Depo Provera, Wikipedia, etc.

Tox is a remnant of the hunter-gatherer tribes of Cagayan (northern Philippines) who, from time to time, brings me top of the line (read: organic) produce: peanuts fresh from the earth, lasuna (small, native onions), babal (young mung beans). If in dire need, she sells many others - glutinous rice (diket), bennek (fresh-water shells), bananas, free-range chicken. She's a subsistence farmer, vendor, a tire mechanic, that also wields her buneng (bolo knife) and climbs trees to cut wayward branches for a fee. In one word: healthy.

She is also a member of the 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. 
One day, Tox sold to me one of her produce ... because she ran out of cash for the purchase of "depo."

"What?" I asked.

She replied that it was an injectable she will need to purchase from "doktora's" pharmacy, saying it was partly subsidized by the government. This was a few months after the passing of the controversial Reproductive Health law.

Depo Provera is a brand of contraceptives from injectables to implants which have been previously posted at Wikipedia as a controversial drug, dangerous, or having adverse effect on users. It has the active ingredient depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or DMPA— associated with venous thromboembolism[1] (which can lead to a life-threatening blood clot in the lungs), severe vision loss and blindness[2] ^,[3] (retinal venous occlusion), breast cancer,[4] delayed return of fertility, and weight gain.

What is so special about this drug brand?

It is openly administered by the Philippine Government as mandatory contraceptive for women under the 4Ps. The Population Research Institute reported that family planning partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), and others have found their ways in third-world governments to inject more vulnerable women with this risky contraceptive.

In the weeks following Tox's use of the said injectable, her face and body sagged, from the previously robust one. Our group has then started posting on FaceBook about the sneaky administration of depo provera on the uninformed women, and then Wikipedia changed.

Previously a mine of valuable information, Wikipedia have deleted its entry on depo provera. Is it just the Philippine portal or version (or whatever you may call it)? I wondered. How much content have been edited or removed at Wikipedia, was my other worry (talk about [un]necessary stressors). How many sites have been censoring themselves for the sake of corrupt regulatory (government) practices? More than the removal of the depo provera entry, I have become more worried about the so-called freedom of expression!

Not to be defeated, though, Firefox gave me Tor - "Protect yourself against tracking, surveillance, and censorship."

Tox is back to her old, healthy self, anyway. Maybe, the medication has stopped. She's still a member of the 4Ps, but if Tox had been a little vulnerable, or not the survivor that she is, I doubt she'd bounce back that easy.

Why Lucifer Clicks

Yes, I bingewatched Lucifer season 1 to 4- the Fox-Netflix-revived-series character based on Neil Gaiman's Devil who retired from hell in his Sandman book. (I used to ignore its Netflix ad, but finally convinced by my millennial family member when he said it was based on Sandman's Lucifer (I introduced him to Sandman, he is dyslexic).

So, what's making (or made?) this 4-seasoned series click to bingers like me? Let's see...
1. Hopeless romantic. Luci & Chloe  (Deckerstar)
2. It is so life-like. What's not real in Lucifer? We are all baffled about hell and all that it is -including Lucifer/ satan / the devil, its actual existence, role, and "power" over humans. Because if you think about it, humans do not need any prodding (from others) to actually commit unspeakable deeds -  as Lucifer often quips with the neverending ad libs that not only detective Douche demands to hear, but we have become addicted to, as well.
3. Rituals and habits.
The show is so full of it. The pouring of wine, the club, the music, the need to connect,  breakfast, bed... Home. It highlights many humanness and human needs.
4. Nasty. (Do I need  elaborate?). OK. Maze.
4. Sarcastic. Lucifer tells the glaring truths in their faces. With his haughty expression to boot.

It does not mean, though, that it has no low points. First off, the police procedural theme limitation. Ella Lopez (CSI) is way, too smart (we'd love to see her how to arrive at conclusions, sometimes). Although fans can't dislike the Tom Ellis character's childishness nor the enigmatic and sexy  Tricia Helfer roles (she's that good she'd had 2 already!) for long.

In the fourth season, there was so much stupidity in the Eve character to hate you'd want to get in the screen to strangle her. But then,  maybe, it is just me. I sooo look forward to the fifth season, and it will be amusing to see history's favorite deads in hell spar with our most recent mumbling anti-hero and his team. This will be a chance to include a lot of international, interesting deads - for a wider, global audience (We're from third-world Philippines hey!)

I so Delayed Watching Batman Begins

So, I've read some Batman comics, including the comics version of the movie Batman Begins, and today, February 27, 2019, I finally watched it, laboured as much as Christian Bale speaks, like his front false teeth have fallen... Sorry. I grew up with the glam Batman comics.

Is it unfair to rate a movie by the way the lips of the lead actor moves? (I don't care if the trilogy are top-grossers - and one of them even have two characters I least like in one??? this one is already a torture!  Will I go through another two?

I'd pick the comics versions any time. At least it would spare me of the lips issues.

I was Arrested & Jailed for Libel

In 2012, I blogged about an illegal recruiter/scammer AFTER I asked an investigation from DeLima /NBI,  and help from local major media (Inquirer, GMA, ABS-CBN who ignored my plea)  and I was arrested instead  for (cyber) libel years later, but I never claimed suppression of freedom of speech!

I am  sorry, but yes, there's NO MATINONG major media in the Philippines!

Paypal: Hijacked?

I have been using paypal since 2005. Until recently (had it been months?), it had been very safe, very easy to use, and very efficient.

What's going on?

1.  It now asks new users whether they are sellers or buyers (seems, you cannot be both).
Fine. If you are an old user, beware of changing your bank details, you'll be doomed!
2. Then, if you are a seller, your account automatically requires your own bank-registered business name. It automatically assumes (and insists!) that your bank account, even if you state while registering your details that it is a personal account and AFTER you input your name, that it is named AFTER your business account.
3. If you cannot properly place a bank account, you have limitations like withdrawing (you cannot even withdraw from your credit card, I understand).
4. But assuming you already inputed properly your bank details and withdraw, you will learn that the transaction was reversed. Because paypal used a business name instead of your inputed personal name.
5. Or it is reversed because it is automatically a checking (current) account.
6. And after all the delays and mistakes, you are charged about US$5 for the reversion. This is thick!
7. You pay for a mistake that paypal insists & committed!

Dispute a paypal mistake & you get this!

Then,

1. You cannot dispute that mistake.
2. Because paypal will only give you one option in their "resolution center" which is "report an unauthorized activity" - which is FALSE, of course, because you made that activity.
3. But you are forced to click only one button, because the other option is to send them a message, which was NEVER read at all.
4. But if you opt to send a message instead, you get a reply on your email stating how to use paypal (using JUST keywords on your message), which you already knew because you read/saw how in their website already. Well, they ask you to email back in case the issue is not resolved.
5. So, you email back.
6. And still you have robotic customer service representatives (CSR) answering you other things instead of helping you resolve the problem (like correcting your account details).
7. BUT apparently, the number or all numbers being sent to the CSR are censored!

Worse

1. If you clicked those questions AFTER "report an unauthorized activity", you are doomed!
2. OK, so, if you click a paypal transaction (charged for penalty) for dispute under the Resolution Center, they will automatically block your account, and you can only resolve the issue by calling their Nebraska phone at +1 402 9352050.
3. You will be answered by an AI machine, which does NOT recognize numbers by voice or by keypad. So, you get to repeat inputing the same number over and over again until you meet your call limits (subscription if you do not have a postpaid phone). And then it will insist it does not recognize your number, so, you input the number you used in your paypal account, but as I said, could it really be communicating with your phone? They don't seem to be from the same planet!!!
4. SO, you buy another call load for your phone.
5. And do the process again and again (today, it will be my 12th time to call). Now, my Globe IDD wants to compete, it keeps being cut!!!
6. At other times, the AI lets you go through, and then, the other challenge kicks in - a recorded  message that is so -  coming from the earth's abyss itself, you can hardly recognize a word it is saying... (I must need a hypersonic hearing aid already!)
7. Then, if you are lucky, there's a CSR to answer your call (hallelluia!!!)
8. So, she will get your cryptic email address (he or she will have a difficulty understanding it, of course!), so you get stuck a few minutes just trying to figure out what the hell is your email address!
9. And when you finally were able to send through the message you are trying to send through, breathe.
10. The CSR will send you a verification code... Or was it an email link? No, first, a verification code to your email, before she gives you an email link to finally restore your account!
11. Well, hold that hallelluia! Because if you do not have a kingdom-come-call-limitations, your load just expired! (OK, mine).
12. Go back to 1. Whichever "1 "you want. Up there.

calls at paypal taking about 10 minutes... before you can actually speak to a live human.

The many call logs which paypal insists I upload to their website AFTER I log-in (they have blocked me, how can I log in?)

So Paypal, you win. I'll try to start finding other options now, go check out those other payment systems, maybe, they have not been hijacked yet! And, yes, I'll stop telling everyone to use paypal. I can't afford more angry looks. (I've more than enough for myself already).

Find Out if You are Internet Ignorant

Are you one of them?

Ipsos, a market research group, published that the Philippines, with 29% of its population being users of internet, are on the top 3 of the most innacurate users in the world of the 38 countries they bothered to learn about. Anyway, other posts claim about 60 million Filipinos use the internet, but mainly, or majority of them uses only social media, dominated probably by FaceBook (had Friendster been maintained fairly well, I doubt if FaceBook will be as popular as it is now).

There are no studies yet undertaken how to determine if a user is internet ignorant or not. However, there are already posts online that internet, or social media, is making (Filipino) users ignorant.  How can we know of this?

Answer the following questions with YES or NO to determine if you are internet ignorant or not:
1. "Search" in FaceBook is helpful to find factual information.
2. At least half (50%) of what friends share on social media are reliable or truth.
3. Wikipedia is a leak.
4. Rappler news are objective.
5. YouTube is all about funny videos.
6. 9gag is more reliable than Fox News.
7. Chrome is an advertising tool.
8. Google search used to be reliable. Not anymore.
9. FaceBook is an advertising tool.
10. Everything in this list is debatable.

Comment in this blog post your email and answers if you want to know whether or not you are internet ignorant. Thank you for taking the time to learn.

In Denial, and the Beholden Media

Since President Rodrigo R. Duterte took office, or even before it, there had been a lot of naysayers, considering that information nowadays is cheap and fast. I was one of them. Was.

There are two things I noted for not trusting the presidency early on:
1. Constitutional bodies like COA, CSC, and COMELEC are ineffective, if not so corrupt.
2. Duterte pledged to wage war against criminality. So much like all other government agencies that hire and promote by virtue of nepotism, we have an inept police.

Nevertheless, the Constitution says we have a President. The least we can do is respect him and give him a chance. There was a one time that I voted for president, and I voted for her again the second time although I am fully aware she will not win this time. All else, I knew were useless and futile.

From the start, too, Duterte doubted he will ever work well with the Philippine media. Members of Philippine media have a somewhat distorted orientation about their freedoms and rights (if they are even aware of it at all), and a feigned ignorance of admiting they work for a business. (I am sour-graping, mainstream media never wanted me! I am a reject! Satisfied? Now, let's proceed.)

But to explain this anti-Duterte stance of mainstream Philippine media, let us disect the background of the mainstream Philippine media:
1. ABS-CBN is owned by the Lopezes. Formerly listed as owned by Benpress Holdings, it has a bleak history of massive debts and should be answerable to taxpayers of this country, and investors in other countries. And if you so care want some juicy conspiracy theory bits, here.

 2. Philippine Daily Inquirer. This is formerly a newspaper with fearless news and balanced views. It has turned into a social oligarch magazine, with news and some opinions on the side.
3. Rappler's Raissa Robles.  Robles will write as she sees fit, personal or otherwise. Pnoy has won her favor, and she won't admit it, but that is how I see it.
4. As for the rest, they are still wrapped up in their comfort zones, never heard "p#+@^&mo" in their short lives, and never been mentally challenged in their professional and personal relations, so, let the snowflakes cry.

As for the Dutertards, they plod.  Reality is a war. We don't really know when we'll get hit.