“RANSOM, n. The purchase of that which neither belongs to the seller, nor can belong to the buyer. The most unprofitable of investments.”

- Devil’s Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce

The Devil’s Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, is a satirical book published in 1911, a period when Kidnap for Ransom was still not a thought about crime. In the turn of the century Kidnap for Ransom became one of the most lucrative criminal enterprise, that it has become a criminal cottage industry in most underdeveloped countries like the Philippines.

Kidnap for Ransom (KFR) thrive in societies where there is break down in law and order, gross graft and corruption in government and massive poverty a living reality. Through the years, KFR syndicates had evolved and developed into a more complex organization and acquired sophistication in its operations. An example of a KFR organization and its modus operandi was shown in Denzel Washington’s movie, Man on Fire. The movie showed how a KFR organization operates in different stages and its plan executed by compartmentalized groups. Although the movie does not present itself as a standard police field manual for anti-KFR operations, but it presents facts common and shared by various countries. Most glaring of which is the direct involvement of key Government officials or the Police and Military in KFR groups.

The movie Man on Fire showed four different sub-groups executing one KFR operation. Compartmentalized operation insulates potential spilling of beans in the event that KFR operatives get arrested. It secures the object and ensures success of the KFR operation. As shown in the movie, one group is involved only in gathering intelligence, the other group is tasked to extract the object, the other one for the safekeeping of the object and the last is the group of negotiator/s.

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Philippines for Dummies

I must admit that I am not much of a Jose Rizal fan. Ka Andres Bonifacio gets more points from me, just a bit higher than Rizal. But like any Filipino, I admire Rizal for his dedication to our country’s cause. The life he lived as hero and martyr should be a source of inspiration, if not an emulation for the youth which he proclaimed as the hope of the mother/fatherland. Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio are both heroes and examplars of Filipino Patriotism and they’re both my brother Masons.

According to the Grand Lodge of the Philippines website:

Rizal was made a Master Mason on November 15, 1890 at Logia Solidaridad 53 in Madrid, Spain. He affiliated with a lodge under the jurisdiction of Grand Orient of France on October 14, 1891, and was made honorary Worshipful Master of Nilad Lodge No. 144 in 1892. There he delivered a lecture entitled “La Masoneria”.

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Freemasonry, Philippines for Dummies

One common problem in most urban dwellings is the lack of space for landscaping and natural greenery. You are in a concrete jungle and everything around you is steel, concrete and plastic. In an urban setting, the planting of evidence by rogue policemen is much easier than that of planting plants in your house. Unless you live in a bigger house in the middle of the city with a large front and backyard, planter and planters are no problem for you.

In this situation, most city dwellers adjust by making use of various Indoor Planters as well as Outdoor Planters. An Indoor Planter, apparently holds plants which you would like to put inside your house. Outdoor Planter is quite similar to a Garden Planter. Only that, Garden Planters hold much more plants, as its name suggests, it is designed as a garden.

There are also other High End Planters, like Decorative Planters and Window Box Planters. A Window box planter hangs from a window or placed along the edge of a window. While a decorative planter are designed to be more conspicous and for display purpose. But the high cost of urban living makes one prudent in spending money for more basic needs than for a high end planter. If the purpose is simply to give our urban dwelling a greener perspective, used tin or plastic containers can be utilized to serve as improvised planters.

If the planters are already fixed, the next basic problem for a greening project in an urban setting is where to get the soil for planting. But alas, gardening soils are now also available and sold in grocery stores in the city. Just wondering if there are also such item as a high end soil.

Family and Me

Family and Me

I have had this blog since 2004. It was all for fun and a sort of therapeutic activity where you relax and get to practice the craft called writing. I didn’t realize that one can really earn by blogging. Though I heard about it before, I didn’t actually believed it. It was only just recently that I realized earning while blogging is indeed a real thing. Try and visit bloggerwave.com and you’ll know what I mean. You blog and at the same time make money. Isn’t that fun?

Family and Me