Top news for the day
Source: GMA News.tv
Directorship row ‘paralyzing’ UP-PGH
The directorship of the University of the Philippines’ Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), dubbed as the country’s biggest charity hospital, is a veritable tempest brewing between the...
Prosecutor who indicted Estrada nominated for Chief Justice
A special prosecutor who helped indict President Joseph Estrada for plunder has been nominated as the Philippines’ next chief justice. Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio was recommended by his...
Nursing board topnotcher: I only wanted to pass
For 28-year-old nursing graduate Clarie Bontol, topping the board exams is a fantasy. A text message from a friend late Sunday night, however, convinced the Iligan City native that fantasies can...
Senate ratifies bill strengthening right to information
The Philippine Senate ratified a bill strengthening the right to access information, especially government documents. Under the Freedom of Information bill, all agencies are required to make all...
Comelec wary over reported shipment of signal jammers
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking into possible attempts to manipulate the results of the upcoming automated elections with the reported shipment of thousands of signal jammers in...
Ceasefire over: Senate resumes debate on Villar, C5 mess
The supposed ceasefire in the Senate was lifted Monday as the chamber resumed its deliberation on the committee report seeking the censure of Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on his alleged involvement in...
GMA Network strengthens lead over rival in January
The Philippines’ leading broadcast network further strengthened its lead in Mega Manila ratings over its rival company for the first month of 2010.
Despite detention, Trillanes is 4th biggest spender in Senate
Detention did not prevent Senator Antonio Trillanes IV from incurring the biggest expenses among senators in 2008, according to a report by the Commission on Audit (COA).
Eight UP Manila students dominate top ten of pharmacy licensure exams
Eight students from the University of the Philippines-Manila dominated the 10 topnotchers of the Pharmacist Licensure Examination given last month.
Showbiz Chika for the day
Source: Manila Bulletin Online
Fans faint at Big Bang’s concert
Some 60 of the 40,000 fans who attended Big Bang’s three-night concert “Big Show” fainted while watching at
Seoul Olympic Stadium on Jan. 31.
Manager can't say yet if Maricel Soriano will transfer to TV5
Malou Choa-Fagar, manager of Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, gave an indefinite answer when asked if her ward will transfer to TV5 as rumored.
A fairy tale with a jazzy twist
“The Princess and the Frog” takes you back to the time when hand-drawn cartoon classics were nominated for an Oscar Best Picture for their excellent visuals and narrative.
Hope springs eternal for Haiti
Hope in Haiti was rekindled when celebrities gathered to raise funds to benefit the victims of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island.
Prince Stefan posts sexy photos; Sam YG and global warming
Young actor Prince Stefan shocked fans when he posted sexy photos of him on the social networking site Facebook.
Angelica Panganiban explains her statement about Jinkee Pacquiao
Angelica Panganiban sets the record straight regarding her bold statement on Jinkee Pacquiao’s rumored extra-closeness with her boyfriend Derek Ramsay.
Jericho, Extra Joss give back to working class heroes
Energy drink Extra Joss and Jericho Rosales opened 2010 with an inspiring and heartfelt gesture.
No bad blood between Cheryl Cosim and ABS-CBN
There were speculations that there must have been bad blood between Cheryl Cosim and the Kapamilya network.
Isports laang
Source: ABS-CBN News Online
UST softbelles extend record to 6-0
MANILA, Philippines – Negotiating the offensive grind early on, league-leading University of Santo Tomas (UST) pummeled a hapless De La Salle University to submission, 12-2, to keep its flawless record intact in the 2nd round action of the 72nd UAAP softball tournament on Saturday at the UST field....
Wesley So settles f
or overall 5th in Corus chess
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So settled a truce with Slovenian Woman Grandmaster and International Master Anna Muzychuk after 38 moves of a Nimzo-Indian defense using the white pieces in the 13th and final round in the 72nd Corus International Chess Championship....
'The Hammer' goes after 'The Natural' in UFC 109
Fil-Am featured in fight card MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famers Mark “The Hammer” Coleman and Randy “The Natural” Couture will finally clash in UFC 109: Relentless on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
'Bata' Reyes bags 5th Master of the Table crown
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes continued to bring in the big bucks as he won this year’s Master of the Table Crown in the 12th Annual Derby City Classic in the United States.
Patriots blast Dragons in ABL playoffs
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Patriots are off to a good start in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) as they outplayed Malaysia’s KL Dragons in the playoffs at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City Sunday....
Angping seeks closed-door meeting to address issues
MANILA, Philippines - Before an executive session of the Senate, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping will answer, point by point, all the charges and accusations being leveled against him....
Da who for today
Source: Wikipedia
Ban Ki-moon (Hangul: 반기문; born 13 June 1944) is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from college, accepting his first post in New Delhi, I
ndia. In the foreign ministry he established a reputation for modesty and competence.
Ban was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. In February 2006 he began to campaign for the office of Secretary-General. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office. As foreign minister of Korea, however, he was able to travel to all of the countries that were members of the United Nations Security Council, a maneuver that turned him into the front runner.
On 13 October 2006, he was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly. On 1 January 2007, he successfully succeeded Kofi Annan, and passed several major reforms regarding peacekeeping and UN employment practices. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on Darfur, where he helped persuade Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan; and on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with former U.S. President George W. Bush.
In 2004, Ban replaced Yoon Young Kwan as foreign minister of Korea under president Roh Moo-hyun. At the beginning of his term, Ban was faced with two major crises: in June 2004 Kim Sun-il, a Korean translator, was kidnapped and killed in Iraq by Islamic extremists; and in December 2004 dozens of Koreans died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Ban survived scrutiny from lawmakers and saw an upturn in his popularity when talks began with North Korea. Ban became actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relationships. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at the Fourth Round of the Six-party talks held in Beijing.
As foreign minister, Ban oversaw the trade and aid policies of South Korea. This work put Ban in the position of signing trade deals and delivering foreign assistance to diplomats who would later be influential in his candidacy for Secretary-General. For example, Ban became the first senior South Korean minister to travel to the Congo since its independence in 1960.
When Ban became Secretary-General, The Economist listed the major challenges facing him in 2007: "rising nuclear demons in Iran and North Korea, a haemorrhaging wound in Darfur, unending violence in the Middle East, looming environmental disaster, escalating international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the spread of HIV/AIDS. And then the more parochial concerns, such as the largely unfinished business of the most sweeping attempt at reform in the UN's history." Before starting, Kofi Annan shared the story that when the first Secretary-General Trygve Lie left office, he told his successor, Dag Hammarskjöld, "You are about to take over the most impossible job on earth."
On 23 January 2007 Ban took office as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Ban's term as Secretary-General opened with a flap. At his first encounter with the press as Secretary-General on 2 January 2007, he refused to condemn the death penalty imposed on Saddam Hussein by the Iraqi High Tribunal, remarking that “The issue of capital punishment is for each and every member State to decide.”[35] Ban's statements contradicted long-standing United Nations opposition to the death penalty as a human-rights concern. He quickly clarified his stance in the case of Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad al-Bandar, two top officials who were convicted of the deaths of 148 Shia Muslims in the Iraqi village of Dujail in the 1980s. In a statement through his spokesperson on 6 January, he “strongly urged the Government of Iraq to grant a stay of execution to those whose death sentences may be carried out in the near future.” On the broader issue, he told a Washington, D.C., audience on 16 January 2007 that he recognized and encouraged the “growing trend in international society, international law and domestic policies and practices to phase out eventually the death penalty.”
On the tenth anniversary of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's death, 15 April 2008, Ban Ki-moon appealed for the senior leaders of the regime to be brought to justice. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia-tribunal, which was established by both the United Nations and Cambodia and which became operational in 2006, is expected to continue until at least 2010.
Gospel for the day
Source: The Daily Gospel Online
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 5:1-20.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes.When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
Word for the day
Source: Merriam Webster Online
raj • \RAHJ\ • noun
*1 : rule; especially often capitalized : the former British rule of the Indian subcontinent
2 : the period of British rule in India
Example Sentence:
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi launched a spectacular and highly successful campaign against the Raj, but despite all such efforts, India did not gain independence from British rule until 1947.
Did you know?
When British trading posts were established in the Indian subcontinent in the 17th century, English speakers were immersed in the rich languages of the region, and Europeans quickly began adopting local words into their own vocabularies. By the end of the 1700s, Hindi contributions to our language ran from "ayah" (a term for a nurse or maid) to "zamindar" (a collector of land taxes or revenues). When English speakers borrowed "raj" around 1800, they used exactly the same spelling and meaning as its Hindi parent (the Hindi word in turn traces to an older term that is related to the Sanskrit word for "king"). Other words of Hindi descent that are now common in English include "chintz," "pundit," "bungalow," "veranda," "seersucker," and "bandanna."
Lesson for the day
Source: Art’s Library of life
14 Simple Ways to Super Charge Your Brain
Have you ever felt exasperated when you bumped into someone at the store but absolutely couldn’t remember their name? Sure, it happens to all of us.
Despite being the strongest computer on the planet, our brains do lapse. It’s hard to blame them really. As humans, we spend much of or existence stuffing our brains withstuff. Some stuff is worthless, some of it’s meaningful, some of it, well, it’s just stuff and there is an endless amount of it.
No matter how powerful our brains are, they need recuperation time, to be kept in shape, and even an occasional charge. Think of it as a tune up for your brain. Skipping brain maintenance is as silly as the person wandering the parking garage because they forgot where they parked. Is that you? Are you that person? Sure. We all are at some point. No worries, there is hope.
Now I am not a brain surgeon and I am not going to suggest you do anything surgical or dangerous. I am however an astute student of human behavior, so I always look for simple ways to super charge my brain.
Here are some things you can begin doing as soon as today to begin the great brain tune up.
1. Eat Almonds
Almond is believed to improve memory. If a combination of almond oil and milk is taken together before going to bed or after getting up at morning, it strengthens our memory power. Almond milk is prepared by crushing the almonds without the outer cover and adding water and sugar to it.
2. Drink Apple Juice
Research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) indicates that apple juice increases the production of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, resulting in an increased memory power.
3. Sleep well
Research indicates that the long-term memory is consolidated during sleep by replaying the images of the experiences of the day. These repeated playbacks program the subconscious mind to store these images and other related information.
4. Enjoy simple Pleasures
Stress drains our brainpower. A stress-ridden mind consumes much of our memory resources to leave us with a feeble mind. Make a habit to engage yourself in few simple pleasures everyday to dissolve stress from your mind. Some of these simple pleasures are good for your mind, body and soul. Enjoy music you love, Play with your children, Hug a stranger, Appreciate others, Run few miles a day, bike or swim, Start a blog, Take a yoga class or Total wellness routine
5. Fast for a day
Fasting cleans and detoxifies our body. It is known fact that heavy food not only causes stress on our digestive system but also drains our brainpower. Fasting relieves toxic emotions such as anger, grief, worry, and fears – before they accumulate and cause disease. By cleansing toxic emotions, fasting strengthens metal clarity with increases memory, concentration, creativity and insight.
6. Exercise your mind
Just as physical exercise is essential for a strong body, mental exercise is equally essential for a sharp and agile mind. Have you noticed that children have far superior brainpower than an adult does? Children have playful minds. A playful mind exhibits superior memory power. Engage in some of the activities that require your mind to remain active and playful. Play scrabble or crossword puzzle, Volunteer, Interact with others,Start a new hobby such as blogging, reading, painting, bird watching and Learn new skill or a language.
7. Practice Yoga or Meditation
Yoga or Meditation relives stress. Stress is a known memory buster. With less stress, lower blood pressure, slower respiration, slower metabolism, and released muscle tension follows. All of these factors contribute significantly towards increases in our brainpower.
8. Reduce Sugar intake
Sugar is a non-food. It’s a form of carbohydrate that offers illusionary energy, only to cause a downhill slump once the initial burst has been worn off. Excess intake of sugar results in neurotic symptoms. Excess sugar is known to cause claustrophobia, memory loss and other neurotic disorders. Eat food without adding sugar. Stay away from sweet drinks or excess consumption of caffeine with sugar.
9. Eat whole wheat
The whole wheat germs contain lecithin. Lecithin helps ease the problem of the hardening of the arteries, which often impairs brain functioning.
10. Eat a light meal in the night
A heavy meal at night causes tossing and turning and a prolonged emotional stress while at sleep. It’s wise to eat heavy meal during the day when our body is in motion to consume the heavy in-take. Eating a light meal with some fruits allows us to sleep well. A good night sleep strengthens our brainpower.
11. Develop imagination
Greeks mastered the principle of imagination and association to memorize everything. This technique requires one to develop a vivid and colorful imagination that can be linked to a known object. If you involve all your senses – touching, feeling, smelling, hearing and seeing in the imagination process, you can remember greater details of the event.
12. Sex
Our sexual imagination often empowers our ability to daydream, which strengthens our brainpower with greater imagination, visualization and association.
13. Control your temper
Bleached food, excess of starch or excess of white bread can lead to nerve grating effect. This results in a violent and some time depressive behavior. Eat fresh vegetables. Drink lots of water and meditate or practice yoga to relieve these toxic emotions of temper and violent mood swings.
14. Take Vitamin B-complex
Vitamin B-complex strengthens memory power. Eat food and vegetables high in Vitamin B-complex. Stay away from the starch food or white bread, which depletes the Vitamin B-complex necessary for a healthy mind.
I don’t believe these are that tough. If you find yourself increasing stumped, give a couple of these a try and share these tips.
Joke for the day
Source: Art’s Funbox
Inday Jokes
We had a yaya who claimed she was being courted by a kaprein her province and wanted to take her to his kingdom.
Her reason for turning down the offer to be his queen?
Kapre yun ma'am, malaki ang kwan nun! Wag na uy!
AMO: Bakit namatay ang aso?
MAID: Pinaliguan ko po ng laundry soap.
AMO: Nakamamatay ba yun?
MAID: Ewan ko nga po eh, pag-off ko ng washing machine patay na.
Just now my maid burned a hole in my uniform.
I angrily asked her, Paano mo naman nasunog to?
She answered: Secret!
Source: GMA News.tv
Directorship row ‘paralyzing’ UP-PGH
The directorship of the University of the Philippines’ Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), dubbed as the country’s biggest charity hospital, is a veritable tempest brewing between the...
Prosecutor who indicted Estrada nominated for Chief Justice
A special prosecutor who helped indict President Joseph Estrada for plunder has been nominated as the Philippines’ next chief justice. Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio was recommended by his...
Nursing board topnotcher: I only wanted to pass
For 28-year-old nursing graduate Clarie Bontol, topping the board exams is a fantasy. A text message from a friend late Sunday night, however, convinced the Iligan City native that fantasies can...
Senate ratifies bill strengthening right to information
The Philippine Senate ratified a bill strengthening the right to access information, especially government documents. Under the Freedom of Information bill, all agencies are required to make all...
Comelec wary over reported shipment of signal jammers
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking into possible attempts to manipulate the results of the upcoming automated elections with the reported shipment of thousands of signal jammers in...
Ceasefire over: Senate resumes debate on Villar, C5 mess
The supposed ceasefire in the Senate was lifted Monday as the chamber resumed its deliberation on the committee report seeking the censure of Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on his alleged involvement in...
GMA Network strengthens lead over rival in January
The Philippines’ leading broadcast network further strengthened its lead in Mega Manila ratings over its rival company for the first month of 2010.
Despite detention, Trillanes is 4th biggest spender in Senate
Detention did not prevent Senator Antonio Trillanes IV from incurring the biggest expenses among senators in 2008, according to a report by the Commission on Audit (COA).
Eight UP Manila students dominate top ten of pharmacy licensure exams
Eight students from the University of the Philippines-Manila dominated the 10 topnotchers of the Pharmacist Licensure Examination given last month.
Showbiz Chika for the day
Source: Manila Bulletin Online
Fans faint at Big Bang’s concert
Some 60 of the 40,000 fans who attended Big Bang’s three-night concert “Big Show” fainted while watching at
Seoul Olympic Stadium on Jan. 31.Manager can't say yet if Maricel Soriano will transfer to TV5
Malou Choa-Fagar, manager of Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, gave an indefinite answer when asked if her ward will transfer to TV5 as rumored.
A fairy tale with a jazzy twist
“The Princess and the Frog” takes you back to the time when hand-drawn cartoon classics were nominated for an Oscar Best Picture for their excellent visuals and narrative.
Hope springs eternal for Haiti
Hope in Haiti was rekindled when celebrities gathered to raise funds to benefit the victims of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island.
Prince Stefan posts sexy photos; Sam YG and global warming
Young actor Prince Stefan shocked fans when he posted sexy photos of him on the social networking site Facebook.
Angelica Panganiban explains her statement about Jinkee Pacquiao
Angelica Panganiban sets the record straight regarding her bold statement on Jinkee Pacquiao’s rumored extra-closeness with her boyfriend Derek Ramsay.
Jericho, Extra Joss give back to working class heroes
Energy drink Extra Joss and Jericho Rosales opened 2010 with an inspiring and heartfelt gesture.
No bad blood between Cheryl Cosim and ABS-CBN
There were speculations that there must have been bad blood between Cheryl Cosim and the Kapamilya network.
Isports laang
Source: ABS-CBN News Online
UST softbelles extend record to 6-0
MANILA, Philippines – Negotiating the offensive grind early on, league-leading University of Santo Tomas (UST) pummeled a hapless De La Salle University to submission, 12-2, to keep its flawless record intact in the 2nd round action of the 72nd UAAP softball tournament on Saturday at the UST field....
Wesley So settles f
or overall 5th in Corus chess MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So settled a truce with Slovenian Woman Grandmaster and International Master Anna Muzychuk after 38 moves of a Nimzo-Indian defense using the white pieces in the 13th and final round in the 72nd Corus International Chess Championship....
'The Hammer' goes after 'The Natural' in UFC 109
Fil-Am featured in fight card MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famers Mark “The Hammer” Coleman and Randy “The Natural” Couture will finally clash in UFC 109: Relentless on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
'Bata' Reyes bags 5th Master of the Table crown
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes continued to bring in the big bucks as he won this year’s Master of the Table Crown in the 12th Annual Derby City Classic in the United States.
Patriots blast Dragons in ABL playoffs
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Patriots are off to a good start in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) as they outplayed Malaysia’s KL Dragons in the playoffs at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City Sunday....
Angping seeks closed-door meeting to address issues
MANILA, Philippines - Before an executive session of the Senate, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping will answer, point by point, all the charges and accusations being leveled against him....
Da who for today
Source: Wikipedia
Ban Ki-moon (Hangul: 반기문; born 13 June 1944) is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from college, accepting his first post in New Delhi, I
ndia. In the foreign ministry he established a reputation for modesty and competence.Ban was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. In February 2006 he began to campaign for the office of Secretary-General. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office. As foreign minister of Korea, however, he was able to travel to all of the countries that were members of the United Nations Security Council, a maneuver that turned him into the front runner.
On 13 October 2006, he was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly. On 1 January 2007, he successfully succeeded Kofi Annan, and passed several major reforms regarding peacekeeping and UN employment practices. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on Darfur, where he helped persuade Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan; and on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with former U.S. President George W. Bush.
In 2004, Ban replaced Yoon Young Kwan as foreign minister of Korea under president Roh Moo-hyun. At the beginning of his term, Ban was faced with two major crises: in June 2004 Kim Sun-il, a Korean translator, was kidnapped and killed in Iraq by Islamic extremists; and in December 2004 dozens of Koreans died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Ban survived scrutiny from lawmakers and saw an upturn in his popularity when talks began with North Korea. Ban became actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relationships. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at the Fourth Round of the Six-party talks held in Beijing.
As foreign minister, Ban oversaw the trade and aid policies of South Korea. This work put Ban in the position of signing trade deals and delivering foreign assistance to diplomats who would later be influential in his candidacy for Secretary-General. For example, Ban became the first senior South Korean minister to travel to the Congo since its independence in 1960.
When Ban became Secretary-General, The Economist listed the major challenges facing him in 2007: "rising nuclear demons in Iran and North Korea, a haemorrhaging wound in Darfur, unending violence in the Middle East, looming environmental disaster, escalating international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the spread of HIV/AIDS. And then the more parochial concerns, such as the largely unfinished business of the most sweeping attempt at reform in the UN's history." Before starting, Kofi Annan shared the story that when the first Secretary-General Trygve Lie left office, he told his successor, Dag Hammarskjöld, "You are about to take over the most impossible job on earth."
On 23 January 2007 Ban took office as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Ban's term as Secretary-General opened with a flap. At his first encounter with the press as Secretary-General on 2 January 2007, he refused to condemn the death penalty imposed on Saddam Hussein by the Iraqi High Tribunal, remarking that “The issue of capital punishment is for each and every member State to decide.”[35] Ban's statements contradicted long-standing United Nations opposition to the death penalty as a human-rights concern. He quickly clarified his stance in the case of Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad al-Bandar, two top officials who were convicted of the deaths of 148 Shia Muslims in the Iraqi village of Dujail in the 1980s. In a statement through his spokesperson on 6 January, he “strongly urged the Government of Iraq to grant a stay of execution to those whose death sentences may be carried out in the near future.” On the broader issue, he told a Washington, D.C., audience on 16 January 2007 that he recognized and encouraged the “growing trend in international society, international law and domestic policies and practices to phase out eventually the death penalty.”
On the tenth anniversary of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's death, 15 April 2008, Ban Ki-moon appealed for the senior leaders of the regime to be brought to justice. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia-tribunal, which was established by both the United Nations and Cambodia and which became operational in 2006, is expected to continue until at least 2010.
Gospel for the day
Source: The Daily Gospel Online
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 5:1-20.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes.When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
Word for the day
Source: Merriam Webster Online
raj • \RAHJ\ • noun
*1 : rule; especially often capitalized : the former British rule of the Indian subcontinent
2 : the period of British rule in India
Example Sentence:
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi launched a spectacular and highly successful campaign against the Raj, but despite all such efforts, India did not gain independence from British rule until 1947.
Did you know?
When British trading posts were established in the Indian subcontinent in the 17th century, English speakers were immersed in the rich languages of the region, and Europeans quickly began adopting local words into their own vocabularies. By the end of the 1700s, Hindi contributions to our language ran from "ayah" (a term for a nurse or maid) to "zamindar" (a collector of land taxes or revenues). When English speakers borrowed "raj" around 1800, they used exactly the same spelling and meaning as its Hindi parent (the Hindi word in turn traces to an older term that is related to the Sanskrit word for "king"). Other words of Hindi descent that are now common in English include "chintz," "pundit," "bungalow," "veranda," "seersucker," and "bandanna."
Lesson for the day
Source: Art’s Library of life
14 Simple Ways to Super Charge Your Brain
Have you ever felt exasperated when you bumped into someone at the store but absolutely couldn’t remember their name? Sure, it happens to all of us.
Despite being the strongest computer on the planet, our brains do lapse. It’s hard to blame them really. As humans, we spend much of or existence stuffing our brains withstuff. Some stuff is worthless, some of it’s meaningful, some of it, well, it’s just stuff and there is an endless amount of it.
No matter how powerful our brains are, they need recuperation time, to be kept in shape, and even an occasional charge. Think of it as a tune up for your brain. Skipping brain maintenance is as silly as the person wandering the parking garage because they forgot where they parked. Is that you? Are you that person? Sure. We all are at some point. No worries, there is hope.
Now I am not a brain surgeon and I am not going to suggest you do anything surgical or dangerous. I am however an astute student of human behavior, so I always look for simple ways to super charge my brain.
Here are some things you can begin doing as soon as today to begin the great brain tune up.
1. Eat Almonds
Almond is believed to improve memory. If a combination of almond oil and milk is taken together before going to bed or after getting up at morning, it strengthens our memory power. Almond milk is prepared by crushing the almonds without the outer cover and adding water and sugar to it.
2. Drink Apple Juice
Research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) indicates that apple juice increases the production of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, resulting in an increased memory power.
3. Sleep well
Research indicates that the long-term memory is consolidated during sleep by replaying the images of the experiences of the day. These repeated playbacks program the subconscious mind to store these images and other related information.
4. Enjoy simple Pleasures
Stress drains our brainpower. A stress-ridden mind consumes much of our memory resources to leave us with a feeble mind. Make a habit to engage yourself in few simple pleasures everyday to dissolve stress from your mind. Some of these simple pleasures are good for your mind, body and soul. Enjoy music you love, Play with your children, Hug a stranger, Appreciate others, Run few miles a day, bike or swim, Start a blog, Take a yoga class or Total wellness routine
5. Fast for a day
Fasting cleans and detoxifies our body. It is known fact that heavy food not only causes stress on our digestive system but also drains our brainpower. Fasting relieves toxic emotions such as anger, grief, worry, and fears – before they accumulate and cause disease. By cleansing toxic emotions, fasting strengthens metal clarity with increases memory, concentration, creativity and insight.
6. Exercise your mind
Just as physical exercise is essential for a strong body, mental exercise is equally essential for a sharp and agile mind. Have you noticed that children have far superior brainpower than an adult does? Children have playful minds. A playful mind exhibits superior memory power. Engage in some of the activities that require your mind to remain active and playful. Play scrabble or crossword puzzle, Volunteer, Interact with others,Start a new hobby such as blogging, reading, painting, bird watching and Learn new skill or a language.
7. Practice Yoga or Meditation
Yoga or Meditation relives stress. Stress is a known memory buster. With less stress, lower blood pressure, slower respiration, slower metabolism, and released muscle tension follows. All of these factors contribute significantly towards increases in our brainpower.
8. Reduce Sugar intake
Sugar is a non-food. It’s a form of carbohydrate that offers illusionary energy, only to cause a downhill slump once the initial burst has been worn off. Excess intake of sugar results in neurotic symptoms. Excess sugar is known to cause claustrophobia, memory loss and other neurotic disorders. Eat food without adding sugar. Stay away from sweet drinks or excess consumption of caffeine with sugar.
9. Eat whole wheat
The whole wheat germs contain lecithin. Lecithin helps ease the problem of the hardening of the arteries, which often impairs brain functioning.
10. Eat a light meal in the night
A heavy meal at night causes tossing and turning and a prolonged emotional stress while at sleep. It’s wise to eat heavy meal during the day when our body is in motion to consume the heavy in-take. Eating a light meal with some fruits allows us to sleep well. A good night sleep strengthens our brainpower.
11. Develop imagination
Greeks mastered the principle of imagination and association to memorize everything. This technique requires one to develop a vivid and colorful imagination that can be linked to a known object. If you involve all your senses – touching, feeling, smelling, hearing and seeing in the imagination process, you can remember greater details of the event.
12. Sex
Our sexual imagination often empowers our ability to daydream, which strengthens our brainpower with greater imagination, visualization and association.
13. Control your temper
Bleached food, excess of starch or excess of white bread can lead to nerve grating effect. This results in a violent and some time depressive behavior. Eat fresh vegetables. Drink lots of water and meditate or practice yoga to relieve these toxic emotions of temper and violent mood swings.
14. Take Vitamin B-complex
Vitamin B-complex strengthens memory power. Eat food and vegetables high in Vitamin B-complex. Stay away from the starch food or white bread, which depletes the Vitamin B-complex necessary for a healthy mind.
I don’t believe these are that tough. If you find yourself increasing stumped, give a couple of these a try and share these tips.
Joke for the day
Source: Art’s Funbox
Inday Jokes
We had a yaya who claimed she was being courted by a kaprein her province and wanted to take her to his kingdom.
Her reason for turning down the offer to be his queen?
Kapre yun ma'am, malaki ang kwan nun! Wag na uy!
AMO: Bakit namatay ang aso?
MAID: Pinaliguan ko po ng laundry soap.
AMO: Nakamamatay ba yun?
MAID: Ewan ko nga po eh, pag-off ko ng washing machine patay na.
Just now my maid burned a hole in my uniform.
I angrily asked her, Paano mo naman nasunog to?
She answered: Secret!
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