Category Archives: International

Human Interest, International, Music, Science and Environment, Technology

STANFORD UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS DISCOVER MUSIC GENE AMONG FILIPINOS

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photo(1)Palo Alto, California – It’s all in the genes. It has been long established that the genetic makeup in people determines not only the color of their skin, eyes and hair but also their susceptibility to certain diseases and conditions.

Now researchers at the Department of Genetics of Stanford University School of Medicine have uncovered the gene responsible for making Filipinos such good singers and musicians. It’s called PH-13, found only among Filipinos.

Researchers studied over 2,000 individuals, 500 of whom were of Filipino heritage with the rest equally divided among Whites, Blacks and Native Americans. All respondents were pre-screened and auditioned for their musical ability.

At the conclusion of the six-month study which involved blood tests, MRIs of the vocal chords and eardrums, as well as invasive procedures to obtain genetic samples, the researchers announced the discovery of the gene responsible for musical talent.  While a few African Americans exhibited an almost undetectable level of the music gene, 100% of the Filipinos in the study tested positive for PH-13.

“We have finally found the answer to the nagging question on why Filipinos are always winning in music competitions,” the researchers said.

Could this also be the reason why almost all Filipino households have a karaoke machine?

Business, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, Travel

U.S. ANNOUNCES ‘NO VISA’ POLICY FOR FILIPINOS

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DISCLOSURE: Please refer to the statement of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., on this issue.

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Washington, D.C. – The State Department today announced a life-changing new policy for Filipinos. Visas will no longer be required to travel to the United States. The policy to take the Philippines off the list of countries whose citizens are required to obtain visas for travel to the U.S. is effective immediately.

The new policy comes on the heels of a recent survey showing that an overwhelming majority of Filipinos have a favorable view of the United States. The Philippines ranked first in a global survey on the image of the United States worldwide, beating even the U.S. itself when it comes to a favorable view on the American people.

According to the 2013 Global Attitudes Project of the Pew Research Center in Washington DC, the Philippines got an 85 percent score, the highest, when people were asked “Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of the US?”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the State Department made this monumental decision as a way to reward the Filipinos for making the U.S. really look good in the survey.

With this new policy, the U.S. is now added to the list of 25 countries which do not require travel visas for Filipinos. These countries include most of the Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors as well as some countries in Latin America including Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru and Bolivia.

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The “no visa” policy comes just in time for the visit to the Philippines later this month by U.S. President Barack Obama.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Manila asked that Filipinos refrain from calling the consular office to avoid its phone system from crashing.  Instead, people are being asked to download and complete the biographical form and submit it to the embassy, along with four 2×2 colored ‘selfie’ photos at least one week before they depart for the U.S.  The biographical form will be filed by the embassy for reference  just in case Filipinos overstay in the U.S.  The no-visa policy for Filipinos is good for 60 days stay in all states except Alaska.

Business, Food, Health & Medicine, International, Politics, Science and Environment, Technology

REPORTS OF ARSENIC IN RICE PROMPT PHILIPPINE LAWMAKERS TO MAKE PAN DE SAL THE NATIONAL STAPLE

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Pan de Sal
Pan de Sal

Manila, Philippines – Rice is the main staple food of the Filipinos.  It is estimated that each household eats an average of almost 500 kilograms of rice per year. While Philippine farms produce rice quite extensively, the country often resorts to rice importation to supplement local demand.

It is therefore not surprising that Filipinos are alarmed at recent reports and studies showing the presence of arsenic (poison chemical) in rice and rice products. (See latest article from The New York Times).

To appease the growing anxiety among the population over arsenic-tainted rice, Philippine lawmakers have moved quickly to make pan de sal the new national staple in place of rice. The wheat-based delicacy is the Filipinos’ choice of breakfast bread or dinner roll.

While lawmakers realize that their action will cost the country millions of pesos in wheat importation, they said that the health and safety of the citizens are of greater concern.  Wheat is not produced locally and the Philippines imports 100% of its wheat and flour requirements. The Philippines is one of the top destinations for U.S. wheat exports.

The lawmakers are confident that the Filipino people will adjust easily to the change in staple from rice to pan de sal because the latter goes well with many Filipino dishes like adobo, pancit, dinuguan, menudo and queso de bola.