Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

• First time ko na pumunta ng General Santos City
• I had Smart Broken installed at home
• I worked in Coca-cola
• I went to Camiguin
• Revealed, bought and read Bob Ong's 6th Book
• Pissed with someone else (Chewable issues).
• Rebirth of Batang Yagit (includes redesigning the blog, more posts, more blog hopping)
• Worked in Cerveo Computer Systems
• Launched Davao Hot Spots and bought DavaoHotSpots.com
  
• First time to vote during Elections
  
• Worked with the SMS Gateway Project
• Went to Manila three times this year
• Went to Baguio twice this year
  
• Joined the link train
• Successfully created a new nickname for Ate Aileen ***
  
• Had a meeting with Miss Google Earth Philippines, The Usual Suspects, and some SEO Specialists
• Got linked with a lot of bloggers in the philippine blogosphere.
• Earned few thousands (pesos) from blogging
• Earned a few dollars from AdSense
• Bought BatangYagit.com
• Upgraded my hosting account for DCNHS
• Part of the Ratified.org's Top 100 Blogs in the Philippines
• Bought several domains
• Attended the Mindanao Bloggers Summit
• Been part of The Usual Suspects
• Went to Brunei and Malaysia
• Received a Boy Bastos Award
• Chosen as a finalist for Karlo's Pinoy Blog of the Month
• Launched PRC Board Exam Results (providing Nursing Board Exam Results)
• Received thousands of comments and subscriptions from my other blogs.
  
• Made 208 posts for 2007
• Crashed a server couple of times
• Finally, PR4....from PR0 to PR4. Wohooooo!
  

What a year it has been for AngTherapist.com! And we couldn’t have done it without your continued support and readership.

If you haven’t been able to browse around the site for previous articles, now is the time to do it. We’ve made your work a little easier by drawing up this summary of articles that we have written for the year 2007. No need to do all that digging around in the archives because we’ve just made your life a little simpler.

August 2007

• NBCOT® International Testing now offered through Prometric Test Centers (PTCs)
• UST 2nd Sports Science Convention
• July 2007 Physical & Occupational Therapy Licensure Examination Results
• Bobath Pediatric Introductory Course in Manila
• DOLE OK’s online job hiring
• Bobath Seminar on Hand Function
• Auditory and Sensory Processing Seminar
• Getting Kids in Sync
• COTRB (Aust & NZ) Inc. Revises Assessment Criteria
• FSBPT Invalidates NPTE Scores of 20 Philippines-Educated Candidates Following Forensic Analysis of Test Results

September 2007  

• Formal Launch
• AOTA declares National School Backpack Awareness Day
• 2007 National Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration
• Bobath Pediatric October Introductory Course Updates
• Migrating to Australia 101
• How to Get Started on Your American Dream
• National Stroke Week
• Let’s chat!
• The First Pan Asian Learning Difficulties Conference
• First Regional Conference on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• US Visa Updates
• ASP Biennial National Conference
• National AD/HD Awareness Day
• Mandaluyong City’s Project TEACH
• Auditory Verbal Therapy Workshop
• 4th UP-PGH Psychiatry Post Graduate Course
• Educational Placement Options for Children with Special Needs
• The Kawa Model
• Sensory Integration Workshop Series (Part 2)
• Be Active ‘07

October 2007 

• National OT Month in Canada
• 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games
• National Physical Therapy Month
• Filipinos Denigrated on ABC’s Desperate Housewives
• Certification Examination and Renewal Alert
• OFW Jobs 2007
• Certification Course In Dorn Method
• Continuing Education Courses in Maryland
• Sensory Integration: It’s Not Just For Children
• Sensory Integration Workshop (Part 3)
• Back Care Awareness Week
• Classroom Strategies Workshop
• New Backpain Guidelines
• Visual Strategies Workshop
• WFOT International Day
• Upcoming Seminars at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center
• Stop the Cap Week
• Floortime Seminar
• Important Announcements from NBCOT
• OTAP’s 2nd General Assembly for 2007
• Preview 2020
• Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) Series - Courses for November 2007
• WCD Expo
• Manual Therapy Workshop and Seminar in Davao City
• Most Livable Metro-Area Suburbs
• Ergonomic and physiotherapeutic interventions for treating work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder in adults. A Cochrane systematic review.
• Strategies for Teaching Differently-Abled Students in a Mainstream Setting
• COTRB’s Assessment Process Time Limit
• World Psychiatric Association International Congress 2007

November 2007 

• Important information for OTs from the HPC
• PPTA Celebrates 43rd Foundation Anniversary
• National Downs Syndrome Week Kick-off in Canada
• 4 Workouts to Help Guard Against Getting Osteoporosis
• Working in the UK as an Occupational Therapist
• Earlier Autism Diagnosis
• World Diabetes Day
• Working in the UK as a Physiotherapist
• International Conferences on ADHD and Autism
• Bobath Clinical Classification and Treatment of Cerebral Palsy
• World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain
• Skin and Wound Care Seminar
• Treadmill Training Helps Downs Syndrome Babies Walk Earlier
• Ergonomics and Occupational Therapy
• Deaf Awareness Week in the Philippines
• Implementing Sensory Integration-Based Intervention Seminar
• Quotable Quote
• Neuroscience 2007 News Releases
• Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) Series: Courses for December 2007
• Senate Approves 61,000 visas for Nurses and Physical Therapists
• Autism 2007: International Online Conference
• M.O.R.E. — Integrating the Mouth with Sensory and Postural Functions
• Mental Health Campaign in Canada
• Latest APTA News
• Occupational Therapists and Driving
• Kinesio Taping
• Call for Papers for Annual OTAP Convention
• Response to Intervention (RTI)
• CAOT News
• Bobath Clinical Classification and Treatment of Cerebral Palsy December Seminar
• World AIDS Day 2007

December 2007 

• International Day of Disabled Persons 2007
• Occupational Degree Conversion Courses in Australia
• December 2007 Teleconferences by CPA
• Water Shiatsu 1: A Physical Therapist’s Perspective
• World Congress on Neck Pain
• Toy Tips for the Holidays by OT Professors
• Medicare 2008: Changes for Physical Therapy
• AOTA/NBCOT National Student Conclave Handouts
• APTA Seminar on Coding and Reimbursement
• Doctors warn against Merry Christmas Coronary
• FCCPT Changes for 2008
• CORE STABILIZATION TRAINING 101
• New Zealand Wins Disability Award
• UP-PGH OT Staff Screening Program
• Campaign Highlighting Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, OCD, Depression and Bulimia
• New Immigration System in the UK for 2008
• Occupational Therapy: A Key to Wellness
• Paediatric Guidance for Physiotherapists
• Medicare Drops Proposed OT Certification on Power Wheelchair Evaluations
• Mindfulness
• CAOT Launches National Blueprint for the Injury Prevention of Older Drivers
• UN designates April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day
• New High-tech Computerized Rehab System
• December 2007 Autism News
• Holiday Greetings
• Training on Integrated Manual Physical Therapy of Spine and TMJ
• SIPT Certification Course in Australia
• Garment offers help for autism and cerebral palsy
• Therapy Cap Delayed 6 months
• Augmentative-Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology Conference
• Happy New You!

And what a mighty long list that was! We hope you found something of interest to you. Happy reading and may you have a peaceful and fruitful 2008! Cheers!

Plastic surgery is everywhere. Most of the celebrities, despite the young age, opt for getting something changed, whether its their nose, lips, cheeks and even their chin. Although admittedly, it is sometimes a solution to those who have certain conditions affecting their health or lifestyle, or to those had been in accidents and whose appearances are ruined. Some even seek the best surgeons in town and are willing to pay large sums of money just to get their look back, if not better. If they can't find one, some resort to having the surgery done out of the country like in Washington DC plastic surgery. In show business, it seems as if a necessity, you always see actresses getting nose jobs even if they don't need it. Once the tabloids are on their backs, they finally admit it and use a lame excuse like, they did it to rid them of a condition like a deviated septum. Recently, the star of High School Musical, Ashley Tisdale had a nose job and used that reason, she specified that she did it to help herself and not for vanity purposes. Hmmm, I think I remember Ashlee Simpson using the same excuse.

1. Use Blog Juice - the idea seems to be good since TLA has this application which can calculate the blog's blog juice. The bottom line, you have to input each blog url and set its category in order to get its blog juice.
   
   
2. Use Ratified Rank - Ratified.org uses PR, Technorati and Feedburner data to rank the top 100 blogs in the Philippines. Ratified.org is updated everyday and keeps a fresh record of the blog's statistics. The catch, not all mindanao blogs use ratified. Second, most of the blogs listed on the top100 blogs are from Luzon. Lastly, Kuya Andrew (the owner of ratified.org) is in Bohol for his family reunion.
   
   
3. Use a new ranking system - This is the final option left for me, to create a new ranking system for the top 100 blogs. The idea seems to be difficult at first but I was able to plan my algorithm. I can utilize technorati and feedburner APIs to get the blogs popularity (rank and subscribers). I created an application which runs through the list from Mindanao Bloggers Directory and sends out queries to technorati and feedburner. The formula I used is this: 40% for feedburner, 55% for technorati unique blog links, 5% for total technorati links.

To make it easier to keep New Year’s resolutions for those pledging to improve their health during 2008, physiotherapists from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy are promoting Happy New You, a daily plan designed to guide people through the first tough month of the year.

Many people will be promising to spend the next twelve months getting fit and improving their health. But deciding what to do can be confusing, and over-ambitious targets can lead to good intentions falling by the wayside – this is where physios can help.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s month-long wall planner is made up of 31 simple activities that can be integrated into everyday life and is intended as a realistic, no-nonsense approach to kick-starting a healthier lifestyle.

“The start of a new year is a great opportunity to take control of your health and fitness. The Happy New You planner makes it easy to change small things in your everyday life and reap big rewards. The daily advice includes exercises and tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Just choose the activities that work best for you, maintain them throughout the year and you’ll hardly realise you’re sticking to your resolution.”

The planner is available to download here.

Augmentative-Alternative Communication & Assistive Technology Conference: Working Together to Achieve Success

When & Where
January 31 & February 1, 2008
Shoreline Conference Center
Greater Seattle, Washington Area

Featured Speakers

• Dr. David Beukelman PhD, CCC-SLP
• Karen Kangas OTR/L
• Lisa Rotelli Education Consultant
• Gail Van Tatenhove MS, CCC-SLP
• Steven Shores MOT,OTR/L
• Michael J. Smith Attorney at Law
• Lewis Golinker Attorney at Law
• Stephen T. Glass MD
• AAC & Assistive Technology Vendor Representatives

Target Audience
Professionals working in schools, private practice, hospitals, outpatient, skilled nursing facilities, home health, and other rehabilitation programs with children and/or adults.

• Speech-Language Pathologists & Assistants
• Occupational Therapists & Assistants
• Physical Therapists & Assistants
• Educators/Teachers working with AAC users in the classroom
• School Psychologists
• Administrators, Special Education Directors, and Principals

Program Description
As new clinical approaches emerge and technology improves, therapists and educators are increasingly challenged to enhance knowledge of best practices in the treatment and education for clients, patients, and students with augmentative-alternative communication and assistive technology needs. How do therapists, educators, and medical professionals assure they are current with new clinical approaches as research and new technology emerges? Join us for the 2008 Northwest Conference and interact with colleagues and nationally recognized experts in the area of AAC and Assistive Technology. Concurrent sessions are offered, allowing you to tailor the conference to meet your professional needs. Product and service vendors will offer one-on-one, hands-on demonstrations and discussion to enhance your educational experience.

Accreditation
Continuing Education — Contact Hours (All participants):
Certificates of Course Completion for 16 contact hours (1.6 CEUs) will be provided to you upon completion of course requirements, enabling you to register your credit with the appropriate licensing boards or associations. You may apply for other accreditation using the procedure established by the specific organization. This program can be applied toward license renewal in most states. Check with your state’s licensing board or association to determine how to receive credit for this conference, if approval is not listed below.

Speech-Language Pathologists:
Rehab Seminars has been approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This two-day program is offered for 1.6 CEUs, (Intermediate level; Professional area).ASHA CE Provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

OSPI Clock Hours:
Washington State clock hours for Washington School District Employees are sponsored by the Washington Speech & Hearing Association. This program is approved for 16 CECHs. Individuals wishing to receive OSPI continuing education clock hours must sign an OSPI clock hour registration form available at the registration desk when signing-in at this course. (There is a $10.00 fee for OSPI clock hours; see registration form).

Occupational Therapists:
Rehab Seminars is a member of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) Professional Development Provider Registry. This two-day course meets the criteria for category 2.4 professional development activities for NBCOT® certification renewal. Number of contact hours earned: 16 hours (equivalent to 16 NBCOT® Professional Development Units).

Physical Therapists:
Certificates of Course Completion will be provided to physical therapists upon completion of course requirements.

Criteria of Course Completion:
All attendees must sign in at the conference each morning and after lunch, each day. Attendees must attend the entire conference and submit a completed course evaluation form. For participants seeking ASHA, OSPI and/or WSPA credits, you must complete the appropriate participant forms. See a Rehab Seminars staff member at the registration table if you have any questions.

Tuition Fee
$325 Both Days
$199 One Day

Sponsored by:
Rehab Seminars
Phone: (360) 379-6994
Fax: (360) 379-5271

Click here to register.

Source:  Rehab Seminars

Here’s the latest news from AOTA’s Legislative Action Center.

Congress Passes Short-Term Fix to Therapy Caps; Next Year Becomes Critical

Consumers and practitioners narrowly escaped the therapy cap when Congress passed the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) at the end of the 2007 congressional session.

Proving that achieving an extension to the Medicare Part B therapy caps exceptions process and prevention of a schedule 10.1% cut to the Physician Fee Schedule is not a given, Congress passed a 6 month extension of the exceptions process and .5% increase to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule at the 11th hour on December 18 & 19. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) passed the Senate on December 18 by unanimous consent and the House of Representatives on December 19 by a vote of 411-3.

Read more …

    2007 is almost over, and what better way to cap the year than a great getaway with family. This was precisely what we had although we did not leave the country. I, along with my sisters and cousins, actually just went back to our hometown to celebrate the Christmas season. It was one heck of a reunion. It was just fun because it has been a very long time since we last saw each other.

    Although it would have been more fun if we went on a tour out of the country! Imagine making the most of the Christmas holidays by coming to Spain. You can enjoy the season with their many ways and traditional modes of celebration. During this time of the year, the towns and the streets are decorated making it look incredibly magical. The city I would love to see is Barcelona and this is because of the two largest beaches in it, San Sebastia and Barceloneta. These beaches are the most frequented and oldest in the city. And in order to enjoy the trip, you have to have a good budget. There are a lot of affordable Barcelona Hotels and you can easily book one online. Another European country I'd like to visit would be Germany. Truly a country rich in culture. I just love the energy exuded by Berlin, the country's biggest and most populated city. Their nightlife is just vibrant, with all the night clubs, bars and my favorite, techno clubs! Of course, like any country they have museums too. I am a fan of art so I definitely want to check out the museums in Berlin where they showcase more of their culture and its roots. Dont worry about Berlin Hotels because there's a lot of them to choose from. A Eurotrip wouldn't be complete if you don't go to Paris. I think its the most romantic city in the world. I watched a few episodes of The Bachelor and they were in Paris, it was beautiful. Especially when they went up the Eiffel Tower. If I had a lot of money right now i would definitely book a vacation from one of the Paris Hotels and fly right away. Another tourist attraction would be the Louvre museum, we've all seen The Da Vincci Code right? I would surely love to see Mona Lisa up close. There's a lot of things you can do in Paris, whether its dining out at a sidewalk cafe or having coffee, the experience would be truly amazing. I dont think I can sleep when I go there. Lastly, you cant leave Europe without going to London of course. I wanna go there and say hi to Prince William, oh the giddies! haha! On a serious note, London is home to a lot of artists, in lit, film and music industry. There is a whole strip of bars, clubs, cinemas and restaurants. They also celebrate Europe's largest street festival every summer. The city is just wonderful, especially its wide array of cuisine. I always enjoy watching specials on TV about it. What I would love to see is the London Eye a.k.a. the Millenium Wheel, the view from there would be absolutely incredible. And with this city being so royal and all Im pretty sure the London Hotels would treat visitors like prince and princesses.

    So much for dreaming right? I did enjoy my holiday with the family, we were able to bask in the sun, while enjoying the view of a serene blue seas and munching mouth-watering delicacies. Well, Im sure one of these days I will visit Europe, I hope its soon though. 

To help journalists understand yesterday’s killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Poynter Online columnists Amy Gahran and Al Tompkins looked for available online resources.

Follow Bhutto Assassination News via Blogs, Twitter
December 27, 2007
By Amy Gahran

As I was making tea this morning, I heard on NPR that Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had just been assassinated at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Immediately I jumped on my laptop. Of course, Google News already offers a slew of mainstream news coverage of the assassination — based almost entirely on reporting done outside Pakistan, since tight restrictions on journalists remain in force in Pakistan even though President Pervez Musharraf lifted six weeks of emergency rule on Dec. 15. (More on that country’s press restrictions from the International Federation of Journalists and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.)

Given the current dearth of available professional journalism from within Pakistan, the country’s lively blogosphere — much of it in English — has become a key source of original and diverse news, analysis, commentary, and context from around that troubled nation. Today especially would be a good time for journalists around the world to start paying close attention to Pakistani blogs.

Read more here.

Pakistan Resources
December 28, 2007
By Al Tompkins

Pakistani bloggers have been actively posting updates on the country’s escalating tensions after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

You can check out the official Bhutto Web site, but the site was down a lot on Thursday. Here is Google’s cached version.

Read more here.

There is a new garment called TheraTogs that some therapists are finding helpful in other disorders, aside from cerebral palsy for which it was originally intended to be used for. It seems that the garment can also provide a soothing effect, much like when one is being swaddled.

AngTherapist.com provides an excerpt of the article.

Physical therapist Beverly Cusick invented the garments called ‘TheraTogs’.

“If you turn your shoulder this way and you want to raise your arm, you’ll raise your arm, you’ll just use all the wrong muscles. So kids with movement disorders do that, purpose prevails over the way they use their bodies. They’ll recruit whatever they got to get to where they’re going. So with TheraTogs, we can say, ‘okay go, but do it with a better body.’”

Two and a half year old Emily has autism. Her occupational therapist had used TheraTogs in children with cerebral palsy, but after trying them on herself, she decided Emily might benefit as well.

“It kind of was the effect of swaddling an infant. It gives that calming soothing sensation that I thought, if that works, we need to try it.”

Emily’s mother Linda says her daughter seemed better able to concentrate and focus and it was something her speech therapist picked up on.

“She said that Emily wasn’t rocking back and forth anymore. That was the first time she had seen her with the TheraTogs.”
No clinical research has been conducted on TheraTogs, although there have been smaller studies measuring changes in the way children walk while wearing the garments. Cusick welcomes research, and in the meantime, enjoys the changes she sees in clients.

Read more »

Source: ABC7 News

CMFR/Philippines—A radio broadcaster who was a vocal critic of local government corruption was killed by motorcycle-riding men on 24 December 2007 around 10 am (local time) in Davao, a province south of Manila, and an hour and 40 minutes by plane from the capital.

Fernando "Batman" Lintuan, who had just come from his morning program "Ligas Paka" (If You're Wicked, You're Dead) on local dxGO radio, was gunned down just after leaving the station onboard his car.

The gunmen opened fire at Lintuan at close range at a street intersection. Lintuan, who had been a radio broadcaster since the '80s, was also the first president of the Davao Sportswriters Association and was an official of the Philippine Sports Commission at the time of his killing. He was 52.

Lintuan was the second journalist to be killed in the line of duty this year after Carmelo "Mark" Palacios, who was killed on 18 April 2007. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility database has listed 70 journalists/media practitioners killed in the line of duty since 1986.

There is going to be an SIPT Certification Course on Test Mechanics and Test Interpretation in Melbourne, Australia in February 2008. Details of said course are as follows.

Course Overview
The SIPT course includes the Theoretical, Administrative and Interpretative components of the SIPT certification process. Participants need to complete each component to be certified in the SIPT.

This 5-day Test Mechanics component provides intensive training in the administration of each sensory integration and praxis test.

The 2-day Test Interpretation component will be conducted immediately following the S.I.P.T. Administration course. It is designed to teach the process of interpreting S.I.P.T. results and to help participants make appropriate treatment recommendations. Case studies, lectures, small group exercises and discussions are used to teach the process.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be expected to arrange observation of their Test Mechanics and pass the SIPT exam to receive their certificate in SIPT. OT - Australia National will keep a record of all qualified therapists.

Presenters
Suzanne Wakefield, M App Sc, B App Sc, Grad Dip Neuroscience, Cert SIPT, Cert SCSIT
Lisa Scott, B App Sc (OT) Cert SIPT Cert NDT

When & Where
Monday, 4 February to Friday, 8 February 2008 (Test Mechanics)
Monday, 11 February to Wednesday, 13 February 2008 (Test Interpretation)
9am - 5:00pm
TBC, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Registration
$1,375.00 - Members Early bird (including OTA state associations) by 30/11/07
$1,550.00 - Members regular
$1,750.00 - Non Members Early bird
$1,850.00 - Non Members

* contact the association to discuss instalment options

Fee includes:

Closing date for registrations is Friday, 4 January 2008.

For more information, email Sharon at admin@otausvic.com.au

Source: OT Australia Victoria