Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins, members of Kiss and more get into Songwriters Hall of Fame

By Associated Press

Published Jan 23, 2026 08:03 am

Taylor Swift appears at the MTV Video Music Awards (AP)

New York (AP) — Taylor Swift, Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins make up the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.

Swift’s songwriting has undeniably shaped contemporary pop music trends — and she’ll no doubt bring extra attention to this year’s new class.

Kiss founders Simmons and Stanley — fresh off the band’s farewell — will also be recognized for their glam rock classics “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Love It Loud.”

In addition to Swift, Simmons and Stanley, nominees this year include the soft rock legend Loggins (“Footloose,” “Danny’s Song”), the alt-rock icon Morissette (“You Oughta Know,” “Ironic”) and the game-changing R&B songwriter, producer and rapper Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, best known for work like Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and “Break My Soul.”

The 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held June 11 in New York City.

The Hall annually inducts performers and nonperformers alike. This year, the latter category includes the duo Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”)

It’s also not uncommon for performers to gain entry after multiple nominations. Walter Afanasieff, who helped Mariah Carey with her smash “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” was previously nominated in the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame class. He didn’t make the cut then, but this year, will be inducted.

“The music industry is built upon the incredible talent of songwriters who create unforgettable songs. Without their artistry, there would be no recorded music, concert experiences, or engaged fans. Everything originates from the song and its creator,” Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “This year’s lineup not only showcases iconic songs but also celebrates unity across various genres.”

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.

Some already in the hall include Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Phil Collins, R.E.M., Steely Dan, Dean Pitchford, Hillary Lindsey and Timbaland.

The 2025 class included George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Tony Macaulay.

Tying ribbons to your suitcase is a bad idea. Stop.

 Hashem Al-Ghaili

Why shouldn’t you do it? Airport workers recently explained…

Many passengers try to make their bags easier to spot by tying bright ribbons or bows to the handles. According to an airport baggage handler at Dublin Airport, this well‑meant trick can actually increase the chances your suitcase goes missing.

The problem is that airline identification tags are usually fixed to the handle, and extra decorations can obstruct the automated scanners used in the baggage hall. When a bag cannot be scanned properly, it is diverted for manual processing, which increases the risk it will be delayed or fail to make it onto the correct flight.

Travelers are also advised to remove old tags and stickers from previous trips, as outdated labels can confuse the system and send luggage to the wrong destination.

The baggage handler also shared a more surprising warning: avoid packing marzipan in your luggage. This almond-based confection has a density and texture similar to certain explosives, meaning it can trigger alarms and attract extra scrutiny from security staff. While this does not make marzipan dangerous in itself, it can slow down screening and complicate your journey. Together, these tips highlight how small choices—like decorating your suitcase or tucking sweets into your bag—can have unintended consequences in tightly controlled airport systems, and why keeping luggage simple and clearly labeled is often the safest approach.

References

Hale, T. (2024, June 7). Airport worker explains why you should never tie ribbons to your luggage. IFLScience.

RSVP Live. (2024). Don’t tie a ribbon on your suitcase as it could cause major airport delays, says baggage handler. RSVP Live.

When illness becomes the wake up call we never wanted

By Millie Manahan

Published Jan 23, 2026 12:05 am | Updated Jan 22, 2026 06:27 pm

GUEST COLUMNIST

I came across a quote online that said, “Make time for your health, or it will make time for you.” It is a familiar sentiment, often shared casually, yet rarely acted upon. For many of us, self care only becomes urgent when illness forces it into focus—when health, long neglected, demands attention.

I came to understand this more clearly in the quiet corridors of an oncology ward in Australia, where I was caring for my father during his cancer treatment.

I expected the ward to be filled mostly with the elderly. I expected faces marked with time, bodies worn down, and conversations hushed and restrained. Instead, I saw children as young as seven, smiling and joking with nurses, carrying a lightness that seemed almost impossible given the pain their bodies endured. Morphine had become their constant companion, yet their spirits remained intact, unbroken by the severity of their circumstances.

One man beside us was given only minutes to decide whether to stay in the hospital and wait for the inevitable, or go home—to a home that, in any meaningful sense, no longer existed. Watching him struggle with that decision made the limits of human control painfully clear.

Another patient, a woman likely in her late 40s, spent much of her time on video calls with her daughter. She asked whether their house would be livable for her, whether her daughter would have help or a caregiver when she could no longer manage on her own. Each conversation carried the weight of a life continuing beyond the hospital walls.

Across from us was a man whose pain never seemed to rest. He cried out often, and throughout our 14-day stay, no family came to visit him. The nurses were his only constant. At first, I was hesitant, unsure of how to speak to someone so exhausted by suffering. And then one day, he looked at me and said, “I just have cancer. You can still talk to me.”

I noticed that whenever someone spoke to him, even briefly, his pain seemed to ease. A simple conversation, a shared moment, becomes a small but meaningful relief.

Each day brought different faces, different struggles, different realizations. And each day served as a reminder of how fragile life is—and how profoundly presence, however small, can matter.

Being a caregiver teaches humility. It shows that presence—simply staying—is often the truest form of love. It reveals how little control we truly have over life, and yet how much comfort can come from a hand to hold or a quiet conversation can make.

Cancer may not be the leading cause of death in the Philippines, but it remains a powerful reminder of how precious, and how fragile, health can be. While some have access to timely care and insurance, many others live day to day with uncertainty.

This reality underscores the importance of valuing every check-up, every preventive measure, and every effort to care for ourselves and those we love.

Life is unpredictable. But the small choices we make in favor of health and presence are never wasted.

Between hospital walls, life reveals itself in its most honest form, fleeting, fragile and worth cherishing.

(Millie Manahan is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to Manila Bulletin’s TechNews and Environment sections.)

Be kind With your Mind

 

Be kind With your Mind (psychology)

 · 

Posted by 

Ali Nawaz

 

1. They don't compare themselves to others. (There is nothing useful in comparison, everyone is on a different journey.)
2. They don't dwell on mistakes. (It is pointless to dwell, they look for solutions.)
3. They adjust to and welcome change. (Change is inevitable. You have to learn to accept it, adjust to new situations, and learn to work with changes.)
4. They take care of themselves and learn to say No. (They know boundaries are important to their wellbeing.)
5. They are positive and confident in their endeavors. (They go into every situation with a good attitude.)
6. They know they will experience failures. (Some failures are part of the course. They just handle them accordingly.)
7. They practice gratitude. It keeps life in perspective and keeps the good energy flowing.)
8. They Don't stay stuck on things they can't control focus on solutions and move forward.
9. They know the world does not Owe them anything they have to make their own way.

Thanks for Reading

„Mensch ärgere dich nicht“ war vorgestern

 

Stand:22.01.2026, 17:04 Uhr   

Kinder beim Spielen. © epd-bild/Detlef Heese

Wenn die Nächte lang sind, ist die Hauptsaison der Brettspiele. Der Markt boomt und bietet Spiele für jeden Geschmack. Trotz seiner Vielfalt kämpft das Hobby mit einem angestaubten Image.

Bunte Holzklötzchen, Spielkarten und ein taktischer Plan bestimmen den Spieltisch. Eine Gruppe von Mittvierzigern lässt an diesem Januarabend im beschaulichen Bettmar bei Peine Geschichten um den Wüstenplaneten Arrakis lebendig werden - mithilfe des Brettspiels „Dune Uprising“. Matthias Kaul, Thorsten Johl und ihre Mitspieler schlüpfen in Rollen von Charakteren wie Paul Atreides oder Duncan Idaho und kämpfen um Wasser, die Währung Solari, Spice und auch Siegpunkte.   

„Natürlich gibt es auch solche Spiele, in denen eher Glück entscheidet“, sagt Thorsten Johl. „Wir mögen es aber lieber taktisch, da ist solch ein Spiel mit möglichst wenigen Glückselementen das Richtige für uns.“ Thematisch passe es für die Spielgruppe perfekt. „Science-Fiction von Star Wars bis Star Trek und weit darüber hinaus geht eigentlich immer“, sagt Johl mit einem Lachen.

„Es gibt nichts, was es nicht gibt“

Familienvater Matthias Kaul ergänzt, moderne Spiele hätten inzwischen einen ganz eigenen Reiz. „Wir kommen einen sehr langen Weg.“ Heutige Spiele seien nicht mehr mit denen aus seiner Kindheit zu vergleichen. „Wenn ich meinem Sohn mit ‚Mensch ärgere dich nicht‘ oder so ankomme, dann rollt der höchstens die Augen und sagt: ‚Papa, das ist doch kein Spiel, das ist von vorgestern‘.“ Beim Angebot der Brettspiele gelte heutzutage: „Es gibt nichts, was es nicht gibt.“   

Dass modernen Brettspielen noch immer das eher antiquierte Image ihrer Urväter anhaftet, sagt auch der Berliner Spielforscher Jens Junge. Dabei gebe es in aktuellen Titeln sehr viel mehr Spielwert, betont der Experte. „Die Spielenden messen sich entweder anhand von Punkten oder betreiben kooperative Brettspiele.“ Auch würden Rollen, Normen oder Verhaltensweisen spielerisch erschlossen. „Es ist uns möglich, am Spieltisch neue Strategien auszuprobieren, die später in realen Situationen helfen können.“

Boomender Markt

Eine Gruppe von Mittvierzigern ist dem Experten zufolge am Spieltisch auch keine Ausnahme. „Durchschnittlich sind Brettspielende in Deutschland 37 Jahre alt - also eher nicht mehr im Kindesalter.“ Der Markt boome. „Allein im Jahr 2025 haben rund 220.000 Menschen die weltweit größte Fachmesse, die ‚Spiel‘ in Essen besucht“, sagt Junge. Brettspielenthusiasten schätzten die sozialen Aspekte ihres Hobbys: „Die gehen bewusst zu Freunden, in den Spieleladen oder treffen sich in Brettspielcafés, weil sie da echte Menschen erleben wollen.“   

Welche wirtschaftliche Wucht hinter dem Spieltrieb steckt, zeigt ein Blick in die Statistik. Allein die deutsche Spielwarenindustrie erzielt nach eigenen Angaben aktuell einen Umsatz von 4,4 Milliarden Euro jährlich und beschäftigt etwa 11.000 Menschen. Organisiert ist sie unter anderem im „Deutschen Verband der Spielwarenindustrie“ (DVSI), dem mehr als 200 Hersteller, Händler und Verlage angehören.

Protecting the environment means protecting our lives

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Founder since 1974

The massive landslide at a landfill facility in Binaliw village, Cebu City, on Jan. 8, 2026, left at least 22 people dead and 18 others injured as of Jan. 15. More are still missing. It could have been prevented if there was greater respect for human life, the environment, and the implementation of the rule of law in the Philippines.

There are excellent laws to save and protect nature, and preserve forests and seas. Our once-beautiful environment is being destroyed by corruption, irresponsibility and neglect that are allowing the laws to be flouted and ignored. The enormous level of corruption and maleficence exposed during the investigation into fake flood control projects is one example. The accumulation of trash and human waste being dumped in legal and illegal sites is polluting, even destroying, the environment and our communities. Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, is seldom implemented and obeyed. People suffer and die as a consequence.

A workers’ rights group said the death of so many workers in the Binaliw landfill was a crime against them. Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, chairman of Church People-Workers Solidarity (CWS), said the landslide was not an accident, but was, “in truth, a crime born of greed, neglect, and the systematic violation of workers’ rights.”

The mountain of garbage, said to be about 35 meters or 20 stories high, collapsed on the 50 or so people working there, burying them. Some were pulled out alive; others died horribly underneath. Many were working inside adjacent buildings when the tragedy struck. It demolished the buildings and trapped the workers inside. The waste management company operating the landfill is Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS). Its website says the site receives about 1,000 tons of solid waste daily from Cebu City and surrounding areas.

The Cebu City Council declared Jan. 16 as a day of mourning for the victims. Following the incident, a cease-and-desist order was issued against the landfill operator, and a state of calamity was declared in Cebu City to manage the waste crisis. The CWS has called for justice for the affected workers, saying they were “compelled to work under dangerous and inhumane conditions — conditions that should never have been allowed and that ultimately cost them their lives.”

Alminaza stood with the CWS, demanding accountability from both the company and government that failed to monitor the site and assess the dangerous condition after heavy rains and an earthquake in September made the garbage dump dangerous and unstable.

“As [a] Church, we affirm that work is sacred because the worker is sacred,” the CWS said, adding that when greed and profit caused safety to be ignored, then “human dignity is gravely violated and work is reduced to exploitation.” The bishop and the group’s leaders demanded that there be an “immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation.”

The late pope Francis frequently denounced the modern “throwaway culture” that treats both objects and people as disposable. He had warned that the earth was beginning to look like “an immense pile of filth” due to the vast amounts of waste generated annually. He also criticized the wasting of food and water, saying throwing out food is like stealing from the poor. Francis advocated for a circular production model that prioritizes reusing and recycling to conserve resources for future generations.

Cebu City councilor Joel Garganera told the media that “a landfill or a mountain that is made of garbage... is like a sponge: it really absorbs water. It doesn’t (take one to be) a rocket scientist to say that, eventually, [such an] incident will happen.”

The Philippines is facing serious challenges in waste management that the government has to address urgently, or else more tragic events will happen on the many dumpsites around the country, endangering thousands of people. Many of these sites are, in fact, illegal and growing faster than the legal ones approved by local government units (LGUs). As of 2025, illegal dumpsites around the country increased by 84 percent year on year. Meanwhile, legal landfill sites grew by 14.7 percent, bringing the total to 343. LGUs cannot cope with the growing volume of garbage being generated, some of which are hazardous.

The region with the most serious concentration of hazardous industrial wastes as of 2024 is in Region 4A, or Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon). It accounted for about 43 percent of the country’s total. Some of the illegal dumpsites on private property are to be found in Arenda, on the north shore of Laguna de Bay, and also in Nosara Spring. In Manila Bay, Baseco Beach is constantly polluted with plastic despite the ongoing heroic efforts of the “Baseco Beach Warriors,” who hold regular cleanup operations and pick up hundreds of bags of trash every week. This condition will only get worse everywhere unless there is a strict implementation of the rule of law and a complete change in the minds and hearts of people to love their environment and clean, recycle, and segregate trash for organized municipal pickup.

A World Bank study predicted that by 2025, the nation’s waste generation would be at 77,776 tons a day, or close to 28.39 million tons a year, considering the country’s population growth, particularly in urban areas. The most recent National Waste Analysis and Characterization Study found that 56.7 percent of municipal solid waste was generated from residential sources. A further 27.1 percent was from commercial establishments. The industrial and manufacturing sectors contribute the remaining 12.1 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.

Pope Francis linked environmental abuse to social injustice, urging humanity to hear “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” When alive, he described the pollution of oceans, particularly from plastic waste, as “criminal.” He argued that wealthier nations have an “ecological debt” to poorer ones due to their disproportionate use of resources and export of toxic waste. He also attributed the “great majority” of global warming to human activity driven by a “predatory attitude” and the pursuit of short-term gain.