Thursday, November 24, 2011

Panabenga 2012 Shedule

I didn't make it last February, so I am quite excited to be in Baguio this 2012 for the Panagbenga Flower Festival (note: it's PAnagbenga not PInagbenga). I was a Baguio resident for 8 years, so I have always been in attendance in the past.

My favorite part is when Session road is closed for at least a week (imagine outdoor dining, street foods, souvenir shops, street partying, etc. etc.!) If you love all of these, make sure to be there on February 27- March 4, 2012.

 
The 2012 Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival Schedule:

Panagbenga 2012 Launch and Concert     November 14, 2011

Panagbenga Opening Parade                    February 1, 2012

Market Encounter                                        February 1- March 4, 2012

Let a Thousand Flower Bloom                    February 11, 2012

Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio           February 12, 2012

Fluvial Float Parade                                   February 12, 2012

Chinese Spring Festival                             February 21, 2012

Grand Street Dancing Parade                   February 25, 2012

Grand Float Parade                                   February 26, 2012

Session Road in Bloom                             February 27- March 4, 2012

Pony Boy's Day                                         March 2, 2012

Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies             March 4
 and Grand Fireworks Display


Sunday, November 20, 2011

End Impunity: NUJP's Countdown to Ampatuan Massacre's Second Anniversary

Two years and still no justice: A call to bloggers, Twitter users and social media activists

by End Impunity: NUJP's Countdown to Ampatuan Massacre's Second Anniversary

On November 21, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, in cooperation with other media groups, is launching a Blog Action Day in connection with our commemoration of the second anniversary of the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre and the first International Day to End Impunity.

As today, only two Ampatuans have been arraigned. Only 93 of the 196 accused have been arrested. Prosecution and defense lawyers have listed 300 and 320 witnesses, respectively, which, according to Senator Joker Arroyo, a veteran human rights lawyer and courtroom litigator, may take 200 years to present.

Meanwhile, the families of the 58 victims continue to suffer from the loss of their loved ones, most of whom were family breadwinners. Some of the children continue to innocently wait in vain for their murdered parents to come home.

On this day, we would like to invite all of you to use the power of communication and the Internet to speak out for justice and against the continued impunity with which those who wish to suppress freedom of expression impose the ultimate censorship – death – and how the apathy and inaction of government has made this so.

Let this be the start of a meaningful partnership as we forge onward together to realize the full expression of our rights and freedoms as communicators and as citizens of our country.

Below are some links that provide background information on the Ampatuan massacre and current status of the 57 counts of murder filed against the 196 accused:

“End Impunity: NUJP’s countdown to the Ampatuan Massacre’s second Anniversary” on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/End-Impunity-NUJPs-Countdown-to-Ampatuan-Massacres-Second-Anniversary/199834376758733)

NUJP (@nujp) on Twitter (http://twitter.com/nujp)

NUJP on Tumblr  which features artworks of children of the victims of the massacre and other media killings. These artworks express how they are coping with the death of their slain parents (http://nujp.tumblr.com/).

Let’s do our share in not forgetting the fallen victims of the Ampatuan Massacre.


References:

Rowena C. Paraan

Secretary General
0910.495.0095

Nestor Burgos
Chairperson
0917.725.6333

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Excellent Analysis of the recent Pacquiao-Marquez Fight!

Was Juan Manuel Marquez robbed? Here's a very interesting analysis from Bryan Armen Graham of Sports Illustrated:

It was close.

That much everyone can agree on.


Manny Pacquiao beat back an improbable, heroic effort from an aging champion to retain his WBO welterweight championship on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, eking out a majority decision over the magnificent Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight that was just as close as their previous two ring wars. In doing so, he narrowly avoided a seismic upset.


One ringside judge scored it 114-114, with the other two giving it to Pacquiao at 115-113 and 116-114. SI.com had it 114-114.


Call it a lot of things, but don't call it a robbery.

A heavily pro-Marquez crowd rained boos on the floor after Michael Buffer's announcement of the outcome, hurling bottles and cans toward the ring -- a far more vehement reaction than Floyd Mayweather experienced after his ungentlemanly knockout of Victor Ortiz in the same room just two months ago.

But the outcry was not commensurate to the injustice.

Yes, most of the media at ringside scored it a draw or a narrow victory for Marquez. But most of the rounds were very close. How close? Not once after the sixth did all three judges score a single round the same way.

Fact is, Saturday's fight could have gone either way. There have been far more egregious iniquities in boxing -- this year alone.

Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), a 7-to-1 underdog who'd appeared vastly out of his depth in his only previous fight above lightweight, looked better than anyone expected from the opening bell, staying away from Pacquiao's power in the early rounds and peppering him with well-timed counterpunches. The Filipino champion had trouble getting inside and landing shots, finding his hyperkinetic flurries thwarted regardless of his tack or pace. Marquez even managed to rock Pacquiao several times, most notably by gigantic right hands in the fourth, fifth and seventh.

During those the middle rounds Pacquiao was as apprehensive as he's looked in years, wary of the counters, as confounded by the Marquez riddle as he was when they met at featherweight in 2004 and super featherweight in '08. (They fought Saturday at a catchweight of 144, or 14 pounds above their most recent fight.) He was doing enough to bank a few rounds and keep the Mexican challenger from running out too far ahead, but it was clear the more disciplined Marquez was in control. After nine rounds, the fight was there for Marquez to take.

And then he took his foot off the gas.

So you can say what you want about Saturday's result, but Marquez can only blame himself. All three judges scored two of the last three rounds for Pacquiao -- and SI.com gave him all three.
Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) showed great heart, and an even greater chin, to absorb Marquez's best shots and keep moving forward through the first three-quarters for the fight. Then as the reality of his 38 years became manifest -- as the Mexican's crisp, exquisite combinations began to lose their bite -- it was the 32-year-old Pacquiao's superior finishing kick that made the difference.

"The fight was there for there for Marquez," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said. "But he chose to stay in that counterpunching mode and not come forward, and if I'm going to give a close round to someone I'm going to give it to the aggressor."

Throughout the buildup to Saturday's fight, Pacquiao had talked endlessly about the desire for a definitive conclusion to a trilogy that's now spanned 36 rounds over seven years and three weight classes. This was not that.

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum was first to float the idea of a fourth installment for May, a reality even Roach grudgingly agreed with.

"It's a fight I kind of don't want to do again, but I think we have to," Roach said. "He's given us problems three times now and he's very good at what he does. He deserves a rematch."

For now, it appears the dream of a megafight between Pacquiao and Mayweather is on hold. If Pacquiao had this much trouble with Marquez's counterpunching, how could he expect to fare against a guy who's almost identical stylistically, only bigger and faster and far closer to his prime?

"Commercially speaking it will be huge fight," Marquez said through an interpreter. "But boxing is about styles, and the style of Mayweather will get very complicated for Pacquiao."

The workmanlike Marquez will never run for president. He'll never star in an action movie or cut a gold record or make Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people. He will never have his own branded hand sanitizer or cologne like Pacquiao (both of which were available Saturday at the merch stand, for $5 and $50, respectively).

But he will always have Pacquiao's number, the Ken Norton to Manny's Ali.

"I have to accept that it's not too easy to fight Marquez," Pacquiao said. "He's always backing off, he's waiting for me to create action. It's not easy."

Monday, November 7, 2011

Someone from Beverly Hills, California is frequenting my new blog

I’ve been getting lots of clicks from this visitor since last month. S/he visits my new blog at least five times a week, and when s/he does, s/he clicks on the links leading to my other posts. I don’t know if s/he actually reads them as s/he seem to open at least 20 entries in one minute! Strange. Is s/he a spammer? If yes, why isn’t s/he leaving spam comments? 
 
Regretfully, I couldn’t tell his/her identity. The only think I know, as per Feedjit, is that s/he uses Internet Explorer and that s/he is located in Beverly Hills , California , U.S. of A!