A week later...

Comelec tally: Chiz overtakes Loren for No. 1
By Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Jerome Aning, Cathy C. Yamsuan
Inquirer
Last updated 02:18am (Mla time) 05/20/2007

MANILA, Philippines—Senatorial candidate Francis Escudero yesterday dislodged fellow Genuine Opposition candidate Loren Legarda from the top spot in the senatorial races, based on the canvassing of the Commission on Elections.

Helped by votes from his home province of Sorsogon, as well as those from Iloilo City and the results of the Local Absentee Voting, Escudero chalked up 1,875,192 votes—giving him a narrow 180-vote edge over Legarda, who posted 1,875,112 votes.

When the National Board of Canvassers adjourned its session yesterday shortly before 5 p.m., there were still eight GO, two Team Unity and two independent candidates in the Magic 12.

In the tallies of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), the GO ticket was still at the forefront by a ratio of 7-3-2.

Full story at the Phil. Daily Inquirer

The counting begins

Yesterday was Election Day in the Philippines, ending months of campaign sorties, the playing of pop songs horribly mangled into campaign jingles blared from loudspeakers everywhere, and TV commercials featuring the "senatoriables". For some reason, I've been quite apathetic this election season, though I did go to the polling center several streets away and cast my vote.

It's too early to tell who will be sworn into office, though Mayor Sonny Belmonte and Vice-Mayor Herbert Bautista of Quezon City were unopposed this time.

Got these updates:

May. 15, 2007 05:54:00

Escudero leads in 1st release of Namfrel quick count results

Genuine Opposition (GO) senatorial candidate Francisco Escudero topped the first release of the National Movement for Free Elections’ (Namfrel) partial and unofficial tally with 18,784 votes gathered from 602 out of 288,864 precincts.

Seven other GO candidates are also in the top 12 of Namfrel’s initial list while two Team Unity candidates made it to the Magic 12. Independent candidates Francisco Pangilinan and Gregorio Honasan are ranked sixth (14,512 votes) and ninth (12,699 votes), respectively.

Escudero is closely followed by GO colleague Loren Legarda with 17,729 votes and Panfilo Lacson with 16,929 votes. Benigno Aquino III is fourth on the list with 16,009 votes and Manuel Villar is fifth with 15,420 votes.

The rest of the GO candidates in the top 12 are Allan Peter Cayetano (14,124 votes), Anthony Trillanes IV (13,449) and Aquilino Pimentel III (12,477).

Posted by : Alex Villafania at Namfrel HQ in Mandaluyong

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May. 15, 2007 06:45:00

Initial, partial, unofficial AMA tally results as of 6:39 a.m. of May 15

The top 12 senators based on the latest partial, unofficial AMA Quick Count:

Escudero, Francis Joseph (Chiz) 888,577

Legarda, Loren (Loren) 820,969

Lacson, Panfilo (Ping) 767,904

Aquino, Benigno Simeon III (Noynoy) 760,810

Villar, Manuel Jr (Manny) 724,671

Pangilinan, Francis (Kiko) 713,686

Cayetano, Allan Peter (Companero) 631,716

Arroyo, Joker (Joker) 586,603

Trillanes, Antonio IV (Magdalo) 553,885

Honasan, Gregorio (Gringo) 553,758

Angara, Edgardo (Ed) 551,397

Pimentel, Aquilino III (Koko) 539,023

Posted by : Joey Alarilla at INQUIRER.net

This is not about Paris Hilton..

.. but it is she who clearly illustrates an oft-ignored point, demonstrated by the photo -- taken in the context of the way she normally chooses to dress.


From "Resisting the raunch culture that objectifies girls":

Many parents feel powerless to resist the objectification of their daughters. But others are fighting back. A new modesty movement is sprouting in cities from Denver to Atlanta, with Pure Fashion shows drawing crowds of modesty-conscious mothers and daughters, new retailers like Shade Clothing reporting multi-million dollar sales figures for clothes that keep private parts private, and feisty online communities like ModestyZone.net encouraging rebels against raunchy culture.

The girls and women behind this movement say they are not looking to revive gunny-sack dresses or relive the 1950s. They simply want to be seen as more than the sum of their body parts.

Their modesty message is controversial in the era of Paris and Britney. Yet it is also common sense, as even Paris seems to know. How else to explain her uprecedented choice of collar and covered neckline for her recent court appearance? It seems that even America's quintessential girl gone wild realizes that when she wants to be taken seriously, she must stop the striptease and show some self-respect. [bold letters mine]

Full story at Townhall.com

Fame & fortune

An excerpt:

[Clinical child psychologist Oliver James] defines the symptoms of the "affluenza virus" as "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous." The disease, a 21st century one, can lead to emotional distress: depression, anxiety, addiction and personality disorder. To further his researches, the author visited seven world centres of affluence where the deadly virus lurks: New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Shanghai, Moscow, Copenhagen and New York, where he interviewed selected victims of affluence. As other people are always fascinating – even those James dismisses as boring because they lead blatantly shallow lives – these interviews are the most interesting part of his book. Indeed, they evoke feelings of pity: how can such privileged people lead such hollow, empty lives? Yet one must still inquire if the author’s jet setting investigations have led him to diagnose a new disease or to re-label an old one.

Two thousand years ago, in Palestine, a rich young man, was invited by an itinerant preacher to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor and to seek the kingdom of heaven. He chose not to and we are told he "went away sad, for he had many possessions". So the burden of riches is not new. It is James’ contention that this "sadness", fostered by rampant capitalism, is no longer the privilege of a few but can grip whole societies. In Sydney, apparently, it has become a pandemic. He quotes a Sydney woman, aged 35, who says, "It made me very angry to realise I had been persuaded… that there is no value in family, friends or home life and it is considered despicable to want children."

Full article at MercatorNet

Incidentally, MercatorNet's site has a new look, even opening articles to comments. Check it out!

Tiffany

Tiffany is no ordinary Golden Retriever. She is absolutely adorable, but it's still more than that. Read what its volunteer puppy raiser wrote in this short piece:

Tiffany is a golden retriever who was bred and trained to be an assistance dog for Canine Companions for Independence. As a volunteer puppy raiser, my family and I brought Tiffany home when she was eight weeks old. As she was the third puppy we had raised for CCI, we thought we had seen it all until our new girl slipped while playing with our black lab and broke her leg at only nine weeks of age! We think that two months of being carried around and cuddled (in a pink cast!) helped Tiffany grow up to be one of the sweetest and most loving dogs ever. Her leg healed perfectly and we cried when Tiffany, at 18 months old, had to return to CCI to complete her training. In November, Tiffany graduated from the program and, although I miss her every day, I am very proud of her; she now works as a service dog for someone in her new family who truly benefits from her unconditional love!

See more pictures of this cute canine at The Daily Puppy.





(I just had to post this one because there's something that draws me to injured puppies!)

Sowing the seeds

"When people spend more time planning the wedding than planning their marriage, it is no surprise when the marriage fails because no one bothered to plan for it....

"When people spend more time investing and trying to obtain what it is they do not have than investing in what they already have, it is no surprise that a marriage goes bankrupt because nothing was invested in it. "

— Paul Catalanotto, from his latest blog entry, "It Is No Surprise ..."


Hat tip: Dawn Eden

Extraordinary art for everyday, plus 'yummy' soap

In the past, I'd reserve weekend blogging for posting "light reading" material. It looks like I'd forgotten about that for a while...

Since it's been a while since I've posted anything on art (along the lines of crafts, vintage jewelry, quirky appliances and home decor, and indie art), I'm doing so today.




Okay, after posting all the pictures, I realized the time. Need to go out for a while but I really, really would like to click on "publish" already and show you such wonderful works of art. Hence, I'm doing so sans proper captions and links . . . [8 hours later, I'm back!] and now I'm supplying the erstwhile missing info.

Don't you just love flower vases that make those pretty blooms even more beautiful? The vases above by Scholten & Baijings -- a European company -- have a somewhat feminine vibe while playing on the unconventional. It's amazing how the interesting design, while itself a good conversation piece, still works with the flower rather than removing the focus from it.





It's amazing, too, how ordinary materials can be turned into works of art, such as old chopping boards, flatware, faded bric-a-brac -- even bottlecaps! For a quirky place to hang your apron, dishtowel, oven mitts and other kitchen essentials, the Hanging Butcher Board with Hooks from WhimSy love is it! The bottlecap pendants are made by the same artist, and I must say, I had never thought of bottlecaps as the stuff of fashion accessories before coming across these! I've always associated bottlecaps with Bert of Sesame Street (he had a bottlecap collection), but they do make quirky jewelry pieces, after all.




Now, would it have occurred to you at any time while savoring those spaghetti dinners that the fork with which you were twirling the noodles could possibly be transformed into something like what Georgia Varidakis has fashioned? I now see flatware in a whole new light...




Ditto with artists like Talula, who sees beyond the faded, forgotten and tarnished pieces we usually spot in old boxes or lying on dirty sidewalks and often dismiss as "junk." "Home of trinkets & treasures, all revamped, redone, deconstructed, and reconstructed into fabulous jewelry, destined to be handed down to lovers of all things unusual, odd, old and timeless," is how she introduces her pieces at her Etsy page.




Rosanna Bowles' collection boasts of china that is more formal than these numbered pieces, but I think these are cute while still being elegant. Plus, they can come in handy when you've got a toddler or preschooler just starting to master their numbers! Just don't let them handle the precious breakables, hehe.




On second thought, let me show you the artist's other tableware pieces...




And look! Yummy brownies and chocolates! Except they're not for eating. They belong in the bathroom and they go on your skin, not on the dessert tray!



These are among a wide assortment of sumptuous-looking soap treats crafted by Soap Cafe that you'll get a kick out of, definitely! Get a load of the cherry cheesecake soap slice and there's even "Krispy Klean" donut soap! I wonder what's on the menu at the "Entree Soaps" category, which I haven't perused yet. One thing's for sure -- users will get to enjoy these without putting on any pounds, hehe.

Exec. saves man's life

This is on today's issue of the Phil. Daily Inquirer, and after reading it I had wondered why editors decided to print it now as the event took place late last year. Skimming it revealed that the older Mr. Silva marked his 75th birthday recently. Hence, if not for Mr. Lafferty's efforts, Mr. Silva may not have lived to celebrate such an occasion -- and certainly would not have had any need to add another person to his guest list (Mr. Lafferty, of course).

The younger Silva recalls to the Inquirer that he and his father, Romeo, were lining up at the Nagoya airport for a layover from a long 12-hour flight from Detroit, Michigan, when his 74-year-old father suddenly slumped to the ground.

In his panic, all that he could blurt out was “Tatay, Tatay, lumaban ka (Father, father, fight).” He could not even bear to touch his father for fear of making his condition worse.

Lafferty, on the other hand, who was traveling with his wife and two youngest children, was about 10 persons behind the Silvas when he heard the shout, and saw the elder Silva fall to the ground.

His instinct to help kicked in and he rushed to Silva’s side. He felt for a pulse, realizing that there was none, he ripped his shirt open and immediately gave CPR to try and restart his heart.

It had been a while since Lafferty last gave CPR, which was why he was running through the steps in his mind while compressing hard on Silva’s heart to make sure he was doing it right.

Full story at the Phil. Daily Inquirer

Staying true to his calling

From "Saintly scientists: Hate the disease, love the diseased," by Caroline Moynihan, writing about one of the fathers of modern genetics, the Frenchman Dr. Jerome Lejeune. She quotes the scientist, whose process for beatification has recently been opened:

"With their slightly slanting eyes, their little nose in a round face and their unfinished features, trisomic children are more child-like than other children. All children have short hands and short fingers; theirs are shorter. Their entire anatomy is more rounded, without any asperities or stiffness. Their ligaments, their muscles, are so supple that it adds a tender languor to their way of being. And this sweetness extends to their character: they are communicative and affectionate, they have a special charm which is easier to cherish than to describe. This is not to say that Trisomy 21 is a desirable condition. It is an implacable disease which deprives the child of that most precious gift handed down to us through genetic heredity: the full power of rational thought. This combination of a tragic chromosomic error and a naturally endearing nature, immediately shows what medicine is all about: hatred of disease and love of the diseased."

Read the whole thing at MercatorNet

'Intimidation' huh?

Bottom line is, when one sees the tiny person who's slowly growing inside the belly of the expectant mother (like this 3-month-old fetus in the photo), it's difficult to think of him/her as merely a blob of tissue. And abortion providers and advocates and don't like that.

Women need all the facts before making an abortion. A Georgia bill will simply give the woman the opportunity and option to view the fetal image and the fetal heartbeat at the conclusion of an ultrasound. It’s likely that when these young women see fingers, toes, and a beating heart, they better understand the life within them. The bottom line of money and politics seem to be driving the abortion industry--two poor ethics at best. But why does everyone need to try out a new car before they own it? It’s good to see what you will get before you purchase. And certainly buying a new home mandates a ‘looksee’, or maybe several, before you become the owner. What is it about a new baby that pro-abortionists don’t want you to see? It’s very interesting when one realizes that the doctor and/or nurses usually view the ultrasound of the baby while performing the abortion. But it’s against rules to let the mother see it.

Read the whole thing at OpinionEditorials.com


** This reminded me of a previous entry I posted here about the deception that really goes on in abortion clinics, according to those who have been part of the abortion industry. Read "When it's big money they want, they'll say anything"