Why we need quality over popularity

 

“Quality is everyone's responsibility.”

—W. Edwards Deming

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TAXPAYERS money is also regretfully wasted when incompetent panelists participate in legislative investigations and prolong the hearings with their ugly verbal acrobatics and showboating.

There are legislative hearings like the ongoing Senate inquiry on the killings in Negros Oriental that can last for two to three hours only per session or per day based on the number of resource persons and other invited guests, but eat up five to six long hours because some committee members or the panelists lack the ability to control the discussions and handle the flow of questions and answers.

If the hearings are extended, the taxpayers will shoulder the electricity, overtime pay for staff of legislators, food and drinks served for the attendees and other expenses related to the committee investigation.

The delays are exacerbated if panelists or committee members who arrive late and did not participate when important matters were tackled earlier, want to grandstand and ask irrelevant, shallow, and non-sense questions. 

Also, we really need legislators who know the laws and parliamentary procedures. 

If possible, we need to send more lawyers or knowledgeable and dignified characters to the House and Representatives and the Senate and less of “pang masa” but bungling and amateurish legislators.     

 

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That’s why it is imperative that we carefully elect quality legislators—senators and representatives—during the election, something that many of us always take for granted. 

No amount of anything will ever beat the fact that it makes more sense to choose quality.   

We save more time since good or quality legislators focus on the few significant things instead of everything. They won’t hoard on things that act as a temporary fix. They deliver and they inspire. 

We can choose the best when we realize that our life will have more purpose in the decision we make during the election.

We only deserve the kinds of legislators or public officials, for that matter, that we elect. 

The problem actually starts when popular circus players, clowns, showbiz misfits, putschists, bootlickers and dolts are allowed by our quirky electoral system to run and manage to tantalize and mesmerize the gullible voters. 

When these nincompoops win, they are assigned in important committees that handle the legislative investigations. What happens next is the reason why I am writing about this disgusting reality.

 

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HAPPINESS DRINK. A study involving more than 1,000 Japanese people age 70 or over found that those who drank at least four cups of green tea a day enjoyed better moods than those drinking a cup or less. The uplifting ingredient is theanine, the researchers believe.

ROAD TO FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Balance diet. Green tea. Vitamin D and fish oil. Good sleep. Laugh regularly (it is "the best medicine"). Control the temper (avoid getting mad, if necessary). Smile a lot. Daily exercise (walking is best and most natural).

ROAD TO FOUNTAIN OF MAYHEM. Eat a lot. Smoke a lot. Drink liquor excessively. Always display a frown face (better an ugly face than a caliginous face). Don't exercise. Think negatively. Sleep at past midnight and wake up early. Interpret the Bible literally (this can lead to a serious neurosis).

THE SUN IS OUR SKIN'S NO. 1 ENEMY. We should always make sun protection a priority. Let us use a sunscreen formulated for our skin along with our moisturizer. Much of the evidence of aging; rough skin, wrinkles, age spots, etc. are really the result of too much sun.

ALARM CLOCK. Let us create precious time for ourselves by setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier than usual. Begin rituals for ourselves that will become as important to us as breathing. If we really don't think that we have enough time during the day, let's take it from the minutes wasted on phone calls, shopping, or mindless TV surfing.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Iloilo ramps up economic life

“Only a strong economy can create higher asset values and sustainably good returns for savers.”

— Ben Bernanke

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THERE is a positive sign that Iloilo’s economic growth rate will dramatically barrel upward in the next few months amid recent reports that city hall and capitol were in quandary whether the mask mandate will be strictly imposed anew now that Covid cases were reportedly up once more in the months of March and April.

Before the ruckus on the reported resurgence of Covid came, IBS Digital Network posted a report from the city government information office that AyalaLand Offices would be constructing two BPO towers following the groundbreaking last month of 12,000-sqm each building site at Atria Park District, Mandurriao.

This came after SM Investments Corp. Vice Chairman Teresita Sy-Coson, visited the City Government’s newly-opened Offsite Payment Center at SM City Iloilo in February, according to the online news magazine.

“Expansion of SM City and new mall in Jaro district are in the pipeline while condo development of SMDC at the Circumferential Road has started construction works,” read the information from the City Hall posted on IBS Digital Network.

It added: “Megaworld Corp. Executive Vice President Kevin Tan graced the groundbreaking of Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) at Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao March 3 where he revealed the 20-hectare expansion of 72-hectare township and new high-impact projects. He went back during the inauguration 30/36 MVA substation of MORE Power March 22.”

Meanwhile, the information continued that Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas had met with top executives of Lopez-owned First Balfour relative to their proposal for an electric or e-vehicle Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) poised to become a very important milestone in the transportation industry. It said the Lopezes trace their roots to Iloilo.

“This will be very good for Metro Iloilo since this will help us avoid what happened to the traffic situation of the NCR and Cebu. I look forward to this project and it is my hope that it will move forward smoothly,” it quoted Treñas as saying.

 

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ONE of the biggest stories in the US on April 18 was the settlement of the defamation case filed by the Dominion Voting Systems with the Fox News. 

Fox is reportedly paying Dominion $787.5 million, which appears to be one of the largest defamation settlements in history and is one that constitutes a humiliating admission of fault by the network, even though, as The New York Times’s Jim Rutenberg reported, the deal doesn’t require Fox to apologize. 

But The New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg said the public will be deprived of seeing Murdoch, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and several of their colleagues grilled on the stand, forced to reckon with the real world, unable to fall back on the dense lattice of misinformation that typically sustains Fox’s narratives.

At least, Goldberg wrote, the public will be deprived for now. Smartmatic is still suing Fox for $2.7 billion, though no trial date has been announced yet. 

“Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign,” Smartmatic lawyer J. Erik Connolly said in a statement on Tuesday. “Smartmatic will expose the rest.”

 

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If we see tremendous improvements in our fingernails at least a month after taking Vitamin D and Omega-3 Fish Oil, that means 36 of our organs are well taken care of. Thank you medical science for the education.

Enoki, chanterelle, portabella, and shitake are all types of gourmet edible mushrooms.

Saint Thomas Aquinas was the greatest medieval Catholic philosopher. He devoted his life to the clarification of Christian doctrine and its integration with Aristotle's metaphysics.

Friendship is a gift that is fair in all things. It takes root from one's heart and involves memories that stay not for a while but for a lifetime. 

The prime purpose of our time on earth is not about acquiring possessions, attaining status, achieving success, or even experiencing happiness. God created us to love Him. We do it by loving others.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

We miss the fireworks

“The more efficient you are at doing the wrong thing, the wronger you become. It is much better to do the right thing wronger than the wrong thing righter. If you do the right thing wrong and correct it, you get better.”

—Russell L. Ackoff

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THERE have been so many interesting and explosive issues and controversies in the national level these past months that necessitated a congressional inquiry, but, sad to say, there were no more fireworks and quality legislative investigations when these issues were tackled recently, unlike in the past.

For instance, there seems to be a dearth in the quality of panel of investigators in the Senate, which has been noticeably relying on nondescript Bato dela Rosa (who is, so far, doing well in the ongoing Negros Oriental killings investigation) and showman nonpareil Robin Padilla.

When they were reinforced by the overrated Joel Villanueva and the highly strung Francis Tolentino, the anemic and lackluster Senate investigations became the order of the day and shattered all records in sloppiness and mediocrity.

It’s hard to imagine if Manny Pacquiao, Bong Revilla, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Jinggoy Estrada would buttress the shindig. What has happened to the once illustrious and eminent Philippine Senate? 

So many important and controversial issues, but so many inexperienced and incompetent Senate panelists grilling the barracudas, reptiles, amphibians, and hippopotamuses that mostly managed to elude the dragnet. 

Second-rate Senate inquisitors wasted taxpayers money with prolonged investigations capped by abysmal and egregious questions and side comments.   

We missed the fireworks and quality quizzings and cross-questionings of the likes of the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Dick Gordon, Rene Saguisag, Teopisto Guingona, Kit Tatad, Raul Manlapus, Joey Lina, Heherson Alvarez, Blas Ople, Frank Drilon, Nikki Coseteng, Leila de Lima, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, to name only a few.

 

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Some personalities who speak softly like they can’t kill a mosquito can be deceiving; they can be wolves in a sheep’s clothing.

We’re not saying they are closet wolves, but we have misgivings each time we hear former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves and PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. speak in public.

We noticed they were able to control the flow of their statements and the tempo of their voices if they were aware the people were paying attention. 

But we learned from the new study in the journal Nature Communications that those who speak with a rising intonation, reduced emphasis at the beginning of each syllable, and a slower speech rate are generally perceived as dishonest.

Study authors concluded that people have the capacity to instantly clock a lie based on this melodic pattern, even if it is spoken in a foreign language.

Teves is the older brother of the notorious Arnie Teves, a suspended congressman from Negros Oriental and tagged by Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispen Remulla as the “executive director” in the Pamplona Massacre that killed nine people, including Gov. Roel Degamo on March 4.

Azurin, who will retire on April 24, is being suspected of protecting some PNP bigwigs involved in the foiled attempt to cover-up the arrest of a low-ranking cop caught last year in possession of shabu worth P6.7 billion, the biggest haul in the history of anti-drug enforcement in the Philippines. 

 

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MORAL HANDS. In their book "The Impact of Great Ideas," co-authors Laurence Behrens and Leonard Rosen wrote that Marquis de Condorcet, the biographer and friend of Voltaire, "was raised a pious Catholic and later declared himself an atheist and held that the salvation of the human race lies not in the hands of Providence but in moral hands."

AFFAIRS. Forty nine percent of Germans are convinced that too little sex in a relationship leads to affairs. (Fur Sie)

April 20 — or 4/20 — is known in some circles as “Weed Day.” Recreational marijuana use by adults 21 and older is now legal in 21 states and the District of Columbia, and 37 states have legalized medical marijuana.

On April 21, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. On April 22 is Earth Day, an event created in the US back in 1970 to increase public awareness of environmental problems. It's now commemorated around the world.

Since 1950, individual income taxes have been the primary source of revenue for the U.S. federal government. Together with payroll taxes (used to fund social programs like Social Security and Medicare), income taxes amount to more than 80 percent of all federal revenue, and are the essential fuel on which our government runs.

BEATING THE DEADLINE. I hope I was able to beat the April 18 deadline for filing of my income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). I was able to e-file my 2022 federal income tax return April 15, but separately mailed via US Post Service my state income tax return on April 17 due to some technical problems.  

The history of income taxes in the United States goes back to the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln signed into law the nation’s first-ever tax on personal income to help pay for the Union war effort. After it was repealed a decade later, Congress tried again in 1894, enacting a flat rate federal income tax. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the tax unconstitutional the following year, because it didn’t take into account the population of each state.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

It’s wrong to stifle Chinese envoy’s right to free speech

 

“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”

—Soren Kierkegaard

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IN my opinion, Senator Riza Hontiveros, et al are wrong to over react and demand for expulsion of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian supposedly for making “disgraceful statements” when the envoy addressed the 8th Manila Forum of the Association for Philippine-China Understanding on April 14.

Hontiveros released a statement April 16 saying the country should push for Huang to return to China, along with its ships, and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea.

She boomed: “The Palace should tell Beijing to recall their representative in Manila as soon as possible. He has no business being a diplomat if he is unable to engage with us in a respectful and dignified manner,” the senator said. “He, along with his country’s ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, should pack up and leave.”

Wait a minute. Why pack up and leave?

What did Ambassador Huang declare in his speech that supposedly broke the back of the camel?

Huang said, “The Philippines is advised to unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ rather than stoking the fire by offering the [United States] access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) [in Taiwan].”

The ambassador also cited Manila’s “announcement of the four additional Edca (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) sites, [in line with that 2014 agreement with Washington], has caused widespread and grave concern among Chinese people.”

He added: “Obviously, the US intends to take advantage of the new Edca sites to interfere in the situation across the Taiwan Strait to serve its geopolitical goals, and advance its anti-China agenda at the expense of peace and development of the Philippines and the region at large.”

 

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I don’t see any urgency and justification why Hontiveros, and those who sharply reacted to Huang’s speech, should demand for the guillotine when the ambassador was merely expressing his views. 

Aren’t we a country that adheres to the freedom of the press and expression?

What happened to the free speech being loudly espoused by the country’s freedom-loving advocates, including some bill of rights-conscious lawmakers like Hontiveros? 

Isn’t it the right opportunity for us to show Huang that in the Philippines, we value and respect the individual’s right to freedom of expression without being stifled or muzzled? 

We love to promote our democratic ideals vis-a-vis the non-democratic ethos of communist and autocratic governments that don’t adhere to what we champion, but look how some of us react to “hostile” speeches like the one made by the Chinese diplomat.

Voltaire said, “I may not agree with what you said, but I will defend to death your right to say it.”

 

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Of course we don’t agree with Huang on the OFW part, but in our democratic system we welcome opposite and contradicting opinions and views no matter how uncanny and fanciful they may be.

The problem here is when politicians speak, they tend to always overreact and over attack verbally without trying to expand the horizon of our logical thoughts and reason.

If Hontiveros, et al criticized Huang’s speech and expressed a high-minded disagreement for purposes of debate and discussion in the free market of ideas, it would have been classic.

But to demand for more than that would be tragic and embarrassing especially coming from a highly regarded legislator.

 

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Americans turn to poems in April, according to ShareAmerica. Poetry is sprouting everywhere in April.

It’s National Poetry Month in the United States, a time set aside to celebrate an art form that is not only one of humankind’s oldest but also more relevant than ever, according to Ydalmi Noriega of the Poetry Foundation, a Chicago-based group that promotes poetry.

During the pandemic, she says, people had the time and the need to find meaning in what they were experiencing, and poems provided them insights and connections across languages, cultures and eras.

Poetry, once seen as elitist in the United States, is more popular than ever, particularly among young people. Supporting the trend is the fact that more state and local governments recently created poet laureate positions to popularize poems. 

Spoken word poetry—that performed in “poetry slams,” for one example—has grown more prevalent. Presidential inaugural ceremonies have publicized particular poets’ work. 

And social media users employ platforms like Instagram to share their favorite poems. (The Poetry Foundation sends anyone interested a poem a day, as does the Academy of American Poets, with the choices this month curated by the poet laureate of the United States, Ada Limon.)

Poetry month, called by the academy “the largest literary celebration in the world”—is when many U.S. schools teach about poetry, public libraries offer readings, and communities engage residents in reading and writing poems:

The O, Miami Poetry Festival hopes to ensure that every single person in the county where Miami ls located encounters a poem. “Poetry parking tickets” will be slapped onto windshields, offering drivers verse instead of charging them fines. 

In the nearby neighborhood of Surfside, an art therapist will work with people to write poems about loss and hope, and then the poems will be posted in large formats on buildings for others to read. The New York Public Library will invite the public to create poems and write them on leaves that will become a tree display. Dozens of events are scheduled for various ages to write and hear poetry in the library, online and even in the park.

On April 27, the academy celebrates Poem in Your Pocket Day, inviting people to share poems in person, by email, on social media or in other ways.

American poet T.S. Eliot may have called April “the cruelest month” in his poem The Waste Land, but readers in America will beg to differ.

Limon, the poet laureate, says she thinks of April “as an alive month, when we come back to life in some ways. And so I wanted (the poems I share) to perform a little resurrection.”

(The author, who is now bases in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Two kinds of tears for Bar examinees

 

“Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.”

— Ralph Ransom

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE always see two kinds of tears each time the result of the Bar examination in the Philippines is released by the Supreme Court: tears of joy and frustration.

Television networks stationed in the Supreme Court where the examinees and their parents converge to wait for the Bar examination chairman (usually a Supreme Court associate) to announce the result and check the list of passers outside the SC building normally focus their cameras on the passers and the passers’ parents while whooping it up and shedding the tears of joy.

That’s good for prime time news.

Their electrifying and rapturous reactions reverberate all over the country and anywhere in the world where the news is delivered on “live” telecast or via Youtube for those watching abroad. Many news viewers touched by the euphoric animation couldn’t help but also become emotional.

The TV cameras seldom catch the faces of those who didn’t pass because, in the first place, camera crew cannot immediately recognize the crestfallen.

Unless they volunteer to talk before TV cameras and summon enough courage to reveal their heartaches, many flunkers and their parents are not shown on national TV. 

They normally opt to walk away and silently nurse their grief and unhappiness. Our heart goes out to them.

 

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Their “defeat” is actually not the end of the world in their quest to become lawyers, especially if they decide to try their luck one more time.

Who was it who said that every failure is a blessing in disguise, providing it teaches some needed lesson one could not have learned without it? 

Most so-called failures are only temporary defeats.

Bruce Lee once said: “To me defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.”

Theodore Roosevelt also succinctly put it: “The world wants the kind of men who do not shrink from temporary defeats in life; but come again and wrestle triumph from defeat.”

And another reminder from Napoleon Hill: “You are fortunate if you have learned the difference between temporary defeat and failure, more fortunate still if you have learned the truth that the very seed of success is dormant in every defeat that you experience.”

“The court commends the Bar candidates who successfully scaled what time and again has proven to be a Herculean battery of exams. Congratulations to the families and supportive communities of the bar candidates for through your love, this victory is certainly shared with you,” chairman Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa said.

“For those who may not find their names on the awaited list for now, I call on each of you to recall how the Bar examinations can never approximate what you are worth.”

He added: “Allow this setback to be only temporary, but your will to overcome the Bar examinations unchanged. The Bar examinations cannot begin to nor will it ever measure the weight of your conviction, the strength of your courage, the depths of your compassion, and the height of your dream.”

 

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INSECT. The most destructive insect in the world is the desert locust (Schistocera gregaria), the locust of the Bible, whose habitat ranges from the dry and semi-arid regions of Africa and the Middle East, through Pakistan and northern India. (Carneigie Library of Pittsburg)

SEX ADDICTION. According to sex therapist Mark Pines, having abusive parents can lead to sex addiction. Pines has a practice in Irvine, California. He told the Orange County Register in an article dated April 9, 2010 that "it's common for men who cheat to have a bottomless need for adoration."

MEANING OF A.M. AND P.M. -- A.M. means ante meridiem, Latin for "before noon." P.M. means post meridiem, Latin for "after noon."

WHAT IS GOD? God is the arm that will hold us at our weakest, the eye that will see us at our darkest; and the heart that will love us at our worst.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT AFTER THE INDICTMENT. Pre-trial proceedings could take several months, and with former President Donald Trump due back in court in December 2023, it could be some time before we see any motion on the next steps of this trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg noted that the Manhattan DA's office will "uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law, no amount of money and no matter power, changes that.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

It’s embarrassing for gov’t to plead

“I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.”

—William F. Buckley, Jr.

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

CRIMINALS or suspected criminals in the Philippines can run, but they can’t hide, according to President Bongbong Marcos Jr.

He must be referring to small fries, the ordinary or tsinelas lawbreakers who sometimes end up as victims of summary execution if they don’t surrender or aren’t nab immediately.

Fugitives who don’t own rented bungalows, tented vehicles, rice mills, sugar plantations, helicopters, submarines, yachts, those who don’t hold high positions in government, and can’t afford to pay unscrupulous and rascal vloggers (to twist the truth and picture them as victims instead of villains) have no more chance to both run and hide. 

Either they are murdered in the “shootouts” with lawmen (they call it “nanlaban” in Tagalog or “nagbatu” in Hiligaynon) or they go straight to mix with hardened and heavily tattooed criminals in congested jails.

Rich, famous, and influential criminals or well-equipped fugitives don’t fit in President Marcos Jr.’s description.

In fact, they are harder to fall if they’re richer, more prominent, and more loquacious and with pa-drama effects especially in front of TV cameras and social media platforms.

They fly the coop.

 

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One bad example is defeated presidential candidate Ping Lacson, formerly a suspected mastermind in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case during the administration of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Despite the issuance of the warrant for his arrest, the former PNP chief and senator was never captured after he became a fugitive. This makes him No. 1 on my list as bad role model.

He was followed suit under the Marcos Jr. administration by the arrogant and self-confessed substance abuser, Rep. Arnie Teves of Negros Oriental, who is being tagged as the mastermind in the Pamplona Massacre that killed nine people, including Gov. Roel Degamo on March 4.

The Negros terror, who has been reportedly hiding in Cambodia, had been charged in the murder of his political rival in 2019. 

And now we have former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, who are nowhere to be found after the Muntinlupa Regional Trial court ordered their arrest for the non-bailable murder of Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor or Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa last year.

It’s so embarrassing for the government, represented by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), to plead for these infamous characters to “surrender and prove your innocence in court.”

These accused criminals (they are called as “accused” and no longer as “suspects” because formal charges have been lodged against them in court), coming from the high echelons of government, didn’t only run. They are now hiding. 

Thus they didn’t only embarrass the President, they also mocked the justice system by refusing to subject themselves in a fair trial and availing the due process of law.

Flight indeed is a sign of guilt.

 

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BRUSHING OUR TEETH HELPS US RETAIN OUR MEMORY. Forget to floss, and we may soon have trouble recalling names, our grocery list, and the question we were asked five minutes ago.

ANTI-ARTHRITIS PILL. There's no proof bee pollen works, but pumping up our intake of another supplement--vitamin D--may just slow the progression of osteoarthritis and put off the need for surgery, says Australian researchers.

THE MOON HAS A TAIL. A glowing 15,000 mile (24,000 km) tail of sodium atoms streams from the moon. The faint, orange glow of sodium cannot be seen by the naked eye but is detectable by instruments. Astronomers are not certain of the source of these sodium atoms.

TAXI. The term taxicab is derived from two words--taximeter and cabriolet. The taximeter, an instrument invented by Wilhelm Bruhn in 1891, automatically recorded the distance traveled and/or the time consumed. This enabled the fare to be accurately measured. The cabriolet is a two-wheeled, one-horse carriage that was often rented.

SPIDER. The black widow spider eats her mate during or after sex. It's hard to be a lady spider.

WEIRD RITUAL. The Caramajo tribe of northern Uganda tie a weight on the end of their penises to elongate them--sometimes to such a degree that the men literally have to knot them up--while the Mambas of New Hebrides wrap theirs in yards and yards of cloth, making them look up to 17 inches long.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Bad for our mental health

“Humanity is so weird. If we’re not laughing, we’re crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don’t even have to be real monsters. They could be the ones we make up in our heads. Don’t you think that’s weird?” 

― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE series of bad and depressing news that flooded the mainstream and social media after the Holy Week, or these past days can easily make many of us disconsolate and down in the dumps.

When we absorb these negative stories, we are, in one way or the other, affected emotionally and mentally and become more depressed wherever and which platform we monitor these bizarre news.

So many lives were lost by drowning; an off-duty cop caught brutally mauling a live-in partner; “Amang” running amuck and causing heavy floods in affected areas; climate change; oil price increase; scantily clad teenage showbiz and beauty contestants being promoted and paraded like sex objects; a seven-year-old girl raped and killed by her own godfather.

Five OFWs jailed in UAE due to TikTok post (and it seems their case is hard to defend by consulate authorities); P6.7 billion shabu coverup by the PNP bigwigs; a hard-working and successful on-line seller died of a mysterious cancer; leaking of “confidential” information allegedly detailing China’s plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 or earlier (the Philippines will be caught between the devil and the deep blue see if this will happen because of the EDCA); etcetera.

 

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These bad (media did not create them; they just happened) stories can definitely make many of us with weak heart and mind more vulnerable to mental health problems, aside from the individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics.

Exposure to unfavorable social, economic, geopolitical and environmental circumstances–including poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation–also increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions, warned the World Health Organization.

Mental health risks and protective factors can be found in society at different scales. 

Local threats heighten risk for individuals, families and communities. Global threats heighten risk for whole populations and include economic downturns, disease outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies and forced displacement and the growing climate crisis.

The WHO has warned further that each single risk and protective factor has only limited predictive strength. Most people do not develop a mental health condition despite exposure to a risk factor and many people with no known risk factor still develop a mental health condition. “Nonetheless, the interacting determinants of mental health serve to enhance or undermine mental health,” according to WHO.

 

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US VISA FEES INCREASE. The U.S. Department of State has increased certain nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application processing fees globally. These fee increases are effective as of May 30, 2023.

The application fee for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s) and other non-petition based NIVs, such as student and exchange visitor visas, has increased from $160 to $185.  

The application fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) has increased from $190 to $205. 

The application fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicant in a specialty occupation (E category) has increased from $205 to $315.

Other consular fees remain the same, including the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors.  

Applicants who have already paid a visa application fee that is currently valid and non-expired, but who have not yet appeared for their visa interview or are waiting for their case to be processed, will not be charged any additional fees.

 

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HAPPINESS DRINK. A study involving more than 1,000 Japanese people age 70 or over found that those who drank at least four cups of green tea a day enjoyed better moods than those drinking a cup or less. The uplifting ingredient is theanine, the researchers believe.

STRATEGY. In addition to talking to our youngsters about the dangers of cigarettes, encourage them to play team sports and watch tobacco-free flicks. It could keep them from lighting up, according to a recent study. Nonetheless ages 9 to 14 were twice as likely as sporty kids to become smokers later in life, and all kids who watched movies showing heavy smoking were about 20 percent more likely to get addicted.

SPEED OF LIGHT. In round numbers, the speed of light in a vacuum is 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second. The exact figure is 186,282 miles (299,792.458 kilometers) per second.

CALORIES. People who eat at least a quarter-cup of rice per day consume 54 fewer daily calories. We generally pair rice with lower-cal foods like veggies and fish, theorize the Iowa State researchers, and we don't slather it with butter or cheese. To gain the weight-losing benefit, eat it solo or as a side with lean stir-fries.

CREMATED. Albert Einstein was cremated after his death on April 18, 1955. The doctor who performed the autopsy removed Einstein’s brain, part of which now rests in a bottle somewhere in Weston, Missouri. Dr. Paul Broca was not alone.

ALL ABOUT SCIENCE. The sun is an incandescent ball of gases. Its mass is 1.8 x 1027 tons or 1.8 octillion tons (a mass 330,000 times as great as the Earth), according to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburg.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)