The Perpetual Malcontent

Derivatives Accountant

2009-08-16T01:45:00.003+08:00

Into day-trading? Need someone to help you do derivatives processing and accounting? Frontrunner Financial can help at very cost-effective rates.

Alright, what happened to George Rocha?

2008-04-22T01:32:00.001+08:00

There's a spike of visitors looking for George Rocha

Tamiya's Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set:

2008-04-07T12:01:00.002+08:00

A concrete demonstration of a capacitor-powered motor.

Video here

Astronomical Trivia

2008-04-06T22:52:00.003+08:00

For the same reason Crux [Southern Cross] was visible from Jerusalem at Jesus Christ's time and was best visible during the spring time (i.e. Good Friday and Easter). The evening after the crucifixion (most probable date April 3, 33 AD) Crux was just above Jerusalem's southern horizon.

Jeepney operators should seriously consider this

2008-03-29T01:14:00.000+08:00

Regarding that "bent, ugly" crozier:

2008-03-23T03:01:00.003+08:00

"There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him." (Is 53:2)

Memo to Lefties:

2008-03-09T03:58:00.001+08:00

Your Photoshopping skills suck!

Good news and Bad news:

2008-01-25T02:39:00.000+08:00

Peso to hit 37.2:$ in 2008 as remittances pour in - HSBC

Good: Since I've always believed that the dollar ought to be valued for less than P40. For an import-oriented economy like ours, this ought to be good news.

Bad: Since the appreciation of the peso will devour our firm's revenues from abroad. Call centers, who until now were awashed with abundant cash, will have to tighten belts soon.

In that regard, I've noticed that the usual practice of people from several BPOs is to leave their workstations (computers) open even if they're home. I dunno, but that sounds like a tremendous waste of energy that not only contributes to the surging power costs in the country, but hurts their employers' bottomline as well.

Blogging break

2008-01-25T02:34:00.001+08:00

Blogging shall be intermittent for the next weeks. I'm still adjusting to the demands of a new client whose books are driving us crazy!

You know you're a Filipino child of the 80's when.....

2008-01-21T13:51:00.000+08:00

1.) You have scars on your knees and elbows.

2.) You owned a bike

3.) You had a barkada around your neighborhood (all of you had bikes)

4.) You loved climbing on your house's roof (and your neighbor's roof as well).

5.) You went inside an abandoned house in your neighborhood just to see what it
looks like inside.

6.) You ate all the aratilis in your neighborhood.

7.) You plucked all the gumamelas in the area for soap bubbles.

8.) Your parents forced you to take afternoon siestas with the threat that you will not be allowed to play outside.

9.) You are never found in your house in the afternoon. You are often found playing in the street with your neighborhood friends.

10.) You loved exploring vacant lots for hidden knick-knacks.

11.) You just can't resist jumping in a sandpile.

12.) You know all the street games (patintero, agawan base, langit-lupa,
etc., etc.)

13.) You owned a family computer.

14.) Your hand-to-eye coordination is terrific due to family computer.

15.) You'd rather go outdoors in the afternoon than play family computer.

16.) You gleefully boast that games today are so easy because of the
character's life bar (remember when we used to play Mario? we died the minute a
goomba hit us)

17.) You know this code by heart: UP-UP-DOWN-DOWN-LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT-B-A-B-A-START
(select-start for 2 players)

18.) You owned a superhero costume (especially a superman costume).

19.) For the girls: You dressed up like Punky Brewster, Madonna and Debbie Gibson.
For the boys: You dressed up like David Hasselhoff's knight rider, David Bowie
or had CLARKe KENT's little bang. And now you think that the 80's had the
suckiest dress sense.

20.) You had a denim jacket.

21.) You had a sticker book especially that Age of Dinosaurs sticker book.

22.) You were addicted to rainbow brite, carebears, my little pony, thundercats,
bioman, voltes v, mazinger z, daimos, smurfs, etc., etc.

23.) You played pc games like tapper, moonbugs, alley cat and prince of persia.

24.) Ms Word did not exist in your vocabulary but Wordstar did!

25.) You love 80's music even if you don't want to admit it.

26.) You've climbed up mango trees to catch salagubang, tie a sting around its
neck and let it fly around in frenzy.

27.) You've spent hours in the afternoon catching tutubi... yellow-green was the
easiest to catch, blue being finicky, and red being a rare breed...

28.) You used to take Flinstones vitamins (which you didn't mind 'cause
it was yummy) and Scott's liver oil.

29.) You know the catoon show, Beverly Hills Teens.

30.) You know Kuya Bodgie from Batibot.

31.) You watch Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club.

32.) You used AQUA NET to fashion ur 4-inch-high bangs.

33.) Your blouses had paddings.

34.) You owned wide studded colorful belts.

35.) You watched some of your favorite shows on betamax or even UHF 17 (the
channel from Clarke Air Base - or was it Subic?)

36.) You collected and "swapped" perfumed stationeries with your
classmates and friends, but followed the unwritten rule that you never write on them.

37.) The only place you go to for summer vacation is BAGUIO !

38.) On that note, camp john hay served BEST ice cream.

39.) Most of us were brought to the EDSA revolution.

40.) You remember what Ricky Martin used to look like back then

41.) ...when you think that Julie Vega is a better actress that Judy Ann

42.) You get confused playing playstation because of all the buttons
on the keypad (nintendo only had the direction pad, a & b buttons and the
start & select keys ).

43.) You know all the Bagets and Ninja Kids. bonnin!

44.) You got to ride the train ride at greenhills shopping center.

45.) Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the players at the time.

46.) ...when you know more 80's music than the song "Buttercup".

47.) You were allowed to bathe in the rain.

48.) You were taught to comb your hair one-sided.

49.) You've collected matangpusa and mongo beans so you can have ammunition for sumpit

50.) You knew who madam bola and sitsiritsit and alibangbang was.

51.) Every Christmas you anticipate going to BIG Bang sa Alabang-with the
giant slide.

52.) You know the Ewoks.

53.) You had Mighty Kid shoes and Greg shoes.

54.) You know what Time Space Warp means and you know who Fuma Lae-Ar is)

55.) You and your barkada had a specific Bioman name.

56.) You sucked all the nectar from the santan plant hence your mother got really pissed at you for destroying the santan plant.

57.) You played with marbles and text (yung cards ha!!!) And you count cards
like this: I-SA, DALA-WA, TAT-LO, A-PAT... walo na iyon!

58.) For girls: You wore denim miniskirts with rubber shoes. For guys: You had those bitin na pantalon which you wore with high-top rubber shoes!!!

59.) You loved cheezels and chicakdees because of the great prizes it had!(remember sticky hands, bear popups,and the stick on tattoos which were "banned" due to drugs daw?)

60.) Puffy cone still existed!!!

61.) Sosy ka if you bought a Magnolia drumstick.

62.) Twin Popsies were meant to be shared with a friend.

63.) Ice Drop was the cheapest treat.

64.) You have those disney bow biters for your rubber shoes

65.) You know who Alf is.

66.) You're familiar with the show "Perfect Strangers".

67.) Idol mo si McGyver.

68.) Thats Entertainment" ang "the bomb" nung mga panahon na yun.

69.) Sikat ka kapag alam mo ang wordstar at lotus 1,2,3

70.) Six digits lang ang telephone number niyo dati.

71.) Tatlong .25 cents lang eh makakatawag ka na sa pay-phone.

72.) Cute pa si Aiza non sa Eat Bulaga.

73.) Si Amado Pineda pa ang nagbabalita ng panahon

74.) You drank Chocolate milk from the Magnolia glass bottle which you kept for
holding water in your ref.

75.) Brown Cow tasted better than Hersheys!

76.) Shake Rattle and Roll 1 was the most horrifying movie for you then.

77.) The most comfortable shoes for you is still Sperry Topsiders.

78.) Dress shoes mo eh loafers pa rin.

79.) The best movies of all time are pretty in pink, breakfast club, 16 candles and some kind of wonderful

80.) You show off your pencil case which have hidden compartments that pop-out at
the press of a button...

81.) You have Bensia pencils which are refillable...

82.) Fiesta carnival was the place to be kumbaga enchanted kingdom sya ng 90's)

83.) Takot kang mag-year 2000 ksi baka magunaw ang mundo.

84.) Masarap ang Goya and Serg's.

85.) Nakakasakay ka pa sa kotseng walang aircon.

86.) You know the lyrics ng "Tinapang Bangus" at "Alagang-alaga namin si Puti"
ng Batibot.

87.) You know these commercials:
a. YCBIKINIBRIEF - remember this one?
Ycbikinibrief / ycbikinibrief /
ycbikinibrief for the man who packs a
wallop / YC had fashion / YC has style...
b. RA Homevision - those guys from cash
and carry makati couldn't have done it
better. Sports. Adventure. Cartoons.
Award Winners and More. Featuring the
voice talent of Frankie Evangelista. I
will never forget the creepy hand at the
start of the ad. Parang ET na nasa
spaceship!
c. Arthur's Legaspi Towers - nuff said.
d. La Germania Mama Mia commercials - ditto

88.) Bumibili ka ng caramel candy, Texas or bazooka bubblegum, tira-tira at
tootsie roll sa tindahan

89.) Naabutan mo pa na korteng flower ang singko

90.) You're familiar with this song: sinena ay bata pa, kaya ang sabi niya ay
um-ah-um-ah-ah. hanggang patanda siya nang patanda at pabastos ng pabastos hehehe! are red...

91.) Takot ka sa bumbay. Takot ka ring magkasugat kasi may lalabas raw na pari... =)

92.) You loved watching WWF (world wresting federation) every wednesday...Jake the Snake Roberts, Hulk Hogan, The undertaker =)

via my Friendster Inbox

Compare and Contrast

2008-01-20T00:01:00.000+08:00

Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum:

"We desire that this practice... of using distinctive names by which Catholics are marked off from other Catholics, should cease; such names must be avoided... [they] are neither true nor just... they lead to great disturbance and confuse the Catholic body."

from an email Mr. Palad sent me [not his words BTW]:

I was rather hoping for a Fr. Zerrudo, or a Msgr. Andrade to give a talk, hehehe. I think they should've included the Pope's Summorum Pontificum, and it's effect on the Blessings and the Sacramentals of the Church. After all, it's Fr. Zerrudo's "bisyo" to use his old "book of spells", in traditionally exorcising objects after Mass. Hindi tulad ng ibang Novus Ordo na pari na basta na lang "wisik ng wisik" ng Holy Water.

The highlighted part just strikes me in the wrong way. I suppose that a more charitable reading would tell me that the statement was written by a very excited fellow who thinks that it's short for "priests who administer the sacraments using the revised rites". But initially, I read it this way: "those poor, unenlightened saps who have not experienced the majesty of the almighty Pian rite. Kneel before my Rite!".

Hat tip to the Whapsters for the BXV quote

Another earthquake

2008-01-19T23:34:00.000+08:00

Magnitude 4.2 quake recorded off Batanes.

Like I said before, is this a sign of a future catastrophe or are we just getting more news about it? After all, low-intensity quakes happen all the time without anyone noticing.

Missa ad orientem in San Pietro

2008-01-19T23:27:00.000+08:00

INConsistencies

2008-01-19T22:18:00.000+08:00

The INC prides itself of being ritually free and unblemished from the pagan accretions which one would [obviously!] find in Catholicism. Funny though that they still retain in their commencement exercises (as the pictures below prove) the use of academic gowns which those darn Catholics wore in the medieval ages. Speaking of Catholics, didn't they originally invent the concept of unversities and hospitals? How about that, the INC has them too.

Perhaps New Era University should consider using other attires for such occasions. Just like this Baptist who recognized the inconsistency of the practice of wearing the traditional academic gowns in Protestant schools.

Hat tip Amy Welborn

Tasty combination

2008-01-19T20:10:00.000+08:00

I dunno if anyone else has tried a concunction similar to what I've come up lately:

Ingredients:
red ice tea powder [1-litro pack concentrate]
bugnay/strawberry wine [about 1/2 to 1 cup]

Directions:
Add the powder to 1 liter water in a blender then blend for about 10 secodnds. Add the wine afterwards then blend again for the same amount of time. Serve chilled.

I havent't come up with a name yet.

The Leftist Connection

2008-01-17T13:46:00.000+08:00

NO VAT

Roman Leftists from La Sapienza express support for their Filipino counterparts in demanding from the Arroyo government the scrapping of the 12% VAT on oil and petroleum products.

At least that's what I thought when I saw the picture.

Photo credit

IBON sees new tax for 2008

2008-01-15T17:35:00.000+08:00

In a gathering in Miriam College in 2006, IBON also boldy predicted that PGMA wouldn't last another year in office.

Strike anywhere!

2008-01-15T15:22:00.000+08:00

Too bad Georgie never hanged out with me and my college buds otherwise he would have learned to love the virtues of "striking anywhere" and never had to suffer the "accident" in the end.

A friend tells me

2008-01-14T10:09:00.000+08:00

that one (1) bottle of beer bought from a convenience store in California costs about $2-$3. Yes, that's one solitary bottle. Meanwhile, for that same amount, I can get at least four (at least 4!!!) tall bottles of Red Horse in good old Islas Filipinas.

So why should I go abroad again to earn a living and lose all of it for expensive beer especially when I can easily get foreign beers in Makati?

Finally!

2008-01-14T08:54:00.000+08:00

The Pope does "ad orientem" in a televised public Mass.

I certainly hope this will encourage priests to use this traditional posture when celebrating the Ordinary Form of the Mass and attract them to look at it more deeply than just a Mass "with priest's back to the people".

When I was something like 9 or 10 years old, I've often wondered why the priest had his back to the cross or the tabernacle. Even at a young age, it was unsettling for me to see the priest facing us, the congregation, rather than the God supposedly being worshipped and prayed to as he utters his prayers. Of course, like the rest in the Church, I merely consoled myself that this is the ancient practice since altars back then were ordinary tables.

Years later, I read John Evangelist Walsh's "The Bones of St. Peter", a book recounting the discovery of the Apostle Peter's bones under the main altar of the basilica in Rome which bears his name. I found there mention of the Tropaion which was erected over the supposed hallow grave where the Apostle's remains were interred. Among the various theories Walsh disclosed regarding the Tropaion's purpose, the most compelling for me was that it was an altar. But if that was the case, then the Mass celebrated on that altar would have necessitated the ad orientem posture as the priest facing the people during its most important part would've been highly unlikely. So here we have a very ancient and powerful evidence for ad orientem.

I would prefer that priests celebrated the liturgy in this manner. It would be a return to a more ancient pratice as the Tropaion demonstrates.

Also, for a more practical reason, it would allow the use of older altars attached to the apse. Such altars, in my opinion, are more rational in the use of space in sanctuaries. A free-standing altar creates two spaces in the sanctuary, the one in front of it and the one behind it. Ritual Masses (like weddings and ordinations) would neccessitate the use of the space in front of the altar so that the congregation would be able to witness the wedding or ordination. When the ceremony is over, the space in front is largely abandoned and the space behind is used. The economist in me is shouting that this is a misuse of scarce resource (in this case, space). Ad orientem and the use of altars attached to walls would solve this economic problem.

The Corner Shot

2008-01-12T12:24:00.000+08:00

Just saw it on Discovery Channel this morning. It's an Israeli-made weapon which combines a camera system and a firearm and allows the user to fire the weapon from behind cover without exposing him to hostile fire.

It's a good idea but I'm just averse at seeing a weapon bending that way.

Personally, I would prefer a small rifle-mounted camera that would broadcast wirelessly [through bluetooth perhaps] images to the user's visor-/helmet-mounted monitor. It would be simpler than what I see in the Corner Shot's design and can be applied to existing weapons rather than them having to be tailored to fit the new technology.

The lamest radio interview I've ever heard

2008-01-10T01:35:00.000+08:00

was between Joe Taruc and Senator Mar Roxas that took place at DZRH yesterday morning. It was annoyingly repetitive and began with a major exhibit of Filipino stupidity. Apparently some taxi drivers were registering their complaints to Manong Joe because they expected pump prices to go down today because of the oil tariff reduction. Joe Taruc used this outrage of stupid taxi drivers who probably didn't bother to read the full account of yesterday's presscon in the papers to begin his interview with Roxas. In that interview, Taruc basicall kept repeating his questions which he would answer himself eventually and then Roxas would approve saying "Eksakto!" then the Senator went into detail which he would repeat again since Taruc repeats himself and then... Well you get the picture. Taruc sounded like Roxas' spokesman and cheerleader in that interview. Too sweet were they. I wonder how much Roxas' publicist pays Taruc.

I'm confused

2008-01-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

Sen. Mar Roxas wants the government to either junk or to impose a moratorium on the Exanded Valued Added Tax on oil and petroleum products in order to save Filipinos from the rising cost of fuel.

In its place, in order to fill up the gap from lost revenue, the Senator says government should instead makes its tax collection system more efficient.

But the VAT (classic or expanded) is an efficient tax collection system, is it not? So why junk an efficient system to address a problem that's beyond the government's capacity to control?

Willie Revillame

2008-01-09T15:08:00.000+08:00

Again!

This time the goverment has him under investigation for driving a smuggled 2006 Ferrari.

Black Pudding

2008-01-08T22:28:00.000+08:00

I had the impression that Filipinos alone had the penchant for blood-based foods like dinuguan and betamax (shown below). Apparently I was wrong. Here are more examples of food made from blood.

Dinuguan

Betamax

Court junks ABS-CBN's complaint vs AGB-Nielsen

2008-01-07T13:16:00.000+08:00

No wonder I heard so much whining at Tony Velasquez's DZMM news program today. They had the chief of their Research Group as a guest on their program and she came across as a whining 4-year old girl who couldn't get her mom to buy her a new barbie doll. In fact they all sounded like that.

ABS-CBN has been trailing behind GMA for a couple of years now. The conspirialist in me thinks that the whole thing is a publicity stunt created by the aggrieved itself in order to boost its ratings [as to who will measure the rise in ratings is yet to be determined], discredit past ratings survey results and tarnish the image of its rival, GMA.

To be honest, I haven't watched local television on a regular basis since 2000. I guess I should be thankful for that. Yes, I'm culturally illiterate in some aspects of local popular culture which originates from the belly of the media-beast. I've only watched one episode of Marimar [since I was staying at a cousin's house in Iloilo] and none of the F4 and Korean telenovelas. I don't know who the new doubtfully-talented artists kids worship these days and I am dreadfully ignorant of the implications of the new Big Brother winner to the nation. But I couldn't care less.

Eat and Sleep

2008-01-07T10:54:00.000+08:00

I've noticed that during periods of unemployment, when I would normally stay at home and spend a greater part of my day in deep slumber, I would find that I have lost weight significantly. Interestingly, I've also noticed, that I usually gained weight during times I was employed and suffering from regular sleep deprivation because of the demands of the office.

I've always attributed gain weight during employed periods to the fact that I compensate my lack of sleep or shortened sleeping pattern with greater food intake. During unemployed periods, I eat less.

Apparently there's more to it:

We've known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain and obesity in the general population, but this study shows that getting enough sleep — even just two hours more — may be as important as a healthy diet and exercise for new mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight

That reminds me, I need to sleep.

Simbahan.Net

2008-01-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

aka Churches

Interesting Thesis Proposal

2008-01-05T23:49:00.000+08:00

from a Filipino liturgist. He's saying that the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite IS the Classical Rite. But he did leave out a vital author from his resource materials: Ratzinger.

I'll give you a lead for this massacre:

2008-01-04T00:53:00.000+08:00

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The police or NBI need not go far. All they need to do is check all high-school to college aged men from Dasmarinas or Forbes Park. I'm sure their number isn't that significant.

I've observed that well-to-do guys are more inclined to do such petty crimes and misdemeanors than their less fortunate counterparts since they are confident that their wealth and social stature will keep them from the slammers.

Back when I was in college, there was a string of thefts of street signs in Manila. Believe it or not, it was perpetrated by DLSU students and they kept the signs as trophies in their condo. Why would they do such a thing? First, they can. Second, they can get away with it. Third, they needed a good laugh.

I'm sure the guys who killed those cats are operating on the same mindset and are having a good time right now bragging about their latest exploits, even perhaps online. Maybe the police should Google away and monitor local online forums for some guys bragging about it as well.

Binay for President?

2008-01-02T17:18:00.000+08:00

Joel Reyes Zobel mentioned in his program that Mayor Jejomar Binay is somewhere in the Visayas and speculates that perhaps the Mayor of Makati is campaigning early in the region.

I'm sure he's gonna need to do a lot of it if he wants the job.

During the Makati New Year celebration [quite disappointing in the lack of entertainment, but that's for another post], entertainer and Makati councilor Rico J. Puno introduced Binay as the next president of the Republic. What followed made me smile: the chirping of crickets. Nobody cheered or jeered or anything. My impression was that the massive crowd that congregated in Ayala simply didn't care and I think the seconds after that silly introduction was most embarrassing for the Mayor. It was like a huge joke that bombed big time. And it was beautiful.

Last year

2008-01-01T17:53:00.000+08:00

This happened:

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The Perpetual Malcontent's short-term solution:

Our very own moonshine

2008-01-01T17:49:00.000+08:00

Eggnog: The best way to get people drink our local cheap rum.

Fireworks display from Makati last night

2008-01-01T14:52:00.000+08:00

Pardon my camera for the lack of sound.

In the next 24 hours, God-willing

2007-12-30T20:29:00.000+08:00

fire of various colors shall rain down from the heavens and engulf the streets of Manila and her neighboring cities, consuming them in a din of unimaginable proportions. It is for this reason that our Islamic masters from the Liberation Army Against Freedom (LAAF) have dutifully sent a well-executed message to remind us unworthy Filipino infidels of our place in these year-end times:

Turban-tip to the most magnanimous and oft-inspiring Caveman.

A calamity on the way?

2007-12-30T00:01:00.000+08:00

I've noticed that significant seismic activity has been recorded throughout various parts of the Philippines in the last few days, in particular:

December 24 (Magnitude 3.3 in Leyte)
December 27 (Magnitude 3.1 in Pangasinan)
December 28 (a pre-dawn Magnitude 5.4 in Surigao del Norte and in the afternoon, a Magnitude 4.8 in Northern Luzon)
December 29 (a Magnitude 5 in the Bicol-Laguna area).

Are these quakes precursors to something bigger that might hit the Philippines? I hope not.

A fine example of descralization of the Mass

2007-12-29T12:23:00.000+08:00

by a bishop no less.

This reminds me of Fr. Rutler's words in his interview with Gerald at the Closed Cafeteria:

"Marshall McLuhan, the great prophet of modern communication theory was a Catholic and he was a consultant at the Second Vatican Council. And he said, microphones will totally revolutionize, in a bad way, the psychology of worship. People get upset, they can't hear, understand everything. What does that mean? [people] think it's being directed to them. The same thing with sacred oratory... with microphones, you reduce sacred rhetoric to a chat..."

Criticsm

2007-12-27T18:07:00.000+08:00

as defined by Wikipedia:

is the activity of judgement or informed interpretation and, in many cases, can be synonymous with "analysis."

as exemplified by the Filipino media:

Finding fault with something the President said or did, usually involves an interview with persons of extremely biased opinions (so biased that their analysis would've been discarded in more critical circles) and present the same person to the audience as a disinterested observer.
Accusing the President of a crime only on the basis of "unnamed sources" and gut feelings

recurring example:

DZMM interviewing Estrada-man and UP economist Benjamin Diokno to provide basis for doubt for every economic statement released by the Administration. Provides no alternative view or second opinion. Diokno's opinion is infallible and final and, of course, unbiased.

Must post before someone else does:

2007-12-27T09:22:00.000+08:00

Liturgical Extracts from Ivan the Terrible

Plus:

Ivan the Terrible vs. Muslim Tatars

I haven't done the streets yet

2007-12-27T09:19:00.001+08:00

but I'm almost there...

Sometimes it takes a baby...

2007-12-27T07:05:00.000+08:00

to remind me about a post I keep forgetting to write.

Last night, while I was playing with a friend's 8-month old daughter, the conversation among the adults [whether I was one of the "adults" is another story] came to an exchange about Starbucks' 2008 planner. Well, the confluence of baby and Starbucks reminded of something I found via the Tiber Crosser, that Starbucks allegedly supports abortion providers in the US.

Being the responsible flamethrower that I am, I decided to Google the subject. But despite the wealth of information in Google, I can't say for certain that it is Starbucks' corporate policy to support abortion groups. But to be sure, some groups have documented that some of Starbucks' employees and branches have supported various gay-pride events and it makes anti-christian items available in its stores.

If it is true that Starbucks sends contributions to abortion groups, then I'm afraid the company is actively following the way of tobacco companies and their dwindling customer base. Any analyst worth his salt will probably tell you that Starbucks' advocacy is nothing but one crappy long-term marketing plan aimed at reducing its [future] customers by means of supporting abortion groups. Someone should tell the management of the company that this pro-abortion advocacy is counter-productive and is, in the long-run, defeats the interests of the company itself and, more importantly, its shareholders. The company, had a more reasonable management were in charge, ought to be cultivating more coffee lovers in a given population, not destroying them.

I guess the same goes for all other companies that support groups such as Planned Parenthood. It's insanely counter-productive and will in the future hurt the company since abortion groups are working activey to eliminate these companies' customers.

It's that time of the month again

2007-12-25T00:22:00.000+08:00

Yes folks, it's the holiday season and papists all over the world are gonna be watching the Pope again and critique every minute detail of Papal ceremonies in Rome. Like clockwork, a post at the NLM reports of possible items that might appear with the Pope in the next few hours, in particular the three-armed Papal cross. And likewise, in predictable fashion, another "traditionalist" expresses animosity for the more familiar Papal cross as a dreadful thing.

"Traditionalists" hostility towards that "dreadful bent cross" is not a new thing; it's actually rather repetitive and tiring. But closer inspection of the inspiration behind the "dreadful bent cross" reveals its origins from the Spanish mystic San Juan dela Cruz, hardly the feared modernist heretic some "traditionalists" see behind everything that doesn't have lace or foliage.

Something similar happened earlier this month when "traditionalists" in the NLM's combox expressed utter disappointment when the Pope wore red vestments for the funeral of Cardinal Stickler's Requiem and wished that he could've at least worn black in honor of the late cardinal's role in promoting the old Mass. I was amazed to discover that these "traditionalists" were blissfully unaware that Popes don't wear anything in black. And there I was thinking that they were actually hard-core traditionalists.

These little gaffs among "traditionalists" over the years have made me wonder if they actually understand the Tradition to which they claim to subscribe. In my observation, their "traditionalism" is too narrow as opposed to catholic. I suppose that in the next few weeks, another liturgical minutiae will betray some "traditionalists'" narrowness in approaching and appreciating tradition.

"Cooties"

2007-12-23T19:30:00.000+08:00

By the way, the Philippines is responsible for the spread of this outrageous diseasse among America's kids.

Was out translating

2007-12-21T20:09:00.000+08:00

My apologies for the lack of posts in the preceeding days. I was, how should I put it, busy "translating" a document from Chinglish to regular English. It wasn't fun. I needed several days off to recover from the experience.

Patient dies as ambulance breaks down in EDSA gridlock

2007-12-21T20:03:00.000+08:00

Whenever I get stuck in traffic, I've often wondered if someone nearby is dying or has died in an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam caused by some jeepneys collecting their passengers. Apparently it does happen. And this is highly illustrative of the damage jeepney and bus drivers are inflicting against their fellow Filipinos.

I confess that each moment I spend in traffic only serves to increase my contempt and hatred of those who drive jeepney and buses for a living. I was actually gladdened when they held a nationwide strike to protest against the rising cost of fuel two weeks ago. Although there were lots of stranded commuters, the amount of traffic in city streets nationwide was reduced along with fuel wastage. Isn't it interesting to note that when they're out protesting rather than driving, the pressure on fuel supplies decreases. I certainly hope they protest more often. The rarer they are in the streets, the less fuel is wasted by motorists.

In the Muslims' hearts and minds,

2007-12-15T06:55:00.000+08:00

they belong to the superior race of humans and the rest of humanity are inferior species meant for domination. It's funny then to see how one adherent to Mohammedanism had actually admitted that, unlike the filthy sons of apes and pigs, they were too inept to develop their own earthquake-inducing technology (even if it were possible). See here for more details.

Note to self:

2007-12-15T00:34:00.000+08:00

Annual meteor shower takes place some time around December 14. Saw about 10 tonight.

The Perpetual Malcontent's Law

2007-12-14T18:53:00.000+08:00

The airwaves and newspapers, of late, were filled with news and commentaries of how PGMA is subtly enforcing Martial Law on an oblivious Filipino nation, first by arresting a "Senator" of the Republic for staging what seems to be an armed stand-off at a luxury hotel in the heart of the country's financial district after ditching the guys who were supposed to guard him during a court hearing for his rebellion case and then then by arresting civilian "protesters" who gleefully joined Antonio "11-million-Filipinos-voted-for-me" Trillanes for coffee at the Peninsula while urging the populace to rush into the rain-drenched streets as they sit in airconditioned function rooms sipping hundred-peso cups of coffee.

Added to this, the cops were ordered to arrest the journalists who obviously made themselves willing accomplices of the caffeinated party among those to be arrested, since media men aren't above the law, despite their freedoms. How they were certain of PGMA ever acting as a remote ground commander still puzzles me.

And today, we add to Mrs. Arroyo's grievous sins her intent to revive the anti-subversion law.

The activist, the journalist, the politician, the rebel, and the naked scholar are all running about screaming Martial Law while woefully ignoring the fact that they probably wouldn't be enjoying their tired stunts if the real thing was around. Martial Law this, Martial Law that.

I, for one, am tired of hearing this nonesensensical fear mongering from our elites who obviously have too much time to spend on such whimsical pursuits.

So I propose a Pinoy version of Godwin's Law. I'm not sure if anyone else has thought of it, but for now, I shall call it the Perpetual Malcontent's Law, which states:

As a political, social or religious protest among Pinoy activists grows longer and sillier, the probability of mentioning Martial Law and any sitting President in the same sentence approaches one. Therefore, anyone who mentions Martial Law in any discussion or debate is deemed to be the loser.

Note to self:

2007-12-14T17:58:00.000+08:00

In case I need to come up with my own heraldric device, an obligatory element should be an albatross clutching a diamond.

Photo credit

"To prepare a place for us"

2007-12-14T17:30:00.000+08:00

A rumor is spreading that Fr. George Rutler is being considered as a candidate for the post of Archbishop of New York and, interestingly, Westminster. The blog post announcing this rumor can be found here and it includes some comments which seem to have missed the obvious: if he does indeed become bishop of New York, it is likely that he'll get a red hat and get the chance to join in the conclave that will elect Benedict's successor. In that same conclave, I imagine he could leave the Sistine chapel wearing a white cassock. American or not, he'd make a very eloquent pontiff and could perhaps find himself in the position and authority to fulfill his own words of preparing a place in the bosom of Mother Church for Anglicans fleeing the collapsing edifice of Anglicanism. Could he be a new Moses who will lead the children of England across the Tiber in the future? Even to my eyes, this scenario is too far fetched, but in case it does happen, you know that you read it first here.

The Simba Armored Fighting Vehicle

2007-12-14T01:19:00.000+08:00

Since there's a dearth of vids about the Simba Armored Vehicle, I decided to post one. This Simba's a part of the exhibit of armored vehicles at the PMA grounds.

Was it a Baptism of Fire?

2007-12-11T11:29:00.001+08:00

via Carolina Cannonball, who by the way is hosting the Ugliest Vestment Contest.

A not-so bad 8th of December

2007-12-10T17:42:00.000+08:00

Normally, I would've avoided blogging about how I spent another weekend out of town, but the weekend I spent in Baguio is one worth blogging.

Last Saturday, Mel and I found ourselves in the Baguio Cathedral for the 6pm Mass. Though I enjoyed being enveloped in the chilly December air, the prospects of attending another Mass that lifted neither spirits nor sanity made me uneasy.

The Mass began almost at the very same moment when the preceding Mass ended. As customary in Masses in the Islands, the voice of the female "commentator" resounded throughout the Church, introducing the theme of the day's Mass and the celebrant, who was outed as a "PMA chaplain". As it was the usual custom, the priest wore a white "tunic" and a violet "outer stole" over his street clothes which, as usual, were neither alb or even white cassock. For a PMA chaplain, enjoying privileges of being a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he looked pretty sloven. In other words, it was the typical, "traditional" Filipino Mass.

But all of a sudden, booming, thundering even, were the voices of tenors singing, without musical accompaniment, the entrance hymn. I wasn't familiar with the song, but it was gloriously sung, no matter what it was. Pleasantly surprised wouldn't be enough to describe me at that moment, but it was enough to actually let a smile appear on my face whilst I contemplated the prospect of actually attending a non-traditional liturgy.

Though my hopes were partly dashed when the priest began saying his parts in the traditional manner, the choir mitigated this priest's traditionalism by singing their rendition of "Panginoon Maawa Ka" [Kyrie] in a setting that sounded more Russian or Slavonic than Jesuit.

Overall, the repertoire of hymns and ordinaries chosen by this choir and their adaptation of the same deserved a two-thumbs up from me. It was vigorous, manly, rich, inspiring, etc, etc. To put it succinctly, it wasn't lame. This, I thought, is how singing should be done in Churches: a Capella, by men (not boys or girls).

I was actually curious to see the men behind the singing so I waited until they descended from the choir loft. Initially, I inferred that these guys might be PMAers enjoying liberty from the Academy by spending time in Church since the celebrant at that time was the PMA chaplain. Weird, but it's plausible. When they all finally got down, all I saw were rugged, middle-aged, normal-looking men, the types you wouldn't associate with such splendid singing. But there they were. I salute you guys, whoever you are.

So you want a fare increase, do you?

2007-12-10T17:33:00.000+08:00

Several weeks ago, there was news that local transport groups petitioned the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board to approve a fare increase due to the rising cost of fuel. That transport groups would be so bold as to petition for such increases while totally being silent on their members' contribution in aggravating the problem, irked me tremendously. Here's why:

Various studies, internationally and locally, have demonstrated that billions of liters of fuel are wasted in traffic jams every year. What transport groups are willingly ignoring is that their own members are the ones causing much of the traffic jams suffered daily by Filipinos and these groups are perhaps deliberately ignoring their faults for prolonging the problem of fuel prince increases.

Daily commuters are very familiar with the common tactics of bus and jeepney drivers in the streets: converting busy corners and intersections into "terminals" in order to collect enough passengers, with engines running of course; loading and unloading passengers wherever and whenever, without the benefit of pulling over to the side of the street, but actually halting in the middle of the street [an open invitation to horrendous vehicular accidents, really]; deliberately driving in the slowest possible speed in order to hunt for passengers; deliberately driving even slower when approaching an intersection with traffic lights so that by the time the lights turn red, they're situated in the corner where passengers would likely be waiting.

These and other "tactics", apart from wasting the riding public's time and patience, are the cause and origin of many of the traffic jams in the streets of Metro Manila and other cities in the Philippines. With traffic jams causing billions of liters of fuel to be wasted, extraordinary demand for fuel would necessarily follow in order to fill up the wastage. And with heightened demand, fuel prices will track the same upward swing. It's economics. It's common sense. Too bad thousand of jeepney and bus drivers in the Philippines are unaware of this, since their leaders are more likely to indoctrinate them of their socialist struggle against evils of the capitalist system rather than helping them cope with the rising fuels costs in the most practicable manner.

Ideally, the LTFRB or other concerned government agency or even anyone with half the wits required to deserve the appellation of a thinking human being should make it known to these people that they themselves would be more than capable of plotting the course of fuel prices. But that won't happen. Filipino society is far from being ideal.

My point is that concerned transport organizations should address the problem of rising fuel costs by first tackling one of its primary, aggravating causes: their own utter disregard for the most fundamental rules of the road and their own selfishness. In other words, you brought that on yourselves so leave the rest of us alone.

The Knights of Malta should revive their military arm

2007-12-10T13:04:00.001+08:00

Here's why.

So which is it Mel?

2007-12-07T20:38:00.000+08:00

1) The Armenian Genocide

or

2) The life and martyrdom of Edmund Campion

or

3) Something else?

Hey Arnold!

2007-12-07T18:02:00.000+08:00

When seminarians go around carrying a saturno-wearing football around, it's certain that someone's gonna be pleased

Excellent!

For documentation:

2007-12-06T16:07:00.000+08:00

The pro-Jihad, Islamic TV station Al-Jazeera is apparently available in Philippines through Destiny Cable TV. Here are some pics I took:

My impression is that Destiny Cable TV's management is blissfully unaware of Al-Jazeera's support for Jihad and is only interested in it as a "reputable" news source in the image and likeness of CNN, BBC, etc.

Meanwhile, some sensible and saneArabs in Europe have launched a campaign against Al-Jazeera.

Interesting read

2007-12-05T23:24:00.000+08:00

Shakespeare Unmasked makes the claim that the real brain behind the works of Shakespeare is none other than St. Edmund Campion.

I should be saying "Awesome!", right?

2007-12-05T19:14:00.000+08:00

The level of education required to read The Perpetual Malcontent's Blog is a postgrad education.

Meanwhile, here are some sites and their corresponding readability level (just to give you an idea of how accurate or inaccurate the tool is):

Catholic and Enjoying It! -- Junior High School
The Curt Jester -- Junior High School
Jihad Watch -- Junior High School
Google Philippines -- Genius
Wikipedia -- Genius
Yahoo -- Genius
CNN -- Junior High School

Found via the Flametroll

Potty Cats

2007-12-04T09:08:00.000+08:00

There are apparently people marketing videos on how to train pet cats to use a regular toilet. This really made me think about our old cat. I thought that this "cat skill" was something cats learn or discover on their own. Many years ago, I was shocked to discover that our cat was actually peeing in our toilet. It was strange since nobody trained it or even considered teaching it to use the toilet. Our cat must've been a genius! And now we find people making money out of something cats would probably learn on their own if given the chance.

The Pauline Mass Celebrated Ad Orientem

2007-12-03T16:27:00.000+08:00

in Jasna Gora

And it looks like a regular and normal thing there.

Filipino seamen smell better than other nationalities

2007-12-03T16:25:00.000+08:00

This should be repeated and highlighted all the time

Manny Villar's campaigning already

2007-12-03T16:19:00.000+08:00

In the guise of marking the Nacionalista Party's 100th anniversary, a fact which seems to be strangely absent from their official website.

What're the odds that the same tune they use in this radio advert will be the same one Villar uses in his Presidential election adverts?

Nice Shocks

2007-12-03T16:17:00.000+08:00

Photo taken here: Extreme Kites

This is what legalized drugs will do to your culture*

2007-12-03T16:11:00.000+08:00

*Quote shamlessly stolen from this guy

Definitely a useful piece of information

2007-12-03T15:59:00.000+08:00

How to charge an iPod using an onion:

Now you can:

impress your boss, crush, or your crush's parents.
enjoy music even during a 2-week power blackout
recycle your spoiled onions and gatorade

Oh Joy, oh joy!

2007-11-30T10:35:00.001+08:00

I finally got to register at LGF!

Bishop Tobias should resign

2007-11-30T08:13:00.000+08:00

After putting the countless civilians, soldiers, foreign guests and the nation hostage, the bishops involved in yesterday's standoff are still adamant at demanding PGMA's resignation, citing her lack of moral ascendancy to lead the nation. Perhaps the same bishops should pause and reflect first before carrying out their "threat" of another rally. Between them, who had empirically, before the world's media even, carried out and supported a violent act which led so many people in danger?

I suppose, as citizens acting on a personal capacity, they had the right to push for reforms in the manner they saw fit. Yet, would it have been too much to ask if they at least tried being circumspect and exercised some prudence in choosing whom to support and associate with? Prudence is a virtue. Shouldn't these bishops, appointed and anointed to guide the faithful towards virtue, be themselves exercising virtues such as prudence?

It seems unfortunate that they have abandoned such silly concepts like virtue and prudence for political expediency. They're giving the impression that politics is far more interesting than the worship of God. Bishop Antonio Tobias is basically telling the faithful that God sucks and that Trillanes trumps Him because he can depose the President with a fool-proof plan.

Of course, His Excellency would parrot the same tired line about PGMA's lack of moral ascendancy to lead the government and nation, thus demanding her resignation. Fine. But do they have the moral ascendancy, given their involvement in yesterday's event, to remain as bishops leading the faithful? Yesterday, I mentioned that the bishops' leadership and capacity to pastor souls has been effectively tarnished and put into doubt by their own willingness to be party to the actions that led to the siege of The Peninsula. They have prostituted their office and dragged their office as successor of the Apostles through the mud. They have cast their pearls before swine.

Bishop Tobias is a canon lawyer so I'm sure he's aware of the canons governing the resignation of bishops. His political activism is a "grave reason" which made him "unsuited for the fulfillment of his office". I invite the good bishop to be a good example for PGMA. Your Excellency, please send your resignation letter to Rome.

Contrary to what Maria Ressa said

2007-11-30T00:09:00.000+08:00

it seems the cops are bending over simply to accommodate the media, big jerks that they are:

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However, Maria Ressa's whining for more press freedom (as if we don't have enough of it) including this scenario, gives me the distinct impression that journalists expect to be treated like they were above the law or something. You know, like VIPs exempt from the usual procedures which would have otherwise inconvenienced the little people. Nope, nothing like that for our brave and courageous journalists. Because if you do anything like that, Maria runs to CNN to tell on you. Boo-hoo!

Maria Ressa's making sumbong to CNN

2007-11-29T20:11:00.000+08:00

Boo-hoo! Sniff, sniff! Boo-hoo!

Since her ABS-CBN buddies and others got arrested.

Babies!

Ressa's bending and twisting the truth. Probably not the first time.

Background:

1) Journalists swarmed the Peninsula hotel to cover Antonio "11-million-Filipinos-voted-for-me" Trillanes' second successful attempt at inflicting pain and defeat on himself. A number of them remained in the function room where the leaders of the standoff were holed up.

2) The Police tells journalists to vacate the area so that they can proceed with police action. Journalists, being "brave and courageous" [TM] decide to ignore orders to vacate the premises. They had better things to do, like being gay and stupid and take photos of themselves frolicking in said hotel. I kid you not.

3) Police SAF storm the hotel. Video shows clearly that they run towards attacking elements in order to get good shots [pun not intended] of the action. In many ways, their sheer number alone confused attacking troops. Any baddies could've taken advantage of that situation to shoot a goody.

4] Standoff leaders surrender. Police not sure who are true media people or those who could posing as journalists. So they summarily arrest all they find inside the hotel until they're sure who's who and what's what. In other words, they'll straighten out everything at the police station. Basically common sense at work, I would think, especially if you know that some of the armed bad guys were in civilian dress. Just see the photo below.

But no. Maria Ressa calls that indimidation and a purge of media freedom. Whatever that means. And she's peddling the spin in international news outlets. CNN doesn't mind that of course. Ressa is a CNN veteran and CNN doesn't care about accuracy anyway. Figures.

Anyway, I was curious to observe that the arrested ABS-CBN men all wore red shirts at time. Hmmm... Were they going to dance Maria? It struck me since the Magdalo arm bands were [drumm roll please] also of the same color. Coincidence?

Anyway: Boo-hoo!

I love this

2007-11-29T20:10:00.000+08:00

PGMA-haters are losing their heads with Trillanes' "stand". So funny. Hahahaha!

Proof of pre-meditation?

2007-11-29T20:04:00.000+08:00

Perhaps.

Or just bravado.

In any case, evidence.

Hat Tip: Dan Conia

Is it over already?

2007-11-29T17:47:00.000+08:00

Have Trillanes and Co. decided to quit? Damn! I was hoping he would end up doing his last stand or something. Well, he did keep on saying he wanted to make his stand. But what is clear now is that all those figures holed up in that function room in the Peninsula will forever be marked for life as real troublemakers. I mean the civilians like former VP Teofisto Guingona, Fr. Robert Reyes, Bishops Julio Labayen and Antonio Tobias will forever bear the mark of being instigators of violence. Hopefully in the future, fewer ears will be willing to listen to a word they say.

The V150 crashing through the hotel lobby entrance probably scared them and made them realize that the government was in no mood to f**k around. So they made up such excuses as wishing not to let any civilian get hurt in the attack. What? They just realized that? They occupied a civilian establishment and just realized after the attack that civilians might get hurt? Brilliant Mister Senator. You are indeed brilliant.

The funny things is that Trillanes sounded like a child who, recognizing that he did a plainly wrongful act, is trying to twist the facts to defend himself and steer the blame towards PGMA. He kept on saying the administration was violent and intolerant, as if it was the one that perpetrated the entire thing.

In fact, they all sounded like whining children. Time for bigtime punishment kiddies! The Senate should pass a resolution dumping Trillanes from their ranks. I think they can do that. The Lower House does that I think. I'm sure the Nuncio is monitoring the situation and sure hope that he would pursue concrete steps in finally silencing Fr. Robert Reyes and Bishop Antonio Tobias. The trouble in which they have actively participated in is definitely below their priestly and episcopal dignity. Serious disciplinary action should be imposed on them, whatever form that may take. They were appointed to watch over souls but their actions today seriously put to into doubt their capacity to pastor souls.

Well, one thing is clear

2007-11-29T17:23:00.000+08:00

Trillanes is no Winston Churchill. Tongue-tied was the word I had in mind when he faced the press and said "we're ready to face this" or something to that effect.

Could it be?

2007-11-29T16:16:00.000+08:00

Could he be that crazy? Could he be contemplating on suicide? I mean inviting a full frontal assault where he and his companions will die in the ensuing battle? Is he trying to set himself up as a new icon/idol/hero/martyr or whatever for the "struggle" against PGMA? Geez, if anything, he's exactly the clearest picture of what hatred of PGMA will turn anyone into.

Trillanes

2007-11-29T15:09:00.001+08:00

sounds like a man who realized that he's made another mistake while dragging lots of people in what could possibly be a bloody end. He's making confused and silly excuses for this latest of his series of pathetic exercises in being a jerk and a$$hole.

And what's with their affinity with hotels? They keep occupying hotels. Oakwood back in 2003 and now The Peninsula.

CBCP spokesman's cellphone is now off

2007-11-29T14:58:00.000+08:00

Journalists are unable reach him to confirm whether a presscon is on or not regarding the fresh coup. I smell a Papal crackdown and it's a wonderful odor!

Meanwhile, reports state that 3 bishops are with Trillanes in The Peninsula Manila. Those fools. Their blind hatred for PGMA will surely lead others to damnation.

I'm just thankful that the CBCP has no real place in the Church's ecclesiology and that individual Catholics can [and this case, should] ignore it.

On the other hand

2007-11-29T12:15:00.000+08:00

Today's events remind me of this:

A few hours ago,

2007-11-29T11:49:00.000+08:00

commuters and motorists stuck at EDSA were texting DZMM, asking what was causing the traffic jam. Here's your answer:

I've finally settled down

2007-11-29T11:34:00.000+08:00

And after due reflection, I'm hopeful that this move of Trillanes will result into nothing negative overall. PGMA will still be in the throne. And Trillanes will be back behind bars.

The King of Makati

2007-11-29T11:28:00.000+08:00

I think readers are wondering why Trillanes' plans are moving swiftly without hindrance. Perhaps we should remember that Makati City is the territory of Jejomar Binay, the chief of the "Opposition". Nothing takes place there without Binay's support.

In the Whacko tradition of Bonifacio et al

2007-11-29T11:17:00.000+08:00

who brought us the first revolutionary movement known as the Katipunan and the bloody 1896 Revolution, Trillanes et al is about to bring the country into another sad chapter of its history. Damn. Just when I was planning to quit covering such idiocies.

And the whole thing smells of a planned conspiracy. The red "Magdalo" arm bands have reappeared. Reports of civilians in the streets fetching battle dress attires from their backpacks. Then some "civil" society groups and [surprise, surprise] Bishop Tobias joining them. What a bishop!

Coup! Coup! Join us for another Coup!

Damn!

2007-11-29T11:03:00.000+08:00

Trillanes and Lim have managed to convince their guards to join them. Weak-minded fools.

The thing is that DZMM is giving these men the forum to air their idiocy so that the entire country would be fooled into joining them.

The lying bastards should be shot with no questions asked.

Update: They're calling for another revolt v PGMA. Don't these guys get tired of this? My neck hurts just listening to these guys. I won't be surprised if Bishop Tobias suddenly takes his place beside Trillanes but it won't be a good sign.

Esperon to sue Trillanes over mastermind tag in Glorietta blast

2007-11-29T10:55:00.000+08:00

You mean Trillanes lied? I'm shocked! Shocked I say.

Thank you 11 million Pinoys for electing such an honest invidual to the Senate. You have done your country well.

Hold on...

Trillanes and Lim, according to reports, have walked out of a hearing on their Mutiny case. So where do they think they're going? Back to prison where you belong!

While watching the movie Beowulf,

2007-11-28T07:26:00.000+08:00

Mel asked me why mermaids, as they were portrayed in the movie, always wanted to be pregnant, or something to that effect.

While it is widely suggested that legends of mermaids could be attributed to manatees, I couldn't keep myself from laughing while thinking about Conan O'Brien's HornyManatee.Com as I contemplated Mel's question.

Around this time in 1970:

2007-11-26T23:12:00.000+08:00

The assassination attempt of Pope Paul VI

I'm surprised nobody has linked to this yet

2007-11-24T20:49:00.000+08:00

My Vatican

Some observations

2007-11-23T15:44:00.000+08:00

First:

Usually, among Filipinos discussing an issue, the testimony or expertise of foreigners seem to bear greater authority than that of a Pinoy. Case in point, an interview currently underway with Joel Reyes Zobel and some guy whose name I didn't catch. Said guy is discussing the need for sex education for Pinoy youth. From what I understood of their exchange, the guy says that the need for sex education for Pinoys was recognized during a gathering where foreigners were involved. "Oh", said Joel Reyes Zobel, sounding more interested and convinced after the mention of "foreigners". I couldn't help myself smile after noticing that. Ever since I discovered the blogosphere, one could say that I have progressively grown up in terms of the appreciation of ideas and policies being preached by foreigners. My freelance work also exposed me to some silly and lazy foreigners who were in many ways "deficient" in terms of learning and the capacity to do deliver usable output. Due to both cases, my unquestioning high regard for foreign though has been shattered. I've been very skeptical (hopefully in a good way) about any novelty being introcued by some foreign-funded advocacy groups. Anyway, I've wondered why and how, even with the same technology available to many Pinoy policy makers and mediamen, the myth of the superiority of foreign thought and policy remains strong with them. A great number of them still considers the New York Times infallible despite numerous empirically verified fallacies and mistakes. Enough said. You could never avoid a discussion where US or European policy is given as the standard for which the Pinoy should aspire to, as though Pinoys can't come up with their own standards. I'm not limiting this to issues of politics, morality, education or such. Technology, economics and art issues get the same treatment as well. The more I hear of the same, the more I find Pinoys sillier. Pinoy policymakers, opinion-makers and especially journalists should really learn that, like their own compatriots, there are crazies and idiotrs running around in corridors of power and learning and that they should be critical enough to recognize them and not be behooven to them just because they're "foreigners".

Second:

Why is it that those who eagerly taunt Catholics for allegedly holding on to "traditions of men" are those who can't seem to let go of man-made myths they learned from their preachers, especially those regarding the Catholic Church. When their fantasies are refuted, they still cling on them, as if those who have demolished their silly ideas conspired to hide the truth from them and the rest of the world. Strange minds these our separated brethren have. I've noticed that those who do honestly and sincerely search for the truth find themselves to the Church, whilst those who still hang on to their man-made myths and traditions bury themselves beneath enourmous piles of BS just to flee from confronting Truth. Protestantism is a mere shadow of Catholicism. The more light you shed upon the Catholic Church, the less you see of the shadow.

Speaking of Abuse

2007-11-22T16:25:00.000+08:00

Try to name and count the number of liturgical abuses here:

Rizal, Rizal, Rizal!

2007-11-22T16:03:00.000+08:00

There. I hope Google sends them all here.

I've noticed that a significant amount of traffic in my blog can be attributed to people (most likely students) searching for info about Jose Rizal via Google. Google sends them to a post I made in 2004. In it I speculated that the standard of beauty in Rizal's time was significantly different from ours. So I surmised that Rizal probably liked chubby chucks given his description of Maria Clara having flabby arms (according to a certain English translation of the Noli anyway).

Anyways, if you fit the bill above (average Pinoy student doing a hurried paper on Philippine history, Rizal's life and times, or other related topic), it would be fun perhaps to consider a totally radical report instead of what would've been the obligatory praise and adulation that recycles the stuff penned by Agoncillo, Ocampo or Zaide. Consider challenging the convention that Rizal and his peers were indeed heroes.

To get you started, try exploring the quaint and largely ignored fact that the Katipunan "borrowed" many aspects of Freemasonry. As I mentioned in a previous post, such details are quite illuminating, considering that Freemasonry and the Catholic Church back then were never allies. Note also that most of the leading names in the Propaganda Movement and the Katipunan were indeed Masons. A mere coincidence? Try again.

Alternatively, consider the socio-political climate in Spain. Try connecting the Philippine Revolution of 1896 with the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. I don't think it'll be hard. I think you can find that many of the ideologies at play in the Philippine Revolution resurfaced in the Civil War. Also note that biggest batch of martyred beatas were produced by the Spanish Civil War.

If you've noticed, the Catholic Church seems to be favorite target here. Because it is. I won't be surprised if the Catholic clergy and religious weren't popular in those days. A lot of abuses certainly took place, just as they do now, and some people just did the most radical things to set things right according to their way. Unfortunately, their way was simply evil. Remember Chesterton's quip: "The reformer is always right about what is wrong. He is generally wrong about what is right."

That clergymen are capable of abuse should be no surprise to one who goes to Mass these days. If priests (and other religious) are capable of abusing the Mass, what's there to stop them from abusing other petty stuff like your rights or human dignity?

Rizal praised the Women of Malolos for their courage to pursue education and think for themselves. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you, dear Pinoy student, did that for yourself as well.

Musn't let the day end without posting this:

2007-11-20T16:45:00.000+08:00

Psalm 23 as adapted by Ryan Kearse

The Lord is all that, I need for nothing.
He allows me to chill.
He keeps me from being heated
and allows me to breathe easy.
He guides my life so that
I can represent and give
shouts out in his Name.
And even though I walk through
the Hood of death,
I don't back down
for you have my back.
The fact that you have me covered
allows me to chill.
He provides me with back-up
in front of my player-haters
and I know that I am a baller
and life will be phat.
I fall back in the Lord's crib
for the rest of my life.

via Ten Reasons

This guy...

2007-11-20T14:13:00.000+08:00

Yeah this guy...

...is An accomplished Actor, Dancer, Choreographer and Director, whose career spans more than 25 years. His professional work as a choreographer and dancer has contributed to a better appreciation of Native American dance worldwide. Between
1980 and 1986, he performed as principal dancer, soloist and master teacher with the Nikolais Dance Theatre.

Seriously.

Insane!

2007-11-20T13:55:00.000+08:00

LGF owner Charles posted his latest book recommendation, "Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity is and Islam isn't".

The book was written by Robert Spencer, an Eastern Catholic (and a deacon at that) and founder of Jihad Watch.

But somehow, along the way, with the help of our separated brethren, the comment thread mutated into discussion of anti-semitism in the Catholic Church, aggravated mostly by Protestants whose knowlege of theology and history is, at best, questionable.

To be sure, these same anti-Catholics are in totally agreement with Spencer and his book's thesis. It is ironic that their hero-author, not only is a slave of the Whore of Babylon, but a member of her clergy as well. Will they touch another book written by Spencer?

First, it's a pretty nice documentary.

2007-11-20T05:38:00.000+08:00

Second, the bishop featured there is in the news.

The Valley of the Cheesemakers

2007-11-16T10:26:00.000+08:00

Sounds like the place where some of our Lefties, artists, liturgical dancers and mass commentators could feel at home.

Fun with Clay Pottery

2007-11-16T09:47:00.001+08:00

And of course, we're familiar with this memorable chapter in the Harry Potter series:

Taste the goodness...

2007-11-16T08:17:00.000+08:00

News [OK it's old] is that EWTN's Fr. Francis Mary is planning to leave the priesthood and run off with a widow. While I was not surprised that another EWTN icon has fallen [remember Fr. Ken Roberts?], I was surprised to discover that the next scandal was brought by Fr. Francis Mary Stone. I've always thought that a big ticket name like Fr. Corapi would've been next. Perhaps next time...

Anyway, I'm curious about how the lady Fr. Francis has been cavorting looks like. Has anyone seen her or have any info about her? I've observed over the years that any priest who leaves the priesthood for a woman usually marry, well to put it mildly, not-so-hot women. I've always wondered why this is the case, it just doesn't make sense to me.

I mean If you're gonna leave the priesthood for a woman, you should at least do it for someone worthwhile, some one hot and foxy. The kind that turns boys into men. Right? It's the most natural and sensible thing to do.

Could it have something to do with the general lack of taste among the clergy these days? The same lack of taste that's generally evident in the liturgy?

Speaking of taste, there's a lot of hubub about some women simulating the sacrament of Holy Orders. Below are actual pictures of these priestesses.

Women, well being women, should have taste right? I mean who buys all those fashion magazines? If you wanna get yourself all ordained (invalid of course) at least make it look good. Or better yet, at least make yourselves lovely for the day. My dear, you look like a man in that picture. What's up with that?

Why couldn't it be "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent"?

2007-11-16T07:54:00.000+08:00

Inside Catholic columnist Elizabeth Scalia's recollection of her First Holy Communion back in the 1960's brought me back to my own back in the early 90's.

A second grader back then, First Holy Communion marked a turning point in our lives. But even then, even with my relatively innocent view of the world around me, I found the rite to be a mish-mash of what seems to be two conflicting ethos. On one hand, we had a fairly traditional and solemn manner of reception. Just take a look of this pic:

I mean what's not to like in receiving the Lord in the most reverent manner possible in those days?

But this same Mass, this same special celebration consisted of us first communicants singing, complete with animation, a song by ex-priest Carey Landry "Bloom Where You're Planted":

Ref: Bloom, bloom, bloom, where you're planted. You will find your way. Bloom, bloom, bloom, where you're planted. You will find your day.

1) Look at the flowers, look at them growing; they never worry; they never work; yet look at the way our Father clothes them, each with a beauty of its own. (Ref.)

2) Some plant the seeds that others will wather, but in al things God gives the growth. Come, let Him garden the flowers within you; come and discover some you've never known (Ref.)

3) Look at the love that lies deep within you. Let your self be! Let your self be! Look at the gifts you have been given. Let them go free. Let them go free. (Ref)

Pretty atrocious, don't you think? Even at that tender age, I found it that way. I mean, I never really understood, then and now, why such a song found its way into the liturgy, especially one as special as this. Alright, I admit it has allusions to the Gospel,

[Matthew 6:28-30 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?]

but artistic freedom has gone overboard with the song. It sounded like a frustrated Beatle songwriter wrote it.

Of course I did the most appropriate thing for a child of 11 and decided to shut my mouth and go with the flow. But I've never forgotten and have always looked back to that Mass where I had sing that corny song with animation.

Meeeeeeee!

2007-11-16T07:47:00.000+08:00

Behold the new face of narcissism. Stunningly same as the old.