11/27/2009

DIE HARD III

By: Herman Tiu Laurel

My source from the Yellow forces had this to say about the Ampatuans: After the 1986 “Yellow” coup d’ etat where a “revolutionary government” was imposed, thousands of local government officials were summarily dismissed and replaced with OICs (officers-in-charge).

Through the sponsorship of Tingting Cojuangco (Peping’s wife), Zacarias Candao was appointed OIC of Maguindanao and went on to become ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) chief. It was under Candao that the Ampatuans were tapped to control the province to manipulate its elections. Thus began the rise of the Ampatuans.

Dan Murphy of the Christian Science Monitor, who provides supporting research for his report last Nov. 24 entitled, “Philippines massacre: The story behind the accused Ampatuan clan,” says that “Many Filipinos are pointing to the massacre of 46 unarmed people (now 57) in the southern Philippines province of Maguindanao Monday as evidence of the deadly influence of a dynastic clan that has been nurtured by the central government for almost 20 years.”

Yes, folks. That’s 20 years of the Yellows holding the reins of government — interrupted only by less than two and a half years of President Estrada. Liberal Party (LP) chief Frank Drilon’s attempt to cash in on the massacre, despite the Yellows’ long history with the Ampatuans, by saying that the aggrieved Mayor Mangudadatu is joining his party, smacks of malice, hypocrisy and opportunism. The Ampatuans and their warlordism have been part and parcel of the feudal-oligarchic system, which the Yellows have long fostered. So this isn’t something new as far as the Yellows are concerned. In fact, it is their trademark.

There is no question that Edsa II only strengthened the power of the Ampatuans even more. In sweeping aside the Constitution and justifying the illegal removal of an elected president, thereby legitimizing the illegitimate, Gloria and the rest of the Yellows had to resort to force, deception, and fraud to supplant the Rule of Law. Hence, chaos ensued. The bloody May 1 end of the Edsa III march, where unnumbered Erap supporters were machine-gunned in Mendiola; the countless rallies dispersed with tear gas and truncheons; the hundreds of “extra-judicial” killings; the worsening corruption; the 2004 electoral fraud (which none of the Yellows nor the PPCRV exposed or denounced, until Estrada’s forces helped the late NBI Director Samuel Ong bring out the “Hello Garci” tapes); the declarations of a state of rebellion, emergency, ad nausea; and the barbaric ambushes, bombings, and beheadings in Mindanao are but reflections of the current lawless order.

We must recall that in 2007, 14 Marines were ambushed and killed, with 10 beheaded in Basilan. The suspected perpetrator, administration Rep. Wahab Akbar, was then killed in a motorcycle bomb attack as he was stepping out of the House of Representatives five months later. Norberto Gonzales was acting defense secretary at that time. Now that another grizzly episode has taken place a few days after he was returned to that post, is it still mere coincidence, considering Gonzales’ perpetuity gameplan for himself and his principal?

For sure, Basilan is a less important vote manipulating base than Maguindanao is because it has much fewer fraudulent votes to add to the regional total. But in all, ARMM politicians assumed heightened importance in the era of massive electoral fraud thanks to Edsa II and the Yellows. Undoubtedly, from 1986 to 2004 and 2007, until today, the Yellows have been allied with these feudal-warlord Muslim politicians for this very reason.

While Drilon still tries to cash in on the deaths of the 57 to score points for his party, the significant recollection in many people’s minds is that of President Estrada’s success at pacifying and stabilizing Mindanao when he crushed the MILF and other rebel groups. Now could the Maguindanao massacre have happened under Estrada? Many believe that he would have been far more effective in containing any seething warlordism in Mindanao. Given his record of cracking down on crime and injustice in the entire country, he would have gone hammer and tongs after the culprits immediately after discovering Monday’s crime. And since several governments have traditionally cultivated these warlords as a counterfoil to the mercenary MILF and Abu Sayyaf, Erap’s crushing of these groups would have rendered those warlords more dispensable too.

The truth is, the Ampatuans would sooner or later have forged an alliance with the Yellows again the way many of Gloria’s people have done. The LP, notwithstanding Philippine Star columnist Billy Esposo’s hypocritical protests against the Yellow dummy’s new recruits, is proving to be “Lakas Pala!“ anyway — a party of hypocrites and opportunists composed of: Drilon, Abad, the Hyatt 10 of Dinky Soliman, Purisima, et al.); NGO stalwarts Dan Songco (of the PeaceBonds infamy), etc.; plus incumbent Arroyo officials who have sworn allegiance to the LP while still serving Gloria, such as Romulo, Bello, and others.

Yellow is not only the color of cowardice but also of opportunism — taken from the color of the balimbing no less. The Republic’s colors should thus fly high above this yellow jaundice to return this country to honor, dignity and democracy.

(Tune in to 1098AM, Sulong Pilipinismo, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Global News Network, Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV, Tuesday, 8:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. on “An Analysis of the Maguindanao Massacre;” also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)

source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20091127com6.html

Many of my co-teachers asked me if I was a little sad today, being so far away from my friends and family on Thanksgiving.

Now, granted, if I could be anywhere right now, it’d be back home baking pies with my mum and stealing pieces of turkey whenever my dad stepped away from carving it- eyeing that wishbone on the kitchen windowsill the entire time.

5-yr-old Aurora: If that just ain't the cutest Pilgrim you ever did see!

My grandpa would be sporting his red socks, my brothers would be watching the football game and my parents would be watching the parade.  My aunts would bring something sweet and delicious they baked and I’d get to hang out with my cousins and we’d all be fat and happy.

But, I’m not back home.  I’m still here in Korea.  And I can honestly say that…

THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THANKSGIVINGS EVER.

I thought introducing my students to Halloween was fun. Thanksgiving was even better!

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians...

I’ve spent a good chunk of this week’s English classes teaching my students about the story behind the Pilgrims and the Indians, how they migrated to America on the Mayflower, how their food supply froze during the harsh winter, and how the Indians shared their crops and showed them how to farm better.

We made hand turkeys out of construction paper, put together class projects sharing what we’re all thankful for in our lives, and ran around the classroom like a bunch of wild Indians and Pilgrims.  Fun, fun, fun.

A feast to be had!

So today, I divided each of my classes in two, dubbing half of them the Indians and half of them the Pilgrims.

We fashioned hats for both parties and painted our faces accordingly.

Each student was to bring in a fruit they could give as a peace offering to their new friends, and it made our dinner table look just beautiful!

Daniel & Sally making peace offerings

We had potatoes, corn, rolls, kimchi and seaweed soup (Come on now, we are still in Korea).

Jaydon was able to mix in a bit of cranberry sauce with the chicken, and it tasted absolutely scrumptious!    That made me very happy.

After the feast, we went around the table and everyone said what they’re thankful for.  Then, the pilgrims offered a piece of fruit to the Indians and vice versa.  Here’s a video I took of my 7-year-old Pilgrims and Indians:

The kids all had a blast, the teachers looked quite smitten with their students, and everyone was happy.  AND everyone was thankful.

I’d say that’s one successful Thanksgiving Day.

May God bless you all.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Kaley

P.S. A ladybug just fell from my ceiling and landed on my desk.  Weird.

To all thinking Filipinos! Let’s not be duped into electing into office someone who claims to stand for change when his history tells us otherwise. Let us learn the lessons of our history, and save the Philippines for our children’s future. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

IS RP HISTORY TO REPEAT ITSELF?

(The Truth about the People Power Revolution)

By Fredelino Buscayno Marasigan

History’s significance is by having knowledge of the past, one can chart and plan for a better future by avoiding the mistakes or debacles committed in previous or bygone times. By knowing what had truly happened in the past, one can arrive to an objective decision of what to do; so that it becomes essential that one should thoroughly examine the real facts that occurred in an event. A big propaganda lesson from World War II history is an infamous “Big Lie” principle perfected by the Nazi Germany Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment & Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. The propaganda technique is based on the theory that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated enough times will be believed by the masses.  Broadcast a lie over and over again and people will believe it as the gospel truth.[1] So as to arrive at what really occurred in a historic event, a historian must detach himself to carefully examine event, analyze the characters involved and their motives regarding their participation and evaluate their effects. By ascertaining the relationships or linkages between historical persons or organizations, one will understand the rationale of their actions or deeds; and even predict their future actions.

Corazon C Aquino & the People Power Revolution

In February 1986, Philippine history was rocked by a phenomenon called EDSA People Power Revolution. Supposedly, the Pilipino people by going to EDSA Avenue ejected and sent into exile its dictator Ferdinand Marcos (FM), the president of more than 20 years and installed Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino (CCA) as the new president of government.  She was heralded as the Savior of Philippine democracy, a plain housewife with no political experience except for the fact that she was the widow of slain returning-from-US-exile Senator Benigno Aquino in August 21, 1983. Prior to her husband’s assassination, she was a mere backdrop to her popular politician-husband, and as fate had it, she then had now a country to run.

Being a neophyte in governance, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino had a board of advisers-assistants, who helped run the country for her. To put a stamp of legitimacy on her assumption of power, they had a revolutionary government immediately declared & a Freedom Constitution. These enabled them to execute her authority over the government & the people, to put structures in government to remove whatever systems & procedures she deemed to be oppressive & anti-democratic as used by the previous regime (like the military trial courts, Ministry of Human Settlements, Ministry of Information), and to uncover abuses & confiscate hidden wealth of the Marcoses & their cohorts (like the PCGG). CCA began to erase reminders and vestiges related to the previous regime and suppressed whatever loyalties or sympathies that may still be felt towards the Marcoses. For all the help they assisted her run government and attain her desires, CCA rewarded her advisers generously with positions of power with access to wealth, influence or fame.

For those who supported her ascent to power, who were truly opposition, or who suffered during martial law & the Marcos Era, Corazon C Aquino was correctly righting a wrong done to the country, her family & person; while those who prospered with Marcos & believed in his cause, it was politics of revenge. For those did not take sides or were just to busy surviving by making a decent living, they could not care less.  While for those who were part of the military, political or civil government, at this period of transition or cusp between two (2) eras, the name of the game was called Balingbingan—switching to the winning side to save one’s skin or wealth. However, there were those who prospered in the Marcos era but played a part in creating the events that led to the fall of Marcos & the installation of CCA, they were proclaimed heroes and were able to keep their share of loot accumulated under Marcos—untouched by the PCGG.

The Transition between Two (2) Eras

To allay fears or perceptions that CCA will not turn to a dictator by her revolutionary government, a new constitution was urgently needed to put a stamp of legitimacy on her assumption to power. An “instant” constitution was hastily cooked up by selected “learned” men of the same persuasion as the new president & hurriedly ratified within the heady spirit of euphoria of change for the better under the new era. Actually, the 1973 Constitution was then amended by discarding whatever articles & procedures were synonymous to Marcos era, by adding what structures and systems that were in accord, correct, palatable to the perception of the new dispensation, and justifying whatever incorrect or inappropriate actions that were undertaken to displace the old regime. As time passed, multi-defects & shortcomings in the Cory Constitution surfaced affecting the proper & just governance of the state & the people that merits a charter correction. The problem is that the stalwarts of the Cory Constitution & administration are still around and a change of their beloved charter is perceived to be a return to martial law, abuses & plunder. Due to pride they turn a deaf ear on a legitimate call to rectify their defective charter since in their hasty task to legitimize Cory’s ascent to power, they fail to address the true social defects of Philippine society, like the mal-distribution of wealth caused by the Philippine oligarchy for which Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, is a blatant member.

To the victors go the spoils and their version of history as to what had happened in the change from a supposedly ruthless dictatorship to a new air of Philippine democracy is peddled. During Martial Law, the Marcos propaganda arm was the Ministry for Information to malign and belittle the opposition (traditional politicians as trapos) and suppress dissent using confiscated media resources. News blackout was a common occurrence to hide whatever faults, debacles or abuses committed by government or by those in cahoots or profited being in the side of Marcos. To a point the martial law curfews were rumored to have been used to hide the movement of the dead soldiers killed in the anti-secessionist campaign in Mindanao. The opposition used this rumor tactics well and thru hand-passed photo-copied papers to spread their anti-government campaign versus the Marcos government multimedia propaganda machinery.

With the success of the People Power revolution, the shoe is now on the other foot for the former oppressed opposition/dissenters, which experienced & learned from the Marcos propaganda machine to write their version of history and ensure the stomp-out of whatever vestiges, loyalties, and sympathies still inclined towards the past Marcos era. Like the martial law marches and hymns (Mabuhay ang Pilipino), the new era propagandists used songs and hymns (Ang Bayan Ko) to agitate & prop the minds of the people towards the new era of democracy. Using the same ‘Big Lie’ technique but with a more vengeful weave, the New Democracy disinformation stories were now more rabid to paint the Marcoses and their ilk as part of the plundering herd of the conjugal dictatorship, human rights abusers, insatiable looters of the national wealth, Imelda’s avariciousness for jewels & shoes, graft & corruption ridden regime. The new-democracy media depicted the image that nothing good came out of Marcos martial law era and only good things would come out of Cojuangco-Aquino administration.

Corazon C Aquino & Military Administration

President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino swore that in her New People Power era the oppressive martial law techniques will never be used; her program of government is that of an anti-thesis of what Dictator President Marcos did. By her Church backing, she depicted her presidency as on the side of good; a reverse of whatever Marcos did, who was an evil fascist dictator. So, she immediately set free all political prisoners, including the communists brigands (Jose Maria Sison, Bernabe Buscayno, & others), the godless forces who have been fighting the government since the 1946 Philippine Independence from US colonialism. The communist rebels immediately went back to the mountains, reorganized and continued their armed struggle. By this one act, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino belittled all the deaths, efforts and sacrifices of soldiers, constables & policemen in defense of this communist armed threat to Philippine democracy prior to rise to power.

To Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino & her supporters, they could not care less, since soldiers are just soldiers, and they got paid for their sacrifices & their families got their death benefits. It is now the CCA supporters’ time to reap the spoils of war—but war between whom? The Marcoses & the Aquinos? Were not the AFP soldiers the soldiers of the Filipino nation? Marcos claimed that Ninoy Aquino supported & was a sponsor of the NPAs. And since the side of Aquino won, so must his NPA allies be freed by his presidential widow. Since the military was used to prop up martial law, they can then be perceived to be the enemy who was on the side of evil & lost by serving under Marcos. Sun Tsu, the Chinese philosopher who wrote the Art of War, said that when soldiers are confused, their will to fight is affected. They will hesitate to fight, or can easily be misled and be defeated.[2]

Next, President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino went to Indanan, Sulu and embraced Nur Misuari, the advocate of 1972 Muslim Secessionist rebellion in the South. She appointed Misuari as ARMM governor, who paid and re-armed all his MNLF soldiers from government funds & Arsenal, and organized the Abu Sayaff to continue their armed secessionist struggle, terror bombings & kidnapping activities.  She was strongly advised not to undertake this action, but she did—thereby, she revived the Moro Nationalist Liberation Front (MNLF), an insignificant vanquished force then, due to the vigorous Sulu anti-secessionist campaign, countless deaths and sacrifices of soldiers thereat after MNLF treacherous massacre of BGen. Teodolfo Bautista & 33 others at Patikul, Sulo in the guise of having peace negotiations.  As what CCA did with the NPA revival, she negated all the efforts, blood, deaths, sacrifices, that the AFP poured at the pacification drive in South-West Mindanao.  For every marine, soldier, policeman killed in Sulu & Basilan provinces today, they still blame & curse Corazon Cojuangco Aquino for her legacy of reviving the MNLF. The revived MNLF hostaging the whole Zamboanga City on 2002 was a huge embarrassment & a slap on the face of the AFP & its erstwhile Southern Command. Every MNLF-Abu Sayaff hostage-taking or terrorist act done in Mindanao is a huge blow to the credibility of RP Government to enforce peace & order within its territory.  Thanks to President Cory Aquino!

Despite all her executive powers, CCA failed to uncover the real masterminds & their principal cohorts, who perpetrated her husband’s assassination.  Instead, she had imprisoned the platoon of soldiers whose only fault was failure to secure her returning husband from exile; since by their unit’s approach, the assassination plot was carried out. Her scorn & denigration of soldiers and the military establishment for their participation in martial law & assassination of her husband, is understandable on why CCA distrusted & mistreated the military service despite all the AFP’s effort to sacrifice & die to defend & keep the country intact and keep democracy safe. By reviving the NPA, & resuscitating the MNLF/ Abu Sayaff, seven (7) coup d’etat attempts were undertaken by disgruntled and confused military & police elements led by the RAM, who triggered her being stalled into power. All these attempts were all defeated by constitutionalist & professional soldiers & policemen. These coup attempts had very telling effects on the Philippine economy; it triggered foreign investment pull-out, discouraged potential international investors, instigated capital flight, and caused the Philippine economy to spiral. This was what happened to the country when there is a misunderstanding between a commander-in-chief and her confused armed forces. Within the military service, CCA is still perceived as an avenging angel out to punish the Philippine military thru the MNLF-Abu Sayaff and the CPP-NPA-NDF that she resuscitated during stint of power.

By the way, do you know that Cory’s specially-picked & trusted generals introduced the ‘goose-step’ method of marching to the AFP when they were brought by CCA to Red China (junket)? CCA was so pleased by how the Chinese military marched, that the AFP generals required the AFP to goose-step. This style of marching is rather difficult to execute so the whole AFP had to spend countless hours or weeks learning & mastering how to goose-step under the hot sun just to please Cory & her generals. Little did the brown-nosed Cory generals realized that they instituted in the pro-democracy New AFP, the fascist or police-state method of marching that their Commander-in-Chief supposedly abhors. When generals only cater to whims of dumb politicians with an agenda other than the welfare of the people but protecting their vested interests, generals will also look after their own selfish interests, their promotions, their perks ( & pockets), their assurance of a seat in government when they retire, perhaps as cabinet secretary, as under-secretary, as assistant-secretary, or as ambassador? So who profits in this new military game of brown-nosing? When all the Cory generals retired, the AFP discarded the goose-step style of marching since it was fascistic in nature & bad image for a pro-democratic AFP. What a waste of time, effort and resources all that goose-stepping & brown-nosing was!

CCA must not be blamed for military graft & corruption for Marcos did that by spoiling, politicizing & corrupting them. [To become a CSAFP or Major Service Commander, one must have been assigned with the Presidential Security Command or Group.] Cory could not do anything to them for she was beholden to them for initiating the ouster of Marcos. Since she was at a quandary what to do with them, she left them alone to self destruct—losing their primary core values that they have become mercenaries & prostitutes.–That is for sale to those who would maintain their spoiled status. Military organizations in democracies are meant to be guided or given parameters or limits by which they are allowed to administrate & operate. History has something to do with about this assertion on the military institutions; they must be given a tight lease; not unless one would want to repeat the hard earned lessons of what World History taught about France and how a megalomaniac general named Napoleon Bonaparte set the 18^th century Europe on fire. That is what Corazon C Aquino and her learned advisers did not know, and up to now plagues the present administration of GMA, including Estrada’s.

The New Democracy Administration

As a President, CCA had the least contribution in terms of infrastructure (she has the lowest record for infrastructure built, since Marcos loved to build—a source of graft & corruption); yet for her few civil works ports projects, there was only one (1) privileged contractor. Cory’s hand-picked people became rich to even becoming senators & congressmen; appointed city mayors entrenched themselves & their families in positions of power. Government positions & contracts were given to the privileged & connected especially when local & provincial elected positions were given/ appointed. Under her administration, the term Kamaganak, Incorporated came to be known for her relatives, cordon sanitaire, & close advisers, who made money during her term. One cannot say that there is no corruption during Cory’s administration; proof of which is that they are very much around running the city & country just as rapaciously then & now. All of them know that their position of power & wealth came from that Mother-Savior of Philippine democracy, CCA. People & the Cory media were quiet about this for it was considered a sin to criticize President Cory, who led the Crusade against the evil Marcos dictatorship. Actually, by the vilification campaign waged on the Marcoses, to criticize President CCA meant that one was a Marcos supporter or part of his evil ways.

The center piece of the Pres CCA government was the nation-wide Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) & Program (CARP). It was meant to free the tenants of bondage from their rich land-owners and so get to own the land that they have been tilling & nailed to for centuries. The CARP was vigorously implemented nation-wide breaking up all large landholdings, leaving only 7 hectares to the land owners.  However, CCA despoiled it by exempting the Cojuangco’s Hacienda Luisita estate from CARL implementation; this caused her Agrarian Reform cabinet secretary, Miriam Defensor Santiago to resign her post. This is still a black mark on Pres CCA regime and an unresolved national agrarian issue against the government up-to-today.

Among all Philippine presidents, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino is the only one with a record of owning a full-pledged massacre committed right on the heart of Manila at Mendiola Street fronting the presidential palace. This was known as the Mendiola Massacre.[3] On January 22, 1987, 13 farmers were killed (39 wounded by gunshots, 12 sustained physical injuries) by Manila Police civil disturbance control units commanded by former Police General Alfredo Lim (now Manila mayor) that held the first line of defense. His defense rationale to the Presidential Fact Finding Citizen’s Mendiola Committee was that the Philippine Marines unit (under BGen [now Senator] Rodolfo Biason) did the shooting, which were at the 3^rd line of defense; and yet television footage of the massacre showed and eyewitness accounts state policemen doing the firing.[4]

Police General Alfredo Lim was a Marcos general famous for his talent of magic of disappearances (commonly referred to as salvage); he made his name cleaning up criminals, drug syndicate pushers, gangs in the City of Manila. He openly switched side & allegiance during the EDSA event by affinity being of Chinese ancestry as the Cojuangcos. By joining the Aquino crusade for the good, whatever evil he had done for Marcos would be forgotten & forgiven (swept under the rug). As Manila mayor, he still uses his infamous ways on the supposedly bad boys of Manila, and a rabid staunched supporter of Pres. CCA & family. After what she did to him, he should eternally be grateful. This is why the city of Manila is festooned with Ninoy & Cory Aquino yellow banners to remind BGen Lim what he owes the heroic/saintly icons of democracy by supporting the presidential candidacy of their son, Noynoy.

What CCA did was to invite the leaders of the angry farmers to the Palace. Rumor had it  that all the massacred farmer’s families were paid off in terms of compensations, burial, transportation & hospitalization expenses; just as in the Phil Sports Stadium Stampede  (also referred to WOWOWWE Stampede  or Ultra Stampede) where 71 people died, 392 injured/ hospitalized. To avert complaints, burial & hospitalization fees were paid off, that is why no ABS-CBN executive was even charged in court for negligence. [5]In the Philippines, when there are no complaints, there is no crime committed. But, who and how much was paid for the massacred farmers’ burials, hospitalization & compensation to their families to keep the issue quiet? Just like compensation for poor dead soldiers, the poor farmers could not complain. Nobody was charged for a crime, went to jail, nor reprimanded for the Mendiola Massacre. Both Police General Alfredo Lim and Marine General Rodolfo Biason were absolved of any wrong doings and that is why President Cory has a clean human rights record. Senator Jose “Pepe”Diokno and JBL Reyes resigned in protest as Chair & Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Commission after they saw that the whole Mendiola Massacre was white-washed by the Presidential Fact-Finding Citizens’ Mendiola Commission. By this massacre & its apparent white wash, CCA holds the 2^nd worse human rights record among all the RP presidents. [6]Where were the Church & the nuns’ condemnation on their fair-haired Savior of Philippine democracy? Is CCA not responsible for the Mendiola Farmers massacre perpetuated by her loyal henchmen and white-washed by her people? Is not the Catholic Church especially its rabid nuns, part of the Yellow Aquino oligarch fanatics that are anti-poor/ anti-farmers who deserve justice.

Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino’s Energy, Debt Payment & Despair Legacy

One legacy that CCA left the country was the severe power shortages. Can one remember the terrible 12-hour brown-outs during her Administration and the monstrous Metro-Manila traffic jams caused by these? Due to no electricity, there was also no water since the pumping stations will not work. There were long lines at gas stations by the same no electricity problem.  How much work losses did these brown-outs cause? How much business, tourism & investment or opportunity losses occurred, no one knows? Just what caused this energy shortage phenomenon?

When CCA came into power, she ordered the mothballing of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), declaring that it was unsafe to operate due to supposedly 4000defects. The BNPP was depicted as an example of Marcos corruption & stupidity since the whole plant cost $2.3billion to build (or nearly four (4) times the initial bid of $600million); and for constructing it at Mt. Natib, supposedly a dormant volcano sandwiched between the earthquake-prone Philippine Fault and the West Luzon Fault. CCA, an anti-thesis of Dictator Marcos, decided that Westinghouse (the plant-builder) and the US Export Import Bank (the financier) should be paid the whole principal debt & interests, despite its bloated cost and the fact that it has never produced a single spark of electricity.[7]

Ana Marie R Nemenzo, Freedom from Debt Coalition President stated that President CCA was “equally guilty” as Marcos for foisting the “notoriously scandalous debt” on the Filipino people—“the strongman for building it and his successor for insisting to pay for it.” A whole generation of Filipinos had paid P120 billion for the BNPP, which CCA scrapped. The worse is that CCA failed to put in place alternative energy projects for the BNPP she scrapped and made the people suffer the experience of those power shortage black-outs that had a telling effect on the Philippine economy and the losses & despair it had caused. What a tremendous waste of money & loss of opportunity that the Filipino people had to endure & suffer for CCA”s mistake of being a biased anti-thesis of Marcos.

So much hope was generated by the return of freedom & democracy, but all these turn to despair by the mismanagement of resources, government by connections, politics of revenge and the continued oligarchic rule over the Philippines. The country’s economy started to spiral down the drain to become the basket case of East Asian economies during CCA’s time, and in order to survive, the brain-drain or diasporas of the youth & the jobless for greener pastures jump-started the overseas employment surge to make use of their talents else. All these started with Marcos but with the terrible despair generated by the Cory letdown administration, the brain-drain gushed. Thanks to Cory who motivated Filipinos to seek jobs elsewhere, the Philippines now have a robust overseas contract worker phenomena.

CCA’s Metro-Manila Floods Legacy

After the recent Typhoon Ondoy’s sincerely ravaging of eastern Metro-Manila, armchair columnists have started the blame game and castigating government unpreparedness & stupidity. Nonetheless, the current conventional wisdom for the cause of the disaster is Global Warming, MMDA’s allowing the Metro’s floodgates deteriorate, no budget for maintenance or flood control equipment upgrade or plan for modernization, squatter infestation of waterways. This was so until people in the know of history of Luzon & NCR flood issues surfaced and brought forth what they know in the internet. Right a way, CCA “Yellow Diehards” defended their heroine to forget the past and move on.[8]

“…following 40 days from Oct. 11 to Nov. 20 in 1970, three super typhoons — Sening (Joan), Titang (Kate) and Yoling (Patsy) caused a death toll of more than 2,000. …the worst to hit our country since 1947 as the damage wrecked havoc to the city of Manila, its suburban areas and nearby provinces, in terms of flooding and damage to property. (It would not be until November 1991 when Typhoon Uring(during the Cory administration) would claim more than 5,000 lives.) As an offshoot of that devastation, President Ferdinand Marcos immediately ordered the updating of studies on flooding and other such waterways issues in Greater Manila. …Corollary to this, Marcos also created in 1973 a policy think tank called Task Force on Human Settlements to look into Greater Manila’s problems brought about by its rapid population increase and urban growth…

“It was primarily on the basis of the recommendation of this think tank that in 1974, President Marcos enacted Presidential Decree 475 to add more teeth to his earlier decree going to the extent of actually appropriating funds for public works for various projects including P85 million for the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, P52 million for the Manggahan Floodway and P62 million for the Parañaque Spillway… the river walls of Pasig River were raised to accommodate a water level of 14 meters — a level that corresponds to the expected depth of flood with a 10-year return period. Twelve operating pump stations …put into operation… Aviles, Balete, Binondo, Libertad, Makati, Paco, Pandacan, Quiapo, Sta. Clara, Tripa de Gallina, and Valencia. There are floodgates in Escolta, Pandacan and Santo Bañez… focus revolved around Marikina City because it is most susceptible to flooding because it is a valley, with its Marikina River collecting water from the Sierra Madre mountain ranges on the east and the Quezon City Capitol Hills on the west. The Metroplan underscored a combination of infrastructure projects, consisting of the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, the Rosario Weir, and the Manggahan Floodway, the Marikina Flood Control Structure, the Marikina Dam and the Parañaque Spillway. The Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure at the confluence of Marikina and Pateros-Taguig rivers with Pasig River, was envisioned to prevent or lessen the increase of salinity from Manila Bay and pollution from the Pasig River itself from entering Laguna de Bay during times of reverse flow…

“The Rosario Weir is the sluice or floodgate from the Marikina River onto the Manggahan Floodway. …The Manggahan Floodway, on the other hand, was proposed and built to keep the floodwaters out of Metro Manila, particularly in Pasig and Marikina, by diverting the flow to Laguna de Bay. The floodway was completed in 1986. What the Parañaque Spillway was all about is exactly the answer Palafox[9] gave to his own question ‘What if Laguna de Bay overflows?’ The spillway to be situated further southeast of Makati, was supposed to have been built to siphon runoff from Laguna de Bay when it overtops, onto Manila Bay and the South China Sea. Why it was urgent and absolutely essential is now what typhoon Ondoy has fatally confirmed…

“The construction of the Parañaque Spillway ought to have been started as early as 1986 but that was the year President Marcos was overthrown by the People Power Revolution. Now who was the president at that time? Why it was Mrs. Corazon Aquino, may her soul rest in peace, but dear Lord, she dropped the ball on the Parañaque Spillway! She justified her decision saying that the project would have been very expensive as it would cut through middle class subdivisions. In truth, I wish I could buy that reason. I mean what was in vogue those days was for the Aquino government to destroy and put into oblivion everything that has the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos brand on it. Well this issue would have been buried with her until Palafox started opening his mouth… the only other time the Parañaque Spillway provoked another round of discussion was 14 years after it was mothballed by the Aquino administration. In November 2000, a forum sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in cooperation with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University, once again raised yellow flags about the Integrated Manila Bay-Laguna Lake System and the Surrounding Watersheds. There Dr. Leonardo Liongson of the University of the Philippines Department of Civil Engineering said that which the Aquino administration endorsed instead… was a ring dike system.”[10]

It would not be right to just blame everything on the government unpreparedness for an “act of God,” especially by a global warming induced large amount of rainfall brought by a typhoon Ondoy. But when government could have prevented the floods with a proper Paranaque spillway or a Marikina dam to address these “occasional” catastrophic rainfall or over-sized overflows, the country may as well benefit from hard earned lessons not to repeat mistakes, debacles or catastrophes by carrying out infrastructure plans no matter who conceptualized them. It is criminal to let such stupid decision-makers waste invaluable resources spent on long-term projects meant to address the peoples’ energy needs or environmental protection/ prevention from such calamities. However, when the rabid supporters of past debacle-prone decision-makers still want to distort history by making them saints or heroes—or even rewarding their mistakes by insisting their scions lead the nation to perpetuate their legacies, it is doubly-wrong for people to acquiesce and permit the country go back into so much misery & despair.

CCA’s New Democracy Legacy

The worse legacy that CCA bequeathed to the Filipino People is the current state of political affairs. When the Pilipino people realized that a know-nothing can become the president of the country, anybody who believes he knows something, even the unqualified, believes that he should hold a government position—so long as they popularly elected.  This is the tyranny of democratic legacy of CCA. The Philippine political landscape, especially the Senate, has now become a bastion of movie/media/entertainment industry—comedians, actors, basketball players, and newscasters (readers of news), husbands of popular movie actresses, notorious coup-plotters and scions of trapos. The Senate’s legislative output in terms of quality has seriously diminished where grandstanding witch-hunts for media-exposure-hype is the name of the game. Gone are the high-level debates of statesmen of yesteryears; today’s senate debates are character mud-slinging attacks and arrogant misuse of warrant of arrests. Gone are when competence, brains, experience in public service and integrity are qualities desired for senator. Everyone now just wants to be elected to enrich or keep themselves in power like Cory’s new democracy people. CCA should not entirely be blamed for this state of affairs, since Marcos & company started the tradition, and CCA’s just continued the practice. So, how will the Pilipino people get rid of this state of affairs?

The answer to this is simple; amend the Constitution and put qualifier provisions that only the deserving get to be allowed to run as president. Likewise, only those who meaningfully contribute to the Philippine society, treasury & government be allowed to vote; disenfranchise those who fight the government like the terrorists, secessionists, plunderers, outlaw-criminals and tax-evaders.

CCA’s Other Legacies (Hacienda Luisita, Noynoy, ABS-CBN, Etc.)

On November 16, 2004, protesting Hacienda Luisita tenants were killed by Hacienda guards rumored to have been led by her son, Senator Noynoy C Aquino. The blood summary for this violent dispersal of CCA’s Hacienda Luisita are 14 killed, including two children aged 2 and 5years old; one victim strangled after being shot & his dead body hanged in the factory gate; at least 35 people sustained gunshot wounds; 133 arrested & detained; hundreds were wounded; and another hundred are still missing. The cause of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre was cheating (thru her the stock option scheme) & denying her own tenants the land that have tilled which was granted by the CARL-the center piece legislation of her administration. Cory’s true human rights colors are now revealed where her interests are ensuring or keeping the Cojuangco-Aquino oligarchic wealth intact. With the Mendiola Massacre and its whitewash to her name, CCA has actually two (2) massacres to her credit. Where are the hosannas to Saint Cory raised by the Church, ABS-CBN & her rabid yellow supporters?

The Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino diehards are foisting CCA’s son that he is a chip of the old block, the scion of a martyred politician father and a saintly mother-president, and Senator Noynoy Aquino will lead the country to a better future as his mother did. With his lackluster performance as a congressman & a senator plus the very poor track record of his mother, the country is doomed as a congressman remarked. He is no guarantee that he can be better than his parents combined; his record is sterling proof that he is no better than his mother. Even his mother, CCA, knows how unprepared he is to handle the Philippine presidency when she cautioned that he should finish at least one senate term before going for a higher position. The CCA diehards are pushing the same Carmelite spiritual retreat scenario prior to his declaration to run for presidency, and the same Senator Gerardo Roxas/ Mar Roxas backing down for Senator Ninoy/Noynoy Aquino presidential bid. The old adage says, “You can fool the people some of the time, but you cannot fool the people all of the time.” Everyone knows that both Senators Noynoy & Mar scions of old political families and therefore are really TRAPOS to the core protecting their vested oligarchic interests, and are now packaged as the new saviors of Philippine democracy.

Now, Noynoy wants to become president to continue what her mother had done—to protect the Cojuangco-Aquino vested interests. Noynoy promises to rectify the Hacienda Luisita injustice, since he is involved in the Hacienda Luisita travesty perpetuated by his oligarchic mother. He must address this issue to be a credible candidate. The terrible human rights record being attributed to current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) actually stems from the aforementioned Hacienda Luisita Massacre of 2004. CCA and GMA were former allies in the ouster of President Joseph E Estrada (JEE). They parted ways when GMA sided with the poor tenants and went against the CCA Hacienda Luisita ‘stock option’ exemption from the CARL in 2005[11]. After this, GMA became a persona non-grata to CCA, and CCA fanatic supporters & propaganda machinery (ABS-CBN & allied lackeys) turned against her with all they can blame on GMA & her husband, maligning them with innuendos & rumors, that they had effectively used on oustering Marcos.

ABS-CBN was the former Lopez radio-TV media outfit allegedly confiscated by Marcos during Martial Law; Marcos people claim it was bought or arm-twisted from the Lopezes for not paying taxes. Vice-president Eugenio Lopez was a former Marcos ally at the start of FM’s presidency in 1965. CCA returned ABS-CBN to the Lopezes lock stock & barrel after the February 1986 People Power revolution, so the Lopezes owe President CCA a huge political favor. This political debt is being repaid by having CCA’s daughter, Kris Aquino, as a mainstay of ABS-CBN and by the backing of CCA’s son, Senator Noynoy Aquino for his presidential bid packaged as a new savior of Philippine democracy.

During the typhoon’s onslaught, this anti-government media station and its know-it-all newscasters dictated & meddled on NDCC disaster evacuation-relief operations. Instead of informing, assisting, & facilitating efforts, they ventured out & glorified their own endeavors while using government trucks, soldiers, personnel & resources. They used their media facilities to cajole & inveigle from kind-hearted people & firms for cash donations, clothes, goods & foodstuffs supposedly for relief & distribution to evacuation centers without accounting for how these donations are actually disbursed or dispensed. ABS-CBN should be audited by Commission on Audit for the disaster funds & goods received to remove any doubts of their misuse such as salaries/ bonuses of ABS-CBN personnel or purchase of new media equipment at the expense of real typhoon victims.

CCA & the People Power Big Lie

No one has written about the truth that happened to the country in February 1986 due to the lie perpetuated by the victors of the People Power Revolution and those who profited from it, and who are still around in positions of power or influence. No one has written about the role played by the US government in the ouster of Marcos.  Who convinced FM to go on a special election? Who convinced FM to cut out & cut clean? Who convinced the loyal generals to go on a ceasefire with the 1986 mutineers? Who brokered the ceasefire & immediate cessation of hostile fire between the loyalist soldiers & the mutineers? Nobody has written about the 1984 Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS- the Washington think-tank for the Pentagon & US Govt) Georgetown University Assessment Study on the need to ouster FM two (2) years before the people power revolution.[12] Who placed classified ads for destabilization operations in the Philippines at the Soldier of Fortune Magazine in 1984?[13] Who transported the Marcos entourage & baggage to Hawaii? Who were the unnamed US military/intelligence personnel, who were observed to be advising Col Honasan & the RAM mutineers at Camp Aguinaldo, Ramos men at Camp Crame and were back-channeling with FM loyalist commanders at Fort Bonifacio? What happened on the Feb 25, 1986 at Fort Bonifacio that caused the loss/collapse of loyalist military support for Marcos thereat? Who were the US bigwigs conferring with the Marcos & Aquino camps? Who were calling or coordinating the shots? All of them are from Washington.

The US government will neither confirm nor deny their key participation in 1986 removal of FM, their favorite puppet-ally of the Vietnam War. The CIA is just smiling at the gullibility of Filipinos about the EDSA People Power revolution story and the unheralded triumph of US official policy in its successful removal of a staunched US supporter-embarrassment-ally. After their successful change of the head of the Philippine government, the US would not allow the change their new puppet head of government by a military coup; CCA was easier to handle than some maverick military junta whose loyalty US would not be sure of; so the military adventurists seven (7) coup attempts against CCA were doomed without US support. The November 1969 military coup against CCA nearly succeeded if not for the USAF reassurance flights that stymied the military coup plotters. The opposition/leftist-instigated impeachment of GMA efforts with military coup backing will never prosper without US patronage. Or if the opposition would really like to successfully impeach GMA, they should get rid of leftist allies & secure US support.

To make a true simple historical statement, it was the US Government that removed President Ferdinand Marcos; they schemed, planned, and removed the Philippine dictator from power, for which Filipinos thought they booted FM out to exile. The Americans had the means and resources to take FM out of the country and they did. It was not the Cardinal Sin & the Catholic Church, nor the people at EDSA, nor the political opposition under CCA, nor the AFP RAM mutineers, nor their political sponsors. This is a historical fact and not one People Power book has written nor acknowledges this. The US government machinated this whole mumbo-jumbo called people power democratic revolution that the Cory Aquino’s propaganda people triumphantly peddled to the Pilipino people as its own.

The Cojuangco-Aquino oligarchic yellow mafia is extensive, fanatic, influential, cunning and ruthless. They will defend at all costs all the lies, the history of hypocrisy & deception and all their sequestered & hidden wealth that they have been getting away with. They have bishops, nuns & religious congregations that have benefitted from the Cojuangco-Aquino regime to mask the truth about their own abuse of power & wealth. The Church influence over CCA has the runaway overpopulation problem that the country is quagmire in. Her bleeding-heart sycophants have saddled us with the uncontrollable squatter & garbage problems that has mushroomed & clogged our waterways and caused terrible floods. Her political allies have exploited them as a political mass base for votes & issues; yet have not done anything to uplift their lives & welfare.  Her Hacienda Luisita is shining example of their concern for the poor & the masses. CCA’s advisers have given us no alternatives to address our energy needs that ruined the economy. Their advice & example are destructive & de-unifying with civil disobedience, mutiny, coup d-eats, massacres & white-wash, big lie propaganda and wealth accumulation for power retention. They have judges, police, military, senators, congressmen, ruthless city mayors, corrupt columnists, paid hacks, etc. So in what way are they different from Marcos, his ilk and their use of government and power? Have there not been enough of trapos in Philippine history & society. They have deceived us once and so many times. Will we allow ourselves the same despair, corruption in government, hypocrisy and frustrations we have previously experienced? By their righteous revenge angle & deceptive media and their spirit of injustice & hypocrisy, the Philippines under Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was beset by a record of calamities, natural & man-made disasters that the country retrogressed that despair permeated the archipelago. Will Philippine History repeat itself? Can the Philippines survive as a nation another six years with another Cojuangco-Aquino at the helm of the Ship of State?  Only God can save the Philippines, should this thing happen.

[This essay is written & dedicated to the Pilipino Youth, who were not around during the Marcos and Aquino eras when the youth was exploited by traditional politicians (or trapos) and now by their scions and rabid supporters.]

[2] Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter III- Attack by Strategy,…,a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:…By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers his kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions  which obtains in an army. This causes restlessness (confusion)in the soldiers’ minds….when an army is restless & distrustful, trouble is sure to come…This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away

[3]Pres. Marcos bloodied his hand when five (5) students were killed in the January 30, 1970 student leftist attack on Malacanang Palace; but Cory’s hand is bloodier with a bigger number of deaths.

[4] Mendiola Massacre,  GMA News-TV. Wikipedia Encyclopedia

[5] Phil Sports Stadium Stampede, Wikipedia Encyclopedia

[6] Pres. Marcos owns the Corregidor or Jabidah Massacre with 28-60deaths; Pres. CCA has the Mendiola   Massacre & the Hacienda Luisita Massacre to her credit with a combined total of 27killed, 73sustained gunshot wounds, and 100 missing.

[7] Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, Wikipedia Encyclopedia

[8] Daily Tribune, Columnist Herman Tiu Laurel’s article, “The Yellow Lady of the Floods” on 10 Oct 2009

[9] Architect Felino Palafox Jr ,Business Mirror Online Space article ”Government Study foresaw flood- Palafox” by Dennis Estopace, Business Mirror issuedated28 September 2009

[10] Adolfo Paglinawan, Internet, Daily Tribune, Columnist Herman Tiu Laurel’s article, “The Yellow Lady of the Floods” on 10 Oct 2009

[11] Hacienda Luisita, Inquirer.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

[12] Strategic Requirements for the Army to the Year 2000, Edited by Robert H Kupperman &William J Taylor, Jr./Center for Strategic & International Studies, Lexington Books D.C. Heath & CO, Lexington, Massachusetts Toronto

[13] Soldier of Fortune Magazine, Classified Ads, Series of 1980s

Thanksgiving’s coming up fast, so I took today to teach the kids about the good ol’ pilgrims and Indians.

Our class turkey full of thanks instead of stuffing

We made a “Thanksgiving tree” in my 5-year-old class and a “Thanksgiving turkey” with my 7-year-olds.

Both were perfect opportunities for them to practice writing in English.

I had the students write down what they’re thankful for, and it worked out nicely as conversational practice as well.

"I'm thankful for..."

Then, with the 7-year-olds, we made hand print turkeys- a Thanksgiving classic!    This was always a favorite of mine growing up, but today I discovered it’s even MORE fun as a teacher watching my students. 

Funny how now I’m the one tracing little hands…

John and I ordered a special feast to be made for Thursday’s lunch, though we did have to substitute chicken for turkey.  (Although turkeys do exist in this country, they’re apparently too difficult to get a hold of in bulk- much like those pumpkins we never saw for Halloween).

Five little fingers makes for one small turkey!

Even without this holiday’s mascot, however, Thursday will surely be a Thanksgiving to remember.

I’m looking forward to it!

Zdrastvooyte!  (Hello!)

We’re consistently getting new students at the kindergarten  because A) we’re a new school with seats to fill, and B) Korean parents move their children from school to school and hagwon to hagwon constantly.

Well, how about a warm welcome for Yellow Ribbon’s newest student:

a 5-year-old Russian boy who speaks very little Korean and no English, is an only child and yet is still starving for attention, has family problems at home, and enjoys punching people and flipping off teachers.

Asaaa!  Did I hit the jackpot, or what?!

That being said, he does seem quite bright and able to learn if I can just find a way to hold his attention…  Any game ideas out there that work well for young, violent boys?

Up…. gotta jet.  Need to look up a few more Russian words and phrases before my hagwon classes…

Da sveedaneeya!

The most powerful symbol perhaps for the Filipino as a nation is the yellow ribbon tied to Ninoy Aquino and then to the fight that Tita Cory continued to her deathbed.  According to a story published in the Inquirer, it was a friend of the Aquino’s that thought of using the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” since it has really been many years since Ninoy has left the country. 

Then they started tying yellow ribbons in the trees along the avenues.  This  same symbol is  carried by Noynoy, the Aquino who is running for President. The most contentious of the issues that he faces is the massacre  of 12 protesting farmers and 2 children in the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita  over a dispute in a collective bargaining agreement with the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU).

Knowing that this is going to be a stinging pain in his ass, Noynoy recently announced that they are planning to give up their shares. That doesn’t change a thing. His silence when he was Senator makes questions his ability to render justice for the poor. Not all forgets that blood grows in Hacienda Luisita. That symbol is tainted with bloood.

Ontario’s new vanity government-issued licence plates that are designed with the yellow ribbon signifying support for our military, does not actually do a whole lot of supporting. Progressive Conservative MPP Bob Runciman is critical of the new plates because a very small portion of sales go to the Canadian Forces Personnel Assistance Fund. The plates, which were unveiled yesterday on Remembrance Day, will be issued in February. But while each plate will cost $77.25 to purchase, only $2.25 will go to the Assistance Fund, or just under 3% of the proceeds:

A set of personalized plates with the yellow ribbon will cost $314, with $4.50 going toward the fund.

Runciman said it is “misleading” for the government to pass this initiative off as a “significant” way for the public to raise funds for the Canadian Forces.

“The cost to produce the plates are pretty modest,” he said. “This could’ve been a potentially significant way to raise money for the military and their families.”

But Government Services Minister Harinder Takhar said the plates were never meant to be a fundraising method for military families.

“The purpose is not about fundraising. It’s meant to create awareness about our defence forces and the kind of job our defence forces do,” he said.

I beg to differ. I think a great number of people would assume that the plates would go toward supporting our military in more than just “awareness”. Indeed, this sounds more like a mere copyright licencing opportunity for the province of Ontario, paying into the military fund for the right to use the logo in the same way they would pay the Toronto Maple Leafs for the rights to theirs.

The matching plates are discounted even more, with just 1.4% of sales proceeds going into the Canadian Forces Personnel Assistance Fund. It’s one thing to say you’re creating licence plates with the yellow ribbon on it in order to create awareness about our military, but without explicitly explaining that the plates only donate certain portions of the proceeds to the military, it is misleading.

In fairness to the government of Ontario, the “vanity plates” are the same cost as other “Personalized, Graphic and
Sample Plates” on their website. A regular 2 to 6 character plates with a graphic [like the yellow ribbon or some other logo] will run you $314. Without knowing exactly how much the government pays in licencing to other registered trademarks and logos, it’s difficult to know whether they’re being generous or cheap.

“There’s a lot of costs involved in these plates, designing the plates, IT costs, distribution costs . . . we have to take all those costs into account. We’d like to give them as much as we can, but our intention is to create awareness and support,” said Mr. Takhar.

Knowing what all those costs are, broken down into the cost effectiveness of the service, would go a long way to helping Mr.Takhar’s statement. But given that the announcement was made on Remembrance Day, one is left with the sense that this is a mere marketing ploy that has really very little to do with honouring our veterans, and our soldiers.

]]> http://luisitamagsasaka.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/11-16/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:41:35 +0000 luisitamagsasaka http://luisitamagsasaka.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/11-16/

Remembering Hacienda Luisita Massacre

November 16, 2004

Today is Veterans Day – a day to remember and thank the men and women serving in the military as well as those who gave their lives for their country. It is an opportunity to support troops and vets everywhere, whether it’s donating your time, money or food. Simply lending a hand can help these folks and their families not only on Veterans Day, but year round.

Here are a few ways to help out:

• Send a special message or thank you letter directly to the troops
• Donate $1 to Yellow Ribbon America and display your yellow ribbon “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker with pride
• Volunteer for Stand Down events and help veterans get food, shelter, health screenings and other necessary services.
• Donate food and items for Give2TheTroops care packages
• Even more ways you can support the troops and veterans

If you’re a veteran or family member and need help, visit The Beehive for family support services and assistance.

BLOOD ON HIS HANDS: TULOY ANG LABAN NG MGA INAAPI NA MAGSASAKA NG HACIENDA LUISITA!

Kelly left basically when my mom arrived, but they certainly were in Korea at the same time and we have just one picture to prove it. 

A quick photo...

It was taken on Friday morning, when Kelly was heading to the airport and Yellow Ribbon celebrated its first Halloween ever.

Koreans don’t know much about “Halloweenday” minus the typical ghosts, pumpkins and witches.  Kids know of costumes, but they don’t usually wear them, and other than the awareness that candy is somehow involved, they’re not quite sure how to get it.

So, John Teacher and I organized an entire Halloween Festival for all our kimchi-loving munchkins and…. it was a BLAST!

Despite the swine flu-scare that’s been circulating through our countryside, attendance was high and the costumes were fantastic.

A-list celebs like Spiderman, Batman, Snow White, Cinderella and the red power ranger all showed up dressed to impress (some of them more than once) and ready to beg for candy.

The A-Listers

We played classic games like Pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin, Miss Pockets, Spider Ring Toss and Bean Bag Toss. For arts n’ crafts, we made spider and ghost lollipops out of pipe cleaners and Kleenex.

We gave out all the standard prizes- parachute men, plastic spider rings, fake vampire teeth… and of course, plenty of candy to get ‘em started.

Trick-or-Treat!

After their homemade baskets had a good, solid layer of treats in them, we loaded onto the ghoulish buses and headed down into town for some inaugural Trick-Or-Treating.

The students’ parents lined the streets passing out goodies galore as we marched by, chanting the “Trick or treat, smell my feet…” song.

I do believe this was the first time Halloween had ever come to Janghyun-ri (my town), and all eyes were smiling and on us!

Shop owners came out to see what all the bustle was about, and customers peeked their heads out of windows and doors; pedestrians stopped crossing the road, drivers slowed down and fruit trucks came to a halt.

Some townspeople even wound up joining our merry little street march, doing their best to hum along, snapping pictures with their cell phones along the way.

I think we may have started something here…  or at least, I hope so.

Freedom of Speech. It’s a big thing in democratic countries and we hold it like a torch to indicate how different we are from the regimes, the dictatorships and any place that silences writers by putting them in prisons, house arrest or just killing them. The pen is mightier than the sword and it’s been feared by conquerors for a long time. And of course, those who win are those who write the history books.

But North America: Canada and the US, we’re different. We truly have freedom of speech. A person can get on any bandwagon and scream their beliefs and they won’t be stopped. Of course they won’t. Not where the media will see it anyways.

Conquering nations, or just those in power that manage to vanquish the foe, like to show how good and just they were for doing so. This attitude extends down the line to foe being interpreted as famine, poverty, unemployment, deficits–you name it. Any trouble that a government faces becomes the foe or the need to do some PR and impress the voters with how good you are and how right and just your cause is.

So, freedom of speech. Do we really have it? No. It’s selective, even in these democratic countries.

Years ago I was in New York City, staying with a friend. Desert Storm had just happened and the troops were coming home. There were giant yellow ribbons around some buildings as well as on fences and trees. Two interesting incidences about the smothering of anti-war/Desert Storm protests became evident. In NY even the cop cars seem to be banged up and have graffiti. There’s is graffiti and slogans everywhere. When someone spray painted numerous bus stop shelters with an indelible ink on the glass with anti war statements NY made an unprecedented move.

The slogans were removed in 24 hours and if they could not be cleaned from the glass, well the glass was replaced. There was no way that the ticker tape parade was going to be affected by people protesting what they felt was wrong about US troops in other countries. A minor thing, perhaps, and could be chalked up to city maintenance but my friend said nothing like that had caused such wholesale cleansing before.

He also lived near a park (I no longer remember the name of it) known for having demonstrations of different types. The police had set tape around the perimeter, with other obstacles, effectively blocking any access to the park before or during the arrival of the troops. No demonstration in a designated area and in fact no freedom of speech. Muffling of dissenters is what happened in the great democratic nation of the US. Don’t go against the government.

Is Canada any better? No. We like to pretend we’re calmer, more polite, more peaceful but the 2010 Winter Olympics is coming to town. Our fair city of Vancouver has changed some existing bylaws. These bylaws will in effect give the city engineer the right to make up bylaws on the fly. “I don’t like the anti-Olympic sign in your window: I can make a bylaw, invade your home, remove your sign and arrest you.” In fact, that’s part of the bylaw already, giving people only 24-hour’s notice before being invaded or having signs, posters and whatnot confiscated.

Of course, the city councillors say it’s for protecting people. Because we know what nasty papercuts you get from pamphlets and anti-Olympics posters. There has already been a case of a woman being tailed and questioned outside of her classroom because she just happens to know and anti-Olympics protestor. And like she said, this has caused her to be against the Olympics, a reverse of what the Olympics gestapo are probably hoping for: shiny happy people ecstatic that their tax dollars are going to something they can’t afford and having their rights infringed upon.

Who knows, perhaps if they find this blog, I’ll be tossed in the can before the Olympics. I’d rather they just deport me to Greece for a month. It’s hard to be for the Olympics when games start taking precedent over civil liberties. Can we say Beijing? Can we say Germany, 1936. I wonder if Gregor Robertson has been brainwashed or is wholesale for clamping down on people’s rights to protest. Oh and if you happen to be in a zone that’s close to any venue or anything the Olympics committee deems important, know that you won’t be able to get in or out the same way as usual, and you might not get any mail for the three weeks because they are removing paper boxes and mailboxes. That’s one great way to curtail freedom of speech, just remove anything that has words in it.

I’m waiting for our Olympic souvenirs. You know the ones. We’ll get them a week before the opening and they’ll have a spiffy logo on them. They’ll come free of charge but we’ll all be required to wear them throughout the Olympics: our own personal gags with a free gag law attached.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/10/09/bc-anti-olympic-sign-law-bccla.html

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/vancouver2010/2009/10/07/11334116.html

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Olympics2010/2009/07/21/newspapers-Olympic-bylaw/

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/vancouver/2009-09-17-protest-zones_N.htm

It has been so long in which Tova’s Totally Awkward Tuesday has been providing me with a source of inspiration to document my Tuesday posts. After it ended, somehow, even though it is Tuesday, I no longer knew what to blog. It seems meaningless to type out awkward stories after awkward stories if no one is hosting it – you don’t get to read others and others don’t get to read yours – as the sharing element is lost. BUT, I have managed so far, right?

In the category of awkwardness, there are situations in which are awkward and funny, and situations in which are awkward and not funny. The distinct in these two is that, after the awkward situation happened, you can laugh about it in the first, if you ever felt like it. It makes you feel better, sometimes. In the latter though, it leaves you with a bad aftertaste, and feels like something bad but not scary is wriggling in the skin of your body, making you feel uncomfortable. You sought to forget it, for that is the only way you can feel better.

This is an instance of an awkward story that is at the same time, uncomfortable. It came to me while I was wondering where Tova went, which naturally leads my train of thoughts to the last post in her blog, which is the last Tova’s Totally Awkward Tuesday.

In the dawning night, the people are hard at work, ignoring the sweats that grew and gathered into their shirts and pants as they tried to capture the attention of the passers-by. That is their hope. The one second attention in which they needed, before their audience decided that they are not worth stopping for. This is what their family needed. For the pardon of a sinner, they needed the entire family’s effort. This is the yellow-ribbon program.

I can almost feel the relief emanating from her body. If I am willing to work hard, she must be thinking, my brother will be pardoned. So filled with emotions too deep to comprehend, she came towards our direction.

“Hi, can I talk to you for a second?” Her eyes were piercing against her dark skin… it captured my attention in that second. My friend stopped as well beside me. She proceeded in a rush of words to explain how she is not cheating, or scamming. With that agitation, she said that this is the only way she can study and her brother can work. Tears are starting to form around her eyes, but she was firm and stubborn with them. She never allowed them to fall down, not in front of us.

We could have helped her, we could have. We did not. Before you jump into conclusion, allow me to explain. She first focused her attention on the two of us, and wanted us to help her by purchasing her goods. I can see the other people under the yellow ribbon program trying to sell off their goods nearby. I knew she is not cheating, or the cheating organization would be huge. But her agitated manner and harsh tone affected us. The way she sold her products, it made us feel as if we have to buy her products, or we shall be condemned. THAT is how she made us feel. After she made me feel that way, I began to lose interest in her and her product. I looked away without an interest, and she turned to focus on my friend, who felt pressurized.

To me, it does not matter that I am helping or not, but to make me feel bad if I am not helping, I would rather not help at all. I feel that to give up my money is my choice. Whether or not I wish to give it up is my decision. It is wrong, thus, to make me feel terrible for not giving up my money. To begin with a harsh tone, is even worse. I am sure there are people who can feel and understand her situation. I am one of them – I think she must have gone through a lot of rejection to be that harsh. But understanding does not mean that I can agree with her methods. It is not right, I believe, to make others feel bad and incorporate that into your selling method. In other words, it is not just about charity anymore. It is also about how you treat others.

Because of what she did, we rejected to purchase any of her goods. “We are sorry,” we said, “but we don’t wish to buy anything.” My friend and I walked away with complaints of how she made us feel.

I hope I had presented and argued both sides with accuracy and fairness.

When I got home from taekwando last night, my little room seemed much bigger… and much quieter.  I miss my daddy.

It was fun hearing some of Dad’s observations while he was here, especially when they matched up with my own.  He was here for 2 weeks and we were quite the busy little big bees.

“Why is it that the people here are smaller, but the bugs are bigger?  …Come to think of it… other than the bugs, EVERYthing’s smaller!”

“So does the doctor give it after he cuts the umbilical cord… or does the mother give it when baby takes his first step?….. When exactly does a Korean child receive his first cell phone?”

“What’s that smell?!” (When walking through certain patches of Seoul)

His first night, after Jaydon and I picked him up from the airport, we went out for Korean BBQ.  Dad got his first taste of kimchi and soju and liked them both.   Then, we stayed up till 3:30 catching up on the past 6 1/2 months.  Nothin’ like a good night’s sleep before a vigorous vacation, right?

Site of the massacre

On Friday, we headed into Itaewon so Dad could get some clothes tailored, and then met our hiking group at 11:30 pm.  37 of us loaded onto a chartered bus and attempted to sleep through the night before we started our hike at 4 am.

It wasn’t until we unloaded that the 2009 Great Grasshoppah Massacre occurred…

Although it was quite foggy this early in the morning, we had no problem noticing how the parking lot was just swarming with grasshoppers.  ‘Course some of us had just woken up from a 3-hour nap, so many of ‘em got squished, unnoticed, in the unloading process.  I think we took out a few praying mantises as well.  Poor little buggers…

We should get you an "I hiked Juwangsan" shirt to wear to Yosemite.

When we started our hike at 4 am, it was a bit nippy and pitch-black.  We made coffee by the lake and watched the sunrise over the water.  The fact that Dad had arrived to Korea barely 24 hours prior really shocked our group of young hikers, and I was quite impressed myself.  Afterward, we headed to Juwangsan National Park, where we hiked for 6 hours more.  With 4 waterfalls, several temples and hermitages, beautiful scenery, and Japanese, Chinese and Korean war history, we had plenty to look at while on the trails.  Everyone regrouped in the marketplace at the base of the moutain for some makkoli and pajeon (Korean rice wine and pancakes) before we headed off to lunch.

Quite the lively bunch (of trees)

We dined at Hahoe Folk Village in Andong.  It was established way back in the 16th century during the Joseon Dynasty, and it’s been a one-clan community ever since.  It’s a representative collective village for one family, where tile-roofed houses and thatched roofed ones have been quite well conserved for a long time, and -oh yeah- the whole place is surrounded by a river, like one, big, private moat.

This place was a story book come true. We sauntered through highlighter-green rice paddies, mingled with mobs of hand-carved totem poles, wandered around straw huts and old tea houses… all before being ferried across the river on a small, wooden boat in order to hike up the mountain on the other side.  That’s where we were able to get a good view of the entire village, and just as the sun was setting!

THAT'S how the chicken crossed the road...

We also caught the weekly show in Hahoe- a traditional folk mask dance- put on by the village locals (including the owner of the restaurant we had lunch at). Ex-president George W. Bush had been sitting in the same round, outdoor theatre just 2 months before, watching the same show, and the special guest at our performance was a famous Korean theatre director/ multi-millionaire.

Hahoe Folk Mask Dance

We spent Saturday night and Sunday back in Seoul, sightseeing around Insadong and Itaewon.  We caught the tail-end of the Changing of the Guards at Deoksugung palace before touring inside, and then we checked out a couple of concerts there and at City Hall before heading back to Yellow Ribbon.

And on Monday, “Teacher Kaley’s Dad” went back to school after 34 years.

The kids had a blast testing the range of their new-found English vocabulary and asking him any questions they could come up with.  Their ears perked up like puppies’ when they saw all the prizes he had brought from America, including temporary tattoos they proudly sported on their forearms.

Our 5-year-old gang, all tatted up

Pastor took Dad to visit Morning Calm Park in the afternoon and we headed back to Seoul that night for Dad’s fitting at the tailor’s.  We stayed there overnight and Dad went on a DMZ tour Tuesday while I went back to work.  He did a bit of sightseeing alone on Wednesday and hit up Seoul Tower, before meeting me back at school in time for dinner with the Lees at the duck restaurant next door.

…And that was just the first half of his time here…

Just a quick post while Kaley is teaching a class, 20 minutes before I head to the airport…

NOW I know.
I know how Kaley can go for days without blogging.  We’ve  been very busy!

Some thoughts:

The DMZ is very real.

I like seaweed.  Yeah, I know.

I’ve walked more in two weeks than I have walked in two months.

I like the food. (I’m surprised too!)

This is the first vacation where I am going home weighing less than when I arrived.

Korean Taxi drivers don’t speak any Spanish.

Soda and drink cans are small.

You can get a million out of an ATM in just one transaction.  (In won.)

Casinos are for foreigners only.

The kids are cute, just like in Kaley’s photos.

KAY-ee is in good hands here with the Lees at Yellow Ribbon.
I’m off to the airport.
I LOVE YOU, Kaley.

Dad, B.S.P.

BSP & LLG

Tie the yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree

If life isn’t about its details, the released convict wouldn’t need to tie the yellow ribbon ’round the old oak tree as an indication his girlfriend still wanted him.

In Singapore, you do your Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLEs) at the end of a six-year primary education. If you do it well, you’d secure a high seat in a good school; if you do it badly, you’d have only those low seats to yourself and you’d struggle to see what’s above you like how you would if you have to sit on a front seat in a movie theater (I’m in this predicament now I think LOL).

Then you do your ‘N’, ‘O’ and/or ‘A’ Level Examinations. Probably because you (incl. me) think studies are not your cup of tea, you decide to flunk them all.

Unfortunately a few years later when you’re looking for a job, you realize you should have studied harder for better qualifications. Also, you’d automatically become one of the many adults who constantly tell children and teenagers to study hard, study hard, and study hard with an emotional tinge of remorse for their younger days in their voices.

Just because they flourish their paper qualifications with their strengths of the past printed black and white to the naïve employers, the employers ogle those certificates as if they were cash, let them get a stable job and life.

It’s just one paper that determines your value and self-worth. I mean, look, I could steal it, fake it, get one by hook or by crook except studying really hard for it.

Often these people who erred once have to err again and again to get a decent life. We’ve seen them all:

People resort to searching high and low for fake qualifications, printing counterfeit money, stealing… just because they fell and couldn’t get up in time for their Judgment Day – exams.

… like how convicts fall and incur an ineradicable and unpleasant scar – criminal records.

That’s because they aren’t given any form of second chances. Having no or insufficient qualifications, or having criminal records, has become an irremovable global social stigma.

By the way, this has nothing to do with Ris Low. LOL

I say all this because I think what we’ve been doing in school is virtually useless. Apart from some things we learn that help us develop some basic skills like how not to speak like Ris Low and maybe how to have some humor from learning Biology to be able to think of my blog title (ahem),  we basically learn many other things simply because we have to pass our exams.

From Secondary Three onwards, I’ve been hearing all the ‘O’ Level terminologies – ‘O’ Level itself, A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8, F9, fail… - till I’m so tired of them and till I’m assuming we’re stuffing things in our head temporarily just for one crap piece of qualification. I even doubt some people would know ‘O’ stands for Ordinary. Yeah, how ordinary…

In fact, how much of the things we learned can we remember at the time we give our employees our academic qualifications?

That strikes me asking how much integrity one can have in claiming that one has the strength because one has a certain qualification.

Shouldn’t we prove ourselves a better way – not by things we did well in the past and probably not as well now?

Surely there are some alternatives of exams and paper qualifications. They have been taking too much domination in determining how much we are worth of. I hereby demand a change. Let’s get Obama!!!

I believe this post strikes discussion. Haha comment, okay!

It’s amusing to see how the very word Boomz gradually becomes synonymous with the ex Miss Singapore World 2009. With some dexterous video editing, people can easily make a successful parody out of Boom Boom Pow featuring her.

You may also find, in the thesauruses of many Singaporeans’ hearts, entries like zipbra, bigini, leopard prings etc under Ris Low, all thanks to this video:

Pretty?

I have to say she doesn’t look really attractive at all to win a pageant, or rather, she isn’t outstandingly attractive enough to be singled out of the masses as a pageant participant. I don’t mean to be mean – not only can’t she hold a candle to many better-looking Singaporeans out on Orchard Road, but she can’t also even hold a candle to her own fellow participants who look better…

and speak better, if you find me too superficial. Nevertheless it’s a beauty pageant. Surely you don’t have to be asexual to be able to judge their faces for a better potential winner from here.

Besides beauty, she epically fails in other criteria especially the question response criterion…

THE WAY SHE SPEAKS (with B3 for ‘O’ Level English)

Watch the  video above. Ignore the provocative subtitles to do her some justice if you want. Close your eyes if you want to do her more justice. Dismiss the fact that she was a pageant winner to do her the most justice:

Heck you just can’t do her anymore justice, can you?! – You’d concur with me that she sounds horrible.

And to trust that coming from a Singaporean in the limelight, it’s total embarrassment.

I highly doubt the integrity of this beauty contest because with this sort of articulation she possesses in her speech, how did she survive the question response criterion? Or have the participants not gone through a question response part of the contest?

Even if she had a short tongue or any physical shortcoming that would limit her diction, she should probably train up to overcome this difficulty to do Singapore’s already-not-so-good reputation a favor.

The problem apparently lies not only in her pronunciation – she couldn’t even construct complete sentences to speak a decent enough English language for goodness shake.

Ris Low is a fatally wrong choice. If she speaks in representation of our nation, people would walk away before she even starts to embark on the dreadful journey of searching for the correct words to say, and the reporter is nice enough to laugh it all off.

HER CRIMINAL RECORD

All in the name of the Yellow Ribbon campaign, I shall close one eye to her criminal record of credit card fraud.

But she has betrayed the trust of the contest officials by not knowing the need to bring her criminal records to light before her participation.

Nevertheless, it’s really a pity to see her past encroaching on her future. I believe in giving second chances since it’s human to err, but it’s virtually impossible for the masses to overlook her past wrongdoings when now they have been divulged to the public.

And unfortunately that makes her a more undeserving winner.

BIPOLAR DISORDER?

She claimed that she has bipolar disorder leading to her kleptomaniac thieving tendencies since young. Whether or not she knows how to pronounce correctly both the jargons bipolar disorder and kleptomania, I really doubt bipolar disorder can be a major cause of her credit card fraud.

I mean, look, if she really wanted to defend herself against the crimes she had committed, she could have concocted a better defense with a more convincing (though not really) cause like kleptomania. Because unfortunately she majors in… err…. [looks up in doubt]… Diploma in Health Science, where she can’t probably learn much about kleptomania. How sad.

Committing crimes doesn’t pay, lying doesn’t pay too.

Thank God she’s stripped of her title.

Lots of people say we’re too harsh and critical on her, and especially her English. But if we can find a better choice of a representation of Singapore – one who speaks better English, one who has more pristine past without criminal records, one who is much prettier (oops) – why should we not find that better choice?

Ris Low? Risk low please.

Sunny yellow foliage is making its appearance on the Nova Scotia landscape.  Birches, poplars and tamaracks all transform into bright gold at this time of year.  Hot summers will often turn the leaves a dry brown before they have a chance to become yellow, but this summer’s plentiful rains and cooler temperatures promise golden hues this fall.

Some areas of the countryside change colour before others.  Some transformations from green to yellow are gradual, while others seems to magically happen overnight.

In the woods, toadstools have popped up in shady spots under trees.  There is quite a variety of them in the maritime woods, but the yellow ones are especially eye-catching and pretty.  I’m not sure if the ones in the photograph below are Yellow Patches or Yellow-orange Fly Agaric.  Both are considered inedible. 

Golden rod flowers are still in bloom although many have now turned a dull brown.  They’ve been a sign heralding the end of warm days since I was a child.  Perhaps they steal and absorb the last bits of sunshine, keeping the final rays of warmth in their roots until spring.

Like many families with loved ones on tour, a yellow ribbon is displayed in the front yard.  My son Kip arrived in Afghanistan this past week.  The yellow ribbon is a reminder to keep him and other troops in thought and prayer during their period of deployment.  We look forward to his safe return in the spring.

A haze on the far horizon,
The infinite tender sky,
The ripe, rich tints of the cornfield,
And the wild geese sailing by;
And all over upland and lowland,
The charm of the golden rod; –
Some of us call it Autumn,
And others call it God.

~ Willian Herbert Carruth

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Some 500 miltary veterans are students at GW, but what do you know about them?

Sunday’s News in Depth discussed the issues facing the young men and women who return home from military service, and those who are slated to serve.

Hosts Jared Pliner and Jesse Regis talked to members of the GW Vets including co-founder Brian Hawthorne, Kevin Devaney, Michelle Miller, Ryan Bos and Tom Conley about how the university treats them, the educational benefits they do and do not receive, the new GI Bill, the “yellow ribbon” program, the challenges of post tramautic stress disorder, and how they readjust to life as students.

At the close of the program, the swine flu epidemic was at the forefront. Jared shared details of his conversation with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Dr. Beth Bell of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how H1N1 is affecting university life.

Click Here to Listen to September 20, 2009’s News in Depth

Today, as I was strolling past the bus stop right outside my condominium along Upper Bukit Timah Road, the hard-to-miss Yellow Ribbon Project ad caught my eye. How do you overlook the image of a man whose entire back is covered with an intricate tatoo?

For those of you who are not aware of the Yellow Ribbon Project, it is an initiative spearheaded by the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders (CARE) Network in Singapore, a coalition that comprises of government and community organisations. The Yellow Ribbon Project aims to engage the community in giving ex-offenders a second chance at life and at the same time, to support ex-offenders and their families. For more info, you can visit the Yellow Ribbon Project website at: http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/index.html

I must say that I salute the efforts to change society’s perceptions of ex-offenders. It’s important that these people are given second chances because who can say that he or she has not made a single mistake in his or her entire existence? What matters is that we learn from these mistakes, forging ahead as better and stronger people.

But, I couldn’t help noticing the ironies behind this ad.  Isn’t it ironic that although it advocates the letting go of stigmas and stereotypes,  it stereotypes people who seek self expression through tatoos as ex offenders or atypical individuals in society? Isn’t it also ironic that the ad depicts ex-offenders as people who are different from the normal man and woman on the street as implied by the conspicuous tatoo design on the man’s back?

Although the intended message behind the ad is powerful and admirable, perhaps the creative execution was not carefully thought through and somewhat confused.

Walking away from this ad, I took away the lesson that sometimes, we may have the best of intentions but if these good intentions are not properly followed through, the best of intentions amount to nothing. Ultimately, what counts isn’t the intention but the action that follows.

Today we took the kids on a field trip to Donggureung, a historic site here in SoKo of the East Nine Tombs.

Our guide was funny... (I think). The kids laughed a lot. :-p

The “east nine” royal tombs are so called because they’re located east of Seoul.  Although only 9 can be seen, a total of 6 kings, 9 queens, and a posthumously declared king and queen are all buried here.  At this site, the earliest tomb was constructed in 1408 and the latest in 1855.

Little artists

Historical records indicate that Gaegyeong Sa Temple was built nearby in the early 15th century for the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, but no trace of the temple remains.

The weather was warm and sunny, and our picnic was absolutely perfect in the shade.  We had a feast of kim bap, juices, fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken and potato wedges, rice cakes… I was afraid I might have to unbutton my pants, I was so stuffed!

We brought all the kids’ sketch books and pastels so they could draw something that had made an impression on them.  The kids had fun, the teachers enjoyed being outside on a Friday, and it was a fantastic way to start the weekend.  I’m glad I got to go.

We see dead people.

Tomorrow morning, my TKD master is re-certifying me for Scuba.  It’s been quite a few years since I’ve dived, and he invited me on a dive trip with him and his family next month in the East Sea.  We’re going to spear our own fish so Master can make us fresh sushi on the boat.   I’m pretty pumped about that…

Fall’s gonna fly right by! My dad arrives in 6 days to spend some time with me and Korea, this dive trip follows shortly after, and then my cousin comes out end of October.

To family and friends! Sushi and the week’s end!  Scuba diving and not getting the bends!  God bless ya.

Taekwando went real well last night.  We began learning the punching/ kicking/ blocking routine you always see on martial arts films, so it was a bit intense and way too much memorization for one evening.  Afterward, the 5 of us went to Heather’s apartment complex for the monthly parking lot carnival they set up.  We had some tasty eats, watched some cute, little kids ride the most rickety rides ever, and then relaxed at Heather’s place for a couple hours before we headed home around 11:30.

I know I’ve written in the past about not being afraid of the dark here in Korea, but last night I was definitely a tad alert.  Not because of people, but animals rather.  The whole idea of, “Oh yeah, I live in the mountainous countryside of a foreign country” sort of escaped me these past 6 months.  I’ve been treading up my mountain in the dark in nothing but a pair of sandals for close to 200 days now, and last night was the first time I almost stepped on a snake in the middle of the road.  I’m not sure a roundhouse kick would have done me any good.  ;-p

Today was definitely a wacky day at work.  One of the 6-year-old students got pretty sick, so Sue Teacher took her to the hospital towards the end of the school day.  She wasn’t able to make it back in time for our 4 o’clock hagwon classes, so she asked me to watch her students until she could arrive.  And when she did, I wasn’t teaching her class English- or mine, for that matter- because we were all outside with poor little Ann who had just gotten stung by a bee. TWO bees actually.  One on her chest and one on her hand.    Poor little thing.  It didn’t help that by the time we finally made it into the classroom, there were 2 more big bees waiting for us.

On top of that, another of my students had brought her dog because her family wants to give it to Yellow Ribbon.  (Sure, just drop it off.  What are we, the pound?!) Cute little bugger… named Gangji or something like that…  I only saw him for about 4 minutes in between classes, but apparently I wasn’t the only one who didn’t see him for long.  Several of the students went looking for him after he ran away without a collar or leash.  He was still missing when I left school tonight around 7:30.

#5... for the night

…But I’m pretty sure that was the same dog I’m playing tug-a-war with right now.

Yup… I was enjoying a slice of pizza and a bit of R&R in a nearby parking lot after Gongju and I took a nice, long walk into town.  This small, black dog walked right up to me like I knew him and he and Princess started fighting instantly.  Looks the same…. seems to recognize us… and he followed us home.

So I called Pastor about 40 minutes ago and told him I found him; I asked him what he wanted me to do with him, since he won’t go in the zoo with the others.  Pastor told me not to worry about it, just to put him outside, and his owner would pick him up tomorrow.  So I did that.

Roughly 20 minutes ago, I heard a long, wet nose sniffing at my door.  I guess Won left the upstairs door open and this little guy made it up to the kindergarten, over the bridge, down the stairs, to Grandmother’s house we go…  So, for the night at least, we’re back to having 4 dogs: the twins, #4, and a temporary #5. ;-p

::sigh:: I swear… I feel like I’m still at that carnival from last night.  Quite a chaotic day!