Location: Loras College, outside of the ACC
Equipment: Canon Rebel XTi, EF50mm f/1.8
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure: 1/4000
ISO: 1600

Tonight Carolyn Zens, Matt Romkey and I headed to Mercy Hospital to hang out with Christopher, one of our miracle children.  The last few weeks Christopher has been in and out of the hospital, and thanks to his CarePage updates we thought he might be up for some Dance Marathon visitors.  As we walked into the hospital we were greeted by another Miracle mom and she asked us to sign in  and told Christopher we were here.  He opened the door to his room with a BIG smile and said “This is my room, come on!”

The room had a few toy cars, a blanket, Fluff (his favorite stuffed animal), and Fuzzy his new build-a-bear.  We brought him a few new toys and as he opened the bag he oohed and ahhed and tossed the new toys at his mom to look at.  Then he came to the glow-in-dark-sword. Almost instantly the hospital room turned into no-lights fighting zone between Christopher and Matt.  

As they played, Christopher’s IV pole was beeping and a nurse had to come and figure out what was wrong.  As they looked at the IV, Christopher tried hard to sit still next to his mom while to nurses looked and flushed his IV.  As I watched, I saw his feet squirming and his face cringing, but the only thing he asked was that they flush slowly and if he could hold his new sword.  He knew more about IVs than I could ever imagine knowing as a 22 year old, let only being just 5 years old.  His bravery and patience could teach all of us a lesson in life.  The few times I have ever had to have an IV I cringe, shut my eyes, and need a hand hold, but this 5 year old was so brave and once they realized that he needed a new IV the only thing he said was, “Don’t call the doctor with the big needles.”   Christopher’s courage was inspiring and motivational.    I hope that all people, old and young alike, can turn to Christopher for inspiration whether it be for health, happiness, or DANCING because this little guy was so brave as he sat on the hospital bed. 

I can’t imagine sitting in the hospital for days being strapped to an IV pole, then having 3 college students come to play and visit with me.  As Christopher waited for the nurses he was still playing with his sword and waiting for them to finish.  When they finished, he jumped right up and began playing again.  He had SO much energy and didn’t even mind that there were girls there to play with him, even though he used his blanket to be invisible from us.   

His mom, Kristina says his older siblings can’t wait to come to Dance Marathon and “stay all night”.  Christopher calls us Dance America.  So tonight, I am part of Dance America!

Let’s hope and pray Christopher gets healthy so he can come to Dance America 2010.

Love,

Mollie Martin

Family Relations Co-Chair

Fr. John Haugen, known as Padre to many students.

Fr. William Joensen

Joensen, who is currently the Chair of the Loras Philosophy, Religion and Theology Division as well as the priest for Clarke College in Dubuque.

Look for updates on MyDuhawk.com as more information becomes available.

Here is Loras’ announcement written by President Jim Collins:

Dear Members of the Loras Community:

I wish to make you aware of an administrative personnel change that will become effective this summer.

Dean of Campus Spiritual life, Fr. John Haugen, will be leaving Loras for a well-deserved sabbatical and then some advanced studies. As you know, Fr. Haugen has brought great energy and leadership to many of our Catholic Identity initiatives. He has been tireless in his work and advocacy for Loras.

Last year, Fr. Haugen celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his priesthood ordination. This milestone in Fr. Haugen’s life has prompted him to reflect upon his priestly ministry going forward. Some time ago, Fr. Haugen and Archbishop Hanus discussed the possibility of a new assignment. Since Fr. Haugen requested Archbishop Hanus to consider a reassignment, Archbishop Hanus and I have had a few conversations about a potential transition. I am very grateful for the collaborative conversations that the Archbishop and I have had. We both acknowledged that choosing Fr. Haugen’s successor would be challenging. It was my strong recommendation, affirmed by Archbishop Hanus, that the next Dean of Campus Spiritual Life be a person with Catholic college/campus experience, known to and respected by the Loras community.

Therefore, I am pleased to inform you that Fr. William Joensen will be Loras’ next Dean of Campus Spiritual Life. Fr. Joensen is a highly regarded teacher, scholar and academic division chair. He has also been serving as the Chaplain for Clarke College, Director of Spiritual Formation for the St. Pius Seminary Program at Loras and supply priest in local parishes.

With this new assignment, Fr. Joensen will continue as a member of the academic and seminary faculties. He will relinquish his duties as Chair of the Loras Philosophy, Religion and Theology Division, as Clarke’s chaplain and as supply priest. Since Fr. Joensen will maintain his current teaching responsibilities, Archbishop Hanus will present another priest to assist Fr. Joensen with some of the campus liturgy responsibilities. Director of Campus Ministry, Colleen Kuhl, provides great leadership for our solid and dedicated Campus Ministry team so we are able to continue the momentum and continuity in that regard.

Change and transition are always challenging for close-knit campuses like Loras. Part of the difficulty relates to the forging of relationships with people like Fr. Haugen and then having to say, “good-bye.” Recognizing this, I nevertheless ask that you join me in prayerful support for Fr. Haugen at this time of transition. He has come to love this community and departing will be no easy undertaking. We owe him our gratitude and best wishes.

Likewise, I ask you to join me in offering congratulations and support for Fr. Joensen. He did not seek or expect additional responsibilities. Nonetheless, his selfless willingness to serve the College at this time is exactly why I believe he will build upon the work of Fr. Haugen to offer outstanding leadership and ministry for the continued good of Loras College.

Finally, I offer thanks to Archbishop Hanus and the Division of Spiritual Life for their assistance and support during the transition. They have and will continue to invest faith, personal sacrifice, practical wisdom, and great compassion as we enrich and foster our students’ faith, hope, and love for God and neighbor.

Cordially,
Jim

James E. Collins ‘84
President
Loras College

“Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.”

-Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

On March 2, 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel, was born and soon after would be entering schools, homes, libraries, etc through his rhymes and crazy pictures. But he would not be known as Theodor; he would be known worldwide simply as Dr. Seuss.

If the doctor was still alive today, he would have turned 106 years old, but unfortunately he passed away on September 24, 1991.  I can still remember sitting in my elementary school classes and reading his classics like, Green Eggs and Ham or The Cat in the Hat.  So today I filmed a class doing just that. (haha it rhymed)

Even during doctor visits, a Dr. Seuss book was always waiting to be read to me by my mother as we waited for the doctor.  My mom has been a daycare provider for the past 16 years and I can still go home today and hear her reading aloud, The Foot Book, to her daycare children.  The book is  tattered, torn and currently held together with masking tape, but that doesn’t stop her from reading it or hearing the kids finish the last word in the rhyme.

Looking back at it, Dr. Seuss made reading fun for me. It was a time for me to learn how to sound out words when I first started reading and it was a time that always brought my family together for one last bedtime story.  It got to a point where I memorized his books and didn’t even need to look at the pages.

I grew out of Dr. Seuss and started reading text books and novels in high school.  I began to hate reading because I couldn’t find an adventure in my regular books (let alone a rhyme).  But just when I was ready to take on the world of college, I received a gift.  I had opened all my high school graduation gifts; money, towels, money, laundry bags, money, bath caddies, and a book.  A book my aunt and uncle got me called, Oh! The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss.  You know what I did?  I opened it and right there in the middle of all my gifts in front of my family I read the last book Dr. Seuss wrote.

His words still inspire me today.  That book my aunt and uncle gave me was a way to reassure me that I was going to be ok in college and that I was going to do great things; the world I was going to walk into was mine.  And now, as a senior in college ready to take on an even bigger world, I’m going to read that book again just to reassure myself that everything is going to be ok and that world is still mine. The possibilies are endless.

“Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

-Dr. Seuss (last line in his last book)

We continue reflecting on our Lenten theme of CHOICES. This weekend, we have the story of the woman at the well whom Jesus asks for a drink, even though she is the one who is really thirsty! He knew everything about her and he never judged her.

We live in a world today where knowledge is power, and at times we choose to use knowledge about others against them. Jesus’ knowledge of this woman’s past brokenness was the source of his compassionate reach towards her, and became the beginning of her healing.

In these busy Lenten days, we might all do well to think about the opportunities we have to be a source of healing and compassion to others who are thirsting for affirmation or consolation in their lives. Our choices are many! And rather than pass on information we may have about others as “gossip,” instead we can become the hands and heart of Christ bringing refreshment and relief to those whose souls are parched with life. The woman at the well was so moved, she chose to tell everyone: “He told me everything I have done.”

How would you have felt if it had been you? How will the story of the woman at the well cause me to think differently about my choices this coming week?

Have a great Lent. ~Padre

MAQUOKETA-Milk is known to build strong bones but it’s also causing controversy in Iowa.  Debates continue to pour into state houses and court rooms over the sale of raw milk. However, the cups of consumers hoping to purchase or sell raw milk may remain dry for quite some time.

Raw milk from the Heinrich's farm.

Based on product safety, courts have turned down requests to loosen the restrictions on unpasteurized milk sales to the public.

Owner and operator of Heinrich Farms, Joe Heinrich says, “The reason pasteurization came about was because, you wanted to get some of these impuritiess out that were causing some health problems.”

Although many dairy farms filter the milk after milking Heinrich says the step of pasteurization is key in ensuring a safe and healthy product.  He says, “I have a real concern as a dairy producer and a farmer one of my goals is to make sure I’m selling a safe product and my concern with not having it pasteurized, by selling raw milk, we may not be selling as safe as a product that we otherwise could.”

Pasteurization is the process heating the milk to a high enough temperature to rid bacteria and pathogens that could contaminate the dairy. Those supporting the sale of raw milk are concerned with the decrease in milk’s natural nutrients after pasteurization however; Heinrich says it’s a minimal loss.

Joe Heinrich in his daily routines.

“The big thing that I see is the misconception that pasteurization actually makes the milk a poorer quality but it really doesn’t at the end of the day and I think people really have to realize that a lot of these things are done with modern technology…it’s something we want to do to make sure our consumer isn’t getting sick from our product.”

Heinrich feels it’s unlikely for the courts change their minds on the issue at this time.

Beers requiring more than 5% alcohol cannot be produced in Iowa.

Beer brewers across Iowa are uniting and asking  that Iowa breweries be allowed to make and sell beer with more than 5 percent alcohol content.

Home brewers like Jerry Anderson, owner of The Brew Haus, located on Bluff Street in downtown Dubuque. Before Anderson’s business took off, it started as a simple hobby.

Anderson’s business is providing home brewing supplies for customers across the US and into Canada.

“I’m now sharing my hobby with the world,” says Anderson.

But home brewers have the advantage over Iowa’s breweries. They choose the amount of alcohol they want in their beer.

“Fermentation is the process that is legal in the United States, distillation is not. I have products that are fermentable up to 19% – 20% alcohol,” explains Anderson.

On the other side of the Mississippi, Potosi, Wisconsin and other Wisconsin breweries do not have a legal limit to the amount of alcohol placed in their beer.

But Greg Larsen, executive director of the historical Potosi Brewery, understands Iowa’s frustrations with the issue.  He says the process of making older traditional beers needs to have that higher percentage of alcohol in order to re-create the same taste and texture of the beer.

“The 5% ABV actually limits the amount or the style of beer you can get.  Once it gets over that 5% ABV becomes a liquor item which is a whole bunch of problems with that.  Higher taxes I would assume,” explains Larsen. It is also creating higher prices for Iowa’s consumers and brewers, so customers take their money elsewhere and have been doing so for years. “You have an IPA produced or brewed in Iowa and you come just across the river to Wisconsin it’s going to be night and day from a retail perspective,” says Larsen. Larsen also says there are potential problems with home brewed beers too. “Sanitation is key, along with exposing your beer to elements like oxygen and sunlight.  There are really a lot of good home brewers out there, but to really get a good brew there’s a lot things that you have just right,” explains Larsen. A controlled environment, like a brewery, will guarantee better results, but until the 5% alcohol restriction is reconsiderd, Iowans will have to take a chance on brewing their own stronger beers or taking their business across state lines.

I didn’t watch all of it, but I was able to watch a portion of the summit and I was pleasantly surprised by the representative’s respect for each other. As far as I understand, no major arguments or name-calling transpired, and their discussions involved substance above politics.

I was especially impressed with Rep. Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin. Out of all the members of Congress, Mr. Ryan seemed to be the most educated on the costs of the bill. He provided concrete evidence to prove all of his points and contradicted the Democrats’ claims about the costs of the current health care legislation.

President Obama and the Democrats say the bill reduces the deficit by a significant amount. That is true if you refuse to look past the smoke and mirrors of the legislative language. The Democrats in Congress have leaned on the impartial nature of Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prove the bill reduces the deficit. But as Ryan said during the health care summit, the members of the CBO are supposed to “score what is in front of them.”

The proposed bill would cost about $950 billion, but actual spending doesn’t kick in until 2014 and ends in 2024. This bill does a few things that lead to the facade of fiscal responsibility. First, there are several targeted tax increases that purportedly would raise about a half -trillion dollars. Then there’s the proposed cutting of  Medicare entitlements that would save another half-trillion dollars over 10 years. That sounds like it would pay for a $900 billion bill, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

These new tax increases and Medicare cuts would start as soon as the bill is signed – presumably 2010 or 2011 – and end in 2020. As stated previously, the bills’ spending doesn’t kick in until 2014 and continues through 2024. This means that, for at least four years, the bill isn’t being funded at all! The sly trick that allows the bill to appear deficit-reducing is, in fact, intentionally ignoring four years of spending. To put it simply, the bill’s legislative language tells members of CBO to begin the tax increases when no spending takes place. This is exactly what creates the front of a deficit-reducing bill.

Think of it this way: If you decide to join a fraternity or sorority your freshman year of college, and your monthly dues start at $100 – it would cost you $1,200 for the full year. But if you delayed and didn’t join until six months later, the total cost would only be $600. Pretty good deal, right?

Well, not really, because the subsequent year, and every year after, the membership would cost you the full $1,200. Delaying the payments until July doesn’t mean the following year’s budget will be less than $1,200. Now compute those numbers to trillions of dollars and you’ve got the current health care legislation. It holds off on implementing the new spending in order to make the initial total appear less costly. What numbers would we see if the bill was written truthfully? According to Mr. Ryan, the true 10-year cost is $2.3 trillion.

To this point, other members of Congress have yet to invalidate any of his comments and the president didn’t seem too interested in rebutting any of the numbers he presented. That being said, we should have no reason to believe that Mr. Ryan is a liar. He presented his understanding of the facts within the legislation, and Democratic members of the summit mostly disregarded his comments and moved onto other issues.

It’s a really complicated trick that convinces many people to think it’s a fiscally responsible bill, but after deeper research it appears the bill is the furthest thing from responsible. In fact,  it’s misleading.

The government of the United States shouldn’t be allowed to ignore costs. Imagine if you skipped paying your taxes for four years? The IRS would ship you off to prison. Since when is the government entitled to do the same exact thing? Is it fair that our government can get away with such irresponsible fiscal planning but not its own citizens? The government should balance their budget exactly how you would balance your own.

Remember Obama’s statement regarding the health care reform bill? “I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” Yup, I’ll say it: Obama lied to you. I always disliked politicians before, but it’s really unfortunate that politicians have figured out ways to mislead the American people. Oh wait … they’ve done that before.