“The secret of man/woman’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for.”

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

Nothing could be as much a mirror of poor people’s food plight as Thai farmers reportedly conducting armed vigils in their rice fields at night to prevent thieves from reaping the crop.

As a measure against nocturnal rice thefts, Thai authorities introduced a 6 p.m. curfew on combine harvesters, vehicles used to harvest the crop.

In Thailand, as in many parts of Asia, the price of rice has gone up dramatically in recent months tempting greedy and corrupt dealers to use any means available to get a hold of the pricey grain for either sell or hoarding. In fact, the hoarding of rice has been blamed for the price spirals forcing governments to impose buying rations.

According to the Asia Development Bank (ADB), approximately 1 billion Asians need assistance to cope with soaring food prices and shortages.

The purchasing power of many of Asia’s poor has been seriously eroded reversing previous gains made in fighting poverty.

The International Herald Tribune describes rice, a staple food for half of the global population, as one of the “world’s most politically fragile crop.”

Like the price of rice, general food prices are on the rise in many parts of the world, forcing poor people to protest — sometimes violently — against governments.

Food riots have erupted in countries such as Haiti, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal and Somalia, among others, threatening national stability or exacerbating conflict. Poor people, particularly children and those living with diseases, face the risk of malnutrition or death due to inadequate diets.

“It’s the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years,” Jeffrey Sachs, and economist and UN special adviser recently told The New York Times. “It’s a big deal and it’s obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there’s more political fallout to come.”

Experts say that food reserves are at their lowest in 35 years, and there is a systemic imbalance between the forces of supply and demand that cannot be fixed in the short term. UN statistics show that global food prices have risen by 65 percent since 2002 to levels increasingly beyond the reach of the poor.

The current food quagmire has been festering over the years with little to no media attention.

“In the seven of the last eight years consumption has exceeded production, which can happen only if we draw down our stocks. The carryover, the grain in the bin when a new harvest begins, is the seminal indicator of food security, and it’s now down to 54 days consumption, not much than is needed to fill the supply line,” says Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute.

Nearly 1.7 billion people in Asia — three times the population of Europe — live on less than US$2 a day, and to them the spiraling food prices are like a shockwave.

“The world’s food import bill will rise in 2007 to $745 billion, up 21% from last year, the FAO estimated in its biannual Food Outlook. In developing countries, costs will go up by a quarter to nearly $233 billion,” reports Time Magazine.

Asia’s poor are particularly vulnerable to rising food prices for staples such as rice because 60 percent of their spending goes toward food and the figure rises to 75 percent if transport costs are included, according to the ADB.

Many countries in the region have resorted to banning food exports and imposing price controls; however, the ADB warns that this could worsen the crisis, as farmers will stop growing crops that bring a negative return on investment.

An assortment of causes have been cited for the ongoing food crisis from climate change, population growth, increased consumption of meat in Asia, particularly India and China, a ballooning oil price, focus on bio-fuels to greed and corruption.

According to experts, the transportation of specific commodities over long distances chews up a lot of oil, which in a context of a skyrocketing oil price is responsible for the food price hikes.

Also, the fact that many people in Asia and other parts of the world now eat like North Americans is also an underlying factor for the upward spiral of food prices. The more people eat meat, the less food will be available to satiate empty bellies of the poor because grains meant for human beings go to fattening chickens and animals for meat. Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world’s poor, says the World Watch Institute.

In addition, the increased commercialization of agriculture has negatively impacted the productivity of small farmers. Consequently, small farmers opt to abandon the land, and trek to urban areas in search of proverbial greener pastures.

According to a United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) report between 2000 and 2030, Asia’s urban population is expected to increase from 1.36 billion to 2.64 billion, putting pressure on urban areas which are already incapable of meeting everyone’s food needs.

As the Asian food story reveals, to avert a global food crisis requires a multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional approach that employs short term and long-term measures.

In the short term, bilateral and multi-lateral agencies can lend monetary support and food aid to help seriously affected countries cope with the food crisis. While government subsidies can help the poor to withstand the food crisis, it is not a sustainable strategy in the long-term.

National governments will need to invest in agricultural systems in a manner that keeps small farmers engaged in the production of food with a guarantee of support, fair compensation and improved access to market information.

The ADB recommends that farmers need to have access to reliable and affordable seed, fertilizers, pesticides and credit.

In the long-term, agricultural research, improvement of irrigation systems and the development of new technologies, including improved seed and crop varieties suited to specific climatic conditions, are essential to improving yields.

The use of low cost technologies such as drip kits and treadle pumps can also help farmers to make optimum use of land and water in the face of global warming. Labor-saving technologies that will adapt agriculture to new conditions generated by rural-to-urban migration can help to compensate for the depletion of labor.

As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon succinctly put it, the longer-term challenge is to boost agricultural development, particularly in Africa and other regions most affected.

With increased political will, fair trade and investments into agricultural systems, hopefully rice farmers in Thailand will, once again, have nights filled with sleep unafraid of waking up to a bare rice field harvested by some unscrupulous characters bent on making a quick dollar.

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen.

There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly.”

~ Frank Outlaw

At the outset, it is essential to recognize that citizen journalism comes in many forms, which makes it rather difficult to prescribe a training method for the practice. But, there is no shred of a doubt that with a little training, a citizen journalist can greatly improve the quality of whatever story they seek to tell, whether it’s through writing, video, audio, or photography.

First things first: a citizen journalist as the term suggests should strive to enhance civic engagement and participation. A citizen journalist needs to therefore train him or herself to have the right attitude that can contribute to the growth of the practice as well as expanding the rights of citizenship.

To train yourself as a citizen journalist, you have to understand what you are up for first, that is, to produce content that is trustworthy, fair and accurate. Citizen journalism is more than just stitching content together predicated by self-interest.

A citizen journalist needs to appreciate that whatever they produce must be credible, and is not intended to cause social harm. That way, a citizen journalist can effectively contribute to the greater conversation, thereby expanding human horizons.

As an aspiring citizen journalist, a key step in your training is to have a clear understanding of what is involved with the practice.

In a groundbreaking study of citizen media titled “Citizen Media: Fad or the Future of News”, J-Lab: The Institute of Journalism describes citizen journalism as “a form of bridge media, linking traditional forms of journalism with classic civic participation.”

While a citizen journalist aspires to report on a community, more importantly, they must strive to write on issues that provide better and unbiased insight into issues.

You must therefore train yourself to have an awareness of issues that affect whatever community that you seek to present.

In that respect, an awareness of the principles and models of traditional journalism can greatly help a citizen journalist to write with an eye to accuracy, truth and fairness.

However, you must not shy away from sharing your thoughts, observations, ideas and experiences of what you encounter.

Having said that, a citizen journalist must strive to be interested in providing analysis to their observations to ensure that what is purveyed is not mere stereotype. You must make a serious effort to remain independent of political, gender, cultural, or tribal biases.

By remaining free of biases, a citizen journalist is better positioned to tell the whole story without compromising the truth or inhibiting the freedom of expression.

In addition, training oneself to have an eye of facts is highly critical to lend credibility to content. But a citizen journalist needs to be able to see that facts do not always tell the whole story, and can easily be fabricated.

Thus, a citizen journalist strives to look beyond the facts, and question the story behind them.

Another essential key to self-training is to always conduct in-depth research on issues. The web, the biggest library known to humanity, offers a citizen journalist a great tool to be able to conduct research on a chosen subject.

It is the duty of the citizen journalist to sift through the facts, and compile a story that is credible. Research helps to make the story better.

Overall, a citizen journalist must be consciously aware that he or she is responsible for the transmission of ideas and knowledge. Responsibility requires being able to check facts, write truthfully as well as standing by the story if any questions are raised.

There are four means by which we can bootstrap ourselves toward happiness through purposeful action. These include:

• Deep love and family commitment
• Meaningful work and career
• Social and political involvement
• Transcendency and spirituality

 ~ Alexander Green

Across sub-Saharan Africa, new moms are at risk of falling into depressive states that can potentially damage their own mental health and well-being of their new born child.

In many parts of the continent, public health systems are ill-equipped to deal with post-partum depression which affects a significant number of women after giving birth. The situation is made worse by the absence of psychiatrists or clinical psychologists trained to help women cope with the condition.

According to researchers, post-partum depression (also called post-natal depression) affects as many as one in five women, particularly during the first year of motherhood. Less than 2 in 1,000 women are also at risk of developing postpartum psychosis.

The condition causes mothers to feel exhausted and emotionally empty and can potentially destroy the bonding between a mother and her new-born baby.

“Women seem to be particularly vulnerable to depression during their reproductive years: rates of the disorder are highest in females between the ages of 25 and 45. New data indicate that the incidence of depression in females rises, albeit modestly, after giving birth,” reports the Scientific America journal.

According to the journal, dramatic hormonal fluctuations that occur after delivery may contribute to postpartum depression in susceptible women, but causes of the disorder are not fully understood.

“A longer term consequence of not diagnosing and treating postpartum depression is the effects it can have on the family, including the parental relationship and the development of the child. Children of depressed women have been found to have attachment problems, higher rates of behavioural problems and lower vocabulary skills,” states a report titled Postpartum Depression: A Literature Review.

For some new moms, the situation can be so severe it can lead to cases of infanticide and suicide.

However, among African women, little to no studies have been conducted to better understand the condition, and the way that women cope in the absence of appropriate public health services.

It is possible to surmise from existing data from other parts of the world the general experience of African women following childbirth.

A study by the University of Iowa revealed that low-income women are much more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than wealthier women.

The research revealed that women who are poor already have a lot of stress, ranging from poor living conditions to concerns about paying the bills.  

The birth of an infant can represent additional financial and emotional stress, and depression negatively impacts the woman’s ability to cope with these already difficult circumstances, according to the study.

The study which focused on a sample of 4,332 new mothers from four Iowa counties showed that that compared to white or Latino mothers, African-American mothers are more likely to experience depression after having a baby.

Furthermore, the study revealed that African-American women tend to have weaker support networks, a major predictor of postpartum depression.

Like African-American women, African women that give birth are also affected by low incomes and high levels of general and live in stressful contexts which increases the onset of depression.

While there is clearly  a need for more research into the coping methods of African women, simple screening methods can be utilized to identify women that are at risk of postnatal depression. Nurses in public health settings need to be provided with training so that they are able to detect and assist new mothers from post-partum depression. The use of a simple tool, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, translated into local language, can assist nurses, family members and new moms to detect depressive symptoms.

If anything, public educational and awareness raising programs or simple pamphlets and posters describing the condition need to be displayed in ante-natal clinics so that women are mentally prepared to deal with the problem.

As research shows, social support networks can also play a key role in helping women deal with postnatal depression.

Overall, it is essential for national government throughout the world to guarantee that new moms have access to clinical and maternal services that can help to avert the emotional upheavals associated with giving birth.   

“Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose. Everyone has bad stretches and real successes. Either way, you have to be careful not to lose your confidence or get too confident.”

~ Nancy Kerrigan

The boundaries of today’s war on terrorism are highly obscure, making it highly improbable for US forces to avoid civilian casualties, in places like Somalia, and others perceived to harbor terrorists.

Terrorists, some of whom may have genuine causes, systematically utilize violence and intimidation while disguised as civilian non-combatants. In other words, terrorists imbed themselves within civilian populations and then execute attacks.

Thus, the ground of warfare in the war against terror in located within the civilian population as determined by terrorists using crude means to achieve political objectives.

Terrorists use civilians as both shields and sacrificial lambs in order to carry out their objectives.

The fact of the matter is that the war on terror absolutely has no rules of engagement. In military operations, the rules of engagement determine when, where, and how force shall be used. Terrorists operate literally in the shadows of civilian populations, and utilize wanton methods that put civilians in the line of fire.

In spite of the military might of US forces, there are severe problems to directly engage with terrorists in places like Somalia and others. The US forces face little choice except to track terrorists within civilian populations.

And therein lies the challenge.

Defining who is and who is not a terrorist within a crowd of people can be a daunting task, and despite any wholesale exercise of discretion, mistakes are bound to be made.

To complicate matters, the painstaking process of trying to identify terrorists within the civilian population places US soldiers in the line of potential terrorist attacks.

Hence, US forces have to rely mainly on military intelligence, some of which may be seriously flawed, putting civilians at the risk of a US military attack.

Given the amorphous nature of the war on terror, it is really chance and luck that rule the day, as opposed to the strict execution of military strategy intended to limit the killing of civilians.

So, while some attacks by US forces can yield intended results, others can go awry, especially when terrorists place themselves within the proximity of civilians.

Put simply, there are no easy answers to preventing civilian deaths in the formless war on terrorism. The war has no definite character or nature, and civilians find themselves caught in between like pawns in a chess game.

In order to limit the extent of civilian deaths, the US has to incorporate locals to verify intelligence information on the location of terrorists. But this cannot be a full-proof measure as local sources of information may be acting in cahoots with terrorists, and therefore divulge intelligence information to the very terrorists. As a result, planned attacks targeted at terrorists will only hit innocent civilians.

US soldiers are literally caught between a rock and a hard place with very little in their sophisticated weaponry to define or determine the rules of the war on terror.

As a result, US soldiers are forced to go on an all-out hunt for terrorist groups and personalities hidden within communities, rendering the killing of civilians unavoidable.

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” 

~ Anatole France

Although the female condom has been heralded as a way for women to protect themselves from HIV and STI infections, its impact has been severely limited due to several reasons including its design, cost, access, stigma, and lack of political will.

Given the fact that women are the most affected and infected by HIV (in 2007, women represented half of all HIV infections worldwide, and 61% of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa) it is an imperative that evidence-based measures be undertaken to reduce their vulnerability.

The female condom is an essential sexual reproductive health tool that women can control but, disappointingly, it remains confined to the fringes of the response to the global AIDS epidemic.

According to a report by the Center for Health and Gender Equity titled “ Saving Lives Now: Female Condoms and the Role of US Foreign Aid” the US has an important role to play in the procurement, distribution and programming of female condoms.

As a leading provider of funding for HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care, and reproductive health supplies worldwide, the US can promote the wider use of the female condom, including reducing the cost which is beyond the reach of many of the affected women. 

The report notes that there is little knowledge among policy makers and advocates about what the current US role is and, thus, a lack of understanding of what more the US should do.

“Bureaucratic obstacles, funding restrictions, and a lack of high level commitment to female condoms have significantly hindered the expansion of U.S.-funded female condom distribution efforts,” says the report.

“The U.S. government has no policy guidance encouraging missions or contractors to promote female condoms, which has meant that female condom procurement is dependent on a few field-level champions who are committed to the method,” adds the report.

Currently, international donors and government are investing millions of dollars and energy into promoting initiatives such as male circumcision, and little attention is being paid to promoting female condoms which allow women to initiate protection.

“While the unique nature of female condoms in providing women with their own source of protection should be reason enough for donors and governments to promote the method, female condoms hold other advantages as well. They fill their own niche, as consumers often alternate their use with that of male condoms, thus increasing the total number of protected sex acts,” states the report.

“They can be used by women living with HIV who do not wish to become pregnant, to protect against superinfection and to reduce the chance of HIV transmission to seronegative partners.”

In addition, female condoms also provide an additional option for protection during anal intercourse for men who have sex with men and heterosexuals, says the report.

In spite of the apparent benefits of the female condom, there are still major challenges in promoting its use.

Apart from the fact that female condoms are prohibitively expensive in many parts of the world, users find them noisy, physically unappealing, or difficult to use.

“However, female condoms are a cost-effective mechanism for HIV prevention when measured against thevcosts of potential HIV infections or other HIV prevention mechanisms. Also, as more and more female condoms are produced and purchased, their cost will drop,” states the report.

With greater financial investment and commitment, the design of the female condom can be improved increasing the likelihood of uptake by women.

Furthermore, there is need for educational and social marketing programs aimed at reducing the stigma associated with use of the female condom as well as improving consistent and accurate use.

According to the report, civil society groups can be extremely valuable in developing effective programming because of their access to populations vulnerable to HIV infection and their experience working with these groups.

The report makes the following recommendations to improve US’s role in the distribution and use of female condoms:

• USAID and OGAC should issue policy guidance promoting female condom procurement and programming within US-funded development programs, including PEPFAR. As a signatory of ICPD, the US should promote female condoms as a vital tool to prevent both pregnancy and HIV infection.
• The US should expand technical assistance for female condom logistics and procurement to additional countries to increase HIV prevention efforts.
• The US should apply intensive programming efforts to an additional three countries for scale-up and replication. These efforts could be used to create a more realistic assessment of global female condom needs for scale-up.
• The US should increase HIV prevention efforts by expanding the scope of female and male condom promotion to encompass the general public. Programming for female condoms will depend on each area’s epidemiological profile, and should be free of messages and attitudes that stigmatize condom use.
• The US should invest more funds in female condom promotion and programming. The US should subsidize female condoms for PEPFAR-funded programs.
• At the country level, the US should include civil society, especially women’s health and rights groups, in stakeholder meetings and encourage financing mechanisms that increase government-civil society collaboration in female condom programming.
• Congress should remove all earmarks and funding directives for abstinence-only, abstinence-until-marriage and fidelity prevention programs and fund comprehensive, integrated, and evidence-based HIV prevention programs that include female condoms and that promote and protect women’s health.