Almond's Confession and Special Request
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Joseph Almond, a fellow blogspot blogger, recently posted a blog at fbinformant.blogspot.com and he mentioned disturbing issues - he needs help, preferably a gun, to end his life.
Written in e-mail format with subject line "Blogger needs a gun - pass it on ". It mentioned there that he was a private investigator since 1978, testified at an arson/murder trial 16 months ago and the perp was sent off to serve 45 years without possibility of parole. And, exactly one year after he testified, two men gunned him down, made him paralyzed from the upper waist down. Hopeless in his life, his wife abandoned him - took his credit cards and cleaned out their checking account. He attempted to commit suicide many times.
In his second e-mail with subject line, "Human chip implants coming - what to do?" He blogged that,
"I don't want to live. Not just because I can no longer walk, work and enjoy normal life... but because in my investigations I discovered a frightful plan to enslave mankind by 2006."
Whether he's telling the truth or not, you are invited to check out his blog. It has links to:
- IRS WHISTLEBLOWER
- RFID CHIP RESISTANCE
- HUMAN IMPLANT CHIPS
See Related Site:
I didn't like to think that the issue PGMA is pushing for a single national ID system for all citizens despite legal obstacles and objections from human rights groups has RFID. This is very alarming...
See Related Site:
Gruesome Souvenir - Invasion of the BodySnatchers
Want to travel to ever more exotic holiday destinations? Beware! You have to read BBC's News Health (25NOV2003) Article before planning for a vacation: Invasion of the Bodysnatchers
While Tanya Andrews was enjoying a family holiday in Costa Rica,
a mosquito had delivered a tiny botfly egg onto the surface of her scalp,
hatched into a maggot and burrowed deep inside her head.
Today is ANDRES BONIFACIO DAY
ANDRES BONIFACIO, Founder of The Katipunan, was born to Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro, a Spanish mestiza, in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863 and died on May 10, 1897 at the age of 33.
To remember Andres Bonifacio on his 140th birth anniversary is to rekindle in us his ideals - Liberty, Equality, and the Brotherhood of Men - a man of action, a great organizer, an indefatigable worker, and selfless Filipino who sacrificed his life to see his beloved Motherland freed from foreign domination. Source: Manila Bulletin Editorial
RELATED TOPICS:
Blog Transferred Successfully!
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Finally, all my blog's images and archive files were completely backed up and uploaded successfully with the help of Jelyn Amores, tech support of info.com.ph. I had difficulty setting up Blogger FTP Publishing and I was lucky, Jelyn, guided me through.
Since yahoo advised me that they ONLY honor US credit cards like VISA, MASTERCARD and DISCOVERY, I had thought of downgrading Yahoo! PRO service to GeoCities Plus and keep my geocities.com/lady_laila site instead as my default homepage URL. I love to keep my Geocities Home page but Free account does not allow image loading to blogspot and other sites like Ryze. Now, to those who bookmarked lady-laila.biz, kindly update its URL on or before December 5th, thank you!
Michael is the sponsor of lady-laila.biz domain name - thank you, Michael, for your generosity! I hope, someday, Yahoo! GeoCities will consider accepting payments through PayPal.
B2C works: Yehey! reports
Top Philippine Internet portal and online community Yehey! reported a 100 percent increase in user base and merchant affiliates since launching its PayPlus+.
PayPlus+ is a web-based payment gateway that allows users to make online purchases using ATM cards. All local online residents who are not yet a yehey! e-Access user, you may SIGN UP NOW! UCPB depositors can avail 1Time: provides secure and private payment anytime, anywhere. Visit 1Time FAQS and check out UCPB's List of Providers for more details.
Wish I Could Run For President... Part II
| PGMA Website | Lacson Website | Roco Website | FPJM Website |
ARTICLE VII EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT Section 2:
No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election.
Suggested Reference:
Measure your Digital IQ
Friday, November 28, 2003
I wonder what is the perfect score but, I am happy I got 185 digital IQ score, and considered a digital ace both in practice and theory!
Measure your Digital IQ!
Microsoft to set up MSN Philippines soon
MICROSOFT Corp.'s online portal -- MSN (Microsoft Network) -- is set to launch MSN Philippines that aims to target the growing population of Filipino online users as reported by Erwin Lemuel G. Oliva of Philippine Daily Inquirer (Inq7):
- In Asia, MSN currently has specific portals for China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
- MSN has localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 20 languages.
- MSN has currently more than 350 million users worldwide.
- Microsoft: There are 164,391 active unique users of MSN Instant Messenger service in the Philippines.
- Microsoft: There are 483,528 MSN Hotmail active accounts that are registered to Philippine-based subscribers.
- The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company will be the first MSN Philippines pioneer advertising partner (according to Claro Carmelo Ramirez, senior vice president of PLDT).
I have one Hotmail and 2 MSN accounts but I seldom use them because of security flaws and spam mailers disappointed me. Besides, since the latest MSN version of Messenger had been installed in my PC, I had problem logging in. I was not sure if it was blocked by my firewall or because I run it on win98 OS.
The Firm Update
Thursday, November 27, 2003
It's been a week since I started The Firm low impact aerobic workout and completed 6 days, I missed 1 day when I went to Jenny's birthday party yesterday. As I weighed in this morning, I'm one pound lighter at 147 lbs. with body mass index (bmi) of 24.5 . I had been drinking lots of water to suppress my food cravings and, food in-take had been limited to give myself more time to carry out my exercise. Target weight loss is 18 lbs. -- this means I need 17 weeks to be in great shape!
Click here to get your bmi
In BBC news article (25NOV2003), they featured Mr Prahlad Jani, a holy man, or fakir, who is over 70 years old - claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is still in perfect health. This Indian hermit claims he was blessed by a goddess at the age of eight and has lived in caves ever since.
Wherever the said Goddess this fakir mentioned in his story, I wish she will visit me one of these days and will bless me too... but, it's fine with me to stay home instead of living with bats (in a cave) - it has not been in my wild adventure list, anyway... [wink]
WANTED: Female Volunteers For Orgasm Implant
In a BBC newsletter yesterday, Dr Stuart Meloy, from North Carolina, a scientist claiming to have invented a device which produces orgasms at the touch of a button can't find women to help him conduct trials into it.
- The implant, inserted under the skin at the base of the spine, triggers a reflex response to produce sensation.
- The US Food and Drug Administration has approved trials of the device, but this cannot go ahead until enough volunteers have been found.
"What worries me is that it may be male pressure on women which prompts them to seek this kind of solution out."
Glyn Hudson Allez, psychosexual counsellor
Sarah Creighton, a consultant gynaecologist at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London, told BBC: "Female sexual dysfunction is so poorly understood, and it is likely there is a big psychological component in many cases. "
Hey, this is my chance to be famous, want me to volunteer? Uhmmmm... however, I don't think I need it yet at the moment.
On Thanksgiving Day
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Today is Jenny's birthday, the daughter of my sister Neth.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNY!
It is ironic that not too many Filipinos are aware when is the national Thanksgiving Day be celebrated. But when it comes to Philippine Feasts and Festival Celebrations, having 7,107 islands, celebrations are held in different parts of the country. A Compilation of Major Fiestas in the Philippines
Thanksgiving Day in the Philippines is celebrated on September 21, although this day conflicts with July 4th, the country's former Independence day and now the American-Filipino Friendship Day (also Independence Day Anniversary of the Americans).
Since 1962, we celebrated the true date of our independence, on June 12, under Republic Act No. 4166 which changed the date of Philippine independence day from July 4 to June 12 - thanks to the vision and patriotic efforts of one man, Prof. Gabriel F. Fabella of Romblon.
Prof. Fabella's original proposal was to make the Fourth of July Thanksgiving Day in the Philippines.
Why June 12? On this day in 1898, the Filipino people solemnly and publicly declared their independence from Spanish colonial rule.
Why not July 4? On this day in 1946, the government of the United States of America under the Tydings-Mcduffie law (for the adoption of a constitution later to be known as the 1935 Philippine Constitution, for a Commonwealth Government starting 1935) "merely recognized" the independence of the Philippines. Source: Long Live America! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! by Rinzi Fadrilan
On September 21, 1974, Anniversary of the declaration of martial law. Marcos issues Presidential Decree 557 creating the barangay as the smallest form of government. This, according to the decree, would enable citizens to take part in the shaping of government policies. September 21 henceforth becomes Barangay Day. Source: The Beginning of the Revolution: Timeline of Rebellion
Marcos proclaimed September 21 as the national thanksgiving day to conceal the repressive character of the New Society. Source: Why Commemmorate July 4? By Mong Palatino
Anyway, whether it's Thanksgiving Day or Eid al Fitr, everyday is a holiday and we should always thank the Loving Light for all the blessings we enjoy.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO ALL!!!
Third Generation (3G) Wireless Communication
With the availability of Sony Ericsson P900 and other new smartphones in the local market this month -- I believe buying the latest model isn't a wise investment until the launching of 3G mobile technology by next year, here in the Philippines.
The Wireless world is experiencing a revolution;
with the imminent introduction of 3rd generation (3G) technology
based on Wide Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA)
Erwin Lemuel G. Oliva of Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Gov't rules on 3G ready by 2004:
THE NATIONAL Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has formed a five-man committee to work on government rules on third-generation (3G) mobile services, a top official said during the second annual IT forum of the IT Journalist Association of the Philippines or Cyberpress.
Edgardo Cabarios, director for common carrier of the NTC said that the rules will likely determine how many local players will be allowed to enter the Philippine 3G market, given the limited spectrum allocation for the next-generation mobile service. He also said the rules will also decide whether to allow existing operators to participate in the planned bidding of the 3G frequencies. READ MORE
E. L. Oliva also reported that RP cellular operators still reluctant to move to 3G:
Citing the European experience with 3G, both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications believe that there is still money to be made out of the existing networks.
Ramon Isberto, head of public affairs of Smart Communications, stressed that the "jury is still out for 3G" and there is still issue of handset availability -- "We're not in a rush to go to 3G although we're also closely watching the market."
Nicanor Santiago III, wireless business development head of Globe Telecom, also agreed that the availability of handsets, and cost related to moving to 3G networks, remain the major issues in migrating to faster networks -- "It's not easy to get into 3G.". FULL STORY
Meanwhile, in Japan
Third generation (3G) wireless networks deliver datarates on the order of 64 kbps for upload and on the order of 200 kbps for download. These higher speeds allow the transmission of video and two-way video telephony. Other data connections, e.g. download of information or JAVA applets, are also several times faster on 3G networks than on older 2G networks. READ MORE
3G wireless communications FAQ
I believe it is about time that local cellular providers upgrade their service to a faster third-generation (3G) digital cellular technology. While Wireless Japan 2003 Trade Show (Tokyo, July 16-18, 2003) highlights Robots and Mobile Phones, the Philippines was busy with:
It is very unfortunate that while Filipinos have to rely on SMS -- making us the SMS capital of the world -- due to sub-standard voice communications, Japanese enjoy videoconferencing on their 3G digital phones even while in bullet train. Full Story.
Celebrating the End of Ramadan, Eid Mubarak!
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Enclopedia.com: Ramadan, (rämädän´, rămedän´) , in Islam , the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which all Muslims must fast during the daylight hours. Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast. There are only a few who are exempt, e.g., soldiers, the sick, and the young. Because of the purely lunar calendar, Ramadan falls in different seasons.
The final day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, is celebrated by a day of feasting. The first revelation of the Qur'an is commemorated in this month.
Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which in 2003 occurs on November 26. Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.
A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to mosques. Source: Factmonster.com
This year Ramadan precedes Christmas and overlaps Hanukkah. But while in many places these holidays have become widely commercialized, Ramadan retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God). Source: Factmonster.com
Michael Jackson's Official Press Room
Monday, November 24, 2003
CNN QuickNews: For those who love Michael Jackson, please be informed that he launched (on Monday) a Web site dedicated to countering the accusations against him -- in his words, "a big lie." Jackson said the Web site - www.MJnews.us - would be "a source of official communications".
W O R D S . . .
A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back. But they were said impulsively in a moment of thoughtlessness, and as close as she and her friend were, she didn't consider the effects of her words before hand.
What she said hurt the friend so much that this good woman was herself hurt for the pain she caused. In her effort to undo what she had done, she went to an older, wiser woman in the village, explained her situation, and asked for advice.
The older woman listened patiently in an effort to determine just how sincere the younger woman was, how far she was willing to go to correct the situation. She explained that sometimes, in order to put things back in order, great efforts must be made.
She then asked, "Just what would you be willing to do to repair the harm done?"
The answer was heartfelt. "Anything!"
Listening to her, the older woman sensed the younger woman's distress and knew she must help her. She also knew she could never alleviate her pain by living her life for her, but she could teach, if the younger woman would first listen and then learn. She knew the outcome would depend solely on the character of the younger woman.
She said, "There are two things you need to do to make amends. The first of the two is extremely difficult. Tonight, take your best feather pillows and open a small hole in each one. Then, before the sun rises, you must put a single feather on the doorstep of each house in town. When you are through, come back to me. If you've done the first thing completely, I'll tell you the second."
The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore, even though the pillows were very dear to her and very expensive. All night long, she labored alone in the cold. She went from doorstep to doorstep, taking care not to overlook a single house. Her fingers were frozen, the wind was so sharp it caused her eyes to water, but she ran on through the darkened streets, thankful there was something she could do to put things back the way they once were.
Finally as the sky was getting light, she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman. She was exhausted but relieved that her efforts would be rewarded.
"My pillows are empty. I placed a feather on the doorstep of each home."
"Now," said the wise woman, "Go back and refill your pillows. Then everything will be as it was before."
The young woman was stunned. "You know that's impossible! The wind blew away each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps! You didn't say I had to get them back! If this is the second requirement, then things will never be the same."
"That's true," said the older woman. "Never forget. Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once spoken, no amount of effort, regardless how heartfelt or sincere, can ever return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love."
- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -
Many thanks to Bilal Al Basit for sharing to us this story.
DID YOU KNOW?
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
amzanig huh? now raed the sujbcet agian cafurelly...
Many thanks to my cyberson, Srini, for sharing this info.
Wish I Could Run For President... Part I
Saturday, November 22, 2003
With the current political situation here in the Philippines, not to mention how the greater number of politicians can be influenced by their peers in decision-making instead of considering the welfare of the country, how I wish I could run for President!
I know lots of them wanted to run but they do not have the public's trust and support -- they know they're not-so-qualified to be a presidentiable. PGMA for President 2004? After she grabbed the power from the legitimate President, H.E. Joseph E. Estrada, I believe I had enough of the economist and didn't like to experience another 3 long years of her administration, even if they would just say she will be there in Malacañang as a transition president. Why 3 years? Why, of course, there's speculation that FVR will lead the Parliamentary Government, with JDV -- based in the 1987 Constitution, an elected president cannot run for reelection. This is why a Parliamentary form of government is being preferred by JDV. This is my opinion, please correct me if I'm wrong, Ka Totoy.
Macapagal: I'm running for president in 2004
Reported by Juliet Labog-Javellana of Philippine Daily Inquirer (04 OCT 2003):
"I will sacrifice my personal yearnings for personal quiet and release from the presidential strain and anxiety," Ms Macapagal said in a 35-minute speech. "I will offer myself to the electorate in 2004 as the leader with the experience and vision necessary to change society, achieve economic development and eliminate poverty."
"What matters more is that I changed my mind because there is a higher cause - to change society."
Excuse me? I beg your pardon, change society OR, the constitution? From Presidential to Parliamentary?
- To Be Continued Next Saturday -
Finally, I am back doing The Firm!
Friday, November 21, 2003
Today is my second day of doing The Firm, it's a 65 minutes Aerobic Workout With Weights VCD led by Fitness Expert, Janet Jones.
SYNOPSIS: It is a Classic Low Impact Aerobic, a series of weight-training exercises are included in this program, starting with 3 lbs, then 5 lbs. and 8 lbs. dumbbells:
- During the mixed-impact aerobic section the dumbbells are set down for only 5 minutes when high-impact jogging, kicking and jumping keep the heart rate up.
- During the other 20 minutes of aerobic-toning, using those 5 lbs. dumbbells for 18 sets for the shoulders, 9 for biceps and 8 for triceps.
- Each set is done with a simultaneous low-impact lower body movement: rear dips, stationary squats, leg lifts, side toe touches. Sometimes the speed of the reps is too fast for good control of the dumbbells.
- Ankle weights are added for the 25-minute floor segment that starts with kneeling exercises for upper back, glutes and hamstrings.
- Inner and outer thigh, ab, and chest exercises lead into the final stretch which showcases body's flexibility.
Source: Firm Video Reviews
RUNTIME: 1 HR and 47 MINS. (including instructions on how to use the program safely.)
It's unbelievable that I'm heavier now at 148 lbs. ( 24.7 bmi) and with vital stats of 40-30-40, I must do something before it's too late. Although my doctor prescribed 30 mg. Ionamin for 90 days, an appetite suppressant diet pill, with proper discipline and will power, workout is the best and most effective way of losing weight -- I want to regain back my 37-27-37 stats! To look good, a little sacrifice must be done. Muscles are aching, sign that I did it correctly. I will be fine in the next few days or so.
We are what we eat -- this is a fact and another battle I have to face! Gee, I had done it too many times, and there's no doubt I would succeed once again...
Time Off
Thursday, November 20, 2003
I had a wonderful sleep last night... please never ask me why!
Yesterday afternoon, my daughter invited me to watch The Matrix Revolutions starring Keanu Reeves, with her best friend. She knows how much I wanted to complete this Trilogy movie even my boys had to stay home, busy repairing the computer.
- Everything that has a beginning has an end -
Overview: The concluding chapter of the Matrix trilogy finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) trapped between the real world and the computer-generated Matrix. After being rescued by Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), he consults the Oracle (Nona Gaye) and sets off to confront his nemesis, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). But to do so, he first must make a nearly impossible journey to the machine city to strike a bargain that may end the war and save Zion, which is under attack by sentinels, fierce battle droids sent by the thousands to wipe out the humans' last line of defense. Source: The Matrix Revolution on Movies.com
Visually impressive but bloated and unwieldy, the original matrix is still the best for me. The Matrix Reloaded had Production Budget of $127,000,000 AND Prints and Advertising Budget of $50,000,000 this year, its total Worldwide Gross was at $727,400,000 (Total US Gross: $281,553,689) WHILE The Matrix Revolution currently has a Total US Gross of $116,475,000 (Worldwide Gross is still unknown as the movie is currently showing) with a lesser Production Budget of $110,000,000 AND the same Prints and Advertising Budget of $50,000,000. Even the concluding part of The Matrix Trilogy is not popular and making waves here in the Philippines, I decided to see the movie -- I was very curious to see how they ended it.
So? What is the Matrix then? Try to know The Philosophy of the Matrix and what the Matrix is...
Agent Smith: Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world, where none suffered; where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed that we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world, but I believe that as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering. So the perfect world we dreamed, but your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why The Matrix was redesigned to this... the peak of your civilization.
Morpheus: As long as The Matrix exists, the human race will never be free.
Neo: I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world... without you. A world without rules and controls. Without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there, is a choice I leave to you.
MERALCO REFUND
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
I am furious today upon knowing that my Meralco Phase III refund is scheduled in March 2004. Meralco is quick in discontinuing service in the event we failed to settle electric bill on time even I reminded them that I have a Meralco refund (which I believe is) worth more than my current bill. They are not fair!
Business World: Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) is scheduled to service the third phase of the refund starting March next year, to cover all residential customers consuming more than 300 kilowatt hours per month. The third phase is estimated to cost Meralco about PhP5 billion. READ MORE
ERC REPORTS ON STATUS OF MERALCO REFUND
- Meralco has a total of about PhP2.1 billion cash refund to Phase I (100 KWH consumption and below) servicing around 2 million customers. As of August 25, 2003, Meralco has refunded a total amount of about PhP1.7 billion for some 1.5 million customers.
- Phase II of the cash refund started September 1, 2003 and is expected to be completed not later than December 31, 2003. Meralco has cash refund amounting to about PhP4.6 billion for Phase II (100-300 KWH consumption) with number of customers estimated at 2.3 million
- Meralco also requested ERC for an extension of time for the submission of the proposed procedures for the implementation of Phases III and IV of the refund scheme, together with the total amount involved for each phase.
Meralco advertised both on TV and newspapers said to notify customers in their bills on the details of how and where to claim our refund and when I couldn't see anything in my bill for schedule, I contacted Meralco Refund Hotline (1622-8888) two weeks ago and I have learned from them that said refund was computed based on the total kWh consumption from February 1994 to May 2003 AND the reason there was no schedule yet is that I belong to Phase III. It's surprising that this electric company had been overcharging the entire Filipino people for more than 9 years without our knowledge!
I spent the whole day gathering my old bills and when some bills were missing, I called Meralco Hotline once again and I was told that they had my records. I was real worried 'What if I sold my house' and I have not received yet my refund?' They assured me not to worry about this because they will refund to me what is due under my name AND even the amount I deposited 15 years ago will be refunded to me should I vacate my property. When I asked the guy who accomodated my call how much refund am I entitled to, he could not give me yet any figures as the amount will be determined by the total KWH consumption for 9 years. However, they had one customer in Phase I who refunded as much as PHP13,000 (US$236.00)! WOW! I belong to Phase III -- this refund is something I am looking forward to in 2004!
Still, I am furious, they should start the Phase III as early as January 2004...
PHP10 M 2004 Budget for IDAF - Thanks but no thanks!
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
The PHP10 million budget to increase the level of competence and capability of Filipino inventors is not enough to help our country to move forward. How come PGMA can afford US$1 million (PHP55 million) pledge to aid the reconstruction of Iraq and our scientists get less than 20 % - this country is going to nowhere, thanks JDV, but no thanks...
IT Matters: House Speaker Jose C. De Venecia is still pushing for the inclusion of PhP10 million (US$181,818.00) Inventors Development Assistance Fund (IDAF) in the 2004 budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) even as Congress is set to approve the PhP864-billion national budget for next year. The IDAF will be available to the Filipino inventors as an annual financial assistance for the development of their products. FULL STORY
Jointly passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and approved by the then President Corazon C. Aquino on February 7, 1992, Republic Act No. 7459, better known as the "Inventor and Incentives Act of the Philippines", has been declared to be the national policy giving priority to invention and its utilization on the country's productive systems and national life. READ MORE
The supposed annual appropriation of P10,000,000 from the annual budget of DOST did not realized, and besides, what else can you do with PHP10 million?
I remember about 7 years ago, a scientist and his family rented the Saldanha house, adjacent to my house. We were surprised that after barely a year, they vacated the house. The reason? They had 7 months of unpaid rent. In one of our Homeowner's Meeting earlier, he promised to pay the association dues once he collected his money from the government. Now, I am thinking... how many scientists, bright inventors are neglected, because of red tape and lack of support from the government?
The Davide Impeachment
Monday, November 17, 2003
Angered by the current situation, I always wanted to say something against the lawmakers and the Judges of the Supreme Court, but, because of technicality -- I need more time to do some research and go deeper into the subject. However, few days back, I found a very good site, which is also hosted by blogspot -- Dean Jorge Bocobo's Philippine Commentary on the Davide Impeachment -- his site is best viewed on Internet Explorer.
I highly recommend that you visit also his Monday Commentary which is published in Philippine Daily Inquirer. To DJB, keep up the good work!
"In a few hundred years, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time - literally - substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it."
-- Peter F. Drucker
An End to Pop-ups?
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Internet.com: Microsoft confirmed it intends to add pop-up blocking to Internet Explorer as part of its Service Pack 2 release, due the first half of 2004.
With Mozilla Firebird installed in my computer since May 27 this year, it has been my favorite browser since then. I do not understand why IExplorer browser users should wait until mid of 2004 to enjoy pop-up blocking which Mozilla Firebird offers, not to mention that tabbed browsing is more convenient and faster to navigate because you do not have to switch windows. Aside from that, Mozilla Firebird is more secure.
Here is a list of the most important reasons mentioned from Mozilla site:
- It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Mozilla Firebird
- There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes
- No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Mozilla Firebird just by visiting a web site.
- Mozilla Firebird doesn't use Microsoft's Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs.
- You have complete control over cookies.
Netscape 7.1 offers the same tabbed-browsing and I liked its Mail composer -- it has added a junk mail feature to filter spam and unwanted mails without even reading its content. It is sad that AOL, the company that owns Netscape, would no longer develop Netscape. Is Netscape dead?
Meanwhile, Yahoo! on Wednesday started testing a tool for blocking pop-ups for its Companion Toolbar, a downloadable plug-in that allows people to search the Web directly from the browser.
To run Yahoo! Companion you will need:
May I ask what browser are you using? If you are a Micro$oft loyalist, have you thought lately of trying other faster and secure browser? To download, select your preference, Mozilla Firebird 0.7 OR Mozilla 1.5 -- voted by PC Magazine as "Best Browser of 2003".
By the way, I didn't like Opera, even it's my sons' favorite browser. I find it complicated...
Father explaining the war to his daughter...
Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction, honey.
Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction.
A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them.
Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections.
Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?
A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2004 election.
Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?
A: To use them in a war, silly.
Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?
A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.
Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?
A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.
Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.
Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.
Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.
Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.
Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?
A: Right.
Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different.
Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath party, while China is Communist.
Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.
Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Like in Iraq?
A: Exactly.
Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China's a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.
Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor?
A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being Communists and started being capitalists like us.
Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become capitalists?
A: Don't be a smart-ass.
Q: I didn't think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of religion in Cuba.
Q: Kind of like China.
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he's not really a legitimate leader anyway.
Q: What's a military coup?
A: That's when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States.
Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.
Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.
Q: Didn't you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.
Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.
Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men? Fifteen of them Saudi Arabians? Hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.
Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.
Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people's heads and hands?
A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people's heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too.
Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.
Q: Fighting drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.
Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.
Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads and hands for growing a flower, that was OK, but not if they cut people's heads and hands off for other reasons?
A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people's hands for growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off people's hands for stealing bread.
Q: Don't they also cut off people's hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That's different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.
Q: Don't Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.
Q: What's the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers.
Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.
A: Now, don't go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.
Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.
Q: Who trained them?
A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.
Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.
Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.
Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.
Q: So the Soviets, I mean, the Russians are now our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn't help us invade Iraq either.
Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.
Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn't do what we want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.
Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?
A: Well, yeah. For a while.
Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.
Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.
Q: Isn't that when he gassed the Kurds?
A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend.
Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.
Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?
A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.
Q: Why?
A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America's side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked Iraq?
Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?
A: Yes.
Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq?
A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.
Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head?
A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.
Q: Good night, Daddy...
[Many thanks to Bilal Al Basit for sharing this 'Gen X bedtime story'.]
This message was posted by jjhale at Yahoo Groups: War_On_Terror
WISH LIST: Sony Ericsson P900
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Sony Ericsson's long-anticipated P900 wireless handheld will start shipping to EMEA and APAC markets in the fourth quarter of 2003 while U.S. and China residents will be able to purchase the device some time in the first quarter of 2004.
The P900 is a combined PDA and phone that's state-of-the-art smartphone
Some of its features are:
- 5-way Jog Dial
- polyphonic ringtones
- 48 mb Flash memory
- music player
- SMS/MMS/email
- instant messaging
- Bluetooth-enabled
- built-in speaker phone
- fully featured PDA with pen/stylus
- 16 hours of talk time (up to 20 days' standby)
- embedded P900 browser supports HTML, WAP 2.0 and cHTML
- Symbian OS 7.0 which powers the UIQ platform
- integrated digital camera with VGA resolution
- tri-band GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz connectivity
- video recording at QCIF resolution with MPEG4 video compression
- support J2ME and the Mophun gaming platform
- 32 mb Memory Stick Duo to transfer large files, pictures, video and music
More details at Sony Ericsson P900 - Asia Pacific/Philippines
Breakfast Invitation
Friday, November 14, 2003
My EX called up this afternoon and invited me for breakfast at Fahad's place. I was not able to discuss with him the 'formal separation' because he was a little bit ill and depressed. As usual, we reminisced with Fahad our travelling experiences. He surprised me that he had perfect memories of the past which myself can barely remember anymore - am I getting old?
Understanding Our PC's Internet Connection Security
Has any one ever told you that your own personal computer may now be functioning as an Internet Server AND that it may be serving up all or many of your personal files for reading, writing, modification and even deletion by anyone, anywhere, with neither your knowledge nor your permission on the Internet? READ MORE
My awareness on my PC's Port Security heightened when a friend sent me an offline message from Yahoo! messenger something like this: nude_virgin.pif. Although I am computer literate, I had no idea what effect it would caused my PC. Instead of waiting 'til my PC stopped running or all of my saved usernames/passwords is e-mailed to the source without my consent, I started browsing for answers...
What is .pif file extension, anyway?
- PIF = Macintosh : Compressed file archive
- PIF = OS/2 : Graphics metafile
- PIF = Vector image GDF format (IBM mainframe computers)
- PIF = Program Information File for MS-DOS
.pif and .lnk (shortcut) are two popular file extension for viruses, according to FoxGlove Site.
While known products like Symantec's Norton Internet Security provides products for essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats, we can avail of their online security check AND virus detection FOR FREE to determine our online exposure.
Here is the result after Norton scan my PC:
I normally use Shields UP! every now and then, in checking my computer's Internet connection security and I just mentioned Norton as alternative...
For precautionary measures, here are some useful links I visited:
Believing that my trust had been abused, I added that person (you know who you are) under ignored list.
PGMA wants TOTAL RECONCILIATION
Thursday, November 13, 2003
President seeks peace with Estrada, Cojuangco, Marcoses
Juliet Javellana of Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that
"The President wanted by 2004 and "beyond," to mend fences with the Marcos family, deposed President Joseph Estrada, business tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, putschist elements of the military, and opposition personalities. " READ MORE
Even this is what all Filipinos are looking forward to -- to have TOTAL RECONCILIATION and REAL PEACE in our country -- hey, BUT, wait, look who is talking AND (with brows raised so high), who will initiate it?
People can't help but speculate what's PGMA motive for asking Total Reconciliation AFTER failure to resolve many incidents that kept dividing the Filipino people. Threat of anarchy is rising, where the elites and the influential people joined hands to cover up colleague in the guise of constitutional order. I wonder where and what are the intelligent people in our country are doing?
May God bless the Philippines!
Mom Finds Out About Blog
I have read this local article, Mom Finds Out About Blog, involving Kevin Widmar and his mother Lilian, from The Onion which BIZ linked on Blogger. This article reminded me of my sister who discovered my blog six days ago. She accidentally discovered about my blog when her friend asked her if she knows me. Since then, I received Yahoo! messages from her friends...
Yahoo FTP is working!
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
I found some errors in my blogspot template but, I'm glad that it is working perfectly now PLUS I can synchonize my blog entries once again to my Geo Blog.
Many thanks to Kimmy of Blogger Support for guiding me through...
Ideal Body Weight
Vincent Iannelli of About.com says in his article:
There are a lot of different ways to think about a person's ideal body weight. Some people would consider it to be the weight that was directly proportional to a person's height, so that you wouldn't have people who are short and fat or tall and thin...
M.D.A 'better' way to think about a person's ideal body weight is as what is a 'healthy' weight for their age and height using their body mass index.
I was intrigued to try Ideal Body Weight Calculator and this is the result I got:
An adult who is 145 pounds and is 5 feet 5 inches tall has a body mass index of 24.2.
That's great! An adult with a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered to have a healthy bmi and so you are likely already at your ideal body weight.
I'ts unfortunate that my bmi is .8 away to overweight. Depression and stress are not valid reasons to keep gaining weight now that my bathroom scale is giving unwelcomed figures...
For adults, a body mass index (bmi):
- over 30 is considered obese.
- between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.
- between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered a healthy bmi.
- under 18.5 is consider underweight.
To get your bmi, click here to try Ideal Body Weight Calculator... good luck!
Today is my eldest son's birthday...
Sunday, November 09, 2003
We made an agreement to watch Matrix Revolution this afternoon but, my second son was a kill-joy and he prefers to watch the movie with his GF. After heated debates, I am happy that we spent quality time together watching a Filipino-American movie "Debut" in the privacy of our home after we had a small dinner party...
Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!
BILL GATES' SPEECH TO MT. WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL in Visalia, California.
To anyone with kids of ANY age, here's some advice. Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in
real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. If you agree, pass it on.
[Many thanks to Tito for sharing this to us.]
Opppsss!
Friday, November 07, 2003
My sister and some of her friends discovered my blog today... WHEW! Hey, Ate Neth, whatever you read in here, please don't tell anyone -- it's my top secret, you know :-)
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