Only in the Philippines

I have just finished watching Crash. Since most of the movie shows people driving around, I can't help but remember the weekend I spent in Subic.

Inside the former US naval base, traffic rules are strictly followed. Full stop intersections mean full stop. when it says first stop, first go, the next one to stop gives way to the one who stopped at the intersection first. And pedestrians stay inside the pedestrian lane.

It is only here in the Philippines where all good drivers inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone transform into monsters of the road when they get out.

Those who give way to pedestrians in the economic zone appear to want to roll over pedestrians when they get outside.

While in most places change comes after time, in my country change happens as soon as you cross the border.

New hype after the last stand

I have just finished watching X-Men: The Last Stand.



image linked to photobucket album of 4acesup

In the first part of X-Men, the mutants are slowing becoming known to humans. In the second installment of the trilogy(?) the mutants begin be viewed as enemies.

In the last(?) movie, humans have come to terms living together. They are recognized and respected as equals.

In the final scene, I saw Warren Worthington gliding over a park with a blond boy looking up at him.

And an idea struck me! My guess is boys will come up to their moms and dads say, "I wanna have wings like his!"

The next best discovery in the X-Men world after "The Cure" will be "The Mutator."

Commonwealth and communism

Commonwealth according to Wikipedia was derived from an English noun in the 15th century. The old meaning of wealth of wealth is well-being. Wikipedia further defines commonwealth as "... a state or nation-state governed for the common good ..."

Communism on the other hand is defined as a "... socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of a classless, stateless society based on ownership of the means of production."

By limiting the definitions of these two words, we can say that both have a, albeit, common meaning: equally for all.

Both forms of governing a nation has similar flaws. Classes exist under communism while the common good is not sought in commonwealths.

Those who defined these words meant how they are defined. Those who put these words to use, use them the way they believe it may be used.

If communism is implemented as I believe it should have been, the share of the leaders in the production income should be the same as those who labor in the fields.

If there is indeed a commonwealth, then there is no such terms as the privileged few or marginalized group.

I think all forms of governance have been crafted to answer the needs of a nation or state at that time. Implemented properly, it will serve its purpose. It is the implementers who sometimes loose sight of what they are supposed to do. and that is when the flaw is made.

Transfer of loss

I have been wanting to make this post for some time now.

When a person begins using counterfeits, they tend to transfer the lost value of that illegal tender from one person to another. What if the person using the money to pay products and services does not know the money he pays is fake? And what if the person receiving the money does not kwow this fact as well?

What results is a transfer of loss of value.

If I have a 100 peso bill and I use it to pay 100 pesos worth of products whose net value is 90 pesos, I give the vendor an income loss of 10 pesos and an asset loss of 90 pesos.

If that vendor then uses the fake 100 peso bill to give change to a customer, the vendor transfers the 100 peso loss of value to the customer.

This goes on and on and on until someone discovers that the bill is fake.

But the loss will not end there.

The last owner of the bill when it was rejected finds out that the bill is fake, that person will just keep the bill, keep the knowledge to himself and probably use the bill to pay another vendor or person and so the cycle continues.

In this manner, as more and more counterfeit are injected into the monetary system, the loss of value increases.

And by sheer chance that all legal tender are lost or destroyed and only counterfeit money circulates, that is the time when loss of value is cancelled out. By that time, the counterfeit money will have value equivalent to the legel tender it represents. Nobody else will claim a fake money is fake because everyone will be using fake money. And fake money is cheaper to produce than real money.

So, how about it, will we replace all the money that we have with those that are fake because the fakes can be used to pay for a value it represents and cost our central banks less?

You decide...

Motherboards available

During my search for the next available motherboard / mainboard for my laptop, I dicovered two manufacturers whose mobo/mainboards are highly available -- HP and IBM.

My laptop broke about a year ago when her overworked mainboard failed to function. I tried to have it repaired with the authorized repair center but unfortunately they could not salvage it. It is four months beyond warranty so I will have to shell out have the acquisition cost for a new board.

Broken hearted, I tried with our office IT technicians. They too could not fix it. I discovered a repair center that offers mainboard repair and a no-fix, no-pay service. It too can't make any repairs. Unfortunately for me, there are no available 2nd hand replacement boards.

A year since then, I discovered a new repair center with the same offer. They too do not have any replacement boards but they will try to fix my laptop's board.

In both places, and in several auction and web-based buy and sell sites, I found out that the most common laptop mainboards that can be found are from HP or IBM.

What does this mean? It could mean either of the following:

1. HP and IBM mainboards last long
2. HP and IBM are the most bought units
3. HP and IBM laptops get old fast so the units are discarded and the mainboards salvaged
4. HP and IBM laptop peripherals break up easily
5. There is a surplus of HP and IBM mainboards

You choose.

Separation of Church and State

After much thought, I am now a firm believer of the separation of the Church and State.

Here is the situation:

1. In the Philippines, for example, the country is run by a civilian government elected by its citizens.
2. Majority of Filipinos are Christians.
3. Most Christians are Roman Catholics.
4. Roman Catholic churches are headed by Filipino priests.
5. Filipino priests have direct connections to the Vatican, the nerve center of the church.
6. The Vatican is a city-state.

I therefore conclude that Filipino priests are dual citizens. They become dual citizens when they enter the seminary since it is run by the Catholic Church.

Now, I believe that when priests meddle into the affairs of the State, it is similar to the Vatican meddling with the affairs of the Philippine government.

Finally, I expect the Catholic church to be more of a guide to its flock. A shepherd. I believe that the priests should guide the people based on what is taught in the bible. Priests should not lead protest rallies and incite discontent.

For what is a church when sinners have nowhere to go for penitence or to seek refuge from?

Portable power sources

Just imagine when batteries were not discovered.

First there was the use of heat for power. We had candles, lamps, and steam-powered power plants.

With the introduction of fuel engines, we replaced steam turbines with diesel plants. These power homes and run appliances and other electronic equipment. But you can only use your gadgets when you are within reach of an electrical outlet.

So, what will those with bright minds do?

They will have to extend that "reach." And to do so, extension cords will be developed. The longer the cord, the farther the reach. This brings you outside of your own home and around the block.

The engineering race then will be focused on having the longest, lightest, and toughest extension cords to keep you connected and keep things running.

Then portability sets in. Portable power plants will be manufactured. These come in form of smaller power generators to power buildings. Then smaller ones will come in to power smaller buildings. Then even smaller ones to power homes.

With all these power plants, you will still need an extension cord.

And now comes the mobile generators. Generators mounted on large four tired trolleys. Then they will come in four wheeled (smaller wheels), then probably three, then two. By this time you will have generators mounted on two-wheeled traveling trolleys.

More compact and handy generators will come. They will then be mounted on man portable packs that you can lug around without having to worry about your trolley wheels falling on potholes.

And finally, there will be generators on belt bags and for ultra portability, pocket generators. These latest ones will come with exhaust pipes dangling from your pockets.

So, how about that? If we never discovered batteries, we might have reduced toxic wastes. Our only remaining means of environmental concern that comes with electrical power will be nauseous fumes.

Have a nice day!