More Spam Tales, and other stuff.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Or written years ago, unedited/not updated.

MORE SPAM TALES. The subject matter says, “What have you cooked lately?” From someone with only a first name, that is also the first name of one of my daughters. So I clicked. Someone was selling me pot (I mean, Le Creuset kitchenware), not what you're thinking. [2] A startling email comes in, heading: “What is wrong with your neighbor?” sent by a dude named Alfred. So I thought, maybe a concerned fella who shares my frustration over neighbors who whine a lot when Georgia barks 7 consecutive times 7 times a month, dig? So I clicked. It was a campaign blurb from a politician in my state.

       Days ago, I got an email with a subject that said, “Happy Birthday! How are you these days?” Sent by a (supposedly) lady whose name was an ex's name, right? Oh well, an ex-girlfriend has forgiven my past shenanigans—after 15 years??? So I clicked. It was a spam-pitch to a weekend in a spa/resort in Charleston, 25 percent discount with free volcanic stones (whoa!) and meditation CD by Yanni—if I purchase the offer in two days with a credit card. Damn! I was in Las Vegas?!? LOL!

       An older lady, supposedly a common friend of a number of FB friends (that I know in person), wanted to be friends. So no problem... Internet friends evolve into “outernet” (my word) friends. Then she asked for my email address. No problem. Then she talked about God and a $5 million sitting in a Nigerian bank waiting for me. I immediately unfriended her. I don't need $5 million to support my ramen noodles addiction! LOL! That's too much moolah! 😏😒🤨

I RESPECT those who unfriend “friends” due to differences in choices in presidential candidates, food/eating behavior, ideological preference, religious faith, or March Madness bracketology. But me? I prefer my FB “friends” to be very diverse. Like a Chinese-Italian-Pan American buffet. I dig a marketplace of crisscrossing sensibilities and scrimmages of views—as long as people “speak up” with words rather than spit out one-line or one word snides. Well, wit and intelligence or idiocy and jerkness come not just from my side of the fence—wisdom and coolness as well as dafuqness and stupidity also emanate from the other side or somewhere in the middle. 

       The universe is a world-music open jam. Just because some people don't agree with me—doesn't mean that they are dumb or nincompoops. That is ignorance. Let us try to learn life from people who seem so different from us—and not just from those who sing in our own choir. Dig? 🏛🗽🏛

THERE is a lot of “news” these days that point to other countries and cultures inferring that these people/governments need to clean up their act because our system is much better—instead of in-depth/investigative reportage about local/domestic issues that hit the gut. It's fine to write about international happenings if these somehow revolve around our government's foreign policy and other internal concerns but if we are just going to pick on peoples' ways and lifestyles with the aim to accentuate that they suck and need to behave because we said so, our so-called voice will only fall bounce back at us. 

       If others eat snails dipped on bilimbi sauce so be it, we have our own bizarre foods to enjoy. If others jail people for “mere” spray-painting one's new Buick so be it, we got our own share of dafuq laws to amend. There are so many matters within our fences, basic and important, to cover as media practitioners other than write stories that are more replete with “opinionated” self-righteous yarns than straight info (4 Ws, 1 H). Otherwise, it'd be more sensical for (some of) the current media to just post a damn funny cat video or a Bee Gees song like “Stayin' Alive.” I am talking about me as a Filipino and a resident of America, the Philippines and the US of A. 🙂🙃😎

Compilation of short MORNING THOUGHTS.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Sad. Yesterday: 9/11. Yet not many posted thoughts about it. Most that I read are the usual Trump shaming. How quick the reverb of Jan 6 muted Uvalde or how many know that there have been 314 U.S. mass shootings this year, so far? Inflation is still 8.5 percent. Average inflation between 2016 and 2020: 1.9 percent. Gasoline per gallon is over $3. Same month, 2020: $2.06. Do we care? Anything Trump is the undisputed highlight of media fancy and American primetime. 👈👀👉

I am never extreme. Or either/or kind of dude. I got definite no’s as private thingies but I am basically here and there where stuff and things are essentially cool to the majority. Issues that I don’t agree with don’t prod me to lose friendships. Takes more than those. I eat anything that is called Food. I drink all beers or kinds of alcohol/intoxications with a personal limit. Etcetera. People? Left, Right, Center, wherever. Let’s talk about it. Complete sentences only. 😛🤓😎

Queen Elizabeth has died. She is 96 years old. We age and then we pass away. Amidst all the superlatives, I view Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor as the Queen of Great Britain which colonized, subjugated, and plundered many nations for centuries. In current times, the Royals receive $86 million in annual “sovereign fund” from taxpayers. A fitting legacy would be allotment of at least half of the Windsors’ yearly dough to poor Africa, which they ruled for years.☮️☮️☮️

Facebook posts are mostly about four subjects: (1) Funny, non-political memes. (2) Private/TMI drama. (3) Grownup insight. And (4) Irritating same political dissing as in the last 6 years. The first three are fine with me. Seldom I read #3. But I get overwhelmed by #4. Those snides, asides, crassness etcetera are usually consigned as high school crap/jokes in my time, you know what I mean? But sadly, on Social Media, those shamings are posted by old people, or older than me. 🗣👥🫂

A flawed cultural mindset among Filipinos is defined “colonial mentality.” For example, those who are U.S.-educated think they are smarter than those who studied back home. Or anything “stateside” is the best. A whiter skin, “pointed” nose, taller height, kickass New York (or British) accent means you are “better.” As (former) editor/writer for Fil-Am newspapers in NYC and Los Angeles, I came across this annoying discriminatory attitude among my “kababayans.” 🇵🇭🐓🇵🇭

Annoying bickering politicians are all narcissism gig. Or they are simply telling their PAC benefactors that they haven’t forgotten the quid pro quo? Party supremacy wrestle: Blame Right, diss Left. Bipartisanship is integral in participatory democracy. But then the infighting, headbutting, or juvenile murkthrow have slid louder onto their blocs. Hence, many are confused what’d be the apt policies and/or deserving leadership. So they just refuse to vote at all. 🗣👥🫂

Unless I live in Iran or North Korea—then this “banned books” would be real. Banned books in a county in Tennessee and the entire Florida public school system isn’t “banned books.” There are 50 states and 3,006 counties in the U.S. Cross state lines and purchase a book! What about Amazon or eBay? My question is: Do you really read a book? My issue: Ban the gadget at least 3 hours a day so we are rested from memes and instead read “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. 📚📚📚

Clearly, climate change is President Biden’s focus—alongside its contradiction, a hawkish foreign policy. Meanwhile, sure we can fix half of the world’s environment but if the other half is “unfixed,” what is the point? We are one Earth. The issue is both complex and linear. Then I point at Ukraine War and the battle for oil. So I question the sincerity. If superpowers end wars instead of pursuing them, then we can indeed stay true with “climate change.” But when?☮️☮️☮️

Memes, not including the obvious funny stuff—are like placards or billboards that howl a protest call or promotes a product. Placards could be cryptic sometimes but mostly straight to the point: Change! Billboards can be subliminal but the point is delivered: Buy! Memes though are different. Whether they are political or business, many are outright lies, distortions, or misleading. Or simply don’t make sense at all. I guess, that’s what we call “influencing.” Or rebranding? 🤨🧐🤪

Unless I decide to carry on a non-sexual friendship with an ex, all my (romantic) relationships in the past—are closed books. No interest in finding out what’s going on with their life and no please don’t talk about me. I sincerely wish them the best. “Moving on” is serious business to me. As Boz Scaggs sang: “Once a story's told / It can't help but grow old.” I do dig “old” but that’d be books by Paul Theroux, movies by Akira Kurosawa, songs by Bee Gees, and wisdom by grandma. ⏰📺☎️

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And Jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

OBEDIENCE Training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. The training makes an effort to teach the dog to reliably respond to basic verbal commands such as “sit,” “down,” “come,” and “stay.” Good. In case your dog gets smarter than that, and now knows how to google, click a Netflix series, chat with the Amazon delivery person, act as a reliable sous chef, among others–that’s because the cat trained them. 🐕👍🐕

GOOGLE search says dog breeds that are often independent include the sighthounds, some of the spitz breeds, most of the terriers, some of the working dogs, and some others. As per my experience with babedawgs, all of them are independent-minded, especially those who coexist with cats (who are naturally geniuses) under one roof. Thing is, we stereotype dogs like how we stereotype people. Ha! We fail to recognize their true value as Republicans or Democrats. LOL! 🐕🐩🐕‍🦺

ACCORDING to on heterosexual couples, women were more likely to date a man with a dog because he appeared more responsible, empathetic, and caring. Men, get that? Now go adapt a dog at Brother Wolf and hang at Westville Pub’s patio. 👨‍🦰🐕👩‍🦰

NO secret that pets can contribute to your happiness. Studies show that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression; ease loneliness; encourage exercise and improve your overall health. For example, people with dogs tend to have lower blood pressure and are less likely to develop heart disease. However, another study revealed that dogs tend to leave the house, with cats, when owners seem unable to shake the political hate. You know what I mean? They can’t cure those. 🐕🥰🐈

MOST dogs were born to be in the spotlight and really love being photographed. Other pups may be less willing to hold still and look at the camera though. Arrow used to love photos when she was young. Not that enthusiastic anymore. When koolcats Ching and Fizz arrived here, and Ching took most attention, Arrow simply gave way to the new rock star, the boss. Fizz doesn’t really care about photos and stuff. She prefers to be alone, mostly. 🐕👑🐕

TYPICAL American alcoholic beers average 4 percent to 5 percent alcohol (ethanol) by volume, but some can be much higher. Beer contains minerals such as magnesium, potassium, selenium, and B vitamins. Get that? B vitamins. B vitamins. 🍺🍻🍺

CANINE drama queens are known as “reactive” dogs. As with human drama queens (and kings), reactive dogs respond in an overly emotional manner to life events―even rather mundane ones. Arrow can be a drama queen, too. When she sees our friend Lucy walking with Brando (her dog) up the hill, Arrow would go “OMG! My friends!!!” When there’s too much noise outside, “OMG! WTF!” When we go for a ride, “OMG! OMG!” Just being Arrow. 🐕😭🐕

EXPERTS say cats secretly hate having their picture taken constantly. You might like to take photos of your cat, but what you might not realize is that your cat might now want your phone in their face 24/7. Not in my years of experience with cats though. (The late) Elle Cyd The Koolcat loved photo-shoots. These days, Fizz may not so high and hot with my cell cam on her face (she is generally aloof) but Ching is always ready for a nice shoot. Whenever, wherever. 🐱📸🐱

STAY-AT-HOME dad is a father who is the main caregiver of the children and is generally the homemaker of the household. I am a stay-at-home dad, pretty much. But to a dog and two cats. Uh huh. 🧓👶🧔‍♂️

The USDA peels or scrubs and washes produce samples before testing, whereas the FDA only removes dirt before testing its samples. Even after these steps, the tests still find traces 251 different pesticides. So don’t give me the damn wellness food lecture. Eat! 🥦⛽️🥬

Compilation of short MORNING THOUGHTS.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

A popular meme says if you don’t know how to plant, you will never eat—or something to that effect. Very true in the past. People grew (or raised) their food and then sold the rest. Then life evolved. With the way ideological overreach influences stuff these days? Lab-grown foods and “automated” farmers acting/reacting based on algorithm, and most likely weather will be regulated soon by AI? Those who plant old-school way will be outlawed as guerrillas or rebels. 🌿🪺🪴

So Liz Truss resigned. The U.K., of recent years, is marred with/by awful leadership. Theresa May and Boris Johnson both resigned. Tough in Europe right now, tougher than the U.S. That is why we’d focus more on Trump’s mouth than his 3.6 percent inflation average. Or Biden’s performance, 8.2 inflation rate from double-digit. In so short a time as PM, Liz went from here to there and back. Ineptitude and indecisions as Britain reels from a 13.6 percent inflation. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Sports News: “Hornets guard James Bouknight arrested on suspicion of DWI.” How many times do we read news of this sort? Many times. I guess, the 22-year old Jimmy got thorough tongue-lashing from mom? His salary in the NBA is $4,787,804! You don’t earn that moolah even after a PhD. I am not saying that Mr Bouknight’s career is over on his 2nd year. Just saying that’d be a way to ruin your cool job. And he isn’t even near the quality play of a LeBron, Luka, or Zion. ‍👎 🏀 👎

What’s great about streaming TV is cultural diversity. We get to watch movies from other countries beyond Hollywood. Different worldview or takes on life and living. Before Netflix, Hulu etcetera, I used to borrow foreign films on DVDs at public libraries in Asheville: Abbas Kiarostami from Iran, Zhang Yimou from China, Akira Kurosawa from Japan, and many more. These days of streaming, my favorite foreign cinema is Nordic or Scandinavian. Try them. 🎥🎞📽

Former (Asian) NBA star Jeremy Lin is talking. Saying, he felt slighted by racist remarks from fellow pro ball players. I say, that’s how it goes. When Yao Ming was new in the league, he was openly ridiculed by opposing players on the bench. You can see the heckling on your TV screen. Filipinos are mostly mixed like Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green so they don’t look like Pinoys. They’re fine. I say, that’s just the way it is. BTW, the new season of NBA starts tonight. Fun! ?⛹️‍♂️🏀

My dream last night was disturbingly enlightening and a sort of my life’s figurative gist, sort of. As ever, my night dreams are complete hyper activities, with “real” people (that I know). My dearly departed mother is always in my dreams, alive. Dreams are endlessly fascinating. Fact is, our brain and body stay remarkably active while we are asleep. Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells neurons communicate with each other. Uh huh. 🥱🛌😴

In the 1970s (to `80s), I used to diligently listen to Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40.” I’d keep a notebook to keep tab of the standings, each week. Then RPM singles got swallowed by CDs; LPs turned into mixtapes. The individual song was gone in favor of the 1,001 sounds in an iPod. I don’t listen to “new” songs that much anymore. Derivatives of the past; heard `em all. Lyricism has lost creative glow. So I still follow Mr Kasem’s list though he’s long been gone. 🎹🎸🎼

Glad that I notice I get less annoying partisan/political shaming posts via the Group site “Suggested for you.” Facebook has already purged them? I am enjoying the Filipino cooking site “Kusinela.” A young lady, barely on her teens, cooks old-school outdoors on firewood. Very refreshing, nostalgic, and educational. I am also hooked on dog videos, especially featuring a wackadoo Chinese dude and his two witty Golden Retrievers. Are those dogs really doing those? LOL! 🥘🐕😂

The thinking that the New Left is Communist—is grossly misinformed. I always hear/read such a clueless assertion. In Communism, most property and economic resources are owned/controlled by the state rather than individual citizens; under Socialism, all citizens share equally in economic resources as allocated by an elected government. I don’t think the Democrats, which are funded by corporate wealth as do the Republicans, propagate those ideals. 🗣👥🫂

Showbiz gimmickry. Madonna posts “I'm Gay!” video. Madonna Louise Ciccone, now 64, has nothing to prove anymore. 1980s decadent confection are over. Yet, I agree, a ride on “correct” wagon these days ups your sales mojo; mere random quip on the contrary will dump your retirement ass in a hell of “shameful” dirt. So what if Madonna is gay, lesbian, and suddenly trans? Madonna is Madonna. But this is the age of Lizzo, Cardi B., and Dua Lipa. Next, please! 😛😜🤪

RECOMMENDED: Music. “Main Course” by Bee Gees.

RECOMMENDED: Music. “Main Course” by Bee Gees. Released in 1975. This album marked a major change for the Bee Gees: From the brothers Gibb’s 1960s confectionary melodicism, “Main Course” goes R&B, soul and funk, which punctuated their 1970s output—leading to “Saturday Night Fever” era disco madness. 

       Architect of this transformation was producer Arif Mardin and engineer Karl Richardson + keyboard player Blue Weaver. Actually, they began crafting this sound, anchored on Barry Gibb’s rich falsetto, in the previous album “Mr. Natural.” The turn proved to be successful and eventually rejuvenated the group's career and public image, particularly in the U.S.

       Sure, many call it disco with a smirk. But the music was essentially rhythm & blues that was technologically current, featuring ample use of synthesizers and dual bass lines. The cut “Wind of Change” is an apt example, interspersed with thick percussion backbeat and horn highlights. “Jive Talkin’” is another showcase of R&B inventiveness. 

       Of course, in this album you still get the obligatory Bee Gees sentimental shimmer via Robin Gibb’s lucid tremolo and Barry’s whispery baritone: “Country Lanes,” “Come on Over,” “Baby As You Turn Away.” The last album that featured Barry’s falsetto, though not dominant but it later on flourished in SNF time’s "You Should Be Dancing" and "Stayin' Alive.” 🎼🎹🎼

HOW IT WAS.

Compiled from my previous Facebook posts. 

In my life as a boy to young adulthood in the Philippines, the main transport vehicles were jeepneys, tricycles, and buses. Bus companies in the city: DM, JD, Love Bus. I’d sit by the gate of our (ancestral) house in Quezon City awaiting mom to alight from one of those buses. We maintained two residence cities: Manila/Quezon City and Baguio, up north–so the buses that serviced us, mostly: Pantranco, Dangwa, Dagupan Bus, Pambusco, or Philippine Rabbit. 🚌🇵🇭🚎

Sunday mass as community convergence and afternoon hang-out with friends and relatives. I was born into a predominantly Catholic culture interspersed with tribal ways or indigenous traditions in the Philippines or Asia. Contrary to what some consider it in these days of “culture wars,” I was culturally conditioned to heed Sunday mass not as a religious devotion or Faith-based allegiance. Culture. Life. Primal reasons to gather or coexist in a peaceful vibe. 👥👥☮️

Gardening in grade/high school in Manila. We called them “Practical Arts,” which included carpentry, home economics (cooking, sewing, cleaning house, budgeting food etc), automotive, electronics etcetera. I loved gardening the most. (Obviously.) I’d come home from school with a bag of “pechay,” eggplants, tomatoes, “ampalaya,” and cabbages. I’d prefer to spend the rest of my (old) life gardening. The feel of wet soil on my hands is transcendent. 🍆⛏🥬

Tricycles refer to a type of motorized vehicle consisting of a motorcycle and a passenger cab attached to it. In the provinces, a (pedaled) bicycle is mostly used. Along with the jeepney, the tricycle is one of the most common means of public or private transportation in the Philippines, especially in rural areas and suburban neighborhoods. Tricycles either ply a set route or are for-hire, like taxis. Very, very convenient for shorter routes. 🛵🛺🚲

Newsroom crunch time in those days. Busy, insistent chatter of typewriters as beat reporters deal with the day’s deadline. The editor would be hollering or shouting as he/she shuffled in the smoke-filled room. Before stories/copies were brought to the press, following editing by the desk, “war-room” discussion ensued. Each news report is discussed, discoursed, debated–especially those that ended on the front page or headline a.k.a. banner. Gone are those days. 📜✍️📰

Have you ever bathed in the rain? If you were born and grew up in the Pacific islands, as I am, then you spent many Julys of your childhood enjoying these sweet vertical graces from the heavenly sky! Fun! “Wet season” starts around late March to early September, punctuated by 100+ summer heat. So the rains that fall for weeks are much-welcome blessings in-between the punishing heatwave. We’d run, slide, and surf as laughter frolicked with the storm. 💦☔️💦

Street theater. I was a member of the premier, progressive theater organization in Manila, the Philippine Educational Theater Association / Kalinangan Ensemble. The group was instrumental in the protest movement vs. the dictatorship in the 1980s. We also taught in urban enclaves and grassroots communities. I wonder, in these times of internet/computer bombast, if street theater is still alive. What I see are activists who ruin classic art as protest. Sad. 🤹‍♀️🎭🎪

Midnight banter at the Luneta Park in Manila. People randomly gather to share thoughts and discourse stuff. Politics, religion, arts, culture etcetera. No rudeness, no heated debates. Yet there’s no appointed mediator. Just people in civil, peaceful conversational mode. Luneta Park is a.k.a. Rizal Park, a historic urban park located in Ermita district in Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area of 140 acres. 🗣👤👥

Songs then were “different.” Major reason why I don’t post/listen to a lot of new music but not that I am not into today’s music (or genre). Although I am not a fan of hip hop or rap, I am a huge listener of old R&B and soul. Black music, if you may. Today’s rock also sounds like the past. Nothing’s new. Sure, the Rolling Stones are still here but they are older than grandparents now. Jagger/Richards got nothing new to offer anymore. Old music is it for me. 🎼🎸🎼

Jeepneys or “dyipni” in the Philippines. Minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become a widespread symbol of Philippine culture and art. Music blares inside as passengers sit side by side. A Sarao jeepney was exhibited at the 1964 New York World's Fair as a national image for the Filipinos. 🚍🇵🇭🚍

Photos: CTTO. Nomadical Sabbatical. X.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

FAMOUS ROCKERS. Led Zeppelin, formed in London in 1968. Vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, drummer John Bonham (deceased, 1980). With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are cited as one of the progenitors of hard rock. The band was called New Yardbirds in 1963, an incarnation of the 1960s Yardbirds, which included three of rock music's best guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980. 

       I remember my early-morning bus ride to a moviehouse in Manila to patiently line up for almost 2 hours to watch Led Zeppelin’s 1976 concert movie “The Song Remains the Same.” Robert Plant: “Does anybody remember laughter?” 🎸🎼🎸

Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix in 1942 in Seattle. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1992, describes Mr Hendrix as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.” He died in 1970 due to “asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.” He was only 27. 🎸🎼🎸

GLOBAL FESTIVALS. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights and symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.” Diwali is celebrated between around mid-September and mid-November; mostly five or six days. Diwali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana. ☮️🇮🇳☮️

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS. Veterans Day is a federal holiday that is observed annually in the United States on November 11, in honor of military veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays in other countries that are commemorated to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of WW2 were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. 🇺🇸☮️🇺🇸

FAMOUS EVENTS. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly hot air balloon festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October. The fiesta is one of the most photographed events in the world. Balloon designs have featured cartoon animals, Star Wars characters and even the polar bear found on Klondike bars. The event is followed by the Grand Est Mondial Air in France, and the León International Balloon Festival in Mexico. (Photo: West Hawaii Today.) 🎈🎉🎈

Buffalo Roundup draws crowd to South Dakota's State Park. Event: South Dakota cowboys and cowgirls rounded up a herd of more than 1,500 bison as part of an annual effort to maintain the health of the species. The annual roundups began in 1965 with the viewing crowd growing to 16,000 to 20,000 people. The examinations include gathering biological information such as height, weight, and pregnancy checks. Calves are branded and vaccinated. (Photo: Daily Nonpareil.) 🦬🦬🦬

Halloween is a celebration on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day or Samhain Eve, a Wiccan festival. A day dedicated to remembering the dead and all the faithful departed. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, costume parties, carving pumpkins, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. 🎃👹🎃

CURRENT EVENTS. Palestine, a state in Western Asia; Mandatory Palestine, a geopolitical entity then under the British from 1920 to 1948; Palestinian territories or West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, areas occupied by Israel since 1967; Palestinian enclaves, those designated for Palestinians per U.S. and Israeli-led proposals. Palestine is the size of tiny Delaware, yet does it really exist? Can’t the 5 million Palestinians live in peace in a place they can call home? 🇮🇱☮️🇵🇸

FAMOUS RELICS. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. An outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet high, 7 feet wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. The whole monument, now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on summer solstice and sunset on winter solstice. Archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was constructed from around 3000 BC to 2000 BC. (Photo: English Heritage.) 🗿🇬🇧🗿

TRADITIONS. All Souls Day is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed by certain Christian denominations on 2 November. Through prayer, intercessions, alms and visits to cemeteries with flowers, people commemorate the poor souls in purgatory and gain them indulgences. Called “Undas,” observing All Souls' Day as a family holiday is a longstanding custom in the Filipino culture. November 1 is usually observed as All Saints’ Day. ✝️🇵🇭✝️