MikeLigalig.com

Ooo, kaning mga tawo with difficulty in child birth should try and invest in extra-conventional methods of child birth. Per se in vitro fertilization.

A man who is infertile does not necessarily mean he cannot bear children; it merely means that he does not have the ability to produce enough sperm count to survive the acidic pH of the woman's vaginal tract.

In vitro fertilization allows that couple to realize their dreams. We would then use sperm therapy by taking a sample of a woman's oovum in a disk and apply 2 mL worth of sperm. The sperm will find its target and fertilize the oovum, in the absence of a acidic pH environment.

Once the oovum is fertilized, then this will lead to the development of the blastocyst and from blastocyst into a fetus. Early in embryology, we will then transplant this to the woman's uterine wall--where the fetus will embed itself. In the presence of a fetus, the mother's body will adapt and approrpiate progesterone levels will take place.

Breast will then develop; mammary glands will hypertrophy--readying the mother to produce milk (mammary gland product) for the child immediately after post-uterine life.

For a male to be considered fertile, he must be able to produce 20 million sperms per mL. And an average sperm count is about 2 mL worth of ejaculate. To be considered fertile, male must have a minimum of 40 million sperm in his ejacuate (which is composed mostly of proteins and enzymes that form as protective covering to help dilute the acidic environment of a woman's vaginal pH. To protect the sperms in their migration to the oovum long enough to embed their central nuclei into the woman's oovum.


Very fertile men have been known to have 50 million sperm per mL of ejaculate even 100 million sperms per mL.

Whereas infertile men have less than 20 million per mL. Thus increasing chances of spermatic degeneracy to exponentiate--and genetic discrepency due to multifactorial imbalance.

A strong, healthy and young male can produce up to 50-100 million sperm per mL.
Thus, translating into strong offspring produced in his prime.

Blessings and Warm Regards to you, Cianci!

Welcome to Tubag Bohol, Welcome to our Boholano-Boholana Online Community.

Our family is growing.


God Bless,
Lorenzo

LOL!

Time spent studying is recuperation time for sperm production.

Ah, diba?

Fisherman is taking day off.






photo courtesy of edzpal of Flickr

Just Beautiful.






Photo courtesy of edzpal of Flickr

A sincere bunch of kids. Mabuhay ang mga Duero-anons!

Interesting article. Mo add ko ani later.

Highlights from cross examination periods from debates on sola scriptura between Gerry Matatics (catholic) and James White (protestamt)and also from debates with Patrick Madrid (catholic)and James White.

Interesting and enlightening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJskrQq3dXM

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 â€"

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

A beautiful video.

Please watch it. From beginning to end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA&eurl=http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/spiritual-warfare-video.htm


“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-Romans 8:38-39

'The early bird gets the worm'

Hahaha,

Kiams,

Happy Birthday! Party it up, yo.

What inspires me to right? Activity and semblance to global discourse.

Someone who can reign me in. LOL.

Good point of view, 'te.

Ah, muchas gracias para los hintados.

Ah but of course. I don't mind cooking, pero I like dating a woman who is very homely-oriented. I just really like that in a woman.

Sure, when it comes to raising kids, I would do my share. Just my personal preference.

Something about a woman who is educated and professionally driven--yet at the same time have the time bake cookies, do home decorations, do house-hold projects in the garden, in the backyard etc.

Ah, for me, it is a turn on. It's a signal for a man--that he knows that this particular female can be the potential mother of his offspring.

The epitome of an "All-In-One" type of woman.


Lorenzo,

^ LOL!

The Rachel Ray part was hilarious, hahaha.

Is Spain.


The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic war in the 2nd century BCE, and annexed it under Augustus after two centuries of war with the tenacious Celtic and Iberian tribes (from whom they copied the short sword) along with the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian coastal colonies becoming the province of Hispania. It was divided in Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior during the late Roman Republic; and, during the Roman Empire, Hispania Taraconensis in the northeast, Hispania Baetica in the south and Lusitania in the southwest.

Hispania supplied the Roman Empire with food, olive oil, wine and metal. The emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Theodosius I, the philosopher Seneca and the poets Martial, Quintilian and Lucan were born in Spain. The Spanish Bishops held the Council at Elvira in 306. Many of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this period. It was the centuries of uninterrupted Roman rule and settlement that left the deepest and most enduring imprint upon the culture of Spain.

When Spain developed into a maritime superpower, it exported and transplanted its Imperial Culture to foreign lands. A culture that is directly linked and product of a Millenia of Roman Rule.

The Philippines bears fruit to this link. It is the only nation in Asia that holds this umbilical link to the Roman Empire and to Roman Culture.

hahaha!

Scenic and Romantic.

It will make him kissable, Mari.

Highly suggest it.

Whoa kuyawa man ni. 3D - 3D man diay.

Ah, good good for him. Tell him to try 'Stallion Cream' its a softner for facial beards and makes it soft to the touch. I used it last month--does wonders.

Actually,

Pinays here in the 'states are very aggressive when it comes to relationships. Like a hawk, if you get my drift, lol.

Depends on the individual, but Pinays over here arent' afraid to date outside of their race. One thing that attracts foreign men to the Filipina is her sense of conviction, and her boldness.

For example, most of the best nurses in the health system here are Filipinas; and they show little to no inhibition in telling a physician or surgeon if their prognosis or diagnosis is wrong. Blunt but honest.

It makes a Pinay a Pinay.

Sure Philippine society may still be conservative and traditional-esque, but in no way does that mean that the Filipina is inherently submissive. On the contrary, she is aggressive.

haha, at first when I started growing it, sakit at first. Itchy ug scratchy. Pero after a while, you get used to it. I would have never had agreed to shave my beard this late December, had not my inahan threatened me that she would not cook my favorite cassava cake if I didn't 'trim my balbas' for Pasko. hahaha.

Now that pasko is over, i-grow-hon napood nako.

You don't like kissing a beard, 'te?

I will re-grow my beard. It feels different sporting no facial hair; feels like I am holding back the natural. Let the beard grow!

Join me, my fellow Boholano brothers.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicateâ€"we can not consecrateâ€"we can not hallowâ€"this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before usâ€"that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotionâ€"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vainâ€"that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedomâ€"and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

-Abraham Lincoln,
16th President of the United States of America

What a coincidence. Considering Obama's inaugural speech in the coming days.

(PART III)


[1]    The night in prison was novel and interesting enough. The prisoners in their shirt-sleeves were enjoying a chat and the evening air in the doorway, when I entered. But the jailer said, "Come, boys, it is time to lock up"; and so they dispersed, and I heard the sound of their steps returning into the hollow apartments. My room-mate was introduced to me by the jailer as "a first-rate fellow and a clever man." When the door was locked, he showed me where to hang my hat, and how he managed matters there. The rooms were whitewashed once a month; and this one, at least, was the whitest, most simply furnished, and probably the neatest apartment in the town. He naturally wanted to know where I came from, and what brought me there; and, when I had told him, I asked him in my turn how he came there, presuming him to be an honest man, of course; and, as the world goes, I believe he was. "Why," said he, "they accuse me of burning a barn; but I never did it." As near as I could discover, he had probably gone to bed in a barn when drunk, and smoked his pipe there; and so a barn was burnt. He had the reputation of being a clever man, had been there some three months waiting for his trial to come on, and would have to wait as much longer; but he was quite domesticated and contented, since he got his board for nothing, and thought that he was well treated.

[2]    He occupied one window, and I the other; and I saw that if one stayed there long, his principal business would be to look out the window. I had soon read all the tracts that were left there, and examined where former prisoners had broken out, and where a grate had been sawed off, and heard the history of the various occupants of that room; for I found that even here there was a history and a gossip which never circulated beyond the walls of the jail. Probably this is the only house in the town where verses are composed, which are afterward printed in a circular form, but not published. I was shown quite a long list of verses which were composed by some young men who had been detected in an attempt to escape, who avenged themselves by singing them.

[3]    I pumped my fellow-prisoner as dry as I could, for fear I should never see him again; but at length he showed me which was my bed, and left me to blow out the lamp.

[4]    It was like travelling into a far country, such as I had never expected to behold, to lie there for one night. It seemed to me that I never had heard the town-clock strike before, nor the evening sounds of the village; for we slept with the windows open, which were inside the grating. It was to see my native village in the light of the Middle Ages, and our Concord was turned into a Rhine stream, and visions of knights and castles passed before me. They were the voices of old burghers that I heard in the streets. I was an involuntary spectator and auditor of whatever was done and said in the kitchen of the adjacent village-inn â€" a wholly new and rare experience to me. It was a closer view of my native town. I was fairly inside of it. I never had seen its institutions before. This is one of its peculiar institutions; for it is a shire town.(1) I began to comprehend what its inhabitants were about.

[5]    In the morning, our breakfasts were put through the hole in the door, in small oblong-square tin pans, made to fit, and holding a pint of chocolate, with brown bread, and an iron spoon. When they called for the vessels again, I was green enough to return what bread I had left; but my comrade seized it, and said that I should lay that up for lunch or dinner. Soon after he was let out to work at haying in a neighboring field, whither he went every day, and would not be back till noon; so he bade me good-day, saying that he doubted if he should see me again.

[6]    When I came out of prison â€" for some one interfered, and paid that tax â€" I did not perceive that great changes had taken place on the common, such as he observed who went in a youth and emerged a tottering and gray-headed man; and yet a change had to my eyes come over the scene â€" the town, and State, and country â€" greater than any that mere time could effect. I saw yet more distinctly the State in which I lived. I saw to what extent the people among whom I lived could be trusted as good neighbors and friends; that their friendship was for summer weather only; that they did not greatly propose to do right; that they were a distinct race from me by their prejudices and superstitions, as the Chinamen and Malays are; that in their sacrifices to humanity, they ran no risks, not even to their property; that after all they were not so noble but they treated the thief as he had treated them, and hoped, by a certain outward observance and a few prayers, and by walking in a particular straight though useless path from time to time, to save their souls. This may be to judge my neighbors harshly; for I believe that many of them are not aware that they have such an institution as the jail in their village.

[7]    It was formerly the custom in our village, when a poor debtor came out of jail, for his acquaintances to salute him, looking through their fingers, which were crossed to represent the grating of a jail window, "How do ye do?" My neighbors did not thus salute me, but first looked at me, and then at one another, as if I had returned from a long journey. I was put into jail as I was going to the shoemaker's to get a shoe which was mended. When I was let out the next morning, I proceeded to finish my errand, and, having put on my mended shoe, joined a huckleberry party, who were impatient to put themselves under my conduct; and in half an hour â€" for the horse was soon tackled â€" was in the midst of a huckleberry field, on one of our highest hills, two miles off, and then the State was nowhere to be seen.

[8]    This is the whole history of "My Prisons."(2)

[9]    I have never declined paying the highway tax, because I am as desirous of being a good neighbor as I am of being a bad subject; and as for supporting schools, I am doing my part to educate my fellow-countrymen now. It is for no particular item in the tax-bill that I refuse to pay it. I simply wish to refuse allegiance to the State, to withdraw and stand aloof from it effectually. I do not care to trace the course of my dollar, if I could, till it buys a man or a musket to shoot one with â€" the dollar is innocent â€" but I am concerned to trace the effects of my allegiance. In fact, I quietly declare war with the State, after my fashion, though I will still make what use and get what advantage of her I can, as is usual in such cases.

[10]    If others pay the tax which is demanded of me, from a sympathy with the State, they do but what they have already done in their own case, or rather they abet injustice to a greater extent than the State requires. If they pay the tax from a mistaken interest in the individual taxed, to save his property, or prevent his going to jail, it is because they have not considered wisely how far they let their private feelings interfere with the public good.

[11]    This, then, is my position at present. But one cannot be too much on his guard in such a case, lest his action be biased by obstinacy or an undue regard for the opinions of men. Let him see that he does only what belongs to himself and to the hour.

[12]    I think sometimes, Why, this people mean well; they are only ignorant; they would do better if they knew how: why give your neighbors this pain to treat you as they are not inclined to? But I think, again, This is no reason why I should do as they do, or permit others to suffer much greater pain of a different kind. Again, I sometimes say to myself, When many millions of men, without heat, without ill-will, without personal feeling of any kind, demand of you a few shillings only, without the possibility, such is their constitution, of retracting or altering their present demand, and without the possibility, on your side, of appeal to any other millions, why expose yourself to this overwhelming brute force? You do not resist cold and hunger, the winds and the waves, thus obstinately; you quietly submit to a thousand similar necessities. You do not put your head into the fire. But just in proportion as I regard this as not wholly a brute force, but partly a human force, and consider that I have relations to those millions as to so many millions of men, and not of mere brute or inanimate things, I see that appeal is possible, first and instantaneously, from them to the Maker of them, and, secondly, from them to themselves. But, if I put my head deliberately into the fire, there is no appeal to fire or to the Maker of fire, and I have only myself to blame. If I could convince myself that I have any right to be satisfied with men as they are, and to treat them accordingly, and not according, in some respects, to my requisitions and expectations of what they and I ought to be, then, like a good Mussulman (3) and fatalist, I should endeavor to be satisfied with things as they are, and say it is the will of God. And, above all, there is this difference between resisting this and a purely brute or natural force, that I can resist this with some effect; but I cannot expect, like Orpheus,(4) to change the nature of the rocks and trees and beasts.

[13]    I do not wish to quarrel with any man or nation. I do not wish to split hairs, to make fine distinctions, or set myself up as better than my neighbors. I seek rather, I may say, even an excuse for conforming to the laws of the land. I am but too ready to conform to them. Indeed, I have reason to suspect myself on this head; and each year, as the tax-gatherer comes round, I find myself disposed to review the acts and position of the general and State governments, and the spirit of the people, to discover a pretext for conformity.

    "We must affect our country as our parents,
     And if at any time we alienate
     Our love or industry from doing it honor,
     We must respect effects and teach the soul
     Matter of conscience and religion,
     And not desire of rule or benefit."(5)

[14]    I believe that the State will soon be able to take all my work of this sort out of my hands, and then I shall be no better a patriot than my fellow-countrymen. Seen from a lower point of view, the Constitution, with all its faults, is very good; the law and the courts are very respectable; even this State and this American government are, in many respects, very admirable and rare things, to be thankful for, such as a great many have described them; but seen from a point of view a little higher, they are what I have described them; seen from a higher still, and the highest, who shall say what they are, or that they are worth looking at or thinking of at all?

[15]    However, the government does not concern me much, and I shall bestow the fewest possible thoughts on it. It is not many moments that I live under a government, even in this world. If a man is thought-free, fancy-free, imagination-free, that which is not never for a long time appearing to be to him, unwise rulers or reformers cannot fatally interrupt him.

[16]    I know that most men think differently from myself; but those whose lives are by profession devoted to the study of these or kindred subjects, content me as little as any. Statesmen and legislators, standing so completely within the institution, never distinctly and nakedly behold it. They speak of moving society, but have no resting-place without it. They may be men of a certain experience and discrimination, and have no doubt invented ingenious and even useful systems, for which we sincerely thank them; but all their wit and usefulness lie within certain not very wide limits. They are wont to forget that the world is not governed by policy and expediency. Webster never goes behind government, and so cannot speak with authority about it. His words are wisdom to those legislators who contemplate no essential reform in the existing government; but for thinkers, and those who legislate for all time, he never once glances at the subject. I know of those whose serene and wise speculations on this theme would soon reveal the limits of his mind's range and hospitality. Yet, compared with the cheap professions of most reformers, and the still cheaper wisdom and eloquence of politicians in general, his are almost the only sensible and valuable words, and we thank Heaven for him. Comparatively, he is always strong, original, and, above all, practical. Still, his quality is not wisdom, but prudence. The lawyer's truth is not truth, but consistency or a consistent expediency. Truth is always in harmony with herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that may consist with wrong-doing. He well deserves to be called, as he has been called, the Defender of the Constitution. There are really no blows to be given by him but defensive ones. He is not a leader, but a follower. His leaders are the men of '87.(6) "I have never made an effort," he says, "and never propose to make an effort; I have never countenanced an effort, and never mean to countenance an effort, to disturb the arrangement as originally made, by which the various States came into the Union." Still thinking of the sanction which the Constitution gives to slavery, he says, "Because it was a part of the original compact â€" let it stand."(7) Notwithstanding his special acuteness and ability, he is unable to take a fact out of its merely political relations, and behold it as it lies absolutely to be disposed of by the intellect â€" what, for instance, it behooves a man to do here in America to-day with regard to slavery, but ventures, or is driven, to make some such desperate answer as the following, while professing to speak absolutely, and as a private man â€" from which what new and singular code of social duties might be inferred? "The manner," says he, "in which the governments of those States where slavery exists are to regulate it is for their own consideration, under their responsibility to their constituents, to the general laws of propriety, humanity, and justice, and to God. Associations formed elsewhere, springing from a feeling of humanity, or any other cause, have nothing whatever to do with it. They have never received any encouragement from me, and they never will."

[17]    They who know of no purer sources of truth, who have traced up its stream no higher, stand, and wisely stand, by the Bible and the Constitution, and drink at it there with reverence and humility; but they who behold where it comes trickling into this lake or that pool, gird up their loins once more, and continue their pilgrimage toward its fountain-head.

[18]    No man with a genius for legislation has appeared in America. They are rare in the history of the world. There are orators, politicians, and eloquent men, by the thousand; but the speaker has not yet opened his mouth to speak who is capable of settling the much-vexed questions of the day. We love eloquence for its own sake, and not for any truth which it may utter, or any heroism it may inspire. Our legislators have not yet learned the comparative value of free-trade and of freedom, of union, and of rectitude, to a nation. They have no genius or talent for comparatively humble questions of taxation and finance, commerce and manufacturers and agriculture. If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations. For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no right to say it, the New Testament has been written; yet where is the legislator who has wisdom and practical talent enough to avail himself of the light which it sheds on the science of legislation?

[19]    The authority of government, even such as I am willing to submit to â€" for I will cheerfully obey those who know and can do better than I, and in many things even those who neither know nor can do so well â€" is still an impure one: to be strictly just, it must have the sanction and consent of the governed. It can have no pure right over my person and property but what I concede to it. The progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a true respect for the individual. Even the Chinese philosopher ( was wise enough to regard the individual as the basis of the empire. Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government? Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of man? There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. I please myself with imagining a State at least which can afford to be just to all men, and to treat the individual with respect as a neighbor; which even would not think it inconsistent with its own repose if a few were to live aloof from it, not meddling with it, nor embraced by it, who fulfilled all the duties of neighbors and fellow-men. A State which bore this kind of fruit, and suffered it to drop off as fast as it ripened, would prepare the way for a still more perfect and glorious State, which also I have imagined, but not yet anywhere seen.


http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil3.html

(PART II)

[1]    The broadest and most prevalent error requires the most disinterested virtue to sustain it. The slight reproach to which the virtue of patriotism is commonly liable, the noble are most likely to incur. Those who, while they disapprove of the character and measures of a government, yield to it their allegiance and support are undoubtedly its most conscientious supporters, and so frequently the most serious obstacles to reform. Some are petitioning the State to dissolve the Union,(1) to disregard the requisitions of the President. Why do they not dissolve it themselves â€" the union between themselves and the State â€" and refuse to pay their quota into its treasury? Do not they stand in the same relation to the State, that the State does to the Union? And have not the same reasons prevented the State from resisting the Union, which have prevented them from resisting the State?

[2]    How can a man be satisfied to entertain an opinion merely, and enjoy it? Is there any enjoyment in it, if his opinion is that he is aggrieved? If you are cheated out of a single dollar by your neighbor, you do not rest satisfied with knowing that you are cheated, or with saying that you are cheated, or even with petitioning him to pay you your due; but you take effectual steps at once to obtain the full amount, and see that you are never cheated again. Action from principle â€" the perception and the performance of right â€" changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary, and does not consist wholly with anything which was. It not only divides states and churches, it divides families; ay, it divides the individual, separating the diabolical in him from the divine.

[3]    Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. Why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? Why does it not cherish its wise minority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?  Why does it always crucify Christ, and excommunicate Copernicus (2) and Luther,(3) and pronounce Washington and Franklin rebels?

[4]    One would think, that a deliberate and practical denial of its authority was the only offence never contemplated by government; else, why has it not assigned its definite, its suitable and proportionate, penalty? If a man who has no property refuses but once to earn nine shillings for the State, he is put in prison for a period unlimited by any law that I know, and determined only by the discretion of those who placed him there; but if he should steal ninety times nine shillings from the State, he is soon permitted to go at large again.

[5]    If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth â€" certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.

[6]    As for adopting the ways which the State has provided for remedying the evil, I know not of such ways. They take too much time, and a man's life will be gone. I have other affairs to attend to. I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad. A man has not everything to do, but something; and because he cannot do everything, it is not necessary that he should do something wrong. It is not my business to be petitioning the Governor or the Legislature any more than it is theirs to petition me; and if they should not hear my petition, what should I do then? But in this case the State has provided no way; its very Constitution is the evil. This may seem to be harsh and stubborn and unconciliatory; but it is to treat with the utmost kindness and consideration the only spirit that can appreciate or deserves it. So is an change for the better, like birth and death which convulse the body.

[7]    I do not hesitate to say, that those who call themselves Abolitionists should at once effectually withdraw their support, both in person and property, from the government of Massachusetts, and not wait till they constitute a majority of one, before they suffer the right to prevail through them. I think that it is enough if they have God on their side, without waiting for that other one. Moreover, any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already.

[8]    I meet this American government, or its representative, the State government, directly, and face to face, once a year â€" no more â€" in the person of its tax-gatherer;(4) this is the only mode in which a man situated as I am necessarily meets it; and it then says distinctly, Recognize me; and the simplest, the most effectual, and, in the present posture of affairs, the indispensablest mode of treating with it on this head, of expressing your little satisfaction with and love for it, is to deny it then. My civil neighbor, the tax-gatherer, is the very man I have to deal with â€" for it is, after all, with men and not with parchment that I quarrel â€" and he has voluntarily chosen to be an agent of the government. How shall he ever know well what he is and does as an officer of the government, or as a man, until he is obliged to consider whether he shall treat me, his neighbor, for whom he has respect, as a neighbor and well-disposed man, or as a maniac and disturber of the peace, and see if he can get over this obstruction to his neighborliness without a ruder and more impetuous thought or speech corresponding with his action? I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name â€" if ten honest men only â€" ay, if one HONEST man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America. For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever. But we love better to talk about it: that we say is our mission. Reform keeps many scores of newspapers in its service, but not one man. If my esteemed neighbor, the State's ambassador,(5) who will devote his days to the settlement of the question of human rights in the Council Chamber, instead of being threatened with the prisons of Carolina, were to sit down the prisoner of Massachusetts, that State which is so anxious to foist the sin of slavery upon her sister â€" though at present she can discover only an act of inhospitality to be the ground of a quarrel with her â€" the Legislature would not wholly waive the subject the following winter.

[9]    Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. The proper place to-day, the only place which Massachusetts has provided for her freer and less desponding spirits, is in her prisons, to be put out and locked out of the State by her own act, as they have already put themselves out by their principles. It is there that the fugitive slave, and the Mexican prisoner on parole, and the Indian come to plead the wrongs of his race, should find them; on that separate, but more free and honorable ground, where the State places those who are not with her, but against her â€" the only house in a slave State in which a free man can abide with honor. If any think that their influence would be lost there, and their voices no longer afflict the ear of the State, that they would not be as an enemy within its walls, they do not know by how much truth is stronger than error, nor how much more eloquently and effectively he can combat injustice who has experienced a little in his own person. Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence. A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose. If a thousand men were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood. This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution, if any such is possible. If the tax-gatherer, or any other public officer, asks me, as one has done, "But what shall I do?" my answer is, "If you really wish to do anything, resign your office." When the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has resigned his office, then the revolution is accomplished. But even suppose blood should flow. Is there not a sort of blood shed when the conscience is wounded? Through this wound a man's real manhood and immortality flow out, and he bleeds to an everlasting death. I see this blood flowing now.

[10]    I have contemplated the imprisonment of the offender, rather than the seizure of his goods â€" though both will serve the same purpose â€" because they who assert the purest right, and consequently are most dangerous to a corrupt State, commonly have not spent much time in accumulating property. To such the State renders comparatively small service, and a slight tax is wont to appear exorbitant, particularly if they are obliged to earn it by special labor with their hands. If there were one who lived wholly without the use of money, the State itself would hesitate to demand it of him. But the rich man â€" not to make any invidious comparison â€" is always sold to the institution which makes him rich. Absolutely speaking, the more money, the less virtue; for money comes between a man and his objects, and obtains them for him; and it was certainly no great virtue to obtain it. It puts to rest many questions which he would otherwise be taxed to answer; while the only new question which it puts is the hard but superfluous one, how to spend it. Thus his moral ground is taken from under his feet. The opportunities of living are diminished in proportion as what are called the "means" are increased. The best thing a man can do for his culture when he is rich is to endeavor to carry out those schemes which he entertained when he was poor. Christ answered the Herodians according to their condition. "Show me the tribute-money," said he; â€" and one took a penny out of his pocket; â€" if you use money which has the image of Cæsar on it, and which he has made current and valuable, that is, if you are men of the State, and gladly enjoy the advantages of Cæsar's government, then pay him back some of his own when he demands it; "Render therefore to Cæsar that which is Cæsar's, and to God those things which are God's"(6) â€" leaving them no wiser than before as to which was which; for they did not wish to know.

[11]    When I converse with the freest of my neighbors, I perceive that, whatever they may say about the magnitude and seriousness of the question, and their regard for the public tranquillity, the long and the short of the matter is, that they cannot spare the protection of the existing government, and they dread the consequences to their property and families of disobedience to it. For my own part, I should not like to think that I ever rely on the protection of the State. But, if I deny the authority of the State when it presents its tax-bill, it will soon take and waste all my property, and so harass me and my children without end. This is hard. This makes it impossible for a man to live honestly, and at the same time comfortably in outward respects. It will not be worth the while to accumulate property; that would be sure to go again. You must hire or squat somewhere, and raise but a small crop, and eat that soon. You must live within yourself, and depend upon yourself always tucked up and ready for a start, and not have many affairs. A man may grow rich in Turkey even, if he will be in all respects a good subject of the Turkish government. Confucius said, "If a state is governed by the principles of reason, poverty and misery are subjects of shame;(7) if a state is not governed by the principles of reason, riches and honors are the subjects of shame." No: until I want the protection of Massachusetts to be extended to me in some distant Southern port, where my liberty is endangered, or until I am bent solely on building up an estate at home by peaceful enterprise, I can afford to refuse allegiance to Massachusetts, and her right to my property and life. It costs me less in every sense to incur the penalty of disobedience to the State than it would to obey. I should feel as if I were worth less in that case.

[12]    Some years ago, the State met me in behalf of the Church, and commanded me to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching my father attended, but never I myself. "Pay," it said, "or be locked up in the jail." I declined to pay. But, unfortunately, another man saw fit to pay it. I did not see why the schoolmaster should be taxed to support the priest, and not the priest the schoolmaster: for I was not the State's schoolmaster, but I supported myself by voluntary subscription.  I did not see why the lyceum ( should not present its tax-bill, and have the State to back its demand, as well as the Church. However, at the request of the selectmen, I condescended to make some such statement as this in writing: â€" "Know all men by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any incorporated society which I have not joined." This I gave to the town clerk; and he has it. The State, having thus learned that I did not wish to be regarded as a member of that church, has never made a like demand on me since; though it said that it must adhere to its original presumption that time. If I had known how to name them, I should then have signed off in detail from all the societies which I never signed on to; but I did not know where to find a complete list.

[13]    I have paid no poll-tax for six years. I was put into a jail once on this account, for one night; and, as I stood considering the walls of solid stone, two or three feet thick, the door of wood and iron, a foot thick, and the iron grating which strained the light, I could not help being struck with the foolishness of that institution which treated me as if I were mere flesh and blood and bones, to be locked up. I wondered that it should have concluded at length that this was the best use it could put me to, and had never thought to avail itself of my services in some way. I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was. I did not for a moment feel confined, and the walls seemed a great waste of stone and mortar. I felt as if I alone of all my townsmen had paid my tax. They plainly did not know how to treat me, but behaved like persons who are underbred. In every threat and in every compliment there was a blunder; for they thought that my chief desire was to stand the other side of that stone wall. I could not but smile to see how industriously they locked the door on my meditations, which followed them out again without let or hindrance, and they were really all that was dangerous. As they could not reach me, they had resolved to punish my body; just as boys, if they cannot come at some person against whom they have a spite, will abuse his dog. I saw that the State was half-witted, that it was timid as a lone woman with her silver spoons, and that it did not know its friends from its foes, and I lost all my remaining respect for it, and pitied it.

[14]    Thus the State never intentionally confronts a man's sense, intellectual or moral, but only his body, his senses. It is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength. I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest. What force has a multitude? They only can force me who obey a higher law than I. They force me to become like themselves. I do not hear of men being forced to have this way or that by masses of men. What sort of life were that to live? When I meet a government which says to me, "Your money or your life," why should I be in haste to give it my money? It may be in a great strait, and not know what to do: I cannot help that. It must help itself; do as I do. It is not worth the while to snivel about it. I am not responsible for the successful working of the machinery of society. I am not the son of the engineer. I perceive that, when an acorn and a chestnut fall side by side, the one does not remain inert to make way for the other, but both obey their own laws, and spring and grow and flourish as best they can, till one, perchance, overshadows and destroys the other. If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.

Civil Disobedience


by Henry David Thoreau



(PART I)

I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto, — "That government is best which governs least";(1) and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe, — "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war,(2) the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for, in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.

[2]    This American government — what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow. Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way. For government is an expedient by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it. Trade and commerce, if they were not made of India rubber,(3) would never manage to bounce over the obstacles which legislators are continually putting in their way; and, if one were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions, and not partly by their intentions, they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put obstructions on the railroads.

[3]    But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men,(4) I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.

[4]    After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule, is not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest. But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience? — in which majorities decide only those questions to which the rule of expediency is applicable? Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience. Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice. A common and natural result of an undue respect for law is, that you may see a file of soldiers, colonel, captain, corporal, privates, powder-monkeys,(5) and all, marching in admirable order over hill and dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense and consciences, which makes it very steep marching indeed, and produces a palpitation of the heart. They have no doubt that it is a damnable business in which they are concerned; they are all peaceably inclined. Now, what are they? Men at all? or small movable forts and magazines, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power? Visit the Navy Yard, and behold a marine, such a man as an American government can make, or such as it can make a man with its black arts — a mere shadow and reminiscence of humanity, a man laid out alive and standing, and already, as one may say, buried under arms with funeral accompaniments, though it may be

    "Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
     As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
     Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
     O'er the grave where our hero we buried."(6)

[5]   The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailers, constables, posse comitatus,(7) etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others, as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God. A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it. A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be "clay," and "stop a hole to keep the wind away,"( 8 ) but leave that office to his dust at least: —

    "I am too high-born to be propertied,
     To be a secondary at control,
     Or useful serving-man and instrument
     To any sovereign state throughout the world."(9)

[6]    He who gives himself entirely to his fellow-men appears to them useless and selfish; but he who gives himself partially to them is pronounced a benefactor and philanthropist.

[7]    How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave's government also.

[8]    All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable. But almost all say that such is not the case now. But such was the case, they think, in the Revolution of '75.(10) If one were to tell me that this was a bad government because it taxed certain foreign commodities brought to its ports, it is most probable that I should not make an ado about it, for I can do without them. All machines have their friction; and possibly this does enough good to counterbalance the evil. At any rate, it is a great evil to make a stir about it. But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and robbery are organized, I say, let us not have such a machine any longer. In other words, when a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army.(11)

[9]    Paley, a common authority with many on moral questions, in his chapter on the "Duty of Submission to Civil Government," resolves all civil obligation into expediency; and he proceeds to say that "so long as the interest of the whole society requires it, that is, so long as the established government cannot be resisted or changed without public inconveniency, it is the will of God that the established government be obeyed, and no longer" — "This principle being admitted, the justice of every particular case of resistance is reduced to a computation of the quantity of the danger and grievance on the one side, and of the probability and expense of redressing it on the other."(12) Of this, he says, every man shall judge for himself. But Paley appears never to have contemplated those cases to which the rule of expediency does not apply, in which a people, as well as an individual, must do justice, cost what it may. If I have unjustly wrested a plank from a drowning man, I must restore it to him though I drown myself.This, according to Paley, would be inconvenient. But he that would save his life, in such a case, shall lose it.(13) This people must cease to hold slaves, and to make war on Mexico, though it cost them their existence as a people.

[10]    In their practice, nations agree with Paley; but does any one think that Massachusetts does exactly what is right at the present crisis?

    "A drab of state, a cloth-o'-silver slut,
     To have her train borne up, and her soul trail in the dirt."(14)

Practically speaking, the opponents to a reform in Massachusetts are not a hundred thousand politicians at the South, but a hundred thousand merchants and farmers here, who are more interested in commerce and agriculture than they are in humanity, and are not prepared to do justice to the slave and to Mexico, cost what it may. I quarrel not with far-off foes, but with those who, near at home, co-operate with, and do the bidding of those far away, and without whom the latter would be harmless. We are accustomed to say, that the mass of men are unprepared; but improvement is slow, because the few are not materially wiser or better than the many. It is not so important that many should be as good as you, as that there be some absolute goodness somewhere; for that will leaven the whole lump.(15) There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing; who even postpone the question of freedom to the question of free-trade, and quietly read the prices-current along with the latest advices from Mexico, after dinner, and, it may be, fall asleep over them both. What is the price-current of an honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret. At most, they give only a cheap vote, and a feeble countenance and Godspeed, to the right, as it goes by them. There are nine hundred and ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man; but it is easier to deal with the real possessor of a thing than with the temporary guardian of it.

[11]    All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority. Its obligation, therefore, never exceeds that of expediency. Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men. When the majority shall at length vote for the abolition of slavery, it will be because they are indifferent to slavery, or because there is but little slavery left to be abolished by their vote. They will then be the only slaves. Only his vote can hasten the abolition of slavery who asserts his own freedom by his vote.

[12]    I hear of a convention to be held at Baltimore,(16) or elsewhere, for the selection of a candidate for the Presidency, made up chiefly of editors, and men who are politicians by profession; but I think, what is it to any independent, intelligent, and respectable man what decision they may come to? Shall we not have the advantage of his wisdom and honesty, nevertheless? Can we not count upon some independent votes? Are there not many individuals in the country who do not attend conventions? But no: I find that the respectable man, so called, has immediately drifted from his position, and despairs of his country, when his country has more reason to despair of him. He forthwith adopts one of the candidates thus selected as the only available one, thus proving that he is himself available for any purposes of the demagogue. His vote is of no more worth than that of any unprincipled foreigner or hireling native, who may have been bought. Oh for a man who is a man, and, as my neighbor says, has a bone in his back which you cannot pass your hand through! Our statistics are at fault: the population has been returned too large. How many men are there to a square thousand miles in this country? Hardly one. Does not America offer any inducement for men to settle here? The American has dwindled into an Odd Fellow (17) — one who may be known by the development of his organ of gregariousness, and a manifest lack of intellect and cheerful self-reliance; whose first and chief concern, on coming into the world, is to see that the almshouses are in good repair; and, before yet he has lawfully donned the virile garb, to collect a fund for the support of the widows and orphans that may be; who, in short ventures to live only by the aid of the Mutual Insurance company, which has promised to bury him decently.

[13]    It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too. See what gross inconsistency is tolerated. I have heard some of my townsmen say, "I should like to have them order me out to help put down an insurrection of the slaves, or to march to Mexico; — see if I would go"; and yet these very men have each, directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly, at least, by their money, furnished a substitute. The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war; is applauded by those whose own act and authority he disregards and sets at naught; as if the state were penitent to that degree that it hired one to scourge it while it sinned, but not to that degree that it left off sinning for a moment. Thus, under the name of Order and Civil Government, we are all made at last to pay homage to and support our own meanness. After the first blush of sin comes its indifference; and from immoral it becomes, as it were, unmoral, and not quite unnecessary to that life which we have made.

^ The Israeli Intelligence effectively hunted down every single Nazi responsible for the 'Final Solution' who migrated to South America to evade justice.

No offense taken, Roy,

It is just a personal preference on my part. I'm attracted to women who are educated professionals, but their ability to cook good food, and hold a home is a key feature. For the benefit of the family unit, imho. Sure both husband and wife should both play a role in raising the kids--but a Mother's role is prime.

Just a view,

What do we men look for in a woman?

Just to name and list a few.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on January 19, 2009, 03:38:17 AM
Does that mean then nga ug faithful ka, FANGIT ka?  hu? 

Isip usa ka die hard nga Bol-anon, I would want to think that you can still be both BEAUTIFUL and FAITHFUL ...

However, if this stance goes against what is supposedly a scientific fact ... I would just want to put it down to being an EXCEPTION, to the general rule?

Most Bol-anons are exceptionally good-looking BUT faithful as well, di ba?

Maybe the RESEARCHERS of The Mail, should undergo a study about extremely good-looking Bol-anons?  

Salamat sa Dios kai Guapa man jud ning Boholana.

In retrospect,

I would rather have relationship with a fairly beautiful woman with high intellect and most importantly her 'home-bodiness'. Home-body in regard to knowing how to cook, to clean, to raise children etc. I'll admit that I'm attracted to women who are both progressive in aspects of education and occupation, but at the same time hold onto their conservative roots.

Can my kids benefit? lol

For us men, its natural to notice a beautiful woman (pre-programmed naman na), but beauty is only useful for the purpose of attention. It is intelligence and intellect of a woman that captures and holds a man's attention.

One can be sublimely beautiful, yet have the intellect of a dimwit.

Conversation will be limited. lol.

Gentlemen, do you agree

The Philippines, as a nation with a Hispanic Culture (Western European), retains a paternalistic view on things. Mr. Ferniz pointed out the truth, the implantation of Spanish notion of Male Machisimo. This view is alive and present in other Latin countries, to which the Philippines belongs to. Namely: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.

Additionally, to augment this--most East Asian cultures are also paternalistic.

As society evolves and globalization continues--we shall see a lessening of this. Albeit, probably in a gradual process.

Lorenzo,

A beautiful woman entices a man's eyes, yes
An intellectual woman courts his fancy, yes
Combine beauty and intellect together--Hot combo na.

More power to all of us, 'te.

Welcome back to Tubag Bohol!

Bitaw guapo baya ning cantaha no? Powerful jud.

UPDATE

Hamas and Hezbollah have announced a request for ceasefire with Israel.

Israel has also imposed a unilateral ceasefire; but stated that it reserves the right to go back inside if Hamas fires rockets into and inside Israel. A spokesperson said, "If no rockets are fired into Israel, then we shall not go inside."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7836205.stm

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3658114,00.html

ah, guapo pood ni.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdULP2IKedw&feature=related

ah guapo pood ni,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X8fe6ip7kM&feature=related

Viva El Senor Santo Nino Jesu Cristo~

Quote from: hofelina on January 18, 2009, 05:36:26 PM
I agree to that, indeed, the primal instinct is there in us men.

Yes Ondoy, do that labi na kong mag release siya ug ripe egg, mo release pud siya ug scent mga ma hot gajud ka! you are both at this age where mating is an optimal activity, but since you are not a cave man, just suppress you feelings and sing all by myself!

hahaha!

*in tenor voice*--Allllll by my selfffff

Great thread, imo.

Yes, Leoello.

I was born in the Philippines, but am a naturalized American Citizen. I hold both Philippine and American citizenships.

You can have dual citizenship.

They are a shrimp among whales. Surrounded by giants.

But remember that even a small and frail sheppard can take down a mighty giant.

David took down Goliath with a mere stone. As GOD ALMIGHTY was with Him.

A shame to see these pictures. It reminds us of the frailties of life. One minute we are alive, the next--dead.

Always give thanks to God and Bless His name each and every single day.
Each day is a gift.

^ Very John Locke-esque!

Quote from: hofelina on January 18, 2009, 07:17:50 PM
I do believe that the Jews are chosen people. Together they are strong. We could learn from them. If we try to help one another thru networking we could achieve and help one another also through the grace of God.

It is written in history. All those who curse Israel, God will also Curse.

The Spaniards tried to suppress the Jewish people in their Reconquista; killed Jews who would not revoke their faith; in an effort to eradicate Jewish presence.
-In the end, Spain's empire has fallen. And The Jew remains a Jew. Faithful and Strong.

The Nazis tried to completely exterminate the Jew. Killing over 12 million in Europe
-In the end, Nazi Germany was pounded to submission by the allies; and the Jew survived his 'almost' extermination. Only to rise in numbers and found IS'RA-EL

When Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, etc and all other Arab nations tried to destroy IS'RA-EL in 3 wars, in all 3 wars they were defeated. IS'RA-EL completely annihilated their air forces, and routed their armies.

The Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem in Tiberius', forcing Jews into Diasporra from their homeland. Romans persecuted Jews.
-In the end, Rome fell in AD 400 and Latin itself remains a dead language.
And in the End, the very same Jew which Rome tried to eradicate and stamp out--came back and was established as a nation again in the mid 20th century. 2000 years after Rome tried to destroy her.


God is with IS'RA-EL.
History has made precedent of that.

Again, remember this:

The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Joel 3:16

My sympathy does not fly for these terrorists and harborers of terrorism. In September 11, 2001, when the Jihadist fundamentalists of Al Qaeda attacked the Word Trade Centers, and the Pentagon; they killed over 3,000+ American innocents.

And I remember watching news channels in CNN, BBC, MSNBC, FOX documenting Muslims in Gaza, West Bank, in Iraq, in Iran, in Syria, in Saudi shouting with joy, dancing and shouting, "Allah Ackbar".

It is something to be proud of to see innocents die? Suicide and Murder?


My side is with IS'RA-EL. The People of God. The flock whom Christ Jesus Our Lord and Saviour was born from. God In The Flesh.

God Bless Zion and Peace to HIS people, IS'RA-EL.

Thank you for your advices, everyone. I think, for the good of friendship and to preserve the harmony of my study group--I shall choose to repress these feelings.

It is easy to give into temptations and whims of the flesh, I agree to that, indeed, the primal instinct is there in us men.

Mo kuan na lang ko--mo smile lang ko when I see her. To see, but to never have. To touch but to never caress. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is for the best.

Something about Diocletian,

Diocletian is also known as the 'purger of Christians', as the man condemned thousands of Christians to death. There is one story regarding a man, St. Sebastian, who is regarded a martyr of Christ in the Roman Catholic Church.

Sebastian, a Christian Roman, was preaching to plebians and was brought to Diocletian. Upon hearing the charges, Sebastian was sentenced to be executed by arrows. He was tied to a tree and shot by archers, yet still survived.

He was taken to Diocletian again; and instead of begging for his life as what Diocletian wanted, Sebastian continued to preach to Diocletian himself, The Emperor of Rome.

Disgusted with the Christian's faith, the Emperor ordered him beaten to death.

The one that surprises me was the last words by Diocletian, indeed, was one of the greater Emperors that ever sat on the Imperial Throne; not to mention whose edicts gave birth to refreshed civil prosperity within the empire.

The man fashioned himself a God within the state. Or as he would declare to the Plebians at the helm of the Capitoline, "I AM the Eagle of Rome."

And yet, a 'god' died wretched. Like any mortal man. And he called himself a god..


Diocletian, Emperor of The Roman Empire

Think about it this way, 'day, each time you bury your head in those books--your mind grows in intelligence.

Hard work begets diligence, diligence begets wisdom, wisdom begets ability.
And with ability, all things are possible.

Keep up the good work, 'day.

The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Joel 3:16

This individual must have powerful Abductor pollicis brevis and adductor pollicis muscles.

More,



Vespasian,  Emperor of Rome:
"Woe is me, for I think I am to become a god." (AD 79)

Robespierre, French Revolutionary Activist:
"Behold, I leap into a dark I had not guessed, and my soul fills with foreboding. Look down upon me, Lord !"

haha

o goodness, o my!

Thomas Paine:
"I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me! . . No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of Hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one."

Sir Thomas Scott:
"Until this moment, I thought there was neither God nor hell; now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty!"

Sir Francis Newport,the head of an English infidel club:
"You need not tell me there is no God for I know there is one, and that I am in His presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell!"

The last words of the atheist Mirabeau:
"My sufferings are intolerable; I have within me a hundred years of life but not a moment's courage. Give me more laudanum that I may not think of eternity."

Caesar Borgia: --- "While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprepared to die."

Thomas Hobbs: --- "I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark."

Voltaire:
"I am abandoned by God and man; I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months' life." (He said this to Dr. Fochin, who told him it could not be done.) "Then I shall die and go to hell!"

Robert Ingersoll:
"O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul!" (Some say it was this way: "Oh God, if there be a God, save my soul if I have a soul, from hell, if there be a hell!")

Mao Zhedong (Chairman of The People's Republic of China):
"I feel ill. Call the doctor, quickly."

Diocletian, Emperor of Rome:
"I AM Rome. I AM the People. I AM the Eagle. I AM the Lord of Life. Am a Living God. Why must a God die?"

"Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:"
-Proverbs 31:28

"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem."

-Isaiah 66:13



So, all you sons and daughters out there. Be good to your mothers. Love them. For they carried us in their womb for 9 months. Our precious mothers..

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

This is a personal favorite, for me it is lesson. I hope it will be for you as well,



But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
-1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 6:29

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
Malachi 3:10

Quote from: A Layman on January 16, 2009, 07:48:46 AM
Thailand and Great Britain have similar set up of governing structure. The state is governed by the monarchy of Cholas while the government is run by the Prime Minister. The only thing that differs here is their religious beliefs and practices. A I right folks?

Very true, Layman.

Thailand's form of government is based on the British form of Monarchical Democracy with a Parliamentary body. The monarchy in Britain retain the cultural as well as regal power forming as the symbol of state of the United Kingdom of the British Empire, whereas the Prime Minister holds the true power.

Thailand and Britain have similarities but there are visible differences; one is that the Thai have Les Majeste laws, which can prosecute and individual and assign jail terms if one desecrates the image of the King of Thailand or speaks ill of the Monarchy. There is no such thing as Les Majeste laws in Great Britain, on the contrary, there are British citizens who are anti-monarchy and who would even prefer an American Federalist system of government.

The reasons for the similarity in governmental forms between the two (for the most part) is that Thailand or as it was once known as Siam, owes its independence to British feasability and cooperation. Britain could have taken over Siam as it did to Burma in the Burmese-British Wars in the early 19th century, but allowed Siam to retain its independence in order to act as a buffer state between British Indian Colony and French Indochina.

As a result, there were close diplomatic relations between Krungthep (Bangkok) and London, which led to the evolution of Thai form of government from a feudal barbaric form that utilized slavery and forced indentured service to an enlightened form of government that utilized European Enlightenment ideals, as mandated by the reign of King Chulalongkorn (whose reign highlighted strong Siamese-European relations).

And to relate this to the subject matter, even today, the Thai people regard their present King, Bhumibol Adulyadej as a god within his people. Especially the kind of reverence they offer--in the form of prostration and even prayers.

One can even associate their form of reference to their monarch as being similar to the Imperial etiquette of Japan prior to Nihon's unconditional surrender to the United States---when the Japanese Emperor was considered Divine. The direct descendant of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess.



Lorenzo,

Notice that even in the present, citizens of nations visit the graves of political leaders and offer reverence to the deceased. In the Republic of Turkey, the man of the name Ataturk is regarded in utter reverence. The savior of the Ottoman Empire, who ushered in a new republican form of government from the ashes of the aged Ottoman Empire.

He is visited by thousands of fellow Turks per day. And his name evokes not only nationalistic pride, but reverence by many if not all Turks.

An example;

Cantar de:  Julio Iglesias

[mp3tube]56b068c4090a4d0afc1a4c191a5d2616[/mp3tube]

performed by Kenny G and Yanni

[mp3tube]a8a3b17cafb80eeac55525bf44d7e2b7[/mp3tube]


I dedicate this song to all the pediatric oncology patients. Whose hearts are brave and whose spirits are high and those who are in the low. In my thoughts and in my prayers.

source: wikipedia

'te,

Asa naman ka? Gi mingaw ko nimo raba kai wai nata maka sulti. Mingaw diri kai wa naka mo post.

Balik pood dinhi from time to time.

Bran,

haha, kaluuy pood intawn. You are a 2nd year now, inday?

T'was a miracle no one was hurt. Thank the Lord.

Yes, he is doing his Neurology clinical sa Cleveland Clinic. Affiliated hospital of Veteran's Affairs Center.

kuyaw no?

My friend Steve is finishing up is 4th year; completing his Neurology clinicals right now.
He shared this picture with me--posing with 2 other Neurology interns in Cleveland.



my first reaction:
omg, how hot is that girl in the left? hahaha

ingoon siya, "the attack of the interns". indeed.

I think there's truth to this one,




Discipline is based on pride, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the goal or the fear of failure.
Gary Ryan Blair

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

The liberal news media has always been anti-Israel. Anti-Jewish. These terrorist organizations either they be Hamas, Hezbollah, etc have within their platform and goal; the destruction of the state of Israel.

The Islamic Madras throughout the Middle East pronounce and reiterate the destruction of the Jews and the state of Israel.

Israel is surrounded, and is forced to defend itself in order to secure the existence of its nationhood and for the security of its people.

These Arab nations have threatened Israel before in 3 wars. And in all three wars, Israel has humbled all of those who would threaten her existence.

Israel has the right to defend itself; and these cowards who call themselves freedom fighters--are not brave, but cowards. Who are dubious enough to plot bombs and suicide attacks inside Israel--and when Israel unleashes its retaliation--are themselves cowards who hide behind the innocents.


I support Israel. The Israeli government. And the Jewish people. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

God Bless IS'RA-EL

Your wish is my command, Tita.

Ah, very true.

Viva El Santo Nino!

Viva!

by Pilita Corrales

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4r6y8_NHo

Guapo jud ning cantaha.

Isra'EL

What's happening in Gaza?

Product of United States Military Academy-West Point.

hahaha, i like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwV4PC1oH6g&feature=related

I respect Bush but at the same time I am disappointed by his actions and his policies. Let us begin anew. And pray to God Almighty that Obama usher a new age of peace for the American people and the American Nation. To rebuild our damaged global appearance, to secure prosperity and economic resolution for our American people and the world linked to America.

We, the American People demand PAX AMERICANA. American Peace.

hahahahaha, no i do not, but pray i ask, what is it about, Kiam?

Inquiring lang ko ba..

Que Romantico y lattisimus Gec,

This feeling is natural? I fear, Gec, that if I acquiesce to my primal human feelings, I will ruin our friendship. I am a pitiful individual when it comes to showing affection--as I do not show it physically--but internally is there.

Gec, ayudame!

Por favor,


Lorenzo su amigo.

I read this poem to my brothers some time ago.

Their response, "Bad Fred"

haha

That is what I call a poem.

Do share, Kiam.

Her devotion to her babies reminds me of my own Mommy.

I couldn't help but cry when I re-read this thread again.

Haha, ingoon pood to si Prof nako, "its all for laughs". I've never met a professor who found jokes out of quizzes. I think lang that he quizzed us that way to instill a sense of shock. To be called in front of a class of 100 medical students and to be the attention of their ears and eyes for a good 5-10 minutes can be humbling.

Admit ko, I was nervous, and all I could do as a response was smile as my face turned bright red.

I have been awakened in this class.

Quote from: leoello on January 17, 2009, 03:12:55 PM
ha, what was Rizal's main conflict in going back to the Philippines?  This is an interesting phenomenon because he had cohorts who were abroad with him in Spain too, korek?

I always thought I identified more with Andres Bonifacio..

but thanks for the compliment, albeit met with daunting, idealistic expectations, I just have a passion to listen to our people.  And I know there are more Rizalians, Bonifacions, Gabrielas, constantly carrying on their legacies in our homeland and abroad.


Speaking of inspiring, great Filipino/a leaders.  On the Filipino American side, have you read Carlos Bulosan's "America is in the Heart"? That was the book that really empowered me during my undergraduate years.  He depicts the collective experience of our "Manong Generation" that emigrated to Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast in the 1920s.

Another person I look up to is Philip Vera Cruz who had organized Filipino day-laborers & helped create the United Farm Workers with Caesar Chavez.

Si mi amigo,

Sr. Dr. Jose Potracio Rizal was an avid essayist, political activist, social activist, journalist, orator, as well as practicing medicine (opthalmology) in the side. He was a member of the famous 'La Solidaridad', a Filipino-based editorial based in Madrid that wrote about the injustices of the Spanish friars, the back-wards political spectrum set in place--as compared to the Liberal and Progressive Spanish Cortes (Royal Spanish Parliamentary Government). Rizal was a good friend of the famous writer, Marcelo Del Pilar and fellow cohorts who studied, and lived, and practiced in Spain.

In the late 19th century, there were hundreds of Filipinos who studied abroad in Spain; many more who practiced law in Spain, practiced medicine, married into the Spanish society--etc.

Rizal, though coming from a fairly established middle class, chose to study in Spain to pursue medicine, but when he arrived to Spain his eyes were opened. For the first time in his life he was treated as an equal, even by his Spanish compatriots. The level of racism and prejudice towards the 'Indio' was significantly less in Spain than in the Philippines. The notion of 'Insulare Superiority' to the 'Inferior Indio' as was continued and reiterated by repressive regime in the Philippines, particularly the Spanish friars that were active in government--was not so evident in Spain.

Rizal, in his stays in Spain, finished his medical doctorate, but was also an avid traveller. Visited the beaches of Barcelona, trecked the hills of Andalucia, and noticed the time-old farms, the haciendas of Spain. The friendliness of the local Spaniard--looking beyond his own foreign appearance. Spaniards referring to him in the honorific title of, 'Senor'or 'Doctor'.

His passion for reform and a yearning to pursue justice--led him to voice it out through his pen. And what a mighty pen he had. His writings 'El Filibusterismo' y 'Noli mi Tangere as well as his countless articles and essays.

He returned to the Philippines, despite protests from friends and political affiliates. And history has secured it.

Condolences to the Estrada Family.