Save QueSci From Sad(sad)ism

Michi posted this on Friendster's bulletin. Xientians, READ!

If you take any sort of pride to being a student of Quesci, past or present, you will take time to read what I have to say.

A travesty is occurring in our beloved alma mater, and few teachers have had the guts to speak out.

I have received word that the current principal, Ms. Nenita Sadsad has removed Mr. Rex San Diego from his position as school paper adviser. More than that, apparently she has altogether stopped the operation of both The Electron and The Banyuhay. Last I heard, Mr. San Diego is poised to transfer to Ateneo... We are about to lose a great man... and a great teacher.

Even more absurd, is her reported intentions to altogether stop Quesci from joining any local competitions. I'm told that the Varsity squads have already been disbanded. And all other competitions without an international level-- the MTAP included-- are to be ignored completely.

Xientians, this is unheard of! No school, not even the science schools totally ignore local competitions.

You know that Quesci has been harvesting trophies and awards for a long time. A tradition of excellence established long before this insane woman came along who thinks she has a right to end it all.

If you have any pride. You will join us and turn this into a personal crusade. Ms. Sadsad is completely destroying Quesci, are we going to just stand aside and watch her do it?

I say NO!

A THOUSAND TIMES NO!

XIENTIANS, HAVE YOU ANY PRIDE?

ARISE! ALL TOGETHER NOW....

Am not really familiar with Mr. San Diego. It was the suspension of the campus paper's operation that got me. I was never part of the paper, but the journalist in me has gone hoarse shouting "FREE THE PRESS!" Dramatically, of course.

Sadsad, stop churning out Xientian robots!

Cue: Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall

image taken from http://images.quesci.multiply.com/logo

Yet Another Means To Curtail Press Freedom

This is a note from Prof. Arao's latest post.

In case you still don’t know, the management of Pinoy Weekly decided to temporarily stop the publication of the tabloid due to the country’s economic crisis and the concomitant high cost of printing. If it’s any consolation, the online edition will still continue. From what the online editor told me, the uploading of new content will happen every Friday (Manila time). I hope that you will continue to read Pinoy Weekly, the absence of a print edition notwithstanding. Actually, it is ironic that Pinoy Weekly’s print edition had to end at a time when one of its articles in 2007 was a finalist in the prestigious 19th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ).

Albeit indirectly, our failing economy proved to be quite an effective way to (temporarily, i hope) disable the alternative press. Good thing the online version's still here.

Sadly, there are PW readers who aren't comfortable with Google.

Here's to hoping that we acquire the capacity to pull ourselves out of our ego holes and dwell in to something outside our comfort zone.

READ

The end
(is the beginning is the end)

Pahayag ng CONTEND* hinggil sa 2008 UP Charter

The 2008 UP Charter: Forging the Transition from the Premier State University to a Privately Run Corporate Enterprise Driven by the Search for Profit

From State to National University

The first thing which would probably strike a casual reader of the "Centennial Charter" (RA 9500) is the replacement of the conventional label of "state university" by the term "national university." The current nomenclature rests on the crucial distinction between Private Higher Educational Institutions (PHEIs) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs). Indeed, the yearly General Appropriations Act (GAA) only mentions SUCs as recipients of government subsidy. The studious elimination of all mention of the term "state university" in the Charter sends a message that this distinction no longer holds for the University of the Philippines . This suspicion is confirmed by the contents of the Charter itself.

UP and the Rise of a New Managerial Stratum


One salient characteristic of the Charter is the creation of a managerial stratum distinct from the existing governance structures of the University. The UP President, aside from being referred to as the "chief academic officer," is also labelled in the text of the Charter as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which means no less than that she/he shall henceforth serve as the highest ranking officer of the corporate entity which is the "national university." Since the President shall be appointed in this capacity as the head of a corporation and since good CEOs don't come cheap, she/he shall also receive a salary befitting a CEO. In 2007, CEOs in the Philippines received an average base salary of $44,496 and $51,519 in annual cash or PhP4, 271,899 or PhP355, 991 a month (www.mercer.com). Bear in mind that this is only the average. The Charter consequently states that the Board shall deem it within its powers to "determine the compensation of the President of the University" (Sec. 14). Despite the efforts of the promoters of the Charter to allow the UP President to have an unprecedented two terms, this proposal was eventually withdrawn because of strong opposition. Quite disturbing, however, is the fact that the Chancellor of each constituent unit will not only receive an unspecified amount to be determined by the Board but will also serve an unspecified term likewise to be determined by the Board (Sec. 18: "The Board shall determine [both] the term and compensation of the Chancellor") .

Combining managerial and governance roles, the President shall serve simultaneously as the co-Chairperson of the Board of Regents (with the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)) and as the Chairperson of an Independent Trust Committee (ITC) to be made up of representatives nominated by the following private entities explicitly specified by the Charter: Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), Investment Houses Association of the Philippines (IHAP), Trust Officers Association of the Philippines (TOAP) and the Financial Executive Institute of the Philippines (FINEX). Furthermore, in case of two failed biddings these same private entities shall nominate representatives which shall make up the majority of a "third-party body" tasked with making a "fairness opinion report" (Sec. 23). The individuals making up the ITC and the "third-party body" shall be "entitled to a reasonable per diem as the Board may specify" (Sec. 23 & 24). Some information about these private entities is in order. The BAP was founded in 1964 and aims to provide "a necessary avenue for member banks to raise and discuss issues that affect the commercial banking industry." It counts among its members, 40 commercial banking institutions covering 26 local banks and 14 foreign bank branches (http://www.bap. org.ph/). The IHAP was founded in 1974 and its current membership consists of "fifty-five (55) member houses, which include the top players in the investment banking industry" (http://www.ihap. org/). Established in 1964, the TOAP's aim is to unite, professionalize and promote the Philippine Trust and Investment Management Industry http://www.toap. org.ph/). Lastly, the FINEX, founded in 1968 is said to be an "organization (which) is devoted to the continuing development and improvement of financial management techniques and the promotion of efficiency in business enterprises" (http://www.finex. org.ph/).

There is no good reason why these entities should have their names inscribed in such a solemn document such as the UP Charter. These are plainly transitory private entities which do not sit well in a national public document drawn up with claims to perenniality such as the UP Charter. They could always be hired if and when consultants are needed and paid their "reasonable compensation. " As it is, they could just fold up in a couple of years and leave embarrassing blank spaces on the Charter. This is almost equivalent to putting the names of private businesses in the Philippine Constitution. Being in the UP Charter lends these private entities more prestige than they are worth.

The function of the ITC, befitting its "independent" nature, is to recommend to the Board five banks aside from providing the "Board with direction on appropriate investment objectives and permissible investments with the view to preserving the value of the funds while allowing the University to earn a reasonable return thereon" (Sec. 24). Emphasis should be placed on the words "appropriate" and "permissible" in the above sentence in order to stress the actual managerial power of the ITC. These individuals, the President, the Chancellor, and these representatives from the BAP, IHAP, TOAP and FINEX shall henceforth constitute a distinct stratum of managerial technocrats whose "compensations" and privileges shall be at a qualitatively differently level than the ordinary faculty, REPS and administrative personnel making up the university community. It seems that such gains as the Staff Regent who shall represent the administrative personnel and the research, extension and professional staff was conceded by the framers of the Charter with the foresight that the BOR itself shall eventually no longer carry much weight in the scheme of things to come.

UP as a Commercial Area with an “Academic Core Zone”


The scope of the income generating activities which these individuals shall plan and undertake shall only be limited by the size of what is termed in the Charter as the "academic core zone." According to Section 22 of the Charter, "The Board may plan, design, approve and/or cause the implementation of land leases: Provided, that such mechanisms and arrangements shall … be exclusive of the academic core zone of the campuses of the University of the Philippines ." The whole territory of the University lying outside of this so-called "academic core zone," which is as of yet unspecified, is therefore declared as a commercial zone. Furthermore, lands donated to the University from hereon may simply be sold if the terms of donation allow for it.

Profiting from the Pursuit of Truth


It is hard to see, given the power enshrined in the new Charter which now gives private business interests a preponderant role in shaping the future of the University, how such half-hearted provisos in the Charter itself, such as one stating that "such mechanisms and arrangements shall not conflict with the academic mission of the national university" or that "any plan to generate revenues and other sources from land grants and other real properties entrusted to the national university shall be consistent with the academic mission and orientation of the national university as well as protect it from undue influence and control of commercial interests" (Sec. 22) can realistically be adhered to. Instead of protecting it, the Charter actually renders the University extremely vulnerable to the "undue influence and control of commercial interests" as never before. For example, Sec. 3 on the "Purpose of the University," states that the University is "a community of scholars dedicated to the search for truth and knowledge." However Sec. 13 specifies without irony "that research and other activities funded by the University shall likewise undertake research in fields of topics that have promising commercial applications. " ("Likewise" here means "also" and cannot be read as meaning "optional.") The message is clear: the scholars of the University shall be dedicated to the "search for truth and knowledge" only as long as these have "promising commercial applications. "

The Price of Higher Wages


The thoroughgoing commercialization of the campus and of the research and academic mission of the University together with projected substantial tuition fee increases are being sold to the faculty with the promise of higher salaries. This is the proverbial carrot. Indeed, Sec. 13 states that "any law to the contrary notwithstanding, to fix and adjust salaries and benefits of the faculty members and other employees: Provided, That salaries and other benefits of the faculty shall be equivalent to those being received by their counterparts in the private sector." Aside from the fact that a great part of these promised higher wages shall come from rising tuition fees and rampant commercialization, it is also more than likely that these salary increases shall come at the cost of undermining existing rights to tenure in the longer term and lead to a rising percentage of part-time and full-time non-tenure track teaching staff. This is already a problem in the US where according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), 68 percent of all university and college level teaching personnel comprise these so-called "contingent faculty," thus seriously undermining academic freedom, academic quality and professional standards (www.aaup.org).

This Charter marks the next 100 years of UP. What has been dangled to clinch faculty support—exemption from the SSL and salaries competitive with the private sector—is neither forthcoming nor will it be within the range of the compensation package of the UP President as CEO. This Charter legitimizes the neo-liberal turn to greater commercialization, privatization, and deregulation of UP and of higher education in general.

A Charter Against the University of the People


This blatantly neo-liberal charter accepts the conventional and deadly wisdom of aspiring to be "globally competitive" at the cost of erasing all traces of the University of the People. It accepts the assumption that the government cannot and will not provide a sufficient budget for UP. Its main direction is to forge the transition from being a service-oriented public entity towards being a privately run corporate enterprise with its own CEO and an independent trust committee driven primarily, if not solely, by the search for profit. This Charter is nothing but the tragedy of the UP Centennial.

As the UP administration advances its neo-liberal agenda in the transformation of higher education, CONTEND calls on the various sectors of the university to be militant and continue to struggle for a UP which may be called an exemplary university of the people.

Education is not a commodity!

Continue the Fight for a genuine University of the People!

*The Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy or CONTEND is a progressive organization of academics based in the University of the Philippines- Diliman. Please email your comments to upcontend@yahoo. com

** Mula sa blog ni Rolando Tolentino, manunulat, kritiko, taga-pangulo ng CONTEND.

isang pampalubag loob at ang potensyal na dahilan ng ating messianic complex

Eh kung ito na lang sana ang himno natin.

Mapagpalayang Isang Daan Taon Para sa (kahit papano'y naging) Pamantasan ng Bayan!

Please wag na nating ingglesen ang UP Naming Mahal

Pinengger!

(or The Simplest Reason Why I'd Probably Drop Out Of Med School In Two Years Or Less Post)
Found this one on one of my google pages. Something to wake up my dreary Saturday aura.

A lecturer teaching medicine was giving a classoom observation. He took out a jar of yellow liquid. "This," he explained, "is urine. To be a doctor, you have to be observant of color, smell, sight, and taste."

After saying so, he dipped his finger into the jar and put it into his mouth. His class watched in amazement, most in disgust. But being the good students that they were, the jar was passed, and one by one, they dipped their finger into the jar and put it into their mouths.

After the last student was done, the lecturer shook his head. "If any of you had been observant, you would have noticed that I put my second finger into the jar and my third finger into my mouth."

This post is for my father (who doesn't even read blogs, and) who'd probably see through the test. Happy Father's Day, Fa-jahhh.

"The American justice system works. God Bless America"

(And so does the Philippines')
Meldy is $35M richer as the US Supreme Court ruled against HR victims who sought the sum.

And to quip Meldy, “this victory in a Federal Supreme Court in Washington is a complete vindication of the Marcos truth.”

Vindicated?

Tell that to the desaparecido's families?
The humanitarian in me screams "Don't!"
And if ever your (d)illusion of grandeur overpower your rationale (which is highly probable), don't wear stilletos. It's hard to run on those things.

No Laughing Matter

I've already posted something on net neutrality. The concept became clearer after stumbling upon this segment of Jon Stewart's Daily.



Is the threat real? Bet your pwet it is. Haven't you read anything from China lately?

(pun intended)

Got Milk?

Here's a very simple and amusing explanation of the various societal orientations. All done with cows.

PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

It gets even weirder:

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

Here's my take:

ARROYO DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. The government decides that they own both cows. They take from you. You resist. The headline tomorrow would read: Cow Owner Found Dead. Two Men On Bikes Seen.

BUSH DEMOCRACY: You have two cows who despite their sad appearances give plenty of milk. One motherfucker saw the cow's sorry state and decides to liberate it. (But not after cajoling another cow owner to attack the motherfucker)


For the complete list, click.

Sabi nga ni R.Tolentino,

"Walang tinapay sa mesa kung hindi aalsa ang masa."

Panu yan? 'Di na nga umaalsa, lumiliit pa.

Mukhang marami-rami pang kelangan gawin.

Evo's Should Have Grown A Beard

Here are Bolivian President, Evo Morales' ten commandments to save the planet, life and humanity.

Acabar con el sistema capitalista
Stopping the capitalist system

Renunciar a las guerras
Renouncing wars

Un mundo sin imperialismo ni colonialismo
A world without imperialism or colonialism

Derecho al agua
Right to water

Desarrollo de energías limpias
Development of clean energies

Respeto a la madre tierra
Respect for Mother Earth

Servicios básicos como derechos humanos
Basic services as human rights

Combatir las desigualdades
Fighting inequalities

Promover la diversidad de culturas y economías
Promoting diversity of cultures and economies

Vivir bien, no vivir mejor a costa del otro
Living well, not living better at the expense of others

Just like Albert Einstein said, "simple, but not simpler." Am thinking of migrating too Bolivia. How about you?

For details, click.

* Evo Morales is Bolivia's first fully indigenous head of state. Having denounced the neoliberal policies of his forerunner, Morales' managed to upgrade social spending.

Here, it’s just the social (and not the spending) that gets upgraded. Sigh.

Today is Independence Day

from?

Da Boy

Meets The Man.

And here's the humanized Superman.
* Sorry, i forgot where i got this image. Claims would be entertained.

Sa mga mahilig sa pelikula, (at mga libreng bagay na rin)

may isang pusa na may listahan ng mga paparating na film festivals.

Libre yung jap film fest na ayon sa kaibigan ko'y magpapalabas ng mala-Battle Royale ang bangis na We Shall Overcome Someday. Google, ang keyword dito ay libre.

Stray, meow. (kalmot sa hangin)

No Cause For Celebration

The usual attack of boredom compelled me take this test from critics rant. Something i found in Prof. Arao's site.

Mr A did a disclaimer on the test (if you could kindly refer to his site). Nevertheless, the ego been subjected to a lot of negative stress (aura) lately. Id (getit?) is wanting a massage

And here's how i fared.

Sadly (no pa-humble effect intended. honest.), i got a genius level rating. That implies that my posts are hard to comprehend (which unfortunately isn't tantamount to it being intellectual).

Honestly, i'd prefer getting a high school reading level.

Oh well, back to square one.

The Googled Las MInas

Here's google's incorporation of Velasquez' much discussed painting.
Notice the first "o" made in to a reflection? Am having trouble seeing the second "o," though.

because life balance is just too zen (and other random memory)

Halina explained the other day why the term, "work-life balance" contradict itself.

The construction ("work" and "life") imply that work is separate from life, wherein fact, it is (/should be) just a part of it. Seeing it as another category/concept (of the self) is tantamount to putting prime in to it.
Hay.
Semantics.
Here's something from Chaplin's Modern Times.
ba-a-ah! ba-a-ah! ba-a-ah!

*****

on another note...

I remember this incident with the crew of the 11 illegally detained punk (they were simply hitchhiking). It was may 1 and the clique decided to join the mobilization to popularize the cause of their brethren.

Having no directed knowledge of may 1 and the Labor Movement, they made the fatal mistake of making banners that read, "go anti-work."

I liked their other material though. One read: "work to fast? apply resistance." Its wit was coupled with an image of a monkey wrench being crushed under two gears.

No need for semiotics there.

blues

I want to feel organic, sabi ni Pinocchio kay Gepetto.

yep, they do exist.

www.whorepresents.com
www.expertsexchange.com
www.penisland.net
www.therapistfinder.com
www.powergenitalia.com
www.molestationnursery.com

penisland gets my vote (they even got a "your pen is our business" slogan), followed by therapistfinder and molestationnursery.

to adsense: these are real sites.

Tulad ni Dr Seuss...

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

Epitaphs

Something for the soldiers under the mole's regime.
(feeling ain't isolated to the lower ranks)

And something for Prometheus' child.
(among others)

Something that I wish would be carved on mine.

image taken from http://pagesperso-orange.fr/zippo.vietnam/textes.htm

when a bike is stolen

a fairy dies.

puss and bush

Me thinks this holds true (especially for Filipinos). Sadly, credibility ain't the ultimate currency online. It's cuteness. Sad. Any thoughts on this, Cocoy?

image taken from http://www.sharenator.com/Distraction_Political_comic/1616.html

this made me smile

[click to enlarge]

Also, the spoiler in this hardcore-bad-to-the-bone picture looks familiar. I just can't remember where i've seen her/him.

rock and roll!

iamge taken from http://files.sharenator.com/fucking_metal-s500x400-2006.jpg

Be afraid

be very afraid.

Will Roger asks, if

Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?

hmmm...

For Rapurapu

The Center for Environmental Concern will be launching their latest compilation titled Rapurapu Atbp - Taghoy ng Kalikasan this coming June 4, Wednesday. All environmental songs, the CD features Aiza Segguera (yep, you've read it right), Lolit Carbon, Noel Cabangon, Cookie Chua (remembered Sadie from Across the Universe), Bayang Barrios and The Jerks. The event will be held at the 70's Bistro, Anonas Street, Q.C. 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Entrance is at 50 petotet. Or, better yet, get the compilation at a discounted price of 150 petotet and your entrance is free.

If you're a regular of 70s then you could also expect Lady High there. Still can't figure out where that voice comes from. Datu's Tribe would probably be there as well (think of Kiko Machine, only a little more "punkier" and mature).

For an appetizer, here's Rage from The Jerks

not porn. i think.

A friend eagerly informed me of this series on YouTube. Consequently, he's bored and unemployed. Not to mention that his back pay is already running slim.
(Unemployment, you gotta love it.)
Behold...

Counter-culture at its finest!

Yahoo v. Hard Gay part 1

Yahoo v. Hard Gay part 2 (:Hard Gay Strikes Back!)


A big, fat *toot* *toot* to Yahoo! for allowing spam!

* acknowledgments to Cocoy for posting an "idiot's guide" on embedding video on blogger.