PART II Ten thousand years ago, there was no such thing as corn, just a wild grassy plant called Teosinte. Farmers started domesticating it by selecting seeds for planting. Maize, as it was later called, then had an ear ( cob) 2 cm long with eight rows of kernels. From that lowly start, the corn has steadily transformed… Read More »
There it is looking high and mighty, the mountain of hope for the poorest and neglected people of the country. Its beauty lies underneath. The early morning start of garbage trucks dumping the thrashes of the well-off is sweet music and not an irritant for those eking a living for the non-stop pile-ups. It means there is work… Read More »
The elderly in our society should take to heart that their vulnerability in falling or accidentally slipping on the ground is lurking just around the corner. Falls are the number one reason for hospital admissions among seniors these days; it’s also why older people lose their independence. Well, the increased number of the elderly admitted to hospitals is… Read More »
“Rome! Stick to Rome, my dear fellow, and live in the limelight!” – Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero has just finished his early morning mental and physical exercises when he summons Tiro to bring in his first client of the day. “Master,” Tiro announces, “I bring you Sthenius of Thermae.” Right away Cicero smells a victim of corruption. “Sthenius,… Read More »
Out of PLMSFI’s 50 scholars, 30 plus graduate with top honoursThe Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Scholarship Foundation (PLMSFI has accomplished something remarkable, one for the books. Out of the 50 plus scholars it has been supporting by giving them P1,500 for transport fare and allowance, 30 plus are graduating with honours: one summa cum laude, many more… Read More »
The Angry Man “I’d never before seen anything that gave, all at once, so many signals of anger and the wish to destroy.” – Kazoo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun (2021) Our neighbourhood is the quietest street in our community, whether during the day or night. Weekend parties are rare so most of the noises are coming from… Read More »
PART I In Newfoundland in the early seventies, a local hennery (egg-producing chicken farms ) would advertise in a local paper “laid out” ( known in the mainland as stewing chickens ) chickens for 0.25 cents apiece or five for a dollar ( yes, five live chickens for 1 dollar ). At the end of the sale period,… Read More »
“Tackling climate change presents a big challenge and an even greater opportunity for Canada, one that will impact all of our lives, and those of generations to come. Our nation’s plan to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions down to ‘net-zero’ by 2050 requires the largest change to our economy in our lifetime, and one that RBC is fully… Read More »
With the remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001 bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City next week, I cannot help but remember my father, Ka Tino. Shortly after that historic New York bombing, he penned his piece, “Trahedyan Twins Towers” –the various community papers in North America had published his article. He was a self-taught poet;… Read More »
A recent commentary, ” Our Interconnected Crises,” by Cielito Habito of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 9, 2022, took my breath away. I thought our 2018 PISA ( Programme for International Student Assessment ), in which we placed last among 79 countries tested in reading and 78th in Math and Science, would be so tough to our national… Read More »