From jhminshall at comcast.net Fri Jul 1 15:28:08 2005 From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall) Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 15:28:08 -0400 Subject: [saymaListserv] Re: Regarding Quaker Social Concerns for the World's Poor) In-Reply-To: <42C2D8FA.000001.03544@NANCY> References: <42C2D8FA.000001.03544@NANCY> Message-ID: Hi Nancy Winfrey, Regardless of what you think of Jack's writing he has been a practicing Quaker most of his life. He speaks the truth of an economist in his eighties who has worked unceasingly in countries around the world, on behalf of economic development. He taught economics for fifty years or more and retired from the University of Colorado just a few years ago. Through The Quaker Economist he tries to share with us his distillation of all that work and life experience. Rather than just pouring forth "largely capitalist arguments" Jack is, and has been for many years trying to help Friends understand that many of them are ignoring reality and the truth of what is actually happening in the world. Indeed he acts on leadings and principles as a matter of habit. It is not a good idea for anyone to accept things "as they are". Quakers most certainly cannot do so. But it really is essential for people who wish to change things to understand the situation they are in before they go off trying to make change. It is like having a compass and knowing where you are before you start off on a hike. Your generalizations about Jack's writing tell me not about him (I know him), but rather about you. I went into political economics in mid-life because I had some of the same misconceptions about economics as you apparently do. I had learned from the the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War (Viet Nam) Movement and the Women's Movement and I knew all the politically correct arguments. What I didn't know was that there was a whole world of information and experience, even real wisdom, that I had summarily dismissed in my political correctness. What I didn't know was that there were and have been great changes taking place in the world and that corporations and capitalists were not necessarily the bad guys and labor union representatives were not always truthful and the good guys. I learned economics, real economics, not political correctness, from a Harvard-trained radical Socialist. What he found out and passed on to all his students was that we must examine our facts a lot more carefully and pay attention to hard figures,especially when they call into question our current beliefs. If we as Friends really wish follow our testimony on Truth we must assume that our leadings will be in the direction of calling into question some of our most cherished current beliefs. Best Regards, Janet Minshall Nancy Winfrey wrote on 7-1-05: >Janet - Thank you for forwarding these articles. However, I stopped >subscribing to, and reading the Quaker Economist some time ago after >exchanging emails with the writer. He insists that historical >economics are the way to go. Quakers in general have never accepted >things "as are", but have historically worked to change things >according to leadings and principals. The arguments that this >economist uses are largely capitalistic, citing growth always as the >engine to better tomorrows for the poor, while Friends generally >work to practice "walking lightly upon the earth", and if you study >John Woolman (my current project), to live simply and put God first. >I'm sorry, but this economist seems to me to be a spokesman (however >honestly) for the status quo, and I have to disagree with him on >basic principals. I, too have studied economics through the years, >have three certificates in the subject from three different >colleges. I still say that changing the human heart and subsequent >practices is the answer, which can only be accomplished one person >at a time. I cannot, and will not accept this economist's arguments >for the status quo! > >Nancy Winfrey > >-------Original Message------- > >From: Janet Minshall >Date: 06/29/05 11:44:59 >To: sayma at kitenet.net >Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: Sweet victory ahead on debt >relief? (regarding Quaker social concerns for the world's poor) > >Dear SAYMA Friends, This issue of he Quaker Economist and the >correspondence below it are relevant to several conversations I had >with SAYMA Friends at yearly meeting. As always, any response is >welcome. Janet Minshall > > >Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 11:32:49 -0400 >To: afmdiscussion at yahoogroups.com >From: Janet Minshall >Subject: Re: Sweet victory ahead on debt relief? (regarding Quaker >concerns for the world's poor) >Cc: >Bcc: >X-Attachments: > >Dear Friends, The Quaker Economist #125 has just come out and I >reprint it here in response to a question from Joe Parko. (His >message and my response to him are below the text of TQE 125.) In >Peace, Janet Minshall > >X-Originating-IP: [192.203.178.14] >Mailing-List: contact tqe-help at quaker.org; run by ezmlm >X-No-Archive: yes >List-Post: >List-Help: >List-Unsubscribe: >List-Subscribe: >Delivered-To: mailing list tqe at quaker.org >Delivered-To: moderator for tqe at quaker.org >Comment: DomainKeys? See http://antispam.yahoo.com/domainkeys >DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; > s=dog; d=colorado.edu; > b=dU5ejkIZZffor2421AhQnjpfcwD5Li7XzxudJiUXSQ2LzvEeKw23Ybm7hZZqPFWM ; >Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:07:16 -0400 >From: Jack Powelson >To: The Quaker Economist >Subject: The Quaker Economist, Letter No. 125 >Reply-To: tqe-comment at quaker.org > >Leadings > >Inter-Mountain Yearly Meeting's keynote topic (2005) was "Leadings." >Unfortunately, I missed the keynote speaker because I was taking Robin >(my wife) to the hospital for a heart problem (she's OK now). But >Friends were talking afterward about leadings, and I had many >conversations. > >Every day, one young girl was wearing a traditional Quaker dress and >bonnet. Why, I asked her? "Because," she replied with a smile, "God >told me to." One Quaker said he favored forgiving debts of Third World >countries, because "Jesus forgave." I wondered whether accepting the >leadings of God or Jesus means that Quakers no longer think for >ourselves. > >Let me illustrate. > >Minimum wage. Many Friends are led to demand a higher minimum wage, >because workers do not earn enough on which to live. But the history >of minimum wage shows that it causes unemployment, is racially >prejudiced, brings inflation, and finally leaves the purchasing power >of workers about where it was before. It does the first because, with >higher wages to pay, employers shift to machines (like the computer) >and fire (or fail to hire) workers. It does the second because the >ones they fire (or do not hire) are usually the minorities against >whom they are prejudiced. It does the third because workers culturally >know their places in a hierarchy, and to keep them they demand higher >wages up the line. It does the fourth because higher wages cause >higher prices, and workers ultimately have no more purchasing power >than earlier. (Yes, I'm an economist, and I know some economic >history.) Though the sequence is not exact, all this is generally what >has happened in economic history. In one case of higher minimum wages >in the United States annually for two decades, the unemployment of >Blacks went up from less than 10% to more than 40%. (Other factors may >have been at work, but surely wages were one cause.) > >Forgiving debts. On June 11, the "Big Eight" agreed to cancel $40 >billion of debts of many countries in Latin America and Africa to the >World Bank and other international institutions, provided their >governments agree to an anti-corruption campaign and other "good >practices." "Everyone" agrees that these debts would never be paid >anyway, but the countries were nevertheless paying interest annually >(out of new loans from the Word Bank, of course). To prevent losses to >international institutions (mainly the World Bank), the Big Eight >governments promised them grants in compensation. > >A debt is a contract, and whoever breaks a contract, for whatever >reason, becomes "branded" in the international debt market. That does >not mean they may never borrow again, but it does mean that incoming >investment will be curtailed, as it now is in Argentina and >Bolivia. But investors do not believe that "good government practices" >can be imposed by an outsider anyway (and neither do I). There is, >however, a precedent in international law that a succeeding government >may renege if a dictator borrows, pockets the money, and vanishes. > >BUT the Argentines defaulted on their government debt because of their >own profligacy, and the Bolivian government canceled an unpopular >water contract with a U.S. company. It was not a good contract, and >the people were right to protest. But these exceptions matter little >in the international economy. Debts must be paid and contracts >honored, or much-needed foreign investment will not be >forthcoming. One Quaker at IMYM told me he was "led" to forgive debts >because "Jesus forgave." I wonder if Friends are led (by God or Jesus) >to ask for policies that will damage the very countries they wish to >protect. > >My proposal, instead, is to form an international bankruptcy court to >determine, country by country, how much can be repaid and who will >suffer the losses (just like a domestic bankruptcy court). Countries >going bankrupt will be "branded" in international finance just as >bankrupt people are branded in domestic finance, but that cannot be >helped. > >Outsourcing. For decades the United States has been assisting >Third-World countries financially. Now, suddenly, we are "outsourcing" >jobs to, say, India. Outsourcing is the only way in which Indian >wages can rise (the aid was minimal and helped little). Yet some are >led to oppose outsourcing; we prefer to keep American jobs for >American workers (and pay higher prices as a result). BTW: The very >firms that outsource also "insource" by hiring more skilled foreign >workers than the unskilled jobs they outsource. But outsourcing is >not the only reason for unemployment. Our employment is held down by >machinery (see two paragraphs above). The bank's teller machines make >it unnecessary to hire so many live tellers, and online buying cuts >down the number of store clerks needed. We do not seem to complain >about these, however. > >Anti-globalization. Many Friends have leadings against globalization, >thinking that if we globalize, multinational corporations (MNCs) will >"rule" the world. In fact, those nations that have globalized (freeing >trade and easing the entry for MNCs) are the very ones that have >increased the income of their poor, while for those that have not done >so, the poor remain in poverty. Consider the cases of South Korea >versus North, or Taiwan and Hong Kong versus mainland China, or >Singapore versus Indonesia. > >Multinational corporations. Many Friends are led to believe that MNCs >abuse the poor abroad. In fact, MNCs provide jobs, raise wages >(sometimes 100% higher), and supply social services (housing, >education) much more than do local corporations. They follow this >policy because it brings them the best workers. To most residents in >less developed countries -- have you asked them? -- a job with an MNC >is a plum. > >Keeping resources at home. So many Bolivians are protesting that >newly-discovered gas should be kept in the ground and not sold to >MNCs. As a result, that is where it remains, and the country is in an >uproar. They say the price will rise in the future. But many >economists think otherwise. First, it would have to increase about 7% >a year to equal alternative investment possibilities. Second, some >economists believe the price of gas will fall because alternative >means of energy will be discovered. What are you led to believe? > >Work conditions in trade agreements. Many Friends are led to demand >that trade agreements be conditioned on good working conditions and >provision of social services. All well and good, except that history >does not work that way. Historically, trade with others increases the >incomes of both parties as well as trust for each other. Only when >their incomes are increased do they provide the social services and >higher wages. > >How to raise the incomes of the poor. Besides economic growth, the >only way to increase the incomes of the poor in less developed >countries is to improve their education and skills. In some ways this >is happening, as in micro-lending. But it will not happen by Quakers >(or others) being led to interfere with international policy in ways >that seem "good" but ultimately are adverse to the poor. > >Sincerely your friend, > >Jack Powelson > > >================================================================ > >ABOUT THE QUAKER ECONOMIST > >RSVP: Write to "tqe-comment," followed by "@quaker.org" to comment on >this or any future Letter. (I say "followed by" to interrupt the >address, so it will not be picked up by spam senders.) Use as Subject >the number of the Letter to which you refer. Permission to publish >your comment is presumed unless you say otherwise. Please keep it >short. Letters over approximately 100 words may be returned without >being read. All published letters will be edited for spelling, >grammar, clarity, and brevity. Please mention your home meeting, >church, synagogue (or ...), and where you live. > >To subscribe, at no cost (or unsubscribe) send an email letter >(subject "subscribe," but no text necessary) to tqe-subscribe (or >tqe-unsubscribe), followed by "@quaker.org". > >Each letter of The Quaker Economist is copyright by its >author. However, you have permission to forward it to your friends >(Quaker or no) as you wish and invite them to subscribe at no >cost. Please mention The Quaker Economist as you do so, and tell your >recipient how to find us on the web. > >The Quaker Economist is not designed to persuade anyone of anything >(although viewpoints are expressed). Its purpose is to stimulate >discussions, both electronically and within Meetings. > >PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL BOARD > >Publisher: Russ Nelson, St. Lawrence Valley (NY) Friends Meeting. > >Editorial Board > >- Loren Cobb, Boulder (CO) Friends Meeting, Editor. >- Chuck Fager, Director, Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC. >- Virginia Flagg, San Diego (CA) Friends Meeting. >- Valerie Ireland, Boulder (CO) Friends Meeting. >- Jack Powelson, Boulder (CO) Meeting of Friends. >- Norval Reece, Newtown (PA) Friends Meeting. >- J.D. von Pischke, a Friend from Reston, VA. >- John Spears, Princeton (NJ) Friends Meeting. >- Geoffrey Williams, Attender at New York Fifteenth Street Meeting. > >Members of the Editorial Board receive Letters several days in advance >for their criticism and comment, but they do not necessarily endorse >the contents of any of them. >________________________________________________________ > >Copyright (c) 2005 by John P. Powelson. All rights reserved. >Permission is hereby granted for non-commercial reproduction. > > > >Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 21:19:35 -0400 >To: "Joe Parko" >From: Janet Minshall >Subject: Re: Fw: Sweet victory ahead on debt relief? >Cc: >Bcc: >X-Attachments: > >Hi Joe, I actually wrote about this a few years ago in the Winter >2001 issue of Friendly Woman in an article called "Economics, A Pop >Quiz". > >In the article I used a series of statements gathered from Friends >around the country, and then I responded to them. Statement 6 was: > >"We, as Friends, must support the iniative called Jubilee 2000 whose >focus is to forgive the debts of countries around the world." > >My response was (and is) "It is clear that loans to many less >developed countries (LDCs) were made inappropriately as the result >of intense political pressure and/or inaccurate information obtained >about the countries' ability to repay. Those loans should most >certainly be written off by the lenders as "bad debts" and lending >policies should be thoroughly reviewed to preclude repeating the >same mistakes in the future. This reality has already been >recognized in the highest echelons of global capitalism as the only >practical alternative to resolve the ongoing problem of trying to >collect debts which are actually uncollectable. > >If a country does not meet the requirements to become a borrower of >funds for development, they should have ready access to development >grants which do not have to be repaid. Friends need to be strongly >supportive of such grants to the poorest countries. > >However, if a country legitimately qualifies and applies for a loan, >for whatever purpose, that loan should be honored and repaid. Think >about the process followed to teach people financial responsibility >in this country. Credit is granted in small amounts and then a >person's credit limit is increased on the basis of timely and >reliable repayment. Is that unfair? Do we encourage young adults >just starting out to take on as much debt as possible because the >debts they undertake will be "forgiven" anyway?. No, that isn't the >message we want to send, that isn't the example we want to set. > >What happens when well-intentioned people apply for and take on too >much debt? We have a process called debt consolidation which allows >people to receive free counseling and help (from Consumer Credit >Counseling Service) on how best to pay off the debts they have >contracted. Does it work? People who have been through the process >tell me it works very well. If these are the standards we hold for >honoring loans contracted among ourselves, are they not the >processes we wish to share with other countries in process of >development? Anything less would be patronizing. > >In addition, holding countries to their contracts to repay the debts >they owe will work far better than wars to unseat exploitative >leaders who divert resources aimed at bettering the lives of their >people into their own pockets. Already several LDCs have arrested >former leaders and officials to regain control of their economies." > >I don't think I can say it any better than that. Best Regards, Janet > >(Feel free to share this if you wish) > > > > > >Janet, >What are your thoughts on this? I rely on you for Quakerly advice in >the realm of economics. > Joe > > > >The following document was sent as an embedded object but not >referenced by the email above: >Attachment converted: Janet's HD:BackGrnd 1.jpg (JPEG/ogle) (000278BC) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From GlennReinhart at aol.com Sun Jul 3 02:37:38 2005 From: GlennReinhart at aol.com (GlennReinhart at aol.com) Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 02:37:38 EDT Subject: [saymaListserv] Quakers in the News - week ended 7/2/2005 Message-ID: <144.48727f37.2ff8e1b2@aol.com> Dear Friends, Please feel free to click on any blue underlined title to read an abstract, and the full text of these stories. As always, you may visit http://quakersinthenews.blogspot.com to see or comment on a chronological archive of news stories this year. The most widely reported story this week with 21 instances in mid and major market new journals in the US: Quaker History/Church-State//High Court again grapples with church /NorthJersey.com/Hackensack/NJ/USA/28-Jun-05/Washington Post A tie for the most widely reported story, perhaps, distributed in 2 major journals in the US was: FCNL/War/Iraq/Smith, Dan/Costs of care for veterans: high and rising /Christian Science Monitor/ALL/ALL/USA/30-Jun-05/CS Monitor ------------------ The most interesting story, to me, as well as the third most widely reported of the week, is: Military Service/Douglas, Paul H./Definition of silence /CNN/ALL/ALL/USA/29-Jun-05/ The remaining stories showing the face of Quakerism this week are as follows: Category/Article Title/Source/City/Area/Region/Date/Wire Service War/American Revolution/Iraq//George W?s Quagmire/National Review Online/ALL/ALL/USA/1-Jul-05/ Religious Freedom///Bob Kerr: A daughter tells the story of her father /Providence Journal/Providence/RI/USA/25-Jun-05/ Religious Faith/Women///Women ministers making inroads in Protestant faith /Sioux City Journal/Sioux City/IA/USA/26-Jun-05/ Religious Faith/Religious Diversity/Peace Church/Can great Christian divide be bridged?/Lancaster Newspapers/Lancaster/PA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Religious Faith/Peace Activity//Peace churches gear for draft/Monterey County Herald/Monterey/CA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Religious Diversity/Real Estate Development/Proposed churches cause stir in up-and-coming community/Lansing State Journal/Lansing/MI/USA/26-Jun-05/ Religious Diversity///When Jesus came to Surrey/Guardian Unlimited/London/England/UK/30-Jun-05/ Raised-a-Quaker/Book Review//Losing faith in religion/Toronto Star/Toronto/Ontario/Canada/2-Jul-05/ Quaker Schools/Real Estate Development/'Talk to us' Quaker school challenged /Observer/London/England/UK/30-Jun-05/ Quaker Schools/Moses Brown//Wiscasset Votes ?Yes? for New Superintendent /Lincoln County News/Lincoln/ME/USA/29-Jun-05/ Quaker Schools///A straight-talking, curious, caring cop/Hunts Post/London/England/UK/24-Jun-05/ Quaker Schools///We're excited about Whittier/Pasadena Star-News/Pasadena/CA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Quaker House/War/Iraq/Protest/Fayetteville Prepares for President's Visit /WTVD/Fayetteville/NC/USA/28-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Slavery/Underground Railroad/Tom Ferrick Jr. | Think history is just a bore? Read about 'Box' .../philly.com/Philadelphia/PA/USA/26-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Slavery/Education/Equality/Local students learn importance of history/Charlottesville Daily Progress/Charlottesville/VA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Slavery/Abolition//History on our side, Darke megadairy opponents insist/Dayton Daily News/Dayton/OH/USA/25-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Natural Science/Horticulture/My Backyard | New pros help before you move/Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia/PA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Native Americans/Penn, William/TODAY IN HISTORY/Taiwan Headlines/Taipei/Taiwan/Asia/22-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Nantucket/Bowen, William/Rear window/Upper Cape Codder/Provincetown/MA/USA/30-Jun-05/ Quaker History/Church-State/Religious Freedom/Madison, Dolley/Nation?s founders held strong but varied views on faith/Canton Repository/Canton/OH/USA/2-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Church-State//High Court again grapples with church /NorthJersey.com/Hackensack/NJ/USA/28-Jun-05/Washington Post Quaker History/Business///Nantucket's Whaling Museum tells of grisly trade and life on land/Dateline Alabama/Montgomery/AL/USA/29-Jun-05/ Quaker History///From Quakers to Poles/Kent County Daily Times/Kent/RI/USA/26-Jun-05/ Politics and Economics/Raised-a-Quaker//Struggling to do the right thing/Mail & Guardian Online/Johannesburg/South Africa/Africa/1-Jul-05/ Politics and Economics/Poverty///School to help students play part/Yorkshire Post Today/York/England/UK/28-Jun-05/ Politics and Economics//1,500 to join the G8 poverty march/Cumberland News/Edinburgh/Scotland/UK/1-Jul-05/ Outreach////Friends host wet and wild water day/Mooresville / Decatur Times/Mooresville/IN/USA/2-Jul-05/ Obituary/Religious Faith/Humor//Larry Vick Gaffin, 1947-2005: Friends struggle to explain depth of .../Seattle Post Intelligencer/Seattle/WA/USA/25-Jun-05/ Natural Science/Animal Life/Women//Greens Fork woman proves the vet business isn't just for men/Palladium-Item/Richmond/IN/USA/28-Jun-05/ Military Service/Religious Diversity//Former AFA chaplain Melinda Morton says the faithful need to be .../Denver Post/Denver/CO/USA/26-Jun-05/ Military Service/Quaker Hymn/Amazing Grace/Honoring the sacrifice/The Union Leader/Hanover/NH/USA/25-Jun-05/ Military Service/Douglas, Paul H./Definition of silence /CNN/ALL/ALL/USA/29-Jun-05/ Military Service/Evangelism/Little common ground found in religion hearing /Stars and Stripes/ALL/ALL/USA/30-Jun-05/ Meetinghouse/Arts///Grand salon: Conductor/pianist builds 5,200 square-foot temple to .../Naples Daily News/Naples/FL/USA/25-Jun-05/ Integrity/Fox, George//Class of 2005 faced a changed world/Berlin Citizen/Berlin/CT/USA/29-Jun-05/ Integrity////Community service is in her blood/Marion Chronicle Tribune/Marion/IN/USA/28-Jun-05/ Humanitarian Assistance/Torture///Giving victims a voice/Charlottesville Daily Progress/Charlottesville/VA/USA/26-Jun-05/ Humanitarian Assistance/Torture///Professor addresses local Amnesty International/Cavalierdaily.com/Charlottesville/VA/USA/29-Jun-05/ Horticulture/Head Start//Kids get a course in gardening/Marshalltown Times Republican/Marshalltown/IA/USA/24-Jun-05/ FCNL/War/Iraq/Smith, Dan/Costs of care for veterans: high and rising /Christian Science Monitor/ALL/ALL/USA/30-Jun-05/CS Monitor FCNL/AFSC/Prison Reform/Obituary/Services set for Edith Haynes/Whittier Daily News/Whittier/CA/USA/30-Jun-05/ Crime and Punishment/Pedophilia//Man gets 19 years for molesting girl, 9 /Salem Statesman Journal/Salem/OR/USA/29-Jun-05/ Crime and Punishment//Refugees' tales from the frontline of prejudice /Yorkshire Post Today/York/England/UK/28-Jun-05/ Business/Recreation/Politics and Economics/George, Henry/We've Been Landing On Park Place for 70 Years Now/The Ledger/Lakeland/FL/USA/27-Jun-05/LA Times Arts/Theater///New Providence celebrates 150 years/Marshalltown Times Republican/Marshalltown/IA/USA/27-Jun-05/ Arts/Photography/Pendle Hill (PA)/Windows to the spirit/The News Journal/Wilmington/DE/USA/2-Jul-05/ Arts/Meetinghouse/Membership Decline/Art | Within an old Quaker meetinghouse.../Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia/PA/USA/26-Jun-05/ Arts/Literature///Portland's heyday/MaineToday.com/Portland/ME/USA/28-Jun-05/ Architecture///Allerdale in legal bid to save historic ruin/News & Star/London/England/USA/25-Jun-05/ Architecture///Lightning strikes Tongie area/Leavenworth Times/Leavenworth/KS/USA/1-Jul-05/ AFSC/War/Protest/Iraq/Army Celebration Sparks Anti-War Protest/Harvard Crimson/Cambridge/MA/USA/28-Jun-05/ AFSC/War/Iraq/Counter-Recruiting/Panelists question recruiting tactics /DesMoinesRegister.com/Des Moines/IA/USA/22-Jun-05/ AFSC/War/Iraq//Honor fallen soldiers by ending Iraq war/Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia/PA/USA/30-Jun-05/ AFSC/War/Iraq//Police say protest crossed line/Akron Beacon Journal/Akron/OH/USA/2-Jul-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Labor/Peace Activity/Activist files suit against Turtle Bay Resort/KPUA/Honolulu/HI/USA/25-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Labor/Peace Activity/Activist says Turtle Bay security attacked him/Honolulu Star-Bulletin/Honolulu/HI/USA/25-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/International Conflict/Philadelphia City Council Passes Darfur Resolution/Sudan Tribune/Darfur/Sudan/Africa/26-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Immigration/Levy Gets Flak from Immigrant Advocates/LongIslandPress.com/Long Island/NY/USA/29-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Immigration/Legal groups to watch county 'Minutemen'/San Diego Union Tribune/San Diego/CA/USA/1-Jul-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Hope and doubt about concert/Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia/PA/USA/26-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Who cares about Africa?/Oxford Press/Oxford/OH/USA/30-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/G8 Agenda on Africa/Kansas City infoZine/Kansas City/MO/USA/1-Jul-05/ AFSC/Church-State//The Eighth Annual Muzzle Awards/Boston Phoenix/Boston/MA/USA/30-Jun-05/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML 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URL: From bright_crow at mindspring.com Tue Jul 5 11:47:49 2005 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 11:47:49 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] SEYMpeace.org for Seventh Month Message-ID: <32025357.1120578469680.JavaMail.root@wamui-andean.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, I invite you to visit http://seympeace.org/ for some updated "What's NEW?" items, as well as the "Thought for Seventh Month." The latter is quoted from an article in the Spring 2005 issue of HARVARD DIVINITY BULLETIN http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/bulletin_mag/index.html. I encourage you to visit this site. In fact, HARVARD DIVINITY BULLETIN is an excellent publication, coming out three times a year, to which you can subscribe for a donation. Remarkable, balanced, diverse views on a wide range of religious and ethical subjects. Blessed Be, Michael From listener at bellsouth.net Tue Jul 5 23:24:31 2005 From: listener at bellsouth.net (Kathryn Potter) Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 22:24:31 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] FW: Recruiters' woes Message-ID: <20050706032432.BEWO4468.ibm61aec.bellsouth.net@heyoka> This email came from my Quaker cousin from Miami. I thought y'all might want to read it. Kit Potter -----Original Message----- From: Warren Hoskins [mailto:warren at hoskins.org] Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2005 6:53 AM Subject: Recruiters' woes Someone e-mailed me a funny/alarming Matt Taibbi column: "FINAL DRAFT? High comedy on the army-recruitment front." [click on link to read the article] wherein he says kids have taken a leaf from Nancy Reagan's playbook: When the recruiters come knocking on your front door (or appear magically inside your high school gym locker), "Just Say No." Those three little words to the military that will gladden most mothers' hearts... Taibbi also pegs the Democrats' true role in the Do the Draft Dance--THEY will drag the Republicans into voting on one, in an effort to appear to be macho manly like ol' George. And, as Taibbi says, it is the old briar patch for the Republican Rabbits, into which they are begging not to be thrown. All of us who let the Democrats avoid being the antiwar party in its lame effort to compete with the Republicans in diving for the lowest common denominator voters are about to pay for that, and the related decisions, for at least the next 6 years. I personally would not want to give a more massive draft-supplied military to any of the current crop of potential Presidential candidates. There is not one with sufficient moral backbone to say the real truth: THe US needs not to try to police the world with a military, but to police it with police and intelligence and all the moral high ground we can attain by putting human rights ahead of corporations' bottom lines. If the US was defending itself instead of engaging in pre-emptive wars against strawman enemies, enlistments would start back up. Until then, look for your friendly local Democrats to introduce Republican-friendly legislation that few parents want enacted--a less-Selective "Service System" for all youth, in Uncle George's Army. And look for children everywhere to continue to honor Nancy Reagan by carrying out her program--when recruiters offer inducements, youths who are beginning to share the perception that the current US position in the world is bad for America and potentially personally hazardous for themselves will Just Say No. Peace, --Warren -- From tlamm at chpl.net Thu Jul 7 14:40:17 2005 From: tlamm at chpl.net (Tim Lamm) Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2005 14:40:17 -0400 Subject: [saymaListserv] Angel of History talk on web site Message-ID: <002601c58327$3f411440$69a8a8c0@bradbury1> Friends, Keith Helmuth's talk "Angel of History, Storm of Progress, Order of the Soul" for Yearly Meeting 2005 is available on the SAYMA web site. http://www.sayma.org/online_documents/Angel_of_History.pdf Tim Lamm, Web Manager Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting www.sayma.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jhminshall at comcast.net Sun Jul 10 14:37:02 2005 From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall) Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 14:37:02 -0400 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: The Quaker Economist, Letter 126 Message-ID: Dear Friends, This is especially for those of you who were interested in the last issue of The Quaker Economist which I sent out. Jack responds here to many of the questions that issue raised. Also read the response letters at the bottom of the issue (way down below). This time they are really interesting and worth reading. For me the most insightful ones were on the minimum wage pro and con, and on natural gas and politics in Bolivia. Best Regards, Janet Minshall X-Originating-IP: [192.203.178.14] Mailing-List: contact tqe-help at quaker.org; run by ezmlm X-No-Archive: yes List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: Delivered-To: mailing list tqe at quaker.org Delivered-To: moderator for tqe at quaker.org Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2005 11:37:33 -0600 Subject: The Quaker Economist, Letter 126 From: Loren Cobb To: THE QUAKER ECONOMIST Letter 126 Editor's Note: This letter is also available on the web: http://tqe.quaker.org/2005/TQE126-EN-Leadings2.html We have had so many responses to TQE #125 on "Leadings" that it seemed appropriate to dedicate an entire letter to Jack's reply. Thanks to all of you who responded! A quick reminder: if you want your reply to be published in the online edition of TQE, then send it to tqe-comment at quaker.org. Any email that is sent directly to Jack will be considered private, and not for publication. -- LC COMMENTARY ON "LEADINGS" by Jack Powelson Dear Friends, I sent TQE #125 on "Leadings" to Friends who attended the Inter- Mountain Yearly Meeting (IMYM), and have had several replies. Many spoke of the IMYM plenary speaker as "inspiring" or "forceful." After reading her talk I didn't see it that way. Probably I should have attended it, but an emergency called me away (I was visiting my wife in the hospital; she's okay now). Several Friends agreed with my thinking, and I appreciate your support. Over the years I have been so lambasted by Friends because I do not see eye to eye with them on many economic matters, that I have often thought of leaving Quakers. One Friend said she was saddened by Friends being just as closed-minded and arbitrary as those they criticize. President Bush and unprogrammed Friends are very much alike. Both feel they have direct word from God and see no reason to analyze further. I stick around because I strongly believe in the Inner Light and Friends' worship. Some Friends have told me I am an "arrogant know-it-all." I have been aware for years that Friends have thought of me this way. But all I want is for Friends to think before they take actions as Friends on economic matters. To me, it matters not whether they are "right" or "left" politically. If we find we all think alike (except on war, cruelty, etc.), we must question our spirituality. One Friend sent a list of articles, some by economists, who favor increased minimum wages. There is a simple "law" in economics: if the price of any good increases, people buy less of it, or occasionally the same amount. (Exceptions are made for inferior goods, but they are not relevant here.) Many economists have challenged this law, trying to prove it wrong. Usually they act on ideological lines, and their research is biased. For example, an argument by two Princeton economists was cited by the Clinton administration to justify higher minimum wages. A bevy of other economists wrote why their research was biased. But that is not the basic question for Friends. Two basic questions confront Friends: 1. When economists disagree, how do Friends choose between them? 2. Should Friends lobby for a law forcing small businesses - even a single one - to close down, and its workers to quit? In the case of (2), many economists say, "Yes, it is for the greater good," and many do not. Do we Quakers say Yes? Do all of us? Is a higher minimum wage some Quaker principle, like the Inner Light? The FCNL has come out in favor of higher minimum wages, and a petition to Congress was circulated in my Meeting in favor. So, is this part of Quaker dogma? When I joined Quakers sixty years ago, I was told we have no dogma. What kind of arguments sway me? Those that tell me my facts Are wrong or how I have reasoned improperly. I have been known To change my mind - indeed, many times. I was even a socialist Before I had studied economics: I met and admired socialist Norman Thomas and was friends with his brother Evan. At Harvard I studied economics two years under a socialist, Paul Sweezy, but I did not realize he was a socialist until after I had graduated. He taught me economics, not socialism. One reader said that my message sounded like the "old capitalist line" again, but he did not say what was wrong with that. Another pointed out that a professor in Bolivia disagreed with me about natural gas in his country. But I am not swayed by where a person is from unless he presents correct facts and a rational argument. Incidentally, I was a university professor myself in Bolivia for one year. One reply told me that the keynote speaker at IMYM had said we should "see that of God" in Bush and his team. Of course. But why not John Kerry and Ted Kennedy? Over the sixty years I have been a Quaker, I have heard many times about "love" and "that of God." I am waiting for some Quaker to say that "that of God" in Bush means we should understand his reasons for going to war in Iraq (what are they, truly?) and respect them because he is a creature of God, even though we disagree on both facts and interpretations. One Friend thought that maquiladora workers were exploited in Mexico, but his only reason was that they do not earn wages as high as in the United States. Unfortunately, they can't earn those wages in Mexico, and they cannot legally cross the border. So firms jump the border legally and hire them in Mexico. Actually, on average maquiladoras pay higher wages than other employers in the rest of Mexico. I believe there should be more maquiladoras, not fewer. As a matter of fact, firms are going more to China now, and the Mexican government is not happy over this. That same Friend thought workers should be paid a "living wage." (How could they "live" otherwise?) But a "living wage" is relative to wages of middle-class American families today. There is only one way to raise real wages: train workers so they become more productive. Over the centuries US and European workers have lived on less than the real minimum wage today, and so do workers today in the less developed world. A "living wage" higher than market wages is just like a minimum wage: it causes unemployment, bankrupts small businesses, and it starts an inflation that leaves workers where they were before. One Friend at IMYM chastised himself for not "listening" to the kids in a talent night Bush-bashing play. For ten years I conducted seminars (in Spanish) with Marxist students all over Latin America (Argentina to Mexico), with whom I mostly disagreed. I listened to them, but over time I decided they were wrong, in both facts and interpretations. Having only 24 hours per day I wanted to diversify my listening, so I spent time with other philosophies. Two kinds of principles seem to be adopted by unprogrammed Friends. One is that a set of practices is morally wrong. This includes war, torture, and beating children (or anyone). I agree with these. Others include economic matters such as minimum wage and social security. In each case, Friends might consider whether God leads others elsewhere, e.g., the American President or Muslim rebels. Let us make Friends our spiritual base and lobby through secular organizations. Peace to all of you. Your friend, Jack Powelson ================================================================ READERS' COMMENTS on TQE #125 -- Leadings So nice to know that thinking like "an economist" has such easy answers, and, obviously no debate among economists. If you really want us to be thinkers, it might be useful to present a variety of thinking about solutions and various possibilities. (On a personal note: So happy that your wife is better. Must have been a stressful beginning to Inter-Mountain Meeting.) - Barbara Seidel, Gwynedd Monthly Meeting. Outstanding letter! Thank you for summarizing these issues so succinctly. I hope to jump-start an economics discussion with my sister by sending your letter to her. Thanks again for your efforts with TQE. Glad to hear Robin's doing better now, too. - Jennifer Mukhtiar, Minneapolis, MN (formerly Jennifer Miller of the Salt Lake Monthly Meeting). Thanks for this "pocket powelson" synopsis of economic issues. These are complex topics for me to absorb and you do a good job of making them understandable. One of the reasons I have been drawn to these ideas is my association with 3 successive work placements in the printing industry. Each placement was with a company run by entrepreneurs who built the company from the ground up. They were successful enterprises because the owners worked long hours and took great (but intelligent) risks to provide trustworthy products for their customers. They also paid their workers well which supported their business goals. This has led me to see that one of the true causes of wealth in a society is the "ambitious" entrepreneur. Not a figure whom most Quakers that I know feel comfortable with, but perhaps one which we should be seeking ways to support, both here and abroad. - Rich Ailes, Middletown Monthly Meeting, Lima, PA. 1. You are 110% right that an international bankruptcy court is a better way out for highly indebted poor countries, than "debt forgiveness". 2. However, there also should be provision for writing down individual loans, or re-setting lending rates, where projects have no performed as appraised; and ex-post interest rates prove to be usurious. 3. Billions of dollars have been lent by the World Bank on the basis of project appraisal documents projecting great rates of return, which have not materialized. Is this ethically the responsibility of the lender or the borrower? With its claim to technical excellence the World Bank clearly cannot claim ignorance. The Bank knew the regimes to which it was lending, and at any time could cancel a loan due to non-fulfilment of lending conditions. Clearly the World Bank would claim (and rightly) to have more experienced and qualified technical staff than the borrowing countries. Surely it is the Bank, not the country to which we should turn to pay for failed investments? And, indeed the much heralded "poor country debt forgiveness" is a bail out of the World Bank and other multilateral aid agencies. None of the "forgiven" money will actually flow to poor countries, much less the poor (Bob Geldorf and others notwithstanding). 4. If the World Bank is to be allowed to lend to countries Whose debt has been written off, it should be under a new lending instrument where some of the risk of project failure is born by the Bank. 5. You might be interested in my paper "The World Bank and Poverty: Cause or Cure?", in which I show that poor borrowing policies by the Bank lead to developing countries having to repay $60 billion more (in US dollars) than they borrowed (in US dollars). For decades the Bank had a policy of minimizing the interest rate at which it borrowed, with the "no brainer" result that it borrowed currencies that the markets (rightly) expected to appreciate in value. And, as usual, the market turned out to be right. Sixty billion dollars later the Bank ow pursues a more sophisticated borrowing strategy. - Wilfred Candler, Annapolis Friends Meeting. In the late 17th and early 18th centure, Friends were severely discriminated against through governmental action. The professions of the time were also discriminatory. Freinds were barred from being doctors, professors, lawyers, and many other lucrative and emerging middle class occupations. Thus many were led to pursue commerce. Living their faith, they were good employers and concerned citizens, as well as much more honest than many of their peers in business. These very practices created great opportunity for many, and generated wealth and higher overall standards of education, health and other measures. Today many Friends are led to enter the very professions that had historically been closed. Few are engaged in commerce or industry. Lacking the first-hand knowledge and experience of applied economics (that is, running an enterprise and creating employment and opportunity), many of our Friends are called to support policies based on their intent rather than on their practical outcome. Thus our continued need to engage in the conversation and educate ourselves. But I do not want to engage in that conversation if I am expected to make arguments both for and against open markets and free trade. Proclaiming and educating regarding the overall benefit of pursuing these policies in a balanced institutional framework is a leading for me. - Christopher Viavant, Utah Information Systems Project Director, Wasatch Homeless Health Care, Inc. As a large investor in the bonds of poor countries, I favor the establishment of an international bankruptcy court. Such a court would have powers similar to bankruptcy courts in the developed world. For example, the court would make sure that all creditors are treated fairly in a debt restructuring, and not allow some debt holders to do much better than others. (Currently, governement and multilateral creditors demand better payment terms from debtors than private sector creditors do. The IMF in particluar insists on getting paid in full, even though legally its claims are not senior to anyone else's.) Such a court would also need the power to prevent fraudulent conveyance of sovereign assets to politically favored parties, and it would need the power to make sure that the sovereign doesn't throw too much money away on financially imprudent welfare, pension and medical care schemes. The probability of such a court coming into existence is zero. No debtor country would agree to be bound by its rulings, and no favored creditor would either. - Tom Cooper, Lincoln, MA. Am I getting a fundamentalist economic course here? Every item in TQE #125 sounds like an apologist for the corporate Robber Baron which is the main cause of today's Global economic inequality (and many more say that they are the root cause for the Bushwhacked Evil Empire's imperialist ventures since 9-11). I hope to see sounder economic lessons here in the future! Peace, Aloha and forward to a new Collaborative & Collective future World. - Danny Li. Editor's Note: TQE #99, entitled "How I learned economics," tells the story of how Jack Powelson learned the economics lessons to which you object. I encourage you to read that story, and perhaps others in Jack's series of memoirs on his experiences as a consultant to Latin American governments. - Loren Your comment on Bolivian natural gas does not seem to square with the statement quoted below from an economics professor living and working in Bolivia. You say the gas is newly discovered, he says that it was privatised in the 1990's. That makes it between 15 and 5 years ago. When you say 'newly discovered,' do you mean last year or 10 years ago? Of course I don't know whether Professor Teran is any more qualified to speak on this issue than yourself. No doubt you know more about him than I do. However, having introduced the subject in TQE #125 I would be most grateful if you would print and pass comment on Professor Teran's letter to the New York Times for my benefit and for all other readers of TQE. - Eric Walker, Ipswich Quaker Meeting, UK. --------------------------- Statement by Prof. Roberto Fernando Terán, Dept of Economics, University of San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia: The Times' coverage of the Bolivian debate over gas and oil (Bolivia Epitomizes Fight for Natural Resources, May 23, 2005) oversimplifies the issues and leaves readers with the false impression that there are not solid reasons behind the popular demand for nationalization. Why are social movements calling for Bolivia to take back control Of its gas and oil? First, the contracts that gave Bolivia's gas and oil to foreign energy companies in the 1990s are unconstitutional because they were never approved by the Bolivian Congress, as required by law. Second, those same corruption-driven privatization deals gave away, to foreign companies, proven gas and oil reserves worth more than $11 billion. Third, before privatization, nearly half of the revenues coming into the Bolivian treasury came from the publicly- owned gas and oil industry. Today the foreign oil companies that have replaced that public ownership are contributing less than ten percent and much of that is passed on to Bolivian consumers. In Bolivia the cost of producing and transporting a barrel of oil is approximately $7. Yet Bolivians are being forced to pay world market prices for our own oil, currently $48 per barrel. Like any other country, we in Bolivia do not want to sell our gas and oil in raw form at bargain prices. Countries reap the real economic benefits from their gas and oil when they industrialize domestically and sell it as processed products - gasoline, plastic, electricity, etc. Foreign oil companies want to keep Bolivia, South America's poorest nation, from doing that. Why would the people of any nation with severe unemployment and a lack of economic opportunity willingly accept such an arrangement? It should be no surprise that millions of Bolivians are not willing to accept the give away of the nation's oil and gas. --------------------------- Editor's Reply: Jack was referring specifically to the natural gas discoveries of 2002 (see TQE #85). For the record, however, Bolivia began producing natural gas in 1960, and exporting it in 1975. Exploration for natural gas has been in progress since at least 1950, if not earlier. New reserves are added to the Bolivian estimated total every year, as new fields are discovered and old fields are resurveyed using improved methods. Reserves increased from 33 billion cubic meters in 1988 to 1.5 trillion in 2005, a growth rate of better than 25% per year for 17 years. The current debate in Bolivia was triggered by this overall increase, and by speculation that the ultimate amount of recoverable natural gas is likely very much higher than proven reserves known today. There is no question that most if not all of the Bolivian government's negotiations with private industry over the entire last century have had a striking lack of transparency, and post-hoc evidence of massive corruption and embezzlement. Given this abysmal record, it is not surprising that Bolivians deeply distrust private industry, their central government, and capitalism generally. In My personal opinion, nothing will improve until the systemic and structural causes of corruption are corrected. Without a professional civil service and judicial system, insulated from political and financial influence, no part of Bolivian government will function as intended, no matter which political party is in power. The fate of Bolivian natural gas is merely the latest consequence of this insidious pattern. - Loren Dear Jack: You got a lot off your chest in TQE #125, but I found your discussion incomplete on three items. Minimum wage. Your free-market fundamentalist views and conclusions ignore the way real wage markets work. When minimum wage increases force employers to increase wages to their low paid employees, They respond by hiring better educated, more qualified employees to replace their least qualified workers, and try to increase productivity per worker based on their better qualifications. I find the economic incentives of minimum wages - to get more education and be better qualified for higher paying jobs, and to increase productivity of the firm - to be beneficial from the viewpoint of the economy as a whole. Any resulting drop in employment can be partially offset by increases in aggregate demand in the economy. Modest increases in minimum wages, such as those we have had in the past few decades, have little macroeconomic effect on labor markets, but do help to improve wage situations in backwaters where poorly educated people are exploited. Some Princeton economists studied what happened to fast food employment in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, when New Jersey raised its minimum wage and Pennsylvania did not. They found little or no effects on employment in the two states. Defaults and bankrupcy in international debt. I think your readers should know that Anne Krueger, after she was named Deputy Managing Director of the IMF several years ago, proposed in some detail a mechanism for declaring bankrupcy on sovereign debt. It was given careful consideration by financiers and economists but ultimately did not receive much support; instead new sovereign debt issues now contain clauses making them easier to modify for a 'workout' if default threatens. Multinational corporations. I doubt that your critics will be convinced that MNCs pay top wages out of the goodness of their hearts! They are transferring new technology from developed countries requiring fewer but well qualified workers. It is often very costly and difficult to adapt new technology to a lower priced labor market, so the corporations must hire off the top of the labor market in the developing country to get the reliable skilled workers they must have to make their technology work. - William G. Rhoads, Germantown (PA) Monthly Meeting. ================================================================ > >ABOUT THE QUAKER ECONOMIST > >RSVP: Write to "tqe-comment at quaker.org" to comment on this or >Any future Letter. Use as Subject the number of the Letter to >which you refer. Permission to publish your comment is presumed >unless you say otherwise. Please keep it short. Letters over >approximately 100 words may be returned without being read. >All published letters will be edited for spelling, grammar, >clarity, and brevity. Please mention your home meeting, church, >synagogue (or ...), and where you live. > >To subscribe, at no cost (or unsubscribe) send an email letter >(subject "subscribe," but no text necessary) to tqe-subscribe >(or tqe-unsubscribe), followed by "@quaker.org". > >Each letter of The Quaker Economist is copyright by its author. > >However, you have permission to forward it to your friends >as you wish and invite them to subscribe at no cost. Please >Mention The Quaker Economist as you do so, and tell your >recipient how to >find us on the web. > >The Quaker Economist is not designed to persuade anyone of >anything, though viewpoints are vigorously expressed. Its >purpose is to stimulate discussions, both electronically and >within Meetings. > >PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL BOARD > >Publisher: Russ Nelson, St. Lawrence Valley (NY) Friends Meeting. > >Editorial Board > >- Loren Cobb, Boulder (CO) Friends Meeting, Editor. >- Chuck Fager, Director, Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC. >- Virginia Flagg, San Diego (CA) Friends Meeting. >- Valerie Ireland, Boulder (CO) Friends Meeting. >- Jack Powelson, Boulder (CO) Meeting of Friends. >- Norval Reece, Newtown (PA) Friends Meeting. >- J.D. von Pischke, a Friend from Reston, VA. >- John Spears, Princeton (NJ) Friends Meeting. >- Geoffrey Williams, Attender at New York Fifteenth Street Meeting. > >Members of the Editorial Board receive Letters several days in >Advance for their criticism and comment, but they do not necessarily >Endorse the contents of any of them. >________________________________________________________ > >Copyright (c) 2005 by John P. Powelson. All rights reserved. >Permission is hereby granted for non-commercial reproduction. From GlennReinhart at aol.com Mon Jul 11 14:56:10 2005 From: GlennReinhart at aol.com (GlennReinhart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 14:56:10 EDT Subject: [saymaListserv] Quakers in the News - week ended 7/8/2005 Message-ID: <217.484a8c8.30041aca@aol.com> Dear Friends, Please feel free to click on any blue underlined title to read an abstract, and the full text of these stories. As always, you may visit http://quakersinthenews.blogspot.com to see or comment on a chronological archive of news stories this year. The most widely reported story this week with 56 instances in mid and major market news journals in the US and World: Obituary/Arts/Film/Conscientious Objection/'Ben Hur' Humanist Playwright Fry Dies/Dateline Alabama/Montgomery/AL/USA/5-Jul-05/AP A tie for the most widely reported story, perhaps, distributed in 53 mid and major journals in the US and UK was: Military Counseling/Quaker House//Reenlistment rate remains high /ArmyTimes.com/ALL/ALL/USA/4-Jul-05/AP The most inspiring story, to me, as well as the third most widely reported of the week, is: Meetinghouse/Humanitarian Assistance/London bombs/Times Online/London/England/UK/8-Jul-05/ The remaining stories showing the face of Quakerism this week are as follows: Category/Article Title/Source/City/Area/Region/Date/Wire Service Retirement Living/Age Diversity/Kendal Corp./College ponders campus housing for seniors/Westchester County Business Journal/White Plains/NY/USA/5-Jul-05/ Religious Faith/Book Review//Discovering ourselves/Gloucester Daily Times/Gloucester/MA/USA/6-Jul-05/ Religious Diversity/Education///At the mercy of the monsoon/Afternoon Dispatch & Courier/New Delhi/India/Asia/5-Jul-05/ Quaker Schools/Real Estate Development/A boon for base's neighbors? /phillyburbs.com/Philadelphia/PA/USA/3-Jul-05/ Quaker Schools/Integrity/Arts//Finally, there's peace on the Prairie /Indianapolis Star/Indianapolis/IN/USA/6-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Slavery/Underground Railroad/Archer coming home/Dowagiac Daily News/Dowagiac/MI/USA/7-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Slavery///Happy Fifth of July, New York!/New York Times/New York/NY/USA/2-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Slavery///Africa humiliated once more /Mathaba.Net///Africa/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Slavery///Madeleine Bunting /Age/Sydney/Australia/Oceania/5-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Pennsylvania//Philadelphia full of landmarks from America's start/Ventura County Star/Ventura/CA/USA/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Pennsylvania//Early settlers came to county to escape religious intolerance/Norristown Times Herald/Norristown/PA/USA/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Farming/Real Estate Development/Lower Makefield lauds preservation efforts/Yardley News/Yardley/PA/USA/8-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Farming///Escape to Maryhill/Longview Daily News/Longview/WA/USA/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/Business///Why the saints may beat the sinners/Times Online/London/England/UK/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/American Revolution/Greene, Nathanael/Paine, Thomas/ Independence Day/St. Petersburg Times/St. Petersburg/FL/USA/3-Jul-05/ Quaker History/American Revolution//City hangs its hat on Independence Day bash/Galveston County Daily News/Galveston/TX/USA/4-Jul-05/ Ownership/Segregation/Farming//West Rehoboth fights to keep sense of community/The News Journal/Rehoboth Beach/DE/USA/5-Jul-05/ Obituary/Conscientious Objection/Man is 8th pedestrian, cyclist fatality /Portland Tribune/Portland/OR/USA/8-Jul-05/ Obituary/Arts/Music//Snively's dedication aided mourners/Long Beach Press-Telegram/Long Beach/CA/USA/8-Jul-05/ Meetinghouse/Real Estate Development/New building proposed at US Magnet site/ Yardley News/Yardley/PA/USA/8-Jul-05/ International Conflict/Peace Activities/Israel//Sun shines on Bakewell carnival/Matlock Today/London/England/UK/7-Jul-05/ Humanitarian Assistance/Quaker Information Center/Start the Music /philly.com/Philadelphia/PA/USA/3-Jul-05/ FCNL/War/Iraq//Letter: Respect Iraqi sovereignty; withdraw troops/Port Townsend Leader/Port Townsend/WA/USA/6-Jul-05/ FCNL/Politics and Economics/Patriot Act/Salem Friends Meeting to hold Patriot Act forum/Today's Sunbeam/Salem/NJ/USA/8-Jul-05/ FCNL/Politics and Economics/Medicine//Stem Cells Face Vote in Senate/Science Magazine/ALL/ALL/USA/7-Jul-05/ Business/Nostalgia/Quaker-Amish/Iacocca Returns To Chrysler Ads: Good Idea /BusinessWeek/ALL/ALL/USA/7-Jul-05/ Arts/Music/Film//Reading, writing, riffmetic/Sydney Morning Herald/Sydney/Australia/Oceania/7-Jul-05/ Arts/Music/Film//The School of Rock/The Mercury/ALL/Australia/Oceania/8-Jul-05/ Arts////Spinning yarn/Yarmouthport Register/Yarmouth/MA/USA/7-Jul-05/ Architecture/Real Estate Development/Townhouse development planned for Gannaway Drive/Jamestown News/Jamestown/NC/USA/6-Jul-05/ AFSC/War/Iraq/Boots/Steps against war/Roanoke Times/Roanoake/VA/USA/6-Jul-05/ AFSC/War/Iraq/Boots/QC group plans anti-war exhibit/Quad City Times/Des Moines/IA/USA/7-Jul-05/ AFSC/War/Activist//No easy way to go or stay/Indianapolis Star/Indianapolis/IN/USA/6-Jul-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Immigration/Civiles amplían control de inmigrantes en frontera México-EEUU/El Sol de Zacatecas/Zacatecas/Spain/E.U./24-Jun-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Immigration/Border-watch squabble/San Diego Union Tribune/San Diego/CA/USA/6-Jul-05/ AFSC/Politics and Economics/Death Penalty/Next justice could shape high court /Foster's Daily Democrat/Foster/NH/USA/3-Jul-05/ AFSC/Immigration/Police chiefs aren't border agents/Concord Monitor/Concord/NH/USA/5-Jul-05/ AFSC/Humanitarian Assistance/Beyond music, ways to help Africa /philly.com/Philadelphia/PA/USA/3-Jul-05/ -- Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bright_crow at mindspring.com Thu Jul 14 08:09:16 2005 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 08:09:16 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] The Wilson Four: Immigrant school children facing deportation Message-ID: <33386140.1121342956643.JavaMail.root@wamui-valley.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, Please see this new item on the SEYM Peace & Social Concerns website at http://seympeace.org/WilsonFour.htm "Four former Wilson Charter School students (the Wilson Four) desperately need your help NOW! Brought to this country as little kids, they face final deportation proceeding on July 21." Thank you, Michael From freepolazzo at comcast.net Thu Jul 14 12:52:48 2005 From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo) Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:52:48 -0400 Subject: [saymaListserv] Quaker Sweat Lodge Website Now Up Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20050714125040.034621a0@mail.comcast.net> > >Friends-- > > This is to let you know that a website is now up dealing with > the ongoing Quaker Sweat Lodge (QSL) discussion. > > It's at: www.quakersweat.org > > There are several pages on the site, including the QSL FAQ, > resources on the issues around "cultural appropriation," some > relevant correspondence, new material on the Wampanoag tribe (one > of whose members called the QSL racist), and testimonies from QSL > participants about their experience. As this discussion is ongoing, > there will be updates as way opens. > > Check it out! > >Chuck Fager -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bright_crow at mindspring.com Fri Jul 15 09:57:44 2005 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:57:44 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] National Priorities Project Message-ID: <11935709.1121435864523.JavaMail.root@wamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, I have stumbled onto what looks like a valuable website, the National Priorities Project http://www.costofwar.com/ As you can see, this was originally the Cost of War site, but it has been substantially expanded, both in purpose and in content. >From the About NPP page http://www.nationalpriorities.org/aboutus/index.html : "The National Priorities Project (NPP) offers citizen and community groups tools and resources to shape federal budget and policy priorities which promote social and economic justice. "Since 1983, the National Priorities Project (NPP) has been the only group in the country that focuses on the impacts of federal tax and spending policies at the community level. We link political analysis to action by serving as a bridge between policy organizations and grassroots groups. We translate policy information into everyday language and assist national and grassroots groups in their efforts on such issues as improving their schools, creating living wage jobs and providing affordable housing. "For a number of years, NPP has focused on the trade-offs between military spending and tax breaks with social spending. This has enabled us to build bridges between the peace community and the many groups fighting for social and economic justice, expanding the number of groups who will work on both community needs and peace." I have added this link to "What's NEW?" on http://seympeace.org, as well as to the list of organizations on the Social & Economic Justice page http://seympeace.org/econjustice.html . Thanks, Mike From bright_crow at mindspring.com Fri Jul 15 15:46:59 2005 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 15:46:59 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] "A Poverty of Dignity and a Wealth of Rage, " Thomas Friedman Message-ID: <20552638.1121456820060.JavaMail.root@wamui-swiss.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, Well worth reading and sharing: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/opinion/15friedman.html?pagewanted=print Thanks, Mike From Fiddlinshim at cs.com Fri Jul 15 16:34:27 2005 From: Fiddlinshim at cs.com (Fiddlinshim at cs.com) Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:34:27 EDT Subject: [saymaListserv] "A Poverty of Dignity and a Wealth of Rage, " Thomas Frie... Message-ID: <19e.377bf949.300977d3@cs.com> bright_crow at mindspring.com writes: > >Well worth reading and sharing: Oh, foo. It's just more of the same from Friedman. He simply won't admit that Muslims are suicide bombers because muslims are those who currently live in nations occupied by imperialists from cultures with long histories of anti-muslim actions and attitudes. It's not a religious thing. It's not a 'terrorist war of conquest', no matter what Friedman wants us to believe. It's not a cultural thing. It's a political thing, Tom. You want to stop suicide bombers? Stop supporting the invasion and occupation by American miltarists of other countries, Tom. Odd how those "Islamic terrorists who hate our freedoms" haven't attacked Switzerland or Sweden. Joel Shimberg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Evdavwes at aol.com Sun Jul 31 12:38:39 2005 From: Evdavwes at aol.com (Evdavwes at aol.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 12:38:39 EDT Subject: [saymaListserv] Discussion of Quaker Finance Issues Message-ID: <149.4a16f1f5.301e588f@aol.com> Dear Friends, I am on the Finance Committee of Asheville Friends Meeting, I would like to invite any one with an interest in Quaker Finance issues to join a yahoo group. The web address is _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quakerfinancediscussion/_ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quakerfinancediscussion/) There was a previous similar forum called QTreas which is now defunct. This will be an opportunity for us to share our experience, expertise, successes and failures regarding the various financial issues that come up in our Friends Meetings. You may have to have a yahoo group membership to join this. The topics with which we might be able to help each other might include: Incorporating as a non-profit religious organization Encouraging contributions Investing funds Legal issues Insurance for the Meeting House Employment issues Budgeting Planning for anticipated maintenance of the Meeting House Long-range Planning Let me know if you would like to join but are having trouble with this. Also feel free to spread the word to those in other Yearly Meetings who might have something to contribute or would find this forum useful. Yours, David Clements %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% David Clements, Evan Richardson, Wesley Clements, Lila Richardson 43 Vermont Court, #G24 Asheville, NC 28806 828-280-4431 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: