5 Things You Need to Know About Mono, The Kissing Disease

        You decided where you're going to go to college, and you've been duly warned about the dreaded 15 pounds Freshman weight gain thing. But did you know up to one in four college freshmen get mono? 

1. Yes, kissing spreads it 
People pass the Epstein-Barr virus (which causes mono) through saliva, often during hookups that involve, as docs say, "deep kissing with tongue." Sex won't up your odds of catching it, a new study found. 

2. Who gave it to me? 
It can take four to six weeks after exposure to feel symptoms, so you may never know whose saliva (or which beer-pong cup) is to blame. Healthy again? Wait at least four to kiss anyone.
3. When should I see a doc? 
Get a blood test if you feel any of these for a week or longer: fever, sore throat, I'm-huffing-and-puffing-just-walking-to-class exhaustion, or swollen lymph nodes. 
4. How is it treated? 
There's no magic pill for mono antibiotics don't work on viruses. You can help your body fight off the infection by sleeping as much as possible, drinking water and juice, and eating fruits, veggies, and protein.
5. It does go away 
You may feel like crap for weeks, even months, and should avoid booze and sports (your liver and spleen may be swollen). When you're better, you're done; mono doesn't pop back up when you're run-down. 
**SOURCES: HANK BALFOUR, MD, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL SCHOOL; ANGELA U. TUCKER, MD, CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.

Six Part Invention Releases Stripped And Covered; Gears Up For Album’s International Release!

      Stripped and Covered, the album includes some of the most memorable 90’s light rock tunes, is Six Part Invention’s first album under Universal Records. The said album will also be released in four countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Six Part Invention joins the elite roster of Universal Records roster – Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Parokya Ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Spongecola, Christian Bautista, Noel Cabangon, Gloc-9, Richard Poon, Sam Concepcion, JayR, Billy Crawford, Callalily, among others.

Two Steps Behind, the album’s carrier single, topped the music charts. It was number one on the mymusicstore charts for six consecutive weeks.

“The production of the album is really a labor of love from all of us in the band,” adds Kaye. “I hope this album takes everyone on a romantic musical journey.”

Six Part Invention, composed of Rey, Kaye and Tag Cantong, and Andy Dela Cruz, includes some of the well-loved light rock tunes from the 90’s including Def Leppard’s Two Steps Behind, Bad English’s When I See You Smile, White Lion’s You’re All I Need, Europe’s Carrie, Cheap Trick’sThe Flame, among others.

“To be part of the Universal Records family is really a dream come true for us,” expresses Rey. “This album celebrates many firsts for us – our debut album for Universal and our first time to take on an album concept like this. Plus, we are so thankful that the album will be available in other territories in Southeast Asia.”

Six Part Invention is being managed by Orion Entertainment, alongside Noel Cabangon, Kimpoy Feliciano, Malay, Jordan Bautista, Jason Fernandez, Jensen Gomez, Aspen Way, Runmanila, and She’s Only Sixteen. For inquiries, please email olrac1023@gmail.com.

 On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcamusic?fref=ts

BLAST-OFF! The ToyCon 2013 Launching Event!

Everyone is invited to our Toycon 2013 launching event!

This is just a teaser for our main event this June 14-16, 2013 in Megatrade Halls 1-3, SM Megamall

 BLAST-OFF! The ToyCon 2013 Launching Event
May 25, 2013, Saturday
12nn-10pm
The Plaza, Newport Mall
Resorts World Manila, Pasay City

FREE ENTRANCE!
Featuring toys and collectibles display, Cosplay, Toycon Presscon, MYMP performance and Alodia meet and greet

Visit here: http://www.toyconph.com/
On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toyconph

Unleash The Heroes Of Change!

        Every child has an inner bida—a hero-in-the-making waiting to be unleashed. The real change we’ve been waiting for could be locked inside young minds and hearts. All they need is the right reinforcement to bring out their potential even at a tender age.






      CBN Asia and its flagship TV program The 700 Club Asia believe in investing in the country’s future by inspiring Filipino children and giving them a strong faith foundation.

This is why The 700 Club Asia is devoting a live TV special this May for Filipino children. Titled Bida ng Pagbabago, this special telecast will encourage viewers to support CBN Asia’s mission to instill good Filipino morals and Biblical values in a generation heavily saturated by unwholesome media and technology.

Bida ng Pagbabago will also introduce CBN Asia’s biggest TV project for 2013: the reimagined and digitally animated Superbook. The series is poised to deliver the powerful message of the Bible to children through cutting-edge, vivid and exciting animation and storytelling that Filipino kids will surely love and enjoy. CBN Asia hopes that every Superbook episode will be a positive catalyst in children’s hearts and will prepare them to be God-loving citizens of our country.

You can be part of our battle cry in Bida ng Pagbabago! Catch it from May 20 to 24, Monday to Friday, 11 p.m. live on GMA News TV and via webcast at www.cbnasia.org. •

New study suggests humans are not naturally violent

By: JG Vibes     
     A new study published last month in Nature Journal suggests that humans are naturally good. This study adds to the mounting evidence against the popular misconception that corruption is a trait of human nature.

    In ten experiments using economic games, scientists observed that faster decisions result in more cooperation and generosity, while slower, calculated decisions show a decrease in cooperation and generosity. The conclusion is that the automatic reaction is to be friendly, generous and cooperative, and only upon further consideration do humans become greedy or violent.From the study:
“To explain these results, we propose that cooperation is intuitive because cooperative heuristics are developed in daily life where cooperation is typically advantageous. We then validate predictions generated by this proposed mechanism. Our results provide convergent evidence that intuition supports cooperation in social dilemmas, and that reflection can undermine these cooperative impulses.”
Any scientific studies these days should be taken with a grain of salt, because we are without a doubt living in an era of soviet style science, where state and corporate entities are using the scientific establishment to project a particular worldview into the mainstream consciousness. This is why it is important to always look for funding sources and seek many different avenues of research. However, in this case, this particular study is just one of many proposals put forward by the scientific community in the past several decades stating confidently that corruption has nothing to do with human nature, as the popular misconception states.

The first time this issue was brought up in the mainstream scientific community was in 1986 when scientists from around the world got together to discuss the psychological and biological evidence proving that human nature is no excuse for violent behavior. The findings that were released came to be known as “The Seville Statement”.

This statement made 5 propositions, which are:
1. “It is scientifically incorrect to say that we have inherited a tendency to make war from our animal ancestors.”
2. “It is scientifically incorrect to say that war or any other violent behavior is genetically programmed into our human nature.”
3. “It is scientifically incorrect to say that in the course of human evolution there has been a selection for aggressive behavior more than for other kinds of behavior.”
4. “It is scientifically incorrect to say that humans have a ‘violent brain’.”
5. “It is scientifically incorrect to say that war is caused by ‘instinct’ or any single motivation.”
Since the Seville statement there have been many more studies reconfirming the propositions put forward. Just this past February a new study by a biologist named Frans de Waal showed that animals are naturally prone to cooperation when in the right circumstances.

As I discussed in the article Human Nature a Self Fulfilling Prophecy, the actions that people carry out today, and the actions that have been carried out throughout history are the result of environmental factors, as well as psychological trauma and manipulation, they can not be chalked up to “human nature”.To chalk the violence that we see around us up to human nature, is to avoid admitting there is a problem, thus preventing any progress from being made towards peace. If we think that human beings are dangerous and violent creatures, then some of us will be able to rationalize and justify malevolent behavior by writing it off as human nature, instead of condemning it as we should.
If we actually condemn this behavior instead of making empty excuses for it, we will without a doubt drastically lower the level of violence on this planet. Individually, and as a species, we can only go as far as our imagination will take us. We are only capable of what we can imagine, and if all we can imagine is violence, submission, and domination, then that’s all were ever going to get.

J.G. Vibes is the author of an 87 chapter counter culture textbook called Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance and host of a show called Voluntary Hippie Radio. He is also an artist with an established record label and event promotion company that hosts politically charged electronic dance music events. You can keep up with his work, which includes free podcasts, free e-books & free audiobooks at his website www.aotmr.com .

DOTC Pursues 3-Year Program To Reduce Domestic Shipping Costs For Inclusive Growth

     The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is beginning a three (3)-year program aimed at generating growth for the country’s agribusiness trade, directly benefitting workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors across the country, in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s push for inclusive growth. 

The DOTC announced on Wednesday (May 8, 2013) that it has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to pursue various policy and regulatory reforms in the Philippine shipping sector in order to improve our farmers’ market access and integration by reducing the cost of domestic shipping. 

The project will involve a diagnostic review by the IFC to identify areas where pro-competitive practices will help meet these goals. The DOTC will work together with its frontline agencies, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), in reviewing the results of the study and implementing the recommendations of the IFC from 2013 to 2016. 

“This partnership with the IFC is a very welcome development. It will have a major impact on our economy, especially for farmers and fisherfolk who stand to realize the most gains from our policy reforms,” said the Transport Department. 

The DOTC explained further that, by reducing domestic shipping costs, the prices of commodities will also go down. According to a study prepared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2005, 24.2% to 43.8% of the wholesale price of food products is on account of transport and logistics costs. 

“By making it cheaper to move agricultural goods from farms to markets, the prices of these commodities will also be reduced, making them more affordable to consumers,” remarked the DOTC. “These benefits are the reason why the DOTC, MARINA, and PPA – all of whom share the President’s vision of inclusive growth – look forward to this project.” 

This effort is partly funded by the Canadian International Cooperation Agency (CIDA), and will require no cost on the part of the Philippine government. It is also part of the IFC’s Philippine Agribusiness Trade Logistics program. 

According to IFC Resident Representative Jesse Ang, this agreement demonstrates the IFC’s confidence in the DOTC, MARINA, and PPA’s efforts to undertake shipping and port reforms.

DOTC Announces 5 Prequalified Bidders for P 1.72-Billion AFCS PPP Project

Five (5) out of the nine (9) consortia which sought to qualify for the P 1.72-Billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) Project have been shortlisted by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Transport Department disclosed on Wednesday (May 8, 2013). 

The 5 bidders which prequalified are: (1) AF Consortium, led by the Metro Pacific and Ayala groups; (2) Comworks Consortium, which includes Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.; (3) E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture, Inc. Consortium, which includes Eastwest Banking Corp.; (4) Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink Consortium, which will tap the experience of Singapore’s EZ-Link Pte. Ltd.; and (5) SM Consortium, led by several companies of the Sy family. 

“We are pleased to announce that 5 interested groups have prequalified to bid for the AFCS Project, one of our first PPP (Public-Private Partnership) offerings. This means that we are getting closer to identifying who our private sector partner will be in bringing a modern commuting experience to the public,” said the DOTC. 

Based on the current timeline, the prequalified consortia will have until August 30, 2013 to prepare their bids for the project. According to the DOTC, “[W]e set this deadline for bid submission to give bidders the maximum amount of time to come up with their best proposals for government without compromising our schedule. As long as we have the full support and cooperation of the bidders, we will remain on track with our targets.” 

Meanwhile, the 4 disqualified groups are: (1) Lamco Consortium; (2) Mega Lucky United Consortium; (3) MTD-PRLM Consortium; and (4) San Miguel Transport Solutions Consortium. 

In the case of Lamco, it nominated consortium member New San Jose Builders, Inc. to meet the project’s financial qualification requirement. However, the documents provided during the submission deadline last April 12 showed that its net worth fell below the P 1-Billion minimum. Additional documents submitted by Lamco after the deadline were not considered by the DOTC-LRTA Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), since this would have amounted to a bid modification. 

For Mega Lucky, there was no proof that its members have no unsatisfactory record. The required basic information and general information sheets of its members were also absent. 

Meanwhile, MTD-PRLM’s submission lacked proof establishing the required experience of its nominated AFCS operator. In addition, its Project Implementation Plan and Project Development Plan failed to show its ability to undertake the project due to missing components. 

Lastly, San Miguel Transport Solutions’ Project Implementation Plan and Project Development Plan did not include certain required components, similar to MTD-PRLM.