Valued, it's time to set our tables!

SHARE ON FACEBOOK CRS BRIEFING February 2019 "Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God." — Romans 15:7 This Month MAMA TIERRA Enjoy organic fair trade coffee from the heart of Oaxaca, Mexico, and support CRS' work with coffee farmers in Central America.   SHOP NOW > Our Monthly Prayer PRAYER OF THE TABLE As we bow our heads before our daily bread, we call to mind all the ways our Lord feeds us. And so we pray ...   PRAY WITH US >    share prayer on social media SHARE  TWEET  PIN  #ShareJourney Meets CRS Rice Bowl HOST AN ENCOUNTER DINNER Parishes around the world are taking part in Encounter Dinners as part of the Share the Journey global migration campaign.   DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ENCOUNTER DINNER KIT > This Lent, CRS Rice Bowl will be part of Share the Journey.    ORDER YOUR RICE BOWL 2019 MATERIALS > CRS MINISTRY RESOURCE CENTER Find lesson plans, reflections and prayers for use in your home, parish, school or university in the CRS Ministry Resource Center.   WHAT'S NEW THIS MONTH > DONATE YOUR CAR Help change lives around the world by making a tax-deductible donation of your used car, truck, boat or motorcycle. The vehicle can be running or not! It's easy to do.   > SHARE ON FACEBOOK Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The CRS Briefing is a monthly service to our supporters. We aspire to keep you informed of our progress and up-to-date on issues that affect the people we serve in more than 100 countries around the world. Catholic Relief Services 228 West Lexington Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3443 Phone: 877-435-7277 Email: community@crs.org Catholic Relief Services eases suffering and provides assistance to people in need, without regard to race, religion or nationality. Catholic Relief Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to CRS are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. If you no longer wish to receive email messages from CRS Briefing, unsubscribe

Prep Your Game Plan for Super Bowl Sunday!

Kick Off Super Bowl Sunday Safely! On game day, thank your designated driver friends by offering them creative "mocktails" – non-alcoholic drinks that often feature fresh juices and garnishes. Whether you're one of the many who choose to abstain from alcohol in what's known as Dry January or you or your friends are designated drivers, don't stop at a boring glass of soda water with a tiny lemon wedge or an old, flat can of cola found in the back of the fridge. Late January is also time for friends to gather to prepare for the big game. When setting out the wings, chips and salsa, and snacks, don't forget about non-alcoholic drink options for your designated drivers. Non-alcoholic punches, lemonades and teas offer everyone a choice and will make your sober drivers' taste buds happy! Experiment with fresh fruits, juices and sprigs of herbs. Search online for "mocktails" and you'll find hundreds of recipes for colorful, creative non-alcoholic drinks that will be a hit with anyone at your next party. We found a few to share with you; see NHTSA's Facebook page. As always, if you or your friends have been drinking, don't get behind the wheel: Remember, it is never okay to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. Designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride share service to get home safely. Before you go out, download NHTSA's free SaferRide mobile app, available on Google Play for Android devices, and Apple's iTunes Store for iOS devices. It lets you share your location so a friend can pick you up. If a friend or family member is impaired by alcohol or drugs and planning to drive, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get home safely. Don't worry about offending someone—they'll thank you later. Be alert and distraction-free, and if you see an impaired driver, call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so. Buckle up. Wearing your seat belt is your best defense against an impaired driver. Spread this life-saving message to you friends, family, and followers: Start 2019 off safely and always drive sober or designate a sober ride. Follow NHTSA on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest recalls and safety campaigns. Click here for more fun 'mocktail' recipes!  NHTSA's SaferRide app will help keep drunk drivers off our roads by allowing users to call a taxi or a friend and by identifying their location so they can be picked up. Additional Resources >> Game Day Tips from NHTSA.gov >> NHTSA.gov >> Alcohol-Impaired Driving Information >> Drunk Driving Campaign Materials You are subscribed to Drunk Driving Prevention News from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This service is provided to you sajanram.shrestha@blogger.com at no charge by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) · 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE · Washington, DC 20590 · 888-327-4236

A note about your 2019 PETA membership

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	Aaaaaaa— PETA's annual membership drive ends tomorrow—but we haven't hit our 25,000-member goal yet! You know that countless animals facing cruelty, neglect, and exploitation will need our help in the months ahead, so it's imperative that we begin this year with the determined support of kind people like you. Thousands have already renewed their PETA membership for 2019—but our records show that we haven't received your contribution yet. Will you be one of the members who renew by midnight tomorrow? Make your membership gift for 2019 right now and help protect animals every day this year. Aaaaaaa Dsfsd Sd Member ID: 903758554   2019 PETA Membership Status Name: Aaaaaaa Dsfsd Sd Member ID: 903758554 Membership Status: PENDING Campaign Deadline: Midnight tomorrow As an active PETA member for 2019, you'll receive a personalized membership card, a 10% discount on vegan merchandise from our online catalog, a free subscription to our PETA Global magazine, and more. Your generous membership gift today will immediately improve the lives of animals by helping to ensure that PETA can do the following: We'll be able to jump into action whenever and wherever an animal is in need. We receive dozens of urgent calls for help each week—and thanks to the support of our members, we'll be able to respond to every one. Renew now. We'll be able to launch eyewitness investigations that expose the hidden cruelty in laboratories; on meat, egg, and dairy farms; in the fashion industry; and in other institutions that abuse animals. Renew now. We'll be able to persuade a growing number of companies to choose compassion—from pushing fashion powerhouses to ditch animal skins to encouraging global food and spirits corporations to ban cruel tests on animals. Renew now.
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Tens of thousands displaced by worsening Boko Haram violence

The Refugee Brief, 29 January

By Kristy Siegfried @klsiegfried   | 29 January, 2019 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tens of thousands displaced by worsening Boko Haram violence in Nigeria. A recent upsurge of violence in north-east Nigeria has driven more than 80,000 people to seek refuge in already crowded camps and towns in Borno State, while thousands more have fled to neighbouring Cameroon and Chad in recent weeks. UNHCR said some 30,000 people fled the city of Rann across the Cameroonian border this past weekend alone, fearing that Boko Haram would attack again after the Multi-National Joint Task Force withdrew from the town. The refugee agency, together with the UN Development Programme and other aid organizations, today launched a US$135 million appeal to respond to the needs of 250,000 Nigerian refugees and the communities hosting them in Niger, Cameroon and Chad. A separate appeal for $848 million was also launched today to reach 6.2 million vulnerable people in Nigeria with humanitarian assistance. Sea Watch lodges complaint against Italy in European rights court. The German NGO Sea Watch, which operates the Sea-Watch 3 vessel currently stranded off the coast of Sicily with 47 rescued refugees and migrants on board, reportedly lodged an urgent complaint against Italy with the European Court of Human Rights on Monday. "We can no longer accept that the European states are jointly breaking the law of the sea and we cannot accept that sea rescue is made conditional on EU negotiations," said a spokesperson with the NGO in a statement sent to the German news agency DPA. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Tuesday that he would only allow the Sea-Watch 3 to bring its passengers to shore in Italy if another country agreed to take them immediately afterwards. WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR Uganda launches health-care plan for refugees. Uganda’s ministry of health and UNHCR – together with other government departments, UN agencies and NGOs – have launched a five-year plan to provide improved health care for 1.1 million refugees and more than 7 million Ugandans. The plan aims to build and upgrade health centres, train health workers and ensure that facilities are stocked with medicines. At a launch in Kampala on Friday, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said the plan proves that hosting refugees can promote long-term development in refugee-hosting areas. A joint statement by 11 aid agencies working in Uganda said donor support for the plan would be critical. US framework deal with Taliban raises hope of Afghan peace. US and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a deal that could pave the way for peace talks in Kabul and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the country’s 17-year conflict. The withdrawal of US troops would be contingent on the Taliban agreeing to a ceasefire and to talking directly with the US-backed Afghan government – two conditions the Taliban have yet to accept. Experts warned that a hasty American withdrawal could raise the risk of the Taliban recapturing control of the country or a descent into civil war. The Nauru and Manus refugees starting anew in the US. As assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration in the United States, Anne Richardson, signed a deal with Australia in 2016 that committed the US to resettling 1,250 of the refugees held on Nauru and Manus as part of Australia’s offshore asylum policy. So far, the deal has brought about 500 refugees to the US, although several nationalities have been excluded. Richardson writes for the Guardian about meeting some of the recent arrivals and hearing about their new lives as well as their bitter memories of the years they lost on Nauru and Manus. “Australia’s loss is America’s gain,” she writes. Violence and displacement marks beginning of 2019 in Colombia. A series of violent attacks since the beginning of the year have displaced 1,300 people across Colombia and left dozens of social leaders and civilians dead, reports the Norwegian Refugee Council. Despite a 2016 peace agreement, more than 145,000 Colombians were forced to flee their homes in 2018, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of victims of the violence still depend on humanitarian support, said the NRC’s country director in Colombia, Christian Visnes, who warned that an increase in arrivals from neighbouring Venezuela could put more pressure on Colombia’s already overwhelmed government. GET INSPIRED South African actress and human rights activist Nomzamo Mbatha was appointed a UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador on Monday. Here she talks about the life-altering experience of working with refugees since 2017 and what she hopes to achieve as a Goodwill Ambassador. DID YOU KNOW? Last year’s regional response plan for Nigerian refugees was only 42 per cent funded.

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