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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Elvis Who?
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Aug.20, 2007 For the Standard Today August 21, 2007 Did I miss anything when I was a student in the US from 1956 to 1959, and when I was working, as an industrial chemist, from 1959 to 1961? Apparently I did, judging from the brouhaha in CNN and BBC over the 30th anniversary of the death, in 1977, of one Elvis Presley, Elvis started his career sometime between 1956 and 1961 (don�t ask me exactly when) and I did notice the waves he was making from the write-ups in the Chicago papers. But I hardly saw or heard him in action for the simple reason that I had no television set in the room that I rented in Evanston .. The only audio equipment I bought early on was a phonograph. That meant I chose the music that I wanted to listen to, and Elvis was not in my (long) list of favored musical artists. I was and still am a Frank Sinatra fan and bought all the LP re-issues of his earlier recordings, as well as his later recordings when he re-started his career. I was also a fan of the sunshiny Doris Day and the seductive Peggy Lee. To this I added the LPs of Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, etc. I also subsequently developed a taste for Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Antonio Jobim, Ahmad Jamal and the Modern Jazz Quartet. But not Elvis. Later on, as my musical taste expanded, I fell in love with folk music and avidly bought the LPs of Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, Woody Guthrie, the Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, and the other musical icons on campus. But not Elvis. I became especially fond of the diverse folks songs sung by the polyglot Theodore Bikel, a sabra or native-born Israeli, who was a supporting actor in the film version of My Fair Lady.. His LP Folk Songs of Israel is still a treasured possession, even though I have not played it for decades since our phonograph disappeared ages ago, probably disposed of during a garage sale. I have never understood why Elektra, the label that he recorded for, never released this title in CD format, when everyone else�s has been.. Through Bikel, I also became acquainted with the recordings of the Oranim Zabar Israeli Troupe, as well as with those of Cynthia Gooding, who specialized in Elizabethan songs. And I added to my collection the LPs of Ravi Shankar, whose explorations on the sitar I found mesmerizing and therapeutic. But not Elvis. Another of my treasured LPs was that of the Soviet Army Chorus and Band belting out Russian folk songs, such as Stenka Razin. And a true collector�s item was my LP of authentic Nazi Marching Songs, recorded during the War by some anonymous Nazi men�s chorus, with such memorable items as The Horst Wessel Song and Die Fahne Hoche. Unfortunately it was part of the loot carted away by some Nazi thief during a break-in in my parents� house in Quezon City in the 1960s. And he was probably an Elvis fan expressing his displeasure at not finding any Elvis LP in my collection.. With a low-end phonograph, I bought only low-end LPs of classical music, such as those found in the $0.99 and $1.99 bins in the record shops. High-end LPs at that time cost a staggering $4.95.. When I started working in 1959, I bought an FM radio, which opened a whole new window for me. It gave me access to WFMT, Chicago �s classical music FM station, which played classical music the whole day and night. And folk music every Saturday evening during its program, Saturday Night Special., hosted by the amiable Norman Pelligrini.. And its monthly program guide gave advance notice of what music they were going to play when and at what time � often with generous program notes - so that I was able to schedule the recording of the programs that I fancied, on my other audio acquisition, a four-track Wollensak tape recorder. I still have those tapes, more than 50 of them, each one containing three hours of material from WFMT (not to be confused with the subsequent cassette tape format which could/can hold only 60 to 90 minutes each.). But no Elvis on WFMT either. Sorry, Elvis. I knew you were around at that time, but, musically, I never knew you. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Elvis Who?� More Reactions to �Concerts on DVD� More Reactions to �Carless in Subic � On Fr. Reuter�s �Courage� On �Hell Explained� On Suretsky�s �Filipino Inferiority Complex� On Martin Bautista and Ang Kapatiran Hi, Mr. Abaya, I rarely write "on-line" because I'm not a good writer but when I read this particular issue of yours about Elvis, i immediately respond to this BECAUSE I think we are on the same level of musicalifragilisticsexpialidocious! Anyway we are cool music lovers listening to the music of, say, Accoustic Alchemy, Northern Lights, Jobim, Getz, Gilberto, Fitzgerald, to name a few. Though almost everybody loves Elvis, I never was a fan and never liked his music. Thanks, Julio Sagusay, (by email), Aug. 21, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your loss...! Christopher Burger, (by email), Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, So you were in Evanston pala. I was at the University of Chicago , in Hyde Park , over 1965-68. We were WFMT fans too -- no TV. Mahar (Mangahas), (by email), Aug. 22, 2007 President, Social Weather Stations wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Elvis Presley is part of my teenage years. I was in high school then with the Dominicans when the Elvis phenomena was the in thing among freshmen high school. I remember we even had our sideburns patterned after Elvis� own tonsorial style. Our high school years recall without Elvis is unthinkable. His music is part of the soundtrack of our lost youth. Its too bad Elvis didn't register with you. Vic del Fierro Jr., (by email), Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, First of all, thank you for the great time I have, reading your articles. The comments of your readers are also really "galing". To the meat of the matter.... How in Heavens name can you have possibly have missed out on songs like, Love Me Tender, Wooden Heart, and a lot more. These are classics of a great performer. I really feel bad for you, that your life, is just, not complete. Sincerely, Gabriel Ripoll Jr. (by email), Aug. 22, 2007 (Sing no sad songs for me. My life is complete, with Wolfgang, Ludwig, Gustav and others. Maybe it is your life that is not complete. ACA wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww How delightful to see how our music tastes are so similar! We still have our LP collection. Incidentally, Fred's younger brother, Rich, was general manager of WFMT for two years. Right now Fred is into Mozart and also loves baroque music, especially the "eye guys" Vivaldi, Albinoni, Resphighi, etc. I just bought John Denver's Gold Collection, and have umpteen classical guitar collections, conciertos, etc. We've also fallen in love with the harp and I love native American flute. Remember Miriam Makeba and her click song? And Edith Piaf's passionate La vie en Rose? and Harry Belafonte's Deo? There was a recent issue of Tony Bennett doing his oldies on video with some of the younger pop stars on PBS. He wasn't one of my favorites way back when, but he has really mellowed and at close to 80 still has a terrific voice. Music then was real music, not the ear-blasting cacophony today's rock "concerts" claim as music. Maybe we're just old fashioned. But I'm convinced that Elvis was among the beginnings of the dumbing down of America . Thanks for a fun read! Cayo Marschner, (by email), Moraga , CA , Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Yes, apparently you did missed something. You missed the evolution of Rock music. Elvis appropriated the sound of Black blues and gospel performers, tweaked it and made it palatable to white audiences. Along with Elvis you missed the other founding fathers of rock n roll such as : Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis etc. The Baby Boomers ( born 1946-1965) embraced rock music as some sort of a musical soundtrack of their lives. But that's OK, while you may have missed the evolution of rock, you were ahead naman pala in the evolution of WORLD MUSIC, which is the shape of things to come. You have Jobim from Brazil , Shankar from India , those Nazi marching songs from Germany etc. BTW, how come there is no Bob Dylan in your collection of Folk and no Miles Davis and Charlie Parker in your collection of Jazz ? Sincerely, Auggie Surtida, (by email), Tigbauan,, Iloilo , Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww No need to be sorry. I am sure Elvis wouldn't mind! Serafin Dudeo, (by email), California , Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony: This sure brings back some memories of Evanston , Illinois , between 1956 and 1958 for me. I remember dancing (you and I were with a small group of Filipino students from Northwestern University ) to the live music of Benny Goodman's orchestra in Chicago , in that dance hall you could see from the railway line. (Was it the Avalon, Jim?) And then I remember watching drumming legend Gene Krupa with you in a small club in Milwaukee . No, we didn't hear much of Elvis Presley at the time, although I did watch his movie 'Jailhouse Rock' at the local cinema in Evanston . It was Perry Como who had a weekly television show. The Ed Sullivan Show and the Steve Allen Show competed weekly on the same nighttime slot. And of course, Jack Parr and his 'Tonight' show was the daily late-night fare on television. (You had TV in your apartment, Jim, I had none in my room. Tony) Jimmy (Pimentel), (by email), Sydney , Australia , Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Elvis is the King of Rock and Roll. He was even the influence of the early American & British famous rock/pop bands namely the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zepellin, Beach boys , etc. Elvis is ahead of my time but when I saw his performance in Last Vegas during his last years, I realized that someone need not enroll in conservatory of music to make big money in that line of business. He is a good example of successful marketing without knowing the academics. By just being a street smart focusing on your goals then you will make it in life. Until now I don�t know much of his music but sometimes humm few of his songs. Thanks to Elvis. Nonoy Ramos, (by email), Pennsylvania , Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Oh, Tony, how could you have not noticed nor heard Elvis during all those times? How could you? (Simple. I had no TV or AM radio. ACA) Anyway, you can always log on to limewire to access Elvis Presley's songs and save them on a folder in your computer. Then, maybe, while you're writing your article(s) you could listen to them. (No, thanks. I have enough music that I truly like. ACA) Best regards!!!! Jeremias Decena, (by email), Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Manong Tony, In response to your article entitled, Elvis who?, Check this out. I hope that you can open it. Click here: Take Me Back To The Sixties God bless. Jerry Quibilan, (by email), Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur, Aug. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony: Like you I was never a great fan of Elvis...you know who? And never wasted my hard earned money on his albums or shows. Even his TV offerings sent me nowhere. I recall arguing with many of my female friends who were die-hard fans of Elvis. The girls cried at the drop of a note which I found outrageously silly and immature! Without the patented shaking and gyrating of his pelvis not much left to the so called King. It is ironic that here is a man with a mediocre voice, was enshrined by the white-run media to the kinghood. If you want real sounding rock sound, there was the incomparable Lil' Richard. Unfortunately he was black and the whites could not allow it. You certainly committed a sin of omission by not acknowledging the great Tony Bennett who has recently released a recording with some of the most contemporary stars such as Michael Buble', Stevie Wonders, Elton John, Kathy Lang and Bono. Frank Sinatra admired Tony's tremendous ability to interpret a song. The younger noter generation has discovered the beauty of his voice and re packing his concerts in droves. And how could forget, overlook and not love velvet voiced Nat King Cole, Tomorrow I'll remember Rosemary Clonney, Mr. Cry Johnny Ray and, 12th of Never Johnny Mathis, Al Hibler's classic Unchained Melody, and jazzy-sassy Sarah Vaughn. Leila Apostol, (by email), Roseville , CA , Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I suppose it takes a certain type of person to go into ecstasy at simply seeing a photo of Elvis. I never liked him myself...he looked too greasy. :) It is a wonder though how he continues to exude that mystique, even on those who were not even around yet when he was performing. Remy Marmoleno, (by email), Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww No...I don't think apologies matter. I feel unobliged either. Music has its own audience. Elvis' simply didn't get into you. Me neither! Nenita Jumao-as, (by email), Cebu City , Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I am rather amazed that Elvis remained unknown to you in 1956 and even a year later. In '56 Elvis was already internationally known; he had done two movies: Jail House Rock and Loving you in '57. He appeared in Ed Sullivan's show in '57 for the last time. NY Times even ran an editorial about Elvis in '57, I wonder what have you been doing in all those years Tony? (Enjoying the music I truly like: Wolfgang, Ludwig, Gustav, etc. ACA) Just kidding. Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your column is a classic example of "different strokes for different folks." I think it's not a big loss not knowing Elvis. For me I remember a most remarkable pet I had in the 60's named Elvis. When it died four years later, it was replaced by Douglas , that was replaced by Tarzan when the former died prematurely after a year with us. Yes they were dogs, I remember their howling and barking better than Elvis� songs. Come to think of it, Elvis was an American media monster creation similar to those senator wannabes created by ABS-CBN. Felix Zamar, (by email), Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I, like you, did not care much for Elvis except for his spiritual songs. And his Christmas music, I might add. Your choices really cover almost the entire spectrum of what I like, though I prefer classical music to jazz. But I have one question: How did an industrial chemist like you become such a good writer? Have you abandoned chemistry for journalism? I was a college student in Manila in the early 60s, during the time of Dadong Macapagal, but am not sure whether you were writing then for any of the papers. I was sports editor of my college publication at a time when Tony Siddayao was the premier sports writer, who working for the Manila Times. I want to thank Perry Diaz for making your columns available to a number of us Pinoys living here in da good old USA . They are really well-written, with good insights. Thanks. Remigio G. Lacsamana, (by email), Daytona Beach , Florida , Aug. 24, 2007 (Thank you. I have two college degrees: AB-Journalism from the Ateneo de Manila, and BA-Chemistry from Northwestern University . You can say I have found journalism more interesting than chemistry as a lifetime vocation. I started writing a newspaper column in 1987. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I look at the character of celebrities in judging performance. Those known to be on drugs, and especially those who die from an overdose, like Elvis, have no appeal to me. I lost interest in Frankie, when his connection with the mafia was established, and his use of bodyguards. Your interesting, thought-provoking articles and revealing responses from your readers keeps me abreast of what is worth reading. R. Stager, (by email), Quezon City , Aug. 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I did not exist during those golden days of Rock and Roll, but for me, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Beach Boys and all Rock and Rollers of the 60's and 70's are still unsurpassed. The Beatle John Lennon once said, "with out Elvis, we are not here". It's true. Elvis the Pelvis and the Beatles are the foundation of Rock and Rolls. Thanks to Ramon Jacinto of RJ100 and his famous bar. Allan G. Buyayo, (by email), Rosario , Cavite , Aug 25, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony - Like you, I didn't get to know Elvis much. Out of the many, many songs he popularized, I can only find one to my liking and it's not a hip-swaying rock and roll piece but a ballad. Doris Day, Julio Iglesias, Engelbert Humperdinck, even the great Andrea Bocelli have their versions of the song but Elvis' Can't Help Falling In Love seems to capture the very essence of the song. I hope you have not discarded your LPs because Sony has a machine that can now convert your vinyls into CDs. Jess N. San Agustin, (by email), LaPlace , Louisiana , Aug. 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Concerts on DVD� (July 24, 2007) Dear Tony, You claimed that for eight centuries (800 years) there were no women composers. I take it to mean that women stayed in the kitchen that long and away from any musical instruments. You were wrong in making that assertion. In fact, if you do a little bit of research you will find that there are women who have distinguished themselves in music by writing operas, concertos, sonatas, various cantatas, lieder and numerous piano works. Unfortunately, these women are often ignored, forgotten and seldom remembered. Allow me to cite some names: Clara Schuman, the most famous of them all (1819-1896), Matia Theresia Van Paradis (1759-1824), Julie Candeille (1767-1834), Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665- 1729), Helene Liebmann (1796-1835). Connossieurs of classical music do not reside anymore in men; it is no longer gender driven as many men would like to think it is. BTW, the redneck label is more of a myth than a reality, Try going to Lincoln Center for the experience. Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , August 20, 2007 (You purposely did not complete my sentence. What I wrote was: �For eight centuries, there were no women composers of classical music who were of any lasting significance.� (As a connoisseur of classical music, tell me where you bought the LPs/CDs/DVDs of your five favorite women composers. (In my 2002 edition of the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs - 1,566 pages thick - three of the five are not even mentioned. Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre has four works in only one CD, reviewed in one fourth of a page. Clara Schumann, wife of Robert and friend of Richard Wagner, has ten compositions in only two CDs, reviewed in less than half a page. (Her husband, Robert Schumann, has dozens of compositions in 137 CDs, reviewed in 16 pages. Was this another male plot to subjugate women? The key phrase is �of any lasting significance,� and your five favorites simply did not have it. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Surprised to find that my objection to your assertion that women, as a rule, do not possess the same affinity as males for appreciating classical music produced a side issue about the dearth of female composers, conductors and performers. You veered off onto the issue of which is the superior sex (vis-a-vis music). My objection was to your attitude [similar to the statement by Shaw's Henry Higgins when he said that women's heads are stuffed with "cotton, hay and rags"] when you wrote that women attend concerts just to show off their fancy clothes. If that ain't macho, I don't know what is. I guess men find it hard to admit that the long-entrenched patriarchy on this planet makes it easy to point to "biological and hormonal differences" which supposedly have made it impossible for women artists to achieve the same heights as men. Great intellects like Virginia Woolf wrote about about this, specifically in "A Room of One's Own," where she described her struggle to get the same kind of education as men did in her time --- Oxford University had always been closed to women, the result of male arrogance and condescension towards women, but she eventually broke many barriers. Male composers traditionally relegated women to be mere "muses" and seldom, if ever, encouraged them to engage in the creation of music themselves. Clara Schumann was one exception who produced works of her own and could have achieved the same sort of greatness as her husband had she not been overwhelmed by having to care for him during his physical and mental deterioration. Her admirer Johannes Brahms recognized her talent and encouraged it, a rare trait indeed in a man. The fact that there are brilliant female performers as well as members in world-class orchestras shows that biology and hormones have nothing to do with it. Equal opportunities and resistance to macho dominance have gradually done away with the arrogant male mindset. I end by adding my own side issue about what my then 5-year-old godson once asked his mother as to why we say "Mother Nature" and "Mother Earth." His Filipina mother (married to an American) replied, "Because women are more important than men!" Isabel Escoda, (by-email), Hong Kong , (Aug. 22, 2007) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On Fr. Reuter�s �Courage� Tony, Thank you very much for publishing Fr. Reuter's article "Courage." We should never give up on our country. There are many quiet Filipinos with the courage that Fr. Reuter's writes about and they do not get in the newspapers and the recognition they deserve. What we probably need is another Cardinal Sin that will lead our people out of the quagmire of corruption into the promised land. Virgilio Gonzales, (by email), California , Aug. 23, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Carless in Subic � (Aug. 13, 2007) Mr. Abaya, The destruction of those cars will, over the short term discourage the smugglers, and at the same time, has a very short term effect on everyone. Soon, they will be at it again and the cycle starts all over again. In our country with a very visible economic gap between the haves and the have nots, seeing luxury cars running around while the rest of the country are on its knees trying to make both ends meet does not inculcate in the citizenry, proper values and priorities for development. Allow me to express an idea that will, over the long run, benefit the government, the people, and most importantly, breed the values that will lead our country to better times. Instead of destroying the smuggled items, cars or otherwise, where applicable and practical, the items should be seized by the government after summary action. Then the seized item, perishable goods must be destroyed, and non perishables like cars, capital goods such as machineries should be auctioned off to the international market and ultimately exported to the winning bidder. The benefits are multifold. Some benefits I can think of are: 1. The government will benefit from the sales proceeds; 2. The smugglers are penalized by suffering the loss of their investment in illegal activities; 3. In the case of multi-million peso luxury cars, the would be financiers will be forced to channel their capital to more productive investments; 4. The rebuilding of character and social values (I hope). Our people are known to gauge our fellows by the cars they own and drive. The absence of luxury cars in our country will help correct this proclivity and dampen the desire of the rich braggarts for luxury cars. Those who can afford the price of a luxury car might as well invest his money in some other productive enterprise; 5. Elimination of gas guzzlers from the road and help reduce our fuel imports To help in the determination of what a luxury car is, and what is not, the following factors among others, may be considered: 1. SUVs should be allowed only if the purchaser has a farm or agricultural enterprise where an SUV is clearly needed. For example, it is the peak of boastfulness to use a Cadillac Escalade for farming purposes. City dwellers should not be allowed to buy SUVs. These vehicles are categorized as trucks and as such have large and heavy bodies; big tires, big engines and are guzzlers. They are and should be in limited use. How much gasoline shall we save without them? 2. Sports cars, are of no economic values. They should be banned 3. Passenger cars or sedans with engine displacement of over 3.0 liters are luxury cars.. 4. Known luxury car brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Lincoln, Cadillac, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Mercury Marquis, Lexus,and such other bigger versions produced by car manufacturers that are quality-wise above their usual production should be banned. We should be ready to accept 4-cylinder cars and vehicles for our daily use as a national policy, then watch how our oil imports perform. Edmund Ledesma, (by email), Cainta, Rizal, Aug. 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, It's true that "If the government were to burn or destroy these (and all future) smuggled vehicles, as they have done, the smugglers' losses would be total and complete." In this case, the government also does not get anything from these destroyed)smuggled vehicles. How about selling them at prices close to the amounts the smugglers can resell them to their established market. In this case, the smugglers would most likely not participate anymore because their gains from these would be minimal while the government recovers amounts that might be close to the taxes that would have been paid for these vehicles. Nars Silverio, (by email), Aug. 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On �Hell Explained� Hi Tony, First of all, the engineering student did not deserve an A because he did not take into consideration several very important factors. I'd give him an A-minus though. Most of those poor souls in hell are cold-blooded killers, cold-blooded rapists, cold-blooded scam artists who would steal even from their own mothers or grandmothers, cold-blooded corporate crooks, cold-blooded generals, cold-blooded politicians, and the coldest of them all: lawyers... hell, I could go on and on. When you add them all up, the high ambient temperature in the system would be nullified or at least averaged down by the ice-water running through their veins. Now whether hell is exothermic or endothermic finally depends on the surrounding temperature. This external temperature determines the direction of the thermal gradient. So first, one must know where hell is. Almost everyone I know have claimed they've been through hell one time or another. And I know they have never left the planet. So I must conclude hell is right here on earth. Also, is hell a closed or an open system? I can safely assume that it's an open system. At least I know it's a very porous system. As I pointed out above, I know so many who's been through hell, many of them multiple times. Assuming it's an open system, then like a house with all the doors and windows open, (or at least being continually opened and shut what with so many candidates) it would have much difficulty maintaining a desired temperature relative to its surroundings. This then would affect whether it is exothermic or endothermic. If hell is a closed system, then no one could enter it (this would be to the chagrin of those who use hell as a scare device by you know who). And with the kind of souls (all totally rapacious in their greed, lust and power hunger) already there as described above, instant chaos and confusion would be the only condition which means entropy S would swing instantly to its maximum. At this stage hell would instantly be at thermal equilibrium where no useful energy sources (heat for example) can exist and "heat death" or total coldness is the instantaneous result. (So contrary to the fire and brimstone description of hell by you know who, El Infierno could be a very cold place!) But I am getting ahead of myself here since entropy is usually not covered in chemistry but rather only in thermodynamics courses. Now with El Ni�o, the greenhouse effect and high sexual activity around the world all conspiring to speed up global warming, the gradient slope is being destabilized thus affecting the direction of heat flow between earth's environment and a leaky hell. And there are millions upon millions of Teresas out there whose frigidity has a counter-cooling effect on the planet or in hell to where I believe all of them would eventually and deservedly be banished. This is a valid conclusion because if heaven is such a great place of pure bliss as touted, then simple common sense tells me that there is no place for these space eaters up(?) there This is because nature, i.e., science, is totally frugal and uncompromising. It is safe to conclude that Teresa could only be frigid since it is impossible for any normal warm-blooded lass not to oblige for three long years such a bright, insightful and sensitive young man as this engineering student must have been. Now, had he picked up anything at all from the infernal and very much hated Thermodynamics 301 (a junior's course), he would have learned that the three immutable laws of thermodynamics would have made the whole question moot in the first place; hell and soul couldn't possibly exist, and without souls to inhabit heaven, what is the point of heaven? But this is a topic for another examination. Louie Fernandez, (by email), New Jersey , Aug. 28, 2007 PS: NO HELLFIRE, SAY JESUITS VATICAN CITY , July 15, 1999 (AFP) - There is no fiery furnace in Hell, which is not a place but simply a condition in which God is absent, the influential Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica said Thursday. An editorial in the magazine, closely examined by top Vatican doctrinal authorities, dismissed the idea that Hell might be a form Divine injustice. "The existence of Hell is a fact of faith," the journal of the Italian Jesuits asserted. "It is not a place, but a condition, a form of existence for those who suffer the pain of being deprived of God." "We must not believe, despite popular images, that God, by the intermediary of demons, inflicts dreadful torments such as that of fire," the editorial reassured readers. "Hell is eternal not by God's will, but because men condemn themselves in rejecting God," it said. As for those who did end up in Hell, the church knew nothing of their fate, Civilta Cattolica said. The editorial acknowledged that in the past "the Church insisted too strongly on fear of Hell in order to save mankind from perdition." But it also expressed regret that the modern world had gone to the other extreme: "People hardly talk of Hell any more." wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On Suretsky�s �Filipino Inferiority Complex� Ateneo, your alma mater, Tony, has always meant to me ORATORY and DEBATE. You must have relished being its alumnus without pause. But it bothers me to wonder why an essay at war with Debate principles and processes found print on your website. My first impulse was to surmise that you had not read, much less skimmed its trail of fallacies of reasoning. But I was bothered most by those countrymen of ours who I thought unwittingly said they agreed with Barth Suretsky partly or through and through. I take this opportunity therefore to arrest the spreading subservience of our kababayans to Barth Suretsky's mental acrobatics about an issue long resolved internationally as I will now endeavor to show, to wit: The issue raised by Barth Suretsky is whether Filipinos have inferiority complex and no national pride. You have published his affirmative side. Requested is your equal treatment. I'll go for the jugular first to show that Barth's argument has no legs to stand on. At the outset, if there is something wrong with Barth's thinking or reasoning, then there is no need to go on reading, much less imbibing, his argument. There are sufficient instances. First, Barth stood guilty of the fallacies of overgeneralization and non-siquitur. 1) Barth cited one Filipino who did not enter a theater until the national anthem was over because he did not want to honor his country. Only one. No statistics about the other millions and millions of Filipinos. No polls. Barth would never admit that all or most of the millions of Americans are Boston Stranglers if there is one Boston Strangler in America . 2) Barth's friend told him: "All Filipinos want to be something else...Nobody wants to be Filipino." One friend. One testimonial. No polls, no statistics. Just one Al Capone to prove that all or most Americans are Al Capones or that one Benedict Arnold proved that all or most of the Americans behind George Washington were traitors. 3) Barth knew one Filipino who thought Philippine history dropped dead in 1898. There he goes again. One Filipino. No statistics, no polls, no research output as to whether millions of Filipinos thought so. 4) "Sans invitation card, Barth was waived through to a major museum affair." One Barth only. Another instance of Barth saying one swallow makes a summer. 5. Barth's focus is Manila . One does not necessarily mean all. One is not the same as all. Manila is not the entire Philippines . For one, the Makati metropolis which, to the intrigue of many, Barth never mentioned, is different from Manila . Another defect in Barth's reasoning is the fallacy of ignoratio elenchi, arguing from ignorance. 1) "Appalling ignorance of Philippine history by a vast majority of Filipinos." A vast majority, meaning millions over millions of Filipinos - not substantiated by statistics or polls or other research methods, not by an iota of proof. His vast ignorance is exposed by non-substantiation. 2) "Rude drivers.. routinely refusing passengers." How many thousands of Filipino taxi drivers did Barth encounter in the Philippines ? Manila drivers are the same as those in Cebu, Baguio , Davao , and other Philippine cities? How many? Barth doesn't know. He researched his ignorance and came out with the plural form of driver. 3)"Unmanageable traffic in Manila ". Non-siquitur. It does not necessarily prove unmanageable traffic everywhere in the Philippines . Again from ignorance about the traffic outside Manila , he makes a sweeping generalization to place other cities and the entire country in Manila 's unique category. 4. "War in Mindanao spells lack of pride." Another non-siquitur. I know of no historical book, reference, or research about that doctrine. So, from ignorance comes this doctrine that war negates national pride. By the way, how many wars has USA waged? Hey, as I shall show later, USA is consistently number 1 globally for National Pride and Superiority Complex! Barth unwittingly engaged in self-contradiction. Instead of reinforcing his arguments, they self-destructed. 1) For instance, from his arm-chair, he defined Vietnamese national pride by way of examples such as French-style cafes, French-built theater, Opera house patterned after the Paris Opera. Vietnamese pride rooted in things French? Shades of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu ! 2) "Wretched state of Jai Alai, Metropolitan Museum and Rizal Stadium is one of the most egregious examples of lack of pride," Barth said. Where in the wilds did he that doctrine or principle? How can one thing foreign the source of native pride? Barth admitted these buildings were built during the American Occupation by American engineers and architects. How can a nation that even fought the Americans for independence after the Spaniards fled, be proud of things not their own like those American buildings! Those vestiges of colonialism are inconsistent with Filipino pride in a country long politically independent from USA . 2) Barth endorsed a " New York 's Landmark Commission for Manila ." It smacks of inferiority complex to follow Barth's recommendation for that commission in Manila . Premises considered, given the colonial-mind responses sympathetic to Barth's hollow opinion of Filipino pride, how can anyone believe Barth Suretsky, much less take his essay seriously? May I put this proposition to all readers: RESOLVED: That the Philippines is highly-rated among countries in the world in National Pride and Superiority Complex. I take the affirmative side. Before and after Barth Suretsky wrote his opinion about Filipino pride and inferiority complex, the Philippines consistently ranked high, even among the highest in the world, in National Pride and Superiority Complex. 1. The International Journal of Public Opinion (Spring 2006) published a global research paper: "National Pride in Cross-national and Temporal Perspective", based on 1995-96 and 2003-04 surveys conducted by the International Survey program, a consortium of survey researchers throughout the world, on two scales: a) General National Pride (GNP) based on people's sense of patriotism, nationalism and NATIONAL SUPERIORITY (i.e. "My country is better than any other country in the word"). b) Domain-Specific National Pride (DSNP) which "helps illuminate national character by revealing not only the overall level of national pride but also by identifying what elements of society are objects of particular pride in each country" (Tom Smith, "National Pride in Specific Domains, National Public Opinion Research Center (NPORC), University of Chicago, June 27, 2006). DSNP is concerned with a country's national pride in 10 specific areas: its democratic system; its political influence in the world; economic system; social security; science and technological achievements; sports; arts and literature; MILITARY; HISTORY; and FAIR TREATMENT of ALL GROUPS in society. The International Journal of Public Opinion (pp. 127-136) published these rankings: 1. In the 1995-96 survey,the PHILIPPINES ranked 6th in GNP and 12th in DSNP for an overall rank of 9th. Philippines outranked Great Britain , Spain , Sweden , Japan , Russia and many other countries. 2. In the 2003-04 survey, the PHILIPPINES ranked 8th in GNP and 6th in DSNP. USA and Venezuela tied for first. PHILIPPINES outranked Great Britain , France , Spain , Italy , Japan , South Korea and many other countries. As to 10th place Israel , the Jerusalem Post headlined her as "scoring high in national pride in the world." On June 27, 2006, the aforementioned National Public Opinion Research Center released a research survey report: "National Pride in Specific Domains". The top 10 countries for DSNP are: 1. USA and Venezuela (tied) 3. Ireland 4. South Africa 5. Australia 6. Canada 7. PHILIPPINES 8. Austria 9. New Zealand and 10. Chile . The Philippines outranked the industrialized countries of Great Britain , France , Germany , Italy , Japan and many other countries. The Philippines was the only Asian country in the top for the 2003-04 and 2006 surveys. source: http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060627.pride.pdf And now for the Oratory: This revelation worldwide should definitely and infinitely put an end to the masochistic stupor of some Filipinos who have been submissive and haplessly resigned to Barth's abysmally wrong opinion against brimming Filipino national pride and superiority complex now internationally established and recognized. This is a wake-up call to foreigners and readers long tranquilized by Barth Suretsky's essay due to their nonchalance or failure to research the whole truth about one of the NATIONAL PRIDE WONDERS OF THE WORLD! Thank you Tony for this opportunity to serve one's kababayans. Loreto Santiago, (by email), Aug. 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On Martin Bautista I know this to be out of place. Please bear with me. I just want to create awareness by choosing this busy forum or the latest. Do consider Dr. Martin Bautista for the next elections obviously (a senatorial candidate of �Ang Kapatiran� together with Adrian Sison and Zosimo Paredes). He�s a 44-year-old gastroenterologist in the US who came home after 17 years. You can see from his background that he truly means service. For those who find him to be a hypocrite for working abroad, do understand he�s a family man who needs to sustain his family, that he will be able to keep his independence by not relying on public funds to support his family. He helps his countrymen in his capacity but it�s just not enough for there are millions of Filipinos. It�s a good start in Philippine Politics to have him and his party around I urge you to forward/text/inform all your contacts about them. I believe they only lack exposure that�s why I�m doing this. But I can�t do it alone so I�m appealing to everyone�s help. If all will inform their contacts about them and urge them as well to forward, we might hit a million. We cannot afford to be indifferent now if we want meaningful change. Otherwise we only have ourselves to blame. BUT TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Pian Sarmineto, (by email), Aug. 30, 2007 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |