Who’s to blame for the looming rice shortage(and possible famine) in the Philippines?
These days the imbeciles and clowns in malacanang(that cursed palace!) are crowing about a projected shortage of Filipino’s staple food – the beloved rice. How outrageous,, this despite the very visible fact that the Philippines is an archipelago supposedly blessed with large swaths of arable, fat land which could be utilized for producing life-sustaining agricultural products such as corn and rice.
And now, they are wringing their heads in consternation at what to do come the threat of famine.
But who is mainly to blame for this dismal state of affairs?
Concerned Filipinos must remember that the government in the past years had removed rice plantations in favor of sugarcane fields and other plants which the Arroyo administration claimed will produce bio-fuel.
The hell with this bio-gas joke. Look at the mess were in now. They’ve eradicated the abundant rice fields just for the silly experiments to make alternative fuels and still we are still importing oil.
Nobody’s to blame for this problem but this flimsy excuse of a state government which we have now.
Monday, March 24, 2008
famine in the Philippines?
Who’s to blame for the looming rice shortage(and possible famine) in the Philippines?
These days the imbeciles and clowns in malacanang(that cursed palace!) are crowing about a projected shortage of Filipino’s staple food – the beloved rice. How outrageous,, this despite the very visible fact that the Philippines is an archipelago supposedly blessed with large swaths of arable, fat land which could be utilized for producing life-sustaining agricultural products such as corn and rice.
And now, they are wringing their heads in consternation at what to do come the threat of famine.
But who is mainly to blame for this dismal state of affairs?
Concerned Filipinos must remember that the government in the past years had removed rice plantations in favor of sugarcane fields and other plants which the Arroyo administration claimed will produce bio-fuel.
The hell with this bio-gas joke. Look at the mess were in now. They’ve eradicated the abundant rice fields just for the silly experiments to make alternative fuels and still we are still importing oil.
Nobody’s to blame for this problem but this flimsy excuse of a state which we have now.
These days the imbeciles and clowns in malacanang(that cursed palace!) are crowing about a projected shortage of Filipino’s staple food – the beloved rice. How outrageous,, this despite the very visible fact that the Philippines is an archipelago supposedly blessed with large swaths of arable, fat land which could be utilized for producing life-sustaining agricultural products such as corn and rice.
And now, they are wringing their heads in consternation at what to do come the threat of famine.
But who is mainly to blame for this dismal state of affairs?
Concerned Filipinos must remember that the government in the past years had removed rice plantations in favor of sugarcane fields and other plants which the Arroyo administration claimed will produce bio-fuel.
The hell with this bio-gas joke. Look at the mess were in now. They’ve eradicated the abundant rice fields just for the silly experiments to make alternative fuels and still we are still importing oil.
Nobody’s to blame for this problem but this flimsy excuse of a state which we have now.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
corrupt Arroyo administration
What to do about the self-serving tenants in Malacanang palace who weild such deadly power over the hapless Filipino masses?
Despite snowballing consensus among the vox populi to end the disastrous reign of terror of the Arroyo administration, still those beasts in glittering ternos and barong tagalogs and business suits cling to dear positions of unmitigated power and privilege like overfed leeches as if they want to suck very dry the entire blood of the dying Filipino nation.
Under the present dismal conditions, there is no doubt very little, if no hope for this country. When those holding the reigns of the government clearly show no love for the people and the motherland and are only holding office mainly to seek personal advancement. Just look at how they use public funds to bribe key religious leaders and military officers who otherwise could initiate popular movements that will eventually topple President Arroyo and her greedy minions from the seat of political power.
There is no need to enumerate all shortcomings of this inutile, corrupt administration. The evidence is palpable and clearly can be seen even by the simple man in the street. The very recent NBN contract with China alone should be ample cause to vent anger in the streets and shake fists against this mal-administration. As if simple theft of the public coffers is not enough, the disturbing reports of selling the country’s sovereignty over the possibly oil rich Spratlys islands goads the national physique and collective consciousness into feverish at such inroads of Philippine pride. Who are these greedy politicians who chose to kiss the ass of Chinese scoundrels who just gave away precious national territory for some paltry hundreds of millions of dollars? Even Marcos in his heydey never thought of doing this dastardly act of treason. Gloria Arroyo and her cronies must answer these charges at once and explain to the Filipino people why she must be allowed to sit in that throne in malacanang any longer…
Despite snowballing consensus among the vox populi to end the disastrous reign of terror of the Arroyo administration, still those beasts in glittering ternos and barong tagalogs and business suits cling to dear positions of unmitigated power and privilege like overfed leeches as if they want to suck very dry the entire blood of the dying Filipino nation.
Under the present dismal conditions, there is no doubt very little, if no hope for this country. When those holding the reigns of the government clearly show no love for the people and the motherland and are only holding office mainly to seek personal advancement. Just look at how they use public funds to bribe key religious leaders and military officers who otherwise could initiate popular movements that will eventually topple President Arroyo and her greedy minions from the seat of political power.
There is no need to enumerate all shortcomings of this inutile, corrupt administration. The evidence is palpable and clearly can be seen even by the simple man in the street. The very recent NBN contract with China alone should be ample cause to vent anger in the streets and shake fists against this mal-administration. As if simple theft of the public coffers is not enough, the disturbing reports of selling the country’s sovereignty over the possibly oil rich Spratlys islands goads the national physique and collective consciousness into feverish at such inroads of Philippine pride. Who are these greedy politicians who chose to kiss the ass of Chinese scoundrels who just gave away precious national territory for some paltry hundreds of millions of dollars? Even Marcos in his heydey never thought of doing this dastardly act of treason. Gloria Arroyo and her cronies must answer these charges at once and explain to the Filipino people why she must be allowed to sit in that throne in malacanang any longer…
Friday, March 31, 2006
solar eclipse
Solar Eclipse Inspires Awe All Over Globe
Superstitions still greet the momentous event
Email Article Print Article
Alex Argote (alexphil)
In a fitting tribute to the ancient sun god, thousands of scientists, historians, tourists, as well as millions of people, have flocked to key spots of the planet where moon's blocking of the sun was visible or partially visible on Wednesday, March 29.This temporary disappearance of the sun, more popularly known as a solar eclipse, is one of the most anticipated and feared events on Earth from the time of the hominids and earliest recorded history. A solar eclipse happens when the moon comes in a rare position directly between the sun and earth. A moon's shadow is thus created, and it temporarily paints a black line on the bright side of the world.For a brief, but closely watched moment, day turns into twilight in the eclipse's path.The total eclipse started in Brazil and followed a northeast path, sweeping across the Atlantic, some parts of Central Africa, Turkey, near the Himalayas, and then to Mongolia.In preparation for the solar spectacle, authorities in superstition-ridden parts of the world scrambled to educate their people on the dangers of looking directly at the sun as it comes in a close encounter with the moon.The government of Togo in West Africa purchased hundreds of thousands of pairs of special eyeglasses that were sold out immediately in the capital city of Lome. For the poor villagers in the countrysides and the interior, they were warned to just stay indoors lest they be blinded by curiosity.According to reports, Togo's health minister broadcast a message on the state television telling the people without safety goggles not to go out and to keep their children indoors on the day of the eclipse.Along the route of the eclipse, day turned abruptly into darkness and a corona glowed brightly around the moon's edges as it came in the dead center between the sun and the only habitable planet in the solar system. Gazing at the corona with the naked eye is extremely dangerous.The University of Cape Coast broadcast the eclipse on the Internet as crowds converged in droves in prime viewing points of Accra, Ghana's capital, Turkey and India.NASA astronomers and those from Britain's Royal Institute of Astronomy went to an ancient Roman amphitheater in Turkey to observe the phenomenon, especially the corona where they hoped to gain more information on the sun's surface by observing it behind the moon.Solar eclipses have been part of human lore and history since the days of antiquity. It is know that each different culture developed a unique approach to this celestial phenomenon. But the Babylonians were said to have discovered the technique of long-range system of predicting occurrences that they called the "saros cycle." This method was also of great help to historians in fixing exact dates of past events.There is also quite a palpable reference to an eclipse in the Old Testament. "And on that day, saith the Lord God, 'I will make the Sun go down at noon, and darken the Earth in broad daylight'." (Amos 8:9). Evidently, that day was June 15, 763 B.C. This date is reportedly confirmed by an Assyrian historical record known as the "eponym canon." Each year in Assyria was thus named after a different ruling official and year's events were recorded under that name in the canon. On the year corresponding 763 B.C., a scribe at Nineveh wrote this eclipse and emphasized the importance of the day by drawing a line across the stone tablet. The historians were then able to improve the chronology of early Biblical epochs by referring to these ancient records. The earliest known account of a solar eclipse comes from ancient China. The date was October 22, 2134 B.C., but it is not certain. Historians know it was written sometime within a period of about two hundred years. The ancient Chinese were particularly superstitious about these solar occurrences. During the above eclipse, there was likely great noise and commotion with people beating their drums, archers shooting arrows into that "invisible dragon that had devoured the sun." According to some reports, the emperor was so enraged at having been caught unprepared that he peremptorily ordered the royal astronomers beheaded for failing to predict the solar eclipse. One such "devious and invisible dragon" is said to be the most famous in ancient times was known to have ended a five-year war between the Medes and the Lydians. One day the armies of the two Middle Eastern kingdoms were fighting a savage battle when suddenly, "the day was turned into night." The warriors of both warring lands were startled so much that everyone stopped fighting and took this as a message from the gods.Even today, in the age of Internet enabled computers, spaceships, and citizen participatory journalism, some queer beliefs and superstitions about eclipses still persist. Here in the Philippines, pregnant women are strongly dissuaded from going out of their houses when the moon swallows the sun, lest some misfortune befall their future babies.
2006-03-29 20:56
2006-03-30 13:15 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
Other articles by reporter Alex Argote
Superstitions still greet the momentous event
Email Article Print Article
Alex Argote (alexphil)
In a fitting tribute to the ancient sun god, thousands of scientists, historians, tourists, as well as millions of people, have flocked to key spots of the planet where moon's blocking of the sun was visible or partially visible on Wednesday, March 29.This temporary disappearance of the sun, more popularly known as a solar eclipse, is one of the most anticipated and feared events on Earth from the time of the hominids and earliest recorded history. A solar eclipse happens when the moon comes in a rare position directly between the sun and earth. A moon's shadow is thus created, and it temporarily paints a black line on the bright side of the world.For a brief, but closely watched moment, day turns into twilight in the eclipse's path.The total eclipse started in Brazil and followed a northeast path, sweeping across the Atlantic, some parts of Central Africa, Turkey, near the Himalayas, and then to Mongolia.In preparation for the solar spectacle, authorities in superstition-ridden parts of the world scrambled to educate their people on the dangers of looking directly at the sun as it comes in a close encounter with the moon.The government of Togo in West Africa purchased hundreds of thousands of pairs of special eyeglasses that were sold out immediately in the capital city of Lome. For the poor villagers in the countrysides and the interior, they were warned to just stay indoors lest they be blinded by curiosity.According to reports, Togo's health minister broadcast a message on the state television telling the people without safety goggles not to go out and to keep their children indoors on the day of the eclipse.Along the route of the eclipse, day turned abruptly into darkness and a corona glowed brightly around the moon's edges as it came in the dead center between the sun and the only habitable planet in the solar system. Gazing at the corona with the naked eye is extremely dangerous.The University of Cape Coast broadcast the eclipse on the Internet as crowds converged in droves in prime viewing points of Accra, Ghana's capital, Turkey and India.NASA astronomers and those from Britain's Royal Institute of Astronomy went to an ancient Roman amphitheater in Turkey to observe the phenomenon, especially the corona where they hoped to gain more information on the sun's surface by observing it behind the moon.Solar eclipses have been part of human lore and history since the days of antiquity. It is know that each different culture developed a unique approach to this celestial phenomenon. But the Babylonians were said to have discovered the technique of long-range system of predicting occurrences that they called the "saros cycle." This method was also of great help to historians in fixing exact dates of past events.There is also quite a palpable reference to an eclipse in the Old Testament. "And on that day, saith the Lord God, 'I will make the Sun go down at noon, and darken the Earth in broad daylight'." (Amos 8:9). Evidently, that day was June 15, 763 B.C. This date is reportedly confirmed by an Assyrian historical record known as the "eponym canon." Each year in Assyria was thus named after a different ruling official and year's events were recorded under that name in the canon. On the year corresponding 763 B.C., a scribe at Nineveh wrote this eclipse and emphasized the importance of the day by drawing a line across the stone tablet. The historians were then able to improve the chronology of early Biblical epochs by referring to these ancient records. The earliest known account of a solar eclipse comes from ancient China. The date was October 22, 2134 B.C., but it is not certain. Historians know it was written sometime within a period of about two hundred years. The ancient Chinese were particularly superstitious about these solar occurrences. During the above eclipse, there was likely great noise and commotion with people beating their drums, archers shooting arrows into that "invisible dragon that had devoured the sun." According to some reports, the emperor was so enraged at having been caught unprepared that he peremptorily ordered the royal astronomers beheaded for failing to predict the solar eclipse. One such "devious and invisible dragon" is said to be the most famous in ancient times was known to have ended a five-year war between the Medes and the Lydians. One day the armies of the two Middle Eastern kingdoms were fighting a savage battle when suddenly, "the day was turned into night." The warriors of both warring lands were startled so much that everyone stopped fighting and took this as a message from the gods.Even today, in the age of Internet enabled computers, spaceships, and citizen participatory journalism, some queer beliefs and superstitions about eclipses still persist. Here in the Philippines, pregnant women are strongly dissuaded from going out of their houses when the moon swallows the sun, lest some misfortune befall their future babies.
2006-03-29 20:56
2006-03-30 13:15 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
Other articles by reporter Alex Argote
Monday, March 13, 2006
death of a visionary
Peace Advocate Killed in Iraq
Tom Fox senselessly executed in the cradle of civilization
Email Article Print Article Alex Argote (alexphil)
A sad day dawned on March 9, Thursday when the remains of American peace activist Tom Fox was found dumped in a street in western Baghdad. Hogtied and wrapped in a blanket, the peacemaker's body bore the palpable signs of torture, according to Iraqi police operatives, who later called U.S. forces upon learning that the body belonged to a Westerner.
Tom Fox, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, was abducted on Nov. 26 along three other coworkers and peace activists. The three, two Canadians -- Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41, -- and a British national -- Norman Kember, 74 -- are still in captivity somewhere in Iraq.
Fox was added to the more than a dozen foreign hostages who have been executed in Iraq since kidnappings began in April 2004. The world has witnessed several horrific and depressing videotaped decapitations of innocent victims.
A U.S. diplomat in Baghdad said that at least 430 foreigners were abducted and taken hostage in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in 2003. There have been about 41 Americans and some Iraqi-Americans, as well. Fourteen are said to be still in captivity at the time of Fox's death.
On its Web site, the anti-war group Christian Peacemaker said that Fox's unfortunate death "pierces us with pain," and pleaded for the safe release of the other hostages.
The group mourned the loss of Fox, who "combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."
Christian Peacemaker Teams urged all sides in the Iraq conflict not to vilify or demonize others in the aftermath of Fox's execution.
On March 7, Al Jareeza television showed a video broadcast footage of Fox's three companions, but none of him.
According to Claire Evans, a delegation coordinator of the Peacemaker Teams in Chicago, their group is now very worried about the condition of the three other peace activists.
Fox worked hard to contribute to the welfare of suffering Iraqis who have been caught in the bloody cycle of violence that has ripped apart the Iraqi nation since the 2003 U.S. invasion. He was there in the shell-scarred landscape and streets, helping to clean up the rubble-strewn city of Fallujah and doing everything he could to heal a nation and people brutally mangled by a senseless and destructive conflict.
Fox, a former Marine band member, fought all kinds of violence and war, and preached the love of God for all children of the earth.
In an article he wrote the day before he was seized by the kidnappers, Fox reflected on his group's presence in the war-torn country by offering his own question, "Why are we here?"
Fox outlined that they were adhering to the divine message to take part in the creation of the peaceable realm of God. He explained, "How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves. In its essential form, different aspects of love bring about the creation of the realm."
He observed that dehumanization seems to be an operative means of relating to each other. U.S. forces in their quest to hunt down and kill "terrorists" are the result of this dehumanization. In this process, many innocent Iraqis -- men, women and children -- are also killed.
Fox finally added, "Why are we here? We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
His tragic death is a cruel message to all efforts to pursue all peaceful paths in trying to defuse possible conflicts and end on-going state-sanctioned conflagrations. Unfortunate people, who are caught in the wars between cold-hearted and profit oriented governments and entities, need the likes of Tom Fox and Christian Peacemaker Teams to ease their suffering.
But if those very selfless individuals who try to reason in an unreasonable world are threatened, then who will help and protect the weak and the unfortunate? For a government, at least, those individuals may be just statistics in legally sanctioned wars, which only fuel more hatred and enmity among different people.
2006-03-13 13:00 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
Tom Fox senselessly executed in the cradle of civilization
Email Article Print Article Alex Argote (alexphil)
A sad day dawned on March 9, Thursday when the remains of American peace activist Tom Fox was found dumped in a street in western Baghdad. Hogtied and wrapped in a blanket, the peacemaker's body bore the palpable signs of torture, according to Iraqi police operatives, who later called U.S. forces upon learning that the body belonged to a Westerner.
Tom Fox, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, was abducted on Nov. 26 along three other coworkers and peace activists. The three, two Canadians -- Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41, -- and a British national -- Norman Kember, 74 -- are still in captivity somewhere in Iraq.
Fox was added to the more than a dozen foreign hostages who have been executed in Iraq since kidnappings began in April 2004. The world has witnessed several horrific and depressing videotaped decapitations of innocent victims.
A U.S. diplomat in Baghdad said that at least 430 foreigners were abducted and taken hostage in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in 2003. There have been about 41 Americans and some Iraqi-Americans, as well. Fourteen are said to be still in captivity at the time of Fox's death.
On its Web site, the anti-war group Christian Peacemaker said that Fox's unfortunate death "pierces us with pain," and pleaded for the safe release of the other hostages.
The group mourned the loss of Fox, who "combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."
Christian Peacemaker Teams urged all sides in the Iraq conflict not to vilify or demonize others in the aftermath of Fox's execution.
On March 7, Al Jareeza television showed a video broadcast footage of Fox's three companions, but none of him.
According to Claire Evans, a delegation coordinator of the Peacemaker Teams in Chicago, their group is now very worried about the condition of the three other peace activists.
Fox worked hard to contribute to the welfare of suffering Iraqis who have been caught in the bloody cycle of violence that has ripped apart the Iraqi nation since the 2003 U.S. invasion. He was there in the shell-scarred landscape and streets, helping to clean up the rubble-strewn city of Fallujah and doing everything he could to heal a nation and people brutally mangled by a senseless and destructive conflict.
Fox, a former Marine band member, fought all kinds of violence and war, and preached the love of God for all children of the earth.
In an article he wrote the day before he was seized by the kidnappers, Fox reflected on his group's presence in the war-torn country by offering his own question, "Why are we here?"
Fox outlined that they were adhering to the divine message to take part in the creation of the peaceable realm of God. He explained, "How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves. In its essential form, different aspects of love bring about the creation of the realm."
He observed that dehumanization seems to be an operative means of relating to each other. U.S. forces in their quest to hunt down and kill "terrorists" are the result of this dehumanization. In this process, many innocent Iraqis -- men, women and children -- are also killed.
Fox finally added, "Why are we here? We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
His tragic death is a cruel message to all efforts to pursue all peaceful paths in trying to defuse possible conflicts and end on-going state-sanctioned conflagrations. Unfortunate people, who are caught in the wars between cold-hearted and profit oriented governments and entities, need the likes of Tom Fox and Christian Peacemaker Teams to ease their suffering.
But if those very selfless individuals who try to reason in an unreasonable world are threatened, then who will help and protect the weak and the unfortunate? For a government, at least, those individuals may be just statistics in legally sanctioned wars, which only fuel more hatred and enmity among different people.
2006-03-13 13:00 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
death of a visionary
Peace Advocate Killed in Iraq
Tom Fox senselessly executed in the cradle of civilization
Email Article Print Article Alex Argote (alexphil)
A sad day dawned on March 9, Thursday when the remains of American peace activist Tom Fox was found dumped in a street in western Baghdad. Hogtied and wrapped in a blanket, the peacemaker's body bore the palpable signs of torture, according to Iraqi police operatives, who later called U.S. forces upon learning that the body belonged to a Westerner.
Tom Fox, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, was abducted on Nov. 26 along three other coworkers and peace activists. The three, two Canadians -- Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41, -- and a British national -- Norman Kember, 74 -- are still in captivity somewhere in Iraq.
Fox was added to the more than a dozen foreign hostages who have been executed in Iraq since kidnappings began in April 2004. The world has witnessed several horrific and depressing videotaped decapitations of innocent victims.
A U.S. diplomat in Baghdad said that at least 430 foreigners were abducted and taken hostage in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in 2003. There have been about 41 Americans and some Iraqi-Americans, as well. Fourteen are said to be still in captivity at the time of Fox's death.
On its Web site, the anti-war group Christian Peacemaker said that Fox's unfortunate death "pierces us with pain," and pleaded for the safe release of the other hostages.
The group mourned the loss of Fox, who "combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."
Christian Peacemaker Teams urged all sides in the Iraq conflict not to vilify or demonize others in the aftermath of Fox's execution.
On March 7, Al Jareeza television showed a video broadcast footage of Fox's three companions, but none of him.
According to Claire Evans, a delegation coordinator of the Peacemaker Teams in Chicago, their group is now very worried about the condition of the three other peace activists.
Fox worked hard to contribute to the welfare of suffering Iraqis who have been caught in the bloody cycle of violence that has ripped apart the Iraqi nation since the 2003 U.S. invasion. He was there in the shell-scarred landscape and streets, helping to clean up the rubble-strewn city of Fallujah and doing everything he could to heal a nation and people brutally mangled by a senseless and destructive conflict.
Fox, a former Marine band member, fought all kinds of violence and war, and preached the love of God for all children of the earth.
In an article he wrote the day before he was seized by the kidnappers, Fox reflected on his group's presence in the war-torn country by offering his own question, "Why are we here?"
Fox outlined that they were adhering to the divine message to take part in the creation of the peaceable realm of God. He explained, "How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves. In its essential form, different aspects of love bring about the creation of the realm."
He observed that dehumanization seems to be an operative means of relating to each other. U.S. forces in their quest to hunt down and kill "terrorists" are the result of this dehumanization. In this process, many innocent Iraqis -- men, women and children -- are also killed.
Fox finally added, "Why are we here? We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
His tragic death is a cruel message to all efforts to pursue all peaceful paths in trying to defuse possible conflicts and end on-going state-sanctioned conflagrations. Unfortunate people, who are caught in the wars between cold-hearted and profit oriented governments and entities, need the likes of Tom Fox and Christian Peacemaker Teams to ease their suffering.
But if those very selfless individuals who try to reason in an unreasonable world are threatened, then who will help and protect the weak and the unfortunate? For a government, at least, those individuals may be just statistics in legally sanctioned wars, which only fuel more hatred and enmity among different people.
2006-03-13 13:00 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
Tom Fox senselessly executed in the cradle of civilization
Email Article Print Article Alex Argote (alexphil)
A sad day dawned on March 9, Thursday when the remains of American peace activist Tom Fox was found dumped in a street in western Baghdad. Hogtied and wrapped in a blanket, the peacemaker's body bore the palpable signs of torture, according to Iraqi police operatives, who later called U.S. forces upon learning that the body belonged to a Westerner.
Tom Fox, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, was abducted on Nov. 26 along three other coworkers and peace activists. The three, two Canadians -- Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41, -- and a British national -- Norman Kember, 74 -- are still in captivity somewhere in Iraq.
Fox was added to the more than a dozen foreign hostages who have been executed in Iraq since kidnappings began in April 2004. The world has witnessed several horrific and depressing videotaped decapitations of innocent victims.
A U.S. diplomat in Baghdad said that at least 430 foreigners were abducted and taken hostage in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in 2003. There have been about 41 Americans and some Iraqi-Americans, as well. Fourteen are said to be still in captivity at the time of Fox's death.
On its Web site, the anti-war group Christian Peacemaker said that Fox's unfortunate death "pierces us with pain," and pleaded for the safe release of the other hostages.
The group mourned the loss of Fox, who "combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."
Christian Peacemaker Teams urged all sides in the Iraq conflict not to vilify or demonize others in the aftermath of Fox's execution.
On March 7, Al Jareeza television showed a video broadcast footage of Fox's three companions, but none of him.
According to Claire Evans, a delegation coordinator of the Peacemaker Teams in Chicago, their group is now very worried about the condition of the three other peace activists.
Fox worked hard to contribute to the welfare of suffering Iraqis who have been caught in the bloody cycle of violence that has ripped apart the Iraqi nation since the 2003 U.S. invasion. He was there in the shell-scarred landscape and streets, helping to clean up the rubble-strewn city of Fallujah and doing everything he could to heal a nation and people brutally mangled by a senseless and destructive conflict.
Fox, a former Marine band member, fought all kinds of violence and war, and preached the love of God for all children of the earth.
In an article he wrote the day before he was seized by the kidnappers, Fox reflected on his group's presence in the war-torn country by offering his own question, "Why are we here?"
Fox outlined that they were adhering to the divine message to take part in the creation of the peaceable realm of God. He explained, "How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves. In its essential form, different aspects of love bring about the creation of the realm."
He observed that dehumanization seems to be an operative means of relating to each other. U.S. forces in their quest to hunt down and kill "terrorists" are the result of this dehumanization. In this process, many innocent Iraqis -- men, women and children -- are also killed.
Fox finally added, "Why are we here? We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."
His tragic death is a cruel message to all efforts to pursue all peaceful paths in trying to defuse possible conflicts and end on-going state-sanctioned conflagrations. Unfortunate people, who are caught in the wars between cold-hearted and profit oriented governments and entities, need the likes of Tom Fox and Christian Peacemaker Teams to ease their suffering.
But if those very selfless individuals who try to reason in an unreasonable world are threatened, then who will help and protect the weak and the unfortunate? For a government, at least, those individuals may be just statistics in legally sanctioned wars, which only fuel more hatred and enmity among different people.
2006-03-13 13:00 (KST)
©2006 OhmyNews
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
new dictatorship
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| As the smoke of the latest round of power struggle settles in the ground, an obnoxios new order takes form in the ever-chaotic arena that is Philippine society and politics. Inspite of the lifting of the presidential proclamation 1017(national emergency) and General Order (GO) 5, a state of fear exist in the minds of Filipinos who dare not speak out or march in the streets agaisnt abuses and excesses of those in power lest the boot of the government stamp down on them. The full force and efforts of the Arroyo regime is now focused solely on maintaining the status quo and throwing all the main oppositionists off-balance while consolidating its power base firmly on political ground. The static and divisive debate on the legality of Mrs. Arroyo's presidency that was ignited with the alleged 2004 election cheating scandal and other anomalies concerning her administration had greatly undermined the government. With most Filipinos frustrated over bureaucratic corruption and the endless controversies that maligned government agencies and institutions, it seemed to be just a matter of time before the ravenous wolves that are lurking in the political periphery jump at the center and impose their own rule on the people. But in the last week of February, sensing the palpable scent of domestic trouble, President Arroyo unleashed her Gestapo guards and locked-up in cages those who were incessantly barking at her administration. Armed with the recently exhumed "State of National Emergency", her allies quickly stomped on and extinguished the growing fires of discontent at Arroyo's flagging presidency. The blitskrieg tactics paid off, soon, most key opposition leaders were aprehended and neutralized, and the president once more triumphantly beat her chest in a savage cry of victory. To keep the "destabilizers" in the leash as the government consolidates power, the Philippine authorities started weeding out military officers and officials that are critical of the Arroyo leadership. The top brass, acting on orders from Malacanang, sacked one reformist and untainted general of the elite Army Scout Rangers, Danilo Lim and placed him on an indefinite detention. When another straight and career-oriented and progressive military exec, Col. Ariel Quirobin protested and questioned the legality of the general's dismissal, he too, was cashiered. Because it is highly politicized and fractious, the Philippine military now is suffering from its lowest morale in years as model and exemplary soldiers and officers get jailed for blowing the whistle on graft and corruption in the uniformed services. The whole military outfit of the country now is geared mainly on serving and protecting one over-ambitious and power-hungry individual-President Arroyo. Advancement and promotion is now based not on loyalty to country and people but to loyalty to one egotistical person that claimed to be the best leader the Philippines had in order to advance to economic prosperity and greatness. But the very best act that Arroyo had performed so far is to summon the ghosts that have plagued the Filipinos for decades. Whatever gains of her self-serving supplications aimed at calming down the growing clamor for her to step down were swept away by the uneasy silence that grips the land. The Philippines seemed to have been hurled back in the dark, stone ages. Although, the state of national emergency had been rescinded under pressure from Washington, still the Arroyo government had clamped down on free speech and press so as to prevent further attacts on her tenure in Malacanang. Almost reminiscent of the Marcos era, authorities now banned rallies, demontrations, and any public gathering that might reach the "critical force" that the Arroyo regime now fears greatly. It must be remembered that in 2001, a huge crowd of the urban poor who were protesting the incarceration of their champion, former Pres. Joseph Ejercito Estrada, suddenly turned ugly and surged on the gates of the palace. Now, officials took the lessons of the past to heart. Believing that the media played a crucial part in the ousting of corrupt Filipino executives in the past. Arroyo's political technicians have every reason to fear a free and westernized press. The major television stations now dominating the local airspace and national broadsheets were told to edit their reports according to governmnent standards and official lines. All but one, the Daily Tribune, have been intimidated(or paid) by the present despots now holding sway over the Philippines, into keeping their stony silence and turning a blind eye on the various crimes being committed on the people and the host of anomalies that fatten the pockets of those in lucrative positions in the bureaucracy. For comitting themselves to duty by fearlessly reporting all that is happening in the country, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Tribune-Belinda Cacho Olivares and two other gallant columnists were charged with sedition for having alledgedly incited the latest "coup" against the president. But the more that Arroyo keeps the lid shut on press freedom, the more that the pressure for the search for truth will grow. When that pressure grows to uncontrollable level, it may explode and and finaly blow her to political oblivion. | ||||||||||||
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
poot
mabuhay kayong lahat mga kabataang makabayaan na siyang tunay na pag-asa ng ating nalulugmok nang bansa.
Hanggat patuloy na nakaupo sa kanyang trono ang pekeng pangulong si Arroyo ay walang patutunguhan ang ating bayan kundi bilang isang pinakahamak na lipunan sa ibabaw ng mapag-api at mapang-busabos na daigdig na ito.
Sapagkat si arroyo ay wala nang ginawa kundi magpayaman ng magpayaman at busugin ang kanyang mga alipores at ihandog ang yaman ng Pilipinas sa mga ganid na dayuhang mangangalakal.
Tingnan nyo na lamang ang kanyang kalokohan, bago pa lamam ginahasa ang isang dalagan pilipina ng mga amerikanong marino ay nakipagkasundo na naman siyang ipahintulot na makapasok ang mga sundalong ng ilang asyanong bansa sa ating kalupaan. Para ano, para ipagahasa na naman ang iba pa nating kababaihan.
Wala ring naitulong ang vfa na iyan sa ating bayan, gumagastos ng milyon-milyong salapi ang ating pamahalan mula sa kaban ng taong Bayan upang bigyan ng daan ang pangbubusabos ng ating lipunan ng mga dambuhalang sundalong dayuhan na walang ring maitutulong sa pagtatanggol ng mahal nating Pilipinas.
Tandaan, walang tutulong sa Pilipino kundi tayong mga anak ng Inang - Bayang Pilipinas
Alex Argote
alipingbayan.blogspot.com
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Bagong umaga, bagong pag-asa
A people long enslaved and lost in the darkness of the macabre past could only hope to be delivered and rescued from their poverty and destitution by well-meaning individuals and entities. For despite great advances in technology and other aspects of society, it can not be denied that millions, countless masses of society still live in sub human standards and suffer the brunt of crime, pestilences, unemployment, and deceases. While a few, spoiled members of the Philippine elite enjoy themselves in worldly opulence and abundance, millions of the long-suffering Filipino masses struggle for grim survival at the brutal ground-level places of our country.WE are not children to be fooled by pretenses to national prosperity. Our cities and towns may be bathed in colorful lights, still, in the dark alleys and bleak streets, hopelessness and hunger lurk and wait for the poor citizens whose cries are drowned by the false declarations of the state and the wild orgies of the rich.
The true state of our long-suffering slave nation-the Philippines
"Wake! For the Sun,who scattered into flight
The Stars before him from the field of night,
Drives night along with them from Heav'n and strikes
The Sultan's turret with a shaft of light."
-from the Rubaiyat of Omar Kyahham
-Otherwise known and often ridiculously branded as the mail-order-bride country of the world, the nation of prostitutes and thievs, the sex capital of the world, the playground of worshippe-foreigners, an of people who would rather serve and slave away in other countries than work for the welfare of their own, and many other less-flattering titles; it is a baffling nation of many odds and surprisingly strange conglomeration of cultures that seems to celebrate its own misfortunes and tragedies.By all standards, the entire Philippines is mired in grinding poverty. Notwithstanding the grim facts of life in the less-fortunate recesses of the archipelago and a very weak economy that is at the mercy of foreign manipulation, the Filipino elite reveles in the glittering lights of fantasy and make-believe world of show business which tend to ignore the pitiful cries of agonizing masses. What can instead be seen are outrageous copy-cat productions of western programs such as the capitalist American Idol and other decadent practices of the sinful west.
posted
The Stars before him from the field of night,
Drives night along with them from Heav'n and strikes
The Sultan's turret with a shaft of light."
-from the Rubaiyat of Omar Kyahham
-Otherwise known and often ridiculously branded as the mail-order-bride country of the world, the nation of prostitutes and thievs, the sex capital of the world, the playground of worshippe-foreigners, an of people who would rather serve and slave away in other countries than work for the welfare of their own, and many other less-flattering titles; it is a baffling nation of many odds and surprisingly strange conglomeration of cultures that seems to celebrate its own misfortunes and tragedies.By all standards, the entire Philippines is mired in grinding poverty. Notwithstanding the grim facts of life in the less-fortunate recesses of the archipelago and a very weak economy that is at the mercy of foreign manipulation, the Filipino elite reveles in the glittering lights of fantasy and make-believe world of show business which tend to ignore the pitiful cries of agonizing masses. What can instead be seen are outrageous copy-cat productions of western programs such as the capitalist American Idol and other decadent practices of the sinful west.
posted
Filipinos' giant leap toward national energy self-reliance
I found this news to be very encouraging and heartening. Soon we can turn the tables on those arrogant and petrol-spoilded arab brats who have been raping filipina nurses and beheading Filipino preachers there in saudi arabia.
I just copied the following news article from an online issue of Philippine Star(Philstar.com)
Fed up with the high cost of gasoline? Why not try lambanog or basi, which can cause drunk driving but which can also power your car or SUV (sport utility vehicle)? With the rising cost of crude oil-based fuel, the House of Representatives envisions that in a few years’ time, the country is likely to shift to local fuel substitutes that can be derived from sugarcane and coconut like lambanog and basi - intoxicating drinks that can easily be processed into alcohol and used to power vehicles. On Monday night, the House approved a bill meant to jumpstart an alcohol production program. Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the bill’s author, said yesterday the proposed Bio-fuels Act aims to replace within four years "a tenth of national gasoline consumption with cheap clean fuel that is exempt from the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) and can be produced from the likes of cane and coconut. "The approval of the bill brings the nation closer to the mass production of renewable energy that will create jobs, clean the environment and boost the economy," he said. Zubiri estimates that the country would save P32 billion in oil import costs if 10 percent of national gas consumption were replaced with alcohol or ethyl alcohol (ethanol). He based his computation on last year’s total imports of 115.6 million barrels of crude oil, a $50-per-barrel price and an exchange rate of P55 to the dollar. He said ethanol could be extracted from what he called the "five Cs" - cane, coconut, corn, camote and cassava. "The lambanog (extracted from coconut trees) and basi (derived from sugar cane) that can cause drunk driving can run cars. Cassava is best not just as pie, but petrol. And corn that can be made into health breakfast can also fuel our cars," he said. He said any food that contains sugar could be processed to yield ethanol.
I just copied the following news article from an online issue of Philippine Star(Philstar.com)
Fed up with the high cost of gasoline? Why not try lambanog or basi, which can cause drunk driving but which can also power your car or SUV (sport utility vehicle)? With the rising cost of crude oil-based fuel, the House of Representatives envisions that in a few years’ time, the country is likely to shift to local fuel substitutes that can be derived from sugarcane and coconut like lambanog and basi - intoxicating drinks that can easily be processed into alcohol and used to power vehicles. On Monday night, the House approved a bill meant to jumpstart an alcohol production program. Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the bill’s author, said yesterday the proposed Bio-fuels Act aims to replace within four years "a tenth of national gasoline consumption with cheap clean fuel that is exempt from the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) and can be produced from the likes of cane and coconut. "The approval of the bill brings the nation closer to the mass production of renewable energy that will create jobs, clean the environment and boost the economy," he said. Zubiri estimates that the country would save P32 billion in oil import costs if 10 percent of national gas consumption were replaced with alcohol or ethyl alcohol (ethanol). He based his computation on last year’s total imports of 115.6 million barrels of crude oil, a $50-per-barrel price and an exchange rate of P55 to the dollar. He said ethanol could be extracted from what he called the "five Cs" - cane, coconut, corn, camote and cassava. "The lambanog (extracted from coconut trees) and basi (derived from sugar cane) that can cause drunk driving can run cars. Cassava is best not just as pie, but petrol. And corn that can be made into health breakfast can also fuel our cars," he said. He said any food that contains sugar could be processed to yield ethanol.
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