U.S. President George W. Bush has now one predicament in hand—either to end this Iraq troubles that he had mostly created all by himself and hold the Democrats responsible for it if the troops pullout does not go well or to remain in Iraq beyond this year and see the campaign through according to his own term; vetoing this recent war bill that calls for troops pullout by October 1 this year.

It remains to be seen.

The Democrats had scored an important victory the other day by steering through a 127 Billion war bill for Iraq and Afghanistan which would further fund U.S. war campaigns in these territories while calling for an abrupt end to the very destructive operation in Iraq six months from now. They (the Democrats) had expressly voiced out how their overwhelming victory in last November’s U.S. elections had actually declared what the American public want to do with the Iraq War—to pull their soldiers out of there.

The problem is, the Democrats hadn’t mustered the required two-thirds number of votes to make the bill insusceptible for veto by President Bush and any old guy would expect the odds to go in favor of Bush’s insistence to see the Iraq War through until threats by the enemies—Al-Qaeda and Baathists remnants—would disappear and situation in Iraq becomes stable.

Stability in Iraq is really a difficult objective where in reality, it would take years and years for constancy to ever set foot in that place where the two conflicting factions of Sunnis and Shiites are threatening to destroy each other and are even going at each other’s throat even while America remains there.

Vice President Dick Cheney once called this bill as a “surrender bill” and would merely encourage U.S. enemies all over the world to be bolder and more forthcoming and President Bush himself had stated that it would too incongruous a situation where U.S. soldiers doing their duties in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan shall have to receive orders of capitulating 6,000 miles from Capitol Hill, from lawmakers who definitely are not their commanders—that would be entirely discouraging to the soldiers fighting over there the U.S. President added.

Most likely, President Bush would conditionally veto the bill mentioned above; approving the 127 Billion dollars fresh war funding while disapproving the October deadline provision set by the Democrats faction in Capitol Hill—and then haul this war well-over his term, which would end by next year. Especially now, that the freshly established Iraqi government have publicly declared that they need U.S. troops to remain farther, otherwise Iraq would be in total mayhem from threats of a very widespread civil war among conflicting tribes there and from enemies from within and without, where recent reports showed to be continuing to build-up through Syria and other borders.

Let us see what happens next.

This is an open source web design template that actually looked like it sounded, Dreamy is as dreamy as can be and it is like upon a very deep sleep that is both comforting and delicious.

For those who love simple white backgrounds and aiming to display a lot of photos online, this is the design for you. See this screenshot:

If you are a Blogsome blogger, download the codes here and follow instructions carefully. Download Now.

This is the demo site of Dreamy from the Open Web Design site.

This is a very feminine and trendy design. It is meant to be fun and exciting. It connotes an honest personality and evokes a wondrous sentiment—like the flowers on its headers.

See screenshot:

Download the Blogsome files HERE.

See the demo.

Wordpress files can be dowloaded on this site.

Who remembers a time when fuel pump prices were once dictated by the government? Like the price should be this and that and the increase or decrease this week should be for this amount of centavo or that. I do remember. At times these days, it is not easy for me to imagine that once, just some few years ago, fuel prices were in fact controlled by the government thru the Department of Energy. I feel somehow that those good old days were so many eons ago.

But years after the oil deregulation law took effect; we examine now the end results. Oil prices have skyrocketed since then and there were times one could feel that drowning feeling while oil companies had for one time increased oil prices in rapid succession of price hikes. As a daily consumer of fuel products—I did for once felt that the whole world had tumbled down on me and that it was about time to accept that car driving would not be a common necessity anymore, but one that should be a luxurious activity. With that level of prices—car use have now become an expensive commodity. I have known a number of individuals who have disposed of their cars due to the high prices of petroleum and some have just decided to keep their car in the garage—and not used them as frequently anymore.

Such were the effect of deregulating oil prices by the government. Drivers and car owners suddenly found themselves in a whole new world where a lot of adjustments have to be made and where previous conveniences had to be set-aside. Somehow, as time goes by, we just have to accept the new set of realities for factors are outside of our hands. The period of adjustment were truly hard, but nothing can be done, except to slowly and gradually be used to the present set-up.

Now, let us go to another issue that is now hounding the nation; which in my mind hold similar circumstance with the controversy that arose when the government finally let-go of oil price control. Just days ago, the Commission On Higher Education had ordered the tuition price hike cap removed and from that day on, every college or university could increased their fees at whatever rate they deem and there’d be no limitation whatsoever. This news may not have gained enough interest among the public, unlike the burning protests that had met the oil price deregulation some years ago. Yet, I feel that this issue should be as urgent and as vital for we are talking here about the education of the mass of youngsters in our midst. To be sure, newer set of realities would be hard to take and that every Filipino parent spending for their kid’s education would be hard-pressed to accept a much difficult set of realities Just like we car drivers have to be compelled to accept that driving now is nearly a luxurious activity.

And this is not ideal at all.

CHED had presumed that schools wouldn’t dare to increase their prices so exorbitantly since they would fear losing students because of that. But how can they be so sure and did CHED did some scientific and empirical study on this; examining and studying schools behavior and characteristic and have methodically concluded that anyway, schools would not increase fees for fear of losing students. Gosh, only in the Philippines where government directives are merely based on unstudied assumptions.

And there’s another such presumptions where CHED had concluded that by allowing unmitigated tuition fee increase, colleges and universities in our country could now become globally competitive. It may or may not. But they are so sure it would and therefore justify this seemingly rash directive.

I do for one recognize the need of private educational institutions to self-sufficiency and need for additional resources, but I believe that there’s a better way to enact this kind of radical changes, especially that we are talking here about the price of education which is the most difficult problem that the Filipino parent faces, next to food and clothing.

And besides, what happens to that constitutional mandate that education should be very accessible to the public and even free, if possible. I can see a constitutional challenge that could arise from this controversy.

I believe that safeguards should have been instituted, like a gradual phasing out of the tuition fee increase cap—like say over three to five years—wherein in that manner, the populace would not feel a shock in the system and a shock in their pockets. And one safety mechanism that I think should have been instituted is that very important guarantee that present students should not be meted any increases beyond the previous 10% limitation or otherwise it would be highly unjusticeable that they have to find and transfer to other schools while being enrolled at a school which they initially thought they could afford and sustain.

The unbridled and unmitigated tuition price increases should only be applied to incoming students—that way, prior notice is applied and effected where “prior notice” to parents is one of the most important factor in any tuition fee increases in previous CHED law or directives. But now it seems they have completely disregarded it. Just like that.

Governments or government functionalities shouldn’t act like this. They ought to enact radical changes in a very gentle and cautious manner for after all, they are dealing with people here, and not programmed androids.

She’s been on the news for more than a couple of weeks now ever since her disappearance was reported on Easter Sunday—until the recovery of her dead body last Wednesday, half-buried among the weeds and bushes that lay beneath the towering enigma of the rice terraces. Everybody was talking about her untimely death and I felt that while most of us had been expressing disgust over the massacre in Virginia by a 23 South Korean student, and questioned with all our might how such grave thing could ever happen, it suddenly hits me that in our own country, an American traveler died in what could be gruesomely in manner (if initial investigations prove to be true; about her face being hit repeatedly by a hard object).

And now we must question with all our might, how such thing could ever happen in our own territory, almost repeatedly over the years, where travelers like Julia Campbell, meet their death on the hands of malevolent individuals. What have we got in our midst? These must be people who are so despicably embroiled in their own malice; so bad that it becomes entirely diabolic. Purely evil, I must say.

And we should be worried about that now, just like we are disturbed by a 23-year old boy in Virginia who had appeared to have had lost his mind.

Julia was not merely an American traveler who found her way into the nooks and crevices of our country’s outskirts, among the dusty streets of Legaspi and the rain-soaked jungles of Banaue. She was first and foremost an aide worker, a US Peace Corps volunteer who in her own words had ‘escaped the rat race in New York’; to do some work in a foreign land. She had been busy helping build a marine ecology sanctuary in Donsol and went on to become a volunteer teacher for a small college in nearby Legaspi City. From the province to the big city as she had once described this transfer thru her blog Julia In The Philippines.

She had met her end while doing such a wondrous act of benevolence, helping the downtrodden upon measly profit, or for none at all. We have no idea exactly what had been her intention when she decided to trek the cold mountains in Banaue, seemingly alone as the reports had stated. Maybe to see the beauty that lies in the lush jungles out there. Whether it was unsound and reckless. We will never know for sure. If it was for beauty, then to blame her should be farthest from our minds. For we all seek it also, in our own very strange ways, and she chose to seek it that way.

Once while Typhoon Reming was devastating the areas near Mount Mayon, she had been one of the first group of individuals who had given relief to the victims there, despite (as she had made clear) that the peace corp was not a relief organization and had no resources to provide any form of assistance and relief. But there she was alleviating the ones who had lived to see another day and condoling them for their lost love ones. She in fact had a very moving report for CNN about this tragedy.

This afternoon, I was briskly doing some general cleaning on our house and put on U2’s “All That You Can Leave Behind” album on my cranky mini-component while scrubbing dirt and dusting away dusts. As the music got to the part where Bono (U2’s lead singer) was gently rendering the words and melodies of the song “Grace”, Julia suddenly came to my mind. Grace, it’s a name for a girl the song went. It’s also a thought that changed the world.

Indeed, the song had all too sudden reminded me of Julia and how she had lived and died a life that she had chose, to be of help to others, especially towards our fellow Filipinos who got embroiled in desperate circumstances. And despite of it all, she had to die like this. Like she had given her life for the cause she found to be worthy. She is like a saint in many ways. Everything has not gotten to naught. She is a savior; a heroine.

And the song becomes all the more meaningful when it described how “Grace” “…walks on the street /You can hear the strings/Grace finds goodness /In everything”.

She travels outside of karma…she travels outside of karma.

Grace. She carries a world on her hips. No champagne flute for her lips. No twirls or skips. Between her fingertips.

She carries a pearl. In perfect condition. What once was hurt. What once was friction. What left a mark. No longer stings.

Grace is Julia. Julia is Grace. She makes beauty out of ugly things. She find goodness in everything.

May her soul find eternal peace.

For the complete lyrics of U2’s “Grace” , you can visit this site.

Vidayal is a Wordpress Theme that is so suited for a personal blog where the ambience of its general facade is soothing to the senses like a Hindu kingdom from the ancient years. There’s serenity in its look and the header picture has such effect—calmness and harmony.

It has a distinct simplicity that I like the most and it’s never pretentious like some blog themes designed for personal sites.

Toe’s Kurokuroatbp is currently using this wonderful theme.

Here’s a screenshot:

For Blogsome users, you can download the files HERE.

For pure Wordpress users, get the files here.

Check out the demo site.