Welcome to the Street News Service
There's a hearty helping of news, views and features from street papers around the world. Please feel free to read all material provided. Currently, the reproduction of material is available for paid up members of the International Network of Street Papers and the North American Street Newspaper Association only.
Want to submit a story? Please email it to sns@street-papers.org.
Last Updated: Monday, 12th May 2008
You can now search Street News Service 133
FEATURED ARTICLES
Earning From Thread and Needle (The Big Issue Kenya)
Bernard Odera
Bernard Odera investigates the life and profession of Maurice Oluoch, a tailor in the city of Nairobi who has overcome countless challenges to establish a successful business. (499 words, English)
Peace in Our Hearts (The Big Issue Kenya)
John Cornwell
In this opinion piece, John Cornwell writes on the endemic levels of economic, political and social inequality in Kenya and reflects upon the way forward. (1,072 words, English)
TOP STORY: Uneasy calm returns to Eldoret (The Big Issue Kenya)
John Kimani Mwangi
A visit to Eldoret last month revealed that business was picking up slowly in Eldoret town, one of the epicentres of violence that rocked Kenya following disputed presidential poll results. In fact, a visitor to the country for the first time would have been confronted by a paradox of heavy security presence in a seemingly calm environment. (741 words, English)
The Best School in the World (Jornal Boca de Rua - Boquinha, Brazil)
Various
This is an article about school from Boca de Rua’s children’s supplement “Boquinha”. The children describe what their ideal school would be like, provide a “how to be a good teacher in 10 lessons” course and share their thoughts and experiences with good and bad teachers. (3,167 words, English summary with full translation available upon request.)
A melhor escola do mundo (Jornal Boca de Rua - Boquinha, Brazil)
Various
Este é um artigo sobre a escola, publicado no Boquinha, suplemento infantil do Boca de Rua. As crianças descrevem a sua escola ideal, apresentam “dez lições para uma professora gritona” e partilham os seus pensamentos e experiências com bons e maus professores. (1.167 palavras, Portugues)
Violence: one truth, two versions (Jornal Boca de Rua, Brazil)
Various
The homeless are frequently assaulted, harassed and humiliated by the military police (BM), but most of the times they are afraid to report it, fearing retaliation. This story includes interviews with a BM Major, the Subsecretary of State for Public Safety of Rio Grande Sul and the BM internal affairs’ Inspector-General, as well as several accounts from homeless citizens. (3,030 words, English summary with full translation available upon request.)
Violência: Uma verdade, duas versões (Jornal Boca de Rua, Brazil)
Various
Os moradores de rua são frequentemente agredidos, assediados e humilhados pela Brigada Militar (BM), mas na maioria das vezes têm medo de denunciar, pois temem retaliações. Esta reportagem inclui entrevistas com um Major da BM, o Secretário de Estado Adjunto da Secretaria da Segurança Pública do Rio Grande do Sul e o Corregedor-Geral da BM, bem como vários relatos de moradores de rua. (3,030 palavras, Portugues)
TOP STORY: EU-commissioner: The councils should solve the problems of homelessness (Hus Forbi, Denmark)
Simon Ankjærgaard
The problem of homelessness should be solved within the councils and not on an EU level, says EU-commissioner for social concerns, Vladimir Spidla, to Hus Fobi. The solution is more social workers and a greater focus on the rights of the homeless. An exclusive interview (507 words, Danish + picture, English summary with full translation available upon request)
TOP STORY: EU-kommissær: Kommunerne skal løse hjemløseproblemet (Hus Forbi, Denmark)
Simon Ankjærgaard
Det er i kommunerne og ikke på EU-niveau, at hjemløseproblemet skal løses, siger EU-kommissær for sociale anliggender, Vladimir Spidla, til Hus Forbi. Løsningen er flere socialarbejdere og større fokus på de hjemløses rettigheder. (507 words, Danish + picture)
New York Blue - May (USA)
Ron Grunberg
In the latest edition of his monthly column, INSP Board Vice-Chair and founder of New York's BIGNews street paper, Ron Grunberg writes a frank and poignant reflection on his struggle with Hodgkin’s Disease. (1093 words, English + picture)
TOP STORY: Alien Boy (Street Roots, USA)
Joanne Zuhl
Filmmakers in Portland, Oregon set out to document the life and death of James P. Chasse Jr. In 2006, 42-year-old Chasse died after being wrongly chased, tasered, hogtied, and jailed by Portland police. The documentary, set to begin filming this month, focuses on Chasse’s struggle with schizophrenia, bringing into question the way U.S. society deals with mental illness. (1,355 words, English + picture)
‘Shot ... strangled ... unknown’ (Street Roots, USA)
Jay Thiemeyer
Jay Thiemeyer writes on homeless poetry and the Women In Black contingent’s ongoing vigil for homeless who have died on the streets of Seattle. (668 words, English + poem)
FoodWise: All Things Organic! (StreetWise, USA)
Ginny & The Chef
Ginny & The Chef return to talk about the National Organic Trade Associations annual trade show, as well as some of the pros of organic food and healthy eating in general. (795 words, English)
Scrambling for a place to stay - Homeless teen moms keep eye on future. (StreetWise, USA)
Michael Neary
Michael Neary writes on the trials facing teenage women who find themselves on the streets of Chicago, pregnant. He speaks to young women who are struggling to survive in the face of a scarcity of youth shelter beds and the threat of sexual assault about the harsh realities of their lives. (2,034 words, English)
Entrepreneurs, Not Panhandlers: The Daily Life of a Street Sense Vendor (Street Sense, USA)
Jeffery McNeil
Jeffery McNeil writes on his experience as a Street Sense vendor, reflecting on what his work means to him and his struggle to rectify the public misconceptions about street paper vendors. (744 words, English)
Homeless Residents Advocate for Drug-free Zones Around Shelters (Street Sense, USA)
Brittany Aubin
Drug-free zones, once the exclusive domain of schools and playgrounds, have become an expanding no-man’s land in the national drug war. In some states, they now encompass public housing projects, shopping malls and churches. Some among the homeless think that the creation of drug-free zones around shelters would significantly lower the amount of drug dealing in their vicinity because dealers would fear stricter punishments. (694 words, English)
Many Free Breakfasts at DC Schools Going Unclaimed (Street Sense, USA)
Carolyn Cosmos
Studies show that children who have a good breakfast do better in school on math and reading tests. They are better behaved. They also are more likely to be healthy than children who eat junk food or don’t have breakfast at all. The free-breakfast program in Washington, DC's public schools reaches less than half of eligible low-income children, according to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national organization. Carolyn Cosmos reports. (642 words, English)
Path to Recovery for Drug Addicts Littered With Obstacles in DC (Street Sense, USA)
Brittany Aubin
Weaknesses in the addiction treatment system in the District of Columbia are hindering recovery for hundreds of the city’s homeless residents, according to a series of interviews conducted by Street Sense with shelter staff, city officials, service providers and homeless residents. (1,968 words, English)
New health woes as China moves from famine to feast (Reuters)
Lindsay Beck and Lucy Hornby
China has gone from famine to feast in a generation and the health consequences for its citizens are only just beginning to be felt. The government of the world's most populous country is in the unenviable position of having to deal with rural areas so poor that malnutrition is still a threat, while at the same time formulate health policies for well-to-do urbanites battling the bulge. By Lindsay Beck and Lucy Hornby. (830 words, English + picture)
Turkish Alevis fight back against religion lessons (Reuters)
Thomas Grove
Turkey's largest religious minority, some 15 to 25 million people across the country share the Alevi faith. It has roots in Islam but is steeped in shamanist tradition, and has never been recognised by the Turkish state. The status of Alevis is central to European Union concerns about freedom of religion in Turkey as it weighs up Ankara's membership bid. (820 words, English + picture)
Junta Does U-Turn on Relief Aid (Inter Press Service)
Thalif Deen
The military government of Burma (Myanmar), in a dramatic turnaround, has offered to cooperate with the United Nations in its massive relief efforts in the cyclone-devastated country where the death toll could exceed 100,000. By Thalif Deen. (843 words, English + picture)
Hundreds Arrested Protesting Police Abuses (Inter Press Service)
Haider Rizvi
In solidarity with Paultre Bell, thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets and shut down traffic in several parts of the city to protest last month's judicial ruling exonerating the three undercover police officers, who had been indicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to reckless endangerment. (977 words, English)
Ruling Party Challenges Closure (Inter Press Service)
Hilmi Toros
Facing closure by the Constitutional Court, Turkey's Islamic-rooted governing party has launched its formal defence, claiming that the case against the highly popular party and its leaders has no legal basis, and that it defends secularism despite charges that it plans to turn the country into an Islamic state. Hilmi Toros reports. (834 words, English)
Zelfmoordgolf onder Indiase boeren houdt aan (Inter Press Service)
Bharat Dogra
De Indiase regering heeft aangekondigd voor bijna 800 miljoen euro schulden kwijt te schelden die kleine boeren hebben opgelopen bij de banken. Maar volgens boerenorganisaties is de maatregel onvoldoende om de zelfmoordgolf bij de boeren te laten ophouden. Veel van hen hebben schulden bij een lokale woekeraar, die erop uit is zijn schuldenaars in het failliet te drijven om hun gronden in te pikken. (544 words, Dutch)
“Brown wast zonden multinationals weg (Inter Press Service)
Janneke Schuurman
De Britse premier Gordon Brown krijgt kritiek op zijn Business Call to Action tegen armoede, een initiatief dat vandaag (dinsdag) gelanceerd is in Londen. Aan Call to Action doen een aantal multinationals mee met een slechte mensenrechtenreputatie, zegt War on Want, een organisatie die zich bezighoudt met armoedebestrijding. (542 words, Dutch)
Een grote rol voor kleine boeren in zuidelijk Afrika (Inter Press Service)
Staff Writer
Nu de voedselprijzen stijgen, staan de kleine boeren weer in de schijnwerpers. Zijn investeringen in de kleinschalige landbouw de sleutel tot voedselzekerheid in zuidelijk Afrika? (475 words, Dutch)
FN-organ hårt kritiserade för matkrisen (Inter Press Service)
Thalif Deen
FN:s livsmedelsorgan FAO förbereder just nu ett toppmöte där världens ledare ska diskutera den globala matkrisen. FAO får samtidigt hård kritik för att man inte lyckats bemöta den globala hungern på ett bättre sätt. (508 words, Swedish)
Växande kritik mot EU:s satsningar på biobränslen (Inter Press Service)
David Cronin
EU bör ompröva sin satsning på biobränslen för att motverka de stigande globala matpriserna. Det menar den framstående utvecklingsekonomen Jeffrey Sachs. (422 words, Swedish)
Bajo impacto de legalización parcial del aborto (Inter Press Service)
Constanza Vieira
Una mujer de Pasto, capital del departamento colombiano de Nariño, supo que el bebé que esperaba nacería con malformaciones severas. Acudió al Hospital Universitario Departamental para interrumpir el embarazo, y el jefe de gineco-obstetricia le dijo: "Si su hijo nace muy malformado, lléveselo a un circo". (1.298 palabras, español)
Cooperación Sur-Sur contra desnutrición infantil (Inter Press Service)
Daniela Estrada
La cooperación entre países de América Latina, más "barata, eficiente y horizontal", puede acelerar la lucha contra la desnutrición infantil, dijo este martes Nils Kastberg, director regional del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (Unicef) en una conferencia en la capital chilena. (864 palabras, español)
Otro mexicano camino al cadalso (Inter Press Service)
Diego Cevallos
México despliega una agresiva estrategia dirigida a evitar la ejecución de sus compatriotas en Estados Unidos, pero hasta ahora ha fracasado. De poco ha servido ganarle al país vecino una batalla jurídica internacional, gastar miles de dólares en abogados y hasta pedir clemencia. (733 palabras, español)
Conselho de Segurança da ONU ignora crise alimentar (Inter Press Service)
Thalif Deen
A crise alimentar que originou protestos e distúrbios em quase 30 países, a maioria africanos, continua sem atrair a atenção do Conselho de Segurança da Organização das Nações Unidas. (631 palavras, Portugues)
Cooperação Sul-Sul contra a desnutrição infantile (Inter Press Service)
Daniela Estrada
A cooperação entre países da América Latina, mais “barata, eficiente horizontal”, pode acelerar a luta contra a desnutrição infantil, disse ontem Nils Kastberg, diretor regional do Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância em uma conferência na capital chilena. (807 palavras, Portugues)
O custo de estar em situação legal (Inter Press Service)
Mario de Queiroz
Apesar do reconhecimento oficial de que os estrangeiros residentes são um fator de inovação econômica, cultural e política, ser imigrante de um país da Europa central e oriental em Portugal custa caro. (1.067 palavras, Portugues)
Achten statt kommerzialisieren – Ureinwohner gegen CO2-Schacher (IPS Europa)
Haider Rizvi
Vertreter der weltweit 370 Millionen Ureinwohner haben sich bei den Vereinten Nationen gegen kommerzielle Mechanismen zum Klimaschutz ausgesprochen. Sie fordern einen achtsamen Umgang mit der Umwelt und warnen vor neuen vermeintlich ökologischen Strategien wie dem wachsenden CO2-Markt. (458 wörter, Deutsch)
Ehrenmorde und Steinigungen – Islamismus hat Oberhand in Stammesgebieten (IPS Europa)
Ashfaq Yusufzai
In den pakistanischen Stammesgebieten unter Bundesverwaltung (FATA) an der Grenze zu Afghanistan haben Ehrenmorde und Steinigungen Hochkonjunktur. Beobachter sehen in den vorwiegend an Frauen begangenen Verbrechen ein sicheres Zeichen dafür, dass die Taliban und ihre islamistischen Ideale in der Region immer fester Fuß fassen. (706 worter, Deutsch)
Klimawandel macht ganze Regionen unbewohnbar– Flüchtlingsrecht für Betroffene (IPS Europa)
Tarjei Kidd Olsen
Ganz gleich ob sie in der afrikanischen Sahelzone leben oder im Mündungsdelta asiatischer Ströme, in der Karibik mit ihren Wirbelstürmen und Regenfluten oder in der südpazifischen Inselwelt – der Klimawandel vertreibt immer mehr Menschen aus ihren Heimatregionen. Um den Schutz dieser Klimaflüchtlinge zu garantieren, fordert eine norwegische Nichtregierungsorganisation (NGO) die Aktualisierung der international verbindlichen Flüchtlingsgesetze und Menschenrechtsprinzipien. (657 wörter, Deutsch)