Save the old/historic heritage buildings

Four sailors were asked what to them are the best things in life. They all said: “Girls” See? Didn’t I say here some columns back that the best things in life are she?

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“Who says monosodium glutamate (MSG) is safe?” asked a TF article by Eleanor E. Valeros. The answer, Eleanor, is “Safe.” That is to the millions of living and unliving people. (I have a friend who doesn’t want to call dead people dead but unliving.)

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These millions insist MSG is “safe”, otherwise they won’t be calling it “lami” and keep using it on food they cook and eat, never mind what the experts say.

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The news headline says: “BOPK told to straighten facts.” In politics “crooked facts” are sometimes left unstraightened depending on which political camp gets the gravy.

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This article here says that more women drink (that is, drink alcoholic drinks) than men. I heard someone on TV commenting on this saying: “That’s why more women get pregnant than men.” Slip of the tongue?

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Did you know that there was a time in Manila’s history that Manilans were called Moros? Yes, there was such a time, according to Dr. Wadi (forgot the first name), a Muslim dean in UP-Diliman. Now only a few people in Manila are called Moros, those living in Muslim communities around the Quiapo area. But the young ones do not want to be called Moros anymore but Manilans. 

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Dr. Martin Española, a Cebuano-Boholano anthropologist in the States, is saddened by newspaper reports that some old/ historic structures in the Philippines are being torn down to give way to new and modern buildings. “There must be a way to go modern even as we save the old structures,” he said in a history forum.

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Dr. Española said that in Singapore, the government is spending millions of dollars to save from destruction heritage buildings and residential houses for future generations of Singaporeans to see what Singapore used to be. “So that today one still sees old one-storey shops existing under the shadow of modern skyscrapers,” he said.

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An unbeaten but unknown boxer from Barbados says he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao. Manny’s promoter Bob Arum might give him a chance if he could assure Arum of a crowd of at least 20,000 paying fight fans

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In boxing, which some fight promoters call an industry, it’s the number that counts. In other words, if a boxer, even a patsy, can convince the promoter of big money at the gates and on TV (for the pay-per-view arrangement) he can get a shot at a title and the chance to get down the ring wealthy. That’s fight business.

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OVERHEARD. A boy, about 10 years old, collecting used candles from the graves in a memorial park was asked by another boy: “Daghan na ka napundok kandila, Bai?” Reply: “Daghan na unta, mga gatosan  na gyud to, pero giimbargo man sa polis.” Second boy: “Dili to polis oy. Nasumbagan gani to ni papa kay gisuwayan ilog akong mga kandila.”