December 02, 2009

Immediately after the Rwandan genocide, women made up over 70 percent of the country's population. Facing an uncertain future, these women needed to find a way of making money to help their families survive. Many women turned to making traditional hand-woven baskets of papyrus and sisal to sell in local markets. Janet Nkubana and her sister Joy Ndunguste were also survivors of the genocide and came from a family that practiced traditional basket weaving. In 2004 they formed Gahaya Links Ltd. and embarked on transforming these traditional colorful baskets into high-end home decor with a unique Rwandan flair. The fortunes of many of these women weavers changed when an East and Central African (ECA) Trade Hub delegation, funded through USAID East Africa, visited a trade show in Kigali and met Janet Nkubana. Representatives from the Hub realized the company's potential. They provided technical assistance in product design, marketing and pricing to help Janet prepare her baskets for international trade shows. The ECA Trade Hub then sponsored her trip to New York to take part in a major marketing event, the Sources Show. There, buyers from Macy's spotted her product line and offered her a deal worth US$150,000 to supply baskets for their New York store and to sell online. Path to Peace baskets are being sold at: http://www1.macys.com/campaign/rwanda/index.jsp. Full release.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today following passage in the House Financial Services Committee of financial stability legislation that will prevent future taxpayer bailouts of large financial firms. This bill will be part of a comprehensive package of financial system reforms, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, that will be considered on the House floor next week. "Today's action by the House Financial Services Committee brings accountability to Wall Street and big banks. When coupled with strong reforms to protect consumers and Main Street that the House will vote on next week, it will end the reckless practices that resulted in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. "This major step forward would not have been possible without the leadership, vision, and commitment of Chairman Barney Frank. The Chairman's efforts to shepherd a comprehensive package of financial reforms through the Committee will ensure that Americans' homes, pensions, college savings and financial futures are protected and the House will vote soon on this legislation. Full release.

USAction today praised President Obama's goal of a concrete end to the war in Afghanistan, coupled with political and military benchmarks for success, but expressed profound concern over plans to commit at least 30,000 new troops to the war effort. "We support the fact that President Obama has a set exit strategy because the previous administration did not," said USAction Program Director Alan Charney. "We are concerned that adding 30,000 troops to the Afghan war zone will make the goal of exiting Afghanistan within three years difficult to achieve. We firmly and resolutely oppose expansion of the war in Afghanistan." Charney questioned the cost of expanding the war in Afghanistan - a cost that is expressed through the lives of Americans and Afghanis lost and the sacrifice and suffering borne by the families of those killed and maimed. "To paraphrase John Kerry: How do you ask a family to be the last to lose a loved one in Afghanistan?" Charney said. "The risk of escalation is too great. The cost is too high." Full release.

In the wake of the first evidence that American babies are born contaminated with a plastics chemical linked to birth defects and breast cancer, Congress must act immediately to protect infants and mothers. The House and Senate are considering bills to ban bisphenol A, or BPA, in food and beverage containers. The bills, by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, would protect consumers from this hormone-disrupting chemical used in hard plastic baby bottles and food containers and the lining of food cans. "More than 200 studies show that even tiny doses of BPA can harm the developing fetus," said Janet Nudelman, policy director at the Breast Cancer Fund. "Connecticut and Minnesota have banned it in baby bottles and other children's products and many major retailers have pulled it from their shelves. Congress has to catch up with the states and the marketplace and protect all Americans." Full release.

The U.S. economy will experience robust growth of about 70 percent through 2030 even as it adopts policies to lower greenhouse gas emissions leading to a more sustainable environment, according to an analysis released today by the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP). The economic analysis estimates that U.S. GDP will grow 70 to 71 percent through 2030 assuming the adoption of climate legislation similar to the Blueprint for Legislative Action, USCAP's set of recommendations for climate policy. In the absence of climate policy, U.S. GDP would grow 71 to 72 percent through 2030. "A comprehensive approach to addressing the climate challenge can deliver urgently needed reductions in greenhouse gasses without interfering with economic growth now and in the future," said Dr. Janet Peace, Vice President, Markets and Business Strategy for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, speaking on behalf of USCAP. Full release.

Nearly 600 medical research executives, scientists, policy makers, and funders today convened to explore novel development approaches and innovative funding strategies at the inaugural Partnering for Cures meeting. FasterCures, the Washington-based center of the Milken Institute, convened Partnering for Cures to facilitate multi-sector collaborations needed to turn a scientific discovery into an accessible therapy. This effort unites the power of philanthropy, passion of nonprofit disease organizations, and the expertise of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. "With all the financial and human capital flowing through America's medical system, there are still too many diseases for which there are no cures or effective treatments. We want to help change that," said Margaret Anderson, Executive Director of FasterCures. "One of our goals for this effort is to catalyze a more effective and efficient medical research enterprise through more strategic and timely allocation of critical resources." Partnering for Cures highlighted best practices in the conduct and management of medical research and outcomes-oriented approaches that could streamline the process. It provided participants with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from cure entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders who are producing dramatic results for patients, from cystic fibrosis and multiple myeloma to malaria and HIV. Full release.

The attacks of 9/11 and subsequent American actions irrevocably changed the political, military and legal landscapes of U.S. national security. Terrorists threw out the old rules of war but the United States still has not decided on the new ones. Legislating the War on Terror reveals just how much work there is to be done and offers a fresh set of ideas for how to begin. It presents an agenda for reforming the statutory law governing this new battle, balancing the need for security, the rule of law and the constitutional rights that protect American freedom. The chapters in Legislating the War on Terror are organized around the major tools that the United States has deployed against al Qaeda as well as the legal problems that have developed as a result. Those tools -- detention, criminal process, surveillance, targeted strikes against terrorist leaders, interrogation, deportation and border control -- have produced varying degrees of controversy. The book examines how Congress should authorize, regulate and limit their use and under what circumstances their use should be encouraged. It tackles some of the most challenging dilemmas that face Congress as it legislates the ground rules for this new era, such as how to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and whether to ban torture during interrogations of terrorist suspects. Full release.

A nationwide survey released today by Girl Scouts of the USA finds that more American teenagers say they would make responsible decisions on a range of issues from lying and cheating to smoking and drinking than young people just a generation ago. The study, conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), is nearly identical to one Girl Scouts commissioned in 1989 and a comparison of the two shows a marked shift toward more ethical and responsible beliefs and values and civic involvement among teens and tweens. Nearly two out of three young people (62 percent) surveyed in 2009, for example, say they would not cheat on a test compared to about half in 1989. Fifty-eight percent say they would refuse an alcoholic drink if offered one at a party. That's compared to fewer than half (46 percent) in 1989. And only 18 percent say they believe smoking is acceptable if a person finds it enjoyable. In 1989, more than a quarter of those surveyed thought smoking was acceptable. Full release.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today released the findings of its FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, breaking new ground in gaining understanding of which Americans remain outside the banking system. The survey, conducted on behalf of the FDIC by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, was a supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey during January 2009. The study, which is the most comprehensive survey to date of the unbanked and underbanked, reveals that more than one quarter (25.6 percent) of all households in the United States are unbanked or underbanked and that those households are disproportionately low-income and/or minority. In addition to collecting accurate estimates of the number of unbanked and underbanked households in the U.S., the survey was designed to provide insights into their demographic characteristics and reasons why the households are unbanked and/or underbanked. The survey represents the first time that this data has been collected to produce estimates at the national, regional, state and large metropolitan statistical area (MSA) levels. Results of the study broken down regionally, by state and by MSA are now available online at a new Web site the FDIC has developed, www.economicinclusion.gov. Full release.

As unemployment in the United States reaches its highest level in decades, the Ford Foundation today announced a five-year, $80 million effort to ensure Americans get the support they need to stabilize family incomes, cope with unemployment, and keep the jobs they have. The initiative will focus on two related areas: Strengthening programs and policies that improve job quality for U.S. workers, especially low-wage employees; and helping states modernize the delivery of existing public programs to ensure working Americans are able to meet basic needs when their wages are too low to support a family. Together these efforts seek to address sweeping changes in the country's economic landscape and workforce, which is now almost 50 percent female. Full release.

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