The Filipino-American War-The Forgotten War

How many of you (who are 50 years old or younger) have heard of the Philippine-American War, 1899-1902? The two videos summarizes the war for your information and perhaps wonderment! You will enjoy these two videos if you love history. As the saying goes, you will never know your Future if you do not look back to your Past.

A more detailed description of this war can be found in Andrew J. Birtle book " US Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations, 1860-1941.

Memorable First Lines from My Ten Favorite Books

Do you read books? If so what are you favorites and why? I used to read a lot of books before I started blogging. Today, I find I had no time to read leisurely, although occasionally, I will indulge in this pleasurable activity. Below are the first lines from famous books that I loved. They are mostly the first sentence but sometimes the following sentences are included when the first sentence is short. This list of books is a mix of classics and modern novels. My favorite is Book #1. How about you? Are you a book reader or just A TV enthusiast? I suggest that even if you are not an avid book reader, try #1, #8 or #10. It will be worth your time, I promise.

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,....

2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him. Yossarian was in the hospital with a pain in his liver that fell just short of being jaundice.

3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: At the beginning of July, during a spell of exceptionally hot weather, towards evening, a certain young man came down on to the street from the little room he rented from some tenants in S--- Lane and slowly, almost hesitantly, set off towards K---n Bridge.

4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling: Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

5. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

6. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

8. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery.

9. The Godfather by Mario Puzo: Amergo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonor her.

10. Stupid White Men by Michael Moore: I am a citizen of the United States of America. Our government has been overthrown. Our elected President has been exiled. Old white men wielding martinis and wearing dickies have occupied our nation's capital.

Source: Andy of pubquizhelp.com

Note: How many of the above books have you read?

Ditas Katague Solo Art Show a Success

This weekend, Macrine, David III and I attended Ditas Art Show at the Capitol Towers Penthouse in downtown Sacramento. The show was beautiful and inspiring and the venue has a mesmerizing and breathtaking view of the Capitol. At 3.20 of the slide show is the first selfie of my wife of 57 years, Macrine Nieva Jambalos Katague with Ditas and Me. Enjoy the video.

Post by Ditas Katague.

All you want to Know about Papayas, but were Afraid to Ask

The other day, while shopping at our local grocery store(Food Maxx) my eyes bulged with excitement when I saw Mexican papayas on sale. The price was 90c per pound about 20c less off the regular price. Normally, I do not buy Mexican papayas, because they are not as sweet as the Papayas grown in Hawaii or in the Philippines. However, because my wife is constipated ( side effects of her PD medicine), any variety of papaya will be good for her BM.
The above incident reminded me of the article I wrote four years ago about the Papaya trees in my garden, that I am reposting today as follows:



I have about six varieties of papaya trees in my garden at Chateau Du Mer in Boac, Marinduque. Of the six varieties, I like the Solo variety imported from Hawaii. The fruits are small but sweet and firm. The other varieties yields bigger fruits but is not as sweet and firm. (see photo above)

Speaking of Papaya Fruits, I am proud to inform readers of this blog, that my doctoral thesis from the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA was on the Papaya Fruit. The title of my thesis was " Chromatographic Analysis of the Volatile Components of the Papaya Fruit". This was published by the Journal of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vol 54, No 6, pages 891-894 dated June, 1965. The following is additional information about the Papaya from Wikipedia.

Originally from southern Mexico, particularly Chiapas and Veracruz, Central America and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most tropical countries, such as Brazil, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Philippines and Jamaica. In cultivation, it grows rapidly, fruiting within 3 years. It is, however, highly frost sensitive.

In the 1990s, the papaya ringspot virus threatened to wipe out Hawaii’s papaya industry completely. Two varieties of papaya, SunUp and Rainbow, that had been genetically modified to be resistant to the virus, were introduced into Hawaii.By 2010, 80% of Hawaiian papaya was genetically modified. Today there is still no conventional or organic method of controlling the ringspot virus. In 2004, non-genetically modified and organic papayas throughout Hawaii had experienced hybridization with the genetically modified varieties.

Papaya Fruit
Uses

Papaya can be used as a food, a cooking aid, and in medicine. The stem and bark are also used in rope production.

Gastronomy

The ripe fruit is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds. The unripe green fruit of papaya can be eaten cooked, usually in curries, salads and stews. It has a relatively high amount of pectin, which can be used to make jellies.

Green papaya is used in Thai and Filipino cuisine, both raw and cooked.

The black seeds are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground up and used as a substitute for black pepper. In some parts of Asia the young leaves of papaya are steamed and eaten like spinach. In parts of the world papaya leaves are made into tea as a preventative for malaria, though there is no real scientific evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment. The following is Papaya, raw Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 163 kJ (39 kcal)
Carbohydrates 9.81 g
Sugars 5.90 g
Dietary fibre 1.8 g
Fat 0.14 g
Protein 0.61 g
Vitamin A equiv. 55 μg (6%)
- beta-carotene 276 μg (3%)
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.04 mg (3%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.05 mg (3%)
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.338 mg (2%)
Vitamin B6 0.1 mg (8%)
Vitamin C 61.8 mg (103%)
Calcium 24 mg (2%)
Iron 0.10 mg (1%)
Magnesium 10 mg (3%)
Phosphorus 5 mg (1%)
Potassium 257 mg (5%)
Sodium 3 mg (0%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.

Cooking

Green papaya fruit and the tree's latex are both rich in an enzyme called papain, a protease which is useful in tenderizing meat and other proteins. Its ability to break down tough meat fibers was used for thousands of years by indigenous Americans. It is included as a component in powdered meat tenderizers.

Here's a short video of commercial papaya farming from Australia




Medicine

Papaya is marketed in tablet form to remedy digestive problems.

Papain is also applied topically (in countries where it grows) for the treatment of cuts, rashes, stings and burns. Papain ointment is commonly made from fermented papaya flesh, and is applied as a gel-like paste. Harrison Ford was treated for a ruptured disc incurred during filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom by papain injections.

Women in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other countries have long used green papaya as a folk remedy for contraception and abortion. Enslaved women in the West Indies were noted for consuming papaya to prevent pregnancies and thus preventing their children from being born into slavery.[citation needed] Medical research in animals has confirmed the contraceptive and abortifacient capability of papaya, and also found that papaya seeds have contraceptive effects in adult male langur monkeys, possibly in adult male humans as well.[11] Unripe papaya is especially effective in large amounts or high doses. Ripe papaya is not teratogenic and will not cause miscarriage in small amounts. Phytochemicals in papaya may suppress the effects of progesterone.

Papaya is frequently used as a hair conditioner, but should be used in small amounts. Papaya releases a latex fluid when not quite ripe, which can cause irritation and provoke allergic reaction in some people. The papaya fruit, seeds, latex, and leaves also contains carpaine, an anthelmintic alkaloid (a drug that removes parasitic worms from the body), which can be dangerous in high doses.

It is speculated that unripe papayas may cause miscarriage due to latex content that may cause uterine contractions which may lead to a miscarriage. Papaya seed extracts in large doses have a contraceptive effect on rats and monkeys, but in small doses have no effect on the unborn animals.

Excessive consumption of papaya can cause carotenemia, the yellowing of soles and palms, which is otherwise harmless. However, a very large dose would need to be consumed; papaya contains about 6% of the level of beta carotene found in carrots (the most common cause of carotenemia) per 100g.

Medicinal potential

* The juice has an antiproliferative effect on in vitro liver cancer cells, probably due to its component of lycopene or immune system stimulation.[16]

* Papaya seed could be used as an antibacterial agent for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus or Salmonella typhi, although further research is needed before advocating large-scale therapy.

* Papaya seed extract may be nephroprotective (protect the kidneys) in toxicity-induced kidney failure.

For a change of mood, here's how to make green papaya salad the Thai Way!(different from the Philippine acharra)

You are from Marinduque, so, you must be Rich?

I was updating my old blog files yesterday, I found this article I wrote three years ago. I found most of the ideas in this blog still applies today. I am reposting it in case you have not read it.

Marinduque Sunset

You are from Marinduque, So,You Must be Rich!

This is a statement from my new Filipino-American mailman. I was surprise of his statement and ask why he has that impression. Well, you have the copper, gold and iron mines don't you? When I told him the mines had been closed for a while, he replied, I did not know that.

Latest Mining News :On 26 July, 2010, the provincial board of the Marinduque approved a resolution reiterating the declaration of a 50-year large scale mining moratorium issued in the year 2005, 'so as to avoid further impairment and damage' to their 'affluent island province'.

So, I ask him where did he grew up in the Philippines and when did he immigrated to US. He said he grew up in the Manila area and has been in US since 1985.

Evidently, there is a lot of misinformation about Marinduque even from Filipino-Americans here in US. This is only not true here in the Sacramento area, but also in Chicago, Kansas City, Washington, DC, but most of all here in Northern California. The above places I have listed are places where we have resided since 1960. A lot of these Filipino- Americans, professionals or non-professionals only have a vague idea of where Marinduque is located in the Philippines. Some think it is a Visayan province. Only a few know that it is a southern Tagalog province. Most non-Filipinos confused it with the eastern Carribean island of Martinique.

One of the reasons why Marinduque is not known to most Filipino-Americans here in US is the lack of publicity and information about Marinduque in the Internet. Even the provincial website was just recently activated and had not been operational for quite a while. Today, there are only a few web sites, mostly personal and travel blogs describing the beauty of the island. I am doing my best in promoting tourism to Marinduque with my nine blogs about the beauty of our island. Recently, I received the following e-mail from Mr Ricamonte of ABS-CBN. This will indeed promote travel to Marinduque once the project is completed.

Hi David,

"I'm Erwin Ricamonte of ABS-CBN Global The Filipino Channel, Currently we are producing TFC Connect, a five minute program that gives an update about the Philippines for the subscribers worldwide. I would like to ask for your help if you have contact with the Marinduque Province such as the Tourism Department. I read an article about Marinduque and I saw your email address.

We would like to feature the Marinduque as of the best tourist destination for our kababayan abroad. I'm looking for your favorable response. Thank you very much".

ERWIN RICAMONTE
Interstitial Production and Program Development
Integrated Global Content
415.2272 local 4471
0917.3080421 / 0928.9575281

I immediately forwarded the e-mail to two of my contacts in Marinduque- Mr Eli Obligacion( blogger and writer) and Mr. Jerry Jamilla(provincial tourism officer).I am not sure if they had made contact with Mr.Ricamonte. I hope that this TV project has been completed by now. It will certainly help in enticing Filipino-Americans to visit Marinduque.

So if you are from Marinduque, help me achieve my goals of making Marinduque a tourist attraction not only during Easter but also whole year round by supporting my websites.

Related News: In yesterday's meeting of the provincial board of the province of Marinduque, the 50 year ban on mining in Marinduque has been upheld/renewed. Are you in favor of mining in Marinduque or not?

Sunset and Twilight at Chateau Du Mer in Marinduque

My favorite time of the day in Marinduque is at sunset and at twilight. During this time and up to midnight, I could show case my more than 50 solar lights of various types around the resort. Besides the solar lights, I have installed spot lights in all of the statuary's and garden sculptures near the Conference Hall and also in the Main House. The three photos( taken at twilight) above focused on the bridge lighting (red and white). The bridge is the focal point of the landscaping design of the beach house.




Solar Lights as viewed from the Conference Hall







The creek under the bridge is filled with native fish, crabs and snails during the summer season. Two years ago, I seeded the creek with tilapias in November. By May, it was already about 3 to 5 lbs. I feed the tilapias twice a day with commercial fish food. I told Edwin, my caretaker to harvest them before the rainy season, otherwise they will be flushed into the ocean, when the monsoon rains start around July-August. Edwin was able to harvest more than a dozen for his table. A couple of tilapias that remained in the creek were flushed into the ocean by August.


This photo is one of my favorite sunset picture taken from the balcony of the beach house. Macrine and I hope to see you soon in Marinduque-our island Paradise.