There are things in this life bigger than all of us-- bigger than our daily personal struggles, bigger than our economic woes and even bigger than the upcoming 2010 presidential elections. My friends, it is the universal desire for the well-being and safety of our brothers and sisters around the world. Yes, that much-ridiculed and overly-used, Ms. Universe-like wish of "world peace". Along with that is our ardent prayer that people be safe from harm.
Sometimes, in the rush and chaos of everyday existence and occupations, we forget that whatever differences, goals and priorities we have, there is one thing common to all of us -- a shared appreciation to the one thread woven in all of humankind -- that kind of strength to which any other strength -- be it economic or military pales in comparison -- it is the fortitude of the human heart -- the enduring resilience of the human spirit.
The world, as I write this watch in shock at what now appears to be a patch of hell on earth as Haiti grieves for their dead -- with the death toll feared to go as high as 500,000. Millions of people are needing help, most of the survivors decided to live on the streets for fear of aftershocks. What happened to Haiti last Tuesday, January 12, 2010 must shake us up out of complacency. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.
There are two (2) things we share with Haiti -- poverty and corruption. These two always go together -- one resulting to the other, in an endless cycle of misery.
Haiti was unprepared for that 7.0 magnitude earthquake that is to come for a whole lot of reasons similar to us -- corruption which resulted to structurally-flawed and unsafe buildings, poor delivery of basic services, poor disaster-preparedness and more.
We, like Haitians, are no strangers to disasters -- political, economic and natural. And given our similarities with their current state, we can all but cower in fear and pray earnestly that we do not suffer the same fate as theirs. most specially because compared to Haiti whose last experience with an earthquake was 200 years ago, the Philippines' most devastating earthquake experience is still fresh in our minds some 20 years ago in 1990. We were unprepared then and I sure as hell can bet that two decades after, we remain unprepared.
My heart goes out to the people of Haiti who lost what little they have. To bear witness to such a tragedy, to be able to walk among the dead seem like a curse far worse than subsistence. While it can't be argued that this 7.0 magnitude earthquake is a natural calamity, the number of casualties may have been limited if not totally avoided had there been early warning of an impending disaster which should have facilitated swift and orderly security of the residents. But then, maybe there's no stopping nature. There is a reason for everything.
Whatever it is, only God knows.
If you have money to spare, please donate. No amount is so small to not make a difference, and no amount is too big for our Haitian brothers and sisters.
On Pat Robertson's Haiti "pact with the devil" blunder
For the record, I would like to express disappointment over what longtime TV evangelist Pat Robertson of the 700 Club said on air claiming that the Haitians made a "pact with the devil" hundreds of years ago, hence the curse and the earthquake. He further claims that Haitians did this to gain their freedom from the French. I think such a statement is not characteristic of an evangelist. This statement spits at the honor of Haitians who hold the distinction as the only country in the Western Hemisphere to undergo a successful slave revolution. If there was such a "pact", who can attest to its authenticity? Who can judge? Such a statement only adds insult to injury. It is clearly judgmental and uncalled for.
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.
A recent article about FTC issuing rules for bloggers regarding endorsements shared on Facebook andTwitter by Cocoy is a matter of significance for all bloggers right now. While it hasn't reached our shores yet, I can bet that considering how vibrant blogging is in this country, it's only a matter of time before we begin treading on egg shells. Still, if you ask me what prompted me to write this now, please blame Paul. He started it. :)
Now, this blog is obviously confusing to many. A Day In The Life Of RJ sounds like some person's online journal of everyday adventures. Why should that involve FTC?
According to the wonderful world of Wikipedia, as of 2007, Technorati was tracking around 112 million blogs, most of those categorized as personal blogs. Folks, that was two years ago. Imagine that. And these days, "online journalers" (personal bloggers) don't just write about their crushes or their impossible dreams. They don't just share what a terrible day they had in school or at work.
Personal blogs have become a mixed bag of rants (product or service dissatisfaction), raves (product or service endorsements), frustrations against the system, society, the government (political opinions) and tips on anything and everything from how they got this and that working on their gadgets to how they got to this unexplored destination (how to's, instructional content).
There is power in numbers. To underestimate the blogosphere is a mistake that is sure to cost the "doubting Thomas" an arm and a leg (figuratively, of course).
In this new FTC ruling, by December of this year, it will be compulsory to disclose whether you get anything in exchange for "reviews" on your blog -- a disclosure policy. Whether it's a free ticket to a concert or the item itself you are reviewing (gadgets, books, etc.), you would now be required by the law (at least in the US, for now) to disclose "payments" in whatever form.
But how about political bloggers? Now that is a big question. I do not see anything there that states explicitly how it approaches political blogging.
what’s the FTC’s statutory authority for instituting this regulation? This looks like a free press issue to me and i worry about a slippery slope about other issues beyond “product endorsements” by bloggers. Would a political activist have to disclose if they received campaign materials from a campaign they were endorsing like t-shirts or bumperstickers that could be considered compensation? Will individual bloggers have to start applying an “equal time” rule like the networks used to have for political campaigns? What are the rules for professionals who are salaried employees of an organization who in their private time endorse, promote and defend the activities of that organization on a website? What about anonymous political speech about issues affecting commerce?
This whole thing strikes me as something that somebody didn’t think through before it got out of the building.
That mentioned and considered, let us pretend for a while that I have the right to discuss political blogging ethos. Nah, forget it. Let me just say what I want to say.
A Day In The Life Of RJ is first and foremost a personal blog. It has become a political blog, not by choice but by accident when a frustrated search for lack of information about the then hotly-debated Bangsamoro Juridical Entity prompted me to do a thorough research and add my thoughts about it. I ended up writing a series -- 20 or so posts all about BJE, and the rest as they say, is history.
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On this blog being political
Regarding this blog being political, it is something I am neither proud nor ashamed of. It is just what it is. It has no intention of soliciting attention, or disgust or fame or whatever it is people think they get from blogging.
I have been in denial for the longest time yet the prominence of political tags and the mere fact that the political articles here have long outnumbered the personal, I have come to accept the fact that this blog has indeed steered itself to an unexpected direction and have taken a life of its own. Although it is not surprising to me, considering how highly opinionated I am of many things, politics taking the top spot, it never occurred to me that I would end up blogging politics -- hence the tag line "The accidental political blog of RJ Marmol. Try-hard punditry for non-pundits."
And for a while there, I thought writing opinions about social and political issues isn't such a big deal. After all, I can just pretend that this is still a personal blog that just happens to have a lot of political rants -- personal bloggers write politics too, albeit occasionally, so what the heck, I thought to myself.
Apparently, political blogging is a lot more ruthless than readers know and see. You get branded all sorts of stuff, you get called lots of things, simply because you dare dip your finger in a supposedly intellectually dishonest and corrupted territory -- not intended for mere mortals.
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I wonder why it seems natural for people to accuse political bloggers of being sell outs. After all, in politics, there's money to be had, more than enough to go around for everybody, right? They think it is utterly impossible for ploggers (political bloggers -- derived from from the word "plog" -- a contraction of the term "political blog")to be objective in "plogging".
When you get invited to coffee with politicians, everyone assumes that you get paid for it and are therefore bound to make a "positive" article -- and endorsement, if you will, about that politician. It is annoying to be accused of this, because I for one, know that I don't get paid to attend such meetings -- much less, to write compelling or adulating articles just because of a free meal or coffee.
I mean, come on, an article for a cup of coffee? Are you kidding me? They don't even pay for my fare from Calamba City to the urban jungle that is Metro Manila. I brave the overcrowded MRT station, the rain, the heat, the derision of non-believer family and friends just so I can write and scrutinize a politician personally. Heck, I don't even have adsense on my blog ! Your visit don't translate to bucks for me. Some people don't even realize that I even pay good money just to put my thoughts out there -- I pay webhosting fees, domain fees, etc.
So to the very few who think I get paid to write politics, please. Do you even have the slightest hint who I am and what my credentials are (if any)? Who would pay me to write propaganda? I am no Conrado de Quiroz ( not that I insinuate that he gets paid to write for politicos, just stressing a point that I am a nobody).
I am no "influencer" or "oppositionist writer", heck, I don't even have a job. I am no different from any other person you might bump into at a grocery aisle, except maybe for the fact that I write and I write a lot -- and that I write a lot of rants about the government. But that doesn't instantly make me an "oppositionist writer". That accusation is a flattery at best and a lie at worst.
Besides, who in his or her right mind would choose to write politics over movie and food reviews or gadgets and whatnots if not for the fact that it is his or her passion?
Argument #1: Politics is crap. I guess we can all agree on that. The thing stinks miles away. Anyone who dare pass by where it is, is doomed to catch its stench one way or another.And boy oh boy, that stays with you long after you've gone to the shower countless times. Are we on the same boat here? Great. Now that we got that out of the way. Let's go to...
Argument #2: Nothing is filthier than getting money for writing about politics.
Yes, I am talking about real money here darling -- the kind of money that you and I know (as if there is any other). If you think politics stinks, wait until you see paid articles written about it. But these days, can you really tell?
It's frustrating, or maybe I'm just too ideal for this writing thing. After all, my entire life, I thought writers were "hungry idealists". Maybe my concept is outdated. Please pinch poke me (there you go Facebook, look what you've done to me).
But must we go to great lengths, to the point of jailing or "fining" someone who "gets paid for writing crap"? -- which brings me to..
Argument #3: Who cares if someone gets paid for writing crap?
When this or that person writes something "crappy" -- in the truest sense of the word, does that take away anything from the value or your own writings? Does that, even for a minute, rob you of your creativity and "brilliance"? Go ahead, you can pause from reading this and ponder for a few seconds, I'll wait... Done? Great. So, what do you think? Can I get a "hell, no!"?
I told you. It doesn't, my dear. People can write all the crap they can think of, get paid and buy themselves vacations to Malibu and a one way ticket to the universe's black hole for all we care. So instead of wasting time trying to figure out who gets paid or not, what he or she gets or how much exactly, why don't we do ourselves a favor by just improving on ourselves and how we write? Brilliant idea, you say? Oh well, what can you expect, you are on a non-brilliant blog currently engaged in two monologues -- mine and yours. Unfortunately though, two monologues don't make a dialogue.
Argument #4: If you can't really do anything about it, live with it.
This one goes out for the ones who get paid for writing political propagandas, for the idealist and purist bloggers who stick to the unwritten ethos of blogging, for those who accuse all bloggers of being sell outs, for the apathetic many and the undecided few.
But hey, that's a good idea!
On second thought, wouldn't it be great if political writers and bloggers do disclose what they get in exchange for an article (if any), specially if it's an article that's suddenly so "out of character"? That would separate the greats from the rest. If you think about it, that FTC ruling would be the purist blogger's dream come true.
Hmmm, it would be grand if I get paid for blogging politics. But sorry to disappoint you, I don't. But don't you all worry -- the moment I do get paid for writing crappy new media political propagandas, I will let you know -- with or without enforced rules. Until then, I'm just your regular purist blogger that won't even pass up for a "hungry writer".
The day after Mother's Day 2009 -- May 11th, was a usual day at Twitter. Startrek discussions have not quite ended, and so are those about Mother's Day. But 2100H, Manila time (GMT+8), while tweeting and looking at the trending topics (which I do half the time while I tweet), I found a pleasant surprise -- "Philippines" is trending on Twitter! Now, I'm not really sure if this has happened before, since the implementation of the "Trending Topics" sidebar, but I sure am one happy patriotic and nationalistic Filipino twitterer to see my country make it to the top 10 "Trending Topics" on Twitter. I mean, considering how many seemingly endless and varied topics are discussed on Twitter everyday, for a topic to make it to the top 10 is remarkable. I don't know exactly what triggered it, who started it or whether it was just incidental or anything, but one thing is for sure, Twitter sure "changes the conversation" and it's so powerful that it can bring a lot of people together. It was delightful to suddenly see how Pinoys reacted and suddenly participated in the discussion and how everyone else from around the Twittersphere, all around the world started joining in to find out why "Philippines" is trending. Then came tweets about fun facts about the Philippines, our kababayans abroad suddenly tweeting how they miss the food, the people, the beaches. And how other nationalities tweet about good experiences they've had about their previous visit/s to the Philippines. It's heart-warming. It evokes pride and nationalism. It evokes, above all things, the feeling of hope for this country we dearly love.
The 2010 Philippine Presidential Elections is happening a year from now. And I think, in this technology-driven era we live in, it would be in our best interest to use technology in a way that will be beneficial to our country. Social networks are no doubt the ruler of the web at this point. And Twitter leads the herd.
If you tweet, let us use tweeting to promote awareness and spread relevant, useful and timely information as it relates to the upcoming 2010 Philippine Presidential Elections. The internet is a powerful tool. How we use that power is up to us. Let's use it to better ourselves and our nation.
For tweets about the upcoming elections, I recommend using the #philippines2010 hashtag. Let's start a conversation. Who knows, maybe a single tweet can change the Philippine future. All it takes is one, two, three tweets. Mabuhay Twitter! Mabuhay Philippines! Mabuhay ang Pilipino!
P.S. Further research showed me other possible reasons why "Philippines" made it to the "Trending Topics":
1. Recent typhoon/s that wrecked Bicol and Pangasinan, leaving more or less 40 casualties.
2. David Archuleta and David Cook of American Idol are coming over here for a concert performance.
3. Eventual enthusiastic tweeting of Filipinos following the first two.
4. Just because. :)
The signs of wear and tear are evident. Our over-indulgence and carelessness has taken its toll on this beautiful world we live in. No longer can we remain in our comfort zones, shut our eyes and cover our ears to the cries of
Mother Nature. Whoever coined the phrase "you can run but you can't hide" is most probably referring to the consequence we will face in exchange for our wasteful and irresponsible ways of dealing with Earth.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think, these people organizing this Earth Day event, the Earth Hour and similar undertakings aren't doing these things simply because they are "cute", "fun" or "morally acceptable". The problem is REAL and it is HERE. And doomsday prophecy as it may sound, truth is there really is nowhere to hide. If this planet goes down in flames, we all go down with it -- no exceptions. No special treatment. No way out.
And no matter how advanced we may appear to have become, we are still no match for our dear planet's wrath, should it decide to instantaneously blow up or eventually die on us. After all, we've been negligent for so long, and this planet can only take so much.
There is no other planet for us but Earth. And even if there was another, I bet you'd still choose Earth all over again.
Earth Day 2009 is a call to ACTION -- a call for tangible, measurable acts of the so-called GREEN GENERATION -- no coal, green schools, renewable energy and energy-efficient designs and technologies. The awareness stage is over. Or at least most of it is. We already know what to do. We already know what we can do. But do we actually DO it?
I'm not trying to be self-righteous here. I too, am guilty of inadequacies. What I lacked in action, I compensated in writing. But that is not enough. I know. So now, I urge you, dear friends -- LET'S DO IT. AND DO IT RIGHT. It takes more than a pledge to nail this problem to the ground. It takes a radical, conscious effort on our part to effect change -- one that's for the better -- one that serves the general good -- and one that's for the long-term.
Starting today, I will make that conscious effort. I will do it regularly until it becomes a habit -- until this habit becomes a virtue -- and I will not stop until this virtue ultimately becomes a part of me -- until I become the virtue itself in the flesh.
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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