Before they changed the world: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney. Where’s Ringo?
Original image from beatlesource.com
via Wired
SELLING NOYNOY
November 5, 2009Conrado de Quiros, a favorite columnist, is telling his readers, what you do not see in Noynoy Aquino, his choice for President, is what you get. If this is how one should endorse Noynoy to the voters, I wonder. I do not see a lot of things and I shudder at the prospect. You make your dead parents’ attributes your main selling point, to compensate for what you do not have and what we do not see, what kind of presidency will you lead?
Any which way you cut or turn it around, de Quiros’ argument could be shortened to this: that we can trust Noynoy to become our President as he is the son of Ninoy and Cory and he would not dare tarnish the image of his revered parents, and would endeavor to equal or surpass them. How he came to that conclusion, I am amazed. He need not go far for clues, only take a cursory glance at Kris, Noynoy’s celebrity sister, because if we go by what passes for our amateur understanding of genetics, and the cultivated image of Cory the saint and Ninoy the martyr, Kris is somebody else’s daughter! Indeed, they say that the fruit does not fall far from the tree. I do not know, but of good children from bad parents or mediocre kids from brilliant parents and vice versa, I know quite a few within my own shifting social circles over the years to put doubt to whatever wisdom there is in the saying. Still, if we go by that route of reasoning, that the parents reflect on the offspring, why, it should be equally true that the children reflect on the parents. Yet how; if you did not know Kris to be the daughter of Cory and Ninoy, met her elsewhere in another dimension, and made to divine what sort of personalities her parents are by the traits you observe of her, you think you would make a close guess?
Same with Noynoy.
The first thing you think of when Cory and Ninoy are mentioned is that Noynoy cannot afford to tarnish their names by going wayward. The second thing you think of is that he cannot afford not to try to be as good as, if not better than, them. Either way, it cannot hurt his capacity to govern, or the public’s perception of it, that he falls under that shadow. It is not a burden, it is a gift.
Right now, one wonders aloud what the hell was his problem. Blessed as he should be with all the opportunities in the world that was his for the taking, silver spoon on his mouth, for all of 49 years, and still not a hint he is his father’s and mother’s son, save for the faint physical resemblances and the inherited surname! As a reflection, he puts them down. See what’s wrong there? An inferior standing for a superior exalts the former– always. But by so much contrast, it disparages the latter, if unwittingly, and, horrors! it reflects badly on the myth.
Speaking of inherited traits, one person comes to mind: Claudio Teehankee Jr, the convicted murderer. Is he not the favorite son and namesake of the revered Supreme Court Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee?
In any case, I go by what old and grizzled political combatants say, that the presidency is destiny. If Noynoy should win, perhaps, it is for one divine purpose: to unravel once and for all the so-called Aquino Legacy. To the eternal glory– or eternal shame– of the forces behind him.
NINOY AQUINO AT YOUTUBE
October 23, 2009My first time to have Ninoy Aquino viewed in one full speech. A speech delivered in Los Angeles in 1983. He was assassinated months later.
part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9.
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Writer F. Sionil Jose has some interesting revelations on Ninoy Aquino in Rizal, Ninoy and Revolution:
1. Ninoy believed only a revolution could cure the chronic ills of Philippine society, but wrestled with how it could be achieved with just a few hundreds dead.
2. It was Ninoy who introduced Dante Buscayno, the leader of the NPA, to Joma Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
3. Ninoy Aquino was indeed supporting the NPA, this according to Victor Corpuz.
All along I thought Ferdinand Marcos and his minions were weaving outrageous tales out of nowhere just to keep an innocent man in prison. Interestingly, Joma Sison himself recently confirmed that he was a frequent visitor in the Aquino home and he and Ninoy had a working relationship in the campaign to oust Marcos. Now, how far did Ninoy go in that working relationship and how much did the communist movement gain in the alliance?
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Ninoy Aquino was emphatic he was not a communist. Maybe so. You need not subscribe to Mao and Stalin to get in agreement to the communists’ diagnosis as to what is wrong to Philippine society in general. Even the idea of violence to bring about change is no monopoly of communists. But was he not indeed actively pursuing his idea of a revolution then by pulling together essential elements into his orbit— for a start, an armed component in the NPA and a theoretical mooring in the CPP through Kumander Dante and Joma Sison?
Clearly, as the end of Marcos’ second term neared, it was becoming certain Ninoy Aquino would succeed him, winning the then-upcoming elections hands down. But, alas, Marcos would not let him, first, through a Constitutional Convention but unsuccessfully, then through Martial Law, his last option, this time successfully. Bad, bad Marcos, Ninoy’s ambitions and intentions, he frustrated them altogether.
Curiously, had Ninoy become President, what would have been the role of Dante Buscayno and Joma Sison in his government? Hard to tell but in those times when events like the First Quarter Storm were viewed as something historic and communism as a concept was at its apex that to be a communist was hip, the unimaginable was possible. Is this why the connection of Ninoy with these two men is hardly ever mentioned?
We can never know but speculate on one man’s motivations. So easy to say that Marcos was nothing but a power-hungry rascal. Or for that matter Ninoy was the God-sent emancipator of the people. Not that simple, people!
9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB?
October 19, 2009The attack on the World Trade Center alone was unimaginably diabolical enough. But add getting the sense that authorities in government themselves were part of the conspiracy, you need changing your definition of evil.
Watch this, make your judgment.
Related post: Nine Eleven and the World Trade Center
THEY WHO CONTROL THE WORLD
October 15, 2009“They who have the gold make the rules…”
An enlightening docu on the manipulative powers of international bankers, from long way past to the present.
TYPHOON ONDOY: VIEWS FROM ABOVE
October 2, 2009NASA 3D map shows Typhoon Ondoy as it batters Manila.
The red areas are where the rains were heaviest.
After the rains…
Image from the Big Picture
HEROES
September 29, 2009Heroes of the flood. Great souls.
For the people of Sta. Monica in Novaliches, this Quezon City judge on a Jet Ski who plucked dozens of residents from swirling flood waters on Saturday is “Superman.”
“I was so shocked by the situation when I heard that around 150 houses were already flooded,” said Judge Ralph Lee of Regional Trial Court Branch 83.
“I heard that so many families were already stranded on their rooftops because water from the Tullahan River was already overflowing,” Lee, 49, told the Inquirer.
Lee drove from his Fairview home for the stricken community 30 minutes away with his personal water craft, life vests and two rubber boats he used on weekend wakeboarding sorties and mobilized a rescue effort that saved 100 lives.
There were other super heroes, like Muelmar Magallanes, a powerful swimmer who braved rampaging floods to save more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his life in a last trip to rescue a baby girl who was being swept away on a styrofoam box.
Family members and people whom Magallanes saved hailed on Monday the 18-year-old construction worker a hero, as his body lay in a coffin at a makeshift evacuation center near their destroyed riverside village in Quezon City.
“I am going to be forever grateful to Muelmar. He gave his life for my baby. I will never forget his sacrifice,” said Menchie Peñalosa, the mother of the 6-month-old girl whom he carried to safety before being swept away himself.
From 4 p.m. to midnight, Judge Lee combed the neighborhood 10 feet under water for trapped residents, each time loading at least three people on his machine and taking them to a bakery on high ground at the Palmera 4 subdivision, where his rescue effort was centered.
He personally took 32 people, mostly women and children, to safety.
“It probably took me around 20 plus trips to do that,” Judge Lee said.
“In the evening, the residents were able to help me rescue more people when the rubber boats came … We had no light except a flashlight provided by a homeowner,” he added.
With his son Ram and other homeowners, the effort brought some 100 people to safer ground.
Hero in his own right
Judge Lee recalled that at one point, the current was so strong that the Jet Ski flipped over, sending him and his passengers into the water.
“Luckily, I was able to get on my feet and turn it over again. Sometimes debris and trash would jam the Jet Ski and it would stop functioning,” Lee said, adding that he had to clean it out several times.
“They applauded later. One even called me ‘Superman,’” he said. “I was so carried away by the very sad situation. I could have probably saved more if the Jet Ski’s propeller didn’t get clogged, but I’m happy that I’ve done something.”
Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. called the judge “a hero in his own right.”
“He really sprang into action and got the residents moving to save their neighbors,” said the Quezon City mayor.
Trapped on rooftops
Magallanes was at home in Barangay Bagong Silangan on Saturday with his family when the heaviest rains in more than 40 years hit Metro Manila.
At first the family, long used to heavy rains, paid little attention to the storm.
But Magallanes and his father quickly decided to evacuate the family once they realized the river 800 meters away had burst its banks.
With the help of an older brother, Magallanes tied a string around his waist and attached it one-by-one to his three younger siblings, whom he took to higher ground. Then he came back for his parents.
But Magallanes, a strong swimmer, decided to go back for neighbors trapped on rooftops.
He ended up making many trips, and eventually saved more than 30 people from drowning, witnesses and survivors said.
One last rescue
Tired and shivering, Magallanes was back on higher ground with his family when he heard Peñalosa screaming as she and her baby were being swept away on the styrofoam box they were using in an attempt to cross the swift currents.
He dived back in after the mother and daughter, who were already a few meters away and bobbing precariously among the debris floating on the brown water.
“I didn’t know that the current was so strong. In an instant, I was under water. We were going to die,” Peñalosa said, her eyes welling with tears and voice choking with emotion.
“Then this man came from nowhere and grabbed us. He took us to where the other neighbors were, and then he was gone,” Peñalosa said.
She and other witnesses said an exhausted Magallanes was simply washed away amid the torrent of water.
Incredibly brave
Neighbors found his body on Sunday, along with 28 others who perished in the flooding.
Standing next to his coffin, Magallanes’ parents paid tribute to their son.
“He always had a good heart,” said his father, Samuel.
His mother, Maria Luz, wept as she described her son as incredibly brave.
“He saved so many people, but ended up not being able to save himself.”
IMMORTALITY IN 20 YEARS?
September 25, 2009Should I get excited?
Human immortality could be as close as twenty years away, says scientist Ray Kurzweil.
“I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.”Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively.“Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen.
“Heart-attack victims – who haven’t taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts – will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive.
“Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes.
“If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening.
“So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs.”
Image from www.cyberartsweb.com
UNDERSTANDING MEN
September 23, 2009Got this from Malaya’s Dahli Aspillera, a guide for understanding men.
These are guy rules!
Please note…these are all deliberately numbered “1.”
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something. Or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine… really.
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, or golf.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.
(Thanks, Ms. Dahli!)
A NAUGHTY YOUTUBE
September 18, 2009I loved to draw as a kid. I grew up a pervert. No wonder I get drawn to videos like this.
AHA! SO THIS IS HOW THEY BUILD SKYSCRAPERS
September 13, 2009Have always been baffled by how they manage to build those tall buildings. I had my education on this animation.
MARCOS WEALTH: THE ENRIQUE ZOBEL DEPOSITION
September 10, 2009Two days ago, Noynoy Aquino announced his desire to run for President with a promise that if he ever gets to win he would run after the fabled Marcos wealth and finally put a closure to the case– for the reason that justice demands so.
To be sure, his own mother, Cory Aquino, started her own hunting during her term as President but had little to show six years after.
Well, I thought that I might be able to contribute to the quest, for the love of country and for the sake of justice, so off I went sit down in front of my PC and googled “Marcos wealth”.
I found this: the deposition of Mr. Enrique Zobel given in Hawaii in October 1999 to the Blue Ribbon Committee then-headed by Senator Aquilino Pimentel
A quick summary of the long document:
According to Enrique Zobel, Ferdinand Marcos in his dying days, had wanted to settle the problem concerning his controversial wealth and sought Zobel’s help. With Zobel, a foundation to be chaired by a Vatican representative was worked out posthaste to facilitate the process of disposition. Marcos had demanded only two conditions: his burial in the Philippines and the immunity of his family. The term of sharing: 10% for the Marcos family, 10% for the Vatican, 1% for the Marcos loyalists in Hawaii, for others, Zobel could not recall, the bigger remainder, for “schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and agriculture”. Unfortunately, the foundation never got off because of his illness— his doctors would not certify to his lucidity as a signatory to a legally-binding agreement.
Zobel estimated the Marcos wealth at a staggering $100 billion (!!!) spread out in different countries. Marcos, he testified, had claimed his riches came partly from the Yamashita treasure which he had accumulated during the war.
Zobel had the impression that the Cory government was not doing enough then “for reasons she alone could explain” to recover those so-called hidden wealth. His suspicion was that powerful people were at work frustrating the settlement because they wanted to corner and divvy up the fortune among themselves.
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(There are many interesting side details but I leave them out for now.)
Incredible and unbelievable indeed, yet what was giving weight to the story was the reputation of Zobel himself. As far as I could recall now, when the deposition hit the headlines then, to discredit his revelations, they attributed his fantastic claims to senility and illness, never to ill motives.
Today as the son of Cory Aquino is being groomed to be the next President of the Philippines and he saying he will pursue this case to its closure, perhaps a revisit of Zobel’s deposition could be a good point to start again.
It’s damning any which way. Twenty three years or so of hunting with a piddling to show– it does not speak well of will, competence and intent of succeeding administrations. Now, if indeed all these came from looting the treasury, as his enemies assert to this day, what superhuman genius are we attributing to this man– two decades dead– that no clearer trail could be established from source to hiding place even now? As much as I know, all governments thereafter were practically begging for his family’s help. We are battling with a corpse long decomposed, for God’s sake!
STUNNING ZOOM-IN VIDEOS
September 9, 2009Zooming into human body parts from ordinary view down to the microscopic level.
From dailymotion.com
NOYNOY ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL BID
September 9, 2009This morning, I caught on ANC the tail-end of the presscon of Noynoy Aquino announcing his intention to run for President of the Philippines in 2010 at Club Filipino, heeding thus the “call of the people”.
My impressions and short notes:
1. He was not reluctant. No, definitely, he was not.
2. He’s articulate, which to me is a revelation because I never caught him talking that much on TV before. More practice, he could be like Ninoy, at least in that department.
3. His open-mouthed countenance will be the first thing for impersonators to make fun of.
4. When asked about how he is going to fight corruption, he offered how her mother was never corrupt. The necessary followup question, that pertaining to the so called Kamag-anak Incorporated, that notorious cabal of relatives in his mother’s time, did not come. We have long been using the stick formula, he said; we should be using the carrot-and-stick formula more.
5. When called to comment about the state of justice in the Philippines, he cited as example the case of Antonio Trillanes as one case of serious injustice. Maybe so, but the comment hit me more as a calibrated appeal to the followers of the senator. Smart and ingenious!
6. He took a dig on the cases of alleged hidden wealth of the late President Ferdinand Marcos as another case of injustice to the people these cases having remained unsolved in the courts for too long. Interesting to see how the Marcoses, who have initially expressed support for his candidacy, will react. Of the Aquino children, Noynoy was the least conciliatory to the Marcos family.
7. Where was Kris?
8. What’s his plan for the Hacienda Luisita, btw?
PAUL KRUGMAN: WHAT WENT WRONG
September 7, 2009How did economists get it so wrong?
Because they thought they got it all figured out, but no!
In the same manner the hard sciences have not found their Unified Theory of Everything, economics as a science is nowhere any closer to its own.
AMAZING CROP CIRCLES
September 6, 2009Crop circles are a big mystery. Man-made hoaxes or messages from out there, they make excellent design ideas for carpets, tattoos, T-shirts, tapestry, even company logos.
OMG, MIKEY ARROYO!
September 3, 2009Mikey Arroyo explains how he earned his millions. Not for those with cardiovascular problems.
WHY NOYNOY AQUINO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT
September 3, 2009
Main reasons convincing some people why Noynoy Aquino should be the next president of the Philippines:
1. He is reluctant.
2. He is the son of Ninoy Aquino.
3. He is the son of Cory Aquino.
Nothing follows.
WIRELESS ELECTRICITY IS HERE SOON!
August 26, 2009Those ugly tangled web of wires overhead will soon be gone for good and what a better sight our cities would be. So with those ones worming themselves in and out of the electric sockets into the home appliances. Amazingly, it is actually a hundred year old technology, courtesy of a genius named Nikolai Tesla, that never took off .
Eric Giler wants to untangle our wired lives with cable-free electric power. Here, he covers what this sci-fi tech offers, and demos MIT’s breakthrough version, WiTricity — a near-to-market invention that may soon recharge your cell phone, car, pacemaker.
