What To Look For In A Mate

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  Genesis 2:24


“Keep your eyes open before marriage; half-shut afterwards,” advised Ben Franklin many years ago.  Keeping your eyes open before you are married is pretty good business. The fact is that most people don’t really know the person they meet at the marriage altar, and then after the honeymoon, wake up and say, “This is not the person I thought I was marrying.” Before you say, “Yes!” to marriage, ask yourself ten questions which can well help you determine if your relationship has what it takes to make a good marriage.  If you are married, working through these ten issues can make yours a much better marriage.


QUESTION #1:  Do we share a common faith in Jesus Christ?  Why is this important?  Your concept of God and your commitment to what the Bible says affects every part of your life: How you raise your children, what you do in business, even to how you celebrate your love together.  It was because God knew that two people committed to Jesus Christ can have a far deeper personal relationship that Paul wrote, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (II Cor. 6:14).


QUESTION #2:  What do we have in common?  Music?  Art? Sports? Interest?  Or misery?  Once the honeymoon passes, mutual interests become the glue that makes relationships stay alive.  This is not to suggest that romance should die, but it is to affirm that a marriage needs more glue than sex to make it work.  Two individuals who are attracted to each other because both are from unhappy homes or backgrounds seldom find happiness by marrying another unhappy person.


QUESTION #3:  Can I love this person as he/she is?  Or, put another way, “Must I remake this person into the person I want him or her to be?”  Part of this issue is asking if you would be comfortable waking up in the morning for the rest of your life, knowing that the first person you would see is the one whom you are thinking of marrying.  Thinking that marriage will change a person into a thoughtful, caring individual who is committed and loyal is foolish thinking.  A rule-of-thumb is “As now, so then, but more so.”  In other words, a person who is thoughtful now will only be more thoughtful after marriage, but a person who is always late to meet you will only be later after you are married.


QUESTION #4:  What attracts me to this person?  An inner beauty?  He’s handsome, or rich?  Or is there integrity within to which I am drawn?  Physical beauty eventually gives way to the ravages of time, but inner beauty grows with the passing years.


QUESTION #5:  Ask, “Does this person complement me and add to my life?  Or is it a one-way transaction?”


QUESTION #6:  Do we both share common views on commitment?  In other words, are we both committed to a marriage which will last “until death do us part”?  Without commitment, there is no hope for future happiness.


QUESTION #7:  Are our family backgrounds compatible?  Important?  You bet.  The bottom line is you don’t marry a person; you marry a family.  Take a lingering look before you say “Yes.”


QUESTION #8:  Am I willing to be treated as his or her parents treat each other?   We tend to replay in our marriages what we have grown up with, what we have seen first-hand at home.


QUESTION #9:  How does the person I am thinking of spending the rest of my life with respond to trouble and pressure?  Can it be faced?  Can he or she forgive?  Can we pray together, or is prayer strained and awkward?


QUESTION #10:  Do I really know this person?  Can we communicate and share our hearts, or is our relationship strictly physical?


A closing thought:  There are no guarantees for future happiness, but you can be reasonably sure that if you come up with “yes” answers to these ten tough questions, you will find the happiness you really want.


Resource reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13


https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-to-look-for-in-a-mate/

ABS-CBN HD

ABS-CBN HD was a Philippine pay television channel, working as the high-definition feed of ABS-CBN. It was launched on October 3, 2015 initially on Sky Cable and Destiny Cable and later on iWant, Sky On Demand, and Sky Direct, broadcasting in 1080i at a frame rate of 50 fps (via Sky Direct).


Background


In 2007, ABS-CBN produced the first ever Filipino TV series to be shot in high-definition, Rounin, a science fiction, fantasy series created by Erik Matti. This was followed by Budoy in 2011. Prior to this, big budget series like Esperanza, Mula Sa Puso, Pangako Sa 'Yo, and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay were shot in 16mm film with a 4:3 aspect ratios while low budget series on the other hand were shot in smaller formats. Beginning with Be Careful With My Heart in 2012, all of ABS-CBN's TV series were all produced in high-definition format. Ningning is the first Filipino TV series to be broadcast in HD on October 5, 2015 while Maalaala Mo Kaya is the first mini-series to do so the day before. On the other hand, the first ever locally produced live entertainment program to be broadcast in HD is the musical variety show ASAP on October 4, 2015, while TV Patrol Weekend was the first live news program of the network to transition to HD on April 1, 2018.


On April 19, 2009, Sony announced the acquisition of ABS-CBN of 24 units of its Sony high-definition professional video cameras through a press release published on Sony's official website.


On July 11, 2009, ABS-CBN launched a high definition feed of Balls in SkyCable under the name Balls HD, the first local high-definition TV channel in the history of Philippine television. In the same day, Balls HD broadcast the first locally produced coverage of an event in high-definition, the UAAP Season 72 basketball game which was produced by ABS-CBN Sports.


In addition, two of its three news helicopters are capable of transmitting high-definition live feeds from its 5 axis gimbal HD camera mounted on the aircraft.


On April 20, 2010, Ikegami, a Japanese manufacturer of professional and broadcast television equipment announced the acquisition of ABS-CBN of 75 units of Ikegami high-definition professional video cameras for electronic news gathering.


On October 3, 2015, ABS-CBN launched a high-definition feed in SkyCable and Destiny Cable under the name ABS-CBN HD. This marked the Philippines' first commercial television network to be launched in high-definition. The said channel would broadcast selected shows of ABS-CBN in true high-definition picture while the remaining shows would be broadcast in upscaled standard definition picture with pillarbox to preserve its original 4:3 aspect ratio.


On June 1, 2017, UHD broadcast started.


On April 1, 2018, all ABS-CBN news shows shown on the network such as Umagang Kay Ganda, TV Patrol, and Bandila started broadcasting in full high definition just like most shows that air on the said channel.


Channel advantage


ABS-CBN UHD is a comprehensive program channel. The program content covers news, variety shows, sports, etc. The 4K program resolution reaches 3840×2160, which is 4 times clearer than the 1080p Full HD signal. Compared with the current mainstream high-definition video, 4K ultra-definition programs have more transparent pictures, more realistic sceneries, richer colors, and more realistic sound effects. It can be said that the combination of ultra-definition video and large-screen TV truly breaks the simple viewing mode between the viewer and the TV, and realizes an immersive and interactive experience of being in it and being on the scene.


In order to build a world-class new mainstream media, ABS-CBN has deployed advanced technology as its lead, in-depth research and application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G networks, big data, cloud computing, etc., to fully promote the construction of 4K ultra-high-definition television technology system. Firmly grasp the initiative in the development and application of core technologies, and strive to achieve leapfrog development.


Focusing on the development strategy of 4K Ultra-high-definition television, ABS-CBN UHD was a brand-new 4K Ultra-high-definition television production and broadcasting technology system, fully supporting 4K "collecting, editing, broadcasting, storing, and transmitting", through 4K Ultra-high-definition television channels carry out application practices and establish new industry standards.


As the flagship property owned by the media and entertainment company ABS-CBN Corporation, the channel was broadcast from 3:57 am to 2:30 am Monday to Thursday, 3:57 am to 3 am Friday, 4 am to 2 am Saturday and 5:30 am to 1:30 am Sunday at the beginning of the broadcast. The channel will be broadcast for 24 hours on September 10 to 25, 2022 during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.


The content of the ABS-CBN UHD mainly includes 4K UHD TV programs such as documentaries, live sports live videos, news features, cartoons, film and television dramas, etc., and it also undertakes UHD broadcasts of major domestic and foreign events and specials. Signal broadcast, especially the State of the Nation Address, Holy Week, Anniversary and Christmas celebration of Catholic Charismatic group El Shaddai, feast of the Black Nazarene, the annual grand massive crusade at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila and the ultra-high-definition signal broadcast of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2022.

Philippines may end 2020 with 480,000 COVID-19 cases: OCTA

(UPDATE) - The Philippines may end the year with 480,000 cases of COVID-19 infections based on the current trajectory, hitting the lower end of earlier projections, OCTA research group said Friday.


An earlier monitoring report from the group pegged cases to reach 470,000 to 500,000, but current trends show the lower end is more likely, said Dr. Guido David of the OCTA research team.


"Right now, actually, we are projected to reach the lower end of our projection, which is closer to 470,000. It looks like we’re going to reach something like 475,000 to 480,000 but that is with the current trajectory," he told ANC's Headstart.


"If the situation worsens a little bit, we might get closer to 500,000. But right now, that is not the case," he said.


David said latest data show that the number of cases is decreasing, with less than 2,000 new infections reported everyday nationwide and only about 400 in Metro Manila. However, he said there are indicators that "an uptick might already be starting."


"We don’t have the full details yet because these are just indicators—this could be something that would not transpire—but we would know more by next week if the uptick is continuing to grow. In that case, a surge or at least an uptick might happen in Metro Manila," he said.


The Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,383 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total to 445,540.


Despite this, David said the group is not recommending a hard lockdown at the moment, noting that "the situation in Metro Manila is the best it has been...since early August."


He said the group is closely monitoring numbers from the Cagayan region, which was recently devastated by consecutive typhoons and where there was a reported surge in cases.


"The increase in cases in Isabela and Cagayan is most likely attributed to the recent typhoon and we know that it takes about 1 to 2 weeks after an event before we see an increase in cases. That’s what we're seeing now," he said.


"It might not be a long-term situation in Cagayan and Isabela. They’re probably close to managing it and we know that in many provinces, especially those with lower population, they tend to manage surges very quickly," he added, while also noting that more testing needs to be done in these areas.


As Christmastime nears, David echoes calls to limit gatherings to a maximum of 10 people, with activities such as karaoke singing prohibited.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/11/20/philippines-may-end-2020-with-480000-covid-19-cases-octa

Cinemo: Relaunching


Cine Mo!, a pay TV channel owned by Creative Programs, Inc. and ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (content provider) will do a makeover on June 30, 2022, that it shows 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s local movies and specials in all genres with movie-related shows, ex. showbiz news, original programs Sagot Ka ni Kuya Jobert and Funny Ka, Pare Ko and also the shorts Cine 'To and Trabahanap, commercial-free. But the movie premiere on Sunday, 1 or 2 encores only. However, when a movie is not yet airing, it shows The Day in Movie History, trivias and more segments and much, much more. Hence, the slogan of the channel says it all "Hari Ka Rito!"


The channel started to broadcast in 4K UHDTV and 1080p HDTV and broadcasting 24 hours a day on the same day.