The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated every year on October 17 throughout the world. It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1992, but the first commemoration of the event took place in Paris, France, in 1987 when 100,000 people gathered on the Human Rights and Liberties Plaza at the Trocadéro to honour victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear.
The figures are staggering. One in five people in the world live on less than a dollar a day. Imagine how skewed and imbalanced the so-called "distribution" of the world's wealth and resources has remained over the years. Continue reading →
I am only one blog. I am only one voice. But today, I will pull words out of thin air. I will raise my voice until I am heard. And I will do the best that I can to let the world know that climate change is real.
It's not a hoax. It's not a conspiracy theory. It's not an illusion.
That is the theme of this year'sPhilippine Blog Awards that will now be held nationwide on separate dates of the same month -- in October.
For Luzon, 9 October 2009, PETA Theater, Quezon City
For Visayas, 18 October 2009, Ayala City Sports, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
For Mindanao, 24 October 2009, Pearlmont Hotel, Limketkai Drive, Cagayan de Oro City
*****
The Philippine blogosphere, although relatively new, is growing at immense speeds we've never imagined. It is breeding a culture of connectivity through real-time data exchange and the propagation of huge amounts of information that used to sit mainly in our heads, unheard of and unused.
The information revolution has now made it possible to exchange information at the speed of thought. Advices, answers, tips, recommendations and opinions are but a keystroke away.
It is unbridled power. It is the kind of power that if harnessed efficiently and responsibly can do wonders if not miracles.
All of a sudden, everyone knows what's going on -- from "up to the second" news reports to something as mundane as what "you are chewing on" for lunch.
This made possible convergence of audio, video, text -- multimedia, to be more relevant because it powers the very lives we now live. Take it all away in just one day and you'll see how it it can cripple us all. We have grown very dependent on it.
Blogging is evolving. It is not dead as others are claiming. It is simply morphing into something else better, without exactly losing its very essence. Evolve or die, so they say.
The challenge now to those of us who have been immersed online for so very long (internet time is so much different from offline time), is to bring in the "unconnected" community on board, to show them the way, to educate, to enlighten, to help and sustain.
Blogging is not about influencing. It is about using resources at your disposal to contribute to a bigger cause, bigger than "you the blogger", bigger than "us the online community", bigger than "us the country". Let us all contribute to the bigger cause that is the protection, support and continuous development of humanity.
You do not need to blog for Red Cross or the Salvation Army. You only need to blog responsibly and meaningfully. You do not need to blog "heart-wrenching" poetry. You only need to bring value back to the blogosphere and the internet as a whole by making sure what you write attempts to "help" in whatever little way you can.
Help people find vacation spots, dear backpacking blogger. Help people find good eats, dear foodie blogger. Help us laugh away our worries, dear entertainment blogger. Help us see "meaning" in the confounded world of politics, dear political blogger.
Help. Contribute. Blog.
We are bloggers. That is our mantra. (Or at least that's what I hope.. :)
Hail to the best of the best of the Philippine blogosphere! You are all winners in your own rights. It is our pleasure to have read you and it is our hope that you make us read more. :)
******
Presenting the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards finalists of the nationwide categories…
Blogging, as in any other endeavor known to man, is not really a walk in the park contrary to popular belief. It requires effort. Sometimes, even a little bit of research and courage. Most times, a little bit of both.
For the uninitiated few, they choose to believe otherwise. They think that just about anyone with a computing device and an internet connection can blog. They assume that all you have to do is sign up for a blogging service, type in hints of not-so-personal info, and voila! -- instant blogger! -- instant celebrity! All you have to do is sit in front of a PC and type away the trivialities of your life hoping that you can bank on that oh-so-used-up movie line that “If you build it, they will come.” Translated to blogging --- “If you blog it, they will read it.” I wish it were truly as easy as that. But in reality, it doesn't work that way. If it did, then nobody would be watching TV anymore, right? Really, no kidding. Because for those who have discovered the pleasure of blogging, they know that TV pales in comparison to that natural high they get from whiling the hours away online.
Few people, however, recognize the fact or are at least aware of the fact that blogging – as hip and trendy and “so high school” as it may sound, is serious stuff. And by serious, I don't mean “emo”. When I say serious, I'm referring to something that separates the occasional journal writer to the obsessive-compulsive purist blogger who lives and breathes the online world and everything else that goes with it – be it good or bad.
You see, spawning content from a free flow or words conjured by one's thoughts might be easy enough for someone born with a pen stuck to his/her mouth and a netbook held on one hand. But even writers, with all the accolades given to them, still confess to experiencing occasional or even frequent bouts with writer's block. And just when you thought you learned all that you had to learn about blogging, something new and outlandish comes along. And you are left with no other choice but to take it as it comes and catch up with everyone else. In blogging, you either evolve or you die (I'm just trying to be poetic here..there is life beyond blogging, of course).
Take this post for example. I started typing and pulling words out of thin air all because I wanted to let you all know that iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit is happening tomorrow, May 9, 2009 at the Malcolm Theater of the UP Law Center. It would be from 8:00am until 5:00pm,but there will be anAfter-Party, so party people, you're encouraged to stay on.
I would have opted to tell you this sooner, like, in the first (or even the second) paragraph of this post – that would've been fairly easy. I'd tell you that there's an event coming up, enumerate the “what / who/ when/ where / how” and my job would be done. Easy as pie.
But then again, doing so would spoil the whole point of blogging, would it?
Why?
Because blogging breathes life to an otherwise dull and inanimate information – bits of data that would probably appeal only to those who enjoy rocket science and no-nonsense-in-your-face-straight-to-the-point exchange of information. And is that what you want? I thought so.
So once again, annoying as I may sound, I'd like to remind you once more of this OPEN INVITATION, for bloggers and non-bloggers alike. If you think you're a good enough blogger, attend and learn some more. If you're a newbie and want to take your blogging to the so-called “next level”, let not this chance pass you by.
There's a lot more to learn. And there are a lot of people willing and able to share their experiences and help you out. It would be ridiculous to miss out on something this good, I say. :)
iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summitis a meeting of minds – of blogging minds – and future blogging minds. Come one, come all. Experience the phenomenon that is making waves in politics, marketing, information dissemination and exchange, lifestyle and everything else in between.
Forget about what you've heard before. Forget about what you've seen before. You can even forget about what you've read here. iBlog5 is IT.
OFFICAL and FINAL SCHEDULE is here. Unfortunately, registration has been over since April 30. BUT, you can still go to the event. Food and freebies cannot be guaranteed for unregistered people/late registrants though. We hope you understand.
Also, I apologize if this post came out late. I blog in between doing the laundry, cooking and tumble-playing with my 4 year old boy, so please forgive me for being overly forgetful. This may no longer serve the purpose for which it was written then. But hey, who knows? Some people may get to read it tonight.
Oh, why is it called a “summit”, you ask? That's because blogging is an uphill battle, and the road to the top is perilous and slippery. But once you get to the summit, the feeling is exhilarating, and the view -- oh so breathtaking. So go to the summit and marvel at the view from the top! Whoever said that "it's lonely at the top" has probably never been to a blogging "summit" before. :)
Today, May 10th, marks the first run of "Pangea Day". It is a global event whose mission is to unite the world through film and music. Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be joined together for a live program that will showcase films, live music and speakers. It is remarkable that this entire show will be broadcast in seven languages through the internet, television and mobile phones through the support of Nokia. A slew of select films, all 24, will be showcased in the event. These films have been chosen through a contest participated by over a hundred countries and generated over 2,500 entries! It will run for four amazing hours featuring performances from music artists and visionary speakers with no less than Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova participating in the event.
Who's Idea is this?
From award-winning filmmaker Jehane Noujaim who won the TED prize in the annual TED Conference, came this idea, a wish that the world come together for a day through film. This was the realization of that wish.
Why the name?
"Pangea" is a term used to call the single, big continent the world used to be 250 million years ago. As you know, various environmental conditions resulted into its break-up to the continents we know today. So "Pangea Day" is anchored on that hope, that although now physically apart, we are still one world. We are essentially one continent, with the same aspirations, dreams and goals.
My Thoughts
The real essence of "Pangea Day" however, rests in the gradual change that it expects to generate from the event. Because long after the movie's over, the music's gone, and the speeches done, the fact remains that the world is in chaos. There are pressing issues around the globe. Local insurgency, terrorism, food and energy crisis, global warming and climate change, politics and atrocities being committed here and there. I pray that those who participate in this event whether directly or indirectly would effect change in their lives that would cause a chain reaction and inspire more and more people to do the same. As I write this, I am listening to an internet radio stream, the song goes:
" If I had one chance to In my life again I wouldn't make no changes Now or way back when And if everything turns out The way I hope it goes But I cant wait to find out What it is that God knows But I don't wanna think about What's gonna come around for me I'll just take it day by day 'Cause it's the only way To be the best that I can be..."
I hope we all turn out to be the best that we can be. And I hope we take it a day at a time. Change will not happen overnight. But it always feels good to know that we're doing something about it, however little. Today is "Pangea Day". Happy "Pangea Day" everyone!
I have other blogs. That's a fact. But I know in my heart that this one's gonna be my favorite long before I even started blogging. I really don't consider myself a political person, at least in my own definition of the term. But I always believed that there's no way I wouldn't comment on anything political. That's because it is my nature to express my views on many things, not because I want to or need to. It's my nature. Plain and simple. I have posts in my personal blog about certain issues that may appear to have a political tone. And I do not want my personal blog to be loaded with political articles lest I defeat the purpose of it being "personal". So, I came up with this separate blog dedicated to the "political" and sometimes "apolitical" side of me. I only have one ultimate goal, and that is to feed my insatiable desire to be myself. So, if you must know why I want to write political articles, I have one answer for you. "I am not really a political person. But when politics involves me, I involve myself."
This site is offsetting all electricity use with wind-generated Renewable Energy Certificates which prevent the release of 2,660 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.That’s equivalent to planting nearly 2,390 acres of trees, or removing 510 cars from the road. Reinforcing my commitment to combating climate change.
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