http://www.machik.org/
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=25331
http://www.machik.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=273
JYEKUNDO EARTHQUAKE APPEAL
Earthquake Devastates Jyekundo (Yushu)
April 14, 2010 - On Tuesday, 13 April, a devastating earthquake struck in the Tibetan area of Jyekundo. The quake measured approximately 6.9 and took place at 07.49 (23.49 GMT).
Due to limited capacity on the ground, it is difficult to assess the devastation at the moment. Early reports indicate that hundreds have perished, while a local observer estimates that the number is likely above 3000. An estimated 80% of the buildings have collapsed. The water dam has been damaged and there are fears of the city being flooded.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic human loss and send our prayers for those who struggle for survival now.
Jyekundo is a Tibetan county approximately 800km southwest of the city of Xining. It is on the border of the Kham and Amdo regions. The vast majority of the local people are Tibetan herders without access to emergency relief resources.
The people of Jyekundo urgently need your immediate help for medicines, clothing, food and clean water, and in the longer term for rebuilding their community.
Machik is networked with Tibetans who have years of experience serving local community needs in the Jyekundo and surrounding areas.
Thursday
Donation to Yushu, Tibet through Machik
Monday
Red Cross Launches Appeal on Mongolia (severe storms)
http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4638&Itemid=36
Written by Ch.Sumiyabazar
Tuesday, March 30, 2010.
International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) on Monday appealed CHF 1,062,295 (US$991,697) in cash, kind, or services to support the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) to assist 13,600 animal herders who have lost their entire livestock to one of the worst winters in the last three decades.
According to the Mongolian Red Cross Society, 4.5 million livestock have died so far since December 2009, nearly 10 percent of the nation’s animal population. Four human deaths were reported, mainly maternal deaths, to have occurred in snow-blocked residences in remote areas that have no possibility to reach by ambulance.
More than 90 percent or 19 out of 21 provinces of Mongolia have been covered with heavy snow in which more than 3,400 herder families have been severely affected.
Millions of livestock carcasses now lie scattered across the Mongolian steppe, half-buried in the snow, which may cause outbreak of a disease, national health experts warned, when it gets warm and snow thaws. Another warning is a potential risk of flash flooding of thawed snow in April and May.
“Analysis over the past two months indicates a deterioration in the coping capacities of the population. The impact is greatest for more than 3,000 herder families (12,000 people) who have lost their entire livestock reserve.” IFRC stated.
“In response to the increasing needs of the most affected population, this Emergency Appeal supports MRCS in providing herder families with the timely delivery of relief assistance through the distribution of food and non-food items as well as the provision of psychosocial support to the most vulnerable families affected by the severe winter. Additional support for herder families in rebuilding their livelihoods will be provided through recovery interventions, the details of which will be defined through further assessments defining targeted support.”
The MRCS also appealed media organizations for their cooperation in giving warm messages to animal herders. “Psychological support is vitally needed for those strongly affected,” said R.Samdandovj, Secretary General of the MRCS. Some local media outlets have published opinion pieces to remind “lazy” animal herders, who have not prepared reserves of fodder in the warm season, are accountable for loss of their own private assets.
Friday
Shades of Green thru The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/03/green_survey_reveals_oregonian.html
Green survey reveals Oregonians practice sustainability, but in different shades of green
By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
March 26, 2010, 3:55AM
Illustration by Steve Cowden, The Oregonian
Our first green survey introduced us to a Portland woman who fills about a garbage can a year, a Milwaukie man with a 2,000-square-foot garden and a slew of dedicated recyclers, including a retired nurse who met her husband at a recycling center and used to recycle glass IV bottles after her shift was over.
The survey, which drew 540 responses from online and print readers, also identified some backlash at bicyclists, admissions of green fatigue and a sizable gap between people who think activities such as biking, bus riding, composting and buying local food are important and those who actually do them. Our survey wasn't scientific -- judging by written responses and interviews it slanted toward the green-minded. But there were some revealing results:
NO BRAINERS
More than nine in 10 people turn off their lights when not in use. That was high, but not a lot more than the 89 percent nationally who said they flipped the switches in a random green survey conducted three months ago by Yale and George Mason universities. That strong response makes sense: turning off lights saves money, too.
Where Oregon really stood out: 93 percent recycle everything possible at home, versus 53 percent nationally. Eight in 10 regularly use reusable shopping bags, versus about a third nationally. And eight in 10 actively reduce trash, nearly double the national rate.
Those surveys aren't directly comparable. The national survey was random and scientific. Ours wasn't. But the results are consistent with Oregon's relatively high recycling rates and, readers pointed out, the state's environmental ethic.
Gloria Miniszewski, the retired nurse, said she and her husband keep their heat down in their Portland home, try to minimize driving, often buy used clothes and set their water heater at a low temperature.
"There's always room for improvement, and sometimes I think we (Oregonians) blow our horns a little bit too hard," she said. "But we feel very fortunate living in Oregon overall."
AN ATTITUDE-BEHAVIOR GAP
A lot more people ranked mass transit, walking, biking, composting and buying locally grown food as important than actually did those things.
Part of it is access. Readers from Seaside to Woodburn said they don't have great alternatives to their car.
"I would like to walk to the store and my salon, but we live up from where Scholls Ferry and Beaverton-Hillsdale collide!" reader Marta Alto wrote. There are "no sidewalks or place to walk but the ditch -- even scarier for bikes."
Part of it is cost. Diana Koppen of Portland said she frequents farmers markets, and likes the idea of buying local produce. "But I'm not going to pay a premium just because it's locally grown," she said. "If the cost is reasonable, then I buy."
And part of it is the hassle factor.
Terry Perrone of Happy Valley ranked himself high on most green measures -- he reuses bags for supermarket vegetables and loves the smell of line-dried sheets. "Where I would like to improve is composting, or using wet garbage," he said. "If I wasn't so lazy I guess I'd get some kind of composter."
Steve Cowden, The Oregonian
THE UNCONVINCED
Then there are those who aren't sold on all the conventional green recommendations.
Nearly a third of the respondents didn't take mass transit, bike or walk and didn't think doing so was important, higher than the national averages in those categories.
Some are retired or disabled and don't drive much anyway. Others, including Cheryl Mellnik, a manufacturer's representative from Portland, need cars for their jobs.
Mellnik, an "old hippie from the '60s" who ranked high in most green behaviors, said she supports biking but gets frustrated at bikers, a fairly common gripe.
"It's scary because they'll just go when you've got a green light -- I just had that happen yesterday when I was driving downtown on 6th Avenue," she said. "It can be annoying."
About a quarter of respondents also cited composting, buying locally grown food and washing laundry in cold water as unimportant.
That result was lower than the national average for composting; for laundry and local food, it was about the same.
"I am from the old school," wrote Xan Graf of Portland. "My whites, linens and towels go into hot water. No one will ever convince me that cold water will do the job on those items."
MISSING ELEMENTS
Readers thought our survey missed some important green behaviors. Among them: buying organic, eating less meat, forgoing pesticides, improving home insulation, using clotheslines, planting for low water use and reducing population growth.
"When we do things like recycle and scrimp on water usage, it just enables the politicians to cram more people into smaller spaces," said David Petersen, a father of one who has seen small lots spread like wildfire near his Tigard home. "The real problem is population. Everything else is just a Band-Aid."
HIGH BARS
Arthur Moore and his wife have ridden bikes for decades, bring items they can't recycle at curbside to a Far West Fibers depot and maintain a 2,000-square-foot garden in their Milwaukie yard that supplies them and many of their neighbors for much of the year.
"We're maniacs," Moore said.
Betty Shelley and her husband are down to one garbage pickup a year from their Portland home. But Shelley, who works part-time in the Metro regional government's recycling information center, said they started small about 15 years ago. "It's about taking one step at a time," she said.
Those steps included switching to cloth napkins, buying in bulk, heading to the library instead of buying books, reusing plastic bags and turning down the thermostat in 2 degree increments.
Like many other respondents, Shelley noted that today's "green" behaviors are really nothing new. Waste not, want not, was a common refrain.
"My mother-in-law used to do all that stuff and I thought it was really strange," Shelley said. "But now we do it, too."
- Scott Learn
Steve Cowden, The Oregonian
Thursday
Medieval Earthern Walled City of Lo Manthang, Nepal
http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5256/
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.
Nepal (Asia and the Pacific)
Date of Submission: 30/01/2008
Criteria: (ii)(v)(vi)
Category: Cultural
Submitted by: Department of Archaeology
State, Province or Region: Mustang District, Daula Giri Zone, West Nepal
Coordinates: N29 10 59 E83 57 21
Ref.: 5256
Description
Lo Manthang the capital of the former Kingdom of Lo was constructed in the 15th Century on a plateau at 3800 meters above sea level. The settlement is located on the ancient trade route that runs along the Kali Gandaki River that cuts through the Himalayas. The settlement is surrounded by a 6-meter high earthen wall with square towers or dzong on the corners. Within the walls there exists a compact settlement of earthen structures.
The main monuments found within the walls are the palace and monasteries of Jampa Lakhang and Thupchen Lakhang from the 15th Century and the monastery of Choede Lakhang from the 18th Century. There are several rows of chhortens and mane walls within the settlement and along the circumambulatory path directly outside the wall.
The Lobas, inhabitants of Lo Manthang are closely related culturally and ethnically to the people of Western and Central Tibet. The culture is to a large degree defined by the Sakyapa traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and even today many of the ancient festival, rituals and ceremonies are being performed.
Justification for Outstanding Universal Value
Satements of authenticity and/or integrity
Upper Mustang district where Lo Manthang is located is remote and was a restricted area to foreigners till 1992 and today only a restricted number of tourists are allowed to visit per year. The overall structure of the earthen walled settlement is intact. Over the past decade restoration work has been carried out on the monasteries of Jampa Lakhang and Thupchen Lakhang and part of the wall. Over the past two decades various development works and building construction has taken place outside the wall.
Comparison with other similar properties
There is no comparison to this unique settlement
Wednesday
Keep saving gas
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount of gas you use. If you are already following these tips, you are probably getting the best gas mileage your car can deliver.
Drive more efficiently
Keep your car in shape
Plan & combining trips
Choose a more efficient vehicle
medical imaging back in the 17,000 feet level
http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2010/02/17/Nation/16800
Sounding Solukhumbu
Ultrasound machines prove to be sound investments for a village in Solukhumbu
SMRITI MALLAPATY
An ultrasound machine like the SonoSite 180 Plus can cost upwards of $14,000. It is a portable, battery-and-AC-powered, high image quality device. The 'drop-tested' SonoSite MicroMAXX, with wireless data transfer facilities, costs over $21,000. These are not devices you'd expect to find in a Nepali village.
But Phaplu Maternity Centre in Solukhumbu owns five such devices, all donated by the American company SonoSite. While pregnant women in Kathmandu pay over Rs1500 for three ultrasound visits to a health professional to monitor their baby's health and growth, pregnant women in Solukhumbu are serviced in their own villages, for free.
For almost a year now, local NGO Himalayan Health and Environmental Services Solukhumbu has run a pioneering pilot program whereby nurses from the district hospital in Phaplu travel to all of the VDCs below Chaurikharka every three months to provide routine ultrasound check-ups.
Nurses Pema Lamu Sherpa, Sani Sherpa and Auxilliary Nurse Midwife Bhagawati Gurung walk for up to three days as is, with a SonoSite in tow, to reach their patients. The images from the ultrasound tests are stored in a computerised database for three years. First timers as well as women with twins, fetuses in breech or transverse positions, or birth complications, are referred to the hospital in Phaplu if necessary.
SMRITI MALLAPATY
The luminous interior of Suzanne's Shelter, donated by Planned Parenthood of Western Washington
"The ultrasound program has really helped in early recognition of women at risk for difficult deliveries," says nurse-in-charge Pema Sherpa, who has herself examined over 500 women in these villages. In a recent case, she referred a pregnant Pashi Sherpa of Tingla VDC to the hospital because of the large size of her baby's head. Pashi was then sent to the maternity hospital in Thapathali, Kathmandu, where a successful operation took place just last week.
Sonograms save lives, a luxury given that 281 out of 100,000 live births result in complications leading to the mother's death (DHS, 2006). Nationwide, only 18 per cent of deliveries take place in an institution, only 44 per cent of pregnant women receive antenatal care once and only 29 per cent receive antenatal care at least four times. The government has promised free delivery services across the country, but this remains unfulfilled.
Back in Solukhumbu, however, Gau Maya Rai of Kanku VDC has almost reached the full term of her maiden pregnancy. As recommended, she arrives at Phaplu Maternity Centre, where Pema Sherpa conducts an ultrasound scan for the size, femur length, and heartbeat of her unborn child. Here she will also receive free maternal care, including a Rs1500 transportation subsidy from the Ministry of Health and Population.
Construction for the Phaplu Maternity Centre was sponsored by the INGO Sherpa-Med Germany. The centre functions as an extension of Solu Hospital, set up in 1975 by Sir Edmund Hillary. Since July 2009, over 80 pregnant women from around the district have accessed the maternity centre's services.
For now, Gau Maya Rai awaits delivery in the luminous and spacious wood-panelled 'Suzanne's Shelter', donated by Planned Parenthood of Western Washington. Looking at her, one can't help but think these portable ultrasound machines are a perfect fit for the needs of rural communities in Nepal, who often can't access services in district headquarters. Phaplu Maternity Centre shows us what can be achieved with targeted technology transfer. But such investment will have to take place on a much larger scale if maternity services are to reach other deserving communities across Nepal.
READ ALSO:
Nursing Nepal back to health - FROM ISSUE #489 (12 FEB 2010 - 18 FEB 2010)
