Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 227

Not all my time in Japan is focused on books and teaching. Just back from the "D...

Not all my time in Japan is focused on books and teaching. Just back from the "Dark Knight Rising" premiere in Tokyo. No movie stars live in deference to the Colorado shooting. Last Warner Brothers premiere was for Dark Shadows and I was told Johnny Depp remembered some lines in Pilipino and wanted to taste adobo again.

My Inquirer column today on Mariano Ponce's expenses.http://opinion.inquirer.n...

My Inquirer column today on Mariano Ponce's expenses.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/33315/silk-socks-for-the-president


Silk socks for the President
opinion.inquirer.net
Tracing the footsteps of our heroes abroad is easier than tracing their footsteps in the Philippines, where street names and landscapes change so often. Aside from heritage sites and structures, we should also preserve street names. We should oppose the renaming of any street over 50 years old becau...

Taft Avenue is one of Manila's famous and historical streets that has survived a...

Taft Avenue is one of Manila's famous and historical streets that has survived attempts change to Aguinaldo, Aglipay and even Diokno Avenue. To give a face to the streetname this is William Howard Taft, first Civil Governor of the Philippines, 27th U.S. President, and later 10th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. An inch shy of 6 feet tall and weighing over 300 lbs Taft cabled the Secretary of War from Manila saying"I feel good I just finished a 25-mile horse ride." A reply came from Washington that asked, "how is horse?" There is a picture of Taft on a pony that might not be from the Philippines, but this charming photo from the internet showing the governor on a carabao is precious Filipiniana.

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History 2

Taft Avenue, is a flood-prone Manila street named after William Howard Taft (185...

Taft Avenue, is a flood-prone Manila street named after William Howard Taft (1857-1930) who was a "big" man in Philippine History. An inch shy of 6 feet tall, he weighed 340 lbs at his heaviest. Among his many positions were: Govenor-general of the Philippines, 27th President of the United States, 10th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Pinoy lawmakers who don't know history have been trying to change the name of Taft Avenue for years. Why can't they leave existing street names alone and find unnamed eskinitas to deal with?

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History 2

Caracoa is the name of the journal of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (acro...

Caracoa is the name of the journal of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (acronym PLAC that sounds like the film of dirt and bacteria that forms on the teeth). Caracaoa was a pre-Spanish war boat that we shouldve learned about in school when they told us about the barangay. This old engraving of the "corcoa" reminded me of the Loch Ness Monster.

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History 2

Don't forget to mark your calendars.

Don't forget to mark your calendars.

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19th century French tourists by the crater of Taal Volcano. Its more fun in the...

19th century French tourists by the crater of Taal Volcano. Its more fun in the Philippines indeed. Is it still possible to get this close today? Is it still allowed to take a dip in the crater?

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Heroes

My Inquirer column today on finding part of our history in Japan.http://opinio...

My Inquirer column today on finding part of our history in Japan.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/32943/philippine-history-in-yokohama


Philippine history in Yokohama
opinion.inquirer.net
There are two Chinatowns in Japan, one in Yokohama, the other in Kobe; both are memorable as balm to my homesickness. Unlike the entrepreneurial Chinese who open shops and restaurants in a particular place and carve Chinatowns in almost every great city in the world, Filipinos tend to mix with their...

Thanks to Rin for this picture of our last Philippine Visual Arts Class in Sophi...

Thanks to Rin for this picture of our last Philippine Visual Arts Class in Sophia University, Tokyo. I thought I lost my touch but the smiles today prove I connected somehow and we all had a good semester.

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This made me smile and dig up my files on anatomical measurements of figures in...

This made me smile and dig up my files on anatomical measurements of figures in Philippine History.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/328761


Man with world's largest penis frisked by TSA at Calif. airport
www.digitaljournal.com
Jonah Falcon, who claims the world's largest penis, recently had his "weapon of mass conception" mistaken for a "weapon of mass destruction." He was frisked by TSA at the San Francisco International Airport because of a bulging object in his pants.