With the American public angered by a government shutdown that has sent up to 800,000 federal workers home without pay and has threatened to derail a fragile economic recovery, both Republicans and Democrats have attempted to frame the crisis from their own vantage point. The week’s best quotes on the government shutdown include everything from finger-pointing, name-calling, calls to reason, and hot mic revelations.
1) “Save us from the madness. Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable. Remove the burdens of those who are the collateral damage of this government shutdown, transforming negatives into positives.”
— Senate Chaplain Barry Black, opening prayer on the Senate floor, Oct. 3
2) “We’re not going to be disrespected, We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”
— Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), the Washington Examiner, Oct. 2
3) “I really think Boehner needs to get some courage. Maybe he needs to take an afternoon off and golf and contemplate it and come back.”
— Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 3
4) “I think if you’re the White House, you just sit back and watch.”
— Former press secretary Robert Gibbs, on MSNBC’s “Now with Alex Wagner,” Oct. 2
5) “This is much more like what I deal with Henry in the morning when he says he wants to say, ‘I want candy for breakfast.’ It’s really a tantrum; it’s a tea party tantrum. ‘You either give me my way, or we’re going to shut down government.’”
— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 2, referring to her 5-year-old son, Henry.
6) “I think if we keep saying, ‘We wanted to defund it, we fought for that, but now we’re willing to compromise on this.’ … I know we don’t want to be here, but we’re going to win this, I think.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), caught on a hot mic, Oct. 3
7) “I am not a criminal. I am not a scoundrel. So they better get a different definition of me.”
— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on the Senate floor, Oct. 2
8) “When you don’t have a president, every congressman, every senator, every governor, thinks they’re the spokesman for the party. And the one that lights their hair on fire is the one that gets on the evening news.”
— Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, at the University of Utah convocation, Oct. 2
9) “It seems that there is nothing the media likes to cover more than disagreements among Republicans, and apparently some senators are content to fuel those stories with anonymous quotes. Regardless, my focus — and, I would hope, the focus of the rest of the conference — is on stopping Harry Reid’s shutdown, ensuring that vital government priorities are funded, and preventing the enormous harms that Obamacare is inflicting on millions of Americans.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Oct. 2
10) “Think about the precedent. What’s next? What if the Democratic extreme said, ‘Well we’re not going to sign a budget unless you do away with assault weapons?’ What if we’re not going to have a budget unless 20 people around here decide that everybody under the age of 40 should wear a tin hat around? This is not the way you govern a great country.”
— Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 1
– Nayomi Chibana
Feature Writer
Sources: Politico, Reuters
Photo: Vice
Could 2030 See the End of AIDS?
According to UN officials, the global AIDS epidemic could be over by 2030. Significant progress has been made in treatment and control of the disease. Louis Loures, a deputy executive director of UNAIDS has confidently stated, “I think that 2030 is a viable target to say that we have reached the end of the epidemic.” In addition, Loures believes that the disease’s epidemic level will decrease by that time.
Unfortunately, HIV infections still continue to be a constant problem for this society. According to Inquirer News, “three million new HIV infections are reported each year, and the disease which attacks the immune system kills 1.7 people per year.” However, Loures believes that the end of this epidemic is near. He says “we can get to the end of the epidemic because we have treatments and ways to control the infection.”
Costs for the antiretroviral treatment against HIV/AIDS have also decreased. According to medical reports, the average annual cost of treatment per person in the early 1990s was $19,000. Today, prices have decreased to $150 per treatment. Thanks to new medical developments, antiretroviral drugs have become widely available to the public. The once untreatable disease can be diagnosed early and treated with a variety of drugs.
The advancements have been so great that UNAID reports state that “the annual incidence of new infections has fallen to under 20 percent in the past decade, and in 25 countries it has fallen to over 50 percent.” These trends show a consistent and credible path to Loures’ 2030 prediction. In addition, the number of people who have received treatment has decreased to 60 percent.
On the other hand, however, vulnerable groups such as sex workers and drug users often don’t know they carry the disease or have challenges seeking treatment. According to Loures, the groups who don’t get treated will risk the health and safety of the entire population. His assumption is that if people don’t get HIV/AIDS treated and under control then “the disease will stay with us.”
Most recently, new medical advances have shown signs of a possible cure. This new drug has passed the first round of experimental testing and medical experts are confident that this might be the cure to the fatal disease.
Moreover, it is recommended that people take the necessary measures to prevent the disease. New protection campaigns by HIV/AIDS groups have arisen. More kids are being educated about the disease earlier on.
Based on all of this information, there is reasonable hope that 2030 could signal the end of AIDS. While there are still important obstacles to surmount, new medical advances, more focus on prevention and detection as well as advocacy have substantially increased the possibility of eradicating the disease.
– Stephanie Olaya
Sources: Courier Mail, Inquirer News, UNAIDS
Photo: Times Live
Indonesia: Trade Trash for Healthcare
Gamal Albinsaid, an Indonesian doctor, is thinking outside the box with his new method for bringing healthcare to impoverished people. His new idea: trade trash for health services. While this concept may seem strange to many people, the strategy will essentially be resolving two of Indonesia’s major concerns: making healthcare available to people who cannot afford it and disposing of the huge amount of trash that accumulates in the cities and slums.
Through the Garbage Premium Insurance Clinic Program, Indonesians are able to pay for health insurance by bringing the equivalent of $0.85 in garbage to a healthcare facility every month, instead of paying with cash. These health clinics then give the trash to a “garbage bank” and receive the cash amount. Dr. Albinsaid is proud to have developed a solution for both the healthcare and the garbage problems.
Dr. Albinsaid, who is only 23 years old, was moved by the fact that only 33 percent of Indonesians have health insurance. He is eager to commence the Garbage Premium Insurance Clinic Program to increase this number. The self sustainability of this program will ensure its longevity as a staple in Indonesian healthcare. Although the initial clinics required investor donations, the clinics were self sufficient after six months and able to generate enough profits to open new facilities.
The new system will be implemented in different areas all over the country, mostly in poverty ridden regions, but Indonesia is also improving healthcare in other ways. An improved universal healthcare initiative will potentially cover all its citizens by 2019. Questions over the realistic expectations of the universal healthcare system are being raised by economists as well as by ordinary citizens. Universal healthcare is set to be introduced January 2014, but if for some reason some Indonesians are not included, they have the option to trade garbage for health insurance.
– Mary Penn
Sources: Devex, Market Place
Photo: Flickr
Optifood Software Analyzes Diets to Address Malnutrition
Working through the World Health Organization (WHO), a team of scientists and programmers have created a new software that is capable of analyzing a person’s diet and determining what in their geographic area can be used to supplement nutritional deficits cheaply. The software is currently undergoing USAID-approved trials in Guatemala, with promising results.
According to the Food and Nutritional Technical Assistance III Project (FANTA), malnourished children in the two studied Highlands communities of Huehuetenango and Quiche can be adequately fed for 25-50¢ US each day. The study consists of randomly selected children in the two communities between the ages of 9 and 11 months, and suggests that in addition to breastmilk, potatoes, beans, eggs, tortillas, and fortified cereal, a local powder called Chispitas would complete the children’s diet. Currently, Chispitas is only available to some communities in Guatemala.
With the average Guatemalan woman giving birth to three children, and the average Highlands household earning US$3.15 per day, even Optifood’s findings will require effort to become reality. Most families simply cannot spend 8-15 percent of their income feeding a single baby. And despite the fact that the ingredients in Chispitas can be found locally, the finished product is most available in urban areas where poverty is more severe than in the Highlands.
Whatever the practical limitations, Optifood takes a great step forward by simply identifying, in almost real time, what the nutritional problems are and the optimal, if ultimately impossible, solutions. With workshops being offered in Guatemala and a handful of other countries, to educate local aid workers in the use of the software, hard data can begin to emerge from poor areas and provide international agencies like the WHO the information it needs to assess priorities. It also gives national programs, such as Guatemala’s Zero Hunger Initiative, with a clear set of objectives to accomplish.
As one of the major criticisms of aid organizations is the uncertainty about what funding can actually accomplish, Optifood is able to provide a nutritional “before and after” comparison, elucidating the problem and demonstrating the effects of policy changes or investments.
– Alex Pusateri
Sources: USAID Blog, Google Translate, CIA, INCAP, FANTA Project
Photo: Hunger and Undernutrition Blog
10 Ways to Make a Difference in Someone’s Life
The world is a big place filled with billions of people. It is easy to think that one person can’t possibly do enough to change the world. When the weight of global issues simply feels too huge for one person to handle, we have to remember that we do have power to make a difference, even if it starts on a small scale. Listed below are 10 ways to make a difference that may not change the whole world, but will be sure to change someone else’s world.
Do Good: 10 Ways to Make a Difference
1. Smile! Being friendly to others is a great way to brighten someone else’s day. Whether it’s at the store, work, or simply walking along the street, a nice gesture like a smile could go a long way for someone having a bad day.
2. Do Some Volunteer Work. Volunteering is an amazing experience that gets us out of our daily routines, and makes us turn our efforts outwards. Go out and help feed the homeless, volunteer at local events, even picking up trash in your city is a great way to give back to the community!
3. Sponsor a Child. There are tons of organizations looking for people to sponsor children in need in countries around the world. These organizations are literally only a click away, and don’t take much time to sign up for. It is a small price to pay to make an incredible difference in a child’s life.
4. Invest and Listen. Society has become so drenched in the buzz of technology that real face-to-face interaction and relationship is growing scarce. Next time you throw out the standard, “Hi, how you doin?” make an effort to really invest in what is going in that person’s life. Ask questions that show you really care and want to listen.
5. Teach! Go out and teach a skill to someone who wants to learn. Whether it’s teaching someone how to drive, or helping a student with their homework, your lessons will make a huge impact on their lives.
6. Donate. If you’re anything like the typical American, you have a lot of stuff. When it comes time to get rid of something or buy something new, make a donation instead! There are many ways to make donations online and in your community.
7. Stop What You’re Doing and HELP. It’s easy to think that our priorities are the ones that matter the most. When you’re driving and see someone along the road struggling with a flat, stop to help. Wouldn’t you want a person to do the same for you? There are tons of ways for us to lend a helping hand throughout our day.
8. Team Up with Someone to Live Healthier. Oftentimes having a workout partner is the best kind of motivation out there. If someone you know keeps talking about how he/she wants to get in shape, join them! This will make a huge impact on their lives, and together, you’ll both be on your way to a healthier life.
9. Make a Care Package. Care packages are easy and affordable to make, and they can be used in so many different ways. They can be sent overseas, or used locally! Next time you’re out and about and see a homeless person with a sign offer them a care package. The packages are great to keep a supply of in your car, and they go a long way.
10. Have an Outward Gaze. We live in a pretty self-centered society. Many of us are taught at a young age to do what is going to make us most successful; this can lead us to do a lot things that are only self-serving. It’s time for a change of perspective! Start thinking in ways that turn that self-centered gaze outward. See what it’s like to put others’ needs before yours. You won’t regret it.
– Chante Owens
Sources: Zen Habits, Forbes
Photo: Compassion
Vistaar Finance: Supporting India’s Small Businesses
Small businesses in India are finding a friend in the Vistaar Finance Organization. Since 2010, the Bangalore based company has reached out to an often overlooked demographic with innovative credit and lending programs focused on rural and semi-urban markets. With a customer-centric approach, the organization has quickly become a valuable asset to growing small businesses in India.
Vistaar also holds itself to a set of ethical values in its work. Founded on the belief that creating new economic opportunities can enrich the lives of a community, Vistaar promises service free from discrimination of race, caste, or religion. Vistaar also endorses the principles of the Smart Campaign, which include the promise of transparency, responsible pricing, and the prevention of over-indebtedness. Sandeep Fairas, a nominee director of Vistaar, has said that “Lack of access to basic services for any individual is really an issue of discrimination and must be challenged. It is imperative that we leverage the power of markets to scale and provide access to life changing services to millions of individuals and communities.”
Fairas is also the founder of Elevar Equity, a key investor in Vistaar. Vistaar has invested over Rs. 227crs (US $36 million) in small businesses across India. With 51 branches currently, and continued support from Elevar Equity and others, Vistaar is seeking to expand to 180 branches within the next few years.
– David Smith
Sources: Vistaar Finance, The Economic Times
Top 10 Best Quotes on the Government Shutdown
With the American public angered by a government shutdown that has sent up to 800,000 federal workers home without pay and has threatened to derail a fragile economic recovery, both Republicans and Democrats have attempted to frame the crisis from their own vantage point. The week’s best quotes on the government shutdown include everything from finger-pointing, name-calling, calls to reason, and hot mic revelations.
1) “Save us from the madness. Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable. Remove the burdens of those who are the collateral damage of this government shutdown, transforming negatives into positives.”
— Senate Chaplain Barry Black, opening prayer on the Senate floor, Oct. 3
2) “We’re not going to be disrespected, We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”
— Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), the Washington Examiner, Oct. 2
3) “I really think Boehner needs to get some courage. Maybe he needs to take an afternoon off and golf and contemplate it and come back.”
— Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 3
4) “I think if you’re the White House, you just sit back and watch.”
— Former press secretary Robert Gibbs, on MSNBC’s “Now with Alex Wagner,” Oct. 2
5) “This is much more like what I deal with Henry in the morning when he says he wants to say, ‘I want candy for breakfast.’ It’s really a tantrum; it’s a tea party tantrum. ‘You either give me my way, or we’re going to shut down government.’”
— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 2, referring to her 5-year-old son, Henry.
6) “I think if we keep saying, ‘We wanted to defund it, we fought for that, but now we’re willing to compromise on this.’ … I know we don’t want to be here, but we’re going to win this, I think.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), caught on a hot mic, Oct. 3
7) “I am not a criminal. I am not a scoundrel. So they better get a different definition of me.”
— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on the Senate floor, Oct. 2
8) “When you don’t have a president, every congressman, every senator, every governor, thinks they’re the spokesman for the party. And the one that lights their hair on fire is the one that gets on the evening news.”
— Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, at the University of Utah convocation, Oct. 2
9) “It seems that there is nothing the media likes to cover more than disagreements among Republicans, and apparently some senators are content to fuel those stories with anonymous quotes. Regardless, my focus — and, I would hope, the focus of the rest of the conference — is on stopping Harry Reid’s shutdown, ensuring that vital government priorities are funded, and preventing the enormous harms that Obamacare is inflicting on millions of Americans.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Oct. 2
10) “Think about the precedent. What’s next? What if the Democratic extreme said, ‘Well we’re not going to sign a budget unless you do away with assault weapons?’ What if we’re not going to have a budget unless 20 people around here decide that everybody under the age of 40 should wear a tin hat around? This is not the way you govern a great country.”
— Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oct. 1
– Nayomi Chibana
Feature Writer
Sources: Politico, Reuters
Photo: Vice
UNHCR Concerned About Impact of Dominican Court Ruling
A court case ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Dominican Republic regarding a Dominican woman, Ms. Juliana Dequis Pierre, 29, and her four children is causing great concern and eagerness to act by UNHCR.
Ms. Juliana Dequis Pierre’s parents were migrants from Haiti, and moved to the Dominican Republic several decades ago. Although she was considered a Dominican citizen when born, she does not meet qualifications based on the ruling. If implementation of the case ruling progresses, hundreds of thousands of persons of Haitian descent would be forced out of the state, and rendered stateless. According to the Tribunal’s criteria, descendents of Haitians registered as Dominicans as far back as 1929 would be considered, and instructed to leave the country they have called home for decades.
Several UNCHR officials voiced worry for the fate of almost 300,000 people born in Dominican Republic since 1929. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s Chief of Mission in Santo Domingo explained, “it is difficult to image the devastation of being told you are no longer a citizen of the country where you were born and lived your entire life.” Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR’s Regiona; Representative for the U.S. and Caribbean furthered these concerns by discussing a potential risk of these people being stripped of a recognized nationality, and how it is a “basic principle of international law that no one be deprived of a nationality if that action leads to statelessness.”
According to the ruling, the people should not have nationality because their parents were considered “in transit” and were never truly citizens of the Dominican Republic. Defending the ruling against a backlash of humanitarian supporters, Roberto Rosario, President of the Central Electoral Board, states, “The ruling unifies the country,” and “clarifies and defines a legal way and provides a framework to seek a humanitarian way of for those people.”
However, within the harsh criticism of so many humanitarians, information has leaked about the working conditions for Haitian descendents in the nation’s profitable sugar cane trade. The U.S. was able to conduct reports, and found Haitian sugar cane workers were underpaid, and worked in unsanitary conditions.
Additionally, children of Haitian descent have lived the effects of the hardship caused by a ruling in 2008, because parents were undocumented. School-aged children were stripped of the opportunity to take required standardized tests because they lacked their birth certificate.
Ms. Deguis’s lawyer states, “It’s essentially a life suspended.” U.S. involvement is at a consequential place in this case, as the U.S. imports more sugar from the Dominican Republic than any other nation. The U.S. Department of Labor announced it will revisit the situation involving labor laws in six months and a year.
As for the court ruling, Roman Catholic priest Father Christopher Hartley described the situation saying, “The truth is finally coming out.” Haitian officials will consult with UN members on how to further respond to the ruling.
– Laura Reinacher
Sources: UNHCR, UN Radio, Haiti Innovation
Photo: Castlebar News
Music Stars Help Fight Global Poverty
The long line of musicians joining the fight against global poverty has added a few more names to the roster. More than 70 artists, including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Pearl Jam, and Bruce Springsteen, have teamed up with the Global Poverty Project to turn their fans into advocates for global poverty.
The Global Citizen Tickets Initiative is the innovative way the Global Poverty Project has been using to further their cause. Artists have donated two tickets from each of their shows, totaling over 20,000 tickets to be won by their fans. To win the tickets, fans must earn points by signing petitions, pledging volunteer hours, writing to elected leaders, or donating money to aid organizations. The points they earn can either be used to enter a lottery, or, with enough points, redeemed for tickets directly.
Hugh Evans, the CEO and co-founder of the Global Poverty Project, told the New York Times, “It provides us with an opportunity to get really powerful activism worldwide.” Over the last year, Evans has collaborated with the two largest concert promoters, three major talent agencies, and dozens of band and festival managers to acquire the tickets.
The Global Poverty Project is no stranger to the music scene. The organization has hosted the Global Citizen Festival twice in Central Park, featuring artists such as Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, the Foo Fighters, and Kings of Leon.
The initiative was created shortly after the first Global Citizen Festival, when Evans asked Kelly Curtis, the manager for Pearl Jam, to play at the festival. The concept caught on quickly with artists due to the small sacrifice, and lack of controversy about the cause.
The Global Poverty Project focuses on educating and advocating for those living in extreme poverty, as well as raising funds for their partners. Along with The End of Polio campaign, they have raised over $118 million in pledges towards the eradication of polio.
– David Smith
Sources: New York Times, Global Poverty Project
Photo: The Roosevelts
What Is the Poverty Trap?
In biology, there are two feedback loops – positive and negative. A negative feedback loop works by Effects which disrupt the Cause; for example, cold temperatures prompt the thermostat to activate heating, which raises the temperature and therefore requires the heat to be shut back off. A positive feedback loop works in exactly the opposite way – more Effect produces more Cause which produces more Effect, ad infinitum; this regulates the production of Oxytocin in a woman’s body during pregnancy, and is only ended by the expulsion of the fetus from the mother’s body. The mechanism commonly called the poverty trap is a social positive feedback loop. And this is why it is so difficult to eradicate.
Unlike pregnancy, there is no terminal event which can tell social institutions and infrastructure, “Enough!” Poverty can endure forever; it is a stable state. Many conditions of deprivation can be tolerated once a person is familiar with the new sensation, and poverty is one of these. Furthermore, the system of poverty is complemented by a system of affluence, which also operates by a positive feedback loop. The richer an individual becomes, the more opportunities there are to increase that affluence. This is not to suggest that rich cannot become poor and vice-versa; merely that in capitalist systems, wealth has a tendency to accumulate, like gravity pulling particles in a vacuum slowly toward one another.
If no forethought is given to this positive feedback loop, as has been the case in America over the last decades, it can become nearly impossible for those at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid to reach the top. School is the exemplary case of needing money to make money – without a college education, and increasingly, graduate-level education, many job opportunities are simply out of reach. Loans exist, but conditions are becoming less favorable, and the standard repayment plan on a Stafford Unsubsidized Loan adds nearly 50 percent of the principal in interest over the course of repayment.
A favorite ideology of Americans is that popularized in the 1980s: pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Indeed, this is a critical piece of the solution; a capacity and willingness to commit oneself to improvement is a prerequisite to improvement. However, it also turns a blind eye to the fact that institutions are, by design, resilient to the whims of individuals. An institution which is dysfunctional for one individual is often functional for another. Those for whom institutions function well are understandably reluctant to see them evolve into something less favorable.
That said, in theory, an institution does not answer to those in the ruling party, but operates under mechanisms which dictate it serve the greatest number of people in the best possible way. The legislation pushed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression (the New Deal) and by Harry Truman after World War II (the Marshall Plan, the attempt to temporarily nationalize steel and coal businesses in Europe) was responsible for putting millions to work.
Simply put, the poverty trap is human in operation and institutional in design. Both must evolve if the trap is to be disarmed.
– Alex Pusateri
Sources: A Better World, Prospect
Photo: Zionadventures
Worst Western Hemisphere Country to Grow Old in
According to the Global Age Watch Index, Honduras is the worst Western hemisphere country to live in as an elderly person. The survey measured income security, health status, employment and education, and enabling the environment. It is important to understand and consider the well-being of the elderly in different countries, because their mortality is a good indicator of a country’s total development.
Over half of the participants reported not feeling safe using public transportation or walking alone at night. According to the World Bank, “Between 2005 and 2011, the homicide rate in Honduras more than doubled from 37 to 91.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.” The lack of a pension system leaves 70 percent of Hondurans above the age of 60 in poverty.
Less than seven percent of Honduras’s population is 60 years old or over, which correlates with the poor living conditions of the elderly. Moreover, it is harder to advocate for better condition for the elderly when they are a minority. Inversely, developed Western countries have high aging populations and living standards for the elderly. Larger aging populations have more representation, especially in democratic countries. Therefore, governmental policies are more favorable to the elderly.
Population make-up significantly impacts the future of a country. Countries with large youth populations are more inclined to political instability. The Arab Spring, for example, was started in countries with large populations of youth. The Survey was created by the United Nations Population Fund and covered 98 percent of the world’s elderly. It was motivated by the growing aging demographic in the world’s population.
As expected, traditionally developed countries fared better in the survey – Sweden, Norway and Canada top the list of best countries to grow old in.
– Nicole Yancy
Sources: Foreign Policy: Think Again Global Aging, Foreign Policy: The Arab World’s Youth Army, The Guardian, World Bank, IB Times
Photo: Billweeks