Journal

To my new website

2008-11-23T12:43:00.003+08:00

At least I can now tell that development for my jamessarmiento.com is almost done and is now public. I can go back to creating content which I almost never did for a couple of years. Thanks.

'Buntisan' on Friday

2006-07-31T18:15:00.000+08:00

There’s no rain stopping the nth "Buntisan" arts event last Friday at the jam-packed Arrozja restaurant in Dasmariñas, Cavite. Dubbed “Rain or Shine” the musical event showcased the sounds from bands Elemento, Helga, Mistaken ThoughtS, Dalisay, Death & Strawberry, Arozcaldo, Barrio Morning Glory, Kill the Dreams, Lakbay Lahi, The Outlaws, and The Perdibles.

‘Elemental’ sounds and ‘earthly’ items on Buntisan.

Bands filled the night with music while visual artworks were displayed along the walls of Shopper’s Choice awardee Arrozja. Being an event for arts, exhibitions of films of different mediums were also on the line-up at times since it started in 2003.

Buntisan came from the root word “buntis”, Filipino term for “pregnant”. Organizers want the event to be a place where types of artistic works are made and born. They originally planned Buntisan to be a weekly event, but they were only able to do it, at an average, once every month and a half.

Seconds of tremor

2006-03-01T19:06:00.000+08:00

A tremor was felt here in Cavite minutes after 7 o'clock in the evening, lasting from 10 to 15 seconds.

Moving on

2006-02-06T19:42:00.000+08:00

Last week, TV show Wowowee turned the Philsport Arena in Pasig City in the Philippines as a source of hope for many, forming huge crowds even days before the show’s supposed first year celebration on Saturday. But unfortunately, it turned into another place of physical chaos. Videos or pictures may have failed to capture it but that fatal morning of Saturday must have contained grim cries of helplessness of hundreds of people trying to carry the weights of a crowd who just wanted to have the show’s tickets and failed to control themselves and crushed many bodies beneath. Seventy-four had been killed in that stampede, hundreds more were wounded. And moments later, the producers of the TV show just knew that they lack enough reason to celebrate the show’s first anniversary. Months before, 2006 has not yet set-in, Wowowee host Willie Revillame was already plugging his dream of what his programme’s first year celebration will look like. They will give away prizes, definitely more than the amount of what his daily show already does. They could have provided millions of cash, a couple of house-and-lots, or vehicles that may be used to earn a living. His prizes meant hope for his main TV audience, whose daily cost of living won’t reach $2 dollars per day. But his dream did not come true. He said that he woke up on the 4th and dreadful morning of February, with a call from the Philippine Vice-President, telling the host that many people had been killed outside the location of his show’s anniversary edition. The supposed special TV celebration later in the afternoon and the shows before and after it were pre-empted by the tragedy coverage. I remember what I read in early January. A showbiz prediction from a tabloid article said that a highly watched television show will turn into a tragedy, and will cause the fall of the said program. ("Isang namamayagpag na show ang mauuwi sa isang malagim na trahedya na ikababagsak ng naturang programa," the article read if I remember it right from People’s Journal or People’s Tonight.) Many may have not believed it but the universal message should have been noted: If you organize an event, contingency should always be part of the plan. “Prepare for the worst,” country Senator Richard Gordon told in another interview after the disaster, borrowing organizational and rescue parlance. Though unintentional, this was partly missed by the Wowowee producers, the Pasig City local government, and by the Philsport stadium management. Willie Revillame was still crying in an interview after the initial day of great grief. He said that he doesn’t know if he can go back to Wowowee. Yet I hope this is not the end of Willie Revillame’s noontime program. We witnessed how candid Revillame can get for everybody to watch him, especially in his previous shows. Even though his foul candidness caused his two suspensions from television years ago, he transformed himself to become a wholesome and highly appreciated host in Wowowee. The program is not yet perfect but it became a favorite among Filipinos across the nation and abroad because it has the “heart” that only a few shows in Filipino entertainment TV history sincerely express. Also I hope, we shall not witness another tragic incident like the Wowowee stampede. Event organizers, for television or not, in the country may learn that along huge crowd gathering formulas is a plan to prevent or remedy unwanted and unfortunate issues.

ABS-CBN News has podcast

2005-12-27T23:04:00.000+08:00

ABS-CBN News introduces its podcast today. Click here for the Podcast URL, and here for more information about it.

Hacker attacks 'Wow' website

2005-12-26T16:00:00.000+08:00

(Zoom) As of 3 o'clock in the afternoon, December 25, 2005, Wow Philippines Website (here) still displays the hack message from a certain "Meteor." "We hope you should respect chinese rights, " the message read at the top of the page. (This was first reported on INQ7, 12:30 PM)

Bla

2005-11-13T16:34:00.000+08:00

Sigh... still less posts. I'm still trying to figure what I'll be doing with my blog, especially lately when (good for me) my professor told me that I passed my "thesis" and later gave a go signal in finishing my academic clearance. (Image: www.unb.ca) It's almost half a month to go before World Aids Day. "Ingat." :)

ABS-CBN News RSS

2005-11-10T18:01:00.000+08:00

ABS-CBN News.com launches its RSS feed. Click here for more info, feed URL is here.

My new feed address

2005-10-18T22:50:00.000+08:00

To the few subscribers of this journal using the old http://feeds.feedburner.com/iJames feed address, please change it to my new feed URI, ASAP. I'll use the former address for my iJames Flickr photos, that's without my text journal entries. Thanks.

Fatboy Slim does a musical about Imelda Marcos; Twisted Jessica

2005-10-17T15:43:00.000+08:00

Just read the news about it.

DJ Fatboy Slim and Talking Heads singer David Byrne are writing a musical about former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, to be shown next March. Here Lies Love will examine Mrs Marcos' passion for music and night clubs. --BBC News

--------------------------------- "Where's Jessica Zafra at the blog world? Where's the lady of great mind, that great writer, author of 'Twisted Tales', and one of the original and opinionated people of Studio 23's Point Of View?" Well, those questions were years ago. Here's her week-old blog, Jessica Zafra's Twisted.

Web-based reader war ignites

2005-10-13T16:59:00.000+08:00

Haha... just as I thought, war between Bloglines and Google Reader. Early this week, a web-based feed reader by Google was released. It had a great idea of including some shortcuts with keyboards. Now, poof! Bloglines responded to the threat and now has some keyboard shortcuts too. I admit that Google Reader is a real threat to them, but I'm still a Bloglines user. That's all for now.

Google Reader is out

2005-10-12T17:27:00.000+08:00

Google Reader in beta is out. Testing and comments from me by weekend, I'm busy. Lalala...

South Asian quake toll nears 20,000

2005-10-09T19:20:00.000+08:00

The last time I checked yesterday, the forecasts of death toll in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan are around 1,000. But as of this post, casualty numbers have passed the 19,000th mark, BBC News reported. "At least 42,000 are believed to be injured." The South Asian countries were hit by an earthquake measuring 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale. More on BBC News In-Depth.

What Aragoncillo does now...

2005-10-08T20:56:00.000+08:00

Aragoncillo must be singing this song... "Pinoy, ika'y pinoy... ipakita sa mundo... kung ano ang kaya mo. * ang pinoy, huwag kang matatakot..." Peace y'all.

------------------------------------------- | | (Screenshots from MSNBC, Google News, CBS News, ABC News)

Stained Camouflage

2005-10-03T21:26:00.000+08:00

Members of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) could have belonged to the population who leisurely stroll along EDSA-Cubao. Their office is just a city-block away from a dome-shaped recreational landmark and they could watch basketball games and concerts here almost every night.

Links/Credits: Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Mindanews, STExposure, Bulatlat.com, Matanglawin, AFP Website

But what made the human rights (HR) watch group situate their office along St. Mary Street is not the Araneta Coliseum, not even its adjacent malls. It is the strategic spot that this site offers in collecting information regarding HR violation. Here, they are in the center of many institutions that will help them with their campaigns. Other cause-oriented groups, activists, mainstream media, schools, and major government offices found in Quiapo, Taft Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Katipunan, Diliman, and somewhere else in Metro Manila are all minutes away from their present location. Rowed along a residential area, the office has been the home of TFDP’s cause. Inside, in one corner of a room, two human-tall cabinets are placed side by side, housing records of violations since the 1980s. The organization originally focused their attention on cases of political detainees during the Marcos era, but after sometime, the records already included many types of HR violations. TFDP’s Richie Supan provided the Heraldo Filipino an overview and analysis of the HR situation in 2004. In 2004 alone, they were able to document 119 cases of HR violations affecting 3,942 individuals. But many were not documented. The 22-page summary acknowldeges that it must have missed other cases due to decrease in personnel—they had 24 field staff in 2003, only 17 in 2004.

Sr. Mariani Dimaranan, SFIC, the nun who was the chair of Task Force Detainees of the Philippines from 1974 to 1996, is one of the 27 Filipino nominees to the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

TFDP’s overview indicated that many cases of HR violations happen in far-flung areas with military detachments. Arbitrary political arrests and detention registered the highest among all cases. Such is the case of four Higaonon children in Agusan del Sur last year. Evening of March 15, 2004, the children spent the night at the house of a certain Joel Ondog. Later, they were arrested by members of army battalion assigned in the province. “At around 7 o’clock in the evening, Nito Sumpada, Litto Sumpada, Tema Namatidong and Gerry Sumpada were arrested by members of the 29th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine Army. According to the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous People, the children were in Joel Ondog’s house to sell rattan products. Since Ondog was a frequent buyer, the children already knew him and since their houses were a long way from Ondog’s house, they spent the night at his house” the document read. “While the children were eating supper, four soldiers and a certain Nathan Ondog forcibly took the children for some unknown reason.” The children were forced to admit that their uncles, Gala Lidanhog and Impil Sumpada, were members of the New People’s Army (NPA). All four children were released after a week but they are “still under rehabilitation and undergoing therapy due to trauma and tension caused by the abduction.” Looking at a tabular list from TFDP’s website, it seems common for those allegedly arrested, detained, or killed to be linked to the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), or any “armed dissident groups”. Militant groups-CPP-NPA links? During a congressional hearing on the deaths of human rights leaders Eden Marcellana and Eden Gumanoy in 2003, watch groups questioned some state policies. One of them is the alleged “military’s qualification of legal organizations as fronts of CPP-NPA-NDF.” Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace secretary-general Danilo Beltran said that Marcellana and Gumanoy were not the first human rights activists killed by the military. He mentioned the killings of Milagros Belga in Laguna (2001) and Tirso Ebuenga in Sorsogon (2002). He also mentioned Benjaline “Beng” Hernandez. Beng was her campus paper’s features editor and an AB Literature student-on-leave at Ateneo de Davao University. She became the secretary-general of Karapatan, vice-president for Mindanao of the College Editor’s Guild of the Philippines and a member of Bayan Muna. Her activism must have made her uniquely remembered by people she was able to work with. She was a “somewhat coquettish schoolgirl”. As Carlos Conde put it, she “defied the G & D (grim and determined) image of a tibak (local slang for activist)” due to the “playful innocence that she exuded at times.” Conde, who is a writer for the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, also remembers Hernandez as the girl who would tease him about his relationship with her friend. Midday of April 5, 2002, Hernandez, along with other victims, was killed by Army soldiers and members of Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in Arakan, North Cotabato. Beng was there to research on the peasant situation and was following-up a fact-finding mission regarding an alleged massacre that happened the previous year. The spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said that Hernandez and three farmers were killed in a “legitimate armed encounter” between NPA guerillas, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and CAFGUs. Witnesses and evidences, however, say otherwise. Lawyer Ciriaco Jabido Jr., regional director of the Commission on Human Rights at the time of the killing, conducted an investigation. He later noted an affidavit and said that the slaying of Hernandez was “an instance of summary or extra-legal execution, hence an unjustifiable killing committed under circumstances that qualify it as murder.” He based his conclusion on an investigation report of NBI that said she was killed through bullets fired “at a very close distance which could have been no more than one foot from the right breast, and not more than two feet from the left side of the neck.” Ret. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, 2003 Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff, denied allegations that the military qualifies progressive groups as communist fronts when he spoke as a resource person during the Marcellana-Gumanoy hearings. But Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo supported the allegation by citing a video presentation entitled “Art of Deception” that was aired in government TV channels. The video said that CPP is using Congress to harass the AFP through investigations on human right violations. In April this year, a powerpoint presentation was brought to the attention of media groups. The “Know Your Enemy” meant for intelligence officers of the AFP, lists the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), and other organizations critical of the government as groups that supposedly comprise the “legal machinery” of the CPP. PCIJ campaigns against corruption by public officials, NUJP denounces the spate of killings of journalists while CBCP and AMRSP are religious groups that may be even against communist ideologies. An Internet news website reported that some congressmen denounced officials in the Cabinet who are “engaging in a demonization campaign linking progressive party-list groups to the underground Left.” Political detainees TFDP’s record shows that virtually all political detainees are jailed using criminal allegations such as murder or kidnapping. A previous visit of HF to the Maximum Security compound of the New Bilibid Prison confirmed this. Of all the detainees in political quarters, none are charged with rebellion, sedition and subversion. They are wrongfully associated with common criminal offenders. In 1994, Former Commissioner Sedfrey Ordoñez, said, “Wala ng political prisoners pero may nakakulong dahil sa kanilang pampulitikong paniniwala (There are no more political prisoners but there are those who are jailed because of their political beliefs),” referring to the exact situation of current detainees. The human rights problem is hounding the country in years. Harassment, abduction, torture and killing have always been a part of the angst of the victims’ families. The figures presented by the government and non-government organizations differ but both agree that abuse cases do not result in tens nor hundreds, but in thousands of sufferers. It’s sad that these violations happen in areas with high number of state-assigned armed forces and allegedly done by government’s agents. The AFP is reinforced to protect the country from terror threats but with these human rights allegations against them, it seems the government forces are eyeing the wrong enemy. Senator Aquilino Pimentel once called the attention of Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights regarding Hernandez’ case. “It is distressing to note these summary killings,” he said. “You are rubbing out people because of their views.” With reports from Mathhew Ventura, Saw print on La Salleño, August 2005.

Microsoft Office 12 preview

2005-09-28T21:09:00.000+08:00

Post surfing... Take a peek of what new Microsoft Office will look like on xBetas@PDC.

Nintendo unveils controller of the 'Revolution'

2005-09-16T20:02:00.000+08:00

Looks like more of a tv remote control

Nintendo today unveiled the controller for its upcoming game-console code-named Revolution.

Nintendo breaks with more than 20 years of video game history by abandoning the traditional controller held with two hands and introducing an all-new freehand-style unit held with one hand. -- Nintendo

Satellite image: New Orleans is virtually underwater

2005-09-03T05:13:00.000+08:00

BBC News reports an estimated 80% of New Orleans is flooded. Digital Globe provides imagery of major cities hit by Hurricane Katrina. The thumbnails below lead to satellite images of New Orleans before and after the storm.

Digital Globe

Relief:

American Red Cross Website

A more sensible blog ahead...

2005-08-30T17:06:00.000+08:00

Malapit na. I'll have my regular posting (that should mean almost everyday) as soon as I finish this Academic thingy just a couple of weeks ahead. Promise. I'm accepting requests of topics to blog about (hehe, feeling...) . Just post it on my entries' commenting system or e-mail it to my address below. Thanks to all the people who has been visiting and commenting on this blog, and to the people who has been "emailing" me lately.

No use for you

2005-08-22T18:30:00.000+08:00

No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

Ombudsman suspends Cavite governor

2005-08-16T15:32:00.000+08:00

Abs-cbnnews.com reported that Cavite province's governor has been suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged irregularities in purchase of rice last year. The governor said, in another report through INQ7, that he would not step down.

The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended Cavite Gov. Ireneo "Ayong" Maliksi for six months for approving the alleged "ghost purchase" of P7.5 million worth of rice last year, DZMM reported Tuesday. --ABS-CBN News

Cavite Governor Erineo Maliksi said Tuesday that he would not step down despite the six-month suspension order issued by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon. --INQ7

Famine in Niger, millions may die

2005-08-01T17:38:00.000+08:00

Millions of people may die because of famine in many regions of Niger in Africa, aid agencies report.

(AFP Photo) Children are dying of starvation in feeding centres in Niger, where 3.6m people face severe food shortages, aid agencies have warned. The crisis in the south of the country has been caused by a drought and a plague of locusts which destroyed much of last year's harvest. -- BBC News

Donations through:

More info:

Laughter, temporary medicine

2005-07-08T12:53:00.000+08:00

The question in "Debate with Mare and Pare" was, "do the Gloriagate jokes and gimmicks help in the midst of the crisis?" Comedians Mr. Shooli, Tita Cory, Pareng Sherap, and Ate Glo—the first was a talk show host while the last three were impersonators of former presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada, and current president Gloria Arroyo—were at the discussion bringing their humors. But even with the comic atmosphere, they were able to give viewers a serious answer. Yes, we do need those jokes as summarized by hosts Winnie Monsod and Oscar Orbos. The hosts’ points were short and clear: It is acceptable in our society because it’s one of the Filipinos’ coping mechanisms and it is hard to imagine without these types of jokes especially with the dragging political affairs in the Philippines.

Jokes have become the coping, if not escape, mechanism of Pinoys amidst political crisis in the country.

Although to laugh at important issues has a taint of “escapism”, the trait is something that must be positively noted about the Filipinos. Through the jokes, we regain the energy that was drained after heated but sometimes pointless arguments. Really, it entails a special level of sanity to be in a place flooded with information on damning conversations from dubious sources, within a corrupted political system, in the middle of series of oil and basic commodity price increases, while below the satisfactory economic benchmark, over the lands of divided nation, and just before the threats of “world-class” terrorists. The comedians, anyway, were quick to remind that even though they make fun out of the country’s misfortunes, they do want the people to seriously go beyond the masks of laughter and solve the nation’s existing problems. They wanted to start the whole world laughing but nobody wants to realize or see it late that the joke was on every Filipino. Some comical notes:

Cory can’t help on having another people power because she’s busy preparing for her daughter’s wedding on February next year, which will also likely draw huge crowds and attention.
Mr. Shooli tells that many opportunistic politicians should be equated to our national heroes. Treat him like Rizal and let them be shot at Luneta.
Sherap asks Ate Glo for a ring if ever she will be forced out of her position. He will gladly welcome her to the club.
Ate Glow did not trust Sherap when he said “I’ll think about it,” when he was asked of his hopes in going back to Malacañang.

Suddenly I’m wondering where are the minds behind "Mongolian Barbecue" and "Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata", it’s again time that we need many of their type of antics. And finally, I wanted to share my TOP 8 audios and videos in the Philippines’ recent history and why they are famous, who made them famous, or how did they become famous.

#8: Ethel Booba and Alex Crisano’s sex videos Who: The Buzz #7. Mother of all Tapes Who: Former NBI Director Samuel Ong. Why, how: The source of “Hello Garci” CD’s. #6. “Hello Garci” Ringtones Why, how: The people who must have made it thought the mixing was great and placed it in the Internet. #5. La Salle Scandal sex video Why: It involves Lasallians. Who: The Ateneans. How: Those Blue Eagles! #4. Dumaguete Scandal sex video Why: C’mon, it’s sex. Who: Quiapo vendors. How: It was a sure hit among college students. #3. Piolo Pascual’s sex through phone video Why: Surprisingly, Piolo Pascual had sex with a female. How: Through the phones of the person right beside you. Who: “S Files,” to counter the Booba-Crisano expose of The Buzz. #2. I’m Sorry Video Why: President Arroyo has to address her country regarding the “Hello Garci” recordings

And the #1 audio and video in the Philippines’ recent history, why they are famous, who made them famous, or how did they become famous:

Hello Garci audio recordings in CD Why: Was claimed to be proof of President Arroyo’s cheating last election. Who: I don’t know. How: Ask the political opposition… or better yet, ask Press Secretary Bunye.

Cabinet members ask Arroyo's resignation

2005-07-08T10:47:00.000+08:00

Another major blow for already troubled Philippine leader: 10 sacked cabinet officials ask for President Arroyo to resign. Details on Abs-cbnnews.com.

La Salle: Arroyo should resign

2005-07-05T15:59:00.000+08:00

Community of La Salle schools on Sunday called for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign, but rejects extra-constitutional solution to solve the political crisis in the Philippines. Following is the issued statement from the Philippine La Salle District.

RESTORING FAITH IN DEMOCRACY It pains us to speak at this time, but, as a network of Catholic educational institutions committed to the Lasallian Mission of teaching minds, touching hearts and transforming lives, it behooves us to let our collective thoughts be heard by our people, most especially the young who are entrusted to our care. Our nation is beset anew by a serious and profound political crisis. The turmoil is spurred by allegations of fraud and deceit leveled against our nation’s Chief Executive, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Though the charges have yet to be proven and we cannot discount the possibility that these allegations are orchestrated by forces with selfish interests, the present political turbulence has brought a heavy cloud of uncertainty over our already troubled nation. The on-going congressional investigation and the President’s admission of a lapse in judgment have not quelled the restiveness of our people. We fear that there are groups that will exploit the increasing instability to further their political ambitions. As Christians, we humbly accept the President’s offer of apology, but also wish to respectfully remind her that it is imperative that she provide our people with a more substantive explanation and more convincing proof that indeed she did not in any way participate in electoral fraud. Anything less puts her legitimacy in question. It is also imperative that, as a people, we demand the same from our COMELEC officials and all other government and non-government organizations responsible for the conduct of the past elections. We must restore our people’s faith in the Presidency and in the democratic process. This will most certainly require the full exercise of leadership that our President alone could effect. We would like to believe that she was sincere when she expressed her commitment to make a personal sacrifice for the nation’s interest. We now pray her to bring it to full fruition — the supreme sacrifice of surrendering personal want, comfort and position. We pray her to voluntarily relinquish power so that a constitutional process of succession may proceed. We firmly believe that moral ascendancy is a critical ingredient in effective governance, and that even if she stays in Office for the next five years, she will be unable to realistically command the respect of the nation. While lapses in judgment may be acceptable in some other circumstances, we cannot agree that a phone call to a COMELEC official is a case of mere impropriety, especially since the right of suffrage is the cornerstone of democracy. Precisely because she took on the mantle of leadership at a time when the nation was looking for greater accountability and transparency, it is even more incumbent upon her to be without reproach. But even as we ask her to give up her post voluntarily, we must, however, reject all other extra-constitutional solutions to this present crisis or any other means which may lead to violence. We must adhere to the rule of law and allow the constitutional succession process to be refined and perfected so that the next generation of leaders may restore our people’s faith in our political institutions. The challenge for us now is to find other creative options that we can pursue within the parameters set by the Constitution which can allow for a smooth transition without having to resort to another popular uprising which, at this time, may only contribute to further political destabilization. While the President’s supreme sacrifice may temporarily restore our people’s faith in our political institutions through the implementation of a constitutional process of leadership succession, the bigger work remains for the successor government and for all Filipinos to address the chronic democratic deficit. Our nation’s democratic deficit is a product of the weakness of our political institutions and factors that prohibit the full exercise of our people’s right to effective and expansive participation. Unlike the fiscal deficit that required merely a statutory fiat, the democratic deficit necessitates changes in our Constitution and the activation of a greater number of citizens whose participation is necessary to ensure inclusive, participative, transparent and responsive governance. If we are able to do this, then we can face the children in our classroom as effective teachers and really teach them the ways of honesty, integrity and truthfulness. If we ask from the President a supreme sacrifice, nothing less should be required of every Filipino. Let this be a learning moment for us as we go through an authentic soul-searching and as we work assiduously towards healing and conversion. We are calling on all institutions of learning to provide their academic community with objective information, to initiate multi-disciplinary discussions that are critical and transformative, and to create venues for community prayer. Our efforts will be futile if we do not humble ourselves, fall on our knees, and acknowledge that nation-building is as much our work as it is God’s. In this time of chaos, let us always remember that we are in the most holy presence of God. We need more light and less heat. Let us ask for the Spirit of Wisdom to gently lead us so we may see clearly, judge fairly, and act zealously. The God of History has never abandoned us in the past. Today, more than at any other time, we must re-affirm our faith that God will raise up true shepherds for our people. Live, Jesus, in our hearts forever! (Sgd) BR. RAFAEL S DONATO FSC Brother Auxiliary Visitor De La Salle Brothers Philippines (Sgd) BR. EDMUNDO FERNANDEZ FSC Brother Visitor De La Salle Brothers Philippines

Inquirer: Opposition's defeatism

2005-07-02T16:59:00.000+08:00

The opposition thinks it won't be able to impeach the President because impeachment is a political process, and as far as the political configuration in Congress is concerned, everything is stacked against it. This is a defeatist attitude and foolhardy...There are ways of defeating the so-called tyranny of the majority, as Estrada found to his regret when the House of Representatives mustered enough votes to send the impeachment complaint against him to the Senate, or even now, when the House majority was persuaded to allow the playing of the controversial voice recording...The opposition must play its constitutional role of challenging the administration. --Inquirer Editorial

CNN's 'anniversary' use

2005-06-26T20:47:00.000+08:00

I was surprised by CNN's banner "Anniversary stirs painful memories" on a July 26, 2005 article remembering the tsunami tragedy that happened December last year. Did CNN just have a wrong term to describe the event, or was I late in updating the use of the word "anniversary"? I checked Merriam-Webster and Wikipedia but neither of them indicated that the word "anniversary" can be used to mark an occassion that happened 6 months before. Wikipedia, though, admitted that the word is often but "incorrectly used for different time periods" such as "one month anniversary"-something commonly done in my country. The news website did not use the said word within the article's body.

CNN's June 26 frontpage screenshot | zoom Article's page screenshot | zoom

INQ7 through RSS

2005-06-08T16:02:00.000+08:00

Cool! INQ7 now publishes summaries in RSS. It seems to be first in the Philippines for a major news website. Joey through his Babel Machine says it's still in beta testing.

Habemus Papam

2005-04-20T01:01:00.000+08:00

Habemus Papam! Joseph Ratzinger from Germany is the new leader of the Catholic church as Pope Benedict XVI. More on BBCNews.com

Pinoy music through Fiesta Mundo

2005-03-24T18:42:00.000+08:00

It's more than a month since I last posted on this blog. I thought I won't be posting until this coming weekend but Fiesta Mundo is worth to be told. I listened to Fiesta Mundo, a Pinoy music portal I first heard on a music channel then was reminded through an e-mail, this afternoon. It didn't fail me after I decided to listen to its stream of true-to-the-craft artists and their music. Instead of my usual Launchcast trip, I was treated to the sounds of Bridge, Sisig, Back by Midnight, Darryl Shy, Bridge, and Chroma. The portal will use the Internet, mobile phones, and digital distribution system to "export" Filipino music talents. Its founder, Andrian Lee, visions the Philippines as the next Jamaica of international music. He believes "given proper marketing and distribution push, Filipino music and culture has the potential to be as influential and as profitable."

You cannot step into a typical record store in the United States, Japan & Europe without stumbling into a Jamaican music section. More economically challenged than the Philippines, the artists and musicians of the former British colony of Jamaica have nonetheless been able to transcend their national borders and define a unique identity that influences international pop culture... A casual reading into the history of the Jamaican music phenomenon will reveal that local artists started by covering imported American R&B hits in the "sound system" dance halls of Kingston, Jamaica. Sounds familiar? But at some point, the artists began to be dissatisfied with copying songs that did not reflect their soul and who they were as a people. Maybe the reason why Filipino popular taste has remain stuck with American cover songs is that artists have not been given an opportunity to lead the way into creating music that reflect our distinct identity. When Filipino artists are given the vote of confidence to express originality and creativity, I believe popular taste will follow suit and change as it did in Jamaica. -- Andrian Lee, Fiesta Mundo founder

I'll try to set a true article for it next week. For now, I invite you to visit and listen.

'Apo ni Wonder'

2005-02-08T19:47:00.001+08:00

Just sneakin' some blog updates in the middle of thesis.

Below is our family cat that we failed to give a name, so just call it "Apo ni (grandchild of) Wonder" since it's a descendant of our favorite and late pet -- named "Wonder".

Photo: iJames through Flickr.

Apple, 2004 'brand of the year'

2005-02-01T01:09:00.000+08:00

The position that has been held by Google since 2002 was taken away from them. The nearly 2,000 readers form 75 countries of Brandchannel, an online exchange about branding, voted Apple as the 2004 'brand of the year.' Brandchannel releases the list and its chief editor Robin Rusch writes this in their website.

Top 5 (Global) 1. Apple* 2. Google** 3. Ikea* 4. Starbucks* 5. Al Jazeera * denotes move up from 2003 ** denotes move down from 2003 BOLD denotes new to the list Source: Brandchannel.com

Satellite photos show engulfed island in Indonesia

2005-01-02T19:31:00.000+08:00

As of this post, more than 120,000 people have been confirmed dead in the tsunami that hit more than 10 countries around the Indian Ocean. Indonesia having the most number of casualties, with more than 80,000 people confirmed dead, welcomed the new year mourning for their people. Thousands more are missing. Satellite photos below show an island in Indonesia before and after the deadly waves hit the country, killing thousands of people.

Photos: Digital Globe The top photo was taken on June 23, 2004. Below it shows the Aceh shores taken in by waters after the tsunami. More on Digital Globe's website.

International relief efforts are on their way to help the affected region. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warns that it could take up to 10 years to recover from the tragedy.

Microsoft abandons Passport

2004-12-31T17:34:00.000+08:00

In technology, Microsoft will be abandoning their Passport project.

The Redmond software company said Wednesday it would stop trying to persuade Web sites to use its Passport service, which stores consumers' credit-card and other information as Internet users surf from place to place. -- Seattle Times

Deaths could reach 120,000 on Asian tragedy

2004-12-30T21:11:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - The mercilessness of Asia's tsunami grew clearer on Thursday as worst-hit Indonesia sharply raised its death toll, taking the number of fatalities around the whole Indian Ocean region above 120,000. -- Yahoo News

More than 115,000 people are dead following Sunday's huge earthquake that sent walls of water crashing across the Indian Ocean, officials in affected areas said today. U.N. relief workers have arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province to find devastation in the region, where as many as one in four people are reported to have died. -- CNN

New figures reveal at least 112,000 people died in Sunday's ocean disaster. Officials in Indonesia say the number killed there is now nearly 80,000 and the death toll from the worst-hit area is set to rise still higher. -- BBC News

Tsunami-hit regions need help

2004-12-29T16:54:00.000+08:00

"The UN has said it faces an unprecedented challenge in co-ordinating distribution of aid to some 10 nations at once," BBC News reported. We can help. You can, or ask somebody that can, link to the sites listed below.

Tsunami toll hits 68,000, 'may double'

2004-12-29T16:47:00.000+08:00

Death toll in the Asian tsunami has reached 68,000 according to some media outlets while the United Nations fears that the number "may double" because of disease outbreaks in the affected countries. The UN is faced with a huge challenge to aid the afflicted regions in Asia. "The UN has said it faces an unprecedented challenge in co-ordinating distribution of aid to some 10 nations at once," BBC News reported. The tsunami was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, the world's largest in 40 years and fourth-strongest in a century. (Reports: BBC News [with free video] Image Source: BBC News) More: Reuters Alertnet, BBC South Asian quake coverage Blogs and photo sets on the event: Jeff Ooi, The Acorn, Mack Zulkifli, 2B, Hands to S.E. Asia, Tsunami at Maldives, and Rajanr.com. Relief efforts: Command Post, American Red Cross, SEA-EAT, and more links.

Holiday greeting

2004-12-25T21:28:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas!

Unto me

2004-12-19T20:03:00.000+08:00

(2 of 2) Here's the continuation of my dream more than a week ago. "I analyzed it and remembered preoccupations I had in mind before the dream, but still I didn't get it. [sic]" The vividness also made me remember it for more than a week. Again, I'm posting it here and interpreters, you're welcome to say what you think.

Though I wished to look back, to again look at her, I never looked back. I wanted to see if she also ran away from me, but I never looked back. I continued running away. I saw myself as Maniac Magee. I continued running and was crying while running. I stopped from running when I knew It's impossible to see her anymore. -- first part of my dream posted more than a week ago (Dec 9, 2004)

I stopped running on the far right of the church's territory, near to another gate facing North. From here, I knew I wouldn't see the girl on the other side of the church. I ran from her with reasons I'm probably scared to talk about. I thought it would be a normal walk for me to get out of the church area. But a step made me notice the sudden commotion approaching me. The commotion was caused by a man who's trying to get me, only followed and being stopped by a few people surrounding him. He was a man with a skin heavily darkened by the sun. Also it seemed, the sun dried his hair. The dryness was obvious in his curly type of hair. They had brown and rounded eyes. I saw in him an Aeata desperate and eager to kill me with his knife. I was just lucky that I had enough time to see what's coming to me because more dark skinned people were trying to stop him. There were children and ladies that were trying to stop him from getting me. Their emotions were so high that tears fell while stopping the man. Oh, the man was also teary. Some tears even dropped on his already blooded knife. But his desperation and eagerness didn't help those around him. His strength was too much for them. And besides, I felt that those people around him would have also killed me but preferred no violence. I admit, I was scared. But I knew that If I had to fight for my life, I would do it. Almost a second later, he's few more steps away from me and all he had to do was to do a great step or jump on to me then he could do what I thought he wanted to do. Then suddenly I saw this man from my right. He ran with a speed that did not give me the chance to see him clearly. I noticed, though, his knife. He jumped in front of me, just as exactly how the dark-skinned man leaped unto me. It was their fight all of a sudden, or it was actually their fight that I thought was between me and the first man. I was pushed away by their rumble. They wrestled to get each other's knife. Then it seemed they're slowly moving away from me. After this, I woke up from my dream.

Google to digitize millions of books

2004-12-18T21:45:00.000+08:00

Google, with it's goal to put large amount of information on the Internet and make it available for millions of users around the world, will scan millions of volumes from major libraries in the United Sates. The report on CBS News said that even though scanning books for the Internet is not new, the search engine company's commitment to digitize millions of volumes may have the biggest impact in efforts to make books available online.

The Michigan and Stanford libraries are the only two so far to agree to submit all their material to Google's scanners. The New York library is allowing Google to include a small portion of its books no longer covered by copyright while Harvard is confining its participation to 40,000 volumes so it can gauge how well the process works. Oxford wants Google to scan all its books originally published before 1901. -- CBS News

But how will they scan millions of books? With the use of automated book scanners.

APT BookScan 1200 (Kirtas Website)

I still can't check if they'll have the product by Kirtas Technologies, Inc. -- a company from New York that claims they made the world's first automated book scanner. Their APT BookScan 1200 is being promoted to scan bound documents at the rate of 1,200 pages per hour. Click here for videos and a demo of the product. It is likely that Google will use this type of product.

FPJ passes away

2004-12-14T01:11:00.000+08:00

ABS-CBN news reported that Philippine actor Fernando Poe, Jr. is dead days after being rushed to the hospital due to a thrombosis attack.

G4TechTV dies?; IBM drops PC; Oldest Domains

2004-12-10T22:21:00.000+08:00

Here's an insider's account regarding the many changes in G4Techtv.

Comcast and G4 have officially killed the techTV we all knew and loved, they're even changing the name back to G4 in January. That's six years of hard work down the toilet. So, where will people go for technically orientated programming? Leo Laporte stipulates that the Internet will be the new broadcast medium, allowing for even more focused programming. -- Dark_lotus through The Mac Mind

Here's other tech news links. • IBM sells its PC division -- CNET News • Some of the oldest currently registered domain names: Symbolics, Think, Xerox, IBM, Sun, Intel, and Adobe. Click here for the "Oldest 100".

Run away

2004-12-09T23:31:00.000+08:00

(1 of 2) I wish I may know what's the meaning of my dream this past morning. I analyzed it and remembered preoccupations I had in mind before the dream, but still I didn't get it. The pictures in my dream were so vivid that I could still describe it more than half-a-day after. The vividness also made me curious about it. I'm not a good storyteller, but anyway, I'm posting it here. Interpreters, you're welcome to say what you think. I found myself outside the gates, several meters away from the main doors, of the Catholic church that I usually go to every Sunday. Everything seemed normal but the girl standing in front, also outside, of the church's main doors. I wanted to get near to the main door so I slowly entered the gates. There was no way that I'll not pass near to the girl. After few steps from the gates, inside the church's fences, as I was getting more near to her, I suddenly stopped walking. I took a closer look at her, tried to see her face while being covered by her hair that was relatively shorter than many females have. I recognized the girl. Her covered and tilted head did not help much in preventing me to see her face. But again, the appreciation of her beauty did not take long. I avoided looking at her even though I felt that I wanted to look at her. I really don't know why I avoided to look at her. Something was preventing me to decide the way I wanted to. Just like many dreams, I'm not much of in control. I just can't look at her. I was afraid. What was I afraid of? I don't know. Something paralyzed me. I felt silence. The only sounds that I can hear were whispers from my mind telling me to look at her. There was a little noise though, telling me to walk towards her. Me standing still, with our environment's silence, whispers, and little noise, also made me feel that she wanted to look at me. But just like me, she can't. She was afraid. As if there was something holding her back. What's holding her back? I don't know. I may never know. I did not understand my feelings. I did not understand hers. I did not stand it. With full force I broke the paralysis I was in. I ran away from her, farther from where I stood with the silence, whispers, and little noise. Though I wished to look back, to again look at her, I never looked back. I wanted to see if she also ran away from me, but I never looked back. I continued running away. I saw myself as Maniac Magee. I continued running and was crying while running. I stopped from running when I knew It's impossible to see her anymore. to be continued on weekend...

Storm survivors rescued under collapsed building

2004-12-09T18:01:00.000+08:00

Rescuers discovered that around 20 people survived for ten days beneath the rubbles of a collapsed building in Real, Quezon. The survivors belonged to the people who seeked refuge in the two-storey building when a storm hit the Philippines last week. Mudslides buried it with more than 100 people in it. BBC News reported that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hailed the discovery of the survivors as a "miracle".

GMA: Post gov't contracts on the Internet

2004-12-09T17:31:00.000+08:00

For greater transparency and to curb corruption, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo orders all government contracts to be posted on the Internet. ABS-CBN News reported the reiteration of an already approved 'e-procurement' law.

Aguirre twins scheduled for another surgery

2004-12-08T21:26:00.000+08:00

The formerly conjoined Aguirre twins have returned to the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. The Filipino twins that undertook a historic operation months ago returned for a series of medical tests to prepare them for the next stage of surgeries.

His mother Arlene supports Carl Aguirre to remove bandage. (Photo: Montefiore Medical Center) The Aguirre twins with The Wiggles during the musical group's visit in Montefiore last October. (Photo: Montefiore Medical Center)

The same surgical team that did the operation for Carl and Clarence Aguirre last August will begin a series of surgeries to add skin grafts before starting a reconstructive surgery on the boys' skulls. According to the Montefiore hospital press release, the skin grafting is scheduled Wednesday next week. "Wednesday's procedure will only deal with skin grafts," Dr. David A. Staffenberg said. "It is after the skin grafts have healed that our more difficult reconstructive challenges will begin." Dr. Staffenberg is a coleader of the twins' surgical group. Their pediatrician Robert Marion, MD earlier said that the boys are "doing brilliantly". "Carl was playing with a toy barbecue grill and serving play hot dogs and hamburgers to his therapist. He just loved the interaction," a previous press release quoted Dr. Marion. "Clarence was playing with toy cars on a track, and in order to make the cars go down the track, he needed to push a button," the pediatrician continued. "He figured this out pretty quickly, and did it again and again, smiling each time he was successful."

Lycos drops anti-spam tool

2004-12-07T17:57:00.000+08:00

A contentious campaign to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers by flooding their sites with data has been dropped. -- BBC News

English-Tagalog

2004-12-06T22:18:00.000+08:00

For laughs, columnist Dan Mariano wrote in his space (through ABS-CBN News) a list of Tagalog counterparts for some English words...

Contemplate - kulang ang mga pinggan Punctuation - pera para maka-enrol Ice Buko - nagtatanong kung ayos na ang buhok Tenacious - sapatos na pang tennis Calculator - tawagan kita mamaya Devastation - sakayan ng bus Protestant - Tindahan ng prutas Statue - Ikaw ba yan - Tissue - Ikaw nga! Predicate - Pakawalan mo ang pusa Dedicated - Pinatay ang pusa Aspect - Pantusok o pandurog ng yelo Deduct - Ang pato Defeat - Ang paa (ng pato - ) Detail - Ang buntot (ng pato - ) Deposit - Gripo (Call DIPLOMA if DEPOSIT is leaking) City - Bago mag-utso; A number to follow 6 Cattle - Doon nakatila ang Hali at Leyna Persuading - Unang Kasal Depress - Ang nagkasal sa PERSUADING Defense - Ginamit ng mga pangsulat sa kontrata sa PERSUADING It depends - Kainin mo ang bakod Shampoo - Bago mag-labing-isha (11) Delusion - Maluwang (kapag maluwang ang damit, e DELUSION) Delivery - Walang bayad. Kapag working lunch, e DELIVERY na ang tanghalian Profit - Patunayan mo Backlog - bacon saka egg Beehive - magpakatino ka CD-ROM - tingnan mo ang kwarto Debug - ang ipis Defrag - ang palaka Defense - ang bakod Defer - ang balahibo Deflate - ang plato Detest - ang eksamin Devalue - yon ang susunod sa letrang V Devote - ang boto Dilemma - brownout, a! Effort - dun nagla-land ang efflane Forums - apat na kwarto July - nagsinungaling ka ba - Thesis - ito ay... -- ABS-CBN News Website

'Blog', word of the year

2004-12-05T13:42:00.000+08:00

Merriam-Webster Online announced that "blog" is the #1 Word Of The Year for 2004. The top words were based on the online lookups by the site's users.

Blog noun [short for Weblog] (1999) : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer -- Merriam-Webster Online

The rest of the top ten are the words "incumbent", "electoral", "insurgent", "hurricane", "cicada", "peloton" (the main body of riders in a bicycle race), "partisan", "sovereignty", and "defenestration" (a throwing of a person or thing out of a window).

A real Brodcst Msktir

2004-12-04T20:50:00.000+08:00

I would like to congratuate a friend, George Putong, who made it to the top three of the recently concluded Philippine Blog Awards (Best Blogger Of The Year category). And speaking of "Blog Awards", The 2004 Asian Blog Awards is now open for nominations.

Like Toy Soldiers

2004-12-04T19:25:00.000+08:00

Eminem releases his video "Like Toy Soldiers". Below are the lyrics of the song that tell the danger of hip hop wars -- some may start through lyrical attacks then end up to a literal murder. This is his third video from his latest album Encore, after the Just Lose It and (a direct attack on U.S. President Bush through) Mosh. I won't talk much for now about the album. I'll do a review of the CD as soon as I get a copy.

Like Toy Soldiers by Eminem [Step by step, heart to heart, left right left We all fall down... [Chorus] Step by step, heart to heart, left right left We all fall down like toy soldiers Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win But the battle wages on for toy soldiers [Verse 1] I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders I am never supposed to show it, my crew ain't supposed to know it Even if it means goin' toe to toe with a Benzino it don't matter I'd never drag them in battles that I can handle unless I absolutely have to I'm supposed to set an example I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide 'em If some shit ever just pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em Now the Ja shit i tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it It was crazy, this shit be way beyond some Jay-z and Nas shit And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it I spent too much energy on it, honestly I'm exhausted And I'm so caught in it I almost feel I'm the one who caused it This ain't what I'm in hip-hop for, it's not why I got in it That was never my object for someone to get killed Why would I wanna destroy something I help build It wasn't my intentions, my intentions was good I went through my whole career without ever mentionin' Suge Now it's just out of respect for not runnin' my mouth And talkin' about something that I knew nothing about Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn't my beef So I did, I just fell back, watched and gritted my teeth While he's all over t.v. down talkin' a man who literally saved my life Like fuck it i understand this is business And this shit just isn't none of my business But still knowin' this shit could pop off at any minute cuz [Chorus] [Verse 2] There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme And wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin' But now it's elevated cuz once you put someone's kids in it The shit gets escalated, it ain't just words no more is it? It's a different ball game, callin' names and you ain't just rappin' We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happenin' Me and Dre had sat with him, kicked it and had a chat with him And asked him not to start it he wasn't gonna go after him Until Ja started yappin' in magazines how we stabbed him Fuck it 50 smash 'em, mash 'em and let him have it Meanwhile my attention is pullin' in other directions Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk Has an erection for me and thinks that I'll be his ressurection Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record But now he's fucked the game up cuz one of the ways I came up Was through that publication the same one that made me famous Now the owner of it has got a grudge against me for nothin' Well fuck it, that mutherfucker can get it too, fuck him then But I'm so busy being pissed off I don't stop to think That we just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc. And he's inherited mine which is fine ain't like either of us mind We still have soldiers that's on the front line That's willing to die for us as soon as we give the orders Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us We'll maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a chorus To show them we love 'em back and let 'em know how important it is To have Runion Avenue Soldiers up in our corners Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is But I ain't tryna have none of my people hurt and murdered There ain't words that I can't think of a perfecter way to word it Then to just say that I love ya'll too much to see the virdict I'll walk away from it all before I let it go any further But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm coppin' I'm just willin' to be the bigger man If ya'll can quit poppin' off at your jaws with the knockin' Cuz frankly I'm sick of talkin' I'm not gonna let someone elses coffin rest on my conscience cuz [Chorus] -- LetsSingIt.com

Typhoon kills 300

2004-11-30T22:45:00.000+08:00

Tropical storm "Winnie" had already moved to the South China Sea on Tuesday but the rains that it brought and continues to bring in Southern Luzon have left more than 300 people killed. Death tolls are expected to rise. General Nakar, Real, and Infanta -- towns in Quezon -- were majorly hit by flashfloods and landslides. Other towns and cities are underwater, including those in Metro Manila. "Officials said that rescue efforts were hampered by landslides blocking roads and lack of helicopters," ABS-CBN News report said. The flashfloods were blamed to the rampant illegal loggings in the area. PAG-ASA, meanwhile, warned that another stronger typhoon will hit the country as early as Wednesday. The new storm, locally named "Yoyong", will be the fourth storm within two weeks. More details.

Geography Olympics

2004-11-30T17:22:00.000+08:00

Geography Olympics Leaderboard (as of this posting) 1 Nepal 2 St. Lucia 3 Ukraine 4 Italy 5 Cape Verde 6 Lithuania 7 Samoa 8 Trinidad and Tobago 9 Antigua 10 Greece

Know which country is best at geography. As of this posting, People from Nepal, Sta. Lucia, and Ukraine are on top three. Philippines is at 36th. Click here for more.

Screensaver to attack spammers

2004-11-30T10:35:00.000+08:00

Lycos.com will launch a screensaver that was said to put spammers out of business. The said internet portal expects some users to download the tool that will send endless requests to the servers of sites mentioned in a spam e-mail. It is right now being tested in Sweden and will be released on December first. More from BBC News.

Ukraine Turmoil

2004-11-27T21:40:00.000+08:00

It seems there's a "people power" in Ukraine. As hundreds of thousands of protesters are calling for the re-run of election there, their parliament is planning to back a resolution to declare the presidential poll invalid. Meanwhile, journalists of the state-owned channel have joined the opposition. Source: BBC News

Nov 24, 2004 blog filler (Music)

2004-11-24T22:44:00.000+08:00

I'll find more time to seat in front of PC some other time. Here's my latest top 15 (and some more). 1) Breathe (by Fabolous) 2) Mosh (by Eminem) 5) Just Lose It(by Eminem) 3) Drop It Like It's Hot (by Snoop and Pharell Williams) 4) Karma (by Alicia Keys) 6) Huwag Na Huwag Mong Sasabihin (Never Ever Tell) (by Kitchie Nadal) 7) These Words (by Natasha Bedingfield) 8) Lean Back (by Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe) 9) Numb/Encore (by Linkin Park featuring Jay Z) 10)Car Wash (by Missy Elliot and Christina Aguilera) 11) What We Do (by Knoc-Turn'Al) 12) Masaya (Happy) (by Bamboo) 13) Dare You To Move(by Switchfoot) 14) Sige (by 6 Cycle Mind) 15 ) She Will Be Loved (by Maroon 5) --- Comfortable (John Mayer), Vindicated (Dashboard Confessional), Sex and Candy (Marcy Playground), Rainbow Connection (Jason Mraz), Absolutely Zero (Jason Mraz)

Hostages 'freed' in Afghanistan: Reports

2004-11-23T13:12:00.000+08:00

Breaking news: • Hostages 'freed' in Afghanistan -- BBC News • Nayan, 2 other UN hostages freed in Afghanistan -- ABS-CBN News • Filipino, 2 other UN hostages freed in Afghanistan -- INQ7

War Responsibility

2004-11-22T21:48:00.000+08:00

After showing the world a video of a U.S. marine shooting a helpless Iraqi insurgent, he has been criticized by pro-war citizens. After his blog accounts as an embedded journalist in Fallujah, he was accused of being "biased" against the war. In this entry, Kevin Sites defends himself. I'm with you Mr. Sites.

So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera -- the story of his death became my responsibility. -- Kevin Sites, Kevinsites.net

Happy Corner

2004-11-22T21:30:00.000+08:00

Do you want to be on a "happy corner"?

Suddenly, three to four students rush over to you. They lift you up, they split your legs apart and then they slam your sexual organ right into a post or a wall corner. The name of the game is Happy Corner, and this perverted game is the method by which university students communicate and bond with each other. -- U-Beat Chinese magazine, (translation posted on Zonaeuropa.com)

A 2.5 gigapixel photo

2004-11-20T19:08:00.000+08:00

A photo that was shot in 1 hour and 12 minutes and composed in three full days is now the world's largest digital photo. A group of Dutch researchers stitched together 600 snaps of Delft City in Netherlands to finish a 2.5 Gigapixel picture. The long exposure required to shoot the photo resulted to some interesting artefacts: a walking torso and a parked car merging into a bus.

Parked car merging into a bus Car without plate number Researchers set up the camera Electrical Engineering faculty building of Delft University

According to the website of TNO labs, a printed image would measure 6.67 m by 2.67 m on a standard 300 dots per inch quality. The high quality image (sure it is) featured a "middle finger" raised behind a windscreen, grass between pebbles, and a car without a plate number. The image was shot 100 meters above the ground at a university building in Delft. Image details:

Number of pixels in final image: 2,487,227,305 (2.5 gigapixel)
Final image file format: 24-bit colour bitmap
Final image file size: 7.5 GBytes
Number of source images: 600
Number of pixels in source images: 3,537,408,000 (600 images * 3008*1960)
Lens focal length: 400 mm (equivalent to 600 mm on a 35 mm camera)
Aperture: F22, Shutter speed: 1/100, ISO: 125
Horizontal field of view of final image: 93 degrees
Time required to capture component images: 1 hour and 12 minutes
Time required to match overlapping images: 20 hours
Time required to optimise project: 4 hours
Time required to compose the image: 3 full days using 5 high-end pcs
Time required to blend seams / correct misalignments / finalise image: 2 days

Source: TNO

Scholarly search

2004-11-20T13:50:00.000+08:00

Cool! Now I may have reliable materials through an Internet search.

Google Scholar (Beta) Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. -- Google Scholar Website

E-mails and candles

2004-11-20T13:20:00.000+08:00

4 million e-mails per day The Guardian reports, "The Microsoft founder is the most spammed man in the world, with 4 million emails arriving in his inbox each day." -- Wow! But of course, it's practically and mathematically impossible for him to read it all. The report said that Bill Gates doesn't have to check it all. His company has a group that ensures Gates only gets e-mails that he wants to read. Most of the e-mails his inbox gets are spam.

The upside of the Microsoft founder's bulging inbox is that it appears to have focused his mind on the problem. Spam is regarded as perhaps the biggest threat to the internet, with some experts putting it as high as 80% of the world's online traffic. The company is working on a number of solutions, including software that replies automatically to e-mail messages from users not known to that computer, and the idea of "postage" on e-mails. Microsoft is also working with internet firms AOL, Yahoo and EarthLink to verify the identity of the sender of an e-mail message. -- The Guardian

'Dangerous month for the lungs' inside churches

Air inside churches may be a bigger health risk than that beside major roads, research suggests. The researchers say that December, with churches lighting up candles for Christmas, could be an especially dangerous month for the lungs. It is now believed that respiratory health is increasingly at risk from so-called "indoor pollution" in the home, workplace and other enclosed spaces. --BBC News

Sanchez out of TV Patrol

2004-11-16T23:46:00.001+08:00

Here's the real story on the Korina-axed-from-TV Patrol issue: Korina Sanchez will be out of her channel's flagship newscast but will continue her other shows on TV and radio, which is, actually, a result of the female broadcaster's promotion. Ricky Lo's scoop (through PhilStar.com) said that TV Patrol will be hosted by Karen Davila, Julius Babao, and Ted Failon. Then, The Insider will be hosted by Ces Drilon and Dong Puno and The Weekend News will be anchored by Bernadette Sembrano and Henry Omaga-Diaz. Ricky Lo had a "DPA" for this scoop. Click here for his write up about it. ABS-CBN President Cito Alejandro announced earlier that Sanchez will be the the networks' chief correspondent for local and global operations. The broadcaster "will also serve as the company's subject matter expert on government and political affairs," said in a statement as reported by the network's news website.

After My My Moblog Test...

2004-10-18T19:34:00.000+08:00

Creeps, my previous entry costed me Php 8.73... moblogging cost higher indeed. I thought it would be easy to setup up-to-the-minute blog. "Thought" I said.

Moblog Test

2004-10-17T22:01:00.000+08:00

None. I just wanted to know what a moblog would cost me. Goodnight.

Piglas

2004-10-14T14:17:00.000+08:00

"Hininga ma'y badyang kitlin/ Piglas pluma/ Sa tanikalang lipunan" (Text by Heidi Sarno/ Photos by John Ernie Reyes)

Just posting a photo collage I made using Adobe Photoshop.

Terraces Of Ancient Genius

2004-10-05T22:38:00.000+08:00

An Ifugao folk sharing an ethnic dance to the visitors of Banaue Hotel. With their instruments, Ifugaos find their way to vistors' hotel in Banaue. A product of an ancient genius. Visitors are provided with cemented walkways through Rice Terraces in Ifugao. A Banaue farmer Old females in costume ready to be photographed.

Photos I took when we went to Ifugao last June: these were formerly published on my now-gone online magazine. Credits to Earl Octaviano of Heraldo Filipino for the camera.

Between Black and White

2004-09-28T18:02:00.000+08:00

We can't just choose between black and white. There is a large grey in between. People from the early or primitive type of civilizations were people that unlikely decided to favor themselves. Imagine using swords, burning of houses, and more activities that, according to their primitive assessment, were not bad at all. They did things that were supposedly not happening in present times. But I just said "supposedly." Believe it or not, these activities still exist. Picture the infamous Al Qaeda network lead Osama bin Laden. Years ago, commentators described the Al Qaeda attack in the United States as "barbaric," referring to actions and thinking by early people that were done in most recent civilization. The terrorist group used two planes that were enough to topple the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. But come to think of it, it's just an obvious barbaric move. How about the not-so-obvious? The barbarian types of actions were and are not done by the notorious terrorist group alone. Many people in the planet, including the "intellectuals" still use that mode of thinking. They (or we) reflect a black-and-white manner in choosing. They decide or make other people decide with few or limited options. In its basic ways, true or false, yes or no, and agree or disagree are commonly used. In the advent of computing, there is the zero or one. Sometimes, people use A,B,C or D options that is still actually limited. What's wrong is that we apply this limited manner in our daily lives as we relate to people within our society. Society commits this mistake of labeling one entity that will not support them to be someone or something as an enemy. Sometimes we consider these entities as nuisances.See the stereotyping on physically-challenged persons by the non-physically-challenged, teenagers by elders and homosexuals by 'straights', etc. Many members belonging to any of these groups committed mistakes of not taking part in any common solution. The most frequent action is to negate what the other party wants. This mistake is reflected on pros and anti-Eraps, ethnocentric people and conservative priests among others. Here in the Philippines, it is shown on how the government seems to react against the NPAs. Some rebels also commit the mistake. Bad is the NPAs retaliation with arms just as bad as the all-out-war against them by the government without addressing the original plight of the former. The 9-11 event in the U.S. also brought this mistake. U.S. President George W. Bush may look strong, but he committed the fault when he announced, in context, that a country that won't support their campaign is an enemy. Imagine life if this idea will continue to resolve several matters in the international, national, municipal and down to family level. We might expect another world war, national instability, abuse, corruption and broken homes. There is a challenge to all living things in this planet: prove yourself as somebody of your genus' species. Published in Heraldo Filipino (2002).

'Clueless Of Their Own Fates'

2004-09-21T23:03:00.000+08:00

If there is one human rights issue that is not easily remembered, it is the issue of "desaparecidos." People in the country can relate to abuses and tortures by some people from the government but only a few know that cases of "disappearances" exist. I for one have to repteat the Spanish word "desaparecido" several times just to familiarize myself with the word. Then, I have to check dictionaries if I'm pinpointing to a single issue between "desaparecido" and "involuntary disappearances." Luckily, It is pertaining to a single issue. Spanish Origin Desparecido from Spanish literally means disappeared. According to a journal in Boston College, a Jesuit and Catholic college in the United States, the use of the term traces back to 1966 by Human Rights organizations. "Human rights organizations first coined the term 'disappeared'(desaparecido) in 1966 during secret government crackdowns on political opponents in Guatemala, with systematic documentation of disappearances developing through the mid-1970s," Boston College Third World Law Journal says. It added that Latin American media standardized the term "disappearance" as the phenomenal form of brutality became common elsewhere in that continent. The violation was described as a double form of torture. While family members are deprived of any information about the location and situation of their loved ones, the victims themselves are kept clueless of their own fates. Desaparecidos in the Philippines Similar to now democratic states of Latin America, the Philippines also find itself solving the same issue. The country is not lacking with the figures compared to those of Spanish speaking countries. Almost 2,000 desaparecidos were documented since the time of Ferdinand Marcos, reaching its peak on the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. In a report submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance (UNWGEID) in the year 2000, the country has a total of 1,665 cases of involuntary disappearances. Marcos regime brought 759 cases while Aquino and Ramos administrations brought 830 and 66, respectively. Estrada before finishing his second year had 10 cases. But through the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), a Non-Government Organization who submitted the said report to UNWGEID and responded to the call of justice by the victims and families of desaparecidos, statistics now show that cases as old as Marcos’ time can only be discovered nearly 20 years after. In an interview for statistical updates with Louie Crismo, FIND's current Secretary-General, the 759-figure attributed to the former dictator now reached past 800-mark, at around 850 cases. Ramos' record now shows he has 85 cases, while Estrada who has not been able to finish his term has more than 50 cases from 10 within 3 years. Incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as of press time and in more than two years of her reign has 49 cases. Victims Victims are abducted through a "swift" operation, "yung halos walang nakakaalam," describes Crismo. Then they will be brought to secluded places that it will be hard for anyone to trace. Just like Crismo's brother, victims of this "political brutality" include activists, former activists, farmers, workers, progressive students, and lawyers. They are easily recognized as the people who often criticize the government. His brother was a student activist, a youth leader, and has joined student-Christian movement, and was abducted in 1980. Similar activities also made Charlie del Rosario, a desaprecido abducted in early 70's. He was a student activist. His body was never found since then and a death marker has been put up for him. In further interview, Crismo tells that before being considered a desaparecido, the abduction must be "politically motivated" then the whereabouts of the person is denied. A prime element in classifying as a desaparecido is that the abductors were "agents of the state," meaning it is either they are military or paramilitary men, or they are individuals doing the violation in cooperation with the government. Unending campaign In a hall within the Quezon City Memorial Circle, not more than 200 people sit in front of a speaker opposite a large cake with eighteen candles. It isn’t a birthday celebration of a young lady turning eighteen. It is the 18th anniversary of their collective efforts in looking for their lost loved ones tagged as desaparecidos. Unfortunately, Crismo believes that until now, the campaign for their call for justice is not easy. Government agencies and media within the country are two institutions that they are expecting to help them. However until now, the signs of them being helped on their cause are cloudy. FIND appreciates the help given to them by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), a constitutional body created to guard the rights declared in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, in their investigation and documentation capacity. But Crismo hopes that prosecution "powers" will be granted to the independent commission and not just investigative powers. "It [CHR] has to be strengthened, " he added in Filipino. Reports are not enough to answer the plight by the families left by desparecidos. With the slow process of the justice system in the country, cases sent to the United Nations become mere reports. The government has yet to respond after UN brings the reports back to the Local officials for necessary response. To show how the justice system in the Philippines works, Crismo cited a case filed in 1999. Up to this moment, the prosecution still has not presented testimonies of witnesses. They say delaying tactics are employed by the accused, which is done easily in provinces. He says that the intervals for every hearing reach three months. Media's fault, on the other hand, is the lack of attention on disappearances. The attention is far from concerns of the society. "Masyadong hiwalay sa [kailangan ng] lipunan, [ang atensyon ay mas nasa] F4 (Too far from concerns of society... attention is on F4) ," he said. F4 was a Taiwanese pop group starred in the popular Chinese TV drama Meteor Garden. Prior to that, he said that Human Rights issue is only given time or space in media during occasions -- Human Rights week, for example. Coping and Hoping At present, FIND supports itself through an estimated five million budget, with high percentage of the amount coming from the government through CHR and the rest, from donations. But greater support doesn't come from budget. When he was asked as the Secretary-General of FIND if there are good signs for their campaign, and if there is any hope, Crismo answered that as long as there are people that continue to struggle for justice for families of victims of disappearances, there will always be hope for them. And together with International NGOs' support coming from as far as Europe and North and South America, they will pursue the creation of a new reality -- a world without desaparecidos./ By James Sarmiento with reports from Gerard Atienza/Heraldo Filipino. Again posted on this day while remembering the declaration of Martial Law Published: La Salleño (December 2003) -- a supplement by Heraldo Filipino Credits: Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance; Task Force Detainees of the Philippines; Boston College Third World Law Journal; Heraldo Filipino

JDFA Invitation

2004-09-12T21:40:00.000+08:00

Y Tu Mama Tambien, My Sassy Girl, next is what? La Vita e Bella? Jaynie's Dormitory Film Academy will be giving out no-prizes for the winner of Best Non-English or Non-Tagalog Foreign Language Film. Deadline for entries is "until the whole drinking gang" graduates.

What If Between Drinking...

2004-09-07T03:45:00.000+08:00

What if you don't have plans of staying late outside your home but incidents just made you stay somewhere far from the comfort of your bed. What if drinking (alcohol) was never a part of your plan for that day but no-risk-invitation made you release some thoughts that were actually normal for you to hide? What if those thoughts imply what your feelings are? What if between those drinking hours, you were hit by events that would trigger your emotions? The triggering events may highlight or note some insecurities when you think about it, about her. Then after it, you ask your non-EQ capacity to take control because it would become unhealthy to favor emotions over reality? But then again, after it, your IQ gives back to EQ the control over you brain because another reality of wanting her wants to be noticed? What if that would stuck to you until you take a complete rest? But after it all, what if you know how to lie enough that you can say, "Huh, just forget it! Life is life. It doesn't even have much effect on me. Bla bla bla!" What if you just have the capacity to forget the whole triggering event? That is even if the event will preoccupy some part of your thought the next time you wake up. (Pasensya na dito sa nasabi ko. Medyo antok na ako.)

More Than 300 Dies In Hostage Drama

2004-09-05T01:09:00.000+08:00

The bloody end for the Russian hostage drama left more than 300 people dead. The latest report said that 323 people, including 156 children, had been recovered from the site of the siege by the reportedly Chechen rebels. Many more victims were on critical conditions. Another report said that a total of 26 hostage takers were also killed.

Z100 Online Streaming Is Back

2004-08-31T23:21:00.000+08:00

Yipeee!! I just knew that Z100 online streaming is back!

Can't Blog Much

2004-08-20T09:55:00.000+08:00

I can't blog much lately. The hell, I've been loaded with important things to do. Then I wanted to do some crap and hungry. Yeah, eating while doing the crap.

Absolutely Zero by Jason Mraz You. You were a friend. You were a friend of mine I let you spend the night You see how it was my fault. Of course it was mine. I'm too hard at work. Have you ever heard of anything so absurd ever in your life. I'm sorry for wasting your time. Who am I to say this situation isn't great? It's my job to make the most of it Of course I didn't know that it would happen to me. Not that easy. Hey what's that you say? You're not blaming me for anything that's great But I don't break that easy. Does it fade away? So that's why I'm apologizing now for telling you I thought that we could make it I just don't get enough to believe that we've both changed. Who am I to say this situation isn't great? It's my time to make the most of it How could I ever know that this would happen to me, not that easy, no All along the fault is up for grabs why don't you have it Well it's for sale go make your offer, I'll sell it for no less than what I bought it for Pay no more than absolutely zero. Well neither one of us deserves the blame because opportunities moved us away And it's not an easy thing to learn to play a game that's made for two that's you and me The rules remain a mystery. See it can be easy. Who am I to say this situation isn't great? It's our time to make the most of it How could we ever know that this would happen to me, not that easy, no All along the fault is up for grabs and there you have it Well it's for sale go make your offer, I'll sell it for no less than what I bought it for Pay no more than absolutely zero. *** Sex And Candy by Marcy Playground Hangin' round downtown by myself And I had so much time To sit and think about myself And then there she was Like double cherry pie Yeah there she was Like disco superfly I smell sex and candy here Who's that lounging in my chair Who's that casting devious stares In my direction Mama this surely is a dream Hangin' round downtown by myself And I had too much caffeine And I was thinkin' 'bout myself And then there she was In platform double suede Yeah there she was Like disco lemonade I smell sex and candy here Who's that lounging in my chair Who's that casting devious stares In my direction Mama this surely is a dream Mama this surely is a dream I smell sex and candy here Who's that lounging in my chair Who's that casting devious stares In my direction Mama this surely is a dream Mama this surely is a dream Yeah mama this must be my dream

Twins Recovering At 'Lightning Speed'

2004-08-14T20:53:00.000+08:00

The formerly conjoined twins from Negros, Philippines are recovering fast after a week of a succesful surgery in New York. "The boys are recovering at lightning speed," one of the lead surgeons on the boy's medical team said. Clarence is rebounding faster than Carl. The twins have already faced each other for the first time. The doctors said that the twins always watch their favorite television show, The Wiggles.

JC, Happy Birthday!

2004-08-10T21:39:00.000+08:00

19 years ago, at around 10 o'clock in the evening, a girl was given birth. Now many call her JC. Here are some pictures of her (posted without permission, taken from her website). Just ignore the one behind her on the first picture, ok. :)

JC, happy birthday!

Minus Blessings (iJames on WMH Is Down)

2004-08-05T11:51:00.000+08:00

It seems some Internet blessings should be limited. Web Matrix Hosting is doing an upgrade on their system so my site is down. I have to use this temporary blog template on a temporary server. After WMH's down time, though, I think I'll start the restructuring of my Website. The blessings I'm referring to is the sudden increase of unique hits registered in my counter. My Sitestats counter indicates that I was having a 20-plus daily hits. May they be because of just bots or real visits, it was a good news for people concerned for site ranking. Don't get it wrong. I'm not concerned in ranking alone. I'm really serious in seeing my website do its purpose -- being able to tell what this society is all about on my perspective, on a concerned citizen's perspective. If my site would be up again, please take a visit. You would see that I posted some articles that are useful for everybody, especially for Filipinos. Most of them are write-ups when I was still a staff of Heraldo Filipino student publication, and I'm willing to add more articles and visuals. As I was saying, WMH is doing hardwares upgrade so my site is down. The bots and real visitors reading the article about "desaparecidos" and Filipino national language would receive a 404 or DNS error. The articles about those two socially relevant issues are receiving a high number of hits recently. Now the blessing of additional hits through those articles is impossible. Also, I forgot to create a backup for the messages posted on my "Mess Box." The latest message there was cute (or it was just I who thought about it to be cute). Now I lost it. Oh, well... I'll just wait for my site to be uploaded again.

New Cellphone And A Mundane Sunday

2004-08-01T22:03:00.000+08:00

Finally, I was able to contact people through cellphone again. Yesterday I learned that my auntie gave me her extra Nokia 3310 unit including her SIM card. She would't be using it anyway. For sure at this moment, there's no Smart or Globe signal in Dubai. I just realized, it's already my third cellphone number. Nothing, just want you to know about it. Whatever... This day... hmmm... let me see... wala talaga eh... Oh yeah, I just got this new Batman figure from Jollibee Kid's Meal! Anyways... Obviously, there's no great event today. I'm just thinking if what would happen if I would be blogging even without any important things to write about. Hohumm... How mundane this Sunday is.

Cool 'RDIAENG'

2004-07-31T17:38:00.000+08:00

"Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe." Hehe... Just addin' my self to those people who were amazed with this research (if it really was a research). Actually, even Snopes.com could not determine where it came from, and there are more hundreds of people who don't. I credit Language Hat as my source for this letter-position thing.

Eminem Gets Own Channel, Trains For Next Movie

2004-07-28T20:58:00.000+08:00

Eminem will have his own channel on satellite radio soon. "Howard Stern has flirted with the idea of taking his microphone to satellite radio, but Eminem will be the sector's first big-name firebrand," according to a news from The Arizona Republic. In other news, the News.com.au website reports that boxing legend Lennox Lewis' former trainer will train Eminem for the next movie of the rap star. Eminem will have a boxing role. Earlier, it was reported that the rapper was also part of Terror Squad's latest album.

Filipino Hostage De La Cruz Is Free

2004-07-20T20:59:00.000+08:00

After 16 days of captivity and a day after Philippines pulled out its military contingents from Iraq, Filipino worker Angelo de la Cruz was freed from his captors. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo officially announced the release. TV reports quoted a UAE Embassy official that De la Cruz was handed over to the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Baghdad at around 10:30 in the morning, Baghdad time. De La Cruz was hostaged in Baghdad last July 4 but was only known on July 8. A group of Iraqi militants, who are said to be also reponsible for many kidnappings in Iraq, threatened to kill de la Cruz if the Philippines will not withdraw its 51-man contingent in the war-torn country. Sources: ABS-CBN News, INQ7

Philippine Pull Out: A 'Shining Moment' Of Country's Recent History

2004-07-18T01:42:00.000+08:00

Why was it right for the Philippine government to pull out its troops from Iraq in exchange of a single worker's life? I have been looking for the best answers and Paulynn Paredes Sicam, in a write-up through ABS-CBN News website, said the answer very well. The article also described the essence and value of the troops pull out for the political stability in the Philippines. Also there's an insight on what Macapagal's act should mean for the Filipinos in and out her country. Here are excerpts of "Hanging the smaller picture" from "HEART AND MIND" of Sicam:

"It was a class act, much like that of the Philippine Senate's in 1991, when it voted to end the bases treaty, forcing the US to leave its bases in Clark and Subic way before they wanted to. "
"But Filipino wisdom is not conventional; we tend to put more importance on the smaller picture. Unlike the Americans, Koreans, Bulgarians and Japanese who, in the name of the bigger picture, have stood by and allowed their citizens to be killed by terrorists, we do not believe that Angelo's life is expendable. Besides, the bigger picture is cast in broad strokes and which misses out on the realities on the ground. "
"Then there is the value we Filipinos have placed on the life of Angelo de la Cruz, the overseas Filipino worker who has, to the average Filipino, become every OFW. We take seriously the description of the OFW as the new Filipino hero who has saved his family, if not his country, from economic collapse. And we like our heroes alive, not decapitated and dead."
"It's not as if the withdrawal of 51 Filipino soldiers doing humanitarian work would be a major blow to Iraq. Our presence there has been a mere token, and largely symbolic. Now that the cost of this symbolic gesture has become too high, it is time to leave. With only six weeks to go before their scheduled pullout from Iraq, it is not unreasonable to withdraw our troops earlier if it will save the life of Angelo de la Cruz, even if it should now happen to be a demand of the terrorists. "
"Actually, there is no need to rationalize the President's decision to leave Iraq. Instead of being on the defensive, let us relish this rare moment of self-determination and independence from what the late senator and foreign affairs secretary Raul Manglapus called our 'American father image' that, he advised, we needed to 'slay' once and for all. "It is a rare moment when our leaders decide that we do, in fact, have a national interest that diverges from America's, and it is all the more poignant and telling when our national interest tells us to put one Filipino OFW ahead of someone else's warped geopolitical considerations. "President Arroyo's decision to pull our soldiers out of Iraq is one of the shining moments of recent Philippine history. May we always appreciate its significance and never rue the day when she surprised us and did the noble thing by standing up to George W. Bush and ending our adventurism in Iraq to save one Filipino OFW's life. "

I highly recommend reading the full article here.

De La Cruz: 'I'm Coming Back'

2004-07-15T21:01:00.000+08:00

Finally, there were words from Angelo de la Cruz and it was a good news. He said that he is coming home. "Wait for me, I'm coming back to you," de la Cruz said through Al-Jazeera Arab television addressing his family. He thanked the Philippine government for withdrawing its trooops from Iraq. More details from ABS-CBN News.

Filipino Hostage Still Alive; Manila Confirms Pull-out

2004-07-14T21:01:00.000+08:00

Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz is alive, according to a report over TV Patrol on ABS-CBN TV. This was after Philippine government confirmed that it will pull-out its 51-member contingent in Iraq. De La Cruz was abducted by Iraqi militants demanding the Philippines to withdraw its troops in Iraq. The militants threaten to behead the driver. Details from ABS-CBN News.

Confusing Reports On Philippine Pull-Out

2004-07-13T21:03:00.000+08:00

In a report over ABS-CBN News Website, the Philippine government will pull-out its troops "as soon as possible" according to Philippine Deputy Foreign Secretary Rafael Seguis in a broadcast over Al-Jazeera to save a Filipino hostage. Seguis did not give exact date and time. Angelo de la Cruz, a truck driver, was abducted by Iraqi militants last Thursday. The group threatened to behead the driver. Related to the announcement of pull-out, CNN reported that Angelo may be released today. But contrary to said reports, Aljazeera.com bannered that Manila denies of bowing to the militants' demand.

Fast Track: Day 1 and 2 In Daet

2004-07-12T12:25:00.000+08:00

On July 6, we left Cavite to attend the wedding of my cousin in Daet, Camarines Norte. It was around 9:00 P.M. when my sister and I arrived at the Prince Plaza hotel to meet our two aunts in Makati. Just an hour later when more of our relatives arrived at the hotel, we altogether headed to Bicol provinces. I slept for around 3 hours within the 7-hour trip as I found myself comfortable at the back of the L300 van we used. I felt the need to sleep at around 11:30 P.M. I slept when we're still in Laguna, I woke up when we're in Quezon. That was an hour and a half distance on a vehicle's normal speed. I thought I won't sleep anymore but less than an hour later, I felt sleepy again. I slept because I didn't "survive" the "bituka ng manok" referring to the dizziness-causing zigzag roads of South Luzon, which is longer compared to the zigzag roads going to Baguio. I woke up again when we're just two hours away from Daet. I took a few naps after, but I stayed awake when they said that we're just 30 minutes away from the homes of my relatives there. Around 5:00 A.M. of July 9, I once again got a chance of seeing the place where my grandparents (my father's side) once lived. The last time I went here was 10 years ago. I knew ten years would make a big difference. The place now is much populated. There were much more tricycles and establishments. But nonetheless, you know it's a province. Air still seems healthy to breathe unlike the ones in Dasmariñas' thoroughfares, and they're far more healthy compared to Manila's. It was my Auntie Mila who greeted us. She's the mother of my cousin who will be married the next day. Then later, her spouse Uncle Cesar, my father's brother, gave us the keys of my Auntie Emma's house. As we enter the house where we will stay, my sister saw our Tiya Mat - sister of my grandmother - beyond the gates of Auntie Emma's. Tiya Mat used to live in our home in Cavite. Her "sinangag" used to be my favorite morning meal. She is in her 70's now and lives at the original half of my father's ancestral home -- beside my Auntie Emma's. After eating our breakfast, we decided to go to another sister of my father, Auntie Ofel (Ofelia). It was a block away. Surprisingly a daughter of one of my cousin was there. We returned to Auntie Emma's and they slept. I tried to stay awake. I went back to Uncle Cesar's home to see if the bicycle I last used ten years ago was still there. Unfortunately, it was disassembled since nobody had been using it. By that time, my cousin, daughter of Uncle Cesar and sister of the one that will be married, came with her son. Few minutes later, I slept there until lunch. We have to go out for lunch so I hurried for a bath. We went to the Golden Palace. It was formerly called Golden House. It was the nearest restaurant there. After eating, we went to the nearest shopping center. Some of my relatives still have to buy something for the wedding. I was supposed to just look around but I was tempted to buy a shirt that costs for P170. The same shirt would have cost me around P300 in Cavite or Manila. I also noticed that Harry Potter was still being shown in cinemas. The billboard indicates Volta and Spider-man 2 are the coming attractions. My sister and Auntie Emma decided to drop by the market before going back to latter's place. While they were looking for something to buy, I went outside the store where they went in. This was when I saw Daet became obvious of its growing population. Stores, shops, food stalls almost filled the scene. I saw a cinema for adults. The banner says they are showing "Sakim sa Pag-Ibig". The next picture featured sexy stars. I didn't get the title. Of course girls can stay longer walking around a shopping area. My sister and auntie were still inside the store for an hour already. My interest over a bakeshop called "Rostan" -- with the font same as the one by Rustan's store -- helped me to pretend I'm not waiting. The song "Quicky" aired by a local radio station was on the background. Raissa Hapin, former Photo Editor of Heraldo Filipino, flashed in my mind. She told me before that she likes the song. Mmm... A lot of "kumustahan" with our relatives ended our first day in Daet. I slept while watching "Hulk" right after eating dinner near the shores of Bagasbas beach facing the waters of Pacific Ocean. I was surprised when I woke up halfway past seven o'clock in the morning at my Auntie Emma's house in Daet, Camarines Norte on our second day of stay. It was much earlier compared to when I do it in Cavite . Then I immediately ate my breakfast. This is the day of the wedding of my cousin Geoffrey -- the reason why we went here. The first half of my second day in the province is slower probably because everybody is readying for the next half of the day. My cousin's wedding is scheduled at 4:00 P.M. Our call time is 1:00 P.M. I did not dare to go beyond the neighborhood of Auntie Emma's. They scheduled a manicurist to clean the fingernails of everyone that morning so I just have to wait for my turn. While waiting, I got the chance of choosing the film for everybody to watch. From a set of DVD's, I picked The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. After lunch, all the people involved with the rituals of the wedding went to a hotel just near the wedding cathedral. After taking a bath, I witnessed how a shooting for a wedding was done. There's still an hour before 3:00 in the afternoon when the shooting ended. So we spent the free time by watching TV. I chose the channel so we ended up watching BBC News. From time to time we turn the TV to Star Sports and I watched as if I had an idea about motorbike racing. My Uncle Cesar usually watches it. But I know that it is not racing that Uncle Cesar has interest on. When the news about a tennis championship was aired, he and many people there started to talk about the Wimbledon. From there I just have to keep quiet and listen. It's not my sport. Among many of our cousins, I'm the one who doesn't have much inclination to tennis. Most of them play it as a hobby. Some play it for local competitions. I have played it in front of Nintendo console. I used to have a tennis ball and used it on a basketball ring. We arrived at the cathedral at 3:15 P.M. The mass started at four o'clock as scheduled. I observed Kuya Geoff had been crying -- with tears of joy, of course. Few minutes from now Kuya Geoff and her girlfriend will take vows to be together until death. Just like how every wedding mass should end, the priest shall say "you may now kiss the bride." After doing their vows, the newly wed partners kissed each other. Let me start the description of the food reception with great foods. The resort where the reception was held was okay. I don't know what to call those foods but I knew how to eat it all. I only recognized the "lechon" and the salad. They offered a wine for the toast for the newly weds. They showed a video of how the newly weds knew each other. Interestingly, they were lovers since highschool. Separated by college life, they had the chance of being together again after graduation. After all the happiness and heartbreaks they had, they are here now treating us as they enjoy the promise of taking care of each other for the rest of their lives.

Iraqi Group Denies Release Of Filipino Hostage

2004-07-11T21:04:00.000+08:00

Iraqi militants issued a new deadline for the Philippine government to pull-out its troops from Iraq while denying reports that its Filipino hostage was released. Authorities in Philippines was quoted by Philippine media earlier that Angelo de la Cruz was on his way to a hotel in Baghdad, but militants through Al-Jazeera denied reports that they released the worker.

Filipino Hostage Freed: Reports

2004-07-11T16:00:00.000+08:00

After being held hostage since Thursday by Iraqi militants, Filipino worker Angelo de la Cruz will be freed soon according to media reports. In a TV interview, Philippine Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said that de la Cruz was on his way to an undisclosed hotel in Baghdad. President Arroyo's spokesperson Ignacio Bunye was quoted that "there's no actual turnover at this time, but indications point to that direction."

Philippines Bars Trips To Iraq; Filipino Held Hostage There

2004-07-09T14:58:00.000+08:00

A group of Iraqi Militants holds Filipino worker Angelo de la Cruz as hostage while demanding the Philippine government to pull its troops there. The Arabic channel Al-Jazeera showed a video tape of three gunmen with Cruz. The group who called themselves "Khalid bin Waleed Corps of the Islamic Army in Iraq" threatens to behead the captured worker. ABS-CBN News reports that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered a ban of trips to Iraq.

I Already Lost My Cellphone

2004-07-06T12:27:00.000+08:00

This is my second day without my old cellphone number. And I still don't have a new one. I lost my cellphone Monday morning and there's no way I'll get it back. To all the people who have my number, It's not mine anymore. Just don't contact me through that one. The person that found or took it has a 'finders keepers' mind. I tried to talk to the new owner just asking for the SIM, but he did not reply. He answered my calls but he did not talk. I only heard a man and woman, probably in their 40's, talking to each other about the things I've been texting them. I'll be going to Bicol this day without a cellular phone. I'm expected to return to Cavite by weekend. Again people, I'm reminding you that their still using my SIM up to this moment. I am not the one you'll be talking with through that number anymore. Just contact me through e-mail.

'Seal of Quality' For Better Brothels?

2004-07-03T14:59:00.000+08:00

Reuters reports that the Dutch government will back a "seal of quality" for well-run brothels and standard contracts for prostitutes. The report also says that Dutch officials will back programs to help prostitutes leave the profession. Netherlands recognizes postitution as a legal profession since 1998.

350,000 Joins March For Democracy In Hong Kong

2004-07-02T15:01:00.000+08:00

Hundreds of people marched in Hong Kong to demand for their democracy after the Chinese government disallowed universal suffrage for them until 2007. Channel News Asia reports more than 350,000 joined the rally.

Vindicated

2004-07-02T03:22:00.000+08:00

After hearing its soundtrack all over again, downloading some pictures of it, and seeing how they made the film, finally I found myself seeing Spider-man 2 movie. Overall, the movie did not disappoint me. First to mention, the greatest part of this movie was that it highlighted Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) psychological problem with his few years-old powers. The several scenes surpassed the highlights of his hard decision to be a hero that may have already been done in many episodes of its TV series and a lot of comic issues. His decision was against his dreams to be with the one he loves. Second, they put up a great teaser for what might happen in the sequel of it. Everybody now smells the Hob Goblin, an alter ego of Peter's best friend Harry Osbourne. To rundown the Spidey thing, great other character developments (for his Aunt Mae, Mary Jane, Harry, Doctor Octavius, Mr. Jameson) and fight scenes. Then there were entries of comedy. Absolutely there are more details to it but I let the pros do the reviews for you. Hopefully, I can do one review for the Observer's Nook. Back To Me Just like any other movies, you'll appreciate it if it will hit a part of you. I appreciated Spider-man 2. It did not hit only one, but some parts of me. Matt of Heraldo Filipino was right about some things, I was jokingly denying the fact that yes, I can relate to the words said to Peter Parker about that "brilliant but lazy" thing and other lines from the movie. I won't claim that I could be a Peter Parker towards Physics, like Eric James on things I'm interested at. That is because I'm not. But there is a silent admission that I could have done better in my academics. For the benefit of the people who don't know, I was supposed to graduate last March. But laziness was eating me years ago. There were remnants of that laziness last semester. I'm yet to finish my course. I being able to catch optimism the way I do now is another story. The battle within the head of Peter, like doing a hero thing against personal dreams, hit me four or three years ago. I won't elaborate. Even the "growing up with older people" thing may have been a recent event as I relate to it. Remember how Peter wanted to decide for himself while not listening to his Uncle Ben. Fortunately, Doc Ock lesson was a thing of the past for me. I was a kid back then when I wanted to do groundbreaking things to be famous. But his lesson of doing technological advances for mankind is a forever lesson for me. Wow, it was good my mother let me watch those Friday evening and Saturday morning cartoons. Life has more lessons. Definitely more than a Spider-man movie could teach to a kid. There's a greater story here in life. I'll end this entry with a soundtrack from the movie. The song struck me since its video was launched in Yahoo Launchcast. Vindicated Dashboard confessional Hope dangles on a string Like slow spinning redemption Winding in and winding out The shine of it has caught my eye And roped me in So mesmerized and I'm so hypnotized And I am captivated {Chorus} I am Vindicated I am selfish I am wrong I am right I swear I'm right I swear I knew it all along And I am flawed But I am cleaning up so well I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself So clear Like the diamond in your ring Cut to mirror your intentions Oversized and overwhelmed The shine of which has caught my eye And rendered me so isoloated I'm so motivated I am certain now that {Chorus} So turn Up the corners of your lips Part them and feel my finger tips Trace the moment, fall forever Defense is paper thin Just one touch and I'd be in Too deep now to ever swim against the current So let me slip away (3x) So let me slip against the current and let me slip away {Chorus} Slight hope It dangles on a string Like slow spinning redemption

Electricity Charges To Double

2004-06-26T15:03:00.000+08:00

The government-owned National Power Corporation filed petition, last June 22, to increase electricity costs. From P1.85, the charge is said to jump to an average of P4.09. This was according to a document submitted to Energy Regulatory Commission and obtained by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Webmail Battle: Hotmail Announces 250 MB Storage

2004-06-25T15:05:00.000+08:00

The e-mail services battle heats up. While Google's Gmail has yet to massively unleash its 1 gigabyte e-mail storage capacity, Yahoo already bannered a 100 MB. Now, Hotmail announces that their free e-mail storage capacity will upsize to 250MB this July. More free e-mail services join the battle: Lycos, 10 MB; Spymac, 1GB; Ask Jeeves, 250MB. More storage capacity and service features for users that can pay. BBC News reports.

'Extra Strong Kid' Is Normal

2004-06-25T15:04:00.000+08:00

A German doctor said that the '5-year-old extra strong' kid from Berlin may grow normally. "He can just lift heavy things," an AP report through Yahoo says. This was after conducting tests to the kid having a genetic mutation. The child could have a muscle twice the size for his age.

SARS Is In Tears!

2004-06-22T15:08:00.000+08:00

SARS don't cry, of course that's not what I mean. SARS virus can be found in tear fluids -- that is. According to the British Journal of Ophthalmology, a research by doctors from a Singaporean hospital showed that like other deadly viruses, SARS virus can be found in tears. Source: Health and Age

Epileptic Childs' Best Friend

2004-06-22T15:06:00.000+08:00

Dogs can predict epileptic seizures of children, ABC Online reports. "Dogs that predicted a seizure did so up to five hours in advance. But the average warning came between two and three minutes before an attack," quoted from the report.

From Banaue...

2004-06-13T19:11:00.000+08:00

A week ago, Heraldo Filipino had a seminar in Banaue, Ifugao. It just so happened that I was with them. Posted here are some pictures from our trip in Banaue through the cameras of Earl (Literary Editor) and George (Desk Editor) of the publication. Click here for my photo stream of this set of images. That means readable captions.

False Alarm

2004-05-13T19:49:00.000+08:00

My testimonials are back. Forget what I said last Sunday. My wish came true, it was Friendster's bug.