By the time this issue is released the solar eclipse frenzy will be over. And the state of emergency in the Niagara region would have been lifted by now. (Imagine that?! Niagara had to declare a state of emergency because of the solar eclipse? Insane but understandable! Niagara was one of the places expected to experience maximum coverage… Read More »
Whoah! There is such a thing as conscience after all. Or is there? The website of the United Nations, under the U.N. event “International Day of Conscience April 5” contains these timely thought-provoking words… “The task of the United Nations to save future generations from the scourge of war requires transformation towards a culture of peace, which consists… Read More »
I cannot but think of the gloriously outspoken and eminently articulate Clare Daly on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) last March 8. (It is actually not just a day but a worldwide movement highlighted with events and activities during the month of March.). In the United Nation’s website, it says — “Officially recognized by the United… Read More »
It may still be cold but spring is just around the corner. This year, 2024, spring will officially start on March 19. I always thought it was always the 21st of March. Apparently, it shifts or is movable. Not a moment too soon, I say. Although, we have had a relatively mild (but erratic) winter, having more of… Read More »
There was one bright, soothing spot during this winter of our lives (in many more ways than one). In mine, and, I am quite sure, in the lives of the hundreds and thousands of music lovers who had the tremendous opportunity to listen and see for themselves a live performance of one of most sought-after classical music artists… Read More »
Patis Tito Garden Café, San Pablo, Laguna. In my last trip to our home country late last year, I was truly grateful for the chance to visit 2 outstanding places in the outskirts of Manila which gave me a deep, moving sense of my roots. Thanks to a good friend of ours Benjang Alvendia. Perhaps, it was just… Read More »
If Ka Doroy Valencia, dubbed by Associated Press then as one of the most influential journalists in the Philippines during his time (1913 to 1987), had his “Over a Cup of Coffee” column, then we had our “over a bowl of butong pakwan” session in our home. Complete with Marites stories. Woe to the one who did not… Read More »
These words ring true more than ever today. These words were first written by the novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in “Cardinal Richelieu”, the historical play he wrote in 1839. According to Alison Gee of BBC News, there were previous writers who have expressed the same thought earlier, like Robert Burton, in the early 17th century when he… Read More »
Something is afoot at the Philippine Consulate General of Toronto. And it is a welcome change. For the first time (after around 4 or 5 years), there was a real, living, breathing person who answered the phone at the PCGT. I trust that these are changes due to the initiatives of the newly appointed Consul General Angelica C.… Read More »
For some people, Lammas Day is a day of celebration. In the olden days, it is traditionally, observed on August 1, which marked the beginning of the harvest. Specifically, it celebrated the harvest of the first wheat crop, or of corn. It derives from the ancient English festival the Gule of August. On this day, the first fruits… Read More »