lils0uljah!

S k y l a b

2011-12-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

America's first experimental space station, Skylab, was designed for long durations.

Skylab program objectives were twofold: To prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods, and to expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond Earth-based observations. The program was successful in all respects despite early mechanical difficulties.

Skylab was launched into Earth orbit by a Saturn V rocket on May 14, 1973. Through the use of a "dry" third stage of the Saturn V rocket, the station was completely outfitted as a workshop area before launch. Crews visited Skylab and returned to Earth in Apollo spacecraft.

Three, three-man crews occupied the Skylab workshop for a total of 171 days and 13 hours. It was the site of nearly 300 scientific and technical experiments, including medical experiments on humans' adaptability to zero gravity, solar experiments and detailed Earth resources experiments.

The empty Skylab spacecraft returned to Earth on July 11, 1979, scattering debris over the Indian Ocean and the sparsely settled region of Western Australia.

Ontology- defined.

2011-12-01T03:28:00.000-08:00

Ontology (from onto-, from the Greek ὤν, ὄντος "being; that which is", present participle of the verb εἰμί "be", and -λογία, -logia: science, study, theory) is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations. Traditionally listed as a part of the major branch of philosophy known as metaphysics, ontology deals with questions concerning what entities exist or can be said to exist, and how such entities can be grouped, related within a hierarchy, and subdivided according to similarities and differences.

Attention: BSEd - 1D (Nat. Sci 1)...Here is your 1st online assignment...

2011-07-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

1: How did Earth and other planets form?
2: What happened during Earth's "Dark Age," or the first 500 million years after it formed?
3: How did life begin?
4: How does Earth's interior work, and how does it affect the surface?
5: Why does Earth have plate tectonics and continents?
6: How are Earth processes controlled by material properties?
7: What causes climate to change – and how much can it change?
8: How has life shaped Earth – and how has Earth shaped life?
9: Can earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and their consequences be predicted?
10: How do fluid flow and transport affect the human environment?

DepEd to make basic education K + 12 in the Philippines

2011-03-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

Before jumping in, I would suggest that the Dep Ed maximize to the fullest the present curriculum that we have. Make sure all the students have the newest books, upgraded laboratories, adequate classrooms, enough desks, more schools especially in the provinces, and get good teachers by continuously re-educating them and more importantly, increasing their pay. Put up one government university in every province. Fund it from the pork barrel of each congressman/senator.

When we have done this, revise the curriculum to MEET INTERNATIONAL standards, grade school, middle school, high school AND University. That way our graduate's education will be of global standards.

Do we need to increase the number of years in school to achieve this? I don't think so, at least not right now.

In my own perception, the Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia and in the world. As of 2006, its literacy rate is 93%. As a result, Filipinos are highly demanded in many parts of the world because of its professional skills, proficiency in English and ability to learn other foreign languages and adapt new cultures and traditions. English remains the primary language used in schools and universities. Majority of educational materials and references are printed in English. A lot of these technical resources do not have a counterpart version in Filipino because of the complexities of the said language. School year begins in June and ends in March. Primary education consists of grade 1 to grade 6 students whose age ranges between 7 and 12 years old. Secondary education has four levels starting with first year up to fourth year with 13 to 16-year old students. Most universities and colleges offer 4-year degree courses consisting of 2 semesters a year. There are some universities that offer 3-4 semesters a year.

"On the Lighter Side"

If the K-12 Education Plan becomes successful, then the Philippine education system can become more competitive among other countries countries around the world. Though there are still some problems that the government needs to solve before they can successfully implement the plan. The proposed program is good but it still won't work if the needed elements to make it work isn't present.

Such elements includes the addressed problems mentioned above, especially the number of public school classrooms plus the adequate supply of classroom chairs, books, etc. If the government could allot a bigger budget to educational needs, then we could be one-step ahead towards the success of the K-12 program.

Furthermore, parents (especially those who belongs in the poor sector) should be properly informed and motivated of the advantages of the K-12 Education Plan. This is very important since parents plays a major role in providing the child's school allowances, supplies, and fees for other school projects and activities. Add to that the support of parents towards their children in terms of guidance and teaching.

Once this succeeds, it is best hoped that Filipino students would be more literate, skilled, and competitive to be able to find jobs more easily and contribute to the country's pride as well as the country's economy.

BSM 8 - Cell Biology

2010-12-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

This is now your 1st online assignment...

:-)These questions are not intended to test your knowledge, but rather to stimulate your curiosity and to help you to understand some questions you might asked before....

1. How many cells do we have?

2. Do all cells look the same?

3. What does a cell do?

4. Do cells talk or communicate with each other?

5. What are essential components in a cell?

6. How does one cell divide into two cells?

7. Does a cell always have two daughter cells (possible to have only, or to have more)?

8. How does a cell know when to divide?

9. What controls cell division?

10. How do cellular components interact with each other?

Take time to search for your scholarly discussions...Gudluck!

..for LOVE's sake..(i hope you mean it!)

2010-07-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Attention BSEd 3C (dis is your 1st online assignment)

2010-07-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, let's go a bit highly technical by nature...in short -a bit advance in the field of Science and Technology...simply by using the net...go...go...go!

1. What is the most toxic organism on earth?

2. Who was the first scientist to use the term cell?

3. What do people breath in from plants?

4. What are gram positive bacilli?

5. How do viruses reproduce?

6. What is protein synthesis?

7. How is mutation important to survival of species?

8. What is the difference between adsorption and absorption?

9. What cell structure controls all of a cell activities?

10. What are the basic characteristics of an amoeba?

That' all for this moment...'til next time...gudluck!

my BELOVED hometown CaLbAyOg ...sadang kamatyan ko!

2010-01-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

Calbayog City is a first class city in the province of Samar, Philippines. It lies along the coastal region of the province stretching about 60 miles (97 km) from the northern tip of the island and 180 miles (290 km) from southern boundaries. Calbayog comprises 157 barangays and is the largest city in Eastern Visayas. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 163,657 people in 28,912 households.

Calbayog's early history has been associated with the introduction and spread of Catholicism in the country. Calbayog started as one of the small settlements in the Island of Samar, an area assigned to the Jesuit missionaries. Jesuit Chroniclers, as early as the 17th century, notably Fr. Ignacio Alcina, wrote many accounts about it and its people.
Jesuit records and reports referred to the settlement initially as Ibatan and Jibatang (Hibatang). It is in the annual report of 1739 that the name Calbayog appeared in the records for the first time. How Calbayog got its name has not been documented. In the absence of concrete factual accounts, some attempted to explain the origin of the name with the legends.
Some believe that the forerunner of Calbayog was a settlement along the Hibatang River, now called Anislag. Others claim that the forerunner was another settlement, now called San Rufino, located in the hinterlands of Oquendo.
Fr. Felis de Huerta, a 19th century Franciscan writer noted in his work Estado Geografico that in earlier times, Calbayog was called Tiayban for having been founded near a river of the same name. Then it was transferred due to a flood to the shore of the Hibatang River, whose name it took. Then again the settlers transferred to the place that they permanently occupied and took the name Calbayog.
Hibatang had already been a small settlement at the beginning of the 17th century. It slowly occupied a prominent place among the several small settlements. It became a visita (a large barrio with a chapel) of Capul under the jurisdiction of the Parish priest of that town. After the expulsion of the Jesuit Missionaries from the Philippines in the 18th century, the administration of the parishes in Samar was handled over to the Franciscan Friars.
Eventually from being a visita, Calbayog became a pueblo (town). It was created a separate parish in 1785. Separated from the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the parish priest of Capul, it was later given its own minister.
Calbayog as a town and parish during the Spanish period was composed of several villages, the most populated of which are called visitas. Calbayog became a religious center. Its parish priests cared for the spiritual needs of the people living in what are now Calbayog City, the municipalities of Sta. Margarita, Sto. Niño and Almagro. By the late 19th century a number of visitas became the poblaciones when new towns were created from Calbayog. They were Caybago (later called Oquendo), Sta. Margarita, Weyler (later called Tinambacan) and Sto. Niño.
During the American Era, Calbayog rose to political as well as religious prominence. Prominent political and religious figures in Samar and Leyte emerged from it, particularly those who studied in the Colegio-Seminario de San Vicente de Paul (now Christ the King College and St. Vincent de Paul Seminary) which was established in 1905 and La Milagrosa Academy which was established in 1911. Both schools were run by the religious.
What is noteworthy is the fact that on April 10, 1910, the Diocese of Calbayog was created by virtue of the Papal Bull of Pope Pius X. The diocese comprised the Islands of Samar and Leyte. Calbayog became the seat of the diocese. In 1942, the occupied by the Japanese forces entered in Calbayog city , in 1945, the liberated in Calyabog city by the Philippine Commonwealth troops and recognized guerillas against the Japanese forces in World War II, It was only much later that the other dioceses in the region were created. Republic Act No. 328, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Calbayog was signed into law on July 15, 1948 by then President Manuel A. Roxas. The first set of city officials, incumbent municipal officials of the place, were sworn in on October 16, 1948 much later than the signing of the law that created Calbayog City (Republic Act 328) as the municipal officials waited. Legally, therefore, Calbayog was founded as a city on this date as it was on this date that its charter was signed into law. The city comprises the territorial jurisdiction of the former Municipalities of Calbayog, Oquendo and Tinambacan.
Sr. Don Benedicto P. Nijaga
Twelve days after the tragic execution of Dr. Jose Rizal, thirteen Filipino martyrs were shot to death by musketry in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park). These thirteen men were dubbed in Philippine history as the Trece Martires de Bagumbayan. The Spanish Government accused them of treason, sedition and rebellion, and ultimately led to their execution.
One of the thirteen Filipino martyrs, is Don. Sr. Benedicto Nijaga y Pelenio, a native of Calbayog, Samar. Biktoy, as he is fondly called among his peers, was born sometime in 1864 to a family of farmers who lived in Sitio Caballero (now Brgy. Rizal I). Farming at that time was immensely hard for the Nijagas, so that they forced Biktoy to work at the age of 10 in a convent. He worked as a Knight of the Altar (Sacristan) all day long by himself just to earn something for their family's daily subsistence. He was under the tutelage of Fr. Sebastian Cordova, who was the Parish Priest (Cura Parroco) in Calbayog at that time. Biktoy is remembered as a very athletic, courageous, and most importantly, nationalistic individual.
In 1878, Calbayog was hit by a cholera epidemic, killing almost one half of the total population. Fr. Sebastian Cordova forced himself to leave his convent to spare his life from the disease, bringing Biktoy with him as his trusty sacristan (altar boy).
There in Manila, Biktoy was given all the opportunities he could've never even thought of in the province. He was a working student then, serving the convent without sacrificing his studies.
One year after his graduation, Fr. Sebastian Cordova recommended Biktoy to work in the Spanish Army. He was trained and accepted as a corporal. After a year, he was promoted and commissioned to become the second lieutenant in the infantry batallion of the Spanish Army. His first deployment and jurisdiction as an officer was in the whole Visayan Region.
He always found time to visit his family, friends and fellow Calbayognons in Calbayog, Samar while on duty. Biktoy was known to be generous and affectionate to women but there is no record on hand that shows him to be married.
After the exile of Jose Rizal in Dapitan, the Katipunan was born in Binondo, Manila. Andres Bonifacio and his men moved heaven and earth to fight against the Spanish government then led by Gob. Heneral Polavieja. The katipunan expanded its membership from Luzon down to the Visayas Region, thereby increasing the number of Katipuneros in a span of one year. Spanish authorities were alarmed by the existence of the KKK or the Katipunan.
Sensing the secret plan of the Katipunan to overthrow the government, the Spaniards conducted a raid in Binondo printing press where subversive documents were found and confiscated. One of the documents seized was the list of members of the Katipunan. The name Benedicto Nijaga was one in the list, being the collector of revolutionary funds in the area. Upon knowing their secret members, Gob. Polavieja ordered arbitrarily the arrest of all suspected members of the Katipunan. Benedicto Nijaga was arrested together with twelve other katipuneros while campaigning for revolutionary funds.
Shortly after they were jailed and tortured, trial ensued which was reminiscent of the fate that likened Dr. Jose Rizal's trial as well as those of other Filipino martyrs. They were convicted and sentenced to death.
At the early dawn of January 11, 1897, the thirteen unfortunate patriots were taken to Bagumbayan field under heavy guard. A huge crowd of Filipinos and Spaniards witnessed the very tragic moment. Just before the sun rose, the trece martires bravely faced their death.
The execution of these thirteen martyrs of Bagumbayan was invariably another stain on the colonial superiority of Spain. They were victims of Spanish misrule and injustice. Their death were not in vain for their blood soaked Bagumbayan's soil and watered the seeds of Filipino freedom. We celebrate the Centennial Death Anniversary of the Thirteen Martyrs with full pride and honor.
Don Benedicto "Biktoy" Nijaga is the local hero of Calbayog, and the largest park in the city is named after him.
In consonance with the 100 years (centennial) celebration of Philippine Independence, the City Arts and Culture Office staged a musical entitled ALFEREZ BIKTOY in honor of the local hero. Same musical was toured nationwide and was performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in November 1998 being chosen as one of the musical stage productions featured in the International Theater Festival 98 participated in by 20 nations. The musical was directed by Jonas T. Lim, librettest-Pet Labro, music-Lucien Letaba, arrangement-Melvin Corpin, story concept-Julius Mancol, performers-employees of the City Arts and Culture Office and volunteer artists.

Geography

Land Area
The city has a total land area of 90,300 hectares which is .301% of the archipelago's total land area, 4.21% of the regional land area, 6.724% of the island of Samar, and 16.10% of the Samar province area.
Hydrology
Forty percent of the city's land area are plain and hilly terrains with elevation ranging from 5 to 20 meters above sea level. The rest are rugged mountain ranges with elevations from 300 to 700 meters above sea level located beyond 21 km. Northeast of the city proper.
Flooding is minimized because of many rivers, brooks, streams and natural water conveyors that flow towards the sea.
Climate
Calbayog experiences a variety of wind types. These are Amihan (northwind), Timog (southwind), Habagat (westwind), Canaway (northwest wind), Cabunghan (northeast wind), Dumagsa (southeast wind), and Salatan (southwest wind).
Rainfall Intensity
Calbayog has well distributed rainfall throughout the year, except during the summer months of February through May, when most parts of the city are dry. The highest rainfall intensity recorded is 267 mm/hr. Heavy downpour is seldom experienced in the locality, therefore making Calbayog potentially appropriate for protective agricultural investment.
Natural Resources
Agriculture
The big land area of the city is generally divided into agriculture and forest areas. Agricultural lands are subdivided into production, built-up area, protection land, mangrove, severe erosion area, and watershed forest reserve; while forest lands are further subdivided into open canopy, logged-over areas, built-up and protection areas.
Largely an agricultural city, 57,654.07 hectares (or 63.85%) belongs to agriculture while 32,645.93 hectares (or 36.15%) are forest lands. Its major products are copra, abaca, rice, vegetables, corn, rootcrops, fruits, bamboo, & nipa. With the overall total quantity (mt.) of 28,330.428.
Fishery and Aquatic Resources
Calbayog is an exporter of fish and other marine products. Fisheries contribute to the economic revenues of the city. Major species abound such as mackerels, sardines, squids, prawns, crabs, shells, oysters, and others.
Fish processing such as smoking, salting and drying are small scale industries operating in the locality. Fresh catch are exported in huge volume on a daily basis throughout the country.
Samar Sea, with a fishing ground of 1,198 sq. miles is a vast resource for agriculture and sea farming activities.
Forest Resources
The forest land of Calbayog has an area of 6,327.91 hectares. Happy Valley and Seven Hills are remote areas with barangays producing forest products like rattan, nito, cogon, bamboo, and others. These are adequate supply of raw materials for export oriented products.
Local sources revealed that forest land have dramatically dwindled. The remotest forest areas have been depleted with the traditional slash-and-burn farming, poachers, and illegal loggers invading the resource thereby endangering valuable species and wildlife. Some are even entirely wiped out. Intensified program by concerned agencies are now in motion to save forest resource, including reforestation and tree planting.
Livestock and Poultry
Production of livestock and poultry products is another industry that enjoys the major concern of the city through the Tri-District program, a centerpiece program of the present government. Breeding centers were opened to develop superior genetic stocks and upgrading of carabao and dispersal program were established to accelerate livestock production.
Dressed chickens are now exported throughout the region especially in Masbate, with an average of 2,000 heads daily. The investment of Swift Foods Inc., which has been operating in the city for almost five years, and the operation of Solmar Dressing Plant supply poultry products which is now expanding its market in Central Visayas and Luzon.
Mineral Resources
Nature has made Calbayog replete with mineral deposits. Unprocessed or natural marble is found in coastal barangays. Manganese, which is chiefly used in the form of ferromanganese in steel making, is similarly available in the area. It was however purposely left untouched to supposedly preserve the natural balance of the area. Sand and gravel are also supplied to meet local construction needs, though barely enough as some areas are banned from extraction in order to protect existing structures.
Natural Attractions
Guinogo-an Cave
Situated at the fringes of Barangay Longsob, Oquendo District, Calbayog City. Accessible in a 30-minute ride to Cabugawan plus 50-minute hike to Lungsod Cave. Its large entrance leads to a natural tunnel with an uneven ceiling, some portions touching one’s head giving him an eerie trip through the dark, cool interior.
Mapaso Hot Spring
Located in Barangay Rizal II, Oquendo District, Calbayog City. A 30-minute ride to Oquendo from Calbayog plus 15-minute hike to the spring. “Mapaso” literally means hot. Fresh crustaceans (pokot) abound. They are naturally pinkish resembling scalded shrimps due to the high temperature.
Mawacat Slide
Accessible in a 35-minute ride from Oquendo District, Calbayog City proper to Barangay Mawacat plus 25-minute walk along the foot trail lined with tall shady trees. It is a natural spoon-like formation which inclines more or less by about 45 degrees and stretches 50 meters long. Water flows along this giant cistern and from the top one can slide through the mossy lane to the cool inviting pool below.
Bangon-Bugtong Falls
Located in Brgy. San Joaquin of Calbayog City, an hour-and-15-minute ride to Barangay Tinaplacan plus 45-minute walk to the vicinity of the falls. Among the family of waterfalls of Calbayog City, Bangon, Bugtong Falls is one of the most majestic and spectacular spots that is worth visiting. As one ascends the stream, he will be amazed to see a circular pond about 30 meters in diameter, wide enough for swimming and deep enough for diving. The cascading water seems to come from streams flowing endlessly, resulting from the pressure of its disgorge, which becomes even bigger in volume and noticeable as the time of the day passes. Bugtong Falls is not only a tourist spot but also a potential source of power for Calbayog City and its neighboring localities.
Tabokno Falls
Located in Barangay Cagbayang, Oquendo District, an hour drive from Calbayog City and 40-minute walk from the villages. A beautiful and scenic waterfall. This wonderful creation of nature is a favorite picnic site of local residents and their source of potable water.
Danao Cave
Located in Danao, some 14 km. toward the western coast of Calbayog City. Made up of seven chambers inhabited by various species of snakes and bats, as evidenced by a good deposit of guano. The cave serves as an initiating place for those who want to acquire a talisman.
Pan-as Falls
Located in Brgy. Pilar, Oquendo District, an hour drive from Calbayog City proper plus 1-hour walk onwards from the village. More than a beauty spot, this falls is the primary source of water for its residents. At places where the cataract is so high, the water falling into the pool below becomes a mere mist.
Binaliw Isle
Located in Brgy. Maguino-o, Tinambacan District, Calbayog City, it is separated from the mainland by the Silangan Channel. A potential deep diving spot, about 40 to 50 meters from the water surface and measuring less than a hectare in area. The islet is surrounded with aquifers equally and uniformly spread at the peripheral limits of the islet with white sand and pebbles. Beneath the deep waters are sea corals of multifarious varieties, rare white pebbles spread all over the floors, 20 types of shells, and ornamental types of aquamarine species – which can all be explored by the diver for as long as in his underwater gear.
Tinago-an Cave
Located in Barangay Lungsod, Oquendo District, Calbayog City. “Tinago-an” means hiding place. Its natural dark tunnels offers excitement and thrill to adventurers.
Malajog Beach
A 40-minute drive from Calbayog City. Grayish sand, blue waters, swaying palm trees, towering rocks, and three balconied cottages give this spot a South Sea island appeal. Magnificent view of sunset behind nearby islands. Made famous by the visits of VIPs, movie stars, and diplomats.
Lologayan Falls
A 45-minute ride to Barangay San Joaquin, Tinambacan District from Calbayog City proper and a 25-minute hike onward to the falls. It is separated from the mainland by the Silangan Channel. A series of towering altars of rugged stones where between its depressions flow ribbon-like cool water that appears to cleanse the hair of a legendary lady. A source of potable water for local folks.
Ton-ok Falls
A 45-minute drive from Calbayog City proper to Sigo plus 30-minute hike to Ton-ok falls. A scenic waterfall hidden in lush tropical vegetation. Nature has placed it out of easy reach to preserve its beauty. A source of hydroelectric power.
Naga Beach
A ten-minute drive from Calbayog City proper. Cottages line along its grayish sandy shore. Its cool fresh water, scenic view of Samar Island attracts picnickers and beachcombers.
Bagacay Beach
A 20-minute walk or 7-minute drive from Calbayog City proper. It is located along the Maharlika Highway. An uncrowded pearl white strip of coastline with coconut trees offering a scenic view of islands and towns.
Bolongto Cave
Located at Calbayog City, near Malajog beach.
Sarakiki-Hadang Festival
SARAKIKI is a local term apparently referring to premeditated or frenzied movements which means to allure, to draw with, to attract or exercise attraction, to entice or to win. By its pre-colonial denotation, it means to praise, extol or eulogize spirits of gods. The word does not only ascribe to the ritual or hadang as an activity to gratify the gods, but likewise hadang as the offering or the sacrifice.
HADANG…a ritual dance. Sarakiki as a ritual dance per se is a dance-offering of the Warays to their deity or deities which traces its roots to pre-colonial religious beliefs. Calbayognons held that spirits occupied a position of command over the power of nature which may inflict harm or do good in society. Rituals to please these spirits were held during feasts and other occasions like planting and harvest season, drought and in times of dreadful epidemics. The ceremony could last a couple of days. It involved the entire villagers who offered (manok) sacrifices to venerate the spirits. Traditionally, our forefathers make use of patani ug ugis nga manok (black feather and white feather chicken) as the offering in veneration of the spirits.
SARAKIKI-HADANG in a nutshell, had two elements: one, the way the ceremonies were prescribed; two, the offering to the supernatural. In the former, ceremonies were done in all sort of gesticulations and body movements – that of the chickens - uproar and shouting in rhythmic beating of talutangs and pealing of bells. The other element was the use of patani ug ugis nga manok as the sacrifice. A manok serves as an offering and indubitably as a part of the ritual.
In the context of cultural development, the term Sarakiki is adapted to describe the significance of the movements used in the famous dance “kuratsa”, a courtship dance eminent to all Calbayognons. Today “kuratsa” is the most popular dance form consummated in all celebrations most especially during wedding jovialities. Sarakiki is likewise place forth in songs particularly the SADA-SADA an event of merriment in the evening before a wedding ceremony, which redound to one of our most well-liked tradition, the so-called pamalaye or pamamanhikan. Another confirmation is the thumbs-up form of the Calbayognons while dancing which represents the tahud.
During the 1st Grand National Streetdance Competition - ALIWAN FIESTA in May 1-3, 2003, participated by 26 famous festivals in the country,the Sarakiki-HADANG Festival of Calbayog City won the 3rd prize.
SArakiki-HADANG Festival is celebrated in Calbayog City every year from September 1 to 8 under the auspices of the CITY ARTS AND CULTURE OFFICE, with Mr. JONAS T. LIM as the Festival Director.
Barangays
Calbayog City is politically subdivided into three Districts (Calbayog, Oquendo and Tinambacan) of 157 barangays.
Jose A. Roño
Acedillo
Alibaba
Amampacang (Tinambacan District)
Anislag
Ba-ay (Tinambacan District)
Bagacay
Baja
Balud (Pob.)
Bante (Tinambacan District)
Bantian (Tinambacan District)
Basud
Bayo
Begaho
Binaliw (Tinambacan District)
Bugtong (Tinambacan District)
Buenavista
Cabacungan
Cabatuan
Cabicahan
Cabugawan
Cacaransan
Cag-olango (Tinambacan District)
Cag-anahaw
Cagbanayacao
Cagbayang
Cagbilwang
Cagboborac
Caglanipao Sur (Tinambacan District)
Cagmanipes Norte (Tinambacan District)
Cag-anibong
Cagnipa (Tinambacan District)
Cagsalaosao
Cahumpan
Calocnayan
Cangomaod (Tinambacan District)
Canhumadac
Capacuhan
Capoocan
Carayman
Catabunan (Tinambacan District)
Caybago
Central (Pob.)
Cogon
Dagum
Dawo
De Victoria
Dinabongan
Dinagan
Dinawacan
Esperanza
Gadgaran
Gasdo
Helino
Geraga-an
Guin-on
Guimbaoyan Norte
Guimbaoyan Sur
Hamorawon
Hibabngan
Hibatang
Higasaan
Himalandrog
Jimautan
Hugon Rosales
Jacinto
Aguit-itan (Pob.)
Kili-kili
La Paz
Langoyon
Lapaan
Libertad
Limarayon
Looc
Longsob
Lonoy
Mabini I (Calbayog District)
Mabini II (Oquendo District)
Macatingog
Mag-ubay
Manguino-o (Tinambacan District)
Malaga (Tinambacan District)
Malajog (Tinambacan District)
Malayog (Tinambacan District)
Malopalo (Tinambacan District)
Marcatubig (Tinambacan District)
Mancol
Mantaong (Oquendo District)
Matobato
Mawacat
Maybog
Maysalong
Migara
Nabang
Naga
Naguma
Navarro
Nijaga
Oboob
Obrero
Olera
Oquendo (Pob.)
Osmeña
Palanas
Palanogan
Panlayahan
Panonongon
Panoypoy
Patong
Peña (Tinambacan District)
Pilar
Pinamorotan
Quezon
Rawis
Rizal I (Calbayog District)
Rizal II (Oquendo District)
Roxas I (Calbayog District)
Roxas II (Oquendo District)
Saljag (Baut)(Tinambacan District)
Salvacion
San Antonio
San Isidro
San Joaquin (Tinambacan District)
San Jose
San Policarpo (Ipao)
San Rufino
Saputan
Sigo
Sinantan
Sinidman Occidental
Sinidman Oriental
Tabawan
Talahiban
Tapa-e
Tarabucan
Tigbe
Tinaplacan (Tinambacan District)
Tomaliguez
Trinidad (Sabang)
Victory
Villahermosa
Awang East (Pob.)
Awang West (Pob)
Bagong Lipunan
Bontay
Kalilihan
Carmen
Danao I (Tinambacan District)
Danao II (Tinambacan District)
Gabay
Pagbalican
Payahan
Tanval
Tinambacan Norte (Tinambacan District)
Tinambacan Sur (Tinambacan District)
Cagmanipes Sur (Tinambacan District)
Manuel Barral, Sr.

Trivia

Calbayog City's Patron Saint is Nuestra Señora de Natividad and celebrates its town fiesta on September 8th.
Calbayog City is dubbed by the Department of Tourism as "The City of Waterfalls".
Film director Chito Roño and singer/songwriter Nonoy Zuñiga are both from Calbayog City.
Julio Cardinal Rosales(1906-1983) is a Calbayognon.
José Dira Avelino (August 5, 1890–July 21, 1986) was a Filipino politician who served as President of the Philippine Senate. He was a native of what was then the town of Calbayog which later became a city during his time in 1948
Calbayog City is one of the eight cities included in the 2007 Institute of Solidarity in Asia's (ISA) list of business-friendly cities in the Philippines.
The only city which established an arts and culture office (City Arts and Culture Office) as one of the departments in the local government.

...i'm lost without your LOVE...:)hik!

2010-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Do I hate you?

No.

I could never truly hate you.

I could never turn around,

And say that you have changed,

So much that i now despise you.

Do I envy you?

Yes.

Your freedom to love,

To manipulate my passions,

To dictate where we will go,

And what we will do.

I envy you for all you are,

All you have.

All I have is you,

And I wonder if that is enough.

Do I fear you?

Sometimes.

When I get so lost in the moment,

When I refuse to be just yours,

When your passion turns to fury...

Sometimes.

And then you say how I anger you so,

And how eventually I'll pay.

And while I crave your punishment,

Sometimes...I'm afraid.

But most important of all,

Beyond hate, envy, and fear,

Beyond the tears,

Beyond the lies,

Beyond the pain,

Beyond it all,

I ask the most important question.

Do I love you?

Yes....

...Midterm Exam in Human Genetics (O dba?...talbog iu BIOCHEM?hmf!

2010-01-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, i hope you are doin' fine...i've changed my mind for i am about to leave for Cebu this coming Saturday (January 16, 2010) via Cokaliong Shipping Lines...(for my check-up @ Chong Hua Hospital)...so, i would like you to answer the following questions as part of your midterm examination....let's take this all in advance, for we all know that we might not finish all our business in this subject...ok?so here we go...

1) Why do children look similar to their parents?
2) Why do some children look more like their mothers and others look more like their fathers?
3) How is the similarity between children and parents controlled?
4) What controls an organism's development?
5) How does a cell divide into two cells?
6) How does an embryo develop into an organism?

7) What is a gene & where is it located?
8) When, where and how are genes expressed?
9) How many genes do we have?
10) Do all organisms have the same number of genes?
11) Is the number of genes proportional to the size of the organism?
12) Do all genes get expressed?
13) What is the relationship between gene and the appearance of an organism (genotype vs phenotype)?
14) What do genes do in an organism's development?
15) How are genes regulated?

(please take note that each item costs 10 points...total of 150/150..deadliest deadline will be on January 22,2010@12:00 nun....gudluck and God bless!)...see yah!

run for a cause...again!

2010-01-12T05:02:00.000-08:00

There are few sites which command more attention than five, six, seven, sometimes eight able-bodied males running through a gauntlet of humanity with nothing on than a flimsy piece of cloth to cover there faces. The bold and the daring young men who perform in this annual event are the members of the U.P. Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity, and what they collectively do in their birthday suits is officially called the "Oblation Run."
Now on it's eighteenth year, the Oblation Run has gained such popularity that last year's edition even attracted a couple of TV crews and made it's way to the front page of a leading daily broad sheet. It's come a long way from that very first run done in 1977, when an APO member first ran naked in the A.S. lobby to promote a play the fraternity was sponsoring called "Hubad na Bayani," a project dedicated to an APO member, Rolly Abad, who was killed in a rumble a few months before. The gimmick was such a success that APO decided to stage it every year on its anniversary, December 16. "We do this in memory of our brother, Rolly Abad" said Raymond Linsangan. "But we also do it because we want UP students to remember the principle of the Oblation, which is the youth offering itself to the nation."
Lately, the run has also served as a vehicle to address current issues. Last year the runners carried placards condemning the death of Sigma Rhoan Dennis Venturina and calling for a stop to fraternity violence. Not exactly an original message, but at least the effort was there.
How does the runner feel before the run? "Sa una excited ka," says Jason Lopez, who quickly points out that all of this is according to his brods who have merely told him. " pero immediately before, bigla kang papasukan ng kaba. You just want to get it over with." But once they're there, the runners become oblivious to the crowd, the noise, and enter a zone where they just don't give a damn about what exactly they're doing, although they are still conscious enough not to mash any girls, a sacred frat rule.
The important thing, though, is not to get an erection. "Yan ang worst fear mo," says Jason, although no APO member has reportedly been seen running in such predicament. Besides, anxiety quickly quelches any impure thoughts which might lead to an unexpected arousal. Some resort to a quick shot of rum or gin, anything to calm their manhood.
The runners themselves are all volunteers. They signify their intention the night before the run, sometimes on the day itself. Not all volunteers are chosen though. There must be a balance between the runners and the marshals who will form the gauntlet and control the crowd that has been growing year in and year out. This year there is reportedly one APO member who plans to volunteer and run for the fifth year in a row, an all time record.
Contrary to popular notion, neophytes are not allowed to run. "All those who run are full pledged members who have volunteered, explains Ojie Santillan, the fraternity's Auxiliary Chancellor. There is a misconception that the Oblation Run is something our neophytes have to undergo as part of their initiation. That’s not true. We never allow our applicants to join."
Runners must also observe a code of conduct. As mentioned earlier, deliberately touching a spectator is not allowed, nor is cursing out loud. Each runner has a rose in his hand, which he must pass on to any female spectator. As in, pass on, and not drop or throw it at her feet. She's got to willingly accept the rose. A runner can remove his mask if he so wishes, but nobody's been brave enough to do that.
Since December 16 falls on a Saturday, this year's Oblation Run will be on the 15th which is also the day U.P. annual Lantern Parade will be held. So if you're not doing anything on that day, you might want to drop by the A.S. lobby in U.P. Diliman and find out why this is the second most-awaited event on campus. "For U.P. students in particular", one APO member says, "Your stay in the university isn't complete if you don't watch even just one Oblation Run."

Midterm Exam (BSEd-3C)...c",)

2009-09-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

Test I : Tell me something about:

1. Greenhouse Effect

2. Scavengers

3. Escherichia coli & staphylococcus aureus

4. Paramecium Culture

5. Hydroponics Culture

6. Spermatogenesis & Oogenesis

7.Venereal Diseases

8.Embalming and Mummification

9. Parthenogenesis & Paedogenesis

10. Vibro coma & Mycobacterium tuberculosis

...pls. attach illustration or image each item....

Test II : Define the following in a sentence or two:

1. abiogenic

2. albumen

3. allele

4. bacteriophage

5. biomass

6. biome

7. carcinogenic

8. cephalothorax

9. coenzyme

10. conjugation

11. consanguinity

12. cristae

13. diploid

14. disaccharide

15. endoparasites

16. flagellum

17. fossils

18. gametophyte

19. genes

20. genetic drift

21. grana

22. haploid

23. hemophiliac

24. hybrid

25. hydroponics

26. incestous

27. inflorescence

28. lesbianism

29. lethal genes

30. lichens

31. lipid

32. matrix

33. middle lamellae

34. mutation

35. nondisjunction

36. parthenocarpy

37. pectin

38. pericarp

39. phospoglyceraldehyde
40. phytohormones

41. plasmodia

42. sori

43. stroma

44. substrate

45. sucrose

46. taxonomy

47. virology

48. virus

49. vitamins

50. wax

Test III : Show me an illustation of Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulfur Cycles.

DEADLINE OF SUBMISSION IS ON SEPT. 10,2009 (5PM)

------------ test ends here----------- goooooooooood luuuuuuuuccckkkkk!!!!!--------

sir arvin

what ARVIN means......

2009-08-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

The boy's name Arvin \a-rvin, ar-vin\ is pronounced AR-vin. It is of English and Old German origin, and its meaning is "people's friend".
Arvin has 9 variant forms: Arv, Arvid, Arvie, Arvis, Arvon, Arvy, Arvyn, Arwin and Arwyn.
Baby names that sound like Arvin are Arvind, Irvin, Ervin and Orvin.
Arvin is a very rare male first name and a very popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census).

...psssssstt!!! BSBA-1A...here it is......

2009-08-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

1.A feather is dropped on the moon from a height of 1.40 meters. The acceleration of gravity on the moon is 1.67 m/s2. Determine the time for the feather to fall to the surface of the moon.

2.Rocket-powered sleds are used to test the human response to acceleration. If a rocket-powered sled is accelerated to a speed of 444 m/s in 1.8 seconds, then what is the acceleration and what is the distance which the sled travels?

3.A bike accelerates uniformly from rest to a speed of 7.10 m/s over a distance of 35.4 m. Determine the acceleration of the bike.

......paging!!!!!! BSOAD-1B

2009-08-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

1.Upton Chuck is riding the Giant Drop at Great America. If Upton free falls for 2.6 seconds, what will be his final velocity and how far will he fall?

2.A race car accelerates uniformly from 18.5 m/s to 46.1 m/s in 2.47 seconds. Determine the acceleration of the car and the distance traveled.

3.A car traveling at 22.4 m/s skids to a stop in 2.55 s. Determine the skidding distance of the car (assume uniform acceleration).

attention BSOAd-1A

2009-08-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

1. An airplane accelerates down a runway at 3.20 m/s2 for 32.8 s until is finally lifts off the ground. Determine the distance traveled before takeoff.

2.A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly over a time of 5.21 seconds for a distance of 110 m. Determine the acceleration of the car.

3.An engineer is designing the runway for an airport. Of the planes which will use the airport, the lowest acceleration rate is likely to be 3 m/s2. The takeoff speed for this plane will be 65 m/s. Assuming this minimum acceleration, what is the minimum allowed length for the runway?

Ms. SLSU snags Ms.SCUAA 2008 title

2008-11-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

The alluring beauties of the candidates captivated everyone's attention during the Ms. SCUAA pageant held at SLSU covered court, last October 26, 2008. It serves as one of the highlights of the 24th SCUAA Meet.
Ms. Kristin Ortega, the former Ms. SCUAA had bequeathed her title to her new successor, the bubbly, sweet and beautiful Ms. SLSU, Noemi Touzo Nacinopa. She had surfaced out the battle of beauty and brain against nine gorgeous candidates from different State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) in Region VIII. The newly-crowned beauty queen is a 20 year old senior student, taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English. In an interview with her, she said that, she deserves the crown because it's her pride to bring the name of her beloved university.
As a recapped, the pageant night began with the melodious voices of the SLSU Glee Club, brief presentation about Southern Leyte, introduction of the members of the board of judges and reading of criteria. All these presentations were coupled with technology-based preparations.
The ten lovely candidates competed in five minor awards, these included Best in Production, Best in Swimwear, Best in Casual Wear, Best in Long Gown and Best in Talent, wherein the talent search was prejudged last October 24, 2008. The beautiful ladies introduced themselves with their festival costumes symbolizing their respective provinces. Then, the beauties appeared in their fascinating casual attire. Later on, they faced the questions in the preliminary interview. These questions were all taken from their personal data. And, amidst tension, they substantially answered the questions given to them.
The activities of the candidates in the recent days were shown in the VTR. It also showed how these beautiful ladies flourished in their swim wear. And once again, they flaunt their captivating bodies live on stage during the search proper.
While the candidates brandished their elegant long gown, they were given certificates of participation. These were handed to them by their university president or sports director.Then, the moment of truth came. For the special awards, Ms. Noemi T. Nacinopa (SLSU) garnered the Ms. Photogenic and Ms. Natasha award; Ms.Jennifer C. Doroja (SSCAF) chosen as Ms. Congeniality; Ms. Toni Rose T. Valenzuela (UEP) for the Mr. Donut Choice award; and, Ms. Kristhea M. Dalut (EVSU) as Ms. Goldlife. The special awardees received a cash prize, sash, bouquet and a trophy courtesy of the pageant sponsors.
The following are the results of the 5 Minor awards: Ms. Noemi T. Nacinopa (SLSU), awarded as Best in Production and Best in Casual Wear; Ms. Toni Rose T. Valenzuela (UEP) as Best in Swimwear and Best in Long Gown; and Ms. Lawrence D. Camandao (VSU), as Best in Talent. Each of these special awards has a 10% bearing on the candidates’ total performance.
Half of the ten candidates made it to the crucial question and answer portion. They were asked to pick the name of the judge who will ask them the final question. During this round, ratings of the previous categories were not included. The top five were: Toni Rose T. Valenzuela (UEP), Jennylyne S. Torcinco (TTMIST), Laurence Comandao (VSU), Brizha Raey B. Beley (PIT), and Noemi T. Nacinopa (SLSU).
The quest for Ms. SCUAA 2008 ended when the winners were revealed by the masters of ceremony. Toni Rose Valenzuela (UEP) was proclaimed second-runner up, followed by Brizha Raey Baldos Beley (PIT) as first runner up. Finally, this year’s titlist for Ms. SCUAA is Noemi T. Nacinopa of Southern Leyte State University.
Although the pageant was successful, the pageant committee was not able to control the crowd considering the number of their student police.

2007-08-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Maranatha is an Aramaic (Syriac, see also Aramaic of Jesus) phrase occurring once only in the New Testament and also in the Didache which is part of the Apostolic Fathers collection. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 16:22) as a farewell. The NRSV translates it as: "Our Lord, come!" but notes that it could also be translated as: "Our Lord has come"; the NIV translates: "Come, O Lord"; the NAB notes:
"As understood here ("O Lord, come!"), it is a prayer for the early return of Christ. If the Aramaic words are divided differently (Maran atha, "Our Lord has come"), it becomes a credal declaration. The former interpretation is supported by what appears to be a Greek equivalent of this acclamation in Rev 22:20 "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!""
The phrase seems to have been used as a greeting between Early Christians, and it is probably in this way that it was used by the Apostle Paul. However, the preceding word is the curse "anathema", and because the original texts of the Greek New Testament contained no punctuation at all, or indeed any word or sentence separation, early readers took the two words together and construed the passage as, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha". It was therefore believed that "anathema maranatha" must be some exceptionally severe kind of curse. The phrase was in use in this sense at least by the 7th Century, when Pope Silverius pronounced anyone who deceives a bishop as "anathema maranatha" (see the Catholic Encyclopedia article referenced below). One possible understanding of this is that the offender would be excluded from communion with the Church until the return of Christ, tying the punishment to the term Maranatha. John Wesley in his Notes on the Bible comments that, "It seems to have been customary with the Jews of that age, when they had pronounced any man an Anathema, to add the Syriac expression, Maran - atha, that is, "The Lord cometh;" namely, to execute vengeance upon him." The negative understanding of maranatha began to die out by the late 19th Century; Jamiesen, Fausset and Brown's commentary of 1871 separates Maranatha from anathema in the same way as modern scholars. However the traditional interpretation is still occasionally found among some of the more extreme conservative Christians to-day (e.g. [1]).
It is worth noting that, perhaps as a consequence of this interpretation, it has been maintained by some scholars that "Maranatha" is a mis-translation of the Hebrew phrase "mohoram atta", which means "you are put under the ban"[1]. If the original usage is understood as a greeting, however, this interpretation seems gratuitous.

love struck

2007-07-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Love is a constellation of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness.[1] The meaning of love varies relative to context. Romantic love is seen as an ineffable feeling of intense attraction shared in passionate or intimate attraction and intimate interpersonal and sexual relationships.[2] Though often linked to personal relations, love is often given a wider connection, a love of humanity, of nature, with life itself, or a oneness with the universe, a universal love or karma. Love can also be construed as Platonic love,[3] religious love,[4] familial love, and, more casually, great affection for anything considered strongly pleasurable, desirable, or preferred, to include activities and foods.[5][2] This diverse range of meanings in the singular word love is often contrasted with the plurality of Greek words for love, reflecting the concept's depth, versatility, and complexity.

2007-07-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

In a recent short story I wrote, a writer is told by a young critic that he doesn't understand love. "It's neither noble nor eternal, as you would have your audience believe," she says.
"Nobody understands love," the writer admits. "It seems to be Universal. Timeless. Yet, it's also very individual, filtered by our own lives and expectations. I don't understand love, and can't understand love, because it's a different thing for each of us."
These love poems are Universal. Timeless. And yet very much a different thing for each of us. We hope you enjoy them...

geNEtic enGiNeeriNG+++++++

2007-04-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

Genetic engineering, Recombinant DNA Technology, genetic modification (GM) and gene splicing are terms for the process of manipulating genes, generally implying that the process is outside the organism's natural reproductive process. It involves the isolation, manipulation and reintroduction of DNA into cells or model organisms, usually to express a protein. The aim is to introduce new characteristics or attributes physiologically or physically, such as making a crop resistant to herbicide, introducing a novel trait, or producing a new protein or enzyme, along with altering the organism to produce more of certain traits. Examples can include the production of human insulin through the use of modified bacteria, the production of erythropoietin in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, and the production of new types of experimental mice such as the OncoMouse (cancer mouse) for research, through genetic modification.
Since a protein is specified by a segment of DNA called a gene, future versions of that protein can be modified by changing the gene's underlying DNA. One way to do this is to isolate the piece of DNA containing the gene, precisely cut the gene out, and then reintroduce (splice) the gene into a different DNA segment. Daniel Nathans and Hamilton Smith received the 1978 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their isolation of restriction endonucleases, which are able to cut DNA at specific sites. Together with ligase, which can join fragments of DNA together, restriction enzymes formed the initial basis of recombinant DNA technology.
Some groups have argued[citation needed] genetic engineering is wrong and is "doing the work of God", but most scientists believe that genetic engineering is essential to help future medical discoveries.

bisexuality v.s. homosexuality

2007-04-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

Bisexuality is a sexual orientation which refers to the aesthetic, romantic, and/or sexual attraction of individuals to other individuals of either their own or the opposite gender or sex. Most bisexuals are not equally attracted to men and women, and may even shift between states of finding either sex exclusively attractive over the course of time.[1] However, some bisexuals are and remain fairly static in their level of attraction throughout their adult life.
In the mid-1950s, Alfred Kinsey devised the Kinsey scale in an attempt to measure sexual orientation. The 7 point scale has a rating of 0 ("exclusively heterosexual") to 6 ("exclusively homosexual"). Bisexuals cover most of the scales' values (1-5) which ranges between "predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual" (1) to "predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual" (5). In the middle of the scale (3) is "equally heterosexual and homosexual".[1]
Although observed in a variety of forms in human societies and in the animal kingdom throughout recorded history[citation needed], the term "bisexuality" (like the terms "hetero-" and "homosexuality") was only coined in the 19th century.[2]

Bisexual people are not necessarily attracted equally to both genders. [1]. Due to the nature of bisexuality as an often ambiguous position between homosexuality and heterosexuality, those who identify, or are identified, as bisexuals form a heterogenous group.
Some view that bisexuality is a distinct sexual orientation on a par with heterosexuality or homosexuality.[3] This views bisexuality as something clearly distinct from these other two sexualities, with a clear attraction to both men and women required.
Others view bisexuality as more ambiguous. Some people who might be classified by others as bisexual on the basis of their sexual behavior self-identify primarily as homosexual. Equally, otherwise heterosexual people who engage in occasional homosexual behaviour could be considered bisexual, but may not identify as such. For some who believe that sexuality is a distinctly defined aspect of the character, this ambiguity is problematic. It is sometimes argued that the behaviour of bisexuals may be explained by a subconscious homophobia or peer pressure.[citation needed] On the other hand, some believe that the majority of people contain aspects of homosexuality and heterosexuality, but that the intensities of these can vary from person to person.[citation needed] Some people who engage in bisexual behavior may be supportive of lesbian and gay people, but still self-identify as straight; others may consider any labels irrelevant to their positions and situations.
Some bisexuals make a distinction between gender and sex. Gender is defined in these situations as social or psychological category, characterised by the normal practices of men and women. For example, the fact that women wear dresses in Western Society whilst men traditionally do not is a gender issue. Sex is defined as the biological difference between males and females, prior to any social conditioning. Bisexuals in this sense may be attracted to more than one gender but only to one sex. For example, a male bisexual may be attracted to aspects of men and masculinity, but not to the male body. Such a person's attractions may manifest themselves through sexual activities other than anal sex with other males.

Bisexuality is often misunderstood as a form of adultery or polyamory, and a popular misconception is that bisexuals must always be in relationships with men and women simultaneously. Rather, individuals attracted to both males and females, like people of any other orientation, may live a variety of sexual lifestyles. These include: lifelong monogamy, serial monogamy, polyamory, polyfidelity, casual sexual activity with individual partners, casual group sex, and celibacy. For those with more than one sexual partner, these may or may not all be of the same gender.

“MP4″ Player

2007-02-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I received a package from a friend working in a local tech magazine. When I opened it up, I was surprised to find a small portable “MP4″ player branded as CD-R King MP4 Player M1820. The packaging is the usual blister pack that you need to have the strength of Samson to open it up, with scissors of course, unless you wanted to be cut up by very sharp plastic.
The tiny device can hold 1GB of anything, and supports MP3 and WMA. Since I have most of my music collection in OGG, this posed a bit of a problem, so I loaded most of the MP3s that I have on the device and decided to give it a go.
For a cheap device, its not so bad, it gives music as I want to, but I couldn’t use my favorite headset because the input jack is much smaller (I don’t know the exact size, but I might try looking for an adapter later). The device also supports images and small video (probably AMV, which isn’t really MP4), as well as simple text files that would fall under “E-book” category. Battery life isn’t really great, but suitable for a few hours of continuous playback. The 1.8″ TFT screen is bright, albeit the firmware having a clunky interface, which strangely works after getting used to.
Navigating through the music collection is a chore, as you need to pause playback first before selecting a folder. It doesn’t seem to have support for playlists or creating one on the fly. This would be nice to have, but most of the flash-based players I had before, good brands and otherwise, don’t have such support either. Upon close scrutiny of the firmware functionality, this is very much like an S1 MP3 device, only with more functionality (although useless most of the time).
Plugging it to a computer shows it as a USB flash device, so a simple drag and drop of the files work. Ubuntu shows this with a flash player icon and is even detected by audio specific software like Rhythmbox and Amarok.
Going over the details online, the real brand of this unit is Allfine developed by BTL International Development Ltd. For its price, I can only imagine how cheap this thing is to mass produce to its target markets. Heck the TFT screen might even cost less than $1USD. If some large-scale manufacturers can produce this with very cheap Bill-of-Materials, I can only imagine how much these things will cost in 5 years.

UNIBERSIDAD NG PILIPINAS

2006-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

The University of the Philippines was established in 1908 with three initial colleges, the College of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Medicine and Surgery occupying buildings distributed along Padre Faura and R. Hidalgo in Manila as well as a School of Agriculture in Los Banos, Laguna. The succeeding years saw the establishment of additional colleges: the College of Law and the College of Engineering in Manila, as well as units in Los Baos for the College of Agriculture and Forestry.The student population had shot up from the original 67 to 7849 in 1928, and continued to rise in the succeeding years. With the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Japanese troops in 1942, the university had to close some of its colleges while maintaining only some units such as the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering and Pharmacy operational.When the war ended in 1946, the College of Law and College of Liberal Arts buildings were left with extensive damages. UP President Bienvenido Gonzales immediately sought a grant of P13 million from the US-Philippines War Damage Commission, and this amount was used for an intensive rehabilitation and construction effort during the post war years. Meanwhile, the rest of the colleges and administrative offices had to make do with temporary shelters, quonset huts made of sawali and galvanized iron.By february 1949, administrative functions of the whole university were already relocated to the new campus, and the governance of UP's regional units in Manila, Los Baos, Baguio, and Cebu were also located in Diliman.One reform introduced into the university in 1959 was the General Education Program, a series of core courses prescribed for all students at the undergraduate level. President Vicente Sinco created the University College and the College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which would offer major courses in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.By the
Who I Want to Meet:The MRC report led to the wide-ranging reorganization of the UP system, most importantly, the further decentralization of UP administration and the declaration of UP Diliman as an autonomous unit in March 23, 1983. UP College Baguio was then placed under the supervision of UP Diliman.By 1997, UP Diliman had 18,935 students distributed among 12 pre-baccalaureate, 74 baccalaureate and 8 post-baccalaureate programs, which in turn are handled by 2,441 faculty members.Today, the University of the Philippines is composed of six constituent universities and one autonomous college. Together, these have an aggregate of 48 colleges. From an initial enrollment of 50 in 1909, the total count of students has risen to 36,774 in the first semester of 1994-95.

I can see the pain...

2006-12-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

I still see your face in my dreams
It hurts and it doesn't help at all
I still want you in my life as crazy as that seems
I want you to catch me when I fall

I still remember the first time we met
There was something so different about you
Your friendship was something I wanted to get
That smile when you said hi to me was so new

Out of no where you called me on the phone
I wanted to sit there and talk to you forever
You were so new, so crazy and unknown
I just knew that our friendship would never sever

Two years and we are barely holding it together
What happened to the way this all used to be
I never wanted you out of my like ever
I sat there for a long time pretending not to see

We decided to go out and make it all all right
It didn't work out of course we knew it couldn't
We couldn't even really stand each others sight
It shouldn't end this way but it did and I shouldn't

I miss you and everything you were to me
Ten years from now we will look back on it all
We will be older and finally be able to see
That love will stand the test of time and never fall ...

simply me: arvin

this is strictly for BSBA-1A & 1B!!!!!!!

2006-09-19T04:44:00.000-07:00

.....i really miss the time u have had your first assignment in this site...hehehehe! so again answer the following:
1.What is the evidence for the Big Bang?
2.What happened during the Big Bang?
3.What is this "anti-gravity"? [The cosmological constant]
4.Why do we think that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating?
5.What is quintessence?
6.How old is the Universe?
7.Is the Universe really infinite or just really big?

....pls. accomplish this on or before monday (sept. 25, 2006) 10pm.(this would be the deadliest deadline...)
.....nice dating with my blog..........mwahhhhhhh!!!!!

attention bshrm-2A......eyes here!

2006-09-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

...let's refresh our knowledge in immune system......ok?

1. What part of the immune system is part of the body's defenses that target specific foreign invaders?
2. What are the effects of histamine?
3. Discuss the compliment system. How does it kill bacterial cells? How does it enhance antigen-antibody interactions? Does it attract phagocytes or increase the probability that a bacterial cell will be engulfed?
4. Where do B lymphocytes mature? Do B cells contain receptor molecules?
5. Discuss clonal selection. Discuss how specific antibodies are produced.
6. Discuss passive immunity and give an example.

.....exhausted?......hehehehe....

hey there BSHRM-2B!!!!!!!

2006-09-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

...LET ME ASK YOU THE FOLLOWING....
What is DNA?
Is DNA dangerous?
Is DNA from genetically engineered organisms dangerous?
Can DNA (from genetically engineered organisms) mutate me?
Can DNA "left over" from genetic engineering infect other organisms?
What is mutation?
Is mutation bad?

thanks a lot for the time.....pls. do this on or before 10pm friday (sept. 22, 2006) .....have a nice day!

eyes here! BSBA 1B: Assignment 2

2006-07-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

1.How do high-wire artists balance on such a thin wire? Why do they carry such long poles?

2.How do ski jumpers use physics to get the most out of their flight?

attention! BSBA-1A : Assignment #3

2006-07-13T04:56:00.000-07:00

1.If you fell into a swimming pool full of Jello (gelatin), would you be able to swim to the other side? —
(pls. refer to solid or liquid properties...) .

2.Will the future of the Universe go on forever or not? Will there be a "big crunch" at some future time, will the Universe keep on expanding forever, or what?

baliwala...

2006-07-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

Since a very long time ago, people have searched for the meaning of love. But even the great philosophers, with their profound definitions, could not fully touch its true essence. In a survey of 4-8 year olds, kids share their views on love. But what do little kids know about love? Read on and be surprised that despite their young and innocent minds, kids already have a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word."Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.""When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.""When someone loves you, the way she says your name is different. You know that your name is safe in her mouth.""Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

moon, mars and beyond...

2006-04-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Moon: By going to the moon for extended periods of time, astronauts will search for resources and learn how to work safely in a harsh environment -- stepping stones to future exploration. The moon also offers many clues about the time when the planets were formed. Image above: Concept of a future moon landing. Credit: NASA/John Frassanito and Associates Mars: Robotic missions have found evidence of a watery past, suggesting that simple life forms may have developed long ago and may persist beneath the surface today. Human exploration could provide answers to some profound questions. Beyond: As humans and robots work together exploring the moon and Mars, NASA spacecraft will continue to send back scientific data from throughout the solar system, laying the groundwork for potential human journeys.

the art of dressing the dead!

2006-04-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Embalming is the funeral custom of cleansing and disinfecting bodies after death. As far back as the ancient Egyptians, people have used oils, herbs and special body preparations to help preserve the bodies of their dead. Yet no process or products have been devised to preserve a body in the grave indefinitely.
The Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule prohibits funeral providers from telling consumers that it can be done. For example, funeral providers may not claim that either embalming or a particular type of casket will preserve the body of the deceased for an unlimited time.
In practice since ancient Egypt, embalming is most often done by using chemical substances. We use embalming today for two primary reasons--to allow adequate time between death and burial to observe social customs such as visitations and funeral services, and to prevent the spread of infection. Cosmetic work is often used for aesthetic reasons.
Modern embalming now consists primarily of removing all blood and gases from the body and the insertion of a disinfecting fluid. Small incisions are made in either the carotid or femoral artery and the jugular or femoral vein; the disinfecting fluid is injected through the carotid or femoral artery, and the blood is drained from the jugular or femoral vein.
If an autopsy is being performed, the vital organs are removed and immersed in an embalming fluid, and then replaced in the body, often surrounded by a preservative powder. If an autopsy is not performed, the embalmer aspirates fluids out of the body cavity by making a small incision near the navel and aspirating the bodily fluids. Most bodies in the USA and Canada are embalmed, though it is not required by law in most cases.
The Federal Trade Commission has included statements about embalming in the Funeral Rule, which guides funeral service providers in offering services and products to consumers.
The Funeral Rule statement on embalming requires funeral service providers to inform consumers that the law does not require embalming (unless in a specific special case when it does). The language the FTC requires says:
"Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement that does not require you to pay for it, such as direct cremation or immediate burial."
Funeral service providers do not need to include the phrase "except in certain special cases" if the state or local law in the area where they do business doesn't require embalming under any circumstances. However, if funeral service providers want to add information about state law requirements, they may do so after the FTC disclosure. This disclosure should appear in immediate conjunction with the price for embalming.

su per man ...

2005-12-15T00:27:00.000-08:00

There was buzz last week in Radar (and summarized by Martha) that Brandon Routh only got the role of Superman because director Bryan Singer thought he'd look super in a pair of tights. That post sparked a lot of comments ("Give me a break!!!! This is just homophobe crap!" - Wil; "Cinematical reaches a new low!" - Alexei), so I thought you'd like to know that the Routh rumors are getting ever more salacious. Various UK tabloids (we picked it up through The Movie Blog) are reporting that the bulge in Routh's tights is apparently so apparent that Warner Brothers is considering using digital trickery to cover it up. I seem to remember the exact same rumor popping up (no pun intended) when George Clooney was cast as Batman, but no matter – here's the quote:"It's a major issue for the studio. Brandon is extremely well endowed and they don't want it up on the big screen ... We may be forced to erase his package with digital effects."Alright, kids – procede to fight amongst yourselves.

an island Paradise/

2005-11-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

"THERE was a time when we would set up our pots and a fire on the beach, close to the water. We would then paddle the water and the fish would jump out of the sea, straight into the pots! That was how much fish we had then!"
That was Toti Menguito, guardian of the Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary in Cordova town in the province of Cebu, describing what it was like at one time on his island to a group of about a dozen visitors from different organizations invited to visit their project.
Was he giving us a fish tale? I don't think so. It wasn't the first time I've heard such stories from Filipino fisherfolk. They all talk of a time, not too long ago, when the oceans and rivers were filled with fish. And as an anthropologist, I can believe that, because all over the Philippines, I've found that many of the traditional fishing gear that's been developed-rattan baskets for example-were clearly meant for fishing not too far from the shore.
My guess then is that Toti wasn't exaggerating about the abundance of fish in Gilutongan. Even today, the area around Gilutongan still has some marine resources that residents are trying very hard to preserve through their marine sanctuary, one that is managed by the community, from patrolling the waters to doing periodic reef checks to see if they had managed to slow down the destruction of marine life to family planning education.
Now, you might ask, how did family planning get into the picture? Several Filipino nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), notably Path Philippines and Save the Children, are now combining family planning with environment programs, which really makes sense. We can't keep romanticizing environmental conservation by reducing it to an admiration of mountains and trees and birds; we have to deal with the human population that depletes and destroys these resources.
The stress on the environment is always most obvious in coastal communities. Maybe because our marine resources were once so abundant, coastal areas have always attracted settlers who, perhaps because of the easy life, quickly grew. The demographic surveys have always shown fishing communities to have higher fertility rates. In Gilutongan, I found several households with more than six children, with gaps of about a year between siblings. In one case, there was a couple with six children occupying a hut not more than 10 square meters, the space used as a bedroom, kitchen, living room. The mother was 36 years old but looked like she was in her 50s.
Everywhere I went there were children with scabies and other skin infections, their stomachs bloated from intestinal worms. Childhood ends early in such a setting-there was an 11-year old boy, stunted and underweight, who came in with some fish he had caught. Path's survey shows that in these communities, the males are dropping out earlier from school to help with fishing.
The options are narrowing for fishing communities, the seas not even providing enough for a family's subsistence needs. A report from the Department of Environment notes that fisherfolk in the area sometimes have to go fishing in Bohol, Surigao, Palawan or even as far as Malaysia to bring in aquarium fish, abalone, octopus, sea cucumber, and sharks' fin, all of which are meant for export. They do this using the simplest of equipment, described as pinobreng panagat (poor man's gear) that cannot compete with large commercial fishing ventures. The temptation to use cyanide is always there.
Gilutongan has developed alternative livelihoods. There's some seaweed farming going on. There's an eco-tourism program that charges entrance fees to divers, and it's been quite successful, bringing in some two million pesos in fees, part of which has gone back into community development, including the construction of a guardhouse and the installation of solar power. But the island still does not have its own health center or health personnel. Neither does it have a potable water supply. Residents are also aware that tourism, even eco-tourism, has its risks, and are thinking of imposing a quota on visitors.
When I visited, the island was already inundated with election posters and stickers. One sticker caught my eye, something about "Kontra Aborsyon" (against abortion). I asked about the sticker, but no one was sure which candidate had put it up. I found it almost a cruel joke, trying to get elected on an anti-abortion platform. This is an island where the most basic health services are not available, where family planning was only recently introduced. Here, women become pregnant year after year and abortion is probably not an option -- no money and lots of gossip.
It was a hot day when I visited, but I decided against going out swimming. Some of those who did go out came back glowing, describing the colorful corals and fish, and how you could just float there all day in perfect bliss, in this tropical paradise. Unfortunately, for too many of the children in these fishing communities, the reality is that of paradise lost.

Spiritualitiessssssssss....

2005-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

WHO can ever forget that grand Hollywood production, "The Ten Commandments"? Think, too, of how it has influenced the way we look at ethics and morality as rules set in stone, literally handed down by God amid thunder and lightning, to be followed word for word, through all time.
I am sure there are similar interpretations of ethics in other religions, "being good" identified with religiosity, with rituals and prayers and following prescribed rules of what to do and what not to do accompanied by threats of reward (heaven) and punishment (hell or purgatory).
Lately, people have started to talk of the need for spirituality, which I think is a positive move in the way it refers to a world-view, a sense of right or wrong, that comes out of critical reflection and discernment. Unfortunately though, words have a way of becoming trivialized and sometimes I suspect people still mean "religiosity" when they talk about the need for "spirituality." I hear references, for example, to "Catholic spirituality," implying some absolute monolithic model, again handed down from the heavens like in a Hollywood film. This usage again defines one's own group as distinct from "others," usually implying one's own "spirituality" is superior to that of others.
In reality, there are many different Catholic spiritualities, and even more variations of Christian spiritualities, all of them ways of trying to be like Christ, or at least an aspect of Christ. These spiritualities are often associated with particular religious orders, reflecting the thinking of its founders who, in turn, were shaped by the historical circumstances in which they lived.
That's a lot of words to process, so let's get straight to some examples which I'm drawing from a book by Chris Lowney called "Heroic Leadership," which focuses on Jesuit spirituality (another column, I promise) and a lecture in 2002 by the Ateneo de Manila University's Father Bienvenido Nebres.
We start off with Benedictine spirituality. The Benedictine order was established in the 6th century, at a time when Europe was in ferment, slowly slipping into what has been called the Dark Ages, as Attila the Hun and his "barbaric" hordes destroyed what was left of the Roman Empire.
Benedictine spirituality sought to retreat from the chaos of the outside world, offering order through monastic life and discipline. Benedictine monks had to take a vow of stability, agreeing to stay in a monastic house until they died, their lives revolving around the rhythm of prayers, seven times a day from Matins at 2 a.m. to the Compline at 7 p.m.
It wasn't all prayer in the monasteries-the monks appreciated the dignity of labor, growing their own food and becoming quite self-sufficient. What was striking about the Benedictines was that they never really retreated from the world, their monasteries actually open to visitors and the outside world. Today, some Benedictines generate income through computer work, still faithful to their sixth-century principle of Order through Labor.
The Franciscans emerged several centuries later, in the 12th century. Europe was moving out of the Dark Ages, with urban centers developing together with a new and affluent merchant class. Against this backdrop, we have Francis of Assisi developing a religious order that rejected the lifestyles of the rich, seeking to identify with the poor Christ. Franciscan spirituality comes closest to current New Age philosophies, with an emphasis on harmony with nature and simplicity. Saint Francis' feast day is used, even today, for a blessing of pets, commemorating his own closeness to nature.
The Dominicans were contemporaries of the Franciscans, established literally as Ordo Praecatorium (O.P.), the Order of Preachers. They were established at a time when the Catholic Church was highly factionalized, with the groups attacking each other as heretics. The Order of Preachers was there to uphold The Faith. To this day, Dominican schools emphasize theology and philosophy, and are generally thought of as conservatives although there are in fact Dominicans today who believe that preaching includes defense of the poor and upholding social justice.
The Society of Jesus was established in the 16th century, at a time when Protestantism was rapidly growing, literally in protest against the Catholic religious' excesses. The Jesuits' founder was a former soldier, and drew from the military for many of his religious metaphors. Instead of retreating from the world, the Jesuits chose to engage the world, setting off for the most difficult and remote places.
Our schools -- Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, or secular, as with government institutions -- need to make students more conscious of the different spiritualities that exist, how they came about, and how the spiritualities need to respond to the needs of our times, as they did in the past.
I studied in Jesuit schools for 12 years and am realizing how this education continues to shape my view of the world, sometimes in paradoxical ways. I think of how my staying in the University of the Philippines and (so far) resisting invitations to join the Ateneo de Manila full-time could in fact be a function of this Jesuit upbringing and spirituality, this sense that we need to give priority to hardship areas like the University of the Philippines!
We might want to ask ourselves, too, if our problems as a nation might have come about because we have imbibed too little of spirituality, and too much of the trappings of religion with its emphasis on public performances of piety and charity, its holier-than-thou sectarianism, its intolerant and divisive dogmatism.
Our redemption as a nation may yet come as we learn from the different spiritualities that women and men have developed through the ages, responding to the needs of their times. Even limiting ourselves to the four "Catholic" spiritualities I just described, we will find they offer many lessons for life.
The Jesuits remind us that Christ did engage the world, often with great passion, but the Franciscans remind us Christ did all this without armies, without material wealth. (Some) Dominicans remind us we need to preach, but that Christ was most effective when he preached through deeds.
And the Benedictines, I will admit they do "tempt" me too with their reminders that while we might want to engage the world, we should guard against being engulfed by it, and that there will be times, too, when we need to build peace within our own homes and our hearts, without having to set up walls.

c h i l d b r i d e s

2005-11-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

THEY'RE married off at the rate of 25,000 each day. That's each day, not each year.
Child brides are those who are married before the age of 18. In several countries, these young marriages are actually the norm. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) gives some startling figures, noting that in Niger, 82 percent of girls would have been married by the age of 18. In Bangladesh, the figure is 75 percent, in Mali it's 63 percent, in Ethiopia and India it's 57 percent.
Some readers are probably not too shocked, having seen teenagers getting married, but when we talk about child brides, we include quite a large number of very young girls. In Nepal, according to the ICRW, 7 percent of girls are married before the age of 10. By the age of 15, 40 percent would have been married.
Again, one could be callous and ask, "So?" Mary, the mother of Jesus, was probably about 14 or 15 when she was pregnant, again reflecting norms that persisted for many centuries in many societies. Many of us, myself included, might in fact have grandmothers or great-grandmothers who were married at a very young age.
Last week I attended the Global Health Council's annual conference in Washington and one of the main themes discussed was early marriage, with several papers discussing the terrible consequences on individuals and on societies of such traditions.
Some of the problems these child brides face deal with biology. Sexual intercourse, pregnancy and childbirth all carry risks for these young girls because their bodies aren't quite prepared for the physiological stress. There are all kinds of complications accompanying pregnancy, including a prolapse of the uterus (buwa in Filipino). A Tagalog aphorism about a pregnant woman having one foot in the grave probably grew out of observations of the many young girls who died delivering a child (literally, a child delivering a child, when you think about it).
I was struck though by one of the presentations at the Global Health Council meeting where they showed death rates of young mothers. The figures were astronomically high for developing countries, but when they showed the figures for teenage mothers in the United States, the death rate was miniscule. The point made by the speaker was that the health risks for child brides go beyond biology and may in fact be largely determined by society and culture, such as the type of health care provided.
Certainly, there's a world of a difference between a 13-year-old American girl and her counterpart in, say, Bangladesh. Young girls in Third World countries are much more vulnerable because they are practically powerless. They are married off to men they may have never seen before. Once married, they become their husband's property, there to serve the husband's family and to bear his children. In such settings, they are much more prone to abuse from the husband and his family.
In many countries, the power inequality between the bride and the groom is amplified by a large age difference, meaning the male is often much older than the child brides. Dr. Judith Bruce of the Population Council pointed out how this age difference increases the risks of the child brides for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS: Because the men are older, they would have had more sexual partners, including the possibilities of having acquired HIV/AIDS. In other cases, these older men continue to have unprotected sex with many partners even after marrying the young bride.
Bruce had statistics to show that these child brides are at greater risk of being infected with HIV because as someone who is married, they have sex more often than a sexually active single girl, and that sex is almost always unprotected since obviously she cannot ask her husband to use a condom. In fact, these young brides are often under intense pressure to start having children as early as possible.
Bruce and the other speakers emphasized that this tradition of early marriage is part of a cycle of poverty. It is mainly in poor families where you have early marriage. In urban slums and rural areas, parents will not invest in the education of their daughters because they see them as liabilities, girls who will leave them eventually. Sometimes, the poverty pushes them to marry off their daughters as early as possible.
Once married, these girls will no longer be able to stay in school. They tend to be socially isolated, sequestered at home to raise another generation of children where daughters are again deprived of opportunities to break out of the intergenerational cycles of early marriage and poverty.
Ultimately, society pays for this. The young brides, as well as their children, face greater risks for illness and death. The young brides also represent "wasted human capital," reduced to becoming baby-makers.
What's the situation in the Philippines? Officially, our Family Code prescribes a minimum age of 18 for marriage, but there are quite a number of exceptions here. Indigenous communities, for example, are allowed to use custom law for marriages, which can mean very young brides and grooms.
In addition, Presidential Decree 1083, issued during the time of Marcos, prescribes Sharia or Islamic law for marriages, allowing "any Muslim male at least fifteen years of age and any Muslim female of the age of puberty or upwards" to get married. The law actually states that a Sharia court can order marriage for a girl aged between 12 and 15.
Many of these early marriages among cultural minorities and Muslims will be arranged, which means the young brides have little negotiating power to protect themselves from abuse.
Let's not forget, too, that even among Christian Filipinos, it's common to fake the age of a young couple where the girl has become pregnant and the family wants to rush a marriage. To avoid social stigma, a young girl is condemned to an early marriage. The only consolation we have here is that in these situations, the early pregnancy and marriage are more likely to have occurred because of courtship, involving a young male and female. The power inequality would not be as problematic, but "love" itself, as we know too well, doesn't necessarily mean a better life for the young couple, especially the bride.
I have a student who is doing her doctoral research on these young couples, her research site being a typical lowland Christian community in one of the Central Luzon provinces. I'm hoping other graduate students will do similar research in other settings, including our cultural minority groups, on a topic around which there's too much silence, and acceptance.

The Teacher-Student Relationship

2005-10-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

by : Jose Arvin Mesa Dogillo

(1) The one extreme is the idea that goes something like this: "Me teacher. You student. You do, think and act exactly as I command if you want to learn or be anything."
(2) The other extreme: "There are no teachers and no students for we are all teachers, and we are all students. One person is not above another and everyone's words have equal value."
Even though people in these two camps see each other as an agent of evil and opposite to themselves, the concept espoused by each has the same effect.
And what is that?
That effect is to turn the student into a non-thinking animal, or "beast," as it is called in the Book of Revelations.
THE ILLUSION OF EXTREME #1 There are many problems associated with Extreme One.
(1) No earthly teacher is flawless. Therefore, if you are limited to learning exactly according to the mindset of the teacher you will also inherit his flaws.
(2) This black and white method of teaching only allows for the dissemination of facts and not principles. It takes a thousand facts to create the understanding of one principle, but one principle can reveal an infinite number of facts. Therefore an enlightened teacher will stimulate understanding of principles.
For instance, the Keys of Knowledge are centered around principles and cannot be revealed as mere facts, or they will not be comprehended.
We will talk more about principles and facts in future books and writings.
(3) This method takes away freedom of thought. Instead of stimulating the student's own intuition by directing him toward his own soul, the teacher steals his thought process from him by demanding that he accept everything without question.
An example of an extreme failure of a student from this mindset is the religious fanatic who will kill himself and others with a bomb tied to his back so he can secure a place in heaven. Another example would be the Jim Jones group who committed mass suicide. Still another - the group that goes to the mountain top to be raptured (because their teacher set a certain date) only to discover that Jesus seemed to have changed his mind because they were just not good enough.
These are extreme examples, but all who follow the black and white teacher of the first extreme have their progress tied up to some degree in actions of a similar degree of ridiculousness.
THE ILLUSION OF EXTREME #2 This is the feel-good extreme, the seemingly safe extreme, the we-are-not-judging-each-other extreme. How could this extreme be negative if the intent is to establish equality?
Remember another extreme that tried to establish equality? It was and is called Communism. The ideal of equality sought in Communism has nothing wrong with it, but because it diffused individual thought, freedom and soul contact it turned into a great evil.
The great illusion of extreme #2 is that the basic ideal is good, but this ideal is attempted through illusion. True equality can only be achieved through true principles and freedom, not illusion.
The truth overlooked in extreme #2 is this: In the reality we are presently in, there are teachers and there are students. Even though there is an equality on the soul level we are very diverse on the physical, emotional and mental levels.
To understand this we must first define what a student and teacher is. The student and teacher are a symbol of the two basic energies of the universe which are represented as positive-negative; yin-yang; male-female; light-dark; hot-cold, and finally giving-receiving. These two energies flows or items are called the dualities. Wherever there is form there exists positive-negative, giving and receiving. Thus, in any relationship of two people one will be polarized as the teacher (giver) and the other as the student (the receiver).
Objection: In most relationships you are sometimes the teacher or giver, and other times the student and receiver. It seems egotistical to think of yourself as always the teacher.
Answer: All of us have within us the giving and receiving (positive-negative) principles, but we are talking about polarization here. If you are polarized as a male, this means you have more male energies within you than female. It does not mean that you do not have female energies available.
In a relationship, you both give and receive, but the giving and receiving is NEVER equal in this world. If you are giving more than receiving, then by default you become the teacher in the relationship. Because this statement is true and truth must be recognized to escape from this veil of illusion, then this student-teacher relationship must be recognized before true equality can even be dreamed of.
Let us take the relationship I have with Rick, the initiator of the Keys of Knowledge list. Overall I am polarized as his teacher, but the true teacher will always be open to receiving from the student when the opportunity permits. Rick gave me that opportunity by presenting the idea of a discussion group. Now if I saw that this was a bad idea I would have remained in the teaching position and taught him why it was a bad idea, but because I could find no reason to object I became obligated to become the student for a time and let him carry the ball and let him teach me. As long as the direction he was going registers well with my soul I am obligated as a disciple of truth to follow.
The highest of the Masters who have overcome physical death would see themselves polarized as a teacher in a relationship with any of us, yet they still recognize that we can do certain things better than they can. For example, most of us in the human kingdom understand that we are of much higher intelligence overall than any animal. No animal, for instance, would have any concept about building an automobile or spacecraft as man has done. But on the other hand, a human can never build a beaver damn as well as a beaver. Beavers already have the knowledge to build them better and faster than we can.
The relationship of the God Kingdom to man is similar in correspondence to the human kingdom and the animal. The attention of the Masters is set on many lofty ideas that man does not even comprehend, yet there are many things in the human world that man is more capable of performing well than is the Highest of Masters.
This is the main reason we do not see more of them, as the more directly they become involved by doing for us what we can do for ourselves, the more things get screwed up.
The powers that be learned this painful lesson during Atlantis. During part of this period the Masters associated much more freely with humans and gave them much knowledge that they were not yet ready to handle. The result was that the entire civilization was destroyed and we had to start over again.
The Masters learned their lesson and this time have committed themselves to only helping us when we cannot help ourselves. They do assist behind the scenes but only work through our personal desires and free will.
The goal at present is to move certain groups in the human kingdom towards alignment with the kingdom of God so heaven and earth can be brought together. This will result in a truly beneficial interplay between the two kingdoms that will assist rather than destroy humanity.
Now getting back to the Teacher-Student principle, I will say this. It is extremely important that this concept be recognized because without it we will be polarized on one of the above extremes; the only way we will advance toward the soul in that case is through tremendous pain. Discovering where your right place is in a relationship creates a detour around the pain and progression toward the greater light.
In the true student-teacher relationship authority is only recognized because it is earned.
Let's say you want to learn Spanish and two teachers surface who say they can teach you. They both seem equally convincing, but the truth is that one of them knows the language well and the other one does not. If you accept either as an authority just because he or someone else tells you to, then you have a 50-50 chance of getting a bad teacher. What do you do? You test the teacher. Have him actually speak some Spanish. Give him several paragraphs from English and see if he can translate and then check out the translation for correctness. Finally, you will establish in your mind that one of them can truly teach you.
Once you have tested your teacher then you do not have to check up on him in every little detail; but when you have learned the basics and want to go to advanced Spanish, you do need to check again to see if he has anything more for you or if you need to move on to another teacher. This point is dangerous ground for the student, for sometimes his false ego will convince him that he knows Spanish as well or better than the teacher when in reality he may not. In this case the student often goes off to teach before he has learned all the lessons.
To be a good student takes as much wisdom as it does to be a good teacher. In the case of spiritual teachings, the ultimate test of truth is from the inner self. This inner self, through the medium of the Soul, contacts and registers the Holy Spirit, which is capable of verifying all true principles. In short, this process is called "soul contact." Soul contact has little to do with facts, except in important circumstances, but it has much to do with principles. For instance, your soul may not verify to you what an inhabitant of Sirius looks like or how many there are, but it will verify to you the principle of life and its existence elsewhere in the universe.
If a man or woman comes forth and presents or is presented as a spiritual teacher, you must not accept him or her (we'll say "him" for simplicity) just because a claim is made. You must test him.
How do you test him? Listen to his words and test them with your soul. If your soul says no then drop him immediately. If your soul says nothing then test some more until you receive an inner response. When you finally do receive an inner response does this mean you should now accept the teacher?
Maybe yes, maybe no - because there is a true soul contact and a false one. There are many people who are sincere seekers who have never in their life received a true soul contact and therefore mistake a high emotional feeling for soul. This can be very deceptive and can produce the type of person who may have anything from a harmless delusion to one who will destroy others for his master. If you are not sure you have ever received soul contact it means you have not - at least in fullness. When you do, you recognize it and know what has happened. It is like coming home.
On the other hand, not all who are sure they have received soul contact have received it. Some feel a high emotional energy and are sure they have touched the aura of God Himself, yet are completely deceived.
Only those who have received true soul contact can know a thing for sure and can recognize a true teacher from a false one. The only way to know if another has achieved soul contact is to achieve it yourself. One person who has received this contact can recognize another who has received it.
Question: If only a small number have soul contact and you're not positive if you have, are you doomed to be deceived?
No you are not. Soul contact is available to all who with pure intent seek after it. The seeker does not even have to be highly evolved to feel it. But if you are not sure if you have received it yet, here are some guidelines to keep you on the right course.
(1) Keep your intentions pure and seek the service of the whole above the service to the ego.
(2) Seek with sincerity to know more and to go higher.
(3) Let common sense rule above lower emotional feeling. If your teacher says that aliens are coming to pick you up on a certain date and then they don't arrive, that ought to tell you something. No matter what excuses he makes he was wrong and now all his teachings should be suspect. Maybe you should be teaching him.
(4) When any degree of soul contact is reached and you receive direction from the soul, keep following that instruction until more is given. If you do not, you may be cut off for a long period and wind up in an illusionary path. Always follow the highest you can perceive.
(5) Remember the words of the Master: "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be who enter, but wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to death and many there be who go therein." The teachers of the wide gate are legion and are easy to find. The teachers who lead to the life of the soul are few, but fortunately can be verified by the soul.
As one who sees himself presenting true spiritual principles, I invite you to check with your souls about the writings that are to be presented here. As you read this and the many teachings to follow you are encouraged to always check with the still small voice that dwells within so you can verify the truth of all things presented.
"The matter of prime importance to each student is not the fact of a particular teacher's personality but the measure of truth for which he stands, and the student's power to discriminate between truth, partial truth, and falsity."

a r s e n a l . . .

2005-10-12T01:38:00.000-07:00

Arsenal began as a works team for the Woolwich Armaments. They were founded in 1886 as Dial Square. The name soon became Woolwich Arsenal and they played their first match at Plumstead Common. They soon joined the old Second Division playing regularly against professional clubs.
The problem with South London was that it was difficult to get to; attendances were therefore low. After short spell in the First Division their lack of attendances (and consequent lack of money) meant that they had mediocre players. By 1913 they were back struggling in the Second Division. There would be three turning points in the history of the club that would transform them into one of the most famous in the world.
The first turning point was the move to North London. The club chairman wanted to merge Woolwich Arsenal with Fulham but that plan fell through. So a ground was found near a theological college in Highbury not far from Gillespie Road Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. Access was good from all parts of London, and the area was residential thus supplying supporters. Tottenham Hotspur, four miles away, objected to the move but were over-ruled; the South London club maintaining that there was enough potential support for both clubs.
In 1915 the move was completed and the club dropped the Woolwich from its name to become Arsenal. However, it was still an average Second Division team. In 1919 Arsenal won election to the First Division when it was expanded to 22 clubs. This was the second turning point in Arsenal's history. Since this election was at the expense of neighbours Tottenham, this set the enmity between the two clubs that lasts to this day.
The 1920s saw Arsenal as an average First Division club usually finishing in the middle of the table. The third turning point in Arsenal's history occurred when Herbert Chapman was appointed manager. He had made Huddersfield Town the dominant team in the 20s. Highbury was the platform he needed to try out his new ideas. He took Arsenal to 2nd in the First Division in 1926 and to the FA Cup Final in 1927. They lost 0 - 1 to Cardiff City (the only time that the FA Cup has gone out of England). This was still the best that Arsenal had done so far in their history.
It was during the 1930s that Arsenal became a football force. Chapman built a new stadium complete with marble halls, set up under-soil heating so that matches could be played in all weathers, set up the best medical facilities in the country to treat players, and began youth schemes to train young players. His proposals to number shirts and have floodlights were rejected by the football authorities. His innovations showed he was a man ahead of his time. Tactically, Chapman was astute enough to attack the weaknesses of other teams while playing to Arsenal's strengths. Outside of football, Chapman, had the tube station's name changed to Arsenal. Chapman made Arsenal the most successful and richest club in the country. Everybody wanted to beat them.
In 1930 Arsenal won their first trophy, the FA Cup, beating Chapman's old club, Huddersfield Town, 2 - 0. In 1931, Arsenal became the first London club to win the First Division Championship. They set up a new points total which was not bettered for 30 years. In 1932, Arsenal almost became the first club this Century to win both the FA Cup and the League. They finished 2nd in both, losing the FA Cup Final 1 - 2 to Newcastle United. In 1933, 1934, 1935 Arsenal were Champions, one of only three clubs to win three consecutive Championships. They had their upsets however: in 1933 they lost a cup game to Walsall of the old Third Division, a team that cost less than Arsenal's boots. Chapman died during this period, but he is considered to have been the first modern football manager. In 1934, England played an international game with seven Arsenal players, still a record. 1936 saw a second FA Cup win (1 - 0 against Sheffield United). During that season, Ted Drake set a record by scoring 7 goals in an away game at Aston Villa. A fourth Championship was captured in 1938 before World War II stopped competitive football for six years.
In 1947, professional football resumed but the ravages of war left Arsenal weaker. They were almost relegated from the top division. They rallied in 1948 leading from start to finish to capture their fifth Championship. Towards the end of that season, a match against second placed Manchester United attracted over 82,000 people. That remains the highest ever attendance for a league game in England.
1950 saw a third FA Cup win (2 - 0 against Liverpool). Arsenal won the Cup without leaving London. They were back at Wembley in 1952 but lost 0 - 1 to Newcastle United after an injury. This was in the days before substitutes were allowed. In 1953, a win in the final match gave Arsenal their 7th Championship, then a record. They finished equal on points to Preston North End but had scored more goals!
The next 17 years were barren for Arsenal followers. The lack of trophies was made worse by the fact that Tottenham had their golden period between 1960 and 1967. During those years Tottenham became the first club this century to win the FA Cup and League in the same season (1961), retained the Cup in 1962, became the first English club to win one of the new European trophies (1963), and won the FA Cup again in 1967.
In 1961 the League Cup had started. Arsenal reached the final of this trophy (called the Micky Mouse Cup by some!) in 1968 but lost 0 - 1 to Leeds United. A year later they returned to the final and faced Third Division Swindon Town. Arsenal were hot favourites. In fact they lost 1 - 3 after extra time. A flu virus was partially blamed but this was Arsenal's lowest point in recent times. Little did they know that it was to be the beginning of a new golden age.
Although they'd won nothing, Arsenal had finished high enough in the League to qualify for the one of the European competitions that had began during the late 1950s. In the end they won the European Fairs Cup by beating one of Belgium's best sides, Anderlecht, over two games. Arsenal lost 1 - 3 in Belgium but a packed Highbury saw their team win 3 - 0 to take their first trophy for 17 years.
1971 was a classic year for Arsenal. One Monday in May, thousands were locked out of Tottenham's ground as Arsenal won 1 - 0 in the final League game of the season. This result allowed Arsenal to overhaul Leeds United and take their eighth Championship. Five days later they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2 - 1 in the FA Cup Final to become only the second club this Century to 'do the double'. A year later, Arsenal returned to Wembley but lost 0 - 1 to a Leeds United side looking for revenge.
Arsenal reached the FA Cup Final in three consecutive years during the 70s, the first time a club had done so this Century. The first Final was lost 0 - 1 to Ipswich Town, the second won 3 - 2 against Manchester United, the third lost 0 - 1 to West Ham United after a gruelling four match semi-final against Liverpool.
Most disappointing of all was what happened after the 1980 Final. Arsenal had also reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup, another European competition. The game was against the Spanish club, Valencia. It ended 0 - 0 after extra time and Arsenal lost on penalties.
The early 80s were quiet. In 1986 George Graham became manager of Arsenal. He turned out to be Arsenal's most successful manager. In 1987, Arsenal finally won the League Cup (by this time called the Littlewoods Cup). They beat old rivals Tottenham in the semi-final, and came from behind to take the final 2 - 1 against Liverpool. 1988 saw Arsenal squander a 2 - 1 lead to lose 3 - 2 against Luton Town.
In 1989, Arsenal went to Liverpool for the final game of the season needing to win by two clear goals to be Champions. Leading by only a goal, as Liverpool began to celebrate, Arsenal scored a last minute goal to win 2 - 0 and snatch the Championship from under the noses of the Liverpool supporters.
Two years later (1991), Arsenal lost only one League game (a record for the 20th Century) to take their 10th Championship with a frustrated Liverpool finishing second. Only Liverpool have the won the Championship more times.
In 1993 Arsenal completed a unique cup double by becoming the only club to win the League Cup (now called the Coca Cola Cup) and the FA Cup in one season. They won both finals by 2 - 1 against Sheffield Wednesday, the winning goal in the FA Cup coming in the last minute of extra time. Their appearance in 12 FA Cup Finals was a record.
1994 saw Arsenal win their second European trophy, beating the Italian club Parma, 1 - 0 in Copenhagan. They reached the 1995 final only to lose 1 - 2 to a last minute goal against Real Zaragosa. By this time George Graham had left under a cloud.
Arsene Wenger became Arsenal's first foreign manager in 1996. In 1998, Arsenal completed the double for the second time in their history. Coming from 12 points behind, Arsenal won ten games on the trot to beat Manchester United to the championship. In the FA Cup final Arsenal beat Newcastle United by 2 - 0.
The following year they finished second in the League and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.
In 2000 Arsenal again finished second in the League and reached the final of the UEFA Cup. They lost on penalties to the Turkish club, Galatasaray after a 0 - 0 draw. A year later they finished second in the League for the third year running and played in the FA Cup final in Cardiff, losing to Liverpool, 1 - 2.
In 2002 Arsenal returned to Cardiff to win the FA Cup 2 - 0 against Chelsea. A few days later a 1 - 0 win at Manchester United gave Arsenal their 12th Championship and their third double. They completed an entire season without losing away, a feat not done since 1889.
They couldn't quite retain the Championship in 2003, finishing second after a promising start. They did retain the FA Cup beating Southampton 1 - 0 in their third successive final.
In 2004, Arsenal won the Championship and went through the entire league season (38 games) unbeaten. They completed a record-breaking run of 49 unbeaten league matches which began from the penultimate game of the 2003 season and ended on the ninth match of 2005. It was not enough to retain the League but another FA Cup was won, on penalties against Manchester United.
In the League, Arsenal's 79 consecutive years in the top division is a League record.

it's hard to be a model...hehehe

2005-10-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

my biology 14 (microtechnique) class!!!

2005-10-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

A dream of being a teacher is telling you that, if you want to avoid unpleasant repercussions, you must control your tendency to hunt with the hounds and run with the hare. Otherwise...

tuna nga natawhan...hasta san ak0n kamatay0n!

2005-10-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Calbayog ko...mutya ka nga pinili...an dagway mo...labi sin kahamili...burabod ka sin kahimyang...langit nga kahimtang ug kalinaw...bulahan an imo ngaran sa bisan diin Calbayog sangyaw...baraan ka...minahal ka san adlaw...kay bisan la an bugnaw sa haropoy mo...nakakapukaw sadton may inop... sa pisngi nakablit ug naharok...tugahan nga puroy-an...sadang kamatyan ko...

our very own SARAKIKI Festival

2005-09-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

THEY flapped their wings, scratched the ground, and wiggled their tails as they danced and romped through the main streets of Calbayog City, during the vesper day parade on Sept. 7, held in celebration of the city fiesta in honor of the Our Lady of Nativity.

People lined both sides of the street to witness another performance of the Sarakiki-Hadang Festival. They also went to the Christ the King College grounds for the formal presentation of a dance ritual by the skilled dancers dressed like chickens. In fact, the dancers had become the joy and pride of the locals who would always crow about the dance group's success.

The group was first organized as the Sarakiki Festival in the mid-1990s, during the term of then Mayor Reynaldo Uy, who is now the representative of Samar's first district. The city government wanted then to have a festival that would instill pride and sense of identity among the Calbayognons and to unify them as one community. They settled on the Sarakiki Festival.

Sarakiki is said to be based on the legend of Ilahas and Mahusay, which means wildlife and beautiful. According to legend, Ilahas invented a new dance that he and Mahusay performed before their tribe in Ibatan (now Calbayog). The dance movements were patterned after those of a cock.

Sarakiki is a Waray term that describes the movement of a rooster when it tries to court a hen or to provoke another rooster to a fight. The cock spreads one of his wings down and moves fast with one leg up, around the object his love or enemy. Imitating the rooster, the dancers also clench their fists with the thumbs out, to represent the fowl's gaff (tadi in Waray and tari in Tagalog).

Incidentally, the dance movements can also be seen in the kuratsa, a popular courtship dance of the Warays.

Ancient rite

Since its first public appearance, the city government, through the City Arts and Culture Office, has sponsored the Sarakiki Festival. Aside from the city officials, parents, students and members of private organizations have also been supportive of the event.

When Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento assumed office in 2001, the holding of the festival was temporarily stopped. It was revived the following year as the Sarakiki-Hadang Festival.

Hadang is an ancient rite said to have been performed by early Calbayognons when asking the gods for a bountiful harvest, cure of the sick, or the defeat of the enemy, among others.

A Hadang Ritual Competition marked the opening of the recent week-long festival. The first prize went to the Trinidad National High School, while the national high schools of Oquendo and San Joaquin bagged the second and third prizes.

Among the other features of the celebration were cultural shows, body-painting contest, band competition and a regional brain and beauty contest dubbed "Search for Miss Anyag 2003," which was won by 18-year-old Ruby Rose Reyes of nearby Gandara, Samar.

The Sarakiki-Hadang Festival group is composed of 109 student-dancers from different city schools and 15 city government employees. It uses at least 12 bamboo drums, 12 snare drums and six bass drums.

Wacky dance

And whenever the beating of the drums starts, lead dancer Eddie "Wacky" Flores again leads his flock of dancing chickens in what seemed to be a frenzied but actually well-coordinated movements that never fail to enthrall the crowd.

With adrenaline rushing, Wacky and his fellow dancers perform the rooster's courtship movement by swaying their body, stomping their feet, and flailing their hands to the rhythm of the drumbeats.

On his own, Wacky would perform his own version of the "chicken walk" or wag his long feather tail to the delight of the crowd.

The Sarakiki has already won several awards in regional competitions. During the recent Tandaya-Ibabao Festival of Festivals in Tacloban City, it no longer competed but performed an exhibition number.

In the national scene, the group was recently adjudged second runner-up during the Aliwan Festival dance competition in May at the Star City. It was also invited to perform during the opening on Sept. 18 of the "Best in Region 8," an activity sponsored by the Department of Tourism under its "WOW Philippines" program.

PINOY BIG BROTHER!

2005-09-04T02:32:00.000-07:00

Pinoy Big Brother who? Pinoy Big Brother is the owner of the Big Brother House, the place where 12 complete strangers will try to live their bizarre lifestyle for 100 days. He is the mysterious voice that delegates tasks and challenges to the 12 housemates. He also listens to the confessions of the 12 strangers as they go through their rigorous Big Brother lifestyle. The Arrival From a hotel located in Ortigas, the housemates arrived one by one infront of the house as hosts Willie Revillame, Toni Gonzaga and Marielle Rodriguez introduced them to the millions of viewers watching in their homes. This was also the first time that the twelve housemates saw and greet each other. First to arrive was housmate Frederico Barrera. He was followed by Chx Alcala, Jason Gainza, Nene Tamayo, Bob De La Cruz, Sey Alonzo, Cassandra Ponit, JB Magsaysay, Racquel reyes, Uma Khaouny, Jenny Suico and Franzen Macaraeg. The 12 complete strangers were very emotional as they bid goodbye to their family members and close friends, whom they will not see in the next 100 days. Most of them cried as their close loved ones hugged and kissed them for the last time, before they entered the house.
The Start of 100 days of Pinoy Big Brother Lifestyle
After they were introduced, The hosts escorted them to the house. They were all excited and immediately went around the house and checked the place where they will stay in the next one hundred days. They were about to eat dinner, when, for the first time, Pinoy big Brother spoke to the housemates and asked them to do their first tasks, which was to capture three pigs in the Pinoy big Brother house garden

This is only the start as the twelve housemates face other difficult tasks and challenges of Pinoy Big Brother in the coming days. Will they find each other nice or will conflict set in as they discover each others’ complex personality. Find out on Pinoy Big Brother, nightly on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida after kampanerang Kuba. Other pinoy big brother updates can also be seen on Pinoy Big Brother Up-late, the
midnightedition of Pinoy big Brother. Studio 23 will also provide the latest information about Pinoy Big Brother on “Si Kuya, Kabarkada mo,” Mondays thru Thursday 630pm to
7pmand on Saturdays, 630pm.
Parating na siya!
1 house12 complete strangers100 days of isolation from the outside world
No phones, newspapers, radio or television setsNo contact with their loved ones
But there is someone who sees everything they do.He guides, he challenges, he inspires…He is Pinoy Big Brother.
Taking the whole world by storm, this reality show started in Europe, enthralled the US, Austraila, North & South America and is beginning to mesmerize Asia.
And now, Big Brother has set his eyes on the Philippines.
Ano nga ba ang pakiramdam kung ang bawat kilos mo ay minamanmanan bawat araw, bawat oras, bawat minuto?
Hanggang saan ang iyong titiisin mabigyan lang ng magandang buhay ang iyong pamilya?
Ito ang kapalit, upang pangarap mong isang milyong piso, bagong kotse at house & lot ay makamit.
In Pinoy Big Brother, 12 housemates will take on challenges as individuals or as a team,which will bring out the best and worst in them.
All of this will take place under the scrutiny of 26 cameras and numerous microphones mounted all over the Pinoy Big Brother house, broadcast on national television.It’s real-life drama, real comedy and real victories… and failures.
Tunay ang iyakan. Tunay ang tawanan. Tunay ang bawat emosyon na mararamdaman.
Ito ang teleserye ng totoong buhay ng Pinoy!

my hometown...CALBAYOG CITY, SAMAR!

2005-09-03T01:15:00.000-07:00

my friends in the INTERNET...[mimi, momo and mumu-as i called them]

2005-09-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

I thank GOD i was blessed with the skill of understanding the technology of ours today...i am very thankful i have learned how to use the computer especiall the internet...as i have considered it the best in our modern technology...being an adopted son of science, technology is quite inseparable to my life...i just wonder why of all the people on earth...these three little singaporean exhibit interest in me [and that i don't know...whew!]...needless to say that i cannot [frankly speaking] understand what they are saying and expressing because they are not good in speaking the english language...in fairness to them because they form part of my friend circle...they try their best in able to have me as their colleague...to these gracious people [mimi, momo, amd mumu] mere acknowledgment will not suffice for all the good things you have shown me in the times of our friendship...there is no enough room in these page to even begin to thank you for all the sincerity you have shown me, the good chatting times even we don't see each other [for we are just permitted to talk virtually], but still you give your utmost respect to me as your dearest friend...i just hope what we have statrted will last till our friendship breathes...thank you for making my world a brighter place to live in...madamo nga salamat mga sangkay ko sa singapore[thank you very much my friends in Singapore!]
Good Luck and God Bless!
arvin

read those LABELS!

2005-09-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

THE FOOD and Drug Administration (FDA) has barred the entry into the United States of some 300 products from the Philippines for failing to meeting its standards.
The barred products, as reported in BusinessWorld, include food and beverages manufactured by some of our biggest companies, including US multinationals: Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.'s Royal Tru-Orange, RFM's White King Champorado Mix, Moo Chocolate and Ube Milk, Kraft Foods' Tang Guyabano and Ponkan C juice drinks as well as Sugarland's Eight O' Clock powdered juice, Del Monte's Italian-style and sweet-style spaghetti sauces, Philippine Beverage Partners' Jellyace snacks, Century Canning's Century Tuna, Liwayway's Oishi and Prawn Crackers, Zesto's Quik Chow Instant Pancit Canton, Leslie's Nacho Chips, Monde Denmark Nissin's Lucky Me instant noodles, Mama Sita sauces and even Universal Robina's Maxx and XO candies, Payless Instant Noodles and Nissin Yakisoba instant noodles.
A number of cosmetic and beauty products are also on the banned list, including skin-whitening products from Sara Lee and Splash, Getz Brothers' Salonpas, Johnson & Johnson's Modess and Clean & Clear Facial Wash, Kimberly Clark's Kotex and Interphil's feminine hygiene wash. Even the giant multinational Unilever was affected, with the following products barred: Leave-on hair conditioner, Closeup toothpaste, Pond's Cream, Wash and Fluid, and Vaseline Amino Collagen.
The list reminds us how powerful homegrown tastes can be even when one moves several thousand miles away. I can imagine Filipino-Americans protesting: What do you mean no more Maxx candies? Even worse, why aren't we getting Choc Nut anymore?
Note, too, a reversal of the colonial mentality. In the Philippines, we crave for "Stateside" products and yet when Filipinos finally make it to the Promised Land, there's nostalgia for Filipino products, from Closeup toothpaste to Salonpas. There are strange twists here as well: note the colonial mentality is still operational in the demand for skin-whitening products.
Which takes us to why the products were barred from entering the United States. For the cosmetic and "beauty" (I just had to add the quotation marks this time around) products, the ban was imposed because those products were not licensed by the FDA. Some products, like those skin whiteners, will never make it through FDA requirements, whether for safety or efficacy; yet, they're among the best-selling cosmetic products here in the Philippines (just check out Mercury Drug's shelves next time you visit and you'll find several versions).
Some of the larger food and beverage manufacturers whose products were barred have told BusinessWorld that their products are safe. Coca-Cola said it followed the same standards for production worldwide and that the ban was due to differences in labeling requirements in the Philippines and the United States.
An example of this difference is that here we only require manufacturers to indicate that food coloring has been used, while in the United States, the FDA requires that the actual name of each food coloring is indicated on the label.
But these differences in labeling requirements should make us rethink our own labeling requirements. Food coloring and other additives aren't as innocuous as we might think. Tartrazine, a yellow dye commonly used in candies, soft drinks and other foods, as well as additives such as sulfites (very common in preserved fruits) can cause severe reactions such as skin hives and asthma-like symptoms. These are not banned substances, but many countries require that labels indicate their presence in foods or beverages, as a warning to consumers who may be particularly sensitive to those chemicals.
A proper listing of all the foods that went into a package is also important. Muslims and Jews, for example, need to know if the product has any pork or pork derivatives in it. Very strict vegetarians will not take any food product with dairy or eggs.
Many of us are aware of allergies to seafood, but there are many other common foods that can cause sensitivity reactions in some people, including eggs, wheat and the different kinds of nuts, including peanuts. As with the food coloring and additives, these foods need to be indicated on the label as a warning. (On some British food products, I've noticed they even use an exclamation point accompanied by text that reads: "Contains Nuts.")
I have written about the dangers of excessive sodium intake because it can send blood pressure soaring. Again, a proper food label will tell you how much sodium comes with the product, and how close you're getting to the maximum recommended daily intake of 1,500 milligrams. (Lower that to 1,200 mg for people over 70.)
The Americans are also very strict about food products not making any therapeutic claims. This is important because many so-called herbal medicines are approved not as drugs but as foods, and when approved that way, they are not allowed -- both in the United States and in the Philippines -- to make any claims for preventing or curing diseases.
Recently I caught an ad on one of the larger radio stations for an herbal product, where the announcer dutifully read out, "Approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs. No therapeutic claims allowed." He paused a split second then went on to enumerate something like 20 diseases that the product supposedly could cure! I could almost imagine the product label reading "No therapeutic claims allowed" accompanied by the claims.
Instead of complaining about the United States barring our products, we should pick up some lessons on proper labeling of our food, beverage and cosmetic products. Schools should be teaching students how to read these labels, including detecting hype and false claims.

please D I S T U R B !

2005-09-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

EVERY evening at the Rockwell Center in Makati City, as plush boutiques wind down their activities, there is a building that goes in the other direction, coming alive as hundreds of students stream into Ateneo de Manila University's Professional Schools for their classes in law, government, and business.
For two nights this week, the building was busier than usual as the school brought several hundred students together for plenary lectures, part of an extraordinary exercise called Mulat-Diwa -- an opening of the mind or, in the words of Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, who heads the business school, "the eyes of the heart" -- to get the students to reflect on how business might contribute to the task of nation-building.
I was invited to lecture on culture and nation building while Ateneo's own Father Jojo Magadia spoke on economics, politics and poverty. I will admit that even after years of teaching, I found the assignment daunting. After all, we were being asked to deal with some 800 people at each session, our lectures transmitted live to several sites within the Rockwell campus, as well as to Ateneo's extension sites in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Subic, and Cebu City.
Skeptical? I will admit I was that way too; after all, talk about social conscience and nation building isn't usually done in a business school. Yet, by the end of the second round of talks, I could feel the atmosphere in the auditorium, and in the remote sites, was charged. People were, well, disturbed, and that was the most important point of the exercise.
Body mining
Before the plenary lectures, the students got to see an episode of GMA Network's TV program "Imbestigador," titled "Pobreng Pinoy" [Poor Filipino]. I have worked with the poor in rural and urban areas for many years, but "Pobreng Pinoy" still had new shocking revelations.
What was most striking about the documentary was the way the poor find ways to survive: subsisting on instant noodles, setting up shacks on rivers (to get around the ban on squatting on land), taking over abandoned vehicles to build a home. But its most disturbing revelations were about the selling of body parts, "kinakalkal ang katawan," or "mining the body," as program host Mike Enriquez put it. We hear of such cases, but I was not quite prepared to learn the extent of what could be sold.
"Pobreng Pinoy" featured professional blood donors, something the public has been aware of for a long time. But that was the mildest example of body mining. It also featured a man who had sold all his teeth to dental students needing subjects to practice tooth extractions. He still goes to these dental students, this time to let them practice on his mouth for the fitting of dentures. He has also become an agent, looking for other people willing to let dental students practice their extraction skills on them.
Another man interviewed on the show talked about how he had donated some of his skin for a patient needing grafts. He got P5,000 for a small piece of skin from his leg, and now plans to sell his kidney. The trade in kidneys is actually thriving, with buyers sometimes coming in from overseas.
The most shocking example of body mining was a man who had sold one of his eyes, for P50,000, the money used up to treat his mother's heart condition.
There were other heartbreaking stories in this trade of body parts, ending with a mother who had accepted P50,000 from someone who wanted to adopt her newborn child.
A nation dismembered
During one of the plenary sessions, the topic of overseas Filipino workers came up.
While recognizing the extent of remittances coming in, Father Jojo wondered if overseas labor was really making a dent on people's lives. Sure, homes are built and children get to finish college because of the remittances, but Father Jojo also wondered how much of workers' earnings go into productive activities to make a difference for national development.
I had to speak out, too, again acknowledging that our overseas workers are making heroic contributions to the Philippine economy but wondering what the long-term costs would be. I shared the story of a 21-year-old girl who had been recruited to work in Japan. She had become pregnant before she could leave, and after the baby was born she began to consider the possibilities of paying her way out of her contract.
The people at the promotions agency did not take kindly to her request to withdraw from the recruitment, first telling her she'd need to pay at least P70,000 for expenses they'd incurred for her training and documentation. Not only that, the staff lectured her on the need to be more responsible: "Aren't you ashamed to your younger brother and sister? By not going to Japan, you're letting them down."
As if that statement was not bad enough, she was always hectored: "Someday when your baby grows up, don't you think you'd be ashamed telling your child that you chose not to go to Japan to work?"
My regular readers know I've always been supportive of overseas workers but there are times, and they are becoming more frequent, when I wonder what the long-term social costs will be for such large-scale deployment.
The anecdote about the young girl who had just delivered stirred up the audience, and got Dr. Alfredo Bengzon to speak out, too, and to compare this massive exporting of labor to the trade in body parts. As our Filipinos leave, we become a nation dismembered, much like the poor who sell vital body organs.
My main concern is the way overseas work has totally changed, well, distorted, our priorities. Our national development plans seem to hinge on this export. Business establishments aim for the returning overseas worker, and their families, for their market -- everyone else seems too poor to afford to buy anything. Many of our schools have become mass assembly lines for a global labor market. And, most sadly, families now tell their kids, "You have to at least finish high school so that someday you can work abroad."
Finding the stars
Our plenary talks at the Ateneo had started out with a prayer written by South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was appropriately entitled "Disturb us, Lord," calling on God to stir the spirit "when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have become true because we dreamed too little; when we have arrived in safety because we sailed too close to the shore... when because of the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when, having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity." The prayer dares us to be bold, to venture out to the seas during a storm so that, "losing sight of land, we shall find the stars."
During the open forum, someone asked, "How will we find those stars?"
Maybe poverty, because it is so overwhelming lulls us into collective denial of our problems. If we are to chart our own national destiny it is time we put up signs that read, "Please do disturb."

r a d i o

2005-09-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

WHEN I was little, very little, my mother and I used to have a daily ritual: Every evening, after she returned from work, she'd plug in the radio and we'd listen together to classical music.
I can still see the little white box that always seemed to take ages to warm up, a few tentative notes slowly floating out, a slow crescendo before the full piece would burst into our living room.
One evening, tiny impatient Mike just couldn't wait for his daily dose of Bach and Beethoven and decided to get started on his own. I guess I figured it would be easy: Just plug the cord into the wall. You guessed it: I got zapped, surviving (obviously) but still leery today, many years later, of plugs and sockets.
The radio I still love, with a passion -- AM, FM, and more. Shortwave I discovered one summer in Legazpi City when I was sent there for a vacation with one of my father's business associates. They had one of those clunky but powerful radios (I'm imagining it now looming as large as a television set), with a dial that had all the different wavelengths. I was mesmerized by the way you could tune in to the entire world.
We didn't call it surfing then, but surf I did, from one end of each bandwidth to the other, across the exotic cacophonies of alien tongues and music, pausing occasionally when I'd hear some English.
It was the height of the Cold War so there were enough of these English broadcasts vying for young gullible minds like mine. Voice of America (VoA) had the strongest signals since it had relay stations right here in the Philippines. Radio Moscow came through, too, made all the more significant because our neighborhood grocery had started selling Sputnik, a Soviet propaganda magazine, which offered schedules for Radio Moscow, as well as lessons in the Cyrillic alphabet and stories about Soviet achievements. I was so impressed by their story about Laika, the Soviet astrodog, that I named one of our dachshunds after her.
When martial law was imposed, together with media censorship, shortwave became useful as an alternative source of news. By then a University of the Philippines student properly initiated to the politics of the Left, I had stopped listening to VoA, convinced it was nothing but US imperialist propaganda. Instead, I tuned in to the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). While one could have argued this was the voice of British imperialism (I learned only recently that the BBC World Service was once called the Empire Service), they at least used the King's English.
Radio Peking (it wasn't Beijing then) was another favorite. Somehow, the Chinese had found a way to get Tagalog broadcasts in through the edge of the AM frequency, with weak but audible signals. In retrospect, it was a rather dull station but there was a bit of a thrill listening in because technically it was considered a subversive activity. There were rumors, too, that the broadcasters' flawless, albeit formal Tagalog, had been trained by Filipino political activists who had gone into exile in China.
As television sets became more affordable, there were predictions radio would disappear. That hasn't happened. I still tune in quite often to AM stations, especially for their live coverage of breaking news, from the EDSA People Power revolts to attempted coups and political crises and natural disasters.
Sadly though, the fare on both TV and radio have deteriorated over the years as stations turn to tabloid formats of shrill sensationalized news and really bad music. It hasn't helped that the only classical musical station in the Philippines, dzFE, has been reducing its broadcast time.
Fortunately, new technologies provide us with fresh alternatives for listening to radio. The Internet now allows us to tune in to radio stations from around the world. I can be in Manila listening to a classical station in San Francisco, or to BBC, which is generally more critical and comprehensive in its coverage of news, whether cloning, the Iraq "wo" [war] or the archaeology of music. Conversely, one midnight, sequestered and homesick in the middle of a lake in Italy for a conference, I actually derived comfort listening to Metro Manila morning traffic updates on GMA Network's radio station dzBB, a link to which you can find on the Inquirer website.
Internet radio does have its limitations: Unless you have a high speed connection like DSL, listening to these broadcasts can become an ordeal, with constant interruptions and repeated attempts by the computer to unscramble the digital data.
An alternative is satellite radio. As far as I know, there's only one company doing global transmissions of this type, and this is Worldspace. You need a special radio, selling from 100 to 200 dollars, to pick up several radio stations beamed out through satellite. You can get more information on this service, including dealers who distribute their radios, on www.worldspace.com. (There are no local distributors yet but I got a good deal from a retailer in Thailand.)
The selection is quite good, from BBC and CNN to classical to African pop and Latin music, the broadcasts coming in crystal clear and in stereo. The only drawback to Worldspace is that you have to position a small satellite dish (about five inches in diameter) out in the garden or on the roof, making sure there is nothing, not even a tree branch, to interfere with the satellite signal.
You might ask why anyone should bother listening to BBC on the radio when you can get it on cable television. Well, with radio, you can continue working, as I am doing now, while getting the latest news or listening to a concert. There are times, too, when radio is more appropriate for unwinding, ending a day well spent, as my mother and I used to do when I was a child.
There still is room, certainly, for improvement. I can imagine writing, maybe in the year 2030, about those good old days when we listened to radio through incredibly slow high-speed Internet, or the times I had to climb the roof to install and, later, adjust the Worldspace satellite dish, my dogs watching from the ground apprehensively, whining away almost as if to warn me of the time when a much younger Mike got into trouble, all for radio.

tips for U 2b p0pulAr...

2005-09-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

Being attractive is the most important thing there isIf you wanna catch the biggest fish in your pondYou have to be as attractive as possibleMake sure to keep your hair spotless and cleanWash it at least every two weeksOnce every two weeksAnd if you see Johnny football hero in the hallTell him he played a great gameTell him you like his article in the newspaperI'm the party starI'm popularI've got my own carI'm popularI'll never get caughtI'm popularI make football betsI'm a teachers pet.I propose we support a one month limit on going steadyI think It will keep you both more able to dealwith weird situationsAnd get to know more peopleI think if you're ready to go out with JohnnyNow's the time to tell him about your one month limitHe wont mind he'll apreciate your fresh look on datingAnd once you've dated someone else you can datehim againI'm sure he'll like itEveryone will appreciate itYou're so novel, what a good ideaYou can keep your time to your selfYou don't need date insuranceYou can go out with whoever you want toEvery boy, every boy in the whole world could be yoursIf you'll just listen to my planTHE TEENAGE GUIDE TO POPULARITY

INTSIK secrets to success...hehehe!

2005-09-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

HERE are some tips for success from the "Intsik," the earlier generations of Chinese migrants to the Philippines. The secret to success isn't "feng shui" and good luck charms or staying home on Friday the 13th. Instead, the "secrets" involve common sense, as we see in the first tip, which is to find, or create your own niche.
The second pointer we can pick up from the Intsik relates to the first: Start small. The original "dyaryo't bote" -- people buying up old bottles and newspapers and, generally, junk -- were the Intsik. Others started as sidewalk vendors (my maternal grandfather sold handkerchiefs on the street in Chinatown's Rosario).
Another example is the SM mall chain. I still remember the original ShoeMart in the 1960s, a small shoe store on Rizal Avenue in Manila. Who would have predicted we'd see all those SM malls today? Today, older ethnic Chinese visit SM and sometimes comment, after seeing some of the stores, that they are worried that younger entrepreneurs have lost touch with reality, wanting to start too big, too soon.
The third tip again relates to the first two: Go for volume sales, rather than quick profits. The Intsik went for a few centavos' profit at a time (well, okay, these days, a few pesos), as with my grandfather's handkerchiefs. You still see this principle working, whether for jewelry in Chinatown, clothes and school supplies in Manila's Divisoria flea market area or cell phones in the Virra Mall bargain center. The reality is that there is no such thing as instant wealth; in fact, anyone who offers some investment scheme with quick returns is probably a con artist.
Quite often, this matter of yielding to the temptation to make quick profits relates to an unwillingness to start at the bottom. On a recent flight from San Francisco to Manila, I was seated beside a Filipino-American businessman who had done very well in the United States. He lamented how Filipinos in the United States, in contrast to the Chinese or the Thais, seemed to prefer working for someone in a white-collar job rather than being his or her own boss. A new Chinese migrant would start out maybe as a waiter but with the intention of saving up enough to open up his own small restaurant, putting in long hours, while aiming for small profits while serving good food. Eventually, they build up their clientele, and a little business empire.
Fourth, cultivate the "suki," a Tagalog word derived from the Hokkien Chinese "ju ke," which means No. 1 customer. Make all customers -- even first-time walk-ins -- feel they're No. 1 with little perks, like serving coffee and snacks. More importantly, offer special discounts, credit terms or even referrals to other businesses if you don't stock what they need.
Fifth, live within your means. I've written about our tendency, especially among the Filipino male, to splurge, and to avoid work that is "beneath" us. This "señorito" complex is found throughout the region. Indonesians call it the "priyayi" [aristocrat] mentality, the need to show off even if one doesn't have the means. Businesses flounder, then collapse, because money from sales, rather than being reinvested to generate more capital, are being squandered on prestige activities.
Sixth, put money into social investments. Tessie Ang See, one of the "Chinoy" [Chinese-Filipino] community's leaders, put it very well in a recent TV interview, "The reality is that you actually rarely see very rich, or very poor, Chinoys."
The reason for this is that the Chinese have all kinds of mutual-help projects extending from womb to tomb: clan associations, Chinese schools, hospitals, homes for the aged, even cemeteries. The schools were built, recognizing that the most important capital any community has is that of human resources. The Chinese schools are now among the best in the country, attracting even non-Chinese families.
But there was more to these social investments than human capital. Educating the young, caring for the sick and the aged, even burying the dead, all converged to build up a sense of community and of civic duty. Early in life, the Intsik learned that each hungry or homeless person, each child who drops out from school, was a source of shame, impoverishing the entire community.
Some of you may be asking, what's Mike Tan's "k" ("karapatan," or right) to talk about making money when he isn't even in business? I make no such claims, or rather I'm not limiting myself to talking about making money in the business sense. The "Intsik" principles apply as well to government and to NGOs, the sectors I'm involved in.
I've seen too many government projects fail because of policies that are shortsighted, failing to anticipate long-term needs and niches. I see projects that remain on the drafting stage for years because we talk too much, unwilling to buckle down to handling the most difficult yet crucial part: starting the project. And when other people decide to take the initiative, moving the project and producing results, we see demolition jobs to put down those who have tried to move the organization forward.
I see constituencies neglected, when every citizen should be treated like a "suki" since it's his taxes that pay for government employees' salaries. But no, government people tend to think the public owes them, rather than the other way around.
I see agencies living beyond their means-scarce resources wasted on large buildings, plush offices, vanity brochures and advertisements in newspapers (especially these days, as politicians make a last-minute pitch for votes).
I see government and NGO executives transforming tight operating budgets into personal expense accounts. While supported by all the correct necessary vouchers and forms, the purchases are often based on the official's whims and penchant for the latest technological gizmos, rather than the agency's needs. All this is really another form of corruption, and corruption is always bad business sense.
The Intsik secrets aren't really confined to private businesses. We're talking here about being successful in anything we do, whatever our sector might be. And if you ask how we might distill all those "secrets," I'd say they boil down to one very basic principle: Make good by doing good.

2005-09-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

THE SANTO Niño (Holy Child) is a quintessential Filipino Catholic icon, much loved and venerated, a little boy vested with the most extraordinary of powers. To be able to heal, many faith healers go into trances, their voices transformed into that of a little child to signify that the Santo Niño has taken over. Mothers pin Santo Niño medals on babies to protect them from illnesses and from harm in general. And what Filipino Catholic home would be complete without at least one image of the Santo Niño?
I know there's an entire coffee-table book produced on the Santo Niño in the Philippines but I haven't been able to get a copy, so I don't know how they explain this image's popularity. My hunch is that God, as God the Father, and Jesus still remain distant for many Filipinos. Too alien (especially God the Father, who looks too much like the Spanish friars), too male. When the Filipino needs succor and comfort, the gentle Virgin Mary and the innocent Santo Niño are so much more approachable. Note how Filipino mothers instill this love for the Santo Niño early in life, instructing children to pray to "Baby Jesus."
A plethora of Santo Niños
The Santo Niño comes in many versions: fair-skinned or dark-skinned, in simple or elaborate clothes. Perhaps reflecting my own personality and lifestyle, my favorite is the "Santo Niñong Gala," the vagabond Santo Niño looking like a hobo, complete with a stick and a bundle of clothes, always on the road.
Gay couturiers love the Santo Niño, designing the most elaborate costumes for their statues, which are then paraded with other images when there are neighborhood religious activities, in a kind of fashion show.
The Santo Niño's popularity stems in part from its ability to be "adopted" by anyone, simply by changing its clothes. It's not just gay couturiers who love the Santo Niño, your epitome of machismo, soldiers and police, also have their Santo Niños perched on an altar and looking over their shoulders, decked out of course in the proper uniform.
Government offices also constantly violate the constitutional separation of Church and State by displaying their own versions of Santo Niños, although I have to say I have not seen these Santo Niños decked out according to the agency's work (e.g., dressed as a doctor for the Department of Health).
I've noticed Santo Niños are also very popular in beerhouses, bars and, well, what have been referred to euphemistically as "bahay aliwan" [houses of pleasure]. No, those Santo Niños aren't dressed, or undressed, for the occasion.
In several church courtyards here in Manila, vendors hawk a "Santo Niñong Hubad" -- yes, a naked Santo Niño, anatomically correct but physiologically not quite right. Let me explain that for lay people: yes, the anatomy can be correct, but what they tried to get the correct anatomy to do, for an infant, wasn't exactly possible.
Mind you, this naked Santo Niño now comes in different versions. I've seen at least four different ones. A tiny one, about 1-1/2 centimeters high, which you can carry in your wallet or put under your tongue (more on this later). This image has two other larger versions. Then there's also one where Baby Jesus is on the palm of a hand.
Custom-made functions
What powers does the Santo Niñong Hubad have?
I've always felt religious beliefs and practices are very malleable, adjusting to people's needs. Ask the Santo Niñong Hubad vendors what the little statues do and they'll tailor their answers according to who's asking.
If it's a woman who inquires, they'll say the image brings good luck, especially the Santo Niño on a palm. If it's an older woman asking, the vendor is likely to suggest that carrying the Santo Niño around helps to keep a marriage intact.
Now if the prospective buyer is a male, vendors will give you that inscrutable smile. To me, they gave the standard generic reply, "Suerte" [Good luck]. I'd heard of other more powerful functions of the Santo Niñong Hubad and asked if it is a "gayuma," a love charm. The vendors were mum. I guess I just looked too academic to need such talismans.The first time I heard about the Santo Niñong Hubad, I did ask Tita Gilda Cordero Fernando, an authority on Filipino popular culture, about it and she scoffed, "Goodness, that's been around for many years. You're supposed to swallow it."
Swallow? Maybe the earlier versions were, well, edible but the ones they sell now are metal ones, and I'd definitely advise against swallowing it. It can be quite awkward explaining to the doctors in the emergency room what they need to fish out of your gut.
Anyway, the mystery of the Santo Niñong Hubad persisted. I bought a few, distributed them to my mother and aunts (one of whom brought it to her parish priest to bless, which he declined) and continued to ask around.
Until one day I showed it to the father of my partner, a crusty working-class super-macho male if there ever was one. He smiled and said it was "mabisa," very effective. A man of few words, he elaborated a bit about putting the image under your tongue and thus armed, anyone you whisper sweet nothings to would not be able to say no.
The next week when we met, he slipped a piece of paper into my hand and told me to follow the instructions carefully. "Buhayin mo," he grunted.
It was chilling: He was telling me to bring the image to life first, before it could work, and he had just passed on prayers and incantations to use for nine Fridays in a row.
Bared, dared
Our many Santo Niños, not just the Santo Niñong Hubad, tell us so much about Philippine society. I've mentioned how maybe the child Jesus is so much more approachable. Maybe, too, that's why the Santo Niño is so popular in government offices, displayed to radiate some kind of continuous absolution. I once had to go through Customs to claim a shipment of books and was struck by the many Santo Niño statues in the offices. Why, nearly every desk had one. Then it occurred to me, as I ran the gauntlet of numerous Customs officials signing clearances, that their desk drawers were all open, presumably to receive bribes, oops, I meant heaven's blessings... and the Santo Niño's forgiveness.
And the Santo Niñong Hubad? Who knows? My partner's mother claims, tongue in cheek, she was a "victim" of this Santo Niño and her husband's lethal whisper while my partner's father, when he gave me the piece of paper, warned me, "Don't ever teach this to my son. He knows too much already."
I don't believe in the occult so I've filed the spells away, together with the Santo Niñong Hubad images. We get the partners we deserve and whether they stay or not depends not so much on naked Santo Niños under our tongue, than on how we use our hearts and our minds.
The naked Santo Niño bares Philippine society, daring us to think about all our existential anxieties around love and marriage and life itself.

ATENEO vs DE LA SALLE

2005-09-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

her0es???

2005-09-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

we are the heroes of our own lives... If you're in trouble, real trouble, the word on the street is that there's a boy who'll help. He'll listen to your story, and he'll make a judgment. If he thinks you're wrong, you're out on your ass. If he thinks you've been wronged, you'll never have a better friend. For once, the word on the street is good. There is such a man. There are still "good" in these world. If everyone turns you down, you get hurt and and cant help but cry...hold back and he'll be just their.

The naked truth ...UP Oblation Run...

2005-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

SMART-ASS kids, I thought when I saw the front-page photo in another newspaper. "Naked truth," the caption read, referring to a rally at the Chino Roces (Mendiola) bridge where 15 young males ran naked around the University Belt. A spokesman of Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Kabataan, which organized the University Belt(less) run, explained that the protest action was meant to "symbolize the naked truth on the difficult education in the country due to poor investment resulting in 13.4 million out-of-school youths."
From the statement, you can see why we should protest the state of the educational system.
Seriously, the protest clearly takes off from the University of the Philippines' (UP's) annual Oblation Run started many years ago originally as a protest against censorship during the Marcos dictatorship. If memory serves me right, that was also a time when, in the West, there was a streaking fad, streakers being people who'd suddenly pop out of nowhere and make a mad dash, while stripping down, through an area with many people.
The Oblation Run was a modification, using the Western streaking fad but also using UP's famous (or infamous) Oblation statue, minus the leaf, as a role model. Frat neophytes volunteered (I think) to streak as part of their initiation and all for a good cause, meaning publicizing burning issues of the day. A few years back the naked UP fratmen ended their run by forming a line in front of Palma Hall, baring their backs and butts to spell "ERAP RESIGN."
Shock and awe
In this age of saturated mass media, it's become more and more difficult to launch advocacy and political action events. Catching the public's attention requires a strategic combination of timing with eye-catching visuals and ear-catching sound bytes.
The animal rights group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is well known for using skin-baring shock (and maybe awe) tactics to grab the public's attention. To protest the slaughter of animals for fur, they've had celebrities (and non-celebrities) parading naked with signs, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." Actress Pamela Anderson pose for a poster that read, "Give fur the cold shoulder," showing off her shoulder and more. A local Peta poster has model Raya Mananquil wearing little more than angel wings while cuddling a cute little piglet, urging people: "Earn your wings. Go vegetarian."
The student activists' bare run was meant to shock, but also drew on an interesting metaphor of baring the truth. The metaphor's actually more Western, this idea of disclosure, sometimes described as baring one's soul to bring out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth -- naked, that is.
The word "naked" shocks because it is so bold. Motion adds to the shock value of Oblation-like runs, birds flying in the air, and I'm being metaphorical. With the University Belt run, there was an interesting use of non-motion. According to one newspaper report, at one point the protesters "lay down on the scorching road, some spreading their legs, before a throng of photographers and TV cameramen." A photograph in a local Chinese paper, World News, captured that moment of self-sacrifice, some protesters face down, others face up. Goodness, hot buns and hot dogs.
'Hubad, hubo'
I've wondered at how effective these skin-blitzkreig tactics might be. Language reflects the way we think and really, we don't actually think of truth as having to be bared. The University Belt protesters used the Tagalog "hubad na katotohanan," a literal translation of the English "naked truth." But "hubad na katotohanan" doesn't have the impact that the English term has. I hear the word and I think of lumpiang hubad. Now you'd need a pretty wild imagination to think of a naked spring roll as phallically erotic. Maybe, albeit tiny, the "lumpia" shanghai but not a naked "lumpia."
We're more nonchalant about nakedness maybe because in a tropical country like the Philippines, bared skin is pretty common, especially with men, who have no qualms about walking around half-naked in broad daylight. Think of a typical Pinoy and you see a pot-bellied man standing on the corner in short pants and sando, pulled up of course as he scratches away at his blubber.
It's intriguing how in Tagalog we differentiate hubad and hubo. Hubad is undressed from the waist up so more accurately, "hubad na katotohanan" is "shirtless truth." Hubo, on the other hand, is undressed from the waist down. Mang Ambo, standing on the street corner scratching his belly, is technically hubad since he has his pants on, about as sexy as the lumpiang hubad.
So, why not "hubong katotohanan"? Truth without pants? It falls flat, too.
Emperors and empresses
But we shouldn't abandon the metaphors around truth and nakedness. Remember the story of the vain emperor who paraded around convinced he had the finest new clothes when in fact he was completely naked? Apparently, his sycophantic advisers were able to convince him he had special clothes and if the public could not appreciate the finery, it was because they were, well, not smart enough.
In many ways, we have a government with our own emperors and empresses. They don't exactly walk around naked; instead, they deck themselves in the finest tailored statistics. All's well, they tell themselves and us, citing the "strong" peso. All's well, they tell themselves and us, pointing to statistics of districts free of the illegal numbers game "jueteng": Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Northern Luzon ... goodness, the entire country is now jueteng-free. All's well, they tell themselves and us, poverty levels are rapidly dropping. I've lost track but two years ago it was something like 38 percent and the latest figures are about 26 percent.
Can people tell what the naked truth is? Maybe not as well when it comes to macroeconomics, for example, about how speculative investments in our casino stock market have artificially boosted the peso or about the Asian Development Bank's warning our government against "poverty reduction through statistics."
But people do know about their shrinking pay checks and how thousand-peso bills rapidly disappear with each visit to the grocery, gas station, pharmacy ... and these days, schools. Sure, tuition's free in public schools but it's amazing how much "extra fees" add up to.
People know, too, of the friendly neighborhood jueteng "kubrador" [bet collector] and of the cop on the take from drug dealers. If the public doesn't seem as interested in the congressional hearings these days, it's because they've always known about the corruption...and have lost faith in having anything come out of those hearings.
So maybe the naked runs serve some purpose. In a way, the smart-ass kids are like the innocently honest children who dared to shout, as the emperor strutted around, "He's naked! He's naked!" Hubad na, hubo pa. Shame, shame!

mga bagong balita ng siyensiya...

2005-09-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Turning Back Time: Embryonic stem cell rejuvenates skin cell
By fusing an embryonic stem cell with an adult skin cell, researchers have created cells that retain valuable embryonic characteristics but carry the adult cell's genes. more...
Warm Ice: Frozen water forms at room temperature
Ultrathin films of ice observed at room temperature and ordinary atmospheric pressure should be more widespread than previously thought, according to new experiments indicating that weaker-than-expected electric fields induce such freezing. more...
Earthshaking Event
Seismic instruments have provided a wealth of information about the earthquake that rocked Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004. more...
This Week's Table of Contents
Additional headlines, summaries, and references. Registered subscribers who have signed in have access to the full text of all articles.
MathTrek: Primes, Palindromes, and Pyramids
Prime numbers that have the same sequence of digits whether read forward or backward can be built into pyramids.
Food for Thought: Nonstick Pollution Sticks in People
A new study reveals high blood concentrations of a potentially toxic component of nonstick products in people near a plant making Teflon.
TimeLine: 70 Years Ago in Science News
Learning from spiders, a tiny electric motor, and two new cancer-causing chemicals.

love quotes...

2005-09-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

There is only one happiness in life,to love and be loved.- George Sand
Love is like a mustard seed;planted by Godand watered by men- Muda Saint Michael
Love, like a river, will cut a new pathwhenever it meets an obstacle.- Crystal Middlemas

grabe!

2005-08-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

Alam nyo nakakatawang isipin kung paano nasasabi ko sa sarili ko na "I believe in love." Nakakatawa sya kasi sa buong buhay ko, ni wala pa yatang nagpakita sa akin o nagparamdam ng lintek na pagmamahal na yan. Ang ibig kong sabihin yung pagmamahal na tipong nakakabaliw.Sabi pa nga minsan nung isa, "We're better off as friends." PUCHA! Kaibigan?! Sa lahat ng ginawa ko para sa kanya at sa lahat ng sinakripisyo ko, kaibigan lang pala ang habol nya sa akin. Ano ba ito lokohan lang? Pero sige, sabi ko "move on, move on."Tapos itong isa naman sabi "Mabait lang ako sa babae kaya ako ganito sa iyo." Lalong masakit! Bakit? Hanep naman kasi. Bibisitahin ka linggo-linggo sa bahay, magiging sweet sa iyo, kakantahan ka pa, yayakapin, hahalikan at higit sa lahat sasabihing napakaganda mo at napakabait at ano ba yun 'special' girl ka sa kanya. Hindi mo aakalain na normal lang pala nyang ginagawa yun. Ikaw naman, mafofall ka, hindi mo mapigilan. Pero wala ka namang magawa. Ang sabi ko naman sa sarili ko ngayon, "it's your loss, not mine."Yung iba naman, eh di syempre manliligaw. At dahil likas akong dalagang Pilipina, papakipot muna ako. Kung kailan mo na sasagutin, saka naman hihinto. Bakit? Aakalain na hindi mo sya gusto, na pinaasa mo lang at wala kang kabalak-balak sagutin. Guys, isang advice lang, hindi naman kayo paaasahin ng mga babae kung wala silang gusto ni katiting sa inyo. Maaaring mali ako, pero karamihan sa amin, kaya pinapatagal eh dahil gutso kayong subukan kung hanggang saan ang tagal nyo at syempre kung gaano kayo kaseryoso. Yan lang naman ang drama namin, masanay na kayo. At ano naman ang sabi ko naman sa sarili ko ngayon? "Bahala ka! Marami pa naman dyang iba!" Tapos sige move on ulit.Ito ang pamatay sa lahat. Nanligaw si lalaki, sinagot ni babae. Maganda na sana ang relationship tapos isang araw, sasabihin na lang sa iyo, "Hindi ko na kaya. Tapusin na natin ito." Iniwan ka na lang basta ng dahil sa isang dahilang hindi mo malunok, maintindihan at tanggapin. Ni hindi mo alam kung gusto mong sabunutan o suntuk-suntukin ng paulit-ulit baka sakaling matauhan at sabihin nyang, "Joke lang po." Pero hindi. Sa halip na sya ang makaramdam ng sakit ng sabunot at kirot ng suntok, ikaw pa ang halos mamatay sa triple or higit pang sakit. At ang masakit pa kinabukasan alalaman mo na ang tunay na dahilan eh, 'sila' na ng matalik mong kaibigan. PUCHA! Hindi mo alam kung iiyak ka, o sisigaw ka o susugurin mo ang your so-called "bestfriend" at isumbat sa kanya lahat ng nararamdaman mo. Sa huli, wala kang magawa kung hinde tanggapin ang lahat at maging masaya para sa kanila. May magagawa ka pa ba? Sasabihin mo naman sa sarili mo, "Makakarma rin kayo!" tapos hala, move on ulit.Nakakapagod magmahal, totoo yan. Pero bakit pa rin ako patuloy na naghihintay? Masyado lang ba ang tiwala ko sa pag-ibig o likas na tangengotlang talaga ako. Pareho yata. Tama, oo, pareho nga. Ang lakas kasi ng tiwla ko sa 'love." Tipong kakambal ko na ba.Masarap magmahal kahit na hindi mo alam kung mahal ka rin nya. Basta ikaw, mahal mo sya. Yun lang ang importante. Makita mo lang sya, feel mo gusto mong magpa-fiesta. Madikitan mo lang ang sinulid ng damit nya, ang sasabihin mo sa sarili mo, "Ay shet! Nadikit ako sa balat nya!" at sabay talon. Ngitian ka lang nya, pwede ka ng magpasagasa sa kotse or kahit sa LRT. Drama noh?Paano pa kaya kung "kayo" na? Eh di mas lalong humaba ang buhok mo. Andito na yung lagi nilang sinasabing hindi ka makakain, hindi ka makatulog at hindi ka makapag-isip na kahit na ano maliban lang ang mga pantasya mo na kasama sya.Madrama na kung sa madrama pero pag in-love, ay sus! Walang corny-corny, basta para sa kanya kahit may corn field ka na sa utak at puso mo, wala kang pakialam. Patuloy kang magmamahal at aasa na kayo na nga sana forever and ever.Ako? Parang takot na yata akong ma-in-love ulit. Parang takot na akong sumubok pa ng isa. Parang ayoko na! Pero parang hindi tama. Ganyan naman sa 'love' diba? Sige lang, tuloy ka hangga't Makita mo ang katapat mo.Takot man akong sumubok muli, kakayanin ko ang takot na ito. Hindi para sa akin, kundi para dun sa taong mamahalin ako ng higit pa sa kahit na ano. Yung taong aalagaan ako, taong magsasabi na maganda ako kahit na halos lumuwa na ang mata ko sa puyat at yung taong magsasabi na "Mga 'tol, yan ang girlfriend ko. Iisa lang yan sa buhay ko." HAAAYYY!!! Sarap isipin noh?Masarap at masakit umibig. Magkakambal yan. Nasa inyo na lang kung pipiliin nyong kumapit o bumitaw.Ngayon eto ako, umaasa pa rin. Andito pa rin ako na nagpapatuloy sa buhay, patuloy na humihinga at patuloy na nabubuhay para sa 'kanya' yung taong darating na para lang sa akin. At syempre eto pa rin ako, natatawa kapag sinasabi kong, "I believe in love." Natatawang naniniwalang totoo ito..

my sweet niece.....IGAY!

2005-08-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

ashley kyle is my baby!!! don't you dare take her away from me! i am here prepared to take care of her as her daddy as she calls me!i really love her with all my heart. her simple ways make me smile wide. she makes me feel good and relaxed. i'm really glad that i have her. i'm really glad that she is mine, here by my side. here to share all the dufficulty together!i won't let you go! you are mine and i am yours! i will be here for you always! what ever may happen...do i make you feel the same way you make me feel? i hope you do coz i want you to experience the joy that you bring me.i want to kiss you. i want to hug you. will you do the same for me? 'coz you know, i will do anything you want me to. baby, i hope you like what I made for you... but i just want you to know that this is from my heart.i really do hope that we'd last. it only depends on us if we will make things work.this is all that i will promise you... i will love you with all my heart...

I never thought when we first met

2005-08-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

I never thought when we first met we'd become such good friends;We've stuck by each others side even if our lives bend.You're aways there to bring a smile to my face;You'll always make me laugh no matter where the place.Even in sad times you've been there to guide the way;You're always there to listen to me every single day. Always on the other side of the phone listening to me blab on;You'll always be my best friend even when I'm gone.You've helped me through times when I thought I had no one;You've always stood by my side since our friendship begun. Your support and encouragement means so much to me;You've always tried your best and been the best you can be.Now I have you by me more then a friend; I know I'll always be able to rely on you till the very end.Thank you for the smiles and the challenges we still have to pass; I know if I have you by my side Our lives will be a blast.

am i a STRANGER?

2005-08-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

A stranger will always be a stranger unless one reached out for the other. I am glad I decided to make that move to get to know this person for I believe that by doing such, I am building a connection to someone who deserves to have friends. It could be luck that this person approved my request to be his friend even if we don't even know each other personally. Relying on mere profiles, it really takes trust to open such door and let somebody in. I made the right choice when I knocked! Thanxfor letting me in! Words of appreciation will never be enough. Let time prove that even in the world of information super highway, a real friendship can exist. Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.Take care and GOD Bless! Life is Beautiful...

such a very nice reflection to share......

2005-08-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

my mom only had one eye.i hated her... she was such an embarressment..my mom ran a small shop at a flea market.she collected little weeds and such to sell...anything for the money we neededshe was such an embarressment.there was this one day during elementary school..it was field day, and my mom came.i was so embarressed. how could she do this tome? i threw her a hateful look and ran out. the next day at school..."your mom only has one eye?!?!" ..and theytaunted me.i wished that my mom would just dissappear fromthis worldso i said to my mom,"mom.. why dont you have the other eye?!if you're only gonna make me a laughingstock,why dont you just die?!!!"my mom did not respond..i guess i felt a little bad, but at the same time, itfelt good to think that i had said what i'd wanted tosay all this time..maybe it was because my mom hadnt punishedme,but i didnt think that i had hurt her feelings verybadly. that night...i woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glassof water.my mom was crying there, so quietly, as if shewas afraid that she might wake me.i took a look at her, then turned away.because of the thing i had said to her earlier, therewas something pinching at me in the corner of myheart.even so, i hated my mother who was crying out ofher one eye. so i told myself that i would grow upand become successful.cause i hated my one-eyed mom and ourdesperate poverty.. then i studied real hard.i left my mother and came to Seoul and studied,and got accepted in the Seoul University with allthe confidence i had. then, i got married.i bought a house of my own.then i had kids, too..now i'm living happily as a successful man.i like it here because it's a place that doesntremind me of my mom. this happiness was getting bigger and bigger,when.. what?!who's this?!...it was my mother.....still with her one eye.it felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me.my little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.and i asked her, "who are you?!""i dont know you!!!" as if trying to make that real. iscreamed at her," how dare you come to myhouse and scare my daughter!" "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" and to this, my mother quietly answered,"oh, i'm so sorry. i may have gotten the wrongaddress,"and she dissappeared out of sight. thank good ness... she doesnt recognize me..i was quite relieved. i told myself that i wasnt going to care, ! or thinkabout this for the rest of my life.then a wave of relief came upon me... one day, a letter regarding a school reunion cameto my house. so, lying to my wife that i was goingon a business trip, i went.after the reunion, i went down to the old shack,that i used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, i found my mother fallen on the cold ground.but i did not shed a single tear.she had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was aletter to me. my son...i think my life has been long enough now.. and... i wont visit Seoul anymore...but would it be too much to ask if i wanted you tocome visit me once in a while?i miss you so much.. and i was so glad when iheard you were coming for the reunion.but i decided not to go to the school....for you...and i'm sorry that i only have one eye, and i wasan embarressment for you. you see, when you were very little, you got intoanaccident, and lost your eye. as a mom, i couldntstand watching you having to grow up with onlyone eye... so i gave you mine...i was so proud of my son that was seeing awholenew world for me, in my place, with that eye. iwasnever upset at you for anything you did.. thecouple times that you were angry with me,.. ithought! to myself, 'it's because he loves me..' my son... oh, my son...i dont want you to cry for me, because of mydeath. please dont cry...my son, i love you so much

Warning for all the ladies out there; and men please inform your significant other.

2005-08-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Latest Scam: Robbing Females using the bathroom at a Shopping Mall.The way the scam works is, a man slips into a women's restroom and sneaks into a stall. He waits until there is only one woman in the restroom in a neighboring stall.The criminal then stands on the toilet and points a hand gun into the next stall, demanding the woman's valuables. After getting her cash and jewelry, he demands that she remove all of her clothing and kick them out of the stall. The thief tosses the clothing into a shopping bag, hangs an out of order sign on the restroom door, and slips back into the mall. The out of order sign ensures no one will soon come to the woman's rescue. It usually takes an hour or two for the woman to work up the nerve to leave the restroom in the nude, giving the criminal ample time to make his get away. The woman is left naked and humiliated in a mall full of strangers.The best defense, say police, is to never go into a shopping mall restroom alone, as only women who are by themselves are targeted.The Latest Scam: Robbing Females using the bathroom at a Shopping Mall.The way the scam works is, a man slips into a women's restroom and sneaks into a stall. He waits until there is only one woman in the restroom in a neighboring stall.The criminal then stands on the toilet and points a hand gun into the next stall, demanding the woman's valuables. After getting her cash and jewelry, he demands that she remove all of her clothing and kick them out of the stall. The thief tosses the clothing into a shopping bag, hangs an out of order sign on the restroom door, and slips back into the mall. The out of order sign ensures no one will soon come to the woman's rescue. It usually takes an hour or two for the woman to work up the nerve to leave the restroom in the nude, giving the criminal ample time to make his get away. The woman is left naked and humiliated in a mall full of strangers.The best defense, say police, is to never go into a shopping mall restroom alone, as only women who are by themselves are targeted.

Scientists Discover Genetic Pathway Responsible For Breast Cancer Cell Growth

2005-08-10T04:40:00.000-07:00

08/09/05 -- Scientists at the MUHC have made an important discovery that will advance our understanding of how the female hormone estrogen causes growth of breast cancer cells. The research, in collaboration with scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) identifies 153 genes that respond to estrogen and one in particular that can be used to halt the growth of breast cancer cells. The study, published in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), will focus future research for a breast cancer cure. "We have known for a very long time that estrogen causes the growth of breast cancer cells," says lead investigator Dr. Vincent Giguère. "This is how oncologists came to use anti-estrogen as drugs to combat the most common forms of breast cancer." What has remained a mystery however, is the molecular mechanism by which estrogen makes breast cancer cells grow. "Until this is solved, we will be no closer to figuring out how to prevent and cure breast cancer," Dr. Giguère noted.

Over the past two decades researchers have identified around 20 estrogen-activated genes that play a role in development of breast cancer. "That's about one gene discovery per year," says Dr. Giguère. "Using cutting edge new technology derived directly from the human genome project, this study adds over hundred additional genes to this total."

The technology used information obtained from the human genome project to create a new type of DNA microchip containing the partial DNA sequences of approximately 19,000 genes. Dr. Giguère's team was able to localize where the estrogen receptor was bound in the genome of breast cancer cells, thereby identifying a large number of genes that respond to this hormone in a single experiment. "This technology, first developed for the study of yeast, now offers the opportunity to rapidly identify, in a genome-wide manner, the genes involved in the response to natural hormones or drugs in normal and cancer cells," says co-author Dr. François Robert from the IRCM.

Of particular importance was the discovery of a gene called FOXA1, known as a transcription factor. "FOXA1 can be viewed as a facilitator of estrogen action on cancer cells," says Josée Laganière, a graduate student at the MUHC and principal author of the paper. "It is found in breast cancer tumours that express the estrogen receptor." In their study, the researchers found that the FOXA1 gene was required for the estrogen receptor to activate the growth of breast cancer cells.

"By inactivating the FOXA1 gene in laboratory cell cultures, we were able to block the growth-inducing effect of estogen, and thus halt the growth of breast cancer cells," says Dr. Giguère. In FOXA1 researchers have found a new target that affects the development of breast cancer. In practical terms, efforts can now be focused on developing a more precise cure/treatment for cancer based on this gene. "The problem with cancer drugs in general has been that they are often untargeted, which is why patients experience side effects," notes Dr. Giguère. "The more focused the drugs the less side effects and the more chance you have to cure the disease."

"Research targeting individual molecules associated with pathogenesis of cancer has led to positive clinical results," says Dr. Joseph Ragaz, Director of MUHC Oncology Program. "Evidence-based data on agents such as Gleevac in leukemia, Avastin in colorectal cancer, and more recently with Herceptin for breast cancer, confirm that the efforts of researchers like Dr. Giguere and his team save lives and money. These connections between research and health care are one of the strengths of academic hospitals like the MUHC."

Source: McGill University

b a m b 0 0 ! ! !

2005-08-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

Bamboo Mañalac is well-admired for his powerful presence and breathtaking voice that people wonder if his true persona takes a 180-degree turn when he’s on stage. On this perceived notion of being “wild” on stage, he simply notes that he’s focused in all of his performances. It is this unique concentration and energy that blows away the fans who admire him enormously. But even as such charm endears him to many, others have supposedly been turned off by his aloofness. “I maybe mysterious to some people, but if you see me walk in a mall, and come up to me…I’m fine,” Bamboo says.

Bamboo is no newbie to the world of rock. He was previously the lead vocalist for Rivermaya before leaving the country to study and work abroad. Upon his return, formed a new band interestingly named after him. He didn’t favor the band’s name at first but agreed to it as long as it referred to the four-member group. Since Bamboo, the band, introduced its kind of music, it has been praised by many critics and fans alike.

His creativity and music sense could have only come from his family’s gene pool. He recalls sticking to the walls the poems he got from his grandparents when he was young. His dad is into music as well and his mom has a background in theater. It could be his creativity that makes Bamboo an ambitious individual and at heart, simply a serious performer. And if the “astig” image is part of the consequence, so be it. “Astig means you’re cool,” Bamboo says, quickly adding, “I just know who we are [as a band] and what we do so I just focus on that.”

id0l k0 't0!

2005-08-10T04:27:00.000-07:00

Ely Buendia

Eraserheads was the most popular Pinoy rock band in the early ‘90s, thanks to the talent, extraordinary charm and experimental ingenuity of its members, vocalist/guitarist, Ely Buendia in particular. His voice and words matched with the mix of retro, rock and alternative beats were a fresh, dramatic and hypnotic hit to Pinoy music. However, the group disbanded a decade later, spurred by the departure of Ely.

Despite the dissolution of the Eraserheads, Ely remains visible in the music scene as the leader of the band, The Mongols. And his image as a haughty pop sensation remains. “I don’t live up sa kung anumang image ng tao sa ‘kin…. kaya maraming naaasar,” remarks Ely. ”Gusto ko tao pa rin ako when I get out, when I perform… Hindi ‘yung kung ang image ng audience sa iyo ‘yun ang gagawin ko. Kung gutom ako, galit ako, papakita ko talaga.”

Ely kids himself as the rebel “without” a cause, but take that lightly folks. He isn’t really headstrong and is never a moment shallow. His band mates from The Mongols have always given him the highest regard, some even initially intimidated from assuming he’s a stern perfectionist. But hang around with him a little bit more and you’ll find out he’s a generous guy who brings out the best in the group. Also, contrary to rumors, he doesn’t have a wild personality. Remember how quiet the break-up of Eraserheads was? His exit after all had nothing to do with any grudges. It was just simple way of moving on. “Physically, mentally, emotionally, I had to take a vacation because 10 years with the Eraserheads was sobrang draining, na-burn out ako…” recalls Ely.

Today, Ely combines fame and fatherhood and is also more open to talking about his life. However fans or critics perceive this music icon, he says “I’m just always true to myself.”

find me here!!!

2005-06-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

life in the small town was never complicated

2005-06-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

a tender old grandma holds on to a younglad across the street, giggling school girlssend you an innocent smile, strappinglads playfully jostle in the open field,an overjoyed couple cuddle up in a warmembrace as their mischievous toddlerdips his toes on the pond….this is my quaint little town.innocent yet inspiringand you’re very welcome

WHY NOW? KILL ME?

2005-06-21T06:30:00.001-07:00

now when i'm just learning.learning to express.express my feeling.feeling i've been longing.longing to have.have a friend.friend that's so pretty.pretty yet so so simple.simple that made me like.like about you.you made me tell.tell how i feel.feel for the first time.time when we met.met in person.person with talents.talents so great.great as that smile.smile that can kill.KILL ME?

you've lied to me

2005-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

you've lied to meyou've lied to me.you've said,the sky will be blue always.the fruits are sweet.the rainbow will be there when i'm wake.looked up the sky.it is so dark.let alone blue.i've tasted the fruits.learned another meaning of the word sweet.look out the window.where are the colors of the rainbow?you've lied to me.but i'll believe you still.so as long as the sky is above me.the tree is standing strong.and the sun shine to let the rainbow thru.

When I Was

2005-06-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

When I WasWhen I Was 17I Wished Was 18.When I Was 20I Wished I Was 21.When I Was 40I Stop Wishing.

Changes

2005-06-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Do things change us or we change things?I Call To YouAs I ReadMy Heart TearsFor Those Who Were HitBy The Wave,TSUNAMI.You're The AlmightyOne Sweet BlowMaking Many PerishedLeaving Others Helplessly.With These Two Small HandsI Call To YouBlessed The SoulsProtect Those Living.How Big The WaveCompared To You Is NothingHere Am I GreatfulTo Be Breathing Still?

Feeling feeling malay.

2005-06-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Adakah Kita Diantara Kau Dan Dia?Seyum Tawa Mu.Membuat Diriku Bertanya.Adakah Ini Semuanya Benar?Aku Berdampingan Dengan Mu.Sedang Bulan Menyaksikkan.Keindahan Antara Kita Berdua.Tak Terlintas Diminda Ku.Disebalik Keindahan Itu.Ada Dia Sebelum Ku.Kalau Aku Tahu,Akan Ku Tahan Perasaan Yang Membuat Hatiku Bergetaran.Ketika Kau Disisiku.Adakah Kita DiantaraKau Dan Dia?Dapat Aku MenekaCintanya Yang Masih Bertahta DihatimuAdakah Ruang Untuk Ku Mengisi?Andainya Kau Perlu.Kini Hanya Kenangan Menemani Aku.Menunggu Masa Yang Akan Menentukan.Siapakah Pilihan Mu.Walau Apa Jua Ia.Aku Akan Tetap Bahagia.Kerana Satu Ketika, Kau Membuat Aku Gembira.Adakah Kita DiantaraKau Dan Dia?Dapat Aku MenekaCintanya Yang Masih Bertahta DihatimuAdakah Ruang Untuk Ku Mengisi?Andainya Kau Perlu.

turo daw ng ating mga magulang!!

2005-06-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Tandang Tanda Namin Ni Kuya Ang Saya At Lumbay Sa Poder Nila Inay At Itay... Lalo Na Ang Mga Magagandang Lessons Na Natutunan Namin Sa Kanila!........ Si Inay, tinuruan niya ako ng HOW TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "Kung kayong dalawa ay magpapatayan, doon kayo sa labas. Mga punyeta kayo, kalilinis ko lang ng bahay." Natuto ako ng RELIGION kay Itay. "Kapag yang mantsa di natanggal sa carpet, magdasal ka na!" Si Itay, tinuruan niya kami ni Kuya kung anong ibig sabihin ng TIME TRAVEL. "Kung di kayo tumigil ng pagngangawa diyan, tatadyakan ko kayo ng todo hanggang umabot kayo sa isang linggo!" Kay Inay ako natuto ng LOGIC. "Kaya ganyan, dahil sinabi ko." Kay Inay din ako natuto ng MORE LOGIC. "Kapag ikaw ay nalaglag diyan sa bubong, ako lang mag-isa ang manonood ng sine." Kay Itay naman natuto ng FORESIGHT si Kuya. "Siguraduhin mo na lagi kang mag susuot ng malinis na brief, para pag nakascore ka sa syota mo e di kahihiyahiya." Si Inay naman ang nagturo sa akin kung ano ang ibig sahibin ng IRONY. "Sige ngumalngal ka, kung di bibigyan talaga kita ng iiyakan mo!" Si Inay ang nagpaliwanag sa akin kung ano ang CONTORTIONISM. "Tignan mo nga yan dumi sa likod ng leeg mo, tignan mo?!?" Si Itay ang nagpaliwanag sa akin kung anong ibig sabihin ng STAMINA. "Wag kang tatayo diyan hangga't di mo natatapos kainin lahat yan gulay mo!" At si Inay ang nagturo sa amin kung anong ibig sabihin ng BAD WEATHER. "Alangya, ano ba itong kuwarto nyong magkapatid, parang dinaanan ng bagyo!" CIRCLE OF LIFE, ang paliwanag sa akin ni Inay ay ganito: "Malandi kang bata ka, iniluwal kita sa mundong ito, maari rin kitang alisin sa mundong ito." Kay Itay ako natuto kung ano ang BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Tatadyakan kita diyan, huwag ka ngang maguumarte diyan ng parang Nanay mo!" Si Inay naman ang nagpaliwanag sa amin kung anong ibig sabihin ng GRATITUDE. "Mga leche kayo, maraming mga batang ulila sa magulang, di ba kayo nagpapasalamat at mayroon kayong magulang na tulad namin?!" Si Itay naman ang nagturo sa akin ng ANTICIPATION. "Tangna kang bata ka, hintayin mong makarating tayo sa bahay...."! Si Inay naman ang nagturo sa aking kung ano ang HUMOR. "Kapag naputol yang mga paa mo ng pinaglalaruan mong lawn mover, wag na wag kang tatakbo sa akin at lulumpohin kita!" Kay Itay naman natuto si Kuya ng HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "Kung di ka matutong magbati, eh di ka nga tatangkad." Si Inay ang nagturo sa akin kung anong ibig sabihin ng GENETICS. "Nagmana ka nga talaga sa ama mong walanghiya." Kay Inay din ako natuto ng WISDOM. "Pag umabot ka na ng edad ko, saka mo pa lang maiintindihan ang lahat." At ang paborito ko sa lahat na natutunan ko kay Inay at Itay ay kung ano ang JUSTICE. "Isang araw magkakaroon ka rin ng anak, panalangin namin na sana'y matulad sila sa yo...haliparot!"

payo ko sa kabataan...

2005-06-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

masakit sa loob ko bilang isang pilipino ang nangyayari sa ating bayan....masakit ang loob ko dahil sa mga taong inakala ko na magiging mabuting lingkod bayan. binigay ko ang aking buong pusong pagtitiwala at pinag kaloob ko ang aking boto para sa kanila at ang adhikain ko lang ay maging isa silang mabuting tagapagtaguyod ng bayan ..anong nangyari sa aking inaasahan... wala...sinaktan lang nila ang bayan...dinurog ang puso ng inang bayan...ano na ang kanilang pangako na mamahalin nila at aarugain ang kapakanan ng inang bayan... kung mahal nila ang bayan dapat asikasuhin nila ang bayan ang kapakanan ng bawat isa...ng nakakarami..di sa kanilang pansariling kapakanan...away dito away doon parang ang dali sa pilipinas ang mag palit ng pamunuan sa pamahalaan pag ayaw nila at di sila mapag bigyan aalisin na lang parang mga laruan ang mga tao sa pamahalaan ano ba ang mga nagawa nila sa bayan ano na mula ng sila ay naupo bilang mga pinuno..senador, congressman, mayor at maging chairman..ano na? nag tatanong lang ako sa inyo bilang isang pilipino na nagmamahal sa inang bayan...ano na ang dapat natin gawin..sana magdasal tayo na maging maayos na ang bayan para umunlad na tayo...tapos na po ang eleksyon, bati bati na tayo pagtuunan na natin nga pansin ang bayan...ang mga umaasa sa pagbabago at asenso ng bayan...ang bayan ko at bayan mo ay iisa lang...ito ay ang bayang PILIPINAS... dito ako ,ikaw sila tayo isinilang sino ang mag mamahal sa bayan ko, bayan mo... bayan nila ... di ba tayo ring mga PILIPINO...ALAM KO may sarili tayong opinion at sariling paninindigan at sariling isip...unawain natin ang sitwasyon ng ating bayan...sino ang tama sino ang mali....huwag tayong humusga agad pag isipan natin at isipin natin ang tama at mali..salamat mga kaibigan ko at kababayan...salamat sa tamang paghuhusga sa bayan at sa ating pamahalaan....mabuhay ang mga kabataan .. tulungan natin ang bayan...!!! (pakiusap ng isang nag mamahal sa bayan...)

mga hinahanap ko sa magiging partner ko:

2005-06-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

- simpleng tao, middle class pero may dating - of legal age - college graduate or about to graduate - one who loves to be with me - ready for a serious long-term commitment - sa malapit lang nakatira at makikita ko 3-7 times/week - transparent sa past at sa lifestyle nya - open sa feelings nya - looks good (at least for me) - tired of swinging and playing - non-drinker/non-smoker - similar interests/experiences - HONEST & FAITHFUL pag may karelasyon - forgiving - malambing/sweet/thoughtful - old/matured enough - romantic - sensitive to my needs - loves to hug & kiss - respects people - sentimental - di ako ikahihiya/ipagtatanggol ako - willing to fight for our relationship - ok lang pda pag minsan - igagalang at makakasundo parents ko - MAY SARILING PERA (d dependent sa akin) - maalaga - di masyadong mahilig at di masyadong ayaw sa sex - sexually compatible kame - a giver (reciprocates what i give) - misses me