Regarding the recent controversy about the foreign origin of columnist Maharaja's nom de plume and the renaming of the Philippines, Public Pulser Maximo D. Bas suggests Maharajah keep the name.

But if it becomes an absolute necessity to change the Philippines and Maharajah, may I suggest Touyou No Shinjuu [Pearl of the East] and Soliman respectively. We should by then begin changing our Castillian or Christian names as Jorge, Benigno, Jose, Camilo, Rafael ... and we may rechristen ourselves as Hamabon, Lapulapu, Panday Pira, Dagohoy....

To which Maharajah replied, "We appreciate Mr. Bas' defense of this unworthy columnist" — completely missing the connection: Jorge Vargas, Benigno Aquino, Jose Laurel, Camilo Osias, Rafael Alunan ... are all Filipino big wigs.

La Vanguardia: "General Tanaka eulogizes his barber." The barber's father died at 0200 but the son still kept his fortnightly appointment with the general that morning. (He wasn't ready to join his father yet.)