Medicine topnotcher isang Tomasino
MAAARING hawak sana ng UST ang unang puwesto sa nakaraang Physician licensure exams kung hindi umalis ng Unibersidad si Ma. Christina Jovida, ang topnotcher sa nasabing pagsusulit, upang ipagpatuloy ang kursong medisina sa Our Lady of Fatima University sa Valenzuela.Subalit nagkamit ng 91 porsyentong passing rate ang Unibersidad dahil 298 mula sa kabuuang 327 examinees mula sa UST ang pumasa. Ito ay lubos na mas mataas kumpara sa 84 porsyentong naitala noong Agosto 2006. “Ang hinahangad ko talaga ay 100 porsyentong passing rate,” ani Dr. Ma. Graciela Gonzaga, dekano ng Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. “Ngunit masaya ako na naging mas mataas ang passing rate ngayon kumpara noong nakaraang taon.”Naniniwala si Gonzaga na ang mas mataas na passing rate ay bunga ng mas pinaigting na review courses.Tomasino syaSi Jovida, na nagtapos ng medisina sa Fatima noong 2005, ay nakakuha ng 86.92 marka. Ginugol ni Jovida and pag-aaral sa high school at kursong medical technology sa UST kung saan nagtapos siya bilang cum laude noong 2000. Naging matagumpay din siya sa medical technology licensure exams matapos pumangatlo noong Marso 2001.Makalipas lamang ang dalawang buwang pamamalagi sa Faculty of Medicine and Surgery ay nagdesisyon si Jovida na lumipat sa ibang unibersidad dahil mas gusto niya ang tradisyunal na pamamaraan ng pagtuturo.Noong taong iyon ipinatupad ng fakultad ang bagong paraan ng pagtuturo na kung tawagi’y problem-based learning.Ang problem-based learning, ayon kay Gonzaga, ay isang makabagong kurikukum kung saan walang malinaw na asignatura. Sa halip ay tinuturuan ang mga estudyante sa pamamagitan ng problem-solving method. Ito rin ay isang student-centered approach kung saan hinahayaan ang mga estudyante na sila mismo ang makatuklas ng mga bagong bagay at kaalaman. Sinabi ni Gonzaga na marahil ay naabutan ni Jovida ang transition period kung kaya’t nahirapan ito na makasunod sa bagong sistema ng pagtuturo.“Kung tutuusin, noong unang ipatupad ang problem-based learning ay nagkaroon din ng mga problema sapagkat hindi pa gaanong handa ang faculty sa pagbabago,” ani Gonzaga. Dahil sa sobrang batikos ng mga estudyante at propesor sa sistema ng problem-based learning, ibinasura ito noong 2003.Lumipat si Jovida sa Fatima kung saan nakakuha siya ng scholarship noong huling dalawang taon niya sa kolehiyo.Bagamat hindi siya nakapagtapos ng medisina sa Unibersidad, inialay pa rin ni Jovida ang kalahati ng kanyang tagumpay sa UST. “Siguro mga fifty percent ng kung ano ako ngayon ay utang ko sa pag-aaral sa UST,” ani Jovida.Kasama ni Jovida sa Top 10 ang mga Tomasinong sina Sherilyn Tuazon na nakuha ang ikalawang puwesto (85.92), Marjorie Golekoh, ika-apat (85.58) at Jeffrey Mendoza, ika-pito (85.25). “Para sa akin mas importante ang makakuha ng mataas na passing rate kaysa makuha ang unang puwesto sa mga pumasa sa exams,” ani Gonzaga. “Sa ngayon ay hangad ko ang 100 porsyentong passing rate sa susunod na exam at mas maraming Tomasino ang mabilang sa Top 10.”Bagong Physicalat Occupational TherapistsBumandera rin ang mga Tomasino sa katatapos lamang na Physical and Occupational Therapy exams kung saan pumangalawa ang Unibersidad sa mga top-performing schools na mayroong mahigit sa 20 kumuha ng pagsusulit. Nagtala ang UST ng 93 porsyentong passing rate para sa PT at 88 na porsyento naman sa OT, mas mababa kumpara sa 98 porsyento at 95 porsyentong naitala noong July 2006. Sa mga kumuha ng PT exam, 43 mula sa kabuuang 46 examinees ang nakapasa. Samantala, 13 mula sa kabuuang 14 ang nakapasa sa OT exam.Si Marian Grace Gabor ay nagkamit ng markang 85 na siyang naghatid sa kanya sa ikalawang puwesto sa PT exam, habang nakamit naman nina Joel Recinto (83.90), Arriane Marie Kathrine Novicio (83.25), at Jamie Raychel Lim (82.65) ang ika-anim, ika-walo, at ika-sampung puwesto.Sa kabilang banda, pinangunahan naman nina James Ryan Nomus (79.40), Joan Carla Lampa (79.00), at Kris Edward Borja (78.60) ang mga Tomasinong pumasa sa OT exam matapos makuha ang ikatlo, ika-apat, at ika-limang puwesto.
Dominican Master has vast powers over UST
HE IS CALLED the “Dominican Pope” and has authority over every member of one of the Church’s greatest and most powerful orders, but little known is the fact that the Master of the Order of Preachers also wields tremendous influence over the University of Santo Tomas.Fr. Carlos Alfonso Azpiroz Costa, O.P. is also Grand Chancellor of the University—an institution considered as one of the Order’s prized possessions—and as such exercises vast powers under the General Statutes of the University.And so it was that with a sudden blow, he was able to replace the UST leadership, catching everyone, even the three priests he eventually asked to resign — the Filipino Dominican Provincial, the University Rector, and the Vice-Rector — by surprise. The three top UST officials humbly obeyed as part of their religious vows.UST is a Pontifical University, which means the Pope through the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, has the final say on who gets appointed rector, but it is the Master of the Order based in the Dominican headquarters at Santa Sabina Convent in Rome who makes the recommendation and official appointment. By tradition, his choice is never questioned.Father Azpiroz arrived in Manila last Aug. 26 and is staying until the last week of September for a canonical visit of the Philippine Province, part of his responsibilities as head of the Dominicans worldwide. He arrived in UST last Sept. 1, and thereafter made decisive actions that will change the University landscape.Under the UST Statutes, Father Azpiroz serves as ex-officio chancellor of the University, and makes sure that ecclesiastical laws governing the University are faithfully observed and executed. Besides having the power to appoint the University rector, he is also responsible for “safeguarding conventional Catholic doctrine,” “promoting upright morals,” “preserving the academic-scientific zeal of the faculty,” and most importantly, “implementing ecclesiastical discipline.”Father Azpiroz, 50, is the 86th master of the 800-year-old Dominican Order, the second non-European to occupy the post.A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was elected Master by 127 delegates representing around 6,000 Dominican brothers worldwide in the Order’s General Chapter in Providence, Rhode Island, USA in 2001. He serves a nine-year term.Father Azpiroz has a doctorate in canon law and is an expert on the Dominican Constitution, his thesis being on “The Provincial Chapter in the Book of Constitutions and Ordinations of the Order of Friars Preachers — A Comparative Study with the Constitutions of 1932.” As peritus in the Order’s General Elective Chapter at Providence College, he was elected Master of the Order on July 14, 2001, succeeding Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. He has written two letters to members of the Order, with the latest titled “‘Let us walk in joy and think of our Saviour.’ Some views on Dominican itinerancy,” in which he linked religious obedience to the Dominicans’ itinerant way of life.Obedience, he stressed in the document, is a means to ensure itinerancy and fulfill the Order’s mission to preach the Gospel.“Religious obedience is not an aim in itself,” he wrote. “It is at the service of the mission of the Order, as defined by the General and Provincial Chapters, and it ensures the freedom the Order needs for its actions (Bologna 33). It is a means through which the friars, as a constituted body, can answer the needs of the common good to be reached together because it was discerned together. Obedience thus is not the expression of the superior’s whim or that of the Chapter, but the personalized expression of the effort demanded from all in view of the mission and the good of the Order in particular circumstances. As by their nature these circumstances change, it is important that the friars also accept change in order to better serve the mission.” Jenny Lynne G. Aguilar
UST bans smoking inside campus
THE UNIVERSITY will implement a no-smoking policy on campus starting in the new school year. In an interview with the Varsitarian, Health Service director Dr. William Olalia said the policy will be strictly implemented and sanctions will be given to offenders, whether students, professors or outsiders.”They (officials) will start the non-smoking policy not only in the buildings but in the whole campus,” he said.The Office of Secretary General will be coming out with the specific guidelines before June 10, the official start of the school year. However, there were mixed reactions regarding the new policy.“Very supportive ako diyan. Kasi kapag may usok, hindi ako makahinga,” said Kathleen Santiago, a UST High School student.On the other hand, UST Faculty of Civil Law Prof. Gregorio Fernandez said there should be a smoking area since both smokers and non-smokers have equal rights.The Board of Directors met last March 22 and decided to make the whole university a smoke-free campus, making it the first in the country, he added.Flyers are now being given at the gates of the university to raise the level of awareness of students and even outsiders.While cigarette vendors around the campus will not be subject to the policy, university officials assured that smoking inside the campus would not be tolerated. Meanwhile, student organizations have been tasked to help disseminate the information and implement the policy. Ma. Cristina S. Lavapie and Jennifer B. Fortuno with a report from Teodoro Lorenzo A. FernandezVol. LXXIII, No. 11 • June 6, 2002
====The Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario was established on April 28, 1611, from the library of the late Fray Miguel de Benavídez, O.P., then Archbishop of Manila. Later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomas, it was elevated by Pope Innocent X to a university on November 20, 1645 in his brief, In Supreminenti.[2]. This made the university the second royal and pontifical institution in the Philippines, after the Jesuit's Universidad Máximo de San Ignacio which was founded in 1590 but closed in the 1768 following the expulsion of the Society of Jesus from the Philippines.
Its complete name is the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines. It was given the title "Royal" by King Charles III of Spain on March 7, 1785; "Pontifical" by Pope Leo XIII on September 17, 1902 in his constitution, Quae Mari Sinico, and the appellative "The Catholic University of the Philippines" by Pope Pius XII on April 27, 1947.
The university was formerly located within the walled city of Intramuros in Manila. It was started by the Spanish Archbishop of Manila in the early 17th century as a seminary for aspiring young priests, taking its name and inspiration from Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican theologian. The first courses offered by the Colegio de Santo Tomas were canon law, theology, philosophy, logic, grammar, the arts, and civil law. In 1871, it began offering degrees in Medicine and Pharmacy, the first in colonized Asia.[2]
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the growing student population, the Dominican fathers bought land at the Sulucan Hills in Sampaloc, Manila and built its 220,000 square meter campus there in 1927 with the inauguration of its Main Building (said to be the first earthquake-proof building in the Philippines). Also that year, it began accepting female enrollees. In the last four centuries, the university grew into a full-fledged institution of higher learning, conferring degrees in law, medicine and various academic letters. The university has graduated Philippine national heroes, presidents, and even saints.[2]
During World War II, the Japanese converted the campus into a concentration camp for civilians, foreigners and POWs. Some of the most brutal war crimes against American soldiers (Filipino soldiers were granted amnesty) and civilians living abroad occurred in Santo Tomas.[3]
In recognition of its achievements, a number of important dignitaries have officially visited the university, among them, during the last three decades: His Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 28, 1970; His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1974 and 1995; Mother Teresa of Calcutta in January 1977 and again in November 1984; Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981 and January 13, 1995 (as part of the World Youth Day 1995).[2]
Today the University has a total enrollment of approximately 38,000 students, 33,000 undergraduates and 5,000 students in Medicine, Law and the Graduate School. The University admits about 10,000 new students out of 50,000 applicants per year,roughly 20%. }====
SM-USTH wins in certification elections
THE SAMAHAN ng mga Manggagawa sa UST Hospital (SM-USTH) became the sole and exclusive bargaining representative of the hospital’s rank-and-file employees in a certification elections last May 13.A certification election is granted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) upon a petition submitted by a group of employees working for the same employer. A petition for certification election may only be filed and granted once every five years.Days before the election, tension was high between the SM-USTH and the Progresibong Sandigan ng mga Manggagawa as antagonistic campaign posters as “Huwag iboto ang kabilang partido! Sila ay taga KMU!” or “Huwag nating hayaang pasukin tayo ng nakamaskarang unyon na ang humahawak sa kanilang likuran ay isang dambuhalang miletanteng organisasyon,” were posted on campus. But the election and counting period, which lasted 7:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. went peacefully.According to the collective bargaining agreement signed on Sept. 8, 2001, which was renegotiated and amended for the period Oct. 1, 2001 to Sept. 2003, the SM-USTH will be the negotiator for bargaining units with respect to the employees’ rate of pay, hours of work and other terms and conditions of employment for five years. SM-USTH president Joseph Dave De Leon said the well-being of the employees will be foremost in their minds.“Kung ano ang ikabubuti ng mga empleyado, iyun ang ginagawa namin,” he said.Only 535 casted their ballot out of the 1,230 hospital employees. SM-USTH received 284 while PSM had 231 votes. “No union” had three votes, and there were 17 spoiled ballots. Jose Bimbo F. SantosVol. LXXIV, No. 13 • May 26, 2003
BPI fetes student researchers
THREE Thomasians received the 2002 Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Science Award for outstanding research in science and technology in ceremonies last Feb. 8 at the College of Fine Arts and Design Conference Hall.Faculty of Engineering students Francis Castro and Brian Go, and College of Science student John Paul Lorredo were the top three Thomasian nominees for the award based on their outstanding scholastic achievements, leadership potentials, and researches.Established in 1989, the BPI Science Awards aims to encourage budding scientists and researchers to scale higher levels of excellence in science, research, and technology development, which are essential components in nation-building.The research of Castro, who is a Mechanical Engineering major, “Integration of Microsoft Access to Spur Gear Analysis and Design,” focused on the contribution of computer programs to advance machine design theories and applications.On the other hand, Go, a fifth year Chemical Engineering student, concentrated on producing uniqe Filipino food products from indigenous raw materials. His research was titled “Extraction of Juice from the Philippine Mango Pulp using Thermophilic Pectinase Enzyme.”His research on carabao mango solved the production problems of local mango juice producers on the low juice yield of the pulp, high viscosity of the juice, and low juice clarity. Meanwhile, Lorredo, a BS Math senior, performed research on why men die younger than women in the Philippines and compared mortality findings abroad to the country. His research titled “An Analysis of the Mortality Rates Among Individuals Living in the Rural and Urban Areas in the Philippines,” showed the difference of mortality rates between Filipino males and females and the factors affecting it. He also established the national trends on the mortality rates between males and females based on the different age groups.Aside from UST, students from Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Silliman University, St. Louis University, UP-Diliman, UP-Los Baños, University of San Carlos, and Xavier University were cited for their researches. Teodoro Lorenzo A. FernandezVol. LXXIII, No. 8 • March 2, 2002
Thomasian is first Pinoy ‘queen of pain’
FILIPINOS tend to endure body pains for various reasons.This was the observation made by Thomasian anesthesiologist Dr. Jocelyn Que, the first Filipino overseas-trained expert in Pain Management. “Some Filipinos endure pain because they believe it is a sort of atonement for their sins, while unfortunately some bear the pain because they avoid costly medication,” Que told the Varsitarian. “Pain is commonly experienced by the vulnerable population which includes the children, women, and the elderly.”But now that the relatively new field of pain management is slowly making some headway in the country, Filipinos need not to endure pain for long. Pain management, according to Que, aims to reduce the pain to comfortable levels so that the patient can function normally. Pain is generally untreated worldwide and most of the time, its treatment is only secondary to the sickness of a patient, she said. “We can manage pain and at the same time diagnose its cause. There are times when pain is the main presenting symptom but the doctors may not be able to find out its cause just yet,” she said. “So while investigating the case, we should alleviate the pain experienced by our patients.” Fifteen years ago, a group of Thomasian anesthesiologists initiated the establishment of UST Hospital Pain Management Unit in the University but its development was hampered by the lack of attending specialists.Common cases being treated in the Pain Unit nowadays involve back pains on the lower extremity, usually experienced by working individuals, she said.Que said that if the pain lingers for a long time, pain specialists can offer interventional pain management such as steroids injections. Just recently, Que treated an 84-year-old man who was suffering from severe back pain because of a dislocated spine. “After exhausting all the possible medications, we resorted to performing epidural steroids injection which proved to be effective anyway,” she said.RecognitionQue obtained her masters’ degree and hands-on clinical studies at the University of Sydney in Australia. “It was all a rewarding experience for me. I focused on studying the three P’s of pain management: principles, processes and people,” she said.When she got back from her clinical training in 2005, her first patient was a seven-year-old girl who was suffering from a fast-growing cancer in her brain. “When the girl screams in pain, you can hear her in the whole corridor of the hospital,” she said. “Fortunately she responded to our pain medications and was able to have good night sleeps. I saw her two months ago and she is back in school already.”Pain management is slowly being recognized in the Philippines. The Philippine General Hospital and St. Luke’s Medical Center are offering fellowship trainings. But she believes that the country needs long-term studies which can yield experts in the field. “The fellowship trainings are not enough because they are not fully multi-disciplinary and interventional procedures cannot be taught and learned easily,” she said.Que, who is now director of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Center for Pain Medicine, said that the University, in partnership with the University of Sydney, will soon be offering a Masters’ Degree in Pain Management which will be the first in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.“The curriculum to be used for the program is the one offered in the University of Sydney. In this project, we can bring pain medicine closer to more doctors because the cost of studying it here will be less than what I spent for my study abroad,” she said. DANIELLE CLARA P. DANDAN and VERITY AYRAH B. CABIGAOVol. LXXIX, No. 6 • December 16, 2007
Archi has new attendance checker
ATTENDANCE and punctuality are now “technological” musts at the College of Architecture. To better monitor the daily time record of professors, the college has bought a state-of-the-art device called the biometric bundy system.Professors now have to have their fingers scanned by the machine, which has a fingerprint database, to record their attendance.“Before this system was (introduced), the attendance of the faculty members was checked by a staff that would go around the building and check each classroom,” Architecture Dean John Joseph Fernandez said. “And because (Beato Angelico) is an eight-storey building, by the time (the staffer reaches a classroom), half of the period has already passed. So you wouldn’t know who came in late and if the classes are already dismissed.”The faculty attendance report was often questioned because of instances when professors and the attendance checker missed out on each other, Fernandez added.With the new biometric system, the responsibility for the attendance now lies on the professors, he said.The device, which costs around P25,000, was bought during the semester after the college decided to revamp the way attendance is checked. “The regulation here is that you cannot time-in earlier than 5 minutes before the (class) and you only have to time-out 5 to 10 minutes after the time,” the dean said.Since professors are required to time-out within minutes after their respective classes, they will be compelled to maximize time and discuss each lesson in detail.“Of course, if I am a faculty member and I will still be here until 9 p.m. I might as well stir the whole class to do something,” Fernandez said. “Kaysa sa pauwiin ko kayo at matitira ako sa classroom, magtrabaho na lang tayo pare-pareho. The time allotted for a subject is then maximized.”The new device makes both professors and students efficient, Fernandez added.Aside from a new bundy system, the door to the dean’s office is now electronic. Before anyone can enter, one has to request permission to have the button near the door inside the office pushed. In exiting, the same button must also be pushed.“The door is now electronic to let the students transact only at the window and to keep the laptops and other technical equipment secured,” Fernandez said. “Also, this is to keep the office from being cramped with students come examination time.”Architecture is testing the system before other colleges follow suit.“If the administration finds it effective here, they might use the same system in the different colleges,” Fernandez said. “Right now, we are the ‘guinea pig’ of this new system.” John Constantine G. CordonVol. LXXIX, No. 6 • December 16, 2007
The woman behind ‘Lakbay-Diwa’
Parangal Hagbong 2007 recipient Bella Abangan
THE SENSITIVE but practical pen owes to a sensitive but practical woman, Bella Angeles-Abangan, the byline of what is perhaps the longest-running newspaper column in Filipino in Philippine journalism history, Lakbay Diwa of Tempo. Lakbay Diwa, a column born out of Abangan’s desire to inspire readers about everyday life, tackles themes such as love, personal conviction, and hope. For example, her article, “Pagsisimulang Muli,” attempts to motivate readers who have experienced a great loss or failure to take the first step toward recovery by starting the day with a positive attitude: “Ang araw na isinilang ay malaya nating magagamit upang bumangon at magbagong buhay. Iyon ay ang NGAYON!”This coming December 15, the 23rd Ustetika Annual Student Awards for Literature will bestow the Parangal Hagbong on Bella Angeles-Abangan. The Parangal Hagbong is now on its 10th year of recognizing Thomasian writers who have greatly contributed to Philippine literature and the humanities. The word “hagbong” comes from the old dialect of Quezon province, signifying a crown-like object made of leaves joined together for the purpose of honoring to someone.Abangan was spurred into writing by her grandmother, who was fond of telling stories when Abangan was a child.Her love for writing grew even more when she became a columnist of Victorino Mapa High School’s The Mapazette, from 1948 to 1949. (Fellow Hagbong awardee, Cirilo Bautista, also served the same publication as literary editor.)She studied for two years at Philippine Normal University (PNU), where she became assistant editor of the university’s publication, The Torch, and managing editor of The Yearbook.Abangan said she has always been more comfortable writing in Tagalog.“I had the chance to interview President Elpidio Quirino when I was writing for PNU’s The Torch. Then my adviser, Victor Torres, told me to write in English,” Abangan told the Varsitarian. “I felt like I couldn’t do it since I was so used to writing in Filipino.”At 76, after 60 years of writing, Abangan can look back to writing career honed by life and experience.“I can make a story out of everyday experiences, like when we went to the Philippine General Hospital and I saw a person sitting on a wheelchair. That was already a story for me,” Abangan said.Marriage with USTIn 1951, Abangan received the Elementary Teacher’s Certificate from PNU. But her undying search for new knowledge brought her to UST in 1952 to take up higher education.With her gift for words, she joined the Varsitarian from 1954 to 1958, becoming its Filipino Section editor and writing the column, Yeso’t Pisara. “My experience in the Varsitarian was very memorable and beautiful,” Abangan said. “Not only did I learn a lot of things, but I also built rapport with other members of the staff.” A recipient of the Rector’s Scholarship in 1970 from Rev. Fr. Jesus Castañon, OP, Abangan received her master’s degree in Filipino, meritissimus (excellent) in 1970, and her doctorate, benemeritus (very good), in 1974. Abangan said the University and its faculty were her muses.“Jose Villa Panganiban and Antonia Villanueva were my professors in UST, and they inspired me a lot,” Abangan said.EducatorAlong with her writing, Abangan carved a solid career as an educator. In fact, she was division chief of city schools in Manila from 1987 to 1990. Before that, she had taught at the Ramon Magsaysay High School for nine years and at the Legarda Elementary School for 12 years.She also taught media and communications subjects at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila for 11 years. The UST Graduate School Alumni Association presented the First Diamond Award to Abangan for Education in 1998. Also on the same year, she was given the Catholic Mass Media Award for Best Opinion article in Filipino. Abangan is also into philantrophy, having founded the Lakbay-Diwa Orphanage in 1986. She turned the third floor of her house for residency by 20 homeless children, mostly from single parents. “I support the children with their educational needs. In fact I already have one who graduated as a teacher,” Abangan said.Abangan considers writing as her lifeblood. She continues to write her Lakbay-Diwa and the advice column, “Dear Heart,” for Tempo, and “Maganda ang Buhay” for Balita. She is also a contributor for Liwayway, the longest-running Tagalog weekly magazine. Most of what she earns from her writing goes to straight to her orphanage. Abangan said she enjoys writing inspirational articles on values. Her advice to writers:“Be very sensitive and always read because it truly helps in writing.” Ana Mae G. Roa and Carla Rose R. Malupeng with reports from Raydon L. ReyesVol. LXXIX, No. 6 • December 16, 2007
Tomasino, bagong pinuno ng media relations sa Palasyo
ISANG Tomasino ang muling inatasan ni Pangulong Macapagal-Arroyo upang maging bagong hepe ng media relations sa Malacañang.Pinalitan ni Isabel De Leon, A.B. Journalism alumna at dating news writer ng Varsitarian, si Carmen “Ching” Suva, isa ring Tomasino, na muling babalik sa pagsusulat sa Manila Bulletin bilang senior reporter matapos siyang magretiro noong Hulyo.Pawang nagpalit lamang ang dalawa ng posisyon dahil isa ring senior writer si De Leon sa nasabing pahayagan.“But it will be hard to fill Ma’am Ching’s shoes. She’s already an institution in Malacañang,” sabi niya.Ayon kay De Leon, ang kanyang karanasan bilang Malacañang reporter ang naging basehan ng Pangulo kung bakit siya nailuklok sa kanyang kasalukuyang posisyon.Naging assistant presidential spokesperson siya ni Pangulong Macapagal-Arroyo noong 2001. Nagsilbi rin si De Leon bilang deputy presidential spokesperson mula 2001 hanggang Hulyo 2004 sa ilalim ni Rigoberto Tiglao na dating presidential spokesperson. Dahil sa kanyang bagong posisyon, isa na siyang undersecreteary o pangalawang kalihim.Nagsulat si De Leon sa Manila Bulletin mula 1986 bilang isang police reporter. Noong 1992, naging beat reporter sa Malacañang hanggang 2001.Malaki rin ang naitulong ng kanyang pagiging Tomasino sa kanyang trabaho, ayon kay De Leon.“Being a Thomasian and being a former Varsitarian staffer molded me into the person I am now,” aniya. Wala pang mga kongkretong plano si De Leon bilang bagong undersecretary, ngunit sinabi niyang tinutuloy niya ang paraang mapalapit lalo ang administrasyon sa publiko.“Basically, our job is to take care of the media people and feed them with information about the admi0nistration,” ani De Leon. “We want the President to be more accessible to the media people and to the public.” Nagturo rin siya sa Faculty of Arts and Letters ng News Writing at Press Ethics and Libel Laws mula 1994 hanggang 2002.Naging punong patnugot naman si De Leon ng The Flame, ang opisyal na student publication ng Faculty of Arts and Letters, mula 1984 hanggang 1986, at kasama siya sa mga nagtatag ng The Journalese, ang newsletter ng UST Journalism Society.Ngunit bilang presidential appointee, hindi tiyak ang haba ng termino ni De Leon bilang undersecretary.Bukod kina De Leon at Suva, maraming Tomasino na ang nanilbihan bilang undersecretary ng naturang opisina, tulad nina dating Senador Francisco Tatad at Diego Cagahastian, kapwa dating manunulat sa Varsitarian. Lady Camille L. de Guia at C.D. SmithVol. LXXVI, No. 4 • August 31, 2004
Thomasians pray rosary with Pope Benedict XVI
Praying with the Supreme Pontiff. Thomasians together with delegates from other, schools join Pope Benedict XVI and other Catholic European universities via satellie in a recitation of the rosary on March 10 at Plaza Mayor.
ADRIAN T. ELUMBA
THOMASIANS joined Pope Benedict XVI in a global recitation of the rosary via satellite last March 10. Holding a vigil at Plaza Mayor in front of the UST Main Bldg., UST students led Catholic schools in the rosary prayer in which several points across the world were hooked up by satellite to the Pope in the Vatican.The rosary was part of the annual Day of European Universities, a celebration started by the late Pope John Paul II in 2003 and organized annually by the Vicariate of Rome’s Office of University Pastoral Care.The rosary brought together Catholic European students from Germany, France, Portugal, and Poland in a vigil for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Last year, the European students prayed together with Africa. This year, they prayed with students in Asia in pursuit of the theme of the celebration, “The Intellectual Love (La Carita Intelletuale) – New Ways of Europe-Asia Cooperation.”“While living very far away from one another, the youth can be united through a force of the human spirit capable of bringing together the formation processes of the new generations called intellectual charity,” Pope Benedict XVI said in Italian. “Through La Carita Intelletuale, the youth will succeed in feeling bound to one another on the level of interior inquiry and witness.”The Thomasian community, led by Father Rector Ernesto Arceo. O.P., and Papal Nuncio Archbishop. Fernando Filoni was joined by other schools in praying the third Luminous Mystery, The Proclamation of the Kingdom, in Tagalog.Earlier, Jaro Archbishop. Angel Lagdameo, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president, led a concelebrated Mass three hours before the recitation of the rosary at 12 midnight.It was the second time that UST prayed the rosary with the Pope via satellite. In 2002, UST was chosen to pray the rosary with Pope John Paul II during the World Meeting of Families. Pope Benedict was then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Marc Laurenze C.Celis Vol. LXXVIII, No. 10 • March 23, 2007
Two students receive Aquinas Award
FOR THE first time in the history of the Student Awards, two graduating students received the highest and most prestigious award the University could give its students. Sem. Noel Vincent Abalajon, Jr., a candidate for magna cum laude of the Faculty of Philosophy, and law student Arlene Maneja, a candidate for cum laude, were vested the Aquinas Award last Feb. 20 at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium. The Aquinas Award is given to graduating students who have received all three individual awards, namely the Rector’s Academic Award, the Quezon Leadership Award, and the Benavides Achievement Award during. Abalajon received all three awards this year, while Maneja got two—the Rector’s Academic Award and the Quezon Leadership Award. She received her Benavides Achievement Award last year.Guest speaker Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo Benipayo urged the honorees to use their talents to serve their country, their countrymen, and God.“Use your distinction as a springboard for further success and not as a cushion upon which you can lie arrogant and indolent. (Rather, you should) lead by example and help your fellow students to reach the same plateau of success,” Benipayo added.Last year, there was no recipient of the Aquinas Award and prior to last year, only two students had received the much-coveted award since 1995. Aside from Abalajon and Maneja, the other Rector’s Academic Award winners were Sem. Robert Young (Faculty of Sacred Theology) whose general weighted average of 1.18 is the highest, Candice Marie Custodio (Faculty of Medicine and Surgery), Chandy Lou Malong (Faculty of Pharmacy), Joan Padilla (Arts and Letters), Francis Castro (Engineering), Jared Christian Ramos (Education), John Paul Lorredo (Science), Heidi Lynn Bravo (Commerce), Carlo Chinolli Syquio Joson (Architecture), Evalour Galia (Nursing), Ann Abarientos (Music), Dominador Ayeras III (Rehabilitation Sciences), Herbert Hernandez (Fine Arts and Design), and Rodrigo Zafra (USTHigh School).The Rector’s Academic Award is given to graduating students who have garnered the highest weighted average in their respective faculties of colleges. The other Quezon Leadership Award recipients were Sem. John Jacome (Sacred Theology), Claire Bautista (Medicine and Surgery), Karlorico Feliciano (Pharmacy), Maria Angelica Relucio (Arts and Letters), Ivan Christopher Lanuza (Engineering), Paul Lovell Javier (Commerce), Mona Lizelle Lim (Architecture), Earl Francis Sumile (Nursing), Kristine Dionne Cañedo (Music), Argentina Luz Tabac (Rehabilitation Sciences), Hernandez (Fine Arts and Design), Catherine Airis Pastoral (USTHigh School) and Harry Uy (Office for Student Affairs).The Quezon Award is given to students who have led and organized activities that have contributed to the welfare of students.Meanwhile, the other Benavides Achievement Award honorees were Jacome (Sacred Theology), Arnel Ordas (Civil Law), Relucio (Arts and Letters), Germaine Lisa Ang (Engineering), Denise Constantino (Education), Januel Magtibay (Music), Randell Suba (Rehabilitation Sciences), Giorgio Von Gerri de Guzman (USTHigh School). The Benavides Award, on the other hand, is given for outstanding performance in contests and conferences, or involvement in community services.Furthermore, 18 organizations, including the Varsitarian, received the Pope Leo XIII Communitarian Award.Meanwhile, the Community Service Volunteers (Comserv) received a Special Citation Award for its social outreach programs. Teodoro Lorenzo A. FernandezVol. LXXIII, No. 8 • March 2, 2002
UST is UAAP champion for the 34th time
Illustration by Erick Christian P. David
For THE ninth straight year, UST has shown once again IT IS lord of the UAAP jungle by grabbing its 34th overall general championship and wrapping up its Season 69 campaign on a high note. UST won 13 UAAP titles in 26 disciplines for a whopping 331 points, relegating perennial rival University of the Philippines-Diliman (UP) and Far Eastern University (FEU) to second and third places with 254 and 218 markers, respectively. After pacing the first semester with a commanding 162 points, UST fueled its second-semester onslaught with titular exploits in men’s and women’s tennis, men’s baseball, men’s football, and women’s volleyball on top of bridesmaid finishes in men’s and women’s athletics, women’s football, women’s badminton, and men’s fencing. UST capped the tail-end of its UAAP rundown with 169 more points. The España-based athletes mustered a huge 77-point lead, a booming upturn from their 60-point edge over the Diliman-based squad last season.“From the start I knew that we had a strong chance of retaining the overall title because of the athletes’ undying motivation to stay on top,” Felix Michael Silbor, athletic moderator of the Institute of Physical Education (IPEA), told the Varsitarian.UST began its title-retention bid with virtuoso performances in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s taekwondo, men’s judo, women’s swimming, women’s chess and women’s table tennis to outshine UP, which could only assert its might in women’s swimming and women’s judo. Sweep listThe Lady Spikers finally woke up from a 10-year slumber to bag their 13th volleyball diadem in an impressive 25-11, 25-22, 25-19 conquest of the FEU Lady Tamaraws in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals tussle. The Male and Lady Tennisters also fashioned a twin-kill despite sporting a youthful roster. The Male Tennisters halted a two-year skid with a 3-0 finals whitewash of a seasoned UP crew, while their female counterparts whipped UP, 4-1, for their first title in four years.Bannered by a slew of veterans, the Golden Sox escaped the upset axe against darkhorse Adamson University en route to another sweeping finish. From a 3-2 nail-biter in Game 1, UST used its composure to the hilt against the tenacious Falcons to post a 5-3 humdinger in Game 2 for their 22nd UAAP crown. In football, the Golden Booters banked on their steel-nerved enforcers in a thrilling penalty shootout to hack out a 4-2 squeeker over FEU and win their first UAAP title in six years.The Lady Booters, however, faltered in the last minute of their pulsating encounter with FEU, 0-1, to settl e for runner-up honors anew. Although the Male and Female Tracksters failed to dislodge FEU from the top for the second consecutive year, they still made an impact with record-breaking feats from team captain Benigno Marayag and Season 68 Rookie of the Year Bernardita Mag-Aso.Marayag eclipsed the 1938 long jump standard of 7.07 meters when he leaped a distance of 7.17 meters while Mag-Aso clocked two minute and14.21 seconds in the 800 meter run to shatter the eight-year-old record of two minutes and 14.68 seconds set by Anna Leah Hugo of University of the East (UE) for a 16-23-13 aggregate medal haul.VengeanceAfter yielding its throne to bitter foe UP last season, the Tiger Judokas relived their glorious “six-peat” as they nipped the Maroons by a whisker in a tension-packed finals encounter to avenge the Lady Judokas, who failed to defend their title after losing four key players this season. Meanwhile, the Male Fencers surprised the opposition as they carved a modest second-place finish with a 2-1-2 gold-silver-bronze effort to imrpove their lowly fourth-place finish last year. In contrast, the Lady Fencers languished at fourth place once more with only three silvers and two bronzes to show.Likewise, the Lady Shuttlecockers showed signs of recovery, placing second to FEU after wounding up third last year.As the Tigresses methodically thumped FEU in the finals to rule the hardcourt once more after an 11-year hiatus, the Female Tigersharks staged a “three-peat” with a 4-14-11 gold-silver-bronze harvest against archrival UP for their 16th overall title. On the other hand, the Lady Woodpushers crowned themselves back-to-back champions with 31 points to subdue FEU and UP.Injury somehow hampered UST’s titular crusade in men’s volleyball and softball. The Tiger Spikers, who placed second last year, dropped to third place, while the ‘Softbelles’ finished behind Adamson and UP for the nth time. Despite making waves last season, the Male Woodpushers and back-to-back champions Male Shuttlecockers stumbled at fifth place.In the juniors division, UST notched 105 points to clinch the overall plum against Season 68 general champion UE, which came in second with 103 points. Anthony Andrew G. DivinagraciaVol. LXXVIII, No. 10 • March 23, 2007
Military honors slain ROTC whistleblower
THE CADET who started it all would have wanted to be there himself.Mark Welson Chua, 19, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student, would have wanted to stand in formation with the uniformed soldiers and render a perfect salute to the generals as he accepted his medal. Seeing his cherished dream come true, he would have been the happiest person alive.But Mark couldn’t be there. Celebrated for filing a formal complaint that exposed anomalies in the Reserve Officers Training Corps of UST, he was later seized and dumped in the Pasig River. The honor heaped on him was for his courage and boldness in revealing the truth and standing up for it.Despite Mark’s absence, Welson Chua couldn’t be prouder of his son as Secretary of National Defense Gen. Angelo Reyes conferred on Mark a Posthumous Outstanding Achievement Award, the highest award accorded by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on a civilian. More than a hundred enlisted men and civilian employees, including AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, endured the heat of the morning sun as they witnessed the awarding ceremonies at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.The AFP bestowed the award on Mark for performing public service of the highest order. They recognized his efforts as cadet sergeant major of the UST Golden Corps of Cadets and as member of the School Intelligence Network of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) which he performs “with dedication and commitment, and at times, without regard to his personal safety.”They honored Mark for upholding “the highest level of moral values such as honesty and integrity” in the UST-ROTC.In his speech, Reyes praised Mark since he stood by “integrity of purpose and lived by principles that defied mediocrity and corruption of others.”“It is true that no medal or award could ever bring him back. But I agree with the often quoted saying: ‘The depth of our life is more important than its length,’” he said.Despite strong calls for the abolition of the ROTC, Reyes said that in Mark’s memory, the ROTC should be restructured into a program where the youth can engage in meaningful service.“If we transform ROTC into a more productive exercise, then perhaps it would overcome the perception of its utter meaninglessness. Cadet Chua surely did not regard ROTC as a worthless endeavor. He cared for the program deeply enough to effect the necessary changes to make ROTC more relevant and true to its mandate,” the defense chief said.Reyes appealed to the people to help carry out Mark’s mission to change the system.“Let us turn this tragedy into a moment of victory. A life lost for a worthy cause shall never fade away nor be forgotten,” he said.Though he lived but for a brief time, Reyes said that Mark knew his purpose and, with that, his life is complete.“He will remain an inspiration and an enduring example of courage and integrity for all to follow. He will forever live as a call to conscience and an appeal for true and active patriotism,” he concluded.Mark’s Lorenzo. There was not a dry eye in the room when Welson Chua accepted the San Lorenzo Ruiz Medal of Courage at the Santissimo Rosario Parish Church last June 13. Named after the first Filipino Saint, the San Lorenzo Ruiz Medal of Courage is conferred on students who have “shown exceptional and exemplary courage in standing up for the truth and Thomasian ideals.” “When you remember his gruesome death - how they tied his hands and feet, stuffed his face with a shirt, wrapped his head with silver packaging tape, rolled him in a carpet, and probably threw him in the Pasig River alive - please remember that he wanted to be one of the first, and not the only one, who would stand up and fight for what is right,” Chua said.According to Chua, all sectors of society must “take courage” against “misfits in uniform” to prevent them from abusing people.“If we do not resist these scalawags in and out of uniform, (they) will come to your own backyard and take away your loved ones. Are we waiting for another life to be taken?” he said.Last May, UST spearheaded the drafting and release of a statement by several universities calling for the aboliton of ROTC, described as “a cancer in our system that needs to be excised.” “We reiterate our call to the authorities for the speedy delivery of justice for this senseless killing,” UST Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O. P. said in his speech.However, Chua believes ROTC should be reformed. Although he feels the same disgust the youth and civic groups feel for the ROTC, he said he is not in favor of abolition.“May I humbly suggest that, yes, one way is to abolish it. But the better way, the harder way, Mark’s way, is to reform it. May I point out to you that all our institutions - the church, the government, the NGO’s - have their own anomalies. Shall we abolish them too?” he said.In addition, Chua said that there are still men in uniform who are honorable. These are the same people who helped him with his son’s case.In an interview with the Varsitarian, Colonel Froilan Maglaya, who was present in the dialogues between the military and presidents of universities in the University Belt, agreed with Chua. He said ROTC is not optional like defense and taxation. It is like other erring systems that must be reformed and not excised.“It might not be the most popular decision, but we certainly know it’s the right decision. Maraming galit sa ROTC because of the discipline we are imposing, but in our society we need (that) discipline (since) nobody obeys rules anymore,” he said.On the other hand, Michael Von Rainard Manangbao, the corps commander for this school year, admitted that there is something wrong in the ROTC system but believes that reform is a better alternative.“Since ngayon kami na ang first class (cadet officers) with the new administration of the UST-ROTC, we will do our best upang mapaganda ‘yung system at para justice na rin kay Mark. Tignan nyo na lang sa first training day, ipapakita na lang namin sa inyo kung ano ang magiging pagbabago,” Manangbao said.Meanwhile, Mark’s case was moved from the National Bureau of Investigation - Special Action Unit (NBI – SAU) to the Anti-Organized Crime Commission. Chua said he asked Dir. Reynaldo Wycoco to have the case moved since he felt that the NBI had too many cases to handle.According to Chua, he also received reports that the witnesses had backed out. He feels that the mastermind of the crime bribed the witnesses.On the other hand, Lauro Vizconde of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption said their organization will help provide moral and legal support to the victim’s family. He said Chua must never give up pursuing justice for his son.“It took me eight and a half years before I could get justice. Whatever the risk, I was consistent in pursuing my case. From the start, I was vigilant and, perhaps, that was why I succeeded,” Vizconde said. Maria Pacita C. Joson and Jayme Emerald C. BrucalVol. LXXIII, No. 1 • July 11, 2001
UST confers honoris causa on former law dean
THE UNIVERSITY conferred on former Civil Law Dean and retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Jose Feria a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, last Feb. 22 at the Medicine Auditorium.Feria received the honorary degree because of his numerous contributions to law—as a member of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the 1973 Constitution and as SC associate justice.“As Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, (Feria) penned landmark decisions, (which were) bolstered by his impeccable integrity and honesty, thus strengthening and ensuring the trust and confidence of the people in the high court as the last bastion of democracy,” UST Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P. said. Ferio graduated summa cum laude from the UST Faculty of Civil Law in 1940 and became a member of the Philippine bar in December of the same year. He taught in the Faculty from 1940 to 1986. He was as Dean from 1979 to1985. “In addition to my duty of upholding the law of the land, I have tried to obey the commands of Christ and the gospel. Clearly, obedience to the words of Christ is essential to the administration of justice in our hearts,” Feria said in his acceptance speech.In April 1986, Pres. Corazon Aquino appointed him as SC magistrate. He retired from the judiciary in January 1987 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.“Justice Feria has given us an example of selfless and dedicated public service with no thought of material reward,” Civil Law Dean Justice Jaime Lantin said. Teodoro Lorenzo A. FernandezVol. LXXIII, No. 8 • March 2, 2002 (An honorary degree[1] or a degree honoris causa (Latin: 'for the sake of the honour') is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived the usual requirements (such as matriculation, residence, study and the passing of examinations). The degree itself is typically a doctorate or, less commonly, a master's degree, and may be awarded to someone who has no prior connection with the institution in question.
Usually the degree is conferred as a way of honoring a distinguished visitor's contributions to a specific field, or to society in general. The university often derives benefits by association with the person in question.)
Mga barya ng UST Museum of Arts and Sciences
Kinikilala ang UST Museum of Arts and Sciences bilang isa sa may pinakamayamang koleksyon ng mga makasaysayang barya sa bansa. Sinasabing produkto ito ng matagalan at malawakang pananaliksik sa kasaysayan at iba’t ibang kultura. Malaki ang naging kontribusyon ng mga Dominikong professor sa pangongolekta ng mga nasabing barya. Sa kanilang pagnanais na mapangalagaan ang iba’t ibang kulturang kaakibat ng mga sibilisasyong sinasagisag ng mga baryang ito, kanilang pinamahalaan at pinaunlad ang koleksyong ito. Karamihan sa mga barya ay nagmula pa sa iba’t ibang bansa tulad ng Greece, Italya, at España. Matatagpuang nakaukit dito ang mga sinaunang siyudad tulad ng Athens at Roma at ang mukha ni Pope Alexander VIII. Kabilang rin sa koleksyong ito ang unang barya na ginawa sa Pilipinas noong 1861 at ang isang barya na mula pa sa panahon ni Poncio Pilato. Bukod dito, naging bahagi na rin ng Regional Exposition of the Philippines ang nasabing koleksyon simula pa noong 1895. Idinispley na rin ang mga barya sa Hanoi (Vietnam), Paris (Pransya), Amsterdam, at Philadelphia (Estados Unidos) kung saan umani ng mga parangal ang UST. May mga pagkakataon rin namang hinihiram ang mga baryang ito ng iba’t ibang institusyon upang idispley sa kani-kanilang commemorative exhibit.Noon po sa aminTaong 1953 nang imungkahi ni Ikalawang dekano Hermogenes Santos ng Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, ang pagiging hiwalay na korporasyon ng Fakultad mula sa Unibersidad.Hindi naman ito sinang-ayunan ng pamunuan ng UST. Sa konsultasyon na isinagawa ng Rektor P. Jesus Castañon, O.P., nailagak ng pamunuan ang kanilang mga pala-palagay tungkol sa isyung ito, bago sila naglabas ng isang memorandum. Isinaad nila sa kanilang memorandum na ang paghihiwalay ay maaaring pagmulan ng anomalya. Maaapektuhan din umano ng pagbukod ng Faculty of Medicine and Surgery ang karakter ng Unibesidad bilang iisang institusyon na nakasaad sa General Statutes. Anila, magiging masama ring halimbawa ito para sa ibang kolehiyo at fakultad ng Unibersidad na maaaring sumunod sa kanilang pagbukod. Idinahilan din nilang sakaling kulangin ng pondo ang Fakultad, hindi na sila maaaring tulungan ng Unibersidad sapagkat hindi na ito nasasakupan. Hindi na rin makagagamit ang mga mag-aaral ng Medisina ng mga pasilidad ng UST at di na rin makatatanggap ng pangkalahatang serbisyo mula rito.Tomasino siyaKatangi-tangi at kakaiba ang papel na ginampanan ng Tomasinong si P. Evaristo Fernandez Arias, O.P. nang sumiklab ang rebolusyon sa Pilipinas noong panahon ng Kastila.Nagtapos ng Pilosopiya at Teolohiya sa Kumbento ng Ocaña sa Toledo, España, tubong Alcazar de San Juan (Ciudad Real, España) si Arias. Noong 1877 ipinadala siya sa Pilipinas bilang isang misyonero kahit hindi pa ganap na pari.Matapos ng ordinasyon, nagturo siya ng Humanities at Physical Sciences sa limang-taong kursong Segunda Enseñanza ng Colegio de San Juan de Letran.Nang ilipat siya sa UST noong 1879 upang magturo, kumuha siya ng Licentiate and Master in Philosophy (1884), Licentiate in Theology (1887) at Doctor of Theology (1889) mula sa Unibersidad.Nahalal siyang Prior ng Santo Domingo Convent noong 1899. Sa kanyang pagbabalik sa Unibersidad noong 1893, nagturo siya ng Dogmatic and Moral Theology. Nang sumiklab ang rebolusyon sa bansa, siya ang natatanging Dominiko na pumuna sa mga suliranin nito at mga maaaring maging resulta ng paglalaban sa España at sa simbahan. Sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga naisulat, ginawa niya ang lahat upang pigilan ang karahasang maaaring idulot ng rebolusyon. Mula Oktubre hanggang Disyembre ng 1896, walang tigil sa pagpapadala ng mga telegrama si Arias sa pamahalaang Kastila, mga Kastilang Dominiko, at mga Kastilang pahayagan ukol sa kritikal na kalagayan ng Pilipinas. Ang kanyang mga telegrama ang nagbigay linaw sa mga kasinungalingang ibinalita ni Gob. Heneral Ramon Blanco sa pamahalaang Kastila ukol sa kalagayan ng bansa.Isinulat din ni Arias ang Defensa Obligada, ang dokumentong nagtanggol kay Msgr. Bernardino Nozaleda, dating Arsobispo ng Maynila, sa mga maling paratang ng mga pulitikong Kastila sa kanya.Kabilang sa mga kanyang isinulat ang Memoria historico-estadistica na tungkol sa Pilipinas, isang aklat para sa Colonial Exposition of Amsterdam, at ang Dominican Martyrs of China, Pedro Sanz and Companions.TomasalitaanSAGANSAN – (pangngalan) hilera, pila, o hanayMahaba ang sagansan ng mga mag-aaral na nagbabayad ng matrikula. Sanggunian:University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences Dr. Norberto de Ramos, I Walked with Twelve UST Rectors Fidel Villaroel, O.P., The Dominicans and the Philippine Revolution (1896-1903) Girard R. Carbonell at Karen M. PeñaVol. LXXIII, No. 1 • July 11, 2001
New departments created
THE UNIVERSITY has three new departments: the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Mathematics and Information in Computer Technology (ICT) and the Department of Environmental Sciences. Fr. Jose Antonio Aureada, O.P. said a fourth new department is being eyed—the Department of Literature. At present literature is subsumed under the Department of Languages.The Department of Environmental Science would focus on improving the basic six-unit science subjects with emphasis on the environment. On the other hand, the Department of Mathematics and ICT will upgrade the basic Mathematics courses with emphasis on IT uses and needs. “We already have the B.S. in Information Technology. I thought that the Mathematics is the easiest course to be transformed into an ICT mode,” Father Aureada said. The Department of Philosophy will upgrade the Philosophy subjects such as Logic and Ethics in the general education curriculum. It will seek to make a critical and ethical thinker out of the student, Father Aureada said. Father Aureada disclosed that the Office of Academic Affairs will soon make literature a separate department from the present Department of Languages, as clamored for by the Faculty of Arts and Letters.“There are foundation subjects in literature that really does not fall under the Department of Languages,” Father Aureada explained. The reforms will be implemented next school year. Father Aureada said the English subjects will undergo “ladderization”. Under the scheme, incoming freshmen will take a diagnostic test to determine their language skills. If they make the quota score, they will be exempted from the basic nine units of college English and allowed to take up Nipongo, Mandarin, or Spanish. Jennifer B. FortunoVol. LXXIV, No. 7 • November 15, 2002
Freshman named ‘world achiever’
THE YOUNGEST and the only Southeast Asian to receive the award for Outstanding Student Achiever of the World is a proud Thomasian.Leonard Faustino, a 16-year-old Medical Technology freshman, accepted the recognition last July 9 at the 16th World University Students Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Conferred by the Universal Peace Federation, World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (World CARP), and the United Nations Veterans Foundation to 19 other students all over the world, the award recognizes exceptional academic and humanitarian efforts. Faustino, who graduated from the Olongapo Regional Science High School, was one of the few students recommended by the Department of Education for the award.During his senior year in high school, Faustino invented an internet security system under a study titled “E-bay vs. My-bay: Innovative Internet Security System,” which was later tested and bought by a search engine website. He was also the captain of the Philippine team that won the 2004 and 2006 Best Magazine award in the Southeast Asian Ministry of Education Organization web magazine competition in Singapore, earning a reputation as one of the top 10 computer wizards of the Philippines.Faustino however turned down a six-year Tokyo University scholarship grant from Microsoft International, a guaranteed $10,000 monthly allowance, and a future job with the Bill Gates-owned software company to focus on a more “patriotic” task.As the national executive director of True Love Power Movement under World CARP, Faustino hopes to set up a university-wide organization to promote nationalism among Thomasians.“The Thomasian alumni are recognized in different social fields, and the students nowadays need to know, at least, how to care for our country. I believe this will be their biggest contribution to the Philippines’ sought-after development.” Verity Ayrah B. CabigaoVol. LXXIX, No. 2 • August 11, 2007
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Current Events
1. Even the American Dialect Society knows how risky home mortgages are these days. The group of wordsmiths chose "subprime" as 2007's Word of the Year at its annual convention Friday.
"'Subprime' has been around with bankers for awhile, but now everyone is talking about 'subprime,"' said Wayne Glowka, a spokesman for the group and a dean at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia. "It's affecting all kinds of people in all kinds of places."
About 80 members of the organization spent two days debating the merits of runners-up "Facebook," "green," "Googleganger" and "waterboarding" before voting for an adjective that means "a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage or investment."
The prefix "sub" translates roughly to "below the standard," while "prime" means something close to "the best."
So, according to Glowka, the word really means "far below the best."
"People were saying that students were referring to their tests, 'I'm going to subprime this; I'm going to mess it up,"' he said.
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, comprises linguists, grammarians, historians and scholars, among others. The society began choosing words of the year in 1990 for fun, not in an official capacity to induct words into the English language.
In 2006, the organization chose "plutoed," which means "to be demoted or devalued
2. Eduardo Pardo "Fr. Honti" Hontiveros (20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008) was a Filipino Jesuit composer and musician, best-known as an innovative creator of Philippine liturgical music.
He was born in Molo, Iloilo City, one of eight siblings, to Jose Hontiveros and Vicenta Pardo. He studied at the Capiz Elementary School and transferred at the Ateneo de Manila High School, graduating in 1939. He entered the San Jose Seminary from 1939 to 1945, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1945; he made his first vows as a novice in 1947. He studied theology in the United States in 1951, and was ordained by Cardinal Francis Spellman in 1954.
With the Vatican II mandate of localization of the Holy Mass, Fr. Honti began to write liturgical hymns in the 1960's, where the mission of his first hymn was to provide a song that local people could easily learn and sing at worship, for the Jesuit-administered parish at Barangka in Marikina. This brought about the tradition of religious music in the country which would later come to be known simply as "Jesuit Music".[1]
His works include "Papuri sa Diyos", "Magnificat (Ang Puso Ko'y Nagpupuri)", "Maria, Bukang-Liwayway" (lit. "Mary, Star of the Morning"), "Pananagutan" (lit. "Responsibility"), among many others. His works have been published and sung in many parishes in the Philippines and in other countries as well; his "Papuri sa Diyos" has been sung at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[2]. His publisher is the Ateneo de Manila University-based Jesuit Music Ministry.
Fr. Hontiveros suffered a stroke in 1991, affecting his mobility and his ability to communicate. On January 4, 2008, he was found sprawled and unconscious along the corridors of the Loyola House of Studies in Ateneo and it was later determined that he suffered another stroke[3]. He was pronounced dead on January 15, 2008. His funeral on January 19, 2008, was attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who presented a posthumous award for his contributions.[4]
3.
Police to exhume Marianeth’s body for autopsy amid doubts of foul play
Walter I. Balane / MindaNews
Tuesday, 13 November 2007 07:36
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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 Nov) – Two days after her emotional burial, authorities will finally be able to exhume Marianeth's body for autopsy, a police official said. Talomo police chief Supt. Mattheo Baccay told MindaNews that both parents of 12-year-old suicide victim Marianeth Amper agreed to submit her body for autopsy.Baccay said they have to do the procedure to settle doubts of foul play against the reported suicide."We need to find out in finality whether it was suicide or foul play," he told MindaNews via telephone.Marianeth, who was reported to have hanged herself to death in the afternoon of Nov. 2, left a diary for the month of October written in Filipino and an unsent and undated letter to GMA TV's Wish Ko Lang (How I wish) reality show. The manuscripts documented her family's poverty, difficulties in schooling among other things.Baccay said they are preparing to exhume her body late Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning after Isabelo and Magdalena Amper and their other children agreed to the autopsy amid rumors the family is hiding the truth about the sixth grader's decision to allegedly commit suicide.He said they were not able to conduct an autopsy before Marianeth was buried on Nov. 10 because the family did not give consent.Baccay said police were puzzled why the family reported the suicide only on Nov. 6, four days after the girl allegedly hanged herself in a room while she was left alone in the Ampers' hillside residence in Maa district.He said the family agreed only Monday when they were called to appear at the Talomo police station for questioning.Baccay said Mayor Rodrigo Duterte insisted on conducting the autopsy to erase doubts over her death, which drew attention to her family's situation and poverty in the country. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered a probe amid reports she died of hunger and poverty, a situation one of her cabinet members considered as an isolated case but has instead triggered protest and ridicule.Pyschology professor Gail Ilagan, also a columnist of MindaNews, called the girl's alleged suicide as "out of the ordinary", that she was into a depression and that her poverty could just be among the mitigating factors of her depression.Ilagan noted Marianeth’ entry into puberty and the upcoming Christmas season as other factors in her depression."What worsened it is that she seemed to have nobody to confide her feelings to," she told MindaNews on Saturday.Marianeth reportedly kept her feelings to herself and sought refuge in her writings.The Department of Education could attest to the problem based on the findings of their three-day investigation on Marianeth's death.Marianeth appeared to have a serious problem at home, which she refused to detail to her classmates since classes begun in June.She told her classmates she wanted to commit suicide, said Jenielito S. Atillo, DepEd Southeastern Mindanao spokesperson, quoting results of three rounds of investigation by DepEd.Attilo told MindaNews they are not buying the story that the 12-year-old sixth grader at the Maa Central Elementary School ended her life on No. 2 because of her family's poverty.He clarified, however, that DepEd is not the proper authority to test the truth of her "alleged suicide."He said students told DepEd investigators on Nov. 9 that Marianeth had shown unpredictable behavior."She would suddenly cry while in the middle of a game and would withdraw to the rest room if her classmates would insist on what's troubling her,” Attilo said, citing investigation results.Marianeth reportedly asked classmates not to tell teachers about her behavior.Atillo belied that Marianeth's teachers required her to pay at least P100 for a school project, which was the claim of Isabelo Amper, her father during interviews with the media."The only project required of them was the Talaarawan (diary) for the Filipino subject,” he said in the telephone interview Monday."The teacher did not even require them to submit it using a new notebook. They were asked to recycle," he added.Marianeth complied with the diary assignment, which has become a depiction of her situation while still alive, but was not able to submit it. She died on all Souls Day on Nov. 2, Friday. The deadline was Nov. 5, Monday.
4. Russia Is Awarded 2014 Olympics (July 4): The International Olympic Committee announces that Sochi, Russia, a Black Sea resort, will host the Winter Games in 2014. It will be the first time Russia or the former Soviet Union hosts the Winter Games. The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be celebrated from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4, 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Guatemala City, Guatemala.[1] This will be Russia's first time hosting the Winter Olympics (the Soviet Union had previously hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow). As well, this will become the first Winter Olympics ever held in the subtropics.
5. Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (burēs' nyikulī'uvich yelt'sin) [key], 1931–2007, Soviet and Russian politician, president of Russia (1991–99). Born in Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) and educated at the Urals Polytechnic Institute, Yeltsin began his career as a construction worker (1953–68). He joined the Communist party in 1961, becoming first secretary of the Sverdlovsk region in 1976 and a member of the central committee in 1981. In 1985 he was chosen by Mikhail Gorbachev as Moscow party boss, and in 1986 he was inducted into the party's ruling Politburo. In Oct., 1987, however, he was ousted from his Moscow post after clashing with conservatives and criticizing Gorbachev's reforms as inadequate. Attracting a large following as a populist advocate of radical reform, Yeltsin won (1989) election to the USSR's Supreme Soviet (parliament) as an opposition member. As president of an independent Russia, Yeltsin moved to end state control of the economy and privatize most enterprises. However, economic difficulties and political opposition, particularly from the Supreme Soviet, slowed his program and forced compromises. In Sept., 1993, Yeltsin suspended parliament and called for new elections. When parliament's supporters resorted to arms, they were crushed by the army. Although Yeltsin won approval of his proposed constitution, which guaranteed private property, a free press, and human rights, in the Dec., 1993, voting, many of his opponents won seats in the new legislature.
Cause of death: Heart Failure
"'Subprime' has been around with bankers for awhile, but now everyone is talking about 'subprime,"' said Wayne Glowka, a spokesman for the group and a dean at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia. "It's affecting all kinds of people in all kinds of places."
About 80 members of the organization spent two days debating the merits of runners-up "Facebook," "green," "Googleganger" and "waterboarding" before voting for an adjective that means "a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage or investment."
The prefix "sub" translates roughly to "below the standard," while "prime" means something close to "the best."
So, according to Glowka, the word really means "far below the best."
"People were saying that students were referring to their tests, 'I'm going to subprime this; I'm going to mess it up,"' he said.
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, comprises linguists, grammarians, historians and scholars, among others. The society began choosing words of the year in 1990 for fun, not in an official capacity to induct words into the English language.
In 2006, the organization chose "plutoed," which means "to be demoted or devalued
2. Eduardo Pardo "Fr. Honti" Hontiveros (20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008) was a Filipino Jesuit composer and musician, best-known as an innovative creator of Philippine liturgical music.
He was born in Molo, Iloilo City, one of eight siblings, to Jose Hontiveros and Vicenta Pardo. He studied at the Capiz Elementary School and transferred at the Ateneo de Manila High School, graduating in 1939. He entered the San Jose Seminary from 1939 to 1945, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1945; he made his first vows as a novice in 1947. He studied theology in the United States in 1951, and was ordained by Cardinal Francis Spellman in 1954.
With the Vatican II mandate of localization of the Holy Mass, Fr. Honti began to write liturgical hymns in the 1960's, where the mission of his first hymn was to provide a song that local people could easily learn and sing at worship, for the Jesuit-administered parish at Barangka in Marikina. This brought about the tradition of religious music in the country which would later come to be known simply as "Jesuit Music".[1]
His works include "Papuri sa Diyos", "Magnificat (Ang Puso Ko'y Nagpupuri)", "Maria, Bukang-Liwayway" (lit. "Mary, Star of the Morning"), "Pananagutan" (lit. "Responsibility"), among many others. His works have been published and sung in many parishes in the Philippines and in other countries as well; his "Papuri sa Diyos" has been sung at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[2]. His publisher is the Ateneo de Manila University-based Jesuit Music Ministry.
Fr. Hontiveros suffered a stroke in 1991, affecting his mobility and his ability to communicate. On January 4, 2008, he was found sprawled and unconscious along the corridors of the Loyola House of Studies in Ateneo and it was later determined that he suffered another stroke[3]. He was pronounced dead on January 15, 2008. His funeral on January 19, 2008, was attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who presented a posthumous award for his contributions.[4]
3.
Police to exhume Marianeth’s body for autopsy amid doubts of foul play
Walter I. Balane / MindaNews
Tuesday, 13 November 2007 07:36
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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 Nov) – Two days after her emotional burial, authorities will finally be able to exhume Marianeth's body for autopsy, a police official said. Talomo police chief Supt. Mattheo Baccay told MindaNews that both parents of 12-year-old suicide victim Marianeth Amper agreed to submit her body for autopsy.Baccay said they have to do the procedure to settle doubts of foul play against the reported suicide."We need to find out in finality whether it was suicide or foul play," he told MindaNews via telephone.Marianeth, who was reported to have hanged herself to death in the afternoon of Nov. 2, left a diary for the month of October written in Filipino and an unsent and undated letter to GMA TV's Wish Ko Lang (How I wish) reality show. The manuscripts documented her family's poverty, difficulties in schooling among other things.Baccay said they are preparing to exhume her body late Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning after Isabelo and Magdalena Amper and their other children agreed to the autopsy amid rumors the family is hiding the truth about the sixth grader's decision to allegedly commit suicide.He said they were not able to conduct an autopsy before Marianeth was buried on Nov. 10 because the family did not give consent.Baccay said police were puzzled why the family reported the suicide only on Nov. 6, four days after the girl allegedly hanged herself in a room while she was left alone in the Ampers' hillside residence in Maa district.He said the family agreed only Monday when they were called to appear at the Talomo police station for questioning.Baccay said Mayor Rodrigo Duterte insisted on conducting the autopsy to erase doubts over her death, which drew attention to her family's situation and poverty in the country. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered a probe amid reports she died of hunger and poverty, a situation one of her cabinet members considered as an isolated case but has instead triggered protest and ridicule.Pyschology professor Gail Ilagan, also a columnist of MindaNews, called the girl's alleged suicide as "out of the ordinary", that she was into a depression and that her poverty could just be among the mitigating factors of her depression.Ilagan noted Marianeth’ entry into puberty and the upcoming Christmas season as other factors in her depression."What worsened it is that she seemed to have nobody to confide her feelings to," she told MindaNews on Saturday.Marianeth reportedly kept her feelings to herself and sought refuge in her writings.The Department of Education could attest to the problem based on the findings of their three-day investigation on Marianeth's death.Marianeth appeared to have a serious problem at home, which she refused to detail to her classmates since classes begun in June.She told her classmates she wanted to commit suicide, said Jenielito S. Atillo, DepEd Southeastern Mindanao spokesperson, quoting results of three rounds of investigation by DepEd.Attilo told MindaNews they are not buying the story that the 12-year-old sixth grader at the Maa Central Elementary School ended her life on No. 2 because of her family's poverty.He clarified, however, that DepEd is not the proper authority to test the truth of her "alleged suicide."He said students told DepEd investigators on Nov. 9 that Marianeth had shown unpredictable behavior."She would suddenly cry while in the middle of a game and would withdraw to the rest room if her classmates would insist on what's troubling her,” Attilo said, citing investigation results.Marianeth reportedly asked classmates not to tell teachers about her behavior.Atillo belied that Marianeth's teachers required her to pay at least P100 for a school project, which was the claim of Isabelo Amper, her father during interviews with the media."The only project required of them was the Talaarawan (diary) for the Filipino subject,” he said in the telephone interview Monday."The teacher did not even require them to submit it using a new notebook. They were asked to recycle," he added.Marianeth complied with the diary assignment, which has become a depiction of her situation while still alive, but was not able to submit it. She died on all Souls Day on Nov. 2, Friday. The deadline was Nov. 5, Monday.
4. Russia Is Awarded 2014 Olympics (July 4): The International Olympic Committee announces that Sochi, Russia, a Black Sea resort, will host the Winter Games in 2014. It will be the first time Russia or the former Soviet Union hosts the Winter Games. The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be celebrated from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4, 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Guatemala City, Guatemala.[1] This will be Russia's first time hosting the Winter Olympics (the Soviet Union had previously hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow). As well, this will become the first Winter Olympics ever held in the subtropics.
5. Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (burēs' nyikulī'uvich yelt'sin) [key], 1931–2007, Soviet and Russian politician, president of Russia (1991–99). Born in Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) and educated at the Urals Polytechnic Institute, Yeltsin began his career as a construction worker (1953–68). He joined the Communist party in 1961, becoming first secretary of the Sverdlovsk region in 1976 and a member of the central committee in 1981. In 1985 he was chosen by Mikhail Gorbachev as Moscow party boss, and in 1986 he was inducted into the party's ruling Politburo. In Oct., 1987, however, he was ousted from his Moscow post after clashing with conservatives and criticizing Gorbachev's reforms as inadequate. Attracting a large following as a populist advocate of radical reform, Yeltsin won (1989) election to the USSR's Supreme Soviet (parliament) as an opposition member. As president of an independent Russia, Yeltsin moved to end state control of the economy and privatize most enterprises. However, economic difficulties and political opposition, particularly from the Supreme Soviet, slowed his program and forced compromises. In Sept., 1993, Yeltsin suspended parliament and called for new elections. When parliament's supporters resorted to arms, they were crushed by the army. Although Yeltsin won approval of his proposed constitution, which guaranteed private property, a free press, and human rights, in the Dec., 1993, voting, many of his opponents won seats in the new legislature.
Cause of death: Heart Failure
Trivia-Pau3
1. A special day for mothers was first proposed by American poet Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and proclaimed a day of national observance by president Wilson in 1915. Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
2. According to Japanese legend, a sick person will recover if they fold 1,000 of what type of origami? cranes
==> According to a Japanese legend, the crane lives for a thousand years, and a sick person who folds 1,000 origami cranes will become well again. A young girl, Sadako Sasaki from Hiroshima, set out to do just that when she developed leukemia as a result of her exposure to the atomic bomb dropped on her city. She died at age 12, before her project was completed, but her classmates folded the remaining cranes for her after her death and placed them at the foot of a monument constructed in Sadako's memory in Hiroshima's National Peace Park. The statue depicts Sadako holding a golden crane in her arms. At the base of the statue a plaque reads, "This is our cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world." Each year, on August 6, thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are placed beneath Sadako's statue.
3. The opposite sides of Las Vegas-standard dice always add up to seven.; Dice (the plural of die, from Old French dé, from Latin datum "something given or played" [1]) are small polyhedral objects, usually cubical, used for generating random numbers or other symbols. This makes dice suitable as gambling devices, especially for craps or sic bo, or for use in non-gambling tabletop games.
4. In France and England, from medieval times to the early eighteenth century, the recommended treatment of one special ailment involved a visit not to a physician but to the reigning king or queen. What area of the body was involved in the condition that required the “royal touch”? The Neck
==> The disease was scrofula, popularly known as “the King’s evil”, a tubercular infection of the lymph nodes in the neck that produced characteristic swellings. The cure originally called for the monarch to wash the afflicted area, but later it was deemed enough simply to touch the patient during the course of a special church service. Some kings took their medical role very seriously: Charles II of England is said to have conferred the royal touch on more than 100,000 sufferers.
5. Nauru (pronounced /næˈuːruː/), officially the Republic of Nauru, is an island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. The nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in the Republic of Kiribati, 300 km due east. Nauru is the world's smallest island nation, covering just 21 km² (8.1 sq. mi), the smallest independent republic, and the only republican state in the world without an official capital.[1]
2. According to Japanese legend, a sick person will recover if they fold 1,000 of what type of origami? cranes
==> According to a Japanese legend, the crane lives for a thousand years, and a sick person who folds 1,000 origami cranes will become well again. A young girl, Sadako Sasaki from Hiroshima, set out to do just that when she developed leukemia as a result of her exposure to the atomic bomb dropped on her city. She died at age 12, before her project was completed, but her classmates folded the remaining cranes for her after her death and placed them at the foot of a monument constructed in Sadako's memory in Hiroshima's National Peace Park. The statue depicts Sadako holding a golden crane in her arms. At the base of the statue a plaque reads, "This is our cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world." Each year, on August 6, thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are placed beneath Sadako's statue.
3. The opposite sides of Las Vegas-standard dice always add up to seven.; Dice (the plural of die, from Old French dé, from Latin datum "something given or played" [1]) are small polyhedral objects, usually cubical, used for generating random numbers or other symbols. This makes dice suitable as gambling devices, especially for craps or sic bo, or for use in non-gambling tabletop games.
4. In France and England, from medieval times to the early eighteenth century, the recommended treatment of one special ailment involved a visit not to a physician but to the reigning king or queen. What area of the body was involved in the condition that required the “royal touch”? The Neck
==> The disease was scrofula, popularly known as “the King’s evil”, a tubercular infection of the lymph nodes in the neck that produced characteristic swellings. The cure originally called for the monarch to wash the afflicted area, but later it was deemed enough simply to touch the patient during the course of a special church service. Some kings took their medical role very seriously: Charles II of England is said to have conferred the royal touch on more than 100,000 sufferers.
5. Nauru (pronounced /næˈuːruː/), officially the Republic of Nauru, is an island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. The nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in the Republic of Kiribati, 300 km due east. Nauru is the world's smallest island nation, covering just 21 km² (8.1 sq. mi), the smallest independent republic, and the only republican state in the world without an official capital.[1]
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Trivia_Pau2
SCIENCE
1. Sharks have no bones! Their skeletons are made of cartilage. Sharks renew their teeth throughout their lives; as one tooth breaks off or wears out, another one rotates forward from the inside of the jaw to replace it.
2. What radioactive element is extracted from carnotite and pitchblende? Uranium
==> The discovery of the element is credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. While he was working in his experimental laboratory in Berlin in 1789, Klaproth was able to precipitate a yellow compound (likely sodium diuranate) by dissolving pitchblende in nitric acid and neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide.[11] Klaproth mistakenly assumed the yellow substance was the oxide of a yet-undiscovered element and heated it with charcoal to obtain a black powder, which he thought was the newly discovered metal itself (in fact, that powder was an oxide of uranium).[11][12] He named the newly discovered element after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered eight years earlier by William Herschel.[13]
3. What explosive jelly is combined with gasoline to make incendiary bombs? Napalm.
==> Napalm is the name given to any of a number of flammable liquids used in warfare, often jellied gasoline. Napalm is actually the thickener in such liquids, which when mixed with gasoline makes a sticky incendiary gel. Developed by the U.S. in World War II by a team of Harvard chemists led by Louis Fieser, its name is a combination of the names of its original ingredients, coprecipitated aluminium salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. These were added to the flammable substance to cause it to gel.[
4. What are you shopping for if you are sized up by a Brannock Device? Shoe
==> The Brannock Device is a measuring instrument invented by Charles F. Brannock for computing a person's shoe size. The son of a shoe industry entrepreneur, Brannock spent two years developing a simple means of measuring the length, width and arc length of the human foot. He eventually improved on the wooden RITZ Stick, the industry standard of the day, and patented his first prototype in 1926. The device has both left and right heel cups and is rotated through 180 degrees to measure the second foot. Brannock later formed the Brannock Device Company to manufacture and sell the product, and headed the company until 1992 when he died at age 89. Today, the Brannock Device is an international standard of the footwear industry, and the Smithsonian Institution houses samples of some of the first Brannock Devices.
The Brannock Device Company was headquartered in Syracuse, New York, until shortly after Charles Brannock's death. Salvatore Leonardi purchased the company from the Brannock Estate in 1993, and moved manufacturing to a small factory in Liverpool, New York. The company continues to manufacture several models of the device for determining the shoe sizes of men, women, and children; they also produce specialized models for fitting other types of footwear.
5. What tropical disease were mental patients intentionally infected with in the early 1900s as a treatment for insanity? Malaria.
==> Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites; Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases and an enormous public health problem. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium.
6. What number, a one followed by 100 zeroes, was first used by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta in 1940? Googol
==>Googol is the large number 10100, that is, the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeros (in decimal representation). The term was coined in 1920 by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta (1911–1981), nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. Kasner popularized the concept in his book Mathematics and the Imagination (1940).
Googol is of the same order of magnitude as the factorial of 70 (70! being approximately 1.198 googol, or 10 to the power 100.0784), and its only prime factors are 2 and 5 (100 of each). In binary it would take up 333 bits.
Googol is of no particular significance in mathematics, but is useful when comparing with other incredibly large quantities such as the number of subatomic particles in the visible universe or the number of possible chess games. Edward Kasner created it to illustrate the difference between an unimaginably large number and infinity, and in this role it is sometimes used in teaching mathematics.
1. Sharks have no bones! Their skeletons are made of cartilage. Sharks renew their teeth throughout their lives; as one tooth breaks off or wears out, another one rotates forward from the inside of the jaw to replace it.
2. What radioactive element is extracted from carnotite and pitchblende? Uranium
==> The discovery of the element is credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. While he was working in his experimental laboratory in Berlin in 1789, Klaproth was able to precipitate a yellow compound (likely sodium diuranate) by dissolving pitchblende in nitric acid and neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide.[11] Klaproth mistakenly assumed the yellow substance was the oxide of a yet-undiscovered element and heated it with charcoal to obtain a black powder, which he thought was the newly discovered metal itself (in fact, that powder was an oxide of uranium).[11][12] He named the newly discovered element after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered eight years earlier by William Herschel.[13]
3. What explosive jelly is combined with gasoline to make incendiary bombs? Napalm.
==> Napalm is the name given to any of a number of flammable liquids used in warfare, often jellied gasoline. Napalm is actually the thickener in such liquids, which when mixed with gasoline makes a sticky incendiary gel. Developed by the U.S. in World War II by a team of Harvard chemists led by Louis Fieser, its name is a combination of the names of its original ingredients, coprecipitated aluminium salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. These were added to the flammable substance to cause it to gel.[
4. What are you shopping for if you are sized up by a Brannock Device? Shoe
==> The Brannock Device is a measuring instrument invented by Charles F. Brannock for computing a person's shoe size. The son of a shoe industry entrepreneur, Brannock spent two years developing a simple means of measuring the length, width and arc length of the human foot. He eventually improved on the wooden RITZ Stick, the industry standard of the day, and patented his first prototype in 1926. The device has both left and right heel cups and is rotated through 180 degrees to measure the second foot. Brannock later formed the Brannock Device Company to manufacture and sell the product, and headed the company until 1992 when he died at age 89. Today, the Brannock Device is an international standard of the footwear industry, and the Smithsonian Institution houses samples of some of the first Brannock Devices.
The Brannock Device Company was headquartered in Syracuse, New York, until shortly after Charles Brannock's death. Salvatore Leonardi purchased the company from the Brannock Estate in 1993, and moved manufacturing to a small factory in Liverpool, New York. The company continues to manufacture several models of the device for determining the shoe sizes of men, women, and children; they also produce specialized models for fitting other types of footwear.
5. What tropical disease were mental patients intentionally infected with in the early 1900s as a treatment for insanity? Malaria.
==> Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites; Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases and an enormous public health problem. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium.
6. What number, a one followed by 100 zeroes, was first used by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta in 1940? Googol
==>Googol is the large number 10100, that is, the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeros (in decimal representation). The term was coined in 1920 by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta (1911–1981), nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. Kasner popularized the concept in his book Mathematics and the Imagination (1940).
Googol is of the same order of magnitude as the factorial of 70 (70! being approximately 1.198 googol, or 10 to the power 100.0784), and its only prime factors are 2 and 5 (100 of each). In binary it would take up 333 bits.
Googol is of no particular significance in mathematics, but is useful when comparing with other incredibly large quantities such as the number of subatomic particles in the visible universe or the number of possible chess games. Edward Kasner created it to illustrate the difference between an unimaginably large number and infinity, and in this role it is sometimes used in teaching mathematics.
Trivia _ Pau
Humanities
1. Ancient Greece continues to fascinate the hearts and minds of intelligent people the world over. For example, which English genius deciphered the pre-alphabetic Greek writing system known as Linear B? Michael Ventris.
==> Linear B was the writing system the ancient Greeks used before the alphabet was invented. It dates to ca. 1400-1200 BC, about half a millennium before Homer. Linear B only came to light in 1900, when Sir Arthur Evans began archaeological excavations at the Palace of Knossos on Crete. Michael Ventris first became fascinated with Linear B when he visited Sir Arthur Evans' "Minoan World" exhibition as a young boy. Witnesses report that Evans was showing the schoolboys some of the Linear B tablets, when a small voice piped up, "You say they haven't been deciphered, sir?" From that moment onwards, Ventris was obsessed with deciphering Linear B. He attended the Architectural Association school to become an architect, and served in the Royal Air Force during WWII, but always kept his interest in Linear B alive. In 1951, Ventris quit his job as an architect to work on Linear B exclusively. He deciphered Linear B the next year, in 1952, at the age of 30. Ventris' decipherment was especially remarkable for two reasons. First, there is no "Rosetta Stone," no bilingual inscription containing a text in Linear B with a translation in a known language. Ventris could only work from observations of the internal structure of Linear B. Second, Ventris had no professional training in the Classics, even though he was a brilliant polyglot. He was simply a gifted amateur who succeeded when two generations of Classical scholars had failed. Sadly, Ventris' life took on a "tragic hero" quality after the decipherment. Once the fame and glory wore off, what could he do next? He was never interested in reading the texts, just in the challenge of decipherment, and didn't have the Classical training to pursue Linear B research further. He took a prestigious architectural job, only to turn it down a short time later because he felt inadequate for the task. It was clear to friends that Ventris was feeling increasingly depressed and dissatisfied with his life. What should he have done? We'll never know. Ventris died in a car accident under mysterious circumstances in 1956. He was only 34.
2. Parsees are modern practitioners in India of what 'ism'? Zoroastrianism
==> Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion of Persia. The founding of this religion is assigned to Zoroaster (Zarathustra) but the tenets of the religion are probably even more ancient. The holy book of the Zoroastrians is called the Zend Avesta, and like the Christians, the Zoroastrians believe that there is a supernatural conflict between good and evil forces, personified by Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu (similar to God and the Devil).
3. Esperanto
==> the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. [2] The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book of Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. The word "esperanto" means 'one who hopes'. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding.
Although no country has adopted the language officially, it has enjoyed continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers for over a century. By most estimates, there are approximately a thousand native speakers.[3]
Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, television (Internacia Televido), and radio broadcasting.[4] Some state education systems offer elective courses in Esperanto, and in one university, the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj in San Marino, Esperanto is the language of instruction. There is evidence that learning Esperanto may provide a good foundation for learning languages in general.
Esperanto was developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s by ophthalmologist Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, an Ashkenazi Jew from Bialystok, now in Poland and previously in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but at the time part of the Russian Empire. After some ten years of development, which Zamenhof spent translating literature into the language as well as writing original prose and verse, the first Esperanto grammar was published in Warsaw in July 1887. The number of speakers grew rapidly over the next few decades, at first primarily in the Russian empire and Eastern Europe, then in Western Europe and the Americas, China, and Japan. In the early years speakers of Esperanto kept in contact primarily through correspondence and periodicals, but in 1905 the first world congress of Esperanto speakers was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Since then world congresses have been held in different countries every year, save for during the two World Wars. Since the Second World War, they have been attended by an average of over 2000 people, and by up to 6000.
4. What is the better known name of Horace's "Epistulae ad Pisonem"? Ars Poetica
==>this work instructs one on how to write poetry; Ars Poetica is a term meaning "The Art of Poetry" or "On the Nature of Poetry". Early examples of Ars Poetica by Aristotle and Horace have survived and have since spawned many other poems that bear the same name. Three of the most notable examples, including the work by Horace, are as follows.
==>Ars Poetica (also known as "The Art of Poetry", Epistula Ad Pisones, or Letters to Piso) was a treatise on poetics. It was first translated into English by Ben Jonson, Three quotes in particular are associated with the work:
"in medias res", or "into the middle of things"; this describes a popular narrative technique that appears frequently in ancient epics and remains popular to this day
"bonus dormitat Homerus" or "even Homer nods"; an indication that even the most skilled poet can make continuity errors
"ut pictura poesis", or "As is painting so is poetry", by which Horace meant that poetry (in its widest sense, "imaginative texts") merited the same careful interpretation that was, in Horace's day, reserved for painting.
5. What artist was struck in the face with a mallet by an envious rival, disfiguring him for life? Michelangelo
==> While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo not only developed his genius as a sculptor, but also excited the wrath of his rival, Torregiano, who struck him with a mallet, crushing the nose on his face and disfiguring him for life.
6. What is the longest movie ever made? Cure for Insomnia
==> The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV, is officially the world's longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5220 minutes (87 hours) in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem "A Cure for Insomnia" over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos.[1]
The movie is shot entirely on video, and its intended purpose actually was to be so unbelievably boring that it would put people to sleep thus curing insomnia. It is therefore disputed as to whether or not The Cure for Insomnia should even be considered as a candidate for the world's longest film in the strictest sense.
It was first played in its entirety at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 to February 3, 1987 in one continuous showing. It is not clear whether or not the movie has been shown since then. Considering that a DVD can only hold up to five hours of video at poor quality, The Cure for Insomnia would fill around 18 discs.
1. Ancient Greece continues to fascinate the hearts and minds of intelligent people the world over. For example, which English genius deciphered the pre-alphabetic Greek writing system known as Linear B? Michael Ventris.
==> Linear B was the writing system the ancient Greeks used before the alphabet was invented. It dates to ca. 1400-1200 BC, about half a millennium before Homer. Linear B only came to light in 1900, when Sir Arthur Evans began archaeological excavations at the Palace of Knossos on Crete. Michael Ventris first became fascinated with Linear B when he visited Sir Arthur Evans' "Minoan World" exhibition as a young boy. Witnesses report that Evans was showing the schoolboys some of the Linear B tablets, when a small voice piped up, "You say they haven't been deciphered, sir?" From that moment onwards, Ventris was obsessed with deciphering Linear B. He attended the Architectural Association school to become an architect, and served in the Royal Air Force during WWII, but always kept his interest in Linear B alive. In 1951, Ventris quit his job as an architect to work on Linear B exclusively. He deciphered Linear B the next year, in 1952, at the age of 30. Ventris' decipherment was especially remarkable for two reasons. First, there is no "Rosetta Stone," no bilingual inscription containing a text in Linear B with a translation in a known language. Ventris could only work from observations of the internal structure of Linear B. Second, Ventris had no professional training in the Classics, even though he was a brilliant polyglot. He was simply a gifted amateur who succeeded when two generations of Classical scholars had failed. Sadly, Ventris' life took on a "tragic hero" quality after the decipherment. Once the fame and glory wore off, what could he do next? He was never interested in reading the texts, just in the challenge of decipherment, and didn't have the Classical training to pursue Linear B research further. He took a prestigious architectural job, only to turn it down a short time later because he felt inadequate for the task. It was clear to friends that Ventris was feeling increasingly depressed and dissatisfied with his life. What should he have done? We'll never know. Ventris died in a car accident under mysterious circumstances in 1956. He was only 34.
2. Parsees are modern practitioners in India of what 'ism'? Zoroastrianism
==> Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion of Persia. The founding of this religion is assigned to Zoroaster (Zarathustra) but the tenets of the religion are probably even more ancient. The holy book of the Zoroastrians is called the Zend Avesta, and like the Christians, the Zoroastrians believe that there is a supernatural conflict between good and evil forces, personified by Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu (similar to God and the Devil).
3. Esperanto
==> the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. [2] The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book of Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. The word "esperanto" means 'one who hopes'. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding.
Although no country has adopted the language officially, it has enjoyed continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers for over a century. By most estimates, there are approximately a thousand native speakers.[3]
Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, television (Internacia Televido), and radio broadcasting.[4] Some state education systems offer elective courses in Esperanto, and in one university, the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj in San Marino, Esperanto is the language of instruction. There is evidence that learning Esperanto may provide a good foundation for learning languages in general.
Esperanto was developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s by ophthalmologist Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, an Ashkenazi Jew from Bialystok, now in Poland and previously in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but at the time part of the Russian Empire. After some ten years of development, which Zamenhof spent translating literature into the language as well as writing original prose and verse, the first Esperanto grammar was published in Warsaw in July 1887. The number of speakers grew rapidly over the next few decades, at first primarily in the Russian empire and Eastern Europe, then in Western Europe and the Americas, China, and Japan. In the early years speakers of Esperanto kept in contact primarily through correspondence and periodicals, but in 1905 the first world congress of Esperanto speakers was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Since then world congresses have been held in different countries every year, save for during the two World Wars. Since the Second World War, they have been attended by an average of over 2000 people, and by up to 6000.
4. What is the better known name of Horace's "Epistulae ad Pisonem"? Ars Poetica
==>this work instructs one on how to write poetry; Ars Poetica is a term meaning "The Art of Poetry" or "On the Nature of Poetry". Early examples of Ars Poetica by Aristotle and Horace have survived and have since spawned many other poems that bear the same name. Three of the most notable examples, including the work by Horace, are as follows.
==>Ars Poetica (also known as "The Art of Poetry", Epistula Ad Pisones, or Letters to Piso) was a treatise on poetics. It was first translated into English by Ben Jonson, Three quotes in particular are associated with the work:
"in medias res", or "into the middle of things"; this describes a popular narrative technique that appears frequently in ancient epics and remains popular to this day
"bonus dormitat Homerus" or "even Homer nods"; an indication that even the most skilled poet can make continuity errors
"ut pictura poesis", or "As is painting so is poetry", by which Horace meant that poetry (in its widest sense, "imaginative texts") merited the same careful interpretation that was, in Horace's day, reserved for painting.
5. What artist was struck in the face with a mallet by an envious rival, disfiguring him for life? Michelangelo
==> While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo not only developed his genius as a sculptor, but also excited the wrath of his rival, Torregiano, who struck him with a mallet, crushing the nose on his face and disfiguring him for life.
6. What is the longest movie ever made? Cure for Insomnia
==> The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV, is officially the world's longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5220 minutes (87 hours) in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem "A Cure for Insomnia" over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos.[1]
The movie is shot entirely on video, and its intended purpose actually was to be so unbelievably boring that it would put people to sleep thus curing insomnia. It is therefore disputed as to whether or not The Cure for Insomnia should even be considered as a candidate for the world's longest film in the strictest sense.
It was first played in its entirety at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 to February 3, 1987 in one continuous showing. It is not clear whether or not the movie has been shown since then. Considering that a DVD can only hold up to five hours of video at poor quality, The Cure for Insomnia would fill around 18 discs.
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