The Alabang Hills Village Association, Inc. (AHVA) announced that the annual Megarahe Sale: Ukay-Okay will be held again this year precisely on September 28 and 29 at the Community Center inside Alabang Hills, Muntinlupa City.
Specifically speaking, Megarahe Sale is a community oriented shopping event that emphasizes the concept of garage sales. The difference is that sellers can use one large community venue to sell their products, hence the words “Megarahe Sale”. The large venue set-up spares the neighbors from the common hassles (pedestrian and vehicular traffic, lack of parking, vehicular pollution) that come with the holding of a garage sale at a house.
At the Megarahe Sale, buyers can look forward to products for sale like bags, clothes, shoes, slippers, books and other household items. The AHVA confirmed that there will also be some stalls of food and beverages set up.
With regards to non-residents who want to visit and shop at the Megarahe Sale, the AHVA personnel confirmed to me that they are welcome to visit and all they need to do is just follow the rules when entering the village. This means non-resident motorists whose vehicles don’t have AHVA-issued car stickers can visit, drop a driver’s license at the village gate, receive a pass and enter.
The Megarahe Sale has been going on for many years now and that alone makes it clear it is a successful village event.
For more information, call landline numbers 850-8254 and 850-9631.
I am a faithful Christian who got saved by Jesus through His Holy Instrument just over a year ago. I am no longer a prisoner of religion and no longer am I a lost soul. I am free to worship Father God and His Son Jesus. I left behind the useless acts of worshipping people, worshiping man-made objects, following rituals (that have little or nothing to do with the Holy Bible) and doing repetitive prayers.
Truly, the Christian life specifically requires reading the Holy Bible and applying its lessons in life, praising the Lord, seeking and following His plan which was written even before the beginning of time.
We live in a screwed-up world. A world so divisive, there are many people who drifted so far away from the Lord and the sad news is that those people do not even realize they are spiritually lost. I’m not just talking about the non-believers but also the people who are trapped by religion.
Religion is mean and frustrating. It comes with a whole bunch of rules, traditions and rituals that truly hinder a person from establishing true faith and a true relationship with the Lord. Among the many hindrances that come with religion is idolatry.
Idolatry, in its simplest form, is the act of worshiping an idol. In the context of the Holy Bible, idolatry is the worship of an image or a created object or someone (a person). Truth behold, idolatry is a sin and no matter what religious leader would say to defend it, it is truly a sin and there is no exception for it!
The people who commit idolatry are idolaters. You worship a picture or a statue or a person you find charming? That makes you an idolater and also a sinner in the eyes of God whom we should all be worshiping directly and trust fully. Consider the following scripture.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, not covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (NKJV)
Now this is not the first time I discussed how idols hinder people from establishing faith and trust in the Lord. The purpose of this article is to go even deeper about idols and why they are not only worthless but are elements that lead to sin.
In this messy world we live in, there are still many people who are trapped by religion and its rituals and that means they believe that God is not approachable. These unfortunate people have been misled and oriented by their religious leaders into believing that worshiping idol (be it a handcrafted object or an image or a person who is supposedly holy) is necessary to connect with the Lord. It’s simply not true!
The worshiping of a statue, or a painting or some man-made object is unnecessary. And then there is the religion-based belief imposed on people that they should see God in their worship leader which requires them to worship that particular mortal person just to connect to the Lord. This one is also unnecessary and not true.
The truth is God is approachable and He does not require believers to worship an object nor a person just to connect to Him. Worshiping the Lord should be direct (with the guidance of a worship leader who does NOT require worship of him) and free from the obstruction of idolatry!
Apart from worshiping the Lord, people (whether they trapped by religion or unbelief) are vulnerable because they easily get charmed by people whom they find charismatic, heroic and capable of making reforms happen for their benefit. A person trapped by religion who thinks he’s worshiping God through idols, can always fall for the charm of another person whom he perceives to be a carrier of hope and change that would feed his selfish desire. Above it all, these acts of idolatry make one a sinner in the eyes of the Lord!
If you are someone who had to look up to idols to worship God, be aware that you’ve been moving down the wrong path all this time. Learn from the following scriptures from the Holy Bible.
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4: 3-8 (NKJV)
You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exodus 20: 3-6 (NKJV)
Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19: 4 (NKJV)
Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
Isaiah 45: 20 (NKJV)
Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.
Jonah 2: 8 (NKJV)
See? The holy scriptures I just shared above are clear and definitive. We don’t need idols at all! We don’t need to do any idolatry! We don’t need to worship people to connect to God who is truly approachable and we are truly free to not only worship Him directly but also repent to Him directly, thank Him directly and converse with Him directly. We don’t need those statues, statuettes, paintings, drawings, and all those other religious ornaments that are truly unholy.
On the topic of idols, an idol is not limited just to man-made objects, images and people. Even things like alcohol, drugs, sex, a relationship, a vehicle, a computer, a smartphone, a very immersive video game or computer software, a highly interactive artificial intelligence and a home can also become idols in the sense that they will take you away from the Lord. You prioritize playing a very immersive video game like Fallout 4 (where you create a character and literally live a 2nd life within the game) over praying to the Lord and reading the Holy Bible? That is offensive already to Him. As God Himself said, He is indeed a jealous God and that means we must prioritize Him with our time and attention!
To understand this, take time to read this scripture.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying ‘Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen tor incline to their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.”
Jeremiah 44: 2-6 (NKJV)
Those were God’s words above. That was His anger against His own people because even though His prophets did their best, the people refused to listen and ultimately, they disobeyed God. God’s wrath is not to be taken lightly and we can all avoid it by destroying the idols! No more worshipping objects and people! No more spending ourselves on vices or hobbies that take us apart from the Lord! We need to reform ourselves, change our lifestyles, repent to God for the idolatry committed and then dedicate ourselves to Him.
Along the way, there is the need for each and everyone of us to be born again. To learn about becoming born again, read the words of Jesus in John 3: 3 and follow the subsequent verses. Take note that in order to receive the Holy Spirit from the Lord and become a new creation, becoming born again is essential! You can also refer to the prayer on becoming born again at the end of my previous article about trusting God and disregarding idols.
So it is clear once again that we do not need religion, we don’t need idols and we don’t need rituals. Idols are clearly unholy! What we need is faith and a relationship with the Lord who is truly approachable. To be born again, one must willingly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Along the way, reading the Holy Bible and applying its lessons on our respective lives is essential.
The path with the Lord is clear! Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God. The saved souls will.
Thank you for reading. If you find this Christianity article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris 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 Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar (left) supervises the voluntary demotion of Police Community Precinct (PCP) 6 in Barangay Talon IV during the clearing operation to rid the sidewalks of obstruction. With Mayor Aguilar is City Engineer Rosabella A. Bantog (center), who was instructed to look for an area to relocate the station. Mayor Aguilar reported 100% completion of the clearing operation before the September 29 deadline. Also in photo were: Mark Anthony Santos, city chief of staff and City administrator Rey Balagulan. (photo issued by Las Piñas Media Team)
The City Government of Las Piñas announced on September 4 that it has accomplished 100% completion of road clearing operations well ahead of the September 29 deadline that was set for all local government units which received orders to clear the roads and sidewalks of obstructions.
Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar has directed the city’s Task Force Kaayusan and officials in the city’s twenty barangays to continue monitoring the cleared and demolished areas, even after the deadline at the end of September, to ensure that no new obstructions or illegal structures would block the roadways and pedestrian lanes
“We have finished clearing the major roads of any obstruction including illegally parked vehicles and vendors, even during the first month operation, although we did not immediately announced it since we have been doing this before the President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive,” Mayor Aguilar said.
The mayor personally supervised the voluntary demolition of Police Community Precinct (PCP) in Barangay Talon IV which was partly occupying the sidewalk during the initial week of the clearing operation.
Several service utilities have also been warned and directed to hasten all their excavation works which contribute to sidewalk obstruction.
Mayor Aguilar added that the city’s clearing operation was a continuing campaign in line with the effort of the city to address the traffic gridlock along Alabang-Zapote Road which is the only main thoroughfare of Las Piñas.
“We have also written several homeowners in private villages and subdivisions along the Friendship Route, the city’s alternate route, to voluntarily remove illegally parked vehicles and plant boxes along the sidewalks so pedestrians can use them,” she added.
Previously, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued an order to local government units to clear roads of obstruction. On August 1, Mayor Aguilar met with the heads of the barangays and warned them of extreme consequence if they fail to clear their respective areas of obstruction and illegal structures.
When a filmmaker has high concepts but ends up receiving insufficient resources to realize them, disaster normally strikes not only the film crew but also the fans.
This was precisely what happened in the horror movie Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, written and directed by Rob Hedden. Released on July 28, 1989 in the United States, the movie was the result of Paramount Pictures’ rejection of proposals on making a direct sequel to Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood involving that film’s lead character Tina Shepard (played by Lar Park Lincoln).
Hedden, who previously worked for another movie studio and participated in the unrelated Friday The 13th TV series, was hired to make the sequel and he had the idea of bringing the horror icon Jason Voorhees out of Camp Crystal Lake (and its related locations) and came up with concepts of having one story set on a cruise ship (for a claustrophobic horror experience) and another story set in New York City (which includes ideas of having notable locations there as key places for misadventures and action).
“Everything about New York was going to be completely exploited and milked,” Hedden said in an interview. “There was going to be a tremendous scene on the Brooklyn Bridge. A boxing match in Madison Square Garden. Jason would go through department stores. He’d go through Times Square. He’d go into a Broadway play. He’d even crawl onto the top of the Statue of Liberty and dive off.”
The movie studio liked Hedden’s concepts and gave him a budget. The big problem was that there simply was not enough money granted (a little over $5 million) and it was too expensive to film on location in New York (I wonder if Hedden actually made some research about the city as he came up with his New York ideas). Although the given budget was the BIGGEST for a Friday The 13th film at the time, Hedden had no choice but to combine the two concepts into one single narrative. As if insufficient funds were not bad enough, Hedden implemented another concept to look at Jason as a child through the hallucinations of the film’s lead – Rennie Wickham (played by Jensen Daggett). Of course, the hallucinations led to spending some money on “special” effects, make-up, and set-up.
Now, we can start taking a close look at Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
Kane Hodder as Jason on location at Times Square in New York.
The movie begins with shots of New York City (with several spots of Vancouver, Canada pretentiously presented as spots of the more famous city). Over at Camp Crystal Lake far away, a guy and his girl prepare to make love riding a boat floating on the lake unaware that Jason is deep underwater (following the events of Part VII). Through expository dialogue, the guy tells his girl about the legend of Jason who had murdered several people who came near the camp.
Due to an anchor cutting an underwater power cable, loose electricity reanimates Jason (played by Kane Hodder) who went up to the boat to kill the guy and the lady, one by one.
Very soon, a group of graduates from Lakeview High School prepares to embark on a cruise ship for their much-awaited visit to New York. Beyond logic, the scene shows that Crystal Lake is magically connected to the Atlantic Ocean and the background scenery shows that they are in Canada (note: back then it was more affordable to shoot scenes in Canada and pretend to be in the US).
At this point, the film introduces the final girl Rennie who is a gifted student but remains terrified about water since childhood. The leading man meanwhile is Sean (played by Scott Reeves) who is handsome but lacks the heart to follow the footsteps of his successful father who is the captain of the ship. Rennie and Sean both show signs of pain and lack from their respective past and these elements, predictably, make them a matching pair for moviegoers to follow.
Aside from the two, the film introduces mostly disposable characters like Rennie’s overbearing uncle (who happens to be a teacher in the same high school she attends and was clearly written to be the one character to irritate moviegoers into being sympathetic with Rennie and others), the good-natured lady teacher, the hard rock musician, the aspiring filmmaker, the jock, the pretty bad girl, the dude who talks without taking a look, the doomsayer, etc.
Just before the ship leaves, Jason climbs his way up to join the trip. Then he’s stalking starts.
Quality
Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan was very bad when it was first released more than thirty years ago. By today’s standards, this film has aged terribly. Its quality is even worse now.
Let’s start with the most obvious flaw – the movie failed to live up to its promise of Jason’s taking Manhattan. The film’s subtitle is a big lie as much of the movie is set in the ship and New York (including the fake NYC spots that were filmed in Vancouver) does not appear as the definitive location until late in the story!
While the story was set on the ship, the film crew seem to focus on producing on-screen fillers creatively. Sure we get to see Jason stalk and kill characters (with some off-screen death blows) but the dialogue scenes, the transition scenes and character “development” stuff in between were very cheaply and poorly handled.
With Rennie, however, the team managed to make her somewhat engaging as the lead of the film by slowly defining her personality (nicely done by Daggett) and creating on-screen hallucination sequences emphasizing the emotional and psychological damage she suffered from encountering Jason when she was a young girl. The flashback of little Rennie encountering little Jason (which does not make sense at all as far as in-story history is concerned) under Crystal Lake was not only badly done but done without any sense of logic. One can argue that little Rennie only hallucinated of seeing kid Jason (supposedly out of fear and paranoia) but that sequence was just a waste of time even though the filmmakers tried to make moviegoers connect and feel with her. Sean, the other lead, was literally protected by plot armor (note: he was not one of the disposable characters) but his character was not written to do much except serving as a supporter for Rennie.
Lousy stuff? Lots of them here and there! Even though he saw his captain father dead, Sean does not show very much emotion and even worse, he easily forgets about him even as he sees Jason quite a number of times later. He should at least show some deep anger (if not lust for revenge) against Jason. Even though he did not witness Jason killing his father, it was made clear to him and the rest that Jason (and not the doomsayer) was responsible.
How about Wayne, the film-obsessed guy? Even though he and his pals took weapons to go around and hunt Jason, he still bothered to use his camera (while clumsily holding the gun) and film his way around! That is so stupid and it was no surprise that he ends up getting disposed of! Being obsessed with filming, Wayne could have decided to accompany one of his armed pals and used his camera for both video documenting and even help an armed guy see something (example: zooming at a spot or object far away).
As for lousy stuff reflecting the very low budget of the movie, I can point out that the scene in which Sean, Rennie, the uncle and lady school teacher board a lifeboat clearly looked fake and was shot on a studio set. The same thing can also be said about Rennie’s fall into the water (pushed over the deck by Tamara) and she was NOT left behind by the ship that was supposedly moving. The location where JJ played rock music before getting killed looked cheap.
More on production cheapness, either the filmmakers ran out of money or they became too lazy with the wardrobe and hoped moviegoers would be too stupid to notice anything. Look back at the scene when Rennie got pushed off by Tamara into the water and was saved by Sean (who jumped to do his heroic act). Even though they got wet, both Rennie and Sean STILL WORE THE EXACT SAME CLOTHES until the end of the film! Those characters did not change clothes even though Rennie returned to her room!
Speaking of which, the filmmakers disregarded the fact that, in the story, the ship was filled with a lot of students going to New York. There were guys and gals partying, playing games, enjoying the scenery (of Canada!), etc. And yet as the film played on, the filmmakers literally abandoned those many other students. The only exception here was the short scene in which the good-natured lady teacher brought some students with her and told them to stay and wait in the restaurant. A short time later, as she mentioned to her companions that there were students left in the restaurant, Sean replied to her depressingly, “There is no more restaurant.” Without showing any scenes, the filmmakers creatively and nonsensically got rid of the others. I suppose Hedden and team had no more time and money left to show what happened to them all.
The cheapness also affected the look of Jason. Adult Jason in Friday The 13th Part VII had a very menacing, gritty and rotten face design. In this movie, adult Jason’s face looks melted and cartoony! And then there was the inaccuracy with regards to how the film presented little Jason. In the early flashback scene, a kid Jason with a normal looking face was shown drowning (which contradicts the fact that Jason always had a deformed face). There was a ladies’ rest room scene wherein kid Jason (with a slightly deformed face this time) appeared to Rennie via a hallucination. Then there was another kid Jason, more deformed, during the flashback of little Rennie. Whatever the filmmakers did, none of those physical presentations of Jason proved to be scary. Clearly whatever little amount of money they spent here ended up wasted.
On the presentation, the film’s pacing was inconsistent and it sure had several dragging moments. Granted, this was Rob Hedden’s debut as a movie director but I’ve seen other slasher horror films that were paced better and had kills that were executed satisfactorily. The fear factor of this movie was weak overall. Meanwhile, Jason illogically has the ability to teleport in this film which is complete nonsense. I believe that the teleportation was implemented as a convenient way of cutting down on time and expense to complete the production. I suppose showing Jason physically moving from one place to the next to get to his running victim was too expensive and too inconvenient for Hedden’s team.
If there are any good points in this film, I should say that Rob Hedden and his team at least tried to be creative with Jason’s kills (but the teleporting still makes no sense). Tamara (whose mirror got dropped and broke into pieces) got stabbed with a sharp mirror piece. A guy in the sauna gets killed with a hot rock forced into his body. And then there was the city thug who got killed with a syringe piercing through his body (which is impossible and cartoony to look at).
The most memorable kill sequence by Jason was the “boxing fight” with Julius. In that sequence, Hedden told the actor to punch Jason many, many times with real physical contact. That sequence lasted rather long but Jason’s kill of Julius was undeniably good and with impact. Too bad that kill sequence could not carry this movie up.
Another good point to take note is Kane Hodder’s improved take on Jason in terms of action and looking threatening. This was his 2nd time to play Jason and he showed more confidence playing him.
Kelly Hu was only 20-years-old at the time of production. Jason Voorhees, not Wolverine, was the first pop culture icon she encountered on the big screen.
The stunt done inside a diner (with a particular stuntman who would later have his moment playing Jason in a certain 2003 movie) was at least satisfying to see. Last but not least, this movie featured a very young Kelly Hu who is now a successful and popular Hollywood actress. Fourteen years before she got to fight superhero icon Wolverine on the big screen, she encountered the horror icon Jason right here. What happened to Hu’s character and Jason? You should take time out to watch her scene here.
Conclusion
Symbolically speaking, Jensen Daggett realized that the film was doomed and it took Jason to catch her attention from behind!
Overall this movie is very, very bad. I can only recommend this to die-hard Friday The 13th fans who are more than willing to set aside logic all for the sake of seeing Jason stalk and kill people. There is little entertainment value here and drastic cheapness will disturb viewers along the way. Not even the short Time Square on-location sequence could save the film. The kills of Jason are a mixed-bag at best and clearly this movie is not even scary to watch. I remember the very first time I saw this way back in the summer of 1990 on laser disc format and there was not even a single moment I got scared. I got to replay this movie on DVD to take a closer look and still I did not get much entertainment value in return.
Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan should be skipped as it is a clear waste of time. If you plan to watch it at all, play the movie only when you want to bore yourself to sleep.
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 Havenoris 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
This development highlights one of the objectives under the Reformed SK System which is to make the SK unit financially independent from the Barangay unit. BFSK chairperson Mariel Tumang mentioned this during the July 14 general meeting at Barangay BF Homes hall. Tumang, by the way, is incumbent Vice President of the Parañaque SK Federation.
In relation to this development, Tumang clarified to me yesterday that the Barangay BF Homes SK accomplished the fidelity bond (an insurance of bondable public officer under the Fidelity Fund to assure faithful performance of all duties imposed by law and faithfully accounting all funds and public properties) as well as the opening of a bank account since July. Therefore the Parañaque SK Federation’s acknowledgement of the BFSK came rather late.
Apart from achieving independence on funding, the BFSK will have more freedom (when compared to depending on the Barangay’s own fund for your development) on creating new programs, projects and activities focused on the youth. Tumang confirmed to me that the total funds for their SK is estimated at P6.4 million and soon they will organize the upcoming Youth Camp before the year ends.
Group shot I took of the BFSK (chairperson Mariel Tumang standing 4th from left) kagawads and officials with Barangay BF Homes captain Paolo Marquez during the BFSK general meeting on July 14.
These recent developments don’t tell the complete story though. Tumang said there are still some things that need to be done.
The BFSK chairperson told me that she, the SK kagawads and other officers will have to undergo training from the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for guidelines.
Due to the bureaucracy and the fact that there are still some Sangguniang Kabataan units from other barangays of Parañaque who have not yet accomplished fidelity bonding, such training won’t start until everyone is ready. To put things in perspective, Parañaque has a total of sixteen barangays and each of them has its own SK unit.
For future updates on the youth of Barangay BF Homes, come back here soon.
If you are interested on BFSK-related articles, read my feature interview of SK Kagawad Jerry Dalmero here, the BFSK’s campaign versus youth suicide here and my in-depth coverage of the BFSK’s Linggo ng Kabataan event here.
To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile number 0905-3350831 or via email at Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 Havenoris 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
Plastics Drop-Off Project by Mindbuilders Preschool and Partners Nets 84.7 Kilograms
A total of almost eighty-five kilograms worth of plastic materials was collected by Mindbuilders Preschool from donors who visited them along Tropical Avenue, BF International, Las Piñas City when the plastics drop-off campaign was held on August 29 and 30.
Several plastic materials collected at the school.
According to Mindbuilders Preschool Directress Marah V. Estuesta, precisely 84.7 kilograms worth of soft and hard plastic materials was dropped off by donors (includingmyself because I wanted to reduce plastic from our household and I do care about our environment) which made their project with partners Envirotech Waste Recycling, Inc. and Pure Oceans Philippines an undeniable success. Soft plastic materials include residual plastic like candy wrappers, plastic labo, straws and sando bags to name some. Hard plastic materials include toys, plastic bottles, take-out containers, broken appliance bits, etc.
“This is actually our second plastic collection drive for this year. The first collection/turnover was done last March 2019. This plastic drop-off project is actually a follow-up activity of the Mindbuilders Preschool’s Chopin Project 2019 ‘Green Guardians’ where our Kindergarten students planned and organized a fun run to raise funds for the Las Piñas Parañaque Critical Habitat Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA),” Estuesta stated.
She elaborated that the plastic materials collected were brought by Pure Oceans Philippines to Envirotech Waste Recycling’s upcycling plant which was designed to convert the materials into 100% upcycled plastic products such as school chairs. Pure Oceans confirmed to Mindbuilders Preschool that the collection of plastic exceeded their expectations.
Estuesta explained that their school really aimed to encourage the Mindbuilders families to adhere to lifestyle changes for the betterment of the environment as well as for the future of mankind and Mother Earth.
The result? Most of the plastic donated came from the said families. In addition, the school got a surprise assistance from CTSI Logistics which saw a key post in the Mindbuilders Preschool Facebook page. This resulted CTSI Logistics sending them their boxes of plastics and they expressed thanks to them for setting a great example in teaching kids the importance of recycling.
CTSI Logistics dropped off several boxes of plastic materials at the school. This was the result of the company spotting a Facebook post from Mindbuilders Preschool. (photo source – Mindbuilders Preschool Facebook page)
When asked about the possibility that another plastic donation drive will be held in the near future, Estuesta stated that Mindbuilders Preschool foresees the Green Guardians plastic collection to be a long-term project by keeping its partnership with Pure Oceans as well as making the collection-turnover of plastic a regular practice to be done quarterly.
For those of you reading this, if you are within the BF Homes community and you have excessive plastic materials at home or at your business facilities, watch out for the next plastic drop-off drive of Mindbuilders Preschool which you can call at 82507419 and 0927-2062506.
Marah V. Estuesta’s Message to the Readers
“Everyone should be a green guardian and do their part to rise up and take action on behalf of the planet. These environmental acts may be little but can definitely make a difference in our country and in the world.”
Mindbuilders Preschool Directress Marah V. Estuesta and child with the plastic materials. (photo source – Mindbuilders Preschool Facebook page)
About Mindbuilders Preschool
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 Piñas 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 school 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.
Mindbuilders Preschool announced today that its next plastics drop-off project will be held on November 5 and 6.
If you are living within the South Metro Manila zone and you intend to get rid of the excess plastic materials of your household or your business establishment, now is a good time to start collecting.
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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile number 0905-3350831 or via email at Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 Havenoris 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
For the entire day of August 31, over sixty youth from varied developing communities of Barangay BF Homes had fun, worked together and got educated during the Youth Forum (full title: Edukasyon Para sa Lahat – Kaeskwela Youth Forum) held at the Phase 1 gym along Pilar Banzon street, BF Homes subdivision, Parañaque City.
Under the watch of Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Rocel Espino (in-charge of the education committee), youth from Masville, Sampaloc and a few other developing communities formed seven groups and their respective members not only bonded but also learned new things. For fun, they took part in a series of games and contests.
In the afternoon, each group took on the challenge of getting their members together to discuss what issues they see affect the youth of their generation today, express what can be done to not only survive and progress, and express their suggestions on how the local authority – namely Barangay BF Homes – can help them through service.
Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Rocel Espino talks to the youth.
During her address to the youth, Kagawad Espino announced that the Barangay BF Homes Youth Camp is already being prepared and soon they will announce when and where exactly it will be held. Espino told me that the Youth Forum served as a prelude to the Youth Camp.
“Why are we doing these activities? We have objectives set. While we (the barangay) cannot always build the future for the youth, we can help the youth develop ways to prepare themselves for the future,” said the Kagawad during her address. “Local youth can learn a lot to move forward through the activities organized by the barangay.”
During the group presentation of the Youth Forum, common issues that affect youth include Internet addiction, social media obsession, drugs, avoiding or cutting classes, depression, obsession with video games and computer games, bullying, peer pressure, gender confusion due to LGBTQ propaganda, exposure to sensuality and the like.
As I watched the groups express themselves, I noticed how much of an impact social media had on the youth. Through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, young people of today are so exposed to lots of random forms of information or images, videos and sounds which are clearly distracting to them. Some youth participants admitted they had trouble resisting social media use while others said they experienced temptations while online.
Youth brainstormed together by group.
Compared to what I witnessed more than twenty years ago (before social media was realized), the new issues that affected the youth was the rise of Internet access as well as the rise of computer and video games. Back in those old days, there were lots of concerns and complaints from parents/guardians stressing that digital games and Internet addiction made educating and nurturing their children harder. There was also a wave of concern that young people will become violent and obsessive with digital content.
Going back even further into the past – specifically just before Internet access became available here in the Philippines – sexual and mature or violent content shown in movie theaters, television and print media were the hot issues related to the development of young people.
By today’s standards, those old issues seem to pale in comparison to the wide and powerful influence social media has on the current generation of youth who now enjoy better access to Internet due to the availability of cheap smartphones and the numerous WiFi hot spots around the communities. Such a high number of opportunities to connect online means more exposure to videos, images, verbal expressions that could influence users and even impact their behavior. Even worse, there could be potential victims by hackers among these young users. Imagine yourself being the parent of these youth.
The young people brainstorming as observed by Kagawad Espino.A youth signs at a tarpaulin confirming his part as a participant.
Going back to the Youth Forum, the event ended with a positive and promising note. I noticed several participants were already excited about the upcoming Youth Camp which could attract a potential five hundred participants. What Kagawad Espino told me was significant.
“Today’s event is very successful as it has been very challenging to reach out and convince these kids to decide to participate. It was also challenging to engage them and maintain their attention all throughout. Regardless, the fact that they attended until five o’clock proves the success,” Espino said. “This Youth Forum was the result of requests by the parents of these youth and this serves as a prelude to this year’s Youth Camp. We received feedback from parents who noticed that youth seem disturbed and they requested for another Youth Camp to be held.”
Supported by Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez, the August 31 Youth Forum was the latest youth-related achievement of Barangay BF Homes through the committee headed by Kagawad Espino. Prior to it, the Barangay BF Homes edition of the Linggo ng Kabataan 2019 celebration organized by the Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan (BFSK) became a major success attracting more than three hundred (300+) youth. Kagawad Espino congratulated the BFSK during her visit at the August 17 Linggo ng Kabataan 2019 event.
More youth signed on.A large group shot in front of photographers.
For updates regarding the youth activities and developments of Barangay BF Homes, come back here soon.
While waiting, you can read my exclusive interview with BFSK chairwoman Mariel Angela Tumang here, my exclusive scoop on BFSK’s campaign against youth suicide here and my exclusive interview of BFSK Kagawad Jerry Dalmero here.
Let me end this piece with this scripture from the Holy Bible.
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
Psalm 14: 2 (NKJV)
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 Havenoris 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
LORBES AND BURGOS FASTEST IN VERMOSA SPORTS HUB AQUATHLON 2
Youth aquathletes Inaki Lorbes and Erika Nicole Burgos proved their might among almost 300 participants by registering the fastest times of their respective genders in the Vermosa Sports Hub Aquathlon 2 held recently at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus City, Cavite.
In the standard distance 1-kilometer swim and 7-kilometer run contest, Inaki Lorbes had the best time of 42 minutes and 22 seconds winning the Male 18-24 age category. Richard Anson Navo, who topped the Vermosa Sports Hub Aquathlon 1 last March, had the next fastest time with 44:33 topping the Male 15-17 category. The 3rd fastest time was 46:50 by Juan Francisco Baniqued who ended up 2nd in the Male 15-17 category.
Among the ladies in the event supported by Vermosa Sports Hub, Avida, Smart, Standard Insurance, official timer Garmin, SPEEDO, Apollo Petroleum Jelly and hydration partners Pocari Sweat and Sip Purified, Erika Nicole Burgos started very strongly in the swim leg (event best swim of 14:46) and maintained her lead to capture the Female 15-17 title in a total of 50:43. Her competitor in the Female 15-17 category, Olivia Kwon, finished next in 55:02 while Female 30-34 champion Nancy Giganon registered the 3rd fastest standard distance time with 1:00:27.
For the Team Relay standard distance contests, Team Get Coach’D emerged as the All-Male Relay champion, Power Sisters as All-Female Relay champion and Amigo Tri as the Mixed Relay champion. All other declared champions of the standard distance, petite distance and other distances can be found at the event’s page at the official website of organizer Bike King.
Apart from awarding the winners of the aquathlon, the Top Aquathletes of the Vermosa Sports Hub Multisport Series 2019 (composed of three events) were declared and awarded accordingly by the organizers. Their respective names and final series scores are available for viewing at BikeKingPhilippines.com
“My series victory today was somewhat unexpected as I was supposed to be off-season now. Because I already participated in the first two events of the Vermosa Sports Hub Multisport Series this year, I decided to compete today and I got rewarded. This was a fulfilling race and I like racing in this venue,” said Raymund Velasco of Team Sante Barley who won the male 30-34 title for 2019. He was the champion of his category in the first aquathlon (March) and the sprint triathlon (June) that were part of the series.
Other winners – both from the Aquathlon 2 and the Vermosa Sports Hub Multisport Series – mentioned they and their teammates had trained at the Vermosa Sports Hub facility in preparation for each event this year.
The Vermosa Aquathlon is Vermosa’s signature event, now on its 3rd Leg. Vermosa Sports Hub (VSH) is a complete one stop-training facility for triathletes and sports enthusiasts. The first development in the country that integrates an Olympic-size pool, football field, track oval and sports and science laboratory. Follow Vermosa in Instagram and Facebook for event details and reservations: @Vermosaph
Parenting Session for Expats To Be Held At Southville International School and Colleges (SISC) on September 21
On September 21, Southville International School and Colleges (SISC) will be organizing an exciting event where expat parents can learn and share their experiences raising children in the Philippines.
Set to start at 10AM up to 12PM is the event titled “Adaptation: How to help your Child Assimilate in the Philippines” which will be held at the Southville main campus in BF International, Las Piñas City. SISC will offer opportunity for families new to the Philippines to learn from experts how to help their children grow and succeed in a new environment.
Featuring presentations by Southville’s International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Mr. John Wraith and Southville International School Affiliated with Foreign Universities Associate International Education Specialist/Business Development Officer and Southville Expat Parent, Mrs. Arjumand Nageen Ahsan, this event will be a chance to share experiences between families and make new connections. There will also be an open forum to be facilitated by SGEN Communication Director, Mr. Daniel Steel.
With is diverse community of international students, Southville International School and Colleges nurtures learners to achieve and uphold academic and values excellence. The academic institution reiterates its commitment to provide the highest-quality, national and international standards of education to all students. They also recognize that expat families face distinct challenges and have created this event as a way for our community of expat learners, teachers, and families to share their insights.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
I miss the old times when big rivals Marvel and DC Comics would set aside competition temporarily to team up and rely on their respective comic creators to make superhero crossover comic books that the fans can enjoy.
Back in the 1970s, key developments related to the comic book adaptation of The Wizard of Oz brought the two rivals together as partners. In 1976, Marvel and DC’s first superhero crossover Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man got published and to this day many comic book collectors and geeks I encountered still enjoy it. A few of them even called it a classic.
The collaboration between Marvel and DC continued in 1981 with Superman and Spider-Man which was published as issue number 28 of the Marvel Treasury Edition series.
The cover.
This is my look back at Superman and Spider-Man.
The comic book
Scripted by then Marvel Comic editor-in-chief Jim Shooter (with Marv Wolfman mentioned for plot suggestions) with art drawn by John Buscema and inkwork done by Terry Austin, Al Milgrom, Steva Leialoha, Walt Simonson, Bob Layton, Joe Rubinstein and Bob Wiacek, the comic book begins when Spider-Man swings into a construction site where he encounters several armed men and stops them singlehandedly.
Even though he stopped the bad guys, Spider-Man’s spider sense bothers him making him speculate that, because there’s no clear danger around him, the construction site seemed to be a threat.
After Spider-Man swings away from the police who just arrived, classic Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom watches via surveillance video and he was bother by the way things turned out.
“I did not like the way Spider-Man paused and look around after subduing the thieves – – as if he sensed something unusual about the excavation! Those accursed spider instincts of his,” Doom said before proceeding with his master plan.
A day later, the Hulk arrives in Metropolis causing lots of damage. Separately Superman and Spider-Man arrive to contain the green guy. However, things are not what they seem. This is where the story description ends.
Quality
What this comic book lacked compared to the 1976 Superman-Spider-Man crossover is visual impact. Clearly John Buscema had to follow closely the script which called for multiple panels per page and that left him little room to draw scenes dynamically. That’s not to see the art is weak. In fact, Buscema’s art is pretty good and he has deep knowledge about how the characters (including those many supporting characters and other minor characters from both Marvel and DC Comics) really looked from the size of Hulk’s body, the details on Wonder Woman’s costume, the distinctive look of J. Jonah Jameson, Perry White, etc. In short, I recognized the characters very easily.
This remains fun to read.Peter Parker in Metropolis along with the Superman supporting characters. This is one great element that made this comic book worth reading.
While the high number of panels per page limited him, Buscema managed to come up with some action shots that packed some impact.
When it comes to writing and storytelling, this comic book exceeds that of the 1976 Superman-Spider-Man crossover big time! To start with, the plot is much more elaborate, more detailed and yet consistently remained easy to follow.
While the 1976 crossover had the most popular villains of Superman and Spider-Man as the representation of evil, this one instead had Dr. Doom and Parasite. The great news is that these two super villains complement each other nicely and that itself adds good depth into the plot. Dr. Doom is a major schemer and Parasite fitted nicely within his master plan for global chaos.
Regarding dialogue, the script had a lot of strength and was also specific in capturing the personalities of the superheroes, the super villains and the supporting cast. I can easily identify J. Jonah Jameson, Perry White, Lois Lane and others through the dialogue.
Not to be outdone is the deeper approach to the crossover aspect of the story. Right from the start, the comic book creators expected us readers to suspend disbelief and start believing that while the story is non-canon, the respective universes of Marvel and DC Comics co-existed. Because there were TV shows of Wonder Woman and the Hulk playing, the two characters were included in the comic book adding depth to the crossover.
Speaking of crossovers, this comic book was not limited to Superman and Spider-Man. The encounter between the Hulk and Superman was a short but sweet spectacle to read. The encounter between Wonder Woman and Spider-Man meanwhile was short yet fun.
Adding more to the fun in this comic book was how Clark Kent interacted with the Spider-Man supporting characters while Peter Parker interacted with the Superman supporting characters. I enjoyed every moment of these scenes.
As far as narrative is concerned, this comic book is slightly slanted towards Superman. One factor behind this was the implementation of how local authorities interact with Superman and Spider-Man. Whenever he solves crime, Superman is highly respected by the public and the police. This is not the case with Spider-Man who is often perceived to be a social menace even though he helps solve crimes. Another factor was that Superman did more detective-type work (including a visit to Latveria) while Spidey hardly contributed anything to the plot’s development.
Nothing can be more frustrating than getting attacked by police officers when you try to help them solve their problems.
Regardless, the two icons got a fair share of the spotlight during the final stages of the story and there was enough spectacle to enjoy.
If there is any complaint I have, it would be the comic book creators’ reluctance on fully connecting itself to the 1976 crossover. In the scene wherein Peter Parker was guided into the film editing room by Jimmy Olsen, he recognized Lois Lane and remembered meeting her in the 1976 crossover (which ended with socializing). And yet when Spider-Man and Superman get together in this comic book, there was a noticeable lack of friendliness and personal cooperation between them even though they bonded nicely in the 1976 story.
Conclusion
Overall, Superman and Spider-Man is indeed a highly engaging, fun-filled superhero crossover comic book. For me, it is a true literary classic and definitely worth searching for out there. I read this crossover many times from start to finish and even though I knew the plot and the dialogue, I still had a lot of fun reading along the way. With the combined talents of Shooter, Buscema and many others, this superhero crossover was indeed one of the very best stories ever told by Marvel and DC Comics.
Given the current corporate climate Marvel and DC Comics are now in, it is very unlikely we will see another creatively fun superhero crossover collaboration between them happening soon. For the newcomers reading this, Marvel is owned by the Walt Disney Company while DC Comics is owned by Warner Bros.
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 Havenoris 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
