If EDSA 1986 is fiction?

When I heard the son of Marcos intoned that if EDSA 1986 didn’t happen, Philippines would be growling and prancing alongside Singapore today… I said to myself.

Weh?

But I am not surprised that there are people who would agree with Bong squared.  Corruption, human rights violation, and poverty are still here and seen as more rabid because, with press and social media freedom, it is more easily exposed and is blatantly obvious as the Backhoe of the Ampatuans. 

But I hope those who agree with Bong squared won’t forget that the reason that we are steeped in debt even before we are born is because of the foreign loans amassed during his dad’s time.  

Here are some comparisons done of Marcos and Lee.

An academic view and some anecdotal view .

How Does Blogging Change the World?

So you blogged about picking your nose. Does that change the world? 

Maybe. It could remind another person reading the blog that their nose is due for excavation, but that's just one person.  To change the world, bloggers can harness the full power of blogging by bearing in mind these three things

Blogs can:

1)  Show the Truth

In 1997 Nike got into a lot of trouble when photos of children stitching a Nike rubber shoe were circulated online. What is the truth? Are those real photos of child labor, or a propaganda of a competitor brand?

Blogs give all kinds of truth.  Truth as experienced by the blogger.  What will sway the opinion of the majority or blog readers?  Only blogs written by trusted bloggers.  And you gain trust when you eventually post relevant things than about picking your nose.  When you post truths that connect to the readers.

2) Clinch Decisions

Hmmm.. should you marry this person or not?  According to the blog of Dr. Blah, men with high IQ are more likely to be monogamous... 

Some blogs are so trusted, they influence the decisions of their readers. Right down to the person they are marrying.

3) Form Relationships

At the heart of it, reading blogs, writing blogs, commenting on blogs is really about creating relationships.  A continuous dialogue that eventually leads to webcam dialogue, or face to face dialogue.. and eventually you begin to consider fellow bloggers or readers as friends.

Hopefully i get to harness this power by winning a scholarship being given by

WhenInManila, OurAwesomeplanet, and MavenSecrets  

=) 

Your Survival Kit

To survive any situation, be it you are stranded on the road or on top of a roof waiting for rescue, you need to sustain yourself for at least 6 days.  The truth is, even rescuers themselves may have been affected by the calamity, so the response time could take awhile.

So while the lines are not that long in the Super Market, this is the perfect time to stock up your "6 Day Survival Kit."

Below is the list of items recommended by  Dr. Ted Esguerra - the Expedition & Wilderness EMS Physician of the Mt. Everest team and the OIC for Specialized Medical Response team (Coast Guard Elite Rescue team).

1. Food & Water (3 Day supply per person that needs no refrigeration or cooking)

• Protein/Granola Bars
• Dried Fruit
• Crackers/Cereal
• Canned Tuna, Meat
• Juice, coffee, mulo sachets
• Candy/Gum
• Water (1 Gallon per person)

2. Bedding & Clothing

• Change of clothes 
• Undergarments
• Rain Coat/ Poncho (can be converted to a mini-tent)
• Blankets, emergency heat blankets
• Plastic sheet

3.  Fuel & Light

• Battery lighting (flashlights, lamps)
• Extra batteries
• Flares
• candles/ lighter/ water-proof matches

4. Miscellaneous

• Big pail/ plastic box w/ wheels or Duffel Bag (to put kit items in)
• Infant needs (if applicable)
• Can opener
• Dishes
• Shovel
• Radio (w/ batteries)
• Axe
• Pocket Knife
• Rope
• Duct tape
• First Aid Supplies & personal medication
  
• Toiletries (roll of toilet paper - remove center tube to easily flatten into  zip-lock)
• feminine hygiene
• cleaning supplies
• mosquito net
• survival stove/ burner
• Pre-paid phone cards
  

5.  Important Documents (birth certificate, passport, insurance policy, etc) and money. Place in waterproof container

Note: Update your stocks every 6 months.  Take note of the existing hazards in your area -- refer to the Philippine geo-hazard map here

Can You Smile at the Storm?

Her name is Mary Yoro, and if you have an email address, you will probably have read her story oh how she was able to smile, even if she was stranded atop her roof for almost 14 hours when the rain submerged her house.



The story is written by Marilyn Frisco at http://www.thebrownraise.org/2009/10/peace-in-the-flood/

Read it. And be still. You are in good hands.

Aguho Elementary School - Tulong Balik Eskwela

What do you tell someone who recently lost his/her possessions in a flash flood?  When I asked some of the kids of the Aguho Elementary School in Pateros,  how they were, they either said.. "Binaha po kami"  or "Ok naman po kami."

I would be at a loss on what to say either way, so I pat them on their scrawny backs.. sometimes with their shoulder blades jutting out from a thin t-shirt (as some of them lost their uniforms).

But after giving them a new bag (stuffed with notebooks, pen/pencil, scissors, towel, slippers, crayons).. their face lit up as if they won the lottery.

They say volunteers are the givers, but really, they get so much more. =)

Want to join next time?  Please visit Tulong Balik Eskwela to learn how to help kids affected by Typhoon Ketsana.