Slumdog Child Actor Beaten by Dad Days After Oscars

Real life intersects with celebrity life intersects with Mumbai intersects with Hollywood. From The Sun:

THESE shocking images show Oscar winning Slumdog actor Azharuddin Mohammed receiving a vicious beating at the hands of his father.

Only days after walking down the red carpet in Hollywood the ten-year-old film star was slapped and kicked by dad, Ismail, after refusing to be put on display like a trophy.

I guess he can just suck it up, wait 30 years then write about it in humorous fashion on India's equivalent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. 

Two Chicago Bulls Legends Die Hours Apart

On the same day that the 2008-2009 Chicago Bulls become the probably first NBA team with a losing record to be granted an audience with the President of the United States, two legendary figures associated with the team would die. First, three-time All-Star guard Norm Van Lier, 61, was found dead at his home from yet undetermined causes. Hours later, Johnny "Red" Kerr, the first ever coach of the Bulls and the team's longtime broadcaster, died from prostate cancer at the age of 76. Compounding the coincidence, Van Lier too was a TV analyst for Bulls games.

I never really saw Van Lier play, except in one of those infrequent Bulls games from the 70s they'd rerun on Basketball TV. Kerr however was a distinct figure from my childhood, in his capacity as the color analyst for Chicago Bulls games. 

I was one of those many Filipinos who were Bulls-addled during the Jordan years. At a time when we did not yet have cable, and NBA games were shown only once a week in a weeks-delayed stilted broadcast hosted by Quinito Henson, my primary source for Bulls games was Betamax tapes rented out by a certain store (since long closed) in the second floor of the old Virra Mall. These tapes, usually 2-3 weeks old, were recorded out of Chicago, so they carried the commentary from the team's broadcasters, Kerr and Jim Durham. The routine of renting these tapes went on for a few years, so I became intimately familiar with the Kerr/Dunham routine and idiosyncracies (as well as the incomparable pre-game introductions of Ray Clay). Jordan would have this gimmick at the start of every game -- going over to Kerr and clapping talcum powder in front of him. It was sophomoric, but Kerr was game each time, and soon I grew very cozy with the routine. 

Kerr was intractably biased towards the Bulls (who employed him, after all). I don't know if Kerr could be considered a great broadcaster, but he had a hale and hearty style that was easy to take. When he skipped a Bulls game, there was something missing from the show.

CCP Highlights Historic Exhibit in Ungrammatical Fashion

From the website of the Cultural Center of the Philippines:

I probably will still go. But CCP, really?

The Bangladeshi Coup/Mutiny/Revolution on Twitter

Bangladesh is apparently in the midst of a coup d'etat or revolution that was sparked by a mutiny in the capital of Dhaka. As with the Mumbai massacre, Twitter is emerging as a useful source of what is happening on the ground. Mahmudur Rahman from Dhaka has been tweeting furiously, as well as sending the messages that "panic has now spread all over the country" and that "this is the time to be united". #BDR is the place to go to for the latest updates. 

Why Don't Philippine TV Networks Offer Torrents of Their Programs?

It seems like a real no-brainer to me. TV networks in the Philippines should take the lead worldwide and offer high-quality/hi-definition copies of their locally-produced programs for download via BitTorrent.

I see no downside. There is a sufficient demand for local programs here and especially for OFWs abroad to ensure constant seeding. The novelty of network TV programs being offered for legal downloading via torrent would also entice foreigners to check out those local TV shows, especially if subtitles are included (do not underestimate the capacity of foreigners to sit through our telenovelas just to ogle our babes).

To take advantage of this expanded market, the networks can offer special rates for advertisers who are interested in having their ads bundled within the uploaded programs. If these ads are seamlessly integrated into the uploaded program, there would be little incentive of end-users to edit them out if they wish to redistribute them on the internet.

Unlike in the U.S., our local programming is not offered on other international networks, hence offering these via torrents won't interfere with any exclusive right to rebroadcast ceded to those other networks. I also don't think DVD sales of local TV programs are large enough that the decline in such sales caused by these torrents would put a crimp in the network's financial bottom line, assuming that such losses are not offset by the income earned from the special advertising contracts. Moreover, the DVD market can still be maintained by offering exclusive special features that would entice the true-blue fanatics and completionists.

And think of the massive goodwill that either ABS-CBN, GMA, or TV5 would earn around the world if any of them becomes the first or among the first networks to offer its programming via torrent. This could be a game-changer for the internatioanl broadcasting industry. Due to a combination of human nature and the idiosyncracies of the BitTorrent framework, the use of this technology to disseminate mass media regardless of copyright restrictions is here to stay and to be improved upon. It will be inevitable that the networks will have to embrace this new paradigm. TV networks in the Philippines are in a peculiar position to exploit this technology and actually earn more profits than if they maintained the status quo.

Filipino Congressman Proposes to Confer Honorary Citizenship on Convicted American Felon

From the Inquirer, Rep. Antonio Diaz (2nd District, Zambales) has filed several bills in the House of Representatives seeking to confer honorary citizenship on 4 American lawmakers who helped push for benefits to Filipino World War II veterans.

Diaz' bills, filed February 18, seek want to confer the status on US Senators Theodore Stevens, Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, and Representative Bob Filner for being instrumental for the benefits finally being accorded the Filipino soldiers after a very long battle.

Yup, Senator Theodore "Ted" Stevens. Former Senator Ted "The Internet is a Series of Tubes!" Stevens of Alaska, who lost his re-election bid in 2008 after being convicted of seven felony charges relating to graft and corruption. Now, he may well have been diligent and instrumental in pushing for benefits to Pinoy WWII vets, good for him. Still, it does not necessarily send a pleasant signal if the Philippines bestowed the highest honor possible to a foreigner on a politician criminally convicted on graft and corruption charges. 

Abbey Road Perspectives

Video of the week/month! If I am blessed to ever get to Abbey Road, I probably will go hippie-hick and pose. This time-lapse video though of a day in a life of Abbey Road just shows though how gauche the entire enterprise is. Via Andrew Sullivan and Boing Boing.

Common-Law Relationship Not Ground for Discipline of Lawyers

I just came across this 2008 Philippine Supreme Court decision which apparently received no publicity but will be of general interest to government employees and lawyers. The issue was whether an unmarried lawyer may be disciplined for maintaining a common law (out of wedlock) relationship and having children with another unmarried individual. 

The respondent in the case (Re: Toledo v. Atty. Toledo, A.M. No. P-07-2403, 6 February 2008), a clerk of court, had been living together with the unmarried mother of his three children for twelve years. For that circumstance, his superiors at the Office of the Court Administrator recommended that he be suspended for three months for "conduct unbecoming a public official and a court employee", and afterwards, he be given 30 days to marry the mother of his children or otherwise resign. 

The Supreme Court rejected the recommendation. There are portions of the ruling¹ that make it quite clear that an out-of-wedlock relationship between unmarried individuals is not cause for disciplinary sanction on the ground of immorality.

This decision validates the choices of unmarried individuals who for whatever reason, are uninterested in the contract of marriage yet wish to live together and start a family (though the children of course will be "illegitimate" and will have to contend with the legal implications of such status). There is no law penalizing unmarried consenting individuals who engage in sexual relations, live together, or have children out of wedlock and live together as a family. (Extramarital relations though are a different matter) Even while lawyers and government employees are judged at a higher standard due to the public service component of their lives, those who engage in such behavior are still not breaking any law. The perception that common-law relationships between unmarried individuals is somehow illegal in the Philippines is probably brought about by the dominant Catholic religion, which frowns upon such relationships. Still, that aspect of Catholic morality has not been translated into Philippine law, and those mores as untransubstantiated cannot be the basis for legal sanction since our Constitution is a religion-neutral document. 

While the particular case involved the administrative discipline of a lawyer, I see no reason why it would not apply as well in the case of government employees. 

---

¹To wit:

"In disbarment cases, this Court has ruled that the mere fact of sexual relations between two unmarried adults is not sufficient to warrant administrative sanction for such illicit behavior. Whether a lawyer's sexual congress with a woman not his wife or without the benefit of marriage should be characterized as "grossly immoral conduct" will depend on the surrounding circumstances.

This Court has further ruled that intimacy between a man and a woman who are not married, where both suffer from no impediment to marry, voluntarily carried on and devoid of any deceit on the part of respondent, is neither so corrupt as to constitute a criminal act nor so unprincipled as to warrant disbarment or disciplinary action against a member of the Bar.

xxx

It is not unwarranted for us to take judicial notice of the fact that more and more Filipinos are finding it necessary to seek employment abroad in order to provide their loved ones with better lives. We find nothing "unprincipled and undesirable" with seeking all means within the bounds of law and reason to uplift the lot of one's family. It is not for us to inquire into our personnel's motivations for entering into such an arrangement or to judge how they plan to accomplish their goals in life, unless it is shown that they are violating the law in the process.

While the Court has the power to regulate official conduct and, to a certain extent, private conduct, it is not within our authority to make, for our employees, decisions about their personal lives, especially those that will so affect their and their family's future, such as whether they should or should not be married.

There is no allegation that the two have been flaunting their status as common-law husband and wife, or that their cohabitation is attended by scandalous circumstances. Thus, the comportment of respondent and his common-law wife cannot be characterized as "willful, flagrant, shameless, or show[ing] a moral indifference to the opinion of the good and respectable members of the community" as to warrant the exercise of this Court's disciplinary power."

Why the '09 Oscars Are Like the Catholic Church Under Benedict XVI

1. This Oscars show catered to those within the Hollywood industry and others who are unyieldingly in love with Hollywood. They did little edification for the vast majority of us in the television audience who think Hollywood is somewhat silly. The conservative direction of the Catholic Church under Benedict XVI has delighted the hardcore, but has left many moderate/liberal Catholics feeling less welcome in the Church. In both cases, playing for a narrower market may have resulted in a more intense experience, but for a lesser number of people.

2. Show, don't tell -- so teacheth the writing teacher of whatever payscale or inspiration. The 2009 Oscars epitomized tell, don't show. We learned how wonderful each individual acting nominee was because a legendary peer of theirs told us so. In past years, we had to figure that out by watching the actual film clip of the nominee. This time, all we needed was to trust that miracle of physics that is Sophia Loren.

3. I take back everything nice I had ever had to say about Baz Luhrmann. 

4. Ricky Gervais was right, and is probably right on most other things. 

Oscars LiveBlog

Here's my liveblog. Requires Flash, you can also see it Via my Twitter (click here). I overslept.

My Learned Pre-Oscars Blah Blah Blah

I'll be live-blogging tomorrow's Academy Awards show via Twitter. Drudge is forecasting the most boring Oscars ever, and its hard to disagree. The biggest suspense for me is whether Benjamin Butones scores a spectacular 0 wins out of 13 nominations, a plausible outcome. I couldn't think of a movie I hated more which I have actually yet to see.

On a more positive note, it is equally plausible that Slumdog Millionaire will sweep all of its nine nominations. It was a good movie, perhaps the most deserving of all the Best Picture nominees, but not a timeless classic. If it wins, it would be 4th best of the last ten Best Picture winners (after LOTR-ROTK, before Million Dollar Baby). I do however consider every win Slumdog garners as a slap against Hollywood -- the producers who thought it would do best as a direct-to-DVD release; the historic apathy of Hollywood towards an equally gaudy Bollywood tradition. So I do root for Slumdog.

Back to why this might be the worst Oscars ever. Hugh Jackman hosts, and will evidently be doing a song-and-dance routine. The leaks on what tomorrow brings are out. A narrative line that dictates the order of the awards. A nightclub atmosphere. All these promised changes seem painfully earnest. I generally hate earnest, and the Oscars show has veered away from earnestness ever since Billy Crystal promised no horrible song/dance number that used to open the Oscars. This appears to be a tradition Hollywood intends to bring back, and I suspect it would not work well in this age of The Onion. (You didn't ask, but who was the Best Oscar host of the last 20 years? Steve Martin.)

There is another tradition they will dispense with this year, one of my favorite parts of the show. Remember those In Memoriam reels remembering those who died the previous year, with the audio feed from the show's audience left untampered? That portion has always gotten to me in an unserious way, as some names get more applause than others -- the Hollywood folks' final verdict on the ultimate worth of a deceased member of the film industry. (See 2003, almost nothing for Cape Fear's J. Lee Thompson [1:01], woohoos for Billy Wilder [2:35]. Can't find the YouTube, but some people did applaud Leni Riefenstahl in 2004) This portion of the Oscars has always struck me as the most brutally honest portion of the show, but this year, they are cutting the audio feed. Boo! Hiss!

(speaking of, I didn't realize that 1993 was such a brutal year for film)

Awesome The Office (U.S.) Fan MTV

If you are addicted to the U.S. version of The Office -- addicted as in you have seen virtually of all the episodes and you get "Ryan Started the Fire" and 80 to 100% of all of the references in this fan-made video -- then this is heavenly. If you are not addicted or just middlingly interested in The Office, then just trust me that this is as comprehensive and knowledgeable a love letter to The Office as there can be. Via Jenna Fischer's MySpace blog ("The cast has been forwarding this around...we all love it.") created by Brad E. and Ashley G. 

Brief note about We Didn't Start the Fire. As a nerdy second-year high schooler, I was proud to have gotten around 60% of that song's references when it first came out, and proceeded to read up on the 40% I didn't get. Meanwhile, the history teacher of the batch lower then mine actually gave an exam based on the Billy Joel opus. Lucky them. In retrospect though, it was a pretty stupid song. 

Extinct Bird Found in the Philippines -- Then Eaten

From National Geographic. Not as heartwarming as the tale of the coelacanth. In fact, pretty tragic:

A rare quail from the Philippineswas photographed for the first time before being sold as food at a poultry market, experts say.

Found only on the island of Luzon, Worcester's buttonquail was known solely through drawings based on dated museum specimens collected several decades ago.

Liveblogging the 2-17, 6/49, 249 Million Peso Lotto Draw

8:48: Twelve minutes to the historic lotto drawing estimated to offer a jackpot prize of 249 Million Pesos, the highest second-highest prize ever. It is rather difficult to blog lucidly while treacly lotto fantasies are dancing in your head. NBN's news show Batingaw, which precedes the lotto draw, is however doing a good job drawing me down to earth. Just minutes ago, they kinda reported that the Arroyo stimulus plan is better than the Obama stimulus plan. Utang na loob.

Some lotto trivia. The first modern attempt to introduce the lotto in the Philippines was in 1994, but it was barred by the Supreme Court. In 1995, the Supreme Court allowed it. The very first jackpot winner was an old man who thought he was lining up for a movie ticket at SM Megamall when he instead bought a ticket. He happened to be a former family driver of retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Enrique Fernando.

8:56: More lotto trivia. Burke's Law, a 1990s remake of the 1960s detective show (both starring Gene Barry), lasted only 27 episodes. It also was one of the highest-rated US television shows in the Philippines in the mid-1990s. It happened to air immediately before the lotto draw at then PTV-4. Lucky Gene Barry.

9:02: The draw is about to start. If NBN were smart about this, they would have led up the lotto draw with an all-sparkles variety show padded with commercials. The draw should be supervised by Pinoy heroes such as Manny Pacquiao. This did not happen of course.

9:05: I haven't consciously viewed a lotto drawing in years. I see that it is now preceded by a tuneless jingle replete with actors fake-jumping in the manner of 1980s commercials for god knows what snack food during PBA games. Jun Dequina hosts, I thought it was still Kathy de Leon. Graphics of various lotto games dance at his background. They are unattractive in early 90s fashion.

9:07: Interestingly, power went out for around 15 seconds or so. My UPS saved my computer, though I had to redial the DSL connection.

9:08: Another hard part about this live-blog -- what if I win? There are obvious risks if I share that fact here.

9:09: Starts of with Easy-2 lotto. That's not the baby we are looking to adopt.

9:11: Something now called the "Suertres 3 Lotto". Boy, PCSO has really been milking this lotto. Jun Dequina has a weird uneven smile.

9:13: 6/42 draw now, with a jackpot of around 3.4 Million. Meh.

9:14: I'm looking at my set of numbers right now. Lots of consecutive numerals in them, part of my counter-intuitive 3-second selection system.

9:16: 239,242,111 Pesos. They are dispatching this with minimal fanfare.

9:17: Out by the second number. Good, I won't be able to handle all that money.

9:19: 16-10-12-39-47-07. I don't hear screaming in the immediate neighborhood. It'll be a few hours before we hear if someone got lucky in the monetary sense tonight. The broadcast ends with that atrocious tuneless non-catchy lotto jingle. A songwriter has not been paid enough. Goodnight, and hopefully we repeat this in a few nights.

Philippines the Porkiest Country in the World -- Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's vaunted Philippines episode of No Reservations aired today in the United States. In his complementary blog post, Bourdain hails sisig as "a divine mosaic of pig parts...one of the world's best beer drinking dishes", and the lechon Cebu as the best of all the roasted pigs he has had in the world. Accordingly, he names the Philippines as # 1 in "The Hierarchy of Pork", displacing Bali and Puerto Rico. Seriously, that is the coolest pop culture honor bestowed on Filipinos since Bob Barker acknowledged his familiarity with arnis in a late 1970s episode of The Price is Right (or was it an early 1980s Miss Universe pageant, I confuse the two).

Definitely Maybe has a review of the show posted, and there are bound to be more in the next few hours or days. Arnold over at Inuyaki.com notes that following the dominance of Manny Pacquiao and Filipino pork, all we need is for Charice Pempengco to supplant Celine Dion to complete the official cultural takeover of the world. Once that happens, we must pay homage to the pioneer in that regard, Christopher Lambert's Filipino maid.

I have no idea if or when the episode airs here in the Philippines, but when it does, it should be made required viewing by the Departments of Education and Tourism. After all, I do recall the powers that be declared it so in 1988 with the Philippine airing of A Dangerous Life, which posterity will unfortunately remember as just a TV-movie starring Gary Busey.

Interesting that despite the porky succulence of our cuisine, Filipinos are not a terribly obese lot.

New Rule on Mandatory Legal Aid Service for Practicing Lawyers

Last February 10, the Philippine Supreme Court approved a new Rule on Mandatory Legal Aid Service for Practicing Lawyers. The rule is as implied -- all practicing lawyers will, effective 1 July 2009, be required to render 5 hours a month (60 hours a year) of free legal aid services for indigent and pauper clients. "Free legal aid services" includes appearances in court or quasi-judicial bodies for such clients and the preparation of pleadings or motions, assistance rendered to such clients in court-annexed mediation and other modes of alternative dispute resolution, and services rendered by lawyer as "counsel de oficio".

The Rule is not yet online (I'll link once it is), and the particular details are there. The Rule though only covers "practicing lawyers", excluding by provided definition those who are not allowed to appear in court or quasi-judicial bodies such as government lawyers and officials, and "including those who are employed in the private sector but do not appear for and in behalf of parties in courts of law and quasi-judicial agencies". Also excluded are supervising lawyers of students enrolled in law student practice in duly accredited legal clinics of law schools, and lawyers of NGOs and people's organizations such as the Free Legal Assistance Group who already render free legal aid as a matter of course.

Failure to render the required annual 60 hours would be cause for the lawyer to be declared "not in good standing" with the IBP, in which case such lawyer will be barred from appearing in court or quasi-judicial bodies as counsel for three months, as well as fined P4,000. A lawyer who fails to comply for three consecutive years would be liable, after due proceedings, for suspension for one year. Lawyers who complete the legal aid service during the MCLE compliance period will receive MCLE credits, the distribution of which is provided for in the Rule.

The proposal had originated from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. The Resolution is docketed as BM No. 2012 and dated 10 February 2009. It is bound to be online soon, and it was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Saturday.

The Cory Aquino-Amazing Race 14 Connection

There are no contestants of Filipino descent in the current edition of The Amazing Race. (The last time there was one was in Season 3) Neither will the Philippines be a featured destination this time around (Thank you, Jemaah Islamiyah). 

There is though an unusual connection to the Philippines. Contestant Mel White (the gay activist dad who's racing with his son Mike who wrote School of Rock) has authored several books, including Aquino: The Untold Story! Ninoy and Cory Aquino's Journey of Faith, a 1989 biography of the 11th President of the Philippines. White is the first (and likely forever the only) Amazing Race contestant to have written a published biography of a world leader. A Filipino world leader.

Mrs. Aquino is presently convalescing from her colon cancer treatments. I wonder if she knows of Mr. White's current endeavors, or if she will take the time out to catch this edition of TAR. 

...Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!!!

Arizona Republic:

There are strong indications that the Suns will have a new head coach leading them at Monday's scheduled afternoon practice.

Although no final decision has been made, the apparent plan is for Suns management to fire Terry Porter - who in his first season has led the Suns to a 28-23 record and ninth place in the Western Conference standings - on Monday.

I've kvetched on this issue before. 

The Amazing Race 14 Premieres Tomorrow

My favorite reality TV show that does not involve running around with cutlery (for the most part) premieres Monday morning Manila time (presumably with the usual live feed from Studio 23). Last season was a bore, with the utter dominance of Team Up With People. This season has nowhere to go but up, unless TAR finally reaches its jump the shark moment, in which case, it has been a fun 8 years.

One reason why this next season just has to be more interesting is the participation of a bona fide member of The Frat Pack Circle of Trust. Screenwriter Mike White, who will race with his dad, wrote such agreeable films as School of Rock and Nacho Libre (both starring his friend Jack Black). He also is an occasional actor (Jack Black's roommate in School of Rock). The angle for the race is that Mike and his dad Mel are both gay, but what I'm more interested in is how this putative arts scene hipster who runs around with the Apatow crowd will react to being in such a manipulative and reductive (though fun) TV show. There was such a contestant two seasons ago (Nicolas, son of alternative country singer Robbie Fulks), and his post-race interviews were quite candid.

Hundreds of Lawyers Lost Their Jobs on 2.12.09

For unknown reasons, several top U.S. law firms chose the 200th birthday of the most popular lawyer in American history to lay-off hundreds of lawyers and legal staff. Reporting here from the popular legal blog Above the Law, run by Filipino-American David Lat. The Law Blog of the Wall Street Journal provides the names of some of the affected firms.

Normally during a recession, the government proves the most reliable employer, so it is quite possible that the ranks of U.S. government lawyers would increase, the new administration presumably scrambling to fill its ranks with lawyers who did not graduate from Pat Robertson's Regent University. Otherwise, they can go start writing the great American novel. Or compete in a reality TV show.

On TV Ratings in the Philippines

Why isn't there any regular independent reporting in our local media on Philippine network TV ratings, which apparently are supplied by AGB Nielsen and TNS Philippines? Such ratings are a staple of the daily entertainment news of American media. If its a matter of these ratings being available only to those who subscribe to the Nielsen/TNS services (i.e., ABS-CBN and GMA), then a paper like the Inquirer or Manila Bulletin should also undertake the same subscription. Most often, the news on the ratings is provided for by the press releases of the networks themselves, and that fact in itself makes the public suspicious.

There is a public policy component to this issue beyond bragging rights for the networks. Both ABS-CBN Broadcasting and GMA Network are publicly traded companies with the Philippine Stock Exchange, and the disclosure of any material information that could affect the market price of their respective shares is mandated by law. Credible information on how a network is doing ratings-wise could affect those network's share prices, and the independent media should devote greater effort in regularly reporting without bias the ratings figures.

(I could be wrong about the lack of independent unbiased reporting of the ratings of Filipino broadcast networks. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

"It's Time For the Birdman to Fly"

The end result of the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk competition was most unrighteous and raises legitimate questions whether democracy is in fact a subterfuge of Satan. But on a lighter note, I found myself tracking down on YouTube this classic moment from 2005. "It's time for the Birdman to fly."

Cris Daluz, 74

Cris Daluz was among the most recognizable of Filipino actors whose name you often just can't recall -- a veritable Pinoy charter member of Hey! It's That Guy! He died yesterday after a stroke. His first listed credit on IMDB was for Himala, and he was active until the end, dying on location in Olongapo City where he was shooting scenes for a Korean movie. His was a distinct face, and he was a solid actor.

Mac Sales Seen to Plummet Due to Startling Revelation

From Computer World:

[Intel CEO and President Paul] said Obama called him last night to congratulate him on company's decision. The president "reminded me that he sees the Intel logo every morning when he opens up his laptop; I was pleased to hear that," he noted.

As Taegan Goddard points out, many people would have assumed that Obama is a Mac. Visually speaking, the new President is no John Hodgman. (note, I said visually, Hodgman of course is way hipper than Justin Long) Then again, Obama has already proven to be the best thing to happen to the Blackberry since ever. And do not underestimate the fiscal magic of the Obama Touch. Just the other day, the lady at the Florida town hall meeting who asked for President Obama's help as she was homeless. Now has a home. The kid who complained to Obama he had been stuck working at McDonalds because he couldn't find any other job. Now has new job offers. 

Did the World Nearly End on September 18, 2008?

Since the onset of the global financial meltdown, I've been half-expecting that tipping point when the entire banking system fails, leading to the rapid and utter collapse of the whole financial system. Hasn't happened yet, thankfully, but new information has emerged that it nearly did on September 18, 2008. The info comes from an American congressman, Paul Kanjorski, Democrat from Pennsylvania, during an cable TV interview on C-SPAN last January 27. The interview may be found here, but courtesy of Zero Hedge, here's the relevant transcript:

On Thursday (Sept 18), at 11am the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the U.S., to the tune of $550 billion was being drawn out in the matter of an hour or two. The Treasury opened up its window to help and pumped a $105 billion in the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn't be further panic out there.

If they had not done that, their estimation is that by 2pm that afternoon, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system of the U.S., would have collapsed the entire economy of the U.S., and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed. It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it.

Shallow Hollywoodized me could not help but think maybe this could have been the work of genius anarchist computer hackers. This information, previously undisclosed to the public, has of course aroused more questions. The folks at LiveLeak note that the story of the Congressman are unverifiable via Google, but seashell over at TPM Cafe asserts that the claims are supported (more like tacitly corroborated) by news archives from that period.

UPDATE: The factual accuracy of Rep. Kanjorski's tale is being challenged by Felix Salmon of Portfolio.com, and Daily Kos diarist rerutled. Even assuming that the story is true but Kanjorski inadvertently breaking a code of silence when he revealed it, would he still be able to confirm it to the public?

How Obama and the Dems Lose the Youth Vote. Forever.

They say that Americans generally stand by for the rest of their life the political allegiances they form around the time they reach 18 or cast their first ballot. A staggering majority of 18-29 year old voters voted for Obama. Good tidings for Democrats the next 50 years or so? Wait wait.

Via BoingBoing, reposting without comment from Corante, posted by Alan Wexelblatt:

The new Obama administration is shaping up to be a disaster for Copyfighters everywhere. In particular the new Department of Justice is stacked with lawyers who've been on the wrong side of copyright and intellectual property lawsuits for the last eight years.

First off, there's the #3 man at Justice, Thomas Perrelli, accurately described by CNET as "beloved by the RIAA". Not only has this guy been on the wrong side in the courtroom, he's fingered as instrumental in convincing the Copyright Board to strangle Web radio in its crib by imposing impossible fee structures.

Then there's Neil MacBride, who used to be the Business Software Alliance's general counsel. The BSA, to its credit, hasn't been suing teenagers. Generally their name is associated with large-scale raids on companies that are mass-producing illegal copies of software. Still, it's an industry flak group...

The capper on this line-up of suspicious characters is Donald Verrilli, now up for Associate Deputy Attorney General. This specimen of legal acumen is front and center in the Cartel's jihad, having appeared for Viacom when it sued YouTube, for the RIAA against Jammie Thomas, single mother. And if we peer back a little farther, we find Verrilli's dirty fingerprints on MGM v Grokster.

A Domestic Tourism Stimulus Package for the Philippines

This is a totally amateur idea, but I can't think of anything wrong with it yet. During this worldwide recession, provide for a Php 50,000 annual tax credit to all individual income earners in the Philippines corresponding to their expenditures related to domestic tourism. This idea will work well especially in conjunction with the policy of "holiday economics" favored by the current administration. 

The recession and its aura of panic will compel many Filipinos to cut back on spending, which unfortunately will imperil the economic life of retailers and service providers (and their employees), and so on and so forth. The trick is to create an environment that is conducive to consumer spending. Holiday economics conjoined with a recession will encourage wage-earners and their families to scuttle vacation plans and enjoy intellectually satisfying nights reading at home. Which defeats the very purpose of holiday economics, a policy which businesses outside the tourism sector are not to enamored with in the first place. 

Any person interested in availing of the tax credit should support the same with receipts issued by VAT-registered enterprises in the Philippines that provide tourism-related goods or services, such as airlines and shipping companies, hotels and resort owners and other associated businesses. (Car gasoline expenses, while arguably related to domestic tourism, could lead to abuse of the system, so that should be subject to debate.) Claims for the tax credit that are duly substantiated will result in the issuance of tax credit certificates that may be applied to personal tax liabilities the following year. 

Another alternative would be to allow such domestic tourism expenditures as deductions to the annual gross income. The fifty thousand pesos deduction may be sufficient to downgrade the taxpayer to a lower tax bracket, but not all the time. Yet even if the deduction is not enough to shift your tax bracket, the resulting reduction in taxable income would still result in lower taxes. 

Whichever way, there will be more paperwork for the taxpayer, but even that may be beneficial in that it would lead to more income for accountants. The loss in government revenue from reduced income taxes would hopefully be offset by resulting greater collections of the VAT from VAT-registered enterprises, as well as the economic activity generated by a more active domestic tourism sector. 

Some Trade Suggestions for Amare Stoudemire

With the word that Amare Stoudemire is on the trading block, mainly for financial reasons, the Sarver-Kerr-Porter regime is clearly intent on spitting and spiting the S.S.O.L. era of the run-and-gun Suns. But enough about the past. How should the Suns proceed forward? Here are a few suggestions, all of them verified by ESPN's Trade Machine.

Trade Amare to:

1) Oklahoma City Thunder, for Joe Smith, Nick Collison and Mouhamed Sene;

2) Los Angeles Clippers, for Zach Randolph and Brian Skinner;

3) Chicago Bulls, for Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Thabo Sefolosha

4) Memphis Grizzlies, for Marko Jaric and Darko Milicic

5) Washington Wizards, for Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia, and DeShawn Stevenson

If the Suns want to truly cut clean, they probably should trade Amare AND 2-time MVP Steve Nash. In which case:

- Indiana Pacers, for Rasho Nesterovic, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy

And just for kicks, trading Amare & Nash AND 3-time NBA Finals MVP Shaq:

- New York Knicks, for Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Malik Rose and Tim Thomas.

Will any of these trades improve the Suns? No. Then again, for as long as the Sarver-Kerr-Porter regime are in charge, the Suns are dead to me. 

Newsweek to Stop Reporting "News"

The New York Times reports that Newsweek is about to undergo a radical overhaul. The quest -- fewer but more affluent readers. The casualty -- coverage of the week's news.

The venerable newsweekly’s ingrained role of obligatory coverage of the week’s big events will be abandoned once and for all, executives say.“ 

There’s a phrase in the culture, ‘we need to take note of,’ ‘we need to weigh in on,’ ” said Newsweek’s editor, Jon Meacham. “That’s going away. If we don’t have something original to say, we won’t. The drill of chasing the week’s news to add a couple of hard-fought new details is not sustainable.”

In terms that spite Phil Graham, goodbye first rough draft of history, hello second revision of that usually incompetent first rough draft of history.

Actually, it's not really a bad idea in theory. Newsies (the sort other than Christian Bale) are now satiated by the immediacy of cable and internet news coverage, so the only value-added provided by weekly news magazines is reflective analysis after the passions of a day or three have somewhat died down. Print media in the United States have been especially stymied by the rise of the Internet, especially since that medium has nearly killed off their main source of revenue -- print advertising. The Newsweek plan to go niche, the way of The Economist, is a viable model on paper. The gamble though, especially with the intended price increase, is that its target readership will still be inclined to subscribe to Newsweek at a time when personal expenditures plummet during the current financial downturn.

There is another business model for print media, one that harkens back to earlier days. Sell yourself to a tycoon with conglomerated business and political interests, then reposition as a mouthpiece for your owner's varied pursuits. Sure the paper will continue to lose money, yet the financial backing will continue since the paper's existence serves other non-journalistic purposes. This of course is not a desirable model for the public at large, but as long as the new owner's no T. Herman Zweibel...

Wm. Shakespeare's Five and Twenty Random Things Abovt Me

Courtesy of Boing Boing, list created by Mike McFadden. Samples:

5 Sometimes I thinke plays are all Talke, Talke Talke, and wish for a cart-chase scene. I tried one in The Merry Wives, but it looked like Shitte, so I cut it. The men playing the horses were so Pissed at me. 

20 As a boy in my Bed, I would shriek i’the night that Witches wovld come to eat me. My Mother (bless her) wovld smooth my Hair and whispr ~ Be not afear’d, the Witches onlie eat the Jews.

23 Euery time we do the Taming of the Shrew, some pvnter wants his Money backe, because we don’t actually show a shrew getting tamed. 

The full list is here.

Will There Ever Be A Rainbow Again?

In the U.S., at least.

Blossom Dearie

The American jazz singer Blossom Dearie has died at the age of 82. She had the voice of a dream. I Like London in the Rain (1996, i think):

Christian Bale Dooms Careers of BBC Chat Show Presenters

Christian Bale just spreading more **** around the world:

Christian Bale Makes the Mistake of Apologizing on Radio

He should have e-mailed it. Or performed it on TV through sign-language. Christian Bale instead decided to apologize for his tirade by calling it in on a radio program. Audio is here. The mash-ups of the apology certainly due in a few hours. I love the 21st century. 

Obama 1st U.S. President To Say M****R-F****R In Public

(warning: graphic language)

This is just delicious, awesome, I-don't-know-if-it's-really-irony-but-I'll-call-it-that. Back in 2005, Barack Obama released the audiobook version of his memoir, Dreams of My Father. Which won a Grammy. Which Obama narrated himself. Which mentioned, among others, his bi-racial high school buddy "Ray". Who was somewhat of a badass. Whom Obama imitated in the audiobook several times. Cursing.

The Boston Phoenix has dredged up some of these choice quotes, and presents them in the context of how President Obama can stand tough against the Republicans currently impeding his economic programs. It's best you check out the article yourselves to listen to them all. Here's one of them MP3 files.

“There are white folks, and then there are ignorant motherfuckers like you.”

Hahaha! The U.S. Supreme Court is currently hearing this case, FCC v. Fox, where broadcast networks are challenging various fines levied on them by the federal government. For profanity that aired during live awards shows. Like Bono saying "fuck" during the 2003 Golden Globes. Or Cher saying "fuck" during the 2004 Billboard Music Awards. The government is expected to win. The Supreme Court is expected to reaffirm the 1978 decision in FCC v. Pacifica. Where a radio station was fined. For broadcasting uncensored George Carlin's famous "Seven Dirty Words" routine. Which included, you know, "motherfucker".

Like I said, hahaha!! George Carlin deserves to be alive to hear this.

The Day Rico Yan Tried to Engage Me In Conversation, But Failed

(warning: graphic language)

It was 1997, during my first semester in law school. We had constitutional law class that afternoon, and the recitations were nerve-wracking. I was with some of my classmates at the school library, cramming through the day's assigned readings. At one point, the news reached our table that Rico Yan, accompanied by a camera crew, was roaming through Malcolm Hall, interviewing "martial-law babies" about their thoughts on the then-forthcoming 25th anniversary of the declaration of martial law. The law school crowd was probably abuzz, atwitter. Not us. As typical freshmen, we were especially scared of our professor. Our table stood as an oasis of sobriety against celebrity.

Soon enough, Rico Yan entered the library, a microphone in hand that bore the proud logo of ABS-CBN. He and his crew approached the table nearest the library entrance -- our table. We noticed, we shuffled in our seats, we were distracted. I don't know what process of selection Rico Yan started to employ as he scanned our heads. Eenie-meenie-miney-mo? The whitest person? Let's go with the one with the glasses, surely he must be smart! 

So it was determined that I was the symbolic face and voice of the martial-law generation. I remained seated as Rico Yan presented his microphone in front of my face. "How do you feel about martial law?", as the light flickered on the camera signalling that the tape was rolling. 

I will never know how I looked on camera. I do know what sentiment I was trying to convey. Shut up, Rico Yan. Go away, Rico Yan. Can't you see I'm studying, Rico Yan? To my surprise, there was not a starstruck bone in my body. I looked through Rico Yan with tired glazed eyes. If I had my wits, I probably would have started cursing. Fuck you all, Rico Yan, ABS-CBN and Ferdinand Marcos! Ang martial law ay tangina, tulad ninyong lahat! If you care about martial law so much, why don't you copulate with it, Rico Yan? Let's see if you'll air that on ABS-CBN.

(Then again, ABS-CBN just might have aired it.)

My silence lingered for some seconds before Rico Yan told me, so you don't have any opinion about martial law? His tone shared the disgust of the elders frustrated with the collective amnesia over the martial law experience, and the disgust of a contract star eager to complete the assignment of the day so he can go raving. I remained silent, and indicted in the court of Rico Yan. 

Rico Yan turned to my classmate E, who was even more studious than I was. "What do YOU think about martial law."

"My uncle was killed during martial law."

Rico Yan struggled for moments for words, since E did not offer any clarification. "So I guess martial law was bad for you, huh..." His voice railed.

"Well, yeah..." Mutual silence followed. 

Rico Yan huddled briefly with his crew, then left our table. Later, as we were headed to class, I saw him interviewing an older law student, one who had been interviewed on TV before and one who did not mind talking on camera. That was the last time we saw Rico Yan. 

Worst Songs Ever!

Courtesy of Luis, Riki Lindhome (the blonde) and Kate Micucci render adorable some of the most awful songs of our lifetime. Included in their repertory is Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer, which they intentionally mock (unlike "Alyssa Alano"). Mmes. Lindhome and Micucci deserve stardom and all the riches they can acquire through legal means.

Barbra Streisand Dumps Don Johnson for Christian Bale

You must have already heard Christian Bale's exquisitely profane tirade on the set of Terminator: Salvation, unless you have been living in a non-bat cave (or don't care about Christian Bale). But really, ho-hum, millionaire playboy throws hissy fit, curses proletariat -- a.k.a life in Metro Manila. 

What is worth talking about is RevoLucian's techno remix of the freak out, an achievement that may ultimately outlast Mr. Bale's thespic accomplishments. I listened to it five times in a row and plan to soon rip it for my iPod. It seems a fun work-out tune, and if it turns out to be the aerobic anthem of the noughts, then Mr. Bale would have saved lives as well. The Streisand splices are perhaps gratuitous, but they have probably perked up a Hollywood producer -- gee, don't these two make a great couple? Quick, write up the script!

Courtesy of New York Magazine's Vulture Blog:

U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Trying to Eliminate Benefits to Filipino World War II Veterans

From a John Dickerson article on Slate:

Barack Obama held office hours Wednesday. In 15-minute increments in the early afternoon, he met in the Oval Office with senators who want to modify his stimulus bill. Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska talked about removing spending provisions from the bill. He has a tentative list of cuts totaling more than $50 billion that include everything from $122.5 million for new and renovated polar icebreakers to $198 million in military benefits for Filipino veterans of World War II...

Ipaglaban!

On Why Hitting a Child Is a Criminal Felony

PDI has an article by Pam Pastor, who waxes nostalgic over the spanking, pinching and jabs to the head she received as a child from her parents. The detail is quite graphic. ("[M]y mother gave me a good scolding, pulling my hair and my blouse. By the time we got home, my uniform was torn.") In the end though, she concludes, "It was painful then but we laugh about those days now. We learned our lessons, we grew up to be responsible people (or at least I’d like to think) and, in the future, we might even spank our own children."

We all have our tales about corporal punishment, whether our own, or that handed down by our elders. (Lolo to child: "look at my 'mole'.") I don't have much to say about the psychological imprint left on spanked children. I do believe though that physically striking a child is a criminal felony penalized by the Revised Penal Code. At the very least it constitutes "slight physical injuries", punished by Article 266 of the Code. The operative act of the felony is "causing physical injuries", whether the victim is incapacitated for a week or otherwise requires medical attention (imprisonment between 1 to 30 days), or even when the injuries are not serious enough to require medical attention (imprisonment between 1 to 30 days, or a fine). In addition, if the injuries are potent enough so as they are "serious physical injuries" as defined by Article 263 of the Code (e.g., illness or incapacity for 30 days, or worse), the child abuse law (Republic Act No. 7610) would also come into play, inflicting penalties as high as a 20-40 year prison term.

When the Revised Penal Code was enacted in 1930, an exception was carved for parents who inflicted serious physical injuries on their child by "excessive chastisement", apparently a fancy term for "the rod" (sorry, nothing definitive from Google). That exception could easily apply as to slight physical injuries. However, with the enactment of the Child and Youth Welfare Code in 1974, a parent who subject his/her child "to indignitions and other excessive chastisement that embarrass or humiliate him" is now liable for a crime (Section 59; 2 to 6 months prison or a fine). That earlier exception under the Revised Penal Code is now arguably moot. There may still be a legal argument in defense of corporal punishment, and this website suggests that it is still legal when inflicted at home. That argument seems to be anchored on Article 220 of the Family Code (and some similarly tenored provisions of law), which recognizes that a parent has the right "to impose discipline on them as may be required under the circumstances". I'm not too certain. "Discipline" is a flexible enough term, and surely it may be defined to exclude such acts that would otherwise constitute a crime if inflicted to somebody other than your own child. Why shouldn't a child be less protected from physical harm done by her/his parent than from any other adult?

At the very least, I don't think that any physical assault by a parent on a child, no matter the degree, should be legally presumed as within the bounds of parental authority. The burden should be on the parent to prove that the battery or assault was mild enough to fall within the acceptable boundaries of physical discipline.

This is not a proposition I can offer with ease, especially as it may constitute a wholesale indictment of our parents, and even our friends. Neither do I favor any move towards the mass prosecution of Filipino parents under the provisions -- that would entail a massive realignment of prosecutorial resources at the expense of more grave concerns of the criminal justice system.

At the same time, that the wisdom of corporal punishment may have been handed down from the ages does not detract from the fact that when those injuries are inflicted on a child by an adult other than the parent, the act is unquestionably criminal in nature. In truth, the child is equally defenseless from a well-meaning stranger or a parent. And while I do not doubt that most parents are motivated by love when enforcing corporal punishment, the physical hurt inflicted is physiological in nature and the blood vessels in the child's body do not recognize the parental love that caused them to burst.

Corporal punishment may be too ingrained in our culture, and even defended as integral to the Filipino way of raising a child. Culture is shaped mostly by popular will, generally impervious to the righteous outrage of a minority, so fighting tradition is usually a hard sell. However, I would like to believe that our laws, imperfect as they may be, are implements to the vision of a just and humane society as idealized by the Constitution, or if that document does not wow you, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A law criminalizing corporal punishment may be difficult, even impossible to enforce, but it would reflect a clear assertion that the our national conscience, as embodied in our system of laws condemns the act.

Isang Platitong Mani -- SMB

One of the best remembered commercials in Philippine history finally makes its way to YouTube. San Miguel Beer's Isang Platitong Mani from 1984, cited in some circles as among the greatest Pinoy commercials of all time. Somewhat poignant looking at it now, since Flash Elorde (showing classic face-pushing action here) was dead within a year and Bert Marcelo a few years later. But Rico J. lives on, adding Chibugan Na! to his estimable resume.

Two American Icons Attract New Constituencies

Michael Phelps, pothead:

The Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps quickly acknowledged his poor judgment after a photograph showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe was published Sunday in a British newspaper. Although his admission is unlikely to effect his swimming eligibility, it could affect the millions of dollars he has secured in endorsement deals.

Barack Obama, nerd:

That didn't stop Lauer from pressing about that super-secure BlackBerry that Obama has been allowed.

"I didn't bring it down here,'' the president told his interviewer. "It's like Inspector Gadget, if you touched it, it might blow up.'' Asked about the security measure, Obama said: "The worls... It turns into a car, if I have to make a quick getaway.''

Cheech, Chong and Matthew Broderick must be giddy from the graveyard of their careers.

Francesco Puccioni, aka "Mike Francis", is Dead

PDI is the only English-language news outlet so far to report the death of the Italian singer Francesco Puccioni, better known as the American singer Mike Francis in the Pinas. He was only 47, and he died last Saturday. As Mike Francis, he was quite a big name here in the 80s, though I was not a fan. I had not bothered to Google him until today, but the reporting on his death confirmed my suspicions even then that his popularity was confined to here in the Philippines. And I had not known until today that he was in fact Italian.

That he was not popular elsewhere should not negate his talent -- let his music speak for itself. In fact, a number of other pop culture figures became popular here first before making it big in the Western world. I'm thinking Jacky Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow and the Macarena.

ETA: Would "Mike Francis" have been a probable superstar in the Philippines in the age of Google? I don't doubt that any talented kid with an Italian name should have all the fame and success in the Philippines he deserves, and if he is denied that simply because of his nationality, it would not speak well of our racial tolerance. But in this day where truths are often a google away, is it still viable for a European singer who Anglicizes his name and fashions himself to a Filipino audience as an American-style performer to actually obtain popular appeal in the Philippines?

On Pet Cemeteries in Metro Manila

There is a pet cemetery within Metro Manila, in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. It is maintained by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, and based on this 2007 write-up from the Inquirer, it arose not by intentional design, but due to the number of people calling in and asking where they could bury their darling Tom, Dick and/or Harry.

I had not known this in 2005, when I had to google for a burial site for the family dog. Since then, I had wondered whether there was a viable business model for a pet cemetery in Metro Manila. Surely the demand existed, and even if Metro Manila households had long settled for backyard lots (theirs or others) for pet funeral needs, certainly a significant number of them would prefer more ehem dignified farewells.

It appears that the PAWS cemetery stands on property owned (and probably leased from) MERALCO. Was it possible for anybody owning real estate in Metro Manila to convert her/his property into a pet cemetery and profit from it? Then, I could not think up of a sustainable business model. For as long as there was usable dirt, pet burials would be continuous, but most owners would not want to spend a sizeable sum, especially one that nearly approximated human funerals, for what admittedly is an extravagance over which our ninunos would be rolling over in their animal-free graves (excepting those ancestors of ours who were actually eaten alive by animals). Personally, a thousand bucks was the most I was willing to spend for a pet funeral. With wide publicity, it might be possible to average 7 to 10 pet funerals a week and earn maybe 40 to 50 Thousand Pesos a month. A sizeable enough sum, but it is highly likely that the lot would run out of space after 3 years or so. At which point, you'd have to disinter the old tombs, yet that prospect may upset the owners of previously buried pets, who likely expected that the graves would remained undisturbed at least for their own lifetime.

I actually discussed this prospect with a friend of mine, who suggested apartment-style tombs which would conserve acreage. I was not too sure though, since it involved significant capital outlay which the cemetery owner may not be inclined to spend. Reading about the PAWS cemetery though, I've hit on a more cost-effective prospect. PAWS you see has a communal gravesite apart from the individual graves, and a memorial wall where the animals buried communally are commemorated. I think it would generally be easy to convinced the grieving pet owner that Missy Malou or Valhalla Jean Patrick would be much happier commingling with the various animals it barked or purred at in life.

One large pit, one giant wall. Factor in the cost of etching the pet's name onto the wall to the funeral charge, and you'd likely have a steady stream of income that would last for fifty or so years to come.