Europe swelters in record-breaking June heatwave

By Agence France-Presse

PARIS: France and other western European nations sweltered over the weekend under a blistering June heatwave that has sparked forest fires and concerns such early summer blasts of hot weather will now become the norm.

The weekend's soaring temperatures were the peak of a June heatwave in line with scientists' predictions that such phenomena will now strike earlier in the year thanks to global warming.

The popular French southwestern seaside resort of Biarritz saw its highest all-time temperature Saturday afternoon of 42.9 degrees Celsius (109.2 degrees Fahrenheit) state forecaster Meteo France said as authorities urged vigilance from the central western coast down to the Spanish border.

Many parts of the region surpassed 40C, although storms were expected on the Atlantic coast on Sunday evening -- the first signs that the stifling temperatures will "gradually regress to concern only the eastern part of the country," the weather service reported.

Queues of hundreds of people and traffic jams formed outside aquatic leisure parks in France, with people seeing water as the only refuge from the devastating heat.

With the River Seine off limits to bathing, scorched Parisians took refuge in the city's fountains.

And at Vincennes Zoo in the capital's outskirts, shaggy-haired lions licked and pawed at frozen blood fed to them by zookeepers, who monitored the enclosure's animals for signs of dehydration under the scorching sun.

"This is the earliest heatwave ever recorded in France" since 1947, said Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Meteo France, as June records fell in a dozen areas, leading him to call the weather a "marker of climate change."

Europe braces for blistering June weekend

In a major incident in France, a fire triggered by the firing of an artillery shell in military training in the Var region of southern France was burning some 200 hectares (495 acres) of vegetation, local authorities said.

"There is no threat to anyone except 2,500 sheep who are being evacuated and taken to safety," said local fire brigade chief Olivier Pecot.

The fire came from the Canjeurs military camp, the biggest such training site in Western Europe.

Fire services' work was impeded by the presence of non-exploded munitions in the deserted area, but four Canadair planes were deployed to water bomb the fires.

Daniel Toffaloni, a 60-year-old farmer near the southern city of Perpignan, now only works from "daybreak until 11:30 am" and in the evening, as temperatures in his tomato greenhouses reach a sizzling 55C.

Forest fires in Spain on Saturday had burned nearly 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of land in the northwest Sierra de la Culebra region.

The flames forced several hundred people from their homes, and 14 villages were evacuated.

Some residents were able to return on Saturday morning, but regional authorities warned the fire "remains active".

Firefighters were still battling blazes in several other regions, including woodlands in Catalonia.

Temperatures above 40C were forecast in parts of the country on Saturday -- with highs of 43C expected in the northeastern city of Zaragoza.

There have also been fires in Germany, where temperatures were forecast to go as high as 40C on Saturday but only reached 36C. A blaze in the Brandenburg region around Berlin had spread over about 60 hectares by Friday evening.

The UK recorded its hottest day of the year on Friday, with temperatures reaching over 30C in the early afternoon, meteorologists said.

"I think at the moment people are just enjoying it being hot but if it gets any hotter than this, which I think it is meant to, then that's a concern," said Claire Moran, an editor in London.

Several towns in northern Italy have announced water rationing and the Lombardy region may declare a state of emergency as a record drought threatens harvests.

Italy's dairy cows were putting out 10 percent less milk, the main agricultural association, Coldiretti, said Saturday.

With temperatures far above the cows' "ideal climate" of 22-24C, animals were drinking up to 140 litres of water per day, double their normal intake, and producing less due to stress, it said.

Experts warned the high temperatures were caused by worrying climate change trends.

"As a result of climate change, heatwaves are starting earlier," said Clare Nullis, a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva.

"What we're witnessing today is unfortunately a foretaste of the future" if concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise and push global warming towards 2C from pre-industrial levels, she added.

Negativity kills

Sometimes, we feel our life is turning miserably. Our negativity doesn’t allow us to keep our eyes, ears and, most importantly, our minds, hearts and souls opened. We’re reaching our breaking point.

As I said several months ago here: this breaking point can be the prelude to our strongest moment. It is when we reach our breaking point, that we discover our real strength. Allow me to ask you, my dear readers, “What happens to you or with you when you reach your breaking point?” Do you face it, or do you run away?

I’ll be giving you a very simple answer: If you face it, you break it. If you run away (and/or close your ears, eyes, and mouth) – it surely breaks you!

Every day, a dull reality! Many of us will answer this question with a big YES! Actually, we do like to cover a newborn’s day already with a grey veil. Each day has a new face, but sometimes we don’t have the strength to watch its countenance. Of course, not every day has adventures and highlights.

But we enjoy quarreling and arguing. With other people and even with ourselves.

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that, at the same time, seemed especially desolating and painful with a particular satisfaction. Indeed, everything I have learned, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness.

If it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from your earthly existence, the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable.

By observation, we can feel that many of us need help to manage our everyday life. We need something that would keep us going as we journey through life. Many times, we can also learn from other people and their experiences.

Blue eyed or very philosophical but so very true: If the world is to be brought to order, a nation must be first changed.  If the nation isn’t changed, my hometown is to be reordered and must first be set right, my dear brothers and sisters. And one step further: If my family is to be regenerated, I MYSELF MUST FIRST BE!

And here is one more thing: Affection is the humblest love – it gives itself no airs. It lives with humble and private things: soft slippers, old clothes, old jokes, and the thump of a sleepy dog’s tail on the kitchen floor. The glory of affection, the disposition of mind, the good will and tender attachment, is that it can unite those who are not “made for one and another,” people. Who, if not out down by fate in the same household or community, would have nothing to do with one and another.

For me life has been a thing of ups and downs in approximately equal measure. I don’t have something sensational to report every day about my progress. Often, I wonder if fulfillment in life is necessarily tied to change for the better.

Zahlungsausfall vermeiden: So melden Rentner neue Anschrift

Umziehen, aber richtig: Rentnerinnen und Rentner sollten dem Renten Service einen Ortswechsel mitteilen, sonst droht der Zahlungsausfall. 

Ob in eine altersgerechte Wohnung oder das einstige Feriendomizil: Es ist keine Seltenheit, im Alter noch mal umzuziehen. Wichtig dabei ist, dass man der Rentenstelle den Ortswechsel anzeigt.

 Bei einem Umzug sollten Rentner und Rentnerinnen daran denken, auch dem Renten Service der Deutschen Post ihre neue Adresse mitzuteilen. Das gilt unabhängig davon, ob Ruheständler innerhalb Deutschlands oder ins Ausland umziehen. Andernfalls droht der vorübergehende Verlust der Bezüge, heißt es von der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Bund in Berlin.

Die weitere Rentenzahlung wird zunächst gestoppt.

Um die Rente auszahlen zu können, benötigt der Renten Service die aktuelle Adresse des Rentners. Wird diese nach einem Umzug nicht mitgeteilt und kann sie auch nach einem Rücklauf der Rentenanpassungsmitteilung nicht ermittelt werden, stoppt der Renten Service zunächst die weitere Rentenzahlung. Nur so können Überzahlungen vermieden werden. Melden sich Betroffene dann mit ihrer neuen Adresse beim Renten Service, wird die Zahlung fortgesetzt.

(C) 2022 Merkur-de

What are Filipinos like?

Bisaya

Proud Bisaya Ko

Filipinos are some of the most friendly, hospitable people you will ever meet. They are always quick to help out a stranger, and they love to celebrate. There are few things that Filipinos enjoy more than a good party, and they are always ready to dance, sing, and eat. Filipinos are also incredibly proud of their culture and heritage.They are quick to tell you about their country's history, and they are happy to share their traditions with anyone interested. If you want to experience the genuine warmth and hospitality of the Filipino people, there is no better way than to visit the Philippines yourself. You will quickly see why Filipinos are known as some of the most welcoming people in the world.

About the Author

Bisaya

Proud Bisaya Ko

Pinoy Podcaster

Lived in Iligan City

Active in 2 Spaces

Knows Cebuano

What is the strongest tribe in the Philippine archipelago before the Spaniards arrived?

Dayang Marikit

Philippine History Professor

There we’re tribes in the deep mountainous interiors of the islands, but the most powerful cultures in the archipelago were not tribal.

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Based on archeological evidence, it seems that Manila bay polities always has some form of influence over the archipelago. We could see this in the Laguna Copperplate, where it seems that Tondo had political influence as far as Dewata in Butuan.

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By the time of Spanish contact they also mentioned that Manila had a monopoly of the archipelago’s trade, thus making the other polities in the archipelago almost completely dependent on Manila. It is important to note that by around this time, Tondo had become more of a port town, and its leader (Lakandula) was said to be more of a port supervisor than an actual ruler, most of the political power was concentrated in Manila. Chinese products would enter the port of Tondo and be transported to Manila, from where these products would be redistributed across the islands.

Based on Spanish accounts, when the Spaniards arrived in Butuan, they attempted to trade with the locals, but merchants from Manila ordered the locals not to deal with the Spaniards unless it was silver that was being traded. The Spaniards were also able to settle in Cebu because of Manila Moro interpreters who helped them make deals with the local rulers, then when the Spaniards almost starved to death in Cebu, Manila Moros brought them food and supplies. A Spaniard also mentioned that there was a powerful Moro ruler in Manila who was well known throughout the islands and that he was obeyed as little less than a king. Manila had basically woven a trading colony or a trading empire prior to Spanish colonization, and the Spaniards actually based their colony on Manila’s network.

The Spaniards also relied on the local blacksmiths in Manila to manufacture cannons for them, this is because they were already knowledgeable about cannon-making, even before European contact.

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The main takeaway here is that Manila monopolized trade in the archipelago and that made the other polities become very reliant on them. The Spaniards also relied on Manila to make their own colony. In my opinion, that makes Manila the most powerful political entity by the time of Spanish contact.

• The Spaniards were able to settle in Cebu with the help of Manila Moros, but the Spaniards still wanted to move to Manila. I think that gives you an idea about how wealthy and attractive Manila was.

TO MAKE SOMEONE SMILE

When did you make someone smile lastly, my dear reader? Maybe you think that this is hardly the time to do so right now. Understandable, if we consider today’s global and national situation. 

Honestly, it seems we have no more time and no reason for laughter if we look around. That can wait until tomorrow or better until the day after tomorrow. Anticipation is better… .

Our enemies laugh up their sleeves, and most of the time we miss to recognize the fortune still smiling at us. But hold on: he who laughs last laughs longest. Remember?

American neurologist Henri Rubenstein says, laughter lowers high blood pressure while aiding digestion and fostering sleep. Well, give me even a simple smile and believe in what  experts say: “Good humor can help the gravely or terminally ill to hear their ordeal”.

Of course, if we look around us these days, we might really not roar with laughter or split our sides laughing. Or even more than this! Have you heard about the incident at the Danish Imperial Theatre in Copenhagen/Denmark sometime during the 1980’s, when a spectator died of a heart attack while watching the movie “A Fish Called Wanda” starring John Cheese of my favorite Great Britain’s Monty Python Comedy Team? Sure, a heart attack is indeed not funny, and honestly, I still love to watch this movie on Youtube.

Well, even if we think we don’t have reasons to laugh,we should try to express mirth spontaneously, and we should try to be merry or gay. We still have reasons to start with the softest form of audible laughter – the vocalized smile. This is what I learned and experienced from the first moment on while travelling in Asia since 1978, and being an expat living in the Philippines since 1999 for good. Keep smiling – even you are overloaded with huge problems.

Experts also say good humor works because it helps people feel easier in mind. The French psychotherapist Sylvie Tenenbaum stressed that, in her patients, laughter often signals the dawning of a wholesome awakening to reality. Gallow humor might be dubious in the eyes of others. But try to sing out loud, try to cry, but try to laugh!

Give a genuine compliment. Say ‘thank you’. Spark up a conversation with an old friend, either over the phone or 6 ft away. Send someone a meaningful song. Run an errand for someone. Tip a little extra. Do chores for your family or roommates. Bring someone a coffee.

As a devout Christian, I love reading the bible. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 say: “There is a time for everything … a time to be born and a time to die ,,, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh!” 

And, very important – Psalms always help. The cries from the heart – the songs for sorrow as well as joy. For every emotion and mood, you can find a psalm to match. They wrestle with the deepest sorrow. Their voice is refreshingly spontaneous.

A blessing named ‘father’

by Manila Bulletin

Through the years, and with the melding of cultures of the east and the west, a father has taken on more non-traditional roles. To his children, he’s become father and mother, brother and sister, playmate and competitor, provider and teacher, cook and taste-tester, life coach and friend. Sometimes he is at the “driver’s seat” of a family’s journey. Other times, he is the passenger and back-seat driver.

In any role, to his children, a father is just “tatay,” “daddy,” or “papa” — no matter if he is a CEO, or staff member of a company, if he is an elected official, or the barangay kagawad of a city, or if he is breadwinner or house-husband.

With Father’s Day just days away, it’s a time to celebrate the many roles of a father — biological or figurative — in our lives. Was he the bread-winner who provided for all the family’s needs, including tuition for graduate studies? The disciplinarian who limited one’s social life? Or the soft heart who over-ruled a strict mother’s rules? The hero who secretly “corrected” many wrong decisions? Or was he the family driver-on-call 24/7?

With a father’s many roles, one would expect him to be everywhere, including on social media. But today, it is not typical to read captions like — “He’s my father!” — declared openly in a social media account, or displayed by affection in a public place. Except on Father’s Day. It’s as if a father steps out of the picture when a child’s career takes over.

But a father will never leave the “picture” even of an adult child’s life; he will likely hover around. It is said that a father’s instinct to nurture and protect a child never goes away. In the extended Filipino family, it is an instinct also shared by father-figures like grandfathers, uncles or friends who have fulfilled a father’s role because of circumstances.

In Europe, the United States, and many countries around the world, the significance of fathers in people’s lives is celebrated every third Sunday of June.

In the Philippines, President Corazon C. Aquino signed on June 8, 1988, Proclamation No. 266 declaring every third Sunday of June as Father’s Day in the Philippines. (The same proclamation also declared every second Sunday of May as “Mother’s Day.”) That date had remained as Father’s Day even after another proclamation signed by President Joseph Estrada in 1998 had declared “the first Monday of December as ‘Mother’s Day’ and Father’s Day,” to return the traditional celebration on the date declared by a proclamation in 1921.

The “mother” of Father’s Day is a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who initiated the celebration of the day inspired by her father who raised six children after their mother died in childbirth, according to reports from history publications. The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father.

Sunday, June 19, is Father’s Day. There is time to write a tribute or greeting to the man who had helped develop the way you think and live today. If he’s not around, say a prayer. A father in one’s life is a blessing.

Chikungunya confirmed in Davao

By Ruth Palo, Manila Times

THE Davao City Health office has confirmed two cases of chikungunya in Barangay Ilang after test results arrived from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Metro Manila.

Ernie Cequiña, a nurse at the City Health Office (CHO) Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Unit, in a report from the City Information Office, said 16 more suspected cases of chikungunya were also recorded in the barangay (village).

Cequiña, however, added that the suspected 28 cases earlier reported in Barangay Panacan are still being verified.

The CHO Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Unit has intensified intervention efforts to control the Aedes mosquito species, the same species that carries dengue, in the area after the city confirmed its first case of chikungunya in Barangay Ilang on June 8, 2022.

Cequiña said the CHO responded with critical mosquito control measures, such as an awareness drive in the villages, Aedes aegypti larvae surveillance and fogging, and later conducted misting or indoor residual spraying.

Chikungunya symptoms are particularly difficult to determine as the patients usually manifest symptoms similar to those of dengue (fever, nausea, pain behind the eyes) but with more severe joint pains and early onset of skin rashes, he added.

According to Cequiña, the city remains steadfast in monitoring these cases and conducting intervention measures.

He, however, said protective measures, such as maintaining cleanliness of surroundings, remain the best method of preventing an outbreak.

Cequiña reminded Davaoeños to practice the 4S procedure; which stands for "Search and destroy" mosquito breeding grounds, practice "Self-protection" from mosquito bites, "Seek early medical consultation" and "Say yes" to community prevention and intervention measures.

Celebrate Father's Day with live orchestral music

For the first time after a two-year hiatus, the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), the MSO Junior Orchestra and the MSO Music Academy will be officially coming back to one stage, for a live concert in time for a Father's Day celebration.

Be captivated once again by the beauty of live orchestral music on June 19, 5 p.m. at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.

Papa Mia, a MSO Family Concert will highlight piano and violin ensemble pieces to be performed by the students of the MSO Music Academy.

This will be followed by favorite classical pieces from Mozart and Handel and Filipino folk songs performed by the MSO Junior Orchestra.

The highlight of the evening will be an awe-inspiring performance of popular movie theme pieces from "Themes from 007," "Mission Impossible," "The Avengers," "Mamma Mia" with modern classical tunes by the MSO, Asia's longest performing orchestra.

More people avoid 'depressing' news – report

By Agence France-Presse

THE depressing state of the world is leading people to switch off from the news, the Reuters Institute reported on Wednesday.

The combined impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war and cost-of-living crisis have led to declining interest in the news, a survey by the British research group found.

Across 46 countries surveyed and 93,000 participants, it found the share who said they actively avoided the news had increased from 29 to 38 percent since 2017.

The numbers doubled in some countries, including Brazil (54 percent) and Britain (46 percent).

Young people in particular found the news to be a downer, but the chief reason for avoiding the news was its repetitiveness, especially around Covid and politics.

"I actively avoid things that trigger my anxiety and things that can have a negative impact on my day," a 27-year-old British respondent told the researchers.

"I will try to avoid reading news about things like deaths and disasters."

Others said the news led to arguments they would rather avoid, or a feeling of powerlessness, while many young people said they found it hard to understand.

Lead author Nic Newman said the findings were "particularly challenging for the news industry."

"Subjects that journalists consider most important, such as political crises, international conflicts and global pandemics, seem to be precisely the ones that are turning some people away," he was quoted as saying.

Most of the study was completed before the invasion of Ukraine in February, but subsequent surveys in five countries found these issues had only deepened in its aftermath.

Trust in the media fell in half the countries surveyed, and rose in just seven, the report said, reversing gains made during the pandemic.

Overall, trust was at 42 percent, down from 44 percent when the media had a small positive bump from the pandemic.

The United States showed the lowest level of trust at 26 percent, tied with Slovakia.

Finland has the highest levels of overall trust — 69 percent — up four points on last year and 13 points in 2020. In Asia, trust has risen in the Philippines (+5) and Japan (+2). A survey conducted by Publicus Asia in April showed that The Manila Times was the sixth most trusted news outlet in the Philippines with a 34.8 percent trust rating.

CNN and GMA-7 were the most trusted, with 49.3 percent and 46.9 percent, respectively. They were followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and Manila Bulletin.