Climate and Consciousness

The volatility of weather patterns because of climate change has brought about a growing tragedy: climate refugees such as those who survived the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan and had to move out of the area to seek employment or livelihood. LA-based journalist Dorian Merina explains this phenomena in the last of his series on climate change and how it is affecting Filipinos.

HOCUS is not a magic trick but it is a magical experience as veteran journalist and author Sylvia L. Mayuga takes us on a virtual tour of the exhibit of 26 artworks of Saul Hofileña and Guy Custodio, currently going on at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila. Gemma Cruz-Araneta curates this "leap of consciousness" showcase of the Filipino soul, which runs until October this year.

Let me tell you about visiting Boracay and how to make the best of it in "Yes, Boracay," my blog this month.

And for those planning to travel to warm climes, here's how to avoid the travel bloat. Read Again Imelda Oppenheim's "Beat the Heat Bloat," a timely reminder for summer in the western hemisphere.

Our In the Know links for this week:

The ‘greatest Marcos horror story never told,’ through the eyes of a Moro filmmaker
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/film/2016/11/22/teng-mangansakan.html

Christians Rise Up Against the 'Filipino Trump'
https://sojo.net/magazine/june-2017/christians-rise-up-against-Filipino-Trump

Monique Lhuillier's Wedding Dresses: Spring 2018
https://www.yahoo.com/news/monique-lhuilliers-wedding-dresses-spring-100000397.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

Writing Toward Home
http://aaww.org/writing-toward-home/

Filipino farmer strikes gold with cocoa
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37217649

Summer weather brings memories of ambulant vendors and their merienda fare back home, one of which is the popular banana-cue. Here's how to make it, our recipe for the Happy Home Cook this week.

For our Video of the Week, CNN features the team behind the Philippines' "first female-led brewery."

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How many of you saw the Beatles perform live in concert?

Author/poet Marra PL. Lanot did and she has the original ticket stub to show for it. Marra, sharing her thrilling memory of "The Beatles in Manila," considers that stub one of her guarded treasures, something she will not part with despite the persuasiveness of souvenir hunters who have offered her substantial amounts of money in exchange. I completely understand her stubborn refusal. Indeed, why part with proof of a slice of teenage heaven?

Speaking of persuasion, do you know what it takes for foreign media to publish stories about the Philippines, no matter how compelling or important they are? Our regular contributor Aurora Almendral, who had flown in a C-130 cargo plane with fully armed soldiers on their way to fight in Zamboanga and waded through debris and rotting bodies in Tacloban after Typhoon Yolanda, reveals the travails of a freelance journalist trying to get the Philippines covered in "'Selling' My Story."

It doesn't take much persuasion for us to feature two Filipinos who have made their marks in two different spheres: Grace Nono, compleat performer and cultural icon, is the subject of "She's On A Mission From the Ancestors" by first-time contributor Dusty Cooper; and the late Jose Formoso Reyes, the Harvard-educated craftsman whose handmade Nantucket baskets have become widely sought collectors' items that command thousands of dollars each, is the subject of Myles A. Garcia's "Love Baskets for Betty." 

In this issue, award-winning writer Lotis Key regales us again with her delightful take on our cultural quirks. In "Feeding My Filipino," our favorite ex-movie star talks about learning some valuable life lessons from their family cook.

We also urge you to read again "When Lolo's Debating Team Vanquished America" by Liana Romulo whose esteemed grandfather Carlos P. Romulo led the Filipino debaters who made mincemeat of their American counterparts in the 1930s.