moral degradation?

The issue on morality seems to be fading at present. In the US Supreme Court's decisions in Lawrence v Texas and Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health (440 Mass. 390 [2003]), the same- sex marriage has achieved its validity in the legal system. This cases has attracted debate not only in the government but on the international world. This time, the gay marriage and the lesbian marriage has been recognized in US.
While, unavoidably, reading the case, I tried to look into the wisdom of the court's decision. In the first case, the court held that people have their right to choose whom they wanted to get married to. The right to privacy was held to be prejudiced by the sodomy law which penalizes gays doing sexual acts with their male partner even if done in their private rooms. The definition of marriage has also been extended and at the same time limited to "a contract between two parties" regardless of gender. Furthermore, the moral basis of marriage was not considered. With these decisions of the courts, many rejoiced while some raised their eye brows.
In the Philippines, the presence of the gays and lesbians and same- sex relationship is rampant. The possibility of asking the Congress or court for their recognition is not far from reality. The question on morality will someday shatter us. But I believe it's nothing to be feared of. Our country has been institutionalized on moral values and it is not vulnerable to decay. Besides, the definition of marriage has been clearly laid down in our Civil Code and is limited only between a woman and a man, nothing more nothing less.
It is true that we have freedom, that what democracy entails. However, we are guided by the law of man, law of nature and Law of God. Nonetheless, as they say, man designs his own destiny and he has been gifted with free will. Morality is even hard to define, thus, going further would just lead to confusion. I just hope that we still live within the context of "life" :)

cheaper than hotels

This summer vacation, it ain't worth spending for the whole family to travel and relax in UK, Australia or U.S.A.? Surely, it is worth a travel to visit the Statute of Liberty in USA, or the Blue Mountains of Australia or the Big Ben of London and many other great tourist spots in the world. Inviting! we may say but we usually encounter problem that hinders us from going to places that we wanted to visit.
We usually find it hard to find places to stay in while having our vacation. We may be able to finance the travelling fees etc. but we find the available hotels expensive and of limited space. Our hotel bills usually eats up all our penny that lead us to cut our budget on other expenses. This, sometimes, makes our vacation disappointing. However, this time, we have solutions! There are tourist- friendly hotels. The hotels in London, in Australia and in USA. Their facilities are exactly the same as the popular hotels you see in these places just that they differ in prices. This is, purposely, to attract many more tourists and to give families, lovers, students, or friends to have time together and to enjoy their cheap but memorable vacation.
Let not time pass you by, feel free to explore and enjoy! Check this out!

clean does noT mean waste free

Makati is known to be the cleanest city in the Philippines. It can be obviously seen by its clean surroundings. However, being clean does not mean being free from garbage or waste. It is just so disappointing that the cleanest city can be considered the highest producer of materials contributing to the greenhouse effect- plastics, styrofores, etc.
Hundreds of employees in Makati are living a busy life and away from their parents/ families. Nobody cooks for them and they just depend on instant foods which are usually packed in plastics which are non biodegradable and cannot be recycled. Most of these wastes are only being thrown in the dumping sites adding to the millions of tons of garbage that is waiting for hundred of years to decay. In Makati offices where there is no canteen, foods are being delivered packed in a styro. If in one office, occupied by at least 50 employees and 80% buys their lunch which are packed in styro, then just in a week, hundreds of styro can be generated. Going further calculation could just drain my brain!
It is so disappointing that despite government’s programs, environmentalist’s advertisement and campaigns about global warming, thousands of professionals are still unaware and instead just add to the problem. Living in a busy world shall not impede us from doing things that will contribute to the restoration of our environment. Producing garbage is unavoidable- Yes- but it can be MINIMIZED.