National Catholic Reporter
Joan Chittister
I went to Haiti years ago. There was an earthquake going on then, too, but that earthquake was of another making. That earthquake rumbled up from the underground of a people who had been exploited, abandoned, abused and forgotten by their own government and brought to the point of total resistance. Continue reading Haiti: The rest of the story is ours
Monthly Archives: January 2010
USA Healthcare Legislation
Network
Congress is confused about what to do about healthcare reform legislation. If there was ever a time that they need, and want, to hear from you, their constituents, it is now.
We at NETWORK, in collaboration with many other faith groups and healthcare advocates, urge everyone to call your representatives and senators this week to tell them they need to finish the job of passing healthcare reform legislation. Continue reading USA Healthcare Legislation
4 Positive, Practical Steps for Responding to Citizens United
Yes Magazine
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United was a major setback on First Amendment rights. What’s a true patriot to do?
by Riki Ott
A grassroots coalition is proposing to amend the U.S. Constitution in order to curb corporate power. Image courtesy of the National Archive and Records Administration.
First, BREATHE deeply and look out a window.
If you can’t see a mountain, river, forest, wetland, ocean, prairie, tundra, or even a patch of sky, close your eyes and imagine it. We aren’t any good for anything if we’re in a panic or funk. Continue reading 4 Positive, Practical Steps for Responding to Citizens United
Rural schools record zero percent pass rate
Africa Files
African Charter Article #17: Every individual shall have the right to education, cultural life, and the promotion and protection of values.
Summary & Comment: Years ago the education system of Zimbabwe was named the best in Africa, but now it is declining because of cut in salaries, disappointing attendance records of both teachers and students, and transport and food problems. It is critical that the sector is not left to collapse. An enduring solution on salaries, food, and working conditions should be reached soon, the monitoring visits must be beefed up. The situation in schools requires urgent action. Zimbabwe’s children are already suffering on multiple fronts;, denying them an education to better their prospects is unacceptable. Continue reading Rural schools record zero percent pass rate
Statement from the Brutus Family on the passing of Professor Dennis Brutus
Professor Dennis Brutus died quietly in his sleep on the 26th December, earlier this morning. He is survived by his wife May, his sisters Helen and Dolly, eight children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren in Hong Kong, England, the USA and Cape Town. Continue reading Statement from the Brutus Family on the passing of Professor Dennis Brutus
Rural Wisdom Against Climate Change
By Milagros Salazar*
LIMA, Jan 21, 2010 (Tierramérica) – “The toads have disappeared from the countryside because of climate change, and now there is nothing to control the insects. Now we have to use chemicals to fight pests, and that is killing the soil,” says worried Peruvian farmer Julián Pilco. Continue reading Rural Wisdom Against Climate Change
Nigeria deputy ‘has power’ in Yar’Adua absence
BBC
Nigerian Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan can perform all presidential duties while the country’s ailing leader is away, a judge has ruled.
But he would need a formal transfer of power to become official head of state, according to the Federal Court ruling.
It is the first of four cases aiming to clarify who rules while President Umaru Yar’Adua is away. He has been in a Saudi Arabia hospital since November. Continue reading Nigeria deputy ‘has power’ in Yar’Adua absence
DR Congo: Use of child soldiers ‘particularly abusive,’ UN expert testifies
Relief Web
Children cannot consent to their own exploitation, making the use of children in warfare “particularly abusive,” a top United Nations official said at the trial of a Congolese warlord accused of enlisting child soldiers. Continue reading DR Congo: Use of child soldiers ‘particularly abusive,’ UN expert testifies
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Brazil – Another Power Is Possible
By Fabiana Frayssinet
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 22, 2010 (IPS) – The birthplace of the World Social Forum (WSF), conceived as an alternative to international meetings pursuing free-market economics, Brazil is on its way to becoming a major economic power, analysts say. The question is, what kind of model will it adopt to avoid the behaviour it has previously criticised? Continue reading WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Brazil – Another Power Is Possible
Brazilian Catholic doctor known for work with children dies in Haiti
SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) — Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann, 75, a pediatrician who founded the Brazilian bishops’ children’s ministry, was among those who died in the Jan. 12 Haitian earthquake. She was in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to participate in missionary meetings and to help the Caribbean country consolidate its children’s ministry and create a methodology to combat malnutrition. Continue reading Brazilian Catholic doctor known for work with children dies in Haiti
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation 