• Irish Valenzuela Wins Summer Bike Race, Roger Bannister Quote, and Bicycle Joke (Perlas)Tuesday, 06 May 2008

    We see them every summer and we love watching them! They just make everything seem so easy. They always look like they’re in their first 10 minutes of the race. And they are the only males who look good in lycra - I’m talking about…

    “The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.” — Roger Bannister (first man to ever run a mile under 4 minutes - May 6, 1954)

    Q: Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up on its own?…

  • PCs Now Legal in Cuba, Cinco De Mayo, and Karl Marx QuoteMonday, 05 May 2008

    Last Friday, personal computers were sold legally for the first time in Cuba. And people flocked to the first authorized computer shop to see what a computer looks like. Many of them could only afford to…

    “Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed.” — Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 - March 14, 1883), Founder of modern Communism and co-author of “The Communist Manifesto”

    Mexican communities all over the world are celebrating Cinco De Mayo fiestas today. So don’t be surprised if you experience an uncontrollable urge to have some tequila after…

    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. -Psalm 68

  • Ocean Month in the Philippines, Horace Mann Quote, and International Firefighters DaySunday, 04 May 2008

    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

  • Philippine Organic Coffee, Niccolo Machiavelli Quote, and World Press Freedom DaySaturday, 03 May 2008

    “Yes, I’ll have Philippine organic, please.” — Sometime in the (near) future, this will be heard from the mouths of coffee lovers around the world. And I know that this may come as a surprise to those who love their imported coffee. But efforts are being made to revitalize…

    “Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.” — Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian historian and political author (May 3, 1469 - June 22, 1527)

    Today is World Press Freedom Day. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘everyone has the right to…

  • Pacquiao vs Diaz, James Byrnes Quote, and LSD Joke (Perlas)Friday, 02 May 2008

    Mark your calendars for June 28, 2008 for the Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz WBC Lightweight Championship Fight in Las Vegas. But wait! Something’s not right. I just read a news report that Pacquiao only started training yesterday, less than two months before the fight. And in his Abante column, our “Pambansang Kamao” was too busy talking about…

    Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things of life.
    — US government official James F. Byrnes (May 2, 1879- Apr 9, 1972)

    LSD Joke… A teenager asked his granny, “Grandma, have you seen my pills? They are labelled LSD.” Granny replied…

  • Take the No Foie Gras Pledge, Ludwig Buchner and Labor Day JokeThursday, 01 May 2008

    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…

  • Filipino-American NBA Coach, Saint La Salle and Web History (Perlas)Wednesday, 30 April 2008

    37-year old Erik Spoelstra is making history with the Miami Heat. Not only is he the first Filipino to become a head coach of an NBA team, he is also the youngest head coach in NBA history…

    Our quote today comes from St. Jean Baptiste De La Salle, a French educational reformer and priest, who was born on April 30, 1651. He put up schools in France as a way to help the plight of the lower class. He lived with…

    Exactly fifteen years ago, the board of directors of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that the World Wide Web (W3) would be free for anyone to use and to develop. And since then “the web” has been…

  • Cheaper Medicines Law, Andre Agassi and World Dance Day (Perlas)Tuesday, 29 April 2008

    The Cheaper Medicines Bill was passed by the House of Representatives in December 2007. And after four months of discussions in bicameral(Senate and House) committee, it now finally ready to be ratified by Congress. Then it will be signed into law by President Arroyo before May 1.The long delay was caused by the stand-off between the Senate and the House contingents in the committee. The Senate members, led by Sen Mar Roxas, wanted to change two things in the bill…

    Our quote today comes from Andre Agassi who turns 38 today. He dropped out of school and turned pro at 16. In his 20-year tennis career, he won 60 singles titles, eight Grand Slam crowns and an Olympic gold medal…

    Today is the 26th annual celebration of World Dance Day. It is organized by the International Dance Council (CID) and it aims to focus the public’s attention on the art of dance. Dance Day events may include special performances, open-door courses, public rehearsals, lectures, exhibitions, articles in newspapers and magazines, dance evenings, radio and TV programs, visits, street shows, etc. Here’s a little story about a dancing duck…

  • Philippine Federalism, World Day for Safety and Health at Work and US President James Monroe (Perlas)Monday, 28 April 2008

    Last week, Sen Aquilino Pimentel and 10 other senators presented Joint Resolution No 10 which seeks to change the Philippines to a federal system. With almost half of the senators co-sponsoring it, it should be…

    Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work. We remember the workers who died or got injured or got sick because of occupational hazards and accidents. This observance started in Canada where they celebrate Workers’ Memorial Day today. Here’s a story about a Mafia godfather, a laywer and a deaf bookkeeper…

    Our quote today comes from US President James Monroe who was born on April 28, 1758. His family lived on a small farm and when he was a boy, he had to walk for several kilometers to get to school everyday. When he was his 16, his father died and…

  • World Graphic Design Day, Stop Smoke Belching and Ferdinand Magellan (Perlas)Sunday, 27 April 2008

    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…