Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde is once again offering Filipino Sign Language Classes to the public. Quoted below is an excerpt from Withnews.org article.

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) is offering Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Classes. FSL classes are open to all interested Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing people from within and outside of the DLS-CSB campus. These classes help its students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the Deaf’s unique language and culture.

Classes are held three hours a week and will be conducted by Deaf teachers. Available class schedule are: Monday/Friday, Tuesday/Thursday, Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Friday or Sat.

Course fee is php 2,400.00 (plus php 535 for those who not have a DLS-CSB for generic ID).

Please contact the Filipino Sign Language Learning Program (FSLLP) office of the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) at 526-7441 local 131, email: salazarab@dls-csb.edu.ph

Discounts are available for DLS-CSB faculty through CLCIR and also other DLS-CSB staff upon approval of concerned heads.

Registration Starts from August 26 up to September 13, 2008 while the Filipino Sign Language Orientation Seminar will start on the last day of registration.

The Visual Gestural Communication Workshop part 1 will also start on September 13 and part 2 on September 20, 1-4pm.

Sign Language Class starts on September 15.

Read more »

I agree with the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) when it blamed the media for overblowing the “Lipstick on a Pig” controversy. The quality of how we conduct elections and choose our leaders , whether in the US or in our sorry country of ours, depends on the discourse of campaign and political issues.

Notes From The Pig Sty
In which we all get dirty
By Megan Garber
CJR
Sept. 10, 2008

What (audiences) recognize, rather, is the press’s framing of those accusations, the media’s treatment of the controversies. And the fact that LipstickOnAPigGate is a controversy—indeed, the fact that it’s a narrative in the first place—is the fault of the media…. The media, in allowing themselves to be so easily hijacked by campaign spin…are not only implying their own irrelevance in this whole campaign. They’re fostering it.

Read more here.

Another useful post here. Additional readings from Slate on the US election campaign: an unsolicited advice for Democrat vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden to beat Sarah Barracuda; how umbrage has become the most widely-used tactic in the campaign; and the hottest rhetorical device of the 2008 campaign–the antimetabole.

Here’s a statement of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) on the Supreme Court affirmation of its March 25 decision favoring executive privilege. The ruling, CMFR said in the statement, does not only affect the public’s right to know and the role of press in society but also the vitality and future of democracy in the Philippines.

Statement of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Assault on the Public’s Right to Know
Source: Freedom Watch
Sept. 11, 2008

The Supreme Court’s affirmation of its March 25 decision in favor of executive privilege undermines the public interest function of the press to provide information to a citizenry that has a right to it on matters of public concern. Even more dangerously it also erodes the democratic imperative of transparency in governance.

By expanding the coverage of executive privilege to include communications authored or solicited and received by a presidential advisor, in this case then National Economic and Development Authority Director General Romulo Neri, the Court has legitimized government secrecy to an extent yet to be established by practice.

Read more here.

The Center for Holistic Intervention, Plans, and Services, Inc. and Holistic Optimum Management Experts, Inc. would like to invite you to their seminar entitled Therapy Secrets: What Works At Home.

The seminar will feature discussions and demonstration of essential therapy techniques from each discipline namely the medical professions, occupational, speech and special education which intend
to facilitate appropriate carry over of therapy management from clinic to the child’ s natural setting which is your home.

When & Where
September 21, 2008
1:00 - 5:00pm
Valdez Hall of Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines

Seminar Fees
Fees are inclusive of snack, seminar kit, hand outs and certificate of attendance.

Early Registration (from August 13- September 13)
P 300 - each parent/ guardian
P 500 - if both parents will attend

On-site Registration
P 350 – each parent/guardian

For further queries, you may call Teacher Arlene at (632) 4415018 or Teacher Brenda at (632) 3623156.

Can’t get enough of this. The clip below shows Jon Stewart pwning media commentators who support Republican vice-presidential bet Sarah Palin. Definitely a must-see video, especially if you are closely following the upcoming U.S. elections.

Did I hear somebody shout “hypocrisy”?

Hat tip to colleague JB who earlier posted this. Youtube video courtesy of user 1stAmendmentVoter.

Lots of comments on the clip here.

Ever heard of the ReWalk™? Well, it was invented and is continually being developed by Israeli high-tech company Argo Medical Technologies. They describe their latest invention as…

… a wearable, motorized quasi robotic suit. It gives users the day-long ability to walk, stand from sitting position, climb stairs, ascend and descend slopes – and drive.

Exercising even paralyzed limbs in the course of movement, ReWalk™ alleviates many of the health-related problems associated with long-term wheelchair use. These include urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive problems, as well as osteoporosis and pressure sores.

A backpack, leg braces and remote-control wristband comprise the invention. Users initiate movements from the wrist control. Leaning forwards activates body sensors that set the robotic legs in motion.

Read the full article here.

I’m not really complaining though. Why, with all these goodies to read I bought just a few days ago from Fully Booked in Serendra and National Bookstore.

My main problem is that I still haven’t read all the books I previously bought and got from friends and colleagues. Now, if only I could read three books a week, just like one veteran writer I know. Sigh.

I probably should take a break before reading all these books–something which I should have done earlier, such as watching the Eraserheads reunion gig (Sigh again). Should I watch Paul Potts’s concert in Manila on Oct. 8? Or should I relive good ol’ memories of Pulpcommunity and watch the “Oldies Night: The Reunion” next week?

Oldies Night: The Reunion
presented by Unifying Force Productions

featuring

Whorelocke, Powertools,Pentavia, Orgasm Addicts, Diwa, Akaw First Project, Malik Mata, Vie, Descant Gott and After Math

Sept.14 Sunday @ 9Mile Bar, Kalayaan Ave, QC. 9pm onwards.
Damage:100bucks Event Shirts will be sold @ the gate for 200php

In case you do not know, the second issue of the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR) is already available. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), publisher of the PJR, is in the process of renovating its site (paging Ederic haha). Thus, the announcement below is still not posted on the CMFR site.

Second issue of only refereed journal on journalism released
Source: Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

THE second issue of the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR), the only refereed journal in Asia devoted to journalism concerns and issues, is now available, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has announced.

Now an annual, the Philippine Journalism Review, or PJR, used to be a press monitoring publication in magazine format. That function has been taken over by the monthly PJR Reports, which CMFR also publishes. The first issue of the reformatted PJR appeared in 2007 and was launched during the awarding ceremonies of the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism that year.

The 2008 issue of PJR has a paper by St. Scholastica’s College journalism professor Ma. Aurora Lolita L. Lomibao on the beat system (”Revisiting the Beat System”), Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter DJ Yap’s “Literary Journalism in the Philippines from the 1950s to the 1980s,” and Philippine Social Science Council Technical Services and Information head Joanne B. Agbisit’s “Media-Policy Interaction in the Passage of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.”

GMA 7 researcher Ederic Eder also reviewed an online publication (”Global Voices Online”), while University of the Philippines journalism professor Danilo A. Arao interviewed “barefoot journalism” advocate Ben Domingo (”Understanding Barefoot Journalism). A commentary by Johanna Camille Sisante on the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s error-correction box (”The Inquirer Box of Errors”) completes the 2008 issue contents.

University of the Philippines journalism professor and CMFR Deputy Director Luis V. Teodoro edits PJR, assisted by Prof. Danilo A. Arao, who is its managing editor. The PJR Board of Advisers is composed of academics from the Ateneo de Manila, the University of Santo Tomas, the University of the Philippines, St. Scholastica’s College, the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

PJR copies may be ordered from the CMFR (840-0889; 894-1314, 894-1326) and the Office of Research and Publication of the UP College of Mass Communication (981-8500 local 2668).

—–

By the way, speaking of Dean Teodoro, please read his latest BusinessWorld column titled “Heroes”. Outstanding analysis of our national heroes and today’s Philippine society. Sadly, we are currently living, in his words, in the Philippine age of apathy.

Heroes
Luis Teodoro
Aug. 29, 2008

Revolutions are after all waged by the millions — and heroes made by vast constituencies: by the nameless men and women who, confronting police batons, tear gas, water cannon, and even guns, create and imbue leaders with the courage, the sense of community and the single-minded purpose that enable them to be the faces and voices of protest and change. To our sorrow ours does not seem to be a heroic age; and we do not have — we have actually lost — the constituencies that once made heroes of ordinary and flawed mortals.

Read more here.

The Écoute Center for Auditory Training cordially invites you a seminar entitled “Brain Gain with No Pain: How the Tomatis Method Helps to Re-Pattern the Connections to the Brain” with Françoise Nicoloff as speaker.

Click on image to enlarge

When & Where
14 September 2008, Sunday
1:00 PM
Quality Life Discoveries
#70 20th Avenue, Project 4, Quezon City, Philippines

For more information, please call (632) 7712046 or send an email to info@tomatis.com.ph. To read more about the Tomatis Method, click here.

When & Where
20 September 2008
9 am – 12 noon; 1-3 PM
CAMP AVR, University of the Philippines, Manila

About the Speaker
Zielfa Maslin was recently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the United Kingdom (UK). She is the author of “Management in Occupational Therapy”, a book that provides an introduction to the functions and responsibilities of an OT in a managerial role. She was Course Director of Occupational Therapy at Crawley College in the UK. Zielfa is an alumna of the UP Manila College of Allied Medical Professions.

Learning Outcomes
1. Explain rationale of teaching CAA.
2. Define CAA and explain elements of this approach.
3. Explain marking criteria and its use.
4. Practice giving reasons for interventions and using marking criteria.
5. Critique CAA and explore ways of using CAA in clinical supervision.

Registration
Registration starts at 8:00 AM on a first come, first served basis.

Course fee: 600 Php
CAMP Alumni: 500 Php

Limited slots only!

For inquiries and reservations, please call Chrissy Coronel or Eric Aguila at 5267125 or send an e-mail to cmacoronel@gmail.com or eaguila_otr@yahoo.com.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) will start operating international flights out of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga starting November 8, 2008.

“Airline service will play a pivotal role in economic growth in Clark and CEB is committed to being a catalyst for this growth. Trade and tourism, among other things, generally prosper with increased accessibility,” according to CEO Lance Gokongwei.

CEB will base an Airbus A319 aircraft in Clark and will operate daily flights from Clark to Hong Kong and Singapore; four times weekly to Macau; and three times weekly to Bangkok. CEB will also operate its Cebu-Clark flights daily starting October 1, 2008 using its ATR 72-500 aircraft.

The new international services are introduced with a zero fare. The seat sale will run from September 4 to 10, 2008 and is valid for travel from November 8 to December 17, 2008. Passengers will only pay for the applicable taxes and surcharges, which are nonrefundable. More than 10,000 seats have been allocated for the Clark hub seat sale.

CEB is the only Filipino carrier operating international flights out of Clark and is the only airline offering a direct Clark-Hong Kong and Clark-Bangkok service.

Here is an important announcement from the Department of Physical Therapy and Association of Physical Therapy Students (APTS) of the College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP), University of the Philippines Manila.

In celebration of World Physical Therapy Day the Department of Physical Therapy and Association of Physical Therapy Students (APTS) of the College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP), University of the Philippines Manila will be holding poster presentations on Critically Appraised Topics in Physical Therapy Practice.

This activity is the culmination of the course OPST 199 Methods of Research. One of the course objectives is to develop knowledge and skills in evidence-based physical therapy practice. Faculty members provided practice background to the students that served as groundwork for the process of asking a practice question, searching the literature for evidence, critically appraising the evidence, and making a practice decision. Faculty mentors provided the students guidance and professional knowledge into the decision making.

The purpose of the poster presentation is to provide awareness to physical therapy practitioners and other health care practitioners on the feasibility of teaching evidence-based physical therapy practice. We would like to share our experience in teaching and motivating undergraduate students to develop basic skills required for this type of practice.

The activity will be held on 13 September 2008, Saturday, 9.00 AM at the Damian Hall, UP Manila - CAMP grounds. We have prepared a simple program that will commence with ribbon cutting and opening remarks and will be followed shortly by the poster presentations and simple refreshments. Students and their faculty mentors will be standing beside the posters to answer questions from guests. Posters will be exhibited until 12.00 PM of that day. We encourage you to bring your faculty, colleagues, staff members, and senior PT students to this event.

We would like to request you to inform us of your intention to attend the presentations by 05 September 2008, Friday. This would allow us to estimate the compendiums and refreshments that we need to prepare.

Should you have questions regarding this activity, please do not hesitate to contact me through the CAMP telephone numbers or via mobile phone (0917 8074708) or electronic mail (edward.gorgon@hotmail.com) . You may also contact Prof. Mia Rotor (coordinator of OPST 199) or Ms. Mary Grace Jordan (adviser to the APTS) through the CAMP telephone numbers.

We look forward to seeing you on this event. Join us in celebrating World Physical Therapy Day!

Sincerely yours,
Edward James R Gorgon MPhysio PTRP
Assistant Professor, Chairperson
Department of Physical Therapy
College of Allied Medical Professions
University of the Philippines Manila
Damian Hall, Padre Faura Street, Ermita
Manila 1000, Philippines
Phone: 63.2.5267125, 63.2.5245113
Fax: 63.2.5262271
Mobile: 63.917.8074708
E-mail: ejrgorgon@post.upm.edu.ph