Friday, March 19, 2004
Global Village Overview / MicroLoans
Boston-based World Pioneer in Microfinance Recognized for Changing the World
BOSTON, MA and New York, NY, December 17, 2003 (ACCION International News Release, Excerpt) - By giving poor women and men microentrepreneurs the tools they need – “microloans,” business training, and other financial services – ACCION helps them work their way out of poverty and attain economic independence. Founded in 1961, ACCION issued the first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. Today, ACCION partner microlending institutions are providing loans as low as $100 to 1.1 million microentrepreneurs in 21 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Together, they have disbursed $4.6 billion in microloans to 2.7 million borrowers, 65 percent of whom are women. Ninety-seven percent of these loans have been repaid. http://www.accion.org/media_press_releases_detail.asp_Q_NEWS_E_134 .
Boston-based World Pioneer in Microfinance Recognized for Changing the World
BOSTON, MA and New York, NY, December 17, 2003 (ACCION International News Release, Excerpt) - By giving poor women and men microentrepreneurs the tools they need – “microloans,” business training, and other financial services – ACCION helps them work their way out of poverty and attain economic independence. Founded in 1961, ACCION issued the first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. Today, ACCION partner microlending institutions are providing loans as low as $100 to 1.1 million microentrepreneurs in 21 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Together, they have disbursed $4.6 billion in microloans to 2.7 million borrowers, 65 percent of whom are women. Ninety-seven percent of these loans have been repaid. http://www.accion.org/media_press_releases_detail.asp_Q_NEWS_E_134 .
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Exemplary Resources / Global Village Overview
A New Peace, Earth and Justice News Site
VICTORIA, BC, Mar. 8, 2004 (Left Coast News) - Friends, Colleagues & Subscribers, I am proud to announce that the Peace, Earth & Justice News has now opened a second web site, dedicated to allowing you to read the news online anytime, anywhere. Please visit our new site at: http://pej.org. The site is also interactive, allowing you to add your own comments and thoughts to any article. Please let us know what you think of this new, free service, largely the result of the tireless efforts of our new volunteer Webmaster and Artist Jim Wight (jwight@telus.net), and our nine volunteer Editors (see Who's Who at http://www.pej.ca/contact.htm).
A New Peace, Earth and Justice News Site
VICTORIA, BC, Mar. 8, 2004 (Left Coast News) - Friends, Colleagues & Subscribers, I am proud to announce that the Peace, Earth & Justice News has now opened a second web site, dedicated to allowing you to read the news online anytime, anywhere. Please visit our new site at: http://pej.org. The site is also interactive, allowing you to add your own comments and thoughts to any article. Please let us know what you think of this new, free service, largely the result of the tireless efforts of our new volunteer Webmaster and Artist Jim Wight (jwight@telus.net), and our nine volunteer Editors (see Who's Who at http://www.pej.ca/contact.htm).
Global Village Overview / Social Equity
Victoria Group to Monitor Salvadoran Presidential Election
VICTORIA, BC, Mar. 8, 2004 (Left Coast News) – A group of 13 British Columbians is travelling to El Salvador to help monitor the fairness of that country’s crucial presidential election on March 21, the non-partisan group CommonBorders announced today. CommonBorders is a Victoria-based registered society with five years of experience in monitoring and observing elections in several Latin American countries. Delegation members are volunteers who are donating their time and paying their own way to help guarantee that elections are held fairly and in accordance with both electoral laws of the host countries and international standards. For further information contact: Linda Shout at (250) 370-9879, or e-mail elections@commonborders.org.
Victoria Group to Monitor Salvadoran Presidential Election
VICTORIA, BC, Mar. 8, 2004 (Left Coast News) – A group of 13 British Columbians is travelling to El Salvador to help monitor the fairness of that country’s crucial presidential election on March 21, the non-partisan group CommonBorders announced today. CommonBorders is a Victoria-based registered society with five years of experience in monitoring and observing elections in several Latin American countries. Delegation members are volunteers who are donating their time and paying their own way to help guarantee that elections are held fairly and in accordance with both electoral laws of the host countries and international standards. For further information contact: Linda Shout at (250) 370-9879, or e-mail elections@commonborders.org.
Environment / Sustainable Forestry / Global Village Overview
GERMAN ENVIRONMENTALISTS TAKE UP THE PEN
"Part of Our Soul"
Göttingen, Germany, Mar. 8, 2004 (Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte - Institute for the History of Science, via Left Coast News) - Really old trees are seldom seen in Germany. Really old forests that have survived the radical impact of human beings for hundreds, if not thousands of years, no longer exist. The same is true for all of Middle Europe. Read more.
GERMAN ENVIRONMENTALISTS TAKE UP THE PEN
"Part of Our Soul"
Göttingen, Germany, Mar. 8, 2004 (Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte - Institute for the History of Science, via Left Coast News) - Really old trees are seldom seen in Germany. Really old forests that have survived the radical impact of human beings for hundreds, if not thousands of years, no longer exist. The same is true for all of Middle Europe. Read more.
Global Village Overview / Our Shifting Focus
Global Rebirth
SHUSWAP, BC, Mar. 2004 (Pesky Skeeter) - They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end - it will be transformed. Mayan comprehension of time, seasons and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk'in or Cholq'ij. Click and Scroll down to Draw your own conclusions.
Global Rebirth
SHUSWAP, BC, Mar. 2004 (Pesky Skeeter) - They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end - it will be transformed. Mayan comprehension of time, seasons and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk'in or Cholq'ij. Click and Scroll down to Draw your own conclusions.
Our Shifting Focus / Peace
Invitation to Study Peace and Conflict Resolution
CALGARY, AB, Mar. 12, 2004 (EPU) - We wish to invite you to join a select group of 40 students from around the world in an intensive course in peace and conflict studies at the European University Center for Peace Studies (EPU) in Stadtschlaining, Austria. All the courses are taught in English, by leading specialists in their fields from around the world, including Johan Galtung, founder of the field of peace research. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY: see www.aspr.ac.at, and click on "European University Center for Peace Studies", second on the left. Email epu@epu.ac.at Tel +43‑3355‑2498‑515.
Invitation to Study Peace and Conflict Resolution
CALGARY, AB, Mar. 12, 2004 (EPU) - We wish to invite you to join a select group of 40 students from around the world in an intensive course in peace and conflict studies at the European University Center for Peace Studies (EPU) in Stadtschlaining, Austria. All the courses are taught in English, by leading specialists in their fields from around the world, including Johan Galtung, founder of the field of peace research. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY: see www.aspr.ac.at, and click on "European University Center for Peace Studies", second on the left. Email epu@epu.ac.at Tel +43‑3355‑2498‑515.
Empowerment / Women / Democracy
Women Reviving Democracy in India - Canadian Tour March 11-22, 2004
OTTAWA, ON, Mar. 11, 2004 (SAP) - From March 11-22, Canadians in Windsor, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Regina and Winnipeg will hear from South Asia Partnership Canada how Indian women have overcome barriers of sexism and become decision-makers for their communities. The six-city tour is an initiative by South Asia Partnership Canada, its hosting partners in each city and the Canadian International Development Agency to promote links between Canadian and South Asian civic groups on the role of women in local government in Canada and India. See the Media Advisory for more information.
Women Reviving Democracy in India - Canadian Tour March 11-22, 2004
OTTAWA, ON, Mar. 11, 2004 (SAP) - From March 11-22, Canadians in Windsor, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Regina and Winnipeg will hear from South Asia Partnership Canada how Indian women have overcome barriers of sexism and become decision-makers for their communities. The six-city tour is an initiative by South Asia Partnership Canada, its hosting partners in each city and the Canadian International Development Agency to promote links between Canadian and South Asian civic groups on the role of women in local government in Canada and India. See the Media Advisory for more information.
