Camping and Heb 10:25

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Via Wayne: Funny, how Harold Camping is calling people to leave their “dying” churches because the end times are approaching. The Bible tells us otherwise:

“…Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrew 10:25, italics mine.

We are called to congregate together in worship all the more because the end of days is upon us. To leave our established local churches based on the doomsayings of a false prophet is to disobey the admonishment of Scripture.

(And it certainly won’t be the first time that some “Christian” mass media outfit raises itself as sole purveyor of the “True Faith” over and above our local churches. ;)

Erna’s Ate Liza

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Deepest, deepest condolences go out to Erna of Siraulo. Her Ate (Big Sister) Liza passed away yesterday, after a month-long bout with cancer.

Please pray for peace for Erna and her family in this time of grief.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8.28

Wayne Redesigns

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I was hoping to hit Index 50 before Wayne redesigned, but I was too slow on the draw. Darn.

Anyway, I’m thinking of making Index 49 a manga/anime layout, and I’m torn between graphics from the following titles:

– Appleseed (by Masamune Shirow)

– Urusei Yatsura

– Fushigi Yuugi

– Akazukin Cha-Cha

Which one should I go for?

Pque-NAIA Row

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Is a government establishment (oh, say, an International Airport) obliged by law to pay property taxes to the municipality upon whose borders it sits?

The City of Parañaque seems to think so, and is even ready to forcibly close down the airport’s runways and auction off airport property to get their hands on those taxes.

The truly laughable thing about all this comes up in this quote from Parañaque Public Info Officer Mar Jimenez: “This is part of our campaign to raise funds with a minimum target of P1 billion to finance various infrastructure projects of the city government. They (NAIA) cannot blame us because we are doing this for our constituents.” He’s saying, in effect, “We’re doing this because we need to money for our city projects.” Not because the law requires payment of those taxes or because the airport has been delinquent in paying (if indeed those taxes are lawful), but because they need the money.

Well, aye aye, sir! Never mind ironing out the legality of this economic farce; what’s important is that this virtual extortion from the airport is going to fund city projects for the good of your constituents! Can’t argue against that with a niggling little thing like lawfulness or constitutionality, can we? I suppose dubious ends do justify dubious means after all, right?

I sure hope Richard Gordon can talk some sense into these people. I think this situation calls for his trademark ruthlesness.

(By the way, I live in Parañaque City, and under Chronic Mayor Joey “Alma” Marquez, it’s a complete dump. Garbage problems, air pollution, towing syndicates, squatter colonies, corruption, crime, and heavy traffic. Terrible. The real reason for this property tax row are pretty clear, and I don’t think altruistic motives come into it.)

Winter’s Heart

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I’ve just finished Winter’s Heart, ninth book of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. Recent installments in this fantasy series were wearing my patience thin, with too many minor characters and subplots, slow and monotonous plot progression, and lackluster character development. Through the first half of the book it seemed to be more of the same, and I was getting disappointed, but things intensify later on, and the [somewhat sudden] ending of Winter’s Heart makes up for past shortcomings. Sort of. At least with this book, I’ve decided not to abandon the WoT series altogether.

Things to look forward to: Now that Rand and Nynaeve have cleansed the Dark One’s taint from saidin, will the nature of the Last Battle change? Has the Breaking of the World been averted, now that male channelers will no longer go mad? Also, since Rand has slept with all three of his lovers now (Elayne, Aviendha, Min), making at least two of them pregnant, will his children also figure in the plot? Or will they die at his hands as was prophesied of the Kinslayer? (Personally, I wish Rand would settle for one of them, and I don’t like Min. But that’s just me.) More importantly, when will Moiraine return?! When will Egwene take the White Tower, and when will Perrin rescue Faile? That’s two plotlines left hanging less than halfway through the book. Grrr!

Characters who did not appear at all: Suian Sanche, Gareth Byrne, Gawyn, Galad, Loial the Ogier. That last one is one of my favorites, and I can’t even remember what subplot he disappeared into.

And has anyone noticed the intricate web of Warder-bonding? The Aes Sedia Alanna Mosvani bonded Rand as her Warder. Rand is bonded to Elayne, Aviendha, and Min. Elayne and Aviendha are bonded to each other as first-sisters. Elayne is also bonded to Birgitte as Aes Sedai to Warder. So Rand has four people in his head now. (Alanna, Elayne, Aviendha, and Min. Five people if you count Lews Therin.) Elayne is a close second (Birgitte, Aviendha, and Rand). And I wonder why Nynaeve hasn’t bonded Lan yet?

Comments from other WoT fans welcome.