The Donald. The Newt.

One time while still living in New Jersey, a female acquaintance said that her one big crush in life is The Donald. She was referring to Donald Trump, the mega millionaire then, the billionaire now.

Mr. Trump, who is attempting again to become President of the United States, has not changed his approach, whether in business, politics or in his showbiz stunts. He is the bully, the strong guy.

I like Trump for his business wizardry. The guy is simply brilliant when it comes to real estate development and other business ventures.

But when it comes to his other stints, like his infamous rows with showbiz personalities like Rosie O'Donnel, the Fox' anchor woman, Megan Kelly and his un-popular remarks such as those regarding Mexican illegal immigrants, I simply cannot like.

The guy should just stick to real estate. Leave the Ms. Universe franchise and the Apprentice and other showbiz connections to others.

Don't seek out the U.S. presidency.  You are great being a real estate mogul. Don't cross the line.

Trump's nastiness reminds me of the Newt. Gingrich. He who was responsible for the shutdown  of government services (1995 - 1996) when the Republican- dominated Congress battled with Democratic President Bill Clinton over the passage of the national budget. 

According to wikipedia, "A 2010 Congressional Research Service report summarized other details of the 1995–1996 government shutdowns, indicating the shutdown impacted all sectors of the economy. Health and welfare services for military veterans were curtailed; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped disease surveillance; new clinical research patients were not accepted at the National Institutes of Health; and toxic waste cleanup at 609 sites was halted. Other impacts included: the closure of 368 National Park sites resulted in the loss of some seven million visitors; 200,000 applications for passports and 20,000 to 30,000 applications for visas by foreigners went unprocessed each day; U.S. tourism and airline industries incurred millions of dollars in losses; more than 20% of federal contracts, representing $3.7 billion in spending, were affected adversely^{. "}

President Aquino's 2015 State of the Nation Address (SONA)

He showed his audience, the combined House of Congress and Senate, guests, and the Filipino people that he is an economist by training.

He showed growth figures, and testimonials from individuals who had been aided by projects and programs that his administration had undertaken.

Critics raged that President Benigno S. Aquino attacked the previous administration of Gloria Arroyo-Macapagal again in showing his five-year administration accomplishments. But one has to compare in order to dramatically present the glowing differences.

Aquino won in his SONA 2015 ;  his figures looked impressive. For instance in the education field, his administration wiped out classroom deficiencies almost 100%.

In all other areas, health, energy, road and infrastructures, flood control, local and foreign investments, figures spoke volumes and displayed the country's economic growth, the highest in 40-60 years.

Certain sectors and politicians, and even some people interviewed talked about the wealth of the nation not trickling down to the majority of the masses. Where do they base this assumption?

President Aquino mentioned a Gallup Poll taken just recently which said that the Filipinos are the most optimistic people in the world when asked " how do you feel about the prospect of finding a job?"

I feel that when people who say they belong to the poor class (C/D/E) are asked if they are better off with the Aquino administration, and when they reply that they do not feel the economic growth which the administration boasts of, that these people will say this line over and over no matter who the President of the Philippines will be. And why is that?

The people who are mostly being interviewed are pedicab drivers, jobless people, and those who refuse to work - individuals who do not take advantage of other job opportunities and who refuse to improve their education or experience.

Take for instance a pedicab driver.  This guy would drive the pedicab and pay a boundary (fixed amount) to the owner of the vehicle, and pocket the remaining money. No matter who the President is, this pedicab driver would drive 8 - 10 hours a day, eat the same number of meals, and if he is married, feed the same number of children.  The fare may increase from year to year, but boundary will also increase from year to year, and gasoline will increase or decrease, negating any fare increases.  So basically, the pedicab driver will feel unchanged economically, unless he decides to seek another type of employment, save enough  money to buy his own pedicab so he keeps all income to himself,  or train for another job that will pay higher wages.

The maid who thinks working as a full-time maid (more in demand in the Philippiens) is demeaning and opts to be a stay-out-maid will soon find out that her salary is shrinking, no matter who the President is, because she gets to pay for house, utilities, and other bills that living out requires.

Those who engage in small businesses, (sari-sari store or convenience store, ambulant food operators, and other small scale business owners)  when interviewed said they felt the improvement in their economic situation under the Aquino administration. This is believable because national economic growth spells growth in consumer demand, and all that domino effect comes into play.

Mr. Aquino mentioned about the rising car ownership in the Philippines, which I also noticed months and months ago; young people working in the BPO industry are the avid car buyers. In shopping malls across Metro Manila, one will see car sales almost every month.  The down payments are affordable and so are the monthly amortizations; lending and financial institutions had been easing on their car loans.

Aquino's political opponents will deny to high heavens the accomplishments of his presidency; but growth, statistics

and everyday people's optimism point to confidence in this present administration's successes.

Mr. Aquino said it right, " the 2016 Presidential elections will be a referendum on his administration."
With people's confidence and optimism, I think Aquino's choice for President in 2016 will win.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! July 1, 2015

The End of the Tunnel

It was in the movie " Working Girl," which starred Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford that a business tycoon whose company was being taken over related a story. " At the end of a tunnel, a big truck got stuck and couldn't get out. Many vehicles behind him couldn't move out.  Cops and the driver were running out of solutions, until a small boy spoke, ' why not deflate the tires a bit.' They did and the truck got lower and was able to pass through the tunnel exit.

For many of us, weary travellers in the journeys of our lives, I am sure we have experienced many snags and jams and derails. Thinking of brilliant solutions to emotional, financial and physical situations, a lot of times, lead us to dead ends. But then a simple idea can bring us back to our feet.

Take the story of  Sir Richard Branson , the ultimate poster boy for school dropout turned good.

At 16, Richard Branson, who is dyslexic, left school and, with the help of a friend, founded a magazine for students. He made money by selling advertisements to local businesses and ran the operation out of the crypt inside a local church - the first of many enterprises.

But it wasn't until years later when he was in his late twenties that Sir Branson really started making his mark as the entrepreneur we know and love today.

According to legend, the youngster was on his way to the Virgin Islands to meet a pretty girl, and was impatient to get there.  But he was out of luck - on arrival at the airport he was told flights to the Virgin Islands had been cancelled. 

He decided to charter a private airplane, picked up a small blackboard, wrote 'Virgin Airlines: $29' on it, and sold the remaining seats to other people who had also meant to be on his flight. The idea for Virgin Atlantic was born.

Sir Branson's get-up-and-go attitude is an inspiration to start-ups across the world. It has not always been plain sailing and the billionaire has picked himself up after a number of failures throughout his career. But they have never stopped him.

His Virgin Group now holds more than 200 companies, including the recent Virgin Galactic, a space-tourism company - proving that if you're armed with a can-do mentality, anything is possible.

There are perhaps thousands of other stories which seemed so plain and simple, yet solved many big problems.

Pause. Think.

Ripples of Summer.

Summer is cruel in Manila. At 2 in the afternoon, it boils at 35 degrees Celsius.  It is only towards 6 in the evening when the City and its environs breath a sigh of relief.

Backyard summer haven

Due to unbearable heat, despite air conditioning, waking up at the ungodly hour of 4 am becomes acceptable.  At 4 in the morning, when the dawn creatures such as roosters are the only ones up and running, the weather hovers around the comfort zone. That's the time I decide to get up and brew myself a cup of coffee.

I picture in my mind the great writer Ernest Hemingway in his grand estate in far away Key West, Florida where he hied off during winter and savoured the summer-like weather of the South while he wrote To Have or Have Not in 1939. He must have been up at dawn, sipping coffee outside in the terrace, facing the light house fronting his estate.

Ernest Hemingway estate in Key West, Florida where he wrote To Have or Have Not

Hemingway, who lived and wrote in countless places such as Cuba, Paris Spain and Africa also lived and wrote in Toronto.

In my youth, our family travelled to the countryside during summer. Our house was wooden, of the two-storey type where windows were opened wide day and night. My grandmother's relatives cooked meals for us, the city kids, while we lazily lounged around or ran off to the forest and fields.

Our own version of the western cottage lake is the river in our backyard where village laundry women washed clothes and where native water buffalo called kalabao  soaked their burdened bodies. Here, we waded through, and sometimes took a quick dip.

Parks are everywhere in Ontario. Above, park in Niagara.

Up in Canada where summers are dry and hot, people trek to summer cottages on weekends. The rich own their cottages, while the average Jane and Joe rent cabins, the yuppie-retirees drive RV's (recreational vehicles) and the rest pitch tents in parks.

In Toronto, my dog Shadow used to accompany me in my weekend morning or weekday afternoon walks all throughout summer, spring, autumn and winter. He'd bark at squirrels most of the time.

While relatively new in Sayreville, New Jersey, I had my sister and her family visiting me one Fourth of July. With no close relatives nearby, we spent the evening in a neighbourhood park where we watched the fireworks lit up the sky. There, we felt part of the big family of Americans celebrating a very important day in American history.

Typical fireworks scene across USA on Fourth of July

As kids vacationing on summers, we usually throw pebbles at streams or rivers and watch the ripples produced.

As adults,  we often look back at major steps we've taken which created the life we know. As the Dalai Lama once said, " Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped in the water, the actions of individuals have far - reaching effects."

My Own Take on THE MAMASAPANO MASSACRE

 

 BY GENE FAJARDO PAGKANLUNGAN

According to the U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, a covert operation (also as CoveOps or covert ops) is "an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor." 

It is intended to create a political effect which can have implications in the military, intelligence or law enforcement arenas. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation."

This best describes Operation Wolverine/Exodus which was implemented on January 25, 2015, and unfortunately led to the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) officers. These men were executed by Moro rebels during the bloody encounter as shown by video footage in which the SAF soldiers were repeatedly shot even as they laid dead on the ground. 

As of  this writing,  details of Operation Wolverine remain sketchy, gossipy, and blurred. Let's go back to the definition, “ a covert op conceals the identity of the sponsor.”

President Benigno Aquino in the latter days, owned up and took full responsibility for the debacle, after much delay and after enormous outrage from the Philippine citizenry. 

BUT THE TRUTH IS FAR FROM COMING OUT.  It will not come out, in fact.  

WHY?  By its very nature. It is a covert operation, after all.  So Mar Roxas, the Army and those who profess not knowing it, shouldn't  know about it or should not say they knew about it.  

Even the Americans who, people say, were involved in the Op, are not telling you and me. 

Then the proper question to ask is this and what I want to get clarification on -  this simple question: WHY OPERATION WOLVERINE WAS CARRIED OUT?

And it was answered early on.  Operation Wolverine had to be carried out to get Zulkifli bin Hir  aka “Marwan,” the Malaysian Muslim terrorist, and his ally, expert bomb-maker,  Abdul Basit Usman.

 

Marwan was killed during Operation Wolverine

These two men were on the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation's  (FBI) top list of international terrorists.

Let’s look at the facts how these two men ended up on the America’s MOST WANTED LIST.

Marwan was known as the “Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia.”  He is believed to head the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), a member organization of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network.

The Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), or Malaysian Mujahideen Movement, is/was a terrorist organisation that supported an overthrow of the Mahathir government and is/was for the creation of a pan-regional Islamic state comprising southern Thailand, the entirety of Indonesia and the southern Philippines. 

KMM is believed to be self-financing and is often tied in correlation to smaller more extremist groups in Southeast Asia.

According to his profile in the FBI, Marwan had used two dates of birth – Jan. 5, 1966 and Oct. 5, 1966. He weighs 120 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

Marwan – supposedly able to speak Malaysian, English, Tagalog and Arabic – is believed to have been staying in the southern Philippines since 2003, where he has conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf group. He allegedly taught Azahari Husin, known as the “demolition man” who supposedly masterminded the 2002 Bali attack, how to create explosive devices.

According to Philstar (Feb 5, 2015) report,  “ On Aug. 1, 2007, Marwan was indicted in the US District Court, Northern District of California, and charged with “providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, contributing goods and services to a specially designated global terrorist and making false statements.”

In the Bali attack, 202 people were killed.  According to Wikipedia “The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 27 Britons, 7 Americans, 6 Swedes and 3 Danes). A further 209 people were injured."

Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. 

An audio-cassette purportedly carrying a recorded voice message from Osama Bin Laden stated that the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States' war on terror and Australia's role in the liberation of East Timor.”

Osama Bin Laden, who founded Al-Qaeda was responsible for the 1988 bombing of the U.S embassy in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the embassies of the United States in two East African cities – Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania, and Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. 

Later on, Bin Laden’s A-Qaeda slaughtered close to 3,000 individuals in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center in New York City.  He was neutralized and finally killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan by operatives of the U.S. Navy Seal.

Marwan’s links to Al-Qaeda is clear.  Marwan’s link to Abu-Sayyaf, clearer.  And Marwan’s objective to further murder people is utmost clear. So he had to be neutralized. And it happened in the January 25, 2015 Operation Wolverine.

The real angle of Operation Wolverine has been re-angled by popular sentiment. The focus has set on why the soldiers had to die, who ordered the op, who is to blame, etc. 

The real issue is :  A terrorist being protected by Islamist terrorists had to be hunted down through a covert operation. Those brave SAF officers knew of their mission. They knew of military tactics and covert operations. END OF STORY.

Proud Mary

It was 1969 when the group, Creedence Clearwater Revival,  recorded what became a big hit, PROUD MARY. Today, the song is a staple in karaoke sessions, embedded in song chips. Nice melody and lyrics.