Three New Sites To Visit

In the ancient days, when man was just starting to experiment on ways to get in touch with other people from the other side of the world, it seemed an impossible task to accomplish. But through technological evolution, he was able to discover ways, starting from prehistoric cave paintings, the evolution continued, reaching what we are now enjoying.

At present, various forms of communication can be used to get in touch with people from different parts of the globe. Social networking sites, chat rooms and internet radios have been among the more popular and effective means to entertain and at the same time communicate with friends, families and loved ones.

In line with these trends, three new sites offer more than one kind of service to everyone who will be interested to drop by or visit:

AFIRtayo.com (A Filipino International Radio) has been created with the purpose of “bridging all the international Filipino communities in order for them to have one voice.” (AFIRtayo.com creator, 2011).

The site offers NOTHING BUT THE HITS!

 Listeners may ask this question:

 “What makes AFIRtayo.com different from all the other net radios?”

Well, aside from the kind of music that matches the liking of majority of the listeners, AFIRtayo.com makes you feel at home, not just because you are listening to music that suits your taste, but rather it helps you build a certain bond with all the other listeners through being able to communicate with them; every listener has a privilege to voice out his or her thoughts, feelings and opinions and be a part of a world-wide community of happy and expressive people. This site, although especially made for Filipinos, is not exclusively for Filipinos. People of every color and race are very much welcome to join this community!

Listeners may easily get in touch with the DJ’s as well as the site administrator(s) and be friends with them since this net radio is linked to a chat site known as TheFilipinoChat.com (TFC), where everyone is also very much welcome to join.

TFC or TheFilipinoChat.com which was inaugurated last September 14, 2009, has a lot to offer to its members and future members as well as its guests. It has various features which suit the user’s/chatter’s preferences and needs. The site administrators and moderators are friendly, amiable and very approachable and they try their best to maintain a responsive, pleasant and sociable environment for both members and guests.

Among the site’s features are:

Both AFIRtayo.com and TheFilipinoChat.com are linked to a social networking site called Eudyl.com, which started operating last May 21, 2011. The site, like the other two, has various features that have been designed to meet its member’s needs and preferences.

Among the features of Eudyl.com are:

The site owners and administrators are continuously discovering unique ways in which the members and guests will have full satisfaction and enjoyment of these three sites.

 Everyone is free to post their comments and suggestions.

The Effects of Online Friendships on Teenagers

Adolescence is the stage wherein a growing individual from about 13 or 14 up to 20 years old experiences a psychosocial crisis. It is the stage wherein most boys and many girls experience the need to experiment with slight misbehavior; their feeling of self-doubt arises as well as the need to defy a certain rule. However, this stage is also the part of a person’s life wherein he or she can confidently answer the question “Who am I?”

In this present time, the instances wherein adolescents engage and rely on meeting friends online and joining social network sites are rapidly increasing. They find it a means to keep in touch with old friends whom they have not seen or heard from for a period of time and to meet new acquaintances whom they hope to become their new friends

Adolescents have different friendship patterns depending on their age and gender. They enjoy social gatherings and for this reason, they find it an advantage to meet with their friends online especially during school season when they are busy doing projects and home works, making it impossible to have a social life as much as they want to.

Certain press and survey conducted came up with reports which show that there are two tremendous yet contradictory motives why socially interactive technologies, also commonly known as SITs are preferred by adolescents as a means to communicate with people. First of these two motives indicates the prevention of adolescents from being depressed and socially isolated with the help of internet communication with other people; the second one being the fostering of anti-social behavior through continuous use of these technologies.

            A study on adolescents and SITs came up with the following results:

1. The adolescents use SITs in order to further develop the means of interaction and message transmission to and from family members and friends, to preserve social connection with their peers; and to formulate ideas and exchange opinions among themselves.
2. The adolescents find text messaging and instant messaging a faster, cheaper and more convenient means of communicating with people.
3. Adolescents are still likely to embrace detailed and sensitive discussions offline despite the rising demand and preference for SITs over emails.

Adolescents have easy access to the internet in various means such as through mobile phones and laptops with Wi-Fi and in most places such as public libraries; a friend’s house and even at school. This accessibility makes it difficult to prevent a teenager from partaking in a social network site.

Social networks are considered to be the “junk food” of the internet since behind their enjoyable features and pleasant appearance, the offer inadequate substance. Social networking sites pose a threat to adolescents who are still unacquainted with the dangers of revealing too much personal information to people whom they barely know. They become innocent preys to stalkers who take advantage of what they reveal through comments and personal profiles which are set for public viewing.

Although not everything that online friendships offer to adolescents is harmful, since they also enable the youth to have an opportunity to connect and interact with people of their same age who share the same experience and views as they have, it is still wise to take precautions.

With the high percentage of adolescents who have already met in person those people whom they have come in contact with through the internet, and the risk of not knowing whether or not these strangers whom they now call “friends” are the kind of persons that they may pretend to be, the best way to avoid suffering the consequences is to be cautious and careful.

References

Agadoni, L. (2010). Teenage friendship problems. http://www.ehow.com/about_6331682_teenage-friendship-problems.html

Bryant,  J.A., Sanders-Jackson, A., & Smallwood, A.M.K. (2006). IMing, text messaging, and adolescent social networks. In: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

Oldroyd, C. (2010). The advantages of internet chat rooms. http://www.ehow.com/list_6571327_advantages-internet-chat-rooms.html

Sharp, A. (2008). Teens, privacy, and online social network sites. http://www.suite101.com/content/teens-privacy-and-online-social-network-sites-a76030

Sinauer Associates, Inc. (2010). The importance of friendships. http://sites.sinauer.com/cobb/chapter07.html

An Unexpected Victory…

As I was composing this blog, I was thinking about everything that the group had been through; from the first day of the rehearsals up to the night of the performance. And till this moment, I am still overwhelmed with what we have achieved as a group.

From as early as October this year, a number of government employees from different departments formed a dance group as their contribution to their sector’s aim for the Php1M prize.

Winners take all –that was the rule!

We used to be the underdogs. During the practices, one would feel that we were not very enthusiastic about what we were doing. Many of us (dancers) would probably agree with me if I said that we were just doing our part because we had to and not because we wanted to. We didn’t like the music, we didn’t like the theme, and even though we had been practicing for weeks we didn’t seem to be accomplishing anything.

The presentation to the executives didn’t at all make us feel relieved or proud of what we had accomplished so far. And what’s even worse was that when they demanded to see the full length of the dance, they didn’t like it one bit, thinking that it was not for competition, but merely a simple dance number. Everybody was starting to get frustrated. We were just a couple of weeks away from the big event and we felt neglected.

It’s true that we had a one-time opportunity to air out our grievances concerning the dance, and we were given the chance to change the entire number into something that all of us would be interested performing, but it did not boost our morale at all when we heard somebody said that we were dancing “just for the heck of it”. Hmm, quite unappreciative fellow, considering the fact that what she saw was the run-through that everybody (the choreographer and the dancers) just happened to agree to do one last time before going home. Well, I guess she didn’t hear the dancers say “Ok, last one! Last one!” Inasmuch as everybody was tired due to the strenuous activity that we had been trying to perfect for almost five hours every day, a gesture of appreciation would have been better than spitting out something which was being thought of by one person as a “constructive criticism”.

During those remaining two weeks, we honestly felt that we would make a mess on the final day. Every day, one or two sets of steps were being changed, removed or added. But what kept us going on was our incomparable teamwork. Yet the dance steps were really too much considering the fact that we were not professional dancers, many of the members might have been considered by others to have been “too old” for hiphop, and many of us were experiencing minor leg problems every now and then, it’s very inspiring to know that everyone of us never left anyone till the end. Everybody kept helping anybody who needed it.

There was no competition or jealousy among the group. Everybody was willing to teach those who were having difficulties in mastering the dance, and the support that each member gave to one another was beyond compare!

Aside from the fact that everybody was guided and protected by God during the entire dance performance, I believe that one of the main factors that greatly contributed to our group’s success was our faith in each other.

Who would have thought that these underdogs would come this far???

i’m very privileged to have been a part of this extraordinary group…I’m very proud of our team, guys! :)

Acknowledgment:

I’d like to thank the person who took this video. Whoever you are, you did great!! Thank you!

A Post Father’s Day Tribute to My Dad

I call him “Tatay”. He is my father, and for me, he is the best father a daughter or a son could ever have! Don’t we all wish that we are close to the man who sired us? Of course we do! When we were kids, we envied those children whose dads were fetching them from school, taking them to amusement parks, riding with them on the rollercoaster.

I’m very grateful that God gave me a father who loves me not just because I am his daughter, but because he is by nature a loving person.

I remember when I was still a child he used to carry me, when he saw that I was tired of walking. I think I was about four or five years old then. The three of us – my father, my mother and I (my sister had not been born yet) used to walk all the way to my grandparents’ house, approximately a twenty-five minute walk from our place.

He used to take me to carnivals, malls, bookstores, theaters, and every other place that a little girl like me was fond of visiting. When my mother and I would quarrel about petty things, he would act as our mediator; he was not taking my side all the time though, but he would make sure that both sides were heard and the argument would come to an end .

He had been there when the school required the parents to participate in certain activities; he taught me my first lessons in English, encouraged me to build and broaden my vocabulary that the next thing I knew, I was writing editorial articles at the age of 12.

He had never been strict when it comes to going out with my friends. He allowed me to enjoy going to places as long as it was safe. He’s always been after my safety but not up to the extent that he’s suppressing my independence. When I asked him to come with me because I was not familiar with many places when I was still applying for work, he never said “no”. I never heard him complain about the length of time that he was spending waiting for my exams or my interviews to be finished. All he needed was a broadsheet to keep him occupied during the long wait, or a guardhouse to serve as shelter during a stormy day.

I never heard him complain or get mad at me when I came home very late one time during my final year in college. I was supposed to be at school attending a symposium with my classmates, but instead, we all decided to go to the mall. I was supposed to be home at around 8 in the evening since my schedule in class during that time was from 3-7pm, but since my classmates and I got stranded because of a downpour and a flashflood, I got home around 1:45am the following day, and found out from my mother that my father was waiting for me at the waiting shed at the foot of the bridge.

I was really worried then, because I knew my parents had been worried about me. There were no cell phones yet during those times neither did we have a landline where I could call in case of emergency. I was ready to face their wrath. It was my fault anyway and I was willing to take the consequence of my action. But my parents, especially my father, who had gone up to the bridge to wait for me for more than an hour, with the mosquitoes biting him as he watched every passenger jeepney to see if I was inside, never raised his voice to me to ask “What have you done?” and instead, he asked me “Have you eaten? We were so worried about you. Go ahead, change your clothes so you can go to bed and get some rest.”

My father is neither overly protective nor overly lenient with his daughters. He always sees reason, always hears what we have to say and gives advice whenever it is necessary.  He values his principle over money, a trait, which I am proud to say, I have inherited.

He is my role model, my inspiration, my guide. I thank my Tatay for bringing me into this world, for always being there for me, for taking care of our family’s needs to the best of his ability and capability, for being a loving husband to our mother, and most of all, for being a wonderful father to his two daughters…We love you, Tatay!

Always The Wrong Color

It has always been a common knowledge that African-Americans are recipients of racial discrimination. While the white race was considered to be the superior race, the Blacks or Negroes were considered to be the inferior ones.

The African-Americans wanted to have equal treatment by everyone in every aspect. They believed that they were also capable of doing the things that any white man could do and they deserved to be treated fairly.

           
Since they believed that they should be given privilege to enjoy having an identity that was recognized internationally, they founded an organization that will ensure the improvement of their condition.

           
Although they had become a subject of permeative discrimination by the military when they fought in WWI, the battle from which they had been part of was the same battle that inspired them to establish an organization that encouraged national self-determination. They wanted the redemption of Africa; freedom for the black race.

           
Despite the discriminative treatment that they received from the white Americans, they still considered the United States as their fatherland. They believed that the fault of their country would be their fault as well; the blemish of their nation was mirrored in its people, and their being part of the American nation only meant that they also bore the same blemish.

           
They fought for their country despite their feeling of resentment and bitterness for the way they were treated in the past. The Negroes felt betrayed by their own country, for despite their determination to truly be a part of it, they felt they had been treated like dirt, looked down, and degraded; and because of this, they saw America as a shameful land.

           
W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and also the father of pan-Africanism, cited in detail the reasons why the Black community felt betrayed.

           
He pointed out that from as early as the time of the Civil War, the Negroes had been subject to “pervasive discrimination” by the military (Du Bois 135). He was speaking in behalf of all the Negroes when he wrote:

            […] for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far-off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation. For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult – for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight also.

            […] We stand to look America squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land. (135-136).

           
Du Bois made explicit description of the Negroes’ sufferings in the hands of their own countrymen. He described how Negroes were put to death by lynching or hanging without any lawful trial, and condemned the act as being barbaric. According to him, “[…] lynching is barbarism of a degree of contemptible nastiness unparalleled in human history”. (136).

           
He also mentioned the act of disfranchisement by the same country which they continued to live in and serve. Taking the rights of citizenship away from every black, according to him was the same as robbing someone of protection; protection of black against white, protection of poor against rich. He accused America of lying since according to him, it called itself democratic yet it deliberately took its citizens’ freedom away.

           
The fact that America never really intended for the Negroes to be educated as its people declared that the blacks cannot be educated; moreover, that the race which they considered inferior “threaten them with degeneracy”, (136) was both hypocritical and selfish gesture.

           
According to Du Bois, the Negroes were cheated in their own country:

            It steals from us.

            It organizes industry to cheat us. It cheats us out of our land; it cheats us out of our labor. It confiscates our savings. It reduces our wages. It raises our rent. It steals our profit. It taxes us without representation. It keeps us consistently and universally poor, and then feeds us on charity and derides our poverty. (136).

And finally, according to Du Bois, America was insulting the Black community by organizing a nationwide propaganda, which made it impossible for Negroes to live a normal life in a community without having to feel their inferiority to the white race. To reside, work, travel, play or be educated had become impossible for them to do without any fear of being rejected because of their color.

The African-Americans fought for their country and for the rest of the American allies during WWI; ironically, they came home to fight against the same nation, whom they defended; this time they were fighting a battle of races, seeking justice for having been treated in a manner which none of them deserved.

Works Cited

Du Bois, W.E.B. Returning Soldiers. The Crisis. May 19, 1919.

Jacques-Garvey, Amy. Speech Delivered at Liberty Hall, New York City. August 21, 1921. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. New York, 1923-1925. vol. 2. pp. 93-97.

Roark, James L. Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, et. al. The American Promise: A History of the United States from 1865.  1998. vol. 2. pp. 135-140.

Looking Back

by ylecktrah

The Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Rationalism or the Age of Reason, started some time in the 1600s and ended in the latter part of the following decade. During this period, French philosophers such as the Marquis de Condorcet, Rene Descartes, Denis Diderot, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu and English philosopher John Locke, insisted that learning the truth could best be achieved through the use of reason.

           
These philosophers of the Enlightenment Age made numerous significant contributions to science as well as to many other fields through relying primarily on scientific method and intense study and experimentation. The ideas of these same great leaders, however, triggered the outbreak of two great wars – the American and the French Revolutions – in the latter part of the 1700s.

           
These people had high regard for man, being superior over all of God’s creations because of his ability to reason. Relatively, they contrasted reason with what they believed were in dominance during the Middle Ages – the uncritical acceptance of authority, together with superstition and ignorance. These individuals also blamed the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church for keeping the people in the dark in order to satisfy their personal ambition, which was to stay in power.

           
Among the products of the Enlightenment Age was Francois-Marie Arouet, popularly known as Voltaire. A native of Paris, France, and a son of a lawyer, Voltaire studied in a Jesuit school wherein most students came from the nobility. His company was sought by the Paris society due to his extraordinary ability to write verses, as well as his ability to make people laugh and because of his natural cleverness.

           
In 1718, he adopted his pen name Voltaire, which, according to a widely accepted theory, originated from a faulty arrangement of letters that made up the French equivalent of Arouet the Younger.

           
Voltaire became extremely wealthy through inheritance and wise investment. He also became popular and was considered to be the greatest French playwright of his time. However, in 1726, his success came to an end when the Chevalier de Rohan a young and influential nobleman had him beaten by his men before having him thrown into the Bastille again as prisoner. According to historians, it all started when the Chevalier de Rohan asked for Voltaire’s name in a mocking manner; the former’s question implied that the latter was claiming to be of noble descent when in fact he was nothing but a commoner.

           
During the time he was in prison, Voltaire was allowed to choose between remaining a prisoner in France or to be put on exile. Upon choosing the latter, Voltaire left France and lived in England for three years, where he found religious and political freedom.

In England, Voltaire was impressed with Sir Isaac Newton’s works as well as the reverence that the people of England gave him. In his letters, Voltaire’s commendation of English customs, its institutions and way of thinking seemed to indirectly criticize their French counterparts. Consequently, the French authorities expressed strong disapproval of his writings.

Voltaire was 83 years old when he returned to Paris, where he was received with enthusiasm. It was also where he saw his last play before he died.

And since his criticisms caused the Roman Catholic Church to refused Voltaire’s remains to be buried in the church ground, it was taken to an abbey in Champagne. However, it was transferred to the Parthenon in Paris in 1791.

Another French philosopher whose name became well-known during the Enlightenment Age was Charles de Secondat, also known as Montesquieu. Having inherited the title Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu, was how he got his pen name. His greatest contribution was probably the influence he made in writing of constitutions all over the world. Montesquieu believed in the complexity of the laws that govern human nature and therefore he considered the study of humanity rather difficult.

In his Persian Letters, where he became famous, he ridiculed the Parisian life as well as numerous French institutions. In addition, he also criticized the French National Government as well as the church.

He was impressed with the political system of England when he came to live in the place for about two years.

The third French philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was considered to be the most important writer of the said period.

According to history, Rousseau’s philosophy was the basis of political events that eventually triggered the French Revolution. It was also said that his works had strongly influenced the fields of politics, literature and education during that time.

To Rousseau’s belief, people, by nature are not social beings. According to him, if people were to live in a natural condition – that is, without language and were isolated – would not be motivated to hurt one another. He believed that, instead, that it was society which corrupts individuals, and causes them to be inclined toward selfishness and aggression.  

Works Cited

Bronowski, J., and Bruce Mazlish, “The Western Intellectual Tradition: From Leonardo to Hegel.” New York, New York. Harper and Row Publishers, Inc. 1960.

A Place for Recreation

The following are photos taken last July 2008 at Forest Club in Bae, Laguna when we had our second annual team building.

I must admit that I’m just an amateur when it comes to photography, but I am very much willing to learn. These photos were taken using my cellphone camera. I didn’t plan on posting these on my blogsite so I didn’t care too much about the angles. My only concern while I was taking them was that the images were clear.

The East Wind

I’d like to invite everybody to come visit this new site of mine the east wind at http://the-east-wind.blogspot.com/. I have posted my artworks there. Well, I just feel that I have to have a separate site for arts. I’m planning to have my second art exhibit soon, and I have started working on a few pieces already.

For those of you who would like to share your works, give tips, and ideas about painting or drawing, please free contact me thru my email address sydneyjoyce_stanley@yahoo.com. I would love to exchange ideas with you.

Have a great day everyone!

The Name is "Filipino"

The name is “Filipino”! Our race is something to be proud of. A true Filipino can still walk with his head held up high without denouncing the Filipino blood flowing through his veins. 

Our country may have currently been experiencing all kinds of trials, hardships and crises. There is greed for power, greed for money, selfish personal motives of high-ranking officials who think only of themselves while the rest of the nation is in deep poverty.

 Yes, we can never deny the fact that our country has been put to shame by no other than the leaders of our land - feeding the people with lies, deceit and endless promises. These, however, are not enough reasons for being ashamed to be called a Filipino.

As I see the Philippine flag, I cannot help but look back and recall what our forefathers have done in order to defend our nation, our heritage, our independence. I guess, it is the best option that each Filipino has at the moment - whenever we feel dismayed or ashamed of what the current leaders are doing to our motherland,  - think back; think of the times when our heroes fought for our beloved country. I believe that by doing so, we can still find it in our hearts to be proud of being called a “Filipino”.

Jacquou le Croquant and the Bastille Siege

For those of you who are fond of reading world history, you are undoubtedly familiar with the siege of the Bastille before the actual start of the French Revolution….Now, who is Jacquou???

             Jacquou le Croquant

1815. Jacquou, jeune paysan du Périgord, vit heureux avec ses parents.
Par la faute d’un noble cruel et arrogant, le comte de Nansac, il devient orphelin et misérable.
Jurant de se venger, Jacquou va grandir et s’épanouir sous la protection du bon curé Bonal qui le recueille. Grâce à des amis sûrs et à Lina, une jeune fille patiente et lumineuse, il deviendra en quelques années un jeune homme déterminé et séduisant.
Il saura transformer son désir de vengeance en un combat contre l’injustice, et prouver qu’un simple croquant n’est pas dénué de grandeur (http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=55569.html.)         

Translated: Jacquou Crunching It

1815. Jacquou, young person country of Périgord, lives happy with his/her parents.
By the fault of noble cruel and arrogant, the count de Nansac, it becomes orphan and miserable.
Swearing to be avenged, Jacquou will grow and open out under the protection of the good Bonnal priest who collects it. Thanks to sure friends and in Lina, a patient and luminous young girl, it will become in a few years a determined and tempting young man.
He will be able to transform his desire of revenge into a combat against the injustice, and to prove that simple crunching is not stripped of size. (http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=55569.html.)

As I was watching this French film last Sunday, I have noticed the plot’s semblance to the French Revolution, particularly the scene wherein the commoners, led by Jacquou, attacked the Count de Nansac’s castle and burned it. Many of his allies were able to penetrate castle premises and were able to have access to the Count’s arsenal. This scene was similar to the seizing of the Bastille which was the start of the French Revolution.

The storming of the Bastille in July 14, 1789 was a momentous event for the French people for it marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

The Bastille was originally built to serve as a fortress but was later on turned into prison for people whom the nobility and its officials found to be displeasing to their eyes.

Prisoners were freed and the fortress was torn down as an enormous Parisian crowd seized the fortress in search for arms and ammunition to be used as defense against the king’s army. An account of the said event by a newspaper in Paris described how the Bastille fell into the hands of the people and how the governor suffered such horrible fate in the hands of the raging mob:

The "Remarkable Pebble" of Down Under

The Many Faces of Uluru

Uluru – or Ayers Rock as it is more commonly known in English – is a large rock formation situated in Central Australia’s Northern Territory, specifically in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, some 440km southwest of Alice Springs.

Sacred to the area’s aboriginal people, namely; the Pitjantjatjara and the Yankunytjatjara, this natural wonder is one of Australia’s best known. As different lights strike this rock at various times of the day and year, it appears to change color.

ORIGIN[S] OF THE NAME[S]:

Uluru

Uluru – Uluṟu (IPA: /uluɻu/) – the name given by the native people of Pitjantjatjara to the rock formation, has no other meaning in Pitjantjatjara than a local family name.

Ayers Rock

This name was given to the rock by a surveyor named William Gosse in honor of Sir Henry Ayers, then Chief Secretary of South Australia.

DESCRIPTION:

Height                   :        346 meters

Dimension              :        more than 8km [5 mi.] around

The exterior of Uluru is harder than many rock formations, preventing the development of scree slopes, or broken rocks which usually appear at the bottom of crags, valley shoulders or mountain cliffs.

COMPOSITION:

Made of Arkosic sandstone

Arkose is a detrital sedimentary rock – typically grey to reddish in color –  which roughly contains 60% quartz sand and 25% feldspar; it also usually contains little amounts of calcite cement.

The presence of the feldspar mineral is responsible for the rock’s glowing effect during sunrise and sunset since it reflects the red light.

COLOR:

Rust color

The rock’s rust color is caused by oxidation

Silvery-grey color

Although rainfall rarely occurs in the area surrounding the rock, it is during wet season that Uluru turns silvery-grey in color with streaks of black caused by the growth of algae in the areas which serve as channels for water flow.

COMMON MISCONCEPCIONS:

July 19, 1873

          William Gosse [surveyor]

–        visited the rock and named if after Sir Henry Ayers

1903

          Will expedition

–        the first to record the Aboriginal name

1993

          Adoption of dual naming policy

–        this allowed the use of both traditional Aboriginal and English named to be official.

December 15, 1993

          The renaming of the rock as Ayers Rock/Uluru

–        the Northern Territory’s first official dual-named feature.

November 6, 2002

          The reversal of the dual name from Ayers Rock/Uluru to Uluru/Ayers Rock

–        this was done granting the request of the Regional Tourism Association.

OTHER ROCK FORMATIONS BEING LINKED/COMPARED TO ULURU:

Kata Tjuta [Mount Olga or The Olgas]

Black vs. White

It has always been a common knowledge that African-Americans are recipients of racial discrimination. While the white race was considered to be the superior race, the Blacks or Negroes were considered to be the inferior ones.

          The African-Americans wanted to have equal treatment by everyone in every aspect. They believed that they were also capable of doing the things that any white man could do and they deserved to be treated fairly.

          Since they believed that they should be given privilege to enjoy having an identity that was recognized internationally, they founded an organization that will ensure the improvement of their condition.

          Although they had become a subject of permeative discrimination by the military when they fought in WWI, the battle from which they had been part of was the same battle that inspired them to establish an organization that encouraged national self-determination. They wanted the redemption of Africa; freedom for the black race.

          Despite the discriminative treatment that they received from the white Americans, they still considered the United States as their fatherland. They believed that the fault of their country would be their fault as well; the blemish of their nation was mirrored in its people, and their being part of the American nation only meant that they also bore the same blemish.

          They fought for their country despite their feeling of resentment and bitterness for the way they were treated in the past. The Negroes felt betrayed by their own country, for despite their determination to truly be a part of it, they felt they had been treated like dirt, looked down, and degraded; and because of this, they saw America as a shameful land.

          W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and also the father of pan-Africanism, cited in detail the reasons why the Black community felt betrayed.

He pointed out that from as early as the time of the Civil War, the Negroes had been subject to “pervasive discrimination” by the military (Du Bois 135). He was speaking in behalf of all the Negroes when he wrote:

[…] for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far-off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation. For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult – for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight also.

[…] We stand to look America squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land. (135-136).

            Du Bois made explicit description of the Negroes’ sufferings in the hands of their own countrymen. He described how Negroes were put to death by lynching or hanging without any lawful trial, and condemned the act as being barbaric. According to him, “[…] lynching is barbarism of a degree of contemptible nastiness unparalleled in human history”. (136).

          He also mentioned the act of disfranchisement by the same country which they continued to live in and serve. Taking the rights of citizenship away from every black, according to him was the same as robbing someone of protection; protection of black against white, protection of poor against rich. He accused America of lying since according to him, it called itself democratic yet it deliberately took its citizens’ freedom away.

          The fact that America never really intended for the Negroes to be educated as its people declared that the blacks cannot be educated; moreover, that the race which they considered inferior “threaten them with degeneracy”, (136) was both hypocritical and selfish gesture.

          According to Du Bois, the Negroes were cheated in their own country:

             It steals from us.

            It organizes industry to cheat us. It cheats us out of our land; it cheats us out of our labor. It confiscates our savings. It reduces our wages. It raises our rent. It steals our profit. It taxes us without representation. It keeps us consistently and universally poor, and then feeds us on charity and derides our poverty. (136).

And finally, according to Du Bois, America was insulting the Black community by organizing a nationwide propaganda, which made it impossible for Negroes to live a normal life in a community without having to feel their inferiority to the white race. To reside, work, travel, play or be educated had become impossible for them to do without any fear of being rejected because of their color.

  The African-Americans fought for their country and for the rest of the American allies during WWI; ironically, they came home to fight against the same nation, whom they defended; this time they were fighting a battle of races, seeking justice for having been treated in a manner which none of them deserved.

Sources

Du Bois, W.E.B. Returning Soldiers. The Crisis. May 19, 1919.

Jacques-Garvey, Amy. Speech Delivered at Liberty Hall, New York City. August 21, 1921. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. New York, 1923-1925. vol. 2. pp. 93-97.

Roark, James L. Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, et. al. The American Promise: A History of the United States from 1865.  1998. vol. 2. pp. 135-140.

Garden of Death

 When i was still in college, i’ve read about Ferdinand Marcos in the Guiness Book of World Records being the “World’s Greatest Thief”…I thought then he was unprecedented…

but i was wrong…It is evident that the Philippines has long been digging graves for the Filipino people by cradling a family of Mafia in Malacañang…

Our country now resembles a host which has been sustaining a parasite…well i can name several species, but i doubt any of them will ever compare to the ones dwelling in Malacañang’s “Garden of Death”.

The truth sometimes hurts, but we cannot hide it. It’s like garbage, the more it gets rotten, the more its foul smell intensifies.

Are we going to wait for our country to look like this in the eyes of the world? I hope not…

Physical Force: Unlawfully Exercised

Violence, as defined in the Oxford Dictionary is the “unlawful exercise of physical force.” (Oxford, 931). Violence is everywhere. Aside from the fact that it exists in real life, and is manifested by countless crimes that are being committed by criminals almost every day in various parts of the world, it also exists and is being kept alive in books, magazines, video games, movies and television programs. And because of this, people, young and old have access to violent entertainment, not only the adults who can understand its purpose, but also innocent children whose minds are not yet ready to grasp its meaning.

A book by Linda Howard, having an explicit description of violent acts – wherein the act was even performed by a young boy – reads:

          An inhuman howl clogged the boy’s throat, but he was ice clear through now. He threw the knife, his aim sure, practiced through many hours of play. McLain saw only a movement in the shadows, and he dodged to one side, just enough that the blade went through his shoulder instead of his heart. He bellowed for help and struggled to his feet just as the boy’s weight hit him, knocking him back to the floor. The jarring impact made him scream in pain, and the cold floor scraped his bare ass. The boy jerked the knife free, and the bloody blade slashed downward, toward the man’s exposed privates. McLain screamed and tried to roll away. The movement of his body deflected the knife enough that it gouged a shallow slit in his upper thigh. With a feral snarl, the boy withdrew the blade and tried again, this time with a low, sideways movement of his arm. The knife gleamed both silver and scarlet, then McLain knew hot, burning, choking agony as the steel sliced into his ball sac. (Howard, 7).

Any adult individual who reads such explicit description will definitely find the scene lingering in his or her imagination; in the same way the scenes in a violent film stay vivid in a child’s imagination.

Violence goes way back the ancient times. According to history, early Egyptians who lived between 2000 BC and 44 AD used to re-enact the murder of their god Osiris as a means to entertain themselves. As a result, the re-enactment of the said crime was repeatedly imitated in real life by a number of individuals.

Ancient Romans entertained themselves by watching prisoners – known as gladiators – fight among themselves in a violent exhibition of strength and endurance which often resulted to death of the weaker warriors and applause and praise for the winners.

The behavior of an individual may be influenced by the kind of programs that he used to watch when he was still a kid and what he watches now that he is already an adult. A certain study shows that those individuals who enjoyed watching violent programs on television when they were children were more prone to committing violent crimes like murder and child abuse. This is due to the fact – as many studies shows – that violence in television and movies encourage children to become more quarrelsome.

In a study made by the National Institute on Media and the Family in 1999, it shows that 51% of parents having children whose ages range from 2 to 17 years old either simply agree or strongly agree that the violence seen in video games affect their children, while 57% of parents having children with ages 2 to 17 confirmed that the violence seen on TV and in movies affect their children as well. The said study also states that:

          Parents have expressed their concerns about the amount of sexual and violent content in their children seen in many surveys. While both sexual and violent content concern parents, the amount of sexual content has routinely been of slightly greater concern to parents. For the first time, this study shows that more parents are concerned about the amount of violent content in their children see:

·         81 percent of parents of 2- to 17-year-olds “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are concerned about the amounts of violent content in their children see in movies or on TV.

·         77 percent of parent “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are concerned about the amount of sexual content their children see in movies or on TV. (Media and the Family).

According to experts, unhealthy attitudes of children often are results of their exposure to violence as they watch television programs and movies. Children’s attitude toward violence can be either of these two scenarios: (1) violent movies and television programs may affect children psychologically; they may think they will always be in danger in the world that they live in and thus, they will always feel fear; (2) children may grow insensitive to the violence that they witness to the point that they will commit the act themselves.

According to studies, the most subtly dangerous effect of media violence on children is desensitization, a condition wherein a person, particularly a child becomes unconcerned and unsympathetic of the others’ feelings; they show lack of concern regarding the pain that other people feel.

It was also reported that the harmful consequences of violence are oftentimes not being taken into consideration by many television networks, who keep on airing programs that have an extremely high violence rate. And as a result, according to studies, children who have been exposed to too much violence in movies and TV programs tend to become hostile both physically and verbally.

To a small child, watching of violent films and programs has a serious effect, for after having finished watching, the images of bloodshed and the scenes in which violent acts are performed vividly stay in his mind for a long period of time. And since he is not yet old enough to decide whether what he witnessed was wrong, or right, his young mind would automatically assume those acts were rightfully done simply because: (1) he witnessed it done by the hero in the movie; (2) he saw that the criminal was left unpunished and therefore he would suppose that what the villain did was actually the right thing. There are instances wherein movies have an open ending, in which the viewer has a chance to make his desired conclusion of the story, or in the case of movies which have sequels, which a young child is not yet capable of comprehending the purpose of the movie’s theme; (3) he witnessed that the violent act was done by an adult individual who happens to be famous because of his impressive skills with guns or in martial arts.

Parents and guardians who allow children to watch violent programs will only encourage them (children) to develop the feeling of pessimism toward life. Children who are allowed to watch programs or movies wherein the villains are not punished, - instead their deeds are even justified – and those movies in which the criminals are able to escape, allowing them to further commit crimes have every possibility to be convinced that it is alright to do harm to others, to commit crime and get away with it without receiving any punishment; they, as a result, may apply this principle to real life as they grow older and thus, may give them the motivation to live with this principle throughout their lifetime.

Many studies confirm that as a result of violence in media, children experience the following at an early age: (1) sleeping problems or disturbances, (2) nightmares, (3) anxiety even during daytime, (4) fears.

In the same way, children who engage themselves in playing video games containing extreme violence often result to: (1) students’ tendency to get involved in physical fights; (2) they are encouraged to have arguments with their teachers; (3) their performance in school becomes extremely poor; (4) they tend to practice hostility.

Similarly, the effects of horror movies on children are also considered serious. Researches show that children whose ages are eight and below have a tendency to nurture fear in their young minds as a result of watching horror movies. The frightening images of the characters may linger in children’s imagination for a long period of time, long enough for them to cause anxieties and fear which may last for years.

Music videos containing violence in them also have an impact on viewers, particularly to children. The aggressive way of thinking of an individual, a young child at that, tends to develop and increase upon being exposed to rap videos having antisocial themes.

It is evident that the performance of children at school can be affected by family media habits, and it has been observed and proven that a child’s school performance and the number of television programs that he or she watches are interrelated.

The National Institute on Media and the Family states some key predictors of school performance, and they are as follows:

·         Families that use electronic media less and read more have children who do better in school

·         Parents who report that their children’s behavior is less affected by media do better in school

·         Children who participate in more alternatives to electronic media with their parents’ support perform better in school

·         Families that have the TV on more often even if no one is watching have children who do school

·         The average American child watches 25 hours of television a week. Children who watch less television do better in school. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch television “no more than 1 to 2 hours per day.”)

·         Parents who report that their children copy characters they have seen on TV more often have children who do more poorly in school.

·         Parents who report that their children more often watch TV before bed have children who do more poorly in school.

·         Families that play games or do activities together more frequently have children who do better in school.

·         Parents who read to their children more have children who like to read more. Children who like to read more do better in school.

·         Parents who report that they know what movie their children is going to see more often have children who do better in school.

·         Parents who report that their children play video or computer games less often have children who do better in school. (Media and Family).

It has been observed by experts that parents are less likely to provide sufficient supervision over their children concerning both watching television programs and movies and playing video games. And it is a sad thing to know that these parents are not willing to admit their shortcomings; that instead of accepting the fact that they have not provided their children with proper guidance on what form of entertainment to choose, they oftentimes put the blame on the people around them.

Even the Holy Bible teaches adults the proper ways or rearing children: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).

Children believe that grown-ups are the ones who will guide them and that is due to the fact that grown-ups keep on telling children that they know what is best because they have already been there.

It is a sad fact, however, that these same grown-ups who have fed the children’s young minds with the thought that they will always be there to provide protection are the same people who inject poison to the little ones’ innocent minds.

Every parent wants what is best for his child and the best thing that he can do for him is to rear him properly; giving him the proper treatment and instilling in him a principle that is worth fighting for, one that a child can surely be proud of and one that cannot be taken away from him and instead he will be able to carry up to the time when he is already old.

Sources:

Hine, Robert. Oxford Illustrated Dictionary. Dorling Kindersley Limited and Oxford University Press: London, England.1998. p. 931.

Horror Movies: Not Okay for Young Children. October 23, 2006. UAB Health System Medicine Touches the World. December 8, 2007. <http://www.health .uab.edu/17777/.>

Howard, Linda. A Lady of the West. New York: Pocket Book 1990. p. 7.

National Institute on Media and the Family. 1999. MediaQuotient® National Survey of Family Media Habits, Knowledge and Attitudes. December 8, 2007. <http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_mqexecsum.shtml.>

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. December 4, 2007. <http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/mediaviolstats.asp.>

Swindoll, Charles R. Ed. The Book of Proverbs. The Living Insights Study Bible New International Version. MI, USA: Zondervan Publishing House1996. chapter 22. verse 6. p. 652.

TV and Movie Violence. You and Your Child. December 4, 2007. <http://www.education.pitt.edu/ocd/publications/parentingguides/TvAndMovieViolence.pdf.>

Violence in Media Entertainment. 2007. Media Awareness Network. December 4, 2007. <http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence_entertainment.cfm.>

Gobbledygook

As I was browsing an old book from my shelf, I stumbled upon a number of brain teasers. The source’s title was 10 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by The Princeton Language Institute and Tom Nash, Ph. D. The said brain teasers were taken from another book - Word Play by Maxwell Nurnberg.  

 Here are some of the twisted sayings in Nurnberg’s book together with their translations:

Twisted: Members of an avian species of identical plumage congregate.

Translation: Birds of a feather flock together.

Twisted: It is fruitless to attempt to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers.

Translation: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Twisted: Freedom from incrusations of grime is contiguous to rectitude.

Translation: Cleanliness is next to godliness.

Twisted: Where there are visible vapors having their provenance in ignited carbonaceous materials, there is conflagaration.

Translation: Where there is smoke there is fire.

Twisted: A revolving lithic conglomeration accumulates no congeries of of a small, green bryophytic plant.

Translation: A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Twisted: Missiles of ligneous or petrous consistency have the potential for fracturing my osseous structure, but appellations will eternally remain innocuous.

Translation: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Twisted: A plethora of individuals with expertise in culinary techniques vitiate the potable concoction produced by steeping certain comestibles.

Translation: Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Twisted: Making fallacious decisions is typical of bypeds who use language, but offering general amnesty for offenses is the work of the Deity.

Translation: To err is human, to forgive, divine.

France After WWII

The Second World War created a massive damage worldwide. It took millions of lives, destroyed properties, and left many people homeless. Nations from around the world tried to move on after this devastating event, but despite their efforts, their recovery was hampered by many factors.

Among the nations that suffered great loss because of the war was France. Its aim toward economic recovery, like all the other countries, became almost stagnant due to reasons beyond its control. It was believed that the main causes of its slowed recovery were “political troubles at home and colonial revolts overseas.” [qtd. in France, Reddy, and Laprade 2]. Also, among the contributors to France’s worsened economic condition after WWII were its low production rate and the rapid inflation that was brought about by excess in money. 

However, the French government, headed by then President Charles de Gaulle made every effort to rebuild the nation.  France was able to obtain the finances necessary for its recovery, part of which, were provided by the United States, through the Marshall Plan, a financial assistance program of the United States which extended help in rebuilding European nations that were devastated by the World War II. The fact that France was in need of all the financial support it could get in order to fully recover from the aftermath of the war and to regain its economic stability did not weaken its determination to be free from the control of the two most powerful nations in the world – the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). France’s desire to sever all ties with the US was so intense that it even prevented Britain, a close US ally, to join the European Economic Community (EEC), or otherwise known as the Common Market.

In 1949, France joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and became one of its founding members. NATO, an organization whose members were mostly European countries, aimed to provide a collective security by agreeing to defend one another from possible attacks of terrorist groups or any threats to international peace and stability. But having the United States as the leader of the alliance, France eventually withdrew its forces from NATO. Its search for a “more independent military posture” [qtd. in France, Adams, et. al.] however, was said to be one of the reasons for its withdrawal. 

France’s problems were only starting to be resolved when it was again burdened with yet another pressing matter. This time concerning its territories overseas, particularly Algeria, wherein the Arab Algerians wanted their independence with an intensity that was equal with the European settlers’ demand for French rule. Although the French government tried to put an end to the Algerian crisis by way of peace negotiation, its efforts seemed to be futile. The height of the more than eight-year war, which happened between 1954 and 1962, almost caused France its downfall, that in the end, it was forced to grant independence to the said French colony. The Algerian crisis was followed by several other colonial revolts which led to the disintegration of France’s once expansive colonial empire. However, despite what happened, France was able to maintain its warm relationship with its former colonies.

France continued to seek independence from the US influence. And by the end of the 1950s, it made another step toward breaking all its connections with the United States when it ordered that all US bomber bases located in the country be closed.

In the following years, after settling its overseas crisis, it launched a very costly, yet successful program – the development of nuclear weapons capable of striking from air, land and sea. It was believed that the reason why France set out to proceed with the said program despite its high cost, was in order for it to “reduce dependence on the American nuclear umbrella” [Funk and Wagnalls 446].

France was adamant to earn the respect and admiration of other nations. It wanted to prove to the world that it can stand on its own, without accepting any form of support from a powerful country such as the United States. Furthermore, it wanted to show the world that it could rise to power and that in doing so, could play an important role in world affairs.                 

Adams and his team believe that:

France’s strong support to the European integration under the auspices of the European Union was perhaps its most significant role in the international affairs since it dissolved its overseas empire.

In the midst of its struggle for recovery and economical stability, France made sure that it would not be a subject of mockery or pity. It showed strength and determination as it continued to recover from what seemed to be irreparable damages that the war had caused. It weaved its way to fame and success by making its political importance known and acknowledged by other countries. And even after its colonial empire crumbled, France found a means to lift the spirits of the French people by convincing them that their nation was still of great importance in the international affairs.

To sum it all up, France indeed had succeeded in proving to the world that it was not only capable of merely being an ordinary follower and member but that it also had the power to lead other nations in obtaining a common goal.

SOURCES:

Adams, William James, Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov,  and Thomas E. Kaiser “France.”

Microsoft® Encarta® [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.   “France.” Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. 1986.  

Reddy, William M., Ph.D., and William T. Laprade, “France.” World Book 2003 Deluxe Edition [CD]. Chicago, Illinois: World Book, Inc, 2002.

A Tale of Two Races

Historically, it was said that the Chinese played an important role in molding of Japanese civilization as many traditions of the former were adopted by the latter throughout the centuries. In addition, and literally speaking, the Chinese Book of Songs, said to be the beginning of Chinese epic can be compared with Japan’s Man’yoshu. Both tell of the ways of living and the feelings of the ancient civilizations of both countries. In a way, the history of Chinese rulers has an evident semblance with that of the Japanese since both countries were ruled by nobility or rulers of similar status, who were believed to have been descendants of mythical or legendary empires.

If one is to keenly observe, there were quite a number of things, which the Japanese civilization was able to adopt from the Chinese, like the writing system, which, according to tradition, was introduced through Korea, around 405 CE. It was said that Buddhism was also introduced to Japan through Korea around the sixth century. Historical accounts also showed that in both countries, the emperor held the highest position in the land. 

With a closer look, one will notice, however, the differences between the two civilizations; the Chinese being the more advanced of the two, as based on historical accounts, provided a pattern for Japan in shaping up its culture and its people’s way of life. But though it was the case, the Japanese system of ruling those times greatly differed from that of the Chinese, since the Japanese emperor of the ancient days only played as a figure head, meaning he assumed the throne but he did not hold the power to rule, and some other high-ranking officials, in the person of court nobles, regents or even the retired seniors of the dynasty performed the task for him.

The succeeding paragraphs describe the historical accounts on the Chinese tradition, where one will notice its similarities and differences with the Japanese.

 The Chinese tradition has it that the predecessors of modern-day China were five mythical emperors who ruled the country in the ancient days. The first was known as Fu Xi who, according to tradition, reigned from 2852 – 2737 BC; then there was Shu, the emperor of the Northern Sea, Hu, the emperor of the Southern Sea, and Hun Dun (also known as Chaos), emperor of the Center. According to the legends, when Emperors Shu and Hu went to the land of Emperor Hun Dun, the ruler received them with great hospitality. And in return, as an expression of gratitude to their host, they put seven orifices in his body, one orifice a day for seven days, only to realize after their task was through that they had killed the emperor in the process. It was said that only after Hun Dun’s death did the orderly universe came to existence. The last of the five emperors was Huang-Ti, or otherwise known as the Yellow Emperor. He was believed to have reigned from 2697 – 2597 BC, and was the one to have been succeeded by the first dynasty known as Xia, that was said to have reigned from 2205(?) – 1570(?). But since there were no archeological proofs for the existence of the Xia Dynasty, it was considered as legendary like the five rulers who preceded it.

The first Chinese dynasty that was archeologically proven to have existed during the ancient days was the Shang Dynasty (1570(?) – 1045(?) BC). Based on archeological discoveries and through depicting the Late Shang oracle-bone inscriptions, it was found out that the Shang was an aristocratic society that was ruled by a king who had control over military nobility. It was further discovered that he appointed territorial rulers to govern the different parts of his kingdom and required them to support him in all his military undertakings.

Although there were no written accounts found relating to the final defeat of the Shang, later texts indicate that Zhou ruler King Wu defeated Shang ruler Di Xin over the Battle of Muye in the northern Henan Province around 1045 BC.

Comparisons were made between the downfalls of the Shang Dynasty and the legendary Xia Dynasty. According to Chinese traditional history, the last rulers of both dynasties were debauched and tyrants that their people revolted against them, causing their kingdoms to crumble.

After the conquest of the Shang Dynasty by the Zhou in about 1045 BC, the latter was considered to be the most powerful in China in terms of political aspects. It was said that although the Zhou adopted many of the Shang Dynasty’s culture, it also made gradual transformations including the evolution of government from feudal state to a centralized form, which helped in developing more frequent interactions among regions. It was also during the reign of the Zhou Dynasty (1045(?) – 256(?) BC) that the teachings of Confucius began to spread all over China.  Confucius (551 or 552 – 479 BC), a Chinese educator and philosopher who became one of the most important figures in Chinese history, was the founder of Confucianism. Confucius’ Analects or Assorted Sayings included the famous principle of reciprocity: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.”1 According to tradition, his teachings contributed to the molding of government rulers into righteous and properly educated gentlemen who could lead the people by way of examples. However, despite this scholar’s efforts, the rule of the Zhou Dynasty still came to an end when a number of states joined the non-Chinese forces in rebellion against it. According to tradition, the fall of the Zhou Dynasty marked the beginning of the Ch’in Dynasty (221 – 206 BC).  Ch’in was a small state situated in what used to be ruled by the Western Zhou, but despite of its size, it was said to be the first true Chinese empire, ruled Ch’in Shih-huang-ti as its first emperor (221 – 210 BC). Tradition also has it that it was from Ch’in that the name China was derived. Many reforms were made during the reign of this dynasty, including the abolition of hereditary aristocracies wherein the territories were taken from the aristocrats and divided into provinces that were ruled by the emperor’s chosen government officials. The desire of the Ch’in to achieve cultural uniformity caused it to condemn many schools of philosophy, which developed during the late Zhou.

Several achievements were made during the Ch’in Dynasty. Besides uniting China and expanding its territory far over the boundaries of the former Zhou Dynasty, the building and completion of the Great Wall took place during this period. The achievements of this dynasty, however, did not hide the encumbrance of taxation, forced labor and military service among the commoners, which urged them to rebel against the Ch’in rule.

After the fall of the Ch’in Dynasty, there were several more dynasties that came to power, one after another. The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), founded by Gaozu, was known as the golden age of Chinese Philosophy. Its recognition of Confucianism as the official doctrine was said to have been among its important contributions in Chinese culture. The Xin Dynasty (AD 9 – 23), which was founded by Wang Mang – its only ruler – was short-lived, due to his inability to resolve the agrarian crisis; the worsening situation even caused the Xin leader his life.

As time went on several other dynasties came to power including the T’ang Dynasty (618 – 906 AD), founded by Li Yuan. T’ang was said to be unprecedented in the history of the Chinese civilization, and Hsüan-Tsung (also known as Minghuang or Brilliant Emperor) – T’ang’ Dynasty’s sixth emperor – was said to have been one of the greatest Chinese rulers. During T’ang’s reign, many reforms were introduced and implemented for the betterment of the people’s way of life but in the end, like all the others, the T’ang Dynasty met its downfall.

According to Hsün-Tzu, a Chinese philosopher during the reign of the Zhou Dynasty, “Heaven operates with constant regularity. It does not prevail because of [a sage-king like] Yao; nor does it cease to prevail because of [a tyrant like] Jie. Respond to it with good government, and blessings will result; respond to it with misgovernment, and misfortune will result.” 2

This philosophy might prove to be true in some way, for if we are going to look back and make a careful analysis of the reasons involving the establishment and downfall of these dynasties, we will perceive that in the beginning of the reign of most of the sage kings lay the goodness of their intensions but as time went on, these intensions somehow slowly slipped away, and were replaced by ones which were no longer selfless, probably influenced by several things or people or principles. Their people grew weary and eventually turned against them because they [the people] no longer felt protected or contented, meaning that the goodness that they once found was not anymore in existence.

ENDNOTES:

          1 “Analects of Confucius.” William Theodore de Bary et al., ed. Sources of Chinese Tradition. Vol. 1. CD-ROM. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960.

          2 Hsün-tzu. “Concerning Heaven.” William Theodore de Bary et al., ed. Sources of Chinese Tradition. Vol. 1. CD-ROM. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960.

SOURCES:

“Analects of Confucius.” William Theodore de Bary et al., ed. Sources of Chinese Tradition. Vol. 1. CD-ROM. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960.

Dickey, Norma H. “China.” Ed. Norma H. Dickey. Vol. 6. Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. 1986.

Hsün-tzu.

“Concerning Heaven.” William Theodore de Bary et al., ed. Sources of Chinese Tradition. Vol. 1. CD-ROM. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960.

My Country in the Midst of Poverty [A short story with an open-ending]

 This is an excerpt of my unpublished novel. I became so engrossed with what I was writing that I did not even think of having a back-up file or even a hard copy of my work.

Unfortunately, my file was infected by a virus and I was not able to save the rest of my work, and all that I was able to salvage was this portion…

Life was hard.  In fact, it was like an endless nightmare.  For someone like her who came from a poor family, who lived a hand-to-mouth existence, there seemed to be no hope left.

The Most Unacceptable Solution To Your Problems: Giving Up!

There comes a time in a person’s life when he feels so helpless that he loses hope and faith in God.

I, honestly speaking, have had that same feeling once. I felt so depressed, not being able to find a solution to my problem that I even shouted, “God, please take away my life so that my pain will be taken away as well!” But just as I expected, God did not grant my plea, simply because: He knew what’s best. He knew the solution to my problem and He knew that death was far from being the answer that I was looking for.

I’ve read a book entitled STREAMS IN THE DESERT [by LB COWMAN], wherein GOD made me realize and understand His purpose for not taking away my life the way I pleaded Him to do. On page 107 of the said book, it says:

     Why is it that GOD leads us in this way, allowing such strong and constant pressure on us? One of His purposes is to show us His all-sufficient strength and grace more effectively than if we were free from difficulties and trials. WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN JARS OF CLAY TO SHOW THAT THIS ALL-SURPASSING POWER IS FROM GOD AND NOT FROM US [2Cor. 4:7].

     Another purpose is to bring us a greater awareness of our dependence upon Him. GOD is constantly trying to teach us how dependent we are on Him — that we are held completely by His hand and reliant on His care alone.

     This is exactly where JESUS Himself stood and where He desires us to stand. We must stand not with self-made strength but always leaning upon Him. And our stand must exhibit a trust that would never dare to take even one step alone. This will teach us to trust in Him more.

     There is no way to learn of faith except through trials. They are GOD’s school of faith, and it is much better for us to learn to trust Him than to live a life of enjoyment. And once the lesson of faith has been learned, it is an everlasting possession and an eternal fortune gained. Yet without trust in GOD, even great riches will leave us in poverty.

Sometimes, we think that what we do is for the best; we often make decisions guided by human knowledge and understanding. We always forget that without the power of GOD, our lives will be in ruins…No wonder we feel depressed and helpless despite our efforts to achieve something…It happens, because we forget the most important source of strength and knowledge — GOD.

When you feel like giving up, turn to GOD. He is the answer to all your questions, to all your doubts and fears, to all your needs.

Let Not Freedom Be Suppressed

If there is one thing in this world that man is sure to ask for, it is freedom. It is the freedom to live a normal life, the freedom to do what he wants to do, for as long as he is not causing harm to anyone; the freedom to speak his mind for as long as he is not offending anybody with his words.

Ah, freedom, freedom, freedom. Freedom is a priceless gift that all of us may have. In fact, from the day we were born, we should have been enjoying the luxury of being free! Isn’t it good to be compared to a wild flower that grows freely in the fields? Or to a bird that freely spreads its wings as it glides through the air, welcoming the breeze under the bright sunlight?

But what if that freedom is suppressed, deprived by another human being? One who is more powerful and more influential? Even then, man can still be compared to a bird – only, a captive bird; one that is struggling to be free from being held in a cage; a bird whose freedom to fly is being hindered by iron bars. Man, then, can still resemble a flower in the fields – a flower crushed by destructive feet; left to wither in the heat of the sun.

Man’s greed for power and money – always the cause of tragedy, the root of all sufferings, the reason for loss of lives; and more often than not, the victims are the helpless, the poor, the weak. The powerful, the greedy, they resemble the iron bars which deprive the bird of its freedom; they resemble the feet that crush the flowers in the fields, trampling them against the soil.

Man’s cruelty against man had been existent almost after the world was created by God. From the time of Cain and Abel to the time of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, and up to the present, all that are evil exist in almost everything that man does.

Everything that is good, we want for ourselves. Everything that is good –all for ourselves! Is it the reason why we inflict pain to our fellowmen? So that we will gain something good – for our own benefit?

God created man to rule over all His other creations, didn’t He? And we do! We rule over all that are visible to our eyes – the animals, the plants, and most of all, the people.

Yes, we rule! We dictate the lives of our fellowmen, what they should and should not be doing, or saying or wearing; how they should live their lives, how they should carry themselves; what they should do…Yes, we rule, we dictate, we dominate, we manipulate!

The thirst for fame, for power, for wealth – we drown ourselves with greed without knowing that by doing so, everything that is good in us dies with our hope of having a better life; one that is free not from trials but from the miseries caused by selfish people who think of nothing but themselves.

Isn’t it better if we turn our thirst for worldly things into a thirst for God’s unfailing love? Surely the world will be a better place to live in.