THE LONG VIEW ‘Konfrontasi’ By Manuel L. Quezon III Inquirer Last updated 01:46am (Mla time) 10/05/2006 Published on Page A13 of the October 5, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer THAT was the term coined by Achmed Sukarno for Indonesia’s opposition to Malaysia in the late 1960s. In the West, this strategy is known [...]
Why not a Department of Disasters?In the punditocracy, I have to two columns today. My Arab News column for this week is Suffrage for Overseas Filipino Workers (see here for the survey on overseas Filipinos). My Inquirer column for today is Konfrontasi (see here for the Orwell chapter I quoted).John Mangun writes on corporate social responsibility -and billboards.Lurid IM’s put not only Tom Foley but his party, as Liz Sidoti puts forward, in hot water.
Newsbreak gives a brisk digest not only of the issues, but of reactions, including those of former Senate President Jovito Salonga and Gus Lagman (a co-member of the Black & White Movement, by way of full disclosure to readers).For those interested in reviewing the issue, Newsbreak links to its past articles:Also, see the Supreme Court’s decision in Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines vs. Comelec & Mega Pacific and the Ombudsman’s report.In an email, Leah Navarro reminded friends of the implications of the funds involved:As a couple of friends have asked – what can Php2.3B buy you? Here’s a little help – at least 20,000 two classroom schools (Fe Hidalgo would be DepEd Sec now), 800000 mobile phones (cheapest go for Php2500), over 200000 Gawad Kalinga Homes.In the punditocracy,In the blogosphere, Blurry Brain, one of the blogs I respect most, has had two extremely troubling entries: Trade and the elite and Back to work…. And the people in power are all essentially cut from the same clothe.The seductiveness of this kind of relativism born of resentment and despair improperly channeled, is, ironically enough, exactly the propaganda line of the administration married to that of the New Society and its ilk: they are all the same, so why respect the niceties of democracy?
Best Thai sign, courtesy of One Man in Bangkok who blogs, “I’m guessing that this word doesn’t have the same meaning in Bangkok as it does in the States.” Or in Manila.
Some, like 404 No Find recounted their electricity-less days; others posted photos (including some of the damage in the University of Santo Tomas campus); quite a few young bloggers asked for prayers for those affected by the storm…. Seeing all these made me very annoyed with other people in Manila who made it seem that what they experienced was the end of the world – because I had seen worse.A political hybrid individual is what Pajamas Media says of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (see the interview in video, podcast, and transcript form). William Bradlee writing for Politics Central, in a similar vein observes what he describes as the Autumn of the Partisans in California.Meanwhile Slate looks at Bob Woodward’s new and devastating look at the Bush Administration.
