At first, the hunters were reluctant in joining the feast after seeing the small white kernels.

1. One day while Juan was playing with his friends, he fell into a muddy place and bumped his face. When he stood up, he noticed a handful of mud sticking to the middle of his face....As time went by, Juan became more handsome than he was before on account of the piece of mud on his face. Soon his friends began to envy him, and they asked Juan about its cause. Juan's friends followed exactly what he had done. But alas, they were not able to have that piece of mud on their faces....Then something happened to Juan's nose. He was going on an errand for his mother one day when, along the way, he fell to the ground. The piece of mud on his face was thrown away! He tried all means to return the piece of mud on his face but to no avail.

2. A few weeks later Juan and his friends saw a boat anchoring near the shore not far from the village. At first they didn't mind what they saw, but when they heard that the sailors carried with them plenty of noses, Juan and his friends and everyone else rushed to the boat. Each one got a nose for himself or herself. People from the nearby villages also came and made a scramble for the noses that were being given free. But, as the story goes, because Filipinos were short and could not run fast, they were the last to get their share of the noses. Unfortunately, the left-over noses were the flat ones. And it was the flat noses which the Filipinos, including Juan and his friends, were able to get.

3. A long, long time ago rice was not known to our ancestors. They lived on fruits and vegetables which they gathered in the forest, and on birds and wild animals which they caught while hunting in the mountains. Tilling the soil was still unheard of. And poultry and hog raising was not yet practiced.

4. Despite the conditions under which they lived, our ancestors were proud, thankful, and happy just the same. They took pride in the things they had—their brown skin, the race to which they belonged, the customs and traditions which they practiced. They were thankful to Bathala, their god, for all the blessings He had given them. And they were happy in the simple and uncomplicated manner of living which they led.

5. One day a group of hunters went out to hunt deer. In their desire to have a good catch, they traveled far and wide until the reached the Cordillera mountains.

6. While resting in the shade of the tree, they saw, not far from where they were, a group of men and women whose features were quite different from those of ordinary mortals. The hunters mistook them for fairies who, it was said, lived in that part of the mountain. All at once the hunters stood up and gave the group due respect. The “bathalas” were glad at this gesture. In return, they invited the hunters to join them in their banquet.

7. At first, the hunters were reluctant in joining the feast after seeing the small white kernels. “We do not eat worms,” the chief hunter said. The “bathalas” smiled. “These white bead-shaped kernels are not worms,” replied one of the gods. “They are cooked rice. They came from a certain kind of plant which we ourselves grow. Come and feast with us. After we have eating, kill us if you find anything wrong from eating rice.”

8. At first, the hunters were reluctant in joining the feast after seeing the small white kernels. “We do not eat worms,” the chief hunter said. The “bathalas” smiled. “These white bead-shaped kernels are not worms,” replied one of the gods. “They are cooked rice. They came from a certain kind of plant which we ourselves grow. Come and feast with us. After we have eating, kill us if you find anything wrong from eating rice.”

9. The hunters thanked the gods once more. Then they left for their village. They followed the advice of the gods. They taught their own people how to till the soil and plant it to palay. They also taught their fellow villagers how to cook rice. Of course they introduced the eating of cooked rice to the people. After many years, the practice of eating rice and the art of planting rice became widespread. Many other barangays soon adopted the practice and art. Since then, rice has become a basic food of our people. And along with the tilling of the soil, our people have also learned to raise animals and to construct permanent dwelling places.

10. Merali, Zeeya. (2005). New Scientist Americans are pushy and the English are reserved, right? Wrong, says a new study, which reveals there is no truth in this sort of national stereotyping. An international group led by Antonio Terracciano and Robert McCrae at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) surveyed more than 40,000 adults from 49 cultures. Participants were questioned about how neurotic, extraverted, open, agreeable, and conscientious typical members of their own culture are. This data was then compared with participants' assessments of their own personalities and those of other specific people they had observed.

11. Merali, Zeeya. (2005). New Scientist The researchers found that there was no correlation between perceived cultural characteristics and the actual traits rated for real people. In contrast, previous studies that have shown that some gender stereotypes, such as the idea that women are warmer and men are more assertive, do reflect real trends. In many cases, cultures had overly harsh views of themselves. "The Swiss believe that they are closed-off to new experiences," says Antonio Terracciano. "But in fact they are the most open culture to new ideas in art and music."

12. Merali, Zeeya. (2005). New Scientist Brits rank themselves as introverted, while Argentineans proclaim to be uniformly disagreeable, neither of which is held up by the data. Czechs think they are antagonistic, but they actually score higher in modesty and altruism than other people. Richard Robins, a psychologist at the University of California at Davis, US, says that the study pulls the plug on claims that perceived differences in national character reflect genetic differences between ethnic groups. "Stereotypes about national character seem to be largely cultural constructions, transmitted through the media, education, history, hearsay, and jokes," he explains. Terracciano hopes that the results will make people address their own misconceptions. "People should trust less in their own beliefs about national character," he says. "These can be dangerous and the basis for discrimination."

13. The Danger of “Averages” The average yearly temperature of Oklahoma city is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But throughout the year, its temperature varies from -17 to 113. If the average math score of a American girl on a National Achievement test is 297/500 and a boy is 301/500, that really can’t tell us anything about individuals.

14. The Danger of “Averages” The average yearly temperature of Oklahoma city is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But throughout the year, its temperature varies from -17 to 113. If the average math score of a American girl on a National Achievement test is 297/500 and a boy is 301/500, that really can’t tell us anything about individuals.

15. Myths about Women & Math Myth: men are better at math than women. Possible reasons: • There is a “math hormone” that makes men better at math • Parents and teachers have lower expectations for girls in math and science

18. Why do these myths persist? It’s human nature to notice differences between gender/culture/race, rather than to notice the similarities. On the surface, myths seem to show the differences between cultures. But as Joseph Campbell pointed out, all cultures’ mythology is surprisingly similar.

19. Is it real or is it a stereotype? Stereotype if it sounds like: “He/She is X because he/she is Filipino/American/X”