The what and how of doing things
Analysis and Opinion
By JoeAm
The Philippines is putting together a 5.2 trillion peso budget for next year. Money is allocated here and there with education being the biggest chunk. Few would argue that improvement in education is sorely needed.
That is the what of things.
But how is the money to be spent? On books or computers? On classrooms or technology? On ROTC or reading? And will kids be viewed as tools or people? Will they be told what to do or have choices? Rote learning or self-fulfillment?
That’s the how of things, and I’d argue it is far more important than what.
Philippine Government is very bad at problem solving. Agencies are notoriously horrible at providing services. Applied automation is forbidden lest it put an end to the countless scams being undertaken by officials to boost their lousy salaries.
Do you know that if you do distance-learning one day per week, you have 20% less demand on classrooms? And if texts are in a laptop, the pages don’t fall off during the third year of their passed-down usage? And there are apps that teach typing and English, and do exams without need for a number two lead pencil? Or sharpener?
The Government’s budget department recently spent outrageous sums of money on expensive computers for teachers and they didn’t work. Evidently it was the same guy who structured the Pharmally PPE rip-off. Crazy.
I’ve argued for computerized education in this blog before. Today I’m saying take it one step further. Manufacture standardized laptop computers in the Philippines. Two models, basic for elementary school, and powerful for high school and teachers. Put every text, homework assignment, and exam on those machines. Except handwriting and, okay, PE. Those can be off the machine.
Smart and Globe can provide the wifi.
Really, they can.
It is important to do things differently. We’ll never go back to paper. Get rid of it. And stop muddling around. Be bold. Take charge.
_______________
Photo from techradar.com, Best Laptops for Kids. The price of the Google Pixlebook Go shown is about $US500.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
At the height of the lock down here i think it was LAUSD that gave out iPads to students, and they tried to gatekeep it so kids could only access “educational” websites, and within minutes of having it, the students figured out ways to by pass LAUSDs parameters, and commenced gaming and Omegling with said laptops.
My point the definition of “educational” need to be expanded, and where the kids go or choose to go, that’s where educators (and police) follow just to ensure education and safety.
Omegle is basically like the party line in the 90s and orgies in the 60s , Joe.
Yes, my son is like that, even as we restrain him. It comes with the territory. Teachers can pick up some of that and dock grades accordingly. If the testing is managed and rigorous, then kids will sort into proper levels of accountability. Joe Jr. was straight As, top in his class, above 98% in all subjects, and outstanding in every character rating. He watches You Tube when classes are tedious and is on discord with his classmates. Well, I should say ‘was’ because he’s now back face to face 4 days a week. The school is keeping one day per week DL because it lightens school crowding and the learning disciplines are important.
Are you familiar with this project, Joe? in the mean time, I think with all the balikbayan boxes and remittances, Inday Sara can probably travel around the world and ask Filipinos for their old and new Macbooks, iPads, etc. or donations. for it.
This is a good relevant read:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now
“It was supposed to be the laptop that saved the world.
In late 2005, tech visionary and MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte pulled the cloth cover off a small green computer with a bright yellow crank. The device was the first working prototype for Negroponte’s new nonprofit One Laptop Per Child, dubbed “the green machine” or simply “the $100 laptop.” And it was like nothing that Negroponte’s audience — at either his panel at a UN-sponsored tech summit in Tunis, or around the globe — had ever seen.
Nicholas Negroponte was a self-described optimist, and his business was inventing the future. A professor with decades of experience at MIT, Negroponte had co-founded the university’s influential Media Lab in 1985. He’d been one of the first backers of Wired magazine, where he wrote a column evangelizing the transformative power of technology. And he had a longtime passion for education — where computers, he thought, could be revolutionary.
Negroponte believed in constructionism: an educational theory that said children should learn by making things and solving problems, rather than completing worksheets or attending lectures. In 1982, Negroponte and an MIT colleague and key constructionist figure Seymour Papert paired up for an initiative at a French-funded research center in Senegal, teaching children to program on Apple II computers. (Negroponte did not return requests for an interview for this article.)
After years of insisting that it wasn’t a tech company, OLPC really has opted out of the laptop arms race, embracing its status as a niche machine. OLPC’s current laptop has the same camera and screen resolution as its original 2008 edition, and less memory and storage than a budget smartphone. OLPC estimates it’s shipped a total of 3 million XO machines over the course of the past decade. “We’re not in the business of selling laptops,” says Zamora. “If we don’t grow 10, 15, 20 percent a year, that doesn’t matter for us.”
So why keep building the XO at all? That’s the question that drew Negroponte away from OLPC, but not one that bothers Zamora. “With a little money, we can have a lot of impact on poor communities throughout the world,” he says. “[Other laptops] need to get replaced after weeks of being in the field, with the dust, the water, the heat.” And though some phones and tablets are cheaper in the short term, one rugged OLPC might outlast generations of them.
To kids who grew up around smartphones and tablets, says Karmacharya, OLPC’s XO design looks hopelessly outdated. “If their parents happen to have even a low-cost smartphone, they’re more interested in that than the laptop.” But the device is tougher than a cheap Android tablet, and its unique design makes it harder to steal. Users can rely on Sugar’s development community to maintain the software. And unlike a phone or tablet, it’s custom-built for making things, not consuming them. “We’re constantly looking out for any sort of alternative,” he says. “And to date, we have not found anything that compares.”
Terrific. Spot on.
Joe, thanks for this very timely article. Placed within the general context of an awfully ineffective and inefficient bureacracy which needs a big overhaul.
Following article by MLQ3 for context too: https://opinion.inquirer.net/156137/back-to-reality
Thank you, Irineo. I trust all is well with you, our European anchor, historian, and spy. 🙂
All is well, as the heat wave here is showing signs of subsiding, inflation is high and we slowly hanker down for winter. Many homeowners have stocked up on actual firewood to the extent that there is a bit of a shortage now. The Philippines is thus not as much in focus for me as it used to be, as Europe faces crucial months ahead. And yes, Merkel is missed, the new German government has neither the experience nor the broad public trust yet. We’ll see where this crazy world spins to.
Firewood shortage. Check the forests, there may be hoarders. It appears our sugar shortage is artificial as hoarders drive up the price to make a fortune when they sell. I swear, corruption is a third of the economy here. OFWs a third. And the rest is at the mall.
I think most of us have meandered off to more fruitful priorities than watching clowns run around colliding with one another in the main ring.
Hehe the hoarders here are the consumers. It was toilet paper during the early pandemic days. Now it’s firewood for fear of freezing thanks to Putin.
I have seen garages and sheds filled to the brim with firewood, proper firewood from the mill. Scrap wood meaning fallen branches is the poorer man’s legal option since centuries, from what I gather people making use of that are increasing, so far luckily no return to poaching wild animals, so people are not yet starving over here.
Re clowns there are several circuses of the political kind going on here in Germany nowadays. Not quite that funny in reality.
Not at all funny. I’m not high on kamote, although I do like ampalaya. Our lot is big enough for some basic crops.
I cannot stress enough cabbage , Joe! and if you have extra, sauerkraut. best to blend it fresh and drink as juice or lightly steamed (as to not damage the nutrients therein). But cabbage. more people should eat drink ferment cabbage.
I believe it was the Ilocanos with fermenting knowledge or maybe the kapangpangans, all other Filipinos preferring fresh meat and fruits and veggies. but that fermenting process is where you get friendly bacteria in your system.
Like a broken record I complain about the proven track record and or proven design of an individual or an enterprise when it comes to procurement.
How can Philippine Manufacturing take off.
Even the bidders for license plates come from abroad.
If I am aware of these, those who are concerned or supposed to be concerned are very aware of this but have their eyes and ears wide shut and only the mouths are left wide open.
Our largest export are semi cons but we do not own the IPR of that, all we could do is license manufacture.
This is complicated as we see in current or semi current events with the issue of Taiwan and the geopolitics of semi-conductors.
That is the microcosm of the macrocosm.
But no reason to be patsies, we got the brains and the manpower and I don’t believe in brain drain because if in basket ball we can hire imports, we could do that too in other areas. Once we match their skills we can have the option of not renewing their fat contracts.
license plates, abi binay’s makati can certainly have a go at manufacturing license plates/number plates for motor vehicles owned by local makatinyans only. if any of said vehicles have traffic accidents, their number plates alone tell they’re from makati hence easier to locate owners for insurance purposes, easier to spot colurums too.
start in makati and if successful, other lgus can follow suit and also manufacture number plates uniquely their own. number plates maybe of the same sizes, shapes and width nationwide, but cebu number plates will have distinct color to differentiate it from other lgus number plates, and so on.
I think, this is better than having to cha-cha the constitution.
Wrong placement of comment .
This should be a reply to Irineo’s
https://joeam.com/2022/08/23/the-what-and-how-of-doing-things/#comment-469927
As far as MMT is concerned, we have already spent seven years of our TSOH lives trying to figure things out. RHiro have already left us and he was the first who questioned Micha on this then came Chempo.
Netherlands.
And I see your point in The Philippines, where the majority of the teachers is caught between the hammer and the anvil. Most schools in my rural community (70k people) just go through the motions and I would consider only a single one if I would have to send my kids to school. That is an awful lot of kids on the looser path.
How can computers be the answer? We just installed transmitters on a mast on my house to provide internet to 2 schools. Most rural schools in my municipality still don’t have Internet. Hey, the fibre-optic cable passes by and goes from the capital of my province to 3 major towns, but the municipalities in the middle are not connected and there is no plan. So, should the solution be sought in computing or in strict control of the teaching and testing practices?
Part of the teachers I know here in The Philippines have their priorities in their shopping trips, gossip and snacking. Another part is amazingly motivated but don’t get support, there are no books, tests are sabotaged (the honour of the school is at stake) and the parents are not motivated. As I said, only ONE in 14 schools has got it’s sh.t together and works with the community to get the kids to school and work. Their head teacher is a miracle and she finds a tricky balance between keeping the district happy, motivating the mayor to give support and getting the best out of her staff. There even is a library where OFW’s send their old books and gradually it becomes a valuable resource.
Yeah, there is a lot of stuff on YouTube, some surprisingly good and a lot of questionable quality. There certainly is mileage in selecting the best and using it.
But Joe, how did YOU learn? As an engineer, some 3/4 of my knowledge came from interaction with fellow students, understanding what the books tried to tell us and checking/verifying this with the teachers. I (for sure) and most of my fellow students would not have been able to get to the level we were with chromebooks. Later in our student phase, we got everything from papers, that is where IT would have been handy and even later in our professional life, IT was indispensable to get results.
However, even there, we should not over-do it. The Columbia disaster e.g. could be attributed to PowerPoint, where a proper written report would not have been able to hide the flaws…
In short: IT certainly has a place in teaching, but we should go from zero (first years of Primary school) to maximum (University), but never forget that the human factor is the most important component in effective teaching.
I don’t know about you guys, but some highly motivated teachers were crucial in showing me how to have fun in my profession, something no IT system could have delivered.
With a broken teaching system in The Philippines, the effect of IT can only partially compensate for the flaws and the majority of the kids will not achieve their potential.
Some kids, however, seem to want to prove everybody wrong and somehow manage to rise way above expectations, rising to seemingly impossible levels. Those sponges of knowledge are truly amazing.
@Joe,
@Pablo was replying to your question.
Thanks. I missed it.
Pleasure.
@pablonasid, Thanks for the elaboration. Yes, the school system is pretty bad most places. You list the shortcomings well. I think anything as massive as reconfiguring education has to be phased in, rather like Science and Technology high schools are an upgrade over mainstream schools. More of that. The K to 12 effort in fact had or has a bifurcated line, one to university, one to TESDA. More of that. More dramatic pay raises are needed for teachers who excel. Not everyone I think, or you can’t afford computers. That’s a phase-in concept, too. That’s the best I can offer right now. But computers are the way to get some relief, I think, and schools with wifi access ought not be held back by provincial schools without it.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/26/22/education-crisis-a-hurdle-for-bpo-expansion-accenture
apparently, employers are looking for graduates that can hit the floor running!
and teachers, no matter how good, can only teach the prescribe curriculum or risk being blacklisted.
Formal education in the modern world is a foundation or framework. Someone wanting to add bpo expertise to that can do it on line. Today’s world is different, more free, more opportunities. Have internet, will travel. https://www.edapp.com/blog/10-call-centre-training-courses/
Work from Home and School from home made me think that internet connectivity in PH is not that bad after all because of sudden sense of urgency all the cables that were in place years ago where some how tapped.
but still not every student can do hybrid when they get sick in places where modules were already stopped because they can go face to face.
Some schools allow remote online learning if and when he student is sick but can move.
Flexibility is the name of the game.
Internet connectivity in cities is good, but in remote provinces is bad, it seems to me. We connect in Biliran by putting the home modem up in the attic to rise above all the trees between us and the antenna. When we visit Cebu, connectivity is generally good. Classmates and teachers fought through poor internet all the time in DL. It’s just the way it is. Keep moving forward.
Flexibility is the indeed the name of the game because it is not just adjusting, but also adapting, familiarizing but also awareness.
I echo the same post of Irineo above. Timely. And this from your blog:
It is important to do things differently… And stop muddling around. Be bold. Take charge.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1652033/manila-public-high-school-teachers-say-lack-of-chairs-not-fake-news
it’s a distressing sight, sitting cramped and hunched, students cannot jiggle their legs or stretch their backs. the human body is made up of joints, we are meant to move and not stay in one position for a period of time.
teachers ought to ensure students sitting on the floor change position every two hours, or parts of their body not perfused will end up with necrosis and eventually, students could develop the much dreaded pressure sores on their bottoms and upper thighs!
I hope lack of chairs is only temporary, deped’s inday sara had not anticipated the high number of enrollees. in the meantime, give students pillows to sit on like in japanese restos.
Yep. If there were a way to scream that, I would.
How the money is spent?
On salaries as I guessed. 81 % of the Budget.
Click to access 2022-Budget-Briefer-socmed-version_03092022.pdf
they hire contractuals then fire them later to hire entry levels who has no choice but to accept pay offer.
The pattern has been going on on every sector.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/550593/deped-defends-layoff-of-casuals
Old veterans and newbies are overworked and under paid which lead to hunger, anger and incompetence. Which leads to poor service and corruption.
https://au.yahoo.com/news/tweet-imploring-malaysians-learn-philippines-031042139.html
ayan, sinabit ko lang po ito, my friends overseas sabi, we filipinos are world famous for recycling despots! ginawang example tayo on what not do do, para bang sucker for punishment ang bayan nato.
anyhow, pbbm will soon be visiting malaysia and malaysians will be seeing for themselves a marcos in the physical, the marcos they talked about.
Malaysia and South Korea Punished former leaders.
pbbm is going to state visit both malaysia and south korea, my bet is journalists there will be asking him harder questions!
Oh yes then he will have his fourth covid infection like in the debates, Comelec questions and after partying.
Groan!
last year 1.04 T out of 5.02 T National budget went to personnel services.
Take note that both PS and Debt servicing each eat more or less 30 percent of our budget.
Still something doesn’t add up.
PNoy’s last national budget was just over 3 trillion pesos. It was Digong who went to 4 trillion.
Questions.. how did PNoy manage with “so little”, and is the Philippines so much richer now to spend +66%? Yeah I know MMT, monetary sovereignty etc., but if it doesn’t increase the goods and services the entire economy produces (which producing own laptops like Joe proposed would do, while buying overpriced stuff from abroad a la Pharmally is the road to fiscal ruin I guess even with monetary sovereignty) it’s a recipe for inflation and the writing is already on the wall if you ask me – chicken, sugar, salt.. DSWD ayuda with almost Wowowee stampedes..
Kafka lives, and his subjects are in Manila.
Yes, even as I am not that much into the details anymore, I still am watching the train wreck unfold.
Still hoping for some sense to reappear, who knows maybe starting 2025?
still watching the train wreck unfold? ah, you should have seen what’s beneath the surface, the mammoth task done by army of bots replacing the votes of bonafide voters, lol!
With more technology, they could reduce bodies, pay more, and leverage top talent.
That is the reason for the Luddite attitude of civil servants and bureaucrats since the 70s. Groan with an added sigh and cringe.
Yes.
Based on what I read about how the Luddites in the SC opposed SJ Sereno’s automation projects..
..I wonder if plantilla means the kind of potted plants that are hyper sensitive to being moved.
Plantitos and plantitas fault for reclkess moving
“How the money is spent?
On salaries as I guessed. 81 % of the Budget.”
I tweeted this consulting an expert in Public budgeting.
Her reply:
personnel services* like admin staff, guidance counselors, librarians, food service personnel and even transport workers could not possibly take up 81% of deped’s total budget! but if it does, personnel services must be highly paid despite the fact teachers are complaining of being paid less.
personnel services seems to be uberly bloated!
Plus KB
Unprogrammed funds:
funds for new hires,recruitment and ternination and who knows what else.
I (respectfully) disagree with your drive for automation of the teaching process. My grandchildren are in primary groups 3 to 6 and they work a lot with their Chromebooks and I think it is a disaster. The system provides progress reports and the teachers provide the parents with graphs, summaries in a 10 page progress reports. Instead of doing what they should be doing: teaching. It was a great help during the COVID lockdown, but now the classes are open again, we get the same problem again. The computer creates a huge distance between the teacher and the pupils. It encourages the teachers to keep this distance. The individual needs of the children are just thrown together and an average approach is selected, the kids who are at the bottom or top are losing out. And the kids are encouraged to withdraw in their cocoon instead of interacting. What I also saw is that the very experienced teachers are unhappy with the situation and go on early retirement because they are just worn out. Parents get this 10 page report and now start to interfere in details. Ofcourse THEIR kids are most important and they keep pressuring the schools. Ofcourse, it is part of an overall trend. But the entrance levels of universities is dropping dangerously. My daughter is a remedial teacher and she pulls her hair out. 18 Y.o. kids who want to go to university with math levels you’d expect from 14 y.o.
Where computers COULD be used is in exams. Same exams for everybody at the same time.
But hey, I just did the required test for my driving license and a very friendly person at the station helped me. I had a 100% passing. Same would happen. It did happen in India, so Philippines is about to follow.
I guess the younger the children the more you might need actual teaching. Linear reading competence taught properly first.
Even as there are well designed CBTs (computer based trainings) that force people to focus and keep them from just skimming over the content by having obligatory small quizzes in between to check if lessons are understood..
teachers have to submit lesson plan weeks in advance to be checked, okayed or reviewed by deans, principals and school supervisors. any concerns teachers have are to be discussed at teachers own faculty meetings. concerns with students lagging behind maybe discussed with parents are regards remedials. and this is the difficult part as parents can be so defensive, some are aggressive and cannot see teachers point of view. at parent and teacher meeting, some parents bring their own lawyer! and even recorded the proceeding.
on a lighter note, teachers are free to employ thier creativity to make lessons more enjoyable for students, decorate the classroom to make it more exciting and pleasing. and if students start to look bored, teachers can resort to tricks like impromptu test! that should wake up sleepy students! lower grades students prefer song and dance and other sort of physical movements to relieve boredom like the class going outside to have lessons under the shade of a tree.
teachers knew it is not good for students to be staring at computers for longer periods of time, not good for eyesight.
Interesting perspective. Is that here in the Philippines or where? How many kids in each class, approximately? My son doesn’t get progress reports, just grades on assignments and tests, just as I did. The teachers were stressed at the beginning but now are masters of delivering a mix of lectures and videos. There are a lot of group exercises where three to five kids go off to a separate room to answer a question and prepare a presentation of the answer. They struggled at first but soon developed routines for dividing up the work, research, typing, slide exhibits. They have interpersonal, typing, and presentation skills that I never had, and learn the subjects, too.
I suppose it depends on how it’s organized and what we are trying to solve and set kids up for. I think it’s already a digital world, crowding exists in classrooms, kids aren’t learning very well, and wet paper doesn’t make good media. Oops, come to think of it, my kid still has the paper books and workbooks. He fills them in, scans them, and sends them electronically to the teachers.
Well, I’ll just stick with it being a digital world and kids who can deal with it well will be the winners in the future. And teachers do need to learn new skills.
still being currently done, joeam: no progress reports issued, just a helluva assignments being graded semesters in and semesters out, save teachers much needed time to correct all those essays and assignments, answer emails and queries from students also via email. some teachers reckon it’s better this way, less physical chance for irate students to throw acid on teacher’s face!
students can book specific time when to present class presentation on the big screen, but only within the time frame allocated. passing grade is 50% of the total score, anything less is failure.
there is talk of lowering education standard, hence we can expect student teachers not really up to par and when they graduate to become bonafide teachers, the result is predictable and it cascade down: half cooked teachers equals half cooked students, etc.
these days, typing is no longer being taught, since most students are self taught and quite conversant with texting and have memorised the keyboard, their fingers speedily flying all over it. I once saw a student beat a hansard court reporter at typing! the hansard reporter has a speed of 220words per minute.
and you are correct, both education and learning are lifelong.
Yeah, dumb ’em down to match senate IQ. haha! My kid types faster than he speaks. We keep a fire extinguisher next to the keyboard.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/22/senate-panel-starts-new-cha-cha-debate
it’s getting worse in senate. rather than solving problems like lack of chairs in classrooms with senators making chairs from recycled wood, or trying to recoup funds wrongfully spent on dud laptops, senators are into cha-cha again headed by robin padilla. if robin can construct cha-cha, he can construct cha-ir or several cha-irs and donate them to schools that needed chairs badly.
resin cha-irs will do just fine.
**************
you’ve got a very fine young man of a son, joeam.
“The computer creates a huge distance between the teacher and the pupils. It encourages the teachers to keep this distance.”
I tend to agree with this, 10 yr olds and younger are probably better off w/out devices, and with more stuff to tinker with and explore and fix and make, etc.
Like Montesori way.
The principle to any teacher student relationship is ratio , 1 to 1 is the most ideal, then just realize that if it goes over 1 to 10 ratio, learning might as well be an independent process.
But let me add the nutrition component. I saw a documentary once where they featured an elementary school in France with their own friggin chef! and it was a public school and supposedly all French elementary schools had a chef!
Aside from 1 to 1 ratio principle, any DEPED should also focus on nutrition cuz garbage in garbage out. Take cabbage for example a lowly veggie but its the number veggie that’ll help your stomach thus your stomach can get to work processing other foods.
Then once puberty sets in studies since the 80s to now all agree that teenagers tend to sleep late and wake up late, change school opening times and closing times to reflect this fact. Let them sleep in!
1. ratio 1:10 ideal
2. food cabbage good
3. sleep 9-10am wake up
number *one veggie
OK, Cabbage-Man, you got me with your cabbage juice — must be more potent than Kickapoo Joy Juice. 🤣
LOL! soda is no bueno , NH. too much sugars.
Another thing to consider is fermented drinks, i know i know theres Yakult over there, but fermented drinks are so much better for your gut. Take care of your gut you take care of your brain. and that is the whole point of education, NH!
“How is kefir made?
There are two types of kefir: milk and water.
Milk kefir is made with milk from a cow, sheep or goat milk and kefir “grains”, which aren’t grains at all but a “scoby “, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, containing about 30 distinct microbes. If looked after properly, milk-kefir scoby is immortal and will double every seven to 10 days. You can pick up the grains from other people making kefir or buy it online.
Water kefir has a much milder flavour than its milky sibling. It is also made using a scoby, but the bacteria and yeasts feed on carbohydrates instead of lactose. Water kefir can be produced from many liquids, including sugar water, coconut water and soy milk, and is flavoured with fruits, herbs and ginger.
Traditionally, grains were kept in a goat-stomach bag filled with milk and hung by the door. As people came and went, they would knock the bag, helping fermentation along by dispersing the grains. These days, they’re kept in jars.”
https://lifewaykefir.com/the-world-of-lifeway/
Also , NH, i dunno if theres a Filipino equivalent to tempeh which is an Indonesia fermented food made from soy. My point is maybe Filipino schools / DEPED can start a whole industry in the Philippines for fermented food stuffs, to feed the kids there, so their brains soak up knowledge because their stomach’s are soaking up healthy foods with fermented food helping lots.
“Tempeh, a soy food thought to have originated in Indonesia thousands of years ago. The first known use of the word “tempeh” was during the early 19th century when it was mentioned in a Javanese history volume. Since the 1970s, when it became readily available in the West, tempeh has become a common replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan cooking.
Tempeh is a cake-like substance made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans. This fermentation helps to break down the phytic acid in soybeans, making the starches in tempeh easier to digest. After fermentation, the soybeans are formed into a patty similar to a very firm veggie burger or a block.”
People should be aware that our immune system begin with our gut. Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria. A problem since Pennicillin was discovered by Flemming. You recover from infections only to have your immune system compromised little by little. So Pre and probiotics should be widely accepted .
Phage therapy should be studied more but having viruses kill bacteria is a hard sell because of the pandemic.
I’ve never heard of phage therapy, karl!
But yeah just keep cultivating your gut biome, like a garden. and this can only be done via fruits, veggies and fermented foods.
I hope Inday Sara makes this priority , karl, EJK bad bacteria!!! LOL. 😉
I would also add, and i guess this is just for dudes, but when I was a kid this movie was showing on HBO and i guess you can say this was the first scene of a movie that got me to thinking I should be studying more.
Its all about finding motivations, to get kids (in this case boys) encouraged in learning, eg. you too could be on this boat with a beautiful woman if you play your cards right and stay in school and study really hard.
NH, knows. 😉
My daughters in the US went to a private school attached to a university when they were young. A lab school where the University was working to improve education. The first three years were dedicated to the excitement and joy of learning stuff, not so much learning stuff. And reading. All positive feedback, no matter their output. The learning stuff came later. So you are right, getting kids to DESIRE being knowledgable is important.
That makes a lot of sense. the Japanese have something similar i think, but here i think they are finally decoupling from testing, so much testing , for example no more ACT/SAT scores for UC and Cal States, then same I think for K-12, it seemed like they were all just studying for the test. no fun there. kinda draining really. very dreary if students/kids thinking knowledge is just to pass friggin’ tests!
I would say Sci-Fi and Fantasy and speculation fiction which can be sci-fi/fantasy tend to gender love of knowledge.
Like this series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Ignota
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/22/mga-estudyante-sa-paaralan-sa-davao-oriental-sa-sahig-nakaupo
education is more fun in da pilipins today! sa sahig nakaupo yong mga school kids sa dabaw mismo. by the time they got to yr 3, kids already have bad posture.
Sa Maynila ganap din yan pero fake news daw.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/08/24/2204627/manila-school-denies-shortage-chairs
pic with chairs, but no students? never the twain shall meet! if pic wants to be believable there ought to be students sitting in them, else chairs looked photoshopped.
The photoshopped picture’s excuse: New paint job and the painters had been on vacation.
maybe that is the problem, deped ay sanay na sanay na sa brigada eskwela with the community coming to do voluntary work to make schools ready to receive incoming students back to schools!
deped pussyfoot around too much and twiddle its thumb and gripe presumably at the lack of funds when it can well afford to buy dodgy school equipment like laptops.
The real reason for ROTC is for Filipino kids to learn to always stand at attention during class. Chairs no longer needed as they have learned discipline!
ahem, rotcs would be like those russian housewives spending more time standing up, lining up on long ques for services, etc and ended up having nasty varicose veins on their legs! the lucky ones fainted and taken to sick bays. the unlucky ones that developed varicose veins would have problems with blood circulation, some varicose veins are painful and needed medical intervention like surgeries to have them removed. those that wanted to become supermodels can kiss their dream goodbye, having legs full of varicose veins can be unsightly. and having varicose veins removed is costly, since veins are already compromised, it is possible varicose veins can recur elsewhere.
lesson: rest your legs and be kind to your body. it will serve you well in the long run.
My favorite corporal punishment sa bahay was standing in a corner facing the wall, easier than kneeling down on salt and we did not have to buy salt more often.
@Irineo, we miss you on twitter, do we have to make a petition to have you back.
To all twitter users reading this please ask the twitter gods to bring back Irineo.
There, I started the petition.
After a month of being banned, I am strangely even relieved that I didn’t have to comment especially on the recent controversies regarding history, MiM, Darryl Yap vs. Xiao Chua with the Marcos trolls now showing massive presence.
Could be it was some of them who mass reported me and got me banned for no reason at all, but when it happened I decided to just let it be and focus more on “my biz” aka my own life and the news over here that affects me more directly. It’s not like I can affect that much in a country that CHOSE Marcos Junior, even minus the possible cheating and alleged vote buying.
Ok see you here and on fb where I get the updates on Europe.
ps so it was a blessing in disguise that you got mass reported.
Let’s say at present I prefer to be able to stick around but not be TOO involved.
Everything else in its own due time.
I do keep track of stuff but I am still adjusting my expectations to avoid unnecessary disappointment.
Steady lang.
Ireneo,
You should let Elon Musk know about your ban. And listen to this interview. its censorship. Plain and simple.
Here’s the longer version of this talk:
Thanks, but I do kinda like looking at Philippine matters more from outside now.
May 9 did shake my view of the country, and I feel a need to regroup and reassess.
Not being too much in the thick of things is the best place I can be at this point in time.
In fact Karl observed that I was not tweeting own stuff at all the days before I was banned, just retweeting all the time.
So no regrets, what’s important is that what I wrote in this blog is accessible, the rest I guess time will tell.
https://web.archive.org/web/20180531103626/https://twitter.com/ibrsalazar/status/1002136716445134849
An archive of May 2018 tweet of yours
Its jibberish html code but if you are patient to read the first few lines on top you can decipher your tweet
Here is Junior’s education. Coddle the hacienderos and landlords first, the gullible people can wait.
The prevalence of H. pylori and cancer in the Philippines, plus the fact that both H. pylori bacteria and cancer cells love sugar, that should be enough for Filipinos to just throw out their sugar and find a replacement. maybe grow your own Stevia plant?
nasty nasty creatures, like hacienderos. sucking from the labor of others and making profits w/out needing whitening skin soap, look how pale those dudes are. LOL!
corporal, those hacienderos can afford the best of medical care and are very well looked. no worries them looking pale, they may not be sickly and its probly their natural color. lack of vitamin d from the sun is no problem for them as it can be easily offset by taking vit d tablets prescribe by their personal doctor.
and they’ll live longer than most of us too, them having stress free life and with barely any money problems, they also got fantastic roofs over their heads, and has abundant of healthy food to eat prepared by both nutritionists and dieticians!
LOL!
At least the onion farmers in Nueva Ecija are doing something to show who is the real weakest link in the value chain and it is not them.
https://business.inquirer.net/359163/farmers-to-sell-onions-to-fast-food-chains
I’d imagine this goes for garlic too, karl?
Me thinks so, but no publicized shortage of garlic yet.
If this is a pattern, this is bad.
from 2014 news : it seems that imports prevented local produce from being sold.
Times when we must agree with Micha regarding Neolib.
https://punto.com.ph/garlic-veggies-stink-in-ne-village/
And who knew that we are also importing 93% of our salt requirements.
93% !!!
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1654176/villanueva-feels-salty-on-state-of-ph-salt-industry?utm_source=gallery&utm_medium=direct
salt as in sodium chloride is often in sterile see through packs and given in drips to prevent dehydration of patients in hospitals, most are imported and carry a use by date. hospitals through doh will always be importing sodium chloride in bulk, okayed by food and drug admin after rigorous testing.
as well, salt as in sterile saline solution in plastic packs used to clean wounds and burns are also imported and have a use by date, hospitals stock them and can also be bought at local pharmacies.
The Inquirer headline news does not seem to refer to medical saline solution. It says we are importing 550,000 metric tons annually, so I would infer that’s actually your ordinary table salt which we could very well produce given all that salt water around our 7,100 islands.
Couldn’t Pangasinan have a thriving asin industry?
Then time to do solar desalination like what they do in Africa and combine it with salt collecting tech.
Instead of sending the salt back to the sea.
Solar desalination link
https://www.inceptivemind.com/solar-desalination-device-provide-clean-water-400000-kenyans/21564/
Salt collection link
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.2c09063
That’s interesting. Cebu has approved three desalinization plants to be built by condo developer Filinvest to ensure they can keep building and watering their condos. I wonder what they’ll do with the residue.
For sure, applied technology is there. Israelis are leading the innovations in agri technology. And they are doing it even in the harsh environment of the Negev desert.
Israel has only about 10 million population but they are producing agricultural crops good for 80 million.
In contrast, we are a tropical country where you could grow almost anything on our tropical fertile soil and yet we are importing most of our food stuff including, but not limited to, sibuyas, asin, and asukal, of all things!
What stupefying madness is that?
Stupefying. Great adjective. I am going to appropriate it.
@Micha
Yes Israsel. They have been consulting DA and Some Agri biz entrerprise for decades.
But consultants are not the one responsible for implementation, unfortunately.
Your point on the rice institute also come to mind.
@Joe
If they are too far from the sea they might discard it and it goes to the sea the long way. Or they might sell it if there are takers if the price is right.
Micha is not alone in saying that you can not just tell rice farmers to stop planting rice and plant this instead and the same goes to sugar cane farmers.
I know I did an an article that we should find rice alternatives, but I am disagreeing with my self when I think of it now.
Well, I haven’t heard much now from our self-designated DA Secretary how he will exactly mobilize government resources for his food security goal.
Will he do something to stop Manny Villar from converting ricelands into housing subdivisions? Or Henry Sy planning to convert a 20 hectare farmland in my home province into another SM mall?
Or San Miguel Corporation constructing yet another tolled expressway slicing through those agricultural lands?
Many people justify these projects in the name of development. But the question is, what kind of development?
These are all consumer based macro-economic projects. We are, for the most part, skipping the production and manufacturing stage of our national economy.
Not only does this contradict the food self-sufficiency objective, it will also make worst the problem of inequality as the wealth generated from this kind of economic direction will largely accrue into the hands of few corporate owners and plutocrats.
Now Ben Diokno wants to sell more of our patrimony without having to sell the WPS and Philippine rise to supplement the budget or the GAA of the succeeding years. More malls, more golf courses more mini BGCs by converting the bases and selling other assets.
Diokno and the rest of the economic team who were touted as the crème of the crop are actually orthodox neoliberals especially that guy on the department of trade.
Privatization, liberal importation, and deregulation are still their catch all prescription.
not very adventurous they are! some top notch economistas are even for selling public assets just so govt can have funds needed, maybe to pay their own fat salaries! and no one really wants to rock the boat for fear the boat might just be alright after all!
anyhow, they have vested interests being landowners themselves and tied to properties, warehouses and bodegas that have been found out to be hoarding goods! its far reaching as well, their families and relatives being also into the game and playing grab, winning lucrative govt contracts!
methink the sugar cartels are not afraid, they have been found out and then – nothing! they still got to keep thier sugars though, sugar cartels so good in circumventing million of reasons maybe beyond the comprehension of the man at the top! and they got to dine with him and party with him, all smiling like gru-dum-balls therefore all is well with them.
I thought the cartel bosses are those Chinese shopkeepers in Binondo.
Hehe black market days. When it was still called Dollar salting.
You are correct on Binondo Cartel.
Re: salt
2006, more than 200 million tons of salt were produced in the world. China is the largest producer, with 48 million tons, followed closely by the United States…
Salt is generally produced one of three ways: deep-shaft mining, solution mining or solar evaporation.
We import salt. SO Stupefying indeed.
Re: salt
Who signed the asin Law?
“The Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN LAW), or the Republic Act 8172, is the requirement of the addition of iodine to salt intended for the animal and human consumption in order to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition in the country. The Act was approved on December 20, 1995 by former President Fidel V. Ramos.”
according to the above, we will always be importing salt, thanks to fvr!
the table salt in my home is iodized and has added anti-caking agent to stop it from clumping.
pbbm can overturn the said asin law maybe by issuing executive order to temporarily suspend asin law, if he is brave enough to do it. and if the quo warranto expert lawyer that now works for him has the gumption to support him, also if the wannabee international law court lawyer that failed to get the nod and subsequently hired by pbbm as legal counsel will support pbbm as well. else they both outmaneuver and can tie pbbm’s hand coz of their vested interest, and importation of salt in our country will continue on indefinitely.
since the iodization of salt, there is rarely a filipino with goiter in their throats these days, thier lack of iodine in their diet thus corrected by consumption of iodized salt.
But if you have goiter
Iodine would be a no no
normally, if you have enough iodine in your diet, you wont have goiter. but if goiter is already there, it can be removed by surgery and then you could well be put on thryroxine (iodine) therapy.
Before 1995 my mom alredy had goiter and he kept reminding our household to use ordinary salt because iodine was not allowed. How can poor households afford to cook separate meals in cases like that and food allergies? It is still eat what’s on the table.
maybe without us knowing, we are already eating food rich in iodine! we consume sea foods like sea weeds, talaba, shrimp, alamang, dilis, pusit; eggs are also rich in iodine as well as yugort, chicken and vegetables like potatoes with skin on. even white bread has iodine, it is added to flour. if one is not fussy eater and eat what’s serve on the table, chances are, one wont get goiter.
Thanks,
Some deficiencies are weied. I have Vitamin D defficiency and I get enough sunshine.
My doctor told me that contrary to popular belief, the morning sun is not the source of Vitamin D. Gosh that is what I learned from school, now she tells me.
I would ask your doctor the parameters of said deficiencies , karl. and if it s specific to Filipinos and/or SE Asian folks. Because a Scandanavian’s Vit D deficiency will differ from an Eskimo’s and so on and so forth.
But if you really need Vitamin C, look into UV light as solution, but yeah you’re right it s in the food you eat, then the Sun activates it. like water and oil soluble. Sun soluble.
Maybe related to insomnia, karl.
Thanks Doc in google.
I looked at the range based on the results which I do not have access as of the moment but still looked Greek to me, all I know that it is lower than the minimum by a mile.
For me every time they take my blood pressure its like 100/60 all the time, sometimes dips down to 90/60 but that’s my normal resting range 90-110 / 60-70. my body is normally at low blood pressure. So that’s like my baseline. I’m thinking maybe your low Vit D level also has a natural baseline for you karl, or SE Asian peoples in general who live near the equator. hence why you should question the parameters of what low, etc. for Vit D levels.
Unless you have symptoms maybe best to assume Hey maybe i’m just normally at low Vit D. But yeah eat more fish , karl. then veggies and fruits. no more pork. pork’s bad news. the Muslims are onto something here.
Many thanks.
Did not know that most of the oils that were touted to be healthy are actually bad news.
I know a dude that works every summer in a ship borne cannery in Alaska, then during winter receives unemployment on top of subsidized money from the oil industry there.
So the way fish oil is made is all the fish fragments from the cannery up above deck, that squeeze and steam and process, and at the very bottom of the ship is where fish oil is packaged by the galloons. then sold to various bottlers in capsules.
My point is to always take your Vit D pills with fish oil , oil soluble. But its a dirty process cuz at the bottom of the ship its too far to climb all the way to the restrooms above, so they just pee or whatevers in that fish oil processing place.
So theres a bit of human waste in all fish oil products , karl. that’s just trivia, i’m sure the oil processing gets rid of said waste as waste. but the idea is terrifying, karl.
now, back to our over reliance of importation of iodized salt to the detriment of our local salt manufacturers: salt law (iodization of salt) is health issue and there ought to be epidemiological health data to support iodization, say for example – 35% of our population has goiter. without available health data, iodization is probly not warranted. so who benefits the importation?
doh sec verguirre can answer questions about epidemiological data. doh is notoriously famous for collecting data, that is how they justify astronomical health expenses! that is also how they justify those costly medical bills charged to patients.
we have prevalence of dengue in our population and yet we are not importing and dispensing dengue vax! compared to dengue data, goiter seems nearly negligible; both verguirre and senate should explain the disparity.
corporal, in america there is food and drug admin that control products entering the market, same in philippines. dodgy products are not allowed and pulled off the shelves, the manufactures fined and notified thus.
fish oils are tested for mercury and other pollutants also spot checked for salmonella, e.coli, etc. those found to have excessive amount of mercury (more than what is acceptable) are take off the shelves. we are advised to buy only registered and approved products coming from reputable firms.
if you are harmed by using health products registered and approved by fda, you can take action and mayhap, sue the manufacturer, and you can be compensated. but if you buy dodgy products from fly by night manufacturers and not approved by fda, you are on your own!
right now, our very own food and drug admin ought to stop playing deaf mute and for once put in their peso worth of sweat and relevance! go and test our current local salt produce, see if it has already iodine in it, our local salt being naturally product of the sea and unadulterated, and not artificially made in laboratories!
when was last time our national food and drug admin tested our local salt? ah, never? if local salt is tested now, chances are our salt probly dont need addition of iodine cause it is already rich in iodine!
Re: Fish oil.
What i don ‘ t know wont hurt.
You swim in the ocean you swallow and ingest unmentionables same in a lake or a pool public or private.
I ran out of fish oil recently ok will buy some.
OT, but there’s commonality with the Philippine experience here : never underestimate the stupidity (and cruelty) of your country’s leaders.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/el-salvador-bitcoin-law-volcano-bonds-nayib-bukele-1388472/
“…not only has [bitcoin] not brought benefits to the population, but it has reduced the possibility of obtaining other things from the state.”
The rollout of bitcoin in El Salvador so far is playing out like a car crash in slow motion.
It’s one of those, what’d ya have to lose situation , Micha. they’ve tried WB/IMF, and the US just keeps tripping them up first with civil wars then exported LA street gangs which metastasized.
I know folks from El Salvador who love him like DU30 90%! precisely because he brought order, and that was before this Bitcoin stuff. Again no thanks to IMF/WB.
His choice is go with MMT, or go with Bitcoin (CBDC too hard for El Salvador).
Bitcoin is one of those high risk, high return situation. So it all depends now if this Bitcoin experiment happens in El Salvador or say Saudi Arabia, or another country. But IMF/WB is going down,
So you have 3 choices now:
1. MMT
2. CBDC
3. Bitcoin
its too soon to tell, but remember he’s got 90% (or so) polling from El Salvadoreans, just like DU30 its a mandate. so temper this sky is falling article with that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_on_the_Nayib_Bukele_presidency
from the article:
“When Bukele announced plans for Bitcoin City, he was also evoking the legend of the fabled “Bitcoin Citadel.” In 2013, reddit user Luka Magnotta published a post claiming that he was a time traveler from the future. In this future, there are no central banks, bitcoin maximalists and early adopters live like kings in walled cities. Everyone else toils on the margins of a collapsed society. What was intended to be a cautionary tale for crypto’s future has become an idealized vision for some crypto enthusiasts. For El Salvador though, a small, powerful elite juxtaposed against a mass of disenfranchised people struggling to survive is the story of the country at any point in its history.
To finance this walled crypto city of the future, the government of El Salvador hopes to entice investors through its $1 billion worth of its bitcoin-backed “volcano bonds.” Five hundred thousand would go to building infrastructure, and the other half million would be used to buy more bitcoin. Foreign investors will even get fast-tracked for citizenship. “El Salvador is in a debt crisis,” says Cuéllar, and volcano bonds are the government’s way of trying “to pay off some of that debt so the country doesn’t default.” The IMF estimates the country’s public debt could be over 95 percent of its GDP by 2026. (More recently, Bukele announced that the country would be buying back dollar-backed bonds set to mature between 2023 and 2025, though experts say it’s too early to know how effective that will be.)”
Corollary to that, never underestimate the stupidity of your population too for still giving approval to a stupid (and cruel) president.
You get the leaders that you deserve.
That s the exact typa thinking that got VP Leni to lose bigly, Pinks/Yellows/Reds just never bothered studying the smelly masa. Prefering to call them stupid and shit. Well that disconnect also sabotages yourself if you have skin in the game. 😉
Why not say that that 90% confidence is due to the man and his deeds. Essentially 90% of El Salvadoreans trust their president. Bitcoin is probably a hail mary right now, but I think most in the world that believe in Bitcoin will
help out.
Again we don’t know yet how its gonna end, becuz this isn’t like Sri Langka, Sri Langka is basic IMF/WB screw other countries playbook. No IMF/WB here, its all Bitcoin so we’re in unmapped territory, Micha.
Seems like Duterds and Bukulele are made of the same cloth : bully dictators.
It’s undeniable that given the historical fact of a Marcos Senior dictatorship, majority of voters were still lured by the revisionist props and what is playing out for the Junior now is not much different from his father in terms of leadership and ideological approach.
His signature call for unity simply means unity among the oligarchs in screwing the rest of the population.
yet those polls reflect confidence, Micha.
No candidate did more smelling of the masses than Leni Robredo, so that first paragraph of yours is a trollmaster’s whopper. She just did not lie to them about gold and cheap rice, or bribe city and barangay officials.
“No candidate did more smelling of the masses than Leni Robredo, so that first paragraph of yours is a trollmaster’s whopper. “
With that gap, and considering 90% of the Philippines is at or around poverty level. Then I would still contend , NOT ENOUGH, Joe.
Not enough.
Sure, opinions are free. Readers know Robredo. Your statement that pinks did not meet or mix with poor people is factually in error and I would be remiss to let it by. How to run a campaign is always debatable.
Taxing ukay ukay retailing may kill it.
But does not make prices of products of SM any cheaper. I still rember when SM was compared to Rustan’s where SM was made to be the patsy or budget version if you wil.
Our garments industry in Pasig got instinct one by one not because of Divisoria, but by moving it to export zones with foreign locators for one, then SM went bulk importing from China at the expense of Pasig garments, Marikina shoes and the sari-sari stores later he remembered an old grudge with Mercury drug and had Watson’s come to them …
If Irineo had time he’d give the details of the error of the analysis you analyzed @LCX
I don’t have a really clear picture of anything since May 9th.
Stepping back for a while like I am doing now may help see clearer, later.
All iis well my man. Regroup
If anything, karl. Ireneo knows that he read the tea leaves wrong, while I read it right. And i lightly know the Philippines.
Now the counterfactuals of what went wrong should be studied, otherwise no Pinks or Yellows any time soon.
For example, should VP Leni had visited Mindanao more, etc. etc. not just to hand out stuff but really show what she can deliver.
During the campaign Ireneo mentioned that more Pinks were becoming aware of the Philippines, gone visiting to the provinces, well thats the smelling the masses I’m talking about,
how about do one step extra, Pinks go with their maids and yayas to their maids/yayas ‘ respective provinces and try to understand why they love LOVE DU30. He really gave them a voice, karl. the Mindanaoans and the Visayans.
Then the OFWs why they love DU30 so much. cuz like Micha, that crowd of Filipinos plan to return and retire in the Philippines precisely because caregivers and geriatric nurses are cheaper there by the dozen. they have skin in the game.
No ones analyzing this stuff, just a bunch of Pinks saying how stupid Filipinos are and how they all deserve BBM. VP Leni lost bigly, figure out why. So y’all at least have a sliver of a chance next time.
Otherwise,
That’s why it’s called representative democracy, corporal. The quality of your elected officials mirrors, more or less, the quality of your voters.
So, in order for us to have a healthy functioning democracy and, by extension, a healthy decent society we need to cultivate a citizenry that will have the ability to wisely and intelligently chose quality officials. We can start by, among others, ensuring fair allocation of economic freedom because you cannot expect to have a politically enlightened citizenry when majority of them are toiling precariously on the margins for day to day survival.
Those are the people who are vulnerable to propaganda and pie in the sky promises of candidates during election time.
Candidates who have the charisma, people skills, and ability to dish outrageous lies have the advantage.
That partly explains the prevalence of movie stars and media personalities getting elected.
Exactly, which is totally related to a healthy gut biome, Micha. no gut no glory. 😉
I for one has gluten allergy so I’m confining my diet to fruits, veggies, fish and gluten free meat.
Good for you, Micha!!! How about fermented foods? kefir, tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, Yakult, etc. etc.
Here’s to make you salivate, LOL!
I’m feasting on whole milk yogurt right now.
YES!!!
get into Kefir too, Micha.
Another disappointing statement form Poe this time on desalination.
Worried of the cost. Micha should do a Zoom lecture to the Senate about MMT
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1100888/poe-desalination-could-help-but-may-not-be-very-practical-for-ph
The cost benefit of desalination i think is that it takes more to produce power wise , karl. cuz that’s a big subject right now in California. over here, the opposite of desalination plants (too expensive to operate vis a vis ROI ), is to extend the aqueducts farther north and to make more reservoirs.
In the Philippines, since its tropical and it rains a lot, just have more reservoirs and expand existing ones. Probably more cost effective.
Lance: a Google Ph.D. and engineer you are. And a Gut Doctor. 🙂
LOL! don’t forget water expert, NH. All things water are my interests these days really.
karlG, poe may well be right, desal plants have high operating costs and need maintenance year in and year out. they are very noisy too, their spare parts are hard to replace and hard to find, and very costly as well.
I dont know what cebu and gwen garcia will do with desal’s salt waste products, if sent back to sea, we’ll have something like Israel’s dead sea, so full of salt the sea is and you cannot drown in it, but might just become instant daing, lol!
maybe salt waste products can be exported to western countries, they need mega tons of salt to de-ice their roads in winter.
The Dead Sea became like thay because no river to connect to the ocran , if all the lakes were salt water lakes with no rivers or even streams then all lakes would be the same as the dead sea.
The reason why salt is returbed to the sea because too much desalination of the seas will kill biodiversity, ice caps will melt faster, look at your mamang sorbetero carts without dry ice but with salt as refrigerant.
Yes on diesel engines. That is why somehow coal power plants got cheaper because Diesel plants became a headache and ear ache.Now we have an exacerbated climate change.
Solar powered desalination might work we but we must recycle batteries or we will have more battery pollution in lsndfills.
Now I got curious why there still are fresh water lakes. they are accumulated rain water with no sediments to penetrate the floor perhaps, but somehow it still contributes to the ground water.
curiosity and google might kill the cat in me.
From the DW post Irineo forwarded: The Himalayas is melting making terrestrial water to be forcasted to dry up in 2050.
oh no More deserts in Asia what to do what to do.
This is a job for superman.
Joe, my answer to Lance went to spam. Short form: yes, let’s say I didn’t expect that big a loss and only one opposition Senator now. Something big that many of us didn’t notice has happened, and yes we gotta figure out why it did.
Joe analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the Robredo campaign quite exhaustively here: https://wp.me/p3p8Q0-8yf
The other aspect of prevailing Filipino Zeitgeist is deeper than the sea.
from Joe: “The internet has unleashed warriors like the Trump fanatics in the US and the Marcos legions in the Philippines. They have mastered social and mainstream media in the goal of conquest, and they are applying it mightily to rid democracy of it’s irritating use of votes, majority nonsense, and people free-speeching all the time. They want it their way and only their way.”
Like this bit of analysis,Ireneo, its weak.
Mar Roxas brought about BPO, the Pinks/Yellows should’ve dominated the social media realm. Conservatives or anti- rule of law/anti-human rights folks tend to be non-technological as well, less educated. That was 2016, oh no we lost because of social media, that’s what they said in 2016. excuses excuses, then repeat.
Which means 2022, they had like 6 years to figure out how to dominate in social media. but again my premise here is that Pinks/Yellows are already the most social media savvy folks, just like Trumpists are made up of oldies and high school grads— yet Joe’s “Marcos legions” have dominated like the Trumpists. c’mon…
This cuts both ways, two sides have the luxury of social media. and the notion that the less educated less savvy folks are the ones dominating this sphere is ridiculous. So it cannot be social media but the message in and of itself. that’s the smelling the masses part.
I’ve not read anything about how Pinks/Yellows will make a come back. they have another 6 years to figure this out, if its like the previous 6 years where the Yellows focues on human rights/rule of law, instead of physical security and ability to share in this “unity” crap, Pinks/Yellows have not learned their lessons.
VP Leni cannot run again, so who for example are the Pinks/Yellows promoting, because who ever it is they have to really start smelling the masses, befriending their maids/yayas instead of punching them ala Korina Sanchez.
One can say that Filipinos (who voted DU30) knew they did not want a Korina Sanchez as their first lady. and they were right! stuff like this that I as a non-Filipino can discern just Googling , should be easy for educated Filipinos trying to get a Pink or a Yellow again into power.
know your audience…
OT but T for the blog topic:
To return to probiotics and probiotics , your gut contributing more to your brain than any laptop or teacher training combined, Filipinos should get their gut biome mapped out,
This is an expensive company,
but if UP Los Banos can partner up with DepED, they can totally get a sense of Filipinos gut, and why stuff is not entering their minds. Test everyone’s poop, then proceed to healthy stomach/gut for a healthy brain. that’s revolutionary. Filipinos eat too much pork and sweets, Ireneo. that’s probably why education is lagging.
Fix this and you’ll have more Pinks/Yellows for 2028. p.s. — Lugaw is not that nutrious! but fruits/veggies are and fermented foods.
oooooops *prebiotics and probiotics
Re socmed Pink indeed played catch up. I think the “less educated” Filipinos were quicker to catch on to Facebook and Tiktok while the “more educated” were on Twitter and blogs as well as traditional media, even as Rappler started off as a purely online matter.
Atty Leni Robredo as her FB page is now called is now getting the hang of vlogging, BTW. Meanwhile DDS etc. have had tons of socmed influencers out there for over 6 years.
I guess one reason the Filipino masses are that Internet savvy is the OFW phenomenon. Filipino migrants in the 1980s used voice (cassette) tapes as they didn’t like to write. This all evolved into the vlogger and micro-influencer world of present-day Filipino social media.
But this isn’t just about tech it is about different communication styles. For instance there is just ONE (!) reliable history vlogger on Tiktok which is otherwise dominated by the myth makers. At least YouTube has Xiao Time – even street vendors sometimes recognize Xiao.
Where Pink caught up compared to 2016 is on Facebook and when it comes to making memes.
Ireneo I can tell he’s a fan of the Crown, I am too!!!
Americans all gather around this concept of the Bill of Rights (Mormons think its devinely inspired even), but the Brits consolidated around their Queen (love or hate). There’s “Unity” but what the fuck does that even mean. I can point to our Bill of Rights, brits can point to their Queen, as commonality. What have the Filipinos to rally around with? the lechon? pig worship. How about the Germans?
What? Xiao Chua is a fan of the queen? That relic of British feudal past?
Holy Christ! That explains why we’re not really serious in perfecting our democratic project. We still pine for those days where we “rally around the throne” for protection – ours and theirs, where prince and princess and queens and kings rode horses.
Like little immature children shedding emotional tears for the glory that is the queen.
Holy crap.
Watch the series and you’ll change your mind, Micha.
here, this scene:
No one answers to God anymore, Micha. that’s the problem, whereas Queen Elizabeth II has been trained thus.
This is what Xiao Chua wrote on datu leadership BTW, quite recently:
https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/432370-leaders-proven-honor-competence-integrity
Of course it isn’t God they answered to, but Xiao outlines the old native expectations.
He has in other articles named Ramon Magsaysay and Jesse Robredo as fulfilling those ideals.
Definitely a conservative and traditional view of leadership, in that I agree with Micha.
But the entire culture is conservative and traditional so what can we do?
Pnoy told Filipinos “you are my boss” and I think some saw it as a license to abuse him.
@corporal
Watched some episodes of it and was disgusted. Skipped over to the part where Charles was courting Diana and just stopped there. The whole idea of monarchy and feudalism, for me at least, is offensive to the dignity of human beings.
Please do not throw up your yogurt:
But the imagery of the recent movie produced by Imee herself oozes “we Marcoses are the true royalty of the Philippines”. That some DDS call yellows “pretentious” is known, but some loyalists who call especially the Aquinos “pretenders” (which means pretenders to a throne held by others) is a big red flag. Let us see how Junior and the rest act on Sept. 11th (Apo Lakay’s birthday) and Sept. 21st. And on Feb. 25, 2023. Full Restoration now in progress?
Yeah, I’m sure Imee and Irene and Lisa are avid fans of the Crown and the Queen too.
Junior might be watching The Borgias.
“The whole idea of monarchy and feudalism, for me at least, is offensive to the dignity of human beings.”
You gotta watch the first and second season then, Micha. not the Charles and Diana one.
But the story is about symbols. and control of said symbols.
not really monarchy and feudalism anymore, as there are none of those really in England. sure there’s peerage and stuff. but that’s more akin to old money and new money dynamics.
The Queen is a symbol that the British coalesce around.
its by design since Queen Victorias time really, when industrialists and bankers became more powerful than the monarchy. but more importantly is that its voluntary.
The British bring up the Queen as the symbol of themselves, on their own accord. and really Queen Elizabeth II has played her role well befitting of that symbol, since all the way when Churchill was her prime minister.
but it s the push and pull of this symbol at the heart of the story. Megan and Harry couldn’t take it, being a symbol and doing it well is not easy.
Relevant to the Philippines because more than anything Filipinos are myth makers first, that’s why the While Lady is so prevalent there. they just can’t agree who to coalesce around.
90% DU30 is pretty close. but we all can agree that DU30 is no Queen Elizabeth, not dignified not even wise. so too BBM and Inday Sara.
Maybe Vice Ganda? yum. like halo-halo. 😉
I’d add the American way is superior because our Constituion especially the Bill of Rights don’t get into any sort of scandal, cuz its a piece of paper. LOL!
I believe even Canadians also coalesce around Queen Elizabeth, not sure about NZ and Australia though. But I saw a footage of the Queen visiting Canada and those blokes curtsied and shit!
A few Canadians now believe in “Queen Romana Didulo”, a Filipina-Canadian. This is the craziness of the likes of Eli Pamatong or Apollo Quiboloy taken to the next level..
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ze5w/qanon-queen-romana-didulo-cult-convoy-canada
Wait til Charles ascends the throne and more Brits will start demanding to rationalize the existence of that remnant of their feudal past. People right now are just enamored by that edifice because of their weakness for a fantasy of having lived a royal charmed life, a life of privilege. But cracks in the edifice have been showing and its just not sustainable, that thing’s gotta go. Just a matter of time. There’s no place for it in our modern secular democracy.
Prince Charles will probably die first before the Queen, Micha.
And the English love ’em. So nope they are not going anywhere any time soon.
It’s the 1949 Constitution in Germany, but also its association with the postwar economic recovery of (West) Germany. Many skeptics nowadays are those from the East that still feel (or are) left behind. Micha isn’t that wrong economic well-being is important.
I personally saw skepticism with newly found democracy in Portugal around 2000 (their revolution was in 1974) and in Romania in 2008/9 (Ceausescu was removed in 1989) and in both cases it was about some feeling left behind. EU money did lift more boats eventually.
The Philippines took over thirty years to repay the debts incurred by Marcos Sr. and the economic progress of the Arroyo years when Metro Manila became a skyscraper city was very uneven, skyscrapers on one side slums on the other. New middle class from BPO/OFW money. Old middle class either migrated or isolated itself from the masses in the aftermath of EDSA3. As for the rituals of the Philippine state the masses always were skeptical of these, I gather. Into that void, Duterte jumped in. Sounds weird, I am just trying to find a sensible explanation.
BTW Xiao Chua has written on Facebook that Duterte Sr. is “like Teflon”. Well, that is what an idol filling a huge inner void among many can indeed be. Again this is just thinking things one step further. That just explains 2016 though. Not yet 2019 and even less 2022.
Enough of this for now at least from my side, better not overthink.
Yeah, sorry. Enjoy your hiatus, Ireneo. But that does make sense, in a sense 90% of Filipinos rallied around DU30. nothing to rally around otherwise, so he was like a mirror to themselves.
No problem. MLQ3 BTW called the events around Mamasapano and PNoy not going to the airport to meet the SAF44 coffins “The Great Divorce” – between the Filipino people and the Aquinos. Why? Because they always had been there en masse to the burials of Ninoy and Cory.
MLQ3 also sees 2016 as the de facto end of the Fifth Republic that had started in 1986. If one looks at it even more closely, PNoy came into power due to the sentiments around his mother’s burial, Mar Roxas stepped aside for him. Though one could say the fading of Yellow already started when Cory endorsed Arroyo against Erap. Many from the masses who had supported EDSA one felt a bit betrayed according to some accounts, while a lot of middle class became wary of the masses due to EDSA3. Cory and Mar later fell out with Arroyo, but AFTER Trillanes..
this discussion has gotten me some steps closer to figuring stuff out, so thanks. BTW I once told Xiao in a chat that the Filipino hero cult (Rizal etc.) is remiscent of anito worship and he confirmed that hunch. Anitos are all over the Pacific, on Easter island they are gigantic.
Interesting.
I was shown something like this once, where the wearer swore its saved his life a bunch of times already. Once where he was stabbed and the metal just bent, and he punched the attacker dead.
I know its in Latin with Catholic iconography but I think the wearing or the having of items of power predates the Spanish.
Hmm, anting-anting as a undergarment.. there is also the amulet type version. Many Filipino revolutionaries wore them, Marcos Sr. allegedly had one.
That stuff is kind of “syncretic”, Christian on the outside “pagan” in origin.
https://hobsonhistory.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/distilled-debates-schumacher-on-guerrero-and-ileto-1981-82/
From my google lens search on the anting anting shirt.
Aside from wearable antin-antings there are also stones or seeds or items you can insert into your skin. So you never lose it i guess. but the mythmaking involved in how said items were gotten is interesting, eg. going into the deepest forests to see a witch who sold them said item, or having to swim down into some sea cave to kill a mythical creature to get said item, really weird stuff.
Pre hispanic implants. Interesting.
Hmmmm. Nothing from you in the spam bucket.
No problem then, the discussion flow now captures that stuff better.
@Micha
Kindly elucidate on class wars.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/17/inflation-10-percent-class-war-brexit-cost-of-living-crisis
At least this article of Dani Rodrik about Neoliberalism was straightforward enough.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/14/the-fatal-flaw-of-neoliberalism-its-bad-economics
I know I often misinterpret your views on inflation maybe that would be clear once and for all.
This world wide inflation surely worsens inequality but when you talk class wars my first impression is elite vs upper and lower middle vs poorest of the poor.
The old addage of the rich becomes richer and the poor become poorer.
Is that all to it?
Well, I think Zoe Williams is very much spot on even if she is articulating it from the British situational narrative, afterall the social spasm between the superrich and the poor are all the same wherever in the world they are.
That the only coherent understanding of societal friction can be viewed through the lens of class war slash struggle slash conflict.
The authority here in the US for that narrative is Adolph Reed who views the tension between white and colored people as diversionary from the real struggle that needs to be fought.
As such he has offended both the GOP coddlers of wealth and the Wall Street wing of Democrats.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/08/15/trouble-disparity
“It is practically impossible to imagine a serious strategy for winning the kinds of reforms that would actually improve black and brown working people’s conditions without winning them for all working people and without doing so through a struggle anchored to broad working-class solidarity”.
Many thanks will read the link.
“But they are mistaken. In fact, not only will a focus on the effort to eliminate racial disparities not take us in the direction of a more equal society, it isn’t even the best way of eliminating racial disparities themselves. If the objective is to eliminate black poverty rather than simply to benefit the upper classes, we believe the diagnosis of racism is wrong, and the cure of anti-racism won’t work. Racism is real and anti-racism is both admirable and necessary, but extant racism isn’t what principally produces our inequality and anti-racism won’t eliminate it. And because racism is not the principal source of inequality today, anti-racism functions more as a misdirection that justifies inequality than a strategy for eliminating it.”
Micha this is what i tell my black colleagues and friends, that they should be voting for someone like Bernie or this time AOC. not the run of the mill Dems because they were the ones to ship their jobs abroad!
Blacks make up 13% just 13% of the population here, and this very same demographic are responsible for like 50-60% of the violent crimes (FBI stats), much of it is black on black, but black upon non-blacks also (eg. all that Anti-Asian hate stuff was largely due to black assailants, many due to mental illness).
So with that disparity, statistics wise of course you’ll get more run ins with the police as well as negative interactions with them. just statistics, not necessarily racism.
But I do get that since Jim Crow blacks have also been disproportionately been criminalized, so what happened in the 1920s to 1960s, will reverberate eg. generations of blacks with no dads (many times no moms either). that will generate that 50-60% violent crimes.
In California their answer to rectifying this inequity is to release everyone out of prison. with no preparation, eg. job training, shifting thru who to actually release, etc. you’ll end up with a crime wave which we’re experiencing now. that will get people to buy more guns to protect themselves. more armed populace equals 2nd Amendment increase in support.
Dems no likey that.
Cause and effect. And all Dems have to do is listen to Bernie and stop this globalism crap. Simple fix. but then soon enough we’ll now have AI and robots taking our jobs, cheaper than Chinese cheap labor. That’s where UBI and CBDC comes in. done via MMT, Micha. that is the fix.
I’ve told this story before, but i’ll tell it again. cuz it informs that 13% and 50-60% (depending on year) violent crimes. I was waiting for my train at LA Union Station and this black mother ghetto as fuck, was feeding her baby less than 1 yr a bottle of Coke, cuz i saw her open the can of coke and pour in baby bottle.
I’m not saying that happens everywhere, but that 13% population are poisoning themselves. the rest of the population can help them out, but at the end of the day blacks have to help themselves out. sure blame whitey (and they are more than entitled to do so), but they have to stop poisoning themselves.
“The White liberal is the worst enemy to America and the worst enemy to the Black man. Let me first explain what I mean by this White liberal. In America there’s no such thing as Democrats and Republicans anymore. That’s antiquated. In America you have liberals and conservatives. This is what the American political structure boils down to among Whites. The only people who are still living in the past and thinks in terms of “I’m a Democrat” or “I’m a Republican” is the American Negro. He’s the one who runs around bragging about party affiliation and he’s the one who sticks to the Democrat or sticks to the Republican, but White people in America are divided into two groups, liberals and Republicans…or rather, liberals and conservatives. And when you find White people vote in the political picture, they’re not divided in terms of Democrats and Republicans, they’re divided consistently as conservatives and as liberal. The Democrats who are conservative vote with Republicans who are conservative. Democrats who are liberals vote with Republicans who are liberals. You find this in Washington, DC. Now the White liberals aren’t White people who are for independence, who are liberal, who are moral, who are ethical in their thinking, they are just a faction of White people who are jockeying for power the same as the White conservatives are a faction of White people who are jockeying for power. Now they are fighting each other for booty, for power, for prestige and the one who is the football in the game is the Negro. Twenty million Black people in this country are a political football, a political pawn an economic football, an economic pawn, a social football, a social pawn…”
― Malcolm X
but whites (liberals or conservatives) now make up just 60% of US population. it was 70% just in 2000 , 20 years ago!
Ok LCX you made me postpone my reading(good thing) I had feeling that story was from way back because of the use of Negro.
I am glad the flow of our convos did not turn toxic even with all the salt, onions and sugar thanks to pre and pro biotics.
Using your soda example.
We cringe everytine we see people carrying their babies in the rain saying they should have left them at home?
We do not know if they are single parents and could not afford nannies or sitters.
If we call them out on socmed what are we trying to celebrate?
Rain and staying home is one thing, karl, but feeding your baby Coca-Cola is just wrong. not only is there no nutrional value in it, but too much sugar will cause early on set of diabetes for baby.
But that’s just an example i used for blacks poisoning themselves. Not every black mom is feeding Coke to their babies, but American black culture is in disarray, from Will Smith to George Floyd.
Its wrong to point this out, because we’re suppose to blame the system.
So that 13% and 50-60% of violent crimes is an American problem , it affects others. And to Micha’s article’s point, it is a economic problem, but economic solutions won’t ever fix the families with no fathers and/or no mothers. it can alleviate, yes. but generations of
parental neglect and absence as a demographic, is gonna be difficult to mend.
I just remembered that Abbot had a contamination issue with its baby formula.
If there is cheap access there would be less black moms feeding their kids soda or soft drinks as it is called here.
karl, yet there is cheap access thru Food Stamps and WIC, https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements , then food pantries are FREE, and blackAmericans here have all access to these.
Then theres breast milk.
My point is no mother as part of instinct will feed their less than 1 yr old baby Coca-Cola there is no excuse.
Yes and there are soup kitchens.
Man you told me yourself t about the homeless people getting out if control in CA a few years ago. Maybe it is still the same and we just did not talk about it. But I do not subscribe to seeing the black as a systemic problem because I have family and friends in the US and you might consider their demographic a problem too when you get bothered or had a bad experience with Fil-Ams. But i am not saying you are wrong but one can not be emotionless reading your honest opinions. It is hard to be objective. But we still get to talk about it even if it is hard to swallow sometimes.
I was just agreeing with Micha’s article, karl.
That its not racism but economic. focus on economic and you’ll solve more. that’s why I’m very suspicious of BLM and Anti-Asian stuff.
I’ve described why before. BLM is not a real issue its manufactured. of course theres police abuses, and with 13% and 50-60% violent crimes committed mostly by blacks (not all of that 13%). then you kinda understand BLM more.
Same same with Asian hate, it was hinted that Trumpists were responsible, yet every video they showed of asian hate crimes were perpetrated by blacks and Hispanics. and its not hate, but mostly criminal and /or mental illness involved.
So you sprinkle all that to Micha’s article, and everything makes more sense. but if you just focus on race as the driving factor, then if you look further closely, then it just doesn’t hold, karl.
And that’s my point. Micha’s article is correct. Race baiting is wrong. I’m not saying racism is no existent, just that it not the main issue. but most blacks think it is. and the statistics and evidence just doesn’t support it.
“and you might consider their demographic a problem too when you get bothered or had a bad experience with Fil-Ams.”
I am pretty well aware of my own biases, karl. but i’m also aware of statistics and geography and anthropology, so my biases are more keen than the average persons here in the US. IMHO.
meaning i’ve done some introspectives on the matter.
For example, most Filipinos-Americans here don’t really end up in prison, and if they do its because of domestic violence or family violence, they know their victims close to them by blood or affinity. too much to drink too emotional type crimes.
then theres carry over of Filipino gangs from there to here, also some local ones originating from here. they start it out, but ones they go to prison for robbery and assault etc, and spend time in prison they realize they are just prey in there,
so they get out and go to college or just work, no more criminality , karl. prison too scary. though not as scary as Filipino prisons, cuz you’re also dealing with hunger and unsanitary conditions (not a American prison problem, there’s Universal Health Care in our prisons, karl).
Asian-Americans as a whole largely follow the same course, but the larger int’l syndicates i know less of. not street level.
So Asian-Americans as a whole (to include the sub-continent), pretty much all immigrant populations really, don’t go the crime route, karl. Armenians are a weird pheonomena because they act like blacks when encountering police, i think that’s just the don’t respect authority due to genocide, i dunno. and they fall under Russian crime syndicates.
Then of course the Hispanics, who own Socal and parts of Norcal. Mostly Mexicans here, but if you go east coast its quite a mix Puerto Ricans , Central Americans, etc. Cubans too, not too many Cubans here.
So the people who “rule” prison systems are Whites, blacks and Hispanics. thats why its a bad idea to go to prison if you’re non of the above, karl. My point, I can never have a negative bias against Filipinos. theres no reason to, they don’t affect me directly.
The most I can say is they eat too much pork, but all Filipinos already agree with that.
blacks i can get robbed riding the train or at home, so it behooves me to study their condition more and objectively take the pulse. hence my agreement with Micha’s article.
Watch,
in the interview he mentions “Blood it; Blood out” that’s a good movie too , karl. youtube has the full movie. I know they say Australia’s a nation of convicts (historically), but America is a nation of criminals (now and forever), karl, to understand America you have to study crime and criminals. small ones to big ones.
This is an article about the California prison system which confirms what you said about racial groups ruling it: https://lithub.com/the-patterns-routines-and-pervasive-fear-of-daily-life-in-prison/
“In a way, prison is like Tetris. You can see what’s happened in the past and where things need to fit, where your strengths and vulnerabilities are, but you never know the next pieces coming until they’re already there. You’re dealing with the guards, the different races, the different tribes within the races, the regulations, stress from what’s happening on the streets—all of it. And even when it seems all good, that shit can change in one day.”
Ireneo,
There’s a story of a female prison guard whose half of her face was bitten off by a prison dog (not a police dog but one of the dogs for prisoners to train, its some program that matches abandoned dogs especially fighting dogs confiscated, to match with old timer convicts, they bond and train the dogs and dogs get adopted)
But I digress (sorry Juan).
The sweet female prison guard well loved and always greeted the dogs shes a dog lover. Suddenly gets mauled by one dog. One day.
It turns out she provoked the dog, maybe pinched it or whatever, cuz she wanted to get bitten though getting her half faced bitten off wasn’t part of the plan, just a little bite to send her to the clinic or straight home. I’m sure was the plan.
And heres the kicker , she was causinng a commotion because they were about to check her bag, and in her bag were drugs and cell phones. surprise searches or maybe in her case a targetted search.
Turns out she’s been smuggling items for the Hispanics, which explained her new houses and nice rides. Drugs and cell phones were discovered precisely because her half face was bitten off, so it backfired.
Point is she should’ve played more Tetris.
But to connect it to the blog (because Juan demands it), if education fails you end up becoming a prison guard which pays good money but apprently not enough for some, so you get half of your face bitten off by some dog in prison.
Now she’s gonna go to jail with half a face. So stay in school and do good in school whether you use technology or not, just thrive hopefully with your face intact. you play with fire you get burned.
the end.
Here is something i just learned when a pro houthi replied on an article I forwarded that Iranians are arming Houthis and it might apply to your biases: Based and Redpilled.
The problem with sharing your biases to unlike minds is it may instinctively appear as gaslighting.
Iranians are arming Houthis , karl. But Houthis don’t belief the same religion as the Iranians, who are twelvers. while Houthis are Fivers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_Islam#Zayd%C4%AB_(Fiver)
So Houthis take in arms/materiel support, and not buy other stuff Iranians are “selling”.
As for manipulation of thought, had I not allowed Micha to sell me MMT, i’d never would’ve considered its efficacy, same with NH’s Go and Ireneo’s Philippines history and anthropology. and Joe’s AOC dancing videos.
Basically, i allowed them to ‘gaslight” me. But as one responsible for my own mind, I am the sole gatekeeper, Karl. if it makes sense, i buy, if it doesn’t i don’t, and if i dunno i’m on the fence.
Like the Houthies, they already have a world view. what you let in and let out, is all up to you.
Easy peazy.
Re: Easy Peazy
You summarized it well. that is why I never dismissed what you say even after a violent reaction.
here,
Done. skipped the parts LCX discussed.
“ruling class is not a more just society, just a differently unjust one. That’s the trouble with disparity.”
I joined a discussion in twitter about the UN, it was a mind blower.
First the question was If all man are created equal , why can’t there be equal Countries ? or something similar.
I was pilosopo and said that the name change or UN to EN for Equal Nations may never happen because there would always be Unequal Nations.
He lamented that the Oligarchy of the superpowers is messing up the world.
From Geopolitics to CBDC was discussed and I thought about LCx and introduced a link that IMF is gearing towards CBdc just for food for thought because he said that BRICS will soon have their own reserve E-Remnimbi.
Thanks Micha.
Rhetorical or not: Are you active on twitter? You don’t have to give me your handle let us keep that a mystery.
Who is the “He” in Twitter here, karl?
Regarding equality of individuals, peoples and nations, here’s “the AntiChrist” troll title but its basically history psychology of mankind in general, listen (caveat really long):
“Whom do I hate most among the rabble of today? The socialist rabble, the chandala apostles, who undermine the instinct, the pleasure, the worker’s sense of satisfaction with his small existence–who make him envious, who teach him revenge. The source of wrong is never unequal rights but the claim of “equal” rights.” — from The AntiChrist
Never mind LCX.
I actually attempted to post the tweet.
Thanks for the anti christ post.
Have insomia kept getting spam sms from Ibet casino.
Blocking did not do any good another number will appear with the same message.
Insomnia or racing thoughts, karl? Cuz if its just racing thoughts, just smoke weed and/or magic mushrooms. 😉
hehehe it might interact with my meds. racing thoughts led to sleep deprivation but good thing it is not every day.
Do warn me if I am no longer making any sense.
Binge watch,
One of this days i will dp that.
@LCX Thanks for the binge watch suggestion btw I was able to sleep on the intro of the first episode
The premise of the series was very apt it is about Morpheus who represents dreams, seems interesting to complete.
Episodes 1-5 is the first book.
Episode 6 is a stand alone episode.
Then 7-10 is the 2nd book i think.
E11 the surprise episode that dropped two weeks ago, is also a stand alone.
People saying that we are on an echo chamber are wrong it is in the number of comenters.
Its having diverse views, correcting misimpressions no matter how long it takes and more.
Besides socmed commenters are many if they look beyond the blog.
Re salt, by Chef Tatung: https://fb.watch/fe1i1k-vED/
This book says salt was our first addiction, if you look at early human towns they settle near fresh water as well as near salt beds, etc. because our tiny human brains need H2O as well as NaCl.
Apparently this cocktail is necessary for brain functions.
I just learned that Finland isn’t considered a Scandanavian nation, Joe. but with Scandanavia plus Finland they are all called Nordic countries.
Like how Latin America or Latino encompasses all plus Brazil and French Guyana but Hispanic only is for Spanish speaking countries.
Let me offer my apology in advance to the author of this article and to the members of this blog.
I think the topic of this article has been driven out of relevancy because of a mixture of issues brought up about by posters that has nothing to do with what the author posted as the main subject matter of discussion.
Being a member of this community and in my desire to help in my own little way I would like to propose to JoeAm something that might or could help improve the activity on the board. Just as he has the power to admonish members who crosses the line or do something offensive to others and in furtherance of his right to execute the rules of this blog, maybe JoeAm can also issue reminders for all to stay in the lane and maintain the flow of conversation within the parameters set by the article.
Off topic issues are fine as long as it remains related and falls within the framework of the main topic of the article.
If one member has a desire to talk about certain topics worthy of attention maybe he/she should communicate it with JoeAm to be given the opportunity, if allowed, to have his/her idea posted for the members’ perusal.
Again, I mean no offense, guys. I have to admit all of you has something relevant to say on any given issue. It’s just that we need to compartmentalize, separate or categorize most of them for orderly presentation and discussion.
Stay in your lane, Juan. You’ve not even added anything relevant. Just basically a complaint.
Here,
“In 2010, a New York Times reporter had a conversation that revealed a lot about the life of the founder of Apple. Nick Bilton commented, “Your kids must love the iPad, right?” After the launch of the device. Jobs replied, “They haven’t used it. We limit the amount of technology our children use at home. “
Any special reason? According to Walter Isaacson, the author of the Steve Jobs biography, the family focused more on history or reading, as well as activities that had to do with technology. Walter interacted with the Jobs and explained:
“Every night Steve insisted on dining at the big kitchen table, talking about books, history and a variety of other things. Nobody ever took out an iPad or a computer. The kids didn’t seem addicted to the devices. “
It’s not the only one
A large number of CEOs and prominent figures of Silicon Valley companies significantly reduce the time their children spend in contact with technology.
For example, Bill Gates did not give his children cell phones until they were 14 years old. In addition, its use was prohibited during lunch, dinner and before sleeping.
The recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is to limit technology according to the age of the children, since there is a great fear that the use of the devices will become compulsive and uncontrolled.”
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Why-didn-t-Steve-Jobs-let-his-kids-use-iPads-16468409.php
its a simple argument really, either you’re for technology or you’re against it, or somewheres in the middle.
But naturally you have to talk about salt and probiotics, and prebiotics , and fresh water and too much lechon, and dancing hot female politicians. and sleep getting enough sleep.
Because its all relevant. so the blog isn’t just to be or not to be, its a whole gamut of stuff, that informs how best to improve the minds of children. I’m a big proponent of Go now thanks to NH (and chess and Chinese chess too).
the thinking involved in play it, and also the metaphors you can glean from.
What do you think can improve that is easily doable (for free, or cost effective) now re education of youn g Filipinos? ps, complaining is no solution. especially complaining about tangents, because we go off on tangents. especially karl. 😉
Oh and i forgot Vitamin D, as it prevents depression and increases motivation levels to learn and be curious.
So as karl has done, have your Vitamin D levels check and eat more fish. Canned sardines if you’re on the go.
Lcx look who is talking? 🤣
You do the most going outside opposite over adjacent here hehehe.you turn the triangle into a circle.
LOL! I take up 5 lanes on any given day, but Juan for being a complainer should just stick to 1 lane, his. LOL!!!
We all had our bad hair days then we tell the emperor that he forgot his clothes. As to five lanes that means I drive a bus sideways while eating 1 giant slice of pizza because I was told I could only eat 1 slice.
LOL!
Stay in your lane, Juan. You’ve not even added anything relevant. Just basically a complaint. – LCpl_X (@LCpl_X)
– – – – –
Frankly, I don’t know where the lane is. I read the article and followed the earlier conversation, however, I got lost eventually from the barrage of topics and information added to the original subject matter. It’s not anybody’s fault, I know because I, too, sometimes, participate in active discussion that veers away from the topic itself. It’s just hard to follow the thread if it’s already gone or missing.
Sorry my friend for feeling alluded to but my plea is directed generally to all (including me) members. I just think that having things in order will help everybody to tackle, examine and explore issues presented by a member without wallowing and pushing aside unconnected issues to the topic.
Again, I apologize.
I agree unless commenting streams can be improved upon, this is it. The trick I think is to check daily, so when you scroll down, you’ll recognize all the various tangents, skip or partake.
Essentially I’m saying the fault is yours due to absence. 😉
For example Joe’s tangent was with dancing politicians.
I’m sure you can connect it to education somehow if we think hard enough, but I’m stumped, maybe Joe can elaborate on how dancing politicians is relevant to his blog. LOL! 😉
Essentially I’m saying the fault is yours due to absence.
– – – – –
To the contrary I’m always present that is why I posted my observation. I only post an opinion if I think I’m sharing something that is relevant to the subject matter. For the most part, I read and follow and quite often enjoy the exchanges IF people are on the same page.
But the subject matter EDUCATION is a very expansive topic, technology in education too, so aside from your observation what do you have to contribute on the topic then?
The last post is my last word, my friend.
Duly noted.
@Juan but our moderator has done the best moderating in his house.
You remind me of these forwarded image I saw:
Bawal kumanan ang mga sasakyan na hindi kakanan.
Those who won’t turn right are not allowed to turn right.
(I think it was supposed to mean stay in lane no swerving)
Man try figuring out how to do that.
Sure, you like AOC, I like AOC, so let’s enjoy AOC. Filipinos enjoy entertainment and a splash of dash, so it is completely relevant. 🤣😂🤣
I do have a crush on both AOC and the Prime Minister of Finland, Joe.
But that school boy crush heightens to love (I think) cuz she’s the only one really entertaining MMT. Thus would love for her to run in 2024.
Some time ago, I published regularly and did as you suggested, encouraging people to stick with the topic. As I published less, I removed the constraints. It is free forum now. I do encourage making the discussion relevant to the Philippines.
That is called Halo-halo. But please do not put Dinuguan in that for I am sure Joe will put the brakes on.
🤣
And halo-halo and dinuguan are relevant to the Philippines. Haha.
Hahaha
At least in puto and dinugaan you can add a spice called variety.
In halo halo you add spice- BLEK!
@Juan,
If you reconsider on your last word do share.
If LCX bothers you I got your six.
Education in general not just the laotops.
I will give you something to react on.
My comment about Personnel services being 81 percent of the Dep Ed budget.
They cant do anything much with the remaininhg19 percent.
What do you suggest?
Since Teachers are asking for a raise.
I have to comment re teachers and pay raise , karl.
Because over here that’s hot topic right now, teachers are protesting too many kids not enough pay (1 to 30, sometimes 40 kids) and since theres a bunch of teachers that have left they are thinking about hiring people with just high school education.
Kinda like the CNA certified nurse assistant; LVN license vocational nurse, and RN many with BS Nursing; then NP nurse practitioners, then PA physicians assistant and Doctors.
Basically, the schools are toying around with a CNA and/or LVN equivalent to teaching. folks that will handle the basics. no degree required onjob training.
I can see that being cost effective, tiers of types of teachers.
But unlike the medical field, teaching is kinda like performance art. whereas in the medical field you have a captive audience in hospitals, they have to tune in cuz its life or death or a very bad day or night or week or months for them if they don’t listen to medical personnel. Teachers on the other hand,
are dealing with audience that can easily tune out.
So you have to target teachers who are performance artists , karl. The ones that can not only teach but also capture the students attention thus sink in what they are there to teach.
Now I know over there there,
theres great stress on being 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, kids are given ribbons and whatnots, and all this trickles up to the professional level with “top-notchers” and stuff, i believe the bar exam now is anonymous with no more mention of top-notchers, i hope this trickles back down to elementary and high school. as this 1st 2nd and 3rd is really not conducive to learning.
Over hear they give citizenship awards, eg. problem solver, great helper award, perfect attendance, team player, etc. etc. sometimes teachers make shit up just to give to student, so every month like 5 students get an award, and by end of school, every student has gotten 1 or 2 award, very democratic, and everyone feels good.
Every kid feels included.
Because in the end, kids don’t really need to be taught the concept of 1st 2nd 3rd, etc. that can happen in high school and college, no doubt the rest of your life will be that.
But i digress, kids don’t care about awards, they care about being entertained. and being challenged and accomplishing stuff. To have their minds turned on. Inspired even.
So if Filipino teachers want a raise , have them each do youtube videos of them in class teaching (or at home) and being effective teachers by capturing the students attention and imagination. this way the teachers that shine get their raise and the teachers that don’t shine, well they have an example to follow now , if they can’t hack it get another profession (like nursing).
And everyone benefits cuz now theres a bunch of content online.
My inday Sara and DEPED will simply ensure there is no redundancy in subjects being covered so every subject that needs to be covered is covered. like maybe put out a list of subjects to be taught and have participating teachers that want a raise chose one of that list. Coordinate this content.
Everythings free , karl, just need a camera and they teach. from there pay raises to those deserving of it.
What you said about active shooting where the cops ran atbthe sign of being outnumbered…only a marine can question that because Marimes most often times are outnumbered.
Same with Active Learning. Very easy to be a concept but applicatiom is always more than meets the eye.
If the military can be thought theory and asked to apply them the same day. Any military men will say that is what they are trained to do. As a non-military civillian I don’t buy that.
Engineeres are told to have to fend for them selves in school by having analytical thinking. Wtf is that?
Its not a Marine or military thing , karl. Its actual police policy nationwide set after the Columbine shooting in 1999. when police then were just waiting for SWAT. kids died.
So they mandated all police across the USA will take part in Active Shooter training, and ensure no police ever waits for SWAT or more troops or more this and that, or whatever. no excuses. You go in period, when there’s an active shooter.
You go in.
Now sure just like Uvalde shooting, cops can shrink back and say you know what I’m close to retiring, fat pension, or I have family too, or I’m scared I might get shot… then all those excuses just means you should’ve left the profession long ago.
Because self sacrifice is the point of policing, same same as military.
As for same day application, these are already teachers , karl. But think about it, karl, how do you know a teacher is a good teacher if you’re not in the classroom with your kids day in day out, I’m not talking about open house day where the teacher gets to show off the best face of the class.
But i’m talking about really teaching, teacher with students and seeing students react to what’s being taught. Because over here, I don’t know if theres teachers unions there in the Philippines, once a teacher is tenured meaning can’t be fired so easily they tend to do the bare minimum.
I had bare mininum teachers, karl, 90% of them were bare minimum teachers. they did not perfect their craft, didn’t work to improve, didn’t teach or inspire, they were just there to collect salary.
And i don’t blame them, the teacher student ratio sucks and the pay sucks. But if you’re not gonna teach why stay?!!! you’re only causing more harm than good, so same same with police in Uvalde quit being cops if you cannot perform during an active shooting scenario.
If teachers aren’t gonna hone their craft, quit.
My point, weed out the bad teachers first, then talk about pay raises.
I know you got an open mind but here they say unions are infiltrated by communists and so on. This is turbo boosted and given steroids by the Anti-terror law which I say : It stinks!
Good! so w/out unions you don’t have to be encumbered by all sorts of workers rights constraints, w/out unions you can do quality control and ensure only the best teachers are promoted or are given pay raises.
Teaching and policing even firefighters shouldn’t be unionized, they only ensure the suckiest get to stay while the really talented end up leaving.
Unionize menial jobs, like factory workers, Amazon even, but gov’t work that requires quality, need to abide by said quality, not tenure out and just show up for work and do the bare minimum cuz you’re almost gonna pension out. thus just working for that sweet pension.
Forget the kids.
Quality control. then talk about pay raises, not the other way around.
That is really an excellent approach. I would tweak it to be elevating the quality teachers rather than weed out the bad, to incent all teachers to stay. The weeding would flow from the building. The “forget the kids” is a blunt reminder of what the primary mission should be, to eventually take care of kids better.
I would also develop a multi-stage read-at home tutorial program with testing at grades three and six.
Oh yeah, positive reinforcement, Joe. better than negative reinforcement which works in the military with 18 to 22 year old boys especially the Marines, but not so well with other demographics.
got your points.
in phillippines, quite a number of teachers are unsung heroes!
https://www.rappler.com/moveph/241837-far-flung-areas-samar-teachers-modern-day-heroes/
since 2020, in our country there has been 425 private schools that closed, forcing 900,000 private students to enroll in public schools, thus putting heavier burden in our public schools system. the government at the time was seemingly short sighted and did not do enough for the viability of private schools, the integrity of public schools more or less maintained.
I cannot say that educators across the board are caught off guard and unprepared for the influx, they knew the trend and the likely result, and ought not be surprised that school year 2022 saw enrolled students with no chairs to sit on and, and have to sit on the floor.
and strangely enough, deped sec inday sara has extra 500million fund allocated for projects related to national security!
Everything is free?
No such thing as a free Lunch or even free Soup.
Your suggestions are all snap of a finger suggestions.
Maybe teach every kid how to snap first.
All leaders tell people nothing can change overnight,
Even after so many nights have past.
I meant youtube is free , karl. Teachers wanting raises can do sample of their teaching style with students preferably, and raise or no raise from there. if good give raise, if not, try again another time.
You can literally do this right now, or Inday Sara can. again you’ll just have a youtube video and maybe at the discretion of a principal or a group of teachers, or whatever, they judge hell maybe students can vote,
and from there you give out raises or not. the assumption here is that most teachers (IMHO) aren’t very good at their work, so quality control. while encouraging teacher to better their craft. again teaching is performance art.
Atty. Leni Robredo has continued her Community Learning Hubs, an OVP project, via her Angat Buhay Foundation. Rooms where IT resources are pooled and there are tutors also.
What is noteworthy is that while Robredo has payed a courtesy call to DSWD Sec. Erin Tulfo to coordinate disaster relief in the future, no similar initiative between her and DepEd – don’t know what exactly how she and Inday Sara see eye to eye or don’t these days so just observing..
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02a2Se4KeNgeyeDEDZpjn6ckvN7gYWxXHbwtnnG9J5tAeGL3ib86PyjVBip5mBxPZFl&id=803561177
Oh that’s good, they’ll probably connect that to Bam’s Negosyo Centers, easier to coordinate same team.
Live selling, its all the buzz these days!
I know you got an open mind but here they say unions are infiltrated by communists and so on. This is turbo boosted and given steroids by the Anti-terror law which I say : It stinks!
This is what I was referring to. Thanks for the llustration. Those elephants will step on the bull in the china store one of these days.
The 81.28% is for teaching and non-teaching positions, but what portion of that 81.28% covers for teachers salaries, karl? cuz non-teaching is where I think it would be easiest to magic the money out and into politicians homes in Las Vegas, NV here, like Napoles.
Yes in non teaching staff.
Plus other magic in the intelligence funds, confidential funds
I know you have been reading on Sara so you know what I am talking about.
Our budget this year
1 T for personnel services out the 5T plus budget. if 500 to 600B allocated to interest payments debt servicing what’s left for Build build Build, Social Services when you also have those confidential funds for each agency as if you don’t have the bills to pay every month.
We just look on numbers and don’t get deeper how is it been spent? Well it’s the same situation everywhere 🇮🇳
Generally not in modern countries that have an appreciation of science and a deeper experience in business risks. Few do real business plans in the Philippines.
We need more comments from international readers so long as it is not of the trollish kind. Thanks for your observation.
Sometimes government ain’t as smart as we thought Joeam.
Ha, yes, that is so very, very true.