Polo Club proxy vote is like signing a blank check

Concerned members revealed the Manila Polo Club board of directors is asking for a general proxy vote for all purposes. Using the excuse of the lack of quorum due to minimal attendance of general membership meetings, the ruling good governance team reportedly wants to use this scheme to railroad several important initiatives. Concerned members have warned that members need to be vigilant and not just give their proxy votes away because in so doing, they could unwittingly approve anything that the board wants to push through for its own purposes. While the proxy form states that it is for "quorum purposes only, not for election," it is not unlikely that the proxy forms could be used by the board to run the Club the way they want to unopposed, which is similar to what happened during the time of Eddie Yap, a concerned member disclosed. Giving the Polo Club proxy vote is like signing a blank check where anyone in possession can just put in any amount and do whatever it wants with it, the member added. "Carte blanche, anyone?" is certainly less fun than "Tennis, anyone?"

Warning for wiener and hot dog eaters

Our Honolulu Spy-ring sent in this wire report for those who enjoy eating lots of hot dogs, sausages, deli meats, and other processed meats. A multiethnic study from the Cancer Research Center of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu concluded that carnivores could face a significantly higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Specifically, those who eat 40 grams or more a day of these meats are 67 percent more likely to develop cancer of the pancreas, compared with those who have the lowest or no intake. It gets worse. Those whose diet is rich in pork and red meat also increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by about 50 percent. Led by Dr. Ute Nöthlings, the seven-year study involved 190,545 men and women of African-American, Japanese-American, Caucasian, Latino, and Native Hawaiian descent. Of these, 482 developed pancreatic cancer. Consumption of poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs showed no link to pancreatic cancer risk. Nöthlings thinks the carcinogenic culprits in processed meats are substances that arise related to chemical reactions during the meat production, rather than any inherent fat or cholesterol. Why? The risk only stemmed from processed meats and not dairy products, which would also have fat and cholesterol. "Our study is the largest of its kind to demonstrate a link between high consumption of processed meats over long periods of time and pancreatic cancer," said Nöthlings in a news release announcing the study findings. "The sample size allowed us to obtain statistically significant risk-estimates that support this hypothesis." She said the next research step is to examine cooking methods. The results were reported at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California. The findings, however, were disputed by the American Meat Institute, which noted a phenomenon that is common in scientific studies and something regular readers of What’s New have no doubt noticed: A different study published earlier this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reached the opposite conclusion. "The most important fact is that the larger body of evidence has shown that processed meats are a healthy part of a balanced diet," the trade group said in a statement. Just to be safe, Fourth of July revelers should boil hot dogs instead of frying them so the preservative and food coloring don’t make a deadly combination.

The listening post: Ron Post and Karen Kelley will be missed

The US Embassy held a well-attended farewell reception for Public Affairs Counselor Ron Post and Spokesperson Karen Kelley the other night at the Charles Parsons Ballroom. The diplomatic Spy-Ring said their numerous friends from media, government, business, and the NGO world enjoyed the reception even if they were sad to see the two go. Ron is flying back to Washington, D.C. to head the East Asia Desk for Public Diplomacy while Karen is happily looking forward to her "Paradise" posting in Hawaii. They were touched by a video presentation produced by their staffers where their friends from local media roasted the two. It even had radioman Deo Macalma jokingly announcing that the pair was responsible for the leaking of some controversial tapes. Anyhow, Ron, his wife Gi, and Karen have presented the best face and the most informed voice for America during their stay here. The friends and supporters of Ron and Kelley will certainly miss them as they wish the dynamic duo all the best in the new chapter of their lives.

Spy tidbiz: Irritable gma

At the business forum held at the Manila Polo Club yesterday, foreign businessmen were astounded when GMA started relating the private travails of her family. Obviously, GMA wanted to use the forum to make a dramatic appeal. But the impact on the foreigners was the opposite. They didn’t expect her to expound on personal matters in a business forum. One of the foreign participants in his anxiousness impolitely asked the President as she sat down for lunch: "So how long is the First Gentleman going to be away?" To his surprise, GMA snapped back with obvious irritation - "Next question, please."

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