Global Citizens: Costa Rica: Blessed are the Cheesemakers…
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Fomca: Halt monopolistic moves by banks Claudia Theophilus Dec 13, 04 4:41pm The government must ensure that banking services are managed in a just and fair manner so that the financial services sector can compete globally, said the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca). For a start, Fomca wants a stop to all proposals for service charges for non-banking transactions and to gradually lower the other service charges, so that banks offer innovative services that generate revenue and increase efficiency. âLower charges should be imposed for Internet banking transactions, similar to developments in the securities trading sector and commission for airline ticketing agents.â On the RM1 charge per withdrawal at another bankâs ATM, he said, only serves to reduce the efficiency and competitiveness of the banks. âThis burdens them while banks chase unreasonable profits for every facility they offer, setting aside the social responsibility to expand their services to all parts of the country.â Muhammad Shaâani said some banks impose a service charge for current accounts that discriminate against customers with a low account balance.
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Begin forwarded message: > From: Pablo Kala > Date: 1 December 2004 11:14:39 AM > To: pga-asia@cupboard.org, caravan99@lists.riseup.net, > pga-asia@lists.riseup.net > Subject: [caravan99] PGA report from SE Asia > > Firends: Pasted is my final PGA report from Asia, based upon my work here over the past few months. in solidarity Pablo PGA Report from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia Pablo Kala (PGA Asia support group) A series of very constructive meetings took place between Lek (Thai Labour Campaign, PGA Asia support group), Pablo (PGA Asia support group) and members of the Assembly of the Poor. Pablo explained the history and workings of PGA and discussed the outcomes from the PGA Asian and Gender conference in Dhaka. (iii) interviews with Nusser Yeemah (Friends of the Poor) and Kanjana Malaihom (Slum dwellers network) (both involved in Assembly of the Poor) about the Dhaka conference and discussions about setting up the PGA Asia website. The Northern Farmerâs Federation â part of AoP - is an umbrella organization which includes the NFA (lowland farmers) and the NFN (Karen farmers).While there, Pablo and Lek visited land occupations in the Lamphun area, Mae Khapu village (in the Karen hill tribe area), and Ban Pong village. This land has been abandoned by companies who had bought the land during the land boom of the late 1980âs. In 1989 the government began issuing land titles to companies which encroached upon land for which villagers had been granted cultivation rights by the government since 1965. The villagers believe that there should be no titles to the land, only cultivation rights for villagers (who have lived from the land in the area for generations), and are currently awaiting a government committee report into the land disputes. Sukaew, who is a member of that committee, is one of many villagers facing 43 separate court cases for the occupying the land. In Makhapu, Pati, the Karen village head, explained how 100 local villagers had been occupying land in 2003 which had been sold to private companies for strawberry plantations. Pablo gave a workshop (with Lek translating into Thai) to 80-90 activists from the Northern Farmerâs Alliance (NFA, part of the AoP network) at their training school, about grassroots struggles around the world, PGA, and nonviolent direct action. Concerning the PGA conference in Dhaka, Vu Le thought that not enough âbigâ issues were discussed, that the PGA gender workshops were too conceptual, and there was too much local/community experiences shared, rather than discussion of the big issues. When asked about the usefulness of PGA to the VNFU, Vu Le replied: âVietnam farmers are not so interested in movements (like PGA), they are more interested in access to markets, how to sell their products, and access to technologyâ. The legal designation of land in Sarawak has increasingly changed from âNative Customary Rightsâ (where farmers had a legal right to own, plough and develop the land) to â Native Customary Landâ (where the government of the day has the right to the land and can therefore develop it however it chose, irrespective of the wishes of local communities). While in Sarawak, I visited three communities, each involved in a land struggle. Over 50 families have been displaced and only 22 families remain in the forest that remains (which comprises 400 acres, or 10% of the original land area). Migrant labourers (from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines) work on the plantation, have poisoned the rivers, hunt the few remaining wild animals such as the moss deer, and stolen crops from the community land. Currently a court case is pending concerning who has legal right to the remaining Bidayuh land. Second, I visited the kampong of Tambirat where Malaya Muslim farmers recently won a court case against the government over ownership of land that had been leased to Chinese entrepreneurs 60 years ago. The government wants the Iban to lease them the land for 60 years, so that they can attract foreign investors to develop the land. The idea would be that the Iban would become wage labourers on the plantation (for 12 Ringgit a day), and, after 60 years, the monocultured, poisoned land would be returned to them. By trying to get the Iban to lease them the land, the government is exempted from paying the Iban any compensation. Ahmad and I stayed in the longhouse of the village headman, where we had a long meeting with 23 villagers, during which we discussed the struggle, and I gave a talk about PGA.
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They gave Scott Peterson the death penalty for killing his wife and unborn child. I’ve been trying to figure out if I can retire now and have enough money to live to be 100. If the market give 10% a year and I live cheaply, I can make it. Apparently, he’s figured out how to live on 5,000 a year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can live in a manner to which I’ve become accustomed at 5K/year. The harder part will be convincing my wife to give it a try.
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Which, by the way–those two questions that were driving me mad because I could never remember them but finally made myself memorize them?? Phantom power IS 48 volts DC, and the velocity of sound at sea level, 70 degrees F IS 1,130 feet per second.
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Welcome to Costa Rica, a place where National Parks cover over 15% of the land, where the military has been dismantled for over 50 years, and where there are trees that can use their roots to walk through the jungle. We have spent our last week or so in this wonderful country, and it has been an ideal place to end our time in Central America and to prepare for the transition to our next grand continent to our south. Since Costa Rica had just decided to dismantle its national Army in 1948, the country seemed like a good choice, a place where they could share and promote peace together, and the awe inspiring green hills of Monteverde make you feel like you’re right in the middle of Psalm 23. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, is a Chistian community that believes strongly in peace, and works through various means to promote ways that people can live together and find reconciliation, both at the level of their community and in broader social structures. I think that it was around this time that I really started to realize that Costa Rica is a special and unique place. This country just feels more inviting and friendly than most of Central America, and it seems somewhat ironic that we feel the most secure in a place that has invested the least in national security. And compared to its neighboring nations, Costa Rica reports one of the most peaceful histories and has invested time and money into proactively working at promoting reconciliation in the region. Levi & Mildred Friesen and their seven children have been living simply on their farm for a number of years now, sustaining their lifestyle by growing rice and working faithfully through each day, receiving the blessings for each hard day’s work. Our introduction to the mindset of Costa Rica came on their farm, sharing the days with the family over wonderful home-cooked meals, learning a bits and pieces about farm work, riding the combine through the rice fields, and helping to right a banana truck that didn’t quite make it around a turn. Warner absolutely loves living and working on the mountain, his gateway to heaven, and is passionate about sharing his faith and lifestyle with anyone that finds their way up to the top. Set apart from the distractions and busyness of the world, he explained how the tranquillity of the location helps to keep him closer to God, and as two wearly travelers that are constantly being more drawn to place of retreat and natural beauty, we felt right at home. Jon has developed this location for his Tree of Life Tours, and allows people to come there when they feel the need to get away, for reasons such as escaping an addiction or trying to find God for the first or thousandth time.
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Fomca: Halt monopolistic moves by banks Claudia Theophilus Dec 13, 04 4:41pm The government must ensure that banking services are managed in a just and fair manner so that the financial services sector can compete globally, said the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca). For a start, Fomca wants a stop to all proposals for service charges for non-banking transactions and to gradually lower the other service charges, so that banks offer innovative services that generate revenue and increase efficiency. âLower charges should be imposed for Internet banking transactions, similar to developments in the securities trading sector and commission for airline ticketing agents.â On the RM1 charge per withdrawal at another bankâs ATM, he said, only serves to reduce the efficiency and competitiveness of the banks. âThis burdens them while banks chase unreasonable profits for every facility they offer, setting aside the social responsibility to expand their services to all parts of the country.â Muhammad Shaâani said some banks impose a service charge for current accounts that discriminate against customers with a low account balance.
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Begin forwarded message: > From: Pablo Kala > Date: 1 December 2004 11:14:39 AM > To: pga-asia@cupboard.org, caravan99@lists.riseup.net, > pga-asia@lists.riseup.net > Subject: [caravan99] PGA report from SE Asia > > Firends: Pasted is my final PGA report from Asia, based upon my work here over the past few months. in solidarity Pablo PGA Report from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia Pablo Kala (PGA Asia support group) A series of very constructive meetings took place between Lek (Thai Labour Campaign, PGA Asia support group), Pablo (PGA Asia support group) and members of the Assembly of the Poor. Pablo explained the history and workings of PGA and discussed the outcomes from the PGA Asian and Gender conference in Dhaka. (iii) interviews with Nusser Yeemah (Friends of the Poor) and Kanjana Malaihom (Slum dwellers network) (both involved in Assembly of the Poor) about the Dhaka conference and discussions about setting up the PGA Asia website. The Northern Farmerâs Federation â part of AoP - is an umbrella organization which includes the NFA (lowland farmers) and the NFN (Karen farmers).While there, Pablo and Lek visited land occupations in the Lamphun area, Mae Khapu village (in the Karen hill tribe area), and Ban Pong village. This land has been abandoned by companies who had bought the land during the land boom of the late 1980âs. In 1989 the government began issuing land titles to companies which encroached upon land for which villagers had been granted cultivation rights by the government since 1965. The villagers believe that there should be no titles to the land, only cultivation rights for villagers (who have lived from the land in the area for generations), and are currently awaiting a government committee report into the land disputes. Sukaew, who is a member of that committee, is one of many villagers facing 43 separate court cases for the occupying the land. In Makhapu, Pati, the Karen village head, explained how 100 local villagers had been occupying land in 2003 which had been sold to private companies for strawberry plantations. Pablo gave a workshop (with Lek translating into Thai) to 80-90 activists from the Northern Farmerâs Alliance (NFA, part of the AoP network) at their training school, about grassroots struggles around the world, PGA, and nonviolent direct action. Concerning the PGA conference in Dhaka, Vu Le thought that not enough âbigâ issues were discussed, that the PGA gender workshops were too conceptual, and there was too much local/community experiences shared, rather than discussion of the big issues. When asked about the usefulness of PGA to the VNFU, Vu Le replied: âVietnam farmers are not so interested in movements (like PGA), they are more interested in access to markets, how to sell their products, and access to technologyâ. The legal designation of land in Sarawak has increasingly changed from âNative Customary Rightsâ (where farmers had a legal right to own, plough and develop the land) to â Native Customary Landâ (where the government of the day has the right to the land and can therefore develop it however it chose, irrespective of the wishes of local communities). While in Sarawak, I visited three communities, each involved in a land struggle. Over 50 families have been displaced and only 22 families remain in the forest that remains (which comprises 400 acres, or 10% of the original land area). Migrant labourers (from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines) work on the plantation, have poisoned the rivers, hunt the few remaining wild animals such as the moss deer, and stolen crops from the community land. Currently a court case is pending concerning who has legal right to the remaining Bidayuh land. Second, I visited the kampong of Tambirat where Malaya Muslim farmers recently won a court case against the government over ownership of land that had been leased to Chinese entrepreneurs 60 years ago. The government wants the Iban to lease them the land for 60 years, so that they can attract foreign investors to develop the land. The idea would be that the Iban would become wage labourers on the plantation (for 12 Ringgit a day), and, after 60 years, the monocultured, poisoned land would be returned to them. By trying to get the Iban to lease them the land, the government is exempted from paying the Iban any compensation. Ahmad and I stayed in the longhouse of the village headman, where we had a long meeting with 23 villagers, during which we discussed the struggle, and I gave a talk about PGA.
link
They gave Scott Peterson the death penalty for killing his wife and unborn child. I’ve been trying to figure out if I can retire now and have enough money to live to be 100. If the market give 10% a year and I live cheaply, I can make it. Apparently, he’s figured out how to live on 5,000 a year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can live in a manner to which I’ve become accustomed at 5K/year. The harder part will be convincing my wife to give it a try.
link
Which, by the way–those two questions that were driving me mad because I could never remember them but finally made myself memorize them?? Phantom power IS 48 volts DC, and the velocity of sound at sea level, 70 degrees F IS 1,130 feet per second.
link
Welcome to Costa Rica, a place where National Parks cover over 15% of the land, where the military has been dismantled for over 50 years, and where there are trees that can use their roots to walk through the jungle. We have spent our last week or so in this wonderful country, and it has been an ideal place to end our time in Central America and to prepare for the transition to our next grand continent to our south. Since Costa Rica had just decided to dismantle its national Army in 1948, the country seemed like a good choice, a place where they could share and promote peace together, and the awe inspiring green hills of Monteverde make you feel like you’re right in the middle of Psalm 23. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, is a Chistian community that believes strongly in peace, and works through various means to promote ways that people can live together and find reconciliation, both at the level of their community and in broader social structures. I think that it was around this time that I really started to realize that Costa Rica is a special and unique place. This country just feels more inviting and friendly than most of Central America, and it seems somewhat ironic that we feel the most secure in a place that has invested the least in national security. And compared to its neighboring nations, Costa Rica reports one of the most peaceful histories and has invested time and money into proactively working at promoting reconciliation in the region. Levi & Mildred Friesen and their seven children have been living simply on their farm for a number of years now, sustaining their lifestyle by growing rice and working faithfully through each day, receiving the blessings for each hard day’s work. Our introduction to the mindset of Costa Rica came on their farm, sharing the days with the family over wonderful home-cooked meals, learning a bits and pieces about farm work, riding the combine through the rice fields, and helping to right a banana truck that didn’t quite make it around a turn. Warner absolutely loves living and working on the mountain, his gateway to heaven, and is passionate about sharing his faith and lifestyle with anyone that finds their way up to the top. Set apart from the distractions and busyness of the world, he explained how the tranquillity of the location helps to keep him closer to God, and as two wearly travelers that are constantly being more drawn to place of retreat and natural beauty, we felt right at home. Jon has developed this location for his Tree of Life Tours, and allows people to come there when they feel the need to get away, for reasons such as escaping an addiction or trying to find God for the first or thousandth time.
link