There was a typhoon here yesterday. The typhoon missed us. We had winds and rain but woke up the next morning to headlines of 468 dead. It passed us to the north so the news reports were from Islands away from ours.

Tomorrow we start all the conferences and workshops. Today we had lunch with two former and one current senator. They told us facinating stories around the People Power Revolutions. They marched for days and most of them have been jailed at one time or another. They talked about the current frustration with President Arroyo and the corruption charges that have surrounded her presidency. It was interesting and inspiring.

Tonight we are going to Ateneo University to hear bands play through an organisation called Rock ED. They do a tour of bars to raise awarenesss among young people of the targeted killings of political opponets of the government and the military. Should be interesting.

We had an evening van tour of the historic area. Sadly there isn't much left after WW2. The Japanese occupied it and the Americans liberated. Between the both of them shelling it, not much of Manila was left. (After Warsaw, it was the second most destroyed city.)