Newsroom Barkada links to reports of how NGO’s are helping flood victims in Quezon and other provinces. The Holiday Season is always a good time to make a donation to the Philippine National Red Cross. The Manila Standard-Today triumphantly announces that Charter Change proposals done; and that JdV bid to end Garci probe draws support. The game plan’s clear.
Anyhow. The first time I met the late NVM Gonzalez -a more charming and gracious man would be hard to find- he was describing, over lunch, his first visit to Singapore. “They all know only one song,” he remarked. “It’s the Singaporean national anthem. Mind you, they all sing it very well, and at the drop of a hat.” He paused. “But you know, I much prefer our way, where we may not know any song particularly well, but each of us knows a different song…”
A recent Time Magazine profile and interview of Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew reminded me of what the old writer once said. The interview in particular, makes for fascinating reading, specially with regards to China and its transition to freer markets.
Can computer games help with real life? I wish I could still find an article from some years back, which said urban planners were using SimCity to help with simulations for future projects. At the time, I suggested the Metro Manila Development Authority should require its potential heads to first win at the game, before taking on an actual executive position. The review for a game, Victoria, makes me wonder: should managers of all kinds, and specifically, local and national government leaders, be urged to pass some sort of qualifying test by doing well in some sort of simulation?
Speaking of games, this article, which tackles the hollowness of victory in games like World of Warcraft, discusses whether the whole object of many online games isn’t outdated:
Which brings us to the fundamental shift occurring in MMOs right now. There are two ways to take the Lull out of MMOs. The first is through removing or minimizing the whole gameplay concept of “time invested = wealth and power.” The second is through player-made content.
The article points to other articles that have been focusing, recently, on the question of virtual property: what is it, and why are people willing to pay for it? How can you own virtual real estate and more puzzling still, make real-life money on it? It’s enough to drive our national democratic brethren nuts.
In the punditocracy, my column for today is Communications and parties.
An interesting editorial in the Business Mirror: delinking politics and economics. Another interesting editorial is the Inquirer’s dissection of recent survey results.
Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J. delves into the existence of the Judicial & Bar Council (I myself think that all the newfangled innovations in the present Constitution have caused more trouble than they’re worth).
Eggy Apostol writes of how the private sector can help with the collapsing quality of Philippine education.
Crossroads Arabia has a interesting interpretation of my most recent Arab News column.
In the blogosphere, Ricky Carandang delves into what, exactly, the media knows about last week’s bomblets.
Leon Kilat points to complaints of an emerging “imperial Cebu”. Mindanao alerts points to locusts becoming big business.
Economic cluster: Big Mango looks back at his 2005 forecasts and finds himself validated by events. Uniffors is expanding and going into other topics besides the foreign service; here’s an article on the WTO negotiations in Hong Kong. Go Figure explains why Free Trade isn’t what it’s cut out to be.
Philippine Commentary dissects the anti-wiretapping law.
My Liberal Times says in Germany, there are more bloggers than blog readers!
RG Cruz describes the daily grind of a TV journalist.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, law, media, Philippines
Tomorow I might be already in the work force so I will make most and choose a topic from above:
Private sector and education:
Congressmen are telling that it is about time to stop subsidizing education
UP where there are more rich than poor
PMA where there are more poor than rich
Two extremes where situations before are interchangeable
two examples that causes one to think…..
subsidies: BBC report BBC chides France and Germany for continuing to provide subsidies to farmers making their economy to stagnate…
why wont MR. Blair tell that to Senator Lugar and GWB
“should managers of all kinds, and specifically, local and national government leaders, be urged to pass some sort of qualifying test by doing well in some sort of simulation?”
They should play Sim City. 🙂
fleeb, that would make for an interesting requirement.
karl, good luck!
The LKY interview is a refreshingly good read for its rich nuggets of insight on a whole range of matters. Coming from the George Washington of Singapore, it’s always worthwhile to listen and reflect on the man’s wisdom. But when he attributes the chaos in the Philippines to our ‘marketplace of ideas’, it shows that even the wisest leaders have their blind spots.
He says “We believe in the marketplace of ideas. Let the ideas contend, and the best ideas the public will buy…[but]…That assumes a large well-educated group of
people as readers. Look at the marketplace of ideas in the Philippines, and see the chaos.”
Taking away the fact that our educated public today probably number more than his entire population will ever be, attributing chaos on the ‘marketplace of ideas’ is a
disjointedly amateur piece of analysis unless you count apathy, injustice, corruption, tax-evasion, coups and kidnapping as among the different ways by which we Filipinos express our ideas.
The fact that he considers the reelection of GWB as a positive example of a decision by an educated public speaks for itself.
Many many thanks MLQ3!!!!
Merry Christmas to you and my fellow company in MLQ3’s blog
I am just thinking positively that i will land the job…
This blog has been my 24 by 7 companion (archives included)
bravo, cjv!!!
Re: GWB
Just kidding in this one but come to think of it I may be right
It is said tht most mexicans(illegals) will ne deported back to Mexico so as to other illegal immigrants
Who will clean their apartments,tend thir garden,babysitt,walk their dog….Martha Stewart or those queer eyes for the straight guys
funny quote from GWB
Those who enter America illegally are violating the law!!!!
galit pa sya non… how repetitively redundant!!!
Thanks mlq3. On another matter regarding your reference to Go Figure’s post on free trade – the possible disadvantages he refers to is with regard to
bilateral or regional free trade under certain scenarios. These drawbacks do not apply to multilateral free trade agreements like the WTO.
Karl, it isn’t worth it.
They make the Mexicans go back, the next morning they would be back across the border again.
How true Tomoe 🙂
That was actually in CNN last night
Comedy Central
but Martha stewart and Queer eye are my thoughts
looks like having a job(crossing fingers) won’t stop me from visiting quezon.ph/blog
gotta go just borrowed PC w internet
karl, i really wish you get the job.working hard & achiving gives one a wider view of life.