The History and Culture of Gypsy Travellers - Landgate WI - April 25

The April meeting of Landgate W.I. started with president Jean Watson introducing this month's speaker Philip Godliman.

It was decided to open the meeting with his talk on 'The History and Culture of Gypsy Travellers'.

Member anticipated a very interesting talk and so it turned out to be. Mr Godliman retired from teaching in 1971 and having an interest in the life style of the gypsy travellers he joined the Kent Travellers Education Service which helps gypsy families ensure their children attend school as much as possible.

Most people have this some what romantic idea of gypsy life with fortune tellers and peg sellers being the stereo type. Others see them as traders and scrap dealers leaving a mess behind them wherever they stop.

The truth is that 90% of travellers are settled in houses now or at least on permanent sites.

The term gypsy covers a number of types - these included the circus and fairground people, barges on the canal boats and new age travellers.
The history of gypsies goes back to their emergence from India it's believed over 1,000 years ago. They moved across the world through Europe and North Africa.

They arrived in Britain 500 years ago and were entertainers in the Tudor court. However during the later part of the 16th century the persecution began which has carried on through the centuries and right into modern times.

Thousands were killed in the holocaust during the Second World War.
Because times have changed over the last 30 years or so the work that was done has now been lost.

Many spent the summer fruit and hop picking and making pegs and flowers in the winter time. The women would go round selling their goods door to door.

In 1968 the council Site Act came into force making it illegal to stop just anywhere so permanent sites were established and this enabled families to put caravans and mobiles homes on site.

Life may never be the same for future gypsy families but the urge to travel and the very strong sense of history will ensure the survival of the gypsy way of life.

This report is a shortened version of Mr Godliman's comprehensive talk as members were enthralled for over an hour.

June Humphries thanked him for being one of the most interesting speakers Landgate has had.

Watching A Dog Starve To Death Is Not Art!

AKC Executive Field Rep

AKC RHP Field Coordinator

Please sign and crosspost to everyone you know. Not just rescuers. Send to friends and family, too.

This is a very serious matter...

In 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery, and starved him to death.

For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died.

Does it look like art to you? (there were pictures in my original email that are so horrible to see I couldn't post them - but they are people watching a dog starve to death and the dog begging for help. It's heart breaking)

But this is not all... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

PLEASE HELP STOP HIM.

http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html


Please read to the end of this....He has been INVITED to do this again THIS year.

Note: He paid five local children to help him catch the terrified stray dog...in the impoverished area. The dog had no way to escape capture or his fate once he was in the hands of this cruel maniac.

But this is not all... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

PLEASE HELP STOP HIM.

http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html


Besides signing the petition, please also write or e-mail the gallery that will host the 2008 exhibition to ask them to prohibit him. We can also write to other galleries that carry his other works and ask them to boycott him. Here's some addresses:

(1) EXHIBITION IS TAKING PLACE AT:

info@madc.ac.cr

Centro Nacional de la Cultura
Antigua Fábrica Nacional de Licores.
Avenida 3, calle 15/17. San José, Costa Rica.
Teléfono: (506) 257 7202 / 257 9370
Fax: (506) 257 8702


(2) ANOTHER GALLERY SHOWING HIS WORK:
This is the email address to a gallery which currently holds some of
Vargas' work for display and sale. If anyone would like to ask the gallery to
drop him from their list of artists the email address is below.
Email address: info@jacobkarpio-galeria.com

ALSO: The Animal Legal Defense Fund. suggests:

At this point, we feel the most effective method of protest is to write local animal protection agencies demanding they put a stop to this exhibit. You can search for agencies here in the Latin America/Caribbean section http://worldanimalnet.org/new.asp?co=&geo=SA&prov=&cat=are .

Stop China From Skinning Cats & Dogs Alive!

China has emerged as one of the world’s most powerful economies but is still mistrusted and feared (as distinct from respected) because since emerging from behind the bamboo curtain, it’s government has done little to dispel its autocratic image and apparent disregard for human rights. Quite apart from human rights, decent people everywhere could never accept a society so depraved and bereft of common decency as to accept the skinning of live animals as acceptable behaviour.

It’s burgeoning economy has resulted from flooding the world with cheap consumer products produced by a cheap unregulated work force. A fact that is understandable, having regard to its enormous population and fantastic work ethic.

In turn, China has developed an insatiable appetite for raw product from other countries and governments keen to export to China are reluctant to criticise or offend the Chinese government.

Given this background, will your government impose economic sanctions against China or openly criticise the Chinese government or demand that it puts a stop to the Chinese cat and dog fur trade? Most unlikely. However, there will surely be individuals within governments, so incensed and horrified by the trade that they will support Our Cause.

The Chinese government is well aware of the economic power play behind the scenes. It also knows it has a long way to go earn acceptance from the free world.
And make no mistake, China absolutely craves acceptance as a world leader that is trusted and respected and there are emerging signs that it is prepared to adopt more acceptable and responsible policies to earn that acceptance.

It knows that if it behaves or permits behaviour that is abhorrent to people of the democratic world, it will not earn the trust or respect it craves. Its our duty to show China that it can take a single , but highly significant step towards overcoming the prejudice of the millions of free-thinking decent people, if it recognises animal rights and, in particular, abolishes the abhorrent trade in cat and dog fur.

Cat and dog pelts sell for about US$1 each and every year, 2,000,000 cats and dogs suffer a horrific death, skinned alive for the pelts.

For what?

1. An insignificant contribution towards the Chinese economy - a few million US$; and

2. A clear message to the world that so long as the Chinese government permits the trade, China is not fit to take its place as a leading nation and certainly not one that is entitled to any trust or respect.

The “adverse fallout” and abhorrence for the Chinese government resulting from the trade will far exceeds the paltry contribution it makes towards China’s economy. It is in China’s interest, to abolish the trade.

It’s our duty to tell the world about the trade and kick up such a stink that our message reverberates around the world.

Remember Tianamen Square. Let’s make this another Tianamen Square – this time, for the animals.

Please sign the Online Petition. It’s the First Step in Our Fight!”

http://animalsaviors.org/petition.html

Gas leasing review could undercut protection for the Wyoming Range

With 126,000 new oil and gas wells projected to be built across our western public lands over the next 20 years, it's up to us to ensure that areas rich in wilderness and wildlife are protected.

The Wilderness Society has been working locally and with WildAlert members like you to curtail drilling plans in areas with special wildlife and wilderness values. The Wyoming Range is just such a place - click here to help protect it!

A rugged chain of mountains in the western part of the state, the Wyoming Range is prime habitat for moose, deer and elk. It's a beloved spot for blue-ribbon fishing and other recreation. This place is so special that Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso has introduced legislation to protect it from leasing.

But the Forest Service is considering whether to lease these public lands to oil and gas drilling before Congress can act to protect them. Please take action today and ask the agency to withdraw the proposed leases in the Wyoming Range.

Thank you!
Kathy Kilmer
The Wilderness Society

Poaching Plague Hits U.S. Bears

Many bears are killed just for their gallbladders, which are used in traditional Asian medicines to treat a variety of illnesses. Although accepted alternatives exist in traditional medicines, demand for bear parts is soaring.

As Asian bear populations have fallen, poachers are turning to bears in the U.S. to satisfy a flourishing black market. Each year, 30,000 or more bears are killed illegally in the U.S.

I just asked my Representative to sign on as a cosponsor to the Bear Protection Act (H.R. 5534) -- bipartisan legislation that would help end this poaching plague. You can, too. Just visit the web site below:

http://action.defenders.org/endbearpoaching

Poachers target hibernating bears in their dens and even track radio-collared bears that are part of scientific studies. And law enforcement agents report grisly findings: bear carcasses left in the woods with only the gallbladder and other parts removed.

Visit http://action.defenders.org/endbearpoaching and help save our bears!

Thanks!

Jobs lost at pioneering gypsy project

Eleven jobs have been lost at a flagship education service for Pembrokeshire gypsies and travellers, as a result of European funding delays.

Additional funding for the Priory Learning Centre at Monkton Priory Community Primary School came to an end in October. It was hoped a new fund would begin immediately to allow the project to continue as normal, but there is still no sign of the money.

The additional funding allowed the centre to expand its service and provide learning support workers for 14 schools in the area, helping to meet specific educational needs of more than 200 gypsy children.

However, as the project has been left waiting for the money to fund the scheme, 11 outreach staff for the Priory Project - mostly LSA workers - have been made redundant.

Ten of the redundancies have now been taken as regular LSA workers independently under schools' budgets.

Monkton Priory headteacher William Rees said: "The gypsy learning centre is used as an example for similar projects all over Wales. It supports gypsy children at primary level and as they move on to secondary education.

"The Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills and, in particular, the additional needs and inclusion division have been hugely supportive of our project, but we are currently operating on half our normal funding and there is a desperate need to implement European funding as soon as possible."

The project receives its core funding from the Welsh Assembly, but received match funding two-and-a-half years ago under Equals - a budget for specified ethnic minority education, administered by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO).

When the funding ended last October, it was hoped there would be a smooth transition to the new Convergence fund, but the project has not yet received the additional funds.

Shadow finance minister and south Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns says she has raised the subject eight or nine times at the Assembly.

"Several organisations, including The Priory Project and The Sunderland Trust are suffering as a result of this gap in funding," she told the Western Telegraph.

"I've now been reassured that the various projects will be notified about what money will be available to the and when by the end of May or early June."

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly said: "WEFO awaits further information from Pembrokeshire County Council before continuing its assessment of the project proposal for gypsy and traveller pupils."

4:17pm Saturday 19th April 2008

Horse fair could be Euro highlight

Published on 18/04/2008

APPLEBY Horse Fair has the potential to become one of the best cultural events in Europe, according to a new report.

The study, conducted by a team from Salford University, looks at how tensions between residents and the gypsy/traveller community can be addressed to make the annual event a major tourist attraction.

Commissioned by the district and county councils, the report recognises that opinion is currently divided about the value of the fair.

It states that there are those who welcome the event and see it as a boost for the local economy, yet there are others who have concerns about issues such as unauthorised use of land, the early arrival of gypsies and travellers and the rubbish that they leave behind.

The document looks at how many of these issues can be resolved just by improving communication between gypsies/travellers and the people of Appleby and surrounding area.

Ultimately it recommends more funding for the event, which would result in improved refuse collections, toilet provision, road safety and policing.

However, it also recognises growing concerns that the event is moving away from being a traditional horse fair to becoming a market or car boot sale. The report is one of two commissioned by local authorities in Cumbria to address the needs of the gypsy and traveller community in the county, both during the horse fair and on a permanent basis.

Both documents were unveiled at a meeting in Penrith earlier this week, attended by representatives from a wide range of parties, including the gypsy and traveller fraternity, involved in the studies.

The second report highlights the negative attitudes towards these people and the lack of available sites for them to set up home. It calls for better communication in a bid to change attitudes and the provision of new plots in each area of the county.

The findings estimate that there are at least 771 gypsies and travellers living in Cumbria, yet there are no local authority-run sites. The only authorised plots are at private sites in Carlisle in Penrith.

The knock-on effect is that they are ultimately moved on, which in turn causes problems accessing basic services such as healthcare and education. On top of this, more than a third of gypsies and travellers in Cumbria say they have suffered harassment or intimidation.

Billy Welch, one of those representing the gypsy, traveller and fairground community at the launch in Penrith, said he was extremely encouraged by the report and hoped it would finally lead to action.

Travellers on different roads

Jackie Cosh
Published: 18 April 2008

Roving workshops are showing schoolchildren there are more similarities than differences between them and Gypsy Travellers.

Gathered in a circle around an open box, one by one the children pull out an object: a horse, a caravan, a power tool. Then the class discussion begins. What relevance could these objects have?

The object box is one of the tools used by a group of Gypsy Traveller children who, with the help of Save the Children, are running workshops in Scottish schools in order to raise awareness of their culture and, ultimately, reduce discrimination and bullying.

The idea came about following a peer research project conducted by Save the Children. Of the young Gypsy Travellers who took part, 91 per cent reported they had experienced discrimination. It was clear that they wanted to try and change this, to educate other children and to challenge these prejudices.

And so began a programme which started with a series of displays in museums and has seen the children visit the European Parliament, where they met MEPs and demonstrated their work.

A two-year project entitled “Who We Are” proved popular and resulted in a follow-up, “Don’t Judge Us”, which is being funded by the Scottish Government’s Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund.

Karen Carrick, Save the Children’s Travellers’ development officer, co-ordinates the scheme. “We wanted to use the material from our research to work against this discrimination,” she says. “The aim of the workshops is to illustrate there are more similarities than differences, and to counter stereotypes.”

The children at Dysart Primary in Kirkcaldy, Fife, are younger than those the group normally addresses, but this is not a problem. “What we do is flexible,” Miss Carrick says. “The sessions can be adapted to suit the age group.”

As well as the object box, photographs are used to open up discussions. The children talk about what they think the pictures mean. Then they learn what the relevance is to Gypsy Traveller life.

Other resources which have been developed for the workshops include DVDs showing “A day in the life of…”, a poster, leaflets, a booklet, games and quizzes.

The 45-minute sessions often begin by showing a short film clip about everyday life as a Gypsy Traveller. This opens up discussions on the similarities and differences. “We watch TV too,” says one child. “You live in a caravan instead of a house,” says another. The idea that they may not be very different is sown in the children’s minds.

The group then moves on to the fun part, with arts and crafts being used. This may involve making bow tents with pipe cleaners and pieces of cloth. Younger children may make paper flowers, a traditional Gypsy Traveller task.

“I make paper flowers and go round the doors selling them,” says Shantelle, “and my granny still makes wooden flowers.”

The informality encourages the schoolchildren to relate to the young Gypsy Travellers leading the sessions and ask whatever they like. The group is past being surprised at the questions they are asked.

Ultimately, the project’s success is measured by how much attitudes change.
Before the workshop, the schoolchildren are asked to fill in knowledge cards and give three words they associate with Gypsy Travellers. These are often far from complimentary, such as “thieves”, “dirty” and “earrings”. Afterwards, they fill in knowledge cards again. The words are usually more positive: “normal” and “like us”.

“By the end of the sessions, 95 per cent of children have changed how they think of Gypsy Travellers,” says Miss Carrick.

Karen Carrick, Save the Children, T 0131 527 8200

Earth Day Action: Jaguars, Polar Bears Threatened by Inaction

Tuesday is Earth Day, and while millions of Americans will do what they can to enjoy and protect America’s natural treasures, there’s one man who should be doing a lot more: President Bush’s Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.

Take Action for Earth Day! Urge Congress to hold hearings on Secretary Kempthorne’s abysmal track record on protecting America’s wildlife.

As Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne is supposed to be looking out for America’s natural treasures. He’s supposed to be concerned about the future we’ll leave for our children.But since being appointed almost two years ago, Secretary Kempthorne hasn’t listed a single new species under the Endangered Species Act -- even though federal biologists warn that at least 280 native species could disappear forever without such protections.

Urge Congress to hold Secretary Kempthorne accountable for his failure to act for wildlife by holding Congressional hearings...

Jaguars: Despite the presence of jaguars in the United States and the existence of large swaths of prime jaguar habitat, Kempthorne’s department has refused to create a recovery plan for these endangered cats, claiming that this big cat is a “foreign” species. But under this flawed argument, the U.S. would have had no obligation to protect bald eagles, wolves, grizzlies or other native species -- so long as they existed somewhere outside the lower 48 states!

Polar Bears: Secretary Kempthorne has repeatedly delayed listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act and in February approved harmful offshore drilling in the Chukchi Sea -- essential habitat for one of the two remaining U.S. polar bear populations. Last fall, federal scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey reported that polar bears could be extinct in Alaska by 2050. Other Species: Under Kempthorne, the Interior Department has even denied vital protections for wolverines, red knots and right whales -- all species in serious decline and dangerously close to extinction.

Urge your Representative to hold Kempthorne accountable in Congressional hearings for not doing more to protect polar bears, jaguars and other wildlife...

It’s the Secretary of Interior’s job to protect our wildlife and wild places. And it’s Congress’ job to hold the Secretary accountable when he fails to do his job.

This Earth Day, please take a moment out of your day to speak out for responsible management of our precious wildlife.

Sincerely,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. To celebrate Earth Day, Defenders’ DC staff will be volunteering at Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. To help wildlife in your community this Earth Day, please take our Earth Day Pledge and check out our events page to find special Earth Day celebrations with our outreach representatives in Colorado, California and New Mexico.

Roma MEP on her people’s plight in EU

Written by Robert Hodgson

Wednesday, 16 April 2008

The right fight

International Roma Day last Tuesday saw celebrations of Roma culture around the world. At the same time, many NGOs, politicians and representatives of Roma communities across Europe discussed what is being done to address the seemingly intractable problems of social exclusion and racism. The Budapest Times spoke to Lívia Járóka, who in 2004 became only the second Roma to be elected to the European Parliament.


The situation

The plight of the Roma people in Central Europe deteriorated rapidly after the change of system in 1989-90, when 50% of Hungarian Roma lost their jobs. Estimates of the number of Roma in the European Union vary from nine to fifteen million, but it is generally accepted that there are at least ten million. It is difficult to get a precise figure as people often do not declare their ethnicity. In Hungary the 2001 census suggested 190,000; the real figure is believed to be over half a million, or at least 5% of the population.

Many of Hungary’s Roma live in ghettos on the edge of towns and villages, and the level of segregation has – in some places – reached that of a sort of apartheid. Many communities lack even basic utilities such as sewerage and electricity. Unemployment among the Roma is estimated to be around 80%. Life expectancy for Roma is ten years lower than the Hungarian average.

Fight from within

Lívia Járóka, 33, grew up in Sopron near the Austrian border. After studying sociology on a Soros Foundation scholarship, she turned to politics and has made it her mission to push for reintegration of Roma into mainstream society. She became Hungary’s first Roma MEP in 2004 on a centre-right Fidesz party ticket.

Járóka said she found most European politicians to be ignorant of the issues affecting the EU’s Roma citizens when she arrived Brussels. Since the accession of 12 new member states in 2004 and 2007, the minority has increased such that it is now larger than the population of each of the EU’s 14 smallest countries – too large to be ignored.

“I knew I had to bring the Roma issue to the European agenda. I wanted to demystify what it means to be Roma,” said Járóka. She was aware of a paternalistic attitude to Roma during the pre-2004 accession talks. “Many people had a very prejudiced idea about how they live and what they want,” she said, adding that there had been very little real research into the situation. “Politicians were not ready to see this issue as a complex question. They try to change living conditions, or education, or healthcare, but they never see that it is a complex combination of all these, especially in totally segregated areas.”

(MORE)

Official site for gypsies would have 'benefits'

By Melanie Vass

BOURNEMOUTH residents have been urged to "consider the benefits" of the official traveller and gypsy site proposed for land at Longham.

The recent arrival of a group of travellers at Turbary Park could have been prevented if Bournemouth had an authorised camp to direct them to, council officers claim.

The council is currently going through the legal process to evict the group of travellers, who are sited in a sensitive conservation area.

But Sue Bickler, the council's head of strategic services, said: "This current situation just highlights the need for an authorised traveller and gypsy site in the town.

"By having a dedicated site with decent facilities, this situation could have been avoided altogether as the travellers would be able to go directly to the site, preventing them from pitching up on other, less suitable or equipped areas of the borough.

"Were travellers to disregard this transit site and stay in an unauthorised area, the police powers to move them on will be greatly enhanced from the current situation.

"In addition, taxpayers' money would also be saved on eviction and clear-up costs that have sometimes occurred in the past, following illegal encampments."

But it is not just residents the council needs to convince - the National Romani Rights Association claim the proposed site is completely unsuitable for human habitation.

Basil Burton, chairman of the association and former Gypsy Liaison Officer for Dorset County Council, has written to Secretary of State Hazel Blears and Claire Cooper, the head of the Gypsy and Traveller Unit, urging them to intervene.

Consultation over the proposed site adjacent to Ringwood Road near the bridge over the River Stour is due to start in June.

The council then intends to make a final bid to the Government for funding in July.

7:00pm Friday 11th April 2008

Gypsy shock for towns

12:01 - 10 April 2008

PROPOSED gipsy and traveller sites in Comet country may be moved closer to towns away from villages.

Cabinet members at North Herts District Council (NHDC) decided on Tuesday night to explore the possibility of abandoning sites currently earmarked for rural areas and move them close to towns like Hitchin, Letchworth GC and Baldock.

Mid Beds District Council (MBDC) also said it would consider sites near towns but Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) say it is not considering any new sites.

Councillor F John Smith, leader of NHDC, said: "We are looking at possible alternatives to our present rack of sites, and planning officers will report back to cabinet in June.

"Then we could rule out rural sites but we need to complete the consultation programme into the sites which have already been recommended by Government.

"Once that has been completed we can then consider other options.

"Depending what planning officers report back to us, it is possible some sites could go on the outskirts of towns because these settlements provide amenities such as schools.

"We will make no recommendations until our June meeting other than saying we are looking at alternatives on the fringes of urban areas."

A spokesman for MBDC said: "We are still consulting local people about possible sites but some of these are on the edge of our small towns. If further edge-of-town sites are put forward, we would consider these as possible options."

SBC said in a statement: "We don't yet have any plans for new pitches in the borough. When new pitches are provided we anticipate providing them at the existing Dyes Lane site, although there is limited potential there."

Chairman of Pirton Parish Council David Saunders said: "Perhaps we will soon be getting back to living a normal life in the village.

"Ninety-nine per cent of people here are against this plan for the village."

Councillor Sheila James, of St Paul's Walden Parish Council, said: "We would be delighted if we were taken off the list of sites being considered."

The current sites in Comet country are on land close to Stevenage Rugby Club; Preston Hills, Whitwell; Lilley Bottom Road, St Paul's Walden; Holwell Road, Pirton; West Drive, Arlesey; Arlesey Road, Stotfold; Kennel Farm Holdings, Biggleswade and St Albans Road, Codicote.

Both NHDC and SBC were among six councils in Hertfordshire including the county council who commissioned a report by consultants Scott Wilson into potential gipsy and traveller sites in their individual area.

It followed a recommendation from the East of England Regional Assembly that 1,180 new gipsy and traveller pitches must be found in the region with 99 in Bedfordshire and 115 in Hertfordshire by 2011.

Byelorussian gypsies lit candles to commemorate their relatives perished during World War II

Minsk, April 9, Interfax – Byelorussian gypsies commemorated their relatives perished in the years of World War II on Tuesday, the day of Romany nation, head of CIS and Baltic gypsy communities and head of the gypsy diaspora Oleg Kozlovsky told Interfax.

They lit candles and let wreaths flow in the river in their memory.

According to Koslovsky, the question of World War II genocide is still very important for Byelorussian gypsies and all gypsies of the CIS countries. “Byelorussian gypsies murdered by the fascists should be recognized the same victims as Jews or representatives of other nationalities,” the interviewee of the agency stressed.

He explained that if gypsies killed during World War II had been recognized as genocide victims, then the question of moral and material compensation to the victims and their families would have been considered from “a different angle.”

“We are collecting historical documents about gypsies suffered from Nazism, but the process of finding the documents is very complicated, as no gypsy had a passport then. Historians say that only 1% of the total pre-war gypsy population survived the war in Byelorussia,” Koslovsky noted.

According to him, about 60, 000 gypsies live in Byelorussia today, the majority of them inhabits the Gomel region. All Byelorussian gypsies are settled, they ceased migrating about 50 years ago and live mainly in the cities, and 90% of them are Orthodox.

Celebrate Earth Day, April 22

At NRDC, Earth Day isn't just another Tuesday in April. Seeing the outpouring of support for the environment, from all parts of the country, inspires us to keep working to make our planet a better place to live. How do you plan to mark this special day? Our special package of Earth Day resources can help you find ways to celebrate, large and small.

See our Earth Day toolkit

The NRDC FAQ
Find the answers to NRDC's most frequently asked environmental questions.

Recycling 101
Our revamped recycling guide covers the basics and tells you how to take your recycling game to the next level.

For Kids: The Green Squad
How kids can make their schools greener and healthier.

Troubled gypsy site rescued by generous goverment payout

TRAVELLERS are delighted they have finally received a grant to improve facilities on two sites after being "neglected" for years.

Bromley council were succesful in their bid for government money, receiving £468,451 for Star Lane caravan site in St Mary Cray and £369,869 for Old Maidstone Road, Sidcup.

The Star Lane site had no electricity for three years following of an arson attack. Power was finally restored in October last year.

Work is expected to begin in June and will include the repair and extension of the two sites with refurbishment of amenity facilities, repairs to broken fences, site clearance

and traffic calming.

Artist and traveller, Lucy Smith, 44, of Star Lane, said: "We're obviously absolutely delighted and thrilled that we have finally got some money and that the funds have been awarded our way.

"It was terrible when we were without electricity for so long. It was really depressing, we've definitely been overlooked and I'm glad the site is being rescued."

Mother-of-four, Mrs Smith, believes work has been slow because contractors are afraid to enter traveller sites.

She said: "They seem frightened to come in, but it's just their imagination running away with them, thinking that they might have things stolen and so on. People don't understand travellers, it's a taboo. They tar everyone with the same brush thinking we're lary and want something for nothing.

"This is a lovely situated site and there is huge potential here. There are very few problems. It's quite safe and I let my children play around here. We have been neglected but we're excited for the future and getting the site back to how it should be."

Mrs Smith dismissed claims that gypsy travellers contribute nothing to the local economy.

She said: "Many travellers own their own property and pay ground rates. We send our children to schools and work as well."

A condition of the grant, which comes from the Department for Communities and Local Government, is that Bromley council provide 25 per cent of the money which amounts to £150,000.

Project worker at the Bromley Gypsy Traveller Project, James Bellsham-Revell, is also delighted with the payout.

He said: "It's great that at last they've been given some money, it's wonderful but it's taken a long time. It's vital that there is investment in infrastructure on traveller sites and that plans are progressive. The sites have not been a priority for the government.

"There is a deep-seated prejudice against gypsies but many people are completely ignorant. There is no way people would say the same things they do about black people or Asian people as they do about gypsies.

"But travellers and gypsies are recognised as a distinct group in the Race Relations Act 1976 and it's about time the general public did also.

Roma reaching Roma Gypsies key for 10-million plus worldwide

BUZAU, Romania (BP)—Forfeiting a starting position on a professional soccer team didn’t make sense to the parents of Mihail Stoica, a talented young Roma Gypsy believer from the mountains near Buzau, Romania.

For the Roma—an ostracized, poverty-stricken people group dispersed throughout the world—Stoica’s chance to rise above his status was a rare opportunity too good to pass up. Yet, the influence of the professional sports lifestyle came at too great a cost to stay in the game.

In a squatter village near Medgidia, Romania, a group of Roma children play near the railroad tracks. A Roma Bible study meets each week in this village.
“I was playing soccer, my personal idol,” Stoica said. “I didn’t think it was a sin to play soccer, but then I realized the price that came with that. So I left playing soccer and just followed Jesus Christ.”

In the summer of 2006, Stoica obeyed God by joining eight other young believers from across Romania to travel to a foreign city to tell others about Jesus Christ. These growing disciples are the result of the International Mission Board’s most developed work with the Roma.

The result of Roma reaching Roma is a key hope for other Gypsy work that spans throughout Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East and, more recently, into South America.

The Roma people made their way to Europe in the 14th century after being evicted from their native India. As early as the 1500s, many were removed from parts of Europe and relocated to South America.

Others traveled into parts of Northern Africa and the Middle East by force or by choice.

Through these staggered diasporas, the Roma have put down roots among people who despise them not only for their dark skin, but also for their poverty, illiteracy and poor living conditions.

Wherever their travels take them, Gypsies tend to adopt the local language and beliefs while still maintaining their own. The Romani language, strong family relationships and lifestyle characteristics unite the 10 million-plus Roma worldwide.

Best known for their wagons, fortune telling, colorful clothing and parties, the Roma are a proud, passionate people who fight against the loss of their culture and family circles.

IMB workers and national partners reach out through literacy education, teaching job skills and using Bible storying to evangelize and disciple new Roma believers.

Today, although this scattered people group may vary in dialect or location, IMB workers are able to minister along family and cultural lines to bring the Roma to Christ and train them to reach their own people—to have their own leaders and missionaries.

“When the Roma begin to do their own evangelism, they begin to cross barriers so quickly,” said Jim Whitley, an IMB worker who recently transferred from Romania to work in South America among the Roma. “A real indigenous church-planting movement. ... [T]hat’s the ultimate goal.”

Films 'to shatter myths' surrounding Gypsy and Traveller communities

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing , Communities , Local Government on Monday 7th April 2008 - 9:26am

A unique set of films exploring views, myths and misconceptions about Gypsy and Traveller communities has been developed by four Regional Assemblies.

The films 'Somewhere to Live' were specially commissioned to support consultation on new Gypsy and Traveller caravan sites in the Regional Assembly areas covering East of England, South East, North West and West Midlands.

Each of the four Assemblies are updating their long term planning framework (Regional Spatial Strategy) to address Gypsy and Traveller needs, responding to concerns, that a shortage of permanent sites is increasing illegal camping.

It is the first time that Regional Assemblies across England have collaborated in this way, sharing costs and ideas to create an innovative approach to consultation. The films tackle controversial views upfront, giving an insight into both public perceptions and Gypsy and Traveller lifestyles.

East of England is the first region to launch its film as part of its public consultation which recommends 1,187 more Gypsy and Traveller caravan pitches by 2011.

East of England Regional Assembly Chairman Councillor John Reynolds said: "The film brings a human angle to the difficult and controversial issue of planning for Gypsies and Travellers.

"This is a unique way of informing the public, including hard to reach groups and facilitating engagement with council members, as Assemblies develop policy on addressing the shortage of legal stopping places for Gypsies and Travellers. It is important to improve access to services and facilities that most take for granted."

The films include region-specific views from members of the public, Gypsies, Travellers and their neighbours.

In addition, the films share interviews with Romany journalist Jake Bowers and Gypsy student Christina who explain myths, culture, public perceptions and the need for legal sites that give people access to education and healthcare.

The film has also been entered for a 2008 Royal Town Planning Institute award for Equality and Diversity.

Production of the film was managed by the South East England Regional Assembly and undertaken by production company @Voytek.

International Roma Day: Aladár Horváth on reality TV in Hungary

A leading activist denounces ghettos and the media-created ‘exotic trash’ images of Europe's biggest minority of eight million people, who celebrate their day on 8 April.

Sitting down to seltzer water in Aladár Horváth’s dimly lit office by the ‘Keleti Pályaudvar’ metro station in Budapest, I have to rely on a professor to translate what the chair of the Roma Civil Rights Foundation and the Gandhi Public Foundation is saying. His fight is demanding and intense, yet his air is tempered with hospitality and humility. The broad-shouldered activist gives detailed, thoughtful answers, making it easy to see why he was once an advisor to prime minister Peter Medgyessy.

In the last days of János Kádár’s communist regime in 1988, Horváth participated in the Lakitelek meeting of reformists and maverick politicians, considered the starting point of changing the communist regime. The Roma successfully fought alongside a group called ‘The Anti-Ghetto Committee’, one of the first civil rights movements in eastern Europe which paved the way for greater minority freedom. In one case, they fought against the building of a ghetto in Miskolc, the third most populous city of Hungary, where the Roma population is one of the highest in the country. At 29 square meters apiece, the plan for 168 flats with no heating or plumbing promised racial segregation to potential residents with no choice but to live there - 20 kilometres away from the city.

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Gypsy protest outside BBC 'will go ahead'

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities on Monday 7th April 2008 - 5:42pm

Campaigners from the Gypsy and Traveller communities say a protest outside the BBC's London headquarters to save a two-hour radio show will go ahead tomorrow despite assurances the programme will not be axed.

Supporters and musicians plan to sing a Romany lament at noon to appeal to BBC bosses not to cut the Rokker Radio show, which goes out on BBC Three Counties Radio in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire every Sunday between 7pm and 9pm.

Presenter and Romany journalist Jake Bowers had feared the BBC were planning to axe his show due to funding issues.

He argued that the money spent on the show is "insignificant compared to the financial commitment the BBC rightly gives to other linguistic, national and ethnic minorities across the UK".

But a BBC spokesman said there was no intention to close Rokker Radio:
"It is true that we have had discussions with the presenter about a range of options for the programme, including whether there might be potential for expanding the range and scope of programming covering these issues - for example by offering programming to other radio stations across the BBC local radio family.

"We will continue to look at how best we can refresh our coverage and to ensure that we are achieving best value for our listeners, but we can reassure listeners that there is no plan to close the programme down at this time."

The rally at Broadcasting House in Portland Place will still take place, but in celebration of Romany Nation Day tomorrow and to demand better media coverage for the Gypsy and Traveller communities.

Author Janna Eliot, who is part Roma and will be attending the rally,
said: "We are trying to establish that Gypsies should not have to fight for something that other communities are rightly given. [Rokker Radio] is one programme in Britain and we should not have to fight for it.

"Gypsies and Travellers get a lot of abuse in the press and we are hoping to have a lot of support and to show the BBC that Roma are a force to be reckoned with."

Supporters from The Dale Farm Housing Association who are fighting eviction from a Traveller village in Basildon, Essex, are also expected to turn out.

Gypsy and Traveller journalists, campaigners and Traveller education advocates are also backing the campaign.

Orhan Galjus, a Kosovan Roma journalist, said: "The BBC should begin the process of dedicating the same level of resources to the Gypsy and Traveller community as it does to other ethnic and linguistic minorities in Britain.

"If it is right that the BBC broadcasts in Welsh and Gaelic and provides an entire network to the Asian community, it is also right that it provide the same commitment to Europe's largest ethnic minority community, the Romany people.

He added: "Services in the Romany language are also badly needed to support and inform those communities who currently have no access to independent broadcasting.

"Across many parts of Europe a de facto apartheid blights the Romany community and its prospects. We urgently need the BBC's help to inform and educate our 12 million strong European nation."

Faces from the fringe

Green Bay photographer's trip to Slovakia opened her world to plight of Roma 'gypsies'

By Thomas Rozwadowski
trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com

A year ago, Slovakia was nothing more than a name on a map to Tina Bechtel.

Now the country has faces. Faces that remain nameless, but ones that stared intently while pressed up against the other end of her digital camera because they didn't know what it meant to have their picture taken.

As Bechtel walks through her "Gypsies (Roma) of Slovakia" photo exhibit at the ARTgarage in Green Bay, she points to the face of a young, married woman looking too childlike to be holding her own malnourished baby.

Another is of a father happily embracing his child.

Although they were reluctant to acknowledge her presence, Bechtel began snapping photos of four men standing against a wall and approached them with reserve so they could see the finished product. The man, who had never seen himself in a photo before, graciously requested a picture of his young daughter.

There are the signs of poverty and hospitality Bechtel noted, like the out-of-place satellite dish propped next to hanging laundry, piles of garbage and an outhouse. Or the way several boys began playing a Casio keyboard and dancing spontaneously for her. Or children becoming overjoyed at the sight of visitors in their settlement.

There are the gut-wrenching inequities — most notably, driving back to a hotel in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava and eating a nice dinner after seeing the poverty of the Roma people, better known to Americans as gypsies.

"No running water. No septic. No heat," said Bechtel, a local artist based in Door County. "At the worst one, houses were put together with whatever material they could find.

"I couldn't imagine living there. I don't know how they survive."

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BBC says it has no plans to cut broadcasting to the Gypsy and Traveller community

London, 4.4.2008, 17:05, (Media Network Blog)

According to the Roma Network via Romea.cz, Rokker Radio, the two-hour radio programme established two years ago by the BBC for the Gypsy and Traveller community, is to be axed at the end of April. Romea claims that, as the show prepares to celebrate two years of broadcasting across local BBC radio in the East of England and across the world on the Internet, the BBC has decided not to fund the programme beyond the end of April. However, the BBC Press Office has contacted Media Network to say that this story is incorrect.

The programme began on BBC Three Counties Radio on Romany Nation Day in 2006 and has since grown to broadcast on 6 local radio stations across the East of England. Each Sunday night, between 7 and 9pm it broadcasts to Britain’s 300,000 Gypsies and Travellers, many of whom must drive long distances to hear it because they cannot receive it in their area or listen to it on the Internet.

Over the last two years, BBC Rokker Radio has attempted to address the lack of proper representation of Europe’s largest ethnic minority community in the media in Britain. It has raised issues of importance to the community whilst literally providing a common wavelength through which Gypsy and settled communities can begin to understand one another.

The BBC has sent us the following statement:
“There is no intention to close Rokker Radio. It is true that we have had discussions with the presenter about a range of options for the programme, including whether there might be potential for expanding the range and scope of programming covering these issues - for example by offering programming to other radio stations across the BBC local radio family. We will continue to look at how best we can refresh our coverage and to ensure that we are achieving best value for our listeners, but we can reassure listeners that there is no plan to close the programme down at this time. We are, however, keen to find new ways of reaching underserved communities, including the travelling community.

It’s important to explore options to provide wider and better coverage of the issues and concerns of this community across the whole of England, not just the East. Technology is delivering a wide variety of new ways to deliver content to audiences and we will continue to explore a number of innovative ideas to help give the travelling community a voice and to improve understanding with the settled community of their issues.”

Yellowstone Bison Slaughter Tops 1,100

Bison once numbered in the tens of millions across the Great Plains until a wholesale slaughter nearly wiped them out.

Now some of America's last free-roaming wild bison are being slaughtered on a scale not seen since the 1800s. And hundreds more could to be killed.

Take action now! Write the Montana Promotion Division -- the state's tourism officials -- and speak out for sensible wildlife management of these American icons!

Each winter, Yellowstone National Park bison migrate from snow-covered highlands to lower elevations outside the park’s boundaries in search of food.

But because of an unfounded fear that bison will transmit a disease called brucellosis to domestic cattle, bison face a grim fate -- even though there has never been a documented case of a wild bison transmitting the disease to cattle.

Once these majestic animals cross park boundaries, federal and Montana state officials chase bison back into the park where food is scarce -- or they are shipped off to slaughter.

This year alone, more than 1,100 bison have been killed -- nearly a quarter of the wild population. This is no way to manage one of the most beloved icons of the American West.

Write Montana tourism officials today and tell them that you want Montana to stop killing America’s bison.

The Montana Promotion Division -- the state’s tourism department -- is our best ally in Montana to press state officials to stop the shameful bison slaughter.

Together we can help ensure that America’s wild bison will continue to roam the American West.

Thanks for all you do to protect wildlife and the places it lives.

Sincerely,

Mike Leahy
Rocky Mountain Region Director
Defenders of Wildlife

Tell the Park Service to Save Yellowstone's Buffalo, Not Slaughter Them!

Yellowstone's wild, free-roaming buffalo herd is under siege.

The Bush Administration is turning the herd's birthing ground into a killing ground for hundreds of mighty bison -- better known as American buffalo.

We must speak out against this cold-blooded cruelty NOW -- because every week, more of these noble creatures are being herded into cattle trucks to be slaughtered.

This winter alone, more than 1,200 wild bison have been brutally killed -- or shipped to slaughterhouses -- by the Montana Department of Livestock, with the cooperation and approval of the National Park Service.

And come May, newborn calves are just as likely to be killed as their mothers.

We cannot stand by and let this massacre continue: Send a protest message now.

Right now, it's still winter in Yellowstone, and these unsuspecting buffalo are following historic migratory routes in search of food at lower elevations where there is less snow.

When the buffalo venture near or beyond the park's boundary, they will continue to be rounded up and killed -- unless we start a national outcry.

What makes this sacrifice so senseless is that it's all to protect roughly 200 domestic cows and steers that graze near the park from the theoretical risk of a disease -- brucellosis -- that has never been transmitted from bison to cattle in a natural setting.

Even more tragic, newborn calves and their mothers will be rounded up this spring in their birthing ground of Horse Butte, Montana -- a completely cattle-free zone -- which means they are being killed for absolutely no reason.

Please speak out and stop the slaughter. Yellowstone's buffalo are a national treasure: America's last, free-roaming herd. The National Park Service should be their guardian, not an accomplice to their execution.

Already, more than 90,000 Americans have submitted protest messages demanding that the National Park Service call a halt to the killing.

But now with so many newborn buffalo about to be killed -- we need to do more. Please submit your protest message and help us stop the spring massacre.

Together, we must speak out to spare the lives of Yellowstone's surviving buffalo so that they can again roam wild and free.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President