Saturday, December 5, 2020
Friday, December 4, 2020
Why Our Tendency To Label People Is Wrong
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7
Philip Yancey tells how he once visited a prison, and observed that the men who were incarcerated there were caged like animals behind doors of steel, but what left the lasting impression on him was that over each door was a sign stamped in large black letters which read: Murderer, Rapist, Armed Robber, Child beater, and on and on. The strange thing about human nature is that we all try to package and label people, and in so doing, we trap them inside a box as certainly as though we slammed the steel door shut, pinning the sign overhead. Was that not the same rationale when a sign was affixed to the cross in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew reading, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews"?
There are hundreds of labels: political labels such as Socialist, Communist, Republican, Democrat, Activist, Radical and others. There are religious labels too: Calvinist, Armenian, Reformed, Dispensationalist, Charismatic, Orthodox, Neo‑ Evangelical, Fundamentalist and a few dozen more. It's almost as though we could take a person, put a label on him, and cram him into a neat little package‑‑usually one which we would just as soon misplace. There are social labels too‑‑Liar, Cheat, Drunk, Thief, Hooker, Lesbian, Queer, Swinger and so forth. One mistake or failure‑‑especially if you are not too fond of a person‑‑and he is labeled.
Did you ever hear anyone say, "What else could you expect from him‑‑he's always been a cheat." I have heard parents try to excuse their children, or rather to single one out from the others, saying, "She always reacts like that...she's been a liar since she was a child...you can never believe what she says." The tragedy of labels‑‑especially in the social category‑‑is that our labels often tend to produce the kind of behavior we disdain and abhor. "He's got bad blood in him‑‑gets it from his father's side." One woman told me this; speaking of her son as though some inherent tendency to do evil had been transmitted genetically.
I am not sure where we homo sapiens got our tendency to label and box other people, but it most certainly was not from Jesus. In His three years of public ministry Jesus encountered all kinds of people‑‑prostitutes, oppressed minorities, rural fishermen, businessmen, housewives and government officials. Yet in every case He accepted them on their own merit and received them each as a person of dignity and value, realizing that His power could make each person into a different individual.
To Matthew, Jesus said, "Follow me;" He didn't say, "You filthy tax‑thief, come follow me and I'll straighten you out." He could have rejected the prostitute at the well of Samaria‑‑after all, others did‑‑but instead He forgave her. Today's devotional is two‑fold: For you who feel labeled, realize that God forgives you and accepts you as you are now. He does not demand a do‑it‑yourself improvement program and then take you on after you have succeeded; but rather He says just "Follow me." When a baby comes into the world, he bears only the label "created in the image of God," and when we come into His presence, God sees no labels, only a child who needs forgiveness and healing from the Father.
The second thing is: be careful how you label and package people. Your label may be an iron‑clad strait‑jacket keeping somebody in the very slot that you disdain. Labels seldom really fit. As Phil Yancey says, "When I meet a person, I can either box him in by labeling or free him up by looking for the person of worth inside. The choice is mine."
Resource reading: John 4:1-29
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-our-tendency-to-label-people-is-wrong/
Amid back-to-back crises, ABS-CBN thanks artists who ‘chose to stay with us’
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| ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak opens the ‘Star Magic Shines On’ media event with a speech thanking Kapamilya stars. |
At a media event held by the network’s talent agency, fittingly titled “Star Magic Shines On,” ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and newly appointed Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi each thanked Kapamilya stars who continue to be part of the company.
The event saw eight current Star Magic artists — Kim Chiu, Jane de Leon, Enchong Dee, JM de Guzman, Andrea Brillantes, Kira Balinger, Joseph Marco, and Robi Domingo — sign exclusive contracts with ABS-CBN.
It also introduced new Star Magic talents — the ABS-CBN-trained P-pop groups BINI and Star Hunt Academy Boys — who similarly inked contracts with the network.
“Ang hirap-hirap po ng taong 2020,” Katigbak said in a speech opening the event. “But ABS-CBN has always been at its best in its most difficult times. This year is no exception.”
Compounding the halt of showbiz due to the coronavirus pandemic, ABS-CBN was denied a fresh broadcast franchise by the Duterte administration, forcing it off free television and radio, and resulting in the retrenchment of thousands of its workers.
“Our commitment to serve the public is the foundation of our company,” Katigbak said. “And so, even without everything that we’re used to, we have not stopped finding new ways to be in the service of the Filipino.”
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| (From left) Star Magic artists JM de Guzman, Enchong Dee, Kira Balinger, Kim Chiu, Jane de Leon, Andrea Brillantes, Joseph Marco, and Robi Domingo each signed an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN on Friday. |
Katigbak then addressed the stars, whom he said “represent ABS-CBN to the world outside.”
“Kayo po ang nagbibigay ng liwanag at ligaya sa ating mga Kapamilya,” he said, referencing the recently released ABS-CBN Christmas ID.
“Thank you for choosing to be part of our mission. Thank you for believing in our company. And thank you for supporting us in our most difficult moments.”
Over the months since ABS-CBN’s free-TV and radio broadcast were forced shut, many of its stars, both homegrown and long-time contract talents, rallied behind the network through social media and by joining demonstrations.
Among them were the eight Star Magic artists who formalized being an exclusive ABS-CBN talent on Friday.
“I hope you believe, as we do, that working in ABS-CBN is not just a career move, it’s not just a job; it’s a calling to serve.”
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| Newly appointed Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi welcomes new artists to the talent agency on Friday. |
Katigbak ended his message by introducing Dyogi as the new head of Star Magic, succeeding founder Johnny Manahan and Mariole Alberto.
“Thank you to Mr. M and Mariole, Star Magic is known to produce, to hone, and to manage the brightest and most talented stars in Philippine show business,” Dyogi said.
“Today, we continue this legacy and tradition.”
Dyogi, known in showbiz as Direk Lauren following his visible stints as “Star Circle Quest” judge and “Pinoy Big Brother” director, is also head of ABS-CBN’s entertainment production.
“As we welcome new artists to the Star Magic family,” he said, “we also want to express our deepest gratitude to the Star Magic artists chose to stay with us, as we continue to rebuild and explore new opportunities.”
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Is There Such A Thing As Fate?
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Is there such a thing as fate, or is fate simply the whipping-boy of human experience, a catch-all for what we cannot explain? The Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines fate as "that which remains destined to happen." Our English word comes from the Latin fatum which meant something ordained from the gods. It grew out of a story from Greek mythology which involves three goddesses. The first, Clotho, or the Spinner, was supposed to weave the thread of life while the second, Lachesis, or the Disposer of Lots, determined the length of the thread. It was the third in the trilogy, Atrophos, or the Inflexible One, who allegedly cut the thread of life causing fate to strike its sinister blow.
Today it is common for people to blame fate for all kinds of things over which we have no control, whether it is a bolt of lightning or the assassination of a world leader. Is there such a thing as fate or chance? If there is a sovereign God who directs in the affairs of mankind, fate is not a viable option.
The Bible, and in particular the writings of the New Testament, tells us that God intervenes in the affairs of humanity, that all history is moving towards a fixed point of reference when time is absorbed by eternity and life as we know it comes to an end. But what of our personal affairs? How emphatic is God's intervention in the everyday affairs of life and living?
First, the New Testament says it is not Atropos or fate who cuts the thread of life. Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) says, "It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment." Paul addressed the issue of fate for the child of God when he wrote to believers at Ephesus saying that God " works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will," (Ephesians 1:11). The book of Romans says very clearly there is no fate for the child of God who walks according to his Father's will. Remember the comforting words, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Sounds good, right? But does it translate into life when things go wrong? Is God likewise responsible for wrong things as well? When something happens which doesn't quite fit into the scheme of things as I think it should, I ask three questions:
Question #1: "Is Satan opposing me?" And there are times when clearly he has hindered the work of God. If Satan hindered Paul from coming to the Thessalonians when he wanted to do so, why shouldn't he be able to hinder us today?
Question #2: Has God allowed this difficulty as discipline in my life to bring me back into his will?" (Please make a note of Proverbs 3 and Hebrews 12, which tell us it is because God loves us that He disciplines us just as a father does his children.)
Question #3: "Is this simply a combination of circumstances which are the result of the fact that Satan has cursed our Earth, for which there isn't any particular deep spiritual significance—say, a flat tire or an appliance which has worn out?" Naturally these irritations try our patience, but I can't really see the intervention of either God or the devil in some things, though God can use everything to shape us and bring our lives into conformity with His plan.
How did you answer that question, "Is there such a thing as fate?" For God's children, the will of the Father rules out chance, fate, or even luck. That's a fact.
Resource reading: Romans 8:19-39
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/is-there-such-a-thing-as-fate/
Look: Opening song Winter Dawn by China Central Television
Winter Morning is the music played by CCTV-1, CCTV-7, CCTV-10, CCTV-13 and CCTV-14 at about six in the morning. It is equipped with pictures of mountains and nature and the city's prosperity.
The real first version of morning song is exactly the same as the background music of the current morning song, but the picture is completely different from this. At the beginning, the second scene in the ending song of the second edition was played backwards, then the sunrise at Beijing Railway Station, and a ship sailed across the sea on the way, and finally ended with blue sky and white clouds.
The 1998 version of Morning Song is stretched and not remade
So why, after February 2009 cctv1 replaced by a new CCTV package, then cctv1 to begin broadcasting high-definition, directly replaced now Alba (7 sets [now 17] sets also replace the morning on August 1 Song and closing song. 1 set after September 28, 2009, the last id of morning song is cctv1, which is still in use today; 7 sets were disabled after being changed to 17 sets; cctv9 was also used after 2013). Only 13 of this version in the video is still in use, and 14 was deactivated in September this year.
It’s the same now, but it’s a high-definition remake. Now the news channel’s packaging is okay, and the studio is also good, but the studio always has echoes, it’s uncomfortable to listen to, and the earth’s water still exists...
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Why You Should Cultivate Excellence In Your Life
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
The greatest accomplishments in life–believe it or not–are made not by the smartest people in the world but by those who didn’t know enough to quit. They were the ones who kept plodding, who kept practicing, who kept investigating until they stumbled onto success. That fact was driven home to me when I was studying in the university. There were two men in my classes who were geniuses. Their IQs were way up there. At the end of a class, they slapped their books shut and didn’t open them. They were smart.
Frankly, I was among those who dug it out. People thought I was really gifted; no, I knew how to work and study. My parents spent hard earned money and sent me to school to study, not party. I knew why I was there and made the most of my opportunity.
Learning to apply myself was something I happened to grow up with, but everybody doesn’t have a dad who cuts off the handles of brooms, making them short enough for a kid to use, or has you work alongside him. But you can learn to work. You can develop discipline yourself. You can set goals and eventually get there.
One of my heroes was a Kiwi from down under, Sir Edmund Hillary, who with his Sherpa guide, Tensing, crested Mount Everest for the first time. Awesome achievement, and that was before a lot of the high-tech gear which climbers use today. When asked how he accomplished this when others had failed, he replied that when he was tempted to turn back, he took just one more step.
William Carey, the father of modern missions, said that his greatest ability was to plod in the face of adversity. When Thomas Edison had tried 10,000 ways to produce an incandescent globe and hadn’t succeeded, he was urged to quit. He responded that he had found 10,000 ways that didn’t work. He would eventually find what would work. He did! I have sometimes wondered how many determined, stubborn individuals we have today with that tenacity.
The foundation of our modern achievements was laid by thousands of unknown individuals who lived in obscurity and died unknown, who faithfully contributed to what has enabled us to send men to the moon, to circle the globe with communication, and to accomplish great and mighty things. They laid the foundation we have built upon through research, hard work, and trial and error. Their strength and energy, like a gradually falling barometer, were meted out in hard work, years of often-unrecognized service, and blood, sweat and tears. But they did not quit. They did not look for something with less work and with more money attached to it.
I have been told that in a European Cathedral, high in the rafters where no one ever goes, are some intricate carvings of exquisite beauty, done by a master craftsman whose name has long since been lost to posterity. Why did he take time to do some of his finest work, using an abutment of wood that will never be seen by the public? He valued excellence. He took seriously the admonition of the Bible that instructs: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Cultivate excellence. Make it a passion. Refuse to let the world and our culture shove you into the mold of mediocrity. Whether or not you reach the top, you are building a foundation, and upon your shoulders someday, someone will reach the top. Thank God for teachers who inspire excellence, for mothers who have the patience to bring the best out of their children, for dads who have the patience to find the tools their little boy left somewhere and show them how to use them. Indeed.
Resource reading: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-you-should-cultivate-excellence-in-your-life/
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
God Gives Strength In The Broken Places
To all who mourn in Israel he will give: Beauty for ashes; Joy instead of mourning; Praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3, Living Bible
Ernest Hemingway, wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”[1] In this, Hemmingway was right. Ours is an imperfect, broken world. You discover your spouse has been unfaithful to you for years. A doctor breaks the news that you have inoperable cancer and will lose your leg. Your son is arrested for drunk driving. Or, the promotion that you deserved went to someone less qualified.
Everyone is broken eventually, but only some mend stronger because of it. “Out of the presses of pain” wrote A. B. Simpson, “Come the soul’s best wine.”[2] When the remarkable Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, became disabled from a fall, she spent the next 20 years of her life confined to bed. Instead of crying out in anger, she ran to Jesus for strength and comfort. Those years which she spent immobile were some of her best as she wrote, counseled the unending stream of people who came to her, and prayed for India and the world. “Some get strong in the broken places,” said Hemingway.
When prolonged sickness slowly took the life of her husband, Lettie Burd Cowman wrote a daily devotional based on her hardships and experiences of fellowship with God during this painful time. Her little book, Streams in the Desert, was so loved by Chang Kai Shek, the Chinese leader, that both this book and the Bible were placed in his casket at his death. Yes, some get strong in the broken places.
Sometimes God allows the breaking which eventually produces something of great value, having been in the fire, having sustained the blows of life, having grown strong in the broken places, as Hemingway put it.
Joni Eareckson Tada was just 17 years old when a diving accident left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. She went on to become a spokesperson on disability and founded Joni and Friends, a global ministry to the disabled community. “My wheelchair was the key to seeing all this happen—especially since God’s power always shows up best in weakness. So here I sit … glad that I have not been healed on the outside, but glad that I have been healed on the inside. Healed from my own self-centered wants and wishes,”[3] she wrote. Joni is strong even in the places that remain broken until heaven.
Who said that life is fair or just? When Hemingway felt devastated by the world’s breaking, as he termed it, he ended his life in suicide. When Lettie Burd Cowman, Amy Carmichael and Joni Eareckson Tada felt the crushing, unexpected blows of life, they turned to God and found solace and strength. To those who suffer, God promised “Beauty for ashes; Joy instead of mourning; Praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory” (Isaiah 61:3, Living Bible).
You can be certain of one thing. Nothing that happens to you as God’s child can happen apart from His knowledge and His will, and nothing which life throws at you can carry you beyond His grace and care. God doesn’t fix everything in the here and now, but He gives grace for everything, and that makes the difference which produces strength in the broken place.
In the Book of Genesis, when Jacob ran for his life from his angry brother, Esau, Jacob turned to the Lord. His encounter was characterized by physically wrestling with the Angel of the Lord. From that point on, he walked with a limp—the sign of his broken body and spirit, but God gave him a new name, Israel, and used him to give birth to a nation (Genesis 32).
Never forget that following the brokenness of an imperfect world, God gives strength in the broken place.
Resource reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/god-gives-strength-in-the-broken-places/
TV Coverage of the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
At this time to prepare the coverage, ABS- CBN executives led by chairman Eugenio Lopez III, president and CEO Charo Santos-Concio and COO for broadcast Cory Vidanes that the broadcast rights of the regional multi-sport event to be held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. This company, along with the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to sign an agreement to air this event in February 24, 2006, three months after the Philippines hosted the Southeast Asian Games.
Thus, the ABS-CBN corporation, it's sports division ABS-CBN Sports, it's TV channels, ABS-CBN and Studio 23, cable channels Balls and DZMM TeleRadyo and AM radio station DZMM, to cover the 2007 edition of Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand live nationwide and worldwide on all platforms - TV, Radio, Internet via Facebook and Youtube on PC, smartphones and tablets.
Rappler is the Official Webcast Partner and bringing Live Chat Updates and MEDAL TALLY from Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The replay of 2007 Southeast Asian Games sporting events such as swimming competitions (morning heats and evening finals) will be uploaded via Rappler's official YouTube channel.
TV network resident announcer Peter Musngi and Chinapaps are they doing the 100-day countdown promotional plug for the regional sports event.
The anchors and hosts of this coverage are Paolo Abrera, Julius Babao, Karmina Constantino, Jorge Carino, Ron Cruz, Karen Davila, Ces Drilon, Alvin Elchico, Ted Failon, Gretchen Fullido, Mico Halili, Zen Hernandez, Henry Omaga-Diaz, Korina Sanchez, Alex Santos, Bernadette Sembrano and Boyet Sison, while commentators are Dyan Castillejo, Boom Gonzales, Gretchen Ho, Doc Ian Laurel, Gretchen Malalad, TJ Manotoc and Mozzy Ravena.
ABS-CBN Star Magic artists such as swimmer and 2007 UAAP MVP Enchong Dee and taekwondo jin Japoy Lizardo, as well figure skater Michael Martinez are the athletes of the event.
Dee is the swimmer in the Nakhon Ratchasima Games who failed to win a medal in the men's 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events.
4-time swimming gold medalist Miguel Molina was named the Most Valuable Male Player of the 2007 SEA Games, the third Filipino to bag the major award for outstanding SEA Games performance after Akiko Thomson in 1989 Kuala Lumpur Games and Eric Buhain in the 1991 Manila Games.
Aside from swimmer Dee and taekwondo jin Lizardo are Kyle Arrieta, Eugene Herrera, Prince Carlos and Franco Hernandez, they was able to spend more days to take photographs in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
While besides next to Dee and Lizardo, Arrieta, Herrera, Carlos and Hernandez are former noontime show co-host Christine Jacob Sandejas, she will take photos on Facebook using Canon EOS during the swimming competitions.
Jacob-Sandejas is barring from leaving the Philippines for Thailand, she and their group are using the Thai Airways flight for Bangkok on December 2.
The country has 41 golds, 91 silvers and 96 bronzes and placed 6th in the medal tally.
The replay of 2007 Southeast Asian Games sporting events, along with opening and closing ceremonies shot in 16:9 1080i HD will be uploaded via Rappler's official YouTube channel.
ABS-CBN still has the Kapamilya campaign, which has been with the network since January 1, 2000. The Kapamilya campaign of ABS-CBN was first done in coinciding ABS-CBN’s two grand events: the network’s Philippine Independence Centennial party at Expo Filipino in June 1998, and the nationwide and worldwide multimedia year-end broadcast “The ABS-CBN Worldwide Celebration of the New Millennium” last December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000 and the papal coverage "Thank You sa Malasakit: Pope Francis sa Pilipinas" last January 15 to 19, 2015.
Eighteen of the top 20 highest rated TV shows for 2007 were from ABS-CBN as well, according to Kantar Media.
The primetime drama series of two networks were pushed back for up to two hours.
Plebisito sa paghahati ng Palawan, planong gawin sa Marso 13, 2021
PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan, Dis. 1 (PIA) -- Ipinapanukala ngayon ng Commission on Election (COMELEC) provincial office na sa Marso 13, 2021 isagawa ang plebisito para sa paghahati ng Palawan sa tatlong probinsiya.
Gayunpaman, ayon kay Shiela Guno, itinalagang lider ng plebiscite team kinakailangan pang aprubahan ito ng Comelec en banc, kung kaya dadaan pa sa proseso ang magiging pinal na petsa.
Aniya, nagpapatuloy pa sa kasalukuyan ang pagbuo ng opisyal na guidelines para sa gagawing plebisito, subalit patuloy rin ang kanilang pakikipag-ugnayan sa pamahalaang panlalawigan ng Palawan kaugnay sa mga ipatutupad na panuntunang pangkalusugan sakaling matuloy na ito.
Ang plebesito ay naunang naitakda nitong Mayo 2020 subalit hindi natuloy dahil sa pagkakaroon ng pandemya dulot ng coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Nitong Oktubre, inanunsiyo ng Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) Against COVID-19 na sa taong 2021 na magaganap ang plebisito.
Sinabi rin ni Guno na plano nilang idaos ng isang araw lamang ang botohan sa halip na dalawang araw na siyang pinahihintulutan ng IATF. (LBD/PIAMIMAROPA)
Ways to Receive Signals
Ways to Receive Signals of Digital Terrestrial Television
In general, TV households within the signal coverage area of the transmission stations mentioned above should be able to receive DTT broadcasting signals with the use of standalone full band antennas in reasonably good condition and DTT receivers (i.e. the set-top boxes or the integrated digital television). After performing the “auto searching” function, the DTT receiver will automatically tune to DTT channels and display the channel numbers.
For households within the signal coverage area who are receiving television broadcasting signals through in-building communal aerial broadcast distribution (CABD) systems, the CABD system owners and managers of the buildings concerned have to install an appropriate DTT channel receiving equipment in the system before these households can receive the TV broadcasting signals from UHF TV Channel 62.
