Drive-in sex booths to help reduce HIV cases?

"We say that slavery has vanished from European civilization, but this is not true. Slavery still exists, but now it applies only to women and its name is prostitution."

--VICTOR HUGO, Les Misérables

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California -- Now that other advanced countries have begun to seriously address and curb the problem on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV virus owing to unregulated and unsafe sex industry, the Philippines and other third world countries could learn from the method recently initiated by Switzerland. 
Beginning next year, sex workers in Zurich,  the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich,  will be able to conduct business in drive-in sex booths in a move that officials in the Swiss city hope will help make the sex industry safer and more regulated.
Earlier this year, voters in  Zurich passed a referendum to approve construction of the sex booths on the outskirts of the city, which will provide private accommodations for  approximately 30 prostitutes and their customers, according to a report made by Alyssa Newcomb for ABC News.
According to the recent Philippine Data Fact Sheet on HIV, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease, sexual contact was the most common mode of transmission, accounting for 9 out of 10 infections. Eighty three percent of cases were among males; for each 10 cases, eight belonged to the 20-39 age group.

HIV POSITIVE

Of the 799 HIV positive cases in 2012, 30 were reported as AIDS cases -- 29 were males,one female.
Sexually transmitted infections are also reportedly  the main preventable cause of infertility, particularly in women; and some infections exist without symptoms. International data showed that 448 million new infections of curable sexually transmitted infections occur yearly.
In pregnant women with untreated early syphilis, 25 percent of pregnancies result in stillbirth, while 14 percent in neonatal death. HIV and syphilis can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth, and through blood products and tissue transfer. 
Quoting a news release on the Zurich Social Welfare Department's website, Newcomb stressed that when the booths open in August 2012, prostitution will be banned in certain parts of the city and confined to the booths and two other zones.

PUBLIC SPACE

“The big difference is that until now prostitution is in a public space,” Michael Herzig, spokesperson for the department, told World Radio Switzerland. “Now we are going to change this, transfer it from the street, from a public to a private space to an old industrial area which belongs to the city, that give us the possibility to define the rules of prostitution in this space.”
Newcomb said the booths will be outfitted with parking spaces, alarm buttons and an on-site counselor, English language Swiss news site The Local reported last year when the publicly funded measure was being discussed.
Beginning in January, sex workers will  also have to apply for a license, register with a health insurer and purchase a ticket each night for approximately $5 before they begin soliciting customers, she added. Officials from the Social Welfare Department said the plan is “progressing” and ready to enter into full-force in the new year.

OBAMA DID NOT BLINK ON MIRIAM'S VFA BROUHAHA

Obama did not blink on

Miriam's VFA brouhaha

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California – Was it a case of bad timing?

Several days after Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a joint resolution seeking the termination of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Philippine government has not received any official reaction from the White House.

The lady senator had threatened to file the resolution while newly reelected President Barack Obama was about to embark on a three-nation tour of Asia where he dodged the Philippines recently.

Apparently, Obama was unfazed by Defensor-Santiago’s threat even as observers viewed his recalcitrance as a sign that his administration is willing to let go of that vital joint military project.

Or the timing of Defensor-Santiago's resolution could be bad as experts consider the long-raging rivalry between China and five neighbors for control of strategic and resource-rich waters in the Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea to be more urgent than the VFA fiasco.

Obama made it clear during the campaign period he was hell-bent in slashing the military budget as part of his administration’s "peaceniks" policy.  

During his first term, President Obama disclosed a “new military strategy” that would cut the Pentagon budget by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade.

BILLION CUTS

The new military strategy includes $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. An additional $500 billion in cuts could be coming if Congress follows through on plans for deeper reductions. The announcement comes weeks after the U.S. officially ended the Iraq War and after a decade of increased defense spending in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, reported the USA Today.

Obama said that the military will indeed be leaner, but the U.S. will maintain a budget that is roughly larger than the next 10 countries' military budgets combined.

"I just want to say that this effort reflects the guidance I gave throughout this process," Obama said. "Yes, the tide of war is receding. But the question that this strategy answers is what kind of military will we need after the long wars of the last decade are over. And today, we're moving forward, from a position of strength."

Obama added: "Some will no doubt say the spending reductions are too big; others will say they're too small," Obama said. "It will be easy to take issue with a particular change. But I would encourage all of us to remember what President Eisenhower once said — that 'each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs.' "

Obama has vowed to “strengthen our presence in the Asia Pacific, and budget reductions will not come at the expense of this critical region.”

SECOND

Defensor-Santiago’s Joint Resolution, her second attempt since 2010, accused the US of non-compliance and violation of Philippine law and international norms and customs on the protection and preservation of the environment.

The resolution came in the heels of the controversy involving a US Navy contractor that allegedly dumped hazardous wastes in Subic Bay. A number of senators have called for an investigation on the allegation. It was also in prime news in the Philippines while President Obama’s tour in Asia was in progress and when he recently attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and leaders of Southeast Asia at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The senate resolution also sought to direct the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs to give notice of termination to the United States. "If adopted, the joint resolution, although victimized by the President's veto power, will become a historic compulsive force that can still gather together the broken pieces of national sovereignty shattered by the infirmity of the political leadership," Santiago said in the measure.

RATIFY

The VFA was signed in February 1998 and was ratified by the Philippine Senate in May 1999. It is not a mutual security agreement but a support deal to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

In August 2010, Santiago also filed a joint resolution calling for the termination of the VFA.  It was never passed and remained pending in the committee. In her first resolution, Santiago said the US does not recognize the VFA as a treaty because its Congress never ratified the agreement, which the Philippine Senate did in 1999.

Defensor-Santiago was supported by Senator Joker Arroyo and Teofisto Guingona III who argued that the country had supposedly not benefited from the agreement.

UNITY STATEMENT ON THE THIRD YEAR SINCE THE AMPATUAN MASSACRE AND THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END IMPUNITY:

Gov't policies, politics, inaction delay justice for Maguindanao martyrs 


THE FAMILIES of the 58 victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 Ampatuan Massacre are starting to lose hope in the justice system, and the government has only itself to blame.
As we commemorate the third anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre, where 32 journalists and media workers were among the murdered, only two of the eight Ampatuan clan members in jail have been arraigned. Some witnesses have died. Some relatives of the victims have fled their hometowns following receipt of death threats.
In August 2010, President Benigno S. Aquino III promised five crucial reforms to help speed up the quest for justice. Among these were improvements to the Witness Protection Program, the formation of quick-response teams to investigate media killings, measures to speed up the pace of the trial, and a review of the Rules of Court to mitigate possible abuse and manipulation.
The problems raised are hardly imaginary. As a Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) study shows, some 100 warlords continue to rule areas in the country that have chalked up the most number of media killings.
Even as fear of reprisals continue to haunt witnesses and plaintiffs in the case, the government of Mr. Aquino and other major political parties in the country have embraced the Ampatuan clan.
At least 72 Ampatuan clan members are candidates in the May 2013 elections, nine of them running under the Liberal Party, and 34 others under the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
The big number of candidates from the clan bares an intact financial and power infrastructure. In fact, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) shows that Andal Ampatuan Jr. has managed to sell eight prime properties, an outrage when the government has pledged to forfeit wealth that multiplied many times as the clan consolidated its powers with help from successive administrations that wooed the clan’s formidable voting machine.
Nov. 23 is also the International Day to end Impunity. A Southeast Asian Press Alliance report shows the Philippines, supposedly the region’s most vibrant democracy, remains the most dangerous place for journalists.
A total of 153 journalists have been killed since 1986. Of these, at least 14 had been murdered during the administration of Mr. Aquino. Of the total cases, only 10 cases have won partial convictions. No mastermind has ever been brought to trial.
A survey of all cases of media killings will show that half of the suspects are state actors – policemen, soldiers, and elected officials. The Aquino administration’s embrace of a clan long known for warlordism only highlights how state policy can fuel impunity.
Aside from the killings, Mr. Aquino has consistently exhibited a penchant for proposals to curtail press freedom and freedom of expression.
Despite his avowed pledge to implement “tuwid na daan,” he has reneged on a promise to prioritize the passage of the Freedom of Information bill – an initiative that could help his government fullfil its promise to rid the country of corruption.
What he has supported instead is the patently unconstitutional Cybercrime Prevention Act, a law which grants the state draconian powers to crack down on dissent and critical expression on digital space.
Lately, the President has even mentioned in glowing terms the Right to Reply initiative, which would force the press to hand over its space to the whims of politicians and other powerful individuals and groups seeking to manage the flow of information.
Taken together, the acts of commission and omission by the Aquino administration betray sheer lip service to justice and press freedom, and a dangerous tendency to sacrifice both to the exigencies of power.

Signed:

Center for Community Journalism and Development
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Philippine Press Institute
University of the Philippines-College of Mass Communication

Freddie Roach's conqueror, 'Macho' Camacho, dead

Freddie Roach's conqueror, 
'Macho' Camacho, dead

CAMACHO (right) with WBC President Jose Sulaiman Chagnon during the boxer's heydays.


By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California -- The boxer who once beat Manny Pacquiao's coach, Freddie Roach, may not live again.
El Nuevo Dia reported that Hector "Macho" Camacho was brain dead. "Medically, there's nothing to do," said hospital doctor, Ernesto Torres. 
Former world champion Hector "Macho" Camacho was fighting for his life in a San Juan hospital as he struggled to recover from very serious bullet wounds, it was reported. 
Camacho defeated then light welterweight contender Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, by the score of 90-99,  89-99, 90-99 in 10 rounds at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California on December 18, 1985 when Pacquiao was only six years old.
Reports said Puerto Rican Camacho was rushed to the Rio Piedras Medical Center in San Juan last night after a gunman shot him in the face while he was in his car with a friend near a shopping mall in the town of Bayamón.
Torres, the Medical Center's Director said on November 21 morning that Camacho's chances of survival were slim. But explained that doctors can keep him alive with the help of a respiration machine for the next few days to see if the 50-year-old boxer eventually responds to treatment.
Torres said that a bullet aimed at Camacho's face, was deflected by his jaw, and made it's way to the top of the boxer's spinal chord, which means that if Camacho survives he could have trouble walking, or may even be paralyzed.
He added that Camacho suffered a brief heart attack at around 4:15 am local time. "His heart stopped working…we gave him medicines and his heart started pumping again. He has (some cerebral activity) but its very, low," doctor Torres told Puerto Rican Newspaper El Nuevo Dia.
The news of Camacho's shooting has taken over newspaper headlines and TV programs in Puerto Rico, where the retired boxer holds somewhat of a rockstar status.
Born on the island but raised in New York City, Camacho became one of the most popular fighters of the 80s and 90s, winning world titles in the Super Featherweight, Lightweight, and Light Welterweight divisions.
Camacho put up some dominant performances during his long career, in which he won 88 fights, and only lost six.
He knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard, and twice defeated Roberto "Mano de Piedra," Duran, but also lost highly publicized bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez, and Oscar de la Hoya, who defeated Camacho in 1997.
Outside the ring, Camacho became famous for his erratic conduct and for being in trouble with the law. He was arrested as a teenager for getting into street fights. After retirement he was arrested for burglary in Mississippi and earlier this year he was detained in Florida on child abuse charges.
Camacho's fans however, will recall his confidence in the ring, and his wild boxing outfits printed with the colors of the Puerto Rican flag.
In the United States Camacho also stayed in the limelight by participating in "Mira Quien Baila," a Univision show that resembles Dancing with the Stars. Thanks to his charisma, Camacho also made several appearances on the Univision show "El Gordo y La Flaca," where he became the show's unofficial "Mira Quien Baila" critic.
Police in Puerto Rico are still investigating the incidents that led to the shooting of Macho Camacho.
According to Captain Reinaldo Santiago, a detective with Bayamon Police, Camacho and his friend, Alberto Mojica, were parked in front of a local store when an SUV with two gunmen pulled up next to Camacho's Grey Mustang.
Witnesses said a gunman descended from the SUV and shot Camacho and Mojica, who died in the incident.
Police chased the SUV but were not able to detain its occupants. They said they knew little about Mojica, except that he was also a former boxer and a fan of cockfights.

Obama skips Philippines; wary of toxic waste issue?

ALLIES. President Obama and Philippine President Simeon Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Right photo, President Obama shares light moments with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California – Filipinos are among the minorities in the United States that recently gave President Barack Obama overwhelming support to thwart Gov. Mitt Romney in the November 6 presidential election.

But in his first tour of Asia after securing his reelection, the 51-year-old first African American to hold the top office in White House, skipped the Philippines to prioritize Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia.  

White House did not explain why the United States’ 44^th president did not include Philippines, its closest ally in the Asia pacific region, in the tour but assured critics that his landmark trip to Burma (now Myanmar) “was not a premature reward for a long-isolated nation still easing its way toward democracy.”

"This is not an endorsement of the government," Obama said November 18 in Thailand as he opened a three-county dash through Asia. "This is an acknowledgement that there is a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."

Was the American president aware of the stimulated environmental issue currently brewing in the Philippine?

TOXIC WASTE

Obama’s Asia tour coincided with reports that a US naval ship dumped toxic waste in Subic Bay in Olongapo, Philippines. 
The hazardous waste materials were allegedly dumped by Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a US naval ship service contractor. 
The waste materials were reportedly taken from US naval ships in the area.

The furor prompted Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago to call for termination of the Philippines-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) “for non-compliance of international norms and customs on the protection and preservation of the environment.”

An expert in constitutional and international law, Defensor- Santiago, in a speech delivered November 16 at the annual convention of the Philippine Academy of Medical Specialists, said she would file a resolution with the Senate directing the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary to give notice of termination of the VFA to the US.

“I charge the United States for failing to comply with, and for violating, Philippine law, as well as international norms and customs on the protection and preservation of the environment as these obligations are now codified respectively in articles 192 and 211 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” boomed Defensor-Santiago.

CIVILIAN

The feisty lady senator stressed that Glenn Defense Marine Asia could be characterized as civilian personnel employed by the United States armed forces under Article I (2) of the VFA.

She explained that “the illegality of Glenn Marine Asia’s acts in toxic dumping ceases to be an individual act but is actually a breach of obligation in international law attributable to its principal, namely, the United States Government. It is thus an act of State.”

Defensor-Santiago added: “The reason why toxic wastes are being dumped in Subic Bay is because of the existence of these US Navy ships; thus, the act of pollution by dumping is within the concern of the VFA. Clearly it is a breach of obligation under Philippine law against pollution from ship.”

“One party will simply notify the other in writing that it desires to terminate the agreement. Just like a bill, this resolution can be vetoed by the President; otherwise, it shall become a law as if he has signed it. But even so, I hope that this resolution will become a historic compulsive force among the Filipino youth, particularly in our universities. I call on students throughout the country to demand that the VFA should be scrapped,” Santiago added.

FIRST US PRESIDENT

Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Myanmar with Air Force One touched down in Yangon morning on November 18. 
Obama spent just six hours in the country, and the much-anticipated stop came as the result of a remarkable turnaround in the countries' relationship.

The president's Asia tour also marks his formal return to the world stage after months mired in a bruising re-election campaign, reported AP’s Julie Pace. 
For his first post-election trip, he tellingly settled on Asia, a region he has deemed the region as crucial to U.S. prosperity and security.

Aides say Asia will factor heavily in Obama's second term as the U.S. seeks to expand its influence in an attempt to counter China.

‘TAKING ADVANTAGE’

China's rise is also at play in Myanmar, which long has aligned itself with Beijing. 
But some in Myanmar fear that China is taking advantage of its wealth of natural resources, so the country is looking for other partners to help build its nascent economy.

According to Pace, Obama has rewarded Myanmar's rapid adoption of democratic reforms by lifting some economic penalties. 
The president has appointed a permanent ambassador to the country, also known as Burma, and pledged greater investment if Myanmar continues to progress following a half-century of military rule.

But some human rights groups say Myanmar's government, which continues to hold hundreds of political prisoners and is struggling to contain ethnic violence, hasn't done enough to earn a personal visit from Obama.

The largest port of the United States for its naval forces in Southeast Asia was formerly based in Subic Bay.

The military based was closed down in 1992 when the Philippine Senate voted to reject a US request to extend the term of its naval station at Subic and Air Force Base at Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga province.

HEARTS: IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?

http://www.viddler.com/v/70b9f290

'Valenciana' and 'Sotanghon' in America

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California -- According to the Best of Filipino Food Recipes, the steps in preparation for "Arroz a la Valenciana" are the following recipe (We start by assembling these supplies):
1 cup cooked malagkit

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup mushroom, sliced

1 cup garbanzos

1 cup gisantes

2 cups fried sliced gluten

1 box spaghetti, cut in pieces and boiled

1 can pimiento, sliced

1 cup tomato sauce plus

1/2 can stock or water

2 tablespoons onions, minced

1 teaspoon sage

2 teaspoons vetsin 6 hard-cooked eggs

Saute oritons in 2 tablespoon oil. Add tomato sauce and pimientos, cook a few minutes, and add mushroom, gluten, garbanzos and peas. Season with salt, vetsin and sage. Mix well and cook 5 minutes, then add rice and spaghetti. Mix very well. Garnish with eggs, pimientos and green onions.