๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ '๐๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐'
Umaaraw, Umuulan, Nakakalito
PRAYER: Lord, have mercy on our people getting inundated at home, facing all sorts of suffering and deprivation, and the dangers of drowning, disease, electrocution, no help arriving in the dead of the night, fearful of leaving their belongings to prospecting thieves. Residents in enduring life at evacuation centers. Residents with roofs leaking and having no means to repair them. Workers and businesses losing opportunities to earn. Bless our people who are able to extend help in any way, shape, or form.
If evolution is real, why are there still monkeys? Scientists reveal the surprising answer
Story by Wiliam Hunter โข 11mo โข 6 min read
When you learned about the history of human evolution in school, there's a good chance you were shown one all-too-familiar image.
That picture probably showed a conga line of human-like creatures, from a primitive ape at one end to a modern man proudly strolling into the future at the other.
For many people, this iconic image captures evolution's slow but inevitable march from the simple to the complex.
But it also raises a puzzling question: If this really is how evolution works, then why are there still monkeys and apes?
Surely, if humans evolved out of primates, there's no reason that so many species should have remained so primitive.
While it might be easy to dismiss this as a trivial question, the answer actually reveals a fascinating detail of our shared evolutionary history.
In fact, it uncovers what scientists have called a 'widespread and persistent misconception' about the nature of human evolution.
So, Daily Mail asked some of the leading experts to explain why we might need to rethink our place in the evolutionary lineup.
It's a common thought that many people have about evolution, but now scientists have given their answer to why monkeys and other apes still exist if humans evolved from them (stock image)
It's a common thought that many people have about evolution, but now scientists have given their answer to why monkeys and other apes still exist if humans evolved from them (stock image)
If evolution is real, why are there still monkeys?
One common view of evolution is that it is a linear process which takes primitive species and slowly brings them closer to perfection.
Unfortunately, this is a greatly simplified perception of how evolution really works.
Professor Ruth Mace, an expert on human evolution from University College London, told Daily Mail: 'Think of the evolutionary process as tree-like. All living species are at the tips of the branches.
'Humans and monkeys are on branches that separated at some point. Both branches still exist.'
If we were to trace those branches back in time through the generations, we would eventually find that they merge into a single species.
Modern humans' closest living relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos, with whom we share about 98.7 per cent of our DNA.
We also share a lot of common traits with our primate relatives, including anatomical features, complex social hierarchies, and problem-solving skills.
Bonobos (pictured) and chimpanzees are humans' closest relatives, with whom we share over 98 per cent of our DNA. However, evolution experts say we didn't really evolve from these primate species
Bonobos (pictured) and chimpanzees are humans' closest relatives, with whom we share over 98 per cent of our DNA. However, evolution experts say we didn't really evolve from these primate species
If humans evolved from primates, why are there still monkeys?
Humans didn't evolve from any of the monkey or primate species that we see today.
Although we do share a lot of DNA with some species, up to 98 per cent in some cases, that is because we have a common ancestor.
Between six and ten million years ago, a population of primates split into those that would become chimpanzees and bonobos and those that would become humans.
Humans and monkeys are just different branches of the same evolutionary tree, but there's no reason that one needed to disappear for the other to emerge.
It might be easy, therefore, to think that modern humans evolved from a group of chimpanzees or bonobos, leaving the rest of the species behind on a lower rung of the evolutionary ladder.
However, modern genetic data shows that this isn't the case.
Anthropologists currently think that humans split from the family containing bonobos and chimpanzees somewhere between six to 10 million years ago.
Scientists call the species at that branching point our 'last common ancestor'.
When scientists talk about early humans like the Neanderthals and Homo erectus, it can seem like modern humans replaced all the species that came before them.
This creates a misconception that every earlier species either evolved to be more human-like or died out.
However, since Darwin's 'tree of life' doesn't grow straight up like a beanstalk, but spreads like a bush, there are also lots of evolutionary 'dead ends'.
Neanderthals are just another branch that split away from our latest common ancestor that lived sometime between 800,000 and 100,000 years ago.
Humans branched off from the chimpanzees (pictured) and bonobos about six to 10 million years ago. They are not earlier stages on the path towards humanity, but ends of a different branch in the evolutionary tree
Humans branched off from the chimpanzees (pictured) and bonobos about six to 10 million years ago. They are not earlier stages on the path towards humanity, but ends of a different branch in the evolutionary tree
Most of the branches on the human family tree were evolutionary dead ends. The other human species, such as Neanderthals (pictured), eventually died off, but not because they evolved into humans
Most of the branches on the human family tree were evolutionary dead ends. The other human species, such as Neanderthals (pictured), eventually died off, but not because they evolved into humans
But there's no reason that any of those other branches necessarily had to go extinct; they just took different paths to our own.
Why haven't monkeys become as smart as humans?
Our evolutionary story is one of gradually improving sophistication, particularly when it comes to intelligence.
This intelligence has allowed human beings to flourish in a way no other species ever has before, pushing many other primate species close to extinction.
But if our intelligence is such a massive evolutionary advantage, why haven't our close relatives also evolved to be just as smart?
While our intelligence might seem extremely important to us, it simply isn't necessary for other species to succeed, experts said.
Professor Mace explained: 'If you live in the rainforest in groups of primates that mostly eat plant matter, then the kind of intelligence you need is not necessarily the same kind of intelligence you need if you are a carnivore who needs to hunt large prey in groups on the savannah.'
That means there's no reason for monkeys to have evolved into a more human-like species.
Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and well-adapted to their environment. Scientists say there is no reason that they would need to evolve the kind of intelligence found in humans
Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and well-adapted to their environment. Scientists say there is no reason that they would need to evolve the kind of intelligence found in humans
Why didn't apes become as smart as humans?
Apes like chimpanzees never evolved human-level intelligence because they don't need to.
Chimpanzees are highly intelligent, showing abilities to form complex social groups, use tools, and even follow fashion trends.
However, the kind of intelligence that is required to live in the forest and eat fruit is very different from that needed to hunt large animals.
Since humans evolved in very different circumstances, we needed to be much more cooperative.
Chimpanzees don't need those abilities to thrive in their environment so they never developed them.
In fact, when it comes to evolutionary 'success', human intelligence isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Dr John Rowan, assistant professor of human evolution at the University of Cambridge, told Daily Mail: 'Chimpanzees and bonobos do very well in their respective niches, so why not ask the reverse question: Why havenโt humans evolved to be more like chimpanzees or bonobos?
'Bonobos in particular do not engage in large-scale intergroup violence and killing, whereas we humans are constantly consumed by conflict and warfareโwhy havenโt we evolved to be more like bonobos?'
Contrary to common belief, humanity is not the goal towards which evolution is striving.
'Itโs often assumed that the human version of a trait must be the "best", but thatโs almost never the case,' says Dr Rowan.
'Humans have many interesting adaptations, but we must remember that so do all the other billions of species we share the planet with. And many are far more remarkable than human adaptations humans have!'
Could monkeys evolve into humans in the future?
However, although monkeys and apes don't have any reason to evolve human-like intelligence at the moment, that might not always be the case.
In the very far future, scientists say that some primate species could evolve to be more human-like in a Planet of the Apes-style scenario. However, that species might not resemble humans today
In the very far future, scientists say that some primate species could evolve to be more human-like in a Planet of the Apes-style scenario. However, that species might not resemble humans today
In the far future, or if humans were to disappear from the planet, there could be an evolutionary niche which some primate evolves to fill.
Professor Mace says: 'Every mutation happens by chance, but if species live in similar environments, there are plenty of examples of convergent evolution.
'So it is entirely possible that something not too different from ourselves could evolve, but it is not inevitable as the environment is bound to be slightly different.'
That means, a Planet of the Apes-style scenario is not entirely inconceivable in the extremely distant future.
However, whatever creature did emerge from that lengthy process of evolution might not look anything like humans as we recognise them.
Dr Edwin de Jager, a biological anthropologist from the University of Cambridge, told Daily Mail: 'Evolution doesnโt repeat itself exactly, but given enough time and the right pressures, itโs possible that some primates could evolve greater intelligence or more human-like traits.
'But they wouldnโt become human, I think theyโd be something entirely new.'
August 2026 Recap: A Hodgepodge of Things High and Low
Things I randomly picked up on FB even while I wasn't watching the news. They are listed one at a time as they appeared through the month:
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I failed to note last month that national dailies picked up the news of the sudden demise of our youngest councilor. It is something I didn't expect.
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Dr. Fauci received a severe battering from Republican senators asking him about COVID and the government policies he helped form at the time.
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"Alex Eala made history on August 3, 2026, by becoming the first tennis player from the Philippines to win a WTA singles title." >>> Eala's victory renewed my keen interest in tennis, but for a different purpose: to annihil@te all these mosquitoes going after my blood using this rechargeable racquet that I bought. Wait, it is called electric swatter. I aim for a perfect score each time.
***
"Man arrested after dressing as Grim Reaper at a hospital and staring at patient in Wales." >> Haha! Fake news or not, I hate him already!
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"Trucks carrying 200 pigs crashes in Bukidnon. Instead of helping, the crowd steals the pigs." >>> Tragedy quickly turns into 'Agawan ng Biik' game where you end up with a dirty piglet as your prize.
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Somewhere in Manila, an acacia tree on the side of the street suddenly fell on the road, nearly missing passing vehicles and causing a traffic gridlock. I would learn days later that a delivery driver died on the spot after taking a breather under that tree. >>> I suddenly have a new fear: standing underneath a tree.
***
The debate on Pax Silica intensified. But not a few smart cookies saw through it and felt the hand of China behind the demonization. I'd say let's not fall for the ruse--I mean, China's hidden machinations. Let's not be too naive--let us be always mindful of psychological warfare, 'agitprop,' espionage and the like around us--yes, from both sides of the ideological fence.
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Everybody seems to have watched the latest Spiderman movie and thoroughly enjoyed it. >>> Despite the silly premise of a man improbably turning into a spider scaling NYC skyscrapers, moviegoers are willing to shell out a huge sum -- for the ticket, fare/gas, and snacks -- just to see what is essentially a fantasy movie with a compelling story. I have willingly fallen for the ruse myself, several times over.
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"A 67-year-old woman in Colombia monetized neighborhood gossip so successfully that she has bought 2 houses down. She charges per secret and gets paid even more to stay quiet." >>> Evil kind of smart.
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Typhoon 'Luis' and 'Maymay'--which intensified the monsoon rains and was influenced by super-typhoon improbably named 'Dolphin'--brought torrential rains and caused flooding in many areas of the country. >>> It was a worryingly wet and waterlogged world for the greater part of our three long weeks--and it had many pros and cons. But in terms of resiliency, we should learn to get on with our lives as scheduled while it's raining that strong and that long. Now we had to make up for a 3-week backlog.
***
Why are people posting their student IDs on their FB 'Story'?
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In his visit to Davao City, a Duterte bailiwick, Pres. Marcos was heckled by high school students in the most embarrassing manner that one felt sorry for him and the high office he represented. I've never seen such a low level of disrespect for a man of high authority, but I also understand where the utter contempt and anger is coming from, considering everything that is happening around us.
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A devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Colombia โ collapsing buildings, trapping people under rubble and killing over 100 people.
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Viral sa trial> "Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan presented acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to the Commission on AuditโIntelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) as supplemental documents for confidential fund cash advances. The documents, presented in relation to allegations of confidential fund misuse, included receipts bearing names of supposed recipients whose identities were questioned, with some reportedly having no matching records in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) database. Among the listed transactions were a โฑ70,000 payment to โMary Grace Piattosโ for medicines, an โฑ85,000 payment to โNova Santosโ for various goods, and a โฑ295,000 payment to โMico P. Harinaโ for purchased supplies. >>> Creativity fail!
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"Isang 22-anyos na empleyado sa Alicante, Spain ang sinibak matapos paulit-ulit umanong pumasok nang mas maaga kaysa sa itinakdang oras." >>> What kind of stupid penalizes punctuality?
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"Julian Assange sounded the alarm about this years ago. Today, it is a normal part of how the internet (and politicians) work. The sudden deactivation of federal resources like Climate.gov highlights a growing crisis: our history is being quietly erased by centralized digital servers." >>> This is scary, but I already had a taste of it after having my original FB account deleted for no explicit reason. I am worried about my accounts on another social media site where almost all of what I've written since year 2000 is stored online.
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Another trending party game emerged in which participants take turns eating certain foodstuff on the table and for some reason finds it funny and laugh at themselves. >>> I worry about the participants choking on the noodle.
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Another trending game is called the 'Pass the Mic' challenge, I think. I now follow this group from Bohol called Tropang Singers doing old high-pitched hits like Debbie Gibson songs. >>> I can just imagine inserting myself in the lineup and easily ruining the game. This game is highly discriminatory to the not-so-vocally endowed.
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Not long after Venezuela and Colombia, strong earthquakes shook parts of Egypt and Indonesia, Spain and Peru too--and those are just the countries that I happen to stumble upon while scrolling through my screen. It's like one earthquake triggering another, then another, then another, ad infinitum.
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Meanwhile, while we keep on blaming the flood control budget scandal at home, there were some serious flooding in different parts of the world, too, including Japan, not just in the Philippines. I lost count.
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Local literary luminary Marra PL. Lanot died. >>> Haven't read her work, but I'm a big fan of her husband's writing -- the amazingly skillful screenwriter, poet, and essayist Pete Lacaba, whom I have 'met' (and his son Kris) online in the distant past.
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Hollywood actress Hayden Panettiere died aged 36. >>> A name I have encountered several times while watching movies.
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"Trash piles up in Metro Manila waters after habagat-induced flooding." >>> Why is everyone acting so surprised? This has long been a sad and tragic old normal for Metro Manila. Have we suddenly gone blind? A culture that treats public spaces as personal trash can needs some serious soul-searching.
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Songs that trended lately because of FB reels or stories and TikTok dance videos: Ice Spice - Big Guy (from "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePantsโ); Olivia Dean - So Easy (To Fall in Love); Benson Boone - Beautiful Things; Paul n Ballin - Pogi; Alex Warren - Ordinary
I like each of these -- catchy, memorable, enjoyable, upbeat, fun, and... different or new.
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Reportedly trending: No-water chicken soup (with apple and Napa cabbage, etc.) >> Intriguing, so a must-try. I only tried pork chop with apple before at Almon Marina, which I liked, at least for its novelty.
A rarity: An unusual grouping of 9 Nicobar pigeons was sighted in a tree in Bataraza Is., Palawan. A pigeon rarely sighted in the Philippines, it is even rarer to see it in a group because it normally appears solitary or in pairs, per birdwatchers' routine photos of this species.
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Tatlong taong gulang na bata, nakunan sa CCTV ang pagbagsak mula sa kanilang bahay, pero himala siyang nasalo ng kanyang tiyanin na bumaba para lamang mag-CR.
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Mag-iina, natagpuang patay sa loob ng isang sasakyan sa Brgy. Talacsan, San Rafael, Bulacan. >>> Intriguing case!
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In closing, here are two alliterative headlines I wish I could use one of these days. I just couldn't find the perfect timing: "Pinarangalan ngunit Pinangaralan"; "Komendasyon, Naging Kondemnasyon
Recently, a handful of popular podcasters have claimed that Islamic regimes are historically โvery kindโ toward Christians. Those who make this claim are either willfully ignorant or are advancing an agenda. The historical record is not ambiguous.
For example, the claims that relations between Islam and the Christian world were peaceful for 500 years until the First Crusade are false.
- Mohammad died in 632. By 732, Islam had taken the Holy Land and North Africa from the Christian Byzantine Empire.
- It had also conquered Spain and advanced into France a few hundred miles from Paris.
- After taking additional land in southern France and establishing bases in the Alps, Muslims launched raids into Germany.
- They also sacked the outskirts of Rome and took control of Sicily.
- In 1071, they defeated the Byzantines and took control of most of modern Turkey.
- Twenty-four years later, the Byzantine Emperor asked the Pope for help, leading to the First Crusade.
- Christians in these conquered territories were treated as dhimmis, second-class citizens who were required to pay the jizya, a special tax and sign of submission that was often accompanied by ritual humiliations. Failure to pay the tax could result in death, enslavement, and the destruction of the local church building.
- No public displays of Christianity were allowed, including the ringing of church bells or even praying aloud in oneโs own home within earshot of a Muslim. No new churches could be built, and no old churches could be repaired without permission, which was rarely given. Criticism of Islam and evangelizing Muslims was strictly forbidden. In court, a Christianโs testimony was worth less than a Muslimโs. Christians could not have authority over a Muslim or have a house taller than a Muslimโs. They could not bear arms or ride a horse. At times, they were forced to wear distinctive clothing.
- Another claim is that Muslim rulers protected Christian holy sites and repaired them when damaged. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Typically, important Christian holy sites were converted to mosques to show the victory of Islam. The most prominent example is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the largest church in Christendom for 1000 years. When the city fell to the Turks, it and other churches were desecrated and converted to mosques.
- An exception was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, perhaps because it was a major pilgrimage site that generated revenue for the Caliph. However, in 1009, Caliph Al Hakim destroyed it. It lay in ruins for decades until his successor allowed the Byzantines to rebuild it, likely to again collect pilgrimage revenues. 800 years later, the church was severely damaged in a fire. Local Christians blamed Muslims, but the official story is that it was caused by a candle or oil lamp. The Ottomans allowed it to be repaired using Christian funds donated from overseas. They did not pay for the repair.
- In the Ottoman Empire, that some claim was kind to Christians, boys were taken from Christian homes to be raised as Janissaries, or Muslim slave-soldiers who were taught to despise their Christian families. Girls were often taken as slaves into harems, and violence often broke out against Christian communities in Ottoman territories. The worst violence was the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides of the early twentieth century, in which between 1.5 million and 2.5 million people were killed by the Ottoman government.
- The same violence against Christians continues today, with abductions, forced marriages, murders, arson of churches, and oppression of Christians in places like Pakistan and Egypt, and increasingly in Europe. There is a prohibition of churches in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries and, of course, the ongoing slaughter of Christians by Islamists in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.
So no, Islam has not been kind to Christians. The only reason to make this claim is to make the occasional anti-Christian acts of Israelis look worse. But there is no comparison. Christians in Israel have more rights and freedoms than in any Muslim country, especially in history. To claim otherwise is to ignore reality.
Author
Breakpoint
For links to the sources mentioned in this article and more resources, visit the Breakpoint website: https://breakpoint.org/no-islam-is-not-kind-to-christians/
No, Islam is Not Kind to Christians - Breakpoint
BREAKPOINT.ORG
No, Islam is Not Kind to Christians - Breakpoint
No, Islam is Not Kind to Christians - Breakpoint
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Joao Correia
Are there any muslim majority countries where religious minorities are not persecuted or discriminated?
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Garrett Barton
Boys, time to bring back the crusades
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Jim Hallstrom
I've read both books and Islamic Hadiths! I've even listened to podcasts comparing the Arabic of the Quran and Hadiths translated to English. The OP is correct and if anymore proof is needed, just start reading and researching! Past and current events should solidify reasoning why Islam will never assimilate to Americas Judeo Christian principles upon which our country was founded! What does one do? Exactly how the OP did it, read, research, report!! Not all Muslims are terrorists just like not all that call themselves Christian are! But, one book is Islamic that has doctrine that wants to subjagate all non believers while the other, if followed, wants to love all mankind! Choose wisely!!
May be an image of text that says 'OF WITNESSES ONE MAN JOKE HOLY BIBLE Quran Nahum Nehemiah o.T. Moses Amos Daniel Daniel David Ezekiel Ezra Habakkuk Samuel Salomon Zechariah Zephaniah N.T. James John Jude Luke Mark Mark Matthew Peter Paul Hosea Isalah Jeremiah Joel Jonah Joshua Malachi Micah Muhammad'
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Edited
Steve Lyublanovits
But it is not possible to live in peace when one religion must kill you if you donโt agree with them.
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Dave Woomer
Ask Nigerian Christians what they think of Islam...
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Sandi Mercer
The historical record speaks for itself.
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Andreas Tom Lรผtzelschwab
Christianity is the most persecuted religion on earth (in numbers), because of islam. Also Jews and Bahai... also because of Islam. The only system that isn't islamic but bad as well for religious intolerance, is socialism/communism like in china or north korea. theocentric cultures don't fit with anthropocentric ones.
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Humbert Medeiros
Someone forgot to check on the current situation with Christians in Nigeriaโฆ
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Amee Nah
Was Christianity kind to other religions as well throughout the history and to the countries they colonize??? ๐คก๐ฅฑ๐ฅด
From the land of Native America, to the Mediterranean, land of Africa and to the East Asia.. Christianity come by sword and force.. ๐๐ฅฑ๐ฅด๐คก
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The Sari-Sari Store: A Symbol of Filipino Ingenuityโor the "Heritage of Smallness"?
A Guy with No Bad Angles
This is a photo-collage that I singlehandedly stitched together as a little tribute to our recently departed Konsi Kulas.
Whether as individual or in a group, Councilor Nazer has been the constant subject of our photographers. That's because he's almost always present in all significant events.
The camera simply loves this guy because he had no bad angles. And his aura had such a luminous quality that you wouldn't be able to miss.
His life was awfully short, still blooming and suddenly nipped. His presence will be sorely missed by an entire town.
" Worship Me in the beauty of holiness. I created beauty to declare the existence of My holy Being. A magnificent rose, a hauntingly glorious sunset, oceanic splendor---all these things were meant to proclaim My Presence in the world. Most people rush past these proclamations wirhout giving them a second thought. Some people use beauty, especially feminine loveliness, to sell their products. "
" How precious are My children who are awed by nature's beauty; this opens them up to My holy Presence. Even before you knew Me personally, you responded to My creation with wonder. This is a gift, and it carries responsibility with it. Declare My glorious Being to the world. The whole earth is full of My radiant beauty---My Glory! " AmenPhoto Contest Judge
I am glad I wasn't asked to talk about something I've never considered my forte, photography, at this event, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Photo Contest.
That awful task fell on Ricky B.'s lap, who correctly reminded us that photography is a democratizing artform. Kahit di ka marunong magdibuho o magpinta, puwede ka nang maging visual artist.
Had I been asked, I wouldn't know what to say anything of value that would come across clearly to the level of high schoolers, although I work with photographs every day. It's because I have a big problem with judging art itself: it is highly subjective, dependent on the set of judges at a given time.
Anyway, after the event, I imagined myself attempting to talk about it, but with a different audience, a more mature one.
I probably would have told them that a photo isn't just an image. It is a lot of other things. In my line of work, it is a means of documentation, a piece of hard evidence that an event really happened. To others, it could signify other things.
What I have observed personally about photography in our context is... two different photographers will have two different takes on the same subject. The type of camera and lens used matters a lot in terms of technicalities. But the choice of focus or subject, the framing, the cropping, the tint and lighting, the angle and perspective, the overall style--all of these matter and have subtle effects on the viewer.
Then I would remind everyone about the philosophy behind photography by recalling my Humanities 101 prof Delfin Tolentino's explanation of Susan Sontag's take on the novel art form, i.e., that it is a form of rebellion, a rebellion from reality. To recall...
==============
When people say Susan Sontag believed photography is a rebellion, they are summarizing ideas from her book 'On Photography.' She didn't literally define photography as "rebellion," but many of her ideas point in that direction.
In simple words:
1. Taking a photograph is a way of resisting time. Everything changes, ages, and disappears. A photograph says, "Wait. This moment matters. I'm keeping it." In that sense, it rebels against forgetting.
2. Photography challenges ordinary ways of seeing. A photographer notices things that other people overlookโa shadow, a stranger's expression, a cracked wall. The camera encourages us to question what is worth paying attention to.
3. Photography can challenge power. Pictures of war, poverty, injustice, or protest can expose truths that governments or powerful people would rather hide. A single image can make people angry, compassionate, or motivated to act.
4. Photography also rebels against realityโbut in a different way. Every photograph is a choice. The photographer decides what to include, what to leave out, and when to press the shutter. So a photograph is never the whole truth; it is one person's interpretation of reality.
5. At the same time, Sontag warned that photography has a downside. She argued that seeing endless photographsโespecially of violence and sufferingโcan make people numb. Instead of feeling deeply, we may become mere spectators.
So, to sum up, for Susan Sontag, photography is a kind of rebellion because it preserves moments that would disappear, changes how we see the world, and can challenge accepted truthsโbut it also has the power to distance us from real experience.
================
The above observations still strike me as so true after all these years. I wonder how other thinkers view photography, apart from the predictably left-leaning ones.
Also, I wonder how my fellow judges rated the various entries, since as it turned out, we were unanimous on just one of the entries, enough for it to land in the third place. As for the rest, we must have been in various degrees of disagreement.
And maybe that's why judging photographs is so difficultโbut nonetheless worthwhile. You are not simply choosing the best image. You are choosing, however briefly, which way of seeing the world deserves to be seen by everyone else. The attempt to choose at all is instructive in terms of setting the standards of beauty and skill and excellence in this particular field of art.
Panic-Mongerer: A Puzzling but Real Character in Our Midst
In I can't remember what year, the year when typhoon 'Pepeng' lashed at this part of Pangasinan, inundating entire tracts of field and residential areas, it happened.
During the height of massive flooding, according to some accounts of people I know, someone in the public market shouted, "Agesang la'y San Roque!"--meaning San Roque Dam has cracked!
This sent everyone panicking at the public market. Eyewitnesses reported how money bills and coins and even cell phones flew in the air, while people ran to and fro shouting themselves hoarse.
This is how someone was able to acquire a high-end cell phone at the time by simply picking it up where it fell.
The fake news spread around the town quickly.
In the church, a funeral mass was allegedly ongoing. I don't know if this is true, but everyone including the priest fled the scene without thinking, leaving the dead alone.
Within a few minutes, everyone in the Poblacion area ran for their lives or drove their cars and vehicles to the highest point in town: Brgy. Cadre Site. "Akala namin mamamatay na kami," someone recalled.
One lady I know, not knowing any better, could only absent-mindedly shout, "Yung mga sinampay! Yung mga sinampay!" as though it would make any sense at the end of the world.
As they say, a few minutes laterrrrr.... Everyone learned that the report was false or merely a cruel prank. "We've been had," people chorused, as they recalled one by one the hilarious way they had been duped by an anonymous source of the lie.
***
This is something I noticed each time there is a major natural calamity in this town. There are just some people who love to spread invented news of catastrophic nature to cause instant widespread panicking.
I don't know why, but maybe this is a new undiagnosed mental illnesss.
I am not alone in my observation. In another typhoon of recent past, someone in Brgy. Tambac allegedly screamed, "Agesang lay dike!" (The Agno River dike has been broken!)
The same series of tragicomic things ensued--running, screaming, saving whatever they could lay their hands on. Only to find out that the dike was intact
The same thing happened during COVID, when some people claimed so and so person had died, and when we checked, he was still very much alive.
In recent typhoons, this sort of creature has resurrected without fail.
Our public information team had to routinely show latest video footages of Calvo Br. and Romulo Br. to show the real score, that these bridges were still very safe to pass through just to dispel malicious rumors of these being impassable or worse.
I say 'malicious' because what could the motive possibly be, but to the get some sort of cheap and morbid laughter from instantaneously spreading misinformation to the most number of people?
What kind of person would do that, I wonder. Do they get a kind of psychological high from doing so, particularly in one latest incident in which a boy reportedly has made a bomb threat online to an entire high school as a prank?
Do they do it out of ignorance? Or are they fully aware that on top of unduly alarming an entire populace, they could also wreak havoc on the local economy in one fell swoop? Are they really unmindful of the tricycle drivers who wouldn't be able to earn their daily bread, eateries that have already cooked an entire menu for the day ready to serve them hot, and a variety shops and stores that have opened wide to cater to hundreds of student needs for the day?
It's a challenge to figure out this particular character, and quite hard to let go scot-free. ...A character we'd love to give a nasty bump on the head.
Yes, we laugh at ourselves, our natural reaction to the prank, but whatever funny thing we get out of it, it is only in stories of our frail humanity told in retrospect. The original sin remains a despicable act because of the enormity of harm, the gravity of consequences.
***
In I can't remember what year again, an Anti-Bomb Joke Law was passed. It became a necessary piece of legislation because of the reality of the terror-mongerer as an ever-present danger and real-life character in our midst.
Brownout Woes: When Will They Ever End?
"May kuryente na!"
.
.
.
"Praktis lang."
I attempted to post this as a prank a few hours into the 12-hour power outage by Cenpelco today.
Beside joking, I also just wanted to check whether I could post on FB using just my phone even though there's a brownout. Result? No go. Even with data.
Such a long power interruption is something I have never experienced in my 25 years of living in Metro Manila. ...Except when an extra-strong supertyphoon named 'Milenyo' hit us there.
Certainly not on a semiregular basis. But it is a normal occurrence here ever since I was here in 1976. People since then have been calling the provider CENPELCO 'Cenpultot,' with "pultot" meaning "putol" or "cut off."
The big difference now is there is a prior announcement on social media. We can now unplug the P25,000 refrigerator before doomsday happens and convert it into yet another junkshop item. (Appliances are especially vulnerable in case of those awful fluctuations of power, turning our lights on and off like it's Christmas.) And there are now generators in big establishments like malls where residents spend the long hours of outage to avail of free air conditioning. Actually it's not free--considering gasoline expense and a milk tea or two at a given stand or more while whiling away the hours.
Another breakthrough locally is the Municipio's issuance of generators to every barangay where residents can avail of free charging--free of charge.
Another local government and private sector initiative is going solar, which gives so much hope to long-suffering residents inured to sudden and longish outages.
All-day-long power blackouts may be seen in an extra-positive way as a welcome distraction from electronic gadgets and office work, in favor of sunlight, fresh air, gardening, other hobbies enjoyed at one's own pace, manual labor or puttering around the house, and the like. And a substantial cut in cost in one's monthly bill too.
But we all know what this kind of interruption bring to offices and businesses: a sudden halt in their operations, particularly everything that uses up electricity.
Weighing the pros and cons, I am of the opinion that power outages are mostly undesirable. I can avail of all the abovementioned benefits even with the lights on. In contrast, let's not forget that outages have a domino effect in these parts. Brownouts or power blackouts are particularly undesirable for those with asthma (like my father before) and other patients dependent on medical equipment that need to be plugged in, those who have stocked up on frozen goods, those who have work online, and other various circumstances.
On top of unbearable darkness and humidity inside our homes, it also means danger posed by the sudden use of candles for illumination, faucets that run out of water, and landlines with no dial tone.
Moreover, no investor ever wants to gamble in a place frequented by outages.
On our part in local government, we are always the first ones being blamed for something that is outside our jurisdiction. A most unfair situation. ...Especially if we have to deal with the mounting anger of thousands of residents over a 45-minute delay in the promised restoration of power at 6:00 PM today.
If there's anyone who longs for quick and creative solutions the most--now, and not tomorrow--that's us.
I know there are two wars going on affecting our power supply and the cost of providing it. But this problem has been here for so long it has become long accepted as a normal part of our provincial lives. And I know that our provider is not always solely to blame. There are times that it is NGCP that is at issue.
At this point, I wonder if it is too much to ask, "Let's not normalize power outages, please?" "Not to mention high costs of electric consumption, one of the things that keep our people poor?" These things are not, are never, acceptable.
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