Indians are better than Filipinos in English?

One evening a couple of years ago, the short exchange took place between my cousin, who worked for a call center, and a customer. And it went roughly this way:

My Cousin: (name of company). This is (my cousin's name) speaking. How may I help you?

Customer: Err. Are you from India or something?

My Cousin: No sir. I'm from the Philippines sir.

Customer: Oh thank God!

Then the customer proceeded to tell him the hard time he had talking with the Indian customer service representative. In fact, my cousin told me how many transactions are referred to the Philippines from their Indian counterparts because of difficulties encountered by US clients with spoken Indian English.

They may have been colonized by the Brits, but I think English didn't rub off quite well.

But a contrary opinion is held by the current officer-in-charge of the National Economic and Development Authority, Augusto B. Santos. He expains that when it comes to spoken English, Indians are better than Filipinos because they were colonized by the Brits and Spain got us. Where the heck did he get that idea? And did he miss the American occupation in history class?

Perhaps he should take a few clues from my cousin who used to work for a call center.

Floating on fart

Wow!

The Dutch are showing some balls. Kudos!

I'm just concerned about issues of jurisdiction and technicalities that might be raised by Sison. But all in all, it's a positive sign that I hope would develop. Who knows, perhaps pesky Jihadists might be next.

Gee, Chinese?

I dunno which numb skull thought of soliciting help from China, especially considering the horrendous quality of Chinese products and services. Said numb skulls could have, even in dubious transactions, had the better sense of letting the Americans get the deal. But no. They had to get Chinese.

Perhaps they expect the broadband project to fail in the first instance and then they'll be forced to get into another lucrative deal to replace the Chinese one.

My head hurts.

Should I?

I'm sorely tempted to show Fr. Erik Richtsteig the following picture from the Diocese of Balanga



But it might just drive him mad.

Cat burglar escapes

A stray cat relieving itself inside a Marikina City bank drew a police squad after the animal tripped the bank's burglar alarm late Monday... A search through the premises revealed several patches of smelly cat waste in the bank, but no robber. Police also failed to find the cat.

Welcome CathCon readers!

Mr. Gillibrand has kindly linked to a post I made yesterday about liturgical creativity going to @#$%!

To all his readers who had the misfortune of being led here, a warm Welcome and Mabuhay! Feel free to look around but please, hands off the furniture. Just had them wrapped in plastic yesterday.

Creativity unleashed

Is it possible for once I've beaten CathCon to the punch with this one?:



The description from the poster states:

The Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to the altar of repose in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Muredach, Ballina, Mayo, Ireland. Mass of the lords supper. Controversial?

Was planning to post more details but I need to go.

The lunar eclipse got me thinking...

It seems to me, that the decline of the Jesuit order into its currently mushy state lies in the order's shift to which sciences to patronize. In the days when they were forerunners in hard sciences like physics and astronomy, they were known for their zealous orthodoxy.

When their focus shifted to social sciences, things went hazy. I think there's a correlation there. Natural sciences, which are mathematics-oriented, tend to emphasize absolutes, like the ones they ought to be teaching in theology. My impression of social sciences is that they tend to be ephemeral generally. Attempts to apply mathematics in such sciences are hardly convincing; their explanatory powers are quite weak to describe morals and psychology. A strain of relativism and indifferentism arise for the principles are the same here.

I know my theory needs some work, but that's how I see it at the moment:

natural science = absolutes = orthodoxy
social science = ephemeral = heresy

Other factors come into play too but I'll let them go unmentioned for the moment.

If perhaps the Jesuits would rehabilitate their interests in physics, math, astronomy and other natural sciences, instead of social sciences, then I would be confident of a saner revival in the order.


Update: Mark from Saint Louis has a relevant post.

Note to self

Watch total lunar eclipse on 28 August 2007

Moon enters penumbra P1=3:52 PM
Moon enters umbra U1=4:50 PM
Moon enters totality U2=5:52 PM
Middle of eclipse U3=7:22 PM
Moon leaves umbra U4=8:23 PM
Moon leaves penumbra P4=9:22 PM

Still alive

Barely. It's a slow news week.

It's funny really

On DZBB, Mr. Joel Reyes Zobel lambastes the military, saying that they don't know the terrain in Basilan, they're doing the job badly, etc, etc.

On DZXL, the Marine General in charge of the war in Basilan is basically answering Mr. Zobel's criticisms.

Hit and run, doble-cara. That's how the media plays the game. The funny thing is that the public trusts them, not knowing that they're just as corrupt and foolish like the people they criticize on a daily basis, or even moreso than.

Perhaps getting the soccer table was too much

Here's a cheaper version.

Such a heart-warming thread

#16 MandyManners 8/18/2007 9:48:35 am PDT reply quote report

Way to go, Philipinos!

[...]

#24 cbinflux 8/18/2007 9:53:03 am PDT reply quote report

re: #16 MandyManners

Way to go, Philipinos Filipinos!

C'mere, Filipinas!


[...]

#29 Jheka 8/18/2007 9:54:10 am PDT reply quote report

Good luck and good shooting to the Philipino marines. Here's hoping that they can eradicate the cancer in their midst (and I mean eradicate ... not engage in the suicidal catch and release BS that has become so fashionable of late).

[...]

42 Giarc 8/18/2007 10:23:45 am PDT reply quote report

A sincere moment of sorrow for the soldiers lost fighting this scum and a hearty wish for good hunting to the Filipino troops. There is no bag limit on the "brave lions" of pislam who behead frightened schoolgirls.

Mandy you are so right- these are terrorists, evil scummy cowardly terrorists.

I pity the man

Who?

Margarito Teves, the Secretary of Finance.

Why?

Because I can't help but notice a trend in DZMM. Everyone there seems to be spreading negative propaganda about the guy, especially the station manager, Angelo Palmones. He's been hitting Teves hard daily for almost a month now, usually citing the that "cash advance" charge that's getting tired and absurd by the day.

Although Teves has a PR guy [I know coz I've met the man], the amount of animosity towards Teves is darn disturbing. Today made it very apparent. I noticed several commentators in succeeding programs, each taking a jab at Teves.

If Teves were the Devil or one of his cohorts, perhaps I wouldn't mind. The problem lies in the fact that these commentators use twisted facts to make their case against Teves. They would be funny if they weren't so wrong and misleading, misleading in the sense that people actually believe them to be factual and true.

Update on pre-school sex-ed book

Here's the book at Amazon:

"Young children ask so many questions about their bodies and how they were made. With lively language, engaging art and clear, accurate information, this book answers those perfectly normal questions and will help even pre-school children feel proud and comfortable about their own bodies. It is an invaluable resource for parents, teachers, librarians and health professionals to use with children with complete confidence."

I remember that the earliest "sex education" my classmates and I had as a kindergarten kids was a stern instruction not to kiss our female classmates. [hahahaha!]

But when did kids at that age stop and say, "gee, I don't feel comfortable with my body?" and start pondering on issues of sexuality? While I do admit that at that age (kinder age), innocent yet faulty ideas about girls and their bodies did come into discussion several times with my friends in kindergarten, I don't think sex education would've helped us at that stage in our lives. I mean, if I recall correctly, we just talked about it once or twice, and only because we couldn't sleep during nap time. Unlike hormone-driven young adults, we didn't think and talk about sex all time. We were more busy with toys, Voltron and games. And besides, girls were icky so why bother?

Fortunately, there are no plans to have this book used in schools in the country, but the fact that such publications are creeping into the country is worrisome. The agenda of "sexualizing" kids at that age I think is part of a larger effort or movement towards making homosexuality acceptable. Start them when they're young and eventually, they'll have no problems with "alternative" sexual lifestyles.

It seems some people want to import the problems of secular American culture and the main target are kids. I say they should just stick to smuggling luxury cars.

Damn it!

It would've been more fun if the Ferrari and Lamborghini and LVTP-5 was included in the mayhem.

Somehow, I think Charlie Sheen was behind this

from LGF:

An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. At least 175 people were slaughtered on Tuesday and more than 200 wounded when four suicide truck bombs targeted people from an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq, officials said. (AFP/Wissam al-Okaili)

I mean, just take a look at the last portion of this clip:

Has it been that long?

2004.

I'm happy to say that I was one of the many smiling contributors who helped inspire this article authored by Mark Shea.

Update: It appears the blog entries (here and here) and the relevant comment boxes (here and here) are still around. Check them out for an hour of pure enjoyment.

Sex education books for preschoolers on sale

Really now

I'm listening to a recording of the radio program "Karambola" aired on August 3 at DWIZ. The panel is expressing their admiration for the Cuban health system; how it maintains a successful health system despite the embargo against it and its "poverty". Perhaps someone should dare Congressman Teddy Boy Locsin and the rest of the Karambolista to stay in a Cuban hospital the next time they need extensive medical treatment.

PGMA orders the destruction of all smuggled luxury cars

Although I agree with PGMA's intent to send a clear message of "hey, there goes your money up in smoke" to smugglers, I still find the whole thing a waste of good money.

But I guess the sight of a Lamborghini being crushed would be fun. A steam roller's kind of boring though. Perhaps a Scorpion tank or one of the good ole' LVT's the Marines have. Having them run over a Ferrari would be cool! The government should turn this to a big-time event.

I think there's still time. Foreign and local tourists would probably pay good money to see that. A monster-tank rally with 20-million-peso luxury cars being crushed. What fun! The media should also pay for rights to cover the whole thing. Yeah, that's it! In that way, the destruction of these cars wouldn't be such a waste.

The government should try to be more imaginative and turn what would be a boring, serious waste-of-money into a fun, money-making event for the entire family to enjoy.

This will serve me nicely

Fuel Conversion Chart
Energy Conversion Factors

1 Cubic Foot of Natural Gas = 1,030 Btu's

1 CCF = 100 Cu Ft = 1 Therm = 103,400 Btu's

1 MCF = 1,000 Cu Ft = 10 Therms = 1,034,000 Btu's = 1.034 MMBtu's

1 Gal Propane = 91,600 Btu's
1 Cu Ft Propane = 2,500 Btu's

1 Gal Gasoline (mid grade) = 120,000 Btu's
1 Gal of #2 Fuel Oil = 139,000 Btu's
1 Gal of #4 Fuel Oil = 145,000 Btu's
1 Gal of #6 Fuel Oil = 150,000 Btu's

1 Barrel of Oil = 42 Gallons

1 KW = 3,413 Btu/hr

One question that comes in mind is: are propane-driven vehicles really more cost-effective than gas-driven ones?

Before I ruin your day,

let me treat you to an Gregorio Allegri original:




Beautiful, no? Now time for something completely different:




PS: My apologies for the vomiting. I should've warned you earlier.

Egyptian Cleric Teaches Kids It's OK to Lie

The relevant qoute:

Mahmoud Al-Masri: Permitted lies. There’s no such thing as a “white lie” or a “black lie.” No, there are exceptions. My dears, the second kind is lying to the enemy in times of war. What does this mean? For example, somebody joins the army, and a war breaks out, between us and the Jews, for example. He is captured by the Jews, who ask him: “Where do you keep your weapons, where is your artillery, and where are your airplanes, and so on?” He knows, but what will happen if he tells them the truth? He will destroy his country, right? So what should he do? If, for example, he knows that the tanks are at Heliopolis, he should say they are at Hilwan. Is he lying or not?

Children: Yes.

Mahmoud Al-Masri: But it is permitted, in order to defend his country. Do you get it, my dears? So this is the second kind of lies that is permitted.

Lying to win wars? Sounds familiar?

And for some unknown reason, the Wiki page for Taqqiya is taking so long to download.

Rubrics for the Old Mass

Some items that got my attention:

• In sung Masses the Epistle may be sung by a minister; otherwise, it suffices that it be read by the Celebrant, who however, may sing it in the usual manner. [link]
  
  
• If the Altar faces the people, the Celebrant does not turn his back to the Altar when saying Dominus vobiscum, Orate, fratres, Ite, missa est, or when giving the blessing, but having kissed the Altar in the middle, there extending and joining his hands, as above, facing the people, greets them and gives the blessing.[link]
  

I'm dying to get a hold of one of these:

I've seriously considered the use of solar power as primary source of power for ordinary and "extraordinary" circumtances. The extraordinary includes days like that which happened last year when a storm virtually left us without electricity for about a week.

The National Statistics Office reports that the appliance that has the highest contribution to an average household's power bill is the refrigerator with a freezer which averages 2,400 KWh annually. If you add your fluorescent lamp (132 KWh) and your TV (210 KWh), that totals, at least for the average household, 2742 KWh. And with an average cost of P4 per KWh, that translates to about P11,000 in electric bills annually, at least. Our bill comes to twice that amount.

If I use the solar-powered stirling generator to power my refrigerator, whether or not a storm's around, my power bill be slashed significantly.

Perhaps I could make a business out of this concept. Hmmm...

Calling finance-literate people

May I call to your attention this post I made last month. I'd like to hear your thoughts about it. Is advanced tax collections good or bad?

Catholic Homeschooling

in the Philippines!

Finally cheaper education.

Talk about false prophecies

This is too easy.

Be careful for what you pray for

It seems the intercessory prayers instructed prayed at Masses last week came to fruition.

I love today's weather

I love storms. I like the strong wind, the heavy rain and the adventure they bring.

The Human Security Act is a crackdown against Muslims

Well duh! And I hope they put up the pressure.

Terrorist training center to be put up in Cologne, Germany

Expect deafening booming sounds all over Germany in a few years.

Suspect in murder of Indon priest arrested

It seems Senator Pimentel would take anything to beat PGMA on the head, including the news a few months ago of a murder of an Indonesian priest. The good senator, after hearing of this news, went public blaming PGMA for the priest's murder, connecting it with some political motive. It turns out the motive was as political as a monkey mooning Koko Pimentel. Yet we hear no apology of this curious little blunder on the part of the good senator. Strange for one who claims himself to be oozing with so much "paninindigan".

Well what a surprise

Someone has beaten me to another idea.

Two weeks ago when the issue about the water shortage and drought hit the airwaves and consequently shifted to cloud seeding efforts, the latter led me to ponder if making more clouds could be helpful in reducing global temperature.

Well these guys are well ahead of me in that regard:

Don't buy Chinese

Click here for a report on those lousy Chinese products.

Japan asks RP, MILF for 'moderation' in Basilan

Errr why? Somehow, the Japanese government has struck me to be either too naive of the situation in Mindanao or excessively drunk with their pacifist crap. I say the Japs should just leave it to the Philippine government to deal with bothersome troublemakers like the MILF. To do otherwise is simply legitimizing and recognizing the MILF as a credible organization, which is, even in the most bizarre circumstances, a laughable idea to begin with.

Pacquiao files P30-m libel suit vs 4 journalists

I expect these "journalists" to file a class-counter suit against Pacquiao and claim that they're (a) legitimate "critics" of the boxer, (b) are entitled to destroying his name, just like they did to Mike Arroyo, and (c) claim that Pacquiao is infringing in their rights as journalists to "tell the Truth" (TM).