On my way back Home

Conception of a Cooperative

2010-02-18T17:27:00.002+08:00

Ash Wednesday February 17, 2010 in a new and sparsely fitter coffee shop - BrosBrew Coffee a group of seven dreamed of better days. They toyed with the idea that an IT Workers cooperative can and will become the vehicle of progress for the normal working stiff.

What's with Network Marketing ?

2010-02-01T18:37:00.002+08:00

Network Marketing-It's an Asset, Not a Job

By Robert Kiyosaki

I am sometimes asked, "Why do so few people make it to the top of their network marketing system?"

The truth is, the top of the network marketing system is open to everyone-unlike traditional corporate systems, which allow only one person to reach the top of the company. The reason most people do not reach the top is simply because they quit too soon. So why would someone quit short of the top?

Most people join only to make money. If they don't make money in the first few months or years, they become discouraged and quit (and then often bad-mouth the industry!). Others quit and go looking for a company with a better compensation plan. But joining to make a few quick dollars is not the reason to get into the business.

The Two Essential Reasons to Join a Network Marketing Business

Reason number one is to help yourself. Reason number two is to help others. If you join for only one of these two reasons, then the system will not work for you.

Reason number one, means that you come to the business primarily to change quadrants-to change from the E (Employee) or the S (Self-employed) quadrant to the B (Business owner) or I (Investor) quadrant.

This change is normally very difficult for most people-because of money. The true E or S quadrant person will not work unless it is for money. This is also what causes people to not reach the top of the network marketing system: they want money more than they want to change quadrants.

A B quadrant or I quadrant person will also work for money, but in a different way. The B quadrant person works to build or create an asset-in this case, a business system. The I quadrant person invests in the asset or the system.

The beauty of most network marketing systems is that you do not really make much money unless you help others leave the E and S quadrants and succeed in the B and I quadrants. If you focus on helping others make this shift, then you will be successful in the business.

As a B or an I, sometimes you don't get paid for years; this, a true E quadrant or S quadrant person will not do. It's not part of their core values. Risk and delayed gratification disturb them emotionally.

Delayed Gratification and Emotional Intelligence

One of the beauties of network marketing is that it focuses on developing your emotional intelligence as well as your business skills.

Emotional intelligence is an entirely different matter from academic intelligence. In general, someone with high emotional intelligence will often do better than someone with high academic intelligence but low emotional intelligence. That explains, in part, why some people do well in school but not so well in the real world.

The ability to delay gratification is a sign of higher emotional intelligence. In a recent study of emotional intelligence, it was found that people who could delay gratification often led more successful lives than those who could not.

This is why the educational system inherent in a good network marketing opportunity is so important. It's the emotional education or emotional intelligence aspect of their programs that I find so valuable for people.

Many people write me and tell me they loved my book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but I fear that many of them don't get the most important point of the book: Lesson #1, "The rich don't work for money."

Once I have built or bought an asset, that asset works hard to make money for me. But I will not work for money-I will work only to build or buy assets. Those assets make me richer and richer, while I work less and less. That is what the rich do. The poor and middle class work hard for money, and then buy liabilities instead of investing in assets.

What Kind of Asset is a Network Marketing Business?

Remember, there are two reasons required to be successful in network marketing: to help yourself, and to help others. Reason number one means helping yourself get to the B side of the quadrant. What about reason number two

The beauty of most network marketing systems is that you don't really make much money unless you help others leave the E and S
quadrants and succeed in the B and I quadrants. If you focus on helping others make this shift, then you will be successful in the business

If you only want to teach yourself to be a B quadrant and I quadrant person, then a true network marketing system won't work for you. You may as well go to a traditional business school, which focuses only on your becoming a B quadrant person.

The beauty of a network marketing business is that your goal is to create assets, which are other B's working under you-and their job is to create other B's working under them. In traditional business, the focus is for the B to have only E's and S's working for them.

The type of business I was taught to build is a business with me at the top and E's and S's at the base. I really don't have room at the top for many other B's, which is why in my businesses, I strongly recommend that all my employees look into network marketing as their own part-time businesses.

The traditional corporate system really is a pyramid, because there are a few B's and I's near the top, and more E's and S's at the base. A network marketing system is a reverse pyramid: its primary focus is to bring up more and more B's to the top.

One type of pyramid, the traditional type, has its base on the ground; the other type has its base in the air. It's a pyramid that pulls you up instead of pushing you down. A network marketing business gives everyone access to what used to be the domain only of the rich.

This passage is excerpted by permission from The Business School for People Who Like Helping People, by Robert T. Kiyosaki, with Sharon Lechter, CPA, authors of Rich Dad, Poor Dad."

Technical

2009-12-15T11:57:00.001+08:00

eBPLS-- business permits while you wait?

2009-11-12T17:37:00.002+08:00

The eBPLS excels in the generation of reports and responses to queries. Among the reports and responses it can provide users are:

delinquent, retired or inactive business establishments
collection performance
unrenewed, unpaid, pending permits
audit trail
collection abstract
collection summary
comparative statements
list of establishments without permit (paid)
list of exempted establishments (partial and full/ new, renewed and retired)
periodic billings
top establishments
tax order of payment
library listing
charts/graphs, where appropriate
other reports required by BLGF and DILG

Gutsy Gibon ... net connection issue solved

2009-10-21T10:39:00.000+08:00

I found a few articles mentioning the IPv6 problems with Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon, tried the suggested fixes but still had the problem. The IPv6 issue causes slow connections, but there's a connection at the end, I couldn't even connect, my browser was timing out.

It wasn't a problem related to DNS resolution either, I was already using OpenDNS.

After a huge headache and lots of sweating I found bug 59331: a change in kernel 2.6.17 (Gutsy runs 2.6.22-14) caused many websites to stop loading.

One user reported one website not loading and giving the same error I had with Campaign Monitor, the site was Ohio State University.

If you've read till here and you can't load either site, Campaign Monitor and Ohio State University, I'm almost sure you have the same problem I had, keep reading for the solution.

You need to disable tcp_window_scaling following these steps:

sudo vi /etc/sysctl.conf
Add the line: net.ipv4.tcp_window_scaling = 0
sudo sysctl -p

Update: It seems that disabling window_scaling is too drastic, instead you can add these lines to sysctl.conf:

net.ipv4.tcp_wmem = 4096 16384 131072
net.ipv4.tcp_rmem = 4096 87380 174760

And then run sudo sysctl -p to activate the change.

After the change I could access Ohio State University and thought my problem with Campaign Monitor should be fixed too, I was wrong. In my laptop I was able to access Campaign Monitor site but not their members and API site, which runs at a subdomain, and my desktop couldn't even see their home page.

I needed to read a comment by Michael Doube, in the discussion of bug 59331, to get the definitive fix:

An alternative solution is to install Firestarter, which I think works by using this iptables line: sudo iptables -t mangle -A FORWARD -p tcp --tcp-flags SYN,RST SYN -j TCPMSS -clamp-mss-to-pmtu

So I did that, installed Firestarter:

sudo apt-get install firestarter

Then I opened Firestarter from Applications > Internet, followed the instructions to enable the firewall and got the change in TCP.

Neat! Campaign Monitor's site is loading now and I can continue with my job. Not bad for almost 8 hours lost in this damn thing.

I hope Canonical releases a bugfix soon, there are many users, and I guess many websites too, having this problem.

Some additional data: It seems the problem is not an Ubuntu problem after all, but something related to some routers not conrrectly working when used with some Linux kernels, anyway, Ubuntu and other distributions should find a workaround while routers manufacturer fix their hardware or release updated firmware.

Walang Iwanan, pramis paping :)

2009-10-19T13:30:00.003+08:00

Spending the holidays with family can feel refreshing and be a sharp kick in the shins. After the euphoria and the pain, a numbing reality sets in. This is my family- no return no exchange policy applies.

The trip back to Manila was interesting. Daddy, as usual wanted to be super duper early in the airport so as not have the stress of rushing to a last boarding call.

Having checked in our baggages and having a couple of hours to spare, I wanted to take my parents out for an early lunch so that we can casually drive back to the airport 30 mins before boarding time. As expected Dad did not want to go out of the airport. He wanted to play it safe and just wait for the plane. so I invited Mummy, I knew she wanted to come with us, we were going to have some pasta but ... knowing Mummy she was rock steady and composed. She stayed with her Man.

Dad was willing to let her have lunch with the kids, and he would have waited in the airport .. some what grudgingly ..but he would have allowed her to leave with us. But Mummy just stayed with her Man.

This was interesting to me. If my parents were jologs ... this would have been a"Walang iwanan --- pramise :)" moment. I think it's important to have a united from even with issues in the family. No doubt, Mum would have nagged Dad for being so "sigurista" or border line pranning.. but what ever happened, or what ever dialogue took place... became private and confidential. To us ... the adult children, right or wrong they were united in making that simple decision.

Filipiino sense and Sensibilities - rediscovery

2009-10-14T13:27:00.003+08:00

As a result of various influences, Spanish, Chinese, American and Middle Eastern way of life, the typical Filipino now was not so typical before. This is a strange and cryptic statement.. but let me explain. Working and living with the marginally poor I've noticed that the sensibilities of the folks in the province are a far cry from the sense and sensibilities of the Urban poor.

Gadgets and the dream to have the latest and the greatest gadgets seem to out weigh the importance of having a decent place to live. For the Urban poor, begging is the best way to get money;tricks are part and parcel of living in the streets. I've noticed in a couple of occasions the same kids wearing shabby clothes and walking barefoot near the traffic lights .... are technologically hip.
They have cell phone, .... wow a bum with a working cell phone.They can actually send out text messages. This is amazing..... beat that ... do the paupers in your streets have a cell phone?

Another first for me ... our live-out house help brings with her a two year old daughter. I guess there are no day care centers here. Breakfast,lunch and dinner of her clan ... this includes a 10 year old son who has the appetite of a construction worker are spent in the house. So in each of our meals we have an additional 3 mouths to feed. Even if it's past lunch time, i'd ask her have you had lunch? And the answer is always .. no ... and they'd dig in. So as not to embarrass, I 'd usually just invite them to eat any way.

I guess it's a Pinoy thing... you have to feed your workers.I am sure, is it the same way with you ? Would you do the same or .... have I been raised in a quirky way .. so as to come out as "masakitoon". Roughly translated ...it means being cruel person.

---- note to self------

To have happy workers, make sure you include the cost of meals in the compensation packages for your Filipino workers. This is not just for the working class .. it's for all the flips out there who punches in their card and works hard for their money.

Added bonus... please serve more fresh vegetables and fruits. This will ensure that you lower absenteeism our health related performance issues.

How to kick your kids out of the family home.

2009-10-14T09:46:00.000+08:00

Marion Presser Kurn and Mike Kurn, of Manalapan, N.J., were so very close to having an empty nest. Their two eldest children appeared to be launching successful careers, and their youngest daughter had just graduated from a local community college. Reality first intruded when their 28-year-old daughter Cheryl, who was in New York chasing her dream of a life in television, found that part-time contract work wasn’t enough to pay the bills, and she moved back in. Next up: their 25-year-old son Matt, who had studied criminal justice and become a cop, one of the few rock-solid gigs around in this economy. Then he announced he was “rethinking his career,” and he quit. Welcome back, Matt. Meanwhile, like so many recent college graduates, their 21-year-old daughter Jodi, is struggling to find the right job, so she’s still at home.

For now, all three are working at Mike’s gym. In the meantime, the elder Kurns have seen their grocery bill skyrocket and have even had to absorb a spike in their electric and gas tabs. The elder Kurns had hoped to be focused on saving for retirement by now.

“There’s no point in kicking them out,” says Marion, 54. “Where would they go?”

Indeed, that’s a question many parents are struggling with as the worst job market in a generation and burgeoning student debt conspire to drive huge numbers of adult children back home to mommy and daddy. According to a 2009 survey by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, more than one third of workers under age 34 are living with their parents. And guess what? Parents of college kids face decent odds that Junior will need his old room back: MonsterTRAK, a division of Monster.com, found that just 54 percent of companies planned to hire new college grads this year, compared with 76 percent in 2007.

Making matters worse is the fact that young adults also face more debt than ever — average undergraduate student-loan debt is at a record high of $22,700, according to the College Board, and undergrads also carried sky-high credit card debt last year.

All of which means you shouldn’t be surprised when your daughter’s moving van heads straight from the sorority house to your doorstep. Here’s how to make the best of the situation and help ease your children out of the homestead. (Also, check out these tips for getting along with your boomerang brood from a kid on the opposite side of the fence, the writer of the popular [Stuff]MyDadSays Twitter feed).
Ground Rules

If you hope to ever get your kids out of the house, you need a plan in place before they move back. That plan should set a move-out deadline and define what they need to accomplish while they’re home, says Christina Newberry, co-author of The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home. Newberry speaks from experience, having twice moved home to live with her parents in her 20s. She suggests families agree to a policy for everything from overnight guests to sharing the TV and the house computer. Do not baby your children, she warns. “If you treat them like a kid again, you’re not helping them — you are creating a lifestyle that they won’t be able to maintain when they leave,” she says. “Your job is to get them to where they don’t need you anymore.”

If your adult child works, set limits for what you are willing to pay for around the house (HBO? Yes. Their cell phone? No.), and agree on a specific date to start paying rent and an amount. A useful rule of thumb for how much to charge is 10 to 20 percent of take-home pay, which is less than the 30 percent the average person spends on rent, but enough to be meaningful to both parents and kids. Don’t feel right taking your child’s money? Use rent payments as a carrot by promising to hand the money back at the scheduled move-out time.

Sarah Kini, 24, recently moved from an apartment she shared in Boston’s South End to her parents’ house in Cambridge because her job just didn’t pay enough. At her mother Joanne’s request, Sarah is depositing the $800 she previously paid in rent into her savings account to be used toward an MBA; Joanne says she’ll check Sarah’s bank statements to make sure she’s depositing faithfully. She also plans to remove her daughter’s iPhone from her group phone plan and ask her to pay for gas on the borrowed car.

If your adult child doesn’t work, consider offering a work-for-rent arrangement that means something to you financially, such as mowing the lawn, paving the driveway, or painting the house. When James Peel, 24, moved home to Dallas after college in 2008, he helped his father, Bill, fix the family’s deck, an estimated $700 job if they’d hired a carpenter.

Job Search

After your twentysomething moves in, you need to make it their job to find a job. Applying for one job a day is a reasonable rule, says Abby Wilner, a researcher in higher education at the Pell Institute and co-author of Quarterlife Crisis and Quarterlifer’s Companion. Your adult child should be networking, going to job and industry events, contacting his alumni association, and researching target companies, rather than just applying to online job postings, she says.

If you’re itching to open your BlackBerry and share your contacts, tread lightly. “It’s a serious mistake for a parent to take that over unless the kid really wants it,” says Jane Isay, author of Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents. Adult children in their 20s who are starting to assert some independence may not want your help, she says. A laid-off thirtysomething, however, might have the maturity to welcome the gesture. Also, as hard as it is to be objective about your offspring, try to make a judgment: Is your daughter ready for an interview with your old pal who is now head of sales at a big corporation? Or is the smarter path to ask your friend to recommend a younger salesperson who could give her some advice?

Asking your adult children to join your LinkedIn or other work-related social network can be helpful. But if you make the offer, do it with care. Let your business contacts know in advance that your child might be emailing them. And warn your young job applicant, a charter member of the Twitter generation, that it’s not cool to send a mass email to your contacts.

And while you may have to endure some eye rolling, review the basic rules of networking, such as how to use informational interviews and the importance of writing thank-you notes. Nudging your grown kid to change his job-search direction can help, too. Peel was having no luck finding a position at a public relations firm after an internship failed to turn into a full-time job. So his mother, Kathy, who runs a coaching firm, organized a family meeting to brainstorm. During summers and holiday breaks, James had worked in retail outlets and enjoyed sales work, so he tweaked his resume and cover letter to highlight his sales skills. Their efforts paid off when James landed a sales job at Guitar Center in Dallas. The family is now working on a budget to help him move out.

Tough Love

If a year passes and your child is still a permanent fixture on the couch, it’s time for a change, especially if he or she isn’t putting in the time and effort to find a job and move out.

A career counselor, with fees that range between $500 and $2,000, may be worth the cost to get your child back on track. A counselor can assess your children’s skills, clean up their resumes, and create career-action plans to get them moving. Hallie Crawford, an Atlanta-based career counselor, says it’s often her job to push adult kids to take an entry-level job — even if it isn’t their dream job — to get them started.

Parents also need to be unafraid to kick their kids out so they can grow up and start their own lives — even if it means they have to work a McJob and live with three roommates, says Jane Adams, a social psychologist and author who coaches parent-adult child relationships.

Susan, of Albany, N.Y., came to the reluctant conclusion that kids need a firm shove out the door. “My advice is to make it so uncomfortable at home that your kids flee,” she says. “By being too soft you are enabling them to stay.” After moving home in April, Susan’s 25-year-old daughter decided she really didn’t need to work, so she quit her retail job. Her room was a mess, and she had recently started inviting a new boyfriend home every evening. For Susan, who requested that we not use her last name, the boyfriend was the last straw. She imposed a 10 p.m. guest curfew.

Guess what happened? Her daughter moved out within a week.

Sure, in this economy, your kids have a fairly strong financial incentive to return to the nest. But some things are more powerful than money.

Our Journey

2009-10-11T10:18:00.000+08:00

Lolo and Lolas journey

2009-10-11T09:44:00.002+08:00

After a couple of weeks in Bicol, Camarines sur Lolo Art and Lola Shirley was again on a flight to Davao City.

Here is Lola Shirley, trying to use here spare time to say a little prayer for the family and sort out the stuff in her magical Red Mary Poppins bay. As a side note this bay has been around the world a couple of times and doubles up to a pillow and a mini bean bag.

Our arrival to Manila was on schedule, followed by connecting flight to Davao City.

Our departure from Manila to Davao was late due to bad weather. There was an building low pressure several hundred miles away off the coast of Bicol region. That meant several hours of waiting time in the airport. Lolo Art is not so happy with it.

Arrived Davao at approximately 10pm, no time for pictorials. We were promptly fetched by Buboy and had our Vegetarian Dinner.

We had romaine lettuce, carrots and several helpings of fruits in season. Our grand children Seth, Elijah and Elisha were quick to make us right at home feel at home.

Top 15 Cleansing foods

2009-10-06T08:21:00.001+08:00

When it comes to cleansing your body of harmful toxins, food really is the best medicine. You’ll be amazed to learn that many of your favorite foods also cleanse the body’s detoxification organs like the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin, preventing harmful toxic buildup. Help ward off the harmful effects of pollution, food additives, second-hand smoke, and other toxins with delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, and beans.

Apples. Because apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body, they help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines.

Avocados. We rarely think of avocados as a cleansing food but these nutritional powerhouses lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Avocados contain a nutrient called glutathione, which blocks at least thirty different carcinogens while helping the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.

Beets. Time to whip up some delicious borscht soup since its main ingredient, beets, contain a unique mixture of natural plant compounds that make them superb blood purifiers and liver cleansers.

Blueberries. Truly one of the most powerful healing foods, blueberries contain natural aspirin that helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation, while lessening pain. Blueberries also act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. They also have antiviral properties and help to block toxins from crossing the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the delicate brain.

Cabbage. Cabbage contains numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds and helps the liver break down excess hormones. Cabbage also cleanses the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke (and second-hand smoke). It also strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.

Celery and Celery Seeds. Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.

Cranberries. Cleanse your body from harmful bacteria and viruses that may be lingering in your urinary tract with cranberries since they contain antibiotic and antiviral substances.

Flaxseeds and Flaxseed Oil. Loaded with essential fatty acids, particularly the Omega-3s, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are essential for many cleansing functions throughout the body.

Garlic. Eat garlic to cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body, especially from the blood and intestines. It also helps cleanse build-up from the arteries and has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances. Additionally, garlic assists with cleansing the respiratory tract by expelling mucous build-up in the lungs and sinuses. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which has virtually none of the above properties.

Grapefruit. Add a ruby red grapefruit to your breakfast to benefit from pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. It also has antiviral compounds that cleanse harmful viruses out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.

Kale. Steam some kale to benefit from its powerful anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds that help cleanse the body of harmful substances. It is also high in fiber, which helps cleanse the intestinal tract. Like cabbage, kale helps neutralize compounds found in cigarette smoke and strengthens liver cleansing.

Legumes. Add a handful of cooked beans to your next meal since they loaded with fiber that helps lower cholesterol, cleanses the intestines, and regulates blood sugar levels. Legumes also help protect the body against cancer.

Lemons. Excellent liver detoxifiers, lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, a vitamin needed by the body to make an important substance called glutathione. Glutathione helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (not the bottled variety) to pure water to support your cleansing efforts on a daily basis.

Seaweed. Seaweed could be the most underrated vegetable in the western world. Studies at McGill University in Montreal showed that seaweeds bind to radioactive waste in the body. Seaweed also binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body. In addition, they are powerhouses of minerals and trace minerals.

Watercress. If you haven’t tried watercress add this delicious green to your next sandwich since it increases detoxification enzymes and acts on cancer cells in the body. In a study at the Norwich Food Research Centre in the United Kingdom, smokers who were given 170 grams of watercress per day eliminated higher than average amounts of carcinogens in their urine, thereby eliminating them from their body.

Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables assists with detoxifying harmful substances from your body. Who knew cleansing could taste so good?

Ang cute cute ko noh ?!

2009-09-27T17:10:00.003+08:00

This is a snap taken by my grandson Seth. Pink sisters Convent at Davao City... cute ko noh?!

Bosconian Delight @ Buda Davao city

2009-09-22T09:04:00.003+08:00

Over the long weekend we visited the farm of Fr. Franco SDB at Buda. This is a start of something great. From left to right, Oca, Art, Fr. Franco and Manny. Bosconians collaborating for a better tomorrow now.

This is an interesting view about Money and Debt --

2009-09-14T17:08:00.001+08:00

Sitting along the highway, cool breeze , cars and trucks passing by
we arrived past 11 pm. It was a cool cloudless night the familiar cool breeze was so welcoming... just like the welcome of an old familiar face.

I can smell the rice or is it the pasta boiling away. it's somebodys birthday today... kublai's old friend. I am just here for the ride. we talked alot about alot of things last night in between the jokes and stuff like that ... some nuggets of wisdom could be found. Tried by fate and perfected by time some things hold true. I think everyone's longing for acceptance and understanding ...

last night kublai shared his reason for mwearing his shirt inside out. Wearing his shirt inside out was show of silent protest.He viewed the world indie out , the wrong way .. he's not happy with what he is seeing around this his his way .
So the world is inside out and upside down. It difficult to change .. but its easier to change the way you wear your tees.

Why wear your shirt inside out? How how about wearing your pants the same way ?
Answer .
Have you ever tried wearing your pants inside out ? Resounding laugh.. and giggles. It's just darn difficult to get access to your pockets that way. and how about going to a piss when using levis button flies .. that would be quiet a challenge..and a feat of dexterity.

We do what little we can , when we can and just offer to the world for free.

mujaheed ray millan the artist of muslims, christians and the lumads.
works on one of biggest churches in mindanao were commissioned to him. Icons venerating the proud muslim tradition were commission to hime ....and tributes to the lumads of mindanao were commission to him.

it's interesting how these things are . Alittle more than 5 years ago i was here with kublai in cross road... and guess this too is a cross road for me.

Are the signes telling me that it's time make some changes ?

several things i realize when i am away from my family even for a short time. I love my wife and I love my children. I guess some times it's important to step back and look into your life and look with a attitude of gratitude. For all the travails of domestic life and the mundane challenges of raising a family ... life special and good. No matter how tough and crazy things might get, separation is not an option.

Letter to my Dear wife.

Dearest Mariella,

For the several years now we've been together, living, working , loving and playing. For sharing those momment i am grateful I was blessed that way. I want you to know how special you are to me. Sometimes .. often .. i ma in a crazy mood, i need to make you understand that this mood is triggered when the life i have in my mind is different from the life i am living.
It's not you ... it's me. If i have learnt anything from my parents .... its that .. the foundation of a happy marriage is love.
Love that overcomes, love that sees the faults and yet prevails. Love the supports and creates. Love that nurtures and is easy to give. Love that's forgiving adn understanding , love that's warm and comforting, love makes you want t o be a better husband. A love that makes you want to be a more patient Dad. A love that provides. A love that's as constant as the Love of God , unrelenting and always in our midst.

I know based on the good examples of our Dads, I am way way way off. It's also not a pissing contest of who can be the best husband and Dad. But for today .... maybe just for today ... I will be a better husband and dad.

------ in bed while playing with the kids ... Isha once said.. Dad is this our life? When she asked that question you tried to explain further what you though she was saying. You explained ... that Isha was really asking if this is our life .. is this how simple our family life is . and explained further that .. she aspiredfor more.. trips abroad etc. That was an interesting though and a stimulating question.

I had wanted to teach a simple lessen in having that attitude of gratitude and finding out what the Lord really has planned forus. I am convinced that we are destined to do great things for a lot of our people. I know that because he has been continually equiping us with teachers and experiences that tend to point that way. I know that because although our life and foundation may not have been easy... it was certainly eventful and has moulded us to what we are now.

Mariella, I thank you for choosing me to spend share your wonderful life with. I thank you for choosing me to be your friend , partner, helpmate and lover.

Letters to my sons Seth and Elijah.... to follow

Seminar on Natural Farming

2009-09-05T06:43:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I attended a seminar on Natural farming facilitated by Mr. Andre Lim of Lim farms in Calinan. He started off by linking the history of creation with as seen from Genisis chapters 1,2 and 3.He talked about the research about diet and how much we should eat to stay healthy. He tackled questions like why d owe eart and how much should we eat.

Generally we eat until we are full or atleast have the feeling the we are full. This means we stuff our bodies with any thing that will give us that full feeling. He shared that a man daily diet should roughly contain rice as big as ones fist, this (1 fist size) is to be divided the number of meals in a day. Similarly we should eat 5 fist size vegetables divided by the number of meals for that day. The meat we should consume should be just one fist size for a day. He also shared that in God's infinite wisdom he man things logical. For example our teeth determines the kind of diet we should eat. As omnivores we have only 2 pairs of meat slashing teeth- the canines. The rest of our teeth are really for breaking up plant cellulose.

He expained the active and vital role of the microorganisms in our world. He explained hoe to make IMO1 and IMO2 step by step so that we can use their function in our homes. he also talked about poultry and hog raising the natural way. He's been doing this since 2004 and he's got the bottom line to show for it.

He talked at least about vermiculture and the how to make Fermented Juice Extracts to boost the productivity of plants by givng them their vitamins. This was a very productive seminar in deed... I cannot wait to start.

Social Media tools , To FB or not to FB.

2009-09-01T18:13:00.001+08:00

Should Your Organization Use Social Networking Sites?
Signs that a social networking site might work — or not work — for you

By: Brett Bonfield

January 8, 2008

This article is courtesy of Idealware, which provides candid information to help nonprofits choose effective software. For more articles and reviews, go to www.idealware.org.

You've likely heard of Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. These types of tools, collectively known as social networking sites, allow individuals (and sometimes organizations) to create online profiles, discover others who share their interests, and create an online network of contacts and supporters.

Social networking sites have received a lot of attention from the nonprofit world because they align with nonprofits' desire to reach out to larger communities. If your local animal shelter could tap into a network of cat lovers in your area, the logic goes, wouldn't that allow it to find homes for even more pets? Adding to the buzz, there are a number of success stories about nonprofits using social networks to reach new volunteers, locate audiences interested in their cause, build up supporter lists, and even raise money.

On the other hand, the success stories can be a bit thin compared to the number of nonprofits experimenting with these sites, and the investment in the staff time required to build and maintain an online social network can be substantial. Each nonprofit has its own set of priorities, and it's unlikely that social networking will top the list for every organization.

Who is likely to get the most value out of social networking sites? To answer this question, Idealware spoke to a number of nonprofit technologists working with social networking tools. We searched beyond the success stories to discover tales of only middling success, or even of disappointment. What resulted were two sets of guidelines: first, how to know if social networking isn't right for you and second, some of the ways that social networking might benefit your organization.
Six Signs that Social Networking Isn't for You

Just because you've heard a few nonprofit success stories doesn't mean that social networking sites are worth the investment for your organization. What are the signs that social networking might not be a good fit for your priorities?
1. You're still trying to get a handle on your basic software infrastructure.

There are many ways software can enhance your organization's effectiveness and efficiency. Social networking sites should not be the first tools you turn to, however.

Almost all organizations will get more bang for their buck by ensuring that their computers are networked and backed up regularly; by purchasing robust software to help staff members do their jobs; by maintaining a useful constituent database; and by exploring the benefits of an e-newsletter or email action alerts. Once these fundamentals are in order, it makes more sense to turn your attention to experimental areas like social networking.

One exception: If you're looking for an easy way to build a simple Web site and your audience overlaps substantially with the younger and more tech-savvy audiences likely to be using MySpace or Facebook, it's worth considering using social networking tools to create a Web presence, as discussed in point one under "Opportunities in Social Networking," below.
2. Your target audiences aren't using social networking tools

Social networking works best when the people you're trying to reach or work with are already members of a community like Facebook or MySpace. Look for opportunities to interact with current or new constituents in the sites they're already using, rather than expecting them to join you on a new site.

While these sites' audiences are expanding among older and niche audiences, they are still predominantly young (in their teens or twenties) and tech-savvy. Some of the niche social networking tools can help you reach different demographics, but it's important to know where the folks you're trying reach already are.

How should you go about learning what sites your target audiences are using? There's no better way than asking them, either through a survey or informal one-on-one interviews.
3. You don't have time to experiment with something that might not work.

Online communities aren't self-maintaining. They need you to promote them, cultivate them, and give them direction. If your network blossoms, you may be able to step back and watch your users produce and share content. But getting to that point takes a lot of time and effort.

What's more, this work is not likely to yield immediate, measurable, bottom-line returns on your time investment. There are some examples of organizations attracting large numbers of supporters to sign a petition or to become “friends” within a social networking site. This is can be helpful in marketing your organization, but it's often hard to convert these online associations into more traditional supporters. With most social networking tools, for example, it's difficult to contact large numbers of friends cost-effectively.

When it comes to fundraising itself, social networking sites are still a new frontier. As is pointed out in October 2007's The Wired Fundraiser (154 KB PDF) , a report by SixDegrees and Network for Good,

"the successful [fundraiser] has a relatively rare combination of true passion and a means to lend a sense of urgency to their cause. Not every SixDegrees fundraiser or Facebook Cause is a winner, but a proud few — the super activists — are very effective, raising $9,000 on average and reaching 150 people."

If you have the skill, time, and inclination to mold yourself into a super activist, and raising $9,000 from 150 people would be a big win for your organization, then social networking might work well for you. But keep in mind that there's no guarantee.

Investing in social networking sites isn't a calculated risk, like sending out an appeal letter or a proposal, or inviting a prospect to lunch. We don't yet have enough data to know what the payoffs may be, if there are any at all.
4. You're not willing to deal with technologies that don't work as well as they could.

Social networking is not yet a well-oiled machine. The technology is changing rapidly. Things break. If your organization decides to invest in social networking, you'll need a reliable consultant or a staff member (not a volunteer or an intern) who is willing to experiment, figure out how to get stuff working, and approach these tools with a sense of adventure. They'll need patience to deal with platforms that don't necessary work as well as they could, or even as well as advertised.
5. You're not ready to invest in gaining a real understanding of the medium.

So you want to seed your leadership and donor pipeline with Millennials and Gen Y'ers by reaching out to them through social networking sites? Good idea. But young folks can sniff out campaigns with ulterior motives faster than you can design them.

In order to have success with social networking, it's critical that you understand the culture of the communities you're joining. Typical social networking site users expect a collaborative, open approach. Anything that seems like a hard sell or like it was put together by a committee will be ignored, or, worse, ridiculed.
6. You want clear editorial control over your brand and message.

People who use social networking tools are not interested in promoting your brand or following your message guidelines. When you get involved with these sites, it's hard to control the context in which your organization shows up. For instance, it's completely possible that you'll appear in someone's list of “friends” alongside causes with which you do not want to be associated. Those who succeed with social networking do so by letting their constituents have a substantial voice in their message, rather than by setting firm rules and expecting users to follow them.
Opportunities in Social Networking

Still with us? While not for everyone, social networking can provide interesting opportunities for the right organization. What are some of the ways that social networking sites might help your nonprofit?
1. Establishing a simple Web presence.

MySpace and Facebook offer easy-to-use tools that will help you set up a Web presence. If you just need to put up some simple materials, and you're planning an open, collaborative outreach strategy that involves the type of people likely to be on social networking sites, creating your initial Web presence using these tools could be an interesting option.
2. Promoting specific actions or petitions.

People check their email when they want to read and write. They log in to Facebook or MySpace when they want to take action. For many, an email petition is an annoyance to be deleted, while Facebook applications are fun, social, and available when you're ready to click a button, add your name to a petition, volunteer a little something about yourself, and compare your responses with friends. If you know and respect their culture, social networking sites can be an effective way to encourage people to take action or spread the word about your cause.
3. Consolidating existing, unofficial social networks related to your organization.

Sometimes it's not about what you've created, but what already exists. Some of your supporters may already be using social networking tools to informally find and keep tabs on one another. In this case, forming an official group and profile can help all your supporters network in one place. But do so gently. You're only there to support their efforts, not ruin their fun.
4. Informal outreach that blends the personal and professional.

One director reported posting a message to one of her social networks one morning about the donut she was eating for breakfast, soon followed by another message to report on survey responses that had just come in. Social networks can be a useful, immediate way to stay in touch with a group of people, and let them know what's going on with you, your organization — even your carbo-loading.
5. Researching VIPs, potential employees, and others.

You can find tons of information about people — and a lot of possible contacts — within social networking sites. For instance, it can be a useful place to research the background and affiliations of a potential employees. One of the people we spoke to used her social networking contacts to track down Elizabeth Edwards to see if she would be willing to speak at an event. The fact that Edwards turned her down misses the point: She got close enough to Edwards, through her social network, to invite her in the first place.
6. Strengthening relationships between people who already know each other.

When you have a group of people who have participated in a volunteer day, workshop, or other meetup, you can foster their relationships through online social networking. By allowing group members to post messages and resources, you encourage them to stay in touch and continue their involvement with one another and with your organization.
7. Encourage and respond to constituent feedback quickly.

If you want to get quick and honest feedback, social networks are a great way to test your commitment to open communication. Make it as easy as possible for people to find you and make requests (either within the site, or privately), and make sure you respond quickly, personally, and where appropriate, publicly.
Are Social Networks for You?

So should you invest in creating a profile or networks on social networking sites? It depends on your organization. To succeed with social networking sites, you'll likely need a staff member or consultant who has a passion for working with these types of sites. You'll also need to establish goals to understand if the time commitment is worthwhile. For instance, if you're trying to expand your community, how many new people linked with your cause would make your time worthwhile? Be open to alternative goals, too: Perhaps your primary purpose with social networks is just to get your name in front of the younger members of your audience.

More than most technologies, success in social networks depends on your sense of adventure. There are a lot of opportunities, but many of them are not thoroughly explored or tested. You might achieve great success — or it could all end up being a great big waste of time. Think through the challenges and opportunities carefully, and then decide whether social networking is right for you.

Core competencies in this Day and Age

2009-08-14T13:37:00.001+08:00

In the process of sharing about the IdeaCamp Davao with new friends, their reactions and their testimonies prompted me to pigeon hole certain skills/competencies that I think I personally need. I was fortunate enough to be around people like Mark and the Ideacamp Davao team to bounce out of this world Ideas and still be accepted. In the terms of the renowned artist Kublai Millan people like us who dare to dream and still work the daily grind are people with "sayad". Unconventional, quirky, artistic, ingenious in our own simple way.

This list is not exhaustive, my wife and my children will have a whole booklet full of other skills that need more work... that's posted on a different blog. :) Feel free to add.

*Managing Ambiguity. “Managing ambiguity is that tension between rushing to the clear, the concrete, and managing this ambiguous fuzzy area in the middle. And managing ambiguity is something we have to teach. Because we have to counter the story of a single linear solution.”

* Agency and Responsibility. “We have to be able to take responsibility and know what that means. Being an effective agent means being able to approach one’s environment, social or physical, with a confidence that one actually will be able to deal with it.” Always ask what's their expectations are. Level off early and often to know that we are still on the same page. The Filipino culture is strange that way, if things are not going so well, few will confront you and take the time to coach you- I think this is because of the inherent Asian custom of non-confrontational management. In a fast phased work environment, this just doesn't fly.

* Finding and Sustaining Community. “Managing community is partly about that multitasking of connecting and interacting. It’s also, of course, about maintaining community, about maintaining links with people, making sure you do remember your best friend’s birthday, that you don’t forget that your grandmother is by herself this weekend, and of course recognizing also that one is part of a larger community, not just one’s own private little world.” My wife is very good at this. She remembers to send text messages to friends and family on their birthdays, I've noticed Face Book is really good at helping me do this.

* Managing Emotion. “Really it’s about getting away from the idea that emotion and reason are separate… Teaching young people to manage reason and emotion and not to flip to one or the other is an important part of our education process.”This took a while for me to manage- as a Karateka, my Sensie commented that I was a passionate fighter in the kumite, However I needed to control the emotions and explode at the right moment- timing is essential, practice is vital.

* Managing Technological Change. “When we have a new tool, we first use it for what we are already doing, just doing it a bit better. But gradually, the new tool changes the way we do things. It changes our social practices.”Managing performance meant constant information sharing,as BPO manager I noticed email and chat threads were a lot easier than side by side coaching- however nothing beats a heart to heart talk and a daily walk about just to make sure your supervisors and their agents feel the love.

That's all I have for you folks ... I hope to see you on September 12 at MTS Whistle TOP for IdeaCampDavao 2.

2009-08-09T10:40:00.000+08:00

NATURAL HEALER How Dr Wu rid himself of cancer with a vegetarian diet By: ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

2009-07-26T21:41:00.001+08:00

NATURAL HEALER
How Dr Wu rid himself of cancer with a vegetarian diet
By: ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA
Published: 7/05/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Mylife

At the age of 30, Chinese doctor Tom Wu was diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer, and was told he had only a few months to live.

However, Dr Wu, who recently spoke with Mylife, has already reached 70 years old, and to our surprise, he still looks like a young and healthy man in his 50s.

Not only has he survived, but the doctor has maintained a healthy life. The cancer is all gone, and he said he's never caught a cold or other illness for 40 years. He has stopped going for blood tests.

"My body and feelings tell me I'm well, that I'm truly in good health," says Dr Wu.

His secret lies in the power of natural healing. Dr Wu always says that no wonder drug can cure diseases. But our own internal healing power, our immune system, can. And what can strengthen our immune system are simple foods from Mother Nature, and a healthy lifestyle.

In his view, diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be overcome by changing the diet.

Dr Wu says people get sick because they eat the wrong foods. Fried food, for example, causes blockage in the arteries, bad circulation, cholesterol, and heart disease.

"Instead of taking a cholesterol lowering drug, I would urge them to stop eating greasy food. My suggestion is to eat clean food, which is high in phytochemicals, " he says.

Phytochemicals are natural cleansing agents that will help rid plaque from your arteries. They come from natural foods such as vegetables, fruits with their seeds, and common garden herbs.. Phytochemicals will nourish the body's cells so they can fight against any foreign substances that invade your body.

Dr Wu's outstanding contributions to the development of natural medicine earned him the "World Famous Doctor Award" from the UN in 2001, and the "Best Wellness Doctor of the World" award from India 's World Wellness Open University in March.

The secrets of how he won the fight against lung cancer and maintains a healthy body are revealed in his first book, Dr Wu's Principle of Natural Cures, which has recently been translated from its original Chinese version into a Thai edition,Thammachart Chuay Chewit, published by Nanmeebooks Publications.

It was launched in Thailand in March.

Dr Wu says what's written in the book is unique and easy to understand because "the author is both the doctor and the patient himself".

All the ideas and guidelines suggested in the book come from his own experience as well as what he has learned from his patients.

Dr Wu turns to natural medicine.

Dr Wu had first studied Western medicine in France , and then furthered his education in alternative therapy, earning a doctorate degree.

The turning point arrived when he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 30.. Modern medicine gave him no hope; it was too late to remove the damaged parts of the lung. The cancer had already spread to other organs, and the doctor told him he had only a few months left.

In his despair, Dr Wu picked up the Bible and prayed to God. Then the Bible fell to the floor, and he read the page it opened to carefully. The chapter talked about the days God created the Earth and everything needed for human beings. Then he created Adam and Eve,

and told both of them that plants, vegetables and seeded fruits growing on Earth have been provided for them to eat.

"I thought about what I had eaten in the past - meat, fish, fried and grilled food, sweet cake, but God simply wanted us to eat vegetables and sour fruits.

I was confused and doubted whether I would become weak if I ate too many vegetables and less meat," says Dr Wu.

Yet he decided to follow the Bible's guidance. He ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, drank clean water, and completely adjusted his lifestyle - his sleeping, breathing and exercise habits.

Nine months later, he went for a check-up, and surprisingly no cancer cells were detected..

He advised people in his family and in the neighbourhood about his discovery, and studied natural medicine until he received a doctorate degree in naturopathy and nutrition from the US .

Dr Wu has been a frequent speaker at worldwide forums, spreading his knowledge on natural cures and the use of organic food. He advises people to use the most simple foods in the most natural way in order to fight illnesses and maintain good health.

Dr Wu's secrets to good health
Published: 7/05/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Mylife

The human body has the power to heal itself. The immune system has a self-defence mechanism to block and destroy bacteria or viruses that invade our bodies, while the self-healing mechanism will get us back on the road to recovery. When you have a cold and take medicine, the medication may kill the virus but your immune system will not fully function, and its efficiency will decrease. As a result, your body will be more vulnerable to germs.

Dr Wu's principle is to strengthen the immune system, and avoid medication as much as possible. In his book, he offers the following guidelines to good health:

1. Have at least three bowel movements a day.

Other health experts may advise one bowel movement a day, but Dr Wu says that's not enough. You need three to four bowel movements a day in order to excrete all the accumulated faeces from your intestine. Your liver will not be overburdened and it also helps reduce cholesterol in your body.

2. Drink at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable smoothies each day.

This is a way to ingest enough phytochemicals to strengthen the body's cells and immune system.
Use not only the flesh, but also the skin and seeds of fruits and vegetables to make smoothies, as they are rich in phytochemicals.

Most of the fruit seeds have small amounts of cyanide which kill bacteria and viruses without damaging the body.

Actually the recommended smoothie diet is six glasses a day, two in the morning, one before lunch, two more in the afternoon, and one more before dinner.

However, if that's too much, you may start with three glasses a day. Use a high powered blender (at least three horsepower) as it can release phytochemicals from the fibre.. It's best to choose sour fruits like green or red apples, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and lime.

3. Sunbathe 30 minutes daily.

We often hear that the Sun's UV rays will damage our skin, and many people apply sunblock before going out.

But Dr Wu says the opposite. He says the UV rays will help convert cholesterol underneath the skin into vitamin A which helps moisten the skin and prevent skin cancer, and also vitamin D that helps prevent colds, osteoporosis, and certain kinds of cancer.

"Therefore, use the Sun. Expose yourself to sunlight about one-half hour a day, at noon or another appropriate time based on your local climate. The Sun will make you healthier," says Dr Wu.

4. Exercise 30 minutes a day.

Don't exercise for more than 30 minutes. If you go beyond that, your body will be overworked.

"If you do it more than half an hour, that will become labour, not exercise. Your heart and your body will be working too hard," he says.

5. Shower with hot, then cold water.

Try an alternating cold and hot water shower: Three minutes of hot water followed by 30 seconds of cold water, then repeat twice more.

This process will bring a rush of blood and energy to your body. It helps increase your immune system, blood circulation, and metabolism..

6. Drink a lot of water, in the correct way.

How much water you need to drink each day depends on your specific situation. If your office is air-conditioned, drinking six glasses of water a day is enough.

If your work involves lots of walking, you have to drink 8-10 glasses a day. If you work under the hot sun, then 10-12 glasses of water are required.

The way you drink is also important. The correct way is to sip it little by little, to give your body cells time to absorb the water.

If you drink the whole glass down at once, your cells can't absorb it all, and the water will be excreted as urine..

7. Eat according to your blood type.

Your blood type determines what you should eat. Eating the wrong foods will make you sick.

People with blood type O have to eat a certain amount of meat. If they eat only vegetables for a long time, their body won't absorb all the substances they need

to strengthen their immune system. The recommended diet for this group is 75% vegetables, 10% fruits, 10% meat, seafood and goat's milk (avoid cow's milk),
and 5% grains.

People with blood type A, however should avoid milk and meat, while increasing grains and fruits.
People with blood type B should also avoid meat, while those with blood type AB should avoid chicken and beef.

8. Eat according to your biological clock.

Every human being has a biological clock that tells us when to eat, sleep, and wake up.. If you don't follow your biological clock, the organs will lose their balance.

Toxins and wastes won't be excreted from your body, and soon you'll get sick.

According to Dr Wu, the biological clock is divided into three phases.

From 4am to noon is the time for bowel movements, so in the morning you should eat foods with lots of fibre. Fruit and vegetable smoothies are recommended.

From noon to 8pm, your body will absorb food so lunch is the most important meal. A vegetable salad with grains is recommended. Fish or boiled eggs can be added to your lunch. Avoid meat at dinner as the amino acids in the meat will disturb your sleep. Try to finish dinner by 6pm.

From 8pm to 4am, the nutrients and energy from food will be distributed throughout your body organs. The golden time for your sleep is between 10pm and 2am, as your immune and self-healing system will function at its best.

NATURAL HEALER How Dr Wu rid himself of cancer with a vegetarian diet By: ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

2009-07-26T21:39:00.001+08:00

Published: 7/05/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Mylife

At the age of 30, Chinese doctor Tom Wu was diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer, and was told he had only a few months to live.

However, Dr Wu, who recently spoke with Mylife, has already reached 70 years old, and to our surprise, he still looks like a young and healthy man in his 50s.

Not only has he survived, but the doctor has maintained a healthy life. The cancer is all gone, and he said he's never caught a cold or other illness for 40 years. He has stopped going for blood tests.

"My body and feelings tell me I'm well, that I'm truly in good health," says Dr Wu.

His secret lies in the power of natural healing. Dr Wu always says that no wonder drug can cure diseases. But our own internal healing power, our immune system, can. And what can strengthen our immune system are simple foods from Mother Nature, and a healthy lifestyle.

In his view, diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be overcome by changing the diet.

Dr Wu says people get sick because they eat the wrong foods. Fried food, for example, causes blockage in the arteries, bad circulation, cholesterol, and heart disease.

"Instead of taking a cholesterol lowering drug, I would urge them to stop eating greasy food. My suggestion is to eat clean food, which is high in phytochemicals, " he says.

Phytochemicals are natural cleansing agents that will help rid plaque from your arteries. They come from natural foods such as vegetables, fruits with their seeds, and common garden herbs.. Phytochemicals will nourish the body's cells so they can fight against any foreign substances that invade your body.

Dr Wu's outstanding contributions to the development of natural medicine earned him the "World Famous Doctor Award" from the UN in 2001, and the "Best Wellness Doctor of the World" award from India 's World Wellness Open University in March.

The secrets of how he won the fight against lung cancer and maintains a healthy body are revealed in his first book, Dr Wu's Principle of Natural Cures, which has recently been translated from its original Chinese version into a Thai edition,Thammachart Chuay Chewit, published by Nanmeebooks Publications.

It was launched in Thailand in March.

Dr Wu says what's written in the book is unique and easy to understand because "the author is both the doctor and the patient himself".

All the ideas and guidelines suggested in the book come from his own experience as well as what he has learned from his patients.

Dr Wu turns to natural medicine.

Dr Wu had first studied Western medicine in France , and then furthered his education in alternative therapy, earning a doctorate degree.

The turning point arrived when he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 30.. Modern medicine gave him no hope; it was too late to remove the damaged parts of the lung. The cancer had already spread to other organs, and the doctor told him he had only a few months left.

In his despair, Dr Wu picked up the Bible and prayed to God. Then the Bible fell to the floor, and he read the page it opened to carefully. The chapter talked about the days God created the Earth and everything needed for human beings. Then he created Adam and Eve,

and told both of them that plants, vegetables and seeded fruits growing on Earth have been provided for them to eat.

"I thought about what I had eaten in the past - meat, fish, fried and grilled food, sweet cake, but God simply wanted us to eat vegetables and sour fruits.

I was confused and doubted whether I would become weak if I ate too many vegetables and less meat," says Dr Wu.

Yet he decided to follow the Bible's guidance. He ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, drank clean water, and completely adjusted his lifestyle - his sleeping, breathing and exercise habits.

Nine months later, he went for a check-up, and surprisingly no cancer cells were detected..

He advised people in his family and in the neighbourhood about his discovery, and studied natural medicine until he received a doctorate degree in naturopathy and nutrition from the US .

Dr Wu has been a frequent speaker at worldwide forums, spreading his knowledge on natural cures and the use of organic food. He advises people to use the most simple foods in the most natural way in order to fight illnesses and maintain good health.

Dr Wu's secrets to good health
Published: 7/05/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Mylife

The human body has the power to heal itself. The immune system has a self-defence mechanism to block and destroy bacteria or viruses that invade our bodies, while the self-healing mechanism will get us back on the road to recovery. When you have a cold and take medicine, the medication may kill the virus but your immune system will not fully function, and its efficiency will decrease. As a result, your body will be more vulnerable to germs.

Dr Wu's principle is to strengthen the immune system, and avoid medication as much as possible. In his book, he offers the following guidelines to good health:

1. Have at least three bowel movements a day.

Other health experts may advise one bowel movement a day, but Dr Wu says that's not enough. You need three to four bowel movements a day in order to excrete all the accumulated faeces from your intestine. Your liver will not be overburdened and it also helps reduce cholesterol in your body.

2. Drink at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable smoothies each day.

This is a way to ingest enough phytochemicals to strengthen the body's cells and immune system.
Use not only the flesh, but also the skin and seeds of fruits and vegetables to make smoothies, as they are rich in phytochemicals.

Most of the fruit seeds have small amounts of cyanide which kill bacteria and viruses without damaging the body.

Actually the recommended smoothie diet is six glasses a day, two in the morning, one before lunch, two more in the afternoon, and one more before dinner.

However, if that's too much, you may start with three glasses a day. Use a high powered blender (at least three horsepower) as it can release phytochemicals from the fibre.. It's best to choose sour fruits like green or red apples, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and lime.

3. Sunbathe 30 minutes daily.

We often hear that the Sun's UV rays will damage our skin, and many people apply sunblock before going out.

But Dr Wu says the opposite. He says the UV rays will help convert cholesterol underneath the skin into vitamin A which helps moisten the skin and prevent skin cancer, and also vitamin D that helps prevent colds, osteoporosis, and certain kinds of cancer.

"Therefore, use the Sun. Expose yourself to sunlight about one-half hour a day, at noon or another appropriate time based on your local climate. The Sun will make you healthier," says Dr Wu.

4. Exercise 30 minutes a day.

Don't exercise for more than 30 minutes. If you go beyond that, your body will be overworked.

"If you do it more than half an hour, that will become labour, not exercise. Your heart and your body will be working too hard," he says.

5. Shower with hot, then cold water.

Try an alternating cold and hot water shower: Three minutes of hot water followed by 30 seconds of cold water, then repeat twice more.

This process will bring a rush of blood and energy to your body. It helps increase your immune system, blood circulation, and metabolism..

6. Drink a lot of water, in the correct way.

How much water you need to drink each day depends on your specific situation. If your office is air-conditioned, drinking six glasses of water a day is enough.

If your work involves lots of walking, you have to drink 8-10 glasses a day. If you work under the hot sun, then 10-12 glasses of water are required.

The way you drink is also important. The correct way is to sip it little by little, to give your body cells time to absorb the water.

If you drink the whole glass down at once, your cells can't absorb it all, and the water will be excreted as urine..

7. Eat according to your blood type.

Your blood type determines what you should eat. Eating the wrong foods will make you sick.

People with blood type O have to eat a certain amount of meat. If they eat only vegetables for a long time, their body won't absorb all the substances they need

to strengthen their immune system. The recommended diet for this group is 75% vegetables, 10% fruits, 10% meat, seafood and goat's milk (avoid cow's milk),
and 5% grains.

People with blood type A, however should avoid milk and meat, while increasing grains and fruits.
People with blood type B should also avoid meat, while those with blood type AB should avoid chicken and beef.

8. Eat according to your biological clock.

Every human being has a biological clock that tells us when to eat, sleep, and wake up.. If you don't follow your biological clock, the organs will lose their balance.

Toxins and wastes won't be excreted from your body, and soon you'll get sick.

According to Dr Wu, the biological clock is divided into three phases.

From 4am to noon is the time for bowel movements, so in the morning you should eat foods with lots of fibre. Fruit and vegetable smoothies are recommended.

From noon to 8pm, your body will absorb food so lunch is the most important meal. A vegetable salad with grains is recommended. Fish or boiled eggs can be added to your lunch. Avoid meat at dinner as the amino acids in the meat will disturb your sleep. Try to finish dinner by 6pm.

From 8pm to 4am, the nutrients and energy from food will be distributed throughout your body organs. The golden time for your sleep is between 10pm and 2am, as your immune and self-healing system will function at its best.

after all that water...I am just a speck on this dew.

2009-06-28T17:31:00.000+08:00

My cave ... under the tropical sun.

2009-06-28T17:24:00.000+08:00

more buda shots

2009-06-28T17:22:00.000+08:00

buda @ Buda ... are we rising yet ?

2009-06-28T17:20:00.000+08:00

Buda At Buda, Davao City

2009-06-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

What Is a Social Entrepreneur?

2009-06-23T09:28:00.000+08:00

Entrepreneurs are essential drivers of innovation and progress. In the business world, they act as engines of growth, harnessing opportunity and innovation to fuel economic advancement. Social entrepreneurs act similarly, tapping inspiration and creativity, courage and fortitude, to seize opportunities that challenge and forever change established, but fundamentally inequitable systems.

Distinct from a business entrepreneur who sees value in the creation of new markets, the social entrepreneur aims for value in the form of transformational change that will benefit disadvantaged communities and ultimately society at large. Social entrepreneurs pioneer innovative and systemic approaches for meeting the needs of the marginalized, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised – populations that lack the financial means or political clout to achieve lasting benefit on their own.

Throughout history, such individuals have introduced solutions to seemingly intractable social problems, fundamentally improving the lives of countless individuals by changing the way critical systems operate. Florence Nightingale and Maria Montessori offer two prominent historical examples. Muhammad Yunus, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, is a more recent example. He began offering microloans to impoverished people in Bangladesh in 1976, thereby empowering them to become economically self-sufficient and proving the microcredit model that has now been replicated around the world.

While social entrepreneurship isn’t a new concept, it has gained renewed currency in a world characterized by a growing divide between the haves and the have-nots. With this heightened visibility, social entrepreneurs at the forefront of the movement are distinguishing themselves from other social venture players in terms of ultimate impact.

DabaweGNU @ Mellow Touch 94.7

2009-06-23T09:23:00.001+08:00

We were guests at Mellow Touch 94.7 along with Evelyn Lavina of Agri Davao and Mag Agri sa Davao. Thank you to DJ ED Candia for his invitation.

Promoting IdeaCamp Davao @ a Comedy Bar

2009-06-23T09:00:00.002+08:00

One of the ways we decided to promote our event is through this local comedy bar called Metromix. The three performers were indeed very passionate about their art and we are in negotiations to have them in our next IdeaCampDavao gathering.

Wednesday Club 888 @ Marco Polo Eagle's Bar

2009-06-17T18:23:00.001+08:00

Earlier this morning George Tujan, Murlwe Pidor and I were invited to talk at Club 888. It's the première forum for press people to interface to chat with local people of interest and find out what they are upto. Amoung the guest were Former justice ..., Former Council for the 3rd district Delica, Councilor Tessie Maranon, Dr. Palayab, and Ms. Hannah Cano of (Pinoytakeout.com).

I was surprised that the main topic of the day was the controversial Reproductive bill 5043- introduced by Edcel C.Lagman et al. More information about the bill and how it affects all of us here. Session was very interesting for me personally. It brought me back to my college days a decade ago when I introduced the ProLife Movement to the Marian Core Group. The things I learned during those times were shocking to say the least. And now here we are again .. dealing with the same issue .. but now, the age old question ... when does life begin...is still being asked. I though that this was clear... it begins in conception .. when the sperm cell fuses with the genetic material of the ovum or the female egg. Now I heard they are changing the rules or nature.. redefining it.

I am told and it seems obvious that there are stronger powers involved in this. I believe that inorder for us to beat this ..we have to accentuate the positive. Celebrate life. Let's talking about making sure each and every business establishment has a place where you can change the babies diapers and breast feed comfortably. Let's have jeepney stops sheltered from the rain and the hot sun. Let's have public transportation which makes it easier and safer for kids and the senior citizens.

Why do we have to buy all these condoms, birth control pills ..etc. There are other ways to control. Making a law that will punish practitioners and people in authority for not promoting artificial Birthcontrol goes against the grain of common sense. It's high time our people get their heads out of their asses and smell the stench of the "Diglo" as defined is ass burp .. cos dighi is mouth burp. Besides all these contraceptive devices are made abroad .. well most of them anyway. This will not promote our local industry.
-------------------------------------

After some passionate exchanges about th Reproductive Health Bill ... it was my turn to talk about DabaweGNU -- opensource software advocacy through training and our latest forey -- IdeaCampDavao. All those things by the way were my personal thoughs about the Reproductive Health Bill. I told them that IdeaCampDavao was a venue for people who were passionate about what they do... and for them to share this passion through a 5 -10 minute presentation. This was a free event that's meant to be a catalyst for positive change through sharing... sharing ideas, contacts and network. We don't charge for this -- but we definitely welcome donations to the cause.

Donating to a Worthy Cause

It's curious because when we started off, we did not have a single centavo to spare for this event. For example the First IdeacampDavao last May 30 was held at Cafe Kublai, Ponce Suites. This was an unconference venue, Unconventional approach to typical problem. This was made possible through .. synchonicity and God providence.. key people with key resources

ScribeFire in Action

2009-06-13T11:57:00.001+08:00

This is the first time I am using the Scribefire. I hope it uploads well.

What is Con-Ass ?

2009-06-11T19:16:00.001+08:00

What is Con-Ass ? Last night and for the better half of this morning the telecoms were down. PLDT, Globe and Smart networks were down. No internet and for us who rely on the ICT were disconnected. All bank transactions were delayed until further notice. No one knew what was happening. Was this all staged? What's all the noixe about Con-ASS. Well, in short it's an assembly where representatives of the country will look into changes that we can make into our constitution. The law of the land.

In the midst of our struggle to make our projects sustainable and profitable in a challenging economy we are made to think about CON-ASS. In my limited view of the world... alot of people are banking on using this to extend their contract with the people. Indeed power ... corrupts.

What is this all to do with me? I am just a father of 3 kids working to to sell my earthworms, promote opensource software and it's philosophy and trying to make enough to provide for three meals a day and for their education. My wife is the most practical person I know... her solution to all this is to just leave for a a better place. Like most of our friends and family ... they are else where, probably doing the same thing, but in a better ambiance.

I consider my self an idealist...my father always called me that. He listened to my thoughs and how things can be and he would smile and call me an idealist. He would smile cos he too is idealistic. In my father's world , the family was number one. WE would fight tooth and nali for the family. Spend every every ounce of blood sweat and tears just to provide for us. That is my father, the senior. I find myself in a community.... i have this dream to make our world a little better that I found it. It's difficult cos on top of that I still have my family to keep.... i think that's the reason why Ghandhi allowed his family to take care of his kids. He even stopped having that relationship with his wife. At his peak... Ghandhi was celibate.

It's obvious .. what I need to do. I need to keep the family provided for. I also need to make sure my ideals are matched to my lifesyle.....my kids are watching every move i make... the world needs living heros who will take care of both their families, community, country and be faithful to God.

2009-06-04T20:44:00.000+08:00

Paint schools -- community work ..with a little help from my friends Gener and Jomari

Independence Day - are we really free?

2009-06-03T20:22:00.001+08:00

It's a week before Independence day and after being up and about doing advocacy work for Free and Opensource Software and the open source philosophy.. I wonder, are we really free? Free to do what and pursue what? Free to be ?

In this picture you see the 4 reasons I labour and toil. Seth, Elisha, Elijah and the Philippines. Sometimes the order changes, but it doesn't mean I value them any less. My God is a given. I am not a religious man, but I like to consider myself as a spiritual man. My wife and partner is also a given. She is the best parts of me and it's a constant challenge for me to bring out the best out of myself and my partner for the greater glory of God and Country.

Are we really free? We are not. Our biggest enemy is poverty... and this is the lack of want or material possessions. It's poverty of the mind ... that scarcity mentality. The programming that for us to win someone has to lose. I am old school, this paradigm shift is something I have to constantly guard. I consider myself a blessed man, I have a job which I enjoy --as a social entrepeneur--- I have a family who loves me--- and I have good health enough to enjoy them all. I pray that you too will count your blessings.

I miss having a fat pay check,I miss having to travel any where and any time I please. But I cherish the quality time with my wife and kids. I cherish the improvements I see in my community-- ideacampdavao, brigada eskwela and outreach to local orphanages.

my prayer

"God, you're a great provider and with your wisdom and fervent love for the Filipino people please bless us all with good health, teach and inspire us to work together for the common good. Bless the social entrepreneurs no matter how few they are... bless them abundantly so that their projects may prosper for the greater Glory of your Kingdom."

Isha graduation from Pre-school

2009-06-02T12:04:00.000+08:00

This year is memorable, Isha graduated from preschool at the Ateneo in Matina. She was very happy to an award for best conduct. Some of the notable things I've noticed with her is the development of her maternal instincts. She takes good care of her brother and Dad. Just like her mom.

Ideacamp Davao

2009-06-02T08:39:00.004+08:00

Thank you guys for a good start with idea camp. We had a great turn out. Some of the faces from idea are posted on this site. We are indeed looking forward to the next idea camp.

Ideacamp Davao -- all ready , all set ... go go GO!

2009-05-30T09:16:00.002+08:00

Meeting with the different committees for the ideacamp davao. Still checking , listing .... and it looks like we are almost set... see you all at the ponce suites.

University online --- UN announces launch of world’s first tuition-free, online university

2009-05-29T21:01:00.001+08:00

Link to the University of the People: http://www.uopeople.org/Default.aspx
- Hide quoted text -

A leading arm of the United Nations working to spread the benefits of
information technology announced last week the launch of the first
ever tuition-free online university. As part of this year’s focus on
education, the UN Global Alliance for Information and Communication
Technology and Development (GAID) presented the newly formed
University of the People, a non-profit institution offering higher
education to the masses.

“This year the Global Alliance has focused its attention on education
[and] on how ICT can advance education goals around the world,” Serge
Kapto from GAID told a press conference at UN Headquarters in New
York.

For hundreds of millions of people around the world higher education
is no more than a dream, Shai Reshef, the founder of the University of
the People, told reporters. They are constrained by finances, the lack
of institutions in their region, or they are not able to leave home to
study at a university for personal reasons.

Mr Reshef said that this University opened the gate to these people to
continue their studies from home and at minimal cost by using
open-source technology, open course materials, e-learning methods and
peer-to-peer teaching.

Admission opened just over two weeks ago; and without any promotion
some 200 students from 52 countries have already registered, with a
high school diploma and a sufficient level of English as entry
requirements.

Students will be placed in classes of 20, after which they can log on
to a weekly lecture, discuss its themes with their peers and take a
test - all online. There are voluntary professors, post-graduate
students and students in other classes who can also offer advice and
consultation.

The only charge to students is a $15 to $50 admission fee, depending
on their country of origin, and a processing fee for every test
ranging from $10 to $100. For the University to sustain its operation,
it needs 15,000 students and $6 million, of which Mr Reshef has
donated $1 million of his own money.

Making a strong come back

2009-05-27T11:49:00.003+08:00

Who said quality and environment friendly should cost you an arm and a leg? Well, that's the trend these days, if you want quality and environment friendly products you have to pay through your nose. Well there must be something good in what a Filipino company is doing. Nviro a subsidiary of Amon marketing has developed a suite of environment friendly paints, wood glue and other construction materials which are not only of high quality as certified by the SGS, they are also cheaper. What's that they are cheaper than their competitors like Davis and other paint manufactures.

This product is proudly Pinoy, and world class. This company has not only shown us that the Filipino can, this company showed us it's long term commitment to the Filipino people specially the children in public elementary an High Schools. They've partnered with Team Mabel - Davao City and Brigada Eskwela to make sure the children of the Philippines will have a fighting chance. The visionary and president of Amon Marketing is paying it forward through our schools. We will be expecting more from this notable company. It's comforting to know that even with a down economy, there are companies who focus on the value not just the maximizing bottom line.

Mabuhay ang Pinoy... tatak world class !!!

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/marketing/10770-nviro-goes-its-own-way.html

IdeaCamp on PIA Daily News Reader

2009-05-25T06:31:00.002+08:00

This article is from PIA -RG Alama

Davao City (23 May) -- Do you have an idea, or a concept, or solution to a problem you want to discuss? Or are you in need of novel solutions or practical business concepts? Then perhaps you can consider joining the maiden launching of Davao Ideacamp, the first activity of this kind in Davao City.

Ideacamp is an interactive activity where people get to share various ideas in a unique adhoc set-up and where the topics are decided upon by the participants themselves.

"It is foremost an ad-hoc gathering of interesting and interested individuals who like to collaborate and bring ideas to life. It's about sharing and learning in an open & friendly environment. There's no registration fee, no dress code. Just bring yourself and an open mind," says Mark Maglana.

30-year old Maglana, is the founder of Davao Ideacamp which is being organized by DabaweGnu a local group of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) advocates of which Maglana is a member. He says he got his inspiration when he was an AusAID scholar.

"We (the scholars) were tasked to step up the entrepreneurial activity in Davao City. I wanted to set the conditions whereby this would happen rather than try to teach the city. I believe that Davao already has the answers to the question of entrepreneurship," Maglana said.

"I think the problem is that these "answers" are found in pockets of communities or small groups. By putting up the Ideacamp Davao, I'm hoping that we'll get these small pockets to converge, share ideas, and form something really useful for the city," he added.

The event is free of charge. The space, snacks and wifi access are provided by kind sponsors. You have to register first at the website www.ideacampdavao.com or call dabaweGNU office at 227-8238 since limited slots are available because of space constraints.

According to Maglana, the first part of the activity is the talk where the speakers are strictly given 10-minutes each to discuss their topics and another 10 minutes for questions and answers. After their talk, it is up to the participants who they want to approach and talk to.

This is the time where the participants are formed into mini-group depending on the topics which they are interested in. The topics are sourced from the participants themselves. The topics in the first Ideacamp are listed as follows:

Developing successful entrepreneurs in Davao City

Energy from the wind for P5, 000 or less

Opportunities in the educational sector

Innovating in the crowded Internet cafe industry

Why your customers can't afford to buy from you

Online city maps: How business can benefit from them

Sustainable solutions from your backyard.

A grand design to make Internet cafes profitable.

Maglana said the theme for the first Ideacamp is "Opportunities in a downed economy." He said he hopes to develop IdeaCamp into a monthly affair. The maiden Ideacamp is slated to be held this May 30, at Kublai's café, Ponce Suites; the activity will start at 2.p.m in the afternoon.

To Be of Use

2009-05-24T20:19:00.002+08:00

As a knowledge worker I 've often asked my self.. is that all? At the end of the day, I'd come home and the kids would ask me what things I've done. Telling them about deals I've closed, the way my teams improved their productivity and the CSAT ratings up and any thing related to things surreal usually would lul my kids to sleep. Well, atleast I did not have to read them a story from Pooh and Christopher Robin.

I think back to the days when I was younger and I'd ask the same questions to my Dad. His answer was simple ... He inspected x number of houses found some faulty water proofing on some villas. He inspected 2 km of pipe using a long boad skate board etc. And when ever I wanted, I can almost always visit the construction site and touch the buildings my father built. I could read the plans and relate them to something solid, tangible and real.

In exasperation my mother, reminded us of the sacrifices our Dad was making under the heat of the middle eastern sun. She never failed to remind us that every grain of rice we were eating and every dinar we spent of our frivolouness came from the sweat of our Dads crotch baking under the middle eastern Sun. If that wasn't graphic enough for you, you should stick around a little longer while our parents recalls their younger days in the barrio, when they just wore slippers to school and used jute bag as school bags.

When we think back now... we smile, knowing that somehow they exaggerated alittle. Now that I have kids, I too get a chance to take them to my work place. It 's more virtual now, but thank God for my focus in Vermiculture and sustainable agriculture... I can still show them some real fruits of my labour. I think we need to do something real, tangible often... it links us to the here and now. It makes us feel useful.

Ideacamp Davao

2009-05-24T09:11:00.006+08:00

Please check out Ideacamp Davao on May 30 2 pm onwards at Cafe Kublai, Ponce Suites , Dona Vicenta Village, Davao City. It's an ad Hoc venue for interested and intersting people to share on "Kabuhayan in a down economy. For details please click here.

DabaweGNU in Brigada Eskwela

2009-05-15T15:21:00.002+08:00

DabaweGNU in brigada eskwela. This Monday volunteers from DabaweGNU - an opensource software advocacy through training, will join the millions of volunteers all around the country to help our Public Schools. The hardy band of brothers... will take time off from coding and training on seemingly cryptic codes and will be in good ole jeans and shirt; painting, scrubbing the floors and walls of local public schools in Davao city.

This is our little way to say thank you and just another way to show we give a damn. Just in time to introduce ED. Who is ED ?What is ED..... this and more will follow.

http://fil.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Balita:Brigada_Eskwela_(Bayanihan_Para_sa_Paaralan)

Linux for Real People

2009-04-29T05:49:00.000+08:00

IT seemed like a perfectly geeky thing to do, so I braved rain and the Saturday night traffic to get to the Ubuntu Release Party at the Ortigas Center.

It’s been almost three years since I began using Ubuntu, a user-friendly Linux-based operating system, to replace Windows on my home PC, and I’ve been enjoying the benefits ever since: absolutely free, high-quality software; the absence of viruses and other malicious programs; and no intrusive anti-piracy measures that assumed I was a thief. In this time, I had gone through three operating system upgrades, yet I had never been to a release party.

Since Ubuntu was introduced in 2004, its commercial sponsor, Canonical, has pushed a new release out the door twice a year. This may seem strange in the world of commercial software, where new versions of Windows or Mac OS X are launched every few years, but it’s consistent with the underlying philosophy of Linux to release early and release often as a way of improving product quality.

Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions, takes its release number from the year and month of its release. Thus,the first version, 4.10, was released in October 2004. The newest version, 9.10, was released last week.

Like Mac OS X, Ubuntu also uses animal code names for its releases, though these tend to be funkier and alliterative to boot. So while the Mac has had Panther, Tiger and Leopard, Ubuntu has had Warty Warthog (4.10), Hoary Hedgehog (5.04), Breeze Badger (5.10), Dapper Drake (6.06), Edgy Eft (6.10), Feisty Fawn (7.04), Gutsy Gibbon (7.10), Hardy Heron (8.04), Intrepid Ibex (8.10) and Jaunty Jackalope (9.04). The next release, 9.10, will be called Karmic Koala.

When Microsoft and Apple launch new versions of their operating systems, they do so with much hype and fanfare—and a lot of marketing dollars. No wonder then, that these events are covered extensively by the wire services and mainstream press—which habitually ignore Ubuntu releases.

Instead of huge launch events, the Ubuntu community celebrates every new version with modest release parties all over the world, organized by ordinary folk who contribute in some way to the product—programming, designing or simply reporting bugs—or those who simply love to use it.

“At these parties everyone is welcome and we get together to celebrate, meet new friends and often introduce people new to Ubuntu to our community and our operating system,” the Ubuntu wiki reads. Another common feature of release parties are “burn fests” where copies of the new operating system are given away free—an idea that would no doubt appall Microsoft and Apple.

There were only about a dozen of us at the Philippine release party for Jaunty Jackalope, but it was a welcome opportunity to meet and exchange notes with fellow enthusiasts, who came from a wide variety of fields. Most of the group was young. Except for me and Dr. Pablo Manalastas, everyone else seemed to be in their 20s or 30s.

The host this year was Johann Tagle, who offered the use of his office at the Strata 2000 Building and provided the pizza (naturally). His company, Sagada Solutions Corp., develops Ruby on Rails applications on Ubuntu machines.

This year’s party was organized by Allan Caeg, a third year Psychology student from the De La Salle University, who is active in the local forum and contributes to Ubuntu by reporting bugs and handling some user support. He discovered Ubuntu quite by accident while using the StumbleUpon toolbar in Firefox.

A highlight for me was the opportunity to meet Manalastas, an icon at the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science at the Ateneo de Manila University for 30 years before his retirement in 2007. Doc Mana, as his students and colleagues call him, gladly showed me his MSI Wind notebook, which triple boots to Windows XP, Ubuntu or Mac OS X.

I also met Dax Solomon Umaming, who is the liaison between the Philippine Ubuntu community and Canonical. Dax, who works for a power company in Baguio City, came all the way to Manila for the release party.

“I got into Linux because of porn,” he said. “I got viruses from porn sites, and the last time, they sent out my personal notes to everyone in my address book, so I decided to stop using Windows.” A C++, Java and PHP-MySQL programmer, he finds Linux more suitable for developers because there are tons of tools available, and they’re all free.

Not everyone at the release party was a programmer, though.

Gener Luis Morada, country representative for G.ho.st, an Israeli company with Palestinian programmers, began using Ubuntu at home after his friend Troy Frederick Lim, a board member of the Internet Cafe Association of Imus in Cavite, showed him what he could do. Troy acknowledges that he still can’t use Ubuntu in his own cafe because customers still look for Windows.

John Sese Cuneta, a freelance Web designer after working for several large online gaming companies, also acknowledges that it is more difficult—often impossible—to play popular online games on Linux.

“That’s good, it cures your addiction!” blurted Juan Carlo Torres, who contributes to the KDE desktop environment.

Orlando Pasion, who works at the technical service department of Bayan Telecommunications, says he learned Ubuntu after his company began to get support calls from people who were using Linux to connect to the Internet. “Then I got addicted to Ubuntu,” he said.

Rochelle Derilo, a student at the UP Open University and a Windows user since 1995, began using Ubuntu after her friend, Frederick Bamm Gabriena, an instructor of astronomy at the Rizal Technological University, showed her that Linux was no longer limited to the command line interface.

Ubuntu is often described as Linux for human beings because it is easy to use. This weekend, it was great to meet and swap stories with some of these human beings.

Column archive and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

Decide to be Rich

2009-04-27T03:07:00.001+08:00

Today, because of the multitude of choices we all have, it is easy to get distracted from where we want to go in life. I offer you a few suggestions on how to find your path and stay on your path to great wealth, if you should choose to do so.

One night in 1975, I sat in my little apartment and began to choose the path I was now to take. I had to again decide which dad’s path I would follow, my rich dad’s or my poor dad’s. I had been off track for 10 years and it was now time to get back on track.

These are some of the decisions I made and have continued to make over the years.

Step One: Decide to Be Rich

That night in 1975, I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and decide again to be rich. I went over some of the lessons my rich dad had given me - lessons that were more important than money, because they would ultimately create the financial empire I wanted.

I sat quietly that night and my lessons began all over again. I could hear my rich dad talking. “The only difference between the rich, poor and middle class,” he said, “is the kind of lifestyle they want. You don’t have to be psychic to tell a person’s future. If you listen to the words a person uses, they will tell you their future.”

Rich Dad believed that words were a person’s most important tool. He constantly reminded me to watch the words I spoke, simply because he believed that the words you speak and the words you think ultimately become the world you live in. He often quoted the Old Testament: “And the word became flesh”.

So that night, I remembered Rich Dad reminding me to listen to different people’s words. I noticed that poor people often said:

“I just want enough money to pay the rent.”

“I need a few dollars to get to the next pay day.”

“After I pay my bills, I don't know how my family can afford to eat.”

People who used words such as these, often focused only on financial survival. Rich Dad often referred to these people as “poor” people, because they were poor managers of money. So a person who thought or spoke words such as these was constantly fighting for financial survival, regardless of how much money they made.

The middle class used different words because they had different ideas about how to use their money:

“Our home is our most important asset and our largest single investment.”

“We’re setting a few dollars aside every month, so we can afford the down payment on our dream home.”

“We’re saving money for our children’s college education and our retirement.”

I noticed that the middle class focused on comfort. That is why so many of them say, “I don’t want to be rich. I just want to be comfortable.”

That night, I recalled the words my rich dad’s rich friends used:

“How did you finance your shopping center? Did you syndicate it with a joint venture partnership or did you go to a hard money lender for the interim money?”

“My underwriter has a new private placement, pre-IPO offering. Do you want a position in it?”

“I bought the shares through my corporation because the long-term tax consequences are better.”

The rich used the vocabulary found in the asset column. Rich Dad said, “The rich are rich because they are not focused on day-to-day short-term survival, or the expense column as the poor are. Nor are the rich focused on comfort and the acquisition of liabilities using credit, as the middle class is.

The rich are rich because they focus on the long-term acquisition of assets... assets such as stocks, bonds, businesses and income producing real estate. Many times the rich will forsake meals, a steady pay check, a vacation, or the comfort of a nice home, to build or acquire real assets.”

So decide to be rich, even if you are broke and penniless today. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, I wrote of the difference between being poor and being broke. Poor is a state of mind where thoughts such as “I can’t afford it” or “Live below your means” come from. Being poor is eternal but being broke is temporary.

The opening chapter of The CASHFLOW Quadrant is called, “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” It begins with my wife Kim and I being homeless for about 3 weeks. Even though we were virtually out of money, we continued to strive to become rich, to build a business and invest through that business.

Today, even though we have plenty of money and several businesses, nothing much has changed. We continue to build businesses, reinvest in our businesses and invest through those businesses.

In The CASHFLOW Quadrant, I wrote about Be-Do-Have. “Be” is the most important part of the three word formula. Most people want to “Have” what the rich have, but they often are not willing to do what the rich “Do” to have what the rich “Have”.

So whether you have money or not, it is important to “Be” rich if you decide to do so, which means being willing to make being rich more important than merely surviving financially or being comfortable.

Step Two: Decide What Kind of Money Problems You Want

There are only two kinds of money problems: not enough money or too much money. Unfortunately, the kind of money problem most people know is not enough money.

Rich Dad stressed that his son Mike and I know not only how to make money but what to do with the money we made. Rich Dad said, “Most people know how to work for money, but they do not know how to have people and money work for them.” So he taught us how to plan on having too much money.

He said, “If you want to be rich, you must make sure your excess money creates more excess money. You must know what to do with your excess money before it gets to you. Most people, when they receive any excess money, spend it foolishly or just park it in the bank.”

So decide what kind of money problems you want.

Step Three: Write Your Plan and Follow It

After choosing between being rich, poor or middle class, and then choosing between too much money or too little money, it’s time to write your plan.

If you have chosen to be rich, even though you are broke today, and have decided to have the problem of too much money, read on. If you do not plan to be rich or to have too much money, then you need not read any further.

Rich Dad’s plan started with a few basic goals:

1. Change the characteristic of your income. Start a part-time business.

2. Change the characteristic of your expenses. Convert personal expenses into business expenses.

3. Place your business inside a legal entity.

4. Have your business buy your assets.

5. Harness the power of reinvesting.

If you’re willing to be a little uncomfortable to become very rich and retire early, develop your plan — even though you may be broke, but not poor, today. And if you are already rich, Rich Dad’s plan may help you become richer and happier...even beyond your wildest dreams.

Step Four: Decide on Where You Want to do Your Banking

Rich Dad often said that you could tell the difference between the rich, poor and middle class simply by where they went to get their money or to do their banking.

Rich Dad said, “A poor man’s bank is a pawn shop.” A pawn shop lends money on “assets” that a banker would not loan money on. When a poor person is short of cash, they will often go to the pawn shop and put their chainsaw, microwave oven, jewelry, TV sets, tools, or watches up as security.

The pawn shop gives them cents on the dollar, because what the poor spend their money on is not worth anything after they buy it anyway. The pawn shop makes money by charging legal usurious interest rates.

The middle class has the creditworthiness to use banks, savings and loans, or credit unions for their lines of credit. A popular form of credit for this group is the credit card, which is easy to obtain.

The rich also use banks. But they often use different banks. They use the services of investment bankers, or find private capital from wealthy individuals, or money from institutions such as pension funds, insurance companies or the stock market.

The rich, if successful as business people, have fewer problems raising large sums of money and at better interest rates.

So decide where you will do your banking.

Step Five: Choose Your Friends and Partners Wisely

One of the reasons the rich get richer is because they spend time with other rich people. Most of my best investments come from my rich friends, not from my stock brokers or real estate brokers. It is important to know if a person’s aspirations are to be rich, comfortable or simply survive.

Friends who merely want to be comfortable or survive will not understand why you want to be rich and may unconsciously pull you down. And besides, the investment tips I get from people who only want to be comfortable are often tips on investments that no one else wants.

How do you find people who are rich or want to be rich? Rich Dad had a simple answer: “It’s what you know that determines who you know. If you want to change who you know, simply change what you know.” So the most important investment you can make is in your financial education and financial experience. Invest in that first and the people you spend time with will change.

Step Six : Give Yourself Time

It takes time to build a business as well as an investment portfolio. Building a business is not the same as getting a job. With a job, you expect to be paid soon after starting work. With a business, you may not be paid for years, if you are paid at all. That is why I recommend keeping your daytime job and starting a part-time business.

It is said that 90% of all businesses fail in the first 5 years. In my opinion, there are two main reasons for this sad statistic. One reason is lack of education and experience. Business is not something you can learn in school. Business is a combination of formal education, experience and guts.

The second reason is lack of money. We have heard the old cliche “Killing the goose that lays the golden egg”. When starting a business, many people kill the baby-goose before it’s old enough to lay the golden egg.

In other words, most small businesses are undercapitalized, which means the new business owner tries to support him or herself and often a family on a business that is not yet up and running. So the business is drained of cash when it needs it most to grow.

Step Seven : Start Small, Dream Big

In 1975, I realized that my $700 in savings was not much when compared to Mike’s hundreds of millions of dollars, which were rapidly growing into a billion dollars. Initially, I felt like giving up, saying to myself, “What’s the use. I’ll never have more than Mike.” But then I realized that if I continued with that thought process, not only would I never have more than Mike, I would never have much of anything.

I was comparing myself with Mike and trying to compete with him, rather than use him as inspiration and as a mentor. So that night I decided to dream big and start small.

Many people start small and stay small, simply because they have small dreams. In my opinion, big dreams are important because they possess ingredients vital for success: hope, desire, passion, energy, vitality, faith, drive, inspiration and creativity. These ingredients make life worth living.

So dare to dream big. Dream of all the wonderful things this world and life have to offer. Write your plan on how you can have all your dreams come true and look at the plan every day. Talk to people about your dreams, even those who criticize them. Then use their criticism to make your desire even stronger.

Step Eight: Before You Expand You Must Contract

In 1975, I knew that if I was to achieve great wealth quickly, I first needed to tighten up before I could expand. I was hurting financially because I had been sloppy with my money during the past 10 years.

In college, I’d spent a lot of money just having fun. In Vietnam, I’d developed the attitude of living life to the fullest because tomorrow I could be dead. If I was going to get ahead, I first needed to pull back a little. Instead of playing golf, rugby and tennis, I focused only on rugby.

Instead of spending every night in the clubs or watching television, I needed to get back to studying. Instead of trying to be everywhere and do everything, I decided to focus. I began doing more — of fewer things.

So, regardless of what you did yesterday, if you want to do better financially tomorrow, you may need to forgive your past, tighten up your activities today, so you can have a bright and prosperous tomorrow. To expand, you must first contract.

Step Nine : Get Bigger Faster

The problem with a small business or small investments such as one single family rental, is that you have to do all the work. You do all the work because there is not enough money to support paid management. So you own it and manage it.

Very often, a person begins to buy real estate and soon quits because the work is hard and the pay is low. They started with a small plan and stayed small.

For business or investing to work for you, in most cases you must get big. Instead of buying only two rental properties, plan on acquiring at least 20 properties as soon as possible. (But make sure you know what you’re doing first.) With 20 properties you can afford professional management, if the cash flow is strong, or you can trade the 20 units into one larger apartment house or office building.

The same goes with businesses, especially franchises etc. If you have only one franchise, you are the chief cook, bottle washer, owner and manager. If you have 20 of them, you have a chance of finding freedom faster.

The people who dream small, think small, and work small, work the hardest and are paid the least. So that night in 1975, I vowed to focus, acquire education, gain experience, start small and get big as quickly as possible.

I always remind myself of my rich dad’s words: “The bigger the asset you build, the less you work and the more money you make.”

Step Ten : The More You Share, The Richer You Become

In 1975, I knew that if I wanted to acquire great wealth quickly, I had to be a person who shared. I had to be generous. If I was greedy, stingy or tight, it would take me longer to attain great wealth.

So, I decided to operate out of the B (Business Owner) quadrant, rather than follow my poor dad’s ideas on labor unions and protectionism. I knew that I needed to focus on doing more for less money, for more people. I needed to focus on sharing as much of my wealth with as many people as possible.

So Step Ten is to be generous and share. If you do that, you will become far richer than those who work only for themselves.

Every day we are presented with multiple choices, so that we must continually choose and re-choose our chosen path. If you choose to be wealthy, use these ten steps to find your path and to stay on track.

___________
Born and raised in Hawaii, Robert Kiyosaki is fourth-generation Japanese-American investor, businessman and best-selling author. His book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, the #1 New York Times bestseller, reveals what the rich teach their kids about money that the poor and middle class do not. Robert has appeared on Oprah and other top national TV and radio shows. Robert has a profound message for those wanting to improve their financial lives. That message is: "With every dollar in your hand, you have the power to choose to be rich, poor or middle class." For more information, visit his web site: Robert Kiyosaki's Official Website

Immersive Education: Introducing Game-Based Learning

2009-04-27T01:48:00.002+08:00

Is that a revolution I hear? Some educators say Immersive Education virtual worlds and game-based learning technology -- can reform the way students are taught. Others call it a natural and necessary evolution. Still others call it heresy that has no place in education whatsoever. Only time will tell for sure, but at least one thing is certain: The initiative is stirring up the status quo and has academia talking about the future of online learning.

Immersive Education combines interactive 3D graphics, commercial game and simulation technology, virtual reality, voice chat, Webcams, and rich digital media with collaborative online course environments and classrooms. Unlike traditional computer-based learning systems, the virtual learning environment is designed to immerse and engage students in the same way that today’s best video games grab and keep the attention of players.

The technology supports self-directed learning, as well as collaborative group-based learning environments that can be delivered over the Internet or using fixed-media such as CD-ROM and DVD.

This is exciting new ground for many educators, but it’s also a cause for concern among some teachers about its disruptive potential. Critics question the effectiveness of computer simulations for education, while others are worried that introducing video games as learning tools in schools will diminish education.

Learning.now blogger Andy Carvin has an interesting post about whether video gaming belongs in the classroom, which was discussed by a panel at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSWi). The forum, entitled Let's Get Serious: Could Video Games Replace College?, included panelist Eliza Gold, of the University of Texas at Austin’s Digital Media Collaboratory, who explains, “As engaging as videogames are, it makes sense to apply some of it to schools and learning. Part of what makes it hard for students to be motivated is because what’s taught is taught out of context… It’s possible that videogames could be used to help people learn curriculum in a real world sort of way.”

In some instances, teachers feel that their jobs may be threatened. One question that is often raised is, “Will immersive education replace teachers?”

On the contrary, as a collaborative tool, Immersive Education has the potential of fostering a deeper connection between student and teacher and a richer teaching environment. It liberates the teacher to become a more effective teacher instead of simply a lecturer.

In fact, some studies indicate that students can learn faster and more effectively using these types of technology. It can be argued that studying in a virtual reality environment is better than learning from a book because the virtual world, when properly constructed, is highly interactive, engaging, visual, and full of rich and interactive educational materials.

Immersive Education is developed by the Immersive Education Initiative, a non-profit international collaboration of universities, colleges, research institutes, consortia, and companies that are working together to define and develop open standards, best practices, platforms, and communities of support for virtual worlds and game-based learning and training systems.

Members of the Immersive Education Initiative participate in any one (or all) of 10 focus areas. These activities are chaired by faculty, administrators, and doctoral students from the Grid Institute, Boston College, Amherst College, MIT Media Lab, and NASA.

Virtually all types of higher education institutions offer online curriculum, adding to a substantial growth in online learning. Immersive Education will play an integral role in the future of online education because it offers richer, deeper, and more meaningful learning experiences than are possible with traditional online classes.

The technology gives participants a sense of "being there," which in turn provides educators and students with the ability to connect and communicate in a way that greatly enhances the learning experience.

Five Ways to Speak Like Obama

2009-04-22T10:50:00.001+08:00

by Sims Wyeth

Tags: Body Language, Attention, Audience, Obama, Calmness...

Now that we’ve got your attention, you should realize, of course, that you don’t want to speak like Barack Obama. You want to speak like you. Nevertheless, as a student of the art of public speaking, you can — and should — observe Obama’s oratorical skills. The greats all learn from other greats, so don’t hesitate. Study Obama’s repertoire, take what you like, and use what you can to improve your own public speaking.

Obama is a master at grabbing and keeping his audience’s attention, which is the number one goal of any public speaker. How does he do it? Here are five key lessons from Obama’s rhetorical playbook.

1. Talk About the Audience’s Concerns

Notice that when Obama addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time, he told our story before he told his own. He talked about our sleepless nights, for example, and the college admission that might have to be turned down because of a lack of financing.

This was brilliant, and you can do it, too. Start your talk by broadly defining the situation that your listeners face. Then, once you’ve got them nodding their heads in agreement, move on to describe the problems or challenges that are on their minds. Start where the audience is, not where you are. Once you have their attention, you can lead your listeners wherever you want to take them.

2. Keep It Simple

Throughout the presidential campaign, Obama kept his main message — “change you can believe in” — simple and easy to remember. Sure, some pundits mocked its simplicity, but it served its purpose perfectly as the banner at the front of his parade. You, too, can keep it simple, even if you have mountains of research to report.

First, fine-tune your core message. Fierce debate within Obama’s campaign no doubt accompanied the birth of the slogan “change you can believe in,” and similar prolonged discussion may accompany the discovery of your own core message. But once the decision has been made, don’t let that debate show. Chisel away at your topic until you can reduce your presentation to a core message. Once you achieve this, all your complex ideas can march behind it.

This is as true for business presentations as it is for political campaigns. Granted, your content may be nuanced and detailed, but so were Obama’s policy positions. He used his simple slogan to make us believe he was the politician for change — something so many Americans longed for — and he appealed to us to have faith (to believe) in the change he was offering us. Obama won people through a simple slogan, which then allowed him to more easily serve up his ideas about meaty topics such as health care, terrorism, and the crumbling economy.

We make a serious error if we mistake a complete argument for a persuasive one. All audiences, no matter how sophisticated, have limited attention spans and a limited ability to retain detailed spoken information. Don’t fear that you’re leaving details out; you must be selective. After all, what good is a thorough and detailed argument if it is inaccessible?

3. Anticipate What Your Audience Is Thinking

Obama and his speechwriters are certainly aware of the great line by Goethe, “Every word that is uttered evokes the idea of its opposite.” What this means is that when you express one view, the odds are high that people will reflexively think about other, unmentioned aspects of the topic.

A presentation that does not deal with this “evoking of opposites” loses the audience’s attention because it fails to address the questions and concerns that come up in people’s minds. So anticipate it. Show your audience that you understand the contrary view better than they do, and explain why your proposal or argument is still superior.

Obama did this effectively in his speech on race, in which he attempted to distance himself from the inflammatory Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama pointed out, for example, that he won primaries in former Confederate states and that he had built a “powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.” But he also acknowledged what was undoubtedly on people’s minds when he said, “This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign.” He went on to say that, yes, Reverend Wright’s sermons were controversial, but, no, that’s not why he must be rebuked. He said that, yes, the clips of Reverend Wright on YouTube make him look terrible, but, no, that’s not the full measure of the man.

His speech was powerful and widely praised. It was effective in part because Obama let everyone know that he had thought a lot about race, and in particular about both sides of the controversy surrounding his former pastor.

Attack your topics this way, too, and you will be in charge of the conversation. This approach will not only grab and hold the attention of your listeners, but it will also help you win people into your camp, which is what you need to do if, say, your goal is to persuade your board of directors of the wisdom of a seemingly risky partnership.

4. Learn to Pause

Obama has mastered the art of pausing. Just check out his presidential acceptance speech in Chicago to see this skill at work. He pauses to let us catch up with him. He pauses to let his words resonate. He pauses, in a sense, to let us rest. Pauses also give the impression of composure and thoughtfulness.

Here’s an exercise to help you learn to pause.

Mark up your paragraphs / in this manner / into the shortest possible phrases. / First, / whisper it, / breathing / at all the breath marks. / Then, / speak it / in the same way. / Do this / with a different paragraph / every day.

Here’s what the opening paragraph of Obama’s remarks would look like:

“If there is anyone out there / who still doubts / that America is a place / where all things are possible, / who still wonders / if the dream of our founders / is alive in our time, / who still questions / the power of our democracy, / tonight / is your answer.”

Where you pause is up to you; there are no hard and fast rules. But try it. Slowly inhale to the count of three at each breath mark. Speak as though you had plenty of time. The goal / of this exercise / is to teach your body / to slow down.

5. Master the Body Language of Leadership

Obama’s body language is relaxed and fluid. It does not display tension or fear. He’s calm and assertive — which is exactly what you need to be to get people to comply with your requests. For the ultimate in Obama smoothness, watch his entrance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

To achieve the body language that’s effective for you, focus on a single attribute — for example, calm — and practice implementing it in the basic motions of your day, from getting dressed in the morning, to leaving your home for work, to greeting your friends and colleagues. Research in the Scientific American suggests that focusing on one word is the most effective way to learn a new behavior. It will probably feel forced at first, but don’t worry. It will soon become natural, and eventually your body language will communicate the right mix of calm and assertiveness.

Finally, you’ll need to rehearse. Practice calmly walking up to the lectern or the front of the room. Arrange your papers calmly. Look out to the audience with a sense of command, with assertiveness. Let the silence hang for a moment, and only then deliver your opening remarks.

Calmness begets a sense of authority. Behave as if you are in control, and you will in fact gain control and command attention.

Cinnamon, ground

2009-04-17T23:25:00.000+08:00

Cinnamon sticksCinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill, or as ground powder. The cinnamon we find on the market originates in China, SriLanka, Zanzibar and various other countries. It is always good to know the origin of your food product.

Cinnamon's unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components which give cinnamon its medicinal attributes.

Anti-Clotting properties

Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde), found in cinnamon has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnamic aldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2.) Cinnamon's ability
to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an "anti-inflammatory" food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation or infections.

Anti-Microbial Activity

Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida which many women complain about in their vaginal area. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts. Cinnamon's antimicrobial properties are so effective that recent research demonstrates this spice can be used as an alternative to traditional food preservatives. In a study, published in the August 2003 issue of the International Journal of Food Microbiology, the addition of just a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to 100 ml (approximately 3 ounces) of carrot broth, which was then refrigerated, inhibited the growth of the foodborne pathogenic Bacillus cereus for at least 60 days. When the broth was refrigerated without the addition of cinnamon oil, the pathogenic B. cereus flourished despite the cold temperature. In addition, researchers noted that the addition of cinnamon not only acted as an effective preservative but improved the flavor of the broth.So as it acts a s a food preservative,
it also doubles up as a flavour enhancer.

Blood Sugar Control

Seasoning a high carbohydrate food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 2 007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.Is it by coincidence that many sweet breads and sugary puddings have cinnamon added to them?For this reason,cinnamon may significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels.

Cinnamon's Scent Boosts Brain Function

Not only does consuming cinnamon improve the body's ability to utilize blood sugar, but just smelling the wonderful odor of this sweet spice boosts brain activity! Research has shown that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants' cognitive processing, or in other words, brain alertness. Specifically, cinnamon improved participants' scores on tasks related to attentional processes, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor speed while working on a computer-based program. Participants were exposed to four odorant conditions: no odor, peppermint odor, jasmine, and cinnamon, with cinnamon emerging the clear winner in producing positive effects on brain function. Encouraged by the results of these studies, researchers will be evaluating cinnamon's potential for enhancing cognition in the elderly, individuals with test-anxiety, and possibly even patients with diseases that lead to cognitive decline.

Calcium and Fiber Improve Colon Health and Protect Against Heart Disease

In addition to its unique essential oils, cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions. Both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and help remove them from the body. By removing bile, fiber helps to prevent the damage that certain bile salts can cause to colon cells, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer. In addition, when bile is removed by fiber, the body must break down cholesterol in order to make new bile. This process can help to lower high cholesterol levels, which can be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease. For sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, the fiber in cinnamon may also provide relief from constipation or diarrhea.

A Traditional Warming Remedy

In addition to the active components in its essential oils and its nutrient composition, cinnamon has also been valued in energy-based medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese MCinnamon powderedicine, for its warming
qualities. In these traditions, cinnamon has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt not only as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent. It was so highly treasured that it was considered more precious than gold. Around this time, cinnamon also received much attention in China, which is reflected in its mention in one of the earliest books on Chinese botanical medicine, dated around 2,700 B.C. Cinnamon's popularity continued throughout history. It became one of the most relied upon spices in Medieval Europe. Due to its demand, cinnamon became one of the first commodities traded regularly.

How to Select and Store

Cinnamon is available in either stick or powder form. While the sticks can be stored for longer, the ground powder has a stronger flavor. If possible, smell the cinnamon to make sure that it has a sweet smell, a characteristic reflecting that it is fresh. Cinnamon should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place.This is because its valuable components are highly volatile and can be easily lost on exposure to air. Ground cinnamon will keep for about six months, while cinnamon sticks will stay fresh for about one year stored as advised. Alternatively, you can extend their shelf life by storing them in the refrigerator. To check to see if it is still fresh, smell the cinnamon. If it does not smell sweet, it is no longer fresh and should be discarded. Just because it has preservative attributes does not mean cinnamon will stay forever.Often loss of the sweet cinnamon smell means that the product has lost the properties for which it is treasured. For medicinal purposes, half a teaspoon per day is recommended, mostly in hot beverage.

Compiled by
http://www.ajfand.net/AJFAND/Cinamon.htm

The dark side of Dubai

2009-04-15T13:52:00.000+08:00

Dubai was meant to be a Middle-Eastern Shangri-La, a glittering monument to Arab enterprise and western capitalism. But as hard times arrive in the city state that rose from the desert sands, an uglier story is emerging. Johann Hari reports

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Getty

Construction workers in their distinctive blue overalls building the upper floors a new Dubai tower, with the distinctive Burj al-Arab hotel in the background

Click here for more Dubai images

The wide, smiling face of Sheikh Mohammed – the absolute ruler of Dubai – beams down on his creation. His image is displayed on every other building, sandwiched between the more familiar corporate rictuses of Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders. This man has sold Dubai to the world as the city of One Thousand and One Arabian Lights, a Shangri-La in the Middle East insulated from the dust-storms blasting across the region. He dominates the Manhattan-manqué skyline, beaming out from row after row of glass pyramids and hotels smelted into the shape of piles of golden coins. And there he stands on the tallest building in the world – a skinny spike, jabbing farther into the sky than any other human construction in history.

But something has flickered in Sheikh Mohammed's smile. The ubiquitous cranes have paused on the skyline, as if stuck in time. There are countless buildings half-finished, seemingly abandoned. In the swankiest new constructions – like the vast Atlantis hotel, a giant pink castle built in 1,000 days for $1.5bn on its own artificial island – where rainwater is leaking from the ceilings and the tiles are falling off the roof. This Neverland was built on the Never-Never – and now the cracks are beginning to show. Suddenly it looks less like Manhattan in the sun than Iceland in the desert.

Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide, suppression and slavery. Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history.

I. An Adult Disneyland

Karen Andrews can't speak. Every time she starts to tell her story, she puts her head down and crumples. She is slim and angular and has the faded radiance of the once-rich, even though her clothes are as creased as her forehead. I find her in the car park of one of Dubai's finest international hotels, where she is living, in her Range Rover. She has been sleeping here for months, thanks to the kindness of the Bangladeshi car park attendants who don't have the heart to move her on. This is not where she thought her Dubai dream would end.

Her story comes out in stutters, over four hours. At times, her old voice – witty and warm – breaks through. Karen came here from Canada when her husband was offered a job in the senior division of a famous multinational. "When he said Dubai, I said – if you want me to wear black and quit booze, baby, you've got the wrong girl. But he asked me to give it a chance. And I loved him."

All her worries melted when she touched down in Dubai in 2005. "It was an adult Disneyland, where Sheikh Mohammed is the mouse," she says. "Life was fantastic. You had these amazing big apartments, you had a whole army of your own staff, you pay no taxes at all. It seemed like everyone was a CEO. We were partying the whole time."

Her husband, Daniel, bought two properties. "We were drunk on Dubai," she says. But for the first time in his life, he was beginning to mismanage their finances. "We're not talking huge sums, but he was getting confused. It was so unlike Daniel, I was surprised. We got into a little bit of debt." After a year, she found out why: Daniel was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

One doctor told him he had a year to live; another said it was benign and he'd be okay. But the debts were growing. "Before I came here, I didn't know anything about Dubai law. I assumed if all these big companies come here, it must be pretty like Canada's or any other liberal democracy's," she says. Nobody told her there is no concept of bankruptcy. If you get into debt and you can't pay, you go to prison.

"When we realised that, I sat Daniel down and told him: listen, we need to get out of here. He knew he was guaranteed a pay-off when he resigned, so we said – right, let's take the pay-off, clear the debt, and go." So Daniel resigned – but he was given a lower pay-off than his contract suggested. The debt remained. As soon as you quit your job in Dubai, your employer has to inform your bank. If you have any outstanding debts that aren't covered by your savings, then all your accounts are frozen, and you are forbidden to leave the country.

"Suddenly our cards stopped working. We had nothing. We were thrown out of our apartment." Karen can't speak about what happened next for a long time; she is shaking.

Daniel was arrested and taken away on the day of their eviction. It was six days before she could talk to him. "He told me he was put in a cell with another debtor, a Sri Lankan guy who was only 27, who said he couldn't face the shame to his family. Daniel woke up and the boy had swallowed razor-blades. He banged for help, but nobody came, and the boy died in front of him."

Karen managed to beg from her friends for a few weeks, "but it was so humiliating. I've never lived like this. I worked in the fashion industry. I had my own shops. I've never..." She peters out.

Daniel was sentenced to six months' imprisonment at a trial he couldn't understand. It was in Arabic, and there was no translation. "Now I'm here illegally, too," Karen says I've got no money, nothing. I have to last nine months until he's out, somehow." Looking away, almost paralysed with embarrassment, she asks if I could buy her a meal.

She is not alone. All over the city, there are maxed-out expats sleeping secretly in the sand-dunes or the airport or in their cars.

"The thing you have to understand about Dubai is – nothing is what it seems," Karen says at last. "Nothing. This isn't a city, it's a con-job. They lure you in telling you it's one thing – a modern kind of place – but beneath the surface it's a medieval dictatorship."

II. Tumbleweed

Thirty years ago, almost all of contemporary Dubai was desert, inhabited only by cactuses and tumbleweed and scorpions. But downtown there are traces of the town that once was, buried amidst the metal and glass. In the dusty fort of the Dubai Museum, a sanitised version of this story is told.

In the mid-18th century, a small village was built here, in the lower Persian Gulf, where people would dive for pearls off the coast. It soon began to accumulate a cosmopolitan population washing up from Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and other Arab countries, all hoping to make their fortune. They named it after a local locust, the daba, who consumed everything before it. The town was soon seized by the gunships of the British Empire, who held it by the throat as late as 1971. As they scuttled away, Dubai decided to ally with the six surrounding states and make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The British quit, exhausted, just as oil was being discovered, and the sheikhs who suddenly found themselves in charge faced a remarkable dilemma. They were largely illiterate nomads who spent their lives driving camels through the desert – yet now they had a vast pot of gold. What should they do with it?

Dubai only had a dribble of oil compared to neighbouring Abu Dhabi – so Sheikh Maktoum decided to use the revenues to build something that would last. Israel used to boast it made the desert bloom; Sheikh Maktoum resolved to make the desert boom. He would build a city to be a centre of tourism and financial services, sucking up cash and talent from across the globe. He invited the world to come tax-free – and they came in their millions, swamping the local population, who now make up just 5 per cent of Dubai. A city seemed to fall from the sky in just three decades, whole and complete and swelling. They fast-forwarded from the 18th century to the 21st in a single generation.

If you take the Big Bus Tour of Dubai – the passport to a pre-processed experience of every major city on earth – you are fed the propaganda-vision of how this happened. "Dubai's motto is 'Open doors, open minds'," the tour guide tells you in clipped tones, before depositing you at the souks to buy camel tea-cosies. "Here you are free. To purchase fabrics," he adds. As you pass each new monumental building, he tells you: "The World Trade Centre was built by His Highness..."

But this is a lie. The sheikh did not build this city. It was built by slaves. They are building it now.

III. Hidden in plain view

There are three different Dubais, all swirling around each other. There are the expats, like Karen; there are the Emiratis, headed by Sheikh Mohammed; and then there is the foreign underclass who built the city, and are trapped here. They are hidden in plain view. You see them everywhere, in dirt-caked blue uniforms, being shouted at by their superiors, like a chain gang – but you are trained not to look. It is like a mantra: the Sheikh built the city. The Sheikh built the city. Workers? What workers?

Every evening, the hundreds of thousands of young men who build Dubai are bussed from their sites to a vast concrete wasteland an hour out of town, where they are quarantined away. Until a few years ago they were shuttled back and forth on cattle trucks, but the expats complained this was unsightly, so now they are shunted on small metal buses that function like greenhouses in the desert heat. They sweat like sponges being slowly wrung out.

Sonapur is a rubble-strewn patchwork of miles and miles of identical concrete buildings. Some 300,000 men live piled up here, in a place whose name in Hindi means "City of Gold". In the first camp I stop at – riven with the smell of sewage and sweat – the men huddle around, eager to tell someone, anyone, what is happening to them.

Sahinal Monir, a slim 24-year-old from the deltas of Bangladesh. "To get you here, they tell you Dubai is heaven. Then you get here and realise it is hell," he says. Four years ago, an employment agent arrived in Sahinal's village in Southern Bangladesh. He told the men of the village that there was a place where they could earn 40,000 takka a month (£400) just for working nine-to-five on construction projects. It was a place where they would be given great accommodation, great food, and treated well. All they had to do was pay an up-front fee of 220,000 takka (£2,300) for the work visa – a fee they'd pay off in the first six months, easy. So Sahinal sold his family land, and took out a loan from the local lender, to head to this paradise.

As soon as he arrived at Dubai airport, his passport was taken from him by his construction company. He has not seen it since. He was told brusquely that from now on he would be working 14-hour days in the desert heat – where western tourists are advised not to stay outside for even five minutes in summer, when it hits 55 degrees – for 500 dirhams a month (£90), less than a quarter of the wage he was promised. If you don't like it, the company told him, go home. "But how can I go home? You have my passport, and I have no money for the ticket," he said. "Well, then you'd better get to work," they replied.

Sahinal was in a panic. His family back home – his son, daughter, wife and parents – were waiting for money, excited that their boy had finally made it. But he was going to have to work for more than two years just to pay for the cost of getting here – and all to earn less than he did in Bangladesh.

He shows me his room. It is a tiny, poky, concrete cell with triple-decker bunk-beds, where he lives with 11 other men. All his belongings are piled onto his bunk: three shirts, a spare pair of trousers, and a cellphone. The room stinks, because the lavatories in the corner of the camp – holes in the ground – are backed up with excrement and clouds of black flies. There is no air conditioning or fans, so the heat is "unbearable. You cannot sleep. All you do is sweat and scratch all night." At the height of summer, people sleep on the floor, on the roof, anywhere where they can pray for a moment of breeze.

The water delivered to the camp in huge white containers isn't properly desalinated: it tastes of salt. "It makes us sick, but we have nothing else to drink," he says.

The work is "the worst in the world," he says. "You have to carry 50kg bricks and blocks of cement in the worst heat imaginable ... This heat – it is like nothing else. You sweat so much you can't pee, not for days or weeks. It's like all the liquid comes out through your skin and you stink. You become dizzy and sick but you aren't allowed to stop, except for an hour in the afternoon. You know if you drop anything or slip, you could die. If you take time off sick, your wages are docked, and you are trapped here even longer."

He is currently working on the 67th floor of a shiny new tower, where he builds upwards, into the sky, into the heat. He doesn't know its name. In his four years here, he has never seen the Dubai of tourist-fame, except as he constructs it floor-by-floor.

Is he angry? He is quiet for a long time. "Here, nobody shows their anger. You can't. You get put in jail for a long time, then deported." Last year, some workers went on strike after they were not given their wages for four months. The Dubai police surrounded their camps with razor-wire and water-cannons and blasted them out and back to work.

The "ringleaders" were imprisoned. I try a different question: does Sohinal regret coming? All the men look down, awkwardly. "How can we think about that? We are trapped. If we start to think about regrets..." He lets the sentence trail off. Eventually, another worker breaks the silence by adding: "I miss my country, my family and my land. We can grow food in Bangladesh. Here, nothing grows. Just oil and buildings."

Since the recession hit, they say, the electricity has been cut off in dozens of the camps, and the men have not been paid for months. Their companies have disappeared with their passports and their pay. "We have been robbed of everything. Even if somehow we get back to Bangladesh, the loan sharks will demand we repay our loans immediately, and when we can't, we'll be sent to prison."

This is all supposed to be illegal. Employers are meant to pay on time, never take your passport, give you breaks in the heat – but I met nobody who said it happens. Not one. These men are conned into coming and trapped into staying, with the complicity of the Dubai authorities.

Sahinal could well die out here. A British man who used to work on construction projects told me: "There's a huge number of suicides in the camps and on the construction sites, but they're not reported. They're described as 'accidents'." Even then, their families aren't free: they simply inherit the debts. A Human Rights Watch study found there is a "cover-up of the true extent" of deaths from heat exhaustion, overwork and suicide, but the Indian consulate registered 971 deaths of their nationals in 2005 alone. After this figure was leaked, the consulates were told to stop counting.

At night, in the dusk, I sit in the camp with Sohinal and his friends as they scrape together what they have left to buy a cheap bottle of spirits. They down it in one ferocious gulp. "It helps you to feel numb", Sohinal says through a stinging throat. In the distance, the glistening Dubai skyline he built stands, oblivious.

IV. Mauled by the mall

I find myself stumbling in a daze from the camps into the sprawling marble malls that seem to stand on every street in Dubai. It is so hot there is no point building pavements; people gather in these cathedrals of consumerism to bask in the air conditioning. So within a ten minute taxi-ride, I have left Sohinal and I am standing in the middle of Harvey Nichols, being shown a £20,000 taffeta dress by a bored salesgirl. "As you can see, it is cut on the bias..." she says, and I stop writing.

Time doesn't seem to pass in the malls. Days blur with the same electric light, the same shined floors, the same brands I know from home. Here, Dubai is reduced to its component sounds: do-buy. In the most expensive malls I am almost alone, the shops empty and echoing. On the record, everybody tells me business is going fine. Off the record, they look panicky. There is a hat exhibition ahead of the Dubai races, selling elaborate headgear for £1,000 a pop. "Last year, we were packed. Now look," a hat designer tells me. She swoops her arm over a vacant space.

I approach a blonde 17-year-old Dutch girl wandering around in hotpants, oblivious to the swarms of men gaping at her. "I love it here!" she says. "The heat, the malls, the beach!" Does it ever bother you that it's a slave society? She puts her head down, just as Sohinal did. "I try not to see," she says. Even at 17, she has learned not to look, and not to ask; that, she senses, is a transgression too far.

Between the malls, there is nothing but the connecting tissue of asphalt. Every road has at least four lanes; Dubai feels like a motorway punctuated by shopping centres. You only walk anywhere if you are suicidal. The residents of Dubai flit from mall to mall by car or taxis.

How does it feel if this is your country, filled with foreigners? Unlike the expats and the slave class, I can't just approach the native Emiratis to ask questions when I see them wandering around – the men in cool white robes, the women in sweltering black. If you try, the women blank you, and the men look affronted, and tell you brusquely that Dubai is "fine". So I browse through the Emirati blog-scene and found some typical-sounding young Emiratis. We meet – where else? – in the mall.

Ahmed al-Atar is a handsome 23-year-old with a neat, trimmed beard, tailored white robes, and rectangular wire-glasses. He speaks perfect American-English, and quickly shows that he knows London, Los Angeles and Paris better than most westerners. Sitting back in his chair in an identikit Starbucks, he announces: "This is the best place in the world to be young! The government pays for your education up to PhD level. You get given a free house when you get married. You get free healthcare, and if it's not good enough here, they pay for you to go abroad. You don't even have to pay for your phone calls. Almost everyone has a maid, a nanny, and a driver. And we never pay any taxes. Don't you wish you were Emirati?"

I try to raise potential objections to this Panglossian summary, but he leans forward and says: "Look – my grandfather woke up every day and he would have to fight to get to the well first to get water. When the wells ran dry, they had to have water delivered by camel. They were always hungry and thirsty and desperate for jobs. He limped all his life, because he there was no medical treatment available when he broke his leg. Now look at us!"

For Emiratis, this is a Santa Claus state, handing out goodies while it makes its money elsewhere: through renting out land to foreigners, soft taxes on them like business and airport charges, and the remaining dribble of oil. Most Emiratis, like Ahmed, work for the government, so they're cushioned from the credit crunch. "I haven't felt any effect at all, and nor have my friends," he says. "Your employment is secure. You will only be fired if you do something incredibly bad." The laws are currently being tightened, to make it even more impossible to sack an Emirati.

Sure, the flooding-in of expats can sometimes be "an eyesore", Ahmed says. "But we see the expats as the price we had to pay for this development. How else could we do it? Nobody wants to go back to the days of the desert, the days before everyone came. We went from being like an African country to having an average income per head of $120,000 a year. And we're supposed to complain?"

He says the lack of political freedom is fine by him. "You'll find it very hard to find an Emirati who doesn't support Sheikh Mohammed." Because they're scared? "No, because we really all support him. He's a great leader. Just look!" He smiles and says: "I'm sure my life is very much like yours. We hang out, have a coffee, go to the movies. You'll be in a Pizza Hut or Nando's in London, and at the same time I'll be in one in Dubai," he says, ordering another latte.

But do all young Emiratis see it this way? Can it really be so sunny in the political sands? In the sleek Emirates Tower Hotel, I meet Sultan al-Qassemi. He's a 31-year-old Emirati columnist for the Dubai press and private art collector, with a reputation for being a contrarian liberal, advocating gradual reform. He is wearing Western clothes – blue jeans and a Ralph Lauren shirt – and speaks incredibly fast, turning himself into a manic whirr of arguments.

"People here are turning into lazy, overweight babies!" he exclaims. "The nanny state has gone too far. We don't do anything for ourselves! Why don't any of us work for the private sector? Why can't a mother and father look after their own child?" And yet, when I try to bring up the system of slavery that built Dubai, he looks angry. "People should give us credit," he insists. "We are the most tolerant people in the world. Dubai is the only truly international city in the world. Everyone who comes here is treated with respect."

I pause, and think of the vast camps in Sonapur, just a few miles away. Does he even know they exist? He looks irritated. "You know, if there are 30 or 40 cases [of worker abuse] a year, that sounds like a lot but when you think about how many people are here..." Thirty or 40? This abuse is endemic to the system, I say. We're talking about hundreds of thousands.

Sultan is furious. He splutters: "You don't think Mexicans are treated badly in New York City? And how long did it take Britain to treat people well? I could come to London and write about the homeless people on Oxford Street and make your city sound like a terrible place, too! The workers here can leave any time they want! Any Indian can leave, any Asian can leave!"

But they can't, I point out. Their passports are taken away, and their wages are withheld. "Well, I feel bad if that happens, and anybody who does that should be punished. But their embassies should help them." They try. But why do you forbid the workers – with force – from going on strike against lousy employers? "Thank God we don't allow that!" he exclaims. "Strikes are in-convenient! They go on the street – we're not having that. We won't be like France. Imagine a country where they the workers can just stop whenever they want!" So what should the workers do when they are cheated and lied to? "Quit. Leave the country."

I sigh. Sultan is seething now. "People in the West are always complaining about us," he says. Suddenly, he adopts a mock-whiny voice and says, in imitation of these disgusting critics: "Why don't you treat animals better? Why don't you have better shampoo advertising? Why don't you treat labourers better?" It's a revealing order: animals, shampoo, then workers. He becomes more heated, shifting in his seat, jabbing his finger at me. "I gave workers who worked for me safety goggles and special boots, and they didn't want to wear them! It slows them down!"

And then he smiles, coming up with what he sees as his killer argument. "When I see Western journalists criticise us – don't you realise you're shooting yourself in the foot? The Middle East will be far more dangerous if Dubai fails. Our export isn't oil, it's hope. Poor Egyptians or Libyans or Iranians grow up saying – I want to go to Dubai. We're very important to the region. We are showing how to be a modern Muslim country. We don't have any fundamentalists here. Europeans shouldn't gloat at our demise. You should be very worried.... Do you know what will happen if this model fails? Dubai will go down the Iranian path, the Islamist path."

Sultan sits back. My arguments have clearly disturbed him; he says in a softer, conciliatory tone, almost pleading: "Listen. My mother used to go to the well and get a bucket of water every morning. On her wedding day, she was given an orange as a gift because she had never eaten one. Two of my brothers died when they were babies because the healthcare system hadn't developed yet. Don't judge us." He says it again, his eyes filled with intensity: "Don't judge us."

V. The Dunkin' Donuts Dissidents

But there is another face to the Emirati minority – a small huddle of dissidents, trying to shake the Sheikhs out of abusive laws. Next to a Virgin Megastore and a Dunkin' Donuts, with James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" blaring behind me, I meet the Dubai dictatorship's Public Enemy Number One. By way of introduction, Mohammed al-Mansoori says from within his white robes and sinewy face: "Westerners come her and see the malls and the tall buildings and they think that means we are free. But these businesses, these buildings – who are they for? This is a dictatorship. The royal family think they own the country, and the people are their servants. There is no freedom here."

We snuffle out the only Arabic restaurant in this mall, and he says everything you are banned – under threat of prison – from saying in Dubai. Mohammed tells me he was born in Dubai to a fisherman father who taught him one enduring lesson: Never follow the herd. Think for yourself. In the sudden surge of development, Mohammed trained as a lawyer. By the Noughties, he had climbed to the head of the Jurists' Association, an organisation set up to press for Dubai's laws to be consistent with international human rights legislation.

And then – suddenly – Mohammed thwacked into the limits of Sheikh Mohammed's tolerance. Horrified by the "system of slavery" his country was being built on, he spoke out to Human Rights Watch and the BBC. "So I was hauled in by the secret police and told: shut up, or you will lose you job, and your children will be unemployable," he says. "But how could I be silent?"

He was stripped of his lawyer's licence and his passport – becoming yet another person imprisoned in this country. "I have been blacklisted and so have my children. The newspapers are not allowed to write about me."

Why is the state so keen to defend this system of slavery? He offers a prosaic explanation. "Most companies are owned by the government, so they oppose human rights laws because it will reduce their profit margins. It's in their interests that the workers are slaves."

Last time there was a depression, there was a starbust of democracy in Dubai, seized by force from the sheikhs. In the 1930s, the city's merchants banded together against Sheikh Said bin Maktum al-Maktum – the absolute ruler of his day – and insisted they be given control over the state finances. It lasted only a few years, before the Sheikh – with the enthusiastic support of the British – snuffed them out.

And today? Sheikh Mohammed turned Dubai into Creditopolis, a city built entirely on debt. Dubai owes 107 percent of its entire GDP. It would be bust already, if the neighbouring oil-soaked state of Abu Dhabi hadn't pulled out its chequebook. Mohammed says this will constrict freedom even further. "Now Abu Dhabi calls the tunes – and they are much more conservative and restrictive than even Dubai. Freedom here will diminish every day." Already, new media laws have been drafted forbidding the press to report on anything that could "damage" Dubai or "its economy". Is this why the newspapers are giving away glossy supplements talking about "encouraging economic indicators"?

Everybody here waves Islamism as the threat somewhere over the horizon, sure to swell if their advice is not followed. Today, every imam is appointed by the government, and every sermon is tightly controlled to keep it moderate. But Mohammed says anxiously: "We don't have Islamism here now, but I think that if you control people and give them no way to express anger, it could rise. People who are told to shut up all the time can just explode."

Later that day, against another identikit-corporate backdrop, I meet another dissident – Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, Professor of Political Science at Emirates University. His anger focuses not on political reform, but the erosion of Emirati identity. He is famous among the locals, a rare outspoken conductor for their anger. He says somberly: "There has been a rupture here. This is a totally different city to the one I was born in 50 years ago."

He looks around at the shiny floors and Western tourists and says: "What we see now didn't occur in our wildest dreams. We never thought we could be such a success, a trendsetter, a model for other Arab countries. The people of Dubai are mighty proud of their city, and rightly so. And yet..." He shakes his head. "In our hearts, we fear we have built a modern city but we are losing it to all these expats."

Adbulkhaleq says every Emirati of his generation lives with a "psychological trauma." Their hearts are divided – "between pride on one side, and fear on the other." Just after he says this, a smiling waitress approaches, and asks us what we would like to drink. He orders a Coke.

VI. Dubai Pride

There is one group in Dubai for whom the rhetoric of sudden freedom and liberation rings true – but it is the very group the government wanted to liberate least: gays.

Beneath a famous international hotel, I clamber down into possibly the only gay club on the Saudi Arabian peninsula. I find a United Nations of tank-tops and bulging biceps, dancing to Kylie, dropping ecstasy, and partying like it's Soho. "Dubai is the best place in the Muslim world for gays!" a 25-year old Emirati with spiked hair says, his arms wrapped around his 31-year old "husband". "We are alive. We can meet. That is more than most Arab gays."

It is illegal to be gay in Dubai, and punishable by 10 years in prison. But the locations of the latest unofficial gay clubs circulate online, and men flock there, seemingly unafraid of the police. "They might bust the club, but they will just disperse us," one of them says. "The police have other things to do."

In every large city, gay people find a way to find each other – but Dubai has become the clearing-house for the region's homosexuals, a place where they can live in relative safety. Saleh, a lean private in the Saudi Arabian army, has come here for the Coldplay concert, and tells me Dubai is "great" for gays: "In Saudi, it's hard to be straight when you're young. The women are shut away so everyone has gay sex. But they only want to have sex with boys – 15- to 21-year-olds. I'm 27, so I'm too old now. I need to find real gays, so this is the best place. All Arab gays want to live in Dubai."

With that, Saleh dances off across the dancefloor, towards a Dutch guy with big biceps and a big smile.

VII. The Lifestyle

All the guidebooks call Dubai a "melting pot", but as I trawl across the city, I find that every group here huddles together in its own little ethnic enclave – and becomes a caricature of itself. One night – in the heart of this homesick city, tired of the malls and the camps – I go to Double Decker, a hang-out for British expats. At the entrance there is a red telephone box, and London bus-stop signs. Its wooden interior looks like a cross between a colonial clubhouse in the Raj and an Eighties school disco, with blinking coloured lights and cheese blaring out. As I enter, a girl in a short skirt collapses out of the door onto her back. A guy wearing a pirate hat helps her to her feet, dropping his beer bottle with a paralytic laugh.

I start to talk to two sun-dried women in their sixties who have been getting gently sozzled since midday. "You stay here for The Lifestyle," they say, telling me to take a seat and order some more drinks. All the expats talk about The Lifestyle, but when you ask what it is, they become vague. Ann Wark tries to summarise it: "Here, you go out every night. You'd never do that back home. You see people all the time. It's great. You have lots of free time. You have maids and staff so you don't have to do all that stuff. You party!"

They have been in Dubai for 20 years, and they are happy to explain how the city works. "You've got a hierarchy, haven't you?" Ann says. "It's the Emiratis at the top, then I'd say the British and other Westerners. Then I suppose it's the Filipinos, because they've got a bit more brains than the Indians. Then at the bottom you've got the Indians and all them lot."

They admit, however, they have "never" spoken to an Emirati. Never? "No. They keep themselves to themselves." Yet Dubai has disappointed them. Jules Taylor tells me: "If you have an accident here it's a nightmare. There was a British woman we knew who ran over an Indian guy, and she was locked up for four days! If you have a tiny bit of alcohol on your breath they're all over you. These Indians throw themselves in front of cars, because then their family has to be given blood money – you know, compensation. But the police just blame us. That poor woman."

A 24-year-old British woman called Hannah Gamble takes a break from the dancefloor to talk to me. "I love the sun and the beach! It's great out here!" she says. Is there anything bad? "Oh yes!" she says. Ah: one of them has noticed, I think with relief. "The banks! When you want to make a transfer you have to fax them. You can't do it online." Anything else? She thinks hard. "The traffic's not very good."

When I ask the British expats how they feel to not be in a democracy, their reaction is always the same. First, they look bemused. Then they look affronted. "It's the Arab way!" an Essex boy shouts at me in response, as he tries to put a pair of comedy antlers on his head while pouring some beer into the mouth of his friend, who is lying on his back on the floor, gurning.

Later, in a hotel bar, I start chatting to a dyspeptic expat American who works in the cosmetics industry and is desperate to get away from these people. She says: "All the people who couldn't succeed in their own countries end up here, and suddenly they're rich and promoted way above their abilities and bragging about how great they are. I've never met so many incompetent people in such senior positions anywhere in the world." She adds: "It's absolutely racist. I had Filipino girls working for me doing the same job as a European girl, and she's paid a quarter of the wages. The people who do the real work are paid next to nothing, while these incompetent managers pay themselves £40,000 a month."

With the exception of her, one theme unites every expat I speak to: their joy at having staff to do the work that would clog their lives up Back Home. Everyone, it seems, has a maid. The maids used to be predominantly Filipino, but with the recession, Filipinos have been judged to be too expensive, so a nice Ethiopian servant girl is the latest fashionable accessory.

It is an open secret that once you hire a maid, you have absolute power over her. You take her passport – everyone does; you decide when to pay her, and when – if ever – she can take a break; and you decide who she talks to. She speaks no Arabic. She cannot escape.

In a Burger King, a Filipino girl tells me it is "terrifying" for her to wander the malls in Dubai because Filipino maids or nannies always sneak away from the family they are with and beg her for help. "They say – 'Please, I am being held prisoner, they don't let me call home, they make me work every waking hour seven days a week.' At first I would say – my God, I will tell the consulate, where are you staying? But they never know their address, and the consulate isn't interested. I avoid them now. I keep thinking about a woman who told me she hadn't eaten any fruit in four years. They think I have power because I can walk around on my own, but I'm powerless."

The only hostel for women in Dubai – a filthy private villa on the brink of being repossessed – is filled with escaped maids. Mela Matari, a 25-year-old Ethiopian woman with a drooping smile, tells me what happened to her – and thousands like her. She was promised a paradise in the sands by an agency, so she left her four year-old daughter at home and headed here to earn money for a better future. "But they paid me half what they promised. I was put with an Australian family – four children – and Madam made me work from 6am to 1am every day, with no day off. I was exhausted and pleaded for a break, but they just shouted: 'You came here to work, not sleep!' Then one day I just couldn't go on, and Madam beat me. She beat me with her fists and kicked me. My ear still hurts. They wouldn't give me my wages: they said they'd pay me at the end of the two years. What could I do? I didn't know anybody here. I was terrified."

One day, after yet another beating, Mela ran out onto the streets, and asked – in broken English – how to find the Ethiopian consulate. After walking for two days, she found it, but they told her she had to get her passport back from Madam. "Well, how could I?" she asks. She has been in this hostel for six months. She has spoken to her daughter twice. "I lost my country, I lost my daughter, I lost everything," she says.

As she says this, I remember a stray sentence I heard back at Double Decker. I asked a British woman called Hermione Frayling what the best thing about Dubai was. "Oh, the servant class!" she trilled. "You do nothing. They'll do anything!"

VIII. The End of The World

The World is empty. It has been abandoned, its continents unfinished. Through binoculars, I think I can glimpse Britain; this sceptred isle barren in the salt-breeze.

Here, off the coast of Dubai, developers have been rebuilding the world. They have constructed artificial islands in the shape of all planet Earth's land masses, and they plan to sell each continent off to be built on. There were rumours that the Beckhams would bid for Britain. But the people who work at the nearby coast say they haven't seen anybody there for months now. "The World is over," a South African suggests.

All over Dubai, crazy projects that were Under Construction are now Under Collapse. They were building an air-conditioned beach here, with cooling pipes running below the sand, so the super-rich didn't singe their toes on their way from towel to sea.

The projects completed just before the global economy crashed look empty and tattered. The Atlantis Hotel was launched last winter in a $20m fin-de-siecle party attended by Robert De Niro, Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen. Sitting on its own fake island – shaped, of course, like a palm tree – it looks like an immense upturned tooth in a faintly decaying mouth. It is pink and turreted – the architecture of the pharaohs, as reimagined by Zsa-Zsa Gabor. Its Grand Lobby is a monumental dome covered in glitterballs, held up by eight monumental concrete palm trees. Standing in the middle, there is a giant shining glass structure that looks like the intestines of every guest who has ever stayed at the Atlantis. It is unexpectedly raining; water is leaking from the roof, and tiles are falling off.

A South African PR girl shows me around its most coveted rooms, explaining that this is "the greatest luxury offered in the world". We stroll past shops selling £24m diamond rings around a hotel themed on the lost and sunken continent of, yes, Atlantis. There are huge water tanks filled with sharks, which poke around mock-abandoned castles and dumped submarines. There are more than 1,500 rooms here, each with a sea view. The Neptune suite has three floors, and – I gasp as I see it – it looks out directly on to the vast shark tank. You lie on the bed, and the sharks stare in at you. In Dubai, you can sleep with the fishes, and survive.

But even the luxury – reminiscent of a Bond villain's lair – is also being abandoned. I check myself in for a few nights to the classiest hotel in town, the Park Hyatt. It is the fashionistas' favourite hotel, where Elle Macpherson and Tommy Hilfiger stay, a gorgeous, understated palace. It feels empty. Whenever I eat, I am one of the only people in the restaurant. A staff member tells me in a whisper: "It used to be full here. Now there's hardly anyone." Rattling around, I feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, the last man in an abandoned, haunted home.

The most famous hotel in Dubai – the proud icon of the city – is the Burj al Arab hotel, sitting on the shore, shaped like a giant glass sailing boat. In the lobby, I start chatting to a couple from London who work in the City. They have been coming to Dubai for 10 years now, and they say they love it. "You never know what you'll find here," he says. "On our last trip, at the beginning of the holiday, our window looked out on the sea. By the end, they'd built an entire island there."

My patience frayed by all this excess, I find myself snapping: doesn't the omnipresent slave class bother you? I hope they misunderstood me, because the woman replied: "That's what we come for! It's great, you can't do anything for yourself!" Her husband chimes in: "When you go to the toilet, they open the door, they turn on the tap – the only thing they don't do is take it out for you when you have a piss!" And they both fall about laughing.

IX. Taking on the Desert

Dubai is not just a city living beyond its financial means; it is living beyond its ecological means. You stand on a manicured Dubai lawn and watch the sprinklers spray water all around you. You see tourists flocking to swim with dolphins. You wander into a mountain-sized freezer where they have built a ski slope with real snow. And a voice at the back of your head squeaks: this is the desert. This is the most water-stressed place on the planet. How can this be happening? How is it possible?

The very earth is trying to repel Dubai, to dry it up and blow it away. The new Tiger Woods Gold Course needs four million gallons of water to be pumped on to its grounds every day, or it would simply shrivel and disappear on the winds. The city is regularly washed over with dust-storms that fog up the skies and turn the skyline into a blur. When the dust parts, heat burns through. It cooks anything that is not kept constantly, artificially wet.

Dr Mohammed Raouf, the environmental director of the Gulf Research Centre, sounds sombre as he sits in his Dubai office and warns: "This is a desert area, and we are trying to defy its environment. It is very unwise. If you take on the desert, you will lose."

Sheikh Maktoum built his showcase city in a place with no useable water. None. There is no surface water, very little acquifer, and among the lowest rainfall in the world. So Dubai drinks the sea. The Emirates' water is stripped of salt in vast desalination plants around the Gulf – making it the most expensive water on earth. It costs more than petrol to produce, and belches vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as it goes. It's the main reason why a resident of Dubai has the biggest average carbon footprint of any human being – more than double that of an American.

If a recession turns into depression, Dr Raouf believes Dubai could run out of water. "At the moment, we have financial reserves that cover bringing so much water to the middle of the desert. But if we had lower revenues – if, say, the world shifts to a source of energy other than oil..." he shakes his head. "We will have a very big problem. Water is the main source of life. It would be a catastrophe. Dubai only has enough water to last us a week. There's almost no storage. We don't know what will happen if our supplies falter. It would be hard to survive."

Global warming, he adds, makes the problem even worse. "We are building all these artificial islands, but if the sea level rises, they will be gone, and we will lose a lot. Developers keep saying it's all fine, they've taken it into consideration, but I'm not so sure."

Is the Dubai government concerned about any of this? "There isn't much interest in these problems," he says sadly. But just to stand still, the average resident of Dubai needs three times more water than the average human. In the looming century of water stresses and a transition away from fossil fuels, Dubai is uniquely vulnerable.

I wanted to understand how the government of Dubai will react, so I decided to look at how it has dealt with an environmental problem that already exists – the pollution of its beaches. One woman – an American, working at one of the big hotels – had written in a lot of online forums arguing that it was bad and getting worse, so I called her to arrange a meeting. "I can't talk to you," she said sternly. Not even if it's off the record? "I can't talk to you." But I don't have to disclose your name... "You're not listening. This phone is bugged. I can't talk to you," she snapped, and hung up.

The next day I turned up at her office. "If you reveal my identity, I'll be sent on the first plane out of this city," she said, before beginning to nervously pace the shore with me. "It started like this. We began to get complaints from people using the beach. The water looked and smelled odd, and they were starting to get sick after going into it. So I wrote to the ministers of health and tourism and expected to hear back immediately – but there was nothing. Silence. I hand-delivered the letters. Still nothing."

The water quality got worse and worse. The guests started to spot raw sewage, condoms, and used sanitary towels floating in the sea. So the hotel ordered its own water analyses from a professional company. "They told us it was full of fecal matter and bacteria 'too numerous to count'. I had to start telling guests not to go in the water, and since they'd come on a beach holiday, as you can imagine, they were pretty pissed off." She began to make angry posts on the expat discussion forums – and people began to figure out what was happening. Dubai had expanded so fast its sewage treatment facilities couldn't keep up. The sewage disposal trucks had to queue for three or four days at the treatment plants – so instead, they were simply drilling open the manholes and dumping the untreated sewage down them, so it flowed straight to the sea.

Suddenly, it was an open secret – and the municipal authorities finally acknowledged the problem. They said they would fine the truckers. But the water quality didn't improve: it became black and stank. "It's got chemicals in it. I don't know what they are. But this stuff is toxic."

She continued to complain – and started to receive anonymous phone calls. "Stop embarassing Dubai, or your visa will be cancelled and you're out," they said. She says: "The expats are terrified to talk about anything. One critical comment in the newspapers and they deport you. So what am I supposed to do? Now the water is worse than ever. People are getting really sick. Eye infections, ear infections, stomach infections, rashes. Look at it!" There is faeces floating on the beach, in the shadow of one of Dubai's most famous hotels.

"What I learnt about Dubai is that the authorities don't give a toss about the environment," she says, standing in the stench. "They're pumping toxins into the sea, their main tourist attraction, for God's sake. If there are environmental problems in the future, I can tell you now how they will deal with them – deny it's happening, cover it up, and carry on until it's a total disaster." As she speaks, a dust-storm blows around us, as the desert tries, slowly, insistently, to take back its land.

X. Fake Plastic Trees

On my final night in the Dubai Disneyland, I stop off on my way to the airport, at a Pizza Hut that sits at the side of one of the city's endless, wide, gaping roads. It is identical to the one near my apartment in London in every respect, even the vomit-coloured decor. My mind is whirring and distracted. Perhaps Dubai disturbed me so much, I am thinking, because here, the entire global supply chain is condensed. Many of my goods are made by semi-enslaved populations desperate for a chance 2,000 miles away; is the only difference that here, they are merely two miles away, and you sometimes get to glimpse their faces? Dubai is Market Fundamentalist Globalisation in One City.

I ask the Filipino girl behind the counter if she likes it here. "It's OK," she says cautiously. Really? I say. I can't stand it. She sighs with relief and says: "This is the most terrible place! I hate it! I was here for months before I realised – everything in Dubai is fake. Everything you see. The trees are fake, the workers' contracts are fake, the islands are fake, the smiles are fake – even the water is fake!" But she is trapped, she says. She got into debt to come here, and she is stuck for three years: an old story now. "I think Dubai is like an oasis. It is an illusion, not real. You think you have seen water in the distance, but you get close and you only get a mouthful of sand."

As she says this, another customer enters. She forces her face into the broad, empty Dubai smile and says: "And how may I help you tonight, sir?"

Some names in this article have been changed.

Listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve a patient's recovery, research suggests.

2009-04-15T11:41:00.000+08:00

International

Date published:

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

News source:

BBC News

Region:

International

The researchers compared patients who listened to music for a couple of hours a day, with those who listened only to audio books, or nothing at all.

The music group showed better recovery of memory and attention skills, and a more positive general frame of mind.

Writing in journal Brain, the Finnish team who studied 60 patients said music could be a useful addition to therapy.

Lead researcher Teppo Sarkamo, from the University of Helsinki, said music could be particularly valuable for patients not yet ready for other forms of rehabilitation.

It also had the advantage of being cheap and easy-to-conduct.

Quick action

The study focused on 60 stroke patients who took part in the research as soon as possible after they had been admitted to hospital.

The aim was to offer music therapy before the changes in the brain that can take place in the aftermath of a stroke had a chance to kick in.

Most of the patients had problems with movement and with cognitive processes, such as attention and memory.

Patients in the music group were able to choose the type of music they listened to. All patients received standard stroke rehabilitation.

After three months, verbal memory improved by 60% in the music group, compared with18% in the audio book group, and 29% in the non-listeners.

Focused attention - the ability to control and perform mental operations and resolve conflicts - improved by 17% in the music group, but not at all in the other two groups.

In addition, patients in the music group were less likely to be depressed, or confused.

Mr Sarkamo said: "Other research has shown that during the first weeks and months after stroke, the patients typically spend about three-quarters of their time each day in non-therapeutic activities, mostly in their rooms, inactive and without interaction, even although this time-window is ideal for rehabilitative training from the point of view of brain plasticity.

"Our research shows for the first time that listening to music during this crucial period can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood, and it has the advantage that it is cheap and easy to organise."

However, he admitted that further work was needed to confirm the study, and that it should not be assumed that music therapy would work all patients.

He said: "Rather than an alternative, music listening should be considered as an addition to other active forms of therapy, such as speech therapy or neuropsychological rehabilitation."

Possible theories

The researchers said it was possible that music directly stimulated recovery in the damaged areas of the brain.

Alternatively, it might stimulate more general mechanisms related to the ability of the brain to repair and renew its neural networks after damage.

Or it might specifically act on the part of the nervous system that is implicated in feelings of pleasure, reward and memory.

Dr Isabel Lee, of The Stroke Association, welcomed the research.

However, she said: "Further research into the effect of music on stroke patients needs to be undertaken before any widespread use, as presently the mechanisms of any effect remain unclear."

el tiempo es el oro

2009-04-11T12:22:00.003+08:00

Looking back when lola Dindit was still alive shoe always had these wise sayings...like "el tiempo es el oro ...". I forget the rest of the saying but she never failed to remind us of the value of time.

My inlaws are in Davao for the Easter Holidays , the children love this time of year. No school psp and cartoons all day long. With the move to our new house ,the repairs to make it it safe and liveable is simply daunting. The yaya has taken a months advance and also decided to spend the rest of th month with her family. It's really a challenge, but i appreciate my time with my inlaws, the kids and that phone call from mummy and daddy.

I feel .. like there's just.. alot to do.and very little time to do it. time is indeed Gold. Recently with the repairs and the arrranging i am doing withmy office stuff .. i could not spend enough time to entertain...maybe i need to spend more time with them ... cos time is indeed precious and there will always be work to be done .. but these guys might not be around long enough to share this time with..

I have to limit my time in the pc.. need t spend quality time with family .. i suggest you do the same.

Vermigotchi -- virtual pets with real gets

2009-03-25T16:24:00.001+08:00

CERTIFIED BALANCE SCORECARD PROFESSIONAL

2009-03-19T10:27:00.000+08:00

CERTIFIED BALANCE SCORECARD PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP

Hotel Galeri Ciumbuleuit, Bandung | March 27-28, 2009 | Rp. 7.000.000,-

Aim:

The overall aim of the program is to make the participants understand the various aspects of Balanced Scorecard, and how it can be used as a strategy execution tool for enhancing the overall productivity of the organization. By the end of the program the participants would:

Understand the organizational performance models and diagnose the reasons for the lack pf performance in an organization.
Understand the benefits of Balanced Score Card as an integrated performance management system.
Understand the key terms used in context of Balanced Score Card like Leading & Lagging indicators, cascading etc.
Learn to develop key strategic profiles/strategic destination and construct and use strategy maps.
Learn the methodology to create and implement a balanced scorecard system.
Learn to develop 4 perspectives of performance measures: financial, customer, internal process, learning & growth.
The ways to sustain and improve the balanced scorecard.

Target audience:

The course is meant for people who are involved at the strategic level of an organization and who are involved in the planning and execution of the various key strategies of an organization. It is designed to cater to those professionals who are/ will be involved in the process of organization development, who might not possess a valid certification of their proficiency in organization development.

Brief content:

MODULE 1: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT BASICS

What is Performance

Reasons for Performance Management Systems

What is Performance Planning

Why the Balanced Scorecard

MODULE 2: UNDERSTANDING THE BALANCED SCORECARD

What is The Balanced Scorecard

Perspectives of The Balanced Scorecard

Top 10 Reasons for Implementing a Balanced Scorecard

MODULE 3: MISSION, VALUES AND VISION

Mission

Values

Vision

MODULE 4: STRATEGIC PLANNING OVERVIEW

What is Strategic Planning

Strategic Management Process

Strategic Analysis

Strategic Choice

MODULE 5: SRATEGIC PLANNING OVERVIEW

Strategy Map as a Step in a Continuum

Financial Perspective: Long Term Vs. Short-Term

Customer Perspective: Differentiated Value Proposition

Internal Perspective: Value Through Internal Business Processes

Learning and Growth: Alignment of Intangibles

Bringing It Together: The Strategy Map

MODULE 6: MEASURES,TARGETS AND INITIATIVES

Performance Measures
Measure for Financial Perspective
Measures for Customer Perspective
Measures for Internal Process Perspective
Measures for Employee Learning and Growth Perspective
Criteria for Selecting Performance Measures
Measure Characteristics
Using Targets in the Balanced Scorecard
Mapping and Prioritizing Organizational Initiatives

MODULE 7: CASCADING THE SCORECARD & SUCCESS FACTORS

What is Cascading

The Cascading Process

Key Success Factors for the Balanced Scorecards

MODULE 8: HR ASPECTS OF THE SCORECARD

The HR Architecture As a Strategic Asset

Human Capital Readiness

Speaker / Facilitator

Mr. Nitin Sanker
B.E (Computer Science) - IIT (Roorkee - India); MBA (HR & Marketing) - IIM (Cal)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

Over 17 years of experience in Training and Consulting in Asia, Bahrain, Thailand, UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore and USA.
Works with over 250 companies on Training and Process Design on Sales, Marketing, Customer Care, Human Resource.
He has helped many organizations in the usage of six sigma and process models like PCMM & ISO 9000 to improve their HR, marketing & customer care process. Conducted over 800 Corporate Training and Public Workshops
Some of the companies for which he had done Training and Consulting are Satyam, Cognizant, GE, Kolam, Gati, Infotech Enterprises, Dr. Reddy Labs , DHL, Motorola, AMP etc.,
Trained over 10,000 Professionals including companies like Deloitte, Central bank of Oman, Mphasis, Tesco, Aztech, Intelligroup Asia, Apollo, Polaris, TCS, Dell, Rane , Core objects, Nokia , P.D.O., UAE Exchange, Qatar Airways, RAK Bank, Blue Dart etc.,
He is certified by CAMI-USA and also City & Guilds -UK to conduct Programs.
He has written extensively for publications like The Economic Times, Deccan Chronicle etc., he is on the Review board of one of India’s specialized HR magazines. He also used to author a regular column called ‘lessons for the classroom’ which appeared in a popular magazine.
He is a visiting faculty at IIM (C) and ISB. He also trains fellow students and future management trainers at IIMT.
He is acknowledged as one of the best quizzers being a regional finalist on BBC’s Mastermind and a finalist on quiz time. He has won over 50 national level quizzes.

Dates of the program:

March 27-28, 2009

Venue:

Hotel Galeri Ciumbuleuit

Bandung

Investment :

Rp. 7.000.000,- pax for Workshop and Certification

Conducted by:

Warta Training’s Partner in Cooperation with Middle Earth Consultants India

ABOUT US:

Our Partner is a fast growing provider for high quality training programs in Indonesia, in cooperation with Middle Earth Consultant India, a leading Corporate Training Company trusted by more than 350 Top Companies, Over 100 man years of experience, trained over 20,000 individuals at all levels in India, Dubai, Muscat, Colombo, Malaysia, Nigeria, U.S.A, and Indonesia. We provide training on various concepts like HR, Managerial & Leader Skills, Soft skills, Sales & Customer Care and Behavioral Skills. The training is conducted has Public and In-House Workshop. We also provide reputed Certifications, excellent pre and post training support using best of breed training practices. The Certification is International recognized by Carlton Advanced Management Institute, USA.

Human Capital Scorecard

2009-03-19T10:25:00.000+08:00

March 8th, 2009

The cost, timely acquisition and quality of the human element are important factors for the evaluation of business processes.

For more information on HR metrics, click here.

The human capital scorecard consists of four categories, similar to traditional scorecard. Each category is devoted to one of the basic human capital management activities: HC acquiring, maintaining, developing and retaining. These categories should contain metrics that provide a thorough look at the investment and utilization levels of human capital within the organization. They should reflect the dimensions of cost, time, quantity and quality.

The scorecard base may also cover reaction factors — the reactions of managers and employees to HR programs, as well as employee satisfaction and morale measures.

Acquisition is the principle HR activity. It contains such tactics as hiring and renting (employing a person for a limited time without adding him or her to the company’s payroll). The main metrics of this category are cost per hire, number of new hires, time to fill jobs, quality of new hires and number of replacements.

Another important HR activity is Maintenance, which includes creating compensation plans, paying salaries and benefits. It can be monitored by a number of cost ratios, such as average pay per employee, total labor cost as percentage of operating expense, benefits cost as percentage of payroll and average performance score.

Development is one of the most difficult HR categories to measure. Most accounting systems do not include formal training expenditures. Typically, human capital development covers a broad range of activities, from daily coaching to external educational ventures. Some useful metrics are training cost as percentage of payroll, training hours by function, training hours by job group, average number of training hours per employee, total training hours, training ROI.

Talent retention is crucial for any organization. When people and people-related issues such as culture are ignored, the potential for failure is very high. Therefore separation rates and costs are vital and should be considered in all types of HC scorecard systems.

HC scorecard is an important element of the data-to-value cycle. It provides key measures of the human effects within tasks and processes. To get specific scorecard metrics for HR-related activities, you can use various metrics packs.

For more information on available HR metrics, click here.

Posted in HR Notes, HR Scorecard Metrics | No Comments »

Performance Appraisal Package

March 5th, 2009

Creating performance appraisal documents can be a hassle for any organization.

Performance Appraisal Package is available for only $39.95. To purchase Performance Appraisal Package, click here.

Formal review of all organization’s staff on a regular basis provides crucial feedback and helps increase employee productivity. Performance Appraisal Package helps companies keep written records of its employees’ performance, set goals and objectives, and gather important information required for creating compensation plans. Even if your company already implements informal employee appraisals, you should consider starting a new program to capture all important data in writing.

Developing employee performance plan is a time-consuming and costly process. Special web-based software solutions are expensive (some cost thousands of dollars) and require special learning. On the other hand, Performance Appraisal Package provides a lot of options for selecting employee performance evaluation form that is relevant for your organization. It is fully compatible with all popular word processors, which allows you to easily customize and print the necessary form data.

Performance Appraisal process varies from organization to organization, therefore Performance Appraisal Package provides 10 different sets, including forms for comprehensive performance assessment, project reviews and self-evaluations by employees. The forms can be modified individually or combined into company-specific documents.

Performance Appraisal Package includes the following sets: General Performance Appraisal Form I-III, used for the evaluation of various objectives and attributes; 360-Degree Performance Appraisal Form I-II, for the evaluation of peers, outside suppliers and customers, as well as “upwards” feedback about managers; Manager Performance Appraisal Form, for the assessment of managerial skills, and listing future objectives; Administrative/Technical Performance Appraisal Form, for the evaluation of administrative, technical and customer service workers; Sales Performance Appraisal Form, focused on sales personnel; Project Evaluation Review Form, used for specific project management; and Employee Self-Assessment Form, allowing employees to identify accomplishments and areas for improvement.

All Performance Appraisal Forms buyers will receive a special bonus – two guides for developing an efficient performance appraisals plan: Guide to Writing Performance Appraisals and Book of Performance Appraisal Phrases.

Performance Appraisal Package is available for only $39.95. To purchase Performance Appraisal Package, click here.

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Key elements of HR outsourcing

March 4th, 2009

HR outsourcing helps organizations free their internal resources for more strategic priorities and optimize investments in human capital.

The specific processes that are included within any outsourcing arrangement will vary from organization to organization. While some organizations may outsource nearly all of their HR processes, others choose specific components such as training, payroll or recruiting. High performing organizations typically use a combination of outsourcing and in-sourcing in order to gain competitive advantage.

Most organizations outsource various operational elements of delivering HR activities but retain control over general HR strategy and decision-making. These operational elements include: staffing, recruiting, training, and development; monitoring HR goals and strategies; benefits and compensation management; development of employee orientation programs.

In order to create outsourcing strategy, the organization should identify key areas for improvement and assess the scale and type of changes required within the HR function. The benefits of HR outsourcing include: reduced HR cost, increased efficiency, improved HR management information and HR metrics, access to advanced HR IT infrastructure without substantial investments, additional HR expertise, reduced risk, more “strategic” approach to HR management.

Before outsourcing, the organization should assess and analyze its current and future business strategy as well as the potential changes in the business profile by outsourcing provider. The outsourcing agreements are frequently long-term and may provide for five to ten years contracts. The changes of HR processes related to outsourcing usually include HR self-service systems and/ or a provision of HR contact centre for employees and managers. These changes require specific internal HR expertise as well as ongoing leadership and strategic direction.

The outsourcing arrangement requires continuous assessment against a set of specified metrics. Developing HR metrics balanced scorecard is an efficient way to monitor the success of HR outsourcing.

To learn more about HR metrics, see Measuring HR Performance.

Posted in Articles about HR, HR Scorecard Metrics | No Comments »

Talent Management Balance Scorecard

March 2nd, 2009

Talent management is important for recruiting and integrating new employees, retaining current workers as well as attracting highly skilled employees to work in the organization.

In order to show positive ROI from human capital investments, HR must evolve beyond managing administrative requirements, including payroll, benefits, and sick leave, and become a strategic partner in business performance. The key challenge of HR is to identify the skill gaps and talent risks within the organization. Effective talent management allows HR to assess the organization’s recruiting, staff transfer, and succession planning needs, as well as analyze which skills and qualifications meet requirements for today and tomorrow’s performance.

Talent management helps set planning goals and create scorecard metrics for critical performance appraisal elements, including employee satisfaction index, succession and talent gaps, average experience and skill rating, average tenure, and retirements. For more efficient analysis, these goals and metrics can be based on a number of dimensions, such as skill type, full time / part time, job grade level, job type, and division / department.

Metrics and goals can be used to monitor the success of HR activities and to measure the current performance. Furthermore, these scorecard metrics help distinguish key elements driving employee performance management in the organization. Identifying succession gaps helps determine which skills are required for future job candidates, and create the training program to develop those skills in-house. Talent gaps allow HR to develop recruitment programs for attracting future employees. Average skill rating is important to see the availability of the right skills required to achieve the organization’s short-term and long-term business goals.

Posted in HR Scorecard Metrics, Scorecard Metrics Designer | No Comments »

The use of metrics system in performance appraisals

March 1st, 2009

Metrics system helps develop standards to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization’s performance appraisal.

Performance appraisal is an important way to ensure that the organization implements a comprehensible feedback process for its employees in order to promote personal and organizational future development. Most high-performing organizations have procedures in place to offer structured response of all employees on a regular basis as a means of capturing the effectiveness of individual performance. Revision of employee performance will help the organization to get involved in this crucial process of managing employees more fairly and effectively.

The performance evaluators require special skills to effectively communicate with the organization’s employees and management. They need to know how to deliver positive feedback but also how to diplomatically deliver constructive criticism. The foundation of employee performance appraisals is a set of evaluation metrics which help analyze individual performance and develop standards. The strong feedback system is based on clear benchmarks, rating schemes, and measurable output schemes that tie to an organization’s overarching mission.

Performance appraisals are almost a universal component of every functioning professional and administrative organization. Performance evaluators who have received the appropriate training are a key element of the organization’s human resources department as they help managers to develop measurable, attainable, and appropriate standards to assess employee performance, effectiveness, and output in a wide variety of job types.

For more information, see Measuring the Performance of HR Department.

Posted in HR Scorecard Metrics | No Comments »

Keep Focused when Managing HR during Financial Recession

March 1st, 2009

Managing HR during financial recession, which will eventually affect most companies and organizations, should focus on keeping everyone calm and together through smart, cost-effective strategies.

The signs are everywhere as even the biggest companies reel left and right from the staggering effects of the financial recession. Layoffs, buyouts, bailouts, mergers, and other undeniably desperate measures are being grasped at like straws. But aside from these drastic measures, everyone should realize that it is just as important to adjust in managing HR during financial recession.

HR or human resources, in fact, plays an even bigger role during tough times than during periods of prosperity and growth. Whenever a company or organization encounters trouble or enters a slump, the group’s morale is certain to take a heavy hit. While to some extent the loss of morale may be alleviated by employees among themselves, human resource departments definitely have to step up as well. In cooperation with management and the leaders within the organization, the HR department has to implement sound, consistent strategies to help everyone through the recession lows.

The first order of business would be to calm everyone down and prevent panicking as much as possible. In doing so, the HR department and management should take care to present and keep up good appearances. Scrambling and hurrying to slap together some sort of message to the organization might be more counterproductive than helpful. Take the time to draft a well thought out campaign. Do not deny what is obvious, that a recession is occurring, but on the other hand, do not focus entirely on predicting doom. Simply reiterate the organization’s mission and state that even through these troubled times, everyone should continue trying their best and working together.

Apart from just drafting a reassuring message to send throughout the organization, the HR department should also begin looking at how it can slim down its processes, in line with the cutbacks that will inevitably have to be made. This might mean reducing bonuses, making parties and other non-necessary events smaller or doing away with them altogether, and even cutting back a little on the training budget. However, as with any budget cut, try as much as possible not to sacrifice quality too much. That is, find lower cost alternatives that are not too different in quality from the processes and policies you already have in place. Creativity and innovation would definitely pay off here.

Assigning top performers to hold in-house training sessions instead of hiring outside experts is an example of cutting costs on training. While this measure might not be quite as effective as hiring a consultant might be, it is still much cheaper. It will also help to build camaraderie among the employees and keep the organization unified.

In summary, with the grave effects of financial downturns, human resource departments are certainly going to have a lot on their hands. Even just staying afloat may prove hard for some companies, let alone continuing to go strong. But managing HR during financial recession is not impossibly difficult, if managers and human resource personnel keep their wits about them and focus on what is important: calming down any panic and remaining unified as an organization.

Tags: financial recession, hr recession
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Ways to Effectively Control Recession Effects on HR Performance

February 19th, 2009

Financial crises and downturns are forcing businesses and companies to strive to control recession effects on HR performance by going back to the basics and focusing on their people.

Financial crises, recessions, and economic depressions are not new phenomena, but their occurrence is definitely a cause for great concern among many. This is because no matter how well we study the history of downturns such as these, dealing with them when they do happen again is still just as difficult. Most organizations will wonder, for instance, how to control recession effects on HR performance, and employee performance in general. For the most part, this would fall to the efforts of the human resource department. In fact, the HR department would probably need to handle the most important part of the recession coping strategies.

This is because, essentially, what crises force organizations to do is to go back to the basics and try to maintain an intact, dynamic core. This core consists mainly of the organization’s leaders and employees – all united towards accomplishing their mission and achieving their vision. The panic and worrying induced by uncertain, or worse, poor economic conditions will tend to obscure this simple fact, but human resource departments should strive to realize this, better sooner than later. The sooner HR is convinced of its central role in surviving the crisis, the sooner planning and implementation could start as well.

Drops in sales and profits will inevitably lead management to consider laying off employees, especially the poor performers. While this may be necessary in a lot of cases, it should also be realized that this often has unintended consequences. This is manifested in the loss of productivity caused by layoffs, however small, as other employees suddenly feel less secure in their own jobs. Another effect may be lowered morale, since those who were laid off were friends and close colleagues of those who remain in the organization. The best thing to do to try and lessen these side effects would be to maintain open channels of communication among the management, human resources, and the employees. They should be able to ask questions and get straight, honest answers. This will, in the long run, lead to a better understanding amongst the different parts of the organization, which is crucial for long-term survival.

HR should also do the best they can with the employees and resources available, in terms of training programs. While recessions are usually seen as periods where organizations should do all they can to just stay afloat, it would not do to neglect the future for the present. That is, training budgets are often cut mercilessly during tougher times, with the rationale that they give no immediate payoff. However, companies that follow this policy too closely may find themselves unprepared to cope with the changed situation once the crisis has passed. Strategies should be made looking at the long term, and not just the short term, no matter how tragic the short term may seem to be.

HR departments truly do have their jobs cut out for them in times of crisis, but with a smart and sensible plan, managers can effectively control recession effects on HR performance.

Tags: hr performance, hr recession, recession effects
Posted in Articles | No Comments »

Company’s strategy implementation with HR BSC

February 14th, 2009

The HR Balanced Scorecard helps HR professionals manage their strategic responsibilities more effectively.

The basis of a value-creating HR strategy is a management infrastructure that comprehends and is able to implement the company’s strategy.

The Balanced Scorecard is a powerful tool which emphasizes the importance of measuring organizational performance from the perspective of strategic implementation, rather than relying solely on financial outcome. The Balanced Scorecard methodology helps the company’s management assess important process measures and communicate the company’s performance based on these criteria to the employees, encouraging the active participation of the entire organization in the strategy implementation process.

In order to integrate HR into a business performance measurement system, the managers must determine the points of intersection (HR deliverables) between the human resources and the company’s strategy implementation plan. The HR deliverables are categorized into two groups, the performance drivers and the enablers. Performance drivers are core people-related assets such as employee productivity and satisfaction. Enablers reinforce these performance drivers. Each performance driver may have several enablers. For instance, if employee productivity is considered a performance driver, training and re-skilling are identified as an enabler.

HR scorecard measurement process is not a one-time event. It requires flexibility as well as continuous monitoring and re-thinking. HR professionals should regularly review the existing measures and analyze their impacts.

The benefits of HR Balanced Scorecard approach are: cost control and value creation opportunities, ongoing measurement of the leading indicators, assessment of HR contribution to the company’s strategy implementation, encouragement of flexibility and change.

Companies which need to create HR measurement strategy may use HR Balanced Scorecard Metrics Pack. This pack contains HR-related metrics which help evaluate leadership and motivation indicators and measure the performance of HR and HR management in the company. It includes 8 metrics solutions: HR, HR Hire, HR Training, Leadership, Motivation, HR Outsourcing, Awards, and Retirement. These Balanced Scorecard metrics are a useful tool to measure and control HR productivity as well as improve and manage HR-related business aspects.

For more information of the HR Balanced Scorecard Metrics Pack, click here.

Posted in HR Scorecard Metrics, Scorecard Metrics Designer | No Comments »

FastStart™ Human Resources Pack

February 12th, 2009

The FastStart™ Human Resources Pack targets the most common HR activities and helps you efficiently manage various HR tasks.

The FastStart™ Human Resources Pack is designed to help you organize your workforce more efficiently. It includes ten MS Excel-based spreadsheet solutions for a better control over human resource activities. These solutions help you get quick access to the necessary HR information and manage your staff more professionally.

For instance, the Employee Information Form is designed to track and record all the vital information on the company’s employees. The Employment Application and Interview Form are crucial for hiring new staff as well as keeping track of the company’s potential employees. The Employee Performance Appraisal spreadsheet helps HR department to monitor the effectiveness of the current staff. The Vacation Request Form is important for creating up-to-date work schedules, while the Absence Report allows you to analyze the frequency of absence of each of your employees. Finally, the I-9 Form is set to keep records of citizenship status of new employees, which is important in today’s increasingly international working environment.

In addition to the FastStart™ Human Resources Pack, the developer provides a wide range of template solutions for various business tasks. For instance, companies who need more profound approach to managing day-to-day activities may use database-driven products such as FastData or SuperForms.

The Human Resource Pack contains the following templates:

- Employment Application

- Absence Report

- Employee Disciplinary Card

- Career Data Card

- Employee Warning Form

- Employee Performance Appraisal

- Injury Claim Form

- Interview Form

- Harassment Interview Form

- Vacation Request Form

You can purchase the FastStart™ Human Resources Pack here for $29.95.

The product requires MS Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/NT and MS Office 97/2000/XP/2003.

Posted in HR Notes | No Comments »

Emotional intelligence

February 10th, 2009

Emotions play a vital role in many aspects of leadership. They are the pathway to more effective decision-making, stronger interpersonal relationships, resilience in the face of stress, as well as enhanced creativity.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a concept that captures a broad collection of individual skills and dispositions, most often referred to as soft skills or inter and intra-personal skills, that are outside the traditional areas of specific knowledge, general intelligence, or technical and professional skills.

Emotional intelligence has been associated with transformational leadership capabilities such as inspiration, motivation, and vision. According to a number of researches, the person’s success at work is 80% dependent on emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is all about understanding yourself and how other people react to you, and then using this knowledge to your advantage and better foster relationships. The foundation of emotional intelligence is self-awareness: the knowledge of yourself helps you understand how other people see you.

Emotional intelligence is a powerful tool which helps a person build relationships, using the knowledge of different behavior types, enhance communication skills, and promote leadership capabilities. From HR perspective, emotional intelligence is a significant factor that is potentially useful in understanding and predicting employees’ individual performance at work. Although measuring EQ is a challenging task, this information could significantly increase the effectiveness of HR activities.

Posted in HR Notes | No Comments »

Filipinos make their mark on Google Maps

2009-03-15T10:36:00.000+08:00

By Janie Christine Octia
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 18:04:00 03/12/2009

Filed Under: Online, Internet, Technology (general)

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Manila, Philippines--Filipinos are now helping shape Google Maps.

Thanks to Google Map Maker, an application introduced in October 2008, Filipinos are now creating virtual maps of the Philippines on this virtual world, a Google executive said Thursday.

Google Map Maker is a software application that lets users add, edit and moderate maps. This application encourages users to also provide comprehensive, high-quality and updated maps, as well as local content.

"I think we've seen a huge amount of interest from Filipino users and there has been a huge amount of progress already. With the Philippines’ cultural and geographic diversity--and over 7,000 islands, there is absolutely a long way to go," said Derek Callow, Google's Head of Marketing for Southeast Asia, told INQUIRER.net.

Callow said Google Map Maker edits have come from a diverse group of local users, reflecting the overwhelming response of Filipinos to collaborate online and share knowledge about their communities and neighborhoods.

A user-generated content platform, Google Map Maker still goes through verification. As Wikipedia is to generating user-generated online encyclopedia, Google Map Maker is to user-generated map-making. Users can edit street-level data, landmark tags and business establishments. Once all these information are added, users from around the globe can view them.

To date, Google said that updated and accurate maps of several provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao Region, including key tourism areas in the country, are available for viewing.

"Foreign tourists need information about places. Having local information from the Visayas and Mindanao, it is a big help for those unfamiliar with the area. Foreign tourists usually search on the Internet for information. They look for maps. With Google Maps Maker, tourists are able to find [information] from the locals themselves," said Bernard Arellano III, one of the top Filipino contributors in Google Map Maker.

Arellano, who traces roots back to Iloilo, said he has been collaborating with other Google Map Maker users to improve the streets and key landmarks in the province.

Updating the Philippine map on Google Maps is a continuous work as places continue to evolve, Callow said.

"There is no specific timeline on updating information from Google Map Maker to Google Maps. The core thing for us internally is to make it as quickly as possible and it really depends on the volume of edits. Our promise to users is that when they contribute, we want to make sure it gets rolled out to Google Maps so that in turn their expertise and knowledge is of benefit to as many users as possible," Callow said.

How to Use Twitter as a Tool

2009-03-13T10:45:00.000+08:00

iStock_000000372006XSmall.jpg

I may get more value out of Twitter than anyone else on the planet because I use Twitter as a tool—specifically as a marketing tool—for my website Alltop and my book, Reality Check. If the concept of using Twitter in a commercial manner interests you, keep reading. If it doesn’t, then you can continue to send and receive tweets about how cats are rolling over and the line at Starbucks.

1.

Forget the “influentials.” You must buy into the theory that products and services reach critical mass because mere mortals spread the word for you. This defies the common wisdom that a handful of “influentials” shape what the rest of us try and what we adopt. In the online world, these influentials include Mike “I can go a week without Twitter” Arrington, Robert Scoble, Seth Godin, and to some extent me.

Reliance on influentials is flawed because the Internet has flattened and democratized information. Influentials don’t have as much special access, special knowledge, and distribution as you might think because of the growth of websites, blogs, and, of course, Twitter.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t care about influentials—if nothing else they can help you get to what some consider “nobodies.” But mark my words: (a) Nobodies are the new somebodies, and (b) it’s better to have army of committed nobodies and than a few drive-by somebodies. The most somebodies can usually do for you is a one day bump in traffic.

One more point: if enough nobodies like what you do, the somebodies will have no choice but to write about you. In this way, the buzz of nobodies begets the attention of somebodies and not vice versa.
2.

Defocus your efforts. The goal is to get to masses of people because you don’t know who can and will help you. (If you knew exactly who they were and what they can do for you, then you’d focus on them—then we’d be back to focusing on influentials—albeit less known ones.) The catch is that defocusing isn’t actionable unless there’s an inexpensive, easy, and instant answer to reach massive amounts of people, and per dollar there’s nothing better than Twitter to do this.
3.

Get as many followers as you can. I recently explained what I do to get more followers. Click here to read about my methods. Ignore people who tell you that it’s the quality of your followers not the quantity. They’re trying to make friends, not use Twitter as a tool. And, truth be told, there are only two kinds of Twitter users: those that want more followers and those that lie. You can follow me here.

The reason you want more followers is the law of big numbers: the more followers, the more people talking about what you do, the more you can reach the tipping point. If you think you “know” exactly who can and will help you, you are deluding yourself.

You will face the issue of whether your Twitter name should be the company’s name or your name. I have Guykawasaki and Alltop because you should try to get both much like preventing domain name squatting. My theory is people are more likely to follow a person than a company, so 99% of my attention goes to my Guykawasaki account. Also, someday you may sell your company, and the company account will probably go with the acquirer. However, if you go with your name, you need to not tweet only about your company—indeed, you have the moral obligation to tweet informative posts that have nothing to do with your company. You can see what I do here.
4.

Monitor what people are saying about you, your company, and your product. You can do this here with the search features of Twitter. Be sure that you bookmark your search so that you won’t have to reenter terms. Or, you use a product like Tweetdeck to create a search. For example, I monitor this search [guykawasaki OR “Guy Kawasaki” OR Alltop] to follow what people are saying about me and Alltop. Searches like [how to Alltop] where you substitute your company or product name for “Alltop” are also useful to find tweets about using your product or service. You can also use Twilert.com to receive email notification of search results much like Google Alerts. When you find such tweets, take these actions:

People are pissed: help them out

People are confused: help them out

People who have questions: help them out

People are happy: ask them to spread the word

You will find that people are delighted by contact with the company and that no matter how rocky the relationship started out, they usually become fans and evangelists. By simply monitoring what people are saying about you, you’re using Twitter better than 95% of the companies out there.
5. Can I tell you a funny story? I once spoke to a group of large company social media folks. One was from United Parcel Service, and she said that her Twitter searches were inefficient because the string “UPS” is in so many words (“startups,” “meetups,” etc.) Undaunted, I searched for “UPS” in front of the group, and the first tweet that I found was a complaint about a UPS delivery! That brought a howl from the audience.

Ask for help. Don’t be shy about asking people on Twitter to spread the word for you. If they like what you do, they will. If they don’t, they won’t. It’s as simple and transparent as that. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for some of us), most people don’t have the chutzpah to ask for help.

Alltop would not be anything close to what it is without the Twitter community. Twitter users suggest new topics as well as sites and blogs to include on those topics. Many have gone so far as to suggest a topic and compile a collection of feeds for the topic. And then they help us market the site too. Holy kaw!
6.

Make it easy to tweet on your behalf. Twitterfeed is a service where any RSS feed can automatically appear as your own tweets. Bloggers do this, for example, so that their blog posts automatically appear as their tweets.

I took it to the next level by asking Mario Menti, the Twitterfeed creator, to make a special webpage where people could sign up to allow us to automatically post Alltop news as their tweets (click here if you’d visit the webpage). Approximately 177 people did so.

I want to make sure you understand what this means: 177 people agreed to repost all Alltop news as their own tweets. This took automated tweeting to a historical new high—or low depending on who you asked.

Then my new book, Reality Check, came out, and I made an offer of a free copy of it to anyone who signed up for the Alltop Twitterfeed. Another 280 people signed up—bringing the total to approximately 450 people.

We counted, and these 450 people had a total of 140,000 followers. This meant that whenever we announced a new topic, the 140,000 followers of 450 people received notification. These 450 people had followers in common, so their tweets didn’t reach 140,000 different people (see next section), but this was the Mother of Retweeting.
7. Right about now you should be asking yourself, “Why would people help Guy like this?” The answer is that these Alltop evangelists see spreading the news about Alltop as a service for their followers. They believe that Alltop’s information is good and useful and will help their followers access information on the web. Thus, the primary motivation is not a $30 book, but the satisfaction of helping others. This is a very important lesson: people must believe that what you’re marketing is great for their followers, and they must trust you. Here’s a guideline for creating something great. Here’s how to build trust. Here’s a complete explanation of evangelism.

Create an email list. One issue with 450 people tweeting 140,000 followers: if people followed some of the same 450 people, they got duplicate announcements. I started receiving about five complaints a day—still, the math was good: five complaints from 140,000 exposures? I can deal with complaints but, in a sense, my idea worked too well.

What I could not deal with was the unintended consequences of automated tweeting. For example, Republican members of the 450 people probably didn’t appreciate the Obama.alltop announcement. I was afraid that someday a pastor (and her followers) would wonder why she tweeted about Hunting.alltop, Buddhism.alltop, and Pregnancy.alltop.

Clearly, some of the people needed to choose which topics they tweeted and how the tweets were worded. Also, some of the 450 started to lose followers because of the frequency of Alltop updates (we often announce three to four new topics per day). I certainly didn’t want these people to lose followers because of me—if there’s anyone in the world who understands the trauma of losing followers, it’s me.

Can I tell you another funny story? Yes, some of the 450 people lost followers because of the Alltop tweets, but many told me that their followers found the Alltop tweets more interesting than their own tweets, so that they had more interaction with their followers because of the Alltop tweets!

To fix these issues, we created the Alltop news and announcements email list. Through this list, we announce every new topic, and we let the recipients decide if they want to tweet it (or email it) to others. Also, they can obviousy edit and create their own tweet or message.

We told the 450 people using Twitterfeed about it, so that they could drop the Twitterfeed mechanism and use the email notification instead. We opened up the email list on the night before Thanksgiving and in six days approximately 600 people signed up for it. That was surprisingly high, but what’s even more interesting is that only fifty of the 450 Twitterfeed folks stopped doing it.

I thought the majority of people would drop Twitterfeed and disappear completely or switch to the email list. You’ve heard that synergy is when 2 + 2 = 5. This is Twitter synergy where 450 - 50 = 1,000 because we signed up more people by offering an alternative. With the email list, we must have tapped people who were hesitant to entrust their feeds to us but wanted to help in some other way. Thank you God.
8.

Make it easy to “post to Twitter.” One day I met with Rashmi Sinha, the CEO of Slideshare. We got to talking about how she increased her traffic, and she told me that a “Post to Twitter” link was the most effective mechanism. When people are viewing a Slideshare page like this hilarious one about getting old, they can click on the “Post to Twitter” link under the frame and a window opens with a preconfigured tweet to send to followers.

According to her, this was much more effective than the various sharing and email forwarding schemes. I thought her idea was absolutely fabulous and copied it. Now there is a “Post to Twitter” button on every Alltop topic page. Approximately twenty people a day do this. On average they have 350 followers, so this provides us with another 7,000 or so impressions per day. More is less when it comes to offering people multiple ways to spread the word by clicking on rating services like Digg, Delicious, and Yahoo Buzz, pick one and be done with it. I pick Twitter because it doesn’t involve a popularity contest to get on any front page—instead, all your followers will get the tweet.
9.

Offer advice deals to Twitter users. This is something that I don’t do, but I would if I ran an ecommerce company. You can Twitter to offer special deals to your followers—for example, check out what Amazon does by clicking here and what Whole Foods does by clicking here. Also, check out the stream of Twitter deals here. You’ll see offers from companies using Twitter as well as the deals that Twitter users have found (probably including company employees acting as “regular” Twitter users). How can you not love something like Twitter that is fast, free, and far-reaching for pushing out special offers? (Power tip: if you need to enable several people to tweet and to schedule your tweets, check out a service called Brightkit.)
10.

Tell the complainers where to go. Some people will disagree with this use of Twitter. Don’t let this worry you because at some point everyone pisses off someone on Twitter. Therefore, letting a vocal few limit your use of Twitter is a big mistake. If they don’t like what you’re doing, tell them to stop following you: end of discussion. And rest assured that “Twitter spam” is an oxymoron because following you is completely opt-in.

This is how to use Twitter as a tool. I hope the Twitter community helps you as much as it has helped Alltop and me. With some effort, you may come to view Twitter as I do: the best new marketing twool of this century. Tweet long and prosper.

Read more: "How to Change the World: How to Use Twitter as a Twool" - http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/12/how-to-use-twit.html#ixzz09b8RaRF6

Lotus Rose, bizarro writer

2009-03-13T10:01:00.001+08:00

Anthrophobia- Fear of flowers.

Androphobia- Fear of men.
Gynophobia- Fear of women.
Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women.
Eremophobia- Fear of loneliness. Fear of being alone.
Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.
Aphephobia- Fear of touching or being touched.
Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers. Fear of feathers.
Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love.
Gamophobia- Fear of marriage.
Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy.
Coitophobia- Fear of sexual intercourse.
Paraphobia- Fear of sexual perversion.

Pogonophobia- Fear of beards.
Doraphobia- Fear of fur. Fear of contact with animal fur or skin.
Trichophobia- Fear of hair.
Vestiophobia- Fear of clothing.
Dermatosiophobia- Fear of skin.
Nudophobia- Fear of nudity.
Abluthophobia- Fear of bathing.

Linonophobia- Fear of string.
Melophobia- Fear of music.
Metallophobia- Fear of metal.
Pedophobia- Fear of children.
Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls.
Misophobia- Fear of dirt, especially of being contaminated by dirt.
Myxophobia- Fear of slime.
Vermiphobia- Fear of earthworms.

Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting.
Barophobia- Fear of gravity.
Kyphophobia- Fear of stooping.
Ambulophobia- Fear of walking.
Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.
Basophobia- Fear of falling.
Climacophobia- Fear of falling down stairs.

Deipnophobia- Fear of dining and dinner conversations.
Cibophobia- Fear of food.
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Geumophobia- Fear of tastes or flavors.
Acerophobia- Fear of sourness.

Psychophobia- Fear of the mind.
Phonemophobia- Fear of thinking.
Ideophobia- Fear of ideas.
Philosophobia- Fear of philosophy.
Scholionophobia - Fear of school.
Sophophobia- Fear of learning.
Verbophobia- Fear of words.
Metrophobia- Fear of poetry.
Graphophobia- Fear of writing.

Ergophobia- Fear of work.
Hypegiaphobia- Fear of responsibility.
Decidophobia - Fear of making decisions.
Lyssophobia- Fear of becoming insane.
Potophobia- Fear of alcohol or acoholic beverages.

Symmetrophobia- Fear of symmetry.
Tachophobia- Fear of speed.
Technophobia- Fear of arts and crafts. Fear of technology.
Telephonophobia- Fear of telephones.

Odontophobia- Fear of teeth.
Ommetaphobia- Fear of eyes.
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.

Eosophobia- Fear of dawn.
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun. Fear of (or abnormal sensitivity to) sunlight.
Phenogophobia- Fear of daylight.
Photalgiophobia- Fear of photalgin, pain in the eyes caused by light.
Photophobia- Fear of light. Fear of (strong) light. (Like gizmo in "gremlins")
Sciophobia- Fear of shadows.
Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night.
Siderophobia- Fear of stars.
Lunaphobia- Fear of the moon.

Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors. Fear of looking into mirrors.
Hemophobia- Fear of blood.

Brontophobia- Fear of thunder storms.
Keraunophobia- Fear of thunder. Fear of thunder and lightning.

Thanatophobia- Fear of death or dying.
Necrophobia- Fear of dead things. Fear of death.
Taphephobia- Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
Placophobia- Fear of tombstones.

Rhabdophobia- Fear of magic. Fear of being eaten.
Triskadekaphobia- Fear of the number 13.
Phasmophobia- Fear of ghosts.
Specrophobia- Fear of specters or phantoms.
Demonophobia- Fear of spirits or demons.

Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion.
Satanophobia- Fear of Satan.
Papaphobia- Fear of the Pope.
Hagiophobia- Fear of saints.
Hierophobia- Fear of priests. Fear of sacred objects.
Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.
Stygiophobia- Fear of hell.
Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.
Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
Peccatophobia- Fear of sinning.
Enosiophobia- Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin.

Hedonophobia- Fear of pleasure.
Cherophobia- Fear of gaiety.
Chrematophobia- Fear of wealth.

Chromophobia- Fear of colors.
Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
Eurotophobia- Fear of the color red; fear of blushing.

Dextrophobia- Fear of objects on the right side of the body.
Levophobia- Fear of objects on the left side of the body.
Diplopiaphobia- Fear of double vision.

Pantophobia- Fear of everything. A nonspecific fear; A state of general anxiety.
Polyphobia- Fear of many things.
Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.
Tremophobia- Fear of trembling.

Anthrophobia- Fear of flowers.

Strange technological developments

2009-03-13T09:50:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I'm wondering what new technological developments will be as strange to us in 40 years as a self driving car is now to my grand mother. A while ago I came across one article that describes one nice possibility: Emotional attachement to robots (I would like to add "and software agents"). I think its a pretty safe bet that our children and grand children will have more emotional attachement to things we will continue to see as "just a machine"(the short Tamagotchi craze gave a glimpse of what is ahead). I also believe that our grand children will grow up to accept that some robots have emotions - something my generation will have a hard time to understand (although I would guess that in the end society will accept that machines - even those created by humans - can have emotions).
Unless of course, humankind fails to preserve this increasingly fragile society of ours (then one of the main things that will amaze us about our grand children will be that they don't miss running water)

Inspiring song from Casting Crowns

2009-03-13T08:40:00.002+08:00

Intro: G  C  Em  D (x2) 



      G            D/F#            Em7 
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth 
       D            C           D/F#               C 
Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt 
      G            D/F#               Em7 
Who am I, that the bright and morning star 
        D                C           D/F#                C 
Would choose to light the way, for my ever wandering heart 
      C             D/F#          Em7                 D/F# 
Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done 
      Em7                D/F#        C               D 
Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are 










 
G       D/F#          Em7            D                C 
I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow 
  D                  C           D/F#    G 
A wave tossed in the ocean, vapor in the wind 
G         D/F#             Em7 
Still You hear me when I’m calling 
          D                 C 
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling 
           D             C        G (Em in chorus 2&3) 
And You’ve told me who I am, I am yours...




 


 

          
G  C  Em  D (x2) 


      G            D/F#            Em7 
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin 
       D             C         D/F#              C 
Would look on me with love, and watch me rise again 
      G            D/F#                Em7 
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea 
       D                 C         D                C 
Would call out through the rain, and calm the storm in me 
      C             D          Em7                 D/F# 
Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done 
      Em7                D/F#        C               D 
Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are 


CHORUS 

Instrumental: Em D/F# C  Em D/F# C  Em D/F#  F  C  D 
                     

      C             D          Em7                 D/F# 
Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done 
      Em7                D/F#        C               D 
Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are 


CHORUS 

     Em D/F# C  D 
I am Yours... 

G  C  Em  D (x2) 

G             C                  Em   D 
Whom shall I fear, whom shall I fear 
            G   C       Em   D   C 
Cause I am Yours,  I am Yours

variation

variation

variation

variation

D/F#

variation

Em7

variation

variation

Linux on USB dynamic and easy

2009-03-10T14:50:00.001+08:00

Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick

Carry a portable Linux version with you on a USB flash pen drive. Easily bring your portable desktop with you wherever you go.

USB Linux installation enables you to install a portable Linux operating system on a flash drive or USB key no larger than your thumb (thumbdrive). This portable Linux operating system can then be run from any computer that can boot from a flash device, allowing you to bring your operating system, desktop, applications, files, email, personal settings, favorites, games and more with you. It’s your own personal operating system you can carry in your pocket. On Pendrivelinux.com, we provide many simplified portable Linux flash drive installation tutorials. Making is easy for anyone to install, boot and run Linux portably from a Pen drive!

Note: Please perform the USB Boot Compatibility Test to ensure that your Computer is capable of booting from a Portable USB device.

Visit the USB Boot CD section if you have a computer with a BIOS that does not natively support booting from a USB flash drive!

2009-03-10T14:37:00.001+08:00

Linux Systems Administration I

March 2009 schedule for Linux Systems Administration I training.

What	Training
When	03-16-2009 12:00 AM to 03-20-2009 05:30 PM
Where	2nd Flr., DabaweGNU Lab, Davao City
Contact Name	Art Esmeralda Jr
Contact Email	info@dabawegnu.org
Contact Phone	+63918.589.4822
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Distribution: CentOS
Training Hours: 40 hours

Instructor: Holden Hao

Venue: DabaweGNU Lab, Sobrecary cor. Vinzon St., Obrero, Davao City

Fee: Regular training fee is Php 10,000.00/participant but promo rates and discounts are available.

Promo/Discount Scheme:

Promo Rate: Php 7,000.00 (may continually increase)

Php 6, 500.00 for DabaweGNU Members

(must be members at least 30 days before scheduled training)

Early Bird Discount: If number of participants reach 10, a discount of Php 500.00 will be given to the first 5 participants (except DabaweGNU members).

Downpayment: Php 2,000.00 deductible from full fees

Registration: Participants are required to accomplish the registration form and pay a down payment fee of of Php 2,000.00. Payments can be made in our office or through bank deposit. Bank details will be emailed to participants after signing up.

Linux Systems Administration I (LiSA 1)

2009-03-10T14:06:00.000+08:00

Linux Systems Administration I (LiSA 1)

The Linux Systems Administration I course is designed for professional ICT practitioners who wish to gain fundamental knowledge on installing, configuring, and trouble shooting Linux systems. The participants will also learn to integrate Linux systems and its network services into heterogeneous network infrastructures. After the course, the participants are expected to have the basic capabilities of junior systems administrators.

Course Outline:

Installation

Pre-installation
Partitioning
File Systems
LVM
Software RAID
Installation walk through

The Linux Work Environment

The Linux Desktop
The Terminal
Text Editing
Software Installation
Package Management
User Management

Hardware Interaction and Boot Process

Driver /Module Management
Kernel Compilation
Boot Loader
Linux Boot Process
Services Management
Mounting File Systems

Linux Concepts & Utilities

File Permissions & Ownership
Shell Utilities
Shell Scripting
Task Schedulers
Help Files

Networking

IP Addressing
Network Protocols
Routing
Linux Network Configuration
X Windowing System
Remote X Windows

Services

DHCP
DNS
Samba File/ Print Sharing
NFS
Sendmail Email Server
Dovecot IMAP & POP Server
Apache Web Server
OpenSSH

Troubleshooting & Security

Log Files
Repairing Filesystems
Iptables Firewall
Network Trouble Shooting

Linux Distribution:

CentOS: a distribution derived from source files published for Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). This will be the primary distribution that will be used in the training.

http://www.centos.org

Debian: a reliable Linux distribution developed by a community of volunteers. It is used as the base for popular Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Xandros, Mepis, and others. Debian will be the secondary distribution that will be referenced in the training.

http://www.debian.org

Learning/ Teaching Strategy:

Experiential and problem based methodologies will be used to enhance the teaching and learning of the course. Lectures will be related to real life scenarios and participants will be given problem sets to work on during laboratory time. Each participant will be provided their own computer to use during the training.

Instructors:

Holden M. Hao
Mr. Holden Hao completed his post graduate diploma in ICT in Education from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is a certified Linux Professional, and has been an active member and/or officer in various ICT organizations. He is the founding president of DabaweGNU, Inc. and President of Afterfive Technologies.

Participants:

20 Students Maximum
5 Students Minimum

Prerequisites:

Participants must have prior experience in administering small networks.

Inclusions:

CentOS Installation DVD
Reference Materials CD

Lunch
All day Coffee/ Light Snacks

Other benefits:

One free sit-in in future schedules of the same course (lectures only/ no hands-on/ subject to seat availability)

Schedules:

March 16-20, 2009

2009-03-09T01:04:00.002+08:00

How to make Taho

This is one of Pinoy's favorite morning snack. It is made from soybeans. The finished product is soft and silky soybean custard. Added for flavor are sago pearls, and a thick brown sugar syrup. It is served warm in small disposable cups.

If you are planning to go into business producing taho, and searching for a procedure how to make it, then read the information below.

How to make Taho

Raw materials and utensils:

500 g soybeans
1 pc weighing scale
2.5 liters water
2 pcs basin
2 pcs gulaman bars
2 pcs colander
1 cup sago
1 pc grinder or blender
1 unit stove
SYRUP
2 pcs casserole
250 g brown sugar
2 yards cheesecloth
250 mL water molder
1/4 tsp vanilla

Procedure

1. Soak beans overnight, wash and remove the hulls.
2. Grind finely (using a grinder or blender) while adding hot water.
3. Put soybean in a cheesecloth and squeeze out milk.
4. Boil soymilk for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir and add gulaman (previously dissolved in 1 liter boiling water). Allow to boil for another 10 minutes.
5. Pass the mixture through cheesecloth then pour in a molder.
6. Cool and serve with syrup and previously boiled and syruped sago.

To make syrup, boil water and brown sugar under moderate flame. Add flavor (vanilla, pandan, lemon) when sugar dissolves and mixture has boiled. Cool.

How to get to Tagaytay:

2009-03-05T11:20:00.000+08:00

Driving directions to Tagaytay for those with private cars, vans or taxi cabs:

Option 1: via SLEX Sta. Rosa Exit, the most popular and easiest, is a straight drive all the way to Tagaytay Public Market (and right smack into Tagaytay Econo Inn) where you turn right going to Tagaytay city proper and Nasugbu/Balayan/Lemery Batangas or left going to People's Park in the Sky. Usual travel time from Makati CBD is 1.5 hours.

Option 2: SLEX Greenfields Exit, an alternate route to Tagaytay that pass by Pramana, Nuvali, Eton City and Paseo de Sta. Rosa, ideal to avoid traffic buildup on Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay National Road on Saturday mornings thus making it the fastest route to Tagaytay on weekends.

Option 3: SLEX Southwoods exit then Governor's Drive in Carmona going to Dasmarinas. Turn left on Maguyam Road just before the Shell Station to your left.

Option 4: Roxas Boulevard, Baclaran, Coastal Road, Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas via Aguinaldo Highway. Not recommended due to presence of heavy traffic made worse by SM Dasmarinas and Robinsons Palapala. At the end of Aguinaldo Highway is the Tagaytay Rotonda (roundabout) where a statue of Ninoy Aquino, a BPI with ATM, Days Inn, Max's Restaurant and 7-11 store as landmarks.

Option 5: Another route for the adventurous to Tagaytay is via Daang Hari that passes by Molino, Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas and Silang. It bypasses the traffic chokepoint of Bacoor rotonda but not SM Dasma and Robinsons.

Option 6: From Sto. Tomas, Batangas via StarToll in going to Lipa City, take Sambat exit and follow the national road to Talisay then go up Ligaya Drive, the zigzag road to Tagaytay (sometimes called Bitukang Manok, not for the faint of heart and newbie drivers)

Note: If you're a foreigner, you can hire vans to get there or an airport taxi. Some taxi drivers charge a fixed rate or double the meter fare plus toll fees.

How to Commute to Tagaytay:

This is a backpacking blog so backpacking Tagaytay should really mean taking public transportation :P

If you're going to Tagaytay via public transportation, request the driver to drop you off at your destination if along the way or at Tagaytay Rotonda (landmarks: Ninoy Aquino monument, BPI, Max's, 7-11) where you can ride jeepneys or tricycle to your target place.

From Manila Airport to Tagaytay City: the cheapest way is to ride the shuttle service from all terminals that pass by MRT Taft Avenue Station and ride BLTB or Crow Transit Buses to Tagaytay. Alternatively, hire a taxi to take you directly to Tagaytay (no idea on current fares) or just to the bus stations.

From Mandaluyong to Tagaytay: Ride vans (V-Hires) bound for Batangas and Tagaytay in front of Starmall at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Boulevard (walking distance from MRT Shaw Boulevard station). Fare as of posting time is PhP150.00 (this is the best option for those living in Rizal province)

From Laguna to Tagaytay: In Pagsanjan Public Market, there are vans/fx/V-Hires going to Palapala in Dasmarinas Cavite. On reaching Pala-pala transport terminal (near Robinsons Dasmarinas and SM Dasma), transfer to a bus going to Tagaytay where it's less than an hour away.

Calamba to Tagaytay: ride shuttle service at the public market beside Waltermark Calamba or at the Calamba Central Terminal. Cheaper alternative, ride a jeepney going to Balibago complex in Sta. Rosa then transfer to Tagaytay-bound jeepneys.

Balibago to Tagaytay Public Market: Regular jeepneys plying the route to/from Balibago Transport terminal in Sta. Rosa Laguna to Tagaytay Public Market route.

From Alabang: ride the van/fx at the terminal at the corner of SLEX and Alabang-Zapote Road, Filinvest Festival Mall, or still another at Starmall (formerly Metropolis Mall Alabang)

From Cubao, Quezon City: ride buses going to Nasugbu, Lemery or Calatagan at Cubao Bus Terminal in front of Ali Mall.

Shuttle service (vans, FX, V-Hires) in front of EGI Mall (Jollibee) at the corner of Taft Avenue and Sen. Gil Puyat Ave (Buendia) going to Nasugbu, Balayan and Lemery, Batangas that all pass by Tagaytay.

Shuttle service (vans, FX, V-Hires) going to Nasugbu, Balayan and Lemery at Metropoint mall basement at the corner of EDSA and Taft Avenue (accessible from LRT EDSA Station or MRT Taft Avenue station, this is also the so-called EDSA Rotonda though there's really no rotunda there). Current fare is PhP160.00 (regardless of where you're going since it's a derecho trip...information provided by Tutubi's officemate who lives in Balayan, Batangas)

Buses to Tagaytay:

JAM Transit has trips to Tagaytay, Balayan, Batangas, Lemery. Jam Transit terminal is at Taft Avenue corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue accessible from LRT Buendia station.

Crow Transit (Crow bus terminal at the corner Taft Ave & EDSA right below MRT Taft Avenue station and walking distance from LRT EDSA station, same terminal as Erjohn & Almark and Genesis behind Sogo Hotel and MacDonalds) has buses to Nasugbu/Calatagan/Balayan in regular schedules.

BLTB (EDSA, Malibay, Pasay City) has buses every 15 minutes to Nasugbu, Balayan or Calatagan Batangas that pass by Tagaytay

Kirby Bus to Tagaytay from Lawton

San Agustin bus with signboard "Mendez-Tagaytay" from Harrison Plaza on Vito Cruz (Pablo Ocampo) or Baclaran via Coastal Road, Aguinaldo Highway to the towns of Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas and Silang before reaching Tagaytay. (note this is a slow route due to lots of chokepoints in Cavite)

Saulog Bus Lines with signboard "Mendez-Tagaytay" from Harrison Plaza in Manila or Baclaran via Coastal Road, Aguinaldo Highway to the towns of Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas and Silang before reaching Tagaytay (note this is a slow route due to lots of chokepoints in Cavite)

Celyrosa Bus Lines, ordinary buses (i.e. non-airconditioned) in Pasay City (note this is a slow route due to lots of chokepoints in Cavite)

Getting Around Tagaytay via Jeepneys

Once you alight from your bus at Tagaytay Rotonda, you can proceed to your destination by riding jeepneys:

Jeepneys going to People's Park in the Sky (indicated on the jeepney signage or emblazoned on the sides) at Olivarez Plaza near Tagaytay Rotonda will take you to People's Park in the Sky, Picnic Grove, Tagaytay Public Market (where you can catch jeepneys going to Balibago, Sta. Rosa, striking distance from Enchanted Kingdom), Rowena's Cafe (after a jeepney ride to Balibago), Good Shepherd Convent (Bahay Pastulan pasalubong, near Mary Ridge), Tagaytay Econo Inn, Royal Taal Inn, Keni Po Rooms, Aroma Apartelle, Amora Rooms, 5R Rooms for Rent, T House, Development Academy of the Philippines, Japanese Garden, Tagaytay Gymnasium.

Jeepneys with signboards Nasugbu or Mendez will take you to Mendez Junction, Antonio's Restaurant, Bag of Beans, Caleruega Church (after a tricycle ride), Evercrest Hotel, RSM Lutong Bahay Restaurant, Mijo Hotel, Magallanes Square (Starbucks, Figaro, Leslie's Restaurant, Max's, Cafe Lupe, Kitaro, LZM Lutong Bahay), Josephine's Restaurant, Royale Parc Hotel and Restaurant, Tagaytay International Convention Center, Mushroom Burger, Rancho Ferva Lodge, Taal Vista Hotel, Residence Inn (with a mini-zoo), Tagaytay City Hall, Mahogany Market, 41st Division USAFFE site (beside Metro Tagaytay College of Business and Arts in Kaybagal South) et al.

Jeepneys to Talisay, for those wanting for a boat ride in Taal Lake, are available at the corner of the highway and Ligaya drive (landmark: Tagaytay Elementary School)

Going back to Manila, you may need to ride a jeepney to People's Park in the Sky, then transfer to a jeepney going back to Olivarez Plaza where you wait for buses to take you back to Manila. Recommend buses via Sta. Rosa (SLEX), and not via Silang/Dasma/Imus/Bacoor (Aguinaldo Highway) for lesser travel time.

Tricycles can also be hired in Tagaytay (taxis are not available) but usually charge fares much more than taking public utility jeepneys (PUJ) so be forewarned.

No updated information yet on the time of departure for first trips (6am is a safe one to assume) and last departure times, telephone numbers, bus schedules and current fares (due to fluctuating fares and gasoline prices)

Related Posts:

Taal Volcano Trek
Tagaytay Highlands
Splendido Taal Golf and Country Club
Tags: Tagaytay History, Backpacking Tagaytay, Travel guide, History of Tagaytay

Labels: Cavite, Metro Tagaytay, Public Transportation, Tagaytay City

2009-03-02T11:29:00.001+08:00

This is Elijah Ezekiel Eru Esmeralda. He is turning 5 years old on March 3, 2009 . He is fond of drawing and doing things in the computer. His best friend is his big brother Kuya Seth. Elijah can colour with in the lines with no smudges, at a tender age of 5 years old he can very well count, recite the alphabets, dance and sing like there is no tomorrow. He can also do the back spin and hand stands. He loves jumping on the bed and loves coco crunch and rice puffs or ampao.

He loves his mother very much and takes care of her by giving her a massage after a long days work. He takes care of his Dad and accompanies him to his various business meetings and trips around the farms. He hangs out with Dad's farmer friends and is well loved by Dad's friend and mentor Mr. Dodie Canete. His favourite school is the Sakya Chinese school, despite the numerous discussions with his Atenean mum .. he still prefers the Chinese school.

He is looking forward to becoming one of the best negotiators of this country. He has a knack for reading people and is sensitive to their moods and state of mind. He sleeps early, plays and works hard ... and loves mother nature.. thanks to early exposure to Vermis, frogs, spiders and dogs...monitored by his Dad.
Look out for Eru or Elijah ... he has destiny and is currently working on his dots.

Success Secrets of Steve Jobs -Apple CEO

2009-03-02T09:16:00.002+08:00

This is a summary of an interview with Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.

Story 1 :Connecting the Dots

Steve Jobs dropped out of college . He was not intersted in the formal classes of the expensives university his parents had sent him to. He didn't want to continue spending all the money his parents had saved their entire life.

So he took optional courses. When he saw the beautiful calligraphy posters on his campus, he joined a calligraphy class. He learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combination about waht makes great typography great.

Ten Years later, when he was designing the fist Macintosh computer, steve's Calligraphy lessons came back to him. Had he never taken that single course in college, then MAc would not be what it is today.

He said: " You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. so you haveto trust that dots will somehow connect in your future. You haveto trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

Story 2. Love and Loss ( to be continued )

How do you know if you have gallstones?

2009-03-02T08:20:00.000+08:00

Symptoms of Gallstones

Gall stones usually remain asymptomatic initally. They start developing symptoms once the stones reach a certain size (>8mm). A main symptom of gallstones is commonly referred to as a gallstone "attack", in which a person will experience intense pain in the upper abdominal region that steadily increases for approximately thirty minutes to several hours. A victim may also encounter pain in the back, ordinarily between the shoulder blades, or pain under the right shoulder. In some cases, the pain develops in the lower region of the stomach, nearer to the pelvis, but this is less common. Nausea and vomiting may occur.

These attacks are intensely painful, similar to that of a kidneystone attack. One way to alleviate the abdominal pain is to drink a full glass of water at the start of an attack to regulate the bile in the gallbladder, but this does not work in all cases. Another way is to take magnesium followed by a bitter liquid such as coffee or swedish bitters an hour later. Bitter flavors stimulate bile flow. A study has found lower rates of gallstones in coffee drinkers.

Often, these attacks occur after a particularly fatty meal and almost always happen at night. Other symptoms include abdominal bloating, intolerance of fatty foods, belching, gas, and indigestion. If the above symptoms coincide with chills, lowgrade fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes, and/or clay-colored stool, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

Some people who have gallstones are asymptomatic and do not feel any pain or discomfort. These gallstones are called "silent stones" and do not affect the gallbladder or other internal organs. They do not need treatment.^[1]

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallstones

Togethernes, Oneness and Wellness at the Ateneo

2009-02-28T22:53:00.001+08:00

An overcast Saturday day morning was spent at the Ateneo in Matina for our very first Family Day. It's a challenged to keep the family together specially with the Economic Crisis all around. The theme was togetherness, Oneness and Wellness. This is so apt since the trend is to go abroad and provide for our families here in the Philippines.

For the very first time since I've been back I and my wife got involved in the Parent teachers association and I have to admit working with Rose (president of Agsca), Delia (V.P) and teacher Omy was a pleasure. With the challenges of rising tuition fees and low enrolment rates the last couple of years it really seems we have our work cut out for all of us.

In my gut I know that we can make this work. In my gut I know we can built an organization that will really help parents, students and the teachers make a better tomorrow. We just have to work together. Our up coming activity is E- parenting. Using technology to help and improve our relationship with our children and the institution we collaborate to mould our future heirs.

General Assembly - DabaweGNU

2009-02-24T08:23:00.000+08:00

I am happy to inform the list that we had a good number of attendees
during last Saturday's General Assembly. I failed to realize that the
group has not met in a long time. It was refreshing to see a lot of
familiar faces. It was also great that we had a lot of time to talk
about our different technology projects. It was not only me who
appreciated the meeting but all the attendees as well. They were
clamoring to revive our L&K sessions. So we are definitely having an
L&K session in March. Since our laboratory now is using virtual
technology, a lot signified interest in the subject. So what better
way to revive our L&K than with a session on Virtualization
Technology. So on March 7, 2008 (Saturday), we will have our L&K.
The details of our L&K are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------
L&K: Its a Virtual World Out There!
March 7, 2008 (Saturday)
1:00-5:00 PM
DabaweGNU Lab

We are bringing back our much missed L&K Sessions in 2009. And what
greater way than to start with a sure to be interesting discussion on
Virtualization Technologies.

This L&K session as suggested by Rex Villa is about the various
virtualization technologies that are available for the Linux platform.
Join us and have fun discussing your favourite virtual machine
implementations. Bring your laptops and show us your VMware, Virtual
Box, Qemu, KVM, Xen, and other virtual technologies. This will surely
be fun for all!

This L&K session is free for 2008 & 2009 DabaweGNU members. Others
will be charged Php 50.00/person.

------------------------------------------------------------------

We are still accepting membership renewals and applications. Please
contact me off list if you are interested in becoming a member.

Art - 0918.5894822

On my way back Home

Conception of a Cooperative

What's with Network Marketing ?

Technical

eBPLS-- business permits while you wait?

Gutsy Gibon ... net connection issue solved

Walang Iwanan, pramis paping :)

Filipiino sense and Sensibilities - rediscovery

How to kick your kids out of the family home.

Our Journey

Lolo and Lolas journey

Top 15 Cleansing foods

Ang cute cute ko noh ?!

Bosconian Delight @ Buda Davao city

This is an interesting view about Money and Debt --

Seminar on Natural Farming

Social Media tools , To FB or not to FB.

Core competencies in this Day and Age

NATURAL HEALER How Dr Wu rid himself of cancer with a vegetarian diet By: ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

NATURAL HEALER How Dr Wu rid himself of cancer with a vegetarian diet By: ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

after all that water...I am just a speck on this dew.

My cave ... under the tropical sun.

more buda shots

buda @ Buda ... are we rising yet ?

Buda At Buda, Davao City

What Is a Social Entrepreneur?

DabaweGNU @ Mellow Touch 94.7

Promoting IdeaCamp Davao @ a Comedy Bar

Wednesday Club 888 @ Marco Polo Eagle's Bar

ScribeFire in Action

What is Con-Ass ?

Independence Day - are we really free?

Isha graduation from Pre-school

Ideacamp Davao

Ideacamp Davao -- all ready , all set ... go go GO!

University online --- UN announces launch of world’s first tuition-free, online university

Making a strong come back

IdeaCamp on PIA Daily News Reader

To Be of Use

Ideacamp Davao

DabaweGNU in Brigada Eskwela

Linux for Real People

Decide to be Rich

Immersive Education: Introducing Game-Based Learning

Five Ways to Speak Like Obama

1. Talk About the Audience’s Concerns

2. Keep It Simple

3. Anticipate What Your Audience Is Thinking

4. Learn to Pause

5. Master the Body Language of Leadership

Cinnamon, ground

The dark side of Dubai

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Human Capital Scorecard

Filipinos make their mark on Google Maps

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Lotus Rose, bizarro writer

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Linux Systems Administration I (LiSA 1)

Linux Systems Administration I (LiSA 1)

Course Outline:

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