Hooked on reading
WE are slowly moving away from the page at this day and age. The book, as we know it, is undergoing a digital transfer. The smell of paper and the…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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A killer in our kitchen
Quietly sitting in our kitchen is a good friend but a bad enemy, a killer, when “abused.” We are not talking about fire or boiling water, or knives, or even…
The Perfect Storm
US News and World Report writer Mary Brophy Marcus wrote an article a few years back about the critical shortages of physicians in the United States and the escalating cost…
Our native soil
Memories were spread across the archipelago in a time before we were made to submit before a colonial power. These memories make up our native history—one filled with gods, our…
Musing on this solemn November
WE began this month of November with two feast days that are close to our hearts as Catholics: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These subsequent feast days set…
Food and arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), commonly known as arthritis, which causes the usual aches and pains in the various joints in the body, especially among the elderly, affected about 47.8 million people…
Travelogues: Sagada Part II
There is a presence, grand and mystic, that lurks in caves. History harkens the images of men seeking shelter in caves as they made the first paintings of the beasts…
Jesus’ desire for us
WHAT do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel. Wasn’t this the same question he raised to James and John,…
Probiotics and health
Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when ingested, confer a health benefits. The most common types of microbes used as probiotics are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria, but some yeasts…
A United Heritage
October marks a month’s worth of observing Filipino-American history in the United States. With a population of a million and growing, this is an appropriate action in understanding our deep…
Smoking damages DNA instantly
For cigarette smokers and those who may be tempted to start, here’s a bit of truly disturbing new information from the American Chemical Society. New research revealed that tobacco smoke…
The face of heroism
The hero as a part of the human race portrays the ideals and excellence that man strives to reach. It is the society that defines the hero, and (s)he gives…
The radical way of Jesus
PARTS of the joy of my recently concluded Holy Land Pilgrimage were the company of two young brothers in their 20s and my conversations with them. Often after supper, we…
Vitamin E and Stroke
Until about the latter part of 2004 vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin was a most popular anti-oxidant that was believed to protect the body from harmful unstable substances known…
Travelogues: Sagada
It’s just hard to imagine that this place was once submerged in water. Rocks that were once in the abyss of the ocean seemed to have risen as the waters…
Greetings from the Holy Land
AS I write this article early in the morning of Thursday, the 4th of October, on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, I remember the strong and honest…
Weight gain/weight loss foods
THE average adult gains one pound (0.45 Kilos) a year. Packing an additional 20 pounds (9 Kilos) a year multiplies the health risks of every one of us. The question…
Peace and all good for the Azkals
Another feel-good moment is added to the highlight clips of Philippine Sports with the Azkals winning the Philippine Football Peace Cup crown that was held last September 25 to 27….
Of faith and action
YEARS ago, a parishioner was complaining to me that our church was not doing enough work to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in our neighborhood. Being the new pastor…
Drinking 101
The abuse of alcohol is the leading risk factor for disability and premature death in the world. Alcohol-related deaths claim almost 80,000 lives each year in the United States alone….
Getting there
Once again, they had their chances. Pitted against the competition, they fought it out, and the outcome was somehow satisfactory. With the afterglow of its successful golden campaign in the…
Dying to look good
To take the risk of possible death from surgery that is necessary to save life or to maintain or restore health makes intelligent sense. But to die from an elective…
On being the least of all
WE often hear that “politics” exists not only in governments but also in corporations, schools, civic organizations, and even in churches. We find this contention to be true when we…
Billion germs in the kitchen!
Yes, billion microorganisms! That’s not a typo. That’s how many unwanted and potentially dangerous bugs there are on average in almost any kitchen. So, it is not the bathroom that…
Fil-Am Stories: Nic Belasco
THE mark of a great athlete is his ability to transcend generations of spectators. In the past, the glory of being an athlete was immortalized in poetry and the other…
The purpose of prayer
A FEW days ago, I was telling my parishioners in a homily about a Catholic priest who was traveling by train through Siberia. Sitting next to him in the train…
West Nile Virus Outbreak
This year, the worst ever outbreak of West Nile virus happened in the United States where 1,993 persons were infected and 87 were killed, the number tripling in just two weeks….
For the love of books
To open a book is an act that could change lives. Among the early progenitors of the book were the Egyptians who decided to write on papyrus for ideas to…