ASPAUCULE

Gospel for September 20, 2008, Saturday

1st Reading: 1 Cor 15:35–37, 42–49
Gospel: Lk 8:4–15
As a great crowd gathered and people came to him from every town, Jesus began teaching them through stories, or parables, The sower went out to sow the seed. And as he sowed, some of the grain fell along the way, was trodden on and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water. Some fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it. But some fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit—a hundred times as much. And Jesus cried out, Listen then, if you have ears to hear!
The disciples asked him, What does this story mean? And Jesus answered, You have been granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that seeing they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand.
Now, this is the point of the parable:
The seed is the word of God. Those along the wayside are people who hear it, but immediately the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he doesnt want them to believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while and give way in time of trial. Among the thorns are people who hear the word but as they go their way, are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity. The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word and keep it in a gentle and generous mind, and persevering patiently, they bear fruit.

Commentary
The sower in the parable is generous in broadcasting the seed in his satchel, casting it even where it has little chance for growth. Here is an image of the magnanimity of the Lord, for the seed of His word is disseminated throughout the world, to men and women of every age and place, even where there is seemingly little chance for the seed to grow and develop.
The Lord not only plants where seeds are likely to grow, He plants in the most unlikely of places. Thorns and rocky ground are no match for His mercy and love, nor is even the most hardened heart.
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S.Korea culls 3 million birds as bird flu spreads fast

Reuters

SEOUL - South Korea said on Thursday it had culled three million farmed birds and was probing seven fresh cases of suspected bird flu, as the country grapples with its worst avian influenza outbreak in four years.

In just two weeks South Korea has confirmed 12 cases of the deadly H5N1 strain, raising alarm as the highly virulent virus is spreading at its fastest rate since the country reported its first case in 2003.

The farm ministry said on Thursday it had seven new reports of suspected bird flu outbreaks at poultry farms in North and South Jeolla provinces, some 320 km south of Seoul, where the first bird flu recurrence for a year was reported earlier this month.

The country raised the risk level for bird flu to the second highest on Wednesday and sent 200 soldiers to kill and bury birds, as an outbreak was confirmed at a farm in Pyeongtaek, just 60 km south of Seoul, bringing the disease closer to the capital.

Under criticism

South Korean authorities have come under heavy criticism as the highly pathogenic virus continues to spread, despite their rigorous efforts, and as they have failed to provide clear explanations for the cause of the fast spread.

The farm ministry said its quarantine work would focus on speeding up slaughtering and investigating possible causes of the spread such as migrating birds and transport workers who have been moving around affected sites and other parts of the country.

Prime Minister Han Seung-soo ordered at a ministerial meeting on Thursday a step-up of quarantine work and consideration of all options to help affected farmers.

The fast-spreading outbreak has hit poultry consumption, posing a big threat to farmers already struggling with high animal feed prices.

Han told related ministers to consider helping farmers with tax benefits, financial assistance and budget spending.

South Korea, which estimates it will spend 32 billion won on quarantine work in the current outbreak, also plans to introduce insurance products that offer up to 2 billion won compensation if a human infection is reported following poultry consumption.

Chicken sales in the past 15 days have dropped 60 percent at four major retailers surveyed by the farm ministry, while prices of chicken and duck dropped up to 10 percent.

The country had seven bird flu outbreaks between November 2006 and March last year and 19 cases between December 2003 and March 2004, when it had to kill 5.3 million birds. No human deaths have been reported.

Some 240 human deaths have been reported globally from the H5N1 strain and 380 confirmed cases of infection since 2003, according to World Health Organization data.

Womens world no. 1 tennis player retires

Agence France-Presse
LIMELETTE, Belgium - Women's world number one Justine Henin on Wednesday announced her retirement from competitive tennis, at a press conference in her native Belgium.
"I have decided to put an end to my tennis-playing career," she said, confirming reports in the Belgian press that she was quitting the sport while still enjoying a firm lead at the top of the world rankings.
Henin, who will celebrate her 26th birthday on June 1, headed the official WTA rankings released Monday for the 117th consecutive week, but pulled out of the Rome Masters this week blaming tiredness.
"It's a big day in my life," she told assembled reporters who had greeted her entry for the conference with a round of applause.
"I know that it's a shock and a surprise for a lot of people but it's a decision I have been thinking about for some time," she said, adding that the thought had first arisen late last year.
"It's the end of a great adventure, the end of something I had dreamed of since I was five," she said, close to tears, alongside long-time coach Carlos Rodriguez.
Henin, who has seven Grand Slam titles to her name and almost 20 million dollars in career earnings since she joined the WTA Tour in 1999, has been struggling this year to reach the level of form that has earned her the last three titles at Roland Garros.
She admitted last week she was lacking confidence just two weeks prior to her French Open defence.
Henin has been beaten four times in four months in 2008 including a 6-2, 6-0 hammering by Serena Williams in Miami last month.
Her latest defeat and last appearance on court came at last week's German Open where she made a shock exit when coming off second best in a two and a half hour third round marathon against Russia's Dinara Safina.

Leave case with the police, FEU appeals

By JOAQUIN HENSON
The Philippine Star

Fearing a second attack “to finish the job,” FEU team owner Anton Montinola on Sunday appealed for sobriety from media to end speculation on why power forward Marnel Baracael was shot by a lone gunman Thursday night and said the case should be left strictly with the police to avoid telegraphing moves that could tip off the assailant.

“Silence is golden at this point,” said Montinola. “We refrain from making comments because the gunman could make another attempt at Macs life. Its a scary situation and right now, our focus is to secure our team.”

Montinola said Baracael, 23, is lucky to be alive after a bullet from a .45 caliber pistol pierced his lung but went through his body.

“The trajectory of the bullet was horizontal,” he said. “If the bullet went a little upward, it wouldve hit his heart. If it went a little downward, it wouldve damaged his stomach, kidney or spleen. He couldve died.”

Baracael was with teammates Robert Kave and Ron Cabagnot in front of the Philtrust Bank at the corner of Morayta and Papa when a gunman came from behind to fire using a silencer. After the first shot, the gunman removed the silencer and pulled the trigger once more, this time hitting the ground to create panic in the busy street.

“It was between 8 and 9 at night after practice,” said FEU athletic director Mark Molina. “There were people all over. Vendors were out in the streets. Nobody saw the gunman clearly although some witnesses were able to describe what he wore, how tall he was, that he had a cap on. The gunman was apparently waiting for a while before Mac came along.”

Baracael and his teammates ran to the FEU gate after the shooting. His teammates entered the campus to get a car while Baracael, who was bleeding, sat on the sidewalk to wait. A pedicab driver took Baracael to the Mary Chiles Hospital, which is a five to 10-minute ride away. His teammates later followed to the hospital where a Dr. Certenia did an emergency procedure to remove the blood accumulated in the body after inserting a tube in the chest.

Because the hospital is not equipped to determine the extent of the damage, Dr. Certenia referred Baracael to Capitol Medical Center where he is affiliated.

Baracaels blood pressure was stable when he was rushed to the hospital, indicating no damage to the heart, which was a relief, said Molina. Later dye tests at Capitol Medical Center showed no widespread damage.

The bullets exit saved Baracaels life. The shot was from point blank range so the impact propelled the bullet clear through his body.

“Our priority is to give Mac the medical care and attention for him to recover completely,” said Montinola. “There are no leads so far on who did it and why it was done. The police are now investigating. Authorities arent disclosing whats being done for obvious reasons.”

Montinola said the shooting has rallied the Tamaraws around Baracael. “We played a very emotional game against UE last Saturday,” he added. “Weve got to be up for our game against Ateneo on Thursday.”

A player who has been traumatized by the incident is Kave.

“Robert is asking to go back to Papua New Guinea,” said Montinola. “Theres no basketball where he comes from. They play soccer but not basketball. Its all mountains and mines in his country. Hes only 19. He joined us in high school and established his two-year residence to gain eligibility as a freshman this season.”

Molina said the shooting had nothing to do with FEUs roster revamp after the 2006 season where the Tamaraws didnt qualify for the Final Four despite La Salles suspension.

Molina dismissed speculation the attempt on Baracaels life was linked to a game-fixing syndicate.

“Mac was conscious throughout the procedure at Mary Chiles,” said Molina. “But hes not in a position to discuss things at the moment. He was never involved in any investigation. We dont know why he was shot.”

Last year, FEU player Alfredo Gerilla was removed from the team. Sources said he was suspected of game-fixing but no hard evidence ever surfaced. Another former Tamaraw Jeff Chan, who played on the Philippine team that won the gold at the Southeast Asian Games last year, was allegedly suspected of involvement with a gambling syndicate. However, Gerilla and Chan were never implicated formally because of lack of proof.

Montinola and Molina declined to give credence to speculation that Baracael, a third-year player, squealed on the syndicate.

“There was no squealing from Mac,” said Molina. “Its unfortunate all this gossip is coming out in the wake of the shooting. Lets just leave the case in police hands.”

3.8 million more poor Filipinos in 2006 than in 2003

Isagani de Castro Jr. /Newsbreak It's official: Poverty worsened from 2003 to 2006, and the Arroyo administration will almost definitely not achieve its poverty reduction target under its medium-term development plan.
Related Stories • Poverty worsens between 2003 and 2006 In a press conference Wednesay, government officials disclosed that poverty incidence increased by 2.5%, from 24.4% in 2003 to 26.9% in 2006.
In 2003, 24 out of 100 families in the Philippines were poor; in 2006, 27 out of 100 families were poor. Those considered poor are Filipino families of five individuals whose monthly incomes were below P6,274 in 2006. The actual number of poor Filipino families went up by 16%, from 4 million in 2003 to 4.7 million in 2006. The actual number of poor Filipinos increased from 23.8 million in 2003 to 27.6 million in 2006, or a 3.8 million increase in the number of poor people. National Economic and Development Authority Director-General Augusto Santos said he informed President Arroyo about this data Tuesday night through a text message. He also sent her a memorandum on the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics Wednesday morning. Asked what was Arroyo's response, Santos said: "I have not obtained a response from the President." Given the bleak poverty figures, the government will not likely meet its target to reduce poverty incidence from 28% in 2004 to between 17-19% in 2010.