Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam FEATURE 02/09/2010

Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam FEATURE 02/09/2010 HANOI — The naked, spiky-looking tree is not just Le Ham’s pride and joy. It is his meal ticket. While it might not look like much now, Ham expects it to burst into delicate dark-pink peach blossoms just before the Lunar New Year, known in Vietnam as Tet. Among the more than 200 peach blossom trees at his Hanoi commercial garden, this old specimen is his most precious, and will command the highest price from customers seeking to decorate their homes and offices for the Year of the Tiger, which begins on Feb.14. “It will become very beautiful,” he says of the tree, which rises, as tall as a man, from an oblong ceramic pot. Ham’s garden is one of many in Tu Lien village, which for most of the year is a tranquil contrast to the congested city around it.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100209com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Debates aren’t important FRONTLINE Questions Villar must answer FEATURE Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam MR. EXPOSE Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda NO HOLDS BARRED Pornographic AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Haiti: The back story

Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda MR. EXPOSE Amb. Ernesto Maceda 02/09/2010

Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda MR. EXPOSE Amb. Ernesto Maceda 02/09/2010 The official campaign period for national candidates starts today with the traditional proclamation rally. The venues are: Joseph “Erap” Estrada-Jojo Binay at Plaza Miranda, Manila with Mayor Lito Atienza. The Noynoy Aquino-Mar Roxas team at Concepcion, Tarlac which covers part of Hacienda Luisita. Manny Villar-Loren Legarda at Calamba, Laguna, homeground of Rep. Timmy Chipeco. Gibo Teodoro-Edu Manzano at Antipolo, Rizal while Dick Gordon-Bayani Fernando tandem will be proclaimed in Imus, Cavite. With the official campaign starting, rules and limitations on campaign propaganda including TV-Radio ads will now be enforced. President Estrada’s Plaza Miranda stage will feature a 9x24 meter video wall that is usually used in big concerts with four widescreens. Mayor Lito Atienza and teammate Bonjay Isip Garcia and 36 candidates for councilor assured the attendance of 20,000 persons which will result in closing down Quezon Boulevard..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100209com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Debates aren’t important FRONTLINE Questions Villar must answer FEATURE Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam MR. EXPOSE Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda NO HOLDS BARRED Pornographic AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Haiti: The back story

Pornographic NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 02/09/2010

Pornographic NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 02/09/2010 The last few days saw a flurry of denials regarding the supposedly developing —if not already developed —political alliance between presidential- wannabe-so-badly Manny Villar and Gloria Arroyo. A reaction, perhaps, to the text message that flew from cell phone to cell phone shortly before the week ended: “Now the cat’s out of the bag... Manny Villar is the secret candidate of President GMA... Mike Arroyo himself met with Manny Villar at the house of Mike Defensor last Jan. 7... Villar secretly agreed to make GMA Speaker of the House and protect her should Villar win the presidency... Villar agreed to GMA’s offer of massive logistical support in GMA’s commissioners in the Comelec who will assure Villar’s victory... please pass para di tayo maloko ulit.” Not true, said Nacionalista Party (NP) spokesman and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla: “Realizing that the C-5 mud has not stuck on Villar, no matter how hard they try in besmirching him, the newest LP lie is to link the good senator to the Arroyo administration, when it is the Liberals who were once ‘BFF’ (best friends forever) with Mrs. Arroyo.”.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100209com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Debates aren’t important FRONTLINE Questions Villar must answer FEATURE Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam MR. EXPOSE Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda NO HOLDS BARRED Pornographic AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Haiti: The back story

Haiti: The back story AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 02/09/2010

Haiti: The back story AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 02/09/2010 It had been this outsider’s intention this week to write about the widely-expressed concern regarding the USA’s current intentions in Haiti, which bear all the signs of military occupation. And I did, but then I thought that readers might be interested to learn something of the history of this small Caribbean nation. Contemporary events will, therefore, be discussed next week. According to Trinidadian historian Eric Williams in his history of the Caribbean, From Columbus to Castro (Andre Deutsch, 1970), in the years between 1783, when the USA gained its independence from Britain, and 1789, the year of the French Revolution, Haiti — or Saint-Domingue as it was then called — “supplied half of Europe with tropical produce. Its exports were one-third more than those of all the British West Indies combined; its commerce employed 1,000 ships and 15,000 French sailors. Saint-Domingue was the world’s premier sugar producer, the gem of the Caribbean.”.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100209com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Debates aren’t important FRONTLINE Questions Villar must answer FEATURE Lunar New Year tradition blossoms in Vietnam MR. EXPOSE Campaign starts at Plaza Miranda NO HOLDS BARRED Pornographic AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Haiti: The back story