Environment protection/issues, humanitarian aid » Humanitarian action

Mine: Story of a sacred mountain

Celine — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:07:24 +0000

You have probably been touched by the recent and amazing movie of James Cameron: Avatar. This cinema masterpiece, showing an idealistic planet where creatures live in peace and harmony, can also be regarded as a metaphore of what happens here below.

It seems that, anywhere in the world, some people prefer to work for the evil, harming the rest of the humanity in the egotistic search of their own enrichment. The 10-minute-documentary "Mine: Story of a sacred mountain" aims to increase public awareness about a real Avatar issue in our planet earth.The Dongria Kondh, one of India’s most remote tribes, live in Orissa state’s Niyamgiri hills and worship a mountain as a God. The documentary shows their ancestral tradition to call up against a mining company that prepares to destroy this sacred land in order to build a vast open-cast mine. This documentary is an initiative of Survival International, an organization working for tribal peoples' rights worldwide. Their main actions consists in communication campaigns to call up public opinion all over the world. Check their website for more information.

How Natural Silk is Made

Laura — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:27:31 +0000

Click the images for more Information.

Meditation, a path to liberation

Celine — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:13:15 +0000

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana is a poignant documentary showing how Vipassana, an ancestral hindu meditation technic rediscovered by Gotama Budhha 2,500 years ago, has been used in Indian jails as a way to improve the prison atmosphere, prepare inmates for their reintegration to the outter social environment and help to reduce recidivism rate. Beyond the rehabilitation aspect, it has completly changed the life of many criminals and deliquents and it demonstrates that a soft guided introspective is more effecient than harsh inhuman methods.

The documentary is based upon the experiment led in 1993 by Kiran Bedi, a new Inspector General of Indian prisons, who was trying to reform the Indian penal system. She requested that a vipassana course be conducted in the largest prison in India, Tihar Jail outside of New Delhi.

During the 10-day period, students remain silent. During the first three days, they focus on breathing. After three days, "the mind quiets down" and students become highly aware of the subtleties of breath, then of all physical sensations. The goal is to objectively experience all physical sensations and feelings, from pain to pleasure to hatred. Students realize, as sensations and emotions come and go, that nothing is permanent and that they can change destructive habits. Inmates in particular learn to let go of hatred and see things as they are.

The results were dramatically sucessful and the images are impressive. We can see inmates breaking in tears and giving big hug to the jailers. Based upon this success, a permanent meditation center has been settled within the walls of Tihar Jail and regular courses are held in several other Indian prisons.

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana won several awards such as the prestigeous Golden Spire Award at the 1998 San Franisco International Film Festival and proved to be a very effective tool in bringing about the introduction of Vipassana meditation courses into the prison systems of other countries. Such courses have now been given in the prisons in the United States and in other countries with wonderful results.

More information about this meditation technique can be found on the Vipassana website. Courses are run through donations and conducted regularly all over the world. Anyone can attend and benefit from this purification of the mind.

Insane practices for more farms profit : this is the Meatrix !

Yoann — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:07:41 +0000

Animal cruelty, hormones injection, antibiotic resistant bacteria, massive air and water pollution, small farming communities' destruction… Do you know in which conditions is produced the meat in your plate ? The Meatrix, from Free Range Studios, is here to teach you the truth, to drag you out of the Meatrix, just to make you see the naked reality… And it is definitely scary. Below are the 3 episodes of The Meatrix : Buy your food more responsibly, spread the word about this, piggyback your friends so that they can see the truth and change their habits too… And you will be the one, the one who can alter reality… And make it better !

Impacts of climate change : undernourished children

Yoann — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:26:26 +0000

Climate change could have terrible side effects… and leave another 25 million children malnourished by 2050, unless heafty investments in adaptive measures are made, says a major new report.

Three-year-old Antonio, who has the weight of a 6-month-old baby, is being attended at a health center for malnourished children (Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald)

An annual US$7 billion investment in agricultural productivity will be necessary to help farmers adapt and reduce the number of undernourished children to ‘no climate change’ levels, claims an International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report.

Combining crop models and climate change with IFPRI’s economic model of world agriculture, it forecasts that calorie availability in 2050 will decrease relative to 2000 levels throughout the developing world.

To Gerald Nelson, a senior research member at IFPRI, climate change will definitely dismiss improvement in child nourishment levels.

The report adds that rice and wheat harvests will drop by 15 and 30 per cent respectively, from now to 2050. Moreover, prices are liable to boom, getting up to 121 per cent for rice, 194 per cent for wheat and 153 per cent for maize. Developing countries, especially those in South Asia and Africa, are supposed to experience the toughest times.

“Climate change places new and more challenging demands on agricultural productivity,” claims the report. Hence developing new ways out of the crisis : “crop and livestock productivity-enhancing research including biotechnology will be essential to help overcome stresses due to climate change.”

Actually, both new and pre-existing technologies must be put into effect to offset the effects of climate change.

The report advises farmers to focus on crops and livestock that do “reasonably well” in a set of environments rather than those that thrive extremely well with more drastic climatic conditions. It also highlights that investment should both further irrigation infrastructure and rural infrastructure — for instance, by creating better road networks to ease access to markets.

“Our results are that about 40 per cent of the total [investment] should be in Sub-Saharan Africa and much of that on rural roads,” said Gerald Nelson.

“Climate change makes the challenge [of meeting food demands] much harder. The good news is that policymakers around the world are now paying much more attention. But it is not only about financial resources. Policymakers everywhere need to work to provide farmers with a favourable environment, providing public goods like good road systems, better technologies and more transparent taxing and spending programmes.”

The Theoretical and Legal Framing of the Concept of Disability: Current Trends

Laura — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:54:58 +0000

1. The Theoretical Framework of Disability

On an international level, disability issues have become prevalent on the agendas of NGOs and UN agencies. Theoretical models of disability provide a social reference for laws and policies designed for disabled people[1]. At present, two models are predominant in the international arena: the medical and the social model. While previous policies were rooted in a medical approach, current programs addressing disability issues use a community-focused perspective based on the social model of disability. These two approaches will be discussed more at large in this chapter.

The medical model (or ‘individual model’) stems from positivist science: it defines ‘normality’ as opposed to any form of pathology that limits an individual’s identity to that of an invalid. Some visible results of labeling are low self-esteem and underachievement of the disabled person and dependency and exclusion from the community life. Although the model reifies human beings as simple agents needing treatment, it justly takes into account the limiting effects of disability.

The social model has been devised by disabled people who perceived disability as a socially built identity. This model stresses the uniqueness of every individual and incorporates the disabled into society by valuing difference in diversity. Here, the needs of the person are stressed. Impairments are addressed in their social context, i.e. exploitation of labor or child abuse. The aim is to bring about positive social change by restructuring society: institutional discrimination, built into the structure of society through prejudices and stereotypes, can be eradicated by equalizing opportunities. It is important to note that this approach overlooks the disabling effect of impairments and the cultural variations that define community life and political activism throughout the world.[2]

Table 1. The Medical Model and the Social Model of Disability

	The Medical Model	The Social Model
Definition of Disability	Reduced to impairments	Interpreted in terms of needs of the person
Theoretical approach	Normality/pathology dichotomy = Positivism	Built social identity = Social constructivism
Emphasis	Dependence Labeling	Institutional discrimination (physical and social barriers)
Cure	Medical and associated professions	Positive social change: restructuring society
Strategies to reduce the disabling effect of impairments	-adapting the individual to existing circumstances or sending him to specialized institutions -special education needs	-awareness-raising campaigns, trainings, mainstreaming, involvement in decision-making, rights-based anti-discrimination laws
Outcomes	Personal: low self-esteem, underachievement	Independence
Outcomes	Social: dependency and exclusion	Inclusion
Weaknesses	Depersonalization	Poor design (ignores actual impairments)

Figure 1. The Medical and Social Model Thinking

Figure 1. Effects of medical model thinking.

Figure 2. Problems as perceived by ’social model’ thinking.

Source: British Film Institute. ‘Medical model’ vs. ’social model’.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/thinking/medical.html

Following the social model of disability, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines disability as “the outcome of a complex relationship between an individual’s health condition and personal factors, and of the external factors that represent the circumstances in which the individual lives.”

According to the same institution, impairments represent “problems in body function or structure such as significant deviation or loss.”[3]

In the same vein, disablism represents the social effect of equating disability with disempowerment. Disablism could be seen as the process through which society ignores people with impairments. This produces a “false notion of normality”, which in turn creates pressure to conform to standards and segregates those labeled as abnormal.[4]

2. The Legal Framework of Disability

General standards and regulations also provide an important framework for the redefinition of disability policies. The United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1982-1992) had a broad impact on the implementation of new projects through the shift to a new social paradigm. Even if stereotypes, discrimination, and marginalization have not been completely eradicated in Jordan, they are becoming gradually less frequent than they were twenty years ago.

Current disability policies are shaped by the provisions stipulated in the following normative documents:

The UN Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 1992 based on the World Program of Action, are a fundamental instrument for policy-making and international cooperation. The 22 rules contain provisions for equalizing participation, target areas for equal participation, implementation measures, and monitoring mechanisms. The act appoints a Special Rapporteur to monitor the implementation of the Rules.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability was ratified on May 3^rd 2008. One of the fastest treaties to be negotiated at the United Nations[5], this convention promotes equal rights and international cooperation, especially in developing countries. It further stipulates that the handicapped should be included in decision-making processes; special protection and assistance should be given to women, girls, children, and families with disabled members. States should facilitate accessibility to the physical and social environment, to information and communication, to health, education, and work experience on the open labor market.

[1] Source: The Open University. Models of Disability.

http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/understanding-and-awareness/models-of-disability.php

[2] Sources: British Film Institute. ‘Medical model’ vs. ’social model’.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/thinking/medical.html

British Film Institute. Disability, diversity and Equal Opportunities.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/thinking/diversity.html

Daniel Goldberg. Social Model of Disability. 09 November 2006. http://www.medhumanities.org/2006/11/social_model_of.html

[3] ICF definition of disability and impairment in “Disability and Rehabilitation WHO Action Plan 2006-2011.” Accessible from: http://www.who.int/disabilities/publications/dar_action_plan_2006to2011.pdf

[4] Thomas, Pam. “Disability and Charity.” Available from:

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/thomas%20pam/Equalising%20charity1.pdf

[5] According to the internal document entitled “Taking Stock of Disability Related Interventions at UNRWA” provided by the Programs and Projects Support Unit at UNRWA JFO.

20 striking pictures of children in third world countries

Yoann — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:41:09 +0000

Pictures of children in third world countries… An efficient way to get aware that their way of living is definitely not ours… Unfortunately.

Natural disasters : the 10 deadliest throughout history

Roger — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:18:09 +0000

When nature goes out of control….

10. Banqiao Dam flood (1975) Death Toll: 90,000–230,000

The Banqiao Reservoir Dam and Shimantan Reservoir Dam are among 62 dams in Zhumadian Prefecture of China’s Henan Province that failed catastrophically or were intentionally destroyed in 1975 during Typhoon Nina. The dam failure caused the sudden loss of 18 GW of power, the equivilant of roughly 9 large modern coal fired power stations, or about 1/3 the peak demand on the UK National Grid.

Link

9. Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami (2004) Death Toll: 230.000

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunami itself is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami.

The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 metersfeet) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were the hardest hit. (100

With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.

The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $7 billion (2004 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid.

Link

8. Haiyuan earthquake (1920) Death Toll: 240.000

1920 Haiyuan earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on December 16, 1920. The epicenter was 36°30?N 105°42?E? / ?36.50°N 105.70°E? / 36.50; 105.70, in Haiyuan County, Ningxia Province, Republic of China. It was also called the 1920 Gansu earthquake because Ningxia was a part of Gansu Province when the earthquake occurred.

The earthquake hit at local time 20:06:53 (GMT 12:06:53), reportedly 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, followed by a series of aftershocks for three years. Today’s Chinese media claim the earthquake as of magnitude 8.5, although the scale is not specified. It caused total destruction (XII – the maximum intensity on the Mercalli scale) in the Lijunbu-Haiyuan-Ganyanchi area.

Link

7. Tangshan earthquake (1976) Death Toll: 242.000

The Tangshan Earthquake also known as the Great Tangshan Earthquake, was a natural disaster that occurred on July 28, 1976. It is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, People’s Republic of China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The number of deaths initially reported by the Chinese government was 655,000, but this number has since been stated to be around 240,000 to 255,000. A further 164,000 people were recorded as being severely injured. The earthquake came in between a series of political events involving the Communist Party of China. It shook China both literally and figuratively in 1976, which was later labeled a “Year of curse”.

The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 10 seconds. Chinese Government’s official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, though some sources listed it as high as 8.2. It was followed by a major 7.8 magnitude aftershock some 16 hours later, increasing the death toll.

Link

6. Antioch earthquake (526) Death Toll: 250.000

In 526 during late May, probably between the 20th and the 29th, a major earthquake hit Syria and Antioch, Turkey, killing approximately 250,000 people. The earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left standing by the earthquake. Damage estimates on the Modified Mercalli scale are; VIII Antioch, VII Dafna & Seleucia Pieria. In the port of Seleucia Pereia an uplift of 0.7 – 0.8 m has been estimated, and the subsequent silting up of the harbour left it unusable. This event was the sixth deadliest natural disaster in history and the third deadliest earthquake.

Link

5. India Cyclone (1839) Death Toll: 300.000

A 40-foot storm surge from a huge cyclone that hit Coringa, India on November 25 killed 300,000 people.

Link

4. Bhola cyclone (1970) Death Toll: 500.000

The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India’s West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times.Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta, many of which had been settled illegally. This cyclone was the sixth cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and also the season’s strongest, reaching a strength equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

Link

3. Shaanxi earthquake (1556) Death Toll: 830.000

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or Jiajing earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty. More than 97 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhui were affected. An 840-kilometre (520 mi)-wide area was destroyed, and in some counties 60% of the population was killed. Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodongs, artificial caves in loess cliffs, many of which collapsed during the catastrophe with great loss of life.

Link

2. Yellow River flood (1887) Death Toll: 900.000–2.000.000

The Yellow River (Huang He) in China is prone to flooding, due to the broad expanse of largely flat land around it. The 1887 Yellow River floods devastated the area, killing between 900,000-2,000,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. For centuries, the farmers living near the Yellow River had built dikes to contain the rising waters, caused by silt accumulation on the riverbed. In 1887, this rising riverbed, coupled with days of heavy rain, overcame the dikes, causing a massive flood. The waters of the Yellow River are generally thought to have broken through the dikes in Huayankou, near the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province. Owing to the low-lying plains near the area, the flood spread very quickly throughout Northern China, covering an estimate 50,000 square miles, swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. After the flood, two million were left homeless. The resulting pandemic and lack of basic essentials claimed as many lives as those lost directly by the flood itself. It was one of the worst floods in history, though the later 1931 Yellow River flood may have killed as many as four million.

Link

1. China floods (1931) Death Toll: 1.000.000–4.000.000

The 1931 Central China floods or the Central China floods of 1931 are a series of floods that occurred during the Nanjing decade in the Republic of China era. It is generally considered the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded, and almost certainly the deadliest of the 20th century (when pandemics are discounted) and in China. The human casualties are estimated from 3.7 million to 4 million.

Link

Amnesty International campaign against destitution

Yoann — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:43:01 +0000

You have all heard about these city management games, the Sim City-like, where you embody a mayor, and are in charge of the development of housing, transports, public service, and so on…

Your first concern is always your inhabitants’ welfare.

Actually, this has been a great source of inspiration for Amnesty International…

For they made a pixel-art out of it :

Association : Amnesty International Belgium. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

The caption says : ” Destitution is a modern scourge. Destitution violates human rights. We demand dignity”.

By clicking on some parts of this picture, you will be given information about particular topics : refugees, discrimination, forced deportation, death penalty… (sorry it’s in French !)

Tribals and sustainable development

Yoann — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:26:59 +0000

15th century : “Tribal people must be taken away from their dubious archaic faith : we must evangelize them… And in the process why not deplete their lands out of their valuable resources ?”

21h century : “Gosh, because of those nosy little activists, we are no longer free to make business as we used to do. Let’s pretend we are helping tribes out about their exploiting natural resources. Let’s fake they need to be taught how to live sustainably, them short-sighted fellas who certainly are unaware of the environment preservation’s stakes.”

Colonization, a distant and dim memory ? Not really. Names have changed but practices have remained mostly the same, as this video from Survival International shows :

Nowadays , some firms take advantage of the sustainable development burst we are caught in to take hold of the native’s lands, and to mainstream tribal people, to withdraw them from their culture.

But we shall not let that happen.

Join us and act now to protect their rights !
Thanks for them.

Environment protection/issues, humanitarian aid » Humanitarian action

Mine: Story of a sacred mountain

Related posts :

How Natural Silk is Made

Related posts :

Meditation, a path to liberation

Related posts :

Insane practices for more farms profit : this is the Meatrix !

Related posts :

Impacts of climate change : undernourished children

Related posts :

The Theoretical and Legal Framing of the Concept of Disability: Current Trends

1. The Theoretical Framework of Disability

2. The Legal Framework of Disability

Related posts :

20 striking pictures of children in third world countries

Related posts :

Natural disasters : the 10 deadliest throughout history

Related posts :

Amnesty International campaign against destitution

Related posts :

Tribals and sustainable development

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