Asia Foundation organized a celebration party on Tuesday at the Sofitel Plaza to honor “anti-human trafficking activist” Cecil Flores-Oebanda for being the first Asian to be recognized as…

“Here is a hand-to-hand struggle in all its horror and frightfulness; Austrians and Allies trampling each other under foot, killing one another on piles of bleeding corpses, felling their enemies with their riffle butts, crushing skulls, ripping bellies open with sable and bayonet. No quarter is given; it is a sheer butchery; a struggle between…

Today is World Red Cross and Crescent Day and we honor all Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide for their efforts in assisting the relief of human suffering in war-torn or disaster-affected areas. This year’s theme is ‘Together for Humanity’. Here’s a story about a man who sees the Red Cross a bit differently…

Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. - Psalm 16

Arnel Gabutero reached the pawikan sanctuary in Davao last Thursday after a 3-day solo kayaking expedition. And he has brought our attention to the Philippines’ 10th annual celebration of Ocean Month. Show your…

“Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen.” — Horace Mann, “Father of Public Schools” (May 4, 1796 - Aug 2, 1859)

Today we honor our valiant firefighters as we celebrate International Firefighters’ Day. Every first Sunday of May, fire sirens are…

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. - Psalm 27

Filipino celebrities joined the international campaign against foie gras (say FWAH-GRAH) by taking the ‘No Foie Gras’ Pledge organized by PETA Asia-Pacific. The Pledge states that they will never buy or eat foie gras because they ‘believe that force-feeding ducks and geese with long metal tubes is extremely cruel.’ The signatories of the pledge include model Isabel Roces, Senator Bong Revilla, and veteran actor Eddie Gutierrez. Let’s follow their lead and do an online pledge against foie gras here…

Our quote today comes from Ludwig Büchner, born today in 1824. He was one of the philosophers who popularized materialism and based his worldview on the facts and discoveries established by the philosophers of the natural world (science). He was a medical doctor by profession but he had to quit when…

Happy Labor Day to everyone! Here’s a little story about an entreprenuer who hates the internal revenue service…

Happy World Graphic Design Day! Check out the patron saints of graphic designers on this site. My favorite one is Saint Concepta…

Motorists in Makati and other major cities will be switching off their motor engines for a minute at exactly 8am on Monday the 28th of April as part of Earth Month celebrations in the country. The project is called Tigil Buga (Stop Smoke Belching) and it aims to raise awareness…

Our quote today comes from Ferdinand Magellan, the first explorer who dared to circumnavigate the world. He landed in the Visayan Islands in 1521 and demanded that…

Since the beginning of the Philippine nationhood in the early 1900s, the government has been unsuccessful in its attempts to implement genuine agrarian reform. Social analysts have been quick to blame the Philippine Congress for this failure - It’s common knowledge that our lawmaking body consists of legislators who have direct ties with the landowning families of the country. Another reason why land reform has been weak..

Our quote today comes from Spanish poet Vicente Aleixandre. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977…

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said,”Someone may steal from it at night.” So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said,”How does the watchman do his job without instruction?” So they created a planning department and hired two people…

Immanuel Kant believed that there is no way we can describe the actual reality. The only thing we can talk about is our representation of our perceived reality. His views were probably the inspiration in movies like Roberto Benigni’s “Life is Beautiful” and the Wachowski Brothers’ “The Matrix” …

Today is the 38th world celebration of Earth Day. And of course Global Warming is a big issue. And if you’re not yet convinced that we’re feeling the heat, here’s proof that will surely convince you…

Pro-JPEPA senators will be feeling the heat from Filipinos who believe that the government has once again outdone themselves when it comes to pimping our Motherland to other countries, in exchange for economic aid. According to the swimmers who braved the waters of Manila Bay, the treaty will allow large and high-tech Japanese fishing vessels to sweep our waters and get all the fish they want. But the government says that we don’t have to worry about any shortage in fish supply. Keep in mind that this is the same government who’s also telling us not to worry about the shortage in rice supply. So I guess it’s okay for Japan to catch all the fish they want because our government says it’s okay…

When there’s a newly-opened mall, people rush to see what’s in it. When there’s a new iPhone model, we can’t help but be curious about its new features. When your favorite singer has a new song, you have this uncontrollable urge to check it out. It’s almost human nature to be fascinated by what’s new. Something is triggered in our brains and we instantly get turned on by the novelty of the latest things.

Well I’ve got good news for you! There’s a new weblog in the Pinoy blogosphere and it’s made especially for you.

Filipina moms love to remind their children to switch-off unncessary lights and electrical appliances. Who can blame them? No one wants to pay expensive Meralco bills. Well, our moms have found new allies among scientists who study climate change. And their message of energy conservation is now being broadcast on a global scale - thanks to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and other organizers of Earth Hour 2008, a global movement to raise awareness for climate change.

If you join this global movement, you will achieve three goals:

1. You will be part of a worthy cause
2. You will help raise awareness for environmentalism
3. The success of Earth Hour 2008 will spur more global movements and calls for action

As they say, success breeds more success. After this project, there will be more online movements that will call for simple but effective actions. Register now and be part of the online network that will empower ordinary citizens, like you and me, to become modern-day environmentalists.

…As of this writing, Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay is in the lead and the Philippines’ Tubbataha is in 32nd place. 32!? That’s why we should unite and improve our ranking. With your help, we can make it happen…

…In 2006, the money generated by tourism in Thailand was equivalent to the money brought in by OFWs. Should we look into boosting our tourism industry’s potential as a billion-dollar earner? Can we follow in the footsteps of our neighbor, Thailand? Can tourism be one of the solutions to the “brain drain” caused by the diaspora of our workers?…

…The tourism industry is highly competitive and every country wants a bigger slice of the pie. Tourists rely on online reviews, word-of-mouth, promos and international recognitions. This online elections for The Seven New Wonders of Nature is our chance to boost the tourism industry in our country…

I’m sure that you can still remember this scene from the movie, The Matrix. You almost wanted to be Neo in the movie. Imagine being told that you are someone special and that you are “The One.” It’s very similar to Jesus’ message to his disciples as written in the book of John. He said, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.

How cool would it be if this same message was said to you by someone you look up to? What kind of warm feelings and happy emotions would you feel if your idol or mentor told you that he has been waiting for you all his life and that you are the chosen one?