debt relief for haiti

$1.2 billion in debt relief approved for Haiti

By JENNIFER KAY

MIAMI (AP) — Roughly two-thirds of Haiti's total debt was cancelled Tuesday when three organizations that provide financial assistance to poor countries announced they're forgiving $1.2 billion of what the Caribbean country owes.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund said their boards decided this week to end Haiti's separate obligations to the two organizations. The move also triggered previously announced debt relief from the Inter-American Development Bank.

As of April, Haiti's debt was more than $1.9 billion, according to the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"The debt relief will help us invest in growth and poverty reduction programs," Haitian Finance Minister Daniel Dorsainvil said in a statement. "Haiti has demonstrated over the past four to five years that it can commit itself to a menu of reforms and respect this commitment."

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund added Haiti in 2006 to a program that allows poor countries to reduce what they owe by demonstrating progress in financial stewardship.

Haiti met that program's targets by strengthening tax and customs administration, improving the management of public funds, improving spending on poverty reduction and auditing government accounts, World Bank officials said.

The Inter-American Development Bank had said in March 2007 that it would forgive $511 million of Haiti's debt if it completed that program.

Haiti also approved an HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment plan, improved immunization rates, started programs to train teachers and send 50,000 more children to school and improved its spending on education, officials said.

Officials with the organizations congratulated the Haitian government for meeting its debt cancellation targets in a global economic downturn, even after the country struggled with skyrocketing food and fuel prices and the lashing from four tropical storms that killed some 800 people and caused $1 billion in damage.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

"...not for a few years..."

The following article was just sent to me by my dear friend, Br. Beau Schweitzer. Thank you Br. Beau!!

St. Thérèse's Astronaut Visits Vatican

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. astronaut who carried relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux into space and put them in orbit around the earth attended Benedict XVI's general audience today.

On a Discovery shuttle mission one year ago, Colonel Ronald Garan brought the relics given to him by a Carmelite community in New Caney, Texas.

The astronaut had called the women religious before his space flight to ask for prayers, and at that time he told them he could take some small item into space on behalf of the community.

The sisters reported that the words of St. Thérèse came to mind: "I have the vocation of an apostle. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your name... But oh, my beloved, one mission would not be enough for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages."

Garan stated that he will be bringing a second relic of the saint to space on his next mission, which is scheduled for March 2011.

The colonel is also the founder of the Manna Energy Foundation that, by using NASA technology and U.N. funding, is implementing a unique system to make potable water in the villages of Rwanda.

Original article is here.

these questions got my attention today...

By these things examine thyself:
By whose rules am I acting?
In whose name?
In whose strength?
For whose glory?
What faith, humility, self-denial and love of God and to man have there been in my actions? - Anonymous

"the weight of glory"

My dear friend Ani recently gave me a marvelous book called "A Year with C.S. Lewis" and I thought I'd share today's excerpt...

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.

- from The Weight of Glory C.S. Lewis

I've recently begun my surgery rotation at Children's hospital which I am absolutely loving. I've been blessed on this rotation with the chance to learn from a few fabulous mentors and teachers who I see treat everyone (from those who clean up the operating rooms after surgeries to most novice med student) with respect and dignity. These are incredibly gifted people whose talents as surgeons are matched at least equally by their charity, dedication, kindness and humility. I'm beyond grateful for this experience and grateful that in a profession that truly is an apprenticeship, I've been blessed with such excellent people to learn from. Thank you, God, for chosing these teachers for me-- I do not take it for granted!

I also want to take the chance to say thank you to Ani for the beautiful book and for the inspiration! See you in a few weeks when you come back to Pittsburgh!!

This isn't easy to watch, but I felt compelled to share it...

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

a day to remember

Today as a med student I was blessed to witness something truly miraculous... the birth of a child. No matter how many times this may happen in my career ahead, I think I will always remember this day. My favorite part was when the dad first saw his little girl. I think I can describe it best by saying that I watched a man fall in love. So, so beautiful. (And yes, I cried :-)

Have a beautiful day, and a wonderful weekend! I know I'm looking forward to it-- I'm heading to San Francisco for my good friend Micheal's wedding. Can't wait!! The bonus is that I get to see my sister (and her awesome dog Marlo) too. See you soon Christy!! I'll take lots of pics, and 'see' you all again soon. Much love~

a few pics

i just wanted to say hi and share a few pictures from the past few months that i've been meaning to share. (from time at nd, easter, med school formal, etc.) thank you to all of you who fill this world with such love and beauty... i hope you all have a blessed day today!

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." -g.k. chesterton

happy mother's day!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers... especially mine!

"Mothers of children, even if they have a thousand, carry each and every one fixed in their hearts, and because of the strength of their love they do not forget any of them. In fact, it seems that the more children they have the more their love and care for each one is increased." -Saint Angela Merici

communion

I am taking a quick study break, just to share something that has been on my heart very much so the past few days, especially this morning.

Today is a glorious day. The sun is shining, the sky is clear blue, and as I drove up to ND to head to the library for a day of studying, I couldn't help but think about the letter I received yesterday from one of my dearest friends who is in her first year of formation with the Religious Sisters of Mercy.

Two of my closest friends are religious sisters, and this has no doubt been one of the most significant aspects of my life the past few years. (The other friend is with the community of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus.) The longing and the ache of missing these dear friends (and so many others I am often far from) is so real to me. So many times I long to hear their sweet voices, to talk with them, to be in each others' presence, to share our lives, to learn, to grow, to cry, to laugh together...

But... as my sweet friend reminded me in her letter that arrived yesterday, the reality of the spiritual communion that we share in the Body of Christ is stronger than any bond we ever could have otherwise.

The truth is that these two sisters are teaching me that the longing I feel is for something eternal. The reality of feeling closer to them now than ever before (despite not being able to see or speak with them) is such a mystery to me. I enter humbly more deeply into the mystery and the reality of the Body of Christ through the living example of these two women. And when I am at my best I'm able to see through the ache of missing them a light that points towards eternity.

As one of these two friends described so well (and I wanted to share with you today) our 'meeting place' now is in the heart of Christ as we meet at the table and see each other in the Eucharist. I'll let you hear it in her own words. And, of course, the song...





God bless you and I'll
see you in His heart,
nicole

"Yours"

The song on my heart these days...



"My life is Yours. My heart is Yours. My hands and my feet ~ Every song that I sing ~ It's all Yours ~ All is Yours ~ All belongs to You. Our gifts are Yours, God. All our dreams are Yours, God. All our plans are Yours, God. The whole earth is Yours, God..."

for your consideration

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

-Edmund Burke

I would like to take a moment to make all who read this blog aware of the April 9th deadline to submit comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the impending removal of conscience protections for healthcare providers.

In December 2008 the Department of Health and Human services finalized a rule that "forbids discrimination against healthcare professionals who exercise their conscientious rights related to participation in certain controversial medical procedures--most notably, but not limited to, abortion and sterilization." (freedom2care.org)

This rule is about to be overturned.

Bottom line is healthcare providers will lose the right to refuse to participate in acts violating their consciences and face consequences that would follow if they do so.

Please consider writing now to ask the Administration to retain the regulation protecting conscience rights. Comments will be accepted until April 9th, 2009 at http://www.freedom2care.org/.

It takes just moments to register a comment, and comments are welcome from all citizens concerned about this threat to conscience.

A copy of the document from HHS outlining the conscience protection rights that will be overturned is available at the Freedom2Care.org website under the tab "Learn." There are 5 current conscience provisions that will be rescinded. You can read all five at the above mentioned website, and I am listing three of them here:

1) The first conscience provision provides that “[t]he receipt of any grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under [certain statutes implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services] . . . by any individual or entity does not authorize any court or any public official or other public authority to require”: (1) the individual to perform or assist in a sterilization procedure or an abortion, if it would be contrary to his/her religious beliefs or moral convictions; (2) the entity to make its facilities available for sterilization procedures or abortions, if the performance of sterilization pro cedures or abortions in the facilities is prohibited by the entity on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions; or (3) the entity to provide personnel for the performance of sterilization procedures or abortions, if it would be contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of such personnel.

2) The third conscience provision prohibits discrimination against any physician or other health care personnel in employment, promotion, termination of employment, or extension of staff or other privileges “because he performed or assisted in the performance of any lawful health service or research activity, or because he refused to perform or assist in the performance of any such service or activity on the grounds that his performance of such service or activity would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral conv ictions, or because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting any such service or activity.”

3) The fifth conscience provision prohibits any entity that receives a grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under certain Departmentally implemented statutes from denying admission to, or otherwise discriminating against, “any applicant (including for internships and residencies) for training or study because of the applicant’s reluctance, or willingness, to counsel, suggest, recommend, assist, or in any way participate in the performance of abortions or sterilizations contrary to or consistent with the applicant’s religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

Thank you for reading this, and for considering the urgent need to act on this matter. For more information, please visit http://www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/index.shtml

where i've been...

hello everyone!

i just wanted to write a little note to let you all know where i've been lately... my medical board exam is coming up on april 28th, so i've been spending most of my time the past month preparing for it.

i'm now back in south bend for my last month of studying... so far so good here. it is nice to be back.

you all are in my thoughts and prayers!

love,
nicole

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."
-zelda fitzgerald

stand by me

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music," comes the first of many "songs around the world." Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe. Film soundtrack and DVD in stores on 4.28.09.

Check out Playing for Change: Peace Through Music for more info, more songs, more videos....

introducing....

Dominic Christopher!

This beautiful little guy is the first child of my dear friend (and former roommate!) Amy and her husband Bryan. What a lucky little man to have such awesome parents!!

He is just as sweet as can be, and too cute not to share. Welcome to the world Dominic. We are so blessed that you are here!

'i saw what i saw...'

"May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call..." -St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians chapter one verse eighteen

leaning from my saint for the year...

Happy Feast Day of Saint Joseph today and CONGRATULATIONS to Amy and Bryan on the birth of their son, Dominic!

amazima

I know I've posted about this before, but I want to share it again for anyone who might not have seen the previous posts.

The blog of 20 year old Katie Davis -- The Journey-- of her life and work serving children in Uganda is a story like no other. I've also recently been following the blog of a team of people who are Joining the Journey.

Amazima Ministries is the organization she has founded. Her story is amazing, as are the stories of the children that she serves.

Have a blessed Sunday!

the other news about stem cells...

I receive a daily e-mail update from the American Medical Association, and this was the headline news as of March 2, 2009. (This news may have been a bit overshadowed by the other news about stem cells that broke a week later.)

Scientists may have created promising alternative to embryonic stem cells, studies indicate.

The Washington Post (3/2, A5, Stein) reports that two teams of scientists "have developed what appears to be a safer way to create a promising alternative to embryonic stem cells." The work that is being detailed in two Nature papers is expected "to have a massive impact on this field." It also "comes at a politically sensitive moment" -- the scientific community is "anxiously waiting for President Obama to follow through on his promise to lift restrictions on federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells." Some who oppose "such a move immediately pointed to the work as the latest evidence" that an alternative is plausible, making the issue a moot point.

For years, scientists have scrambled to develop ways to generate "stem cell treatments without using embryos," BBC News (3/1) added. "In 2007, teams in Japan and the US managed to genetically modify skin cells to be pluripotent." These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) were to become "a new source of stem cells for use in research." But "the technique used viruses to genetically modify the cells." This "Trojan horse" method, according to AFP (3/2), essentially "modifies their DNA in such a way that they cannot be given to patients without boosting the risk of cancer." Now, researchers have found a way to circumvent that problem.

In fact, "the teams in Edinburgh and Toronto had been working separately on iPS cells, until Andras Nagy from Toronto had a chance meeting with Keisuke Kaji, head of the Edinburgh group," the UK's Financial Times (3/2, Cookson) points out. "They found that each had independently solved half the problem." Dr. Kaji's team "discovered how to deliver the four crucial reprogramming genes without using a virus," while Dr. Nagy and his lab mates at the Mount Sinai Hospital were "able to remove all trace of the added genes from the new iPS cells, which avoids disrupting the cells' own genetic machinery."

They were able to do so by using "a snippet of DNA from, of all things, a cabbage looper moth, which delivers the genes needed to reprogram cells into stem cells," the Canadian Press (3/2) reports. More specifically, the "team used a jumping gene, a mobile piece of DNA also known as a transposon," the Globe and Mail (3/1, McIlroy) added. Apparently, "in moths, corn, and other species, these genes hop from chromosome to chromosome, inserting themselves randomly into the genome." During the current experiment, the team "inserted the four reprogramming genes into a jumping gene from a moth," and later "put the jumping gene and its cargo into a skin cell." Eventually, the "jumping gene cut and pasted the stem cell genes into a chromosome in the skin cell. The scientists were then able to coax the skin cell back to its embryonic state, giving it the superhero-like ability to turn into many types of cells."

And, "once the genes had done their job, the scientists removed them, leaving the cells healthy and intact," the UK's Guardian (3/1, Sample) added. A member of the "lobby group Comment on Reproductive Ethics" maintains that there are "some scientists who like to hold on to what they've got, but" she doesn't "think people are going to waste time on embryonic stem cells any more."

Similarly, scientific "experts say the elegant discovery will quickly be adopted by labs around the world and will accelerate further advances in biology's hottest field," according to the Toronto Star (3/1, Ogilvie, Hall). Alan Trounson, "president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine," said, "It's a very innovative way of delivering the gene products that are needed for reprogramming adult cells into embryonic stem cell-like cells. Well done to the Nagy group."

To recap: Induced pluripotent stem cells (created from genetically "reprogramming" an adult cell back to its pluripotent stem cell stage) were first produced in 2006 from mouse cells and in 2007 from human cells. As of this month, safer methods of this technology have been discovered.

Why is this significant? "Scientists have demonstrated that they can reprogram ordinary human skin skills into pluripotent stems cells which will not cause tumors or rejection. There are several ethical stem cell research alternatives that already have successfully treated thousands of patients. By using adult sources of stem cells (including umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid and placental sources) it has been possible to treat, and sometimes even cure, numerous maladies and pathologies, from spinal cord injury to cardiac disease, pediatric brain tumors to cerebral palsy, to the widely-known successes in blood diseases." -National Catholic Bioethic Center

I was very struck by two OpEd pieces today, one in the Washington Post and one in the L.A. Times, that discuss recent decisions by President Obama regarding embryonic stem cell research. Mr. Krauthammer (the author of the Washington Post piece) sat for five years on the President's Council for Bioethics which he explains "consisted of scientists, ethicists, theologians, philosophers, physicians -- and others (James Q. Wilson, Francis Fukuyama and me among them) of a secular bent not committed to one school or the other."

As a member of the council he had "long argued... that, contrary to the Bush policy, federal funding should be extended to research on embryonic stem cell lines derived from discarded embryos in fertility clinics." He now, though, believes that the new executive orders have gone too far. What drives his reaction? I think it makes for an interesting read.


Okay, I must get to the library.... time to study biochemistry. If you'd like to know more about the Catholic Church's response to embryonic stem cell research, I can recommend a few resources:

Declaration of the Production and the Scientific and Theraputic Use of Embryonic Stem Cells
Practical Problems with Embryonic Stem Cells
Adult vs. Embryonic Stem Cells Educational Video

"If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough." -Dr. James Thomson, the pioneer of embryonic stem cells

Emmanuel's Gift

If you are going to rent/buy/watch one movie this year please consider this one...




Emmanuel's Gift.

I just watched it and am speechless.

Gift yourself the gift...


Also... regarding the last post (the one below)... I humbly ask for your prayers for this man. (Please pray especially on March 19th if you can.) Thank you.

"The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience; It's where they stand in times of challenges and controversy." - Osagyefuo Amoatio Ofori (Akyem Abuakwa, Ghana)