Praise::Touring Gangland – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com

Touring Gangland
By FREAKONOMICS
A group of civic activists in Los Angeles plans to start giving “Gang Tours” — taking busloads of tourists through some of the most dangerous parts of the city — in hopes of “sensitizing people, connecting them to the reality of what’s on the ground.” Critics liken the tours to voyeuristic “slum tourism” in India and Rio de Janeiro. But Gang Tours organizers say they plan on using tour profits to help communities through avenues like loans for inner-city entrepreneurs and sending graffiti taggers to art school.
via Touring Gangland – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com.

We desensitize ourselves from the hard realities of our environment. This is an excellent idea. I’ve been saying that if we required all powerful people to ride in cars with windows down, we would probably have cleaner air. If we also require politicians and rich people’s children to go to public schools we would have a far better education system. There is a saying “out of sight , out of mind”; what we need is to make people who can create major change to feel the pain!

Praise::Antonio Oposa Jr – Environmental Lawyer and Activist | FreeMan | Bluepanjeet.Org

Who would ever thought that a Filipino could make a big difference in protecting the environment, especially in the field of law? Tony Oposa did, not only once but twice. First during his case which is popularly known as Minors Oposa vs. Factoran in which he sued the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and demanding the cancellation of all existing logging concessions and an injuction against new one. These logging concessions deforest what remains to be only 4% of virgin forests in the country. The second was his case against government agencies in cleaning up Manila Bay which after 10 years, was ruled by the Supreme Court in favor of Oposa’s cause. These two famous cases was a landmark victory in environmental law, testing the waters for future cases and paving the way for environmental law in becoming an established branch of the legal system.
via Antonio Oposa Jr – Environmental Lawyer and Activist | FreeMan | Bluepanjeet.Org.

Was able to catch his TEDxManila presentation. Inspiring! Intergenerational responsibility, truly an Idea worth spreading

rePost::Noynoy Aquino – A Leader in His Own Right « Noypipol's Blog

Noynoy would take an active role that would help in the eventual defeat of the coup plotters. For one, he knew the rapacity, anti-democratic and anti-people character of the coup plotters because during a previous coup, in 1987, he was ambushed by the coup plotters along Malacañang. Noynoy was hit by five bullets and three of his four escorts were killed protecting him. A bullet is still embedded in his neck. Moreover, the coup plotters would want to perpetuate themselves to power, declare Martial Law, and plunge again the people into oppression.
At the height of the 1989 coup, Noynoy would call people close to his father, Ninoy, to assemble a group to help crush the ongoing coup. These are the people whom he could trust and would prove crucial in defeating the rebels.
In the early morning of November 30, Noynoy called me and asked me to organize a group to crush the ongoing coup. I immediately called up Ret. Gen. Salvador Mison, Gen. Pete Navarro, Charlie Avila, Wilo Layug, Lingoy Alcuaz, Gerry Esguerra and Steve Psinakis.
The group met at the office of Gen, Jake Carbonell in Pasig. The group under the leadership of Gen, Mison was given authority by the Palace to recapture Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. The order was given to Gen. Carbonell by Gen. Mison to attack Camp Aguinaldo.
The rest is history as Cory Aquino finished her term peacefully and the people elected Fidel Ramos as the next president.
This single action of Noynoy proved to all that he is a man of action. His decisiveness in taking an active role is worth noting when Philippine democracy was imperiled by forces who are loyal only to themselves and not the freedom and democracy that was hard won by the Filipinos through the peaceful EDSA Revolution.
But what was so interesting is that he did not boast of his role in crushing the coup. He simply hid this information and the nation never knew of his participation. This is the kind of leader that should be emulated by the Filipinos, particularly the youth. A leader that does not boast of his achievement. A leader who can lead in the worst crisis in government. This is Noynoy Aquino. A leader, and worthy to be the son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino.
~ Roy Sangil
via Noynoy Aquino – A Leader in His Own Right « Noypipol’s Blog.

I’ve always had this bias towards people who are more into action rather than self-promotion. Its just although I’ve known people who really wowed me in the action and capability department, it always seems that the showpeople type of person has a lot of the boastful can’t do any thing but promote one’s self.
In this department then Noy now at least can be considered and action man. Although in this respect I’ve more respect for Gordon and Villar. They just have that body of work to fall back on.
Who ever you choose to vote for, keep your eyes and ears open, consider the whole person and all the evidence, examine the counterfactuals and for those who believe , pray! We can’t be blamed for the country we inherited but we will surely be blamed for the country we let our children have.

Praise::2 Pinoy students get perfect scores in int’l math tilt – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Filipino Pride!!!

2 Pinoy students get perfect scores in int’l math tiltBy Jerry E. EsplanadaPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 21:16:00 12/06/2009Filed Under: EducationMANILA, Philippines– Two young Filipino math wizards won gold medals in the just concluded 2009 Philippine International Mathematics Competition PIMC for elementary and high school students.The two and a Thai student were the only competitors who got perfect scores in the 20-nation contest.Mikaela Angela Uy and Justin Edric Yturzaeta, students of St. Jude Catholic School in Manila and Jubilee Christian Academy in Quezon City, respectively, shared the honors with Theemathas Chirananthavat from Thailand.
via 2 Pinoy students get perfect scores in int’l math tilt – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

Funny:: Nice Pacquiao Mention

Smiled reading this!

Q: If the boxing higher-ups had any sense whatsoever they would give us Pacman/Mayweather in six months. I would stop everything to have a fight night party for this event. I have not paid for a boxing event since Holyfield/Lewis in 1999 but I would spend at least $300-$500 to see this. What is the holdup?
— Seth Johnson, Middletown, N.Y.
SG: It’s going to be disappointing. Just warning you now. Floyd Mayweather Jr. could never in a million years trade punches with Manny Pacquiao. He will be on his bicycle for 12 rounds. There is no way that, at this point in his life, Mayweather wants any part of Pacquiao, a concrete-headed, indefatigable freak of nature who can finish with either hand from every angle. If Mayweather gets in the ring, he’ll end up doing more laps than Steve Prefontaine did for the University of Oregon. Just keep your guard up when you’re spending that $64.95.
(Important note: Will I be spending that money? Of course! Happily! I made the decision during Pacman’s glorious evisceration of Miguel Cotto that he finally had reached the exalted “I Don’t Care Who You Are Fighting, I Am Watching It Live & That’s That” status, which puts him in the following company: Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tyson. My own personal Mount Rushmore. Pacquiao hit Tiger/Federer status about a year ago, and nobody cared. That’s why he needs the Mayweather fight so badly. We’ve seen dominant pound-for-pound guys these past two decades, but nobody with finishing power anything like what Pacman has. He’s like a coked-up Aaron Pryor, only without the coke. Insane. If he’s fighting, I am watching.)
via Bill Simmons’ Thanksgiving mailbag – ESPN.

Praise::Misconceptions About the Battle in Seattle : The Primate Diaries

Dedicated to Tibak/Activist friends! Read the whole post!

However, without the global focus that the protests provided, the delegates from the world's poorest countries would likely have continued to be ignored. Today many poor nations are stating that a similar process is being enacted in regards to climate change policies. The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen may turn out to be as much of a rallying call for organizations worldwide as the WTO Ministerial was ten years ago. However, the arguments that the protesters at the WTO in Seattle were uniformly violent or that they were spoiled white kids who were standing in the way of institutional reform are clearly flawed. The policies that were being implemented at that time affected so many people, in so many various ways, that the differences between environmentalists and labor unions, American students and Korean farmers or rabble rousers and WTO delegates were erased. In that moment people came together to initiate the first shot in a struggle that continues to this day.
via Misconceptions About the Battle in Seattle : The Primate Diaries.

Praise::Pacquiao TKOs Cotto, makes history

Whatever more happens, politics, fall from grace I will choose to remember when he was fighting in the ring.  Quoting from “For The Love Of The Game”. “You and that game, you’re perfect together!”

Pacquiao TKOs Cotto, makes history
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 13:34:00 11/15/2009
Filed Under: Sport, Boxing, Pacquiao
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao made history Sunday (Manila time) when he bagged the welterweight title, his seventh in as many divisions, via technical knockout of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, the reigning champion in that division.
Kenny Bayless, the referee of the match, stopped the fight at 2:04-minute mark of the 12th round declaring Pacquiao the winner in the fight held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao bucked a size disadvantage against Cotto on his way to becoming the first fighter to win world titles in seven divisions.
Pacquiao has won the world championships in the flyweight (112 pounds), super bantamweight (122 lb), featherweight (126 lb), super featherweight (130 lb), lightweight (135 lb), and light welterweight (140 lb).
No man has won seven world titles in seven weight divisions and only five boxers have won six – Pacquiao, Oscar de la Hoya, Thomas Hearns, Hector Camacho, and James Toney.
via Pacquiao TKOs Cotto, makes history – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

rePost::Letters of Note: Your own private book event

Well, tell your dead grandpa the old German (Goethe) saying: “The longer you look, the more stars you see…” I prefer that to going crazy. It’s the same with meditation, how you can find the entire world in a single object or activity. Once you commit your life to a passion, you find that things open up. Still, it seems like a paradox. Most people never fully commit to their art, out of fear of losing options. But commitment brings more options than you’d ever lose.
via Letters of Note: Your own private book event.

Read the whole letter. This was written by Chuck Palahniuk. (The Author of The Fight Club.)
I loved reading the whole thing so hope you see the scanned original. From the marvelous blog Letters of Note!