Uncommon Sense

As I ponder the back and forth and up and down in my surroundings and the whole world, a book from my library falls into my hand: Peter Cochrane's Uncommon Sense with the subtitle Out of the box thinking for an in the box world.

"Peter Cochrane is one of our most far-sighted visionaries, and brings brilliant clarity and focus to our understanding of ourselves and our technologies, and of how profoundly each is transforming the other." describes Douglas Adams, author of  The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In Uncommon Sense, Peter Cochrane's follow up to the radical 108 Tips for Time Traveller.  Peter explains how very simple analysis allows the prediction of such debacles as the 3G auction and the subsequent collapse of an industry, whilst simple-minded thinking is dangerous in the context of a world that is predominantly chaotic and out of control.

People balked when Peter suggested a wholesale move to eWorking, the rise of email and text messaging, and the dotcom regime mirroring the boom and bust cycle of the industrial revolution. His predictions of the use and growth of mobile devices and communication, or use of chip implants for humans to replace ID cards, passports, and medical records, or iris scanners and fingerprint readers - were all seen as unlikely. Today they are a reality.

I don't know how you feel nowadays, my dear readers. As christian the bible -and here especially Proverbs help me a lot. As I mentioned in one of my previous write ups, Proverbs is probably the most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its education prepares you for the street and the market place - somehow out of the box thinking for an in the box world, too.

Proverbs offers the warm advice you get by growing up in a good family and for successfully making your way in the world. It covers small questions as well as large: talking too much, visiting friends and neighbors too often or being unbearably cheerful too early  in the morning. Proverbs simply tells how life works most of the time.

People, and count me in, love to quote Proverbs, which often express truth about life in an elegant, witty kernel. You'll find more humor in Proverbs than anywhere else in the bible. And humor often seems to have passed in these days and age.

Typical Filipino (XIV) - Typisch Philippinisch (IV): Numbers - Zahlen

 

Einige Filipinos gehen vorsichtig mit der Zahl 13 um und werden bei Einladungen darauf achten, daß nicht 13 Personen am Tisch versammelt sind, da dies wahrscheinlich Unglück bringen würde. Die Anzahl der Stufen zum Haupteingang des Hauses sollte nicht durch drei teilbar sein. Zählen Sie ORO, PLATA, MATA (Gold, Silber, Tod), während Sie die Stufen hinabgehen, Ihr letzter Schritt sollte nicht MATA enden.

Some Filipinos are careful with the numbers 13 and will make sure when invitations are not 13 people around the table, as this would likely bring bad luck. The number of steps to the main entrance of the house should not be divisible by three. Just count ORO, PLATA, MATA = gold, silver, death, while your are going down. Your last step should not end up with DEATH.

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS (XIV)

 

Chapter XIV: Many unbelievable surprises but also a sad one 

"Immediately leave the territory of the German Democratic Republic!" The tone of the border guards was very perched. We had spread our picnic basket and blanket on a meadow and were just about to start eating. "Don't see that our state border is meters away from the wall?" The voices were getting louder and louder. We quickly packed up our things and were allowed to leave. 

From now on we always had big problems when we were on the transit highways from West Berlin to West Germany. There were hours of waiting for us at the East German  checkpoints. There was no other choice for us, after all, we wanted to visit my mother in West Germany - ca. 500 km away from Berlin.

Another very well known visitor arrived in the Philippine Community in Berlin: Cardinal Jaime Sin -  instrumental in the People’s Revolution. Jaime L. Sin (born 1928) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served in the Philippines. He was instrumental in the defeat of the Marcos regime in 1986 (during the EDSA Revolution, aka People Power Revolution).  Jaime L. Sin, was born in the town of New Washington, Aklan, in the Visayan Islands of the Philippines on August 21, 1928. 

Rossana had meanwhile passed her C2-German Language Test. We decided that she should apply for German citizenship. We loved to travel. But it meant that she had to apply for a visa for every country we wanted to travel for. So we found ourselves again at the Spanish Embassy for our vacation trip to our favorite island: Gran Canaria.

We were astonished how many Filipinas and Filipinos lived on this wonderful Spanish island in front of the West African coast. We got to know Luzviminda - star dancer in a Filipino ethnic dance group. There were indescribable moments. Luzviminda and Rossana knew only one topic that they talked: dancing. 

In the meantime we were able to build up our own dance group: the New Manisan Dancegroup Berlin. 

Countless stage appearances followed - including our first TV show "Mabuhay" with me as a somewhat stuttering and bumby host. Thank goodness it wasn't a live broadcast.

Then came the very sad event: Rossana, three months pregnant, lost our first child. "If I'm not allowed to dance at the moment, I'll help you with your work", she replied with a few tears in her eyes. Said and done: layouting and proofreading - she really was a tremendous help.

Ant then, the next Filipino statesman and later president Fidel V. Ramos and his wife came and visited the Philippine Community Berlin. Rossana and I met him six times - especially later during our numerous stays in Manila.

 During Ramos' stay in Berlin, we heard another awesome piece of news. President Cory Aquino had been invited by our chaplain Father Gene Bacareza to visit Berlin - and?

(To be continued!)

Senior Citizens vaccinated with Sinovac in DdO

The Provincial Government of Davao de Oro through the Provincial Health Office (PHO) started to roll out its vaccination program to the elderly on May 10, 2021.

 The four(4)-day vaccination roll-out successfully started and inoculated 38 senior citizens on its first day.

Among the group of elderly who was vaccinated this Tuesday is Adriano Juntilla, a senior citizen employee of the provincial government.

The 60-year-old said that he was thankful to be vaccinated as this will add protection for him at work and will prevent him from getting the Covid-19 virus.

 “Wala koy nabati nga lain human ko nabakunahan. Kani karun nga nabakunahan nako, dipensa na ni nako sa panahon ug unsa may mahitabo. Aduna pod koy mga higala nga akong danihon nga magpabakuna tungod kay dipensa ni daan sa atung kaugalingon ug dili napod magtakod takod sa lain ang virus.” said Adriano Juntilla.

 Each senior citizen underwent a medical screening and counseling prior to the vaccination. Inoculated individuals were also monitored in the post vaccination area for any adverse events after getting the shot of the vaccine.

 PHO targets 100 individuals to be vaccinated today, not only limited to the elderly, but also to medical front-liners who will have their second dose of the Sinovac Vaccine. (Jasteen Abella, Information Division, Davao de Oro, photos by Joeffrey Mamayabay)

WHEN OUR LIFE SEEMS SENSELESS

"In this world there are only two tragedies," said Oscar Wilde. "one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." This paradoxical proverb has often proved true.

Many people think that if they only had more money they would be happy. Howard Hughes was the world's richest man when he was only 45 years old. Twenty years later, at sixty five, he still had all his money but was probably the world's most miserable man. He had retreated from society, living in small dark rooms in different hotels and keeping all the sun out. He was dirty , his beard grew down to his waist, and his hair fell down his back. His fingernails were two inches long. His huge body had shrunk to nothing.

In today's pandemic times many people are also asking themselves about the meaning of life. I don't need to go into that any further here. Everyone knows. Everyone may experience it themselves or find it in their families and surroundings. Yes, the pandemic is far from over, even if there are the first openings and losses here and there.

"What is the point of life?" people are asking. You work hard, and many times someone else gets the credit. You struggle to be good, and evil people take advantage of you. You are in a great situation and accumulate money, and it just goes to spoiled fellow men and women. You seek pleasure, but it turns sour on you. And everyone - rich or poor, good or evil, meets the same end. We all die. 

I found Ecclesiastes in my bible. A book for our time. Ecclesiastes strikes a responsive chord. No century has seen so much progress, and yet such despair. What is the purpose of life anyway? Is there any ultimate meaning? I even asked myself all these questions, since some people around me passed away during the last weeks. 

A key phrase in this book, "under the sun", describes the world lived on one level, apart from God and without any belief in the afterlife. If you live on that level, you may well conclude that life is meaningless. 

Ecclesiastes attracts extreme reactions. Novelist Thomas Wolfe said of it, "Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound."

It's really true. Please check it out and try to read it. And find out for yourself if life really seems so meaningless!

Scammers now target intelligent users

 

by Art Samaniego, Manila Bulletin

The number of social media users recently scammed, hacked, and even harassed online is alarming. While cyber crime victims before were the clueless titos and titas, now, journalists, doctors, teachers, and even those in the religious communities have fallen to the more sophisticated forms of scams. We could see now the impact of cyber crime across all ages and spectrum of society.

My job as the Tech Editor and Information and Communications Technology head of Manila Bulletin has made me the unofficial 24/7 tech support guy for my friends. Just last week, I got urgent messages from five of my friends asking about different cyber security issues.

I always tell my friends to be careful when clicking links from emails. Scammers could convincingly copy websites to look the same as the real ones. Check the URL before clicking, hover the cursor on top of the link, check the lower-left corner of your browser. If you don’t recognize the URL, don’t proceed.

Never trust Facebook-sponsored posts immediately. Facebook allows scammers to target you using its platform. If a sponsored post asks you to log in to your account, it’s a scam. Don’t proceed. If you see these scam ads, it means the scammers target you. Using the Facebook algorithm, the scammers know that you are more likely to click their sponsored post.

These are the messages I got from my friends. With the help of some members of the Phillippine Hacking University (PHU) group, we recovered three Facebook and one Instagram accounts. Read on and learn how not to be a victim of cyber scams.

Scammers are out there waiting for your to make that mistake of clicking and engaging with them.

Question: I got a private message asking me to post an article through an instant Facebook article. He will pay 60 dollars per published article and 120 dollars for videos. Is this legit?

Answer: That’s a scam. It happened before. A struggling Facebook page immediately grabbed what seems to be an opportunity. Instead of getting that 60-dollars for the article and 120-dollars for the video, the scammers took over the page. If you agree, the scammers will then ask you to give them access to your Business Manager Account, don’t!. Giving permission will provide them with authority to kick you out as owner/admin of your page.

Question: I got a message that says my Facebook account would be verified and have that blue check after my name. I need to follow the instruction and install an app from someone who claims to be from Facebook.

Answer: That’s a scam. Facebook will never ask you to install an app to verify your account. Be careful. Third-party apps you would install could not only compromise your social media account but also take over your computer.

Question: I got a message from a friend that says I won a government agency raffle. I need first to send PhP 28,500.50 for a tax clearance fee to get the one million-peso prize.

Answer: That’s a scam. Never believe a message like this or its variants. Sometimes, scammers would use your friend’s account to ask for money from you. Never send anything. Verify first if it is really from your friend or that agency who said that you won something.

Question: I think hackers compromised my Facebook account. Someone is accessing it without asking permission. What would I do?

Answer: If you’re worried about the security of your FB account, go to

 https://www.facebook.com/hacked. Facebook will walk you through how to change your password if you think your account is compromised. After following all the instructions, immediately activate the 2FA feature to add an extra layer of protection to your account.

Question: I got a message saying that he has access to my email. As proof, he gave me the old password that I used for my account. He told me that he would forward my incriminating messages and photos to my friends and family if I won’t pay US$100 using bitcoin.

Answer: This is a scam. These criminals usually get email addresses from compromised databases. A breach like this is not your fault. To secure your email, you need to change your password regularly. It would be best to use a password that you could easily remember but difficult for hackers to guess. Don’t worry. A message like this is a scam, and the sender has no access to your email.

Remember, always think before you click.

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS (XIII): Philippines, we are coming!

 Chapter XIII: Philippines, we are coming!

"Do you actually know that we will be flying in two weeks?" My question to Rossana caused an unbelievable hectic. A little later I was also very nervous. But where are our tickets? An express letter with our tickets reached us two days before our departure. A big stone fell from our hearts ... .

Berlin - Frankfurt, Frankfurt - Singapore, Singapore - Manila with Singapore Airlines, and finally Manila - Davao with Philippine Airlines. Finally, after four weeks, we were on our way to Rossana's home. And it was our fourth wedding anniversary. That had "fatal consequences". A stewardess had noticed that we were toasting each other over a glass of champagne. "Sir, Ma-am, is it okay for you, if you transfer to the First-Class-Section?", she asked. "We would like to prepare you a particularly pleasant flight from Singapore to Manila on your very special occasion!" We felt on cloud 9 again... .

Six wonderful weeks with Rossana's family followed. The negative news from previous letters quickly dissipated. The first time the thought occurred to me what it would be like to be able to live forever in the Philippines. I started to love typical Filipino dishes. Yes, even "balut"!

During that vacation, I met journalist, columnist, and book author Antonio "Tony" Figueroa. An amazing writer. I didn't know then that Toni and I would both be columnists in Mindanao Times starting in 2003.

At the farewell party many tears flowed again. We had to promise our family to come back after two years at the latest. That happened in 1989 together with four of our best German friends.

Back in Berlin I got to know another Filipino tradition: car blessing. Father Hermogenes "Gene" E. Bacareza blessed our new car, our Sunny. 

During that time, Father Gene told me about his plan to publish two magazines for Filipinos - one in English (Ang Mabuhay) and one in German (Deutsch-Philippinischer Informationsspiegel Berlin). I was very excited and loved to work with him. His book about German-Filipino Relations greatly guided me in my work.

Rossana loved the nature of Berlin and its surroundings more and more, even if our excursions by bike often reached their limits. The Berlin Wall, which enclosed the entire city of West Berlin, stopped us several times. 

Often, the exact boundary course between West Berlin and the German Democratic Republic was not identified for us. We were with our bikes on a dark forest path in the north of West Berlin, the so-called "Eiskeller" (Ice Cave). Suddenly uniformed and armed border guards were standing in front of us.

(To be continued!)

Typical Filipino (XIII) - Typisch Philippinisch (XIII): Filipino Time oder "Höfliche Verspätung" - Polite Delay

Sie werden zu einer Party in einem privaten Haus eingeladen. Da das Fest um sieben Uhr abends beginnen soll, kommen Sie auf die Minute genau an - nur um die Gastgeberin mit Lockenwicklern und im Bademantel anzutreffen - peinlich berührt von Ihrer buchstäblichen Pünktlichkeit. Sie haben die Gastgeber im wörtlichen Sinne "im Hemd stehend" überrascht.

Auf die Minute pünktlich der Tür stehen, läßt den Gast gierig und lechzend nach dem verlockenden Essen erscheinen. Es ist üblich, immer später zu kommen - vielleicht 15 bis 30 Minuten später. Andererseits ist übliches Erscheinen angebracht bei geschäftlichen oder offiziellen Terminen, wenn auch in etwas lockerem Zeitrahmen als in Europa.

Have you ever had an appointment set at 10:00 in the morning, and as you hurry your way so as not to be late, you find out that the one you’re meeting with wouldn’t be there for an hour or so? Isn’t it infuriating?

In other countries, that’s simply called “late.” In the Philippines, it’s called “Filipino time.”

Filipino time means being minutes to hours late compared to the standard time. It’s like having our own clock, albeit aware that the right time is the World Standard Time.

In our defense, not all Filipinos are usually late. (Promise!) There are still people who arrive in meetings punctually, although ‘being late’ has become a stereotype to Filipinos already. Historians say that this attitude recounts back to the idea of siesta by the Spaniards that is still present today.

 

 

Many factors are attributed to being late in the Philippines. The number one perennial problem is traffic. In this lifetime, about thousands of people may have reasoned out traffic as an excuse for being late as it has always been an everyday dilemma for both commuters and car owners. However, it’s still not an acceptable reason because one can always estimate the travel time and leave earlier than usual. But then again, there may still be other factors to consider such as vehicular accidents or emergencies.

Aside from being late because of traffic, some people choose to be late. And that’s called “fashionably late.” It is not (and never will be) an acceptable reason if it is for an appointment, but it’s somehow acceptable to events such as parties. Imagine having a dramatic entrance at a party with your chic clothes only to find out there’s no one to appreciate it—because you were there before everyone else arrived. Sad, right?

Being late is not a nice trait. And it’s even sadder that it’s being named ‘Filipino time’ even if people from other countries are late just like everybody else. But instead of conforming to the ‘”Filipino Time,” why not change the system? Be there on time, and be strict when you set a schedule. This way, you can help destroy the concept of lateness in the Philippines and be the first one to exemplify punctuality in your office. Let everyone follow because now’s the right time to be on time—not after thirty minutes, and definitely not later than that.

What's better than a community pantry?

NOT YOUR ORDINARY COMMUNITY PANTRY — A moving pantry in Cataggaman Nuevo, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan delivers food to families using a “kareta” pulled by a carabao. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Agriculture)

Tuguegarao's 'moving pantry', that's what

by Betheena Unite

Manila Bulletin

In a village up north, a community pantry literally goes out of its way to reach more vulnerable families. Using a “kareta”–a traditional cart pulled by a carabao–a group of youth leaders in Cataggaman Nuevo, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan delivers at their doorstep food and other goods to families who cannot go outdoors due to community lockdowns.

Enteng Zingapan, chairperson of the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) of Cataggaman Nuevo, decided to convert the stationary community pantry he set up on April 20 into a moving pantry after realizing that residents who lived far from him weren’t benefitting from the food drive.

“Actually, since it was stationary (pantry) only those who are near from us benefits. What about those who live from far the pantry,” he said.

Zingapan said he and his fellow youth leaders eventually came up with the idea of a “moving pantry” using the kareta as the mode of transportation. Now they can deliver fruits, vegetables and other food supplies to the most underserved families in their city.

The federation has purchased vegetables from the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita in Carig Sur in Tuguegarao City.

“Bumili kami ng (We bought) sayote, ampalaya, talong, puso ng saging, sitaw, dahon ng kamote, bawang,” Zingapan said, adding that they expect to reach a total of 152 families.

The moving pantry also aims to curb the possible transmission of the coronavirus disease when flocking to a stationary community pantry, Zingapan stressed.

Meanwhile, the DA’s Agribusiness Assistance and Marketing Division(AMAD) has linked Zingapan’s group to local farmers’ cooperatives and associations in order to facilitate bulk orders of vegetables that would end up on their pantry.

“It is necessary to link them to our local farmers, as we assure that both parties will benefit from our Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita. Our campaign still exists as it will boost collaboration,” said AMAD Chief Ma. Rosario Paccarangan.

THE WORRIER TAKES IT ALL

Really? Do you let the worrier take over your life and your present situation? A pessimist, a worrier, an alarmist, a license dodger, name it whomever you like. Call some, they are all between us. Maybe her or she or even you?

We hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don't have to do all that counting - computers do it for us. Information is easily had. Especially during these terrible times of pandemic.

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn't just knock - it jiggles the door-knob. and "your friend" - the worrier, is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, right? We have time and opportunities to do almost anything. So why haven't we done it? We have the freedom of bondage or restraint, every one of us in his or her very special unique way - but, we're still our old inferior selves.

The job is boring. Even at the present home office. I don't get a good job. The house is an unpleasant mixture of tidy and dirty things. It's a mess. I'm not in the mood to arrange my garden. I can't afford a gardener. That's life. How sad. No, it's not my fault; or course not.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and horrible negativism. Right now because of the pandemic. Yes, I confess, I'm also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me. Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being sounded.

The overbearing person, who tyrannizes the weak, who wants to dominate and to bluster, is simply nothing else than a worrier, who claims to be a friend. But he or she isn't. Really not! The bullying of fellow citizens by means of dread and fright has been going on since Paleolithic times. The night wolf is eating the moon. Give me silver and I'll make him spit out.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead of our woe? Worrying itself is pointless. Of course, no society has achieved perfectly rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let's seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

If you are still worrying right now about something, try to read Jeremiah 29:10-14 or Revelation 21:1-8, just to mention these two. It works. And in my opinion: Let Jesus take over. 

No, I don't give up... .And you shouldn't give up too!