News Archives » South America
Global Fund calls on drug companies to “share without delay” AIDS drug patents with UNITAID Medicines Patent Pool November 15th, 2010
In an October 7, 2010 letter, the head of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, congratulated UNITAID for the announcement of an agreement between the U.S. National Institute for Health and the Medicines Patent Pool for the voluntary license of the NIH patents rights on an HIV-AID drug, Darunavir.
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Story of Electronics Video Now Available! November 10th, 2010
E-Waste in Indonesia
Annie Leonard, the creator of the popular Story of Stuff video series, has released a new, short film – on the electronics that we all use every day. “Planned obsolescence” – now called “shortening the replacement cycle” – takes a huge toll on the environment, one we can no longer sustain.
Industry analysts anticipate Americans spending more than $8.5 billion on consumer electronics this month alone. While this may seem good for the economy, making all these products exacts an enormous environmental and public health toll.
Mining the metals destroys the environment in communities from Congo to Indonesia – often fueling conflict along the way. Assembling the gadgets uses huge amounts of water and energy and exposes workers to a host of toxic chemicals. Then, once we decide to move to the next, newer, better model, we leave behind mountains of old electronics — what’s called e-waste. A recent UN report notes that global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Watch The Story of Electronics to find out why and how we need to adopt the mantra of “Make them Safe, Make them Last, and Take them Back.”
Reflection on the Rescue of the Chilean Miners October 26th, 2010
Renee Yann is a Sister of Mercy and VP for Mission and Values at Mercy Keystone Health Plan in Philadelphia. She wrote this reflection in anticipation of the rescue of the Chilean Miners, which we wanted to share with you.
Dear Friends and Co -ministers,
Last night and today, the world’s thoughts and prayers are even more closely focused on a small town in Chile where thirty-three men have been trapped deep in the darkness of the earth.
One by one, over the course of the forty-eight hours, these men will be delivered to light, resurrected to the life they left, unsuspecting, one morning over two months ago. They will be extracted from the earth through a passageway barely shoulder-wide. Like any birth, each of their transitions will be accompanied by that strange mix of agony and hope that yields new life. And with each one of them, we will experience vicariously what it means to be reborn.
On a brilliant October days such as these, when even the leaves seem made of sunshine, we might more deeply appreciate the longing of the Chilean miners to return to the light. Each of us, at sometime in our lives, has spent time beneath the surface of life. Perhaps we have known the darkness of depression, bereavement, addiction, mental illness or economic desperation in ourselves or those we love. Time spent in the cavern of these burdens is exponentially longer than normal time. We expend enormous amounts of energy looking for a way out, until we finally abandon ourselves to the realization that the only way “out” is “through”.
Over these hours, these miners will complete their passage “through”. As each one comes back to his family, let us thank God with them. And may we use the time as a meditation and thanksgiving for our own passages, whether completed or on-going. May we use it as a time of prayer for our world that we may be delivered from war, poverty, tyranny, terrorism and selfishness. Whether or not these men knew it, our Creator has held their hands through the weeks of suffering. God will rise with them in the narrow cage of their deliverance. And God is always with us as we are continually born to newness in our own lives. Today, as we watch the newsreels, holding our breath in anticipation, remember the One Who is always holding your hand.
Blessings,
Sister Renee
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Renee Yann, RSM
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – October 17th October 12th, 2010
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. (Luke 4:18-19)
Worship resources for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17th are available in sixteen languages thanks to the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, USG/UISG Secretariat in Rome.
The English, Spanish and French versions are available from our site for download:
- Eradication of Poverty Prayer (English)
- Eradication of Poverty Prayer (French)
- Eradication of Poverty Prayer (Spanish)
Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Combat Human Trafficking October 8th, 2010
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a measure to help eliminate slavery and human trafficking from product supply chains.
“Human trafficking is a terrible crime that goes against basic human rights and everything our country stands for,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I am proud that in California, we have enacted some of the toughest laws to punish human traffickers and protect their victims. This legislation will increase transparency, allow consumers to make better, more informed choices and motivate businesses to ensure humane practices throughout the supply chain.”
SB 657 requires major retail sellers and manufacturers doing business in California to disclose their voluntary efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from its direct supply chain for tangible goods offered for sale.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate joined a group of investors working to end human trafficking who urged the Governor to sign the bill into law.
Thanks are due to the bill’s author, California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), and to Chris Miller with Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET ) and founder Julia Ormond, former United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Against Slavery and Human Trafficking, for their tireless work as organizational sponsors of the bill.
