Green Guardians, Young Schoolchildren Saving Planet Earth

Green Guardians, Young Schoolchildren Saving Planet Earth

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A group shot at the Las Piñas Parañaque Critical Habitat Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA).

    Since 2009, Mindbuilders Preschool has been engaging its graduating students, the Chopin Seniors, in a social responsibility project that would make a positive impact on the community.  Through the project, the children make use of their multiple intelligence and learn to work together collaboratively to achieve a goal and make a difference.  They function as a business unit would, mobilized into different departments such as sales, marketing, promotions, purchasing, and so on.

    This school year, the Chopin Seniors’ project was entitled Green Guardians.  Under the mentorship of their teachers and parents as resource persons, the Kindergarten students planned and organized a fun run to raise funds for their chosen beneficiary, the Las Piñas Parañaque Critical Habitat Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA).

    In October, the children went on an eco-tour of the nature reserve.  There, they saw a contrast between the beauty brought about by the trees and birds, and the destruction made by the garbage that made its way to the coastal area.  The Chopin Seniors also learned about waste/resource management, and how they can practice this to help the environment.

    As all Chopin Projects go, the Kindergarten students were organized into a business unit, with the children assigned to groups where their strengths could be tapped.  Teacher and parents were also involved to mentor the students in logo development, event preparation, purchasing of materials, packaging, distribution, advertising and promotions.

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The fun run.

    The Fun Run was held on November 25 at The Village Sports Club.  The funds raised here were used to purchase photography equipment requested by LPPCHEA for documentation of their environmental cleanup activities.  A formal turnover to the beneficiary by the Chopin Seniors was held at the reserve on January 21, 2019.

    Another activity in school that was spearheaded by the Chopin Seniors was a plastic collection drive during the first quarter of 2019.  This was done in partnership with Pure Oceans, an organization that brings residual plastics to an upcycling plant which converts these into 100% upcycled plastic products such as school chairs.  Mindbuilders Preschool families were encouraged to send used PET bottles, clear microwavable containers, food/candy wrappers, etc. to school.  These materials were turned over to Pure Oceans in March.

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The plastic collection drive at the school early this year.

   The school foresees Green Guardians to be a long-term project by keeping its partnership with Pure Oceans, and making the collection and turnover of plastic a regular practice to be done on a quarterly basis.  It will continue to encourage families to adhere to lifestyle changes for the betterment of the environment, and for the future of mankind and Mother Earth.

      “It is very reassuring to see our children, young as they are, making a proactive stand for the environment.  They are not only calling out the concern but are also giving solutions to help address this pressing matter which is so relevant in our country and in the world today.” Teacher Marah Estuesta, Directress of Mindbuilders says.

Mindbuilders Preschool is a Multiple Intelligence school located at 168 Tropical Avenue BF International Las Piñas City.  It was established in 2002 and is accredited by the Department of Education.  The preschool is also an active member of the Las Pinas Private Schools Association.  To date, Mindbuilders Preschool established itself with not only good quality education but also worked with its students on several social responsibility projects.  The schools prides itself in having strong home and  school collaboration.  The bond built with families is even carried beyond the child’s preschool years – evidence that Mindbuilders Preschool is more than just a learning institution.

 

 

 

 

 

AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2019 event officially postponed!

Today here in the Philippines, the organizers of the annual AsiaPOP Comicon Manila pop culture convention announced officially that this year’s edition of their event at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City has been postponed! Everyone anticipating the next APCC event will have to wait for next year.

For transparency, I’m posting below the text of their entire announcement made through their Facebook page.

Dear APCC Partners and Fans,

It is with deep regret that we would like to inform you about the postponement of AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2019 to next year.

APCC Manila has always prided itself in bringing exclusive international content to the region that no other convention brings, but, unfortunately, our various content and strategic partners have not been able to commit completely due to their organizational restructuring and multiple conflicting events happening during the couple weeks before and at the same time as the original APCC Manila 2019 dates. The delay in this communication was purely in our intent to try our best to be able to secure the best of content for this year’s event, but the schedules of various partners did not match our dates.

We did not want to organize the event by diluting the quality of the show, as we are aware the benchmark has been set and APCC fans expect the best from us that we promise to deliver in our next year’s event.

We regret any inconvenience this has caused you and all exhibitors, including creative circle artists. All booth payments received will be refunded as a separate communication will be sent across to them.

We hope to continue to get the support from APCC fans for our future events, while we ensure to bring the best of pop-culture activations to Philippines.

Thank you for your kind understanding and unwavering support!

 

The APCC revealed that the postponement was not an easy decision to make. Firstly, their partners did not fully commit to their planned convention. Secondly, there are multiple events to be held before and on the same weekend as the APCC. Clearly each event’s organizers reached out to varied business and content/service providers to be part of their respective events. That trend complicated matters for the APCC organizers.

So instead of compromising on quality, they decided to postpone their 2019 event. That, incidentally, makes the 2019 Toycon the must-attend pop culture convention here in the Philippines and, like the APCC, the venue is at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia zone in Pasay City.

I am long-time geek and I love comic books, movies, video games, superhero and photographing cosplayers. I attended the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in California, the United States in 2011 and it was a tremendously wonderful event for geeks like me. Fortunately for geeks here in the Philippines, the Toycon and the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila were held annually and just a few months apart from each other. For the past few years, both conventions heavily used the main exhibition hall of the SMX Convention Center. I proudly say that I attended both conventions since 2016.

Toycon and AsiaPOP Comicon Manila have their own styles of being fun to attendees but they share lots of similarities: cosplay contests, boxes of old comic books for sale, cosplayers expressing themselves and letting people photograph them, musical or dance performances by varied artists, local and international celebrities meeting the fans, gadgets being displayed, souvenirs displayed for sale, action figures and expensive models on display, comic book illustrators signing comic books or drawing art on the spot for the fans, etc.

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Actress and model Ameera Johara posed for me in her Wonder Woman costume during the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila of 2016.

I also had my memorable moments with the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila. I am a long-time Macross fan and I can proudly say that because of the APCC in 2017, I got to meet with the anime legend Shoji Kawamori in person and had him sign the Macross Plus print-outs I brought to him. I managed to tell him personally I admired his work in the 1982 anime TV series of Macross.

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There is nothing like witnessing the legendary Shoji Kawamori sign the Macross Plus print outs I brought to him during the 2017 edition of the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila!

From this point on, we can’t do anything but wait for the 2020 edition of the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila to happen. I am confident that the organizers will strive hard to do better in getting their partners to commit to their event.

Along the way, there is the 2019 Toycon set to begin on June 28 until June 30 and I already have a ticket! See you fans and geeks there. 🙂


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

 

Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 at SM City BF Parañaque This Weekend!

Hi readers! If you love technology, you live here in South Metro Manila and you are looking for a special event to attend, then you should attend the Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 at SM City BF Parañaque along Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Parañaque City this weekend (June 21 to 23).

Prepare yourselves for the much-awaited annual showcase of the country’s latest and most affordable smartphones at the Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 in partnership with Huawei and Smart at the Atrium of the mall.

There is a lot learning you can gain from the top influencers on the latest in technology and you can get a chance to win exciting giveaways from event partners Vivo, Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, Power Mac Center, Huawei and Smart. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect at the event which has the following activities.

Digital Quiz. Test your tech knowledge and take a digital tech quiz for a chance to win a brand new smartphone! Promo will run every weekend per event leg so keep visiting Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 for more chances of winning!

Fun Tech Talks. Enrich your knowledge about mobile trends through exclusive brand talks and workshops from top influencers.

Mobile Legends Tournament. What better way to spend time than with tech-minded friends? Gather your squad to compete in the mobile legends tournament for a chance to win more prizes!

Special Deals. Enjoy awesome finds and eye-popping discounts — from phone accessories to mobile devices — from leading mobile brands.

The Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 will continue in the following SM malls: Cebu (June 28-30), Sucat (July 5-7), Davao (July 12-14), Legazpi (July 19-21), and North EDSA (July 26-28).
No matter what your tech interest is, whether it is gaming, virtual reality, cosplay, or photography, there is something to discover and enjoy at the Cyberzone! For more information, visit http://www.smsupermalls.com.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

 

 

 

A Look Back At Spider-Man 2099 #25

Released in late 1994 by Marvel Comics, Spider-Man 2099 #25 had a double-sized issue with an embossed cover that shined as it was laced with foil. The number 25 on the edge of the cover was stylized to capture people’s attention on the shelves of comic book specialty stores.

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The cover of Spider-Man 2099 #25.

Back in the 1990s, Marvel had a “tradition” of releasing comic books with gimmick covers with anniversaries in mind. Notably the 25th, the 50th, the 75th and 100th issue and more got released with covers that came with foil or chromium or hologram or simply a hard embossed material. In other times, the anniversaries of the featured superhero/superheroes were celebrated with gimmick covers on comic books marking the celebration.

With regards to Spider-Man 2099 #25, the 2099 universe of Marvel had reached its 2nd year. By that point of time, the Marvel’s 2099 line of comics was already at full publishing blast with several monthly series (Spider-Man 2099, Ravage 2099, Punisher 2099, Doom 2099, X-Men 2099 and Ghost Rider 2099) plus a quarterly comic book (2099 Unlimited).

Written by Peter David and drawn by Rick Leonardi (with ink work by Al Williamson), the comic book begins with a short scene about Miguel O’Hara’s (Spider-Man 2099) mother moving on her way to meet someone. The spotlight then shifts into the heat of the rematch between Spider-Man and the cyborg Venture.

Later Miguel’s mother meets a certain tycoon at his mansion…

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Spider-Man of 2099 fights with Venture.

When it comes to quantity, this comic book has a Spider-Man story of 22 pages, a Hulk 2099 story with 8 pages (a prequel to Hulk 2099 #1 specifically) and a story called Net Loss with 10 pages. The first time I read this comic book back in 1994, I anticipated more Spider-Man 2099 content but got surprised with the other two being part of it. Marvel decided back then to use Spider-Man #25’s content to expand and emphasize the 2099 universe.

When it comes to quality, I find the Spider-Man 2099 story here a worthy read not simply because Peter David wrote it but because he crafted a story that connects and relates well with what happened in Spider-Man 2099 #1. When I reached the end of the story, I really felt compelled to go back to the very first issue to re-examine what happened.

As this was the 25th issue of the series, Peter David and Rick Leonardi were more proficient as a creative team. The aesthetics of Leonardi’s art (inked by Williamson) is pretty much the same but I noticed that the illustrator added more power on key moments of the action. Ultimately this story is worthy of the 25th issue anniversary treatment.

The Hulk 2099 short story by Gerard Jones and Malcolm Davis meanwhile serves only to build up the mean green monster for its monthly series. Hulk 2099 was never an interesting character to me and this one did not change my view of him.

The final short story Net Loss was rather weird. Even though I read a lot of 2099 comic books, the story by Peter David and Tom Grindberg just did not captivate me.

Overall, I find Spider-Man 2099 #25 a worthy comic book to add to your collection and Spidey’s story alone is worth it.

Spider-Man 2099 #25 is recommended.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

A Look Back At X-Men: The Last Stand

X-Men: The Last Stand is better than X-Men: Dark Phoenix? What a joke driven by hatred and uncontrolled emotions of negativity towards the latter.

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Ian McKellen as Magneto.

Released in 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand was the third movie of Marvel’s mutants which made $459,359,555 worldwide establishing new box office records at the time including the Memorial Day weekend opening and a single-day record for Friday openings. It was also the highest grossing X-Men movie until X-Men: Days of Future Past exceeded it in 2014.

While the first two flicks were directed by Bryan Singer (who literally abandoned this movie in favor of the big letdown Superman: Returns), this one was done by Brett Ratner who is best known for Rush Hour films. For the superhero concept of the film, Ratner clearly depended on the script by Simon Kinberg (who directed X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and Zak Pen (X2: X-Men United).

The story begins some time in the past with Charles Xavier and Magneto visiting the house of a little girl named Jean Grey whose power of telepathy and telekinesis make her dangerous. Her own father thinks she has an illness. In another scene, a young boy desperately tries shaving off something on his back which turned out to be a mutation. To put it short, the prologue establishes the two concepts this movie tried to emphasize – the Dark Phoenix (from the classic comic book storyline by Chris Claremont and John Byrne) and the Mutant Cure (in reference to one particular episode of the 1990s X-Men animated series).

The result? A rather unfocused narrative that bogged the movie throughout. In the present day, Charles Xavier and the X-Men are no longer hiding from the federal government (which in turn has Hank McCoy/Beast as part of the US President’s cabinet). A cure that can neutralize the mutant gene has been revealed and eventually Jean Grey suddenly returns back to life in front of Scott Summers/Cyclops. Then trouble in the story (and for this film in particular) sets in.

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Dark Phoenix and Professor X.

On storytelling, the lack of focus on a central concept really dragged this movie down even though the filmmakers made attempts to link them together. This is a very unfaithful adaptation of the Dark Phoenix Saga – instead of showing the Phoenix Force as a cosmic entity the filmmakers used the dual-personality concept in Jean Grey. There are no alien civilizations (read: no Lilandra) involved nor anything related to outer space (a key element in the comic book storyline). With regards to the cure concept, Rogue in this film makes a move to be cured loosely following what was shown in the animated series.

Having these two concepts connect to each other showed Magneto getting motivated to rally the mutants to oppose the humans. Jean Grey meanwhile gets controlled by the Phoenix personality and gets very destructive with power which makes her an asset to Magneto and his brotherhood of evil mutants.

As the filmmakers struggled to tell the story, the social relevance and symbolism emphasized in the first two films got weakened. The core concept of mutants getting isolated and discriminated by humanity simply because they are so different became much less relevant here.

As if that was not bad enough, the characterization also changed for the worse. Magneto here became one-dimensional as a villain and the way he reacted to Charles Xavier’s destruction in front of him and Jean Grey reflected bad screen writing. Any true X-Men fan would know that even though he and Xavier were adversaries with a past friendship, Magneto should have been outraged over his old rival’s destruction and strike at Jean Grey (even if it is suicidal for him to fight a more powerful entity, the Phoenix).

For his part, Charles Xavier turned out to be a manipulator of Jean Grey’s mind making him look as evil and manipulative as Magneto. Jean Grey, despite actress Famke Jansen getting more screen time than before, ended up as a visual tool and was clearly NOT the central figure of the story rather she ended up being a tool of power by Magneto. By today’s standards, Jansen’s portrayal of Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix pales in comparison with Sophie Turner’s performance in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

More on characterization, the triangle between Iceman, Rogue and Kitty Pryde was executed with no real depth and only served to show Anna Paquin’s character search for the means to be normal (because Rogue absorbs the power and life of people she touches) which ended up being not so meaningful for viewing. Young adult Angel’s (one of the original X-Men in the comics) minutes-long presence in the movie only served to showcase special effects. Storm’s prospect of succeeding Xavier as leader of the X-Men and the school was sloppily done. Oh yes, the showing of multiple mutants (in supporting roles, non-speaking roles or as mere background characters) that weakened the narrative of the first two films was even worse here. As a result, there’s quite a lot of fan service in this movie.

Going back to storytelling, I should say that the early demise of Cyclops (played by James Marsden for too little screen time due to his work with Bryan Singer on Superman Returns) and Charles Xavier were attempts by the filmmakers to raise the stakes and even shock viewers. The problem is that the third act of the film became more of an action and CGI bonanza ultimately failing to justify the loss of Cyclops and Xavier. The story ended with not much impact on me as a viewer and the late scenes showing Magneto recovering a little of his power (plus the post-credit scene about Xavier’s survival) were unsatisfactory. By comparison, X-Men: Dark Phoenix concluded with satisfaction.

Performances? The actors did what they could with the weak screenplay. Patrick Stewart played Charles Xavier managing his school but gets burdened heavily as Jean Grey returns with the Phoenix in her (which makes Xavier feeling guilty over his past manipulation of Jean’s mind). Ian McKellen played a one-dimensional Magneto (forget about the reasonable fighter for mutants you saw in the first two films) and really had little room to flesh him out. Clearly this version of Magneto, even though he has a lot of screen time here, is rubbish when compared to the cinematic Magneto in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is clearly the hero of this movie and was given a lot to do showing a deeply concerned Wolverine as well as showing him with lots of action on-screen. His emotional reaction towards Jean Grey near the end of the movie was believable. Halle Berry meanwhile failed yet again to capture the leader in Storm from the comic books.

Another thing to mention regarding the weak script is the lame attempt at humor in the film. Just look at the exchanges of words between Wolverine and Beast which only made me frown instead of laughing.

Exchange 1

Dr. Hank McCoy: Wolverine. I hear you are quite an animal.

Logan: Look who’s talkin’.

Exchange 2

Logan: Well, for all we know, the government helped cook this up.

Dr. Hank McCoy: I can assure you, the government had nothing to do with this.

Logan: I’ve heard that before.

Dr. Hank McCoy: My boy, I have been fighting for mutant rights since before you had claws.

Logan: [to the Professor] Did he just call me boy?

If there is anything positive at all with this movie, it is the spectacle (action, stunts and special effects). If you want to watch an X-Men movie without thinking too much and just enjoy the spectacle, The Last Stand is heavily loaded! The scope of destruction (including the major showcase of Magneto’s power with the Golden Gate Bridge) is also great and helped this weak movie look epic (even more epic than the better film X-Men: Dark Phoenix). There is also a big battle of multiple members of Magneto’s brotherhood attacking the soldiers at the Alcatraz facility. Action is where director Brett Ratner is good at and it temporarily helped this film feel fun to watch. The visual design and special effects are of good quality as well.

 

One last positive thing to mention here is the casting of Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/Beast and his performance was, indeed, superb. I really saw the scientist, the intellect and the fighter of Beast from the comics translated nicely in cinematic form.

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A striking shot as a result of Magneto’s power.

By today’s standards of superhero movies, X-Men: The Last Stand unsurprisingly went from big-budget disappointment to what is now an overall bad movie that just happens to have some fun action sequences. As far as adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga from the comics, this film is definitely inferior to X-Men: Dark Phoenix. X-Men: The Stand does look good when compared to the terrible X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

If you are a true fan of the X-Men or if you are moviegoer who wants the best superhero cinematic experience, I won’t recommend watching X-Men: The Last Stand.

But then if you are a moviegoer who cannot do anything except hate and uncontrollably bash the new movie X-Men: Dark Phoenix, then maybe The Last Stand will be your bout of fun.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Look Back at Spider-Man #24 (1992)

Back in 1992, Marvel Comics published the Infinity War limited series which dealt with a new conflict that brought the superheroes together. It was the sequel to 1991’s Infinity Gauntlet.

To emphasize the scope of Infinity War, several comic books from other regular series published by Marvel had specific issues serving as tie-ins. In this retro review, we take a look back at Spider-Man #24.

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The cover with art by Mark Bagley.

Spider-Man #24 begins with Peter Parker waking up from a nightmare. Careful not to wake up his wife Mary Jane, he decides to go out in the middle of the night.

“Who ever said super heroes are supposed to sleep? At least I didn’t wake Mary Jane up this time. Got to get out to clear my head,” Peter Parker thought. “Sheesh! I’m Spider-Man and I love being me!”

As Spider-Man swings during the night, Jason Philip Macendale (the Hobgoblin) wakes up too from a nightmare. This makes him decide to work out a bit and then go out disguised as the Hobgoblin flying with a glider. He also happened to be training himself with the handgun.

Eventually the two will encounter each other but not head-to-head. Rather they get into conflict with the Demogoblin (a more demonic version of the Green Goblin) and, more notably, the Spider-Man Doppelganger (a biologically monstrous version of the superhero with eight arms, sharp teeth and animal instinct).

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Spider-Man meets his monster match.

With regards to its quality, the story sheds light on Spider-Man’s uneasy connection with Hobgoblin. As for its connection with Infinity War, the Spider-Man Doppelganger’s presence linked the Spider-Man monthly series in a serviceable fashion, specifically what happened near the end of this comic book was reflected in one of the pages of Infinity War #1.

Still I felt that this comic book was a missed opportunity to truly emphasize the Spider-Man Doppelganger as a new menace in Spider-Man’s part of the Marvel universe. There is not enough spotlight on the monster (whose first appearance was in Infinity War #1 by the way) nor was its battle with the superhero proved to be satisfying when it comes to emphasizing spectacle for the readers.

Quite notably, the narrative and action had to be shared with the Hobgoblin who is technically the 2nd lead character in this comic book. Sure he got to fight the Demogoblin and the Doppelganger providing comic book action but I preferred to see more of Spider-Man versus the Doppelganger as this was their first encounter.

When it comes to visuals, penciller Larry Alexander did a satisfactory job overall. While the faces and hairstyles of Peter Parker and Jason Macendale don’t look different enough from each other, Alexander clearly put more effort to make a few key moments of the action scenes stand out.

Overall, Spider-Man #24 is a satisfying read. It marked Spidey’s first-ever encounter with the Doppelganger but was bogged down by the way the story was crafted. If you plan to buy this old comic book at all, don’t pay a full dollar for it.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

 

Loose Cats in Tahanan Village

For some time now, Tahanan Village in Parañaque City has several stray cats all around its areas as confirmed to me by Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) officials and personnel I talked with over the past few years.

I recently visited the village and inquired if they still have a stray cat population problem going on. It turns out they still do and I easily spotted stray cats just outside the clubhouse and near the open-air basketball court.

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With no customer sitting, this stray cat had the table’s top all to itself.

I managed to meet and talk with former THA president Augusto Tejada and he said that the population of loose cats is real and remains difficult to solve.

To put things in perspective, stray cats are those that entered the village and roamed around endlessly in search for food, for places to explore (including the households) and interact with other cats (whether pets or stray cats) with whom they could mate with and produce infants. These loose animals also produce waste by urinating or releasing their feces around. When desperate for food, they tend to forcibly tear open plastic garbage bags.

Tejada told me that the association has already advised its members (households) to refrain from feeding stray cats as it will only encourage them to come back for more and, even worse, take residence in the household knowing food is available.

He said that dealing with stray cats is very difficult to do. Firstly, those loose animals are really difficult to catch or entrap due to their speed and agility. Secondly, the cats are intelligent and the physical environment around the village provides them many means of escaping.

“The stray cats are smart and they are able to find ways to survive and find a place to live in which are also hard for people to reach. I remember finding such cats living on the gutters of roofs,” Tejada told me.

Adding further challenge to catching the loose cats are the many trees around the village which can be easily climbed fearlessly. The trees also provide access over the walls of homes.

With regards to solving the growth of the population of cats – both pets and stray cats – it has been suggested that the methods of spaying and neutering be done. Spaying and neutering are ways of sterilizing cats by means of performing a surgical procedure on the males (removing their testicles) and the females (removing their ovaries and uterus). The procedure is done by a professional animal veterinarian while the cat is sedated. Cats that are at least 6-months-old are eligible for the procedure.

I found online the Philippine Pet Birth Control Center Foundation (PPBCC) which offers spaying and neutering services. They charge P500 for each cat (and dog) for sterilization as of this writing.

Theoretically, residents can have their pet cats sterilized so that their household won’t be overwhelmed by the potential multiplication of cats.

Still, this brings back the problem of how village authorities and residents could catch the stray cats which remain very elusive. There is also the risk of being scratched by the said cats when they react to people catching them.

Another thing to consider here is to determine how to catch stray cats not only efficiently but also doing it without harming them as there are animal rights advocates around. Here in the Philippines, there is the organization called the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) which advocates the prevention of animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy.

It remains to be seen how the growing stray cat population problem will be solved in Tahanan Village.

Are you a resident living in village that has a growing population of stray cats? Are such animals bothering you? Do you wish to share something here at my website to help other readers? Please respond by commenting below.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

 

Christian Music Appreciation: You Are Holy

I love worshiping Lord Jesus and God the Father at church on Sunday worship along with our local community of very faithful and prayerful Christians. As part of our worship, our church’s musicians perform Christian songs using a combination of vocals, drums and electric guitars.

Before, I explained in detail why I love the song Happy Day which sometimes gets played at our church. There are many other Christian songs that can be admired, be enjoyed and be used to worship the Lord. One particular song that caught my attention lately is You Are Holy.

Released in July 1998 as part of the Hillsong Worship album Touching Heaven, Changing Earth, You Are Holy was written by Reuben Morgan and, to this day, many millions of Christians around the world listened to it and praised the Lord with it during Sunday worship. The late-1990s Hillsong Worship performance of it is available in video through YouTube which I recommend you watch and listen. Oh yes, Darlene Zschech‘s leading of the vocals is great.

To understand the essence of the song, posted below are the lyrics for you all.

You are holy, holy
Lord there is none, like You
You are holy, holy
Glory to You my Lord

You are holy, holy
Lord there is none, like You
You are holy, holy
Glory to You my Lord

I sing Your praises forever
Deeper in love with You
Here in Your courts
Where I’m close to Your throne
I’ve found where I belong

I sing Your praises forever
Deeper in love with You
Here in Your courts
Where I’m close to Your throne
I’ve found where I belong

You are holy, holy
Lord there is none, like You
You are holy, holy
Glory to You my Lord

And I sing Your praises forever
Deeper in love with You
Here in Your courts
Where I’m close to Your throne
I’ve found where I belong

The lyrics clearly emphasize holiness, praising the Lord, glorifying Him, loving Him and the faithful Christian’s dedication to Him. Lines like I sing Your praises forever and Lord there is none, like You are understandably powerful. The lines Where I’m close to Your throne, I’ve found where I belong perfectly conclude the song.

The holiness aspect of the song easily reminds me of my relationship with the Lord and my true purpose in life. I should say that as long as we Christians keep being faithful, keep learning from His teachings and achieve whatever tasks the Lord assigned us with, we will ultimately be rewarded by Him accordingly (Revelations 22: 12) and God is always the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4: 7-8, Deuteronomy 32: 1-4) whose decisions are final, just and definitive. As faithful Christians who already accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we all should look forward to judgment because it is our opportunity to be found faithful.

Going back to the song You Are Holy, I love listening to it. Going beyond appreciation for it, the song really helps me praise the Lord in a very personal way. Truly You Are Holy is a holy song! As such, I recommend to you readers to take time out to listen to it from start to finish. You can order the album right here and here. Don’t forget to read the Holy Bible and pray in tongues to the Lord afterwards.

In closing this piece, I must tell you, my readers, to resist and disregard the propaganda being spread online emphasizing that the use of drums and electric guitar for playing music at church on Sundays is inappropriate to the Lord. That is simply false and whoever composed such propaganda are pawns of people who have narrow views about what church and Sunday worship music should be. Do not let those people fool you and instead of wasting time on them, focus on your relationship with the Lord and do not let religion get in the way. Back to music, the use of drums and electric guitars for Sunday worship music at church is actually fine and legitimate, and also useful to help Christians praise the Lord and connect to Him spiritually. Christian rock music is okay and so is having a band at church. Now we can move forward to the Lord!


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Las Piñas City Issues Green Card

Las Piñas City Issues Green Card

Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar announced that the City Government has issued their Green Card which is now accredited at the Las Piñas City Medical Center (CityMed). Holders of the said card may use it in case of confinement at the mentioned hospital.

CityMed is the newest hospital where the Las Piñas City Green Card may be used. It is located along Marcos Alvarez Ave. Barangay Talon Singko, Las Piñas City. The other hospitals where Green Card is accredited are Las Piñas Doctors Hospital (LPDH), Philippine General Hospital (PGH), and San Juan De Dios Hospital. These hospitals have coordinators to help facilitate the confinement of the card holder. There is a special ward dedicated to patients who have Green Card in LPDH and CityMed.

 “The additional hospital accreditation of the Green Card will provide more options and convenience to Las Piñeros when seeking medical help,” Mayor Aguilar said.

Green Card is the hospitalization support program of the city government of Las Piñas; it subsidizes up to P30,000 of the total hospital bill of the confined patient. Every member of the family when hospitalized is entitled to the subsidy.

Presently, there are 200,000 Green card users. The Green Card project is being managed by the Mayor’s Office and the City Social Welfare and Development Office. It may be availed by all bonafide Las Piñas residents.  

According to Mayor Aguilar, “we are in the process of negotiating with more hospitals in Las Piñas for the expansion of Green Card accreditation.” 

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