Sunday, June 20, 2010

Tatay, Dad, Papa



Why are men reluctant to become fathers?
They aren't through being children.

-- Cindy Garner

I have no idea who Cindy Garner is, but what she said makes a lot of sense -- and could serve to open the eyes of any man to whom those words apply :-) So, I am putting them here. Along with the following videos. The first is a sweet, subtle piece of encouragement; the second, a more direct reminder of why dads are sorely needed by their children, and how they can best guide their little ones.

Happy Father's Day to all fathers, future fathers, and fathers in spirit!












When one lets the dark get the best of him



You've gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless.
Without hope life is meaning less and less.
-- Author Unknown



Well, it seems clear what the person below lacks, among some other things.

He probably should also check out The Foundation for A Better Life more often.


Kevorkian: “The Single Worst Moment of my Life … Was the Moment I Was Born”

By James Tillman and John Jalsevac

June 15, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- "The single worst moment of my life . . . was the moment I was born." So says Dr. Jack Kevorkian in a recent interview with CNN.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the journalist conducting the interview, confessed that the remark left him speechless – especially since Kevorkian offered the strange and macabre confession without any provocation or lead-up question.

Gupta writes that, “Throughout the two-and-a-half hour interview, [Kevorkian] fluctuated wildly between being downright combative and hostile to being sweet and fatherly.”

The journalist also mentioned Kevorkian’s “crazed rants,” “often about the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution, complete with a defense of James Madison and trashing of Thomas Jefferson.”

The interview is part of the lead-up to Kevorkian’s Thursday interview at 9 PM EST on Larry King Live.

Kevorkian or "Dr. Death" has helped approximately 130 people kill themselves. He also spent 8 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Thomas Youk, who was in the final stages of Amytrophic Lateral Scelerosis at the time of his death. Kevorkian had given Youk the lethal injection himself, and, in a videotape of Youk's death, dared authorities to try to convict him.

Kevorkian told Gupta that he believes his case should have been heard by the Supreme Court, because the issue of assisted suicide is a constitutional issue. Everyone, says Kevorkian, should have the right to kill him or her self.

"They just don't get it in Oregon, " he says. "Or in Washington state or Montana, the other states," where assisted suicide is currently legal. Assisted suicide is only legal in these states if someone has a terminal illness.

"What difference does it make if someone is terminal?" he says. "We are all terminal."

Five of Kevorkian's victims were found to be healthy after autopsies were performed.


Full article at LifeSiteNews



Antidote in pages

As I had included some news about the new Harry Potter mini-park on this blog just recently, this, from LifeSiteNews, naturally caught my attention:

Book Teaser: 'Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture' by Michael O'Brien
Reviewed by John-Henry Westen

June 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Master story-teller and artist Michael O’Brien – the man to whom CNN went when they needed comment on Harry Potter - has penned the definitive work assessing the Potter phenomenon. This book is essential reading for all parents whose children have read or are considering reading the wildly popular offerings by J.K. Rowling and similar works such as Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.

Although an analytical work, the reader will be captivated from the must-read preface.

O’Brien's earlier work, “A Landscape with Dragons,” delineated authentic Christian fantasy literature from its counterfeits. Now, in “Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture,” he fascinatingly contrasts Potter-world with C.S. Lewis’s Narnia and Tolkein’s “The Lord of the Rings,” and the character of Harry Potter with Frodo Baggins.

O’Brien’s analysis will enable parents whose children have consumed Potter to comprehend the problematic messages which have been fed their children and give them the points and arguments which can serve as the antidote.

The book goes beyond Potter, however, to address other bestselling series such as “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer and Phillip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass.”

In addition to these and other fantasy books, O’Brien reviews the films which they have spawned.

In all, the author’s new book teaches Christians how to discern harmless fantasy literature and film from that which is destructive to heart, mind and soul.

Those wishing to purchase a copy of the book may get FREE worldwide shipping and a 10% discount by noting “LSN discount” at the final stage of the purchase process and wait for the email acknowledging your discount prior to completing payment. (Each book purchased will also result in a donation to LifeSiteNews.com) Click here.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Get your broomsticks ready!


It looks like experiencing Ollivander's and Hogsmeade -- and snapping up one's own Gryffindor scarf -- is going to be a thrill for travelers to a certain mini-park :-)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter officially opens on June 18.

Visit the website

A slideshow of released images of the new theme park here


Photo (and more information) from
Hollywood Dame

Are you going with the high-tech flow?

I have often wondered how -- amid all the apparent advantages of growing up in this age of computerized, push-button and automatic everything -- children and teens will learn the art of waiting.

How would one teach his child the virtue of patience when things can be accomplished quickly and easily? Need to find a piece of information? Go look it up in a library. Need to find a book? Head for the card catalogue and look for it. Need to talk with a friend on the phone? Go to the telephone and dial his number.

Want to play a song from an audio cassette tape? Hit fast forward or rewind till you find it (and learn estimating in the process).

Planning a meet-up with friends? Set a time and place (no "bahala na, will text you later" option). Wait if someone is 5, 10 minutes late (no "wru?" option and no re-sending the message 3 minutes later out of impatience when there's no reply).

Looking for entertainment? Create your own games, make your own playthings, use objects around the home and transform them into a bridge, a bahay-bahayan, a fort for the toy soldiers... the options are endless. Use your imagination.

Want to make a "Happy birthday!" or "Welcome home!" streamer? Get some Manila paper, pencils, colored markers, crayons, and use your creativity (no computer-aided printouts).

Want to communicate with people from foreign countries? Write letters by hand, seal the envelope, go to the post office and mail the letters. Then wait at least a month for a reply. Be patient.
The way I see it, there's a lot that today's world has to offer kids, but these kids are somewhat deprived. Of what? Well, unless their parents are pro-active and discerning, they miss out on opportunities to learn and grow in patience. There are invaluable life lessons that cannot be learned from texting messages and spending hours on Facebook.





Check out Baby Magazine's June issue for some insights on all this high-tech gadgetry surrounding our children and (almost) taking over our lifestyle. More about it from Petrufied.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

The irony

Some things strike me as ironic, and I can't help but be amused.

Take the sight of a young man and his female companion. It's not uncommon to see a guy walking hand in hand with his girl, but what makes the picture look silly (to me, at least) is the unmistakably woman's bag slung over the man's shoulder (sometimes it's a handbag). Most likely manifesting his interpretation of gentlemanly courtesy, the boyfriend thus dons the feminine item, whether it's a floral tote, an LV-emblazoned purse, or one of those trendy baguettes that are absolutely unflattering on the male form!

It may look silly, but I can appreciate efforts on the part of men to demonstrate courtesy. And maybe these young men (and their female companions, obviously) are unaware of codes of conduct such as that which considers a man's carrying a woman's purse to be an absolute no-no. I don't know where such rules are written, but it is simply not done (this, of course, does not include cases wherein the woman's bag weighs a few hundred pounds and the owner obviously needs assistance in transporting the thing).

But what I really find ironic is something I often witness at the MRT station.

So you have the purse-donning man and his girlfriend (thereby "hands-free," thanks to her boyfriend), standing in line, awaiting the next train.

As sounds of the approaching train reach them, they get into position. He guides her to stay in front of him; sometimes she is somewhat beside him while still in front of him, his hand usually on her shoulder.

When the train finally arrives and slows down, all the commuters on queues rustle and press against each other, shoulder to shoulder, as much as they still can, given that there is no more space left between bodies that are visibly getting ready to charge into the soon-to-open doors of the train. One can observe that it looks like a bunch of football players -- sans helmets and gigantic shoulder pads -- psyching themselves up for a tackle. By this time, the girlfriend is normally right in front of the purse-carrying boyfriend.

As the door opens, the purse-carrying boyfriend guides his purse-free companion in a way that looks as if he is pushing her toward the wave of people exiting the train directly in their path. This is a seemingly endless stream of commuters who show no mercy when they make their way out of the train, since nobody wants to get stuck inside and miss his stop.

Meanwhile, the sight of the floral tote-carrying man coaxing his girl in front of him to push on and make her way into the train against the oncoming river of people seems odd. For one thing, she looks like some sort of shield, there to protect the man behind her who has his hand on her shoulder, making sure she is not swept away by the human river heading the opposite direction. What kind of a man would do such a thing, putting a lady in harm's way? And not just any lady -- his lady.

At this point, the tote, satchel or whatever caters to the woman's fashion tastes seems like a suitable symbol in this scenario. He is the boyfriend, but the manly duty of protecting the fairer sex is not being carried out. He is being the lady here -- hence, the purse on his shoulder or slung over his arm or wherever the feminine item is best positioned.

Is this not ironic? A man makes the gesture of relieving his girl of her belongings, then when it comes to that which requires his protection and guidance, he coaxes her to take over. Hmmm.

In cases like this, it seems fitting that she be garbed in shining armor.


* Painting by Alphonse Mucha ("Heraldic Chivalry").
* Cartoonist unknown.


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