My women's tennis album 11 - Ashley Harkleroad

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Eraptions

It is again time for Eraptions, now that Erap has declared his intention to run again for the presidency.
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Erap to Cardinal:  Hanggang ngayon galit pa ang simbahan sa akin.  This is unfair.
Cardinal:  Why did you say that?
Erap:  Mayroong Sabado de GLORIA, Sagrado de CORAZON, at Domingo de RAMOS.  Bakit ako wala??? Eh, I was also a President!
Cardinal (after a careful thought):  OK, from now on, yours is ASS Wednesday!
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Erap dreamed that he died and went to heaven. St. Peter gave him Ai-ai delas Alas as partner, saying, 'Kung mabait ka sana , mas maganda ang partner mo.'

Erap saw Chavit with Gretchen Barretto and said, 'Bakit si Chavit, mas madaming kasalanan, si Gretchen ang partner?'

St. Peter: Hijo, parusa yan kay Gretchen.
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Why did Erap shoot his wife when he bought a house?
Because the contract reads: 'Execute all 3 copies together with your wife...'

The Age of Stupid 5

When Ondoy flooded San Juan last September, our small city did not get any media attention at all. I just thought that other areas are worse hit, that's why. In fact, other places that never experienced flooding before were suddenly under water. Some places will be under water for months. Indeed, Ondoy swathed a wide area of destruction.

But still, San Juan itself suffered the worst flooding ever. The Youtube video of cars swept away by the flood currents was taken at the UERM hospital, just across the San Juan river. So why is San Juan not in the news? Not that we are kulang sa pansin, we just want to say that "hey we were victims too". Fortunately, despite the lack of press notice, aid still poured in.

It was also noticeable that during the floods, rescue operations were nowhere in sight. Again, I attributed that to the many people that needed rescuing. But after the water subsided, victims were in unison in saying that no help from the city officials arrived. The rescue efforts that saved hundreds were all initiated by friends and families from higher grounds.

Days after the flood, giant banners were put up by the mayor to exhort San Juanenos to be strong, to work together to make the city rise again from its own efforts, to work together to enliven the people's spirit. Good idea, only if people did not learn that the good mayor sneaked out of the country in the morning of the floods for Singapore to watch(?) the races. Surely, he could not have foretold the great flood. Definitely, he has the right to watch horse races. Absolutely, he is the son of his father.

But talks are rife that his people asked the media to be out of San Juan so people won't notice his absence. Without the media coverage of the people's pleas, help did not come. With the mayor absent, his men were clueless in the rescue operations. He did the wrong thing in going to the races. He did the wrong thing in isolating the city from the media. He is wrong to think that the people does not know any better.

This is the age of stupid.

No Boss Envy in the Office - Survey

Today is Boss Day in the U.S. Results of an online study conducted last week show that a majority of U.S. workers do not think their bosses are honest, and one in four would fire their boss if they could and only four in ten workers would take their bosses' jobs if offered.

The survey finds most American workers happy not to be in charge, recognizing the increasingly challenging job American bosses are facing today due to heightened on-the-job pressures resulting from both economic and business turmoil.

65% would not change anything about their relationship with their bosses showing that strides have been made in improving the manager-employee relationship. However, a quarter of employees say that they do not trust that their boss has been honest about their job security.

Here are some key findings in employee perception of bosses:
- Satisfaction still depends on boss/employee relationship: Almost all workers (89%) still think their relationship with their boss is more important or as important to their job satisfaction.
- Accessibility unchanged: 87% of workers think their boss is just as accessible or more accessible as they were pre-recession.
- Respect has only marginally increased: Only 14% of workers have more respect for what their boss does everyday since the recession began.
- Performance reviews are still in place: 87% of workers think their boss has the same amount of or more focus on the performance review process as they did pre-recession.

Bernadette Kenny, chief career officer, Adecco Group North America said, "Good or bad economy, how employees feel about their work-life is very much dependent on their relationship with their boss. What we're hearing from the thousands of American workers we partner with everyday is that the world of work is more challenging than ever before and constantly changing. Increasingly difficult jobs require impactful managers who lead by example and create the best possible environment for their staff."

Her company offers the following tips for bosses looking to strengthen their relationship with their workers:
- Encourage open dialogue: Start or continue an open forum with employees where they can bring issues to the table and have an honest discussion about their concerns.
- Exhibit loyalty: Acts of loyalty may occur every day but many go unnoticed by employees. Learn to delicately communicate how loyal you are to key employees and how earning their trust is important. Earn employee trust by openly communicating both good and bad news and making every attempt not to surprise any employee.
- Improve morale: Company morale goes hand-in-hand with motivation. Motivate staff through contests, rewards and recognition of top work. Also conduct team-building exercises with staff to build stronger working relationships around the office.
- Communicate opportunities: Motivation also comes when an employee recognizes there are opportunities beyond their day-to-day job within a certain company. Be sure to communicate how the company can continue to help employees grow through special assignments, projects or learning opportunities.

In the Philippine scene, I would say employees also feel the same way as their American counterparts. The tips offered by Kenny could also be used by the Filipino bosses.

The Age of Stupid 4 meets Hopeless PAG-ASA VI

After Ondoy and Pepeng showed PAG-ASA's ineffectiveness, the weather bureau boldly predicted three days of good weather last Monday, October 12. And once again, it lived up to its reputation. By Tuesday, the strong rains are back and this afternoon, classes at UST are suspended because of the rains.

While climate change is to blame for the high volume of rain fall, PAG-ASA botched its job in predicting how much volume is going to fall so the dams can have preemptive releases. The sudden releases (no warnings) of water from the dams unnecessarily cost lives and property. This happened with Ondoy. And with Ondoy's horror still fresh on our minds, it happened again with Pepeng. How low can our hopes go.

Tessie Tomas' Amanda Pineda has more credibility than the clowns at PAG-ASA. And she's funny. Nilo Prisco and Nathaniel Cruz blunders would have been funny too, had their inefficiency not brought tragedies.