The truth about : Needle can save a STROKE victim??

I received an email about how a needle can be used to save the life of a STROKE victim.

I like this kind of Do-It-Yourself kind of ER action... And normally, I am quick to re-send the message to my friends whenever i feel the information is important.

But this one, being from a purported Chinese professor, made me think twice before attempting to re-send.

So i looked up Google for similar articles and i found a one from Urban Legends website.

In other words, careful with medical information sent to you. It might be more harmful than useful if applied. Do some research on the Net first.

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Here is the first e-mail:

A NEEDLE CAN SAVE THE LIFE OF A STROKE PATIENT

Keep a syringe or needle in your home to do this...

It's amazing and an unconventional way of recovering

from stroke, read it through it can help somebody one day.

This is amazing. Please keep this very handy. Excellent tips.

Do take a minute to read this. You'll never know, another life may depend on you.

My father was paralysed and later died from the result of a stroke. I wish I knew about this first aid before.

When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst.

When a stroke occurs, stay calm.

No matter where the victim is, do not move him/her.

Because, if moved, the capillaries will burst.

Help the victim to sit up where he/she is to prevent him/her from falling over again and then the blood letting can begin.

If you have in your home an injection syringe that would be the best.

Otherwise, a sewing needle or a straight pin will do.

1. Place the needle/pin over fire to sterilize it and then use it to prick the tip of all ......10 fingers.

2. There are no specific acupuncture points, just prick about an mm from the fingernail.

3. Prick till blood comes out.

4. If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers.

5. When all 10 digits are bleeding, wait a few minutes then the victim will regain consciousness.

6. If the victim's mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red.

7. Then prick each earlobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each earlobe.

After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.

Wait till the victim regains his normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital.

Otherwise, if he was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip will cause all the capillaries in his brain to burst.

If he could save his life, barely managing to walk, then it is by the grace of his ancestors.

'I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor, Ha Bu Ting, who lives in Sun Juke.

Furthermore, I had practical experience with it. Therefore, I can say this method is 100% effective.

In 1979, I was teaching in Fung Gaap College in Tai Chung.

One afternoon, I was teaching a class when another teacher came running to my classroom and said in panting, 'Ms Liu, come quick, our supervisor has had a stroke!'. I immediately went to the 3rd floor.

When I saw our supervisor, Mr. Chen Fu Tien, his colour was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked - all the symptoms of a stroke.

I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy outside the school to buy a syringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen's 10 fingers tips.

When all 10 fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after a few minutes, Mr. Chen's face regained its colour and his eyes' spirit returned, too.

But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice to let out two drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each, a miracle happened.

Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned to normal and his speech became clear.

We let him rest for a while and have a cup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him to Wei Wah Hospital. He rested one night and was released the next day to return to school to teach. Everything worked normally. There were no ill after effects.

On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital.

As a result, these victims never recover.'

Therefore, stroke is the second cause of death. The lucky ones will stay alive but can remain paralysed for life.

It is such a horrible thing to happen in one's life.

If we can all remember this blood letting method and star the life saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain 100% normality.

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And here is the comment from Internet Urban Legends website.

Prick a stroke victim's fingertips, squeeze them till they bleed, yank on their ear lobes, then start pricking those, too? This sounds more like torture than a proper medical treatment! Once upon a time -- and this is going back 100 years or more, mind you -- bloodletting was thought to be an appropriate treatment for stroke (or "apoplexy," as it was then called). Now we know better; or at least we ought to.

According to About.com's stroke expert, Dr. Jose Vega, this message was clearly authored by someone with no real medical knowledge and shouldn't be taken seriously. Following the instructions above, in fact, might do more harm than good.

"The email conveys multiple unfounded ideas about stroke," Vega writes, "but by far the most dangerous one of all is the suggestion that people should not be taken to a hospital until all their symptoms are resolved, on the grounds that 'all the capillaries in the brain will burst on the way to the hospital.' This statement is untrue and totally irresponsible."

The first thing you should do if you or someone you know exhibits symptoms of a stroke is call an ambulance. The most effective stroke treatment known, a blood thinner called tPA, must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms, so every minute counts. Delaying hospitalization for any reason may worsen the patient's prognosis.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/needle_stroke.htm

References:

Bloodletting as a "Cure" for Acute Stroke? I Don't Think So
About.com: Stroke, 18 May 2008

The Claim: Pricking a Stroke Victim's Fingers Can Help Delay Symptoms
New York Times, 21 November 2006

Hemodilution Does Not Improve Outcome in Stroke
The Lancet, 13 February 1988

Effect of Bloodletting Puncture on Twelve Well Points of Hand on Consciousness and Heart Rate of Patients with Apoplexy
Journal of Trad. Chinese Medicine, June 2005

From Apoplexy to Stroke - Review of Medical Literature
Age and Aging, September 1997

What your Name Means?

I got plenty of spare time to waste these days. Check out this website, just for kicks..
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http://www.paulsadowski.com/NameData.asp

Most authorities agree that the full birth name as recorded on your birth certificate is the name that must be used for all calculations involving name. Nicknames, changed names including marriage name changes do not dilute the importance of the name given to you by your parents.

Try it.
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You entered: MAYNARD

There are 7 letters in your name.
Those 7 letters total to 31
There are 2 vowels and 5 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Teutonic	Male	Brave.
German	Male	Compound of the Old German words for 'hardy' and 'strength'. Firm.
French	Male	Powerful.

Your number is: 4

The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.

The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.

The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.

If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

Your Soul Urge number is: 2

A Soul Urge number of 2 means:
With the Soul Urge number 2, your motivation is centered on friendships, partnerships, and companionship. You want to work with others as a part of a cooperative team. Leadership is not important to you, but making a contribution to the team effort is. You are willing to work hard to achieve a harmonious environment with sensitive, genial people.

In a positive sense, the 2 Soul Urge is sympathetic, extremely concerned and devoted. The nature tends to be very sensitive to others, always tactful and diplomatic. This element in your nature indicates that you are rather emotional. You are persuasive, but in a very quiet way, never forceful. You are the type that makes really close friendships because you are so affectionate and loving.

If this number is over-emphasized in your makeup, you may be over-sensitive, with a delicate ego that is too easily hurt. You may be timid or fearful, too easygoing for your own good.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.

Effect of Global Financial Crisis

Due to global economic downturn, many companies decided to make radical changes on their office policy. Thank God i am in Nigeria. We surely have better policy and office cubicle/equipment.

:-D
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NEW OFFICE POLICY


Dress Code:

1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.

2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.

3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.

4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.


Sick Days:

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness.

If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.


Personal Days:

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.


Bathroom Breaks:

Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls.

At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken.


After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category.

Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break:

* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.

* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.

* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.


Thank you for your loyalty to our company.

We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.


The Management

I got a furnished office ready for you if you need a place to work whenever you come this way

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DUE TO BUDGET CUTS, THIS IS YOUR NEW CUBICLE

20 rules for office survival

I went into our operations room and saw this note posted on the wall.

This thing smacks of sarcasm, but the truth is, there is a grain of truth in these 'axioms'.

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20 Rules in any office

1. Rule 1. - The Boss is always right.

2. Rule 2. - If the Boss is wrong, see rule 1.

3. Those who work get more work. Others get pay, perks, and promotions.

4. Ph.D. stands for "Pull Him Down". The more intelligent a person, the more hardworking a person, the more committed a person; the more number of persons are engaged in pulling that person down.

5. If you are good, you will get all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.

6.. When the Bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

7. It doesn't matter what you do, it only matters what you say you've done and what you are going to do.

8. A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.

9. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

10. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.

11. If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it...

12. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.

13.. Following the rules will not get the job done.

14. If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done.

15. Everything can be filed under "Miscellaneous" .

16. No matter how much you do, you never do enough.

17. You can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work you are supposed to be doing..

18. In order to get a promotion, you need not necessarily know your job.

19. In order to get a promotion, you only need to pretend that you know your job.

20. The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.

Okra - the natural remedy for recurring constipation

"What goes in, must come out..."

I told a friend i was having a bad case of constipation. I think it's stress-related kind of thing. I am not one for suppository or take drugs (dulcolax) or drink this horrible diet tea (so okay, i did try -- once).

I tried oranges and watermelon, no effect. A Chinese friend suggested boiled camote (sweet potato) with ginger and sugar. I should eat the camote and sip on the soup. Hmm, i thought it worked because my stomach went seismic afterwards. It's good i was off-duty so i was alone in the house, otherwise, Al Gore will surely cite me for unusual volume of pollutant gas emmission. Well, i did go to the loo later.

But really, even if you eat healthy, fiber-rich foods, you can't avoid constipation if the nature of your job is sedentary, or if you are prone to stress (anxiety), or you never engage in physical exercise (i said 'exercise', not 'sexercise').

Eating healthy foods, i daresay, is not enough. It must be accompanied with regular exercise and the avoidance of source of stress.

Now here comes an email from my friend, Nora Hui, about another natural remedy for indigestion - Okra. Do you know that Okra has a new scientific name? It used to be known as "Hibiscus esculentus". But modern scientists found more differences than similarities between okra and hibiscus (gumamela family). So now okra's new SN is "Abelmoschus esculentus", presumably named after that scientist (named Abel?) who passionately studied the veggie.

In the meantime, I have to deal with my constipation. This is sh**ty kind of problem i want to get over with. I will have to make camote and okra part of my diet starting Monday (Because tomorrow is Sunday and Chioma, the cook, will be in church the whole day)

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A man has been suffering from constipation for the past 20 years and recently from ACID REFLUX . He didn't realize that the treatment could be so simple -- OKRA!

He started eating okra within the last 2 months and since then have never taken medication again. All he did was consume 6 pieces of OKRA everyday. He's now regular and his blood sugar has dropped from 135 to 98, with his cholesterol and acid reflux also under control. Here are some facts on okra (from the research of Ms. Sylvia Zook, PH.D (nutrition), University of Illinois

Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer. Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid is also present in a half cup of cooked okra. Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. He got the following numbers from the University of Illinois Extension Okra Page .

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Okra Nutrition (half-cup cooked okra)

* Calories = 25
* Dietary Fiber = 2 grams
* Protein = 1.5 grams
* Carbohydrates = 5.8 grams
* Vitamin A = 460 IU
* Vitamin C = 13 mg
* Folic acid = 36.5 micrograms
* Calcium = 50 mg
* Iron = 0.4 mg
* Potassium = 256 mg
* Magnesium = 46 mg

These numbers should be used as a guideline only, and if you are on a medically-restricte diet please consult your physician and/or dietician. Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist) has very kindly provided the following thought-provoking comments on the many benefits of this versatile vegetable. They are well worth reading.

1. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.

2. Okra's mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there...

3. Many alternative health practitioners believe all disease begins in the colon. The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent constipation.

Fiber in general is helpful for this but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and psyllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic many people abhor. In other words, this incredibly valuable vegetable not only binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids) which cause numerous health problems, if not evacuated, but also assures their easy passage from the body.

The veggie is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most.

4. Further contributing to the health of the intestinal tract, okra fiber (as well as flax and psyllium) has no equal among fibers for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics) .

5. To retain most of okra's nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw.

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http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra
http://www.medicinenet.com/constipation/article.htm

THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Disclaimer: This is a forwarded message.

=========

THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says word Bob says, I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom her husband asks, 'Who was that? 'The next door neighbor,' she replies, 'it was Bob.'Great', the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish." 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas driving a speedboat without a care in the world.' Puff! and she's gone.

'Me next! me next!' says the Sales Rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse and an endless supply of Pina Colada with the love of my life'. Puff! and she's gone.

"OK, you're up" the genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:

Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: " Sure, why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested.
All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up।

Lesson 5:

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull, "they're packed with nutrients". The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6:

A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your enemy.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

THIS ENDS THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Ancestral domain and rights of the Lumads

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat – A Catholic nun working for indigenous communities has expressed alarm over growing tension in the hinterlands of Sen. Ninoy Aquino town that already claimed the life of a Manobo-Dulangan native and appealed to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for intervention.

The conflict erupted after a Filipino-American land claimant came over with armed escorts and personnel from the Department of Agrarian Reform and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Sr. Alice Original of the Oblates of Notre Dame (OND) said hundreds of native women and children have started fleeing following the worsening land dispute.

Original appealed to GMA and concerned government agencies to help settle the land dispute between Florence Case-dela Pena and the Manobo-Dulangan tribe in Sitio Blangas, Barangay Midtungok, Sen. Ninoy Aquino town.

Dela Pena and personnel from DAR and DENR came to Barangay Midtungok on May 16 to survey 374 hectares of land she claimed to be her own.

But the natives and Christian settlers refused to give way claiming the area was an ancestral domain.

Local officials, led by Mayor Rafael Flauta Jr and Sultan Kudarat Vice Gov. Donato Ligo, also called on the national government to intervene in the land conflict which has already turned violent.

Flauta claimed the natives who witnessed the shooting of a Manobo-Dulangan native fear for their lives. Afraid the armed men would get back at them, they decided to flee.

Sultan Malinoy Sipot, leader of Manobo-Dulangan tribe, vowed to defend their rights over their ancestral domain at all cost.

The natives told a local radio station that on May 16, the Manobo-Dulangan tribe and some Christian settlers gathered in a public school when the group of dela Pena and DENR-DAR personnel arrived.

They told the indigenous peoples about their plan to claim the land after a survey team shall have identified the area being claimed.

The area claimed by dela Pena, who was from Gen. Santos City, covers seven sitios of Barangay Midtungok.

But an argument ensued between dela Pena and tribal leaders when suddenly, the armed escorts of the land claimant opened fire, hitting Robert Rodriguez, 32, a Manobo and resident of Sitio Blangas.

After the shooting, dela Pena and DAR-DENR personnel fled, leaving behind their survey equipment.

Eulogio Rodriguez, the victim’s father, is seeking justice.

He said the area being claimed has been the Manobo-Dulangan ancestral domain as declared by the National Commission on the Indigenous Peoples in Southern Mindanao .

Rodriguez said they have been working hard, through the Kulaman Manobo Dulangan Organization, to have their ancestral domain titled with proper government agencies but could hardly complete the job.

A non government organization, Tri-People Concern for peace, progress and development of Mindanao, Inc. and the NCIP-Kulaman office, are assisting the Manobo-Dulangan tribe in securing titles for their ancestral domain and for the development of indigenous peoples.

Sister Original said the natives fear for their lives and nowhere to go should the tension worsen. (Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao )

ANCESTRAL DOMAIN REFERENCES:

http://global.nus.edu.sg/apcel/dbase/filipino/regs/phradc.html
http://www.davaonorte.gov.ph/profile/sep_2_1_4.htm
http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr151.html
http://gina.ph/CyberDyaryo/features/f2000_0531_02.htm
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080512-136124/Govt-not-budging-on-ancestral-domain-issue--DoJ-chief


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2.1.4 Ancestral Domain/Claims

Indigenous cultural communities occupy most areas in the forest. These communities established ancestral land and domain claims over areas and territories said to be their possession, occupied and utilized since time immemorial. IPs in the Province includes Ata, Manobo, Dibabawon, Mandaya, Isamal, Mansaka, Mangguwangan and others. DAO No. 102, Series of 1993, provides the recognition and protection of the right of the indigenous people in their ancestral land and domain and to ensure their economic, social and cultural well-being.

The enactment of the Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA) Law on October 27, 1997 has established the IP's rights and mandates the award of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claims. The CADC areas can be claimed in the forestland. The CADC areas are exclusive for the ICCs with the following rules:

· Safeguarding against encroachment

No person who is not a resident of the domain or who does not belong to the claimant community may be given licence or permit to exploit the natural resources in the area without consent of the community expressed in public hearings and consultations.

· Implementation of government programs within ancestral domain

Government programs under the control of DENR shall only be implemented in an ancestral domain if there is consent from majority of the recognized leaders of the community.

· Contracts, leases and permits within ancestral domains

Contracts entered into and permits and leases issued by DENR for exploitation of natural resources inside ancestral domain shall remain in force and effect until they expire. All such contracts, leases or permits shall not be renewed except those issued to members of the ICC through its recognized indigenous leaders.

A total of 102 Certificates of Ancestral and Domain Claims (CADC) covering an area of 65,683 hectares have been awarded to 1,656 beneficiaries (Ata-Manobo Tribe) of Talaingod. The said beneficiaries are now benefiting from projects on environmental resource management (e.g. forest tree plantation, mango orchard, rubber plantation, etc.) and livelihood support projects under PAF III Project.

The projects aim to alleviate poverty in the area. As of this date, a total of 922 hectares have been developed into forest tree plantation, fruit orchard and agro-forestry. Of the total 550 IPs involved, 70% (385) are male and 30% (165) are female.

Although public policies provide women the opportunity to gain access and control over the land, women's participation in these projects are only limited to nursery operations (seedling production and maintenance), minimal paper works and other lighter works. This is in view of the fact that men are physically stronger than women in doing the plantation establishment (hauling of seedlings from the nursery to planting site, site preparation, planting and plantation maintenance).

At present, 5 more CADC applications are being processed.

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What body represents them?

__In fact, there is a very basic problem concerning the programs for IPs that the government is unable to resolve until now—the question of which body really represents the IPs: the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples or the People’s Task Force on Ancestral Domains. "Sino ba talaga?" De Vera stressed on the rift between the two bodies when he served as resource person of the ancestral domain workshop group during a consultation organized by the NAPC on May 24 and 25.

__De Vera said a total of 234,188 hectares of ancestral lands certificates and/or agreements have been issued to indigenous communities. In sharp contrast, a total of 3.64 million hectares are covered by existing corporate agreements for mining explorations. Mining applications alone cover some 10.6 million hectares that reportedly include ancestral lands, compared to only 2.7 million hectares covered by claims to ancestral domain.

__But even if all pending applications for ancestral domain certificates are approved, De Vera stressed that there is still the question of what to do with the CADCs. "What good are these if not converted to titles?" he asked. He revealed that except for a 1,020-hectare community title issued in Sultan Kudarat during the Marcos administration, none of the CADCs issued have become titles.

__As if to reinforce suspicion that the government is not at all serious about giving the IP the rights to their ancestral lands, only P3.813 million of the P1.4 billion allocated for NAPC’s ancestral domain program for this year has been set aside for the "delineation, survey and titling of ancestral domains, including conversion of CADCs to CADT." Needless to say, P3.813 million, critics dismissed, is "only a pittance."

books, before i die...

Literary Blues

Since i learned how to read printed text, i became hooked on reading anything that comes my way.

My mother was a public school teacher and she was subscribed to The Modern Teacher and Philippine Journal of Education. Those were great reading materials in those times. There was also this Social Studies book called More Stories on Parade. I think i spent more time on that book than all my other textbook.

Then my elder sister Arlene, started subscribing to Reader's Digest, and i was the glad recipient of her hand-me-down archive. I carried these collections as we moved from place to place. In fact, when i started working, i also subscribed for two years to RD.

My first introduction to serious literature was when my brother, a Pastor, came home for vacation and brought home some old American-donated books. We had a hard-bound copy of Introduction to American and English Literature. It covered novels, short stories, essays and poems of famous writers. I think the book was circa 60's. It was part of the American Public Library donation.

While classical literature are gems of a reading, but me not being philosophical, i just get tired of the classics. I can't stand reading Taming of a Shrew, not even Jane Eyre. Or some Dickens classics.

The only Dickens i can remember was the Reader's Digest Feature story on an explorer to Amazon savannah who got lost. He was picked by a 'hermit' who had a stacks of books. Problem is he doesn't know how to read. So he told the explorer he will lead him out of the savannah if he will read a book to him every night. The man agreed. But as months passed on, he finally realized it will take a long time to finish all those books. He tried to escape but he got lost and injured seriously he can't walk anymore. The hermit found him and brought him back to the hut -- and forever resigned to the fact he will be reading books till the day he dies. It was kind of a literary sadism. I can't remember the exact title but it's like "The Man who liked to read".

But i like action stories like Last of the Mohicans and believe it, the colossal Moby Dick. I also tried reading Das Kapital and War and Peace, but i can't even finish the first chapter. Daphne du Maurier and Edgar Allan Poe also makes great short thrillers.

In college, an English professor named Sir Essex, and who would insist being called "Sir Sex", made a good impression on involving the class in dissecting Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Fo a week that was our only topic and i'd say that it was one of my unforgettable lesson in understanding and enjoying literature --- knowing what you read.

Anyway, here is a list of authors i have read.

1. Robert Ludlum. Except for Trevayne and Osterman Weekend, i love all the rest of Ludlum books.
2. John Le Carre
3. Daphne du Maurier
4. James Michener
5. Herman Wouk
6. Mario Puzo
7. Leon Uris
8. Beowulf
9. Herman Melville
10. James Fenimore Cooper
11. Franklin Dixon
12. John Grisham
13. Stephen King
14. Sidney Sheldon
15. Sir Thomas Mallory
16. Emily Bronte
17. Childrens' Lit. (featuring children's stories from around the world)
18. Isaac Asimov (the only sci-fi writer i can tolerate reading)
19. Ernest Hemingway
20. William Faulkner
21. Trevanian
22. Frederick Forsyth
23. Tom Clancy
24. J.M. Barrie
25. Alexandre Dumas
26. Danielle Steele
27. Dan Brown
28. Graham Greene
29. Ken Follet
30. Jack Higgins
31. J.G. Ballard
32. J.K. Rowlings
33. Arthur Hailey
34. Harold Robbins
35. Joseph Wambaugh
36. James Clavell
37. Michael Crichton
38. John Steinbeck
39. Elia Kazan
40. Ayn Rand
41. D.H. Lawrence
42. Mitch Albom
43. Robert Kiyosaki
44. Og Mandino
45. Kahlil Gibran
46. Charles Dickens (the other night, i finally decided to read A Tale of Two Cities - IX.18.07)
47. Washington Irving
48. Nathaniel Hawthorne
49. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On the national side, i've read selected books of the following:
1. Manuel Arguilla
2. Carlos Bulusan
3. Eric Gamalinda
4. N.V.M. Gonzales
5. Nick Joaquin
6. F. Sionil Jose
7. Jose Rizal (mandatory)

i like Filipino short stories, especially the ones on Carlos Palanca awards. I was also an avid komiks reader when i was young.

i recommend reading plenty of classical literature and get yourself this book on (Bartlett or Bartleby or Barnes and Noble) English Grammar and Composition. Also, this Norton's Anthology on American or English Literature.

Then again, for local flavor, get any textbook on Philippine Literature.

or a copy of Palanca awardees. www.geocities.com/palanca_awards/
==============

Quotable Quotes:

I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.
Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Thank you for sending me a copy of your book. I'll waste no time reading it.
Moses Hadas (1900 - 1966)

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.
Henny Youngman (1906 - 1998)

Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
G. M. Trevelyan (1876 - 1962), English Social History (1942)

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht (1893 - 1964)

Reading this book is like waiting for the first shoe to drop.
Ralph Novak

The Diet Cola and Aspartame

This is a forwarded message only.

This is not the first time i received email about the danger of our average food and beverage that we regularly consume. I would also post the one on noodles.

When i was deep into study, i would drink Pepsi Maxx and follow it up with black coffee to power me up before and during exams. I tell you, the Pepsi Maxx and coffee mix is highly volatile.

One time, during Civil Law Review finals, i spent the previous night studying until 5 am. My exam will be at 6:30 pm the following day. Even in the office, i did additional readings. At 3 pm, my mind is so addled and tired. So i took Pepsi Maxx and Nescafe. after 30 minutes, I felt light-headed, my mind was clear as daylight, as if somebody switched on a halogen lamp in my brain. It could have been the kind of kick i need, the problem is --- to my horror --- my mind went white -- blank white. As in all i memorized the previous night just disappeared. My memory bank was empty. Well, good thing i made some study notes, so i have to cram with barely 2 hours left for exam.

My wife and I always go on separate ways in after-meal drinks. She go for Coke and i go for water. I always reminded her that her family has diabetes history. I told her not accelerate her diabetes with so much Coke intake (every meal) because i would not be able to afford to buy her the medicines. Even told her morbidly that i would rather be a widower than squander our savings paying for diabetes meds. Ahh, but women. It didn't scare her at all.

I had a friend who drinks soda (Diet Coke) all day. He said it his 'water' and he felt weak if he can't drink 3-4 cans a day. I hope he is still alive these days.

This Aspartame article has been going the rounds in the internet and was never updated. It still its finger to MONSANTO, makers of NutraSweet. But behind MONSANTO is the fact that it bought the license for Aspartame from the original G.D. Searle & Company, which happened to have as its CEO, no less than, Donald Rumsfield.

If soda's, especially these Diet sodas, are dangerous as the article suggests, how come we never heard any warning from DOH? How come they put, under pain of fine and imprisonment, warning on cigarettes, but not on sodas? Isn't sodas, like Coke and Pepsi, are as easily available to the public as cigarettes??

Maybe because nobody sued Coke or Pepsi yet for getting cancer or is dying for ingesting large volume of Diet Coke/Pepsi. Not yet.

Or maybe, there is the usual conspiracy theory involving pharmaceutical companies, big fastfood businesses and softdrink companies.

Anyway, there is no harm in knowing the risks we can get from some everyday foods (and bev) we take.

But as usual, their is a saying (said by a sayer) that goes, "too much of anything is harmful".

-------------

SWEET POISON

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick.she just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22 nd . On March 19 I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment. I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda...and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.

If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.' In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame in the course of producing an anti-ulcer drug candidate.

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas. In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible? Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem.

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens." Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the "diet products" and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turn arounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called "behavior modification prescription drugs" (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being "poisoned" on a daily basis with the very foods that were "better for them than sugar."

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.

Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison."

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!

There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a "piece of the Aspartame pie." I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.

And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians? This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill was killed.

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public.

Aspartame has been the subject of controversy regarding its safety and the circumstances of its approval by the American FDA and European FSA. Aspartic acid, into which aspartame is metabolized, is a known NMDA receptor antagonist. Aspartame itself has been shown to have antinociceptive properties through effecting NMDA receptors in mice. Some studies have also recommended further investigation into possible connections between aspartame and negative effects such as headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. These findings, combined with possible conflicts of interest involving CEO Donald Rumsfeld in the approval process, have engendered vocal activism regarding the possible risks of aspartame.

REFERENCE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

Is there a pattern to Philippine Bar Exams?

According to some bar revew centers, there is. And they call it the Lex Pareto Notes, using the Pareto principle. Thanks to Atty. Zodiac and Atty. Pareto for contributing this info in the original Pinoylaw.com Message board.

==============

LEGAL ETHICS

Did you know that 34 % of the bar exams in legal ethics for the past 15 years, is taken from the Code of professional responsibility ?

Did you know that 78 % of the questions asked in the Code of Professional responsibility comes from Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of said code ?

Did you know that out of 52 questions taken from the Rules of court, 29 are asked from RULE 138 for the past 15 years ?

Did you know that the "COMPLAINT" is the most favorite form asked in PRACTICAL EXERCISES, and that it has been asked for 20 times in the past 15 years ?

CRIMINAL LAW

Did you know that 77 % of the criminal law exam is taken from the revised penal code, 19 % from Special penal laws and other matters compose only 4 %

Observations on book 2 of the revised Penal code:

Book 2 has a total of 253 articles of which only 75 are asked (About 30 %)

These 75 Articles are asked 211 times

Out of the 211 times these articles were asked 178 (84 %) were taken from those articles that were asked at least twice.

The most asked crime was on murder, followed by homicide, estafa, robbery with violence against persons.

REMEDIAL LAW

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON QUESTIONS TAKEN FROM CIVIL PROCEDURE FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS:

1.) Civil procedure has 56 Rules. Out of these 56 Rules, 33 were asked.

2.) About 150 questions were taken out of these 33 Rules

3.) Of the 150 questions asked, 82 % were derived from only 14 Rules.

4.) These 14 Rules represents only 25 % of the total number of rules in Civil
procedure.

5.) The most asked article was on Rule 9 entitled “Effect of failure to plead” followed by Rule 6 “Pleadings”, Rule 3 “Parties to a civil action”, Rule 2 “Cause of action”, Rule 39 “Execution of judgment” and so on. It can be noticed that there is a very good reason why such rules were those that were frequently asked. These rules walks you to the process of a civil action. (Pleadings, parties, cause of action etc.)

CIVIL LAW

Did you know that the most asked book in the Civil law exam is Book 4 ? Book 4 (Obligations and contracts, Special contracts) consist of about 46 % of the exam in civil law ?

Did you know that 14 % of the questions asked in book 4 is about obligations ?

Did you know that 77 % of the questions taken from Book 1 are taken from the Family code ?

TAXATION

Income taxation, Remedies and General principles constitutes 85 % of the exam in taxation for the past 7 years.

MERCANTILE LAW

The corporation code, Negotiable instrument, Insurance code, securities regulation code, transportation laws, banking laws, maritime commerce and the civil code make up 85 % of the exams on mercantile law.
The other 15 % is composed of other special laws namely:

Asked more 9 times or more for the past 15 years:

- Intellectual property law
- Bulk sales law
- Insolvency law
- Chattel mortgage law
- Retail trade liberalization law

Asked less than 5 times for the past 15 years:

- Trust receipts law
- Letters of credit
- Anti-dummy act
- Flag law
- Electric power industry reform act
- Public service law
- Foreign investment act
- Investor’s lease act
- Constitution
- Other applied provisions of the code of commerce.

So what does the “Pareto principle” really mean ?

The 80/20 Rule means that in everything there is a “vital a few” (20 percent) that results in the “trivial many” (80 percent) For Pareto it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In Juran's work he identified 20 percent of the defects causing 80 percent of the problems Project managers know that about 20 percent of the work consume 80 percent of time and resources. 80 percent of company sales will come from 20 percent of the sales people. 20 percent of the employee will cause 80 percent of the problems. The 80/20 Rule applies to almost anything, from management to science. So why can’t we apply it in preparations for the bar exam?

How can observing the Pareto principle in the bar exam help you ?

The value of the Pareto Principle for a bar candidate is that it reminds you where to focus your study on. Of all the laws that you have studied and read, only 20 percent really matter in the bar exams. Those 20 percent make up 80 percent of the bar exam questions. With this in mind a bar candidate should spend 80 % of his time studying the vital 20 %.

Some people say that we should not study hard but that we should study hard. Definitely that is true, however we should remember that it is more important to study smart on the right things.

Does the bar exam have a pattern ?

“Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the Old One. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.” – Albert Einstein

Whether we agree or not, we live in a world of order. Our world follows a set of rules and principles. The sun and moon just does not rise and set randomly, it follows a certain pattern. Seasons goes through certain cycles. What goes up must come down, and for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Even how chaotic a system might be, there is always a certain “order” to it. Einstein’s quote above is often paraphrased as “God does not play dice with the universe”

To recognize the existence of such patterns and to make use of them will be certainly to our advantage.

In our study of law it cannot be denied that the preparations for the bar exams is given primordial concern. Preparing for the bar is not an easy task. Wouldn’t it be great if we would know in advance what particular article or subject area we should study? Is it even possible to know this?

The answer may be a yes or no. The science of probability and statistics is not an exact science. However it more or less gives us a general idea on things on what would be, though not what should be.

For this reason a group of lawyers and law students has developed a five volume reviewer for the bar exams called the “LEX PARETO NOTES”

What is the “Lex Pareto notes” and why call is called such ?

A famous bar reviewer once said, that only 25 % of the articles in the Civil code are going to be asked in the bar exams. The rest of the 75 % will never be asked or if they will be, they will seldom be asked. He quipped “Magiging ka tawa-tawa ang bar exam pag kinuha sa 75 % sa civil code ang mga questions.”

Prof. Abelardo Domondon, a very well known bar reviewer said that he topped the bar because he studied the previous bar exam questions and saw a “pattern” in the questions that are being asked. He even showed evidence concerning this matter.

This is what the Lex Pareto Notes is all about. The Lex Pareto Notes is based on the foundation laid down by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. If Pareto were alive today he could say that 20 % of the law are the questions that will most likely be asked in the bar exams, while approximately 80 % of it will rarely be asked or never asked at all.

Who is Pareto anyway ?

Vilfredo Pareto is an Italian economist. In 1906 he observed that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. Through that he created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country. After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise. In the late 1940s, Dr. Joseph M. Juran a quality management pioneer based in the U.S attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto's Principle. Dr. Juran reduced this universal principle into writing and gave another term for it the “Vital few, trivial many” principle.

So what does the “Pareto principle” really mean ?

The 80/20 Rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80 percent) are trivial. For Pareto it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In Juran's work he identified 20 percent of the defects causing 80 percent of the problems Project managers know that about 20 percent of the work consume 80 percent of time and resources. 80 percent of company sales will come from 20 percent of the sales people. 20 percent of the employee will cause 80 percent of the problems. The 80/20 Rule applies to almost anything, from management to the science. So why can’t we apply it in preparations for the bar exam?

How can observing the Pareto principle in the bar exam help you ?

The value of the Pareto Principle for a bar candidate is that it reminds you where to focus your study on. Of all the laws that you have studied and read, only 20 percent really matter in the bar exams. Those 20 percent make up 80 percent of the bar exam questions. With this in mind, a bar candidate should spend 80 % of his time studying the vital 20 %.

Some people say that we should not study hard but that we should study hard. Definitely that is true, however we should remember that it is more important to study smart on the right things.

The five volume work contains, graphs, statistics on how many times a question has been asked on a particular article. It will point out the applicability of the Pareto law in the bar exam questions. It also discusses the doctrines that were asked in the bar exams. The first four volumes corresponds to the subjects that will be given for the 4 Sundays of the bar exams. Volume 1 will be on Political law and Labor law. Volume 2 will be on Civil law and TAXATION. Volume 3 will be about Mercantile law and Criminal law while Volume 4 will be on Remedial law and Legal Ethics and Practical exercises. Volume 5 will be all about bar questions from 1990 to 2006 and other information on bar preparations.

For more information on where to buy the LEX PARETO NOTES 2007 edition and other information check out their website at www.lexparetonotes.8m.com.

REFERENCE:

Pinoylaw.com Message Board

Yam, An alternative to rice...

In my previous blogs, i was ranting about the government's inefficent program on rice research towards self-sufficiency.

Ok, so now even Jollibee confirms the rice shortage by offering half-serving of of the usual rice. This is not a joke anymore. And with 100 million filipinos in the next five years, rice shortage, or food shortage, is looming specter.

Jollibee aside, the latest news on the government's attempt to encourage filipinos to look for altenative to rice is by way of PGMA's endorsement of the Cebuano's saksak-sinagol food, a combination of rice and camote.

In Basilan and Tawi-tawi, the locals are using cassava, instead of rice, as the major staple food.

Outside of Philippine rural areas, urban Filipinos knows of camote only as camote cue, and cassava, being a poor man's rice.

Here in Nigeria, a country of 141 million people, rice has never been an issue. While they eat rice, but their main staple food is the Yam (Dioscorea rotunda). Yam is a tuber, belonging to the family of gabi and ube. It can be stored for at least six months without spoiling.

Yam is a versatile tuber. In can be cooked (boiled), roasted/grilled, or pounded.

The one type of cooking yam that i like is the pounded yam. I ate 2 serving of pounded yam with vegetable stew for my lunch. I didn't feel any hunger well into the night. That's how heavy the food is. It tastes good also. During Sundays, we will have yam chips (fried yam cut in small slices like potato fries) with Star or Gulder.

I think yam (aside from camote and cassava) could be a great alternative to rice consumption in the Philippines. It can be grown easily in the country and the productivity of the plant is far greater than the rice production. And it is also easy to plant and propagate. It does not need fertilizer or insecticide -- unless the insecticide companies will start developing strains of pests that will attack yams... Walla.

Besides, African yam has more nutrients than the well-milled rice. According to Wikipedia:

Yams are high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in saturated fat and sodium. Vitamin C, dietary fiber and Vitamin B6 may all promote good health. Furthermore, a product that is high in potassium and low in sodium is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. Having a low level of saturated fat is also helpful for protection against heart disease.

Yam products generally have a lower glycemic index than potato products, which means that they will provide a more sustained form of energy, and give better protection against obesity and diabetes.

Another crop that should be given support on food processing is cassava. Aside from the way we usually it cassava in the Philippines (boiled), Africans pound it and then cook it into sticky mash they call "Eba". Eba is as versatile as pounded yam when it comes to mixes with other food like various type of stews.

When i have enough money, i am going to put a 'no-rice' restaurant in my village that promotes yam (or any local variety), cassava and camote as the main menu to replace rice.

I tell you, eating sinugba or kinilaw with yam or eba should be more tasty and fulfilling than with rice. Estofado or pakbet with yam? paksiw and yam? menudo and yam?

Do you know why Africans are taller and have strong white teeth?? It is because of their diet which is heavy in yam, tomatoes and beans.

Seriously, i think the Dept of Agriculture should consider transplanting yam and promote its consumption, together with cassava and camote.

Yam, yum...

REFERENCE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)