Christmas gift guide: Serums, pens, planners as holiday stocking stuffers

 

Raoul J. Chee Kee - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines – Christmas is less than 100 days away. In a country like the Philippines, however, where some people step into the holiday spirit as soon as September rolls around, it’s never too late to go gift shopping. 

In fact, some department stores and malls are already decking their halls in preparation for the early shoppers. Those with the time to browse and compare prices are the lucky ones but even those who wait until the last minute can still find gifts that please.    

At the opening of the 13th Muji store in Eastwood City, Libis earlier this month, Muji Philippines’ president and general manager Takeshi Akiyoshi and his team picked out several items one can buy in bulk and that make terrific stocking stuffers.     

His first pick was their Booster Serum, which is one of their bestselling items across all branches. 

“I use the serum twice daily after washing my face but before applying toner. It’s very good,” Akiyoshi told Philstar.com. “You know Dior and Shiseido have their own versions but theirs are very expensive. Ours is just P790.”

The serum features a naturally derived formula with over 65% fermented rice bran extract. Fermented-rice ingredients contain prebiotics, enzymes, lactic acid and antioxidants, all beneficial to the skin.

He also listed the brand’s toner as a possible gift idea that can be bundled with the serum. 

“You can also check out our cuticle oil and lip essence. They are also fast movers at the store and are well-loved by our customers,” Akiyoshi said. 

For those who look forward to cracking open a new planner or date book at the start of a new year, Muji has also rolled out its latest selection that comes in several sizes, both lined and unlined, offering day views or week at a glance.

Bundled with a set of colored pens or markers of which Muji has dozens, the planners are another great gift idea. 

The gift of music — or at least a portable Bluetooth speaker that can fit in the palm of one’s hand — is always a welcome addition to one’s school or work bag. 

Store exclusive items

The Japanese retail brand previously opened its third store in Bonifacio Global City at the third floor of SM Aura. The other Muji stores are in Central Square Mall and Uptown Mall.

Aside from opening promos and discounts, the Aura store opening was also marked with exclusive in-store items and collections. 

Its makeup collection features new base makeup items that work with the skin’s natural color tone while summer-kissed candy colors are added to lip items, brightening the total look. The products contain natural moisturizing ingredients closer including Jojoba Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Apricot Kernel Oil and Chamomile Flower Extract.

The Aura store also houses a Coffee Counter that provides a spacious dining area with ample seating and views overlooking Bonifacio Global City. It features a selection of drinks, bread, rice meals, soft serve ice cream, and pastries.

Exclusive to MUJI SM Aura are the Spanish Latte and Danish pastries. The Spanish Latte, available hot or iced, is a smooth blend of espresso, fresh milk, and condensed milk, with an option to substitute oat milk at an additional charge. The Danish pastries are flaky and buttery with sweet fillings, available in Peach and Blueberry varieties. 

If you want to avoid the holiday rush, take a quick stroll through the mall to have an idea of what’s already available. – With reports from Kathleen A. Llemit

Iron-Rich Foods You Should Add to Your Diet

Feeling tired, weak, or low on energy? Your body may need more iron-rich foods. Iron helps carry oxygen through the body and supports energy, focus, healthy skin, and overall wellness. 🌿

🥩 Top iron-rich foods: 🍗 Chicken Liver – very high in iron

🥬 Spinach & Kale – plant-based iron sources

🫘 Lentils & Chickpeas – great for vegetarians

🌱 Pumpkin & Chia Seeds – small but powerful

🍫 Dark Chocolate – yes, even chocolate contains iron 😉

🦪 Clams & Mussels – packed with iron and nutrients

🥣 Oats & Quinoa – healthy everyday options

💡 Tip: Pair iron-rich foods with Vitamin C foods like lemon, oranges, or strawberries to help your body absorb iron better.

Healthy eating is about balance, consistency, and nourishing your body daily. ✨

👉 Which iron-rich food do you eat the most?

#IronRichFoods #HealthyEating #NutritionTips #HealthFacts #IronDeficiency #Wellness #HealthyLifestyle #CleanEating #EnergyBoost #HealthyFood #FitnessNutrition #DailyHealth #BalancedDiet #FoodIsMedicine #HealthTips

Biontech schließt drei Standorte in Deutschland – fast 2000 Mitarbeiter verlieren ihren Job

 

Stand:

30.09.2026, 16:59 Uhr

Von: Robin Dittrich

Biontech schließt drei deutsche Werke – 1.800 Jobs fallen weg. Tübingens Oberbürgermeister Boris Palmer ist empört: Ein Versprechen wurde gebrochen.

Tübingen – Monatelang hoffte Tübingen auf einen Käufer. Jetzt ist klar: Biontech schließt den ehemaligen Curevac-Standort in der Universitätsstadt – und mit ihm zwei weitere Werke in Deutschland. Rund 1.800 Beschäftigte verlieren ihre Stellen, mehr als 700 davon allein in Tübingen. Biontech hatte seit Anfang Mai intensiv nach Käufern für drei seiner Produktionsstandorte gesucht: Tübingen, Idar-Oberstein (Rheinland-Pfalz) und Marburg (Hessen).  

Biontech schließt drei deutsche Werke – 1.800 Jobs fallen weg. Tübingens Oberbürgermeister Boris Palmer ist empört: Ein Versprechen wurde gebrochen. (Symbolbild) © dpa | Marijan Murat

Trotz eines breit angelegten Verkaufsprozesses fand sich kein Investor – das schwierige Markt- und Investitionsumfeld machte alle Hoffnungen zunichte, wie das Unternehmen erklärte. Tübingen soll Ende 2027 schließen, Marburg Anfang 2028 und Idar-Oberstein Ende 2028. Am Montag informierte Biontech seine Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter in einem sogenannten Townhall Meeting über das endgültige Aus. Mit dem Konzernbetriebsrat wurden laut Biontech-Mitteilung ergänzende Abfindungskonditionen vereinbart – Details nannte das Unternehmen zunächst nicht.  

Politiker enttäuscht von Biontech-Schließung – „Das geht nicht“

Tübingens Oberbürgermeister Boris Palmer (parteilos) macht keinen Hehl aus seiner Empörung. Er erinnert daran, dass Biontech Curevac erst Ende 2025 für rund 1,25 Milliarden US-Dollar übernommen und dabei ausdrücklich die Weiterführung des Tübinger Standorts versprochen hatte. Sein Urteil fällt scharf aus: „CureVac erst kaufen wegen der Patente und die Mitarbeiter vor die Tür setzen, das geht nicht.“

Für Tübingen stehe laut des Oberbürgermeisters mehr auf dem Spiel als einzelne Jobs: Es gehe um einen über Jahrzehnte gewachsenen Biotechnologie-Standort. Palmer fordert von Biontech, alle realistischen Möglichkeiten auszuschöpfen. Und er warnt vor einer gefährlichen Lücke in der deutschen Gesundheitsversorgung: „Es ist falsch, dass die Pandemieversorgung komplett eingestellt wird und in Deutschland keinerlei RNA-Produktion mehr übrig bleibt, wenn auch der Standort Tübingen geschlossen wird.“

 

At a fashion week long shaped by the influence of American celebrities, Heart Evangelista has carved out a distinctly global presence, bringing her own blend of art, glamour, and Filipino sensibility to the New York fashion circuit.

Heart Evangelista is New York Fashion Week's breakout celebrity voice

Surpassing Paris Hilton, Jung Hae-In, Lingling Kwong, and Love Pattranite, Heart Evangelista emerges as New York Fashion Week's top celebrity voice, generating $7.6 million in Media Impact Value and further cementing her influence on the global fashion scene. Read more

Transport groups rally in Manila

 

Transport groups rally in Manila over taxes, jeepney phaseout

Rallyists gather near the Mendiola Peace Arch in San Miguel, Manila, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, as the Manila Public Information Office monitors the protest through closed-circuit television (CCTV).

Transport groups and other organizations held a protest in Manila on Wednesday, Sept. 30, calling for the removal of excise taxes on fuel and an end to the government’s jeepney phaseout. The protest was monitored in Recto, Legarda, and Mendiola, where authorities deployed personnel and conducted area monitoring to maintain peace and order and manage traffic. Read more

Uncontrolled internet, AI could be ‘evil gremlins’

 

Uncontrolled internet, AI could be ‘evil gremlins’

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Founder since 1974

Millions of Filipinos open their mobile phones or computers every day, unaware of the power and influence of telecommunications companies (telcos) and internet service providers (ISPs), now enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI), to enable calls, deliver information, and transmit messages and images in an instant. This AI-driven internet is, at present, an unstoppable force in our lives. Its ability to deliver information; give commands and manipulate data; spread fake news; and influence, groom and sexually abuse people online can harm millions of children and adults. It is like a criminal enterprise enabled by telcos and ignored by the government. But the internet is also used for good. It is used to promote justice and peace, human rights and Gospel values; protect human dignity; spread truth; counter evil; and challenge oppression and exploitation in our society with truth, love and kindness. Merriam-Webster defines the internet as an “electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world.” Access to it is made possible through servers owned and managed by telcos that send electronic signals to devices and connect people around the globe almost instantaneously. The now-AI-powered internet signal is said to be the “new God.” It is almost omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent, as it controls human activities, especially financial systems that make the world function. It is a “God” that does not promise or make a new paradise on earth. It is a “God” more powerful than the humans that created it but cannot fully control. With the rapid development of AI, a powerful software program can make another that is more powerful. AI is fast developing into “super intelligence,” causing grave concern around the world as computer experts and creators of AI programs warn that it is getting beyond their control. The introduction of satellite internet makes this “God-like presence” all the more powerful — and all the more dangerous — in our lives. It is almost untouchable while ever present. The highly toxic content on some internet-powered platforms like Reddit and Discord is waking up Philippine law enforcement that seem powerless to stop them from spewing such negative content and allowing child abuse to happen. It has been discovered that these platforms allow hate speech and influence young people to commit extremely violence, like when a 16-year-old Grade 9 student shot dead two people and wounded others at a school in South Cotabato province on Sept. 18. These same platforms also allow child abusers to connect with children and groom them for sexual acts. There are many other platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, which have been criticized for allowing child-abuse images and videos to stream, thus endangering children. Some Philippine government officials claim they even endanger national security. Telegram has almost no content control or moderation, and allows child-abuse images, self-harm and severe exploitation on its platform. Snapchat’s most dangerous defining feature is “disappearing messages and images” used by predators to commit sextortion almost without detection. Unsuccessful so far The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) in the Philippines has tried to police and control the content of these platforms without success, as there is no law empowering them to do so. These platforms, the agency said, have been linked to the radicalization and recruitment of minors involved in recent school shootings in the country. They promote nihilistic violent extremism, it added. The CICC also said the platforms should be “reachable, accountable, and responsive” when the content of their platforms endangers people, especially children, and risk promoting violent acts and self-harm. When they suspended one of the platforms for time, there was an outcry from users who apparently don’t care about the harm it has done to children. They just want internet access. How can we imagine this entity called AI? When used to help humans, this technology is a great friend and teacher. When it goes out of control, it can be used to hurt young people. It transforms from being a friend and teacher to a dangerous creature, not unlike Dr. Jekyll becoming Mr. Hyde. The destructive AI coming into the Philippines through the telcos is what I call an “evil gremlin.” A gremlin is a mythical figure that was said to have infiltrated the engines of British fighter pilots in World War II and was blamed for the frequent mechanical failures of their aircraft rather than the aircraft builders or mechanics for putting them in grave danger. Philippine law enforcement officers are unable to bring the evil gremlins — the AI-driven social media platforms — to account because they are based outside the Philippines. However, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Information and Communications Technology under Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda have that power. They have powers to regulate what comes into the Philippines and block the evil gremlins with legally mandated, installation-ready blocking software. They have power over the IPS and their parent companies, the telcos; and must exercise it in accordance with the law for the sake of the people, especially children, being abused and exploited by the “evil gremlin.” No one knows why they don’t enforce the law to protect children. Allegations of collusion with telcos are unfounded, they say. The United Nations Children’s Fund says more than 2 million children have been sexually exploited over the internet. Republic Act 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act of 2022, replaces and drastically strengthens RA 9775, or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, which this column proposed and promoted with then-senator Jamby Madrigal. Under the new law, ISP and telco officials, social media intermediaries, and financial entities that fail to block or report these horrific illegal activities and allow AI-driven child abuse to continue on the internet will face severe administrative fines, operational suspensions, or criminal liability for noncompliance. Yet, somehow, they all enjoy impunity and protection by the political influence the telcos wield. We could pray they repent and protect children and not allow them to be abused.

The Social Reckoning trailer casts Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg

 

Jeremy Strong steps into the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the new trailer for “The Social Reckoning,” Aaron Sorkin’s companion film to the 2010 drama “The Social Network.”

“The Social Reckoning” will open in Philippine cinemas on October 7.

Sony Pictures lists the film’s wider theatrical release for October 9, placing its Philippine debut two days earlier.

Written and directed by Sorkin, the dramatic thriller draws inspiration from the events surrounding “The Facebook Files” and the whistleblower whose disclosures intensified scrutiny of the social media company.

The story follows Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, as a young Facebook engineer who uncovers some of the social network’s most closely guarded information.

Haugen recruits Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, portrayed by Jeremy Allen White, for a dangerous journey that ultimately exposes the company’s secrets.

The studio describes the film as a David-and-Goliath story about the whistleblower who helped trigger the social media reckoning still unfolding today.

Strong leads the ensemble alongside Madison, White, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen and Bill Burr.

The film reunites Strong with Sorkin after the actor appeared in the filmmaker’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Sorkin wrote the screenplay for “The Social Network,” which dramatized Facebook’s creation and the legal disputes surrounding its early years.

The 2010 film received eight Academy Award nominations and won three prizes, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Sorkin, film editing, and original score, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Todd Black, Peter Rice, Aaron Sorkin and Stuart Besser produced “The Social Reckoning,” with each receiving the Producers Guild of America designation.

Lauren Lohman, Roger McNamee, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Broderick Johnson and Andrew A. Kosove served as executive producers.

The new trailer previews the film’s account of the personal and institutional risks behind the disclosures.

“The Social Reckoning” arrives exclusively in Philippine cinemas on October 7.

BORN ON A SUNDAY

 

By Klaus Döring

Yes, in astrology and folklore, Sunday is widely considered a very lucky day to be born. Ruled by the Sun, people born on this day are often called "lucky ducks" who possess natural charm, strong vitality, and a bright, magnetic presence.

 
People born on Sunday are ruled by the Sun. They are naturally confident, creative, and charismatic leaders. They love new experiences, shine in social settings, and possess a bold, optimistic energy, though they can sometimes struggle with pride, short tempers, or finishing long projects.

If the sky is dark and it pours cats and dogs like yesterday and some days earlier, I try my very best to beat the blues. The taxi drivers tried to make detours, the flights were delayed or cancelled due bad weather conditions - yes, it seems the whole world is against us! I am pretty sure, each one of us experienced similar times.

I was born on a Sunday - a so-called "Sunday Child". There are sayings that those people will live a life of great success without problems, worries, and trials. Many years ago, someone told me, those born on Sunday are truly shining stars like the sun. They are never satisfied with anything ordinary. They want to shine with a distinguished brilliance amidst other people. These are highly creative individuals who wish to place themselves in the first pale in every domain of life

Well, is that really so?

I remember very difficult, problematic and questionable times in my life. A cheating taxi driver or cancelled flight have been just peanuts if I compare. In those difficult times I almost lost all my strength to get down to work on all problems. Life's path became narrow. Fears grew: it's enough. Really enough!

I started becoming awkward and jerky. I struggled against almost everybody around me. I was reluctant to go against other's good ideas. I felt driven into a corner. People with indifference, arrogance and unqualified comments passed my way. Yes, also here in the Philippines... . Suddenly everything can become a problem and our voices  bellow and our groans are getting louder and louder too.

But hey, I learned something. Admittedly groans can lighten our burden! For even a short moment only, I did feel how my inner life - and inside pressure eased off. A short moment only... Suddenly more trials and problems overwhelmed us and our families and friends: illnesses, death, bankruptcy, "war at the working place", efforts giving us a bad name, destroying the reputation, intrigues... .

"You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me", (Psalm 23:5). Really? Amazing! We don't know about more and new spitefulness through my next "enemy on duty" in future.  Actually I also don't want to know it, because negativism blocks life and its future plans.

But I know Psalm 23. I read it, every time, if I am having a problem. Not if I meet again a detouring taxi or, if my flight is delayed.... .

Psalm 23 should be printed in each and every one's heart, mind and soul. Psalm 23 was my confirmation saying... .

+++

You can email me, if you wish: doringklaus@gmail.com, or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn  or X - Twitter or visit one of my websites www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com . 

Is it being ‘performative’?

“Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.”

“Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider.”  

The first was popularized by the counselor John Gray in 1992 to express the differences between the two sexes. The second is a schoolyard rhyme used by young girls to shoo away the taunts of their male classmates.

Be it innately biological or socially constructed, at this age, young boys are less likely to bare their emotions, as they would rather bare their teeth. Boys are indeed rougher, more rambunctious, more loud and mischievous: no wonder the term boisterous sounds like it has the word “boy” built into it. And it carries on through high school and into the early years of college. But when these boys, now young men, are exposed to the culture of higher learning in academia; they come to realize the aesthetic aspects of life that are far more entertaining than the drivel they were used to in their youth.

Art, culture, music, film, literature—all these things suddenly become a more dominant dimension in their lives. It usually occurs at the point in late adolescent development when they become more interested in things other than themselves. The development of a boy to a young man begins in the crucible of genuine life experiences, compounded by the beauty and truth these experiences reveal. And this beauty and truth is reflected and further extended in the art and aesthetic around them.

These young men begin to read, to listen, to seek, and to curate what they seek. They begin to think more deeply, to contemplate. The general anxiety of achievement that hangs before most young men no doubt helps fuel this attitude. They begin to pay attention to what they wear, and to how the outside can more accurately reflect the inside. Their tastes move beyond mere chorizo and chicken (though we still indulge) and they take their first sip of bitter coffee or grassy-tasting tea. And they seem to like it.

All of a sudden, they realize that the outside is more conducive to genuine experiences than the inside. They go out more, and they either revel in nature and sport or in the quiet solitude of a cafe they have chosen to gatekeep from others. Young men, be they the brusque and highly masculine or the quaint and intellectual, seek to enrich their “experiencing” as most men do. That’s why—for the most part— we like classical literature, traditional or Greco-Roman aesthetics, and/or dream of pursuits of grandeur that give our life meaning beyond our boyish compulsions.

Why would one ever hate that?

There is a popular and persisting notion that the only thing that truly motivates the male animal is carnal desire. From that, another notion springs forth: that men only act “cultured” to attract women. These men have been called performative. I do not deny their existence. But when a label like that is thrown into a crowd, the explosion usually maims innocent bystanders, too. And when people started calling them “performative,” seemingly all men became more anxious to explore their aesthetic sensibilities. At least in public. Now that that label has died down in relevance, I invite my fellow young men to go out and enjoy their aesthetic pursuits in peace.

Sartre called this “the Gaze”; be it the gaze of women, the gaze of other men, or the gaze of society. This “gaze” casts a shadow of doubt and anxiety that threatens the freedom and autonomy of an individual and leads them to live their life in bad faith. That they shouldn’t be themselves, but be someone else more socially acceptable. And there is nothing more performative, in my mind, than that. Authenticity is a golden apple at this time of our lives, but we must keep reaching for it. And in reaching for it, we must live freely and authentically for it. For when you perform a character, all the praise and adulation goes to that character, not to you, not to who you truly are. Just as fans can come to hate a character and adore its actor, in “performance,” you furnish a pagan idol for worship that only looks like you, but isn’t actually you.

Read your favorite book, order your favorite coffee, play your guitar or violin wherever you want to, speak your mind freely on things you believe in. Be moral, be ethical, of course. But in the space between the good and the bad, you have the freedom to seek the experiences that will build you up to who you will be one day. To perform a character is to build a facade, a facade that one day might not be stable enough for you to stand on. In Montaigne’s own words, “I shall see to it, if I can, that my death makes no statement that my life has not made already.”

Don’t worry, you are not “performative.” You’re just a dude, we all are.

#culture#Issachar Bacang#masculinity#performativeness