Is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez Still Certain Cancer Not Killing Him?

 

 

In July last year  I wrote about a rather spiritually ignorant Hugo Chavez who said his cancer is not going to kill him. “It is not time to die” he had said at the time.

One year later, and many trips to and from Cuba, the same Hugo Chavez is right now battling for his life in Cuba. He is on a respirator, breathing through a hole pierced through his neck.

Not many days ago, our own country’s prime minister participated in a prayer vigil for the recovery of Hugo Chavez. It shows that even his regional counterparts are sensitive on the matter of his mortality and the inevitable end of every man born of a woman.

Below is an extract from Caribbean 360 which shows the critical nature of Mr Chavez’ illness and its political realities on the ground in Venezuela.

“We trust that, with the help of God, we are going to be victorious,” he said. “And that sooner rather than later, we will have our president here.”

The Venezuelan government did not say when Chávez will return home, or whether he will be ready to begin a new six-year term next month.

But Minister of Information Ernesto Villegas said the nation needs to be prepared for all eventualities.

“We trust that, with the love of millions, the Commander will respond quickly and return before January 10,” he said.

“But if not, the nation needs to be prepared to understand it,” he added. “It would be irresponsible to cover up how delicate the situation is now and will be in the days to come.”

Chavez undergoes tracheotomy in Cuba after fourth surgery – Caribbean360

Understanding Adam Lanza

Adam Lanza left home last Friday morning with blood on his hands. He had already done the unimaginable, the publicly inexplicable act. The moment that Nancy Lanza’s face and head joined that of assassinated president John F. Kennedy, there was absolutely no turning back for Adam. In many ways he was being the first of his kind–in his family, his close-knit community and his state of Connecticut. That is a horrendously tragic symbolism with the first Adam who also lived in an idyllic place called Eden.

The whole world reels with the “why” question. But in Adam’s mind the question was never really why but when and how. For the years in his short life he had also asked why to a different type of question. Why was he so lonely? Why was the rest of humanity so distantly uncaring and passive about the inner suffering that he woke and walked with every day?

His next of kin would have been animals and it inflamed his tolerance of people when he saw how cruelly these innocent creatures were being treated and killed by man. So to a large extent, Adam Lanza did not feel comfortable being identified with the human race.

Then throughout the torn affliction of divorce, his seemingly best friend, his mother, in an attempt to stand with him introduced him to a passionate hobby that seemed to magically erase all his mother’s hurt and pain. It was target shooting. His mom on the shooting range was like Michael Jackson when music started playing. The transformation was sudden and it was dynamic.

He, too, began to enjoy the comforting feel of a gun in his hands. He began to see guns as an escape route and their bullets a most mystical pacifier. Wouldn’t his mom prefer to lie happily in the company of these penetratingly friendly bullets rather than face the shameful onslaught of all of apathetic humanity after he had done what he had to do?

He loved his mother too much to consider any other alternative.

Adam Lanza knew the pain inside him was never going to cease until he left. He had seen enough of humanity’s mistreatment and what he considered wanton abuse of all that he saw as his hope for being alive. He concluded he had to somehow find a way to make people understand and feel the hurt he has felt because they have taken away his hope.

So the community of toddlers and those very young children fit neatly it seemed in filling this psychological niche of his. There is no force like the power of a made up mind and so Adam Lanza left home last Friday on a journey that could not end here. He figured his was the path of a societal awakening that he would not look back on. He knew this going away project of his would speak louder than any tweet, letter to congress, appeal to his dad or any other socially acceptable means of communication.

He wanted them to go quickly and as painlessly as possible. He had seen what the Bushmaster could do and so Adam Lanza selected what his little survivors would later call “the long gun”. He knew too that unless his once-looked-to human counter parts got the message and, more importantly, acted on the message there would be others like him to elude man’s myopic radars and swiftly and suddenly send their communities on a journey to hell on earth.

When one man hurt is not attended to then that man makes all around him hurt when he can hurt no more.

Will we act on Adam Lanza’s message?

America’s Safe Havens Under Threat by Modern Violence Values

The slaughter of young children, ages five to ten, in Newton, Connecticut, USA, yesterday has been the latest in a violent spate of shootings in public places traditionally known as safe havens and violence free. young lone gunmen have shot and killed innocent people in schools, church, a movie theatre and even in their homes. Everybody wants an answer to the WHY question whenever these atrocities happen.

I believe the answer is that the American society, in all its liberal new age movements for equal rights, freedom of speech, lifestyles and actions is beginning to pay the piper for such radically tolerant societies. The unfortunate thing is that America is a world leader. We have a local saying here in St Vincent that when you see your neighbour’s house on fire you must wet your own house as a preventive measure. What we see erupting in America represent the slow and steady push of the social magma and lava of social violence and intolerance being hugged delightfully by a new breed of young people, eager to identify themselves as separate from the generation which preceded them.

Each weekend the American society, and the rest of the world, want to know how the box office did as regards new movies of entertainment. Hollywood has captured us so powerfully well with their non stop on-screen action, violence, revenge, explosions, betrayal, gang pacts and glorified pariahs that those actually seeking social reprieve in the real world are seeing violence as the most gratifying solution. After all, it works so very well on television, right?

The practical importance of values such as respect for human life, having pleasant relationships with one another, extending  and accepting forgiveness, actually TALKING and LISTENING courteously to the other person  are all being marginalized. In their place new values of revenge, self centeredness and violent reticence are now shining on the stove top of the social blue print of the twenty-first century American society.

Where do we go from here? On this tangent, I’m afraid that violence will get much more prevalent before it becomes non-existent. I suggest that the American authorities begin to implement new and never before used, security measures at all public places which traditionally have no connection to violence. For example, what is in place to prevent a shooting or murder spree aboard a cruise ship in international waters? Is “America’s favourite pastime” safe at the many public venues where base-ball is played so regularly? And what about concerts, parks and home for the elderly?

If security measures are only changed at venues after a mass shooting has happened, then that is just playing catch up. These mass murders are only effective when they come as a surprise at places where the last thing on the victims’ minds is dying.

Somebody also has to be brave and wise enough to stop the glorification of guns in America, be it in the movies or in the gun shops. So far, Americans have chosen to sacrifice the lives of their innocent loved ones for the sake of gun and ammunition profits. America, why would you prefer to lose your citizens rather than lose your money?

While many people are now expressing their grieving support with the American people, I am using this blog post to turn a light on a path that may not be what America wants to see but which can keep many of the innocent people reading this alive so that they may succumb to a natural death at their appointed time.

 

At Year’s End

It’s December again. It is Christmas time again. It is the time when we all in some way think of the year just ending and make some presumptions about what is likely to manifest in the upcoming twelve months. It seems the older one gets the end of year’s reflection and resolves made within oneself takes on a more sombre meaning rather than the plurile bubbly ones of yesteryear.

There are more complicated challenges and interlocking issues of day-to-day living affecting all of us these days. The once largely unknown and hard-to-explore world has been made quite familiar as the back of our hands because of the presence of our technologically fueled social hubs and instant sharing of daily living experiences. Even governments and decision makers have lost much of their abilities to filter and control information flow to the man on the street. Our overseas relatives are often the ones these days telling us about events happening right across the streets from us. Such is the progress of the information highway.

The financial playoffs from the global economies continue to reduce the spending power of our wallets and this makes for little end of year joy around many  a dining table. Once again, people have to learn to return to some for m of subsistence livelihood just to keep the table supplied with the daily bread. A young and upcoming generation, fresh out of some graduating class, longs with futility for a job befitting its sacrificially invested education. And no matter how the consumers spend, marketer, managers and ministers of government all claim that business now is not looking too bright.

So the end of year, every year, positions all of us at a pivotal crossroad in the journey of our lives. Where do we go from here? Where do you, dear reader, go from here? The unknown future has been carved by destiny; however, each of us must know how to listen to that spiritual feed and wisely respond to its beckoning if we are to line ourselves up for success in 2013 and beyond. The insight of our Creator and planner of the future is the only key that can successfully open up the way for each of us. So get to build your relationship with your God and His Son, your only best friend and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. After all, it is for Him we celebrate this season. I know you thought it was Santa Clause’s season, but that is as erroneous as the facades can get.

A reality that often rigs within me is that every year I am sadly mindful that last Old Year’s Day and New Year’s Day there were people who were celebrating and they are no more at this present time. Similarly, there are those of us who are celebrating the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 but we will not be alive on this earth at this time next year. So each of us should be cautiously sensitive and know who, what and why we are celebrating at year’s end

Islamic Intolerance of criticisms Must End

I have been more than baffled over the years how the “civilized” world just seems to whimper and retreat like a frightened dog whenever The Islamic world gets myopically upset at some ant-Islamic development.

The most recent tirade and Islamic tantrum is because of a mere fourteen minute video shown on You Tube.

Apparently, that video, because it originated in the USA, led to the death of a US diplomat in Libya a few days ago. Other fiery protests have been going on in other Muslim territories.

But now a cabinet minister in Pakistan has openly offered a bounty reward for the killing of the American film maker. This is an inexplicably regrettable high point in international relations and the acknowledgement of common sense.

Almost every day, somebody somewhere utters or communicates some displeasing comment about all major world religions, but the Muslims seem hooked by an irremovable barb which drags them helplessly to the cliffs of religious intolerance, murder and mere hatred for other human beings.

indeed, it is my opinion if their “holy Prophet” is offended then Allah and that prophet would have been naturally fitted to exact their own justice. the real and living God does not need to ignite bands of suicidal cabals to defend his cause and reputation.

I suspect that the Muslims are never going to be at rest from their protests, murders and eager human threats because every entity under the sun will always have its critics—no matter what.

But a most vexing irony is that Muslims are quick to call other religious followers “infidels” and other less than honourable names. Sometimes I believe that sanctions should not just be imposed on governments and people who are threatening military rebellion but religious intolerance which breeds senseless and avoidable deaths beckon similar impositions of said sanctions.

 

 

Pakistani bounty placed on anti-Islam filmmaker | Reuters

Night of “The Dark Knight”

During an action-filled scene in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, fans were fooled by loud gunshots which were actually an intruder killing them as they watched the movie. Some probably died with a smile on their faces.

Even though there has been multiple fatalities and many more injuries in this midnight shooting spree in Aurora, Colorado, I couldn’t help but think that was the sort of scene the traditional Batman movies would be set in with the Joker bursting in on innocent civilians with Batman coming to the rescue.

But this was no work of fiction. These movie goers were being killed in real life. A few survivors said they actually thought the incident was part of the whole movie experience!

However, the incident brings to the fore once more the fear that movies and the wider media do influence our minds to make the world of fiction our world of reality. There are people who of course enjoy the blood, guns, explosions, carnage and constant death or mayhem that Hollywood seems to have so easily mastered over the last decade or so.

Interestingly, the new batman movie is being allowed to continue its premiere showing across America but Warner Bros. has since announced that the highly publicized and anticipated premiere in Paris will no longer go ahead as planned.

This incident makes me wonder if movies—and Hollywood in particular—are going to be used as the Command Headquarters for potential celebrity criminals who would want their spot in the historical limelight of the western world’s archives.

People who are expecting to be entertained in a cinema most likely don’t think they are in any physical danger of the sort that would put their lives at risk of a violent, bloody and painful end. But weeks after “The Land of the Free” celebrated another fourth of July, one of their most embedded personalized pastimes has been violently uprooted by one of their own.

AS far as public information shows, the act was carried out by one individual—James Holmes, a 24 year old—working alone. So there was no Yemeni links as such. Americans must be devastated as they realize that this is an all American made death zone.

However, I fear that other nations are likely to experience similar incidents as people begin to tear down the thin line between the imaginary world of fiction where anything is possible, and the ominously perched world of reality where the unthinkable seems not only to be thinkable but also doable.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is 2012 Regional Netball Champions!

St Vincent and the Grenadines defeated last year’s champions to become the 2012 Regional Netball Champions. The nail-biting finals happened in Grenada last Thursday.

Of course it is always an ecstatic feeling to hear of my country performing well in regional and international competitive events. There is still much work to do in promoting an awareness of the geographical location, cultural identity and economic potential of my small multi-island territory of St Vincent and the Grenadines nested in the Eastern Caribbean.

 

Watch this video to learn more about St Vincent and the Grenadines

 

So obviously I extend vociferous congratulations to this young squad of netballers who have etched another indelible mark into the history books. Over the years St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has often produced exceptional ladies at the top of their netball performance.

The local netball association has to be commended as well. I would suggest a redoubling of efforts in teaching the young children this game which has traditionally brought recognition to us as Vincentians. I remember that netball was just as visible on the playing field as soccer or cricket when I was in primary school.

Such must be the continued thrust: the school curriculum, directly or indirectly, must expose with much excitement the rewards and pleasures of playing netball. Not only must netball be given priority at the primary level of schooling but probably even more importantly netball must be stridently pushed also at the secondary school level. Sports is a great open door for many at risk juveniles and otherwise under-performing youths.

This game has the potential to give many a Vincentian girl the motivation and self discipline they need to claim a purpose for their lives. By playing netball they can be influenced to set personal goals which would delay unplanned pregnancies and set a proper foundation for their future.

This 2012 regional victory by our young netball squad is a time for us in St Vincent and the Grenadines to reshape the national focus on the role of netball in the lives of our younger generation.

Andy Griffith is Dead—My Tribute

 

I was watching The Andy Griffith Show on TV Land an hour or so ago when I saw headlines on my computer that “Actor Andy Griffith is Dead”.

That moment froze me in time. Moments before I was just enjoying the show and thinking of my childhood days when I first started watching this beloved idyllic sitcom. I also was thinking that “Deputy Barney Fife” played by Don Knots died a few years ago; sadly, too, the episode I was watching had “Goober” in it. Goober died just a month or so ago back in May of this year.

But maybe it is fate and destiny that I should learn of the death of one of my favourite television personalities while watching his show. It is the first time in my life I recall something like this happening.

But I am glad it happened this way.

I first started watching the Andy Griffith Show back in the 1980s. I was in primary school at the time. I can still vividly remember that it would be showed at 3:30 PM  each weekday afternoon. In those days my classmates and I would gather in the hour before the 3 o’ clock dismissal bell and we would rehearse with gravitational excitement all the plots of our TV shows the previous afternoon.

I can still hear the voice of my best friend telling me how he prefer to watch cartoons instead of real people, but nonetheless The Andy Griffith Show (T.A.G.S.) made an impact on our entertainment appetite.

TAGS has been one of the shows that has remained on television line up for broadcasting over the many years since  my golden childhood decade of the 1980s. I always enjoyed the simple lifestyle and powerful life lessons the characters would portray in the episodes. There didn’t have to be a lot of action or physical movement in place or time for the pleasurable entertainment value to be enjoyed by the audience.

This show was also one of the shows that my mother and I  often watched together, particularly when school was closed and I was at home on vacation. My mother’s favourite episode was the one when “Aunt Bea” bought an excessive amount of beef and was literally dragging her meat home through the streets of Mayberry and the town’s dogs were having a feast as she went along.

Andy, I hope you do say hello to my mother for me as you enter your eternal home in heaven.

I bet I can easily make this post my longest ever as a blogger: there is just so much to remember and to tell!

I have always felt a sense of comfort in that I knew Andy Griffith was still alive. It was like I had a particular handle on the 1960s, a time before my birth, when The Andy Griffith Show was being produced and aired for the first time.

I believe I speak for every single one of  TAGS fans when I say that the theme song—a beautifully whistled tune—is another simple reason the show has been immortalized in our minds and memories. At some point and time I am sure we all have whistled that tune.

The deaths of the majority of the cast members from The Andy Griffith Show indicates that a television era in wholesome entertainment has really ended. As far as I know these characters from the show are now all dead: Aunt Bea, Goober, Barney, Floyd, Clara, and now Andy Griffith.

I give thanks to the Lord for giving the world Andy Griffith and I thank Him for allowing Andy to have a long life—86 years—on the earth. I have learned from Andy’s life that it is important to enjoy your years, whether young or old. Andy brought his highly demanded show to an end in 1968 to follow his other dreams of life outside of the sitcom world.

It was not an easy road for him; he didn’t make the immediate hit with movie audiences as he did with TAGS, and he even lost his wife in the process; however, Andy Griffith kept persevering on.

His nine year run as Matlock made his name a household phrase again with a younger television audience in the 1990s.

Andy Griffith is finally dead after being here many decades. The great news is that he has left his life’s work in television and music for us to enjoy. Let us do so, celebrating Andy Griffith our forever television friend.

Modern Day Cannibal Used Marijuana

A naked man was killed in Florida a few weeks ago after he refused to heed police warning to stop eating the face of another human being. It was a clear and surprisingly modern instance of cannibalism: people eating people.

That particular incident would have attracted much media attention because it paralleled something that we are very familiar with in the fictional world of movies, but not in real life.

The just released coroner’s report on the body of the cannibal, a young man in his early thirties, has shown that he was a user of marijuana. No other drug was present in his system. That is much to the surprise of law enforcement officers, and I might add, the general public.

Everyone just assumed that for a human being to casually chew on the body of another human some powerful drug must have been present. Well, now that it has also been independently confirmed that marijuana was the only foreign substance in the cannibal’s body, the question has to now be asked: Is marijuana a more dangerous drug than we previously thought?

Up to this time in history, much heated debate about the legalization or eradication of marijuana has been on-going. Pro marijuana users boast that even after using the drug for decades, they are just as healthy with few or no side effects from the drug.

But the presence of this seemingly harmless drug in the body of someone who was eating another person with apparent delight and style must make all of us rethink the possible effects of marijuana on our minds and behaviour.

While it has been shown that marijuana does have several good compounds or chemicals in it, it also has been said to have a higher proportion of bad or dangerous chemicals. So how much of the cannibal’s behaviour may have been triggered by marijuana?

This is a new twist in the on-going marijuana saga and warrants a new analysis and public discussion.

True Friendship Has No Enemies

Reblogged from Shawn's Blog:

A friend is considered one who has your best interest at heart and supports you no matter what you have set your mind to (as long as its legal) and helps you to accomplish those goals.

A friend in today's society is somewhat becoming scarce.  It is very difficult to find someone who has your back and will stand with you in times of trouble and not only in the good times. 

Read more… 470 more words

This is a post from my friend who is really becoming quite a quintessentially prolific writer/thinker. It is food for thought!