Manila rejects Saudi appeal to lower maids' wages

Image Credit: AP

About 1.2 million Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia, including skilled labourers, nurses and maids.

Manila: The Philippines has rejected an appeal from Saudi Arabia to cut the minimum wage for Filipino maids in half and will not be sending new domestic helpers until the dispute is solved, the labour chief said yesterday.

Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Saudi government wants the minimum monthly salary for Filipino maids lowered from $400 to $200.

Saudi officials have complained that the Philippine government has imposed other strict measures on Saudi employers, including giving out their personal data and information on their income. In March, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced it was suspending processing of new contracts.

About 1.2 million Filipinos work in the kingdom, including skilled labourers, nurses and maids. They are part of about nine million Filipinos, or 10 per cent of the population, who work in 190 countries to escape poverty and unemployment at home.

Workers abroad send back remittances amounting to 10 per cent of the country's annual gross domestic product, fuelling domestic consumption and keeping the local economy afloat.

Rampant abuse

Baldoz said the Philippine government's requirements are mandated by law, including the minimum wage, as part of measures to protect the welfare of overseas workers particularly in Arab countries, where abuse is rampant.

The Philippines has barred deployment of workers to some Middle East countries, including Lebanon and Syria.

Baldoz said that Gulf countries were pressuring the Philippines to relax the rules for overseas workers, citing the mediation efforts some of the Arab governments have undertaken in the southern Philippines, where Muslim rebels are fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

"These countries continue to pressure us not to impose the ban, citing their political role in the peace negotiations in the southern Philippines and threats to cut oil supplies," she said. "There is really a wide political repercussion regarding the hiring of household service workers."

She said about 13,000 maids head to Saudi Arabia every year, of which 9,000 are newly hired and the rest are returning workers who have their contracts renewed. Baldoz said she planned to discuss the wage dispute with her Saudi counterparts at an International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva next month.

…We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Today’s Word

Over the past few years, however, discerning people have begun to ask, "What went wrong?- We are overloaded with expectations. So why do we overload? First, we are usually unaware of our overload until it's too late. Second, some people are too conscientious. Third, others get overloaded because their bosses are driven people who overload their employees. Generally people don't intend to go down the path to overload; they just think that "one more thing won't hurt." But if they are at or near overload, it will hurt.

Before God and man you can only do your best, trying to please everyone is impossible, and will result in failure to please anyone (especially yourself). Life isn’t supposed to be a dull, we work every day feeling stressed and worried about work, money, pleasing everyone, At night eating dinner, watching television, surfing the net … waiting for it to be time to go to bed, and get up, and repeat it all over again. Life should be an adventure, a journey, a leap into the unknown, a chance to grow, an opportunity to do something that makes a difference after you’ve gone.

We cannot be everything to everyone nor we can do everything, especially at the same time. The truth is everyone may not be happy with us 100% of the time but we must remain true to ourselves. If not the results will be that we be unhappy most of the time. Sometimes, you need to get clear about your own values and priorities: then you can figure out what you want to refocus your life around. We can achieve the change we need and want, begin becoming our best selves and live and enjoy life to the fullest, right now. Learning to say‘ No’ if that is how you really feel. Remember you can’t please everyone. Although you can’t please everyone, you can always please God.

Today’s Prayer

Heavenly Father I ask for Your divine guidance and direction so that I can live each day with purpose. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me new opportunities to win souls in Christ. Give me the grace to fulfill my task and cherish beautiful moments of my life. Give me this grace of passion today to work and give me opportunities to live into your vision for my life. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Saving the Planet and Ourselves

(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,
in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)
http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2011/r11061501.html

Cologne, Germany – It’s hard to imagine, 600 sq. miles of woodlands burned to cinders, that's about the size of Ireland or Northern Luzon, in the Philippines. It happened in Arizona, USA a few weeks ago. It’s the second worst fire in living memory. Gigantic cyclones and tornados have swept through the southern states and left entire towns devastated and hundreds dead. Massive floods in Australia, China and elsewhere have destroyed the livelihood of millions. Gigantic hurricanes have battered the Caribbean in recent months and above all, the Arctic ice caps and the glaciers of Greenland are melting like ice cream on a hot summer day.

Nothing like this has happened for millions of years and when it did, the earth was uninhabitable, even animals could hardly survive and thousands of species became extinct. It’s happening again all because of us humans, the species with the big intelligent brains who should know better. We do know better but action does not follow knowledge. Many politicians and corporate bosses especially in the developed economies refuse to face and admit the truth of global warming and dangerous climate change simply because of corporate greed, the love of comfort and money, and to retain political power and economic growth.

The near absence of political will and the blindness of denial are allowing the planet's temperature to creep upward to the maximum allowable temperature increase of 2 degrees before disaster strikes. Even this, the experts say, is already a calamity. An increase of .75 degrees is causing the death of the coral reefs - the life giving food of thousands of species of fish upon which millions of families depend for a daily meal.

The wanton destruction of the Philippine black corals of Mindanao is shocking and is the result of corporate and local government corruption. Good the traders were caught but too late for a huge area of corals. They take a long time to recover. Besides, the oceans are absorbing all the CO2 they can and they are becoming more acidic. Global fish stocks are threatened as a result.

There will be more massive crop failures, drought, floods, rising sea levels, greater forest destruction and massive population migrations. The prices of food commodities are increasing at an alarming rate and as production drops, famine could once again kill millions in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It sounds all gloom and doom, it is, and we have to take serious action to stop it. The deadline is 2016 before a tipping point of global temperature is reached that could make the warming irreversible.

Besides, the earth is already warmer and vast tracts of marsh lands in Siberia and near the Arctic Circle are melting releasing billions of tons of methane into the atmosphere adding to the blanket of gas that is insulating the planet and preventing the heat from escaping while the sun beats down cooking us like hams in an oven. Winters will be harsher, colder and more prolonged as happened this year again in the Northern hemisphere.

Here in Bonn, Germany, the experts and political negotiators at the Bonn Conference on Climate are trying to work out an international agreement for all counties to cut back on the rising level of emission of CO2 that is causing global warming. Before the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 parts per million (p.p.m.), now the level is close to 400 p.p.m. An hour away from here in Bonn, corporate lobbyists are also trying to block progress in the interests of the oil and coal industry and others like auto-makers who benefit from burning fossil fuels.

If we humans continue destructive behaviors, like destroying forests and burning fossil fuels in coal plants to make electricity and populating the world with billions of methane-making cattle, we are going to make big trouble for ourselves and the rest of human kind. The forests are threatened. In Western North America, the warmer climate has allowed a wood-eating beetle to thrive and destroy up to 70 percent of the trees.

Ordinary humans can march, demonstrate and do much lobbying by letter-writing to push politicians and corporate tycoons to stop building more coal plants and turn to non-destructive and renewable ways of making electricity such as geothermal, solar and wind power. We must persuade politicians and tycoons to stop blocking progress on limiting CO2 emissions by an international agreement.

We too can change our lifestyles by protecting our local environment, stop logging, planting trees, recycling, and establishing organic food gardens to feed ourselves and eat less meat. We have to be good guardians of the planet and save it for the next generation. END

Trafficking in Persons Report 2011

PHILIPPINES (Tier 2)

The Philippines is a source country and, to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. A significant number of Filipino men and women who migrate abroad for work are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude worldwide. Men, women, and children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in factories, at construction sites, on fishing vessels, on agricultural plantations, and as domestic workers in Asia and increasingly throughout the Middle East. A significant number of women in domestic servitude abroad also face rape and violent physical and sexual abuse. Skilled Filipino migrant workers, such as engineers and nurses, are also subjected to conditions of forced labor abroad. Women were subjected to sex trafficking in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan and in various Middle Eastern countries. Internal trafficking of men, women, and children also remains a significant problem in the Philippines. People are trafficked from rural areas to urban centers including Manila, Cebu, the city of Angeles, and increasingly to cities in Mindanao, as well as within urban areas. Men are subjected to forced labor and debt bondage in the agriculture, fishing, and maritime industries. Women and children were trafficked within the country for forced labor as domestic workers and small-scale factory workers, for forced begging, and for exploitation in the commercial sex industry. Hundreds of victims are subjected to forced prostitution each day in well-known and highly visible business establishments that cater to both domestic and foreign demand for commercial sex acts. Filipino migrant workers, both domestically and abroad, who became trafficking victims were often subject to violence, threats, inhumane living conditions, nonpayment of salaries, and withholding of travel and identity documents.

Traffickers, in partnership with organized crime syndicates and complicit law enforcement officers, regularly operate through local recruiters sent to villages and urban neighborhoods to recruit family and friends, often masquerading as representatives of government-registered employment agencies. Fraudulent recruitment practices and the institutionalized practice of paying recruitment fees often left workers vulnerable to forced labor, debt bondage, and commercial sexual exploitation. There were reports that illicit recruiters increased their use of student, intern, and exchange program visas to circumvent the Philippines government and receiving countries’ regulatory frameworks for foreign workers. Recruiters took on new methods in attempts to get potential victims past immigration officers at airports and seaports. Traffickers utilized budget airlines, inter-island ferries and barges, buses, and even chartered flights to transport their victims domestically and internationally. Child sex tourism remained a serious problem in the Philippines, with sex tourists coming from Northeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America to engage in the commercial sexual exploitation of children. One NGO estimated that there are over 900,000 undocumented Filipinos in the country, mostly based in Mindanao; the lack of official documentation is widely recognized as contributing to a population’s vulnerability to trafficking. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a separatist group, and the New People’s Army (NPA) were identified by the United Nations as among the world’s persistent perpetrators of violations against children in armed conflict, including forcing children into service. During the year, there were continued reports to the United Nations that the Abu Sayyaf Group targeted children for conscription as both combatants and noncombatants.

The Government of the Philippines does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the year, the Philippine Department of Justice and Supreme Court issued directives to expedite the disposition of backlogged trafficking cases. The government convicted 25 trafficking offenders – an increase from nine convictions in the previous year – including two convictions in cases involving forced labor, the Philippines’ first-ever labor trafficking convictions. Additionally, authorities made notable efforts to address trafficking-related corruption, and several criminal cases against Philippine officials were initiated and remain ongoing. The government enacted numerous measures and policies to improve institutional responses to human trafficking for this year and in future years, such as increased training of judicial, law enforcement, and diplomatic officials on trafficking issues; the creation and funding of anti-trafficking task forces in airports, seaports, regions, and localities; and an increase in dedicated staff to combating trafficking. Nevertheless, the government needs to further its efforts to address significant obstacles to anti-trafficking progress, including the remaining substantial backlog in trafficking cases pending in Philippine courts; the lack of vigorous efforts to pursue criminal prosecution of labor traffickers, including labor recruitment companies involved in the trafficking of migrant workers abroad; rampant corruption at all levels that enables traffickers and undermines efforts to combat trafficking; and uneven and insufficient efforts to identify and adequately protect victims of trafficking – particularly those who are assisting with prosecutions.

Recommendations for the Philippines: Sustain the intensified effort to investigate, prosecute, and convict effectively an increased number of both labor and sex trafficking offenders involved in the trafficking of Filipinos both within the country and abroad; continue to fund and strengthen the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and provide full-time staffing and management for the IACAT Secretariat; increase funding for anti-trafficking programs within IACAT member agencies; address the significant backlog of trafficking cases by developing mechanisms to track and monitor the status of cases filed with the Department of Justice and those under trial in the courts; strictly enforce anti-corruption laws and expedite adjudication of cases filed by the Ombudsman’s anti-trafficking task force; conduct immediate and rigorous investigations of complaints of trafficking complicity by government officials and ensure accountability for leaders that fail to address trafficking-related corruption within their areas of jurisdiction; strengthen anti-trafficking training for police recruits, line officers, and police investigators; make efforts to improve collaboration between victim service organizations and law enforcement authorities with regards to law enforcement operations; make efforts to expand the use of victim processing centers to additional localities to improve identification of adult victims and allow for victims to be processed and assisted in a safe environment after a rescue operation; increase victim shelter resources to expand the government shelter system to assist a greater number of trafficking victims, including male victims of both sex and labor trafficking; increase funding for the Department of Justice’s program for the protection of witnesses and entry of trafficking victims into the program; increase efforts to identify trafficking victims in destination countries and to pursue criminal investigation and prosecution of their traffickers; develop and implement programs aimed at reducing demand for commercial sex acts; and assess and improve methods to measure and address domestic and international labor trafficking.

Prosecution

The Government of the Philippines achieved its first ever conviction of a labor trafficking offender in February 2011. The Philippines criminally prohibits both sex and labor trafficking through its 2003 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which prescribes penalties that are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. During the reporting period, the government convicted 25 trafficking offenders in 19 cases – compared with nine traffickers convicted in six cases during the previous year – including the conviction in February 2011 of a labor trafficker who sold two women into domestic servitude in Malaysia, where they were enslaved for nine months without pay. The labor trafficker was sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment and fined over $28,000. Sentences for the other 24 convicted offenders ranged from six years’ to life imprisonment. Nevertheless, hundreds of victims continue to be trafficked each day in well-known, highly visible establishments, many of which have never been the target of anti-trafficking law enforcement action. Ten of the 25 convictions were results of cases filed and prosecuted by an NGO on behalf of victims in a system whereby the Philippine government allows private attorneys to prosecute cases under the direction and control of public prosecutors. Under this arrangement, NGO lawyers were responsible for much of the prosecution workload. In June 2010, the Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to make trafficking cases a priority, and in October, the Supreme Court issued a circular calling courts to expedite the disposition of trafficking cases and requiring that cases be decided within 180 days of arraignment. At the same time, widespread corruption and an inefficient judicial system continue to pose very serious challenges to the successful prosecution of trafficking cases. Philippine courts have 338 pending or ongoing trafficking cases.

In 2010, the Department of Justice designated 36 prosecutors in various national, regional, and airport task forces to work on anti-trafficking cases. In this task force model, for the first time, prosecutors are assigned to assist law enforcement in building cases against suspected trafficking offenders. The government ran a mandatory training session on trafficking at a judges’ conference attended by over 400 judges and also expanded anti-trafficking training efforts to several hundred police and law enforcement officers, in partnership with NGOs and foreign donors. Nevertheless, NGOs continue to report a lack of understanding of trafficking and the anti-trafficking law among many judges, prosecutors, social service workers, and law enforcement officials, and this remains an impediment to successful prosecutions. Prosecutors continue to have difficulty distinguishing labor trafficking crimes from labor contract violations, which may be one cause for the lack of a greater number of criminal forced labor cases filed.

Law enforcement officials’ complicity in human trafficking remains a pervasive problem in the Philippines, and corruption at all levels of government enables traffickers to prosper. There continued to be reports that officials in government units and agencies assigned to enforce laws against human trafficking permitted trafficking offenders to conduct illegal activities, including allowing traffickers to escape during raids, extorting bribes, accepting payments or sexual services from establishments known for trafficking women and children, and conducting fake raids on establishments known for trafficking women and children to extort money from their traffickers. Allegations continued that police officers at times conducted indiscriminate raids on commercial sex establishments to extort bribes from managers, clients, and women in the sex industry, sometimes threatening women with imprisonment for solicitation. During the last year, the government began to take steps to identify and prosecute officials complicit in trafficking and temporarily suspended officials suspected of involvement in trafficking, but no public officials were convicted for trafficking or trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period. The Department of Justice filed criminal cases against eight officials for trafficking-related offenses and administrative cases against an additional 21 officials, but none of the cases had been concluded as of the end of the reporting period. While the government began a partnership in 2009 with three NGOs to jointly prosecute corrupt officials and several investigations have resulted in this partnership, no criminal cases have been filed under this program.

Protection

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continued to operate 42 temporary shelters for victims of all types of abuse. There are no reliable statistics on the total number of trafficking victims identified or assisted by the government during the year. The government did not report identifying or assisting any foreign victims of trafficking during the reporting period. The government referred victims to both government and private short- and long-term care facilities, though the government’s capacity to provide shelter and protection remained very limited, due to insufficient budgets for victim protection provided to shelters by the government. Government shelters did not detain victims against their will. The government, through the Philippines Overseas Labor Offices, provided emergency shelter, medical care, and legal assistance to Filipino trafficking victims in several countries abroad, including the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Identification of adult trafficking victims remained inadequate, which left victims vulnerable to being charged, fined, and imprisoned for vagrancy. The government encouraged victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, but the government’s serious lack of victim and witness protection, exacerbated by a lengthy trial process and fear of retaliation by traffickers, caused many victims to decline or withdraw cooperation. During the year, the Department of Justice’s program for the protection of witnesses assisted three trafficking victims. The lack of adequate witness protection and shelter remained a significant deficiency in the government’s response to victims’ need for protection and assistance. The government reported that it filed and tried civil and criminal cases on behalf of victims concurrently, unless the victims opted to pursue a civil case independently. The government sustained partnerships with local NGOs that provide shelter and assistance to trafficking victims. Local social welfare officers are not adequately trained on how properly to assist rescued trafficking victims, particularly children and male and female labor trafficking victims. The government allocated $1.84 million in its 2011 budget to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for emergency assistance to Filipinos overseas, including trafficking victims, a decrease from $3.15 million allocated for the previous year. The Department of Labor and Employment continued to deploy 51 labor attachés who serve in 38 overseas labor offices around the world to assist Filipino migrant workers.

Prevention

Authorities increased training and public awareness efforts on trafficking, including for judicial officials, diplomats, civil society groups, and overseas foreign workers. The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) conducted 1,344 pre-deployment orientation seminars and 863 pre-employment seminars for over 100,000 prospective and outbound Filipino overseas workers. POEA and the Department of Labor and Employment also conducted anti-illegal recruitment and trafficking seminars in the country, attended by local prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, local government units, NGOs, recruitment agencies, and community members. The government conducted training seminars in Malaysia and Jordan for regional Philippine embassy personnel in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa on victim identification, reporting of trafficking cases, victim-centered interview techniques, and discussion of options for filing trafficking cases or related criminal charges against traffickers in the destination countries or in the Philippines. The DFA also continued to provide pre-deployment seminars on recognizing and responding to trafficking cases to government personnel before being assigned abroad. During the year, the IACAT significantly increased staffing to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons, which now operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, is led by three senior airport officials, and includes 11 full-time airport police department officers, 10 Department of Justice prosecutors and staff members, and seven social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also designated 14 agents to assist the task force in law enforcement operations. Four regional anti-trafficking task forces consisting of prosecutors, law enforcement agents, social workers, and NGOs were created in trafficking hotspots around the country; these task forces received funding and personnel support from the IACAT and the Department of Justice. On March 15, the IACAT launched a 24-hour nationwide anti-trafficking hotline designed to respond to crisis calls from human trafficking victims. Despite significant local demand in the country’s thriving commercial sex industry, the government’s efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts in the Philippines were limited, as were the government’s efforts to address the demand for forced labor. In December, the Philippine Congress appropriated $550,000 in the 2011 national budget to fund, for the first time, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s anti-trafficking programs. The Department of Justice created dedicated office space for the IACAT and increased staffing for the IACAT Secretariat from four to eight personnel, though the majority of these staffers were not assigned on a full-time basis. The government also overhauled its screening of immigration patterns for evidence of trafficking during the year. In August 2010, the Bureau of Immigration instituted new screening guidelines for ports of exit, leading to the interception of over 28,000 passengers identified as potential victims of trafficking, due to their lack of proper documentation and indicators of high risk for illegal recruitment and trafficking. Over 900 cases were referred to the IACAT, NBI, POEA, and DFA for further investigation. Through trafficking prevention efforts at major seaports in partnership with an NGO, over 1,800 potential victims of trafficking were intercepted, resulting in the filing of 21 criminal anti-trafficking cases. The Philippine armed forces reportedly rescued eight child soldiers during the year, all of whom were allegedly conscripted by the NPA. The government provided training, including a module on human trafficking, to Philippine troops prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

HUMAN TRAFFICKING SYNDICATE BUSTED

Mohammad (centre) flanked by Jaimin (right) and Mohd Isa during the press conference.

9th June, 2011

SANDAKAN: Two Malaysians are among four persons arrested by the State Immigration under the Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrant Act 2007 (Amendment 2010) during “Ops Sekap” here on June 5.

The duo together with a Filipino man and woman aged 39 to 40 years, were detained by an Immigration team led by head of the Sandakan Immigration Intelligence and Operations Unit Mohd Isa Halsey between 9.45pm to 4am, State Immigration director Haji Mohammad Mentek told a press conference here yesterday.

The Immigration team found 21 women, aged 18 to 31, whom the group had brought in from the Philippines and kept at a hotel in town and a house in Mile 7. Only one of them had a travel document, Mohammad added.

He said the culprits were using Sandakan as a transit point and the Filipinas were promised jobs ranging from singer and waitress in Sarawak, Labuan and other places.

“We are also investigating the possibility of “flying passports” in this case because we have received information of the existence of this activity here,” he added.

Mohammad said the four suspects were believed to have been operating for ‘quite some time’. They were being held for investigations under Section 26H of the Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrant Act 2007 (Amendment 2010).

This is the first major success under the Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrant Act 2007 (Amendment 2010) for the State Immigration this year and the department will continue with these operations,” he added.

He said public information was important as it would enable the Immigration Department to catch those responsible and rescue their victims.

In commending his Sandakan officers for the success, he said “Our officers will do its level best to curb such crime.”

He also said the department has fully implemented a biometric system at all border entry points in the state in an effort to check cross-border crime.

Mohammad said the installation of the system was completed in April and a dry run was conducted in May.

“The system is commissioned starting this month and the use of fingerprint scanning system is running smoothly,” he added.

The adoption of the biometric system could help prevent cross-border crime as it would provide information on foreign nationals, who overstay and use false passports, at their entry and exit points.

Present were Sandakan Immigration chief Jaimin @ Richard Sumpit and Mohd Isa.

LOOK OUT FOR THE LAST STORY... IT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF.

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

*********************************************
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members... One of her students suggested that he was adopted. A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..'

'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child. 'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

*********************************************

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first- base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was 'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.

'Really,' I said... 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.' 'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.... 'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'

*********************************************

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.. 'Guess what, Mom ,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me.... 'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'

*********************************************

An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.

The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'

As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.

'Are you God's wife?'

Sylvia La Torre - Sa Libis Ng Nayon

Overseas Filipinos' remittances hit $18.76b in 2010

Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Publication Date : 16-02-2011

Philippine remittances grew faster than anticipated in 2010 to post an all-time high, as the recovery of the global economy from the recent turmoil led to growth in job opportunities for Filipinos abroad. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported on Tuesday that remittances from Filipinos based abroad reached US$18.76 billion in 2010, the highest ever recorded. It marked an 8.2-per-cent growth from the $17.07 billion registered in 2009, slightly exceeding the government's forecast of an 8-per-cent growth. Last December alone, remittances amounted to $1.69 billion, rising by 8.1 per cent from $1.57 billion in the same month of December 2009. The BSP said robust growth in remittances, which fuelled consumption, partly aided the economy's rebound last year from the slowdown in 2009. "The stable flow of remittances continued to provide strong support to domestic demand, with the remittances level for the year accounting for close to 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP)," BSP governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in a statement. Remittances largely came from Filipinos based in the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Italy, Germany, and Norway. The economy's GDP grew by 7.3 per cent in 2010, the fastest pace in about three decades. The increasing number of job markets for Filipinos as well as the expanding network of remittance centres serving Filipino workers should be credited for boosting the amount of money sent by Filipinos to their families and other recipients in the Philippines, the BSP said. "The continuing innovation of financial products and services (such as web-based remittance services, cash cards, among others) being offered in the market to facilitate money transfer have likewise contributed to the resilience of remittances throughout the year," Tetangco said. The BSP said that as of the end of 2010, there were 4,581 remittance centres, banks, and other offices all over the world serving the remittance-services needs of Filipinos. These were up from 3,730 registered as of the end of 2009. Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the central bank further reported that 46,238 job orders for Filipino workers by foreign employers were processed and approved in 2010, thereby increasing the number of overseas Filipino workers estimated at around 10 million. While increase in remittances positively impacts on the economy, via rise in consumption by recipients, it reflects the view of many Filipinos that the country still lacks job opportunities for its citizens. The National Statistics Office earlier reported that the unemployment rate in the country stood at 7.1 per cent in October 2010, just the same as that in the same period of the previous year.

http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=17452&sec=2

over 46,000 job orders were processed and approved in 2010. assuming that it increases to 60,000 job orders in 2011 there will be 5,000 OFWs leaving the country monthly boosting the local economy even if the government officials in malacanang and the batasan and the town municipios do nothing at all but steal from the people.

Why Shout???

A theology professor was teaching about proverbs 15:1. He asked his students,

"Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?

The students thought for a while. One of them said, because we lose our calm, we shout for that. "But why shout when the other person is just next to you?" asked the professor.

"Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you are angry?"

The students gave some other answers but none satisfied the professor. Finally he explained,

"When two people are angry at each other, their hearts psychologically distance themselves.

To cover the distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other.

The angrier they are, the stronger they will shout to hear each other through that great distance.

Then the professor asked, "What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why?

Because their hearts are psychologically very close. The distance between them is very small. The professor continued,

"When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they even get even closer to each other in their love.

Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all....

So next time you shout to a loved one, know that you are creating distance between your heart and that person's heart.

Proverbs 15:1, A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Austrian works on putting sugarcane juice on Pinoy’s tables

By: Cris Evert B. Lato
Philippine Daily Inquirer

10:56 pm | Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

CHRISTOPH Schiessl established Tubo Cane Juice Inc. after discovering the potential of “tubo” as an alternative to soft drinks.

Cebu City, Philippines—His love for the Philippines and its unique resources convinced Christoph Schiessl that there is a product worthy to be developed that would make Filipinos prouder.

In his travels around the country, he found the product in the unassuming “tubo” (sugarcane), a grass grown in tropical countries like the Philippines and has long been relegated as a raw material in the making of sugar.

He set up Tubo Cane Juice Inc. in November 2010 with Filipino partners, believing in the marketability of tubo cane juice as nature’s energy drink.

With a kiosk in Gaisano Country Mall in Barangay (village) Banilad, Cebu City, and another outlet inside Sacred Heart School-Jesuits in Mandaue City, Christoph, born in Austria, says the company is on its way to spreading the word that there is more to sugarcane’s sweet and grassy taste.

“Filipinos have stories to tell with the tubo. This product reminds them of their childhood,” he tells the Inquirer.

Christoph, now a permanent resident of Cebu, has been drinking tubo cane juice for the last 10 years. It was his travels in different countries that introduced him to the drink.

“Tubo cane juice is a street drink. Every time I go to Asian countries, I look for it. I like the product but I did not find it in the Philippines,” he shares.

Christoph says the drink is known in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, China and Iran. It is also popular in Brazil, Egypt and Kenya, he notes.

He says tubo juice was only sold in Manila’s Chinatown, where it was considered to have medicinal benefits. The juice was visible in Manila malls in 2006 but it was nowhere to be found in Cebu.

This inspired him to set up a business in Cebu.

Born in Austria, Christoph first came to Cebu in 1999 to visit his family members. His grandfather was the one who set up Vienna Kaffeehaus in Cebu in 1983 (which was sold to the Basubas family in 2008).

He took a business course in Cebu but he went back to Austria in 2003 to complete a degree in outdoor training and adventure therapy. He came back in 2007 and lived in the city since then.

The diving instructor and part-time German teacher says the goal is to open four Tubo Cane Juice outlets in 2011 with the aim of making their presence felt inside malls.

Tubo cane juice is extracted using a machine. The juice is then mixed with fruits to create a refreshing drink.

Apart from the fresh tubo juice, Christoph says they came up with six more flavors: tubo-mansi (kalamansi), tubo-piña, tubo-orange, tubo-mint, tubo-milky pearl (sago) and tubo-strawberry.

Drinks range from small, medium and large sizes sold between P35 and P65 each.

Since its launching last year, Christoph says they have received positive feedback from people who have tried the drink.

He says the juice can be consumed by people with light diabetes since its low glycemic index does not raise the blood sugar level in the same way refined sugar does.

Citing several studies, Christoph says sugarcane juice is known to be rich in vitamins and minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium and energizes the body because of its high quantity of useful carbohydrates.

He says sugarcane juice is the best substitute to any soft drink products.

Hearing colorful stories about the Filipinos’ love affair with the tubo is always a refreshing treat to Christoph, who also speaks Cebuano and considers himself a Cebuano by heart and by choice.

“Filipinos, at some point in their lives, have tried chewing on ripe sugarcane,” he says.

Christoph says he is grateful to local suppliers (mostly from towns in northern Cebu) who have supported him in this business venture even if he is not a major market player.

This promising business opportunity is also an avenue for Christoph to re-educate the Filipino youth about the importance of sugarcane.

“In the research of sugarcane around the world, Cebu is one of the most important (areas) when it comes to new sugarcane variations,” he notes.

Rizal had influence and relevance which have survived the test of time

“… as a visionary, writer, linguist, and patriot, Rizal had influence and relevance which have survived the test of time, reverberating even in the life and death of slain Senator Ninoy Aquino, Jr.”

- John Nery, senior editor and columnist at the Philippine Daily Inquirer and author of Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia,


Could we say the same thing of the KOR (or its leadership?), particularly INFLUENCE and RELEVANCE of top honchos Quiambao, Esguerra, Samuela, even as others heap them with KGCRs/KGOR plus Pro Patria, even if found to be undeserving?

The truthful answer, considering Quiambao, Esguerra and Samuela, is NO.

If one will consider Sir Pablo Trillana and Sir Reghis Romero, they will perhaps encounter difficulties, but could be helped!

Why did Sir Dr Fritz Hack-Ullmer, great grandson of Dr Rizal's bosom friend, Pastor Ullmer, QUIT the KOR?

Why did Sir Ernest(o) Blumentritt, level-headed, wide reader and 100 year old grandson of Prof Ferdinand Blumentritt QUIT the KOR?

Any valid reason for KOR to rejoice and party because principled and trully-illustrious men like the two above QUIT the KOR, while pretenders and FAKEs people the organization?

Any word from the great Honcho named Quiambao from IHQ about the two illustrious Knights above who QUIT? Lawyers usually play with words. Quiambao and Samuela are two lawyers Lazir know who seem to have ran out of words! WHY? Is it because they could not Defend the Indefensible WRONG they did to the KOR and its former good name? Even Marasigan, who has some Oxford on his pen, became tight-lipped. WHY?

Sir Pablo Trillana and Sir Reghis Romero, kindly speak truthfully about what seems to be TABOO in the KOR, the simple TRUTH. By being truthful, some could perhaps condemn you, but you will realize that more will appreciate TRUTH than SILENCE on your part, leading this KOR to its proper place, as a truly Rizalian organization!

Some Knights ask Lazir why he is still at it, after so many moons. Others admire his courage, temerity and perseverance. Sinple answer: If this were a personal quarrel of Lazir, he would have stopped a long time ago already. This good fight though involves the Great Malayan's name, a great symbol of his country and his people! Cowards can back out. But true Rizalists do not simply run away from a good fight! Even Dr Jose Rizal was a rebel who never backed out. He didn't keep silent either!

N o t ...

For our country and our people!


:)
Lazir
-Pinoy Knight who fears the Lord, no one else!

AH

A police motorcycle cop stops a driver for running a red light. The driver is a real jerk, steps out of his car and comes striding toward the officer, demanding to know why he is being harassed by the Gestapo! So the officer calmly tells him of the red light violation.

The motorist instantly goes on a tirade, questioning the officer's ancestry, sexual orientation, etc., in rather explicit offensive terms. The tirade goes on without the officer saying anything.

When the officer finishes writing the ticket he puts an "AH" in the lower right corner of the narrative portion of the ticket. He then hands it to the 'violator' for his signature.

The guy signs the ticket angrily, and when presented with his copy points to the "AH" and demands to know what it stands for.

The officer says, "That's so when we go to court, I'll remember that you're an asshole!"

Two months later they're in court. The 'violator' has a bad driving record and he is in danger of losing his license, so he hired a lawyer to represent him.

On the stand the officer testifies to seeing the man run the red light. Under cross examination the defense attorney asks

"Officer, is this a reasonable facsimile of the ticket that you issued to my client?"

Officer responds, "Yes, sir, that is the defendant's copy, his signature and mine, same number at the top."

Lawyer: "Officer, is there any particular marking or notation on this ticket you don't normally make?"

"Yes, sir, in the lower right corner of the narrative there is an "AH," underlined."

"What does the "AH" stand for, officer?"

"Aggressive and hostile, Sir."

"Aggressive and hostile?"

"Yes, Sir.”

"Officer, are you sure it doesn't stand for asshole?"

“Well, sir, you know your client better than I do.” How often can one get an attorney to convict his own client?

'95% of Filipinos working in Syria illegal'

By Philip Tubeza in Manila/Philippine Daily Inquirer | ANN – Thu, Apr 28, 2011

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - How do you rescue those who are hiding in the first place?

As the unrest in Syria worsened, Philippine Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz revealed that only a fraction of the 17,000 Filipinos working in the troubled Middle Eastern country are documented workers.

Baldoz said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration records showed that there were only 837 active Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) members or documented overseas Filipino workers in Syria.

The 837 are active OWWA members--women workers and household service workers, Baldoz said during a press conference at the sidelines of the First National Summit on Labor and Employment in Pasay City.

"This is one country where we have many undocumented workers," Baldoz said.

She quoted the Department of Foreign Affairs as saying there are an estimated 10,000 Filipinos in Syria. But official DFA statements peg the number at 17,000.

On Tuesday, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Carlos Cao Jr. gave an even higher figure--19,000, including 135 permanent residents and around 6,000 undocumented workers.

Labor officials have privately said that a rescue effort in Syria could prove to be harder because, unlike in Libya where most of the OFWs were documented professionals, many of the Filipinos in Syria are household workers.

"We might have to conduct house to house searches like what happened in Lebanon before," one official said.

Baldoz said that while a rescue and repatriation effort in Syria could turn out to be harder the government was already preparing the necessary measures should the DFA raise the alert level for that country and require mass repatriation.

Different handling

"Yes, we will handle this somewhat differently," she said. In the case of Syria, undocumented workers will come under the DFA's assistance-to-nationals program.

So far, Syria is on Alert Level 2 of the DFA's warning system in trouble spots abroad. This means voluntary repatriation. Alert Level 3 means mass repatriation, she added.

Under Alert Level 2, only returning workers would be allowed to leave Syria, Baldoz said.

Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said the POEA was coordinating with recruitment agencies to help locate OFWs in Syria.

"We need the help of the agencies to locate the Filipinos as well as in shouldering the cost of the repatriation in case the need for it arises," Cruz said.

As of Wednesday, the labor department had yet to receive any request for repatriation from OFWs in Syria, he added.

On the other hand, Baldoz defended the government decision to require returning workers in countries torn by civil strife to sign a waiver stating that they know the dangers they would be facing if they return to their employers.

She said that is part of the requirement under the DFA's Alert Level 2.

Returning workers to Bahrain and Yemen, which are also on Alert Level 2, are also required to sign waivers.

Aware of risks

"I think the only message here is we want to be assured that the workers are really aware of the tense situation in the countries where they are going back and if they feel the risks are manageable because they have been working and living there," Baldoz said.

"That gives us some proof that the decision is based on his own personal knowledge of the impact of his decision," she added.

The labor chief said the waiver did mean that the government was washing its hands of any responsibility for the safety of the returning OFWs who execute such a waiver.

"Even those illegals who were able to enter are being helped," Baldoz said.

She also said that if the political unrest in the Middle East continues, it would continue to affect the deployment of Filipinos abroad.

The POEA earlier said that the number of OFWs deployed during the first quarter of the year dropped by almost four percent due to the crises in Japan and the Middle East.

Cao said their "preliminary data" showed that the number of OFWs who left the country during the first three months of the year went down to 380,188 from 395,189 during the same period in 2010, or a drop of 3.79 percent.

127 Hours

Starring: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Treat Williams, John Lawrence, Kate Burton, Clémence Poésy

Directed By: Danny Boyle

Released By: 17th February 2011

Run Time: 94 mins.

Genre: Drama

"127 Hours" is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days, Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65-foot wall and hike over eight miles to seek help. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?

I started loving this film within the first few seconds. The movie has an energetic start with a split screen showing office-bound commuters and workers going along their daily drudge while our lead, x-treme biker/hiker/climber Aron Ralston (played by actor James Franco) packs his gear for a trek into Blue John Canyon country in Utah. While on his way he has a brief fun climbing/diving/swimming interlude with two female hikers. He then heads off on his own and at about 20 minutes into the movie takes a tumble with a small boulder that ends up pinning his right arm against the side wall of the thin crevice of a canyon. And that is where we are with him for the next "127 hours" that it takes him to get loose.

I'm not going to spoil that resolution here, although most will likely heard about it anyway before seeing the movie. 127 hours was a joyous, uplifting, spiritual movie experience. It had all the elements of what movie-making is about. It was a thriller, a drama, a romance, a horror, even comedy at some points all rolled into one. A keen, timeless message of what is it to be alive, of how blessed we all truly are, and of how reliant we are upon each other. In simple, this will be one of my favourite movie of 2011, and will certainly go down as one of my favourite movies of all time.

ALWAYS ASK, NEVER ASSUME !!!

His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight.

He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.

He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off.

Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for CNN' , he responded, 'and I need to get some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered, 'So, what you're telling me, is . . . You're NOT my flight instructor?'

"Life is short. Drink the good wine first"

Warning: Duty Free Shoppers

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS WHO TRAVEL A LOT!

Read ahead...

An Indian was detained in Bangkok for stealing a box of cigarettes in a duty-free shop in Bangkok International Airport. He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put an extra pack of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack.

He was arrested for shop-lifting and the Thai Police extortion price was 30,000 Baht for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid 500 Baht for an air-conditioned cell, 200-300 baht for each visitor and 11,000 baht for his final release. The Police shared the money in front of his eyes.

On top of that, he was charged in court and fined 2,000 baht by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While there, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy and was told that they are helpless, and many Asians are victimized similarly daily and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. He shared a cell with a Singaporean the first night who paid 60,000 baht for his release. The second night was a Malaysian national who paid 70,000 baht.

Mind you this was not in a shanty shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at the Bangkok International Airport . So - BE WARNED!

The above is 100% correct information because Mr. Rajan Khera's customer from India faced exactly the same scenario mentioned above when he was in transit at Bangkok Int'l Airport going to Taipei.

Someone went through the same ordeal in Dubai . He bought stuff at the duty-free shop upon entering. The girl at the duty-free shop put a bottle of cologne in his shopping bag (he did not even see it happen).

He was arrested for stealing (this is before he even picked up his luggage). He sat at the airport jail where he was harassed for the whole day. NO FOOD, NO WATER for one day and only after he paid a fine (bribe of US 500...). That was all the cash he had in his pocket at the time. They let him go. These are scams that are happening all over the place.

Please BE CAREFUL! All of this is pre-planned and the people who work at the airport know who to target.

UNBELIEVABLE BUT APPLY CAUTION.... duty-free employees intentionally put extra items to scam passengers. ALWAYS TAKE A RECEIPT FOR ANY FREE GIFT THAT THE DUTY FREE SHOP GIVES. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND WATCHFUL WHEN YOU ARE BEING BILLED AND ITEMS PACKED AT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS (DUTY FREE SHOPS).

29 Sexually Explicit, Profane and Dirty Stories and Fucking Verses in the Holy Bible

Research by Poch Suzara

1. Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. [Judges 16:1]
2. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yester night with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. [Genesis 19:33-36]
3. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: [Genesis 35:22]
4. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. [Genesis 38:2]
5. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. [Genesis 38:8-9]
6. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. [Genesis 38:15-18]
7. And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. [2 Samuel 13:11-14]
8. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. [2 Samuel 16:22]
9. Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. [Ezekiel 16:28]
10. And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. [Ezekiel 23:3]
11. And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. [Ezekiel 23:5-8]
12. And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way, And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. [Ezekiel 23:11-21]
13. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. [Hosea 4:12]
14. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. [Hosea 6:10]
15. Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor. [Hosea 9:1]
16. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. [Genesis 9:21]
17. And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? [1 Samuel 19:24]
18. Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! [2 Samuel 6:20]
19. So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. [Isaiah 20:4]
20. And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; [Proverbs 7:7-22]
21. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. [Isaiah 13-15]
22. And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. [Deuteronomy 22:17]
23. While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. [Song of Solomon 1:12-13]
24. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. [Song of Solomon 4:5]
25. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour. [Song of Solomon 8:10]
26. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. [Numbers 31:18]
27. This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples; [Song of Solomon 7:7-8]
28. And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. [2 Samuel 11:4]
29. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins. [Song of Solomon 7:3]