Day: April 14, 2023

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Centro Semillero Offers Two Master’s Programs and Endless Possibilities

Houston, Texas, April 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — You may have heard the motto, “Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn.” This principle strongly applies to two Houston-area educators who, through Centro Semillero at University of St. Thomas-Houston (UST), have confirmed their callings as teachers and fortified their faith. Moreover, they are applying the academic program’s four pillars — kindness, discipline, knowledge, and community — to everything they do.

Angel de Jesus Garcia, Current Master’s Student

One of them is Angel de Jesus Garcia, a college advisor at Houston Independent School District and currently enrolled in Centro Semillero’s Master of Sacred Scriptures Program.

“When my friends told me that St. Thomas was about to launch a master’s degree program in Spanish, I went to orientation and decided to give it try,” Garcia said. “That’s how I became part of the first generation of Spanish-speaking theology students, and I thank God for that decision.”

Garcia made this decision because it perfectly supported both his profession as an educator and his after-work role as a leader at his parish’s youth ministry where he attends pastoral meetings, plans retreats, and creates Christian formation programs.

About Centro Semillero

Centro Semillero was created in 2019 as a graduate studies program in pastoral and biblical studies theology at the UST School of Humanities. Offered online and 100% in Spanish, Centro Semillero offers two postgraduate programs: a Master’s in Pastoral Theology and a Master’s in Sacred Scriptures.

“Centro Semillero,” according to its director Father Dempsey Rosales Acosta, “is inspired by the book of Proverbs 2:2-3 when fulfilling the invitation to incline our hearts to the understanding and study of God to grow in his love. Our center offers the opportunity to fulfill this goal of personal and professional growth by obtaining a postgraduate degree in pastoral or biblical studies at UST from the comfort of your home with our 100% online programs.”

Iris Lai Nayas, MAPT ‘21

For Iris Lai Nayas, a 9th-grade Spanish teacher at Pasadena Independent School District, and a graduate of the Pastoral Theology program in 2021, the concepts she learned have opened a door for dialogue with colleagues from other religions.

Nayas said, “The program has helped me find pastoral strategies for interacting with my colleagues, who are not necessarily Catholic. The strategies enable me to dialogue with all of my colleagues and live experiences of faith without losing the essence of mine.”

Most importantly, the program has made her realize that through her interactions with her students and peers, she can be a testament to God’s presence.

“Today, schools they have taken God out of the classroom but thanks to this program, I understand that God has never been outside, and it is up to me to present him, through values, justice, love, prudence, prayer, and faith,” adds Nayas.

Thanks to her graduate degree, Nayas is also a facilitator in the Small Communities of Salt and Light of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.

How to Enroll

Centro Semillero has open enrollment for new students. To learn more about Centro Semillero click here.

Attachments

Sandra Soliz
University of St. Thomas - Houston
713-906-7912
solizs@stthom.edu

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8807777

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Vinevala Farm strengthens cereal production

Vinevala farm pledges to continue to be one of the top cereal producers in Angola, with the main focus on the wheat production.

Located in the municipality of Chinguar, central Bié province, the farm has 15,000 hectares of land available for the production of various products, such as rice, wheat, beans, soybeans and corn.

Vinevala foresees to become, in two years, a reference supplier in the country’s southern region, in particular, and in Angola, in general, despite the constraints in the international market.

However, the farm, which seeks self-sufficiency, invests in the production of various cereals, in an area of approximately 15,000 hectares of land, distributed across the provinces of Bié and Huambo.

Only in relation to the wheat, the farm plans to expand its cultivation field from 2,000 to 3,000 hectares, aimed to respond to the growing demand of the buyers.

Alfeu Vinevala, the owner of Vinevala, who was speaking to ANGOP, said that the goal is to help the country compete with other States in the production of cereals, mainly wheat.

Meanwhile, the businessman requested support from the banking sector to reach this goal.

By the year 2022, the farm had cultivated 400 hectares of maize, 200 hectares of soybeans and 280 hectares of beans. On the other hand,

there was in stock 700 tonnes of wheat, 200 tonnes of corn, 120 tonnes of beans and 60 tonnes of soybeans.

The source added that for current agricultural campaign the farm expects to harvest 4,000 tons of wheat, 200 tons of soybeans, 250 tons of beans and various cereals.

Meanwhile, the production of cereals on a large scale will be one of the priorities of the Angolan Government in the five-year period 2022-2027, a goal that is intended to be achieved with the implementation of the National Plan for the Promotion of Grain Production (PLANAGRAN).

The strategy, starting this year (2023), aims to ensure the country’s self-sufficiency in field production, by making public and private funds available to farmers and farmers, who say they are ready to boost PLANAGRÃO.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Global inflation at 1.21% in March

Overall inflation stood at 1.21% in March this year, with 0.03 percentage points (p.p.) lower than in the previous period and 0.098 percentage points lower than in the same month in 2022.

Wholesale Price Index published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) states that imported products contributed to the “slight” increase in inflation with 0.72 percentage points or 59% and domestic products with 0.49 percentage points, corresponding to 41% of overall inflation.

The source put the year-on-year change for March at 15.18%, reporting a decrease of 15.92 percentage points compared to the previous period.

There is also growing year-on-year change tendency over the last three years, until March, reversing its direction from April 2022, the source added.

In March this year, the prices of national products increased 1.92% compared to February, and Section D – Manufacturing Industries registered the greatest price increase with 1.94%.

In the said period, the products with the highest price variation in this group were offal (4.17%), beer (3.81%), maize flour (3.34%), frozen horse mackerel (3.22%), wheat flour (2.78%), goat meat (2.57%), beef (2.52%), smoked catfish (2.46%), and wine (2.34%).

Other products include dried horse mackerel (2.33%), brandy (2.24%), gin (2.05%), mineral water (2.03%), pork (1.63%), soda pop (1.56%), roasted coffee (1.51%) and dried meat (1.50%).

The cumulative change in domestic products in March 2023 was 5.78%.

In March 2023, prices of domestic products increased by 1.92% compared to February, with Section D – manufacturing industries registering the highest price increase with 1.94%.

Prices of imported products rose by 0.96% over the previous month.

Influencing the price change were those set in Section A, such as agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and forestry, with 1.23%.

The products that increased the most in prices were onions (2.23%), potatoes (1.68%), eggs (1.60%), maize grain (1.59%), cabbage (1.49%), garlic (1.32%), tomatoes (1.10%), peanuts and apples (1.00%) each, carrots (0.77%), pears (0.67%), lemons (0.62%) and brown beans with 0.59%.

The cumulative change in imported products in March 2023 was 2.83%, according to the INE report

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Supreme Court creates fourth division in Criminal Chamber

The Supreme Court (ST) decided Friday to create a fourth division of the Criminal Chamber, aimed to speed up the processing of the cases, the institution’s spokesman Leandro Lopes has said.

Leandro Lopes was speaking at the end of an ordinary session of the Supreme Court, chaired by presiding judge.

He said that of the eight new judges who had recently joined the court, five were assigned to the Criminal Chamber, while the other three were placed in the civil one.

Leandro Lopes also said that the institution now have 23 judges, distributed across four chambers, namely Criminal, Civil, Administrative Litigation, Tax and Customs and Labour.

The spokesman said that the arrival of new magistrates had made it possible to redistribute many pending cases, with a view to meeting the challenge of the president of the Supreme Court, Joel Leonardo, to resolve more than 2,000 pending cases by 2025.

As example, he noted that the Criminal Chamber, with 12 judges, currently has 1,887 cases, with each of them having close to 150 unresolved cases.

The spokesman stated that the new judges will start their functions next Monday .

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Mbouda: sachet whiskey consumers say it is wrong to ban sales

The production and marketing of whiskey sachets below 50 milliliters is henceforth prohibited in Cameroon and defaulters expose themselves to legal actions.

The decision taken by the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry, is contained in a release made public on April 11, 2023.

In 2014, Cameroon’s Ministers of public health, of trade and of mines, industry and technological development, jointly signed a release banning the sales of whiskey in sachets. Traders had 24 months to comply with the decision by exhausting their stock.

9 years after the decision, whiskey continues to circulate in sachets and consumed by many Cameroonians, most of whom are from vulnerable backgrounds.

“I consume sachets because I lack financial means to get myself a bottle of bière. So with 100 FCFA I can satisfy myself,” declares a faithful consumer.

“My son consumes this because of bad friends,” says a mother. “I have told him many times to avoid that. I give him everything and after listening, he still goes in for whiskey in sachets knowing well the health effects,” she adds.

health expersts say the consumption of sachet whiskeys can lead to cancers.The consumption of alcohol in sachet can also have serious repercussions for the functioning of the entire nervous system, particularly the brain and can result in neurological disorders like vitamin deficiency and liver disease according to Dr Fotso Chimi Serge, Gastroenterologist.

These health risks are well known by most of these consumers but they choose to continue consuming the hazardous product.

“I know it’s dangerous to my health, even bierre is dangerous to those who drink like cigarettes dangerous to smokers and sex is also dangerous but we all like it. This ban is just a way of frustrating us,” declares a consumer in Mbouda.

They say that the ban is frustrating because they will not find bottled drinks at such affordable prices. Traders on their part complain that the decision was too sudden.

“Why can’t he let us finish the stock we have?” questions a trader in Mbouda. “The Government is always there to surprise us,” he adds.

The decision taken by the interim minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry took effect on April 11 but repression has not yet began.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

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Farmers fear drop in production as prices of fertilizers skyrocket

Since March 15 2023, farmers in the North West region of Cameroon have been actively cultivating, struggling to meet up with the March-April planting period. One of them is Pascal SUH, an IDP who fled the crisis in Bafut and sought refuge in Bamendakwe “since 2021 that I came here, it has not been easy. My family gave me a piece of land to cultivate and feed my family”

In the North West region, not all grounds are proper for all types of crops but faced with the growing demand, the people turn to fertilizer and manure to grow their plants.

Of recent, they have witnessed the rise in prices of seeds, manure and fertilizer.

“5 litres of red bean seed moved from 2000frs to 4500frs… In 2021, a bag of fertilizer was 16,000frs but now it is about 45,000frs“ another farmer Regina Atongsiri cries as she and her other female friends depend on fertilizer to have a good yield.

While waiting to gather money and get a bag of fertilizer, some farmers do collective tilling commonly called “njangi” where they work together, share excesses of previous harvests and help one another plant.

Unable to produce on a large scale, they plead on government through the regional delegation of agriculture to assist them with seeds or fertilizer so that they can have a better harvest this year.

In mid-March, farmers plant maize and beans, which is harvested by June-July, then plant sweet potato in May to be harvested by November -December.

The North West region is known for its great contribution in feeding Cameroonians and persons in neighboring Nigeria

Source: Cameroon News Agency

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STMA to convert plastic waste into blocks for construction

The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has started work to convert recycled plastic waste into blocks for the construction of household toilets.

The project would serve as a model for the use of plastic waste as material for construction to create jobs for the youth.

It fell under the Entrepreneurship Training and Climate smart production technology of the STMA and its sister city, Palermo Municipality, Italy.

Mr Isaac Aidoo, the Coordinator of the three- year European Union funded Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP), said: ‘We have a lot of plastic wastes in Sekond-Takoradi. We can use it for blocks, make pavement blocks, and for household construction.’

‘We are getting somebody in Accra, who has used plastic waste to build his own house. We want to encourage the youth to go into that venture.’

At a meeting to update the media on the progress of the TCSPP in Takoradi, Mr Aidoo said the project would build 500 bio digester toilets for poor households, especially along the coast, where open defecation was a challenge.

It is expected to train 150 youth, he said, and encouraged the youth in the area to pick-up forms to enroll.

There would be the construction of 100 eco-friendly ovens to support fishmongers along the coast, as part of the climate resilience plan, and representatives would learn the new craft, he said, as the old ovens emitted lots of smoke.

Under the culturally sensitive and inclusive urban strategies, 50 vulnerable individuals, 50 small holder vegetable farmers, and 100 unemployed youth had been trained in urban farming.

Institutions, landlords and resident associations have planted about 5,000 fruit trees to enhance food security at the community level, Mr Aidoo said.

The construction of demonstration farms equipped with greenhouse irrigation facilities to promote urban agriculture had also been done.

Mr Aidoo noted that the TCSSP would roll out a behavioural change campaign around coastal areas to improve sanitation and the general well-being of the people.

The project also seeks to intensify communications on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

This year, it would engage the youth on; Adolescent Reproductive Health, Gender Based Violence, inclusive education and irregular migration.

Two new reproductive health kiosks would be constructed for effective youth engagement on their reproductive rights issues and assistance, Mr Aidoo said.

The Social Welfare and Community Development as well as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service would receive some technical assistance to help in the collection of data to aid in development planning.

Mr Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the three-year project would address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 17, focusing on sustainable cities, communities, and partnership for development.

Its overall objective was to promote a sustainable and integrated urban development in Sekondi-Takoradi and Palermo and improve upon urban management, he said.

Mr Issah said the Assembly had received a three-million Euros grant to support the estimated finance gap of GHc2,408,330,585 to implement the four-year Medium Term Development Plan for the Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolis.

He noted that the project had contributed significantly to achieving some of the Assembly’s plans and promoted accountability, open administration and popular participation by the people.

He urged the media to propagate the success story of TCSPP through their various platforms.

Mr John Buckman, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, said the design of an E-gov platform by the project would deepen citizen participation in local governance and encouraged the media to create the needed awareness.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Census: We won’t ask questions on religion, ethnicity, says NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) has clarified that the Census questionnaire has no column for religion and ethnicity.

The commission made the clarification on Friday in Kano when the National Publicity Committee on the 2023 Population and Housing Census paid an advocacy visit to Nigerian Television Authority, Kano.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit was led by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Chairman of the committee and Minister of Information and Culture, represented by the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari.

Speaking on the speculations that Nigerians would be asked questions on their faith and ethnic affiliation, a member of the committee, Dr Isiaka Yahaya, said the commission was not interested in such data.

Yahaya, who is also the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, maintained that issues of religion and ethnicity being peddled on social media were mere distractions and without foundation.

“Since 1991 when the National Population Commission has been conducting census, we have never asked questions on ethnicity and religion.

“We didn’t do it in 1991, we didn’t do it in 2006 and we won’t do it now.

“The reason is obvious. The two issues are very sensitive and have the capacity to divert attention from the main issue of the census,” he said.

Similarly, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu, urged Nigerians not to see the census as a contest among ethnic groups.

He said the census was only for planning purposes and not to confer advantage on any group.

“For planning purposes, President Muhammadu Buhari said before he leaves office, he wants to deploy digital technology to conduct a headcount.

“The incoming president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed, in planning with our resources, will know exactly how many Nigerians he is planning for,” Okechukwu said.

Abari on his part commended the authorities of NTA for playing a critical role in the sensitisation campaign for the headcount.

He reiterated that the headcount was solely to obtain data for national development purposes and urged the media to help tackle the twin scourge of fake news and misinformation.

The General Manager of NTA Kano, Sani Yusuf, expressed the readiness of NTA to support the sensitisation campaign on census.

He gave an assurance that the media house would produce jingles to aid the campaign as well as provide coverage on the exercise.

NAN reports that the committee also visited Pyramid FM, Kano, Radio Kano and Triumph newspapers.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria