bilarboy's mind

When tragedies struck, it is not uncommon to hear of dubious people or organizations diverting aid money or valuables from the victims. That there are people who thrive or make their living from other peoples' miseries is beyond comprehension.The recent calamity that hit Japan is no exception. Apparently these human vultures are at work right now. Newspapers and the internet are awash with warning on websites or organizations masquerading as legitimate charitable institutions. These vultures lure unsuspecting good samaritans to give their financial or material aids to Japan's earthquake and tsunamis' victims through their organization or financial accounts.Of course your aid would never reach the intended beneficiaries. These parasites are very clever. I recalled one incident when a fairly large earthquake hit the southern Philippines. A well dressed elderly man went around our subdivision claiming he was soliciting contributions in behalf of the victims. That he was an em...

The massive political protests gripping Libya,Bahrain and Yemen, no doubt alarm long serving rulers.Emboldened by successful protest actions in the neighboring Tunisia,angry citizens apparently fed-up by corruption, economic difficulties and inefficiencies by their long serving leaders, now demand radical political reforms and greater freedom sparing not even their monarchy. These should serve as a lesson to dictators and ruling monarchies. My salute and smypathy to the people in the middle east nations who have awakened at last. These brave people will not be cowed anymore. And unless wide ranging political reforms are instituted, government headed by dictators and monarchies will face crippling protest actions. and unrests. No doubt the rest of the world wants the middle east to normalize as soon as possible. Oil dependent and labor exporting nations like the Philippines would be hit hard economically should the current upheavals in these nations are not resolved soonest.

I am not a fan of General Angelo Reyes but I find his supreme sacrifice of taking his own life admirable. Some may say he is not man enough to face the consequences of his alleged involvement in the corruption of the Philippine Armed forces. But surely it takes great courage to take one's life. Would we rather have generals or politicians who "bravely" face the same situation but actually cowering behind the phalanx of lawyers and legal maneuvers? In the past and currently, we have had high profile trials and senate and congress hearings of alleged corrupt politicians. These personalities were too severely humiliated and in the perception of the many Filipinos guilty as hell. Some were even incarcerated.Yet did we hear any one of them committing suicide? On the contrary,some even made political comebacks. No matter What hislevel of involment is or if he is at all involved in the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces, what General Reyes did certainly put him a rung hi...

Top schools and those vying to be competitive often go for high academic standards. And their teachers appear to have a penchant for making the life of students even harder. Some teachers keep lectures and explanations short leaving students to fill in considerable gaps in understanding the subject matter. Tests are difficult and sometimes include topics not covered by their lectures. We often hear these complaints from students. Some of course are alibis for low grades. However I did experience these anomalies when I was a student in a state college. I would say that a tutor is even more relevant to students now a days. To stay competitive or pass difficult subjects, tutors could help a lot. Fortunately there are online tutorial programs offered by some companies mostly for a fee. They can provide an online tutor to address one's tutorial needs promptly. Certainly online tutorial services is a big help to students. It is wise to choose leading on line tutorial companies offer...

Christmas is a spending season whether we like it or not. There are more than a hundred reasons not to mention the sales promotions being offered by malls, travel companies, air lines and even credit houses to entice people to spend more and part with their hard earned cash this season. For one Christmas is a season of giving and of traditional celebrations. So inevitably we have to part with our hard earned cash. With the tight economy however, we can choose to be prudent in spending. Notice how much food and drinks are wasted during Noche Buena (midnight family gathering on Christmas eve) and new year's day? Maybe we can cut back a little on the menu and volume of food and drinks. For gifts, scour malls and retail stores for discounts and inexpensive give always. Instead of spending Christmas vacation somewhere, think of staying home this time. However activities to make Christmas at home more eventful and meaningful to family and love ones have to be carefully planned and e...

The recent and seemingly on-going economic slowdown of the US is a nagging concern to the rest of the world. When the world's richest and most powerful nation sneezes, the others have to hold their breath and brace for the worst. Hardest hit financially and psychologically are the ordinary citizens and even businessmen. The impact of an economy going sour is mostly felt by the common citizenry. Losing one's job or seeing friends losing theirs is a gut wrenching experience. I do too worry what the future brings particularly to job security and ultimately to my pocket. I have bills and debts to pay. I have future must expenses. How to manage and meet all of these obligations given my limited financial resources and propensity to buy things on impulse is really daunting. Unfortunately we have little or no influence on preventing job loses or business closures. So as they say it, better use our resources and energy on factors we have control of. I do believe we can survive better...

In the Philippines, everything seem to take a backseat activities everytime Pacquiao fights. Crime and even insurgent activities drastically drop. The recent Pacquiao-Margarito fight was no exception. Everybody it seems is watching the fight. Glued to their TV sets or theater screens, folks all over the nation were shown in news footages spontaneously erupting into cheers everytime Pacquiao hits Margarito. Though the expected knockout did not materialize, the Filipinos were ecstatic over Pacquiao's victory. Pacquiao not only convincingly won the fight but now possess the distinction of topping eight weight divisions. This is unprecendented in the boxing history - a record to beat for a long long time. Here is a fearless boxer who fought the top boxers of his time in different wight divisions and beat them all. Yet in all of these successes, Pacquaio remains humble and well mannered. No wonder he is a boxing icon not only in this nation but the world over. I watched the fight on ...