Geologist Dr. Christopher Scotese of the University of Texas predicts that 250 million years from now the continents will coalesce into one big land mass and the meaning of traveling overseas will change. There will only be one mega-continent - the joining of Africa, Eurasia and the Americas. Chile and Malaysia will be neighbors, the Atlantic Ocean between them reduced to an inland sea.
Travelers will be able to walk, hitch or bike from Greenland to Madagascar without leaving land. New Guinea, Australia and Antarctica will become one but they will be apart from the mega-continent. So, those who love to fly can still take the airplane going there, that is, if the airplane would still be in vogue in that future time.
There is a restaurant in Miami called B.E.D. where customers are served dinner in bed. Patrons rest on mattresses surrounded by small partitions. For more privacy, lacy curtains are drawn. The beds range in size from double-bed to 10-person mattresses, the latter large enough for orgies. A meal with drinks is in the US$100 range. No soups are available, they can be messy. The dishes are pre-cut into manageable size pieces to make eating safe while reclining.
Developers Maritime International in San Francisco has proposed a 330-meter Titanic II, a four-star hotel to be docked on the city's waterfront. Outwardly the luxury ship will be a copy of the original Titanic, but inside it will be a complex of onboard parking, 568 luxurious rooms, an indoor pool and other 21st-century amenities. The developers presented their case to the Port Commission of San Francisco, promising big millions going into San Francisco's economy. Will the idea float?
Friendship Heights, in northwest Washington DC has become the first city in the world to ban smoking. Lighting a cigarette in a park, sidewalk or any other public place carries a US$100 fine. The measure is aimed at protecting the largely retired population, many of whom suffer from allergies and asthma. Groups of smokers are planning civil disobedience protests in an attempt to revoke the ordinance. The tobacco industry will have a problem if the same action is taken up by other neighborhoods.
According to a Harvard and Smith College research, people who have diagnosable mental illness smoke at twice the rate of the general population and account for almost 45% of all cigarettes consumed in the United States. It is not known, however, which comes first, the mental illness or the smoking. The research which came out in the Journal of the American Medical Association cited depression, panic disorders and schizophrenia as the mental disorders found in the study group. If you are a smoker, you may already have a mental disorder; or if you have a mental disorder, you may already be a heavy smoker.
As of April 2000, the population of the U.S. was up 13.2 percent to 281,421,906 compared to the last census in 1990. The Census Bureau admitted that its estimate is expectedly incorrect. The census results have political repercussions; they dictate significant reallocation of congressional seats. Often, African-American, native American and Hispanic populations are inadequately represented. Populations that do not appear in the census fail to be counted as a constituency and are therefore not democratically represented.
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There is another world Olympics where the Philippines can have a good chance of winning gold. Every two years Asean countries meet in a skills competition. Thereafter, the winners in regional competitions meet in an international skills competition held in different host countries. Yes, the other Olympics is a skills Olympics.
The competition is about who is the best welder, cabinet maker, flower arranger, waiter, food preserver, dressmaker, hairstylist, computer programmer, signmaker, electrician, plumber, appliance technician, and so on. World labor leaders thought that this kind of Olympics could institutionalize the setting up of higher and higher standards in the quality of the labor force. The competition is not about speed, per se, but about observance of safety while doing the job, as well; and the efficient and economical use of equipment and supplies (no wastage). Of course, the beauty of the completed product or job is also judged.
The next skills Olympics will be the 4th ASEAN Skills Competition to be staged in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 3-12, 2002. Participating countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao PDR. The Philippines will be sending a delegation of 60 competitors, coaches and officials headed by TESDA Director-General Lucila Lazo and Philippine Skills Development Foundation chairman Dionisio Magpantay.
The Philippines' Pride - In July, 1997 eight young Filipino skilled workers competed in the 34th International Youth Skills Olympics in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Gerrelen Diaz, a 22-year old lass from Iloilo won the bronze medal in the ladies' dressmaking competition. Dennis Rosales (welding) and Bienvenido Balbin (refrigeration technique) both received the diploma of excellence for exceeding standards set for their respective trades. The Philippines ranked 17th in the overall tally of 31 participating countries doing better than Thailand, Italy, USA and New Zealand.
In 1995, twelve Filipinos competed in the 1st ASEAN Skills Competition (ASC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They won two gold medals in turning, one gold medal each in ladies' dressmaking and carpentry, one bronze medal each for carpentry and automotive mechanic and a diploma of excellence in electric welding.
The Philippines hosted the 2nd ASEAN Skills Competition in 1996. The Philippines bagged the overall championship trophy by garnering seven gold medals in turning, welding, commercial wiring, carpentry, ladies' dressmaking, automobile technology and refrigeration technique. They also won eight silver medals, one bronze medal and two diplomas of excellence.
The Philippines' solid participation in the skills Olympics is closely related to the business of developing world-class skills among our workers and of letting the world know that Philippine workers are globally competitive.
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The title of Datu was given to two distinguished Brunei-based achievers by His Royal Highness Al-Sultan Mohammad Hadji Jamalul Kiram III, Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo (Sabah). The Philippine government may have given up the claim on Sabah, but the Sultanate of Sulu is still hopeful that one day this only remaining Philippine kingdom will have symbolic, as well, legal
status.
Manila was just a fishing village and the natives were still chasing carabaos when the Sultanate of Sulu was already a flourishing trade hub in Southeast Asia. Mindanao supplied fish and timber to the region. Then called Lupah Sug, the seat of power of the rulers was the kingdom of the Sultan of Sulu. It extended its territorial sovereignty over an area now known as Sabah (British North Borneo), Sulawesi, Sulu, Palawan, and Mindanao. The rest of the Philippine archipelago was under its domain, where the maharajahs and datus were dispatched to effect the sovereign rule. Hence, we came to know of such rulers in Luzon as Raha Sulayman, Lakandula, and Princess Urduja. The kingdom was recognized by the community of nations in Southwest Asia and China.
Tracing historical roots, the Sultan of Brunei and the Sultan of Sulu are related by consanguinity. Historical accounts have it that Sabah was acquired by the Sultan of Sulu from the Sultan of Brunei in appreciation of the former's significant participation in winning a war for the latter. The Malaysian government recognizes the Sultan of Sulu's sovereignty over Sabah but not his proprietary rights over the area,
The act of anointing a Datu is exclusive to the Sultan. The conferment of the title is anchored on the premise that the recipient is of royal descent or quality. One must exemplify magnanimity in advancing the welfare of humanity.
Dr. Pengiran Amir Mohammad Yussof is one eminent educator in Negara Brunei Darussalam. For almost three decades now he has committed himself to developing primary education thus benefiting young Bruneians and assisting His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on his educational program.
Ambassador Enrique Zaldivar looked after the welfare of 20,000 Filipinos residing and working in Brunei, a task second nature to him who has 40 years of experience in public service. He always maintained an open door policy towards all OFWs, making himself, his office and home available to all Filipinos any time of the day. He has consented to regular dialogues with fellow Filipinos, reaching out to them and keeping them updated on the projects and services of the embassy; made regular visits to Jerudong Prison to check on the status of inmates, conducted embassy medical services, and regular visits to garment factories.
Ambassador Zaldivar negotiated the finalization with the Brunei government of bilateral agreements, such as, the cooperation on fisheries, defense, natural gas, trade and commerce, merchant shipping, tourism, reciprocal investment, taxation, and higher education.
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I was a witness to the spectacle of the only living Philippine royal kingdom conferring the title of Datu to two distinguished Brunei-based personalities. His Royal Highness Al-Sultan Mohammad Hadji Jamalul Kiram III, Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo (Sabah), conferred the title of Datu Menteri to Bruneian educator Dr. Pengiran Amir Mohammad Yussof and the title of Datu Saudagar to Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Enrique Zaldivar.
In 1882, the Spanish Crown commissioned Francisco Canamague through the Ministerio de Ultramar to draw a map of the Philippines. The official map that resulted showed Isla de Borneo as a part of the Sultana de Jolo. The royalties of Malaysia and Brunei recognize the historical and genealogical ties they have with the kingdom of Sultan Kiram III, as well as, the authority to vest titles. However, the survival of the Kingdom of Sulu is in suspended animation as political and legal issues continue to rankle the rightful ownership of North Borneo (Sabah). Will the kingdom of Sulu, enjoying historical and largely symbolic sovereignty , just waiting in the sideline, ever become a real kingdom again?
Dr. Pengiran Amir introduced private education in Brunei as he set up five elementary schools in that oil-rich country. He has continued to hire teachers and employees from the Philippines. Ambassador Zaldivar has done so much for the welfare of the 20,000 Filipino OFWs in Brunei; likewise, he has steered the signing of a number of bilateral trade and cultural agreements between the Philippines and Brunei.
The relationship between the Sultanate of Sulu and Brunei started as far back as 1049. The two kingdoms figured in the trade and commerce operating then between China and Java. In the 1600s, a Sulu princess Putri Leila Menchani married Sultan Bolkiah, an ascendant of the present Sultan.
Sometime between the 13th and 14th century, Sultan Paduka Pahala, with some 300 members of his royal entourage and other delegates, visited China to engage the Chinese government in an economic venture. During the stay in China, the Sultan suddenly died. Then Chinese Emperor Yong Lee allocated a substantial tract of land where the remains of the Sultan could be laid to rest, in a manner befitting a man of royal stature. The monumental resting place, a testimony of the ties between the Kingdom of Sulu and China and the respect for the Sultan of Sulu can be seen even to this day in Dechou, Shantung.
Some relatives of the dead emperor chose to stay in China and their descendants have been interviewed by a scholar recently. While completely lacking in Filipino looks and traits they, nevertheless, proudly attest to their Filipino origin.
Other relatives and members of the delegation returned to Sulu and perpetuated the kingdom.
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