Fourteen people have served in the presidency. Every one of them wanted to be remembered as an outstanding, if not great, President. But presidents who espoused passivity or self-denying inhibitions in the use of presidential power generally have not won high standing from historians. Great leaders who asserted themselves in response to domestic and global crises. They have been the presidents who rallied the nation to meet large challenges and who found workable answers to big questions. The... Read Full Story

Pine (tree), a common name for a medium-size family of trees, mostly evergreen, of widespread distribution in the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, and for its representative genus. The family, which contains about 210 species placed in 10 genera, has enormous economic importance as a source of timber and pulpwood, among other products. Members of the family characteristically have helically arranged needlelike leaves. In several genera—for example, pine, cedar, and larch—the leaves... Read Full Story

“Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.” — Sylvia Plath, American Poet (1932-62) Lady Lazarus How do you tell a friend or a loved one that she is dying? Do you tell her that she is? In this time of “transparency” and of “full disclosure,” people are tempted to do the same to dying patients. In a 1961 survey of British doctors, 90 percent thought that patients ought not to be told that they were terminal. By 1979, only three percent thought this was right. One wonde... Read Full Story

The human species has a unique capability for culture in the sense of conscious thinking and planning, transmission of skills and systems of social relationships, and creative modification of the environment. The integrated patterns of behavior required for planning and fashioning tools were accomplished at least 2.5 million years ago, and some form of advanced code for vocal communication may also have existed at this time. By 350,000 years ago planned hunting, firemaking, and the wearing of... Read Full Story

Forests provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals and perform many other important functions that affect humans. Photosynthesis is the chemical process in the leaves that uses sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy-supplying sugars for the tree or plant—in the process the foliage of the plants and trees gives off pure oxygen for breathing. Forests also prevent erosion, the wearing away of soil by wind and rain. In bare landscapes with little or no vegetation, heavy rains... Read Full Story

The disastrous inundation of a large part of Metro Manila by the recent typhoons has left behind vivid images of destruction of lives and property. It should serve as a grim reminder of an urgent need for a comprehensive system to cope with any future weather-related calamity. That we are visited by so many typhoons in a year is a fact of our national life. But the resulting damage can be mitigated with carefully studied and well- implemented human interventions. Such immediate knee-jerk reac... Read Full Story

WWE Wrestlemania 26The World of Wrestling Entertainment Comes to Arizona It was announced via an official press conference that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Wrestlemania 26 Pay-Per-View will be held in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona had begun the bidding process several years ago to get the event, and thanks to a local stadium booker named Peter Sullivan they know will host it in 2010. Wrestlemania 26 will most likely start at 7 PM EST on Sunday, March 28, 2010. Wrestlemania 26's locati... Read Full Story

With the invention of nuclear arms, we human beings brought ourselves face-to-face with the prospect of extinguishing the human race by our own hand. A decision to abolish nuclear weapons would represent a decision to survive. This quest for survival is the deepest, most important, and most enduring of the imperatives for nuclear abolition. Inseparable from it is the imperative of sparing the Earth’s ecosphere from irreparable damage. Nuclear war also threatens catastrophes that, although les... Read Full Story

You might probably saw Noynoy's first TV ad was previewed on ABS-CBN lasting less than 60 seconds, long enough to deliver the right message. The endorsers were the leading stars in the TV and movie studios. They were all seen running holding bamboo torches through a thicket of shrubs, underbrush, and small trees, as if looking for something or someone. The stars include: Boy Abunda, Sharon Cuneta, Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Ogie Alcasid, Bea Alonzo, Anne Curtis, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, James a... Read Full Story

You might probably saw Noynoy's first TV ad was previewed on ABS-CBN lasting less than 60 seconds, long enough to deliver the right message. The endorsers were the leading stars in the TV and movie studios. They were all seen running holding bamboo torches through a thicket of shrubs, underbrush, and small trees, as if looking for something or someone. The stars include: Boy Abunda, Sharon Cuneta, Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Ogie Alcasid, Bea Alonzo, Anne Curtis, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, James a... Read Full Story