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Messages - tonybau

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16
Lounge / All That Matters
« on: February 26, 2013, 09:14:12 AM »
All That Matters

“All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” From Joe’s Funny Quotes About Life.

This quote gave me a chuckle this morning and made my day, reminding me of William Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage” mentioned in a welcome speech by one of our dear friends, in her birthday celebration where she sang, on stage, “Just One Look” as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, attired and almost perfectly mimicking Glenn Close in her Broadway performance. That evening’s theme was “West End”. Her dream was to be an opera singer and we connived with her and each other to make it happen. All in all, that night may have been the most memorable stage performance for her. Ever. In her mind, she was in Broadway or the West End.

MEMORIES OF GLENN CLOSE, SHIRLEY BASSEY, AND ELAINE PAGE
IN THEIR STAGE RENDITIONS OF "WITH ONE LOOK"

Our club, the Rotary Club of Baguio Sunrise, has all sorts of actors--except William Shakespeare’s infant, schoolboy and the extremely old. The lover, the soldier, the justice, the old—you can see them all. I belong to the senior group but I still claim to be the preceding three.

These past few days, we have been practicing our dance numbers in preparation for our club’s 10th charter anniversary tomorrow. From an easy, slow-paced, dance-by-the-number thing previously, today will probably see us frantically following our dance instructor’s steps while cadence counting  in our minds in an effort to achieve a reasonable presentation. There won’t be any final rehearsals and the majority of us are “desperately unrehearsed”. That was the reason for the chuckle.

Picture this: senior citizens gyrating to Mardi Gras ala Brazil samba, mumbling the number and steps for each move in unison, thinking there is safety in numbers--each one hoping that the fogging machines will mask the mistakes and our light man will be kind and wise enough to dim the lights when we get too obvious.  Despite the theme, I am quite sure the seniors won’t go skimpily clad.

But, the show must go on and so life must and will, without regard for anyone’s state of preparedness.
We all have our roles to play in various stages of our lives. Importantly, I think the question we should ask ourselves is, “How are we going to play it out?”.  With youthful zest and purpose or with the infirmity depicted by a pantaloon? However unrehearsed we may all be for our own individual plays on this stage, we have the option to choose how we act them out. Personally, I believe the best approach would be to act as if this was your last sterling performance, one that will be remembered for all time--even if only in your mind.

That is all that matters.


tonybau


17
Your Thoughts Exactly / Re: MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
« on: December 25, 2010, 05:09:24 PM »
Miss Mae,

The fact that you can still write tells me that despite the problems you face as a result of your AVM, there is much that you can do, as far as writing is concerned.

I'll join your friends and family members who wish you well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

tonybau

18
You Asked Me This Question / Re: Missing Subject
« on: August 27, 2010, 08:33:12 AM »
Yep, I tried that too, with the comma after Mexico. Didn't work.  ??? I'm sure there are several more acceptable variations that may not necessarily be the correct answer. Thanks for the input and regards!

tonybau

19
You Asked Me This Question / Missing Subject
« on: August 26, 2010, 11:36:55 PM »
Hi, Joe!

Here's something I came across as I was browsing the internet:

"The English version of the sentence from question 13 is missing a subject.

Please correct the following sentence by adding the subject to it."

          "The safest beaches in Mexico, will find here in the Mexican Caribbean."

This English translation of the original Spanish text was done through Google translate.

Part of the hints given:
"1. You cannot change the sentence at all as far as wording or punctuation."
"2. You can only ADD one little word, the subject."


I tried to answer several times. No luck. I tried nouns, pronouns, revised the sentence but this was not allowed. My brain doesn't seem to know that darn little subject that will make the sentence correct. So, I must turn to the expert.  :)

tonybau

20
MY THOUGHTS:

"Money is the root of all evil." This shortened version supposedly had its roots from Jesus, quoted by the apostle Paul. It ran, "The love of money is the root of all evil." Of course, I disagree with the first.

Whether or not we subscribe to this saying, despite the negative association, money is necessary, important and is the common denominator for academic research, education, and progress. If inadequate, we spiral down to nothingness.

Why money?

Decent research in any field, in order to be pursued fully, must have adequate funding. Funds are needed for references and other paraphernalia. References are expensive. To equip a university library with recent publications or international journals in various disciplines, is a major funding problem for those that aspire to provide current and new knowledge. Both cash-strapped but truly learning universities and those whose interests are in just making a business out of education (for
education is big business), will find this an expensive project to pursue, let alone maintain.

Can the lack of references be solved by internet connectivity? Having an internet connection will allow access to many free scientific articles but will not assure a researcher access to the most recent and relevant publications. He or she must pay for access. It is not enough nor acceptable to just cut and paste a citation. One must read and digest the contents of the manuscript to determine its relevance to a study. Costs can easily pile up for a credible bibliography of citations.

Decent research is further hampered by the paucity of sponsors and difficulty in finding a willing one, unless one succumbs to being forever beholden to the sponsor. Poor Juan de la Cruz has no one to turn to, not even the government. If he wrangles some sponsorship from a politico, any benefits arising from the research must, by "default", also benefit the sponsor.

The same is true when one's sponsor is Big Pharma or big pharmaceutical companies. We know that Big Pharma sponsors many researchers and researches that will benefit them in the long run. Big Pharma does this primarily for profit, secondarily for social benefits, many times at the expense of society. We know that some researchers have disclosed their financial interests as major stockholders of companies and their research promotes the use of a patented product. The lucky guys can have their cake and eat it, too! Ah, but they had the funding and they got published!

As for education? Hmmm! How much of our national budget will be for education, according to Pnoy? 5%? This will probably just cover the backlog in school buildings and chairs. No safe water facilities nor toilets. Forget about the additional backlog of teachers and books. Will this be enough to cover all levels, most especially funding for research at the tertiary level where it counts the most? Most definitely not! We have a fairly good idea where the state of education in this country lies.

While we bewail the lack of accepted or acceptable publications in noteworthy and credible international journals, shouldn't we be thinking of credible boards in various disciplines that will serve as overseers for candidate publications? This board should have an international representation that includes well-known and published authors recognized in their fields of specialty. How many universities have this? Or should we just be dreaming of this status?

What about progress? Progress will not come easily. It will involve a lot of sacrifice, hard work and dedication by everyone working for common national goals. That means a dedicated government. Progress means credibility and acceptance in the international community. Progress allows the possibility of funding more and more relevant research that will benefit the nation and fuel more progress. It will also allow us to collaborate with international researchers that will further upgrade the quality of our researches. Progress means money. Lots of it.

To my simple mind, then, money is not evil. It is necessary for academic research, education and progress to go hand-in-hand in an upward spiral, or hopefully, in a shorter, straight and upward trajectory.


tonybau








21
Thanks, Joe,

I still feel there is a need to re-work the article, especially at the frontage of a forum, because this detracts from the high quality articles that have so far made it there. I'm sure a heavy edit will make it more attractive (with permission from the author, of course).

All the best!

Tonybau

22
You are being generous today.  ;)

From what I gather, you are certainly letting this article go and look the other way--as far as correct English is concerned. One typo in one of my previous entries didn't escape your eye. That makes me wonder.

Honestly, I took some time getting the juice out of it because I had to find my way through the article.

Unless, of course, not commenting is de rigueur. Proper.

Just thinking...


 ;)

Tonybau

23
I'm surprised Joe Carillo hasn't commented on this piece. It should be interesting reading, especially since he strongly recommends we read about diametrically opposed views on correcting mistakes. Or, is Joe letting this go?

Tonybau

24
Education and Teaching / Re: THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
« on: June 21, 2010, 11:30:54 PM »
Max,

Good news! 

I just got word from my son that the comfort room project is in progress. He laments, thought, that the males still have to bear with the dirty "discomfort rooms". I jokingly answered that that was ok.  The girls can't just turn themselves around and do their thing anywhere.  ;)

That may be a project for the near future.

Tonybau

25
Education and Teaching / Re: THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
« on: February 21, 2010, 12:53:32 AM »
No, the PTA is still around.

I guess the education secretary realized his folly and haste in trying to do away with long-time partners. It does make you wonder if the elections have something to do with it.

As far as the comfort room project, no updates. Again, elections, the number one stimulus for politicians and wannabes to get high, have a way of putting everything on hold in this country. Decent toilets are low on their priority lists. Perhaps they do not realize that this simple project multiplied by the number of schools that have a great need for them, translates to vital votes. That's if they did their math at all.

26
Essays by Joe Carillo / Re: The real score about Valentine’s Day
« on: February 14, 2010, 11:14:34 AM »
Hi, Joe!

That's an interesting post and easily worth sending out to friends so they don't miss out on it. That's if it's all right with you, of course.

I never really looked closely into the history of Valentine's day and I believe you have given us a new perspective about Lupercalia. Leave it to the clerics to douse cold water on lovers and would-be lovers and all shades in between. This is just like banning condoms as a means for family planning and population control, on one hand, and yet encouraging the faithful to follow the Bible and to go out and multiply.  ;)

Enjoy the feast of the wolf-god!

tonybau

27
Education and Teaching / Re: THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
« on: December 08, 2009, 10:15:06 PM »
Hi, Maxsims,

Thanks for the interest. I haven't had the time to follow this up with the PTA. I'll fill you in.

tonybau

28
Badly Written, Badly Spoken / Re: Why fight the wrong enemy?
« on: December 08, 2009, 10:10:38 PM »
Chayi,

I saw the same ad posted at SM in Baguio. Like you, I wondered what the point really was. It was easy to understand the 2nd part "...shop to save jobs" in view of the economic downturn. The first half of it is a puzzle. One can only surmise what that bright mind which concocted this and the other bright minds who approved it were thinking.  :'(

No answer from me here.

tonybau


29
My Media English Watch / SEASON'S GREETINGS!
« on: December 08, 2009, 04:44:47 PM »
Hello, Forum Friends!

The net will surely be congested soon so if you don't mind, let me be the first to greet you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! . No recession is ever going to spoil the season's merriment, no matter how simple. Enjoy every bit of it!

All the best,


tonybau

30
Badly Written, Badly Spoken / Re: The perils of bad handwriting
« on: November 30, 2009, 02:41:29 PM »
Doctors are notorious for bad handwriting. It's good to know that even Prime Ministers are not spared this "illness", so to speak, for to some extent this has become an illness of sorts. I am perfectly comfortable, however, using modern technology to encode what I want to say. It saves me a lot of time and allows my thoughts to flow much faster than writing an essay by hand. The output is also aesthetically more pleasing and readable.

We should all give our condolences to Mrs. Janes for her loss and recognize the ultimate sacrifice made by Jamie for his country and the world, as did G.B. Seven spelling mistakes should be cited as an insult? The whole idea for the handwritten note was to make it as personal as possible, spelling mistakes notwithstanding. It indicates that the writer had unquestionalbe intentions even as he was addressing a concern that could pale in contrast to others the Prime Minister must surely be handling, such as a terrorist nuclear bomb detonation. Could she have missed the point?

My read on this: she was angry at the loss, she hadn't accepted it as yet, and this denial had surely affected her perceptions. This is clearly shown in her tirade of G.B. I'm sure she will go beyond this when she accepts her loss. The sooner, the better for her.

To Mrs. Janes, my deepest condolences.




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