One of the issues that will be brought to the table next week in the G-8 summit is global health. It doesn’t make good TV coverage, the victories are small, and it is a war fought by every generation.
The metaphor of war, used by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he issued a call to global action to confront and reverse the impact of the AIDS pandemic, is an apt one. AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria kill 6 million people every year and wreak their havoc on a daily basis: AIDS claims 15,000 lives a day worldwide; a child expires from malaria every 30 seconds in Africa. As the SARS and the mosquito-borne West Nile viruses clearly demonstrate, the mobility of infectious diseases has become part of the phenomenon of globalization.
It is not just a public health crisis, though that in itself is enough reason to act. These diseases entrench poverty and destabilize economies, security and whole societies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. The world’s response, articulated by Annan and agreed by the G-8 summit in Genoa in 2001, was to establish a global fund, a “war chest” to finance credible prevention and treatment programs to beat back the epidemics. This was a concrete step beyond rhetoric.
Bosnia
Six bombs and two unexploded mortar shells have been found under the area of the stage where Pope John Paul 11 will celebrate mass next month.
German troops during World War II used the yard of Banja Luka’s Petricevac Catholic monastery for ammunition storage, which they left behind after their pull-out in 1945.
Lack of information on how much ammunition the Germans left behind makes it more difficult to clear the area around the site where John Paul II is to celebrate mass….
4% of Bosnia is still strewn with mines from the 1992-95 war.
Sub Sandwich
Polar bears may look nice, but they are aggressive, territorial and mean. The USS Connecticut, a new Seawolf-class sub, got munched on when it surfaced during maneuvers between the North Pole and the Pacific last month.
If you are in a sub cruising under the ice, that would be an interesting distraction.
Sailing through the storms
From the Anchor Hold has had a tough year, and her voice has remained steady, devout and focused on the One we serve.
I’ve been thinking about why the “Anchor Hold” came into being.
Because I needed some outlet to allow me to minister to others, even though I’m mostly housebound now.
Because there were things that needed to be said about a local crisis at that time, and about the vicious reaction to that crisis in the Catholic part of the blogosphere.
And even, mea culpa, the urge to leave a legacy behind when I am Called…..
Good reasons, bad reasons, just-plain-humam reasons, all jumbled up together; but it does seem to have worked and produced some decent fruits. I have no regrets about having launched the “Anchor Hold.”
Happy BlogDay! Head over and leave your well-wishes. Thank you for your voice Karen, and blog on!
The Guardian has an interview with the Iranian blogger behind Where is Raed?
Finally, a kind of Movable Type for Dummies page. (But no, I’d rather have a root canal than print out the User Manual)
Arcata Eye
Another edition of the world’s wackiest police log for your perusal.
4:01 p.m. He wasn’t technically a crazy person, but he played one on the grass outside the ER, rolling around then entering the hospital and reporting that the mob was waiting for him outside. He was given a ride to the dog, vermin and now loon-infested Intermodal Transient Facility.
A tribute to Winnipeg
1. First you must learn to pronounce the city name. It is WIN-A-PEG, not VIN-A-PEG and it does not matter how people pronounce it in other places.
2. Winnipeg has its own version of traffic rules. Never forget that downtown Winnipeg is composed in large part of one way streets. The only way to get out of the center of town is to turn around and start over when you reach the river.
3. All directions start with, “Go down Portage.”
4. Portage has no beginning and no end.
5. The 8:00 a.m. rush hour is from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. The 5:00 PM rush hour is from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday’s rush hour starts on Thursday morning.
6. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you cannot be from Winnipeg.
7. Lagimodiere Blvd can only be pronounced by a native Winnipegger, so do not attempt the phonetic pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you.
8. Bingo, Bugs and Perogies are a way of life. Deal with it.
9. Construction on the Winnipeg streets in summer is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment.
10. Many bizarre sights can be explained simply by uttering the phrase, “Oh, we’re in Transcona.”
11. Construction crews aren’t doing their jobs unless they close down all lanes except one during rush hour.
12. If someone actually has thier turn signal on, it was probably left on at the factory where the car was made.
13. Buying a Winnipeg street map is a waste of money since the termination or continuation of any street is entirely at the discretion of the Works Department of the City.
14. Asking directions will help you get acquainted with the numerous recent
residents. It will not be any help at all for finding the address you seek.
15. Never honk your horn at another car in traffic. The bumper sticker that
reads,”Keep honking, I’m reloading.” is considered a fair warning.
16. Exit and entry ramps on the Perimeter are just the recommended way of entering and exiting, feel free to exit at any grassy point you wish.
This list is so true
You go, Annan. I like that. This man…wow…he’s got the right idea. The U.S. government steals money from me at gunpoint, and then our “representatives” give that money to the UN, so that we can “help” to combat disease half-way around the world.
A couple things…
What makes these idiots think that money will ever actually go to AIDS, etc? I mean, you send cash over to a third world African nation, and you expect it to be used for something useful? Wow. That’s naive. I thought it all went for guns and ammo and food for the big African dogs.
Secondly, it’s bad enough that our “represenatives” levy the taxes on us that they do. But we’ve got a 4+ trillion national debt, there’s a budget deficit this year, etc, etc. We just fought a war, for crying out loud…an expensive war. So now they want to give our money to people in a third-world country half-way around the world? Brilliant.
You are forgetting the lonely feeling you get when you are downtown. It feels like you are the only one down there, then you look around and realize, “by gosh, I am”.
It’s a small world, after all. I noticed some similarities in your list to a similar one that could be made for Dayton, Ohio USA.
Cheers!
Thanks a bunch Dan, You had to put *that* tune back in my head!
;o)
So true! Thanks for that! Can I lift it onto my blog, with a link back to you? It’s brill!
Sure K, help yourself.