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rePost::Charter Cities: Rules and Culture: Corruption in Hong Kong

Fighting corruption is not hopeless guys, although can’t see how we can implement something like this in the Philippines. I think we need something like No Term Limits for Ombudsman.  How does one find good people ? This is a recurring problem that I fear is really unsolvable, in the sense that we need to first foster a or encourage a culture of honesty and trust and the way I see it if people in government are corrupted in a way that may be called systematic, people from below, need to take honesty from the ground up. For now the top down corruption is winning but I am hopeful that eventually the bottom up idealist will eventually succeed!

The government’s initial attempt to fight corruption relied on a combination of an anti-corruption branch within the police force and a reduction in the prosecution’s burden of proof. For instance, the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (1971) made it an offense to be in control of property unexplained by past income. However, since the police themselves were corrupt, relying on the police to investigate corruption proved futile.
After initial failures, in 1974 the governor general moved anti-corruption responsibilities to a new elite ministry: the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The ministry was independent, directly responsible to the governor, well paid, and recruited from the civilian population. The public, confident in the new ministry’s independence, became much more cooperative in reporting instances of corruption.
via Charter Cities: Rules and Culture: Corruption in Hong Kong.

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rePost::Advice in Interesting Times

Nice commencement speech address by Jerry Yang the c0 founder of yahoo. Nice list, read the whole thing guys!

Point two: You get out of life what you put into it.
Success doesn’t come from a high IQ or innate talent. It takes a willingness to work hard. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he introduced the “10,000 hour rule,” which holds that it takes about 10,000 hours of hard work and practice — or ten years — to become a world-class expert in anything. The difference between a good violinist and a virtuoso comes down to ambition and having the discipline to put in the requisite time. As someone once said, in golf as in life, it is the follow through that makes the difference.
My mother taught me the rules of perseverance. While I’ve certainly faced challenges since founding Yahoo!, they were nothing compared to what my mother faced coming to the US as a single parent from Taiwan, with two young boys and a few suitcases. I was ten at the time, and the only English word I knew was the word “shoe.” It could have been very easy to feel discouraged. But I worked hard, studied hard, and played hard along the way. Yes, good timing and some luck played a role in my starting Yahoo!, but there is just no substitute for hard work and relentless preparation.
via Advice in Interesting Times.

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rePost::Epic: Kindle 2 Fails Man's Drop Test, Forces Amazon To Pay Him $400

This was inspiring, strangely…

Epic: Kindle 2 Fails Man’s Drop Test, Forces Amazon To Pay Him $400
By Ben Popken, 12:32 PM on Tue Oct 20 2009, 21,422 views
Paul bought a Kindle 2 from Amazon. He dropped it one day, and it sort of broke but not entirely, and Amazon wanted $200 to replace it. Instead, he got them to send him a $400 check, while still keeping the device. How?
via Epic: Kindle 2 Fails Man’s Drop Test, Forces Amazon To Pay Him $400.

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rePost::Fan wants life ban on Arboleda | ABS-CBN News Online Beta

LEt’s get this out of the way. What Arboleda did was inexcusable.
Heckling is really part of the game, in some ways its one of the top 5 reasons (this is a nice post idea) why I love watching games live. And based on experience some people lose all verbal decency during games. This has to stop. There should be limits and its refreshing to see that the PBA commissioner is finally going to create a framework to handle unacceptable behaviors on the players and the fans camp. I feel for Arboleda, what players experience oncourt is really a very harsh form of verbal abuse. This does not excuse his behavior but it really puts things in context. Arboleda is a passionate player, he is easy to cheer against because you see he really tries his best. His not playing for the year is really going to weaken an already weak BK team.

Agcaoili said his client is still in mental anguish and in shock as a result of Arboleda’s vicious attack.
“His parents, who are both in their senior years, had elevated blood pressure after seeing the incident. His wife, who is six months pregnant, shook violently after seeing the incident on television and on the internet and continues to have chills as a result,” Agcaoili said.
“His family is still in total shock and in complete fear and indignation over how a professional basketball player in the country’s premiere league can behave in a manner as Wynne Arboleda did,” Agcaoili added.
Arboleda, however, said he’s ready to face Katigbac in court.
The hard-nosed BK player said they will file counter-charge against Katigbac.
“I lost my source of livelihood because of him. I will not allow him to totally destroy me,” Arboleda told The STAR.
Arboleda said he was provoked in committing the act.
“He cursed me no end in front of my family,” said Arboleda, who was suspended for the rest of the season without pay.
Last season, Marlou Aquino, Danny Ildefonso and Marc Pingris were meted penalty as they also figured in a fight with fans. The three were restrained before getting to the fan.
“I’d like to look at the positive side out of this ugly incident. We’ll undertake program on responsible game watching. It’s about respecting each other and conducting ourselves in the highest integrity,” said Barrios.
“We’ll sit down with the Araneta Coliseum management to craft arrangements not only on security but protocol on fan behavior. Among the players, I doubt if someone else would do something like this with the severe penalty (imposed on Arboleda),” Barrios added.
via Fan wants life ban on Arboleda | ABS-CBN News Online Beta.

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rePost::Standard Insurance to repair 350 typhoon-damaged cars for free – Business – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News

Cool!

Standard Insurance to repair 350 typhoon-damaged cars for free
10/20/2009 | 09:34 PM
Standard Insurance Co. will repair 350 vehicles damaged by two typhoons for free even without an “act of God” coverage, its president said.
Under its plan, the company will tow customers’ damaged vehicles to its accredited repair shops and seek estimates so that the cars can be repaired wholesale.
via Standard Insurance to repair 350 typhoon-damaged cars for free – Business – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News.

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Listening To:: Alone Again (Naturally)

I hear this song alot from marc and tunyuh. They say it’s the saddest song they know. Damn this song is harsh!
video in youtube here

Alone Again, Naturally Lyrics
by Gilbert O’Sullivan
In a little while from now
If I’m not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it’s like when you’re shattered
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Where people saying: “My God, that’s tough
She’s stood him up”
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home
As I did on my own
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to well wouldn’t do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much, as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about God and His mercy
Or if He really does exist
Why did He desert me in my hour of need
I truly am indeed Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that there are more hearts
broken in the world that can’t be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?
Alone again, naturally
Now looking back over the years
And whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn’t understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally

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rePost::Noynoy Aquino to act as sponsor in Roxas-Sanchez wedding – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

But instead of spending for the reception at the Araneta Coliseum, the couple agreed to donate the money for the victims of tropical storms “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) and “Pepeng” (Parma).
The couple formally turned over P2.2 million in donation to six groups; Caritas Philippines (P500,000), ABS-CBN Foundation, Sagip Kapamilya (P500,000), GMA Kapuso Foundation (500,000), Philippine National Red Cross-National Blood Service (P250,000), Philippine National Red Cross for the account of typhoon Ondoy (P250,000), Igan Foundation (P100,000) and another P100,000 for ABS-CBN Foundation Kapamilya, Shower Na project.
“Matagal na naming plinano ni Korina ay pinaghandaan ang espesyal na araw na ito. Gusto sana naming na marami ang kasalo sa saya pero parang hindi tama na malaki ang gagastusin sa selebrasyon sa panahon ng kalamidad,” Roxas said in a statement.
“Napakarami nating kababayan ang naghihirap ngayon. Lubog sa tubig baha. Pakikiramay at pagtulong na rin naming ito sa kanila,” he said.
via Noynoy Aquino to act as sponsor in Roxas-Sanchez wedding – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

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rePost::Waterway settlers brace for both 'Ramil' and demolition – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News

This was a nice piece of reportage! I’ve had this meme copied from prof Brad Delong of a better press corps. Praise to those who deserve it ! Nice piece ! Hope you continue doing good work!

Waterway settlers brace for both ‘Ramil’ and demolition
JUN VERZOLA with BRENDA BARRIENTOS, GMA NEWS RESEARCH10/20/2009 | 05:05 AM
As typhoon Ramil, the fourth typhoon to enter the country in 30 days, starts to threaten Luzon, nearly 108,000 urban poor families living as “informal settlers” along Metro Manila waterways are unsure which disaster will befall them first.Will it be another monster flood rushing across their makeshift communities? Or will it be forced evacuation and eventual relocation under a government program aimed at clearing the clogged waterways of the metropolis?In the wake of the double-whammy cyclones “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” that hit the country since late September, President Arroyo had ordered the forced relocation of urban poor communities living near waterways and other danger areas in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.In particular, the disastrous killer floods that engulfed wide swaths of Metro Manila at the height of “Ondoy” brought again to the fore the long-standing question about the role of these urban poor communities. The shanty-towns and their garbage block the flow of water, thus worsening the impact of typhoons, so goes the criticism.
via Waterway settlers brace for both ‘Ramil’ and demolition – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News.

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rePost::The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky

Marvin Minsky is a leading AI (artificial intelligence) researcher at MIT. He has had a lot to say about science fiction. Minsky has said, “General fiction is pretty much about ways that people get into problems and screw their lives up. Science fiction is about everything else.” and “But aside from the science fiction, I find it tedious to read any ordinary writing at all. It all seems so conventional and repetitive.” While these quotes were in reference to written literature, they can be applied to television and movies as well. What has happened is that science fiction on television has, for the most part, become indistinguishable from most other television shows, which are written for women and filled with sophomoric relationship drama. Sure the juvenile relationship drama is in space, but as Minsky tells us from his quotes, it isn’t science fiction anymore, and men are not very interested in relationship drama in space.
via The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky.

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rePost::Bill to curb ‘Filipino time’ filed in Senate – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News

I actually agree with this. People have a bad habit of setting their clocks in advance so they would be fooled into going early. The real problem is that this habit is really annoying the beejezus out of me. Why? see nobody has the same time. People who work using computers need to realize that there is such a site its called time.windows.com it helps a lot, so we have at least a within a few microseconds accurate view off what time it is!
PS: I can be very late. But I tend to be very early. My being late is actually a reflection of how much i trust someone. hehe. a somewhat apology to all the times I was extremely late!

Bill to curb ‘Filipino time’ filed in SenateAMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV10/19/2009 | 08:01 PM
Aiming to cure the Filipino’s culture of tardiness – or “Filipino time” as it is commonly known – a senator has filed a bill that seeks to synchronize all time devices in the country to set a standard Philippine time.Sen. Edgardo Angara said Senate Bill 3479 aims to “breed a new culture of promptness” among Filipinos.”This is a good way to start changing the meaning of ‘Filipino time’ and shifting to a culture of punctuality. Time is a vital component of our social, legal, political and economic activities,” he said.
via Bill to curb ‘Filipino time’ filed in Senate – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News.