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Sign up for the Oblate Earth Literacy program: “Exploring the Sacred Universe” January 24th, 2014
Daily, all of us, members of the Earth community, are reminded that we live on a rare, precious, threatened planet. At the same time we realize that at its root, ecological devastation is a spiritual issue. Our weeklong “Exploring the Sacred Universe” program addresses our current situation in a spiritual context. Past participants consider the program to have been a transformative learning experience, as they were invited to broaden their vision and include our numinous Universe in all aspects of life.
The dates for the 2014 Earth Literacy Program are August 3-10. Information is available here, or on the La Vista website.
Interested in learning more about a different perspective now? Watch “The Known Universe”, a marvelous video from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It will help you experience the awesome scale of the known universe, as mapped through astronomical observations. In the video, you start at the Himalayas, move through Earth’s atmosphere and the black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang.
Oxfam Releases “Good Enough to Eat” Index January 22nd, 2014
Last week the global hunger and development organization Oxfam released their Good Enough to Eat index. This informative resource assesses food security, food quality, affordability, and dietary health across 125 countries.
Number 1? The Netherlands. Last Place? Chad.
We feature this item in the spirit of the Caritas call for “One Human Family, Food for All” and our own effort to better understand chronic world hunger.
Thanks to National Catholic Rural Life Conference for this information. Learn more about NCRL and subscribe to their e-newsletter.
10th Anniversary of Archbishop Denis Hurley Noted in South Africa January 22nd, 2014
The 10th Anniversary of the death of Archbishop Denis Hurley will be marked by a series of events focused on peacemaking and reconciliation arranged by organizations closely linked with the Archbishop. Learn more here…
The Denis Hurley Centre, currently under construction next to Emmanuel Cathedral in Durban, has been designed as a multi-purpose community facility to promote “extensive outreach and training for the homeless, unemployed and refugees…” It will also “provide primary health care, as well as community building programmes in one of the most diverse and challenging neighborhoods of downtown Durban.” Learn more about the center at: www.denishurleycentre.org
FACT Coalition Calls on Congress to Eliminate Corporate Tax Loopholes January 21st, 2014
The Missionary Oblates recently joined other organizations working through the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition in asking Congress to eliminate corporate tax loopholes. The coalition is concerned about corporations shifting jobs overseas, and corporate avoidance of US taxes. The letter calls on Congress to “refuse to extend two recently expired tax breaks that subsidize highly profitable corporations at the expense of ordinary Americans.”
These tax breaks perversely encourage “American corporations to lend, invest and create jobs in foreign countries rather than in the U.S.” The ‘active financing exception’ called out in the letter is one of the primary reasons General Electric has paid, on average, only a 1.8% effective U.S. federal income tax rate over the past ten years. This exception was removed in the tax reform of 1986, but reinstated after fierce corporate lobbying. It has been extended consistently since 1998. “The last two-year extension of the active financing exception was estimated by the Joint Committee on Taxation to have cost taxpayers $11.2 billion.”
A second exception, called the CFC-look through rule, was also targeted in the letter. The groups signing the letter said, “The last two-year extension of the CFC look-through rule was estimated by the Joint Committee on Taxation to have cost taxpayers $1.5 billion.”
As people continue to struggle to find decent work, the outrage over multinational corporations essentially gaming the system is understandable. We hope this outrage will compel Congress to stand up for ordinary taxpayers and stop giving these corporations a free pass.
Read the letter (Download PDF)
Faith-based Investors Celebrate Victory in Wells Fargo Pay Day Lending Decision January 17th, 2014
Wells Fargo, a major US bank targeted by faith-based investors for their harmful pay day lending practices, announced today that they would discontinue their Direct Deposit Advance service. This is a huge victory on behalf of those who have fallen prey to this predatory lending.
In a Shareholder Resolution with Wells Fargo, which the Oblates co-filed in 2012 and 2013, and in dialogs with company officials, ICCR members raised serious concerns about these loans, their impact on people, and the risks to the bank by engaging in such practices.
ICCR issued a press release on the bank’s decision:
After a long-term engagement with Wells Fargo to promote more responsible lending products, today members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) wish to commend management for making the right decision in ending its Direct Deposit Advance program. The company issued a statementtoday announcing that it would discontinue the product effective February 1st.
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