Visual Search

Google steps in the visual search fray with Google Goggles. For a more stunning experience, watch MIT Media Labs’ Sixth Sense.

Subliminal Message

The entrance to Malcom Hall, home of the UP College of Law. Look at the road sign behind it. A warning perhaps?

The Greatest Scandal

Scandal comes from the Greek scandalon, a snare, a stumbling block, something that terribly impedes one’s progress or one’s understanding, or that leads him astray. The Jews in St Paul’s time described Christ’s crucifixion and death on a Cross as utterly unthinkable, unimaginable, because Jewish faith sees God as a good Father who always provides for the needs of his children. He is a father who defends his chosen children Israel against its enemies; who delivers his children from hunger or pain or from living like strangers in a foreign land. Christ affirmed this belief very well, when he upbraided the Pharisees: "If you evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven!" Thus, for the Jews, the son of God who dies on a cross, and with the sanction of the Father in heaven, seems to contradict the very essence of God.

This is probably one of the more popular lamentations against God, an argument for his ‘non-existence’, or a denial of his wisdom and goodness. How can God, who is purportedly all-wise, all-good, all-powerful, allow evil to happen? And worse, allow it to happen to good people?

I myself find this difficult to swallow. My childhood catechism didnt quite go beyond memorizing the qualities of God. I think a major root of the problem is failing to see the one who suffered and died on the cross. Too often we only see God the Father, the loving provider for all our needs. But who died on the cross? Jesus, who claimed He was God’s son. So why did Jesus do it? Why, with all his power to raise the dead back to life, his strong words to shame the learned, his compassion to win the hearts of people and rally them behind him, why did he allow himself to suffer a horrible, sudden, and embarrassing death? And why did His Father allow it? Pope Benedict XVI offers us a true answer, albeit a tough pill to swallow:

"In the very fact that where seems to be sorrow and defeat, there is the full power of God’s boundless love, for the Cross is an expression of love, and love is the true power that is revealed precisely in this seeming weakness" (General Audience, 10-29-08).

The Father’s love for his Son, the Son’s love for his Father, the Father’s and the Son’s love for each one of us. (to be continued)

GMA reads the writing on the wall.

President GMA is now trapped.

GMA is now trapped between running after a long-time warlord-supporter, the Ampatuans of Maguindanao, and the Ampatuans running after GMA. Because according to political grapevines, the Ampatuans ‘delivered’ during the last presidential election that eventually sealed GMA’s win.

In any case, we are willing to forgive GMA’s miraculous 1 million votes from heaven, than her avoiding to punish this savage warlord in Mindanao. GMA must now decide. If she could risk whatever beans Ampatuan might spill in order to put him behind bars forever, history could even vindicate her.

Love in a time of Martial Law and Marikina 2

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the NDCC was rendered virtually ineffective as Ondoy struck Manila. Reasons abound but lets cut them some slack. It’s an inter-agency committee chaired by the Secretary of of the Department of Defense, Gibo Teodoro. In fairness to Gibo, the NDCC called for an emergency meeting that fateful Saturday morning. My sources say Gibo was fuming mad after a short meeting. I asked my sources the results of that emergency meeting and they gave me a brief summary:

Noynoy: 40%
Manny: 35%
Erap: 10%
Noli: 5%
Loren: 5%
Gibo: 3%
Pacquiao: 2%