Challenge Your Utok, Kapamilya! :)

You have to work out what the letters mean. See No 0 as an example.
According to MENSA, if you get 19 + of these, you are a "genius".
Only 2 MENSA members achieved full marks. See how well you do.

Scoring:1 to 5 is Average, 6 - 11 Somewhat Intelligent, 12 to 18 Intelligent, 19 + Genius



No.
Cryptic
Answer
0
24 H in a D

1
26 L of the A

2
7 D of the W

3
7 W of the W

4
12 S of the Z

5
66 B of the B

6
52 C in a P (WJs)

7
13 S in the USF

8
18 H on a G C

9
39 B of the O T

10
5 T on a F

11
90 D in a R A

12
3 B M (S H T R)

13
32 is the T in D F at which W F

14
15 P in a R T

15
3 W on a T

16
100 C in a R

17
11 P in a F (S) T

18
12 M in a Y

19
13=UFS

20
8 T on a O

21
29 D in F in a L Y

22
27 B in the N T

23
365 D in a Y

24
13 L in a B D

25
52 W in a Y

26
9 L of a C

27
60 M in a H

28
23 P of C in the H B

29
64 S on a C B

30
9 P in S A

31
6 B to an O in C

32
1000 Y in a M

33
15 M on a D M C






YOU SCORED

When Inday Tikay Takes Charge...

Sinulog's covered...


Halad sa Kapamilya happened...


Volunteers acknowledged...


Cheered...


And thanked.

Of Prayers and Fingers

FIVE FINGER PRAYER

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers bypraying for those closest to you. They are the easiestto remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S.Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray forthose who teach, instruct and heal. This includesteachers, doctors, and ministers. They need supportand wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It remindsus of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders inbusiness and industry, and administrators. Thesepeople shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising tomany is the fact that this is our weakest finger; asany piano teacher will testify. It should remind us topray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.They need your prayers day and night. You cannot praytoo much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallestfinger of all which is where we should place ourselvesin relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "Theleast shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkieshould remind you to pray for yourself. By the timeyou have prayed for the other four groups, your ownneeds will be put into proper perspective and you willbe able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Alang sa Hingatugun sa Trabaho! :)

Wake Up, You Bum!

Here are 12 explanations that employees might say when they’re caught sleeping at their desks:

· "They told me at the blood bank this might happen."

· "This is just a 15-minute power nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to."

· "Whew! Guess I left the top off the liquid paper. You probably got here just in time."

· "This is in exchange for the six hours last night when I dreamed about work."

· "It’s okay ... I’m still billing the client."

· "I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement."

· "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."

· "I was doing a yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress."

· "Rats! Why did you interrupt me? I almost had figured out a solution to our biggest company problem."

· "The coffee machine’s broken."

· "Someone must have put decaf in the wrong pot."

· "Amen."

SOURCE: Superkids

Bird Flu FAQ's from the Net

"After what has been read and heard about the Bird Flu outbreak and the escalated death rates worldwide and the concern of many has prompted me to give an alert bulletin of the nature of the virus and how the virus could be contracted by humans and how to be prepared just in case - we all hope not - of its spread ."

"The current outbreak of avian influenza—popularly known as bird flu—in a number of countries is looming as a major international health crisis. It is believed that most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces, by touching of germs and then touching their mouth, nose, eating, licking of their fingers and rubbing their eyes.

Let us take an inside look about Bird Flu, what it is ? Where it is originated and how to protect ourselves and many other frequently asked questions with answers.

What is the "bird flu"?

Bird flu is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them Wild waterfowl can also be responsible for the primary introduction of infection into domestic poultry

How is avian influenza spread?

Certain birds act as hosts of influenza viruses. Infected birds shed virus in saliva, nasal secretions and feces. Avian influenza viruses spread to susceptible birds when they have contact with contaminated nasal, respiratory and fecal material from infected birds.


Can the avian influenza be spread to humans from infected birds?


In rare instances, people can contract avian influenza. The exact mode of transmission from birds to people is not known, but it is obvious that it has mutated and developed the ability to pass from birds to human but most human cases of avian flu have been traced to direct contact with live infected birds or their dropping

Is it possible to get the bird flu from eating chicken or eggs?


N o -- if the meat is fully cooked. Cooking kills flu viruses in poultry, meat, and eggs. The bird flu virus can survive on raw meat from infected poultry. It is also unsafe to eat undercooked poultry or consume raw eggs. or lightly cooked egg products (such as runny eggs). Proper hygiene -- hand washing and the disinfecting of all surfaces that come in contact with the meat -- is essential . It is also recommended to avoid unnecessary contact with live poultry. This includes markets where live birds are sold, as it is possible for the avian influenza virus to stick to hair and clothing, and it may also be inhaled

Is it possible for this form of influenza to spread from person to person?


At this time, there is no evidence that the current strain of avian influenza in Asia is spread directly from person to person. However, it is possible that the virus could change so that it could spread easily from person to person. If a person, who is sick with human influenza, was exposed to avian influenza, there is a possibility that the avian influenza virus could acquire human influenza genes. This "mixing" could result in the creation of a new subtype of the influenza virus.
Because these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population. If an avian virus were able to infect people and gain the ability to spread easily from person to person, an "influenza pandemic" could begin. There is currently no evidence that this is happening.

What are the signs and symptoms of avian influenza?


The symptoms of avian influenza in humans range from typical influenza-like symptoms ( e.g., fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications.

Is the bird flu deadly?

The current strain of "bird flu" circulating in Asia can be deadly. About two-thirds of infected people can die from this strain.

How do you catch bird flu?

People have caught bird flu from handling infected poultry and from surfaces contaminated with poultry feces. There are a few suspected cases of human-to-human bird flu transmission. This happened only after prolonged face-to-face contact. But bird flu has not learned how to spread easily from person to person .

Who is most vulnerable to bird flu?

Flu is usually most dangerous to young children and to the elderly . But a lot depends on whether there's any immunity to the flu


Why not protect yourself!


Your immune system is an incredibly complex interaction between organs, glands, body systems, surfaces, cells and chemicals in the body. This symphonic concert of processes requires proper nourishment in order to function optimally. And in today's world, we want the best possible immunity from the multitude of diseases we are facing, many of which have been, until now, unknown. Relying on nutrients and natural substances that are more powerful than drugs in activating your immune system is more effective so that it can conquer the flu before you even feel symptoms. .

Get healthy now to prepare your immune system for bird flu!

You can't reform your immune system in 24 hours. You can't just change your diet one day and expect to be healthier the next day or the next week or even the next month. It takes many months of healthy eating and wise lifestyle choices to make strong, lasting changes in your health and immune system function. You'd better start now if you want to be in peak health by the time the bird flu virus comes around. And, in the worst case, if you were wrong, if you prepared for nothing, then you will at least have a healthy immune system even if there's no bird flu virus

The top antiviral foods and nutrients enhancing immunity!

Red Grapes . antibacterial. antioxidant. Antiviral
Berries . antiviral., rich in vitamin c. powerful antioxidant. prevents cell mutations that can lead to cancer. high in fiber.

Cranberry . antibiotic. antiviral

Strawberry. Antiviral, anti-cancer activity. Often eaten by people less likely to develop all types of cancer.

Apple. antibacterial. anti-inflammatory. antioxidant. antiviral. rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. the peel contains quercitin. lowers cholesterol. cancer prevention properties.
Pineapple. antibacterial. antiviral. anti-inflammatory. aids digestion

Plum . Antibacterial. Anti-viral. Laxative.
Onion antibiotic. anti-inflammatory. antiviral powerful antioxidant. cancer prevention properties. good for allergies. asthma. colds. infections. rub on insect bite to relieve itching."

Luto-Luto ta, 'Day!!!!!!!!! (with Nestle)

ADOBONG SITAO

MAGGI pork powder complements the taste of this vegetable adobo.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 kg. sitao, cut 2 inches long
1 cup water
3 tbsp. vinegar, or to taste
1 7 g. pack MAGGI Flavor-It Meat Powder Pork

Preparation:

1. Heat cooking oil in pan and stir in sitao and

cook until tender.
2. Pour water and vinegar and bring to boil.
3. Stir in MAGGI Flavor-It Meat Powder Pork.
*Cook Notes:

Do not stir mixture after adding vinegar; let boil first to prevent the raw acidic taste.

AMPALAYA WITH EGG
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 medium tomato, minced
1 piece MAGGI Pork Broth Cube, dissolved in
1/2 cup water
1 medium ampalaya, sliced thinly
1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

1. Heat oil and saute garlic, onions and tomatoes.
2. Pour in broth. Stir in ampalaya and simmer around

4 min.
3. Stir in beaten egg and cook another 2 min.
4. Serve hot.

ADOBONG GULAY

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. oil
2 cups cubed squash
2 cups sitaw cut into 2 inch long
2 7 g. sachet MAGGI Flavor-It Meat Powder Pork
2 7 g. sachet MAGGI Flavor-It Meat Powder Shrimp
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup CARNATION Evap

Preparation:
1. Heat oil and put in squash and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add in sitaw and MAGGI Flavor It Meat Powder.
3. Pour in vinegar and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Pour in CARNATION Evap.

ADOBONG MANOK SA GATA

Ingredients:

1/2 kg. chicken, sliced to serving portions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 piece MAGGI Chicken Broth Cube
1/2 cup vinegar
2 pieces laurel leaves
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups peeled and sliced green papaya
salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl; let

stand for 15 min.
2. Transfer mixture into a pan and simmer until

almost tender.
3. Pour in coconut milk and sliced papaya.

4. Simmer until papaya is crisp-tender. Adjust

seasonings.


APPLE TURON A LA MODE

Apple-filled turon dressed-up for the season with caramel sauce and NESTLÉ Ice Cream.

Ingredients:


1/2 cup margarine
2 cups peeled and cubed apple
1/2 cup NESTLÉ Orange Juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup all purpose flour, dissolved in
1 158 g. can CARNATION Evap
10 pieces lumpia wrapper
oil, for deep frying
10 scoops NESTLÉ Ice Cream, (vanilla flavor)


Caramel Sauce

1 300 ml. can CARNATION Condensada
1 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp. NESCAFE

Preparation:

1. Melt margarine in a pan, sauté apples, NESTLÉ
Orange Juice and brown sugar until cooked
through, about 7 minutes.
2. Add cinnamon and flour mixture. Cook until
thickened. Set aside.
3. Put about 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple filling
in a lumpia wrapper. Roll up and seal well. Deep- fry until golden and drain in paper towels.

4. For the caramel sauce, combine all ingredients in
a blender and puree for about 3 minutes. If not
using a blender, combine with a wire whisk
then chill.

5. To serve, arrange a piece of apple turon with a
scoop of NESTLÉ Vanilla Ice Cream in a dessert
plate. Drizzle caramel sauce over ice cream and
turon.

APPLE-SAUCE PORK

The tartness of apples gives the distinct taste of this dish.
Ingredients:

300 g. boneless pork chops, (approx. 4 slices) sliced 3/4 inch
ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp. butter
1 cup green apples, cored and cut into wedges
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1 piece MAGGI Pork Broth Cube, dissolved in
3/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp. vinegar
Preparation:

1. Sprinkle pork chops with pepper.
2. Cook porkchops in butter 4 minutes until lightly
browned; transfer to platter and keep warm.
3. In the same skillet, add apples, onions and
prunes; cook covered. Stir ocacasionally until
apples are tender.
4. Add broth and vinegar; bring to boil.

5. Spoon apple mixture over pork chops.

*Cook Notes:

Apple sauce may be used for baked chicken or a whole roasted porkloin

ARROZ A LA CUBANA

A Cuban inspired rice dish with ground pork and fried bananas.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1/4 cup sliced onions
250 grams ground pork
2 11g. MAGGI Tomato and Meat Cube
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup raisin
3 cups cooked rice
2 pieces saba banana

Preparation:

1. Heat oil, sauté garlic, onions and ground pork,
simmer until pork changes in color.
2. Stir in MAGGI Tomato and Meat Cubes and cook
until completely dissolved.
3. Add frozen peas and raisins, cook for another
minute.
4. Scoop cooked rice on a plate and topped with the
ground pork mixture.
5. Garnish with fried saging na saba.



ARROZ VALENCIANA

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 kg. pork kasim, cut into cubes
2 chicken legs, cut-up
1 tbsp. atchuete seeds
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
4 pieces MAGGI Chicken Broth Cube, dissolved in
5 cups water
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 cup malagkit rice, uncooked
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium carrot, cut to wedges
2 medium potatoes, cut to wedges
1 tsp. paprika
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into cubes
1 piece hardboiled egg, peeled

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in carajay (kawali) and fry pork and
chicken until brown.
2. Remove from pan then fry atchuete seeds until
color comes out. Remove seeds from pan and
saute garlic and onions.
3. Add broth, rice and tomato paste. Cover and let
simmer until rice is half-cooked.
4. Add in fried pork, chicken, carrots, potatoes and
paprika.
5. Simmer until rice is cooked then toss in peas and
bell pepper. Serve garnished with sliced egg.

ATIS ICE CREAM

Ingredients:


1 300 ml. can CARNATION Evap
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups seeded atis pulp

Preparation:

1. Scald CARNATION Evap with sugar in a saucepan;
gradually add egg stirring constantly.
Cook for about 2 min. Remove from heat.
Cool.

2. Stir in atis and pour into a plastic container or

bowl. Freeze.

Halad Sa Kapamilya sa Kabanay Ni Inday Tikay

DAGHANG SALAMAT SA TANANG NING-BULUNTARYU NGA MAHIMUNG MIEMBRO SA ATONG BANAY alang sa atong HALAD SA KAPAMILYA MEDICAL-DENTAL MISSION, NOBYEMBRE 6:

·Dr. John and Dra. Cynthia Gayatin (dental services,

free toothbrushes)
·Dr. Soc Melodia (eye examination)

·Ms. Lani Yu ( Basic English Workshop)

·Ms. Mia Baguio/UHA Caregiver Training Corp (BP-

reading, and Basic Caregiving Course)

·Ms. Trixie Bernadine Ylaya (SMART’s Livelihood

Training Workshop --- with SMART

giveaways/freebies…)
·Debbie & Boogie of Gal’s Bakeshop (bread/

pastries)
·Dr. Warfe Engracia/King Tupas Diagnostic Mobile

Laboratory (special thanks to GM, Ms. Inday

Faelnar)
·Hon. Allan Bucao of Talisay City (basic Housekeeping

workshop)

·Ar-Ar and Sonia (volunteers)

* Graziella (muse!!!!!)

*Mandaue Dental Society/Dra. Marla Graciano, president

·YTC English Tutorials (IELTS Basic Workshop)

10 Commandments for a Long and Peaceful Life

1.Thou shalt not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

2. Thou shalt not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

3. Thou shalt face each problem as it comes. You can handle only one at a time.

4. Thou shalt not cross bridges before you get to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

5. Thou shalt not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

6. Thou shalt not borrow other people's problems. They can take better care of them than you can.

7. Thou shalt be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It's very hard to learn something new when you're talking.

8. Thou shalt not try to re-live yesterday for good or ill—it is gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life today.

9. Thou shalt not become bogged down by frustration, for 50 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive actions.

10. Thou shalt count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones—for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living _expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting." ---Mother Teresa

DYAB.......

Kanunay'ng Nagpakabanah...
Kanunay'ng Nagpangga...
Kay kada Pinoy,
KAPAMILYA!!!!!!! :)

Parenting Tips: Your Teen-aged Kids and Sex

Here are some things to consider before opening discussions about the very sensitive subject of sex with your adolescent children:

1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.

Communicating with your children about sex, love and relationships is often more successful when you are certain in your own mind about these issues.

2. Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.

Kids have lots of questions about sex, and they often say that the source they'd most like to go to for an answer is their parents. Start the conversation, and make sure that it is honest, open and respectful.

3. Supervise and monitor your children and adolescents.

Establish rules, curfews and standards of expected behavior, preferably through an open process of family discussion and respectful communication.

4. Know your children's friends and their families.
Friends have a strong influence on each other, so help your children and teenagers become friends with kids whose families share your values.

5. Discourage early, frequent and steady dating.
Group activities among young people are fine and often fun, but allowing teens to begin steady, one-on-one dating before age 16 can lead to trouble.

6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is.

And don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is. Older guys can seem glamorous to a young girl — sometimes they even have money and a car! But the risk of matters getting out of hand increases when the guy is much older than the girl.

7. Help your teenagers to have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood.

The chances that your children will delay sex, pregnancy and parenthood are significantly increased if their futures appear bright. This means helping them set meaningful goals for the future, talking to them about what it takes to make future plans come true and helping them reach their goals.

8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.

Be very attentive to your children's progress in school and intervene early if things aren't going well.

9. Know what your kids are watching, reading and listening to.

It is important to talk with your children about what the media portray and what you think about it. Ask what they think about how risky situations are handled in the media, and how they would handle those situations in real life. You will probably not be able to fully control what your children see and hear, but you can certainly make your views known and control your own home environment.

10. These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong, close relationships with your children that are built from an early age.

Strive for a relationship that is warm in tone, firm in discipline and rich in communication, and one that emphasizes mutual trust and respect.

A final note: It's never too late to improve a relationship with a child or teenager. Don't underestimate the great need that children feel — at all ages — for a close relationship with their parents and for their parents' guidance, approval and support.

Kinsa'y Magdiktar Kung Gwapa ba ang Usa ka Babaye o Dili??????

Media, Men and History – not Women – Dictate the
> Standards of Beauty

Did Boy Abunda’s last episode of Private
> Conversations answer the question Who defines a
> beautiful woman? By getting four women of diverse
> social backgrounds – albeit all from the educated
> middle class – the show explored possible answers to
> the question. The guests were an "exotic" fashion
> model, a magazine editor, a TV personality and a
> feminist advocate. They all agreed that it was
> society in general that established the norms of who
> may be considered beautiful.
>
> But who exactly in society makes the standards?
> Answers thrown around included peers and friends,
> stereotypes of religious images, men, the community
> in general as influenced by media.
>
> Present Filipino standards of beauty are
> discriminatory against those who have dark skin.
> This was validated by the model and the editor, who
> explained that Filipinos would tend to not buy a
> magazine if a dark-skinned woman was on the cover.
> The advocate added that dermatologists have
> confirmed that the best-selling cosmetics in the
> market are skin whitening and bleaching products.
>
> All four guests were one in saying that the Pinoy
> prejudice against dark-skinned people has been part
> of our colonial legacy – the powerful Hispanic
> friars with tall noses and the white-skinned sad
> madonnas to the blondes of Hollywood present.
>
> It was also emphasized during the show that while
> standards of beauty have been traditionally set by
> socio-economic needs and cultural aesthetics, the
> norms of today are dictated by the Media Industry –
> which is controlled by men – and that society has
> been greatly influenced by these media norms of
> beauty, whether the public is aware of it or not.
>
> Abunda himself noted that some men have used these
> standards of beauty to make judgements on their own
> wives and partners – and therefore justify
> psychological and physical abuse of women. When a
> man wants to gain status in the eyes of other men,
> he can do it by showing off a young date who
> physical attributes conform to the male standards of
> beauty.
>
> Incidentally, a recent informal survey conducted by
> the Women’s Media Circle Foundation, Inc. and
> KALAKASAN Foundation Inc. of 150 college-educated
> women in Manila – whose ages ranged from 18 to 64 –
> showed similar views on the issue of beauty.
>
> To the question who helps you define your concept of
> beauty, the top three answers were Family (32.5),
> Friends and Peers (22.6) and Media (18.2).
>
> More than 75% agreed that physically attractive
> women were more valued by men; 80% said that
> standards of beauty are very narrowly defined to
> mean physical attractiveness; and more than 85%
> agreed that society in general expected women to
> enhance their physical attractiveness.
>
> When asked what attributed women thought defined
> beauty, the top three answers were: having inner
> strength, being intelligent, and being confident.
> These were followed by: being able to express
> emotions, being kind, being friendly and having a
> sense of humor.
>
> When asked what they most wanted to be, the top four
> answers were: smart (69), respected (65), and kind
> (32), and beautiful (19).
>
> When asked whether physical attractiveness of a
> woman made her more prone to abuse, more than 80%
> said No, mainly because abuse has more to do with a
> man’s need to assert his power. One said that
> sometimes a man would abuse a pretty woman to boost
> his ego. Others said that men associate physical
> attractiveness with weakness and subservience, and
> therefore would tend to hit her.
>
> Ref -- Sinag de Leon Amado, Women’s Media Circle –
> tel. 735-9687
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Call DYAB Absolutely FREE

DYAB AM is the only radio station in the Philippines which you can call from anywhere in the world absolutely free.  Thanks to DB Edwards' VOIP technology through iNTouch, you can call us from 4 a.m. to 12 midnight (Philippine time), Mondays to Fridays.  All you need is a headset.

 

You can greet your Kapamilyas in Cebu and the Visayas and Mindanao over the AM radio station of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. in Cebu Philippines .  You can also use our Internet Phone to air public service announcements for your families and friends in the Philippines.

 

Or you can tell us situationers/updates/comments about major news events in your place of work or urgent concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).  Let DYAB AM serve as your bridge to government agencies which can help you or your loved ones, like the Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Office of the President, local government units (LGUs) and private employment and placement agencies.

 

Bawat Pinoy Kapamilya.

 

Tawag Na!

Children In Prison

Childhoods lost in Philippine jails

By JOHN O'CALLAGHAN
Reuters

(Names have been changed to protect identities of minors)

CALOOCAN CITY - At age 14, Christian was taken to a city jail in the Philippines on charges of selling and using a powerful methamphetamine known as "shabu".

Nearly three years later, he is still in a cell, smaller than a boxing ring, with 28 other youths awaiting a verdict in court.

But Christian and his young cell-mates are lucky. Caloocan City Jail, on the northern outskirts of Manila, is one of very few in the Philippines where minors are separated from adults.

Largely because the government cannot afford other options, most of the thousands of juveniles detained each year must fend for themselves in overcrowded jails among grown men charged with murder, rape and other violent crimes.

For many, their families do not have the money that can help speed up a notoriously slow and overloaded justice system.

more...

DIVINI AMORIS SCIENTIA: Apostolic Letter Of His Holiness Pope John Paul II: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, is proclaimed Doctor of

1. THE SCIENCE OF DIVINE LOVE, which the Father of mercies pours out through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, is a gift granted to the little and the humble so that they may know and proclaim the secrets of the kingdom, hidden from the learned and the wise; for this reason Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, praising the Father who graciously willed it so (cf. Lk 10:21-22; Mt 11:25-26).

Mother Church also rejoices in noting that throughout history the Lord has continued to reveal himself to the little and the humble, enabling his chosen ones, through the Spirit who "searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Cor 2:10), to speak of the gifts "bestowed on us by God... in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths in spiritual language" (1 Cor 2:12,13). In this way the Holy Spirit guides the Church into the whole truth, endowing her with various gifts, adorning her with his fruits, rejuvenating her with the power of the Gospel and enabling her to discern the signs of the times in order to respond ever more fully to the will of God (cf. Lumen gentium, nn. 4, 12; Gaudium et spes, n. 4).

Shining brightly among the little ones to whom the secrets of the kingdom were revealed in a most special way is Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, a professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, the 100th anniversary of whose entry into the heavenly homeland occurs this year.

During her life Th鲨se discovered "new lights, hidden and mysterious meanings" (Ms A, 83v ) and received from the divine Teacher that "science of love" which she then expressed with particular originality in her writings (cf. Ms B, 1r ). This science is the luminous expression of her knowledge of the mystery of the kingdom and of her personal experience of grace. It can be considered a special charism of Gospel wisdom which Therese, like other saints and teachers of faith, attained in prayer (cf. Ms C, 36r ).

2. The reception given to the example of her life and Gospel teaching in our century was quick, universal and constant. As if in imitation of her precocious spiritual maturity, her holiness was recognized by the Church in the space of a few years. In fact, on 10 June 1914 Pius X signed the decree introducing her cause of beatification; on 14 August 1921 Benedict XV declared the heroic virtues of the Servant of God, giving an address for the occasion on the way of spiritual childhood; and Pius XI proclaimed her blessed on 29 April 1923. Shortly afterwards, on 17 May 1925, the same Pope canonized her before an immense crowd in Saint Peter's Basilica, highlighting the splendour of her virtues and the originality of her doctrine. Two years later, on 14 December 1927, in response to the petition of many missionary Bishops, he proclaimed her patron of the missions along with Saint Francis Xavier.

Beginning with these acts of recognition, the spiritual radiance of Therese of the Child Jesus increased in the Church and spread throughout the world. Many institutes of consecrated life and ecclesial movements, especially in the young Churches, chose her as their patron and teacher, taking their inspiration from her spiritual doctrine. Her message, often summarized in the so-called "little way", which is nothing other that the Gospel way of holiness for all, was studied by theologians and experts in spirituality. Cathedrals, basilicas, shrines and churches throughout the world were built and dedicated to the Lord under the patronage of the Saint of Lisieux. The Catholic Church venerates her in the various Eastern and Western rites. Many of the faithful have been able to experience the power of her intercession. Many of those called to the priestly ministry or the consecrated life, especially in the missions and the cloister, attribute the divine grace of their vocation to her intercession and example.

3. The Pastors of the Church, beginning with my predecessors, the Supreme Pontiffs of this century, who held up her holiness as an example for all, also stressed that Therese is a teacher of the spiritual life with a doctrine both spiritual and profound, which she drew from the Gospel sources under the guidance of the divine Teacher and then imparted to her brothers and sisters in the Church with the greatest effectiveness (cf. Ms B, 2v -3 ).

This spiritual doctrine has been passed on to us primarily by her autobiography which, taken from three manuscripts she wrote in the last years of her life and published a year after her death with the title Histoire d'une ⭥ (Lisieux 1898), has aroused an extraordinary interest down to our day. This autobiography, translated along with her other writings into about 50 languages, has made Therese known in every part of the world, even outside the Catholic Church. A century after her death, Th鲨se of the Child Jesus continues to be recognized as one of the great masters of the spiritual life in our time.

4. It is not surprising then that the Apostolic See received many petitions to confer on her the title of Doctor of the Universal Church.

In recent years, especially with the happy occasion of the first centenary of her death close at hand, these requests became more and more numerous, including on the part of Episcopal Conferences; in addition, study conferences were held and numerous publications have pointed out how Th鲨se of the Child Jesus possesses an extraordinary wisdom and with her doctrine helps so many men and women of every state in life to know and love Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

In the light of these facts, I decided carefully to study whether the Saint of Lisieux had the prerequisites for being awarded the title of Doctor of the Universal Church.

5. In this context I am pleased to recall briefly some events in the life of Th鲨se of the Child Jesus. Born in Alen篮, France, on 2 January 1873, she is baptized two days later in the Church of NotreDame, receiving the name Marie-Francese-Therese. Her parents are Louis Martin and Z鬩e Gu鲩n, whose heroic virtues I recently recognized. After her mother's death on 28 August 1877, Therese moves with her whole family to the town of Lisieux where, surrounded by the affection of her father and sisters, she receives a formation both demanding and full of tenderness.

Towards the end of 1879 she receives the sacrament of Penance for the first time. On the day of Pentecost in 1883 she has the extraordinary grace of being healed from a serious illness through the intercession of Our Lady of Victories. Educated by the Benedictines of Lisieux, she receives First Communion on 8 May 1884, after an intense preparation crowned with an exceptional experience of the grace of intimate union with Jesus. A few weeks later, on 14 June of that same year, she receives the sacrament of Confirmation with a vivid awareness of what the gift of the Holy Spirit involves in her personal sharing in the grace of PentecoSaint On Christmas Day of 1886 she has a profound spiritual experience that she describes as a "complete conversion". As a result, she overcomes the emotional weakness caused by the loss of her mother and begins "to run as a giant" on the way of perfection (cf. Ms A, 44v 45v ).

Th鲨se wishes to embrace the contemplative life, like her sisters Pauline and Marie in the Carmel of Lisieux, but is prevented from doing so by her young age. During a pilgrimage to Italy, after visiting the Holy House of Loreto and places in the Eternal City, at an audience granted by the Pope to the faithful of the Diocese of Lisieux on 20 November 1887, she asks Leo XIII with filial boldness to be able to enter Carmel at the age of 15 years.

On 9 April 1888 she enters the Carmel of Lisieux, where she receives the habit of the Blessed Virgin's order on 10 January of the following year and makes her religious profession on 8 September 1890, the feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. At Carmel she undertakes the way of perfection marked out by the Mother Foundress, Teresa of Jesus, with genuine fervour and fidelity in fulfilling the various community tasks entrusted to her. Illumined by the Word of God, particularly tried by the illness of her beloved father, Louis Martin, who dies on 29 July 1894, Th鲨se embarks on the way of holiness, insisting on the centrality of love. She discovers and imparts to the novices entrusted to her care the little way of spiritual childhood, by which she enters more and more deeply into the mystery of the Church and, drawn by the love of Christ, feels growing within her the apostolic and missionary vocation which spurs her to bring everyone with her to meet the divine Spouse.

On 9 June 1895, the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, she offers herself as a sacrificial victim to the merciful Love of God. On 3 April of the following year, on the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, she notices the first symptoms of the illness which will lead to her death. Th鲨se welcomes it as a mysterious visitation of the divine Spouse. At the same time she undergoes a trial of faith which will last until her death. As her health deteriorates, she is moved to the infirmary on 8 July 1897. Her sisters and other religious collect her sayings, while her sufferings and trials, borne with patience, intensify to the moment of her death on the afternoon of 30 September 1897. "I am not dying; I am entering life", she had written to one of her spiritual brothers, Fr Belli貥 (Letters 244). Her last words, "My God, I love you", are the seal of her life.

6. Th鲨se of the Child Jesus left us writings that deservedly qualify her as a teacher of the spiritual life. Her principal work remains the account of her life in three autobiographical manuscripts (Manuscrits autobiographiques A, B, C), first published with the soon to be famous title of Histoire d'une e.

In Manuscript A, written at the request of her sister Agnes of Jesus, then Prioress of the monastery, and given to her on 21 January 1896, Th鲨se describes the stages of her religious experience: the early years of childhood, especially the time of her First Communion and Confirmation, adolescence, up to her entrance into Carmel and her first profession.

Manuscript B, written during her retreat that same year at the request of her sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, contains some of the most beautiful, best known and oft-quoted passages from the Saint of Lisieux. They reveal the Saint's full maturity as she speaks of her vocation in the Church, the Bride of Christ and Mother of souls.

Manuscript C, composed in June and the first days of July 1897, a few months before her death and dedicated to the Prioress, Marie de Gonzague, who had requested it, completes the recollections in Manuscript A on life in Carmel. These pages reveal the author's supernatural wisdom. Th鲨se recounts some sublime experiences during this final period of her life. She devotes moving pages to her trial of faith: a grace of purification that immerses her in a long and painful dark night, illuminated by her trust in the merciful, fatherly love of God. Once again, and without repeating herself, Th鲨se makes the light of the Gospel shine brightly. Here we find the most beautiful pages she devoted to trusting abandonment into God's hands, to unity between love of God and love of neighbor, to her missionary vocation in the Church.

In these three different manuscripts, which converge in a thematic unity and in a progressive description of her life and spiritual way, Th鲨se has left us an original autobiography which is the story of her soul. It shows how in her life God has offered the world a precise message, indicating an evangelical way, the "little way", which everyone can take, because everyone is called to holiness.

In the 266 Letters we possess, addressed to family members, women religious and missionary "brothers", Th鲨se shares her wisdom, developing a teaching that is actually a profound exercise in the spiritual direction of souls.

Her writings also include 54 Poems, some of which have great theological and spiritual depth inspired by Sacred Scripture. Worthy of special mention are Vivre d'Amour!... (Po鳩es 17) and Pourquoi je t'aime, ͡rie! (Po鳩es 54), an original synthesis of the Virgin Mary's journey according to the Gospel. To this literary production should be added eight R飲顴ions pieuses: poetic and theatrical compositions, conceived and performed by the Saint for her community on certain feast days, in accordance with the tradition of Carmel. Among those writings should be mentioned a series of 21 Prayers.Nor can we forget the collection of all she said during the last months of her life. These sayings, of which there are several editions, known as the Novissima verba, have also been given the title Derniers Entretiens.

7. From careful study of the writings of Saint Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and from the resonance they have had in the Church, salient aspects can be noted of her "eminent doctrine", which is the fundamental element for conferring the title of Doctor of the Church.

First of all, we find a special charism of wisdom. This young Carmelite, without any particular theological training, but illumined by the light of the Gospel, feels she is being taught by the divine Teacher who, as she says, is "the Doctor of Doctors" (Ms A, 83v ), and from him she receives "divine teachings" (Ms B, 1r ). She feels that the words of Scripture are fulfilled in her: "Whoever is a little one, let him come to me.... For to him that is little, mercy shall be shown" (Ms B, 1v ; cf. Prv 9:4; Wis 6:6) and she knows she is being instructed in the science of love, hidden from the wise and prudent, which the divine Teacher deigned to reveal to her, as to babes (Ms A, 49r ; cf. Lk 10:21-22).

Pius XI, who considered Th鲨se of Lisieux the "Star of his pontificate", did not hesitate to assert in his homily on the day of her canonization, 17 May 1925: "The Spirit of truth opened and made known to her what he usually hides from the wise and prudent and reveals to little ones; thus she enjoyed such knowledge of the things above - as Our immediate Predecessor attests - that she shows everyone else the sure way of salvation" (AAS 17 [1925], p. 213).

Her teaching not only conforms to Scripture and the Catholic faith, but excels ("eminet") for the depth and wise synthesis it achieved. Her doctrine is at once a confession of the Church's faith, an experience of the Christian mystery and a way to holiness. Th鲨se offers a mature synthesis of Christian spirituality: she combines theology and the spiritual life; she expresses herself with strength and authority, with a great ability to persuade and communicate, as is shown by the reception and dissemination of her message among the People of God.

Th鲨se's teaching expresses with coherence and harmonious unity the dogmas of the Christian faith as a doctrine of truth and an experience of life. In this regard it should not be forgotten that the understanding of the deposit of faith transmitted by the Apostles, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, makes progress in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit: "There is growth in insight into the realities and words that are passed on... through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts (cf. Lk 2:19 and 51). It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth" (Dei Verbum, n. 8).

In the writings of Th鲨se of Lisieux we do not find perhaps, as in other Doctors, a scholarly presentation of the things of God, but we can discern an enlightened witness of faith which, while accepting with trusting love God's merciful condescension and salvation in Christ, reveals the mystery and holiness of the Church.

Thus we can rightly recognize in the Saint of Lisieux the charism of a Doctor of the Church, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit she received for living and expressing her experience of faith, and because of her particular understanding of the mystery of ChriSaint In her are found the gifts of the new law, that is, the grace of the Holy Spirit, who manifests himself in living faith working through charity (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol., I-II, q. 106, art. 1; q. 108, art. 1).

We can apply to Th鲨se of Lisieux what my Predecessor Paul VI said of another young Saint and Doctor of the Church, Catherine of Siena: "What strikes us most about the Saint is her infused wisdom, that is to say, her lucid, profound and inebriating absorption of the divine truths and mysteries of faith.... That assimilation was certainly favored by the most singular natural gifts, but it was also evidently something prodigious, due to a charism of wisdom from the Holy Spirit" (AAS 62 [1970], p. 675).

8. With her distinctive doctrine and unmistakable style, Th鲨se appears as an authentic teacher of faith and the Christian life. In her writings, as in the sayings of the Holy Fathers, is found that lifegiving presence of Catholic tradition whose riches, as the Second Vatican Council again says, "are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and prayer" (Dei Verbum, n. 8).

If considered in its literary genre, corresponding to her education and culture, and if evaluated according to the particular circumstances of her era, the doctrine of Th鲨se of Lisieux appears in providential harmony with the Church's most authentic tradition, both for its confession of the Catholic faith and for its promotion of the most genuine spiritual life, presented to all the faithful in a living, accessible language.

She has made the Gospel shine appealingly in our time; she had the mission of making the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, known and loved; she helped to heal souls of the rigors and fears of Jansenism, which tended to stress God's justice rather than his divine mercy. In God's mercy she contemplated and adored all the divine perfections, because "even his justice (and perhaps even more so than the other perfections) seems to me clothed in love" (Ms A, 83v ). Thus she became a living icon of that God who, according to the Church's prayer, "shows his almighty power in his mercy and forgiveness" (cf. Roman Missal, Opening prayer, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time).

Even though Th鲨se does not have a true and proper doctrinal corpus, nevertheless a particular radiance of doctrine shines forth from her writings which, as if by a charism of the Holy Spirit, grasp the very heart of the message of Revelation in a fresh and original vision, presenting a teaching of eminent quality.

The core of her message is actually the mystery itself of God-Love, of the Triune God, infinitely perfect in himself. If genuine Christian spiritual experience should conform to the revealed truths in which God communicates himself and the mystery of his will (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 2), it must be said that Th鲨se experienced divine revelation, going so far as to contemplate the fundamental truths of our faith united in the mystery of Trinitarian life. At the summit, as the source and goal, is the merciful love of the three Divine Persons, as she expresses it, especially in her Act of Oblation to Merciful Love. At the root, on the subject's part, is the experience of being the Father's adoptive children in Jesus; this is the most authentic meaning of spiritual childhood, that is, the experience of divine filiation, under the movement of the Holy Spirit. At the root again, and standing before us, is our neighbor, others, for whose salvation we must collaborate with and in Jesus, with the same merciful love as his.

Through spiritual childhood one experiences that everything comes from God, returns to him and abides in him, for the salvation of all, in a mystery of merciful love. Such is the doctrinal message taught and lived by this Saint.

As it was for the Church's Saints in every age, so also for her, in her spiritual experience Christ is the center and fullness of Revelation. Th鲨se knew Jesus, loved him and made him loved with the passion of a bride. She penetrated the mysteries of his infancy, the words of his Gospel, the passion of the suffering Servant engraved on his holy Face, in the splendor of his glorious life, in his Eucharistic presence. She sang of all the expressions of Christ's divine charity, as they are presented in the Gospel (cf. PN 24, J鳵s, mon Bien-Aim鬠rappelle-toi!).

Th鲨se received particular light on the reality of Christ's Mystical Body, on the variety of its charisms, gifts of the Holy Spirit, on the eminent power of love, which in a way is the very heart of the Church, where she found her vocation as a contemplative and missionary (cf. Ms B, 2r -3v ).

Lastly, among the most original chapters of her spiritual doctrine we must recall Th鲨se's wise delving into the mystery and journey of the Virgin Mary, achieving results very close to the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council in chapter eight of the Constitution Lumen gentium and to what I myself taught in the Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Mater of 25 March 1987.

9. The primary source of her spiritual experience and her teaching is the Word of God in the Old and New Testaments. She herself admits it, particularly stressing her passionate love for the Gospel (cf. Ms A, 83v ). Her writings contain over 1,000 biblical quotations: more than 400 from the Old Testament and over 600 from the New.

Despite her inadequate training and lack of resources for studying and interpreting the sacred books, Th鲨se immersed herself in meditation on the Word of God with exceptional faith and spontaneity. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit she attained a profound knowledge of Revelation for herself and for others. By her loving concentration on Scripture - she even wanted to learn Hebrew and Greek to understand better the spirit and letter of the sacred books - she showed the importance of the biblical sources in the spiritual life, she emphasized the originality and freshness of the Gospel, she cultivated with moderation the spiritual exegesis of the Word of God in both the Old and New Testaments. Thus she discovered hidden treasures, appropriating words and episodes, sometimes with supernatural boldness, as when, in reading the texts of Saint Paul (cf. 1 Cor 12-13), she realized her vocation to love (cf. Ms B, 3r -3v ). Enlightened by the revealed Word, Th鲨se wrote brilliant pages on the unity between love of God and love of neighbor (cf. Ms C, 11v -19r ); and she identified with Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper as the expression of her intercession for the salvation of all (cf. Ms C, 34r -35r ).

Her doctrine, as was said, conforms to the Church's teaching. From childhood she was taught by her family to participate in prayer and liturgical worship. In preparation for her first Confession, first Communion and the sacrament of Confirmation, she gave evidence of an extraordinary love for the truths of the faith, and she learned the Catechism almost word for word (cf. Ms A, 37r -37v ). At the end of her life she wrote the Apostles' Creed in her own blood, as an expression of her unreserved attachment to the profession of faith.

In addition to the words of Scripture and the Church's doctrine, Th鲨se was nourished as a youth by the teaching of the Imitation of Christ, which, as she herself acknowledges, she knew almost by heart (cf. Ms A, 47r ). Decisive for fulfilling her Carmelite vocation were the spiritual texts of the Mother Foundress, Teresa of Jesus, especially those explaining the contemplative and ecclesial meaning of the charism of the Teresian Carmel (cf. Ms C, 33v ). But in a very special way, Th鲨se was nourished on the mystical doctrine of Saint John of the Cross, who was her true spiritual master (cf. Ms A, 83r ). It should cause no surprise, then, if she who had been an outstanding pupil in the school of these two Saints, later declared Doctors of the Church, should later become a master of the spiritual life.

10. The spiritual doctrine of Th鲨se of Lisieux has helped extend the kingdom of God. By her example of holiness, of perfect fidelity to Mother Church, of full communion with the See of Peter, as well as by the special graces obtained by her for many missionary brothers and sisters, she has rendered a particular service to the renewed proclamation and experience of Christ's Gospel and to the extension of the Catholic faith in every nation on earth.

There is no need to dwell at length on the universality of Th鲨se's doctrine and on the broad reception of her message during the century since her death: it has been well documented in the studies made in view of conferring on her the title of Doctor of the Church.

A particularly important fact in this regard is that the Church's Magisterium has not only recognized Th鲨se's holiness, but has also highlighted the wisdom of her doctrine. Pius X had already said that she was "the greatest saint of modern times". On joyfully receiving the first Italian edition of the Story of a Soul, he extolled the fruits that had resulted from Th鲨se's spirituality. Benedict XV, on the occasion of proclaiming the Servant of God's heroic virtues, explained the way of spiritual childhood and praised the knowledge of divine realities which God granted to Th鲨se in order to teach others the ways of salvation (cf. AAS 13 [1921], pp. 449-452). On the occasion of both her beatification and canonization, Pius XI wished to expound and recommend the Saint's doctrine, underscoring her special divine enlightenment (Discorsi di Pio XI, vol. I, Turin 1959, p. 91) and describing her as a teacher of life (cf. AAS 17 [1925], pp. 211-214). When the Basilica of Lisieux was consecrated in 1954, Pius XII said, among other things, that Th鲨se penetrated to the very heart of the Gospel with her doctrine (cf. AAS 46 [1954], pp. 404-408). Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, visited Lisieux several times, especially when he was Nuncio in Paris. On various occasions during his pontificate he showed his devotion to the Saint and explained the relationship between the doctrine of the Saint of Avila and her daughter, Th鲨se of Lisieux (Discorsi, Messaggi, Colloqui, vol. II [1959-1960], pp. 771-772). Many times during the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, the Fathers recalled her example and doctrine. On the centenary of her birth, Paul VI addressed a Letter on 2 January 1973 to the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, in which he extolled Th鲨se's example in the search for God, offered her as a teacher of prayer and theological virtue of hope, and a model of communion with the Church, calling the attention of teachers, educators, pastors and theologians themselves to the study of her doctrine (cf. AAS 65 [1973], pp. 12-15). I myself on various occasions have had the joy of recalling the person and doctrine of the Saint, especially during my unforgettable visit to Lisieux on 2 June 1980, when I wished to remind everyone: "One can say with conviction about Th鲨se of Lisieux that the Spirit of God allowed her heart to reveal directly to the people of our time the fundamental mystery, the reality of the Gospel.... Her 'little way' is the way of 'holy childhood'. There is something unique in this way, the genius of Saint Th鲨se of Lisieux. At the same time there is the confirmation and renewal of the most basic and most universal truth. What truth of the Gospel message is really more basic and more universal than this: God is our Father and we are his children?" (Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. III/1 [1980], p. 1659).

These simple references to an uninterrupted series of testimonies from the Popes of this century on the holiness and doctrine of Saint Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and to the universal dissemination of her message clearly express to what extent the Church, in her pastors and her faithful, has accepted the spiritual doctrine of this young Saint.

A sign of the ecclesial reception of the Saint's teaching is the appeal to her doctrine in many documents of the Church's ordinary Magisterium, especially when speaking of the contemplative and missionary vocation, of trust in the just and merciful God, of Christian joy and of the call to holiness. Evidence of this fact is the presence of her doctrine in the recent Catechism of the Catholic Church (nn. 127, 826, 956, 1011, 2011, 2558). She who so loved to learn the truths of the faith in the catechism deserved to be included among the authoritative witnesses of Catholic doctrine.

Th鲨se possesses an exceptional universality. Her person, the Gospel message of the "little way" of trust and spiritual childhood have received and continue to receive a remarkable welcome, which has transcended every border.

The influence of her message extends first of all to men and women whose holiness and heroic virtues the Church herself has recognized, to the Church's pastors, to experts in theology and spirituality, to priests and seminarians, to men and women religious, to ecclesial movements and new communities, to men and women of every condition and every continent. To everyone Th鲨se gives her personal confirmation that the Christian mystery, whose witness and apostle she became by making herself in prayer "the apostle of the apostles", as she boldly calls herself (Ms A, 56r ), must be taken literally, with the greatest possible realism, because it has a value for every time and place. The power of her message lies in its concrete explanation of how all Jesus' promises are fulfilled in the believer who knows how confidently to welcome in his own life the saving presence of the Redeemer.

11. All these reasons are clear evidence of how timely is the Saint of Lisieux's doctrine and of the particular impact her message has had on the men and women of our century. Moreover, some circumstances contribute to making her designation as a Teacher for the Church of our time even more significant.

First of all, Th鲨se is a woman, who in approaching the Gospel knew how to grasp its hidden wealth with that practicality and deep resonance of life and wisdom which belong to the feminine genius. Because of her universality she stands out among the multitude of holy women who are resplendent for their Gospel wisdom.

Th鲨se is also a contemplative. In the hiddenness of her Carmel she lived the great adventure of Christian experience to the point of knowing the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ's love (cf. Eph 3:18-19). God did not want his secrets to remain hidden, but enabled Th鲨se to proclaim the secrets of the King (cf. Ms C, 2v ). By her life Th鲨se offers a witness and theological illustration of the beauty of the contemplative life as the total dedication to Christ, Spouse of the Church, and as an affirmation of God's primacy over all things. Hers is a hidden life which possesses a mysterious fruitfulness for spreading the Gospel and fills the Church and the world with the sweet odor of Christ (cf. LT 169, 2v ).

Lastly, Th鲨se of Lisieux is a young person. She reached the maturity of holiness in the prime of youth (cf. Ms C, 4r ). As such, she appears as a Teacher of evangelical life, particularly effective in illumining the paths of young people, who must be the leaders and witnesses of the Gospel to the new generations.

Th鲨se of the Child Jesus is not only the youngest Doctor of the Church, but is also the closest to us in time, as if to emphasize the continuity with which the Spirit of the Lord sends his messengers to the Church, men and women as teachers and witnesses to the faith. In fact, whatever changes can be noted in the course of history and despite the repercussions they usually have on the life and thought of individuals in every age, we must never lose sight of the continuity which links the Doctors of the Church to each other: in every historical context they remain witnesses to the unchanging Gospel and, with the light and strength that come from the Holy Spirit, they become its messengers, returning to proclaim it in its purity to their contemporaries. Th鲨se is a Teacher for our time, which thirsts for living and essential words, for heroic and credible acts of witness. For this reason she is also loved and accepted by brothers and sisters of other Christian communities and even by non-Christians.

12. This year, when the centenary of the glorious death of Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is being celebrated, as we prepare to celebrate the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, after receiving a great number of authoritative petitions, especially from many Episcopal Conferences throughout the world, and after accepting the official petition, or Supplex Libellus, addressed to me on 8 March 1997 by the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, as well as from the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and from the Postulator General of the same order, I decided to entrust the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which has competence in this matter, with the special study of the cause for conferring the title of Doctor on this Saint, "after hearing the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the eminent doctrine" (ApoSaint ConSaint Pastor Bonus, n. 73).

After the necessary documentation had been collected, the two above-mentioned Congregations addressed the question in the meetings of their respective consultors: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 5 May 1997, with regard to the "eminent doctrine", and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 29 May of the same year, to examine the special "Positio". On the following 17 June, the Cardinals and Bishops who are members of these Congregations, following a procedure approved by me for this occasion, met in a plenary interdicasterial session and discussed the cause, giving a unanimously favorable opinion on granting the title of Doctor of the Universal Church to Saint Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. I was personally informed of this opinion by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and by the Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Archbishop Alberto Bovone, titular Archbishop of Caesarea in Numidia.

In view of this, on 24 August last, during the Angelus prayer in the presence of hundreds of Bishops and before a vast throng of young people from around the world, gathered in Paris for the 12th World Youth Day, I wanted personally to announce my intention to proclaim Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a Doctor of the Universal Church during the celebration of World Mission Sunday in Rome.

Today, 19 October 1997, in Saint Peter's Square, filled with faithful from every part of the world, and in the presence of a great many Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops, during the solemn Eucharistic celebration I proclaimed Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a Doctor of the Universal Church in these words: Fulfilling the wishes of many Brothers in the Episcopate and of a great number of the faithful throughout the world, after consulting the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and hearing the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding her eminent doctrine, with certain knowledge and after lengthy reflection, with the fullness of Our apostolic authority We declare Saint Th鲨se of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, virgin, to be a Doctor of the Universal Church. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This having been duly enacted, We decree that this Apostolic Letter is to be religiously preserved and to have full effect both now and in the future; furthermore, it is thus to be judged and defined as right, and whatever to the contrary may be attempted by anyone, on whatever authority, knowingly or unknowingly, is null and void.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, under the Fisherman's ring, the 19th day of the month of October in the year of the Lord 1997, the 20th of the Pontificate.

A New Definition for "TRAGEDY"

Whoa!!!!!!!!!

President Bush was visiting a primary school and he dropped in on one of the classes.

They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked the President if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy", so the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy".

One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him that would be a tragedy." "No," said Bush, "that would be an accident."

A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy." "I'm afraid not," explained the president. "That's what we would call a great loss." The room went silent.

No other children volunteered. Bush searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"

Finally, at the back of the room a small black boy raised his hand. In a quiet voice, he said, "If Air Force One carrying you and Mrs. Bush was struck by a "friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy."

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"

"Well," says the boy, "It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either".

The Best…and Worst :)

The most destructive habit ..............................Worry
The greatest Joy................................................Giving
The greatest loss................................................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work......................................Helping others
The ugliest personality trait...................................Selfishness
The most endangered species................................Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource................................Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"...............................Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome..........................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill..............................Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease...........................Excuses
The most powerful force in life...............................Love

The most dangerous pariah...................................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer.....................The brain
The worst thing to be without.... ....................... ..Hope

The deadliest weapon..........................................The tongue
The two most power-filled words............................"I Can"
The greatest asset..............................................Faith

The most worthless emotion..................................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire......................................SMILE!
The most prized possession.................................. Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication............Prayer
The most contagious spirit.....................................Enthusiasm

Everyone needs this list to live by...pass it along!!!

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND...New Version

FOOTPRINTS...A New Version


Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.


But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.


For much of the way, it seems to go like! this, b ut gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.


You and Jesus are walking as true friends!


This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.


Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.


This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.


Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.


You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends. Now you pray:

"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."

"That is correct."


"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps , following You very closely."


"Very good.. You have understood everything so far."


When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."


"Precisely."

!
"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."


There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.


"You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.


It's not WHAT you have in your life, but WHO you have in your life that counts.... Think about that.

Top Women

Top 600 women?

Inquirer News Service

THE PAID advertisement, "Message to the Congressmen: From Over 600 Top Independent Women in Civil Society," which started appearing in the Inquirer last August, has caught the attention of our group, the Women of Partido ng Manggagawa.

The signatories of the ad clearly belong to a very small group of well-known and affluent women in Philippine society. It is to their best interest that the status quo remains. But not to the majority of poor and discriminated women whose situations have been getting worse each day President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains in Malacañang.

The continued rule of the elite in this country has made the lives of poor women an endless struggle with hardships, hunger, poverty and oppression. Their conditions in life will definitely be better off if the government makes significant changes in its economic policies -- like higher budget allocations for economic and social services, such as health care, childcare, livelihood programs, etc.

However, the Arroyo administration has stood its ground and has opted to pursue anti-poor policies -- implementation of the expanded value-added tax law, bigger budgetary allocation for debt servicing at the expense of social services, and the privatization of public utilities such as power and water, among others.

In addition, the political siege that has hounded the Arroyo administration for the past several months now has been left unresolved with the death of the impeachment complaint. The issues of cheating and betrayal of public trust are far superior to the issue of admissibility of evidence and all other technical and procedural issues. Thus, Ms Arroyo does not have any right and duty to serve out a term stolen from the Filipinos. For as long as she squats in Malacañang, the Philippines will never be given genuine respect by the community of nations.

But, indeed, Ms Arroyo has been a real blessing to the likes of the Osmeñas, Valencias, Cojuangcos, Montenegros, Yuchengcos, Pamintuans, Imperials, De Dioses and hundreds of others in "civil society." To the poor majority of women, however, the Arroyo administration has been a never-ending nightmare.

JUDY ANN CHAN-MIRANDA, secretary general, Labor Party-Philippines, 34 Road 3, Project 6, Quezon City

Breast-Feeding

Breast-feeding only way to go, says WHO

Inquirer News Service Agence France-Presse

FILIPINO FAMILIES TYPICALLY spend a quarter of their incomes on expensive infant formula substitutes instead of just breast-feeding their babies, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

"If you go by the cost of feeding your child with infant formula of about P2,000 per month, and when you compare that to the average income of a five-person family which is P7,000, it's a quarter of their income (that) goes to milk substitutes," said Dr. Jean Marc Olive, WHO representative in the country.

Milk substitutes are not only costly but also deadly, according to Olive, as he called attention to Philippine government data which showed that about 16,000 infants and toddlers die every year because they fail to get the proper nutrients from infant formula.

The babies die due to diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition, he said. The government spends as much as P450 million yearly to treat the diseases which could be avoided by exclusively breast-feeding babies within the first six months from birth, he said.

Breast-feeding "is the most cost-effective action in reducing child mortality," Olive said.

He urged the government to do more to spread awareness about the benefits of breast-feeding.

For a start, the WHO is providing seed money of P492,000 to the Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Villages) to fund a nationwide information campaign on breast-feeding under a memorandum of agreement the two agencies signed yesterday.

The MOA provides that the barangay league will promote breast-feeding initially in at least 1,000 barangays using the seed money from WHO.

In his speech, league president James Marty Lim described the campaign as a "David versus Goliath" effort, considering that it would eventually have to contend with multinational companies selling infant formula.

"It's no small battle," he said. But the WHO initiative could counter the companies' multimillion-peso campaigns by highlighting "success stories" of babies nurtured with breast milk, Lim said.

World Health Organization

Women's Suffrage

There's The Rub : Legacies

Conrado de Quiros dequiros@info.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

(This is a vastly abbreviated version of the talk I gave last Thursday on the 68th anniversary of the signing of the women's suffrage bill. You may find it has something to say to you, even if you are not a woman.)

I MUST CONFESS I DID NOT EXPECT THE topic you gave me. "If your wife and daughter were part of the fight for suffrage, would you have rallied around their cause? Why?" It sounds almost like a question that is asked of beauty contestants, to which group I am hard put to qualify.

I suppose the people who thought of that question naturally expected me to say yes, and make a case for the nobility of the cause. Quite honestly, however, my first instinct, in the light of the national crisis we've been facing lately, was to say I'd be damn glad if they would just fight for votes being counted, never mind if they came from man or woman. I'd be damn glad if they would just fight to have a Comelec that knew how to count.

But let me assume that having the right to vote means having one's vote counted by people who know how to count, and get back to the question. If my wife and daughter were fighting for suffrage, would I have rallied behind their cause?

Still, quite honestly, I don't know.

I'm not trying to be cute. Where I'm coming from today, that would be the easiest thing to answer. But that is the problem. I know where I'm coming from today. I don't know where I'd be coming from before Sept. 25, 1937, when the fight for women's suffrage would have been raging.

Today, the idea that women are not qualified to vote seems the most ludicrous thing in the world. I can imagine that 70 years from now, the thought of this country's privileged few keeping the wealth to themselves and depriving the teeming many of the bare necessities would seem like the most suicidal thing in the world, a French Revolution in the making. But as we can see, many people today find this a perfectly reasonable arrangement.

What can I say? Life is a paradox. The hardest things to grasp are the most commonsensical ones. The hardest things to see are the most obvious ones. The hardest enemy to fight is one's self.

I must tell you a bit about how I got to be where I am today. I did not live in the 1930s as a kid, I did so in the 1950s in Naga City. I grew up in a time and place where the concept of men and women being equal made as much sense as the concept of the parish not being the center of the universe. Boys did not naturally play with girls, or study with them. I don't know that it derived completely from distrust of raging hormones in juvenile bodies. I half-suspect it also derived from a distrust of girls adulterating boys' mental faculties with, well, lapses in judgment.

I recall that it was the kiss of death for husbands to be called "under the saya," literally under a woman's skirt. Ironically, most of them in my neighborhood were, except that they didn't know it. The wives did rule our neighborhood, except that not all of them did so by showing they were the boss of their homes. Many of them did so by making their husbands think they, the husbands, were. Then, as now, the wives understood the secret of effective rule, which was: Honesty is not the best policy, subtlety is.

How I clawed out of the Dark Ages into the second half of the 20th century is a story unto itself. I'll just mention a couple of things that helped me mightily to ascend the ladder of evolution.

The gratuitous part was that I came to Manila in a time of ferment. The city was afire with activism. The word "afire" is especially apt: The activists then spoke of revolution spreading like a prairie fire, and it did so particularly in the campuses. Each generation creates its gap between young and old, between past and present, but at no time did this gap yawn like a chasm or prove a collision of worlds than then. It broke conventional ways of thinking and doing things probably more thoroughly than the War itself did.

I don't know where I'd be right now if I had not gone through that historic watershed. It is not inconceivable that I would even now be working in America, worrying about the future only of my family.

Of course, not all, or even most, of those who became activists did so out of idealistic fervor or iconoclastic rebelliousness. Paradoxically many of us probably did so out of a deep-seated desire for acceptance, or to "be in," as we called it then. Being an activist, especially after the First Quarter Storm, was cool, as today's kids call it now. You might not always have gotten the girl-or the boy-in the final reel, but at least you got back at a finger-wagging patriarchal society by thrusting your middle finger at it. It isn't really that surprising from hindsight that activism fired the imagination of the scholars in my school, notwithstanding that they stood to lose the most, their parents counting on them to rescue them from poverty. Activism was the Revenge of the Nerds-or the Promdi. Suddenly, "elitista" was out, "masa" was in. Suddenly, to be the son of a tenant was to be lucky and that of a landlord to be cursed. Before this time was over, I would be psychologically as far away from my childhood as Nelson Mandela is ideologically from George W. Bush.

Would I be in a so different place today if that hadn't happened to me?

Well, I'd like to think probably not that different because of one other thing that helped me climb up the ladder of evolution. That is the faculty of self-examination, or the capacity for introspection. It's a truism, but it's true. I've had a lifetime of experience to vouch for it: The easiest thing to change is the world, the hardest thing to change is oneself. Maybe, that's why the world doesn't seem to change at all, or does so ever so slowly.

Women Power

The Long View : Women fought for their own rights

Manuel L. Quezon III
Inquirer News Service

TODAY marks 68 years since Manuel L. Quezon signed the law recognizing women's suffrage. He welcomed it, but hadn't always felt that way.

On Oct. 10, 1914, Quezon, then the resident commissioner, delivered some remarks in the US Congress, on a proposal to include a provision in the Jones Law extending the right of suffrage to women in the Philippines. He said, "Mr. Chairman, let me say right here that I believe in the political equality of men and women. I would not subscribe to the theory that the right to vote belongs exclusively to man because of his sex; therefore I would not withhold the franchise from women if they wanted to exercise it; but neither would I impose this duty upon them against their will. I say 'duty,' because, in my opinion, while the ballot is a right, once the right has been granted it thereby becomes one of the most important duties of citizenship. I am therefore opposed to the amendment ... because the women of my country -- practically all of them, so far as I know their will -- do not want to vote."

He went on to recount: "A few years ago, a woman suffrage movement was undertaken in Manila that ended in complete failure. A few meetings were held, but it has not been possible to create any interest in this movement either on the part of the men or on the part of the women, still less to find any number of advocates for it. In the provinces, nobody ever attempted to discuss the question, and our women there would be decidedly against it. I hope, therefore, Mr. Chairman, that the committee, in its wisdom, will not care to impose upon our women the duty of voting."

Still he made a spirited defense of Filipino women on the following grounds: "Since the establishment of public schools during the American regime, the benefit of free education has been equally enjoyed by our girls and our boys. Instances are not rare when in the classes the intellectual star shines from among the girls. In the University of the Philippines some of the graduating classes have been headed by girls. I venture to say, therefore, Mr. Chairman, that the character and intelligence of our women alone would justify our optimism as to the wonderful possibilities of our country. Now, let me give the committee a piece of information taken from volume 2, page 117, of the Philippine Census which is very interesting. It is as follows: The number of women who reported themselves as prostitutes was 476, nearly all of whom were in Manila. Of these, 75 were white, nearly all the countries of Europe being represented, besides the United States. Two hundred and sixty, or more than half, were yellow, practically all of whom were Japanese, and only 141, or 1 in 25,000 of the female population of the islands, were Filipinos. It is rather extraordinary that in this Malay Archipelago seven-tenths of all the prostitutes were from foreign lands, a fact which speaks volumes for the chastity of the Filipinos.... It is unnecessary to impose upon our women the burden of going to the polls because they are already interested in public questions. Their wholesome influence, exercised at home, tells on the public mind."

And yet, as Senate president, by 1919, Quezon came out categorically in favor of women's suffrage. What changed his mind? The women themselves-in particular their organizing themselves throughout the country, under the umbrella of the National Federation of Women's Clubs, and their determined lobbying for the right to vote. Thus, on Jan. 21, 1937, as President of the Philippines, he issued this press statement:

"To the Filipino People: On the eve of my departure abroad on a mission of far-reaching consequence to the nation, I desire to make an earnest appeal in favor of woman suffrage, which will be decided by the qualified women of the country in a plebiscite to be held on April 30, 1937.

"Almost every democratic country in the world today has woman suffrage; the Philippines cannot afford to be an exception.

"The common people, the farm laborers, the factory workers, and the small employees will be the first ones to be benefited by the extension of the vote to women, because the majority of these new electors, as is the case with the majority of male electors, belong to the class above mentioned, and, therefore, their influence in the Government will be greater and doubtless will be exerted in favor of measures and legislation that will promote their well-being. The women in the factories, in the barrios, and in the far-flung communities, who are qualified to vote, should all come out and vote for woman suffrage on the appointed day."

On April 4, 1937, by radio hook-up from Washington, D.C., he broadcast this appeal: "I am very happy to have this opportunity of addressing you today. It is a long way from Washington to the Philippines and I am beginning to feel homesick, but I am here in the performance of a most important duty that I hope will bring happiness to our people...

"I wish to reiterate my hope that the women of our country may at last use their right to vote. I hope all the women who possess the qualifications required by law will not only register but also vote favorably in the plebiscite upon this question. Filipino women are not as yet in full possession of all their rights, and unless they make an early decision on this question in the National Administration, it will take a long time before all their rights are secured. I hope all the men of the Philippines will be willing to seek the advice and collaboration of their mothers, wives, and daughters in public affairs just as they seek them in their private business. The Filipino woman is the equal of the best in the world and there is no reason why she should not enjoy all the rights and privileges of women in more progressive countries."

Women's rights have been the achievement of women alone; they have led, and forced the men to follow.

Tipping Point

Human Face : Why isn't it tipping?

Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Inquirer News Service

"THE tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire... The tipping point is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point ... It is the name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once.''

Those definitions are from the bestseller and page-turner "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference'' by Malcolm Gladwell. (His latest is "Blink.'')

I think of the tipping point this way: Imagine holding a tray with a handful of marbles on one side. You tip the tray at an angle but the marbles seem unwilling to roll over to the other side. You tip some more. Then at a certain angle, the marbles suddenly all roll in unison to the other side.

At that tipping point, movement takes place. This example, similar to the seesaw, illustrates in a physical way the so-called tipping point phenomenon which political watchers-in barbershops and beauty salons, political circles, cockpits, churches, academe-are anticipating.

When would it happen? How would it happen? Why isn't it happening? "It'' is some kind of People Power III, reminiscent of the previous two that saw a long-staying dictator and a president, just two years in office, removed dramatically.

Just an aside: "The tipping point'' has found its way to the lips of politicians who love the phrases "at the end of the day'' and -- this one will make Einstein and editors cringe -- "at this point in time."

Since Day One of the political crisis engulfing the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, spawned by the so-called "Hello, Garci'' tapes, people have been anticipating, either with eagerness or with dread, President Arroyo's downfall. Many thought it would be in early July when a series of events happened in one day. There were bold moves, such as resignations from the Cabinet, protests in the streets and louder calls for President Arroyo to step down, with no less than former President Cory Aquino in the lead.

That day the clamor seemed to be peaking and the balance seemed to be tipping. And if you based your predictions on the way things appeared on TV, it was just a matter of hours or days, even as loyal local government officials from the provinces made the opposite move and came to the President's rescue.

President Arroyo didn't resign. The tide against her wasn't forceful enough to topple her.

The impeachment process in Congress took place. The much-watched process was nipped in the bud early on during the longest-in-history plenary session. More than 200 valedictories with immortal quotations -- from Mother Teresa, Saint Paul, Aristotle and Newton to Jaime Cardinal Sin -- yielded a 158-51-6 vote.

Again, street protests, led by Ms Aquino and a mix of ideologically and politically incompatible and divergent bedfellows linking arms, ensued. Still, the balance didn't tip. People Power III wasn't happening. Why?

Tired of waiting for it to happen? Relieved that it hasn't happened? Baffled and befuddled? Maybe we can learn a thing or two from Gladwell's explorations on how social epidemics spread, whether these are fashion trends, diseases, behavior patterns or crime. As journalist Deirdre Donahue said: "One of the most interesting aspects of Gladwell's book is the way it reaffirms that human beings are profoundly social beings influenced by and influencing other human beings, no matter how much technology we introduce into our lives.''

That seems to be telling us not to trust the text-messaging brigade too much, that we forget there are other more effective ways like, um, word of mouth and having the right people say the right things. The right people to cast the first stone.

Gladwell does not just propose answers from out of the blue. He explains by investigating true-to-life events that showed how the tipping point phenomena occurred. How did Hush Puppies regain its popularity in a spontaneous way? Why did the Baltimore syphilis epidemic peak? What was it about Paul Revere and his midnight ride across Boston in 1775 that resulted in the routing of the British and the start of the war known as the American Revolution? Why did Paul Revere's warning tip while another crier's did not?

Gladwell also expounds on the results of experiments conducted by social psychologists, such as the one by Stanley Milgram who wanted to find an answer to what is called the "small-world'' problem. How are human beings connected? Do we all belong to separate worlds or are we all bound together in an interlocking web? How does an idea, or a piece of news -- The British are coming! -- travel through a population?

The results were confounding.

Gladwell summarizes the rules of the Tipping Point into three: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.

The Law of the Few says that through social connections, energy, enthusiasm and personality, word spreads.

The Stickiness Factor says that there are specific ways of making a contagious message memorable; there are relatively simple changes in the presentation and structuring of information that make a big difference in how much of an impact it makes.

The Power of Context says that human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem.

So why is it not tipping? Or to use another situation, why is the cake not rising? Maybe the ingredients are old, stale and spoiled. Maybe the ingredients are incompatible.

"The Tipping Point'' is also about changing one's way of looking at the world. I did that two weeks ago by attending a seminar on the Quantum World under Dr. Ibarra "Nim'' Gonzales.