THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015
The power
of hope
is real
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
New York Times News Service
A
n awkward truth for
bleeding hearts like
myself is that there has
never been much rigorous
evidence that outside aid
can sustainably lift people
out of poverty.
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whelming that aid can over-
come disease, boost literacy
and save lives.
Nicholas
Kristof
But raising incomes is trickier — and the evidence
in that arena has been squishier.
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people in six countries suggests that a particular aid
package called the graduation program (because it
aims to graduate people from poverty) gives very
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the program ends. Indeed, it’s an investment. In India,
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The heart of this aid package? A cow. Or a few
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Why would a cow have such an effect? This gets
interesting: There’s some indication that one mech-
anism is hope. Whether in America or India, fami-
lies that are stressed and impoverished — trapped
in cycles of poverty — can feel a hopelessness that
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that they can achieve a better life, and that, too, can
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In the graduation program, recipients of livestock
were inspired to work more hours, even in areas unre-
lated to the livestock. They took more odd jobs. Their
savings rose. Their mental health improved.
“Poverty is not just poverty of money or income,”
QRWHG6LU)D]OH$EHGIRXQGHURID%DQJODGHVKLDLG
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program. “We also see a poverty of self-esteem,
hope, opportunity and freedom. People trapped in a
cycle of destitution often don’t realize their lives can
be changed for the better through their own activities.
Once they understand that, it’s like a light gets turned
on.”
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Institute of Technology and a co-author of the study,
believes that’s right. “The mental health part is abso-
lutely critical,” she said. “Poverty causes stress and
depression and lack of hope, and stress and depres-
sion and lack of hope, in turn, cause poverty.”
Could hopelessness and stress create a “poverty
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support that theory, and experiments are underway to
see if raising spirits can lift economic outcomes.
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signed to watch an hourlong inspirational video
ended up saving more
and spending more on
The
their children’s edu-
cation, compared with
heart of
participants random-
ly assigned to watch
this aid
an hour of comedy
package? television. The for-
ward-leaning behav-
A cow.
iors persisted in a six-
Or a few month follow-up.
5HVHDUFKHUV
DUH
goats.
now studying whether
exposure to religion
Even
might have a similar
effect, improving eco-
bees.
nomic outcomes. If so,
Marx had the wrong
drug in mind: religion would not be an opiate of
the masses but an amphetamine.
The graduation program is a bit similar to the
model of the well-known group Heifer International,
which I’ve written about before and provides “gifts of
hope” such as heifers, goats and chickens to impover-
ished families. “There was a lot of excitement — with
just a hint of smugness! — at Heifer at the published
results,” said Pierre Ferrari, the president of Heifer.
But the graduation model includes a couple of other
elements.
The graduation program starts with a cow or
other animals, as well as training on how to raise
them. It includes months of food or cash support,
partly to reduce the need to eat or sell the animal in
D¿QDQFLDOFULVLV7KHUH¶VDVDYLQJVDFFRXQWPLFUR-
lending has disappointed in randomized trials, but
microsaving works very well), health education
and regular coaching to reinforce skills and build
FRQ¿GHQFH
The study, which was just published in the jour-
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Pakistan, and somewhat less effective in Peru and in
Honduras (where some animals died). A follow-up
found the effects still strong three years after the do-
nation of the animals.
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of the study, said that aid groups focused on very sim-
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9LOODJH(QWHUSULVHDQG)RQNR]H.DUODQ¶VVWXGHQWVLQ
a seminar on philanthropy were given a pool of mon-
ey from a foundation and the challenge to donate it
where it would do the most good; they spent the term
reviewing the evidence and, in the end, voted to do-
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Much of the news about global poverty is depress-
ing, but this is fabulous: a large-scale experiment
showing, with rigorous evidence, what works to lift
people out of the most extreme poverty. And it’s ex-
hilarating that one of the lessons may be so simple
and human: the power of hope.
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
5A
Support public lands
T
hanks so much for writing about Vet
Voice member and Astoria resident Mat-
thew Zedwick and his continuing mission to
serve our country by protecting the outdoors
(“Veteran on a mission to save outdoor spac-
es,” The Daily Astorian, May 1). We both also
really appreciate your related editorial calling
for full funding for the Land and Water Con-
servation Fund. Public lands are important to
all Americans, and one of the many reasons I
was also proud to serve in the military.
The LWCF does, indeed, have bipartisan
support in Congress. And I am thankful we
KDYH3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWOHDGHUVOLNH866HQ
0DULD &DQWZHOO DQG 86 6HQ 5RQ :\GHQ
working diligently to pass their bill to reau-
thorize and fully fund this vital program for
public lands.
However, I wanted to respectfully clarify
one point in the article. We are unfortunately
far from the scenario described by the paper
(“All indications are the LWCF will be re-
instated with bipartisan backing.”). We have
PXFKZRUNWRGRLQWKH¿YHPRQWKVOHIWEHIRUH
the program expires — we need all hands on
deck.
The Vet Voice Foundation continues to
work in Washington, D.C., alongside leaders
like Cantwell and Wyden to educate mem-
bers of Congress who are less familiar with
WKHEHQH¿WVRIWKLVKLVWRULFSURJUDP)RURQH
LWCF helps vets by protecting public lands
where they can get into nature, recreate and
heal. And it helps our children be healthy and
happy, by providing places for them to play
DQGH[SORUHIURPQHLJKERUKRRGEDOO¿HOGVWR
national parks.
Our hearty thanks to The Daily Astorian
for also recognizing the value of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund.
5,&.+(*'$+/
3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWGLUHFWRU9HW9RLFH
Foundation.
Bellevue, Wash.
Letters welcome
The Daily Astorian welcomes letters
from its readers for publication in the Open
Forum.
Letters must be signed, include the
writer’s address and phone number and
are subject to condensation and editing
for style, grammar and taste. The Daily
Astorian offers two ways to send letters
HOHFWURQLFDOO\ (LWKHU HPDLO GLUHFWO\ WR
editor@dailyastorian.com or call up the
newspaper’s Web page at www.dailyas-
torian.com and click on the Letters to the
Humbled by help
T
KH.RFK)LVK)DPLO\ZRXOGOLNHWRWKDQN
the community for all your support after
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concern and generosity of the people in this
community. We have a sense of awe at how
many people have stepped up, in so many
ways, to help us get back on our feet.
If we could, we would send out personal
thank-you letters to each and every one of
you, but for the lack of addresses, we will
have to express our gratitude this way. Thank
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just for the donations, but for showing us the
goodness of this community. We will never
forget your kindness.
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Warrenton
right of towns and counties to put in place
more protective local ordinances is embedded
in the federal regulations that govern the land
application of sewage sludge, 40 Congressio-
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court should take away that right.
It is outrageous that the Department of
(FRORJ\ZKRVHPLVVLRQLVWRSURWHFWKXPDQ
health and the environment, should actually
sue those counties who have done their home-
work, and who concur with a growing body
of independent experts that spreading biosol-
ids on farms is neither safe, sustainable, nor
EHQH¿FLDO
Processed sewage sludge generated in
industrialized urban centers contains much
more than human waste. It is probably the
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Intervened in dog attack
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unday, while I walked my dog along G DQG H HYHU\ HQWLW\ FRQ-
* 6WUHHW LQ *HDUKDUW WZR SLW EXOOV DS- nected to a sewer — every industry, hospital,
proached and attacked my dog. At the same and business — can pipe its hazardous waste
moment, a car stopped. The man jumped out into sewage treatment plants. Here the pollut-
of his car and parted the two pit bulls from my ants, many highly toxic, persistent, and able to
dog. This was a very courageous act. He got be absorbed by plants, are removed from the
into his car and drove away and I never got waste water and concentrate in the resulting
KLVQDPH,ZDQWWRWKDQNWKLVJRRG6DPDULWDQ sludge.
whomever you are.
Biosolids consists of a complex mixture
&/$,5(0&,17<5( of nutrients, toxic metals, polychlorinated
*HDUKDUW biphenyls, carcinogens, neurotoxins, pharma-
ceuticals and hundreds of other unregulated
industrial chemicals that do not belong on the
Blame game
land where we grow our food and graze our
n observing the recent race riots in Balti- live stock.
more, I was appalled but not surprised by
For more information visit www.sludge-
WKH KRUUL¿F VFHQHV GLVSOD\HG RQ WKH WHOHYL- facts.org and www.sludgenews.org
sion. After all, that city, as are most major
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Democrats and has been a one-party city —
Editor’s note: Caroline Snyder is emeritus
Democratic — for the past 50 years.
professor at the Rochester Institute of Tech-
The eruption was sparked by the death of nology where she designed, taught, and ad-
DEODFNPDQ)UHGGLH*UD\D\HDUROGZLWK ministered interdisciplinary environmental
a rap sheet as long as one of his arms, who science courses, and chaired the Department
died while in police custody following his ar- of Science, Technology, and Society.
rest. The alarm bells rang out for the “usual
suspects,” aka thugs — time to go shopping;
Proud and strong
no cash or credit cards required — just bring
have been confused: the people of Clatsop
your bricks and torches. Well, you know the
County have voted several times to prevent
rest: Millions of dollars of destruction includ-
ing burning stores, cars, buildings and the OLTXH¿HGQDWXUDOJDVLQRXUFRPPXQLW\+RZ-
HYHUWKHHIIRUWVWRLQÀLFWLWRQXVFRQWLQXH
usual screaming.
After reading The Daily Astorian, I real-
One of the nation’s top race demagogues,
DV H[SHFWHG HQWHUHG WKH VFHQH 1RQH RWKHU L]HGWKDWLWLVQRWWKDW/1*GRHVQRWKHDUXV
WKDQWKH5HY$O&KDUODWDQ,PHDQ6KDUSWRQ it is they believe we do not count (“Oregon
a top adviser to the president, who elbowed /1*FRQWHQGVODQGXVHUXOLQJQRWDVHWEDFN´
aside the so-called mayor and the police com- May 7).
Peter Hansen, you really do not know the
missioner, both Democrats, of course, and
WRRNRYHUZLWKWKLVXVXDOOLQHRI³1RMXVWLFH proud and strong people who are Clatsop
County.
no peace!”
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Then the old blame-game took over. What
Astoria
caused these riots? The usual: racism, pover-
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LQWRWKHFLWLHVPRUHWKDQWULOOLRQKDVEHHQ
Good place to be
spent since the “War on Poverty” was de-
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clared in the mid-1960s) but mainly the police
People warmed me that the park was a bad
— the racist police. Then of course, the com-
munity organizer in the White House added place to live. Against the advice to look some-
KLVSDWKHWLFFHQWVZRUWKRIEODPH,QDGGL- where else, we made a home here, anyway.
WLRQWRDOORIWKHDERYHWKHDI¿UPDWLYHDFWLRQ We have camped here, and now live in a trail-
er, and are very comfortable here.
president added slavery as one of the causes.
The manager has made us very welcome,
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ZKDW\XKSD\VIRU´RULQWKLVFDVH³<XKJHWV and has made sure we had everything we
what yuh votes for.” The liberal Democrats’ needed. From what I have seen or heard, she
IDYRULWH ZKLSSLQJ ER\ ² DIWHU WKH 5HSXEOL- has cleaned up the park and made it safe to
cans — is the “racist” police, six of whom walk around at night. People who have neg-
have been charged in the victim’s death, by DWLYHWKRXJKWVDERXW6XQVHW/DNH3DUN7LPH
a rookie state’s attorney, a Democrat puppet will show that this park is good place to be.
-2<+$5'0$1
named Marilyn Mosby, who by doing so, has
Warrenton
apparently ventured far beyond her depth.
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(52%(571$66,.$6
The new Astoria
Astoria
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Washington Irving do?” (The Daily Astori-
Say no to biosludge
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his is in response to “Top state court in Portland, but spent several years living on
greenlights using treated human waste as WKH(DVW&RDVWEHIRUHPRYLQJEDFNWR2UHJRQ
fertilizer” (The Daily Astorian, May 10): The and settling in Astoria a year ago. While I am
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writer’s name, address and phone number
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The Daily Astorian welcomes short
“in gratitude” notes from readers for pub-
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maximum and writers are asked to avoid
simply listing event sponsors. They must
be signed, include the writer’s address,
phone number and are subject to conden-
sation and editing for style, grammar, etc.
still very new to the Astoria community, I be-
lieve I can provide at least an Oregon-centric
response to some of the questions he asked.
5DLQ 1R LW UHDOO\ GRHVQ¶W UDLQ WKDW KDUG
RXW KHUH HYHQ GXULQJ WKH UDLQ\ VHDVRQ<RX
can get a steady, driving rain, but not the gully
washing torrential downpours that you get on
WKH(DVW&RDVW,UHFDOOJHWWLQJFDXJKWLQRQH
of those shortly after moving east — the rain
was coming down so hard, I couldn’t see the
road, and then suddenly I drove out into sun-
shine. I was so astonished I had to turn around
to verify there was an actual demarcation line
RQWKHVWUHHW7KDWGH¿QLWHO\GRHVQRWRFFXURQ
the West Coast.
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quite proud of the fact that it is the oldest set-
WOHPHQWZHVWRIWKH5RFNLHVSUHGDWLQJ3RUW-
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not have grown much in size since its heyday,
LWVWLOOGHVHUYHV¿UVWELOOLQJ3HUVRQDOO\,OLNH
to think of Portland and the others as “the new
Astoria.”
(/,6$%(7+.251<$
Astoria
Furious
I
f the salmon are so endangered that it’s
necessary to murderously blame other crea-
tures, why aren’t the real culprits charged,
shot and having their eggs oiled? The birds,
or sea lions, or something that can’t stand up
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UHVWDXUDQWV IDPRXV IRU ¿VK FDQQLQJ PHDOV
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That’s an excuse to kill them?
,ILW¶VQRW2.WRZDVWHLHNLOODQGOHDYH
unused) deer, elk, etc., why is wasting inno-
cent (or in this case, 10,000 innocent) cormo-
rants tolerated? Oh yeah, they’re not such a
WDVW\ IHDVW IRU WKH VODXJKWHUHU¶V WDEOH 6RPH
would say that’s precisely the dish the Corps
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too.
If you think this letter is unseemly, consid-
er the cormorants being stalked in the dead of
night on their home island by mercenaries and
shot, then having their eggs, still warm in their
nests, painted with oil so they can’t hatch.
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Warrenton
A generous food drive
E
very spring, on Mother’s Day weekend,
our local postal workers hold their annu-
al food drive for our local food pantries. This
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long, letter carriers return to the Astoria Post
2I¿FHZLWKWUXFNV¿OOHGZLWKEDJVRIGRQDWHG
nonperishable food (as well as mail), and lo-
cal food bank volunteers unload, check each
item, load banana boxes with product, then
reload the boxes of food into trucks, to be de-
livered to the local food pantries.
2XU IRRG SDQWU\ WKH &ODWVRS (PHUJHQF\
Food Bank, located in the basement of the
First Presbyterian Church, received nearly
1,600 pounds of food from this effort. This
food makes it possible for our pantry to con-
tinue feeding the 400-plus families we serve
HDFKPRQWKZLWKDIRXUWR¿YHGD\VXSSO\RI
VXSSOHPHQWDO IRRG 6LQFH RXU DYHUDJH IRRG
basket contains about 16 pounds per person,
we can serve about 100 more hungry neigh-
bors as a result of the postal workers’ food
drive.
Thank you to the postal workers, and to all
our generous neighbors in Astoria who donat-
ed food for their neighbors in need this year.
This effort would not be possible without your
generosity and hard work.
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Astoria