The Ilocos Times

OUR ADDICTION to our chairs and sofas isn't just hurting us, it's literally killing us. The problem is so profound that it has spawned the meme, "sitting is the new smoking." It's a meme that the National Institutes of Health does not recommend as it promulgates direct comparisons of the health consequences of sitting and smoking. But  the threat of prolonged sitting  to our health and survival does exist and  the more so because it's able to hide in plain sight. Sitting passively on the chair or on the sofa is assumed to be our normal resting position and until results of  these research studies came out, we were in the dark about the harmful health consequences of our "addiction." A great number of research studies by Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health and other prestigious research centers has linked prolonged sitting or other sedentary behavior to diabetes, poor heart health, weight gain, depression, dementia, and multiple cancers. These studies sho

By Noralyn Dudt "MUCH ADO about nothing" I can almost hear William Shakespeare uttering the phrase as I attempt to write about him and his plays. But before I go on, let me say a bit about the play   "Much ado about nothing." It's a light-hearted comedy that was probably   written in 1598 and 1599—a smart   guess that was   obtained from written records indicating that the play was premiered in 1600.   The play is laden with humor but   darker themes of dishonor, death and deceit run beneath that humor. The word   "ado" is synonymous to a heightened concern, worry or excitement that is unnecessary or greater than the situation. It's basically fussing about something inconsequential. The following paragraphs however are not about "nothing" at all. There are numerous lessons to be learned from Shakespeare's writings. William Shakespeare known as the 'Bard of Avon' in his lifetime, was a poet, a playwright, and an actor. Alth

Laoag City —In a bid to enhance the firefighting capabilities and response readiness in Ilocos Norte, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has turned over 11 newly-acquired fire trucks to the province on July 17, 2023. The towns of Bacarra, Badoc, Bangui, Currimao, Paoay, Pasuquin, Piddig, Sarrat, Vintar, and the cities of Batac and Laoag were the recipients of the new firefighting vehicles. "These fire trucks will undoubtedly bolster our firefighting capabilities. Prevention remains to be the first defense against fire hazards," F/Chief Supt. Leonida Gumanab-Rosales, Regional Director of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Region 1 remarked. Over the past months, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc closely coordinated with DILG and BFP in assessing the capacity of Ilocos Norte’s component Local Government Units, requesting the provision of fire trucks to priority towns. During the turnover event, Manotoc expressed his gratitude to th

By Noralyn Dudt When people actively seek out opportunities to assist others in need, it's called volunteerism . Volunteers make considerable and continuing commitments to provide assistance,   and sustain these commitments over extended periods of time,   often at considerable personal cost. That's exactly what Alphonsus de Alban and his wife Kimberly did when they founded St. Philomena School Kids' Comfort Zone in 2008.   They and their co-founders were driven by a purpose to offer quality educational services to children with disabilities. The school started as a "pro-bono" private Special Education Center and because of the lack of facilities offering special education programs,   they then applied for permit to operate as a school. . Today, St. Philomena School is government- recognized,   accredited by the Department of Education and is a thriving institution catering to students with diverse needs like autism, ADHD, DS and intellectual disability,   as

By Noralyn O. Dudt Germany is all precision and punctuality, that is... until you board a Deutsche Bahn train.   Of all the German institutions,   the Deutsche Bahn may well win first prize in   tearing down the reputable German punctuality. The Germans value punctuality and as a people, they are religiously punctual. And the Deutsche Bahn which is still very useful and a lifeline for so many,   is driving them crazy. By Deutsche Bahn standards, a train is considered delayed when it reaches its destination at least six minutes later than planned. I remember about 30 years ago when I was visiting a friend in Freiburg, a former student. I was waiting for the train to Bonn and suddenly an announcement came on the loudspeaker. My knowledge of the Deutsche Sprache [German language] was still very elementary then so I couldn't understand exactly what was being announced. I asked another passenger who said dismally, "the train is five minutes late and they apologize."  

By Noralyn Dudt A SUMMONS from Montgomery County Circuit Court to serve in the Grand Jury in 2018 surely came as a surprise. It has been 30 years since I requested the Montgomery County Court to remove my name from the jury pool as it was nearly impossible for me to leave my job if I were to be selected. In 2018, I was already semi-retired   and I had time to spare so receiving the summons was… well.... sort of exciting. The Jury Commissioner has a big list of potential jurors and I never imagined I would be among the 23. But just a day before the voir dire (jury selection), I was surprised to get a call from the Commissioner's office. She wanted to make sure that I would be at the Courthouse the next day. What is a Grand Jury ? A Grand Jury is a group of citizens who are presented with evidence associated with a case and then determine if there is enough information to move forward on those charges based on the evidence presented to them. They are selected at random from a cro

By Noralyn Dudt Merriam-Webster defines gridlock as a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible. The grid is locked... no one can move... everyone stays in place. In the same way, gridlock in government occurs when both houses of Congress cannot agree on going forward on a particular issue. The government then is literally going nowhere. In United States politics, gridlock frequently refers to occasions when the House of Representatives and the Senate are controlled by different parties,   or by a different party than the party of the president. Gridlock may also occur within the Senate, when no party has a filibuster-proof majority. A primary cause of gridlock is the filibuster rule in Senate, which calls for a supermajority of 60 senators to bring a bill to the floor. The Congress and Senate cannot agree.... In many ways, gridlock is endemic to our national politics,   the natural consequence of sepa