Mike in Manila - A prayer a day

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Sunday, August 27, 2006

Philippine Oil Spill: National level Calamity declared

President Arroyo’s order is more than just a formality that most diasters require for the release of funds to handle natural disasters. It also brings the level of responce up to treaty level and allows more direct international participation in the clean-up.

[]…” Arroyo declares oil spill calamity President Arroyo on Friday declared the oil spill in Guimaras a national calamity as the slick spread rapidly and threatened some of the country’s richest fishing grounds.Mrs. Arroyo, who made the declaration during the 18th National Convention of the National Prosecutors’ Week in Cebu, said the oil disaster in Guimaras demands the cooperation and solidarity of all Filipinos. “I call upon Petron and the ship owner to immediately clean up the mess and the Task Force Guimaras and Coast Guard Admiral Arthur Gosingan to attend to environmental and health issues,” she said. …” [] ABS-CBNNEWSonline

I do not know which PR agency is advising the Petron people what to say when they appear on TV- one man in particular yesterday was talking about -”product recovery” The insensitive nature of the comment and term might lead some to believe there is more concern over product- than people the environment and safety.

But then again had the concern been with true product integrity - delivery of product to destination in the most safe & secure manner to an end user i wouldn’t even be writing this blog and those people sick and in hospital and the man who died and hundred imillion peso partail clean up bill not needed?

Uncategorized, news, News and politics, philippines, Rants, Raves, Whathaveyou..., OFW, Guimaras Oil Spill

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF): ‘Philippines 9 dead in Dengue epidemic?’

August 20th, 2006t

Reports from the wire services seem to say something we have NOT heard pronounced yet in the official circles about an epidemic.- there have been epidemics in the past.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a potentially lethal complication, was first recognized in the 1950s during the dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand, but today DHF affects most Asian countries and has become a leading cause of hospitalisation and death among children in several of them. “ -WHO

RELATED LINKS

- Dengue haemorrhagic fever: diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control
Information on dengue, including a list of those countries where outbreaks have occurred
- Dengue

People I work with; and those I know have had several cases reported in many schools around metro manila - and elsewhere - some have also had these cases heard of in large numbers in Malabon and Pangasinan yet there seems to be no major effort to raise an alarm.

More so say experts because the best thing here is for people not to panic - Dengue is curable if caught in time - but it is not something to be taken lightly.

[] …” Pangasinan dismisses dengue fears
ABS CBN News, Philippines -Health officials in Pangasinan have allayed fears of a dengue outbreak after at least nine people died of dengue in the last six weeks, ANC reported Sunday. ... ” []

[] …” Dengue epidemic kills 9 in Philippines
People's Daily Online, China -At least nine people were killed by a dengue epidemic in the province of Pangasinan 150 kilometers north of Manila in the past six weeks, the Philippine News ” []

While Government seems to be taking the issue as part of the usual season of dengue - it is after all endemic to the country - what is it ? Why is there not so many worries? Well medical reports do clearly show that if tested properly and taken care of at first notice the survival rate is high - with less than 1% resulting in death. But, that is the key- early detection - survival rate is 80 per cent if not taken into consideration and treated at home. the bottom line is those who are more affected are those people who in the danger group.

The world health organization has extensive information on the disease - and also the information that all parents should be aware of or those who have senior citizens in their homes since the two elderly and very young are the most susceptible to the disease.

Characteristics

Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults, but seldom causes death.

The clinical features of dengue fever vary according to the age of the patient. Infants and young children may have a non-specific febrile illness with rash. Older children and adults may have either a mild febrile syndrome or the classical incapacitating disease with abrupt onset and high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, and rash.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, haemorrhagic phenomena–often with enlargement of the liver–and in severe cases, circulatory failure. The illness commonly begins with a sudden rise in temperature accompanied by facial flush and other non-specific constitutional symptoms of dengue fever. The fever usually continues for two to seven days and can be as high as 40-41°C, possibly with febrile convulsions and haemorrhagic phenomena.

In moderate DHF cases, all signs and symptoms abate after the fever subsides. In severe cases, the patient’s condition may suddenly deteriorate after a few days of fever; the temperature drops, followed by signs of circulatory failure, and the patient may rapidly go into a critical state of shock and die within 12-24 hours, or quickly recover following appropriate volume replacement therapy.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. However, careful clinical management by experienced physicians and nurses frequently saves the lives of DHF patients. With appropriate intensive supportive therapy, mortality may be reduced to less than 1%. Maintenance of the circulating fluid volume is the central feature of DHF case management.

news, News and politics, china, asia, Views, philippines, Filipino, freedom of speech, Global Warming, Pinoy, free speech, Palawan, Makati, filipino-american, biird flu, Arroyo, Dengue haemorrhagic fever, Dengue fever, haemorrhagic fever

Friday, August 18, 2006

Help Lebanon:Manila based aid group for OFW’s & Lebanese

At a meeting held in Manila’s Makati district groups of Filipino & Expat organizations are working together to seek out ways they can Helpl

The goal is to find ways to assist people in Lebanon by doing their part to make themselves available for those people in need. It’s not Politics, here or there.

But just people trying to help those both from there and here and families they worked for… Or companies that provided lively-hood to thirty thousand filipino’s get back on their feet.

In so many disasters here in the Philippines I have covered - both the man made and natural kind - people in places in Lebanon and the middle east did their part by making donations to the red cross and red crescent to assist people in the Philippines in their time of need - so now this group says it is time for them in their own way to their part. As those who can in some way or service or kind do their part to help people there regardless of ideology or faith or political color rebuild their lives after this war that has brought so much of the tragic things that Wars brings - they hope to do their part as well.

MikeinManila gives it’s space- to this and re-posts here the link and ways to reach this group.

God Bless all…

Mike

THE HELP LEBANON MEETING:

Honorary Consulate of Lebanon, Manila

Philippine National
Red Cross

With the assistance of
International SOS

IConnect Inc.
Philippines

Lebanon: saving lives and restoring human dignity

The ongoing conflict in Lebanon is a human catastrophe with hundreds of civilians reported dead, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. The Lebanese Red Cross Society, through the efforts of its volunteers and with the full support of the ICRC, continues to help the most vulnerable. A report from the ICRC’s Marko Kokic and Ayad Al Mounzer of the Lebanese Red Cross.

A long prayer rings out through loudspeakers across the centre of Beirut. The sombre tone is in keeping with the city’s mood. Streets normally packed with people and traffic remain quiet. Many shops are closed. In the few that remain open, televisions bring today’s news of another day of fighting, another day of horror.

Images of dead and injured civilians caught in the crossfire and the heroic efforts of Lebanese Red Cross paramedics feature on the news bulletins every day. First on the scene, volunteer paramedics rescue the living and recover the dead. Their work is fraught with peril, with only the Red Cross emblem to protect them.

A recent incident proved just how dangerous their work can be. A rocket tore through the roof of an ambulance transporting the injured. It blew a melon-sized hole through the centre of the Red Cross emblem on top of the ambulance. Paramedics suffered minor wounds but a patient lost his leg in the incident.

Red Cross paramedics transport the seriously injured to Beirut’s hospitals. Thousands of civilians have already been wounded. One of them is nine-year old Samah Chihab who is recovering in Beirut Governmental University Hospital. A bomb cut her down as she played in front of her house in the town of Tyre.

The hospital is modern and well equipped but understaffed.

“We have received medical supplies, but no direct medical assistance,” explains Assistant General Manager, Bilal Masri, “Right now we are working at thirty percent of our capacity in terms of human resources because staff have been unable to reach the hospital”.

Many people have already fled raging battles in the south while others remain trapped. Leaving can be as dangerous as staying. Bombed cars litter the road leading south. Some still contain bodies but the security situation in many areas is still too dangerous for Red Cross volunteers to recover them.

An estimated million civilians have been displaced, many taking shelter in schools and other public buildings. Hassan Mohammed Abadi and his family are camped out in a school on Mount Lebanon near Beirut. They arrived only days ago from their southern village of Yatir where they remained amidst the fighting for almost two weeks. When it became unbearable they took a chance and fled, taking only what they could carry.

For those who are seeking to *restore* *contact* *with family members* who may have been impacted by the conflict, please click *HERE *to go to the International Committee of the Red Cross special web site called Family Links.

If you are reading this in a country other than the Philippines and wish to contribute to this effort, kindly contact the RED CROSS or RED CRESCENT society in you country of residence. For a complete list of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies throughout the world, please click *HERE*.

All donations are handled by the Philippine National Red Cross and are coursed
through the International Committee of the Red Cross to the Red Cross in Lebanon.
Donations are used solely by the Red Cross for humanitarian purposes.

For details on how you can HELP LEBANON!,
call the HELP LEBANON! HOTLINE at +632-6334060.
The HELP LEBANON! HOTLINE is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

An email chain letter too good to just pass on...

At the end of this story, it gives you two options.
I think you will figure out what option I chose.



102de43.jpg




Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery.


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Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves
for the latest news.


That afternoon of
March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.

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At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces,
they already knew she was perilously premature.


Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.

"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly
as he could.
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"There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one"

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Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor
described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.


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She would never walk, she would never talk, she would
probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say.

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She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long
dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four.
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102df4d.gif

Now, within a matter of hours, that dream
was slipping away
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But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for
David and Diana.
102df6c.jpg
Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was
essentially 'raw', the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love.

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All they could do, as Dana
struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.
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There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.


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102dfba.jpg


But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of
weight here and an ounce of strength there.

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At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were
able to hold her in their arms for the very first time.


And
two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.

Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young
girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.
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102e037.jpg
She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or
physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.
102e047.jpg
One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her
home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.


As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and
several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"
102e056.jpg

Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a
thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."


Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"

102e066.jpg
Once again, her mother replied,
"Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."


Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her
thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced,


"No, it smells like Him.

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It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."

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Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to
play with the other children.


Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what
Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.
102e085.gif

During those long days and nights of her first two months
of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.
102e095.gif


You now have 1 of 2 choices. You can either pass this on
and let other people catch the chills like you did or you can delete this and act like it didn't touch your heart like it did mine.

IT'S YOUR CALL!



"I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."



This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, He saw me, and He
asked: "My child, what is your greatest wish for today?" I responded:


"Lord please, take care of the person who is reading this message, their
family and their special friends. They deserve it and I love them very much" The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginning, but not its end.
__________________

This message works on the day you receive it. Let us see if it is
true.
_____________

ANGELS EXIST but some times, since they don't all have wings, we call them FRIENDS.

________________________

Pass this on to your true friends. Something good will happen to you at
11:00 in the morning; something that you have been waiting to hear.
This is
not a joke; someone will call you by phone or will speak to you about something that you were waiting to hear.


In the email it says pass this on... I leave that up to you... But do pray about what you've read and pass on a thought of Gods love and care.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

A prayer of faith...

A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Somalia Pirates: 19 filipinos still captive -

Just posting a few links for those tracking this story of 19 crewmen in somolia - if I am not moistaken the report was - denied by the DFA.

[]... DFA belies hijack report of UAE tanker off Somalia - INQ7.netIn Malacañang, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo instructed the DFA to look ... Since March 15 last year, pirates have hit 40 ships off Somalia but many ...
news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=71632 - 44k ... []


So then why is there a palace press release on this mater? looks like some government agencies aren't talking ... perhaps?

[]... Kin of kidnapped Pinoy seamen appeal to Arroyo
The wives of 19 Filipino seamen who were kidnapped by Somali pirates last March appealed Thursday to President Arroyo for help in securing the release of their husbands.... abs-cbnNEWS.com []

More background:

[]... Banadir.comSOMALIA : Philipines to seek help in hostage negotiations Manila, Philipines ... Somali pirates demand $400 000 for release of ship Mogadishu, Somalia ...[]

[]...
NAIROBI, Kenya - Pirates have seized a gas oil tanker and possibly another ship carrying food to Somalia in the latest of a series of hijackings off the lawless Horn of Africa nation, maritime officials said on Monday. “They say two more ships have been hijacked, we are still trying to know where in Somalia they were seized,” said Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenyan branch of the global Seafarers organization representing the maritime industry. ...[] MSNBC

my prayer...

Oh Lord I am a sinner you know what and who and where and why... forgive me for my failing others today; thank you for reminding me of how things go when I try and force my own way.

Please raise me up on my feet to follow the path you want me to and not my own meandering route. Let me see you way in all things. Lead me away from Anger, Despair, and, feelings of failure.

Help me to help others; make me strong when I am weak, provide me the tools to make things happen...

Jesus I trust in you... help me to have faith when I think all is lost and yet why is it when that happens it is when I find you there leading my way.


Amen

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

A chian mail prayer... pass it on if you like

THE ROOM

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a
class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later
told his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best
thing I ever wrote." It also was the last.

Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while
cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teary Valley High School.

Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every
piece of his life near them-notes from classmates and teachers,
his homework.

Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering
Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's
life.
But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized
that their son had described his view of heaven. "It makes such an impact
that people want to share it. You feel like you are there." Mr. Moore said.

Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving
home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in
Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck
unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family
portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point.

I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it, " Mrs.
Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's
vision of life after death.

"I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.



Brian's Essay: The Room..



In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room.
There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall
covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries
that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these
files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either
direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files,
the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I
opened it and
began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize
that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being
told, I knew exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my
life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a
detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled
with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and
exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a
sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to
see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed."

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have
Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given,"

"Jokes I Have Laughed at." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness:
"Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I
Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My
Parents.." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents.

Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I
hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had
lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of
these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this
truth. Each was written in my own handwriting.

Each signed with my signature.
When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched", I realized the
files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and
yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file.

I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast
time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run
through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test
its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.

I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost
animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one
must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room!

I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out Its size
didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it
at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single
card.

I became desperate and pulled out a card only to find it as strong as steel
when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my
forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it.. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel
With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused.
I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell
into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep.. Sobs so deep that they hurt.
They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and
cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The
rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes.

No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the
key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly
as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch
His response. And in the moments I could
bring myself to look at His face, I saw sorrow deeper than my own.

He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes.

Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me
with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped
my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked
over and put His arm around me.

He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried
with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end
of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over
mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him.

All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His
name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich,
so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine.

It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a
sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand
how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close
the last file and walk
back to my side.

He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up,
and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door.

There were still cards to be written. "I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me."-Phil. 4:13 "For God so loved the world that He gave His
only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal
life." If you feel the same way forward it to as many people as you can so
the love of Jesus will touch their lives also.

My "People I shared the gospel with" file just got bigger, how about
yours?