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From the way it looked, the United Nations is using a new kind of international diplomacy, which when further scrutinized could be misconstrued as a way of pampering North Korea into opening up its doors to U.N. nuclear inspectors. And as a gift for North Korea's softened stance, the U.N. has rewarded it with a tanker of oil as part of a six-nation deal that would eventually stop its nuclear development projects. The Los Angeles Times said today that this is the first time that U.N. experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency were allowed entry into this hermit kingdom, whose economic survival was suspected to be sourced out from its illegal trade of counterfeits, drugs and missiles to some oil-rich Middle East countries. Under the agreement, North Korea is expected to receive an estimated 50,000 tons of oil in exchange for the shutting down of its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Many people knew first hand that what the U.N. did was a strategic way of encouraging the rogue commu...

Accidents at sea are a common occurrence in Philippine waters, especially at the start of the monsoon season when storms frequently visit the country on a yearly basis without letup. However, this trend has not caused so much among owners of sea-going vessels to take a look as to the real causes of these sea tragedies that oftentimes claim innocent lives. Officials of the Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) admitted that some of the causes are traced to human errors or that the vessels being used to transport cargo and passengers are already unfit for transport use. With reconditioned engines and poor maintenance, the vessels could not cope with the batterings of big waves on stormy nights at sea. This is not to mention the lack of training for sea personnel manning these commercial sea-going vessels, which all the more aggravate the situation. Perhaps, this was what happened to the ill-fated m/v Dona Paz which sank, after it collided with a foreign oil tanker off ...

The recent execution of China's head of the food and drug safety agency was a real eye opener for other Asian countries and elsewhere in the world to emulate. Perhaps, it also about time that laws against drug traffickers and dealers should be crafted to allow for their execution, even its against the will of God. According to the bible,, it is inhuman to execute any person just because he had done something terrible on this earth. Now, we can see the clear distinction between a christian country and China, whose belief in God is a myth. Records showed that China's policy on certain crimes committed by its citizens are met with harsh realities as what happened to the chief of the food and drug safety agency, whose primary task is to safeguard food and drug production in China. It wasn't the first time that China did it. There were a lot of times in the past when the government had executed hardened criminals, too. The question now is whether this type of harsh manifestation...

A hot and sensitive issue to tackle, indeed. This is one reason why other people just don't want to get involved. Or are they pretending to be ignoramus on the subject matter that is causing so much stir the world over. In the first place, why bother at all to get involved on such a hot topic? We should be aware that racial discrimination is so flagrant, especially in Europe, where the royal families have took roots for centuries before its influence on the political system has ebbed out after many decades of existence. Exactly, nobody knows who was behind the propagation of this ungodly practice, which all the more tends to take sides on those who have excellent physical and mental attributes. Is racial discrimination meant for those who are ugly, and those who are handsome since birth, or whose birthrights have descended from the royal bloods in Europe or any countries in the West for that matter, have carved spots in heaven? While those who are not, are surely doomed to hell? So...

Have you ever wondered why so many people are attracted to the cities? Not strange at all. It could be that some of them just wanted to feel how it's like to be in the cities, with all those amenities and conveniences all around. Unlike in the rural areas, life is drab and laid back. But why trade simple living or fresh foods to eat and air to breath for chaotic and polluted atmosphere in most cities? As people are pulled to the cities, space gets constricted thus leaving the cities more densely populated. With the cities already bursting at the seams, more people are added thereby straining the delivery of quality basic services intended for those who need them most. As the city population grows, accommodation for housing facilities become problematic. Without a place to stay, rural migrants are forced to squat in slum areas, particularly along the creek or river banks that are not fit for humans. And what do you expect when squatter colonies take shape in these areas? With no ame...

Time and again, it is frustrating to hear that some unscrupulous people were reaping huge profits at the expense of innocent women, whose only intention was to land a job for them to improve their lives and that of their families. Instead, they ended up as prostitutes in some brothels in some parts of Asia, which is against their will. How do these unscrupulous people perpetrate their modus operandi? First, they pick a newspaper where they would advertise their phony vacancies abroad. When the applicants start coming in, they would screen each and then required to submit some more papers for the processing of their visas. After the selection process, each successful applicant is asked to cough up money as placement fees, and those who do not have cash are forced to pawn their properties or make some loans from friends and relatives just to come up with the agency's placement fees. The Philippines, along with the rest of Asian countries, has not been spared of this problem. Most oft...