Here we go again.
Hours ago I published an Article about a 
Catholic Bishop Meddling in matters of the State over the free distribution of condoms.
This time, they’re at it again but it isn’t about condoms. It’s more serious than that.
Don’t believe in promises, Church tells voters.
The president of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Friday told voters not to believe the promises of candidates and to be more discerning in choosing the country’s next leaders.
And Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales exhorts,
In choosing leaders, the electorate should carefully study and match the traits of candidate with the needs and issues disabling the country today.
Fair enough. Sound advice but may I ask, how?
1. How does an ordinary citizen become competent in evaluating a character?
2. How does an ordinary citizen know what it takes to drive an Economy?
3. How does an ordinary citizen know what issues are causing the country to destabilize?
From those three questions, it can also be deduced that the fruit of Democracy for whatever it’s worth, it is is self fulfilling.
I shall hypothesize with the use of an analogy.
A parent advises his child…
“Be careful now. On your way to school, be wary of strangers. Choose who you befriend when you are at school. Study them carefully so that you accept only those from whom can make you good in your studies”.
Now, what possibly becomes of this child?
If the child understands all that his parent advises, off he goes to school and he’d be looking over his shoulders precariously at intervals after every five steps. He would not accept any help to cross a busy street to get to the bus stand. He would be paranoid about ever befriending at School.
Let’s rejoin with the Church’s advice to Filipino voters.
Instead of confusing with open-ended obtuse advice, has the Church prelates forgotten in the power of Prayer? It would be more sense that the Church prelates do what they do best; exhort their faithful to seek for Enlightenment when they go to the Ballot and pray that they be guided by the truth.
Every politician preempts on promises during his campaign. Political promises are akin to a Church prelate’s promise of heavenly glory to those who tread the straight and narrow.
Consider this. If a politician promises nothing, what else does he talk about apart from all the flaws of his opponent? That would be a most Church-like politician if he were to talk about global warming, the mathematical probability for a Tsunami striking the Philippines, the multi use of the coconut tree BUT no promises.
As I explained it here before, what is seriously lacking is a clear Manifesto from each of the Presidential candidates. The voter must know why, what and how the candidate intends to achieve and whether his plans are realistic.
The Manifesto reflects his political prowess and will serve as his gauge to the ordinary citizen to decide on who is deemed the best for the job.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
It is with howling difficulties that all Mindanaoans suffer as we face a protracted and an indefinite period without prediction for our daily power supply. Needless to say it affects my ability to conduct my daily drops at Blogs and to do what is needed at this Blog.
This frustration extends with my daily chores at home and while at work. The losses accrued in the private sector must be running into the billions of Pesos.
The El Niño phenomena is not peculiar. It is not something that our Department of Energy awoke yesterday to realize what havoc it does to the climate. The water shortage for hydro-electricity and the resultant drastic shortage of Energy could have been alleviated with proper fore planning so that they don’t fry their eggs and everyone else’s eggs in the same basket.
They cannot deny that they know nothing about how to diversify our Energy sources. There are other alternatives and not rely on a sole source to generate Energy.
This mental ineptitude to pre-plan amongst our leaders is equally paralleled by their amazing personal resourcefulness when Emergency Funds is decreed as a stop-gap solution for the Energy crisis. You can bet your last dollar that their management of the Emergency Funds will be as transparent as Electricity. To put it real short, the Funds will be ZAPPED !
While all is being debated back and forth, nothing seems to illuminate these numbskulls to serve the nation before self.
With the limited hours available to use my Computer, I am restricted from replying to most Comments at my Blogs. Though my spirit is willing but the !*#!*^ power is weak!
Please be as patient as Mindanaoans while our new millionaires who benefit from this Energy Crisis will hire witch doctors from Africa to invoke for bounteous rain in our region.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Am I gaining weight?
By ·
Gosh! am I gaining weight despite all the physical exercise that I partake in? How could I possibly be gaining weight despite regularly exercising?
Hmmm… I feel that I have added a few more pounds to my body weight. Does anyone have quick weight loss tips for me?
Granted, the physical exercise has helped me tremendously with stabilizing my blood pressure and respiratory problem (Asthma) but I did not expect to gain weight.
No, please do not say that I am becoming Amazon-like because of the exercises. I want to look ermmm… you know…. slim and sexy!
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Just like the condom’s elasticity, the Philippine condomania has not as yet ended. In an outburst so familiar with religious overzealousness, a Catholic Bishop has called for the sack of a Government servant.
Mind you not even the Catholic Pope has asked the leaders of other predominantly Catholic countries to sack their Ministers who are condom flavored. Ooops I meant favored.
Before I go on, I need to clarify that my argument is not anti Catholic. It just deals with what was said by this Catholic Bishop in the Philippines. If it was said by a Buddhist monk or a Hindu Mahaguru, my argument.will remain the same.
Having clarified that, I will now proceed.
In an article “Philippine bishops call for sacking over condoms”, it reported as follows: Bishop Ramon Arguelles, of the Lipa diocese south of Manila, said in a church statement the following:
It’s so immoral for someone in the government to be pushing the use of condoms, which we all know is not deterrent to AIDS prevention.
and
It’s worrying because it is the morality in society, especially among the youth, that is at stake.
Distributing free condoms is good reason enough to demand that President Gloria Arroyo dismiss the Health Secretary, Esperanza Cabral.
It is so easy to be pompous about the “dont’s”.
It is so easy, just like politicians are also given in, to sanction anything that directly opposes their belief.
It is so easy to be critical but not offer constructive solutions.
Hence, is it morally acceptable to stand by and watch HIV Aids destroy the vital human resources upon which the country’s future depends? Perhaps, the learned Bishop has forgotten what their beloved Teacher once said:
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. – Mark 12:17
The Founder clearly summarized the relationship between the religion that He founded and the secular authority.
What if.
What would be the reaction from the College of Catholic Bishops if the Philippine Government demanded that the Vatican sack Bishop Ramon Arguelles for meddling in matters of the State?
The misunderstood condom
The condom has nothing to do with spiritual healing. Neither do sexually ill victims run to the prelates of the Church for a cure nor does the Church offer any cure.
The use of Condoms as an artificial birth contraceptive is banned by the Vatican. I have nothing to dispute about what Vatican forbids to their faithful. To impose their doctrine on the entire populace is something else; it is draconian. Filipinos believe that we have seen the last of Marcos and Marcos-alikes.
Was not man given free will? Why is this learned Bishop being un-dogmatic about that God-given right?
Besides, artificial birth contraceptive and protection against Sexual Transmitted Diseases are not one and the same thing. Although the Bishop may claim that the use of condoms will degenerate as a birth contraceptive, still the condom is not the only known contraceptive. But of course we’d get slapped for not using the “Rhythm Method”. To use that method, one would have to be a rocket scientist to be absolutely sure about the count-down accuracy before blast off.
I have a question for Bishop Ramon Arguelles.
Question: Your Eminence, Bishop Ramon Arguelles, what would you advise to a married couple about conjugal love without the use of a condom, when either one is HIV Aids confirmed (or for that matter, has any sex related disease)?
(I hope that Bishop Ramon Arguelles is not going to incant that famed line, “for better or for worse until death do us part”, and that it is a no matter what, love is sharing, NO CONDOM !- just get sick and prepare for more suffering and death.)
Does the Bishop know that:
Condoms are available everywhere in the Philippines. That being the case, Bishop Ramon Arguelles should also demand that Philippine’s Minister of Trade and Industry be sacked?
Condoms are available everywhere in the Philippines. Does Bishop Ramon Arguelles not consider the open availability of condoms as having a similar impact on “the morality in society, especially among the youth, that is at stake?”
Although condoms are available everywhere in the Philippines it has become immoral for a Government Officer to push the use of condoms with FREE condoms.
The Ramonian moral: Don’t push the use of condoms, then its not immoral. Push its use and he will see to it that you are excommunicated from your job.
Therefore, since condoms are available everywhere in the Philippines, is it if they are SOLD it is not immoral. It is immoral if you distribute condoms FREE.
Had the DOH not distributed condoms for FREE, I would not know that Bishop Ramon Arguelles existed in the Philippines. Now thanks to the humble condom, he has awoken from his spiritual slumber and made himself heard – just because condoms are given FREE. If condoms are sold, all’s well with the Philippine sex economy – he can head back to spiritual slumber.
What about the factories (if any) that manufacture condoms in the Philippines? These factories provide jobs to the populace.
The Ramonian solution: Sack the workers and the Staff and convert the factory into a Badminton Hall. Brain Stormer would prefer BEDminton Hall.
Does Bishop Ramon Arguelles have any solutions to offer?
Do we give Bishop Ramon Arguelles credence when he said,
pushing the use of condoms, which we all know is not deterrent to AIDS prevention
Having said that, Bishop Ramon Arguelles becomes Philippine’s Professor Emeritus on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sex Roulette.
Despite Bishop Ramon Arguelles’ hallowed intentions he hasn’t yet offered of a reasonable solution to combat the spread of HIV Aids sans condom.
I shall give Bishop Ramon Arguelles the benefit of the doubt that he does not realize that Prevention Is Better Than Cure. I shall also say that Bishop Ramon Arguelles becomes is a moral threat for the general sexual health and well being of Filipinos. Bishop Ramon Arguelles indoctrinates that it is safer to be reactive rather than proactive.
Last but not least, while this furore is waging, it would be great if a Condom manufacturer produces a limited production series named the Ramonian Condom
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Well, not yet a crowning glory because the house top is still bald. But it’s getting there.
What is delaying the roof job completion?. It is not inclement weather or tardiness of the workmen that’s causing the delay.
$adly, at thi$ moment, it i$ becau$e I $hare the $ame problem a$ $ally $oo who explain$ her$elf. It i$ $tuck becau$e I need to $ave $ome more dollar$ to buy the roof $heet$.
In the meantime, work is plodding along with whatever can be purchased. As you will see, since the last update, there has been added progress accomplished for the roof. It’s moving along; a baby step at a time.
Before I display the images, interestingly so, I learned a few technical terms about a house roof. These are just a few. The more complex a roof design is, the more terminologies for every elevation, joint and shape.
You know, it not simply saying, “Let’s get on with the roof job” and the roof will unfold like magic.
The roof will need various sizes of wood, chemical to treat the wood for anti-termite protection, nails, screws, iron plates for major wood joints, sealant, anti-heat roof insulation and roof sheets. Right now, it is a $hortage of dollar$ and cent$ for the $heet$.
Taking the simple design roof for Heavenly Home, it was interesting to learn that the roof has terminolgies, such as:
It has a Side Gabled Roof, meaning the home locates the front door on the non-gabled façade. Gable is the “^” (peak) section.
The Rafters form the structural members that support the roof is installed.
The Purlins or Tails are horizontal members placed across the rafters to sever as the nailing or connecting members for the roof is installed.
The Fascia is the flat,horizontal band around the roof perimeter is installed.
The Eave is an overhang enclosed that runs horizontally from the eave edge to the side of the building.
(a: the Roof | b: the Fascia | c: the Eave)
The Roof Gutter drains the rain water run off from the roof top via pipes to an outside drain.
So, I have learned that building a roof is not as simple as how roofs are seen from the ground.
That’s all for now on the progress of Heavenly Home till I proudly show you the Crown. Ha ha ha.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
I am sure the song “Que sera sera” will ring in the mind of the reader.
Que sera sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future’s not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be, will be
That is how I approached my final High School year after thinking what I would do next to establish a career path for my adult life.
Everything seemed possible then save of course provided my parents had the funds to support my choice and I had the mental ability to succeed.
Every student in my Class had her vision. Some even believed they had in them the distant call to become the the President of the Philippines.
However, I remember now, that a higher percentage of my classmates were interested in continuing their studies for a course in business administration degree.
The fixed Office time schedule and Office work appeals more to women so that explains why there were more in my Class who found Business Administration an attractive career path.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Could your face?
By ·
You recall Breads evergreen opening lyric for their composition “IF”; “If a face could launch a thousand ships…” I really cannot understand that hyperbole. What does a thousand ships have to do with a face? Ha ha ha.
But nevermind, let me put it around the other way. There also could be a face that could sink a thousand ships!
Yeah! and if you don’t wish your face to be found in the annals of having sunk a thousand ships, you should take heed about anti aging face cream.
And don’t say you were not forewarned.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Crushed by the toll of the dismal economic conditions brought on her personal financial situation, this employee sent an email as a last resort to her boss, discreetly asking for an increase in her salary.
In it she wrote………..
Dear Bo$$,
I have $omething that I mu$t $ay to you a$ $incerely a$ po$$ible.
I tru$t you would be under$tanding of my need$.
I am one of the worker$ who have given $o much $upport, $weat and $ervice to thi$ e$teemed company.
I am $ure you know time$ are not ea$y for mo$t of u$.
I am al$o $ure you can gue$$ what I am $aying and will re$pond favourably $oon.
Your$ $incerely,
$ally $oo
The following day, the employee received a no-mistake reply from her Boss.
It went like this…
Dear Sally,
I do NOt really kNOw how to respond to you. I kNOw you have been working very hard.
NOwadays, it is NOt easy to run a company. The ecoNOmy has NOt changed much.
You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticably well.
NOw the newspapers are even saying the world’s leading ecoNOmists are NOt sure if the United States may go into aNOther recession.
After the NOvember presidential elections things may even turn worse.
I have NOthing more to add NOw.
I am sure you kNOw what I mean.
Your Boss,
NOrman NOrfolk
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
