Teachers and Apeng Daldal

Sabi ko na nga ba. Teachers are the pinakadaldal in the world New research shows teachers spend nearly a fourth of their time at work talking—not including the silent pauses between words. “Professional voice users make up about a quarter of the U.S. population,” said Eric Hunter, an acoustician with the National Center for Voice and Speech at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. “That includes singers and telemarketers, but one of the biggest chunks is teachers.” And voice loss shouldn’t be taken lightly. “About 40 percent of teachers report losing their voice sometime during their career,” he said, a dilemma costing taxpayers $2.5 billion each year in substitute teacher wages, sick pay and other expenses.

Wankette 48: Comelec Dyno-mite

What is a senior Comelec officer here doing with 600 sticks of dynamite? Dionisio Oya, an election officer of the Commission on Elections Cordillera office, was caught red-handed selling four boxes of dynamite, four boxes of blasting caps and rolls of detonation fuses to a police asset shortly before Wednesday noon inside the Comelec compound along Governor Pack Road. Oya is presently at the Saint Louis Hospital after he twisted his leg in an effort to avoid the entrapment operation. Oya's accomplice, Eugenio Diego, was detained Thursday afternoon at the Baguio City Jail. Senior Superintendent Moises Guevarra, director of Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), said the dynamites might not be used for election purposes but Oya and Diego would be charged for violation of the Omnibus Election Code, as well as for illegal possession of explosives. BCPO Operations Chief Fernando Moyaen said that the dynamites would probably be used for small-scale mining operations here.The cache weighed more than 100 kilos and has a street value of about P104,000, Moyaen said. The dynamite sticks were manufactured in Limay town, in the province of Bataan.

Karaoke Death Redux

from AFP: A jobless man was shot dead by a security guard for singing out of tune in a karaoke bar, police said Thursday. Romy Baligula, 29, was halfway through his song on Tuesday night in a bar in San Mateo town, east of Manila, when 43-year-old security guard Robilito Ortega yelled that he was out of tune. As Baligula ignored his comments and continued singing, Ortega pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest. Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas said Baligula died instantly. The security guard was detained by an off-duty policeman shortly after the shooting.

Utah Jazz

So the Spurs won. Some gave the usual reasons. Fundamental basketball. O really. If you watched the last quarter of Game 4, you would know the reason: The Manu Flop. It tugs the heartstrings of the referees all the time. You go near me and I will act like you stabbed me in the heart. I Googled for images of Manu Flop and this is what I got:

I feel bad for the Jazz. They are not even jazz people. I think they bought the franchise of the New Orleans Jazz and did not bother to change it to Utah Desserts or something. Now, they will remain the Heartbreakers. Radyo in Baguio broadcasts live the NBA (I think they still do). And for their listeners, they broadcast it in Ilocano and Tagalog. There was a time when the Utah Jazz was exciting, when Stockton and Malone were The Duo. Well, you know the usual refrain when the two played. "Stockton to Malone" had become a wonderful cliche indeed. I was curious on how Bombo translated that. "Impasa ni Stockton kenni Malone" and "Stockton pinasa yung bola kenni Malone" were the usual phrases. But one time, one of the boradcasters shouted "Stockton to Malone." I thought he went from Ilocano to Tagalog to English. Well, since I am watching on TV as well, I was surprised because Stockton, instead of passing the ball to Malone for another assist, decided to make the lay-up himself.

Of course, Bombo Radyo meant "Stockton Tumalon."

Ichiro

My morning ritual now includes watching Ichiro Suzuki at bat. A while back, he was on a 22-game hitting streak. Right now, he went hitless on his first two at-bat then came out with a single in a bases-loaded 4th inning. Now we are relieved. Tomorrow, the whole Seattle will again be on their knees.

Para sa Mga Kaibigang Inaapi Lalo na Mga Bagong-Panalong Pulitiko

Writers who urgently need to leave their country due to safety reasons or who are in a dire financial situation can apply for assistance from a grant program that assists victims of political persecution.

The Hellman/Hammett Grants, administered by Human Rights Watch (HRW), began in 1989 after the renowned American playwright, Lillian Hellman, left her will to assist writers in financial need.

All nominations must be sent to the New York office of HRW and should include biographical information about the nominee, a list of the nominee's published writing, a statement about the political persecution suffered and a statement of need.

Since its establishment in 1989, the program has provided grants ranging from US$500 to US$10,000 to more than 500 writers from 88 countries.

Grant recipients are announced annually during the American spring.

For more information, visit http://www.hrw.org, contact Program Associate Marcia Allina at allinam@hrw.org, telephone (+1-212) 216 1246, or write to 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3299.

Gusto Mo ng Bebelgam?

There really is such a bubblegum.

Miss Congeniality and Mr. Taray Get to Sleep Around

If you are very friendly and antagonistic, you may be more liable to have more sexual partners. Friendly, warm people may enjoy sharing their warmth with others by sleeping with them, whereas antagonistic people may sleep around to avoid having a monogamous relationship. Also it helps to have a dominant personality.

Lumbera

ANG Departamento ng Filipino ng Kolehiyo ng Malalayang Sining ng Pamantasang De La Salle (DLSU) ay nananawagan ng mga abstrak para sa Seryeng Panayam 2007-2008: Bienvenido Lumbera. Ang proyektong papel ay maaaring pagbasa o/at paglalapat ng mga ismo sa mga akda ni Bienvenido Lumbera, pagtalakay sa kanyang nga dalumat, metodolohiya, kritika, o praktika hinggil sa pambansang panitikan, teatro/pelikula, o pagbubuo/pagpapanukala ng mga paradigm sa pagpahahalaga sa textong Lumbera.
Si Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera ay nagtapos ng Journalism sa Universidad ng Sto. Tomas at ng masteral at doktoreyt sa Indiana University bilang iskolar ng Fulbright. Siya ay professor emeritus sa Universidad ng Pilipinas – Diliman at visiting professor naman ng Departamento ng Filipino ng DLSU. Iginawad sa kanya ang pagkilalang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan noong 2006.

Mahalagang linawin sa abstrak ang saklaw at tinatayang extent ng pinoproyektong papel. Ang abstrak ay bubuuin ng 200 salita. Kung sakaling mayroon nang tapos na proyekto ay maaari rin itong isumite.
May panel na uupo para sa pagtatasa sa mga abstrak. Ipababatid sa mga awtor ng mga napiling abstrak ang takdang petsa ng kani-kaniyang panayam. Sampung panayam ang nakaiskedyul. Proyekto rin ng departamento ang paglalathala ng koleksyon ng mga panayam.

I-email ang lahat ng submisyon sa ynionw@dlsu.edu.ph. Ang huling araw ng pagpapasa ng abstrak ay Hunyo 8, 2007. Ipapaalam naman sa mga kontribyutor ang resulta ng pagtatasa sa Hunyo 12. Ang buong papel naman ng mga lektyurer ay kailangang maisumite dalawang semana bago ang takdang panayam

From the Baguio Writers Group

For those who missed the fun Friday night at the Cafe by the Ruins, here's my report. The lights went out in downtown Baguio around 5 p.m.ish. At a little before 7 p.m. I texted Cafe manager Laida Lim Perez if we needed to reschedule the Flores de Mayo Poetry Reading and Singing to another day. She sounded optimistic so Desiree and I hied off to the Cafe. There were candles on each table and gaslight was turned on by the ancient stove where we requested we hold the reading/singing. As soon as Butch and Monica came in, we started the program despite the lack of power to run the sound system. Dinner was served to the participants as the program went on. We had a guest reader in Mickey Ybanez, friend of Jenny and a poet based in Dumaguete.

Every reader/singer had to throw his/her voice to be heard. In this aspect Butch was the champion. The fun of it was when I closed the program and thanked all the sponsors, then took my seat, the lights went on! Hay naku! Laida said something to the effect that our timing was great. A good time was had by all, and there were requests for a repeat, maybe on another theme. Next time siguro Frank does a solo stand-up to make up for all the times he let others read his poems.

Meanwhile, some dates to remember. First week of August is for the first draft of submissions to The Baguio Reader (anthology of prose & poetry on or about Baguio; this is a tentative title). Butch requests that hard copies of poetry and fiction be submitted to him. We still have to find an editor for the creative non-fiction (essays).

August is also for the biographical workshop for adults and senior citizens. Laida and Merci Dulawan have agreed to conduct the three-Saturday workshop (Aug. 11, 18 and 25) to be held 9 a.m.-12 noon. We're still scouting for a venue and hope that Baboo can convince the Country Club to co-sponsor the event, provide a small function room and serve the snacks and limitless coffee. Of course, we'll charge the participants a fee which will cover workshop kit, materials and snacks. Any suggestions on how much we will charge? We have to take into consideration that we will also pay the workshop facilitators a good honoraria.

If you wish to meet before school opens, please tell me. Thank you. -- Babeth

Packing and Unpacking

How to save on airfare

As you might have guessed, mga DOMs, I omitted some pictures. The fourth one is necessary to show you how to pack it in.

Boring Sunday

Magnets will make your brain bigger. If you are a mouse. Or else this is what will happen.
And then someone made this excruciating skeleton of a balloon dog (above).

Summer

And before we can even begin to enjoy it, summer is kaput.
Blame
a) the elections
b) global warming
c) the crowd
d) werk
e) women, the lack of
f) money, the lack of
g) time, the lack of

Spoiler

Seminar

My friend Chona is going to give an ethics seminar to public school teachers who have to go back to school next week. But this is different, remember, because many of these teachers connived to cheat for their political patrons last May 14 and they have to teach their students honesty, integrity and Godliness. So avail of this offer. There will be special discounts to those in nearby La Union and faraway Maguindanao.

Bird Shits on Bush

As President Bush took a question Thursday in the White House Rose Garden about scandals involving his Attorney General, he remarked, "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job."

Simultaneously, a sparrow flew overhead and left a splash on the President's sleeve, which Bush tried several times to wipe off.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino promptly put the incident through the proper spin cycle, telling ABC News, "It was his lucky day…everyone knows that's a sign of good luck."

Women in Art Morphing Through the Centuries

What Happened On The Day You Were Born

Kakorama Will Tell You Even if You Are from Mars

Karaoke at Rumours

For the first time in its 20-or-so years, Rumours had a karaoke night. It was supposed to be Filipiniana Nacht but Baguio had a brownout from 5 pm to 9:30 pm. But since Dennis already rented the karaoke, there was nothing better to do but karaoke! Day was the Soul Diva but Yvonne was the Disco Queen complete with her bevy of dancers. Glenn sang Andrea B. in Italian. It was a fun time for all. I've been telling Chata to have a karaoke night on a slow night, re: Thursday. Just make it campy.

Infantile

• At a few days old, infants can pick out their native tongue from a foreign one.
• At 4 or 5 months, infants can lip read, matching faces on silent videos to "ee" and "ah" sounds.
• Infants can recognize the consonants and vowels of all languages on Earth, and they can hear the difference between foreign language sounds that elude most adults.
• Infants in their first six months can tell the difference between two monkey faces that an older person would say are identical, and they can match calls that monkeys make with pictures of their faces.
• Infants are rhythm experts, capable of differentiating between the beats of their culture and another.

The latest finding, presented in the May 25 issue of the journal Science, is that infants just 4 months old can tell whether someone is speaking in their native tongue or not without any sound, just by watching a silent movie of their speech. This ability disappears by the age of 8 months, however, unless the child grows up in a bilingual environment and therefore needs to use the skill.

Sacred Chants

Inviting you to an intimate sharing of Philippine sacred chants this June 2, 3pm and 8 pm, at the PETA Theatre Center. For further information, please call PETA at 725-6244, 410-0822, 721-8604, or Sinag Arts Foundation at 531-3491

Bali-Baliwood

Here's a handsome Filipino posting his images in the Net

Then a Brazilian (thanks Jeni) thought of aping our Pinoy's gestures and stealz ol de gerls. If this is in a karaoke bar and the Brazilian sang the same song that a Filipino just sung (inevitably, it is "My Way") then that spells trouble. Hmmm. Abangan!

Marx: The Movie

A Haitian is going to do a movie about Marx. Not the Marx Brothers but Karl. The picture will cover the period 1830-1848, including Marx's time in Paris before being expelled to Brussels and culminating with the publication of the Communist Manifesto. It will be directed by Raoul Peck, a respected Haitian director. At least, it won't be Hollywoodized.

Damage

Another classic from Batangas Governor Vilma Santos on GMA 7"s 24 Oras:

"Nagpakasal si Guy sa Babae? What do you expect me to react? Alam mo naman. Damaged you do. Damaged you don't"

Fingering

Kids with longer ring fingers compared to index fingers are likely to have higher math scores than literacy or verbal scores on the college entrance exam, while children with the reverse finger-length ratio are likely to have higher reading and writing, or verbal, scores versus math scores.

Wankette 46: Bound to Happen

Just now (2:48 pm), I noticed this at the breaking news of inquirer.net. Bound to happen. He he he. Check No. 10.

MANILA, Philippines -- The Genuine Opposition (GO) continues to dominate the senatorial race, based on the partial, unofficial tally of the National Movement for Free Elections.

In Namfrel's 11: 03 a.m. update, Loren Legarda (GO) remained leading with 11,954,349 votes from 154,732 precincts or 68 percent of the total 224,748 precincts.

Partymate Francis Escudero ranked second with 11,718,078 votes. Another GO bet, Panfilo Lacson, placed third with 10,310,400 votes.

The complete Top 12:

1. Loren Legarda -- 11,954,349
2. Francis Escudero -- 11,718,078
3. Panfilo Lacson -- 10,310,400
4. Manuel Villar -- 8,869,284
5. Francis Pangilinan -- 9,411,950
6. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino -- 9,362,819
7. Edgardo Angara -- 8,175,757
8. Gregorio Honasan -- 7,680,035
9. Allan Peter Cayetano -- 7,620,833
10. Joke Arroyo -- 7,451,961
11. Antonio Trillanes -- 7,312,125
12. Aquino Pimentel III -- 7,173,060

Stalin

The problem (or the happiness) with the Internet is that it's a series of doors leading to just anything. I blogged earlier about the Telegraph article of the AYM and found myself reading about Stalin. How can you not shudder about somebody saying this: "My greatest pleasure is to choose one's victim, prepare one's plans minutely, slake an implacable vengeance, and then go to bed. There's nothing sweeter in the world."
And this reminds me. People kept on asking me what Kampi (PGMA's political party) means. Tired of it all, I tell people that it derived its name from Hitler's Mein Kampf. Di ba ako tama?

Election Treats

Some I found in my pocket:

My Daddy's Name is Donor

I had a talk with Dennis about this conundrum and I hope this will help him. This is from City Journal:

Here’s a Delphic riddle for our times: When is your father not your father? Answer: when he’s a sperm donor. Consider a case now before the Kansas Supreme Court. An unmarried woman in her early thirties decided that she wanted a child and asked a friend to be a sperm donor. He agreed, one thing led to another, which led to a syringe of his sperm, which led to the birth of twins. The mother says that she always intended to raise the kids alone and never wanted the friend involved in their lives. The donor says that he planned to be the twins’ father in name and practice. There is no written contract. What does the contemporary Solomon do? Well, in a Kansas trial court, Solomon rules that without a contract the twins have no father. The man who provided half of the children’s genetic material has no more relationship to them than does the taxi driver who rushed their mother to the hospital when she went into labor. Now, assuming that the supreme court upholds the decision, the state of Kansas can celebrate adding two more fatherless children to its population, and Mom can rejoice by dressing her twins in bibs—available over the Internet—proudly announcing: my daddy’s name is donor.

The rest is here.

And the Answer to the Previous Puzzle is...

Loyd

Here's a classic from Sam Loyd:

APE

MAN

Here is a study in word evolution, which consists in changing one letter at a time
to produce a series of words which will evolve APE into MAN.
Only R, M, N, I are to be used, and we are expected
to work out the evolution
by using the fewest possible number of words.

Top Ten Signs Your Newspaper Is In Trouble

I watched this on Dave Letterman days ago and took notes actually but found them so American. Still funny though

10. Covers all news that happens within one block of the office
9. Today's exclusive -- "Nixon Dead!"
8. Reporter sent to jail for refusing to divulge a source... Oh, and he also killed a dude
7. All horoscopes: "Now would be a good time to get out of the newspaper business"
6. Paper's motto: "Suck it"
5. Every "hot" gossip item is about Jack Klugman
4. Managing editor and guy who wheels around breakfast? Same guy
3. Under "Weather," it just reads "Yes"
2. Instead of "Garfield," has a comic strip called "Garfunkel"
1. You endorsed Dennis Kucinich

Sick Boy

No one would call "Trainspotting" subtle but there's actually a subtle scene when Sick Boy and Ewan M aka Renton went to the country. Aureaus had my Trainspotting screenplay and Pigeon Lobien stole my Trainspotting novel.
But this is the scene:

Sick Boy: It's certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life.
Renton: What do you mean?

Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it... and then you lose it... and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed...

Renton: Some of his solo stuff's not bad.
Sick Boy: No, it's not bad, but it's not great either. And in your heart you kind of know that although it sounds all right, it's actually just... shite.
Renton: So who else?
Sick Boy: Charlie Nicholas, David Niven, Malcolm McLaren, Elvis Presley...
Renton: OK, OK, so what's the point you're trying to make?
Sick Boy: All I'm trying to do is help you understand that The Name of The Rose is merely a blip on an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory.
Renton: What about The Untouchables?
Sick Boy: I don't rate that at all.
Renton: Despite the Academy Award?
Sick Boy: That means fuck all. It's a sympathy vote.
Renton: Right. So we all get old and then we can't hack it anymore. Is that it?
Sick Boy: Yeah.
Renton: That's your theory?
Sick Boy: Yeah. Beautifully fucking illustrated.

So you got it? You get older, wonderboy? You become a normal guy. Not only normal. Nermal. Need we name you? Ely Buendia. The Spice Boys. Raymond Red. The LIRA Boys. The Spice Boys. Us. Us. Stop the pitying but I just read an article from the Telegraph about the British Angry Young Men and how they now became the Angry Old Men. If not dead.

Which Trainspotting Character Are You?

Diebold

These posters and the others below came from lawgeek. Diebold is the company that was responsible for the election counting machines which many said ensured the victory for Bush. In the Philippines, where counting is still medieval, cooking the election is a tradition.

Love under Lakas (or Kampi)

Love under Lakas (or Kampi)

by Ogden Nash (I highlighted the ones I updated and localized)

Come live with me and be my love
And we will all the pleasures prove
Of a marriage conducted with economy
In the Twenty-first Century Anno Donomy.
We’ll live in a dear little walk-up flat
With practically room to swing a cat
And a potted cactus to give it hauteur
And a bathtub equipped with dark brown water.
We’ll eat, without undue discouragement,
Foods low in cost but high in nouragement
And quaff with pleasure, while chatting wittily,
The peculiar basi of Little Bangui.
We’ll remind each other it’s smart to be thrifty
And buy our clothes for something-fifty.
We’ll go and stand in lines at SM Cines
For seats at unpopular matinees,
And every Sunday we’ll have a lark
And take a walk in Burnham Park.
And one of these days not too remote
I’ll probably up and cut your throat.

Wankette 45: Voting Pattern (from LiveScience)

Lawyers get the gold star for heading to the polls while physicians are less likely to vote than teachers and farmers, finds a new study in the US. One out of four doctors reported not voting in the last presidential elections. The finding could indicate a decline in activism among physicians, researchers said.

"Physician voter turnout rates in presidential elections are relatively unimpressive considering that physicians have much at stake personally and professionally," said one of the study's authors, Jennifer Lee of Johns Hopkins Medical School. "If physicians remain silent, an important voice is lost in the political process," Lee said.

Lee and Melissa McCarthy, also of Johns Hopkins Medical School, compared voter turnout for physicians, registered nurses, lawyers, engineers, farmers and ranchers, elementary and secondary school teachers, secretaries and administrative assistants, waiters and waitresses, sales workers, drivers, and construction laborers.

The data came from the November 1996, 2000 and 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationally representative survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 57 million voters were included in the study.

Lawyers reported the highest voter turnout, with 85 percent of those surveyed voting in the most recent presidential election, while only 35 percent of laborers voted in that election, the lowest turnout of all occupations surveyed.

These findings were consistent with past research showing that socioeconomic factors impact whether a person votes. For instance, the current study revealed that individuals with an advanced academic degree were more than eight times more likely to report voting compared with those without a high-school degree. When the scientists accounted for such demographics as income, education level and marital status, they found that lawyers, teachers and farmers were twice as likely as physicians to vote. And doctors were no better at voting than the remaining occupations.

Why not vote?

What keeps citizens from heading out to the polls? More than 20 percent of the non-voting farmers reported they didn't vote because they were "not interested, felt my vote wouldn't make a difference," and nearly 20 percent said it was because they "didn't like the candidates or campaign issues." About 40 percent of physicians and nurses reported not voting because they were "too busy" and had "conflicting work or school schedule."

Physicians' voting record could reflect a larger trend of political involvement. "We think we're seeing a decline in political activism on the part of physicians," Lee told LiveScience.

Membership in labor unions bumps up voter turnout. Unlike farmers and teachers who have well-organized unions or trade associations, physicians lack a comparable vehicle for electoral mobilization. "In general we think there might be disenchantment or disengagement with the political process," Lee said.

The disengagement could be a result of an overall decline in physicians' professional stature and influence in the healthcare system. In the past, doctors stood on a "pedestal" of political legitimacy and medical admiration. But by the 1990s, the scientists say, public confidence in the medical profession plunged.

"Politicians who once deferred to physicians, now question them and even exclude them from important health care debates," the scientists state in their research paper, which will be published in a May supplement of the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.

The Etymology of Pokpok

Type "pokpok" and "slut" and you get something like 870 entries, mostly from friendster and its ilk. The most popular reference is "pokpok xa" and "pokpok (slut)." I even remembered Choy telling me about Edel Garcellano telling some people in PCED, "Hoo, anong liberal feminist? Naku, mga pokpok lang kunwari empowered feminists na. " Pokpok is old. In fact, the gay word, "Pocahontas" was derived from "pokpok." I remembered somebody telling me about a small restaurant in Portland named "Pok Pok." She said that the Papaya Pok Pok is worth dying for. Hmm. Finally a pokpok worth dying for. Anyway, I think I knew where "pokpok" came from. Martin M texted me this classic quote from the immortal Rita Gomez in the movie "Salawahan." She won Best Supporting Actress for that 1979 movie that was directed by Ish Bernal starring Rio Locsin and Jay Ilagan. I think Rene Requiestas and Cherie Gil were also in that movie. But I have to agree with Martin that this quote will linger, especially for Session Road nostalgics:

Gusto kong bumili ng balloons sa Session Road at papuputukin. Pok! Pok! Pok! Gusto kong tumakbo na nakahubad na ngiti lang ang suot.

Yet, Another Reason Why Pichay Lost (or Won)

From A SEMANTIC LOOK AT FEMININE SEX AND GENDER TERMS IN PHILIPPINE GAY LINGO by Cynthia Grace B. Suguitan of the University of the Philippines

Pechay (n.): The local name of a green, leafy vegetable, this is a play on the Filipino word for female genitalia (pekpek). In gay lingo, it can stand for both the vagina and women in general. Some derivatives of pechay are kepyas, kipchi, kipay, and keps but these refer solely to the female sexual organ.

Snowy

Singing Telegram

Headline

Ms. Rastafarian Universe

The first Rastafarian to compete for the Miss Universe has dreadlocks up to her bottoms. Zahra Redwood, 25 is the first Miss Jamaica to be crowned from the country's minority Rastafarian faith. Quarterturn now, mon.

1st International Conference on Cordillera Studies

Call for Papers for the 1st International Conference on Cordillera Studies at UP Baguio
The University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB), through its Cordillera Studies Center (CSC), will hold the 1st International Conference on Cordillera Studies with the theme "Indigenous Peoples and local Communities in Transition" on 7-9 February 2008 in Baguio City, Philippines. The themeof the 2008 conference is meant to address the significant transformations in the Cordillera region of Northern Luzon, Philippines that change the lives of the indigenous people.
Among the topics to be discussed are:
Indigenous languages
Material culture and oral traditions
Cultural heritage
Natural resource management
Migration and indigenous peoples
Urbanization in upland communities
Identity and representation
Women, gender, and culture
Governance and public policy
Indigenous knowledge systems and practices
Institutions and economic development
Issues in education
Information and communication technology and indigenous communities
Social and political movements
Proposals for individual papers and panels are now being accepted.
Proposals are not restricted to the cited topics. The conference especially welcomes comparative studies and papers that contribute to the debate ontheoretical and methodological approaches to the study of indigenous societies.
Individual paper presenters must submit a proposal containing (a) an abstract of not more than 250 words, (b) a brief curriculum vitae, and (c)contact details (institutional affiliation and mailing address, e-mailaddress, and telephone and fax numbers). Individual presentations should not exceed 20 minutes, excluding time for questions. Organized panels should consist of three to four (3-4) paper readers.
Proponents must submit a panel abstract of not more than 100 words, inaddition to separate proposals for each paper presentation. Each panel isalloted 1 1/2 hours, inclusive of open forum.
Deadline of submission of all paper and panel proposals is 1 September 2007.Proposals can be sent as e-mail attachment (in MS Word format) tocsc@upb.edu.ph
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by post to:
The Conference Secretariat
1st International Conference on Cordillera Studies
Cordillera Studies CenterUniversity of the Philippines Baguio
2600 Baguio City, Philippines
Notice of acceptance of proposals will be issued by on or before 1 October2007 and deadline for the submission of the full paper is 14 January 2008.

OFW in New York Times Magazine

Rosalie Comodas Villanueva, a native of Manila, is a nurse at Al Rahba Hospital in Abu Dhabi. She makes $24,000 a year — compared to the $1,200 she made while working in her homeland — $4,800 of which she sends home. Two of her children have lived with her parents in the Philippines for two years now.

Spurs-Jazz

Hooray! The most exciting series in a long time. Spurs vs Jazz. It's like watching the ants carry a piece of bread for three hours into the nose of Manu.

Tarong

There is an Ilocano risque song, "Nagimas ti Tarong (Eggplants are Delicious)" which is our theme song in Abra during the elections. Jun B said that it was Chris Palabay who sang it. Told him it was a couple of girls. No, he said, Palabay can do falsetto. Almost wrote fell__ there. He he. I have that song in my iTunes now though I still don't know the real title and lyrics of it.
Conrad Marzan used to sing his "Katarungan" which had people laughing. If there are many mais in the fields, you call it kamaisan. If there are many niyog, you call the area kaniyugan. Ergo, the place with many talongs is called katarungan.
I Googled tarong and found out that there is indeed a town called tarong in Australia. It is the name of a national park in Queensland, Australia.
Sayang, Conrad is now in Las Vegas. Have he been in Australia, his Katarungan would have been a hit among the aborigines in Tarong.

Forever

A Poem from Raymond Carver.

Forever

Drifting outside in a pall of smoke,
I follow a snail's streaked path down
the garden to the garden's stone wall.
Alone at last i squat on my heels, see

what needs to be done, and suddenly
affix myself to the damp stone.
I begin to look around me slowly
and listen, employing

my entire body as the snail
employs its body, relaxed, but alert.
Amazing! Tonight is a milestone
in my life. After tonight

how can I ever go back to that
other life? I keep my eyes
on the stars, wave to them
with my feelers. I hold on

for hours, just resting.
Still later, grief begins to settle
around my heart in tiny drops.
I remember my father is dead,

And I am going away from this
town soon. Forever.
Goodbye son, my father says.
Towards morning, I climb down

and wander back into the house.
They are still waiting,
fright slashed on their faces,
as they meet my new eyes for the first time.

Dad

Today is my father's death anniversary. I was walking by Marbay here when I chanced upon one of market's fixture. I knew her as a seller of socks when she herself has not changed her socks for maybe weeks. Man, she looked horrible now. One of her eyes is almost clouded over and her face has been ravaged by the hard times. Still selling socks by the side of the stairs. I passed by her and agonized over her. I remembered my father and his socks. I went back to the sock seller. Got a black pair of socks which probably sells for P10 and gave her P100 and just left. I am reading "Fires" by Raymond Carver. I remembered buying Carver's "Where I'm Calling From" in San Francisco ten years ago. My friend Luisa Igloria (then still Carino) said that I will eventually outgrow Carver's poems. Ten years later, I am still reading him. Carver's melancholia is so like mine though he always reminds me of my Dad. My father doesn't drink though but he acts like he always has a hangover. My father died in his sleep.
Someone once asked Carver is he is religious.

"No, but I have to believe in miracles and the possibility of resurection. No question about that. Every day that I wake up, I'm glad to wake up. That's why I like to wake up early. "

Wankette 44: Nora

Well, Nora Aunor may be unlucky in politics but if there’s a political rule of thumb in the situation, it is this: RUN AS A NORA IMPERSONATOR. Teri Onor, a co-host in Eat Bulaga and Nora impersonator, got 3,806 votes to win as vice-mayor of Battan town. Where is that? It’s in Abucay. Where’s Abucay. Google Earth it kaya? Well Teri Onor is also known in Vilma’s world as Dexter Dominguez of the Dominguezes which is a powerful influential clan in their side of the world. He beat the former vice mayor and three other influential politicians in their side of the world. Teri Onor had the support of 1,000 gays and the influential Iglesia ni Kristo.

The Bersamin Brothers

Jerking Authority

Oh, when you close it, it reads: JERSEY CITY PARKING AUTHORITY. Reminds us of those short/long dick jokes.

Wankette 43: Your Mayors from Abra

ABRA
Proclaimed Mayors (Vice)
Bangued: Dominic Valera (Retzaida Alzate)
Boliney: Ronald Balao-as (Querico Stimson)
Bucay: Rex Bernardez IV (Elmer Bides)
Bucloc: Gody Cardenas (Macbey Latawan)
Daguioman: Sally Co Kue (David Balcanzo)
Danglas: Esther Bernos (Ma Elena Jenkins)
Lacub: Cesa Barona (Lysander Barona)
Lagangilang: Lizardo Sinogo Jr (Crescencio Aspacio)
Lagayan: Jendricks Luna (Hans Roger Luna)
Langiden: Noel Castillo (Manuel de Guzman)
La Paz: Joseph bernos (Menchie Bernos)
Licuaan-Baay: Andres Bayle (Cris Bayle)
Luba: Marcelo Biscarra (Leonardo Dumaguing)
Malibcong: Benido Bacuyag (Mario Baawa)
Manabo: Masayo Domasing (Arturo Gayao)
Penarrubia: Geraldine Balbuena (Carmelo Atmosfera)
Pidigan: Arnulfo Bisanes (Florante Pilarta)
Pilar: Rolando Somera (Noel Berona)
San Isidro: Ernesto Pacsa (Verando Pacsa)
San Juan: Marco Bautista (Rosalinda Ortega)
San Quintin: Amado Diaz (Geraldo Aznar)
Tubo: Wilma Gattud (Pedro Mateo)
Tayum: Placido Eduarte (Reynaldo Alagao)
Villaviciosa: Marjorie Laden (Jose Laden)

Why We Should Love our Call Center Agents Here.

Wankette 42: A Poem from Pedring Sanidad

Manong Pedring Sanidad is an Ilocano bard. He was a regular fixture in the old Dainty Restaurant. He told me to print his new poem which is written in Filipino:

Halalan

Headline sa mga diyaryo
114 patay, 132 mga sugatan
Ito'y gawa, karahasan sa halalan
Sabi ng Malacanang Office of the President:
Peaceful ang nakaraang halalan!

Pagpapahalaga sa taong bayan, wala na kaya?
At pati kamatayan winalang halaga na
Yaon kaya'y para masunod lamang ang mithiin nila
Ng mga buwitreng sa pera masisiba.

Hanggang kailan kaya ito
Hanggang wala nang halalan na gaganapin pa?
Pero kailan?

Wankette 41: Ilocos Norte

A text from Liza Araneta Marcos:
Hi Official and final results fr d prov'l COMELEC for senators:
#1. Legarda 185,489
#2. Lacson 170,236
#3. Escudero 164,881
#4. Villar 138,314
#5. Honasan 127,189
#6. Pangilinan 119,869
#7. Trillanes 119,316
#8. Cayetano 99,970
#9. Angara 95,758
#10. Pimentel 91,500
#11. Aquino 75,510
#12. Recto 69,548.

Pichay is 13th, followed by Defensor, Arroyo, Zubiri and Singson. This is weird, because Gov. Singson is just at the other side of the door in Ilocos Sur. Also Honasan in 5th and Aquino in 11th means that EDSA Revolution has been placed in deepest recesses of the Far North meme. Pimentel made it because the Dad is an Annak ti Batac. No KBL made it in Top 20. Michael Keon who looks and sounds like Robert de Niro is the new guv. Knock on Wood (Victor). Also I would like to greet Salvacion Cimatu as the new mayor of Bangui, my Dad's hometown. Next door is her brother Marlon who is still Pagudpud Mayor and to their brother who almost won over Ablan.

Joker A has a boner alright. How long it will stand up is the bigger problem.

Wankette 40: Baguio Politics

Elected for Mayor is Peter Rey Bautista, the first Science High to be elected in the highest office in the highest city in the country. His vice is my relative, Danny Farinas. The councilors are a combination of old old, old young and young young. They are Richard Carino, Poppo Cosalan, Pinky Rondez, Edring Balajadia, Tony Boy Tabora, Lulu Tabanda, Nick Palaganas, Fred Bagbagen, Nick Aliping and Rocky Balisong.
What can we say about the result, someone asked me. I said that there is finally a pluralism in the council. For the first time, the Independent Baguio Alliance which was created to beat the KBL monolith of Bueno et al is the dominant party with Carino, Rondez, Balisong and Weygan. Timpuyog has Palaganas, Aliping and Balajadia. Yaranon's party has Cosalan and Bagbagen. Bautista has Tabanda and Sembrano, the mother of Bernadette Sembrano of ABSCBN.
From reputation, we can say that a reproductive health code for the city is in the offing with three females in the council for the first time. Also a stronger environmental and tourism codes are expected. But we can not say really.
From their performances, Vergara, Labo and the INC are spent forces. TV ads sell. Dirty texting works, at least against Yangot, Olowan and Joemol. Showbiz doesn't work in Baguio.
From the Senate race, Baguio maintains also its oppositionist stance, voting for (in order) Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda, Kiko Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Villar, Benigno Aquino III, Joker Arroyo, Ed Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes, Gringo Honasan and Ralph Recto. That is 3 for TU, 7 for GO and 2 for Independent.