Thailand has banned teachers, staff, and parents from smoking in or around the nation's 2000 schools as part of a tough anti-smoking campaign.

A spokeswoman for the Public Health Ministry, Nitaya Mahaphol, said the anti-smoking campaign is targeting schools in order to stop children from starting smoking in the first place. "Teachers are closest and they are very influential in trying to be a sort of role model for the children," she said.

This sounds like it might work, and is worth watching over the long run as a model for getting people to quit.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:38 AM | Permalink
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So Limpot is a junkie. Nice. What else will you do with all that moolah? Jawo is upset:

"We must put our act together so we could eradicate this problem or at least minimize it to the lowest level. We must establish a flow chart–where their players get those drugs, from whom and how," the 56-year-old senator told a handful of scribes in one cozy corner of the Hyatt Hotel lobby.

Hmmm, he wants a "flow chart".

To those who are really involved, you are not only ruining your lives but those of your family and friends. There’s no plus side in drugs. It’s all negative, negative, negative.

You should have told your kids that.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:00 PM | Permalink
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The press are calling them "Corinthian Boys" -- 20- to 30- something males still living with their parents driving their riceboy Hondas -- and now they've been busted as an X pipeline for "popular nightclubs" here in Metro Manila.

Arrested for possession of Ecstasy tablets with a street value of P708,000 were Jerome Magno, 32, Paulo de Asis, 25, Robert Amado Ruiz, 28, and Ronald Vasquez, 25, all of Corinthian Gardens in Quezon City.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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ZDNet is reporting that China, Korea and Japan are fast running out of IP addresses. Governments and academics from the three countries are teaming up, putting aside troubled histories to avert a common disaster.

Asia's plight is especially dire because the region was assigned fewer addresses under the current IPv4 (version 4) scheme, drawn up over 20 years ago.

Renee Gamble, a program manager with market research firm IDC and specializing in IP and broadband issues, cited a few stark numbers.

With IPv4, China has only 22 million IP addresses for its population of 1.3 billion people. Last year, it had about 17 million Internet subscribers, and the figure will hit 62.5 million in 2007. Japan and Korea will also run out of addresses soon, she said.

What's worse, this doesn't include the coming wave of 3G phones and smart, data-enabled home devices, which will all need an address.

The U.S. and Europe are sitting pretty for now, because these regions grabbed most IP addresses. The Americans, for example, own 70 percent of all addresses, she said.

Authorities in North Asia are counting on a new addressing scheme called IPv6 to save the day, and it may be Asia that will lead the world in adopting it, she said.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:03 PM | Permalink
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Of course, this is fake. But it's still a crapload of fun! Brought tears to my eyes laughing.

This is my girlfriend, shes my little hotties, and shes got the same grandma as me.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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I told myself I wouldn't do posts like these, but I had tooooo much fun with Cameron Diaz and Alicia Silverstone, that I just had to. Sorry folks. I couldn't help it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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Poor security guard. He must have been just doing his job. Ends up getting clocked by Mark Gil, who says he was "was rudely agitated by the rudeness of the security guard."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:42 AM | Permalink
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Properties in 5 provinces and a P3.5 million Lexus.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:34 AM | Permalink
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This doesn't have anything to do with this, but when it's this late, it makes sense somehow.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:04 AM | Permalink
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The thing with downloading pirated mp3s is that it's so easy and it doesn't feel all like stealing, maybe because everyone's doing it and you can't hold that nicked mp3 in your hand. At least, that's how I feel about it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:57 AM | Permalink
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A CLOSE ally of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos has filed a bill in Congress declaring Sept. l1, Marcos' birthday, as "President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day."

House Bill No. 5147, filed by Ilocos Norte Congressman Roque Ablan, was among the seven measures designating local holidays that the House of Representatives committee on revision of laws approved Monday, committee secretary David Cosalan said.

The Ablan bill calls for only Ilocos Norte province, where the Marcoses trace their roots, and Laoag City to celebrate the special non-working holiday.

Congressman Satur Ocampo, a political prisoner during the dictatorship, would have none of it.

"Declaring a 'Marcos holiday' would be the height of insult to the victims of human rights violations during martial law, even if it only covers his home province and city," Ocampo said in a statement, "more so since the victims continue to cry for justice more than a decade after a US court ruled in their favor."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:52 AM | Permalink
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Via MF, Yawnies, Weebles and Yum-yums!! I had Transformers, Star Wars and some He-Man stuff (and fake Rubik's cubes), but some of these toys should have been in my toy box. Like Teddy the Talking Doll Ruxpin. And, sniff, I miss my green Stomper.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:50 PM | Permalink
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Gasp!

Last week, his 4-year-old son, Joey, somehow got his head wedged in between the legs of a life-size, grinning fiberglass clown -- the fast-food chain's trademark -- at the Kooser and Blossom Hill roads McDonald's restaurant. The mishap triggered an ordeal that ended when employees finally lathered the 40-pound preschooler's head with liquid soap and slipped him out.

Joey emerged unscathed. Nonetheless, Roberts, 34, believes statues like this one, in which the figure is seated with legs crossed ankle over knee, ought to exiled. ``These things ought to be removed,'' he said.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:30 PM | Permalink
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Hey, if I had a twin, I'd have as much fun.

The brothers, who were not named for legal reasons, operated in parks and playgrounds in Nuremberg until their arrest in July.

"One twin would confront a child and force the kid to run down a street where, on rounding a corner, it would come face-to-face with the other twin and freak out," he added.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:11 PM | Permalink
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Spent some time in Mega Mall today and had forgotten how crowded malls can get in Metro Manila. Went to Kitchen for lunch. They serve Asian/Filipino fusion food (like penne in kesong puti with dilis). The food was okay (a little too much oil, like most of Filipino cuisine) and we had a rude welcome-back-to-the-philippines homecoming courtesy of a cockroach roaming around our table. The management apologized with a slice of cake. Yeah, sure, we'll be back.

Also, saw X2 and now fully understand why they kept the plot under wraps: someone wants to kill all the mutants in the world by using Cerebro to pick them out one by one and destroy them by screaming at their heads. This forces an alliance between Magneto's and Dr. Xavier's mutants, which is forged over some smores and a barbecue. Each mutant gets to showoff their skills (interestingly, an early scene in a movie shows Dr. X cautioning one of the mutants NOT to showoff) but we've seen what most of them can do in the first movie, which leaves only Nightcrawler's teleportation skills (and Famke Jennsen's philtrum) really worth seeing. Can't complain. It was less than two dollars a pop.

Then, onto the shopcrawl. They've moved out a lot of the furniture stores and replaced them with computer and cellphone stores, making that section look more like Virra Mall than Crate and Barrel. All a good move, since that's what people go shopping for. Then, there are several bizaare shops I didn't walk into anymore, like this Millionaires in Business store (or, was that in Galleria) that looked too shady to inspect. I didn't have time to rummage through Surplus Store. Sigh.

Couldn't get through Powerbooks, which was crowded with people reading (not browsing) off the shelves. And, I couldn't muscle my way inside Book Sale, what with all the teenagers who are savoring the last weeks of summer break, gorging on the latest issues of Mega, Metro, Cosmo and Mega's new men's magazine Manual.

Incidentally, the airconditioning was superb.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:03 PM | Permalink
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I really don't like the food too much, outside of Chickenjoy, but knowing that they employ 40,000 and enjoy a reputation for being a fair and honest business (even one of its size) makes Jollibee, deftly steered by its founder Tony Tan, an admirable Filipino company.

Of course, there are the earthworm rumors. And Graham Chrystman.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:38 PM | Permalink
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Via GA, fonts inspired by serial killers and dead presidents, Lizzie Borden and Jack The Ripper among others. Also included, fonts inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Napoleon and even Genghis Kahn. Nothing for free, but worth browsing.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Biotechnology research firm Monsanto Philippines Inc. is reaping for the first time its initial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn seeds, according to Emmanuel S. Borlongan, Monsanto's director for government and public affairs, in an interview Friday.

Borlongan said Monsanto expects the first cropping to encourage farmers to shift to the technology in the next planting season, when they see the higher production yields brought about by the seeds' built-in protection against the corn borer pest.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:55 PM | Permalink
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Someone from the inside wants a recount. Check those chads.

Says Bovick: Kaming mga sexy star ay may karapatan din maging magaling na aktres.

My translation: "Us sexy stars have the right to be good actresses too."

Yes, Aleck, you really do.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:20 PM | Permalink
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Quick and dirty article on Arroyo's approval ratings and how Washington may yet want her to stay for another term.

Here, she denies thinking about it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:11 PM | Permalink
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Gentlemen, she needs your help.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:06 PM | Permalink
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LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) - A movie stunt camp for kids opens in Liverpool in July, organizer Greg Powell said Wednesday. Powell has arranged stunt sequences on such films as the "Harry Potter (news - web sites)" series, "Mission Impossible" and "Lord of the Rings."

He said he wanted children to understand that the violence they saw in films was make-believe. "We're just showing them that filmmaking is not dangerous. It's safe. We teach them fight routines," he told Reuters. Paramedics would be on site at all times during the week-long camp which will cost $648.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:16 PM | Permalink
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A former Shreveport police officer did not use excessive force when he fatally shot a paraplegic black man in 1998, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Monday's ruling by the 5th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals may not be the final say in the case though. The case could be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court within a month, said Hersey Jones Jr., attorney for plaintiff Marion Harris. Her son, Cedric Harris, 27, was killed July 24, 1998, by then-city patrol officer Justin Olds.

Olds told jurors he stopped Cedric Harris for blocking the road in his wheelchair and that in a subsequent pat-down search he detected a gun. Olds testified he was forced to shoot Harris in a struggle over the gun.

Jones produced two witnesses that claimed they did not see Harris resist.

This one could go to the Supreme Court.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Ahhh, I knew it. Barney and Sesame Street were in cahoots with Metallica all along, inducing POWs worldwide to cough up the password.

Wait.

The US's Psychological Operations Company (Psy Ops) said the aim was to break a prisoner's resistance through sleep deprivation and playing music that was culturally offensive to them.

Culturally offensive. Hmmm. Sesame Street is okay. But Barney is offensive period.

But, wait again.

However, human rights organisation, Amnesty International, said such tactics may constitute torture - and coalition forces could be in breach of the Geneva Convention.

EEEEXXXIT LIGHT!! ENTER NIIIIIGHT!!! TAKE MY HAAAAND!! OUT TO NEVER NEVER LAND!!! WAAAAHH!!!

This is sooo dope.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:59 AM | Permalink
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Cut some gas. Deny ownership.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:48 AM | Permalink
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Sagot

Okay lang. Nung Huwebes. Oo. Baka nanay nya, pero parang Lola e. Oo. Sopas. Wala naman. Okay lang. Naghahanap nang trabaho. Di pa tapos. Di siguro marunong. Di pa. Pangit daw e. Adobo. Malamang. Catch Me If You Can. Tsokolate. Ano ba ang Pilipino food? Natatakot, onti. Di ko kilala. Sino si Sulpicio? Makikipag tsikahan. Matagal. Sa kama, syempre. 50 Cent (Go, shorty. Isho birthday.). Hindi na. Marunong-runong na rin.

Ha? Ano? Alam ko yan, teka. Alam ko din yan. Mamaya. Si Boy Bastos. Banat na banat, pre. Aanhin ba yung litrato? Kawawa naman yung matsing. Sa bus. Di naman, nabubuo ko naman din e. Wala, bakit? Malaki na rin siguro. Bakit mo kailangan nang santol? Amin na, bibigyan kita nang sakit nang katawan. Sige, hanap ka. Mabanas, hindi mainit. Malayo layo na rin. Kung mahilig syang maglakad, oks lang siguro.

Maaga pa lang, umalis na kami. Ewan ko pa. Kaw naman, di naman kami tumaba e. Ewan, pag may pera ulit. Punta lang kayo. Magsusulat. Sari-saring pagkain. Si Sulpicio. Saan doon? 50 Cent (Go, shorty. Isho birthday.) Oo, mahaba na nga buhok ko e. Ikaw bahala, punta ka lang. Sa harap nang bahay. Pwede, sige, swimming tayo. Oo, alam nila. Wag na lang. Di pa. Sige, basta may patis. Malamig siguro. Kahit sino. Marami na rin. Ewan. Oks manoks lang.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:39 AM | Permalink
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Tess Bacalla of the PCIJ does a lifestyle check of 25 officials of the BIR and finds that some live in tony Ayala Alabang on a P300,000 annual salary and drives Ford Expeditions, Land Cruisers and BMWs to work.

More critically, they could not explain how they acquired these assets, among them large shares of local business.

The article, filled with peso amounts and controversies, also has a list of luxury cars these examiners drive and pictures of the examiners' various vacation homes.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:06 PM | Permalink
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I am now in possession of Nos. 1 and 2 of a three-part title opener of Mars Ravelo's Darna. Covers are nice. I am reserving the pleasure of liberating them from their original plastic for my brother, who would be more appreciative of the event.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:05 AM | Permalink
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Apparently, the dude who played Tank in the first Matrix movie, is suing for not being part of the Matrix sequels despite being told he would be. He also claims that the filmakers started floating around rumors that he was a terrorist.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:01 PM | Permalink
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I've been back only 5 days, and I'm already whining about several things repeatedly.

1. The heat: oppressive. You feel like a lasagna noodle.

2. My DSL connection. Well, I did have it disconnected, and now, it's to be reconnected. They're waiving my reconnection fee (nice) and giving me a month free (nicer), but they say it will take them 2 to 3 weeks to have the service up. I thought that all it would take was to throw the switch back on again, but it seems that, like every other company here in Manila, they have their own versions of red tape. So, now, I'm on dialup from home.

3. The water: I know you can't drink the tap, but even the Brita-ed water is thicker and harder tasting than the water I got used to drinking in Philadelphia. I'm sure the Philly water is worse, but it sure tasted better.

4. Allergies: Goddammit, I feel like unscrewing my nose and leaving it behind everywhere I go. I'm on all sorts of antihistamines and am on Nasonex, but all of them seem ineffective to the sudden temperature changes, the dust mites and the pollen that swirl in the heat.

5. The traffic: I never got used to it. No one does. In the Philippines, it's death and traffic. Some people get away with not paying their taxes.

6. Which brings me to: government. Although I was served exceedingly well, and made very happy at the Land Transportation Office (I got my license renewed in under 90 minutes), reading the newspaper, watching the daily news, and just plain looking outside the window reminds me of how much Filipinos could have accomplished had their own government not gotten in the way (or done their job and helped). I heard a story of a cutflower exporter who, for the last 10 years, has been paying annual taxes to the tune of about 60% of all her gross income -- and has never received a single receipt. All that is making someone very happy.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:54 PM | Permalink
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It's interesting how I had just blogged about this that someone has made a (albeit honest) mistake on my identity. Nope, sorry, I'm not The Wily Filipino, whose writing acumen far exceeds mine. I am yet another Benito Vergara staking his claim in cyberspace.

My apologies to The Wily Filipino for any inappropriate commentary that comes his way. He certainly deserves far more enlightened discourse than those that occur here.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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I've been blogging a bit about the GMO debate going on here in the Philippines. And, today Dean Jorge Bocobo had an article in the PDI about the matter.

This is my reply to that article.

While I admire his efforts to edify his readers on GMOs, on the sole matter of stating that the Vatican and Pope John Paul II has blessed GMO's with a "prudent YES!" I am not entirely sure that Mr. Bocobo has done his (necessary) research.

It's ironic that he would say in fact that "Religious folks, (running or not) who think GMOs are the new thalidomide, should do penance for mental sloth by reading 2,000 times" the document that purports the Vatican to have "blessed" GMOs, where, it seems that he didn't bother reading it himself. I certainly feel that had he done so, he would have come to the same conclusions as I do below.

First, let's start by understanding the context in which GMO's were looked at by the Vatican in the first place. These documents are amassed in the proceedings of a working group. All the documents from this group, composed of scientists from various disciplines, can be found in the vatican website here. (Scroll down a bit and look for 099).

Knowing the context of these papers is key to understanding exactly where the Vatican stands on GMOs: although within the proceedings there exists a working paper on GMO (which I will get to shortly) nowhere, really, does the Pope express implicit agreement that GMOs are all right. And, certainly, nowhere does the Vatican "bless" Bt Corn "with a prudent YES!"

In fact, thoughout the entire proceedings of this 1999 Working Group of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope pretty much just dwells on the humanism and responsibility needed in science. Nothing specific is mentioned in his Address, which is here.

Now, in Part 5 of the proceedings, there appears a Study-Document that deals with GMOs. This Study-Document (I don't need to emphasize the working status of this "Study-Document") deals with the role of GMOs in feeding a growing world population. Therein, it states under the heading "The Potential for Genetically Modified Food Plants" that GMOs "can play an important role in improving nutrition and agricultural products, especially in the developing world."

The Study-Document states its reservations in the application of GMO and recommends conditions for its use, among them, issues with research methods and government role in ensuring the validity of GMOs. The Study-Document goes on to tackle issues at large with GMOs quite succinctly, and, in closing, states that GMOs "constitute an important part of human innovation and they clearly offer substantial benefits for the improvement of the human condition worldwide" but tempers this statement by saying that there indeed exists a "moral challenge for scientists and governments throughout the world."

I don't see any statements within the 500+ page document that even comes close to a "YES", and nowhere does the Pope himself deal with the matter of GMOs. These are scientists of the Pontifical Academy offering recommendations within the confines of their academy, not the Pope (nor the Vatican per se) issuing an Encyclical, much less a blessing on Bt Corn.

As I try to explain to myself Bocobo's article, I found an article citing a statement from a certain Bishop Elio Sgreccia, who is Vice President of the Pontifical Academy. In it, Sgreccia says that "We give [GMO] a prudent ‘yes,’" he said. "We cannot agree with the position of some groups that say it is against the will of God to meddle with the genetic make-up of plants and animals."

That, in all probability, may be the source of the "yes", and certainly not the proceedings of the work group.

Other sites on the internet carried this article, and I actually cannot, to my dismay, find the actual press release from the Vatican. The truth is, the sites that carried this article are all pro-GMO. Not that I am against GMOs, but, my objective here is to clarify the matter of attributing the "prudent yes" to the Vatican and the Pope.

Hey, the last person you want to misquote is the Pope. Thanks, Dean Jorge Bocobo, for making me doubt. Now, I am enlightened.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:38 PM | Permalink
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Swiped from GA, Expectingmodels.com is a modeling agency for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:22 AM | Permalink
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I'm stuck in Los Banos, groping through my antihistamine medication and the sweltering heat (mainit pa sa singit) and am trying to blog using my Dad's 56k dialup. Maaan, life is tough.

Today I learned that I did not really exist. And it's all my parent's fault for being confused with my name all the freakin' time. I have a birth certificate with "Benito Sj Vergara" on it -- fine, noting that there was correcting fluid on the certificate concealing what could have been some other name.

That name, "Benito Sj Vergara", is the name I have stuck to since college (after the rediscovery of my Birth Certificate as required by UP for admission). It is now appropriate that I mention that my brother's name is Benito M. Vergara, Jr. and my father's name is Benito S. Vergara. Also, it is appropriate to mention that we go by with no small amount of confusion.

Especially my case. Clearly my father is himself, and so is my brother. But since my name sounds like I am the third "Benito", people have confused me as the son of my brother. In fact, when I was in grade school, my name was indeed "Benito S. Vergara III" (I remember writing my name on the test paper that way).

Then, came high school when somehow I dropped the "III" (too tacky and, of course, a misnomer) and went by "Benito Sj M. Vergara". "Sj" read like my second first name, and "M" the maiden name of my mother, which was rightfully my middle name.

If you're not following, here's where we are at: My brother is "Benito M. Vergara, Jr." and I am (at least in high school), "Benito Sj M. Vergara". This, of course, is no less tacky than "III", but I had to live with it, not to mention having gone to the same school as my brother, his shadow loomed.

Until I got into college, where the admissions department demanded some sort of affidavit, because when I applied to the school, my name was "Benito Sj M. Vergara" but when I presented my birth certificate, low and behold, my name there was "Benito Sj Vergara". My middle name was technically "Sj" (which is often confused as San Juan). I remember my mother telling me, "You're no longer my son, because you don't have my middle name."

Well, mom, that's not my fault now, is it?

So, I had to present an affidavit saying that I am both "Benito Sj M Vergara" and "Benito Sj Vergara" AND that I am neither "Benito S. Vergara" nor "Benito M. Vergara, Jr." Crazy-ass sh*t. Where did all the creativity go?

Now, I rummaged for my baptismal certificate, and, wait for it, my name written on the certificate is "Benito Simplicio Vergara". So, it seems that in the eyes of God, someone else was baptized. What the hell right?

The lowest of lows as far as this etymological confusion goes was when I discovered that our neighbor's dog was named "Benito". It's not a common name at all, except, I guess, in this family.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
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So, after one helluva flight (with SARS looming with every trip to the lavatory), I made it to Manila. Abused the hand sanitizer and the anti-bac soap all through the flight. Opened up Edward Lazarus' Closed Chambers which is a great read.

On the flight, I sat next to John, who is a stagehand and lightsman for, wait for it, the Rolling Stones. He's done the same thing for groups like NSYNC (which he said was dick when it came to crowd control) and Metallica (who apparently are really nice people). I was psyched that I was now one degree of separation from Justin Timberlake, which means two degrees from Britney. Hurrah!

When you get in the Manila airport, your temperature is taken. Everyone's temperature is taken. Which means an extra hour more time spent at the airport after traveling 18 hours. Better safe than sorry I guess.

I miss my usual blogs. I'll be running around like a headless chicken getting stuff ready for the big M next month, but, here's to getting back online. :-D

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:56 AM | Permalink
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Via GA. On auction. Want some tartar sauce to go with that?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:06 AM | Permalink
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Here's an article, published September 2000, that cites a study of apparent genetic "transformations" of Bt corn which makes the corn pollen more toxic (and killing butterflies?).

Btw, the source of this article (as with some previously posted here) is a website that bills itself part of the "campaign to ban genetically engineered foods".

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:02 AM | Permalink
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Things heat up on the GMO/BT Corn debate in the Philippines: Mark Cervantes, a hunger striker and public-information officer of the Southeast Asia Regional Institute for Community Education (SEARICE), said that his group, together with members of nongovernment organizations (NGOs), are holding on to the new evidence that the protesters will be submitting to President Arroyo. "Even if the President refuses to conduct a dialogue with us, we will pursue with this planned mass action in Malacañang," Cervantes said.

Buried in the piece is a Greenpeace statement: Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace genetic-engineering campaigner, said that the fundamental basis of genetic engineering is invalid and that this gives rise to unexpected and unpredictable effects rendering any risk assessment unsound and irrelevant.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:45 AM | Permalink
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Tomorrow, I get on a plane and fly back to Manila. My major concerns are SARS and that, apparently, it's as hot as crotch.

I'm also concerned about the fact that (like most Filpinos traveling from the United States would be doing) I am carrying an odd assortment of things in my check-in and carry-on that include: baklava and a range hood. But, that does not compare to the things I bring in (I've brought in a full-size bathroom mirror before).

My dislike for flying is further complicated by the horrible food served on NWA. I looked at Northwest's and compared it to other airline delicacies and I'm quite certain that they serve the worst tasting inflight meals.

When I get home, my mom will have leftover adobo. Can't wait.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:34 AM | Permalink
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Well, it doesn't seem fair, with all the new cars going on around town, that car theft is apparently down year-on-year. The actual value is 3 cars stolen daily versus six this time last year.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:13 AM | Permalink
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Here's an overview (biased, possibly, since it comes from Agbioworld.org. But, well documented.) of the allegations on BT Corn. Some highlights:

Allegation: Bt corn adversely effects natural enemies and creates new pests.

Fact: Numerous research studies have documented that commercial Bt corn varieties do not threaten Monarch butterflies, other butterfly species, or other non-target species. Research conducted in China has demonstrated that Bt cotton does not adversely effect natural enemies or create new pests but helps to preserve beneficial natural enemy populations, reduce applicator and environmental exposure to insecticides, and increase farmer productivity.

Allegation: Bt proteins accumulate in the soil and can potentially have large impacts on soil ecology and fertility.

Fact: There is no evidence that Bt proteins accumulate, nor harm soil ecology and fertility. In fact, numerous published studies demonstrate Bt proteins from Bt crops are rapidly degraded in the soil environment and do not negatively impact soil organisms.

Allegation: Pests have evolved resistance to Bt crops and are more serious pests than before.

Fact: There are no documented cases of insect pests developing resistance to Bt crops in field. Management practices, including refuges for development of pests outside of Bt crops, were instituted with the introduction of Bt crops to sustain the performance of Bt crops and to delay pest adaptation. In eight years of use on more than 100 million acres, there have been no confirmed cases of resistance to Bt crops. The only cases of field resistance to Bt proteins have occurred with the extensive and unregulated use of Bt microbial sprays in organic production systems.

Allegation: Bt genes could spread from Bt crops to create weeds.

Fact: Regulatory authorities carefully examine the potential for spread of genes from Bt crops to weeds before Bt crops are authorized for commercial use. Often cited examples of increased seed production in Bt sunflower or expression of Bt protein in Bt canola fail to acknowledge that these university research projects do not involve commercial Bt crops. Moreover, these studies only point to a potential hazard; they do not establish that there is a significant risk in an agricultural system.

Allegation: Bt proteins pose a risk to human health and the environment.

Fact: Bt proteins expressed in Bt crops have a history of safe use, are specific for the targeted crop pests, and pose little or no threat to other related insects, pest species, animals, or humans. In eight years of commercial planting on hundreds of millions of acres worldwide, where biotech crops and foods have been consumed ubiquitously, there have been no documented adverse effects. Confidence in food and environmental safety is achieved through rigorous and comprehensive testing programs. The Bt proteins employed in Bt crops undergo extensive analysis and testing, including safety to non-target species and food allergy and protein safety assessment, before Bt crops are authorized for commercial use. Studies alleging potential impacts to humans or threats from bio-terrorism are based on laboratory experimental systems that do not represent the expression of Bt proteins in commercial crops.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:00 PM | Permalink
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According to the DOST, Vatican scientists say that ?There is nothing intrinsic about genetic modification that would cause food products to be unsafe.?

The Vatican?s Pontifical Academy of Science has stated this in its Study-Document on the Use of ?Genetically Modified Food Plants? to Combat Hunger in the World.

The Vatican study said that GM food plants ?could play an important role in improving nutrition and agricultural products, especially in the developing world.?

I don't trust the DOST site though. And then, there's this:

VATICAN CITY--In a call that could have an impact on farming techniques in predominantly Catholic parts of the developing world, Pope John Paul II said that using genetically modified organisms to increase production was contrary to God's will. 

Furthermore, the Pope said, if modern farming techniques "don't reconcile themselves with the simple language of nature in a healthy balance, the life of man will run ever greater risks, of which already we are seeing worrying signs." He did not specify the signs. 

So, can someone clear the air here? Or is the Pope changing his mind?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 05:51 PM | Permalink
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So, just like last year, automotive sales in the Philippines are still edging up. In fact, they're up pretty big mostly due to a 43% increase (month-on-month 02-03) in sales of vans, pickups and SUVs.

Cars are down about 15%. I guess it's because the roads are so bad in the Philippines, people want bigger cars to drive around.

Of course, these are Central Bank figures. These do not include the 20,000 Starex units smuggled into the country every quarter.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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We did it. We moved an assortment of about 20 pieces of garbage bags, boxes and kitchen appliances (together with a beautiful sofa bed, and an equally gorgeous coffee table) into a storage facility near the museum area. Took as about four hours to move everything, since the sofa bed and the table had to come from a friend's apartment over at Rittenhouse Square. Thanks to friends who drove all the way from the burb, we finished the moving with time to spare (the facility was going to close at 4 pm), and we were busy stuffing ourselves at Penang (with crispy golden squid, bagoong kangkong, beef rendang, shrimp balls, among others) by 3:30.

The storage facility was this deep underground hose factory/turn of the century trainyard and water canal station turned into a, er, storage facility. It was fun racing in and out of the basement, as the lights were timed to turn off at 30 minute intervals. We skateboarded the empty dollies on the way back.

We got a sweet deal on our sofa: the piece we got would have been $1,300 brand new at Crate and Barrel, and our friend gave it to us for, get this, $50 (Just get it out of my hands, will ya?)!! And, another $50 for a coffee table.

Of course, when we got back to our bare (kalbo) apartment, we wondered -- for the first time -- whether or not the sofa bed will make it through the door.

All in a weekend's move.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:37 AM | Permalink
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So, despite Ayala's deeeeep pockets backing it up, Burger King can't beat Jollibee.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:36 AM | Permalink
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The show is perfect for her, because she's such a bitch. The article rightfully puts all the facetime positioning in line with next year's election. I want to get on that show and bitch at her back.

Says Miriam: "I have accepted it simply because it might be fun. It will allow me to work with young people which I like doing anyway."

Blow me.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:54 PM | Permalink
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I'm crazy-pleased (although, I'm not a fan. I swear.) that there's a short article on Jeremiah's (a Filipino boyband known more for their hit song, than, apparently, themselves) visit to Queens (the Daly City of the East Coast).

Says one of the members: "Here we hang out wherever we want. The fans are chaotic in the Philippines."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:03 AM | Permalink
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A hunger strike (on mango juice) is growing against Monsanto's GMO BT Corn. Says one striker: ""Please do not contaminate this beautiful land with poison, either with the chemical or the genetically engineered variety."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:53 PM | Permalink
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Everyone's looking. So, I did. And I found this. Cheapest I found so far. Anyone using this? Can you give me feedback on the voice quality? And are they really reliable?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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The MSN Iloo lets you surf while you take a dump. It's set for release this summer, in time for the Lolapaloozas.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:48 AM | Permalink
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The New York Times has an article on American Imperialism, and in a shot essay, putting into context the Spanish-American, Teddy Roosevelt, the modern-day power of the American War Machine, and asks this: The real debate, then, is not whether to have an empire, but what kind. Should America pursue a go-it-alone strategy as it did in 1910, when the United States exerted its power largely at the point of the bayonet and ignored the views of others? Or should it be the empire of 1950, when Washington embedded American power in multilateral institutions that reflected American interests but also constrained its freedom of action?

The article concludes: As the Iraq war underscored, the United States' great power enables it to act alone and still achieve many of its goals swiftly and effectively. But over time such a unilateral exercise of power will breed more and more resentment abroad to the point that other states may decide to work together to obstruct the chosen American course. Then, the United States could stand alone, a great power frustrated in the pursuit of its most important goals.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:20 AM | Permalink
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She's given up mahjongg and checks email six times a day. I wonder where I'll be when I turn 102.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:17 PM | Permalink
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Proof that we are repressed (that we are secretly large consumers of viagra), and that there's nothing dysfunctional about dealing with your sexuality, especially if it's among married couples.

Let me do some quick math here: 16 million in Metro Manila. Half that, that's 8 million men (conservatively). Take out the 10% or so who can afford Viagra, that leaves us with 800,000 potential male patients. Say that 30% have erectile dysfunction, that's about 240,000. How many of those seek medical attention? Say, another 30%. Which means that around 72,000 men were probably responsible for half a billion pesos of Viagra sales over the last 5 years. Is that good, or really good?

Someone told me that half of all married Filipino men have never had oral sex. That was back in 1995.

Is there a Kinsey Report on sexual behavior in the Philippines?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:10 PM | Permalink
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Does anyone have this? Can anyone send me pics of the issue? The small pics on the website look awesome. I think I will pay a visit to Filbar's when I get back.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:53 PM | Permalink
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Am getting paranoid about this whole SARS thing, more that I will get roughed up, than I will actually get the disease. Sure, SARS kills, but do they use force in detaining people with Hepatitis or AIDS?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:06 AM | Permalink
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So, that argument that speaks to the commercialization of GMOs and how the manufacturers are creating a monopolization of world economic crops (why not, if that's the board's plans?) has a new twist: that they are tweaking more than they should.

According to the writeup, a team of Canadian scientists say they've developed a way to prevent genetically modified crops from spreading their genes to nearby fields. The system is a kind of contraception for plants that stops genetically modified crops from crossbreeding with wild relatives in other fields. The controversial issue of genes spreading concerns some farmers and consumers.

It's good in several ways: that the GMO won't cross-breed. But it also keeps the GMO unique and protects the GMO from being taken into another lab and cross-bred there, and therefore perpetuating the monopoly.

I'm no scientist, so I could be wrong.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:48 AM | Permalink
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This is good news for, er, Blogger users. Now, tell me again why I switched from Blogger to MT? Oh, yeah, right, 'cause they're always down, right.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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You gotta be f*cking kidding.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:17 AM | Permalink
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So, today, I packed up our kitchen and our living room, leaving barebones parts behind. By Sunday, we would have moved out of our place and by Tuesday, I'd be on a plane to Manila. Very excited to come home, and hit the ground running on our wedding logistics (it's June 22). We have to get a license, take some marriage seminars from both the Church (who will not talk about birth control, instead, the sanctity of marriage) and the Mayor's Office (who will talk about nothing else except birth control). We need to talk to the florist, the dressmaker, and do some shopping for gifts to give to the wedding party members. That's not all of it, but the bulk of it, I think.

Hence, this blog could get stale very fast. I'm think I can check in once in a while, but I'll be running around like a headless chicken come next week.

Now, onto SARS, which has killed 500 now worldwide, and the WHO is now saying that the mortality rate is at 15%: so, I'm armed with alcohol (70% isopropyl), a sanitizing hand gel, anti-bacterial soap, and a mask for the flight home. Other people going to our wedding must be feeling iffy about the entire thing, and I don't blame them. I hope it goes away soon, so come June invitees won't be scared off to visit Manila.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:00 PM | Permalink
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Last April 4, Tarzan's and Korak's illustrator, Filipino Rudy Florese, passed away in San Pablo City. I have at least 2 dozen issues of Tarzan and Korak bound and kept in my mom's small library. I will open them up and read them, and awe at this man's beautiful art, as soon as I get home.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:22 PM | Permalink
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Via Eric Pareja: Oh, hey, cool. Nice to see open so-source getting more attention. It's his way of promoting "acceptable use" read: no piracy on campus.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:05 PM | Permalink
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That's 250,000 deaths a year. Yes, we all know about medical malpractice suits, but this is pretty serious.

I wonder what the rates are elsewhere.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:39 PM | Permalink
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Philip Morris: Find a developing country desperate for foreign investment with shabby healthcare and a poor judicial structure, and stick your US$300 million factory there.

It says the factory can roll up to 40 billion cigarettes a year. That's b for billion.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:49 AM | Permalink
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My father, who is a rice scientist, is familiar with all the arguments on Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs). He is not really outspoken about where he lies on the matter, but being surrounded by plant breeders and the like who create GMOs all the time, he's quite sure that the benefits, particularly for economic cereals like corn and rice, far outweigh the disadvantages and risks (as they are few).

Consider that GMO rice needs less pesticide. Or, that BT Corn (corn bred with a bacteria called Bacillus Thuringiensis) is immune to corn borers that has wiped out enter crops before. The truth is, very few things in our food chain is free of GMOs. A large majority of cattle are genetically-modified, if not the feed that they eat.

So, when the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines is backing a moratorium on the propagation of GMOs in Mindanao, the argument enters the arena of religion: are scientists playing with creation? To the minds of many farmers, I would carelessly presume, will planting these GMOs become a sin?

It's been asked before, and I care not to widen this argument at this point. What I'd like to point out is this: I don't get how the Church sees the world. Period. While the Roman Catholic Church is against all forms of birth control (except abstinence and rhythm), which begets more mouths to feed, how do you then balance that off with non-GMO crops which yield less (and are more susceptible to disease) to feed the growing population? We simply cannot live off the crops we plant now, what with agricultural land being depleted and even parceled out for commercial land. The argument is simple: more people, less land, need better crops. (Does anyone want to chip in from the sustainable development camp?)

The clearer side of the argument against GMOs is how these crops are commercialized. I am against the commercialization of these crops, but these are people (Monsanto, for instance) that are just doing business. They make better crops, and, having invested all that money on research, now needs to make money out of it. That's just business, and if anything, the government needs to subsidize the distribution of these crops if they are absolutely needed.

You know what I really want to get my hands on? The anti-GMO propaganda material they're using out there.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:37 AM | Permalink
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An elephant runs wild in Araneta Center, causing traffic and loads of fun! According to this article, hundreds of residents, many of them children seeing a live elephant for the first time, cheered the impromptu show. "We don't have money to watch the elephants, but now we can watch all we want. Thank you," said Lourdes Cruz. Five hours later, the elephant was still standing despite the tranquilizer shots. Traffic was rerouted around it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:04 AM | Permalink
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Former ABS mouthpiece Noli de Castro and former Education Secretary Raul Roco has topped a nationwide survey on who people would vote for if the 2004 elections (which is exactly 12 months away from this date) were held today.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:41 PM | Permalink
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Rumor had it that this was true, but with Burnham claiming it for real in her book, this is a damning disgrace.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:37 PM | Permalink
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Yanked from Geisha Asobi (told you I really liked this site) are sculptures made from butter. I really don't know what else to say.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:08 PM | Permalink
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BERLIN (Reuters) - A man arrested after walking through town swinging the severed head of his sister-in-law by the hair told police she had provoked him, German prosecutors said on Wednesday. The 24-year-old man admitted stabbing the woman to death and cutting off her head with a 12-inch kitchen knife after a row, a spokesman at the prosecutors' office in the western city of Aachen said. "The man said he had been provoked before the deed," the spokesman said, but gave no details.

So, how do you piss someone off so bad that he'd kill you and cut your head off?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:05 PM | Permalink
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Hello Kitty Lunchboxes have arrived. No, not just the boxes, but the lunch itself!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:28 PM | Permalink
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While we're on the topic of getting dressed, here's TribalPinoy, which specializes in homiewear like hoodies and beanies. The site isn't all there yet, but it'll give you a trip nevertheless.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:04 AM | Permalink
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Saw this figurine at Homies.tv.

The description says that, he (called "Pinoy") drives a Honda, "Rice-burner", with the most incredible sound system. Whenever he drives by people's windows explode. Pinoy is stone deaf as a result of this. Pinoy's family is rich, so they live in a huge pad up in the hills. Whenever his parents leave town, he throws a party, and the Homies thrash the house.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:57 AM | Permalink
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My friend and I were just talking about this: Holy crap! The house is on fire! Dial 845-9977 local 322!!!

So, it used to be that you'd have several emergency numbers stuck to your refrigerator door. Now, there's just one: introducing 117, touted to be far more sophisticated than 911. Wait until the operators start taking in personal calls.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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I just don't get how Filipinos can get off one man's lifetime of philandering and fleecing of his constituents who came out straight for one moment to rat on his best friend?

Good news is Dina Bonnevie is back in business.

Singson on accusations of ordering his provincial auditor whacked: "If the alleged anomalies were true, why will I kill the auditor?...I should fix him with money."

He's that kinda guy.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Stockholders of Banco Filipino Savings Bank recently charged its board of directors with wholesale cannibalization of the bank's cash resources Banco Filipino had released P2.4 billion to nine shell companies linked to the businessman Albert C. Aguirre, the bank's chairman, under allegedly irregular circumstances, thus putting the bank, its depositors and stockholders, and the entire banking system in jeopardy," the stockholders said.

Take your money out, if you haven't already.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Via Geisha Asobi (my current-favorite-blog-of-the-week), here's a way to reconstruct the face of that punk you saw staring you down in the subway, or, that fourth grade teacher you hate for confiscating your water pistol, or, that gorilla that shoved you down the flight of stairs, or...

And, you can save the faces!

(This has Medical Detectives written all over it.)

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:58 PM | Permalink
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This via Slashdot, William Gibson talks about bloggin'.

Is there an art to blogging? I think there is and I don't think I've necessarily mastered it yet! I have got that feeling of when you're working in a new form and you start to feel the edges of it and it's really intuitive. However, if I'm ever going to write another book, I'm going to have to quit doing my blog as I have a hunch it interferes with the ecology of being a novelist.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:27 PM | Permalink
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Is she hot or not? Something's going on with Kris Aquino. Someone's spinning something here... hmmm. She recently denied being pregnant, and has had to marshall up a bit of spin, since her most recent movie flopped and her show's being sued.

Alas, some major favors have been pulled with a piece on her in the IHT. Nothing that a die-hard fan would not know. And, sadly, nothing about whether that really is her blog.

"If you say anything about me, you can say - the word is tactless," she said. "When I open my mouth, people know that whatever comes out is true."

The strange thing is that it's weirdly interesting. This is not, after all, just another bright plastic bauble in the world of entertainment. This is the bearer of the Aquino name, the most revered and unsullied in the nation.

Btw, I have met her. I was babysitting in a kiddie birthday party, and she and her son Josh were also invited.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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Sadly, four Pinoys are born every minute now, further deepening the population problems in the Philippines.

Growing up in the province then moving to Metro Manila to work has made me very much aware of how urban congestion gravely affects the lives of Filipinos. The contrast of people's lifestyles -- when half a day is lost because of traffic -- is very evident.

I used to travel from home (Los Banos) and work (the distance of 45 miles), and it would take me 4 hours on average every trip. There was one time when I was in a bus for 7 hours -- yes, seven hours. Three ladies had to pee in a hole on the bus' floor. This experience pretty much made me want to get my own place, and, eventually I did.

A colleague of my father worked for the government for 8 years and through all of his time there, he was commuting back and forth from Los Banos. By his computation, he had spent 20% of his waking hours inside a car, driving to work.

But these are small complaints compared to the bigger, much bleaker picture. When the Catholic church starts changing its stand on birth control and contraception, maybe we can turn the tide.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:59 PM | Permalink
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Light reading from Philippine News, via New California Media, deals with the "side-splitting mayhem" starting from the INS's supposed release of a pre-911 list of names of Filipinos who changed their names upon becoming naturalized U.S. Citizens.

The writeup goes on to talk a bit about the fascination with Filipino names, citing Matthew Sutherland's much-emailed article on this phenomenon.

Written by Matthew Sutherland, it notes: in the Philippines, there are, at least, seven categories of names - from "doorbell" to "random letters." You're not likely to stumble across them anywhere else. Everyone here, for example, has a nickname: Babes, Lovely, Precious; Honey Boy, Bing, and Dong. Even the former chief of the National Police, and now senator, has a doorbell name: "Ping."

"There are millions of them," gasped Sutherland who has lived here for more than six years now. Such names are frequently used in doorbell combinations like: Dingdong; Tingting, and Bingbing. Others graduate into repeating names, like: Len-Len, Let-Let; Mai-mai or Petpet.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:49 PM | Permalink
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...says their website. "If you don't own this stuff, you're probably a terrorist." I like the American Pride Pore Cleanser the most!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:32 AM | Permalink
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I wonder if there's free parking.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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This blog is supposedly hers. Can someone verify this?

Excerpt:

oh my gosh oh my gosh i just have to post this! it's a blind article from Yes! magazine, pero anyone with an iota of imagination can guess who it is ha!

This statuesque actress -- whose separated parents were both stars in the 1960s -- is rumored to have a love child by no less than her stepfather. The child, says our mole, is now 10 years old and lives in the US.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
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My uncle, who is based in Los Angeles, has his artwork online. Most of his work featured here is done in pastel. Nice work, Uncle Noel!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:39 PM | Permalink
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Hehehe, I feel like Pud. Erap.com is gone!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:14 PM | Permalink
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Swiped from Baraita is this transcript (alleged) of audio commentary from Chomsky and Zinn on the Fellowship of the Rings.

A quote:

Chomsky: How do you think these wizards build gigantic towers and mighty fortresses? Where do they get the money? Keep in mind that I do not especially regard anyone, Saruman included, as an agent for progressivism. But obviously the pipe-weed operation that exists is the dominant influence in Middle Earth. It's not some ludicrous magical ring.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:52 AM | Permalink
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This site has scale models of starships from Romulan Scouts, to Vorlon Fighters, to a Zentraedi Command Ship, to the Imperial Lambda Class Shuttle, to Boeing 747s compared side-by-side.

Way, way tight.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:20 AM | Permalink
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