From my medical blog

I have been posting on my other blogs:

Digging wells in Africa.

we did a similar project when I worked in Zimbabwe 40years ago: shallow wells let you wash and keep stuff clean without having to tote back water from the river a mile or two away. It also lets you irrigate the small garden during the dry season... 

For very clean water, it requires a deep well (like Lolo dug for our house in the Philippines) or to filter water that you plan to drink.

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This blog post has a few videos about ancient epidemics. 

here is one of the videos: Smallpox anyone?

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RFK Jr needs to ask Michelle Obama to help him with his make food healthy again crusade

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Sleeping sickness in Zimbabwe... seems to be in the north along the river, but a few tourists got sick. I will have to look into this one of these days.

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even the NYTimes admits COVID was probably from a lab leak.

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Autism, fragile X syndrome and folic acid. Back in the 1980s we tried giving our autistic patients with fragile X syndrome folic acide but it didn't help. But the topic is being discussed again

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Various forms of bird flu have been around for a century (some think the 1918 epidemic was bird flu) but now we have conspiracy theories popping up about it. Sigh

and the really bad news? cats can get bird flu....

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most folks know about the problems with the western covid vaccines, (mrna and AZ types) but we used a lot of the Chinese version here in Asia and it was not very good at preventing the disease. but now there is a video claiming that the Chinese company went bankrupt and there are reports that the side effects were covered up. ....

true, or just another fake report? 

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blogpost on post covid syndrome Don't ask me. I haven't seen a lot of these problems in the Philippines, but then I am not in practice anymore, 

 on the other hand I have all the symptoms of slow covid: but I was fine for two years after the shot and my symptoms started after a case of hemorrhagic dengue fever...so I wonder could India's Disease X be from another virus, not Covid?

a lot of these symptoms are seen in adults who got mononucleosis or mycoplasm pneumonia but usually the symptoms clear after six months. So who knows.

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Harvest time

....the classic April fools day joke from the BBC...

Musiccal interlude of the week

 

George our killer lab

Remembering George

we do have five other smaller, less vicious dogs and now we have puppies3 from Mamadog 2 from Blanch and Stella is due any day now

un fellahs: There is an election coming...

we have an election coming up in early May. Our province is known as the wild west of the Philippines, because election related violence is common.

There was again a covenant to no become involved in violence. One hopes they keep it.

The farmers are hurting because of the low price they are getting for this rice harvest (thanks partly to imports). Hunger season is coming up (the time when you run out of money from the previous harvest to buy food, but the next harvest isn't ready yet). So this could also influence the election.

in other news, the urban educated elite and those who take their opinions from the USA/CIA/human rights organizations are rejoicing about the arrest of Duterte for human rights violations by the ICC...

Hey, DOGE, did any of that USAID money go to the groups that  pressured the Philippines to get Duterte arrested? Place conspiracy theory here (part of the CIA war against him, because of his pro Chinese stance, and so maybe Marcos got him arrested because he is sucking up to Trumpieboy to get more military aid since China is now threatening to take over Palawan) ...

  But there is another point of view that maybe you need to check out. The grass roots demonstrations by the Filipino version of the deplorables. 

 

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 an estimated 100 thousand demonstrated for him in Davao, his native city.

Remember: The war against drugs was popular because the average person saw how the crime and drugs harmed people.

 And he was friendly with the Muslim minorities and to the NPA (communist militants) who although might not be popular right now, do represent the repressed in rural areas.

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The timing of Duterte's arrest was bad, because a lot of locals see his arrest right before a major election was more about feuds between the Marcos and Duterte clans than about human rights abuses.  

this is how Grok answered this question

The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on March 11, 2025, and his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for crimes against humanity related to his "war on drugs" is likely to have a significant impact on the upcoming May 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines.

While it’s impossible to predict the exact outcome with certainty, several key factors and dynamics suggest how this event could shape the electoral landscape. Duterte’s arrest has intensified the political rivalry between the Duterte and Marcos families, two of the country’s most powerful dynasties. Once allies in the 2022 election—where Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. won the presidency and Sara Duterte, Rodrigo’s daughter, became vice president—their relationship has since deteriorated into a bitter feud.

The arrest, executed under Marcos Jr.’s administration in cooperation with Interpol, has been framed by Duterte supporters as a politically motivated move to weaken their clan ahead of the midterms.

Sara Duterte, the current vice president, has accused the government of "kidnapping" her father and surrendering him to "foreign powers," a narrative that could rally their base by portraying the family as victims of persecution.

The midterms are critical for both families. For the Dutertes, the elections are a chance to secure Senate seats for allies who could protect Sara from her looming impeachment trial, scheduled shortly after the vote, and bolster her potential presidential run in 2028.

Rodrigo Duterte himself is a candidate for mayor of Davao City, a family stronghold. Despite his detention, the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has indicated that he remains a candidate, and his name will appear on the ballot. If he wins, questions arise about how he could govern from The Hague, potentially leading to legal challenges or a power vacuum in Davao that could weaken the family’s grip there.

Public sentiment is a major wildcard. Duterte retains significant grassroots support, especially among poorer communities who credit his tough-on-crime stance for improving safety, despite the estimated 6,000 to 30,000 deaths linked to his drug war.

His arrest has sparked protests in the Philippines and among supporters abroad, with some framing it as an attack on national sovereignty due to the ICC’s involvement.

This could translate into a sympathy vote for Duterte-backed candidates, particularly from his PDP-Laban party, as Filipinos have historically rallied behind figures perceived as political martyrs.

Conversely, victims’ families and human rights advocates see the arrest as a triumph of justice, which could energize an opposing bloc of voters supporting Marcos-aligned candidates or progressive groups like Akbayan.

The timing—less than two months before the campaign period begins—amplifies its electoral significance.

Marcos Jr. has distanced himself from direct ICC cooperation, emphasizing compliance with Interpol obligations, possibly to mitigate backlash from Duterte loyalists. However, his administration’s role in the arrest could alienate voters still loyal to Duterte, especially in regions like Mindanao, where the Dutertes hold sway.

Meanwhile, the arrest might bolster Marcos’s image among international allies and urban middle-class voters who favor accountability, though this group is smaller than Duterte’s populist base.

Sara Duterte’s political future hangs in the balance. Her impeachment, tied to allegations of corruption and an alleged assassination plot against Marcos, could be influenced by the midterm results. If Duterte allies win key Senate seats, they might block her removal, preserving her eligibility for 2028. However, Rodrigo’s absence from the campaign trail—he was a charismatic figurehead for the family—could hinder their momentum, leaving Sara and her brother Sebastian, the current Davao mayor, to carry the torch under strained circumstances.

In summary, Duterte’s arrest could polarize the electorate, boosting his allies through a sympathy wave while strengthening Marcos’s position among those who prioritize law and order or international credibility. The outcome will likely hinge on how each side leverages the narrative—victimhood versus justice—and mobilizes voters in a deeply divided nation. The midterms may not only reflect the arrest’s immediate fallout but also set the stage for the 2028 presidential race.

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In other news, the US sent a big shot to assure the Philippines that they would back us up against Chinese aggression. And a couple of Chinese spies who were using drones to take photos of military bases were arrested.

  StrategyPage report also notes:

Chinese intelligence has much to observe in the Philippines, as 2024 saw numerous infrastructure improvements, including new roads and upgrades to airports and shipping facilities, after decades of minimal development. These differences were noticeable to most Filipinos....

Internal security has improved. After decades of effort, the government has reduced or eliminated leftist and Islamic rebellions. Most Filipinos are now more concerned about endemic corruption, widespread drug addiction, and the resulting economic crisis than about these insurgencies.

While China's naval presence in traditionally Filipino waters represents a growing threat, most citizens view domestic issues like drugs, corruption, Islamic terrorism, and unemployment as more pressing.

Since his election in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte addressed these concerns by reducing crime and drug violence.

yes. Being safe to walk down the street without fear of being kidnapped, or being able to answer the door without fear of a home invasion does make a difference.

Earthquake in Burma (Myanmar)

 

the earthquake was huge: BBC report is that at least 1000 have died, but I suspect the death toll will go up once the reports start coming in from rural areas.

How bad is it? Well, not bad ennough for the miliitary to stop bombing their enemies, but at least this time the government will allow outsiders bring in aid (which was not allowed after past disasters). China, India and othre ASEAN nations are sending help.

the earthquake was so huge (first reports are 7.7 but I read one report that said it might have been higher).

The tremors were not limited to Myanmar, but affected Thailand and there are videos of it hitting Bangcock.

Our granddaughter teaches at a school near Bangkok but she said her town did not have any damage.

Moment of the 7.7 Magnitude powerful earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭 (28.03.2025) pic.twitter.com/KOLTBVS4ES

— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) March 28, 2025

Happy Days

internet archives has old movies and TV Shows: LINK to Happy Days season one.

more classic tv here.

most are individual shows but some have the entire season available to stream or download.

Enjoy!

explaining details: The fraudsters know how to steal so DOGE is the enemy

 I noted in a previous post that Musk was a good teacher.

So this interview shows that he can explain complex things in a way that even a great grandmother can understand...

the fight seems to be between people who are pragmatic and have business experience, and the naive idealists who underestimate how fraud can exist.

even Jesus noted how the dishonest can figure out a way to continue their grift...

For the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.

>Niehbur's famous book children of light children of darkness discusses how the naive idealists underestimate the evil of certain regimes, and his warning can be echoed today:

one thing that worries me is that part about fraudsters changing social security deposits, because my bank just sent me a letter telling me they are changing my routing number. Will I be able to change it? It is complicated because I can't sign in with my PHilippine address, but when I tried to change it to the USA, I had to give them my son's telephone number to confirm the change, at a time when he was not at home. And now I have to change the routing number for Social Security, my pension, my IRAs etc. Sheesh. 

I can sort of work these webpages, but often make mistakes. So will I have my check delayed if I do this? And of course the fraudsters are better at doing this than we grandmothers.

the problems predate Trumpieboy of course, but never mind.

why studying history matters

 TheResttOfHistory podcast discusses the geopolitical background of the start of World War I.

Most of it is about the British point of view, but they also discuss the geopolitical background of how the Russians saw what was going on.  

several points that are discussed in this podcast: The Russian need for the Crimea ports and the Ukraine grain. And the way diplomacy failed, partly because of the rigidity of the opinions but mainly because of the slowness of communications.

some of this discusses the way the Russians viewed Eastern Europe and the threat against their food supply, (leaving out the other Russian internal problems, i.e. the military problems and the popular unrest)

Goulash History: It's a soup not a stew

 the origin of Goulash predates paprika

it originally didn't include Paprika: Here is the history

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altogether now:

Family news

Joy's birthday and party for celebrate recent award.

 

Lolo's death anniversary

Michelle needs to join with RFK Jr to make school food healthy again.

 Michelle Obama tried to make school food healthy, but it failed: She claims politics (of course it was... also it was the food industry who liked to push their foods) but as a mother, I suspect it might have been because the menu was devised by elite dieticians instead of dieticians who knew what kids would eat.

 And limiting calories is fine for 90 pound teenage girls, but teenage boys will eat you out of house and home and needs lots of calories.

a lot of junk advertisements in this video, but if you forward to 28 minutes they discuss healthy foods in the schools initiative 

Sigh

one does hope that RFK Jr will ask Michelle Obama to help out in this project.

but if they do, they need to include people knowledgeable of the culture: 

When I worked in the IHS we didn't introduce foods from the fancy elite dietary types, but we taught how to make their favorite foods in a healthy way: Whole wheat for fry bread, less sugar and less salt in the diet, use vegetable oil instead of lard, include more vegetable dishes, include fruit as snacks, etc.