'Be careful with LAPTOPS'‏

Send this as a strong REMINDER and WARNING to all of our loved ones at HOME, DORMITORIES, HOTELS and living quarters.

Operating LAPTOPS in bed or in carpet – is DANGEROUS and it KILLS!

Read and think it a hundred times!

Subject: Very useful information - 'Be careful with LAPTOPS'

While I am not sure of the veracity of this particular case, placing the laptop on soft material will allow it to sink into the material and render the little pegs below the laptop, intended to lift the laptop a bit above the surface it is on and facilitate air circulation, useless.

“A family lost their 25 years old son in a freak fire accident at home June 4th. This is exactly what happened. The son had graduated with MBA from University of Wisconsin-Madison just two weeks earlier and had returned home from the campus for a day.

He had lunch with his dad at home and decided to go back to clean up his room at the campus. However, his dad told him to wait and see his mother before returning to the campus as she was due back from work in couple of hours. He decided to take a snooze while waiting for his mom while his dad went out.

Neighbors called 911 when they saw black smoke coming out of the house.The 25 year old died in the three year old house. It took several days of investigation to find out the cause of the fire. It was determined that the fire was caused by a lap top in bed.

When the lap top is on the bed, the area below it is blocked and the cooling fan does not get air to cool it and that is what caused the fire. The boy did not even wake up to make any effort to get out of bed as he died of massive carbon monoxide inhalation. The purpose of this "forward" is to make the receiver aware that most of us use our lap top in bed and often go to sleep with it next to us. Please make it a practice not to do that. The risk is very real. Make it a rule not to use the lap top on bed.”

Fires have indeed been caused by laptops left on beds or couches. An August 2009 CBC news reports describes a case in which a Vancouver man died in a fire caused by an overheating laptop. The report notes:

The fire started after the computer was left on a couch, plugged in and turned on. Because of the lack of ventilation under the laptop, less than an hour later the lithium-ion battery overheated and burst into flames, sparking the fire that eventually killed the man.

In fact, a number of other laptop related fires have also been reported over the last few years.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WALKING

The Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
To spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
Home at $7000 per month. This is my reason. DWB

My grandpa started walking
Five miles a day when he was 60.
Now he's 97 years old
And we don't know where he is.

I like long walks,
Especially when they are taken
By people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking
Is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning,
Before my brain figures out what I'm doing..

I joined a health club last year,
Spent about 400 bucks.
Haven't lost a pound.
Apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

The advantage of exercising every day
Is so when you die, they'll say,
'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
Start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise
The last few years,.......
Just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older,
Because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

AND

Every time I start thinking too much
About how I look,
I just find a Happy Hour
And by the time I leave,
I look just fine.

You could run this over to your friends
But just e-mail it to them

If you don't forward
This to 1 of your friends within
The next 5 minutes your belly
Button will unscrew and your
Butt will fall off.
Really..... It's true!

THIS ISN'T A JOKE!

Very serious health warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For you, your family & friends health – Please Read!!


WASH COKE CANS FIRST !!! Please Don't Erase this message before forwarding on! Same applies to Beer.


This is Serious!

This incident happened recently in North Texas .. A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
She died on Wednesday.

The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass. Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.

Rat urine contains toxic and deadly substances. It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of all soda cans before drinking out of them. The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.

A study at NYCU showed that the tops of all soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.). full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.


Please forward this message to all the people you care about. I JUST DID

CHIZ ESCUDERO: THE TRAITOR

Obsession

His hunger for power is insatiable. Walang kabusugan. As soon as he was supported by friends, allies, financiers, and his own party his stardom in the political world zoomed to admirable proportions. His ratings and potential for a higher position in office was considerable. And then the problem started.

Chiz Escudero, unbeknownst to his allies, is obsessed with the Presidency of the Philippines. Not even 40 years old he was audacious enough to declare to everyone that he wasn't "just for the Vice Presidency in 2010. He was, he says, "fit for the Presidency". "I want to be the President!" he told his allies. His obsession and "kahambugan, kayabangang sobra" turned off most of his supporters. They all told his it was "too soon!". He demanded for P5 Billion from

NPC Boss Danding Cojuangco to campaign for President but the old and wise strongman declined thinking Chiz to be "masyadong presumido. Nagmamadali! ". But Chiz did not want to listen.

The grapevine says that one of Erap's children has told the story about when Chiz and Erap were inexplotatory talks on forming a tandem for this 2010 election, Erap became enraged at Chiz's suggestion that maybe the former president should just be his vice-president and not the other way around! Again, masyadong presumido, kahambugan, kayabangang sobra! Nagmamadali!

But again Chiz did not want to listen.

Traitor to His Party

And then Chiz Escudero decided to bite that hand that fed him all his political life. He turned against his own home party, the NPC, and badmouthed its leadership, namely, Danding Cojuangco. Everyone at the NPC called Chiz Escudero "the ungrateful bastard".

Escudero became political laughing stock. He went on television and radio and started yacking furious like a woman scorned. But to no avail. Escudero was a has been even before he became.

Betrayed His Wife and Family

Dwindling into political oblivion, the limelight seeking Chiz Escudero could not stand the fact that he lost his "chance" at being President this year. He could not stand being away from the limelight, "walang papel, basa ang papel", said his former political allies and friends. Chiz Escudero, the drunkard, started drinking and womanizing.

Rumors say he was screwing a Brazilian model. It could have been any woman. And, certainly, this was not the first time he cheated on his wife who had just
bore him twins.

Fact is, his wife Christine left Chiz Escudero and their home in Quezon City
bringing with her their twin children, because of her husband's infidelity. These are the issues that cost even American Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, their reputation and jobs in government. Infidelity and morality in general are very, very serious issues in First World governance.

And why should it not be? If a man cannot be loyal to his mentors and party and could not be faithful to a wife with two small children--- how can he be expected to be true to any of his word? How can Chiz Escudero be trusted to be in any public office?

Traitor to his Friends He betrayed his mentors, political party, his family. How could Chiz Escudero ever be trusted as friend and ally? Anyone in Chiz's close circle will tell you that his truest colors come out when he drinks. In 2007, when Escudero ran for the Senate, Mar Roxas was one of the first he asked help from and Mar helped him without question. If not just financially, Mar carried Chiz in all of his Visayan bailiwicks. But so soon after getting help from Roxas, Escudero was quoted by people in his drunken company as having bad mouthed Mar to everyone.

Actually, Chiz badmouths almost everyone. There are proofs to show and which may soon enough surface that Chiz often badmouths

Noynoy Aquino whose friendship Chiz conveniently invokes all the time these days. "Friendship" means being smoking buddies during Senate break time and nothing much more. For if they really are "friends" why does Chiz belittle Noynoy in many of his conversations to people he also thought wouldn't repeat the same?

Chiz spews venom at every instance. He is a walking black propaganda machine even to those who have been generous allies and decent colleague like Noy Aquino and Mar Roxas.

Still Obsessed

While losing almost all financial and political support, CHiz Escudero is desperate --- to put it mildly. He is still obsessed with being President in 2016. So what does he do? He targets his closest rival to succession. He targets Mar Roxas --- who enjoys a solid voter base, No. 1 Senator of all time, emerging closest political confidante of Noy Aquino and heir apparent should Roxas win the Vice Presidency.

So what does the obsessive and evil Chiz do? He transplants his media team and close friends into the Noynoy Aquino campaign. All the while they pledge loyalty only to Noynoy. This should be fine by morally lenient standards. What is scandalously unacceptable is that he, they all lied to Noynoy and Mar that they were "not undermining Mar". Chiz's Media Queen Bee Maria Montelibano (Kamag-Anak, Inc.) even went as far as to blatantly lie and say her team is
"supportive to Noy-Mar"!

While riding on the strategy, machinery and network of Mar Roxas who selflessly and tirelessly worked and fought tooth and nail against Villar for Noynoy Aquino's Presidency, the Chiz Team inside Noy's camp campaigned for Jojo Binay. They put up streamers for Noy-Bi or only Binay behind Noynoy-s back. At this time, Mar was too busy holding up Noy's campaign because Serge Osmena suddenly left the campaign management and no one else but Mar could help. Mar was also trying his darnest bringing up Noy's numbers which fell from 60% down to 27% ---
in dead heat with rival Manny Villar.

Mar didn't see how far Chiz and the Kamag-Anak Inc. had gone.

And while his spy team was killing Mar, Chiz stabs Mar right in his face by doing a Noy-Binay TV ad --- something that had never before been done by anyone. Of course, in unscrupulousness and absence of ethics or morality, Chiz Escudero is the true trailblazer.

Birds of the Same Feather

A former congressman once told of Chiz Escudero's exploits in Congress right before the sly and wicked President-wannabe look the opportunity to look like "opposition" . This congressman said that when the issue of rice cartels were being pushed in Congress, Escudero told him that he should stop beating and hitting on the cartel because the cartel "belongs to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo".
Yes, an operator and trapo this Escudero truly is. So young yet so corrupt. Of course, when it was opportune, Escudero went against Gloria Arroyo for impeachment.

With a track record like his, as it had unfolded the past year, who is now to believe that Escudero is for this country and not himself?

He was never truly in the company of the untarnished. For his own purposes to bring down Mar Roxas' chances with the Aquino administration and because Roxas is the biggest threat to Chiz's undying ambition to be President now in 2016, Escudero endorses one of the most corrupt local officials of all time, the Most Corrupt Mayor of Metromanila history, Jejomar Binay to tandem with Noynoy
and undermine Mar ---- even to the Aquino support base.

Firsthand sources narrate how Binay overpriced an 18 Million Peso project
to 40 Million before it was approved. One can only imagine how many contracts he
bloated over the so many years he and his family has been in power in Makati. Billions by now have surely been stolen by the Binays from the Makati taxpayers. Binay is one of the wealthiest people in the country and his wealth in unexplained. His pretenses to be generous to the poor by way of free birthday cakes to the elderly or free funeral services masks his many, many crimes, not many of the poor in Makati know that these cakes are overpriced by 1,500 each when they should only be costing P300/each. Lo and behold, the owner of the bakeshop supplier is his own daughter.

The funeral services, surely overpriced, is also owned by a Binay family member. For the longest time, Cory Aquino was blinded by "loyalty" from Binay. She, as many of the Cojuangcos and Aquinos still deny, that Binay has been usurping the image of Cory Aquino and wears yellow to launder his image from his unimaginable corruption.

And Chiz Escudero is exactly the same. He used Noynoy Aquino and invoked friendship to pretend to be for the cause of reform ---- when all he really wants is to kill Mar Roxas, his biggest threat in 2016.

THE FUTURE

Honor? Integrity? True opposition? Country before self? How can a TRAITOR of the First Order like Chiz Escudero even be considered for humanity much less be considered to lead this poor, battered, deceived and ignorant country? He is loyal only to himself. He bites the hand of the one who feeds him. His motives are selfish. He cheats on his wife and children. He lies to his close friends. He is hated by those who helped him along the way and whom he turned his back on when it suited his purpose. He is divisive. He is uncouth, unethical and immoral. He masks his ill-intentions with a glib tongue --- the same tongue that reviles
those true to him and therefore reveals his true, inner evil, insecure and corrupted self that is slowly but surely surfacing thinly beneath his glib and confident exterior.

Right now Escudero is trying hard to make inroads within the Aquino Cabinet. Chiz is currently lobbying for the appointment of another corrupted close friend of his, Atty. Jojo Ochoa, to be Noynoy's Executive Secretary (The Little President). Escudero will stop at nothing to seek influence and power to strengthen him for his reelection in 2013 and for the Presidency in 2016. It will not be surprising to see Escudero try to mend his soured relationships with all those he defiled and betrayed: Danding Cojuangco through his son and heirs-apparent Mark and Charlie Cojuangco, whose name and party Chiz tried to bring down ("binaboy niya ang pangalan ni Danding pati ng partido ng NPC dahil lang sa ambisyon niya", said an NPC congressman), but who Chiz may need for political machinery again when he runs in 2013 --- Manny Villar, to whom Chiz said no way sa mga magnanakaw", but who Chiz may need for muscle and money in 2013 --- Joseph Estrada and his sons Jinggoy and JV whom he severely, even fatally undermined by breaking up the Erap-Binay tandem for a Noynoy-Binay endorsement ("walang utang ng loob, tinulungan naming siya noong nagsisimula palang siya tapos ganyan ang gagawin niya sa Dad namin?" JV Ejercito said in an interview), but whose Estrada magic clout still proven potent nationwide Chiz may again need for a Presidential bid. Hindi na tayo magtataka.

These are facts. Why write about this now? So that the truth be known about Chiz Escudero. Nakakabola pa siya,nagpapanggap pa rin. Sa pagwawalanghiya niya, nagwawagi ang ilang plano niya. Pero buko na siya.

Are we, are you still going to believe a word that comes out of this asshole's mouth? Just because he looks like Bamboo?!! Give this country a break. Give this country a rest from young trapos and treacherous public servants.


NO WAY TO CHIZ ESCUDERO. NO WAY!


We encourage you to pass this along so that Chiz Escudero's voter base among the youth would KNOW what this person is truly all about before it is too late!

RP CORRUPTION TOLL: P30 B A YEAR!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

The World Bank (WB) estimates that the Philippine government loses about P30 billion a year to corruption.

By one estimate, an average of 20 percent to 30 percent of the value of every contract is lost to corruption or inefficiency about P30 billion a year, a draft report of the World Bank presented at the recent Philippine Development Forum (PDF) 2008 revealed.

The report also said the Philippine government's stability has dropped substantially in the last decade, from 11.0 in 1998 to 9.5 in 2004 then later to 5.0 in 2007.

Governance indicators were measured by the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG).

The report said that despite the presence of a strong civil society, an open media and highly capable individuals in government, Philippine governance continues to be eroded and is lower than the average for middle income East Asian economies.

Among the Philippines' neighbors, Vietnam had the highest rating in terms of government stability with 10.5 in 2007, followed by Malaysia (9.0), Indonesia (7.5) and Thailand and South Korea (both at 6.5).

The World Bank draft report defined governance as the manner in which the state exercises its authority over institutions which provide public goods and services, an important determinant of growth and poverty reduction.

The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International also indicated that corruption in the Philippines has worsened significantly more than (in) other countries.

The CPI fell from 3.3 in 1998 to 2.6 in 2004 then later to 2.5 in 2007.

The report said that the Philippines is perhaps the only country, with the exception of Indonesia, whose CPI has not improved over the last ten years.

In terms of CPI, Malaysia and South Korea had a rating of 5.1 in 2007, Thailand had 3.3, Vietnam, 2.6 and Indonesia, 2.3.

Bureaucratic Quality for the Philippines, meantime, remained at 3.0 from 1998 to 2007, the same as Indonesia and Malaysia, while South Korea and Thailand had 2.0.

The report said that corruption is perhaps the most visibly recognizable characteristic of weak governance.

But the report also stressed that the control of corruption requires a multi-faceted approach, including stronger checks and balances, audit trails and more corruption-resistant administrative procedures, systems and institutions.

Another important factor in fighting corruption is for the government to make its key decisions transparent, especially with regard the budget.

The report also gave credence to efforts undertaken by the administration to curb corruption, among them the improved budget formulation process as well as the coordination of oversight agencies.

The report also said that other factors that could likewise help strengthen anti-corruption measures are the existence of an independent Ombudsman, a Presidential Anti-Graft Commission and a series of rules and regulations that aim to increase the transparency and accountability of civil servants.

"...corruption is perhaps the most visibly recognizable characteristic of weak governance." - Transparency International

The Crisis of Public Education in the Philippines

By Ronald Meinardus

According to the human capital theory, the economic development of a nation is a function of the quality of its education. In other words: the more and better educated a people, the greater the chances of economic development.

The modern world in which we live is often termed a "knowledge society"; education and information have become production factors potentially more valuable than labor and capital. Thus, in a globalized setting, investment in human capital has become a condition for international competitiveness.

In the Philippines, I often hear harsh criticism against the politics of globalization. At the same time, regarding the labor markets, I can hardly think of another nation that is so much a part of a globalized economy than the Philippines with nearly ten per cent of the overall population working beyond the shores of the native land.

Brain drain. Apart from the much debated political, social and psychological aspects, this ongoing mass emigration constitutes an unparalleled brain drain with serious economic implications.

Arguably, the phenomenon also has an educational dimension, as the Philippine society is footing the bill for the education of millions of people, who then spend the better part of their productive years abroad. In effect, the poor Philippine educational system is indirectly subsidizing the affluent economies hosting the OFWs.

With 95 per cent of all elementary students attending public schools, the educational crisis in the Philippines is basically a crisis of public education. The wealthy can easily send their offspring to private schools, many of which offer first-class education to the privileged class of pupils.

Social divide. Still, the distinct social cleavage regarding educational opportunities remains problematic for more than one reason. Historically, in most modern societies, education has had an equalizing effect. In Germany, for instance, the educational system has helped overcome the gender gap, and later also the social divide. Today, the major challenge confronting the educational system in the country I come from is the integration of millions of mostly non-European, in most cases Muslim, immigrants. Importantly, this leveling out in the context of schooling has not occurred in this part of the world. On the contrary, as one Filipino columnist wrote a while ago, "Education has become part of the institutional mechanism that divides the poor and the rich."

Let me add an ideological note to the educational debate: Liberals are often accused of standing in the way of reforms that help overcome social inequalities. While, indeed, liberals value personal freedom higher than social equality, they actively promote equality of opportunities in two distinct policy areas: education and basic heath care.

For this reason, educational reform tends to have a high ranking on the agenda of most liberal political parties in many parts of the world.

This said, it is probably no coincidence that the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS), liberal think-tank of the Philippines, invited me the other day to a public forum on the "Challenges on Educational Reform." With the school year having just started and the media filled with reports on the all but happy state of public education in the country, this was a very timely and welcome event. I was impressed by the inputs from Representative Edmundo O. Reyes, Jr, the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives, and DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz. Both gave imposing presentations on the state of Philippine education.

Although I have been in this country for over a year now, I am still astonished again and again by the frankness and directness with which people here address problems in public debates. "The quality of Philippine education has been declining continuously for roughly 25 years," said the Undersecretary -- and no one in the audience disagreed. This, I may add, is a devastating report card for the politicians who governed this nation in the said period. From a liberal and democratic angle, it is particularly depressing as this has been the period that coincides with democratic rule that was so triumphantly and impressively reinstalled after the dark years of dictatorship in 1986! Describing the quality of Philippine school education today, the senior DepEd official stated the following: "Our schools are failing to teach the competence the average citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. We are graduating people who are learning less and less."

While at the said forum, more than one speaker observed that the educational problems are structural in nature, I missed propositions for reform that are so far-reaching to merit the attribute structural.

Gargantuan problems. While the Undersecretary very patiently and impressively charted out the four policy directions of the political leadership of his ministry (taking teachers out of elections, establishing a nationwide testing system, preserving private schools, raising subsidies for a voucher system), to me -- as a foreign observer -- these remedies sound technocratic considering, what one writer in this paper has recently termed, "the gargantuan magnitude of the problems besetting Philippine basic education."

Let me highlight two figures: Reportedly, at last count more than 17 million students are enrolled in this country's public schools.

At an annual population growth rate of 2.3 per cent, some 1.7 million babies are born every year. In a short time, these individuals will claim their share of the limited educational provisions.

"We can't build classrooms fast enough to accommodate" all these people, said the DepEd Undersecretary, who also recalled the much lamented lack of teachers, furniture and teaching materials.

In short, there are too little resources for too many students.

Two alternatives. In this situation, logically, there exist only two strategic alternatives: either, one increases the resources, which is easier said than done considering the dramatic state of public finances, or one reduces the number of students.

This second alternative presupposes a systematic population policy, aimed at reducing the number of births considerably.

But this, too, is easier said than done, considering the politics in this country -- or to quote Congressman Reyes: "Given the very aggressive and active intervention of the Church addressing the population problem is very hard to tackle."

Dr. Ronald Meinardus was the former Resident Representative of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation in the Philippines and a commentator on Asian affairs. E-mail comments to liberal@philippines.fnst.org

Business World Internet Edition: June 30, 2003
© All rights reserved

For more information on the crisis of public education in the Philippines, please refer to: Liberal Perspectives on Philippine Education.

Source: http://www.fnf. org.ph/liberalop inion/crisis- public-education -philippines. htm

New Scam in Manila, please pass around‏...

Dear all,

I would like to share this worrisome experience with all of you.

Its all started when I received a call from someone claiming that he was from ---- and he asked me to shutdown my phone for 2 hours for 3g update to take place. As I was rushing for a meeting, I did not question and shutdown my cell phone.

After 45 minutes I felt very suspicious since the caller did not even introduce his name. I quickly turned on my cell phone and I received several calls from my family members and the others were from the number that had called me earlier ------.

I called my parents and I was shocked that they sounded very worried asking me whether I am safe. My parents told me that they had received a call from someone claiming that they had me with them and asking for money to let me free. The call was so real and my parents even heard 'my voice' crying out loud asking for help. My parent was at the bank waiting for next call to proceed for money transfer. I told my parents that I am safe and asked them to lodge a police report.

Right after that I received another call from the guy asking me to shutdown my cell phone for another 1 hour which I refused to do and hung up. They keep calling my cell phone until the battery had run down. I myself lodged a police report and I was informed by the officer that there were many such scams reported.. MOST of the cases reported that the victim had already transferred the money! And it is impossible to get back the money.

Be careful as this kind of scam might happened to any of us!!! Those guys are so professional and very convincing during calls. If you are asked to shut down your cell phone for updates by the service provider, ASK AROUND! Your family or friends might receive the same call.

Be Safe and Stay Alert!

Please pass around to your family and friends!