Too graphic for comfort?

When ads tell the marvelous truth, they can be too much for some people to take.





*Small text reads:

"In fact, an unborn baby's heart begins to beat at 18 days.
At 40 days she has measurable brain waves.
An unborn baby shouldn't be thrown away like a piece of tissue.

Read about the refusal to publish the ad


When does a baby in the womb start to hear music from outside his mom? Does he thumb-suck before he's born? At how many weeks does he hiccup a lot? Discovered this site containing the answers -- and more about the fetal stages of development!

Another German shepherd shines

Merkel shines on world stage

From Moscow to Gaza, the German chancellor's cool, pragmatic style wins praise.

By Andreas Tzortzis

BERLIN – Nobody who's followed Angela Merkel's rapid rise in German politics can quite believe the chancellor's splash debut on the international stage.

"I'm surprised," says Josef Joffe, transatlantic expert and editor of the respected weekly Die Zeit. "She had no experience in foreign policy, nor has she shown much interest in it in the past."

Since she was sworn in last November, Ms. Merkel has shown herself to be an unfettered negotiator in Paris and Brussels, and an independent-minded partner of Russian president Vladimir Putin. She's talked freedom with President Bush in the White House and gotten chummy with Bono in Davos. And in Jerusalem this week, she talked tough for the European Union, demanding Hamas recognize Israel so that the Palestinian Authority might continue to receive EU aid.

For someone elected on promises to fix domestic problems like Germany's economy, Merkel has cut an impressive figure on the world stage. Editorialists, analysts, and even opposition politicians have lauded her cool, pragmatic approach.

Full story at The Christian Science Monitor

All 'chained up' for freedom and life

It's not a rally; neither is it a march. It's a peaceful expression of support for the good that's happening in the House of Representatives and of protest against those that aren't life-affirming at all.

Human chain for Life, Decency & Morality on Feb. 15

Pro-Life Philippines will lead grassroots communities, family and life ministry groups, schools and civic organizations in a show of support for life-affirming measures being formulated by some of the country’s legislators. In the same way, the Human Chain for Life, Decency & Morality – which happens on February 15 at 4 pm – protests against proposed bills such as House Bill 3773 or the “The Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act of 2005,” which pushes for a two-child policy and increased budget allocation for intensive promotion of abortifacient drugs and methods of birth control.

Immediately after a 3:00 prayer rally at St. Peter Parish in Quezon City, people will be lined up one meter apart on the sidewalk of Commonwealth Avenue. Pro-Life Executive Director Jimmy Leornas says the starting point will be the parish facade, with the expected thousand participants forming the chain all the way to Batasang Pambansa.

The Human Chain for Life, Decency & Morality is part of the Pro-Life Month celebration, which has American and Canadian pro-lifers flying in to hold training seminars, speaking engagements and discussions with pro-life legislators. Molly White, Denise Mountenay, Karen Bodle and Luana Stoltenberg represent the groups Living the Redeemed-USA, Canada Silent No More, and Operation Outcry and are all post-abortive women who are now involved in the healing ministry and advocacy work for women.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it...

No news, actually. Just a wee announcement.

Some exciting events are lined up for the next couple of weeks as it is Pro-Life Month! What I'm personally looking forward to very much is the Feb 15 series -- first there's the dialogue between the American and Canadian pro-life guests, and the pro-life Congressmen, plus Family and Life leaders. The foreign guests -- four women who are all post-abortive -- have gone through a lot in their lives until they found healing, and are now in the counseling ministry and advocacy work. They represent groups such as Operation Outcry, Living the Redeemed Life Ministries, and Canada Silent No More.

After the hour-long dialogue comes a prayer rally, then the Human Chain for Life, Decency & Morality -- people standing one meter apart, holding up placards bearing various pro-life messages. Oh, this will be along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, and since the Human Chain will be there from 4-6pm, towards the end it'll be twilight already and participants will be holding candles -- making for some great photo-shooting opportunities. Any shutterbugs out there who shoot for the sheer fun of it? Hobbyists building their portfolio are welcome to get in touch with me as I am thinking of getting one or two to do the shooting. It's basically for documentation but of course great shots always warrant seeing print so I plan to submit some to the press later on.

The ladies from abroad would be wonderful subjects for the shoots, too, so there'll be a day to photograph them as well.

Anyway, I hope to hear from someone who's interested in this even though all I can offer in return are food and drink, and the byline to go with the photos if they get published in the papers. Plus, the experience of covering these events. Drop me a line at sunnyday1898@yahoo.com or leave a comment here!

More about other activities later...

February is PRO-LIFE MONTH!

"Defend the Family -- the Sanctuary of Life!"

That's the theme of this year's Pro-Life Month, celebrated every February in the Philippines.

The first major event to celebrate the occasion is the 12th Pro-Life National Convention -- Feb. 11, which is a Saturday.

For details about the event and other activities throughout the month, go to http://www.prolife.org.ph.