The Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus

This Sunday Gospel is about The Parable of the rich man and Lazarus (also called the Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives). It is a well-known parable of Jesus appearing in the Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 16:19–31).

This Gospel, according to St. Luke, the parable tells of the relationship, in life and in death, between an unnamed rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. The traditional name, Dives, is not actually a name, but instead a word for "rich man".

Along with the parables of the Ten Virgins, Prodigal Son, and Good Samaritan, it was one of the most frequently illustrated parables in medieval art, perhaps because of its vivid account of an afterlife.

Here, His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle narrates love, repentance, penance and reconciliation, sacraments, faith, and how ones soul is more important than achievements and worldly things.

 

Human Brain Analysis - Man and Woman

1. MULTI-TASKING

Women - Multiple process

Womens brains designed to concentrate multiple task at a time.

Women can Watch a TV and Talk over phone and cook.

Men - Single Process

Mens brains designed to concentrate only one work at a time. Men can not watch TV and talk over the phone at the same time. they stop the TV while Talking. They can either watch TV or talk over the phone or cook.

2. LANGUAGE

Women can easily learn many languages. But can not find solutions to problems. Men can not easily learn languages, they can easily solve problems. That's why in average a 3 years old girl has three times higher vocabulary than a 3 yeard old boy.

3. ANALYTICAL SKILLS

Mens brains has a lot of space for handling the analytical process. They can analyze and find the solution for a process and design a map of a building easily. But If a complex map is viewed by women, they can not understand it. Women can not understand the details of a map easily, For them it is just a dump of lines on a paper.

4. CAR DRIVING.

While driving a car, mans analytical spaces are used in his brain. He can drive a car fastly. If he sees an object at long distance, immediately his brain classifies the object (bus or van or car) direction and speed of the object and he drives accordingly. Where woman take a long time to recognize the object direction/ speed. Mans single process mind stops the audio in the car (if any), then concentrates only on driving.

5. LYING

When men lie to women face to face, they get caught easily. Womans super natural brain observes facial expression 70%, body language 20% and words coming from the mouth 10%. Mens brain does not have this. Women easily lie to men face to face.

So guys, do not lie face to face.

6. PROBLEMS SOLVING

If a man have a lot of problems, his brain clearly classifies the problems and puts them in individual rooms in the brain and then finds the solution one by one. You can see many guys looking at the sky for a long time. If a woman has a lot of problems, her brain can not classify the problems. she wants some one to hear that. After telling everything to a person she goes happily to bed. She does not worry about the problems being solved or not.

7. WHAT THEY WANT

Men want status, success, solutions, big process, etc... But Women want relationship, friends, family, etc...

8. UNHAPPINESS

If women are unhappy with their relations, they can not concentrate on their work. If men are unhappy with their work, they can not concentrate on the relations.

9. SPEECH

Women use indirect language in speech. But Men use direct language.

10. HANDLING EMOTION

Women talk a lot without thinking. Men act a lot without thinking.

Useful Info and Health Tips

Google's 15th Year

By: Sophie Curtis

Today marks exactly 15 years since Google was incorporated by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. To mark the occasion, The Telegraph has come up with a list of 15 things you probably didn't know about Google.

Originally known as BackRub, Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a friend's garage while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. It has since grown to become the world's biggest search engine, and the name Google has become synonymous with search.

With the help of digital agencies TH_NK and Mindshare, The Telegraph has compiled a list of 15 weird and wonderful facts about the technology giant:

1. Google was named thanks to the misspelling of the word googol, which means a one followed by one-hundred zeros.

2. Google's first ever Tweet in February 2009 read: "I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010." For anyone not fluent in binary, it reads: "I'm feeling lucky."

3. The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which bypasses the results page and takes users directly to the first result of their search, is nearly never used. However, in trials it was found that removing it would somehow reduce the Google experience. It has been estimated to cost Google around $100 million in lost advertising revenue every year.

4. Google rents out goats from a company called California Grazing to help cut down the amount of weeds and brush at Google HQ. The operation of 200 goats (plus herder and a border collie) is kind to the environment, and as Google puts it: "A lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers.

5. Google loves food. Brin and Page have said that no Googler should ever be more than 100 feet from a micro-kitchen with snacks and food. The first chef that Google employed earned $26 million from his stock options.

6. The first Google doodle was a Burning Man symbol. Page Brin went to the Burning Man festival in 1998 and added the doodle to let users know they were away from the office that weekend.

7. The main reason the Google home page is so bare is due to the fact that the founders didn’t know HTML and just wanted a quick interface. In fact it was noted that the submit button was a long time coming and hitting the return key was the only way kick-start the search function.

8. At Google HQ there are a number of peculiar sights including a gigantic T-Rex skeleton – nicknamed "Stan" after a "real" dino found nearby – that looms menacingly at Googlers in Mountain View. There is also a scale replica of the SpaceShipOne, enormous Android-themed models, pink flamingos, a large LEGO man, Google-coloured phone boxes and grown-up size ball pits.

9. Google advocates bringing dogs to work and there is even a “company dog” called Yoshka. Yoshka accompanies Urs Holzle, senior VP operations and Google Fellow to the Googleplex.

10. Some core Google services went down recently for 5 mins, causing worldwide internet traffic to drop off by a pretty huge 40 per cent.

11. New employees, called Noogles, are initiated by having to wear a propeller beanie cap on their first Friday.

12. Until recently, Google employees were encouraged to use 20 per cent of their time working on their own projects. However, the innovative management technique – which gave rise to some of Google's biggest projects including AdSense, Gmail, Google Transit, Google News and Google Talk – has now been sidelined, according to sources.

13. Two searches on Google produces about 14g of CO2, or the same amount as boiling a kettle, according to a Harvard University academic. However, Google disputes this and say it’s closer to 0.2g (or 0.003kWh) per search.

14. If you go to www.google.co.uk/settings/ads you can see all the interest categories that Google have put you in based on your search history and browsing behaviours.

15. Company corporate philosophies include "you can make money without doing evil," "you can be serious without a suit," and "work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun."

"Google's contribution to the world is truly awesome. Not in the popularised version of the word, but in the etymological definition of 'that which inspires awe or terror'. They're living proof and inspiration that a single business can have a transformative impact on, not just a business sector but, how billions of people fundamentally live their lives… and still find time to add charming touches like the Google Doodle," said Ramzi Yakob, strategist at digital agency TH_NK.

"Its early days of setting the golden standard for searching for stuff online never even hinted at what it may, one day, become. With fingers in, what seems like, every conceivable pie, it has changed the shape of the mobile industry, led the charge on a proposed 'renewable energy tariff' and is pretty close to innovating and lobbying driverless cars into reality."

"With 45,000 people in their employ, there's no one person or small set of people that could take credit for this, and this is where a lesson for our industry, perhaps, lies. Should we look to icons, like Steve Jobs, for leadership inspiration to expertly craft a product? Or would we be better served by studying, and fostering a business culture that gives us license to creatively, and intelligently solve any problem that we feel passionate about?"

The Telegraph, Image: Google

New iPhone users report feeling "nausea" and "headaches"

'via Blog this'

Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system has been downloaded 200 million times - and some users are complaining that the animations make them seasick - or worse.

“Apple’s new operating system is making me nauseous and giving me a headache - just like when you try to read in the car,” says one user.

Others complain of “vertigo” when apps “zoom” in and out - and say that using iOS 7 devices has left them feeling ill for days.

Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system has been downloaded 200 million times - and some users are complaining that the animations make them seasick - or worse.

“Just had a long chat with Apple support,” one disgruntled user said on the Apple forums. “Apparently there is no way to turn off animations.”

Once installed, it is extremely difficult to uninstall from iPads, iPhones and iPods - and iOS 7 comes pre-installed on all new iPhone 5C and 5S models.

Ironically, one of its main “selling points” was its simplified look - the icons on the page are “flatter” and simpler.

“True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation—it’s about bringing order to complexity,” said Apple’s “design guru” Jonathan Ive, who worked with the team which created the software.

Apple does include an option to “reduce motion”, but this applies mainly to the “depth” effects on the main screens - not to the “zoom” effects when users open and close apps.

“"I had severe vertigo the minute I started using my iPad with iOS 7," said one user, quoted by tech site The Verge. “I thought I was going crazy today after I updated my phone and I noticed I was feeling queasy every time I used it. Now I see I am not alone! I just used my phone for about 20 minutes and now I feel like I'm going to vomit. There has to be a way to turn this off!"

Apple has not issued any official statement on the issue.

From Yahoo News UK

By Rob Waugh | Rob Waugh

Ang Pakay ng Buhay

Sa maliliit at malalaking mga pangyayari sa buhay nakikita natin ang isang napakalaking sugat ng sangkataohan ay ang paglakbay sa buhay na parang walang saysay, na parang walang pakay, na parang walang direksyon. At yun namang iba na nagsasabi “ako! Mayron akong pakay sa buhay” pagtiningnan mo naman! Ano ba nga ang kanyang pakay? Mukhang hindi tunay at wagas. Ang pagsimula ng pagninilay ang tinatawag na ‘first principle and foundation’ nagsimula sa ganito; ang tao ay nilalang upang papurihan, igalang, at paglingkuran ang Diyos. At sa pamamagitan Niya ay matatagpuan ang kanyang ganap na buhay. We were created to praise, to revere, and to serve God, and by doing so - find our salvation. This language might be; some people would say ‘medieval’, but the truth, that this conveys quite eternal. 

Bakit tayo nandito? Ano ang pakay mo sa buhay? – ang tao ay nabubuhay para sa buhay ng pagpupuri sa Diyos! 

Ang ibang mga tao ang kanilang mga mukha ay parang nilalang sila, para maging desperado – hindi! Tayo ay inilalang para maging buhay na pagpupuri sa Diyos! Pero hindi lamang nagpupuri, gumagalang, nangangayupapa, nagpapatirapa, lumuluhod, nagpapakababa sa harapan ng ating nakahihigit!

Subalit ang pagpupuri at pag-galang ay umuuwi sa paglilingkod – ‘narito ang iyong abang alipin, isugo mo ako kung saan mo man ako ibig maglingkod, narito ako’ kung titingnan natin yan ang pakay pala ng buhay ay sumaibayo sa ating sarili. 

If we look at the three key words: to praise God, to reverence God, to serve God, the purpose of the human person is to get out of our confinement, to get out of our shelves, to get out of ourselves, and to reach out to God, in praise, in reverence and in service. And it is only by loosing ourselves that we find our true selves – Salvation! Life! 

Ang ibang tao pag tinanong ano ang pakay mo sa buhay? Ang sagot, gusto kong umasenso, gusto kong maging sikat, gusto kong yumaman – Patay! Sayang! Kasi pagkatapos ng ilang taon ang mata mo at puso mo ay kulong parin, bihag parin ng iyong sarili. At yan ang napakadaling daan para masira ang sarili at masira ang lipunan.

If our purpose is clear, and it is not directed to self promotion and self propagation, then we can really be an asset to society and to the world. We must go back to the purpose of our existence! Bakit isang simpleng kwento tungkol sa isang simpleng tao kung minsan ang tama ay sakalaliman? Saan natin makukuha ang tinatawag na ‘kalaliman’? – finding God in all things! Dahil ang Diyos ang puso, ang kalaliman ng lahat ng nilalang, ng lahat ng nangyayari, ng kasaysayan ng mundo, ang isip at puso na dahil malinaw ang kanyang pakay ay hinahanap ang Diyos, o kaya rin naman, nagpapahanap sa Diyos. 

Sa mga oras na parang ang labo ng pakay ng buhay, sa mga oras na parang hindi natin Siya makita, baka naman, Siya ang naghahanap sa atin! Bahagi yon ng kalaliman!

May mga nagsasabing ‘ako ay nawawala’ ang sagot siguro ‘maghintay ka lamang hangga’t ika'y matagpuan’. As we are searching for God, God is searching for us. That profound humility, that depth of ‘seeing’ God, hearing God, loving God in all, and following God even in the darkness of our life! Hoping and believing that the one that we are searching is searching for us!

Sana, itong kalaliman ay magbibigay ng kahulugan sa paghahanap ng napakaraming tao. Yung mga tao na parang lagi nalang nababara ang paglalakbay. Sana ang ating natutunan at pinamana sa atin, hanapin Siya sa lahat ng oras, at kung hindi natin mahanap - maniwala na Siya’y naghahanap sa atin. Ito ay magbibigay lakas ng liwanag at ng katatagan sa maraming tao. 

Damhin ang pag-ibig ng Diyos, sa pamamagitan Niya na naging handa na ibigay ang lahat para sa atin. Ganyan tayo kamahal – lahat ibibigay! At tanongin mo ang sarili mo: ‘ano naman ang maibibigay at magagawa ko para sa Kanya?, at ano naman ang magagawa ko para sa iba dahil minahal ako ng Diyos, minahal ako, kaya, kaya kong magmahal. Wag sabihing hindi ko kaya, dahil ang pag-ibig ng Diyos ay ibinuhos na sa aking puso, may kakayahan ako magmahal sa di ko kayang mahalin! minahal ako ng Diyos, magmahal ka naman sa iba!’

But we have to be attentive to the suffering of the world. Even when they do not verbalized their suffering, these people have many ways of communicating their suffering. People with problems seek for solutions, but people in a situation of dilemmas will look for meaning, will look for sense. And that is where compassion enters. Hindi natin masolusyonan ang lahat ng problema sa mundo, pero ang maraming tao hindi problema ang dala-dala sa buhay kundi mga kabalintuna-an, mga problemang hindi mawala-wala kasi wala silang solusyon. At papano mahahanap ang katuturan, kahulugan sa gitna ng mga  problema ng buhay? – tell stories of courage, valour, of dignity, of nobility, and they are strengthen to move on! But how can we tell stories if we don’t listen to stories? – listen to people, listen to the cries of the poor and little ones!

Bakit ba yung mga tao na hindi makawala-wala sa dilemma sila ang may lakas, sila ang mayroong kaligayahan? At yong mga tao na ang mga problema ay cute na cute sabi - ‘ano kayang sapatos  ang tutugma sa aking suot na damit?’ – yan ang mga hindi kayang lumigaya!

The story of Jesus encountered dilemmas, but taught us how to turn these dilemmas into opportunities for meaning, for strength. He who turned the night of betrayal into another opportunity for self-giving. ‘Oh Judas you don’t have to sell me for thirty pieces of silver, you don’t need to sell my body, for this is my body given up for you, this is my blood to be poured out for you’. And who turned this dilemma of death, this darkness of death into an opportunity for new life, not only for Himself, but for all of us. Ito yong kwento ni Jesus, na tumatahi sa kwento natin. At sa ating pakikinig sa mga kwentong ‘to, na magiging kwento rin natin sa iba, sana ang mundo natin ay magiging mas mahabagin, mas makatao, mas nakikinig, mas nakiki-iyak at nakikilakas sa kapwa.

At sa pamamagitan nyan, naway marami pang tao lalo na ang bansang Pilipinas, ay manumbalik sa tunay na pakay ng buhay papalabas sa sarili. Madiskubre natin ang malalim na katutuhanan ng kasaysayan dahil nandoon ang Diyos, at mapakinggan natin ang mga kwento ni Jesus sa mga simpleng kwento sa mga mahihirap at mabababang tao. At sa pamamagitan nyan, makapagpahayag tayo ng wagas na pag-ibig sa iba. Lahat ng ito ay ating gagawin, hindi para sa sarili natin at sa ating ikatatamo ng tugatug o ng kaligayahan - isa lamang; for the greater glory of God!

Inspired by His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle

The 15 Weirdest Houses Ever Seen

The 15 Weirdest Houses Ever Seen, According to news.nster.com

#1 The Fallingwater House

What could be better than looking at a waterfall? Owning a house overlooking one, of course! The Fallingwater House is built over a waterfall. The American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the house for his clients. Today it’s a national Historic Landmark.

#2 The Floating House

Location: Seattle, Washington.

If you have a feeling that it looks like a hotel apartment with a pool, you are somewhere close to the truth. It’s actually a house that was built on a floating apparatus. It has 3 bedrooms inside, a boat lift and deed parking. It was once priced at $3.45 million.

#3 The Mushroom House

Location: Perinton, New York.

Looking for a quiet place to live? Then you need this house. With concrete walls and exterior, you don’t have to think about the noise that may come from the street. The house itself consists of four 80-ton pods which rest on reinforced concrete stems of 14 to 20 feet in height. It was sold for $799,900 in February 2012. The initial price was $1.1 million. Creativity costs money, you know.

#4 The Flintstones-like House

Location: Nas montanhas de Fafe, Portugal.

It has a front door, a roof, a couple of tiny windows … and two large stones for both of its sides. It seems like it was built inside a huge rock…. Built in 1974, it was used as a family retreat. It still has no running water or electricity inside.

#5 The Steel House

Location: Lubbock, Texas.

Designed by Robert Bruno, an architect and sculptor, it looks like a fantastic creature made of 110 tons of steel. Bruno started building it in 1973, and it took him 35 years to complete. It’s been called “Metal Mansion” for years.

#6 The Toilet-Shaped House

Location: Suwon, South Korea.

The mayor of Suwon actually built this house to mark the 2007 inaugural meeting of the World Toilet Association. It has a glass-walled bathroom at its center. The house was designed by Jae-Duck, who reportedly was born in a restroom. It has become his life's work.

#7 Free Spirit Tree Spheres

Location: Qualicum Beach, Canada.

A Canadian couple, Tom and Rosy Chudleigh, is offering these free-spirit houses all over the world.Equipped with plumbing, electricity and insulation, it can be nine to ten-and-a-half feet in diameter. It takes a crew about a day to install it in one of your fav trees.

#8 The Teapot Dome House

Location: Zillah, Wisconsin.

It was built in 1922, after the Teapot Dome scandal. It involved the secretary of the interior, Albert B., who was jailed for accepting bribes from oil companies that wanted access to government-owned oil fields. It has been moved several times since it was built by the architect Jack Ainsworth.

#9 Pickle Barrel House

Location: Grand Marais, Michigan.

Owned by the cartoonist William Donahey, this pickle barrel house has two tales. At first its owners used it as a cottage home, but later it was moved to one of the central streets of Grand Marais. The local information center was located there.

#10 The Shoe House

Location: Hellam, Pennsylvania.

Its creators could definitely win the best marketing idea of the year award. Originally designed in 1948 for thelocal shoe magnate, Mahlon N.Haines, it aimed to advertize his shoes. Now it has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and … new owners. Carleen Farabaugh says that she and her husband use this house as a summer home. How about trading your summer house for this one?

#11 One Log House

Location: Garberville, California.

This house is actually the log of an old Redwood tree that grew more than two thousand years ago. First toiled in Eureka, California by two men, it was then transported to its current site by its new owner, Dan Baleme. To his surprise, it was still a functioning home. It can now be named one of the most creative mobile homes in the world, offering its owners a living room, a bedroom and a dining room.

#12 The Boeing 727 House

Location: Benoit, Mississippi.

Joanne Ussary bought a used Boeing 727 for $2000, then spent another $4000 to move into it, and $24,000 on renovations. The stairs open with a garage door remote. The plane has a personal Jacuzzi in the cockpit. The owner of the house literally invested money in fame. The Boeing home was featured as part of a creative conversions collection.

#13 Spaceship House

Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut? Forget that. This 2000-square-foot spaceship house can totally make your dream come true, without all the training! Built by Curtis King in 1973, it has three bedrooms and is available for rent. You may want to check your credit before renting, though, as prices are not cheap.

#14 The Nautilus

Location: Mexico City, Mexico.

This sea-shell inspired house was designed in 2006 by the architect Javier Sensonian. He specializes in so-called bio-architecture – houses designed in the forms of real sharks, snakes, and other creatures. A perfect match for sea-lovers.

#15 Everingham Rotating

Location: Taree, Australia.

This house offers something exciting for those who can’t stand to live at a slow pace. This house can rotate 360 degrees with the help of just… a few buttons. You may ask, why would someone want to have such a home? Firstly, you can adapt it to the weather and turn it so that a certain side faces the sun, for instance. Secondly, why not have a house that can rotate 360 degrees in just 30 minutes at its top speed?! The greatest advantage of such a living place is that you can rotate it at any time, on your schedule. If and when desired. Enjoy the sunset.

From: news.nster.com

The Prodigal Son

One of my favourite passages of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is The Prodigal Son, also known as Two Sons, Lost Son and The Running Father. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. The Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 15:11-32).

Here, His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle just simply and theologically harmonized and reflected very eloquently about the prodigal son:

iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S

Apple has unveiled a pair of new iPhones.

Here is the iPhone 5S and 5C Official Video:

iPhone 5C

The first is the much-rumored iPhone 5C, with a plastic casing available in a variety of colors (green, blue, reddish-pink, yellow, white). Apple seems to have done its best to make the device look high quality, with the backing and sides molded of a single piece of plastic; on the hardware side of things, the iPhone 5C comes with a 4-inch Retina display, A6 processor, and 8-megapixel camera. But if Apple wants to truly compete in the midrange smartphone market, the key factor is price, and the iPhone 5C will retail starting at $99 with a two-year contract—not startlingly low, but definitely cheaper than many Apple products.

Apple is also selling its own cases for the iPhone 5C, which could peeve smaller case manufacturers. The cases feature a grid of cut-out circles, the better to see the actual iPhone’s color.

iPhone 5S

The other new Apple design, the iPhone 5S, is the company’s next-generation “hero” device. While the iPhone 5 was a radical new design, the 5S is an iterative upgrade; on the outside, it looks pretty much the same as its predecessor. The new iPhone features a new color, gold, in addition to the “traditional” black or white aluminum body.

The iPhone 5S has an A7 chip built on 64-bit architecture (capable of running 32-bit and 64-bit apps), which is pretty speedy, to put it mildly. There’s also the M7 “motion co-processor” which boosts the actions of the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope—in theory, opening the door to more refined motion-related apps, such as ones devoted to exercise. Battery life is rated at roughly 10 hours’ talk time, 250 hours on standby.

On the camera side of things, new features include burst (snap 10 photos at once), slow motion, and an improved panorama feature.

The most radical new hardware addition, however, is probably the fingerprint lock. Instead of inputting a passcode (something a lot of people neglect to do, apparently), users can unlock their iPhone 5S via their finger. The capacitive sensor is imbedded in the device’s home button, which is constructed from highly scratch-resistant sapphire; in addition to unlocking the phone, it can also be used to authenticate an identity for buying apps from the iTunes Store.

Apple’s Touch ID is capable of reading multiple fingerprints; the fingerprint itself is never uploaded to Apple’s servers or stored on iCloud, which could satisfy a few more paranoid users. Pricing for the iPhone 5S starts at $199 with a two-year contract.

Rollout date for both new iPhones is Sept. 20, with preorders starting a week earlier.

Slashdot.org, Image: cdn.macrumors.com, Video: Apple Inc.

Apple takes wraps off cheaper, multi-hued iPhone 5C

By Poornima Gupta (Reuters)
(Reuters) - Apple Inc introduced two new iPhones on Tuesday including the "iPhone 5C" that comes in five colors and starts at $99 with a contract, priced to bring one of the industry's costliest smartphones within reach of the masses in poorer emerging markets.
Chief Executive Tim Cook kicked off the event at the company's Cupertino headquarters which also ushered in the pricier iPhone 5S. Shares in Apple, which had been in negative territory most of the morning, briefly went positive and were down just 0.5 percent at $503.48.
Cook expects Apple to ship the 700 millionth device - an iPhone or iPad - based on iOS mobile software sometime next month.
The world's most valuable technology company is trying to beat back rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in markets like India and China, where it is quickly losing ground.
Wall Street approves of the move to offer a more basic version of the device, although some investors warned initially that it would reduce margins and potentially tarnish a brand that has been linked to premium users since its 2007 inception.
Now they hope a bigger emerging-market presence can help reverse a 29 percent fall in the company's share price since it hit a record high of $702.10 a year ago. The selloff was fueled by fears of slowing growth and a perception that Apple's ability to innovate and shake up industries was dwindling.
The new iPhones, coupled with a belief that Apple will announce a deal with the world's largest carrier in China, have spurred investors to build bullish share and options positions in the company over the past two weeks.
Also sparking Apple's upward momentum was hedge fund billionaire Carl Icahn's revelation last month that he had taken a large position and was pushing for the company to expand its program of share buybacks.
He has said the stock may rise to as much as $700 if Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook pushed for a larger buyback. The shares were down 0.5 percent at $503.64 in morning trading. (Reuters Insider video: The big money betting on Apple link.reuters.com/seg92v)
Industry observers said Apple had not turned out a category-defining electronic device since late co-founder Steve Jobs made a bet on the iPad in 2010. Speculation revolves around a smartwatch along the same lines as Samsung's recently introduced Galaxy Gear, or some sort of TV product.
But analysts said neither was likely to generate numbers anywhere in the neighborhood of the iPhone, which supplies half of Apple's revenue and is the company's highest-margin product.
"Apple needs to demonstrate in the coming months that it has other product lines which can start to make up for slowing growth and falling margins in (the) iPhone and iPad," said Jan Dawson, a chief telecoms analyst for Ovum Research. "That's a tall order."
More immediately, Apple will get a boost if it succeeds in enlisting China Mobile Ltd in its iPhone network. For the first time, the company will host media in Beijing just nine hours after its Cupertino, California, launch, spurring speculation it will announce a distribution agreement with the Chinese carrier.
The world's largest wireless carrier serves more than 740 million users and is perceived as more amenable to carrying the popular smartphone now that profit and subscriber growth are decelerating. Net income grew just 2 percent in the quarter that ended in June.
And smaller rivals China Unicom and China Telecom, which both already sell Apple's iPhone are making headway against the market leader.
Separately, Japan's largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, is expected to begin selling it as soon as this fall, other sources said.
One key question is whether Apple will also sell its cheaper iPhone 5C in more mature markets like Europe or the United States, heightening the risk that it will begin cannibalizing sales of the flagship 5S.
Globally, the market for cheaper smartphones priced around $300 - the iPhone 5 now starts at $649 without a contract - may grow to 900 million units by 2015, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimated. Assuming Apple manages to capture just 10 percent of that market, the 5C would bring in revenue of $30 billion annually.
"The only real potential to surprise investors (on Tuesday) seems to be in the scope and velocity of a new China strategy, and any new features within iOS 7 and fingerprint scanner technology," said Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes.
"Since it missed the trend toward larger screened phones and seems poised for only incremental iPad improvements, we believe that Apple needs to prove it can innovate in software and services."
(Editing by Edwin Chan and Tim Dobbyn)
Image: Stephen Lam / Reuters, Video: Reuters


Mashable Images: iPhone 5C

iPhone 5S

Hail Mary: September 8 - A Birthday of a Mother

Today is the Birthday of our Lady, Holy Mother Mary. We turn to her who has made God the central influence of her life. In joy, in sorrow, in light and darkness, and in glory, the life of the Blessed Mary was focused on God and on her son Jesus. And because of that, She can Love the rest of humanity, and consider Us Her children. Thanks to Her focus on Jesus, we consider brothers and sisters of Jesus are also Her children. We can learn from Her how to make God central in our lives and with God as the centre we can love freely other people, ourselves and the earth in the right way.

Here are the Reflections of His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila:

Whether we ought to pray to God alone?

Prayer is offered to a person in two ways: first, as to be fulfilled by him, secondly, as to be obtained through him. On the first way we offer prayer to God alone, since all our prayers ought to be directed to the acquisition of grace and glory, which God alone gives, according to Psalm 83:12, "The Lord will give grace and glory." But in the second way we pray to the saints, whether angels or men, not that God may through them know our petitions, but that our prayers may be effective through their prayers and merits. Hence it is written (Apocalypse 8:4) that "the smoke of the incense," namely "the prayers of the saints ascended up before God." This is also clear from the very style employed by the Church in praying: since we beseech the Blessed Trinity "to have mercy on us," while we ask any of the saints "to pray for us."

The different kinds of prayer:

Three conditions are requisite for prayer. First, that the person who prays should approach God Whom he prays: this is signified in the word "prayer," because prayer is "the raising up of one's mind to God." The second is that there should be a petition, and this is signified in the word "intercession." On this case sometimes one asks for something definite, and then some say it is "intercession" properly so called, or we may ask for some thing indefinitely, for instance to be helped by God, or we may simply indicate a fact, as in John 11:3, "Behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick," and then they call it "insinuation." The third condition is the reason for impetrating what we ask for: and this either on the part of God, or on the part of the person who asks. The reason of impetration on the part of God is His sanctity, on account of which we ask to be heard, according to Daniel 9:17-18, "For Thy own sake, incline, O God, Thy ear"; and to this pertains "supplication" [obsecratio] which means a pleading through sacred things, as when we say, "Through Thy nativity, deliver us, O Lord." The reason for impetration on the part of the person who asks is "thanksgiving"; since "through giving thanks for benefits received we merit to receive yet greater benefits," as we say in the collect [Ember Friday in September and Post communion of the common of a Confessor Bishop]. Hence a gloss on 1 Timothy 2:1 says that "in the Mass, the consecration is preceded by supplication," in which certain sacred things are called to mind; that "prayers are in the consecration itself," in which especially the mind should be raised up to God; and that "intercessions are in the petitions that follow, and thanksgivings at the end."

We may notice these four things in several of the Church's collects. Thus in the collect of Trinity Sunday the words, "Almighty eternal God" belong to the offering up of prayer to God; the words, "Who hast given to Thy servants," etc. belong to thanksgiving; the words, "grant, we beseech Thee," belong to intercession; and the words at the end, "Through Our Lord," etc. belong to supplication.

In the "Conferences of the Fathers" (ix, cap. 11, seqq.) we read: "Supplication is bewailing one's sins; prayer is vowing something to God; intercession is praying for others; thanksgiving is offered by the mind to God in ineffable ecstasy." The first explanation, however, is the better.

Do the saints in heaven pray for us?

It is written (James 5:16): "Pray one for another, that you may be saved."

As Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6), the error of Vigilantius consisted in saying that "while we live, we can pray one for another; but that after we are dead, none of our prayers for others can be heard, seeing that not even the martyrs' prayers are granted when they pray for their blood to be avenged." But this is absolutely false, because, since prayers offered for others proceed from charity, the greater the charity of the saints in heaven, the more they pray for wayfarers, since the latter can be helped by prayers: and the more closely they are united to God, the more are their prayers efficacious: for the Divine order is such that lower beings receive an overflow of the excellence of the higher, even as the air receives the brightness of the sun. Wherefore it is said of Christ (Hebrews 7:25): "Going to God by His own power . . . to make intercession for us" [Vulgate: 'He is able to save for ever them that come to God by Him, always living to make intercession for us.']. Hence Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6): "If the apostles and martyrs while yet in the body and having to be solicitous for themselves, can pray for others, how much more now that they have the crown of victory and triumph."

The saints in heaven, since they are blessed, have no lack of bliss, save that of the body's glory, and for this they pray. But they pray for us who lack the ultimate perfection of bliss: and their prayers are efficacious in impetrating through their previous merits and through God's acceptance. The saints impetrate what ever God wishes to take place through their prayers: and they pray for that which they deem will be granted through their prayers according to God's will.

References: Summa Theologica, Vulgate, Image via google.images

“The Heresy of Charismatics' Beliefs and Practices” By: Fr. Scott Gardner

By: Fr. Scott Gardner (Sspx)

Published originally in the March 1998 issue of The Angelus magazine and Sspx.org 

Brief history of the movement

Protestant Roots

However much the Charismatics try to trace their overt manifestations of "the Spirit" to an unbroken Apostolic tradition, they are bound to fail. Some concede that the early phenomena ceased because of the "stifling" attitude of the hierarchy. Nonetheless, the fact that the charismata were not known to exist after the Apostolic Age is demonstrated by this statement of St. Augustine’s, made in the fourth century:

Who in our day expects that those on whom hands are laid so that they may receive the Holy Spirit should forthwith speak with tongues....These signs were adapted to the times. For there behooved to be that betokening of the Spirit in all tongues to show that the Gospel of God was to run through all the tongues over the earth. But that thing was done for the betokening, and it has passed away.5

Catholic "Transplant"

In 1967, during the early post-Vatican II turmoil of ecumenical frenzy and widespread apostasy, students at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University began exposing themselves to Pentecostal influences because of spiritual aridity; they were envious of the "changed lives" among many Protestant friends and decided to pray for similar "graces." A weekend "retreat" —of sorts —proved to be the key to their answer. Various people approached various Protestant ministers, laity, and prayer groups; all received "Baptism in the Spirit" after having heretical hands laid on them in prayer.

The importance of this action cannot be overestimated. These Catholics submitted themselves to a non-Catholic quasi-sacramental rite —obviously a mockery of the sacrament of Confirmation —and the emotional thrill brought about by this sin (objectively speaking, of course) convinced them of the holiness of the entire experience. They came away as "Catholic" Charismatics, and their influence spread like wildfire all over the country —first on college campuses and then to the world at large.

If ever there were an argument for listening to the Church, this is it. The Church has warned her children to stay away from heretical "worship" for almost 2000 years because she knows what the consequences will be, both for the individuals involved and for the Mystical Body at large. Yet the CCR (Catholic Charismatic Renewal) unabashedly admits —even praises —its ecumenical, PROTESTANT roots!

Today, practically every diocese has an official Charismatic liaison office. There are Charismatic prayer groups, seminars, conventions, retreats, etc., all across the country and the world. No level of the hierarchy is without its contingent, and Charismatics are numerous among the clergy —especially the Regulars [i.e.,the monastic clergy; webmaster’s note]. As will be shown, even Rome is not immune to their influence.

Protestantism

Given the CCR’s  (Catholic Charismatic Renewal's) ecumenical Protestant roots, it should surprise no one that the Charismatics’ thinking is slanted markedly towards Protestantism. One of the hallmarks of Protestantism is the proposition sola scriptura (scripture alone), e.g., personal interpretation of scripture based on the "inspiration of the Holy Spirit." At the root of this problem lies the Charismatics’ typically Protestant rejection of Tradition as a source of Revelation. As the following quotations demonstrate, Charismatics share wholeheartedly in this dangerous teaching:

...The foundation of the Charismatic Renewal movement...is scripture. Short scripture readings are part and parcel of the action at prayer meetings....In my experience a thirst for the Scriptures is one of the great blessings of these times....Yet it strikes me as self evident that those who desire a personal relationship with God ought at least make themselves familiar with this book....Holy Spirit, inspirer of the Scriptures, inspire us with a love of your word. Lead us to the passages which will be of most effacacy [sic] in our livesand to an ever greater knowledge of the Father and the Son. [emphasis added]33

Through the centuries, the saints have agreed that relating to God intimately in prayer enables God to relate intimately to us by sharing the divine wisdom with us....As we commune with God, He communes with us. But the opposite is also true: if we open our hearts to His holy Word, an exhilarating prayerful experience of faith, hope, and love will burst forth in our souls....As one becomes more and more aware that "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life" (II Cor. 3:6), eventually the Holy Spirit leads the devout soul to grasp the inner core of any given passage. Even if one doesn’t know the "exactly correct" interpretation of a passage, the devout reader should depend on the Spirit to provide insight as to the right application of it....Perhaps our problem is that we read God’s Word too much and experience it too little. There’s a great difference between memorizing passages and thinking biblically with the "thoughts of God" (I Cor. 2:11). There’s a difference between having the Scriptures lodged dry as dust in your head, and having them throbbing with soul-stirring inspiration in your heart. [emphasis added]34

Of course, Catholics know that the interpretation of Sacred Scripture belongs exclusively to the Church —which is truly led by the Holy Ghost —and not to the individual reader. The following excerpt from the proceedings of the Council of Trent explains this principle clearly, and the punishment promised to those sharing in this heretical belief and practice should give Charismatics pause, to say the least:

Furthermore, in order to curb impudent clever persons, the synod decrees that no one who relies on his own judgment in matters of faith and morals, which pertain to the building up of Christian doctrine, and that no one who distorts the Sacred Scripture according to his own opinions shall dare to interpret the said Sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which is held by Holy Mother Church, whose duty it is to judge regarding the true sense and interpretation of holy Scriptures, or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers, even though interpretations of this kind were never intended to be brought to light. Let those who shall oppose this be reported by their ordinaries and be punished with the penalties prescribed by law.35

This teaching was reaffirmed by the profession of Faith of the Council of Trent and by the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith of the First Vatican Council.36

Undeniable Contradiction

Given these comparisons of Charismatic ideas and Catholic doctrine, it should be clear that, whatever the individual adherent’s dispositions toward the Church and the Faith might be, the CCR as a whole is not a Catholic movement at all but a deception of the Devil. The average Charismatic may well deny that he holds errors concerning grace, the Holy Ghost, the external missions of the Blessed Trinity, etc., but his deliberate renunciation of intellect and will renders his implicit errors explicit.

Charismatic thinking closely parallels errors from the earlier days of the Church and frankly admires the heresies of Protestantism. Charismatics’ evolutionary idea of the Church’s magisterium guarantees that they will defend themselves against all such allegations as have been raised here by scoffing at such "pre-Conciliar" thinking. Their nearly-Protestant disregard for Tradition will lead them to an entirely Biblically-based defense of their so-called charismata, which they received, of course, after scandalously submitting themselves to a non-Catholic quasi-sacramental rite performed by heretics.

The fact that the Churchmen have not condemned the CCR will go down in history as a blight on the 20th century’s record of similar proportions to the failure of Vatican II to condemn Communism. Indeed, one may legitimately wonder whether the "Spirit" the Charismatics claim adherence to is the same as the "spirit of Vatican II," i.e., the spirit of the world.

The Catholic response: apologetics

Since the Charismatics’ beliefs and practices are undeniably based in heresy, one may be allowed a legitimate doubt concerning the orthodoxy of those who profess affiliation to the movement. Of course, only God can judge souls, but one cannot, out of motives of so-called charity, call someone orthodox whose actions and words reek of heresy. To do so would be an injustice as well as a lie equal to that of those who maintain an attitude of religious indifferentism.

"By their fruits ye shall know them," said Our Lord to His Apostles (Mt. 7:20). From the poisonous fruits of the Charismatic movement, anyone can see its inherent incompatibility with Catholicism and the grave danger it poses to the Faith. The ignorance or complicity of high-ranking Churchmen notwithstanding, one must be truthful about the movement and the danger it represents to countless souls.

Obviously, unless there is a miraculous shift in the prevailing ecclesiastical winds, the duty of fighting the blight of the CCR must remain at the level of the orthodox clergy and laity. The apologetic offense must be three-fold:

• Catholics must study to know their Faith better, especially in the areas attacked by the Charismatics, and develop a strong, objective, liturgical piety based on this Faith —not on the experience of consolations.
• Catholics must politely refuse to accept any discussion of the so-called charismata present in today’s Church as orthodox. True argument can only be carried out based on shared principles, and deception or prevarication on this major point will not lead to genuine advances for the truth, as today’s Catholic-Protestant "dialogues" so plainly demonstrate.

• Catholics must know and be able to present, in simple terms, the true teachings of the Church on the sacraments, grace, the will, the nature and mission of the Church, and the charismata. Those Charismatics who consider themselves orthodox and really desire to know the truth will listen. As for those who refuse to listen, the words of St. Augustine seem most appropriate at this point:

Why does truth call forth hatred? Why is Your servant treated as an enemy by those to whom he preaches the truth, if happiness is loved, which is simply joy in the truth? Simply because truth is loved in such a way that those who love some other thing want it to be the truth and, precisely because they do not wish to be deceived, are unwilling to be convinced that they are deceived.55

Summary

The Catholic Charismatic Movement is a blighted tree bearing poisonous fruit, sown by the Devil among Protestants and transplanted into the Church after Vatican II. The delirium of contemporary Churchmen has watered it, and the lack of an adequate Catholic formation among priests and laity has cleared and tilled the fertile soil in which it has grown. More people eat of its deadly fruit yearly, and the vulnerable young, so eager for the profound knowledge of God and the sense of the supernatural denied them by the Conciliar Church, are especially at risk. A generation of children is growing up thinking of Charismatics as perfectly normal (or even superior) Catholics.

This fruit is truly a seed of destruction and one of the most perilous fruits offered to man since the first fruit offered to the first Eve by the same serpent. May the new Eve, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom it has been given to crush the serpent’s head, intercede for the Church and free the world from the peril in which it now lies as a result of the Catholic Charismatic Movement!

5 As quoted in William Whalen, Minority Religions in America (Staten Island: Alba House, 1971), p.179.33 Andy O’Neill, The Power of Charismatic Healing: A Personal Account by Andy O’Neill. (Cork, Ireland, 1985): Mercier, extracted by Eoin Ó Riain as "The Charism of Scripture."
34 Hampsch, (Rev. Fr. John Hampsch, C.M.F., "Getting excited about the Bible,"SCRC Vision, (Los Angeles, 1993).)
35 As quoted in Denziger, op. cit., †786.
36 Ibid., †995 and 1788.
55 St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 10, Section 23.
Image: Google.images (http://goo.gl/6eavl8)