The Reproductive Health (RH) Bill seeks to offer all Filipino parents several alternatives for them to plan their family. The Bill does not mandate any one alternative; in fact, the family has the freedom to not even plan their family. The Bill also mandates that sex education be offered to all Filipinos, but gives the parents the right to choose whether to allow their children to take these classes or not. I feel that is the beauty of the RH Bill; that it is all-inclusive, and it offers Filipinos information/knowledge and the freedom of choice.
So I really cannot understand why the Church and their ilk are adamant on blocking the passage of the Bill. The Church is opposed to the use of certain family planning methods that are not acceptable as per their teachings; these include the use of condoms, pills, IUD and everything else aside from the natural method. The Church is also against the government spending for sex education; they feel that only Catholic parents have the right to give the proper sex education to their Catholic children.
Just because Catholics make up the majority of Filipinos, it does not mean that the Church has the right to impose their standards on other Filipinos who are not Catholic or Christian. So why do they insist on bending the Bill so that it fits only their world-view?
Dear bishops, why do you insist that we view sex the way you view it? You guys are not even supposed to engage in sex. But despite that, a number of you still do. Oh c’mon fathers, don’t be shy, you know that a lot of you play around, whether straight or gay. Just because you guys can’t enjoy sex (unless it’s on the sly) doesn’t mean you should punish the rest of your flock by coating sex with so much guilt. What’s so scary about sex anyway?
Besides, dear bishops, you guys should know that your so-called faithful have not exactly been behaving the way you’ve taught them. You know how much your faithful stray; hey, they confess their sins to you, right? (And I bet you’ve only heard half of it.) And maybe that’s why you want to be strict with the law, so that your faithful are forced to obey. But dear bishops, despite your commandments and your homilies and your threats of Hell and eternal damnation, we still hear of straying husbands and unfaithful wives and--more and more--pedophile priests who prey on helpless boys. If you guys cannot discipline your faithful or yourselves, then how dare you force to tweak the RH Bill as a way to make up for your failures?
The RH Bill is a concrete response to real problems. Your arguments are based on morals and loft ideals that honestly are broken time and again by your so-called faithful. Get your heads off that cloud and plant your feet firmly on the ground, fathers. It’s time to wake up and smell reality.
(Then again, religion has always promised a “pie in the sky, by and by.” Sigh. Then may I request that you guys just stand back and get out of the f**king way.)
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Beyonce Just Shrugged Her Shoulders
So after marveling Beyonce’s live performance of “Run The World (Girls)” at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards (watch it here), the twitterverse was suddenly up in arms when the following video hit YouTube a day or two after Beyonce’s performance was posted online:
Typical comments were:
“Oops, Beyonce’s epic Billboard Awards performance wasn’t so original.”
“I was really disheartened. that was the BMAs, fer cryin’ out loud. oh well.”
“I was in total awe of ur Run The World perf, Beyonce. But this is totally not cool.”
I won’t begrudge those who were disappointed with the side-by-side comparison. But what’s curious is that when I showed the comparison video to my colleagues (who are in the broadcast industry), their reactions were mostly shrugging and quips like, “Oh, I suppose Beyonce hired the same supplier!” What gives?
In the realm of the performing arts, it’s acknowledged that artists get inspiration from other artists and the works that came before them. Of course, copying is frowned upon especially if it’s an exact lift, whether word for word, note for note, or move for move. It’s as if the copying artist didn’t need to think; he just used someone else’s hard work. But it is all right if one uses someone else’s work, builds on it and creates something new. That’s not mere copying; there’s an additional amount of creativity and work put into it when they add and build on the original.
Then there’s the case of being the first artist to bring a work to a mainstream audience versus being the first to “invent” the original work. Take the case of two dance moves, the moonwalk and vogueing. Michael Jackson did not invent the moonwalk; but he was the first who, on a Motown special, debuted it on US national television. Vogueing had been an underground dance move, seen mostly in fringe gay dance clubs; Madonna heard of it and appropriated the moves on a song and music video. The rest, as they say, is history.
Maybe someone from Beyonce’s camp saw the staging of Lorella Cuccarini and thought that it would be great if she can pull the same thing off for the Billboard Music Awards. Maybe they contacted the same team which produced the original staging. Maybe they thought, heck, not too many people know about Lorella Cuccarini’s staging. And maybe they thought that since the Billboard Music Awards has a bigger audience, then the “dancing with the video” technique would have its worldwide debut with Beyonce.
But the problem these days is YouTube. Thanks to a single side-by-side post, people found out at download speeds the similarities of both numbers. During Michael and Madonna’s time, it took months, even years, before people found out that it wasn’t Michael who created the moonwalk, nor was it Madonna who invented vogueing; but by that time Michael was already The Moonwalker, and vogueing was attached to Madonna.
I supposed years from now no one’s going to associate Beyonce with “dancing with the video” technique. But who cares cuz she owns the power shoulder shrugs. Take that, Lorella!
Typical comments were:
“Oops, Beyonce’s epic Billboard Awards performance wasn’t so original.”
“I was really disheartened. that was the BMAs, fer cryin’ out loud. oh well.”
“I was in total awe of ur Run The World perf, Beyonce. But this is totally not cool.”
I won’t begrudge those who were disappointed with the side-by-side comparison. But what’s curious is that when I showed the comparison video to my colleagues (who are in the broadcast industry), their reactions were mostly shrugging and quips like, “Oh, I suppose Beyonce hired the same supplier!” What gives?
In the realm of the performing arts, it’s acknowledged that artists get inspiration from other artists and the works that came before them. Of course, copying is frowned upon especially if it’s an exact lift, whether word for word, note for note, or move for move. It’s as if the copying artist didn’t need to think; he just used someone else’s hard work. But it is all right if one uses someone else’s work, builds on it and creates something new. That’s not mere copying; there’s an additional amount of creativity and work put into it when they add and build on the original.
Then there’s the case of being the first artist to bring a work to a mainstream audience versus being the first to “invent” the original work. Take the case of two dance moves, the moonwalk and vogueing. Michael Jackson did not invent the moonwalk; but he was the first who, on a Motown special, debuted it on US national television. Vogueing had been an underground dance move, seen mostly in fringe gay dance clubs; Madonna heard of it and appropriated the moves on a song and music video. The rest, as they say, is history.
Maybe someone from Beyonce’s camp saw the staging of Lorella Cuccarini and thought that it would be great if she can pull the same thing off for the Billboard Music Awards. Maybe they contacted the same team which produced the original staging. Maybe they thought, heck, not too many people know about Lorella Cuccarini’s staging. And maybe they thought that since the Billboard Music Awards has a bigger audience, then the “dancing with the video” technique would have its worldwide debut with Beyonce.
But the problem these days is YouTube. Thanks to a single side-by-side post, people found out at download speeds the similarities of both numbers. During Michael and Madonna’s time, it took months, even years, before people found out that it wasn’t Michael who created the moonwalk, nor was it Madonna who invented vogueing; but by that time Michael was already The Moonwalker, and vogueing was attached to Madonna.
I supposed years from now no one’s going to associate Beyonce with “dancing with the video” technique. But who cares cuz she owns the power shoulder shrugs. Take that, Lorella!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Just A Case Of Possession Obsession
Whenever I hear people refer to their partners as, “He’s mine,” I make a mental scratching of my head. Since when did loving someone meant “owning” that person? Maybe he has given himself to you, but that was of his own free will. And it would be folly on your part to assume that he’ll always be at your side. Love is not possession, if you love somebody set them free; see, even pop music is in on it.
So if you want your relationship to last, work on it. If you want a love that lasts, your part is to commit to it; whether your partner chooses it as well or not, that’s his decision. You’re blessed if he does.
And after all that, only Time--and your collective decisions--will tell.
So if you want your relationship to last, work on it. If you want a love that lasts, your part is to commit to it; whether your partner chooses it as well or not, that’s his decision. You’re blessed if he does.
And after all that, only Time--and your collective decisions--will tell.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The RH Debate
Watched the RH Bill debate last night. And I was reminded of why I distanced myself from the Catholic Church in the first place.
I understand why every religion would want to institutionalize their belief systems as well as their recruitment policies. Hey, it’s survival of the fittest even in spiritual matters. But the way the anti-RH “faithful” have been acting lately, one would think that we’re back in the era of the Inquisition. Whatever happened to Vatican II and ecumenism?
Worse, some of the anti-RH-ers act so arrogant and so closed-minded, one is convinced that no amount of reasonable debate will make them change their minds. Not only that, they do not seem open to agree to disagree; it’s either their way or no way. What gets my goat is that they seem hell-bent on ramming their beliefs down other people’s throats. Whatever happened to democracy?
Of all the things that the anti-RH people said during the debate, the one point that struck me was the one raised by one of the panelists: As a Catholic, she didn’t want part of her taxes to fund something which she believed is immoral (condoms and their use). I thought it was an interesting point, though Fr. Joaquin Bernas, in his sober opinion article, has an answer to that: Public money is neither Catholic, nor Protestant, nor Muslim or what have you and may be appropriated by Congress for the public good without violating the Constitution.
After watching the debate last night, I felt that the time for healthy debate and discussion is long past. People on both sides have made up their minds, and it’s just a matter of getting the numbers to have the bill passed--or delayed for as long as possible.
From where I stand, it looks like the Church, through the anti-RH movement, just wants to flex its power and bully the people into towing their own line. Well excuse me, but I hate being bullied.
As a friend of mine tweeted, the anti-RH people should act less Church-like and more Christ-like.
I understand why every religion would want to institutionalize their belief systems as well as their recruitment policies. Hey, it’s survival of the fittest even in spiritual matters. But the way the anti-RH “faithful” have been acting lately, one would think that we’re back in the era of the Inquisition. Whatever happened to Vatican II and ecumenism?
Worse, some of the anti-RH-ers act so arrogant and so closed-minded, one is convinced that no amount of reasonable debate will make them change their minds. Not only that, they do not seem open to agree to disagree; it’s either their way or no way. What gets my goat is that they seem hell-bent on ramming their beliefs down other people’s throats. Whatever happened to democracy?
Of all the things that the anti-RH people said during the debate, the one point that struck me was the one raised by one of the panelists: As a Catholic, she didn’t want part of her taxes to fund something which she believed is immoral (condoms and their use). I thought it was an interesting point, though Fr. Joaquin Bernas, in his sober opinion article, has an answer to that: Public money is neither Catholic, nor Protestant, nor Muslim or what have you and may be appropriated by Congress for the public good without violating the Constitution.
After watching the debate last night, I felt that the time for healthy debate and discussion is long past. People on both sides have made up their minds, and it’s just a matter of getting the numbers to have the bill passed--or delayed for as long as possible.
From where I stand, it looks like the Church, through the anti-RH movement, just wants to flex its power and bully the people into towing their own line. Well excuse me, but I hate being bullied.
As a friend of mine tweeted, the anti-RH people should act less Church-like and more Christ-like.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Jake Fabcast, Part 2
In this part, you’ll hear about how Jake copes after knowing that he tested positive. He has taken it upon himself to help PLUs who want to have themselves tested. For those who want to get in touch with Jake, here’s his email address: monkeyboy589@yahoo.com
As a postscript, Jake wrote to Migs again. Click HERE to read his post-Fabcast email.
But meanwhile, listen to the second part.
Music credits:
[1] “Sun Of A Gun” by Oh Land
[2] “The Mission” (from “The Mission” soundtrack) by Ennio Morricone
[3] “Gabriel’s Oboe” (from “The Mission” soundtrack) by Ennio Morricone
[4] “In My Place” by Coldplay
[5] “Childhood And Manhood” (from “Cinema Paradiso”) soundtrack by Ennio Morricone
[6] “Love Theme” (from “Cinema Paradiso” soundtrack) by Ennio Morricone
[7] “Remorse” (from “The Mission” soundtrack) by Ennio Morricone
[8] “The Show Must Go On” (from “Moulin Rouge” soundtrack) by Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman & Cast
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Put Your Dead Up In The Air, Put Your Dead Up In The Air!
May 21, the alleged end of the world. The second coming of the Lord. The day of Rapture.
Errr, so what is Rapture? According to research, it is the taking up into heaven of God’s elect people. Shet, may elections din pala sa Mayo si Lord?! In Thessalonians, it is said, “...and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air....” Wow, high-tech!
Meanwhile, we’re nearly midway through May 21 and I have yet to see levitating zombies. So I decided to have fun on Twitter. Here are my tweets this morning:
Kapag kumurap ka’t gumuho ang mundo... kurapture.
Kapag irapan mo ang may crush sa iyo’t gumuho ang mundo niya... irapture.
Pag bonggang bongga ang orgasm na feeling mo ay end-of-the-world na... sarapture!
Pag ikaw ang nag-predict twice ng rapture, at twice nang fail... crapture.
Pag kinuha ni Lord si Joseph Estrada... Erapture. Pag kinuha si Jinggoy... yehey.
And my fave reply came from Nelicom: @mcvie pag inabutan ka sa McDo... pap pa rap rapture yun
Errr, so what is Rapture? According to research, it is the taking up into heaven of God’s elect people. Shet, may elections din pala sa Mayo si Lord?! In Thessalonians, it is said, “...and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air....” Wow, high-tech!
Meanwhile, we’re nearly midway through May 21 and I have yet to see levitating zombies. So I decided to have fun on Twitter. Here are my tweets this morning:
Kapag kumurap ka’t gumuho ang mundo... kurapture.
Kapag irapan mo ang may crush sa iyo’t gumuho ang mundo niya... irapture.
Pag bonggang bongga ang orgasm na feeling mo ay end-of-the-world na... sarapture!
Pag ikaw ang nag-predict twice ng rapture, at twice nang fail... crapture.
Pag kinuha ni Lord si Joseph Estrada... Erapture. Pag kinuha si Jinggoy... yehey.
And my fave reply came from Nelicom: @mcvie pag inabutan ka sa McDo... pap pa rap rapture yun
Friday, May 20, 2011
She Put The “Fear” In “Fierce”
I hereby declare that Beyonce has successfully figured out a way to dislocate her joints at will. I swear, she does hair flipping, leg kicking, shoulder shaking and hips relocating so fierce, she can provide all the energy needs of a small African country. She sings, “My persuasion can build a nation.” Well, I’m convinced; somebody give this woman a country to rule!
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