Public urged to forego meat, walk daily

THE inventor of the portable machine that can detect early signs of atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arterial wall) and in the process help save many lives from coronary artery disease can think of only two perfect complement to her machine: exercise and a diet filled with fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Helen Marcoyannopoulou-Fojas, a dual Greek and Filipino citizen who invented the BPULS, a modem-sized device that can noninvasively detect the elasticity of a patient’s arteries, shared with Inquirer Science and Health that her next objective for her invention was to have it replicated and distributed to underdeveloped countries.

More than just advocating the promise of early detection of atherosclerosis, Fojas, a cardiologist, who is in the Philippines as part of the Department of Science and Technology’s Balik Scientist program, urged Filipinos to eat as much fruits and vegetables as they could daily, cut consumption of meat into just once weekly, cut down on fish paste (bagoong), fish sauce (patis), salty eggs and engage in daily 45-minute brisk walks or dancing (which Fojas herself engages in regularly).
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You know it’s a Pinoy home if…

MOST Filipino contemporary houses are patterned after western style homes, at times, to the point of impracticality. Often, our real needs are ignored just so that the house is “nasa uso,” making the homeowner “in.”

Specific countries have their own idiosyncrasies or style and their traditional structures generally address their needs. In Japan for example, the “Ryokan,” a typical Japanese house, has some features unique to the Japanese: a place to remove and store shoes, rooms covered in “tatami” mats, minimal low-to-the-ground furniture and other features that can be quite strange to westerners.

Similarly, in Batanes, our very own Ivatan houses have almost no furniture inside, enabling multiple uses for the main areas: for dining and entertaining during the day and for sleeping at night. Again, the indigenous houses of the Ifugaos are just as flexible, as well as the houses on stilts of the Badjaos. But as Madonna says in the words of her popular song, we are living in this material world; and so, all the must-haves of the idealized western home fill up our domestic wish list.
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March is women’s month. Celebrate Womanhood!

Philippines Women's Month Logo

The issue about women is never ending. We are in the 21st century but still the issues about women are still in the process of making it better. Sexual harassment, rape, women liberation, women empowerment, gender issues, women’s worth in the society, gender equality and so on and so forth. We are still crying for recognition, respect and equality.
As I was contemplating about the women’s roles from the ancient to the present, the women‘s roles are innovating. They can now work and earn equally as men do. Nevertheless, there are countries and places, which threat women as their slaves.
I am proud to be a Filipino, where women can achieve what men can. In the latest survey of the Grant Thornton International Business Report, 97 percent of businesses in the Philippines have women in senior management positions, the highest among 32 countries surveyed. The figure is substantially higher than the global average of 59 percent.
The ranking was:
1. Philippines – 97%
2. China - 91 %
3. Malaysia - 85 %
4. Brazil – 83%
5. Hong Kong- 83%
6. Thailand – 81%
7. Taiwan- 80%
9. South Africa – 77%
10. Botswana – 74%
11. Russia – 73%

Philippines belong to the poor country but we can say that we are working for the betterment of our country.
Proud to be Pinoy!