Land Distribution as Divine Will

Vatican ll, 1965, and the Pastoral Constitution of the Catholic Church (Gaudium et Spes, 69 provides:

God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and all peoples so that all created things would would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity

Likewise, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land: The Challenge of Agrarian Reform, November, 1997, the Church in its social teachings assert that the concentration of landholdings in a few hands is judged a scandal that goes against God's will and plan for salvation since it deprives the majority of humankind of the fruits of the earth.

Unequal distribution of land and landlessness in the Philippines is a form of injustice as solid and as cruel as the rugged and jagged earth. This hardened form of injustice has loong been imbedded in the Philippine social matrix and has spawned social conflicts affecting not only the countryside. Poverty in the rural areas feeds rebellion. It also pushes rural folks to the cities to suffer another form of social affliction in the concrete jungle.

A genuine land reform can arrest this vicious cycle of the poor being tossed here and there, getting poorer and poorer and being continuously deprived of dignity as human beings. Genuine land reform however must not only address the needs of the landless poor, but must also protect the rights of the landowners. I have had personal encounters with farmer beneficiaries who have turned the table against the benefacors and with the aid of DAR officials, wittingly or unwittingly became the abusers themselves.

It is human heritage that power can easily corrupt its wielder. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of the Philippines. for all its noble objectives has been open to grievous abuses largely by the landowners and to a certain extent, also by the farmer beneficiaries.

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) under CARL is expiring by 2008. By all means, it must be extended. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) says that there are still 1.2 million hectares of private agricultural lands that need to be distributed to the farmers.There are big tracts of land which have been placed under the operation of CARP in a manner being questioned by the farmer beneficiaries themselves as those which availed of the Stock Distribution Option, instead of land grant. It is ironic that in a majority of cases, the present land reform is one over which implementation, both the landowners and the farmers are unhappy.

Now is the chance, after the hard lessons of the past years of a failed land reform program, to design one which will finally liberate the givers from greed and the receivers from the bondage of the soil they till.It should provide an equitable distribution inspired not only by justice but also charity on the part of the law and the giver and one which can not be abused with lawlessness in the name of poverty.

Goodness is it's own Blessing

I read somewhere that the apostles on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus after His resurrection because God has ressurected in the form of every person we encounter in the road of life.

Jesus Christ can be our stronghold and everlasting motivation for kindness. When I sometimes get tired loving, especially those who turn out to be ungrateful as some beneficiaries of "pro bono" services do-- they can be demanding as well--I find consolation in the thought that no good act is ever wasted and every single act of charity will add up to the totality of humankindness. Then I offer all of it to God.

One of the more hearbreaking lament I hear from spouses--mostly wives and mothers is:"How could he/she ever do this ungratefulness/betrayal after all the loving I had done?" I heard these searing words spoken also by a jilted husband--actually two husbands. Both of them are successful businessmen but very unlucky for marrying the wrong women. Both wives abandoned them for another men.

I personally could not fathom how this misfortune could befall on these two generous, inteliigent and successful husbands. They were both generous to the end. Although they had grounds for legal separation which can result in the forfeiture of the share of the wives in the conjugal assets, they decided to file nullity cases which includes an equitable division of the property of the marriage. Their love for their children whom they wanted to shield from a bloody litigation inspired that kind of forgiveness and quality of kindness. The women didn't know what they lost.

But then who am I to judge any woman's heart? No one can ever plunge into her heart's innermost sanctum except she and her Divine Designer and Creator.

And for those who feel betrayed, I can only offer my standard consolation: "That all good acts are rewarded--and that goodness is its own blessing.

Sumilao Farmers... A Bright Light

Staunch advocate for the Sumilao farmers, Lawyer Marlon Manuel sounded optimistic when he said "Sumilao" is a derivative of the word "silaw" which is the effect of a bright light. Atty Manuel considers the Sumilao farmers and their long march to own the land they till, a lighthouse of hope for a better life for all the farmers throughout the nation.

Their 2-months trek--Oct. 10 - Dec. 10, 2007, from San Vicente, Bukidnon to Manila--earned for them not only public support and sympathy but also dignity for a people who has the grit and courage to walk and stand for their right.

Their long walk brought them to an audience with Pres GMA and secured for them an executive order reverting their land from being classified as agro-industrial to agricultural land and thus available again for distribution under the Comprerhensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). San Miguel Corporation, the parent company of SMFI who now owns the land sought a reconsideration of the said order.

More needs to be done, mostly on the part of the Executive who stopped short with the order of reclassification without making the follow-up steps to concretize the order into actual distribution. Making the necessary steps for actual distribution is a political act on the part of the President.

Former Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Ernesto Garilao remarked during the ANC TV talk show "The Big Picture" (01/25/08) that the mobilization of the Sumilao farmers have gained victory, but more needs to be done by all sectors to apply moral and political pressure on the executive to implement the promise of the executive order.

In the same program, another former DAR Secretary expressed his opinion that agrarian reform will not succeed if government and business sector will not do their part. And he believes that poverty and social conflict such as the secession movement are due to landlessness to a significant degree. According to Sec. Abad, the present state of things show land reform has failed. Tenants can not be owner-cultivator and farm manager overnight. After acquiring the farm, they need training, support services, capital. The irony is and sadly, a proof that agrarrian reform reform has failed is that, the farmers have not yet been given the land.

Thus in the words of Atty Manuel, "Let the Sumilao march be an invitation to all to join and support the mobilization of all the farmers. 12 of the Sumilao farmers are in Manila to date and plans are afoot for more peaceful actions and representations." These are being done with the help of the Church heirarchy--foremost among them, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales--and the Ateneo-based Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

More need to be done. Every little help of every Filipino, individually and collectively is needed, to bring the farmers to the promised land.

Choose Your Own Battle

I have been lawyering for a clan for years and been attempting to evangelize the unweildly members by teaching them values of truth, fairness, justice,order and faith in God. My lawyering job is ending successfully while evangelizing is failing dismally.

In the area of morals and values, my effort does not seem to produce result that I am now mulling over moving on and turning away. It is not easy to just give up and admit there is nothing more I can do.

Until my eldest son, Joey said: " If your efforts are no longer producing the desired result then why continue throwing your pearls to the swine." ( I think that is Bible-based). The he followed it up with: "As a a general said,' Choose Your Own Battles.' You maight be able to put your efforts and resources to better endeavors."

Now, that makes it easier for me to move on.

A Lawyer Who Doesn't Like To Sue

Whenever a client comes to me, I explore all avenues for settlement of the conflict between the parties.

Today is a meeting between my client and the plaintiffs. The latter at first, refused to settle amicably and proceeded to file civil and criminal cases against my client. While defending my client in both cases I continue to invoke the Divine Mediator to intervene and stop a very protracted litigation that will unnecessarily clog the court dockets and cause the parties untold emotional turmoil on top legal expenses.

I knew that Jesus, my Model Mediator can find a way. He who

listens to all sides in silence; hearing not only what is being shouted aloud by the crowd, but also what is being whispered about in hushed voices. Moreover, Jesus sees and hears the love unspoken and the silent grief for the sins committed.(Easing the Pains of Battle p. 42)

And before the meeting I provided the mediator an excerpt from the same book (pp 42-43) which says:

As a mediator, you can offer yourself, not as someone with grand solutions to the parties' problem. Present yourself as a fellow traveller, subject as well to the same pains and struggles of every human being. As you offer your hand and walk with hurting fellow women and men, rouse them to hope and stir them to search for solutions. Before sitting on the mediation table call on the Divine Traveller to journey with you and light your way toward a bright path

At "Home" With one Another

It is the most psychical yet most commonplace definition of family I have encountered. The word "family" according to Fr. Cornelio Lagerway, MSC, is closest to the word: belonging. According to him:

When we say: I'm home, we mean- here is where I belong. The sense of
belonging is an important aspect we should develop and deepen in our
relationship, in the human as well as in the spiritual family.

The sense of being home and at home with each other is the root of strength
and the source of care and love which we need so much for peace and
growth.

In the movie, Independence Day, one of the main characters, a lady journalist faced death with the onrushing sea with peace in her heart after discovering she was loved by her long-lost and just-found father. Her newly discovered sense of belonging provided her courage to face the end of the world serenely.

This sense of family can propel you to reach the heights, firmly rooted to your basic sense of self and interconnected to others who matter in your happiness.

The Sumilao Farmer's Long March to Justice -2-

The Sumilao farmers' case stands out as a living, breathing, walking, sometimes limping and even crawling symbol of the oppressed, exploited and abused landless of the Philippines.

The plight of the peasants --which includes fisherfolks-- should take precedence in the agenda for poverty alleviation and development of the nation. Our country is still an agricultural country and developing our agricultural land remains to be one concrete avenue towards our country's progress.

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which is supposed to be the most revolutionary approach towards the amelioration of the plight of the majority of our poor is also one of the more prostituted projects of government. I have personally seen how 10,000 farmers occupying Hacienda Looc of my hometown of Nasugbu, Batangas have been subjected to the ignominy of the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) Bigay-Bawi ( Grant- Repossess) scheme of the DAR via the convenient vehicle of conversion of decades-long agricultural land into something else, to accommodate the moneyed land developers.

Re-zoning of agricultural lands into commercial properties is another legalized scheme resorted to by the local government. Of course, there is also the corporative scheme employed by the biggest landowners in the country who grant the farmers what to the latter is a useles piece of Cerificate of Shares of Stocks-- which earns very minimal dividends if it ever does--instead of giving them a piece of land they can cultivate as their own.

This mind-boggling, heart - piercing and gut- wrenching issue of land distribution vis-a-vis the unabated bastardizationof CARP under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) dovetail with the march of the Sumilao farmers.

With their sturdy barefeet, hopefully, social justice via land reform can start to strike root on our beloved soil.

Disturbing Page on "The WORLD"

Disturbing is a very light word to describe it. "The WORLD" page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (01/21/08) carries this distressing, soul-shocking, heart-rending news item.

1.2 million US abortions a year

WASHINGTON--SOME 1.2 Million women have an abortion every year in the United States, although the rate is dropping and has reached its lowest level since 1976.

In 2005, the rate of abortions among women aged 15 to 44 had fallen to 19.4 out of every 1,000 women compared with a peak of 29.3 per 1,000 in 1981.

These figures were contained in a study by the Guttmacher Institute released Thursday just ahead of the 35th anniversay of the legalization of abortion in the United States.

Part of the reason for the falling figures appears to be linked to the increased use of
the morning-after contraceptive pill which is available over the counter without a
prescription.

There has also been a slight drop in the number of teen-age pregnancies. One study said that one teenager in 10 gave birth in 2005, compared with 12.8 percent in 1990. Among African-Americans the rate was higher at 16.8 percent compared to 23 percent in 1990.

According to the Census Bureau, there were 420,000 babies born to mothers under 19 in 2005.

But the declining abortion could also be linked to a drop in the number of centers which carry out the practice, as they have fallen from 2,9000 in 1980 to 1,800 in 2000. AFP

Whatever decrease the article is reporting offers no consolation at all. That is a million angels in flesh and blood chopped into bloody pieces--with their body and souls rejected by a cruel, scalpel- driven world.

In Suppport of Governor Ed Panlilio - 2

This is a quote from a letter to the Editor (Philippine Daily Inquirer-01/19/08)by Arnold Van Vugt of Cagayan de Oro City.

When times call for priests to go into politics

xxxxx

Except for Canon Law, there is no biblical or theological basis whatsoever for saying that priests cannot run for a political position. It is purely disciplinary law, similar to the law that bans priests from marrying. Even Canon Law allows priests to take action in situations when the well-being of the laity is in danger.
xxxxxxxxx

Father Panlilio has shown as a priest that moral leadership is possible, even in the extraordinary circumstances of Pampanga. Clearly he is driven as a priest by the power of the Holy Spirit.

xxxxxxxxxx

I would like to quote here a few words spoken by the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador 30 years ago: "It is very easy to be servants of the word without disturbing the world; a spiritual word, a word without any connection with history, a word that could sound in any place of the world.... Such a word has no problems, doesn't call for any conflict. What really calls for conflicts and persecution, what really is a sign of a true Church, is the Word that proclaims and denounces, burning as the words of the prophets. The Word that announces to the people of God the wonders of God, the Word that accuses of sin those who obstruct the Kingdom of God, so that they may tear out this sin from their hearts, from their political structures that oppress, corrupt and harm the rights of God and of mankind." Blazing words spoken on Dec. 10,1977!

If the bishops as one had spoken that prophetic Word, the country today would not be in such a miserable condition, our political system would not have been that corrupt and most of all, President Macapagal-Arroyo would not have been able to continue her reign of deceit and terror.

In Support of Governor Ed Panlilio

Dear Gov. Ed Panlilio,

I thank you for offering yourself to serve as governor of Pampanga. You did it because no other decent person was willing to offer oneself to redeem your province from the grimy clutches of corrupt politicians. You entered into the wily world of Philippine politics as a sacrificial lamb ready to offer your life & all in the service of your people.

I wished somebody with the same selfless dispositon and exceptional courage did it in my province of Batangas or in Quezon City where I reside. When you made that decision, you only showed that you are a genuine disciple of Christ. That you are ready to face all the snares & dangers of politics to serve God in your neighbor, is for me the most pristine form of priesthood.

With your decision, you brought honor to us all, to the country, to the prieshood. Above all, you give glory to our God you serve. When you won, the whole nation rejoiced with you. Your victory is a triumph of raw courage and innate sense of righteousness of the majority of your provincemates.

Soon, we saw you making a difference in the governance of Pampanga. Then you proved that you are big enough to belong to the whole country. Now you are showing how one man with a pure and sincered desire to serve the people can create an impact that can reshape the destiny of the whole nation, with your capacity to stand for what is right and honorable.

One public servant like you is enough to keep the flame of hope alive. During these days of national gloom and doom, the light of your fortitude and honesty as a public servant can provide the flicker that can dispel the enveloping darkness. And many more will follow your lighted way.

Be assured of my prayers. I join the many well-meaning Filipinos saying a prayer that you succeed in your mission of evangelizing Philippine politics.

Sincerely,
Ma. Gracia Riñoza-Plazo

Court Trials as Inimitable Entertainment

I always feel high watching a court drama, more specially a real one. But I don't have the way with words or the facility with the language to be able to portary my sentiment vividly and sharply.

Then I came across Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Myth of Moral Justice.. On page 5 of this work he describes the drama in a court room in an aesthetical manner as I would have wished to:

Trials are where the human drama unfolds in a public spectacle of infinite variety and amusement. The dress code is formal, even though the secrets and lies are laid bare. It is an atmosphere that looms with solemnity and ceremony, yet the disclosures that arise from such proceedings are often indiscreet and out of order. Characters are believable precisely because they are real. There is no need for central casting in a courthouse. The roles are already taken by people who don't know their lines. The stories are their own; the emotions raw and yet, at the same time, overcooked. It is in a courtroom where the presumptions of justice, innocence, and guilt must contend with the more primal, less predictable stuff of life--the dashed hopes and false dreams, the longings that have gone on far too long, the resentments that linger, and the grievances that never found time, or the poper place, to grieve.. The courthouse turns each of us into witnesses. The confessions and admissions, the shame and the stain,the broken silences and invoked privileges, the surprise turns and numbing tedium, all catch our attention and hold us willing prisoners. Pure entertainment under the cover and pretense of a legal system at work.

It is not surprising that Rosenbaum writes about the law with such elan and elegance. Los Angeles Times Book Review says of him: "Rosenbaum seeks to use law as a means not simply of achieving justice but of changing the hearts of humankind." He has the gifts, the training and the tool to so achieve. More than a lawyer, he is an educator and an artist.

Short Time in Heaven

Fr. JBoy, SJ, said in one of his homilies at the UP Church of the Risen Christ that if we abide in love we remain in God. My Cathechism teachers described heaven as a place of continuous singing with rhythm and movements of joy. Heaven is where God is,where good will reigns and where everyone lives in unity and harmony.

Yesterday, I had a full 6 hours of songs,prayers and praises to God, goodwill and consideration to others, harmony and friendliness among complete strangers --in a place where the Spirit of God dwells. While I was lining up in an overcrowded ladies room and stomping my feet gently to hold my kidney from bursting, the lady in front of me said solicituously, "Please go ahead, you seem to be of more urgent need for relief." I have not experienced such consideration for a long while and from complete strangers.

My husband and I had an experience of heaven yesterday, January 12, 2008 with about twenty thousand members of the Couples for Christ (CfC) community during the CfC Leaders Conference at the Araneta Coliseum at Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. It took place after a tragedy of the previous year where a split among the elders of the CfC shook the family down to its very roots. The experience of yeaterday proved, CfC has emerged stronger because the members continue to abide in Love and God reigns among them.

Messenger of Hope

"We are called to be agents of and messengers of hope." It is a line in a Gospel explanation entitled Baptism of the Lord. It was forwarded by a brother in the Kapatiran Party, Mr. Ed Cuenca, who cares enough to share the Word of God to others.

How? With our own sense of helplessness and weaknesses, it is hard to imagine how we can bring about hope to others--especially with our very limited resources--during these times of utter hopelessness in our midst. What can I do to help the poor who are crawling all around me when I am one of them? And joy to the lonely when I too am saddled with pains?

Then I realized that if there is nothing more that we can offer, perhaps our very presence may help lift a sagging spirit; a kind word may lighten a heavy heart, a loving touch may wipe a tear or even prevent it from swelling up; a compassionate smile can bring burst of sunlight in a gloomy corner of desperation; and yes, a forwarded e-mail may enlighten others in their faith.

Everyone can be a messenger of hope in big and small ways. What is needed is only a caring heart.

Building the Kingdom of God Right Here and Now

The Gospel reading today (LK 4:14-23) gives a most specific instruction on how we can build the Kingdom of God right where we are. The Gospel says that Jesus unrolls the scroll and finds where it is written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bring liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year of mercy.

In concrete terms it speaks of how our knowledge of Jesus' teachings and the Spirit of God in us can provide the inspiration and the ability to make a difference in the lives of those closest to us and in most need of our attention.

Freeing a Mother's Heart Will Free a Child

A few mothers were being interviewed on being mothers. They were giving standard motherly reactions. And a standard mother can always be inspiring. They appear to be really a cut above the rest of humanity in their capacity to feel and emote.

It must be because a mother is capable of soooo much love. Intelligent sons sometimes brush it aside as pure maternal instinct which may partly be true. But love is always an act of the will. It is above instinct.

One of the sons of a mother has inflicted sooo much pain on his mother. The mother shared that the deepest cut in her mother's heart is to finally realize and accept that her adult child does not love her enough. That all the conflicts that have existed between her and her son were brought about by her asking for a little more love and respect than her son is willing or is capable of giving. It is this son who from time to time would end their strained talk and serious conflicts--serious enough to shake their relationship to its root--with: "You prayed for intelligent children, this is what you get!"

"How do you shield a mother from such a retort of a child--adult at that-- who coats his disrespect with presumed intelligence?" she querried.Then continued, "I consider it the most irrational of all intelligence. How do you free a mother's heart from such a contradiction in logic?"

Wait! Does a mother's heart need freeing? Really? Perhaps not! A mother thrives best in loving without counting the cost or expecting any return on her investment. A mother's heart is most free when it simply loves in the manner her heart is designed to be-- all-giving. I am reminded of a line in Filipino movie "Anak". The mother who was forced to work as domestic helper abroad came back to her family, every member of which has not done well in life and even blames the mother's absence for their failure. The mother questions: "How much love is a mother expected to give to be entitled to some reward?"

If distraught mothers indeed need some liberation then perhaps it can spring from a realization that different people loves differently. Both mother and child may have given their all but both suffer mutual dissatisfaction. For both of them, deeper understanding can bring about forgiveness. Mutual understanding and foriveness alone can free both hearts from the dark forces which have hold them hostage.

Or perhaps, mothers have to just learn to accept the painful reality that some children can be ungrateful. Then offer her pains to the Lord Who has entrusted said child to her loving care.

Freeing a Judge from Ignorance of the Law

Yesterday I worked liked I never worked before to free a client--within the legal parameters--from being arrested. The Municipal Trial Court judge has warned her of an automatic issuance of a warrant of arrest upon receipt of the information from the prosecutor's office.

I have a vague nottion that her case which involves issuance of a bounced check doesn't automatically entail arrest under the new procedure. After a frantic research I found the law and Supreme Court resolution I needed to free my client. My Urgent Manifestation was ready before the end of the day.

To be able to save my client, my more daunting task now is how to free the Honorable Judge from her ignorance of the law.

A Magnanimous New Year Contract

A most generous, unilateral contract just reached me. It is also the most specific in its magnanimity. The sender calls it "2008 Friendship Renewal Contract".

My Wish for You in 2008:

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal
your debts. May the pockets of your jeans be come a magnet of
money. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may
laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success
like smoking tyres, and may happiness slap you across the face
and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had
forget your home address! In simple words ............

May 2008 be the the beginning of the best years of your life!!!

I charged the sender who is a former monk and sometimes calls himself monk"ey" with the onerous obligation of seeing to it that all terms be fulfilled to my outmost benefit since it falls under the classification of a contract of adhesion. It is the type of contract which weighs heavily on the originator because it leaves the party no chance to bargain on the terms and has no choice but to affix one's signature to it if accepted.Furthermore, all vague provisions of a contract of adhesion is to be interpreted against the originator.

Trusting the sender's strong connectedness to the Source of everything that is Good, I look forward to the fulfillment of the gratuitous contract.

Dreaming of an OBAMA for the Philippines

The stunning win of Barack Obama at the Iowa caucus opens the possibility of a Barack Obama for the White House.

Barack Obama is an African-American freshman Illinois senator and is closely pitted against Hillary Clinton for nomination as the presidential contender of the US democratic party. Clinton is touted as the candidate with experience and thus the capacity to serve as US President at day one. Obama is equated with youth and idealism.

Clinton attacks Obama's lack of experience while Obama refers to Clinton as a tired symbol of a poisoned political establishment. I believe that the contest is not just youth versus experience. More than that is what this young man has to offer and what age and opportunity failed to do.

In one of his public speeches,Obama asserted: "That is a gamble we cannot afford. That is a risk we cannot take. It is time to turn the page. It is time to stand up. It is time for us to create the kind of America we can believe in again."

I dream of a Philippines that a lot of Filipinos--most especially those who have left the country-- can trust again.

Old vs. Antique

Year 2007 was such an intensely dynamic year no matter how you look at it. Out of the many topics of interest, I could not pick one as a fitting citation for the year past and a grandiose welcome for the new one. Until I received this reply (copied below)) to my e-mail from someone I consider a mentor but who is insisting he is a friend.

dear grace:

i am not a wise old man. i am a wise guy. :):):)

i am not old. i am an antique. old is that which, with the passing of time, deteriorates and losses value while an antique is that which gets better and acquires more value with the passing of time. the reason why my wife refuses to acquire antique pieces for the house is because she says one antique (me) is more than enough.

ric, the ancient one.

To this my response is:

It never crossed my mind that you are old, Bro. Ric. I always equate you with wisdom but not with years. For me, you are a dynamo, a powerhouse of positive and creative thoughts which can be very spiritual and down-to-earth at the same time. That makes you very young, regardless of your age. It' s because spirituality knows no age. It is immortal.

But then, how can anything be an antique without the years. Unless it is a fake antique like those artifacts made to look aged by the artist's sleigh of hand?

Grace

The exchange was triggered by a powerpoint presentation "A WISE OLD MAN" forwarded to me by a year-end blessing who is:

Nellie V. Mangubat
Tropical Disease Foundation
Suite 2002, 20th floor
Medical Plaza Makati Condominium
cor. Amorsolo & de la Rosa Sts.
Makati City 1229

Ms Mangubat responded to a December e-mail of appeal for help for Bukid Kabataan (BK) which houses and heals abused and abandoned children and is under the management of the Good Shepherd Sisters. She followed her notice of bank deposit for BK with the inspiring "Wise Old Man". I forwarded this powerpoint presentation to chosen friends, both new and antique, young and old.

Such a trail of reaching-out and generosity is a most spiritual tribute to the year 2007 and a rousing welcome for the new-born 2008.