Greetings:

NIHAC is planning a program for the spring focused on the Iraq conflict
and public health.  For those interested in this topic, here is another
opportunity to better understand the topic of conflict and health, and
also a special opportunity to hear an address by Noam Chomsky.  Details on
this program in Vancouver BC March 19 are below.

Mary Anne


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 09:09:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Stephen Bezruchka <sabez@...>
To: International Health <ihp@...>
Subject: Conflict and Health Conference

The medical students at UBC (University of British Columbia) have
organized a great conference on conflict and health, taking both a broad
perspective and looking at details.  It will be held in Vancouver, Friday
March 19 from 6:30 on, and Saturday until 4 pm.  There will be a variety
of speakers and workshops, including a keynote address by Noam Chomsky on
Saturday morning.

For details on attending, go to their website:
http://www.med.ubc.ca/conflictandhealth/

For students, ten loonies (about 7 US bucks) will get you wine and cheese,
lunch and a coffee break, as well as the program.  So the price is kinda
Canadian, eh?  If you wait until after March 10, prices double and for
faculty they are doubled again.  They (the student organizers) say they
will do their best not to limit participation for financial barriers.  To
register send an email to conflictandhealth@...
with registration in the subject line and you will be emailed a
registration form.

*******

The  conference was organized with the aim of providing a forum for
students, faculty and other interested members of the public to discuss
current and past conflicts and their impact on population health.
Specific objectives include:
1.  To discuss the role of socio-economic and political factors in the
development of conflict and to consider the differences between structural
and behavioural violence. To understand the multiple ways war and conflict
affect human health.

2. To highlight the small-arms trade in central Africa and its impact on
the development of conflict and how this small arms trade has been
detrimental to the population health of the region.

3. To discuss the role of physicians and other health care professionals
in the promotion of peace and health in conflict situations. To discuss
and begin to understand the complexity of delivering humanitarian efforts
in conflict situations.

4. To highlight the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda through
discussion and workshops.

5. To discuss the unique harms that war and conflict inflict on children
throughout the world and how these harms reverberate through societies.

6. To highlight issues pertinent to refugee health including the
definitions of internally and externally displaced populations. To hear
the personal stories of some refugees and to understand how health care
professionals approach the issues pertinent to refugee health.

7. To discuss post-traumatic stress disorder and to provide some practical
information for health care professionals working with those with PTSD.
To learn about approaches medical schools have taken to include
international health in their curricula.

8. To compare these approaches and develop a plan for the incorporation of
the knowledge gained from this and previous conferences in the UBC medical
school curriculum.

****

The conference organizers have told me they may be able to billet some
students coming from afar.

See you there,

Stephen

Stephen Bezruchka
Department of Health Services
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Box 357660
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195-7660
USA
(206)616-2901, Fax (206)685-4184

DON'T FORGET -- COMING TOMORROW FEB 19:


	 Who Rules?  Trade Agreements and the Current World Order

	       by Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange

	 Thursday February 19, 2004, 7 PM (with a "pot luck" at 6:15*)
	     Room T-639 in the UW Health Sciences Building**

Described by The New York Times as the "Paul Revere of globalization's
woes,"  Kevin Danaher is an exceptionally dynamic speaker. As Global
Exchange's co-founder and Director of Public Education, Dr. Danaher has
spoken at universities and for community organizations throughout the U.S.
He has hosted a monthly radio show on international affairs for KPFA in
Berkeley, California, and he conducts workshops on globalization issues
ranging from food security in Africa to the detrimental effects that
corporate globalization has had on workers and the environment both here
and abroad.

Dr. Danaher believes that a renewed commitment to social justice and human
rights is essential for eliminating terrorism. A longtime critic of the
so-called "free trade" agenda, Danaher explains how the US must work
harder than ever with other countries to reduce poverty and inequality if
we want the cooperation of the world's people in ending terrorism. Dr.
Danaher is also the author and/or editor of 11 books, including his
latest, Democratizing the Global Economy.

* Please join us for a potluck meal at 6:15 PM in the same room before the
program begins - plates and cutlery provided.

**  For directions to the room, see:
http://www.washington.edu/home/maps/southcentral.html
T wing is in the Magnusen Health Sciences Center along Pacific Street

NIHAC is a Seattle based advocacy network actively involved in issues of
equity in health in the Northwest region and the world.

Health Coalition for Children and Youth-

Attached is a brief one pager describing what is necessary to eliminate the rest of the premiums for children's Medicaid.  We are hoping to use this document to show House supporters of this position what organizations support using additional state money to get rid of all premiums.  Please let me know ASAP tomorrow if your organization is willing to be listed on this sheet,

Liz

<<No Medicaid Premiums for Kids.doc>>

Liz Arjun, MSW, MPH
Health Policy Associate
Children's Alliance
2017 E. Spruce
Seattle, WA 98122
(206)324-0340 x21
liz@...

Don't Miss It!  HAVE A HEART FOR KIDS DAY is scheduled for February 10, 2004.  Join us in Olympia to advocate for children's rights!  Register today at: www.childrensalliance.org/whatsnew/events.htm.

An interesting-sounding film being shown in the Seattle community later
this month.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 12:36:59 -0800
From: Barbara Schroeder <barb2@...>
To: Health Services Faculty & Staff <hservl@...>
Subject: Fw: Documentary Premiere Invitation

Sent on behalf of Laurel A Code, Program Coordinator, Center for Health
Education and Research


You are invited to the premiere of the documentary, "Haba na Haba (Little
by Little): Stories of Culture, Health and Community."

This award-winning film profiles four tribal groups in Kenya working to
preserve and transform their traditional practices in ways that improve
the health of their communities.

"Haba na Haba" was directed and produced by Tom Furtwangler and Cascade
Health Communication Group at the University of Washington for PATH and
the Ford Foundation.

  Please join us Thursday, February 26, 2004, 7 pm, at the Langston Hughes
Community Center in Seattle (104 - 17th Ave S at Yesler).  Light
refreshments will be served at a reception following the screening.
Donations will be accepted on behalf of the community groups featured in
the documentary.

This premiere is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Laurel Code at 616-8386 or
health@....

  www.HealthCommunication.org

Mark your calendar's for NIHAC's February presention.  Kevin Danaher spoke
to a packed room last year, and a tape of his talk was broadcast
nationally on NPR's Alternative Radio.  Hear him in person if you missed


* * * * * * * * *

NIHAC's February presentation:

	 Who Rules?  Trade Agreements and the Current World Order

	       by Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange

		 Thursday February 19, 2004, 7 PM*
	 Room T-639 in the UW Health Sciences Building**

Described by The New York Times as the "Paul Revere of globalization's
woes,"  Kevin Danaher is an exceptionally dynamic speaker. As Global
Exchange's co-founder and Director of Public Education, Dr. Danaher has
spoken at universities and for community organizations throughout the U.S.
He has hosted a monthly radio show on international affairs for KPFA in
Berkeley, California, and he conducts workshops on globalization issues
ranging from food security in Africa to the detrimental effects that
corporate globalization has had on workers and the environment both here
and abroad.

Dr. Danaher believes that a renewed commitment to social justice and human
rights is essential for eliminating terrorism. A longtime critic of the
so-called "free trade" agenda, Danaher explains how the US must work
harder than ever with other countries to reduce poverty and inequality if
we want the cooperation of the world's people in ending terrorism. Dr.
Danaher is also the author and/or editor of 11 books, including his
latest, Democratizing the Global Economy.

* Please join us for a potluck meal at 6:15 PM in the same room before the
program begins - plates and cutlery provided.

**  For directions to the room, see:
http://www.washington.edu/home/maps/southcentral.html
T wing is in the Magnusen Health Sciences Center along Pacific Street

NIHAC is a Seattle based advocacy network actively involved in issues of
equity in health in the Northwest region and the world.

NIHAC is part of the Health Coalition for Children and Youth Alliance.  See
email below.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2004 16:56:07 -0800
From: Liz Arjun <liz@...>
To: agalb@..., "Amy Luftig (E-mail)" <Amy.Luftig@...>,
      apiazza@..., "Barry Lawson (E-mail)" <Barry_Lawson@...>,
      "Bill Lanninen (E-mail)" <bill@...>, caspin@...,
      cassies@..., christie@..., claudias@...,
      crystalt@..., Donna D <ddenno@...>,
      Donna.borgford-parnell@..., dsg@...,
      dshurtleff@..., "Elizabeth Swain (E-mail)" <ESwain@...>,
      Fred Connell <fredc@...>, fritzt@..., gailm@...,
      ginnye@..., janet@...,
      John Neff <john.neff@...>,
      Jon Gould <Jon@...>, Judy.schoder@...,
      "Julia Sarkissian (E-mail)" <Julia.Sarkissian@...>,
      keith.schafer@...,
      Kevin Glackin-Coley <kevin@...>,
      kyasuda@..., Laura Cox <cox@...>,
      Laura Strickler <Laura@...>,
      "Leena Der Yuen (E-mail)" <administrator@...>,
      Linda Stone <Linda@...>, lippoldlau@...,
      lonniejb@...,
      "Marilyn Littlejohn (E-mail)" <marilyn.littlejohn@...>,
      "Mary Kenfield (E-mail)" <mkenfield@...>,
      Mary Zwerling <mary.zwerling@...>, Nickf@...,
      nwells@..., pbenz@...,
      "Penny Reid (E-mail)" <PennyR@...>,
      "Rebecca Kavoussi (E-mail)" <rkavoussi@...>,
      Remy Trupin <remyt@...>, rhien@...,
      sallien@...,
      "Sarah Rafton (E-mail)" <sarah.rafton@...>,
      "Steven Hill (E-mail)" <steven.hill@...>,
      "Suzanne Petersen (E-mail)" <suzanne.petersen@...>,
      "Tim and Nancy Chandler (E-mail)" <nchandle@...>,
      vbradley@..., "Zoe Bendixen (E-mail)" <zoe.bendixen@...>
Subject: Frank Chopp's proposal for universal coverage for all kids

Health Coalition for Children and Youth-

Attached you will find two press releases.  The first is the one that was
sent out from Speaker Chopp's office today regarding universal health care
for all kids by 2008. The second is the Children's Alliance press release
that states that this is a laudable goal, but stopping premiums this year is
the first step.

Liz

  <<February 4.doc>>  <<Chopp Anncment Stmt.doc>>
Liz Arjun, MSW, MPH
Health Policy Associate
Children's Alliance
2017 E. Spruce
Seattle, WA 98122
(206)324-0340 x21
liz@...

Don't Miss It!  HAVE A HEART FOR KIDS DAY is scheduled for February 10,
2004.  Join us in Olympia to advocate for children's rights!  Register today
at: www.childrensalliance.org/whatsnew/events.htm.

FYI - here is the latest on the president's budget for the coming year.
It looks like international health is again shortchanged.

Mary Anne


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 08:07:17 -0500
From: Chuck Woolery <chuck@...>
Subject: Re: Feb. 13 planning lunch of COLEAD's Earth Legacy

FYI:  The President's 2005 Budget request to Congress was released on
Monday. It under-funds the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria worldwide.
The President's Budget provides just $200 million for the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (far below the minimum $1.2 billion the Fund
needs in 2005 and less than half of what Congress provided for 2004).
The budget also cuts bilateral TB and malaria programs by $80 million and
the overall Child Survival and Health Account by over $400 million!

The President's budget also includes significant cuts to Environmental
programs.

Perhaps the APHA IH section volunteers working on strategic planning
should take up the issue of where we will apply our limited advocacy
resources.  Perhaps it should be put into regime change.

Chuck

Chuck Woolery, Advocacy Chair
American Public Health Association, International Health Section
315 Dean Dr.
Rockville, MD 20851-1144
Home 301-738-7121    Mobile: 240-401-1098
chuck@...

Dear friends and colleagues.

THIS IS A REMINDER, PARDON US IF YOU GOT THIS INVITATION MORE THAN
ONCE.

You are invited to join us for a benefit dinner and program to
support Palestinian-American, Amineh  Ayyad's documentary film about
medical relief efforts in Palestine as well  as her work with children.

Please find Film' synopsis below as well as more info about the event.
Thanks.

DOCUMENTARY SYNOPSIS:

DYING TO LIVE is a documentary film about the lives of the children in
Palestine, and the dreams and the hopes of peace and security.

Children by nature embrace life in a free spirited manner.  In DYING TO
LIVE, children's rights advocate, Amineh Ayyad, follows and interviews
children from various cities, villages, and refugee camps of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip to get a sense of how the Israeli occupation has effected
the psyche and world view of these children. Traveling with doctors and
volunteers of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Ms.
Ayyad portrays an entire population under siege, and captures the essence
of what it is to be a child in this occupied land.  From the idyllic
village in the hills of suburbs of Ramallah where children run and skip to
the football pitch in the school yard to the rubble of Jenin Refugee Camp
where a child, using a makeshift shovel, digs into the heap that once he
called home.  The fears of soldiers and tanks and the nightmares of losing
home and family, run through as a common thread.  So do, however, the
dreams and the hopes of peace and security.


EVENT'S ANNOUNCEMENT:

CHILDREN OF PALESTINE-BENEFIT DINNER AND PROGRAM

February 1st, 2004
6:00  9:00 PM

University Unitarian Church
6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA

Please join us for a fund raising dinner, live music, and  silent auction
to support the completion of Amineh Ayyad's film

25/person

Sponsored by: University Unitarian Church Peace and Justice Committee,
Promise the Children, Arab Center of Washington, Palestine Solidarity
Committee, Tikkun Seattle, Northwest International Health Action Coalition
(NIHAC), Friends of Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees,
Palestinian Heritage Group, Community Action Network, Stop the Wall
  Campaign-US, Kadima (progressive Jewish group), Children Sing For Peace,
Children's Gathering for Peace

Amineh Palestinian-American filmmaker/artist, is a board member
of Friends of Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC), and
member of the steering committee of Northwest International Health
Action Coalition (NIHAC).  She  traveled to the occupied Palestinian
territories twice in 2002 and filmed  a documentary about the medical work
of UPMRC.  Amineh documented human  rights violations and the many daily
challenges health care personnel face  under siege and curfew.  Amineh's
film captures the psychological impact  of the occupation on children.
Amineh will show one sequence of her film and  share her experiences.

Nursing Students Without Borders Seattle will be reporting back about
their most recent work in Palestine with UPMRC.

Please contact Jerome Chroman at phone # (206) 526-7081 or email
jerome@... or Amineh Ayyad at phone # 206-313-1608 or email
amineh@... for tickets or more information.

Please make checks payable to Tikkun Seattle and write Children of
Palestine on the memo line.

FYI.
In case anyone is interested.  And, I am looking forward to watching
the station's programs once they start broadcasting.
Amineh Ayyad

---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 13:01:26 -0800 (PST)
>
>New Private Iraqi Television Station
>Industry  Television
>Salary Under $75,000
>Benefits
>Job Duration Full Time
>Job Location Washington, DC USA
>Job Requirements Seeking: Arabic-speaking
>correspondent/producer to produce news packages,
>studio interviews, and live commentary for regular
>contribution to Baghdad-based station.
>
>Reporter must have intimate historical and current
>knowledge about Iraq, Iraqi politics, and the new
>situation. Must be an excellent writer and have good
>news judgment. Must ensure that all professional
>journalism standards of fairness, accuracy and
>relevancy are met. Demonstrated ability to meet daily
>deadlines.
>
>Bilingual in Arabic and English. Familiarity with
>Washington reporting. Maintain strong media relations
>with US government agencies, Iraqi diplomatic mission,
>Iraq specialists, think tanks, and critics.
>
>Interested candidates: Send resume, demo tape,
>references to:
>
>Richard J. Eisendorf
>Advisor, Video Cairo Sat
>International Media Consulting
>reisendorf@...
>
>or
>
>Michael Shagoury
>International Media Consulting
>mshagoury@...
>
>International Media Consulting
>937 National Press Building
>Washington, DC 20017
>
>About Our Company Video Cairo Sat, a leading Egyptian
>television production company in the Middle East,
>seeks immediate candidates for a Washington Bureau of
>a new private, Arabic language television station. As
>a first private station in the history of Iraq, this
>channel seeks to set a new standard for freedom of
>expression in Iraq and the Middle East.
>
>Contact Mr. Richard Eisendorf
>Email Address reisendorf@...
>Address 937 National Press Building, NW
>Washington, DC 20045 USA
>
>Fax 2023188208
>Special Instructions Please try contact by email first
>and provide brief background and resume.
>
>
>

Attached please find meeting notes from the December 4, 2003 NIHAC Steering
Committeee meeting.

FYI for anyone interested...

cmr@... wrote:
>
> Two interesting events in January...
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> Seattle Doctors Examine Cubas medical system.
>
>
>
> Seattle doctors spent several weeks observing the medical system and met
> with many practicing health care people.   They visited medical schools
> and spoke with medical students about that aspect of Cuban health care
> including students from the Seattle region.
>
>
>
> Dr. David McLanahan will give a talk and slide show presentation of that
> tour on:
>
> Friday, January 9th, at 7pm.at Bethany United Church Of Christ - 6230
> Beacon Ave S (at Graham)
>
>
>
> A Seattle student from the free Cuban medical school may attend   This
> medical school is devoted to training under-privileged students from the
> United States as well as Latin America and the Third World.
>
>
>
> David McLanahan is a general surgeon practicing at Pacific Medical Cinics
> in
> Seattle since 1980 and is Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the
> University of Washington School of Medicine.  In addition, he has been
> teaching medical students and surgical residents for more than 30 years
> and
> has much experience with community health care in Seattle. In November,
> Dr.
> McLanahan traveled to Cuba with a group of physicians, and others, to
> study
> Cuban health care and medical education.
>
>
>
> Also:
>
>
>
> THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
>
> Thursday, January 22, 2004
>
> 911 Media Arts Center
>
> 117 Yale Avenue North (off Denny, just down the street from REI Store)
>
> Seattle
>
> 206/682-6552.
>
>
>
> THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (2003, 60 minutes)
>
> Award-winning documentary that closely follows the struggles and
> accomplishments of democratically-elected Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
> and his Bolivarian Revolution. THE REVOLUTION... also records the role of
> the US government and corporate media in the coup to break the Venezuelan
> Revolution and Chavez's successful return to power in April, 2002.
>
>
>
> 6:45 PM  Doors Open, Refreshments and Gift boutique
>
> 7:15 PM  Video Screening Begins with discussion to follow
>
> Donation:  $10. to benefit the Right To Travel Fund.
>
>
>
> Co-sponsored by the US Women and Cuba Collaboration Project and the
> Seattle - Cuba Friendshipment Committee with the assistance of the
> Venceremos Brigade, NW Chapter and Women's International League for Peace
> and Freedom.
>
>

FYI for those interested

Campus For Peace wrote:
>
> ------------- Forwarded message follows -------------
>
> Jim McDermott on the State of Our Union
> The War and Peace Report
>
> Time:  Sunday, January 11th, 7 pm - 8:30 pm
>
> Place:  Central Lutheran Church, 1710 - 11th Ave
> (on Capitol Hill – one block east of Broadway and two blocks north of
> Pine)
>
> Begin 2004 by re-connecting with the progressive Seattle community and
> Rep.
> Jim McDermott. Last January 300 of us gathered to hear McDermott.
>
> Join your Seattle neighbors again to share views on promoting peace and
> justice in this election year! McDermott will update us on Iraq,
> Afghanistan, and what he thinks the Bush team and the Democrats  are
> planning for the new year.
>
> Social hour with refreshments follows.
>
> Sponsored by:  Capitol Hill Neighbors for Peace and Justice and Lutheran
> Peace Fellowship
> Endorsed by:  Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War (S.N.O.W.)
>
> Questions:  capitolhill@...
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
> a grassroots group organized by faculty, staff,
> and students at the University of Washington.
> http://www.campus4peace.net
> ----------------------------------
> This is a moderated announcement list used to
> communicate with members of Campus for Peace
> and Justice.
>
> TO CONTACT CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
> SEND A MESSAGE
> TO campus4peace@...
>
> To subscribe to this list, send email
> to c4pj-subscribe@...
>
> To unsubscribe from this list, send email
> to c4pj-unsubscribe@...
>
> -------------------------------------

Dear friends.

Happy new year.

A few local organizations are co-sponsoring a fund raising event for my
documantry film about children and medical relief in Palestine.

I would like to invite you to join us for an evening of Middle Eastern
food, music, folk dance, and a report back from nursing students who just
returned from Palestine after working for a few weeks with medical
relief organization (UPMRC). I will also be showing a  segment of my film.
Mona  Attallah and Maia Brown will be reading a poem that is dedicated to
the children of Palestine and that was written in honor of a peace project I
worked on with Arab and Jewish children.

More information about the event is below.

Please forward to friends.  Hope to see you.

Peace and love,
Amineh Ayyad
* * * * * *
Children of Palestine

Amineh Ayyad, a Palestinian-American filmmaker/artist, is a board member
of Friends of Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC).  She
traveled to the occupied Palestinian territories twice in 2002 and filmed
a documentary about the medical work of UPMRC.  Amineh documented human
rights violations and the many daily challenges health care personnel face
under siege and curfew.  She personally experienced the dangers of living
in Palestine today.  Amineh's film captures the psychological impact of
the occupation on children and focuses on her first-hand observations of
the experience through the children's eyes.  Amineh will show a complete
sequence of her film and share her experiences.

February 1st, 2004
6:00 - 9:00 PM
University Unitarian Church
6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA

Please join us for a fundraising dinner, live music, & folkdance, silent
auction, & more
to support the completion of Amineh Ayyad's film

$25/person
Please RSVP  or purchase tickets by January 26th.

Sponsored by: University Unitarian Church Peace and Justice Committee,
Promise the Children, Arab Center of Washington, Palestine Solidarity
Committee, Northwest International Health Action Coalition (NIHAC),
Friends of Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Tikkun Seattle,
Palestinian Heritage Group, Community Action Network, Stop the Wall
Campaign-US, Children Sing For Peace

Please contact Jerome Chroman at phone # (206) 526-7081 or email
jerome@... and  Amineh Ayyad at phone # 206-313-1608 or
email amineh@... for tickets or more information.  Please
make checks payable to Tikkun  Seattle and write "Children of Palestine"
on the memo line.

FYI--

The earthquake in Bam, Iran has cost the lives of many.  Although
estimates vary at present, some count the death toll at 30,000.  Please
see the email below.

Beth



-----Original Message-----
From: IHP-owner@... [mailto:IHP-owner@...] On
Behalf Of Ruby Soleimani
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2003 8:55 AM
To: International Health
Subject: Seattle fundraise event for earthquake (fwd)





---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 21:12:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Ruby Soleimani <rsoleim@...>
To: icas@..., karimi@...
Cc: rsoleim@..., atefeh@...
Subject: Seattle fundraise event for earthquake


Dear friends and community members,

As you may know by now Iran is currently suffering the aftermath of a
terrible earthquake. In order to contribute to some of the relief for
the earthquake in Bam some of us thought it would be great to fundraise
locally here in Seattle at a local cafe. We have reserved a place at a
local cafe and hope to collect monetary donations.

In addition to the fundraising efforts, there will be traditional
Iranian music to enjoy as well. Hopefully you will make a trip out to
support this cause. As we all know, in one way or another we are all
inherently connected as a world community.

Please pass this information on to other interested parties.

Also, if you can not attend, please take time to donate to an
organization during this most urgent of times.

For further information please see the attached word document.

Thanking you in advance,

peace

Atefeh & Ruby
atefeh@.../206-229-4427
rsoleim@.../206-427-9233

Time: 7-10pm
Date: Sunday January 4, 2004
Place: 2124 NE 65th
Seattle Wa, 98115

NIHAC has had several programs related to East Timor since the bloody
referencum in 1999 when the Timorese overwhelmingly voted for full
independence from Indonesia.  Although the country gained status as an
independent nation in 2002, its problems are far from over.  Noam Chomsky
provides here a summary of the challenges this ocuntry faces as it emerges
into the current world order, and what concerned activists can do to help.

Mary Anne



Noam Chomsky

December 2003

Dear Friends of East Timor,

East Timor has been independent for a little more than a year and a half.
Many foreign policy experts and Washington insiders predicted that
Indonesia would never let go of the former Portuguese colony. Yet the
impossible happened­in no small part due to the support of people like you,
working in conjunction with the East Timor Action Network (ETAN). But now
ETAN is in dire financial straits.

I have been deeply involved with self-determination for East Timor since
before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, and I can attest to the tremendous –
maybe even decisive – difference that ETAN’s wonderful work has made.
However, ETAN’s ability to continue to work at the level needed is in
serious jeopardy due to a shortage of funds. By giving generously, you can
help strengthen ETAN financially for the coming year, so together we can
meet the many challenges ahead.

Even with independence, the world’s newest country – and Asia’s poorest –
faces daunting challenges. Its two giant neighbors, Indonesia and
Australia, continue to threaten East Timor’s peace and, indeed, its full
sovereignty. Anti-independence paramilitary groups across the border in
Indonesian West Timor pose an increasing security threat as the United
Nations prepares to end its mission next May. Meanwhile, Australia is
openly stealing billions of dollars worth of East Timor’s revenue from
Timor Sea oil and natural gas. Australia is flagrantly violating
international law and has even withdrawn from international mechanisms to
resolve the maritime boundary dispute - leaving East Timor with no legal
recourse.

The global powers-that-be continue to deny East Timor justice for the
myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against its people
from 1975 to 1999. At the same time, the Bush administration, in the name
of the “war on terrorism,” is committed to full relations with Indonesia’s
brutal military establishment, as the military daily terrorizes the people
of Aceh, Papua and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, East Timor is still trying to reconstruct in the aftermath of 24
years of Indonesian military terror and dispossession, endeavoring to build
a society that meets its citizens’ basic needs. It is doing so in the face
of a world order unfriendly to independent and alternative forms of
political-economic organization. International financial institutions
(IFIs) such as the International Monetary Fund are intimately involved in
nearly every facet of life in East Timor. The East Timorese government is
under real pressure to borrow money from IFIs and thus fall into debt, as
it faces a predicted $126 million budgetary shortfall from 2005 to 2007.

Your support can help ETAN meet these and other challenges. ETAN’s track
record shows that it is up to the task. Recently, ETAN beat back the Bush
administration’s latest effort to restore military training for Indonesia.
Congress reinstated restrictions on IMET, just weeks after President Bush
publicly predicted Congress would drop them. In November, the Indonesian
government and military extended martial law in Aceh, where extrajudicial
execution, rape, torture, and disappearance are rampant. While world
governments remained quiet, ETAN worked to achieve a Congressional
resolution calling for a ceasefire, an end to human rights violations, and
a return to negotiations with significant involvement from Acehnese civil
society and the international community.

ETAN showed the government of Australia that the world was watching as
talks began on a permanent maritime boundary with East Timor. A letter
coordinated by ETAN and signed by more than 100 organizations from 19
countries worldwide received widespread press coverage and put Australia’s
Prime Minister on notice that what is “at stake in these negotiations are
East Timor’s rights as an independent nation to establish national
boundaries and to benefit from its own resources.” Without public pressure,
Australia profits by waiting out the exhaustion of the resources, taking up
to $30 billion in revenue that belongs to East Timor. That revenue can help
East Timor become independent of foreign donors and escape from dire
poverty. We need ETAN to help generate that pressure.

These examples show how ETAN’s work is now more complicated and
multifaceted – and no less vital – than during the Indonesian occupation.
Yet, because East Timor has fallen off the radar screen of many activists,
foundations, and policymakers, ETAN has far fewer financial resources than
it needs. In fact, its very effectiveness is threatened. Despite having
significantly cut costs over the last few years, ETAN has only enough
resources to keep its staff for another four months at most.

You can change this. With your critical assistance, ETAN can continue its
work supporting East Timorese efforts to ensure accountability for
Indonesia’s crimes as well as for the complicity of Jakarta’s
partners-in-crime, such as the U.S. government. ETAN has led the effort to
prevent a strengthening of U.S.-Indonesia military ties, a struggle that
has resulted in significant victories of late and must continue to do so.
Despite these wins, we cannot rest. The Bush administration and its
Pentagon allies have already renewed their efforts to normalize ties with
Indonesia’s brutal military establishment.

Our sisters and brothers in East Timor repeatedly underscore the tremendous
importance of ETAN’s continued solidarity work in the U.S. now that their
country is free.

That is why I am writing to you. More than ever, ETAN needs your support to
survive and grow to address these challenges. ETAN’s accomplishments speak
for themselves, as does the organization's modest budget. ETAN has truly
done very much with very little

Since its founding in 1991, ETAN has made sure that U.S. policymakers
cannot ignore the human rights of the East Timorese and Indonesian people.
With your support, it will continue to do so in 2004. Such work has
implications far beyond East Timor and Indonesia. By working to change the
way in which the U.S. government conducts foreign policy, ETAN contributes
to wider change.

  From the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq to the Indonesian military campaign in
Aceh, the current state of the world is hardly bright. Nevertheless, ETAN
remains an important example of what a dedicated group of activists can do
to improve our world and to move our country in a more sane direction. Your
financial support is needed to continue their work. During this holiday
season, please think about ETAN and make as generous a donation as possible.

Thank you for you support.

Sincerely,


Noam Chomsky


It takes just a minute to make a secure tax-deductible contribution on our
website, at http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm.

You can also write a check to "ETAN/U.S." in support of our political
advocacy work, or make a tax-deductible donation of over $50 to "A.J. Muste
Memorial Institute/ETAN," which supports our educational efforts.

Please mail donations to: ETAN/U.S., PO Box 15774, Washington, DC 20003.

Thank you.





etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan
John M. Miller         Internet: fbp@...

Media & Outreach Coordinator
East Timor Action Network: 12 Years for Self-Determination & Justice

48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097
Mobile phone: (917)690-4391
Web site: http://www.etan.org

Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution:
http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm

Send a blank e-mail message to info@... to find out
how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet
etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 17:57:39 -0500
From: Faculty For Peace <f4peace@...>
To: c4pj@...
Subject: [c4pj] Vigil on 12/13,  Report on Iraq on 12/18

DECEMBER 18: Community Events in Lake Forest Park  John Hawley Reports
from Iraq
John Hawley, the City of LFP's finance director, recently returned
from Iraq.  John was part of the civic reconstruction effort.   He will
present slides of his work and discuss the reconstruction efforts.
December 18, at Third Place Commons 7:00 PM.  For more information
contact Karen True kstrue@...


DECEMBER 13:  Lake Forest Park for Peace invites you to join us to
celebrate a full year of weekly Saturday vigils for peace and justice
on Saturday December 13 from 11:00-1:00.  Bring your signs, your
resolve, your hopes for the future and come stand with us at the corner
of Bothell Way and Ballinger in Lake Forest Park.  (Bothell Way is Hwy
522, also known as Lake City Way in Seattle.  Just follow Lake City
north across 145th in north Seattle and continue on for a couple of
miles until you come to LFP town center mall). In conjunction with the
anniversary vigil we are sponsoring a food drive at the Albertsons in
LFP town center mall, right behind the corner where we vigil.  If you'd
like, allow an extra 10 minutes to stop by Albertsons and contribute to
the food drive.  Members of Lake Forest Park for Peace will have flyers
and more information available at the store. This Albertsons was
selling war toys as part of a holiday promotion, and has now agreed not
to sell the remaining toys and to sponsor a food drive instead.  As we
all know, the money spent on war is being taken away from other needs
at home.  Our goals of community building, outreach, peace and justice
are served by public witness in vigils and by community action to help
feed our hungry neighbors. For more information contact Elizabeth
Simmons-O'Neill jeezl@....





--

CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
a grassroots group organized by faculty, staff,
and students at the University of Washington.
http://www.campus4peace.net
----------------------------------
This is a moderated announcement list used to
communicate with members of Campus for Peace
and Justice.

TO CONTACT CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
SEND A MESSAGE
TO campus4peace@...

To subscribe to this list, send email
to c4pj-subscribe@...

To unsubscribe from this list, send email
to c4pj-unsubscribe@...

-------------------------------------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 11:37:12 -0800
From: Sharon Garrett <ghungus@...>
To: International Health <ihp@...>
Subject: FW: [Fwd: [ncataseattle] Film showing Wed Dec 17]


Hello all- for those of you who missed the last showing of the
documentary film "Pills, Profits, Protest- Voices of Global AIDS
Activists", it will be shown at the Little Theater on Capitol Hill on
Wed, Dec 17 at 8pm. The Little Theater is between Roy and Mercer streets
at 608 19th Avenue East.

This hour long documentary includes footage from Uganda, South Africa,
Haiti, Brazil and India and gives a human face to the global AIDS
crisis. It also provides a succinct overview of the political issues
affecting the struggle in developing countries for access to the
treatment drugs taken for granted in the West. The showing will be a
benefit for the Northwest Coalition for AIDS Treatment in Africa.

Hope to see you there!



  <<Pills.Profits.Protest.bmp>>
Megan McLemore
Phone: 206-623-7580
Fax: 206-623-7022

Hello all- for those of you who missed the last showing of the documentary film "Pills, Profits, Protest- Voices of Global AIDS Activists", it will be shown at the Little Theater on Capitol Hill on Wed, Dec 17 at 8pm. The Little Theater is between Roy and Mercer streets at 608 19th Avenue East.

This hour long documentary includes footage from Uganda, South Africa, Haiti, Brazil and India and gives a human face to the global AIDS crisis. It also provides a succinct overview of the political issues affecting the struggle in developing countries for access to the treatment drugs taken for granted in the West. The showing will be a benefit for the Northwest Coalition for AIDS Treatment in Africa.

Hope to see you there!

<<Pills.Profits.Protest.bmp>>
Megan McLemore
Preston Gates Ellis LLP
925 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-623-7580
Fax: 206-623-7022

Woops - SORRY for a mis-reply to all of you!!

Mary Anne


On Tue, 25 Nov 2003, Mary Anne Mercer wrote:

> I thought this was the thing you wanted to go to??????  sorry - what was
> it?
>
> mam
>
>
> On Tue, 25 Nov 2003, DONNA M. DENNO wrote:
>
> > fyi for those interested...
> >
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 13:45:41 -0800 (PST)
> > From: f4peace@...
> > To: c4pj@...
> > Subject: [c4pj] Tariq Ali lecture at the UW, Dec 5th
> >
> >
*******************************************************************************
> > A Free Public Lecture at the University of Washington
> >
> > "Resistance and Empire"
> > Presented by Tariq Ali
> > Author of "The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity"
> > (2002) and "Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq" (2003)
> >
> > Friday, December 5, 2003
> > 7:00pm, Kane Hall, Room 130
> > Doors open at 6:30 pm, Book-signing to follow
> >
> > Tariq Ali is an editor of "New Left Review," contributor to "The Guardian"
> > and "London Review of Books," and the author of a dozen books on world
> > history and politics, including "The Clash of Fundamentalisms" and four
> > historical novels, "the Islamic Quartet," exploring political and cultural
> > encounters between the West and Islam. He was the keynote speaker at the
> > historic February 15th, 2003 rally in London preceding the Iraq War.
> >
> > Presented by the Simpson Center for the Humanities and the Jackson School of
> > International Studies at the University of Washington and Elliott Bay Books,
> > with generous co-sponsorship from the School of Law, the Comparative Law &
> > Society Studies (CLASS) Center, the Middle East Center*, the Institute for
> > Global and Regional Security Studies, Critical Asian Studies, the
> > departments of Sociology, American Ethnic Studies, Political Science,
> > History, Anthropology, Comparative History of Ideas (CHID), Women Studies,
> > and Law, Societies, & Justice at the University of Washington, and Campus
> > for Peace and Justice, and the Arab American Community Coalition.
> >
> > Please note: the UW Middle East Center's sponsorship of this event does not
> > imply that the Center endorses the content of the event.
> >
> >
> >
*******************************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > nihac-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> nihac-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

I thought this was the thing you wanted to go to??????  sorry - what was
it?

mam


On Tue, 25 Nov 2003, DONNA M. DENNO wrote:

> fyi for those interested...
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 13:45:41 -0800 (PST)
> From: f4peace@...
> To: c4pj@...
> Subject: [c4pj] Tariq Ali lecture at the UW, Dec 5th
>
>
*******************************************************************************
> A Free Public Lecture at the University of Washington
>
> "Resistance and Empire"
> Presented by Tariq Ali
> Author of "The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity"
> (2002) and "Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq" (2003)
>
> Friday, December 5, 2003
> 7:00pm, Kane Hall, Room 130
> Doors open at 6:30 pm, Book-signing to follow
>
> Tariq Ali is an editor of "New Left Review," contributor to "The Guardian"
> and "London Review of Books," and the author of a dozen books on world
> history and politics, including "The Clash of Fundamentalisms" and four
> historical novels, "the Islamic Quartet," exploring political and cultural
> encounters between the West and Islam. He was the keynote speaker at the
> historic February 15th, 2003 rally in London preceding the Iraq War.
>
> Presented by the Simpson Center for the Humanities and the Jackson School of
> International Studies at the University of Washington and Elliott Bay Books,
> with generous co-sponsorship from the School of Law, the Comparative Law &
> Society Studies (CLASS) Center, the Middle East Center*, the Institute for
> Global and Regional Security Studies, Critical Asian Studies, the
> departments of Sociology, American Ethnic Studies, Political Science,
> History, Anthropology, Comparative History of Ideas (CHID), Women Studies,
> and Law, Societies, & Justice at the University of Washington, and Campus
> for Peace and Justice, and the Arab American Community Coalition.
>
> Please note: the UW Middle East Center's sponsorship of this event does not
> imply that the Center endorses the content of the event.
>
>
>
*******************************************************************************
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> nihac-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

In this year of 2003 when over 5 million people will become infected with
HIV (yes, 5 million in this year alone) we invite you to take part in a
commemoration for those affected, as well as an educational/activist event
that aims to bring hope to those living with AIDS today.

Please join us for this major event on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

Mary Anne

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Monday, December 1st is World AIDS Day, a day when people infected with,
and affected by HIV and AIDS join together to remember those lost and
recommit themselves to the struggle ahead.   In commemoration of this
special day, the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, the Puget Sound Global AIDS
Action Coalition, Seattle University, CityClub, and the United Nations
Foundation will host a community forum to address this crisis of
epidemic proportions.

The event begins at 6:00 pm on December 1st at the Seattle University
Reflection Pond with a candlelight vigil featuring addresses by
Representative Adam Smith, activist Tim Costello, and Loyce Mbewa, a
woman from Kenya who personally has been deeply affected by the scourge
of HIV/AIDS.  Bring a flashlight and warm coat in case of poor weather!!

This kicks off a march around Capitol Hill, down Broadway, to Town Hall
(1119 8th Avenue).

The doors to Town Hall will open at 6:00 with photo exhibits and
information tables from area organizations.  The Town Hall program will
begin at 7:00 pm, featuring addresses by travel writer Rick Steves,
former UN Assistant Secretary General for External Relations Gillian
Sorenson, with performances by Som La Bi Joli ("Sweeter than Sweet") a
Senagalese dance group, and Children of the Revolution.  Coffee and
refreshments will be available.

Join the global community in commemoration of this important day.  AIDS
is the crisis of our generation.  It is time to take action.  It is time
to show we care.

For more information visit www.apathyislethal.org
<http://www.apathyislethal.org> or call (206) 957-1611.

_______________________________________________

fyi for those interested...


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 13:45:41 -0800 (PST)
From: f4peace@...
To: c4pj@...
Subject: [c4pj] Tariq Ali lecture at the UW, Dec 5th

*******************************************************************************
A Free Public Lecture at the University of Washington

"Resistance and Empire"
Presented by Tariq Ali
Author of "The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity"
(2002) and "Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq" (2003)

Friday, December 5, 2003
7:00pm, Kane Hall, Room 130
Doors open at 6:30 pm, Book-signing to follow

Tariq Ali is an editor of "New Left Review," contributor to "The Guardian"
and "London Review of Books," and the author of a dozen books on world
history and politics, including "The Clash of Fundamentalisms" and four
historical novels, "the Islamic Quartet," exploring political and cultural
encounters between the West and Islam. He was the keynote speaker at the
historic February 15th, 2003 rally in London preceding the Iraq War.

Presented by the Simpson Center for the Humanities and the Jackson School of
International Studies at the University of Washington and Elliott Bay Books,
with generous co-sponsorship from the School of Law, the Comparative Law &
Society Studies (CLASS) Center, the Middle East Center*, the Institute for
Global and Regional Security Studies, Critical Asian Studies, the
departments of Sociology, American Ethnic Studies, Political Science,
History, Anthropology, Comparative History of Ideas (CHID), Women Studies,
and Law, Societies, & Justice at the University of Washington, and Campus
for Peace and Justice, and the Arab American Community Coalition.

Please note: the UW Middle East Center's sponsorship of this event does not
imply that the Center endorses the content of the event.


*******************************************************************************

CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
a grassroots group organized by faculty, staff,
and students at the University of Washington.
http://www.campus4peace.net
----------------------------------
This is a moderated announcement list used to
communicate with members of Campus for Peace
and Justice.

TO CONTACT CAMPUS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE,
SEND A MESSAGE
TO campus4peace@...

To subscribe to this list, send email
to c4pj-subscribe@...

To unsubscribe from this list, send email
to c4pj-unsubscribe@...

-------------------------------------

Dear Nihac members,

I thought you might be interested to know about this effort to protect
an important legal tool: the Alien Tort Claims Act.

The act allows citizens of other countries to sue in US courts for
human rights violations that occur outside the country. It is also the
basis for a lawsuit brought against UNOCAL by a group of Karen
hilltribe villagers who suffered tremendous human rights abuses at the
hands of Burmese soldiers who were hired by the oil company for a
pipeline project in Burma. Survivors of the Bhopal tragedy are
similarly using the act to sue Union Carbide.

Now the Bush administration wants to undermine this law. Please take a
moment to read the following note from EarthRights International. At
the end of the letter is a link to a petition that individuals may sign
in support of the effort.

Thanks,

Tao

---------------------


Dear EarthRights supporter,

I am writing you to ask your help in protecting a crucial tool in the
defense of human rights and the environment, the Alien Tort Claims Act
(ATCA).

ATCA is 214-year-old law that allows citizens of other countries to sue
in US courts for human rights violations that take place overseas. The
law is a slingshot for the "Davids" of the world - in some cases their
only shot at a modicum of justice against powerful, "Goliath" abusers.
Jane Doe I and other plaintiffs that EarthRights International
represents are using ATCA to bring claims against Unocal for complicity
in human rights abuses.

The law now faces increasing threats from the Bush Administration,
which has launched an all-out offensive on this important human rights
tool.  At EarthRights International, we’re launching a new campaign to
stop this attack.

With your help, we want to deliver 10,000 signatures to President Bush
by December 10, International Human Rights Day, demanding that he stop
his Administration’s attack on ATCA.  We want to tell President Bush
that we will not stand by silently while he undermines our country’s
commitment to human rights and democracy.

This is an ambitious campaign, but if you sign the letter, and then
email three of your friends asking them to do the same in defense of
ATCA, we can reach our goal.

Please act now:

http://m1e.net/c?11841416-ujSX4yoMxTLXI%40356984-TMpy.CZJ0HqUA

You can check the status of our signature campaign by checking a
counter on this page:
http://m1e.net/c?11841416-oEPQWyaW1EiCc%40356722-yoAFpztMFi/hY

To learn more about how ATCA protects human rights victims:
http://m1e.net/c?11841416-W7ryuSQe/Q5ck%40356723-ojcvq.r8XocfU

Thank you in advance for taking action.

Sincerely,
Kate Greene
EarthRights International

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD MPH
9319 22nd Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98117

Hi,

If you or a colleague plan to attend the American Public Health
Association conference in San Francisco, please make plans to stop
by the Men's Health Network booth and attend the presentation by MHN
Board member, Dr. Jean Bonhomme.

Consider using this opportunity to meet with a MHN representative
and discuss how we can work together to promote men's health.

Visit the MHN booth:
Sunday November 16 thru Wednesday November 19th
Booth #   461
Ask for Megan Smith


Dr. Bonhomme's presentation:
Session Date and Time:
3106.0
Monday, November 17, 2003
10:45 AM
Abstract #60255
Characteristics of Effective Health Outreach to African-American
Males: Overcoming Healthcare Underutilization
Jean J. E. Bonhomme, MD, MPH and Ronald L. Braithwaite, PhD.
Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Department, Rollins School
of Public Health of Emory University


Don't forget to attend the first national Men's Health Conference,
May 20-22, 2004, in Arlington, VA.  Read about it at:
www.menshealthconferences.com

Greetings,

One of the ways in which globalization trends affect health is via trade
agreements.  The message below outlines some of the main concerns of many in the
public health community about an upcoming agreement known as FTAA.  I am
proposing that NIHAC sign on to this letter, which will be presented at a
meeting to discuss the agreement.  Please send any comments you may have.

Mary Anne

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 13:24:29 -0800
From: Ellen Shaffer <ershaffer@...>
To: ershaffer@...
Subject:  health statement on FTAA

Please  join with APHA, ANA, ACPM, PSR, DGH, PSI and 12 past APHA
presidents, to sign the following statement addressing health-related
concerns about the Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA), which will be
discussed at a hemisphere-wide meeting in Miami later this month. The
statement will be presented at a press conference during the APHA annual
meeting on Sunday Nov. 16, and also at a hearing organized by CPATH and
others at the FTAA ministerial meeting in Miami on Nov. 19.  Please respond
to me by email by Weds. Nov. 12 to have your name included in the press
releases.  Thanks!  Best, Ellen

Call for Public Health Accountability in International Trade Agreements
The Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) would apply to all 34 countries
in the western hemisphere, except Cuba.  It would threaten measures that
protect health, that provide access to medications, and that assure the
safety and affordability of vital human services, including health care,
water, education and energy. Under the FTAA, vital human services are
tradable commodities. The FTAA would grant rights to foreign private
corporations to legally challenge domestic policies assuring that these
services are safe, affordable and accessible, as potential barriers to
trade. Appointed trade tribunals, which deliberate secretly without public
accountability, would have the power to decide whether regulatory
protections of our health and of vital human services conflict with trade
rules, and to impose financial penalties on the U.S. and other countries
that exercise those protections.  These troubling restrictions mirror
provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the General Agreement on
Trade in Services (GATS), the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property (TRIPS) and the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). We are concerned that:

1. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and similar agreements place
commercial interests above health.

2. The FTAA threatens to pre-empt a wide range of US laws, rules, policies
and programs that protect or enhance the public's health, and that provide
or regulate vital human services. Weakening our right to protect health and
vital human services puts our nation's health at risk. The FTAA could limit
the ability of Congress, or any state or region, including health
authorities, to enact and enforce standards for:
Hospitals, nursing homes, and home care, including quality and staffing
Health insurance, including standards for performance and patient protections
Health professional training and licensing, enabling downward harmonization
of standards
Affordable, accessible medications, including for crises such as AIDS and SARS
Public subsidies for health and other vital human services
Environmental protections
Occupational safety and health
Tobacco, alcohol and firearms: tariffs and distribution
Public administration of safe water and sanitation
Working conditions including living wage ordinances, which help protect
economic security

3. The FTAA would increase pressure to privatize health care systems, while
weakening regulation of private corporations, with destructive effects on
the practice and outcomes of medical care, and on quality, affordability,
and access.

4. Trade decisions are not democratic or transparent, and exclude public
health representatives.  Critical terms of the negotiations are not
publicly known or debated in the public policy arena, and there is no voice
for health care or public health in the negotiating process.

The policies and actions of the United States and other governments play a
pivotal role in shaping the ground rules for global trade.  The FTAA
ministerial meeting presents an important opportunity to promote a safe and
just global community with publicly accountable and sustainable health
care, water supply, and other vital human services, and sound public health
policies. To this end, we urge our elected representatives, the United
States Trade Representative, and our allies around the globe advocating for
fair trade agreements, to:
1.     Assure that health takes priority over commercial interests.
2.     Call for an assessment of the impact of the FTAA and GATS on
population health, and assure based on such assessment that these
agreements do not have an adverse impact on health.
3.     Exclude vital human services such as health care and water, and
intellectual property rules that affect affordable medications, from trade
negotiations and challenge under the FTAA.
4.     Include public health representatives in the negotiating advisory
process, and promote transparency and democratic accountability at all
levels of trade negotiations.
5.     Support enforceable commitments to advancing population health, and
to achieving universal access to health care, affordable medications, and
safe, affordable water in the U.S. and internationally.

EVERYONE'S HEALTH IS AT STAKE


Organizational endorsements (original signers)

American College of Preventive Medicine
American Nurses Association
American Public Health Association (APHA)
Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH)
Doctors for Global Health
Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Public Services International
Trauma Foundation, University of California at San Francisco

APHA Current and Past Presidents

Susan Addiss, MPH, MUrS
Myron Allukian, Jr., DDS, MPH
Lester Breslow, MD, MPH
June Jackson Christmas, MD
C. William Keck, MD MPH
Joyce Lashof, MD
Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH
Anthony Robbins, MD, MPA
John Romani, PhD
Iris Shannon PhD, RN
Victor W. Sidel, MD
Quentin Young, MD

Please add my name and organization before Nov. 12:

Name:
Title:
Organization:
Phone:


Ellen R. Shaffer, PhD, MPH, Director
Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH)
98 Seal Rock Drive
San Francisco, CA 94121-1437

phone: 415-933-6204
email: ershaffer@...
www.cpath.org
fax: 415-831-4091

NIHAC has sponsored some events on the current situation in Iraq, and we
are interested in providing support to Iraqis in the health system there.

We need to stay as informed as possible, at the same time, of what is
happening with the US occupation of that country.  Here is an article from
a Britsh paper that paints a very sad picture of the approach of the US
occupiers to winning "hearts and minds" of the Iraqis.

Mary Anne


---------- Forwarded message ----------
  US soldiers bulldoze farmers' crops
  Americans accused of brutal 'punishment' tactics against villagers, while
British are condemned as too soft
  By Patrick Cockburn  The Independent

     Dhuluya, Iraq (Oct 12):

       US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers,
     have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon
     trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment
     of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US
     troops.

     The stumps of palm trees, some 70 years old, protrude from the brown
     earth scoured by the bulldozers beside the road at Dhuluaya, a small
     town 50 miles north of Baghdad. Local women were yesterday busily
     bundling together the branches of the uprooted orange and lemon trees
     and carrying then back to their homes for firewood.

     Nusayef Jassim, one of 32 farmers who saw their fruit trees destroyed,
     said: "They told us that the resistance fighters hide in our farms,
     but this is not true. They didn't capture anything. They didn't find
     any weapons."

     Other farmers said that US troops had told them, over a loudspeaker in
     Arabic, that the fruit groves were being bulldozed to punish the
     farmers for not informing on the resistance which is very active in
     this Sunni Muslim district.

     "They made a sort of joke against us by playing jazz music while they
     were cutting down the trees," said one man. Ambushes of US troops have
     taken place around Dhuluaya. But Sheikh Hussein Ali Saleh al-Jabouri,
     a member of a delegation that went to the nearby US base to ask for
     compensation for the loss of the fruit trees, said American officers
     described what had happened as "a punishment of local people because
     'you know who is in the resistance and do not tell us'." What the
     Israelis had done by way of collective punishment of Palestinians was
     now happening in Iraq, Sheikh Hussein added.

     The destruction of the fruit trees took place in the second half of
     last month but, like much which happens in rural Iraq, word of what
     occurred has only slowly filtered out. The destruction of crops took
     place along a kilometre-long stretch of road just after it passes over
     a bridge.

     Farmers say that 50 families lost their livelihoods, but a petition
     addressed to the coalition forces in Dhuluaya pleading in erratic
     English for compensation, lists only 32 people. The petition says:
     "Tens of poor families depend completely on earning their life on
     these orchards and now they became very poor and have nothing and
     waiting for hunger and death."

     The children of one woman who owned some fruit trees lay down in front
     of a bulldozer but were dragged away, according to eyewitnesses who
     did not want to give their names. They said that one American soldier
     broke down and cried during the operation. When a reporter from the
     newspaper Iraq Today attempted to take a photograph of the bulldozers
     at work a soldier grabbed his camera and tried to smash it. The same
     paper quotes Lt Col Springman, a US commander in the region, as
     saying: "We asked the farmers several times to stop the attacks, or to
     tell us who was responsible, but the farmers didn't tell us."

     Informing US troops about the identity of their attackers would be
     extremely dangerous in Iraqi villages, where most people are related
     and everyone knows each other. The farmers who lost their fruit trees
     all belong to the Khazraji tribe and are unlikely to give information
     about fellow tribesmen if they are, in fact, attacking US troops.

     Asked how much his lost orchard was worth, Nusayef Jassim said in a
     distraught voice: "It is as if someone cut off my hands and you asked
     me how much my hands were worth."


  http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=452375

Those of you who have been in NIHAC for a while will remember our
activities in support of independence and health rights for East Timor.
East Timor has been independent of Indonesian control for three years now,
and is struggling as a small and very poor nation to achieve true
economic independence.

The letters below describe the current situation with regard to the oil
reserves off the coast of Timor that most observers believe should be
under the control of East Timor.  As it has practically no other
resources to support its development over the coming years, the
income from oil could mean the difference between survival for
East Timor and its descent into the debt and deepening poverty
that is the lot of so many of today's poor countries.

Australia, however, which is the country due south of EAst Timor, is
trying to claim the oil fields for itself - for obvious reasons.  The
letters below detail that situation.

I would like to propose that NIHAC sign on to the NGO letter supporting
the need for the two countries to negotiate clear boundaries and respect
the rights of each country to the resources that would result.  Please let
me know if you have comments or other thoughts on the topic.

Mary Anne


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2003 17:22:25 -0400
From: Karen Orenstein <etanorganize@...>
To: undisclosed-recipients:  ;
Subject: request for signatures on oil letter

Dear Friends of East Timor,

The Australian government will cheat East Timor out of potentially tens
of billions of dollars from petroleum revenues that lie in East Timor's
waters. With your support, we can stop them. The following NGO letter
urges Australia's Prime Minister John Howard to negotiate a permanent
maritime boundary with East Timor in good faith. The Howard government
has so far refused to negotiate a boundary with East Timor, while taking
revenue rightfully belonging to East Timor (as much as $30 billion over
three decades). Howard and his colleagues have bullied and threatened
East Timor's leadership. Australia has gone so far as to withdraw from
international legal mechanisms to resolve boundary issues that cannot be
settled by negotiation, leaving East Timor with no legal recourse to
establish its boundaries in the absence of cooperative negotiations.

The NGO letter pasted below urges Prime Minister Howard to start
permanent boundary negotiations promptly and in earnest and to set a
firm timetable with the Government of Timor-Leste to establish a
boundary within no more than three years. The letter further states that
throughout these negotiations, East Timor should be treated fairly and
as a sovereign nation, with the same rights as Australia.

Without both internal and external public pressure, Australia profits by
waiting out the exhaustion of oil and natural gas resources before
agreeing to a boundary. This revenue - which should be East Timor's
according to current international legal principles - can help East
Timor become independent of foreign donors and escape from dire poverty
as Southeast Asia's poorest country.

Every nation has the right to know where its territory ends and that of
bordering countries begins. East Timor's independence will not be fully
realized until its boundaries, both land and sea, are defined and
accepted by its neighbors.

Since this is a new issue to many of East Timor's international friends,
I have attached a backgrounder on this topic entitled, "East Timor's
Boundary Dispute with Australia," which includes a map.

The deadline to sign on to the letter is Monday, October 20.  While we
appreciate individuals' support, please note that this is a sign-on for
organizations. Please send your full name, title, and the name of the
organization you represent to etanorganize@...
<mailto:etanorganize@...>.

Please forward as appropriate.

  In solidarity,

Karen Orenstein
Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network

*****************************************************************




Dear Prime Minister Howard:

We appreciate your recent promise that Australia would begin
negotiations with East Timor on a permanent maritime boundary before the
end of 2003. We urge you to start these discussions promptly and in
earnest and to set a firm timetable with the Government of Timor-Leste
to establish a boundary within no more than three years. Throughout
these negotiations, East Timor should be treated fairly and as a
sovereign nation, with the same rights as Australia.

As you are no doubt aware, under legal principles established by case
and statutory law under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS), the median line (half way between the coastlines of two
countries) is the standard way to establish maritime exclusive economic
zone (EEZ) boundaries when two countries are closer than 400 nautical
miles to each other, as is the case with East Timor and Australia. If
this international principle were applied, many of the oil and gas
fields lying outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area but north of
the median line would fall within East Timor's EEZ, including the
lucrative Greater Sunrise field and the Laminaria-Corallina field, now
nearly depleted without any revenue having gone to East Timor.

We trust you agree that every nation has the right to know where its
territory ends and that of bordering countries begins. East Timor's
independence will not be fully realized until its boundaries, both land
and sea, are defined and accepted by its neighbors. We have been
troubled by your government's callous disregard for East Timor's
sovereignty and rights, which seems contrary to the deep concern for
East Timor expressed by so many Australians. Australia's own long-term
national interests are best served by a stable and prosperous East
Timor; depriving East Timor of its petroleum birthright undercuts its
chances to succeed as a nation.

We strongly encourage you to quickly respond to East Timor Prime
Minister Mari Alkatiri's repeated request for fair and amicable boundary
negotiations with Australia.  We also urge your government to rejoin
international legal mechanisms to resolve boundary issues that cannot be
settled by negotiation. Specifically, we urge Australia to accept the
jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice for maritime boundary
disputes and to rejoin the International Tribunal for the Law of the
Sea, from which your government withdrew in March 2002. That withdrawal
has been widely interpreted as a hostile act to deliberately prevent
East Timor from using its legal rights in the event of your government's
refusal to enter timely and cooperative boundary negotiations.

We appreciate Australia's recent support for East Timor's development
and the crucial security role it played in 1999. Well-managed oil and
gas resources in East Timor will greatly reduce the small nation's
dependency on economic and security assistance. But under the interim
arrangements promoted by your government, East Timor is providing more
support to Australia in petroleum revenues than Australia has given or
likely will give East Timor in foreign aid.

East Timor is among the poorest of the world's countries, suffering from
very low levels of basic services and high unemployment. The quality of
life for East Timor's present and future generations depends on a fair
boundary agreement. Well-managed, these petroleum resources can be the
basis for just and equitable economic development in East Timor.
Australia's continuing violation of East Timor's right to enjoy all of
its oil and natural gas resources risks squandering the international
goodwill Australia established since 1999, and would be tantamount to
yet another sellout of East Timor.

We thank you for your serious consideration of this most important
matter. We will continue to monitor it closely and work to ensure its
prominence in the international arena.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

  --

Karen Orenstein
Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network: 12 Years for Self-determination and Justice
tel: 202-544-6911; fax: 202-544-6118
karen@...; www.etan.org

sorry for the late notice...this film on AIDS in Thailand is being shown
tomorrow (Thursday) at the UW HUB.

-----------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 11:50:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Southeast Asia Center <seac@...>

Please join the Southeast Asia Center when we welcome
Thailand-based American filmmaker Jeanne Hallacy when she
presents her new documentary film.

MERCY

Thursday, October 2
3:30-5:00 pm
HUB 204N

Mercy is an emotionally charged documentary about the resilience
and courage of Luk Nam, an 11-year old girl in Thailand whose
life has been forever changed by AIDS.  Filmed over two years at
a community hospice in the slums of Bangkok, the story unfolds
through Luk Nam's voice; reading from her journal as she recalls
losing her entire family and her best friend.  The video follows
Luk Nam as she cares for her little sister dying of AIDS. Mercy
explores the selfless humanity of three staff at the hospice who
encourage her to go on as they struggle with their own feelings
in caring for HIV positive children.  The documentary is an
intimate portrait of an overlooked side to the AIDS crisis
-focusing on children of HIV+ parents who are deeply affected by
the loss of their loved ones.  Mercy is a film about survival and
the power of compassion. This moving story is a lesson about how
to embrace life in the face of death.

Jeanne Hallacy has been working as a documentary maker and
television producer for sixteen years. In 1997 she released the
award-winning documentary, Burma Diary about revolutionary youth
affected by Burma's human rights crisis which was broadcast on
the PBS Program Resource Group, SBS Australia and in Spain and
Portugal. Burma Diary was screened at 12 international film
festivals including: Berlin Film Festival, Women in the Directors
Chair, Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival and received a Gold
Apple award at the National Educational Media Network Film
Festival. A Burmese subtitled version was released and
clandestinely distributed in Burma in 1999 and is represented for
educational distribution through the Center for Media and
Independent Learning at UC Berkeley. Hallacy embarked on a world
speaking tour with the film that was screened at universities and
theaters in seven countries.

For more information contact
The Southeast Asia Center
303 Thomson Hall, Box 353650
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
206-543-9606
Southeast Asia Center on the web:
http://depts.washington.edu/seac

Please pass this announcement on to anyone who might be qualified and
interested.

Mary Anne


Position Available:  HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor, Mozambique

The Ministry of Health of Mozambique (MISAU), in collaboration with the
William Jefferson Clinton Foundation and Health Alliance International
(HAI), is now starting a program to substantially expand access to
HIV/AIDS care and treatment - including highly active antiretroviral
therapy (HAART) - throughout Mozambique.  HAI, a US-based non-profit
organization with 15 years of experience in Mozambique, will provide
technical support to MISAU on all aspects of HIV/AIDS care rollout.

HAI seeks to hire an HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor, to be based in Maputo,
Mozambique.  The Technical Advisor's responsibilities will include
collaboration with MISAU and other local and international counterparts to
facilitate timely roll-out of HIV/AIDS care and treatment nationwide.  The
Technical Advisor will work under the direction of HAI's HIV/AIDS Care
Coordinator in Maputo, and in coordination with other HAI team members,
including advisors on program scale-up and operations research.  The
Technical Advisor is expected to have substantial experience as an AIDS
clinician.  However, most direct patient care will be provided by
Mozambican clinicians, not by the Technical Advisor personally.

Requirements:  MD with MPH, or equivalent experience and training.
Experience in care of persons with HIV/AIDS, including administration of
HAART, is required, along with at least 5 years of professional experience
in developing countries.  Successful candidates will also have:
  Knowledge of and experience in overall HIV/AIDS issues, including HAART,
VCT, pMTCT, community care and support services, drug supply and
laboratory support, and monitoring/evaluation.
  Experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex
health programs.
  Ability to work effectively and collaboratively to achieve consensus on
policy, project implementation, research, and administration.

Portuguese language fluency is required.   However, candidates fluent in
Spanish and/or with proven ability to learn new languages quickly will be
considered.   The ability to speak, read, and write English is also
required.

Salary is negotiable depending on qualifications.

HAI is associated with the University of Washington School of Public
Health and Community Medicine.

To apply, please send a current resume with a cover letter summarizing
your experience and other qualifications to:

Loreen Lee
Health Alliance International
1107 NE 45th Street, Suite 427
Seattle  WA 98105
e-mail:  hai@...
Web site:  http://depts.washington.edu/haiuw

Another local program of interest in Seattle this week.

mary anne

>
> Breaking the Silence:  TB & AIDS
> Confronting the Holocaust of our Time

> A PUBLIC FORUM
>
> Saturday, October 4th ~ 2 to 4pm
>
> Mary Gates Hall Auditorium Room 389
> University of Washington Campus
>
> Featured Speakers Include:
>
> Winstone Zulu
>
> Winstone Zulu is one of Africa’s most dynamic AIDS activists. HIV
> positive since 1990 and cured of tuberculosis with the DOTS strategy,
> he knows personally the deadly combination of HIV/AIDS, TB and
> poverty. After testing positive, Zulu initially questioned the very
> existence of HIV, now he is a fierce advocate for those living with
> the stigma of being HIV positive, and works tirelessly to raise the
> consciousness of ordinary citizens and government officials around the
> world as to the deadly combination of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Zulu
> was a founding panel member of UNAIDS in Como, Italy.
>
> Representative Jim McDermott
>
> Representative McDermott has been a steadfast advocate for increased
> funding for global health initiatives and has spent this past
> congressional recess in South Africa training with 60 other Southern
> African doctors on how to break down the stigma associated with
> HIV/AIDS and bring treatment to those most devastated by this
> pandemic. Dr. McDermott is the founder and Chairman of the
> Congressional Task Force on International HIV/AIDS.
>
> Dr. Helene Gayle
>
> Dr. Gayle is the Director of the HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health
> Program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  She previously
> served at the CDC as the Director of the National Center for HIV, STD,
> and TB Prevention.  While at the CDC Dr. Gayle studied malnutrition in
> children in the United States and internationally, evaluating and
> implementing child survival programs in Africa and working on HIV/AIDS
> research, programs and policy.  She has served as a health consultant
> to the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNAIDS.
>
>
> For more information please contact Bob Dickerson @ 206-285-0375
>
> This event is sponsored by RESULTS, a grassroots citizen’s advocacy
> organization dedicated to creating the political will to end hunger
> and poverty. Co-sponsors INGATE, NW Forum and NCATA.
>