Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

The University of Santo Tomas - College of Rehabilitation Sciences Alumni Association would like to invite to an OT Seminar entitled “Occupational Therapy in Schools” by Mr. Charles Bermejo, OTR, OTRP on March 5, 2008, 5:30 PM at the UST-College of Rehabilitation Sciences.

Seminar Fees

Students
UST - P50.00
Non-UST - P150.00

Professionals
UST Alumni - P100.00
Non-UST - P250.00

Fee is inclusive of seminar notes and certificate.

For inquiries and reservations, please contact Ivan Gomez at (63) 9172092934.

(more…)

As I have said before, I am not big on gambling. I know a little bit of poker and that's about it. If you remember I even said that I have only been inside a Casino once when I was a kid. And now that I am of age, the closest thing to a Casino I have ever been to is our company's Christmas party which was themed Las Vegas.

Anyway, as card games may amaze one person, inside the casino land there are far more fun games to play such as the slot machines, who would not agree? But then of course there are still a lot of people who would stick to the cards right? Aside from poker, there's blackjack which is also know as pontoon or twenty one. This is one of the most popular card games in the world. You see a lot of websites that review online casinos and rank which ones are best using categories such as payout rates among others. I would have to say these guides have totally helped a lot of online gamblers in terms of narrowing down their choices.

Most of these casino websites showcase blackjack as their main attraction or game. People, or should I say gamblers, just go crazy over them. These free online blackjack websites, one of which is Blackjackclub.com, offer the best entertainment when it comes to online gambling. Their website is very easy to navigate and it is available in most languages so where ever you are from, you can play blackjack with ease. If you are new to blackjack, that is not a problem at all, you can play their flash game for free on their website! This is a good way to train yourself so you can either play for money or go to a casino for the real thing. I tried it myself and I can say it truly is an online gaming experience.

53 words

Speed test

Found this at Jenlex's blog and it seemed interesting. I had a typing lesson several years ago and I can't remember my grade anymore :) I think 53 words per minute is decent enough. At least I'm accurate.

Here's the breakdown of my grade:
You type 290 characters per minute
You have 53 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

I now tag Janice, Kaye, Che and Punditocracy. It pays for a blogger to type fast, agree? :)

When and Where
11 to 14 June 2008
Henry B Gonzales Convention Center
200 E Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205

Conference Highlights

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

• Adapted Physical Fitness Programs and the President’s Challenge (2:00PM- 5:00PM)
• Diagnosis Dialog: Sharing Perspectives (3:00PM- 5:00PM)
• Diagnosis Dialogs: Defining the “x” in D”x”PT (2:00PM- 3:00PM)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

• 39th Mary McMillan Lecture-We Are What We Do (11:00AM- 12:00PM)
• Honors and Awards Ceremony (5:00PM- 6:30PM)
• Current Controversies in Physical Therapy - The 2008 Rothstein Debate: “Does the Current Model of Clinical Education Really Prepare Students for Practice?” (2:00PM- 4:00PM)

Friday, June 13, 2008

• Knowledge Networks (7:00AM- 7:50AM)
• Oxford Debate: The Utility of Current ‘Clinical Prediction Rules’ for Rehabilitation (5:15PM- 6:15PM)
• The Maley Lecture-Pushing the Boundaries of Conventional Wisdom (11:00AM- 12:00PM)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

• Center for the Intrepid Tour

Click here to view the program in its entirety.

Early Bird rates end on 16 April 2008. Registration fees may be viewed here. Visit the APTA website for more information on this event.

We all go crazy over super sales in malls, don't we? Well, I know I do especially when it comes to shoes. I would never come out of a shoe store that's on sale with less than three pairs. Iknoerite? My mom would always say, "What the hell do you need more shoes for? You only have two feet." And all I can come up with when I retal is "Well, they were on sale mom!" And I run quickly inside the bedroom, lock the door, try them on, then walk a few times back and forth in front of a mirror imagining a catwalk. Oh the happies! But shoes are not the whole point of this entry.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, most of us go gaga over cheap and discounted prices. I know I never experienced cutting coupons from the news paper just to get discounts in stores, but I did hoard those McSaver coupons being given outside of McDonald's. LOL. :D People find means and would definitely go for cheaper prices, all the time. The internet is one place where people can haggle and save a lot on items like electronics or even jewelry. I never thought I'd buy stuff from the net, I always had the notion that it isn't safe. But that did not stop online stores, there are a lot of ways now to keep a secure purchase over the internet and lots of creative ideas on how to sell, hence the sudden burst of e-stores. Take Couponchief.com for example, they offer discounted coupons from the widest range and variety of stores and products to customers. Shopping becomes so much easier and enjoyable since its not hefty on the pocket and its just a few clicks away. Who would want to waste their time cutting coupons from the newspapers?

A number of our fellow therapists are working in skilled nursing facilities in the US. It is also not uncommon for agencies enticing therapists with job placements in nursing homes.  It is thus worthwhile to read this Science Daily news as it features Special Focus Facility (SFF) nursing homes.

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has built upon historic action it took last November by making public more names of underperforming nursing homes across the country.

On November 29, 2007, the agency began publishing the names of Special Focus Facility (SFF) nursing homes that had failed to improve significantly after being given the opportunity to do so. Serious deficiencies include such things as failing to give residents their medications in the correct dose at the correct time, taking steps to prevent abuse or neglect, inappropriate use of restraints and failure to prevent or properly treat bed sores.

Once a facility is selected as an SFF, state survey agencies are responsible for conducting twice the number of standard surveys and will apply progressive enforcement until the nursing home either (a) significantly improves and is no longer identified as an SFF, (b) is granted additional time due to promising developments, or (c) is terminated from Medicare and/or Medicaid.

As for neglecting their residents, the staff should also make sure that accidents like falls are prevented. We don’t want any of those cat toys lying around which may cause these people to trip and fall.

Well, it is high time this survey has happened. People who stay in such facilities pay these nursing homes to take care of them, not to mistreat them.

Read more of this article here. Click here to download the Nursing Home List.

Source: Science Daily

The 4th International Evidence Based Physical Therapy Conference & Exhibition will take place on Saturday 10th May 2008 at Imperial College, South Kensington, London.

The Conference is a multi-disciplinary event particularly targeted at physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, as well as sport scientists, sports therapists and all medical and healthcare professionals working or having an interest in physical therapy.

The conference will bring together expert clinicians and researchers to present the LATEST evidence based lectures that are pertinent and relevant to all clinicians working in the area of musculoskeletal health. The presentations will either support or challenge current practice but will remain true to the aim of the conference, that being to provide a review of the current evidence in the area relevant to the lecture.

Keynote Lectures
Achilles tendinopathy: aiming for the best outcome - tendon loading and clinical reasoning
Dr Jill Cook PhD
Associate Professor in Musculoskeletal Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia

Treatments for musculoskeletal conditions: current state of play and what is on the horizon?
Dr Nadine E Foster DPhil
Senior Lecturer (Pain Management) and DoH Primary Care Career Scientist, Primary Care Sciences, Research Centre, Keele University

Patient presentation: Assessment and management of a patient with a massive rotator cuff tear
Bobby Ainsworth MSc
Consultant Physiotherapist – Torbay Hospital, South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust

Leonardo da Vinci, Parachutes and Evidence Based Practice.
Dr Jeremy Lewis PhD Consultant Physiotherapist–St George’s Hospital, London.

Food supplements for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Does supplementation improve outcome?
Professor Ron Maughan - School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, UK

Joint manipulation. Is it all that its ‘cracked’ up to be?
Dr David Evans PhD BSc (Hons) Ost - Researcher and Registered Osteopath
School of Health and Rehabilitation, Keele University and Research Centre, British School of Osteopathy

Outcome measures for LBP. What should we be using?
Elaine Maughan MSc MMACP MCSP - Head of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, Lambeth PCT, London, UK

The neurological examination in musculoskeletal assessment; Is it reliable, is it valid?
Dr Mark Roberts MBBS. – Consultant Neurologist, Greater Manchester Neurosciences Centre, Hope Hospital, Salford

Exercise therapy for the conservative management of full thickness tears of the rotator cuff: Is there any point? A systematic review.
Dr Jeremy Lewis PhD, Consultant Physiotherapist – St George’s Hospital, London

For more information, click here.

It's already past 3 am and I just finished doing and tweaking some presentation slides for today's international conference on press freedom and impunity by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).

In case you do not know about this conference, here's the news release about it below:

Legal experts, press freedom advocates flying in from Asia, US, Europe, and
Latin America to address the killing of journalists in the Philippines
Source: CMFR

MANILA - Legal experts and press freedom advocates from Asia, Europe, the US, and from as far as Latin America are flying into Manila this week to help find solutions to a long-festering crisis in the Philippines: the unabated and unsolved killing of journalists throughout the country.

Prosecutors, judges, human rights advocates and even high-level justices from such countries as Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Spain, the US, Indonesia, and the rest of Southeast Asia, are expected to meet with Philippine media, rights advocates, and members of the national legal community to address the topic of and to attend a conference on "Impunity and Press Freedom" in the Philippines from Wednesday, February 27 to Friday, February 29.

Welcoming the foreign experts, said the Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and its Manila-based member, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), will be no less then Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, who will deliver the opening keynote address to the conference.

Click here for more.

So we're now here staying at the Manila Pen (Yes, the Manila Pen where the infamous siege happened) until Saturday. I'm sharing the room with JB, who is currently snoring at the moment but wakes up from time to time to check if I'm already finished with work.

I was thinking of live-twittering the event, but I just realized that I won't be able to do that because I'm going to be busy not just documenting the event and interviewing speakers and participants but also making sure everything in the conference works well. So help me God.

On March 24, 2008, we will celebrate World TB Day.  This is spearheaded by the Stop TB Partnership,   a network of more then 500 international organizations, countries, donors from the public and private sectors, and nongovernmental and governmental organizations  that have expressed an interest in working together to achieve the goal of eliminating tuberculosis as a public health problem and ultimately to realize a world free of TB.

I Am Stopping TB is more than slogan. It is the start of a two-year campaign that belongs to people everywhere who are doing their part to Stop TB.

This year’s World TB Day is about celebrating the lives and stories of people affected by TB: women, men and children who have taken TB treatment; nurses; doctors; researchers; community workers–anyone who has contributed towards the global fight against TB.

Key Messages

1.      We are making progress on TB. In 2005 the rate of new cases of TB worldwide leveled off for the first time since the World Health Organization began collecting data about the disease. And the rate at which TB is detected has doubled since 2000. 

2.      Everyone can do something to stop TB, and every individual’s action counts. In 2008 we will celebrate the actions of people all over the world joining forces to stop TB.  

3.      Despite recent progress, TB remains a massive global public health problem, with near­ly 9 million new cases and more than a million-and-a-half deaths each year. Greater commitment by governments to fighting TB in their countries is needed now. So is greater commitment by donors to finance TB care and research into new drugs, new diagnostics and new vaccines. 

4.      There is now evidence that that countries most heavily affected by TB can reap on aver­age a 10-fold return on investments in TB diagnosis and treatment, on condition that they implement the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Plan to Stop TB. The Plan sets out a roadmap for confronting the disease over the next eight years. Human suffering was reason enough to fight TB — now we know that addressing the disease can help stop poverty too. 

5.      We will never eliminate TB without new and more effective drugs, diagnostics and vac­cines. Today’s most commonly used TB diagnostic, sputum microscopy, is more than 100 years old and lacks sensitivity. Today’s TB drugs are more than 40 years old and must be taken for six to nine months. Today’s TB vaccine, which is more than 85 years old, provides some protection against severe forms of TB in children but is unreliable against pulmonary TB. Simpler, faster drug regimens that treat all forms of TB; rapid, more accurate diagnostic tools to quickly detect TB; and a vaccine that will be effective in preventing TB in people of all ages are urgently needed.

Source: Stop TB Partnership

A lot of therapists are hoping for an H-1B increase in the future.  Here’s an excerpt of Workpermit.com news regarding this matter.

H-1B race begins soon … will the quota increase in the future?

On 01 April 2008, the gates will open for H-1B applications. H-1B visas are one of the most highly sought-after visa categories for employers wishing to hire skilled foreign workers for positions in the United States. The question remains whether the landscape for an H-1B visa increase will become more favorable as America gears up for the 2008 presidential election.

Last April, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received almost twice the amount of applications to fill the quota of 65,000 visas in one day. Because of this, USCIS was forced to use a computerized random selection process to fill the 65,000 places allotted by Congress. The 20,000 extra H1B exemptions for foreign Masters Graduates of US universities were reached in only one month.

Read more »

The Learning Disabilities Association’s 45th Annual International Conference will be held from February 27-March 1, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

All conference events take place at the beautiful Hilton Chicago located at 720 South Michigan Avenue overlooking Grant Park and Lake Michigan and only minutes from the loop business center, shopping and theatre.

What: The largest meeting on learning disabilities in the world, featuring over 300 workshops and exhibits.

Who Should Attend: Adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parents of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Teachers of special education and general education, Principals, Administrators, Counselors, Social Workers, Researchers, Medical and Mental Health Professionals, Education Policy Advocates and College Student Support Personnel.

Why You Should Attend: Discover the latest in LD research; learn effective teaching techniques and strategies; hear from leading experts in the LD field; network with colleagues and make new friends; learn about critical policy issues; earn graduate and/or continuing education credits (CEUs) and much more.

REGISTER ONLINE Today! Note: Online registration will close on Friday, February 22nd at 12 noon! Click here to download conference brochure.

Source: LDA of America

Randy David writes an insightful piece on the current national crisis. The issue is not just about the rampant corruption in the government, he writes, but the long-term damage to the country's institutions--especially under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's watch.

"Bonfire of institutions"
Randy David
Philippine Daily Inquirer


Because it is easier to imagine it, corruption has taken center stage in the public’s appreciation of the current national crisis. Against the backdrop of mass poverty, the quantities are truly mind-boggling: $130 million in kickbacks for a government project worth $329 million, a bribe offer of P200 million for a single signature, cash gifts of half a million pesos each for politicians who attend a breakfast or lunch meeting with a President facing impeachment, half a million pesos in pocket money for a government functionary who flies to Hong Kong in order to evade a Senate inquiry, and many more. But it would be a mistake to think this is just about corruption. This is, more importantly, about the long-term damage to a nation’s social institutions.

Read more here.


Speaking of David, he also offered his views why despite the fact that there were so many scandals hounding this administration last year, there were too few investigative reports from the press. This dearth of investigative reports amid a barrage of political scandals last year was the main story in the January 2008 issue of the PJR Reports.


Despite another year of scandals
A Lean Harvest of Investigative Reports
by Hector Bryant L. Macale, Don Gil K. Carreon, Junnette B. Galagala, Melanie Y. Pinlac and Kathryn Roja G. Raymundo
Source: PJR Reports

The central role of a free press in any society hardly needs elaboration. A free press provides the sovereign citizens of a democratic society the information they need to make decisions on public issues, to demand transparency and honesty in governance, and to hold their elected officials to account. In democratizing societies, the information a free press provides is often the crucial factor that makes the transition possible. Authoritarian regimes fear a free press for these same reasons. But by providing citizens information vital to their concerns, a free press can also hasten the fall of dictatorships and the dawn of democratic governance.

Recent events in the Philippines have again and again validated the vital role a free press plays in public affairs, and demonstrated as well the need for press freedom in any society. During the Marcos dictatorship the emergence of a press that dared challenge the martial law version of events was a major factor in the EDSA 1 citizens’ uprising that overthrew the regime. The critical and free press played a pivotal part during the Estrada presidency, when investigative reporting on the anomalies involving former President Joseph Estrada helped make his impeachment in 2000 possible. Estrada’s successor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has also had to contend with press reporting and criticism of corruption and bad government. She faced the possibility of being removed from office, and in fact entertained the idea of resigning, in the wake of the public outrage that followed the critical reports of 2005 and early 2006 on the “Hello, Garci” election scandal.

Since Arroyo’s infamous “I won’t run in 2004” pledge that she made in 2002, her reneging on that pledge in 2003, the fraud-ridden 2004 elections, Arroyo’s “lapse in judgment” apology in June 2005 over her calls to former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano while the votes were being counted, and the first failed impeachment attempt against her in August that same year, the country has been reeling from one scandal to another. The year 2007 indeed proved to be another showcase of controversies and scandals, with most of them implicating Arroyo and other high government officials in various acts of wrongdoing.

The press was not remiss in covering the details of these scandals and controversies as it went about its daily task of reporting on governance and politics and other public issues. Through in-depth and background reports, as well as editorials and other opinion pieces, the press also provided background information and analyses in furtherance of helping the public arrive at informed opinions.

But a more careful look at the coverage of last year’s political issues and controversies reveals a lean harvest of the kind of investigative reports that were so crucial in shaping public opinion and even moving citizens to action during the Estrada impeachment crisis and the “Hello, Garci” scandal of 2005 and 2006.

Read more here.

I found this wonderful resource from the Physio Info-blog. Rehab therapists from the Sunny Hill Health Centre of the British Columbia Children’s Hospital are sharing content from the sessions they have conducted in 2007.

Some topics include Best Practices for Transporting Infants and Children with Special Needs and Standardized Tests - a participative workshop, among others. These are available in either PDF or audio form, or both.

According to Eugene Barsky, you can also access other similar information through the following method:

1. Go to https://circle.ubc.ca
2. Click on “Library” link under “Communities in UBC cIRcle”
3. Click on “The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre” link
4. You will see a small search box. Click on “Titles” button to list all files by titles or “Authors” file to list all files by their authors
5. When opening a particular record, just click on the relevant links to listen to an audiocast and view the presentations in PDF format.

I just got back from Subic, yes I was there for five days, and all I did was watch DVDs and eat (lots of kanin). Its Friday and I got nothing better to do, well...I do have work, but you know how I said before that my current job isn't that fun anymore? Well today is just one of them lazy days so I, along with my officemates, stepped out for coffee at Tomas Morato. Too bad I had work cus if I didn't I'd probably be having spiked coffee all the way in Makati and that would be the closest thing to alcohol I'm gonna get for the entire week because I have to work. BOO.

Anyway, it was a good two hours spent laughing and camwhoring. I post peekchurs since I got nothing else to say. NO? bleh.

When & Where
May 22 - 25, 2008
CCH – Congress Center Hamburg
Am Dammtor / Marseiller Straße
20355 Hamburg
Germany

The Congress fee includes:
- all presentations including simultaneous translation
- packed lunch
- free drinks for the whole Congress
- come-together party on 22 May
- free travel on public transport (HVV) in the Hamburg area.

Registration is now open and early-bird discount will end on 31 March 2008. For more information, visit their website at www.cotec2008.dve.info.

(more…)

I love long weekends! Because of this I'll be going to my favorite province, Camiguin, and to Iligan, the City of Majestic Waterfalls. This would be my 2nd time in Camiguin but 1st time in Iligan so I'm very excited.

My only regret in this upcoming trip is that I booked our Cagayan de Oro (CDO) tickets via Air Philippines (Air Phil) with their 30 something year-old Boeing 737-200 aircraft. I don't know what came to me to even consider buying an Air Phil ticket. In the first place Air Phil does not offer the very much sought after convenience of online booking of tickets so you have to buy your ticket at their offices or travel agents. Nowadays, I want to know if there's a travel agency which does not charge an additional 100 pesos (service fee) for each ticket per sector for domestic travel.

I don't know but I think in terms of aircraft age Air Philippines owns the most "senior" among Philippines-based jet aircraft. On another negative note, as compared with Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines, the timing of Air Phil's CDO flight is not good for leisure travelers who wants an early morning flight in and late afternoon flight out.

To make the long story story short... lesson learned. So next time I'll be going to Cagayan de Oro I'll see to it that I'll book a ticket with an airline operating a new, more environment friendly, good smelling airplanes.

... if you haven't tried Abalos Burjer yet.

Abalos Burjer: Conquers Fear, Worth Dying For Burjer.


Source: Youtube user 1piso

The theme for this year’s Lindamood-Bell’s Annual International Conference is The Sensory-Language Connection for Learning: Dyslexia~Hyperlexia~Autism.

You are invited to attend Lindamood-Bell’s 16th Annual International Conference at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa in Anaheim, California. This conference will offer research sessions in the latest information in brain research, cognition, decoding, language comprehension, vocabulary, dyslexia, hyperlexia, and autism. Workshops in the acclaimed Lindamood-Bell® programs, presented by the authors and Lindamood-Bell’s experienced Professional Development Presenters, will also be offered. Eminent keynote speakers include:

• Alan Paivio, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario
• Nancy J. Minshew, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Center for Autism Research (CeFAR)
• Nanci Bell, M.A., Author and Cofounder of Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes

For more information or to register today, please call 1-800-233-1819 or visit Lindamood-Bell’s website.

As a resident of Las Pinas City, I invite everyone to visit my hometown starting tomorrow, February 21 up to February 29 for the 33rd edition of the International Bamboo Organ Festival.

Thursday, Feb. 21 - GALA

Misa de Sales (1826), from Iglesia de Baclayon, Bohol - Las Pinas Boys Choir with Bamboo organ

Bach Cantata no. 82 – Noel Azcona, solo baritone, with Festival Orchestra conducted by Chino Toledo

Handel – Organ Concert op. 4 #2 – Festival Orchestra with Ghislain Leroy ( France)

Friday, Feb. 22 -AN EVENING OF ORGAN MUSIC

Full program of organ music on Bamboo Organ and Auditorium organ by Ghislain Leroy ( France)

Saturday, Feb. 23 - In Concert: Las Piñas Boys Choir

Sunday, Feb. 24 - CONCERT UNDER THE TREES

Monday, Feb. 25 - ORGAN AND VOICES

Concerto for two organs with Armando Salarza and Rea Lodronio

Misa de Sales (1826), from Iglesia de Baclayon, Bohol - Las Pinas Boys Choir with Bamboo organ

Bach Cantata no. 82 – Noel Azcona, solo baritone, with Festival Orchestra conducted by Chino Toledo

Wednesday and Friday, Feb. 27 and 29 MISA DI GLORIA

Ticket prices: P600, P400, P200

Please call 510-3839 for more information