Life in North Korea: lies, potatoes and cable TV

(NORTH, THEIR, PEOPLE, STATE, REFUGEES, GENERAL)

By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Koreans who recently arrived in the South live in a world of contradictions where their upbringing instills them with reverence for Kim Jong-il but their daily struggle leads them to believe he is a brutal despot.
By all accounts, they say North Korea is gradually spiralling out of control, its economy dysfunctional while people are suspicious of one another because of a network of informants.
They also speak of a sense of normalcy in the North. Most left for the chance of a better life in the South but they are uncertain if they can find their way in the competitive capitalist state.
The following is a snapshot of life in North Korea, compiled from accounts given by refugees who recently arrived in the South. Their identities are not disclosed because they fear persecution for family and relatives back home.
"SAD TO SEE THE DEAR GENERAL SO FEEBLE"
It is a political crime to talk about the family of leader Kim Jong-il but many recently arrived refugees said the average North Korean is probably aware of foreign media reports that Kim`s youngest son Jong-un may likely take over. Most North Koreans have no idea that Kim, 67 and thought to have suffered a stroke a year ago, has three sons.
"In Pyongyang, you take it for granted that leadership will be inherited," one refugee Park said, adding she knew Kim Jong-il had two daughters and a son and his name was Jong-nam. That is the portly and oldest of Kim`s three known sons, believed to have fallen from his father`s favor years ago after being arrested for trying to enter Japan on a forged passport.
"I don`t want to say Kim Jong-il is bad," another refugee Choi said. "It`s the people who report to him who are not doing their job right. They make false reports." Choi said she knew from experience that crop production is something that gets most often falsified "so as not to make the General worry."
Most refugees still call Kim Jong-il the "General" as has been taught to them by state propaganda and have bought into, at least partially, his carefully crafted cult of personality.
Park said she knows Kim often stays up at night worried about the lives of the people. "It is true that he has sacrificed so much for the people," she said. "The general has aged a lot," she said of her impression of seeing recent pictures of Kim looking frail and perhaps debilitated by the stroke.
"SOLDIERS FOR FIGHTING? NOT HERE"
North Korea is the world`s most militarized state compared to its population with a standing army of more than 1.1 million. Service is mandatory and can be as long as 10 years. The might of the army is "invincible," according to state media but the refugees are rather cynical about the ill equipped force.
"When I look at them, the army that I`ve seen will be busy running away from a war," another refugee Kim said. "Maybe they have the real army for war kept away at some other place."
Low morale and corruption in the military are so widespread that it is the norm rather than the exception for soldiers to be extorting bribes from merchants crossing the Chinese border.
"We say something is wrong with you if you did not save enough in 10 years of service at the border to go home, get married and start a family," Kim said.  Continued...
Original article

Book Talk: Author Adichie doesn`t mind her own business

(ADICHIE, NOVEL, FICTION, STORIES, ABOUT, STORY)

By Pauline Askin
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a professional eavesdropper: she admits a lot of what she writes is based on what she`s overheard.
Adichie, whose second novel "Half of a Yellow Sun" won her the Orange Prize for fiction in 2007, says that while most of her characters are inspired by the stories her family tell, she`s also heard some incredible tales at cafes in the United States or while shopping at markets back home.
She recently released a collection of short stories, "The Thing Around Your Neck," that tell even more tales -- deceptively simple stories set in Nigeria and abroad that explore complex themes such as loneliness, cultural alienation and relationships.
Born in Nigeria in 1977, Adichie grew up in the university town of Nsukka. She moved to the United States to attend college, graduating with a major in communication and also holds masters degrees in creative writing and African studies.
Adichie`s first novel, 2003`s "Purple Hibiscus," earned her rave reviews, the Best First Book award in the Commonwealth Writers` Prize and comparisons with renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, author of the widely read "Things Fall Apart."
Adichie, who was in Sydney recently to attend a writers` festival, spoke to Reuters about the art of telling stories:
Q: You are praised for your story-telling abilities. How different is a story-teller from an author?
A: "I don`t know really. I think of myself as a story teller. I think there are writers that are less interested in stories in the conventional sense and more interested in using words to create atmosphere or mood."
Q: So what inspired the stories in your book?
A: "I love eavesdropping! For me fiction is using stories I have heard or read or seen, so I`m very much an eavesdropper. I never mind my business and I ask people personal questions and I use it in my fiction, but I make changes to it. So a lot of my fiction starts from that, from real stories. Not necessarily about myself, I don`t like writing about myself."
Q: What do you find attractive about the short story format compared to the novels you`ve written?
A: "I like both forms really. Sometimes there`s a sense when people talk about short stories as somehow they are the less accomplished sibling of the novel. I think both are complete forms and both difficult to write."
Q: What does the title of your book signify?
A: "`The Thing Around Your Neck` is the title of one of the stories in the book. It`s about immigration, about the alienation one feels when one leaves home and goes to a different place. In some ways most of the stories are about that, so it seemed right to make sense to call it that."
Q: What other themes run through your book?  Continued...
Original article

New book spotlights black America in Obama era

(BLACK, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN, THEIR, SUCCESS, SIEGEL)

By Matthew Bigg
ATLANTA (Reuters Life!) - A new book attempts to dig beneath the euphoria that swept black America when Barack Obama became president to ask the question: what, if anything, actually changed?
"Family Affair: What it Means to be African American Today" is a collection of short, autobiographical essays in which 76 black professionals detail how their families played a role in their success, either as springboards, or barriers to be overcome.
It`s one of a slew of books published since the November election in which authors examine the changes in U.S. society that allowed Obama, the first African American president, to run successfully.
In essay after essay in "Family Affair", the short answer to the `what changed?` question comes through: everything and nothing.
Many of the contributors argue that Obama`s election -- and their own success -- reflect changes brought about by the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
A number credit self-belief in their success, while some also cite their reliance on the classic American virtues of hard work and self-reliance.
"The idea was to provide a platform for African Americans to discuss their issues on their own terms. The black community is often at times framed through someone else`s lens," said editor Gil Robertson.
"It was high time that we take control of how that identity is and how it is seen," he said in an interview.
"MORE OPEN CLIMATE" TO DISCUSS RACE
The book`s contributors include actors, singers, models and business leaders, but surrounding them is the sense that they have emerged from a community that struggles.
Black Americans, who represent around 13 percent of the U.S. population, lag national averages in terms of income, life expectancy, infant mortality, education and health.
Max Siegel, who grew up in an abusive and unstable household and is now an influential sports executive, attributes his success to high self-esteem promoted by some of those who brought him up, despite the challenges.
"They constantly reassured us that we were special and good and that we should be comfortable with that," said Siegel, who is now president of global operations at Dale Earnhardt, the top motor sports franchise in the NASCAR (North American Stock Car Auto Racing).
Siegel argued that the increasing openness to dialogue about misunderstandings between racial groups was one benefit of last year`s election that would have a lasting impact.
"As a society, even though we have a long way to go, the climate is such that we can talk about some of these issues more openly," he said in an interview.  Continued...
Original article

Power struggle impedes New York gay marriage vote

(NEW, STATE, YORK, MARRIAGE, RIGHTS, DEMOCRATS, PARADE)

By Edith Honan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York`s annual Gay Pride parade was a colorful celebration of 40 years of progress toward civil rights for gays, but once the dust settled, gay couples who wish to marry in New York state remain thwarted.
A bill to legalize gay marriage in the state that saw the dawn of the gay rights movement is mired in political stalemate in the state capital Albany, where Democrats and Republicans are battling over control of the state Senate.
"I had hoped today`s march would have been a bit of a wedding march. It`s not," Christine Quinn, the gay speaker of the New York City Council, said at Sunday`s Gay Pride parade. Held annually, this year`s event marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York`s Greenwich Village, which triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement.
"We are disappointed. ... But I know there have been other times our community has been disappointed and you need to keep fighting," Quinn said at the start of the parade, which organizers said drew more than a million people.
Gay couples can marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa and will be allowed marry in Vermont starting in September and in New Hampshire from January. Other states offer same-sex unions that grant many of the same rights as marriage.
Forty-two U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, including 29 with constitutional amendments, according to Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
In May, the New York state Assembly, where Democrats hold a majority, voted by a wide margin to legalize gay marriage.
On June 8, state Senate Republicans engineered a coup by getting two Democrats to switch allegiance and vote in a new leadership, effectively erasing the slim 32-30 majority the Democrats won in the November 2008 election.
But Democrats have refused to recognize the leadership vote and one of the senators has since rejoined the Democrats, creating an even 31-31 split in the chamber.
New York Governor David Paterson has vowed to bring gay marriage to a state Senate vote before the end of the current legislative session -- which has already been extended due to the deadlock. But Paterson can not force a vote, and it is not clear if it would pass, or even if such a vote would be legal.
Even the state`s main gay rights organization has called on the Senate to resolve the leadership dispute first and not treat gay marriage as "a political football." With no immediate prospect of a resolution to the crisis, supporters of the bill are left wondering if it will come to a vote this year.
"There certainly have been moments of high adrenaline and great disappointment ... but I`m always optimistic," said Senator Tom Duane, the bill`s sponsor, at Sunday`s parade.
Many at Sunday`s parade said they thought gay marriage was inevitable in New York.
"I think every year we see great advances. I mean, this year New Hampshire passed gay marriage and Iowa, of all places," said Brent Hayrynen, 63. "We`ll get there."
(Reporting by Edith Honan; editing by Claudia Parsons and Todd Eastham)
Original article

Ancient Westminster Abbey may be crowned

(THERE, ABBEY, WHICH, PLANS, CORONATION, QUEEN, GALLERY)

By Stefano Ambrogi
LONDON (Reuters) - Almost every British and English monarch has been crowned there since 1066 and now, if architects have their way, London`s Westminster Abbey could have a crowning glory all of its own.
Radicaldesign plans unveiled Monday by the Dean of the ancient church include building a large crown-shaped structure, or corona, on the roof of the abbey right over the coronation spot in front of the high altar.
Founded in 960 AD by Saint Dunstan, the medieval abbey has seen extensive additions and alterations ever since, but remains in parts unfinished.
The latest proposals, which the Dean of Westminster the Very Reverend John Hall says are dramatic, are the most significant changes to the national monument in some 250 years.
The corona would replace the small plain pyramid roof on top of the "lantern" which was rebuilt in 1958 to repair war damage.
"No one ever got round to doing anything over the lantern. They asked the question; they drew up designs: there was going to be a tower and a spire at one point -- that was Christopher Wren," Hall told BBC Radio.
"There was going to be a sort of great pepper pot -- that was Nicholas Hawksmoor, and George Gilbert Scott in the 19th century had other ideas as well," said Hall who has been in touch with Queen and Buckingham Place over the plans.
"The abbey was never complete -- there is nothing above there apart from a stumpy little tower, which doesn`t do any honor to this extraordinary place," he said.
Hall said he wanted the new architectural feature to reflect the coronation underneath "that would lift the eye and lift the spirits and floodlight down into the space" where kings and queens are crowned.
It is hoped the structure will be ready in time to mark the diamond jubilee of the Queen`s coronation in 2013.
Building proposals also include provision for a lift on the south face of the Abbey outside Poets Corner to give visitors access to the upper gallery for the first time.
The gallery, known as the Triforium, will house a new museum and display many of its unseen treasures and artefacts.
English poet John Betjeman once described the view from there as the best in Europe. T
The British public are being invited to comment on the plans, which are estimated to cost 23 million pounds.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
Original article

"One, two, three...": Queen orders count of swans

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Quiet please -- Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the queen`s official Swan Marker from July 20-24.
"With the assistance of the Queen`s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease," Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.
The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.
It may seem eccentric, but it is very important to the queen.
According to custom, Britain`s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.
In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were sought-after for banquets and feasts.
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle.
It is also an important year because the Queen has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census.
She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.
"Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience," Buckingham Palace said.
(Reporting by Luke Baker)
Original article

Pastor defends video of exorcism of gay man

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A U.S. pastor defended a video posted on YouTube of an exorcism of a gay man, saying the Manifested Glory Ministries church does not hate gay people, it just does not believe in their lifestyle.
The video, which has sparked outrage among gay rights advocates, shows a young man writhing around on the floor at the Stamford, Connecticut, church.
The video, which was taken six or seven months ago, has been removed from the website. It is not clear who posted it.
Pastor Patricia McKinney said the man told the church "he did not want to live this way."
"Every Sunday we call people up to the altar who want to be delivered from any spirit that causes them to not be able to function," she told the CNN television network. "We were just beginning to worship the Lord and all of a sudden he hit the floor."
She described the unnamed man as very religious and spiritual.
"Manifested Glory Ministries is not against homosexuality. We do not hate them. We do not come up against them. We do just not believe in their lifestyle," McKinney explained.
One expert said he understood the man`s situation because he went through the same experience.
"(The Manifested Glory Ministries) were acting out of ignorance by equating homosexuality to demon possession," Rev. Roland Stringfellow, of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry of Berkeley, California, told Reuters in an interview.
Stringfellow said he was exorcised twice at a different church when he asked for help to deal with his own homosexuality.
"This young man who obviously went for help ended up being damaged I believe," he said. "I am concerned about the emotional and spiritual scars he has. I felt what they were doing was casting not a demon out, but casting shame."
The uproar over the video coincides with gay pride week, marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City`s Greenwich Village that triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement. The annual march through Manhattan is set for Sunday.
A push for gay marriage to be legalized has gathered momentum around the United States and is already allowed Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Gay couples will be allowed to marry in Vermont starting in September and New Hampshire in January.
Some states provide for same-sex unions that grant many of the same rights as marriage. Forty-two U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, including 29 with constitutional amendments, according to Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Patricia Reaney)
Original article

Sri Lanka arrests astrologer over political prediction

By Ranga Sirilal
COLOMBO (Reuters) - A popular Sri Lankan astrologer was unable to foresee his own arrest after his family said on Friday he had been taken into custody by police for making an unfavorable political prediction against the president.
The police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested astrologer Chandrasiri Bandara after he predicted political changes unfavorable to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a meeting of the main opposition United National Party.
"He is being questioned over a political statement he made," police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara said, without elaborating.
Given that many Sri Lankans give credence to astrological predictions, astrologers can play a role in influencing decisions at the voting booth and have done so in the past.
Sri Lankans from all walks of life follow astrology very closely, and politicians frequently consult personal astrologers to help them decide the most auspicious day, hour and minute to do anything from facing elections to assuming office.
Bandara writes a popular astrology column, hosts TV and radio shows discussing horoscopes and gives private readings for a fee.
"He has been questioned for the last three days and he was taken into custody by the CID," a family member told Reuters, asking not to be named out of fear of reprisal.
Rajapaksa`s opponents say his administration has been intolerant of criticism, and has not stopped assaults and murders of journalists critical of his government. Rajapaksa has vowed to catch those responsible.
This week, a coalition of media and rights groups urged him to reconsider a decision to reinstate the long-unused Press Council, which has the power to jail and fine journalists.
"A media culture cannot be based on slapping charges against journalists, fining them or sending them to jail," the group said in a statement.
The government said the move was made on a parliamentary committee recommendation that it should be reinstated since the council`s staff and office rent was still being paid despite the fact it was doing no work.
"It was a directive by a parliamentary committee which some opposition members are also on," said A. Dissanayake, secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information.
Sri Lanka has a decades-long history of violence against journalists, with killings, abductions and assaults being carried out and the perpetrators rarely being captured.
Dozens of journalists have fled Sri Lanka after receiving threats by unidentified groups since the end of the 25-year war against the Tamil Tiger separatists last month.
Security officials have warned they will arrest and prosecute for treason journalists they say have been on the Tigers` payroll in the last few years of the war.
(Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Original article

U.S. pastor defends video of exorcism of gay man

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A U.S. pastor defended a video posted on YouTube of an exorcism of a gay man, saying the Manifested Glory Ministries church does not hate gay people, it just does not believe in their lifestyle.
The video, which has sparked outrage among gay rights advocates, shows a young man writhing around on the floor at the Stamford, Connecticut church.
The video, which was taken six or seven months ago, has been removed from the website. It is not clear who posted it.
Pastor Patricia McKinney said the man told the church "he did not want to live this way."
"Every Sunday we call people up to the altar who want to be delivered from any spirit that causes them to not be able to function," she told the CNN television network. "We were just beginning to worship the Lord and all of a sudden he hit the floor."
She described the unnamed man as very religious and spiritual.
"Manifested Glory Ministries is not against homosexuality. We do not hate them. We do not come up against them. We do just not believe in their lifestyle," McKinney explained.
A spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said he understood the man`s situation because he went through the same experience.
"(The Manifested Glory Ministries) were acting out of ignorance by equating homosexuality to demon possession," Rev. Roland Stringfellow, of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Berkeley, California, told Reuters in an interview.
Stringfellow said he was exorcised twice at a different church when he asked for help to deal with his own homosexuality.
"This young man who obviously went for help ended up being damaged I believe," he said. "I am concerned about the emotional and spiritual scars he has. I felt what they were doing was casting not a demon out, but casting shame."
The uproar over the video coincides with gay pride week, marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City`s Greenwich Village that triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement. The annual march through Manhattan is set for Sunday.
A push for gay marriage to be legalized has gathered momentum around the United States and is already allowed Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Gay couples will be allowed to marry in Vermont starting in September and New Hampshire in January.
Some states provide for same-sex unions that grant many of the same rights as marriage. Forty-two U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, including 29 with constitutional amendments, according to Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Patricia Reaney)
Original article

Slum walls raise suspicion in Rio

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - When residents of Rio de Janeiro`s mammoth Rocinha slum heard of government plans to build a wall around parts of their community, opposition to the idea quickly mounted.
The wall would be an "ecobarrier" aimed at curbing the unchecked and damaging expansion of the "favela" slums into Rio`s lush tropical forest, state officials told them.
But in the Brazilian city tainted by inequality and violence and sharply divided between hillside slum dwellers and middle-class residents, many in Rocinha saw something more sinister in the plan for a 9.8-foot-high (3-meter-high) barrier.
"The wall represents a ghetto, an apartheid, the end of the communication between people, so we started to fight against the wall," said Antonio Ferreira de Mello, the head of a Rocinha residents` association. "There are other ways to prevent the growth of favelas into the forest."
Fierce opposition in Rocinha forced officials to scale back the planned wall there, but plans are in place to build more than 8.7 miles of walls around Rocinha and the other 12 slums identified as endangering nearby forests.
Construction began in March on one section and so far a few hundred yards (meters) has been completed.
Critics have drawn parallels with the Berlin and Israel-Palestine walls, saying it is the latest step in a security policy that criminalizes the slum dwellers who make up about a fifth of Rio`s population of 6 million.
Brazil`s Secretary of Human Rights Paulo Vannuchi said that "the idea of a wall is never a good idea."
Some argue environmental concerns are masking the government`s security agenda and lack of a coherent policy to contain the rapid expansion of Rio`s favelas in recent years.
The population of Rio`s slums grew by nearly a quarter from 1991 to a little over 1 million in 2000, the latest data available from the IBGE national statistics office showed.
"The fundamental issues of these communities will never be resolved through walls. To the contrary, the issues will only be resolved through the slum`s integration into the city," said Jorge Luiz Barbosa, a professor at Fluminense Federal University who also heads a favela support group.
HIDDEN AGENDA?
Many of Rio`s hundreds of slums are controlled by heavily armed drug gangs that have further alienated them from the rest of the beach-side city. Despite regular, violent raids on slums, police have largely failed to bring them under control. The city`s forest is sometimes used by gangs as a refuge and as a training ground, adding to suspicions that security is the main reason for the walls.
Recommendations by some officials in 2004 to build walls for security purposes triggered a public outcry.
The choice of location for the walls has also raised some eyebrows. Of the 13 communities, 12 are in the wealthy southern district, home to the city`s glitziest homes, restaurants and its famous beaches. Walls are only planned for one community in the city`s western zone, even though analysts say those slums are expanding at an even faster pace.  Continued...
Original article

Plot thickens for versatile Serena

By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - Serena Williams spent less than an hour blasting her way into the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday. That left plenty of time to work on her TV script.
Serena has been a fashion designer, actress and now it seems a writer as well. It is a miracle the American has managed to cram 10 grand slam titles into her busy schedule.
Sister Venus gave Serena a "How To" book on script-writing. It has clearly paid dividends.
After breezing past Australian Jarmila Groth on Court One, Serena, twice a Wimbledon women`s singles winner, revealed:
"I`m writing my script. You`ll be excited to know I wrote three parts already. I call it my treatment."
"I just love to write. Hopefully, it will be good," she said, eager to follow up script-writing after making a cameo acting appearance in the TV medical drama ER.
So what is the script all about?
"It`s a mixture between some of my favorite shows like Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City and actually Family Guy. It`s kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine."
Serena has also been writing her autobiography with the help of a ghostwriter.
"It has been an interesting process. Again, I love writing and it was just the right time. It was something I was actually working on for at least three years. It just all came together within the last year."
So what about the tennis?
Second seed Serena hardly needed to get into second gear to dispose of her overwhelmed Australian opponent 6-2 6-1.
But, ever the perfectionist, she said:
"For me there`s always room for improvement. I still think I could have returned better, came to the net a little bit more. That`s exciting to think I can do better."
Serena was full of sympathy for former champion Maria Sharapova, knocked out of Wimbledon earlier on Wednesday.  Continued...
Original article

Monkey business hard to sustain in slump, Goodall says

By Candida Ng
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Chimpanzees, long under threat from humans encroaching on their habitat, are now facing another risk caused by that same member of the Great Ape family: the global economic crisis, says primatologist Jane Goodall.
Funding to the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to conserve primate habitats and increase awareness of animal welfare activities, has declined by about 10 percent since the financial crisis hit.
"Money that came in last year was less than we had expected," Goodall told Reuters in Singapore while visiting for events related to World Environment Day. "The private donors and some of the foundations pulled back."
The institute, which has an annual budget of $10-11 million which funds its activities in Africa, has had to dig into its endowment fund to keep some of its programs running. Some projects were cut and staff laid off.
Goodall, who rose to fame in the 1960s through her ground-breaking study of chimpanzees in East Africa, said the root cause of most problems was overpopulation and the materialism of most human societies.
"Underlying everything is the sheer number of people on the planet," said 75-year-old Goodall. "We take far, far, far, far more than our fair share of these precious natural resources."
"We have to help people understand that enough is enough. We have so much more than we need, we have a throwaway society."
Such strident demands on the environment have seen previously forested areas being taken over by humans for housing, agriculture and business, leading to a dwindling population of chimpanzees and other animals in the wild.
Goodall estimates there are currently there are about 300,000 chimpanzees spread across 21 nations in Africa, down from the 1-2 million in 1960.
The animal rights activist, who fulfilled her childhood dream to live in the wild and write books, spends 300 days a year on the road using her personal story and fame to inspire youth to become more environmentally responsible.
"Root & Shoots," a youth organization she started with 12 high-school students in Tanzania in 1991, now involves people from pre-schoolers to university students and prisoners across 111 countries. It aims to raise awareness about the planet.
"People understand a lot more, but it doesn't mean they always change their behavior though," Goodall said. "The last hurdle is to get people not only to understand, but take action. The bigger problem is that again, again and again that people honestly cannot believe that what they do makes a difference."
(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: Reuters

UAE issues guidelines to improve workers' housing

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, criticized by rights groups for its treatment of migrant laborers, Monday outlined standards for workers' housing, but employers still have five years to comply with the rules.
It was also not clear what consequences employers would face if they failed to abide by the guidelines.
The majority of the Gulf Arab country's 4.5 million population are foreigners, many of them Asian construction workers hired to develop the UAE's modern cities.
"Each facility operating in the country should upgrade its current workers' accommodation conditions to comply with these standards. Employers are given a maximum period of five years, commencing on the day the decision comes into force," the cabinet said in a statement.
The new manual for employers says rooms should have three square meters per worker and no more than 10 should live in one room.
The manual also includes standards on sewage systems, air conditioning, building materials, indoor air quality, elevators, emergency exits, green spaces, shops, toilets, television rooms and medical facilities, it said.New York-based Human Rights Watch has criticized authorities over Saadiyat island in Abu Dhabi which is planned to be the center of a prestigious cultural district. The developer says workers' accommodation standards will be exemplary.
The UAE is trying to fend off criticism over human trafficking, including maids and other workers trapped into paying fees while their passports are confiscated. A labor ministry official said last month that as well as encouraging "model" housing, the UAE would set up labor courts and allow workers to switch jobs if employers delay wages by two months. It was not clear when this would come into effect.
The government says workers can rest for several hours in the middle of the day during summer, when temperatures and humidity in the Gulf hit dangerous levels.
In recent years workers have gone on strike over late payment of wages. Monday's statement said workers can now report delayed salaries through a Ministry of Labor website.
(Reporting by Andrew Hammond; Editing by Thomas Atkins and Jon Hemming)

Source: Reuters

Domestic abuse plagues India's upper crust

By Matthias WilliamsNEW DELHI (Reuters) - With stylish sunglasses on her head, brightly painted nails and dressed in black designer gear, the woman sitting at a trendy New Delhi cafe might not look like a battered wife.
But the woman, who asked that her name be withheld to protect her identity and that of her children, was abused for years by her husband, a lawyer.
"He strangled me, he spat on me, he slapped me," the woman, a 37-year-old mother of two who grew up in a wealthy London-based Indian family, told Reuters in an interview.
She is among millions of Indian women, from all classes, who are abused by their husbands. A recent government survey said one in three Indian women were victims of domestic violence.
Her education and status among India's elite gave little protection against her well-heeled and well-connected spouse.
After years of abuse, she took her husband to court under a landmark domestic violence act meant to protect battered wives and give stiff penalties to abusers, but so far to no avail.
"This law, which is enacted by the parliament in 2006, has not been taken seriously," her lawyer, K.K. Manan, told Reuters. "On one pretext or another, the case is being adjourned."
A total of 185,312 crimes against women were reported in India in 2007, compared to 164,765 in 2006. Rights groups say many more cases go unreported.
Domestic violence has long been in the public eye and the media regularly features cases of wife-beating over issues such as dowry, as well as torture and killings of women, especially in poorer households.
India's economic boom has brought a rise in affluent women, often with careers, who enjoy greater freedom than their parents' generation. They dress in Western clothes and visit restaurants, bars and night clubs.
These changes sometimes clash with hardline elements of what remains a largely conservative society. Even among India's upper crust, women's freedom can be superficial.MONEY AND POWER
The domestic violence act was meant for the first time to give protection and compensation for all kinds of abuse in the home, including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic.
Previously, for example, husbands could not be prosecuted for raping their wives, unless the wife was under the age of 15. The new law aims to pass sentence within 60 days of the first hearing.
But more than a year later, the woman's case is still bogged down and in early March she had to make yet another appearance at a special Delhi women's court. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Tough times prompt transgender job fair in L.A.

By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sydney Dupree came to Los Angeles because, as a young male-to-female transsexual, she found Memphis hostile. She came to the transgender job fair because jobs are hard for her to find, even in Los Angeles.
Dupree has been frustrated by discrimination and employers who turn skittish when confronted with documents identifying her as male, both typical reasons why the transgendered struggle to find and keep jobs, especially during a recession.
Until now the 23-year-old, who came to the job fair at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center dressed conservatively in tan slacks, a beige top and heels, has supported herself largely through adult films.
"I did what I had to do to survive," Dupree said with a shrug. "I had to get out of Memphis. I just left on a bus."
The fair featured 17 public and private employers willing to reach out to the transgender community, held in the center's small courtyard after a morning rain cleared.
It was organized as part of the center's annual Trans-Unity Pride celebration, billed as the nation's largest, and began with a seminar educating employers on the legal rights of transgendered employees and such tricky issues as restrooms.
"Some questions are not appropriate for the workplace," Masen Davis, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, instructed a group of managers at the seminar. "For example: 'Is your surgery complete?' or 'Do you have a penis?'"
Drian Juarez, manager of the center's Transgender Economic Empowerment Project, said young people who are transitioning to another gender can't get work because they don't quite "pass" yet and a background check by employers won't match their identity.
Some end up on the streets, working as prostitutes because they "can't even get a job at McDonald's," Juarez said, even in largely liberal Los Angeles, which considers itself on the vanguard of such issues.
Kimorah London, 20, works at Target and said she has found her bosses very accepting, possibly because "there's another tranny who works there" and she was upfront about her gender.
"I'm making money and I'm not prostituting myself like a lot of these girls," London said. "I'd rather have a guaranteed paycheck than a hope and promise of money from some man."
But Jaklyn Keen, who came to the fair with Dupree, her friend from Memphis, said she began transitioning from male to female about a year ago after leaving a job at a hair salon and hadn't been able to get work since.
She said a hair salon where she had worked previously refused to hire her back because of the gender change and that her job search had been fruitless.
"The name change has been a pretty big deal," said Keen, dressed in a black blouse and tan skirt with heels. "It's a lot of work and (managers) just don't want to deal with it."
(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: Reuters