Hazel, Gabby and I watched "Happy Feet" over the weekend. I liked the movie; I'm not sure if I'd agree with Dean Alfar's assessment that it was better than the "The Prestige", but I will say that it seems that, come awards time, "Happy Feet" will be slugging it out with "Cars" for top honors. It's a good movie, with a lot of fun for both adult and child.
The voice actors they got for the movie were awesome. Elijah Wood captures the naivete and gutsy determination of Mumble, the emperor penguin without a heartsong, while Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman gamely take on the roles of Mumble's parents, Memphis and Norma Jean (a tribute to certain movie icons; you know the ones.); they provide the singing voices as well, and they're supberb. Brittany Murphy is great as Gloria, the love of Mumble's life. And, of course, Robin Williams is fantastic as Ramon, Lovelace and Cletus. The late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin also does a turn as a character which I'm not familiar with, Kev (Can anybody tell me who this was?) Veteran actors Hugo Weaving and Anthony LaPaglia are also wonderful with their portrayals of the penguin elder, and the boss skua, respectively.
Side note: Once more, though, I'm at a loss over why movie trailers which are not for children are still shown during children's movies. Some of the movies for the upcoming Metro Manila Filmfest were shown, and they included a gay pageant, and the travails of a young married couple. Trailers for Eragon and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were also shown, and I really don't think that these are appropriate for children.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
Requiem, Max
It's weird having read a person's column in the morning, and learning of his death in the afternoon.
It was a shock to read on INQ7 that The Philippine Star's publisher Max Soliven died of cardiac arrest while on a trip to Japan. I was just reading his insights into Japanese culture just this morning.
I've read Soliven's column ever since the Star started publication. I didn't always agree with him; at times, he could be arrogant and bigoted, and sometimes downright self-righteous at worst. Sometimes, I think that I read his column just to get my dander up, to fire up my mind in indignation at some of his comments.
However, from time to time, he does have some insightful comment about the way our country is run, although with a right-wing bent. When the Supreme Court dismissed the motion for reconsideration regarding Charter Change, he said rightly that it was time for the country to move on.
He is the third and last of the original Star columnists to grace the opinion pages; Louie Beltran and Art Borjal passed away several years ago. Teddy Benigno, who came in after Borjal, has also passed on.
One has to wonder what will happen to the Star now, with Soliven gone. Will it continue its conservative view in reporting the news? Or will it head off in a bold and new direction? Only time will tell.
Be at peace, Max. Your long journey is at an end.
It was a shock to read on INQ7 that The Philippine Star's publisher Max Soliven died of cardiac arrest while on a trip to Japan. I was just reading his insights into Japanese culture just this morning.
I've read Soliven's column ever since the Star started publication. I didn't always agree with him; at times, he could be arrogant and bigoted, and sometimes downright self-righteous at worst. Sometimes, I think that I read his column just to get my dander up, to fire up my mind in indignation at some of his comments.
However, from time to time, he does have some insightful comment about the way our country is run, although with a right-wing bent. When the Supreme Court dismissed the motion for reconsideration regarding Charter Change, he said rightly that it was time for the country to move on.
He is the third and last of the original Star columnists to grace the opinion pages; Louie Beltran and Art Borjal passed away several years ago. Teddy Benigno, who came in after Borjal, has also passed on.
One has to wonder what will happen to the Star now, with Soliven gone. Will it continue its conservative view in reporting the news? Or will it head off in a bold and new direction? Only time will tell.
Be at peace, Max. Your long journey is at an end.
Thanksgiving Fantasy Break
It's the middle of week 4 in our head-to-head fantasy league, and I'm currently holding on to second place by a half game.
Head-to-head is different from Rotisserie style fantasy play, because the only stats that matter are the stats your players accumulate against the current opponent for a particular week. While it's satisfying winning 5-4, if I keep up that pace, I'll probably wind up in the middle of the pack, considering that other teams like Rolando's Magic (key players: LeBron, Parker, Odom, and McGrady) and Blues Angles (Ming, Chris Paul, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili) have managed trouncing their opponents. Still, I'm holding steady against burnik's kuyukots (Arenas, Randolph, Amare, and Prince) for this week, but against players like Arenas and Randolph, my own players should maintain a hot pace, or I'll fall behind. Unfortunately, I'm a man short, as Milwaukee's Charlie Villanueva, one of my main rebounders, tore his left elbow tendon, and is out for four to six weeks. This will probably be a key factor if the kuyukots beat me this week.
Taking a look at the early season, what has worked for the Dojoboys? Here are what I think are my key moves:
1. Drafting Grant Hill - Who would've thunk that Hill would remain fairly healthy for the season? I got Hill as my second-to-the-last pick, and he's managed to put together a decent season. In addition, he's now eligible as SG and SF, which makes him a more flexible player to slot in.
2. Trading Mehmet Okur for Emeka Okafor - Two of my opponents criticized this move, saying that it was uneven for me, considering Okafor was coming off an injury. That's not what they're saying now, as Okafor is probably the top PF/C playing right now, averaging 19.3 points a game, 12.1 rebound a game, and 3.9 blocks a game. Okur is playing decently, but he's more of a perimeter player, and I got Okafor because my team was weak on blocks and inside scoring after the draft.
3. Trading Morris Peterson and Antawn Jamison for Mike Miller and Marcus Camby -
Once more, I had a slew of scorers and no rebounders or blockers, so I needed to make the trade. It worked out. Miller more than makes up for the loss of either Peterson or Jamison, and Camby's been solid, although I can't understand why he's listed as "not hot" in Yahoo Sports. It doesn't matter, really; I'll take the not hot stats with Camby.
4. Snatching Wallace off waivers - I wrote about this earlier. With the addition of 'sheed, my rebounding is shored up, and apparently, he can hit the occasional 3-pointer, which is an added bonus.
5. Picking Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins off the free agent list - The reason why Golden State is a dangerous team is partly because of these two. Ellis is an all-around guard, capable of scoring, or dishing out, and Biedrins is emerging as a potent center.
Of course, it's too early to tell who's going to the playoffs, but I'd like to think that, as long as I'm able to get lucky with my manager moves, I'll probably be there by the end of the season.
Head-to-head is different from Rotisserie style fantasy play, because the only stats that matter are the stats your players accumulate against the current opponent for a particular week. While it's satisfying winning 5-4, if I keep up that pace, I'll probably wind up in the middle of the pack, considering that other teams like Rolando's Magic (key players: LeBron, Parker, Odom, and McGrady) and Blues Angles (Ming, Chris Paul, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili) have managed trouncing their opponents. Still, I'm holding steady against burnik's kuyukots (Arenas, Randolph, Amare, and Prince) for this week, but against players like Arenas and Randolph, my own players should maintain a hot pace, or I'll fall behind. Unfortunately, I'm a man short, as Milwaukee's Charlie Villanueva, one of my main rebounders, tore his left elbow tendon, and is out for four to six weeks. This will probably be a key factor if the kuyukots beat me this week.
Taking a look at the early season, what has worked for the Dojoboys? Here are what I think are my key moves:
1. Drafting Grant Hill - Who would've thunk that Hill would remain fairly healthy for the season? I got Hill as my second-to-the-last pick, and he's managed to put together a decent season. In addition, he's now eligible as SG and SF, which makes him a more flexible player to slot in.
2. Trading Mehmet Okur for Emeka Okafor - Two of my opponents criticized this move, saying that it was uneven for me, considering Okafor was coming off an injury. That's not what they're saying now, as Okafor is probably the top PF/C playing right now, averaging 19.3 points a game, 12.1 rebound a game, and 3.9 blocks a game. Okur is playing decently, but he's more of a perimeter player, and I got Okafor because my team was weak on blocks and inside scoring after the draft.
3. Trading Morris Peterson and Antawn Jamison for Mike Miller and Marcus Camby -
Once more, I had a slew of scorers and no rebounders or blockers, so I needed to make the trade. It worked out. Miller more than makes up for the loss of either Peterson or Jamison, and Camby's been solid, although I can't understand why he's listed as "not hot" in Yahoo Sports. It doesn't matter, really; I'll take the not hot stats with Camby.
4. Snatching Wallace off waivers - I wrote about this earlier. With the addition of 'sheed, my rebounding is shored up, and apparently, he can hit the occasional 3-pointer, which is an added bonus.
5. Picking Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins off the free agent list - The reason why Golden State is a dangerous team is partly because of these two. Ellis is an all-around guard, capable of scoring, or dishing out, and Biedrins is emerging as a potent center.
Of course, it's too early to tell who's going to the playoffs, but I'd like to think that, as long as I'm able to get lucky with my manager moves, I'll probably be there by the end of the season.
Composition Hi-Jinks
It's exam week in the high school, and I'm busy checking my students' work, particularly their compositions. For some reason, the inaccuracies in my third year students' essays are so glaringly funny.
Here are a few examples:
- Hitler killed billions of Jews. (wow, he depopulated the world with that action.)
- Napoleon was a world tyrant. (ruler of the world? Well, the Europeans did think that the world revolved around them.)
- Marc Antony assassinated Caesar on the orders of Cleopatra. (Brutus should've made sure that Caesar was dead.).
- Marcos died in 1981 of a heart attack. (Sooo ... we ousted a zombie in 1986?)
And one from a first year student who write about his best friend: "My best friend is someone I know." (Obviously)
I'm still in the process of burning through my work, and I'm wondering what other gems I'll unearth.
Here are a few examples:
- Hitler killed billions of Jews. (wow, he depopulated the world with that action.)
- Napoleon was a world tyrant. (ruler of the world? Well, the Europeans did think that the world revolved around them.)
- Marc Antony assassinated Caesar on the orders of Cleopatra. (Brutus should've made sure that Caesar was dead.).
- Marcos died in 1981 of a heart attack. (Sooo ... we ousted a zombie in 1986?)
And one from a first year student who write about his best friend: "My best friend is someone I know." (Obviously)
I'm still in the process of burning through my work, and I'm wondering what other gems I'll unearth.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Busy Saturday
It was a busy Saturday. (so busy that I was too tired to write about it until now.)
Last Saturday was my dad's 65th birthday, and the family prepared, or at least, tried to prepare a surprise party for him. However, it wasn't much of a surprise, since it was being held in the compound we share with my mom's brother. So, the numerous cars parked outside the compound was a dead giveaway when my mom and dad arrived from a seminar. Besides, my dad apparently caught a text message on my mom's cellphone, which was being recharged, a few days earlier.
Still, what surprised my dad was the number of guests who arrived to wish him a happy birthday. Old friends, old classmates and relatives, all gathered to wish my dad a happy 65th. I wound up emceeing the bash, calling on various friends and relatives to say a few words about my dad. I even shared some stuff about what my dad taught me about life and everything. There was also a short video presentation chronicling my dad’s life and achievements.
Still, what surprised my dad was the number of guests who arrived to wish him a happy birthday. Old friends, old classmates and relatives, all gathered to wish my dad a happy 65th. I wound up emceeing the bash, calling on various friends and relatives to say a few words about my dad. I even shared some stuff about what my dad taught me about life and everything. There was also a short video presentation chronicling my dad’s life and achievements.
After the presentation, my dad came up to say a few words, about how blessed he was, and how happy he was for everybody to be there for his birthday.
* * *
After my dad’s party, I rushed over to the neighboring subdivision to attend the reunion of one of the first classes that I taught; it was their 10th year from high school. About a little more than half the class managed to come, one or two even coming from overseas just for the occasion. There were about four of their teachers present, including myself.
The night was a night of reminiscing, recalling the high points and the hi-jinks of the class’ four years in high school. The host, Ryan Pronstroller, along with Ryan Villena, who has joined the ranks of the high school teachers, had an entertaining program, holding two contests, one for the teachers and one for their classmates. For us, it was trying to identify each of them; their fourth year moderator beat me by one. For them, it was recalling who said what, and who did what.
Near the end of the reunion, we teachers were asked to say a few words about the class, and we had nothing but praise for them. What was touching was that their president, Carlo Climaco, welcomed us as honorary members of the class, and they raised their glasses and beer bottles to us, a very Keating-esque moment.
It was an enjoyable night, and I was tired but fulfilled.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Busy, Busy Weekend
It's been a busy weekend, what with my dad's 65th birthday, the 10th anniversary of one of my first classes, my subdivision's fiesta and Manny Pacquiao's victory over Erik Morales to boot.
I'll start with Pacquiao, and then write about the others, probably tonight.
I can't help but feel sorry for Morales, the so-called "El Terrible." In this morning's papers, he looked gaunt and wan, the result of having dropped about 30 pounds in four months. He didn't look like a fighter ready to go; he looked more like a runner who had just finished a grueling race, which his attempt to meet the 130-pound weight limit probably was. As a result, he was not in condition to meet a Pacquiao who is arguably at the top of his form; in this morning's papers, Pacquiao looked lean and mean and ready to pummel Morales into submission. Which he did, in just under three rounds.
We were eating at Pancake House in the Cultural Center compound, when we heard a loud cheer from the kitchen. Most likely, they were watching the fight, which was heavily buried in advertisements; we had already heard about the decision more than an hour earlier.
It was a stunning victory, and I'm sure every Filipino is proud of their native son for having won so decisively. Kudos, Manny.
I'll start with Pacquiao, and then write about the others, probably tonight.
I can't help but feel sorry for Morales, the so-called "El Terrible." In this morning's papers, he looked gaunt and wan, the result of having dropped about 30 pounds in four months. He didn't look like a fighter ready to go; he looked more like a runner who had just finished a grueling race, which his attempt to meet the 130-pound weight limit probably was. As a result, he was not in condition to meet a Pacquiao who is arguably at the top of his form; in this morning's papers, Pacquiao looked lean and mean and ready to pummel Morales into submission. Which he did, in just under three rounds.
We were eating at Pancake House in the Cultural Center compound, when we heard a loud cheer from the kitchen. Most likely, they were watching the fight, which was heavily buried in advertisements; we had already heard about the decision more than an hour earlier.
It was a stunning victory, and I'm sure every Filipino is proud of their native son for having won so decisively. Kudos, Manny.
Friday, November 17, 2006
KLite No More
I didn’t realize that when I passed by the Sunken Garden
It struck me later in the afternoon, when I was heading home, and the DJ, Janice, was reading text messages from people sharing their favorite Klite memories.
Since then, all that I’d heard on 103.5, were music and advertisements. No DJs and their snappy patter. That’s when it hit me that my favorite radio station was closing down.
No more Morning Brew with Vito and Anjanette, with their special playlists (most depressing, World Cup, etc.) and the eye-opening stories of the day.
No more Hilary and Janice and their snappy patter.
No more Carl in the afternoon, making fun of Mickey, and playing robot anime theme songs to introduce the traffic report.
No more Klite weekly tally.
What was weird was that there was no inkling of this on their website. When I checked the forums, I learned that the station was changing its format, into what I wasn’t sure.
I hope when they do fix the new format, that the old crew will be back on the air. It’s the often witty talk that keeps me glued to Klite whenever I’m on the road.
Some Klite memories:
- Visiting the station and donning a headphone set and joining in the conversation. This was when one of my friends was filling in for the regular news girl, and we had fun joking around with Vito.
- Winning invites to the Powerpuff Girls movie, the Fellowship of the Ring drive-in show (wasn’t able to go), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (didn’t even pick up the invite; hadn’t watched the first movie anyway), and V for Vendetta
- Stumping Anjanette on one of their Beat the Geek contests (she was an Archie geek) by asking her who stopped Chuck Clayton from running away from Riverdale (answer: Dilton Doiley). As a result, she had to suffer brain freeze by drinking a Slurpee straight down. I won a Marty Casey and the Lovehammers CD as a result.
- Talking about a colorful mug I had on Talkback.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Minor Changes
I've added a few more links to the template, so that I can access a lot of the stuff that I visit through my blog. Do check them out.
New comics:
Sheldon is a comic strip by Dave Kellett, about a ten-year old software billionaire living with his grandfather and pet duck, pug and lizard. Scott Kurtz of PVP mentioned it, and, after visiting the site, I was hooked. It's a funny strip.
Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley is yet another look at gamers and their lives. Revolving around Lucas and Ethan, the strip chronicles their adventures through games and real life. Warning: it does have some adult situations, although no real full nudity involved.
I've also added links to the news sites which I regularly visit, so that it becomes easier to go through my morning rituals.
Aside: after two weeks of fantasy basketball, the Dojoboys, thanks in part to Michael Redd's 57-point performance last Sunday, remain atop the faculty league, and the Blue Eagles are currently leading their public league by 7 points. This week, the Dojoboys go head to head with the Blue Jersey PWets, and, hopefully, it'll be an easier assignment compared to Rolando's Magic, which I just squeaked ahead of with two days left in the matchup.
In the real league, the Los Angeles Clippers are off to a rousing start, winning five straight home games after dropping the first game against the Suns in Phoenix. Thanks to a deep bench rotation and superlative play by Elton Brand and Sam Cassell, the Clippers look to build on last year's successful season.
New comics:
Sheldon is a comic strip by Dave Kellett, about a ten-year old software billionaire living with his grandfather and pet duck, pug and lizard. Scott Kurtz of PVP mentioned it, and, after visiting the site, I was hooked. It's a funny strip.
Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley is yet another look at gamers and their lives. Revolving around Lucas and Ethan, the strip chronicles their adventures through games and real life. Warning: it does have some adult situations, although no real full nudity involved.
I've also added links to the news sites which I regularly visit, so that it becomes easier to go through my morning rituals.
Aside: after two weeks of fantasy basketball, the Dojoboys, thanks in part to Michael Redd's 57-point performance last Sunday, remain atop the faculty league, and the Blue Eagles are currently leading their public league by 7 points. This week, the Dojoboys go head to head with the Blue Jersey PWets, and, hopefully, it'll be an easier assignment compared to Rolando's Magic, which I just squeaked ahead of with two days left in the matchup.
In the real league, the Los Angeles Clippers are off to a rousing start, winning five straight home games after dropping the first game against the Suns in Phoenix. Thanks to a deep bench rotation and superlative play by Elton Brand and Sam Cassell, the Clippers look to build on last year's successful season.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Consumer Blues
Apparently, it's not my week to be a consumer.
Coming off the heels of the deceptive sale in SM last Wednesday, Hazel, Gabby and I had coffee at The Coffee Beanery along Don Antonio St. last night. After much agonizing, I decided that I was hungry enough to order the TCB Club Sandwich, which, the menu noted, cost P185. Imagine my surprise when the cash register showed a bill for P207.20. When I asked the barista about the higher price, she replied that it was the 12% Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT). This might have been all right, except that the menu stated that the prices were "inclusive of EVAT and government tax." (boldface mine) This means that the P185 price tag already includes the EVAT, and the Beanery is charging an extra EVAT charge for the meal.
I was probably well within my rights to demand to be charged the menu price, but I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I just cancelled my order. But I warned the baristas to inform their management to get the menus corrected; otherwise, the restaurant might be facing legal charges (Could any of my lawyer readers tell me if I'm correct in this assessment? Thanks.).
What a week.
Coming off the heels of the deceptive sale in SM last Wednesday, Hazel, Gabby and I had coffee at The Coffee Beanery along Don Antonio St. last night. After much agonizing, I decided that I was hungry enough to order the TCB Club Sandwich, which, the menu noted, cost P185. Imagine my surprise when the cash register showed a bill for P207.20. When I asked the barista about the higher price, she replied that it was the 12% Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT). This might have been all right, except that the menu stated that the prices were "inclusive of EVAT and government tax." (boldface mine) This means that the P185 price tag already includes the EVAT, and the Beanery is charging an extra EVAT charge for the meal.
I was probably well within my rights to demand to be charged the menu price, but I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I just cancelled my order. But I warned the baristas to inform their management to get the menus corrected; otherwise, the restaurant might be facing legal charges (Could any of my lawyer readers tell me if I'm correct in this assessment? Thanks.).
What a week.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Weird
One of the weird things about shopping in SM yesterday was that they were playing Christmas songs over the P.A. system, and, for some reason or the other, whoever chooses the songs to play played Weird Al Yankovic's "The Night Santa Went Crazy." I wonder who made that choice, because, listening to the lyrics of the song, it's anything but Christmas-y, and probably isn't for kids to hear. Don't get me wrong, it's a funny, sick song, but I just don't think it's playable in a public place.
For your benefit, here are the lyrics:
Down in the workshop all the elves were makin' toys
For the good Gentile girls and the good Gentile boys
When the boss busted in, nearly scared 'em half to death
Had a rifle in his hands and cheap whiskey on his breath.
From his beard to his boots he was covered with ammo
Like a big fat drunk disgruntled Yuletide Rambo.
And he smiled as he said with a twinkle in his eye,
"Merry Christmas to all - now you're all gonna die!"
The night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nick went insane
Realized he'd been gettin' a raw deal
Something finally must have snapped in his brain.
Well, the workshop is gone now, he decided to bomb it.
Everywhere you'll find pieces of Cupid and Comet.
And he tied up his helpers and he held the elves hostage
And he ground up poor Rudolph into reindeer sausage!
He got Dancer and Prancer with an old German Luger
And he slashed up Dasher just like Freddy Krueger
And he picked up a flamethrower and he barbequed Blitzen
And he took a big bite and said, "It tastes just like chicken!"
The night Santa went crazy
The night Kris Kringle went nuts
Now you can't hardly walk around the North Pole
Without steppin' in reindeer guts.
There's the National Guard and the F.B.I.
There's a van from the Eyewitness News
And helicopters circlin' 'round in the sky
And the bullets are flyin', the body count's risin'
And everyone's dyin' to know, oh Santa, why?
My my my my my my
You used to be such a jolly guy.
Yes, Virginia, now Santa's doin' time
In a federal prison for his infamous crime.
Hey, little friend, now don't you cry no more tears
He'll be out with good behavior in 700 more years.
But now Vixen's in therapy and Donner's still nervous
And the elves all got jobs working for the postal service
And they say Mrs. Claus, she's on the phone every night
With her lawyer negotiating the movie rights.
They're talkin' bout - the night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nicholas flipped
Broke his back for some milk and cookies
Sounds to me like he was sick of gettin' gypped.
Wo-oh, the night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nick went insane
Realized he's gettin' a raw deal
Something finally must have snapped in his brain
Wo, something finally must have snapped in his brain
Tell ya, something finally must have snapped... in his brain.
For your benefit, here are the lyrics:
Down in the workshop all the elves were makin' toys
For the good Gentile girls and the good Gentile boys
When the boss busted in, nearly scared 'em half to death
Had a rifle in his hands and cheap whiskey on his breath.
From his beard to his boots he was covered with ammo
Like a big fat drunk disgruntled Yuletide Rambo.
And he smiled as he said with a twinkle in his eye,
"Merry Christmas to all - now you're all gonna die!"
The night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nick went insane
Realized he'd been gettin' a raw deal
Something finally must have snapped in his brain.
Well, the workshop is gone now, he decided to bomb it.
Everywhere you'll find pieces of Cupid and Comet.
And he tied up his helpers and he held the elves hostage
And he ground up poor Rudolph into reindeer sausage!
He got Dancer and Prancer with an old German Luger
And he slashed up Dasher just like Freddy Krueger
And he picked up a flamethrower and he barbequed Blitzen
And he took a big bite and said, "It tastes just like chicken!"
The night Santa went crazy
The night Kris Kringle went nuts
Now you can't hardly walk around the North Pole
Without steppin' in reindeer guts.
There's the National Guard and the F.B.I.
There's a van from the Eyewitness News
And helicopters circlin' 'round in the sky
And the bullets are flyin', the body count's risin'
And everyone's dyin' to know, oh Santa, why?
My my my my my my
You used to be such a jolly guy.
Yes, Virginia, now Santa's doin' time
In a federal prison for his infamous crime.
Hey, little friend, now don't you cry no more tears
He'll be out with good behavior in 700 more years.
But now Vixen's in therapy and Donner's still nervous
And the elves all got jobs working for the postal service
And they say Mrs. Claus, she's on the phone every night
With her lawyer negotiating the movie rights.
They're talkin' bout - the night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nicholas flipped
Broke his back for some milk and cookies
Sounds to me like he was sick of gettin' gypped.
Wo-oh, the night Santa went crazy
The night St. Nick went insane
Realized he's gettin' a raw deal
Something finally must have snapped in his brain
Wo, something finally must have snapped in his brain
Tell ya, something finally must have snapped... in his brain.
Advertising Trickery *
SM Department Store achieved a new low in deceiving customers during their sale yesterday exclusively for SM Advantage Card holders. In doing so, the company has managed to expand the definition of the word "all."
The ads claimed that "All Items are on Sale." However, there was an asterisk attached to that statement, and, looking at the connection at the bottom of the sign it said something to the effect of "excluding all items in the Snack Exchange, Camera Center, Record Bar and Customer Service Center." In addition, the following items were also not on sale: chemicals, batteries, disposable diapers, appliances, business machines, computer accessories, and "selected Brands." The last item, of course, can cover any number of things, to which even the salesladies were unsure; one salesperson Hazel asked had to ask her superior if the item was on sale (it wasn't).
Apparently, the people of SM believe that all can be loosely defined as, "anything and everything, with a lot of exceptions."
This deception is even worse than the one certain airlines foisted on us a few months ago, claiming that the airfare was dropped to amazingly low prices, but neglecting to mention that it didn't include government taxes and airport fees, which were more than ten times the price of the airfare. When they did place the asterisk noting that, the asterisk connection was in such fine print that it might be missed by many.
I am not sure what to do about this, whether it's legal for companies to practice such deceptions on the public. Does it constitute false advertising? I'm not sure, although I'm pretty certain that the companies in question would be able to argue otherwise, claiming that the asterisk covers all bases. It may not be false, but it's certainly deceptive, and the public has to be careful about whatever claims companies make in their advertising, so that they not be fooled.
The ads claimed that "All Items are on Sale." However, there was an asterisk attached to that statement, and, looking at the connection at the bottom of the sign it said something to the effect of "excluding all items in the Snack Exchange, Camera Center, Record Bar and Customer Service Center." In addition, the following items were also not on sale: chemicals, batteries, disposable diapers, appliances, business machines, computer accessories, and "selected Brands." The last item, of course, can cover any number of things, to which even the salesladies were unsure; one salesperson Hazel asked had to ask her superior if the item was on sale (it wasn't).
Apparently, the people of SM believe that all can be loosely defined as, "anything and everything, with a lot of exceptions."
This deception is even worse than the one certain airlines foisted on us a few months ago, claiming that the airfare was dropped to amazingly low prices, but neglecting to mention that it didn't include government taxes and airport fees, which were more than ten times the price of the airfare. When they did place the asterisk noting that, the asterisk connection was in such fine print that it might be missed by many.
I am not sure what to do about this, whether it's legal for companies to practice such deceptions on the public. Does it constitute false advertising? I'm not sure, although I'm pretty certain that the companies in question would be able to argue otherwise, claiming that the asterisk covers all bases. It may not be false, but it's certainly deceptive, and the public has to be careful about whatever claims companies make in their advertising, so that they not be fooled.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Postnote to Pedrosa Article
In her column yesterday, Carmen Pedrosa wrote the following sentences: "Classic tenets of journalism call for objectivity and neutrality. These are antiquated principles no longer universally observed. If we are ever to create meaningful change, advocacy journalism will be the single most crucial element to enable the necessary organizing."
Apparently, originality is also something that is antiquated, as Mrs. Pedrosa apparently lifted the whole thing almost verbatim from either of two sources, without giving credit to either source: the Wikipedia entry on advocacy journalism, which quotes from a 2004 article by Dave Berman, "Advocacy Journalism, The Least You Can Do, and The No Confidence Movement." found in the Independent Media Center.
Plagiarism for a columnist, I think, cannot be excused, considering the wide readership they command. How can she rail about the lack of integrity that she perceives in the Supreme Court for trashing the Sigaw ng Bayan petition, when she herself doesn't practice integrity in her writing, in this case, giving credit where credit is due?
Note: the article is no longer online, thanks to the Philippine Star's wonderful lack of archives. The full text is, however, found here.
Apparently, originality is also something that is antiquated, as Mrs. Pedrosa apparently lifted the whole thing almost verbatim from either of two sources, without giving credit to either source: the Wikipedia entry on advocacy journalism, which quotes from a 2004 article by Dave Berman, "Advocacy Journalism, The Least You Can Do, and The No Confidence Movement." found in the Independent Media Center.
Plagiarism for a columnist, I think, cannot be excused, considering the wide readership they command. How can she rail about the lack of integrity that she perceives in the Supreme Court for trashing the Sigaw ng Bayan petition, when she herself doesn't practice integrity in her writing, in this case, giving credit where credit is due?
Note: the article is no longer online, thanks to the Philippine Star's wonderful lack of archives. The full text is, however, found here.
Fantasy Basketball Musings
One of the nice things I've noticed in playing against people I know in a fantasy league is that we can spend time dissecting every move that we make.
Take, for example, my acquisition of power forward Rasheed Wallace, for whom I've dropped rookie Randy Foye, who has seen little playing time in three games and nothing to show for it.
'sheed was dropped, presumably because the owner thought that he was going to get thrown out of a lot of games. In the fantasy league, when a player is dropped, he is automatically placed on waivers, which means that no one can just pick him up immediately after being dropped. The wait time for our league is two days. While he's on waivers, owners can try to claim him by adding him to the team. Whoever gets the player will depend on the waiver priority ranking. About three of us staked a claim to Wallace, and I got him because I was ranked 3rd priority, and the other two had lower rankings. I got kidded about it today, that I had stolen Wallace from them. Heheheheh.
Of course, by claiming Wallace, I'm automatically at the lowest ranking, to climb only if other owners make waiver claims. I doubt we'll get as lucky with another Rasheed Wallace placed on waivers the next time around, though.
Aside from getting Wallace, I've dropped Shaun Livingston (who was promptly snatched up by the Ratboo Warriors) for Earl Boykins, who has a brighter upside. The Dojoboys will take week one over the asianbites, 7-2, and will face Rolando's Magic next week. This will take a bit of work to win, as the Magic are a formidable team, led by a veteran fantasy owner. It's a matching of wits, and it'll take some skill to continue winning into week two.
In the other league, my team, the Blue Eagles, has changed in composition. Traded away are Nowitski and Ilgauskas for Brand and Kaman, Mourning's gone for Andrew Bynum (a temporary addition; I suspect my centers are going to be rotating throughout the season), Harpring went for Chicago rookie Sefolosha, who subsequently left to make room for Monta Ellis, and James Jones went for J.R. Smith, who was dropped for Tim Thomas. So, now I have three Clippers, all of whom are likely to contribute, and I've improved my shooting guard position for now. Currently, the Eagles are tied for first, but it's early in the season, and they're not likely to stay there unless I make sure I do some intelligent wheeling and dealing.
Take, for example, my acquisition of power forward Rasheed Wallace, for whom I've dropped rookie Randy Foye, who has seen little playing time in three games and nothing to show for it.
'sheed was dropped, presumably because the owner thought that he was going to get thrown out of a lot of games. In the fantasy league, when a player is dropped, he is automatically placed on waivers, which means that no one can just pick him up immediately after being dropped. The wait time for our league is two days. While he's on waivers, owners can try to claim him by adding him to the team. Whoever gets the player will depend on the waiver priority ranking. About three of us staked a claim to Wallace, and I got him because I was ranked 3rd priority, and the other two had lower rankings. I got kidded about it today, that I had stolen Wallace from them. Heheheheh.
Of course, by claiming Wallace, I'm automatically at the lowest ranking, to climb only if other owners make waiver claims. I doubt we'll get as lucky with another Rasheed Wallace placed on waivers the next time around, though.
Aside from getting Wallace, I've dropped Shaun Livingston (who was promptly snatched up by the Ratboo Warriors) for Earl Boykins, who has a brighter upside. The Dojoboys will take week one over the asianbites, 7-2, and will face Rolando's Magic next week. This will take a bit of work to win, as the Magic are a formidable team, led by a veteran fantasy owner. It's a matching of wits, and it'll take some skill to continue winning into week two.
In the other league, my team, the Blue Eagles, has changed in composition. Traded away are Nowitski and Ilgauskas for Brand and Kaman, Mourning's gone for Andrew Bynum (a temporary addition; I suspect my centers are going to be rotating throughout the season), Harpring went for Chicago rookie Sefolosha, who subsequently left to make room for Monta Ellis, and James Jones went for J.R. Smith, who was dropped for Tim Thomas. So, now I have three Clippers, all of whom are likely to contribute, and I've improved my shooting guard position for now. Currently, the Eagles are tied for first, but it's early in the season, and they're not likely to stay there unless I make sure I do some intelligent wheeling and dealing.
Cha-Cha Musings, Continued
I know, I know, I probably should give it a rest. But, since I started down this path of writing about Charter Change, I feel that I can't stop until the issue is resolved.
Case in point:In yesterday’s column in The Philippine Star, Carmen Pedrosa, one of the extreme advocates of the current Charter Change movement, displayed a show of arrogance I’ve not seen in any of the pro-Charter Change people.
In what appears to be a fit of pique, she fumes about how the fate of the country is decided upon by 15 men and women, some of whom are, in her view, “ignorant of the law,” and are “hardly qualified for the job.” She refers, of course, to the Supreme Court. She then continues, as is her wont, to castigate the Court for deciding against the government’s initiative to change the Charter; of course, she calls it “the people’s initiative,” but those of us following the issue know from where the initiative is coming.
What’s ironic is that, in the same edition, her publisher, the Star’s Max Soliven, criticizes those who seem to have become instant constitutional law experts, despite not being lawyers, and wishes for a stop to “scraping (sic; I’m sure he means "scrapping.") over instant salvation through Cha-Cha. Instead, he appeals for us to focus on the positive, that the peso is gaining strength, and our economy appears to be moving forward. To Pedrosa, however, all of these gains are fleeting. Our only salvation, according to Pedrosa, is Charter Change.
The funny thing is that, unlike the Senate’s voting not to open the envelope in former President Estrada’s impeachment trial, which sparked mass rallies, and eventually caused Estrada’s ouster, the Supreme Court’s 8-7 decision ending this current people’s initiative attempt didn’t spark any unrest. If the sovereign will of the people (a term which the pro-Charter Change people have totally abused and exploited) was stymied in this manner, why haven’t they risen up in anger? If the people were truly passionate about Charter Change, and understood the implications of the Court’s decision, shouldn’t they have been rallying in the streets the moment the decision came out?
The other disturbing part of her column is that part where she writes about advocacy journalism. While I agree with her when she says that advocacy journalism’s goal is to educate, I cannot agree with her when she says that while “classic tenets of journalism call for objectivity and neutrality ... these are antiquated principles no longer universally observed.” I disagree, particularly with objectivity being antiquated. No wonder she writes in the manner that she does. What does she mean when she says objectivity and neutrality are antiquated? Are journalists simply spin doctors who skew the information they report to gather sympathy for their advocacy?
I think not. It’s imperative that journalists should maintain their objectivity when writing; otherwise, they are no better than demagogues or paid hacks. It's important for journalists to be objective when writing, so that the people can make an informed choice about issues.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Tidbits
It's the last weekday of my term break, and I'll be going back to work on Monday. I'll just be dropping short notes for today.
1. In my fantasy basketball public league, I offered the Illgauskateers the player it's named after, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, along with Dirk Nowitski, for Chris Kaman and Elton Brand, and the guy bit. So, if the rest of the league doesn't object, I'll be getting two players from my beloved Clippers. Whoohoo!
In the high school league, I'm currently walloping my matchup opponent eight categories to one, although since the week is not yet over, that could still change. My trade for Emeka Okafor had instant returns, as the big guy got a double-double (points, rebounds), along with six blocks. Here's hoping he can sustain that sort of run.
2. The recent incident involving Luli Arroyo, the President's daughter, and an arrogant immigration officer shows us that, even in our own airport, we're treated like second-class citizens. Apparently, while Luli was waiting in line with her sister-in-law and niece, which she normally does (I know, she's the aberration in the Arroyo clan.), the officer let a Korean cut the line and breeze on through. When Luli went over to protest, the officer roughly told her to get back in line; he failed to catch his colleagues' probably frantic signals as to who he was addressing. Now, the arrogant sod has been relieved of his position, and rightly so, not because he showed disrespect to the President's daughter, but because he showed preferential treatment to a foreigner.
3. The opposition has released a tentative list of senatorial aspirants for next year's election, and, looking at the list, one cannot help but be dismayed. The old guard is out in force, as Honasan, Sotto, Aquino-Oreta, and John Osmena are all on the list. Erap's other son, JV Ejercito, the mayor of San Juan, and a prime rabble-rouser, is there as well. Representatives Chiz Escudero and Allan Cayetano, who have been extremely visible this year, perhaps because of next year, are, probably representing new faces, along with Aquilino Pimentel's son (?), Koko. What's interesting is that included are three reelectionist administration Senators, Villar, Pangilinan and Recto. No one else in the opposition is capable, so much so that they have to give support to administration candidates?
No wonder the Senate is in such bad shape, and no wonder that people believe that the Senate should be abolished. Is there no one else?
4. I finished reading Eragon last Wednesday, and, I must admit, I'm impressed with the talent of then-19 year old Christopher Paolini. To think he was able to craft such an engaging tale at that age. Now, my sights are on the sequel, Eldest and I'm looking forward to next year's movie, which, from the trailer, also promises to be good.
1. In my fantasy basketball public league, I offered the Illgauskateers the player it's named after, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, along with Dirk Nowitski, for Chris Kaman and Elton Brand, and the guy bit. So, if the rest of the league doesn't object, I'll be getting two players from my beloved Clippers. Whoohoo!
In the high school league, I'm currently walloping my matchup opponent eight categories to one, although since the week is not yet over, that could still change. My trade for Emeka Okafor had instant returns, as the big guy got a double-double (points, rebounds), along with six blocks. Here's hoping he can sustain that sort of run.
2. The recent incident involving Luli Arroyo, the President's daughter, and an arrogant immigration officer shows us that, even in our own airport, we're treated like second-class citizens. Apparently, while Luli was waiting in line with her sister-in-law and niece, which she normally does (I know, she's the aberration in the Arroyo clan.), the officer let a Korean cut the line and breeze on through. When Luli went over to protest, the officer roughly told her to get back in line; he failed to catch his colleagues' probably frantic signals as to who he was addressing. Now, the arrogant sod has been relieved of his position, and rightly so, not because he showed disrespect to the President's daughter, but because he showed preferential treatment to a foreigner.
3. The opposition has released a tentative list of senatorial aspirants for next year's election, and, looking at the list, one cannot help but be dismayed. The old guard is out in force, as Honasan, Sotto, Aquino-Oreta, and John Osmena are all on the list. Erap's other son, JV Ejercito, the mayor of San Juan, and a prime rabble-rouser, is there as well. Representatives Chiz Escudero and Allan Cayetano, who have been extremely visible this year, perhaps because of next year, are, probably representing new faces, along with Aquilino Pimentel's son (?), Koko. What's interesting is that included are three reelectionist administration Senators, Villar, Pangilinan and Recto. No one else in the opposition is capable, so much so that they have to give support to administration candidates?
No wonder the Senate is in such bad shape, and no wonder that people believe that the Senate should be abolished. Is there no one else?
4. I finished reading Eragon last Wednesday, and, I must admit, I'm impressed with the talent of then-19 year old Christopher Paolini. To think he was able to craft such an engaging tale at that age. Now, my sights are on the sequel, Eldest and I'm looking forward to next year's movie, which, from the trailer, also promises to be good.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
NBA Season Starts!
My first thought? I probably should've held on to Duhon, who scored 20 points, went 7-9 field goal-wise, 3-3 3-point-wise, and 3-3 free throw-wise in Chicago's rout of defending champion Miami yesterday. But then again, hindsight is always 20-20.
Today will be the acid test of how well I built my team, as there will be a slew of games going on.
I decided to form another fantasy team, this time in the classic Rotisserie mode, which ranks the various stats. Instead of an offline draft, as with my co-teachers, I had to settle for a public autodraft, which means that Yahoo ranks the coaches and assigns the players based on the way the coaches ranked the players. And this is what I got:
Jason Kidd (PG, NJ), Joe Johnson (PG, SG, Atl), Jameer Nelson (PG, Orl), Deron Williams (PG, what's with all the point guards? Utah), Antawn Jamison (SF, PF, Was), Al Harrington (SF, PF, Ind), Tayshawn Prince (SF, Det), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C, Cle), Alonzo Mourning (C, Mia), Wally Szczerbiak (SG, SF, Bos), James Jones (SF, Pho), Matt Harpring (SG, SF, Utah), aaand Dirk Nowitski (PF, Dal).
All in all, not too shabby, except maybe I have way too many point guards. I've already offered to trade Ilgauskas and Nelson to the Ilgauskateers for Chris Kaman and Ben Gordon, which will give me: one, a Clipper for the fan in me, and two, a more flexible player, as Gordon can play both PG and SG. We'll see if the guy bites. When the waivers on the non-drafted players expire, I'm going to do a little shopping and see what bargains I can find. Already, I'm eyeing a few players.
Today will be the acid test of how well I built my team, as there will be a slew of games going on.
I decided to form another fantasy team, this time in the classic Rotisserie mode, which ranks the various stats. Instead of an offline draft, as with my co-teachers, I had to settle for a public autodraft, which means that Yahoo ranks the coaches and assigns the players based on the way the coaches ranked the players. And this is what I got:
Jason Kidd (PG, NJ), Joe Johnson (PG, SG, Atl), Jameer Nelson (PG, Orl), Deron Williams (PG, what's with all the point guards? Utah), Antawn Jamison (SF, PF, Was), Al Harrington (SF, PF, Ind), Tayshawn Prince (SF, Det), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C, Cle), Alonzo Mourning (C, Mia), Wally Szczerbiak (SG, SF, Bos), James Jones (SF, Pho), Matt Harpring (SG, SF, Utah), aaand Dirk Nowitski (PF, Dal).
All in all, not too shabby, except maybe I have way too many point guards. I've already offered to trade Ilgauskas and Nelson to the Ilgauskateers for Chris Kaman and Ben Gordon, which will give me: one, a Clipper for the fan in me, and two, a more flexible player, as Gordon can play both PG and SG. We'll see if the guy bites. When the waivers on the non-drafted players expire, I'm going to do a little shopping and see what bargains I can find. Already, I'm eyeing a few players.
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