Tragedy

Sometimes tragedies are born
At the beginning of relationships
When emotional baggage past remain unresolved
And crops out in the simplest of circumstances
Of unprovoked acts
Of honest perspectives
Of ordinary discourse
Only time will tell, only time knows
When relationships on shaky grounds
Collapses under the weight of insecurities and envy
Tragedy indeed
But tragedy is to let go too
Of dearly loved works and causes
For greater, greater harmony
In one peace of heart
And for life in fact
To move on with peace.

Radio Interview Today

As a member of LENTE (Legal Network for Truthful Elections), we will be involved today in a radio advocacy program in which we will be interviewed by a local radio company about our organizations advocacy.

The May 2013 Philippine local elections is close at hand and LENTE, a non-profit citizen's organizations whose main thrust is to educate the Filipino voter about their rights as voters, the need for an honest and transparent elections and the avenues to ensure such rights are safeguarded and protected.

The members of LENTE-DVOREF chapter of Tacloban City will be on the airwaves today from 8am to 10am at Radio Diwa.

When Sleep is Rest

To rise in the morning
To a cool summer sky
With a night of sleep restful and peaceful
Is a day truly a day
Nothing makes a day
Than a night of good sleep
And working for a day
More meaningful and significant
Good Morning indeed is today!

A Drop in the Ocean of Eternity

To have meet you
Is the greatest thing that ever happened to me
And the best feeling one can get
Your presence makes me realize
That life is beauty, mystery, peace, wisdom
In the pebble of the beach
You are the diamond of eternal pulchritude
In the ocean of eternity
You have made me a drop worth the world
To touch you is to touch forever now.

Dawkin's Pegged as World's Preeminent Intellectual

Prospect magazine recently released its 2013 Public Intellectual of the Year and Richard Dawkins, the famous British author, lecturer and of course atheist, topped the list as the world's most influential public intellectual. The poll was actually not world encompassing, with the 65-names listed basically chosen by a US and UK based expert panel.

Nevertheless, such news is welcome news and shows the issues which Dawkins has been fighting on for the better part of the last 20 years or so being spread, acknowledged and brought into the public sphere. The need for a secular-based, science-influenced and reason-oriented worldview is now more than ever not only a serious need but virtually a necessity. The religion inspired and violence dictated paradigm that have more or less held the overriding influence, at most times subtle but no less violent, in the 19th and 20th century worldview must be replaced by a science and reason based perspective. A perspective we now call secular humanism.

The fight continues on for secular humanists around the world to show by incontrovertible science and reason that the more superior, more logical, more humane alternative to approaching the most pressing issues of our time is no longer religion, but only science and reason. From global warming to pollution, from deforestation to mining, from interstellar mysteries to earthly conundrums, only science and only reason provides a better, more superior, more democratic, more egalitarian, more encompassing, more fulfilling alternative than the rigid, archaic, misogynistic, genocidal, homophobic, dehumanizing dogma of religion which is none the worst incarnated than in the Abrahamic faiths.

Ode to the Beer

Sparkling yellow
When warm and fuzzy so bitter
But when cold and icy so sweet
Companions in distress and ecstasy
A temple unto itself
Where youthful memories are born
And friendships sealed and strengthened
Tables joyful and alive
When beer is at the center
Nights alive and awake
Days sleepy and dead
Ohh beer you're the culprit.

Food Trip Tonight

What a night!
Of sumptuous meal on a classy resto
Seafoods and the like, my favorite sarad
And grilled meat with crunchy calamares
Followed by a fine coffee capuccino
With gritty yet deliciously delicate dessert
Of fancy name I could not even remember hehe
Finally topped with a bottle of apple flavored
San Miguel beer beside a bar on the sea
With a breezy relaxing Tacloban night wind
Shared with a good friend indeed.
What a night!

Trinkets of Wisdom

Bright moon
Cool breeze
Twinkling stars
Croaking frogs
Rustling leaves.

Buzzing mosquitoes
Whistling crickets
Graceful bats
Boisterous laugher
Solitary me.

Reflecting mind
Searching soul
Listening heart
Growing pains
Trinkets of wisdom
Embracing, cajoling
Calling, grasping...me.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Host (2013)

Those eyes! If there is anything that caught my attention as the movie started, it was that bright sparkling blue eyes of the actors. Of course, they are contacts, but were they damn good ones. Unique I should say in that I could not keep on not staring at those eyes.

Superficiality aside, I like the movie. It's about freedom, it's about family, it's about finding love. Classical themes of legends, stories and myths of long ago. Timeless yet always timely. Emotional at it is tragic. The story of man across the ages, of unfolding meaning as finding meaning. Life as in its mysteries perplexing as it is the struggle for individuality. And to be psychiatric about it, the struggle of the self against the self, of selves to other selves. It is really a story of man himself projected in a post-modern science fiction Hollywood reel trapped in a psychosis of eternal enmity between what is the will of the mind and the realities of existence itself.

Humanity assaulted by alien entities through ruthless expropriation of human bodies in its ultimate quest to rule over and above man. Seeker (Diane Kruger), the leader of the alien horde, seeks to uncover remaining pockets of human resistance as newly conquered bodies are mined for memories of their human connections. Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan), the main protagonist, somehow establishes rapport with her alien occupier, a soul called "Wanderer" and convinces the latter to help save her brother by not revealing further information as to his mountain hideout. Escaping from the liar of the alien overlord Seeker, Melanie is found by a band of humans with whom her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her boyfriend Jared Howe (Max Irons) are holed up with.

Almost to be killed, Melanie was somehow saved by the leader of the group, also her uncle named Jeb (William Hurt), who ordered his fellow humans not to terminate Melanie. On a walk across the fields, Jeb asks Wanderer if human will and memories are still intact once infused with the alien souls. Wanderer, now endears herself to the human survivors and is now called "Wanda." Wanda develops affinity for the human survivors and questions her species' intentions. Wanda too falls in love with a human, Ian O'Shea (Jake Abel).

Behind the backdrop of the stunning buttes of the American West is actually a love story, a love quadrangle I should say between two entities trapped in one body and Jared and Ian. It is a Titanic love story set in the arid landscape of a futuristic milieu.

It is also a story of letting go, of moving on, of love unrequited, of pain that goes with letting go. But that is life, that is the story in which life is painted, its colors true and real. I guess the story of the story is that indeed, some good things never last. And to let go is courage itself, fearlessness and fortitude. And that whatever we are, whatever we have, nothing is tragic when life is lived to love, with love in openness to those that touch our lives and for whom and with whom by each others presence and look, we find that unique connectedness that only we ourselves will ever know.

Educating for a Better Philippines, Today

As a volunteer for the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), I was surprised to be satisfied and fulfilled when we conducted a Voter Education Program in two barangays in the city last April 20, 2013. I was assigned to the topic "Accessibility." I realized how important Voter Empowerment is to the future of this country. Indeed, as a democratic country who somehow enshrines in its constitution the sacredness of the right of suffrage, empowering the people to fight and to defend their right to vote is no easy task, and in a country with a tradition of vote-buying and vote-selling, its an uphill battle. Somehow, great things start with simple beginnings and I am proud to be a spark in that change.

I have no delusions that the Filipino people will take time to fully appreciate the power and the value of elections in our life as a people. We have taken for granted, misused and abused our fundamental and sacred right to choose the destiny we want by the chronic practice of vote buying and selling. It's almost an enterprise that is conducted openly, brazenly and nonchalantly with no care that such practices are actually illegal, not to mention demeaning and in fact humiliating.

Somehow, I was happy with the response of the people who attended the program we conducted. The participants were inquisitive, interested and appreciative of the need to safeguard the inalienable right to vote - and by extension, the right to choose a destiny.

It is my fervent hope and longing that over time, the Filipino people will actively protect and safeguard their right to vote - to free it from the shackles of Filipino political dynasties, cronyism and of course, money. To my fellow volunteers, let's keep on shouldering the noble cause.

MABUHAY AND FILIPINO!!!

Environment Friendly Paint

An article recently published in PDI caught my attention, a paint invented by Filipinos that can break down environmental pollutants from the air. The paint was invented by a Filipino company with cooperation from Cristal of the U.K. and is marketed under the brand name Boysen KNOxOut.

It is heartening to know that innovative techniques geared towards the improvement in the quality of air in particular and the protection of the environment in general, especially one coming from a developing economy, is an inspiration for all Filipinos and indeed for the world, about the need to invent products that not only fulfill our needs but also, do such without harming nature.

Keep the Internet Free from Regulatory Mechanisms

At the December 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai, a number of autocratic countries such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia attempted to provide the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a U.N. organization, a regulatory power over the Internet. Eighty-nine countries voted to approve a treaty that would strengthen governmental power to control online content and deter broadband deployment.

This is not a good development, the Internet should remain an unregulated environment to ensure the free and unhindered flow of information across the world. I agree with the authors of the article that there should be no regulatory body, public or private, that would regulate internet content. The essence of the Internet is the freedom to exchange information across borders.

What are the benefits for ensuring that the Internet remains an unregulated environment?

First, an unregulated Internet means freedoms are respected and threats to its exercise are monitored, spread and challenged. A hallmark of autocracy is the control of the free exchange and flow of information. Across the history of the world, it has been repeatedly shown that when there is a free flow of data and information, autocratic governments lose out. The obsessive need to control information has always been and will always be the goal of oppressive governments for only in an environment of ignorance and intimidation can they truly survive and thrive. Knowledge begets power, and power begets courage to implement change. This is anathema to authoritarian regimes, whose monopoly of information and power can only be maintained by ensuring that power and information belongs only to its exclusive exercise.

Second, an unregulated Internet means that people are able to get unbiased, variegated and current information critical in making decisions, decisions that shape the social, political and economic discourse. In an increasingly techno-centric world milieu, progress depends on the free and unhindered as well as speedy flow of information. Such phenomenon also provides avenues for broad, comprehensive and encompassing economic, political and social progress to take root and make steady headway in ensuring a more open social matrix.

Third, an unregulated Internet is a counterweight to oppressive regimes from taking power, and if they do, ensure that such hold on power becomes untenable at best and essentially unsustainable. As previously stated, authoritarian regimes thrive in an environment of fear and ignorance, for ignorance begets fear, and fear ensures uncertainty, which guarantees a sense of powerlessness, which in turns breeds subjugation. Tyranny therefore is the end product of sustained ignorance and fear - the internet breaks that bubble, it empowers people, it connects ideas, it spreads camaraderie, it opens new vistas of possibilities.

The free world should always fight for a free and unregulated internet for it is the very foundation of Western liberal democracy that for all its shortcomings, still offers the best route for ensuring a better and more holistic platform for a better, progressive, open way of life.

TV SHOW REVIEW: Suits S02E11

This episode I could not leave without blogging about. It just struck me how emotions can have potentially detrimental effects on the decisions and the consequences of those decisions can have on our lives. In this episode Mike Ross and Harvey Specter take on the case of Julie, well more like her son Liam, who figured in an accident that killed a certain Albert Chung. Remember that Mike's parents were killed in a vehicular accident caused by an intoxicated driver. Needless to say, Mike was emotionally invested in the outcome of the case and it showed when Ross, after a final settlement has been made with Chung's family, that in fact Liam was high on drugs when he hit Chung. Mike actually wanted a reversal of the case to the detriment of his client.

This shows that a professional has to have his personal issues resolved when handling cases that can bring back bad memories in one's life. Otherwise, regardless of the profession, the said professional may not only be a disservice to the interests of his client or patient in the case of medical doctors, but can also damage his own professional credibility. It is clear that Mike should not have been allowed to handle Liam's case in the first place. And Harvey was right when he initially confronted Mike about his readiness to handle Liam's case, validly conjuring that his own unresolved issues with regards to the vehicular accident that caused the demise of his parents would play, as in fact it did, on his objectivity and commitment to defend the interests of his client.

I was however relieved that in the end, Mike was able to somehow, despite a heavy heart, able to extricate Liam, as he should by the way being his lawyer, from a potentially long jail sentence. But, I am beginning to question Mike's professional capacity to discharge his duties in a non-impassioned manner - and this is not entirely a bad thing, as long as it does not impinge on one's ability to always keep in mind that in the end, he has to fight for his client's interests at all times. This episode should serve as a learning experience for Harvey, who should know better not to ever let Mike handle similar cases in the future.

Sapiosexuality: What the heck is it?

I recently came upon the word sapiosexuality from Saide Bahssa's blog and was perplexed that there is even such a word, but then again, English always has an innate capacity to classify everything. Also, there are has always been such a thing as sapiosexuality. Before I get any further, let us first try to decipher what is sapiosexuality. Urban dictionary defines sapiosexuality as "to become attracted to or sexually aroused by intelligence and its use." Well, for sure, sapiosexuality has been quite around the popular culture for quite some time now, at least for those who have access to Hollywood TV shows, and this is incarnated in no other character than in Sheldon Cooper in the popular comedy show The Big Bang Theory. Dr. Cooper as hilariously and geekily masterfully played by Jim Parsons is the epitome of sapiosexuality as he is attracted more and gravitates only to the intellectually astute of the human species and he makes no qualms about it. In fact, he derides his friends for, in his view, their lack of intellectual originality and profundity in many aspects of their personal and professional lives. That is to say therefore that sapiosexuals are really the geeky side of humanity.

I am afraid that Saide Bahssa would probably disagree with me on this, but then again, that is just me. And as a defense, the sapiosexual phenomenon is, despite its deceptively egalitarian term, not really for many people, although probably a novelty for most, being really attracted to the intelligent is not just a momentary wiff of a desire, it's more of a lifestyle I should say. Admiring an intelligent person for his intelligence is not enough to be a sapiosexual, for to agree otherwise would be to say that admiring a beautiful flower you have only recently seen would make you a certified anthophile. In the same way, being attracted to an intelligent person is not the same as being a sapiosexual, sapiosexuality is a lifestyle, a mindset, a framework, much like, say heterosexuality, or homosexuality or bisexuality.

In other words, it goes deep within the fabric of a person's personality. Needless to say, it really is a way of life and therefore, only the intellectually inclined can truly appreciate and savor intelligence, much like, again, Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory. I dare say then that only the rabidly geeky human creature can truly be a sapiosexual, the rest of us are just deluded to think that they are really attracted by intelligence and its manifestations. Then again, man is a complex creature and to delve into sexuality is like swimming in a sea-of mines, sometimes for no reason, you really are caught up in the minefield that is life.

MOVIE REVIEW: Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

The movie is a story of an ex-Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who was recently assigned to the Treasury Department after the death of First Lady Margaret Asher (Ashley Judd) on a snowy December 25 night as the presidential convoy was on its way to a dinner. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) was saved before the "Beast" fell into the frozen river but Margaret dies. Banning was haunted by the experience as he blamed himself for the failure to save the First Lady.

Eighteen months later, a North Korean terrorist Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune ) commandeers the white house with the help of an ex-US Secret Service Agent traitor now working as a security contractor Dave Forbes (Dylan McDermott) and holds Pres. Banning hostage together with then visiting South Korean Prime Minister Lee Tae-Woo (keong Sim). Kang demands the withdrawal of U.S. forces on the DMZ in the hopes of unifiying the two kKoreas and plans to detonate the U.S. nuclear arsenal in revenge for the killing of his parents which he blamed on U.S. forces.

The movie is actually James Bondsy-like and I'm saying it in a good way. The action scenes were in my opinion heart-stopping and actually creatively unexpected but not not jaw-dropping spectacular. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie in that this is the first movie that actually explores on the theme of a White House physical takeover. What I dislike however is the unclear presentation of the events that led to the crash of the presidential motorcade at the beginning of the movie. The director did not present a credible and clear chronology of events that led to the accident. Was the accident caused by the icy conditions of the road or did they hit something? It seems to me that neither was clearly shown although I am in the impression that somehow something struck the windshield of the lead car. This might seem minor to the story but the opening scene actually sets the tone of the minor but nevertheless important plot of the story, how Banning came to be separated from the presidential bubble (the president's close-in security) which played into the succeeding events since it allowed the story to proceed with the eventual overtaking of the White House. For those who have yet to figure out why the title? Well, it's a code used in the movie to signal that the president was held hostage. Which means that there really is a code for when the U.S. president is held hostage.

I would rate the movie a 7 on the action scenes (out of a perfect 10) and 8 on the plot, 6 on the acting and 7 on the cinematography and special effects. Over-all, I'd say a score of 7 would be in order. Definitely a movie for a week-end of adrenaline highs for the action buffs.

Uruguay Approves Same-sex Marriage Law

Uruguay recently voted to enact same-sex marriage, becoming the second Latin American country after Argentina to do so. The law was overwhelmingly voted in both houses of Congress and is a testament to Uruguay's progressive social outlook.

The continuing struggle for marriage equality continues on though, with Uruguay only the 12th country in the world to do so. The push to promote equity in Family Law across the civilized world continues on , a slow but steady progress has been made, much like the struggle for the emancipation of blacks from slavery. Bravo Uruguay!!!

Best Airport

Singapore Changi Airport was again awarded as the best airport in the world for 2013 at the World Airport Awards in Geneva. Changi was followed by Incheon International Airport, Amsterdan Schiphol, Hong Kong International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport rounding up the top five.

Changi has been a benchmark airport for the world, winning consistently in many airport awards. It is to be noted too that of the top five, only one is European, this is a testament to Asian commitment to world class travel facilities unmatched anywhere else.

I love airports. They are, as they say, the windows upon the country and place in which they are located. Airports offer the traveler a glimpse into the life and culture of the place they are about to visit. They are refuge in the smorgasbord of travelers one meets as journeys are embarked. They provide solace and respite in the chaos of traveling. Most of all, airports themselves make traveling an integral part of the journey.

I dream of one day traveling the world's airports and experiencing the unique flavor each has to offer. I think airports are themselves travel destinations, tourist spots, cultural landmarks, and historical places. They are the living embodiment of the hopes, aspirations, strengths, will and dreams of a people. Transiting through airports one can see in microcosm the social order, legal system, economic status and even the intellectual construct of a people. They really do show more than a picture of life, it is life itself encapsulated in a building pulsating with the idiosyncratic tendencies of a place.

Airports! What a place.

The NRA as the Mercantile Arm of Gun Manufacturers

A report filed by John Donahue of CNN revealed that 91% of Americans support universal background checks as opposed to 8% and in households with guns, this margin translates to 88% for and 11% against the measure.

It is clear that America really takes the recent events at Sandy Hook to heart and considers universal background checks as a reasonable way to ensure that guns stay within those who have the mental faculties to hold them. However, the powerful NRA, the U.S. gun lobby, as opposed universal background checks on the ground that it is a pretext for indiscriminate gun confiscation later on. Such baseless propaganda is actually believed by American with 48% of those surveyed agreeing to such proposition.

Donahue dissects the fundamental reason why the NRA would oppose a measure that is by all accounts, fair and reasonable. And the answer is, well: money. Now let us put this in perspective, the NRA as it stands today is undoubtedly controlled by and influenced heavily by gun manufacturers. Indeed, the NRA has nothing been more than a lobbying arm of the gun industry and nothing else. It is actually using its members as mere backdrops in order to serve the vested interests and the profit margins of gun manufacturers to the detriment of society at large.

Now, Donahue presents a convincing case for the theory that money is the ulterior motive. If universal background checks will be implemented, the market for guns would be significantly reduced since criminals and the insane will be out of the picture. By opposing such measure any way it can, the gun manufacturers of America through the NRA, in the guise of defending the second amendment and in the so-called "fight" to ensure that information gathered from background checks will not be later on used to take away guns, vehemently opposes universal background checks.

So there, in a nutshell, is the reason why the recalcitrant NRA goes against reason, logic and the popular will in opposing universal background checks, pure lust for money at the expense of the safety of the American public. This is, frankly, corporate greed at its height.

The Future of Mobile Communications

Ever since a Motorola prototype phone was used to make the first ever public cellphone call was made in April 3, 1973, the cellular phone has gone a long way, and a very long way indeed it has gone. From the brick sized Motorola phone which was nicknamed, well, "the Brick" to the super smart smartphones of today, the cellular phone has undoubtedly leapt in bounds. Comparing the early years of cellular phones to today's smartphones is like looking back millennias, when in fact a mere 40 years elapsed between the brick heavy, antenna protruding, call only phone to 2013's multi-tasking, internet-capable mobile information and gaming platform that is ubiquitous in modern societies.

Gone are the days when the cellphone was a mere telephone on the go, for today's smartphones could essentially function as a mega-arcade, global library and business and networking platform. The cellular phone has become the single most important and essential gadget to get for every human being in today's increasingly technical, mobile and information savvy milieu.

So what holds for the future of mobile communications? A recent report indicates that an iPhone 4 could serve as a tool to detect underground nuclear tests. Yes, that's nuclear with a bang! That is how the cellular phone has evolved from its innocuous beginnings to today's mega machine. Other scattered mutterings in the internet indicate that a future use for cellphones could be to detect blood sugar levels. Today's cellphones are now increasingly used as a platform for internet banking, especially in Africa, where distance and the lack of a reliable land line based phones are a constant feature, the cellphone has ensured connectivity and convenience, not to mention affordability and independence in conducting communications.

The future of the cellphone is just beginning, I see in the near future the cellphone evolving to play a greater role in health and medicine such as the diagnoses of diseases with the use of its camera for example, or conducting ultrasound procedures, even a portable blood pressure monitor. In the field of engineering, cellphones could be used as a SONAR tool. In law enforcement and the legal system, cellphones could be used to verify identities of individuals through a retinal scan or a fingerprint scan through specialized apps. In education, cellular phones could be used to provide content and personalized learning modules, as in fact it is already done on a limited scale.

The cellular phone will become the single most important personal gadget in the coming years - in fact, I'm visualizing the cellphone to serve as a mega-console that will integrate work, home and recreation on a comprehensive scale. It could serve to start cars, control household appliances, regulate home and work temperature settings among others in addition to what smartphones are already capable of doing as of date.

The future looks bright and exciting - who knew that a portable phone would evolve to a super machine beyond our wildest aspirations. The cellular phone is a work in progress, and we might still be surprised with what it can do in the future, until then, the current cellular infrastructure, the 4G LTE, gives as a glimpse into the limitless possibilities of the cellular phone. What a machine indeed!

The Science of the "Afterlife"

A recent report indicated that Near-Death Expriences (NDE) have been scientifically studied and documented with some interesting results. Among which are the reported clarity of the memories of those experiencing NDE's such as experience of a bright light at the end of the tunnel and and seeing their bodies from a distance, indicating separation from their corporeal shell.

While NDE's are a valid research in our quest to understand human nature, it would be preposterous, I should say, to assert that experiences of such nature as NDE's are actually attributable to a supernatural reality. Indeed, as the term suggests, NDE's are not equal to death itself, it is merely a condition of lessened mental acuity and activity. In fact, as indicated by CNN, the American Psychological Association defines NDE's as experiences of "profound psychological events with transcendental and mystical elements, typically occurring to individuals close to death or in situations of intense physical or emotional danger." In other words, the person did not in the first place actually die.

Therefore, NDE's being attributed to the existence of the afterlife is nothing more than the experience of physiological stress that hampers the optimum functioning of the brains processing and integrative functions. NDE's are, by the term itself, not equal to and similar to death itself. For death is the total shutdown of all physiologic activity. By far, no person who actually did die, as defined heretofore, and who has been conclusively determined to be so by a panel of experts, and regained again some, most or even all physiologic activity have been identified much less independently confirmed.

These NDE expriences are actually experiences while still having life in the sense that the brain, although at an obviously diminished functioning capacity, but nevertheless still retaining a modicum of electrical activity, is still capable of processing rudimentary physiologic activity.

More research in this field is still needed, but to be even remotely credible, it has to established that death must have been truly present and that there is a confirmable data that a human being really died and came back to life with such experiences.

Tubbataha Reef Assaulted Again

Barely a month has passed by since the successful extrication of the USS Guardian, a U.S. Navy vessel that ran aground in the protected marine park last January 2013 and a new incident involving a Chinese fishing vessel has figured in a incident again. Reports indicate that the vessel, a 48 by 8 meter ship was stuck on the reef at around 2340, April 8, 2013. The Chinese vessel did not communicate with the authorities and could only talk in Mandarin.

The two fishermen will be brought to Puerto Princesa City and will be charged with illegal fishing and poaching. A fine up to USD 200,000 will be imposed. In addition, the marine park authorities revealed that the radar used to monitor activities at Tubbataha is only open every three hours as it takes a lot of energy to operate.

The government, if it is to be really, really serious about protecting even remotely Tubbataha Reef, should spare not expense in order to ensure that the people charged with protecting the marine park have at their disposal equipment, vessel and training to ensure that a respectable enforcement force is able to effectively protect Tubbataha Reef from further incursion.

President Aquino should personally solve this problem as without his concerted effort and energies, nothing will improve, nothing will be done, and nothing will guarantee that adequate measures will be truly made available to protect, manage and ensure the survival of Tubbataha Reef.

US must pay More for the Damage Caused to Tubbataha Reef

The USS Guardian ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO heritage site on January 17, 2013 while sailing to Indonesia and by far, has caused reef damage to the extent of 2,345.65 square meters and fined by the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) with a USD 1.4 million fine (PHP 60 million) and according to TPAMB, is computed based on the schedule of penalties set by R.A. 10067 (Tubbataha Reefs Natural Part Act of 2009) which pegged the fine at USD 600 (PHP 24,000) per square meter of damaged reef.

The penalty however was criticized by Sen. Loren Legarda and former Sen. Jamby Madrigal as to minuscule  considering the long-term consequences of the damage, the displacement of marine animals and the length of time before the reef could repair itself. Sen. Legarda is urging that the penalty be not solely based on RA 10067 and a determination of what other possible range of violations could have been committed and other pertinent laws that may be relevant to the case.

I can only agree with the assertions of Sen. Legarda and former Sen. Madrigal, the imposed fine of USD 1.4 million is nothing compared to the insult that the US navy committed against the dignity and natural resources of the Philippines. If only due care (a report indicated that before the ship ran aground, a Tubbataha ranger radioed the ship that they were about to enter a protected site, apparently, the ship simply retorted that complaints must be coursed through the US embassy in Manila) and prudence and respect for the duly constituted authorities of the Republic of the Philippines, this should not have happened in the first place.

It is therefore just fitting, as propounded by Sen. Legarda, that further damages has to be filed, such as exemplary damages. Indeed, the officers and crew of the USS Guardian not only committed disrespectful acts against the laws of the Philippines, they also violated and disregarded, really insulted the authorities responsible for protecting the park.

The US government has to pay more, and to pay because such arrogant and despicable display of hubris against the authorities of a sovereign nation is simply unacceptable in the modern world. Pay up more AMERICA!!!

Gul Meena: A Testament to the Brutality of Religion

Gul Meena is a survivor. After nearly being bludgeoned, really stabbed to death by no less than her brother, she managed however, against all odds, to survive. As is common in many rural Muslim communities, especially in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, most specifically Pakistan and Afghanistan, she was married at an early age, in fact, Meena was married by her family when she was only 12 years old. At the time of her marriage, her husband was already 60. By her own account, she was beaten almost everyday, pleading with her family to help her, to no avail. Indeed, every time she complained, her family's consoling retort was to beat her more and scold her. When finally she mustered the courage to escape, she fled to Afghanistan. Knowing full well her family would be at her throat. She also knew that running with another man to Afghanistan would be anathema to Islamic customs - and a few days upon arrival in Afghanistan, her older brother tracked her down and with an ax, hacked her friend to death and struck her 15 times, almost killing her.

She spent days in the hospital with doctors contributing to her medication until she finally recovered. This story speaks not only of the brutality of religious traditions that have cropped up over the centuries, and none is it more gruesome and hideous than the dehumanizing constraints of Islam. Really an obscene, violent and misogynistic faith that deserves no place, no respect and no reverence in the pantheon of ideas, much more ideas that claim exclusive truths about life, salvation and death.

Gul Meena is a testament to the unassailable need that more than ever, science and reason should ever more be promoted, taught and encouraged. That secular humanism provides a better, wholistic and respectable alternative to the chronically abusive insinuations of organized religion, especially the faiths of the Abrahamic tradition. Islam can never be a religion of peace, a religion that respects women and a religion that empowers the human mind unless it is purged of its violent, medieval, feudal, ignorant and arrogant religious text.

Gul Meena is an event that happens everyday in rural Muslim countries, the fight for a secular global order must be advanced at ever more heightened intensity if we are to arrest the needless deaths of thousands of women over the world. All men are created equal. No man, either by faith, color, gender or wealth is subservient. We are all equal in our humanity. Fight for a secular humanist global order.

Brinkmanship in the Korean Peninsula

The recent jingoistic outbursts emanating from the hermit kingdom, North Korea, has somehow rattled nerves in the West, and for good reason, North Korea is and has always been an unpredictable, cryptic and mysterious state with nuclear capabilities. You never really know what they're up to, at the same time, you don't want to take unnecessary risks, nor give the impression that you are ready to be blackmailed by threats of armageddon.

Like most analysts, it is really very difficult to ascertain what the regime of Kim Jung Un truly want to achieve from his bellicose posturing, but one thing is certain, it is a calculated move by the regime to get some sort of a bargaining chip later on. A way for it to hold a leverage over the powers that be, maybe to gain more concessions on food and fuel, items which the  DPRK perennially lacks, and if not for the loyal patronage of China, would have long ago descended into chaos and comprehensive starvation.

What the west needs to do now is to show, as it has rightfully done by far, that it will and can use its considerable military resources with devastating consequences. North Korea has to be taught to grow up, and now is the time to drill that framework to Kim Jong Un. The DPRK has to be shown that juvenile, really toddler-like tantrums, will no longer be rewarded with food aid and other concessions that has by far, only served to strengthen the North's resolve that the world is there for its whims and caprices to be catered to. North Korea will never attack the U.S., South Korea or Japan for the simple reason that they know that will be the end of their state. However, the west has to take this moment to show once and for all that previous "hospitality" of the west will no longer be played with coolness without a significant improvement in the North's behavior.

Kim Jong Un is also young, restless and inching to prove his mettle among his populace and this could play well into the myth making machine of the North Korean state to portray the third Kim as a legitimate, strong and dependable leader who will lead the North to "progress and stability."

The current state of affairs more than anything shows the insecurities and fears of the North Korean regime and should be managed with care and prudence without giving the appearance of appeasing its immature and childish antics. This will just be the start of long tug-of-war with the regime of Kim Jong Un - the world will have to deal with this outbursts for many years to come.

Lessons of the Euro Experiment: Cyprus in the Crosshairs

The Euro-Cyprus saga took on a new twist when it was finally confirmed that depositors in Cyprus with more than EUR 100,000 (USD 128,000) will have to lose up to 60% of their savings. This "sovereign thievery" will consist of 37.5% conversion to bank shares and an additional 22.5% will be deducted, really stolen, from the accounts to prop up bank reserves of Cyprus' two largest banks, Bank of Cyprus and Popular Bank of Cyprus.

The repercussions of such a plan will certainly be profound and deep, not to mention the economic and financial toll it will exert on the Cyprus economy as well as the tarnished image of the Cypriot banking system that will hover for the next ten years or so at least. To prevent a bank run, Cypriot banks have instituted daily withdrawal limits for both individuals and businesses, but such measure will only delay the inevitable, after one month, when it is expected that such controls will be lifted, foreign depositors will definitely scramble to leave the Cypriot banking system - without a doubt, many for good.

The Euro's reputation as a stable and respectable international currency had nosedived since its adoption ten years ago, some pundits are even predicting that by 2020, it will be extinct. For all its recent maladies, the euro can teach the world a lot about the adoption common currencies, and one thing that screams out from the euro experiment is the undeniable fact that the adoption of a common currency will never be sustainable if the countries that form to use it are not politically, socially and economically integrated.

Unlike the United States, Europe is a patchwork of countries of differing political, social and economic shades. Northern Europe for example is politically stable, socially progressive and economically dynamic, which is exactly the opposite of the countries on its southern peripheries. Italy for example is ruled by a bunch of geriatrics with its quintessential poster boy Silvio Berlusconi and his bunga-bunga parties, has a social culture that emphasizes seniority rather than meritocracy - thus stifling creativity and the promotion of a rigid upward mobility almost tantamount to rope climbing wherein people who are young, no matter how creative and efficient, will have to defer to older seniors no matter how inept and moribund they seem. In addition, Italy is really an economically divided country dominated by the industrial north and the agricultural, crime ridden south.

In hindsight, the euro was never and can never be sustainable and one day will have to buckle under the weight of its profligate, less efficient, and less competitive southern members. Greece and Italy for example have tax collection rates that are laughable for developed countries, collecting less than 30% of their due taxable income. Greece is the ultimate example of a reckless economy who since becoming a member of the euro did nothing but spend and spend, neglecting to undertake painful but essential social and political reforms such as trimming the bloated bureaucracy and improving the tax collection system.

For its failure to truly integrate its members politically and economically at least initially, the euro was doomed to produce a Greece and a Cyprus. Where else in the world can you see a single currency valued more in one place and valued less in another when both places are using and adopting such currency than the euro in Cyprus. The euro can never succeed simply because the countries that make the eurozone are not only politically diverse, they are fundamentally culturally apprehensive to each other - with a proven history of animosity and distrust. Even Germany and France, the founding members of the euro, were at loggerheads about important policy initiatives at the start of the Greece fiasco.

In addition, Europe is linguistically as it is culturally diverse. They don't really share a shared national ethos and dream. The vested interests of each national elite where shown during the discussions to bail out Greece, with some countries opposed to giving their hard-earned money to a spendthrift economy. Europe's linguistic diversity is its greatest Achilles' heal, since it is language which gives a sense of belongingness, a sense of shared historical experience and a sense of oneness. A single currency will never be able to offer that emotional bond, since if any, it can only offer a sense of good feelings during good times, when bad weather strikes as what happened with Greece, countries in its core will naturally revert to their own national interests, a natural defensive reaction.

It is inevitable therefore that the euro will not leave up to exist to the middle of this century. It will limper for a few years or so, but ultimately, it will sink into the quagmire of repeated financial troubles that will ultimately exhaust the patience of investors and the resolve of its smorgasbord of citizens. History will judge the euro experiment as a brave endeavor, but other than that, it will go down in history as the most costly, one-sided banknote that only really benefited the rich northern countries, most especially Germany, the world's second largest exporter as of 2009.

The Cyprus saga will redound as a painful consequence of Europe's failure to have a synchronized political system that allowed certain countries to borrow their way into progress, engage in reckless expansionism and implement prudent financial practices. The massive losses that depositors in Cyprus will have to swallow will forever tarnish the Cypriot banking system and ultimately, the integrity of the euro itself.

The Gestalt Effect

Sometimes we meet people that touch our lives, arriving at moments we need them most, and forever changing our perspective of the world. The Gestalt prayer states that we encounter people purely by accident, and at times, such people make a memorable impression on our lives. It also states that we are not here to fulfill others needs, and neither are other people here to fulfill our needs. The people we meet and touch our lives, are there by the accident of time and nothing more - so it is a miracle indeed if by such encounter, they not only change our lives but we change their lives too.

Time they say waits for no one, carpe diem so the ancient Romans say, "seize the day" when opportunities come our way. For once they pass, they pass never to come our way. The great Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said that we never pass on the same river twice. Yes, the amazing people we meet in life may never come, to live those moments and savor them, is the best that we can do. For after such events pass, only memories are left behind. Residues in the face of eternity.

And as the hands of time caress the cheeks of eternity, we are but a grain of sand thrown about in the vicissitudes of existence. To meet just but one person that completes us, enlivens us, emboldens us, inspires us, holds us to touch the expanse of forever is nothing but pure bliss, eternal joy and the sweet nectar of survival. It takes no special talent, no special skill, no special knowledge to recognize when those moments have finally arrived, just the openness of the mind and the serenity of the heart to grasp in the mind that look of eternal connectedness, that sigh of togetherness, that longing for each other presence, each others touch.

But distance corrodes bonds, loosens ties, disturbs the peace of the mind unless there is that stubborn longing to reach for the others memory, extending oneself to the inescapable threat of rejection and betrayal, to fall into the biting bitterness of pain and what-ifs. No matter what the outcome, no matter how harsh the milieu, that soul mate alienated from one's being clings like a shellfish to the hardened exterior of monolithic denials.

And when finally that moment comes when we meet again, the silent hues of quivering stares and unsaid gestures beckons with a burning fire that the flames have never become embers but a roaring inferno of unclenched love gasping for the oxygen of that disemboweling stare and that skinning breath so close yet so unsatisfying for the desperate longing for moments gone and past. Just a touch and a look and death is a welcome relief to another separation from you.

Quibid.com: The Bargain, bargain shopping alternative

I recently came upon a website called Quibid as it was featured in a news article at CNN.com that sells brand new products at too-good-to-be-true prices that are in fact truly true! It's actually a bidding website, think e-Bay but only for new, factory sealed products. You can buy products for way much less than their regular retail prices, and all are brand new! How's that?

This is how it works:

1. You sign up to be a member of the site (unfortunately, as of now, it is only available in seven countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States).

2. Once signed up, you can use your account to bid for brand new, factory sealed products. The starting bids are of course unbelievably lower than the price the website pays for the products themselves. How do they do this? Well, they charge a small fee every time an account bids for a product. If, say, there are at least ten bidders, all of them will be charged a "bidding fee" so to speak, that helps cover for the product cost.

3. Once a bid is placed, there is an amount of time by which other bidders can tender bids. If no bids are placed, the highest bidder by far will get the product.

4. Those who fail to win the bid product can use the fee they paid for bidding said product to buy another of that same product without bidding, using the bid fee as a discount on the purchase.

5. Shipping is within 48 hours. Unlike e-Bay, where product shipments are dependent on the seller discretion, this site offers to deliver said product within the said 48 hours. Cool huh.

Game of Thrones producers replaces Peter Dinklage

I was aghast when I read a report that Peter Dinklage will be replaced as Tyrion Lannister in the upcoming season 4 of the critically acclaimed TV series "Game of Thrones." The producers reportedly want to transform Tyrion from the fastidiously cunning, intelligent and witty master manipulator of the House of Lannister to something funny. FUNNY? Whaaaaat!!!!! So the producers wanted a comical Tyrion, typically stereotypical of little persons who are most often, if portrayed in movies and tv shows, cast in a farcical light. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister is actually a departure, and a good one at that, from the usual buffonic representation of little persons. And frankly, why would they want Tyrion to be portrayed in a funnier light? Game of Thrones is a dark, gloomy show that encapsulates the perennial human tendency to seek power for powers sake, to gratify that most banal of human frailties, wealth, sex and the indulging of our hedonistic inclinations. Such human characteristics is best captured, modulated, regulated and I say, masterfully directed and re-directed by Tyrion Lannister as portrayed by Peter Dinklage into something that harks at our subliminal desires. This is finesse and if it were a food, Peter's Tyrion is like chocolate souffle, you want more of it regardless of the calories it adds!

In this light, Warwick Davis, a comedian, will take Peter's place as Tyrion Lannister. Honestly, I am not too excited by the producers decision, and hopefully, Warwick will handle Tyrion in an intelligently funny, crafty and most of all, subtly dark way. Otherwise, Tyrion will just be another clown misplaced in a show obstinately dark and brutish. Anyway, let's say if the comical intent of the producers in the re-casted Tyrion Lannister will be comically relevant to the plot of season 4 or merely an irritating distraction to an otherwise beloved character - or is this the producers' way of killing off Tyrion throughout the season 4. Damn.

TV SHOW REVIEW: The Walking Dead S03E16 (Finale)

I have been excitedly anticipating the season finale of The Walking Dead for the past week. I was expecting a pretty gruesome and jaw lacerating ending to season 3 (pun intended) and when finally I saw the cold opening, I was glued to the computer monitor as I have ever been in my life.

Talking to a friend three days ago about the impending finale, I told him I was expecting, although hoping to be wrong, that Michonne would be killed. Thankfully, I was wrong. Andrea committed suicide before the bite of Milton would turn her into a walker, who was stabbed by the Governor for refusing to kill Andrea and was eventually turned to a walker. Andrea had always hoped to end the bloodshed and worked to no avail to fulfill such ends. In her quest to keep the peace, and avoid any more needless deaths than has already happened, she in effect contributed to the deaths of many more people, among which are the raiding team assembled by the Governor to kill the residents of the abandoned prison, all but three survived. The one kid of the Governor's raiding team who somehow strayed into the group of Hershel and Carl was shot point blank by Carl.

Carl is increasingly becoming a cold person. He blames Rick for being indecisive and as such, allowed Merle to be killed by the Governor. In his mind, if Rick had killed the Governor when they met in the barn, Merle could have been saved. At the end of the show, when the surviving residents of Woodbury were brought to the prison as part of the group, Carl showed his displeasure at such happening. Clearly he was not happy at all to add more people into the group.

After murdering his raiding team for chickening out from the prison assault, the Governor takes off with his two remaining loyalist henchmen. Season 4 will definitely open with the Governor at a prominent light. To settle once and for all the feud between Rick and the Governor, the prison survivors decides to take the fight to Woodbury, Maggie opposes such move and but Rick decides to go for it. Maggie and Glenn opts to remain in the prison. In the end, Rick, Michonne and Daryl make the go for Woodbury. Along the way, they encounter the massacred remains of the raiding team and find one survivor who accompany them to Woodbury. After a short fire-fight, Rick's group surrenders and through the remaining survivor, convinces the two defenders (who were previous residents of the prison) to allow them in where they find Andrea in one of the rooms dying from a walker bite. Andrea decides to take her life as Michonne holds her.

Andrea's naivety cost her dearly for it eventually contributed to her death and that of Milton not to mention a dozen men and women massacred by the Governor for backing out of the fight in the prison. The Governor showed that early on, he was nothing but motivated by a selfish mission to find a cure for his kid and Woodbury was mere cover to carry out his plan successfully. He never really cared about the other people in Woodbury. His penchant for murder and his obsession with control showed his dictatorial bent guised as a humanitarian exterior displays.

Great finale for a great show!

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Evacuate Earth (2012)

A National Geographic Documentary entitled "Evacuate Earth" which was first shown in 2012 recently came to my attention. It is the stuff of which apocalyptic movies, books and theories are made up, but one which will without a doubt some day come upon humankind. The documentary starts with the emergence of a  neutrino star so massive, so powerful that it would rip galaxies, solar systems and planets that comes its way. The neutrino star is discovered 75 years before its rendezvous with earth and in that duration, mankind is beset with the challenge of building a ship so big yet self-sustaining to carry at least 500,000 select samples of humanity chosen for their physical and genetic robustness in the hope of carrying on human civilization in a distant, far-away planet more or less similar to earth.

The documentary presents the most important challenge that humanity has to solve, how to build a massive ship that is self-sustaining and how to power such ship. Second challenge, who will qualify to board the ship? How will it choose who will go on to continue the human race and who will remain on earth.

During the last ten years before the calculated arrival of the neutrino star, the star ship is almost complete and man has designed a ship that has a rotating barrel shaped body to simulate gravity and a massive lighting system running in the middle of the barrel to simulate the sun. It is powered by some sort of plasma mechanism. The people on board are chosen based on their genetic health and physical fitness to ensure a healthy genetic diversity for the next generation of mankind and of course, to ensure that those who do board the ship has the physical stamina to endure the long trek to the next habitable planet.

Of course many questions will arise such as the fact that inevitably, those who have power and wealth will have an inordinate influence in the selection of people who will board the ship. This cannot be avoided and can only be mitigated. However, a genetic survey of all of earth's human population will be conducted to ensure that a representative sample of humanity can be taken and a variegated genetic stock is maintained, this will guarantee higher chances of producing healthy, disease resistant human beings. A quest to maintain the survival of our species no matter what.

The documentary ends with the ship finally arriving in a new planet somewhat similar to earth and the descent of the descendants of those who initially embarked on the journey. It should be noted that most of those who initially began the journey will have by now died, survived by the children who began the journey or those born on the ship. Actually the documentary ends after 88 years of space travel. Of course, this is a very liberal computation. As of date, we have not established and discovered a space body similar to earth that can conclusively sustain human life as similar as what earth is. I suspect that if such an event were to really happen, the journey will be much, much longer.

It's a beautiful documentary, fitting indeed as the Christian world celebrates on of its most important events, the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. One day, our planet earth will indeed have to be abandoned. Man will have no choice but to seek refuge in another foreign body - that will be humanity's greatest passion, in the ensuing catastrophe that is the destruction of earth, many humans will perish and hopefully, humanity's resurrection will be brought upon by those of us who will undertake the long space journey to continue the drama that is human life - something so unique, so precious in this part of our galaxy. A creature that is intelligent, passionate and fearless in its determination to conquer the limitations of being.

I hope people will watch this documentary, if only because it stirs in us that ultimate question: What is life?