THE ENEMY OF THE STATE

It was a happy day for the tourists from Hong Kong as they wrapped-up their visit in the Philippines when suddenly their tourist bus came to a halt. A man in camouflage uniform and armed to the teeth appeared and immediately boarded the bus. It took short moments until the passengers realized that they were being held hostage by the man standing right in front of them.

The hostage drama happened in Metro Manila, Philippines early yesterday morning (August 23, 2010) and lasted at around 8:45pm. The lead characters, composed of the lone suspect, the innocent tourists and the police authorities were caught in a high tense situation for almost 10 hours. The hostage drama ended in a bloody mess; 8 tourists were killed and the gunman was peppered with bullets from police sharpshooters or snipers, splattering his brain in the pavement as he gasped for air due to the teargas hurled inside by the policemen.

The gunman in uniform was identified as a dismissed decorated police officer who has an axe to grind against the people whom he accused of ending his career as a good officer and a gentleman. He blamed the authorities of indifference and injustice. In short, he was deprived to fight for his right in the legal processes in which he have had criminal cases that he denied but eventually decided in the bar of legal opinion, trashing his legal arguments to the dustbin of shame.

It was swift. The gunman who has a rank of Captain, re-enacted the hostage takers way of being the enemy of the State. He forced his way inside a tourist bus packed with Hong Kong nationals. The disgruntled police officer vented his ire against the people whom he accused of doing him wrong. His sentiments and grievances were heard through the media. But the authorities were determined to end the standoff and they did in a bloody fashion.

After the rainy scene settled down, the enemy of the State was killed and so with the 8 victims. Although, the hostage taker was taken-out forever the true enemy of the State of whom the gunman were accusing of are actually on the loose. They are actually in the judiciary, legislative and executive branch of government and hold your breath, the paid hacks in media organizations. Most of the people in these four branches of the State are the true ENEMY OF THE STATE.

SIMPLE FOODS FORTIFIED WITH HERBAL PLANTS FOR A SIMPLE HEALTHY EATING LIFESTYLE

LEMON GRASS

TURMERIC

MINT

Frankly I don’t indulge eating classy foods like beef steak, the one that is rare but could actually give you heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and of course colon cancer. Also, I don’t cringe on junk foods and soft drinks to avoid that sagging belly fats and extra weights that form part of a baggage of obesity.

But gastronomically speaking I never totally turned my back on eating meat dishes simply because it is more than hard to abstain from eating meat especially when it is cooked with herbal plants as ingredients. When added to meat dishes, the herbal plants acts as flavoring and as antidote to lessen or control the forming cholesterol and fats of meats. This is where one can have a simple food yet a healthy eating lifestyle.

That green leafy herbal plants like lemon grass, mint, turmeric, oregano and others can be used in different cooking styles and dishes. For example, lemon grass is best added to boiled chicken or boiled fresh fish. The lemon grass smell has a unique presence and the broth taste really good perfected by the extraction of lemon grass juice during the cooking period. The cooked lemon grass in a casserole of chicken or fish soup can also be eaten.

Like lemon grass, turmeric and mint are also good to have it cooked with chicken, fish and other sea living things and vegetables. In a tropical country like the Philippine Islands, the three herbal plants are commonly used in cooking meats and vegetables with coconut milk. Cooked chicken meat with coconut milk fortified with mint or turmeric is a total relish for food trippers or is it cravers?

For vegans and semi-vegans, the three herbal plants & coconut milk and vegetables like pumpkin, squash, jackfruit, string beans, eggplant, bitter melon, bamboo shoot, sweet potato tops and other green leafy vegetables are the best combinations of simple foods for simple healthy eating lifestyle. Bon appétit!!!

HIV/AIDS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN A LOST FIGHT FOR THE CASUISTS

It is no longer a surprise why HIV/AIDS awareness campaign is ineffective despite of so many causes being put-up by various institutions or help-centers that provide information about the dreaded disease of HIV/AIDS. There are many factors why the campaign is losing the battle and that the people themselves are to blame for they ignore warnings of HIV/AIDS.

The disease is demographically wide in scope certainly because of convoluted reasons humans continue to believe that life is full of surprises and happiness in which to some extent is also full of excesses. The evolving world makes it happen for human activities to evolve that took precedence to the developing of new dreaded diseases like AIDS, H1N1, INFLUENZA, SWINE FLU, AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS (H5N1) and the new SUPERBUG VIRUS which according to the latest news emanating from all over the world is resistant to antibiotic drugs.

The AIDS disease which was discovered in 1981 remains as one of the threat to human health because the mortality rate is pretty much high among the carriers of the said disease. In the Philippines alone the case of HIV/AIDS infections & deaths continue to increase in spite of the many information disseminations being conducted by the different concerned agencies from both the government and private sectors (casuists).

The so called casuists obviously are losing the battle because of economic factor, technology, family, social, “gender defection” and other factors like survival from want. In Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines, the incidence of HIV/AIDS infections surprisingly increased this year of 2010. The news gathered around the city through the Department of Health stated that some students, m2m or men having sex with men and sex workers and blood recipient patients comprised the new batch of HIV/AIDS carriers.

There are roughly a number of students in this mountain resort city indentified as informal sex workers who sell their bodies to support their education. Other students are into casual sex for high tech gadgets like branded cell phones, lap tops and money for their personal needs. This sex activity was corroborated by a family friend, a former US Navy veteran with a dual citizenship.

He minced no words when he told me that there are students who offer sex service to retirees who frequent in a known place/road in Baguio City which served as a venue for various social gatherings. I consider this as alarming but I am not in position to blame neither the students nor the retirees for their actions because both of them are enslave of their own personal needs & predisposition.
And because of this, it is not surprising though that HIV/AIDS infection in the city will continue to add more carriers & deaths for years to come because everyone is guaranteed with the word “FREEDOM OF CHOICE.” Qou Vadis?

WHY SELF-HELP PROGRAM CONDUCIVE TO THE NEEDS OF A HEALTHY BODY & MIND

When it comes to health we cannot deny the fact that there are many self-help programs available in the World Wide Web which provides different forms, techniques, applications etc that are commonly attributed to Eastern or traditional medicine. Although, this type of health program is relatively reliable in so many ways, vast majority of the people remained dependent on Western medicine especially so when one needs surgery; a medical intervention outside the parameters of traditional medicine.

The fact that Western medicine provides relief to different kinds of medical problems, we should not be swayed by believing or of trying self-help medical program because as we all know, prevention is better than cure. The more we believe and practice self-help medical program the more we gain confidence in having a healthy body & mind.

DAILY EXERCISE FOR A HEALTHY BODY
Daily exercise is very helpful in maintaining your physical health. Whether you are employed or not you can do some short or light exercises in the morning before rushing to take a shower for your work. Like for example, in the morning you are already awake but still in bed, why not concentrate a bit and do some sit-up for minutes. Do arms stretching while you pace your self to the bathroom or do a squat for leg muscles and knees as you wait for food to be served on the table. There are many forms of light or short exercises that you can do in the morning and it depends on how you do it.

HEALTHY MIND
Well, I’m sure you readers are better than me because you might already have read the different medical journals or bulletins about the human mind, how to have a healthy mind to be exact. But I would like to share with you another self-help mind exercise which I consider as effective. If you love solving cross word puzzle or riddle or let’s say a “bookworm” in you and that’s it. You would be able to have a healthy mind in your lifetime.
Did you know that solving cross word puzzle daily makes the human mind stimulated in such a way that our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, ideas, knowledge & memories are energized and replenished thereby attacking diseases like dementia, amnesia or memory loss and even Alzheimer’s disease? The same true with being a voracious reader or bookworm which helped provide an antidote to fight mind deterioration due to various reasons like ageing.

GOOD EYESIGHT OR VISION
Everyone wants to have good eyesight or vision in their whole life but admittedly old age catches up with our eyesight or vision. As we grow old our good vision likewise changes, sometimes it’s tragic that eventually leads to blindness. But did you know that good eyesight or vision can be maintained during and after our childhood days? It’s simple. Look or view the vast open field of a farmland, plains, valley, mountain range, the wide open space of the ocean while standing or sitting along the shore or view the surroundings in the neighborhood right in front of your house' window. Massage your face, forehead, temple, pinched your brows from 2 – 5 minutes. Do these eyes exercise in your free time and you can expect results later.

WHY HOME BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM MORE ECONOMICAL THAN THE REGULAR GYM

If you think that physical fitness can only be achieved in a regular gym workout and by taking body supplements and vitamins could help do the trick, I suppose the notion is totally wrong because anywhere in your house is practically more than good to perform any exercise that suit your workout program. To begin with, I want to share my personal suggestions & exercise program which is part of my daily regimen of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and of slowing down the ageing process without spending much money in a regular gym.

IMPROVISED TOOLS OR EQUIPMENTS
Buying expensive high-end tools or equipments is not an option because you can improvise your own by using recycled materials like empty cans filled with cement for dumbbell; industrial container or bucket filled with water as alternative for barbell/dumbbell; a chair and stool made of wood or any material that can withstand your body weight; a welded iron bars/Dips stand for upper body exercise and last but not the least a Chin Up Bar or Pull Up Exercise which can be placed either inside or outside of the house.

SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE EXERCISE PROGRAM
Upper body exercise (chest)
Use a strong built chair placed right beside a wall to firmly hold your weights as you perform dumbbell fly, dumbbell curl & dumbbell press in inclined position. Other than the common push-up exercise, you can use stool made of wood for a better chest exercise in push-up position. You can also use bender for more chest muscle.

Bicep, shoulder, posterior, lateral exercise
For arms exercise you can use bucket or industrial container for added muscle firmness not only for the biceps but also the forearms. The bucket or container is also good in muscle build-up for shoulder, posterior/back and the lateral part of the body. Chin-Up Bar or Pull-Up exercise is more than good in building upper body muscles & strength.

Triceps, chest-lift, dips
The welded iron bars or Dips stand is more on building triceps and chest-lift (preventing chest from sagging or the so called “woman’s breast form” in body building parlance). And of course for cardio & stamina, jogging is the best exercise that you can do for a total healthy body.

NATURAL FOOD FOR MUSCLE BUILDER, STRENGTH, GOOD HEALTH
No need to buy expensive vitamins and supplements. Sweet potato, tofu, banana and other fruits & vegetables available in the market will help you realized a chiseled and healthy body.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA DISTORT THE REAL MEANING OF HEROES FROM VILLAINS

The score might be for sensationalism to attract more viewers, readers or audience to their horde of followers. Others perhaps do it for the sake of their profession unmindful whether their piece or report is bland, false, or half-truth half-lie just to have them presented to the gullible public. The mainstream media are armed with the words DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM OF SPEECH and “ENVELOPMENTAL JOUNALISM” (PAID HACKS) which they actually use to abuse their profession.

In the Philippines in spite of being cited as one of the most dangerous place for journalists to practice their profession, the members of the press still enjoy the power of their profession & continue to distort the real meaning of HEROES from that of VILLAINS; from the country’s national heroes, to prominent personalities and the people in conflict of the law. The Philippines’ national heroes were too complex to understand.
In the Spanish era Philippines, a well-off and educated hero in the name of Emilio Aguinaldo killed a poor, self-educated but true nationalist hero Andres Bonifacio. Historians and the mainstream media treated Aguinaldo as great as Bonifacio thereby creating the former as hero out of his treacherous and villainous action.

The same holds true with prominent personalities like the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and his wife the late and former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Fanatical belief created the prominent couple as heroes of the Filipino people. I really don’t know what made the mainstream media and the various sectors came-up with the idea of exalting Ninoy Aquino as hero. There weren’t any substantial contributions Ninoy had to cause something to uplift the lot of the Filipino nation.

The sectors identified with the late president Cory Aquino said that she was the ICON OF DEMOCRACY. Of course she was, obviously because during & after her tenure there was freedom to re-loot of what remains of wealth Marcos et al looted. There were killings. The Mendiola massacre in 1987 where 13 peasants killed and 51 injured. The Hacienda Luisita massacre in 2004 where 12 peasants and 2 children killed and hundreds were badly injured.

Because she was the icon of democracy a deafening noise coming from the idolaters calling congress & concerned authorities to make Cory Aquino a hero. That would be a possibility because the mainstream media and others are all agog about the hero issue since the death of the former president. They have the numbers & resources actually.

The making of heroes not only comes from the leaders of nations but from the average Joes and Janes. The mainstream media not to mention the film industry are guilty of making heroes out of villains, the one that who are in conflict of the law. Members of the press love to feature criminals cum Robin hoods in their repertoire.

Notorious criminals are featured in the media together with their sobbing family members whenever they are caught or killed by law enforcers. Often the showbiz-like emotional drama of sobbing relatives in front of camera get sympathy from media and eventually the criminals’ exploit are treated as heroics. When the smoke are cleared, the law enforcers are now the one being accused as villains and sued for violating human rights & so on & so forth. The mainstream media are party to the rise of notorious criminals in the Philippines.

Morality a questionable virtue of today’s world

Except maybe in the secluded rural areas where there’s no luxuries that could influence the life of the local folks, morality in general have degenerated into something alarming. The continuing changes in the world partly influenced everything most especially the attitude and lifestyle of the human race. The “virtuous behavior” that the old generations hold has gradually deteriorated and barely hanging on in today’s world. The 20th and 21st century brought mankind farther down the dungeon of immorality. Aided by the various latest technology like the internet, globalization if you like and of course the media, the whole world seems going to the brink of “character deprivation.” Religious organizations, sects etc. have also been infected by immorality. Religious leaders preaches God’s teachings but inside their quarters they browse the internet for porn sites, seduce and rape children with force, cohabit with married individuals or practice same sex relationship. The same pattern happens to all the people in the world, from Asia, to Europe, to Africa, and to the South and North America. The immorality of man is preponderance in nature. It is like a multi colored picture with different variations with the same glow of charm and attraction but hidden inside is an insidious black color ready to cover the remaining moral virtue that leads to the destructive curse of immorality. So, the questions are; can we hold onto our moral values? Does the growing immorality in our surroundings affect us? Shall we follow the same lead and guide us to the world of immorality? If this is the way we should conduct ourselves, well morality is really a questionable virtue of today’s world. “Man’s imperfection causes him to commit a sin, but to commit it deliberately makes a man perfect for divine retribution.”

SOME SEAFARERS ARE OCCASIONAL DRUG USER

He is a junior officer, an effervescent young man and full of confidence and hope for his family. Two other seamen with the rank of ratings share the same purpose driven life with the junior officer. At first glance, one might say that they’re really having that purpose driven life because endeavors has taken them to where they are now. Although the three are vivacious, high-spirited and often deployed overseas, the sailors nonchalantly identify themselves as occasional drug users.

I came to know their secret one after the other after taking a cue from Sherlock Holmes and from other detective stories with psychological twist I had read. My investigative instinct paid-off when I had a conversation with them in separate occasions. The junior officer was unflinching in his revelation. He was too honest in his storied life as a drug user. He told me that he started using illegal drugs during his college days and up to the time when he became a seafarer. He likewise confided that his occasional drug use was part of his routine during his month long vacation.

The rating of whom I have had a nice conversation with during in our pirate watch keeping duty while our ship was sailing somewhere in Malacca strait, also opened his sullied life of taking illegal drugs which, according to him was the cause of his being unemployed for years after he and other personnel where fired from their jobs aboard a big cruise ship that sails all over the world. He told me that during that time illegal drug use was prevalent among ship personnel, both men and women.

The other rating was of the same predicament of substance use every time he’s on vacation. Aside from being a cockfighting aficionado this rating spend his time in drug session. The three earns salary good enough to sustain the needs of their family & I think that they have much of it why they waste their dollars to drugs and other vices.

I asked them why they still get employed despite of the fact that they undergo medical, laboratory and psycho test examinations prior to their deployment abroad. I was surprised when told that drugs (methamphetamine hydrochloride or poor man’s cocaine) easily removed or released from the system of the human body within 24 hours. I don’t know if this argument is true but one thing I’m pretty sure that there are seafarers from all over the world that are occasional drug user. I have no intention of defiling the unidentified seafarers but to call the attention of employers, manning agencies & concerned authorities to make a profound assessment of the issue that had been lingering for quite some time now.