Habemus papam!

Photo from www.voxxi.com

Habemus papam! We have a new pope!

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen by 2/3 of the cardinals from around the globe during the conclave that began on March 12, two weeks after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

The first Latin American pope is a Jesuit and it is not a mystery why he chose to be called Pope Francis--another first in the history of papacy.

What is R. A. No. 10175 or The Cybercrime Law?

Sorry, I can't say much about this newly passed law in the Philippines--R. A. No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Law because I might be the first one to be penalized.

Just click on the link to read the contents of this act. Let me end this post with this...

We can't be silenced forever.

#NoToCyberCrimeLaw

#ItsNoLongerFunInThePhilippines

#RIPBlogs

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

The most wanted terrorist was killed by the elite US armed forces Monday. His body was quickly buried at sea to finally put an end to a decade of hiding.

"Justice has been done," President Obama said in his announcement at the White House.

When is the right time to surrender?

It is the right time to surrender when more than half of the world's population is telling you to do so.

It is the right time to surrender when all you have is your hands, while your enemy still has bombs.

Surrendering is not an act of cowardice, rather, it is a courageous way of saving lives.

Surrendering is not an admission of weakness, rather, strength. Because surrendering takes a lot of courage.

Whatever is happening now in Libya and the rest of the Middle East, is a test. A test of courage, humility and acceptance.

Libya's flag only has one color--green. It means life and yet many lives were taken away because of violent demonstrations.

Pray. Whether you believe in God, in Allah or Buddha and even if you do not believe in gods at all, pray... it is more powerful than we all can imagine.

Genetically Engineered Fish for Dinner

This super salmon is making the news.  A Massachusetts company wants this genetically engineered salmon to be sold in the market and if ever FDA approves that this is safe, it would be the first modified animal to be served on dinner plates.

AquaBounty says that the Atlantic salmon is not cloned but modified by adding growth hormone from a Chinook salmon and it is kept active by using another gene from an ocean pout.

What do you think?

Stars Who Never Seem To Grow Up

What do Lindsay and Paris have in common?

Aside from the fact that they earn millions, they both seem to never grow up.  I am actually sick and tired of the news that once again Lindsay failed her drug test and that Paris was again busted for drugs.  I mean, how many more trials will they have to attend for them to learn from their mistakes?  

The two desperately need professional help and they both need to be locked up in a room without their worldly possessions.

The two are proofs that all the money in the world can't buy happiness and contentment.  

I remember Barbara Walter's interview with Paris years ago and she said that someday she wants to have her own family.  I wonder when will that happen.     Lindsay used to be a straight A student and now she's turned into a straight A train wreck.  

I just hope that these two will return to their sanity, it is a shame because teenagers idolize them.  And idolizing a frequent law breaker is not at all a good thing.

The State of the Nation

I was not able to watch President Noy's SONA yesterday and if you were not able to watch too, you can read the SONA's English translation in this blog. 

Of course I will not let the day pass by without commenting about the current buzz.  So, please bear with me as I address the state of our nation according to me that most government officials don't see or have seen it but did not do anything about it.

I do not frequent Manila but each time I would go there, I notice new buildings being built and new attractions to see and more people in their tattered clothes knock on car windows for alms.  I live in the province and beggars are not a common sight in streets when I was younger.  Looking back to the years when there were few subdivisions and fewer commercial establishments, children still roam the streets, not begging but walking with their friends to go to their favorite hangout to play.  Now, I don't need to go to Manila to see beggars.  It has become a common sight in our province that once you give alms to one, like pigeons, others will flock towards you like you are showering seeds of grace to them.  I couldn't help but ask why.

Last night in the news, a young boy drowned and his body was retrieved after four hours.  A news reporter asked why it took that long for the rescuers to find the body, they said it was because of garbage.  I don't know what made me cringe... the boy's dead body or the sight of the creek full of garbage on national television.  How can we not address this problem with garbage?  Should we wait for another Payatas or Smoky Mountain tragedy before we address the stinking issue?

One Congressman was held in prison for drug charges in Hong Kong.  This Congressman was very vocal about the nation's worst enemy (yet)--drugs.  His being vocal about his condemnation to illegal drugs led him to filing a bill against it.  Funny isn't it?  There is no greater irony than this.  I said "yet" on the previous sentence because what we should look out for and be afraid of are the people who said they will protect us, yet, they are the ones who lure us to plunge into the pits of hell.

A family of nine who lives in a 50 square meter house struggles to make ends meet with their 200-peso daily allowance.  You don't need to be a grocer or be an expert in math to know that this will no way give the family a decent meal.  I am not at all surprised why more and more children perform poorly in school because of malnutrition.  And the Church is still against unnatural family planning methods.

The government offers low cost houses, the mass bit the bait.  But how can they pay for their mortgages if they do not have a job or they have lost their jobs because of poor company performance?  Agricultural lands are being made into subdivisions... but who will live in them?  If those houses were built for the homeless... why are they still sleeping on cartons on the streets or on lands they do not own?

This is the state of the nation in our eyes that only a few take time to see.  These are the issues that are desperately begging for attention and yet they are buried in the depths of the government offices that are elaborately designed for the incumbent to function effectively and efficiently.  

 This is the state of the nation and yet the uppers are eating on a plate that is worth a month's salary of a common Filipino.  Bite after bite, chew after chew... our hopes for a better life are being swallowed and our future being digested by hungry vultures while crocodiles are fighting over a pork barrel.  

This is the state of the nation... would you still dare to see?

The Gay World

I have many gay friends and time with them is one of the happiest moments of my life.  I really admire them for being strong and their positivity is just amazing.  I heard many triumphant stories of them being accepted by their families and friends, I am happy that they are accepted because I really don't see them as different.  There are still many gays out there who are afraid of coming out but let us not judge them and pray that they may find the right time to show who they really are and hope that people around them will not treat them differently.

I am glad that there are sites and gay blogs that somehow help them release their emotions, discover who they really are and what they want, the happy and sad truth about their chosen path and just about everything they need to know about being gay.  These sites are a great way to make people understand the 'mysteries' behind what they call third sex.  

Losing Someone

I received a bad news today and it has something to do with losing someone you nurtured and cared for inside your womb.

We all got excited of the news that our friend is expecting her second child.  We are more than ecstatic to know that she is expecting a girl.  She would post on her Facebook account the would-be name of her little princess and we would joke about her punishing her child if she will give her a really long name.  She is not married but lives with her boyfriend together with their three year-old son.  It wasn't a conventional and happy set-up because she would miss reporting to the office because of obvious bruises all over her body.  Yes, she is in an abusive relationship but she chose to stay with the man for hopes of change... nothing has changed, though.  Our friend is expecting her child on July but we were surprised that she had a CS four weeks earlier.  She was discharged from the hospital three days after but her baby remained inside the NICU.  We receive news about the baby's condition from time to time and each and every update, the child's condition becomes worse and just this day a friend confirmed that the baby didn't make it.

My friend have had preterm labors weeks before the baby came out and she would said  that it is due to stress.  We later found out that the cause of her stress is her boyfriend.  They had a huge fight in the morning  before she had an emergency CS.  She asked her neighbor to take her to the hospital because she feels that the baby would come out any time soon.  Her boyfriend is drinking in bouts outside their house. 

I felt hate to the man that my friend chose to love.  There is just no excuse for abuse.

Her little angel is now gone.  She was not given a chance to write her very long name... maybe because He knew that if she will live long enough, she will just witness her mom being abused by her dad.

I know that many women around the world have had an abusive relationship and many more women are struggling to get out of the situation.  Fear is the only emotion that would let the victim stay--fear of her own life and fear for the life of her children, but if she knows that there are people out there who will help her, she'll realize that it isn't late to gather up strength and courage to set herself free.

For tips on how to escape an abusive relationship, click here and you will be directed to Dr. Phil's official website.