Over the past three years, I have had the privilege of leading this remarkable community in an endeavour that has just succeeded at raising $1 million — funds that will keep 17,000 people alive in 2009 at the Tsepong HIV/AIDS clinic in Lesotho, Africa.

I expected to take a moment this Christmas season and enjoy the victory, the accomplishment, maybe relax a little and appreciate how tremendous a feat this was, but the wisdom and knowledge that myself and my team have gained have taken away some of our naiveté, some of our joy.

We have learned that the world is a very difficult and troubled place. We have witnessed unimaginable suffering and we have been seasoned by the tenacious almost herculean persistence and determination that is required of us as we continue to struggle against one of the world’s largest and most daunting crises: the AIDS pandemic.

We have been humbled.

At the annual general meeting of the Masai for Africa board this month, we raised a glass to our successes, rejoiced for those whose lives our efforts will sustain and then humbly — and respectfully — mourned the thousands upon thousands of young lives that have already been lost and will be lost in 2009. Five million to be exact.

Guelph can be proud, very proud. The entire community heard the call to create a better world for those suffering the devastation of the AIDS pandemic half a world away.

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Queenstown’s Lake View Holiday Park manager Greg Hartshorne has come up with a smart scheme to prevent trouble on New Year’s Eve - a plastic bangle.

The bright green wristband is part of the compulsory dress code in the “overflow” area of the camping ground as an instantly recognisable means of showing campers had paid their $50 bond and were legitimate residents over the notoriously rowdy New Year holiday period.

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Kathmandu, (PTI): Journalists in Nepal will put down their pens, cameras and recorders for an hour on Saturday as a symbolic protest against widespread attack on media houses.

Despite the detention of two Maoist trade union leaders, who allegedly led an attack on the premises of Himal Media, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) have continued their agitation saying there is widespread attack against the press and more culprits need to be brought to justice.

“Our protests continue and the agitation will not end unless the government guarantees security to journalists and protect the press freedom by bringing all culprits to justice,” General Secretary of FNJ Poshan K C told PTI.

“Journalists throughout the country will wear black bands around their wrist and will put down their pens, cameras and recorders for an hour as symbolic protest against attack on media,” he said.

In Kathmandu, hundreds of scribes would gather at Maitighar Mandala in the afternoon and stage a rally, a source at the FNJ said.

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EL PASO — Margaret Hussmann isn’t like other teenage girls who are driven by new clothes, make-up, meeting boys and talking on the telephone.

She is 15, an athlete who stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, is smart, demands attention and feels comfortable in sweats. No fancy dresses or stockings for her.

She smiles a lot, has big bluish-green eyes and freckles.

And she is dying.

Margaret was told the cancer in her lung and hip could not be controlled anymore.

The news that she would die soon did not break her. Instead, she decided she wanted to see, feel and experience new things before her body could not fight any more.

“I really wanted to go skydiving and my mom said, ‘What other fun things do you want to do? Let’s make a list,’”she said.

“I’ve never been skydiving, I’ve never been to Disneyland, I’ve never been snowmobiling — I’ve never really done any of these. … We were here making my fun list like at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.”

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Tredante Bias pounds out a beat on the snare drum that hangs from his shoulder. Flanked by good friends Quenton Woods and Ty Sims, a smile escapes his lips as the three do a show-style number that has become a trademark of the Central Medical Magnet High School Marching Band.

“I do everything they do,” said Bias, a sophomore at Central.

“Yeah, we keep him out of trouble,” said longtime friend Todrrick Poullard. “I taught him everything he knows.”
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