing.
But many female Christians are defying the church elders and insist that the way
they dress has nothing to do with their relationship with God.
"Nobody can be denied access to the Kingdom of God because of the way they
dress," says faithful follower Brenda Ngoma. "I am a Christian and my conscience
tells me that I can wear trousers because it has nothing to do with my
relationship with God."
The increasing number of liberated dressers is making many ministers hot under
the collar.
Leading the crusade for 'decent dress' are ministers from the Seventh day
Adventist, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, who quote Old Testament
biblical texts that dictate women's dress codes.
"We need to teach our faithful to understand the scriptures fully," said Pastor
Hawkins Soko of the Seventh Day Adventist church. "Christians should dress and
act differently from corrupt society. We live in the world but we are not of the
world."
He said God did not want Christians to wear clothes like miniskirts and trousers
that could "cause others to stumble."
"This ungodly practice is getting worse in my church," he complains, and blames
converts from other faiths of "importing" these practices.
While the Roman Catholic Church of Central Africa (CCAP) doesn't impose an
official dress code, they hold regular meetings to encourage their flock to
dress decently.
"Although the world is changing very fast, Christians should still live by Bible
teachings," said CCAP priest Jeremiah Chienda.
Surprisingly, the Pentecostal churches, which allow women worshippers to wear
whatever they like as long as they look decent, remains one of the smallest
denominations in the country. - African Eye News Service


*****

Zimbabwe in hock, makes way
     for little Libya

     Harare | Tuesday

     ZIMBABWE is to pay a heavy price for loans from Libya with
     farms, hotels and oil installations pledged to Colonel Muammar
     Gaddafi's regime as payment for his help, the Zimbabwe
     Independent reports.
     The Libyans, who recently provided a $90-million line of credit to
     supply fuel to Zimbabwe, have cast their eyes on stakes in two
     financial institutions and a major hotel group as well as oil
     facilities and land as payment, the newspaper said, citing
     government sources.
     President Mugabe was recently in Tripoli to conclude the fuel
     deal.
     Sources said the Libyans were eyeing a stake in two commercial
     banks in which the government has a shareholding. The
     newspaper said although it was not immediately clear what the
     Libyans proposed to do with their stake, there are suggestions
     that the banks would form part of a broad-based Libyan
     investment drive in Zimbabwe which will require local capital as
     well as external sourcing.
     The Libyans also want to run safari operations in Zimbabwe,
     specifically designed for rich Arab tourists who want to travel to
     the country to shoot game.
     The sources said under the deal, the Libyans would be
     apportioned 8 000 hectares of industrial and farming land. The
     sources said Libyan entrepreneurs would produce fruit and food
     crops on the land, solely for the Libyan market. The North African
     country would also use part of the land to set up industries to
     produce goods for their market.
     The industries, the sources said, would use as much local raw
     materials as possible to manufacture goods.
     The newspaper quoted the sources as saying the Libyans were
     interested in land in Mazowe Valley and Nyanga. They had also
     indicated an interest in setting up a fruit canning plant or going
     into partnership with an established local fruit and vegetable
     conglomerate.
     "What this does is to set up a little Libya in Zimbabwe because
     these guys want to come in a big way," the newspaper quoted a
     source close to the arrangements as saying.
     "They want the land to be fenced off so that Zimbabwe will not
     have access to the plants and there is this unfortunate possibility
     that they will bring in their own work- force," the source said.
     "Fuel is an important resource for use but I am not sure whether
     this will be for the good of the country in the long run," the source
     said.
     The Libyans were in the country last month to inspect facilities in
     the fuel industry and areas of possible investment in tourism.
     In terms of the fuel agreement, Tamoil, a Libyan-owned company,
     will supply a total of $360-million worth of fuel to the National Oil
     Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim).
     Nicholas Kitikiti, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Mines
     and Energy, was quoted as saying that the fuel deal would meet
     70% of Zimbabwe's normal requirements. He said negotiations
     were also under way between Noczim and a Monaco-based
     Libyan company, Oil-Invest, to form a joint-venture oil company
     which would be involved in fuel imports and the retail trade in
     Zimbabwe.
     The Libyan Arab Foreign Bank would finance the deals with the
     two Libyan companies and Noczim. Zimbabwe would be paying in
     Zimbabwe dollars. - Misanet

*****

Ex-Judge Accuses Zimbabwe Government

                   By Michael Hartnack
                   Associated Press Writer
                   Saturday, Oct. 6, 2001; 10:49 a.m. EDT

                   HARARE, Zimbabwe ** A former High Court judge belatedly
released a
                   ruling Saturday accusing Zimbabwe's government of subverting
the rule of
                   law, sponsoring terror and undermining judicial independence.

                   Judge Michael Gillespie, 49, who quit the bench in August,
said in the
                   written judgment that he could no longer in good conscience
"administer the
                   law only against opponents of the government."

                   Gillespie, a white Zimbabwean who reportedly left the racially
tense country
                   for England after stepping down, was assigned to review the
case before he
                   quit. His ruling was published in newspapers Saturday.

                   In it, Gillespie deplored what he called an unduly lenient
sentence that a
                   lower court imposed on a ruling-party supporter convicted of
trying to extort
                   $3,000 from a white former employer.

                   In a wide-ranging attack that went beyond the case he
reviewed, Gillespie
                   also said that Joseph Chinotimba, the leader of a group of
ruling-party
                   militants, was allowed to continue organizing attacks on
white-owned
                   businesses and farms while on bail in a case in which he was
charged with
                   the attempted murder of an opposition supporter.

                   Chinotimba's treatment "makes a mockery of the law" and
"leaves it
                   impossible for me to conclude ... (he) and his actions do not
enjoy the full
                   backing of the executive," Gillespie wrote, accusing the
government of
                   President Robert Mugabe of encouraging a wave of attacks on
                   white-owned businesses and farms this year.

                   He also accused the ruling party of manipulating the courts to
block
                   opposition challenges to last year's parliamentary elections,
threatening
                   white judges, and of packing the Supreme Court with Mugabe
supporters.

                   Information Minister Jonathan Moyo called Gillespie's remarks
"a disgusting
                   abuse of the bench" and "political and racist statements that
have nothing to
                   do with the case."

                   "We will not be shaken in our commitment to build a just and
equitable
                   society as per the goals of our liberation struggle," Moyo
said.

                   Mugabe's government has pledged to seize most of the farmland
owned by
                   Zimbabwe's 4,000 white farmers * nearly one-third of the
country's fertile
                   land * for redistribution to landless blacks.

                   Ruling-party militants have forcibly occupied 1,700 farms
since the
                   government announced the redistribution plan in March
following the defeat
                   of a referendum that would have further strengthened Mugabe,
who has
                   ruled for 21 years.

                   The defendant in the case Gillespie ruled on, who had received
a
                   government-negotiated compensation package, led a mob to his
employer's
                   offices during a surge of unrest against white employers in
Zimbabwe's
                   cities this year.

                   Gillespie said the man should have been sentenced to prison
instead of 420
                   hours of community service. However, the law prevented the
judge from
                   overturning the verdict, allowing him only to express his
disapproval.

                   Opposition leaders have accused the government of stirring up
the urban
                   unrest * and the farm occupations * in order to gain support
for the ruling
                   party and frighten its opponents. Gillespie said the behavior
of the offender
                   in the case was "a symptom of the breakdown to mob rule."

                   "A judge who finds himself in the position where he is called
upon to
                   administer the law only against opponents of the government
and not against
                   government supporters faces the challenge to his conscience,"
he wrote.


*****

This is from outside the SADC region, but amusing...

Burundi detains
               feathered 'spy'

               The tracking device is attached to Saturn's back
               By Mohammed Allie in Cape Town

               Police in Burundi have arrested a bird
               suspected of spying.

               The South African stork, which had a satellite
               tracking device attached to its body, was
               found by villagers after injuring a wing.

               The alleged spy is a white stork named Saturn
               which was a member of a flock of five that
               formed part of a University of Cape Town
               research programme to monitor the migration
               patterns of the birds.

               The other four birds, which were also fitted
               with the same devices, died in February after
               heavy rains in Mozambique.

               Crash landing

               Saturn apparently crash landed in a village in
               Muyinga Province in north-eastern Burundi
               after injuring a wing.

               Upon closer inspection local villagers were
               intrigued by the suspicious looking electronic
               device strapped to the bird's body.

               Understandably, there was great consternation
               and the bird was immediately handed over to
               the local police for investigation.

               The Burundian police then enlisted the
               assistance of English-speaking Mary Murphy
               who lives in the area.

               Concern

               Fortunately, the satellite device had the email
               address of Professor Les Underhill of the
               University of Cape Town written on it.

               Ms Murphy then emailed Professor Underhill
               saying the sick bird, together with its
               suspicious device, had been taken into
               custody.

               She added that Saturn's right wing was healing
               and that he was being cared for by the police.

               There was no mention whether the bird was
               being held under 24-hour armed guard in the
               police cells.

               Professor Underhill said he understood the
               police's concerns, especially in today's
               environment of terror attacks.

               "The device looks pretty space age with an
               aerial and a little solar cell to charge the
               battery," he said.

               But he remains hopeful that both the bird and
               the satellite device will eventually be returned
               unharmed.

Regarding the starvation: I bet if Muluzi et al. sold off a few Mercs, they
could feed the whole country side...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

> 				 CDC and ATSDR Job Fair
>
> The Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), the Outreach and Marketing
> Branch (OMB)  is planning an agency job fair, entitled Careers That Make A
> Difference, to be held in conjunction with the American Public Health
> Association's (APHA) 129th Annual Meeting & Exposition.  The 2001 Annual
> Meeting & Exposition will be held in Atlanta on October 21 - 25 at the
> Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).  The job fair will be October 21
> (12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.), October 22 and 23 (8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and
> October 24 (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).
>
> With an estimated 13,000 health professionals attending this annual
> meeting, the volume of perspective applicants should be tremendous.  And,
> conducting a job fair at the APHA meeting will allow us to have access to
> significantly more potential candidates for employment than almost any
> other recruiting event.  With the recruitment of talent being a top
> priority for all CIOs, it is anticipated that this group is the "targeted"
> audience that possesses the specialized skills sought by CDC and ATSDR.
> The occupations of focus for this event  will be Behavioral Scientist,
> Epidemiologist/Health Scientist, Environmental Health Scientist, Health
> Communications Specialist, Health Education Specialist/Public Health
> Educator, Information Technology Specialist, Mathematical
> Statistician/Statistician, Medical Officer, Microbiologist/Biologist, and
> Public Health Advisor.
>
> If you need additional information on this event, please contact Toby
> Burt, Chief of OMB, on (770) 488-1839, Judy Phillips on 488-1840 or Al
> Parnell on 488-1848.
>
>
> You have received this announcement through your Personal Self-Subscribing
> Distribution List.  To make changes to the types of announcements you wish
> to receive, please click on the following URL:
> http://intranet.cdc.gov/maso/services/ops.htm and select OPS
> Announcements, enter your User ID and e-mail password (or LAN password if
> you have no e-mail password)  and make changes to the categories of
> announcements which interest you.
>
>
>
>

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul DEVER <pcpaul@...>
To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com <ujeni@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, October 09, 2001 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: [ujeni] news

Regarding the starvation: I bet if Muluzi et al. sold off a few Mercs, they
could feed the whole country side...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
FREE COLLEGE MONEY
CLICK HERE to search
600,000 scholarships!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Pv4pGD/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/o20olB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Excellent.  About time countries stopped relying on imported crops...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Main Hospital Paralysed By Strike

UN Integrated Regional Information Network
October 10, 2001
Posted to the web October 9, 2001
A strike by over 500 workers at Malawi's largest hospital has paralysed health
services in the commercial capital Blantyre and could already have resulted in
the deaths of two patients, AFP reported on Tuesday, quoting government
officials.
Strike action by junior medical workers at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
(QECH), which serves the highly populated south of the country, has "almost
closed" the 1000-bed hospital, with 80 percent of patients seeking medical help
elsewhere.
There are unconfirmed reports that at least two people have died as a result of
lack of medical attention, and Secretary for Health Richard Pendame told AFP
that "the death rate could be higher." The health secretary added that only 200
critical patients were left in the wards at QECH after authorities failed to
convince striking personnel to return to work on humanitarian grounds.
The hospital has enlisted the help of 68 Red Cross volunteers to cook for
patients and clean the wards. The striking healthcare workers want professional,
housing and duty allowances, backdated to July, to augment their monthly salary
of US $40. The government has not yet implemented a budgeted pay-out of US $110
million in salary increases to its 120,000 civil servants. The pay rises, which
would have seen junior medical workers' salaries nearly double to US $77 US
dollars, were awarded at the beginning of September and due to take effect at
the end of last month.


*****

Men Shun Vasectomy

African Eye News Service (Nelspruit)
October 10, 2001
Posted to the web October 10, 2001
By Brian Ligomeka
Blantyre
No amount of sex education has been able to convince Malawian men to go for
vasectomies, because they're terrified it will affect their sexual performance.
Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM) a leading non-governmental organisation in reproductive
health reports that a mere 305 Malawian men have had vasectomies since 1996
compared to 70 338 women who have been sterilised in that time.
BLM believes that men aren't heeding family planning education programmes
because many of confuse vasectomy with castration.
Others believe that it will affect their sexual performance or worry that their
future partners will want children if they remarry.
"It is a pity that so many men who already have enough children are still
reluctant to undergo a vasectomy," says BLM marketing manager Andrew Chikopa.
"Some men think if they have a vasectomy, they will no longer be manly in bed
and some equate it with castration," he observes.
Chipoka is quick to point out that although a vasectomy is a permanent means of
sterilisation, men who undergo the procedure remain as sexually active as
before.
Aaron Kumwenda, 33, from Blantyre decided to undergo the operation in 1994.
Seven years down the line, he and his family are as happy as ever.
"I chose to have a vasectomy because I love my wife and wanted to take the
burden of child birth from her," he said. "She has already been through labour
four times to bear our four children.
"Many men won't go for a vasectomy because they are a selfish lot and believe
that family planning is for women," he added.
A vasectomy is a method of sterilisation whereby the tubes carrying sperm from
the testicles are blocked. This is opposed to castration, which involves the
removal of male genitalia. - African Eye News Service


*****

Zimbabwe slashes food
               prices

               Maize is the stable foodstuff in Zimbabwe
               The Zimbabwean government has ordered
               widespread price controls to cut the cost of
               basic foods by about a third.

               The controls come as the country suffers with
               soaring inflation, rising poverty and a crumbling
               economy.

               Industry and International Trade Minister
               Herbert Murerwa told the state-run Herald
               newspaper that a prize freeze would be issued
               later on Wednesday.

               The price of many basic foodstuffs, including
               maize, bread, sugar, cooking oil, beef, chicken
               and pork, will revert to August levels when
               prices were about one third cheaper.

               Black market fears

               Analysts have said that the the move marks a
               return to the country's dictatorial economic
               policies of the 1980s.

               And according to food industry executives, the
               price controls threaten the viability of milling
               fims, bakers and other producers.

               Mr Murerwa has said that inspectors will punish
               violations of the new pricing levels by fines or
               imprisonment.

               In the past, price controls led to acute
               shortages due to hoarding, and an active black
               market.

               The decision comes after the threat of
               demonstrations due to the spiralling cost of
               living.

               And may observers see the price controls as a
               political ploy ahead of presidential elections
               next year.

               Isolation

               Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis
               since independence in 1980.

               Economists say the country's financial
               difficulties spring, in part, from the
               manufacturers' lack of foreign currency.

               The situation has been deepened by the
               government programme to seize white-owned
               farms, isolating the country and severing links
               with many key exporters.

               Inflation reached a record 76% last month.

               And independent studies suggest the price of
               some goods such as soap and vegetables have
               risen by up to 180% since January.

11 October 2001

Some may find the following interesting.

Vyrle

----------
> From: Yamhill County Mediators <ycm@...>
> To: vyrle@...
> Subject: Forwarded letter from a friend of a friend in England
> Date: Wednesday, 10 October, 2001 08:45 AM
>
> We have all here been thinking and trying to understand what lies behind
> the events of the 11th September, I say "lies", not "lay" because it is a
> problem that will continue into the future.  Armed might and retaliation
> will not remove the deeper causes, only conceal them.
>
> One imagination  I have found helpful:  on one side the twin towers of
the
> World Trade Center, on the other the Mosque, the Islamic church.  Not
just
> in America, but in the whole "western" culture money has become something
> of what God used to be, it is that which creates the form and structure
of
> our society, and is probably the most dominant impelling force that
drives
> the activities of our collective will.   Architecturally and as social
> symbols such centres of business have replaced the cathedral and church
> with their spires which provided the imagination of reaching up to God.
> But economic and financial activities which in their deeper nature call
for
> brotherhood, mutuality and community, have been appropriated by the
forces
> of egoism.  The economic power and resources of the West, most
particularly
> of America, that could provide for all, could bring relief from
starvation
> and disease of countless millions, has become a source of power, control
> and self serving, for the few.
>
> The world of Islam is still a society where cultural life is the dominant
> factor.  It is the Mosque to which people turn for guidance and the
motive
> of their actions.  But it is a cultural life that not only denies human
> freedom and individuality, but also actively strives to prevent them
coming
> about.  It belongs to the past, to an earlier time in human evolution.
> This terrorism is not born directly out of Islam.  I do believe it is not
> an untrue picture to say that it is fathered by the financial, economic
and
> military power of the west within the womb of Islam.
>
> Unless we can find a way to bring a transformation, a healing, of these
two
> forces, then we will not find a way out of a dark future.  I do believe
> that humanity must come to a real understanding of the idea of "freedom"
> within cultural life, of community and mutuality within economic life,
and
> of equality in the life of rights, the sphere of the State.  These need
to
> be understood, not just preached as moral ideals.  Our modern idea of
> democracy goes only a very small step in this direction.  Most government
> activity and decisions are not based on the equal rights of all people,
but
> on economic and other interests.  I do believe that in the long run
nothing
> else will do.
>
> Yamhill County Mediators
> P.O. Box 444
> McMinnville, OR 97128
> 503/435.2835
>

We all wish to see the end of terrorism and live in a peaceful world.

To reach this goal, we need the help of all peace loving individuals
from both sides of the fence.

First, we need to understand the beliefs and motivations of the
people behind terrorism.  Also, they will need to understand our
beliefs and values.  Only when we have reached a state of mutual
understanding, we can then start to formulate the best way to resolve
the conflict.

Many people on both sides want to resolve the conflict with a war.
And many people see this as a holy war.

I agree that a holy war is required to resolve the conflict. However,
a holy war by definition is a conflict of spiritual beliefs.  And
therefore, it must be fought spiritually to resolve the differences,
and not with a physical warfare such as conventional, biological or
nuclear warfare.

A physical warfare would result mutual physical destruction and human
suffering.

Whereas, a spiritual conflict consisting of mutual exchange and
debates of differences in beliefs and ideals would result mutual
understanding and learning, and then in turn both parties will
benefit spiritual elevation.

The idea of resolving a spiritual conflict is in effect a
negotiation.  Until now, the problem has always been the lack of mass
direct communication.

Currently, international negotiations are carried out by
representatives from both sides with small sets of agenda which will
never represent the full ideals and real meaning of the beliefs and
values on both sides.

We should be able communicate freely and openly without intermediate
parties, so that we can express exactly our true beliefs and values.
We can then start to learn and understand the beliefs and values of
other the other side.

We now have a mass direct communication system available to us, the
Internet. We have the potential to directly communicate with people
with different beliefs and try to resolve our differences. Let us
utilize this tool to accelerate the mutual understanding of all
religious and political ideals.

My hope is to create an information management system on the Internet
where everyone can voice and discuss the differences of their
beliefs.  These information are then translated carefully to all
known languages, preserving their original meaning. Therefore, people
of all languages can participate in the discussion.

We can make a start by using currently available technology such as
Internet groups as a prototype system.  I have set up a group
called "United State of Inner Beauty" to begin the process in English.

However, we still need to create a system that has the ability to
translate all the information to all languages.

If you agree with this idea and if you wish to volunteer your help,
then please:

1. First of all, forward this message to anyone whom you think will
benefit and who could help.

2. Join the group
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/United_State_of_Inner_Beauty
    to show your support.

3. Pledge any resource you can afford to give.  eg.
     * time to help with organization
     * religious knowledge and understanding
     * translation skills
     * influence in marketing or broadcasting,
       eg. pop music, TV, radio, newspaper, large corporate
     * IT resource to help develop a web based
       information management system
     * monetary resource to help fund such web based system

I hope this message brings you hope for a peaceful world.

Yours truly, in peace,

Richard Lo
Chinese name: Lu Yu Ping

Hey guys.  After sending out the last picture of Ben, many of you commented
about his red hair.  Well, in this picture you can clearly see that it's not
his HAIR that is red!  Not that there's anything wrong with red hair.

__________________________________________________________________________
Rand, Deb & Benjamin Wise
2784 Mt. Olive Drive
Decatur, GA  30033

Email: rwise.psy88@...
(404) 327-5765

See Benjamin at http://sites.netscape.net/randwise/benjamin
_______________________________________________________________________

"There is no situation that is not transfigurable."
						 - Desmond Tutu

In the days leading up to the U.S. strikes against Afghanistan, the
Taliban repeatedly offered to try Osama Bin Laden in its own courts,
"If America provides solid evidence of Osama Bin Laden's involvement in
attacks in New York and Washington," said Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan
Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef last Friday.

What sort of case could be made against Osama Bin Laden in a Taliban
court? The evidence presented to the Western public is mostly
circumstantial. There are the taped celebratory phone calls between
known members of al-Qaida, including one in which a suspect declares,
"We've hit the targets." There is motive and opportunity, as well as
incriminating statements, including a Bin Laden edict from 1998 that
"Muslims everywhere should kill Americans wherever they found them,
soldiers and civilians alike, in accordance with the words of almighty
God," as well as his video statement of this week in which he all but
takes credit for the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings. And there are
numerous links, financial and professional, between Bin Laden's
confederates and the hijackers. There is a pattern of prior attacks.

But would it be enough for a court operating under sharia—the Islamic
holy law—to convict Bin Laden? Sharia law derives its main principles
from several sources: primarily the Quran, and then the Sunna—teachings
of Mohammed not found in the Quran. Ijma is the third source of sharia
law, consisting of the decisions of religious scholars, and the Qiyas
are essentially sharia common law.

The best indicator of the Taliban's approach to the rules of evidence
lies in their current prosecution of eight Christian aid workers,
jailed in Afghanistan since Aug. 3 for allegedly attempting to convert
65 Afghan boys to Christianity.

Under traditional Islamic holy law, the standard of proof for the most
serious, or had, crimes is extremely high, even analogous to the West's
"guilt beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. For had crimes—those
expressly laid out in the Quran—the burden of proof is substantially
higher than it is for lesser, ta'zir (non-Quranic) crimes. Judges
cannot modify the sentence for a had crime as they can a ta'zir crime
because the Quran prohibits them.

Since the alleged offense of the Christian missionaries, apostasy, is a
had crime, under sharia a judge can find guilt only if the accused
confesses or if there are enough witnesses—usually two—to the crime
itself. Traditionally, circumstantial evidence carries almost no weight
under sharia. Confessions and witness testimony will usually be the
only evidence that supports a conviction. American law does not require
confessions to convict, although they are certainly probative of guilt.
By the letter of sharia law, then, if there is any doubt that the
evidence against the Christian aid workers supports conviction for a
had crime, the judge must treat the crime as a ta'zir crime.

Is the Taliban court proceeding by the letter of the law— sharia or
otherwise? As best we know—and we don't know much, since the Taliban
court has been scrutinizing the evidence in secret—the totality of the
evidence relied on by the Taliban to arrest, hold, and try the eight
Shelter Now workers consists of:


computer disks containing the story of Christ written in Dari (one of
Afghanistan's two main languages);

copies of the Bible, in English and Dari, as well as another book on
Christianity;

a timetable for Shelter Now's international radio broadcasts; and

what the Taliban is calling the "confession" of a female staff member,
although all eight Westerners have denied the charges, and none has
confessed.
The seizure by the police of these materials was not only deemed
sufficient to arrest the two Americans, four Germans, two Australians,
and 16 Afghanis. It was also considered sufficient evidence to hold
them, without charges or access to an attorney, for almost a month
until the accused were finally told, in late August, of the charges
against them. They were provided an attorney two weeks after that. This
case, only the second criminal prosecution of a foreign national by the
Taliban, was deemed so important that the Taliban supreme court is
hearing it directly. The court consists of a chief justice, several
judges, and other religious leaders. Last week, the supreme court
delayed the trial again to allow a Pakistani attorney 15 days to review
the evidence and prepare a collective defense against the charge of
proselytizing.

If the court chooses to impose a death sentence, it must still be
approved by the supreme Taliban leader—the reclusive Mullah Mohammad
Omar—who, while not a judge, is the highest legal authority under the
Taliban legal system. Under Islamic law, the missionaries could face
execution by hanging if convicted, although two conflicting decrees
issued last summer by Mullah Mohammad Omar raise the question of
whether they will be punished by execution or expulsion. The Taliban's
foreign minister, Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, issued a statement last month
indicating that even the foreigners could be eligible for the death
penalty because "they were 'caught red handed.' "

Were they caught red-handed? Neither the court nor the prosecution has
provided the accused with evidence of witnesses who would testify that
they were trying to convert Muslims. The Shelter Now workers deny
having done anything but run a health clinic. The Christian materials
relied on by the court as evidence are at best circumstantial; the
missionaries could well have brought them for their personal use. The
accused insist they are innocent, and no one has confessed, although
they have all been subjected to nine weeks of interrogation without the
benefit of counsel—a situation that often results in a "confession,"
particularly when the questions are being asked in a foreign language.

The supreme court, which reviewed the evidence against the Shelter Now
workers before the trial began on Sept. 8, has not adhered to the
traditional sharia standards of evidence. Instead of acting as
independent fact-finders, the court has set itself up as an independent
prosecutor. On the opening day of the trial, surrounded by antique
swords and a semicircle of Muslim clerics, its chief justice, Noor
Muhammad Saqib, advised the defendants of the legal process they faced.
Having already evaluated the evidence and found it "compelling," he
assured them, "We will convince you of your crimes on the basis of the
evidence. And then we will convince the international community as
well."

Unless the Taliban has more evidence to present, sharia standards would
demand that the missionaries be set free. The evidence against them is
circumstantial at best. But what of Bin Laden? The man operates known
camps in which terrorists are trained to kill civilians. The Taliban
knows of his doings and has evinced little interest in investigating
his crimes. Even if Bin Laden and his activities were wholly Western
fictions, wouldn't the Taliban wish to uphold the standards of sharia
law to investigate his activities? Don't the Taliban already have a
murder case against Bin Laden for his role in the 1993 WTC bombing and
the 1998 African embassy bombings? At the very least, don't they have
probable cause under sharia or any other legal regime to send out a
posse and round him up for questioning? Is there some common-law
exception under sharia for mass murderers who declare a jihad on women
and children and Hollywood?

The murder of innocents is a had crime, and a trial of Bin Laden
according to the principles of sharia would likely end with a
conviction. The Taliban, more so than any Western court, have the means
and the resources to track down the eyewitnesses and co-conspirators
who could testify about Bin Laden's activities over the past 10 years.
Good grief, the Taliban probably have those same witnesses on speed
dial. Although it doesn't bode well for the Taliban prosecutor that,
according to today's Washington Post, Bin Laden pays his salary (and
those of the judges and the court janitor). Perhaps the best outcome of
a sharia conviction would be that under the doctrine of qisas, the
families of Bin Laden's 6,000-plus victims could be entitled to approve
his execution and still be eligible for restitution from his bursting
coffers.

And if the Taliban applied the same evidentiary standards against Bin
Laden that they have used against the Christian missionaries? He'd hang
by nightfall—that is, so long as Mullah Mohammad Omar concurred.


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com

Vyrle,

Sorry I ended abruptly yesterday.  Something came up at work and I didn't
even have time to explain that in my message.  Hopefully the quick ending
didn't impart a condescending tone or anything.  I would have just waited to
send it until I completed my train of thought, but the email program I use
at work doesn't have an option to save outgoing messages that are in progress.

I hope you and family are all well.

Rand

At 08:42 AM 10/11/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>11 October 2001
>
>Some may find the following interesting.
>
>Vyrle
>

12 October 2001

Dear Rand,

Not a problem.  I have not yet mastered the art of internet conversation
(probably never will) but I have learned to minimize my assumptions, blame
the system for most of the miss-communication, and wait for more
information.

It is interesting, if we were writing a paper for submission to a scholarly
journal (or similiar) we would probably go through several drafts,  if we
were writing a letter, we would probably read it before sending it.  E-mail
seems to be more like a phone call without the voice to voice interaction.
We type it and send it, or if we wait too long, the machine sends it
anyway.  Great thing we have.  Technology, language.

Looking forward to the continuation of your train-of-thought,

Vyrle

----------
> From: Raymond R. Wise <wiserd@...>
> To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [ujeni] Fw: Another idea or two
> Date: Friday, 12 October, 2001 09:07 AM
>
> Vyrle,
>
> Sorry I ended abruptly yesterday.  Something came up at work and I didn't
> even have time to explain that in my message.  Hopefully the quick ending
> didn't impart a condescending tone or anything.  I would have just waited
to
> send it until I completed my train of thought, but the email program I
use
> at work doesn't have an option to save outgoing messages that are in
progress.
>
> I hope you and family are all well.
>
> Rand
>
> At 08:42 AM 10/11/2001 -0700, you wrote:
> >11 October 2001
> >
> >Some may find the following interesting.
> >
> >Vyrle
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

>

12 October 2001

Dear Rand and others who may be following along,

The essay below was forwarded to me by a friend.  I found it intriguing and
interesting.  The link is below, but I have copied it to save you the
trouble of looking for it.  However, as I perused the website, there are
many other interesting things to read.

I think the home page is www.changemakers.net.

Read on,

Vyrle


http://www.changemakers.net/journal/01october/lederach.cfm


The Challenge of Terror: A Traveling Essay

by John Paul Lederach



  So here I am, a week late arriving home, stuck between Colombia,
Guatemala and Harrisonburg when our world changed. The images flash even in
my sleep. The heart of America ripped. Though natural, the cry for revenge
and the call for the unleashing of the first war of this century, prolonged
or not, seems more connected to social and psychological processes of
finding a way to release deep emotional anguish, a sense of powerlessness,
and our collective loss than it does as a plan of action seeking to redress
the injustice, promote change and prevent it from ever happening again.

I am stuck from airport to airport as I write this, the reality of a global
system that has suspended even the most basic trust. My Duracell batteries
and finger nail clippers were taken from me today and it gave me pause for
thought. I had a lot of pauses in the last few days. Life has not been the
same. I share these thoughts as an initial reaction recognizing that it is
always easy to take pot-shots at our leaders from the sidelines, and to
have the insights they are missing when we are not in the middle of very
difficult decisions. On the other hand, having worked for nearly 20 years
as a mediator and proponent of nonviolent change in situations around the
globe where cycles of deep violence seem hell-bent on perpetuating
themselves, and having interacted with people and movements who at the core
of their identity find ways of justifying their part in the cycle, I feel
responsible to try to bring ideas to the search for solutions. With this in
mind I should like to pen several observations about what I have learned
from my experiences and what they might suggest about the current
situation. I believe this starts by naming several key challenges and then
asking what is the nature of a creative response that takes these seriously
in the pursuit of genuine, durable, and peaceful change.

Some Lessons about the Nature of our Challenge

1.Always seek to understand the root of the anger – The first and most
important question to pose ourselves is relatively simple though not easy
to answer: How do people reach this level of anger, hatred and frustration?
By my experience explanations that they are brainwashed by a perverted
leader who holds some kind of magical power over them is an escapist
simplification and will inevitably lead us to very wrong-headed responses.
Anger of this sort, what we could call generational, identity-based anger,
is constructed over time through a combination of historical events, a deep
sense of threat to identify, and direct experiences of sustained exclusion.
This is very important to understand, because, as I will say again and
again, our response to the immediate events have everything to do with
whether we reinforce and provide the soil, seeds, and nutrients for future
cycles of revenge and violence. Or whether it changes. We should be careful
to pursue one and only one thing as the strategic guidepost of our
response: Avoid doing what they expect. What they expect from us is the
lashing out of the giant against the weak, the many against the few. This
will reinforce their capacity to perpetrate the myth they carefully seek to
sustain: That they are under threat, fighting an irrational and mad system
that has never taken them seriously and wishes to destroy them and their
people. What we need to destroy is their myth not their people.

2.Always seek to understand the nature of the organization – Over the years
of working to promote durable peace in situations of deep, sustained
violence I have discovered one consistent purpose about the nature of
movements and organizations who use violence: Sustain thyself. This is done
through a number of approaches, but generally it is through
decentralization of power and structure, secrecy, autonomy of action
through units, and refusal to pursue the conflict on the terms of the
strength and capacities of the enemy.

One of the most intriguing metaphors I have heard used in the last few days
is that this enemy of the United States will be found in their holes,
smoked out, and when they run and are visible, destroyed. This may well
work for groundhogs, trench and maybe even guerilla warfare, but it is not
a useful metaphor for this situation. And neither is the image that we will
need to destroy the village to save it, by which the population that gives
refuge to our enemies is guilty by association and therefore a legitimate
target. In both instances the metaphor that guides our action misleads us
because it is not connected to the reality. In more specific terms, this is
not a struggle to be conceived of in geographic terms, in terms of physical
spaces and places, that if located can be destroyed, thereby ridding us of
the problem. Quite frankly our biggest and most visible weapon systems are
mostly useless.

We need a new metaphor, and though I generally do not like medical
metaphors to describe conflict, the image of a virus comes to mind because
of its ability to enter unperceived, flow with a system, and harm it from
within. This is the genius of people like Osama Ben Laden. He understood
the power of a free and open system, and has used it to his benefit. The
enemy is not located in a territory. It has entered our system. And you do
not fight this kind of enemy by shooting at it. You respond by
strengthening the capacity of the system to prevent the virus and
strengthen its immunity. It is an ironic fact that our greatest threat is
not in Afghanistan, but in our own backyard. We surely are not going to
bomb Travelocity, Hertz Rental Car, or an Airline training school in
Florida. We must change metaphors and move beyond the reaction that we can
duke it out with the bad guy, or we run the very serious risk of creating
the environment that sustains and reproduces the virus we wish to prevent.

3.Always remember that realities are constructed – Conflict is, among other
things, the process of building and sustaining very different perceptions
and interpretations of reality. This means that we have at the same time
multiple realities defined as such by those in conflict. In the aftermath
of such horrific and unmerited violence that we have just experienced this
may sound esoteric. But we must remember that this fundamental process is
how we end up referring to people as fanatics, madmen, and irrational. In
the process of name-calling we lose the critical capacity to understand
that from within the ways they construct their views, it is not mad lunacy
or fanaticism. All things fall together and make sense. When this is
connected to a long string of actual experiences wherein their views of the
facts are reinforced (for example, years of superpower struggle that used
or excluded them, encroaching Western values of what is considered immoral
by their religious interpretation, or the construction of an enemy-image
who is overwhelmingly powerful and uses that power in bombing campaigns and
always appears to win) then it is not a difficult process to construct a
rational world view of heroic struggle against evil. Just as we do it, so
do they. Listen to the words we use to justify our actions and responses.
And then listen to words they use. The way to break such a process is not
through a frame of reference of who will win or who is stronger. In fact
the inverse is true. Whoever loses, whether tactical battles or the "war"
itself, finds intrinsic in the loss the seeds that give birth to the
justification for renewed battle. The way to break such a cycle of
justified violence is to step outside of it. This starts with understanding
that TV sound bites about madmen and evil are not good sources of policy.
The most significant impact that we could make on their ability to sustain
their view of us as evil is to change their perception of who we are by
choosing to strategically respond in unexpected ways. This will take
enormous courage and courageous leadership capable of envisioning a horizon
of change.

4.Always understand the capacity for recruitment – The greatest power that
terror has is the ability to regenerate itself. What we most need to
understand about the nature of this conflict and the change process toward
a more peaceful world is how recruitment into these activities happens. In
all my experiences in deep-rooted conflict what stands out most are the
ways in which political leaders wishing to end the violence believed they
could achieve it by overpowering and getting rid of the perpetrator of the
violence. That may have been the lesson of multiple centuries that preceded
us. But it is not the lesson from that past 30 years. The lesson is simple.
When people feel a deep sense of threat, exclusion and generational
experiences of direct violence, their greatest effort is placed on
survival. Time and again in these movements, there has been an
extraordinary capacity for the regeneration of chosen myths and renewed
struggle.

One aspect of current U.S. leadership that coherently matches with the
lessons of the past 30 years of protracted conflict settings is the
statement that this will be a long struggle. What is missed is that the
emphasis should be placed on removing the channels, justifications, and
sources that attract and sustain recruitment into the activities. What I
find extraordinary about the recent events is that none of the perpetrators
was much older than 40 and many were half that age.

This is the reality we face: Recruitment happens on a sustained basis. It
will not stop with the use of military force, in fact, open warfare will
create the soils in which it is fed and grows. Military action to destroy
terror, particularly as it affects significant and already vulnerable
civilian populations will be like hitting a fully mature dandelion with a
golf club. We will participate in making sure the myth of why we are evil
is sustained and we will assure yet another generation of recruits.

5.Recognize complexity, but always understand the power of simplicity –
Finally, we must understand the principle of simplicity. I talk a lot with
my students about the need to look carefully at complexity, which is
equally true (and which in the earlier points I start to explore). However,
the key in our current situation that we have failed to fully comprehend is
simplicity. From the standpoint of the perpetrators, the effectiveness of
their actions was in finding simple ways to use the system to undo it. I
believe our greatest task is to find equally creative and simple tools on
the other side.





Suggestions

In keeping with the last point, let me try to be simple. I believe three
things are possible to do and will have a much greater impact on these
challenges than seeking accountability through revenge.



1.Energetically pursue a sustainable peace process to the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Do it now. The United States has much it can
do to support and make this process work. It can bring the weight of
persuasion, the weight of nudging people on all sides to move toward mutual
recognition and stopping the recent and devastating pattern of violent
escalation, and the weight of including and balancing the process to
address historic fears and basic needs of those involved. If we would bring
the same energy to building an international coalition for peace in this
conflict that we have pursued in building international coalitions for war,
particularly in the Middle East, if we lent significant financial, moral,
and balanced support to all sides that we gave to the Irish conflict in
earlier years, I believe the moment is right and the stage is set to take a
new and qualitative step forward.

Sound like an odd diversion to our current situation of terror? I believe
the opposite is true. This type of action is precisely the kind of thing
needed to create whole new views of who we are and what we stand for as a
nation. Rather than fighting terror with force, we enter their system and
take away one of their most coveted elements: The soils of generational
conflict perceived as injustice used to perpetrate hatred and recruitment.
I believe that monumental times like these create conditions for monumental
change. This approach would solidify our relationships with a broad array
of Middle Easterners and Central Asians, allies and enemies alike, and
would be a blow to the rank and file of terror. The biggest blow we can
serve terror is to make it irrelevant. The worst thing we could do is to
feed it unintentionally by making it and its leaders the center stage of
what we do. Let's choose democracy and reconciliation over revenge and
destruction. Let's to do exactly what they do not expect, and show them it
can work.

2.Invest financially in development, education, and a broad social agenda
in the countries surrounding Afghanistan rather than attempting to destroy
the Taliban in a search for Ben Laden. The single greatest pressure that
could ever be put on Ben Laden is to remove the source of his
justifications and alliances. Countries like Pakistan, Tajikistan, and yes,
Iran and Syria should be put on the radar of the West and the United States
with a question of strategic importance: How can we help you meet the
fundamental needs of your people? The strategic approach to changing the
nature of how terror of the kind we have witnessed this week reproduces
itself lies in the quality of relationships we develop with whole regions,
peoples, and world views. If we strengthen the web of those relationships,
we weaken and eventually eliminate the soil where terror is born. A
vigorous investment, taking advantage of the current opening given the
horror of this week shared by even those who we traditionally claimed as
state enemies, is immediately available, possible and pregnant with
historic possibilities. Let's do the unexpected. Let's create a new set of
strategic alliances never before thought possible.

3.Pursue a quiet diplomatic but dynamic and vital support of the Arab
League to begin an internal exploration of how to address the root causes
of discontent in numerous regions. This should be coupled with energetic
ecumenical engagement, not just of key symbolic leaders, but of a practical
and direct exploration of how to create a web of ethics for a new
millennium that builds from the heart and soul of all traditions but that
creates a capacity for each to engage the roots of violence that are found
within their own traditions. Our challenge, as I see it, is not that of
convincing others that our way of life, our religion, or our structure of
governance is better or closer to Truth and human dignity. It is to be
honest about the sources of violence in our own house and invite others to
do the same. Our global challenge is how to generate and sustain genuine
engagement that encourages people from within their traditions to seek that
which assures the preciousness and respect for life that every religion
sees as an inherent right and gift from the Divine, and how to build
organized political and social life that is responsive to fundamental human
needs. Such a web cannot be created except through genuine and sustained
dialogue and the building of authentic relationships, at religious and
political spheres of interaction, and at all levels of society. Why not do
the unexpected and show that life-giving ethics are rooted in the core of
all peoples by engaging a strategy of genuine dialogue and relationship?
Such a web of ethics, political and religious, will have an impact on the
roots of terror far greater in the generation of our children's children
than any amount of military action can possibly muster. The current
situation poses an unprecedented opportunity for this to happen, more so
than we have seen at any time before in our global community.





A Call for the Unexpected

Let me conclude with simple ideas. To face the reality of well organized,
decentralized, self-perpetuating sources of terror, we need to think
differently about the challenges. If indeed this is a new war it will not
be won with a traditional military plan. The key does not lie in finding
and destroying territories, camps, and certainly not the civilian
populations that supposedly house them. Paradoxically that will only feed
the phenomenon and assure that it lives into a new generation. The key is
to think about how a small virus in a system affects the whole and how to
improve the immunity of the system. We should take extreme care not to
provide the movements we deplore with gratuitous fuel for
self-regeneration.

Let us not fulfill their prophecy by providing them with martyrs and
justifications. The power of their action is the simplicity with which they
pursue the fight with global power. They have understood the power of the
powerless. They have understood that melding and meshing with the enemy
creates a base from within. They have not faced down the enemy with a
bigger stick. They did the more powerful thing: They changed the game. They
entered our lives, our homes and turned our own tools into our demise.

We will not win this struggle for justice, peace and human dignity with the
traditional weapons of war. We need to change the game again.

Let us take up the practical challenges of this reality perhaps best
described in the Cure of Troy an epic poem by Seamus Heaney no foreigner to
grip of the cycles of terror. Let us give birth to the unexpected.

So hope for a great sea-change
On the far side of revenge.

Believe that a farther shore
Is reachable from here.

Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells.

John Paul Lederach
September 16, 2001

----------
>

Dear Friends,

Many of you know that over the years, I have given a lot of time and energy volunteering for a number of different projects and charities. Like many of you, I have also given money to friends, family and co-workers who were participating in fundraising events. However, I have never actually planned a large-scale fundraising event on my own before. This summer, I began organizing a truly unique, large-scale fundraising project to raise money for a cause that affects too many families (including mine) and I need your help!

In January 2002, a friend and I will be committing our hearts and souls (and feet) to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa to raise money (as well as awareness) for research and treatment of women’s cancers (particularly breast, cervical and ovarian). We have set a goal to raise $15,000 to help treat and find cures for breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, and help women win their fights for life. The proceeds from our fundraising efforts will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston through The Jimmy Fund. By your tax-deductible donation, you will have the opportunity to help prevent cancer from taking another person’s life and tearing apart another family. So for every dollar you donate to this important cause, and every step we take up that mountain, we will get closer and closer to stopping the premature death of a woman we love due to cancer.

This is not going to be easy, Kilimanjaro at almost 20,000 feet, is the 4th highest mountain in the world, the highest freestanding mountain in the world, and interestingly, the closest place on Earth to the sun. The way I look at it, scrambling up 3 and a half miles will not be easy, but it is nothing compared to the struggle faced by millions and millions of women with cancer (and their families)! If the money we raise can reduce the chance that I, and all the women I know and love have of developing cancer (one in seven chance for breast cancer alone), then I’d be willing to do almost anything to help!

Please take a moment to read the pledge form I have attached, there is a lot of great information on it (it is available on the website too). With the recent tragedies our country has faced, there are many wonderful funds set up to help the victims of the terrible attacks, but please remember, cancer is still an ongoing problem, and if you can give, please know that any amount will help immensely!  Please help us spread the word to others.  For the cost of a nice dinner out, each of us can help find a cure for women’s cancers, and hopefully prevent the suffering of many, many people.  If you have any questions, you can email me directly at kym@...

I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Please check out our website at www.kiliclimb4cancer.org and follow us along in our training and fundraising efforts!

Thank you so very much,

Kym

 

 

 

---

Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Malawi Strike Drags On

                   By Raphael Tenthani
                   Associated Press Writer
                   Sunday, Oct. 14, 2001; 3:34 p.m. EDT

                   BLANTYRE, Malawi ** Scores of critically ill patients lay
unattended on
                   their beds in the tuberculosis ward at Malawi's largest
hospital Sunday,
                   waiting to die.

                   It's been 10 days since staff at Blantyre's Queen Elizabeth
Central hospital
                   went on strike, demanding promised wage increases be paid out.
Patients
                   have been sent home or left to fend for themselves without
medication.

                   "No nurses are available to remove the dead," tuberculosis
sufferer Marita
                   Chibisa said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

                   Other patients in her ward were too ill to sit up or speak.

                   A handful of Red Cross volunteers, as well as patients who
could walk,
                   helped take the dead to the mortuary, said Chibisa, a mother
of three
                   children.

                   "Most of us are here just to wait for our time to die," she
said.

                   Officials who remained on duty said patient deaths had soared,
but an
                   accurate toll was impossible to determine, as clerical staff
were striking
                   and death certificates were not being issued.

                   The hospital's doctors complained of a shortage of essential
drugs, which
                   had not been ordered from the city's central depot.

                   A foul stench permeated the hospital corridors, which were
strewn with
                   litter. Most wards were deserted.

                   The Queen Elizabeth Central is the only government hospital in
Blantyre *
                   a city of about 900,000 people * that admits patients.

                   It has 1,500 beds, but the demand is often twice that number
and many
                   patients sleep on the floor. The hospital also treats an
average of 2,000
                   outpatients daily.

                   The strike had forced the hospital to discharge most patients;
fewer than
                   200 who were in critical condition remained in the wards,
hospital director
                   Kelita Kamoto said.

                   "Most of those discharged prematurely were in need of medical
attention
                   and might have died wherever they went if they could not
afford the very
                   expensive private treatment," she said.

                   Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff say they will return
to their posts
                   only when the government implements pay hikes of up to 300
percent
                   backdated to last July, as recently promised by President
Bakili Muluzi.

                   But Health Minister Yusuf Mwawa said Muluzi's comments had
been
                   made too hastily, and no money was available in the current
budget.

                   Last week Mwawa said the strike was illegal and hospital staff
would be
                   fired if they did not return to work.

                   However, the threat is an empty one, because Malawi, a poor
southern
                   African nation of 10 million people, has a serious shortage of
qualified
                   doctors and nurses.

*****

Free Education Backfires

African Eye News Service (Nelspruit)
October 11, 2001
Posted to the web October 11, 2001
Brian Ligomeka
Blantyre, Malawi
An ambitious plan by the Malawi government to boost its education levels by
offering free primary education has backfired.
Although admission rates initially soared by a staggering 63% after free
education was introduced in 1994, it has consistently dropped again because
conditions at schools remain deplorable.
"The conditions in the schools are very, very bad," admits education ministry
policy planning director Kuthemba Mwale. "When we declared free primary
education there were not enough teachers and materials. The children are
frustrated. There is a lot of absenteeism, poor performance and a very high
repetition rate."
Malawi has one of the highest school dropout rates in southern Africa, with 15%
or three in every 20 girls and 12% or three in every 25 boys dropping out
between Grades 5 and 8.
Girls are especially pressured to abandon their education because they have to
help with family chores, or because they fall pregnant or are married off young.
HIV/Aids had also contributed to the high dropout rate amongst girls.
"The HIV pandemic has taken away the breadwinner from many families," Mwale
explains. "Consequently, the responsibility falls onto girls to take care of
their families."
But the government has been working hard to reverse the dropouts.
Part of its strategy has been to work with communities, national
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international aid bodies to get
children, particularly girls, back to school.
One of the organisations that has already made a difference to education in
Malawi is the United States chapter of the Save the Children Fund (SCF).
The organisation is establishing village-based schools in areas where children
walk up to 13kms through rivers and bush to get to school.
"We are talking about rural areas where children had to cross rivers and could
not go to schools during the rainy season. Some children dropped out after two
weeks," explains education programme manager, Lester Namathaka.
The village-based school system has now grown from a pilot project of eight
schools in 1994 to the current total of 63 schools.
"More than 20 000 children attend the schools and about 300 teachers, trained
and paid by the government, are employed in them," says Namathaka.
He claims that the success of the programme has been largely because of the
SFC's ongoing communication with members of remote rural communities.
After meeting with parents and other stakeholders, it was agreed that the
government, the SFC and the community would each have a role to play in the
village-based schools programme.
The schools are rudimentary, consisting of four classrooms and an administrative
office.
The communities provide the land, materials and labour and identify members of
the community that can be trained to teach.
It was decided that 57% of the teachers would be women: to act as role models
and attract girls back to school.
While the government has toyed with the idea of making school compulsory to
force children to go to school, Mwale believes that this measure alone won't
solve the problem.
"The government will also have to tackle poverty, hunger and the HIV/Aids
pandemic," he said. - African Eye News Service


*****

SA to Ship 150,000 Mt of Maize to Malawi

UN Integrated Regional Information Network
October 11, 2001
Posted to the web October 11, 2001
South Africa's Absa Corporate and Merchant Bank said on Thursday it had reached
a US $33 million deal with the Malawi government and National Food Relief Agency
to supply 150,000 mt of maize to them, news reports said.
The bank's Vaughan McTaggart was quoted as saying that most of the maize would
be sent north from South Africa by road, but some would also be moved by rail
and some would be shipped via Durban to Mozambique, and then railroaded to
Malawi. "This will keep Malawi going until their next season. It's raw maize and
will be used for food. It will go straight into their mills," he said.
Absa Corporate and Merchant Bank won the tender to supply the trade finance
because it offered the most favourable terms and could put the financing in
place quickly, he added, saying that the first truckloads arrived in the Malawi
capital Blantyre last Thursday. "The food situation in Malawi has become
critical in areas devastated by this year's floods," McTaggart said.
The Southern African Development Community's Regional Early Warning Unit said in
August that the region faced an estimated a 2.1 million mt maize shortfall in
2001/02, with South Africa being the only country in the region with a surplus
large enough for exports. Government officials in Malawi said recently that the
country needed to import an estimated 180,000 mt of maize after output fell
because of adverse weather conditions.


*****

Zambia's opposition
               chooses leader

               The ruling party's candidate is struggling to keep his
               party together
               Zambia's newest and highest profile opposition
               party has elected the former vice president in
               President Frederick Chiluba's government as its
               presidential candidate.

               At the Forum for Democracy and Development
               (FDD) convention at the weekend, Christon
               Tembo, convincingly beat three other
               candidates - including two former ministers.

               Elections are due to be
               held before the end of
               the year, and President
               Chiluba's ruling
               Movement for
               Multi-party Democracy
               party (MMD) has been
               hit this year by a series
               of defections of
               ministers and MPs to
               the FDD.

               This followed an ultimately unsuccessful
               attempt by the president to seek an
               unconstitutional third term in office.

               The FDD have already won two parliamentary
               by-elections and President Chiluba's chosen
               successor, Levy Mwanawasa, who is the MMD
               candidate, appears far from assured of victory.

               Out of a total of 1,530 votes cast, Mr Tembo
               polled 970, while his closest rival former legal
               minister Vincent Malambo got 353 votes.
               Former health minister Dr Boniface Kawimbe,
               and Austin Chewe, a former MP for a rural
               constituency were the other candidates.

               Thanks

               Speaking to supporters, after his triumph, Mr
               Tembo thanked all the contestants, saying
               they have made democracy work in the FDD.

               He said: "This is very
               good. But we must now
               concentrate on
               campaigning for the
               coming elections to
               ensure that we remove
               the MMD government."

               The MMD has also been
               hit by the resignation
               of national secretary
               Michael Sata, an
               effective campaigner.

               He was unhappy at
               missing out on a presidential run and has
               vowed to campaign against Mr Mwanawasa.

               The ruling party has congratulated Mr Tembo,
               but has already raised the nationality issue,
               suggesting Mr Tembo may be ineligible to be
               president due to foreign parentage.

               Mr Tembo says he does qualify and is a
               Zambian citizen.

*****

Zimbabwe's oposition
               infighting

               Zimbabwe's main opposition party has
               suspended eight senior members, among them
               four members of parliament.

               The move comes as the leadership of the
               Movement for Democratic Change is trying to
               stamp out infighting that threatens to split the
               party ahead of next year's presidential
               elections.

               But the MDC's secretary general, Welshman
               Ncube, told the BBC that the eight suspensions
               are an isolated case, and that the party as a
               whole is united.

               The MDC is the first party to pose a serious
               challenge to president Robert Mugabe since he
               came to power 21 years ago, and it came
               close to defeating the ruling Zanu-PF party in
               parliamentary elections last year.

*****

ZIM SAYS UK DRAGGING FEET
                                                      OVER ABUJA DEAL
                                                      ZIMBABWE has accused its
                                                      former colonial master
Britain of
                                                      failing to play its part in
                                                      implementing an agreement
                                                      reached last month in a bid
to end
                                                      the land crisis. "There is
room for
                                                      the British to come back
into
                                                      Zimbabwe's land reform
                                                      programme. But if they
squander
                                                      this chance then it will
take them
                                                      time to come back again,"
an
                                                      unnamed government official
told
                                                      the state-run Sunday Mail.
In the
                                                      pact reached in Abuja,
Nigeria, on
                                                      September 6, Britain
offered to
                                                      help compensate white
farmers for
                                                      land seized by the
government,
                                                      but conditioned the aid on
an end
                                                      to violence on the farms
and the
                                                      restoration of the rule of
law in the
                                                      southern African country.
The
                                                      newspaper quoted a diplomat
as
                                                      saying: "It now seems as if
                                                      Zimbabwe is the only one in
the
                                                      deal that is fighting hard
to make
                                                      sure the agreement is a
success.
                                                      That is not a healthy
situation if
                                                      the agreement is to
succeed." -
                                                      AFP

*****

Malaria drug could 'beat
               resistance'

               Children are particularly vulnerble to malaria
               Scientists believe they may have found a way
               to beat drug-resistant malaria in Africa.

               The new combination of drugs,
               chlorproguanil-dapsone, has been shown to be
               effective in cases where the standard
               medication failed.

               Malaria kills around a million people every year,
               many of them in Africa.

               It kills more than Aids, tuberculosis, or
               diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera.

               For 40 years a drug
               called chloroquine was
               used as an effective
               treatment for malaria.

               But in the mid-80s,
               African malaria
               parasites became
               resistant to the drug,
               meaning it would no
               longer treat malaria.

               In Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, and Kenya,
               front-line treatment has been, or is being
               changed to, a combination of antimalarial drugs
               called pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine.

               But over the last 10 years, there have been
               increasing reports of malaria which is resistant
               to this treatment.

               Any alternative has to be cheap, so the
               countries which need it can afford to buy it,
               rather than a "wonder drug" that no-one can
               pay for.

               This latest study suggests
               chlorproguanil-dapsone could be the solution.

               Treatment options

               Dr Theonest Mutabingwa and colleagues from
               the National Institute for Medical Research in
               Tanzania studied 360 children under five in
               Muheza, northeastern Tanzania.

               All had falciparum malaria, the most severe
               form of the disease.

               The children were first given standard
               pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine treatment.

               Ninety-two children's whose blood was not
               clear of malaria parasites seven days later, and
               who developed a second episode of malaria,
               were given either a repeat dose of the same
               treatment or the new combination,
               chlorproguanil-dapsone.

               Ninety-three per cent of those treated with
               the chlorproguanil-dapsone were cleared of
               parasites.

               Of those children given
               pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine, only 39% of
               children were clear of malaria a week later.

               And resistance to pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine
               increased after the retreatment.

               Crucial proof

               The researchers say their findings are crucial
               because of the growing problem of resistance
               to the pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine treatment.

               Chlorproguanil-dapsone is currently being
               thought of as a second-line treatment.

               But if pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine-resistant
               malaria increases, which the researchers warn
               it could do if widespread use continues,
               chlorproguanil-dapsone may have to be the
               first-line treatment in the future.

               Work on a drug containing
               chlorproguanil-dapsone, and an artemisinine -
               a natural antimalarial - derivative is underway,
               but the scientists warn it will take time.

               Writing in the Lancet, they say: "Africa is in
               desperate need of an effective and affordable
               alternative to pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine, to
               prevent escalating malaria morbidity and
               mortality."

               David Warhurst, co-director of the Public
               Health Laboratory Service Malaria Reference
               Laboratory and professor of protozoan
               chemotherapy, said: "This treatment is of huge
               importance because malaria kills, especially in
               children and pregnant women.

               But he warned how long the treatment would
               last before a form of malaria developed which
               was resistant to it was in "the lap of the
               Gods".

Just got this link and thought it might be of interest to some, or at least to
Paul (given his recent treatise on evidence).

"Responsibility for the Terrorist Atrocities in the United States, 11
September 2001" [MS Word, .pdf]
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/news.asp?NewsId=2686

10 Downing Street has posted a sixteen-page document reviewing the evidence
that points to Usama Bin Laden as the agent of the September 11, 2001
attacks on the United States. The document, which is available in HTML,
.pdf, and MS Word formats, opens with a disclaimer: "This document does not
purport to provide a prosecutable case against Usama Bin Laden in a court of
law. Intelligence often cannot be used evidentially, due both to the strict
rules of admissibility and to the need to protect the safety of sources. But
on the basis of all the information available HMG is confident of its
conclusions as expressed in this document." The document covers a great deal
of ground, tending more toward assertion than a display of the evidence
itself. It begins with the bold statement, "Usama Bin Laden and Al Qaida,
the terrorist network which he heads, planned and carried out the atrocities
on 11 September 2001," and repeatedly emphasizes the involvement of the
Taleban in Bin Laden's activities, but those looking for the specific
documents or intelligence leading to these conclusions will find only
minimal satisfaction here. The penultimate page explains: "There is evidence
of a very specific nature relating to the guilt of Bin Laden and his
associates that is too sensitive to release."

As much as I hate Star Chambers, many of the points found there are valid.

However, as my momma used to say before swatting my behind with a switch I
had to get from the tree myselfd..."You may not have done it THIS time, but
this is for the other times I have not caught you."



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

A book many of you would find interesting is:

"Body of Secrets", a history of the NSA and its capers...it has many vivid
descriptions, and would make you think twice about blindly following anyone.

Fret not, the territorial wars of the various agencies of the US are true,
and also discussed...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Where do Malawian government ministers and high mucky-mucks go when sick?
Why not make them go to the hospitals they purportedly govern?  For the Educ
ministers, and Educ staff, make them go to the public schools, etc.  Give
the telcoms minister and staff landline phones, and not cellphones, etc.

Am I being too idealistic?

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

NEW YORK ... Year 2012
A man is walking in Manhattan with his young son.
They stop at a park and relax on a bench. The father, deep in thought,
raises his hand and points across the way as he says to his son, "Not too
long ago the Twin Towers stood right
over there."
With an quizzical look, the son asks, "What were the Twin Towers?" The
father replies sadly, "They were two very tall buildings, son, over a
hundred floors high, with lots of offices, but 11 years ago terrorists
from the middle east crashed planes into both of them. The towers
collapsed and were gone".

The son asks, "What was the middle east?"



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

1. I just read that Bush might plan to bail out the insurance
companies....isn't this the reason they have been sucking everyone dry with
premiums for so long...the only things richer than insurance companies are
oil companies....I am waiting for the fuel hikes due to "instability" in the
Gulf region...

2. I have a theory that John Ashcroft is the most dangerous man in the US
now...Can anyonew tell me why???  (Yes, I know my reasons, but I want to see
if anyone else sees it...)

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Socialism is... waiting in a
     queue for food

     ANDREW MELDRUN, Harare | Tuesday

     ZIMBABWE'S president vowed yesterday to return the country's
     crippled economy to a socialist command system, telling
     businesses opposed to the move to "pack up and go".
     Robert Mugabe said his government would strictly enforce the
     price freeze on basic foods imposed last week and threatened to
     seize any companies that shut down because the new prices
     made their production unprofitable.
     "Let no one on this front expect mercy," an angry Mr Mugabe
     said. "The state will take over any businesses that are closed.
     We will reorganise them with workers, and at last that socialism
     we wanted can start again."
     "Those tired of doing business here can pack up and go," he said.
     Claims that market-driven economic principles should not be
     tampered with were "absolute nonsense".
     Zimbabwe dropped its socialist economic policies a decade after
     it gained independence in 1980. It embraced IMF and World Bank
     economic reforms. In recent years, rampant corruption, huge
     budget deficits and mismanagement have dragged the economy
     down, with hyper-inflation, 60% unemployment and a desperate
     shortage of hard currency.
     Mr Mugabe's war veterans have stormed shops to ensure they
     keep to state price controls.
     "We've heard this rhetoric before, but this time I think it is more
     serious," said a white business owner. "The war veterans have
     destroyed large scale farming. Now they want to destroy
     industry."
     "He can call it socialism, but we know it will be shortages and
     long queues," said a black worker, who did not want to be named.
     "Last week we could not afford bread. This week we cannot get
     bread."
     Trying to regain support ahead of the presidential elections early
     next year, Mr Mugabe last Friday ordered price cuts of between
     5% and 20% on maize meal, bread, meat, vegetable and cooking
     oil, milk, salt and soap.
     Yesterday the supermarket shelves were bare for all the
     price-controlled items. Bakeries said they were losing money at
     the set prices, and reduced deliveries of bread.
     A Harare bakery chain put 200 of its workers on shorter working
     hours as production was cut.
     Adding to Zimbabwe's woes is the decision by South Africa -
     whose president opposes Mr Mugabe's policies - to expel 20 000
     Zimbabweans working there as farm labourers. The repatriations
     start today. - The Guardian

This is not exactly in line with what I feel, but it is another perspective,
and an interesting one at that.  I have edited it in two places where the
language might be offensive to some of my audience...

Shukran Hatta, Daouda...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Bombing the World Trade Center is a big story.

You know what's not a big story? Clinton's sex life.

The GOP and the whore media spent nine years rooting around in Clinton's
zipper for the big story.

The GOP constantly called it "a constitutional crisis."

The GOP made that non-story the focus of everything for nine years.

The GOP told us it was "crucial" that Paula Jones got her day in court.

Henry Hyde said "the flag was falling" over Monica's lips.

The GOP had their hero, Louis Freeh, chasing Clinton's sex life with
more agents than investigated TWA Flight 800 and the OK City massacre
COMBINED.

Think about that sentence for a minute.

The GOP swarmed the state of Arkansas trying to find some wwoman who
would give them some juicy details about what was behind Clinton's
zipper. They chased Liz Gracen to Japan, using your tax dollars and
several trained agents who could've been looking into bin Laden's
activities, instead.

Meanwhile, terrorists were burrowing into our society, trying to fit in.

Maybe if Louis Freeh had spent more time doing his goddamn job pursuing
terrorists instead of concentrating so much on Clinton's
zipper, they might have found something.

How many tens of millions did the FBI spend investigating Clinton? And
what if all that time and all that money had been spent searching for
terrorists, instead?

How much time did Intelligence Committee Chairman Shelby spend attacking
Clinton instead of terrorists?

Shelby was looking into Clinton's zipper instead of doing his damn job.

And what if the Media had spent the last 2 years reporting on terrorism
instead of sex?

When Clinton attacked Bin Laden, he got nothing but vicious criticism
from the GOP. (And, of course, the weenie Democrats stood silent while
they did it.) They called it Wagging the Dog.

They could have said "Hit him again, harder," but that would have taken
attention away from their investigation of the size and shape
of the Presidential member. Remember how many years Rush and Liddy
and Hannity and O'Reilly spent wondering which way the Presidential member
tilted?  That was very, very, very important to the Republican Party.

While bin Laden was recruiting and training his army of pilots, the GOP and
the FBI was busy profiling Clinton's appendage.

The GOP has been screaming "The idiot bombed an aspirin factory" when he
went after bin Laden.

While being hunted by the press and the hateful GOP, Bill Clinton was
doing his job. Clinton was the only one doing his job the last few
years.

Any time Clinton took action in America's interests, the GOP and the
whore press screamed that "Clinton was trying to distract us"
from THEIR nine-year zipper hunt, when he was just doing his job.

So I want you to remember...

While Orrin Hatch, Dan Burton, Henry Hyde, John Ashcroft, Newt
Gingrich and the crooked Supreme Court were telling us it was very,
very, very, very important to get every tiny detail about Monica and
Bill,and it was so important they spent perhaps a hundred million dollars
investigating that matter...

...all the while, bin Laden was busy renting flight simulators and
making plane reservations.

Look at the price WE have paid for the GOP's fascination with the
Clinton Hunt.



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

For those who are interested...

This is a note from the people who are fighting the Vasquez nomination to
be PC director.  I have contributed money to the investigation.  If anyone
else is interested in doing so, the address is below.

Eric
________________________________________________________________________

Subject: UpDate on Vasquez

We are moving ahead. The woman researcher started
Saturday, October 13th in L.A. She will "dig" into press stories,
talk to local people, get the local press interested in Gaddi
Vasquez as a story. He has a history--a history that I think
shows he does not have the experience worthy of a Peace
Corps Director. If you check out PeaceCorpsOnline.org, you
can read everything we have so far on Vasquez, including all
the editorials (NYTIMES, LATIMES, and Boston Globe) that are
against his appointments.

If you wish to contribute to this research project, made out
the check to:
Barbara Ferris
P.0. Box 32243
Washington, DC 20007

P.S. As of 2:00 am Tuesday, October 16th we had pledges of
$2,100. Keep spreading the word.
Thank you again, all of those who sent $$$ to support this
research project.
John Coyne

Former Orange County supervisor Guadalupe "Gaddi" Vasquez says he isn’t
granting interviews until Congress approves his July 25 presidential
nomination to serve as director of the Peace Corps.
That’s probably a wise strategy. Vasquez, you may recall, led the county
into the $1.7 billion bankruptcy in 1994 and then refused to accept any
responsibility for the largest municipal calamity in modern financial
history. Though a self-described fiscal conservative, Vasquez hired (at
public expense) a $285-per-hour public-relations guru from Los Angeles to
spin favorable post-bankruptcy news stories for himself and the other four
supervisors. That plan failed, too, and 10 months after the bankruptcy,
Vasquez fled office, claiming he wanted to spend time with his family. He
made no mention of the fact that he faced a recall election, a grand jury
investigation and an 11 percent approval rating.
Politics does strange things to people’s egos, and Vasquez-once the cocky
"rising Latino star" of California Republicans-was no exception. For years,
GOP power brokers had showered the right-winger from a Texas hellhole with
dinners, limousine rides and talk of the governor’s mansion or a U.S. Senate
seat. Early in his political career, Merrill Lynch, one of the Wall Street
bad boys in the bankruptcy, had privately deemed Vasquez a "good investment"
and pampered him. It was understandable, if despicable, when the supervisor
contemptuously stared down citizens who wanted answers about his role in the
bankruptcy.
Vasquez names Richard Nixon as his hero; like Nixon, he had a hard time
leaving his dream world. On his last day in office in September 1995, the
two-term supervisor summarized his legacy this way: "When I leave this
building, I can do so with a sense of fulfillment that I leave a house in
very good order."
The man was disgraced-except among the corporate crowd he had served so
single-mindedly in office. They helped Vasquez land a cushy, six-figure job
in the public-relations department at Southern California Edison-a publicly
subsidized company with close ties to the Republican Party. (In addition to
Vasquez, company PR employees have included Bob Dornan’s top congressional
aide, Brian Bennett; the Irvine Co.’s Mike Stockstill; and Orange County GOP
co-chairperson Jo Ellen Allen.) Within four months of his exit from public
life, there were two fancy parties ("business attire only") for Vasquez. The
people who paid for them-corporate lobbyists and Newport Beach real-estate
developers-said they wanted to thank the ex-supe for his "public service."
Local taxpayers will be thanking Vasquez for at least another 27 years. That
is how long it will take to pay off a bankruptcy debt he was instrumental in
creating. Last year alone, residents shelled out an extra $45 million just
for county interest payments on bankruptcy debt. In the not-so-distant
future, we will pay more than $80 million per year. None of the money will
ever go to improve roads, schools, public safety or health care.
But who wants to talk reality when it comes to the ex-supervisor? Certainly
not The Orange County Register (which, without attribution or evidence,
claimed Vasquez had re-established his credibility) or the Los Angeles Times
(which inanely asserted that the new job will "ensure Vasquez a measure of
global celebrity"). Hurrah!
Five daily reporters on the nomination story at both papers neglected to
even hint that Vasquez-who has worked as a cop, a PR flack, a political
fund-raiser and a failed supervisor-might not be qualified to manage an
internationally renowned federal assistance agency with offices in 77
countries and an annual budget of $275 million. Combined, the papers
published 15 quotations, all of which glowingly supported Vasquez. The most
ludicrous line came in the Times from fellow Republican and Edison employee
Allen: "It’s a job tailor-made for Gaddi."
The Bush White House has made clear why it selected Vasquez. "Bush will
appoint [a] Hispanic to head Peace Corps," an announcement said. They also
described the Texan as "of Mexican origin." There was no mention of the
bankruptcy or the fact that Vasquez has poured more than $106,216 into Bush
campaign coffers in the past year. Despite the fact that Vasquez has shown
himself singularly incapable of handling big budgets and though he has no
Peace Corps experience, a Bush assistant said, "Gaddi Vasquez is a very
qualified, strong candidate regardless."
But in an interview with The Washington Post, John Coyne, editor of the
Peace Corps Writers magazine, may have the pulse of longtime Peace Corps
volunteers: "Can you imagine the veterans accepting a leader who had no
military experience?"

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

I've been in touch with John Coyne who told me that
the NPCA would not oppose the nomination, but the rest
of us were "free to express our opinions." If the NPCA
board is that spineless that they pass the buck to
others, I do not see a realistic way that the
nomination will be blocked. Senators will view that as
tacit approval if our own association does not give
input. What a load of crap.

That is why I did not donate money. I think the
intervention is all wrong. The pressure should be on
PC and the board. If we can't get support there, a
little research I feel will not prove useful. The
people approving the nomination both know information
on this guy and have stated that it does not matter.
Any suggestions for a change of strategy?



--- Eric Bone <bone@...> wrote:
> For those who are interested...
>
> This is a note from the people who are fighting the
> Vasquez nomination to
> be PC director.  I have contributed money to the
> investigation.  If anyone
> else is interested in doing so, the address is
> below.
>
> Eric
>
________________________________________________________________________
>
> Subject: UpDate on Vasquez
>
> We are moving ahead. The woman researcher started
> Saturday, October 13th in L.A. She will "dig" into
> press stories,
> talk to local people, get the local press interested
> in Gaddi
> Vasquez as a story. He has a history--a history that
> I think
> shows he does not have the experience worthy of a
> Peace
> Corps Director. If you check out
> PeaceCorpsOnline.org, you
> can read everything we have so far on Vasquez,
> including all
> the editorials (NYTIMES, LATIMES, and Boston Globe)
> that are
> against his appointments.
>
> If you wish to contribute to this research project,
> made out
> the check to:
> Barbara Ferris
> P.0. Box 32243
> Washington, DC 20007
>
> P.S. As of 2:00 am Tuesday, October 16th we had
> pledges of
> $2,100. Keep spreading the word.
> Thank you again, all of those who sent $$$ to
> support this
> research project.
> John Coyne
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com

1. Coordinated letter writing campaign to your congressperson (actually
Senator, since as you recall from those excerpts I sent, it is the Senate
that approves nominations).
2. Calls to your senator.
3. Avoid email petitions...they are useless.
4. Nearing the days of the confirmation process, go out and protest
peacefully.
5. Write letters to PC and have it voice its opinion.



----Original Message Follows----
From: John Patten <jppatten98@...>
Reply-To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com
To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [ujeni] UpDate on Vasquez (fwd)
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 08:26:39 -0700 (PDT)

I've been in touch with John Coyne who told me that
the NPCA would not oppose the nomination, but the rest
of us were "free to express our opinions." If the NPCA
board is that spineless that they pass the buck to
others, I do not see a realistic way that the
nomination will be blocked. Senators will view that as
tacit approval if our own association does not give
input. What a load of crap.

That is why I did not donate money. I think the
intervention is all wrong. The pressure should be on
PC and the board. If we can't get support there, a
little research I feel will not prove useful. The
people approving the nomination both know information
on this guy and have stated that it does not matter.
Any suggestions for a change of strategy?



--- Eric Bone <bone@...> wrote:
  > For those who are interested...
  >
  > This is a note from the people who are fighting the
  > Vasquez nomination to
  > be PC director.  I have contributed money to the
  > investigation.  If anyone
  > else is interested in doing so, the address is
  > below.
  >
  > Eric
  >
________________________________________________________________________
  >
  > Subject: UpDate on Vasquez
  >
  > We are moving ahead. The woman researcher started
  > Saturday, October 13th in L.A. She will "dig" into
  > press stories,
  > talk to local people, get the local press interested
  > in Gaddi
  > Vasquez as a story. He has a history--a history that
  > I think
  > shows he does not have the experience worthy of a
  > Peace
  > Corps Director. If you check out
  > PeaceCorpsOnline.org, you
  > can read everything we have so far on Vasquez,
  > including all
  > the editorials (NYTIMES, LATIMES, and Boston Globe)
  > that are
  > against his appointments.
  >
  > If you wish to contribute to this research project,
  > made out
  > the check to:
  > Barbara Ferris
  > P.0. Box 32243
  > Washington, DC 20007
  >
  > P.S. As of 2:00 am Tuesday, October 16th we had
  > pledges of
  > $2,100. Keep spreading the word.
  > Thank you again, all of those who sent $$$ to
  > support this
  > research project.
  > John Coyne
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Well said Paul, however I would advise calls or your
other strategies as opposed to emails. I went this
route with all of the senators and did get form
letters back that were just auto responses. at least
they were honest enough that they said they receive so
many emails that they probably wouldn't get to it,
especially in light of what's going on elsewhere.


--- Paul DEVER <pcpaul@...> wrote:
> 1. Coordinated letter writing campaign to your
> congressperson (actually
> Senator, since as you recall from those excerpts I
> sent, it is the Senate
> that approves nominations).
> 2. Calls to your senator.
> 3. Avoid email petitions...they are useless.
> 4. Nearing the days of the confirmation process, go
> out and protest
> peacefully.
> 5. Write letters to PC and have it voice its
> opinion.
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: John Patten <jppatten98@...>
> Reply-To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com
> To: ujeni@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [ujeni] UpDate on Vasquez (fwd)
> Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 08:26:39 -0700 (PDT)
>
> I've been in touch with John Coyne who told me that
> the NPCA would not oppose the nomination, but the
> rest
> of us were "free to express our opinions." If the
> NPCA
> board is that spineless that they pass the buck to
> others, I do not see a realistic way that the
> nomination will be blocked. Senators will view that
> as
> tacit approval if our own association does not give
> input. What a load of crap.
>
> That is why I did not donate money. I think the
> intervention is all wrong. The pressure should be on
> PC and the board. If we can't get support there, a
> little research I feel will not prove useful. The
> people approving the nomination both know
> information
> on this guy and have stated that it does not matter.
> Any suggestions for a change of strategy?
>
>
>
> --- Eric Bone <bone@...> wrote:
>  > For those who are interested...
>  >
>  > This is a note from the people who are fighting
> the
>  > Vasquez nomination to
>  > be PC director.  I have contributed money to the
>  > investigation.  If anyone
>  > else is interested in doing so, the address is
>  > below.
>  >
>  > Eric
>  >
>
________________________________________________________________________
>  >
>  > Subject: UpDate on Vasquez
>  >
>  > We are moving ahead. The woman researcher started
>  > Saturday, October 13th in L.A. She will "dig"
> into
>  > press stories,
>  > talk to local people, get the local press
> interested
>  > in Gaddi
>  > Vasquez as a story. He has a history--a history
> that
>  > I think
>  > shows he does not have the experience worthy of a
>  > Peace
>  > Corps Director. If you check out
>  > PeaceCorpsOnline.org, you
>  > can read everything we have so far on Vasquez,
>  > including all
>  > the editorials (NYTIMES, LATIMES, and Boston
> Globe)
>  > that are
>  > against his appointments.
>  >
>  > If you wish to contribute to this research
> project,
>  > made out
>  > the check to:
>  > Barbara Ferris
>  > P.0. Box 32243
>  > Washington, DC 20007
>  >
>  > P.S. As of 2:00 am Tuesday, October 16th we had
>  > pledges of
>  > $2,100. Keep spreading the word.
>  > Thank you again, all of those who sent $$$ to
>  > support this
>  > research project.
>  > John Coyne
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
> http://personals.yahoo.com
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at
> http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com

I found this message in my box,i think is quite
interesting,and i wish to share it with you.


     IF YOU ARE DREAMING OF A TOUR ONBOARD A 4 WHEEL
DRIVEIN VEHICULE AFRICA, THEN JOIN A SOLIDARITY
MOVEMENT


BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CEPAES AND WIN A TRIP IN AFRICA


	 Dear friend,


	 We are glad to inform you of a worldwide solidarity
movement for peace and development launched in Yaounde
(Cameroon) in May 2001.

	 CEPAES (Centre for Preparation and Assistance to
Non-profit-making organisations) is an international
NGO (non-governmental organisation) for development
with 4800 members, among which 3360 youths, 304 adults
and 136 associations. We have conceived a programme
called “Development Train” (see form attached) which
stretches over a period of 10 years and involves the
following fields : Microcredit, environment, health,
social and food security, improvement of  the living
conditions of minors and promotion of socially
acceptable jobs.

	 The association is aimed at “ensuring to each
individual a constant improvement of their living
standard while respecting public health and
environment”.

	 In order to extend its objective, to make known to
and share the problems related to sustainable
development with a great number of people, CEPAES is
organising a competition for new members.

	 This sensational competition (see form attached) of
about “10 questions on development” offers this year’s
winners a one-week trip to Cameroon an many other
surprising prizes.

	 Do you have a passion for development issues, do you
dream of a trip to Africa, do you have an open sense
of social justice, do you wish to take part in the
conception and setting up of major development
projects in the above-mentioned domains , then prompt,
print and carefully read the attachment.



	 Thank you in advance for your interest !




								 The Executive Secretariat

								        Corrine VEZINA



___________________________________________________________
Un nouveau Nokia Game commence.
Allez sur http://fr.yahoo.com/nokiagame avant le 3 novembre
pour participer à cette aventure tous médias.