Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Some Easter pics and a school update
Here are some other pictures from the Easter celebration:
Inca Kola...when 2 liters just isn't enough...
My pal David:
So I started playing basketball with some of my students about 2 weeks ago. It was surprising how excited they were to have me out there. It was depressing to think that I'm 10 years older than them though!
Inca Kola...when 2 liters just isn't enough...
My pal David:
So I started playing basketball with some of my students about 2 weeks ago. It was surprising how excited they were to have me out there. It was depressing to think that I'm 10 years older than them though!
On Tuesday they were doing some drill races in their PE class and the coach asked me to join them. So, of course being a high school kid, you want to race your teacher who hasn't picked up a basketball in probably 9 months. The school's best player, of course, wanted to test me. So we faced off.
The first drill was based on dribbling speed. Damn. I haven't dribbled a ball in forever, let along sprinted anyway. It was neck and neck, but he pulled away at the end and clipped me by a second or so. Instead of being domoralized, I started to talk a little trash about the next drill, which now included layups.
I got out there, and now with a little muscle remember under my belt from the up and back dribbling, my skills were a little sharper. We went back and forth, up and down the court 4 times and I just barely edged him out to win. We were now tied and the students were starting to get into the competition.
The student complained that I bumped him while shooting the last layup, which was true, but come on, this is basketball not golf. So the tie breaking match was set. Not to be outdone by his old teacher, my student knocked the ball away from me on my first layup. The students booed him for his obvious cheating, but I didn't give up. I ran and got my ball, made the layup and raced back to make the basket right before he did.
Victory.
Now I need a gatorade...
Monday, April 13, 2009
Peru wins...
The worst taxi service in South America!
POR LOS SUELOS. Servicio de taxis es el peor de Latinoamérica. A diferencia de Buenos Aires, Bogotá o México, nuestra ciudad tiene la flota más desorganizada de la región. 210 mil unidades sin taxímetros y en pésimas condiciones saturan a diario las calles.
Basically, Peru has the most disorganized transportation system in South America. There are over 210,000 taxis without meters. What that means: you have to negotiate before you get in the cab. There's a solid 30% gringo tax that you most negotiate down...every time.
This is a typical cab: average fare is about $/10 or $3 for 30 minutes
Here's a microbus that is about the length of a suburban and can fit 25-30 people: average fare is about $/1 or $0.30 for a 15 minutes ride.
Oh the motortaxi:
POR LOS SUELOS. Servicio de taxis es el peor de Latinoamérica. A diferencia de Buenos Aires, Bogotá o México, nuestra ciudad tiene la flota más desorganizada de la región. 210 mil unidades sin taxímetros y en pésimas condiciones saturan a diario las calles.
Basically, Peru has the most disorganized transportation system in South America. There are over 210,000 taxis without meters. What that means: you have to negotiate before you get in the cab. There's a solid 30% gringo tax that you most negotiate down...every time.
This is a typical cab: average fare is about $/10 or $3 for 30 minutes
Here's a microbus that is about the length of a suburban and can fit 25-30 people: average fare is about $/1 or $0.30 for a 15 minutes ride.
Oh the motortaxi:A view from inside. Spacious, safe, and luxorious...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Holy Thursday
So, I got a little taste of how Peruvains celebrate Holy Thursday tonight:
We went to Mass at a church that holds 800, but packed in around 1500! Loved it! More pictures and festivities to come over the next couple of days.
Most importantly...Jesus is coming soon...get ready and prepare your hearts!
We went to Mass at a church that holds 800, but packed in around 1500! Loved it! More pictures and festivities to come over the next couple of days.Most importantly...Jesus is coming soon...get ready and prepare your hearts!
A little Easter message from Fr. Corapi
By Fr. John Corapi
As I write this it is safe to say that there is more fear, insecurity, uncertainty, and distrust of authority than at any other time in my lifetime of over sixty years. This can be said for the United States and for most other countries in the Western world, probably the entire world.
Why?
The secular and worldly thinker will come up with a veritable flock of cackling, screeching, barking, whining and screaming excuses.
They will all be wrong.To understand our tenuous position, one must go to the order of causes rather than mere effects. The serious illness we see manifest socially, economically, and politically has its origin in the moral and spiritual realm.
To be blunt and to the point, it concerns that “dour combat with the forces of evil” that haunts the entire history of humanity.
We have divorced God in the public sphere. We have evicted the Owner of the house, forgetting that nature abhors a vacuum. If we reject the One that is Goodness and Truth, then it is guaranteed that He will be replaced by the one who is the “father of lies and murderer from the beginning,” as Jesus referred to the ancient adversary of man—Satan or the devil.
If you don’t believe that you don’t believe in the existence of either the enemy or the war…You will have little chance to survive.
The newest spectator sport in America is watching the disintegration of the great nations of the world on the cable news networks. Each day there is more drama and adventure in the news than the wildest of fiction. Every day you have to worry “What’s next?”
Mass murders multiply—in the workplace, in schools, public places, private homes. It is a frightening and sobering spectacle. The pundits marvel: How could it happen? Who could do that? The unthinkable becomes commonplace. The largest corporations vaporized in the twinkling of an eye. The net worth of millions of people cut in half in a matter of months. The politicians bluster and threaten. CEOs of major corporations fired by politicians, one wonders if the banking industry, the auto industry, the energy industries, etc. will soon be nationalized. Will the United States end up like some insolvent Third-World country. Will we bring wheelbarrows full of dollars to the checkout counter at Walmart soon for a few household items?
Why wonder?
We’ve divorced God...Countries call abortion the “law of the land.” Can such societies that espouse what is tantamount to genocide be pleasing to God?
Can they survive for long?
Please recall that this:
During Holy Week we celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ over all of this avalanche of sin, Satan, and death. He nailed it to the Cross. “Dying He destroyed our death. Rising He restored our life.” It is necessary that we enter into the Paschal mystery one person at a time, fully and seriously. Live in a state of grace. Do not persist in sin, for your life and mine is shorter than we think. The only way a family, a school, a parish, a city, a country, or a world can be healed is one person at a time.
All of the suffering and darkness of Good Friday finds its meaning in the burst of Light that is Easter morning. All of the fear, the insecurity, and the uncertainty; all of the betrayal, the mockery, and the suffering are vanquished by the glory of the Cross. No pain, no gain! No cross, no crown! No battle, no glory.
So stop worrying!
Trust the Lord Jesus...
After all, He is the Savior, and only He is the Savior. Place your trust in Him. All of this is really small potatoes. It simply provides a proving ground for saints. That’s all. We have no lasting dwelling in this valley of tears. It is the crucible wherein imperfect human beings are transformed by the fire of trial and the power of grace into the pure gold of God’s holy ones.
In the twinkling of an eye this will be over and we’ll stand before Jesus, Who will wipe away every tear, and having been faithful to our Faith we’ll hear those beautiful words:
“Well done my good and faithful servant! Now at last enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”
A blessed Holy Week to you, and may the Light and glory of Easter comfort you in your struggles and confirm you in your faith.
http://www.fathercorapi.com/index.aspx
As I write this it is safe to say that there is more fear, insecurity, uncertainty, and distrust of authority than at any other time in my lifetime of over sixty years. This can be said for the United States and for most other countries in the Western world, probably the entire world.
Why?
The secular and worldly thinker will come up with a veritable flock of cackling, screeching, barking, whining and screaming excuses.
They will all be wrong.To understand our tenuous position, one must go to the order of causes rather than mere effects. The serious illness we see manifest socially, economically, and politically has its origin in the moral and spiritual realm.
To be blunt and to the point, it concerns that “dour combat with the forces of evil” that haunts the entire history of humanity.
We have divorced God in the public sphere. We have evicted the Owner of the house, forgetting that nature abhors a vacuum. If we reject the One that is Goodness and Truth, then it is guaranteed that He will be replaced by the one who is the “father of lies and murderer from the beginning,” as Jesus referred to the ancient adversary of man—Satan or the devil.
If you don’t believe that you don’t believe in the existence of either the enemy or the war…You will have little chance to survive.
The newest spectator sport in America is watching the disintegration of the great nations of the world on the cable news networks. Each day there is more drama and adventure in the news than the wildest of fiction. Every day you have to worry “What’s next?”
Mass murders multiply—in the workplace, in schools, public places, private homes. It is a frightening and sobering spectacle. The pundits marvel: How could it happen? Who could do that? The unthinkable becomes commonplace. The largest corporations vaporized in the twinkling of an eye. The net worth of millions of people cut in half in a matter of months. The politicians bluster and threaten. CEOs of major corporations fired by politicians, one wonders if the banking industry, the auto industry, the energy industries, etc. will soon be nationalized. Will the United States end up like some insolvent Third-World country. Will we bring wheelbarrows full of dollars to the checkout counter at Walmart soon for a few household items?
Why wonder?
We’ve divorced God...Countries call abortion the “law of the land.” Can such societies that espouse what is tantamount to genocide be pleasing to God?
Can they survive for long?
Please recall that this:
During Holy Week we celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ over all of this avalanche of sin, Satan, and death. He nailed it to the Cross. “Dying He destroyed our death. Rising He restored our life.” It is necessary that we enter into the Paschal mystery one person at a time, fully and seriously. Live in a state of grace. Do not persist in sin, for your life and mine is shorter than we think. The only way a family, a school, a parish, a city, a country, or a world can be healed is one person at a time.
All of the suffering and darkness of Good Friday finds its meaning in the burst of Light that is Easter morning. All of the fear, the insecurity, and the uncertainty; all of the betrayal, the mockery, and the suffering are vanquished by the glory of the Cross. No pain, no gain! No cross, no crown! No battle, no glory.
So stop worrying!
Trust the Lord Jesus...
After all, He is the Savior, and only He is the Savior. Place your trust in Him. All of this is really small potatoes. It simply provides a proving ground for saints. That’s all. We have no lasting dwelling in this valley of tears. It is the crucible wherein imperfect human beings are transformed by the fire of trial and the power of grace into the pure gold of God’s holy ones.
In the twinkling of an eye this will be over and we’ll stand before Jesus, Who will wipe away every tear, and having been faithful to our Faith we’ll hear those beautiful words:
“Well done my good and faithful servant! Now at last enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”
A blessed Holy Week to you, and may the Light and glory of Easter comfort you in your struggles and confirm you in your faith.
http://www.fathercorapi.com/index.aspx
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday! The beginning of Holy Week, which I'm really excited about. I decided to go to Mass down the street today and I found a bunch of people selling these cool palms outside the Church for $.30, so naturally, I had to pick one up.
Someof these palms were really quite amazing as they were weaved into crowns, torches, and crosses. It was really pretty impressive! I settled for this little feller though.
Also, since it is the beginning of Holy Week I decided to go to Confession. I usually go to a priest at the high school that speaks English, but I forgot to go last week. So instead I went to Confession with one of the Spanish speaking priests. After I explained that I didn't speak spanish well, I proceeded to give a spanglish confession. Although I don't plan on making it a habit to go to a priest that doesn't understand everything I say, it was still a very powerful experience realizing that the Catholic Church is truly universal, that knowing wherever you go, the Mass is the same, the forgiveness is the same, and the community all believes the same thing.
Luckily, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a special way and I understood exactly what the priest said to me. It was a very powerful experience and a great way to start off the week!
How are you going to prepare for Easter?
The Sorrowful Mysteries, part one 1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden (from Catholic.org)
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:42-44 Let this mystery teach us true contrition for our sins.
True contrition… it seems to me that before we can have true contrition, we have to first truly understand that we have sinned. I think our self-obsessed, modern, “enlightened” culture would very much like to proclaim Sin as an archaic, prohibitive concept whose time is over.
Moral restrictions, clearly defined standards of right and wrong, and consequences for violators are all antiquated notions wrongly imposed on people of free will. To dare to suggest that Someone outside ourselves, higher than ourselves has the authority to define right and wrong, good and evil, and then establish the just punishment for wrongdoing, well, that’s practically blasphemous in this age of moral relativism.
How can we be truly sorry if we’re not thoroughly convinced we’ve done wrong?
Okay, maybe we can admit that we’ve sinned, but we haven’t done anything truly terrible, so it’s not really that bad. It can’t be that big a deal. Think about that scene in the Garden again. Jesus was in so much anguish that he sweat blood as he prayed! He asked God to change the plan and find some other way, so it’s obvious this Sin problem is a very big deal, indeed. The torture He was about to suffer wasn’t due to something small or trivial. But I can’t help wondering…
what grieves Him more – that we sin, or that we try to cover our sin, make light of it, and even delight in it? Is it the arrogance that inhabits our sins and causes us to deny that we haven’t just broken a rule or made a little mistake – we have sinned against a perfect and just God who also happens to love us beyond our comprehension?! Our sin is aggravated by prideful indifference. Insult is added to injury.
Why?
Because it is scary as all hell, literally, to fully grasp the gravity of our own sin and the consequences of it, and were it not for the Cross and the unspeakable love of the Father, none of us could bear it. Contrition that begins out of fear of the just punishment for sin is a good place to start, but God isn’t satisfied with leaving us there. He wants to overwhelm us with His love; that crazy, illogical, endless love that took our hideous sin upon His perfect Self and endured our punishment for us. We no longer have anything to fear.
Now we are free to be repentant ,out of sorrow, not terror or despair. We can face our wretched condition and own up to our sins honestly, because what awaits us is forgiveness, not wrath.
Once that reality takes root in our hearts, then gratitude inspires us, humility enables us, and LOVE compels us to true contrition.
“Blessed is he who transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:1-5 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:1-4, 7
Someof these palms were really quite amazing as they were weaved into crowns, torches, and crosses. It was really pretty impressive! I settled for this little feller though.
Also, since it is the beginning of Holy Week I decided to go to Confession. I usually go to a priest at the high school that speaks English, but I forgot to go last week. So instead I went to Confession with one of the Spanish speaking priests. After I explained that I didn't speak spanish well, I proceeded to give a spanglish confession. Although I don't plan on making it a habit to go to a priest that doesn't understand everything I say, it was still a very powerful experience realizing that the Catholic Church is truly universal, that knowing wherever you go, the Mass is the same, the forgiveness is the same, and the community all believes the same thing.
Luckily, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a special way and I understood exactly what the priest said to me. It was a very powerful experience and a great way to start off the week!
How are you going to prepare for Easter?
The Sorrowful Mysteries, part one 1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden (from Catholic.org)“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:42-44 Let this mystery teach us true contrition for our sins.
True contrition… it seems to me that before we can have true contrition, we have to first truly understand that we have sinned. I think our self-obsessed, modern, “enlightened” culture would very much like to proclaim Sin as an archaic, prohibitive concept whose time is over.
Moral restrictions, clearly defined standards of right and wrong, and consequences for violators are all antiquated notions wrongly imposed on people of free will. To dare to suggest that Someone outside ourselves, higher than ourselves has the authority to define right and wrong, good and evil, and then establish the just punishment for wrongdoing, well, that’s practically blasphemous in this age of moral relativism.
How can we be truly sorry if we’re not thoroughly convinced we’ve done wrong?
Okay, maybe we can admit that we’ve sinned, but we haven’t done anything truly terrible, so it’s not really that bad. It can’t be that big a deal. Think about that scene in the Garden again. Jesus was in so much anguish that he sweat blood as he prayed! He asked God to change the plan and find some other way, so it’s obvious this Sin problem is a very big deal, indeed. The torture He was about to suffer wasn’t due to something small or trivial. But I can’t help wondering…
what grieves Him more – that we sin, or that we try to cover our sin, make light of it, and even delight in it? Is it the arrogance that inhabits our sins and causes us to deny that we haven’t just broken a rule or made a little mistake – we have sinned against a perfect and just God who also happens to love us beyond our comprehension?! Our sin is aggravated by prideful indifference. Insult is added to injury.
Why?
Because it is scary as all hell, literally, to fully grasp the gravity of our own sin and the consequences of it, and were it not for the Cross and the unspeakable love of the Father, none of us could bear it. Contrition that begins out of fear of the just punishment for sin is a good place to start, but God isn’t satisfied with leaving us there. He wants to overwhelm us with His love; that crazy, illogical, endless love that took our hideous sin upon His perfect Self and endured our punishment for us. We no longer have anything to fear.
Now we are free to be repentant ,out of sorrow, not terror or despair. We can face our wretched condition and own up to our sins honestly, because what awaits us is forgiveness, not wrath.
Once that reality takes root in our hearts, then gratitude inspires us, humility enables us, and LOVE compels us to true contrition.
“Blessed is he who transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:1-5 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:1-4, 7
The Inca Market!
So I went to the Inca market this weekend. Lots of great stuff there, but also some touristy crap. I am continually amazed though at how good Peruvians are with their hands. Almost all of this stuff was made in Peru and I heard a lot of interesting stories about the symbolism behind the Incan jewlery.
The other good thing from spending 5 hours wandering around in the market was that nobody spoke english, so I got to speak spanish all day, so it was good to learn some new words and build a little bit more confidence.
This necklace reminded me of something my grandma would wear. What do you think?Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Class Update...
So today was reckoning day.
Last week, if you remember from my post, I got very upset with my class for not doing their homework and flipped out on them.
Today, I had my class line up outside and get there homework out in order to enter class. As it turned out only about half my class did their homework. So they spent the hour doing work around the high school for the discipline officer.
The other half of the class that did their work was suprisingly interactive and engaged. We got through a ton of material and it was by far the most rewarding class I've taught so far.
Some highlights:
When discussing indirect (sales) tax, I told them about how powerful a weapon this can be for government to discourage a type of activity.
So we talked about taxing petrol (gas) and how if one city taxes it at 10%, you go to the neighboring city that isn't taxing gas and pay less money. I then asked what happens if the country taxes gas at a high amount and it doesn't make sense to drive to Chile to get gas, what are you going to do?
Their response:
PROTEST!!!!
Kill the President!
Steal the gas!
My response:
No, you can't protest, you can't kill the president, you can't steal. Think about what economic decisions you would make.
Their response:
Ohhhhhh...not use gas!!! (they got the concept and talked about switching to natural gas which is somewhat popular with taxi drivers)
My question:
What things should we not tax?
Their response:
BEER!!!!!!
My response:
Ok, no tax on beer. Who's happy? (most of the class cheers) What are the benefits of cheap beer? What about the negatives?
They eventually realized that the negatives of the population being drunk were real, and had real costs to the public (cancer, fights, car accidents, bad moral decisions, domestic violence, family problems, etc.) So then they wanted to ban beer!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Weekly Update
Lots of happenings again this week.
Monday: I had an interesting experience emailing a hostile guy about a story (the names have been removed to protect the guilty):
Me:
Mr. Blank
We're trying to track down some more information you wrote about in your blog. Are you available for a phone interview this afternoon? If so, what number can you be reached at?
Thank you in advance for your time,
Ryan
Blank:
Mr. Thomas,
By email.
Me:
In your blog entry, _______, you wrote: "_________." We called the Bishop but they flatly denied this was true. Your link goes to a blog titled, "_________" which links to CNA's article on the same topic. Neither of these support your statement. Can you share where you got the information about Bishop ____ urging _______? Why did you link a story that has nothing to do with your claim?
Blank:
Ah, of course. Agency, not Service. You are with Bermudez's outfit. He wrote a nasty thing about me that included a falsehood among many idiocies. But, it is Lent and I am working on forgiveness. In the event, the link was to a different article - trying to get used to a new laptop here and am consistently hitting the wrong keys. The link is corrected so thanks.
Me:
I'm sorry that you and Alejandro Bermudez have a personal conflict. As a news service, we work in the field of reporting, it is my hope that our exchange can be professional, and I hope that whatever past you and Mr. Bermudez have can be reconciled.
I've contacted _____, who hosted the event, and a recording of the event shows the attached link misrepresents Bishop _______words. He did not address the issue of _____at all during his prepared speech, and only mentioned in the Q&A that on the general subject _____. So while the words are correct, it was totally taken out of context.
In light of the denial by the diocese of ____ and the recorded tape, do you think that it's responsible to use the rumor blog sphere as a reference point? Also, are you planning on amending your blog with the correct information?
Do you believe that a Bishop that asks people, in general, to be engaged in the public sphere by _____is stepping outside of "ecclesiastical jurisdiction?"
Blank:
Sir -when you drop your accusatory tone, I will consider replying to you. Needless to say, anyone in the employ of your agency should be careful about throwing around worries about what is and is not responsible journalism.
Me:
Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses. I believe I have sufficient information to complete the story.
Lenten Blessings,
Ryan
Tuesday:
I went to school to teach and found that most of my students had not done their homework. I was upset to say the least, so I gave them a pop quiz. Later on during the class I got really upset because I was trying to have them do a group activity, but one kid was reading a book for another class. So, that's when I snapped. Game's over kids. Get back in your seats. For the first time in a really long time, I got really, really upset and let them know it.
These kids, for the most part, come from a very wealthy background where they're used to having servants in the house cooking and doing EVERYTHING for them. So homework is not something they get very much of in Peru. Also, Peruvian teachers have much more informal buddy/buddy relationships with their students, which I think underminds authority.
So, needless-to-say I'm fighting multiple currents. I chewed them out for their disrespect, for wasting my time and their time, for telling them about all the Peruvians that I've met that would die to be in this class and school. We'll see how much of an impact it has next week.
Wednesday:
I received an email from 8 doctors and health workers in Uganda that wrote a letter in support of Pope Benedict's comments on condoms in Africa, I also worked on a story about one of them who was in Uganda in 1980 when the outbreak occured and they didn't know how to treat it. Very moving story about this guy.
I also met with my American students that I'm teaching Catechesis to. I love these two, they're twins and they're 16 years old. They have very little background in scripture and Catholic Teaching, so we're starting from scratch. Every week I see so much growth! They're asking tough questions and really giving much more thoughtful answers! Very rewarding to be a part of their journey.
Thursday:
Man, Thursday was a busy day! I wrote about 5 articles including one about Notre Dame students launching a response to Fr. Jenkins invitation to President Obama. It was neat to talk to them and learn about how this group came to be as well as hear what students had to say about the situation. They were late interviewed on Fox News about their work.
Friday:
Today I wrote a few articles and learned that I may be traveling to New York City in May to meet with the Associated Press for a business deal. More to come on that later.
This week I also meet Cardinal Pell of Australia. He's a very tall and humble man. I transcribed an interview he gave to our Agency today, and it was very interesting to be writing what he said and really carefully listening to his words. Lots of wisdom in this man!
Monday: I had an interesting experience emailing a hostile guy about a story (the names have been removed to protect the guilty):
Me:
Mr. Blank
We're trying to track down some more information you wrote about in your blog. Are you available for a phone interview this afternoon? If so, what number can you be reached at?
Thank you in advance for your time,
Ryan
Blank:
Mr. Thomas,
By email.
Me:
In your blog entry, _______, you wrote: "_________." We called the Bishop but they flatly denied this was true. Your link goes to a blog titled, "_________" which links to CNA's article on the same topic. Neither of these support your statement. Can you share where you got the information about Bishop ____ urging _______? Why did you link a story that has nothing to do with your claim?
Blank:
Ah, of course. Agency, not Service. You are with Bermudez's outfit. He wrote a nasty thing about me that included a falsehood among many idiocies. But, it is Lent and I am working on forgiveness. In the event, the link was to a different article - trying to get used to a new laptop here and am consistently hitting the wrong keys. The link is corrected so thanks.
Me:
I'm sorry that you and Alejandro Bermudez have a personal conflict. As a news service, we work in the field of reporting, it is my hope that our exchange can be professional, and I hope that whatever past you and Mr. Bermudez have can be reconciled.
I've contacted _____, who hosted the event, and a recording of the event shows the attached link misrepresents Bishop _______words. He did not address the issue of _____at all during his prepared speech, and only mentioned in the Q&A that on the general subject _____. So while the words are correct, it was totally taken out of context.
In light of the denial by the diocese of ____ and the recorded tape, do you think that it's responsible to use the rumor blog sphere as a reference point? Also, are you planning on amending your blog with the correct information?
Do you believe that a Bishop that asks people, in general, to be engaged in the public sphere by _____is stepping outside of "ecclesiastical jurisdiction?"
Blank:
Sir -when you drop your accusatory tone, I will consider replying to you. Needless to say, anyone in the employ of your agency should be careful about throwing around worries about what is and is not responsible journalism.
Me:
Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses. I believe I have sufficient information to complete the story.
Lenten Blessings,
Ryan
Tuesday:
I went to school to teach and found that most of my students had not done their homework. I was upset to say the least, so I gave them a pop quiz. Later on during the class I got really upset because I was trying to have them do a group activity, but one kid was reading a book for another class. So, that's when I snapped. Game's over kids. Get back in your seats. For the first time in a really long time, I got really, really upset and let them know it.
These kids, for the most part, come from a very wealthy background where they're used to having servants in the house cooking and doing EVERYTHING for them. So homework is not something they get very much of in Peru. Also, Peruvian teachers have much more informal buddy/buddy relationships with their students, which I think underminds authority.
So, needless-to-say I'm fighting multiple currents. I chewed them out for their disrespect, for wasting my time and their time, for telling them about all the Peruvians that I've met that would die to be in this class and school. We'll see how much of an impact it has next week.
Wednesday:
I received an email from 8 doctors and health workers in Uganda that wrote a letter in support of Pope Benedict's comments on condoms in Africa, I also worked on a story about one of them who was in Uganda in 1980 when the outbreak occured and they didn't know how to treat it. Very moving story about this guy.
I also met with my American students that I'm teaching Catechesis to. I love these two, they're twins and they're 16 years old. They have very little background in scripture and Catholic Teaching, so we're starting from scratch. Every week I see so much growth! They're asking tough questions and really giving much more thoughtful answers! Very rewarding to be a part of their journey.
Thursday:
Man, Thursday was a busy day! I wrote about 5 articles including one about Notre Dame students launching a response to Fr. Jenkins invitation to President Obama. It was neat to talk to them and learn about how this group came to be as well as hear what students had to say about the situation. They were late interviewed on Fox News about their work.
Friday:
Today I wrote a few articles and learned that I may be traveling to New York City in May to meet with the Associated Press for a business deal. More to come on that later.
This week I also meet Cardinal Pell of Australia. He's a very tall and humble man. I transcribed an interview he gave to our Agency today, and it was very interesting to be writing what he said and really carefully listening to his words. Lots of wisdom in this man!
On a lighter note, Hillary Clinton was in Mexico this week. She stopped at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people.” Which was a very nice gesture, but then preceding to say, "that's a nice painting (of the Virgin of Guadalupe), who painted it?" Msgr. Monroy looked at her for a moment in disbelief and said, "God."
For those of you that don't know the history, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the tilma, or cloak, of St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image has numerous unexplainable phenomena, such as the appearance on Mary’s eyes of those present in the room when the tilma was opened and the image’s lack of decay.
Probably something the Secretary of State should be informed of before arriving to the Basilica. Luckily, she covered herself by saying "you have a marvelous virgin!” Oh Hillary!
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Pope, AIDS, Condoms, and the Truth...
I had the chance to interview two leading AIDS researchers, and email one in Uganda this week. Needless-to-say, I got quite an education on what's going on in Africa. Luckily, the conversation was recorded, so I was able to go back and listen to it a few times.
It's hard to say what was most interesting about the interview. The Director of Harvard's AIDS Prevention Research Facility gave me a surprising lesson on human nature. Explaining how condoms act a lot like sunscreen. You put on sunscreen, and instead of staying out in the sun of an hour, you may stay two hours, or all day. So this added protection actually increases your risk tolerance and you're willing to do things you wouldn't otherwise do, which is one of the big problems with saying that condoms are the solution to the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
My interview can be found here:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15445
A UC Doctor also spoke with me on his research. He has a fascinating story that I hope to write about this week. He was doing a research project for the United Nations trying to prove that condoms work in preventing AIDS in Africa (and he was a big supporter himself at the time), but after seeing the ineffectiveness, he had to be honest intellectually and change his view. Surprisingly, the UN NEVER published the report.
Both of these doctors site the multi-billion dollar AIDS industry in Africa (and liberal sexual revolution ideology) as the biggest resistors to the answer: fidelity and monagomy. Since there's no money in this behavioral change approach (that has been found to reduce infections in Uganda by 2/3), big corporations and governments are against it.
Hopefully, with your help and the courage of these researchers, we can begin to spread the truth, because based on how the Pope was attacked, they're not interested in the truth either...
It's hard to say what was most interesting about the interview. The Director of Harvard's AIDS Prevention Research Facility gave me a surprising lesson on human nature. Explaining how condoms act a lot like sunscreen. You put on sunscreen, and instead of staying out in the sun of an hour, you may stay two hours, or all day. So this added protection actually increases your risk tolerance and you're willing to do things you wouldn't otherwise do, which is one of the big problems with saying that condoms are the solution to the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
My interview can be found here:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15445
A UC Doctor also spoke with me on his research. He has a fascinating story that I hope to write about this week. He was doing a research project for the United Nations trying to prove that condoms work in preventing AIDS in Africa (and he was a big supporter himself at the time), but after seeing the ineffectiveness, he had to be honest intellectually and change his view. Surprisingly, the UN NEVER published the report.
Both of these doctors site the multi-billion dollar AIDS industry in Africa (and liberal sexual revolution ideology) as the biggest resistors to the answer: fidelity and monagomy. Since there's no money in this behavioral change approach (that has been found to reduce infections in Uganda by 2/3), big corporations and governments are against it.
Hopefully, with your help and the courage of these researchers, we can begin to spread the truth, because based on how the Pope was attacked, they're not interested in the truth either...
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