Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 01.31.06

[David Shove (shove001]

             P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R     01.31.06

1. Law/medicine        1.31 11:30am
2. Salon/Jesse/GP 64A  1.31 6:30pm
3. Law/mental illness  1.31 6:30pm
4. Mind the Gap/race   1.31 6:30pm
5. Rowley/union        1.31 7pm
6. Immigrant rights    1.31 7pm
7. Econ hit man        1.31 7pm
8. Gang bang Bush      1.31 7:30pm [ed head]

9. Court/cop brutality 2.01 9am
10. War/economy        2.01 2pm
11. Holocaust          2.01 5pm
12. Creative women     2.01 5:30pm
13. Health seminar     2.01 6:30pm
14. NW suburb/peace    2.01 7pm
15. Anti-torture       2.01 7pm
16. Gay sheep/film     2.01 7pm

17. Emily Figdor - One-third of all Americans endangered by air pollution
18. John Vidal   - Climate change & pollutiom are killing millions
19. Stephen Viederman - Philanthropy & democracy
20. ed           - Cow crap (poem)

--------1 of 20--------

From: Joint Degree Program <jointdgr [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Law/medicine 1.31 11:30am

The Deinard Memorial Lecture Series on Law & Medicine will present Prof.
David H. Kaye, JD (Arizona State University) on Tuesday, January 31, 2006
from 11:30am-1:00pm in the Mississippi Room at Coffman Memorial Union.

Prof. Kaye will lecture on "The Science of Human Identification: From the
Laboratory to the Courtroom."

Profs. Barbara Koenig, PhD (Mayo College of Medicine) and Prof. William
Iacono, PhD (University of Minnesota) will offer commentary after Prof.
Kaye's lecture.

Continuing education credit is offered (see below).  The series is
cosponsored by the University of Minnesota's Joint Degree Program in Law,
Health & the Life Sciences (www.jointdegree.umn.edu) and Center for
Bioethics (www.bioethics.umn.edu), with major support from the law firm of
Leonard, Street and Deinard (www.leonard.com <http://www.leonard.com/> ).

Abstract:  For centuries, anthropologists, geneticists, molecular
biologists, physicians, and sundry forensic scientists have been using
biological indicia of individuality--from dermatoglyphics to DNA--for
legal and social purposes.  In this talk, Prof. Kaye will describe the
process by which a biometric test or theory moves from the laboratory into
the courtroom or the broader society.  He will draw on the history of DNA
typing and ordinary fingerprinting for lessons about the process and how
it can be improved.  He also will speculate on the future of the rapidly
growing DNA databases for criminal investigations and the implications of
genetic-identification technologies for personal privacy.

David H. Kaye is Regents' Professor of Law and Faculty Fellow at the
Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at Arizona State
University.  He is also Editor of Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law,
Science, and Technology. Following a clerkship on the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Prof. Kaye practiced law in Portland,
Oregon, and was an assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special
Prosecution Force.  His publications include 9 books and more than 100
articles and reviews in journals of law, philosophy, medicine, genetics,
and statistics. He is widely regarded as one of the nation's leading
experts on scientific evidence and statistical methods in law.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required if you
wish to receive continuing education credits (CLE, CME or CNE). RSVP to
jointdgr [at] umn.edu or 612-625-0055. Coffman Union parking is available in
the East River Road Garage on Delaware Street behind Coffman Union. Maps
may be found at http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/index.html.

This lecture is intended for students, faculty, researchers, scientists,
policymakers, patients, health care professionals and organizations, and
interested community members.  Following this lecture, participants should
be able to:
* Describe the process by which scientific theory moves from the
laboratory into the courtroom.
* Explain the role genetic identification may play in courtrooms of the
future.

Application for CME Credits filed with the University of Minnesota Office of
Continuing Medical Education.  Determination of credit is pending.
Continuing legal education credit (CLE) for attorneys will be requested (1.5
hours).
For more information on upcoming events, visit
http://www.jointdegree.umn.edu/conferences/
<http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/news_and_events/#events> .


--------2 of 20--------

From: Patty Guerrero <pattypax [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Salon/Jesse/GP 64A 1.31 6:30pm

This Tuesday's Salon, January 31, our guest will be Jesse Mortenson. Jesse
is the Green Party Candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives from
District 64 A in St.Paul.

Pax Salons ( http://justcomm.org/pax-salon )
are held (unless otherwise noted in advance):
Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Mad Hatter's Tea House,
943 W 7th, St Paul, MN

Salons are free but donations encouraged for program and treats.
Call 651-227-3228 or 651-227-2511 for information.


--------3 of 20--------

From: Renee Jenson <faarjenson [at] qwest.net>
Subject: Law/mental ill 1.31 6:30pm

This FREE evening workshop: Exploring Criminal Justice Responses to Mental
Illness, is being held tomorrow nite, January 31st at 6:30 pm, at
Macalester College (John B. Davis Lecture Hall in the Campus Center).

I hope some of you can make it.  The keynote speaker is David Kaczynski,
who is the brother of the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.  There will also be a
panel of experts to discuss other ways in which the system can interact
with people with mental illness in the criminal justice system.


--------4 of 20--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Mind the Gap 1.31 6:30pm

The Organizing Project of African American Congregations will hold an
information session to discuss

"Mind the Gap" report and its impact on local African American communities

Frank Forsberg, *Vice President, Community Planning and Investment of the
Greater Twin Cities United Way will present the findings of the Itasca
Project's socio-economic disparities task force report.

Tuesday, January 31,
Minnesota Church Center 122 West Franklin, Minneapolis
Begins at 6:30pm.
Free parking is available in the lot next to the building

This is an opportunity for members from communities of color, ages 17
years to the elders to come together as a collective group regionally. To
discuss the realities of "closing the gap" on issues of race, class and
place.

The metropolitan area is growing at a fast pace.  However, many people of
color are not beneficiaries of that growth. The voices of people directly
affected ages 17 years to the elders are encouraged to attend.

To view the "Mind the Gap" report visit:
www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20051027_mindthegap.htm
<http://www.micah.org/admin/www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20051027_mindthegap.htm>

To view articles on Who really want to close the gap? The Minneapolis
Spokesman Recorder, part 1 & 2.

For more information contact Cheryl at 612.871.8980 x104 or
cheryl [at] micah.org <mailto:cheryl [at] micah.org>

Shannon Gibney Executive Director, Ananya Dance Theatre
www.ananyadancetheatre.org <http://www.ananyadancetheatre.org> President,
Twin Cities Black Journalists (TCBJ) www.nabj.org <http://www.nabj.org>


--------5 of 20--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Rowley/union 1.31 7pm

Tuesday, 1/31, 7 pm, watch the State of the Union with Coleen Rowley, home
of Greg and Sue Skog, 1591 Mallard Dr, Eagan.  Pop and pretzels provided.
RSVP and directions: 651-454-3850.


---------6 of 20--------

From: Peter Brown <peterb3121 [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Immigrant rights 1.31 7pm

Planning Session for February 12 Unity March

We meet again at Waite House Tuesday night at 7PM.  Waite House is at 2429
- 13 Av Mpls. to plan our multi-community march defending immigrant rights
(and other human rights!) on February 12, a bold statement that the
politics of division and fear will not defeat the people's growing unity!

We continue to plan outreach and will have the route specifics at this
meeting.  There are many ways to help out for this march, so please come
if you can and bring an activist colleague to help, too.

Peter Brown 612-824-6533 MN Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild


--------7 of 20--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Econ hit man 1.31 7pm

Tuesday, 1/31, 7 pm, John Perkins, author of "Confessions of an Economic Hit
Man," speaks at Barnes & Noble, 2100 N Snelling Ave, Roseville.
eric-angell [at] riseup.net


---------8 of 20---------

From: larkin [at] beingism.org
Subject: Gang bang Bush 1.31 7:30pm [ed head]

Local Demonstrators to Protest Bush State of the Union Address

January 31st, 2006 - At 7:30pm a protest of the Bush administration
organized by a group called World Can't Wait in conjunction with the local
organization Beingism.org will gather at the Minneapolis Federal Building
(at 3rd Av and 4th St) to drown out Bush's State of the Union address.
World Can't Wait encourages concerned citizens to attend.

"The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly,
in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future
is in the balance. Millions and millions are deeply disturbed and outraged
by this. They recognize the need for a vehicle to express this outrage,
yet they cannot find it; politics as usual cannot meet the enormity of the
challenge, and people sense this," stated a World Can't Wait organizer.

Beingism.org is encouraging people to bring signs as well as percussive
instruments and other noisemakers to the event. For information and
updates, go to Beingism.org or worldcantwait.org.

Contact: Beingism.org Website: http://www.beingism.org Phone: 612-328-1451
Fax: 928-396-0665 E-Mail: demonstrate [at] beingism.org


--------9 of 20---------

From: Carrie Anne Johnson <v0teyourheart [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Court/cop brutality 2.01 9am

IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!  PACK THE COURTROOM!  ONE DAY  ONLY!
Federal Court Hearing on Our Community Lawsuit!

Wed February 1 at 9am
Federal District Court
300 S 4th St, Minneapolis

At long last, our community lawsuit is going to court.  To remind you,
this was the lawsuit that was filed when it became clear that the city had
hijacked the federal mediation process.  The purpose of the lawsuit has
been to force policy and practice changes within the Minneapolis police
department.  The city has settled on a number of the community's demands
but there are still some issues outstanding, including justice for Darryl
Robinson, the main named plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Darryl was beaten by a Minneapolis cop while another watched, when all he
had been doing was walking down the street.  His eardrum was ruptured when
the officer pounded on his head, and the cop who did it then poured
seltzer water into his ruptured ear, causing excruciating pain.  Officers
left him lying in the alleyway and never charged Darryl with any crime or
even filed a police report.

Darryl took himself to the hospital and demanded to make a complaint
against the officer.  MPD sent a Sergeant to HCMC to interview him, but
somehow the audiotape of that interview was "lost."  Darryl tried to
follow up, but no one at the City would do anything.  A year and a half
later, he contacted us when it was clear the MPD was not going to do
anything to investigate criminal charges against one of their own.  He
feels that this shows a systemic problem in the MPD, and we agree. That's
when Darryl decided to be part of a legal action designed to force
changes.  Word on the street is that this lawsuit is behind McManus'
revamping of Internal Affairs but so far, it's not enough.

Darryl is a brave man and a true hero to the community.  Since becoming
the named plaintiff, he has been harassed repeatedly and has even had to
give up driving due to constant traffic stops.  Yet he has continued to
stand strong in his demand for justice and for changes within the
Minneapolis police department.  This court hearing will be the opportunity
for the community to hear first hand Darryl's story along with issues
related to accountability within the MPD.

COME TO COURT AND STAND WITH DARRYL AND OTHERS WRONGED BY POLICE VIOLENCE
AND MISCONDUCT.

Peace, Carrie Anne v0teyourheart [at] yahoo.com 612-281-4399 cell

Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are
people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without
thunder and lightning;  they want the ocean without the roar of its many
waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or
it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without
a demand; it never has and it never will. - Frederick Douglass


--------10 of 20--------

From: Jennifer Nemo <jennifer_nemo [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: War/economy 2.01 2pm

Wednesday, February 1. Author Vernon Ruttan discusses 'Is War Necessary
for Economic Growth?' at 2pm at the University of Minnesota Bookstore,
located at 300 Washington Ave SE in the Coffman Memorial Union in
Minneapolis. Call 612.625.6000 for more information.


--------11 of 20--------

From: Stephen Feinstein <feins001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Holocaust 2.01 5pm

THE HOLOCAUST AND THE HEARTLAND:
The Long Reach of Persecution and Genocide

Co-facilitated by
the University of Minnesota's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
<http://www.chgs.umn.edu/>www.chgs.umn.edu
and TRACES Center for History and Culture
<http://www.traces.org/>www.TRACES.org

held at the Landmark Center
75 West 5th Street, Suite 211
Saint Paul/MN 55102

PROBLEM:
The Holocaust and the events surrounding it can seem far removed from the
American Midwest, especially for young people born in a post-war world
that on the surface at least scarcely resembles the world of the 1930s and
40s.

PROGRAM:
This three-part series is intended to bring the Holocaust home, to
localize global events that took place more than half a century ago, and
to make an abstraction literally tangible by familiarizing teachers (and
thereby their students) with Midwest connections to Nazi Germany:
individual case studies involving refugees, Midwest rescuers,
 the Frank sisters  Iowa pen pals, Jewish Midwest POWs in the Third Reich,
Jewish civilian  internees in the U.S., and the experiences of Minnesota
or other Midwest soldiers present at Nazi camps.

PARTICIPATION:
For information or to register for the limited spaces available for this
unique series, contact

<mailto:MichaelLuickThrams [at] yahoo.com or phone/fax
651.292.8700/fax 8702.

To attend one session costs $50, two cost $75 and
all three $115; fees include cost of 1 exhibit book and (while supplies
last) 1 TPT documentary on DVD/VHS. CEU certificates will be provided for
all seeking re-certification or re-licensure.

TIMES/DATES:
Session #1: 5pm-8.30pm Wed., 1 February 2006
Session #2: 5pm-8.30pm Wed., 8 February 2006
Session #3: 5pm-8.30pm Wed., 15 February 2006

Sample of Topics Covered:
Eugenics in America, a Model for the Nazis
Anti-Semitism in the Midwest
Minnesota: Historical Anti-Semitic Capital of the U.S.
Henry Ford: Model Industrialist and Hate Monger
Charles Lindbergh: America First Isolationist and Critic of Jews
Midwest Pen Pals and Persecution of the Jews:
Lucille Nelson's Anti-Semite Pen Pal in Vienna, Maria Likar
Anne and Margot Frank's Iowa Pen Pals, Juanita and Betty Ann Wagner
Havens in the Heartland:
Herman Stern's Quiet Rescue Efforts
Quaker Responses to the Nazi Persecution
the Scattergood Hostel for European Refugees, 1939-43
the Quaker Hill Hostel for European Refugees, 1940-41
Jews [Re-]Imprisoned with other German-American Internees:
the case of Edgar Friede
Jews from Latin America Forcibly Brought to the U.S. during WWII
Jewish Midwest POWs in Nazi camps
Panel Discussion, Q/A: Survivors of the Holocaust and U.S. Army Witnesses


--------12 of 20---------

From: Bonnie [at] mnwomen.org
Subject: Creative women 2.01 5:30pm

On Wednesday, February 1, 5:30 to 8PM at the Klas Center at Hamline
University in St. Paul, the Consortium will celebrate its 26th birthday
and honor eight member groups that represent "Creative Women Inspiring
Justice."

The event is co-sponsored by Hamline University Women's Studies Program
and Bush Memorial Library.  The address is 1537 Taylor Avenue, St. Paul
55104.  Your best bet for parking may be on nearby streets, but you may
also check the campus map at hamline.edu/maps.html for nearby surface
lots.  Cost for the event is $40 at the door or pay your age.  If you
haven't RSVPd (is that a verb?), please do so to info [at] mnwomen.org so we
can be sure to have lots of yummy food.


--------13 of 20---------

From: john schwarz <john [at] unitedhealthsystem.org>
Subject: Health seminar 2.01 6:30pm

Progressive Health Reform Seminar

A free 6-week seminar (Every Wed Feb 1 to March 8, 6:30 to 8 pm) open to
the public that serves as an introduction to our current health system,
health markets, progressive reform proposals, ways to evaluate policies,
interpreting health system research, resources on how to get involved and
continue expanding your health system knowledge.

A new seminar from a new non-partisan group, United Health System (UHS).
UHS is an unincorporated non-profit, volunteer progressive health policy
research, education, and advocacy group. We have no association with the
health or insurance industry, nor with any political party or group. The
seminar instructor is John Schwarz, a longtime health system/policy
analyst, single-payer/universal system advocate, and UHCAN-MN member.

Please see our website for more detailed info/syllabus on the seminar, or
email at listed email address. Questions welcomed. Free of charge.

Location: Wolve's Den Restaraunt/Cafe. 1201 Franklin Ave. E. Mpls.
Classroom-style meeting room. A few blocks west of Cedar on Franklin.

email: education (at) unitedhealthsystem . org
http://www.unitedhealthsystem.org/education.php


--------14 of 20---------

From: carydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net>
Subject: NW suburb/peace 2.01 7pm

February 1, 7pm - Northwest Suburban Citizens for Peace will meet at St.
Joseph's Catholic Church (Youth Room) at 8701 - 36th Avenue North, New
Hope (near Boone).

We will view and discuss the Frontline program, "Soldiers Heart". The
military teaches soldiers how to fight, how to kill, how to survive but
who teaches them how to live with themselves?  This film explores the
underreported story of the Iraq war - the psychological cost on those who
fight it.

Please join us for a thoughtful discussion of this film.  All are welcome.
This is a new group and formerly met at the Rockford Rd. Library. For more
information, Carole Rydberg (carydberg [at] comcast.net) 763-546-5368 or Lois
Swenson (swenson2206 [at] yahoo.com).


--------15 of 20--------

From: Dave Bicking  <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Subject: Anti-torture 2.01 7pm

Every Wednesday, meeting of the anti- torture group, T3: Tackling Torture
at the Top (a sub-group of WAMM).  Note new location:  Center School, 2421
Bloomington Ave. S., Mpls.

We have also added a new feature:  we will have an "educate ourselves"
session before each meeting, starting at 6:30, for anyone who is
interested in learning more about the issues we are working on.  We will
share info and stay current about torture in the news.


--------16 of 20--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Gay sheep/film 2.01 7pm

FREAK OF NATURE
A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ANIMAL HOMOSEXUALITY
AT THE BELL AUDITORIUM FEBRUARY 1 at 7pm

What do a sex advice columnist, the religious right, and gay sheep have in
common?  They are all featured in the new documentary, */Freak of
Nature/*.  This film explores questions like:  What causes homosexuality?
If homosexual animals won't procreate, why do they exist?  Are there
evolutionary benefits to homosexuality?  If films about homosexual animals
have been produced in Britain and France, why has legitimate research on
this topic been suppressed in the American mainstream?

Freak of Nature weaves interviews with national experts including Dan
Savage, sex advice columnist and cultural critic, Dr. Brian Mustanski,
who's searching for the "gay gene", Greg Spicer, gender theorist, and Anne
Perkins, animal behavioralist and sheep scholar.  The result is a
compelling discussion about the state of science on animal homosexuality,
and how the topic of homosexuality reverberates throughout American
culture.

Be the first to see this provocative new work in progress, meet the
filmmaker, and participate in a lively post screening discussion with
professors Naomi Scheman, theorist, and Anna Clark, sex historian, both
from the University of MN, Cynthia Norton, animal behavioralist from the
College of St. Catherine, and Bonnie Ploger, an evolutionist from Hamline
University.

Award winning independent filmmaker Amanda Taylor has screened her work at
the Walker Art Center, on Twin Cities Public Television, and in festivals
worldwide from New York to Hong Kong.  */Freak of Nature/* proves to be
her most ambitious and timely documentary to date. Donations are
encouraged to support the production, but not required.

All collected donations will be used to support upcoming interviews with
Paul Vasey of Lethbridge University, Manitoba, who studies homosexual
female Japanese macaque monkeys, radical theorist Joan Roughgarden of
Stanford University, and Frans de Waal, head of the Yerkes National
Primate Research Center in Atlanta.

TICKETS ARE JUST $2

The Bell Auditorium is the nation's only dedicated year-round non-fiction
film screen and is located at 10 Church Street SE in Minneapolis inside
the Bell Museum of Natural History. More information can be found at
www.mnfilmarts.org/bell or by calling 612.331.7563 More information on the
film can be found at www.gangesrivertoheaven.com


--------17 of 20--------

ONE THIRD OF ALL AMERICANS ARE ENDANGERED BY AIR POLLUTION
Air Pollution Bill Could Make Situation Even Worse
By Emily Figdor
From: U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Jan. 19, 2006

WASHINGTON - Ninety-six million Americans -- 32% of the population -- live
in areas with unsafe levels of fine particle, or "soot," pollution,
according to a new report released Jan. 19 by the U.S. Public Interest
Research Group (U.S. PIRG). The report is a comprehensive analysis of
levels of fine particle pollution in the U.S. in 2004, based on a survey
of state environmental agencies.

"Soot pollution is a serious health risk. Children, senior citizens, and
even healthy adults suffer asthma attacks and other health problems from
soot pollution," said U.S. PIRG Clean Air Advocate Emily Figdor.

Coal-fired power plants and diesel engines are the largest sources of fine
particle pollution.

Fine particle pollution is the nation's deadliest air pollutant -- and
one of its most pervasive. Because of their small size, fine particles can
bypass the body's natural defenses, such as coughing and sneezing, and
lodge deep within the lungs or even pass into the bloodstream, causing
serious respiratory and cardiovascular problems, such as asthma attacks,
heart attacks, and lung cancer. Fine particle pollution cuts short the
lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year, according to EPA.

EPA estimates that particle pollution shortens the lives of its victims by
an average of 14 years.

The new report, called "Plagued by Pollution," is based on a U.S. PIRG
survey of the environmental agencies in all 50 states and DC. The report
looks at all of the instances in 2004 when pollution levels exceeded
EPA's two health-based air quality standards for fine particle pollution.
EPA's "annual" standard is based on how much fine particle pollution is
safe to breathe on a regular, everyday basis, while EPA's "24-hour"
standard is based on how much fine particle pollution is safe to breathe
on any one day. Both types of exposures are associated with illness and
death.

Key findings for 2004 include the following:

** Fine particle pollution exceeded the annual and/or 24-hour health
standards in 55 large, mid-sized, and small metro areas in 21 states,
exposing 96 million people to this health threat.

** California, Pennsylvania, Utah, Georgia, and Ohio were the states with
the worst fine particle pollution.

** Among large metro areas, the Riverside (CA), Pittsburgh, Los Angeles,
Atlanta, and Cleveland metro areas ranked highest nationwide for the worst
chronic fine particle pollution. The top mid-sized metro areas were the
Bakersfield, Salt Lake City, Visalia-Porterville (CA), Fresno, and
Lancaster (PA) areas. And the top small metro areas were the
Hanford-Corcoran (CA), Macon, Weirton-Steubenville (WV-OH), Rome (GA), and
Hagerstown-Martinsburg (MD-WV) areas.

** The metro areas with the most dangerous spikes in fine particle
pollution included the Pittsburgh, Riverside, and Los Angeles areas (large
metro areas); the Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem (UT), and Bakersfield areas
(mid-sized metro areas); and Logan, a small metropolitan area on the
border of Utah and Idaho.

Senator Carper of Delaware plans to reintroduce his air pollution bill,
the Clean Air Planning Act, within the next few weeks. Unfortunately, as
drafted in 2003 (S.843), the bill would weaken or eliminate critical Clean
Air Act protections, including the New Source Review (NSR) program,
protections for parks and wilderness areas, and the requirement that each
and every power plant reduce its mercury emissions to the maximum extent.
Because the bill weakens facility- specific requirements, individual power
plants could increase their fine particle pollution under the bill,
further exacerbating this already pervasive public health problem.

For instance, an analysis of data from EPA's own consultants estimates
that eliminating the NSR program for existing power plants would be so
significant that it would cut short the lives of 70,000 Americans in the
next two decades. The NSR program requires aging power plants to
eventually install modern pollution controls.

"To protect public health, Senator Carper should substantially strengthen
his bill. Right now, it would make the problem worse and too many
Americans already suffer health problems from breathing polluted air,"
said Figdor.

Emily Figdor, (202) 546-9707


--------18 of 20--------

CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTION ARE KILLING MILLIONS, SAYS STUDY
Poor sanitation to blame, says World Bank report....
By John Vidal
From: The Guardian (UK), Oct. 6, 2005

Almost a fifth of all ill health in poor countries and millions of deaths
can be attributed to environmental factors, including climate change and
pollution, according to a report from the World Bank. Unsafe water, poor
sanitation and hygiene as well as indoor and outdoor air pollution are all
said to be killing people and preventing economic development. In
addition, says the bank, increasing soil pollution, pesticides, hazardous
waste and chemicals in food are significantly affecting health and
economies.

More controversially, the report, released yesterday in New York, links
cancers to environmental conditions and says global warming has a major
impact on health. "For almost all forms of cancer, the risk of contracting
this disease can be reduced if physical environments are safe for human
habitation and food items are safe for consumption," says the report.

It also cites the spread of malaria and dengue fever as climate change
intensifies. Global warming, says the report, is leading to lower yields
of some crops and the salination of coastal areas.

"In 2000 more than 150,000 premature deaths were attributed to various
climate change impacts, according to the World Health Organisation," it
says. While tobacco, alcohol and unsafe sex are still the most likely
threats to health in developing countries, rapid urbanisation and the
spread of slum conditions are now major hazards, says the report.

"Some 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water and 2.6 billion lack
access to safe sanitation. [This leads to] about 4 billion cases of
diarrhoea a year, which cause 1.8 million deaths a year, mostly among
children under five," it says.

Sanitation, says the bank, which is committed to increasing spending on
the environment, is very much "a forgotten problem", with spending on
improvements estimated at just $1bn in 2000 -- less than 10% of that spent
on water.

Millions of people who have moved to cities to find work have swapped
indoor for outdoor air pollution, suggests the report. Urban air pollution
is estimated to cause about 800,000 premature deaths, it says, approaching
the number of people affected by indoor air pollution from wood fires in
poorly ventilated homes in rural areas.

According to the report, which uses WHO statistics, high concentrations of
minute particles released by smoky fires are now responsible for over 1.6
million deaths a year. Acute respiratory infection, largely caused by
indoor air pollution, it says, was responsible for 36% of all registered
infant deaths in Guatemala between 1997 and 2000.

The report also says manmade chemicals such as pesticides have an
increasing impact on the health of poor people. A survey of child labour
in several developing countries, it says, found more than 60% of all
working children were exposed to hazardous conditions, and more than 25%
of these hazards were due to exposure to chemicals

"Without a healthy, productive labour force, we will not have the economic
growth that is necessary to ensure a pathway out of poverty. Poor people
are the first to suffer from a polluted environment," said Warren Evans,
director of the bank's environment department.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005


--------19 of 20--------

PHILANTHROPY AND DEMOCRACY: A VIEW FROM THE U.S.
By Stephen Viederman[1]*
From: Rachel's Democracy & Health News #839, Jan. 26, 2006

Hope has two beautiful daughters: Anger and Courage. Anger at the way
things are, and courage to change them. -- St. Augustine

The question raised by the organizers of the Philanthropy Australia
Conference session October 12, 2005, was this:

"As I see it what is the role of philanthropy in modern democracy?"

My answer:

The role of philanthropy is to help ensure that modern democracy fulfils
its obligations to the commonweal by keeping governments and other
institutions wielding power, including corporations, the media, and
educational institutions, accountable and transparent to all citizens and
residents. Philanthropy has a unique opportunity, and therefore
responsibility, since it is master of its own resources, and not reliant
on outside funding. The ultimate goal must be structural reform and
transformation, not simply amelioration of the present situation. It helps
by supporting those organizations that are committed in theory and in
practice to community, equity, justice, and democracy.

Democracy is more than voting. It requires of us all a commitment to the
commonweal, the common good: to justice, equity and community. Julian
Burnside, in his opening address to the Philanthropy Australia conference
on October 9 spoke eloquently of the need for this when he directed our
attention to the needs of the vulnerable, the powerless, and the
unpopular.

Democracy is in crisis in the so-called advanced countries of the world
and in the so-called developing countries. Here I will reflect on some of
the issues and the responses in the United States because I know it best.
In other countries the issues confronting democracy will differ. In most
cases with which I am familiar these differences will be matters of
degree. The responses of philanthropy will also differ. But the
obligations of the philanthropic sector I assert are the same.

** Reacting to hurricane Katrina, President Bush stated that the
government would do all it could, and called on all Americans to do their
part in the recovery and rebuilding. Subsequent actions have shown that
the government is not fulfilling its obligations either administratively
or financially.

Foundations in the U.S. are supporting rebuilding efforts through local
organizations in the affected communities by dealing with structural
issues not just charity.

** Federal rules require Government contractors to pay the prevailing wage
in the place where the work is done, and to hire locals first. In a series
of cost-plus contracts for Katrina cleanup these rules were waived. If
these rules had been implemented they would have had a significant social
and economic impact on the survivors, and would have reflected what many
believe to be the Government's social compact with its citizens.

Foundations support groups that monitor the actions of government and the
press making transparent the opaqueness of government and corporations.

** In October the Government emasculated the inter-governmental National
Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (NEJAC) by declaring that race
was no longer to be considered an issue in guiding federal agencies in
their cleanup of environmental problems. This despite the fact that
studies over the last two decades that led to the formation of NEJAC to
coordinate the work of all Federal agencies, demonstrate that race is a
central factor in environmental issues.

Foundations are supporting constituency-based economic and environmental
justice community organizations to reverse this decision, working through
their elected public officials and public opinion.

** Law in the U.S does not require voting. The proportion of eligible
voters who actually participate in elections is small. Challenges to
voting rights are increasing, especially the rights of the poor and people
of color. A requirement that voters show picture identification recently
adopted by some states in the south is in effect a 'poll tax," requiring
people to prove eligibility (and incur cost to do so) rather than assuming
they are eligible. In the November 2005 election for Mayor of New York
City, and for the governorship of New Jersey, fewer than 50 percent of
eligible voters went to the polls. Voter apathy is strong. The influence
of corporate money and lobbyists, the "K Street" phenomena, induces a
sense of powerlessness. The cost of elections favors candidates who are
among the very rich, like the New York winner, Michael Bloomberg, and the
competing candidates for the governorship of New Jersey, who self-financed
their bids for office. It also favors candidates with great money raising
machines that make big promises to the givers, especially the
corporations, to be made good at a later date.

Foundations are supporting nonpartisan voter registration and education on
the issues, and get-out-the-vote campaigns.

** Prospects for significant campaign finance reform are stymied by
promises made to the rich and powerful, and by the strength of incumbency.
As a result some of the very best possible candidates are discouraged from
running for public office, at any governance level. Populist commentator
Jim Hightower, in the sixties an elected Secretary of Agriculture in
Texas, highlighted the problem in the title of his book, If the gods had
meant us to vote they would have given us candidates (2000).

Foundations are supporting efforts to describe a fair program for campaign
finance that does not favor the wealthy, and are actively involved in
supporting public education around these issues.

Foundations are also exercising their ownership obligations in the
companies in their financial portfolios by filing shareholder resolutions
and by voting their proxies requesting companies to publish in their
annual reports the recipients of their political contributions.

** The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recently proposed
sweeping changes to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which became law
in 1986, and which is the premier environmental regulation credited with
providing citizens with the right-to-know and actual information about
pollution sources in their neighborhoods. First, EPA has proposed
requiring facilities to report their toxic emissions only once every other
year instead of every year. Companies would not be required to produce a
report covering two years of data -- they would simply get a pass every
other year. The second proposal would allow facilities to release ten
times as much pollution before triggering requirements to report on the
quantity of toxic chemicals released. In response, an industry group, the
American Chemistry Council, has launched a major chemical industry public
relations campaign claiming that the TRI is not so essential.

Foundations are supporting community-based and national environmental
organizations to respond to this effort at emasculating an important tool
to protect the health and welfare of communities.

** At the end of October the House of Representatives passed
overwhelmingly the Housing Finance Reform Act, which includes a provision
that disqualifies nonprofits from receiving affordable housing grants if
they have engaged in voter registration and other nonpartisan voter
activities, lobbying, or produced "electioneering communications."
Organizations applying for the funds are barred from participating in such
activities up to 12 months prior to their application, and during the
period of the grant even if they use non- federal funds to pay for them.
Most troubling, affiliation or association with any entity that has
engaged in any of the restricted activities also disqualifies a nonprofit
from receiving affordable housing funds under the bill. This is a
significant step back from previous rules and regulations.

Foundations are supporting vigorous efforts at public education and
mobilization to maintain the right of community and nonprofit
organizations to participate in the democratic process.

** The Congress is now (mid-November 2005) considering legislation that
would reduce tax rates on the very wealthy while considering cost-cutting
offsets in Medicare, student loans, food stamps for the poor, and programs
for children, directed toward the poor and middle class. The bi-partisan
Congressional Budget office found that similar tax cuts recently enacted
have been ineffective in stimulating the economy, the ostensible reason
for the tax cuts then and now.

Foundations are supporting public education efforts, advocacy and
mobilization to insure that people are aware of these assaults on the
'safety net' and activated to let their elected representatives know their
concerns.

** A foundation working on issues that are perceived as unpopular by the
present Administration was told by its lawyer not to engage in policy or
strategic discussions by email in order to avoid government eavesdropping.
What they are funding is perfectly legal.

The foundation in question is not backing down. In addition, groups of
foundations are protesting at this federal-level abridgement of their
rights as foundations to act in the public interest supporting causes the
present Administration considers unpopular.

** The Administration has been secretly paying psuedo journalists
significant amounts of money to report favorably on its initiatives.

Foundations are supporting watchdog groups that are exposing government's
efforts to at best confuse, at worst to lie, to the public.

** Corporate power is at an historical peak, and the abuse of that power,
including a lack of accountability to shareholders, stakeholder, employees
and communities, is considerable.

Foundations are owners of significant corporate assets and some of them
use these assets to achieve great corporate accountability and
transparency toward the common good. Corporations are the greatest
economic force in the world today. Foundations in collaboration with other
concerned owners are increasingly filing shareholder resolutions and
voting proxies in support of shareholder resolutions that support human
rights, the environment, workers, and equal opportunity, among other
things. These combined efforts have been successful in changing corporate
behavior.

These observations on the state of democracy are not a counsel of despair,
as dispiriting as they are. They are rather a call to action for the
philanthropic community in the U.S. to provide more support to assist
community and watchdog groups hold governments and other powerful
organizations at all levels accountable to all citizens and residents of
the country, not just to a chosen few. They can help groups to insist on
greater transparency on all aspects of government, corporate and other
institutional activities.

Foundations in the U.S. can fund community organizing, advocacy and
mobilization around public issues, although they cannot fund support for
the passage of specific legislation. There are many non- governmental
organizations that desperately need support to defend the public good at
community, municipal, state and national levels. Foundations support voter
education and registration, and 'get out the vote' campaigns. Voting is a
basic right in a democracy. Foundations also support public education
campaigns around specific issues.

Many foundations in supporting these efforts focus on groups that have
real constituencies, grassroots rather than Astroturf. The groups they
seek are those where the dialog and decisions are part of a democratic
process, to which the group is accountable. This is democratic base
building.

Any response to the challenges to democracy requires philanthropy to look
inwardly as well. To whom are we accountable? Are we transparent in our
relations with grant seekers and the public-at-large? Are our efforts
focused on structural and systemic change to protect democracy, or are we
satisfied with amelioration of the problems facing our nation, filling in
for government?

As the African-American slave, abolitionist and intellectual Frederick
Douglass observed in the 19th century: "If there is no struggle, there is
no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation,
are men who want crops without plowing up the ground...Power concedes
nothing without a demand."

South African Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu a century later
notes: "There can be no neutrality. If you are neutral in situations of
injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has
his foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the
mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

What philanthropy in the U.S. is doing pales in the face of challenges to
democracy today. Social justice philanthropy, a rough measure of what is
needed, is estimated to be only about 15 percent of total grantmaking.

Philanthropies in every country will have to assess the problems of
democracy in their countries, the political and social culture, and design
appropriate responses to protect and nourish democracy. To reframe Julian
Burnside's challenge to foundations, democracy cannot survive without
inclusion of the vulnerable, the powerless, and the unpopular. Who comes
to the table of democracy will decide what democracy really means. This is
the challenge to philanthropy in the U.S. and worldwide.

* Stephen Viederman is an activist, educator, writer, speaker and
consultant on a wide range of issues including sustainability; the social
role of higher education; the future of philanthropy and whether it can
meet the challenges of democracy and civil society; environmental and
economic justice; redefining fiduciary responsibility and issues of social
investment; the limits of corporate social responsibility within the
context of how we define the economy; population and the environment; and
science and public policy. An underlying theme in his work is the problem
of effecting long-term institutional change toward a just society. In 2000
Steve retired as President of the New York-based Jessie Smith Noyes
Foundation.

[1] These notes are an expansion of ideas presented at Philanthropy
Australia's Conference in Melbourne on October 12, 2005. I am profoundly
indebted to PA for their invitation to participate. On October 17 I
delivered the Stegley lecture at the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and
Social Investment at Swinburne University, "Equity, democracy, community,
and philanthropy". The text of that lecture will be available on the
Centre's website sometime in February 2006. Since I see these remarks as
part of a continuing dialog, reactions as well as comments and critiques
are very welcome. Contact me at stevev [at] igc.org, with "NZ Philanthropy" in
the subject line since I have a very active spam blocker.

This article was prepared at the request of Philanthropy New Zealand. An
earlier version appeared in Philanthropy New Zealand News, Vol. 2, No. 40,
Summer 2005, pgs. 14-16.


--------20 of 20--------

 George Bush is living
 proof there's only so much you
 can do with cow crap.


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