Who’s got the biggest brain?

Many people around the world are yelling for genuine reforms. They seek an end to poverty. Some countries even put the blame to their rulers. Rallies everywhere, conspiracy theories, corruption… is there a common ground?

Dr. Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus of Psychology  at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland may say that poverty is caused by the the people’s genetic make-up, particularly their IQ’s. In his book, he concluded that the differences in national income (in the form of per capita gross domestic product) correlate with differences in the average national intelligence quotient or IQ.

It’s just like saying it’s the race’s fault, either they’re nerd or nuts. Here is the list of countries with their national IQ’s, the first in the list being the most intelligent:

Country	IQ 2006	Population	IQ Power
Hong Kong	108	6,915,563	746,880,804
Singapore	108	4,364,230	471,336,840
Korea	106*	71,591,741	7,588,724,546
China	105	1,298,347,081	136,326,443,505
Japan	105	127,450,907	13,382,345,235
Iceland	101	301,391	30,440,491
Mongolia	101*	2,581,092	260,690,292
Switzerland	101	7,480,424	755,522,824
Norway	100	4,676,036	467,603,600
Canada	99	32,628,443	3,230,215,857
New Zealand	99	4,153,342	411,180,858
European Union	99*	493,443,035	48,618,635,828
Andorra	98*	81,738	8,010,324
Australia	98	20,628,015	2,021,545,470
United States	98	305,696,681	29,958,274,738
Belarus	97*	9,769,913	947,681,561
Russian Federation	97	142,530,403	13,825,449,091
Ukraine	97*	46,603,239	4,520,514,183
Moldova	96*	3,708,848	356,049,408
Uruguay	96	3,330,461	319,724,256
Israel	95	6,811,287	647,072,265
Armenia	94*	3,068,475	288,436,650
Georgia	94*	4,410,860	414,620,840
Kazakhstan	94*	15,298,150	1,438,026,100
Viet Nam	94	85,100,875	7,999,482,250
Argentina	93	39,105,347	3,636,797,271
Malaysia	92	26,094,742	2,400,716,264
Brunei Darussalam	91*	377,442	34,347,222
Cambodia	91*	14,091,823	1,282,355,893
Macedonia	91*	2,037,863	185,445,533
Thailand	91	66,506,554	6,052,096,414
Albania	90*	3,121,751	280,957,590
Bermuda	90	64,378	5,794,020
Bosnia and Herzegovina	90*	3,781,488	340,333,920
Chile	90	16,467,256	1,482,053,040
Croatia	90	4,435,608	399,204,720
Kyrgyzstan	90*	5,281,587	475,342,830
Turkey	90	72,087,928	6,487,913,520
Cook Islands	89	19,337	1,720,993
Costa Rica	89*	4,395,721	391,219,169
Lao People’s Democratic Republic	89	5,983,451	532,527,139
Mauritius	89	1,262,029	112,320,581
Serbia and Montenegro	89	10,456,399	930,619,511
Suriname	89	505,283	44,970,187
Ecuador	88	13,203,038	1,161,867,344
Mexico	88	106,410,753	9,364,146,264
Samoa	88	179,004	15,752,352
Azerbaijan	87*	8,538,266	742,829,142
Bolivia	87	9,353,826	813,782,862
Brazil	87	188,158,438	16,369,784,106
Guyana	87*	764,273	66,491,751
Indonesia	87	221,953,678	19,309,969,986
Iraq	87	28,876,113	2,512,221,831
Myanmar	87*	48,723,325	4,238,929,275
Tajikistan	87*	6,627,070	576,555,090
Timor-Leste	87*	1,028,910	89,515,170
Turkmenistan	87*	4,910,679	427,229,073
Uzbekistan	87*	26,611,057	2,315,161,959
Kuwait	86	2,778,627	238,961,922
Philippines	86	87,099,117	7,490,524,062
Seychelles	86*	82,971	7,135,506
Tonga	86	102,495	8,814,570
Cuba	85	11,201,117	952,094,945
Fiji	85	833,330	70,833,050
Kiribati	85*	93,554	7,952,090
New Caledonia	85	238,694	20,288,990
Peru	85	28,175,982	2,394,958,470
Trinidad and Tobago	85*	1,323,168	112,469,280
Yemen	85	21,637,666	1,839,201,610
Afghanistan	84*	25,390,062	2,132,765,208
Bahamas	84*	329,551	27,682,284
Belize	84*	288,415	24,226,860
Colombia	84	43,704,486	3,671,176,824
Iran, Islamic Republic of	84	71,584,801	6,013,123,284
Jordan	84	5,746,836	482,734,224
Marshall Islands	84	57,962	4,868,808
Micronesia (Federated States of)	84*	109,801	9,223,284
Morocco	84	30,852,971	2,591,649,564
Pakistan	84	169,469,740	14,235,458,160
Panama	84*	3,287,575	276,156,300
Paraguay	84	6,015,380	505,291,920
Puerto Rico	84	3,930,444	330,157,296
Saudi Arabia	84*	24,152,660	2,028,823,440
Solomon Islands	84*	485,924	40,817,616
United Arab Emirates	84*	4,232,537	355,533,108
Vanuatu	84*	222,200	18,664,800
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	84	27,191,090	2,284,051,560
Algeria	83*	33,351,478	2,768,172,674
Bahrain	83*	743,522	61,712,326
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	83*	6,045,033	501,737,739
Oman	83*	2,670,055	221,614,565
Papua New Guinea	83	6,269,638	520,379,954
Syrian Arab Republic	83	19,789,209	1,642,504,347
Tunisia	83*	9,971,271	827,615,493
Bangladesh	82*	155,463,091	12,747,973,462
Dominican Republic	82	9,673,755	793,247,910
India	82	1,147,745,555	94,115,135,510
Lebanon	82	4,125,896	338,323,472
Madagascar	82	18,105,439	1,484,645,998
Egypt	81	78,602,081	6,366,768,561
Honduras	81	7,032,097	569,599,857
Maldives	81*	296,511	24,017,391
Nicaragua	81*	5,524,718	447,502,158
Barbados	80	253,890	20,311,200
Bhutan	80*	663,964	53,117,120
El Salvador	80*	6,081,703	486,536,240
Guatemala	79	13,028,578	1,029,257,662
Sri Lanka	79	19,703,920	1,556,609,680
Nepal	78	27,758,280	2,165,145,840
Qatar	78	1,000,607	78,047,346
Comoros	77*	630,769	48,569,213
Cape Verde	76*	484,659	36,834,084
Mauritania	76*	3,062,283	232,733,508
Uganda	73	29,651,734	2,164,576,582
Kenya	72	36,771,613	2,647,556,136
South Africa	72	48,638,518	3,501,973,296
Tanzania	72	40,117,243	2,888,441,496
Ghana	71	22,393,338	1,589,926,998
Grenada	71*	102,823	7,300,433
Jamaica	71	2,682,847	190,482,137
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	71	108,872	7,729,912
Sudan	71	39,545,065	2,807,699,615
Zambia	71	12,019,481	853,383,151
Antigua and Barbuda	70*	84,612	5,922,840
Benin	70*	8,128,208	568,974,560
Botswana	70*	1,864,831	130,538,170
Namibia	70*	2,048,253	143,377,710
Rwanda	70*	9,209,997	644,699,790
Togo	70*	6,144,899	430,142,930
Burundi	69*	7,603,492	524,640,948
Côte d’Ivoire	69*	19,673,411	1,357,465,359
Malawi	69*	14,042,516	968,933,604
Mali	69*	12,118,105	836,149,245
Niger	69*	13,603,870	938,667,030
Nigeria	69	144,273,182	9,954,849,558
Angola	68*	17,089,111	1,162,059,548
Burkina Faso	68*	14,224,581	967,271,508
Chad	68*	10,326,209	702,182,212
Djibouti	68*	819,501	55,726,068
Eritrea	68*	4,630,952	314,904,736
Somalia	68*	8,543,774	580,976,632
Swaziland	68*	1,136,712	77,296,416
Dominica	67	67,262	4,506,554
Guinea	67	9,411,881	630,596,027
Guinea-Bissau	67*	1,506,905	100,962,635
Haiti	67*	9,564,449	640,818,083
Lesotho	67*	2,013,620	134,912,540
Liberia	67*	3,471,020	232,558,340
Saint Kitts and Nevis	67*	49,774	3,334,858
Sao Tome and Principe	67*	155,126	10,393,442
Gambia	66*	1,570,883	103,678,278
Senegal	66*	11,582,863	764,468,958
Zimbabwe	66	12,459,352	822,317,232
Congo	65	3,486,073	226,594,745
Cameroon	64	18,237,878	1,167,224,192
Central African Republic	64	4,177,926	267,387,264
Democratic Republic of the Congo	64	60,799,799	3,891,187,136
Ethiopia	64	76,627,697	4,904,172,608
Gabon	64*	1,395,613	89,319,232
Mozambique	64	21,353,466	1,366,621,824
Sierra Leone	64	5,270,799	337,331,136
Saint Lucia	62	166,884	10,346,808
Equatorial Guinea	59	625,394	36,898,246
Totals	90*	6,562,676,219	588,199,110,941

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family tree – Genealogy – Celebrity – Collage – Morph

Thirteen Senatoriables In One Forum

Some of the audience seats were remained unoccupied at the UP School of Economics Auditorium as thirteen candidates vying for senatorial posts meet at a forum on Friday, February 5.

The forum was entitled “The 6-Year Blueprint: A Senatorial Candidates’ Forum” featuring some of the senatorial candidates who shared their profiles and their platforms for the May elections.

The senatoriables who attended the forum were: Dr. Martin Bautista, Hon. Sylvestre Bello III, Mr. Rizalito David, Mrs. Jo Aurea Imbong, Ms. Kata Inocencio, Count Adz Nikabulin, Mrs. Sonia Roco, Mr. Reginald Tamayo, Mr. Adrian Sison, Mr. Vicente Sotto III, Mr. Alexander Tinsay, Dr. Israel Virgines, and Mrs. Pia Lacson, wife of Mr. Alexander Lacson, who served as his proxy at the forum.

The forum was conducted by the UP Economics Society and the UP Economics Towards Consciousness organization, and was sponsored by Dermclinic, One Health Card, and modelling agency John Robert Powers.

A lot of issues were tackled in the event which the candidates, whose a majority were UP graduates, answered and discussed under time pressure. Three minutes were given to each candidate in an alphabetical order to introduce themselves, and to give an overview on their platforms.

After everyone has spoken, selected members of the audience were given the privilege to ask questions on issues related to the 2010 elections. Each senatoriable was given one minute to answer. Some of the topics asked were on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, Charter Change, and what they would do if a post is granted to them.

Various answers and explanations were heard from the senatoriables who were then on the hot seat. Some agreed with a colleague and others explicitly refused to believe the other camp’s views. Likewise, their body languages also revealed a little of what the Filipinos, particularly the youth, shall expect from them.

Here is the breakdown of the 13 (a great number) performance on the forum.

The Doctor Is In

Who says a doctor cannot be a politician? Why not? He cures a social disease, after all. Dr. Martin Bautista who introduced himself first had more than it meets the eye. Being a UP graduate, he was a tough person, yet was toppled when his family migrated to the US a few years ago.

He says that instead of becoming a “iskolar ng bayan” (which has been the UP students’ pride), he was drawn to be a “iskolar ng ibang bayan”. He had no chance, he said, and in 1989, they flew to the US to seek a greener pasture.

In 2006, he came back to the Philippines and continued to serve the Filipinos in his profession as a doctor. He has never charged a single Filipino patient since then.

He views the Philippine political system as being filled with “unredeemable corruption” and, as someone who has the aspiration of becoming involved he it, he said that we “must take what is rightfully ours.”

His speech was ended by the bell uttering these words, “If you don’t do it, nobody else will.” A cliche but an appropriate sentence to describe his political will.

The Justice Man

“Walang karapatan ang Senado na mag-imbestiga ng kaso [nina] Hayden Kho at Katrina Halili!(The Senate has no right to investigate on Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili’s case!)” Honorable Sylvestre Bello, former Secretary of Justice, fiercely said shaking the audience. He is a former judge, a judge who wanted to be lawmaker. Sarcastic as he may be, he reiterated his appointment as Chief Justice for several years since the late Cory Aquino’s time until the present administration, except during former president and also presidential candidate Joseph Estrada.

“That was his (Estrada) biggest mistake,” Bello added.

His platforms were focused on “social justice” as he stated that the people cannot enjoy life’s amenities  without social justice. He would advocate major reforms when he becomes a senator and would reexamine the credibility of the legislative body.

He further said that our country has been coated with corruption because of social injustice, and therefore a need for the implementation of his desires would save the nation.

“Justice, peace… peace, justice… Justice and peace” were his last words, from the speech.

The Sociologist

We had a doctor and a judge. This time, a sociologist shall convince us. Rizalito “Lito” David graduated from UP Los Banos with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies.

He started his speech with the legendary anthem of his Alma mater. The colors green and red from the hymn meant hope and rage respectively according to him. The people are the hope of the nation, and the people would also be the ones to begin the battle when they are distressed.

David was once a student activist.”Yung luntian at pula, isinasabuhay ko [bilang] isang UP graduate (I live up with the colors green and red as a UP graduate),” he said.

‘Filipino Family’

Mrs. Jo Aurea Imbong, likewise a UP graduate, was the first woman who spoke in the forum. As she stood on the stage and panned her head over the audience who were mostly students said, “I can see the faces of my children as I [look at] your faces.”

Being a woman and a mother, she would push for family rights and human rights when she makes her way into the Senate. One of the worst problems of our country, she said, lies on the administration’s treatment to the families of indigenous minorities. Some of them were banned from fishing, were left hungry, and their lands have been taken away from them.

Her scales even went high when she said that the government’s focus shall not be on condom ads but on giving resolutions to these grievances.

“Kung malakas ang pamilya, matatag ang bansa (If the family is strong, the country would be firm),” this were one of her strong points as she believes that the family is the fundamental unit of our society, the backbone of development.

The Sultan, The Count

Incumbent senator Miguel Zubiri who ran for the Senate on the 2007 elections and won was a Congressman representing a province in Mindanao, but not a sultan. Now we have another candidate from Mindanao and an authentic sultan.

Reading his speech on the rostrum unlike the rest who spoke impromptu at the center stage, Count Adz Nikabulin advocated for a “righteous” leadership being part of Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s senatorial slate on the Bangon Pilipinas Party.

Maybe not a single paragraph on his read speech did he not mention God. He said that love of country is love of God, and God is the nation. What the country needs, according to him, is righteousness.

‘Inang Guro’

Wearing a yellow collared shirt and pants, Sonia Roco stood on the stage and we were suddenly in the classroom. Her trademark has been the long-standing “Inang Guro” for she believed to the mothers’ power on educating their children, being their first teachers, and how our academic instructors are treated as our second mothers/parents and classrooms our second home.

Three minutes seemed not enough for she had a lot to say. She wanted to continue the unfinished business of her late husband, Raul Roco on educating every Filipino. “Ang bawat bata ay [dapat] nag-aaral (Every child has to study),” she said. According to her, only 12%  get into college.

She also emphasized that every home shall have a job, and that knowledge would give us a change that is beyond measurable doubt.

She did not ask the audience to vote for her but asked them to vote wisely for everyone has got the freedom to choose. “Ang malayang isip ang sa bayan ay sasagip (A free mind would save the nation),” she addressed.

In the Spotlight

Little is known about him and even his party’s website was short of information about him. Yet in this forum, he was known.

Reginald Tamayo served initially as Councilor in Cagayan where he was deemed as one of the 10 Most Outstanding Councilors by the Philippine Councilors League (ph.politicalarena.com).

His platforms include the development of local government units through a Local Development Council. He believed that it shall not always be the mayor who would decide on what councilors enact but the people themselves.

Furthermore, he wanted a revision of the Local Development Code of 1971.

‘Battered Man’

That doesn’t refer to Adrian Sison but to the title of the book he wrote. Sison believed that the Congress has not transformed the economy to create jobs despite their efforts.

He wanted to react and make changes on the evolution of laws concerning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) from a temporary order during Marcos’ time to an institutionalized one at present.

Vicente Sotto III

Groomed well, he was not there to host a the Pinoy Henyo segment to be the one on the hot seat. I wonder what shall fall on his head when he fails to please the people and answer their questions.

He arrived late on the forum coming minutes before 6:00 pm and the program was supposed to begin at 4. Thankfully, the program did not and began at 5 pm. He was late because he “completely miscalculated the time”.

Before laying down his platforms, he spoke of many political backgrounds he has been into and told the audience that if he ventures on one thing, he would certainly exert the maximum effort on it.

He had boasted of his 64 authored bills when he was still senator and congressman and mentioned some including the Calamity Fund. He said that he had more bills passed but just “can’t remember them”.

Added to his concerns likewise was the revision of the Dangerous Drugs Act (1992) for there were loopholes on it according to him.

‘Tunay Na Pagbabago’

A broadcast journalist and a former reporter from GMA-7, Alexander Tinsay grips onto his fact that the root cause of Philippine society’s problems is corruption. There is no righteous leadership in the country according to him.

When he succeeds in being senator, he would go against the implementation of pork barrel, would modify, if not to eradicate, e-vat, and would demilitarize government agencies.

Another Doctor? Or Housekeeper?

“Why are we the sickman of Asia?” This was the question Dr. Israel Virgines, master of Business Administration, posted on his speech and answered them well on his own.

His said that we are sickmen because we don’t exercise our house management skills for our country is our house. “Maraming basura ang ating bahay,” he added. The bad management and the garbage both pertain to corruption, and it starts with every decision.

“Pag masama ang kanyang values, masama rin ang konsiyensiya niyan,” Virgines noted. And these values are developed by the environment.

Kayang-Kaya Ni Kata

Kata Inocencio, another UP graduate, is a Bantay Bata advocate and a broadcast journalist as well.

Her speech focused more on the fate of Filipino women in these trying times. She wanted to solve the problems on Pinay human trafficking and sex slavery. According to her, the Philippines ranks 3rd on the number of victims of human trafficking next to the leading China and India. 55% of all human trafficking in Asia are from the Philippines. Her figures were horrible.

To escape these, we must change according to Kata. “Kayang-kaya natin ang pagbabago sa ating bansa,” she pointed out. I hope it doesn’t reflect one TV station’s tagline.

Supporter of the Poor

Unfortunately, senatoriable Alexander Lacson was not able to make it to the forum but his wife was more ready enough to stand midst the crowd. It was as if she herself was one of the candidates.

Like Bautista, she and her husband left the country once but in the end realized that the change they want for the nation would not be put into reality if they remain foreign to their homeland. They eventually went back to the Philippines.

Listed on Lacson’s platforms as relayed by his wife were job and education generation, and support for the poor Filipinos.

***

Now that we knew how they presented themselves to the audience, let us take a look at their responses when asked on trending issues the country faces as UP students bombard them questions.

Ano ang Magagawa Mo Bilang Senador?

Bautista: 1-year term for a senatorial post

Bello: I will charge the president whoever she is.

David: morality at pagbabago sa sarili

Nikabulin: promised zero corruption for six years

Lacson: set by example

Imbong: information, transparency, abolish pork barrel

Inocencia: zero corruption for 6 years

Roco: landas ng pagbabago, “laban ng tapat, laban ng lahat”, “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”

Sotto: impeach the corrupt president

Sison: search for evidences of corruption, against pork barrel

Tamayo: impeachment on president who failed to take on the duty

Tinsay: impeach

Virgines: impeach

On Cha-cha

Virgines: Con-con

Tinsay: Con-con after elections

Tamayo: make proposals, if Cha-cha is for economic amendments, he’s into it; if only for extension of power, he’s not

Sison: If the present Constitution is being violated, why Cha-cha? No at present but make it under people’s plebiscite

Sotto: no to Cha-cha

Roco: There are already enough laws, they aren’t just implemented.

Inocencio: pro-federal form of government

Imbong: depends on what you want to change

Lacson: no to Cha-cha this time

Nikabulin: yes to Cha-cha but not right now

David: “Let’s give it a rest… Let’s make it (present constitution) work… It’s a very beautiful constitution.”

Bello: deserves a level of permanence (but must be dynamic)

Bautista: But no constitution is perfect.

***

Mamamayan/Mamamahayag: Citizen journalism in time of crisis

Turn whispers into voices. Gear yourself on being a citizen journalist and be part of the country’s struggle. How? The UP Journalism Club shall guide you on the path towards becoming one. Come and witness “Beat Talk 2010: Mamamayan/Mamamahayag: Citizen Journalism In Time of Crisis”, another UPJC event on January 22, 10 am – 12 nn at the UP-CMC Auditorium (Plaridel Hall, UP Diliman).

See you there!

Hills Like White Elephants

“This is a short film I directed at the Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood in 2008. It was my first midterm project and I loved directing it. The story is about abortion and the end of a love relationship, and for those of you who noticed, I intentionally switched the dialogue between Jig and The American. It’s from 3:39 until 4:15. This is my personal choice as is the leaving out of some of the original dialogue just as Hemingway left out of the word “abortion” in his story. I hope you enjoy the adaptation.” – johnson280, director of the short film.

Courtesy: YouTube

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What makes ‘Avatar’ appealing to Asians

There is no movie like Avatar that made me crave facts on how the movie was made, how the story line was written, and how James Cameron, the legendary director of ‘Titanic’ had such a great mind. If only I can have the movie as a topic for my research papers.

The introductory effects of the movie’s official website were just proofs of how Avatar set a mark of a new age in Hollywood movies. On it were praises from different film critics and bulk of awards it has won few months after its screening.  It was “glorious” according to New York Times; James Cameron won as Best Director and the movie as Best Picture in the Golden Globe; film critic Roger Ebert felt the same thing like Star Wars when he watched the movie; amd David Denby of The New Yorker says, “‘Avatar’ is the most beautiful movie I’ve seen in years.”

And I was speechless when I went out of the cinema. Remarks are just so indescribable for me.

Avatar takes off with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic war veteran, who is sent in a mission to a planet called Pandora. Pandora is a terrestrial world bound with thick lush forests inhabited by a tribe called Na’vi who has their own language, culture, and religion. The army is stationed in a highly advanced base in Pandora which has gadgets and machines unreachable yet by human knowledge. There he learns of its corporate figurehead named Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) and the army’s commander Colonel Miles Quatrich (Stephen Lang). Some members of the army are trained to become part of the natives themselves by merging their DNA with those of the members (or ‘The People’ as what the tribe call themselves) of the Na’vi tribe. The new blue-colored half-human, half-Na’vi body is called an ‘avatar’.  The mission of the corporation is to mine for precious metals found around Pandora. However, the tribesmen aren’t as hospitable as the 1500’s colonies were. They have a deity whom they treat as the creator of all living things and is responsible for the ‘balance’ of life. Army members lie down on machine and work on their minds to control their respective Avatars. As Jack enters Pandora and be at odds with its bluish creatures and animals, he is saved by the daughter of their chieftain named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Neytiri teaches him the crafts of the tribe and soon Jake falls in love with her. Colonel Miles discovers that Jake, being their bait, has crossed the line and therefore decided to make an immediate move. With him powerful army troops and weapons, Colonel Miles leads in the destruction of what the tribe considers as their ‘home’. Because of this, anger rises within the Na’vi and with Jake’s leadership, he commanded the entire tribesmen of Pandora to stop the intentions of the human race where he actually belongs to. The battle is won by the Na’vi. As a reward, Jake is anointed as a full-blooded Na’vi — no longer an Avatar.

Hidden Political Agenda

When President Obama closed down a theater house in Hawaii for private viewing with his wife and kids, I wondered what his feedback when the movie flashed its credits. Yahoo! News said in one of its article that director James Cameron has hidden some political aspects in the film aimed towards the United States.

A battle between the first world and the third world (evil and good perhaps, but no) was one of the themes the movie had. One with the most advanced weaponry and the other which rely their actions to their supreme deity whom they connect with through rituals.

For Americans who has seen the film, they may view as offensive since the sympathy wasn’t their this time, and they symbolically stand as antagonists here in the movie.

Other articles from the web state its relationships with how the people perceive the US war with Iraq which until now hasn’t been resolved. Would the movie change how the people see US in the midst of the war and switch sympathies with the other side?

Critics hardly see the movie as poltical movers. Movie-goers would simply forget the detailed plot weeks after they renarrated it to friends as they go out of theaters.

Avatar’s Appeal to Asians

In the Philippines, Avatar has been making its way to the top leaving tickets sold out in some screening times since its premiere on December 17 last year. The Metro Manila Film Festival wasn’t a hurdle even and people continue to flock to the cinemas as the New Year starts. Some could have seen it twice or thrice, or some were just curious of what the movie contains since friends had remarked it as ‘great’. Even I myself could not resists seeing the movie once again; even not in 3-D, I’ll call it.

But why the fab? My theory was because of how the story’s plot drove Asian viewers closer to it. The army’s craving over the richness of Na’vi’s resources which resulted to a ferocious battle has depicted the trend in most Asian nations during the colonial era. The Asians were highly religious, like the Na’vi, and unaware of what the humans want on them. But when they are disturbed, they just can’t keep risking their lives for the welfare of their People. Too Asian, really.

But even today in the brink of globalization where core countries remain core, and peripheries remain on the side, the movie is a sure hit.

In Hong Kong, fom December 24 to 27, Avatar reaped in HK$21,965,170 (two million euros) which accounts for more than half the total takings in a season that has seen cinemagoers spoilt for choice in this city. (The Independent)

In India, Avatar sets new records for Hollywood films by crossing the Rs. 100 crores mark making it the largerst film in the third world country in 2009. (newkerala.com)

Meanwhile in Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, its former premier had an entirely different response on the movie. “‘There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,’ Mahathir told the Conference for the Support of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), as quoted by local media,” an article from Jakarta Globe Online said.

Roger Edbert of Chicago Sun writes, “[Avatar's] story, set in the year 2154, involves a mission by [former] U. S. Armed Forces to an earth-sized moon in orbit around a massive star. This new world, Pandora, is a rich source of a mineral Earth desperately needs. Pandora represents not even a remote threat to Earth, but we nevertheless send in ex-military mercenaries to attack and conquer them.”

God and Green

I would just like to mention some of the most meaningful lines from the movie. Some are short, but very meaningful.

“Sky People (which pertains to humans) can not learn, you do not see,” said Neytiri, the daughter of the Na’vi chief.

***

“Everything is backwards now; like out there is the true world and in here is the dream,” said Jake Sully.

***

“Yo Sully!How does it feel to betray your own race?” said Col. Quatrich.

***

“Our great mother Eywa (Na’vi deity) does not take sides, Jake; only protects the balance of life,” said Neytiri.

***

The Na’vi tribe is a religious lot. They worship a God attached to everything natural. They believe that everything is interconnected, humans and nature, more complex that the network in our brain. They believe that the energy living things have is only borrowed and is returned to the nature’s cycle when they die. They believe that their god does not take sides, whether it is morally right or wrong, but only maintains the balance of life. If it perils the balance, let the culprit perish, whoever that may be — no matter how good or evil he is.

Green is in, as America says, and with the youth watching the movie, caring for nature has been taught in the film. That was one of its strengths.

If I am to rate to movie in a scale of 10, 10 being the highest, I would it a perfect score. It has no weaknesses I suppose, and the movie has conveyed a meaning to remain firm inside the minds of every people… for the sake of the balance of life.

Bakit ‘Usi’ ang Pinoy?

Ayon sa Pinoy jargon, usi is a short term for usiyoso.

O, huwag kayong magbigay ng kung ano-anong reaksyon dyan dahil wala naman akong sinabi na negatibo ang terminong iyon. Pero kung sa bagay, tama lang siguro na sumimangot ang iba (hindi dahil natamaan sila) kundi dahil ang ‘usi’ sa Ingles ay curious. And curiosity killed the cat.

Pagpasensyahan niyo na tong Tagalog blogpost ko na ito, at hindi ako sanay na magsulat sa wikang sariling atin. Pero susubukan ko ang aking makakaya para makalikha ng obra maestra… kaysa naman maglathala ako dito ng Pinoy style pero Ingles ang wika… ang panget hindi ba?

***

Isang maliit na langaw ang dumapo sa straw ng Coke Zero na inorder ko sa Greenwich North Edsa habang ako ay nagbabasa ng sikat na akda ni Jose Saramago na Blindness. Hindi ko inakala na sa kabila ng mala-Starbuck’s na sofa at mesa sa Greenwich na ito, sa ambience nitong katulad ng isang world-class na McCafe, at sa kakaibang hugis ng baso na square ang base, at cylindrical ang mouth, madalas pala ritong tumambay ang mga batang langaw. Humingi ako ng panibagong straw mula sa waiter na binalot pa sa tissue ngunit kitang-kita ko naman kung paano niya hinawakan ito gamit ang kaniyang kamay mula sa straw dispenser.

Tanaw ko mula sa salamin ng restawran-slash-insect’s haven ang hindi magkamayaw na mga tao (karamihan ay Pilipino) sa pagsilip sa animo’y balcony ng Entertainment area ng SM. May balkonahe kasi sa tapat ng Greenwich na aking kinainan. Animo’y may pinanonood sa ibaba.

“Keep right,” wika ng maraming slogan na halos lumuha na sa hindi pagpansin sa kaniya sa mga pampublikong gusali. Pero sa malimit na pagkakataon, sinunod ito ng mga tao sa tapat ng Greenwich. Lahat ay lumakad sa gawing kanan upang bigyang sulyap ang kung ano mang nagaganap sa ibaba. Mabuti naman ay sumunod ang mga Pilipino sa simpleng patakaran na matagal nang itinatatak sa ating isipan.

Nakita ko ang grupo ng mga Nursing students na masayang-masaya sa kanilang pagkwewentuhan. Tawa dito, tawa doon. Pero isa lang pala ang makakapagpapigil sa kanila. Isa sa mga iyon ang itinigil ang pagtawa upang silipin ang nasa ibaba. Sumunod ang iba sa kanya. Matapos makita, isang simpleng ngiti na lamang ang nakita sa kanilang mga labi, tapos ang kwentuhan.

May mga bata rin na dalawa ang paraan ng pagsilip roon, may mga iba na pilit na umaakyat sa balikat ng kanilang ama, o sa ina (grabe ito) upang makita ang pangyayari sa gitna ng malahiganteng mga nakakatanda. At may iba na walang malay na sumusuot sa gitna ng mga binti ng mga taong aliw sa panunuod upang makasulyap. Walang malay.

Bawat tao yata na dumaan rito, dahil kanilang nakita ang kumpol-kumpol na mga manunuod na tila nakikiusiyoso sa isang malagim na aksidente, ang magsasayang ng ilang minuto para makita lamang kung ano ang nangyayari. To satisfy their curiosity, ‘ika nga. Isang magkasintahan pa ang hindi pinalampas ng kultura. Nakasandal ang ulo ng dalaga sa balikat ng lalaki. Hindi ko mawari kung siya’y sadyang inaantok lamang, o may iniinda. Pero sa tingin ko, mukhang ang ikalawa ang dahilan. Walang pakundangang lumapit ang lalaki sa balkonahe upang sumilip habang ang kanyang nobya ay naiwan sa pagkagulat. Doon ko nalaman na mali pala ang aking hula. Maling akala.

Isang lagok mula sa baso, isang palakpakan ang aking narinig. Ang mga bata ay tuwang-tuwa, pero hinay-hinay lamang at baka mahulog sa pagkakakarga, balkonahe iyon. Kumapal ang mga taong nakapalibot sa balkonahe, bawat isa ay naiinis nang hindi man lamang nakakita sa dami ng nakikiusiyoso.

Bakit ganun ang Pinoy? Tila baga nagiging habit o routine o instinct na ng mga Pinoy ang makiusiyoso o makialam kung may makitang palibot ng tao. At pagkatapos na makita ang kung ano naman ang naroon, walang reaksyong aalis kung hindi nagustuhan (boring, sabi ng ilan) at tuloy sa paglalakad.

Naku, napansin na pala ng babae ang bata na nasa ilaliman niya. Umiyak tuloy ang kaawa-awang bata.

Ilang sandali lamang ay nai-serve na ang Chili Con Carne at ang Pizza Fries na na aking inorder. “Kung may kailangan pa po kayo, pakisabi na lang po sa kin,” wika ng waiter. Teka, sino ka ba? Ano ang pangalan mo? Paano kita… Ngunit nakaalis na siya bago ko pa man ito maitanong.

Natapos ang aking lunch habang hindi natatapos ang pagdami ng tao roon. Salamat at may mga nainis na at umalis na lamang o hindi na nag-atubiling sumilip pa. Papaunti na ang mga tao ng lumabas ako sa Greenwich.

Ah, isa lang palang mahikerong pinaglalaruan ang kaniyang panyo na parang bata.

Craving Cantonese

Our second visit to Hong Kong last December 2009 was far too different from our first one. Initially because we’ve been to more places in our second visit, marvelous places like Disneyland, the Victoria Peak, a ride on the Harbour Cruise, the Lantau Island experience, and a 12-hour tour in Macau. As a traveller, you must always have your guts. We met different kinds of people to ask for travel tips, from our co-Filipinos, to Indonesians working in Hong Kong, our nice tour guides in Macau, and to the Hong Kongers, as they are called.

When we got back here in the Philippines, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking about our five-day trip, that became an obsession to me, not just merely ‘love’. It made me crave for more, and be back to the little but great city in a single snap.

Because of all the thrills, I decided to add a fancy dream to my wish list, to learn Cantonese, the language spoken by the residents of Hong Kong, Macau, and some people in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Cantonese is maybe the easiest Chinese dialect to learn because the language has been spoken mainly by the younger generation and words aren’t complex and difficult to be pronounced. As opposed by Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese offers users a easier experience because it is free of any handwriting counterpart, as the language is solely used for oral communication.

I thought it would be hard for me to learn the language but I called myself wrong. Because of the availability of the Internet, many websites offer free tutorial/audio lessons for Cantonese. And a website called http://learnchineseez.com/ is just a perfect portal to learn the language.

The site includes clear audio pieces giving  the user a step-by-step learning guide . Lessons are designed systematically for someone who would want to learn basic Cantonese, which he could as he travel to Cantonese-speaking countries.

Perfect as well to businessmen, learnchineseez.com also offers audio lessons for Mandarin Chinese.

Users could play audio samples while jogging, reading a book, or travelling on a cruise or on an airplane, as audio clips are downloadable in different formats.

Getting excited? Hurry and visit http://learnchineseez.com/.

Surely you won’t regret the experience.

Learn Chinese EZ

Reexamining the Natural Disasters of 2009

Time has been flying so fast these days. Year 2009 opened with a massive change when Barack Obama was inaugurated as US President. Coupled with his first year as president were the descent of the US economy, the scare of the human swine influenza virus, deaths of prominent personalities, and series of storms that hit the globe. It seems it was just yesterday. But what if I say that these events were already known by beforehand? Funny thing, right? And creepy as well.

                    A psychic named Joseph Greenfield from the tabloid Bandera publishes his prediction every time the year opens, and in January 2009 came out his fearless forecast of the year’s climate condition. A person reading it on the day of its publication may just ignore it but to a curious person who may want to test its truth, this is a great shock.

                    “Sa tag-ulan, sa mga buwan ng Hulyo, Agosto at Setyembre…kambal na sama ng panahon ang mabubuo sa Polilio Island sa Quezon, raragasa ang supertyphoon na ito sa Metro Manila, at Gitnang Luzon, magdadala ng malalakas na hangin at pagbaha. Ano pa’t sa panahong iyon, lulubog ang malaking bahagi ng Luzon at Metro Manila…,” Greenfield predicts in the January issue of Bandera.

                    And in the last quarter of 2009, there came the twin typhoons, Ondoy and Pepeng.

                    These typhoon buddies had companions. Climate experts call it the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, having recorded at least 41 typhoons coming only from the Pacific Ocean. It is only fitting, perhaps, to discuss disasters as it significantly defined how we lived our 2009, for better or for worse. Here are some of the most painful disasters that sickened Earth in the previous year, examining them by month:

                    January. There was absolutely no fiesta in Guatemala as they celebrated New Year when at least 33 people died in a landslide in the northern part of the region on January 5. Even worse, rescue operations failed to recover the entire number of victims in the 1.5 km wide landslide. “The landslide is so big, we don’t have much hope of recovering many more bodies,” a Guatemalan mayor said to BBC News.

                    Then we travel west to the small Pacific island named Fiji when a heavy flood mercilessly killed at least two people in the country including a three-year old girl. Similar to what happened during Ondoy’s rage, 400 millimeter of rainfall poured on the Western side of the area within just 12 hours causing major roads to be blocked and rescue operations to be crippled. What made it even more difficult was the obstruction of making immediate decisions because of the military form of government dominant in Fiji since 2006. Other disasters included the earthquake in Costa Rica, floods in Ecuador, and a cold wave in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Africa, the land covered most by hot deserts, too, wasn’t spared. Two tropical cyclones hit Madagascar only within a month.

                    February. An article from the web published this headline on the first week of February, “Solomon Islands unprepared for flood disaster.” Who would be, as floods are natural disasters, and mostly unexpected. However, with the kind government present in the area, a good one would serve as a haven of relief which the country did not have. When flood struck Solomon Islands on February 5, people were unprepared, some still peacefully asleep as the tragedy occurred as early as 2 in the morning.

“It happened so fast and all I can remember was that we were washed away by the flood from the river that runs not far from us,” Renata Kakae, one of the survivors, said in an interview by wsws.org.

Other countries that were slapped by flood and mudslides during the month were Costa Rica, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bolivia.

The month of love wasn’t only meant for storms and floods but also for tragedies that may entirely be natural superficially but experts said that part of it were also caused by the faults of man. When China was about to light up the sky with its very own firecrackers in celebration of Chinese New Year, it was toppled by a wave of drought. Authorities were not able to minimize the impact of the drought because of the bulk of its population, therefore leaving about 4 million people thirsty for water supplies. A ‘rare drought in human history’, this was the term given to the catastrophe.

March. This month marks the beginning of summer which people who have suffered from flood would long for; that is why the primary source of this article, ReliefWeb (www.reliefweb.int), recorded March having bagged the least number of natural disasters. That’s good news.

Countries that have perished from fearsome flooding were Peru, Colombia, and Indonesia. Among these three, it was the last country which has rendered the most deaths. Unfortunately for us, Asians. It was on the 27th of March when at least 50 people died in the massive flooding following torrential storms. The event was even worsened when an old dam built in the 1900’s collapsed hitting its capital, Jakarta, the most populous city in Southeast Asia.

In an article from Toronto Sun, Cecep Rahman, a 63-year old citizen from Indonesia was said to have lost his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in the disaster.

“The tide was so strong, like a tsunami. There was nothing I could do,” he said.

April. Madagascar has been blessed by a rather magnificent biodiversity like the Philippines but it is vulnerable to calamities. Let us welcome the island once more in another appearance on our list. At exactly 12 midnight on April 8, a tropical cyclone named Jade struck the African island leaving at least three people dead, two children and their mother, and 800 homeless. Flood and landslides then followed the storm during the wee hours of the night.

Not far from Indian Ocean, on where Madagascar beds, the month also gave birth to Bijli, a tropical cyclone that devastated Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar in the duration of its run. The first fatality was of a 9-year old boy in Bangladesh when he was knocked down by a wind-blown tree. The cyclone’s eye has courageously poured shocking figures of impacts. All in all, the cyclone destroyed 500 houses, 1,500 betel leaf plantations, and flooded 70,000 acres of cropland according to Wikipedia’s account. Seven people were killed and 84 were injured in Bangladesh alone.

May. In this month, the focus will once again be on the Caribbean with the nation of Honduras suffering from a double-whammy. 28th of May marked what one of the worst disasters was probably that have struck the region when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook the northern coast of the country leaving six people dead. A Honduran pointed out from a CNN report that for 14 years of his residence there, it was indeed the worst quake. And being the worst, there would undoubtedly be an anticipation of a foredooming quake, beneath the sea. The US Geological survey said that the land quake had triggered a tsunami alert for three Central American countries sparking fear over the Caribbean region.

June. Unbelievable this may seem, authorities recorded deaths of 250 children under five years old. This isn’t the Industrial Age but this points out to one culprit of the modern age, the cold wave in Peru. Nothing would be worse than this one in the Third World nation as it caused 50,000 to suffer from acute respiratory illness, and 4,581 with pneumonia only in the month of June according to an article from Formae Mentis (formaementis.wordpress.com). The cold wave did not end until the month of September.

The rest of recorded worst disasters of June was aimed towards flooding in various parts of the world namely in China, Central African Republic, Guatemala, Czech Republic, and Botswana.

July. In most tropical countries, July marks the start of the stormy season when people begin to be more conscious of storm signals, and in flood-vulnerable areas, some initiate the ascension of furniture to the higher level floors of houses. Meanwhile, let us take a glance at the downbeat situations that have occurred in the rest of the world.

India, the 2nd most populous country, in the world, had its 1.5 million people affected in the July 23 floods killing at least 441 people. Another South Asian nation, Bangladesh, illustrated situations where men stand up in line passing over mounds of mud to create an artificial flood barrier for the affected low-lying islands.

In Pakistan, at least 26 people were killed by the rage of floods in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial centre. The casualties were caused either by drowning, electrocution, or due to the collapse of roofs. On the other hand, 22 died in Nepal in two-day duration of rains.

August. A storm surge encompassing the whole of Taiwan, it is true. It was 3 a.m. on August 7 when the deadliest storm recorded in Taiwanese history hit the nation and left 738 confirmed deaths. The storm was moving in a fast wind speed of 148 km/h pace and gustiness at 185 km/h. The typhoon also brought impacts to nearby countries like the Philippines, Japan, and China’s east coast from where about 1 million Chinese fled due to fear of being killed.

“I must have survived for a reason” was the phrase uttered by one Sri Lankan citizen upon being hugely damaged by a flash flood in the country as well as in Pakistan where 1,000 houses have been wiped out.

                    Other August floods occurred in African nations of Senegal, Mauritania, and Sudan.

                    September. If there could be a month in 2009 that the Filipinos would want to be eradicated, it would be the month of September. Not because of the union of Mar and Korina’s love but the wrath of Ondoy. Typhoon Ketsana, its international name, was regarded as the ‘worst tropical depression’ leaving hundreds of people dead and damaging about P30 billion worth of properties. Quezon City resident Luz Celestial, 78, said that throughout her life, this has been the worst typhoon she has ever encountered. Not reaching an entire day, the rains have caused most parts of Metro Manila to be submerged in floodwaters.

Also condemned by natural disasters was the hometown of Hollywood, in California, USA where the name “Jimena” would be treated as a curse. “Jimena” has been the name given to horrible hurricanes coming from the Pacific since 1979. There had been four Jimena’s that have hit the United States beginning from that year and the youngest of them, born on September 2009, was the second strongest tropical cyclone or hurricane of last year. Fortunately, there was only one recorded casualty but what made it adverse was the amount of damage reaching up to $ 59.8.

                    October. Philippines is famous during this month with the occurrence of back-to-back typhoons, Pepeng (Parma) and Santi (Mirinae). However, this is not something that Filipinos ought to be delightful about. Typhoon Pepeng claimed 465 lives and destroyed properties, mostly agricultural, amounting to US$ 567. The typhoon also landed to neighboring countries of Vietnam, Taiwan and China.

                    Meanwhile, during the advent of the Halloween season in the Philippines, tropical storm Santi hit the Philippines killing 106 people. Vietnam, Cambodia, and Northern Marianas Islands were the other nations affected by the typhoon.

                    November. Fate may be kind to the Philippine archipelago this month blessing us with a fair weather but balance shall not be compromised. On November 8, Hurricane Ida lashed the United States.

                      “It’s not what we expected,” said Kathleen Weisser, a nurse from Fernley, Nevada in an article from NBC online news, “We wanted sun. Instead we have liquid sunshine.”

                    As America enters the winter season, the South American country of Ecuador seems to be on its way towards its hottest month. The drought in Ecuador in November 2009 was seen to be the worst in the last 40 years. Hundreds of people died and caused massive power blackouts. It may be centered in Ecuador but the drought has also affected Guatemala, Venezuela, and Bolivia.

                    December. This is the season of giving and of reconciliation but definitely not with Mother Nature. As the year ends, less typhoons may have been prevailed but they were replaced by other disasters as earthquakes and volcanic lava surges. In Malawi, an earthquake killed three and injured hundreds when it socked at 1:19 am. Victims included students sleeping in a dormitory at a government school, an article from Fox News Online said.

                    Mother Nature has been rather a disciplinary figure to all of the people last year seeing her rages in every month of 2009. As the year closed, the Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark was a perfect time for what have transpired in the previous year leading to a ‘meaningful agreement’ between nations, rich and poor.

                    “We have made a start,” says Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain (Wikipedia). The people must mot waste the outcome of the conference.

                    If there will be what we call as huling hirit (last force), that would have to be the threat of the Mayon Volcano leaving fear to the Filipino race. It has impeded a Christmas celebration at home by the people affected. But we must still be thankful for Nature had a heart; it refused to let the volcano mash out ashes. That great gift served as a reflection for all our undertakings, urging us to change.

                    People in the evacuation centers have spent their Christmas there. But who knows if the people liked it better. Better for they were together, better for they have realized that in these times, the local government would never leave them unaided. And better for they were safe and sound.             

                    2009 indeed changed the way we live. Apparently we not only live in interesting times, but also dangerous times as well. As we enter 2010 optimistic and joyful,  hopefully we would not forget the lessons we have learned from our nerve-wracking travails through disaster and calamity in 2009.

Sources/Interview Excerpts: ABS-CBN News (abs-cbnnews.com), BBC (news.bbc.co.uk), CNN (cnn.com), Formae Mentis (formaementis.wordpress.com), Fox News (foxnews.com), MSNBC (msnbc.com), NY Times (nytimes.com), Relief Web (reliefweb.int), Toronto Sun (torontosun.com), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org), wsws.org,