informer code_M

So sad to hear about the quake in China. This news that I've read really touches my heart because most of the victims were children...

Tiny Bodies in a Morgue, and Grief in China

JUYUAN, China — The bodies are everywhere. Some are zipped inside white vinyl bags and strewn on the floor. Others have been covered in a favorite blanket or dressed in new clothes. There are so many bodies that undertakers want to cremate them in groups. They are all children.

“Our grief is incomparable,” said Li Ping, 39, eyes rimmed red, as he and his wife slowly, carefully pulled a pair of pink pajamas over the bruised, naked body of their 8-year-old daughter, Ke. “We got married late, and had a child late. She is our only child.”

The earthquake that struck Sichuan Province on Monday has so far claimed more than 19,000 lives across China, and thousands more people remain missing or trapped beneath rubble. But the awful scene at this local morgue is a sad reminder that too many of the dead are children in a country where most families are allowed to have only one.

These children symbolized the earthquake’s seemingly indiscriminate cruelty. But the cruelty, in the eyes of their parents, was also man-made.

Several schools in nearby Dujiangyan collapsed while classes were under way. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited two of them, including Xinjian Primary School, where parents say officials told him the death toll was 20 pupils.

“I am Grandpa Wen Jiabao,” the prime minister said as he watched two children being pulled from the rubble, according to Xinhua, the official state news agency. “Hold on, kids! You’ll definitely be rescued.”

But enraged parents interviewed at the morgue on Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday morning say local officials lied to the prime minister to hide the true toll at Xinjian, which they estimate at more than 400 dead children. Several parents blamed local officials for a slow initial rescue response and questioned the structural safety of the school building. They were also furious that officials forbade them to search for their children for two days and then allowed access to the bodies only after the parents formed an ad hoc committee to complain.

“Before Wen Jiabao came, the whole school was filled with children’s bodies,” said one mother who sat outdoors at the morgue with her husband in the early morning darkness beside the covered body of their 8-year-old daughter. “Her father and I had stood outside the school since the earthquake. We pleaded with the government: ‘If she is dead, I want to see the body. If she is alive, I want to see her.’ ”

Her husband, a thin man, leaned forward into the yellow light of two candles. “We’re telling you the truth,” he said. “Get the truth out.”

The morgue is an hour outside Dujiangyan on an isolated rural road, yet the parking lot was filled at 1:50 a.m. on Thursday. Parents and other family members clustered around the bodies of their children. Some burned fake money to bring their lost child good fortune in the afterlife. In one room, 25 small bodies were scattered on the floor. Some children had already been taken away; an empty white body bag lay near a sneaker and a filthy pair of boy’s trousers. Some families had placed flowers or incense inside empty water bottles as makeshift memorials.

“There are more in there,” said a man, pointing to a rear door. He walked outside to a walkway and paused. Scores of bodies, covered with sheets, were lined in two long rows on the concrete floor. Others were placed in an adjacent room. Parents sobbed or sat silently beside bodies.

“They are all students,” said the man in the blue shirt. “Look,” he said pointing to a red and white jacket folded beside one body. “That is the school uniform.” He pointed to a Mickey Mouse backpack. “There is a book bag.”

The two rows of bodies came to an open door that led to the large steel furnaces used for cremation. In China, the dead are almost always cremated fairly soon after death. Usually, there is enough time for funeral ceremonies and rituals, but parents said that officials were worried about cremating so many bodies before they started to decompose. So some parents have been asked if their children can be cremated with dead friends to save time.

Parents say they were only allowed to begin identifying their children on Wednesday. The bodies had remained inside the gated grounds of Xinjian Primary School for two days until officials began transporting them to the morgue on Wednesday.

The earthquake struck at 2:28 p.m. on Monday, and many parents rushed to the school. Xinjian had about 600 pupils, ages from roughly 7 to 12. When parents arrived most of the building had collapsed. They frantically pulled away bricks and chunks of concrete with their bare hands.

“We pleaded with the administrators to help us,” said one mother, Chen Li, 39, who came to the morgue on Wednesday to identify her son, a sixth grader. “We yelled, ‘Where are the soldiers? Send them to help us!’ ”

Parents say neighbors and students from a nearby college arrived by 4 p.m. to help with the digging. Local officials and school administrators also came but then left after inspecting the site. Two more hours passed before a large group of paramilitary police officers arrived and told the parents to leave because the area was too dangerous. Parents were relocated outside the school gate, unable to watch as the officers began digging.

 

 

Ms. Chen said her son, Zhang Yuanxin, was discovered the same day as the earthquake but then left uncovered in the rain with other bodies on the playground. She said two trucks arrived Wednesday and carried away bodies shortly before Mr. Wen arrived for his inspection.

“I think there were 50 bodies in two trucks that were carried away,” Ms. Chen said. “I asked those people, ‘Are you taking the bodies away?’ ”

But she said local officials lied to her and said they were only taking away tents.

Parents say they became so angry over the situation at the school by Tuesday that they formed the committee and complained to local officials. Officials in Dujiangyan could not be reached for comment, but parents say the officials relented on Wednesday by moving the children’s bodies to the morgue and providing shuttle buses for people waiting outside the school.

At the morgue on Wednesday, parents walked through rooms lined with bodies on the floor, lifting sheets in the unwanted search to identify a lost child. Cai Changrong, 37, held an urn containing the ashes of his cremated 9-year-old daughter. His wife, Hu Xiu, could not stop wailing.

“We didn’t find any bruises or injuries on her body,” said Ms. Hu, the mother. “But she lost all her nails. She was trying to scratch her way out. I think my daughter suffocated to death.”

Several parents wanted an investigation into the construction quality of school buildings in Dujiangyan. They say six schoolhouses collapsed in the city, even as other government buildings remain standing. One man said officials built two additional stories on the Xinjian school even though it had failed a safety inspection two years ago — allegations that could not be verified.

Mr. Li, the father dressing his dead daughter, also said he believed that the school was poorly built. He arrived at the school minutes after the quake and spent the next four hours searching for his daughter. His forearms were bruised and his fingernails were split and bloodied from digging.

He proudly handed over his cellphone and showed a picture of his daughter, Ke, taken last week. But Thursday morning, he and his wife were preparing for her cremation. They struggled to slip her into the pink pajamas and then dressed her in a gray sweatshirt and pants. Her mother placed a white silk mourning cloth under her clotted black hair.

Mr. Li said he lost his job in 1997 and had been living on a meager welfare payment. He said the school was filled with children from poor families. “My daughter was a very good student,” he said. “She was a quiet girl, and she liked to paint. We’re putting her in these clothes because she loved them.”

He said he was angry and sad. He said his daughter’s body was still warm when he found her at the morgue on Wednesday. He wondered how long she lived beneath the rubble. And then he turned away, leaning down slightly, and whispered in her ear.

“My little daughter,” he said quietly. “You used to dress yourself. Now I have to do it for you.”

 

 

Of course, we all know the word… “puta.” And I don’t think so that no one knows it because every one do used it. Some people used them as their expression, and some used them to call other people with a bad impression. In our modern world, “puta” is commonly referred to prostitutes, but then most people used them as if they are only normal names and expressions. Frankly, even I used them for some reasons and mind yah, this word is one of my favorite utterances especially when I get mad, hahaha. It’s really normal I guess. Jose Pete wrote something that really amuses me. I’ve read this poem way back and I want to share it here with yah. It says something about the “puta” and what actually happens to “puta’s.”     

It literally happens....

Lahat ng Hindi Ko Kailangang Malaman, Natutunan Ko sa Pelikulang For Adults Only
ni Jose Pete F. Lacaba

Marumi ang pulitiko, pero malinis ang budhi
ng puta.

Ipokrito ang pari, pero may ginintuang puso
ang puta.

Nagpapaaral ng kapatid na magpapari
ang puta.

Namumutiktik sa putang ina at anak ng puta ang malaswang bibig
ng puta.

Nalululong sa droga ang anak
ng puta.

Ayaw ng putang ina na ang anak niyang babae'y masadlak
sa pagpuputa.

Ang unang tikim sa luto ng Diyos ay ipinapatikim
ng puta.

Bukas ang simbahan kahit madaling-araw tuwing magdadasal
ang puta.

Nagbubulungan ang mga manang na nakakasalubong
ng puta.

Ginahasa ng tiyuhin ang puta kung kaya siya
nagputa.

Talak ng kahirapan kung kaya nagputa
ang puta.

Hindi nagpapahalik sa labi
ang puta.

Kapwa puta ang mga kabarkada
ng puta.

Magandang lalaki ang nag-aalay ng tapat na pag-ibig
sa puta.

Masungit na ina ng magandang lalaki ang nag-aalok ng pera para lumayo
ang puta.

Kung binabaril ang bidang lalaki, yumayakap at tinatamaan
ang puta.

Tanging kamatayan ang tutubos at magpapatawad sa kaputahan
ng puta.

Sigaw ng puta: Pare-pareho naman tayong
puta!

 I want this lady bug cake on my birthday. hmmmm... with choco inside, hahaha!

 yummy.......

I have had a lot of friends… But one of the best friends that I always treasure is

M e c h e i l. Though I hate this name because of my ex-boyfriend’s ex before who quarreled me for some stupid freakin’ reasons, well, I’ve come to love her in some other ways. I used to call her panda and I’m her pig. We jive on so many things especially to non-sense things. We laugh so much and exchange some stupid ideas and laugh on it. We make extreme stories with crazy characters, hahaha… I’ve got no dull moments with her, that’s why I love her. But she too goes on serious things especially when she saw me cryin’ because I’m heart broken. She makes things easier for me. Though she can’t express her comfort on some things, it’s enough for me that I have her in a day to make me smile. I’m thankful I have a panda like her, and I’m going to keep this panda forever in my life.

Oh! It’s her birthday on the 17th of May! And I’m giving her the most delicious bamboo, hahahah! Mwah!

I love you pands!!!! Happy Birthday!

Alak pa!

your lucky bamboo

and of course, alak!

 oh! birthday won't be complete without this! mwahks!

See who's the Top 10 Black Beauty Endorsers here...

Rihanna is one of the newest faces of CoverGirl cosmetics.  She signed on in December of 2006, stating: "I've loved makeup and dreamed of being a CoverGirl since I was a little girl." She has also recently endorsed Venus razors for women.

Beyonce represents for L'Oreal. The singer signed a five-year contract for $4.7 million in 2004 that requires her to work 10-12 days a year. I, too would be smiling.

Gabrielle Union signed on to endorse Neutrogena products in 2004.  Great skin is the foundation of stunning beauty, and she proves it.

Halle Berry has  been a Revlon spokesperson since 1996.  Other women of color  featured in Relvon campaigns include Lucy Liu and Eva Mendes, but none other has had Halle's staying power.

Kerry Washington has appeared in ads for H.I.P. (High Intensity Pigment) cosmetics for L'Oreal, the first campaign in her contract.  Kerry says of her endorsement: "It's really exciting for me to be one of the faces of L'Oreal and to be working with a company that has historically represented so many different kinds of women with different kinds of skin color."

Queen Latifah has her own make-up line called the 'CoverGirl Queen Collection.' The Web site for her line features tools to help you match colors perfectly with your skin.

Iman, after thirty years in the fashion and beauty biz, now has her own super-successful make-up line: Iman Cosmetics. Launched in 1994, her line features foundation available in 16 shades geared towards women of color.

Veronica Webb was the first black model to receive an exclusive contract from a major cosmetics company.  Her Revlon contract lasted from 1992-95. You can now find her flexing her fashion expertise as a co-host on 'Tim Gunn's Guide To Style.'

Beverly appeared in a ground-breaking ad for Revlon in 1989 featuring all black models. Before the '90s, black models rarely appeared in make-up ads for mainstream lines.

Tyra won a CoverGirl make-up contract in 1997. This is also the year that she covered Sports Illustrated by herself, a first for an African-American woman.

According to Style Spotter, there are some Supermodels who has gone wild and became naughty. And why the public still loves them? Find out why...

Kimora Lee Simmons is fabulous, but more than a little grating on the nerves.  Despite this, Simmons has found success taking her diva attitude to the airwaves on her hit reality TV series.  But in her mug shot for her 2004 arrest for possessing marijuana, eluding police, careless driving, tailgating and driving with a broken brake light, Kimora is all smiles.  See--she canbe nice sometimes. (Photo: Johnny Nunez, WireImage.com)

Kate Moss became a top model during the '90s for a controversial look deemed "heroin chic," which opponents believed encouraged drug use and anorexia.  After hooking up with rocker Pete Doherty, Kate's reputation took a turn for the worse as Doherty's drug busts constantly brought her name into gossip headlines.  Then in 2005, London's Daily Mirror ran photos of Kate Moss using drugs herself. (Photo: Rosie Greenway, Getty Images)

 Tyra Banks has parlayed her beauty and charm into two television series in which she expresses her complete self-absorption.  On her daytime television show, Banks is famous for turning every conversation into a discussion of herself.  On 'America's NextTop Model,' Banks appears to relish tearing into the egos of the young women in her care.  But it does make for good television. (Photo: KMazur, WireImage.com)

Many believe that Gia Carangi was actually the world's first supermodel, a star of the '70s whose unique posing style is still emulated today.  Back then, cocaine use, pill-popping and intense clubbing were the norm at famous locales like Studio 54.  Gia's behavior went from bad to tragic as she became addicted to heroin. She died from AIDS at 26. (Photo: Andrea Blanch, Getty Images)

Janice Dickinson, the self-proclaimed world's "first supermodel," has taken bad model behavior to new heights during her recently revitalized career. A fashion star who traveled the world partying and posing in the '70s and '80s, Janice has returned to the pop culture scene as a panty-flashing reality TV star. Dickinson's surgicalized face and outrageous outbursts make people stop, stare and cringe. (Photo: Michael Buckner, Getty Images)

Grace Jones seems to willingly cultivate an image of eccentricity and excess. On her official Web site, Grace states: "I believe in having certain releases,certain outlets. One has to indulge. If you don't indulge you don't live -- might as well be dead." Okay, Grace... (Photo: Evan Agostini, Getty Images)
 

I once knew a girl
In the years of my youth
With eyes like the summer
All beauty and truth
In the morning I fled
Left a note and it read
Someday you will be loved.

I cannot pretend that I felt any regret
Cause each broken heart will eventually mend
As the blood runs red down the needle and thread
Someday you will be loved

You'll be loved you'll be loved
Like you never have known
The memories of me
Will seem more like bad dreams
Just a series of blurs
Like I never occurred
Someday you will be loved

You may feel alone when you're falling asleep
And everytime tears float down your cheeks
But I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet
Someday you will be loved

You'll be loved you'll be loved
Like you never have known
The memories of me
Will seem more like bad dreams
Just a series of blurs
Like I never occurred
Someday you will be loved

You'll be loved you'll be loved
Like you never have known
The memories of me
Will seem more like bad dreams
Just a series of blurs
Like I never occurred
Someday you will be loved
Someday you will be loved

It really feels great to make your mom laugh. Now... make your Mom's day!

Great Minds Think of Mom
After a long, exhausting day, a friend of mine headed home. On the road, he passed an elderly woman who was standing by a car with a flat tire. His conscience got the better of him; if that were his mother, he thought, he would want someone to help her. With a tired sigh, he turned around and drove back.

Just as he reached the stranded woman, a truck pulled up and a burly farmer got out. "Kinda reminds you of your mom, too?" the man asked as the two of them pitched in together to change the tire. 
--by Katherine L. Houge

 Your Biggest Fan
While waiting in a bookstore for a guest author to sign her latest book, I leafed through some of the Civil War novels she had written. The woman in line behind me commented, "Those are the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put them down."

Before I could reply, the author looked over and said, "Oh, cut it out, Mom!" 
-- by Marilyn Kopp

DIY, but Mom's Way
While assembling furniture, my friend Debbie asked her roommate's five-year-old son to bring her a screwdriver.

"Do you want a 'Daddy' screwdriver or a 'Mommy' screwdriver?" the little boy asked.

Confused but preoccupied, Debbie absentmindedly said, "Bring me a 'Mommy' screwdriver."

The child came back and handed her a butter knife.
-- by Cori Cole

 Head of the Household
My husband, Jeff, and I incurred several problems while assembling our new computer system, so we called the help desk. The man on the phone started to talk to Jeff in computer jargon, which confused us even more.

"Sir," my husband politely said, "please explain what I should do as if I were a four-year-old."

"Okay," the computer technician replied. "Son, could you please put your mommy on the phone?"
-- Contributed by Lena Worth

 Surprise Greeting
As a working mother with an office in my home, I pride myself on maintaining a professional image. One key to that image is my answering-machine greeting, which is often the first contact clients have with me. I worked on making it sound upbeat and enthusiastic, and thought I had succeeded until a friend left this message: "Judy, this is Pam. I love your greeting, but do you know that you can hear your little boy in the background saying, 'Mommy, I gotta go potty'?"
-- Contributed by Judy Gaskill

 

Wonder Chef
To help a busy mother get away for a two-week vacation, my sister agreed to stay with the woman's three children. On the first evening, she cooked one of their favorite meals. To the youngsters' delight, dinner after dinner, she "guessed" what they liked. When my sister returned home, we asked her what the secret of her success was. "Each afternoon I would flip through the cookbook until I found a page that was ripped, smudged and food-splattered," she explained. "Then I would make that recipe. It worked every time!"
-- Contributed by Julie Holling

 

Peace and Quiet
Aunt Karen is the mother of two high-spirited young girls. When I called her one morning, our conversation was constantly interrupted by the din of kids screaming and chasing each other. "Could you hold on for a moment?" my aunt finally asked, putting down the phone.

Within ten seconds all I could hear was absolute silence. Then, "Okay, I'm back."

"But it's so quiet!" I exclaimed. "You must have complete control over those two."

"Not really," my aunt confessed wearily. "I'm in the closet."
--by Steve Brundage

 

Mom's Where
One evening after dinner, my five-year-old son Brian noticed that his mother had gone out. In answer to his questions, I told him, "Mommy is at a Tupperware party."

This explanation satisfied him for only a moment. Puzzled, he asked, "What's a Tupperware party, Dad?"

I've always given my son honest answers, so I figured a simple explanation would be the best approach. "Well, Brian," I said, "at a Tupperware party, a bunch of ladies sit around and sell plastic bowls to each other."

Brian nodded, indicating that he understood this curious pastime. Then he burst into laughter. "Come on, Dad," he said. "What is it really?"
-- by Kenneth W. Holmes