tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50750062012-01-30T07:51:08.703+08:00sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comBlogger9701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-3656765607967320072011-12-30T00:23:00.003+08:002011-12-30T00:30:51.863+08:00

Its 12h24am. I feel a need to quickly jot down these thoughts. Some things must be recorded. Being far away makes it easy to forget why I went away in the first place. Tonight I took the remote from my mom's easy grip as she lay asleep on the couch. It is for her that I went away. It is for her that I must make sure I do the best I can to succeed, to make her proud, to be able care for her in her

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-76348615161369440342011-11-24T18:36:00.003+08:002011-11-24T18:45:08.886+08:00

I developed something which one might well call fear of writing. Wait. Let me google if there's a word for it...Ha. Graphophobia. How elegant-sounding.Let me be informal here. Let me just let the words flow out from my fingers. If I make grammatical mistakes, I apologise to my future self if I happen to read it some time in the future. I think it is a case of having too many other voices in my

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-77442512305036969522011-09-26T21:36:00.001+08:002011-09-26T21:36:27.274+08:00

So, you see.There are things that take timeTo simmer and boilThe adrenaline rushOf ripping the heart out has comeAnd goneAnd here it lays,Spoiled.Retrospect clarifies they sayThe view from afterwards is crystalWhat was it that happened?How was it?Who was I?It was, you know,A rending apartOf mine and yours.And here I mourn the bitsI'll never take back from you.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-76672172518410581612011-08-01T15:57:00.002+08:002011-08-01T15:57:38.520+08:00

I could see nothing but his perfectly shaped lips as they make motions to form words. By the light of the overbright table lamp we bought from Ikea, he looks up the ceiling as we talk, exhausted. Here we are again, struggling to piece us two together. I will remember him best as he sits dejected on the new couch, in my new apartment, in the new university accommodation. As he struggles to explain

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-65183270467820645342011-07-23T19:18:00.001+08:002011-07-23T19:18:26.252+08:00

Blogging from smartphones? Test.Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-43135624715315650912011-07-09T18:26:00.001+08:002011-07-09T18:26:53.672+08:00

Some things write better in verse If only because The economy of words And what little is written Somehow better express Concreteness Here, you see In the absences One can say What cannot be articulated. The disjointed staccato Of the keyboard's clicks Marries the scattered ego And dreams with it. In verse, the unconscious Weaves and ducks To avoid the mercilessness Of the worldly Here, you see

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-12397600499378356212011-07-02T21:46:00.000+08:002011-07-02T21:46:52.616+08:00

Some wounds never heal, the ones underneath our skin. They linger and fester years after they were first inflicted. Eight years ago this month my father died in a car accident. But really the idea of my father died years before that. I carry with me still the pain of his betrayal. I was nineteen. Today it manifests in ways I could never have imagined back then. They continue to haunt me, to dog

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-34942341751005516302011-06-28T19:11:00.003+08:002011-06-28T19:30:06.585+08:00

Been back on the red dot for almost a week now, and I have found it difficult to revert back to 'work' mode. I am house-sitting the Super's house and it is lovely to have all this space to myself - free to cook, roam, smoke and enjoy the quiet. As usual there is the never-ending construction work on campus, but tomorrow I shall try and see if I can work in the office. I can't wait for the

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-87790055792745624282011-06-10T21:46:00.000+08:002011-06-10T21:46:04.997+08:00

For the first time in a while, it is quiet in my head. For the first time in a while, I have the quiet to write. So here it is. In a few days I shall celebrate another birthday. Broke. As always. And a few days after that I fly off to the city that gave give birth to Critical Theory. Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday broke. It's been a year almost, since I landed my ass on this island. My

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-45801502370125153442011-05-14T22:19:00.000+08:002011-05-14T22:20:09.593+08:00

Little flecks of chocolate decorateBits and pieces melt on the tongueDry it is, the muffinAs dry as the tearing eyeWash it down with milk teaWarm liquid flows land heavyMixing muddy in the gut----Hello abandoned blog. It's good to see you again.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-78422854136979476792011-01-31T15:15:00.003+08:002011-01-31T15:16:09.302+08:00

This short interview of Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah clearly shows how important the internet has become in mobilising for political change. "What we need now is a transition government anyway, not one that is going to last forever. Whoever comes after that is going to rule in mortal fear of the people. They are going to remember these scenes forever. So I don't think anyone is worried

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-13328414453246721342011-01-16T15:00:00.000+08:002011-01-16T15:00:00.916+08:00

Always exciting to discover new music. If this sounds familiar, its because you heard it on the film 'The Fighter.' These guys are British!

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-41850467495861973442011-01-10T17:20:00.001+08:002011-01-10T17:31:24.658+08:00

Interesting take by A.M. Rizvi:Capitalism thrives on creating desires and multiplying them. Without the constant production and multiplication of new desires the capitalist system would dry up. It is important for the continuous production and reproduction of the system that each and every element of the system must keep ‘desiring’ more and more. The movements that turn into movements of

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-24644691665790938352011-01-02T14:19:00.001+08:002011-01-02T14:20:19.399+08:00

Randy David's column today is notable enough for a repost. A crucial point: Far from defending inherited values, Nietzsche saw in modernity the chance to formulate new ones. The release from the old, he said, must not mean that everything is now permissible. On the contrary, it means learning how to live a self-chosen but relentlessly disciplined life. This will not come naturally. One needs to

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-88301494444049476112010-12-20T19:42:00.000+08:002010-12-20T19:42:49.234+08:00

Singapore is hypermodernity in a few hundred square kilometres. Hyper-efficient, hyper-clean, hyper-sped. A friend said to wait ‘til I see what crawls underneath. I said I do not need to see to know. Money sloughs off every gleaming building, every zipping luxury vehicle, every tinker of laughter at the night spots. But the ostentatiousness is relatively restrained. It is matter-of-fact, tasteful

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-85838904048488255522010-12-16T12:33:00.000+08:002010-12-16T12:33:29.827+08:00

Stumbled on this essay. Some interesting propositions. An excerpt: Firstly, the problem with the diaspora as an imagined community is that, unlike the traditional nation-state, the diasporic population often fails to constitute a viable body politic; more than just difficulty in imagining itself as possessing real political power, the Filipino diaspora also has a historical susceptibility to

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-31234709860039700232010-12-08T12:23:00.000+08:002010-12-08T12:23:49.371+08:00

Power in the olden days was constituted by those who had the ability to muster means to make people comply to their wishes. The ability to hold life and death in one's hands, i.e. military might, was power. The acquisition of military power, in turn, meant being able to organise society in ways so as to extract economic surplus to fund war machines, which can then be deployed to engage in wars of

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-37763179878317353142010-11-29T19:44:00.000+08:002010-11-29T19:44:52.275+08:00

What it means, to nourish These long weeks, consuming words With so little time to truly reflect, Ingest, ingesting them I have Had little space to breathe And think and write Down to my very toes My shriveled-up soul calls Come home, come rest here Stand at the very edge again, At the very edge To see beyond, to see behind To see light, light those fires Again, kindle mine Truth to tell,

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-56942371005448685652010-11-22T14:54:00.000+08:002010-11-22T14:54:03.291+08:00

Human Rights Watch recently published a report on the Ampatuan Massacre last year: This 96-page report charts the Ampatuans’ rise to power, including their use of violence to expand their control and eliminate threats to the family’s rule. It is based on more than 80 interviews, including with people having insider knowledge of the Ampatuan family security structure, victims of abuses and their

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-52926156479657057252010-10-27T14:27:00.002+08:002010-10-27T14:27:50.032+08:00

Pretty detailed for Juana Change vids. Cool cameos. :-)

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-90192775377156692732010-10-26T13:28:00.001+08:002010-10-26T13:55:00.298+08:00

A glaring omission on my part, I cannot believe I have only just read Joel Migdal. Written twenty-two years ago, this sounds so achingly familiar. On weak state leadership: Their basic weakness in the face of continued fragmentation of social control has led them to a political style and policies – the politics of survival – that have prevented the state from enhancing its capabilities by not

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-45085111404789259102010-10-25T22:49:00.000+08:002010-10-25T22:49:29.481+08:00

Here I thought I was going to start this leg in my life's journey by immediately beginning to write a seminal piece, an innovative, brilliant contribution to humankind's collection of knowledge. Was I dead wrong. Here I am finding myself reviewing everything I have come to know in over a decade of scholarship. And then I find I have to recalibrate and reorient myself. Where to position my guns?

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-75879104577051159332010-10-19T20:30:00.000+08:002010-10-19T20:30:07.104+08:00

We are, by nature, prisoners of our bodies and its position in space and time. A change of location affords a different perspective about one's object of inquiry. From my current perch, my mind's eye contemplates our nation as a stranger might a foreign land. Having been removed from its urgency, its demands, its paranoia, I see her as she sits, hands placed demurely on her knee, naked. As I

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-52017169711124777022010-10-01T00:41:00.000+08:002010-10-01T00:41:17.090+08:00

Lifted from Mahar Abrera Mangahas' Facebook Note, this is an excellent defense of Carlos Celdran: Other than the UAAP Final (a game I actually watched and enjoyed, temporarily overcoming my aversion to anything athletic), a few other significant happenings have occurred in the past few hours. First is President Aquino actually sticking up for the government and willing to face excommunication

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-87159816257759476272010-09-30T13:35:00.000+08:002010-09-30T13:35:59.077+08:00

From Lieba Faier's "On being oyomesan: Filipina migrants and their Japanese families in Central Kiso", a grounded insight: For most of the women I met, being oyomesan meant managing two sets of domestic obligations - to both their natal and their affinal households. These women often spoke to me about the toll taken on them by these dual pressures of home...While the difficulties these women

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-36136248496164298402010-08-30T20:17:00.000+08:002010-08-30T20:17:35.365+08:00

It is week four of the semester and I feel tired already. Why does it feel as though I've been here much longer than a month? A change in location perhaps, but essentially doing the same thing ... only the efforts are more serious and hopefully rigorous, and the terrain politically diverse. Politicking, politicking in academia can be such a bitter exercise. The American is bearing the brunt of it

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-10227898263704589562010-08-12T17:04:00.001+08:002010-08-12T17:04:47.738+08:00

Contrary to some people who insist that the Philippines is exceptional in all things despicable or idiotic, Singapore, like Australia, seems obsessed with being "world class." It seems its people know they have already achieved a level of development and excellence compared to its neighbors and contemporaries, but this doesn't mean it isn't aiming higher. In a class last night, this was made

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-74299345151717239482010-08-12T16:42:00.000+08:002010-08-12T16:42:00.762+08:00

Some people can be quite paranoid about the issue of land reform or anything to do with land. You bring it up and people immediately accuse you of being on a particular end of the spectrum. Land is really quite a legitimate policy issue for many countries, not to mention one that has land laws dating back to Spanish times. Well, nobody will accuse Winnie Monsod of being a leftist. Here she

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-59550960035622293782010-08-02T08:54:00.002+08:002010-08-02T08:54:58.746+08:00

How refreshing, a State of the Nation Address (SONA) that isn't self-congratulatory. I suppose this can be expected, given that this is President Noynoy Aquino's first. He doesn’t have a laundry list of accomplishments to trumpet. Instead he has a laundry list of things the previous administration did wrong. It is always good to juxtapose his administration from the last one. That is a gift that

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-51970894422649713982010-08-01T11:36:00.000+08:002010-08-01T11:36:48.202+08:00

Mid-morning was bright and shiny. My Philippine budget airline delivered me to the Singaporean budget terminal along with dozens of other souls who braved the 6h25 flight. At immigration bodies queued up to be inspected and deemed fit to enter Singapore’s sovereign space. Two pairs of women were singled out from the line and called to report to a room for questioning. I felt humiliated on their

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-88848691623614275602010-07-18T20:10:00.002+08:002010-07-18T20:10:54.669+08:00

Eight days. Leaving in eight days. I haven't packed. I haven't been obsessing about travel details. I remember what it was like before I left for Oz over three years ago - excited, nervous, ecstatic. Now I feel strangely calm. Like my trip isn't going to take me to live in another country for the next four years. But Singapore is close, so maybe my subconscious figured it would be like a trip to

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-65753388760382896702010-07-18T19:27:00.000+08:002010-07-18T19:27:14.140+08:00

In August last year the Magna Carta of Women finally came out of the legislative wringer and was signed into law. Many feminists were ecstatic, despite a close call just as the bill had been consolidated at the bicameral level. Literally a call from a man of cloth had delayed the bill’s transmission from the House to the office of the President. But no matter, the temporary delay was a mere

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-20886219384071678222010-07-16T11:36:00.001+08:002010-07-16T11:40:47.367+08:00

I didn't bother to read the plot, I just knew it was Chris Nolan and that it was some type of sci-fi flick. From the moment I discovered Memento, I was hooked. For the more Hollywood-friendly flicks he revived the Batman franchise. I've seen The Prestige thrice, and I don't rewatch films often. But this is the first film I've ever seen where half-way through I thought I needed to see it again.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-46372969514262657612010-07-14T18:26:00.000+08:002010-07-14T18:26:36.144+08:00

I should like to get a "copy" of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. Alas, the pirates of the internets have yet to make them available online.I will have to wait to get to a library :-) The blurb: It is well established that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Now a groundbreaking book, based on thirty

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-24481690543284557342010-07-14T13:00:00.002+08:002010-07-14T13:00:50.362+08:00

President Noynoy Aquino was notoriously vague on his stand on the Reproductive Health bill during the election campaign. On principle he was not against artificial family planning but did he or did he not support public funding on family planning commodities such as condoms and pills? Was he purposely being vague so as not to antagonize the church? Did he replace former Health Secretary Cabral,

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-69864782495290392812010-07-14T12:59:00.000+08:002010-07-14T12:59:19.114+08:00

In recent years global “land grabbing” has been fueled by food insecurity and a chance to cash in on biofuels demand. Arable land-scarce countries are looking at “outsourcing” their agricultural production to other nations. Some have responded to the demand for biofuels after the spike in petroleum oil prices in 2008. Apart from governments seeking to secure their population's food security,

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-31413945345160575552010-07-08T13:31:00.001+08:002010-07-08T13:42:49.749+08:00

“Filipinos suffer from a cancer, a cancer that starts here and that we take with us abroad, a cancer that needs to be cured even before you leave. Values, priorities, beliefs, attitudes: this is defective in the Pinoy.”- Instructor, Pre-departure Orientation Seminar, POEAQuote lifted from Robyn Magalit Rodriguez' Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World.This kind

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-65411716553724040012010-07-04T14:29:00.000+08:002010-07-04T14:29:32.780+08:00

In "Chastising Democracy: Does the 'Conservative Turn' among Filipino Catholic Bishops Mean a Retreat from (Democratic) Politics?" Prof. Raneses argues the Church, despite itself, may help deepen democracy in the Philippines. The liberal and leftist critiques of the church as an actor dismiss its role in pluralizing voices. The article also provides a review of literature on the Philippines and

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-916195266436243462010-07-01T08:50:00.000+08:002010-07-01T08:50:52.339+08:00

We’re inclined to believe the worst in our leaders. It is the automatic option. Faced with a choice between blind faith and skepticism, we are apostates. Is it borne of our revolutionary tradition, this distrust of authority? Or more a fruit of our useless labors throughout the years? How does one cope with perpetual disappointment? A refusal to believe in the possibility of anything. Read the

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-42140785304764910512010-06-30T19:47:00.000+08:002010-06-30T19:47:42.653+08:00

The vehicles with the privilege of using wang-wang: 1. uniformed police and military vehicles 2. Ambulance 3. Fire vehicles 4. Presidential car 5. Senate President's Car 6. Speaker of the House's Car Lourd de Veyra rocks :)

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-8497875276892792152010-06-29T09:56:00.001+08:002010-06-29T10:15:05.480+08:00

If the writing is exceptional it shakes one's complacence, not make one roll one's eyes. It makes one want to act, not vomit. Reading should make one think and reflect. Like this 20 year-old Roselle. On the EDSA Revolution she writes:Perhaps the error was in reinstating into power the very same bloc that dominated the pre-authoritarian clientilist State. Perhaps the blunder was in the return to

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-83780018091521490982010-06-27T14:45:00.000+08:002010-06-27T14:45:32.247+08:00

“Intellectual alienation is a creation of middle-class society. What I call middle-class society is any society that becomes rigidified in predetermined forms, forbidding all evolution, all gains, all progress, all discovery.” – Frantz Fanon Is it not possible to celebrate the self without false aggrandizement? To celebrate the self without auto-castigation for perceived overreach or

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-86896777118242515332010-06-27T09:34:00.000+08:002010-06-27T09:34:08.272+08:00

The book by Dr. Raquel A.G. Reyes Love, Passion and Patriotism: Sexuality and the Philippine Porpaganda MOvement 1882-1892 was featured on the Sunday Inquirer magazine today. It is locally available at the Ateneo University Press. It looks mighty interesting. The blurb: Love, Passion and Patriotism is an intimate account of the lives and experiences of a renowned group of young Filipino patriots

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-72198363913049001352010-06-26T21:34:00.001+08:002010-06-26T21:37:49.938+08:00

Since our "culture" seems to be under the microscope, here is a list of old blogposts that tackle culture. I think they are critical minus the hate.What Damaged Culture?:The point here is, cultures evolve and whether the evolution is judged "good" or "bad" is subjective. A culture is a way of life. And if our culture today means under-the-table deals, graft and corruption, crab mentality, then

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-9880044968065772322010-06-25T17:01:00.001+08:002010-06-26T08:20:42.197+08:00

David Harvey suggests global capitalism's long-term survival is premised on a mathematical impossibility. He presents a truly radical idea - the world should aim for zero growth and distribution of wealth. He distinguishes growth from development. "Development is about investing in people's creative capacities and powers. You don't need growth to do that. So you can have zero growth and at

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-90640998806093320922010-06-25T15:42:00.000+08:002010-06-25T15:42:43.861+08:00

A new typology in an era of transnationalized "flexible" labor is emerging in literatures as varied as sociology, anthropology, economics, international studies and political science. Scholars have called it the "labor-exporting state." Robyn Magalit Rodriguez calls it the "labor brokerage state." In Migrants for Export she writes: "Labor brokerage is a neoliberal strategy that is comprised of

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-52977306728622385532010-06-23T23:37:00.000+08:002010-06-23T23:37:48.553+08:00

My rejoinder was too philosophical and the kids seemed to have missed the point. So, here is a less abstract reply to a young disciple of Manong Benigs. “Arnel Pineda, Charice Pempengco, and boxing champion Manny Pacquaio, these are the few world-renowned Filipinos who have instigated a sense of so-called “Pinoy Pride” among the attention-seeking Filipinos who, after realizing within themselves

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-31258215579532465112010-06-23T13:59:00.001+08:002010-06-23T14:00:37.747+08:00

I got my period when I was 11 years old. Among my four friends, I was the late bloomer. The prettiest in our group, AA, got hers when she was 9. AB and LG got theirs when they were 10. CE got hers a few months before me. I remember the day quite vividly, mostly because of what my paternal grandmother made me do. She said to soak my blood-stained underwear in warm water and to wash my face

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-21761995151296041612010-06-23T11:10:00.000+08:002010-06-23T11:10:17.736+08:00

Well, the Great Moled One signed EO 885 before the end of her term. Better late than never. eo885

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-52065415376360833062010-06-22T11:59:00.000+08:002010-06-22T11:59:31.564+08:00

In sterile, technical language, what the finance bureaucrats are reporting this month basically means love trumps global financial crises. “Notwithstanding concerns over sovereign-debt problems in some European countries, remittances from overseas Filipinos continued to show strength amid the gradual recovery of the global economy,” says the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. From

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-55019697107555487712010-06-22T11:57:00.000+08:002010-06-22T11:57:28.462+08:00

China is now the world's largest producer of electronic products. In its industrial zones, all along the coastline, reside high-tech factories which supply the world’s largest multinationals. American-owned Hewlett-Packard and Dell, Taiwanese-owned Acer and Chinese-owned Lenovo all make up nearly half of the global PC market. From mobile phones, motherboards, computer chips and optical mice,

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-46742843328463511182010-06-18T19:07:00.000+08:002010-06-18T19:07:10.195+08:00

Like many Filipinos, I don't really follow the sport. But in solidarity with peoples of the Earth, I'll do the next best thing - look for World Cup hotties. Ugh. What a chore. Here they are in no particular order..... Argentina's Mario Bolatti So many good-looking Argentines. His eyes match the color of their flag! New Zealand's Winston Reid Without a doubt the most good-looking Kiwi I

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-74444017085550176972010-06-13T14:43:00.000+08:002010-06-13T14:43:41.313+08:00

I completely understand why our new president, Noynoy Aquino, is hesitant to live in Malacañang. After nearly a decade of having been inhabited by its current occupant, it now comes equipped with its own version of reality. It is a kind of “virtual” reality, an alternate universe separate from that which unfolds outside its walls. In this parallel universe, all data, all information, can be

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-74767730879452135502010-06-11T16:59:00.001+08:002010-06-11T16:59:02.531+08:00

Israel and Palestine have been at an impasse for over half a century, their hot and cold wars a rich source of human misery. As the oil flows all around these two nations, so too, it seems, does the blood. All too easily the conflict might be misconstrued to be rooted in religion, as often protagonists invoke the name of the Almighty in all its permutations. In the name of Allah, in the name of

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-60908738437114844902010-06-08T13:24:00.000+08:002010-06-08T13:24:13.597+08:00

In an age of unprecedented cross-border exchange of goods, capital, people and ideas, North Korea is something of an anachronism. Where Cuba at least welcomes clandestine tourists from all over, Kim Jong Il’s little kingdom remains tightly sealed from the outside world. Here is a living, breathing relic of the Cold War era, widely regarded as a loose cannon this side of the Pacific. It is led by

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-29533177705990654932010-06-08T13:21:00.000+08:002010-06-08T13:21:05.861+08:00

For four Congresses, the Catholic hierarchy has been successful in putting pressure on the legislature not to pass the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. An effective tactic employed is the threat of the “Catholic Vote.” Through the pulpit, the clergy would wield its influence on the faithful, enjoining them to shun electoral candidates who strayed from the path of the straight and narrow. Read the

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-34920432741748807132010-06-04T22:03:00.000+08:002010-06-04T22:03:29.562+08:00

As dancers glide from stage left to right, their feet took tiny steps as they crossed CP Garcia. His skin of dark hue set off her fair. Locked in a lovers' embrace, his right hand was sunk deep in her shoulder-length hair. Her head turned upwards, eyes fixed at some point in the early evening sky. I slowed the car, uncomprehending. I had come from Chinese class, full of sheer joy in learning. I

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-67095387918440264472010-06-04T11:44:00.000+08:002010-06-04T11:44:34.874+08:00

Recently I went to a conference and met an awe-inspiring Thai pharmacologist, Dr. Krisana Kraisintu. For the last eight years she has been helping peoples all over Africa to produce and distribute essential medicines that would combat Malaria and HIV/AIDS. Without a doubt, of all regions of the world, Africa is devastated the most by HIV/AIDS. There are over twenty million people now living with

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-20741940672443801942010-06-03T13:07:00.000+08:002010-06-03T13:07:09.466+08:00

For over a decade, Dora the Explorer has been regaling children in the United States and elsewhere with her tales of fun and adventure. A creation of Nickelodeon, the Spanish-speaking cartoon character now finds herself in the middle of the immigration debate. Last week, various American media outlets picked up this composite picture of Dora’s mug shot as an “illegal immigrant.” Read the rest

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-1066393730898394142010-06-02T12:59:00.000+08:002010-06-02T12:59:07.721+08:00

The Black Keys have a new album out entitled "Brothers." I.Am.Ecstatic. They don't make the blues as good as this anymore. And these boys make 'em just like how I prefer my ice cream - dirty. Yum.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-4202776011179959622010-05-31T16:41:00.000+08:002010-05-31T16:41:19.620+08:00

Tyranny may change in form, adapting to the milieu in which it must be deployed and exercised, but it never changes in principle. In the olden days, a naked display of power – an army of mercenaries or soldiers – is enough to subdue an uncooperative populace. The tyrant commands through the monopoly of instruments that physically coerce - instruments of hurt, instruments of pain. The constant

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-49684463705408606762010-05-30T13:45:00.002+08:002010-05-30T13:49:30.422+08:00

Last Friday I met a couple of Japanese filmmakers at a conference. They were here only for the weekeend. Questions. They asked if the food we were having for lunch was 'Filipino.' I said no. Green salad, some bit of chicken with mushrooms and lapu-lapu lathered in cream. No, I said. Not Filipino.Where does one go to eat authentic Filipino food? I struggled to think of good restaurants. There was

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-17550676047131365972010-05-29T22:25:00.000+08:002010-05-29T22:25:40.492+08:00

A Film By: Magee Clegg 'Filipino Rice Policy' is an eye-opening short documentary that explores the world of politics surrounding Agriculture in the Philippines. Myths, corruption, and the lack of understanding have allowed the Philippine Department of Agriculture to guide Filipinos towards a facade of food security. Former Secretaries of Agriculture Carlos Dominguez, Senen Bacani, and Roberto

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-67296650541143983852010-05-26T12:27:00.001+08:002010-05-31T16:49:04.370+08:00

I am a new contributor to the Philippine Online Chronicles and Blogwatch. You may read my maiden article "Dear Noynoy" here.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-79328890386819783142010-05-02T17:25:00.000+08:002010-05-02T17:25:18.383+08:00

It seems, at times, we are caught in a time warp. Similar configurations from the past revisit time and again as though to punish those among us hard-pressed to learn the lesson. Some say we could be where we were in 1986 and that the magic of People Power will once again be put to test. It is the same power blocs jockeying for position playing by old rules in this tired old game. Are we truly

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-37434508919235731082010-05-01T12:46:00.001+08:002010-05-01T12:49:54.089+08:00

Now that foreign women are doing much of domestic work in countries all over the globe, perhaps the "domestic" will now cross into the realm of the public domain. The person cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry is, after all, no longer mommy, auntie or older sister. It is a Filipina, a Bangladeshi, an Indonesian, an African. And of course a foreign worker could not be bound by invisible ties

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-45242381846179560862010-04-28T15:23:00.001+08:002010-04-29T07:10:50.314+08:00

In this televised debate on the BBC, Stephen Fry probably best captures how I feel about the church. The kicker is this bit: "It’s the strange thing about this church, it is obsessed with sex, absolutely obsessed. Now, they will say we with our permissive society and our rude jokes, we are obsessed. No, we have a healthy attitude, we like it, it’s fun, it’s jolly, because it’s a primary

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-667173386875465772010-04-28T13:58:00.001+08:002010-04-28T15:25:09.522+08:00

Currently enjoying Michael Sandel's lecture series on justice. How do we know - what is the right thing to do? This is the first hour-long lecture/discussion of a 12-part series. In this episode Sandel and students from Harvard university talk about pushing a fat man off a bridge to save lives and the merits of cannibalism. If only my Philo 1 prof were as engaging or interesting. Enjoy.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-36042549219274730602010-04-27T13:47:00.000+08:002010-04-27T13:47:26.299+08:00

Every once in a while, our version of reality blurs and we get a glimpse of what its like in the 'real' world. J of thenutbox recounts the nightmarish ordeal his mother went through, allegedly, at the hands of some police officers stationed in Talipapa, Novachiles, Quezon City. Last April 14, my mother went to visit a friend named Janet who lives in a slum area in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-45702771737992656942010-04-26T16:28:00.000+08:002010-04-26T16:28:37.072+08:00

In Jose Saramago's novel 'Seeing' an imaginary electorate in an imaginary country came out in full force to vote. But at the end of the tally, 83 percent of the ballots were blank. The remaining 17 percent were votes for the p.o.t.r (the party on the right), the p.o.t.l (the party on the left) and the p.o.t.m (the party in the middle). But what had happened to the majority of the votes? Were they

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-50713716773881372862010-04-14T14:38:00.000+08:002010-04-14T14:38:18.618+08:00

By god, I never thought of the Church this way. But this is so spot on. Thanks to Emily on FB for the link! The Catholic Church is an authoritarian institution, modelled on the political structures of the Roman Empire and medieval Europe. It is better at transmitting instructions downward than at facilitating accountability upward. It is monolithic. It claims the unique legitimacy of a line of

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-7743029045110383752010-04-13T07:12:00.000+08:002010-04-13T07:12:55.536+08:00

LOL.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-85445473740035926372010-04-06T15:58:00.000+08:002010-04-06T15:58:58.280+08:00

 If we have a failure of elections, I think Comelec is probably most deserving of a lynching. (Thanks to Blogwatch for the link) The money quote: ...the country will have an [automated election system] that has been stripped of processes and features designed to resist attacks by third parties, data manipulation, and fraud...CenPEG on Comelec Striptease April 5 2010

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-31106252264610812072010-04-06T11:55:00.000+08:002010-04-06T11:55:26.611+08:00

A new discovery, UP Prof. Bong Mendoza's blog. Don't be intimidated by the tone of the language (just keep plugging on), this is an excellent summary of what is wrong with the Philippines'... economic system: The failures of the Philippine state and politics are highlighted by the inability to sustain and realize a promising economic growth potential (as of the 1950s) when the country was

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-19139612009133042202010-04-06T09:04:00.000+08:002010-04-06T09:04:36.749+08:00

Dear All, If you have a few minutes to spare, you might consider being a participant in Grace Mirandilla's research on political blogging. For details, see below. Cheers! -------- A Call for Survey Respondents: Filipino Blogging and Political Participation Study Good day! Do you read political blogs*? Can you spare 10 mins. to answer a survey? Then, please read on. My name is Mary Grace P.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-89269969487006165512010-04-04T11:05:00.004+08:002010-04-04T12:34:04.043+08:00

Advertising has a single purpose - sell. Gizmos and gadgets, consumer goods and in these elections - political candidates. Here is Greg Macabenta's enlightening view on the way Manny Villar has handled his campaign:...At any rate, Villar apparently listened to his new creative brain trust and, together, they came up with some very impressive commercials, based on some very bold claims, expressed

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-59431834980831416772010-04-04T09:48:00.000+08:002010-04-04T09:48:47.449+08:00

I have not seen my father in seven years. And yet I remember every feature, every crease on his face, every mole. I remember the timbre of his voice, slightly nasal, not unlike mine. This quiet week, my unconscious unearthed snippets of memories. A Sunday morning when I was very small, looking up at spiders on the wall. His fingers as they caressed piano keys and sang with me Beatles. My

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-13844741075260619722010-04-02T22:59:00.000+08:002010-04-02T22:59:38.269+08:00

Here is a rather interesting article on the Swede giant IKEA battling with the hairy monster of corruption in Russia. I thought this part rings especially true: Corruption is irrational: its very existence is fatal for a state. This makes it an ideal accompaniment to the realm of the absurd, its operating system. You don't have to understand how it works, but it is has a very convenient function

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-39770763859533889142010-04-02T09:24:00.000+08:002010-04-02T09:24:56.861+08:00

It doesn't guarantee protection from STDs....but no chance of conception here. Thanks to Eloisa for plurking the image! LOL.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-75739481131680914792010-03-31T17:55:00.001+08:002010-04-02T09:27:11.230+08:00

The latest guest on Philosophy Bites is American moral philosopher Susan Neiman. In this short podcast she discusses morality in the 21st century. Neiman suggests that fundamentalism may well be a reaction to this period's unbridled consumerism, that in effect those yearning for a return to the fundamentals reject that the end-all and be-all of life is to amass as many consumer goods as

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-83840705542019483412010-03-24T18:21:00.006+08:002010-04-02T09:28:32.041+08:00

There are two ways of looking at a country’s legal system. One is that it embodies a set of rules that regulate actions of those bound by the law – legal personalities who inhabit the country in question. It is ‘unlawful’ or ‘illegal’ to steal from your neighbor. The capacity to say that it is wrong to commit such an act shapes the behavior of those who commit themselves, as citizens, to the

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-13378260081693927102010-03-17T17:26:00.001+08:002010-03-17T17:26:45.894+08:00

Bishops in our Bedroom: Roman Catholic Church and the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-76417037597297024372010-03-03T22:38:00.004+08:002010-03-03T22:58:42.500+08:00

This is one of the books I'm reading at the moment. Unlike most biographies, Jorge Catañeda's Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara is an engaging account of a near-mythical figure in revolutionary times.Che clearly wishes to help others (usually patients) and concurrently sketches a broader vision of 'the order of things.' He is appalled by the poverty and desperation stemming from

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-18789897107805371822010-03-03T20:43:00.004+08:002010-03-03T20:58:28.560+08:00

"To remain rooted in 15th century practices when we are dealing with the wonders of the 21st century gives God a bad name and suggests He can’t adapt to the power and wonders of the intellect He granted man." - Joe America, regular FV commenter.CBCP legal counsel Atty. Jo Imbong goes head to head with Sec. Cabral.Then Ricky Carandang asks Atty. Imbong, clearly there is a problem with the spread

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-68418215406721120212010-03-01T14:47:00.008+08:002010-04-02T09:30:41.615+08:00

Horror of horrors, Manny Villar seems to have taken possession of my body. He haunts me everywhere I go and whatever I do. Since I no longer watch television nor listen to the radio, he stalks me on Youtube and Facebook. On the same day I saw a caravan of Villar's supporters handing out flyers in the UP Diliman campus, a friend texted he heard the Villar ad on the MRT. Manny is anywhere and

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-8097890952720959252010-02-24T20:58:00.006+08:002010-04-02T09:31:21.533+08:00

A monopoly on history is a monopoly of power. A monopoly of telling the narrative can only match the writer's ideological standpoint. What really happened in EDSA? Who were the protagonists? The bad guys? Those who chose to sit on the sidelines? What was the context in which the event happened? Was it planned or spontaneous? What were the events that led to it? If remembering is a way to

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-62416660478942863432010-02-17T19:35:00.001+08:002010-02-18T13:30:21.558+08:00

The conventional wisdom goes, going through hardship makes us good people. Philosopher Julian Baggini doesn't seem to think so. So how did this nugget of wisdom become conventional? Baggini has a proposition:Why then do so many persist with the idea that suffering is good for us? The religious need to, of course. If suffering is not, on balance, a good thing, then there can be no benevolent

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-79292915378108764442010-02-12T13:39:00.006+08:002010-02-12T14:19:08.371+08:00

(Spoiler free!!!)"You do not question what you believe. You cannot. I must."One pithy line neatly illustrates the tensions in Alejandro Amenabar's latest - Agora. The "robe and sandal" epic portrays the ancient city of Alexandria in the twilight years of the Roman empire. The fraying political hold of the Romans leave a vacuum for religious factions to take over. Christians, Jews and Pagans all

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-43891911147938434752010-02-11T18:39:00.004+08:002010-02-11T18:57:49.255+08:00

I have absolutely zero qualms endorsing Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel for Senator. I know her to be an uber hard-working member of Congress. She seems to be in so many places all at once, working on policy issues of import to the Filipino people. Too, it doesn't hurt that she's really easy on the eyes. She's even better looking in person believe you me. Hehehe.Here is "GMA" stating her reasons

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-31147037637089091072010-02-08T14:50:00.012+08:002010-04-02T09:31:59.745+08:00

Sen. Noynoy Aquino was twenty minutes late. The Blogwatch livestream interview had been scheduled at 6:00pm last Saturday and there were around 20 bloggers in attendance. I arrived a little after 5 o'clock at the designated venue, earlier if the traffic lights nearby had been working properly. This is democracy in action. Traffic flows bitch on all of us in equal measure. He didn't come with

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-61477944317691110932010-02-06T13:45:00.004+08:002010-04-02T09:33:06.694+08:00

Public finance is probably not such a hot topic for opinion-makers and news writers. We do not often hear about the state of the country's national purse - what we make, what we save (if any), what we spend on, how much goes to what. Numbers probably seem a snooze compared to the political scandal of the moment. But think about it - public finance deals with the most intimate aspect of our

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-24330929044974838912010-02-05T15:39:00.000+08:002010-02-05T15:41:08.910+08:00

To deny the body its due is to deny an essential aspect of the human condition. While we are beings of reason and of will, these are tempered by the materiality of hunger and pain. Who we are and what we believe are products of the conditions in which we live. Our values – the things we value, are shaped by our material circumstances. To illustrate, a Canadian might not think twice about

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-75635665427861429822010-02-02T12:46:00.002+08:002010-02-02T12:51:15.610+08:00

Here is a brief explanation of what the C5 extension brouhaha is all about.This page requires a higher version browserFor the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TVWinnie Monsod explains:"On the basis of the map, it is clear... there are two alignments - MCTEP and the C5 extension project. It is also clear that one of them was unnecessary. Why? It has to be the burnt orange

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-27547364060695635842010-02-01T17:41:00.000+08:002010-02-02T07:46:46.772+08:00

This house. It used to fill with noise. Now it is mostly quiet. Human denizens have been replaced with mewing, barking creatures. This house of my youth, my childhood. Ghostly quiet, a mute witness to nigh three decades of history. Underneath the gray of neglect, I see the white walls. They used to echo laughter, idle talk, forceful anger. I care not to have repairs made. The peeling paint,

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-68950960717661517282010-01-28T12:19:00.002+08:002010-01-28T12:27:42.943+08:00

Yesterday I had the occasion of attending the talk “How Much Reforms are there in the 2010 Campaigns?” organized by the Ateneo School of Government. Discussants present were Joel Rocamora of the Institute of Popular Democracy and Ramon Casiple of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. Allow me to echo the gist of the discussion.Is Noynoy the Reform Candidate?Rocamora was clearly

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-13505935702584466932010-01-28T11:22:00.002+08:002010-01-28T12:03:10.294+08:00

February 1 to 5, 2010. 8am - 6pm, Malcolm Hall, UP DilimanDAY 1 - February 1, 2010, Monday8:30 AM Start of Registration Proper9:30 AM Opening Ceremonies9:30 – 9:45 AM Opening Remarks by Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen9:45 – 10:00 AM Message from UP President Emerlinda R. Roman10:00- 10:45 AM “What Truly Matters to Filipinos?” by Prof. Randolf S. David10:45 – 12:00 AM Open Forum12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-83503966463132891232010-01-24T14:33:00.004+08:002010-01-24T14:47:51.639+08:00

Still the greatest influence in the critical perspectives of my field, Prof. Duncan Foley reminds me why I found Marx fascinating.Is Marxism Relevant Today? from Committee on Global Thought on Vimeo.(Around 20:00)"The other thing that I'd like to say about Marx, at least from my own reading...is that he problematizes reality in the following sense. We have an awful tendency to sort of putter

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-71970623412697303942010-01-23T12:30:00.002+08:002010-01-23T12:32:56.485+08:00

This clip, from the German film "The Downfall" is probably the most parodied clip on Youtube. See Hitler react to the news of the RH bill not making it in Congress.

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-11892347889646559242010-01-21T20:17:00.006+08:002010-01-22T11:22:51.592+08:00

In today’s address to the Makati Business Club, presidential hopeful Noynoy Aquino unveils his “economic vision and platform.” Let me unpack some of his key points.First and Foremost, Democratic PrinciplesAquino underlines the importance of the sanctity of the ballot in order to gain a true mandate from the people. He also makes a direct relationship between mandate and accountability."We must

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075006.post-43570124892889748612010-01-18T16:20:00.000+08:002010-01-18T16:21:24.109+08:00

I suspect the Noynoy campaign is frittering away its massive lead by failing to deliver messages that will convince the faithful to hold on and convince the not yet converted to switch over. The natural constituency of Noynoy are the above thirtysomethings who have still have residual feelings for the country’s democratization process helmed by Ninoy and Cory. The younger voters will have no

sparkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176802456964956777noreply@blogger.com