Gilbert Teodoro was asked in the recent DLSU debates what the extent of his gratitude was towards the thief-in-chief, to which he replied, “Utang na loob means paying goodness with goodness."
And I say unto you sir, if the people of the Philippines show enough goodness to elect you president, their goodness should be first on your list of debts to repay. Unless you are a complete tuta, your loyalty is to the Philippine people. When you were DND Secretary, as you are running for President, and even when you fade from the public's attention like the hazy Manila sky at sundown, your loyalty is to 92 million Filipinos, not to GMA.
“If you are given goodness, you pay back with goodness." Your words, sir. Don't ever forget.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Straight Shooter? More Like Quick Draw Believer
“Shooting Straight” is a column written by Valeriano Avila in The Freeman, a newspaper out of Cebu. “Shooting Straight” also appears in The Philippine Star under the name Bobit S Avila.
In his Freeman article (Dec 1, 2009) Mr Avila asks in his headline, “About that Facebook survey: Is it credible?” He is referring to the mock election being run by the Facebook App Election2010 that has run three rounds of polls with a fourth underway.
(For those unfamiliar with the term App, it’s short for Application Software that is nested in a computer program to assist the user in a task, in this case, creating instant voting in the Facebook program. Facebook, Inc. did not develop the Election2010 App. In fact, almost all of the Apps on Facebook are created by third parties—developers from outside Facebook; a concept that seems to elude Mr Avila, with comments like “Facebook came up with a third survey” when he should be crediting the developers of the Election2010 App.)
The results of the online poll seem to have a big impression on Mr Avila ever since he listened to almost-presidential candidate Chiz Escudero more than two months ago. Based on US President Obama’s success, Senator Escudero reportedly said, Facebook and Twitter results were more believable than SWS or Pulse Asia polls. But then-Senator Obama didn’t just read the results of one online poll. And this is the only target of Mr Avila’s focus; a Facebook poll at that. The internet deserves better representation, especially since online success relies on 1) a broad, integrated presence online with a single-minded message, and 2) converting passive internet users into active brand champions on- and offline, and not just on a single set of mock election results.
Despite the New Media Marketing 101 course outline, Mr Avila gives the mock elections by Election2010 his full, sophomoric endorsement on its veracity and impartiality.
There was a survey that was totally fair because it wasn’t done by the politicians or their PR agencies, nor was money spent to collate this information. The latest Facebook mock survey covering the period Nov.23-29. Gilbert Teodoro bagged 58% of the votes, Noynoy Aquino bagged 31.76%, Manny Villar got 7.10%, while former Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada got 1.1%. The first two Facebook mock surveys showed Noynoy was leading the race.
- Straight Shooter (The Freeman), via www.philstar.com Updated December 01, 2009
While the Election2010 mock poll could in fact be “totally fair”—conducted without bias or rigging it—the methodology is up in the air. This is where SWS and Pulse Asia surveys are a great, reliable resource; each survey result has details on sample size, age, and methodology for getting the information, not to mention complete transparency with regard to commissioner, or exclusivity or first rights to publish.
The Election2010 poll has none of these. Nobody went out to find respondents. The respondents may have found it by search, accident, or by referral. Because of this uncertainty, the trending in Gibo’s favor is not clear. Was it due to comments by any candidate? Did the Gibo machinery mobilize supporters to find that App and vote? Is there a margin of error, in the case of mistaken identity or accidental answering?
None of these possible causes are more or less improbable than the other, if at all. Neither are they unethical or underhanded since its credibility is far from established. But without Mr Avila’s discerning its methodology, and to then proclaim it to be “totally fair” is naïve and irresponsible as a journalist.
What’s more, Mr Avila published a similar article, this time in the Philippine Star, “A look at the surveys done by Facebook.” It is difficult to see that he is referencing the same poll, as in the Philippine Star article, the poll period has changed from Nov. 23-29 to Nov. 20-30. The poll results also changed, and so did his tone, saying instead that the “mock surveys of Facebook have become a counter balancer to the pollsters surveying voters in this country.”
Not only is he lacking with background facts, but the facts that he does have are not as straight as his column name suggests.
Apparently, Facebook came up with a third mock survey for Nov. 20-30th and lo and behold, Lakas-Kampi Presidential bet, Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. bagged a significant 58.69% lead over Noynoy who bagged 31.90%. This was followed by Sen. Manny Villar at 5.80%, Erap at 1.45%. Now should we believe in the Facebook survey? Perhaps those batting for Noynoy would no longer believe it as he has slid down from the top.
- Straight Shooter (The Philippine Star) via www.philstar.com Updated December 02, 2009
Clearly, his goal is single-minded agreement with Chiz’s two month-old Quixotism, “Facebook or Twitter is a better sampling than our present crop of pollsters.”
So if Facebook or Twitter is indeed a better sampling mechanism, it is important to look at similar indicators evident on these social networking sites. As of December 1, 2009, Noynoy’s Official Facebook “Politician Page” has 110,679 supporters as compared to Gibo’s 8,950 fans. Chiz’s Facebook Politician Page has almost the same number as Manny Villar’s page at just around 39,000.
On Twitter, the short messaging service online, Noynoy has 22,045 followers while Gibo has 5,105. At the same time, according to internet analytics, Noynoy is collecting more followers at a 2:1 ratio when compared to new followers of Gibo.
Even Senator Mar Roxas, Liberal Party candidate for vice-president, has more followers than Gibo, with 23,366.
In summary, Mr Avila is creating great, albeit negative press for Gibo’s success on this “Facebook survey” as he repeatedly calls it. And while the Arroyo-backed candidate is improving his online presence, the bigger picture, backed by solid and self-evident statistics, shows Noynoy with a commanding lead in terms of fans, supporters, and followers in this multi-dimensional field called social media or new media. And in spite of Noynoy’s early lead among Facebook and Twitter users, there is no indication that his snowballing popularity will slow, as week-on-week incremental numbers show.
On the surface, Mr Avila postures with healthy, journalistic skepticism in both of his articles. However, the straight shooting “skeptic” gets converted to “believer” in a quick draw, and that is the product of a lack of investigation, lack of hunger for facts, and lack of critical analysis.
In his Freeman article (Dec 1, 2009) Mr Avila asks in his headline, “About that Facebook survey: Is it credible?” He is referring to the mock election being run by the Facebook App Election2010 that has run three rounds of polls with a fourth underway.
(For those unfamiliar with the term App, it’s short for Application Software that is nested in a computer program to assist the user in a task, in this case, creating instant voting in the Facebook program. Facebook, Inc. did not develop the Election2010 App. In fact, almost all of the Apps on Facebook are created by third parties—developers from outside Facebook; a concept that seems to elude Mr Avila, with comments like “Facebook came up with a third survey” when he should be crediting the developers of the Election2010 App.)
The results of the online poll seem to have a big impression on Mr Avila ever since he listened to almost-presidential candidate Chiz Escudero more than two months ago. Based on US President Obama’s success, Senator Escudero reportedly said, Facebook and Twitter results were more believable than SWS or Pulse Asia polls. But then-Senator Obama didn’t just read the results of one online poll. And this is the only target of Mr Avila’s focus; a Facebook poll at that. The internet deserves better representation, especially since online success relies on 1) a broad, integrated presence online with a single-minded message, and 2) converting passive internet users into active brand champions on- and offline, and not just on a single set of mock election results.
Despite the New Media Marketing 101 course outline, Mr Avila gives the mock elections by Election2010 his full, sophomoric endorsement on its veracity and impartiality.
There was a survey that was totally fair because it wasn’t done by the politicians or their PR agencies, nor was money spent to collate this information. The latest Facebook mock survey covering the period Nov.23-29. Gilbert Teodoro bagged 58% of the votes, Noynoy Aquino bagged 31.76%, Manny Villar got 7.10%, while former Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada got 1.1%. The first two Facebook mock surveys showed Noynoy was leading the race.
- Straight Shooter (The Freeman), via www.philstar.com Updated December 01, 2009
While the Election2010 mock poll could in fact be “totally fair”—conducted without bias or rigging it—the methodology is up in the air. This is where SWS and Pulse Asia surveys are a great, reliable resource; each survey result has details on sample size, age, and methodology for getting the information, not to mention complete transparency with regard to commissioner, or exclusivity or first rights to publish.
The Election2010 poll has none of these. Nobody went out to find respondents. The respondents may have found it by search, accident, or by referral. Because of this uncertainty, the trending in Gibo’s favor is not clear. Was it due to comments by any candidate? Did the Gibo machinery mobilize supporters to find that App and vote? Is there a margin of error, in the case of mistaken identity or accidental answering?
None of these possible causes are more or less improbable than the other, if at all. Neither are they unethical or underhanded since its credibility is far from established. But without Mr Avila’s discerning its methodology, and to then proclaim it to be “totally fair” is naïve and irresponsible as a journalist.
What’s more, Mr Avila published a similar article, this time in the Philippine Star, “A look at the surveys done by Facebook.” It is difficult to see that he is referencing the same poll, as in the Philippine Star article, the poll period has changed from Nov. 23-29 to Nov. 20-30. The poll results also changed, and so did his tone, saying instead that the “mock surveys of Facebook have become a counter balancer to the pollsters surveying voters in this country.”
Not only is he lacking with background facts, but the facts that he does have are not as straight as his column name suggests.
Apparently, Facebook came up with a third mock survey for Nov. 20-30th and lo and behold, Lakas-Kampi Presidential bet, Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. bagged a significant 58.69% lead over Noynoy who bagged 31.90%. This was followed by Sen. Manny Villar at 5.80%, Erap at 1.45%. Now should we believe in the Facebook survey? Perhaps those batting for Noynoy would no longer believe it as he has slid down from the top.
- Straight Shooter (The Philippine Star) via www.philstar.com Updated December 02, 2009
Clearly, his goal is single-minded agreement with Chiz’s two month-old Quixotism, “Facebook or Twitter is a better sampling than our present crop of pollsters.”
So if Facebook or Twitter is indeed a better sampling mechanism, it is important to look at similar indicators evident on these social networking sites. As of December 1, 2009, Noynoy’s Official Facebook “Politician Page” has 110,679 supporters as compared to Gibo’s 8,950 fans. Chiz’s Facebook Politician Page has almost the same number as Manny Villar’s page at just around 39,000.
On Twitter, the short messaging service online, Noynoy has 22,045 followers while Gibo has 5,105. At the same time, according to internet analytics, Noynoy is collecting more followers at a 2:1 ratio when compared to new followers of Gibo.
Even Senator Mar Roxas, Liberal Party candidate for vice-president, has more followers than Gibo, with 23,366.
In summary, Mr Avila is creating great, albeit negative press for Gibo’s success on this “Facebook survey” as he repeatedly calls it. And while the Arroyo-backed candidate is improving his online presence, the bigger picture, backed by solid and self-evident statistics, shows Noynoy with a commanding lead in terms of fans, supporters, and followers in this multi-dimensional field called social media or new media. And in spite of Noynoy’s early lead among Facebook and Twitter users, there is no indication that his snowballing popularity will slow, as week-on-week incremental numbers show.
On the surface, Mr Avila postures with healthy, journalistic skepticism in both of his articles. However, the straight shooting “skeptic” gets converted to “believer” in a quick draw, and that is the product of a lack of investigation, lack of hunger for facts, and lack of critical analysis.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Weight of the World
One of my favorite ad campaigns of all time is the Dove CampaignforRealBeauty.com. The website features real girls with real issues about their self-esteem. It claims that 92% of females surveyed have something to hypothetically change in their appearance, and 35% of the time, it’s their weight.
When I first saw the poster of six scantily-clad women, I realized that something didn’t fit. The women on the poster weren’t the typical Victoria’s Secret models that I’m accustomed to one day dating. For starters, some of them were black. But the next thing that I noticed was that they were bigger. As an equal opportunist for beautiful, confident women of all colors and sizes, this was a huge turn on. And to this day, I talk about it as if it changed my life. Because it did. (My advertising life, at least.)
Today, there’s a thriving industry selling plus-sized fashion. But for that year, 2006, that these women weren’t wearing dark colors or vertical stripes, or anything at all but white bras and panties, it was, figuratively, tits. These were real women with real curves. And they were sexy.
That campaign went on to sweep the world with billboards proclaiming wrinkles as wonderful, freckles to be flawless, and a youtube video that has gotten millions of hits from men and women of all shapes and sizes, including aspiring art directors who needed a quick photoshop tutorial.
It was, and still is a caring, heartfelt marketing effort by Dove, a brand that is—surprisingly—still in the business of selling dirt-removing soap, moisturizing cream, and exfoliant. Their mantra of ‘be yourself and love yourself’ apparently has limits on how yourself you can actually be.
Thus, I was thrilled when I started watching the reality TV show The Biggest Loser. As a humanitarian that abstains from eating humans, I found the intense workouts and the punishing regimens by the contestants to be so inspiring, even my eyeballs were sweating by the season finale. I wasn’t crying. No, I save my tears for real emergencies. Like saving a nail from getting hit by a hammer.
Finally, someone took the Dove campaign to the next level. Finally, there was a place for dangerously obese men and women on television, aside from Queens, NY; a plus-sized niche on prime time that was raking in the low-cal, high-fiber ad dollars.
The Dove campaign was great, despite controversial leaks that the six women in their underwear did indeed get some airbrushing of their own. However, I think that The Biggest Loser really takes the cake as to what entertainment and advertising should be. This show goes above and beyond the typical marketing strategy of putting "good-looking" people on air, because I’ve seen the contestants in the finale at their thinnest and fittest, and they’re not drop-dead gorgeous. But they are beautiful, as I think all women are, and should acknowledge in themselves. On another TV breakthrough, the producers didn’t introduce a teenage vampire mid-season, and there is no laugh track. True, there is the element of alliances and voting off of dieters, a disregard of success or failure in the simple objective of the game. But while as in life, it doesn’t follow that we should like the best, the smartest, or the richest we are surrounded with, we can and should always help the ones we do like to succeed as much as we can.
The Biggest Loser is so revolutionary in the way it goes beyond the two benchmarks of success in the freakfest we call cable entertainment; product placement and Nielsen ratings. Last I saw, it was just Jell-O and 24-Hour Fitness that was prominently displayed. This show is all about rejecting reality; by the contestants, and the norms of beauty in a society. They reject being at risk of weight-related illnesses, skipping parties and doctor’s appointments (stuff you learn from the Dove website) and supplant it with the brilliance of a TV show producer’s vision, and hundreds of thousands of US dollars. It is oozing with high-minded, transformative qualities that the Dove company couldn’t possibly turn into moisturizing gravy, even if they were run by the Nazi fourth Reich.
With the biggest contest on Earth coming to Asia, I can’t wait for the fervor of health and wealth to sweep the continent. But most importantly, I can’t wait for the conversations to start in households, amongst couples, and in the minds of youngsters who are at risk of living a life of obesity. There is no taboo in being overweight, only in bringing it up. The elephant in the room is not the pants that need four hands to zip it up. It’s in our inability to call a spade a spade.
Dove did a marvelous thing by calling a spade a real, beautiful spade. But nothing compares to seeing a bunch of hopeful, honest, fat people at an audition shouting out, “I’m The Biggest Loser!”
When I first saw the poster of six scantily-clad women, I realized that something didn’t fit. The women on the poster weren’t the typical Victoria’s Secret models that I’m accustomed to one day dating. For starters, some of them were black. But the next thing that I noticed was that they were bigger. As an equal opportunist for beautiful, confident women of all colors and sizes, this was a huge turn on. And to this day, I talk about it as if it changed my life. Because it did. (My advertising life, at least.)
Today, there’s a thriving industry selling plus-sized fashion. But for that year, 2006, that these women weren’t wearing dark colors or vertical stripes, or anything at all but white bras and panties, it was, figuratively, tits. These were real women with real curves. And they were sexy.That campaign went on to sweep the world with billboards proclaiming wrinkles as wonderful, freckles to be flawless, and a youtube video that has gotten millions of hits from men and women of all shapes and sizes, including aspiring art directors who needed a quick photoshop tutorial.
It was, and still is a caring, heartfelt marketing effort by Dove, a brand that is—surprisingly—still in the business of selling dirt-removing soap, moisturizing cream, and exfoliant. Their mantra of ‘be yourself and love yourself’ apparently has limits on how yourself you can actually be.
Thus, I was thrilled when I started watching the reality TV show The Biggest Loser. As a humanitarian that abstains from eating humans, I found the intense workouts and the punishing regimens by the contestants to be so inspiring, even my eyeballs were sweating by the season finale. I wasn’t crying. No, I save my tears for real emergencies. Like saving a nail from getting hit by a hammer.
Finally, someone took the Dove campaign to the next level. Finally, there was a place for dangerously obese men and women on television, aside from Queens, NY; a plus-sized niche on prime time that was raking in the low-cal, high-fiber ad dollars.
The Dove campaign was great, despite controversial leaks that the six women in their underwear did indeed get some airbrushing of their own. However, I think that The Biggest Loser really takes the cake as to what entertainment and advertising should be. This show goes above and beyond the typical marketing strategy of putting "good-looking" people on air, because I’ve seen the contestants in the finale at their thinnest and fittest, and they’re not drop-dead gorgeous. But they are beautiful, as I think all women are, and should acknowledge in themselves. On another TV breakthrough, the producers didn’t introduce a teenage vampire mid-season, and there is no laugh track. True, there is the element of alliances and voting off of dieters, a disregard of success or failure in the simple objective of the game. But while as in life, it doesn’t follow that we should like the best, the smartest, or the richest we are surrounded with, we can and should always help the ones we do like to succeed as much as we can.
The Biggest Loser is so revolutionary in the way it goes beyond the two benchmarks of success in the freakfest we call cable entertainment; product placement and Nielsen ratings. Last I saw, it was just Jell-O and 24-Hour Fitness that was prominently displayed. This show is all about rejecting reality; by the contestants, and the norms of beauty in a society. They reject being at risk of weight-related illnesses, skipping parties and doctor’s appointments (stuff you learn from the Dove website) and supplant it with the brilliance of a TV show producer’s vision, and hundreds of thousands of US dollars. It is oozing with high-minded, transformative qualities that the Dove company couldn’t possibly turn into moisturizing gravy, even if they were run by the Nazi fourth Reich.
With the biggest contest on Earth coming to Asia, I can’t wait for the fervor of health and wealth to sweep the continent. But most importantly, I can’t wait for the conversations to start in households, amongst couples, and in the minds of youngsters who are at risk of living a life of obesity. There is no taboo in being overweight, only in bringing it up. The elephant in the room is not the pants that need four hands to zip it up. It’s in our inability to call a spade a spade.
Dove did a marvelous thing by calling a spade a real, beautiful spade. But nothing compares to seeing a bunch of hopeful, honest, fat people at an audition shouting out, “I’m The Biggest Loser!”
Monday, November 09, 2009
Celebrating the Crisis - Because floods just don't celebrate themselves
In early October 2009, mild-mannered typhoon Ondoy limped onto Philippine soil, only to unload the largest rainfall in the shortest time ever in these here lands. Two weeks later, the Direct Marketing Association of New York awards the Silver International ECHO to Wikreate (my agency in the US) for our 2008 Celebrate the Crisis party, seen here.
The message of the party was "All-hands-brace-for-economic-impact" cum "Just-keep-swimming." One year, and half a world away, the message of finding the positive, constructive, and divine in the most punishing of acts of God still holds true. Typhoon Ondoy brought snakes, rats, and crocs out of hiding and among the Philippine people, and that's just politicians handing relief goods for the cameras. In the end, Filipinos found more than one reason to celebrate. Closer to 93 million, actually.
The effort to save each other with cooperation showed the best in us. Donations poured in and assembly lines and relief brigades spread the wealth with breathless passion. Bloggers quarterbacked the efforts in some instances, blowing the whistle at government ignorant of underserved areas, warehouses that were brimming with untouched goods, and feeding the spectating netizens with SMS reports from the ground.
For a while--and for a reason--you could track the ebb and tide of the Filipinos' blood, undulating uniformly across thousands of square kilometers of world. Some were wet. Some were dry. Some were celebrating the triumph of man.
I know I was.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Hues With Me?
Foreword: Bayani Fernando aka BF has used pink to paint footbridges, bus corrals, and public urinals for high visibility. As urban legend has it, he uses pink and blue because they are his and his wife's favorite colors.The Inquirer today printed a short editorial, calling for the rethink of pink. It seems after six-odd years of Bayani Fernando’s use of the color and one “left-leaning,” "pinko" request in congress for an formal inquiry into the matter, the Inquirer now thinks that the MMDA should reverse itself and cease and desist the use of pink.
The Inquirer Editors' rationale?
“Pink is a color commonly associated with femininity. Thus, a baby girl wears pink, a boy, blue. Soft pinks are associated with romance and the blush of a young woman’s cheeks.”
It blathers on about ribbons, breast cancer, and the pink triangle as a marker for GLBTs. In closing, the editorial argues against the color, “not only mar[ring] the city’s landscape but also violat[ing] local and international regulations on signs and signals. We agree. If compliance and discipline is the objective, why not use a more assertive color like blue?”
Color, and its power of persuasion, dear editors, is in the eye of the beholder. I fail to see the direct connection between civic and legal compliance by Filipinos and local or international color schemes. Let me edit myself: I fail to see Filipinos complying with Bawal Umihi Dito (No Pissing Here), the Ten Commandments, and less divine regulations, laws, presidential decrees, rules on decency, morality, and mea culpa, brevity.
But you, dear male editors, may be color blind, making your black and white assessment so easy to make. I, for one, am bemused but thrilled by BF’s work and his colorful attitude. I have heard many stories about the Chair’s behavior and off-color remarks during meetings, and the impression that I get is that Bayani Fernando has a vision, unlike other so-called public servants. His vision is, as you put it, “compliance and discipline” and its execution is steeled in the same. The medium is the message, as they say in communications.
Political will, to all you primary-color minded morons, comes in all hues and saturations. And while red means stop and green means go (except when Makati Mayor "Joblackma" Binay has the lights blink yellow to—in a twist of logic—chromatically remind you who is in charge) there seems to be no precedent for the color pink. Chalk it up to an “Onli in da Pillipins” thing. Paint it any way you like, but judge on merit, and not on unrelated, sexist classification, or the grey non-issue of fences, or the festering (but, apparently relaxing) green of political envy. Bayani Fernanado has done more for Metro Manila than all the black, brown, and white mayors, congressmen, and barangay chairs in his jurisdiction, combined.
One man finally has the audacity to take a stand, both on a color and on a blushing topic like Filipinos’ lack of discipline when no one is watching, and all you can think about is homosexuals and nursery rhymes? Way to think, pink.
(Now, should he run for president? That's another story altogether.)
Related article:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090105-181537/MMDA-chief-tickled-pink-by-fence-critics
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Why is Ka Noli so silent?
Another journalist has been gunned down in my country, this time a radio announcer from Samar. This brings to eight the count of dead journalists in this year, and 60 since Mrs Arroyo assumed power.We, as Filipino citizens, have a responsibility to hear, see, and feel this as a grave threat against our basic freedoms.
Please, please, PLEASE email Ka Noli de Castro, our "Working Vice-President," and plead with him to speak out against these killings.
Go to Open Letter to VP de Castro and copy, edit, and send it to the feedback section of the Office of the Vice President.
Spread the word about those who speak for thousands.
Protect those who seek out information and alert the world.
Stand up for those who have god-given courage, skill, and temerity to bring you your news.
Our journalists may not always cover the things that we are most interested in. We may disagree with their views or even ridicule them for the way that they dispense them. But we cannot, as a free nation, tolerate their harassment or violent treatment, nor can we abide the inaction by local and national government in bringing the killers and the masterminds even within earshot of justice.
Take action. Email Ka Noli de Castro, and ask him to speak out against these killings and for him to take action, too.
Go to Open Letter to VP de Castro and copy it, edit it, and send it to our "Working Vice-President." (http://www.ovp.gov.ph)
You can also scroll down my notes here on FB to find the same letter. This is a simple act that can affect us all. God knows, killing journalists is already changing our nation into the second most dangerous place for journalists, only after Iraq.
For the record, please leave a comment here so that people can see that we don't turn deaf ears and blind eyes to these crimes. Feel free to post this on your FB page or wherever.
As a writer, I thank you. - Carlos
Monday, December 01, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
0-1-0
Fundamentally, every digital device as we know it is created from binary code, 0/1, which really means On/Off or closed-/open-circuit. This is in tangent to the article on NSA encryption reevaluation that I just read, but as I was fascinated by it, I remembered all the times that I realize that I have no idea how the world works. We've built such a comfortable sconce of things, mechanical marvels and angels pirouetting on microchips, machines that service machines, and pulsating energy, mere information! that actually forms virtual things—quite literally unclaspable facsimiles, concepts held over from our recent history and obsolete memory; of pen and ink, fire and stone, oral history, music, and life with yet uninspired, insinuated lungs.That we have technologies literally built one on top of the other like some haphazard, damn-the-future-archaeolog
(I read another article on a new search engine that is trying to one-up—or down—google etc by accepting loooooooong strings of text to find specific articles. Apparently, the google search system has loopholes in that it has a 32-keyword limit, it finds data based on popularity, and others, all of which—according to the creators of this new technology—only fetches 1% of all internet content. Therefore, there is a hundred times more internet than we lay people imagine or have come in contact with. The concept of this search is called deepdyve. )
While I abhor the use of "literally" when people oft mean "virtually," or "metaphorically speaking," or "exaggeratingly yours, Helen," we are at the cooling point of the melding universe of our creation. "Virtual" and "real" are solidifying, the duality is such that floating bits of information can be shooed away and stirred to life like phosphorescent plankton displaying its utmost fragility.
I made a prediction in front of a Facebook worker in Cafe Bean on Sutter St: the next major terrorist attack won't be an A-bomb in a football stadium parking lot during halftime. It will be digital, maybe an EMP, it will decimate our digital lives, and for a second, everyone will stop, tap their mouses, try to scroll, reboot, and give up. Some will give up. Some will inevitably make new stuff up from a DOS floppy disk that he saved and framed for nostalgic purposes. I guess that's why we should all keep a hammer handy.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Hoy! Gising!
Another journalist slain brings up the number of deaths since GMA's 2001 ascendance to the presidency to 54. (Click to read the The Age article.)
As grievous a loss of precious life as this is, this is more alarming when we see that the Philippines is the most dangerous place to work as a journalist, second only to Iraq.
These are not victims of bad spelling, punctuation, or mixed metaphors. These, almost to a victim, are reported to be critical of the rampant, RAMPANT corruption in the Philippines.
Let it be known that Vice President Noli de Castro was one of the most popular news anchorpersons in the Philippines since press freedom was reinstituted after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.
What does the Veep have to say about this? He had a TV show, "Hoy Gising!" which means, "Hey! Wake Up!" which exposed ineffective governance. I used to watch this a LOT growing up and I know that most Filipinos did, too.
And now, no one can sound the call to government leaders and concerned citizenry alike, not only because they are dead, but because they are being terrorized to death. Contact VP Noli "Kabayan" de Castro ("countryman") to urge him to publicly comment on this and take steps to find the murderers of his fallen colleagues.
Copy, edit, and paste the letter below and visit http://www.ovp.gov.ph/ to send "the working vice president" a Hoy! Gising! email.
=======letter begins=======
Dear Kabayan, Vice President Noli de Castro,
Throughout the years, we have looked up to you as a patriot and a voice for us all who suffered the slow movement of justice and progress. As a young man, you joined DWWW in an era when it was heroic to simply wear the press badge, and it was unthinkable to speak out and stand up against the strangling administration of Marcos and his cronies.
Years later, after a fruitful period of liberty and nationalism, you became the golden voice of Filipino news.
Your run for the Senate (as an independent, a lone voice amidst the machinery of vote-buying and election swindling) you were supported by 16 million Filipinos when you ran for Senator.
When you won, you authored Senate Bill No. 2029 or the "Local Government Transparency Act" which aimed to end corruption through transparency measures in the local government units.
Today, your responsibilities include looking out for OFWs and the working class' housing opportunities and more as Head of the National Price Coordinating Council.
But what we need now, Kabayan Vice President, is help in securing press freedom and vigilance against corruption and poor governance, as you once did in your days with DZMM and ABSCBN. The Philippines ranks the highest in journalist deaths, second only to a war zone, Iraq. Surely, you remember the fear of retribution when you uncovered and reported on irregularities and inaction in your time as the most popular and influential newsman in the Philippines.
We need your voice and your action again today to stop the violence against journalists who are alerting our countrymen to the misdeeds of our elected officials. Please make a statement denouncing these killings and intimidation of the greatest symbol of our liberty, the right to free speech.
Your historic Senate Bill 2029 will be useless if the transparency you advocated will be overshadowed by fear and stained with the blood of your fallen colleagues. Please act on their behalf, as they have acted on the behalf of the Filipino people.
Sincerely,
Your name here
====letter ends=====
Copy, edit, and paste this onto the comment field on http://www.ovp.gov.ph/
"Evil prevails when good men do nothing."
As grievous a loss of precious life as this is, this is more alarming when we see that the Philippines is the most dangerous place to work as a journalist, second only to Iraq.
These are not victims of bad spelling, punctuation, or mixed metaphors. These, almost to a victim, are reported to be critical of the rampant, RAMPANT corruption in the Philippines.
Let it be known that Vice President Noli de Castro was one of the most popular news anchorpersons in the Philippines since press freedom was reinstituted after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.
What does the Veep have to say about this? He had a TV show, "Hoy Gising!" which means, "Hey! Wake Up!" which exposed ineffective governance. I used to watch this a LOT growing up and I know that most Filipinos did, too.
And now, no one can sound the call to government leaders and concerned citizenry alike, not only because they are dead, but because they are being terrorized to death. Contact VP Noli "Kabayan" de Castro ("countryman") to urge him to publicly comment on this and take steps to find the murderers of his fallen colleagues.
Copy, edit, and paste the letter below and visit http://www.ovp.gov.ph/ to send "the working vice president" a Hoy! Gising! email.
=======letter begins=======
Dear Kabayan, Vice President Noli de Castro,
Throughout the years, we have looked up to you as a patriot and a voice for us all who suffered the slow movement of justice and progress. As a young man, you joined DWWW in an era when it was heroic to simply wear the press badge, and it was unthinkable to speak out and stand up against the strangling administration of Marcos and his cronies.
Years later, after a fruitful period of liberty and nationalism, you became the golden voice of Filipino news.
Your run for the Senate (as an independent, a lone voice amidst the machinery of vote-buying and election swindling) you were supported by 16 million Filipinos when you ran for Senator.
When you won, you authored Senate Bill No. 2029 or the "Local Government Transparency Act" which aimed to end corruption through transparency measures in the local government units.
Today, your responsibilities include looking out for OFWs and the working class' housing opportunities and more as Head of the National Price Coordinating Council.
But what we need now, Kabayan Vice President, is help in securing press freedom and vigilance against corruption and poor governance, as you once did in your days with DZMM and ABSCBN. The Philippines ranks the highest in journalist deaths, second only to a war zone, Iraq. Surely, you remember the fear of retribution when you uncovered and reported on irregularities and inaction in your time as the most popular and influential newsman in the Philippines.
We need your voice and your action again today to stop the violence against journalists who are alerting our countrymen to the misdeeds of our elected officials. Please make a statement denouncing these killings and intimidation of the greatest symbol of our liberty, the right to free speech.
Your historic Senate Bill 2029 will be useless if the transparency you advocated will be overshadowed by fear and stained with the blood of your fallen colleagues. Please act on their behalf, as they have acted on the behalf of the Filipino people.
Sincerely,
Your name here
====letter ends=====
Copy, edit, and paste this onto the comment field on http://www.ovp.gov.ph/
"Evil prevails when good men do nothing."
An OpenLetter2.0 to ABS-CBN (A Philippine News Organization)
An OpenLetter2.0 is a letter that you can copy, edit, and send to the prescribed recipients to add your voice to the content of the letter. By swarming the recipient with the same letter or sentiment, we can show that we are watching, thinking, and acting.
Carlos
=======letter begins==========
Please stop comparing Jojo Binay (or any aspirant-du-jour) to Barack Obama. Obama is an outsider who is promising change in business-as-usual Washington. Binay has used his wife and, sure enough, his son to get around term limits and perpetuate his hold on Makati. Makati, despite being the highest revenue earning city in the Philippines, is still Manila-as-usual with undisciplined policemen, traffic enforcers, and PUV drivers. If not for Ayala's high property values and the trickling down from Binay's "pro-poor" projects, he would have been voted out a long time ago.
send to: feedback@abs-cbnnews.com
Carlos
=======letter begins==========
Please stop comparing Jojo Binay (or any aspirant-du-jour) to Barack Obama. Obama is an outsider who is promising change in business-as-usual Washington. Binay has used his wife and, sure enough, his son to get around term limits and perpetuate his hold on Makati. Makati, despite being the highest revenue earning city in the Philippines, is still Manila-as-usual with undisciplined policemen, traffic enforcers, and PUV drivers. If not for Ayala's high property values and the trickling down from Binay's "pro-poor" projects, he would have been voted out a long time ago.
send to: feedback@abs-cbnnews.com
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Abstinence As An Option
Prop 8, California's vote on whether 'marriage' can be applied to couples of the same sex, should never have been put on the ballot. Again: since when has life and love been something to debate? It is indeed a cruel world thrust upon our generation—and generations before—where we align ourselves on the death penalty, abortion, and now, same-sex marriage upon such a simplistic Either/Or tableau.What is on the ballot IS NOT, "Do mothers have the right to kill their unborn child?"
It IS NOT, "Is homosexuality deviant and therefore an affront to what 'marriage' or 'family' is?"
It IS NOT, "Does a heinous crime warrant the ultimate punishment?"
What IS on the ballot is fear, mistrust, intolerance, an insecurity that society will not support ME when my life is in others' hands.
If you voted, whether 'yea' or 'nay', the fact that our capacity as humans to show compassion and solidarity is defined by a show of hands is an indictment of us all. We will point fingers long after any decision is made, because a decision was foolishly required.
California should have abstained on this. Unfortunately, the excitement that "my vote" really mattered in a historic election bubbled over into a giddiness that overlooked voters' ability to—in case of defeat—accept the democratic outcome. After all, you could practically hear the marching band on Election Day playing "If God Be With Us, Who Can Be Against Us?"
This is one case where snubbing the ballot would have drummed just as loudly, if not louder.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Calling
I've found my muse in a new blog site, myspace.com/blarmey.
My new blog is there. I aim to see what I have here and transfer some over there if it's worthy at all in retrospect.
If you want to check out my music (rough, few, but heartfelt and true) please check out myspace.com/carlosgarch.
Then add me as a friend. I need more guy friends so that girls will like me for who I am, not because I am a pimp who brings her money.
My new blog is there. I aim to see what I have here and transfer some over there if it's worthy at all in retrospect.
If you want to check out my music (rough, few, but heartfelt and true) please check out myspace.com/carlosgarch.
Then add me as a friend. I need more guy friends so that girls will like me for who I am, not because I am a pimp who brings her money.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Great Scot!
He speaky Engrish funniree.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1246270671
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1246270671
Friday, November 17, 2006
Goodbye Hello Goodbye
Nothing in this world is meant to last. Not silence; nor pain; nor the rush of a drug that smoothes all kinks in the fabric of life.
It's Friday today. Interesting. A hot muggy day. Not much different from Manila. Except I am in San Francisco with a computer in an office overlooking the bay. It's 10:13 am and cloudy as hell outside and empty inside with exception to the painting students that randomly go in and out of the studio across the hall and Ted Roberts, online coordinator for the Advertising Department, whom I beat this morning to be the first in.
It's been 2 and a half months now since I left a beautiful one-bedroom on Polk St.--a long road that runs the length of San Francisco's social spectrum. Things haven't changed much from me. Still quietly haunting the streets of the city by the bay with my long hair unshaven face and eyes hidden behind sunglasses even when the sun don't shine.
Well, I have moved into a new apartment. Much smaller. A little more expensive. Cozier but lonelier in the midst of crackdealers, whores, and lunatics. A little piece of hell that is kept at bay by two steel gates.
Still, I am as isolated today as I ever was. Without the internet or television or radio, I am left to my own devices, playing the guitar, recording music, writing songs about my melancholy waiting for the day that I can write about how good my life is and how happy I would be to share this with someone or someones.
Ah, bullshit. Nothing ever changes. I've never been in a relationship more than 6 months except for once, and that was interrupted by a flight to America, where my destiny was written in making commercials. Selling things, ideas, and motivations to people is hard, but very rewarding when done well. It doesn't have to be a soulless job. After all, you can get people to act positively, support causes, even support corporations that have causes so that you can act through them if you are too busy or too self-consumed.
It's Friday today. Interesting. A hot muggy day. Not much different from Manila. Except I am in San Francisco with a computer in an office overlooking the bay. It's 10:13 am and cloudy as hell outside and empty inside with exception to the painting students that randomly go in and out of the studio across the hall and Ted Roberts, online coordinator for the Advertising Department, whom I beat this morning to be the first in.
It's been 2 and a half months now since I left a beautiful one-bedroom on Polk St.--a long road that runs the length of San Francisco's social spectrum. Things haven't changed much from me. Still quietly haunting the streets of the city by the bay with my long hair unshaven face and eyes hidden behind sunglasses even when the sun don't shine.
Well, I have moved into a new apartment. Much smaller. A little more expensive. Cozier but lonelier in the midst of crackdealers, whores, and lunatics. A little piece of hell that is kept at bay by two steel gates.
Still, I am as isolated today as I ever was. Without the internet or television or radio, I am left to my own devices, playing the guitar, recording music, writing songs about my melancholy waiting for the day that I can write about how good my life is and how happy I would be to share this with someone or someones.
Ah, bullshit. Nothing ever changes. I've never been in a relationship more than 6 months except for once, and that was interrupted by a flight to America, where my destiny was written in making commercials. Selling things, ideas, and motivations to people is hard, but very rewarding when done well. It doesn't have to be a soulless job. After all, you can get people to act positively, support causes, even support corporations that have causes so that you can act through them if you are too busy or too self-consumed.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The Finger
Hey all.
I want to break the notion that I only have things to say on this blog when things go wrong or when I am being persecuted by peons of agencies like "HRP". (Honestly, I thought that HRP meant either Human Resources / Personnel--or Honey, I Ripped My Pants, I'm not a very good spellar, you see.)
Well, if you MUST know, I'm still being persecuted, mostly by the front covers of Sports Illustrated who non-stop whisper things about me to the brides-to-be on the wedding magazines.
But my publicist (played by the man who lives in Fozzie Bear's finger) and HIS intern (played by the woman who lives OUTSIDE of Fozzie Bear's finger) each gave me a great idea.
The first was to throw away the alfalfa sprouts that had been in the fridge for far too long.
The second, though not as urgent as the first, was to post my advertising work on my blog. So that unlike *some* people, *I* have something to prove I exist. Because why would someone go on to create a fictitious person to create bad ads? While some bad advertisers ought to spend the rest of their days thinking about their careers, and whether they spelled spankalicious right or not (who, after all, does one consult when spelling of the word spankalicious?), I have more extroverted shameless self-promotion to do. Well, lucky for me, the woman who lives outside of Fozzie Bear's finger showed me the light, and told me there were no Es in spankalicious. Saving me the embarrassment and a mean bout with salmonella.
So this post is dedicated to the boys in blue who make up the characters in the "new" show, The Shield.
An awesome cast and great writing about a police district in crime-, gang-, drug-filled Farmington, Los Angeles. The temptation to steal, protect druglords, and be on the take for these characters is too great, especially when the lines of morality are blurred by the rising vapors of everyday life and the face-to-face enounters with death.
Friday, April 07, 2006
It's Not the Pale Moon That Excites Me
It was something like 25 days of rain that San Franciscans endured. Some say that this might be a Buiness Book of World Records record. Either that, or the Start Of Something Big.
But! Today was different. The sun shone from the instant I saw the yellow pavement. No, that was not a dog and its peenmanship. It was a humid morning. San Franciscans must have been ecstatic. You know how I know? Because I got this flattering email that I will print verbatim:
April 4
XXXXXXXXX (Harper's name withheld to protect his/her real identity)
Hey!
Making a list of the advertising department at the
academy. If you know someone who's name isn't on this,
please send it over or forward them this email. Puting
together a list for everyone's records. Will send out
a final email when the list is complete.
Blithe
p.s. I hope no one takes advantage of this list and
starts sending spam. just ad stuff please!
(OKAY, innocent enough. But what if it's a spammer? I (Carlos) choose to be on the cautious side)
Apr 5 (2 days ago)
Who are you and what is this for aside from a list "for everyone's records"? And for whom do you work?
(Sure, a bit standoffish. But who sends emails with the intention of getting this forwarded to multiples and chooses to start it with "Hey!", with poor spellchecking, and lowercase starts of sentences? Anyway, it gets better obviously.
Harper Blithe
to me
Apr 6
Oh yeah, I heard about you. Don't worry, I'm removing
you from the list. Everyone happily obliged. You
didn't. Typical.
(Ouchie! What the heck was that? Did I miss something? Well, obviously, the reputation precedes the man, but wow! I got slammed. Meanwhile, some girl thinks the email list is a great idea, and uses the email addresses to get some collaboration on a project of hers. Kudos, Harper! I, on the other hand, prepare my salvo.)
Carlos Garchitorena
to Harper, (bcc:alaushman), (bcc:aherre) ...
More options 12:32 am (22 minutes ago)
Dear Mr Blithe,
Obviously, you don't listen to what people tell you about me. And what's more, you expect me (and everybody) to happily oblige some mass email from a complete stranger who doesn't bother to clarify matters with a simple "I am so-and-so, and I want to create a network of students who can share creative insight, network, and show off their respective talents in an increasingly competetive world saturated with inane media and a dearth of cooperation--when our only objective is to further the consolidation of art and commerce for the good of Peace, Justice, and the American Way." Instead you admit a huge lack of foresight by including me in your well-meaning but unfortunately uninforming and informal email in which, when pressed for said clarification, you choose to be judgemental, shortsighted, and flatly sarcastic. And guess what? *I've never heard of you*. I'd rather be notorious than unknown. Furthermore, fuck you.
Yours Truly,
Carlos Garchitorena
ps: Attached are some screen shots re: your interesting name. Fitting.
pps: Anyone looking for a copywriter? email me blarmey@yahoo.com. About me: in need of intelligent discourse when brainstorming; I like: challenging briefs, concepts and consumer insight to reflect my fascination for "Eh?...Ahhhhh!" advertisements; my fave campaigns: the Economist, Comcastic, and my personal favorite, hybridcenter.org; when critiqueing/brainstorming, I will: 1) give it to you straight, 2) will never say "no", 3) will not stop at a mediocre idea; willing to teach and learn, but only in equal portions.
(Of course, true to form, I fail to attach the said picture files, but needless to say, the dictionary definitions of Harper Blithe are less-than-flattering.)
END OF COMMUNIQUE
So I will update you on the case of Garchitorena v Blithe.
But! Today was different. The sun shone from the instant I saw the yellow pavement. No, that was not a dog and its peenmanship. It was a humid morning. San Franciscans must have been ecstatic. You know how I know? Because I got this flattering email that I will print verbatim:
April 4
XXXXXXXXX (Harper's name withheld to protect his/her real identity)
Hey!
Making a list of the advertising department at the
academy. If you know someone who's name isn't on this,
please send it over or forward them this email. Puting
together a list for everyone's records. Will send out
a final email when the list is complete.
Blithe
p.s. I hope no one takes advantage of this list and
starts sending spam. just ad stuff please!
(OKAY, innocent enough. But what if it's a spammer? I (Carlos) choose to be on the cautious side)
Apr 5 (2 days ago)
Who are you and what is this for aside from a list "for everyone's records"? And for whom do you work?
(Sure, a bit standoffish. But who sends emails with the intention of getting this forwarded to multiples and chooses to start it with "Hey!", with poor spellchecking, and lowercase starts of sentences? Anyway, it gets better obviously.
Harper Blithe
to me
Apr 6
Oh yeah, I heard about you. Don't worry, I'm removing
you from the list. Everyone happily obliged. You
didn't. Typical.
(Ouchie! What the heck was that? Did I miss something? Well, obviously, the reputation precedes the man, but wow! I got slammed. Meanwhile, some girl thinks the email list is a great idea, and uses the email addresses to get some collaboration on a project of hers. Kudos, Harper! I, on the other hand, prepare my salvo.)
Carlos Garchitorena
to Harper, (bcc:alaushman), (bcc:aherre) ...
More options 12:32 am (22 minutes ago)
Dear Mr Blithe,
Obviously, you don't listen to what people tell you about me. And what's more, you expect me (and everybody) to happily oblige some mass email from a complete stranger who doesn't bother to clarify matters with a simple "I am so-and-so, and I want to create a network of students who can share creative insight, network, and show off their respective talents in an increasingly competetive world saturated with inane media and a dearth of cooperation--when our only objective is to further the consolidation of art and commerce for the good of Peace, Justice, and the American Way." Instead you admit a huge lack of foresight by including me in your well-meaning but unfortunately uninforming and informal email in which, when pressed for said clarification, you choose to be judgemental, shortsighted, and flatly sarcastic. And guess what? *I've never heard of you*. I'd rather be notorious than unknown. Furthermore, fuck you.
Yours Truly,
Carlos Garchitorena
ps: Attached are some screen shots re: your interesting name. Fitting.
pps: Anyone looking for a copywriter? email me blarmey@yahoo.com. About me: in need of intelligent discourse when brainstorming; I like: challenging briefs, concepts and consumer insight to reflect my fascination for "Eh?...Ahhhhh!" advertisements; my fave campaigns: the Economist, Comcastic, and my personal favorite, hybridcenter.org; when critiqueing/brainstorming, I will: 1) give it to you straight, 2) will never say "no", 3) will not stop at a mediocre idea; willing to teach and learn, but only in equal portions.
(Of course, true to form, I fail to attach the said picture files, but needless to say, the dictionary definitions of Harper Blithe are less-than-flattering.)
END OF COMMUNIQUE
So I will update you on the case of Garchitorena v Blithe.
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