article bout the pope

Touching America

He was both a critic and an inspiration. How John Paul II divided our nation with his bold stances.By Melinda HennebergerContributing EditorNewsweekApril 11 issue -

For all of his grandfatherly warmth, Pope John Paul II was a dependably harsh critic of American culture. He disapproved of our consumerism. He opposed our wars. And though fiercely anti-communist, he argued for the kind of structural economic change his staunchest friends in the United States would have called socialism. On the first of his four papal trips here, in the fall of 1979, John Paul bluntly compared Americans to the rich man in the Bible story who is damned for all eternity after a life spent feasting-contentedly oblivious to Lazarus, the beggar who longed for the scraps from his table. "It is not right," the pope preached in English at a mass in Yankee Stadium, "that the standard of living of the rich countries should seek to maintain itself by draining off a great part of the reserves of energy and raw materials that are meant for the whole of humanity."The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and editor of the Roman Catholic magazine America, says he will never forget that moment. "He looks out and says, 'You are the rich man and Lazarus is at your gate, and it's the Third World.' That's scary! But we applauded, went home and went back to life as usual." It was the pope's pronouncements on sexual issues-from birth control to homosexuality-that got all the media attention, of course. Yet John Paul never stopped decrying our "excesses of capitalism." Last summer, after the pope lectured American bishops that their people were "hypnotized by materialism, teetering before a soulless vision of the world," the Catholic writer Eugene Kennedy responded: "Pope John Paul II might as well be French for the studied distaste he expresses about America."Most of us took no offense. As Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington put it, the reaction of many American Catholics has been, "I'm not sure I agree with him. But, oh, I love the Holy Father." And though his word was far from universally heeded, John Paul had a significant spiritual and intellectual influence on his American flock.A former philosophy professor and prolific writer, John Paul reinvigorated Catholic intellectual life in America and, in the series of discourses known as the Theology of the Body, authored what might well be the most idealized paean to sex in marriage since the Song of Solomon. At a time when church teaching had been reduced to the level of a JESUS IS LOVE bumper sticker, he reintroduced at least the ideal of a certain rigor in religious education. At the same time, he set off a panic in Catholic universities here by forcing a handful of theologians out of their teaching jobs after deeming them insufficiently orthodox.John Paul leaves his church in the United States in middling shape; while the number of Catholics here continues to grow, mainly due to immigration, the number of priests continues to fall. Seminary enrollment took yet another hit after the sex-abuse scandals of 2002. Only a third of American Catholics now attend mass in any given week, compared with twice that a generation ago.John Paul's most striking legacy in this country, however, is his influence on younger priests and lay Catholics. "We have what I would call 'John Paul II students' now," says University of Notre Dame theology professor Lawrence Cunningham. "We have a significant minority of students interested in his Theology of the Body and in retrieving devotions like the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that we haven't seen since before Vatican II."That he was on the side of both the condemned and the unborn never ceased to puzzle those intent on placing him somewhere-but where?-on the usual left-right continuum. Some saw his influence in the erosion of public support for the death penalty here. Others assumed he was the Bush-Cheney team's man in Rome. John Paul's influence on American political life was almost surely overestimated.But his spiritual influence will endure. When the pope's admirers speak of him, they often cite St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians: "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" With John Paul, the sound was never uncertain. And the battles he prepared us for certainly do not end with him. © 2005 Newsweek, Inc.© 2005 MSNBC.comURL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7369922/site/newsweek/

my comm med posting

classes has officialy started after we were made to endure two weeks of 'motivational' orientation program. having ppl preaching and ordering you wat to do for two weeks is a bit to much for me since im not to good at taking orders from ppl. anyway, am now doing my community medicine posting in the MHC(maternal and child health care) department at two goverment polikilinik which are actually primary health care centers. doctors comes in only at certain days. the place is actually run by nurses and trained midwifes. if there is any serious case, the patients will be refered to the doctors in general hospital. so far, we are just observing most of the procedures. we are not allowed to actively participate yet. the nurses at the MHC are very helpful and friendly. they are more than ready to teach and accomodate us. of course the onus is on us to ask questions. as one nurse said, 'kena tanya eh... tak tanya tak ajar, tau!'
been meeting lots of pregnant ladies and crying babies. i swear to you, some of the babies must have built in speakers in their body. my lord, the way they can scream and shout. there was this 2year old boy who was brought in for his normal checkup and antihelmenthic treatment(they are given zentel to eradicate worm infestations). but the poor fella thought he was gonna get jabbed. so he was screaming and trying to fight off his mother and the nurse. when he was brought into the room, he was holding onto the door edge for dear life and refused to let go. and the mom had to pull at him. thought i'll only see this in calvin and hobbes comic strip. they eventually managed to get the boy into the room and shoot a syringe full zentel into his mouth. initially he was crying but when he realised that that was it he said, 'hmmm sedap. ada lagi kak??'
next week onwards we will be allowed to participate on all the procedures.
cant wait to inject my first baby.hehe......

earthquake

i was studying in my room when i suddenly felt myself moving from side to side. it was more of a dizzy feeling rather than a physical swaying from side to side. initially, i thought that i was having a headache. so i stood up and walked around my room. everything looked and felt normal. nothing was shaking. when i sat down. it started again. i was begining to think i was having some kind of brain tumor or sorts. hehee. it never occured to me that it was tremors from an earthquake until my gf called from the hostels behind my house. it seems the whole hostel building was shaking. all the students and lecturers had to evacuate the building. when the shaking started some of the girls thought that their rooms were haunted so they started screaming. of course some of them just slept thru it. but once they were woken up by their friends, they to joined in the screaming. if there really were ghosts around, they themselves would have been screaming in fear of the girls. anyway, everything settled down. some of the ppl i know were praying that no tidal wave would come and sweep their new Gen2 away while others like me just said, 'ooo...thats god telling me to close my books and go to sleep.' so i slept.

doctors aint god

if you think that the safest place to have a heart attack is when you are among doctors, think again!!! few days ago, there was a health meeting attended by all the top and senior doctors in kedah. during the course of the meeting, one of them had a heart attack. he probably thought nothing serious would happen to him since he was in good hands. unfortunately, NONE of the doctors present there could remember how to perform CPR(cardio pulmonary resuscitation) to revive him. CPR is a vital life saving procedure in many medical emergencies but none of them could remember. im not to sure whether the poor guy survived or not. anyway, the director general of health aint to amuse bout it and ordered all the doctors present in the meeting that day to go for a course in CPR. im sure its pretty humiliating for them.

doctors dont know everything. thats a fact. its impossible for a doctor to remember every single thing that he has learnt in medical school. its just not possible. a surgeon is a master in the art of surgery and anatomy but not in biochemistry and microbiology. a physician is good in all the related pathophysiology and biochemical abnormalities afflicitng mankind but the same cant be said bout his surgical skills. the key here is to remember the important basics.

though forgeting something as important as CPR is unforgivable for a doctor, the simple fact is many of these skills will be forgotten if they are not put into practice regulary. a paramedic or a staff nurse is definetly more skilled in these methods compared to a doctor for the simple reason that they are doing it most the time. doctors are there just to diagnose and prescribe the best method of treatment. hence many of the important skills are forgotten over the years. so hope you guys out there will stop thinking doctors are a bunch of demi gods with healing powers. they are just mere mortals

more gaban anyone??

how times have change. few days back an officer from the ministry of education said that children should be encourage to watch more tv, irregardless if the program in educational or not, to improve their command of the english language. as a kid i've always tried to convinced my mom that cartoons really help me but adults being adults she just said, "your grandfather taught you tat isit!?! go study now!!!"
its not tat as a kid i was deprived of tv. i had my fair share or it. a few days back i would have said i watched to much, but now with that comment i would say i've been unfairly denied my chance of developing into a genius....hell if i had 10 hours of a tv a day, i would have been like Ong(our class genius in secondary school).....yeah rite.
every evening it was baja hitam at 4.30 and gaban at 5pm. after those show were yanked off, it was a series bout this japanese girl in a pair of tight red shorts playing volley ball. cant remember the name of the show though. then there were the classics such as Tranformers, Thundercats, GI Joe, My Little Ponny, Jam, Silver Wings...the list just goes on. whenever the exams are around the corner, mom would ban tv or keep it at a minimum. ohh the suffering!!! so when mom went out, would curi curi switch on my grandma's 14 inch tv as she snores aways in her afternoon nap. but got caught everytime and the infamous rotan would appear. i found out later that all my mom had to do was to put her hand on the tv and feel for the heat to find out whether i've been watching tv or not. so from that day on, i would switch on two fans and face it to the tv. when i hear the car entering the house i would quickly take a wet cold cloth and wipe the tv with it. never got caught anymore after that. but my grandma did wonder why her tv is always clean but her dentures are always full of dust.

lame excuses

talking bout poor excuses man. after the RM40 million 'exco village' was made public yesterday back, khir toyo has came out defending it. he claims that the project did not cause RM40 million. he says that each bungalow was built for a cost of around RM1.2million. well, im not from selangor but from what i heard, section 7 shah alam is a prime area. to built 10 fully furnished 3 storey bungalows with 2 swimming pools and a club house, it seems to me that rm40 million is a close estimate. unless the developer and khir toyo are gay lovers, i dont see how a developer would want to built something without making a profit.
another reason given was that some of the exco members' houses are leaking. that whenever it rained they would have to move the furnitures. wat the fuck man. roof leaking repair la kanineh. why go buy a new house?? the state government got to much money isit??!! if they do, they should pay off all the money that they still owe to the federal government.
his claims are so ridiculous that the local papers didnt even print it.

time for khir toyo to go

just what the hell is the selangor state government doing?!?! after a series of humiliating news reports and controversies, selangor menteri besar, khir toyo, has found himself in the corner of the ring, desperately battling to save himself, his job and to improve his standings with badawi. the torrent of controversies now surrounding his adminstration just show how inept and insenstive they are to the needs of the rakyat and our pristine environment. is khir toyo just plain ignorant?? or is there more than meets the eye?? what was his motives?? was he driven by personal gains and power at the expense to the rakyat?? you decide.

i still remember when he was first appointed as MB of selangor by our then PM, dr M. many were suprised at his appointment and questioned his suitability cause of his relative young age. but dr M said the country needed more young leaders who are creative, progressive and dynamic to lead the country in the new millenium. Dr M logic were correct and far sighted and should be commended, but sadly the same cant be said bout the person he appointed. this the guy who wanted to ban all mamak stall cause he claims that its a breeding ground for all social ills and its the meeting point for all the inmoral ppl. he claims that selangor will be a better and safer place if the mamak stalls would to go. he also said that youth should be at home sleeping afer 11pm and not roaming around town. what the hell!!! its our constitiunal right to be where we want to be, at any time of the day as long as we do casue trouble. you call this progressive thinking?? after being bombarded by critisms and ridiculed by almost everyone only did he put a lid on his plans and shut his mouth. its safe to say he probably hates mee goreng and roti canai.

below are a list of controversies that has been surrounding him lately.

1) Bukit Cahaya Agricultural Park
the park was supposed to be a reserved park, intended for the benefit of the public. how the hell 16 construction firms managed to destroy thousands of trees without being detected by the state government baffles me.the MB said the reserved park was degazetted hence development was possible. but to degazette a gazetted land, why then was there no public inquiry being made prior to the degazetting of our national treasure as stated in the national land code?? is the MB and his entire exco members above the law??
Muhyiddin yassin, minister of agriculture and agro based indusrty ministry, said a team of auditors and technical personnel had estimated that the park had suffered RM4.2mil in environmental damage as a result of flooding in certain areas, felling of trees and damage to several vegetable plantations. over the years, the ministry had spend more than RM 150 million to developed the area. now everything is gone and the millions spend went down the drain. our PM, abdullah badawi, was visibily upset when he saw not even grass growing let alone trees and ordered for an immediate investigation. after intense pressure byt the public and the PM himself, khir toyo issued a stop work order to all developers till further notice. after the investigation was carried out and two firms was brought to court. the fate of the other 14 firms are still on the balance pending further investigation. to little to late dont you think so mr toyo. after the death of out pristine flora and fauna. after families had to endure flash floods. after millions were lost. after only all this did he do wat was right. not suprisingly, certain quarters were calling for the ACA to investigate the MB and his entire exco member. some also accused him of having interest in some of the developing firm. of course khir toyo denies any corrupt practice by him or his exco members.
a famous american-indain leader once said, "When the last tree has been felled, the last river polluted and the last fish dies, only then will man realise that money cannot be eaten."
can we continue to allow our leaders to make such mistakes??

2) Eviction of Ulu Yam vegetable farmers
they were nothing but poor farmers who worked hard to make a living. they were shocked when they were told to ship out cause the land is earmarked for development, a housing project, by the state goverment. The Selangor Exco member DatukChang Toh Eng who happens to be the advisor of the Selangor Vegetable Farmers Association have told the farmers to leave their farms within three weeks on 23 February 2005. a petition by the farmers was send to the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Industry thru DAP assemblyman for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng. after inspecting the vegetable farms the official from the ministry concured that the farms indeed were worth saving. ulu yam farmers alone provide 80% of selangor's vegetable needs. but the Mb disagreed and persisted with the project. after heavy pressure from DAP, the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Selangor Chamber of Commerce and theFederation of Vegetable Farmers only did the khir toyo yealed. the continuous media converage by the chinese press also played a crucial role in highlighting the farmers' plight. the MB made the announcement that the project will be cancelled in ulu yam itself. the next day a local paper potrayed it as though it was only thru the wisdom and heroic deeds of the MB, that the farmers livelihood were saved. such is the extend of the media bias in our country.

3) Selangor exco village
this must be the most blatant use of public funds by the state government that i've ever came by. this project which cost more than RM40 million, consist of building 10 bungalows. the exclusive housing taman is equipped with 10 fully furnished houses, landscaped gardens, a perimeter wall to make it exclusive, swimming pools and even a club house smack in the middle of the 'village'. all for the benefits of the khir toyo and his entire exco members. and whose money isit?? the rakyat's money who else. your parents and my parents money. and for what?? so that the Mb and his exco members can all live near to each other facilitating meetings. thats the official reason given by a spokeman from the state government. and to add insult to the inteligence of the malaysian public, the spokeman also said that this will help to save the tax payers money as the exco members dont need to be paid housing allowances.
if each of the 10 exco member were paid RM2000 a month for housing allowance, that will mean it only cost RM20 000 a month and RM RM240 000 a year. now compared that to RM 40 000 000. even after ten years of paying the housing allowances it will not go anywhere near RM 40 000 000.


after all said, khir my man, just be man(or what is left of you) and just pack your bags and go. obviously you arent the progressive leader we've come to hoped for.

things man will never say during sex

driven by boredom this evening, i came out with a list of 'THINGS YOU'LL NEVER HEAR A MAN SAY TO HIS FEMALE PARTNER WHEN IT COMES TO SEX.' boredom can really stimulate your sense of creativity. or in my case, my sense of bullshit.

11) hhhhmmm.... now where do i put this in??

10) your tits are to big

9) i love man

8) god dammit!!! you sure are better than YOUR mom

7) During blowjob: you want chili with that??

6) god dammit!!! you sure are better than MY mom

5) i can't do it today. i've got a headache

4) when i die im going to donate my dick and my balls

3) WHAT!!!! only TWO tits!!!??!?! what happen to the other four??!! you trying to cheat me (well, maybe you can hear a singaporean saying this)

2) During blowjob: baby why dont you do me a favour and just bite it off

1) i have my period

god

got caught in the rain as i came to the cyber cafe to read my mail and update my blog which im sure no one reads....ok maybe charles does, since he is the only one who made a comment on my blog.
not that im complaining bout the rain in this bloody hot weather, but why the hell must it always rain when im on the bike. and the rain stops once i reached my destination. bad timing??bad luck?? no man. its the BIG Guy up there who is the one behind all this. im dead sure bout it. i always thought god has a real bad sense of humor. in 'bruce almighty' bruce said that god is a 'kid with a magnifying glass on an ant hill and we are all the ants.' that one was funny. but i dont think He's that cruel. i have always imagine god to be like in the movie 'bruce almighty.' someone who has a sense of humor. who sometimes plays tricks on us and doesnt mind us making jokes bout him to (of course within a limit la). maybe thats my way of trying to make myself feel better for all the 'god jokes' that i make constantly. if im wrong bout god, im sure im going to get a one way ticket to visit lucifer. if i do i just pray that lucifer has a sense of humor.
talking bout rain and god, a friend once told me that when he was young, whenever it rained he had the impression that god had just flushed the toilet. keeping tat in mind, the african god then must be having a severe constipation and the indian gods during monsoon must be having a severe diarrhoea. hmmm.....

and we all drink and bathe from this water.


lets just hope my friend is wrong