Value of Volunteers: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 258.

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
March 30, 2005. No. 258.
Sources & Sites for Community Building.
a-librarian-at-every-table/archives


ServiceLeader provides general information on volunteers. Energize.Inc. is an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. INDEPENDENT SECTOR announces that the 2004 estimate for the value of a volunteer hour has reached $17.55 per hour.

Poverty Research and Issues: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 257

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
a-librarian-at-every-table/archives


Focus provides coverage of poverty-related research, events, and issues, and acquaints a large audience with the work of the Institute for Research on Poverty by means of short essays on selected pieces of research.
Focus (Spring 2005).

For librarians: Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty Task Force.

More Inequities in our Health Care System: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 256.

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
March 24, 2005. No. 256.
Sources & Sites for Community Building.
a-librarian-at-every-table/archives



U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Leavitt has laid out a dangerous proposal to cut the Medicaid program that will have serious implications for all Medicaid beneficiaries [ February 1, 2005 speech before the World Health Care Congress]. However, the proposed cuts will have a disproportionate impact on low-income racial and ethnic minorities, especially seniors. The Secretary’s proposed “solutions” to alleviating the current problems faced by Medicaid will create more inequities in our health care system and will only move to worsen—not eliminate—racial and ethnic health disparities.
Librarians working with health care advocates can use resources from the Medicaid Action Center and the State-by-State Analysis of Budget Proposals for Medicaid and Tax Revenue.

GIS and Regional Planning; A Librarian at Every Table. No. 255.

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
March 21, 2005. No. 255.
Sources & Sites for Community Building.


The Alliance for Regional Stewardship February 2005 Newsletter includes an article on the Federal Geographic Data Committee. Regional stewards need accurate, consistent and updated geographic information to enhance decision-making. "Following the first law of geography, in which everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things, the FGDC has developed the National Digital Geospatial Framework to provide regionally relevant, nationally consistent, community owned and operated geographic data. "

Additional Resources:
GIS.com
The Geographic Information Center of the National Academies
provides access to geographic information-related resources across all of the National Academies program areas.
U.S. Geologic Survey

Book:
Weaving a National Map: Review of the U.S. Geological Survey Concept of The National Map.
National Academies Press, 2003.

Economic Opportunity Act. A Librarian at Every Table. No. 254.

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
March 18, 2005. No. 254.
Sources & Sites for Community Building.

Derrick Len Span's statement on the 41st anniversary of the Economic Opportunity Act.

The Community Action Partnership’s network of 1,000 Community Action Agencies, were created in 1964 to be the soldiers in President Johnson’s War on Poverty. Since then, we have helped more than 13 million people each year change their lives. We remain dedicated to continuing the fight and will not rest until at long last poverty has been eradicated.

We urge all Americans to join us in this effort by taking action in your local communities-conducting poverty awareness campaigns, encouraging the preservation of social services programs, or writing letters to elected officials in support of national anti-poverty legislation. Poverty is no one's fault but everyone's fight, so we must all do our part. The War on Poverty can be won as long as the nation makes it a commitment once again just as President Johnson did 41 years ago. [ 3/16/2005].

See: WAR! on the War on Poverty

Books:
Michael Harrington
The Other America: Poverty in the United States
New York, MacMillan, 1962.

Leiyu Shi and Gregory D. Stevens
Vulnerable Populations in the United States
Jossey-Bass, 2005.

David K. Shipler
The Working Poor :Invisible in America
Knopf, 2004/

David Wagner
The Poorhouse: America's Forgotten Institution
Lanham, 2005.

Poverty in the United States: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics and Policy
ABC-Clio, 2004.

The Poor Pay More- A Librarian at Every Table. No. 253.

A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
March 14, 2005. No. 253.
Sources & Sites for Community Building.

Libraries can provide people with information on economic literacy.


The Poor Pay More.

CREDIT CARD CRUSH
Change from 1989 to 2001 in the number of families with incomes less than $10,000 who own a credit card and carry a balance from month to month: +72 percent.

FRINGE FINANCE FIESTA
Growth in the number of pawn shops operating nationwide from 1986 to 2003: +142%.
Ratio of “payday lending” outlets currently operating nationwide versus the number of these outlets operating in the early 1990s: more than 100:1. Average annualized interest rate of a payday (short-term cash advance) loan: 470 percent.

BANKING BLUES
Amount a western Massachusetts bank charged a new customer in 2003 for “bounce protection” fees after she overdrew her balance by $98.25: $180 in the first month.Amount this customer would have paid if her account had traditional overdraft protection through a line of credit (rather than bounce protection): $1.50.Number of banks nationwide now offering bounce protection: nearly 3,000.

HEALTH CARE [MONEY] HEMORRHAGE
Percentage of income Americans earning less than $10,000 per year spend on health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and wage deductions for employer-sponsored health coverage: 23.

TAKE ACTION:
United for a Fair Economy
raises awareness that concentrated wealth and power undermine the economy, corrupt democracy, deepen the racial divide, and tear communities apart. We support and help build social movements for greater equality.

Life after Lockup- A Librarian at Every Table. No. 252.

Each year, nearly 650,000 people are released from US prisons, and over 7 million are released from jails; the vast majority will be rearrested within 3 years.
The January/February 2005 issue of Shelterforce covers Life after Lockup and Housing Ex-Offenders.
The new Re-Entry Council report offers hundreds of consensus-based, bipartisan recommendations for reducing public spending and increasing public safety by promoting the safe and successful return of these individuals to the community.

"While we may not be able to change the prison-industrial complex that has grown so much over the last decades we can, as working librarians, take first steps. We can seek to ensure that people held in local jails have library service. There are some public libraries and projects that provide guidance in this path. If we help one even one person, we help all." --from "Public Libraries and People in Jail" Reference and User Services Quarterly 44 (Fall 2004): 26-30.

Grey Literature Report- A Librarian at Every Table. No. 251.

The latest Grey Literature Report issued by the New York Academy of Medicine Library includes reports by the Alan Guttmacher Institute , the Center for American Progress, and the World Health Organization. The Grey Literature Report is a rich resource issued quarterly.

Of special importance in this issue is the UNICEF study, Childhood Under Threat.

• There are those who dismiss as utopian the conviction [Convention on the Rights of the Child] that the majority – let alone all – of the world's children could actually experience such a childhood as the ideal that infuses the Convention: one of love, care and protection, in a family environment, with ample scope to survive, grow, develop and participate. UNICEF is not among them. But swift and decisive action is
  required to reduce the poverty that children experience, protect them from armed conflict and support those orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Every one of us has a role to play in ensuring that every child enjoys a childhood.

Librarians work to identify information that will help humanity regardless of issuing agency. Subscriptions are free to the Grey Literature Report.

International Women's Day is March 8: Building a More Secure Future- A Librarian At Every Table. No. 250.

International Women's Day is March 8, 2005. The 2005 theme is Gender Equality 2005: Building a More Secure Future. UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women
covers 2005 International Women's Day and the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Conference in its February 2005 newsletter, Currents.

During the 49th session of the Commission on the Status Women (February 28-March 11, 2005) the Beijing Platform for Action will be assessed. The publication, Pathway to Gender Equality outlines how the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) can be used to understand and address the gender equality dimensions of the Millennium Development Goals.

20 films to Celebrate International Women's Day:

1. Solange, the Boatwoman - directed by Claude Da Silva and Modestre Houngbedji, Benin
Solange does her trade on waterside markets, with her canoe loaded with bamboos, food and other materials. She has not been to school, but she knows enough to carry on her mother's trade and to support her daughter with it.

2. Van Chan, A Cambodian Dancer - directed by Rithy Panh, Cambodia
At the fall of Pol Pot's regime, her husband is appointed chief of district of Barai and she becomes assistant director for culture and information. Hardly has happiness started when her husband is killed by the Red Khmers. Today, she is a teacher of traditional dance and is the only support of her family.

3. Mrs. Ibouna - directed by Sebastien Kamba, Congo
For a long time, Mrs. Ibouna suffered the curses and superstitions ascribed to albino people. She and people like her are marginalized and hardly accepted, surrounded by several myths such as being bearers of bad luck.

4. All My Landscapes - directed by Hrvoje Juvancic, Croatia
Zeljka Corak is an art historian, writer and translator. She published several books on architecture, urbanism and art history. In this documentary, we discover with her the architectural beauty of Zagreb and Dubrovnik and the beauty and meaning of the selected objects of Zelka Corak's setting.

5. Nana, the Course of a Farmer - directed by Simonette Rasoampanina, Madagascar
Nana's father died when she was three years old. At 7, like all other young girls, she was farming and selling the crop to get some money to go to school. For many years, Nana had to fight to receive education in order to have a better life.

6. Sunshine Color - directed by Amadou Moctar Beye, Senegal
A story of a Senegalese painter, this wonderful documentary presents the testimony of a captivating and an amazing woman, who prevails over the prejudice and traditional image of women in Africa.

7. Suzanne, a Heart of Dreams - directed by Amevi Dabla, Togo
At 50, Suzanne goes through her personal diary, which reveals her youth filled with tears, anguish and suffering. Today, she fights for children's causes in her country and spends her days with children suffering from behavioural disorder.

8. The Masks of Silence - directed by Fatma Skandrani, Tunisia
This documentary tells the story of a great multi-faceted actress capable of portraying many characters, including that of being a primary school teacher.

9. The Shadows of Freedom - directed by Sabina Kidwai, India
This documentary traces the history of three women from a Muslim family in India and how the issues of identity and gender clash with their own lives and that of their family.

10. Taller than the Mountains - directed by Farooq Beg, Pakistan
In the mountains of northern Pakistan, women are undernourished, underpaid and underprivileged. For most women, the struggle to live is a way of life, but through education, farming and development, they are achieving small miracles of equality and optimism.

11. Ladies' Special - directed by Nidhi Tuli, India
The "Ladies' Special" train in Mumbai becomes women's own space and their lifeline in the city.

12. Italga - directed by Osvalde Lewat, Cameroon
Ra-syn is a rap singer while Mike plays football in Cameroon's women's national team. Both are evolving in a society where their lifestyles are not very well accepted.

13. Traces, Women's Imprints - directed by Kate Lena Ndiaye, Burkina Faso
This documentary ventures into the discovery of three Kassena grandmothers, their granddaughters and the exclusive feminine art of the region's mural paintings.

14. A Taxi Woman in Sidi Bel Abbes - directed by Hadjadj Belkacem, Algeria
Following the death of her husband, Soumicha, a mother of three children, is forced to find employment. She becomes a female taxi driver in Sidi Bel-Abbes in Algeria, which is a job normally reserved for men. Through the eyes of Soumicha, we discover the city and see the many and contradictory faces of the Algerian society.

15. Right to Speak - directed by Do Pascal Sessouma, Burkina Faso
Local radios are nowadays educational and development tools serving namely women's groups and peasants. In Banfora, as a result of an extended campaign led by a women's organization through local radio, the public opinion became sensitive to the risk involved in the practice of excision.

16. Odhni - Beyond the Veil - directed by Umesh Bist, India
Exploited by contractors and middlemen for decades, the women workers were organized and formed a society, which was registered as a SEWA-society for the empowerment of women artisans. The whole market turned against them and orthodox Muslim families resented their daughters and sisters going to work.

17. The Dilemma of Eya - directed by Adjike Assouma, Togo
The Dilemma of Eya tells the story of a young woman, who is forced to follow traditional voodoo practices at the cost of her family, her education and her life. This film shows the consequences of preventing young women from being educated and having their own identity as well as shedding some light upon traditional voodoo practices.

18. Florence Barrigha, A Brief Encounter - directed by Fanta Regina Nacro, Togo
Florence Barrigha tells her story of how she reinvented her life to become one of the seven "Nana Benz" of Togo, who are businesswomen involved in trading fabrics and as a result, are able to afford their own Mercedes Benz. The expression "Nana Benz" means freedom, pride, success and courage of women.

19. Wave of Life - directed by Baigalmaa G, Mongolia
A lady, who was overwhelmed with the challenges she experienced in life, lost her home and farm one cold winter day. Feeding cattle was her only means to support her children and losing this occupation almost made her give up on life.

20. Yayoudokhandene, the Lady of Saint-Louis - directed by Lobe Nidaye, Senegal
Every day, Aminata pays a visit to fishermen and shopkeepers of fruits and vegetables. They help her find everything she needs to cook meals that she distributes to ill people at the local hospital.

Truth Tour-Coalition of Immokalee Workers- A Librarian at Every Table. No. 249.

The truth tour has begun!

2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour: "Bringing it Home!"
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers leads the way to Louisville.

National Convergence for Farmworker Justice!
United for Peace and Justice.
Student Farmworker Alliance
National Farmworker Ministry

March 12, 2005 - Louisville, KY

On March 12, join farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and thousands of allies -- including actor and activist Martin Sheen -- in Louisville, KY, for a full day of music, speeches, and colorful theater as we protest outside the offices of Yum Brands demanding an end to sweatshops in the fields!

For the past three years, farmworkers from Immokalee and their allies have crossed the country, spreading the truth about sweatshop conditions behind the tomatoes in Taco Bell's products. Each year, the CIW's Truth Tours have culminated in major actions -- including a 10-day hunger strike in 2003 and a 44-mile march in 2004 -- at Taco Bell's global headquarters in Irvine, California.

But this year, we are bringing the truth about farmworker poverty to the home of fast-food profits: Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silvers, and A&W Restaurants, with revenues of over $24 billion in 2003. Yum Brands is the largest restaurant company in the world -- larger than McDonald's -- and as such wields tremendous influence in the corporate food industry.

We are at a critical juncture in our campaign: Yum acknowledges the abuses in the fields yet they still refuse to take the final step and change their business practices as we asked. A strong turnout in Louisville on March 12 is crucial to demonstrating to Yum that the Taco Bell boycott will not go away until farmworkers in Yum's supply chain are treated with dignity and respect.

This is the moment to pull out all the stops, call all of your contacts, and join us in Louisville on March 12. We cannot make this change without you. So organize a caravan from your school, church, union, or community group to join us in Louisville for this historic convergence.

If you are on our one of our tour stops, we invite you to join us on the tour from your city to Louisville.
Some of our tour stops include:

* Tallahassee, FL
* Atlanta, GA
* Montgomery, AL
* Birmingham, AL
* Nashville, TN
* Memphis, TN
* Cincinnati, OH
* Cleveland, OH
* Columbus, OH
* St. Louis, MO
* Indianapolis, IN
* Chicago, IL
* Lexington, KY

Email workers@ciw-online.org or visit www.ciw-online.org to find out how you can join us.

BACKGROUND:
As major buyers of Florida tomatoes, Taco Bell and Yum Brands have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to influence the way workers are treated in their suppliers' operations. Yet after more than three years of a strong and growing national boycott, Yum Brands still refuses to take concrete, measurable steps to address the brutal labor conditions in its tomato supply chain -- conditions that include sub-poverty annual wages, no right to overtime, no right to organize, a per bucket piece rate that hasn't changed significantly since 1978, no sick leave, no health insurance, and no benefits whatsoever.

Support for the Taco Bell boycott is expanding at a rapid pace across the country, particularly on college campuses, where the Student/Farmworker Alliance's (www.sfalliance.org) "Boot the Bell" campaign has become one of the fastest growing movements for social justice today. Most recently, Cal State San Bernardino, UCLA and the University of Notre Dame have moved to end their relationships with Taco Bell in response to student support for the boycott. They join 18 other schools in an unprecedented wave of student-led activism, demanding that Taco Bell clean up human rights abuses in its supply chain if it is to do business on their campuses.

======================

Book:
Charles Dillard Thompson and Melinda F. Wiggins
The Human Cost of Food: Farmworker's Lives, Labor and Advocacy
University of Texas Press, 200