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Tourism Bit
New Cebu Street Guide
Mapmaker United Tourist Promotions (UTP) recently
released the new EZ Metro Cebu Street Guide (CSG), a
definitive street map of the Queen City of the South.
Featuring 116 pages of up-to-date maps, 1,580 landmarks
and more than 1,400 streets, the CSG also includes exact
locations of government offices, buildings, hotels,
resorts, restaurants, transportation hubs, tourist spots
and noteworthy landmarks which are indexed
alphabetically, along with easy-to-understand grid
coordinates.
“The EZ Map Metro Cebu Street Guide is an ideal guide
for travelers, tourists, expats, students, motorists,
professionals, potential investors, event organizers or
anyone who wants to master the growing metropolis like
the back of his hand,” says UTP owner Ariel D. Jersey,
adding that they spent two years producing the guide by
driving through the streets of Cebu using GPS satellite
data.
EZ Maps also has other destinations such as Boracay,
Metro Manila, Angeles City, Makati and Oritigas Central
Business Districts, Quezon City, San Fernando, Laoag,
Vigan, Subic, Bicol and Baguio. All are available at
National Bookstore outlets, gas service stations,
airports, seaports, hotel shops and tourist-oriented
establishments nationwide. For details, call
(02)551-0196, 551-0927, e-mail utp@ezmaps.info or log on
to www.ezmaps.info.
Environment Bit
Don’t Eat Fish
Serving fish at an aquarium is like serving poodle
burgers at a dog show. That’s the message that was sent
by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Asia-Pacific, asking Neonita Ong, manager of Ilanin Bay
Café at Ocean Adventure Park to remove all fish dishes
from the menu.
Despite the fact that fishes are intelligent animals
which feel pain and that part of Ocean Adventure Park’s
mission is to promote respect for marine animals, Ilanin
Bay Café serves the flesh of salmon, tuna, milk fish and
tanigue. Serving fish places Ilanin Bay Café’s customers
at risk. A report recently released by the World Health
Organization and the UN Food and
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Compiled by
Jacqueline L. Ong |
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Illustrations
by Carlo Cabrera |
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Agriculture Organization details the risks of
consuming fish. Mining in more than 20 provinces
has caused an estimated 140 tons of mercury to
be dumped into rivers in the Southern
Philippines, polluting the water and
contaminating fish. People who eat
mercury-tainted fish can suffer from headaches,
depression, fatigue and hormonal imbalances.
Fish flesh may also be laced with other toxins,
such as lead, arsenic, PCBs, pesticides and even
fire retardant. Consuming even small amounts of
fish has been shown to affect memory and
coordination.
“We’re calling on Ocean Park Adventure and Ilanin Bay
Café to get their act together,” says PETA
Asia-Pacific Campaign Manager Rochelle Regodon.
“How can anyone take the aquarium’s supposed
respect for fish seriously when they open their
menus at the restaurant and choices of fish body
parts are staring them in the face?”
News Bit
Peace Man!
September is Peace Month. In a ceremonial ringing of the historic bell at
the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City and
the releasing of white doves as universal
symbols of peace, the Philippines celebrated the
National Peace Consciousness Month across the
country.
Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza, together with his deputy
at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary Nabil Tan,
led the kick-off ceremony marking the
commemoration of the 4th National Peace
Consciousness Month all throughout September.
In Malacañang, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said September
always holds several milestones in the nation’s
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part, Usec. Tan
explained that the 2007 Peace Month has never been this
timely with the recent presidential directive for
humanitarian and development efforts in the provinces of
Basilan and Sulu as well as in other areas in the
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
The President remarked that the observance of the 2007 Peace Month,
with its theme of “Para sa Kabataan at Kinabukasan:
Kapayapaan, Atin ’To!,” affords the youth of this nation
“the opportunity to preserve the gains of the peace
process and to take stock in building a peaceful and
progressive society. By combining fresh ideas and
dynamism, there is much that our youth can contribute in
helping build consensus and in establishing ownership
of the peace process among our people, through
continuing engagements in stakeholder consultations and
dialogues,” the President added.
“May this peace month provide the platform for reflection and
dialogue, for bridging differences and heightening
commonalities, and for promoting a culture of peace that
will lead to a stronger nation for our present and
future generations,” she stressed.
Lifestyle Bit
Can’t Sleep?
Insomniacs have already memorized this supposed sleep cure-all:
regular exercise, balanced diet, no smoking and no
alcohol. But for the veteran insomniacs, these are but
passing statements that just aren’t helpful anymore.
So follow these practical tips and hopefully, they’ll keep
sleepless nights away:
 Take
a light snack before bedtime. You can’t sleep when
you’re hungry. Chamomile tea works as a relaxation drink
for others, so does a warm cup of milk with cookies. The
trick here is to avoid caffeine.
Make your body, but not your mind, tired. A physically
tired body would hit the sack in no time. But a worried
mind would keep you awake.
Who says to turn off the TV and you’ll doze off? Do what
works for you. If for others it’s reading the comics or
an entertainment magazine, for some, watching a light TV
series is a relaxing nightcap that will soon lead to a
sound sleep.
Avoid scheduling an early morning appointment. Thinking
that you have something upcoming would prompt you to
anticipate the activity and get anxious, making it hard
for you to sleep.
- Lastly, invest in a good mattress, comfortable pillows
and blankets. And if necessary, stock up on your stuffed
toys or sleeping mates. |
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Local Eye |
for the |
Foreign Guy |
Going Bananas
By Lex
Ledesma
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away but
since the Philippine climate does not
allow the abundant growth of apples, I
suppose bananas will have to suffice.
Filipinos (and foreigners finding themselves living here) are lucky
that the banana fruit is a common crop
which is produced all year-round.
Bananas are supposed to have even more
nutritional value than apples. In
comparison to the red fruit, bananas
have more potassium, five times the
amount of vitamin A and iron, four times
the protein, three times phosphorous and
two times carbohydrates.
Bananas are known as a miracle fruit that can cure or reduce a wide
variety of ailments. Skin diseases from
mosquito bites or warts can be treated
by placing the inner side of the banana
skin on the surface of the irritated
area. The risk of high blood, stroke and
anemia can be decreased by making
bananas a regular part of one’s everyday
diet. With all the natural sugars it
contains, the fruit is also an energy
booster that can work wonders for our
mood. It can supposedly also moderate
depression, (PMS) Pre-menstrual Syndrome
and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
and calm the nervous system and stress.
On several occasions I’ve seen Tiger
Woods pop a delectable banana in the
height of competition. If it works for
him, I’m certainly willing to give it a
try.
There are an astounding 57 identified kinds of bananas in the
Philippines. The most common of these
are Saba, Lacatan, Latundan, Bungulan,
Cavendish, Senorita, Tindok and Tumok.
Each of these is used for |
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different Pinoy delicacies. For
appetizers, the puso ng saging (heart of
the banana plant) is very useful. We
have the kinilaw which is boiled puso
flavored with vinegar. You may also want
to try the ensalada (puso with coconut
milk and vinegar) for starters. Main
dish recipes that include bananas,
specifically the saba are Pochero
(boiled pork, chicken or beef with
veggies) and Arroz ala Cobana (sautéed
ground beef with some veggies and halves
of saba). For sweet endings, Saba Con
Hielo (saba in crushed ice, milk and
sugar with tapioca pearls at times),
banana crepe and banana tarts would be
delightful to have. Come snack time, you
can buy from the streets or prepare for
yourself bananacue (saba rolled over
brown sugar and deep fried, served on a
stick) or turon (same as the bananacue
except it is served wrapped in spring
roll wrappers). Other snackables are
pastries such as banana chips, banana
bread and banana cake which are almost
always bestsellers in the neighborhood
bakeries.
When not directly eaten, bananas can be turned into beverages such
as banana shakes or banana wine. And if
you still find this list of banana uses
short, the fruit can also be turned into
condiments such as the banana vinegar or
banana ketchup.
I think that one attribute of developing economies is that people
are compelled to maximize whatever raw
materials they have. We find a way to
stretch the uses of the bananas.
Similarly, we find ways to look at the
limited opportunities around us yet
somehow continue to smile. |
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sustained and
determined pursuit of the comprehensive peace
process, adding that the month has been marked
by historic peace accords spelling the life and
future for many Filipinos. “This is the time of
the year when we, as a nation, come together,
underscore and demonstrate the spirit of
cultural understanding, religious and ethnic
tolerance, interfaith dialogue, citizen
solidarity, and patriotic fervor,” President
Arroyo said in her message for the ocassion.
Sec. Dureza meanwhile bared that the underlying theme for this
year’s activity would focus on the youth and
their future as stakeholders of peace-building,
as he encouraged all Filipinos to stake their
individual ownership on the overall peace
process. For his |
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