I used to think yellow journalism is another of those concepts that evolved in the Philippines. Turns out it came from the west, and that “Yellow journalism, in short, is biased opinion masquerading as objective fact. Moreover, the practice of yellow journalism involved sensationalism, distorted stories, and misleading images for the sole purpose of boosting newspaper sales and exciting public opinion.” Ninez-Cacho-Olivarez’s column yesterday puts it well into Philippine context: Read the rest of this entry »

While we were visiting the Koala Park in Sydney, we saw only a few roos (I’m not too familiar with wallabies and kangaroos to spot the difference between the two) with joeys in their pouches. At first there was only a foot or a tail sticking out, so we followed them around, fascinated (or was it them following us knowing we had cereals to feed them with?). It was a treat when finally we saw a head emerge from the pouch of one roo and we wondered how these animals give birth to their young. Is it like other mammals or is there a birth canal inside their pouches? Read the rest of this entry »

(I have been following the series of articles abridged below. They are very revealing and enlightening. The author explicitly enjoins readers to repost, but I have opted not to include the photos. The original post is here.)

In the Philippines and abroad, the name Aquino is linked with democracy and justice. Ninoy Aquino’s death led to the end of the Marcos dictatorship. After the fall of Marcos, Cory Cojuangco-Aquino was to be the new hope of the country, a leader who truly cared for the people.
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Graduation, like other rites of passage, is a momentous occasion in a person’s life.  It is no wonder that marching to the tune of Verdi’s Triumphal March can be a “goosebumps,” deeply touching experience for the graduates, for the parents, and even for the mentors that helped mold the students into what they are now; for the event is indeed a celebration of the triumph over years of enslaving academic work. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s an on-going war between surveys in so far as the forthcoming 2010 election is concerned. So heated are the debates between ardent supporters of candidates, especially among supporters of Noynoy Aquino and Gibo Teodoro, that one commenter likened it to a boxing match. Aquino is leading in the Pulse Asia’s October survey and the Social Weather Station’s 3rd quarter and 4th quarter surveys. Teodoro, on the other hand, is leading in smaller scale surveys like Manila Bulletin and Facebook surveys as well as the UP mock polls. Read the rest of this entry »