Interdisciplinary Planning for Health

Party

2009-05-13T23:29:00.001-04:00

As per the suggestion, will we have a get-together this month?

Josef

Where's the remotest place on Earth? - Image 1 - New Scientist

2009-05-02T15:27:00.000-04:00

Gallery - Where's the remotest place on Earth? - Image 1 - New Scientist:

"Plotted onto a map, the results throw up surprises. First, less than 10% of the world's land is more than 48 hours of ground-based travel from the nearest city.

What's more, many areas considered remote and inaccessible are not as far from civilisation as you might think. In the Amazon, for example, extensive river networks and an increasing number of roads mean that only 20% of the land is more than two days from a city - around the same proportion as Canada's Quebec province."

found via gyford.com

still too hard and too expensive?

2009-05-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

Britain's Royal Society to study climate "geoengineering" | FP Passport:

"An interesting editorial in The Guardian by a member of Britain's Royal Society, the country's national academy of science, announced -- with a bit of modesty bordering on self-skepticism -- plans to look into 'geoengineering' schemes to combat climate change"

South Sudan's bike ambulance lifeline

2009-04-30T17:32:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Africa | South Sudan's bike ambulance lifeline:

"There are certainly more comfortable ways to go to hospital than a motorbike with a sidecar bed attached to its side.

But the launch of these ambulance motorbikes in South Sudan is a serious attempt to tackle some of the world's highest rates of women dying in pregnancy."

African Cholera Epidemic Worsens

2009-04-30T16:45:00.000-04:00

The Lancet Student � Archive � African Cholera Epidemic Worsens:

"...According to the UN Office for the Co-Ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), earlier this month, cholera cases have been reported in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Between the 3rd and 17th of April, these countries reported a total of 4,579 new cases of cholera, and in the two weeks before that 6,460 new cases were reported."

National Geographic: Green Roofs

2009-04-29T23:48:00.003-04:00

Article. Make sure to view the pictures of green roofs too. Fortunately, the U.S. is starting to "get it" when it comes to the many uses this can provide: from CO2 reduction to building insulation, greens roofs are a smart and practical way to not only mitigate climate change but promote a healthier lifestyle in cities.

Literacy Action Project ‎(anniem)‎

2009-04-29T21:03:00.000-04:00

I want to share this assignment with you from another of my classes. Please feel welcome to share any of your assignments you can. Google sites is easy to use, you can paste your word docs and share them with us all as URLs!

Literacy Action Project ‎(anniem)‎:

"This project is the final assignment for Literacy and Development, a graduate course in International Educational Development. Throughout the fall semester I observed literacy in several settings, and kept notes in journals, as well as artifacts of literacy (scanned and attached below). Below is a summary of this project, as it covered my 11-day trip to Ruhiira, Uganda and my experience parenting two children in various stages of literacy--a second grader and a kindergartner. Where possible, I have included video and pictures to illustrate my observations."

31 W 125th st.

2009-04-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

Urban Gardening - HarlemCondoLife:

"I was looking to re-pot a beautiful hydrangea bought at Harlem Flo and the gentleman there referred me to Mushtari Hardware. What a surprise! In the front it’s a well-priced, extensive hardware store but walk to the back and there’s a hidden floral feast. Or maybe a mini tropical rain forest. Immediately my nose was hit with a beautiful waft of humid fragrant air and my eyes were filled with vibrant hues of healthy, flowering greenery..."

NOLA Service Trip: Beignets and Briefings

2009-04-29T18:14:00.001-04:00

Join the Group for Community Recovery (GCR) for their Service Trip Debriefing on Thursday, April 30, from 4:30 - 5:30 pm in Hess Commons.

During Spring Break, thirteen students traveled to Louisiana to work with the Hirtzel Institute and the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Information Center of Louisiana (GRGICL). The students volunteered their time and efforts to conduct research on the fragile support systems of grand families. The information will be presented as a public policy report to the state legislature in order to advocate for expanded funding and services for grand families.

Learn more about the trip, preliminary findings, and continuing research at the Debriefing. Refreshments will be provided.

--
Group for Community Recovery
gulfrecovers@gmail.com

Efficient, Effective, Equitable Recovery
"The Right To Return"

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | Acidic oceans threaten sea life

2009-04-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8022194.stm

The oceans are now 30% more acidic than before the industrial revolution!

Institute for Systems Science and Health Course Materials

2009-04-28T06:57:00.000-04:00

Institute attendees:

The website for the Institute is now open with several items available for viewing and download, including the agenda, track syllabi, and presentations/handouts that have been made available by the Track leaders.

The website URL is: www.chronicdisease.org/issh

At the close of the Institute, the webpage will be populated with the complete set of electronic materials for each track, including those that were provided on-site. Please check back the rest of this week for any additional updates and during the Institute next week for further postings.

Regards,

David Yum, MPH

Public Health Program Manager

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
Main Office: (770) 458-7400

Mission: NACDD provides state-based leadership and expertise for chronic disease control and prevention at the state and national level.

The Green House of the Future - WSJ.com

2009-04-27T15:13:00.000-04:00

The Green House of the Future - WSJ.com

Read about these four architects' proposals for energy efficient houses.

BBC NEWS | Business | Getting fit and healthy on the job

2009-04-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Business | Getting fit and healthy on the job

Cool!
If employers are providing health insurance, they might as well provide healthy living options!

Monday event

2009-04-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

SIPA’s Urban and Social Policy Concentrations
Presentation: Breaking the Green Ceiling—Affordable Housing Meets Environmentalism, with Nancy Biberman, President, Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation.
1:10 pm to 2:30 pm
International Affairs Building, Room 1510
Note: To register visit: https://calendar.columbia.edu/sundial/webapi/register.php?eventID=32440

Climate and Development - Vol 1:1, 2009

2009-04-23T13:19:00.000-04:00

new journal launched!

Climate and Development - Vol 1:1, 2009

Car-Free in NYC

2009-04-23T12:14:00.002-04:00

Yes, there is a small ounce of bias in this article, but I like the main thrust of it - from Streetsblog:

If you live in New York City, chances are you've already done your part this Earth Day with a car-free commute to work. As this week's featured Streetswiki article by DianaD reminds us, vehicle ownership in the five boroughs is far less common than in most areas of the U.S. -- even in relatively auto-centric Staten Island, where 18 percent of households are car-free.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, only 8% of American households do not own a car. Vehicle ownership is strongly related to distance traveled. People in households with at least one vehicle travel twice far as those in households without a vehicle. They also use a car for more than 90% of their trips, while those without a vehicle travel on foot or via transit 57% of the time. Households with a vehicle walk or take public transit for only 1% and 8% of their trips, respectively.

In addition to a more pedestrian-friendly street grid than most Americans enjoy, most New Yorkers owe their car-freedom, of course, to the MTA. However, even as the city looks to expand sustainable transportation options to complement its overworked mass transit system, the majority of its citizens remain at the mercy of motoring class lawmakers who spew anti-MTA vitriol like so much noxious CO2.

It would have been nice this April 22 to wake up to headlines announcing that the Fare Hike Four and their ilk had come to realize that they could, and should, promote a healthy transit system while reducing congestion and pollution. Unfortunately, news that good only comes on April 1.

Earth Day Isn't What it Used to Be

2009-04-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

In The Air: Earth Day Isn't What it Used to Be: The New Yorker:

"Still, there are plenty of reasons to wonder whether serious steps to reduce carbon emissions will be taken this year or, indeed, ever. Regulating CO2 using existing laws will be a laborious, and potentially litigious, exercise. Meanwhile, the Administration has been strangely passive about trying to shape climate legislation—one reason that the Waxman bill is likely to be further watered down. Then, there’s the question of whether even an inadequate bill has the votes to pass [...]"

An Effort to Save Flint, Mich. by Shrinking it.

2009-04-22T06:51:00.001-04:00

By DAVID STREITFELD
Published: April 21, 2009

FLINT, Mich. — Dozens of proposals have been floated over the years to slow this city’s endless decline. Now another idea is gaining support: speed it up.

Instead of waiting for houses to become abandoned and then pulling them down, local leaders are talking about demolishing entire blocks and even whole neighborhoods.

The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval.

“Decline in Flint is like gravity, a fact of life,” said Dan Kildee, the Genesee County treasurer and chief spokesman for the movement to shrink Flint. “We need to control it instead of letting it control us.”

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here's how I'll be celebrating (albeit with kindergartners):

Seed Bombs: Walk-By Guerrilla Gardening : EcoLocalizer

obesity and climate change are linked!?

2009-04-21T15:37:00.001-04:00

thought this was an interesting press release on a new book that discusses the links between obesity and climate change!

'Globesity: A Planet Out of Control?' is the latest new book from Earthscan.

Billes Architecture Home Design Competition

2009-04-20T20:21:00.000-04:00

Billes Architecture Home Design Competition: "Similar to the competition that served as the starting point for Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, which has now erected six new homes in the Lower Ninth Ward (three designed by Billes Architecture alone), the aim of this competition was not merely to explore ideas, but to make these ideas reality. To that end, the designs of all ten finalists will be considered for development through Billes' newly formed nonprofit organization, New Designs New Orleans."

Born into Brothels

2009-04-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

Don't forget, our film screening this Thursday at 7pm in Russel Hall
305.

We'll be showing Born into Brothels, the movie that has swept the
educational community, and the Oscars! with its heartwrenching
portrayal of children in the redlight district of Calcutta.

Born into Brothels, by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, is the winner of
the 77th annual Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A tribute
to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born
into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live
in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as
prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of
the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new
eyes. The photographs taken by the children in Born into Brothels are
available for purchase in the Kids' Gallery, and as a signed
limited-edition portfolio, or as a compilation in our companion book.
100% of proceeds from sales of the children's prints go directly to
support their education and well-being.

The film will be served up SAS-style, with a pizza and candy buffet,
and a healthy serving of anthropological analysis and discussion after
the film.

How the First Earth Day Came About

2009-04-20T13:46:00.000-04:00

". . . on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was held, one of the most
remarkable happenings in the history of democracy. . . "
-American Heritage Magazine, October 1993
History Highlights

Information on this page provided by:
The Wilderness Society

How the First Earth Day Came About

By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.

Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.

I continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not.

After President Kennedy's tour, I still hoped for some idea that would thrust the environment into the political mainstream. Six years would pass before the idea that became Earth Day occurred to me while on a conservation speaking tour out West in the summer of 1969. At the time, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Suddenly, the idea occurred to me - why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment?

I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try.

At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance. For the next four months, two members of my Senate staff, Linda Billings and John Heritage, managed Earth Day affairs out of my Senate office.

Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events:

"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."

It was obvious that we were headed for a spectacular success on Earth Day. It was also obvious that grassroots activities had ballooned beyond the capacity of my U.S. Senate office staff to keep up with the telephone calls, paper work, inquiries, etc. In mid-January, three months before Earth Day, John Gardner, Founder of Common Cause, provided temporary space for a Washington, D.C. headquarters. I staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes as coordinator of activities.

Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.

Pedals for Progress - Putting Used Bikes to Good Use

2009-04-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

Pedals for Progress - Putting Used Bikes to Good Use

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

2009-04-19T18:31:00.000-04:00

TC Students in Health & Gottesman Libraries

are pleased to invite you to a
Film Screening & Discussion:

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?(California Newsreel, 2008)

Monday, April 20, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

The Gottesman Libraries, Room 305

Unnatural Causes is an acclaimed documentary series that explores the socio-economic and racial inequities in health. In seven episodes, the film seeks to raise social awareness of health disparities among other important objectives, including the promotion of positive health outcomes and a preventive approach to disease; finer understanding of well-being; and evaluation of current policies. ?In Sickness and in Wealth,? the first of seven episodes in the Unnatural Causes series, will be shown. This introductory piece examines the distribution of power, and how wealth and resources shape opportunities for health. A discussion of the issues will follow the screening. Subsequent screenings will be done on Mondays from 12noon-1pm in the Second Floor Salon.

UNNATURAL CAUSES | About the series . Episode descriptions |��CALIFORNIA NEWSREEL: "The opening 56-minute episode, “In Sickness and In Wealth,” presents the series’ overarching themes. Each supporting half-hour episode, set in a different ethnic/racial community, provides a deeper exploration of how social conditions affect population health and how some communities are extending their lives by improving them."

Systems Science Books Recommended to me by Sara Metcalf, PhD

2009-04-19T16:54:00.002-04:00

Meadows DH. Thinking in Systems. Chelsea Green Publishing Co.,White River Junction, VT, 2008.

Senge PM. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday, New York, NY, 2006.

Sterman JD. Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Boston, MA, 2000.

Sara Metcalf, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2007
E-mail: smetcalf@buffalo.edu

Tel. 716 645-0479

Research: Urban social dynamics, agent-based modeling.

mobile medicine

2009-04-18T21:46:00.000-04:00

TC is offering a class in applications for learning with cell phones this summer. One audience they recommend for the class is those interested in mobile medicine. When I was in Uganda I noticed the absolute omnipresence of cells, even among the very poor. Clearly, this is something that has become an essential item for survival in our world. Maybe we can use its essentialist qualities to the advantage of health outcomes?

The Lancet Student Archive TLS Twitter! Meningitis Vaccines; Diagnostic Hotlines for Rural Medics: "In Ghana, the Millennium Villages Project is piloting a scheme to provide rural medics with advice on diagnosis and treatment through a mobile phone hotline. The scheme, which will be launched later this year, allows healthcare workers to consult specially-trained doctors to obtain advice and support about the cases they see in day-to-day practice, ending the isolation many rural medics have faced as a matter of course. Consultants believe that such hotlines have tremendous potential in reaching the two-thirds of mobile phone users living in developing counties, and hope to add new applications such as text-based prescriptions and remote monitoring for patients suffering from chronic complaints. Similar hotlines – though frequently targeted at patients, not professionals – are already a reality in Bangladesh, Mexico, India and Pakistan. Evidence suggests however that the cost of call charges still puts the service out of reach of the poorest areas."

Climate Change | American Museum of Natural History

2009-04-18T19:37:00.000-04:00

Climate Change | American Museum of Natural History

The Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study: Findings and Policy Implications

2009-04-18T14:28:00.001-04:00

Colloquium Series on Health, Law and Society
Columbia Law School
Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Case Lounge, 7th Floor
Columbia Law School (Jerome Greene Hall)
116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

The Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study:
Findings and Policy Implications

In their talk, The Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study: Findings and Policy Implications, Garfinkel and McLanahan discuss their ongoing study of the health and social outcomes of children and families living in socially and economically disadvantaged communities across the nation.

article on disparities in overweight prevalence among children

2009-04-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

SpringerLink - Journal Article: "Disparities in Obesity and Overweight Prevalence Among US Immigrant Children and Adolescents by Generational Status"

Finding Utility in the Jumble of Tweeted Thoughts - NYTimes.com

2009-04-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

Finding Utility in the Jumble of Tweeted Thoughts - NYTimes.com:

"...“Twitter reverses the notion of the group,” said Paul Saffo, the Silicon Valley futurist. “Instead of creating the group you want, you send it and the group self-assembles.” [...]"

Climate Change Conference May 2nd

2009-04-16T21:20:00.005-04:00

We talked about James Hansen last class. By inviting him as a key note speaker, we are organizing the conference on climate change! Join us now!

Top researchers and policy makers will gather at Columbia University on May 2nd at the "350 Climate Conference" in New York to examine the need to and potential solutions for lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to sustainable levels by 2050. In the run-up to negotiations in Copenhagen later this year, this conference will help set the context and framework for technical, political, and individual steps necessary to mitigating climate change far below levels being presently considered by many policy makers.

Dr. James Hansen: director of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, will examine the need to dramatically lower atmospheric carbon to sustainable levels--possibly to 350 ppm or lower
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/

Dr. Daniel Hillel: world-renowned soil scientist, hydrologist and agronomist, editor of the "Encyclopedia of Soils of the Environment," will discuss the impacts and carbon sequestration potential of terrestrial ecosystems
http://ccsr.columbia.edu/researchers/hillel.html

Prof. Michael Gerrard, JD: director of the Center for Climate Law at Columbia University, will discuss the imperative and legal implications of post-Kyoto negotiations in Copenhagen in December
http://www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Michael_Gerrard

Dr. Johannes Lehmann: leading "biochar" researcher (an exciting proposed means of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and locking it the soil in an energy-generation process known as pyrolysis); professor of soil science at Cornell University and editor of forthcoming "Biochar for Environmental Management"
http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann.html

Majora Carter: founder of Sustainable South Bronx; named most influential women of New York two years in a row; will discuss the ethical imperative for green jobs and ecojustice in the burgeoning green economy
http://www.majoracartergroup.com/

Seats are limited so please register soon!

www.350conference.org

Wunder Blog : Weather Underground

2009-04-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

Wunder Blog : Weather Underground:

"Louisiana State University (LSU) will not renew the contract of controversial hurricane scientist Ivor van Heerden, according to nola.com . Dr. van Heerden has been stripped of his title as deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center, and will lose his job in May 2010. The Director of the LSU Hurricane Center, engineering professor Marc Levitan, resigned from that post in protest over the firing of van Heerden. LSU has given no reason why it is removing Dr. van Heerden, but said it was not because of his performance. Van Heerden, who holds a Ph.D. degree in marine sciences from LSU, was one of the most outspoken scientists on the vulnerability of New Orleans before Katrina struck in 2005. He worked extensively with FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and political figures at the local, state, and U.S. Congressional levels to try to improve New Orleans' disaster readiness. In the aftermath of the storm, he provided support for the search and rescue efforts and plugging of the levee breaches, then headed one of the teams assigned to figure out what caused the levees to fail. PBS's NOVA did a nice story on him in 2006, featuring interviews before and after Katrina. He was highly critical of the Army Corps of Engineers and politicians at the local, state, and federal level for allowing the Katrina disaster to happen, and for their abysmal response to the storm's aftermath [...]"

Mandatory Green Roofs!

2009-04-16T18:39:00.000-04:00

..a possibility in Toronto.

By Degrees - Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight - Series - NYTimes.com

2009-04-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

"In Kohlua, in central India, with no cars and little electricity, emissions of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas linked to global warming, are near zero. But soot — also known as black carbon — from tens of thousands of villages like this one in developing countries is emerging as a major and previously unappreciated source of global climate change."

Parents See Braces for Their Children as an Investment in the Future

2009-04-16T09:30:00.000-04:00

Skin Deep - Parents See Braces for Their Children as an Investment in the Future - NYTimes.com:

"Why are cash-strapped families still considering braces at all? The answer seems to be that giving the next generation a leg up is a priority. “If you go into a job with teeth out of a novelty store, people aren’t supposed to discriminate,” said Dr. Benjamin Burris, an orthodontist with several offices in Arkansas. “But people do.”[...]"

Places affected by a 6 meter rise in sea level

2009-04-15T12:23:00.002-04:00

I thought this was a cool snapshot of which coasts would be most affected by a rise in sea level--at least from one view of the earth.

PlaNYC 2030

2009-04-15T12:08:00.004-04:00

Check out the PlaNYC 2030 program, which lists the goals of the city for adaptation to climate change and mitigation of greenhouse gases. Overall, it covers a wide scope of disciplines -- from water infrastructure and land use to transportation and energy efficiency--, but I did notice how there is no mention of an overall 'climate change' health policy. Maybe we should start writing some emails.

Climate Change and Leadership Articles

2009-04-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

In its April 13th edition, Newsweek published a series of short articles, written by a diverse group ranging from Energy Secretary Steven Chu to Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm and even Newt Gingrich, examining energy independence. Links to a couple of the articles are provided below:

Chu: Conserving Energy is Key

Gingrich: Bad Policy is Fueling the Energy Crisis

Zakaria: How to Achieve Genuine Energy Independence

Mathematics And Climate Change: Gaining Insights Into The Nature Of Sea Ice

2009-04-13T21:20:00.001-04:00

Mathematics And Climate Change: Gaining Insights Into The Nature Of Sea Ice:

"University of Utah mathematician Ken Golden went to the Eastern Weddell Sea for the Antarctic Zone Flux Experiment. The sea's surface is normally covered with sea ice, the complex composite material that results when sea water is frozen."

Climate Change Conference

2009-04-13T11:52:00.000-04:00

*MaGrann Conference on Climate Change in South Asia: Governance, Equity and Social Justice*

When: 4/17/09
Where: Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick, NJ
Free and open to the public.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day of the conference.

For access to conference paper abstracts, see:
http://eden.rutgers.edu/~rnisa/magrann/index.html

China’s Grand Plans for Eco-Cities Now Lie Abandoned by Christina Larson: Yale Environment 360

2009-04-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

China’s Grand Plans for Eco-Cities Now Lie Abandoned
by Christina Larson
Yale Environment 360

Global Warming: Beyond the Tipping Point: Scientific American

2009-04-13T11:37:00.000-04:00

Global Warming: Beyond the Tipping Point: Scientific American

Climate Change book launch at Earth Institute

2009-04-13T11:32:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, April 15

Columbia Climate Center: Book Launch - Climate Change: Picturing the Science
Speakers: Peter deMenocal, Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University; Stephanie Pfirman, Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Barnard College; Gavin Schmidt, Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Center for Climate Systems Research, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Joshua Wolfe, Editorial and Documentary Photographer, GHG Photos
Time: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Schapiro CEPSR Building, Davis Auditorium
Contact: Kate Duffy, kd2201@columbia.edu or call (212) 854-8158
RSVP: Register

Public policy for the poor? A randomised assessment of the Mexican universal health insurance programme : The Lancet

2009-04-12T16:10:00.000-04:00

Public policy for the poor? A randomised assessment of the Mexican universal health insurance programme : The Lancet

Original Text
Prof Gary King PhD a , Emmanuela Gakidou PhD b, Kosuke Imai PhD c, Jason Lakin PhD d, Ryan T Moore PhD h, Clayton Nall MA d, Nirmala Ravishankar PhD b, Manett Vargas MPA e, Martha María Téllez-Rojo PhD f, Juan Eugenio Hernández Ávila MSc f, Mauricio Hernández Ávila MD e f, Héctor Hernández Llamas PhD g
Summary
Background
We assessed aspects of Seguro Popular, a programme aimed to deliver health insurance, regular and preventive medical care, medicines, and health facilities to 50 million uninsured Mexicans.
Methods
We randomly assigned treatment within 74 matched pairs of health clusters—ie, health facility catchment areas—representing 118 569 households in seven Mexican states, and measured outcomes in a 2005 baseline survey (August, 2005, to September, 2005) and follow-up survey 10 months later (July, 2006, to August, 2006) in 50 pairs (n=32 515). The treatment consisted of encouragement to enrol in a health-insurance programme and upgraded medical facilities. Participant states also received funds to improve health facilities and to provide medications for services in treated clusters. We estimated intention to treat and complier average causal effects non-parametrically.
Findings
Intention-to-treat estimates indicated a 23% reduction from baseline in catastrophic expenditures (1·9% points; 95% CI 0·14—3·66). The effect in poor households was 3·0% points (0·46—5·54) and in experimental compliers was 6·5% points (1·65—11·28), 30% and 59% reductions, respectively. The intention-to-treat effect on health spending in poor households was 426 pesos (39—812), and the complier average causal effect was 915 pesos (147—1684). Contrary to expectations and previous observational research, we found no effects on medication spending, health outcomes, or utilisation.
Interpretation
Programme resources reached the poor. However, the programme did not show some other effects, possibly due to the short duration of treatment (10 months). Although Seguro Popular seems to be successful at this early stage, further experiments and follow-up studies, with longer assessment periods, are needed to ascertain the long-term effects of the programme.

"Global Warming: Beyond the Tipping Point," Presented by James Hansen, PhD, Director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, on April 22, 2009 at 4 pm

2009-04-12T13:22:00.008-04:00

Event information here

Dr. James E. Hansen

Affiliation: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
2880 Broadway
New York, NY 10025 USA

E-mail: James.E.Hansen@nasa.gov
Phone: (212) 678-5500

Curriculum Vitae

Download CV (PDF)

Education:

B.A., Physics and Mathematics, 1963, University of Iowa
M.S., Astronomy, 1965, University of Iowa
Ph.D., Physics, 1967, University of Iowa

Publications

Go to bibliography

Research Interests:
As a college student in Iowa, I was attracted to science and research by James Van Allen's space science program in the physics and astronomy department. Since then, it only took me a decade or so to realize that the most exciting planetary research involves trying to understand the climate change on earth that will result from anthropogenic changes of the atmospheric composition.

One of my research interests is radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres, especially interpreting remote sounding of the earth's atmosphere and surface from satellites. Such data, appropriately analyzed, may provide one of our most effective ways to monitor and study global change on the earth. The hardest part is trying to influence the nature of the measurements obtained, so that the key information can be obtained.

I am also interested in the development and application of global numerical models for the purpose of understanding current climate trends and projecting humans' potential impacts on climate. The scientific excitement in comparing theory with data, and developing some understanding of global changes that are occurring, is what makes all the other stuff worth it.

-- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - BillionTree Campaign Site --

2009-04-11T16:12:00.000-04:00

-- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - BillionTree Campaign Site --: "Together, let’s plant 7 billion trees by the end of 2009!"

Oxfam CHANGE Programme

2009-04-11T11:11:00.000-04:00

Medsin: Global Health - Local Issue: "Oxfam is giving 40 young people aged 18-25 an amazing opportunity to receive specialist training and knowledge for campaigning on development issues. We are running an all expenses paid 4-day residential training course in Birmingham from 18-21 September 2009, which will equip you with everything you need to know to make an impact in the fight against poverty and suffering."

What to Read on Climate Change | Foreign Affairs

2009-04-09T10:24:00.000-04:00

What to Read on Climate Change | Foreign Affairs: "An annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on climate change."

Did the White House just allow a massive climate change windfall? | FP Passport

2009-04-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

Did the White House just allow a massive climate change windfall? | FP Passport

Malaria and urbanization in developing countries

2009-04-08T12:22:00.005-04:00

I had a chance to talk with Dr. Omumbo from the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)about the urbanization and malaria outbreak in developing countries.

She identified several determinants to malaria spread in an urban area:

1. Slum condition Infrastructure cannot catch up with the population inflow from a rural areas, which leads to deterioration of urban environment such as creating a slum. Thus, people at slum would face the poor sanitation condition, which leads to vulnerability to the risk of being infected by malaria. Specifically, dirty water conditions in slum is serious.

2. Demographic movement. Rural people, who is more infected by malaria, come to an urban area, which leads to the spread of malaria in an urban.

3. Urban expansion. Urban will expand to its surrounding area, whose land use is more prone to vector emergence. For example, a suburban area has a lot of rice field, where more mosquito can live.

'Epidemic of Oral Disease' Is Found in Poor

2009-04-08T12:09:00.000-04:00

"The disparities were particularly great among children. The study found that more than a third of all poor youngsters ages 2 to 9 had untreated cavities, compared with 17 percent of children who are not poor.And even children with health insurance often lack proper care; a recent study, cited in the surgeon general's report, found that among children covered by Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor, fewer than 1 in 5 had a preventive dental visit during the previous year."

''We have had a tendency to separate oral health from the rest of the body,'' said Dr. David Satcher, the surgeon general, in an interview after releasing the study."

National Public Health Week, April 6-12, 2009

2009-04-08T11:19:00.002-04:00

Promote Public Health in Your Workplace

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Almost every day, Americans spend just as much time, if not more, in their workplaces than they do in their communities or at home. Therefore, promoting health and safety in the workplace is an essential part of public health’s role in building the foundation for a healthy America.

From worksite wellness programs aimed at helping workers adopt healthy behaviors to safety regulations aimed at keeping them safe on the job, public health works in a variety of ways to address health where we work.

Today, think about how public health provides the foundation for the health and well-being of people in Your Workplace. What can you do to help create a healthier environment at work?

Make a special effort to share our Healthiest Nation in One Generation viral video with your co-workers today. And don’t forget to add your organization’s name to the list of those who have committed to make a difference.

Here are some other things you can do to promote public health in your workplace:

Start a workplace wellness program. Well-constructed workplace wellness programs can reduce costs to the employer and improve employee health and morale. Form a committee and start making changes today!
Stress the importance of healthy food options. Find yourself tempted by the high-calorie, low-nutrient foods in the vending machine when late afternoon hunger sets in? Get rid of the temptation! Organize your co-workers to advocate for healthy food choices.
Start a walking group with your colleagues. Workers who are sedentary throughout the workday would have to spend most of their evenings in motion to meet the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Incorporate more physical activity in your day by forming a walking group to keep each other motivated.

In This Issue

What’s Happening Today
NPHW Blog Series
Public Health in the News
Take Action Today!
Resources

What’s Happening Today
Along with continued efforts to spread the word about the Healthiest Nation in One Generation campaign and video, here are some of the NPHW events taking place across the nation:

Building the Foundation for a Healthy America: Media Power and Responsibility, College Park, Maryland
"Unnatural Causes-Place Matters" Movie Screening, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
National Start Walking Day Event, Louisville, Kentucky
Health Fair: Pathways to a Healthier You, Topeka, Kansas

Want to know what is happening in your community? Visit the NPHW Event Calendar for a complete list of submitted events that are taking place around the nation. You can also get the word out about any NPHW events that you’re organizing.

NPHW Blog Series
Today’s blog entry will explore the impact of where we work on our health. Visit www.nphw.blogspot.com to check it out.

Public Health in the News
Here are some recent stories on NPHW from around the nation, as well as a selection of stories from the NPHW Twitter:

Schwarzenegger, stars lobby for U.S. health reform (Reuters, 4/7)

Living happier, healthier lives (Ventura County Star, 4/7)

Poll: Majority Would Pay Higher Taxes For Universal Health Care (CBS News, 4/6)

Prevention best 'cure' for many health problems (Daily Citizen, 4/6)

Take Action Today!
Help build awareness of public health's critical role in ensuring a healthy America! Send a letter to your members of Congress each day of NPHW that focuses on the different settings through which our health is impacted.

Wednesday: Your Workplace - Supporting healthy employees and healthy businesses

Urge your legislators to recognize the importance of public health as the foundation of our health system and to work to prioritize public health in the health reform debate.

NPHW Resources

Click here for more…

The Lost Tribes of New York City on Vimeo

2009-04-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Lost Tribes of New York City on Vimeo: "Urban Anthropologists, Andy and Carolyn London interview some of New York City's more overlooked citizens."

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

Oral health behaviour among 11-13 year olds in slums

2009-04-08T01:18:00.001-04:00

Oral health behaviour among 11-13 year olds in slums

This is an interesting (if technical) article on findings of a study that looked at oral health and oral health behaviors of children living in slum areas. These are contrasted against findings for children living in rural areas and it is revealed that the children in the slums have poorer oral health and less effective oral health behaviors.

2009-04-07T16:09:00.001-04:00

One topic that I found interesting from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s information on senior oral health is copied below. It was extremely hard to find any outreach materials geared towards aging populations online. I wonder if this has something to do with limited internet access among the elderly?

“If you have arthritis or limited use of your hands, try adapting the toothbrush for easy use. Insert the handle into a rubber ball or sponge hair curler; or glue the toothbrush handle into a bicycle grip. Toothbrush handles can be lengthened with a piece of wood or plastic such as a ruler, ice cream bar stick or tongue depressor.

For people who have dexterity problems and cannot use a manual toothbrush, an electric toothbrush may be easier to use and increase effectiveness. Numerous studies confirm that electric brushes are excellent plaque removing devices and are extremely effective in stimulating gums. Dental floss holders are also available.”

Also for information on NY state, I found that before 2001, NY did not have a comprehensive plan for oral health. Recently, the CDC reported that a plan was adopted statewide in 2005.

House Dust Yields Clue to Asthma - Roaches

2009-04-07T15:59:00.000-04:00

House Dust Yields Clue to Asthma - Roaches - NYTimes.com:

"...“For inner-city children,” said the lead researcher, Dr. Daniel G. Remick, a professor of pathology, “the major cause of asthma is not dust mites, not dog dander, not outdoor air pollen. It’s allergies to cockroaches.” [...]"

BBC NEWS | Health | Cancer risk 'not changing habits'

2009-04-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Cancer risk 'not changing habits': "Cancer risk 'not changing habits'"

Looks like we need a new technique to inspire behavior change...

Healthiest Nation in One Generation

2009-04-07T09:06:00.002-04:00

This is an amazing video message from the American Public Health Association.

Wikibooks

2009-04-05T19:19:00.000-04:00

Wikibooks: "Wikibooks is a Wikimedia community for creating a free library of educational textbooks that anyone can edit."

Developing nations leading development?

2009-04-03T12:07:00.002-04:00

This article suggests that, with this most recent G20 summit, we have just entered a world in which the United States is no longer the necessary partner in any major economic dealings.

"The presence of the world's top “developing” countries – notably China, India and Brazil – was not tokenism or ornament, as it has largely been at past summits. Those countries are now contributors, rather than recipients, of finance; without China's $50-billion commitment yesterday, the trade-finance package would not have worked.
But something important changed yesterday. It is no longer a case of Washington bailing out the world, with the help of a small group of wealthy European nations and sometimes Canada.
Yesterday, to an important degree, the world bailed out the United States. Mr. Brown compared it to the Marshall Plan, in which the U.S. government injected hundreds of millions into the European and Japanese economies after the war in exchange for Washington holding decisive power in most international bodies.
Yesterday, 65 years after Bretton Woods, the favour was returned."

Developing nations face malnutrition threat | Katine | guardian.co.uk

2009-04-02T23:48:00.000-04:00

Developing nations face malnutrition threat | Katine | guardian.co.uk:

"Hellen Apale knows how important it is that her children get a good diet. She knows that at eight months pregnant, she needs to be eating well and eating regularly for the health of her unborn baby. The problem is she has no food.

'We had a really bad harvest, there was a drought which came early last year and it has affected everyone,' she says, gesturing to the scrubby field outside her home, where cassava plants wilt in the brown cracked earth. 'It's not how it used to be when we could easily grow enough to feed everybody. Children are falling sick easily, sometimes we can only feed the family one meal a day.' [...]"

Do protests ever work?

2009-04-02T15:24:00.000-04:00

Do protests ever work? | FP Passport:

"...I would add that, at least in democratic societies, protests that demand accountability or consistency from 'the system' tend to be more effective than one that seek to overturn it. The U.S. civil rights movement was able to gain widespread support because its arguments were largely rooted in the constitution and christianity.

Recent examples of effective protests would be the unbelievably effective demonstrations in Pakistan that led to the reinstatement of chief justice Iftikhar Chaudry or the pro-Thaksin demonstrators who have Thailand's government on the brink of capitulation. Strangely, it also seems to be the case that demonstrations in partially free or inconsistently democratic societies tend to be the most effective."

Reversing Bush policy, US seeks seat on UN Human Rights council

2009-04-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

Reversing Bush policy, US seeks seat on UN Human Rights council | csmonitor.com:

"President Obama is taking another step down the road of engaging America's adversaries with the decision to seek a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a group President Bush had shunned.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement Tuesday the reversal of Bush's policy of remaining outside the council as a way of protesting its makeup and work. 'With others, we will engage in the work of improving the UN human rights system,' Secretary Clinton said, with the goal of 'advancing the vision of the UN declaration on Human Rights.'"

international policy and relations also affect slums

2009-04-01T13:08:00.003-04:00

For today's blog, I found 2 articles on Haiti in the NY Times that describe both the challenges in maintaining foreign aid flows amidst the economic and financial crisis due to a variety of issues, like donor fatigue, and the opportunities that the Haitian population has for economic growth.

Haiti’s Woes Are Top Test for Aid Effort by NEIL MacFARQUHAR

Haiti's Big Chance by BAN KI-MOON

I was sitting in at a meeting on the economic crisis last week at the UN, and one proposition made was for all countries to allocate 1% of their stimulus funding as foreign development aid. It was promising that nations voiced their continued commitments to assistance, echoing expert testimonies that millions will be thrust into extreme poverty as a result of the crisis. For countries that heavily depend on foreign aid, such as Haiti, this may be promising news. However, I think we usually ignore the other ways in which urban populations in the developing world (such as those living in slums) can reap benefits from the crisis. The restructuring of our global economy is already underway and now opportunities exist. Both articles touched on this issue. Much can be done at the international and regional level to effect change for poor urban populations, as the second article shows how changes in US trade legislation may benefit Haitians. Instead of attacking the issue of slums at the local level, analyzing ways in which governments, the private sector and other actors can work with the poor to improve living conditions, perhaps we should also look at international policy in a broader sense to see how foreign policy and trade relations among nations can actually act to hinder slum improvements or create more opportunities. Creating new policies that benefit poor populations may lay the groundwork for development from the bottom up.

Dental Double Standards

2009-04-01T12:01:00.003-04:00

Intersting article on ethical issues surrounding dental care and going to war! Check it Out!

"Melanie Hanson, said she could not afford a root canal to save a painful abscessed tooth. When she raised enough money to have it pulled, the dentist refused on ethical grounds, saying the tooth could be saved."

"Among the nation's reservists, a common reason for not being sent to Iraq has been poor teeth"

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/business/28dental.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=oral%20health%20care&st=cse

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Earth population 'exceeds limits'

2009-04-01T11:26:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Earth population 'exceeds limits': "Nina Fedoroff told the BBC One Planet programme that humans had exceeded the Earth's 'limits of sustainability'".

I like how this article is saying that the problem of sustainability is a current problem, not just an issue of the future.

Sustainability - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2009-03-31T21:34:00.001-04:00

Sustainability - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Sustainability, in a broad sense is the ability to maintain a certain process or state. It is now most frequently used in connection with biological and human systems. In an ecological context, sustainability can be defined as the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future [...]"

Concrete Is Remixed With Environment in Mind

2009-03-31T14:53:00.003-04:00

This piece addresses the best of engineering: through research of a material (or problem) and its implementation on a case-by-case basis, optimal results are produced. In this article, one learns about the serious CO2 contribution inherent with cement production. However with abundant research, solutions do exist which can even render its production carbon neutral or even negative, thus helping combat today's overwhelming problem of climate change. Furthermore, its approach by using different "cement recipes" to meet present conditions, emphasize the sincere understanding and engineering mindset of customizing a solution to fit distinct problems -- problems which are still under the same discipline. This framework, if applied appropriately, is the same understanding much needed to confront poverty or any policy issue: which require distinguishing the problem and acknowledging that each case is different, with each one requiring a different solution, much like a "cement recipe".

Fixing fistulas

2009-03-30T16:37:00.000-04:00

Student Life - Fixing fistulas: Alice Emasu’s vision for Ugandan and sub-Saharan women

Evidence, Evidence, Evidence

2009-03-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

The Lancet Student Evidence, Evidence, Evidence:

"Following this infamous statement made by Pope Benedict XVI before his recent trip to Africa, questions have arisen over the role that religion and morally-based policies have in the field of public health. The flippant yet globally resonant remark from Pontiff is just one example where evidence-based policy and programming has been trumped by the religious and moral persuasions of a powerful few [...]"

Participant Observer Susannah Slocum

2009-03-30T16:08:00.001-04:00

Former student Susannah Slocum sent me this notice...Mary

Next on view at Space 47:
Participant Observer
Susannah Slocum
Exhibition Dates: April 3 - 24, 2009
Opening reception: First Friday, April 3, 2009, 7 - 9pm

Susannah Slocum is an artist based in New York City whose photographic work is inspired by social science research methods. Her typologies utilize increased social interconnectivity as both a means and an end. Participant observation is a type of research strategy that usually involves a range of methods: informal interviews, direct observation, participation in the life of a group, analysis of personal documents produced within a group, self-analysis, and life histories. Its aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals (such as an occupational or subcultural group, or a particular community). Influenced by this strategy, Slocum’s art practice is concentrated on photographic portraiture with a personalized twist that includes intensive involvement with people in their natural environment. Her formally straightforward images depict persons who share something that is not immediately apparent. Are they a group or fierce individualists?

Image credit: Susannah Slocum, Detail from Participant Observer, lightjet print, 2006-08

About space 47:

Gallery Hours:
Thursday-Friday, 12noon to 4pm
& by special appointment
info@space47.org
Free Admission

SPACE 47 is located at:
47 E. William Street (between 1st & 2nd Streets)
San Jose, CA 95112
info@space47.org
www.space47.org
map
Space 47 is an independent project space that aims to foster new ideas and experiences, support artistic exchange and development, and inspire a larger community of cultural entrepreneurs.
gallery hours
during exhibition dates:
Thursday and Saturday, noon to 4pm
and by appointment
admission free
contact:
www.space47.org

info(at)space47.org
Upcoming: Stay Gold: New work by Shizu Saldamando

May 1 through 29, 2009
opening reception:
First Friday, May 1, 2009, 7 to 9pm

Image Credit: Shizu Saldamando, La Otra Gerry, oil paint, gold leaf, washi paper & glitter on wood, 2009, 60x30”inch

_________________________________________________

--
Angelica Muro
Principal, Space 47
angelica@space47.org
www.space47.org

Space 47 is an independent project space that aims to foster new ideas and experiences, support artistic exchange and development, and inspire a larger community of cultural entrepreneurs.

Op-Ed Columnist - A Boy Living in a Car - NYTimes.com

2009-03-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

Op-Ed Columnist - A Boy Living in a Car - NYTimes.com

Reinventing America’s Cities - The Time Is Now - NYTimes.com

2009-03-29T13:51:00.000-04:00

Reinventing America’s Cities - The Time Is Now - NYTimes.com: "Reinventing America’s Cities: The Time Is Now"

Foreign Ways and War Scars Test Hospital - Series - NYTimes.com

2009-03-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

Foreign Ways and War Scars Test Hospital - Series - NYTimes.com: "Foreign Ways and War Scars Test Hospital"

Forced migration and displacement, PTSD, immigration, US policy, hospital policy, changing care to include services necessary for immigrants....this article has it all!

Harlem Success Academy Case Study

2009-03-29T11:49:00.000-04:00

This is a great example of identifying a technical solution to a problem and scaling it up for organizational success:

Harlem Success Academy Case Study - CellTrust�:

"Shortly after the first Harlem Success Academy opened in August 2006, it became apparent that sending notes home in backpacks, stickers on students, or sending information through the post were not going to achieve the desired communication and parental involvement results. Harlem Success Academy determined it needed a technology partner to bridge the gap and help students, teachers, parents and administrators create an environment of success for the children attending the school [...] By implementing an SMS program for parents and teachers to stay connected regarding information, homework, events and general expectations, the technology revolution in the Harlem Success Academy has greatly assisted in the school�’s success."

Red River

2009-03-29T08:20:00.003-04:00

I thought that the latest news from Fargo, ND relate to the topic of building sustainable cities. The flooding raises questions about the considerations taken planning the levees. Perhaps because this type of event does not occur often, decision makers preferred taking the risk instead of investing more money in infrastructure?
Read more about the flooding

The Lancet Digest

2009-03-28T17:19:00.000-04:00

The Lancet Student Archive The Lancet Digest, March 27th - April 2nd 2009: "...The World Report covers the deaths caused by the trade in medical waste in India, the gaps in Dafur’s health services caused by aid expulsions and the effects of climate change on mosquito-borne diseases in Asia. Of particular interest to the field of global health is also the continuing Series on health in occupied Palestine and an accompanying Comment the health of Palestinian refugees, a profile on Nicola Roxon, the Australian Minister for Health and Aging and an obituary for surgeon William T. Close (father of Glenn), who helped tackle the first outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 [...]"

Placemaking for Communities | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

2009-03-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

Placemaking for Communities | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

Really cool site!

Rural women still have few rights to land in Uganda | Katine | guardian.co.uk

2009-03-27T14:12:00.000-04:00

Rural women still have few rights to land in Uganda | Katine | guardian.co.uk:

"The Ugandan government, academia and NGOs need to change their attitudes towards customary law if rural women are to have equal rights to land, argue Judy Adoko and Simon Levine, from the Land and Equity Movement in Uganda"

Circumcision Is Found to Curb Two S.T.D.s

2009-03-27T08:41:00.001-04:00

Circumcision Is Found to Curb Two S.T.D.’s - NYTimes.com:

"The study, a randomized clinical trial published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine, assigned more than 3,000 uncircumcised Ugandan men who were not infected with H.S.V.-2 to undergo immediate circumcision or to be circumcised 24 months from the start of the investigation. A subgroup was similarly evaluated for H.P.V. infection.

At 24 months, 114 men of the men initially circumcised and 153 of the noncircumcised tested positive for H.S.V.-2. After controlling for various health and behavioral factors, the researchers estimated that circumcised men had a 25 percent reduced risk of infection. The results do not apply to their partners."

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

2009-03-26T17:11:00.000-04:00

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address: "We help you find a walkable place to live by calculating a Walk Score for any address."

Boxed Water Is Better!

2009-03-26T16:56:00.001-04:00

Boxed Water Is Better!:

"Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious. Boxed Water Is Better, is a boxed water company.

Started with the simple idea of creating a new bottled water brand that is kinder to the environment and gives back a bit - we found that it shouldn't be bottled at all, but instead, boxed. So we looked to the past for inspiration in the century old beverage container and decided to keep things simple, sustainable, and beautiful."

Earth Hour This Saturday

2009-03-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

Earth Hour This Saturday:

"When, on this Saturday on 28 March 2009 from 8:30-9:30 pm local time, people around the world switch off the lights, they will be participating in Earth Hour. Created and organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the goal is to raise awareness about the climate crisis and how it's affecting the world we live in. For one hour, with the participation of millions, Earth Hour is an effort to help push critical legislation that pertains to the global climate treaty. This year Human Scale is joining to help the cause as well. Click here for more information about Earth Hour and sign up to be apart of this amazing effort."

Hans Rosling (again)

2009-03-26T08:40:00.002-04:00

I posted this at the start of the semester, but please be sure you've seen it because we'll speak about it next week. Pay particular attention to the example of Uganda and the internet discussion in the last 2 minutes:

Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen | Video on TED.com

The next year at TED Rosling gave a follow-up presentation with a fascinating discussion of the correlations between technology and health in development goals. If you're interested, watch it here. Additionally, you can go play with TrendAnalyzer, the software developed by GapMinder and acquired by Google at GapMinder World.

When Will There Be Good News? Does it Help There Already Was Some? (Aid Watch)

2009-03-26T08:27:00.001-04:00

When Will There Be Good News? Does it Help There Already Was Some? (Aid Watch)

Rolex Awards for Enterprise

2009-03-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

grants for individuals under 30

Rolex Awards for Enterprise > About the Awards > Young Laureates

NY Times: Cities Deal with Shanty Towns

2009-03-25T21:07:00.002-04:00

Like a dozen or so other cities across the nation, Fresno is dealing with an unhappy déjà vu: the arrival of modern-day Hoovervilles, illegal encampments of homeless people that are reminiscent, on a far smaller scale, of Depression-era shanty towns. At his news conference on Tuesday night, President Obama was asked directly about the tent cities and responded by saying that it was “not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.”

While encampments and street living have always been a part of the landscape in big cities like Los Angeles and New York, these new tent cities have taken root — or grown from smaller homeless enclaves as more people lose jobs and housing — in such disparate places as Nashville, Olympia, Wash., and St. Petersburg, Fla.

Link to article.

World Water Forum Calls Participants to Action

2009-03-24T05:47:00.000-04:00

World Water Forum Calls Participants to Action

Symposium on Environment and Health at AMNH

2009-03-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

Dear Mary and Annie,

we have finished our preparations for the symposium and the final program is online. The link for the symposium is http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/health/ and the program can be found at http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/health/agenda.html

Poster abstracts, which include quite a few works done by students, are at http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/health/posters.html

There is a free event on the evening of April 2nd.

Please let me know if you have questions or comments and I hope to see you at the museum!

Best,

Andres

Andrés Gómez, DVM, PhD
Center for Biodiversity and Conservation
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St., NY NY 10024
212.313.7081 | agomez@amnh.org | fax 212.769.5292

Book on Climate Change and Health

2009-03-16T18:51:00.007-04:00

Hi, all

I would like to introduce one textbook which provides the discussion of global environmental change, including climate change, and public health. It gives us not only the fundamental background of fields, but also tips how to explore knowledge through the Internet. It links many useful websites and academic papers.

The book is more broadly discuss the global environmental change, it also has the section of climate change and public health. One of the editors is Dr. Paz Jonathan, an expert of climate change and health. I took his course and used the textbook last year at UW-Madison. If you are interested, I will bring it next time.

Title: Ecosystem Change and Public Health: A Global Perspective, Dr.
Joan L. Aron PhD (Editor), Jonathan A. Patz MD MPH, The Johns
Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (May 16, 2001)

How did the Briton cross the road?

2009-03-12T15:50:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine : "Stephen Dowling
BBC News

The green man, an icon for pedestrians across the UK, could be joined by a countdown clock as part of London's plans to ease traffic flow. But from Cairo to Chicago, how people cross the road speaks volumes about a country's cultural values.

You only need to step outside your hotel when staying in a foreign city to know that when it comes to crossing the road, there's no such thing as an international standard. Every country does it differently.

In Cairo, pedestrians seemingly take their lives in their hands, striding out into oncoming traffic in the Middle East's most chaotic roads .

In Bangkok, crossing the street means playing chicken with armadas of scooters and cars that see pedestrian crossings as an obstacle course."

The Recession's Green Lining

2009-03-12T13:25:00.002-04:00

Since climate change was mentioned as a project idea by one of the groups yesterday, I thought people might find this article interesting.

The Recession's Green Lining

A global downturn is doing what activists couldn't: closing dirty factories.

Reflection Paper 3

2009-03-11T18:18:00.002-04:00

Forgive me for running out of time today to hear your ideas regarding what it means to be pro-poor. As promised, this will be the basis for the third reflection paper due in 3 weeks (!) at our next formal class to be held on April 1, 2009 (this is not an April Fool's Day joke!) In your own words, what does it mean to be pro-poor? How would societies be restructured if this formed the basis for newly instituted policies and the practices that flow from them? Enjoy your spring breaks and team sessions, and see you next month (gulp!) Mary

How to stop the drug wars | The Economist

2009-03-11T17:56:00.000-04:00

I read this lead article t in the Economist this week and was interested by the tag line. "Prohibition has failed; legalisation is the least bad solution." The magazine stands by its position, that legalising drugs, will do the least harm to the greatest number of people, especially those who do not use.

Gawad Kalinga!

2009-03-11T12:23:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine here at Columbia is from the Philippines and has worked with "slum upgrading" and a very interesting organization in her home country called Gawad Kalinga. They work with communities to support land tenure and also community participation in rebuilding or revitalizing their own homes. Similar to Habitat for Humanity, the residents pay for their new homes within the same community by investing "sweat equity" and helping fellow community members build their own homes. I encourage you to check out their work. One of the other interesting aspects is that they make everything really bright to make a more uplifting environment! See image here.

The Strange Allure of the Slums...

2009-03-11T12:00:00.001-04:00

The Economist, 3 May 2007

NO CONTINENT is urbanising faster than Africa. Why? One answer is partly statistical: Africa has been the slowest to get started. Another is that parts of Africa, such as the Sahel, have been affected recently by severe climate change, making marginal land unfarmable. And in countries like Angola and Congo years of fighting have propelled millions to the cities. But a fuller explanation is needed....

The full article can be found at:
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9070714

2009-03-11T11:51:00.002-04:00

After reading the article on the founding of Brazil’s health care system, I looked to Brazil for examples of progressive policies that have sought to scale up slum improvements. In “Rio de Janeiro to spend US$1 billion on innovative slum improvement programme”, the author details the steps taken under the program Favela-Bairro, which has actually inspired similar programs in other Latin American cities. In “Closing the divide between those who are starving and those who waste food”, programs to combat food insecurity in Belo Horizonte, Brazil are described with particular emphasis on poor residents living in slums.

In the article, “Slums are ‘Economically Rational’”, by the Affordable Housing Institute, the author shows how slums inevitably arise in the absence of government intervention and the process by which the private housing sector contributes to their creation.

On a side note, before policy makers devise new programs for scaling up slum improvements, it could be helpful to analyze the successes of slum communities in different sectors, like security and the environment. The article, “What Slums Can Teach Us About Sustainability”, briefly shows how slums are also learning opportunities for urban planners.

Brazilian Slums

2009-03-11T11:09:00.000-04:00

Take a look into Brazilian Slums.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E0D61639F93BA25752C0A9629C8B63&scp=2&sq=slums&st=cse

Alma Ata

2009-03-11T09:17:00.003-04:00

In looking through my notes from class last week, I wanted to learn more about Alma Ata. I thought I'd share what I found. Here's a link to the Alma Ata Declaration, made in 1978.