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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Can Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios return to Nicaragua?
Nov 4, 2024 02:17 PM
AT A GLANCE
On Nov. 16 (Nov. 17 Manila time), Sheynnis will crown her successor during the 73rd Miss Universe Competition in Mexico. Can she finally go home after her reign?
Reigning Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, expressed her longing for her home country, emphasizing that she is not a beauty queen who cannot return.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Sheynnis stated that her busy schedule as Miss Universe prevented her from going home, as she visited 31 countries in 2023, organized by the Miss Universe Organization (MUO).
"It's been a really beautiful experience. It made me grow as a woman. It made me see different opportunities that I didn't know could occur, like seeing the other side of the world,' said the first Miss Universe from Nicaragua.
Sheynnis said she has plans to return to Nicaragua "to enjoy the beautiful beaches of my country, the biodiversity we have, and to spend time with my people."
The New York Times article also quoted Sheynnis stating that she was not in exile.
"My country hasn't closed the doors, nor have I received any documentation or information or email where they tell me I'm not welcome," Sheynnis said.
This is in contrast to the post of Anne Jakrajutatip, co-owner of the MUO, who wrote on social media in May that Sheynnis was in indefinite exile. The post was later deleted.
Hanny Javier Falcon, a close friend of Sheynnis, said in a telephone interview with the New York Times that Nicaraguans are hoping to celebrate her victory when she returns to Nicaragua soon. "It's what we're all waiting for."
Sheynnis and some of her supporters were allegedly under crackdown for taking part in anti-government protests in 2018. She declined to address the issue that her grandmother and younger brother reportedly went to the US in April after being granted humanitarian parole, according to the report. The 24-year-old beauty queen also said she has other family members and friends in Nicaragua.
On Nov. 16 (Nov. 17 Manila time), Sheynnis will crown her successor during the 73rd Miss Universe Competition in Mexico. Can she finally go home after her reign?
Sheynnis said she is not afraid to return home. "I have a lot of faith. I have represented Nicaragua with a lot of pride and honor. I don't represent any political flag."
The New York Times also recalled the visit of Sheynnis to the Philippines, where she cried after a fan handed her the Nicaraguan flag as she sat atop a convertible during a parade.
"It fills me with a lot of emotion, happiness, and pride to see Nicaraguans all over being successful, following their dreams, careers, and goals," she added.
How Chelsea Manalo got fit for Miss Universe
Chelsea Manalo cools down after a hypertrophy training. —CONTRIBUTED
MY DISPLAY OF FAITH
Trust or reliance? What does faith mean for you? To say it clearly: without faith we are really nothing. Faith is belief; believe in us, beliefs in our works, talents and personalities.
We also should believe in our parents or better, in the whole family including the black sheep, who can be found everywhere. We should also believe in our friends, even sometimes it seems to become a very difficult task. A friend? A real friend? An expatriate friend...?
Without faith, we will be reaching the rock bottom. Please don't say, it's a likely story. The German poet Johann Christian Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1815) mentioned in his drama "Maria Stuart": "Even the word might be dead, but faith keeps it alive." Yes, I can live with this.
Faith and hope belong together. In his book "Through the Valley of the Kwai", Scottish officer Ernest Gordon wrote of his years as a prisoner of World War II. The 6'2'' man suffered from malaria, diphtheria, typhoid, beriberi and jungle ulcers. Many circumstances quickly plunged his weight to less than 100 pounds. Lying in the dirt of the death house, he waited to die. But every day, a fellow prisoner came to wash his wounds and to encourage him to eat parts of his own rations. As this fellow prisoner nursed Ernest back to health, he talked with the agnostic Scotsman of his own strong faith in God and showed him that, even in the midst of suffering - there is hope - and faith!
Faith is indeed tantamount to convincing and conviction. Richard Wagner, a German classical composer and poet found the following lyric: "Blessed are those people, who know how to live their life in humility and faith!"
Faithful hope is loyal, reliable, exact and honorable.
Faith looks beyond the transient life with hope for all eternity. The hope we read in scripture is not a wishy-washy optimism. First and second Chapter of Thessalonians, for example, give encouragement to all Christians, who have been undergoing persecution for their faith. And, Corinthians 13:2 says: "If I have faith it can move mountains!"
When we place our faith in the Lord we will be empowered to serve not through our own strength, but from the strength of God. When we live in a relationship with God, God acts through us. And we can trust that God will provide the ability to put our faith into action.
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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or X - Twitter or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .
Concern for the lost
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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
THE lesson we can draw from the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (cfr. Lk 15,1-10) is very clear. We need to give special attention and exert special effort to recover those who have lost their way toward God. This is the real test of discipleship.
We obviously need some special training for this. But let’s not forget that the first thing to do is to beg for that grace and power of God so we can carry out this duty that is clearly beyond our human powers and condition.
In our prayer, we should ask God to instill in us this strong urge to be concerned for those who have strayed from the proper way, those who for one reason or another are ostracized and alienated from God and from the rest of humanity.
With God’s grace, let’s embark on a plan to develop the appropriate attitude, virtues, skills and practices. Yes, we have to learn how to be “all things to all men to save at least some,” as St. Paul once said. (cfr. 1 Cor 9,22)
Definitely this would require of us a very open spirit that would enable us to adapt ourselves to everyone in the way they are, warts and all. Thus, we need to develop the qualities of adaptability, flexibility and versatility. With our increasingly complex times, we need to learn how to flow with the tide without losing our identity and real purpose in life. For this, we definitely need to look and closely follow the example of Christ.
Christ, being God, made himself man and went all the way to assume the sinfulness of men without committing any sin if only to identify himself with us in our wounded condition and to give us a way of how to deal with that condition.
In his preaching, he used parables to make his lessons more accessible to the people. He was always compassionate, quick to forgive, slow to anger. He was always thinking both of his Father and of the people. Remember him saying, “The one who sent me is true and what I heard from him I tell the world.” (Jn 8,26)
He gave preferential treatment to the children, the weak, the handicapped, the sick, the sinners. He was only allergic to the proud and self-righteous whose sense of right and wrong did not come from God, but rather from their own selves in their great variety of human consensus and other subtle forms of self-assertion. But on the cross, he asked forgiveness for everyone.
Obviously, to have this genuine concern for the lost, we need to be tough spiritually, not squeamish, much less, self-righteous. We should not be afraid to get the “smell,” as Pope Francis once said, of the lost sheep. If we are truly involved in the life of those who are lost and far from Church, we cannot avoid acquiring that “smell.”
Of course, without compromising our need to be tender and gentle, we have to learn how to be strong and tough with the strength and forcefulness of true charity that would enable us to bend, to understand and to forgive.
It’s a matter of discernment and prudence. They actually can and should go together—our toughness and gentleness. But their manifestations vary according to the situation, and we just have to learn how to show and live both anytime, or highlight one over the other given the circumstance or the need of the moment.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Do you want to feel better faster?
Natural remedies to relieve flu-like symptoms
Nov 3, 2024 06:45 PM
AT A GLANCE
Water is needed by the immune system to make more white blood cells to fight infection.
We see a spike in cases of flu-like illnesses concurrent with the rainy season. Although the Department of Health has reportedly observed a decline in the number of cases compared to the same period last year, cases of flu are still ever-present and shouldn’t be ignored. All means of preventing the infection must be done. Such as isolation, wearing of masks, handwashing, and the like.
While there are medications that could help manage symptoms of flu such as fever, body aches, cough, and colds, there is no known cure for this viral infection. We simply have to wait it out. After all, viruses are self-limiting. Our natural doctor, the immune system, fights the infection rendering the virus unable to reproduce itself and we get healed. Therefore, if you take paracetamol to bring your body temperature to normal, take a decongestant to relieve a clogged nose, or take a cough suppressant to prevent dry cough, or mucolytic to loosen phlegm, you are not killing the virus. You are simply managing symptoms caused by the viral infection.
Flu can last between four to seven days. You can feel better faster by not solely relying on medications. There are ways to naturally boost the immune system, as well as, alleviate symptoms in combination with medications. Unfortunately, fast paced modern lifestyle has made us forget or neglect some traditional home remedies that have been proven effective.
Firstly, never underestimate the healing wonders of hydrotherapy. Heal with water. If you’re having a fever, use a small towel soaked in lukewarm water for a sponge bath. Ensure that body parts are well covered with clothing or towels afterward. Having a sponge bath, especially in areas like the neck, armpits, and groin will help lower the body temperature. Do not use cold water or alcohol as this may cause a rapid decrease in temperature and shivering. When this occurs, the skin may feel cooler but the internal body temperature may rise as a result of the shivering.
Another form of hydrotherapy is steam inhalation. This is very effective for clogged nose and loosening mucus or phlegm in the throat. In a small basin or bowl, carefully put water that has just been boiled. You may add some essential oils like eucalyptus if available. Put a towel over your head and inhale the steam. For convenience, there is also steam inhalation equipment that can be bought in stores that sell medical supplies.
Water intake is crucial when you have flu. You have to drink water throughout the day to keep hydrated. This will help lower your body temperature and prevent mucus formation that makes you cough and clog your nose. Water is needed by the immune system to make more white blood cells to fight infection. Always check the color of your urine. It must be light yellow. If it gets darker especially when you’re not taking any vitamin C supplements, then you are dehydrated even if your throat does not feel parched.
Second, don’t fight sleep. There is a reason why you feel tired and very sleepy when you have the flu. As a response to the infection, the immune system will release pro-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These proteins are like natural messengers that tell the immune system what to do, such as how many immune cells to produce. Cytokines make you want to sleep. This makes sense because when we sleep, our body can repair and recover. Therefore, it is unwise to keep on working when you have the flu. Don’t fight it. Just sleep and rest as much as you can. Otherwise, if you aren’t helping your immune system in fighting the infection, you won’t be able to shorten the duration of your illness.
Thirdly, you may not have an appetite but you must eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Grab a banana or an orange. Eat vegetable soup. Because these contain plant chemicals or phytochemicals that help bring down inflammation and aid the immune system.
Have you ever had salabat or ginger tea? Ginger helps with pain and fever. It also soothes the throat. It has natural antimicrobial properties. You can add pure honey which is a natural cough suppressant.
Another functional food that I recommend is the osmanthus. It can come in the form of tea or freeze-dried powder. Studies have proven that osmanthus can relieve respiratory symptoms. I myself have taken this to loosen phlegm instead of taking a mucolytic drug.
Lastly, practice oral and nasal care. You can gargle using warm water with salt. The salt draws water from your throat. With that comes the mucus and the virus. The same solution can be used for nasal sprays. However, over the counter preparations can be bought in drugstores for convenience. Disinfecting your throat and nose can decrease the development of virus and shorten the duration of infection.
Keep your family safe this flu season and hopefully, you will survive without getting any infection.
Former mayor and actress Maita Sanchez, wife of ER Ejercito, passes away at 55
Former mayor and actress Maita Sanchez, wife of ER Ejercito, passes away at 55
Nov 3, 2024 12:39 PM
Former actress-turned-politician Maita Sanchez, whose real name is Girlie Javier-Ejercito, has passed away due to endometrial cancer. She was 55.
Former Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito announced the passing of his wife on Facebook on Nov. 3.
"My lovely and beautiful wife, our dearly beloved Mayora Girlie “Maita” Javier- Ejercito of Pagsanjan, Laguna just passed away due to endometrial cancer at 12:01 am, November 3, 2024, at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City."
ER expressed gratitude to all supporters for their love and prayers, emphasizing that Maita is an exceptional woman in her work.
"Mayor Maita was an outstanding multi-awarded local chief executive (2010-2019) who brought life, joy, and integrity into the significant programs and projects of Pagsanjan, which is now recognized as the tourist capital of Laguna," Ejercto added in his post.
Maita served as the mayor of Pagsanjan from June 30, 2010, to June 30, 2019. She also served as the vice-mayor of Pagsanjan from June 30, 2019, to June 30, 2022.
The former actress and mayor shared six children with ER, namely Eric, Jet, Jerico, Jhulia, Diego, and Gabriela.
Maita appeared in several films including “Sa Dulo ng Baril,” “Epifanio Ang Bilas Ko: NB-Eye,” “Katabi Ko’y Mamaw,” “El Presidente,” “Muslim Magnum .357: To Serve and Protect,” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme.”
Maita's wake will be held at the Don Porong Ejercito at 1912 Ancestral Mansion in Pagsanjan, Laguna beginning Sunday, Nov. 3. Further details about her funeral are set to be announced.
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