Counter-Counterstrike

The Russians are addicted to Counterstrike like the rest of us. But this? It would take an uber-geek to not strike back

Putting the Odds on Eric Gamalinda

Bookies in London had been betting on almost anything and anybody, even the Man Booker Prize winners. These bookies don't go out there and read the books of the finalists. They rely on newspaper accounts and reviews, probably. But they hardly do that. They decide instead on the reputations of these finalists and maybe asking the critics, who would they choose?

The Man Asian Literary Prize don't have bookies going gaga maybe because there are no bettors. The Philippines should be interested. Miguel Syjuco's Illustrado won last year. There were two Filipino finalists last year with Krip Yuson as the other one. Now we only have Eric Gamalinda, now New York-based, to pin our hopes to. Three of the finalists this year are Indians: Omair Ahmad, Siddharth Chowdhury and Nitasha Kaul, the only woman among the five. The other finalist is Su Tong. Going by reputation, Su is the man to beat. He is prolific with six novels and one of his novellas was turned into an Oscar Award winning film, Raise the Red Lantern. Going against him, if we go with a bookie's penchant for novelty, is that the 2007 winner was Jiang Rong, a Chinese. If we also go by that mentality, Gamalinda would have a small chance. But despite his modest claims, Gamalinda is a good novelist. His novel, My Sad Republic, won the Philippine Centennial Prize. We had five Filipinos in the shortlist this year, all capable of winning. But if we treat the Man Asian as a boxing fight, we really had it bad. The judges this year are Gish Jen, Pankaj Mishra and Colm Toibin. One Chinese-American, one Indian and Toibin is Irish, the most Pinoy of the UK. He is also based in New York like Gamalinda so maybe we can sway him to us.

Now with the Indians. Despite not winning for the first two years, they won the Man Booker Prize last year with Aravin Adiga's The White Tiger. They have the numbers, 3/5. Hmmmm.

Fortunately, this is a literary game. It's how good your novel is or, as often the case, how prepared you are with your book. Some of my friends last year actually had to rush their novel in time with the deadline. I mean, three weeks to finish your novel? Did Gamalinda also had to rush his novel. I hope not. Are we going to do a Pacquiao in the literary scene? I hope so.

Halloween Party

Del Monte Ruined the Essence of Chungking Express

by coming out with this.

V is for Vigan and Volks?

The locale looks familiar.

Office Karaoke. We Can Do This

Post Traumatic Stress and Journalists

Stressed? Webinar for Post-traumatic stressed journalists

Date: Nov. 10, 2009

Time: 2-3 p.m. Eastern time

Can't attend the live Webinar? Your registration gives you access to the live event, the replay and any bonus resources.

Cost: $14.95
Thanks to grants from The Harnisch Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we are able to offer a limited number of partial scholarships for this Webinar. Apply here

What will I learn? Images of human suffering, gore, death and destruction caused by violence or natural disaster can't simply be wiped from anyone's psyche. Journalists in the field and in the newsroom are no exception. Traumatic events affect journalists' well-being and their ability to do their job. Understanding the effects of trauma makes for healthier journalism and healthier journalists. In this Webinar, offered in partnership with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, you'll learn how to recognize and manage stress and trauma. We'll also show you how news organizations can develop an action to to help staffers who are experiencing trauma.

This Webinar is not just for those who cover traumatic events but also for those who edit the stories, images and video, design pages and produce the online report.

In this one-hour Webinar you will learn:
Strategies to keep your resilienceThat distress in the face of tragedy is a normal human response -- not a weakness
Tips to take care of yourself
Why peer support is important
When to get help
About the instructor: Heather Forbes is the national manager staff development for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) news division. She is responsible for cadet recruitment and training, editorial policy review, OH&S and equity and diversity issues for ABC News. Heather represents the ABC on the National Media and Mental Health Group, convened by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing.

About our training partner: The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, is dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy. Whether the topic is street crime, family violence, natural disaster, war or human rights, effective news reporting on traumatic events demands knowledge, skill and support. The Dart Center provides journalists around the world with the resources necessary to meet this challenge, drawing on a global, interdisciplinary network of news professionals, mental health experts, educators and researchers.

About Webinars: In this virtual classroom, participants can join in a seminar led by Poynter faculty and visiting faculty. This screencast includes live audio and a slideshow presentation in which participants can post questions and respond to poll questions posed by the host. We'll also have an archived replay available soon after the live Webinar. Your registration gives you access to the live event, the replay.

Technical requirements: To join this Webinar, you must have:
A reliable Internet connection, with at least 600kbps downloads
Flash plug-in, version 8.0 or higher
Get the latest Flash Player
A computer monitor with 1024 resolution or higher
A firewall that allows port 1935 or 443 (use our connection test if you're not sure)
Computer speakers or headphones
For PC attendees:Windows® XP (Home or Pro) or Vista
Firefox 1.5 or higher; Internet Explorer 6 or higher; Netscape Navigator 8.1 or higher
For Mac attendees:
Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Safari 2.0 or higher; Firefox 1.5 or higher
Please test your connection: The technical requirements for this live event are a little different from other NewsU courses. So, we urge you to test your connection before enrolling. The test is quick and easy, and the results will tell you whether you’ll have any trouble viewing the event due to an outdated Flash Player, low bandwidth or firewall restrictions. Go to www.newsu.org/WebinarTest to test your connection

Questions? Read our Webinar FAQ or contact us at webinars@newsu.org.

Selling Newspapers

Harvey Awards Animation from Monkey and Tiger on Vimeo.

The Attack of the Giant Seagull. It's so Live!

United Colors

This is the Philippines

This is the whole world. These are the countries.

That simple

Books for Marikina School

Twitterfiction

Twitterfiction

Alison Flood

Guardian

For Neil Gaiman, it began with a disconcerting image of a girl spoken to by her reflection in a mirror. For Melvin Burgess, it was a mother told by a passing elderly woman that her babies weren't human. The two award-winning children's authors have both begun to dabble in storytelling via Twitter, with Gaiman's experiment on the micro-blogging site concluding today, but Burgess set to carry on tweeting.

"I thought I'd start with a line and see where it went," said Burgess, whose controversial novels have tackled subjects from teenage sex to heroin addiction in the Carnegie medal-winning Junk. "It's more just to be able to write something under no pressure – for fun – and let it go where it will, rather than worry if it will be acceptable or published."

He started writing in 140-character bursts on Twitter in September, and has already written three stories: the alien babies tale, called The Dancer; a story about a lonely woman who finds a strangely affectionate creature in her garden, Happy Ever After; and Double Dare, about a girl who sells her soul for unimaginable riches. He embarks on a new one, For the Love of Cake, today.

"It's ideal for people with short attention spans," said the author, who tweets at @MelvinBurgess. "I only work in short bursts because writing takes a lot of creativity, so after about 20 minutes I need to surface and do something else. Twitter is probably better than solitaire."

Gaiman, whose latest children's novel The Graveyard Book has picked up a trio of major US awards and is shortlisted for the Booktrust teenage prize, began a crowd-sourced Twitter tale last week, posting the line "Sam was brushing her hair when the girl in the mirror put down the hairbrush, smiled and said, 'We don't love you anymore'" to his 1.2 million followers at @neilhimself.

His story is part of an experiment with the BBC, with fans posting follow-ups and BBC Audiobooks America sorting through responses over the last eight days. The 1,000-tweet tale was concluded today, with the publisher hailing a "rollicking, epic fairytale, set in a fantasy world, with an endearing coming-of-age story at its heart". It is now planning to record the whole thing as an audiobook.

Burgess said that his Twitter stories "seem to be emerging in a Ray Bradbury-esque way". "Because you're doing a sentence at a time, every line has a certain weight. Quite often I don't know where it's going to go," he said. "The stories do have a certain quality to them, but whether their bizarreness is down to the medium I don't know."

Gaiman and Burgess are not the first writers to experiment creatively with Twitter. In April, the Booker prize-winning author Ben Okri (@benokri) posted a poem via Twitter, while historical crime novelist RN Morris (@rnmorris) has been tweeting 140-character chunks from his novel A Gentle Axe since March. And in August, historical novelist Philippa Gregory began a series of tweets in the voice of Elizabeth Woodville (@elizwoodville), heroine of her latest novel The White Queen.

The Neverending Prank

Lost

Silly Runs

Stories I Wish I Had Written

Relocation

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is looking for the vacant lot in Balili barangay belonging to the Benguet State University as the possible relocation site for the families affected by the huge slide in sitio Little Kapangan in Puguis, La Trinidad during the onslaught of Typhoon Parma last Thursday.
The DENR Cordillera team tasked by President Arroyo to find relocation for the Typhoon Pepeng victims said that they are recommending a swap with the BSU for other areas in La Trinidad.
The team headed by OIC Augusto Lagon, also the regional technical director for forestry, said that the same site would have to be totally vacated.
"The area is highly critical and landslides could progress affecting houses within the vicinity area. It is not suitable for residential purposes," Lagon said.
Rescuers found 67 bodies in the slide and there are dozens still missing. DENR is still accounting how many houses were destroyed by the huge slide which had a huge chunk of the mountain turning into a river of mud.
DENR also said that the area was already assessed in 2005 as a high hazard site and the families were recommended to relocate.
Residents there however decided to stay and the area even proliferated.
Reynald Yawan, technical director for the Protected Areas and Wildlife Management Service, said that Little Kapangan shoudl be turned into a "green area" and soil erosion should be arrested with vegetation and structural measures and appropriate drainage system installed.
The DENR called for total abandonment in the once sprawling area.
Another area affected by Typhoon Parma which DENR recommended for total abandonment is sitio Luneta in Barangay Loakan in Itogon.
Three were killed and three missing due to slides from the recent typhoon. Forty-eight houses as well as the school and chapel were destroyed but the residents were evacuated beforehand.
DENR said that the area was already affected by a typhoon last year and was recommended by DENR to be totally vacated. During Typhoon Kiko last August, two slides occurred in the area resulting in the collapse of the school.
Also recommended for abandonment are six houses below the Halsema Highway in Ambassador, Tublay. The 28 families livign there are now evacuated at the Pontino Elementary School.

Invisible Shield

My cellphone had been banged here and there after my typhoon coverage and I decided to surf through the Internet looking for a tough film to cover my screen. The best I found is InvisibleShield through mobilefun.

It's a good thing I have a sister in the UK and I thought she could find other good stuff here as well.
This is a portal for Mobiles. Anything that you want for your mobile any accessories, new parts, SIM, ringtones, games & more. All the kinds of accessories and add ons under one site. Varieties of different products to choose from. If you know what you want this is the right place for you. If you don't know what you want this is the first place to look for.

It covers almost all the manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Blackberry, HTC, Apple, Google, Motorola, Toshiba, Alcatel, Palm and many more. You can also sort through brands, types and sims. I looked through all it, forgetting what I was looking for in the first place.

Anyway, I was able to find new things for my iphone including iphone accessories, iphone case and iphone car charger. Ha ha ha I hope my sister in Birmingham is reading this. I also went through the mobile games and found 3D Fast And The Furious The Movie Game, and The Sims 3 Game. Need to have these. I also found the eReaders. You know how we are here; just reading about this in New York Times. I'm just curious about Kindle and eLonex. And then surfing for more, I found this washable mouse, which is very important for us, what with that supertyphoon looming in out midst.

The good thing is that the site allows for PayPal, which is becoming the most convenient way of handling cash. They, of course, also allow Mastercard, Visa and JBC.

Pacquiao and Arjean

You would say, What a cute chubby boy! But Arjean was not really chubby. He was taking steroids to take away the pain of his cancer in the cerebellum. He finally got to see his idol, Manny Pacquiao, last Saturday and he even had his autograph.

Poem Cup

I like this

These Boots Are Made for Wading. That is What They Do

One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

Delisted Party Lists

Destressing Journalists

21 Things You Can Do While You're Living Through a Crisis
by Dr. Mark Lerner, President, Institute for Traumatic Stress

1. Take immediate action to ensure your physical safety and the safety of others. If possible, remove yourself from the event/scene in order to avoid further traumatic exposure.

2. Address your acute medical needs. If you’re having difficulty breathing, experiencing chest pains or palpitations, seek immediate medical attention.

3. Find a safe place that offers shelter, water, food and sanitation.

4. Become aware of how the event is affecting you (your feelings, thoughts, actions and your physical and spiritual reactions).

5. Know that your reactions are normal responses to an abnormal event. You are not “losing it” or “going crazy.” It’s okay not to be okay, right now.

6. Speak with your physician or healthcare provider and make him/her aware of what has happened to you.

7. Be aware of how you’re holding-up when there are children around you. Children will take their cues from the adults around them.

8. Try to obtain information. Knowing the facts about what has happened will help you to keep functioning.

9. If possible, surround yourself with family and loved ones. Realize that the event is likely affecting them, too.

10. Tell your story. And allow yourself to feel. It’s okay not to be okay during a traumatic experience.

11. You may experience a desire to withdraw and isolate, causing a strain on significant others. Resist the urge to shut down and retreat into your own world.

12. Traumatic stress may compromise your ability to think clearly. If you find it difficult to concentrate when someone is speaking to you, focus on the specific words they are saying and work to actively listen. Slow down the conversation and try repeating what you have just heard.

13. Don’t make important decisions when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Allow trusted family members or friends to assist you with necessary decision-making.

14. If stress is causing you to react physically, use controlled breathing techniques to stabilize yourself. Take a slow deep breath by inhaling through your nose, hold your breath for five seconds and then exhale through your mouth. Upon exhalation, think the words “relax,” “let go,” or “I’m handling this.” Repeat this process several times.

15. Realize that repetitive thinking and sleep difficulties are normal reactions. Don’t fight the sleep difficulty. Try the following: eliminate caffeine for four hours prior to your bedtime, create the best sleep environment you can, consider taking a few moments before turning out the lights to write down your thoughts, thus “emptying” your mind.

16. Give yourself permission to rest, relax and engage in non-threatening activity. Read, listen to music, or consider taking a warm bath.

17. Physical exercise may help to dissipate the stress energy that has been generated by your experience. Take a walk, ride a bike, or swim.

18. Create a journal. Writing about your experience may help to expose yourself to painful thoughts and feelings and, ultimately, enable you to assimilate your experience.

19. If you find that your experience is too powerful, allow yourself the advantage of professional and/or spiritual guidance, support and education.

20. Try to maintain your schedule. Traumatic events will disrupt the sense of normalcy. We are all creatures of habit. By maintaining our routines, we can maintain a sense of control at a time when circumstances may lead us to feel a loss of control.

21. Crises present opportunities. Cultivate a mission and purpose. Seize the energy from your experience and use it to propel you to set realistic goals, make decision and take action.

Raining in Our Parade

From PAGASA Baguio:

October 1 -- 0.4 mm of rain
October 2 -- 20 mm
October 3 -- 531 mm
October 4 -- 38 mm
October 5 -- 4.6mm

And le deluge

October 6 -- 260 mm
October 7 -- 276 mm
October 8 -- 685 mm
October 9 -- 73

October 10 -- O mm. The recorder even forgot to place that. Ay Oo nga ano?
So simple arithmetic:
The three days gave us 1,221 mm or 1.221 meters of rain
The time that Typhoon Parma was here, we had 1.815 meters of rain. BSU even recorded 761 mm of rain in October 8 so La Trinidad was even wetter. Benguet is 4,378 square kilometers in area. Add Baguio's 53 sq km. and we get 8.042 billion cubic meters of rain. Some were absorbed by the soil and most fell down to La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Ilocos Norte. Imagine that?

122 Dead so far in Cordillera

The Office of Civil Defense and the Philippine National Police said that there were now 122 dead in the Cordillera because of the extended visit of Typhoon Parma. Police Superintendent Elmer Soria, deputy chief for operations in Cordillera, said that the number could rise as reports of new slides are reported in Atok, Mankayan and the whole of Mountain Province, which are not only suffering from power blackouts but are isolated because of road cuts and slides.
According to Soria, the police and other rescuers were able to recover 33 bodies in Balili, La Trinidad at the border of Baguio City. Incessant rains caused a side of the mountain to fall starting Thursday morning causing houses to be buried and the Balili River to briefly change course.
In Puguis, La Trinidad, there were 26 bodies also recovered by the police, Soria said. Four bodies were also found in Sitio Buyagan in Poblacion, La Trinidad.
Soria also said that eleven people were already killed in various landslides within Baguio City. Two people, still unidentified, were reported by the Office of Civil Defence in Bokawkan Barangay after a road shoulder eroded and hit eight houses in Cresencia Village there.
Critical areas in Baguio as reported by OCD are City Camp Lagoon, Marvill Subdivision, Lourdes extension, Palma Street, Queen of Peace, Irisan, Mirador and M. Roxas barangays.
In the official report made by the PNP prior to the deaths in La Trinidad, there were 20 confirmed deaths in different parts of the region. Five were reported dead in Sitio Kiwi, Kayan East in Tadian, Mountain Province after a mountain slide buried 14 houses at 6:30PM of October 8. Five were injured and 32 are missing. The OCD siad that the injured were brought to the Luis Hora Hospital.
A landslide Thursday morning buried a house in Sitio Mulang, Sto Nino in Tublay killing four and injuring four others. One person is still missing from the slide.
At noon of October 8, two goldpanners were believed drowned in Caponga, Tublay, Benguet and their bodies were recovered three hours later by neighbors. At 4PM of Thursday, two farmers were found dead after clearing their irrigation canals in Sebbang, Buguias, Benguet.
One person was also killed so far in Guinaoang, Mankayan, Benguet when a landslide buried 15 houses last Thursday night. Earlier, one student was killed Thursday morning also in Guinaoang. Two bodies were also recovered Thursday in Tabeo, Mankayan, apparently victims of landslide. The OCD said that 21 residents of Mankayan were injured and brought to Lutheran and Buguias Emergency Hospitals. OCD also said that 22 are still missing in Mankayan.
One person was reported drowned in Lagangilang, Abra last October 6 after falling from the Malanas River.

Chicks and Comicks

Family Portrait

Cine Indie for MDG Sked

October 16-17 at the CCP from 10am-4pm and at the PUP on October 16

CINE INDIE for MDG

(Screening Schedule for PUP)

Opening Remarks: The Intertwining of Film, Advocacy and the MDGs (8:30-8:45)

Benjamín De Leon

President

Forum for Family Planning and Development, Inc.

The City, Youth and Uneven Development (8:46- 9:40)

Yawyaw

Director: Idden delos Reyes

running time: 5 mins

Paquiao vs Binukot

Director: Joenar Pueblo

running time: 17 mins and 7 sec

Synopsis: The film tackles the statistical concerns of the Millenium Development Goals like a boxing match and dividing the eight MDG goals into boxing rounds. Within those rounds, the battle of the protagonist, Binukot (kept woman of Iloilo), is seen as a a signification of the plight of the majority.

Inakit ng Maynila

Directors: Dodos De La Cruz and Reggie Regalado

running time: 13 mins and 59 sec

Synopsis: The film explores the effects of migration to the city and how a boy struggles to reclaim his lost childhood, his identity and the lost hope which the city has failed to provide.

Tagulamin

Directors: Joyce Godio and Cherry Ann Palaganas

running time: 7 mins and 16 sec

Synopsis: Minsan ng nasuka sa baho ng palengke at nandiri sa mga maiitim na tubig na dumadaloy sa tsinelas. Ingat na ingat na hindi matalsikan ng dugo ng isda o mga baboy. Minamadali and paggalaw upang agarang makaalis sa madumi at masukal na mundo ng palengke. Hindi gustong masagi ang pawisang katawan ng mga nagbubuhat ng saku-sakong gulay. Naririndi sa ingay ng mga tinderang nag-aalok ng benta. Ngunit kahit anong iwas, bahagi ka ng kasawiang ito ng lipunan. Ang mga pangyayaring ito ang nag-uugnay ng mga tao sa kwento at ng mga manonood sa mas malaking kwento sa labas ng puting tabing.

Environmental Issues, Transformation and Society (9:42-11:30)

Tinapak-Tapakang Yaman

Director: Carmelo Soberano

running time: 25 mins

Synopsis: The documentary speaks of the general context of povery and the economic status of the Philippines. It presents conflicting issues regarding mining and the industry of mining in the country. The documentary expounds on the prevailing misconceptions on mining and mining industry, weighs environmental and economic concerns, and transforms into expressions the unspoken sentiments and perception of the people.

Vanishing Heritage

Director: Butch Nolasco

running time: 24 mins

Synopsis: Vanishing Heritage examines the reasons behind the Rice Terraces’ deterioration as well as the steps presently being undertaken by the Ifugao provincial government to keep the Rice Terraces environmentally sustainable and preserve it for future generations.

Lawa ng Bae

Director: Donnie T. Sacueza,

running time: 20 mins

Synopsis: The documentary is about the pertinent environmental issues concerning the Laguna de Bay.

Nomad

Director: Ulysses E. Sison

running time: 25 mins

Synopsis: This feature documentary tackles how the notion of green development can be achieved.

Underdevelopment, Poverty and the State (11:30- 12:46)

Kakasa ka ba?

Director: Meryl Rose Quero-Asa

running time: 21 mins and 13 sec

Synopsis: As the global financial crisis hits underdevbeloped countries, thousands of Filipinos are battling for employment. The documentary explains the characteristics of the current job crisis, the affects of neoliberal globalization, and the impetus to struggle amidst the worsening grip of global capitalism.

Madaris

Directors: Diane T. Rante, Helen M. Henson, Aleine Camino and Glaiza D. Jarloc

running time: 25 mins

Synopsis: This documentary delved into the current state of education in armed conflict areas in Sulu (Indanan, Panglima Tahil, Patikul). The effects of war, internal displacement, desensitization of children and adults towards violence, and the degradation of the quality of education are thoroughly discussed using oral narratives of teachers, students and stakeholders.

Gera woi Gutasan (Gera at Gutom)

Directors: Vener Macaspac and Herbert Valencia

running time: 8 mins and 16 sec

Synopsis: Conflict remains one of the major causes of hunger and poverty. In the indigenous communities in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, military operations have displaced thousands of Ata-Manobo driving them into severe poverty and hunger. The experience of internal refugees in the indigenous communities of Talaingod under the government’s counterinsurgency plan shows how the military operations further threaten the indigenous peoples’ right to adequate food.

Open Forum: 12:46-1:00

Break: 1:00-1:20

Youth, Sexuality and Gender (1:21- 2:50)

Si Leo at ang Batang Lito

Directors: Ma. Theresa T. Payongayong, Ramiel R. Trono and Karmela Belano

running time: 11 mins and 3 sec

Synopsis: Ito ay kwento ng isang batang nalito, sa halip na natuto ng tamang mga konsepto mula sa edukasyon. Ipinapakita sa kwento ang kahalagahan ng alternatibong paraan ng pagtutuo kung saan may layang mag-isip, magsalita at lumikha ang mga mag-aaral.

Botcha

Director: Deyb Sesilyo

running time: 16 mins

Synopsis: Kwento ito ni Vangie. Kwento ito ng kanyang paghahangad na makabalik sa kanyang probinsya, kwento ito ng laro ng kapangyarihan, kwento ito ng mga taong pilit na ginagawang botcha sa lipunan.

Tatlong Maria

Director: Milo Alto Paz

running time: 25 mins and 2 sec

Synopsis: Tatlong Maria is the story of Adeliza, Ella and Nancy. The three young girls are child laborers who work in the informal sector to help their respective families survive urban poverty. The documentary follows the three children as they go about their work. They talk about their dreams and hardships as their young minds try to comprehend the realities of living in poverty as child laborers.

Krisis

Director: Deyb Sesilyo

running time: 18 mins

Synopsis: Identical twin brothers Peter and Paul Tuviera are sophomore students at an exclusive school for boys, and they both feel something for their hansome family driver. It is a story of how people begin their quest for identity and acceptance in a society driven by patriarchy and heterosexism.

(mis)Education and/in the Filipino Society ( 2:51-3:45)

Kahit Basa ang Chalk

Director: Celso Ferreras Espaladon

running time: 10 mins and 18 sec

Synopsis: Kahit Basa ang Chalk presents a real case how the Millenium Development Goal #2 is being challenged by several other problems confronting school-aged children and their family in Casa Real, Pakil, Laguna, a poor upland community about 70 kilometers southeas of Manila.

Recess

Director: Ramon Galvan Mapa

running time: 13 mins and 26 sec

Synopsis: Recess tells the soty of Joan and Rochelle—two school children who are both grad three in baranggay Pasdong, Atok, Benguet. The film explores the way children in mountainous areas are deprived of their right to education due to the difficult access of children to the nearest school where they have to literally walk a mile and climb up their way to go to school everyday.

Mga Damgo

Director: Remton Zuasola

running time: 7 mins and 22 sec

Sawang Calero

Director: Tessa Villegas

running time: 15 mins and 17 sec

Synopsis: Christopher is 18 years old. Under normal circumstances, a boy his age shold have already finished high school. But Christopher is still in Grade 5 because in Sawang Calero, there are always odd jobs to do to survive the day, making life far from normal.

Open Forum: 3:45-4:00

Marginalization, the Discourse of Othering, and Hope (4:00-4:50)

Barometer

Director: Phillip Lorenzo M. Diputado

running time: 16 mins and 53 sec

Synopsis: Ang barometer ay isang kasankapan na sumusukat sa lakas ng hangin at ulan. Kung gayon, ng bigat ng mga unos at bagwis. Ang kalagayan ng mga kabataan ang barometer ng ating panahon. Ang kinasasadlakan nilang sitwasyon ang naghuhudyat ng landas na tinutungo natin.

Sinalikway (Outcast)

Director: Marie Carol Ligue

running time: 16 mins and 30 sec

Synopsis: This is the story about the Negrito and Badjao communities’ flight from Panay and Sulu archipelago. It tackles issues such as discrimination and how rapid urbanization affects cultural communities.

Harmony Flower

Director: Ferdie Balanag

running time: 15 mins

Synopsis: This is a story about the hopes and dreams of children, and about how one man’s vision is ushering them forward into a more certain future.

Open Forum: 4:50-5:00

What Warm Rain Feels Now

60ZENS Book Launch

“60ZENS; Tips for Senior Citizenship”

Please be sure to come. You will be in good company. We have sent invitations to homes for the aged, associations of senior citizens, caregivers’ clubs, Phil. Veterans Association, Phil Undertakers Association, and select memorial homes and memorial parks. Due to the type of crowd we expect, appropriate amenities shall be provided, such as racks for wigs, glasses for false teeth, adult diapers, hearing aids, magnifying glasses, etc. Wheel chairs, stretchers and canes are available at very affordable rental rates. An ambulance will be on standby. In case of furtuitous events, a cortege is on call. The launch area will be lighted with candles. The air will be scented with frankincense. And music will be provided by monks singing Gregorian chants. The program will start with a novena for our dearly departed and for those who are already on the pre-departure stages. Food will comprise chiefly of porridge, boiled oatmeal and mashed potato. Gerber for adults will be on sale. Please notify us in advance if you have food preference, say if you are a vegetarian, humanitarian or a cannibal. Discount coupons for memorial plans will be raffled off.

If you take all of the above seriously, then the more reason for you to attend, because the book is full of such preposterous and inane propositions.

See you at the book launch on FRIDAY, 6-8 pm, OCTOBER 16, 2009 at NATIONAL BOOK STORE, GLORIETTA 5, MAKATI CITY.

JUNBALDE

Pacquiao Blog: Distance Fight

The most difficult battle for Pacquiao or not, he is still going to be almost P100 million richer come November 14.

Sports promoter Bob Arum said that a huge windfall is waiting for both Pacquiao and WBO welterweight Gabriel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

"The way things are going, Manny Pacquiao is going to get more than US$20 million and Cotto will get $13 million," Arum said.

He said that this amount would include the pay-per-view, TV and box-office rights here and abroad.

Arum, the founder of Top Rank Inc, probably the world's biggest boxing promotions group, said that the tickets are already selling for ten times its worth in Las Vegas, more than a month before the fight at the MGM Garden Arena.

He promised that the Pacquiao-Cotto fight is going to be exciting fight.

Arum said that the fight is going to go the distance.

"I really don't see how Freddie Roach (the trainer of Pacquiao) saw this as going to end in a knockout," he said.

"This is going to be a distance fight," he said.
"Cotto is totally different from Mayweather or Marquez," he said.

Arum gave tips to Pacquiao on how to beat Cotto.

"Cotto would put pressure on Pacquiao. He is tremendous when he goes forward. But he is not so good going backwards," he said.

"I don;t know how he (Pacquiao) can do it with Cotto, but that's when he should strike," he said.

Arum described Cotto as a converted southpaw.

"He is left-handed fighting from the right side," he said.

"Pacquiao has to prepare like he never did before. if he dedicates himself, he has a good chance," he said.

Freddie Roach, however, is sticking with his guns and said that Pacquiao is going to knock out Cotto.

Roach said that it would not be an early knockout that will decide the game.

"I say Round 10 or 11. It's going to be a hard, hard fight. We would have to start pressure and put pressure on him," he said.

Roach is not conceding like Arum that Cotto is stronger and bigger than Pacquiao but then said that his ward is better in the brain game.

"I think he (Cotto) is smarter than Ricky (Hatton, the British boxer whose International Boxing Organization light-welterweight crown Pacquiao took via a two-roudn knockout last May) but not quite as intelligent as Manny Pacquiao," Roach said.

Also early Friday morning, Pacquiao got his wish to jog with the Philippine Military Academy cadets.

"I am an Army reserve officer. I should be a model to them," Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao is patently humble about his chances against Cotto.

"I will win by decision. Iyan ang prediction nila," he said.

After the Flood

comes the noodle flood. and wait! the Indonesian instant noodle tsunami!