The kalingas are a proud people. One author withstood 4 months of pain and gain of course, to write a book about a tribe, nay a community; not even - a nation!

The Philippines would be better of as a nation to read this art of a book, and learn from the customs and practices of an older civilization - close to 5,000 years old (my fact); their songs and wine and love and adventure deserves a niche in the heart of Filipinos, to help undo centuries of colonial mindedness (the effect of "liberal theology" as conspired to by the catholic leaders in colonizing the country) (you - [spanish] clerics think we don't know what you did to our culture? Ha Ha)

Back to James skibo: James skibo, may your tribe increase- but one thing. Stay there longer (than 4 months)for some real-life imersion please. And do another book on the "budong" which means peace pact but more than that - it is a government!

In Ants For Breakfast: Archeological Adventures Among The Kalinga, archeologist James Skibo shares the story of his archaeological pursuits in the remote Philippine highlands where he lived with the Kalinga people, former headhunters and one of the few groups in the world still using ceramics for cooking. Ants For Breakfast is an exciting tale of archaeological adventures worthy of any movie or television mini-series. But this true-life account of danger, mystery, sex, violence, and death is more gripping than any Hollywood fiction. In the course of his story Skibo links his experiences to the development of modern archaeology, and such subjects as human evolution, the populating of the world, animal domestication, cultural logic, food taboos, Imelda Marcos, and a great deal more. Ants For Breakfast is highly recommended reading for students of archaeology and anyone who ever wondered what a real life Indian Jones adventure would be like.

Food For Thought

"Ants For Breakfast" is an easy read, yet a curiosity-piquing one for us archaeologist-wannabes. Author Dr. James Skibo skillfully mixes fact, humor, and his own experience with the Kalinga of the Philippines to show the reader that life as Americans know it, is not the only way to live. On one level, our modern conveniences seem unnecessary and wasteful and yet after reading his account of the 4 months he spent living in the mountains with the Kalinga, one has to be grateful for life's simpler and more basic conveniences [running water, electricity, modern restroom facilities].

His description of a Kalinga funeral and his comparision with our funeral traditions, makes one wonder why is it that funerals have become a somber event that is dreaded and struggled through, when it could be a celebration of life as Dr. Skibo observed in the Cordillera mountains of the Philippines.

As a registered nurse, the stories of their healthcare practices I found especially interesting. As a woman, I tried to imagine myself in his wife, Becky's place. An incredibly brave, resourceful woman in her own right, Mrs. Skibo is an example to woman everywhere. A followup book from her perspective would be a edge-of-the-seat page-turner as this one is!

Dr. Skibo's explanations of dietary differences do not diminish his message. Rather, they add to the reader's understanding that dietary habits are cultural, a learned behavior. Foods we see as repulsive to eat may be a delicacy elsewhere, and vice versa.

Openness and acceptance of those different than us is the food for thought that Dr Skibo offers us in this most interesting book. And just for the record, I think I'll have some of those black 'blueberry' bugs with my bowl!

A fascinating window into the lives of Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong. Details the many facets of exploitation, abuse and discrimination experienced by these maids. A fine balance between portraying maids as victims as well as agents in their own right, adopting a rather Foucauldian theme of discipline or oppression begetting resistance. Constable's work shuns naive generalizations of maids as passive victims (as many other works have), although I felt that domestic workers' acts of resistance and agency could be interrogated in greater scope and detail. Also provides a well-rounded picture by examining the geopolitics that give rise to demand and supply of domestic workers in Asia and Hong Kong in particular. A thorough and well-researched book synthesizing themes of race, class and gender!

A devastating critique of the capitalist world system, an anthropological study drawn from first-hand case studies, statistics, and the theoretical works of Gramsci, Bourdieu, and Foucault among others. Absolutely compelling reading.

Let me begin by confessing my bias. I met Dr. Constable at a book signing and have since maintained a warm e-mail friendship. Having said that, I think any one who is interested in the culture of the Philippines, the culture of Hong Kong, the Filipino Diaspora, or the multi-variate roles of women in the emerging cultures of Asia will find a great deal of interesting material, conveyed thoughtfully and with sensitivity.

This volume gives us an interesting ethnography of an impoverished slum in Cotabato City called Campo Muslim. The author protracts his study of the slum to encompass anthropological contributions to understanding Gramscian hegemony, nationalism, colonial histories, formation of new, post-traditional elites, and subaltern resistance. Most useful in this book is the account of the construction of Muslim national identity and the account of the elections in the late 80s wherein the Muslim and Islamist participants made an unexpectedly poor showing giving most of the victories to Christian candidates. Parts of the book are uneven; however, the account is consistent to his methodology from the outside and he allows the information to lead him--always be circumspect that ideology or presuppositions don't lead his interpretations by the nose at least in matters of peasant politics. In other words, the peasant remains an autonomous political actor that doesn't merely parrot and conform to the requests of the socially more advantaged.

The most glaring flaw in the book was what I personally found to be an over-identification with Muslim Filippinos over and against Christian Filippinos. Armed separatist movements are portrayed sympathetically, whereas 'Christian' efforts, whether in terms of national integration, militant attemtps to stop succession, and even charity are treated as all being pernicious acts directed against Muslims. One example was the characterization of Mother Theresa's charity for children in the city as being 'perverse' without any such acerbic criticisms for the vicious effects of separatism movement and the deaths it caused given. The same goes for foreign actors. In the work, American actions in the Philippines are sinister and undermine Philippine Muslim identity; whereas, Libyan, Saudi Arabian, and Egyptian interference are merely catalysts for social change.

I'd been flying to and from Cotabato City, the site of Mckenna's research, almost every month for last few months. I'm a Catholic, but the fact is, if you are on business in Cotabato City, you talk to and deal with Muslims. The Muslims I met, Maguindanaons for the most part, were personable and likeable. They're nothing like the vagabond bad guys I heard about from my elders in the 70s, my growing up years and the years of the war in Mindanao.

I also have Catholic relatives who've been there since the 1930s. In one of the early chapters of his book, McKenna wrote that many Christians in Cotabato City knew next to nothing about how Muslims really live and what Muslims really are because they choose not to know.

I believe he's correct since what my Christian cousins and friends say, which is sometimes patronizing and not at all complimentary, do not seem to mesh with what I know of the Muslims I've met in the course of work. In my conversations with my Muslim associates, they eagerly welcome inquiries about what Islam is all about but they are not about to insist that you convert to Islam.

But then again, my cousins and friends been living there for years on end so they should know what they're talking about, right? These days, Cotabato City is a city unlike any I've been to in the Philippines, even among the bigger cities in Mindanao. There is an almost equal number of Christians and Muslims and the physical features of the city reflect this.

I have yet to test this theory, but I think McKenna's book might prove provocative to Muslims who espouse separatism or federalism (as a "softer" form of separatism). McKenna traces the beginnings of a separate Muslim identity to gentle tending by American educators of young Muslim minds who went on to become national leaders and local datus.

I'll be sending a copy of the book to a conservative Muslim Maguindanaon who had some harsh words to say about the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the Americans who governed Mindanao thereafter. It would be interesting to find out what he thinks after reading Mckenna, who wrote mostly of his people, the Maguindanaons.

On another level, I believe this book should be required reading for all Filipinos. Our required history courses concentrate too much on Philippine history in Luzon and the Visayas. We Christian Filipinos hardly know anything about Mindanao except that our national hero, Jose Rizal, was exiled in Dapitan in Zamboanga. (Now, what we know is that Basilan, also in Western Mindanao is the site of the Balikatan activities of American and Filipino soldiers against the Abu Sayyaf, and that Zamboanga is the city center for the Americans.)

The reasons for the rebellion of Christian Filipinos against Spanish and American rule are analyzed to death in our history books and even given symbolic parallels to the Passion of Christ. But no narration even of the Mindanao rebellion against colonial rule is part of our required reading in Philippine history.

During one visit to Cotabato City, an old Maguindanaoan lady proudly told me, a Filipina Catholic from Luzon with a Spanish name and an American education, that her people had never been colonized unlike my forebears. I had nothing to say. But I would be honored if she considered me her countrywoman in spite of everything.

Just the other night, I watched a documentary feature of a battle fought to the death by Maranaos, another Muslim group, against the Americans in 1902 in the town of Bayang in Lanao del Sur. After the battle, only five Maranao men were left alive. Even women and children were killed, their bodies dumped in the trenches. Around 10 American soldiers were killed. American sources tell the story that towards the end of the battle, a white flag was flown outside the fort in Bayang. Thus, they say, the Maranaos surrendered. Actually, among Muslims, a white flag is flown to indicate a death.

Dr. McKenna has obviously spent a great deal of time and study in the southern Philippines. His insights are thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book.

Oliver De La Paz's prose poems are beautiful. There are lines in here that stop you cold: The harbor lights close like a sequined hand; she blesses the room with her blue arcs. The prose poems are a narrative, the poems have the shape and allure of photographs in a family album, of a boy who flys and of his family. I love the fact that the prose poems "hover" at the top of the page, echoing the desire of the boy to soar.

With this book, I have no desire to display any critical/theory skills. Let others do that. I want to remember the pleasue this book brought me: turning to the next page; highlighting specific lines; bending back the covers; calling my friends to read them a poem. This is a gift I rarely recieve.

All I can say is WOW. I went to hear Oliver de la Paz read from his book . . . he's an incredible reader. What's surprising about the book is how tight the prose poems are in their craft and language. There's a tragic whimsy in the poems--I laughed aloud at times, but often wondered at what cost was my laughter? This book has something important to say about the immigrant experience without the message being preachy. You've got to get this book, teach this book, walk the streets with this book under your arm.

like the sages of old who looked to the clouds for direction and insight, so too does de la paz turn his attention skyward in this beautiful collection of prose poems. this book is the story of fidelito, young filipino who flies over the ocean to arrive in the united states--but his journey is universal, speaking to the immigrant's struggle of leaving the beloved homeland and persevering in a new one. flight as metaphor is skillfully handled by this poet who elevates bird imagery beyond fantasy and fancy and into the complex levels of transcendence and acculturation. very few poetry books can be read as a poem-by-poem narrative--i can think of only rita dove's "thomas and beulah" in which each poem is also an individual testament to the power of the word and the craft of the wordsmith. a stunning debut.

also recommend: eugene gloria's "drivers at the short time motel"

Sort of a Filipino(-American) _Crying of Lot 49_, this brisk picaresque novel satirizes Filipino political life..., American slackerdom, and mothers' sexual domination of surrogate sons. Call it "brown humor" rather than "black humor," with a low-to-no-initiative protagonist and a series of strong, focused Filipinas vying for his Angloish body. The flippant narrative, which what a Filipino post-Freudian Jonathan Swift might serve, goes down easily, but is likely to cause heartburn if masticated.

It's written as a satire, but a reader couched in Filipino-American history can't help but think that everything Bacho writes is possible. He successfully gets people to think about the complicated relationship of white-love that the "native" Filipinos and the Filipino diaspora share with white America. It's VERY much worth the read.

Nelson's Run by novelist Peter Bacho is a tongue-in-cheek satire about the protagonist Nelson, a man who, in his fervent desire to escape work or long-term relationships for the heady pleasures of hedonism, finds himself inexorably drawn between conflicting paths and two very attractive tango dancers on the war-stricken Philippine island of Samar. Sexy, funny, but also a darkly twisted work of compelling fiction, Nelson's Run is an engaging ride full of sharp edges and sudden turns.

The story on page 240 is more clear than I remember it. I was a Gunners Mate on PT Boat 379 of Squdron 28 and have pictures of the two prisoners that Lt. Dove brought back to the boat. Also took a picture of the 39 people we rescued. Lt. Morton was our skipper. At least one part of the operation was in daylite. The "team" was made up of only two men, Lt. Dove and a Filipino Scout. We in the boat crew couldn't believe the scouts could get away with some of the operations they were on. A most fantastic group of men.

Read this book! Real people, real heroes. I have no idea why they haven't made a movie about these guys.

They have a record no unit on the planet can top: 106 missions in 18 months, 138 personnel (including staff, support and operators), and no wounded or killed in action.

Freaking Unbelievable! One of the more interesting anecdotes was a prayer by one of the Scouts (paraphrased): "Lord, If you don't want me to kill the enemy, don't let me see them..."

Get this book, it's history and it's not dry at all!

Silent Warriors of World War II is the amazing story of the Alamo Scouts, Sixth Army's elite commando, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering unit, which performed 106 missions behind Japanese lines in New Guinea and in the Philippines without losing a man killed or captured. The author not only informs and educates, he tells a complex story in very readable way. From the first page, the reader can picture what the Scouts look like, their personalities and their devotion to accomplishing the mission at all costs. This is not "dry" history! Zedric breathes life into the characters and puts the reader alongside the commandos in a rubber boat or deep in a tropical jungle. But the author does not embellish. He didn't need to--what the Alamo Scouts accomplished needed no embellishment. Zedric has done a masterful job in telling their story--one which should have been told years ago. A must read

Be aware, the "editiorial comments" above do not accurately reflect the content of this book; I suspect they are based on another of Mark Wiley's books.

There are no pictures in this book.

This book is actually a collection of articles about various aspects of the history and development of FMA. Some of them are new and some have been taken from the pages of Rapid Journal (published in the Phillipines). Some of the articles are written by well known people on the FMA such as: Tony Somers, Krishna Godhania and Mark Wiley, other names are new to me.

As the title suggests, the articles are about the history of the arts, not the technical side and as such this volume fills a gap in the reading of most practioners.

On the down side, some of the articles are very thin; it hardly seems worth while to have bothered with the item on the history of FMA in Europe.(This is a real contrast to some of the others).

I enjoyed the book, but was left wanting more.

JB

Be advised there are no pictures in this book, it is an academic undertaking. If you are looking for something with visual historical material in it, try the two books authored by Mark Wiley: "Filipino Martial Culture" and "Filipino Fighting Arts: Theory and Practice".

The placment of Mark Wiley's name on the front cover suggests he is the AUTHOR, where he is in fact, the EDITOR of this collection of articles (he is also a contributor). Not Wiley's fault--he credits the collective group in the introduction. Small point that only matters to us fans of footnotes, I know...now, on to assessing this collection of articles!

In Part 1, writers offer perspectives on the origins of the Filipino arts, including five articles such as "A Question of origins", by Felipe Jocano, Jr., and "Questioning the Origins of Escrima", by Dr. Ned Nepangue, etc.. Part 2 focuses on Historical Perspectives with five offerings like "A History of Eskrima in Cebu and Negros", by Krishna Godhania. Part 3, Cultural Perspectives, includes eight articles by different contributors, including "Passion from the Crescent Moon" by Marilitz Dizon, and "The Making of the Batangas (Balisong) Knife" by Dr. Jopet Laraya. Part 4, Facing The Future, includes three articles including Combative vs. Competitive Escrima by Krishna Godhania, and "The Implimentation of Arnis in the Physical Education programs of Tertiary Schools in Cebu City" by Abner G. Pasa.

Overall, this is a good collection of topics of a calibre more advanced than most newsstand martial arts magazines could tolerate. The tone is clearly academic in nature, although less than half of the article include notes of some sort at their conclusion. Wiley does include a well-rounded list of source materials for further reading. If you are tired of how-to manuals, here is a book which will present new information, even for those of us who have pretty well "been around the block" when it comes to learning about other cultures and practice. The variety of perspectives are insightful.

For those needing simply a travel atlas to get about this book has definite shortfalls: the size and weight (and price) of the book are out of proportion to the actual map content. Sure, there is plenty of material describing tourist attractions, but many will have got this separately in their tourist guides, including the details of hotels and various commercial attractions that appear to be sponsoring this atlas - they would buy an atlas simply to get about and find the places that have caught their attention. Such content makes this atlas look much more like a tourist guide. Probably it would suffice as better than nothing if you are travelling in the Philippines, but I feel there must be a better buy - so Amazon buyers beware.

The disappointing content can be summarised by one simple feature, which I have never seen in any other travel atlas: not a single map, whether it covers the whole Philippines, a province or a city, has any indication of the scale. So you can't judge whether that trip you want to take is 20km or 100km. Even tourist maps give you that - and they are free.

If you do want a combined brief guide/atlas then this book may be okay - that's where my rating of 3 comes from (might even be 4) but the publishers need to think about the needs of a motorist planning and making his or her journey in any future edition, and try giving more for less.

I was delighted to find this Atlas had not only maps and major points of interest but also a wealth of information on the history and culture of the Philippines. As an interracial family, this is very important so that my children and grand-children can keep in touch with their heritage. I was impressed with the detail of the city and regional maps. Having information detailed for each region was especially helpful in ensuring my children had a firm understanding of the varied aspects of their culture.

I am half Filipino and currently reside in Tokyo, Japan. For our annual family vacation, we traveled to the Philippines. I was fortunate to obtain the E-Z Philippines Travel Atlas and was fascinated by the presentation, colors and accuracy of the maps included in the Atlas. Most interesting were the specialty maps which featured historical landmarks (which we visited many), churches and shrines and festivals. This was the first time I or any of my family members were able to see exactly what goes on in each Region and at the same time be able to travel worry-free by using the detailed city maps. We could not believe all the detail that was contained on the city maps of Manila, Makati, Cebu and Angeles. I highly recommend this Atlas to anyone interested in learning more about the Philippines or especially to those who are considering a vacation to the beautiful islands.

Ted Lerner has a wonderful ability to capture into words both the poignant and hilarious contrasts between Filipino and U.S. culture. And he indeed represents the reactions of the "wide-eyed" foreigner. This is not the jet-setting rich of Manila that he is observing - this is the life of the other 97%.. He's a student of the sweet science and the deft turn of phrase. Lerner is just the man to put this into words

This is a guy who rides "jeepneys" to work and back - something very, very few foreigners do. It is this kind of lifestyle that opens up the culture to him. But it's a culture that is easily recognizable to almost any foreigner that has spent significant time in the Philippines. As a five-year resident of Manila, I thoroughly enjoyed Lerner's writings.

A reader unexposed to the events described by Lerner will be enlightened; but the reader who recognizes and identifies with his observations will laugh out laud at times or even shed a tear or two.

For any foreigner who wants a primer on Filipino street culture, and especially life in Manila, this book is an excellent read. Lerner provides a sympathetic and insightful, if somewhat superficial, treatment of Filipino culture and Manila's street life. Lerner achieves a level of insight into the lives of the average man-on-the-streets that eludes most foreigners who have lived in Manila for decades.

The stories are not particularly deep, and contain very little profound insight into Filipino culture or life. But for what it is--an affectionate, honest, no-holds-barred description of life in one of SE Asia's least pleasant capital cities--the book succeeds. For anybody looking for amusing anecdotes about the foibles and ironies of life in the biggest of Filipino cities, this is a very good read. If you're looking for profound cultural insights, you'd best keep looking.

This book , which could also be called Good Morning, Zir(Sir, which is what I heard alot from locals there)tells it all about a city the world has not yet given itself the precious time to know. Manila is filled with gross poverty and stunning wealth, a city where a CEO will make $60,000 a year, not much as CEO's go in the US but is opulent there. A city where a maid makes $600 a year but still has to pay the same price for food and electricity and entertainment as you and I do. I spent time there this year , my first visit, since we were going to meet my inlaws who could not make it to my wedding to their daughter and was slapped in the face by the ghastliness and the elegance that live side by side there. The poverty is bad but what struck me the most was the unbelievable haze that stays in the air & will not move. Surrounded by smog in an Asian capital with as much intense history as this city has stays in your mind as you leave the airport. This city , with perhaps the freest press in the Asian world, millions of English speakers and yet troubled, uprooted traditions will fascinate you and the author relates issues well with brevity and clarity. Read 'America's Boy', about Marcos and also 'Ghosts of Manila' too if you want to get the feel of this awful, wonderful place that God looks upon, not angrily, as men do, but with compassion and patience because His people live there.

Agreed, excellent character development and story telling with many twists and turns, but in my opinion the book just fizzles in the end. Booth Stallings is the main character throughout most of the book; however, in the last few chapters his importance and intelligence just fades away. He's supposed to be an extremely knowledgable, brilliant "terrorism" expert, but by the end of the book he's portrayed as an old fool. Maybe I missed some elusive underlying point, but I was very disappointed. Thomas's writing reminded me of the John Grisham novels I have read. Great, fast paced reads with highly identifiable characters, but alas....quick spurt endings with very little thought.

OUT ON THE RIM features two senior citizens. One is in the process of recovering from a stroke while carrying on a revolution and the other is re-entering the world of work after being between jobs less than twelve hours.

Thomas comes up with an entertaining plot full of double and triple crosses set in the early years of the Aquino government while the Marcos forces still loom as a large threat. The story centers around an attempt by the Marcos gang to destabilize the Aquino government by funding a rebel group led by Alejandro Espiritu. Enter Booth Stallings, Espiritu's World war II buddy and presently a down-and-out sixty-year-old academic just fired from his job with a foundation as an expert on terrorism. He is hired indirectly by the Marcos regime as an intermediary.

On his way to the Philippines, Stallings joins forces with a collection of experienced international con men. Artie Wu is a forty-four year old giant who is a pretender to the emperor's throne in China. He is accompanied by his long-time business partner, Quincy Durant. In a cast full of desperadoes and other untrustworthy people, Otherguy Overby manages to stand out. His nickname speaks for itself. It's always the other guy's fault. Georgia Blue is a statuesque beauty who doubles as both a body guard and a strong-willed, brilliant and independent operative. As a team, their most remarkable quality may be their ability to survive.

As the plot unfolds we begin to appreciate the latent talents of Stallings. He also starts to believe in his own abilities and realizes at the end he has found a new career for his dotage in company with Overby, Wu, Durant and Georgia Blue.

A spellbinding book that I could not drop until it was finished. The characters (Artie Wu, Durant, Otherguy Overby, ... ) are so alive - I expect them to step right out of the pages. The plot is marvelous and the story is written beautifully.