Bushsays . trQopsmust stayin Iraq TriptoEcuadortrcinsforms 8 students

ANNMARIE CHACKO STAFF WRITER Ac729@CABRINI.EDU

Eight Cabrini students skipped the beaches and opted to help a starving neighborhood in Ecuador during spring break week. The students learned that happiness does not always come with a designer label. The students also learned that hunger is a fatal problem throughout the world, but the people of Ecuador still remain positive.

For these students, they saw, felt and lived this experience, and their lives were changed while on their trip to Ecuador with the Catholic Relief Services program, Rostro de Cristo (face of Christ).

On Feb. 24, with their packing all done and butterflies in their stomachs, they departed for Duran, Ecuador, not knowing what to expect. They arrived at night where the atmosphere was poor and not at all sugarcoated. They were scared, nervous and shocked with what they saw.

"At ajght, you saw poverty. But in the daytime, people were so nice and friendly," Brenna Bangs, a junior elementary education major, said.

Bangs was one of the eight students who went to Ecuador. She joined Chris Leeds, Bob Moren, Jolaine Gero, Karly Brennan, Curtis Iorio, Kathleen Grant and Hadi Adam Poresky. They were accompanied by David Chiles, the director of service learning, and Laura Gorgol, the campus minister, as well as two women from Catholic Relief Services.

The four focus points of the trip consisted of simple living, intentional community with the residents, to develop long-term strategies and solutions and to see the face of Christ in the Ecuadorian people, according to Laura Gorgo!, and one of the chaperones on the trip. To achieve that, they visited neighbors, hospitals and after-school programs. They built relationships with the people of Duran in order to understand their lives. They ate on a dollar a day to experience the life of many in Duran.

"We fed 10 people with $5. We think that's a lot, but, in real- ity, they don't have $5," Bangs said.

Gorgo! said, "It was a transformative experience for the students as well as for myself and David [Chiles]. This experience changed their view of the world, their roles in it and their responsibilities," Gorgo! said.

When visiting the schools, one of the first observations was decent education was not free. In fact, education was scarce for some. Schools were overcrowded, understaffed and severely under-funded. At most schools, basic supplies like paper, pens and books were not available to the children. In spite of this, the Cabrini College students were able to find hope in schools like Nuevo Mundo, a school that offers scholarships for needy children.

"People there seem happy and they're not materialistic at all," Jolaine Gero, a sophomore marketing major, said. "They were driven by their faith and love for their families. They were so accepting and made us feel welcome."

"I learned that a rich economy such as the U.S. is nowhere as near as nice or welcoming as those who live in pure poverty, where teachers make $130 a month and doctors only $160 a month," Bob Moren, a freshman religious srudies major, said.

"People in the United States are very ignorant. This experience made me conscious of who I was and who I wanted to be when I came home," Gero said. "Coming into this trip, I wanted to see what I could do for people. But having left there, I see what they have done for me."

Each person who went on the trip to Ecuador left there with an experience. For some., it was life-changing. For others, it opened their eyes. But for all of them, it was one where they learned, lived and grew to understand.

"My experience in Ecuador is one that changed the way I look at everything," Moren said. "There is so much I have learned and will apply when I go back after I graduate."

Gero agreed and said, "People need to see it for themselves what it's like to live in a third world country and see what we saw."

Bush spoke out against critics who believe American troops should be brought home. Many believe that Bush's task is complete: Iraq is liberated; however Bush disagrees. He said that in the upcoming months, there will be more fighting and struggle in Iraq. Before American troops withdraw, the Iraqi government must be able to defend itself, and at this moment it is not capable.

Medicare hurting pharmacies

Many pharmacists are losing money as a result of Medicare's new prescription drug benefit. Pharmacists are voicing their concerns and taking them right to the White House. The administration is being forced to recognize the problems that are occurring under the new program. There is much concern that independent pharmacies may have to shut down their businesses because they are not getting paid the correct amount or receiving money quick enough under Medicare. According to a spokesperson for President Bush, the meetings with the pharmacists went well and while their concerns were heard, the priority is still getting senior citizens the medication they need.

Second largest newspaper company sold Knight Ridder, the second largest newspaper company in the U.S., is selling itself to a company half its size, the McClatchy Company. Knight Ridder is being sold for $4.5 billion. Under the new company, 12 Knight Ridder newspapers, including The Inquirer and The Daily News, will be sold to other companies. Gary Pruitt, McClatchy's chairqian and chief executive, said 20 of Knight Ridder's newspapers will remain. The new company will have 32 daily newspapers that will be circulated to approximately 3.2 million. According to The New York Times, Pruitt called the deal with Knight Ridder, "'a vote of confidence in the newspaper industry."

Mad cow disease kills cow in Alabama

The third U.S. case of mad cow disease was discovered in a cow in Alabama. Officials say that the cow didn't enter the food supply. According to The Washington Post, John Clifford, the department's chief veterinarian, assured that U.S. beef is safe to eat. However, many countries that buy beef from the U.S. are growing weary after mad cow disease has occurred three times in the U.S. Japan, the top buyer of American beef, banned the buying of beef after the first incident of mad cow disease. This ban is now removed. The first case of mad cow disease was in Dec. 2003, followed by a second case in June 2005. Since the first encounter of mad cow disease in the U.S., ground-up cattle remains were banned from being put in the cattle's food. This was a safeguard put in place because eating contaminated food is believed to be the only way cattle can acquire mad cow disease.

What would.youdo with $50 billion?

MEGHAN HURLEY STAFF WRITER MLH722@CABRINI.EDU

Every year, Forbes magazine lists the world's billionaires. Last year there were 793 billionaires whose net worth was $2.6 trillion. The top 10 have a net worth of $275.4 billion. These people include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Paul Allen. Bill Gates is, of course, the richest man, with a net worth of $50 billion.

Whenever I see this list, I think to myself, "What would I do with $50 billion?" Right now I can't even imagine myself with $500, much less $50 billion. I have $66 in my bank account, am behind two months on my car payments and have no steady income. But I lead a decent life.

I don't think that anybody