LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Papua New Guinea: Years
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After years of decline and government deficit, Papua New Guinea was bolstered in recent years by a general rise in commodity prices and by government steps toward spending control. The economy continues to grow modestly and the government recorded a modest surplus in 2006. However, the economic improvements are based almost entirely on high commodity prices and the nation continues to have serious problems of corruption, a lack of law and order, land tenure concerns stifling investment, political interference in business, and a lack of political will to adopt needed sweeping reforms.
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Ten-year-old Jordan Wesley was the featured speaker at a week-long Adventist children's camp in Papua New Guinea. Jordan preached twice a day to more than 400 children and parents. Some families walked for three days over rugged mountains to attend the camp. Many children brought their non-Adventist friends to enjoy the event. "Jordan would be playing games with the children like everybody else but is really dynamic when he gets up and preaches," said one of the adults who organized the camp. Way to go, Jordan!
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Archeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. There ... are indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest crops. Today's staples--sweet potatoes and pigs--were later arrivals, but shellfish and fish have long been mainstays of coastal dwellers' diets.
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Iron deficiency anaemia is known to be widespread in Papua New Guinea, although no national representative survey has been carried out. Women of child-bearing age and young children are considered to be especially vulnerable. A survey carried out in 1998 identified a high prevalence of anaemia in children under five years. The highest prevalence was observed in the province of Sepik, indicating almost all children less than 5 years as anaemic.
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This year's Anniversary Blend coffee is inspired by two exotic East Africa coffees and a new arrival from Central America, combined with the strength of Papua New Guinea beans. It is a coffee in balance, with a satisfying mid- palate, a wealth of fruit and a brown sugar sweetness.
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Irrespective of its make-up, the main problem for successive governments has been how to make the most of Papua New Guinea’s abundant natural resources, in order to finance the country’s much needed development. The country ... has a unique natural environment that should be preserved. This has involved a balancing act in accommodating the mining companies, ensuring that the benefits of their activities accrue to the Papuan people, while protecting the environment. This worked reasonably well during the early years of independence.
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