FROM OUR MAN IN THE FIELD …

Wednesday, May 17: A clinic in Butha Buthe, Lesotho

B’s wrapping up a 10-day trip to Africa. Here’s a bit about his visit in Lesotho from The Independent Online:

Lesotho has one of the highest HIV/Aids infection rates in the world. Unlike its neighbour, South Africa, the Lesotho government has encouraged its citizens to take an HIV test. The Prime Minister, Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili, has even subjected himself to a test.

Bono said it was “scandalous” that Lesotho had not benefited from debt cancellation under a global scheme managed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to write off the debts of the world’s poor countries. “The reason Lesotho has not received debt cancellation is because it has been disciplined, it has been punished for the fact that it has been a good borrower in the past and has paid back its debts.”

There was another indication of the rock star’s frenetic pace of travelling on Thursday. In Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, he promised to keep up pressure on the US and other wealthy nations to make good on their promises of increased aid for Africa, saying there were signs the G8 industrial countries were back-tracking on last year’s promises to double aid to Africa by 2010 to $50bn (£27bn).

Ten days earlier, he said, he had been in Washington: “They welcomed us with open arms … shook our hands and their eyes misted up at the right place. When we left town, they slashed the budget.”

Jesus. Gin. Cat dish. You know the drill.
Reminds me of something I heard somewhere, once upon a time . . .

On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, “Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me.” Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, “Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me.” These will ask Him, “When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?” And Jesus will answer them, “Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!”
— Mother Teresa of Calcutta (paraphrasing St. Matthew) at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, Feb. 3, 1994