After many years, we are (sort of) proud to bring back our humorous introductions to each of our workers.
DAVID- One of our newest volunteers. Full of energy and positive encouragements. We are all taking bets on when he will hit burnout.
DEJAHNAY- Has the ability to answer the phone, carry in donations, hold a baby, watch her toddler and keep an intoxicated man from walking into the house, all at the same time.
TAZ- Will never go to a meeting, no matter how many people ask him. And after he hears about the decisions that were made at the meeting, he looks at us in a disappointed way.
MICHAEL- Once shared a muffin with Archbishop Rembert Weakland when he visited Casa Maria.
LAKESHA- The best cook out of all of us. And, unlike the rest of us, she doesn't seem to mind it when others are cooking in the kitchen at the same time. Weird.
LINCOLN- Has a doctorate in theology. So do not listen to his medical advice, no matter how many times he tells you that he is a doctor.
CAITLIN- Started a housing co-op on the block, so now she won't leave us alone about "the power of community organizing."
DON- Likes to remind us that he will most likely go to heaven before the rest of us so we have to be nice to him or he'll tattle.
JOSH- Everyone likes him, even the creepy exterminator we banned from the houses.
ROBERTA- Spends most of her time chasing Caitlin's cat away from the bird feeders. He is named "Trouble" for a reason.
DAI DAI- He is the best with nonviolent communication, to the point of annoying the rest of us.
AMADA- She doesn't return messages right away. And it's not like she is busy raising her kids, running two of our houses, being a volunteer Family Court Advocate and providing advice to most of the moms who pass through our doors.
SHAUN- He is the 795th member of the Campbell family to become a live-in worker. And he is definitely in the top two of Campbells throughout Casa Maria history.
SABINE- She is one of the nicest people...but she will head butt you if she gets the chance. Be careful around her.
LUCAS- Has a new girlfriend so we rarely see him. Seriously, if you see Lucas, please tell him that we are looking for him.
For more info about each of us, please go to casamariacatholicworker.weebly.com/who-we-are.html
DON’S JOKES
Thanksgiving was great. The turkey arrived by plane. The trimmings came by bus, and the gravy came by boat. What do you call a blind reindeer? I have no eye deer. Wife to husband on the phone, Wife: “hey baby, how are you doing?” Husband: “listen, i am really busy, don’t have time to talk at all” Wife: “Well i have good news and bad news for you. you want to hear them?” Husband: “just tell me the good news, i don’t have time for the bad!” Wife: “okay, The good news is the air bags of our new BMW work absolutely fine.” What’s the best Christmas gift? A broken drum. You just can’t beat it. Where would a reindeer go to find her lost tail? A re-tail store. Why did Rudolph never go to school? He was elf-taught. What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia! Where do Santa's elves go swimming? The North pool. What's red and white and falls down chimneys? Santa Klutz! What did Adam say the day before Christmas? It’s Christmas, Eve! What is a vegan’s favorite Christmas carol? Soy to the World What is a dog’s favorite Christmas carol? Bark, the Herald Angels Sing. What is green, covered in tinsel and goes “ribbet, ribbet”? A mistle toad. What is Tarzan’s favorite carol? Jungle Bells.
INTERESTING FACTS
Julian Assange is still in prison in England awaiting extradition to the U.S. for simply showing the human rights violations of the U.S. in Iraq. He faces 175 years in prison We all are guilty of this great injustice. ----Democracy Now
Lawmakers recently passed an $858 billion military budget for the next fiscal year, a striking display of Congressional priorities. In stark contrast, proposals to revive the Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion, a program instrumental in reducing child poverty last year, are being stalled by the GOP. The global arms trade is witnessing a significant surge, as reported by the Financial Times in a recent analysis. The study reveals that orders at many of the world’s biggest arms companies are reaching “near record highs,” driven by increasing geopolitical tensions in recent years. As of the end of 2022, the combined backlogs of the world’s 15 top arms makers stood at an astonishing $777.6 billion, marking a 10% increase from 2020. ---Nation of Change
Last week there were more than 2,400 Arrests Calling for CEASE FIRE Now. ----the Nuclear Resister
The National Farm Worker Ministry is asking folks to bring letters to their local Wendy's to request that they join the Fair Food Program. We'd love it if you could join us by delivering a letter to a Wendy's in your area. Wendy's stands alone as the last of the five major fast food corporations in the country to refuse to join the Fair Food Program. Letters are available on the National Farm Worker Ministry website: nfwm.org Wendy's Corporation also funds lobbying here in Wisconsin to have federal TANF funds (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) used to provide trainings for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin workers to better recruit foster adopters, mostly living in the suburbs. This means less support would go to programs for poor families in need here in our city. We ask that you join us in prayer and action.🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾—Amada Morales
The confirmed death toll in Gaza is now over 21,500 — nearly 1 percent of the entire population. Thousands more bodies are believed to be trapped under rubble. Hospitals, schools, ambulances, and refugee camps have been bombed. the Biden administration continues to furiously lobby Congress to give Israel another $14 billion in military aid with absolutely zero restrictions on how those weapons are used. --The Intercept
“Love your enemies” means no wars and no weapons. Two wrongs do not make a right. Killing those who kill does not prove killing is wrong. And “Do good to those who harm us.”
There are almost 7 million displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to UNICEF, children are being abducted in record numbers to become child-soldiers as young as 5. The country has the world’s highest rate of child rape done by armed groups and soldiers.
Today 8,584 miles of new pipeline are under construction in North America. ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies stand to earn billions next year at the cost of our climate and our planet.---350.org
Political prisoner and diplomat Alex Saab has been freed from US prison where he was arrested for trying to circumvent sanctions on Venezuela. He is now home in Venezuela with his family. He was welcomed home by President Maduro of Venezuela.---Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
Christ came to tell us that true happiness comes not from acquired riches but rather in how much we give to those in need.
**************
Mon, Jan. 15-----23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 1 p.m. at St. Francis Church, 1927 Vel R. Phillips Ave. Milwaukee.
Weds, Jan. 24----ANTI-ROTC VIGIL, Noon to 1 p.m. in front of M.U. Library on Wisconsin Ave.
Weds, Jan. 31——ANTI-GUN VIGIL, Noon to 1pm at Dunham Sports store, 2027 S. 108th St. Dunham advertises and sells guns and assault rifles.
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: It is the last Saturday in December and I am walking in the woods. The trees are bare. The limbs appear dead. Snow has not arrived and the ground is brown from fallen leaves and black where the earth shows through. The new year is almost here. What will it bring? It is a question that can strike fear in our hearts when we think of the conflicts and violence of the present year. Yet I believe to my core that peace and goodwill to all peoples will triumph. If we have love in our hearts and use nonviolent actions to achieve justice for all. As I walk and look around me, if I did not know about the seasons, it would be a very bleak time. So too, if we recognize the power of love we can look forward to the new year. Positive change can come from each one of us when we act with love in our hearts and work toward justice for all. I will close with a quote from the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. “You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us and the world will be as one.” Peace, Roberta
(pictures are from Volk Field in northern Wisconsin last month)
DAVID- One of our newest volunteers. Full of energy and positive encouragements. We are all taking bets on when he will hit burnout.
DEJAHNAY- Has the ability to answer the phone, carry in donations, hold a baby, watch her toddler and keep an intoxicated man from walking into the house, all at the same time.
TAZ- Will never go to a meeting, no matter how many people ask him. And after he hears about the decisions that were made at the meeting, he looks at us in a disappointed way.
MICHAEL- Once shared a muffin with Archbishop Rembert Weakland when he visited Casa Maria.
LAKESHA- The best cook out of all of us. And, unlike the rest of us, she doesn't seem to mind it when others are cooking in the kitchen at the same time. Weird.
LINCOLN- Has a doctorate in theology. So do not listen to his medical advice, no matter how many times he tells you that he is a doctor.
CAITLIN- Started a housing co-op on the block, so now she won't leave us alone about "the power of community organizing."
DON- Likes to remind us that he will most likely go to heaven before the rest of us so we have to be nice to him or he'll tattle.
JOSH- Everyone likes him, even the creepy exterminator we banned from the houses.
ROBERTA- Spends most of her time chasing Caitlin's cat away from the bird feeders. He is named "Trouble" for a reason.
DAI DAI- He is the best with nonviolent communication, to the point of annoying the rest of us.
AMADA- She doesn't return messages right away. And it's not like she is busy raising her kids, running two of our houses, being a volunteer Family Court Advocate and providing advice to most of the moms who pass through our doors.
SHAUN- He is the 795th member of the Campbell family to become a live-in worker. And he is definitely in the top two of Campbells throughout Casa Maria history.
SABINE- She is one of the nicest people...but she will head butt you if she gets the chance. Be careful around her.
LUCAS- Has a new girlfriend so we rarely see him. Seriously, if you see Lucas, please tell him that we are looking for him.
For more info about each of us, please go to casamariacatholicworker.weebly.com/who-we-are.html
DON’S JOKES
Thanksgiving was great. The turkey arrived by plane. The trimmings came by bus, and the gravy came by boat. What do you call a blind reindeer? I have no eye deer. Wife to husband on the phone, Wife: “hey baby, how are you doing?” Husband: “listen, i am really busy, don’t have time to talk at all” Wife: “Well i have good news and bad news for you. you want to hear them?” Husband: “just tell me the good news, i don’t have time for the bad!” Wife: “okay, The good news is the air bags of our new BMW work absolutely fine.” What’s the best Christmas gift? A broken drum. You just can’t beat it. Where would a reindeer go to find her lost tail? A re-tail store. Why did Rudolph never go to school? He was elf-taught. What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia! Where do Santa's elves go swimming? The North pool. What's red and white and falls down chimneys? Santa Klutz! What did Adam say the day before Christmas? It’s Christmas, Eve! What is a vegan’s favorite Christmas carol? Soy to the World What is a dog’s favorite Christmas carol? Bark, the Herald Angels Sing. What is green, covered in tinsel and goes “ribbet, ribbet”? A mistle toad. What is Tarzan’s favorite carol? Jungle Bells.
INTERESTING FACTS
Julian Assange is still in prison in England awaiting extradition to the U.S. for simply showing the human rights violations of the U.S. in Iraq. He faces 175 years in prison We all are guilty of this great injustice. ----Democracy Now
Lawmakers recently passed an $858 billion military budget for the next fiscal year, a striking display of Congressional priorities. In stark contrast, proposals to revive the Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion, a program instrumental in reducing child poverty last year, are being stalled by the GOP. The global arms trade is witnessing a significant surge, as reported by the Financial Times in a recent analysis. The study reveals that orders at many of the world’s biggest arms companies are reaching “near record highs,” driven by increasing geopolitical tensions in recent years. As of the end of 2022, the combined backlogs of the world’s 15 top arms makers stood at an astonishing $777.6 billion, marking a 10% increase from 2020. ---Nation of Change
Last week there were more than 2,400 Arrests Calling for CEASE FIRE Now. ----the Nuclear Resister
The National Farm Worker Ministry is asking folks to bring letters to their local Wendy's to request that they join the Fair Food Program. We'd love it if you could join us by delivering a letter to a Wendy's in your area. Wendy's stands alone as the last of the five major fast food corporations in the country to refuse to join the Fair Food Program. Letters are available on the National Farm Worker Ministry website: nfwm.org Wendy's Corporation also funds lobbying here in Wisconsin to have federal TANF funds (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) used to provide trainings for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin workers to better recruit foster adopters, mostly living in the suburbs. This means less support would go to programs for poor families in need here in our city. We ask that you join us in prayer and action.🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾—Amada Morales
The confirmed death toll in Gaza is now over 21,500 — nearly 1 percent of the entire population. Thousands more bodies are believed to be trapped under rubble. Hospitals, schools, ambulances, and refugee camps have been bombed. the Biden administration continues to furiously lobby Congress to give Israel another $14 billion in military aid with absolutely zero restrictions on how those weapons are used. --The Intercept
“Love your enemies” means no wars and no weapons. Two wrongs do not make a right. Killing those who kill does not prove killing is wrong. And “Do good to those who harm us.”
There are almost 7 million displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to UNICEF, children are being abducted in record numbers to become child-soldiers as young as 5. The country has the world’s highest rate of child rape done by armed groups and soldiers.
Today 8,584 miles of new pipeline are under construction in North America. ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies stand to earn billions next year at the cost of our climate and our planet.---350.org
Political prisoner and diplomat Alex Saab has been freed from US prison where he was arrested for trying to circumvent sanctions on Venezuela. He is now home in Venezuela with his family. He was welcomed home by President Maduro of Venezuela.---Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
Christ came to tell us that true happiness comes not from acquired riches but rather in how much we give to those in need.
**************
Mon, Jan. 15-----23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 1 p.m. at St. Francis Church, 1927 Vel R. Phillips Ave. Milwaukee.
Weds, Jan. 24----ANTI-ROTC VIGIL, Noon to 1 p.m. in front of M.U. Library on Wisconsin Ave.
Weds, Jan. 31——ANTI-GUN VIGIL, Noon to 1pm at Dunham Sports store, 2027 S. 108th St. Dunham advertises and sells guns and assault rifles.
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: It is the last Saturday in December and I am walking in the woods. The trees are bare. The limbs appear dead. Snow has not arrived and the ground is brown from fallen leaves and black where the earth shows through. The new year is almost here. What will it bring? It is a question that can strike fear in our hearts when we think of the conflicts and violence of the present year. Yet I believe to my core that peace and goodwill to all peoples will triumph. If we have love in our hearts and use nonviolent actions to achieve justice for all. As I walk and look around me, if I did not know about the seasons, it would be a very bleak time. So too, if we recognize the power of love we can look forward to the new year. Positive change can come from each one of us when we act with love in our hearts and work toward justice for all. I will close with a quote from the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. “You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us and the world will be as one.” Peace, Roberta
(pictures are from Volk Field in northern Wisconsin last month)