MikeLigalig.com

Jon Tumilson, a member of a Navy Seal team, was killed in Afghanistan when his Chinook helicopter was hit by enemy fire on Aug. 6. A funeral service was held for Mr. Tumilson in Rockford, Iowa, attended by 1,500 people.

But also in attendance was Mr. Tumilson’s loyal Labrador retriever, Hawkeye. The dog wandered over to his owner’s flag-draped coffin and lay beside it throughout the service.

As the video and picture of Hawkeye spread, many viewers reached out to Home Post with concerns about the pet’s well-being, along with many offers of adoption. A friend of Mr. Tumilson’s later said that the dog was taken by a good friend of Mr. Tumilson’s, who often kept Hawkeye when Mr. Tumilson was deployed overseas.

-excerpts from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/a-dog-at-the-funeral-captured-on-video/

Lord urges everyone using herbal medicine to be cautious. Active agents in familiar treatments can change over time, or new information on the risks and benefits of specific ingredients may also become available. Checking the ingredients is an important and often overlooked step. “Generally, a lot of people don’t ask. There are a lot of ingredients in [the remedies] that can change over time because they are complex. You need to check each time. It never hurts to check.” And, when in doubt, ask a physician about whether an herbal remedy is safe to take.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/20/herbal-medicines-pose-health-risk-to-millions-in-asia/#ixzz2OCm9NZTd

And given the wide availability of aristolochic acid, on the internet and in Asia, the authors say holes in regulation of herbal remedies need to be addressed. “The globalization of the distribution of these substances makes it very difficult to control,” says Lord.

After reviewing 42 case studies and one trial related to caring for the disease, Lord and his colleagues came up with guidelines to help doctors to recognize cases of AAN, as well as treat the disease’s symptoms. They concluded that aristolochic acid could be linked to a variety of kidney diseases and urothelial cancer. More research, however, is needed to improve understanding of the risks of aristolochic acid.  They write:

    We see an urgent need for research addressing many key areas, including determining the true worldwide extent of exposure; defining genetic variants that might confer increased sensitivity or resistance to the nephrotoxic effects of AA; testing the accuracy and utility of diagnostic criteria and optimum screening strategies, including the use of noninvasive biomarkers; and developing therapeutic agents that can reverse or delay progression of the disease.

    An international herbal reference center equipped to assess the composition and risks of products available to consumers would provide substantial public health benefit.

continued...

The scientists, led by Graham Lord, the director of the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, found that herbal medicines containing the acid are still found in China and other Asian countries and can be purchased online. “The reason we wrote this paper is to provide a diagnostic classification for aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) [the type of kidney failure associated with the agent]. For countries that haven’t asked the question of whether this is present, here is diagnostic criteria. We just don’t know what the levels of exposure are throughout the world,” he says.

Quote from: Lorenzo on March 21, 2013, 11:28:56 AM
Interesting article.

i believe we, if not me, need your honest-to-goodness and objective opinion on herbal medicines, lorenz.  consider the fact too that big pharmaceuticals also hire good scientists.  and they can manipulate world opinion...

During the initial outbreak, scientists traced the kidney problems to aristolochic acid (AA), which belongs to a group of plants known as birthwort or Dutchman’s pipe. The agent is used for weight loss and to treat asthma and arthritis. But since the epidemic, herbs with aristolochic acid have been banned for medicinal uses in many countries, including the U.S. Researchers at King’s College London, however, now report in the Annals of Internal Medicine that millions of people are still being exposed, especially in Asia.

Herbal Medicines Pose Health Risk to Millions in Asia

By Alexandra Sifferlin
March 20, 2013
http://healthland.time.com/

A commonly used herbal remedy that is banned in the U.S. and many European countries may still be harming users in Asia.


Simon Winnall / Getty Images

Since researchers connected an epidemic of kidney disease among Belgium women in the early 1990s to herbal medicines from a weight loss clinic, scientists have monitored the remedy for other potential health risks.

So I said, “How much?” “P50,” he said. I gave him P50.

“I want my receipt,” I told him. He gave me a look that said, “Receipt your face!” I gave him a look that said, “Corrupt gyud mong mga traffic enforcers.” He gave me a look that said, “Kamong taga media di kamao molabang.” I gave him a look that said, “Wait, how did you know I’m from the media?”

And the people gathered around us gave us a look that said, “Get a room!”

I left without getting my receipt. I gave it up for the traffic enforcer because for a few minutes right there I was a lawbreaker, which was quite an experience. And that’s one good cinematographic detail of my life as a boring law-abiding citizen.

for more insoymada articles, explore http://www.sunstar.com.ph/profile/lorenzo-ninal?page=1

I looked to where the voice was coming from, and to my horror, it was a traffic enforcer! A tall, pot-bellied, ugly, mean-looking traffic enforcer! I looked at where I was standing: in the middle of Colon St., in a spot a couple of feet off the pedestrian lane. I said, “Holy sh**!,” as Christmas songs quickly faded in my head.

“Hoy,” he called again. I walked toward him, trying to look meek and innocent. “Pataka man ka’g labang!” He growled as he grabbed me in the arm and dragged me to a corner.

I knew there was no reasoning with a man who looked like he hadn’t showered for months. Besides, I didn’t want people to see me being held for jaywalking. I wanted to get out of there quick and feel Christmas once again.

The day I jaywalked, I was in extremely high spirits. It was Christmas. The bonuses were arriving, along with gifts of ham and cheese to last the family for years. I saw girls and boys selling lanterns on the streets, I remembered the Child in the manger as He… Yes, I easily get carried away.

So it was all Christmas in my heart and in my mind as I crossed Colon St. on my way to the downtown area to buy presents. Then I heard somebody calling my attention. “Hoy!”

Huh? Who was that? Who just called me “hoy” in this season of love and caring?

So you can imagine the horror I felt one day last month when I was apprehended for--of all crimes--jaywalking. How did it happen? How could a law-abiding citizen forget to follow one of the world’s simplest traffic rules? If I were to choose my crime, it would be genocide. I’d walk to the death chamber feeling proud of having wiped out an entire nation of heathens. But jaywalking?

People are sometimes forced to do bad things because of circumstances they find too difficult to handle. A father steals a bottle of medicine for his sick child. A son kills a neighbor to avenge his father’s death. A girl eats ice cream and gets fat because her boyfriend dumped her for her best friend. In my case, I violated a traffic rule because I was happy, so happy that I was being reckless.

Lorenzo Niñal's English column, a sample

Monday, January 14, 2013

Jaywalker

I’M A law-abiding citizen. I believe the key to happiness is a clean conscience. I don’t steal, I don’t litter, I don’t smoke inside the elevator, I pay my jeepney fare, I don’t strangle our neighbor’s cats even if the noise they make at night is enough justification for murder.

Of course, life lived this way is boring, because where’s the thrill? I will never get to have a movie written about me. Nobody wants to watch a film about how to pay the bills on time, how to do the groceries every weekend and how to teach a child the alphabet. But at least this boring person is happy while people who live more colorful lives don’t sleep soundly at night.

Apan ang respeto sa tawo sa papasiya wala nakaangkla sa kung kinsay nagkupot sa posisyon kundi sa posisyon mismo, ang labing taas nga posisyon sa labing dako nga organisasyon sa tibuok kalibutan. Dili ikahibulong nga bisan ang mga kulang sa pagtuo ug wala sa simbahan makuratan sa balita nga mabakante pag-usab ang papasiya.

Samtang gihinuktokan nako ang duha ka balita Lunes sa gabii, may laing balita nga nakapakurat nako og samot. “Selpon nahimong sabon,” matod pa sa headline ning mantalaan.

Patay nga higanteng buaya, bakanteng papasiya, ug karon selpon nahimong sabon? Di na ni matabang, Lord. Ninggawas ko ug nangita’g tagay.

(napatik sa sunstar cebu sa kolum nga 'insoymada')

Ug didto akong nakita ang higanteng buaya nga naglubog sa mabaw nga tubig sa iyang mura’g swimming pool nga puy-anan. Gikural ang swimming pool ni Lolong og puthaw nga railings nga lapas sa tawo ang gitas-on. Way lihoklihok ang buaya, bisag pamilok man lang o kitiw sa ikog. Murag patay.

Samtang nagtan-aw ko sa pobreng mananap, gikanta nako ang linyang “ibon mang may layang lumipad…” Ako lang gihinay kay buaya ra ba akong gikantahan, dili langgam.

Right hand siya ni Pope John Paul II -- si Benedict XVI, dili si Lolong. Pagkahimo niyang santo papa niadtong 2005, gitandi si Benedict XVI sa iyang gisundan nga si Pope John Paul II. Mas dagha’g fans si John Paul II kaysa ni Benedict XVI. Tingali mas daghan ang ganahan og santo papa nga cute kaysa istrikto og nawong.

Usa ko sa mga nakuratan sa duha kahitabo nga dungan ko’ng nahibaw-an Lunes sa gabii.

“Ning-resign si Lolong? Naunsa ang santo papa… ha?” pangutana nako sa akong mga kaopisina.

Summer sa niaging tuig ako siyang nahimamat -- si Lolong, dili ang santo papa. Reunion to sa akong barkada sa high school nga kasagaran tua nagpuyo sa Surigao del Sur.

Gibisita namo si Lolong sa Bunawan Ecopark and Wildlife Reservation Center sa lungsod sa Bunawan sa silingang probinsiya sa Agusan del Sur.

more from Lorenzo Niñal (makalingaw gyod ni nga kolumnista)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/superbalita-cebu/
Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Si Lolong ug ang Santo Papa

DUHA ka dakong balita ang nisugat sa semana â€" ang pagkamatay sa usa ka buaya ug ang pag-resign sa santo papa. Depende asay mas duol sa imong dughan, ang usa ka balita mas bug-at kaysa ubang balita. Gihilakan sa mga nagpangga sa kinaiyahan ang pagkamatay sa higanteng buaya, samtang nagbangutan ang mga anaa sa simbahan sa nahitabo sa Vatican.

May mga tawo nga parehong bug-at ang buaya ug ang santo papa. Dobleng kaguol ilang gibati pagkadungog nila sa duha ka balita. Mga 24 oras lang ang nag-uwang sa duha ka hitabo â€" ang buayang si Lolong namatay sa alas 8 sa gabii sa Domingo samtang ang balita mahitungod sa pag-resign ni Pope Benedict XVI ningbuto sa samang oras sa Lunes.

yeheeey!  good for him.  he deserves it.  prayers answered.   

aaahhh, some kind of financial soap opera, it turns out.  it involves two families (lucio tan has two families after all), and a guy (the standard "barbarian at the gate") ready to swallow everything up when the two warring sides annihilate each other.  for those interested, this may serve as a general background: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/39366/cocktales--sibling-revelry-between-michael-lucio-tan-jr-

when such things happen, almost always there's a faceless government functionary or politician backing up one side.

there must be some political background here.  it could be that either lucio tan didn't support the liberal party or there's someone near the hearth of power who's his personal enemy.  i don't know the background here, but this bears watching out because it will have some effect on our economy and financial reputation.

so what else is new?  parents get it right more often than not.  escudero has always been manipulative and arrogant.  but this kind of soap opera will certainly take him to the senate again.  he's too visible to be forgotten in name recall.  and we deserve him because that's the kind of voters we are.

Four bullets hit John Paul II, two of them lodging in his lower intestine, the others hitting his left hand and right arm. (wikipedia)



AÄŸca was sentenced, in July 1981, to life imprisonment in Italy for the assassination attempt. Following his shooting, Pope John Paul II asked people to "pray for my brother (AÄŸca), whom I have sincerely forgiven."

Although AÄŸca had been quoted as saying that "to me [the Pope] was the incarnation of all that is capitalism", and had attempted to murder him, AÄŸca developed a friendship with the pontiff.

In 1983, he and AÄŸca met and spoke privately at the prison where AÄŸca was being held. The Pope was also in touch with AÄŸca's family over the years, meeting his mother in 1987 and his brother a decade later. After serving almost 20 years of a life sentence in prison in Italy, AÄŸca was pardoned by the then Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in June 2000 and deported to Turkey. (wikipedia)

Agca in 2000:

Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981:

AÄŸca was apprehended immediately, and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court. The Pope later forgave AÄŸca for the assassination attempt. He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Pope's request and was deported to Turkey in June 2000. (wikipedia)

The first attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II took place on Wednesday, 13 May 1981, in St. Peter's Square at Vatican City. The Pope was shot and critically wounded by Mehmet Ali AÄŸca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck four times, and suffered severe blood loss. (wikipedia)

the image that the whole world saw

if only.

when our house was blest, the priest was duly notified ahead that there will also be pets that needed to be blest.  he brought special prayers for that.  he sprinkled all of them with holy water.  beninditahan intawon ning among mga pets-- cats, dogs, birds, hermit crabs. 

pictures unya bi, please.

Pope John Paul II

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Francis


Pope Francis reaches out to touch a child as he arrives to his inauguration Mass

http://www.mirror.co.uk/


Pope Francis kisses a child as he arrives in Saint Peter's Square for his inaugural mass at the Vatican

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Pope Francis takes part in his inaugural mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Pope Francis waves to crowds as he arrives to his inauguration Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

A banner with the image of Pope Francis is displayed in St. Peter's Square before his inaugural mass

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

hinoon, akong personal opinion...

kun ang atong public transport pareha ani nga bus, kanang morag buses sa west ba nga convenient ug punto sa oras ang schedule, i'll take it too if i were a cardinal catching up with my own schedule.

dinhi sa ato, morag lisod pa gyod.  way klaro ang schedule sa public transport, ang good for 4 nga seats himoong good for 8, pukpukon pa gyod ang atop anang kusog mosiyagit nga dispatcher, unya magsalig pa gyod tag habal-habal sa mga dapit nga way bus and jeepney routes nga pasakyan ug lima ang para usa ra unta nga mo-backride... morag precarious palandungon.  may puruhan nga di moabot sa schedule, kana kun moabot man galing.  lisod tuod nga matuwad ang atong monsignor ug sinakay sa atong public transport.

p.s. dihay natuwad nga habal-habal sa amo gyong atubangan one all souls day years ago didto sa sementeryo sa valencia.  lima ang sakay, puro pa ra ba mga tiguwang nga baye.  reflex action ni banana republic nga motabang ug patindog nila, apil motorcycle.  nakalimot tingali nga di siya si superman, pagbalik namo sa cebu, hospital diretso for one week because of terrible shoulder blades and back pains.  imagine kun atong monsignor intawon ang matuwad ug ingon ato.

Cardinals attend Pope Francis' inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

19 March 2013


Crowds gather during the Inauguration Mass for Pope Francis in St Peter's Square

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

hehe, kinship in cats... kaayo ra nga di ta mga catatonic.  hinguk-an gyod hinoon namo among cats, pwera lang nail polish.  pero, naa gyod gihapoy agi ilang kuko bisag di na talinis. 

incidentally, i am not in favor of declawing cats.  it's not fair.  pareha rag roses ba, we have to live with the thorns.  kay naay iring, pwes, we have to live with their claws.  i hold no respect for a veterinarian who agrees to a cat's declawing.

aw, siya diay and his family ang tua?  sige lang kay vice-president man tawon nato, even as his sights are on the top job come 2016.  ngilngig kaayo ni siyag support sa iglesia ni cristo all these years, courting that group's block votes and the requisite promise of jobs in government for mostly unqualified members.  i got this from the horse's mouth, meaning a ranking member of that group.  abhorrent. 

glad you're over that hair thing.  gawas nga uso na karon and you're just in time, that's a whole lot better head than the donald trump head.

p.s. i had my own battle with looks; i used to have real good legs-- long, slim, and speckless.  men used to say at my back "legs na lay tan-awa, ayaw na lang ang nawong," hehe. 

karon, lupig pay inmate sa muntinglupa nga napuno ug tattoo, mga uwat nga kinamrasan ug iring.  di na nako patambalan kay madugangan man gihapon, so useless na.  my perspective has changed.  i'd rather have cats than good legs.  boy, how we grow up.   

beautiful confused tree house resident

sa gamay pa siya. 
what happened along the way?  where did i go wrong in bringing you up?

beauuutifuuul!  ka-sweet gyod sa duha intawon.  malipay gyod ani si st francis.

iring nga liwat sa apo ni botoy.

aguy.  giunsa man tawon ni pag-picture uy.  naa pa ba kaha ang photographer pagkahuman?

as usual, the wheels of justice grinding slowly.  daghan pa gyod ug kalaki ning mga abugado ug postpone-postpone ug hearings.

suwayan nakog review ang case ni aga muhlach nganong resident man siya sa mindoro and thus he's allowed to run for congress despite the comelec's decision that he is not, if i got it right. well, those supreme court justices aren't stupid.

maayo unta ug mawala na ning uso ug mga artista sa politics nato uy.  artistahon na bitaw ang atong dyed-in-the-wool politicians, dugangan pa gyod.  let it be noted though that bol-anons made cesar montano an also-ran.

Syria: A displaced woman and child are reflected in a puddle of water in the Bab al-Hawa camp along the Turkish border
Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Masaya, Nicaragua: A man holds up his dog wearing a military costume during an animal blessing ceremony in honour of Saint Lazarus
Photograph: Esteban Felix/AP

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

A woman takes cover from the rain in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, the day ahead of the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis. In addition to more than 132 government delegations, the Vatican says 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities.

http://www.voanews.com/

An employee of an Easter egg dyeing company controls colored, cooked eggs in Thannhausen near Augsburg, southern Germany. Up to 200,000 eggs are being dyed in the company daily pre-Easter.

http://www.voanews.com/

18 March 2013


The Aurora Borealis bright up the sky at twilight on March 17, 2013 between the towns of Are and Ostersund, Sweden.

http://www.voanews.com/

Mexico City, Mexico: police officers and journalists stand next to the body of Gerardo Hernandez Cornejo. Gunmen killed Cornejo, alias 'El Oso' - 'the Bear' - who was connected with the distribution of drugs
Photograph: Alejandro Dias /Reuters

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Harare, Zimbabwe: citizens cast their votes in a polling station lit with candles and gas lamps in the Waterfalls suburb, during a referendum on a new constitution that would curb Robert Mugabe's powers and pave the way for elections later in the year
Photograph: Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

San Salvador, El Salvador: people march to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the murder of Monsignor Ã"scar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered when he was officiating mass in 1980
Photograph: Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

17 March 2013


New York, US: revellers watch the 252nd annual St Patrick's Day parade march
Photograph: Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

kini, kinsa man ni siya?

off to work for the then cardinal, now pope francis

my dream pool 2-a


my dream pool 2-b

my dream pool 1

Quote from: Votives on March 18, 2013, 07:48:46 AM
abuhan ra gyud intaw amoa...

ang abuhan nila votives

Quote from: bugsay on March 18, 2013, 07:04:36 AM

ingon ani among dirty kitchen..

motuo gyod ko bisan sa imong kahanggaw.  mangunay god kag himo.

kumusta na ang imong mga hinimong furnitures?  i-display dayon dinhi sa tbland.

si fr chic ang bag-ong nag-birthday, bai hubs.  si ms anredrew bagong salta, manigong bagong taon.

mea culpa...

Quote from: fdaray on March 19, 2013, 06:00:07 PM
Additionally, not all pedophiles actually commit such abuse.

this makes it clearer.  as long as a pedophile does not commit abuse, then he's commiting no crime.  it is different from saying that pedophiles are criminals or that pedophiles who commit abuse must not be blamed for their disease.

“They see in Pope Francis a person who has accepted a simple lifestyle, one that conforms to the Gospel,” he continued. “And emphasizing, first and foremost, that he is bishop of Rome, and I think that was really important. When he appeared, he spoke to his Church, who now elected him as head. And so, I know the Romans are very pleased with that, but I think it has ecumenical significance that shows that he intends to exercise his ministry, first and foremost, as bishop of Rome.”

Representatives from the Oriental Orthodox Church, including the Coptic, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox churches, as well as from the Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist churches are also expected to attend.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is preparing for his own inaugural ceremony March 21, has delegated Archbishop John Sentamu of York to represent the Anglican Communion.


Archbishop of York John Sentamu represents Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby


Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America will also be in attendance, along with Br. Aloïs Löser of the popular ecumenical Taizé Community in France. (http://www.news.va/)


Metropolitan Tikhon

Br. Aloïs Löser

Fr. James Puglisi, who is the Minister-General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and director of an ecumenical centre in Rome, called Centro Pro Unione, says the participation of Bartholomew I sends a strong signal in favour of ecumenical dialogue.

“First of all, it’s a recognition of two local churches, the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, which has ecclesiological significance. And the second reason is that the Metropolitan of Pergoman, John Zizioulas, who is the co-chair of the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, is going to accompany him,” he said.

“So I think the importance of this is a way of showing, from the Orthodox side, the willingness to go further in this dialogue and to breach the divisions that have kept us apart for centuries,” he added.

Inaugural Mass includes ecumenical first

2013-03-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) An historic first will grace the Mass, March 19, that will inaugurate the pontificate of Pope Francis . After a separation of nearly 1,000 years, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople will attend the inauguration of the Pope of Rome.

Delegates from more than 20 Christian churches and ecumenical organizations announced their attendance. However, the presence of Bartholomew I is of historic significance.


Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I

It is not clear if a Patriarch of Constantinople -- who is considered “first among equals” in the Eastern Orthodox Communion -- has ever attended the installation of a Pope of Rome. The event is certainly unique in the more than 950 years since the break in relations between Constantinople and Rome in 1054.

wa gyod tawon mamugos ug adto atong el presidente nga jesuit-educated?

hehe, the bulldog was eased out by the chihuahua?

aaahhh, sure it's a disease.  they cannot be faulted for being sick.  but to act out that disease?  there will be victims.  so there's a crime because of the harm inflicted.

this stand makes for a dangerous precedence... kleptomania is also a disease.  and society punishes robbers and thieves, as it must.  don't we punish an alcoholic for fatally shooting a guy when he was inebriated?  the list of diseases goes on and on, and so does the list of victims.   

brayt si amik.  sa amo, ang apple mansanas gyod.

gusto ko lang malaman, loll, kung kaninong tiyan ang bumibilog bago magpakasal.

i'm confused if via aureliana and via aurelia are one and the same street in rome.  maps show a via aurelia near the vatican; the address of europa multiclub, the gay sauna in this topic, is at Via Aureliana, 40, 00187 Rome, Italy.


Vatican City, or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of just over 800. This makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population. (wikipedia)

obviously the walled city-state cannot be taken to task for what happens outside its area of jurisdiction.  it's probably the reason why the news report strained to connect the vatican with the gay sauna, no matter how precarious the connection is.

ssshhh.  ayawg saba kay daghan ra ba tag kababayan nga illegal immigrants diha.  ang uban nga nahimo nang legal, dagko na pod ug ulo, morag nakalimot kun unsay naagian.  mao nga, cool lang ta bahin aning mga conspiracy theorists from the far right...

hello! care for a merry christmas gift on good friday?  welcome po!

my bad.  last year di mao ang date sa birthday greetings.  karon naawahi.  tagolilong man ning birthday ni fr chic uy.  and here do i shout--

happy birthday, father chic!  may you have many more blessed years.

happy kaniwang pod.  mas nipis na ka ron kay sa atong pag-abot nimo diha, circa chicago, 25 years ago.  hahaha!  way to go, tb's papabile!

i feel nga tinuod gyod ni bisag wa ko kaadto ana nga sauna.  ari sa mga pakapin ug innuendoes magdaog.  some vatican reporters have the tabloid blood running in their veins (mostly in english and italian reporters).  di man god thrilling basahon kun way intriga.  and the vatican is a good topic for intrigues.  it goes with the territory. 

the angling of this news could have been tilted differently, like the possibility of a government office beside the gay sauna, or that the building where the sauna is once belonged to mussolini, pananglitan ba lang.  either way, angling it with the vatican's name beats them all. 

that's why i always take anything i read with a grain of salt.  truth has too many prisms to look into.  and that's on top of a pressured writer's own bias and opinion and extent of sanity.  which goes to show that no writer is infallible.      

condolence, loll.  indeed you have every right to mourn.  here are hopes that your officemates will understand what you're going through.

lucky you for having the presence of a grandfather sometime in your life.  (i was born with grandfathers on both sides already gone.  so i had to make do with stories of who they were.  those stories carried the standard requisites of imagined greatness-- one was a judge, the other was a high government functionary, but then they were just stories.  these were not enough; i didn't see them in the flesh.  i didn't see them smile.)

so mourn, loll, mourn, because you have every reason to do so for a cool grandfather from whom you may have gotten your own pool of cool genes.  my prayers.

just my imagination entertaining me; if i were ping lacson...

i'd turn to a group of real cross-dressers.  (they may be easier to talk to than a lunatic fellow honorable senator with a checkered track record.)  have them organize themselves formally, at least for appearance's sake.  add the ladlad party members if possible, for gravitas.

encourage this organized group of proud gays to publicly deny my membership through full-page newspaper ads, tri-media interviews, flyers, etc.  they cannot take a fake, an impostor in their midst, much less a former fugitive.  of course, because i'm still a senator, i can take care of the logistics.  what an enjoyable scenario. 

they're getting more petty and personal.  i thought they're not the movie actors in the senate.

kaya ni namo kun mag-dream pod ko aning kusinaa.  problema lang kay wa nay lutoon kay wa nay ipalit ug groceries kay nahurot ang money sa paghimo aning kusinaa, hahaha!

taym sa ra god, unsa man nang salamander.  amphibious family ra man ang akong nahibaw-an nga salamander; why man niabot man ug kusina...

weird.  i hope these babies don't grow up and be like their dads.

a tolerable kind of damage control you have there, dr leachon.  at least, there's some sense of humility and regret.