Family Feud

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)


Hi there! It’s another week. Move over Richard Gomez, this is not about your TV game show; and also move over Brodett family, your bad blood is nothing compared to the bad blood between the (currently) warring factions in Gaza strip.


As I write this column, news had it that Israel is contemplating on a peaceful solution (?) as suggested by France and Egypt. Well, it has always been so since the time of Carter (why Carter? He’s the first U.S. President I remember seeing in the news). The volatile peace situation in that region will always be a main concern in U.S. Foreign Policy (along with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I guess. And yes, what happened to Bin Laden?). So whoever said or is still dreaming about that special friendship between Filipinos and Americans, don’t dream on, we will never be in their list of priorities, that’s if we take into consideration the shuttle diplomacy that they are into with regard to the current situation in Gaza. Not to mention official U.S. pronouncements, or the absence of it; and yes, it seems like practically every American prexy wanted to have a lasting peace in the Middle East as his legacy. I think I can say the same thing to Mr. Obama.


The bad blood which caused the latest war in the area dates back to biblical times. Sadly I did not take my theology class seriously so I don’t remember from which wife of Abraham came the Jews and the Palestinians (?). Anyway, the point is it’s a family feud which has been waging in the B.C. years and will continue beyond our lifetime. Do I have to add in that matters got worse with Israel (the country) being carved out of a chunk of land supposedly belonging to the Palestinians? Anyway, thanks to CNN and other TV networks, we get to see the hubris that is WAR in the 21st century, the century of the highly-civilized man. No need to imagine how it would have been in earlier times.


So my take on the issue? Yes, we can always resort to prayer. But then again, many must have been praying for peace in the region, so far, to no avail. Just wondering, when Hamas dropped bombs over (Southern) Israel, the world seemed to turned its eyes at everywhere but Israel, yup, the U.N. included. But when Israel started to do its thing, lo and behold, all eyes in Israel, the shuttle diplomacy, the calls to peace, and what have you.


And back here at home. Yes, the Brodetts. One branch goes on TV to make pakiusap about the release of an Alabang boy while another goes to the House to testify in the investigation (in aid of legislation, of course). Now that’s’ the way to wash one’s dirty linen in public, in grand style if I may add.


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Let me leave you with something to smile about this week. It’s something I got via email (as usual): Tomato Story:


A Jobless man applied for the position of 'office boy' at Microsoft.


The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. 'You are employed' he said. Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.


The man replied 'But I don't have a computer, neither an email'.


'I'm sorry', said the HR manager. If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job.'


The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10 Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled everyday. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. 5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email.

The man replied, 'I don't have an email.'

The broker answered curiously, 'You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!'

The man thought for a while and replied, 'Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!'

Moral of the story:

Moral 1 : Internet is not the solution to your life.

Moral 2 : If you don't have Internet, and work hard, you can be a millionaire.

Moral 3: If you received this message by email, you are closer to being an office boy/girl, than a millionaire . . . (smile, just wanna wish you a great week ahead rrlr.)


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This is it for now. Have a nice week everyone!