Mood Boosting Sticky Date pudding

The day is so perfect so nice cool and rainy for sleeping in and eating macdonalds pancakes but I'm on call!! So tragic. And I got woken up at 550am cos I forgot to turn off my work phoneD:<
Had my fave marmalade pantry sticky date pudding ytd after eating alot of sushi at Itacho. Sticky, chewy and warm with sweetness from the dates and a huge scoop of kapiti vanilla bean ice cream. Topped with butterscotch sauce. So satisfying. I suppose that I will think of this when I eat qiji for dinner:(
Maybe I shall return there tmr for more sticky date pudding to boost my mood. Morale is at an all time low...

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Cold Poached Chocolate

I've never particularly been interested in Awfully Chocolates chocolate cakes until trying their cold poached chocolate. I've tried their Super Stacked Chocolate Cake a few times and their usual chocolate cake a few other times but they never were extremely inspiring so I've never blogged about them. Furthermore, Awfully Chocolate outlets have sprouted out everywhere like mushrooms after the rain, and hence it was never really worth blogging abt.



However, I've just had an epiphany and I'm now really inspired to blog after trying their awesome Cold Poached Chocolate. I've never been interested in trying it cos there's a mountain of whipped cream over a relatively small lump of chocolate and I'm not a big fan of whipped cream. They prepare the cold poached chocolate on a cold slab with these circular chocolate moulds (very much like the met moulds you use while making a perfectly circular sunny side up egg) and then leaving it there to 'poach'.


The product is a mousse like chilled chocolate dessert. The whipped cream comes in 2 different flavours -Bailey or butterscotch.

The chocolate is just as I have described but it's extremely rich and satisfying. Like eating those delicious chocolate mousse cakes without any of the interfering cake layers.

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Fourty Hands

Fourty hands is this Eco friendly cafe tucked in the recesses of the sleepy Tiong Baru estate. (I still don't know why it's Eco friendly - says all abt my environmental friendliness...)


We had their poached eggs with muffins which was not bad,though nothing extremely spectacular which I will crave for. Muffins were a bit soggy too.


The lamb sandwich($9 something) stole the show tho it was so delicious and smelt really strongly of lamb and assorted spices. There were also diced crunchy cucumbers, onions and peppers. The foccacia bread is nicely toasted in the press grill and it's quite affordable and filling.


We also had the chocolate tart which has a chocolate tart base but the filling was had the texture of pudding/custard.

It's a nice place to chill, though it can be a bit noisy cos the place is quite small. Will come back to try their other sandwiches!

Fourty Hands
Block 78 Yong Siak street
#01-12
tel 62258545

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'Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .' Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A, 30 January 2011

Sermon on the Mount, Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-82

Readings (New American Bible, used in the Lectionary in the Philippines and USA)


Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12a)

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”

+++

Nearly all English translations that I’m familiar with use the term ‘poor in spirit’ in the first beatitude. I never quite understood what this meant until I read the New English Bible (NEB) translation: ‘How blest are those who know their need of God, the kingdom of Heaven is theirs’. (Many say that the NEB isn’t a literal translation. The Revised English Bible, a revision of the NEB, went back to ‘poor in spirit’). However, for the first time the term ‘poor in spirit’ became clear to me. It doesn’t mean being far from God, being lost in sin, but knowing that we need God. It is in that awareness that we are blessed by God.

+++

CHARTER FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING AND RECIPE FOR EXTREME HOLINESS

Biblical Reflection for 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB http://www.zenit.org/article-31564?l=english

TORONTO, JAN. 25, 2011 (Zenit.org).- As the Church continues her pilgrim journey throughout history, we need a vision to sustain us and give us hope in the midst of our shadows, ambiguities and sins, our joys and hopes and victories. That biblical vision is found in the great Christian charter in today's Gospel passage . . .

Meaning of the beatitudes

The beatitudes are the great charter for Christian living. They reveal God's ultimate justice and outline Jesus' prophetic outreach to those who live on the fringes of society. So many people -- the sick, the lame, the poor and the hungry -- converge on Jesus on that Galilean hillside. In this awesome biblical scene overlooking the sea, Jesus puts biblical justice into practice by proclaiming the beatitudes. Authentic justice is a bonding of one's self with the sick, the disabled, the poor and the hungry. The crowds that listened to Jesus were awestruck because he spoke with authority, with the force of someone who knew the truth and offered it freely to others. He was a teacher like no other . . .

Blueprint for holiness

The beatitudes are also a recipe for extreme holiness. Holiness is a way of life that involves commitment and activity. It is not a passive endeavor but rather a continuous choice to deepen one's relationship with God and to then allow this relationship to guide all of one's actions in the world . . .

Full text here.

'Abortion is not a treatment' - Professor of Paediatrics

Visitation, Mariotto Martinelli, 1503

Family & Life, an Irish pro-life organization, recently carried the story below. I have highlighted some parts.


Abortion Is Not Treatment - Professor

Professor Jim Dundon, Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, has intervened in the ongoing debate on abortion in Ireland to remind people that abortion is not a medical treatment. "In what is termed a 'crisis pregnancy' all of us would feel for the mother to be, but apparently some would go so far as to advise termination of the pregnancy, ie, abortion," he writes.

"Abortion is not a treatment. It kills an innocent defenceless human being. Human life begins at conception and ends at natural death." The professor points out that "Any life-threatening disease or disorder arising during a pregnancy can and should be treated." But "Abortion is not a treatment of any disease or disorder."

Prof Dundon deplores those who, "At a time when such a 'mother to be' needs all the help and support she can be given" would abandon her and offer her "only one option – abortion."

"Apart from the aggressive trauma of abortion, which is considerable," he concludes, "she has to face the rest of her life with the knowledge she has destroyed the life of her own baby". The Irish Times. January 14.

+++

Family & Life sent out the following alert yesterday, 25 January, to those on its emailing list. The alert is in the context of the election today of a new leader of the ruling Fianna Fáil Party to succeed Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen who resigned from that position in the party last Saturday. It is certain that the party will receive a 'hammering' in the forthcoming general election.

As a Columban priest I must say that Mr Martin was a great help to us when Fr Michael Sinnott was kidnapped in the southern Philippines in October 2009. He went beyond what was required of him as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Action Alert!

Embryo Research Advocate Leads FF Race

Micheál Martin, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, is believed to be the front-runner in the race to succeed Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of the Fianna Fáil Party. As Minister for Health in 2000 it was Martin who set up the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction. This body was stacked with representatives of the IVF industry and produced a hugely unbalanced report which ignored most of the submissions made to the Commission. In 2006, when he was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin spoke out in favour of permitting research in Ireland involving the destruction of human embryos. He voted in favour of EU funding for embryonic stem cell research and said that he would support such research in Ireland once the constitutional status of unimplanted human embryos was clarified. The new leader of Fianna Fáil will be elected tomorrow afternoon. While the party is widely expected to fare badly in the upcoming general election, the prospect of a leader with Micheál Martin’s record on life issues will likely raise additional concerns for many supporters which they may wish to raise urgently with their local Fianna Fáil TDs.







A Tale of Two Death Stings Part 2

The Klingon Death Sting is an interesting weapon, as it was seen before, in the middle of, and after the development of the other type of Klingon Disruptor.  That type, which we all recognize as THE Klingon Disruptor of the DS9 era was first seen in Star Trek III.  It was later changed to have a "beakie" nose in TNG and later.  

We first see the Death Sting in Star Trek: TMP, but not really!  It is actually stuck in its holster and we only see the butt sticking out of the first officer's holster.

In Star Trek III we see the version we are all so familiar with, but before the "beakie" nose.

ST III Klingon Disruptor - note the nose

In Star Trek VI, we are back to the Death Sting, but now it is a different color and the actual prop is cast off a TMP version.  It now has a solid back.

General Kord with a Death Sting.  Notice it is missing the "tube" on the right side!

TNG starts off with all Klingons using the Death Sting.

In the TNG episode "The Icarus Factor" we see 8 Klingons with Death Stings in their Holsters

The Emissary - K'Ehleyr has a Death Sting in her holster

"Sins of the Father" - Note Kurn's holster

However, in "Redemption Part I, Klingons have switched to the Beakie Disruptor.

"Redemption Part I"  -  Note the silhouette on the right

"The Chase"  -  The Beakie is in full force!

"Firstborn"  -  We see the full beak!

The Beakie was developed because the Star Trek III style kept breaking when actors pulled it from the holster.

And then Deep Space Nine kept the Beakie Disruptor from the outset.

"Past Prologue" - We see the Beakie the whole series.

Irish Examiner: State 'exported' 55 people with intellectual disabilities, report says



As an Irish citizen, I was utterly shocked when I read the headline in today's Irish Examiner: State 'exported' 55 people with intellectual disabilities, report says. The story is by Jennifer Hough. The paper's second editorial comments on the story: Intellectual disability - Hypocrisy of the HSE. The HSE(logo above), Health Service Executive,  was set up in 2005 to replace the regional health boards. The Irish Examiner editorial is not its main one, which is about the Green Party leaving the Irish government, which is about to fall.

Here is the text of Jennifer Hough's news story. I've highlighted some parts and added [comments].


State ‘exported’ 55 people with intellectual disabilities, report says

By Jennifer Hough

Monday, January 24, 2011

PEOPLE with intellectual disabilities have been "exiled" to agencies outside of Ireland for the past 30 years and continue to be "ignored" in the provision of mental health services, according to a report.

The damning study — published to coincide with the fifth anniversary of A Vision for Change, a policy document drawn up to reform mental health services in Ireland — concludes the provision of mental health services for people with an intellectual disability (ID) continues to require "immediate prioritisation" by the HSE as it has not been afforded "any discernible concern".

Excluded, Expelled and Exported: The citizens we’ve ignored and those we’ve exiled, which is published by The College of Psychiatry of Ireland, reveals that over the past 30 years at least €30 million has been spent on placing people in other jurisdictions. [Could not much of that money have been spent on making it possible to provide proper services in Ireland?]

It reveals 55 Irish people with an intellectual disability — some of whom have been in the placements for decades — are in specialist services outside of the state.

Some of those placements cost up to €300,000 annually. The latest figure is an increase of 20 people — or 57% — since A Vision for Change was published.

According to the report, the fact that 75% of the placements are in the North refutes the argument that there is not the critical mass for such specialist service provision here. [The 'North' refers to Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. At least they are in the same country, though in a different state, making it possible for their families and friends to visit them.]

Additionally, it is estimated at least 137 more people with intellectual disability require specialist residential services that are not available. The CPsychI maintains this is an "unacceptable and unsustainable" situation.

"As we export people with intellectual disability for placement and treatment, individual people and their families may get a service, but no level of national expertise builds up," the report states.

"Clearly, it is not rational or humane but rather ad hoc and inequitable and clearly, many people get no service at all."

The data comes from a HSE freedom of information request, which did not include information on people who had previously been placed out of the state and who had returned during or prior to 2010. [Note that the HSE had to be requested to release the information.] Therefore, the costs are likely to be under-estimated.

The data shows that the longest placement outside of Ireland is of a person who has been in the United States since 1981. [In other words, this person has been in exile for the last thirty years at the behest of the Irish Department of Health, the Irish taxpayer footing the bill. Would we accept such a situation for a person who didn't have an intellectual disability? How can this person, a citizen of Ireland, experience the opening word of Article 40 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution, says: All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law? How can that person and his or her family experience what Article 41 says: 2° The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State? Isn't the sending a person into permanent exile simply because he or she has an intelletual disability destroying that person's family, making it impossible for the members to realte to one another?]The cost of the placements differ dramatically, but the overall annual cost of placing all 55 people who are currently in residential care out of state is €5m.




The annual cost of placement for 20 individuals is less than €50,000.

For a further 20 individuals it is between €50,000 and €100,000.

In six cases the cost is €100,000-€200,000, in seven cases it is €200,000-€300,000 and in one case the annual cost is more than €300,000.

However, as the report’s authors point out, the "export of Irish citizens comes at a considerable financial cost as well as human cost" as placements outside of the state dislodge vulnerable people with an intellectual disability from their families and local communities. [See comments above.]

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, January 24, 2011.

Logo of Faith and Light

From the website of Faith and Light:

Meb was a painter, he had an intellectual disability. He composed his work of art on the occasion of the first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1971 after some one read him the Charter of the first Faith and Light pilgrimage.

What he did was very simple. A boat in which he put a number of figures. He painted twelve of them. Jesus must be sleeping somewhere in the bottom of the boat. Then there was the sun and the clouds. Meb was certainly very inspired. He could not count.

His idea : we are in a boat and we are travelling together. Sometimes the sea is rough, sometimes it’s dead calm, sometimes you need to row, and sometimes the wind blows in the sails .. Meb had understood all that.

Here is the caption that goes with the drawing :

“The clouds parted and Your light, oh Lord, shone down upon us.”

+++

Christ Blessing the children, Nicolaes Maes, painted 1652-53

Last year it came to light that many children had died in the previous ten years while under the 'care' of the Irish State. Here is one report by Susan Mitchell in The Sunday Business Post on 23 May 2010: HSE believes 200 children died in care. One quotation from that story: A senior figure in the HSE told The Sunday Business Post that it still did not know the precise number of children that had died while in care, but it was feared that the true tally could be in the order of 200.














 

'Come after me . . .' Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A, 23 January 2011

The Calling of St Peter and St Andrew, Jacob Willemsz de Wet the Elder

Readings (New American Bibles used in the Philippines) 

Gospel (Mt 4:12-23)

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

or

(Mt 4:12-17)

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

+++

The readings today draw us back to Christmas and forward to Lent. The text from Isaiah that Matthew quotes contains part of the first reading at the Midnight Mass for Christmas. The same reading was used here in the Philippines last Sunday for the feast of the Santo Niño (Holy Child). The words of Isaiah are followed by those of Jesus that point us towards Lent, just over six weeks away.

The call of the first disciples may be omitted. It would seem a pity to do so even though it’s not overtly connected with what precedes it. But Jesus before he returned to his Father he gave us our mission: Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." The call of Peter, Andrew, James and John points us towards that.

Often enough we restrict the word ‘vocation’ to that of the priest or religious. Each one of us has a specific vocation from God, included in the basic call to be a saint. I spent some years as a vocation director here in the Philippines and sometimes listened to religious or priests speak to young people about the vocation of marriage and almost forgetting to speak about their own. That’s going to the other extreme.

Sr Marie Paul Therese OCD



However, the vocation stories in the gospels always bring me to thank God for my own vocation to be a Columban missionary priest. The call of each of us involves a unique story. One such ‘love story’, as she calls it, expressing the heart of the reality of a vocation, is that of Sr Marie Paul Therese OCD of the Carmel in Vilvoorde, Belgium, the oldest Carmelite monastery in the world. Part of her story was reading an article in Misyon, the Columban magazine I have been editing here in the Philippines since the feast of St Thérèse of Lisiuex, patron of missionaries, 1 October 2002. An article by a Filipina Carmelite nun in Vilvoorde, Sr Mary Carmela OCD, in Misyon, when it was still a printed magazine, led Sr Marie Paul Therese from Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, where the Columbans worked for many years, to Belgium, with the help of the email address we included. You can read From Iligan to Vilvoorde in the current issue of Misyon.

+++

IN JESUS OF NAZARETH, ISAIAH'S LIGHT DAWNED ON HUMANITY

Biblical Reflection for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time A

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, JAN. 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Both today's first reading from the Prophet Isaiah (Is 8:23-9:3) and the Gospel passage (Matthew 4:12-23) keep alive the memory of Christmas for us. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them a light has shined."

The choral section from the Nativity cycle of Handel's Messiah never ceases to move me each time I listen to Isaiah's prophecy set to hauntingly beautiful music. The words reach their crescendo in the announcement of the birth of a child who will be called: "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah's prophecy forms the first reading that we hear proclaimed each year at the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Full text here.  

A Tale of Two Death Stings Part 1

Well, I recently bought a hero resin and metal Klingon Death Sting from a collector friend.  This was the version built for Star Trek V and used in TNG.  What is great is that I own a Death Sting from TMP, which I have written about before here.

So I decided to have my photographer at Propworx take some detailed photos and we can start doing some comparisons and matching.   I went back and reviewed the previous artciles I wrote and thought that since I now have two versions we might be able to get some more detailed info on the history of this weapon.  

So next week  will write some more on these weapons and we will see what more we can learn.  And if you own one of these, please email me and let me know.  I would love to see other versions of this.

TMP Death Sting

Star Trek V Death Sting

VeganBurg

Tried vegan burger on a weekday last week. The name is such an oxymoron and I don't know why people want to eat pseudo-meat (with the exception of myself since I am very kaypoh and want to know what everything tastes like). I suppose eating pseudo-meat is against some peoples principles;) Actually I have no idea why people need to make fake meat when there's perfectly good meat around other than for religious reasons. Personally I don't see why bother making vegetable material into the form of real meat - I mean doesn't the thought of eating meat make vegetarians feel guilty?
This is the Tangy Tartar ($5.85 for the burger, $9.85 for burger, fries and juice) which is a breaded flakey vegan patty (I suppose it's trying to be a fake fish patty?) which was supposed to come with lettuce and alfafa but the latter was missing. It comes with a whole meal bun and tangy tartar sauce (which tastes like tartar sauce with an extra squirt of lemon).
Their pseudo fish patty is deep fried and has a texture quite close to a badly fried fish fillet but it was the better burger out of the 2 we tried that night.
I had the Pineapple soy burger and the patty was actually quite mushy but had the texture of meat and didn't really taste of much besides the sweet plum sauce. The ciabatta bread was one of the highlights and I liked that the bread came with pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Though I didn't quite enjoy my burger cos it was too sweet and I was really craving for something savory.

From my very limited experience with all these soy patties and Iif my memory doesn't fail me, and if I remember correctly from my secondary school days, they actually can use yeast in a reactor and then spin down the proteins to make these patties! so some of these vegan patties are actually made from yeast cell walls though I think Vegan burger uses soy. Btw, Marmite/Bovril is also made from yeast... I've tried the Subway Veggie patty (which is very ridiculously priced cos it's flown in from the USA) and I think they're more or less the same - quite mushy and not having any particular taste.

There's also some more interesting burgers like the Char-grilled satay burger and another one called Cracked pepper mayo which has a vegan patty with cracked black pepper. I suppose if I ever come back, I'd go for one of the more 'tasty' ones.

The meals all come with seaweed fries which are pretty unremarkable, but then again, I am not a fries lover.
I also had the spinach potato pops which are quite pricey at $3.80 for 5 pieces (looks like alot but its just lettuce underneath). Wouldn't try those again... It's like deep fried herbed potato balls nothing amazingly special. But I would have liked to try the veganfranks which is a pure vegan sausage (but it really looks like a sausage!) I really want to know how a fake sausage tastes like...

They also have these really 'healthy' drinks like passion fruit and orange juice hough it's not freshly squeezed. I had the spinach and wheatgrass which j thought tasted moe syrupy than anything and it had a fruity base (I think it's pear juice?). Somehow after having this meal I missed my usual coke/green tea.

I think it's a pretty interesting concept but I'm totally heading to Freshness Burger at Century Square instead! And just a note if you're curious about Vegan burger - I was studying their menu and I think that if you want to try the burger and vege franks, the best meal to get will be the VeganKidz meal which has a kid sized burger (Looks like the tangy tartare one) and vegefranks and fries, including a kid size juice.

Vegan burger
44 Jalan Eunos Singapore 419502

Tel 68446868

www.veganburg.com

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'Thank you' from the Columbans

Though 2011 is now well under way, it is never too late to say 'thank you' for the graces of 2010. The Columbans in the Region of Australia and New Zealand have put together this short video to thank God and all our benefactors for the blessings we have received, and others through us - and we through them - in the countries where we work, in the year that ended a few weeks ago.

Sunday Reflections. Feast of the Sto Niño (Philippines); Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (elsewhere), 16 January 2011

Christ Blessing the Children, Nicolas Maes, 1652-53

This Sunday, 16 January 2011, is the Feast of the Sto Niño (Holy Child) in the Philippines. Elsewhere it is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

The readings for the Feast of the Sto Niño are:
Isaiah 9:1-6; Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18; Matthew 18:1-5, 10.

Gospel (Mt 18:1-5, 10; New American Bible, used in the Lectionary in the Philippines)

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.

+++

Holy Family Home, Bacolod City

In the context of the gospel above you might like to read A Safe Haven by Fr Gary Walker that appeared in Misyon in January-February 2009. The video version is here. Read also A Child Redeemed is a Generation Saved by Richelle Verdeprado, from Misyon July-August 2008. The video version is here.

+++

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The Preaching of St John the Baptist, Alessandro Allori, 1601-03

Readings

Gospel (John 1:29-34, New American Bible)

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

+++

Recognizing Agnus Dei, Agna Dei and Martyrdom

Biblical Reflection for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time A

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, JAN. 11, 2011 (Zenit.org).- In today's Gospel passage (John 1:29-34), the figure of John the Baptist appears once again almost as if to send us back to Advent to look carefully at the evidence of the Baptizer and of Jesus, and to make some decisions about our own lives.

The evangelist John’s account of the Baptism of Jesus is very different from the other three evangelists, and the historical situation explains why. John’s gospel text shows no knowledge of the tradition (Luke 1) about the kinship of Jesus and John the Baptist. In the Fourth Gospel, John's baptism is not connected with forgiveness of sins; its purpose is revelatory, that Jesus may be made known to Israel. For John, a simple chronicle of events is never enough; the important thing is that events excite a personal testimony about Jesus.

The evangelist John is very intent on counteracting a movement that regarded John the Baptist as superior to Jesus. He does not narrate the baptism event; instead, he puts the meaning of the baptism into John the Baptist's testimony. He has the Baptizer publicly profess his raison d’être: "The reason why I came...was that he [Jesus] might be made known."

Full text here.

'Non-reproductive beings' should have no voice in defence of human life?

US Secretary of State clarifies to Rep. Chris Smith that 'Reproductive Health' etc includes abortion

Rina Jimenez-David is a columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the most widely read broadsheet in the Philippines. The paper began 25 years ago as part of the movement that eventually ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Ms Jimenez-David frequently writes in support of contraception. She began one column by stating that the most important decision to be made by a couple getting married was which contraceptive to use. In the last two years or so it is clear that she also supports abortion. Four or five years ago she got a fellowship to a short course in California the aim of which was to train persons with influence in developing countries to promote contraception. The columnist wrote at the time that there was an extra week for those from Spanish-speaking countries to help them promote abortion. (The Philippines is not and never has been a Spanish-speaking country so she did not take part in that). The course was largely funded by a Bill Gates foundation, as I recall.

A Reproductive Health bill is being pushed through at the moment in the Philippines. Its proponents have said many times that it does not include abortion. But the term 'Reproductive Health' is a code for abortion, as Hillary Clinton makes clear in the video above. The RH Bill is the background to the column to which I responded.

Last Sunday  in her column Ms Jimenez-David wrote: But let me caution the President and his advisers against letting his dialogue partners take their sweet time nitpicking over various arcane issues like when life begins; what constitutes fertilization, ovulation and abortion; and whose rights should prevail: The mother’s or the unborn child’s. If they so want, Catholic bishops and their supporters among hard-line conservatives can keep up the “dialogue” until well into the next millennium! (Emphasis mine throughout.)

She further wrote: And may I point out that Catholic bishops and priests are strictly speaking peripheral to the issue of reproductive health: they are not (officially at least) reproductive beings. Having taken vows of celibacy, they are not (or should not be) confronted with the problems that millions of reproductive Filipino men and women face every day. 

Ms Jimenez-David further wrote: (As an aside—I couldn’t resist bringing it up—a doctor-friend of mine tells me that while he was a young physician, he was asked to give a talk on sexuality before a group of priests. Afterwards, he recalled, he was approached “in private” by quite a good number of priests who wanted to know what they could do about their sexually transmitted infections. “I lost my faith in priests that day,” he confessed.) (Brackets in the original).

Yesterday, Thursday, the PDI published my reply:

Heed Rina’s counsel—P-Noy urged ('P-Noy' is President Aquino whose nickname is 'Noynoy'. 'Pinoy' is a colloquial term for the Filipino.)

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:01:00 01/13/2011

RINA JIMENEZ-David apparently wants to take us back into the Dark Ages by dismissing as “arcane” issues such as “when life begins, what constitutes fertilization, ovulation and abortion.” (Inquirer, 1/9/11) She wants us to dismiss modern medical science as of no matter.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated very clearly in answer to US Rep. Chris Smith that for her and her government “Reproductive Rights,” “Reproductive Health,” etc. include abortion. (This can be easily googled.)

As an aside—I couldn’t resist bringing this up—President Aquino would do well to follow David’s implicit advice and ignore the views of columnists who have ceased to be “reproductive beings.”

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I had put the last paragraph in brackets but the paper dropped them. However, I was very pleasantly surprised that my letter was published as there is rarely anything critical of Rina Jimenez-David in the letters page, though there is one strongly pro-life columnist, Antonio J. Montalvan II, based in Cagayan de Oro City in northern Mindanao.

The video I referred to in the letter is at the top. 

I"m aware that part of my reply ('As an aside . . .') is to some extent ad hominem though not totally so since I'm basically showing where the columnist's logic leads.

Soup Broth Asia

My life is passing so slowly it feels like 2 months has passed in the last 10 days. Omg! I still have 15 more weeks left!!! :( I am damn sad cos the canteen has the worst food possible. And then there are issues of respecting privacy which is important to me +++++ So the whole sum of nonsense things is making my life damn sad that I cannot sigh enough times to make myself feel happier. HAIZ!!
Anyway onto a nice meal I had what seems EONS ago cos my life is crawling by sooooo slooooooooowly like a geriatric snail.


Went to try Soup broth Asia at Raffles City. They have these mix and match set meals where you can have either a 1 appetiser, 2 sides, rice and a soup for about 12-15 bucks. Some of their soups are very commonly found in S'pore like their fish slice soup, which I think I will not spend my money on cos I can get it for much cheaper in a hawker centre, but they have other interesting ones from different regions in Asia like some Korean chicken ginseng soup (which apparently has no ginseng taste), some Indonesian duck (or was it chicken) soup, some spicy curry etc.


I tried the soup which has soy milk added and tofu as well as some weird gluten ball thing as well as pork slices. It's really pretty tasty, not too salty (considering my salt tolerance is v long) and there's an option of upgrading (for aobut 1.50 or 2 bucks) the plain white rice to either yam rice (which I wanted, but was sold out) or fried rice (which I took cos I don't like eating white rice).


The fried rice has lots of egg and a mild wok hei taste and smell, though it's nothing spectacular.
Their sides are pretty interesting - I tried the stir fried kai lan with garlic which wasn't too bad just that it was slightly too oily, sweet and sour pork which was average, and the potato salad. I think the wasabi prawns looked much better - dunno why I didn't choose that? And they have healthy cold tofu with ponzu sauce.
The soups tend to sell out when it's too late (like when we decided to have dinner) so if you want all the options available, go early...
Bumped into Julie there too!

Soup broth Asia
Raffles City B1-62

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Sword Of Kahless

Acquired from It's a Wrap, this is one of three stunt Sword of Kahless that were made for the Deep Space Nine episode "The Sword of Kahless" and then reused in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Prophecy".

When it came on eBay in fall of 2008 I was on the set of Battlestar Galactica and remember calling Max Cervantes, the well known propmaker, and asking him about the swords.  He told me that three stunt swords were made.

Another stunt sword surfaced recently and my good friend and fellow big Star Trek collector Donna Sakaida bought it.  Though not from an offical source it proved similar to mine.

ST XI Romulan Disruptor in Detail

Here are some detailed photos of the Romulan Disruptor from Star Trek 2009.

Pope Visits Sick Children on Feast of the Epiphany

Thanks to Fr Ray Blake where I found this video of Pope Benedict visiting sick children in the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome on the Feast of the Epiphany, 6 January.

'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.' The Baptism of the Lord, 9 January 2011

The Baptism of Christ, El Greco, painted 1608-28 

Readings (New American Bible)

Gospel Matthew 3:13-17


Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

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El Greco painted the Baptism of Christ a number of times. In the painting above he shows Jesus kneeling before his cousin St John the Baptist with nothing, just as John had nothing. Both were totally open to the will of God the Father.

Though it’s not expressed in this painting, for me one of the most astonishing realities in this scene is that Jesus lined up with everyone else, all of whom were sinners. All those present, except John, would have presumed that Jesus was just another sinner like themselves. This shows the extent of God’s love for us as sinners, that God who became Man, Jesus, allowed himself to be seen as a sinner.

It is here that God the Father proclaims ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’. The Father uses the very same words at the Transfiguration, with the words ‘listen to him’ added (Mt 17:5). In the latter Peter, James and John the Apostle had caught a glimpse of the reality that Jesus is God. At the baptism the people saw someone they presumed to be a sinner.

A former chief of the Irish police lives near my brother. I remember when he held that position he used to stand outside the parish church after all the Masses on one Sunday of the month with other members of the St Vincent de Paul Society collecting money to help the poor. There was nothing to indicate who he was or the very important position he held. I was always struck by that and that he and his family lived in an ordinary house just like everyone else.

The fact that Jesus identified himself, in effect, as a sinner, shows that God is not ashamed of us despite our sins. He identifies himself with us even though he is pure love, utter sinlessness.

And just as God the Father proclaims Jesus as his ‘beloved Son’ at his baptism, he does the same with us at our baptism which, unlike the baptism of John, makes us God’s very own sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of Jesus and therefore brothers and sisters of one another. This is our deepest identity.