"Reality vs Alarm"

H/T:  WSJ

An invite from Dawn

Greetings from Eden--or make that Washington, D.C.!

I'm writing to invite you to save the date for the launch event for my new book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints. The talk and signing will be Monday, April 23, 6:30 p.m., at the Catholic Information Center, 1501 K St. NW, Washington, DC. (Click here to see a flyer for the event.)

My Peace I Give You (Ave Maria Press, 2012) is the first book ever to offer a Catholic spirituality of healing for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. It bears an Imprimatur (ecclesiastical approbation) from Washington Archbishop Donald Cardinal Wuerl.

Here's more from the Ave Maria Press website:

Eden uses her own story as a backdrop to introduce numerous holy people— like Laura Vicuña, Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux—who suffered sexual abuse or sexual inappropriateness, as well as saints such as Ignatius of Loyola who suffered other forms of mistreatment and abandonment. Readers seeking wholeness will discover saints with wounds like their own, whose stories bear witness to the transforming power of grace. Eden explores different dimensions of divine love—sheltering, compassionate, purifying, etc.—to help those sexually wounded in childhood understand their identity in the abiding love of Christ.

Sisters of Life Superior General Agnes Mary Donovan S.V. writes in the book's foreword:

“An inspired work . . . powerfully moving and hope-filled. . . It is my hope that this book may become a resource readily available: in churches, schools, counseling centers, young adult ministries, libraries, and hospitals. Through it may many whose human dignity has been offended come to know their beauty in the eyes of God, and learn to sing in joy of His love and His mercy. I pray that for every reader this book will be an instrument of grace and instruction.”

The book has also received endorsements from Father James Martin S.J., Alice von Hildebrand, Barbara Nicolosi Harrington, and others.

Would you like to help spread the word about My Peace I Give You? If so, here are some things you can do:

• Mention it on your blog, Facebook page, or other media outlet. Include links to the book's Ave Maria Press home page and its Amazon page (now taking pre-orders). Please also link to my blog, The Dawn Patrol, as I've resumed regular blogging.

• If you would like to review My Peace I Give You for your blog or other media outlet, or if you would like to host my upcoming "blog tour," write to me with your snailmail address so I may ask Ave Maria Press to send you a review copy.  

• Are you in radio or TV, or do you know someone who is? If so, please help me get media interviews. Any personal introductions you could provide to such contacts would be enormously helpful.

• Is there a bookstore, church, college, or any other venue in your area that might like me to come and speak as I promote My Peace I Give You this spring and summer? If so, please link me up with them. I want to speak at shelters and prisons too--anywhere where people might be helped.

• Most of all, please pray for God's will for My Peace I Give You, that it may reach those who would be helped by it. Please also pray for me as I seek to help adults who have suffered childhood wounds find healing in Christ.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers. If you are in Washington, D.C., hope very much to see you April 23 at the Catholic Information Center.

Take on, Shamcey

I was in Cagayan de Oro City for three days last week.  There is much hope.  Of course, that hope is spurred by the "awakening", as a friend says, of how much the local government has not really worked for the people, but rather for their own grip on power.  There are these streamers that say something like Bangon CdO and Go (forward) CdO.  Let us see how far they can sustain this hope.

From the airport, we mistakenly took the main road and ended up having to use one of the newer flyovers (one of those expensive "humps" as they call it) that reminded me of ube ice cream.  Yep, it was painted in purple, shades of purple.   I heard it is the mayor's favorite color.  Then again, it is about Lent, so that'll be a good reminder for the folks at CdO during Lent.

The rest of the days were really routine chats and meetings of sorts.

On Sunday, while lining up to pay for the terminal fee, it happened again.

I had the queezy (is that even a word?) feeling that people were looking at me or at least towards my direction.  Then I felt some sort of, figure, hovering over me.  Like a small cloud suddenly covering the sun on an otherwise cloudless sky.

Nope it wasn't any dementor.  It was BbP. Shamcey S. a little behind me.  At her natural height, plus 4-inch heels, that's hovering.  I did not know it was her at that moment, only some minutes later at the pre-departure area when some ladies went a little agog at her "hovering" presence.  No pictures, you just have to take my word for it, I guess.

On the Q400, before take off, a four-year old kid kept asking his Mum what time we were to take on in Cebu, persistenly, as Mum was keeping things in order and convincing older brother to give in to little sister who wanted a window seat.  

Take on?  What are you saying, son?  Take on?

Take on.  Aren't we to take off shortly?  Take off, then take on.

We had a good flight.  And a good take on.  I like the Q400.

Fruit of the poisonous tree

Why I am not surprised at this:  faulty formation in the faith from both the parents and the educators.  Fruit of a poisonous tree indeed.

Animals, right?

A US federal judge will hear arguments whether animals may have constitutional rights against slavery.  Yep, true.  A case brought on by PETA.*

Perhaps the judge simply wanted to make history, and he did.  Whether these animal rights proponents will succeed is a big question though as the constitution is meant for people.  And these are animals, right?

*People who eat and torture animals?

Earthquake

Everyone's (ok, definitely not) certainly talking, blogging, texting, tweeting, fbing, etc. about the earthquake that hit Central Visayas at about noon today. There have been many more aftershocks that were felt after that 6.8 mag shakedown.  Casualties and damage are minimal as of latest news.  We are thankful.

There was of course a tsunami warning level 2 which caused a lot to panic.  That level meant that we need to be watchful of signs of tsunami, but it did not call for evacuation.  Some had other things in mind.  So they started running up to higher ground.  I cannot really blame them, but when people start believing everything they read via sms or hear things without verification (typical hysteria and panic effects), well, sh_t happens. 

Pray and stay safe.

The truth will set you free; then it will piss you off.

One of the many possible effects of an RH Law is the suspension or eradication even of conscience rights important not only in the religious sense, but in all senses.  Look at what issues come to fore in relation to the universal health care law in the United States.  

Look at how this law becomes problematic for groups, especially Churches, when it comes to conscience rights.  Now even the US Catholic bishops conference, as well as other Catholic and Christian groups who were fence-sitting on the issue of the pro-choice mandates of Obamacare, are complaining.  My nasty twin wants to say I told you so.

Read Judie and like her say:

But wait a minute. Where have these people been for the past four years? Why didn’t they work with other ... four years ago to stop this draconian law from ever being passed in the first place?

Now that the horse is out of the barn, they are screaming? Give me a break! What else can you expect when you sit down with the devil?  

We Filipinos should learn from this.  Let us not miss this true learning moment.

I hate people who say "He's a nice person once you get to know him."  They might as well just say "He's a d__khead, but you'll get used to it."

"If so many journalists believe that … then I know it’s probably not true."

Bernie G. on underhanded moves of anthropogenic global warming shills:

"Scientists, I guess, can be closed-minded, just like stupid people."

In support of ...

No Need to Panic About Global Warming: There's no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to 'decarbonize' the world's economy.

Silence and Word

Pope Benedict XVI preempts the 46th World Day of Social Communications which falls on May 20th with his message for that occasion.  He proposes the theme:  "Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization".

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary. Deeper reflection helps us to discover the links between events that at first sight seem unconnected, to make evaluations, to analyze messages; this makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge. For this to happen, it is necessary to develop an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.

Read Pope Benedict XVI's message in full.  Great points to reflect on, especially those in both mainstream media and the "alternative press" who need to keep silent at times to hear the truth as it is, and report it as it should be.

The tragedy of Roe v. Wade

“We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life – the unborn – without diminishing the value of all human life.” -RR

Read Sen. Orrin Hatch.

39 years

After 39 years of Roe V. Wade, the battle is still on.  What do they mean by "choice"?

H/T:  Jill

"Girls, please, bring back the pretty."

"Young women today do not seem to aspire to pretty, they prefer to be regarded as hot. Hotness is something altogether different.  When women want to be hot instead of pretty, they must view themselves in a certain way and consequently men view them differently as well.

"As I said, pretty inspires men’s nobler instincts to protect and defend.  Pretty is cherished. Hotness, on the other hand, is a commodity.  Its value is temporary and must be used.  It is a consumable."

Bold words, but true.  So true.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-death-of-pretty#ixzz1jg8MxDQ7

The past three weeks or so

 I preface this post with this:

As I watched my girls innocently savor their loveliness and delight in their baubles and baths, I was reminded once again that I must “change and become like the little children.” In spite of all suffering--and sometimes because of all suffering--there is joy. It comes in a million varieties and will manifest itself differently for everyone but, always, there is joy. We need only accept it.

If never occurs to young children that they should reject simple pleasures in favor of toil. Though hard work and discipline have their place, we adults can learn something from the young who never agonize over whether it’s prudent for them to rest and play. They play because God calls them to play. It’s as simple and as perfect as that.

That was from Elizabeth, a "guest post" from Betty Beguiles.

I wanted to post something substantial the past three weeks, and there were many to write about, but somehow never got around to do.  I decided then to just write this one long one ...

December 15.  A long flight delay.  Our 9:20 flight to Cagayan de Oro was pushed back so many times that we flew out of Mactan at 4:30pm.  It was one of those days, y'know?  At so good a record of punctuality (at least, when I am on the flight), the airline gets one "miss".  Not that bad really.

Some of us were pretty prepared to meet this delay head-on, that is, we knew that we cannot really do anything much except to wait and hope for the best and dug into our books or magazines (in paper or electronic format) or strike up conversations with others (somehow it is easier to just talk since there is now one thing we have in common).

But not for the others.  Well, they did have some things in common:  RAGE and generally BOORISH BEHAVIOR.  The customer service and airline personnel were all trying to do what they can, although for the "angry birds", it seemed that nothing these airline ladies and guys did were right:  if they were silent, they are accused of having no concern; if they say something, they are accused of making excuses. 

At some point I was praying that we'd get to leave so that these loose-tongued, generous with their insults types would stop whining, more than my own desire to get to CdO to start doing what I needed to finish there.

Through these 7 hours, I observed that (among many others):

1. Those airline personnel did try the best they could under the circumstances.
2. Angry passengers have a hard time listening or hearing, or waiting. I mean how many times do they need to ask when the flight was going to happen, when the airline just announced that the flight will be further delayed and that they will inform us of the next ETD.
3. Mob rule applies. You only need one to rant about his dismay (as if we are not all dismayed) for many others to do the same. I thought for some moments, some would actually be more violent.
4. The calm ones were those who travel often, and have been in similar, or mostly graver, situations. I had to spend more than 12 hours in two airports on Easter Sunday 2000 because of delays; something that will happen to me and my friends three days after this Thursday flight.
5. Children are usually those who "adjust" well because they see all these delays as play time. While their parents are close to a nervous breakdown because of worry, the children play. Oh how good to be little children!
6. Some did really make good use of their time. A lady, who was traveling with her husband, took the time to have her nails (mani and pedi!) done. They did a pretty swell job she told a friend she saw from another flight. Some slept, and really, horizontally -- good for them. And still many others were reading out of their tablets or laptops. Me? Busy observing people, and writing notes for a possible blog post. I wanted to take "secret" videos but a voyeur I am not. Would have been nice to post some videos?

Later that evening, in CDO, dinner out with some friends.  They were worried about Typhoon Sendong believed to make landfall the following day.  Their home gets flooded on heavy rain days, although they have mitigating systems in place.  Also they were hosting a couple of guys from Manila who were scheduled to fly out Friday morning and Friday afternoon.

December 16.  Rains started at about 11:00.  Continuous light rain.  Power was cut twice, the second one maybe around 10 pm.  Rain still pouring.  Some wind.  Slept through the storm.

December 17.  Eerie feeling.  No power still.  Then we get the news of the devastation.  We pray and try to help in whatever way we can (which was little really).May not have been totally unexpected as the tell-tale signs from January 2009 were present (then, too, I was in CdO and much of the airport aftermath I will write about later in this post happened).

December 18.  Went for a walk exercise early.  Everyone had water containers out.  But water was very scarce.  Saw some of the disaster areas.  Wanted to take pictures but it was very depressing to even think of snapping some.  At 11:00, left for the airport, but was stuck in traffic.  Our friend who was bringing us to airport called the airline (friends of his) to "check" us in, which they did, but we were informed the flight from Cebu turned back because of technical issues and flight will be delayed.  Took lunch at SM after checking in our bags.  Eating places were all full.  One of very few occasions SM eating places were on wait to be seated mode.  Arrived at the airport at 2pm and heard the announcement that flight will be further delayed.  It was deja vu at the pre-departure area:  was not I in just about the same situation not too long ago?

We decided to fly to Manila with the Cdo-Dvo folks as our Cdo-Cbu flight was scheduled to fly out at 9pm yet.  At least in NAIA 3, there would be a change of environment, more "empty" spaces and free WIFI.  Our flight was scheduled to depart for Cebu at 9pm.  We left at 9:30.  Arrived an hour later.  At the luggage bay, we met our would-have-been-co-passengers from Cdo.  

Days before Christmas, a friend, Fred, died in his office at a BPO and helped out in taking care of him as we waited for his wife from Manila.  The other friends from Educhild were really super with all they did for Fred and his wife.  Great!  The day after, he was back in Manila, for his wake; his funeral was after Christmas.

At about the same time, I received word that another friend, Laddie, in Cdo was in bad shape due to his cancer.  He was brought to the hospital.  In my most recent trip to Cdo, I spent some time with him, prayed the Rosary with RodZ and Laddie's family.  He could still hear, I believe, but he could not speak, nor did he have focus in his eyes.  He caught pneumonia too.  Just this Monday evening, he was attached to a respirator.

Starting the new year with a new look/template from Blogger.

Better safer

Abby writes about the intrauterine device.

"A woman came in one day complaining of severe abdominal pain. She had an IUD. During her exam, it was determined that her IUD was the source of her discomfort…it would have to be removed. I came in to assist. I couldn’t believe what I saw. On the end of that IUD was a tiny baby. We estimated the child to be 9 weeks. That baby had been growing on the end of a birth control device. But not to worry, Planned Parenthood says IUDs are safe.

"While working at Planned Parenthood, I decided an IUD would be the best method for me. After 3 years of use, I had no side effects…so I thought. After I had my IUD removed, I realized there might be a problem with my body. I had never had a problem getting pregnant, but several months had now passed, and every pregnancy test came back negative. What was going on? I had some blood work run and was told I didn’t produce several hormones. My body had tried to produce the hormones while the IUD was in…but the IUD won. My body couldn’t compete. I am only pregnant now because of NFP, supplemental hormones and an amazing doctor.

"I found out several months ago that a woman had miscarried because of an IUD inserted at my clinic. She was pregnant when it was inserted. That isn’t supposed to happen…but mistakes are made…her child paid the price. She went to the emergency room because she was having severe abdominal pain. She didn’t know she was pregnant until they did an ultrasound to find out what was wrong. There was her baby. His heart had stopped. She had to deliver her baby and have her IUD removed all in the same visit to the hospital. He was 18 weeks old. Why did this happen? Because an IUD is made to abort children."

Disingenuous not

While some anti-lifers say it is disingenuous to link abortion and anti-life medical practices to the holocaust (it is not), Gerard makes a point in the context of the win by pro-life nurses in New Jersey against their hospital's disregard of their conscience rights related to assisting in abortions.

We’ve been here before.
The Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II wrestled with a very difficult decision. Nazi leaders and concentration camp personnel claimed to be following the lawful orders of Adolph Hitler, orders which were indeed lawful under Germany’s constitution, as the constitution had been amended by the people to declare the Fuehrer’s word law. At those trials, every civilized nation in the world stood to declare that Natural Moral Law is universal, and supersedes all manmade (positive) law.
Yes, the orders in Germany were indeed lawful under positive law, but the Natural Moral Law which takes the human nature of all human beings into its view supersedes any positive law which might conflict with the dictates of Natural Law.
On that basis, war criminals were hanged or imprisoned for life.

In a manner of speaking...

And this is an insult to whom?

“I remember history. When Adolf Hitler assumed power in Germany, he was a most popular figure. He put up the Third Reich and trampled on the rights of everyone because he was very popular. We all know what happened to him.”

On another note, Malacanang's Mr. Lacierda is quoted as advising some judges and court employees, in the context of what he thinks, mistakenly enough, as the Court's declaration of a court holiday:  “to not let themselves be used to further the political agenda of one man and his patron.”

Seems like he is talking about the 188 congressmen and their patron.  Di bala?

 

Sign of good times ahead

... for Canada.

Canada decided to get out of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.  Good for them. 

Not for the young

Got a kick out of this image from Mrs. Rant.

Those BiC ballpens did a pretty good job as well.

A rebound

Apparently, SIRI has checked herself.  Now it's all out for referrals to abortion services, even when not asked.

Some samples (all in jest, peeps, all in jest):

Of course, for as long as abortion clinics do not advertise themselves as abortion clinics nor call themselves as such, SIRI would not be able to locate them as efficiently.  It seems that SIRI is more intelligent than those running these killer places.