[highlight] Temporary Autonomous Shelter Resources

This post aims to highlight a very interesting site, the Temporary Autonomous Shelter Research Portal.

"This website is a tool for individuals and groups involved in the research and planning of temporary encampments of autonomous emergency shelters.

It's purpose is to assist community organizers with the creation of collaborative, user designed and governed projects that create immediate short-term solutions to the housing crisis in their communities.

This website was created to assist in the organization of a collaborative community project in Victoria, BC that seeks to:

* Create and implement a low cost, immediately applicable solution to homelessness that provides safety, comfort, dignity, and support.
* Provide support and advocacy for individuals living in tents and other simple structures around the city.
* Provide administrative and organizational support to individuals and groups involved in similar projects."

The site includes a database of Past, Present, and Future tent cities as well as financial and legal information, emergency crisis management science and technology, links to homeless self help organizations and more.

http://tentcity.wikidot.com/

[int'l] Light Up The World With LEDs

re-posted from EcoSpace.cc

By Kyra

Light Up the World with LEDs

The Light Up The World (LUTW) Foundation has been running officially since 2002. Since it's conception as a humanitarian aid organization it has provided over 14,000 homes in over 42 countries with safe, affordable, ecologically sound, highly-efficient lighting through the use of WLED technologies (White Light Emitting Diodes). Their vision is to make lighting of this quality and caliber accessible to the over 2 billion people currently living without proper lighting. The use of kerosene and other fuel based lighting sources is the number one producer of greenhouse gases in the majority world, states research by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratories (LBNL).

In terms of power consumption the average use of an LED is 1Watt per hour, compared with 5W for incandescent bulbs and 4W for Compact Fluorescent. More extensive comparison charts can be found on the LUTW website, here. LUTW's projects strive to be ecologically sound in every aspect. As such, energy sources for the lighting systems they install range from Photovoltaics, Solar and Wind powered to Person Powered Pedal Generators (essentially riding a bike to generate electricity).

It makes me wonder why we don't have more of these types of systems in use here at home! While compact fluorescents are touted as the ecological solution to lighting here in Canada, there is lots of evidence indicating that fluorescents are extremely unhealthy for the body...and if LED's do in fact use one quarter the energy of compact fluorescents, as indicated in comparison charts...help me out here? Why are we still building with the most expensive lighting around in terms of total cost? Why not hook up those thousands of person-powered exercise machines in gyms across the globe to generate electricity for our cities? Maybe then Hydro-Quebec would reconsider destroying the ecosystems surrounding all of Quebec's rivers by putting multiple dams up to create hydro-electricity...But then maybe we're just supposed to accept that "money makes the world go round", sit back and enjoy the ride into oblivion.Against any proposed solution to unsustainable practices there seem to be a thousand arguments for keeping things the way they are-yet it seems clear to me that we need creative solutions, and we need them fast!

Light Up The World is an initiative of Calgarian Dr. Dave Irvine-Halliday, whose work in Nepal led him to realize that lack of adequate lighting was a major problem in the majority world. Aside from the ecological effects, fuel based lighting is extremely unhealthy for human bodies and can cause a variety of illnesses related to inhaling poisonous fumes.Lack of adequate lighting is also closely linked to illiteracy, though I have my qualms with the assumption that enforcing literacy on oral cultures is always necessarily a positive...

Some of LUTW's current projects include providing lighting systems to a Tibetan orphanage, aid stations in Papua New Guinea, to homes in the townships of South African, and to education facilities in Sierra Leone. LUTW is kept afloat by donations, so if you'd like to contribute some of that monetary energy to the cause , or know someone who might, please visit http://lutw.org/howtohelp.htm.

[UK] Petition Against Proposed Student Visa Changes

re-posted from Activist Scholarship listserv

Universities Without Borders: http://universitieswithoutborders.blogspot.com/

PETITION TO OPPOSE PROPOSED CHANGES TO STUDENT VISAS IN UK

There is now a UK-wide campaign underway to oppose the proposed changes to student visas, which will require academics to monitor and report overseas students to the UK Border Agency. As part the campaign, a petition to the Prime Minister's Office has been launched. There are currently 2260 signatures, but we'd like to get more, so please take a minute to add your name and forward to contacts.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Overseasstudent/

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to withdraw the oppressive new immigration rules on overseas students and staff”

Background: The new rules for overseas students and staff threaten university autonomy and breach human rights legislation. These rules would require Universities to report to the Border Agency any absences from lectures and seminars or any failure to submit any assessment on time. In other words the University is being asked to act as an Immigration Officer to the students. These requirements go far beyond the present monitoring of student progress systems in Universities which has as its purpose assisting students to reach their full potential. It is hard to justify such detailed monitoring of overseas students. Surely the Border Agency just needs to know students have registered and are at the University. This police-like surveillance is not the function of universities and alters the educational relationship between students and their teachers in a very harmful manner. University staff are there to help the students develop intellectually and not to be a means of sanctioning them. Trust between students and staff is essential to the relationship. They represent a potential breach of Articles 8 and Article 3of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. – Ian Grigg-Spall:

FURTHER BACKGROUND ON KEY CHANGES TO STUDENT VISA RULES

1) Onerous financial requirements for international students

Under the new points-based system, starting in Spring 2009, student visas will be subject to "mandatory maintenance requirements" which means the visa won't approved unless the student can provided evidence of enough funds in their bank account to cover full first year tuition + £9600(amount they consider necessary for living expenses at £800 per month). For spouses/children they will need to show they have a further £535 per month for each dependent.) This requirement will apply to everyone, regardless of what country you are coming from. Students applying for the Post Study Worker Scheme or Highly Skilled Migrant Program scheme from within the UK, will need to have £800 held in their bank account for three months in a row to be eligible. Students applying from outside the UK, will need £2800 held over the last three months, plus £1600 per dependent.

2) Universities forced to report info about international students to the Home Office & UK Border Agency

Starting from Spring 2009, any educational institution recruiting overseas students will need to register with the Home Office. All sponsors, including the university, will be required to report on international students who(a) fail to enrol on their course;(b) have any unauthorized absences;(c) discontinue their studies (including deferrals)(d) any significant changes in students circumstances (eg if duration of study shortens) Institutions will be expected to cooperate with the UK Border Agency and "Account Managers" will routinely conduct "spot checks" to ensure institutions are complying with requirements. Apparently the Home Office is also cracking down on students who work more than the 20 permitted hours during term time.

3) Monitoring students activities re: "anti-terrorism"

Since 2007, non-UK/EU postgrad students studying certain science/technologysubjects (mostly biology, chemistry, technology) are required to go through the "Academic Technology Approval Scheme - as a counter-terrorism measure-- apparently "to stop the spread of knowledge and skills that could be used in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery."

4) ID controls

As of November 25th, the government will begin issuing biometric ID cards to all non-EU students and spouses and this will extend to students applying for loans in 2010. Existing student visas will not be renewed without providing biometric data and obtaining the ID card.

Coverage in the Guardian:

Letter: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/10/immigration-policy-immigration-and-public-services

Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/nov/10/international-students-migrant-scams-crackdown

[NY] 72-yr-old man jumps from 2nd floor, extinguishes fire

re-posted from: DemocratAndChronicle.com, 12/30/08

By Victoria E. Freile

Man, 72, jumps from second-floor window and single-handedly extinguishes fire

A 72-year-old Batavia man this morning jumped from the second-floor of his townhouse, broke open a first-floor window and single-handedly extinguished a fire, according to the Batavia Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to Walden Estates, an apartment complex at 337 Bank St., about 3:40 a.m. and arrived to find that the male tenant in Apt. 5 had already extinguished the fire, said Batavia Fire Chief Tom Dillon.

The 72-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were sitting in the living room, covered in soot at that time, he said. Firefighters helped the couple exit the townhouse.

At some point before firefighters arrived, the man helped the woman down the stairs, Dillon said.

The pair suffered from smoke inhalation and were taken to the United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, where they were treated and released, Dillon said. The man also suffered from cuts on his feet after he stepped on broken glass.

Something woke the couple early today and the man jumped out of a second-floor window, ran around the side of the townhouse and broke open a window using a shovel. He reentered the townhouse and extinguished the fire using water and a five-gallon bucket, Dillon said.

“We were really impressed by the man’s actions,” Dillon said.

The entire townhouse sustained heavy fire damage and moderate heat damage. The living room was charred, he said. Dillon noted that the house is currently not livable.

He added that the smoke detector was not working last night because it had old batteries.

Firefighters are investigating, to determine the cause.

[Kansas] Schoolboy defeats hedgehog ban

re-posted from Metro.co.uk on 01/07/09

Schoolboy defeats hedgehog ban

A schoolboy in Kansas has emerged victorious in his battle to change the law of his city - so that could have a pet hedgehog.

11-year-old Judson King triumphed after campaigning against local laws that banned the animals from the city of Lawrence.

Inspired by a love of Sonic the Hedgehog, and determined to own a real-life version, King spent three years researching how to change the law before presenting his case to city commissioners.

The commissioners were impressed by his prepared speech, and the dossier he had prepared with information about hedgehogs.

And, despite some initial concerns that hedgehogs - which are not native to North America - might harbour foot-and-mouth disease, the commissioners could find no reason to continue banning hedgehogs from the city limits.

'I think he ought to run for City Commission in April,' said impressed City Commissioner Sue Hack said after King's presentation.

At the same meeting, a proposed ban on chickens in the city was turned down.

Preliminary approval for lifting the hedgehog ban was given on December 2, and the prohibition was officially lifted on December 30. By that time, Judson had already reaped the reward for his efforts - he was given a hedgehog called Little Luke for Christmas.

[NYC/Annapolis] Rabbi Protest Against Zionism

suggested by Nia, please follow the YouTube link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzJbRMLZHPY

[US] Muslim coalition call for more inclusion in Obama's admin

re-posted from: CNNPolitics.com

By Jonathan Helman, 12/29/08

Muslim coalition requests more inclusion in new administration

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The American Muslim Taskforce for Civil Rights and Elections called on President-elect Barack Obama for greater Muslim outreach during his administration as well as assisting in ending the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the Middle East.

"We demand that our government, the U.S. government, take immediate steps to end the immoral and illegal Israeli bombardment of Gaza and its population," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The AMT also said the United States must look at any violations of international and domestic law that occurred as a result of the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza.

In a news conference Monday, the coalition of prominent national Muslim groups underlined its policy recommendations for the new administration.

"We are approaching our incoming administration on four key issues: inclusion and access, policy development, personnel appointment and partnership for peace," said Agha Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections.

Citing a survey commissioned by the task force, the organization said this year's election saw the biggest turnout of American Muslims ever reported that 89 percent of those who voted cast a ballot for Obama.

Speaking at the press conference, Senator Larry Shaw (D-N.C.) called the Muslim community an untapped resource that the Obama administration should not forget about.

"We are ready to be your partners for peace," Saeed said.