October 22, 2008 at 9:13 am (Sports)
Tags: Billabong, Cloud 9 Invitational, Edito Alcala, Siargao, Wade Goodall
Credits to Jake White
Siargao Island, Philipines -
Filipino surfer Edito ‘Peso’ Alcala ruled the recently concluded Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational and crowned himself the new king of Cloud 9.
The prestigious event gathered the world’s best wave riders in the seven-day competition. Participants came all the way from the USA, Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia, among others.
To reach the finals, Alcala eliminated Indonesia’s Lee Wilson while Australian Wade Goodall, the defending champion, defeated Hawaii’s Granger Larsen in separate semifinal events. The final heat was a closely fought one where Alcala posted a comeback in the final minutes to take the victory and the US$7,500 grand prize.
A sample video of the event is available here.
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October 21, 2008 at 10:10 am (Nation, Politics)
Tags: 2010 elections, FilipinoVoices.com, Voting
The 2010 elections may be more than a year a way but with the tragic experiences we had with our recent disgraced presidents, it pays more than ever to be critical of the would-be candidates before exercising our vote.
I thus invite you to participate in this poll conducted by FilipinoVoices.com: Who are YOU Supporting in 2010? Filipino Voices Asks for YOUR VOICE.
Let our voice be heard and together we will make a big difference.
2 Comments
October 20, 2008 at 3:35 am (Politics)
Tags: Humorous Legal Cases, Judge Marlon Polk, Lawsuit against God, lawsuit against Satan, Lawsuits against religious entities, omnipresent, omniscient, Senator Ernie Chambers
Credits to http://www.philstar.com
LINCOLN, Nebraska -
This guy is dead serious but did he really expect to be taken seriously? Talk about suing an ethereal being.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers, who has been serving in the Nebraska legislature for 38 years, filed a lawsuit against God on September of last year for apparently “making terroristic threats and causing calamitous catastrophes resulting in the widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged and infirm without marcy or distinction“.
But just last week, Nebraska Judge Marlon Polk dismissed the case ruling that Chambers can’t sue God if he can’t serve Him notice. Chambers was earlier warned about this but he contended that God already knew about the lawusit, Him being omniscient. He further argued that there may be no need to serve such notice for God is always there at the court, in fact everywhere at the same time, Him being omnipresent.
As if it’s any ray of hope for his cause, Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal.
You may find a copy of the suit from wired.com and a similar lawsuit against Satan from wikipedia.org.
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October 17, 2008 at 9:58 am (Crime, Nation)
Tags: 105 000 euros, 6.9 million pesos, Eliseo dela Paz, Moscow, Napolcom, Ombudsman
Credits to http://www.abs-cbnnews.com
Manila, Philippines -
Until now, the inequality of wealth and the imbalance of power in our country never cease to fascinate me. Just look at how our purported public servants are regularly accorded special treatments to the point of being abusive. Still, its the way nature works to restore equality and balance that is more astonishing.
The recent controversy wherein retired police Director Eliseo dela Paz and his wife were held by Russian Customs authorities at Moscow airport for carrying a questionably large amount of money is one such example. The €105,000 or P6.9 million, they were carrying clearly exceeded the allowable limit of €10,000. Had Mr. dela Paz and company followed airport procedure and declared the money before leaving the country and upon arriving at Moscow, they would have avoided the mess they are in right now.
Did i just say karma?
Oh well, the PNP big bosses are on the move to save their asses, as they always do. And they have less reasons to worry about even if the Napolcom and Ombudsman are set to conduct their formal (meaning, simply for formality) their separate investigations on the case.
But its the Filipino people they owe an explanation to. More so that they’re top-secret contingency fund is believed to be taxpayers’ money. Why were they carrying such a large amount of money? Why was the money not declared? Why do they have such fund after all when Senator Lacson had stated that no item in the contingency fund of the 2008 budget is alloted for travel expenses? Why were their wives part of the trip when it was an official mission? More and more questions waiting for answers.
Will heads roll this time or will this issue again die a natural die just like all the anomalies of the Arroyo administration? Abangan…
1 Comment
October 16, 2008 at 6:32 am (Education)
Tags: AMC 2008, Australian Mathematics Competition, Australian Mathematics Trust, Carmela Antonette Lao, Dann Julius Tan, Henry Jeffrson Morco, Jose Enrico Leceta, Manila Grand Opera Hotel, Mathematics, Peter Taylor
Credits to http://www.amt.canberra.edu.au
Manila, Philippines -
Mathematics is one discipline I will never tire of immersing myself into. It’s simply fascinating. Having been an educator for four years, I can still recall how I would casually challenge my students to disprove me that mathematics is both fun and meaningful.
One need not be a Euclid or a Sir Isaac Newton or a Carl Friedrich Gauss to embrace mathematics. It is an essential tool, a life-skill we all use in any field of study. That’s why it is very important that concepts are presented in the context of daily living for it to be better appreciated. Whether it be algebra, geometry, calculus, or applied mathematics, the beauty of math lies in how we use it to solve real everyday problems.
In the recently concluded Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) conducted by the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT), a number of Filipino math wizards once again made our country proud. Ten students were presented prize awards while 38 other students received high distinction certificates and certificates of prudence in the awarding ceremonies held at Manila Grand Opera Hotel. The ceremonies were led by Australian Ambassador Rod Smith and Peter Taylor, Executive Director of the Australian Mathematics Trust together with Dr Estrella Alabastro, Secretary for the Department of Science and Technology, Dr Simon Chua, President of the Mathematics Trainers Guild of the Philippines and Philippine National AMC Director, Dr. Filma Brawner, Executive Director of the Philippine Science High School, and Lilia Lauron of the Science Education Institute.
The awardees are Dann Julius Tan-fourth year high school, Chiang Kai Shek College; Carmela Antonette Lao-second year HS, Saint Jude Catholic School; Henry Jeffrson Morco first year HS, Chiang Kai Shek College; and Jose Enrico Leceta-fourth year HS, Quezon City Science High School Main. For the complete list of awardees, you may refer to this write up by Rainier Allan Ronda in Philstar entitled Australia honors 59 Pinoy whiz kids.
To all these brilliant students, their beaming parents, and their tireless mentors, congratulations! May your triumph inspire every Filipino to use their knowledge and skills for the betterment of the nation.
2 Comments
October 15, 2008 at 10:53 am (Nation)
Tags: act bigger, financial poverty, Poverty, poverty mindset, Poverty Reduction, Think big
Credits to Kathe Kollwitz
Poverty is a plague afflicting all nations. It is a state majority of the world’s people can’t seem to get out of. It is an enemy that the world must face together, a global war against a worldwide enigma.
On the local side, alleviating poverty is probably the greatest challenge confronting the Philippines. As financial poverty become more prevalent, more and more people are deprive of access to basic services such as education, health, and even “good governance”.
High inequality in incomes, limited access productive employment opportunities, and government programs that are disguised as pro-poor but when examined carefully eventually favors the rich and powerful are but some of the contributing factors to the worsening poverty in the country. Though the causes of poverty are so diverse, so are the ways to address it. The government should lead the way by initiating truly pro-poor development policies and projects. The poor should also be given more access to basic services espcially quality education and health services. One of the more important move we can take is to eleminate the poverty mindset. No one should settle in being poor. Some things are just matters of choices and sometimes poverty is.
Think big, act bigger. Oct. 15 is Blog Action Day 2008
Sources:
Causes of Poverty by Anup Shah, September 03, 2008
Poverty reduction: What we know and don’t know by Arsenio M. Balisacan, February 16, 2008
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