Aquino-Roxas for President and Vice President, Philippines

Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas are my choices for president and vice president in the national elections of the Philippines this May 10, 2010. With all the country's problems and divisions, Filipinos have got to have leaders whom it can trust, respect, love, and, consequently, be inspired with. Aquino and Roxas will be those leaders.

This Friday (May 7), the political party of Aquino and Roxas, the Liberal Party, will hold its grand final meeting rally at 4.30 PM at the the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. Aquino and Roxas will be joined by their senatorial slate (mnemonic: SLAMAT LORRD), who are:

Sonia Roco
Danny Lim
Neric Acosta
M artin Bautista
A lex Lacson
T G Guingona

Yasmin Busran-Lao
Serge Osmena (guest candidate)
R uffy Biazon
R alph Recto
R isa Hontiveros
Frank Drilon

Trinoma Sbarro Spaghetti with Chicken Parmigiana with button!!!

I wasn’t a fan before of Sbarro, the restaurant that prides itself on fresh Italian cooking. But, recently, I’ve grown to like its spaghetti with tomato sauce and, later, its pizza. But, even more recently, starting on April 7, 2010, I’ve already “unliked” Sbarro. This, after I found a button in its spaghetti with chicken parmigiana, which I took out for lunch from Sbarro’s restaurant in Trinoma Mall, Quezon City, that day. I had made a quick trip to Trinoma to buy an electrical outlet for our house. I arrived at the mall in time for lunch. After some musing on what my taste buds were harping for at that time, I finally decided to have spaghetti and pizza at Sbarro in Trinoma. But since the restaurant was getting crowded at that time, I took out my order to eat it at the fast-food area down below the mall where there were lots more seats.

I'm the type of person who gets really excited when I'm about to eat something that I know or feel will taste good. But my excitement turned to real dismay when when I saw a piece of button on my Sbarro spaghetti after I’ve cut the chicken to pieces and rolled over the noodles in the sauce. The button was rusty-looking or maybe it was rusty—not easy to tell because it was mired in sauce. It was a button that looked the kind that came from a pair of pants, with a small protruding part. I suddenly imagined with fear what would have happened if i had swallowed that button.

I hurriedly put back the spaghetti and pizza in the Sbarro plastic bag and went back to the store. I talked to the manager and showed her the spaghetti with chicken parmigiana with button. I asked for a replacement—of the button—nah, of the spaghetti heheh. She gave me a new spaghetti order, and I told her that her crew should be more careful in giving out orders of food to avoid any accident. She told me that it was hard to trace where the button came from, or in what stage of processing the food that the button came into the picture. Anyway, for me, wherever or however that button came into my spaghetti, all I could think about is what kind of hygienic practices does Sbarro have that a foreign object could have made its way into food that it would sell? And a potentially dangerous object if swallowed, at that. I’m very picky with cleanliness with it comes to my food. Well, Sbarro has just lost a new fan and potentially loyal customer.

Larry the Whale helps out Jodie Nelson in breast cancer fund drive

Here's an interesting fund-raiser story i caught on the web. the link to donate funds for breast cancer is at the end of the article.

California surfer receives whale of an escort during marathon paddle

by: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

When Southern California surfer Jodie Nelson set out Sunday to standup-paddle nearly 40 miles from Santa Catalina Island to Dana Point, she hoped it'd inspire her best friend, who has been involved in a long and exhausting struggle with breast cancer, to keep fighting.

Nelson, 34, whose mother and aunt are cancer survivors, also hoped her nine-hour test of endurance would raise money for two cancer charities and heighten awareness about a plight affecting millions of women. What Nelson could not have known was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours, thus joining the cause. "It was a day that all of us involved will never forget," Nelson said, in reference to Angela Robinson, her best friend, and the rest of a crew aboard an escort boat. Minke whales are not commonly seen off Southern California, and those spotted by boaters are often elusive. So when a mammal Nelson named Larry joined her endeavor to become the first woman to make this long paddle, she took it as a sign. "To me it was a total God thing," the San Clemente resident said. "We prayed at 4 that morning that God would reveal his beauty and creation and nature, and allow me to endure this long trek, so for me it's not such a huge surprise that this happened." Larry did not merely swim close to Nelson. He rolled around repeatedly alongside her and blew bubbles beneath her board. A film crew was on the escort boat and CNN, Fox News and ABC are just some of the networks she says are interested in the story and footage. Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society whale researcher, said minke whales can be friendly but added: "This type of quality encounter is highly unusual." Nelson raised only about $6,000 in advance of the paddle, disappoingtingly short of her target of $100,000 for the Keep a Breast Foundation and Boarding for Breast Cancer. A few of her celebrity friends let her down, she said, but when this story reaches a national audience she expects the pool to grow considerably. "I thought, 'I don't need so-and-so,' " she said of a particular celebrity, whom she declined to name. "Because I honestly feel like Larry is going to help us reach the $100,000 mark with our fundraising effort." Larry or no Larry, completing a standup paddle over 39.8 miles of ocean and sharks speaks volumes about Nelson's strength, stamina and determination. Larry took her mind off the task for two magical hours, but her mind never strayed from the cause. "I can't even begin to compare what I did to what cancer patients are going through," she said. "But I wanted to put myself out there in a dangerous and scary, overwhelming situation; something that was big and just to show people that you can win that battle with that big, scary thing called cancer. "I wanted to draw some kind of parallel and just encourage people to keep fighting." Those wanting to help Jodie with her mission can do so via her page on the Keep a Breast Foundation website.

Photo of Jodie and Larry from paddlewithpurpose.com

Celebrate Earth Hour 2010 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City, Philippines!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR CLEARER VIEW :)

Paradoxes of March

March being International Women’s Month (IWM)
The Philippine edition of an international “men’s magazine” (although some women do read this magazine) that parades half-nude women in its pages celebrates its anniversary every March. This year, on the 100th year of the IWM, the Philippine edition celebrated its 10th year (of portraying women as sex objects, I should say).

A beauty pageant in the Philippines that selects the country’s representatives to international beauty competitions holds its main pageant and coronation night every March. I have yet to see how beauty pageants uplift respect for women’s abilities and dignity.

On March 15, 2010, the Philippines lost Ms Emy Boncodin to cardiac arrest related to her kidney disease. Ms Boncodin was one of the country’s most diligent and trustworthy public servants, and one among the few women who had top-level roles in government. Serving an economic role then in the current Arroyo Administration, she was one of a handful of Arroyo’s cabinet members who quit their jobs en masse a few years back to protest Arroyo’s alleged shenanigans. After several years of government service, she next got involved in civil society groups as an advocate of efficient fiscal management. She was also a professor. She was 55 years old.

March being Fire Prevention Month
It happened last year, the year after, the year before that, and as far as I can remember, all the years before that, too. News coverages have stories all over of fires happening almost everyday in Metro Manila and the provinces. Properties are lost, even lives are lost. Most affected are residents of usually middle-income to low-income brackets. We have the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), which the public seems to hear about only after the fact. I believe that the Building Code of the country has some provisions that can give some teeth to the BFP’s tasks, especially in enforcing specifications in structures that can prevent fires from beginning or spreading wildly. But well, the public can only hope for the best for such government agencies.

International Women's Day 2010--UN Sec-Gen Statement

Happy International Women's Day: March 8, 2010!

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations (UN) began celebrating the 8th of March as International Women's Day. In December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. For the UN, International Women's Day has been observed on 8 March since 1975. The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the UN Secretary-General.

Statement of UN Sec-Gen Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the UN Headquarters, marking International Women's Day, March 8, 2010, with the theme "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All"

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the United Nations on this happy occasion of International Women's Day. I am happy to be with you to celebrate this International Women's Day - to celebrate women - to declare that we stand for equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all.

As a son and a husband, as a father and grandfather to girls, it is my honour.

And as Secretary-General of the United Nations, it is my duty -- gender equality and women's empowerment are fundamental to the very identity of the United Nations.
Fifteen years ago at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Governments adopted the landmark Beijing Declaration.

It sent a clear message to women and girls around the world that equality and opportunity are inalienable rights.

Women's empowerment is also an economic and social imperative. Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals -- peace, security, sustainable development -- stand in jeopardy.

In the fifteen years since Beijing (Declaration), we have seen many examples of progress.
A growing number of countries have policies and legislation that support gender equality and reproductive health. Most girls now receive an education, particularly at primary level. Women are now more likely to run businesses and be given loans.

Women are also now more likely to participate in government -- women like our Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Migiro. Women like Maria Paixão, who is vice-president of Timor-Leste's parliament where one-third of lawmakers are now female. In Rwanda, the proportion is even higher, and it is paying back in legislation that is helping further empower women.

For each of these gains, civil society has played a major role. The international women's movement has become truly global.

Women everywhere are mobilizing for equality and empowerment - and succeeding.
Wherever voices are raised against tyranny and injustice, you can be sure that women are among them. So, as we look back on Beijing, we have much reason to be proud. Proud but not complacent.

Injustice and discrimination against women persists everywhere. In its worst form it manifests as violence. Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime.
Most commonly they are attacked by an intimate partner.

We sometimes hear it said that such practices are a matter of culture. They are not. They are abuses and they are criminal and they deny women's fundamental rights.

So too do early and forced marriage, so-called 'honour killing', sexual abuse and trafficking.

My “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” campaign and the recently launched Network of Men Leaders are striving to put an end to these abuses. The United Nations is also acting ever more firmly against sexual violence in conflict.

This October will mark ten years since the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on women and peace and security. Further resolutions have firmly established that sexual violence in conflict can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide.

Last month my new special representative on the matter, Ms. Margot Wallström, took up her duties to help countries to translate this awareness into action.

We must also address the broader questions of equality and empowerment.

Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high. Too many women still lack access to family planning. Gender stereotyping and discrimination remain common in all cultures and communities.

Wherever we look - and especially if we look through the lens of poverty - we see that women still bear the greatest burdens.

For this International Women's Day, let us look critically at the achievements of the past 15 years. Let us build on what has worked, and correct what has not.

We at the United Nations must lead by example. This is why I have made women's empowerment a priority. We hope soon to have a dynamic entity for gender equality and women's empowerment within the United Nations system. That would provide more coherent programming and a stronger voice for women.

I urge the General Assembly to create this new entity without delay by adopting a resolution. Thank you very much for your strong support. I hope that the Ambassadors who are present will have heard this strong support.

Let me tell you about what I am doing as Secretary-General, how I am leading by example. We have more women in senior United Nations posts than at any time in the history of this Organization. Overall, the number of women in senior posts -- at the rank of Deputy-Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General, and Assistant Secretary-General -- has increased by 40 per cent during the last three years.

But this is still not enough. I take seriously the General Assembly mandate for gender parity throughout the United Nations system. I am particularly aware that women are under-represented among my special representatives - at the professional levels - and in our peacekeeping operations.

Experience has shown that women peacekeepers can perform the same roles, to the same standards and under the same difficult conditions as their male counterparts.
And in many cases, women are better-placed.

Whether interviewing victims of sexual violence working in women's prisons, assisting female ex-combatants reintegrate into civilian life, or mentoring female police cadets, women personnel have a clear advantage.

They can help empower women to rebuild their war-torn countries and act as role models.
In Liberia, seeing an all-female police unit from India has boosted interest among Liberian women in joining their own police service. There are many such stories of how the United Nations is working to empower women.

I recall when I visited Burkina Faso in West Africa. I saw classic scenes of rural African life -- girls and women grinding grain in a hollow log. Back-breaking and time-consuming work made necessary because most of Burkina's 8,000 rural villages lack electricity.

Enter the United Nations.
Over the past five years, we have introduced a revolutionary piece of technology to 200 of these villages. It is called the Multi-Functional Platform. You can always trust the United Nations to come up with exciting names like this! Essentially, it's a simple engine – old technology. It runs on diesel or biofuel. Parts for maintaining it are available in any small town. It can pump water and it grinds grain and crushes nuts and seeds in minutes, saving hours of labour. It creates time for women, time for school, or visiting a clinic, for doing other work, and even for leisure for women and girls. And it creates revenue.

This machine can generate electricity, run welding equipment and charge batteries for cellular phones and computers. The women who run it – the women who own it – get business training, they earn an income and gain a new standing in the community. They are empowered.

Each platform for change costs less than $10,000. With initiatives such as these, we can improve the lives of hundreds of millions of women and girls.

We can empower women, reduce poverty and help meet the Millennium Development Goals. As we look forward to this year's Millennium Development Goal Summit meeting in September, let us collect and spread these stories.And let us hold foremost in our minds that gender equality and women's empowerment are integral to all our goals.

For this International Women's Day, let us pledge our renewed determination for a future of equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all.

(source: UN document)

The Golden Girls are alive and well in the Internet!

“The Golden Girls” or TGG was a hit American TV series in the 1980s. It’s a sitcom about the city adventures of four women in Miami, in their 50s to 80s—one divorcee and her mom, and two widowed women—who lived together in a house owned by one of them. When the series was showing in the Philippines that time, I didn’t get to watch it often, although I knew it was a funny show, based on some episodes I watched. Thus it’s really good that I get to watch it now on the Internet! On the site justin.tv, a broadcaster named “Madonnagaga” shows the golden ladies in-between some episodes of other old (but not so old as the golden ladies’ show) series and some videos of singers Madonna and Lady Gaga. But most of the time, Madonnagaga, a “he” I think, shows TGG. It’s amazing how old but good (and funny) shows have found new life on the Internet, although some of them, of course, have reruns on TV once in a while.

But with the Internet, it seems that these old series reach more homes (and offices, for those who view from offices—but not at the expense of your work, you hear! :)) and more countries. And everybody seems to like the golden ladies as there’s almost always someone who watches and mentions in the open chat room of Madonnagaga’s channel that she or he is glad to have found the channel in justin.tv, since she or he had always loved TGG. There are also some of the newer generation who have seen the series for the first time through that channel, and say that they also love it.

The Internet, and broadcast sites like justin.tv have given new life (and medium) to TV shows like TGG that seem not to grow old. They are as fresh as ever. The lines are still funny, the acting is solid gold performance (the actors in the show have won awards for the TGG), the genuine camaraderie among the lead stars very much evident in every scene. Estelle Getty (Sophia) and Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy), who played mother and daughter in the show have since passed away (Estelle in 2008, and Beatrice in 2009). Rue McLanahan (Blanche—the house owner on the show) had a bypass and mild stroke between late 2009 to early 2010. Betty White (Rose), famous for playing in TGG the “innocent” but sweet lady from St. Olaf, a quaint if strange town going by Rose's many accounts to her housemates about her town, has remained quite active with some TV and movie appearances. In fact, in a recent affair in America where she was given a lifetime achievement award, she said something about her still raring to go after she turned 88 a few days before the affair. On the Internet screen, the girls remain up and about, dishing out their lines with gusto, tickling every viewer’s funny bones. Showing how the diverse backgrounds of their characters have enriched and strengthened their oneness as friends.

TGG rules!

Photos below are screen captures from Madonnagaga’s channel showing the TGG; and Betty, Beatrice, and Rue receiving an award a few years ago sans Estelle who was ill at that time.