Rocket Fuel in Breastmilk . . . . .That ain’t right!

February 24, 2005

“Breastmilk is still best for babies up to 2 years . . . . . . . . .” In the Philippines, after every infant formula commercial, you will see this ad. Ironical isn’t it? Advertising milk formulas but at the same time promoting the use of breastmilk. This is no different from the ads of cigarettes. You know, promoting a marlboro country with horses and cowboys. After which a five second reminder saying, “Government warning: cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health”.  Sounds Familiar?

Well, what can I say, that’s modern day advertising. That’s right, its all about marketing. Tools may change, markets may evolve, new trade channels emerge, consumer attitude becomes more diverse, laws bended, marketing concepts innovated, creative strategies invented but one message will always remain clear, choices.

Advertising gives a consumer choices. It allows them to discover options and provide an overview of what’s new. In the trade environment, unless you have something new to offer to your market, your business will stagnate and sooner or later, your brand will die.

In the context of infant formulas, its different. Companies are not allowed to advertise. The World Health Organization stipulates that “no infant formula products from the age of 0 to 12 months may be advertised on print, television, radio or any medium of promotion that has direct contact towards end users. Marketing of infant formulas shall only be coursed through  medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, midwives and other relevant personnel. Any form of product sampling and other mother crafting activities are not allowed”. These powerful words may not be the exact terms that can be found in the W.H.O milk code hand book. But I think the message is the same, no advertisement for infant formulas.

In industrialized nations like the United States, it is legal to advertise infant formulas. In third world countries like the Philippines, India, Pakistan and the like, it is not. The question is why are there inconsistencies in the implementation of the code? What’s the difference between the children in North America compared to those in Manila? How about chinese infants as compared to their western counterparts?

The presence of biohazardous materials are everywhere. In the United States, scientists found a component of rocket fuel in the breastmilk of mothers living beside an abandoned military compound. They found traces of the component that was part of this dangerous chemical which they also believed was responsible for inhibiting the development of the brain in children. They also said that mothers absorbed the chemical unknowingly and they unwittingly passed it on through their children because they were breastfeeding.

In line with these developments, why can’t the W.H.O lift the ban on advertisement of infant formulas for those nations who are rising to the stature of an industrial power? Yes, I adhere to the fact that breastmilk is the best for babies. What I am saying is let the consumers decide on what is best for their children. The Philippines and other Asian countries are evolving into industrial havens. The literacy rate in these nations are high enough for mothers to understand what the consequencse of their choices are.

Furthermore, the code is not strictly enforced and companies are bending it anyway. You can see that even President Arroyo created an Executive Order saying that you can advertise infant formula as long as its from 6 months onwards. That’s crap because if I was to market it, I’ll just use a subliminal approach in building the name of my brand. Environmental changes are everywhere and it is very important to note because they continuously threaten our existence.

The chemical that was used in creating rocket fuel that was found in the breastmilk of one mother signifies a paradigm shift. This may happen to any country. We must look into the threats emerging from beyond so that we can secure the future of our children. The code is not followed and implemented properly anyway. Its just being broken. This code is very applicable to the Middle Eastern Nations, Arab countries or regions where the literacy rate is below 50 %. I mean the mothers living in these areas needs further education regarding nutrition.

Here is a question: What brands of infant formulas have you seen on T.V or any billboard for that matter? They all have the same names right? So if you advertise one line, you advertise the whole portfolio. For those who advertised, basically they broked the law. It is obvious that we cannot implement and it is evident that new threats are their so, lets scrap it.

Lets not wait to have an incident where breastmilk in one of the Filipino mothers will show traces of rocket fuel or any hazardous materials for that matter.

That ain’t right . . . .

Internet Scams . . . .

February 23, 2005

Finally, the FBI has cracked it . . . .

The internet has evolved into a widely used trade portal where millions of products are bought and sold. Billions of dollars are being transacted through the internet and the gateway has opened up new opportunities for many people.

Unfortunately every portal has its glitch and a legitimate business tool such as the internet can sometimes be overran by bogus corporations and economic swindlers whose main objective is to take advantage of the dreams and aspirations of unsuspecting users . This new breed of criminals are no longer robbing innocent civilians using a deadly weapon. Rather, they are stealing money from them face to face and without them knowing. The dark alleys of the street are safer than the internet nowadays.

The amount lost to scam artists in the web has reached $ 100 million dollars. Most of these came from business opportunities that should have read “I’ll take your money.com” or “Give me money because I’m greedy.com”. Psychology will tell us that it is human instinct to embark on a quest towards financial freedom. Anyone will do anything for extra cash. People are all dreamers and everyone wants to achieve something. A new car, a new house, a vacation extravaganza, you name it.

Given these facts therefore, unhappy, discontented, broke internet users are easy targets to fall prey to one of these vultures. These are the people who because of their materialistic aspirations and financial difficulties brought about by several factors, are easily being lured into lucrative investments and work from home businesses. The capital required to start up is relatively small but not cheap with financial returns far greater than anyone can imagine.

The amount is very impressive in relation to the job that must be done. In short, who would not be enticed to join given the fact that you will invest a small amount of money with little work and yet receive thousands of dollars in return? I tell you, the people who created these scams are not human beings. You are not only fooling people and stealing money from them but also messing up with their dreams. You are a cold blooded, bloodsucking, creature that has no respect and regard for human life. You are the pus that feeds on the mucus, that feeds on the pond scum.

I feel terrible and sad for those people who were taken advantage of by these internet scams. Don’t worry, what goes around, comes around. And as for everyone, may this serve as an important lesson in life. There is only one method that has been proven to generate results in order to become rich or financially stable.
That is work and hardwork. . . . .  Log on to this and I am sure you will achieve your dreams in life.

The new superpower . . . .

The United States is no longer the most powerful nation in the world . . . . . . Why? Because they are not as influential as the oil in the Middle East.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 in the Richter Scale shook Iran yesterday. The result, the stocks tumbled in wall street and oil prices surged peaking at $ 51/barrel. In the past, there was one man I considered that can affect the stock market in the whole world, he was none other than Alan Greenspan. When the “Green Man” speaks, the market listens. Whatever he says affects the stocks in Wall street and anywhere around the globe.

But now, we find ourselves in a different realm. It appears that the market is playing a game, a very dangerous game. It goes: “Oil men says low, market says high. Oil man says ouch, market says ooooohhhhhh . . . .” The world economy is very dependent in oil. Therefore the world is very much dependent in the Middle East.

Whatever happens in the Arab region will definitely be felt all over the world. Throw a rock in the Middle East and the ripples will be seen around the planet. The current events are a living proof of this proposition. Just imagine, after a few days of market gain, a correcting loss ensued.
The prices of oil has no doubt has affected the world economy. But it has also changed the world order. Even if the strongest economy is that of the United States, economic influence  has now shifted to the direction of the Asian continent.

 So now, if I asked you who is the new superpower, what would you answer? Europe migh be emerging, U.S might be dictating, China may be moving, but the Middle East has definitely changed the world.

The new superpower? The camel in the sands of the desert . . . . . .

Stability is everyones concern . . . . .

February 22, 2005

“Another term, another office . . . .” What does George W. Bush and North Korea have in common? A second chance.

In Brussels, Belgium. U.S President George Bush extended his arm of reconciliation to his European counterparts. The result, stability.

Finally, after months of bickering and divide among the members of the EU, the NATO alliance and the United States brought about by the Iraqi conflict, they have reached a common consensus, they need each other.

The relationship between the two continents have been on a rocky platform due to there differences in various issues: global warming, arms embargo and Iraq invasion. Who could forget the war of words between Pres. Chirac, Chancellor Shroeder and Pres. Bush? How about the comments of Secretary Rumsfeld about the old and new Europe?

This summit is very integral for world stability. The divide that occurred among these nations had economic implications that affected us all. Regional security, peace, and economic prosperity can only be achieved if these nations will work closely together towards formulating concrete steps to solve the issues that continuously haunt us.

The emerging threat of a nuclear neighborhood continues to increase tension within the region, the shaky peace accord to end the conflict in the Middle East is tainted with uncertainty, the deteriorating condition in Iraq and Afghanistan continuously pose a major problem for the world community and the sudden shift of Russian policy to slowly adapt an autocratic form of government will definitely affect our world order.

These are just some of the issues that needs critical attention. If these conflicts are not resolved in due time, the effects will be staggering. I am just wondering, how come these nations think that they can survive on their own? Haven’t they learned the lessons of World War II when a fascist dictator was able to inflict horror in the planet because of the divide that occured among the nations during those days? Haven’t you observed that whenever the world was divided on several issues more threats seem to lurk around the corner?

I hope they do realize that they are committing the same mistake all over again. World War II resulted and lasted because of the continental divide that existed between countries. Learn from it and lets move on. Pride can kill and it can destroy millions.

Remember, its better to walk together with friends in a dark alley rather than pass by it alone. Even with a big stick you might get hurt.

Stability is everyones concern . . . . . . let work towards it.

Marriage in the context of practicality . . . . .

February 21, 2005

86 million people . . . . . 60% belongs to the 15 to 64 years old age group, 36% between 0 to 14 and 4% from 65 years and above. With these data at hand, it is safe to assume that in less than 10 years, we will reach the 100 million mark.

But the population is not an issue here. No matter what the point of the argument is, I do not perceive it as a threat to our society. It’s not the babies being born every minute that bothers me. Neither is it the saturation of the major cities that concerns me.

The families that are being formed is what worry’s me. Statistics have shown that a huge percentage in the growth of the population can be attributed to pregnacies occuring below the age of 20 years. This means that immediately after the onset of menarche, female adolescent has frequently engaged in premarital activities rendering themselves at risk for STD, AIDS, Hepatitis B and unwanted pregnancy.

The Filipino youth has found itself in a critical dilemma. Curiosity, impatience and a blurred vision of the future has erected a new concern that will affect our society as we know it. The government, the church, the NGO’s and other civic organizations are focusing their attention on complex issues such as abortion, AIDS, STD and population growth.

Little do we know that these subjects are mere effects of a bigger issue, the family. Although this may take us quite sometime to argue about, lets dig in to this topic on a deeper context and implement a more rooted approach. Lets start from the beginning, marriage. Better yet, lets start with relationships.

When was the first time you fell in love? Okay, I’ll rephrase. When was the first time you were involved in a relationship? What age was this? How was it? Are you still with the same partner?

Of course, scenical as it may sound but I will assume that all of us have been in a relationship during our High School and College days. Statistically it is safe to conclude that people with the age of 20 years old and below has been and currently is in a relationship. The next question is, what kind? Given the current mindset of the youth, you only have 2 choices: One is serious and the other is a fling. In love 101 lingo, these are the choices that an individual has.

Its either you are really truly, madly, deeply in love with your partner or you are just fooling around. In reality, I tell you, both are equally disturbing. As I have said in my previous entry, love is a feeling that you can never explain. No science can define this phenomenon and no one can judge you if you are really in love.

Given these queries, I challenge you, does love and marriage coincide? Does the term love and marriage fall in the same context? Very easy to say yes right? Lets give another logic to this proposition: Does it mean that if you love someone you will automatically engage yourself in marriage?

Tricky, isn’t it? Lovers be careful. Try to read between what is not being said and make sure that you are totally commited to what you have just answered. The proposition above means that if you are in a serious relationship, contemplation on going to the next level which is a more serious commitment of building a family is inevitable.

So, again, lets go back. Given the current mindset of the youth that their relationship is based on love and therefore is similar to being married to one another, they will presume that it is okay to do activities similar to what married individuals are doing. Because couples love each other so much, the passion that is generated often results in an offspring.

True, right? But we always blame premarital sex, curiosity, aggressiveness, unsafe sex, the media and the ineffective family values that were inculcated in the minds of these people for the issue of “unwanted pregnancy”. Although I strongly disagree with this term because I do not believe pregnancy can be the outcome of something unwanted, I still believe in the fact that all of these issues can be traced to one word, marriage.

Nowadays, people marry and do not marry for the wrong reasons. Both sides have grave consequences because the sanctity of marriage is no longer preserved. People marry for money, for inheritance, for revenge, for anger towards parents, to get out of poverty, to legally stay in America or any nation, for business partnerships and other humerous claims.  On the other hand people also don’t marry for wrong reasons even with the presence of a child. Commonly given excuses, “napikot”, (Forced), “lasing”,(Drunk when the child was made), parents don’t approve, future is jeopardized and other pathetic reasons.

We all blame things that are easy to point out. But lets face facts, who are to blame for the destruction of the family. Illustrated are some of the common reasons given by a few and  it is in my belief where we can attribute why slowly single moms are increasing, broken families are rising, sexually related cases are climbing and our nation is being hampered by an unhealthy pattern of population growth.

We ourselves view marriage in the context of practicality. Like if a couple is young, still studying with the presence of a child out of wedlock, people will generally advise them not to get married so that they may have a chance in their future. Or that they can live out their lives with other people because immediately they assume that the relationship won’t work out. My opinion, these people are the most idiotic individuals I have ever seen. Those people who are advising young couples with children not to get married are the main reasons why our society is hunted by several issues like STD, AIDS, high cases of unwanted pregnancy, abortion and population explosion.

These individuals are also the same people who we must blame for the downfall of the basic structure in our society, the family. They are the people responsible for killing the very essence of education, the value of spirituality and the standards of morality. These are the same people who undermines the value of life and critically destroys the foundation of our nation.

Remember, the moment we prevent a family to be formed regardless of whatever “practical” reasons we have, the future is at stake. Our economy is dependent of the next tax payers. Our nation is dependent on next leaders. Our circle of life depends on those next in line. The sacrament of marriage was given to us to start the very essence of life here on earth. Marriage is love, love is marriage.

Let us not bring in philosophies that will change the meaning and the value of this sacrament. Let us encourage the youth to be strong and be bold enough to face the consequences of their actions. Let us never be judgmental nor should we punish them for the things that they have done. Rather, let us help them move on and support them in whatever way possible for the choice that they have made.

The pillars of this nation is the family. Let us always strengthen and nurture it so that we can hurdle whatever tribulations that may come our way. . . . .