Hope we can all support the Charter for Compassion! Visit the website, watch the vid to learn more!
rePost::Paul Collier — Five myths about elections' power to change nations
4. Elections compel new democratic governments to overspend, worsening economic policies and performance.
When I investigated elections’ effect on economic policy in newly democratic countries, I found that populist pressure does cause policies to deteriorate somewhat in the year before an election. They certainly did in Ghana in 2008. But governments that face frequent elections have significantly better economic policies when they are averaged over the political cycle, and governments that become subject to elections improve their policies.
Unfortunately, there is a caveat: Elections in which there is misconduct have, at best, no effect on economic policy because governments are off the hook of accountability. For example, President Robert Mugabe chose to wreck the Zimbabwean economy precisely when he was facing contested elections. His policies were not even populist; he simply relied on fraud and intimidation to establish policies that benefited only a tiny political elite.
via Paul Collier — Five myths about elections’ power to change nations – washingtonpost.com.
This is a good reason why we cannot just let the alleged (damn political correctness)Â election cheating/corruption/graft and overall crookedness of the present administration.
rePost::Letters of Note: If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong
I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling. It was in the oath I took that I would, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. I could not take the office without taking the oath. Nor was it my view that I might take an oath to get power, and break the oath in using the power.
via Letters of Note: If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.
I am beginning to believe that this is how we are going to view same-sex marriage(same-sex Civil Union).
Site Redesign
Spent the better part of the day on this redesign.
I used a new theme (color green has grown on me).
I customized most of the settings, even the ads.
Hope you like the changes.
I was inspired by seeing this quote
A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.
Victor Hugo
French dramatist, novelist, & poet (1802 – 1885)
I’ve been so absorbed in thought lately that I was questioning myself. I did this because the invisible labor was weighing me down. I wanted to do something, anything that I could see.
Once again, Hope you like the changes!
Loved listening to this:
Real Life Pac-man with Rhoomba
In anticipation of Manny Pacquiao’s fight vs. Cotto. got this from boing boing!
rePost:On Trust:Thanks Matt for listening… (Scripting News)
There isn’t enough trust in the world, imho. People can’t tell, or don’t take the time to find out, if someone is trustworthy. The other day I asked this question of an editor at a major newspaper — why don’t you trust your readers? I ask this of Apple, why don’t you trust your users? What about the government, why doesn’t it trust its citizens? Ultimately all these institutions must listen to the people they serve. The news and tech industries, even governments — will eventually listen.
The reason people are reluctant: If you extend trust, sometimes you’re going to get burned. And if you never trust anyone, you’ll never be hurt. But you won’t have much of a life. So you have to develop a sense of who and what you can depend on.
via Thanks Matt for listening… (Scripting News).
This paragraph really hit me hard. It made me ask the question are you someone you would trust? I am not ok with my answer to that question!
Philippine Internet Users Part 2
test
Internet users as percentage of population, Philippines
5.97% of population – 2007
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators
www.google.com/publicdata
via internet users philippines – Google Search.
PHILIPPINES PH – 97,976,603 population (’09) – Area: 300,000 sq km
Was really piqued in an interview of Noy’s Media Manager Yolanda Ong with her data of 26 million internet users. as shown by my post here . Luckily Google was awesome enough to release google public data WOOT! this is so cool, probably my super time sink for this week!
PS: the 26 million figure was only about 1-2 million more than the estimate of 24++ so good enough!
Elink Video: Pale Blue Dot
Carl Sagan reading from his book Pale Blue Dot! If he was still alive he would have been 75 (Nov 9, 2009). Thanks to Universe Today for the video and pointer! “Like it or not, for the moment the earth is where we make our stand!”
A Little Help!
Anybody knows where I can buy this toy here? (pointer from boing boing)
Fancy spinning top from Mark Frauenfelder on Vimeo.
rePost::Mayon Volcano erupts – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos
Hope they are all ok!
(UPDATE 2) Mayon Volcano erupts
More ash explosions seen
By Rey M. Nasol
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 06:09:00 11/11/2009
Filed Under: Volcanic eruption
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines— The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded an ash explosion in Mayon Volcano early Wednesday, which caused ash fall in Albay towns located southwest and northwest of the volcano.
“The explosion, which occurred at around 1:58 a.m., is a clear sign of magma intrusion toward the summit crater of the volcano,” said Alex Baloloy, Phivolcs science research analyst.
The explosion, which lasted for about three minutes, was accompanied by rumbling sounds. Residents in the towns of Camalig, Guinobatan, Polangui, Oas, and Ligao City reported experiencing the ash fall.
Baloloy said, however, that the height of the ash column was not recorded because clouds covered the view of the volcano and it was still dark when the explosion happened.
via (UPDATE 2) Mayon Volcano erupts – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.