The issue of health care costs is a hot topic in many countries, especially with the cost of health care going up generally faster than the rate of inflation. The cost of medicine, paperwork costs, and overall cost of doing business are some of the issues that cause health care to be more expensive. Medical Negligence and the costs that are associated is another piece in the puzzle of terms of the rising cost of health care. People seem to have strong opinions generally regarding the ability to be able to sue for medical negligence and what the costs should be. Most people expect professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists among others, to practice medical care following standard practices. This is not an unusual finding. Most people however, are concerned with the costs that the doctors pay when they are sued.

Due to the high awards that often times are awarded by juries and judges, it can put doctors out of business and the doctors that do survive are forced to pay more for their professional liability insurance to the point where some doctors are unwilling to continue to practice. There has been some proposals that would only allow patients to sue when an independent commission finds that there actually has been a case of medical negligence. Proponents of this idea say that there would be a reduction in the amount "junk" lawsuits that tie up both the health care system and the court system. Opponents of this idea said this creates more hurdles that are unfair to patents and plaintiffs who has endured damages because of medical negligence. How the system is reformed, or not reformed will at least play a part in how medical costs are going to be affecting patents in the years and decades to come. There seems to be general agreement on at least one point in this debate, that there is a need for at least some form of reform. In addition, medical negligence cases continue to be a hot topic that rests squarely in the middle of the debate regarding health care costs.



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Over the last few decades or so, many Americans have been shocked to find out that much of our clothing that we wear, has been made in sweat shops around the world, in less then ideal working conditions. In these developing countries, the rights of workers are often violated and conditions are poor. What a lot of people still don’t know is that many of our food products that we import, are produced in very much the same way. In very poor working conditions on small farms around the world. This is especially true in the coffee industry.
Coffee is the world’s most valuable food commodity, second to all commodities only to oil. According to GLOBAL EXCHANGE, the Fair Trade Association out of San Francisco, there are more then 25 million coffee farm workers working in over 50 countries around the world.. It’s very easy to understand the impact coffee has on so many lives. Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Vietnam and Indonesia are the largest coffee producing countries in the world. The United States imports nearly 3 billion pounds of coffee every year.
People who were concerned over the plight of all these farmers and coffee workers, have tried to establish a worldwide governing body to over see that the wealth that the coffee industry produces is distributed fairly. From this concern, came the Fair Trade Movement, which began to emerge in the 1950's. These ATO’s ( Alternate Trade Organizations ) were established to promote grassroots development in the coffee industry to start direct and more equitable trade between the farmer and the consumer. The hope was that this would give the very hard working farmers a better life and raise the standard of living in their communities.

THE LIFE OF A COFFEE FARMER:

Most coffee workers work on small family owned farms. Typically these farms are 3 hectares or less and are maintained by the family’s own labor. These small farmers are at a distinct disadvantage in the market place, for they have to deal with a middleman to broker his beans. Payment for his harvest is often far less then current market prices. Coffee is also produced on large plantations where the wages are often even less then the legally mandated minimum wage. This is possible because although most of these coffee producing countries have labor laws, the remoteness and rural nature of these farms makes it easy to ignore and sidestep the laws. As a result, working conditions are usually abysmal with worker’s shanty towns and an inadequate water supply the norm. Most coffee workers are not allowed basic labor rights, including the right to organize. The typical migrant farm worker has little or no healthcare, and usually less then 20% of them has completed even their primary education.
With the small farmer often receiving payment for his harvest that can be less then the cost of production, they often remain in a state of perpetual poverty. With profit margins so thin or even lacking altogether, many farmers are often forced to bring in their children to help in the fields to meet even this minimal survival level. This often leads to a cycle of poverty and debt that can carry on for generations within a family. In both situations, working on a large plantation or on small farms, coffee workers are among the most exploited laborers on earth!

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HABITAT OF A COFFEE TREE:

The coffee tree is a small evergreen tree that can grow up to 16 feet tall. The original stock is believed to come from Abyssinia, present day Ethiopia.,and later brought to Arabia. Legend has it that an Ethiopian goat herder noticed his goats had an extra zip in their steps after nibbling on the wild berries of this plant. Soon after, they were trying their hand at growing this stimulating and exotic drink. The mature tree has dark green opposite leaves, and are joined in the spring by showy tubular white flowers bearing a pleasant scent. The fruit that forms are spherical drupes
( kernels or “stone fruit” ) which turn red when ripe. It prefers a shady environment, temperatures between 60-70 F, and alternating periods of rain and drought. Trees usually start producing after the 3rd year and keep producing up to 15 years. Coffee trees flourish in rich mountainside soil, as an under story crop at elevations above 3000 ft. When a coffee tree can find this perfect niche, it will grow healthy and produce the most flavorful beans. Coffee arabica is the species most widely cultivated.
With traditional coffee cultivation, while maintaining this natural niche, a healthy environment is not only available for the trees, but for a lot of other wildlife as well. This sets up a very healthy symbiotic relations between the trees and this wildlife where a natural system of checks and balances can occur. In return for nesting areas, the bees help pollinate and birds help keep the insect population under control. With this natural setting in place, the farmer can then practice sustainable farming techniques, like composting and crop rotation. As the Green Revolution took hold in the 1970 & 80's, in an effort to dramatically increase crop production worldwide, a system of “ Technified Agriculture” was established. Large grants were given to Coffee Plantations in Central America and other places to replace traditional shade grown farming techniques with Sun Cultivation. This system grows coffee trees in large open tracts of land in the full sun. Bolstered by chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, this method of growing coffee does indeed increase production,..... but at what cost? The increase in production was mirrored by an equally sharp decrease in the quality of the coffee, the environment and the life of the coffee worker. With this new coffee habitat, deforestation, toxic chemical build-up, and wildlife extinction soon followed.

FAIR TRADE COFFEE - A BETTER CUP COFFEE:

The Fair Trade Movement was established to help counteract these downward trends.
The movement has made a big impact on many different levels in the farming community. With many Fair Trade alliances in place around the world, conditions for the coffee workers as well as their wages , has improved dramatically. Things even changed for the better for the plantation workers in 1988, with the Fair Trade Certification Program. First began in Holland, the Fair Trade Seal was now being offered to more mainstream coffee brokers and roasters, as long as they met the strict standards of fair trade, giving better equity to the workers, keeping the environment healthy and adding to a better life for coffee producing communities. In the U.S.A., Transfair U.S.A. was founded in 1996 and has grown into a strong force in the International Fair Trade Movement. Easier access to credit was opened up to many coffee workers, thus eliminating the need to dumped coffee at below market prices during transitional periods of the growing season.

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

- Ask for fair trade products at your grocery store or café. Once a demand for the product is established, the seller is more likely to start offering these great products.

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Participate in Fair Trade Conferences. They are held all over the country every year. If not, help organize one in your town.

- Invite a guest speaker from some Fair Trade Organization to speak at your school or community.

- Become a member of one of the many Fair Trade Organizations. Most have very informative newsletters available.

For further information, check out any of these fine organizations:

www.ift.org
International Fair Trade Association is a federation of producers and alternate trading organizations ( ATO’s ) helping to link and promote Fair Trade Organizations.
www.coopamerica.org
A non-profit consumer education organization for environmentally wise purchasing and investing.
www.transfairusa.org
The home of TransFair USA.
www.globalexchange.org
Headquartered in San Francisco, is a membership based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world.
www.fairtraderesource.org
A research and informational center for all things concerned with the Fair Trade Movement.
www.oxfamamerica.org
Dedicated to creating lasting solutions to hunger, poverty, and social injustice with impoverished communities around the world.
www.usft.org
A national student led umbrella organization working to promote and increase demand for fair trade on university campuses.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

by Eric Holm

Medical first aid kits and supplies are indispensable in times of emergencies. This collection of supplies allows you to take immediate action against injuries that can happen anytime. And because you can never know when an emergency can happen, it is always a good idea to keep separate first aid supplies in your home, car and office. As a matter of fact, it is more prudent to have separate kits in each major section or room in your home. This way, you can always reach for medical first aid kits in a snap.

Your medical first aid kits and supplies should not be too small like a matchbox or too big like your garage. While there is no hard-and-fast rule about how big your first aid kits should be, you must make sure that your emergency medical set can contain all the essential items for first aid treatment. Also, take into consideration the weight of your first aid kit. It is better to have a lighter box than a heavier one because you will definitely need to carry it to many areas, not just inside your home, but also in other places where there is an emergency. Nevertheless, the type of container for your first aid supply can be varied according to your needs. You can use a re-sealable plastic bag or even a clean toolbox for your supplies.

Medical first aid kits and supplies should be placed in good open location, meaning, your kits can be easily seen by anyone inside your home. If you have kids, make sure that they understand the importance and the uses of having first aid kits. You will never know when you will rely on your kids to respond to emergencies, especially those that involve you, so you might as well teach them early on. Furthermore, if you can not afford to have multiple first aid supplies, you can just invest on one medical first aid kit and place it somewhere in the central area of your home such that you can see it and grab it from wherever you are coming from.

Medical first aid kits and supplies basically include bandages, adhesive tapes, cotton balls, clinical gloves, anti-bacterial solutions and eye goggles too. See "First Aid Supplies" & "First Aid Kits & Trauma Kits" on our web site and you will notice that the main components of good medical first aid kits include items that protect not just the injured but the respondent as well. Above all, make sure that your first aid supplies are of good quality. You can get your kits and supplies from reputable drugstores and online, or you can assemble them yourself.

Eric Holm publisher & manager of Emergency And Disaster Supplies. We can help you with all of your medical first aid kits and emergency preparedness supplies. Use our free information, resources, printable forms, and blog ideas.

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