Sinipi ni MamaJoy - Paradise Philippines

Rain or shine at City Garden

2009-08-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Rain or shine at City Garden
(The Philippine Star) Updated August 21, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Come rain or shine, keep luxuriously high, dry and comfortable this month at City Garden Hotel.

The central business district’s leading boutique hotel offers the best accommodations at the friendliest prices.

For as low as P1,450+ per person on twin-sharing basis, experience any of the impeccable rooms of City Garden Hotel.

Enjoy the modern amenities of the fully furnished rooms complete with a flat screen TV, Wi-Fi connection, and a well-stocked mini-bar.

In the morning, start the day with the sumptuous full buffet breakfast at the charming Le Jardin Restaurant.

Even with the downpour, get a refreshing taste of the tropics with “Garden Flow” — the hotel’s Drink of the Month. The flavorful concoction combines mango rum liqueur, fresh banana, strawberry ice cream, and a dash of grenadine syrup, served in a poco grande glass. At P248++, “Garden Flow” comes with a souvenir coffee mug.

City Garden Hotel also treats lovers of the brew to the “Rainy Day Beer Special.” Enjoy the fun with endless beer for only P50+ per mug upon ordering any of the selected sumptuous menu items.

City Garden Hotel Makati is located at Makati Avenue corner Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. For reservations or inquiries, call (02) 899-1111 or its domestic toll-free number 1-800-101-GARDEN (427336), or 0917-84HOTEL (09178446835) or 0918-84HOTEL (091884446835), or log on to www.citygardenhotels.com.

What’s the best curler for short lashes?

2009-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Makeover 911
What’s the best curler for short lashes?
By Kinny Salas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:01:00 08/20/2009

Filed Under: Lifestyle & Leisure, Health and Beauty Products

I HAVE been doing the cosmetics rounds lately. Here are my new and affordable finds.

Eyelash curlers for short, sparse and drooping Asian lashes. European or American brands have too much curve in them that they end up pinching lids or not getting most of our eyelashes. The best choices are Japanese brands such as Shu Uemura and Shiseido. For those on a budget, good finds are the local brands Fanny Serrano and Nichido.

Fanny Serrano for Fashion 21 has come up with the Eyelash Curler Slim, a light, durable and precise mini eyelash curler only about a third the size of the regular curler. This was designed to accentuate the short lashes around the inner and outer corners of the eyes.

Revlon Creme Gloss (P475)—Twist the bottom and the glossy pigmented liquid oozes onto the brush. When applied on the lips, you get full coverage with the megawatt shine of a gloss and rich color pigment of a cream lipstick. Its built-in lip brush makes application easier. The color lasts for hours.

My issue: 1. Sometimes too much color oozes on the brush that I end up overdoing it. It stays within the lip line but there is too much product reminiscent of Playboy Bunny’s thick glossy lipstick. If you want that sexy pout this is definitely for you!

Makeup guru Elsa Morgan picks out Sassy Mauve, Peachy Sheen, Just Blushed and Raisin’ The Roof for those with darker, olive skintones. Those with lighter, fairer skin should try Slip Into Pink, Patent Leather Pink, Play Up Pink and Strike A Rose.

She assures Hot Tamale and Pink Cami would look beautiful on anyone. I find the colors Strike a Rose and Pink Cami too shimmery. My picks: Cherry Tart, Hot Tamale and Just Blushed.

Prepster collection

The show “Gossip Girl” has shown us that being preppy is no longer deemed boring but sexy and classy as well. Pastels are now every bit as slinky as blacks and reds.

Orly Nails has come out with Prepster collection which targets teens. My favorite is Cashmere Cardigan (crème periwinkle-blue) which, along with OMG (salmon orange) and Polo Princess (pale pastel pink) are all suitable for very light or medium-toned hands.
The safest bet is Tennis Anyone in creme formula. Suitable shades for darker skin are Country Club Khaki, a gray lavender beige, and Prim and Proper, lilac shimmer.

Soothing

Avon Skin So Soft Intensive Whitening Hand and Body Lotion (P350) has a soothing but clean rose scent. Upon first application, skin is immediately whiter due to the natural minerals that diffuse and reflect light. Claim: It’s not just a temporary remedy though but also a solution to uneven skin tones. The Avon-patented whitening technology (tel. 8642900) works on darker areas, leaving you with even white skin all over.

E-mail the author at kinnysalas@yahoo.com

Olive oil is best remedy for stretch marks

2009-08-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Knockout!

Olive oil is best remedy for stretch marks

By Ria Francisco-Prieto
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:59:00 08/20/2009

AS MY BELLY grows bigger, I find myself staring at my legs and thighs and looking out for stretch marks.

I remember about a year ago I faced the same predicament. I don’t mind anything else about pregnancy but this. Everything else will fade after birth, even zits. Stretch marks stay on forever.

Luckily, I hardly got any with my first pregnancy. Thanks to olive oil. Yes, the one used for cooking. I would slather it on while my skin is still damp right after a shower. Although it was a bit thick and warm, it moistened my skin. Plus it was so much more less expensive.

When it’s too hot, I use Clarins tonic, which I fondly call my gold potion. I love the smell plus it leaves my skin supple. Not to mention, it’s formulated particularly for pregnancy like Phytolastil gel which I get from my OB gyne Dr. Greg Pastorfide. He told me his patients who’ve had twins used this and did not have a single stretch mark.

My fear of stretch marks is due to the white deep lines I have on my legs. These ones I got at pre-adolescence. It depressed me and it still makes me sad. Thus my vigilance toward these nasty lines.

Although our skin is fairly elastic, stretch marks happen when the skin is overstretched due to sudden weight gain or loss, growth or pregnancy. The best defense is always keep skin moisturized with lotion or oil. Applying shea butter on breasts, stomach, thighs and back area, they say, is the most effective remedy against stretch marks. Drinking water and taking vitamins daily keep skin healthy.

Treatments

There is so little that can be done once stretch marks appear. But there are treatments that can minimize their appearance.

Chemical peels are a common way to deal with stretch marks. A pretty high tolerance to pain is required, since there is a stinging sensation that comes with it. A dilute form of acid is used to remove the top layer of skin and give way to skin-cell production. More than one session is required and there is also a risk of additional scarring from the chemicals used.

Laser surgery is expensive and five to six sessions are needed. Also, it works best on stretch marks that are still reddish-purple. It stimulates skin growth and improvement continues up to six months after laser treatment.

Stretch-mark cream and ointment can be costly and rarely make stretch marks disappear. I have yet to find one or hear about one.

So as I stare at the pre-adolescent stretch marks on my thighs, I conclude the only way to win the war against stretch marks is by preventing them. Now I should stand up, hit the shower and apply oil while my skin is still damp.

Organic food for your skin

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Organic food for your skin
By Mariel Chua
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:52:00 08/20/2009

Filed Under: Food, Health and Beauty Products

AS A youngster in Finger Lakes, upstate New York, Adrian Bryce Dior enjoyed a beautiful scenic environment surrounded by magnificent ice-age gorges, panoramic views and towering waterfalls.

It was only natural that his lifestyle followed an organic path –shopping at gourmet grocery stores, scoping the aisles for innovative health foods and blending his own fruit drinks.

His love affair for all things natural came to fruition three years ago: Dior had always relied on his Kenmore stainless-steel juicer and blender to provide for his active body’s nourishment. One night, he realized what could be good for his body may just as well be wonderful for his skin. Bryce Organics was born.

“I thought, ‘How could I turn these healthy drinks into skin care products?’” he says. Dior then spent the rest of the night and into the next day contemplating and planning his skincare line. Finally, months of preparation yielded the brand’s first 10 organic scrubs.

Sweet start

“The first product I developed was The Tahitian Vanilla Bean Exfoliating Facial Polishing Scrub,” says Dior. “It was made with an organic ground vanilla bean paste from Tahiti.”

While Bryce no longer carries this product, (“I felt the market was oversaturated with ‘vanilla-type’ skincare products”), customers can now enjoy the line’s three most popular, award-winning Exfoliating Facial Polishing Scrubs: California Meyer Lemon, Mediterranean Pomegranate and Hawaiian Coconut.

“If I have a few blemishes, one morning I’ll use the California Meyer Lemon Exfoliating Facial Polishing Scrub, as it clears my skin right up,” says Dior, who uses Bryce products everyday and tests every new product on himself.

“If my face is looking tired and needs a little face lift, I use the Mediterranean Pomegranate Exfoliating Facial Polishing Scrub. Often, I find myself mixing all of them in the shower!”

Organic difference

So what sets Bryce Organics apart from the rest of the ‘natural’ products available in the market today? “Many different skincare brands would like you to believe that all of their ingredients are organic or ‘all-natural,’ explains Dior. “Sadly, this isn’t true, [so always] read your ingredient labels,” he advises.

Bryce skincare products are derived solely from 100-percent certified organic ingredients and contain no toxic chemicals, cancerous parabens, fillers, artificial preservatives or additional additives of any kind.

“Not only do we use organic fruit extracts, we use the actual whole fruit – from the seeds and shavings to the zest.” Adds Dior, “These products are so fresh and so pure you could even eat them and they taste good!”

Take your fruity pick

For hot and humid days, Dior recommends the Florida Key Lime & Hawaiian Coconut Refreshing Moisturizing Mist. And for a skin-softening bath and shower experience, try the Maine Blueberry Moisturizing Bath & Body Oil.

Watch out for the upcoming California Honewdew Melon & New England Cucumber Eye Serum, which provides a burst of hydration and nourishment for the sensitive under-eye area.

Customers may order online at www.bryceorganics.com. You may also reach Dior directly via e-mail at order@bryceorganics.com (for individual customers) or wholesale@bryceorganics.com (for spa and hotel suppliers).

Mariel Chua is the former beauty editor of Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Ok! Magazine Philippines. Ask a beauty question at http://BeautyintheBigApple.com or visit http://NyMinuteNow.com.

How to create nude lips

2009-08-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

How to create nude lips

By Kelly Misa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:50:00 08/20/2009

Filed Under: Health and Beauty Products, Lifestyle & Leisure

SINCE it was spotted on the models of Versace, Marc Jacobs and Roberto Cavalli for the Fall-Winter 2009-2010 collections, barely there puckers have made its way to the red carpet and makeup counters.

Best worn with dark, smoky eyes or palette of brown, taupe and beige, nude lips can play up the rest of your makeup. It also balances out strong eyeshadow and makes lips look fuller.

Incorporate this trend into your makeup wardrobe with some tips and tricks from Shu Uemura makeup artist, Omar Ermita.

Keep your lips chap-free. Prep your lips before applying lip color by gently brushing them with a soft, wet toothbrush. This removes dry, scaly skin and leaves your lips soft and smooth.

“It is very important to keep your lips in good condition if you plan to go nude. There’s nothing worse than seeing globs of lip color clinging to dry, flaky bits of skin,” says Ermita.

Dab on a layer of concealer. Applying concealer or foundation on your lips erases its color, allowing lipstick to stand out without having to pile it on thickly. Ermita suggests a coat of lip balm, then add a light layer of concealer or foundation using a lip brush. Top this off with a nude lip color and lip gloss to create basic pale lips. To give lips fullness, apply a high-shine, shimmery lip gloss on lower lip instead of your regular clear gloss.

“The best thing about nude lipstick is that there is a shade for everyone,” says Ermita.

Pale colors tend to wash out thin lips. Ermita recommends “adding a subtle splash of color to thinner lips without overdoing it.”
A nude lip color with a hint of pink or blend of shimmer prevents thin lips from disappearing.

Full lips, on the other hand, look best with some definition. “Use a nude lip liner to lightly trace the outline of your lips, then fill in with lip balm for a look that’s subtle,” he said.

Find the hue to match your skintone. “Stay within two shades of your natural skin tone. Girls with fair complexion should look for pinker nudes or peach hues while those with darker skin should go for creams or pale beige undertones,” says Ermita.

To avoid lips from looking ghostly, stay away from very pale shades and too-matte formulas. Instead, opt for a creamy finish or up the shine by topping lips with gloss.

Make lip color last. A tried-and-tested trick of experts to make lip color last longer is to apply it in layers.

“Use a lip brush to apply lipstick, blot with a tissue and reapply,” says Ermita. Also, applying lip liner helps keep the color on longer. Just make sure your lip liner matches your lip color. “Browns or dark shades are a huge no-no when it comes to nude lips.”

Just like the color of your lipstick, its finish is just as important. “A matte finish works well on the runway, while a glossy finish works for everyday use or for a night out. Using a hint of shimmer adds dimension to your lips,” says Ermita.

Must-have nudes

Avon introduces its Glazewear Dimensions Lipstick this month with a special price offer (P249 from regular price of P375). This high-shine lipstick changes color with every angle. Try Nude Gold and Pink Glimmer.

Ever Bilena’s Extreme Lipstick offers long-lasting color and shine without the high price. Only P150, its best nude shades are Puppy Love and Pink-A-Boo.

L’Oreal Paris New Infallible Lip Duo Compact promises color that lasts up to 16 hours. The compact includes a non-transfer color and conditioning lip balm that stays on all-day. Available in 10 shades for P975.

How TV viewing affects children’s health

2008-03-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

I hope every parent would have the chance to read this.

ROOTS AND WINGS
How TV viewing affects children’s health
By Cathy S. Babao-Guballa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:44:00 03/09/2008

MANILA, Philippines - In our home, the television set and computer are, more often than not, the root of all evil.

It’s a test of will between my 9-year-old son and me. He spends an lot of time watching his favorite cartoons. The computer is another story. Ever since he discovered YouTube and found that he could access newer episodes of his favorite shows there, the PC has become another one of our “battlegrounds.”

With older children, the battle centers often on the amount of time spent on the PC for doing homework. Then again, when chatting over Yahoo Messenger (I can almost hear my daughter say—“But mom, that’s how we exchange notes!”) cuts in on research time, what could have been just two hours, stretches all the way to four, cutting in on important sleeping time.

Early this week, a New York Times article, “A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom,” caught my interest. Health columnist Tara Parker Pope wrote about how having a television in a child’s bedroom can wreak havoc on a child’s psyche and health.

She says based on numerous studies and interviews with countless pediatricians all over the United States, where your child watches TV often matters just as much as being able to control the amount of time that the child watches television. I think this can be said for PC use as well, but that’s another story.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended limiting television viewing to no more than two hours per day for children aged 2 years and older since 1986 and has recommended no television viewing in children younger than two years since 2001.

Unfortunately, we all know what the reality is in many households today, especially when yaya makes her alaga sit through her favorite noontime shows and/or telenovelas.

It’s even sadder though how when a 2-year-old is able to perform some hokey dance picked up from “Wowowee”; we laugh and applaud instead of being concerned and appalled.

There is definitely a time for everything and being able to gyrate at 2½ is not quite a healthy developmental milestone.

Studies on TV viewing

Earlier this year, I had written about the Top 10 health issues in children that parents need to be concerned about.

Among these was the rising case of obesity.

Results from a study conducted by Epstein et. al and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine say that there is growing evidence that television viewing affects diet.

In the study, Epstein employed the use of a monitoring device on all bedroom television sets and other sets in the house.

The devices in half the homes were programmed to reduce children’s overall viewing time by half. Children had to use a code to turn on any TV in the home, and the code stopped working once the allocated TV time for the week had been reached.

Results showed that although there was no increase in exercise levels, relative body mass index was lowered because the children snacked less, lowering their average consumption by 100 calories per day.

Parker Pope also talked about a French study where it was found that among French adolescents, boys with bedroom television were more likely than their peers to have larger waist size and higher body fat and mass index.

However, the effect of too much television viewing endangers not only health but one’s study and reading habits as well. In the same study, it was found that boys and girls with bedroom TV sets spent less time reading than others.

What can a parent do then?

The problem is, once a television set has been placed in the child’s bedroom, it’s often difficult to take it away and it becomes all the more difficult to regulate a child’s viewing hours.

It becomes all the more important for a parent to be proactive and set limits to television viewing. I believe that when you start them young, it is a trait that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

What parents should do

The University of Michigan Health system suggests the following ways for parents to set examples for their children.

Don’t underestimate the power of modeling. Model moderate use of television that doesn’t interfere with your healthy lifestyle.

Don’t leave the TV on all the time for background noise.

Don’t expect your child to have self-discipline when it comes to TV viewing if you don’t.

Don’t watch adult programs while your child is present.

Spend your free time reading, exercising and playing or talking with your child.

Controls need to be set, especially now that summer is fast approaching and the tendency to just vegetate in front of the TV set is so tempting.

Rules may be difficult to set initially, but, it can be done.

The key is to find out what works best for you and your family. Every child is different and that is why it is important to really know what makes your child tick, and how much TV time will be healthy for him or her.

Boundaries are always good. There is the world of books and the world of good old-fashioned playtime, sports. Both you and your child will benefit from exploring other avenues of learning outside of the boob tube.

E-mail the author at cathybabao @gmail.com

Porn baby Porn

2008-02-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

mahilig din naman ako manood ng porn. pero wag naman sana masyadong lantaran. lalo pa't taongbayan ang nagbigay ng laptop....

HOT SPOT. These soldiers had a grand time browsing pornographic websites during the first day of the Local Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) in Tagum City’s Bulwagan ng Lalawigan on Thursday, while National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales was delivering a speech. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended the event the next day. The soldiers managed to go online because the venue had been turned into a wifi hotspot for the event.

(davaotoday.com photo)

Lea’s advice to young singers

2008-02-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

How I wish na sana all the Music Schools teaching voice lessons should take note of this. Kids are kids and they should sing as a child and not as an adult. Naku Lea.. Idol talaga kita!

Dollywood
Lea’s advice to young singers
By Dolly Anne Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:45:00 02/10/2008

MANILA, Philippines – Lea Salonga has sound advice for kids aspiring to be like her.

“We need more kid singers who sound like children. Why make them sing the songs of Celine, Mariah and Beyonce, when they clearly lack the life experience to pull off those songs? I cringe at the sound of 10-year-olds singing about lost loves,” she says. “Pwede ba? ‘Big Spender’ shouldn’t be sung by [minors].”

Lea says there are some songs by the same singers that’s okay for kids, like Mariah’s “Hero.” But that is more of an exception.

She recalls: “My mom was very particular about the material I performed until I was 14. Kids need to be guided by their parents.”

If she were a judge in “Pinoy Idol,” how would she pick the winner? “I would critique song selection as [much] as the performance. It’s important to choose material that plays to one’s strengths, not highlight one’s weaknesses. Song and singer have to be a perfect fit. Intonation is another thing I would look for. I don’t like people going flat … sharp kaya ko pang pagtiyagaan.”

With her unlimited savoir faire, Lea’s more than qualified to choose even a “World & Universe Idol.”

Animal rights activists want glue traps shelved

2008-02-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

C'mon PETA people, rodents and rats clean or unclean, tidy or dirty comes around for their animal behavior. If they don't hunt for food, they hunt for something to destroy. I don't get it just because it's year of the rat, rats itself should be given dignity. I guess it's just the rats virtue that should be given attention and not the "actual" rat instead.

du'oh!

Animal rights activists want glue traps shelved
By Tina Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:03:00 02/05/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Keeping one’s surroundings clean and storing food properly are humane ways of getting rid of rats, according to animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

In the middle of preparations for Thursday’s celebration of the Chinese New Year, PETA activists staged an awareness campaign on Tuesday on Ongpin Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila, and urged Filipinos to shun the use of glue traps to get rid of rats.

“This is to raise awareness and correct bad impressions about rats,” said Ashley Fruno, PETA’s campaign officer. A PETA member wore a rat costume and held a sign that read, “Make it a year for rats, don’t buy glue traps.”

In the Chinese calendar, 2008 is the Year of the Rat.

“We’re asking people to honor the Year of the Rat by leaving these cruel devices on the store shelves,” Peta said.

Glue traps consist of board pieces coated with a sticky adhesive designed to ensnare small animals.

How to use google to find mp3s

2008-01-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

very nice howto looking for those hidden mp3's hehehe
----------

This How-To will teach you how to use google to find mp3s.
This How-To will be highly pragmatic and will focus on the hows and not the
wherefores of the various search strings.

Update: check this cool google hack to see controlable survalence
cameras on the net
google-| inurl:"viewerframe mode="

If you want to post your tricks for finding mp3s, using search engines
or other wise, send me an email my_haz_runsA|Tyahoo.com

Note: This info works just great for ebooks as well just change mp3 to
pdf, djvu, ps, etc

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Index
----------------------------------------------------------------------

0) Key
1) Directories
2) Xitami Servers
3) Directory Listing
4) Andromeda Servers (depricated)
5) Zina Artists (depricated)
6) Apache mp3 Servers
7) Individual Songs
8) Saving Shoutcasts
9) Social Bookmarking

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 0 - KEY
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You this are just some definitions I will use below.

[Directory String] can be any of the following :
1) "index of"
2) "last modified"
3) "parent of"

[file type] can be any of the following :
1) "mp3"
2) "shn"
3) "wma"

[mp3 name] can be any of the following :
1) the name of the album in quotes
2) the name of the artist in quotes
3) be daring and leave it blank and have lots of links
4) be creative!

[limitors]
1) -html -htm -php -asp -txt -pls

(inurl:) is optional and may be omitted and in fact most be
omitted if not using a search tool other than google.

(intitle:) can be used in place of (inurl:) and has a similar effect
again you must be useing google.

(-filetype:txt) adding this to the end of your search string can
filter some false positives.

(-playlist) adding this to the end of your search string can
filter some false positives.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 1 - Directories
----------------------------------------------------------------------

These are the most common way that mp3s are stored on the www, you
should try these strings first.

String Format :
Type 1 : [Directory String] + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 2 : [Directory String] + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name]

Type 3 : [Directory String] + [file type] + [mp3 name] + [limitors]

Example Strings :
- intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp -txt -pls
- "index of" + "mp3" + "radiohead" -html -htm -php
- "index of" + mp3 + "grandaddy"
- "index of" + inurl:mp3 + "beatles" -txt -pls
- "index of" + intitle:mp3 + beatles
- "last modified" + "shn" + "dylan"
- "last modified" + inurl:shn + "bob dylan"
- "parent of" + inurl:wma + "grandaddy"
- "index of" + "mp3" + "Red Hot Chili Peppers"
- "index of" + "shn" + "Red Hot Chili Peppers"
- "index of" + "flac" + "Red Hot Chili Peppers"
- intitle:index.of "Foo Fighters"
- intitle:index.of avi live Pink Floyd -html -htm -asp

Suggestions :
- Try (intitle:index.of + "mp3" + "band name" -htm -html -php -asp) first it
is usually the most effective.

Another Little Trick:
- If you have been getting alot of results on google but the pages don't seem
to be there try adding dates and the "apache" string to your search i.e.

- intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp apache feb-2005
- intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp apache 2005

or if you just want a big list of mp3' doing a search like this everymonth
- intitle:index.of + mp3 + -html -htm -php -asp apache mar

or if you want to condense the search try
- intitle:index.of + (mp3|ogg) + "grandaddy" -(html|php|asp) +apache mar-2007

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 2 - Xitami Servers
----------------------------------------------------------------------

String Format :
Type 1 : "xitami web server" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 2 : "xitami web server" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name]

Example Strings :
- "xitami web server" + "mp3" + "radiohead"
- "xitami web server" + intitle:shn + "beatles"
- "xitami web server" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields"

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 3 - Directory Listing
----------------------------------------------------------------------

String Format :
Type 1 : "directory listings" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 2 : "directory listings" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 3 : "directory listings of" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 4 : "directory listings of" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name]

Example Strings
- "directory listings" + "mp3" + "radiohead"
- "directory listings" + intitle:shn + "beatles"
- "directory listings" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields"
- "directory listings of" + "mp3" + "radiohead"
- "directory listings of" + intitle:shn + "beatles"
- "directory listings of" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields"

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 4 - Andromeda Servers
----------------------------------------------------------------------

String Format :
Type 1 : "scott matthews" + andromeda + [mp3 name]
Type 2 : "scott matthews" + andromeda + [file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 3 : "powered by andromeda" + [mp3 name]
Type 4 : "powered by andromeda" + [file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 5 : inurl:andromeda.php + [mp3 name]
Type 6 : inurl:anromeda.php + [file type] + [mp3 name]
Type 7 : "scott matthews"
Type 8 : "powered by andromeda"
Type 9 : inurl:andromeda.php

Examples :
- "scott matthews" + andromeda + "radiohead"
- "scott matthews" + andromeda + "mp3" + "fitter"
- "powered by andromeda" + "gradaddy"
- "powered by andromeda" + "mp3" + "just like women"
- inurl:andromeda.php + "shn"
- inurl:anromeda.php + "wma" + "dylan"
- "scott matthews"
- "powered by andromeda"
- inurl:andromeda.php

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 5 - Zina Artists
----------------------------------------------------------------------

String Format :
Type 1 : "zina artists"

Examples :
- "zina artists"

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 6 - Apache mp3 Servers
----------------------------------------------------------------------

String Format :
Type 1 : "stream all" + apache + [mp3 name]
Type 2 : "stream all" + apache
Type 3 : "shuffle all" + apache + [mp3 name]
Type 4 : "shuffle all" + apache

Examples :
- "stream all" + apache
- "stream all" "shuffle all" mp3
- "stream all" + apache + radiohead
- "shuffle all" + beatles

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 7 - Individual Songs
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Format : [mp3 name].mp3 -playlist -filetype:txt

Examples :
- "ok_computer_live.mp3" -playlist -filetype:txt
- "*ok_computer*.mp3" -playlist -filetype:txt
- kid*a.mp3 -playlist -filetype:txt

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 8 - Shoutcasts
----------------------------------------------------------------------

0) Streamripper is a free shoutcast recorder
streamripper.sourceforge.net

1) Find a shoutcast that you would like to save
shoutcast.com

2) Download and open the .pls file, to discover the stream url
File1=http://example.site:80/stream/1074

3) Open up a terminal (DOS or xterm)

4) break up the url into its parts (site,port,locations) so here
we have
site: example.com
port: 80
location: /stream/1074

5) Uset telnet to Send HTTP GET message and redirect output. The
request is

prompt$ telnet site port > output.mp3
GET location HTTP/1.0
PRESS_ENTER_KEY PRESS_ENTER_KEY

so in the example above

prompt$ telnet example.site 80 > output.mp3
GET /stream/1074 HTTP/1.0

----------------------------------------------------------------------
= Section 9 - Social Bookmarking
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Social Bookmarks sites, are site where people can leave links to
other interesting sites given a certain "tag." Tags are sort of
like search terms and catagories combined. Searching anyone of these
bookmark sites for the type or music or band you like is almost
sure to bring up lots of links to free mp3s. There are two links
at the top of this page digg and del.ici.us, I use and there are
others. If you do join a site make sure to give me a thanks
by adding a link to this site!

See Who One and See In Die

2008-01-12T01:33:00.000-08:00

I first read this when I was in highschool and still I was laughing to death again when I read it again.... har har har har!!! naku... magagalit ang idol kong si inday nito..... :D

i tried this by having a lady officemate read it out loud... she didn't know what happened... but her officemates were dying with laughter! ajosm the poet is outta here...

Thing none knew see in die...

Who bought, who bad.

The hill key none taught see in die;

Last fog see in die.

Fog must done knew see who one...

Thin knee gas sun see who one.

Cash see, see in die who bought, who bad!

Bough code dawn, bull ball money peace.

In knee love bus ni who one...

Dean act money in die.

Key knee league see who one,

The hill be not tea knee in die.

Knee love as son see who one,

Be thin see in die.

Last fog NA, Be thin PA!!!

(bow!)

Feast of Black Nazarene

2008-01-09T04:28:00.000-08:00

nakalulungkot ang mga ganitong pangyayari. sino nga ba ang dapat managot... :`(

2 die, scores hurt in Black Nazarene feast--police

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:25:00 01/09/2008

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) Two people died of heart attack and 46 others were injured during Wednesday’s celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, police said.

At the same time, Police Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office chief, said they were verifying reports that a child also died during a stampede along Plaza Miranda where thousands of devotees had also converged.

Cecilia Fajardo suffered from cardiac arrest after she was crushed by the crowd that tried to touch the black statue of Jesus while Alex Radovan, 44, died as he was on his way to Quiapo Church from where the Nazarene began its procession, said Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales, Manila Police District director.

Police placed the number of devotees at 2.2 million.

Police expect the number to reach three million as the Black Nazarene returns to Quiapo Church.

"Sobrang siksikan, sobrang excitement or exhaustion, siguro hindi na niya [Fajardo] kinaya [People were jammed, there was too much excitement or exhaustion that perhaps she could not take it," said Rosales.

Of the injured, nine suffered from hypertension; three from low-blood pressure; five fainted; nine sustained bruises or were crushed by the crowd; and five suffered difficulty in breathing, said Rosales.

They were brought either to the Ospital ng Maynila and Philippine General Hospital, he said.

Radio reports said 22 people were brought to the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital while another seven devotees were victims of pickpockets.

A report on dzBB said at least seven devotees were victimized by pick-pockets during the feast.

As of posting time, 16 ambulances are on stand-by, Rosales said.

Earlier in the day, 19 private schools in the area cancelled classes while public schools did not, the Department of Education said in an advisory.
With a report from Kristine L. Alave, Inquirer

Copyright 2008 INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Lose 10 pounds in three days

2007-11-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Fashion
Lose 10 pounds in three days
STYLE S.O.S. By Tingting Cojuangco, Lucy Torres-Gomez And Rissa M.Samson
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Dear Ms. Tingting,

Your figure is really so admirable, it’s every girl’s dream. I love dressing up, but the problem is my figure doesn’t permit me to wear dresses I’m dying to get into. I get so depressed because I’m overweight and have bulges, and I don’t have the confidence to wear clothes I like so much. I’ve tried dieting and doing all the slimming exercises I could possibly get into, but nothing has worked for me. Is there any guaranteed diet program you can recommend?

Ms. Pisces

Do this 3-Day Diet. Believe me, it works. Follow the diet three days of the week until you reach your desired weight.

DAY 1

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea (with 1-2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

1/2 cup of tuna

1 toast

Black coffee or tea (with 1-2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

Dinner

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans

1 cup carrots

1 apple

1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

DAY 2

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea (with 1-2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 toast

Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

DAY 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea (with 1-2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch

1 boiled egg

1 toast

Black coffee or tea (with 1-2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

Dinner

1 cup tuna

1 cup carrots

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup melon

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Important: Drink four glasses of water or diet soda per day. You can add herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard or ketchup to your food.

Note: Follow the diet for three days and lose 10 pounds. It works based on a chemical reaction so you must eat everything in the diet without substituting.

This is scientifically proven. You can have as much water, tea, salt, pepper as you like but no other seasonings. After going on the three-day diet, you can eat normally for four days and then go back to it. But do not overeat on those four days.

This diet has been tried and tested, and is guaranteed effective. It worked on my staff and officers of the Philippine Public Safety College — they’ve gotten leaner and I saw the big difference myself!

Tingting

* * *

Stylish Cover-Ups For Breastfeeding Moms

Hi, Lucy!

I am a new mommy and I am bent on breastfeeding my baby. Do you know where I can buy those stylish cover-ups that will allow me to breastfeed anytime, even in public?

Chic

I have great news for you, Chic. I recently met two stylish, young mommies who make wonderful reversible bibs that you can use as a cover-up. One side is solid and the other side is printed, so you can be sure that it will match whatever outfit you are wearing. They also have stylish baby slings and a chic nappy clutch. Check out their products at indigo.manila.multiply.com or you can call Denise at 0928-504-0226.

Lucy

* * *

Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and rissa_samson@yahoo.com.

Inday Anthology

2007-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Pati nga naman jokes nag i evolve din noh. Dati si Inday dumbwhore ngayon smartass na! Hindi yan sunud sunod. Everytime na may magtext sa akin ng Inday jokes dito ko iipunin. :)

I believe that my trained skills and expertise in management with the use of standard tools, and my discipline and experience will contribute significantly to the value of work that you want. My creativity, productivity and work efficiency and the high quality of outcomes I can offer will boost the work progress.
----sagot yan ni Inday sa interview ng bago niyang amo.

**************************************

Physical stress and excessive work may result to serious damage to one's body. It is therefore essential that once in a while we take break from our usual routine to replenish the lost energy we once had.
----sabi ni Inday sa amo niya nung humngi siya ng day off.

**************************************

Amo: Inday, bakit nagkalat ang basura sa likod ng bahay?!
Inday: A change in the weather patterns might have occured wreaking havoc to the surroundings. The way the debris are scattered indicates that the gust of wind was going northeast causing damage to the path it was heading for.
Amo: (nosebleed)

**************************************

Amo: Mula ngayon, walang magsasalita ng Ingles. Ang sinumang magpadugo ng ilong at sa mga anak ko, palalayasin sa pamamahay na ito! Klaro ba?

Inday: Ang mga namutawi sa inyong mga labi ay mataman ko pong iiimbak sa sulok ng aking balintataw, sa kaibuturan ng aking puso, gugunam gunamin, aariing salik ng aba at payak kong kabatiran. Tatalikdan ang matayog at palalong banyagang wika, manapay kakalingain, bibigkasin at sakdal timyas na sasambitin.

**************************************

"There's still a romantic element in knowing that I love someone but I'm choosing to do the right thing by staying silent..."
----sagot ni Inday sa sarili dahil inlab na siya kay Sir... =)

**************************************

"Be shame of your speaking. Did you think that your English grammary are corrected by? Its better to keep your mouth shock! Connect me if I'm wrong!"
----Babala ni MELANIE MARQUEZ kay INDAY

**************************************

P500=Globeplan subscription
P1800=Glutathione tablet
P600=Olay Total Effects
P1500=Crocs Flipflops
P2000=For Mama

----bina budget ni Inday ang sweldo niya :)

**************************************

Overnight inaral ng amo ni Inday and dictionary para may pangtapat siya kay Inday.

Amo: So, Inday tell me, how do you accept the fact that you are just a mere chambermaid in this extravagant mansion?

Inday: Una camarera? Eres tan pathetic. La unica razon que inscribi tu cas es porque nada esta sucediendo dentro de tu casa cuasi-agradable.Quisiera traer una poca clase en este hogar pero conjeturo que no puedo porque esta casa es fea.

Amo: (Nastroke)!

**************************************

Magmamani: ah mani mani mani malutong mani kayo jan oh! limampiso lang mani malutong mani kayo jan oh!

Inday: Mr. Peanut, are those nuts cropped from a high class soil fertilized through an advanced agricultural method to produce a rich tasted appetizer which you, yes you, Mr. Peanut fried it in a premium grade 0% fat canola oil with a low salt solution to consider those low cholesterol diet practitioner like me?

Magmamani: P*kyu!:D

**************************************

Amo: day! Bumili ka nga ng mga isda! O nga pala inglesera ka na ngayon... Would you please buy many fishes for our this week's meals?

Inday: Judging from your statement, I believe you meant a variety of fish. The term "fishes" although rarely and even erroneously used, connotes a plethora or an array of different kinds of the aformentioned gilled crreatures. But the more pressing questions before I traverse the road to the wet market would be: What certain type of fish? fillet or not?

**************************************

...One day, Katrina Halili went to FHM Magazine to check if she's still the sexiest woman in the world... Then she walked out angry and shouting...

"Who the hell is Inday?!?!"

**************************************

Dear Mother,
Had it not been for the smelling salt, I must have collapsed moment ago. Junior has become a little monster to me. Remember the head accident he had? As if it wasn't enough, he was summoned by the principal of his shabbily run academe.Oh, such un-erudite bunch of baboons! I never thought being a governess can be such strenous employ!!!
--Inday

Dear Inday,
Walang hiya ka! Magpadala ka ng pera! Nasa ospital nanay mo, dumugo ang ilong kababasa ng pesteng sulat mo!
--TATAY

MAKEOVER 911

2007-09-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm still a fan of scents. Nagsimula yan sa kisses na nanganganak. hehehe... Pati rin mga scented ballpen, stationery etc etc. =)

Sexy scents for him and her

By Kinny Salas
Inquirer
Last updated 11:17pm (Mla time) 09/20/2007

MANILA, Philippines—Growing up as a ’80s, I had delusions of growing up vampy or vixen-ish even then, hence my attraction to fragrances labeled as sexy.

It puzzled me, though, why those synthetic or intense floral oriental scents that were marketed as sexy, and bought by the basket by women, turned grown men off or made them sneeze.

It was not until the ’90s that studies showed the best way to a man’s heart was really through his stomach even when it came to fragrances.

Men love the smell of vanilla because they associate it with happy childhood memories of cakes for dessert.

The problem here is that the Philippines is too warm so we can only wear vanilla scents about four months a year (or only at night).

Such fragrances are not only vanilla/sweet-based, but also citrus, fruity-florals, and certain herbs and spices strategically mixed, resulting in freshness merged with the creamy sweet.

His and hers

Bear in mind the final arbiter is still your body’s chemistry. So try the scent by walking around for 10 minutes, then sniffing it.

For him: Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme (75 ml, P3,150; 125 ml, P4,150) is my hands-down men’s favorite in this selection. The smell of cedar mixed with neroli, lavender and a hint of vanilla calls to mind a clean fresh-smelling man who just came out of the shower. It’s sexy without effort.

For her: D&G The One eau de toilette (EDT; 50 ml, P4,350; 75 ml, P5,650), which smells of lychee, peach and mandarin with white flowers and amber. The fragrance makes me think of panna cotta or crème brûlée. It’s one of the few sweet fragrances I can wear all year round, like Armani Sensi.

For him: Hugo Dark Blue (75 ml, P3,250; 125 ml, P4,100), which smells of ginger ale, cardamom and vanilla. Also fresh-smelling, it’s very masculine but clean, plus it mixes well with perspiration.

For her: Hugo Pure Purple, the fruity vanilla that can be applied from day to night. The smell on me is not overpowering and it’s a good mix between fresh and comforting because of the nectarine, marzipan and amber combination.

For him: Very Irresistible Givenchy for Men—It’s a very “green” scent with hints of mint and grapefruit. I know of some girls who use it on themselves and love it. Don’t know how your guy will feel about that though.

For her: Very Irresistible Sensual EDP—I just had to road-test this because I love Liv Tyler and it smells like fresh grapes, which turned out to be green apples and pears combined. Toss in grass and vanilla to complete the refreshing and creamy experience. This is my favorite female scent of the collection.

For him: Escada Sentiment Pour Homme. Sweet, spicy and woodsy is the only way to describe it. I cannot imagine this on a guy below 28 as it is very masculine and elegant and would somehow seem pretentious on one too young.

For her: Escada Sentiment is for women who like to smell ultra-feminine. For women who have never bought into the unisex craze, this delicate floral blend of iris, roses, mandarin mixed with vanilla and sandalwood will do it. Unlike its male counterpart, I can imagine a girl wearing this to her prom, her wedding and her daughter’s wedding.

Like laundry

While men like the smell of vanilla, women adore the smell of laundry.

Clean is a brand of perfume that specializes in soapy scents. Its bestseller is Classic Clean, which has a hint of Juicy Fruit gum and lemony soap. It drives the guys around me crazy: They would grab my shirt and sniff incessantly.

My mom and her friends love Clean Fresh Laundry best as it reminds them of fabric softener and laundry detergent drying on the clothesline. It’s expensive, though, and averages P4,000 a bottle.

Love clean and soapy scents? You will love Acca Cappa’s White Moss EDT (mild and musky) and Woods of Windsor Forget Me Not EDT (really smells like freshly laundered clothes).

Clean, Acca Kappa and Woods of Windsor are available at Essenses.

be a vegan

2007-09-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

Can't help but to post this.. Iam her fan...:) but so sorry I can't be a full vegan. I got canine molars hehehe.

Alicia Silverstone’s Sexy Veggie PSA
Order a FREE vegetarian starter kit at

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

2007-08-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones - serotonin and melatonin - flowing. Yawning yet?

Bananas. They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea. The reason chamomile is such a staple of bedtime tea blends is its mild sedating effect - it's the perfect natural antidote for restless minds/bodies.

Warm milk. It's not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan - an amino acid that has a sedative - like effect - and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus there's the psychological throw-back to infancy, when a warm bottle meant "relax, everything's fine."

Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that's linked to alertness.

Potatoes. A small baked spud won't overwhelm your GI tract, and it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effects, mash it with warm milk.

Oatmeal. Oats are a rich source of sleep - inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy - plus if you've got the munchies, it's filling too.

Almonds. A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can be snooze-inducing, as they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

Flaxseeds. When life goes awry and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.

Whole-wheat bread. A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it's converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs "time to sleep."

Turkey. It's the most famous source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that's actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach's basically empty, not overstuffed, and when there are some carbs around, not tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread mid-evening, and you've got one of the best sleep inducers in your kitchen.

What if none of these foods help you get your zzz's? Check out your sleep habits with this quick RealAge test to find out what’s keeping you up at night. http://www.realage.com/health_guides/RLS/intro.aspx

For an extra treat, here's the ultimate sleep-inducing snack...

Lullaby Muffins
Makes 12 low-fat muffins
Between the bananas, the whole wheat, and the honeyed touch of sweetness, these muffins are practically an edible lullaby.
· 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon baking powder
· 2 large, very ripe bananas
· 1/3 cup applesauce
· 1/4 cup honey
· 1/2 cup milk or soymilk

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the flour (make sure it's whole-wheat pastry flour or you'll produce golf balls, not muffins), salt, and baking powder. In a blender, puree the bananas; add the applesauce, honey, and milk. Blend well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups, pour in batter, and bake 30 minutes or until tops are lightly brown and slightly springy.

Nutrition Facts
Per serving: 119 calories; 1g fat; 2.5g protein; 27g carbohydrates; 10g sugars; 133mg sodium; 3g fiber; 35mg magnesium

Are Crocs Unsafe for Kids on Escalators?

2007-08-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not really into pure rubber thingy...ever since... But we must be warned and aware of this things because accidents don't happen only in rubber.

Are Crocs Unsafe for Kids on Escalators?
By Jim Ayson
Tuesday, 21 August 2007

You know those Crocs? Rubber footwear that look like miniature hippopotamuses? According to Billie Moreno, mother of Andie, and wife of Parokya ni Edgar drummer Dindin Moreno, they might just be a menace to society. Her daughter Andie figured in a bloody escalator accident at a mall while wearing her Crocs last Sunday, and Billie was steamed enough to circulate an e-mail about it - with graphic photos!

Here's Billie's e-mail, illustrated with photos (by Dindin, presumably).

crocsThis is not the first time an accident involving children, escalators and rubber clogs has happened. My very own daughter, Andie, got injured on an escalator while wearing her favorite pink Crocs.

14,200 search results turned out when I typed "crocs,escalator,injury" on Google. My three-year-old daughter's toe injury caused by her right Croc getting caught in the side of an escalator is not an isolated case, and many more injuries could follow unless substantial solutions are delivered at the soonest possible time.

Parents, mall operators, and the company or companies behind the manufacture and sale of Crocs footwear should act immediately to put an end to the disturbing number of accidents involving Crocs and escalator mechanisms.

What happens is that the slip-resistant quality of the footwear, ironically the same quality that ranks among its unique selling points, causes it to adhere to the side of a moving escalator upon contact. Resulting injuries have ranged from simple scratches to toes being actually ripped off. (I found a collection of news stories on http://crocsaccidents.blogspot.com . That there is such a site should speak for the gravity of the situation.)

andieThere is no point in raising arguments along the lines of escalators being inherently dangerous for children, or of the possibility of similar accidents with every other kind of footwear, or of parents being solely responsible for the safety of their children when under their care. The fact is that so many children have been hurt because the traction of their clogs is unsuitable for escalators. This danger had come to our attention prior to the accident involving my very own daughter, which is why we are always very careful when making her ride the escalator with her Crocs on. She even constantly recites the line "stay on the center," as we always remind her to do so. But it just took a millisecond for us to fall victim to an already familiar mishap. Being careful just wasn't enough.

Parents, stop making your children wear Crocs in malls. Believe me when I say that you can never be too careful when it comes to the nasty combination of Crocs and escalators.

Mall operators, adopt more child-friendly measures. Post visible notices on the dangers of wearing rubber clogs on escalators. Make known the presence of emergency stop buttons. Make your security guards aware of the alarming number of escalator accidents and train them to render urgent responses. This is not just token advocacy; this actually makes good business sense.

To the company or companies manufacturing and selling Crocs, mark your products accordingly. Indicate that they are not safe for riding escalators because, really, they aren't. Stop saying that they are completely safe. You owe this to the children who love your shoes. My daughter owns three pairs of Crocs— a pair of Caymans, a pair of Athens and a pair of Mary Janes. That's how she likes wearing those clogs. Even the first words that came out of her mouth after her tiny scream of pain were, "My Crocs! My Crocs!".

Andie is fine now. After the accident, which happened in Megamall at around 9pm of August 19, we rushed her to the Medical City where she got the proper treatment for her wounds (no quick first aid response in the mall, we had to run from building B to building A where we were parked… but that's another issue), x-rays of both her feet, and a tetanus shot. All her toes are intact and the wounds she got were merely superficial, thank God. With the way her right foot bled and with the hideous torn and deformed state of her Crocs right after the accident, we thought the injury would be much worse.

But will she ride the escalator again with as much self-confidence as she's always had before the accident? We pray that she does. Trauma is not healed with a simple wound dressing and tetanus shot.

Attached are photos of the mishap. Please help us spread the word. Let's be makulit. The world should be getting safer, not the other way around. No more injuries caused by Crocs and escalators!

Thanks and God Bless You All,
Billie Sta. Maria-Moreno

Gadgets That Run on Body Heat

2007-08-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Girls!!! pwede sa atin to lalo na pag meron tayo... hehehe.... mainit!!! :D

Gadgets That Run on Body Heat

Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:37AM EDT

No jokes about hot bods, please. All of you warm-blooded folks may have the advantage with this new technology. You may soon be able to power your cell phone, PCs, and other electronics by tapping into your own body heat, and you don't need to be pedaling a stationary bike, walking the treadmill, or otherwise working up a sweat to do it. You can just sit there, couch potato style, and generate enough body heat to keep your gear going.

I stumbled across this tidbit on the Discovery Channel, but the research originates from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, where they are developing special circuits that use body heat. These could lead to battery-less cell phones and medical monitors that draw energy from their users.

The new circuits utilize the principle of thermoelectric generators (TEG) made from semiconductor elements. According to the scientists, the TEGs extract electrical energy simply from the temperature difference between a hot and a cold environment. Normally, a difference of several tens of degrees would be required in order to generate enough power, but the difference between the body's surface temperature and that of its environment is only a few degrees. To boost the energy, they combined a number of components that store up the energy until there's enough to operate the electronic device.

The photo shows a wireless transmitter being powered by the heat given off by a person's hand via a thermoelectric generator. Can't wait to see if it takes advantage of hot flashes!

Anxiety

2007-08-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

I hope I won't get any deeper....hehehe

Anxiety

Feeling worried or nervous is a normal part of everyday life. Everyone frets or feels anxious from time to time. Mild to moderate anxiety can be an effective means of helping you focus your attention, energy, and motivation. However, if anxiety is severe, you may have feelings of helplessness, confusion, and extreme worry that are out of proportion with the actual seriousness or likelihood of the feared event. Anxiety that becomes overwhelming and interferes with daily life is not normal. This type of anxiety may be a symptom of another problem, such as depression.

Anxiety can cause physical and emotional symptoms. A specific situation or fear can cause some or all of these symptoms for a short time. When the situation passes, the symptoms usually go away.

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

* Trembling, twitching, or shaking.
* Feeling of fullness in the throat or chest.
* Breathlessness or rapid heartbeat.
* Lightheadedness or dizziness.
* Sweating or cold, clammy hands.
* Excessive startle reflex.
* Muscle tension, aches, or soreness (myalgias).
* Fatigue.
* Sleep problems, such as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, early waking, or restless, unsatisfying sleep.

Anxiety affects the part of the brain that helps control creative expression and complex communication. This makes it more difficult to express yourself creatively or function effectively in relationships. Emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

* Restlessness, irritability, or feeling on edge or keyed up.
* Excessive worrying.
* Fearing that something bad is going to happen; sense of impending doom.
* Inability to concentrate; “blanking out.”
* Constant feelings of sadness.

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders occur when people have both physical and emotional symptoms. Anxiety disorders interfere with personal relationships with others and affect daily activities. Women are twice as likely as men to have problems with anxiety disorders.

Many people, including children and teenagers, develop anxiety disorders in which many of these symptoms occur when there is no identifiable cause. Many people with an anxiety disorder say they have felt nervous and anxious all their lives. This problem can occur at any age. Children who have at least one parent with the diagnosis of depression are more than twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder than children with nondepressed parents.

Generalized anxiety disorders often occur with other problems, such as depression, substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An anxiety disorder also can be caused by a physical problem, such as heart or lung disease. A complete medical examination may be needed before an anxiety disorder can be diagnosed.
Panic attacks

Panic attacks occur when a person has distinct periods of intense fear and anxiety when there is no clear cause or danger. These symptoms come on suddenly and without warning. Panic attacks are a common anxiety-related disorder. Panic attacks can sometimes occur in otherwise normal, healthy people and will usually last for several minutes.

Physical symptoms that can occur during a panic attack include feelings of choking or suffocating, chest pain, nausea, shaking, sweating, pounding of the heart, and feeling dizzy or faint. Sometimes these symptoms are so intense that the person fears he or she is having a heart attack. Many of the symptoms of a panic attack can occur with other illnesses, such as hyperthyroidism, coronary artery disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A complete medical examination may be needed before an anxiety disorder can be diagnosed.

People who have repeated unexpected panic attacks and worry about the attacks are said to have a panic disorder.
Phobias

Phobias are irrational, involuntary fears of specific places, objects, activities, or situations. Most people deal with phobias by avoiding the situation or object that causes them to feel panic (avoidance behavior). Phobias are a common anxiety-related disorder.

A phobic disorder occurs when the avoidance behavior becomes so extreme that it interferes with your ability to participate in your daily activities. There are three main types of phobic disorders:

* Fear of being alone or in public places where help might not be available or escape is impossible (agoraphobia)
* Fear of situations where the individual might be exposed to criticism by others (social phobia)
* Fear of specific things (specific phobia)

Review the Emergencies and Check Your Symptoms sections to determine if and when you need to see a health professional.

Teens Turn 'Repeller' into Adult-Proof Ringtone

2007-08-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

Mejo masakit sa ulo nung marinig ko.. Siguro, matanda na ko. heehehehehe

The war between teens and authority figures has a new — or old — front: ears. British shopkeepers tired of teenage loiterers have turned to the Mosquito teen repellent, which emits a high-pitch frequency that most teenagers can hear — but not most adults.

But now teens have struck back against the Mosquito: They are using the same sound to communicate without adults' knowledge.

At issue is a text-message ringtone that emits the same pitch as the Mosquito. Using it, students can learn about a new message while they're in class — where they're not supposed to be using their cellphones. Most of their teachers can't hear the alert.

Inventor Howard Stapleton, creator of the Mosquito teen repellent, says only a few people over age 30 can hear the Mosquito's sound. He and his 16-year-old daughter Isabel talk to Melissa Block about the sound, which has been dubbed "Teen Buzz."

Funny Pic

2007-08-07T22:15:00.001-07:00

I find this very funny... hehehehe it makes me laugh.. I got it from a forum.

Toy Product Recalls

2007-08-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is what my Social Studies teacher way back in highschool tries to point out in our young minds which NOW only makes me realize... This is the effect of globalization blah blah... cheap labor and removing the each co untry's product identity... Almost all products are made from China. Not unlike before JAPAN makes good electronic products, USA are signature clothes, FRANCE for perfumes, PHILIPPINES for the best baby dresses and embroidery. Too bad, baby dress making business is not that progressive as before because labors are mostly transferred to China and Brunei. Oh my... Good thing we are not that rich to buy those expensive toys, but if those got too much lead then what more of the cheapest toys...*sigh*

Associated Press
Recall Raises Fear for Parents, Toy Cos.
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO 08.02.07, 8:40 PM ET

Associated Press

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO 08.02.07, 8:40 PM ET

NEW YORK -

Wendy Schneider-Fisher is nervous about what toys to buy her children. "I'm less inclined to buy anything from China," said Schneider-Fisher, of New Albany, Ohio, who was heading into a local Toys "R" Us Thursday. "And I'm upset our government doesn't do more to stop it."

Schneider-Fisher's comments reflect the quandary many American parents face after the world's largest toy company, Mattel Inc., recalled almost 1 million Chinese-made toys because they may contain lead.

As if fears over contaminated toothpaste, poisoned pet food and faulty tires weren't enough, the latest recall of Chinese-made products has anxious parents rummaging through toy chests to find tainted Big Birds and Dora the Explorer toys.

It also has stressed-out toy companies going through their inventory to see if their products are harmless. And it has China, again, insisting that its products are safe.

On Thursday, Mattel's Fisher-Price brand announced it is recalling 83 types of toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The recall involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August.

Under current U.S. regulations, children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead are subject to a recall.

For parents, replacing the tainted toys with ones they trust are safe could pose a problem: 80 percent of all toys are made in China.

"It seems like everything's from China but if I could find a similar toy that was American made, I would definitely buy it even if it cost more," said Allen Mayne, of Columbus, Ohio, who was shopping at a local Toys "R" Us for his 9-year-old daughter.

"I think it would be in everyone's best interests to look for American-made products, stuff you can feel confident about, stuff that's just not the cheapest junk that you can get," he said.

With discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. waging price wars, the pressure has been on toy companies to cut costs by producing cheaper toys in China. With exceptions like Mattel, which estimates that about 50 percent of its production in China is made in company-owned plants, many toy companies turn to contract factories, a cheaper alternative.

Thursday's toy recall follows the June recall by RC2 Corp. of 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line because of lead paint. Those toys were also made in China.

Industry experts are worried there will be more toy recalls to come, and fear parents will be more skeptical when buying holiday toys, even avoiding Chinese products altogether.

"Everyone is concerned that this could really undermine the traditional toy business if consumers think that the toys are unsafe," said New York-based toy consultant Chris Byrne.

Mattel, considered by experts as a role model in how to do business in China, remained in crisis control Thursday.

The company contends the recall was "fast-tracked," allowing it to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they even made it to stores. Still, executives are trying to find out how this situation happened.

"There is an extreme sense of urgency," said David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price.

Jim Walter, senior vice president of worldwide quality assurance for Mattel, is heading to China to meet with vendors.

China also moved to clear up another blot on its reputation.

"China has always conducted international trade in the spirit of being responsible to its trade partners and itself," China's Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said in a statement published Thursday on the ministry's Web site. "Ninety-nine percent of China's exports are good and safe."

There is also increasing pressure for government regulation of the U.S. toy industry.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a bill last month that he contended would dramatically expand the Consumer Product Safety Commission's ability to protect the public. Another piece of legislation, introduced by Durbin and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., would require third-party testing of imported and domestic toys and goods designed for children 5 years old or younger.

The CPSC now allows manufacturers to inspect and approve their own children's products.

"We need better regulation of the toy industry. Until then, parents are going to have to be the watchdogs," said Joanne Oppenheim, president of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, which produces an annual independent toy guide.

Hasbro Inc. said in a statement, it "maintains stringent quality control standards in all aspects of the manufacturing process, in both Hasbro-owned factories as well as factories that are contracted to produce Hasbro-branded product."

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group that produces the "Sesame Street" TV program said Thursday it plans independent audits and other steps in an attempt to hold licensees to the highest health and safety standards.

Retailers including KB Toys Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys "R" Us Inc. said they removed all the affected products off the shelves in recent days, but they are left to contend with shoppers' concerns.

"I'm going to pay much more attention to what I'm giving my children. I absolutely would pay more for 'green' toys," said Schneider-Fisher.

Associated Press writers Emily Zeugner in Columbus, Ohio, and Rose French in Nashville, Tenn. contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS to Thursday, not Friday, in 15th graf.)

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Cinderella for kids

2007-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

I want to watch this with Ineng and Itay :)

Disney's Cinderella

Disneys Cinderella
Greenbelt - Aug 11, Aug 26, Oct 13 & Oct 21, 2007

REP’S CINDERELLA FOR KIDS OPENS AUGUST 11 AT ONSTAGE GREENBELT 1

The magic and music of this season’s REP CHILDREN’S THEATER production begins on August 11, 2007. Disney’s Cinderella For Kids takes place at REP’S Globe Theater at Onstage Greenbelt I.

This production, adapted by Marcy Heisler and Bryan Louiselle, brings to the stage the very same wonder enjoyed by generations in Disney’s classic animated film. With the Disney Classic treatment intact, audiences can expect the same timeless songs and characters they have enjoyed time and again.

Forced to slave away for her cruel stepmother and her haughty stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella, Cinderella dreams of a chance to attend the Royal Ball while her faithful mice friends listen intently. One night she receives a visit from her Fairy Godmother who grants her wish but only until the stroke of midnight. At the ball she falls in love with the handsome prince but must suddenly disappear, leaving her prince with only a glass slipper. And so the slipper is tried on the foot of every young maid in the kingdom until true love is found and happiness restored.

As usual, sumptuous costumes, storybook sets, lively music, comedic dancing and signing, and child-friendly dialogue make this RCT production a treat for youngsters. Directors Baby Barredo and Joy Virata create yet another heartwarming and fun-filled production. Costume design is by Celia Diaz-Laurel executed by Julie Borromeo while set design is by Mio Infante.

The REP CHILDREN’S THEATRE is helped by the City of Makati, Ayala Cinemas, Purefoods Chicken Nuggets, NU 107, 92.3 XFM, Crossover 105.1, Jam 88.3, Gourmet’s Coffee, Clickthecity.com, Lane Moving and Storage, Nayon Photographers Club, and JJ Liongson and Marvin Recto of MAKE UP FOR EVER.

For details, ticket reservations, show bookings, and block ticket sales, call the Repertory Philippines office at 8870710 or visit them at C2-A Building C, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. Tickets are also available at Ticketworld located at all major National Bookstore or at tel nos. 891-9999.

Ticket Prices:
P361.00, P309.00, P258.00

Something about vinegar

2007-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

For me it's not something... it's a bit of everything you want to know more about vinegar... I was amazed that banana can be too.

COUNTRY COOKING
Something about vinegar

By Micky Fenix
Inquirer
Last updated 10:58pm (Mla time) 07/18/2007

Anyone who wants to research on how much vinegar is used in an ordinary Filipino household has only to go to my home.

Every month we get a supply of sukang Paombong, the nipa palm vinegar from a town in Bulacan, and a gallon is always not enough. It is used for cooking and as dipping sauce, as sterilizer for salad greens and, occasionally, to satisfy my hankering for something sour to sip.

Sipping vinegar was a preoccupation of the older girls in the family. It was part of our game, as young girls, to display our whitened lips after our vinegar experience. I take comfort in the fact that some friends did the same in the past. That makes my siblings and me less weird.

These days, however, my throat has not been receptive to this sipping exercise. This weakness began when I was asked to sip aged balsamic vinegar some years back. I coughed for what seemed like an eternity.

Thank goodness that in one vinegar-tasting event of the International Wine and Food Society, we were taught that placing a cube of sugar between one’s teeth while sipping will reduce the acidity. I was, thus, able to enjoy the different kinds of wine vinegar such as champagne that was used to flavor our fish kinilaw that day.

The quality of the vinegar used in cooking reflects on the food. I always tasted the difference when we had our supply of grade A coconut vinegar from my father-in-law in Leyte.

Fish paksiw is infinitely better when the vinegar is top notch. Even when you have the freshest fish, it will be wasted on acetic acid that poses as vinegar.

Different sources

We have so many kinds of vinegar made from different sources. Pia Lim Castillo, in her paper presented at the 2005 Oxford Symposium on Food, enumerated these as from “saps of palm trees, sugar cane, fruits and alcoholic beverages.”

She described in detail how vinegar is made from each of those. Coconut vinegar is made from the sap of the inflorescence or the flower-bearing stalk. Nipa palm and the sugar palm (kaong) produce sap from slashes made in their stalks. Vinegar from sugar cane is obtained from the juice that has been cooked then placed in jars to ferment.

How the sap was made to flow from the nipa stalk was demonstrated to Pia and me by the banks of a Bulacan fishpond. It involved kicking the stalk. We thought the tree must shed tears (sap) all right from all that kicking.

What has been branded as Paombong vinegar is made from this nipa sap. It has a tendency to darken because it contains iron. Pia wrote that the old folks said Paombong vinegar could not be pure if it did not darken.

With the kaong tree, sap is collected only from male trees. The flowering stalks are rocked to attract fruit flies and this signals that the time is ripe to tap the stalks. The brand name of one commercial kaong vinegar used the tree’s scientific name, Arengga Pinnata.

Sukang Iloko is the other branded vinegar made from basi, sugar cane wine, which has turned sour. Pia said “tanbark and leaves are added to impart a different flavor and coloring.”

Some people call this vinegar “balsamic” probably because of its dark color or to tell people that it is as good as that aged Italian vinegar.

Newest vinegar

The newest vinegar version I got was made from latundan, a variety of banana that is my favorite. Latundan does not keep long and so it is great to know that it can reemerge as something else that tastes good as well. Ige Ramos, artist and book designer, gave me a gallon from his home province of Cavite.

A vinegar is enhanced by the addition of other ingredients.

The sinamak vinegar of Iloilo has ginger, garlic, galangal (blue ginger) and chili. It is a must-dip for chicken inasal, the achuete-colored slightly sour grilled chicken.

Today, groceries carry bottled vinegar with siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili) floating in the liquid. Claude Tayag gave me his aged 6-year-old coco vinegar with so much siling labuyo. Just looking at it scares people who cannot stand hot food. He has huge dama juanas (demijohns) of vinegar fermenting in one corner of his house.

I was recently introduced to pinakurat, a vinegar said to come from Iligan. It is highly spiced, at least the one I tasted. The liquid is cloudy but I do not know what went into it. Pinakurat has traveled from its Mindanao home to Manila specialty markets.

For me, vinegar tasting should have chicharon because pork crackling is the best medium to taste different versions. The two times I have done this kind of tasting, every participant giggled because each felt guilty about enjoying the exercise.

It was particularly great when the chicharon came as big as a table for four with each guest breaking off a piece and dipping it into the particular vinegar they wanted to taste.

E-mail the author at pinoyfood04@yahoo.com

Mr. Thingamajig

2007-07-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed listening to Mr. thingablahblah. :D

What's a Doohickey?

Sometimes, Americans have little mental pauses, where something’s right on the tip of our tongue, but we can’t think of the exact word—or when we want to euphemise unseemly speech. Fortunately, there’s a way around this that doesn’t involve brain surgery or duct tape. We use substitution words that can mean anything and everything.

Here’s an ode to mental vacuity.

Substitution Words
I was rooting willy-nilly through a buncha stuff, looking every whichway for the dinky little whatchamacallit to fix the goldong thingamajig, but good ol’ whatsizname had put it in the hooziwhatsit, as usual! Boy oh boy, what a load of hooey. Always the same old rigamarole with that cockamamie bozo. He’s such a pipsqueak! If I found it, ka-ching, I’d be rich, which would be just jim dandy! I'd be totally discombobulated. You-know-who had done you-know-what with the goofy little gadget again, so whaddyaknow ... there was something-or-other wrong with it. What a snafu! I had a heck of a time getting ahold of whatsername to come over and take care of it with her special little doohickey that she keeps there in the thingamabob. For the gazillionth time, the flightly little flibbertigibbit said alrighty, she wouldn't shilly shally, she’d schlep over with her widget fixer and whatnot to do a bodaciously whizbang job on the whole shebang. That's right, the whole kit 'n caboodle, no ifs, ands, or buts about it ... no malarkey. Okee dokey, but she was a skosh busy right then, yada, yada, yada. Yessirreebob, we usually have gadgets galore, but what with the this-and-that, and all the hooplah, it’s all topsy turvy today, ’cuz that humungous nincompoop is still in the whatsit acting like everything's just hunky dory. That's just a bunch gobbledeegook. Pure gibberish. He's such an old rapscallion. Jeeminy Christmas, the shenanigans of that old fogey. Yackety schmackety, blah, blah, blah! Shucks, I wanted to find it on my own, and not be penalized for it—I’m just so darned tired of gimme’s and gotcha’s by a lotta has-been nosybones out hobnobbing with hoity toity wannabes. The real nitty gritty is that, young and old, they’re just a buncha happy-go-lucky whippersnappers and cantankerous old fuddyduddies who don’t know diddly. I poked among the gewgaws, tchotchkes, gimcracks, and knickknacks, there in the doodad, but I found zilch, zero, zippo, nil, nada and null. So-and-so told me such-and-such about the deeleebob, but I just don’t know where that little gizmo is. Sheesh! It’s a big whoopdedoo when you can’t even remember where the gosh diddly darned whaddyacallit is!

The Cascades are disbanding...

2007-07-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

Things really come and go... and here we are, after a reunion news, a disbanding news is now in circulation.

The Cascades are disbanding
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
Tuesday, July 3, 2007

First, the sad news: The Cascades are disbanding.

Now, the good news: The quartet — composed of John Gummoe, Gabe Lapano, Tony Grasso and Chuck Crews — is holding a series of what may be their farewell performances in August, so all ye “Cascaders” better be there.

The Cascades had an SRO concert at the Araneta Coliseum in April, 2005, almost 40 years after their debut performance here in the late ‘60s at the height of its popularity.

The phenomenal success of its two-night return engagement six months later, also at the same venue, cemented the enduring tie of the American vocal group with local music lovers, notably the “Baby Boomers” generation. The ultimate tribute to the group came in June last year when its 2006 international concert tour turned into a massive and resounding outpouring of affection and admiration from the multitude of fans who packed the Big Dome and shattered all previous attendance records of a Cascades concert.

But just like all good things that must come to an end, the final curtain will now fall on the comeback campaign of this brilliant group after a successful run of two exciting and fulfilling years. I am sure fans will be greatly saddened to know that The Cascades had decided to disband indefinitely for its four members to resume their individual activities that they had temporarily shelved for the ongoing revival tour.

“When The Cascades reunited two years ago,” concert promoter and musicologist Steve O’Neal told Funfare, “it was with the understanding that its members would perform only for a limited period of time, that’s why they took an indefinite leave from their regular jobs. What they did not reckon with was the tremendous and enthusiastic response of millions of fans worldwide, especially in the Philippines, so much so that their engagement as a group had to be extended.”

But the good news is that The Cascades quartet will fade away from the music scene not with a whimper but in style by celebrating the momentous event with their fans during their series of farewell performances. Billed as Farewell Tour: The Cascades, the eight-city concert series to be presented by Steve O’Neal Productions will kick off with a major show on Aug. 3 at the Aliw Theater at the CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. Other performances are slated at the Centro, Legenda Hotel, Subic Bay Freeport (Aug. 9); Hyatt Hotel & Casino-Manila (Aug. 10); Casino Filipino-Angeles City (Aug. 11); Casino Filipino-Tagaytay City (Aug. 12); Capiz Auditorium, Roxas City (Aug. 14); Cebu International Convention Center (Aug. 17) and Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro City (Aug. 19).

According to O’Neal, The Cascades has chosen Manila as the venue of its farewell tour as “a token of appreciation” for its thousands of fans who have shown their unwavering devotion and support during the past 40 years.

“The Cascades will forever cherish many fond memories of its visits to the country during the past two years, especially the warm friendship, affection and hospitality of Pinoy music lovers — from ordinary fans to big celebrities — who took time to attend its three sold-out concerts in 2005 and 2006.”

Among the prominent personalities who have watched The Cascades shows were Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay and MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando (who is also a singer in his own right, being a member of the vocal group, The Three Tenors, along with Department of Environment and National Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes and former Senator Joey Lina).

On the other hand, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos not only attended last year’s dinner-show at The Manila Hotel but also opened her San Juan City home to The Cascades when she honored the quartet with an intimate dinner.

For this farewell tour, The Cascades have prepared a special and different line-up of new and old songs, most of them from their last album from Warner Music All The Way To Yesterday, a compilation of the acoustic versions of their hit tunes, including the title song.

For sure, “Cascaders” (this one included, along with Vivian Sarabia who is a great fan of Oldies but Goodies) will be there to relive beautiful memories of a bygone era via the quartet’s well-loved songs of which my No. 1 favorite is Rhythm of the Rain (played over six million times, ranking No. 9 in BMI’s Top 100 Most Performed Songs of the Century).

Let’s bid The Cascades a fond farewell by singing Rhythm of the Rain. All together now:

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain

Telling me just what a fool I’ve been

I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain

And let me be alone again

The only girl I care about has gone away

Looking for a brand-new start

But little does she know

That when she left that day

Along with her she took my heart

Rain please tell me now does that seem fair

For her to steal my heart away when she don’t care

I can’t love another when my heart’s somewhere far away

(Note: Tickets to the Aliw Theater concert — priced at P2,500, P2,000, P1,500 and P1,000 — are available at Ticketworld outlets at major National Book Store branches, Robinsons Department Stores, Tower Records and Ayala Centers. For inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891-9999.)

The Spice Girls is a Band Reunited

2007-06-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Being a fan of this one time hit wonder all girl band, the Spice Girls, I am somewhat oh good to hear they are reuniting, but my eagerness to see them reunited wasn't that much sparky. And somehow I clipped this from IDLYITW, no doubt Iam still a fan! :)

The Spice Girls is a Band Reunited

Seven years after nobody cared when they broke up, The Spice Girls have announced they will kick off a reunion tour later this year:

The girl band will kick off a world tour in America. The five - now all in their thirties - will start on 7 December in Los Angeles - the new home of Posh Spice Victoria Beckham and her family...The reunion tour, which is set to hit London on December 15 and take in Madrid, Koln, Las Vegas, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires among others (scroll to bottom for list of dates and locations) will certainly be lucrative for the Spices. They are expected to pocket about Â£10 million each."

This worldwide tour is sure to take the world by storm. Nothing says "cutting edge" like five moms dancing and lip-synching on stage. During the press conference, Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) was said to be especially emotional, because it was her sudden exit in 2001 that broke up the group. When asked by Baby Spice in a private moment if she was ok, Halliwell was overheard saying, "And if you threw a party
and invited everyone you ever knew, you would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say thank you for being a friend."

Happy Birthday Itay!

2007-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you,
happy birthday, happy birthday...
Happy Birthday to you!!!!

Maligayang Bati... Sa iyong pagsilang...
Maligayang... maligayang...
Maligayang Bati!! Maligayang Kaarawan Itay!!!

Strawberry Fields Forever

2007-06-14T02:29:00.000-07:00

Yum yum!!!! Droool..... Sluuuuuuuurrrrpp.... Oh my! If I was infanticipating I think I won't get better if that one exactly as pictured would not sink in to my rotting teeth. hehehe

Now Itay... May idea ka na ha!!! hehehehe

Tide Detergent

2007-06-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

A Tide Ipod!! Makes my hubby likes an Ipod for the first time :)

A Touching Story

2007-05-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

I cried while reading this story which I got from my Inbox. Truth or fiction, it touched my heart. It reminds me once again Yano's Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo ...Read on and be inspired.

Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived a fourth grader boy who would follow this route to school everyday: He has to cross the rugged plains and cross the dangerous highway where vehicles are recklessly driving to and from.

Once past this highway, the boy would take a short cut, passing by the Church every morning just to say Hi to God, and faithfully say his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol dialect. He was faithfully being
watched by a Priest who was happy to find innocence so uplifting in the morning,

"Kamusta, Andoy? Papasok ka na?"

"Opo padre ... " he would flash his innocent grin, the priest would be touched. He was so concerned that one day he talked to Andoy.

"From school...", he advised "Do not cross the highway, you can pass through the Church and I can accompany you to the other side of the road .... that way I can see that you are home safe...."

"Thank you father ..."

"Why don't you go home ... do you stay in this church right after school?"

"I just want to say "Hi" to my friend, God," and the priest would leave the boy to spend time beside the altar, talking to himself, but the priest was hiding behind the altar to listen to what this boy has to say to his heavenly FATHER.

"You know my math exam was pretty bad today, but I did not cheat although my seatmate is bullying me for notes... I ate one cracker and drank my water, Itay had a bad season and all I can eat is this
cracker. Thank you for this! I saw a poor kitten who was hungry and I know how he feels so I gave my last cracker to him ... funny but I am not that hungry."

"Look, this is my last pair of slippers ...I may have to walk barefoot next week, you see this is about to be broken ... but it is okay ....at least I am still going to school.... Some say we will have a hard season this month, some of my classmates have already stopped going to school ... please help them get to school again, please God? ..."

"Oh, you know, Inay hit me again, it is painful, but I know this pain will pass away, at least I still have a mother.... God, you want to see my bruises? I know you can heal them .... Here... here and .... oh ... blood ... I guess you knew about this one huh? Please don't be mad at Inay, she is just tired and she worries for the food in our table and my schooling that is why she hits us ...."

"Oh, I think I am in love ... there's this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita ... do you think she will like me? Anyway, at least I know you will always like me, I don't have to be anybody just to please you, you are my very best friend! Hey your birthday is two days from now!!! Aren't you excited? I am! Wait till you see, I have a gift for you .... but it is a surprise! I hope you will like it!"

"Oooops, I have to go ..." then he stood up and calls out, "Padre, padre, I am finished talking to my friend ... you can accompany me to the other side of the road now"

This routine happens everyday. Andoy never fails. Father Agaton shares this every Sunday to the people in his church because he has not seen a very pure faith and trust in God, a very positive look at negative situations.

One Christmas day, Father Agaton was sick so he could not make it in the Church, he was sent to the hospital. The Church was left to 4 manangs who would chant the rosary in 1000 miles per hour, would not smile and would always find fault in what you do, they were also very well versed in cursing if you irritate them!

They were kneeling, saying their kilometric rosary when Andoy, coming from his Christmas party, playfully dashed in.

"Hello God! I ....."

"P----!! (a curse) bata ka!! Alam mo nang may nagdadasal!! Alis!!"

Poor Andoy was so terrified, "Where's Father Agaton? He is supposed to help me cross the street .... and to be able to cross the street I will have to pass by the back door of this church ...not only that, I
have to greet Jesus. It is His birthday, I have a gift right here...."

Just as he was about to get the gift out of his shirt, the manang pulled his shirt and threw him out of the church. "Susmaryosep!!! (does the sign of the cross fervently) Alis kang bata ka, kung hindi matatamaan ka!!!

So the boy had no choice but to cross the dangerous side of the road in front of the church. He crossed. A fast moving bus came in. There was a blind curve. The boy was protecting his gift inside his shirt, so he was not looking. There was so little time. Andoy died on the spot. A lot of people crowded the poor boy, the body of a lifeless young boy ...

Suddenly, out of nowhere a tall man in a pure white shirt and pants, a face so mild and gentle, but with eyes full of tears... He came and carried the boy in His arms. He was crying. Curious bystanders
nudged the man in white, and asked,

"Excuse me sir, are you related to this child? Do you know this child?"

The man in white, His face mourning and in agony, looked up and answered,

"He was my best friend .... " was all he said. He took the badly wrapped gift in the bloody chest of the lifeless boy, and placed it near His heart.

He stood up and carried the boy away and they both disappeared in sight. The crowd was curious ...

On Christmas Eve, Father Agaton learned of the shocking news. He visited the house, and wanted to verify about the man in white. He consulted the parents of Andoy

"How did you know that your son died?"

"A man in white brought him here." sobbed the mother.

"What did he say?"

The father answered, "He did not say anything. He was mourning. We do not know him and yet he was very lonely about our son's death, as if he knew our son very well. But there was something peaceful and unexplainable about him. He gave me my son, and then he smiled peacefully. He brushed my son's hair away from his face and kissed him on his forehead, then he whispered something ..."

"What did he say?"

"He said to my boy..." the father began, "Thank you for the gift ... I will see you soon ... you will be with me..." and the father of the boy continued, "and you know for a while, it felt so wonderful ... I
cried, but I do not know why....all I know is I cried tears of joy ... I could not explain it, Father, but when that man left, something peaceful came over me, I felt a deep sense of love inside ... I could not explain the joy in my heart, I knew my boy is in heaven now but...tell me, Father, who is this man that my son talks to everyday in your church, you should know because you are always there ... except at the time of his death ....."

Father Agaton suddenly felt the tears welling in his eyes, with trembling knees, he murmurred, " ... He was talking to no one ..... but

.. GOD...."

From this moment....

2007-05-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'll be once again start jumping around and take a peek or sneek out some ideas but I'll try to have at least say something about what, and why did I?? What the heck was on my mind while copy paste copy paste it into this. :) Or to be short and sweet, my lame review. Feeling as if I was a noted journalist....hehehe or maybe somehow Iam a frustrated one. ;)

Captain America dead after 66-year reign - The Boston Globe

2007-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Captain America dead after 66-year reign - The Boston Globe

Superhero's death stuns the faithful

By Don Aucoin and Joseph P. Kahn, Globe Staff | March 8, 2007

He first appeared in March 1941, punching out Adolf Hitler on the cover of a brand-new comic book. Ever since then, attired in a red, white , and blue uniform and armed only with a shield, he fought for liberty and justice, not unlike that guy with the cape.
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But Captain America is no more.

When fans yesterday opened the comic book that bears his name, they discovered a shocking development: Captain America had been cut down by a sniper . His sudden death prompted a run on comic-book stores by fans hoping to snap up a potential collector's item -- and also triggered considerable consternation among some devotees of the stout-hearted superhero.

"I didn't like it when they did it to Superman, and I am no fan of it now that they have done it to Captain America," a fan who called himself "Union Jack" wrote on an Internet message board devoted to the character. Another asked plaintively: "Is it true? If so, then I think my days of buying comics have officially come to an end." Some fans accused Marvel Comics of killing him off as a publicity stunt. Is this a reprise of "The Death of Superman" in 1993, which eventually led to the return of Superman?

In a telephone interview yesterday, Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada dismissed suggestions that Captain America's demise was staged to boost sales. Rather, he said, the death of the character he fondly called "Cap" was the logical outcome of a long-running story line involving a "civil war" among the superheroes in the Marvel universe. "The story was taking us there," he said.

Still, Quesada conceded, "We've been biting our lips, and here it is, the moment of truth. I don't think there's a dry eye in the house. You're talking about a character who wears the American flag. . . . The Marvel universe has had a Captain America in it since the 1940s. Now there is a big void that has to be filled."

Anthony Gallucci , assistant manager at Newbury Comics in Boston's Government Center, got 50 copies of "Captain America" Tuesday night. All were sold within two hours after opening yesterday. "This was a pretty well-guarded secret," Gallucci said. "I was kind of surprised they were going down that road when I turned to the last page. 'They're not really going to do that, are they?' I wondered. But they did."

Quesada said the notion of Captain America's death was first floated 18 months ago during a story conference at Marvel Comics. "It just seemed like the room was leaning toward the direction that, unfortunately, Cap was not going to come out of this story in good shape," he said. The way it played out in yesterday's edition contained echoes of contemporary issues: Captain America was on his way to be arraigned for his refusal to sign the government's "Superhero Registration Act," a step that would have exposed his true identity. (That identity, by the way, is Steve Rogers, a physically feeble art student transformed into a powerhouse by a military "Super Soldier" experiment.)

"Captain America" has consistently ranked among the 25 best-selling comic books, according to Jonah Weiland, owner of Comic Book Resources, an online magazine that tracks sales.

The cover price of yesterday's magazine was $2.99, but Gallucci expects copies to sell for two to three times that on eBay or in secondary markets at comic-book stores. The price could go even higher. "My understanding is that Marvel has no plans on reprinting the issue, so however many copies were ordered is it," Gallucci said. "And that will spark an immediate rise in price."

But what will be the cultural impact of Captain America's death? After all, an estimated 210 million copies of the comic book have been sold over the years in more than 70 countries. Captain America has been featured in a 1944 movie serial, a 1991 direct-to-video film, live-action TV shows, toys, and action figures. He has also cropped up in the occasional song, such as Jimmy Buffett's 1977 "Captain America," and even some novels.

Fred Grandinetti , a comic book historian from Watertown , said the decision to kill off Captain America is part of what he termed an unfortunate trend. "Rather than have heroes just hang up their cape in a closet to use them again, they kill them, because they want to boost sales," he said. "It's an insult to the fans that have grown up with these characters all these years."

But might Captain America be resurrected somewhere down the line? "There's no plans for that right now," said Quesada, before adding: "I can't sit here and tell you absolutely not."

In the meantime, Quesada said, there is a momentous question to be answered in the days ahead: "What is a world without Captain America in it?"

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

Ituloy Angsulong » The Official Blog Of Ituloy Angsulong Movement

2007-02-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ituloy Angsulong » The Official Blog Of Ituloy Angsulong Movement

The Men Behind Ituloy Angsulong Movement
Friday, February 16, 2007
by kukote

This will be our last post, at pagkatapos nito, maghihintay na lang kaming ituloy angsulong ng mga search engines para igapang kami paakyat sa kanilang mga search results. At bago magtapos, oras na para makilala ninyo ang mga gago tao behind this blog. Here they are... (click on the image for a larger view)

ituloy angsulong ni kukote
Name: Marhgil Marc Hill Macuha
Alias: kukote, boy gapang
Age: 27 20 18 years old
Occupation: SEO Computer Telephony Integration Spammer macho dancer sa Malate
Hobbies: Watching Bakekang and Jumong. Doraemon. Starstruck. Blogging. Lurking around. Spamming Blog hopping and link exchanging. Black White hat optimization.
Special Powers: I can hypnotize the search engines.. hahaha! Tukayo ko si SEO Philippines founder, yan ang aking secret weapon!
Affiliations: Ituloy Angsulong Movement Co-founder Taga Barangay Ginebra Textmates ng Blogosphere Kuya ng mga Beauties
Mottos: Ang hindi marunong ituloy angsulong ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.
Don't think while your mouth is open.

================================

ituloy angsulong ni qroon
Name: Mateo Santos (yer right)
Alias: Qroon, Boy Dapa
Age: Unknown
Occupation: frustrated Porn star, Bouncer, Security guard
Interests: Just visit my personal blog (http://qroon.blogspot.com)
Special Powers: I can annoy and talk to you at the same time, Explosive Bio Weapon (Comparable to Boy Popoy)
Affiliations: Fart Sessions, Ituloy AngSulong Movement, Pepsi Maxx Experience
Motto: So far, so good ... So what?

================================

ituloy angsulong ni boy popoy
Name: Max Saturna(pinsan ni Zsa Zsa)
Alias: Bhoy Fofoy
Age: Unknown
Occupation: Balut vendor, frustrated porn star
Interests: penoycentral.blogspot.com , http://www.lemonparty.org
Special Powers: anting sa gigil
Affiliations: Fart Sessions, Ituloy AngSulong Movement, Pepsi Maxx Experience
Motto: Kinuha mo na ang lahat sa akin ka!!!!

================================

Mabuhay ang Ituloy Angsulong Movement! Isulong ang movement without a cause! Ituloy Angsulong patungo sa tagumpay! Ituloy Angsulong! Ituloy!

Jung Da Bin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

Jung Da Bin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jung Da Bin (Birthname Jeong Hye-Seon, March 4, 1980 – February 10, 2007) (sometimes credited as Da-bin Jeong) was an Korean actress.

Death

The actress Jeong Da-bin was found dead at a villa in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district on Saturday. Jeong was found hanged with a towel in the bathroom at the home of a person only identified as Lee.

Lee, Jeong’s boyfriend and the first to call the police, testified that Jeong came to his house very drunk in the early hours of Saturday morning and that he found her dead when he woke up around 7:50 a.m. According to police, Jeong had been drinking with two friends at a bar in Cheongdam-dong and called Lee to come and pick her up since she was too drunk to go home. Lee joined Jeong for a drink and they arrived at his house in Samseong-dong at around 3:20 a.m.

Lee told police that Jeong had recently been depressed over her lack of work and the imprisonment of her previous manager. Police estimated Jeong died between 7:30 to 7:50 a.m., and though no note was found, police assume it was suicide since there were no immediate signs of foul play.

Jeong, whose real name was Jeong Hae-sun, posted a note on her personal blog around 5:04 a.m. on Friday expressing a complicated state of mind. “I am complicated, and I feel like I am going to die. I am angry without reason, and I might go mad…I feel like I have lost myself and my identity…The Lord came to me…I was about to collapse, and he quietly lifts me up.”

The exact cause of death will be revealed by the postmortem. A woman identified as Jang, who had been drinking with Jeong, said the actress was carefully choosing her next work and was eager to perform. “I can’t believe that she killed herself. Jeong invited us to her house the day after tomorrow, and she showed great determination about her acting career,” police quoted Jang as saying. Jeong’s family opposed an autopsy at first but changed their minds after a gathering Sunday to discover whether it was really suicide.

Jeong’s new management agency claims there were some suggestions of foul play. It said a scar on Jeong’s wrist was not from a suicide attempt in October 2006, as Lee had suggested, but a scar she received in her first year in high school. It also said the actress showed strong determination to work when she talked about her future plans with close friends she contacted right before her death. The agency says the last posting on her website cannot be read as a suicide note.

A member of Jeong’s family said, “We can’t figure out why she wanted to commit suicide, and we decided to request the postmortem because we want to know for sure what happened.”

Television

* New Non Stop (2002)
* Trio (2002)
* The Full Sun (2003)
* Non Stop 3 (2003)
* Attic Cat (2003)
* My Sister in Law is 19 (2004)
Films

* The Land of Ginkgo (2000)
* This Good Fellow (2003)
* He Was Cool (2004)
* Typhoon in that Summer (2005)
Awards

* Best Actor - Sitcom at MBC Awards (2002)
* Best New Actor at MBC Awards (2003)
* New Star Award at SBS Awards (2004)

Why Filipinos have poor BP control - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

2007-02-15T00:19:00.000-08:00

Why Filipinos have poor BP control - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Why Filipinos have poor BP control

By Tessa Salazar
Inquirer
Last updated 10:49pm (Mla time) 02/09/2007

IN SPITE of the availability of groups of medications that have been introduced in the market (diuretics, peripheral inhibitors, central Alfa II agonists, Alpha I receptor blockers, Beta receptor blockers, direct vasodilators, calcium antagonists, ACE inhibitors, Angiotensin II blockers and aldosterone blockers), only seven percent of all the world’s hypertensive patients have well-controlled blood pressure.

Dr. Adolfo B. Bellosillo, president of the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases Inc., said during the seventh national annual convention on Preventive Cardiology that achieving normal blood pressure with antihypertensive medications remains an elusive goal for many hypertensives.

Achieving normal BP levels is crucial in the long-term, as this would prevent serious complications such as stroke, acute heart failure and kidney failure.

Contributing factors

Bellosillo cited as some contributing factors doctors’ failure to recognize the hemodynamics (the dynamics of blood circulation that cause elevated blood pressure) involved in the elevation of blood pressure and patients’ nonadherence to therapy.

Bellosillo said blood pressure goes up for a number of reasons, and there are two factors that could lead to the failure to recognize the hemodynamics involved: the peripheral resistance and the cardiac output (the output of the heart every time it beats). The body maintains normal blood pressure by adjusting cardiac output and peripheral resistance.

“If one or both is increased, this can increase your blood pressure, but the question is: by the bedside or at the clinic, how can we detect if the problem is peripheral resistance or the increase in cardiac output or both?” he asked.

In the past, doctors would resort to right heart catheterization to pinpoint the root of the problem. (Catheterization involves inserting a catheter -- a long, thin flexible tube -- into the right side of the heart with the tip of the catheter positioned at the main pulmonary artery to measure cardiac output and peripheral resistance). Bellosillo said this process was expensive, would require special setups and carried certain risks.

7 reasons

Addressing physicians during the Jan. 27 convention with the theme “Issues and Concerns in Preventive Cardiology in the Elderly,” Bellosillo enumerated the following reasons for patients’ nonadherence to therapy:

• The cost of medication. This is one of the main culprits. Bellosillo said patients’ blood pressure is not controlled since they are not taking medicines, mainly because of their prohibitive costs.

• No patient education. Bellosillo said, “We physicians failed to educate our hypertensive patients because the most commonly heard word in the physician’s office is ‘Next! Next! Next!’

“We do not take the time to sit with our patients and educate them about hypertension, the importance of risk factors and what these medications are.”

• Unclear instructions. Oftentimes, when doctors prescribe medication, either their penmanship is not legible enough or their instructions are not specific.

Bellosillo cited as a commonly occurring example when medicines were prescribed “once a day.”

“What time of the day? There are 24 hours a day and we know very well that when hypertension is being attacked, it must be attacked at the proper time. The timing of intake of medicine is very important because you know that when you’re treating hypertension, you are only treating your patient to control the elevation of blood pressure to avoid serious complications such as stroke, heart failure and heart attack.”

• Lack of involvement of patient in the treatment plan. Most of this, Bellosillo said, is the fault of the physician as “we do not educate (the patients).”

• Lack of patient’s education on the side effects. Bellosillo pointed out that many of these medicines have side effects and that physicians failed to educate the patients of these. Not knowing the side effects could cause panic among patients.

• Memory deficit. This concerns more elderly patients.

• Inconvenient dosing. Studies have shown that the more pills a patient has to take, the bigger chance that he or she will not be compliant.

Hackers hit key Internet traffic computers - CNN.com

2007-02-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

Hackers hit key Internet traffic computers - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002.

Experts said the unusually powerful attacks lasted for hours but passed largely unnoticed by most computer users, a testament to the resiliency of the Internet.

Behind the scenes, computer scientists worldwide raced to cope with enormous volumes of data that threatened to saturate some of the Internet's most vital pipelines.

Experts said the hackers appeared to disguise their origin, but vast amounts of rogue data in the attacks were traced to South Korea.

The attacks appeared to target UltraDNS, the company that operates servers managing traffic for Web sites ending in "org" and some other suffixes, experts said. Company officials did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press.

Among the targeted "root" servers that manage global Internet traffic were ones operated by the Defense Department and the Internet's primary oversight body.

"There was what appears to be some form of attack during the night hours here in California and into the morning," said John Crain, chief technical officer for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. He said the attack was continuing and so was the hunt for its origin.

"I don't think anybody has the full picture," Crain said. "We're looking at the data."

Crain said Tuesday's attack was less serious than attacks against the same 13 "root" servers in October 2002 because technology innovations in recent years have increasingly distributed their workloads to other computers around the globe.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chav - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Chav - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chav
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Look up chav, charva in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Caricature of a stereotypical chav
Caricature of a stereotypical chav

For a full discussion of the etymologies of chav and charva, see Wiktionary.
For a list of synonyms for chav and charva, see WikiSaurus under the headword chav.

Chav is a mainly derogatory slang term in some parts of the United Kingdom for a subcultural stereotype fixated on fashions such as gold jewellery (often cheap) and 'designer' clothing. They are generally considered to have no respect for society, as well as being considered ignorant or unintelligent. The term appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005.[1][2] The defining features of the stereotype include clothing in the Burberry pattern (notably a now-discontinued baseball cap) and from a variety of other casual and sportswear brands. Tracksuits, hoodies, sweatpants and baseball caps are particularly associated with this stereotype. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism. The term has also been associated with delinquency, the "ASBO Generation", and "yob culture".
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Elements of the stereotype
* 2 Criticism of the stereotype
* 3 Commercial effect
* 4 Media characterisation
* 5 See also
o 5.1 Social categorisation
o 5.2 Similar stereotypes from outside the UK
+ 5.2.1 Rest of Europe
+ 5.2.2 United States and Canada
+ 5.2.3 Caribbean and Latin America
+ 5.2.4 The Pacific
+ 5.2.5 Asia
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
* 8 External links
o 8.1 Articles
o 8.2 Other

Elements of the stereotype
Vicky Pollard, a chav character used in the show Little Britain and played by Matt Lucas, shown here in a spoof sniffing Pritt Stick. This is the stereotype of a chav: tracksuit, bling, hoop earrings and a variation on the Croydon facelift. Unseen in this image, but also in the sketch are the tracksuit bottoms and white trainers, and the conspicuous mobile phone.
Vicky Pollard, a chav character used in the show Little Britain and played by Matt Lucas, shown here in a spoof sniffing Pritt Stick. This is the stereotype of a chav: tracksuit, bling, hoop earrings and a variation on the Croydon facelift. Unseen in this image, but also in the sketch are the tracksuit bottoms and white trainers, and the conspicuous mobile phone.

Elements/symptoms of the stereotypical chav are someone who

* Wearing particular clothing, such as:
o Brand-name athletic clothing and shoes. Stereotypically, this might include white trainers and tracksuits.
o Designer clothing and accessories (usually counterfeit), in particular the distinctive tartan of Burberry.
o Bling or fake gold jewelery—in particular conspicuous earrings and trinkets on chains for women, and gold sovereign rings and large gold (or fake gold) chains for men.
o Sports caps or Burberry caps and hoodies (for males). Often both are worn at once.
o Sports or jogging trousers, especially white. These may be worn tucked into sport socks, but more commonly they are worn with one trouser leg pulled slightly above the ankle. These trousers are also referred to as "tracky Bs," "trackies" or "tracky bottoms".
* If female, often wears thickly applied make-up, large hoop or dangle earrings, makes heavy use of fake tan, and has a hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail (called a "Croydon facelift"[3] or "council-house facelift").
* Owns a "tacky" or "cheap" modified car, usually with a basic original specification, but decorated in a gaudy style. The Vauxhall Nova is one of the many small hatchbacks associated with this group.[4]
* Aspires to the latest mobile phone (but never a Smartphone, as these are "geeky") and other mobile gadgetry but due to their low income these are normally older models that have since become a pay as you go phone. Otherwise, they would resort to buying fenced phones or obtaining the phones themselves via mugging or theft.

A charva (synonym of chav) is someone from the "unworking class"—living off benefits and not actively seeking work. It is also often used to specifically refer to the children of such people and not the parents themselves. Typically, a charva or Chav is someone that:

* Lives on council estates and other low-income neighbourhoods, often supported by the "dole"[4] (unemployment benefit / Income Support).
* Often takes part in underage drinking, sex, (and, consequently, is associated with teenage pregnancy), smoking and sometimes drug abuse.[4]
* Congregates and loiters in areas such as bus stops, shopping centre, under bridges,[5] corner-shops and fast food restaurants.[6]
* Is associated with crass, loud, in-your-face drunken behaviour and minor criminal activities. This includes unprovoked attacks on members of the public (see happy slapping), vandalism, verbal abuse, and drug abuse (see ASBO). Often these crimes are committed purely for the fun of it and not the material gain most criminals engage in their activities for.[2]
* Usually are known to have racist views and have a great degree of dislike of ethnic minorities, even though, ironically, they usually idolise African-American hip hop artists.
* Classically (particularly in the schoolyard culture) have a vehement dislike of 'goths' and 'emos', as well as other "alternative" subcultures.
* Celebrates ignorance and rejects education, thus making themselves unemployable and have a strong aversion to anyone who engages in education and tries to raise their station
* Have a strong tendency to stare at anyone who is a member of a higher class, often sneering and using expletives as they do so
* Have a fondness of and with the right contact, access to offensive weapons (e.g. knives, knuckle dusters) and showing it around in a way to threaten people. Also a tendency to carry imitation or BB gun to style themselves on their Gangsta rap heroes.
* Some young male chavs tend to have pubic hair like facial hair, notably a moustache

Criticism of the stereotype

The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism; some argue that it amounts simply to snobbery and classism, and that serious social problems such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, teenage pregnancy, delinquency and alcoholism in low-income areas should not be scoffed at. Critics of the term have argued that its proponents are “neo-snobs,”[7] and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.[8] In a February 2005 article in The Times, Julie Burchill argued that use of the word is a form of “social racism,” and that such “sneering” reveals more about the shortcomings of the “chav-haters” than those of their supposed victims.[9] Burchill also produced a Sky One television programme on the topic where she sought to link the word with the entire working-class population. The controversy around the term was also the subject of a Channel 4 documentary in July 2005, simply entitled Chavs.

Commercial effect

The Burberry clothing brand, which quickly became synonymous with the chav subculture, ceased production of its branded baseball cap in 2004, in an attempt to distance itself from the stereotype. They also scaled back the use of their patented checkered/tartan design to such an extent that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low key positions of their clothing.[10][11] The company has argued that all chavs are associated with counterfeit versions of the clothing: “They’re yesterday’s news,” stated Stacey Cartwright, the CEO of Burberry. “It was mostly counterfeit, and Britain accounts for less than 10% of our sales anyway.”[12] In August 2006 a company introducing tuktuk vehicles into the south coast resort of Brighton, England named one of the vehicles the “Chavrolet” and had it painted in the distinctive Burberry tartan. However, the company soon had to withdraw this vehicle after being threatened with proceedings for breach of copyright by the Burberry company.[13]

Additionally, the fall in the sale of thongs has been attributed partially to their association with female chavs.[14]

In 2005, Bluewater Shopping Centre banned hooded tops from anywhere in their complex.[15] Pubs in Leicester announced that they would ban young people wearing certain fashion brands due to an association between these brands and football hooliganism.[16]

The large supermarket chain ASDA has attempted to trademark the word “chav” for a new line of confectionery. ASDA spokeswoman Rebecca Liburd said: “With slogans from characters in shows such as Little Britain and the Catherine Tate Show providing us with more and more contemporary slang, our Whatever sweets — now nicknamed chav hearts — have become very popular with kids and grown-ups alike. We thought we needed to give them some respect and have decided to trademark our sweets.”[17]

Media characterisation

The "chav culture" has been portrayed extensively in British media:

* The character Vicky Pollard, as portrayed by Matt Lucas in the BBC comedy series "Little Britain", is perhaps the most iconic chav caricature. She is often seen in a pink Kappa tracksuit, and describes — at an almost incomprehensibly fast pace — her activities of under-age drinking and sex (leading to her having several children), mindless gossip, petty crimes and playing truant. She also has no respect for any form of authority. Matt Lucas himself has admitted that the character was based on the youths he saw in Bristol when he was a student,[18] in which city the term Meader is a regional variation.

* A character similar to Vicky Pollard, "Lauren," played by Catherine Tate in "The Catherine Tate Show", another BBC comedy series, is a stereotype of a chav female. Her catchphrase is “Am I bothered?” (pronounced "Am á bov-vad?"). Tate performed a sketch as Lauren at the 2005 Royal Variety Performance.

* The BBC Three sketch show Tittybangbang also features three "chavette" characters called Colleen, Melanie and Natalie, who all speak in thick West Indian "Patois" dialect, even though two of them are white.

* Other portrayals include that of the notorious “Devvo” on the popular website Fat-Pie and E4. Devvo epitomizes the behaviour of a typical chav, with his violent behaviour and constant swearing. Such comical attributes as his driving ban without having ever held a license and his begging for money whilst denouncing Third World charity hold similar pretexts in reality with regard to "chavvish" lifestyle. Occasionally thought to be genuine, Devvo actually is played by Crust, a friend of David Firth (the owner of Fat-Pie), and he lends his voice to several of the flash animations on the site.

* The British magazine Viz includes a character called Tasha Slappa, an exaggerated teenage female chav. The strip has satirized chav culture since its inception in the 1990s. (The character was originally called "Kappa Slappa" until the Kappa company filed a lawsuit against Viz. The term "Kappa Slappa" was used in the North East prior to its adoption by Viz to describe a female chav. "Slapper" itself is an older British slang term for a sexually promiscuous female.)

* Lottery millionaire Michael Carroll is the self-proclaimed “King of the Chavs” due to his lifestyle and antics. He is frequently derided in the tabloid press for his anti-social behaviour, and is often referred to as the “Lotto Lout” in the British tabloid media.

* The Welsh rap group, Goldie Lookin' Chain, have been described as both embodying and satirising the chav aesthetic, though the group themselves deny any such agenda, simply making a mockery of the subject..[19]

* Footballer Wayne Rooney[20] and girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin,[21] rapper Lady Sovereign,[22] glamour model Jordan[23] (AKA Katie Price), actress Danniella Westbrook,[8] and former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody[24] have also been labelled "chavs" by British tabloids.

* In the Doctor Who episode “New Earth,” Rose Tyler is described as a “chav” and “chavtastic” by Lady Cassandra.

* British magazine Tatler ran a story with the tagline “Prince Harry and his chavistocracy” at the apex of Harry's party antics.

* On the Ftn programme Street Crime UK 2 in 2002, the word "charva" was shown to be "Geordie for chav."

* Indie/Brit Pop band Arctic Monkeys' song "A Certain Romance" describes the aesthetic of "chav" with the lyrics "although they might wear classic Reeboks / or knackered Converse, tracky bottoms tucked in socks." Also during the song "Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts," the lyrics say "at least he hasn't got a Nova or a Burberry hat."

* British band The Libertines have also expressed their distaste of chavs. Their song "Time for Heroes" includes the observation, "There are fewer more distressing sights than that of an English man in a baseball cap."

* British band Kaiser Chiefs are another band to mention the chav generation. In their song "I Predict a Riot", in which they are describing the late night clubbing scene of England, they sing: "I tried to get in my taxi / A man in a tracksuit attacks me / He said that he saw it before me / he wants to get things a bit gory / Girls run around with no clothes on / To borrow a pound for a condom / If it wasn't for chip fat they'd be frozen / They're not very sensible."

* The 2006 and current Public information film titled Don't advertise your phone to thieves is set in a pub and features a 30-something male advising a younger male (who appear dressed as an archetypal chav) about how to steal his phone as he is selling the phone to him.[3]

* Since 2005 on TV show Hollyoaks the McQueen family have been featured, who are a family of chavs.

See also

* Argos Gold

Social categorisation

* Stereotype
* Social class
* Moral panic
* Folk devil
* Lumpenproletariat
* Underclass
* Subculture
* Deviancy

Similar stereotypes from outside the UK

Rest of Europe

* Scanger (male) and Howiya (female), Sham (Ireland Rural)
* Norry, Knacker, Scumbag, Spide, Lout (male), Majella (female) (Ireland)
* Racaille, Loubard (France)
* Cañi, Cani, Merdellón, Poligonera, Makineto, Bakala, Killo, Calorro, Macarra, Cateto (Spain, depending on the city)
* Brian (Denmark)
* Pissis (Finland)
* Prolet, Proll (Germany)
* Dres (Poland)
* Guna, Mitra, Bazofe (Portugal)
* Hamallu (Malta)
* Kamper, Kampsjaak, Tokkie, Gabber, Sjon(nie) (Anita for female), Adje (The Netherlands)
* Gopnik (ru:Гопник), Patsan, Shpana (Russia)
* Coatto (Italy, mainly in Rome and Latium)
* Klošar, Đikan (Croatia)
* Hnakki (Iceland)
* Manelist (Romania)
* Kicker (Sweden)
* Fjortis (Norway)
* Gaggio (Sardinia)
* Klošar (Serbia)
* Forsas, Urlaganas, Daigas, Marozas, Fyfa (female) (Lithuania)
* Urla (Latvia)
* Rullnokk (Estonia)
* Kangouras (Greece)
* Bacala, maqui (Spain)

United States and Canada

* Flatbillers
* White trash
* Trailer trash (refers mainly to rural people)
* Guidos (considered offensive to Italians, as it is a derogatory term based on an Italian name)
* Ginos or Ginas (the same as above)
* Ghetto fabulous
* Wiggers ("white nigger"- considered a fairly racist term)
* Hoodsies
* Hosers
* Greasers

Caribbean and Latin America

* Mano, Nigga and Rappers (Brazil)
* Caco (Puerto Rico)
* Naco (Mexico)
* Plancha (Uruguay and Argentina)
* Chopo (Dominican Republic)
* Cholero (Guatemala)
* Flaite (Chile)
* Wircho (Venezuela)

The Pacific

* Drongo (Australia)
* Bogan (Australia)
* Kapper (Australia)
* Westie (New Zealand) (Sydney, Australia - in reference to Sydney's Western Suburbs where this sub-culture is common)
* Wu-Tanger (Australia)
* Yobbo (Australia)
* Derro, Dero (Australia)
* Chapel Hanger (Melbourne, Australia)
* Lads/White Caps (Australia)

Asia

* Ah beng (male) & Ah Lian (female) (Singapore)
* Poser (Malaysia)
* Ars (ערס) (Israel)
* Mawaali (India)
* Yankee (ヤンキー) or Sukeban (スケバン) (female) (Japan)
* Kogal (コギャル) (female) (Japan)
* Azaar, Nawari or Lav (subculture) (In Arabic: أزعر نوري ابن شوارع) - Chav from Lebanon
* Nallari (날라리) (Korea)
* Jologs (Philippines)

How to raise an articulate child

2007-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

How to raise an articulate child

Children who speak well feel confident both in the classroom and on the playground. You can encourage your child to feel comfortable speaking in many different situations and with different types of people by focusing on speaking skills at home.

Here are eight ways to raise an articulate child:

Be an avid listener
When your child tells you about her day, put down your newspaper, stop making dinner, and give her your undivided attention. If she feels as if she has center-stage when she talks to you, it will be easier for her to open up.

Use good grammar and appropriate language
Don't dumb down your speech when you talk to her. Children are copycats and will imitate whatever you say — so instill good speech habits early. (And if you don't want her to learn to curse, watch your own language!)

Correct mispronunciations and grammatical errors consistently but discreetly
If your child mispronounces a word or uses an incorrect pronoun, simply repeat the phrase back to her correctly and move on. For example, if she says, "Her hurted me," just say, "Oh, did she hurt you at school today? Tell me what happened." If you dwell on her mistake, you'll only make her more self-conscious about speaking.

Build her vocabulary
The most natural way to do this is to use different words to describe the same object whenever possible. For example, a vehicle can be a car, a truck, or a tractor trailer. English is a very rich language; use synonyms as often as you can.

Ask open-ended questions
If you ask your child, "Did you have a good day at preschool today?" you're asking for a one-word answer. But if you ask, "What did you do after snack today?" you'll inspire her to describe what happened.

Encourage her to "read" aloud
Even though your child is still learning how to decipher letters and words, she can make up stories as she turns the pages in her picture books. Or perhaps she can recite a book that she has memorized to you. (For more on raising a child who loves to read, click here.)

Give your child many chances to talk to adults and older children
To help your child gain confidence talking to grown-ups, let her order food at a fast-food drive-through or place her own order with the waitress at a restaurant. And refrain from answering for her when other adults ask her questions.

Repairs to quake-hit Asia Internet cables delayed again - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

2007-01-30T01:18:00.000-08:00

Repairs to quake-hit Asia Internet cables delayed again - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Repairs to quake-hit Asia Internet cables delayed again

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/29/2007

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's telecom regulator said Monday bad weather had again delayed full repairs to undersea cables damaged last year by an earthquake, which badly disrupted Internet access in parts of Asia.

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) said most of the seven submarine cables, damaged by a powerful 7.1-magnitude temblor off Taiwan on December 26, have now been fixed but that one will take longer than estimated.

Repair work will be completed at the end of February, instead of mid-February as had been anticipated earlier.

"The repair work of one section of a cable will now complete by the end of next month," said OFTA director general Au Man-ho. "Bad weather, technical problems and other reasons are causing the delay."

However, he said Internet providers had diverted Web traffic and that the delay was not having a significant impact on Internet services in Hong Kong.

"According to our reports from the providers, all services have largely been resumed back to normal -- it's approaching 100 percent," he said.

Au said a new warning system will be set up next month to alert the public if a similar Internet breakdown occurs again.

The Boxing Day earthquake snapped several international telecom cables, sparking widespread communication disruption in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and elsewhere.

Problems also occurred as far away as Australia.

The earthquake left two people dead and at least 42 injured in Taiwan.

Things I Wish I Had Always Known

2007-01-24T00:41:00.000-08:00

Things I Wish I Had Always Known

Things I Wish I Had Always Known:
10 Things to Remember to Make Life Easier
By Carole Provenzale

What an exciting journey life can be! We were taught so many things growing up, to be polite, to respect others, to go to school and get good grades. We weren't taught some very important things, probably because they are only learned through the school of "hard knocks." I must have been absent that day but life lessons and challenges presented themselves and through the years I've learned how to (hopefully) best deal with this wonderful life gift we have been given.

GO WITH THE FLOW: Things are not going to always go in the way we would like. Actually quite often they will go in the opposite direction from what we expected the outcome to be. It's not what presents itself to us that matters as much as it is how we deal with it. Recognize it as a learning lesson, a challenge but also as a new opportunity to grow. By coming across different people, circumstances and challenges, we always learn a new (and hopefully) better way to deal with them. When they come up gain, we are old hands at it if we've learned from prior experiences! When opposition presents, instead of fighting back so hard, sit back for a moment and see how to go with the flow of the life lessons that are being created.

SET CLEAR INTENTIONS: Like attracts like, there is not getting around it. We are beings of Energy, we are surrounded by Energy and we need to focus on what we desire to create in our lives. It is essential to keep a positive attitude and just BE, knowing that the Universe has everything we need and want as
long as we are sending the correct Intentions forth. This is an especially difficult principle to relay to people that have become depressed by circumstances. Changing your way of thinking from the negative to the positive has done amazing things that are documented: cured cancer, brought wealth beyond someone's wildest dreams, attracted wonderful people into their lives to love and support them. Stay in the positive and you will get back the best possible
outcomes.

LEARN TO LET GO: Difficult as it can be, reassess your life and the people in it. Are they positive, like minded and do they support you when you need
it most? Do they truly care about you or are they around you for another reason? I realized at one point that sadly enough, some of the people I called "friends" weren't there for me, for the joyful occasions or the sad. And although some of them had been around for years, I needed to let go to be free to attract new people into my life that would truly care about me, support me and just BE there for me. Family members were a bit more difficult and I just cut down some of my time with them. Letting go of the old, and the known, is a difficult process but until we learn to let go we won't have room in our lives for the wonderful new people to come into it.

COUNT ON YOURSELF: You are stronger then you ever imagined. Learn to count on yourself and not rely on someone else for your needs, wants and successes. You create your own life, not someone else and you are armed with everything you need to create all the desires in your heart. Co-dependent became a big word years ago and unfortunately still applies today. Learn to take charge of your own life and watch what you will create!

ALLOW THE MESSAGES: Some people complain they never get messages, yet they are sent to us all the time. From loved ones who have passed, from our Spirit Guides, from our Sixth Sense, from the Universe itself. Trust yourself to take the time to SEE them; they are important as they are what guide us through life. Often in these stressful times, we don't even take the time to listen to our inner feelings---and kick ourselves later on, saying "I know I should (shouldn't) have done that! We are working with Energy, learn to see, trust and believe in it and the messages will come to you. It's the basis of Inspiration.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS: I may sound like a broken record on this one, but it bears repeating (again and again sometimes). When you focus only on the negative, you are going to get back more of the same. Everyone has blessings, examine them, count them and as you keep those in mind, more will come. Counted Blessings add up to more blessings coming your way and soon you will have more then you ever imagined.

FIND THE SILVER LINING: Every cloud has one. It's our job to find it and
many times not an easy task. But it is there if we look. That silver lining is
our window of opportunity to change the situation around and if we miss it, we have missed a chance to change and grow. A love has left you and you're devastated? It also gives you more time to focus on YOU, things perhaps you didn't have time to do that you can now get involved with, an opportunity to meet and surround yourself with new people, places, things and ideas. Find that silver lining and USE it.

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS: Oftentimes when we are "stuck" or just plain sad, we see things in only black and white. We are unable to see the options open to us, to look at the world and our lives in a different way. Open yourself up to learn something new, read a book full of inspirational stories, be open to things that you once looked at as "odd" or "different" as an opportunity to learn new things about yourself, your life and the way you are living it.

For years Feng Shui was a "fad" until people discovered that it actually
works. If you rely heavily on your doctors, for example, look into wholistic
health alternatives as well. Read subjects you wouldn't usually choose and make them inspiring---they will inspire you as well.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS: Don't allow anyone to stop or deter you from your dreams. Your life was not created to look back and wonder what would have happened if you had found your passion and not created it. Negative people will sometimes give us the wrong information and try to deter us from achieving what we really want. These are their own doubts and fears coming out and being projected onto you. Don't allow it. You will never have to wonder what would have happened if you had only tried.

KEEP AN OPEN HEART: You meet everyone in life for a reason. Open your heart to them; they were given to you as a gift or a learning tool. Don't be too busy to pursue a new friendship, don't just tell yourself the timing is wrong for a relationship, first step back a moment and see what these people are bringing to you and why you have attracted them. It is oftentimes for a wonderful reason, to meet a new and like minded person you have much in common with, a possible business partner or a new romance. Sometimes it is for challenges we must face. Just know they have come to you for a reason and keep your heart open to all who enter your own special space in the world.

Remember, it is often the challenges in life we must learn that teach us the
most. Without them, we would likely be stuck somewhere; they are what force us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on.

The Author

Carole Provenzale, Feng Shui Long Island - http://www.FengShuiLI.com

Detect Invisible Yahoo Messenger Users .. yahoo status checker - WebTips Community

2007-01-23T06:06:00.000-08:00

Detect Invisible Yahoo Messenger Users .. yahoo status checker - WebTips Community

( This tip was shared by Alexb. If you too have an interesting tip to share please join us and share it. )
The process of detecting invisble yahoo messenger users is pretty simple and can be used by anyone with little computer knowledge. Its a DIY (Do It Yourself) and so you don't need to download any softwares or any programs! To check the status of your yahoo messenger buddies just follow these simple steps:

Sign in to your Yahoo messenger
Sign in to your Yahoo messenger. See who is online and who appears offline. In my case it appeared only 4 of my friends are online. Out of them 2 were signed into their respective mobile devices.

Note: Upgrade your messenger. Get the latest yahoo messenger with voice!

Go to Yahoo
Open the all new yahoo homepage.

Locate the widget
Just below the header in the right hand side of the home page locate this block.
ym step 1
Sign in to your Yahoo account
Move your mouse over 'Messenger'. Now sign in using your yahoo username and password.
ym step 2
Check the status, see who is hiding
After you are redirected to the yahoo homepage, move your mouse over 'Messenger' to see how many of your friends are really online (including the ones signed in to his mobile device with status I'm on SMS) and how many are really offline. In my case I found 6 of my friends were online though my messenger showed 4 !! So its pretty simple to understand 2 were trying to hide from me i.e. they are in invisble mode!!

Also note that using this built-in feature you can check your inbox from the MAIL tab (note the tab that says 1 New), tune in to a radio station, check your local weather, find a local address or even check your horoscope! Isn't that great?

ym step 3

It's official. Wii use can cause weight loss - Yahoo! News

2007-01-23T05:44:00.000-08:00

It's official. Wii use can cause weight loss - Yahoo! News

By Lisa Baertlein Fri Jan 19, 6:28 PM ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan 19 (Reuters Life!) - Video gamers who'd rather battle virtual villains than fight the flab can take heart. Use of the new Nintendo Wii can lead to weight loss.
ADVERTISEMENT

After six weeks and 21 hours of total game play on Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s new game console, Philadelphia resident Mickey DeLorenzo is nine pounds (4 kgs) lighter and making a splash with his new svelte self.

"I'm on my 15 minutes here," he joked, referring to the famous Andy Warhol quote about 15 minutes of fame, in a telephone interview with Reuters on Friday.

DeLorenzo, 25, came up with the idea for his experiment after he and his fiancee ended up breathless and glistening with sweat after virtually pummelling each other in the "Wii Sports" boxing game.

"On the fly, as I was typing my blog posts, I set up a daily regimen and went at it 100 percent," said DeLorenzo, who tipped the scales at 181 pounds -- where he's been for the last couple years -- when he started the experiment on December 3.

He ate as usual and didn't deprive himself during the holidays. The only thing that changed was the addition of daily, 30-minute sessions of Wii tennis, bowling, boxing or baseball.

DeLorenzo chronicled his progress on his blog at WiiNintendo.net, which includes weight-loss charts and "before" and "after" pictures, as well as shots recalling Rocky Balboa, the City of Brotherly Love's most famous fictional resident -- with Wiimotes.

While he expected to shed a couple pounds, DeLorenzo got more than he bargained for.

"Seeing the 'before' and 'after' pictures, I am going to keep doing it. I am going to add some weights to the next round because I don't want to shrink to nothing," said DeLorenzo, who said he had never before dieted or worked out to lose weight.

More projects are already in the works.

A fitness Web site already has asked him to help it create Wii workouts and he already owns the Internet address WiiWorkout.net, which for now, links to his blog.

He's betting that Nintendo will soon have its own workout game. And no, the Japanese game giant hasn't called.

Visits to DeLorenzo's blog have jumped -- he's been the subject of numerous blog posts and news stories on major mainstream media outlets -- but his fame has not come without a price.

The bill for the extra Web traffic was $80 (40.50 pounds) two days ago and has likely climbed. He's adding ads to offset the cost, but said even if he comes out in the red on this venture, it's all been worth it.

"It's been a wild ride. It's been great."

From Another Blogger

2007-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

http://chickensopas.blogspot.com/2007/01/mortal-immortal.html

Coming Together for Ely Buendia - PhilMusic.com - The #1 Philippine Music Website

2007-01-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Coming Together for Ely Buendia - PhilMusic.com - The #1 Philippine Music Website

Coming Together for Ely Buendia

By Jim Ayson

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

You might as well have been living under a rock for the past two weeks if you hadn't heard all about the drama involving Ely Buendia, once the frontman for the legendary 90's supergroup the Eraserheads, since then the Pupil of his new band's eye. That's right, the heart attack (at the ripe young age of 36) in the midst of a gig, the twin angioplasties, the unwarranted charges of drug use (by rock icon Mike Hanopol of all people), the denials, the talk show guestings, the recovery, the text messages from well wishers, and the hospital visits by Francis M bearing trans-fat laden Krispy Kremes.

Sensationalism aside, less talked about are the grimmer aspects of surviving a cardiac arrest in this country: The paralyzing medical bills involving the procedure, confinement, and subsequent health care. Forget the veneer of the rock star life - in the real world, people who get very sick pay very expensive hospital bills, and in the absence of the cushion of health insurance, even so-called rock stars need a hand to get back on their feet.

The bills are nothing to sneeze at. We bumped into Pupil bassist Dok Sergio recently, and he let on that the cost of the first confinement at Asian Hospital, where Ely was first taken to, and underwent his first angioplasty to treat a blocked artery, was already pretty substantial. That bill alone was easily over 700,000 pesos. On top of that, Ely underwent a second angioplasty at the Heart Center of Asia. You can imagine that the bill has probably hit well over a cool million after that.

Factor in post-op recovery and rehab costs, plus medication and it all adds up even further. Ely might have struck an invincible figure on stage at one point, but in this instance he definitely needs help just to get back on track.

This fact hasn't been overlooked by his friends in the music circles he calls home. And so a group of them have banded together to put together a benefit show - for the benefit of their friend and fellow musician Ely Buendia.

We first heard about the project from Dindin Moreno, drummer of Parokya ni Edgar on Saturday, January 20. He mentioned a free show on Sunday. January 28 at the Eastwood Central Plaza, at Easywood City complex in Quezon City. Dindin passed my mobile number to Rico Blanco of Rivermaya, who confirmed that Rivermaya was very much in the loop. Other names surfaced - bassist Japs Sergio, brother of Dok. Rivermaya guitarist Mike Elgar and his wife She. Julie Pacanas, the former Eraserheads road manager and "Julie Tearjerky" of the fabled song was lending her production experience to the gig.

By Sunday, we had heard that fifteen bands had signed on. Apart from Rivermaya and Parokya, bands like Chicosci, Kamikazee, Itchyworms, Cynthia Alexander, Updharma Down, Spongecola, Ciudad, Makatha, Paramita, and Salindiwa had volunteered. (We'll publish the complete list when this is made available).

Radio station Magic 89.9 TM is involved - the show will take place right outside its outdoor gazebo/booth at Eastwood, and will be aired live as the event takes place from 4pm in the afternoon till evening.

And how will this help Ely? As of this writing, the plan is to pass the hat. It's a free show, but people are encouraged to donate money to help defray Ely's medical expenses. There will be designated sections around the performance area where people can make their donations.

For the well wishers who rooted for Ely to get out of the ICU, that task has been pretty much accomplished. Getting him out of the financial bind of those debilitating hospital bills is the next hurdle.

The musician community is pulling together to get one of their own back on his feet. Hopefully, the fans will continue to show their support. Musicians in this country may not be as amply compensated as their counterparts in other countries. But hopefully they can continue to count on the support of the fans who enjoy their music.

What:
A Benefit Concert for Ely Buendia (complete band list to be announced)

Where:
Eastwood Central Plaza, Eastwood City, Quezon City (free admission)

When:
Sunday, January 28, 4pm onwards.

Command:
Be there or be square

Pulse.ph - POV

2007-01-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Pulse.ph - POV

“IPAGDIKET-DIKET, PUSONG PUNET-PUNET”: ON ELY BUENDIA, ANGIOPLASTY, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF REUNIONS

WHEN FORMER HEAD ERASERHEAD ELY BUENDIA WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER A HEART ATTACK LAST JANUARY 7, MANY A MUSIC FAN FEARED THE WORST, AND HOPED FOR THE BEST
UPDATED 01.17.2006: ELY BUENDIA HAS BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL [SEE POSTSCRIPT]

by Aldus Santos

You have probably heard, seen, or read about it: while onstage at a Laguna gig with Pupil last Sunday, January 7, Ely Buendia suffered from acute myocardial infraction (or heart attack due to clogged arteries; three clogged arteries, as reported). He was able to finish the set and was rushed to the Asian Hospital in Alabang, where doctors performed an angioplasty on him. (His wife, Diane Ventura, recounted that, prior to the gig, Ely had been complaining about chest pains, but he merely dismissed it as heartburn.) A second angioplasty was performed on the composer at the Philippine Heart Center, where he was transferred a day after the first procedure. The two consecutive operations were potentially damaging, but our pare survived them both.

These are the details.

But grief, apparently, is a hallucinogen; it blurs the empirical and makes people wander off to other places, places that are conceivably better or worse rather than the here-and-now. Let me explain: news of Ely Buendia’s heart attack elicited the same initial reaction from everyone: Oh my God, or slight variations thereof. However, if one weren’t the singer-guitarist’s wife, son, or close friend or acquaintance, what follows Oh my God may vary. “Oh my God, is he okay?,” for example. The enormity may have been too much for some: polysyllabic medical terms, after all, have that effect. And so, “Oh my God, what is an angioplasty?” may have been another possible follow-up. The man had a heart attack that could have killed him; yet, sadly, some people were appending the most inappropriate things to the shock and horror, nonchalantly asking whether old bandmates of his had already visited: “Oh my God, is so-and-so visiting?” As a fifth or maybe sixth inquiry, this would be perfectly acceptable, but then, as a knee-jerk reaction—hmm—I don’t know.

Some serious fans (and what is a “serious” fan anyway?) are, however, affected on what may safely be assumed to be a personal level, regardless of whether it was someone whose hand Buendia shook, whose mid-90s Bananatype cassette Buendia signed, a ten-year-old Pupil fan, et cetera. Buendia was no guitar hero, and his vocal affectations wouldn’t impress the pants off Randy Jackson or Paula Abdul, but he was a good storyteller, someone you felt close to, and he was sarcastic, emotional, and abrasive all at once.

A couple of imbeciles from the past week spread nasty rumors that he was dead, and they got an online lashing with a violence that’s comparable to gladiatorial games. Fans went ballistic and cussed these fuckers out, treating untruths like shiny, spiky ninja weapons that could potentially harm their beloved Pupil vocalist. Buendia was a “virtual roommate” to legions of people—I personally treat my worn-out copy of Cutterpillow to be the principal evidence of the inefficacy of the cassette format; I practically gauged my cardiovascular strength through rest-less recitations of the words to “Back 2 Me”—someone who provided a ready soundtrack to young adults’ heartaches and misplaced aggressions.

Relief is also another hallucinogen. Buendia survived his first angioplasty alright, charmingly reassuring friends and colleagues by texting back, picking up his calls, even entertaining the privileged visitor, and so on and so forth.

People knew that the relief was temporary, though, because of the impending second procedure. But, with the exception of inhabitants of his ICU room (i.e., his family), focus is often lost to peripheries: the TV item, the newspaper side-bar, the online banter. The three odd-days that were the most trying for Buendia’s family were also the three-odd days when they were compelled to address the press, which Diane, with the aide of Pupil co-manager Day Cabuhat, was more than willing and able to do. (They were an endearing superhero tandem who possessed rare mutant powers of reassurance and comfort, with Diane’s hair dyed a crimson red, a la Phoenix.)

Ah, relief, a hallucinogen, indeed; some parties were moved to play doctor and offer their unsolicited speculations on the causes of the singer’s heart attack, all of them, if not blown out of proportion, totally false (the bit about drug-use particularly ticked his loved ones off). This early-80s anti-rock paranoia is so out of place now. As I said in a magazine feature I did on a local mod band, “Propriety is the new punk.” What we (ehem, rockers) are also not¬ are the following: uneducated, shampoo-phobic, and murderously violent. A fan on a blog somewhere commented that maybe Buendia’s past was “catching up with him,” reasoning that if, indeed, he did not do these hedonistic things nowadays, the (fan’s presumption of the singer’s) past would still have a bearing, assuming—well—assuming a lot of things.

You know what’s not a hallucinogen, though? Worry. In the limbo prior to and right after the second angioplasty (thank you, spell-check), worry was the one lucid thing. Worry highlighted mortality (and maybe underscored it, in bold and italics, too), at least in the two or three hours it took Buendia’s people (which actively included Pupil members, by the way; I personally got updates from bassist Dok Sergio, not deluding myself that the seriously bedridden erstwhile Eraserhead would rush to contact me) to finally spam messages of relief and gratitude. Reported visits by members of Rivermaya and Parokya ni Edgar, among others, were meanwhile also feasted on. But the coup de grace remains Buddy Zabala’s visit (as well as news that Marcus Adoro has reportedly traveled from La Union to Manila). To say that it stirred a lot of people would be an understatement—these visits stirred, spiked, iced, and shook people, and they got beautifully inebriated by even the thought of the ex-bandmates enjoying, at the very least, physical proximity. However, it is wisest to think of these as moments of friendship, and not as, yet again, tiny pocket-promises of a come-back. Insinuations as to who weren’t there are, frankly, none of anybody’s business but theirs.

Weekend talk-shows still had features on Buendia’s heart attack, compressing thirty-six years’ worth of a celebrated life in a hundred-twenty seconds’ worth of primetime airtime. The Buzz may not be able to devote one entire gap to Buendia, but we all know thousands in our ranks have devoted ears and hearts and defenses to his musical output since 1993 (maybe even earlier), and our love for the man hasn’t gone on commercial break since.

Postscript: Ely Buendia was discharged Monday night (January 15) and is recuperating at home. "I’ve got a bionic heart now," the singer relays to the author; "I’m the 300,000 Peso Man." The Pupil singer-turned-Pinoy Steve Austin has been advised by his doctors to take a month-long rest before resuming his newfound role as a walking rock spin-off of Cyborg.

Photos by Richard Garcia.

With acknowledgements to the Pupilcity mailing list, Dok Sergio, and Ely Buendia. The article's title is culled from lyrics to the Eraserheads' "Peace It Together," from Natin 99 (BMG Records Pilipinas, 1999).

Aldus Santos’s first book of poems, Vocalese, is out now from Likhanan, Inc. Go here for more details.

INQUIRER.net - Archive Search

2007-01-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

INQUIRER.net - Archive Search

Don’t you dare die on us, Ely Buendia

First posted 23:49:37 (Mla time) January 13, 2007
Francis Ochoa
Inquirer

WHATEVER you do, Mr. Ely Buendia, don’t die on us.

You are a music icon who is as rare as they come. You are a vacant cab with an accommodating driver during the holidays. You are a cop who’s actually out to protect the citizenry. You are an honest politician. You are a film fest movie deserving of an award. You are a critically-acclaimed Cueshe hit.

I am a loyal Thomasian; you are the only reason I regret not having studied at the University of the Philippines.

If you go, what does that leave us with? A handful of artistic bands under the radar and Orange and Lemons. We scrounge the city for bars where one plays, and puke when the other’s songs go on air.

Always, always

As long as you’re around, we will always have Eraserheads. E-Heads. The band. The Band.

Forget Pupil. You will always be Eraserheads to me, just as E-Heads can never be reincarnated without you.

You played at 6-underground once with your new band, Pupil. Then for encores, you played two E-heads hits. I still have one of those performances on my cell phone video library, tucked between two sexy clips (that’s how much I idolize you).

Before you, there were Pepe Smith and Mike Hanopol. Smith has had the sense to stay alive—never mind if, physically, he’s long been a weeded-out, jail-dried version of his old self—long after you made the E-heads the next great Pinoy rock band after Juan dela Cruz. Hanopol lives on, too. Don’t tell me you’re planning to die ahead of them?

Die, Ely, and Hale’s going to write a tribute song for you. That should jolt your heart back to life.

Don’t get me wrong. I would benefit greatly from your death.

Imagine how much my Ibañez acoustic guitar, which I bought for P15,000, would be worth now that it has your signature and the dedication, “Francis, rock and roll!” A friend of mine was willing to purchase it for P20, 000—and you are still alive. And that doesn’t include the snapshot of you signing it. Or the notarized affidavit of an Inquirer employee who overheard you saying it was your first time to affix a signature on a guitar.

Do you hear me? You. Can’t. Die. Yet. The next definitive band in the local scene hasn’t emerged. Your presence helps keep music fans—even idiotic ones like me—patiently waiting.

A heart attack at 36? That’s no way for music icons to go. If you were found dead after OD-ing on your drug of choice, I’d probably be more at peace with that. Or maybe if you blew your brains out like Kurt Cobain did.

Or if you were shot, the way John Lennon was, by a maniac—imagine if it was me! Imagine how much my guitar would cost then!

No, Ely, the Philippine music industry needs you. Some say you’re past your musical prime, that after struggling to rein yourself (sometimes with the help of Raymund M and the rest of E-heads) from falling into three-chord pop compositions, there’s nothing left in that wonderfully insane brain of yours but indecipherable music that only those in cloak-and-dagger security agencies would appreciate.

I disagree.

I think you’re very much like a surfer who, exhausted from catching wave after similar wave, decided to plant his board in the sand and sit down to watch the sea. But you aren’t just watching. Your eye is cast towards the horizon, eyeing that perfect wave, waiting.

So get through this and live longer, ayt? When that perfect wave comes, we want to watch you go out there and catch it.

This also appears as a blog entry on theboyfromsmallville.wordpress.com.

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

2007-01-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community
Mga halu-halong hula-hula 2007
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
The Philippine Star 01/03/2007

If I were Madame Auring and any or all of the other manghuhula who surface like wild mushrooms this time of the season, I would make the following surefire "predictions" and get a 100 percent batting average:

1. Kris Aquino will give birth sometime in May.

2. Donna Cruz will give birth also sometime in May.

3. Claudine Barretto will give birth later this year.

4. Patricia Javier will give birth during the first quarter of this year.

5. Danica Sotto will get married to her boyfriend, basketball player Mark Pingris, anytime this year.

6. But Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo won’t be tying the knot this year...

7....and neither will Jolina Magdangal and Bebong Muñoz (who’s running for congressman in Caloocan City in this May’s elections)...

8....nor Sen. Mar Roxas and Korina Sanchez (who is being wooed by various groups to run for Senator also in this May’s elections).

9. Loren Legarda and Tito Sotto will run, again for Senator, also in this May’s elections.

10. The 2007 Metro Filmfest will still be held in December this year.

Why "surefire"? Simply because these are among the stories we’ve been hearing again and again in radio showbiz programs and showbiz talk shows, and reading over and over again in movie columns (this one included).

You guessed it: I’m trying to show you how easy it is to make showbiz predictions. You don’t have to wear a (magic?) turban, fondle a crystal ball, shuffle a deck of cards or scan the sky to "foretell" what’s in store for earth-bound stars in the next 12 months. All you have to do, as I’ve just done, is go over your pile of 2006-dated movie magazines and review what has been covered by showbiz talk shows.

And, voila, you, too, can be a manghuhula!

Here now are Funfare’s "traditional" Mga Halu-Halong Hula-Hula for 2007, 10 "blind items" and 10 "wide-awake" items:

First, the "blind items":

1. A singer-actor will finally make an earth-shaking confession and put to rest the nasty rumor hounding him these past years. All ears, please!

2. A couple will break up – amicably (read: no charges and counter-charges), let’s hope!

3. A separated couple will bury the hatchet and kiss and make up.

4. A young actress will give birth out of wedlock.

5. A couple will finally migrate to the US with their children.

6. Two shows each in GMA and ABS-CBN will fold up middle of the year – or even earlier.

7. A popular TV host will switch channels – I mean, will jump ober da bakod to a rival station.

8. An actor-politician will get involved in a politically-motivated controversy.

9. Another actor-politician will drastically change his political plans for fear of being mercilessly clobbered by his opponent in this May’s elections.

10. The in-fighting (caused by intrigues and "pride") at a network’s News and Public Affairs department will rage on, to the detriment of the company. A bigwig is after the head of a subordinate.
* * *
And now, the "wide-awake" items:

1. Kris Aquino and husband James Yap’s first-born will be a girl.

2. Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago’s first-born will be a boy.

3. Vic Sotto and Pia Guanio will not marry this year (not because Vic’s daughter Danica is getting married and "sukob sa taon" is supposed to bring bad luck) or in the near future. They will just continue to enjoy their blissful togetherness. Why rock the boat?

4. Oyo Sotto and Angel Locsin will iron out whatever differences they have and get back together again. Their romance is founded on deep friendship, that’s why, and it’s a strong foundation.

5. More controversies will rock this year’s Metro Filmfest. Otherwise, a "quiet" Metro Filmfest will not be a "usual" Metro Filmfest at all.

6. Film/CD pirates will be around for many, many more years to come. Yes, sadly it’s a question of economics. If you can buy a pirated tape for P80 per and have the whole family (nay, the whole barangay!) watch it, why pay more than P100 to watch a movie at the theater by your lonesome?

7. Only 30 percent (a friendly estimate) of actors/actresses running in this May’s elections will win. Like movie fans, voters are now (hopefully!) more intelligent and more discerning.

8. GMA’s Eat, Bulaga! should watch out. Rival ABS-CBN’s Wowowee might pull the rug from under its feet.

9. Yes, definitely, the Sexbomb will be back on Eat, Bulaga! soon. What will happen to the show’s EB Babes? No, they won’t be relegated as Sexbomb’s back-up dancers.

10. Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla will – finally, finally! – get married, presumably abroad, away from the maddening crowd. (If, and that’s the Big If, the legal block will be cleared.)

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph)

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

2006-12-19T00:19:00.000-08:00

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community
Christmas list 2006
LOVE LUCY By Lucy Gomez
The Philippine STAR 12/17/2006

(Part 2)
I regret to inform you that Manang Tessie of Ulcing’s lechon lost her mobile phone so the number I shared with you last week is no longer working. Call her instead at 0919-3613291. I just enjoyed many servings of her authentic lechon today, and it tastes exquisite (if you can ever call lechon that).

Tapa. There are only two sources I run to for tapa that truly satisfies. Each is deliciously special, in its own distinct way.

From Dolor comes beef tapa, sliced so thinly it mimics bacon, but with a taste that is decidedly more Pinoy. I love it fried to a crisp over a bowl of steaming white rice topped with fried egg, but I enjoy it just as much in a sandwich or sprinkled over salad. Call Dolor at 0920-9143031.

From Picadeli comes Mega Tapa, made from tender beef sirloin bathed in a special, secret marinade. Delicious and highly desirable. For orders, call or text Marian at 0917-5306558.

I admit, I will never tire of the tapa these two ladies offer.

Tocino. For the best tocino in town, look no further than Pampanga’s Best. Theirs is the most delicious, with a consistent taste and quality you can trust. I once had a chance to peek inside their factory and it was sparkling clean, with world-class facilities. The hotdogs they make, which go by the name of Boom-Boom, are also wonderful. Both kids and adults will love them.

Ham. Christmas is almost never complete without ham. It is as ubiquitous as queso de bola and leche flan on the dinner table. There are many kinds and brands available but these three shine brightly like the stars the Three Kings followed: for Adelina’s ham, call 531-6833; for the bone-in baked Virginia ham from Mt. Malarayat Golf & Country Club in Lipa Batangas (perhaps my favorite, thank heavens they have an office here in Metro Manila, call 814-0743 and 893-1601 for orders. In Lipa, their contact number is 043-7567932; and for The Plaza Premium Baked Ham, call 729-0003, with a selection of sauces such as premium glaze, wasabi mayo, sweet mustard, and gutsy garlic.

Ham from these three sources is excellent.

Goldilock’s. One of my favorite value-for-money stops. As a special treat this year, they offer the Goldilocks Cookie House Kit. Building has never been such a fun, instantly gratifying experience! Hansel and Gretel must have lived in a house this deliciously pretty. Other top favorites include the choco crunch polvoron with sugar decorettes Christmas icons (P100 per box), the chocolate sans rival (a steal at only P400), and choco-dipped macaroons (P85 per box).

Symphony Sweets Gourmet Desserts. Try the following: Arabian holiday cake, a moist caramel-infused cake bursting with such royal ingredients as almonds, walnuts, dates, apricots, persimmons, and yogurt. It is topped with pecans, even more dates, and a glace cherry; the ultimate chocolate cake, two layers of dark, moist chocolate cake filled and frosted with coffee-flavored chocolate ganache, lavishly adorned with almonds; the white chocolate strawberry swirl cheesecake has a crunchy walnut crust, and a white chocolate and cream cheese layer brimming with plump, juicy strawberries, surrounded with white chocolate panels. For orders, call 823-5235, 0922-8536638, and 0921-5967821.

Claude 9 Sauces. I cannot decide which I love more: the custom-made bookshelves by Claude Tayag that run the length of one wall in our home, the beautiful wooden rice/ice/stew buckets lined with stainless steel bowls, or his special line of homemade bottled sauces that include taba ng talangka, XO chili sauce which happens to be my favorite, made with Chinese ham, dried shrimps, and spices, and balo-balo or burong hipon. All are made without preservatives and MSG, available at leading supermarkets and ABouT Design, at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center. These sauces are great and I have taken them with most everything. I don’t have to choose just one, I guess; all I know is I am thankful Claude is around to share his many talents with us. Call 0917-5105771.

The Last Word...

2006-12-15T16:22:00.001-08:00

The Last Word...

2006-12-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Last Word...

2006-12-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

The

Makeup gift ideas for different personalities - INQ7.net

2006-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Makeup gift ideas for different personalities - INQ7.net

MAKEOVER 911
Makeup gift ideas for different personalities

By Kinny Salas
Inquirer
Last updated 07:38pm (Mla time) 12/14/2006

Published on Page F4 of the December 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRICKET! She’s my only sister and although we both love makeup, our styles could not be more different. She is no-frills Zen while I am all Louis XIV.

Readers may be someone like her who is very streamlined or they may be like me who is full of drama. For the two classes of readers, here are makeup products they may appreciate this Christmas.

For the streamlined woman, recommended is the Bobbi Brown Sparkle and Rubies Collection 2006. The streamlined woman appreciates versatility but does not like carrying too much stuff around. The perfect gift options for her in this collection are:

-- Shimmer Brick and Lip Kit (P3,350) -- it has four neutral/nude lip shades that suit every outfit or skin tone. The Shimmer brick with multiple shades of brown, pinks, and beige can be used on eyes as shadow and liner. It can also be used on the cheeks and all over face as a bronzer for an instant healthy glow. The streamlined woman will stick this neat package in her bag, and after adding mascara, she is all set.

-- Mini Brush set (P2,600) -- it is made of real hair and structured in such a way that application will be easy as pie. It comes in a neat black zipper case, good for traveling.

For foundation, the Max Factor Flawless Perfection liquid (P895) is advised.

One side is a primer with SPF 12 to blur minor flaws, protect skin, and make foundation stay flawless longer. Another side is the actual shade.

One great thing about this is that every shade blends into a wide range of skin color so not finding your actual shade is close to impossible. In fact I can wear both Creamy Ivory and Sand and it blends beautifully.

For the flamboyant woman, Christian Dior’s collection is suggested.

Every year Dior manages to incorporate trinkets with makeup. This year it is a heart-shaped silver padlock surrounded by Swarovski crystals, called Dior Pretty Charm (P2,900).

It opens to reveal a lip color and gloss on both halves of a broken heart. A tiny mirror where you can check your lips is on the lid.

You don’t need to rummage in your bag for this as it is a bag charm so one always knows where it is.

The 001 Magical Seduction is fuschia with mauve gloss while the 002 Pink Enchantment is a duo of frosty pinks.

Rouge Dior lipstick has skincare properties that hydrates the driest lips, feels light and comfortable, and has strategic shimmer and rich color that makes lips look fuller without the cheap oily look.

The makeup is inspired by the lighting used in film sets and tries to come up with succulent lips for the user.

Check out the Christian Dior counters personally because although I loved the texture and finish, the two shades sent to me did not suit my skin tone so I cannot rave about any shade in particular.

Such a shame as the packaging was very elegant.

Flamboyant women have some unreasonable expectations when it comes to makeup.

I, for one, expect it to perform above and beyond the call of duty. I don’t mind retouching my powder, lipstick and blush during an event, but I expect my eye makeup to stay put despite heavy sweating in this humid weather.

Make-up Forever has come out with a pearly waterproof eye color (P880) and eyeliner pencil range (P780). This is truly waterproof as it was designed for women who join water ballet competitions.

Of course, women who are conscious of their small Oriental eyes have even gone to the extent of using the black and brown variants of this in Boracay to make their eyes appear bigger and more deep-set.

It does, however, wash out with cleansing oil and eye makeup remover so there is no fear of stale makeup causing breakouts in the eye area.

I have the eyeliner in Navy which makes the whites of my eyes seem brighter and breaks the monotony of beige and brown eye shadows, instantly transforming my day eye makeup into something more interesting for the Holiday evening parties.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

2006-12-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

CHRISTMAS LIST 2006
LOVE LUCY By Lucy Gomez
The Philippine STAR 12/10/2006

Great food finds to share with everyone on your Christmas list! Enjoy them, even long after this season of indulgent eating is over.
New Finds
Betsy’s Cake Center. The contact numbers are 281-1127 or 281-1131. You must try the mini rolls, soft pillows that remind me of a buttery kiss, with a hint of orange. I enjoy it very much with coffee, tempered only with a generous splash of milk or cream. A happy box of 12 goes for P210. Do try their broas also, a veritable sweet fix that will make you grateful for such things as sugar, eggs and milk and the baker that concocts them into a kind of magic that only the taste buds can fully comprehend. They sell for P16 a piece but I’m sure you will be wanting/needing more than that.

Ina’s chocolate bundt rum cake with caramel sauce. P350 for a box of six and P650 for a box of 12. This is delicious. Call 0922-7133465 for orders.

Toasted yema. From Hizon’s. I know they have been around forever, and that they are famous for their ensaymada, but it was only when they finally opened an almost secret little nook tucked at the Promenade this year that I got to feast on a cascade of other such treats, the toasted yema being the star as far as my sweet tooth knows.

Saltine. Products thoughtfully and passionately concocted by CIA-trained chef Tippi Tambunting, best-sellers include patties in seven flavors (spinach, mushroom, oxtail, pork belly, chicken, tuna, and chorizo) which make such great gifts because an assortment of flavors can be had in one box, and can be easily stored in the freezer and heated in the oven toaster as needed. They also have the best lemon squares in town (comes in a sugar-free version, too!), absolutely delicious toffee cookies, bread pudding and enganyo de bobo. All treats come in classy packaging, too. If you are not in the mood for sweets, they have the best pasta sauce (featuring juicy tomatoes that have been slow roasted) and salad dressing. Call 843-8970 to 71, 0918-8118088, 0919-8958603 for orders.

Carina. Why, oh why, did I meet Carina just recently? Another CIA-trained chef, Carina Guevarra first fed me and Kris Aquino (we were together when we first met) what perhaps was the most fulfilling tuna sandwich I’ve ever had. There also was a delicious salad that I devoured to the last bite. For Christmas, her specials include traditional garlic roasted prime rib, juicy herb-stuffed turkey, and rosemary roasted boneless leg of lamb – all of which are served with trimmings. Call or text 0920-9065650.

Kitchen Herbs. If you have been to the Saturday morning Ayala Alabang Weekend Market along Narra St. at Ayala Alabang Village, chances are you’ve met Jejo and Pinky and their lovely herbs. If not, you can always visit their garden in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and/or contact them at 0917-8108293 and (049) 541-2154. They have a wide range of freshly cut, chemical-free culinary herbs such as holy basil, Thai basil, lemon basil, cilantro, culantro (a.k.a. ngo ngai, Mexican cilantro), galangal, kinchai, lemon grass, mint, and pandan. They also have arugula, sweet basil, basil fin vert, fresh bay leaf, chives, dill, fennel, marjoram, Italian oregano, lemon mint, spearmint, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.

Pinakurat Vinegar. After I first tried it, I vowed that my kitchen would never, ever be without it. I take pinakurat vinegar with everything, from fish, meat and Chippy to practically everything else in between (except dessert). It gives a kick to my meals and when you try it, you will know why. The Manila depot for this gem of a product is at 262 Amapola St., Palm Village, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City. You may also call 899-3494 for orders.

Marisa’s truffles. Dark Belgian chocolate truffles lovingly and painstakingly homemade. You can choose from a box of four, six, nine, 12 or 16, with prices from P120 to P450. The boxes come in different colors as well, held together with a satin ribbon and inside the truffles sit prettily on liners with such designs as floral vines, circles or zebra stripes. These are delicious, a festive treat for an even more festive season. Call or text 0920-9608390 for orders, or you can e-mail her at ferrer.marisa@gmail.com

Arya. Wonderful Persian cuisine at The Promenade. They have great food, yes, but so, too, do they have lovely dessert. Try their rich and decadently delicious fig orange cake. Perfect with tea and on just about any day when you want to celebrate the joy of life and appetites. Call 727-5062; you must place your order for this sweet treat three to five days in advance.

Dulce Lin mango torte. Always a welcome sight at the meal table, this sweetheart of a dessert is refreshing – crispy and chewy at the same time with just the right amount of sweetness thrown in. A nine-inch pie goes for P480 while the 12-inch size sells for P750. Call 374-2165 to 67 for orders, although it is so famous that it is always readily available.

Krispy Kreme. You may have to wait in line, good-naturedly grumble a bit too for having to do so, but with donuts this good why shouldn’t you? My top picks are the honey-glazed (glazes me with such sweet happiness, I tell you) and the New York cheesecake. Available at Serendra, the mere sight of a Krispy Kreme box (with its famous logo set against the white background speckled with tiny green dots) is enough to set my heart aflutter.

Floring’s. For get-togethers which are de riguer this season, make mealtime one less thing to worry about by ordering Floring’s famous barbecue – tender, juicy, with the Pinoy taste we so love. Priced at P33 for a stick that is very siksik. Contact numbers are 709-0223 and 440-4292.

Wagyu burger patties. It is wonderful to have a stack of them in the freezer; you never know when you will have company. I am not much of a burger person, really, but I am totally sold on this one. No extenders here; each patty is a robust testament to beefy, meaty goodness. I do not know how you enjoy your burger, but here in the house after thawing, we simply fry it, plunk it in between two slabs of bread trimmed with fat slices of juicy tomato. Before the first bite we dress it up with a mayonnaise and mustard combo and occasionally, a dash of Lea & Perrins, too. Call Junie at 0906-4911270. They also have delicious rib eye, so tender it will melt in your mouth.

Florabel. For your noche buena feast, Florabel offers slow roasted US Angus rib eye with double baked potatoes with truffle cream sauce at P2,500 per kilo. Available whole cakes include sugar-free decadence chocolate cake P900; low-fat ricotta cheesecake, P1,200; almond chocolate cake (tastes like sans rival), P1,000; yema-filled chocolate cake with caramel sauce, P990; and walnut brittle cake, P1,000. Call 667-3220 and 638-7527 for orders.

Galileo. They have the best hot chocolate in town! Get a box or tin of their famous Cioco Delice, perfect for a rainy day, the Christmas season, every day. They have a great deli – choose from a variety of cheeses and cold cuts, Baci chocolates, panetone, Molinari coffee. They even have the traditional stove-top espresso makers. Located at No. 80 Calbayog St. corner Malinao, Mandaluyong, call 532-0482 or 534-4633.

Oysters from Spoon. The freshest and best oysters in town – fat, juicy, truly yummy. Call 929-9965.

Cosmo Bread. Try her fresh mango cake (refreshing) and her ginger chip biscotti (more chocolate-y, actually, with ginger bits thrown in as a delicious afterthought). Call Elaine at 0922-4874565.
Old Favorites
Roshan. You will never go wrong with Roshan, taste-, size-, and packaging-wise. She is always consistent and so, so good at what she does – baking lovely sweet treats for people like you and me, and presenting them impeccably, too. Aside from her famous chocolate chip cookies and brownies, she makes chocolate cupcakes with a surprise filling you just have to try. And her ginger biscotti is perhaps the Mercedes-Benz of biscotti, it is just oh-so-delicious. Call or text Roshan at 0917-833-6286.

Margaret’s torta espanol. Still unrivaled, the first and original is always the best. Light, spongy, and buttery Christmas will not be complete without this. Call 0918-9082576 for orders.

Ulcing’s lechon. Still the best in town, and a true-blue Cebu original, the taste is always consistently perfect. Call 810-6408 or call/text Tessie at 0919-4595591.

Le Canard D’or. Paris has never been this close. Farah’s foie gras, with its velvety, wonderfully indulgent taste boasts of nothing less than superior quality fattened duck livers especially flown in from Perigord, France. For orders call Farah Tolentino Ylagan at 722-4234 or 0918-9264671. Place orders a week in advance.

Delize. Jill Sandique, the woman behind Delize, is known for her Pavlova, Concorde, and she is also the sans rival queen, with no less than three specialties from her kitchen pistachio sans rival, cashew sans rival, and macadamia sans rival. For orders, call 721-7022.

French coconut pie. From Carmel. Slippery, sensuous, delicious, there is no other quite like it. Her carrot cake is the ultimate as far as carrot cakes go and she also makes great pineapple upside down cake, very similar to how Richard’s Lola Lydia used to make it. Tita Carmel is also well-loved for her bottled tuyo, caviar Pinoy, and daing flakes. Call 911-3443 or 0917-6220083 for orders.

Polly’s. Best known for her legendary chocolate cake, and her delicious bread pudding with the Spanish cream sauce. Call 824-7612 for orders.

Lydia’s chicken relleno. A treat that can be happily enjoyed the whole year through, call 0917-4405106 for orders. Still the best chicken relleno I have tasted.

Salted eggs. From Doc Larry Buenaflor. The salted eggs he makes always taste consistently good, naglalangis as those in the know always say, and that apparently sets apart a good salted egg from a mediocre one. Call 0916-7990787 for orders.

Bellini’s. For orange cake topped with grated candied orange rind. Even after a full meal, I will always have room for Bellini’s orange cake. Call 913-2550 for orders.

Conti’s chicken pie. Rivaled only by Conti’s tuna pie. Anyone should be happy to get a box of this.

Pawsitively purrfect. She still makes the best Irish fruitcake (P700) and now she offers Irish fruitcake cookies (P300 for 300 grams). A must-try is her pumpkin pie (P350) which also happens to be my daughter’s favorite. Her food for the gods sells at P425 for a box of 24 pieces and you can buy her apple walnut either in a bundt (P600), a loaf (P375) or muffins (P600 for 18 pieces). Call or text Cynthia at 0916-3115900.

Beware of pols, ‘Idol’ told - INQ7.net

2006-12-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

Beware of pols, ‘Idol’ told - INQ7.net

By Delfin Mallari Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 00:04am (Mla time) 12/15/2006

Published on Page A20 of the December 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LUCENA CITY—With the coming election season, relatives and local fans of the first Philippine Idol, Maureen “Mau” Marcelo, have one piece of advice to her: Stay away from politicians.

“With her newfound national popularity, I would advise her not to allow herself to be used by politicians,” Mau’s grandmother, Erlinda Reyes, told the Inquirer in an interview on Monday.

The legions of Mau’s fans have the same message to the latest singing sensation who was born and grew up in this capital city.

Text messages

“Even before the finals at the Big Dome when she guested in my program, most of the text messages and phone calls from her fans that I received had also advised Mau to shy away from partisan politics,” said Arnel Avila, host of morning cable TV program “Pag-usapan Natin” aired over STV6.

Avila predicted that politicians would come in droves to get Mau’s support and endorsement in the coming elections.

“It would be good for her to just politely turn them down,” Avila quoted some of the messages of Mau’s fans as saying.

“And it would also be better for her to just concentrate on her participation in the upcoming World Idol singing contest next year and leave elections to professional politicians,” the local TV broadcaster said.

Support

He said local politicians had originally extended their support to another local candidate, Raymond Sajor.

“In their previous streamers, only the name of Raymond Sajor was written. There was no mention of Mau, probably thinking that she had less chances of winning. But when Raymond was disqualified and she reached the finals, all of a sudden they shifted their attention to her,” Avila said.

He noted that when Mau arrived in the studio for the TV interview, she rode a borrowed barangay patrol vehicle, assisted by only one village councilor.

But a day after Mau bested the two other Philippine Idol finalists, Jan Nieto and Gian Magdangal, in the grand finals at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday, streamers of all sizes and colors from local politicians extolling her feat suddenly mushroomed in major highways of this city and in some parts of the province.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Roars of approval at NU Rock Awards - INQ7.net

2006-12-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Roars of approval at NU Rock Awards - INQ7.net

Roars of approval at NU Rock Awards

By Pocholo Concepcion
Inquirer
Last updated 05:53am (Mla time) 12/07/2006

Published on Page E1 of the December 7, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT LASTED till 3 a.m. with no untoward incidents. For that alone, the 13th NU Rock Awards held on Dec. 1 at the Manila World Trade Center deserves commendation.

Describing itself as “the premier rock awards show for Pinoy rockers,” the annual event has continued to generate interest and excitement among listeners of NU 107. In the pre-MTV years, this FM station almost single-handedly promoted rock as a commercially viable force in the local music industry.

Amid the crowd’s constant roar of approval and the joyful din of the live performances, some things could not escape notice:

The Eraserheads may be long gone, but three of its four members have never stopped making music. Ely Buendia looked well-adjusted to the direction he’s taken as leader of the band Pupil. Appearing onstage in a bullet-proof vest, Buendia was visibly happy as he swayed while playing rhythm guitar and singing lead vocals on “Nasaan Ka Na.”

Even more obvious was Raimund Marasigan having the time of his life as a key member of two bands and much sought-after record producer—usually in tandem with Buddy Zabala, who is likewise a noticeable presence these days as the new bassist of the Dawn. Marasigan’s newfound role as vocalist of Sandwich, keyboardist of Pedicab and co-producer of albums by the Itchyworms and Dong Abay, among others, is an example of a musician’s generosity in sharing talent whose rewards were felt that night. Marasigan and Zabala picked up the Producer of the Year Award for Itchyworms’ “Noontime Show” album.

Yano, too, has long been defunct, but its former vocalist seems to have recovered from the trauma of wrong career moves and legal problems. Dong Abay, now fronting his own band, remains a crowd favorite and was eagerly anticipated to upstage everyone. However, the superlative introduction by Imago’s Aia de Leon fell flat as Abay, strutting in a G-string and sporting a long beard, sang in a hoarse voice that made the staccato lyrics of “Bombardment” more difficult to deliver.

This is also a year that saw a veteran band like the Dawn back with a new album, coinciding with the release of a semi-autobiographical movie that earned raves in a recent digital film festival.

Noteworthy is the popularity of new bands Urbandub and Up Dharma Down, whose leaders, Gabby Alipe and Armi Millare, took home the Vocalist of the Year and Best Female Rock Icon awards, respectively.

It should likewise merit attention that, alongside Marasigan, two of the winners, Myrene Academia (Bassist of the Year) and Mong Alcaraz (Best Male Rock Icon) are actually band mates in several different groups. How they maintain this balancing act is praiseworthy.

But the night belonged to Kamikazee, which won Best Live Act, Song of the Year (“Narda”) and Artist of the Year Awards. The ruckus the band creates each time it performs could be attributed to the hell-raising stance of vocalist Jay Contreras, as well as the sarcastic humor and working-class sentiments of its songs—which in one way or another have a connection with the music of Parokya Ni Edgar and Yano.

The NU Rock Awards is 13 years old and should go on forever—if only because it’s greatly responsible for the fame, fortune and influence of the best young bands in the country then and now.

THE WINNERS
Best New Artist—Up Dharma Down
Drummer of the Year—Jazz Nicolas of Itchyworms
Bassist of the Year—Myrene Academia of Sandwich/Imago
Guitarist of the Year—Mong Alcaraz of Sandwich/Chicosci
Vocalist of the Year—Gabby Alipe of Urbandub
Producer of the Year—Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala for “Noontime Show”
Best Album Packaging—“5 on the Floor” by Sandwich
Best Music Video—“Sugod” (Sandwich) directed by Marie Jamora
Rising Sun Award—Itchyworms
Best Live Act—Kamikazee
In the Raw Award—Silent Sanctuary
Best Male Rock Icon—Mong Alcaraz of Sandwich/Chicocsci
Best Female Rock Icon—Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down
Hall of Fame Award—DJs of the Rock of Manila (DZRJ)
Song of the Year—“Narda” (Kamikazee)
Artist of the Year—Kamikazee

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

What to do when your kid refuses to eat - INQ7.net

2006-11-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

What to do when your kid refuses to eat - INQ7.net

Published on Page C1 of the November 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

WHAT do I do with my 3-year-old? He refuses to eat! He hates vegetables, hates taking vitamins, hates milk. Any ideas?

MILLIE

Sounds like my 2-year-old son Diego! He used to eat everything, from monggo to ampalaya to lamb! When he turned two, things became complex!
He, too, is milk-averse, and it worries me sick. I got so desperate that I came up with a milk menu, parang ordering from Starbucks. Strawberry, vanilla or chocolate? Fresh, whole or powdered milk? But when it’s brought to him, the eternal plea starts: Five minutes mom, please!

I have gone so far as coloring his milk purple, blue and green with food coloring because he got smart and figured his milk comes in just three colors. On some days, though, the trick works!

I suggest making meal times creative and exciting. The above photo of Mr. Egg Head Burger and the Veg Buggy are examples. The kids ate all the vegetables in class when we made them.

I find that children are highly visual, so fix their food up nicely. Mold rice on a cup and put vegetable eyes and ears. Make pizza faces. Make use of color, green spinach or red beet pasta instead of the regular ones. Cut vegetables with cookie cutters. Make trees out of broccoli or make fruit trees! Serve bread rolls with meatball heads or meatball snowmen! The possibilities are endless.

And whenever possible, make them a part of the food preparation. This has worked best for me yet.

As for vitamins, my sister Babot brought home a whole line of gummy vitamins for Diego. There’s even one variant made from vegetables and fruit to augment their absence from a child’s diet.

Fortunately, GNC carries one brand: Mr. Tumee (tel. 7214-GNC). These products are heaven-sent. They have done wonders for me. Diego now screams, “Medicine, please!” Vitamin time is finally happy time.

Our pediatrician, Doc Aye Nuguid, says, “The only downside I see in substituting regular vitamins over ‘kid-friendly products’ is the possibility of vitamin overdose. In the ER, we have seen kids consume a whole bottle of Flintstones! They did not just eat Fred but the whole Bedrock community! So I suggest all medicines be dispensed by the parents themselves and kept out of child’s reach.”

I’m no doctor, so I asked Doc Aye to share a few tips as well. And I thank him for being very patient with me! I hope this gives you a sense of calm, Millie.

“Don’t be alarmed. It is not unusual that children go through phases. There are many factors that cause appetite loss and usually they are not as serious as you may think. The more common one is that kids just develop a better liking to play than to food. So putting your child in a room with no distractions at meal time might just do the trick.”

“Nutrition is very important, and giving them a balanced diet is a factor that will greatly determine the child’s development. Healthy kids make healthy adults. It is the parent’s obligation to make meal time fun and happy for the kids.”

“Children are little people who have preferences. So introduce new food items to them a little at a time, without forcing them. Another trick would be to have them eat in the company of kids who enjoy vegetables and healthy food. Kids are competitive, and when they see others do it, di sila magpapatalo.”

“About milk, there is a syndrome known as milk fatigue. It could last anywhere from days to two months. Children just get tired of milk. The worse thing to do is to keep changing milk brands. It is best just to be patient in feeding them with solids or, if they dislike solids, persist in giving them milk. In time it should normalize. Monitor your child. I suggest consulting your pedia if the problem persists, if there is weight loss, a change in behavior or energy levels.”
Call Doc Aye Nuguid at 7518652.

My 7-year-old boy was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Am interested to try biomedical interventions and one of the key factors to successful recovery is switching his diet into a gluten-free and casein-free diet. I really need your help on this matter because I don’t know what kind of dishes to replace our present normal food dishes.

DESPERATE MOM

I am not at liberty to give you advice on this one. However, I have spoken to behavioral and developmental pediatrician Francis Dimalanta about the GFCF diet and his advice is that you must work with a BDPedia together with a nutritionist. He says that though this diet works well in some cases, it does not work for all. It’s best to get baseline lab data and consult with professionals before embarking on diets as such.

Brief advice: “When reading labels, make sure the ingredients do not contain any of the ingredients below:
Gluten—Wheat, oats, Barley, Rye, Semolina, Spelt, Triticale, Kamut
Casein—Any dairy from any animal, butter, cheese, yogurt, lactose, whey, caseinates

For GFCF diet guidelines, call Doctor Dimalanta at 7262578.
E-mail the author at raspiras@inquirer.com.ph

Parents' cigarette smoke harms kids for years

2006-11-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

Parents' cigarette smoke harms kids for years
Effects of exposure during pregnancy can last up to age 12, study finds

Updated: 12:13 p.m. ET June 20, 2006
NEW YORK - A new international study of more than 20,000 children confirms that exposure to cigarette smoke before and after birth impairs their lung function, and that parental smoking remains a serious public health issue.

The effects of smoking during pregnancy last up to age 12, while exposure to cigarette smoking after birth further worsens lung function, Dr. Manfred A. Neuberger of the Medical University in Vienna, one of the study’s authors, told Reuters Health.

It is difficult to tell, Neuberger noted, whether the impairment of lung function resulting from prenatal and early life exposure is permanent, given that many individuals with parents and siblings who smoke will have started smoking themselves by their teen years.
The researchers analyzed results from a subset of children who had participated in the Pollution and the Young Study, including a total of 22,712 children from eight countries. The findings appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 31 percent to 40 percent more likely to have poor lung function than children born to non-smokers, the researchers found. Early-life exposure independently increased risk of poor lung function to a lesser degree, by 24 percent to 27 percent.

Teen smoking no longer declining in U.S.

Sixty percent of the children in the study had been exposed to cigarette smoke before birth or in early life, the researchers found. “Considering the high number of exposed children, this indicates that both environmental tobacco smoke exposure and smoking during pregnancy remain a severe public health problem,” Neuberger and his team conclude.

The findings are a “stark reminder” that legal efforts to reduce exposure to cigarette smoke in workplaces aren’t protecting the group of people at greatest risk from passive smoking, young children, Drs. Mark D. Eisner of the University of California, San Francisco and Francesco Forastiere of the Rome E Health Authority in Italy write in an editorial accompanying the study.

“Children are primarily exposed to tobacco smoke in the home, where legal restrictions do not apply,” they note.

Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

2006-11-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

Why you should not scrimp on sleep
AN APPLE A DAY By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.
The Philippine STAR 11/28/2006

For many years now, health organizations have been reminding us that we don’t get as much sleep as we used to – or as we should – and we’re paying the price in drowsiness and fatigue that affect our physical and mental health, and threaten public safety. Despite such warnings, not much has changed.

In the US, a survey found that compared with 1998, more people are sleeping less than six hours a night today. Average sleep on work night is 6.8 hours – still short of a good night’s rest. And sleep difficulties, the poll indicates, affect 75 percent of people at least a few nights per week.

How serious is the problem? Evidence from the relatively new field of sleep medicine suggests that truncated sleep may contribute to various ills, including memory lapses, trouble learning and paying attention, heart disease, obesity, mood problems, and impaired immunity. Some research suggests a cancer connection.

A sleepless night or two or a short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic partial sleep loss – that is, failing to get enough sleep night after night. That can happen because you have a medical condition that interferes with sleep, or perhaps you’ve given up sleep time to accommodate life’s demands. Whatever the case, routine sleep loss can take a toll. Researchers found that after two weeks, people sleeping four to six hours a night are cognitively impaired as those who have been awake for two or three days.

How much sleep do we really need? Some of us seem to do well with six hours a night, while others need nine or more to feel their best. Judging by clinical impressions, experiments, and research in which subjects are allowed to find their "natural" amount of sleep, experts believe that seven to nine hours is about right. The goal is to wake up feeling refreshed and to stay awake and alert throughout the day without relying on stimulants or the other pick-me-ups.

Though more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and specific health consequences, it’s safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange. Here are some important reasons why you shouldn’t scrimp on your sleep.
Learning And Memory
Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory by way of a process called memory consolidation. This process came to light largely through experiments in which subjects were trained to complete a cognitive task and later tested. Those who "sleep on it" before the test usually do better. In some studies, subjects discovered more insightful or creative ways to problem-solve after a night’s sleep. Research at Harvard has shown that performance on some mental tasks is correlated with the amount of REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep a subject gets. Other experiments suggest a special role for early-night, non-REM sleep in consolidating memory for facts.
Metabolism And Weight
It’s well known that excess weight can cause sleep disorders such as apnea. But sleep lab studies also suggest the reverse possibility: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain. How? By altering metabolic functions, such as the processing and storage of carbohydrates, and by stimulating the release of excess cortisol, a stress hormone. Excess cortisol has been linked to increased abdominal fat. Loss of sleep also reduces levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and increases levels of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone – a combination that can encourage eating.
Safety
There’s no evidence that we ever really adapt to chronic sleep deficits. Sleep debt only contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep, including "microsleeps" – seconds-long daytime dips into sleep that occur when sleep-type brain-wave activity impinges on the waking period. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents. The US National Highway Safety Administration estimates that each year, drowsiness causes 100,000 vehicle crashes, resulting in 76,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths!
Mood/ Quality Of Life
Sleep loss, whether long or short-term, may result in symptoms – irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness – that suggest psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. Too little sleep can leave you so tired that you don’t want to spend time with your children, enjoy the company of your friends, or have sex with a partner. Poor sleep also affects the ability to work. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are associated with depression, although the relationship is complex, and cause and effect are not always clear. One study found that people with obstructive sleep apnea got relief from symptoms of depression when they were treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which keeps the airway open and improves breathing during sleep.
Cardiovascular Health
We don’t know much yet about the effect of chronic partial sleep loss on cardiovascular health. But serious sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, cardiac arrhythmias, and increased inflammation. Sleep apnea is also associated with difficulty metabolizing glucose, which may lead to type 2 diabetes, another significant risk factor for heart disease. In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who slept less than five hours per night were more likely to develop heart disease than those who slept seven to eight hours.
Immunity / Cancer Prevention
Though all the mechanisms aren’t clear, scientists have found that sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. For example, sleep loss around the time of vaccination for influenza has been shown to reduce the production of flu-fighting antibodies. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer. Harvard researchers have shown that women who work at night are at increased risk for breast and colon cancer. The connection may be through melatonin, a hormone that’s made by the brain’s pineal gland when darkness falls and helps put us to sleep. Light at night cuts melatonin production. The Harvard scientists also found that women with low morning levels of melatonin had a higher risk of breast cancer. Other research has shown that melatonin slows ovarian production of estrogen, a hormone that spurs cancer cell growth.
Ways To Get Better Sleep
Here are some tips on how to get better sleep to avoid chronic partial sleep loss:

• Get regular exercise but not within the hours of bedtime.

• Don’t use alcohol as sleep aid.

• Avoid caffeine from noon or midafternoon onward.

• Be careful about taking medications that contain ingredients that could keep you awake at night or make you sleepy during the day.

• Establish a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up, and avoid napping.

• Keep your bedroom temperature comfortable.

• If you have a chronic sleep problem, talk to your doctor.

Remember that for good health, you need adequate sleep as much as you need regular exercise and a sensible diet.

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

2006-11-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Do you know that cervical cancer is caused by a virus?

That’s the big, riveting question you may come across as you leaf through the pages of a local newspaper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where an ad, that’s part of an education campaign supported by Merck Sharp & Dohme and the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Malaysia, appears.

And did you know that there’s now a vaccine that could prevent cervical cancer? But that’s getting ahead of our story.

"Are you sexually active? That’s the first question I ask women who come to me," Dr. Saunthari Somasundaram tells a roomful of women who flew in from different parts of Asia Pacific, including this writer, to attend the journalist workshop on cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases at FIGO in KL, that’s home to the Petronas Twin Towers, the world’s tallest freestanding twin towers.

From the twin towers to the double C: cervical cancer. Progress has indeed come to Kuala Lumpur, now a vibrant cosmopolitan city that plays host to prestigious international events. But some things just refuse to change. Even as Malaysia forges forward, the women are still not on equal footing with the men.

Dr. Somasundaram, currently honorary general secretary and executive director of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, gives us the whys and wherefores: "I asked this woman who came to my workshop if she was sexually active, and she looked back at me and said, ‘How dare you ask me that question. I’m single. You should know I’m not sexually active.’ That’s the issue women face in Malaysia because of the cultural/religious constraints that they put on themselves or the community puts on them: that if I’m not married, I can’t be seen going to a gynecologist or getting a Pap scan. That because I’m not married, I don’t want people to know I’m sexually active. There’s just a lot of miseducation, there are a lot of misconceptions."

Take the story of this married woman, a teacher, who joined one of Dr. Somasundaram’s workshops. "She said she didn’t need to do a Pap scan because she was a virgin when she got married and had never had sexual intercourse with anybody else. I went on to tell her about HPV and how men can transmit it to women. She got up and said, ‘How dare you say that my husband is cheating on me.’ I never said that. What I was trying to say was maybe in those days, not now ... Majority of Malaysian women are virgins when they come to the marital bed. But the men are not – they must have had one or two sexual experiences before getting married. So the risk of getting HPV is there even before marriage. So no woman is safe, no matter if you’re in the most wonderful of marriages and monogamous. And I’m sorry, but we cannot expect the men to look after women’s health. It’s still very much a male-dominated society, where men make the decisions for women, including the latter’s health. Women need to be pro-active about their own health."

The "totally mortified" doctor shares yet another morbid story: "I had a woman in front of me dying of cancer of the womb, but she refused to have her uterus taken out. Why? Because her husband said that if her uterus was taken out, she could have sexual intercourse with anyone and he wouldn’t know about it."

The scenario gets grimmer as you go farther into rural Malaysia. Says the good doctor, "Women are continuously afraid that these are parts which make us who we are as women: our breasts, our cervix, our uterus. If anything happens to any of them, we’ll be less of a woman. These fears, irrational though they may be, stop us from prevention and early detection of cancer."

The focus is on demystifying the Big C, the mere mention of which is enough to make us cower in fear. "We’re here to teach people that, yes, we can prevent cancer, we can find it early," stresses Dr. Somasundaram.

She goes on to tell us that there are so many clinics in Malaysia but not many women go for a Pap smear. "Outside of child birth, no woman wants to be touched down there or a man to look at her private parts, although there are women doctors now."

The focus is on sex education.

"You need to be educated about sex while still a teenager so when you do become sexually active, you’re aware of the risks you’re taking, ways to try to prevent it, to keep yourself safe," asserts Dr. Somasundaram.

Sad to say, in Malaysia, the government does not agree that sex education should be taught in school. "A lot of the schools I go to would not allow the mere mention of the word sex," Dr. Somasundaram tells her astonished audience. "The book How to Talk to Your Child About Sex is banned in Malaysia. It’s a very good, very moralistic book that talks to you about not having free sex, about being careful, etc. If a parent cannot talk to his/her child about sex education, who’s supposed to teach the child? I call this miseducation."

The statistics are bleak. "At least half of sexually active men and women will acquire HPV at some point in their lives," says Margaret Stanley, professor of epithelial biology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge. "Eighty percent will be infected by age 50. It is most common among young adults, 18 to 28 years old. (In the US, one in four people, ages 15 to 24, is infected with HPV.) Women will acquire it from their husbands/male partners. But penile cancer is rare so I always tell my students that God is, indeed, a man."

The focus is on prevention.

"We’re targeting nine-, 10-, 11-year-olds because that’s when you get the best immune response," Prof. Stanley tells us in her warm schoolmarmish voice. "It’s not necessarily before sexual activity. When you hit puberty, it’s downhill all the way."

The focus is on the world’s first vaccine for cervical cancer developed by Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD).

Dr. Carlos Sattler, director, Biologics Clinical Research, Merck & Co., Inc., brings glad tidings: "The quadrivalent (four-type) vaccine was specifically designed to prevent HPV-related clinical disease by targeting HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, the four most common types of HPV. In clinical trials, the vaccine has shown high efficacy in preventing diseases caused by these four HPV types."

Developed after years and years of painstaking work, the vaccine has been approved for use in more than 40 countries and is currently under review with regulatory agencies in approximately 50 countries around the world. Make that 49. Because only a few weeks ago, Merck Sharp & Dohme Philippines announced that the vaccine has been approved in the Philippines by the Bureau of Food and Drugs. Gardasil, the quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine, is the first and only vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, vulvar, and vaginal cancer, and vulvar and vaginal pre-cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18, and to prevent low-grade and precancerous lesions (CIN 1) and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

Says MSD medical director Cesar Recto II, "Bringing forward this life-saving scientific advance is yet another testament to MSD’s long-standing mission to research and develop novel vaccines and medicines that can greatly improve public health."

In the Philippines, according to the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates published by the Philippine Cancer Society, Inc., cervical cancer was the second leading cause of cancer death in women in 2004. Last year, there were an estimated 7,277 new cases and 3,807 deaths due to cervical cancer.

Dr. Susan Nagtalon, president of the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society, notes, "The use of the vaccine can help significantly reduce the human and economic burden of cervical cancer, precancerous or low-grade lesions, and genital warts caused by HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 throughout the world, in this generation and future generations."

Here’s how the vaccine works: The vaccine contains virus-like particles (VLPs) of HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. VLPs are empty shells consisting of viral protein – but no viral DNA – that closely simulate HPV and are capable of generating an immune response in the body without causing disease. Its efficacy is associated with the development of antibodies, which are proteins used by the immune system to identify and neutralize viruses. These antibodies prevent the virus from establishing infection.
How effective is this vaccine?
The MSD vaccine prevented 100 percent of HPV 16- and 18-related cervical cancers in women not previously exposed to the relevant HPV types. The efficacy of the vaccine, including results from an HPV-16 prototype of the vaccine, was evaluated in four placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized Phase II and Phase III clinical studies. Together, the Phase II and Phase III studies evaluated 20,541 women aged 16 to 26 years old. Study participants were followed for up to five years after enrollment.

The vaccine prevented 100 percent of HPV 16- and 18-related cervical pre-cancers and non-invasive cervical cancers. There were no cases in the 8,487 women who received the vaccine compared to 53 cases in the 8,460 women who received placebo.

The vaccine also prevented 100 percent of HPV 16- and 18-related vulvar and vaginal pre-cancers. And 99 percent of cases of genital warts caused by HPV 6 or 11.

In all the studies, the MSD vaccine was generally well tolerated and only a few subjects (0.1 percent) discontinued due to adverse events.

Of course, the ideal time to administer any vaccine is before exposure to infection. MSD has zeroed in on adolescents as an important group to vaccinate against HPV. Studies show that one in four people, 15 to 24 years old, is infected with HPV.
What do mothers say about this?
In a survey of 525 mothers with children as young as 11 years old, up to 80 percent said they would allow their daughters to receive a vaccine that helps protect against cervical cancer. In the US, where young people are said to be more sexually active and adventurous than their counterparts elsewhere in the world, this vaccine is available in the schools.

Can the vaccine be given to boys, too?

"Yes, it can," comes Dr. Somasundaram’s quick reply to a question at the open forum at the end of the journalist workshop. "In a sane world, we’d be giving it to boys and men so we could impact on transmission."

Our distinguished panel of speakers at this forum can’t stress this enough: Cervical cancer is potentially deadly. But it can be prevented. Talk to your doctor about cervical cancer and go for regular Pap smear tests. It could save your life some day.

And now that you know, go tell someone.

Senior citizen discount is not optional - INQ7.net

2006-11-23T01:16:00.000-08:00

Senior citizen discount is not optional - INQ7.net

THE CONSUMER
Senior citizen discount is not optional

By Linda Bolido
Inquirer
Last updated 00:16am (Mla time) 11/16/2006

Published on Page D3 of the November 16, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

A FEW months ago, this column received a query from Ray Dakis about discounts for credit-card purchases of senior citizens.

He said his wife accompanied her mother in buying some prescription medicines for the older woman in two branches of a drugstore chain in Muntinlupa City. His wife used her credit card and presented her mother’s senior citizen card issued by the city government.

But mother and daughter were reportedly told by the salespeople of both branches that the 20-percent discount for senior citizens did not apply to purchases using credit card. They reportedly said it was difficult to collect payments from credit-card issuers so they did not give discounts anymore.

Rather than resolve its problem with credit-card companies, it in effect penalized the senior citizens by not giving the discount. Dakis’ wife paid the full amount of P4,000 with her credit card.

Dakis and his wife will probably be happy to learn Rep. Joseph A. Santiago of Catanduanes has taken note of the problem and reminded establishments that seniors are entitled to the discount even if they use credit cards.

Santiago has urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Trade and Industry to require all business establishments and service providers “to grant seniors the 20-percent discount lawfully due them, even if they pay via credit card.”

Mandatory

The representative said establishments should be made to understand that under “the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003, the entitlement to the mandatory discount on certain services and purchases is absolute, and does not discriminate against seniors paying through credit card.”

He said DSWD and DTI could amend the law’s implementing rules and regulations to indicate clearly that “the wrongful and prejudicial treatment of card-using seniors” was forbidden.

Under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9257), violators of the mandatory discount and other privileges for seniors face six months to two years in prison plus a fine of P50,000 to P100,000 for the first offense.

Subsequent violations are punishable with two to six years in prison plus a fine of P100,000-P200,000. The establishments’ business permits, franchises or other similar privileges may also be canceled.

Under the law, seniors who are at least 60 years old are entitled to a minimum 20-percent discount in hotels, restaurants, theaters, cinemas, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure, recreation and amusement.

They should also get a discount on purchases of medicines, and on medical and dental services, including diagnostic and laboratory fees as well as professional fees.

In addition, seniors are also entitled to the minimum discount on tickets for domestic air and sea travel, as well as in public railways, skyways and buses.

Establishments may claim the discounts as tax deduction on the net cost of the goods sold or services rendered. The cost of the discount is also allowed as gross income deduction for the taxable year that the discount is granted.

‘Premyo’ blues

I decided, since I have all these receipts anyway, to join the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Premyo sa Resibo raffle. The newspaper advertisements said there were two ways to do it—you can send a single entry through text message to 9777 or multiple entries through 9778.

My single entries were successfully sent, then after collecting a bunch of receipts, I decided to send them all together to 9778.

The ad had specific instructions on the format for single entries but simply said the 9778 number should be used for multiple entries. So I followed the format for single entry for each of three receipts I sent together.

It seems the computer or whatever received the messages are not programmed for it. I got the reply, “Invalid entry—Too many parameters...”

Please send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., Makati City; PO Box 2353 Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph

Kitchen potions - INQ7.net

2006-11-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

Kitchen potions - INQ7.net: "KNOCKOUT!
Kitchen potions

By Ria Francisco-Prieto
Inquirer
Last updated 00:29am (Mla time) 11/10/2006

Published on Page G4 of the November 10, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

I ASKED A FRIEND how she maintained her long shiny locks and the answer she gave was quite surprising to me.

She said that once a month she puts mayonnaise on her hair, wears a swimming cap and sleeps with it. Since the change in the texture and sheen of her hair was so noticeable, I followed her advice one weekend. I knew I was not going to be able to sleep with mayonnaise on my hair, so I figured I should just do it in the afternoon. After about three hours, I couldn’t take the smell anymore, so I eventually washed it off.

For about two days I could still smell the mayonnaise, and for about three months I couldn’t eat anything with mayonnaise in it. But my hair was at its shiniest!

So, yes, mayonnaise on the hair does work. The upside is, it’s cheaper than any hair treatment I know. The downside -- you already know about. However, I think it is very much worth a try.

The refrigerator is actually a beauty gold mine. Have you ever tried milk as a moisturizer? Another friend who has sensitive skin told me that her dermatologist actually recommended mixing 1:1 evaporated milk and water, leaving it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then, with the use of a cotton ball, spreading it onto her face.

I tried that, too. What happens is, after a few seconds the milk hardens and you will feel a tightening of the skin. All you have to do is wash it off with lukewarm water. The effects are actually instant. Your face will be supple and smooth to the touch.
If you want to be a bit more luxurious, you may also buy a tetra pack of fresh milk and pour it on your body right after a bath. When you feel that tightening feeling again, just rinse off the milk. This is still so much cheaper than going to the spa or getting a massage.

For a facial mask, you may also want to try egg white. Scoop out a dollop and spread on your clean face. After it tightens, rinse off.

The grandmother of my friend has the best skin I’ve ever seen. When I asked my friend what her grandma uses, she told me it’s olive oil spread all over her body, including her face. This I have to try. Come to think of it, oils do help moisturize skin, so this regimen makes sense.

Inside our refrigerators, there are a lot of things that can be used to beautify and take care of ourselves. Check yours today! You won’t even need to shell out cash for it.

E-mail me at rbeauty@inquirer.com.ph

Quick Fix for Under-Eye Bags - How To

2006-11-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Nobody looks good with puffy bags under their eyes, but how to get rid of them?

Simple Solution:

Well, this is the easiest remedy I’ve ever run across, and it really works!

I was so surprised by the single kitchen-cupboard ingredient that this How-To calls for--it's not a cucumber, and you’re sure to have one on hand. Find out the secret here:

Raw potato slices will help tighten baggy, puffy eyes. All you need is a potato and a knife or slicer!

To Make:

1. Slice 1/4 potato to fit over your eyes.

2. Cut 2 slices or, if you prefer, 5 to 10 very thin slices, several for each eye. Either method works.

To Use:

1. Spritz eye area with water.

2. Lying down, place the potato slices on your eyelids and leave in place for at least 10 minutes for best results.

A Pinch of... what salt? --- from Inq7.net

2006-11-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

KITCHEN RESCUE
A pinch of ... what salt?

By Reggie Aspiras
Inquirer
Last updated 11:48pm (Mla time) 11/08/2006

Published on Page C1 of the November 9, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANY salt questions have come my way... What is kosher salt, fleur de sel, tralalalala... Well read on for, after all, nothing makes the world more delicious than a smidgen of salt!

Do you know that the flakes of crystal that bring life to our food and health to our bodies is said to have over 14,000 other uses. It can be a stain remover, preservative, ingredient for bath and body products. In its other forms, salt is used to soften water, make paper, glass, explosives, rubber, dyes, etc.

Since its discovery some 4,700 years ago, salt has become an integral part of life on earth. Because of it, civilizations were built.

It was used to pay wages and wars were fought over it. Looking back, it’s been quite a journey for what seems, to many of us, a thing quite so modest.

So what is salt? It is a mineral. We often think salt and sodium are one and the same. That is technically incorrect. While salt is sodium chloride (40 percent sodium, 60 percent chloride), some salts, particularly unrefined ones, contain not just sodium but two other electrolytes: potassium and calcium, as well as other vitamins and trace minerals vital for optimal body function.

What is the best type of salt to use? While iodized salt is recommended for its iodine content, I would say unrefined salt is best if your diet contains other sources of iodine. Unrefined sea and rock salts have about 49 other minerals and vitamins that are not present in iodized salt.

Types of salt

Table salt is the most common kind. It comes from salt mines and, once it is mined, it is refined and most minerals are removed from it until it becomes pure sodium chloride. It is available plain or iodized.

Iodized salt is refined salt with iodine added (sodium iodide prevents hypothyroidism). Kosher salt is so-called because it is used in the preparation of meat according to the requirements of the Jewish diet. Sold as flakes, it contains very few additives and is saltier than the regular table variety.

Sea salt is unrefined salt which comes from the evaporation of sea water. Rock salt is not as refined as other types thus retains more of its minerals.

And now, there are gourmet specialty salts, quite the “it” thing in the food biz these days, thanks to a United States-based company, Salt Works, one of the biggest importers and distributors of specialty salts, carrying some 30 varieties from all corners of the globe, under the label Artisan Salt.

If you thought salt was only white and nothing more than just salty, think again! Perhaps, next time you dare play in the kitchen, use fancy salts, a perfect fit to your fancy meal!

I’d like to thank Claudine of Spices, distributor of Salt Works’ Artisan Salt in the Philippines for furnishing me with the photos. Call 8310449 or 7582159.

E-mail the author raspiras@inquirer.com.ph

Baby Laugh

2006-11-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HEHEHEHEHEHE

INQ7.net

2006-10-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

Visualization technique to lose weight

Coffee Spill

2006-10-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

COFFEE SPILLS

Boy Scouts now accepting Girls

2006-10-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Boy Scouts group now accepting girls

Philippine STAR

2006-07-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Heal ye, heal ye, there’s medicine in our food!
CONSUMERLINE By Ching M. Alano
The Philippine STAR 08/01/2006

The Father of Medicine Hippocrates dished out this mouthful of wisdom, "Let your food be your medicine." Part of Hippocrates’ legacy to the medical world is a compilation of over 400 herbs and their uses.

Over the ages, people have been aware of the health benefits of some foods. For instance, the Chinese have used ginger to treat nausea and upset stomach. Ginger tea, anyone? (But more on this pungent aromatic rhizome later.) Or remember your anxious mom lovingly applying a towel drenched in vinegar over your forehead to bring down a raging fever? Or are you one of those who gargle with lukewarm water spiked with a dash of salt when you have a sore throat?

Today, more and more people are discovering the healing powers of food and turning less and less to drugs.

Says Julie Conquer, director of Guelph’s Human Nutraceutical Research Unit, "We have an aging society who wants to stay healthy with less use of drugs. They don’t want to be on many different medications like their parents were. They want to be out enjoying walking and gardening until they’re 100. And that’s what they perceive these kinds of things can do for them."

Don’t be surprised if someday soon, we’ll see less prescription pads and more hearty menus or health recipes. For starters, here’s a menu of 20 "miracle cures for anything that ails you":

• Arthritis – Arthritis sufferers now have something to sink their teeth into: sardines, yes, or salmon, tuna, mackerel.

• Asthma – Have some onion rings. It’s been said that onions help ease the constriction of the bronchial tubes and thus provide relief for asthma sufferers. Indeed, in onion there is strength.

• Bladder infections – Drink cranberry juice. High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria. (Most health stores carry healthy juices, like cranberry juice.)

• Blood sugar imbalance – Eat your broccoli or snack on some peanuts. The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

• Bone problems – Bite into a slice of pineapple. The manganese in pineapple can prevent bone fractures and osteoporosis.

• Breast cancer – Take this wheat-y advice: Have some wheat or bran. And don’t forget to eat your cabbage to keep your estrogen at healthy levels and ward off breast cancer.

• Clogged arteries – Have some avocado. The monounsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol. And so does the miracle virgin coconut oil, which the country’s so richly blessed with.

• Colds – Drink some hot garlic tea to clear up that stuffy head. According to the National Cancer Institute, garlic has anti-tumor properties. It’s got 18 anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal substances. This natural antibiotic helps stimulate the immune system and flush out the toxins from the body.

• Cough – For that nasty cough, your friendly neighborhood herbalist prescribes hot red pepper. Studies show that a substance similar to that found in cough syrups is found in hot red pepper.

• Diarrhea – Get an apple, grate it with its skin, let it turn brown, and eat it. An apple a day can keep diarrhea away.

• Headaches – Take fish oil or ginger tea. Studies say that ginger tea relaxes the blood vessels in the head and diminishes swelling in the brain. It also activates the natural opiates in the brain that relieve pain and reduces prostaglandins responsible for causing inflammation.

• High blood pressure – Take some olive oil; it’s been shown to lower blood pressure. Or grab some celery. Celery contains a chemical that lowers blood pressure.

• Influenza – A scientist in Spain has gone out to prove that honey contains a natural ingredient that kills influenza germs and protects us against flu. Now, that’s a sweet way to beat those nasty germs!

• Insomnia – Take some honey if you can’t sleep. Honey acts as a tranquilizer and sedative. Sweet dreams, honey!

• Lung cancer – Have a dose of beta carotene (a form of vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables).

• Memory problems – Eat some oysters. Oysters are loaded with zinc that helps improve mental functioning. Don’t you forget that.

• PMS – Are you suffering from depression, anxiety and fatigue due to PMS (premenstrual syndrome)? Here, have some cornflakes. Cornflakes contain a healthy dose of riboflavin and niacin, both members of the vitamin-B family.

• Heart attack – Take a regular dose of tea, which helps prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls. Also, eat fish, which is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

If you don’t like fish, try some scrambled eggs. The Ontario-based Burnbrae Farms Ltd. has come up with Omega Pro, a liquid egg mixture enriched with fish oil. Those who ate this egg showed a drop in their levels of triglyceride fat by 32 percent after 21 days, lowering their risk of heart attack.

• Ulcers – Go ahead and eat your cabbage. Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

• Upset stomach – Have a banana. The most versatile of all fruits, bananas are almost a complete balanced diet, loaded as they are with potassium, magnesium, vitamins, and fiber. In case you didn’t know, potassium is an essential electrolyte that helps regulate blood chemistry and improve carbohydrate metabolism. Bananas are strongly recommended for diarrhea and constipation, too. Can’t blame people if they’re going bananas over bananas.

Excuse us while we finish our banana.
* * *
We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com

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pera sa resibo

2006-07-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Want P1 million? Keep that receipt

INQ7.net
Last updated 03:21pm (Mla time) 07/30/2006

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) has restarted its “Premyo sa Resibo” (PSR) or Prize in the Receipt text messaging raffle.

This time, it has upped the ante with a much larger pot: five winners of one million pesos each every month until the end of the year.

A large part of the amount would come from The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which is BIR’s first-time partner for the raffle.

Likewise, the tax agency is also working with PhilWeb Corporation, which developed the random-number selection for the PSR raffle draw and Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular for their text messaging facilities.

So far, the number of text messaging participants for Smart alone has been averaging 70,000 per day since they started in June 1, the BIR said. The tax agency is expecting over 100,000 participants once Globe and Sun Cellular open up their facilities.

The PSR started three years ago as a method for the BIR to monitor the issuance of official receipts by tax-paying establishments, as well as to capture those violating regulations to issue receipts.

BIR Deputy Commissioner Lilia Guillermo said the one-million peso prize would entice more mobile phone owners to join the raffle.

In previous PSRs, the BIR offered 25,000 pesos for 38 winners each from 19 regions, and a monthly one-million peso winner.

However, Guillermo admitted that the BIR was unable to sustain the activity due to low turnout of participants and had to stop it last year.

Newly installed PhilWeb President Dennis Valdes said the new PSR raffle will run until the end of the year.

He said that the raffle could become a weekly event next year, depending on the turnout of participants.

PAGCOR PSR Manager Julio Peña said PAGCOR will shoulder most of the prize money for the winners. “It’s more of the BIR and PAGCOR’s corporate social responsibility to give back to the society what it deserves.”

To join the raffle, a participant has to type in the raffle code (PSR), the tax identification number and official receipt number, the total amount stated in the receipt and send the information to either 9777 or 9778. The minimum purchase amount in the receipt should be 100 pesos and each subsequent 100-peso amount in a receipt is considered one raffle entry.

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Collateral-free loans

2006-07-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Collateral-free loans to ‘unbankable’ pays

By Ana Colayco
Inquirer
Last updated 04:13am (Mla time) 07/30/2006

Published on page A1 of the July 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

PROFIT matters and is important to keep a business running. But it is people, not material capital, that make businesses an expression of human kindness and compassion.

Francis and Tess Ganzon believe this to be the secret behind their successful endeavor in the high-risk world of microfinance, the provision of collateral-free small loans and financial services to help micro-entrepreneurs reap the rewards of their own labor.

The Ganzons, who are part owners of the Bangko Kabayan-Ibaan Rural Bank in Ibaan, Batangas, are members of Focolare, the spiritual movement founded by a group of young women led by 22-year-old Chiara Lubich amid the destruction and hopelessness of World War II. Focolare members resolve to live their lives as people whose thoughts and actions are based on the Gospel.

Inspired by Lubich’s call to create a more humane and compassionate business and economic paradigm known as the Economy of Communion, or EoC, the Ganzons ventured into microfinance at the height of the Asian financial crisis of 1997 when bank loans became difficult to obtain even for those with good collateral.

They were well aware of the high risk of nonrepayment by people regarded by many as “unbankable,” but the Ganzons believed in their hearts that there was wisdom and joy in helping people without capital but who sincerely and honestly wanted to start their own businesses.

EoC beginnings

The EoC had its beginnings in Brazil in 1991 when Lubich issued a challenge to the Focolare community there, particularly the entrepreneurs, to build a new type of economy where the profits of an enterprise are channeled toward three goals: To help the poor, to develop the business, and to build structures that would ensure the continuance of this philosophy of putting business at the service of men.

This challenge was taken up eagerly, not only by the members of the Focolare community in Brazil but also by all Focolare members throughout the world.

The Ganzons had always lived by the precepts of fairness and justice when it came to managing their employees but they found new inspiration in the EoC.

“We were struck in our hearts by the message of Chiara Lubich,” says Tess Medrano-Ganzon.

“All of a sudden, something more was being added—the dimension that the reason for the existence of a business is to directly help the poor. We were being challenged to likewise ‘grow the business’ beyond the confines of our own satisfaction because it no longer existed just for us, or for the other stakeholders, or for the family of the employees but for a much larger group of people to support through its profits,” she says.

Potent tool vs poverty

The couple saw in microfinance a very potent tool for poverty alleviation. They saw that they could make a difference in the lives of a great number of people who would not otherwise have access to credit.

Microfinance was pioneered by the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh in 1976 to address the difficulty of poor people in obtaining capital for livelihood and self-sufficiency. The concept is anchored on peer respect and responsibility, regarded as the best way of assuring repayment even among the most hard-up members of a community.

Microfinance works through the women of the community who are organized into cells and bigger groups called centers. The women are then given training in credit discipline and in other forms of livelihood to supplement their income.

“It means a lot of hard work because we have to meet with the women, organize them, train our credit officers to give an input in the weekly meetings, and then lend out only what they can pay back. And also collect savings,” says Tess.

But in microfinance, the Ganzons say they have “finally found greater meaning in our mandate” as a financial institution.

Giving, getting back

“When I have to deal with cash-strapped borrowers who ask for a restructuring of their accounts or for redeeming assets foreclosed by the bank, I just remember the phrase: ‘Give and you shall receive a hundredfold,’” says Francis.

On many occasions, a farmer would come to him asking to redeem a piece of land that had long been foreclosed and offering payment that is less than the amount due. Seeing there is no other means to raise the additional money, Francis finds himself acceding. Later, during the week or within the month, another transaction pulls through where the bank earns an even larger income.

Bangko Kabayan reaches out today to more than 3,500 small entrepreneurs in Batangas province, where businesses range from small cottage industries like weaving, vegetable farming and making native delicacies to medium-scale pig and poultry farms.

Barbecue business

Typical customers are Elma and Rodolfo Guerra. The couple has to struggle to support their five children. Their main source of income is a small barbecue business which they were able to set up with credit from Bangko Kabayan.

Domingo Fesalbon has been a client of Bangko Kabayan for almost three years now. Through a loan, he and his wife were able to expand their business of making nilupak, a native delicacy made of cassava.

With another collateral-free loan of P50,000, Domingo was able to buy a four-hectare property where he plants his own cassava. He now supplies nilupak to a hundred vendors and keeps a small general merchandise store.

It is no easy task, though, to introduce the concept of savings to people who have been used to several generations of hand-to-mouth existence.

Personal savings

Bangko Kabayan has found the solution in contractual savings. More than 50 percent of the bank’s microfinance portfolio is now matched with the personal savings of its clientele. These savings are an integral part of the microfinance program.

Domingo for instance has about P15,000 in the bank, which he intends to withdraw only in an emergency.

“People are not only able to engage in livelihood projects but they are slowly acquiring the habit of saving,” says Francis.

The borrowers who put in their personal savings not only enhance their own personal resources but they also help the bank beef up its net value.

6th most profitable

Bangko Kabayan is now the largest rural bank in the region and the sixth most profitable of the more than 700 rural banks in the country.

Francis attributes the expansion of the business to the Economy of Communion.

“In the years following our decision to expand in response to the call of the Economy of Communion, we grew from a one-unit bank to nine units spread all over the province of Batangas,” he says.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps

2006-07-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps
20 March 2006
My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

From PhilStar.com

2006-07-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

A family guide to caring for persons with Alzheimer’s disease
AN APPLE A DAY By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.
The Philippine STAR 07/18/2006

Most of the thousands of Filipinos with Alzheimer’s disease live at home, where they are usually cared for by their spouses, children, relatives, or caregivers. Home-based caregiving often continues for many years, sometimes with occasional hospital admissions for related medical problems. People who develop Alzheimer’s disease in their 60s or early 70s live an average of 7-10 years after the diagnosis. In the coming decades, as longevity increases, the period of family caregiving is likely to become even longer.

In many ways, caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is like caring for a small child. The caregiver needs to be constantly concerned about safety and has to oversee activities such as eating, dressing, and bathing. Like young children, people with the disease may not be able to express thoughts comprehensively or wholly grasp what others say or do. Their frustration and fear cause behavior that tries the caregiver’s patience. But a person with Alzheimer’s disease, unlike a developing child, becomes increasingly dependent, rather than increasingly independent.
What To Expect
No two people with this progressive degenerative disease follow exactly the same course. At first, they may appear to function almost normally. But signs of the disease are already appearing: They grope for words, forget what happened a few minutes ago, cannot add a list of numbers, seem unable to pay their bills regularly. They may become depressed as well.

As short-term memory worsens, Alzheimer’s patients may ask the same questions over and over. They become lost in familiar places, constantly misplace their belongings, and can no longer prepare their own meals. They start tasks and fail to finish them – a serious problem when, for example, they are cooking. Frustrated by these failures and sometimes fearful of surroundings that suddenly seem unfamiliar, a person with dementia may become agitated and argumentative – or the opposite, depressed and withdrawn.

Ultimately, short-term memory loss is severe. They are barely able to communicate. They may become incontinent and lose most of their motor skills, including the ability to swallow. At that point, they are totally dependent on caregivers for the most basic functions of life.
Take Advantage While There’s Still Time
If you notice changes suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease in a loved one – or in yourself – make a doctor’s appointment soon. Although Alzheimer’s is by far the most common cause of dementia, other conditions may be responsible and, in many cases, the symptoms may be reversible. Also, several helpful medications (called cholinesterase inhibitors) have become available. These medications don’t reverse the damage that has already occurred, but they may delay further loss of cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. A newer type of drug that blocks the activity of glutamate in the brain is now being used in moderate to severe forms of the disease.

In early Alzheimer’s, life can go on with few adaptations. As long as the ability to read remains, reminder notes like "Take your pills after breakfast" are helpful. Planning for the future, however, is a more difficult task. Assess finances and legal issues while the person with Alzheimer’s disease is still able to participate in decisions. Legal documents such as a will or a durable power of attorney need the signatures of mentally competent individuals.

As difficult as these issues are, the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be rewarding for the family. Because long-term memory is generally intact, the person with Alzheimer’s can entertain loved ones with reminiscences. There’s still time to act on a delayed project, such as a vacation trip or a home improvement project.
Caregiving Principles
Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is an endless series of often unpredictable challenges. A few basic principles are helpful:

• Provide structure for the person with dementia throughout the day.

• Stay with familiar routines.

• Plan activities that call upon the individual’s remaining abilities, modifying them as the impairments worsen.

• Plan meaningful activities whenever possible.

• Allow the person to do things as much as possible alone, but be ready to intervene with simple step-by-step instructions.

• Limit expectations. Focus on the process rather than the end result. What counts is that a grandparent with dementia makes an effort to send a Christmas greeting to a grandchild. It doesn’t matter how perfectly the greeting card is cut.

• Use distraction at the first signs of agitation or frustration. For example, change the topic of conversation or bring out a photo album you can look at together.

• Give yourself a break. Looking after a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is so taxing that caregivers themselves are subjected to significant stress. Call on family and friends to take over once in a while. Seek help from an Alzheimer’s support group.
Day-To-Day Challenges
Activities of daily living – things that most people take for granted – are among the greatest challenges in caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some examples of what you might encounter and how you can handle the situation.

• Eating problems. A person with Alzheimer’s may become easily confused when at the table. In the later stages, he/she may lose the ability to use utensils.

What you can do: Use unpatterned dishes and serve only one item at a time. Bowls are better than plates because the raised side of the bowl makes filling a spoon easier. Put a utensil in the person’s hand to get self-feeding started. Finger foods work well for meals and snacks. Keep mealtime conversation simple and background noise to a minimum (no TV or radio with meals!). When needed, give instructions, such as "Take a bite of chicken." Keep medicines, household cleaners, and similar substances out of sight.

• Difficult dressing. Getting dressed, a process with many steps that must be performed in the proper sequence, becomes a difficult challenge for someone who has lost the ability to organize tasks. Buttons and zippers are especially troublesome for people in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, with their impaired motor skills.

What to do. Select clothes with elastic waists and Velcro closings. Lay them out in the order they need to be put on, with underwear on top. If he/she needs help, hand him/her one item at a time, and give simple instructions. Allow plenty of time for dressing.

• Bathing aversion. Like dressing, bathing requires many steps and is an activity adults are accustomed to doing in private. People with Alzheimer’s often become resistant or hostile when they are naked and feel vulnerable.

What to do. Cover the bather with a large towel for privacy. Let him bathe himself as much as possible. If he puts up a fight, try a distraction like singing together. Postpone the bath if resistance continues.
Problem Behaviors
Some behaviors cause too much stress for family caregivers. Here is what you can do.

• Wandering. Leaving the security of home unaccompanied is a major risk for a person with brain impairment.

What you can do. Provide a safe place at home for wandering, such as a yard with a gate that requires a key, or an uncluttered hallway without stairs. Install locks in unusual places, very high or very low on doors. Be sure the wanderer always wears an identification tag with his name and yours, a phone number, and an address. A common cause of wandering is boredom, so fill the day with activities.

• Incontinence. In late Alzheimer’s disease, incontinence of the bladder and sometimes bowel is common.

What you can do. Have a doctor check for treatable conditions such as a urinary tract infection. Establish a regular toileting schedule. You can start with a trip to the bathroom every two to three hours and modify the schedule according to individual needs. Mark the bathroom door with a picture of a toilet. Pull-down pants without buttons or zippers allow quick use of the toilet.

• Aggression. People with Alzheimer’s disease may lash out in anger because of frustration, confusion or fear.

What to do. Stay calm. Don’t shout or lash back. Find a way to distract his/her attention. Remember, he/she is not doing it on purpose; he/she cannot help herself.

Learning how to manage Alzheimer’s-related behaviors can ease the burden for both the persons with dementia and the family members taking care of them.

Mabuhay ang Batangueño!

2006-07-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

A groundbreaking museum opens in Batangas City

INQ7.net
Last updated 01:08pm (Mla time) 07/05/2006

Opening in Batangas City on July 15 2006, Museo Puntóng Batangan raises the standards for research, exhibition design and interpretation for local community museums.

Moving away from the tired exhibition formulas, Museo Puntóng Batangan utilizes multiple video projections, computer and television monitors, audio programs, and large-scale photographs to convey information and come close to its viewers.

It will not draw attention to its high tech components merely for their novel use, however. Batangas City is a community in motion, with a lively character that comes across best through a multi-media approach. The fluidity offered by moving images and sound prove appropriate to a place where an independent spirit is the community’s most precious gift, expressed in its use of language, songs, and interpersonal relations.

To further deepen understanding of this independent spirit, this museum is organized according to key concepts in Tagalog.

Fourteen words were selected by the curatorial team, and the social importance of each word in Batangas City is given a small exhibition of its own. Some of these words, like ‘punto,’ will be ‘exhibited’ as sound experiences; while others, like ‘bayan’ and ‘awit,’ are shown as video productions. Others still, like ‘batang,’ and ‘kalumpang,’ are explored via displayed objects.

Through all these sections, extraordinarily beautiful photographs by the renowned photographer Neal Oshima will assist the visitor in understanding the concepts.

Why create a museum in Batangas City?

The creation of a museum in Batangas City began with a resolve to say something to and about an entire community, not just its leaders and well known individuals living in the city center. And so the museum accomplishes a number of ‘firsts.’

It is the first Philippine museum built on a massive research effort that combed through performed and oral traditions of more than 100 barangays comprising this single city. It is the first Philippine museum focusing on specific bodies of knowledge carried by rural folk – identifying Batangas City’s principal culture bearers.

It is also the first Philippine museum that utilizes a foreign archive extensively, i.e. the National Archives of the United States, and the United States Army Archives, which keep the records of the Philippine American War. Batangas province was among the few areas that sustained the most intense impact of the American conquest (it was one of three provinces where the writ of habeas corpus was suspended for continuing resistance to American rule). Handwritten testaments by Batangueños, presently kept in Washington, D. C., allowed the curatorial team to piece together the events that transpired during this now-unknown and brutal war ― including the effects of starvation and cholera.

Museo Puntóng Batangan is also among the handful of Philippine community museums that utilize the Philippine National Archives. Documents like the late 19th century ‘fincas urbanas’ (real estate declarations) have allowed the reconstruction of the poblacion as it was 120 years ago, including old street names.

Finally, three maps owned by the Museo del Ejercito in Madrid, Spain that show the poblacion in the 18th and early 19th centuries have allowed the curatorial team to identify an extensive fortress/wall system which used to surround the church.

The museum comes with a new book

Another first: the book “Puntóng Batangan: Katwiran at Dilà dine sa Batangas City (Batangas Accent, Reason and Tongue Here in Batangas City)” which accompanies the Permanent Exhibition is the first full-color, hardbound book written in both Batangas Tagalog, as spoken, and English.

In five chapters that poetically organize disparate materials gathered through research, this book endeavors to evoke the flavor (or taste) of an oral language with a distinct accent. It does this by emphasizing the attitudes embodied in the old ‘salawikain’ (aphorisms or sayings) in expressive old Tagalog phrases.

This museum was accomplished within a relatively short period of time by a team of veterans with extensive field work, analysis, and design experience. Members of its curatorial team are Filipinos with substantial local, national, and international practice. Their efforts were supported by the current Mayor of Batangas City, Eduardo B. Dimacuha

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BEWARE SNATCHERS Caught in the ACT!!!

2006-07-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

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2006-07-13T01:09:00.000-07:00

Bubble Gang's

utas na ko katatawa!!!!!!!! =))

From Philippine Star

2006-07-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Signs of the hard times
CONSUMERLINE By Ching M. Alano
The Philippine STAR 07/04/2006

The signs of the hard times are everywhere. You see the grim face of poverty every day in the street urchins pressing their noses on your car window and begging for whatever change you can spare. Jobs are getting scarcer and the lines to the doors of overseas job recruitment agencies are getting longer. Criminality is on the rise and lawless elements lurk everywhere. Stealing or killing (or stealing and killing) incidents are just so rampant. Whether you’re in the relative safety of your own home or you’re out there, there’s the nagging fear that you could be the next victim. These days, mall goers/shoppers are easy prey. A few weeks ago, a friend of ours had a very unfortunate experience while shopping at a mall. She went to the toilet, got into a cubicle, and made sure to hang her bag on the hook on the door. Before she knew it, her bag – with her company’s pay- roll and half a dozen credit cards – was gone! Apparently, somebody fished for her bag, deftly disengaging it from the hook where it was hanging. Of course, she didn’t see who did it. But when she went out of the ladies’ toilet, she saw a woman carrying an extraordinarily big bag – but she was casually walking and not running away from the scene of the crime. Could it have been this bag lady? You never know. These days, criminals come in all sexes, shapes, and sizes. It could be a pregnant woman who’s about to deliver any minute now – who knows what she’s got under that preggy dress! It could be a dashing guy in a corporate suit. Hard lessons learned: Keep your eyes on your bag even when you think you’re alone in the toilet. (Another friend left her bag by the sink when she washed her hands and it disappeared in an instant!) And never trust a stranger, even a pregnant woman or a guy who looks like Jude Law.

Here’s another unfortunate mall incident e-mailed to us:

Dear everybody,

I’d like to share with all of you my horrible and scary experience last Friday night at a mall. Maybe by being aware of this incident, you will be more vigilant even while you’re leisurely shopping.

It was one rare time on a weekday when I and my daughters had the chance to go out for an evening together. Anyway, we took the escalator leading to the store where we were going. I was about five steps away from my two daughters and in front of me were two people (one gay and one girl) in white. They were about five to six steps ahead of me. I noticed that they were walking backwards and I thought they were playing because I only see children doing this. They continued doing so until they were about two steps away from me. I noticed that the gay removed the ponytail band from his hair. Then, as I reached the top of the stairs, he bent forward, as if to pick up something from the floor. I was standing there trying to keep my grip on the handrail lest I fall down. All I could say was, ‘Ano ba, ano ba?’ I felt I was being squashed. I did not know that my daughters were being overtaken by two other people and they thought it was so rude of them to do this. The next thing I knew I was being crushed in front and at the back. I finally got out and cursed the two people for being so ignorant, not knowing how to use the escalator. Then, my daughter noticed that my bag was open and she asked me to check it out. My cell phones were there, but my wallet was gone. We reported the incident to the security guard and all he could say was, ‘Inipit ba kayo?’ I said yes and he told us it is the modus operandi of mall pickpockets. Apparently, this is not the first time he’s heard of such an incident at the mall he’s guarding.

The next day, a construction worker called up my house and told me that he saw my wallet in one of the plant boxes at the bus stop near the mall where I was robbed. He saw a receipt with my name and phone number and he so kindly called me up to return the wallet.

Don’t let this happen to you. Look around you and keep an eye on your belongings even when you’re leisurely shopping.

A concerned shopper
* * *
Follow the law to the litter
Are you a litterbug? It takes little not to be a litterbug, according to the Ecological Waste Coalition of the Philippines, which surveyed its members for possible reasons why this ugly habit seemingly can’t be junked. The respondents, which included the Archdiocese of Manila Ecology Desk, Ateneo Environmental Science Society, Bangon Kalikasan Movement, Buklod Tao Foundation, Concerned Citizens Against Pollution, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Health Care Without Harm, Institute for Educational and Ecological Alternatives, Maskara Youth Theater Group, Pusod Inc., Mother Earth Foundation, November 17 Movement, Sanib Lakas ng Inang Kalikasan, Sining Yapak, and Zero Waste Philippines, shared their opinions on littering and offered practical solutions to eradicate this filthy habit. Read this (and pick up some gems of wisdom):
Who And Why People Litter
Litterbugs are those who strew trash in gutters or streets because they’re just plain lazy or they lack ecological consciousness. They also include motorists who throw their trash out of windows, residents who dump their waste in street corners, vacant lots or waterways, and attendees of sports, entertainment and political events who leave their discards all over the place.

Littering transcends age, gender, educational or class delineation. People who have not yet risen above their self-absorbed consciousness tend to litter more, oblivious of its consequences.

Filipinos generally value a clean living and working environment. The ancient proverb "cleanliness is next to godliness" is, in fact, known to many. But why do people continue to litter? The citizens’ lack of awareness and appreciation of their inherent responsibility to the environment and society is probably the foremost reason.

"Someone else will pick it up." Some people think that littering is acceptable because there are people (such as the diligent janitor and the street sweeper) being paid to clean up after them.

"I simply don’t care." Some people are socially indifferent and are not informed about the health, environmental and other costs of littering.

"Everyone else is doing it." Some people tend to litter when litter already exists.

"It’s a statement!" Some people take it against the authorities, for instance, by rejecting public discipline.
The Effects Of Littering
Carelessly disposed discards cause numerous health, environmental and financial problems. It shows an uncaring culture and perpetuates an attitude of irresponsibility and disorder, which are damaging to the national psyche.

Litter attracts rodents and other pests and serves as breeding sites for disease-causing bacteria, germs, and insects. Dangerous items such as broken bottles, expired drugs, used condoms, and syringes as well as used containers of toxic chemicals are potential health hazards. Cigarette butts are possible fire hazards, too.

Litter affects water quality and obstructs waterways, causing water to overflow, flood surrounding areas, and disperse water-borne pathogens. Removing litter from storm drains and water bodies costs a considerable amount of money. Discards, especially plastic scraps, usually end up in natural water bodies such as rivers and oceans, causing injury and death to wildlife. Cigarette butts, for instance, have been found in the bellies of birds, fishes, whales, and other marine animals who mistake them for food.

Litter turns off tourists, causing revenues to plummet. Litter ruins the aesthetic charm of our country and makes for bad publicity!
Preventing Littering
Sustained education and values formation at home, school, church, and workplace, the active promotion of earth-friendly consumption choices, and the honest-to-goodness enforcement of anti-littering directives and penalties are needed to contend with the culture of littering.

For starters, the Ecowaste Coalition offers these practical ways to free our environment of litter:

As a citizen:

• Never litter. Instead be a role model to your family and community. • Reduce your waste size and exert creative efforts to reuse and recycle your discards.

• Avoid single-use disposable plastic bags, containers, and utensils.

• Trim down your consumption of plastics. Choose products with minimal packaging and remember to bring reusable carry bags when you shop.

As a pedestrian:

• Keep litter until a proper trash container is found.

• Make sure your waste goes into the container and not outside it.

• If there is no proper container, take your litter home for recycling or composting.

• Carry a handy litter bag in your pocket or bag for your discards.

As a motorist:

• Do not hurl your discards out of the car windows.

• Provide a litter bag or bin in your vehicle.

• When transporting waste, do not overload garbage trucks. Also secure and cover loads.

As a smoker:

• Quit smoking for the sake of your health. If you have not yet kicked the habit, ensure that your cigarette filters are disposed of in the proper bins.

• If there is no ashtray available, put the cigarette butts in your own litter bag.

As a law enforcer:

• Implement ecological system for managing discards in your area of jurisdiction.

• Popularize anti-littering ordinances through various channels and enforce them. Apprehend and duly penalize violators.

As a business owner:

• Provide separate bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable discards for the convenient use of your clients and customers.

• Put up a creative reminder to your patrons not to litter anywhere.

• Keep your dumpster secured and free of debris and pests.

As a homeowner or renter:

• Stop wasting! Separate your discards, reuse, recycle, compost.

• Pick up discards for recycling or composting, and do not hose them down into the gutters and drains.

• Keep the lids of your separate bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable discards secured to keep them from scattering.

• Never set your discards on fire!

For more information, call the Ecowaste Coalition at 929-0376.
* * *
We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com

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WHEN FORMER HEAD ERASERHEAD ELY BUENDIA WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER A HEART ATTACK LAST JANUARY 7, MANY A MUSIC FAN FEARED THE WORST, AND HOPED FOR THE BESTUPDATED 01.17.2006: ELY BUENDIA HAS BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL [SEE POSTSCRIPT]

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BEWARE SNATCHERS Caught in the ACT!!!

WHEN FORMER HEAD ERASERHEAD ELY BUENDIA WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER A HEART ATTACK LAST JANUARY 7, MANY A MUSIC FAN FEARED THE WORST, AND HOPED FOR THE BEST
UPDATED 01.17.2006: ELY BUENDIA HAS BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL [SEE POSTSCRIPT]