Frank And Healthy Minds

Eufemio Rasco’s Facebook sharing very early this morning, Sunday, 29 March 2020:  “If all of us must stay home, we should grow our own food! Mahirap ba imemorize yan?” The last part: A Filipino joke: “Is that difficult to memorize?” Actually, it is saying, “That’s not difficult to remember, you…!” No insults intended, I hope. The first part: That is a logical thing to think. However, these are not rational times. So, my Facebook comment was this: hindi lang mahirap, hindi puede - wala kami ni 1 square foot of earth to plant. don't tell me to plant on pots - wala ring space. you don't know how it is to be land-poor. (It’s not only difficult, it’s impossible – we don’t even have 1 square foot of earth to plant. don’t tell me to plant on pots – still no space.) “Grow your own food” (image from Grow Your Own Food , Facebook [1] ). Not to be simply ignored, Mr Rasco is a former Executive Director of PhilRice. After an hour or two thinking about this, I remembered my standing agricu...

Rita Dela Cruz of the Communications Group of the (new) Department of Agriculture, DA, under Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie shared last week on Facebook this:  Agriculture Secretary William Dar reiterates his advice to the consuming public to look after their health by eating nutritious vegetables and fruits to boost their immune system in fighting Covid-19. “Eating nutritious vegetables and fruits to boost… immune system.” Better late than never! Today, with that quote from Sec Dar, those 4 familiar words just above have as one 2 meanings: One, procrastination – You have either postponed or ignored your own body’s need for a stronger immune system. Two, ignorance – I myself did not know how to deal with what looked like dermatitis – my long-distance daughter Dida’s New York-UP Institutes of Health diagnosis via my PH daughter Ela's cellphone photography – on the lower part of my left foot above the ankle for the last 2 weeks. No, I did not go see a medical d...

Yes, first, let my people go!  Lift the lockdown to get all the science in! As you will note on the introductory number in my title, yes I am writing a series on the coronavirus lockdown, the economy as well as society. Because nobody is pointing out scientific choices, I am now. (choice image from secondlineblog.org [1] ) Yes, I believe the lockdown is a medical disease itself that should be cured first! And immediately! Reading now, on 27 March 2020 Shaira Panela says the National Academy of Science & Technology, NAST, came up with an official position and was “pushing for a research-based approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic [2] .” The NAST was talking about (my list): (1)    Conducting new/improved mathematical modeling studies in epidemiology. The NAST says the results "may help us better understand how the epidemic will evolve." Note: “will evolve” – if the researchers can predict how the coronavirus will develop given its invasion of society, with their mat...

Aren’t they sweet!? PH Senator Koko Pimentel and Ma Kathryna Yu were married on 18 October 2018. Why the date? Ricky Lo interviewed both on 18 September 2018, learned that 18 October 2013 was extra-special, as Kath said [1] : We had dinner with friends. And although we were in the company of other people, I think we made a “connection” there and then. How romantic can you get?! Sen Koko then introduced Kath to his 2 boys in a previous marriage: Martin and Akio. Koko said: We just spent time with the boys and they immediately clicked with her… I am so lucky to have found a willing and loving mama for the boys. I am also so happy for the boys that now they have a mama. How endearing can you get?! Today, ANN [2]  says, the Makati Medical Center, MMC, “denounced Pimentel's actions for going to the hospital's delivery complex, saying the senator exposed health workers to possible infection [3] ” (20 March 2020, ABS-CBN News). How insulting can you get?! MMC, for God’s sake! Sen Kok...

On Facebook, Forester Jun AV Revilla shares his thoughts on the coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines (below, with minor editing). I agree 100%! If he were a she and more religious and healthier, I can imagine Jun climbing to Peak 2 of Mt Makiling (original image from Wikipedia [1] , chains image from Ruth Lindsay [2] ) and shouting:  “Du30, Let my people go!” I am reminded of the song “Let My People Go” – here are the lyrics (from Fandom [3] ) When Israel was in Egypt land Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand Let my people go! Go down, Moses Way down in Egypt land Tell old Pharaoh To let my people go! I don’t know if Jun has among friends, acquaintances, or connections, someone he can call to call on President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to say: No more lockdowns. Let my people go! “If not, I’ll smite your first-term dead!” Thus, with the Lockdown, and with Jun AV Revilla’s words, the prospects are there to shout, “Let my people go! If not, I’ll smite your second-ter...

Yes, you have to cultivate creativity in the garden of your mind. Figuratively . And? Literally! Do not wait for seeds to grow – instead, sow some, nurture and watch them develop! The “Creativity” image (from Creative Educator [1] ) is playful; I love it. Creativity is being playful, not faithful! Do you know how Albert Einstein discovered the Theory of Relativity? Insight . You stimulate that with your creativity. He says, “To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play.” If you need only one secret to creativity, that’s it: “childlike inclination for play.” Now, that’s from the German genius, whom you did not realize was creative! I am now 79, thank God! The Ilocano genius. Above, look at my PC setup at home. So, do you need a PC setup like mine to be creative? No. For many years, I have been very creative with only a laptop – with an external keyboard. The full keyboard is for ease of typing – I can type very fast, without looking at the keyboard. The ...

No doubt, Bill Gates is the mastermind behind Microsoft and, among other software products, Microsoft came up with PowerPoint 23 years ago, July 1987 [1] . And now our #1 billionaire has come up with an open letter, “What Is The Corona/Covid-19 Virus Really Teaching Us [2] ?” where at the end he says: (The virus) is sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten and it is up to us if we will learn them or not. In his Open Letter, Bill Gates shares 14 powerpoints (my brainword), prefacing with these words: I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad. As I meditate upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/Covid-19 virus is really doing to us. He then lists down his own 14 specific teachings on this, Our Coronavirus World; here are my brevities: (1)      We are all equal. (2)      We are all connected. ...