I've been waking up to hives in various places all over my body. Some the size of pencil erasers, some the size of quarters, occasionally the size of a very large piece of salami. I get it on my back, my arms, and some parts of the body that take more than three words to identify.

I don't remember getting hives like this with such frequency in my allergy-tainted history. I am allergic to all sorts of things, which often complicates the most simple of matters. For example, I am allergic to pineapple. Yes, pineapple. For those of you unfamiliar with the Philippines, we are as pineapple as Columbia is to coffee (and other useful crops). In fact, I've always wondered why natural selection did not take of my allergy to pineapple, having been surrounded by so much of the plant.

There was indeed one party, Filipino of course, where there was pineapple in the pizza, the spaghetti and the punch. I had water and some crackers, although I do know that this was some sick joke from the birthday celebrant.

Shellfish (or sea critters) is another intolerable food. That includes shrimp (although to a lesser extent), crab and lobster. Sometimes, too much bagoong gets me too. Again, having been born in a country of 7,100 islands (and my ancestors of the same descent), there must have been some grand celestial error somewhere.

I am also allergic to most painkillers known to man except acetaminophen, paracetamol and vodka. I am most allergic to aspirin and morphine-based drugs, which causes several disfiguring catastrophes and an incapacity to excrete bodily fluids. This also makes me a nightmare patient: I have been given drugs that I'm allergic to which would be then complemented by cortisone and benadryl, my drug of choice.

Which brings me back to my hives, which go away when benedryl is taken. I read up on it and I discovered that it can be caused by literally anything: sudden heat, sudden cold, perspiration, dust, even lupus, ADHD, ED, blinding light, stress, male pattern baldness, a fear of death, soap, out-of-body experiences, alien abduction, and horror of horrors, television.

I would in fact need to investigate hence the cause of my hives, which will be, I imagine, a long drawn out process of elimination. It could also be impossible: spring is turning, so that is suspect, but how do I control "springnessness" to determine if that was the cause? What if I was allergic to freshly-ground coffee? I'd surely die!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Of a reminder to begin knowing
that well beyond the moment
that I began to fade.

Of hyacinths and perfectly manicured lawns
Long winding trails into lush mountains

Into a hollowness, as empty as dawn
The reason this becoming
has no other importance
other than the urgency
of which it is now

Had there been a looking glass
I would see in a haze, with clear focus
then immediately darkening
a vast intersection of starlight

A mirror of my own reflection, shaped like a needlepoint
then hastily. There, either a thought-idea-daydream
weeping. running to stand effortlessly still.
seeing no more than what there is exactly to see.

The actual dream folded and unfolded. Upside down and inverted
Seeing no more then yet again:
There and gone.
No more than hyacinths, lizards, driveways and stars.

I am in that moment.
And yes, I am well.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:59 PM | Permalink
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In yet another display of utter lack of class and decency, Bush makes light of his war on Iraq in a black-tie dinner party:

In several photos, he appeared to be searching the Oval Office. A photo of Bush looking under a piece of furniture was flashed on the large projection screens in the ballroom.

"Those weapons of mass destruction got to be here somewhere," Bush said in his narration, drawing laughter from the audience of journalists, politicians, government workers and other guests.

Another photo showed him looking through a window. "Nope, no weapons over there," the president said.

Troops are dying to find those weapons, for the very reason you sent them there. Not only were they now found to be unsubstantiated claims, but now they have become gag fodder. How distateful.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:35 PM | Permalink
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Now, when I saw him at the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital, I really did hope that nothing was wrong, and he was in there for, you know, a checkup of sorts.

But now this, and it leads me to believe that his health could be one of the reasons he's leaving. His beat will never be the same.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:06 PM | Permalink
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Do not go in there, we
may have an opportunity
to get two for the
price of one

Separate but equal:
unimaginative. Blow. By. Blow.

May this day be
the day when my vision
blows my mind.

Come wear my flowers.
Come see the death of my kings.
A great man, but a selfish one, long long long gone.
This day be
the articulation; a fashionable wish
that will be my pride.

Yipee.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:29 PM | Permalink
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Thank you.
Thank you.

A dream of apatheia.
Ghastly apatheia.

Understanding: realize
Understanding: hurting no one. Giving energy.

Everything: Education is the silver bullet.
Everything: Education is the silver bullet.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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It is my pleasure to announce that Kris Aquino will most likely vote for GMA (if she wants to keep her job). Sorry, Ping.

ABS-CBN executives have ordered the network’s talents and contract stars to campaign only for President Arroyo and the rest of her ticket on the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4), the opposition said.

The opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) said on Tuesday that it received information about the ABS-CBN directive a few weeks ago, thus boosting talk that the comedy king Dolphy had been sacked for defying management orders by campaigning for Fernando Poe Jr.

Sen. Vicente Sotto 3rd, KNP campaign manager, said the decision of the ABS-CBN management to pull the plug on Dolphy’s long-running show, Home Along Da Airport, was a warning to other ABS-CBN talents and contract stars that they might suffer the same fate if they defy the management’s directive.

First off, why didn't anyone tell me they had moved from the railroad tracks to the airport? Second, and more important, if ABS-CBN can ax a Dolphy show, boy, they can do anything.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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This is the sound of 1 billion pesos -- or an amount equivalent to the daily household income of 200,000 filipino families (or the daily cost-of-living allowance for all the people in Pasay City, Muntinlupa City, Mandaluyong City and Marikina City) -- down the drain:

Lazaro said the consortium should not be faulted if the Supreme Court found irregularities in the bidding process because it is the Comelec which is in charge.

“Did we violate any provision in the contract? The SC on technical matters principally accused Comelec of not following its own rules, so where did MegaPacific have a hand in that?” he asked.

Lazaro said MegaPacific could not be compelled to return the money since it has done its part of supplying the ACMs in good condition as prescribed in the contract with the poll body. “We gave all the machines and (they) are in the possession of the government up to this very day.”

Lazaro added, “The problem is since the government is not capable of restoring the machines in [their] virgin state, the demand for a refund is offline.”

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:30 PM | Permalink
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I was really looking forward to this movie. Here's why it's such a let down:

1. I can't understand half of what they're saying. It's either lost in 150 year old naval mumbo-jumbo or in an accent so thick, you can spread it on toast.

2. In a plot-driven movie (as opposed to character-driven movies like "A Beautiful Mind"), it moved along too slow, and there were some situations that were far too stupid: the suicide of one of the officers who thought he was "bad luck", the sudden no-wind situation, the auto-surgery the doctor performed, the amputation of a boy's right arm -- preposterous! Unbelievable! I'll take my orcs and witch kings any time.

3. I got claustrophobic on the ship. A bit like Crimson Tide.

4. What is up with those violin and double bass duets?

5. Also, I would often have to stop and visualize how the boats were out-foxing each other. You'll need to remind yourself which one's "starboard" and which one's "port". The latter is left, right?

6. Naturalists, at least these days, mean nude colonists, and not bird-watching, bug-hunting, Galapagos tourists.

7. Not enough Crowe getting medieval on someone's ass.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:26 AM | Permalink
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"I can't speak for nobody in this administration." (Cue in elongating nose.)

Here's a shout out to Moveon.org.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:12 AM | Permalink
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(Click on the image to get a screensaver-sized version.)

While you guys are planning your Easter beach vacations, we in Pennsylvania are still freezing. However, we do have gorgeous (seamless gradient) skies. This pic snapped off a bluff in Valley Forge, where my 215 peeps tell me they didn't really have a battle here, just a nap or two.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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At last, a government officer that speaks of the law without getting angry, frustrated, or even bewildered:

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Ricardo de Leon yesterday called on the public to exercise self-discipline as he reported that in less than a week of massive operations against traffic violators, joint teams of the NCRPO-Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have nabbed 1,889 motorists in the course of the "No Plate, No Travel" policy implementation.

Less than a week! Although in many cases, the cost of obtaining or renewing a license can be difficult to deal with, still, these are the laws. Jeepney drivers would spend more than Php 10,000 a year to renew their license to drive and to re-register their vehicles.

But this is De Leon's moment. And he seems to be magnificent:

"The exercise of self-discipline is an indication of progress and social development," the NCRPO chief said.

He urged the public to shy away from the "easy to get away with" notion, which, he said, is typical of the criminal mind-set. "The reason we have laws is to put order in our society. They are not always created to suit us, but for a higher purpose of serving the greater good," De Leon said.

And he makes it clear why this is all necessary:

Records from the PNP revealed that almost all vehicles used in the commission of crimes are stolen. Others use fake license plates or do not use license plates at all.

Someone who knows how to handle the Filipino, with good reason, a lack of self-importance, and a soft pair of kidgloves.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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While Imee Marcos proposes to scale back laws on libel, her mom sues Ruben Carranza et al for calling her beloved husband a "thief and a dictator."

"Malicious imputation of a crime" is what's happened here, according to Philippine libel laws. And, it's intended to "blacken the memory" of this man who once held the highest government office in the country. I emphasize the last part because in the defendant's side is the truth. Our libel laws have made it clear that proof of the truth of an imputation of an act or omission not constituting a crime:

shall not be admitted, unless the imputation shall have been made against Government employees with respect to facts related to the discharge of their official duties.

So, having ill-gotten wealth isn't proof that you are a thief, oh dead president? Imposing martial law wasn't "dictative" enough?

The problem with our laws is that every defamatory remark is presumed malicious. Can't I say "you liar!" without malice? And as frivolous as this suit may be, so too is this entry that bemoans it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Oh, boy!

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today announced the world’s highest capacity 3.5-inch ATA hard drive, the 400GB Deskstar 7K400. The new drive has been designed for audio video (AV) and ATA nearline environments, where large capacities and a lower per-gigabyte cost are key requirements. A new industry-standard AV feature set makes the drive well-suited for use in high-end digital video recorders (DVRs) that are designed to record substantial amounts of high-quality digital programming.

I know a few people who will be very happy. Link via Slashdot.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:18 AM | Permalink
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Ugh. Now, I'm really upset.

GMA's campaign spokesperson today said they were surprised with statements from both the Iglesia ni Christo and the El Shaddai saying that they agree with GMA's seeming misstep in allowing Erap to leave his jail cell and go to his vacation house.

"We are wondering why certain sectors are making a big issue out of former President Joseph Estrada's occasional visits to his vacation house in Tanay, Rizal. He is not trying to escape from the law when he does that, as the said house is just across from Camp Capinpin where he is supposed to be detained," said the statement distributed by Defensor and signed by Bienvenido Santiago and Mel Robles, spokespersons for the INC and El Shaddai, respectively.

He is not trying to escape, no, he's just merely making a mockery of the law. And it surprises me to read that these religious groups would support such actions. No, it is beyond me.

Herein lies the problem: it's not a matter of compassion or humane treatment, my god, I'm sure Camp Capinpin is not a horrible dungeon. But it's a matter of jurisdiction, that is, the Sandiganbayan and not GMA can and would, if they find it in their mercies, allow Erap to leave Camp Capinpin. Of course, "jurisdiction", that being a legal matter, is not something easily grasped.

Not easily, as in:

They [the church groups] compared the government's present treatment of Estrada to that of Abu Sayyaf leader Ghalib Andang and cult leader Ruben Ecleo.

"If Andang was accorded special treatment upon his capture and Ecleo was granted bail so he could seek medical treatment for heart ailment, why couldn't a former president be accorded with compassionate accommodation," they asked.

For the love of god, these were for urgent treatment of medical ailments! Commander Robot was wounded and bleeding from the leg! Erap went to see his mother (which, by the way, he could have seen as easily in Capinpin, no?) and went to Jinggoy's birthday party.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Writing for TODAY, Joaquin Bernas delineates what it is exactly the SC ruling does, and what it fails to do. In his and the SC's words:

There is in the decision near unanimity in saying that, provided filiation is proved, legitimacy or illegitimacy is irrelevant to citizenship even if the distinction is important for civil law purposes. But whether FPJ is a natural-born Filipino citizen, or even just a citizen, is not conclusively settled. The lead opinion itself says that the totality of the evidence does “not establish conclusively that the respondent FPJ is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.” The core of the opinion simply says that there is a preponderance of evidence that FPJ “cannot be held guilty of having made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy.”

This doesn't clear the matter of FPJ's citizenship, or lack thereof. It may have just merely postponed it later when he has become president.

So those of you hankering for "where are the CSI's?" in this case, your day in court is yet to come. Proving his citizenship is indeed a matter of evidence.

Assuming that the grandfather became a Filipino citizen and passed on such citizenship to his son who is FPJ’s putative father, did FPJ receive his citizenship from such father from birth or did he receive such citizenship only some time after his birth?

A natural-born Filipino is one who is a citizen from the moment of birth. The debate here would involve interpretation of old and new Civil Law provisions on the manner of establishing paternity. It would also involve the novel question of whether civil law requirements should be used or whether new political law rules should be devised.

Brace yourself for that time. Losing candidates will be locked in a legal battle. People will take to the streets yet again. More woes.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:55 PM | Permalink
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Let me see, Erap is in jail. He showers his guards with food and affection (perhaps more) and is rewarded with trips to his resort across the street. He is happy about this, and when exposed, begs for compassion and asks for some latitude.

Meanwhile, GMA says that it was her goody-two-shoedness that allowed for it to happen, as a reconciliatory move to Erap supporters, whom she is said to be wooing in her campaign for re-election. She gets cited for contempt of court that, according to Erap, is by her own doing, ostensibly to show that she's willing to "take one for the team".

One way to look at it is that Erap, whose knees must be getting stiff from living in plush Camp Capinpin, is biting the hand that feeds him (that Pavlovian hand that rings the bell) to show that he is not a hungry animal (dogs, in the original experiment). He is doing this, say, out of showing disrespect to his captor.

Now the other way of looking at it, the Erap way really, is that he didn't need GMA to get in and out of prison at all, which is despicable and dastardly to say the least. To extrapolate, he is saying that GMA is merely taking advantage of a crime of his own making to show support for him and capture pro-ERAP votes.

That, my friends, is a sign of how long this man's tail has grown. And how incapable GMA's campaign managers are. Here is Erap:

The move drew protest from Estrada, who phoned the Inquirer to say he saw nothing wrong in spending time at his rest house across from the camp. "Ano ba yung visit sa rest house? Is that a crime?" he said.

Here is Malacanang on the suit:

Malacañang, however, was unperturbed, and stressed that there was noting wrong in Ms Macapagal's policy of humane treatment for Estrada.

"We welcome this case as we've always welcomed the cases that are filed in the appropriate forums for us to make clear the soundness and legality of the government's position," Ricardo Saludo, deputy spokesperson for the President, told reporters at a briefing.

"She has always maintained that the rule of law must be followed and at the same time ... the humanitarian condition of the former President should be given attention because of the empathy that our people, particularly the less privileged segments of our society, feel toward [his] condition," Saludo said.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:31 PM | Permalink
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I have long wondered -- and in vain --about how we can let the Marcoses and their cronies, and Erap and his cronies, walk amongst us, freely, and allow them to hold crucial government offices, conduct business, and leave the country as they please. True, their cases are mired in court or have been thrown out, but plunder is a non-bailable offense, much more, non-house arrestable.

Not to mention those tortured and killed under Marcos' martial law. Okay, so I'm stretching it.

But while the Marcoses, whose stolen money is now probably somewhere between candidates and their supporters, continue to enjoy their freedoms, Erap, from his comfortable jail cell, asks: bend the rules, show compassion. Let me visit my resort which is conveniently located across the road (less than 100 meters) from where I am being held.

"This is supposedly a Catholic country," he said. "Why is it that some of our countrymen do not even have compassion? We’re a Catholic nation and yet they are so inhuman."

In the spirit of Lent, maybe the Christ, asking for forgiveness for the two crucified next to him because they "know not what they do" was a great example of compassion that we all should aspire to.

But two-thousand years and 175 million pesos later, doesn't this plea from a womanizing, gambling, deposed president who would threaten "civil war" should his showbiz pal be disallowed to run, ever be considered as "not knowing" what he has done?

Doesn't it make you mad that this man is taking advantage of the very tenets of your faith? Mocking your principles? This man, a crook in jail who once was a strong proponent of capital punishment, and openly brandished guns?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 05:36 PM | Permalink
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Link via Memepool

I just couldn't grind that rock, okay? It was tougher than I thought it would be! There's nothing wrong with me!! Now NASA wants to run all these tests. When are they going to stop treating me like Spirit?! You'd think on a planet this big I could avoid living in Spirit's shadow, but nooooooo. It's just not fair!

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:19 PM | Permalink
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I had to go to the doctor last week because of nagging inflammation in my left knee. For those of you who know me, my left knee is actually my good knee. My other knee has a torn ACL. I went through hell with my arthroscopic surgery to clear up a miniscal tear -- that's because I'm allergic to most pain killers known to man other than acetaminophen and vodka, ibuprofen, morphine, dicoflenac, aspirin, name it.

So the doctor said:

Doctor: Nothing wrong with your left knee.
Happy: Huh? Sometimes, it locks up and...
Doctor: Were you active, in sports, when you were young?
Happy: (Suddenly "old") Uh, yeah, I guess you can say...
Doctor: Jump up and down.
Happy: (Jumps up and down)
Doctor: Squat
Happy: (Squats)
Doctor: Nothing wrong with your left knee.
Happy: I should tell you that I have a torn ACL in my right.
Doctor: Whoa. When did you damage that?
Happy: Three years ago.
Doctor: Never got it repaired?
Happy: No, because I'm allergic to...
Doctor: There are ways around that. Do you drink coffee?
Happy: Uh, sure.
Doctor: You're set up for all sorts of things. Like arthritis. Early onset maybe. You should get that knee repaired.
Happy: Okay...
Doctor: Your xrays are normal. Take something for your left knee. You're all right.

No I'm not, really. Arthritis. That's for old people, man. Don't tell me that. Just when I've started killing on the crosstrainer. And don't mess with my coffee.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Dear Filipino,

I've been getting a lot of letters addressed to you in my email that I decided to send you one myself.

I wanted to tell you that never in my entire life have I been embarassed to be you. Never.

But recently, I cannot hold my head up high when I read about how you are compelled to send Fernando Poe Jr., a man of good honor but unqualified character and experience, to the highest, most important office in the country.

The country will not survive him, if the dollar exchange rate is to be any indication. I've heard some of you foolishly disregard the peso-dollar exchange as an important indicator -- remember, when the peso shrinks, it decreases the value of what you do, what you earn, and what your children will earn. The same amount of work you put in in an hour 10 years ago is now 25% less valuable. That means you, my Filipino, are unfortunately, becoming increasingly worthless. And why? Because it looks like that this May, you will send FPJ to Malacanang.

Yet, I am willing to overlook the fact that I, who has 10 more years of education than he does, would find it ridiculous to run for any government office. Not because I cannot, but because you, my Filipino, who has fought tyranny for centuries, who was one of the first countries in Asia to declare independence from colonists, who once was only second to Japan in Asia in countrywide development, who has thrown out despots without a drop of blood, you who are brilliant even in the darkness of poverty, deserve so much more. Much more.

I overlook that because I can see that, in your blinding zeal for the miraculous, in your hope of all hopes, you look upon the presidency as The Deliverer, the Great Messiah, the One; he is someone who will magically transform the country into a prosperous and powerful nation. He is in your prayers. His sword-wielding, gun-toting, crime-fighting image on your bedroom wall. He is good-looking and gets the girl every time -- all that you aspire to be. You have prayed fervently for him for years. (He is not Kuya Eddie). He is FPJ, you say.

I have nothing against that. Prayer is important. Prayer gives us hope. But action, FPJ himself a star in this field, speaks louder than words. And what have you done, Filipino?

You have not stop making too many babies, stretching your meager household budget to less than zero. You continue to poison your land and your sky. You have encouraged yourself into debt, buying more than you can afford, and you continue to gamble. You have torn down institutions of value, and in their stead built monuments to banality. You smoke too much, and you continue to steal money from your own coffers. You forgot about tending your sheep: children are less capable now than they used to be and they start drinking and smoking earlier too. You continue to aspire to become professional basketball players when your average height is 5'2".

And, of all things, you mix up entertainment with government, the latter being the sole entity that can possibly save you from what you have done. And you turn it into a circus.

Worse of all, you have disgraced your ancestors -- the men and women who bled and gave their lives for your independence -- by abandoning their steadfast principles of honor and dignity, and their dreams of a bright, peaceful and hopeful Philippines.

Alas, in this my Filipino, is my prayer, with a hope that you will still become who you are truly meant to be:

I pray that You will awaken my fellow Filipino And make him realize that he, not someone else, will deliver himself. That if he will call upon Your name in humility And in Your mighty name awaken the Filipino to work and to prosper and to forge unity, to think and to understand and to care, to rise and believe and to share and to be grateful, then and only then will you heal the land you have given him.

Please write back soon. Regards kina Misis. We miss you out here in Philly.

Sincerely,

Benito (Filipino)

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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The goal, of course, is to stay competitive, despite falling Math and English skills. Most of this is pretty obvious, but research was needed to show a need to change a curriculum that "most of which have remained unchanged for the last 15 to 20 years." Dang, no wonder. At least some more of the massive outsourcing can come our way, in a few years or so.

CHED Commissioner Christina Padolina said in an interview that the commission is mapping out plans to modify high technology-related curriculums, most of which have remained unchanged for the last 15 to 20 years.

"We've become aware that the local high-tech industry is demanding graduates that have specific skills. Unfortunately, many of our graduates cannot fill in those needs and the schools should cope with this demand," Padolina said.

What are we going to do about the lack of computers to learn on?

That said, which school out there teaching Computer Science courses is the best? UP? Ateneo? Or maybe STI?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:03 PM | Permalink
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Of course not! I don't care if they got rid of Willie! And who better to put this into words than a mother who happens to be a Bulletproof Vest reader:

I am a subscriber in tfc here in the US my family is following the soap opera Sanay wala ng wakas I am very concern to my teenage daughter all her show is under screening with my approval my daughter interested to follow the aboved show. last year when abs cbn introduced the new soap opera I was delighted because kristine Hermosa and Jerheco Rosales are good model artist for youth.

early part of the show everything was okey but when the new character (Angelika dela Cruz) came out to the picture the whole story do not have any focus at all and besides here actutions of all here episodes was not a good model for a growing teenager. She was very flerty,ediot,dammed . I am addressing to the writter to please stop tricking the viewers especialy I am paying for our monthly subcriptions. If I knew it I will never let my daughter follow that show.

Stop tricking the viewers! You idiots! Damn! Wasting our subscription money!

Seriously, it's been a pet peeve of mine (during those days I would spend watching late afternoon soaps) to analyze the content and look at the marketing of norms in Philippine television. I see stereotypes of rags to riches (Marimar) all the time, and the evil twin sister will end up losing everything (but not after five seasons) But a freelancing bootyshaker? We'll have to wait and see. When Jenna won Survivor, it turned my world (and my norms) upside down.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
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(Oohhhh) Someone please tell me what's going on here.

Allan Poe was a Filipino because his father,Lorenzo Poe, while being a Spanish subject, was not shown to have declared his allegiance by virtue of the Treaty of Paris and the Philippine Bill of 1902.

“I agree with the amici curiae that this provision makes no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children of Filipino fathers. It is enough that filiation is established or that the child is acknowledged or recognized by the father,” Davide said.

So, first there was no proof that Allan Poe (father of FPJ) was not Filipino. Then, it was enough that the father, later on, acknowledge that FPJ was his son for FPJ to be legitimate?

What sort of mind-bending, illusionary decision is that (I have no words for this, really)? The fact is Poe was born to Bessie Kelly out of wedlock. Bessie Kelly later on married Allan Poe, but the fact remains, FPJ was born out of wedlock. A postdated marriage does not change that.

I simply cannot reconcile that with Article IV Section 2 of the Constitution:

Section 2. Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship. Those who elect Philippine citizenship in accordance with paragraph (3), Section 1 hereof shall be deemed natural-born citizens.

If indeed he was born out of wedlock, and thus took on the citizenship of his mother, and should FPJ become Filipino after his mother and father married, then aren't those the very acts that were performed to acquire citizenship? Ergo, it was performed and ergo FPJ isn't a "natural-born" citizen?

UPDATE

I scanned the PDI writeup, and apparently, part of the ruling was based on the rules of Citizenship established in the 1935 Constitution, which reads thus in Article 4, Sec 1(1-3):

Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines:   (1) Those who are citizens of the Philippine Islands at the time of the adoption of this Constitution.

(2) Those born in the Philippine Islands of foreign parents who, before the adoption of this Constitution, had been elected to public office in the Philippine Islands.

(3) Those whose fathers are citizens of the Philippines.

So, despite the reasonable doubt about Allan Poe's own citizenship (his father was not shown to have declared allegiance to Spain; what if he got up late that day?) FPJ is made a citizen by virtue of Section 1(3). This is the same Constitution that did not give women the right of suffrage.

I guess depending when you were born, a specific Constitution thus applies.

Further, Joaquin Bernas, a friend of the court, had this to add:

“To disqualify an illegitimate child from holding an important public office is to punish him for the indiscretion of his parents. There is neither justice nor rationality in that. Blood injected out of love or passion is the same blood ”

Is this ad hominist a true and impartial amicus curiae? With all due respect sir, we are all being punished for the indiscretions of our parents.

In Tinga's dissent, echoes of my own:

"Especially blatant to my mind was the conclusion of the Comelec that Lorenzo Poe 'had ceased to be a Spanish subject and had become a Filipino citizen' by operation of the Philippine Bill of 1902 and the Jones Law, despite the absence of substantial evidence to support this claim," Tinga said.

He said that there was no proof of Pou's acquisition of Filipino citizenship and that candidate Poe's paternity had not been "conclusively established."

"The truth is that no incontestible proof establishes that (Poe) had been acknowledged by Allan F. Poe as his son," he said.

Hence, since the petitioners look like they failed to meet the burden of proof (according to the majority opinion; Tinga adds that BOP rests with FPJ), the case is thrown out and resolved? That's not the same as saying he is irrefutably Filipino.

God save the Philippines.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Thanks to Sassy Lawyer for the link.

The Inquirer has generously provided us with the answers generously provided by the would-be presidents on questions ranging from who they will have in their cabinets, where they stand on population control, and, broken down here, what they hope to accomplish in your first 100 days in office:

Eddie Gil and FPJ provide no answer. Lacson wants to purge the judiciary system and the police, and focus on immunization and wants the private sector to be more involved in public works projects (aren't they already?).

Roco, who is great as the Incredible Hulk here, is doing the right thing with education and taxes. GMA promises to continue the good work that she's already started, and Brother Villanueva has too much to say, really, that I find it a nuisance.

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Curiously enough, when FPJ does provide an answer he sometimes refers to himself as "we". Then there is this nugget from FPJ:

We are against any form of discrimination regardless of sex, economic status, race and religion.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being against discrimination in spite of your own sex, economic status, race and religion. :-) But, I think what he wants to say is:

"We believe every human being should have a chance to run for president of the Philippines regardless of sex, economic status, race, religion, citizenship or educational attainment."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:19 AM | Permalink
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Tori Spelling is getting married. Get her something from her bridal registry at Tiffany's

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Return of the King swept 11 Oscars, but the real winner in my book was Cebuana Monique Lhuillier. Reprazent!

Jamie Lee Curtis was up next, and she came prepared. When asked who designed her billowing strapless blue chiffon gown, she pulled a business card out of her clutch listing the designers of her gown (Monique Lhuillier), handbag, shoes and jewelry. It even listed her stylist.

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In The "You Know You're Really Old When" Department:

Matet, who is 20, is expecting a baby in August. With Nora's troubles (recent partner was arrested for illegal firearms possession and for a dollop of smack), becoming yet again a grandmother should ease her pain.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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