pine for pine

Why Did Jac kson 5 Visit the Philippines in 1976

2009-07-04T15:57:00.003+08:00

Because Ali told them so

Stephanie Cimatu

2009-07-04T15:08:00.003+08:00

Bangui, Ilocos Norte, where Stephanie Cimatu, the first Pinoy Asian Youth medalist, came from, was described as a "windmill town." So it's only apt that the most famous resident there now is a javelin-thrower. Just like Don Quixote, we throw our lances at our windmills.

Keon

2009-07-04T15:01:00.005+08:00

How low-key is the governor of Ilocos Norte? Inquirer came out with a feature about the chi-chi crowd in Malacanang. Michael Keon, who looks like Robert de Niro, was among those rigodon partners. Everyone was in terno and barong. Inquirer dutifully listed the designers:

Look at Keon's fashion designer:

SM. He he he

Teh Best Abecedarium

2009-07-03T12:45:00.002+08:00

Awesomeness

The Glam Life

2009-07-03T12:27:00.001+08:00

Girls, Burn Your Bras in Triumph

2009-07-02T12:39:00.002+08:00

Andy Z, Hindi Ka Nag-iisa

2009-07-02T12:25:00.001+08:00

Marunong din silang maghugas ng pinggan

Michael Jackson at 65

2009-07-02T12:22:00.003+08:00

Editorial Liposuction

2009-06-28T13:42:00.004+08:00

Many days ago, Manila Bulletin came out with a photo about Dr. Vicky Belo being met on the airport by her children. Look at how son, Quark Henares, came out to be. From Quark to Quart. But then, that would be, physics speaking, a grandiose weight addition. From the smallest particle in the universe to, well, a quart.

Journalistic Asides

2009-06-28T13:37:00.001+08:00

Can you make it a Ten Year Quarantine Please?

Baseball Players for Sale

2009-06-28T13:24:00.004+08:00

Found this box full of baseball players assembled a decade ago in HK. Worth a fortune you might say. If you want to order, tell me. Honus Wagner. Griffey. Jeter. Here are some:

Michael Jackson, Inventor

2009-06-28T10:26:00.001+08:00

Image from the patent filed by Michael Jackson to describe the method of leaning beyond the centre of gravity, as seen in the pop video "Smooth Criminal"

Joan Baez sings for Iran

2009-06-28T10:07:00.000+08:00

Invite to a Wedding

2009-06-27T20:57:00.001+08:00

Teh BEST evah!

Weird Baseball

2009-06-27T18:00:00.001+08:00

Прикольный трюк с битой

Baseballspielen in Japan

Is Lawyering a Bane to Filmmaking?

2009-06-27T17:41:00.002+08:00

One upon a time, there was a young man who made a film about a young woman determined to marry a man. The woman decided to sew her gown and then the sewing never ended. She sawed on the street and all over the city on top of a jeep. She sewed everywhere. She got the groom and the film won the Experimental Category in the CCP. Joenar Pueblo was still a law student then. Now he heads the Provincial Tourism Office of Iloilo and we met with him during our sortie. We met up with the other Ilonggo filmmakers about the competition we are conducting. Then the next day we met up again and watched their short films. Ilonggo filmmakers showed promise. One of the short film shown was about the June 12 celebrations there interspersed with the Rock Ed meeting and the demonstration of a cop about how to protect your comrades from a grenade explosion (The cop did die). The editing brought the docu into a blast or was it a whimper? Another was about the Typhoon Frank coverage and how the media was seen as a saviour when all it could do was watch. Then Joenar showed his upcoming films including an aswang and a full-length feature film. He said he had a hard time coming up with new films because of his lawyering. Not the time but logic got into it, he said. Which makes you think. The whereases and the writs really do mess up the non-linear thinking needed in films. Or do they? Lawyers are good at lying. They make up stories. They should be good filmmakers.

The 80s Toy Story

2009-06-25T13:07:00.001+08:00

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Ialay sa Bayan

2009-06-17T18:42:00.001+08:00

Roland Tolentino, a good friend, is now the Dean of MassCom in UP Diliman. This is his acceptance speech:

Taos-pusong pasasalamat sa mga sumuporta—nagnomina, nag-endorso, nagnobena at nag-alay ng itlog kay Santa Clara. Kung wala kayo, wala ako rito. Wala namang makakapaghanda sa trabahong ito, bigla na lamang napa-dive at ngayon ay patuloy na inaaral ito.

Natutunan kong mahalaga ang pirma ng opisina. Walang papeles ang kikilos at mailalabas sa Kolehiyo nang hindi nakakapirma ang Dekano. Natutunan kong mas marami pala akong dapat ngitian at batiin ngayon habang naglalakad sa Kolehiyo. Tila dumarami ang friends ko o nais maging friend. Natutunan kong mainam at napaka-convenient palang may reserve parking, o sariling toilet sa opisina. Napapagaan ang buhay. Pero higit sa lahat, natutunan kong accountable ako sa lahat sa inyo.

Ang ating Kolehiyo ay nasa radar ng kasalukuyang globalisasyon. Lumalawak ang papel ng media, dumarami ang ating estudyante, at mula sa estado, lumalalim ang pagnanais na lalo itong kontrolin. Sa pagpapabuti ng gawain sa pagpapatalas ng skills ng ating estudyante, dapat ring paunlarin ang independiente at liberal na edukasyong magpayabong ng kritikal na pag-iisip.

Napapanahong pagtibayin ang liberal na edukasyong karakter ng ating mga programa—na ang media ay mapagpalaya, at ang ating mga graduate ay ahensya ng pagpapalaya ng kaisipan at pagkilos. Napapanahong palawakin ang ating mga programa—certificate program sa Film, diploma at online masteral programs sa Journalism, rebyu ng Ph.D. Communications program, pag-aalok ng bagong track sa Ph.D. sa Media at Cultures, at pati na isang inter-departmental undergraduate offering sa Multi-media Arts o/at Media Studies.

Para maitaguyod ito, malinaw sa akin ang pagpapayaman ng resources ng Kolehiyo. Una na nga ay ang upgrading ng ating mga klasrum. Ikalawa ay mga suportang struktura ng makabagong auditorium, mas permanenteng canteen, tambayan, mga opisina, at library service; pati na rin ang isang media archives at ground work para sa ikatlo at huling building sa Media Complex na maglalaman ng mas malaking auditorium, library at faculty rooms. Pero higit sa lahat, titiyakin ko rin na lalo pang magkaroon ng faculty, staff at student support para sa resource generation ng Kolehiyo.

May dalawampung taon na nang una akong magturo sa UP Manila. Ito ang unang trabaho na nagtagal ako nang lampas na anim na buwan. Sa unang araw, kahit ilang beses kong inulit-ulit ang script sa aking utak, nakalimutan ko pa rin ipakilala ang aking pangalan sa klase. Binabaha kami sa UP Manila, at may ilang gabi na naglalagi na lamang sa AS Building doon. Ito rin ang panahon ng walong oras na blackouts araw-araw. Kaya para kaming Florence Nightingale ng fakulti na may dala-dalang rechargeable lamps na kulang naman para makapagturo sa madilim na klasrum.

Naranasan ko na ang departmental politics, college at university politics noon at ngayon. Pero inisip ko pa rin na ito ang gusto kong gawin sa buhay ko. Gusto kong magturo, manaliksik, at magsulat. At gusto ko itong gawin sa walang ibang lugar kundi sa UP. May alok rin na magturo sa ibang unibersidad na nangangako ng mas mataas na sweldo, may research funds, may medical plan na isang konsern ng tumatanda sa trabaho, at mas bawas ang iringan sa opisina. Parating may temptasyon, lalo na habang tumitindi ang iringan sa opisina. Bakit ko naman gustong bwisitin ang aking sarili? O bakit gusto kong ipagsiksikan ang aking sarili.

Gusto kong maging guro dahil dito ko iniisip na dito ako magaling. Magandang katambal ng pagtuturo ang pagsusulat. Gusto kong magturo sa UP dahil nandito ang pinakamagaling na estudyante sa ibabaw ng lupa—nag-iisip, maalam at may pakialam. O may tendensiya nito na pwede ngang pagyamanin ng diin sa liberal na edukasyon—to think out of the box, ang mag-isip na lampas sa sarili, ang mag-isip di lamang sa kapwa tao, kundi mag-isip na isinasaalang-alang ang bayan.

Bawat isa sa atin ay kumaharap at humaharap sa predikamentong kinalagayan ko. Sa mga junior faculty at staff, ito ba ang gustong gawin sa mahabang natitirang bahagi ng inyong buhay? Sa senior faculty at staff, ang mumunting discoveries na nagrereafirma sa ating desisyong manatili sa pamantasan nating mahal?

Na kahit pa limitado ang resources at hindi kailanman malalampasan ang mga panibagong demand, na kahit pa may iringan at ligwakang nagaganap, na kahit pa paulit-ulit at tila walang kinahihinatnan ang ating mga gawain, nananatili tayo nandito, araw-araw, hindi dahil wala tayong mapuntahang iba, kundi dahil napipirmi sa atin sa araw-araw ang ating puwang sa unibersidad.

Na bawat isa sa atin na nandito ay nandito dahil may nararamdamang kahalagahan sa ating ginagawa at gawain. At lahat ng gawain at ginagawang ito—pananaliksik, serbisyo, pagtuturo, committee work, administrative work, paglilinis at pagbabantay ng facilidad—ay ginagawa dahil sa ating mga estudyante. Kung wala sila, wala tayong lahat rito.

At ito ang pangunahin kong tagubilin sa aking sarili sa pagtanggap ng bagong gawaing ito. Na ang galing ko ay iniaalay para sa pagpapabuti ng kalagayan, akademikong kagalingan, panlipunang kamulatan ng ating mga estudyante. Ito ang simulain ng ating mga gawain at gagawin sa Kolehiyo. At tulad ng slogan sa nakaraang pagdiriwang ng Sentenaryo ng UP, isinasapuso ko na UP ang galing mo, ialay sa bayan.

When Media is the Vector for AH1N1

2009-06-16T16:41:00.004+08:00

ABS-CBN got a jolt when two of their employees were tested positive for AH1N1. So what to do?
1) First, broadcast in your own homes
2) Second, edit in your own homes
3) Third, interview yourselves about the progress of the flu

Bloggasm

2009-06-16T16:16:00.001+08:00

A funny journalist's blog and here's his take about an out-of-work journalist becoming a subway musician. Attention March, Pakyay and other folksinger-journalists

AP will now include nonprofit investigative journalism

2009-06-15T12:20:00.001+08:00

Yes, finally. Four nonprofit groups devoted to investigative journalism will have their work distributed by The Associated Press.

It's so Escher the Pavement

2009-06-15T12:15:00.001+08:00

Sayang! If only the Baguio City surfed on the Net and found this, then we wouldn't have the most common pavement in the country.

The New YouTube Hos and Heroes

2009-06-14T18:48:00.002+08:00

The Internet is a freaky place. Evidence

Got No Idea?

2009-06-12T10:07:00.001+08:00

You need a brainstormer

Defining Con Ass

2009-06-11T20:17:00.002+08:00

Whoever coined "con ass" is in for a lot of punning. "Coonass" is a shortened form of "raccoon ass" and is actually a term for Cajuns in Louisiana. It was first pejorative but then the Cajuns learned to embrace it as their own. Then if you read the link, you will stumble on the French word "conasse" which is worse but very apt for your representatives.

"In WWII, when American troops were stationed in France, it was necessary that the forces establish and maintain communication with the Free French Forces inhabitants. Naturally, the French-speaking Louisiana soldiers provided an invaluable resource. The French soldier, possibly threatened by his "long lost cousin," referred to the French-speaking American soldiers as "conasse." The French noun "conasse" is defined as a "stupid man or woman; used specifically for a bungling prostitute; to a prostitute without a health card; a man who does stupid things; grossly stupid person."

And then there's cone ass: