The post-Christmas buzz, such as it is, is being generated by a Guardian report on UK aid being spent on bridges to nowhere. No wonder Senators say Arroyo’s woes far from over.
Pundtiry: Connie Veneracion on breeding dependence.
Lingering Holiday tidbits:
The perils of punditry: Tostito chip resembles gerrymandered legislative district.
Walkway monitor gets infected with a virus.
Stepping on Poop’s Christmas loot (complete with naught pictures!)
Technobiography gives names to his gadgets.
People really judge books by their covers.
Andrew Sullivan on ghostwriters and ghostwriting. In a sort-of-related note, Wretchard on paid punditry. And an important essay (Poynter online says) on how online journalism should go multimedia (in a world of universal big bandwidth, perhaps).
Shrinking news rooms make it harder for mid-level companies to get publicity; one solution? Blogs!
Snap! Crackle! Pop! Rice is cookin’.
In Indonesia, Muslims guard Christian churches.
36 is my lucky number. Villageidiotsavant has interesting tidbits on the number.
Microsoft kills Explorer for Macintosh.
Walkway monitor gets infected with a virus.
Man Blog puts the “ass” back in “class”.
Where did Korina’s earring go?
Wanted: new aphorisms. Examples include blogger Megan McArdle, with “Jane’s Law: The devotees of the party in power are smug and arrogant. The devotees of the party out of power are insane.” Writer Mark Steyn: “Multiculturalism is a kind of societal Stockholm Syndrome.” David Frum: “There is nothing quite so powerful as an idea whose time has passed.” Bo Peabody: “The vast majority of the press is not concerned in covering what is actually happening. They are interested in covering what they think people want to think is actually happening.”
Tell the Red Pope in Utrecht it ain’t so: Simonworld and Asiapundit slam Mao Zedong; Miami Herald says he’s fading away. The Tsunami anniversary, December 26, is Mao’s birth anniversary -and surely, no coincidence- the birthday of the Communist Party of the Philippines (the party which dare not call its members what they are). Among Mao’s glorious legacies: Red Guards denouncing Einstein’s Theory of Relativity as “bourgeois nonsense.”
I made it to the Pajamas Christmas roundup!
Bloggolicious: Yuga contemplates non-cheesy blog awards.
Warm Bodies goes to the movies (literary bloggers, nota bene!)
What habits are Hong Kong kids picking up from their Filipina nannies?
And courtesy of Nathan Lane, Brokeback Mountain, the musical!
Technorati Tags: Blogging, journalism, media, Philippines
I also saw that nasty message box on the walkway, where I pass by going to/from the office. Since my day job also involves computers, it really made my day 😉
haha! i’m a mac user so that made my day, too (reading about it).
DZRH once interviewed my dad about a dpwh overpricing something(maybe related to the article bout bridge to nowhere….
I googled it please refer below
…………………………………………………
Dalawampu’t apat na proyekto pa ng dep’t of public works & highways ang natuklasang “overprice.”
Bukod sa 200-milyong pisong halaga ng overpricing road project sa catanduanes, nadiskubre rin ng pma class ’59 ang iba pang kuwestiyonableng proyekto ng dpwh.
Sa panayam ng dzrh, sinabi ni ret. Commodore plaridel garcia na aabot sa anim na bilyong piso ang kabuuang halaga ng 25 overpriced project ng dpwh.
Tinukoy ni garcia na lumagpas ng 27 porsyento ang mga pinasok na kontrata ng dpwh para sa mga paggawaing bayan kumpara sa 19 bilyung pisong pondo na inilaan ng gobyerno para sa naturang mga proyekto.
Nagharap na kahapon ng petisyon ang pma class ’59 sa korte suprema na ipatigil ang konstruksyon ng maanomalyang road project sa catanduanes.
MLQ3:
The language Mabini uses of Rizal is apparently partly taken from language used of Christ. It is especially clear when Mabini calls Rizal’s sacrifice conscious and voluntary and when he calls for the imitation of his virtues. It appears that, early on, Rizal was regarded as some sort of Christ-like figure, even by those who could not be regarded as “rizalistas”. Interesting quote!
roel- yes, and mabini was way ahead of miguel de unamuno in pointing out the christ-like symbolism of rizal.
the Cultural Revolution – dismissed Einstein’s seminal Theory of Relativity as “bourgeois nonsense”
…………………………………………..
Time to question the thought….
Does Einstein’s view on capitalism and totalitarianism
anyway relative(related) to the theory of relativity?
Shrinking news rooms make it harder for mid-level companies to get publicity; one solution? Blogs!
May I share an e-mail I have been saving………….
Hi Karl,
Many thanks for bringing to my attention the growing influence of the blogsphere. As I do not maintain my own blog, I am naturally not aware of the extent to which people now visit the blog sites of others. But you may be right — this is the democracy of the future.
Randy David
The guardian article concerns British funds going nowhere…
what about Filipino funds going nowhere….
Anyone aware of the so called “Marcelo Fund”
funds supposedly for building ships of our navy…
it was way back in 1985 I suppose
and it is connected to the number 8 case of the top 15 cases of the ombudsman as of May 2005…
I have personal reasons for being interested in the so called fund…..am requesting assistance to fellow bloggers of any info whatsoever
Karl, i think blogging is a great thing. maybe, it’s more of a marketplace of ideas & opinions.It sort of give the pulse of the people. In a way the reach of blogging is not that far reaching since not many have the luxury of a computer, at list for now. maybe, blogging can be a good instrument to develop organized thoughts & opinion that can be used in a larger form of democracy where there is a better representation of different sectors of society.
One must experience abject poverty in order for one to somehow understand what hope a luck or a small wish that came true brings to a person who’s choices in life is limited between a “dunghill” existence or death.
The people in destitute which numbers by the millions are, in most cases, not in their situation by choice. given the opportunity, these poor will refuse to be the object of other peoples generosity. TV networks or even some religious congregations will continue to exploit the poor peoples instinct for survival. People will continue to cling to anything their mind can grasp including the promise of salvation or heaven or luck in their effort to find a way out of the hell of dung that they are currently in.
Needless to say a governemnt who could not create opportunities for its people so that they may become self-sustaining for their own needs, and one who’s citizens remain squatters in their own nation, is a failure.
Hahaha, thanks for the link, Manolo! Never thought a lousy Korina entry from a, ehem, “fan”, would deserve a line in your blog 🙂
I’m still wondering whatever happened to that earring.
Happy holidays!
Thanks for the link as well MLQ. Now that we’ve put ass, i’m wondering where we can find the “Class”
Happy new year!
I’m a guilty book slut myself when it comes to judging books by their covers. Sad but true.
Happy New Year!
MLQ3: fencesitter, i think it’s unfair to blame poverty to any administration because what we have to day is a product of decades of mismanagment.
my next point is that i beleave the administration is doing something about solving the problem.I think they are trying to put in place policies that will solve the problem in the long term.
solving the problem is one thing.dealing w/ peoples attitudes is another matter.
we really must concentrate our efforts to solve poverty in our country & be strong to not to be distructed by petty matters,our penchant to politisize everything.
“Needless to say a governemnt who could not create opportunities for its people so that they may become self-sustaining for their own needs, and one who’s citizens remain squatters in their own nation, is a failure.”
I totally agree, although the conclusion to that is that government has been a failure for practically forever. Marcos, Cory Aquino, Ramos, Erap, GMA…their administrations all failed by that yardstick. That’s perhaps why there is a subconscious attempt to ignore government and politicians.
MLQ3:Carl, I think any admin. will never succed not until we as a nation put our act together.for any admin. to make it through it’s mandated time it takes so much effort to fend off so much compitition & the power stragle that goes on.
Personaly,politicains make life harder then it already is.maybe in a dictionary poltics has a noble meaning but in reality & pinoy style it is a obstacle for our development.
joey legarda,
when i say government,of course, i am not referring only to the present government. If you believe that the present administration is doing something towards alleviation of poverty, well that remains to be seen. I think i need to share this line with you- Chris Browne, the cartoonist of “Hagar the Horrible,” said, “Everybody has to believe in something  I believe I’ll have another drink.”
Should pass that article about bridges to nowhere to your favorite newspaper Inquirer na mukhang of late nagiging sobra na yata ang obsession sa exchange rate ginagawang headline ha ha.
Ms. Carmen Nakpil wrote:In our nations today, where are the specifications of equality, of commitment to the poor, scrupulous honesty and accounting, leadership by example, punishment for offenses?
fOR those who believe that this governement is working for the betterment of its citizens may reflect on the above challenge by Ms. Nakpil
fencesitter,i like that part of having another drink.
but personaly, i would rather beleave that something is being done rather then be completely negative.
Napkils words are impressive.
Goverment is made up of people who make up society & who make up a Nation,So it’s hard to point a finger w/o pointing to ones self.
joey- comment lang. i really appreciate your comments, the time you take to share your thoughts, and how you always clarify your side. it’s one reason i have this blog -so people can exchange ideas.
joey, before anything else – HAPPY NEW YEAR! Government is made up of people yes, THAT’S true. But in my simple understanding, there are two groups of people that make up a nation. One, the ruled or the governed OR the constituents which is most of us, and two the government who is given by the constituents (under democratic setting)the authority of managing and properly leading the country/nation.It is the job of any governemnt to lay down the specifics of management, of poverty eradication program, of setting the lead to clean leadership…
Keeping a positive attitude on the capability of the governemnt to deliver is not entirely wrong, but pointing or counting on the specifics so that we may be able to sustain that positive attitude is a real challenge.
Buon luogo piacevole senza qualsiasi cosa dispari, ben progettata!