Recent war data reveal that the armed extremist group,
the Maute, in Marawi City (Lanao del Sur) siege also have foreign members coming from Indonesia and Malaysia. The plot has become complicated and we need more vigilance now that the war has entered its sixth day without any light dawning in. The last report says that the marines have been brought in which shows the gravity of the situation already.
I think that the loss of lives is really unstoppable. The terrorists are trained to kill without mercy. Muslims though they are, they could kill their own kith and kin without guilt in the name of gaining power. A radio report says that the aim of the group is to put up a flag on the City Hall of Marawi so that internationally they could be recognized and given support by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
But what could really put peace in this world as the highest and most important agenda for all countries?
What should we, not just the Filipino people, do in order to bring about a lasting peace that would mean that we would still be living with our relatives, our friends, colleagues, and neighbors, our compatriots throughout our lifetime?
I think that this world needs a cultural revolution. The ISIS groups are largely conservative who hate everything western. So they would hate the sight of Ariahne Grande in very short shorts gyrating on a steady bicycle, with her breasts almost popping out and her lips singing some kind of sexy songs. Remember her concert was bombed in Manchester afterwards last week where scores were killed and injured?
At the same time these groups are highly clannish which is then contrary to what democratic societies rarely encourage.
Thirdly, the flaunting of wealth in the print media and online pages bring about a great insecurity on the part of those people as they come from less affluent societies.
I could cite a host of other reasons but these are the glaring differences which could cause great disgruntlement I suppose.
Maybe there ought to be a redirection of the advertising world, especially on the lives of Hollywood movie and music stars. There is too much emphasis on flashy lifestyles, on youthfulness, no matter how barren the intellect or no matter how distorted the lifestyle that is being pushed by the ads. Carefree-ness is always the underlying or the most magnified thrust instead of a caring, humane approach to being a human being in this world.
Licentiousness, philosophy of unbridled lust and passions, egotism, hedonism are the order of the day, Just listen to the news reports in the morning -- as soon as the political news is finished, the entertainment business comes in with non-intellectual reports going round and round the personal lives of the actors and actresses, harping on their personal relationships, their likes and dislikes as if they were some gods and goddesses. Or maybe that is the thrust of the reporting -- to create demigods who would rake in money for the producers pronto.
The effects of such exposure in the media viewed by millions alas have brought about our distorted world, and now our sufferings -- those explosions here and there -- are just one of the consequences. Who knows if we would still be alive tomorrow?
Cultural revolution means being prudent and careful about displaying one's wealth. What is the use of using stars as representatives of this and that cause when in another magazine you could read that they had just bought a mansion with a large swimming pool? Do you see the irony? He or she could have a very honest and sincere desire to help the poor but their managers have a distorted idea of keeping their images in public -- they have to display conspicuous consumption at its highest.
I don't really believe in going back to the Middle Ages but the recent events in the world should make us reflect on our total behaviors -- personally and socially -- are we part of a humane world? Are we connected globally or will we always be worlds apart?
SALVADOR DALI'S PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
WHEN MUSLIM WOMEN'S VOICES ARE NEEDED
In the cacophony of sounds about the siege of Muslim rebels in the south -- Mindanao -- the voices of Muslim women have not been heard. Either their views are depreciated or their experiences are devalued and seen irrelevant to the current political turmoil.
Moreover, women's concerns have taken a back seat to the macho world of war -- arms versus arms, killings versus killings, all in the name of preserving one's turf -- whether what the rebels hold to be worthwhile preserving, or the State's need to preserve its power and the status quo.
Thirdly, the response to the siege of the rebels is largely militaristic, despite the need to have a holistic approach to the problem -- which implies a socio-cultural, spiritual, and economic dimension, apart from the political, of course. Women's concerns for peace, for the safety of lives which they have borne, delivered, reared into adulthood, their emotional connection of caring for the boys and men in their lives, have largely been ignored.
With the advent of a president who says that he is a socialist at heart, the more we must redirect current moves to solve the problem in Mindanao away from the militaristic approach alone. I say alone because the rebels receive their orders from abroad and cannot be counted upon to listen to government entreaties for a panel discussion of how to solve the problem, or how to stop the siege of Marawi, Iligan.
Why do I emphasize the voices of women? Muslim women know the boys and men in their lives. Being homebodies, they have a deep personal and intimate knowledge of their mental, emotional and spiritual make-up. Rarely do we find Muslim women who detach themselves from their families, except those who go abroad to become domestic helpers.
They are the soft pillars of their homes, providing that light to their families and when the men are gone. Traditional they may be but they are strong in terms of facing the demands of facing economic problems of the family.
Having said that, I would say that one approach we can have in Marawi and the rebels right now is for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to put up a public loudspeaker right in front of the City Hall and make every Muslim woman talk to the rebels, convince them to give up the fight and to return to the fold of the law.
Fighting will only result in hiding here and there, in plotting how to win the war, but never how to live a beneficial life that will increase one's assets in life -- that is to grow more knowledge, to be able to navigate through life with ease and dignity.
I am sure that the Muslim women will find a way of talking to the men who hold guns.
Maybe Santanina and Amina Rasul could coach the women to talk over the loudspeaker and show how the government can be overturned to look after the needs and wants of the Muslim people and other indigenous groups.
I think that the government has not really paid attention to the problems of women, which is why they are just mum when the men in their lives start talking about war.
It is high time that our education must be geared towards having special time to tackling the problems of Muslim women, and the indigenous groups in order to make them strong and partners when national crises like the siege arises.
http://theislamicmonthly.com/painting-secret-lives-of-muslim-women
The tendency to judge comes not only from non-Muslims, but also from within the Muslim community. In Is it Enough Yet?, the central figure stares apprehensively upward at her tightly coifed head wrap extending the full height of the painting. No matter how little or how much fabric a woman wears, or how she carries herself, she is bombarded with criticism and comments from fellow Muslims, and struck by self-doubt as well. ARTIST AMEENA KHAN
Sunday, May 21, 2017
HALLELUJIAH?
One would think that with the very high educational achievements in the United States, political problems could be solved easily
But it seems that the conflict between right and wrong is not so well-internalized over there.
It has been six months already since the questionable election of a media-savvy individual but until now heads are still dizzy over whether the Russians really intervened or not over his becoming president.
Why is this so?
I think the nightmare of being impoverished stares everyone in the eye. Just look at how the stockmarket reacted to the latest act of their president when he met with Russians:
The S&P 500 and the Dow closed lower on Tuesday amid heightened political uncertainty in the U.S following news that President Trump had shared sensitive information with Russian officials. - Zacks
You see, Folks, his movement is watched all the time. But the investigation is oh...oh... so slow. It is like watching a tele-novela in the Philippines -- will he be dropped or not?
And if he is dropped, does that mean that his partner is also untrustworthy? And ergo,cannot be depended upon to succeed as president? That's logical, is it not?
But if the Russians had truly intervened, who got bamboozled? Hillary. She lost all her chances of becoming president which she must have worked on so hard for many decades.
And so, she deserves retribution, does she not?
Is that really a big problem that is difficult to solve?
When GMA here in the Philippines ascended into power without a clear mandate from the people, (remember, Hello Garci?) the media also crowded on the issue. She nearly got dislodged if only FVR did not intervene in 2005. And the specter of military force brought about by martial law loomed large in our horizon. Yes, he was the architect of ML. By siding with GMA it seemed as if he wanted to say: "Better do as I say or else, I can still stir up the military if I want to."
After so many years, I think our people are still infected with that fear of being under martial law. The present administration is rocking that fear in us. Right now, we are slowly being anaesthetized to the presence of soldiers in the civil government -- DILG, MMDA, and DENR -- all sensitive positions. DILG tackles all the problems of the barangay, the smallest political unit; MMDA handles MetroManila where the seat of political power is; and the DENR -- the lucrative resources of our country.
Yet, fear or no fear, the people's response is simply to leave the country.
Hello, Europa? Or Saudi, or maybe just Hong Kong?
More seriously though, Folks, everything boils down to a question of ethics. What is a morally and immorally just action? Certainly when dealing with the highest political power of any country, we can demand the most stringent ethical rules because the person will lead the nation, not a city. The person shall be answerable to the people, not to himself or herself. The person cannot say he or she owns the position. Being catapulted into that position means he or she owes that position to the people.
And the people deserve nothing less than the most moral response.
Now, what is expected of the people around the president is that they be not copycats or become echoes; rather they must stand as strong pillars performing their tasks that are morally swayed towards the people's needs and wants and not that of whoever is in power.
I think it is a big letdown if everyone in the government will be singing Handel's Messiah all the time. That requires great vocal training so as not to look like poor imitation of tenors and sopranos, Folks.
Friday, May 19, 2017
ON NURTURING FOREIGN RELATIONS
If the Philippine officials are mulling to reject the aid from the European Union, we must consider how the lives of our compatriots there will be affected. Every European will ask them, why is your president rejecting aid? Is your country rich enough to do so?
Some countries could start restricting the travels of the Filipino people to their countries, by imposing requirements that are difficult to comply with like having a high amount of money upon entrance.
Still another backlash could be restriction of scholarships to their academic institutions of deserving Filipino and Filipina students.
The list is endless and we, the citizens here in our country , should exert all effort to persuade the officials not to be too touchy when it comes to criticisms of political acts which do not jibe with the democratic processes.
I think that the drug war will be a continuing program of the government; however, it should focus on the sources not the addicts and the pushers.
The addicts need rehabilitation. The pushers need alternative livelihood. Those are situations that do not need militaristic action. We must focus our sights on the real cause of the problem.
Going back to the issue of the European aid, should we travel to Europe, we will have great difficulty explaining our side to the citizens over there.
On the other hand, relying on aid only from the socialist countries does not sound very good either. Those countries have a questionable record of human rights, critics would say. Why should we label ourselves as pro-socialist?
Rather, we should be non-aligned, free to choose our friends and accepting of gifts from them without strings attached.
What is a healthy foreign relationship? It starts by knowing that no country is an island by itself, meaning, it cannot exist by itself. Secondly, it means that the world may have boundaries but they are redrawn by finding nurturing relationships among the different countries, not in the matter of dominant-subordinate ties.
I think this is why our participation in the Asean is very important. We should balance our foreign relationships according to how our neighbors also deal with the European Union and the other countries.
The Asian countries belong to a region that has a lot of commonalities, and one important bond there is that we fall under one religion or another. Islam,Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastranism, can be found here.
In other words, we look at life beyond death which then cautions us about how we relate with God, people and the environment. We seek peace with all.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
FOR GENUINE BEAUTY OR FOR BUSINESS?
DENOUNCE
The Miss Universe Beauty
Pageant
and all other beauty
contests
Let us now face a more
vigorous campaign to assert our presence and our right to participate
in the socio-political, cultural and economic affairs of the cuntry
Let us focus our attention on the biggest deterrent to women's
development, these pimping beauty contests.
For many decades now, we
have been led and inured to think that women's bodies can be paraded
and sold in the guise of such contests. The proliferation of smut
magazines and tabloids, as well as beauty contests on television
programs manifests this degrading attitude towards us – that we are
commodities for sale in whatever form and manner.
It is true that
appreciating and loving our bodies are normal.
What we are questioning
is the money attached to others' appreciation of our bodies. Beauty
contests commoditize women by making the contestants parade on stage
with numbers attached to their bathing suits which now have been
slitted to highest proportions in order to make the wearer look sexy,
or ready for bed. Then the observers of the bauty contests are
charged a heft sum – what for ? For them to be able to ogle at the
bodies of the contestants donning bathing suits at close up.
The media are now
promoting the Miss Universe contest. Local and international movie
stars are being asked to lend credibility and/or legitimacy to this
event. Hence, this requires our utmost vigilance.\
WHY DENOUNCE THESE
CONTESTS?
- Many women have lost their sense of reason because of this preoccupation over physicalities. They have been led to believe and think that past their youthful stage, they are no longer attractive or desirable.
- The young are given more opportunities for advancement in the workplace, especially, while the needs of the senior citizens are neglected or if there are programs at all, they merely done in lipservice.
- Such beauty contests make women look inward all the time, instead of outward; in other words, women turn too individualistic, forgetting that one's talents are for service to those in need as well; that we have a lot of women from the disadvantaged sectors of society needing our help and service.
- Beauty contests pit women against other women, creating an uhealthy standard for competition. Our physical looks are natural; we cannot change them nor attempt to change them artificially. They are God's and our parents' gifts to us. But beauty contests make us feel as if we should not be ocntented with them.
If ever there should be
any form of competition among women, it is only in terms of serving
others using our best talents and abilities, whether this bein the
form of the arts or social services.
- Beauty contests discriminate against the disabled and the aged. Persons who are lame, blind or have any for of disability is right away eliminated in such beauty contests. Holding a beauty contest is adding insult to injury to them.
- Beauty contests generally have racist standards with a prefernece for white or light-skinned contestants. These are contrary to the UN Declaration of Human Rights which states explicity that people are all equal regardless of skin color.
- Beauty contests depict women as jjst plain bodies to be ogled at in a parad of their legs and thighs with buldging bathing suits below the waist.
- Beauty contests use women as come-ons for products advertised side-by-side with media programs; in other words, they use them as commodities to sell manufactured products. Women are treated as objects, nnot as human beings.
- Most of the so-called questions to test the intelligence of the contestants are just sugar coating to hide the real commercial intentions of the sponsors.
- Beauty contests give false hopes to women that these are stepping stones to fame, wealth and glory. Definitely, there are decent ways of achieving those goals.
- Beauty contests make a mockery of the spiritual character of our people They are contrary to the Christian tenets in this country which is proud to be the only Catholic country in Asia. To be a Christian is to value the human body, and not to use it for commercial purposes. The priests and nuns of all denominations in the country must look at these contests as anti-Christ's teachings.
12. Beauty contests
hammer the idea that for women to be considered adorable, desirable
and worthy of recognition, then they have to be young, with beautiful
whistle-bait bodies. Ergo, if a woman is beyond the required age
qualitied in beauty contests, the implication is that she is no
longer adorable desirable and worthy of recognition..
13. Beauty contests
provide the wrong aspirations and image of the future of women in our
country to the young girls of our generations
14. Beauty contests are
imported commercial activities that do not jibe with the Philippine traditions and
customs of revering womanhood. In our tribal groups, we do not have any history of women baring themselves for commerical purposes.
IN THIS REGARD, may we
call on all individual women, women's groups and non-governmental
organizations to help in this campaign by signing the petition
denouncing the Miss Universe Contest.
Miss Universe Contestants
will be parading at the Flores de Mayo on May 8, 1994 thus blurring
the real meaning of this even which is to honor the Queen Helen, the
mother of Constantine who found the true cross of Christ. The
significance of Flores de Mayo rests on the religious and spiritual
meanings of Christ's teachings and their influence on the directions
of our lives.
Hence, let us all put up
our streamers and posters on that day.
May we also request all
the women in media orgnaizations to conduct their own campaigns, keep
a running commentary on the issue and propose to the publisher to put
up their own streamer in front of their offices decrying the
degradation of womanhood.
Let us all exercise our
creativity in this campaign for the future of our own children, both
girls and boys who will grow into what we are shaping now a liberated
society steeped in equality, development and peace.
For further information,
call or write to:
MAKAMASA
Makabayang KABABAIHAN NG
MASA
c/o Wilhelmina S. Orozco,
Coordinator
The beauty of a woman is
felt in her self-awareness, in her sisterly attitudes, and her
humanitarian acts towards those in need.”
“Ang kagandahan ng
babae ay nadaraMa sa kanyang malalim na pagkakakilala ng kanyang sarili,
sa kanyang pakikipagkapatiran at sa pakikipagkapuwa-tao sa mga
nangangailangan.” WSO
This manifesto came out on May 8, 1994 in MetroManila to refocus the sights of the youthful women to what are genuine achievements in life. -- WSO
This manifesto came out on May 8, 1994 in MetroManila to refocus the sights of the youthful women to what are genuine achievements in life. -- WSO
Saturday, May 13, 2017
EARTH AS ONE EMPLOYER
The problem of mining in its present state will always draw conflicts, no matter how many laws are passed, and no matter how virtuous the leader of the department of environment is. The mining companies will use all means to influence government activities to use the land and other resources instead of preserving, protecting them. They will always be there to check if their financial positions are in dangerous state. If they think they are in control of the earth, why can't they control the people?
Hence, the debacle that happened in the appointment of Ms. Gina Lopez, a passionate environmentalist, is just a continuing movement of the mining companies who could easily band together to counter the earth advocates positions.
Why do I say this? That any move along the same lines, no matter how many principled individual and groups raise their voices and attempt to shake the status quo, will always meet defeat.
Actually this stems from the mistaken view of the earth's resources. Gandhi said that "The earth's resources are enough for everyone, but not for anyone's greed." That is the whole point: once the mining companies get their legal papers, they become too eager to recoup their capital and then ride roughshod over human rights, over the required obligation to attend to the needs of those who will be displaced by their profiteering activities.
Where lies the fault, aside from the inner workings of a mistaken moral position? The receiving countries. Those who will benefit from the export of raw materials. .They dictate the prices of raw materials and so the mining companies try to extract more profits through volume of exports. That becomes the overriding interest -- to export as much raw materials as possible.
Now why doesn't the government use the materials to manufacture finished products, like steel from iron; or jewelry from gold and silver. Nickel is also much sought after. the Nickel Institute says that it is used : food preparation equipment, mobile phones, medical equipment, transport, buildings, power generation – the list is almost endless. They are selected because - compared with other materials - they offer better corrosion resistance, better toughness, better strength at high and low temperatures, and a range of special magnetic and electronic properties.
Most important are alloys of iron, nickel and chromium, of which stainless steels (frequently 8-12% nickel) are the largest volume. Nickel based alloys - like stainless steel but with higher nickel contents - are used for more demanding applications such as gas turbines and some chemical plants.
In addition, iron and nickel alloys are used in electronics and specialist engineering, while copper-nickel alloys are used for coinage and marine engineering.
We will be first class in the First World if we join the ranks of manufacturing nickel, won't we?
But that should not be our aim. Rather, we should turn away from the current economic activities: where poor countries become supplier of raw materials, and then the middle agents buy them for sale to the users -- the west- which then resell them to us in finished form and under a much higher price.
That is where iniquity, inequality set in resulting in conflicts.
Actually, we should view the world as one big employer. It provides humans with all the materials they (us) need to live, work and be happy. Ergo, we should all equally enjoy living on this earth.
Hence if this is the case, then the sale of raw materials at very low prices should be banned.
If we are going to work by percentages, the producers of raw materials -- us -- must have 50% ownership of the finished product. Our contribution to the manufacture of the finished products is the supply of raw materials. Ergo, we, the source of the raw materials should be seen as equal partners in the whole global economic enterprise as provided by our earth.
I think it is time to make the world turn around really in its practice of very poor economic principles. The principle used is "i invest, I get a profit, from 60 to 100%." And so the source of the raw materials, the poor indigenous groups who have lived and protected them from exploiters are shut out from the equation. Only the capitalist, the middle agents and the finished products remain as major players in the formulation of how to be wealthy in that particular industry.
No. We should say no to that. No more should our raw materials become targets and used to acquire, accumulate more and more capital for other people. Our participation has to be recognized as equal to everybody else.
In fact, we don't really need those middle agents, the mining companies anymore; their expertise, yes; but not as investors. The government could set up extracting companies and then sell directly to the users abroad. However, the relationship should be as partners in economic exploitation of and earning from the minerals.
1 Timothy Chapter 6
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
painting on global warming and save earth ---
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
CHARADE
Should we believe that James Comey the FBI director was really dismissed due to his acts toward Hillary's emails?
I think there are secrets that we cannot fathom yet. Remember, that although Comey
knew that he would destroy Hillary's chances of becoming president, he acted as if he was innocent of the consequences of his asking for a reinvestigation of her emails even during the Congressional investigation.
And Mr. Trump is a media person, used to the ways of acting before the camera.
So let us see behind the charade, Folks.
We are witnessing a political drama unfolding scene by scene and the writers do not know how to end the audience's curious prying into the plot.
MACRON ERA
Place de la Bastille with the July Column in the center
Meaning of Macron Presidency
Europe is more than 19 hours away from us. It has many languages, different cultures and political systems. Why bother about it?
I attended once a Europe Day and tried to understand why the need for a united Europe. Then I was given a workbook where each country that belonged to the European Union was narrated. One thing that struck me was the list of inventors, scientists, and literary geniuses.
In college we learned about Shakespeare as coming from England; of Moliere from France; of Cervantes as from Spain; meaning each country produced her own special people. So we connoted a famous literary person by his or her country.
However, in that workbook, no mention was made of the country at all. All the famous people were lumped together as European. I found that rather disturbing.
You see Folks, when I was in Europe in the 80's, a very rare opportunity for me to see that continent, I enjoyed travelling from one country to another. From Amsterdam where I had attended and presented my Super 8mm films at the First International Conference of Women in Film and Video, I rode a bus which took the boat from to England. After staying there for 3 months, I went around Europe – to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, and back to Amsterdam. Later on, I was able to visit Brussels and Germany. I was amazed how the paper monies from one country to another differed from each other; and how they reflected the cultural differences. One country showed their royal personages; another their scientists thus showing whom they want to emphasize as having an impact in their society.
That is the beauty of Europe – the cultural differences which are only a few hours away from each other.
Now a European Union has been established which aims to unite all the countries and strengthen the continent in cooperating to solve the problems of existence in each country. Britain is exiting; whereas the ascendancy to the presidency of Emmanuel Macron is viewed as a step towards strengthening the union as he is loyal to its objectives.
So what is the relevance of Macron victory to our country?
1.The youthful age of Macron shows that the French idea of governance does not hinge on age. Rather it is the mind and the skill of the person that count more than the number of years of being in government or any other institution.
2.The defeat of Ms. Le Pen reveals the lack of synchronization of women's political capabilities to the requirements of society.
Ms. Le Pen comes from the right and so espouses a very limited view of how to govern a country. What France and all other countries in Europe need is a government that views the presence of all other countries whose developments could affect one's own. In other words, globalization is an issue that any ruler for that matter has to contend with, instead of running away from it.
3.Why are male leaders more open to the idea of globalization than women? Look at Britain which has a female prime minister, Theresa May, who is for Brexit or the exit of Britain from the European Union. And now, Ms. Le Pen whose defeat shows that the French are more for opening up to the other European countries and the world.
I think the presence of international terrorists push countries now to band together instead of existing on their own. They must join hands in order to keep their citizens safe and their countries free from being torn into disorder by them.
In other words, the French are telling us, as they have chosen Macron that we need someone who can help us plan our future and make us feel safe in our own shores.
The men actually are being true to form. Remember that the many colonizers who went out of Europe were men and so the habit of going out is still there, albeit without the need to conquer any more but rather to establish stronger economic ties legally.
5.Macron is only 39 years old thus showing that he is a product of the 80's. He must have experienced already a lot of political transitions – from undemocratic to democratic rules; from colonized to decolonized; from apartheid to equality of the races; and from male to female domination to equality, among others. France being a highly developed country surely would have an information system that can reveal the different facets of the world. And so, he must have seen that a multiple perspective of the world can bring about change, rather than an inward-looking one.
6. How much understanding should we make of French politics? In college, I tried very had to study the French language but I could not bring myself to really study it well so that I could read the works of Racine, Beauvoir, Sartre, and Camus in their originals. From the French existentialists, I learned that “Existence precedes essence.” In other words, before individuals can learn morals and truths,
they must be fed first.
By the way, my first French teacher died accidentally and so that scene always comes between me and my desire to learn the language. Perhaps I should overcome that.
7. Culturally, I have devoured a lot of French writings. In college, I read Jean Genet's The Maids; Alfred Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, among others. But my appreciation was very skimpy of these works because I knew that they were only translations and I have a leery view of such. Translations could be skimming over the really important ideas that the original author is trying to say.
When Les Miserables, the film was shown here, I tried to see how it matched the novel of Victor Hugo on which it was based. I was rather disappointed but nonetheless I enjoyed the music of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
8.When I visited Paris in the 80's, I marveled at the huge avenues, and the monuments right smack in the middle of the cities. Sometime during the celebration of French independence Day, on July 14, 1981, I bought a bottle of beer and drank it while sitting by the monument of Bastille, the site of the French Revolution of 1872 against the aristocrats. I really enjoyed that as I had just come from the restaurant where I bought the bottle of beer.
You see, Folks, when you sit inside the restaurant and drink the beer, you would be charged more; and so I decided to bring the bottle right where history unfolded. And wasn't that very apropos? I am sure the martyrs of the revolution also were happy to see me there, especially as I was coming then from a country that was being ruled by a dictator-- Ferdinand Marcos.
9.So what makes us view France? She has intellectual ferment. Dictators are not welcome there. That's the importance of maintaining a president who would accept contrary and pro ideas as having equal weight to be discussed.
Intellectual discourse there is natural. People will not shy away from discussing. In fact, at that time I was there, many political refugees lived and worked side by side – El Salvadorenos, Chilenos, and all other Latin Americans, Africans, etcetera. I lived in the home of an El Salvadorena who spoke French and Spanish. I helped her in finding an equal treatment of media coverage of the revolutionary activities of Farabundo Marti through just payments gathered from the sale of footages to French TV stations. I remember what she told me: “Bon travail, Guillermina.” That name is Wilhelmina, my real name, in Spanish and she spoke Spanish in her homeland.
Europe was actually then a huge political haven for citizens suffering from military dictatorships. Even England was full of political refugees – Palestinians, Latin Americans, South Africans, etcetera.
That tradition of sheltering refugees continues to this day as we can see that some other European countries have opened their doors to migrant-refugees from the Middle East, especially Syria.
And so in this age where the world is still opening up its doors to all kinds of ideas (mind you, I don't like the idea of Neo Nazis) we in the Philippines could learn a lot about political and religious tolerance.
Hence, we expect the same freedoms to be strengthened when Macron takes his powerful seat. By staying with the EU he is obligated to accept its decision to allow refugees to come in.
10. My expectations are that there be more cultural exchanges between France and our country. I would like French films to be available for viewing every month if not every other month here. Film with captions should proliferate so that we can see how people from other lands live, and react to life's vicissitudes.
11. French should be taught from the grades, as one of the foreign languages that a schooling child could opt for to learn. If English is available, why not French?
And Folks, did you know that our Filipino migrants there could speak French? They feel very much at home there, speaking the language and communicating with the vendors in the market.
The unity of the Filipino migrant workers is intact there also because every Sunday, they visit one Church where they hear mass and share with each other their life circumstances afterwards. They would also exchange francs into dollars which they could remit to their families in our country.
However, I hope that our migrant workers there would be able to raise their working status there based on their qualifications.
However, I hope that our migrant workers there would be able to raise their working status there based on their qualifications.
12. One thing that I appreciated while in Paris was a pair of socks which I had bought to keep me warm at that time, which was autumn then. The colors were mustard, red and green with geometric design. I kept that for a very long time and miss it now.
I was amazed at the color combination then which I had not seen yet at that time in our country. I knew also that my children would love to see those socks and so I bought two pairs for them.
13. Sans Souci Palace (means carefree) - I was able to visit this Palaca which is miles away from Paris courtesy of friends in the radical movement, a Filipina married to a Frenchman.
That experience I will never forget. The palace has a window that looks so very far to the horizon, you could not see the end of it.
I think the architect of a golf course replicated that here but I won't mention the name of the greens because it sits on an agricultural land that should be a source for food of MetroManilas.
So you see how some enterprising individuals in our country appropriate ideas from other countries without even acknowledging them.
I don't mind seeing French architecture but let us give credit where credit is due.
So you see how some enterprising individuals in our country appropriate ideas from other countries without even acknowledging them.
I don't mind seeing French architecture but let us give credit where credit is due.
14. Rue de Ranelagh – that street is that an OFW had told me was for the elite. True enough, when I walked there, I saw huge displays of fur coats, designer clothes, etcetera and I saw one lady wearing one and walking on the sidewalk. It was very common to be rich and to look rich there. You know she glared at my outfit – layers of sweatshirts of different color combinations to keep me warm from the cold. It was also very common then to look down on the poor, I gathered.
Maybe we should also have streets in every province with businesses that showcase Philippine products worthy of being exported.
I expect that our own products should find their way to France and that the French would be appreciating the works of our people.
15. Drama was very much alive in Paris then. I went to see Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca in a small theatre there. I was surprised to hear French, not Spanish nor English being spoken by the characters. And neither was it a literal translation but an interpretation of Lorca's play. In other words, the author had appropriated Lorca's ideas and shown it in his own way – with at one part, women all in white, riding a boat. Now that scene cannot be found in Lorca's drama at all.
Maybe our own plays could find their way into the French theatres there so that the people would know that our country is not only a place for killing of drug lords, addicts and pushers but rather a welcoming haven for beautiful minds to prosper in.
Lastly, I would like to mention that the non-party campaign of Macron shows that the French are ready for mavericks -- candidates need not belong to a political party as the people will judge them according to their credentials and ethical credibility.
Lastly, I would like to mention that the non-party campaign of Macron shows that the French are ready for mavericks -- candidates need not belong to a political party as the people will judge them according to their credentials and ethical credibility.
What am I saying here? The term of Macron must show that France views third world countries like ours as important partners in development and that the European Union must also espouse the same policies to equalize the participation of all in making the globe an intellectually challenging, healthier, humane and peaceful place to exist in.
Marie Antoinette the last queen of France Marie Antoinette was guillotined at 12:15 p.m. on 16 October 1793.[205][206] Her last words were "Pardon me, sir, I meant not to do it", to Henri Sanson the executioner, whose foot she had accidentally stepped on after climbing to the scaffold. Her body was thrown into an unmarked grave in the Madeleine cemetery located close by in rue d'Anjou. Because its capacity was exhausted the cemetery was closed the following year, on 25 March 1794.[207]
Scene of the French Campaign of 1814 by Horace Vernet, painter
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