HOW AND WHY DO WE FALL FOR THESE ABSURDITIES: Amusing and laughable, frivolous, and ludicrous are just some of the characterizations that I share with people who hear about outlandish theories proposed by equally nonsensical people invested in Conspiracy Theories. We will examine the origins and explore why a particular population segment believes them. Early humans understood their… Read More »
REMINISCING MY YEARS AT THE REZ and the perils of early retirement PART 1 Working full-time in a stressful job was just the recipe for thoughts of early retirement, a “seven-year itch” three times over, especially for one who’s been at it for more than three decades. Even for school teachers, long summer breaks, in my case, meant… Read More »
PART II Anything above zero in this part of the north is tropical. At 52 deg. North and just below the tree line, by mid-Oct. ice starts forming in the lakes. By Nov., the kids are already playing hockey. So by late December, it is hard to find open water in any of the lakes surrounding this Reserve. … Read More »
Cielito Habito’s commentary in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “Dynasties: Our Spreading Cancer” ( Aug. 13, 2024 ), has focused on one of the causes of our intractable and unrelenting poverty in a way that is not summarily seen as having a significant impact on our well-being. Despite government statistics showing 15.5% poverty, Mahar Mangahas’s SWS- Social Weather Stations… Read More »
This article challenges Eleanor Pinugu’s Phil Daily Inquirer’s commentary: WHAT HINDERS CREATIVITY, June 24, 2024 (https://opinion.inquirer.net/174649/what-hinders-creativity). PDI published Edwin’s response to Ms. Pinugu’s article ( https://opinion.inquirer.net/175085/the-invisible-gorilla-a-metaphor-for-phs-regressive-path ) on July 11. Below is the complete version of my response. The invisible gorilla that Eleanor Pinugu talked about in her latest commentary, “What Hinders Creativity,” PDI, June 24, 2024, an… Read More »
PRODDED by an email from a friend on the continuing fallout of the latest PISA ( Programme for International Student Assessment ) results, a no holds bared article in the Philippine Star by columnist Tony Lopez, titled “Mass Stupidity,” again highlighted the terrible state of education in the Philippines. The latest literacy test ( reading, math and Science)… Read More »
This ordeal reminds me of the famous catchphrase “Da Plane,” “Da Plane,” which appears in the opening credits of the TV show Fantasy Island. My version would read “Da Pain,”” Da Pain!” in the context of total knee replacement surgery or TKA ( Total Knee Arthroplasty). The immediate aftermath of the procedure overwhelmed the excitement of having it… Read More »
It was inconceivable not too long ago that one day, I would put memories and feelings in print and, more improbably, in a book. Apart from a short story I wrote when I was 12, my academic standing suggests that I could not write anything worth putting on the school paper. The editor, reporters and contributing writers all… Read More »
The last time I tackled this subject was in June 2021, in the context of COVID-19. My article, “Evolution and the COVID Variants” (Balita, June 1, 2021), described the meaning of a “variant,” how it develops, and what it signifies concerning the original population. I explained what viruses, such as COVID-19, are and why they evolve and reproduce… Read More »
On Sept. 19, 2024, Joel Butuyan’s Phil Daily Inquirer column, “Flea Market of Ideas,” published an article about the Pope’s recent Asian tour. The article “All Religions are Paths to Reach God” refers to the Pope’s bold and daring assertions. I responded to Butuyan’s article on Sept. 30, https://opinion.inquirer.net/177171/religion-a-giant-conspiracy-theory. This article is an expanded version of my response.… Read More »