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Survival of the Kindest

We can change the world with kindness

 

kindness2_8df3d.jpg

 

We've remarked before on the lack of civility in today's society. Part of it, I suspect, is as it's always been (According to Plato, Socrates famously complained about the disrespect of the youth of his time and warned against the growing indolence of society). Part of it is the ease of anonymity of the internet age allowing you to express your basest self without fear of being known. But we have also become a society where facts matter less than emotion, where self-righteousness and demonization triumphs debate and understanding and too many people assume that you exercising your freedoms mean less for them. It all adds up to a society for which kindness is the least appreciated virtue.

Curiously, according to a recent study, that's actually going against our most successful instincts:

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.

In contrast to "every man for himself" interpretations of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychologist and author of "Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life," and his fellow social scientists are building the case that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, altruistic and compassionate traits.

They call it "survival of the kindest."[..]

While studies show that bonding and making social connections can make for a healthier, more meaningful life, the larger question some UC Berkeley researchers are asking is, "How do these traits ensure our survival and raise our status among our peers?"

One answer, according to UC Berkeley social psychologist and sociologist Robb Willer is that the more generous we are, the more respect and influence we wield. In one recent study, Willer and his team gave participants each a modest amount of cash and directed them to play games of varying complexity that would benefit the "public good." The results, published in the journal American Sociological Review, showed that participants who acted more generously received more gifts, respect and cooperation from their peers and wielded more influence over them.

"The findings suggest that anyone who acts only in his or her narrow self-interest will be shunned, disrespected, even hated," Willer said. "But those who behave generously with others are held in high esteem by their peers and thus rise in status."

I want so deeply in my heart for this to be true...I would love to see us champion the generous over the self-interested more.

 

 

OFW problem poses major challenge for next president

 They may have brought home the bacon – $17 billion in 2009 or over 10 times bigger than last year's expected foreign direct investment – but more than an economic force, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have evolved into a social phenomenon that the country’s next president needs to resolve decisively.

The Filipino diaspora has fostered a “culture of migration," Professor Mary Lou Alcid of the University of the Philippines’ College of Social Work and Community Development said in a campus forum in early February. This has resulted in “transnational Filipino families" with the father in Saudi Arabia, the mother in Hongkong, the daughter in Taiwan, the brother in Dubai, and the youngest left in the Philippines, she added.

In the May elections, migration experts believe that voters should pick a candidate who can resolve the problem of large-scale labor deployment abroad which results in the break-up of families, abuse of OFWs, the spread of infectious diseases, and other ills.

However, less than three months before the polls, migrant groups say no candidate has come up with specific strategies to address these problems.

“Migration is a new answer to a very old problem, which is unemployment," said Maria Angela Villalba, executive director of the non-government Unlad Kabayan Migrant Service Foundation.
What the presidential candidates say about OFWs

All but two of the presidential candidates have articulated their vision or platform regarding the government's labor export policy. Read what the presidential hopefuls have to say about OFWS here.


While some candidates have been helping abused OFWs get repatriated, none of them has come up with a comprehensive plan to solve the problem of Filipinos who are forced to work abroad as a matter of necessity, she said.

“(Most of them) are just focused on migrants in distress…and not on the migration problem itself," says Villalba.
With the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimating an average of $13.6 billion or a staggering P627 billion worth of remittances from OFWs every year, it is no wonder the government values human capital more than any other export.

The Philippines places third in the world when it comes to the volume of overseas deployment, next only to China and India, the two most populous countries in the world. This makes Asia “the largest source of temporary contractual migrant workers worldwide," according to IOM.

OFWs in 200 countries

The migration phenomenon is common among developing countries that are making the transition from agrarian economies to industrialization, according to social scientists.

Labor export either stops or becomes an optional decision when countries achieve economic development, like what happened in South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. While they were strengthening their economies through industrialization in the 1980s, these countries relied on labor export. However, this trend stopped when they achieved economic progress that ensured sustainable domestic jobs, according to the report
The future of Labor Migration in Asia: Patterns, Issues, Policies by Ron Skeldon.

Unfortunately, such a transition has not happened in the Philippines more than three decades after labor export was first introduced, supposedly as a temporary remedy to unemployment.
OFWs from the '70s to the '90s


Click here to enlarge

Back in the 1970s, labor migration was seen by the government not as a problem but a solution to rising unemployment and inadequate foreign exchange earnings to pay for increasing foreign debts.

The solution was supposed to be temporary while the government was working toward building a solid domestic economy that could generate sustainable local jobs.

However, the stopgap measure became a policy when the Marcos administration created laws during Martial Law that became the foundation for the government's overseas employment program.

In 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos came out with Presidential Decree 442 or the Labor Code. Among its goals was “to ensure the careful selection of Filipino workers for the overseas labor market to protect the good name of the Philippines abroad."

Three agencies were created to pursue this goal:

(1) the National Seamen Board (NSB) that was tasked to “develop and maintain a
comprehensive program for Filipino seamen employed overseas"

(2) the Overseas Employment Development Board (OEDB) that should “promote the
overseas employment of Filipino workers through a comprehensive market and development program," and

(3) the Bureau of Employment Services (BES) which is responsible for the regulation of “private sector participation in the recruitment of (local and overseas) workers."

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“The transition is probably taking longer than expected," admitted Dante Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, in a speech at the Dalhousie University in Canada in 2008.

Labor export reached its peak under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who further strengthened the government’s policy of sending workers abroad through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“The POEA shall execute a paradigm shift by refocusing its functions from regulation to full-blast market development efforts, the exploration of frontier, fertile job markets for Filipino expatriate workers," declared Arroyo in Administrative Order No. 247 issued on December 4, 2008.

The edict said her administration’s “target shall be to increase the countries currently hosting Filipino workers and break through the 200-country barrier."

At that time, OFWs had reached 1,236,013 or 42 percent more than the deployment in 2001, when Arroyo assumed the presidency. Joblessness worsened during her term, with the highest unemployment rate of 11.8 per cent since 1992 recorded in 2004.

As of November 2009, the POEA estimated that more than 1.28 million Filipino workers were deployed abroad that year.

Overall, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas has reported that as of 2008, almost 8.2 million Filipinos were estimated to be working abroad in 193 countries and territories, which means that the Arroyo government has yet to achieve its target.

Stakeholders in nation-building

Their substantial spending power should have made OFWs an economic force to reckon with, but unfortunately their contribution has not seemed to make a dent in the efforts to reduce poverty in the Philippines.

“Sige pwede kang magpadala ng tao. Pero paano natin gagamitin ang mga remittances?" (Yes, we can send people, but how will we use the remittances?) said UP’s Alcid. What is needed is not “jobless economic growth" but development that will allow Filipino workers to find jobs in the country, she added.

“[Migrants should not be] objects of policies. The issue here is about turning them into stakeholders also in nation building, in crafting policies for national development," said Dr. Jorge Tigno of UP Diliman’s Political Science department. “Importanteng papel ang ginagawa nila, hindi lang iyong pagpapadala ng remittances." (They have an important role to play, not just sending remittances.)

Villalba, whose organization promotes the provision of entrepreneurial opportunities for OFWs, emphasized the importance of a “savings consciousness" among the country’s overseas workers so they can have a more proactive role in nation-building.

“Ang sabi namin, kung mayroon kayong impok, kahit paano iyong level of vulnerability ninyo ay nare-reduce," Villalba said. “Marami pa namang Pilipinong naiiwan dito ah, nabubuhay pa rin. Mayroong yaman ang Pilipinas. Iyong ating kinikita sa ibang bansa, kaya rin nating kitain dito."

(We tell them, if you have savings, your level of vulnerability gets reduced. There are many Filipinos who remain here and survive anyway. The Philippines has its own wealth. What we earn in other countries, we can also earn here.)


 
 LESSONS IN LIFE
1. "Life isn't fair, but it's still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch 
5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 
22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow. 
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 
24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?' 
27. Always choose life. 
28. Forgive everyone everything. 
29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 
33. Believe in miracles. 
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 
37. Your children get only one childhood. 
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back. 
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 
42. The best is yet to come. 
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 
44. Yield. 
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
 
   
 P A N I M U L A
Panimula: Walang Himala! Himagsikan sa Edsa
ANGELA STUART-SANTIAGO

Kung hindi sa Foundation for Worldwide People Power sa pamumuno ni Eugenia Duran-Apostol na totoong pursigidong ilantad ang kototohanan tungkol sa panahong Marcos hanggang himagsikang EDSA, malamang ay inaamag pa rin ang aking manuskritong Chronology of a Revolution na inilathala ng Foundation noong 1996, matapos isantabi ni Fidel V. Ramos nang limang taon. At malamang ay inalikabok lang itong Himagsikan sa EDSA ­ Walang Himala!sa bodega ng National Centennial Commission kahit nagawaran ito, isa sa apat na sanaysay, ng "Karangalang Banggit" o "Honorable Mention" sa Centennial Literary Contest noong Agosto 1998. Ang usapan ay ilalathala ng Commission ang mga premyadong obra sa lalong madaling panahon pero hanggang ngayon, mahigit isang taon na, ay wala pang nailalathala kahit isa. Balita ni Alfred "Krip" Yuson, isa sa dalawang nanalo ng Third Prize sa English Novel, naghahanap pa ng funding ang University of the Philippines Press; tila inupuan ng Malakanyang ang pondong pang-imprenta na isinulit ng National Centennial Commission bago ito buwagin. Ang nangyayari tuloy, kanya-kanya nang hanap ng publisher, kanya-kanyang launching, unang-una na si Krip.

Salamat na rin at kahit paano ay napremyuhan, kahit hindi malinaw sa akin kung anong naging pagkukulang ng aming mga sanaysay at ni isa ay hindi naipalagay na karapat-dapat gawaran ng major prize, hindi tulad ng siyam pang kategorya na sang- katerba ang mga tie sa First, Second, at Third prizes. Nakakapagpatanong. Pangit kaya ang Filipino namin, hindi maintindihan? O mas mataas kaya (o mas makitid) ang mga pamantayan ng inampalan sa kategoryang Sanaysay kaysa mga pamantayan ng inampalan sa ibang kategorya? O baka naman iba't iba ang dahilan, at sa kaso ng Himagsikan sa EDSA... ay mga loyalistang kulelat pala ang inampalan?

Posible rin na praning o paranoid lang ako. Posibleng bulagain pa rin tayo ng administrasyong Estrada at ilathala ang 49 obra, pati ang mga saling-pusang Sanaysay. Kung gayon ang mangyayari, puwedeng ituring na original version ang sa Centennial Commission at edited version itong sa Foundation. Medyo madalian kasi, naghahabol ng deadline, ang pagkakasulat ng orihinal at may ilang bagay akong nakaligtaang sabihin at ilang bagay na kailan ko lang nawari tungkol sa EDSA. Isa pa, dahil mas sanay akong sumulat sa Inggles kaysa Filipino (at tila nga inisnab ng mga "eksperto" ang aking trabaho), malaking bagay para sa akin ang mapasadahan minsan pa ang manuskrito at pagkatapos ay maipa-edit ito sa isang bihasang magsulat sa Filipino.


Ang
Himagsikan sa EDSA ­ Walang Himala! ay batay sa Chronology of a Revolution/1986 ngunit magkaiba ang kanilang format. Ang Chronology ay tipong talaan ng pinakamahahalagang eksena at pinakamalulutong na soundbite ng EDSA ayon sa oras at araw ng pangyayari batay sa mga ulat sa media at sa mga interbyu ko sa ilang pangunahing aktor sa drama ng EDSA; ang Himagsikan ay tipong sanaysay na nagsasalaysay at nagpapalagay kung ano ang naganap sa, at kung paano naganap ang, EDSA.

Hindi sinasadya ang pagkakabuo at pahirapan ang pagpapalathala ng Chronology. Nagsimula ito bilang sequence guide para sana sa isang TV magazine show na ididirek ni Marilou Diaz-Abaya á la Star Wars ­ puwersa ng kabutihan kontra puwersa ng kasamaan ­ noong Mayo 1986. Hindi natuloy ang TV show ngunit naintriga na ako at hindi ko na nabitiwan ang EDSA. Itinuloy ko ang pagsuyod ng mga pahayagan at magasin, pagsala ng historical sa hysterical sa bawat ulat at eyewitness report, at ang pagsusunod-sunod ng mga detalye ayon sa araw at oras ng pangyayari. Mabusisi (wala pa akong word processor noon) at nakákalitóng trabaho. Hindi malinaw ang karamihan ng mga report, o hindi magkasundo, kung anong oras naganap ang iba't ibang eksena. Ayon sa ilan, halimbawa, bandang 9:00 ng gabi unang nanawagan si Jaime Cardinal Sin sa Radyo Veritas noong ika-22 ng Pebrero; pero sabi ng iba, nauna raw ang panawagan ni Butz Aquino; ng iba pa, lampas na ng 10:00 nang unang tumawag si Butz.

Pabago-bago ang sequence ko ng mga pangyayari, lalo na pagdating ng mga snap book nina Quijano de Manila, Cecilio T. Arillo, Patricio R. Mamot, at ng James Reuter Foundation na sunod-sunod ang launching noong Mayo at Hunyo 1986, at ng Veritas Extra edition, pinamagatang "Coup!" akda nina Alfred McCoy, Marian Wilkinson, at Gwen Robinson na lumabas noong Oktubre. Mayroong napaaga pala ang tantiya ko kung anong oras naganap ang ilang pangyayari, mayroong náhulí. May ulat ng isang presscon ang isang reporter na hango pala sa tatlong magkakaibang presscon. Iba't iba rin ang tinutukoy na anggulo at detalye ng iba't ibang reporter at manunulat. Para mabuo ang larawan ng bawat pangyayari, pabunot-bunot ako ng detalye kung saan-saan.

Unti-unti, utay-utay, naliwanagan ako tungkol sa EDSA at sa katuturan ng aking ginagawa. Pinagtawanan natin si Ferdinand Marcos nang isumbong nito ang tangkang kudeta nina Juan Ponce Enrile at Fidel Ramos, at pinalakpakan natin si Enrile nang tawagin niyang "a bunch of bull" ang bintang ni Marcos. Iyon pala, si Enrile ang nagsisinungaling at si Marcos ang nagsasabi ng totoo. Saan pa tayo nagkamali? Para mapagpulutan natin ng aral ang EDSA, kailangan nating linawin muna ang istorya.

May tatlong taon bago ako natapos sa unang draft ­ 1989 na. Magulo na noon, sunod-sunod ang dramang kudeta, wala naman kasing malaking pagbabago na naganap maliban sa napalaya ang media, gayon din ang mga komunista. Inalikabok ang chronology.

Sandali itong napagpagan at nadagdagan noong Agosto 1990 sa pamamagitan nina Mars Marquez at Louie Morales, mga kaibigan ni Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos sa advertising at public relations. Talambuhay ng heneral ang habol nila, laan sa 1992 presidential elections. Unang nilapitan ni Marquez si Howie Severino ng Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism; umayaw agad ito, hindi raw siya sumusulat ng pang-PR. Ako naman, nakita ko ang pagkakataong usisain ang dating heneral, na limang taon na ang nakakaraan ay hindi pa nagkukuwento tungkol sa EDSA, bagay na hindi ipinagpaliban nina Enrile, Cardinal Sin, at Butz Aquino. Sabi ko kina Marquez at Morales, double feature ang gawin namin, back-to-back, talambuhay ni Ramos at kuwento ng EDSA. Nang makita nila ang chronology ko, hindi na lang daw bale ang talambuhay, EDSA na lang.

Dalawang beses kong nakapanayam si General Ramos, minsan sa opisina niya sa Camp Aquinaldo (Nobyembre 1990) at minsan sa tahanan niya sa Alabang Village (Enero 1991). Nandoon din si Amelita Martinez-Ramos, mga anak nila't manugang, mga kaibigan at kapitbahay, kabilang si General Rene Cruz, si Joe Alejandro, at sina Belle at Tony Abaya. Sinadya ko rin sa Camp Aguinaldo si General Jose Almonte at si Major Avelino Razon. Noong Pebrero 1991, sinulat ko ang script ng "View from Within," isang TV documentary, tampok ang kuwentong EDSA ni Ramos, na ipinalabas ng GMA Channel 7 noong ika-limang anibersaryo. Nagpa-interbyu din si Ramos kay June Keithley sa radyo, at pinadalhan ako ng transcript ng bawat interview. May computer na ako noon at word processor kayâ madali kong naisingit-singit ang mga kuwento nina Ramos at iba pa sa kahabaan ng chronology. Agosto 1991 natapos ang manuskrito. Oktubre nag-submit si Nonoy Marcelo ng dummy o disenyo ng libro at pabalat, at ilang sample illustrations.

Tila hindi natuwa ang kampo ni Ramos sa trabaho namin. Hindi na uli tumawag si Morales; si Marquez ay tumawag nang ilang beses pa (bago ng halalan at noong naluklok na si Ramos sa Malakanyang), nangangakong matutuloy ang proyekto, kahit siya mismo ang gumastos. Pangakong napakò. Nagtaka ako. Utos ba ng hari? Pero mabango naman ang datíng ni Ramos sa nabuo kong chronology: tipong, kung hindi sa People Power at kay Ramos, hindi nagkasundo sina Cory at Enrile. Mali kaya ang basa ko, hindi niya kayang panindigan? Napaisip tuloy ako. Inamag na ang chronology.

Apat na taon ko pang pinag-isipan ang EDSA. Taong 1995 nang binalikan ko ang manuskrito upang magdagdag-bawas. Nagbawás ako ng propagandang Ramos at, dahil hindi maisnab ang mga istorya ng dayuhan tungkol sa EDSA, nagdagdag ako ng bagong datos mula sa mga libro nina Lewis M. Simons, Sandra Burton, at Stanley Karnow, gayon din nina Ma. Criselda Yabes at Arturo C. Aruiza, na nagsilabasan noong 1987-'89. Idinagdag ko rin ang kuwento ni Freddie Aguilar na nainterbyu ko noong Abril 1986 para sa TV show na hindi natuloy. Setyembre 1995 nainterbyu ko si Rose Marie Arenas at idinagdag ko ang kuwento niya. Sabi ko, huli na 'yon. Maghahanap pa ako ng publisher.

Nobyembre na nang natapos ako. Saka naman sinuwerte. Naghahanap pala si Apostol ng materyal tungkol sa EDSA para mismo sa pagdiriwang ng ika-10 anibersaryo. Biglang nagka-publisher ang chronology. Bago natapos ang buwan, na-interview pa namin ni Lorna Kalaw-Tirol, editor ng Chronology, ang dating Presidente Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. May nakalap din akong bagong datos sa files ni Apostol ng news clippings at mga libro nina Sterling Seagrave, Cynthia Baron, at Asuncion Maramba.
Sinikap din naming ihabol ni Lorna (suntok sa buwan) sina June Keithley at Senador Juan Ponce Enrile at sina Imee at Irene Marcos ngunit nabigo kami. Naging mailap si June at si Imee, parehong hindi mahagilap. Si Irene ay naimbiyerna lang daw nang nabasa ang isang draft ng chronology; aniya, hindi Pilipino ang promotor ng EDSA. Mabigat naman ang kondisyon ni Enrile ­ kailangang makita muna niya at aprubahan ang final manuscript; siyempre hindi ako (kami) pumayag. Mas maganda nga sana kung nagpa-interbyu sila at nakumpirma nila, o naitanggi, ang dapat sa mga istorya tungkol sa kanila noong panahong EDSA, pero okey lang kung ayaw nila. Tuloy pa rin, laban pa rin, ang Chronology.

Habol ko lang sa Chronology na maibahagi ang daloy ng mga pangyayari blow by blow, bahala na 'kako ang mambabasa na bigyang-kahulugan ang mga ito. Sa Himagsikan ang habol ko lang noong una ay maisa-Filipino ang Chronology at maiparating ang kuwentong EDSA sa mambabasang Pinoy. Sa huli, napakambiyo ako; ang talaan ay naging sanaysay, panglahok sa literary contest ng National Centennial Commission.

Nadagdagan pa uli ng bagong datos ang Himagsikan galing sa mga libro nina Ninotchka Rosca, James Fenton, Alan Berlow, at ng Davide Fact-Finding Commission, gayon din sa kuwento ni Gen. Alfredo Lim na sinulat ni Quijano de Manila para sa diyaryong Inquirer noong 1996, at sa isang liham na sinulat kay Apostol ni Joker Arroyo (matapos niyang basahin ang Chronology) na nagpapatotoo at naglilinaw sa mga report tungkol sa mga kaganapan sa kampo ni Cory noong EDSA.
Binago ko rin ang pasakalye sa apat na araw: ang "Before EDSA, 1965-1986" ay naging "Panahong Marcos," maikling buod ng daloy ng mga pangyayaring humantong sa EDSA batay sa mga libro nina Primitivo Mijares, Carmen Pedrosa, Charles C. McDougald, Raymond Bonner, Burton, Karnow, Yabes, Rosca, at ng Davide Commission at sa mga diyaryo't magasin noong snap elections hanggang EDSA. (Sorry, walang endnotes; naging masigasig lang ako sa datos tungkol sa EDSA; hindi ko agad naisip na pagtatalunin din ang istorya ng diktadurya.)

Nabago rin ang pagtalakay ng ika-26 ng Pebrero, Miyerkoles. Sa Chronology, halos pahabol lang, tipong punch line, ang "The Flight," kung saan tinipon ko ang hindi magkakatugmang ulat ng mga huling oras ni Marcos sa Pilipinas. Sabi ng isa, 5:00 ng umaga umalis si Marcos sa Clark papuntang Guam. Sabi naman ng isa pa, 5:22. Ng iba, 9:15. Hirit pa ng isa, nakarating daw muna si Marcos sa Paoay. Hindi malaman kung anong totoo at anong hindi. 'Kako, pagtawanan na lang natin. Sa Himagsikan, ang "Huling Hirit" ay pahabol sa EDSA, pahabol ni Marcos, baka nga naman makalusot.

Maraming salamat kay Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Literature, sa Foreword na sinulat niya sa Chronology. Sana'y magustuhan din niya ang Himagsikan, kahit hindi siya bilib sa Filipino bilang medium of literary expression. Maraming salamat kay Eggie Apostol sa walang sawa niyang pakikibaka ­ siya ang tunay na hulog ng langit; salamat din na sa mag-asawang manunulat na Jose "Pete" Lacaba at Marra Pl. Lanot niya pinabasa ang manuskrito ng Himagsikan, salamat kay Marra na pinasadahan ang Filipino ko.

Marami akong natutunan kay Marra. Ipinaalala niya ang mga patakaran sa paggamit ng "rin-din" at "raw-daw," gayon din ng "ng-nang," na nakalimutan ko na, siguro dahil may bias ako for slang Tagalog, na walang pakialam sa rules, basta naiintindihan agad. Idiniin din niya ang mga bagong patakaran sa mga salitang inuulit, tulad ng "sunudsunod" at "libulibo" na ngayo'y "sunod-sunod" at "libo-libo" na, at sa mga salita tulad ng "nguni't subali't datapwa't" na "ngunit subalit datapwat" na pala. Matagal kong pinag-isipan ang "aksiyon" at "tensiyon" imbis na "aksyon" at "tensyon" hanggang napansin kong may "i" din ang spelling ko ng "leksiyon." Sabi nga ni Marra, sanayan lang. Sa pagsulat ng Filipino, hindi sa bigkas binabatay ang baybay.

Pero may ilang bagay akong pinanindigan, tulad ng pagbaybay ng mga numero. Kung "sais" na ang "seis," puwede na ring "bente" ang "beinte" imbis na "beynte," at "trenta" ang "treinta" imbis na "treynta." At kung puwede ang "chismis" at "chika" para sa "tsismis" at "tsika," okey din ang "ocho" para sa "otso."

Hindi rin ako nag-atubiling gumamit ng mga salitang Inggles kung mas agad itong maiintindihan ng karaniwang mambabasa (na nakapag-high school). Iniwasan ko hangga't maaari na Tagalugin ang spelling ng mga salitang Inggles; hindi mas madaling basahin ang "ispeling" kaysa "spelling," at mas maginhawa sa mata ang "rally" at "crony" at "jeep" kaysa "rali" at "kroni" at "dyip." Gayunman, hindi ko iniwasan ang paggamit ng mga Tinagalog na salitang Inggles na pamilyar na sa marami, tulad ng "sibilyan," "lider," "kumander," at "kudeta."

Hindi ko rin tinanggal lahat ng tuldik sapagkat hindi totoo na hindi ito kailangan. Maraming salitang Filipino na naíibá ang ibig sabihin kapag náibá ang pagbigkas, tulad ng "kaya" at "kayâ," "lamang" at "lamáng," "punò" at "punô," "tayo" at "tayô," "buhay" at "buháy." Kung minsan ay naaaninag nga agad kung alin ang tamang bigkas ng isang salita batay sa paggamit sa pangungusap, pero hindi palagi. Para sa hindi marunong bumasa ng tuldik, senyas man lang ito, kung biglang matigilan siya't magulumihanan, na baka mali ang basa niya sa salita.

Katulong ko sa pagfi-Filipino ang kapatid kong si Luis Umali Stuart, may-akda ng Pinoy Translator (1991) at ng The Grid (1995). Matagal na niyang sinusuri ang ating pambansang wika, lalo na ang mga pandiwa at panlapi. Ang Tagalog namin ay tubong Maynila ngunit may halong Tagalog ng Cavite, Quezon, at Bulacan, gayon din ng Inggles, Kastila, at Pilipino.

SALAMAT DIN KAY Nonoy Marcelo na walang kakupas-kupas. Kay Jorge Arago sa pagsulat ng tungkol sa may-akda. Kay Jorge uli at kay Butch Perez sa mga librong Marcos, EDSA, at kudeta. Kay Gerry Gerena sa pagvi-videotape ng mga interbyu sa tropang Ramos. Kina Iskho Lopez at Mila Alora na nagset-up ng interbyu kay Rose Marie Arenas. Kay Lorna Kalaw-Tirol na nagset-up ng interbyu kay Presidente Cory Aquino. Kay Manny Martinez sa mga puri at puna sa Himagsikan. Kay Joanna Stuart na sumaklolo sa Himagsikan nang pumalpak ang computer ko. Sa aking mga magulang, Concepcion Umali at Godofredo Stuart, na nagmulat sa akin sa masalimuot na mundo ng pulitikang Pinoy. Kay Cholo Santiago, aking kabiyak, sa pasensiya't alaga, at kina Joel at Ina, aming martial law babies, sa walang sawang alalay.

 

Angela Stuart-Santiago. Pebrero 2000
Ito ang kwento ng EDSA 1
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Panimula.html

 

CONTENTS 
Panimula
Sabado
Lunes
Martes
Huling Hirit
Ang Pagtatakip sa Edsa  

 

 


 


 

 

 

 
 

Top 10 Health Benefits of Lemon Water

Many people often love the tarty flavor of lemon juice in their dishes. But have you ever wondered that you can put this lemon juice to many more good uses than this?
Yes! There are enormous benefits of lemon juice and water in your everyday life. You simply need to arm yourself with relevant knowledge and you would soon start valuing this amalgamation more than ever.

Lemon is an inexpensive, easily available citrus fruit, popular for its culinary and medicinal uses. It is used to prepare a variety of food recipes such as lemon cakes, lemon chicken and beverages like lemonade and lemon-flavored drinks. It is also used for garnishing.
Lemon juice consists of about 5% citric acid that gives a tarty taste to lemon. Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins like vitamin B, riboflavin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium as well as proteins and
carbohydrates. Lemon is generally consumed in the form of lemon juice or lemon water. Lemon water makes a healthy drink, especially when taken in the morning. Daily consumption of lemon water provides a number of health benefits like:

Good for stomach

Lemon can help relieve many digestion problems when mixed with hot water. These include nausea, heartburn and parasites. Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently. Lemon acts as a blood purifier and as a cleansing agent. The intake of lemon juice can cure constipation. It is even known to help relieve hiccups when consumed as a juice. Lemon juice acts as a liver tonic and helps you digest your food by helping your liver produce more bile. It decreases the amount of phlegm produced by your body. It is also thought to help dissolve gallstones.

Excellent for Skin Care

Lemon, being a natural antiseptic medicine, can participate to cure problems related to skin. Lemon is a vitamin C rich citrus fruit that enhances your beauty, by rejuvenating skin from within and thus bringing a glow on your face. Daily consumption of lemon water can make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin. It acts as an anti-aging remedy and can remove wrinkles and blackheads. Lemon water if applied on the areas of burns can fade the scars. As lemon is a cooling agent, it reduces the burning sensation on the skin.

Aids in Dental Care

Lemon water is used in dental care also. If fresh lemon juice is applied on the areas of toothache, it can assist in getting rid of the pain. The massages of lemon juice on gums can stop gum bleeding. It gives relief from bad smell and other problems related to gums.

Cures Throat Infections

Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections, sore throat and tonsillitis as it has an antibacterial property. For sore throat, dilute one-half lemon juice with one-half water and gargle frequently.

World's tallest tower closed a month after opening

AP – FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2010 file photo, an Emirati man looks over the city view at an observation point …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform — the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building — including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors — was affected by the shutdown.

The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot (828-meter) Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Dubai has promoted itself by wowing visitors with over-the-top attractions such as the Burj, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around.

In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece. Now many of those would-be visitors, such as Wayne Boyes, a tourist from near Manchester, England, must get back in line for refunds.

"It's just very disappointing," said Boyes, 40, who showed up at the Burj's entrance Monday with a ticket for an afternoon time slot only to be told the viewing platform was closed. "The tower was one of my main reasons for coming here," he said.

The precise cause of the $1.5 billion Dubai skyscraper's temporary shutdown remained unclear.

In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said, adding that it is "committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa."

Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower's construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.

Power was reaching some parts of the building. Strobe lights warning aircraft flashed and a handful of floors were illuminated after nightfall.

Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen. Ticket sales agents were accepting bookings starting on Valentine's Day this Sunday, though one reached by The Associated Press could not confirm the building would reopen then.

Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.

The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai. The city-state is facing a slump in tourism — which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy — while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay.

Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic, 55, a Slovenian writer planning to visit the city for the first time this month, said he hoped the Burj would reopen soon.

"It was the one thing I really wanted to see," he said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

Dubai opened the skyscraper on Jan. 4 in a blaze of fireworks televised around the world. The building had been known as the Burj Dubai during more than half a decade of construction, but the name was suddenly changed on opening night to honor the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two of seven small sheikdoms that comprise the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi hosts the federation's capital and holds most of the country's vast oil reserves. It has provided Dubai with $20 billion in emergency cash to help cover its debts.

Questions were raised about the building's readiness in the months leading up to the January opening.

The opening date had originally been expected in September, but was then pushed back until sometime before the end of 2009. The eventual opening date just after New Year's was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Dubai ruler's ascent to power.

There were signs even that target was ambitious. The final metal and glass panels cladding the building's exterior were installed only in late September. Early visitors to the observation deck had to peer through floor-to-ceiling windows caked with dust — a sign that cleaning crews had not yet had a chance to scrub them clean.

Work is still ongoing on many of the building's other floors, including those that will house the first hotel designed by Giorgio Armani that is due to open in March. The building's base remains largely a construction zone, with entrance restricted to the viewing platform lobby in an adjacent shopping mall.

The first of some 12,000 residential tenants and office workers are supposed to move in to the building this month.

The Burj Khalifa boasts more than 160 stories. The exact number is not known.

The observation deck, which is mostly enclosed but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails, is located about two-thirds of the way up on the 124th floor. Adult tickets bought in advance cost 100 dirhams, or about $27. Visitors wanting to enter immediately can jump to the front of the line by paying 400 dirhams — about $110 apiece.

___

On the Net: http://www.burjdubai.com

 
**
 
***
Here comes jeepney’s replacement, the Beep

by Roy Pelovello (Manila Standard Today, Nov. 11, 2009)

ABOUT half of the 400,000 jeepneys in the country may no longer be allowed to ply their routes next year following stricter registration standards, an official said yesterday.

 

Alberto Suansing, chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, made the statement at the launching of the Beep, a combination bus and jeep, as an alternative to the jeepney, a modified version of the Jeep used by the US military during World War II.


The Beep was inspired by the European Gruau Microbus and is a project of Almazora Motors Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines.

“The [Land Transportation Office] has come up with new regulations on the inspection of motor vehicles, and we expect many public utility vehicles will not meet the requirements,” Suansing said.

“I would say almost 50 percent of the jeepney population will be affected.”

The LTO will require public utility vehicles—jeepneys in particular—to have speedometers, hand brakes, headlights and wipers, among other things, according to Joel Donato, head of the agency’s Motor Vehicle Inspection Service.

“We are implementing these requirements with the start of registration in January 2010,” he said.

Suansing said jeepney owners failing to comply with the new rules should start thinking of buying brand-new replacements—including the Beep.

A brand-new jeepney with a surplus engine costs around P450,000, and a new one with a new diesel engine is priced around P600,000.

By comparison, a Beep costs around P1.6 million. The Beep’s body is designed and manufactured by Almazora Motors, while the chassis with its brand-new FUSO Canter light-duty truck engine is supplied by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. Mitsubishi says the engine complies fully with Philippine emission and safety regulations.

The Beep can carry 26 passengers, with seating for 18 including the driver and standing for eight.

“The first consideration here is safety. Some of [the jeepneys] are accidents waiting to happen, and then you have environmental concerns,” Suansing said, adding the LTO’s new requirements dovetailed with his agency’s goal of reducing the number of jeepneys on the streets and replacing them with the Beeps.

Almazora’s vice president for vehicle sales, Dante Santos, said the Beep could be the answer to Metro Manila’s worsening traffic and pollution problems.

He cited a government report saying jeepneys contribute 50 percent of the pollution in the area, and that the traffic flow there is choked “by oversized jeepneys with an excessive turning radius that usually clog the U-turn slots.”

Around 70,000 of the estimated 400,000 jeepneys in the country ply routes in Metro Manila.


 


If our politicians were typhoons

***

TYPHOONS! 2009-2010

Typhoon Erap



Devastates the country for two years and then leaves. Despite the entry of a new disturbance though, it threatens to re-enter the Philippine area of
responsibility.
 ***

Typhoon Gloria

Continues to pummel the entire Philippines for nine years now.  Gustiness rivals that of Typhoon Marcos in the ‘70s. Initial damage to agriculture is estimated at P728 million. Damage to infrastructure is unknown but initial reports say reconstruction of Macapagal Boulevard alone has cost the government P536 million. It was also able to sustain its strength after interacting with Typhoon Erap. It is forecast to remain almost stationary.

***

Typhoon Mar


Threatened to enter Philippine territory but after seeing the vigilance of Filipinos, it was forced to back out and gave way to Typhoon Noynoy.
 ***

Typhoon Noynoy


Initially categorized as a tropical storm until weather specialists observed a sudden rise in its gustiness and wind speed. After being officially declared a typhoon, it now brings scattered rain showers in Luzon including Metro Manila. Moderate to strong winds are expected to blow toward the Visayas and Mindanao in the coming days. [By the way, beware of typhoon Noynoy's thunder - it wouldn't shut up!]

****
Typhoon Villar


Earlier forecast categorized it as a “super typhoon” maintaining strength in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao . Roads and road extensions were damaged - twice (double devastation) . But the entry of Typhoon Noynoy in Philippine territory has eclipsed its impact. The rest of the country will remain cloudy though.

*** 

Typhoon (Brother) Eddie


A similarly-named typhoon entered the country in 2004 and threatened to pour 5 million centimeters of rainwater in the entire country. You know what happened. The typhoon was re-categorized as a drizzle.

***

Typhoon Bayani

This weather disturbance was located at 14° 38′ 24″ North Northwest of Marikina City. Weather experts refused to categorize it as a typhoon because its impact is localized. It did, however attempt to pack maximum sustained winds similar to a tropical storm. But latest satellite data revealed no sign of  activity.

***
Typhoon Gibo


It was nowhere near the Philippine area of responsibility until three hours before PAGASA made its latest forecast. In fact, typhoon Bayani’s moderate winds were already blowing east of the metro before Gibo made its presence felt and officially entered Philippine territory. The weather bureau forecasts similarities in the movements of typhoon Gibo and typhoon Gloria although both Gibo and typhoon Noynoy originated approximately 10 miles east of Central Luzon.

***

Typhoon Jejomar


Described by weather specialists as “stubborn” and territorial,” this typhoon has recently threatened the whole country if not for some climatological developments. What’s alarming is that people to tend to ignore Typhoon Jejomar’s ability to destroy. It has remained stationary for 23 years (and counting).

***
Typhoon JDV


No heavy rains. No lightning. No flooding. It’s all thunder and wind.

 

 

*** 

Typhoon Loren & Typhoon Chiz

For the first time in local weather history, two typhoons entered the country at the same time making landfall on the same area. The impact is moderate though, without much damage, and both typhoons are expected to leave soon… unless either of them interact with typhoon Erap.

***
Typhoon Jamby

The hardest to predict among the weather disturbances. Scattered raindrops will not completely wet an exposed surface regardless of duration. But the public is advised to remain cautious of lightning. Despite the rains, temperatures will remain high.

***
Typhoon Ronnie (Puno)


No satellite or surface data was made available because… “Tahimik lamang magtrabaho ang Typhoon Ronnie kaya maraming nagagawa (na damage).”

***

 

 

 

 

 

Five times bigger than Titanic, world's largest cruise ship sails for US port - 10/31/2009 | 01:28 PM

HELSINKI – It's five times larger than the Titanic, has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. The world's largest cruise ship is finally finished and Friday it began gliding toward its home port in Florida.

The Oasis of the Seas will meet its first obstacle Saturday when exits the Baltic Sea and must squeeze under the Great Belt Bridge, which is just 1 foot taller than the ship — even after its telescopic smokestacks are lowered.

To be on the safe side, the ship — which rises about 20 stories high — will speed up so that it sinks deeper into the water when it passes below the span, said Lene Gebauer Thomsen, a spokeswoman for the operator of the Great Belt Bridge.

Once home, the $1.5 billion floating extravaganza will have more, if less visible, obstacles to duck: a sagging U.S. economy, questions about the consumer appetite for luxury cruises and criticism that such sailing behemoths are damaging to the environment and diminish the experience of traveling.

Travel guide writer Arthur Frommer has railed against Oasis and other mega ships he calls "floating resorts," suggesting that voyages on such large vessels are "a dumbing down of the cruise experience."

Oasis of the Seas, which is nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.

"Obviously we did not want or anticipate she'd be born into the most significant economic downturn since the Depression," Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Adam Goldstein told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month. "Even in this environment, we're excited about her."

It sets sail as cruise lines clamor to increase capacity, adding newer — and bigger — ships to their fleets.

The Oasis of the Seas has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members. Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success.

The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater — modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater — doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.

The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Frommer suggests that such ships should never even leave port: "Who would know the difference?"

"If the life on ship were a vital one, then you might justify building a ship so large," Frommer told the AP in an e-mail exchange. "But when the activities program consists largely of ziplines, surf-boarding, rock-climbing, a boxing ring, and imitations of Cirque de Soleil, when the lecture program deals with napkin-folding (the subject matter on other humongous ships operated by the same company), then there doesn't seem much appeal to well-read, intellectually curious people."

Paul Motter, editor of Cruisemates.com, has said that other critics have also complained that these huge ships flood ports of call, dumping 5,000 people all at once in an area.

Motter said suites are sold out for most of the sailings. Junior suites are mostly sold out and there is availability in inside, ocean view and balcony rooms.

He said ticket prices are still high for the Oasis, running $1,299 to $4,829, compared with $509 to $1,299 on the company's next most popular ship, Freedom of the Seas.

While environmentalists have said that the ship does not do enough to reduce air pollution and burns more fuel than a land-based resort, engineers at shipbuilder STX Finland said environmental considerations played an important part in planning the vessel. It dumps no sewage into the sea, reuses its waste water and consumes 25 percent less power than similar, but smaller, cruise liners.

"I would say this is the most environmentally friendly cruise ship to date," said Mikko Ilus, project engineer at the Turku yard. "It is much more efficient than other similar ships."

The Oasis of the Seas is due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida. - AP

         

Pancho Villa: First Filipino World Boxing Champion

The great symbol of the 1920s era in the Philippines was Pancho Villa, the most brilliant fighter of the period that bred such great boxers as Cabanela, Young Dencio, Frisco Concepcion, Clever Sencio, and the Flores Brothers.

Pancho Villa placed the Philippines on the map by winning boxing laurels abroad, defeating even the toughest flyweights in the United States. His fighting style was characterized by a relentless attack, a raging bull onslaught, and explosive and devastating punches.

His total fights of 105 (some only weeks in between) was a record in itself, elevating him into one of the great fighters in the history of boxing, and certainly one of the greatest Asian brawlers to step on the ring. The prestigious Ring Magazine, the bible of boxing aficionados, ranked Villa as one of the 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time.

Cover for September 1922 issue of Lipang Kalabaw magazine.
Caricature by Fernando Amorsolo.Dennis Villegas collection.

Born Francisco Guilledo in Negros Occidental on August 1, 1901, he adopted the name Pancho Villa from the name of Mexico's famous revolutionary. Villa fought exclusively in the Philippines from 1919 through April 1922, often facing much larger men. In that period of time, he lost only three fights and captured two Filipino titles. In 1922, the American boxing promoter Frank Churchill discovered Villa in one of the amateur fights in Manila. Impressed by the young man's power punches, Churchill took Villa to the United States. The young Filipino fought two no-decision bouts in New Jersey, losing-according to the newspapers, to Abe Goldstein and Frankie Genaro.

The American press and public were at first slow to take notice of Villa. Churchill had difficulty arranging fights in major venues until, for almost no money, he got Villa and another Filipino, Elino Flores, on a card at Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Each fighter won his bout, and the crowd gave Villa a standing ovation.

Cover for a September 1922 issue of Telembang magazine.
Portrait by Fernando Amorsolo.Dennis Villegas magazine collection

Three months after his arrival in the U.S., Villa knocked out American Flyweight champion Johnny Buff in the eleventh round to win the American flyweight title. To catch a glimpse of Villa's devastating attack, here's a very rare footage from his magnificent fight with Buff:

 Genaro took the title back in 1923 in a 15-round decision that most observers believed belonged to Villa. Meanwhile, British flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde had come to New York seeking the world title. Wilde was then considered the best flyweight in the world. Although Genaro was a likely opponent, the now wildly popular Villa was considered a better draw.
Pancho Villa vs Jimmy Wilde

In the much-anticipated match at New York's Polo Grounds on June 18, 1923, in front of thousands of spectators, Villa and Wilde set out for one of the most exciting fights in boxing history. Villa started slow, while Wilde started fast, throwing power punches that meant to knock-out the Filipino slugger. Villa defended successfully and threw some power punches of his own in retaliation, most of them landing and almost knocked down Wilde. In the second round and onwards, however,Villa started to display his relentless attacking style, peppering Wilde with punches from both hands. In the seventh round, Villa battered Wilde to a state of helplessness, knocking him flat, face down in canvas, ending the fight --and Wilde's career. The 20,000 spectators were ecstatic with Villa's victory--shouting "Viva Villa!" "Viva Villa!"

Here's a very rare footage of that famous bout, now considered one of the greatest slug fests in boxing history:



Pancho Villa caricature by cartoonist Jorge Pineda, Lipang Kalabaw 1923.
Dennis Villegas magazine collection

Villa was known during his time as being one of the cleanest boxers, always showing concern for his opponents and immediately turning away and walking to neutral corner after knocking down his opponent. This was before there was a rule of going to a neutral corner while the downed opponent is being counted by the referee.

Villa returned to the Philippines in September 1924, amidst jubilant reception (of his countrymen, not unlike the ones we do when Manny Pacquiao returns from a successful fight). He was invited for a parade and reception at the Malacanang Palace by then Governor General Leonard Wood, together with some of the big names in Philippine politics--then Senate President Manuel Quezon and House Speaker Sergio Osmena. It was known that General Wood and Senator Quezon were not in good terms, but the presence of the world champion temporarily set aside the personal differences of the two men.

As World Champion, Villa collected into his person all the swank and swagger of the era and the whole country felt an electrifying pride in his rise from rags to riches, his fetish for the most magnificent wardrobe, his expensive silk shirts and fashionable hats, his pearl buttons and gold cuff links, and his regal servants. He had a servant to massage him, another to towel him, a valet to put on his shoes, another to help him put on his trousers, still another valet to comb his hair, to powder his cheeks, and spray him with the most expensive perfume.

The Filipinos adored his extravagance, treating him almost as their crowned king. For a time, Villa was the most beloved figure in the Philippines--he had captured the heart and admiration of his countrymen, and he well thought he deserved it. He was perhaps more idolized as a showman, than as a boxer, and he was conscious of it. Never before had the Filipinos been electrified by the pride that their own kind had become the Champion of the World.

Villa successfully defended his title several times in the U.S. and the Philippines, and for a time, was considered practically invincible in the ring.
Before returning to the United States, Villa defeated in Manila another great Filipino boxer, the mighty Clever Sencio. It was destined to be Villa's final victory in the ring--and no one among the thousands of cheering spectators knew it at that time.

In 1925, Villa fought in a non-title bout with Jimmy McLarnin in Oakland, United States. Weak from the recent extraction of a wisdom tooth, Villa lost the decision. It was destined to be his last fight. Another visit to the dentist resulted in the discovery of an infection and the extraction of three more teeth. Villa ignored the dentist's instructions to rest and return for a follow-up visit, and instead indulged in a week-long party.

The infection worsened, and by the time Villa's trainer, Whitey Ekwert, discovered the fighter's distress and rushed him to the hospital, it was too late. Villa died on July 14, 1925, of Ludwig's Angina, an infection of the throat cavity. He was survived by his wife Gliceria*.


Villa's untimely death at the young age of 24 broke the nation's heart. The hysteria that possessed the masses during his funeral was the most feverish of its era. Filipinos openly wailed in the streets while their hero's casket was being borne to its sad destination.

Such was the brief but shining career of one of the greatest Filipino boxers who ever lived.

panchovilla
Pancho Villa's grave inside the Manila North Cemetery.
The grave is being cleaned everyday by a tomb caretaker.

In 1989, Pancho's widow Gliceria- then 84 - insisted that a gambling syndicate conspired to murder the champion because of big losses in the Villa-McLarnin non-title fight. Pancho was a heavy favorite to beat McLarnin and the syndicate placed huge amount of bet to Villa. Mrs. Guilledo claimed that her husband was injected an overdose of anesthetic on instructions of the syndicate*.

In 1994, Villa was inducted posthumously in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the second Filipino to earn the recognition--after Gabriel "Flash" Elorde.

*NY Times July 15, 1925: Villa "...died at a hospital here [San Francisco] today while undergoing an operation for an infection of the throat that developed from an infected tooth. Dr. C.E. Hoffman said the boxer suffocated under the anesthetic. Dr. Hoffman was preparing to operate when Villa's heart stopped. Artificial respiration failed to revive the patient."
                 

Mga Sawikain o Idioma (From the Coconuter)


Ano ang Sawikain?
Ang sawikain o idioma ay salita o grupo ng mga salitang patalinhaga ang gamit. Ito'y ay nagbibigay ng di tuwirang kahulugan.

Iba't ibang Sawikain

ahas----taksil; traidor
Halimbawa:
Sa kabila ng mga kabutihan niya sa kanyang pamangkin, si Gavina ay isa pa lang ahas.

anak-dalita---mahirap
Halimbawa:
Magsikap kang mag-aral kahit ikaw ay anak dalita.

alilang-kanin---utusang walang bayad, pakain lang, pabahay at pakain ngunit walang suweldo.
Halimbawa:
"Mga anak, huwag kayong masyadong maging masungit sa katulong natin. Alam naman ninyo na siya ay alilang-kanin lang."

balitang-kutsero---balitang hindi totoo o hindi mapanghahawakan.
Halimbawa:
Huwag kayong magalala, hindi basta naniniwala ang Boss namin sa mga balitang-kutsero.

balik-harap---mabuti ang pakikitungo sa harap ngunit taksil sa likuran.
Halimbawa:
Mag-ingat sa mga taong balik-harap. Sila'y hindi magiging mabuting kaibigan.

Bantay-salakay---taong nagbabait-baitan
Halimbawa:
Sa alinmang uri ng samahan, may mga taong bantay-salakay.

basa ang papel---bistado na
Halimbawa:
Huwag ka nang magsinungaling pa.Basa na ang papel mo sa ating prinsipal na si Ginang Matutina.

buwaya sa katihan---ususera, nagpapautang na malaki ang tubo
Halimbawa:
Maging masinop ka sa buhay, mahirap na ang magipit. Alam mo bang maraming buwaya sa katihan na lalong magpapahirap kaysa makatulong sa iyo?

bukal sa loob---taos puso tapat
Halimbawa:
Bukal sa loob ang anumang tulong na inihahandog ko sa mga nangangailangan.

busilak ang puso---malinis ang kalooban
Halimbawa:
Dahil busilak ang puso ng batang si Arnel, siya ay pinarangalan at binigyan ng medalya ng pamunuan ng Cebu.

di madapuang langaw---maganda ang bihis
Halimbawa:
Wow!Parang di madapuang langaw si Terso sa suot nitong toxedo.

di makabasag-pinggan---mahinhin
Halimbawa:
Sa tingin palang, tila di makabasag-pinggan ang kapatid ni Nestor na si Nena.

hampaslupa---lagalag, busabos
Halimbawa:
Lagi kang lamam ng lansangan, para kang hampaslupa.

haligi ng tahanan---ama

ilaw na tahanan---ina
Halimbawa:
Ang ama, bilang haligi ng tahanan ay dapat natin igalang. Ang ina naman, ay itinuturing na ilaw ng tahanan, ay dapat nating mahalin.

isang kahig, isangtuka---kakarampot na kita na hindi makasapat sa ibang pangangailangan
Halimbawa:Karamihan sa ating kababayan ay isang kahig, isang tuka ang kalagayan ng buhay.

itaga sa bato---tandaan
Halimbawa:
Ang masasamang bagay na ginawa mo sa itong kapwa,gaano man kaliit, ay muling babalik sa iyo sa ibang paraan, itaga mo sa bato.

itim na tupa---masamang anak
Halimbawa:
Sa isang tahanan may pagkakataong isa o dalawang anak ang nagiging itim na tupa.

kalapating mababa ang lipad---babaing nagbibili ng aliw, babaing puta
Halimbawa:
Maraming kalapating mababa ang lipad ang nakatayo sa gilid ng sinehan ng Odeon sa Sta. Cruz, Manila.

kakaning-itik---walang gaanong halaga, hindi maipagpaparangalan
Halimbawa:
Talagang mahirap ang walang pinag-aralan. Tumanda na sa pagtratrabahoang anak ni Mang Julio ngunit kakaning-itik pa rin ang kinikita.

kapit-tuko---mahigpit ang hawak
Halimbawa:
Kapit-tuko ang secretarya sa kanyang posisyon kahit na nalulugi ang kompanya at malapit ng magsara.

kidlat sa bilis---napakabilis
Halimbawa:
Ang action star na si Cesar Montano ay kidlat sa bilis kung ang pinag-uusapan ay ang nga ginagawa niyang action movies.

kilos-pagong---makupad,mabagal
Halimbawa:
Mahuhuli na tayo sa General Meeting kilos pagong ka kasi.

luha ng buwaya---hindi totoong nag-dadalamhati, pakitang taong pananangis
Halimbawa:
Huwag kang maniwala sa kanyang pananangis sa kamatayan ng mayaman ngunit masakitin niyang bana. Iyan ay luha ng buwaya.

(Ang "bana" ay salitang Cebuano na ginagamit na ngayon sa Wikang Filipino na ibig sabihin ay "mister o asawang lalaki")

Mahangin ang ulo----mayabang
Halimbawa:
Mula nang manalo sa Lotto ang dating hardinero ay naging mahangin ang ulo ng mga anak nitong lalaki.

matalas ang ulo---matalino
Halimbawa:
Matalas ang ulo ni Cristina kaya nagtapos siya nang may karangalan Valedictorian at Magnacum Laude.

mahina ang loob---duwag
Halimbawa:
Ang taong mahina ang loob ay kailangan umiwas sa mga kaguluhan upang hindi manganib ang buhay.

malakas ang loob---matapang
Halimbawa:
Malakas ang loob nung pulis na lumaban at nakapatay ng apat na holdaper sa loob ng pampasaherong dyip.

makapal ang bulsa---mapera
Halimbawa:
Kilalang matagumpay na negosyante ang ama ni Renan kaya hindi nakapagtataka kung si Renan ay laging makapal ang bulsa.

makapal ang palad---masipag
Halimbawa:
Makapal ang palad ni Eduardo kaya umunlad ang kanyang buhay. Isa na siyang milyonaryo.

magdilang-anghel---magkatotoo sana
Halimbawa:
Hinahangad mong sana'y magwagi ako ng unang gantimpala, magdilang-anghel ka sana.

pagputi ng uwak---walang maaasahan, walang kahihinatnan
Halimbawa:
Singil ka ng singil kay Aling Greta. Babayaran ka niyan pagputi ng uwak.

pagiisang dibdib---kasal
Halimbawa:
Ang pag-iisang dibdib nina Adila t Conrado ay gaganapin sa Oktubre 18 sa darating na taon.

pusong-bakal---hindi marunong magpatawad
Halimbawa:
Ganyan ba ang sinasabi ninyong relihiyosa at maawain gayong may pusong-bakal naman at mapagtanim ng galit sa kapwa?

tinik sa lalamunan---hadlang sa layunin
Halimbawa:
Tinik sa lalamunan ang kanyang tiyuhinna lagi nang nakaayon sa kalabang pulitiko.

tulak ng bibig---salita lamang, di tunay sa loob
Halimbawa:
Huwag mong asahan ang pangakong binitawan ng kongresman... iyun ay tulak ng bibig lamang, alam mo naman ang mga pulitiko.

bungang-tulog---panaginip

maamong kordero---mabait na tao
Halimbawa:
Ang anak ni Aling Agnes ay tila maamong kordero kaya laging pinupuri ng kanyang guro.

butas ang bulsa---walang pera

mababaw ang luha---iyakin
Halimbawa":
Masyadong mababaw ang luha ng aking kaibigan, kahit drama sa radyo o pelikula ay iniiyakan.

kabiyak ng dibdib---asawa

mabigat ang dugo---di-makagiliwan
Halimbawa:
Aywan ko kung bakit mabigat ang dugo ng Lady Boss namin sa baguhang si Norma na isang probinsiyana.

maaliwalas ang mukha---masayahin,taong palangiti

maitim ang budhi---tuso, masama ang ugali
Halimbawa:
Maitim ang budhi ng lalaking iyan kung kaya't labas-masok sa bilibid sa loob ng sampung taon.

mahabang dulang---kasalan

malikot ang kamay---kumukuha ng hindi kanya kawatan
Halimbawa:
Mag-ingat kayo sa lalaking iyan na kilalang malikot ang kamay. Mahirap na ang magsisi sa bandang huli.

namamangka sa dalawang ilog---salawahan

makitid ang isip---mahinang umunawa, walang gaanong nalalaman
Halimbawa:
Mahirap makipagtalo sa taong makitid ang isip. Walang mararating ang anumang katwiran mo.

nagbibilang ng poate---walang trabaho

malawak ang isip---madaling umunawa, maraming nalalaman
Halimbawa:
Malaking karangalan ang makausap ang taong malawak ang isip. Marami kang matututunan, marami kang malalaman.

nakahiga sa salapi---mayaman

mapurol ang utak---bobo
Halimbawa:
Talaga yatang mapurol ang itak ng aking pamangkin. Natapos niya ang elementarya sa loob ng siyam na taon.

nagmumurang kamatis---matandang lalaking nag-aayos binata,matandang babae nag-aayos dalaga

masama ang loob---nagdaramdam
Halimbawa:
Halatang masama ang loon ni Miss Gan dahil hindi siya nasali sa mga nabigyan ng parangal.

naniningalang-pugad---nanliligaw

matalas ang tainga---madaling makarinig o makaulinig
Halimbawa:
Matalas ng tainga ng aking ama kahit na siya ay 93 taong gulang na.

sira ang tuktok---gago, luko-luko
Halimbawa:
Sira ng tuk-tok ng taong iyon, kanina pa sayaw nang sayaw sa tabi ng daan.

takaw-tulog---mahilig matulog
Halimbawa:
Paano kang aasenso sa trabaho mo gwardiya
kung ganyang lagi kang takaw-tulog? 

 

CHILDHOOD DOESN'T WAIT 

 

I was sitting on a bench
while in a nearby mall,
When I noticed a young mother
with two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,
"Pick me up," I heard him beg
but the mother's face grew angry
as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me," she shouted
as she pushed his hands away,
I wish I'd had the courage
to go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly
when those little arms that tug,
Won't ask for you to hold them
or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly
just as it did with me,
When you can't recall the last time
that your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings
when we cherished time alone
Our babies grow and leave behind
those special times we've known.

"So when your child comes to you
with a book that you can share,
Or asks that you would tuck him in
and help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat
or would like to take a walk,
Before you answer that you can't
`cause there's no time to talk.

"Remember what all parents learn
so many times too late,
That years go by too quickly
and that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,
if one should slip away
Reach hard to get it back again,
don't wait another day."

I watched that mother walk away
her children followed near,
I hope she'll pick them up
before her chances disappear...

CHILDREN ARE A BEST GIFT

~by Kathie Davis~

 

A Hidden Place

                                     

Each of us has a hidden place
Somewhere deep within ourselves;

A place where we go to get away,
To think things through,
To be alone, to be ourselves.

This unique place, where we
confront our deepest feelings,
becomes a storehouse of all our hopes,
All our need, all our Dreams,

And even our unspoken fears.
It encompasses the essence
of who we are
and what we want to be.

But now and then,
whether by chance or design,
Someone discovers a way into
that place we thought was ours alone.

And we allow that person
to see, to feel and to share
All the reason,
all the uncertainty
And all the emotion we've stored up there.

That person adds new perspective
to our hidden realm,

Then quietly settles down
in his own corner of our special place,
Where a bit of himself will stay forever.

And we call that person a FRIEND...


~Author Unknown~

 

IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

 Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he and turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard- boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

How about you? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?

 Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart?

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain, to its peak flavor reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

~By Eric Mansfield~

http://www.thedoorpost.com/forgiveness/timing/

           

  • Meaning of Flag-Draped Coffin

    To understand what the flag draped coffin really means .... Here is how to understand the flag that laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and widowers.

    Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?

    Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something new every day!

    The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.

    The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.

    The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world.

    The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

    The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.."

    The 6th fold is for where people's hearts lie. It is with their heart that They pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

    The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they protect their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of their republic.

    The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

    The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

    The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of their country since they were first born.

    The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

    The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

    The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their nations motto, "In God We Trust."

    After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy today.

    There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning. In the future, you'll see flags folded and now you will know why.

    IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

    A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

     Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

    The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he and turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

    Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard- boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

    She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"

    He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

    "Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

    How about you? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?

     Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart?

    Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain, to its peak flavor reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you

    How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

    ~By Eric Mansfield~

     

               

    SOME INTERESTING GEOGRAPHY

    (Thanks to Dr. Carlito Barril)

    Alaska  
    More than half of the coastline of the entire  United States is in  Alaska .

    Amazon
    The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply.  The Amazon River pushes so much water into the  Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean.  The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the  United States .

    Antarctica
    Antarctica  is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.  Ninety percent of the world's ice covers  Antarctica .  This ice also represents seventy % of all the fresh water in the world.  As strange as it sounds, however,  Antarctica is essentially a desert.  The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches.  Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, that is), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the  Gobi desert.

    Brazil
    Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

    Canada  
    Canada  has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.   Canada is an Indian word meaning ' Big  Village .'

    Chicago
    Next to Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

    Detroit
    Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road any where.

    Damascus, Syria
    Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

    Istanbul  ,  Turkey
    Istanbul  (aka Constantinople) ,  Turkey , is the only city in the world located on two continents.

    Los Angeles  
    Los Angeles ' full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de  los Angeles de Porciuncula -- and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size:  L.A.  

    New York City
    The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city.  Therefore, to play  New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.
    There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel..

    Ohio
    There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is man made.

    Pitcairn Island
    The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia , at just 1.75 sq. miles.

    Rome
    The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome,  Italy in 133 B.C.  There is a city called  Rome on every continent.

    Siberia
    Siberia  contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

    S.M.O.M
    The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of  Malta (S.M.O.M.).  It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican.  It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the  Vatican is.

    Sahara Desert
    In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years.  Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near  Ross  Island . There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

    Spain  
    SPAIN  literally means 'the land of rabbits.'

    St. Paul, Minnesota
    St. Paul, Minnesota, was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.

    Roads
    Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A: 1%, in  Canada : 75%.

    Texas  
    The deepest hole ever made in the world is in  Texas .  It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.

    United States  
    The Interstate System requires that one-mile in every five must be straight.  These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.  

    Waterfalls
    The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in  Venezuela drops 3,212 feet.  It is 15 times higher than  Niagara Falls .

    It has been said that one should learn something new every day.  Unfortunately, many of us are at that age where what we learn today, we forget tomorrow.  But, give it a shot anyway!

    Click to add a short introduction to your case studies here. Let your visitors know what they're going to find on this page:

    When you work with us, you'll gain not only a world-class team but also a wealth of industry experience. 

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  • MULLING NOYNOY

    The voice of the people, sound advice of the people for good governance.Pure heart and political will compensate for lack of knowledge. Presidential appointees make the president succeed or fail President Cory, least corrupt, busily warding off coups, we didn't grow much.
    The challenge for the 2010 elections is for it to transcend patronage and  transactional politics. It should be beyond entertainment and idolatrous  hero worship.
    Many have shown genuine vision and solid plans for the country who are  definitely what we need now. Who are they?

    Mens sana en corpore sano. The President must first be a man of sound mind in a sound body.

     Nisi sapientia frustra. *Without knowledge all is in vain*. The president must have knowledge. It is a little too late to be learning while "doing president." Cory didn't have the knowledge to deter the military from "couping." Cory didn't have a lot more even after she was president. She outsted Erap and was sorry. She support GMA and was sorry. She thought she was the power behind the EDSAs but could not get rid of GMA using her EDSA
    Non Satis Scire, *To Know Is Not Enough*. Mar, JM, Johnty and many others espouse this. Skill, strength, honesty, integrity, leadership, personality, discipline, determination, vision, etc.. are needed. How much does Noynoy have of these?

    In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen [Psalm 36:10], *In thy light shall we see  light*. What light do we see in Noynoy? The light passed on by Ninoy and  Cory? I never heard Cory say in her entire life, "Carry on the fight,  Noynoy."

     What light was Ninoy and Cory carrying? The Filipino is worth fighting for  from Ninoy. Democracy and non-violent revolution from Cory. But where is the  light for good governance? Ninoy fought for good governance but never had a  chance to show his wares. His being a good president will always be suspect. He passed on his light to his wife Cory and what good governance did we see?

     Ex antiquis et novissimis optima. *The best out of the old and the new*.  Is Noynoy, at 49, unmarried, the best of the old and the new? Too young to  be old and too old to be young. Let us examine his acts for it is the best  measure of what he's got.

     Age Quod AgisÃfâEURs *Do well in whatever you do*. In 6 years in the lower  house and 2 years in the Senate what bills have Noynoy authored? Is absence  of labor the light that was passed on from his old hero parents? Erap  authored only one bill in his stay at the senate - the carabao bill. It  didn't help him when he became president by popular choice.

    Exitus Acta Probat. Action produces results. Both parents exceedingly shone through their glaring acts. What darkness shines in Noynoy's congressional tours? If there were no actions during his congressional "working 7-8 years" what actions can we expect of Noynoy as president? While  it may be argued that being a son he has the genes of his parents and that  makes him a potential president, but there is also the possibility of mutant  recessive genes. By the looks of the person, what genes do Noynoy have?

     Sidere mens eadem mutato. The stars change, [but] the mind [remains] the  same. It may be argued that the place and environment may have to do with his lackluster performance in congress, but in a much more demanding multi-tasking leadership rule, would he have what it takes to do the job? While he needs only to make laws in congress, he has to multi-task simultaneously a dozen task at a time all throughout the year.
    Looking for Potentials in Performance for advancement.

    Scientia Manu et Mente. Knowledge by hand and mind. Much of what one does reflect his potentials for higher management and leadership. Has Noynoy ever shown on TV during congressional hearings that he has a highly critical mind that is needed for the job? Has he ever tried to frame and ask the important questions? Has he ever shown that he desired to correct any of what he found wrong in our small world, transformed these desires into advocacies and bills to be passed? In all his 8 years in congress what did he openly
    advocate and known for?
    The determined and disciplined leader. Why did Noynoy not declare his  candidacy while his mother Cory was alive? Please think of this angle. Purposeful  long range planning is the mark of a successful man. Why didn't he decide  to run when mom Cory was still alive? Why run only when Mar Roxas ratings could not go up anymore from fifth place and after his mother Cory died?  Parang dito po mayroon malaking puwang. How good is he in making hasty decisions? He could not even wait for his mom-like 1M clamor pirma. He
     hurriedly made his anointment by his God his best reason to run. Nevermind  the clamor. What is important is to act fast in reaction to the call of  his party mates and not of his peopleÃfâEURs [so it is a big fat lie when  he said the people "clamored" for him to run] , even if it is assured by  hard work of the LPs throughout the country. He can't wait for the clamor to  materialize maybe because he thought that there were already a million who
     showed up during the wake of his mom. Well, I don't know about that. The  only proof of that is during the counting with enough of them voting to make  him win.

    Considering all that Noynoy is and has done, and still has to hurdle and face, I still wish him good.

If you have a tender message,

Or a loving word to say,

Do not wait till you forget it,

But whisper it today;

The tender word unspoken,
 
The letter never sent,

The long forgotten messages,

The wealth of love unspent - 

For these some hearts are breaking,

For these some loved ones wait;

So show them that you care for them

 

Before it is too late.
 
***

 

10 Commandments of Marriage

Commandment 1. Marriages are made in heaven. But so again, are thunder and lightning.

Commandment 2. If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep.

Commandment 3. Marriage is grand -- and divorce is at least 100 grand!

Commandment 4. Married life is very frustrating. In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.

Commandment 5. When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: Either the car is new or the wife is.

Commandment 6. Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

Commandment 7. Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you said. After marriage, he will fall asleep before you finish talking.

Commandment 8. Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical, and a good cook. But the law allows only one wife.

Commandment 9. Every woman wants a man who is handsome, understanding, economical and a considerate lover, but again, the law allows only one husband.

Commandment 10.Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is finished.

***

Not Wanted

Mother was having a hard time getting her son to go to school in the morning.

"Nobody in school likes me," he complained. "The teachers don't like me, the kids don't like me, the superintendent wants to transfer me, the bus drivers hate me, the school board wants me to drop out, and the custodians have it in for me. I don't want to go to school."

"But you have to go to school," said his mother sternly. "You're healthy, you have a lot to learn, you have something to offer others, you are a leader. And besides, you are 45 years old and you are the 'Principal'."

True Believers

The two thousand member Baptist church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church.

One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons.

The one in the middle announced, "Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!"

Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor.

After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit.

The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, "All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service."

**

New Teeth

Our local minister had all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures made a few weeks ago.

The first Sunday, his sermon lasted 10 minutes. The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes. But, on the third Sunday, he preached for an hour and a half.

I asked him about this. He then told me "well, John, that first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my dentures were still hurting a lot. Now the third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures AND I COULDN'T STOP TALKING!"

**

 

***Unfaithful Wives
3 men are talking at a bar.
Rhe first  says: “I think my wife is having an affair with the electrician. The other day I came home and found wire cutters under our bed and they weren’t mine.”
The second says: “I think my wife is having an affair with the plumber the other day I found a wrench under the bed and it wasn’t mine.”
The third says: “I think my wife is having an affair with a horse.” Both his friends look at him with utter disbelief.
“No, I’m serious. The other day I came home and found a jockey under our bed.”
***

Quote of Wisdom

"One day my little grandson came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me." --

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***Once upon a time, there were four people; Their names were
Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.

Whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody
was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done
it, but Nobody did it.

When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was
Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody
realized that Nobody would do it.

So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did
what Anybody could have done in the first place.
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Cowboy and Bible

The religious cowboy lost his favorite Bible while he was mending fences out on the range.

Three weeks later a cow walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth.

The cowboy couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the cow's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!"

"Not really," said the cow. "Your name is written inside the cover."

 

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Wrong Way

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang.

Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on Highway 401. Please be careful!"

"Hun," said Herman, "It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!"

 

 

YANO YAN AY!