Friday, May 14, 2010

Odds and Ends 5/14/10

Celtics oust James' Cavaliers in six games

The Boston Celtics beat Cleveland 94-85 Thursday to reach the National Basketball Association playoff semi-finals, sending LeBron James into a possible uncertain future with the Cavaliers.

(Kevin Garnet spoke to an apparently dejected Lebron James after the game)

"'You have a very, very, very bright future. Continue to work and make decisions based on you and your family.' 'That is the best advice I can give...'"

Amen to that.
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Noynoy may not take oath before Corona

TARLAC CITY , Philippines - Anyone except Justice Renato Corona.

Presidential race frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III revealed he is contemplating on taking his oath as the new president before any magistrate but not before newly appointed Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“I’m considering it (not taking oath under Corona),” Aquino said, stressing the appointment of Corona by President Arroyo is questionable and “inappropriate.

Not so good a sign for a smooth transition.
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Bishops remind Aquino of Church’s stand on RH Bill


MANILA, Philippines—Roman Catholic bishops around the country Thursday aired their support for “president-in-waiting” Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in his promise to fight poverty and corruption, but reminded that the Church’s stand on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill would never change.

Before anything else, the RH Bill needs to be re-filed in the forthcoming 15th Congress. If so, it will be the fourth time that the same bill is filed. The indefatigable Rep Edcel Lagman has vowed to do so in the Lower House. I remember that he quit all his House committee memberships just to focus on the RH bill. I hope his heart and legs can still stand it. On the other hand, staunch RH bill co-sponsor and avid advocate Rep Risa Hontiveros also vowed that once she wins in the Senate race, she will likewise re-file the Senate RH Bill counterpart. Looks like her vow is all for naught. Ms Hontiveros seems stuck at the losing 13th place in the senatorial race for 12 seats, still a formidable million votes behind 12th placer Guingona. Maybe she can start looking for someone sympathetic in the Senate to re-file the bill for her. At any rate, it remains to be seen whether Noynoy and the Congress leadership endorses it as priority legislative agenda.

As for Risa Hontiveros...maybe she should listen to Kevin Garnet's advise.
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Willy,
Check out this link. Are the RH Bill opponents using this?

- TE

WillyJ said...

TE,
Yes, Pope JP2's TOB is included in the potent arsenal of the Prolife group. It also has a special place in combating same-sex marriage. The RH bill is easily quashed from a theological perspective, while secular arguments reinforce the arguments. The RH bill advocacy in the Philippine setting is so defective that, personally, I believe plain, secular arguments will be enough do dispel it even from a strictly secular (and objective) view.

Anonymous said...

Theology aside, this article presents the issues from an economist's point of view. It's a bit awkwardly amusing using terms like "poaching" and "competitive advantage" in the context of sex and marriage, but nevertheless, to my mind, gives clear secular reasons why the RH Bill shouldn't see the light of day.
- TE

WillyJ said...

Well that is a fresh take on the issue, and from the review looks like a very compelling article. I haven't heard of the "economic market analysis" before, with respect to contraceptives. I hope I can get the full text of that article by Timothy Reichert. Will do some web searches. Thanks for the tip, TE. I guess some people will get hit on the head with this.

Anonymous said...

Willy,

While you're at it, might as well take a look at this one, too.

- TE

WillyJ said...

TE,
Great, and I found the full article here.

Anonymous said...

Willy,
The full article, including graphics, is also available from Amazon. I fully agree with his analysis. CFC, HOLD and other women's initiatives should get a copy of this article. Maybe they can start a groundswell. Maybe they can push for a new bill - one that protects the dignity and worth of women and children and one that is consistent with Pope JP's TOB.
- TE

WillyJ said...

Ok I will circulate it first in the CFC Prolife Ministry in NB, as well as in our Diocesan Family and Life Ministry in Cubao. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

WillyJ,
do you think Ma'am Monsod should get a copy? She used to be NEDA, right? She'd understand the economics viewpoint.
- TE

WillyJ said...

TE,
I am not too sure Prof Monsod would look at this favorably. She is co-author of a position paper from the UP School Of Economics which endorses the RH bill. I guess it won't hurt if she gets a copy though. Right now, I think the Church is making a right move - seeking an audience with president-elect Aquino to discuss the RH bill. Among the first things on the mind of a newly-installed president is the legislative agenda to certify as urgent. The thing is, last 14th Congress, we were surprised that the RH-bill was already positioned at 17th in the queue.