BLOOMFIELD – The Office for Catholic Social Justice of the Archdiocese of Hartford will continue its webinar series on Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m.
The “Open Wide Our Hearts” series will address “The Influence of Racism in Our Health Care System.” Tabbed as one of the wealthiest and healthiest states in the nation, Connecticut has some of the best doctors and hospitals and is arguably the health insurance capital of the world.
Yet Connecticut also has some of the greatest health disparities in the U.S., the OCSJ contends. Guest speakers will be Vernette Townsend, who has a master’s of science in nursing, and Marlene D. Harris, both of St. Justin-St. Michael Parish in Hartford, and Samantha Lew, of Health Equity Solutions.
Participation is free but registration is required. For information and registration, call 860-242-5573, email [email protected] or visit catholicsocialjustice.org.
Wisdom House holds Advent retreat program
LITCHFIELD – The Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center will present an online Advent retreat program on Dec. 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Dec. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Brother Mark D’Alessio will lead the sessions of healing prayer, storytelling, guided meditation and quiet time that will pave the way for relearning how to “trust in the slow work of God.”
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Cost is $75. Zoom access information will be emailed before the start of the retreat. For information and registration, call 860-567-3163 or visit wisdomhouse.org.
The Africa Infodemic Response Alliance (AIRA), brings together 13 international and regional organizations, together with fact-checking groups which have expertise in data and behavioural science, epidemiology, research, digital health and communications.
The @WHO has launched the ?Africa Infodemic Response Alliance. #AIRA brings together 13 international & regional organizations & fact-checking groups to detect, disrupt & counter damaging misinformation on public health issues in Africa.https://t.co/Y6SlBUIsRc
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said the Alliance has the unique reach, knowledge and skills to help halt the impact of dangerous misinformation.
“In health emergencies, misinformation can kill and ensure diseases continue to spread. People need proven, science-based facts to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing, and a glut of information – an infodemic – with misinformation in the mix makes it hard to know what is right and real”, she said.
AIRA is the first initiative of its kind, working to detect, disrupt and counter damaging misinformation on public health issues in Africa.
Since the new coronavirus emerged late last year, digital platforms have been inundated with COVID-19 information, much of which is inaccurate and misleading, said WHO.
The agency cited statistics from UN Global Pulse, the UN Secretary-General’s initiative on big data and artificial intelligence.
Between February and November of this year, information about the virus has been shared and viewed over 270 billion times online, and mentioned nearly 40 million times on Twitter and web-based news sites, in the 47 countries of the WHO African Region.
Although a large proportion of this information is inaccurate and misleading, people continue to share content on social media, whether intentionally or unknowingly, which include conspiracies around unproven treatments, false cures and anti-vaccine messages
While it is difficult to determine exactly how much misinformation is being circulated, WHO said fact-checking organizations in Africa report that they have debunked more than 1,000 misleading reports since the start of the pandemic.
Collaboration and support
Among other efforts, AIRA will work collaboratively to counter false information around COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to complementing public health awareness raising and community engagement efforts, by creating demand for vaccines in the region.
The Alliance will also support journalists and media outlets to effectively share lifesaving information based on scientific evidence and debunk disinformation on health issues. African countries will also receive assistance in developing tailored infodemic management strategies, including analysing trends and behaviours.
AIRA members include the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, UN Global Pulse, and the UN Verified initiative: the Organization’s own campaign against pandemic misinformation globally.
Misinformation: An old enemy
Although COVID-19 represents a new challenge to the global community, the President of the UN General Assembly recalled that the world has seen the dangers of misinformation before, including in response to disease.
“The coverage of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has decreased in some places, due to misinformation about the vaccine. Measles has become resurgent. Misinformation has taken us backwards”, President Volkan Bozkir said on Wednesday during an Assembly meeting on sharing best practices for the infodemic.
He emphasized that trust in institutions is crucial, as “people are more likely to turn to less credible alternative sources of information when they do not trust traditional sources.”
Mr. Bozkir welcomed steps taken by countries and international organizations to combat the infodemic, as well as UN efforts to counter “the scourge of misinformation, stigmatization and harmful health advice and strengthen trust in science.”
The word ‘anthologia’ is Greek for a collection of flowers or beautiful things — thus we have the delight of poetry anthologies, perfect for Christmas presents. Neil Astley’s serious and inspiring Staying Human (Bloodaxe £12.99) follows the deserved success of Staying Alive, Being Alive and Being Human — all invigorating, essential collections.
Here is work by poets familiar and unfamiliar on timeless themes (including bereavement), but Astley also brings us right up to the present with the particular pain and stress of 2020.
Ana Sampson’s She Will Soar (Macmillan £14.99) is subtitled Bright, Brave Poems Of Freedom For Women, which sums up why this glorious, exhilarating anthology makes the perfect choice for any woman you know, of any age.
I begin each morning with Allie Esiri’s Shakespeare For Every Day Of The Year, which will now be joined by her new collection A Poem For Every Winter Day (Macmillan £14.99) — a sparkling, seasonal choice perfect for sharing.
Trust me, starting the day with a poem calms the spirit. That’s why any anthology that will lure younger people to those delights adds to the good of the world — and the illustrator Chris Riddell has carved a niche with his accessible, varied and beautifully illustrated anthologies. Poems To Save The World With (Macmillan £12.99) contains enough humour, pathos and passion to enthral any bookish teenager.
From anthologies to individual collections, Rupi Kaur is a young person’s poet who says: ‘Poetry is the new pop’. Good! The 28-year-old is an Indian-born, Canadian poet and illustrator who has gained a huge following through social media.
Her story (she started by self-publishing) and typical style — lyrical, emotive and honest — has inspired thousands. Home Body (Simon & Schuster £12.99) explores one woman’s experience in order to encourage self-love in the best sense, because, ‘It feels good to reclaim your life’.
Poems To Save The World With by Chris Riddell (Macmillan £12.99)
Indeed — and reading Margaret Atwood has helped reclaim my own spirits at a stressful time. Before writing novels, Atwood was a poet, but Dearly (Chatto £14.99) is her first collection for more than ten years. It follows the death of her life-partner Graeme Gibson, but don’t expect this great writer to dwell morbidly on grief, although she says: ‘I loved him dearly’. Her voice is wise, playful, wry and oblique, whether writing about the environment, passports, words or an old cat. Yet ever-present is an awareness of age and loss, all the more moving for being shrugged off.
I had no idea the much-loved novelist Alexander McCall Smith wrote poetry until a beautiful meditation dropped into my inbox during the strange days of Big Lockdown.
I forwarded it to friends; thus the single poem (encapsulating the reflective quietness of the time) brought comfort to thousands. Now it’s enshrined within a wonderful book, with the same name.
In A Time Of Distance (Polygon £12.99) is structured in sections introduced (in his unmistakably warm, friendly voice) by the writer: journeys, books, places, Scotland etc. There are sonnets, reflections on time, and cries of restrained pain for the fate of animals.
If you had never read one of his novels, these poems would make you love a writer whose optimism and grace give you hope for the world, ‘its beauty revealed afresh’.
(Screenshot from TV footage of Trump using the Bible as a prop.)
Guess why Donald Trump did not lose by a landslide in the U.S. presidential election? Conservative Christians voted for him in big numbers.
That is hardly surprising news, but their huge turnout for him as shown by a recent survey helps explain
“Christians who are active both spiritually and politically—not turned out and voted for him in overwhelming numbers,” said Dr. George Barna, Director of Research, Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.
Their perception of the election process and allegations of voting fraud has led a large majority of them (79 percent) to believe that there have been “numerous instances of abuse” in the election, with a mere 1 percent believing that the voting process was legally carried out and the votes were accurately counted.
“Nobody is going to confuse Donald Trump with Jesus Christ, but SAGE Cons believe that the Trump portfolio of policy positions much better reflects the biblical worldview that SAGE Cons seek to implement in all walks of life than do those of Mr. Biden,” Barna said referring to the victor Joe Biden.
As of Dec. 3, Biden had garnered 80,992,666 of the overall votes or 51.3 percent, while Trump won 74,107,444 votes or 46.9 percent, according to The New York Times.
The survey conducted the week after the election by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University discovered that among SAGE Cons — an acronym for Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians—99 percent turned out to vote.
That nearly universal turnout level dwarfed the estimated national turnout level of 66%, which itself was above-average.
But just as remarkable as their turnout was the solidarity of the segment’s vote: 97% of SAGE Cons cast their ballot for Trump.
To place that unity in context, the national exit polls show the highest levels of solidarity among other population segments to include Democrats (94 percent voted for Biden), Republicans (94 percent voted for Trump), black women (90 percent for Biden), liberals (89 percent for Biden), blacks (87 percent for Biden), and conservatives (85 percent for Trump).
However, none of those segments had a turnout level approaching that of SAGE Cons.
“SAGE Cons represent 9 percent of the adult population but their extreme level of turnout enabled them to constitute slightly more than 14 percent of the voting population,” said Barna.
“In raw numbers, there were approximately 23 million SAGE Con votes cast. With 97 percent of those going to Donald Trump, the SAGE Con bloc provided the president with a net margin of more than 21 million votes.”
Barna said that SAGE Cons’ political choices are driven by “their biblical perspectives and personal commitment to Jesus Christ.”
He said they, “have been a target of criticism during the past four years. Critics argue that President Trump lacks the moral character that a public official or candidate should possess in order to receive the support of Christians.”
Barna said that the survey revealed that SAGE Cons “were not, as some have said, voting for a Pastor-in-Chief but were instead responding to his track record in office.”
Previous surveys during the election cycle had found that SAGE Cons were displeased with the content of some of his social media messages and his name-calling of political opponents.
Yet the current CRC research noted that Trump’s performance on a range of issues reflected the political preferences of SAGE Cons.
Religion – “But even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten.“
— Supreme Court of the United States, November 25, 2020
When teaching law students about the Bill of Rights, professors often ask on the first day of class which is the first freedom protected by the First Amendment.
The students invariably answer, “freedom of speech.”
It is not.
If the Framers were trying to tell us which freedom is the first among equals, they did so by listing the religion clauses ahead of the freedom of speech.
The religion clauses prohibit the government from respecting the establishment of religion and from interfering with its free exercise.
This is not an academic issue. Recent events have demonstrated that the free exercise of religion is as threatened today as it was in 1791 when the First Amendment was ratified.
Numerous state governors have targeted the free exercise of religion in their multifaceted assaults on personal liberty in the name of public safety. Last week, the Supreme Court put a stop to one of them.
Here is the backstory:
Andrew M. Cuomo is the governor of New York.
He has been foremost among his gubernatorial colleagues in his ubiquitous television explanations of his various executive orders restricting personal liberty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He even won an Emmy for his hundreds of television appearances during which he educated the viewing public on his understanding of the science behind the pandemic.
He attempted to educate the public, as well, on his understanding of the Constitution.
That understanding is wanting.
Cuomo established a color-coded system to indicate the severity of the COVID-19 infection rate by ZIP code.
Red is the most severe and calls for limiting worship to 10 people per indoor venue. Orange is the next level, and it limits worshippers to 25.
Since the governor did not deem the right to worship as “essential,” even though he deemed campgrounds and bicycle, food and liquor shops to be essential, he imposed his 10- or 25-person limit on all houses of worship, irrespective of the size of the venue.
He imposed no numerical limitations on essential venues.
Thus, a small mom and pop liquor store could be packed to the gills with customers, but a 400-seat synagogue or a 1,200-seat cathedral would still be limited to 10 or 25 people.
This was such an interference with the free exercise of religion that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and three Jewish congregations in New York City collectively sued the governor in federal court in Brooklyn.
They lost.
Last week, the Supreme Court interceded in a splendid 5 to 4 decision that defended religious liberty in the face of government efforts to sweep it aside.
The court recognized that the right to worship is fundamental —and has been the law of the land for many generations.
Yet, its characterization as “fundamental” was a shot across the governor’s bow because, whatever he considers the freedom to worship to be, he ordered that it was not essential.
The court held that by failing to characterize it as essential, while characterizing other choices as essential, Cuomo demonstrated a hostility to religion.
Stated differently, if having more than 10 or 25 people in a large synagogue or church is likely to harm public health, then why is having 500 people in a Walmart or folks packed like sardines in a liquor store not likely to impair public health?
Because the religion clauses are articulated in the First Amendment —and because the freedom to worship is a natural right —the government can only interfere with them by meeting a demanding jurisprudential test called strict scrutiny.
This mandates that the government must have a compelling state interest it is attempting to serve by the least-restrictive means.
It also means that a fundamental right cannot be targeted when other rights that may or may not be fundamental are left to individual choices.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which was released at 2:12 a.m., was a response to an emergency application. After the plaintiffs lost at the trial court, they asked the trial judge to enjoin the governor during the pendency of their appeal so their congregants could worship during the coming holidays.
The court declined.
Then the plaintiffs asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for a temporary injunction until that court could hear their appeal.
It declined.
Then the plaintiffs threw their Hail Mary pass and asked the Supreme Court to enjoin Cuomo during the pendency of their appeal.
That pass ended up being a touchdown with no time left on the clock.
The Supreme Court not only issued an injunction preventing the governor from limiting the number of worshippers at the religious venues that sued, but it did so in such sweeping, liberty-embracing language that will surely apply to all religious venues in the land.
Reading the court’s decision, and particularly the thoughtful and brilliant concurrence by Justice Neil Gorsuch—who wrote that “government is not free to disregard the First Amendment in times of crisis” —one can see that Cuomo lost this case because while he may understand the science, he does not understand the jurisprudence.
Freedom of religion is not the first freedom by mistake.
It was the judgment of the Framers that this freedom is as essential to human fulfillment as are any other free choices that free people make.
By failing to recognize that natural, historic and jurisprudential truism, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo doomed his executive order to the ash bin of history.
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“Today marks an overdue and much needed moment of reckoning. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, what was to come”, said Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, speaking at the opening of the two-day gathering.
We are working for you.
For the healthcare workers, who continue to work tirelessly on the frontline.
For the people battling the effects of the COVID-19 disease.
“The world is looking to the UN for leadership, to step up and take demonstrable action to address the greatest challenge our world is facing today. This crisis compels us to shake up how things are done, to be bold, and to restore confidence and trust in the United Nations.”
COVID-19 is first and foremost, a health crisis. Nearly 64 million cases have been recorded as of Thursday, including more than 1.4 million deaths, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
While disrupting lives, the pandemic has also decimated livelihoods. With the global economy in decline and millions of jobs lost, extreme poverty is expected to rise and global efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at risk.
Although the entire planet is facing this common threat, UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that it is the most vulnerable, such as the poor, older people, and women and girls, who have been hit hardest.
However, he said some of this fallout is not due to the pandemic alone, but the result of long-standing fragilities, inequalities and injustices which the crisis has only exposed.
“It is time to reset”, said the UN chief. “As we build a strong recovery, we must seize the opportunity for change.”
Vaccines for all
Since the pandemic was declared in March, the UN system has been supporting countries in averting its worst impacts while also working to promote a strong recovery, including through delivering medical equipment and supplies to more than 170 nations.
“I have repeatedly called for a COVID-19 vaccine to be a global public good available to everyone, everywhere”, said the Secretary-General. However, he added that a global mechanism which would make this possible remains underfunded.
Equitable access to vaccines is integral to effective pandemic response, said Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, speaking on behalf of the 120 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement.
“As many vaccines against COVID-19 are being currently studied, we are all looking forward to the successful outcome of clinical trials and hope that a safe and effective vaccine will soon be available, and that they will be considered as global public goods ensuring their universal distribution at affordable prices for all”, President Aliyev said in a pre-recorded video message.
Concern for developing countries
Beyond health, the Secretary-General has also appealed for a global ceasefire during the pandemic, while also calling for peace within the home, to counter the rise of violence against women and girls.
Support to developing countries is another key area for response. The President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Munir Akram, reported that more than 60 of these nations need “urgent financial help”, while five countries have defaulted on their debt payments.
“If there is an economic collapse or a humanitarian disaster in the developing countries, it will halt a global economic recovery, and the achievement of the SDGs will turn into a chimera”, he warned.
Brighter days ahead
Looking beyond the pandemic, the Secretary-General said recovery must address the pre-existing conditions it has exposed and exploited. “We cannot bequeath a broken planet and huge debts to future generations. The money we spend on recovery must go into building a greener, fairer future”, he said.
Mr. Bozkir, the General Assembly President, expressed the feelings of millions worldwide, dreaming of the day the pandemic is declared over. “The day we can take a deep breath of fresh air without fear. The day we can shake the hands of our colleagues, embrace our families, and laugh with our friends.”
Nine months into the crisis, he acknowledged that it would be easy to feel frustrated, but the veteran diplomat urged people everywhere not to be deterred.
“The UN is working for you. We are united, for you,” he said. “Stay strong. There are brighter days ahead.”
The European Union is studying Ukraine’s proposal to create a “Crimean platform” and an EU special representative for Crimea, and is awaiting additional information on the structure of the platform, EU Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano has said in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine.
Ukraine has presented the idea of an “International Crimean Platform” to the EU and several major international parties, he said. In this context, among other things, Ukraine has put forward the idea of creating an EU special representative for Crimea. As stated in the joint statement at the Ukraine-EU summit on October 6, 2020, we welcome diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and are studying in detail Ukraine’s proposals on this matter, the official noted.
Stano stressed that the EU and Ukraine are fighting the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula through many bilateral and multilateral channels and at different levels, including the political one. He said they did not and would not recognize the illegal annexation, which is a violation of international law.
In addition, the representative of European diplomacy pointed out that while they look forward to more information on how Ukraine would like to structure the platform, the EU non-recognition policy already offers a reliable and well-implemented toolkit that helps move towards the goals set by Ukraine and that are in line with the goals of the EU policy of non-recognition in general.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Secretary General of the Turkic Council Mr Baghdad Amreyev met this week as the organizations work towards establishing a united action plan for health and collaboration.
The 2-day consultation focused on operationalizing the memorandum of understanding between WHO/Europe and the Turkic Council signed on 11 September 2020. Topics included the European Programme of Work “United Action for Better Health in Europe”, and pragmatic steps to ensure that both organizations bring maximum value to their cooperation.
This includes potential capacity-building activities for protection during health emergencies as well as progress towards universal health coverage, such as strengthening data and regulation and ensuring healthy lives for all through vaccination, digital health and mental health. Antimicrobial resistance and noncommunicable diseases in Member States were also discussed.
Day 2 of the consultation included a briefing with the ambassadors to Denmark and the missions in Geneva of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Presentations were also given by the WHO representatives in all Turkic Council Member States and by observers to identify further ways of working together at the country level.
During the meeting, the Regional Director referred to WHO/Europe’s excellent relations with the Member States of the Turkic Council. He noted that the memorandum of understanding builds on the already robust alliance with them and with coordinating stakeholders in and across countries.
A strong emphasis was also placed on the need to establish further WHO collaborating centres across Turkic Council Member States to assist with the implementation of health priorities.
Both organizations agreed to advocate for health jointly and to further facilitate the exchange of information and experience among Member States. An action plan will be finalized in the coming weeks, and activities are scheduled to begin immediately.
With the number of new cases finally dropping in Spain, now is not the time to relax on prevention, say the Scientology Volunteer Ministers of Madrid.
In Madrid, Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology of Spain are continuing their “Stay Well” campaign to reach out with proven protocols to help people stay well.
With the second wave of coronavirus finally abating—new cases down one third from last week—it is vital to continue prevention protocols. The danger when such an improvement takes place is that people can tend to neglect the very actions that caused the improvement. Now is not the time to change what is working, the volunteers say.
Madrid has canceled many traditional holiday events to prevent the spread of the virus. And the Scientology Volunteer Ministers backed this up by visiting local shops to remind them of the importance of prevention protocols.
In May, 135 Volunteer Ministers from Scientology Churches and Missions across Spain distributed 74,000 copies of educational booklets in their neighborhoods. These booklets contain vital information to prevent the spread of the virus.
As soon as the pandemic began, the most effective measures were researched for ensuring the safety of Scientology staff and parishioners, and these were implemented internationally as protocols under the direction of Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige.
The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It constitutes one of the world’s largest independent relief forces. A Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Their creed: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”
