July 2011. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that 29 percent of the country is in drought. Texas and other southern states in the U.S. are suffering from an exceptionally extreme drought, which has dried up farm fields, ponds, and small rivers and increased the threat of wildfires. The situation is similar to some of the world's driest deserts.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on June 30, 2011
Thousands of people have lost their homes to flooding in Minot, North Dakota, as the Souris River has spilled over dikes and levees. Photographs show the widespread devastation caused by this natural disaster, but we can only at this time imagine the extent of the losses inside the homes. Our hearts go out to those whose homes are now submerged under water.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on June 25, 2011
On June 24, 2011, New York, home to 42,000 same-sex couples, became the sixth and by far the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage. This means the number of same-sex couples living in states allowing same-sex marriage has more than doubled overnight. In a Reuters release, Columbia Law School professor Suzanne Goldberg noted: "New Yorkers tend to move about the country quite a lot. High numbers of same-sex couples likely to marry here will increase pressure on other states to treat those couples fairly." We rejoice in this legal breakthrough for loving couples in New York.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on May 25, 2011
May 23, 2011: Over 116 people and counting were killed when a devastating tornado struck Joplin, Missouri. Pictures convey the terrible destructiveness of this natural disaster.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on May 20, 2011
Graduation is in the news — announced in grade school, high school, college, graduate school, and community newspapers. For families and friends, it's time to congratulate our loved ones. For graduates, it marks a major transition and a new beginning. It is a perfect time for prayers.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on April 29, 2011
April, 2011. The U.S. South has felt the brunt of a catastrophic series of tornadoes which have taken the lives of 300 people and counting. Meteorologists have reported over 900 tornadoes since the beginning of the month. Pictures indicate the widespread destruction caused by this severe weather.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on March 30, 2011
On April 14, 2011, something unprecedented happened in the U.S. Congress. A budget deal to fund the government, negotiated by Republicans and Democrats and approved by the Obama Administration, included a non-budget related provision to strip federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies. The budget rider, attached to the must-past bill by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), requires the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the same 2009 delisting of wolves that was declared unlawful by a federal district court, while insulating the provision from any legal challenge.
What does this mean for wolves? It leaves their "management" in the hands of politicians in the states, many of whom have already expressed their desire to see this species eliminated. Widespread hunts of the wolves are likely to happen, with as many as 1000 of them targeted, making the species genetically unsustainable. Less rabid wolf opponents say they simply want to protect livestock from wolves, although non-lethal means of wolf management are available.
Of equal concern is what this anti-wolf campaign means for the Endangered Species Act. If wolves can be delisted because some politicians don't like them, and not for reasons of science or due to decisions by the courts based on that science, then the same thing could happen to salmon, polar bears, grizzly bears, panthers, manatees, and other threatened species. Here is a statement from Defenders of Wildlife on this issue.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on March 28, 2011
A Libyan woman, who gave her name as Eman al-Obeidy, burst into a restaurant in Tripoli where Western journalists were eating on March 26 to tell them that she had been taken from her hometown, confined, beaten, and raped by 15 men from Muammar el-Qaddafi's militia. Although some of the journalists tried to interview and protect her, she was quickly restrained and taken away.
This is not an isolated incident. In all wars, some soldiers see women as objects for their own use and use rape as a way to exercise power and vent their rage.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on March 12, 2011
A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby Northeastern Japan at around 2:46 pm on March 11 (JST) causing damage with blackouts, fires, building collapses, and much more. The nuclear power plant at Fukushima Dai-ichi was damaged, raising concerns about leaking radiation. The earthquake triggered an enormous tsunami that roared over Japanese harbors, towns, and fields, destroying much in its path. The tsunami waves crossed the Pacific region as far as California in the United States. The death toll in human and animal life is still being determined.
Through searches for "Japanese earthquake" on Google Images and YouTube, we see so many scenes of the destruction. We find ourselves empathizing with those affected by this tragedy. We have compassion for the suffering.
Posted by Frederic Brussat on March 5, 2011
Discovery.com reports that the United Nations is urging international efforts to save bee colonies which are in serious decline, especially in the industrialized northern hemisphere. Among the reasons for this scary situation are pesticides, air pollution, mismanagement of the countryside, and the loss of flowering plants. UNEP director Achim Steiner notes that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of the world's food, over 70 percent are pollinated by bees.
RSS
About This Blog
The daily news summons us to prayer. The people, situations, and events of our times call out for our compassion and God's healing presence. In this blog we will pray in a variety of forms as we lift up the needs of the world. We hope that by praying the news in this way we will also expand both our spirituality and our practice. More