Maryknoll Sisters

By accessing or using the service, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth below. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms and conditions, you may not access or use the service. Maryknoll may modify this agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified agreement. You agree to review the agreement periodically to be aware of such modifications and your continued access or use of the service shall be deemed your conclusive acceptance of the modified agreement.

1. Operating Policies:
You agree to comply with the Operating Policies set forth below which are the rules that govern your activity in connection with the Service as they may be amended by Maryknoll Sisters from time to time. Maryknoll Sisters has the right but not the obligation to remove any communications and materials that Maryknoll believes in its sole discretion violate the Operating Policies.

2. Copyright, Licenses and Idea Submissions:
The entire contents of the Service are copyrighted under the United States copyright laws. The owner of the copyright is Maryknoll Sisters. You may print and download portions of material from the different areas of the Service solely for your own non-commercial use. You may make: (a) one machine readable copy, (b) one backup copy, and (c) one print copy of any portions of material downloaded from the different areas of the Service solely for your non-commercial use. Any other copying, redistribution, retransmission or publication of any downloaded material, is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Maryknoll Sisters or any third party information provider to the Service.

You agree not to change or delete any proprietary notices from materials downloaded from the Service. You agree to grant to Maryknoll Sisters a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license, with the right to sublicense, to reproduce, distribute, transmit, create derivative works of, publicly display and publicly perform any materials and other information (including, without limitation, ideas contained therein for new or improved products and services) you submit to public areas of the Service (such as bulletin boards, forums and newsgroups) by all means and in any media now known or hereafter developed.

You also grant to Maryknoll the right to use your name in connection with the submitted materials and other information as well as in connection with all advertising, marketing and promotional material related thereto. You agree that you shall have no recourse against Maryknoll Sisters for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in your communications to us.

3. Use of the Service:
You understand that, except for information, products or services clearly identified as being supplied by Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll Sisters does not operate, control or endorse any information, products or services on the Internet in any way. Except for Maryknoll-identified information, products or services, all information, products and services offered through the Service or on the Internet generally are offered by third parties that are not affiliated with Maryknoll Sisters.

You also understand that Maryknoll Sisters cannot and does not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading through the Service will be free of infection or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to the Service for the reconstruction of any lost data.

You assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the service and the Internet. Maryknoll does not make any express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever (including without limitation warranties of title or noninfringement, or the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose) with regard to the service, any merchandise, information or service provided through the service or on the Internet generally, and Maryknoll Sisters shall not be liable for any cost or damage arising either directly or indirectly from any such transaction.

It is solely your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise and other information provided through the service or on the Internet generally. Maryknoll Sisters does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free or that defects in the service will be corrected. The service and the software are provided on an “as is, as available” basis.

You understand further that the Internet contains unedited materials some of which are sexually explicit or may be offensive to you. You access such materials at your risk. Maryknoll Sisters has no control over and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for such materials.

In no event will Maryknoll Sisters be liable for (I) any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages (including, but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of programs or information, and he like) arising out of the use of or inability to use the service, or any information, or transactions provided on the service or downloaded from the service, even if Maryknoll Sisters or its authorized representatives have been advised of the possibility of such damages, or (II) any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the service and/or materials or information downloaded through the service. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you. In such greatest extent permitted by law.

4. Indemnification:
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Maryknoll SIsters, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to the Service from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation of this Agreement or any activity related to your account (including negligent or wrongful conduct) by you or any other person accessing the Service using your Service account.

5. Third Party Rights:
The provisions of paragraphs 3 (Use of the Service), and 4 (Indemnification) are for the benefit of Maryknoll Sisters and its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers, and any third party information providers to the Service. Each of these individuals or entities shall have the right to assert and enforce those provisions directly you on its own behalf.

6. Term; Termination:
This Agreement may be terminated by either party without notice at any time for any reason. The provisions of paragraphs 2 (Copyright, Licenses and Idea Submissions), 3 (Use of the Service), 4 (Indemnification), 5 (Third Party Rights) and 7 (Miscellaneous) shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

7. Miscellaneous:
This Agreement shall all be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in New York. You agree that any legal action or proceeding between Maryknoll Sisters and you for any purpose concerning this Agreement or the parties’ obligations hereunder shall be brought exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction sitting in New York. Any cause of action or claim you may have with respect to the Service must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises or such claim or cause of action is barred. Maryknoll’ failure to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. Neither the course of conduct between the parties nor trade practice shall act to modify any provision of this Agreement. . Maryknoll may assign its rights and duties under this Agreement to any party at any time without notice to you.

OPERATING POLICIES
Your participation in on-line communications occurs in real time and is not edited, censored, or otherwise controlled by Maryknoll Sisters. Maryknoll Sisters cannot and does not screen content provided by users of the Service. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Maryknoll reserves the right to monitor content on the Service and to remove content which Maryknoll Sisters, in its sole discretion, determines to be harmful, offensive, or otherwise in violation of these Operating Policies. In order to maintain an informative and valuable service that meets the needs of the users of the Service and avoids the harm that can result from disseminating statements that are false, malicious, violate of the rights of others, or otherwise harmful, it is necessary to establish the following rules to protect against abuse:

1. You may not post or transmit any message anonymously or under a false name.
2. You may not post or transmit any message which is libelous, defamatory or which discloses private or personal matters concerning any person. You may not post or transmit any message, data, image or program which is indecent, obscene or pornographic.
3. You may not post or transmit any message, data, image or program that would violate the property rights of others, including unauthorized copyrighted text, images or programs, trade secrets or other confidential proprietary information, and trademarks or service marks used in an infringing fashion.
4. You may not interfere with other users use of the Service.
5. You may not post or transmit any file which contains viruses, worms, “Trojan horses” or any other contaminating or destructive features.
6. You may not post or transmit any message which is harmful, threatening, abusive or hateful. It is not the Service’s intent to discourage you from taking controversial positions or expressing vigorously what may be unpopular views; however, Maryknoll Sisters reserves the right to take such action as it deems appropriate in cases where the Service is used to disseminate statements which are deeply and widely offensive and/or harmful.
7. You may not post or transmit charity requests, petitions for signatures, chain letters or letters relating to pyramid schemes. You may not post or transmit any advertising, promotional materials or any other solicitation of other users of the Service for goods or services except in those areas (e.g., a classified bulletin board) that are designated for such purpose.
8. You may not post or list articles which are off-topic according to the description of the group or list or send unsolicited mass emailings to more than twenty-five (25) email users, if such unsolicited emailings provoke complaints from the recipients.
9. You may not use the facilities and capabilities of the Service to conduct any activity or solicit the performance of any illegal activity or other activity which infringes the rights of others.

Fresh clean water to drink. Healthy clear air to breathe. Some things in life we take for granted. In the northern Philippines, people can’t be so sure.

The northern region of this island chain has the third-largest concentration of tribal peoples in the Philippines. It also has some of the dirtiest air. People in Baguio City, for example, complain of barren mountain ranges that used to be green with pine trees. The air is not the same, either. It’s filled with smog from the construction vehicles you can see all around.

Land developers here are building multitudes of new homes where the indigenous have made do for years.

“I feel quite sad and disappointed that this area…could come to this sorry state,” said Sister Cathy, who grew up in the Philippines. She said the breathtaking vistas are mostly gone. She wonders if people have forgotten “their oneness with the land.”

In the face of this crisis, our ecological sanctuary is a big help. Recently, while cutting down some older trees to rebuild huts at our sanctuary damaged last year by Typhoon Juan, we saved a tree that has been living on our grounds for almost a century. We decided that the ailing environment needs the tree’s natural beauty and other benefits. It’s among the oldest trees in Baguio.

What’s more, the sanctuary will plant more trees this year than we did in previous years, says Sister Cathy, who directs the ecological center. She teaches Filipinos about ways they can save their environment. Schoolchildren go on field trips at the center, and adults take workshops on earth-friendly planting methods.

Before the sanctuary was about to cut down its older trees, “we held a ritual to honor the spirits in the life of the trees. It was solemn, truly respectful of the indwelling of the spirit and a profound recognition of God as the source of all.”