Day 1: Rome, the Eternal City

Landing and Baggage Transfer to Cruise Ship
I landed around 9:00am, Thursday, July 12, 2007 at Italy’s chief main airport, Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport. The airport is located southwest of Rome at a nearby commune of Fiumicino. After going through an immigration check where they stamp your passport, you go directly to the baggage claim area. Once you find your luggage, you’ll need to look for Carnival representatives that will take your luggage to the cruise ship. This is why it is very important that your suit cases are tagged properly, with your name, cabin number and other pertinent information.

Airport Meeting with Carnival
Carnival then moved all of the passengers to a meeting area in the airport, where they assign us specific buses. Most buses go directly to the ship, while you can opt to pay for a longer route, which gives you a quick glance at Rome, the Eternal City.

My tour was run by local guides that not only knew about the area but lived there.

Rome At A Glance
My first visit to Rome put all the tourist books to shame. The historical richness of Rome simply will astound you. Rome at its height was the richest, the largest, and most powerful city in the known world. And while it no longer has the honor of being the center of the known universe, Rome hasn’t lost its historical and archaeological splendor.

Photos
I’ll be uploading pictures as I get to process them. You can click on the image for a larger version. So far here are some of the pictures from Day 1:

Some streets of Rome are quite narrow.



Cestius had his tomb built like the Egyptian pyramids. Egypt was already a subdued country. The Pyramid of Cestius strangely stands in the middle of Rome since 12 B.C.



The Arch of Constantine was built as a triumphal arch around 315 AD after Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on 312 AD.

More pictures to come for Day 1!

What To Do Before Your First European Cruise

Tags you'll need for your luggage. See below.

As I’ve posted previously, I’m currently on Carnival's newest cruise ship, Freedom, sailing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Disclosure: Reasons I’m Here

I enjoy having a fun time in general and would love to tell you that I’m on this cruise ship without having any intention on doing any research. But that would be wrong. I’m on this cruise ship for a couple of reasons:

1. First and foremost: to have fun with the family. With me are my parents, my sisters, my aunt, my wife, and my infant daughter. My little baby is experiencing a lot and she’s only eight months old. While she might not remember all of the things she’s visited when she gets older, she can see through the albums and DVDs that she went everywhere with her family.
   
2. Second: to write about my first cruise experience. Since this is my first cruise, it would be foolish of me to simply ignore the opportunity to write about it…in a book. The book, which for now I’ll title, “The Complete Guide to Your First Cruise” will be a how-to handbook of sorts: what to bring, what to expect, and how to have fun. It will be my first color book as well and should be hitting bookstores early next year.
   
3. Third: to “experience” biblical archaeology. My itinerary will stop over at Rome, Ephesus, and other ancient biblical sites. Aside from using a time machine, the only way to appreciate the culture and the architecture of what it was like 2,000 years ago is to go to these ancient sites physically. My whole family is of the Christian faith, so this trip will not only be a physical experience, but also a spiritual one. If you have a similar interest of biblical archaeology or share the same faith, I invite you to read my book, The Jesus Tomb: Is It Fact or Fiction? Scholars Chime In.
   

Passports and Visas

If you are an American citizen, you’ll have no problem going to most of Europe with just your U.S. passport. If you don’t have a U.S. passport, you’ll need to get one as soon as possible. The U.S. State Department is currently backlogged with passport applications, so make sure you apply half a year in advance. Also, if your passport is expiring within the next six months, you’ll need to get it renewed as soon as possible as some countries restrict you from entering. A friend of mine asked me if I needed to get a passport for my baby for the cruise and the answer is yes. Infants traveling internationally need a passport too!

If you are not a “first world” citizen (U.S., Canda, EU, Japan, etc.), Europe does discriminate against other countries. You’ll need a current passport (not expiring within six months) plus you’ll need to apply for the Schengen visa, which is a universal visa that you can use to enter into Italy, Spain, France, and other EU countries. My wife has a green card in the United States so we had to drive to the Italian embassy in Miami to apply for a Schengen visa which basically requires:

1. Visa fee.
   
2. A valid passport.
   
3. U.S. residence card and/or driver’s license (optional).
   
4. Birth certificate (optional).
   
5. Proof of reservations (plane and hotel/cruise line).
   
6. Proof of emergency medical insurance (search on Google, these guys are everywhere).
   
7. Proof of employment and monetary support (show that you have enough money to support yourself while in Europe, show credit card balance and bank statement that can support $150/day).
   
8. They will ask to take your passport and mail it back to you with the visa in a few weeks if you are approved.
   

Prior to Departure – Important!

The U.S. government requires specific passenger information on all cruise lines ahead of the embarkation date. You’ll need to go online or call your cruise line for more information on how to submit your passenger manifesto. If you do not submit your info on time, you may not be allowed on board or you may delay the entire ship.

Before the Cruise: For Adults

By now you should have already packed your bags. I tend to be unconcerned on how things are organized and arranged in my suitcase, so thankfully my wife packs all of my clothes. Here are some of my tips on what to bring and what to do with your luggage:

1. You’ll want to bring formal attire if you wish to attend some of the more formal festivities of the ship such as the captain’s dinner.
   <,li> Bring a swimsuit if you want to swim at a European beach or the ship’s pool decks.
   
2. Proper dress code is required in some European sites, such as the Vatican (no bare legs or bare shoulders).
   
3. A cheap rain coat or an umbrella just in case there’s rain.
   
4. Remember that most cruise ships have a laundry service. Carnival’s cruise ship charges $15.00/bag for their laundry service, so you don’t necessarily have to bring clothing for every day of the trip.
   
5. Bring walking shoes for port excursions that require you to go on foot a lot. Bring slippers and other footwear that doesn’t easily slip, especially if you want to swim on the upper deck’s swimming pool and spa.
   
6. You’ll want to mark all of your suitcases with the cruise’s tag. These tags require you to put your name, address, phone, sailing date, airline, flight number, returning flight number, and cabin number. When you land and check out your baggage, the cruise line will pick up your suitcases and automatically place them in your cabins.
   
7. On international travels, bring at least a couple days of clothing on your carry on. There have been a couple of people where the airline lost their luggage. This is unfortunate and a practical reality in airline travel.
   
8. Your carry on should have your medicines and other essentials. Please note as of 2007, the airlines are currently restricting the amount of liquids you place in your carry on luggage due to security threats.
   
9. Passports, tickets, cameras, medications, and other high value items should be in your carry on. It should not be in your checked in luggage.
   
10. Make a copy of your passport information and visas at home just in case you lose your passports. Also make a copy of your credit cards that you bring with you plus the toll-free numbers of each credit card just in case you need to cancel these credit cards if they are stolen or lost.
    
11. Bring sunblock lotion. I bought Neutrogena’s SPF 45 UVA and UVB protection from my local store. Neutrogena is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores). There are other similar products available out there, just make sure you have UVA and UVB protection.
    
12. Watch out for your airline’s weight limits. Some airlines are now restricting international suitcases to 50 lbs. It used to be 70 lbs for international flights. Continental Airlines charged me $25.00 for every suit case that was over 50 lbs. Yikes!
    
13. Do you have a large party on board? Bring cheap walkie talkies! In order to communicate back and forth when we weren’t in our cabins, we utilized cheap short-wave radios to communicate throughout the ship.
    
14. Cameras and batteries! Part of the fun is recording video and taking photographs of your experiences. You don’t want to forget about what you’ve experienced on the trip. For professional looking pictures, I highly suggest the Canon Rebel XT, it’s a relatively inexpensive digital SLR (semi-professional) and can take better quality photos than point and shoot cameras. It wouldn't hurt to bring a tripod if you want to take pictures of yourself as well.
    
15. Do not bring heating elements like candles, irons and heating pads. Since they are a fire hazard, the cruise line will probably confiscate them. There are irons and ironing boards on each deck at the launderettes.
    
16. There are towels in your cabins and at the pool deck – so I didn’t bring any towels with me.
    
17. Bring at least one credit card with cash advance access so you can charge items such as water onto your cruise line’s boarding pass and withdraw money from foreign ATMs. Thanks to U.S. federal laws, your credit card also offers protection from fraud – the worst that can happen to you is a loss credit card and $50.00 worth of charges. This federal law protection does NOT apply to debit cards.
    

Before the Cruise: For The Baby

Having my baby girl with me on the trip is a blessing. But it would have been a nightmare if we weren’t adequately prepared. Here are some of my tips on what to bring and what to do before the cruise:

1. Make sure you’ve paid for the baby’s travels. Domestic airlines are happy to let you fly with the baby for free, but on international flights, you are required to pay. A round trip international fare from Florida to Italy for a seat less infant cost me around $429.00. The cruise line also charges you for the infant at a discount.
   
2. Inform the airline and cruise line regarding your baby, they'll usually give you higher priority in boarding. Our family managed to skip all lines at the airport thanks to the little one. This works on theme parks too.
   
3. My wife had to make sure all of the baby’s diapers and formula was in the carry on luggage. We also bought medicines for the baby just in case she has a fever or diarrhea. Talk to your pediatrician for more information on what you should bring.
   
4. Bring a toy or two to help her get comfortable in her environment.
   
5. We bought a lightweight stroller. Normally, the little one is on a heavy stroller. But for travel, you want to use one of those umbrella strollers, designed to be easily folded and opened at moments notice. They weigh roughly 2-3 lbs.
   
6. On the same note, make sure your baby gets enough shade from the stroller as well. On really sunny days, we used an umbrella.
   
7. Bring a couple of pieces of the baby’s clothing in your carry on just in case there’s accidents during the flight or they’ve lost your baby’s luggage.
   

If I remember more tips, I'll just add it to this post.

Good morning from the Mediterranean Sea

Good morning to you from the Mediterranean Sea! After eleven hours of air travel, bouncing from Florida to New Jersey to Rome, I'm finally here. I'm waking up to a slow, beautiful sun rise, just watching fishermen and other sea farers move about their business. As you can see from this picture, my wife and daughter are still sleeping. I'm not sure how they are doing it; I can't seem to adjust to the six hour jet lag that quickly. Or it might be because I'm extremely excited to see the ruins of Pompeii in the next few hours.

I know some of you have been here before and I would love to know what your favorite sites were. It’s my first time in Italy, and I wouldn’t mind any “beginner’s tips”.

I’ve already learned a handful of lessons that I’ll be sharing within the next day or so that are absolute must do’s before you come here. I have a rather unique perspective, seeing as I’m traveling with eight family members, one of which is my baby daughter (8 months old).

So join me if you’re bored or just plain curious, go on the blog www.donsausa.com.

Cruise company: Carnival

Cities toured so far: Rome

Happy July 4th!

This image is of the Washington Monument with fireworks in the background. This was taken on July 4th, 1986. Aside from the hot dogs, and the burnt fingers, July 4th means something so much more.

I have and will always remember the Declaration of Independence, the document that was adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the New World colonies were free and independent from Great Britain. From this stemmed the U.S. Constitution, perhaps the most 'advanced' document of its time, heralding a new kind of government of what we now call modern democracy.

If you are an American or someone that benefits from America's freedoms and liberties, you should celebrate this day. And to those that have taken the oath, it is definitely a day to be glad.

Part of the Oath of Naturalization
...I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law..."

Terrorist group (Hamas) pressures another terrorist group (Army of Islam) to release BBC reporter

Now I've seen everything... Alan Johnston, a BBC reporter that was kidnapped over 16 weeks ago in Gaza, has been freed...not by Palestinian security forces, not by Israel, not by U.S. special ops, but by Hamas? Hamas, a known terrorist group, surrounded another terrorist group, the Army of Islam, and told them, "Either free the foreign journalist or die." After much negotiation (first through random bullets, killing one civilian) and then through talking -- Johnston is free!

I can honestly now say, the pigs are flying. Hell is frozen. And the fat lady has sung.

Why did Hamas do this?
First, Hamas' main mission is to shutdown Israel and to retake Arab "territory". They clearly wanted to differentiate themselves from the likes of Al Queda, who has a philosophy of kill anything that moves and praising Allah for it. By paying respects to the media and international reporters, Hamas set a "tone" on how they will resist. They will not harm neutral parties but only attack known enemies.

Second, Hamas wants to show the world that they are running Gaza. As most people know, Hamas has overthrown Fatah in Gaza, the official security force of the Palestinian government. Fatah has struggled to maintain law and order in Gaza, and with this particular move, Hamas has shown that not only does it have the manpower to fight to maintain peace, it also has the will to do it. In short, this move was meant as a slap in the face to Abbas' Fatah forces.

Final thoughts
Hamas deserves credit for freeing Alan Johnston.

Does it free Hamas criminals from their previous crimes of suicide bombings and assaults on the civilian population of Israel? No. But it does offer some hope that Hamas is showing a moderate side, that there are people in the organization that actually care about life rather than a campaign of death.

Tony Blair, in his new respectable role of Middle East envoy, should offer an olive branch to Hamas: drop the suicide belts, drop the death to Israel mantra, and go to the negotiation table to create a lasting Palestinian state and Middle East peace.

Philippines taxi driver returns lost cash worth US$17,000

Imagine this, a 45 year old Filipino motorcab taxi driver, named Iluminado Boc, was behind on rent and had an ailing wife at home. Then one day one of his customers left a bag in his cab containing $17,000 (USD). This is equivalent to about 800,000 pesos. He would have been one of the richest men in his town if he kept this bag! But instead of keeping it for himself, he goes to the police and says, "It was not mine." Roughly around the same time, the original customer who owned the bag came to report it missing to the same police station.

He was rewarded $32.00 by the original owner.

While the money would have certainly helped out his family, Mr. Boc remained honest. Clearly, this man deserved more than $32.00, but at the very least he can keep what can't be bought or lost: his character.

(To the bag's owner: put your money in the bank! Use a credit card.)

Product Review (2007): Sony's DVDirect [VRDMC3]

Have you ever had miniDV or VHS tapes lying around that you wanted to convert to DVDs? If you are like me, you have several tapes that are itching to be converted. DVDs after all can be universally played almost anywhere now days, and the format has a longer shelf life than your average tape format. The only problem with converting tapes is that it takes FOREVER if you go through a computer. You first have to upload your tape into your computer, then convert it into DVD format.

But! There is a solution to this. Today, I purchased Sony's DVDirect VRDMC3, which removes the computer from the equation. I simply attached my JVC camcorder (all camcorders will work), and put in a writable DVD disc and click Record. Of course, you make sure your camcorder is sending the video through an audio and video connection.

I now have two miniDV tapes fully converted into DVDs and it plays well on my generic home theater system. For those looking for a shortcut to converting VHS or miniDV tapes, I seriously suggest Sony's DVDirect device.

Food Critic Review (2007): The Sandy Butler, Fort Myers, FL

RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Phone: (239) 482-6765
Web site: The Sandy Butler
Managers: Jamie & Jason Nelson

The Sandy Butler is the newest restaurant that opened near Fort Myers Beach, FL. If you are coming from Summerlin Blvd, Sandy Butler is just a couple miles before the Matanzas Bridge. You'll find the restaurant and gourmet market on your right. The Sandy Butler is a mixed treat, it offers a 150-seat fine dining restaurant but also offers a gourmet market with rare, and unique foods. In fact, one of my favorite gourmet treats in the market is the chocolate-covered strawberries.

When I go to fine dining restaurants, there are two main things I look for: the meal and the atmosphere. While the meal part is common sense, you have to balance that with the proper mood. There are certain things you expect in fine dining restaurants: soft light, low-level noise, a relaxed pace, and delightful service. Luckily for me, Sandy Butler had all of this on June 25th, 2007.

The main entrée I had was the sea bass. Tenderly made, the meat was cooked to perfection. Forgive this trite expression, but the meat basically "melted in your mouth". Combined with a butterly sauce, it was a nice ending to the evening. My only regret was that I only ordered one sea bass. :-)

Movie Review: Ratatouille (2007)

Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Actors/Voices: Patton Oswalt (Remy), Lou Romano (Linguini)
Rating: 5 STARS

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his predicament -- that he is a rat! He is encouraged by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau, who always had the motto that anyone can cook.

Throughout the movie, Remy tries to find his purpose in life for his specific skills, the ability to smell sensitive ingredients and imagine tastes, far better than any rat. While his family wants him to stick to the family business of stealing garbage, Remy seeks out to do better in the world by creating and inventing fine meals. Through friendship, and hard work Remy's perseverance ultimately brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams.

Final Thoughts
Like previous Pixar films, the technical aspect of this movie was well done. The plot also was well thought out, as it encourages kids to chase after their dreams despite the struggles going there and despite your environment telling you that you can't do it or you shouldn't do it. Overall, this is a wholesome film that I would definitely recommend seeing.

U.S. national symbol alive and well

A spike of bad news has been on the tube for the past few days: floods in Texas, car bombs in Britain, fires in California, and many others. But what seemed to have missed the headlines is the U.S. national symbol of freedom, the bald eagle, recovering from near extinction.

You see, for over two centuries, bald eagles were killed, hunted, and poisoned. So much so that by 1963, out of the tens of thousands that used to fly in the sky, there were only 417 nesting pairs left in the continental United States. After discovering their numbers dwindling, federal and state governments added the bald eagles to the endangered species list.

On June 2007, the federal government announced they removed the eagles from the list after 40+ years of conservation. Some estimate there are now over 11,000 nesting pairs all over the United States. What's interesting is, roughly about 10% of the population is in my home state -- Florida. Apparently, they love to fish.

As you celebrate our nation's birth this July 4th, be happy to know our official and national symbol stands strong and healthier than ever after 200 years.

Moon picture

I came home late tonight and when I got home, I noticed the moon shining brightly with hardly any cloud cover. I took out my camera and tripod to see if I could capture the moon. The moon was still pretty far off, but I was able to get a shot of the surface and the craters of the moon. It would have probably been better if I used automatic settings, but I thought I'd go manual mode and see if I could capture the image. Six mosquito bites later and about four bad images, I was able to pull off the right manual settings to get this shot. Enough to see the craters. My settings are below.

Date: June 29, 2007
Time: 12:02 AM EST
Location: Southwest Florida
Settings: 1/800 shutter speed, 4.0 aperture, ISO 100
Camera: Canon Rebel 350D XT
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm L f/4
Notes: Decrease in shutter speed caused a flare effect, and ISO above 100 resulted in a white out. Higher apperture may be able to get you darker contrast.

Gadget geeks excited about the new iPhone

Gadget geeks across the world are excited about the new iPhone. It is a revolutionary phone -- it surfs, it dials, plays video, and plays music. Plus, your smudgey, oily hands have the ability to touch it over and over again, creating this cloudy aura on your screen. But that's not all, it can offer traffic reports via Google Maps. So you can get turn by turn directions and be able to tell whether you're stepping into a traffic-lagged road.

Coming in roughly about half the cost of Blackberry call plans on AT&T, iPhone is going to be a must-have toy this Christmas.

But despite the hype, am I buying one? The answer: no. I certainly wouldn't mind if someone bought one for me, but the practicality of this cell phone is lacking. You would think for the expense, there would be expansion slots...nope! Plus, if you are not in a WiFi area, the phone's speed is totally dependent on Cingular/AT&T's EDGE network. I've had experience with this network, I traveled 16 states by land and attempted to use it. At best, I was able to get the average speed of a dial-up user. That's not the type of speed I want to experience with a revolutionary product. The keyboard's accuracy is also left wanting, since it is a touch screen, productivity and speed isn't part of the equation when it comes to text messaging.

Suggestions for improvement

• An expansion slot.
  
• Be able to use other networks (ie: Verizon and Sprint)
  
• Small keyboard that can be pulled out?
  

Amanda Ripley, TIME, considers terrorist wannabes

Recently, Amanda Ripley of TIME Magazine criticized federal prosecutors for having a press conference announcing the capture of NY terrorist wannabes wanting to blow up JFK Airport. In her view, they were not much of a threat and the government shouldn't have 'overhyped' the news because it only makes us 'less safe'.

This is by far the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Just because terrorist wannabes weren't 'smart enough' or their plans weren't going to work, that doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. Given enough resolve, people will amount to something, whether it be for bad or for good. I mean, who knew that a failed architect/painter named Adolf would someday run Germany and eventually takeover Europe and kill millions of Jews?

We should never underestimate people and their ability to hold on to a cause. To do so would be stupid, as stupid as those whacky plans made by Abdul Hakim Murad in 1996. Filipino intelligent agents found terrorist plans to use planes to hit the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. The Clinton administration, at the time, having the same mindset as Ms. Ripley now, thought those plans were too crazy to be fulfilled.

Right...

FSBPT scores released for Filipino PT graduates!

FSBPT scores have been released, verified by three independent sources and also through me looking at FSBPT's online case status. Congratulations to those who passed! The investigation is still not over; however, FSBPT, upon review of the hundreds of letters and calls, has submitted to reason. Thanks to all that helped!

While the investigation is not over, the FSBPT has decided to lift
the restriction on the reporting of NPTE scores. Thus, effective
immediately, the FSBPT will resume releasing and reporting NPTE
scores of all candidates to the jurisdictions, including those
graduating from physical therapy education programs in the
Philippines.


Thank you,

Christine Sousa
Managing Director of Exam Services
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
509 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703)739-9420, ext. 201

How to choose the best digital SLR camera

I went to a photo studio today to get some pictures for a new project and I was kinda surprised how much they charged. I looked at the equipment and what they were doing, it didn't really look all that hard.

By the end of the session, I was charged about $470 for 11 shots (full 8x11 prints). The lady at the counter asked me if I wanted to buy a "pearl" version of the prints, meaning a different photo paper for an extra $10 per sheet. Wow. "Pearl" paper aka glossy is about .14 cents per sheet. She's trying to sell it to me for $10. No wonder these guys stay in business. They even showed me how they could smooth out edges with PhotoShop using a filter. While I nodded my head, pretending to be impressed, in the back of my mind, I was asking myself: why am I paying these guys so much?

Thought process...
Everytime I have to do a marketing shot, whether it be myself, clients, or products, I don't want to keep shelling out $40+/per picture. But I also want to avoid non-professional shots that come from point and shoot cameras. While point and shoot cameras are fine, they don't have the same resolution or image clarity as these professional cameras have.

The inquiry
I started asking the photographer what type of camera she was using. I also poke my head at the software she was using, lenses, etc. The equipment all in all was pretty standard.

What I bought tonight
After some careful review online, getting info from the photographer, and calling up some experts at Ritz Camera, I have decided to buy a semi-professional digital SLR for my business. Not only will it save money, but it'll sure be a lot of fun playing with a new toy.

My choice? Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera. It seems Amazon has the best price on it compared to any other retailer.

I'll follow-up with subsequent posts on how this new adventure will plan out.

Gun-wielding teen robbers repelled by store manager

House of the alleged gunmen.

We know in this world, criminals will always have guns. There's no going around that. I originally came from a country that had the strictest gun laws in the planet, but criminals still had guns. My first childhood memories were civilians being shot by criminal gangs -- how's that for childhood trauma.

That's why I'm always happy to hear when civilians fight back because the state government allows them to. Such was the case with an armed robbery in Fort Myers, Florida today. According to NBC-2, and NewsPress, two gunmen, wielding a shotgun and a handgun came into a discount supermarket and tried to shoot at the store manager.

But the store manager fired back, killing 16-year old gunman, Damione Massey of 5047 Centennial Blvd, Lehigh Acres, FL. The second suspect, 14-year old Devon Gallagher, was shot in the stomach as he also tried to shoot at the manager. He quickly ran to a getaway car and drove off to Lehigh Medical Center where he was treated and captured.

Some food for thought
1. The alleged gunmen are young teens. Police say they see an increase spike in juvenille crime during the summer months since school is out, but it is rare for juvenilles to be this violent. From experience, these types of incidents are usually drug or gang-related.

2. My condolences to the friends and family of these kids. It is hard to be a working parent and being able to closely watch your kids. But this doesn't lessen the responsibility, the burden we bear as parents is hard, but we need to continue to educate our children about the friends they choose and the choices they make.

3. Criminals will always have guns. In fact, if you shutdown all of the gun factories and gun stores in the country, guns would still exist (plus an increase in stabbings). In fact, when I was young I met a person that made his own revolvers. So let's stop thinking that violent crime will disappear when guns are taken off the market. Guns will always exist.

The only way to deter these type of issues is to create a deterrant. In Florida, you are allowed to have a gun in your car (glove box), a gun in your house, and a gun in your place of business for self-defense purposes. While we pray that we never have to use these guns against another human being, especially kids, we need to be prepared to be able to not only save our lives but save the lives of others: your family members, your friends, or in this case, your customers.

A new law school in Southwest Florida

Recently I had a brief discussion with Florida Gulf Coast University's legal studies program coordinator about the feasability of a law school in southwest Florida. Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, San Carlos, Sanibel, Marco Island, Lehigh Acres, and Naples would all benefit from a law school in this area. We're one of the fastest growing areas in the country! But, the response I got was rather gloomy: "A law school at FGCU at this time is just not feasible. It would take years of money, planning and building."

SWFL law students no choice but to leave area
Let's pretend that I want to study law, the closest law school for me would be located in the Tampa/Orlando region or in the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area. The best option from my own research shows that Florida International University is the best choice not only because they had one of the highest pass rates in Florida history, but also because their tuition costs are very affordable (roughly $8k/year). The next affordable law school is Florida A&M University, a historically black/minority school. They are plagued by some issues (ie: faculty retention), but they are nonetheless, an institution that needs a break: they have struggled to gain a foothold after their struggle to survive in the 1960s. You see in 1966, during the troubled times when blacks and minorities tried to achieve equality, Florida Board of Control shut the law school down.

So I have two primary choices, one is FIU and my secondary is FAMU.

New hope
But then I accidentally bumped on a press release dated February 2007. Ave Maria School of Law, a fully ABA-accredited law school is moving from Michigan to the Naples area in 2009!

This is great news especially for students that really don't want to give up on Southwest Florida. Aside from historically good weather (Hurricane Charlie/Wilma notwithstanding), this area of Florida offers a relaxed lifestyle with no metropolitan headaches.

Finally! A law school in the area.

Minister Killer Gets 60 Days, Paris Hilton Gets 45 Days

Ahh yes, the justice system we have in the United States sometimes is quirky. Mary Winkler, the wife that killed his minister husband is estimated to serve about 60 days. Paris Hilton, driving under a suspended driver's license due to a DUI, was sentenced to 45 days.

But despite its quirkiness, I still believe it is the best in the world. I mean, just look at Iran's legal system, try to share your faith and you go to jail!

FSBPT, NPTE update and rumors

JULY 2010 UPDATE: ENOUGH ALREADY FSBPT!  We're sick and tired of your abuse of power.  Visit here to fight back against FSBPT legally!

News about FSBPT and their actions to temporarily ban all Filipinos from physical therapy licensure has already hit the Philippines and other countries such as India. I just wanted to give a brief update on here.

Rumors

• On Friendster and physical therapy forums, there is a rumor of a New York physical therapist that was asked to retake the NPTE, supposedly because her name was on the SLRC list. So is this fact or fiction? And who started this rumor? It took me a while to trace this rumor (the Internet is big), but I found the following post online that seemed to have started it all:
  
  

  
  charmaj_14 wrote:
  
  Hello to everyone. I just want to share this. I receive a call from a friend in New York & she's been working there as a PT for almost two years. Last week she received an email from FSBPT requesting her to RE-TAKE the stateboards. I think she was also enrolled at slrc So, in-short even if you're already in the U.S , you are still affected by the fsbpt's investigation. This is so unfair. We passed the exam because we study hard & all of us deserves it.

  
  
• I can tell you that charmaj_14's account has not been recently created. For instance, if someone just wanted to joke around, they could create a fake account and post a rumor. The account has been active for at least 2 years, giving some credibility that this person is not a spoof or a joke.
  
• The New York state board does not publish their disciplinary actions instantly and we don't have a name on the PT, so at the moment, we have to label this rumor as speculative with some credible elements. I will attempt to contact the original poster to verify the story.
  
• bingbong from the PT forum called the NY state board and said, "i was very surprised when i heard this from a friend and when i read it here. i called nysed office of the professions and they clarified that the rumor is not true. they are not revoking any license unless a therapist commited and was proven guilty of anything that would jeopardize his/her license".
  

Double standards As you may, or may not know, FSBPT temporarily banned all Filipino PT graduates because they believe review centers encouraged students to cheat. If "cheating" is the standard for this type of policy, shouldn't it be applied to every country? Let me explain with some facts below:

• APTA's PT Bulletin, September 13, 2002, Volume 3 Issue 38 reported that FSBPT was investigating cheaters, presumably in the U.S.A.
  
• FSBPT Vol 19 No 3 reported during a meeting in Utah that cheating was prevalent in the United States (Professor Hogan was quoted).
  
• Ann Tyminski, Executive Director of the Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Advisors and a member of the FSBPT Board of Directors gave an update in 2004 that FSBPT was pursuing four candidates that had committed copyright violations of NPTE.
  
• So why didn't FSBPT withhold test scores from all U.S. students when they found U.S. cheaters?
  
• Once you have double standards, the policy, in my eyes, moves away from being fair and balanced to discrimination.
  

Other updates

• Most people recognize that FSBPT has the right to investigate cheaters. This is fair and just if they follow the evidence.
  
• But their actions against an entire country is incorrect and it is excessive. They do not have evidence that the entire country cheated, so why do they temporarily ban all Filipino-educated PTs from licensure?
  
• The only people that seem to disagree with me are people that are already in the United States or Canada and are already licensed. Or people that are in the Philippines that aren't in the situation because they don't want to come over to the U.S. to work. My only words to these critics: Don't criticize people that are suffering from this. If you have nothing constructive to say, don't say it at all.
  
• To people that do not like FSBPT's actions, you need to start writing letters. Yes, letters to newspapers, media outlets, TV, government officials, and to FSBPT. Without the public on your side, nobody will know. Click here for some additional actions you can take.
  
• Look at FSBPT's web site, they have entirely been silent on the issue. Why? Because they know what they are doing is controversial: banning an entire nation's PT graduates without due process is un-American (I'm a Filipino-American, so I can say that).
  
• In America's legal system, due process protects an individual from being punished for a crime before there is evidence against him. For instance, if a murder occurred in the state of New Jersey, should we jail the entire population of New Jersey and then figure out who the murderer is? Due process protects you from that type of unfair, knee jerk reaction.
  
• If FSBPT claims to "protect the health, safety and welfare of the [American] public", they must at least follow the principles of the country's legal establishment. If not, they are hypocrites.
  

I invite discussion and if you have any updates, please click on the comment link below.

The health care debate: an angle not mentioned

The United States, no doubt, is the most powerful country in the world. But when it comes to managing our health care costs and ensuring health care access to citizens, we are one of the worst. Did you know that our health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense? (source: NCHC)

As I'm watching presidential hopefuls debate over health care costs on national television, I'm astounded that there is a lack of effort, a lack of recognition on why our health care costs are so high.

Let me introduce a new catch phrase on this debate: personal responsibility.

Ah, yes, that word that seems to strike at the very core of our society. This is where we take responsibility of our own actions rather than blame it on others. We are all guilty of straying away from this principle because it tends to hurt the ego. But the truth is, a lot of our health care costs are due to the lack of personal responsibility, specifically the personal lifestyles we choose that hurts the entire nation.

Here's some examples:

• In a 1998 analysis by health economists of the University of California, cigarette smoking costs about $72.7 billion a year.
  
• According to a CDC report, being overweight and being obese costs us roughly $92.6 billion in 2002 dollars.
  
• According to the Marin Institute, total cost of alcohol problems is $175.9 billion a year.
  
• According to the same site, $114.2 billion a year is spent for drug abuse problems.
  

What I just posted are just some glaring examples of how the lack of personal responsibility equates to higher health care costs. In short, one of the main reasons health insurance costs are so high is that we abuse our own bodies. We don't sleep right, we don't eat right, we drink too much alcohol and not enough water,, we don't exercise, and we abuse substances that we know are bad for our bodies. We then turn around to our politicians and say, when we get sick because of these actions, I want you to pay for it.

So now that we understand the lack of personal responsibility as a major cause of rising health care costs: how do we fix this problem?