used books

I have stacked in my bookshelf some old books from the 1990s and earlier years. I would like to auction them to collectors. Titles range from fiction to non-fiction, such as: Lost in the Cosmos, Chariots of the Gods, Gods from Outer Space, The Rampa Story, Unlocking the Secrets of Your Childhood Memories, The Impossible Question, The Eternal Man, The Third Wave, Future Shock, I Ching, The Wisdom of the Overself and lots of other curious finds. I have two boxes of such books. Terms and conditions are of course negotiable. Interested? Just leave me a message.

Looking years back, I had fun browsing through the yellowed pages and sorting through piles of books in various stores. I found and purchased the books from the malls, sidewalks and thrift shops I passed by during my occasional strolls after school or office hours. It would be good to have this collection passed on to interested collectors rather than have them carelessly stacked in some library, or worse, discarded by an unsuspecting chum.

outrageously expensive

According to an unsigned report, Philippine president Gloria Arroyo stands out as the Philippine's most expensive president.

The paper says that in 2007, the Office of the President spent P249.5 million to pay the salaries and wages of its regular employees; and P10.7 million to pay casual and contractual employees. A total of P260.2 million was spent to pay the rank and file of the Office of the President, plus 58 executive offices, agencies, commissions, and committees that report to the Office of the President.

The paper presents a summary of the Commission on Audit (COA)'s report on the 2007 financial transactions of Malacañang (Palace), breaking down Malacanang's expenses for 2007 as follows:
a) P260.2 M for Rank and file's salaries and wages
b) P21 M for their yearend bonuses
c) P7 M as cash gifts
d) P651,000 for honoraria
e) P618.6 M “donations” to unknown beneficiaries
f) P56.8 M representation expenses
g) P14.5 M representation allowances
h) P28.8 M for other bonuses and allowances
i) P10.3 M for transportation allowances
j) P6.9 M advertising expenses
k) P24.8 M additional compensation
l) P6.64 M extraordinary expenses
m) P5.4 M for miscellaneous expenses
n) P119.8 M for other personnel benefits
o) P46.6 M subsidy to Regional Offices/Staff Bureaus/Branch Offices

P1,227,991,000 – TOTAL 2007 EXPENSE

The said paper adds that the Household is also expensive, amounting to P19,747,795 a month!

Food supplies expenses amount to P55.7 million or P4.6 million a month.

Electricity bills total P54.5 million or an average of P4.5 million a month.

Gasoline, oil and lubricants = P27.9 million or P2.3 million a month.

Water bill is P25.4 million or P2.1 million a month.

Security services = P13 million or P1.08 million a month.

Janitorial services = P4.8 million or P400,000 a month.

Telephone/landline = P13.5 million or P1.1 million a month

Mobile phone bills = P9.07 million or P755,000 a month.

Office supplies = P13.5 million or P1.1 million a month.

"Other supplies" = P19.4 million or P1.6 million a month.

Subscription expenses = P1.04 million or P86,000 a month.

Cooking gas = P892,000 or P74,000 a month.

Internet bills = P332,597 or P27,716 a month.

Cable, satellite, telegraph and radio = P300,955 or P25,079 a month.

Unbelievable!

learning from sci-fi

Two of my Social Sciences professors sometimes referred to sci-fi's such as Star Trek and Star Wars to inspire students in envisioning a better society. Sure enough, we students gained some ideas from these sci-fi's, that we are now able to utilize in making alternative propositions and day to day critiques. The more difficult part comes in applying such theories or ideas in mundane realities. Here are a few lessons from Star Trek.