Erap confident of victory in May By Gerry Baldo 04/28/2010

Erap confident of victory in May

By Gerry Baldo 04/28/2010 MAUBAN, Quezon — Despite the downtrend in the survey ratings, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer former President Joseph Estrada said that he is confident of victory in the May 10 polls. “They’ll have the surprise of their lives,” Estrada told reporters here in an interview. Estrada, together with PMP senatorial candidates Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and former Sanlakas Rep. JV Bautista, was mobbed by the crowd right after deplaning from a helicopter that flew them here from Manila. The float used by Estrada broke soon after the motorcade started due to the weight of those who tried to board the vehicle. Estrada reiterated that the survey ratings are not accurate as they do not reflect the real choices of the people particularly the poor which comprise around 80 percent of the voters. He said that the PMP is not going to do anything extraordinary in the last two weeks of the campaign because they are confident of the support of the people. “You can see the reaction of the people, everywhere I go,” he said amid the glaring sound of his campaign jingle and the shouts of well wishers gathering around his float.... MORE  Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100428hed2.html

HEADLINES Noynoy psycho test II out Erap confident of victory in May Comelec OKs source code review Rivals: Manual count Noynoy’s trending tool Discipline Gibo first for abandoning post —Nograles DNA specimen in Vizconde case not with us — NBI

Noynoy psycho test II out By Mario J. Mallari 04/28/2010

LP, Ateneo belie report but Jesuit denial may also be fake Noynoy psycho test II out By Mario J. Mallari 04/28/2010 A volunteer for Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar yesterday bared a supposed “original” psychiatric evaluation of Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III that found him suffering from “deep depression and melancholia.” At a press conference in Quezon City, Guido Delgado, who openly admitted he is a volunteer for Villar, released to the media a seven-page alleged “Psychiatric Evaluation” of Aquino signed by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, S.J., a psychiatrist in Ateneo University, along with a compact disc, containing the manner by which the alleged original documents were obtained. Aquino’s media content manager, Leah Navarro, in her facebook site, came up with a denial allegedly coming from Bulatao, saying that “It has come to my attention that an unverified ‘psychiatric evaluation’ allegedly signed by me in 1979 about the mental condition of Sen. Benigno C. Aquino lll is currently circulating in the news. I categorically deny having written and signed the report,” and was signed above the word “professor” Psychology department, even as the signature in the denial letter differed greatly from the signature in the evaluation report as well as the Bulatao signature in a certifcate taken from The Philippine Guidance and Personnel Association’s certification of attendance, where the Jesuit signed as president.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100428hed1.html

HEADLINES Noynoy psycho test II out Erap confident of victory in May Comelec OKs source code review Rivals: Manual count Noynoy’s trending tool Discipline Gibo first for abandoning post —Nograles DNA specimen in Vizconde case not with us — NBI

Rivals: Manual count Noynoy’s trending tool 04/28/2010

Rivals: Manual count Noynoy’s trending tool

04/28/2010 The manual parallel count proposed by business and civic groups which are known supporters of the Liberal Party (LP) is being pushed mainly to benefit the LP presidential bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, LP’s rival political groups charged yesterday. Nacionalista Party senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said the Makati Business Club’s (MBC) proposal is susceptible to cheating much like what happened in the 2004 elections, which was said to have been rigged in favor of President Arroyo. Remulla added the people who engineered the defeat of opposition bet Fernando Poe Jr. then and those who railroaded the proclamation of President Arroyo in 2004 are now in the fold of the LP. Incidentally, it was also the LP headed by Aquino himself who was pushing for the proposal..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100428hed4.html

HEADLINES Noynoy psycho test II out Erap confident of victory in May Comelec OKs source code review Rivals: Manual count Noynoy’s trending tool Discipline Gibo first for abandoning post —Nograles DNA specimen in Vizconde case not with us — NBI

DENR raises concern over state of RP food supply 04/28/2010

DENR raises concern over state of RP food supply

04/28/2010 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has expressed alarm over the country’s food security, saying that providing staple food on the table is fast becoming a hard task for Filipinos, not because of the supply, but more due to the ever-growing demand. Environment Secretary Horacio Ramos said the government is scrambling to find solutions to the impending problem of ample food production to feed the growing population. Ramos said with the world’s human population expanding ever so rapidly, food security is becoming a priority concern for governments all over the world. The Philippine archipelago is inhabited by approximately 100 million people and is projected to hit 120 million in 10 years time. Scientists say that this is beyond the carrying capacity of our land mass and will put extreme stress on the country’s fragile environment.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100428nat6.html

NATION SC seeks Comelec comment on two poll-related suits Poll-tasked gov’t personnel start absentee voting State lawyers to back massacre victims’ kin legally Ex-Batangas Gov. Sanchez dies Ex-Masbate jail warden faces DQ for gun ban breach DENR raises concern over state of RP food supply

Ex-Batangas Gov. Sanchez dies 04/28/2010

Ex-Batangas Gov. Sanchez dies

04/28/2010 Former Batangas Gov. Armando Sanchez has died in hospital a day after collapsing due to heat stroke while campaigning in Lipa City, Batangas, his political camp said yesterday afternoon. His legal counsel and spokesman, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said Sanchez succumbed to cardio pulmonary arrest around 7:20 p.m., according to his attending physician. On Monday afternoon Sanchez was rushed to a private hospital when he collapsed while campaigning at a basketball court in Lipa City. Later on that day Topacio told newsmen that a doctor at the Mary Mediatrix Center in Lipa City said the heavy-built former governor was in stable condition.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100428nat4.html

NATION SC seeks Comelec comment on two poll-related suits Poll-tasked gov’t personnel start absentee voting State lawyers to back massacre victims’ kin legally Ex-Batangas Gov. Sanchez dies Ex-Masbate jail warden faces DQ for gun ban breach DENR raises concern over state of RP food supply

Then and now EDITORIAL 04/28/2010

Then and now

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 04/28/2010 Another psychiatric report on Sen. Noynoy Aquino, Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer, has surfaced, but this time around, the report was not leaked out to one particular media entity, but to all, through a press conference held yesterday. This time around too, the report appears more credible in that the report was supposedly signed by a noted psychologist, or psychiatrist, Fr. Jaime Bulatao of Ateneo de Manila University — complete with a physical examination and a psychiatric evaluation that differed vastly in form — in comparison with the “fake psychiatric report” quickly aired by ABS-CBN with instant denials yet — which made it seeem more credible too, as medical records go. Noted was that the report was typewritten from a typewriter, whereas the first psycho report on Noynoy, in essay form, was obviously done through a computer. It should be noted that in the late ’70s, computers were not in vogue in this country. Typewriters were still being used. The report was signed by the Jesuit psychiatrist in 1979, again making this report credible in its face.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune   URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Neat trick, that FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 04/28/2010

Neat trick, that

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 04/28/2010 Not surprisingly, the Liberal Party (LP) camp quickly dismissed the psychiatric report on its bet, Noynoy Aquino, harking back to the first psycho report that was clearly a fake one, and also saying that all this is black propaganda. But with the surfacing of this new psychiatric report, noted to have been signed by a genuine psychiatrist and psychologist, Fr. Jaime Bulatao, SJ., of the Ateneo, something does smell fishy from the camp of Aquino, in coordination with its biggest media supporter, ABS-CBN. Controversy followed the airing of the clearly fake psycho evaluation of Noynoy, in that it was clearly a fake report, yet ABS-CBN quickly aired it, then claimed the fake report came from two sources from the Nacionalista Party (NP) camp. To this day, the network has refused to identify the sources of this fake report, even when the NP leaders gave their clearance to have ABS-CBN identify the NP sources. But think about it: Why would the NP sources give out a clearly fake psycho report on Noynoy for airing when they must have known that this would easily be debunked?... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on FEATURE 04/28/2010

Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on

FEATURE 04/28/2010 ORANIENBURG — Peter Josep Snep still talks at schools about the horrors he experienced at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, but 65 years after its liberation he is one of a dwindling number of survivors. “The schoolteachers tell me that normally the kids won’t keep still for five minutes,” the frail 89-year-old Dutchman says. “When I tell them my story, they don’t make a peep for an hour.” Although not an extermination camp devoted to murder on an industrial scale, all of which were outside Germany in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, concentration camps such as Sachsenhausen were still places of unspeakable horror. Just north of Berlin, it covered an area the size of 800 football pitches, imprisoning 200,000 persons, real or imagined opponents of Nazism from within Germany and all over Europe, between 1936 and 1945..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Manual vs automated HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 04/28/2010

Manual vs automated

HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 04/28/2010 There’s no contest, really. An automated election, and an honest one at that, would beat manual counting, which is always susceptible to fraud, anytime. I remember in 2004, when our most recent polls, not yet into Garci then as the manual counting was still dragging on, with the people swearing each time Kiko Pangilinan “noted” protests coming from Fernando Poe’s lawyers, and the Philippine Electoral Tribunal acting like Gloria Arroyo’s agents, which later turned out true when the Garci recordings surfaced, and more claims of cheating confirmed by military generals themselves, that I took notice of India, which held its general elections at almost the same time as ours.  Only that the Hindus and the country, which is the world’s largest democracy and a republic, knew the results of the choice for the Lok Sabha, or “House of the People,” in a little over 24 hours, while ours dragged on as Palace operators looked for ways to justify an Arroyo victory, which was completed via Virgilo Garcillano, and in many ways through the Ampatuan arteries, not counting the alleyways provided by many more local leaders who benefited from an Arroyo presidency, but most of whom are now jumping fences, either joining Noynoy Aquino or Manny Villar, that make their claims to the true oppositionist’s tag a total farce.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Man vs automation SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 04/28/2010

Man vs automation

SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 04/28/2010 Elections are almost upon us. You can tell from the frenzied campaigning going on at almost every level — national to barangay. The streets are littered with the usual flyers and posters falling from their tenuous perch on posts and trees. Electrical wires look even uglier with the added burden of the same smiling faces of well-fed political hopefuls. When you look up, you might wonder when April went by as the May-time feel is evoked too early by banners strung like fiesta banderitas. And if you’re unlucky, your quiet Sunday morning might be jolted by blaring horns and campaign ditties pretending to be hit music. Election season is never enjoyable except for those who are part of it. Ordinary folks going about their daily business have learned not to get caught up in the furor and frenzy. They know that something akin to an imaginary world is created in these campaign periods. The candidates strive to convince voters by exaggerating reality and using every means possible to gain advantage over their competitors. They create scenarios and vistas based on even the smallest, simplest fact and build it up as something great and inspirational..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus 04/28/2010

Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet

focus 04/28/2010 DUBLIN — The extent of the unimaginable sexual and physical abuse suffered by thousands of children in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland is becoming clear, but why did it remain secret for so long? Academics and victims say that the Church itself as well as police, teachers and even victims’ families all helped maintain the veil of secrecy. This was because of the huge authority wielded by the Church in Ireland which meant that some parents actually blamed children for bringing abuse on themselves. Until the early 1990s, “it was simply impossible to challenge the Church,” said Kevin Lalor, head of the School of Social Sciences and Law at the Dublin Institute of Technology.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor focus 04/28/2010

Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

focus 04/28/2010 KAMPALA — A Ugandan Pentecostal pastor who blesses his congregants’ passports to help them get visas for the industrialized world first became fascinated by rich nations thanks to McDonald’s and Burger King. “The thing is that whenever somebody goes abroad, things change. You go abroad when you are tiny-teeny, and you begin eating fast food and you gain weight,” Joshua Magezi told AFP on a bench outside his church in a dingy Kampala suburb. At Magezi’s church, a box-like structure of wooden planks and iron sheets, the faithful are encouraged to bring their passports each Sunday so the pastor, through prayer, can expedite their visa applications. “‘Go in power in the name of Jesus. Find favor with the counselor. Let all your paperwork work out in Jesus’ name.’ That is the usual prayer,” he said..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100428com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Then and now FRONTLINE Neat trick, that FEATURE Former Nazi camps keep memories alive, 65 years on HE SAYS Manual vs automated SHE SAYS Man vs automation focus Child abuse in the Catholic Church: Why Ireland kept quiet focus Let God give them visas, prays Uganda’s passport pastor

Not the pulse of the electorate EDITORIAL 04/27/2010

Not the pulse of the electorate

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 04/27/2010 Pre-election surveys — whether Pulse Asia or the Social Weather Stations surveys — as conducted in this country, pose some kind of danger to the well-being of the nation, especially when these survey results are taken as gospel truth by the so-called survey front-runners. Too much store is being placed on these surveys by some candidates, especially the Liberal Party presidential and vice presidential bets, who already see themselves in Malacañang — on the basis of the surveys. The danger to the nation here is that what these surveys reflect may not necessarily be the same results of the presidential elections, given certain factors, such as party machinery and organization of a candidate or his rivals, not to mention that some shocking report may just crop up that could kill the chances of victory of even a frontrunner.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro

Villar slide continues; Erap disputes SWS result 04/27/2010

Villar slide continues; Erap disputes SWS result

04/27/2010 Three weeks into the national elections, Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Manuel Villar Jr. continues to lose points, dropping to a preference of 26 percent to remain at second place and within striking distance of former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) at third with 17 percent, the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) Pre-Election Survey showed. Liberal Party (LP) bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III remains in the survey lead with a 38 percent pre-ference. Administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD bet Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. gained three points to nine percent in the survey conducted from April 16 to 19. Estrada dismissed the results of the latest SWS survey saying it is not credible. Estrada said that he is not inclined to believe that his rating dropped from 19 to 17 percent amid a survey commissioned by Interior and Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno which allegedly showed that he has overtaken Villar in the number two spot. “There were 6,000 respondents in the Puno survey while respondents in the SWS survey were only 1,400, the Puno survey is more credible than the SWS,” Estrada said in a chance interview at the PMP national campaign headquarters in Mandaluying City yesterday morning.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100427hed6.html

HEADLINES Report finds Duterte guilty of graft Erap, Enrile: Villar is a liar Malacañang lauds Defense chief for ‘endorsing’ Villar Agra won’t inhibit self in Ampatuan case No urgency to decide on manual bid — Comelec Villar slide continues; Erap disputes SWS result

No urgency to decide on manual bid — Comelec Marie Surbano 04/27/2010

No urgency to decide on manual bid — Comelec

Marie Surbano 04/27/2010 The Commission on Elections (Comelec) indicated yesterday that it does not feel compelled to follow a proposal for the implementation of parallel manual count in the May 10 polls but a Comelec official said the poll body needs more time to study the suggestion. “It’s not a simple matter of just saying we want to do this and, therefore, tomorrow it will be done. Who doesn’t want an added security, who doesn’t want to have additional validation in the result? What I think is the problem in conducting manual count, is that it is a rigorous activity, it needs elements to match for it to perform well,” said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez. Jimenez said among the things the Comelec needed to study are the ground situation in terms of making it operational, how it will impact all other Comelec activities including the release of forms and how long the teachers are going to stay on board while the manual count is ongoing, and the legal ramifications like pre-proclamation protests.... MORE  Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100427hed5.html

HEADLINES Report finds Duterte guilty of graft Erap, Enrile: Villar is a liar Malacañang lauds Defense chief for ‘endorsing’ Villar Agra won’t inhibit self in Ampatuan case No urgency to decide on manual bid — Comelec Villar slide continues; Erap disputes SWS result

DQ case filed vs Vilma over ‘illegal posters’ By Marie A. Surbano 04/27/2010

Rival ex-gov Sanchez suffers heat stroke DQ case filed vs Vilma over ‘illegal posters’ By Marie A. Surbano 04/27/2010 A disqualification case has been filed against Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for alleged violation of the Election Code, particularly on the posting of campaign posters. In their petition to the poll body, Lawyers Ferdinand Topacio, Gilbert Macatangay and Arth Jhun Marasigan said Santos, whose full name is Maria Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto, has violated the campaign rules for posting oversized campaign propagandas and erecting them outside the common poster areas provided by the poll body. “Respondent availed of and utilized different sorts of campaign propaganda and materials in promotion of her candidacy in the entire province of Batangas. Among said campaign materials and propaganda were posters, streamers, leaflets, banners, stickers and the like, with different contents, and of different materials and sizes, posted in different locations both public and private, within the province,” they said in their petition. They also enumerated the places or areas where the huge posters or billboards were placed, such as in tollways, provincial capitol, barangay hall, among others.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100427nat1.html

NATION DQ case filed vs Vilma over ‘illegal posters’ Lawyers group dares Corona to drop CJ bid Nograles scoffs at Gibo’s airing of support for Duterte AFP, PNP to conduct absentee voting for members Sarangani gov survives bomb attack — PNP report Military to go on red alert in preparation for elections

Sarangani gov survives bomb attack — PNP report 04/27/2010

Sarangani gov survives bomb attack — PNP report

04/27/2010 A governor who is seeking re-election survived a bomb attack yesterday morning, the police reported. Citing a police report, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina said a bomb exploded just after the vehicle of Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez and his convoy passed through the Lum Masla Bridge in Malapatan town, Sarangani province around 11:40 a.m. The bomb was reportedly placed in a parked motorcycle. Dominguez, the report said, had just visited the town to look into the assassination attempt on incumbent Mayor Enrique Yap, which led to the arrest of several suspects who were on board two vehicles, when the bomb attack occurred..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100427nat5.html

NATION DQ case filed vs Vilma over ‘illegal posters’ Lawyers group dares Corona to drop CJ bid Nograles scoffs at Gibo’s airing of support for Duterte AFP, PNP to conduct absentee voting for members Sarangani gov survives bomb attack — PNP report Military to go on red alert in preparation for elections

The perils of a presidential race FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 04/27/2010

The perils of a presidential race

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 04/27/2010 Manny Villar and his Nacionalista Party candidates are perhaps, by now, fairly rattled at the continuous slide in his ratings, as he, along with Liberal Party bets Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas have been placing their faith in these dubious surveys. And they are pretty dubious because the survey numbers certainly don’t jibe with the tens of thousands of supporters who come to the rallies of Erap Estrada, for SWS to pull him down some more with 2 percent in its latest survey. But then again, the SWS and the elite don’t want him to win. Just going by the lean crowd that comes to the rallies of say, Noynoy or Villar — when his Rockatropa and Wowawee groups aren’t around, and compare their crowd to the crowds that pop up in Estrada’s rallies, which are getting bigger and bigger, one wonders just how the survey numbers are being manufactured. But what should jar Aquino too, is the fact that his numbers have remained static for sometime. His one percent increase in the latest SWS survey really doesn’t mean he is moving at all. Then too, LP VP bet Mar Roxas has been on a slide too, with Jojo Binay getting a big chunk of Roxas’ vote. Evidently, the voters are not that firmed up in their choice of top candidates.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro

West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much focus 04/27/2010

West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much

focus 04/27/2010 KABUL — Managing expectations has become a priority for Afghanistan’s weary Western partners as the corrupt, impoverished and war-torn country moves towards parliamentary elections later this year. Candidates began registering last week for the poll, which is set for September 18 after it was postponed from the original May date. “I assure the people of Afghanistan that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will be working day and night to ensure free, fair and just elections,” acting chief electoral officer Zakria Barakzai said as registration began. His optimism is rare in Kabul: Afghan and Western officials alike reckon fraud will be a key element in the September elections, as it was in last August’s presidential poll, which returned Hamid Karzai for a second term. August’s poll dealt a heavy blow to the credibility of the democratic experiment in Afghanistan, which began soon after the overthrow of the Taliban’s 1996-2001 regime in a US-led invasion. Aware of the fall in Western public support for the war and aid effort once the scale of the last year’s fraud became clear, diplomats appear to be on a mission of pre-emptive damage control.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune   URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro

My vote NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 04/27/2010

My vote

NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 04/27/2010 Having in the last issue explained why I was voting Joseph Estrada for president and Jojo Binay for vice president, here now is the rest of my voter’s list. For my 12 senators, first I have the re-electionists Juan Ponce-Enrile and Jinggoy Ejercito. The playful will tease I’m going for JPE because he’s my brother, and I shall just as playfully counter, “Iboboto mo nga si Enrile, ako pa?” Yup, he’s doing rather well in the surveys, the highest ever since he started to run for office. I’m glad that people have finally realized that however he may appear to do things, his bottom line always has to do with wanting to see people happy. “Gusto ko, happy ka,” is not merely his political ad tagline but his aspiration as a public servant. Mas tutoo naman iyon, anytime, kaysa sa “Kung bad ka, lagot ka.” He’s been Senate President since November of 2008. Senate employees, including those who don’t like him, acknowledge his fairness, how he has bonuses evenly distributed, how hard he works, how deeply he studies the papers brought before his attention, “mas masipag pa sa mga bata sa kanya.” I’m proud of him, Papa would have been prouder still.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro

Two sides to every controversy AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 04/27/2010

Two sides to every controversy

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 04/27/2010 There are two sides to every controversy, and the death by hunger strike of prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo in Cuba in February, and the whole question of “political prisoners” in that country, are no exceptions. Washington condemned Zapata Tamayo’s death, and on March 10 the European Parliament “strongly” condemned “the avoidable and cruel death” and deplored Cuba’s failure to release all political prisoners.” The latter refers mainly to a group arrested in 2003, their members receiving jail sentences of up to 27 years. The condemnation by governments of the “free world” seems pretty justified — until you hear the other side of the argument. This can be found in a number of places, but normally you have to look for it, unlike the version of events preferred by Washington and Brussels, which the corporate media pump out across the world. One such source is an article by Arnold August on the Global Research site. According to this piece, entitled “Lies and Facts in the Media War Against Cuba,” Zapata Tamayo was not a political activist but a common criminal who had, since 1988, notched up several convictions for disturbing the peace, fraud, injury and possession of non-firearm weapons. In 2000, he used a machete to fracture the skull of a Leonardo Simon, and behind bars he was violent toward the prison authorities.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro

Rooftop farming booming in New York FEATURE 04/27/2010

Rooftop farming booming in New York

FEATURE 04/27/2010 NEW YORK — Urban farming is a growth industry in New York City’s concrete jungle, and with little open land free agriculturalists and beekeepers have taken to the rooftops to pursue their passion. Andrew Cote uses the emergency fire ladder to climb up to the roof of his East Village building, where he tends to 250 bee hives. Cote, a professor of Japanese literature doubles up as president of the New York City Beekeepers Association, and is happy that the city authorized beekeeping in mid-March after an 11-year ban. “The city wants to plant one million trees, and the trees need to be pollinated,” Cote told AFP..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100427com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Not the pulse of the electorate FRONTLINE The perils of a presidential race focus West’s message on Afghan elections: Don’t expect too much NO HOLDS BARRED My vote AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Two sides to every controversy FEATURE Rooftop farming booming in New York SILVER LINING 50,000 at Cagayan de Oro