Sundown Singapore
AMONG the ranks of Asia’s powerhouse players, Singapore is often depicted as the squeaky clean poster girl for gleaming glass modernity, priggish protocol and no-fuss efficiency.
Rocker Rod Stewart continues songwriting return with new album
LONDON — Singing about a soldier serving abroad or bedtime for his young son, rocker Rod Stewart continues his comeback to songwriting with new album Another Country and says his attitude to penning tracks has changed with age.
The 70-year old singer, who gained fame with the band Faces before enjoying solo stardom, has previously said songwriting was a slow process for him.
Time, released in 2013, was his first self-penned album in years, following several covers, including the popular The Great American Songbook album series.
“In the old days, when I was with the Faces and my solo albums, (songwriting) was more like being at school doing homework,” Stewart told Reuters. “But actually now, I enjoy the process. It’s something, I think, has come with age.”
With his spiky hair and raspy voice, Stewart is known for hits such as “Maggie May” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?.” He says his new album is “pretty varied.”
“There’s… ‘Way Back Home,’ which although I wasn’t around… (is) memories I’ve garnered from my brothers, sisters and parents about what London was like after the war,” he said. “Otherwise there’s a song on there about putting my son to bed.”
Stewart has long been candid about his rock and roll party lifestyle. Today’s music scene is a lot tamer than his 1970s heyday, he said.
“There’s not quite this spontaneity that there was when I was coming through and also there wasn’t mobile phones with cameras so obviously we got away with a lot more than new artists do,” he said.
“But generally speaking, I don’t think you can shock the public anymore, I think they’ve been shocked enough.”
Along with a new album, upcoming Las Vegas and European performances, Stewart says he has no plans on retiring and would even like to play Glastonbury music festival with Faces.
“What I do is who I am, so I would like to keep it going as long as possible,” he said.
“As long as the voice is still there and the lungs have still got plenty of energy, then I will keep doing it.” — Reuters
Potential health hazards of ‘smaze’
Medicine Cabinet — Reiner W. Gloor
The haze from the burning Indonesian forests reached parts of Mindanao and the Visayas region a couple a weeks back, and may slowly and eventually reach Metro Manila with the arrival of the prolonged El Niño.
Agusan Marsh: A biodiversity hot spot
LONG BEFORE 6.17-meter crocodile “Lolong” became an icon of Agusan del Sur and landed in the Guinness Book of World Records, the province was already the toast of the world’s naturalists thanks to the Agusan Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Selecta’s core values
ADS & Ends
Nanette Franco-Diyco
EVERY YEAR, as we celebrate All Saints Day, one of my best friends has their maids begin distributing a cup of steaming hot coffee and biscuits to anyone and everyone who happens to walk past their gate.
Your Weekend Guide (nov 6)
EVENTS
The online shopping discovery platform Takatack kicks off the holiday shopping season with its E-Deals Carnival, which will give consumers up to 80% off from purchases on over 40 different lifestyle brands, until Nov. 15. The shopping carnival on Takatak.com features items ranging from clothes and shoes to fragrances and bicycles. Consumers can find discounted products from a variety of merchants, including Zalora. Zalora shoppers can also use the discount code “ZCARNIVAL” to get an 18% discount on a purchase of P1,000 or more during the promo period. Other lifestyle brands include Tern Bicycles, Scent Swatch, Hickok Leather, Del Mundo Body Jewelry, Style Compass, Fashion Hub, Angeline Shoes, OMF Literature, Chaser Action Sports, Fledge Clothing, and Sophia Love Fragrances. All merchants participating in Takatack’s E-Deals Carnival can be found in the special promo page www.takatack.com/pages/e-deals.
EXHIBITS
On Nov. 16, the nation celebrates the 125th Birth Anniversary of Elpidio Quirino, the 6th President of the Philippines, who rebuilt a Philippines devastated by war. To celebrate the man, a commemorative exhibit will run from Nov. 7 to 28 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City. Largely drawn from the Filipinas Heritage Library and the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation’s rich collection of papers and memorabilia, Defining Quirino highlights stories of one statesman’s journey from teacher to president, his vision and achievements, and his deep sense of humanity. Designed to resemble a dictionary, the exhibit features words associated with Quirino and gives their meaning through vignettes of his life and legacy. It will also feature a tribute wall of 125 portraits of the President, contributed by 125 artists, friends, and family in honor of Quirino. A series of events will also be held on all Saturdays of November: A lecture by Manuel Quezon III during the exhibit opening on Nov. 7; a talk by former White Russian refugee Natalie Sabelnik, and a concert featuring Russian Folk Singer and former refugee Nikolai Massenkoff with the Manila Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 14; a lecture by historian Ambeth Ocampo on Nov. 21; and the book launch of Elpidio and Alicia: The Love Letters on Nov. 28. This exhibition at the 2nd floor of Ayala Museum is free and open to the public. Group tours to the exhibit are also available upon request. For inquiries and group tour reservations, e-mail asklibrarian@filipinaslibrary.org.ph, or call 759-8288 local 36.
Art Informal gallery presents several art exhibits that will run until Nov. 21: The Wit of the Staircase by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, a collection of works that imaginatively re-purpose what is abandoned; Pam Yan- Santos’ Filling Up the Big Room, a series of paintings and installation; and, Violent Noon by Kitty Kaburo, who uses time-lapse video and mixed-media pieces. Art Informal gallery is located at 277 Connecticut St., Greenhills East, Mandaluyong City. For details, call 725-8518, or 0918-899-2698, or visit www.artinformal.com.
The Metropolitan Museum of Manila takes its turn in celebrating the 50 creative years of National Artist BenCab (Benedicto Cabrera) with a retrospective exhibition that will run until Feb. 27. The museum is located at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila. For details, e-mail info@metmuseum.ph.
Pablo The Fort presents Juni Salvador’s Artshistory until Nov. 28. The gallery is located at C-11 South of Market, 11th and 24th Sts., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For details, call 400-7905, 0927-454-8442, or e-mail fort@pablogalleries.com.
In celebration of a recently launched book on the life and art of Roberto Chabet, considered the father of Philippine conceptual art, an exhibit of his works are on display at MO_Space, MOS Design, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The exhibit runs until Nov. 22. For details, call 856-7915, 0917-572-7975, e-mail mospaceph@gmail.com, or visit www.mo-space.net.
Samsung Electronics Philippines and the Yuchengco Museum present a tribute exhibition to National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera who is is marking 50 years as an artist. The interactive exhibit, dubbed BenCab in Two Movements, is on view at the museum until Jan. 16. The exhibition highlights handpicked works he created to capture the dance movements of London-based Chinese dancer San Lee, and Polish dancer and choreographer Paulina Wycichowska. Through Samsung’s SUHD and UHD TV technologies, BenCab in Two Movements hopes to provide museum visitors immersive experiences at the same time curatorial information on shared art experiences between a painter and a dancer. Yuchengco Museum is located at the RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave. cor. Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Makati City. For details e-mail info@yuchengcomuseum.org or visit yuchengcomuseum.org.
Until Nov. 21, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) presents The Vexed Contemporary featuring 16 Filipino artists whose practices lend themselves to a global compass. They are: Pio Abad, Poklong Anading, Victor Balanon, Yason Banal, Lena Cobangbang, Louie Cordero, Kiri Dalena, Leslie De Chavez, Kawayan De Guia, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Cocoy Lumbao, Gina Osterloh, Gary-Ross Pastrana, Ikoy Ricio, Maria Taniguchi, and The Weather Bureau. MCAD is at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts Campus, Vito Cruz, Malate, Manila. For details, e-mail mcad@benilde.edu.ph, call 230-5100 loc 3897, or visit www.mcadmanila.org.ph.
The Mind Museum presents A Glass of the Sea, an immersive, interactive and constantly updated exhibition on the discoveries from the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines, also dubbed as the “center of the center of marine biodiversity.” The exhibit runs until the end of the year, then will go on tour around the country. The Mind Museum is at JY Campos Park, 3rd Ave., Bonifacio Global City. For details, call 909-6463.
PERFORMANCE
Michael Jackson impersonator E’ Casanova presents The World’s Greatest Michael Jackson Experience on Nov. 6, 8 p.m., at the Midas Tent, Midas Hotel and Casino, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. Tickets range in price from P2,752.50 to P3,853.50 at TicketWorld (891-9999, ticketworld.com.ph).
The Tokyo Manila Jazz & Arts Festival 2015 will be held on Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m., at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave. cor. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City; and on Nov. 7 at Aruga, Rockwell, Makati. The Nov. 6 performance features Charito, Mon David, Tetsuro Kawashima, Yuki Arimasa, Kamura, Andrew Dickeson, Igor, Baihana, Isabella Gonzales, Philippine Youth Symphonic Band, ETS Septet, and Cris Villonco. The Nov. 7 show focuses on Latin Sounds, with Charito, Mon David, Tetsuro Kawashima, Yuki Arimasa, Kamura, and Andrew Dickeson. There will be a Young Artists Jam (free concert), on Nov. 8, at Greenbelt 5, Ayala, Makati, with Bratpack, Verve, Charito, Tetsuro Kawashima, Yuki Arimasa, Kamura, Andrew Dickeson, and Tricia Garcia. Tickets for the Nov. 6 show range in price from P1,045 to P3,657.50 at TicketWorld (891-9999, ticketworld.com.ph). For tickets,
The next big thing in Korean beauty: muscles
SEOUL — Looks no longer center only on the face in beauty-obsessed South Korea, where more women are hitting the gym to improve muscle tone and physical health.
Activision bets you will want to watch pros play video games
Activision Blizzard, Inc., the largest US-based video game creator, is forming a division to target the fast-growing business of eSports, where video game players compete against each other for prizes in front of live and online audiences.
Why is Downton Abbey just like Walking Dead?
The Binge
Jessica Zafra
IT SEEMED that Downton Abbey, like the zombie apocalypse, would never end. And yet the series created and written by Julian Fellowes will close this sixth season.
Rio reintroduces howler monkeys after century’s absence
RIO DE JANEIRO — Scientists have given Rio de Janeiro something to shout about with the reintroduction of howler monkeys to the city’s famed Tijuca forest after a century’s absence.
Tijuca, a thick forest rising up to the towering Corcovado and statue of Christ the Redeemer, is one of the world’s largest urban woodlands. But environmental degradation has stripped the area of its fauna.
Now, Brazilian scientists are working to bring those riches back, including by releasing native howler monkeys, properly know as Alouattas.
“The howlers disappeared more than 100 years ago. We decided to reintroduce them because it is a resistant species. They essentially eat leaves and fruits, so they are relatively easy to reintroduce,” said Fernando Fernandez, a scientist with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
The first five monkeys were released in early September, a key moment in the program which has been in the works since 2010.
And the creatures are more than just a pretty — or furry — face.
In addition to filling the silent forest with their trademark cries, the monkeys’ excrement, pushed around by dung beetles, helps fertilize soil and trees.
That’s important because the authorities also want to save the endangered Atlantic forest, which once covered the Brazilian coast but today is reduced to about 7% of what European explorers would have found 500 years ago.
In Rio, the Tijuca forest covers 39.5 square kilometers and has been preserved despite being just minutes from neighborhoods of the teeming city which will host next year’s Olympics.
Tijuca administrator Enresto Vivero de Castro says the area can become “a laboratory for the rebuilding of the fauna that could work for other parts of the world.”
DELICATE RELATIONSHIPS
The first monkeys let loose in Tijuca were all rescued from animal traffickers.
The modest speed of the project reflects the care needed to avoid any monkey business between potentially conflicting groups of the primates.
“The howler is the biggest monkey of the Atlantic Forest after the spider monkey. We got five individuals — three males and two females — and before releasing them we let them interact for five months in our research center,” Mr. Fernandez said.
“It’s very important because the Alouattas form social groups and stay together in the forest.”
The pioneering animals are already one down from their original number.
The dominant male Chico expelled a young male named Cesar, so researchers pulled him from the project.
However, Cesar should get a second chance with another group down the road.
Scientists monitoring the four identify the males by a bracelet and the females by a collar. Early reports are that things are going well.
“A month and a half later they are doing fine and are pretty close to where we released them,” Mr. Fernandez said.
“There was some concern when the group met some capuchin monkeys, which are more aggressive. But in the end there wasn’t a problem.”
The more familiar danger to wildlife — humanity — will also have to play its part.
“We hope visitors won’t feed them because that can be fatal. Dogs are a danger too,” Mr. Fernandez said.
The plan now is to release new groups of howler monkeys over the next four years to create a self-sustaining population.
A similar program reintroduced rodents called cutias and also seeks to repopulate Tijuca with sloths, endangered golden lion tamarins and other native animals. — AFP