Whoa!

Am not sure if my reading is correct, but after some reading and then some, I am a bit unsettled about the  Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace's TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY.  Sure, it gets to read correctly the cause of the financial mess today, y'know, excessive credit due to excessive greed, etc.  

But, as some would say, proposing a solution in the "context of a global public authority", a "global central bank"?  But isn't it that the centralization of governance in the political and financial spheres contributory to the SWAFU?

Is it now succumbing to the concept of One World Government?  Like the Global Warming Alarmists and Population Explosion Doomsayers?  Fair question?

Back home

Mom is back home after more than a week in hospital.  

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS FOR HER AND DAD.

There might have to be other interventions (check-ups, etc), but we are happy that she is back home again.

Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity

Register!

Joe Nebrao+

Dear friend Joe Nebrao passed away last Saturday evening from his cancer.  I first met him in 2007.  I learned a lot from him, and that says a lot.  He got me to help out in Rosevale School, a school that was very close to his heart.  We definitely have an intercessor for the school in Heaven.  

We shared a cab to Kitanglad Center before he left for the US and even then his mind and heart were still for Rosevale as well as the Center.  He was in a hurry to get things in order before his trip, and before his illness could get the better of him.

Here is a photo I snapped of him in 2008 during Rosevale School's Foundation Anniversary.  I capped it as Rosevale Boss.  Now, he is with his Boss. 

He will be interred on Thursday, after the Mass at the Guadalupe Chapel at Xavier Estates.

Some other photos here.

1,000th post on 1,000,000 rosaries

A few of us in school in the beginning, but it's picking up as the days go for "A million roses for the world: Filipinos at Prayer: Peace for all nations".

"to me this is your first birthday"

I just could not not link to this.

About eight months after the reunion, Atkins received a birthday package in the mail from his birth mother. She had learned that Atkins had played baseball as a kid and idolized Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey. The package contained Garvey’s MVP card, a baseball and a Dodgers jersey, all personally autographed by Garvey.

Atkins was stunned. He called his birth mom and thanked her profusely, saying she did not have to do this.

“She told me, ‘You have to understand, Rodney, to me this is your first birthday.’“

When it hits close to home 2

Update 2

Mom's improving.  She will stay at least another night at the ICU for continuing observation.  Dad says her dear doctor will decide tomorrow on whether she goes to a private room and for how long.  Or go home, we can always hope for the best, right?  

She's been chatting up her nurses when they come around. 

(Dad says Celing T. will visit.  Thanks Celing!)

When it hits close to home

Actually, it hit home.

Our Mom Elsa is in the hospital.  In the ICU, for unstable angina.  That is not good.  We are prepared to accept that it could be worse when further tests are done. 

Our Dad brought her to the hospital after midnight of the past Saturday because of pains associated with a heart problem and elevated blood pressure.  Later test results were not alarming enough and her doctor let her leave on Monday to rest at home.

Yesterday, at 2am, Mom again felt the same symptoms of 4 days ago, and so Dad brought her to the hospital again.  Her blood pressure was in the 200/100 range.  With sedation and meds, she was improving.  However, at 11:30 last night, she had more severe chest pains and her blood pressure went down to 50.   She was brought to the ICU.

It was good that she was in the hospital when her blood pressure went down really low.  Although, the hospital (Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital) is really very near where they live.

Earlier today, she was given the sacrament of the anointing of the sick by their dear parish priest.  Her blood pressure is rising, but still in guarded condition.  Maybe well enough to make the trip to the bigger, better equipped General Santos Doctors Hospital in a couple of hours.

I am grateful to all of you praying for her recovery.  Include Dad as well.

Update1:  Mom was transferred to the ICU of the big hospital as I wrote the original post.  We still await official 2d echo results.  It was in fact a heart attack, but may have been milder than we originally feared.  Which is most welcome.  We continue praying, nevertheless, while the dear doctors and nurses do what they do best for her.  The fact that we are far away from them at this time is also, well, bummer.

Misplaced priorities

California bans tanning beds for minor teens.  Harmful, they say.

What about the controversial HPV vaccine for teens without parental consent in California?  

And what about abortion in California?

Let's make "baka"

A friend told me that this reminded him of Arneo students in rallies in the early 80's in Manila.  WhoA!  That's a loaded comment.  Can't verify, wasn't ever there.  Photo from here.

9 years ago today ...

Canonization of St. Josemaria, at communion time.

Our favorite whipping boy

Again.  PDI came out with a report entitled "Climate change blamed for storms, flooding, drought".  It starts off  with "Officials have warned Filipinos to brace against the inconvenient truth of devastating storms, flooding and drought unless policies and projects are put in place to mitigate climate change."   

Of course, it also mentions that oft mistaken and proven otherwise in many fora claim that "A major factor is global warming—the increase in the oceanic and atmospheric temperatures of the planet resulting in the melting of the ice caps and the rising of the seas."  

Ok. So they say.  Quite convenient actually.

The weird thing is that the report also talks about other causes of the destruction that the past typhoons had.  The geologists interviewed, in fact, say, that the mess isn't because of climate change per se, but ... wait for it ... wait for it ... 

"... the proliferation of fishponds and aquaculture projects in the major waterways and in the coasts has slowed down the flow of water from the typhoons and the dams, resulting in prolonged flooding in residential and rural areas ...

"If there were no fishponds and garbage clogging the canals and rivers of the region, “the outflow would have been quicker ...


"... noted that deforestation had caused flooding in areas which did not experience it in the past ...


"... said that illegal logging, slash-and-burn farming and quarrying in mountain areas would lead to soil erosion and flooding."

So what is it really?  Where is global warming in all this?

Also, the report says that a senator said this: 

“If (Pagasa) can predict the volume of rainfall, dam operators can already release water in increments that would not be destructive,” Legarda explained.

“If this kind of meteorological information can be determined, say, one week before a typhoon arrives, does it not make common sense that the dam operators would not release the water only on the day it finally arrives,” she asked.

I do not know how she can say this.  Weather is difficult to forecast, and will always be so.  I do not think PAGASA, in their right mind, can and, they definitely will not try.  They want to keep their jobs you know.