Reply 1986
Analysis and Opinion
By Irineo B. R. Salazar
” . . if you can hear me, reply. 1988, time of my youth . .” is part of what Deok-Sun, the female main character of K-Drama Reply 1988, says at the end of that series, a nostalgic look at a neighborhood of Seoul back in 1988, when people still lived more traditionally in a South Korea gradually moving up.
Disappointed past hopes
When I visited the Philippines in August 1986, I remember a heady time when Filipino students made jokes about “sequestering” instead of lending stuff from one another, as the property of Marcos cronies was being sequestered then in the aftermath of the February revolution, which Karl described in an article last year. Yet Eric Gamalinda was also right when he wrote this in 2009:
“..We wanted Cory Aquino to be strong so we could remain passive. We wanted her to save us so we could refuse to save ourselves. She was there so we could continue the infantile neurosis that has always sustained the Philippines’ need for a ‘guiding’ power – God or a dictator, choose your daddy.. She was, as so many predicted during the heyday of the people power revolution, our Joan of Arc. We knew we would burn her for allowing us to corrupt the vision we wanted her to sustain..”
An economics graduate
In Reply 1988, there is fun but not studious Deok-Sun and her too serious elder sister Bo-Ra, maybe typical for how Confucianism, like the Protestant ethic, can separate fun and hard work too much. Not a Filipino thing, as a UP Econgraduate in 1986 is described as both “she manages to get things done on time even when everyone else is cramming and in panic” and “she will pester you with her corny jokes, infect you with her contagious laughter and drive you crazy with her endless songs”.
–
Maria Leonor Sto. Tomas Gerona started to work back in August 1986. According to an interview with Kris Aquino, the events of 1983-1986 had made her interrupt studying for law and go into public service first. She doesn’t want to be seen as a “savior”. As she said in Zamboanga yesterday: “I am not the answer to your prayer. We are the answer to each other’s prayers.” People Empowerment on her agenda is some steps beyond People Power and closer to Karl’s “Institutionalizing People Power”.
Reply 1995
Visiting the Philippines in late 1995, I again saw an overconfident country, this time when it came to material progress – new malls, new cars, and mobile phones that were to play a role in EDSA Dos.
Privatization of many public services was the quick fix of those times. Well, after all the Filipino middle class alreadymostly lived behind subdivision walls, went to malls, and sent its kids to private schools. Neglected urban development and public educational policy came back to bite the middle class decades later in the form of traffic along EDSA, or poor youths resorting to street crime – or privatization gone wrong with the MRT3. These were failings that would lead to Dutertein 2016.
–
1997 brought the case of the Sumilao farmers vs. San Miguel to the forefront, with lawyers Kaka Bag-ao and Leni Robredoof SALIGAN playing major roles in the fight, which lasted until 2007. The farmers marched in support of Leni Robredo’srun for VP in 2016. In late 2021, Governor Kaka Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands and VP Leni Robredo hugged in the aftermath of typhoon Odette, two veterans of just causes. 1986 also has idealistic legacies, not only the much-mentioned trapo and “neolib” ones.
Reply 1970
One of my very first childhood memories, hazy as such memories are, is of typhoon Yoleng in Manila at the end of 1970. Of course I didn’t know that Marcos Sr. played golf in Baguio and left Manila to its own devices. That my grandfather from Albay went out during the eye of the storm, when the winds paused, is something I was told about later. Calamities that all were subjected to, a terrain that made large haciendas rare and gave many who refused to be shackled refuge, is this behind the down to earth mindset of many a Bikolano? The divides that the Philippines has don’t seem as wide there.
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VP Leni Robredo recalls the practiced socially conscious legacy of her father, a judge, like this: “I grew up with my dad always bringing home people that he would pass by on the road that needed help.”
Isko Moreno made a big deal about being from the poor (and by implication being better able to fight for them) in the recent Jessica Soho interview – but also found nothing wrong in pocketing 50 million in campaign donations. Legally he may be right and he even payed taxes on them, still, is he credible?
Fast Forward to the Future
A short look at the DZRH interview with Marcos Jr. made it clear how a future with him as President might look like. My impression of the interview panel was that of lawyers “coaching a witness” on the stand. Well, add the voice and haircut similar to Marcos Sr. and voila, “perception is reality”.
The Soho interview I watched fully last weekend, it was more interesting than the “Marcos show”. Lacson and Pacquiaoshow how far typical government and typical man on the street points of view can be in the Philippines. An IskoMoreno may have appeal to the National Village type of mindset.
Competence and compassion plus the right mix of pragmatism and system thinking are what VP Leni clearly brings to the table, plus proven results in times of storms and Covid.Walden Bello thinks all four Soho interviewees were too “neoliberal”, but then again what does dogmatism ever achieve?
There is my generation and plenty of those older than it who feel that the years from 1986 onward were somehow “wasted”. Some even buy into the narrative of “yellows” having wasted those years. What a bitter way of looking back. I don’t understand what is missing. But let us look at the young.
There are for instance Bicol youth today I know of who aspire to be lawyers like VP Leni. There are also lawyers like Hannah Barrantes, who has made a name for herself explaining the Marcos years on Tiktok – or doctors like Jonathan Sy, who is avidly volunteering for VP Leni’s Bayanihan e-Konsulta.
Decades later, young people much like these may reminisce, saying “Reply, 2022, my younger years”. Like the characters of Reply 1988 and its prequels Reply 1997 and Reply 1994, will they do so from a country that has progressed immensely? Will they be bitter like many of my generation, or satisfied?
Irineo B. R. Salazar
Munich, 25 January 2022
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[…] Reply 1986 […]
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Thanks for the mention. i like this short take of yours. I had to research on Reply and I see that is were you got the mixed timelines. Now, i will watch it.
My support is still very much with Leni specially now that detractors are ever waiting for her to make a wrong move.
Welcome, and thanks for somehow triggering this idea as a sequel to your EDSA Uno article. The mixed timeline is of course more like the way people usually remember, not chronological, but going back and forth.
Very true.
Reply January 26, 2022.
Thank you, Irineo.
Welcome.
Do we need another 2022, so we can Reply 2022 + X years — this time hopefully a better long-lasting one than the Reply 1986?
We don’t need to if we can do it right on May 9, 2022.
Exactly. The mixed timeline with flashbacks and flashforwards and fast forward to the future has the purpose of making people reflect on past, present, future.
Also reflect whether some narratives are just convenient excuses for oneself.
For instance the narrative that 1986-2016 was so awful for Filipinos deserves to be challenged, especially relative to 1972-1986 – for instance looking at photos of EDSA Uno one can see how THIN even the middle class was then. Another indicator of poverty versus wealth is the average height, I don’t have the stats on that but my casual impression is even the poor are taller today.
As for distribution of wealth, it certainly remains unjust, but the poverty incidence in 1986 was 48% while class E nowadays is 13% of Filipinos, that IS a difference.
I could have made a long article with all that but I didn’t want to “lecture” again.
AND Marcos jrs interview with Boy Abunda too sounded coached and scripted
Yes, but I am not masochistic enough (maybe just slightly as I spend a bit too much time on Philippine matters?) to give that interview attention.
VP Leni has an interview with Boy Abunda later. Could be interesting.
ako din was tempted to read the summary, but i changed my mind.
Friday next week sounds more promising, with the 5 leading candidates:
Davila Hizon and Dinglao. Yup promising indeed
Heh heh, masochistic. Yes, listening to nonsense is that. I don’t do that kind of thing either.
VP Leni went through the Boy Abunda interview with flying colors just now.
Haven’t watched all but she did handle the attempts to interrupt her excellently.
People tend to forget that she is after all a seasoned LAWYER from a long line of lawyers, her father was a judge, her great-grandfather was Mabini’s classmate in law school who practiced in front of the Supreme Court as soon as it was founded in 1901.
As someone from a family with a lot of lawyers (our lineage is more recent, my grandfather was one of the first, passed the bar on Nov. 18, 1935) I know what one learns there – always be ready, mentally and emotionally, to counterattack. Not for one moment did she lose her cool, not one moment did she stray from her line of thought based on what I saw and what others are tweeting so far. I wouldn’t have handled the situation as well as she did, that I know. As we know the Philippines is like a jungle.
The biggest takeaway was what she said about the other candidates and herself:
On Marcos Jr.:
kung buhay ngayon si makoy, he’ll probly not vote for bbm, lol!
https://opinion.inquirer.net/149062/marcos-sr-on-marcos-jr
From the Marcos Sr. diary:
“Bongbong is our principal worry. He is too carefree and lazy. So I wrote him the fatal secret of the Marcos men—’they are brilliant but lazy.’ And they tend to be so unless they buckle down to a dogged unrelenting resolve to fight off sloth or a traumatic experience turns them into bitterness that congeals into a determined resolve to achieve and be victorious.
“I wrote him about me—how the political and financial reverses of father [Mariano Marcos] had made me bitter. It had come to a point where I had to get a scholarship to continue my studies. So I became a scholar—a senior scholar in law. I discovered that I had a brain and a photographic memory. And I made the best of it.
“I must write him about the Nalundasan case and how I vowed to top the bar after graduating Cum Laude. For the boy must get character. I have told him that since we have enemies, he will have to fight the battles I fought in the past against myself and against circumstance. Although I told him that perhaps circumstances had been kinder to me because it had given me the motivation to work hard.
“I must tell him of his ancestors, his great grandfather of the revolution, the direct line of brilliant and brave men whose saving grace was the character of their women—how many failed like Antonio Marcos who had exceeded the record of excellence in scholarship of Rizal—but had not done much of his life because of wine, woman and song. The boy must realize his weakness—the carefree wayward ways that may have been bred in him.”
But also this:
“Imelda and I have been reminiscing in bed—the long tortuous road from Congress to the Presidency; the sacrifices, her tears, pain and hard work that went into our struggle for power. She put purpose into my life—the life of a spoiled bachelor congressman who was also a successful trial lawyer and a hero of the last war who tended to be too carefree and frivolous.”
Reminds me of something a Munich restaurant owner who had a lot of worries with his son told me: “You know why fathers especially watch out that their sons don’t have their father’s weaknesses? Because the sons will have their own weaknesses in addition to that”. Indeed Marcos Sr. could be a sybarite, a country club style manager as Primitivo Mijares wrote, even golfing in Baguio when Manila was hit by one of the most powerful typhoons ever to strike it. But he was quick-witted and fearless. And extremely calculating, like a Mafia boss.
ahem, I’ve heard of mafia bosses having their own kin killed, lol!
That image of Leni’s answers to why not the other candidates and why she [Robredo] should be elected President is dubbed in Twitter as Poltical Fast Talk — praised by her supporters. Here is another image which parallel’s what you [Irineo] showed with a difference on what she said about Pacquiao:
Ito malungkot ito, Boy, pero ‘yung kabutihan ng loob kasi sa atin, hindi sapat.
It seems from that phrase “Ito malungkot ito, Boy” that Leni has a soft heart for our PH Boxing Pride. I can understand why.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKB3_i4aUAEkyeI?format=jpg&name=medium
When asked who she would vote as President if she wasn’t in the race (during the Jessica Soho interview) she said Manny Pacquiao dahil may malasakit.
Meaning that caring is a necessary condition for any leader in her book.
In the best case scenario, Manny withdraws from running and endorses Leni. During Jessica’s interview – Manny was a revelation. He tried his best and courageously tried to answer the questions. His sincerity got through. Contrast that to coward Jr who couldn’t take questions.
looks like caring pacquiao has the characteristic needed to be health care worker. though I wonder how he’ll handle frontline work lalo na kapag paspasan ang trabaho, halos walang lunchbreak! care orders are sometimes shouted above the din, present kahit may pakiramdam at bihirang absent.
caring is good but not sapat, has got to be well rounded too.
I agree with jeep, manny could withdraw and endorse leni. though I dont think his running mate lito attienza will let him.
already, manny’s congressman brother is supporting sara and not lito.
VP Leni’s Industrialization plans by color of industry: blue, green and gold:
leni is class of her own talaga, very well informed, widely read and knows her people and country back to front. she has covered a lot of ground and so articulate!
let leni lead!
A link to the Abunda interview but with the times of each specific subtopic:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10227042058818289&id=1259797117
A synopsis of her answer to each area gives an idea where she is going:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10227038414407181&id=1259797117
Re China she said no war no bilateral talks but find allies including USA Australia.
Atty. Hannah Barrantes recounts how the Sumilao farmers case made her want to be like Leni Robredo, when she was a teen back in 2007:
Atty. Barrantes on Marcos convictions
no one should be above taxation law, bbm included. young and fearless, would be extremely nice kung si atty hannah barrantes be made one of the commissioners on election, the way she see what candidates’ moral turpitude is about. there will be vacancies very soon sa comelec as commissioners reached their tenures.
so, one of three, commissioner guanzon voted for bbm’s disqualification, the other two, no word yet. the result of the hearing is being withheld, guanzon reckons it’s probly due to political interference. may I add, ” political interference from the most high”, lol!
I can say things are not looking good for bbm. else bbm would have been crowing to the high heavens, smiling ear to ear, braying like a crazed tulingan, holding aloft the once in a lifetime so glowing a result, proud to have won his comelec case!
silence is because, talo na naman si bbm! already bbm’s kapartido na si ex spox roque is appealing to duterte to endorse bbm’s candidacy.
and drive you crazy with her endless songs”.
I just YouTubed VP Leni singing, and theres none. the campaign should definitely start flooding VP Leni singing, not staged but as part of her day to day. I’m sure its the language barrier for me, but I’ve not sensed that VP Leni is funny nor with sense of humor.
For sure BBM is none of the above, funny nor can sing. So let’s exploit these personal traits and make viral.
Oh, and thanks , Ireneo , for the blog and for the REPLY recommendation, will see if its available on SO player or Netflix. Looks like an interesting premise for a show, especially Korea, so much has changed.
Kiko Pangilinan has a recent funny video:
https://fb.watch/aNzuJpm758/
Somewhere there is a video of Sharon and Kakie singing “How Deep is Your Love”.
The lighter side of VP Leni can be seen in this interview with Sharon:
https://fb.watch/aNzLrg1o5w/
There is also a video of VP Leni dancing to Taylor Swift with some young people.
Re Reply 1988 VP Leni also happened to mention it as one of her favorite K-Dramas.
In six years of being VP she did become sterner I observe but imagine all the pressure..
leni is one tough lady! bilang vp, halos 5x siyang nag-iso bilang contact ng isang covid positive person, all in the course of her duty. parang frontline siya talaga.
I think, leni was contact sometimes in 25 oct 2020, 17 aug, 2021, 1 sept, 2021, 29 dec 2021, 5 jan 2022.
This is the dancing video I mentioned to LCPL_X:
https://fb.watch/aNJvWmZuB2/
Singing I could just find Sharon and Kakie at home:
https://fb.watch/aNJEayk9qk/
Re tough many laugh at or doubt VP Leni’s 18 Uhr day, but volunteers have confirmed it, and sometimes she personally answers on socmed at 1 a.m. and is clearly somewhere in the archipelago the next morning.
thanks, very nice to see leni, the people’s candidate, having nice time, so in sync and happy in the company of others. and it shows she can tell the difference between her left and right foot! such dancing queen!
it is common for women with tough jobs to do with more work and less sleep! apparently, maggie thatcher can manage with only 4hr of sleep and still be sharp.
Just to have a closer look at what is written beside the graduation photo.
“Superior IQ coupled with remarkable composure” see Abunda interview.
“Down to earth and straightforward” see her work her answers on Marcos etc
The most important statement of VP Leni in a meeting with the semiconductor industry TODAY: “rules for business must not change in the middle of the game”.
Today the Philippines is risky even for OFWs or Balikbayans as rules are jerked around.
so very true! it’s utterly annoying and illegally so breaching of contract when what has been signed and agreed upon changes midway; to the detriment of one and advantage of another.
already contracts have cooling off period for people to change their mind, unforeseen objections raised and discussed with no penalty incurred.
after that, contract is solid and will proceed as agreed.
kaya, people ought to do more than soul searching before signing contracts, not signing them when they’re drunks, high on drugs, rendered not mentally fit and under duress. nagmamadali, offer is too good to be true!
above all, be transparent.
Yes indeed. In spite of Abunda’s clumsy attempts to attenuate the force of her interview statements in favor of his favored candidates, Robredo came through with shining colors.
And one such statement was a prime example: a responsive answer to a question. The reply was short and sweet, short and precise, short and lethal — delivered so as to be remembered and talked about because true and delivered by one who can make that statement without awkwardness.
P.S. Where does she get the energy for the many hours of meaningful attentive work and thinking? I am reminded of my grade school when the subject of Sir Galahad was mentioned — because his heart is pure.
OT: Walden Bello on cryptocurrencies
100% agree, thank you.
That’s a boomer take on things. like Micha and chempo agreeing that crypto is bust (already w/out seeing it through farther).
As much as I love Walden Bello , he is wrong. Not on crypto per se, but in making such a hasty conclusion, given the facts involved thus far.
CBDC is gonna be the norm.
What is Mr. Bello’s stance on CBDC? What is VP Leni’s? What’s BBM’s?
They can be forgiven for not knowing too much about crypto, but if all three of those purported leaders (cause I do think Walden Bello will get a seat in VP Leni’s gov’t big or small i don’t know, but he’ll do best in an int’l level capacity) who do not know anything about CBDC, then forget about it! puppet regime time all over again.
The crypto- in cryptocurrency is just blockchain, blockchain is used in CBDC. so same-same. you can’t agree on one and disagree on the other, only diff is one’s gov’t backed and the other … well we don’t know yet (sure the rich are into it; so to the criminals or both, then theres regular people whore sick and tired of the Fed /Jekyll island system, i think these folks make up the majority).
My point here is Micha and Ireneo ‘s discussion RE neoliberalism is all moot, unless the candidates discuss CBDC. Will they be CBDC hooked to China’s or hooked up to the US. the kicker is CBDC is perfect for MMT, thus shouldn’t be hooked to either or.
Once they answer pro or con on CBDC, then if Walden Bello is still a no on CBDC then his answer above stands (and he’ll be a dinosaur, extinction level bye bye). if he’s pro CBDC then that means he’s pro Bitcoin, etc. then all he needs to figure out is if its healthy to have two, CBDC and Bitcoin (or Etherium, etc.).
if he says no, then that’s fine too. One nation One money as proposed by Micha. But again, that’s also going into the legacy of the dinosaurs, dust to dust. Because once we leave Earth, the notion of One nation One money is all moot really, thus CBDC is really a hedge to crypto.
But that’s going too far, just ask the candidates if they are pro or against CBDC, and that will be your baseline as to whether they get it or not. I think VP Leni will have a more nuanced view on this, but she needs to share ’em. and educate Filipinos.
Inday Sara, basing my opinion on the friends she keeps namely the Lilo-an power couple, will not have a nuanced view herself, but more gut instinctual take meaning she’ll be open to it cuz the people she’s surrounded herself with are future forward looking, but policy wise and implementation she’ll be light, though all she really has to do is not get in the way.
Walden Bello just exhibited his lack of knowledge re crypto (and… CBDC ). regurgitating the Ponzi scheme trope, which by definition is not since you gotta identify the person on top of the pyramid, and no just merely repeating Wall Street does not cut it. that boogeyman is overused thus meaningless now.
What is their stance on CBDC? keep it simple.
El Salvador president posts meme wearing McDonald’s uniform after crypto plunge
“El Salvador’s crypto-enthusiast president appears to be taking the recent steep drop in bitcoin in stride: After all, if running a country doesn’t work out, there’s always McDonald’s.”
https://nypost.com/2022/01/24/el-salvador-president-posts-meme-wearing-mcdonalds-uniform/
The dude has balls he went all in. Respect.
We can’t even get a peep from politicians here and over there, as to their stance on CBDC (much less Bitcoin).
I Understand the president must be knowlegeable but what is more important is how do you project that to your citizens.
I am not into this bobotante or bobong lider thing, but what we lack are literacy, from the masses and subject matter expertise, etc from our leaders.
Paquiao may say he is the most street smart among all of them(though i doubt even that) but that is not enough.
gian bought into Bitcoin and other cryptos. I gotta feeling there are a bunch of young Filipinos in the same predicament. And sure VP Leni can keep on addressing D and E crowds, but sooner or later she’ll have to address folks like gian.
I gotta feeling BBM will not know what to think of CBDC and Bitcoin, so again this is another means of one upping BBM. VP Leni can shine, as oppose to Walden Bello above, I can already hear young Filipinos saying OK, Boomer…
Ok Gen Xer!
You are from the Silent Generation if I understood what I read below correctly.
Spell cbdc
karl,
there’s a good chance over here, once the Fed goes CBDC that we’ll have to pay a fee for using bills or credit cards. Because they’ll want people to use CBDC. of course it’ll be phased in slowly or maybe fast (since more people are buying into Bitcoin and Ethereum).
But for the most part hard currencies will be extinct, karl. CBDC will also get rid of credit cards, since the Fed will be by-passing credit card companies as well.
https://hbr.org/2021/10/what-if-central-banks-issued-digital-currency
“Over 97% of the money in circulation today is from checking deposits – dollars deposited online and converted into a string of digital code by a commercial bank. The digitization of credit and debit card transactions and the development of banking apps has moved many traditionally cash-based transactions into digital space.
So far, the shift to digital has left the banking business relatively unscathed, at least in the West, where new players such as Paypal still rely on customers linking the service to their bank debit and credit cards. A few online-only banks have materialized, such as Chime and Nubank, but, again, these ride on existing rails. The Chinese financial sector has seen more disruption, as illustrated by the emergence of Alibaba’s Ant Financial and Tencent’s WeBank, which have leveraged looser data privacy protection and smart data analytics to dominate consumer payments and have also entered retail and small business banking. Broadly speaking, though, traditional banks have adjusted well to the digitization of money.
That could be about to change.”
======================================
The times they are a changin’
That’s why VP Leni, et al. need to explain their positions.
Uh, nope. By scale the crypto-cult is far more horrible than speculating over tulips.
may financial planner told me early on na itong digital currencies are best left by themselves. that if I want to be scammed, really scammed, to go ahead and invest in them. I took the word of my financial planner and has not looked back, kahit how enticing cryptos are.
tamang, tama po si walden bello.
Well, there’s this guy who was born in 1986 and is now the President elect of Chile. A former university student leader who ran on education reform and advocacies for women’s rights, Gabriel Boric will be the youngest president Chileans voted into office. He also vowed to bury dictator Augusto Pinochet’s neoliberal legacies. “Chile was the birthplace of neoliberalism, and it shall also be its grave!” he shouted from a stage the night of his primary win.
The first 9/11 happened in Chile when the CIA backed coup ousted the progressive and democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, back in 1973. Pinochet’s reign of terror and cruelty was very similar to Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
If Leni Robredo wants to win this May she should take heed, turn progressive, and stop being a neoliberal stooge.
Isn’t “neoliberal stooge” from parts of the Philippine Left just as simplistic as the Marcos loyalist “papet ng oligarko” name-calling for VP Leni?
After all she and Kaka Bag-ao helped the Sumilao farmers win against San Miguel.
And I know that “progressive” is what the Philippine Left calls itself but it is mostly not ideologically or conceptually innovative at all, unlike what I have read (I should dig deeper though I admit) about the Left in Latin America.
Someone whom wants to invigorate MSMEs and build local industries (blue = maritime, green = agricultural, gold = tech) can hardly be called by the buzzword “neoliberal”. And her stand on empowering communities incl. IPs and regulating mining is progressive.
So how should she turn “progressive” in your book? One of those in her Senatorial slate, Teddy Baguilat, has some common campaign sorties with Colmenares. VP Leni will certainly also work together well with Senator Hontiveros who is a de facto SocDem.
I also think that Philippine society as a whole is way more conservative than Western Europe whose mainstream is some degrees Left of the USA, and more conservative even than the USA. For instance I don’t agree with VP Leni’s stands on divorce and abortion, but she couldn’t go further than where she is now – and I think her own principles are against that too – without losing the Philippine center. And when I see on what good terms VP Leni is with the military and Trillanes + center-right Magdalo, well then..
One could of course see her stand on Philippine debt after Marcos – “we had to pay it to show that we are trustworthy” as being “beholden to the World Bank”. Her wanting to make institutions reliable I see as mere common sense. I know small investors, for instance a German MSME with 20 programmers in Hanoi, who wouldn’t touch the risky Philippines with a ten-foot pole while in Vietnam they know they won’t be jerked around. Now is Vietnam a neoliberal country or merely sensible? Let’s go beyond buzzwords pls.
It’s unclear what’s her position on global capitalism and privatization and regulatory capture. Based on what I’ve seen so far, she’s just for providing healthy environment for foreign capital. I’m not so sure if she’s an ideologue per se – just a moderate and a centrist in most of her advocacies emphasizing good governance. And I don’t think that’s going to earn her enough votes to win.
She looks more like a pragmatist who will do what is necessary, but systematically.
I think that can click with Filipinos – who are mostly suspicious of ideology. Whether what she stands for is properly communicated, and reaches the audience, we will see.
Well there are doctors and lawyers groups for Leni. That’s clearly a middle and upper class demographics. In order to win Philippine elections, you need to attract the votes of the masa – the losers of neoliberal policies.
What’s her agenda for them beyond distributing noodles and tsinelas?
Check out this project in Zamboanga, which included having mangroves planted, thus reviving fishing and giving better protection against typhoons.
Lots of other livelihood projects comprise Angat Buhay, which is not about giving people fish but literally and figuratively giving them chances to fish.
This is from a fishing community in Basilan, helped with gear, boats, training etc.:
https://fb.watch/aOKC_pw9rt/
The are Truckers for Leni, Riders for Leni for whom she has measures to ensure their livelihood. The Pink Movement has active volunteers not only in ABC but also a lot of D people, as well as supporters from E who see her actual work.
When the pandemic struck the OVP ordered PPE from local garment makers not from China like Duterte. That also secured seamstress jobs in the crisis. Especially Kiko has plans and measures to improve farmer’s lives, cut out middlemen etc.
The problem with those outreach livelihood projects is that her rivals could always out-astig hers. Marcos Junior could always point out that he also has projects in Sitio Napintas, Barangay Yamot.
In this instance, her lack of ideological grounding make those outreach programs difficult to click with the masa on a scale that will make an election difference.
Well, Marcos Jr. has far more resources but he hasn’t done stuff on that scale and across the entire country which is what VP Leni has literally done for decades. Manny Pacquiao has his housing projects in Surigao and that is where VP Leni and he have similarities and as NHerrera noted he has her sympathy. As for ideology I wonder if “may ginawa” clicks more with masa that are often annoyed by the Left’s preachings.
This too:
And more on the Zamboanga project:
There is so much that happened in the past 6 years and even before..
And that, Irineo, is what is called the (in-exact) science of politics. The proof or validation of our strategies and theorems will be known in the next survey or on the day of election.
Abangan!
Yep. Tignan natin..
Fwiw
https://www.google.com/amp/s/ph.news.yahoo.com/amphtml/survey-leni-has-best-pro-poor-platform-080946260.html
And this
https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/urban-poor-group-bets-robredo-2022-polls/
Let us not forget health workers many of who are D class with low pay:
Many turned pro-Leni due to her highly coordinated Covid-19 response:
Busses to bring frontliners to work, dormitories etc. were part of it
She wants the marginalized to be heard.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/1/19/robredo-public-participation-policy-making.html
That is the People Empowerment approach I mentioned as being a giant leap to your Institutionalizing People Power. As for the other stuff it is so broad (even financial literacy) that even “instant experts” like us two can’t keep up. 😮
A toast of instant coffee to you.
But what is VP Leni’s stance on CBDC?
First things fitst
https://gdfi.com.ph/financial-literacy-a-priority-vp-leni-robredo/
As for your cbdc I do not know. I am dure dhe has a monetsry policy included in het economic agenda
Sorry for the ghastly typos
Heydarian has observed the so-called Third Way.
“Their solution, and subsequent electoral success, was based on the recognition that traditional progressive-socialist ideals no longer appealed to vast sections of society. By fusing economic pragmatism with progressive values of tolerance and social welfare, they managed to establish a potent new political narrative that made the left electorally dominant.,”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/opinion.inquirer.net/114492/leni-third-way/amp
Pragmatism= which ever theory philosophy or ideology works.
No one size fits all gloves
Everything follows the Science and Technology template.
The so-called marriage of Marxism and pragmatism seems redundant because pragmatism is application of all the isms maybe one or two at a time or all at once.
The most often mistake here or everywhere is attempting to run before learning to walk.
Address all the possible issues, prerequisites, etc
Like what one banker said.
“Many issues still need to be addressed, however, including underlying valuations, safety, fraud protection, rules, protocols, technology to be used that incurs costs, and regulations that may be required — all of which should be aligned with central bank mandates, particularly in upholding the best interests of the banking public.”
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/10/11/tmt-anniversary/cbdcs-explained/1817637
====
to win votes I do not think you should go technical or anything to alienate the voters.
you say its a must, i say it is not a must.
for the Coroporal.
Remember our argument of tok many lawyers on yoyr ACLU article.
You said we need more of them.
Mostnof the political appoibtees bin the bureacracy have law backgroundswhat if we have STEM leaders and bureacrats?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-07/four-scientists-who-became-world-leaders/7987212
My argument in that blog was to democratize the legal profession over there, meaning not just the rich get to be lawyers. STEM I’m totally for, look at Germany.
My argument for Bitcoin is similar, de-centralize. Not centralize.
But first CBDC. then address Bitcoin.
good thing in the blogosphere, no blog is an island. someone will pick up all your nuggets after scraping all the soil and other rocks.
Luv the imagery, Karl. Such poetry in prose. 🙂
If i recall I introduced the Free Legal Assistance Group in that thread.
Before Persida Acosta acted as Dr. Acosta during the dengvaxia she was to go to public defender in the public attorney’s office.
I also gave an example of a class action suit lawyer Katrina Legarda. She lamented that class action suits often fail here.
gian’s got crypto assets, karl. I’m not so sure if he’s a Bitcoin maximalist, maybe just hedging (was my interpretation of his position awhile back).
now let’s times gian by a few 10s of thousands. that’s a lot of young Filipinos that will be interested in CBDC and Bitcoin, karl. I agree nothing yet is set in stone a lot of rough edges, stuff need tweaking, etc. but for sure the writing is on the wall that we are headed towards CBDC and/or Bitcoin as the future of money.
BBM I don’t think will be able to tackle this issue with expertise; I think VP Leni with her background in Economics will. So why not accomodate the Filipinos interested in this, as well as out shine BBM. two birds; one stone.
Will the Philippines get trampled again (and again), or will they leverage their position and get ahead of this thing. the answer should be obvious. address it now. be proactive not reactive. Don’t be no pawn (for the umpteenth time).
2 Million Metamask Filipino users. That is Aug 2021 data. That is about 20 percent of MetaMask users during that time.
I am currently experimenting with Solana and Arweave. Using these to store my pictures, blog on the chain. Part of trying to find permanence in the impermanence of the Internet.
90 percent of crypto assets in Solana and Bitcoin.
Using Bitcoin as a store of value. If shit hits the fan in the Philippines at least I have something that is not visible to immigration/border patrol. ( divide seed phrase and distribute to friends overseas. Don’t keep anything that may be used stolen from you from people familiar with Crypto/Bitcoin)
Philippines is top 5 in NFT adoption in the world.
Blockchain developers earn between 40K to 400K USD per year for remote positions depending on experience.
Community Managers earn about 20K to 300K USD per year for remote positions depending on experience.
Anon people are common thus this is one of the more color-blind places in technology.
My friend in the US told me that many college students mine. Where do they get the money for the electricity? The university dorms will be bankrupt and student loans will go sky high if symptoms persist.
depends on which chain. but yes this can be done but that is not too profitable you gat 2-3X the value of your graphics card which means you get to play games at high graphics settings for free.
thanks
karl, I doubt they are doing this in student dorms. Especially now with all the closing and opening of dorms re COVID19.
maybe if they live off campus and in apartments.
gian,
WHAT’S YOUR ESTIMATE OF YOUNG FILIPINOS IN THE SAME BOAT YOURE IN re: CRYPTO & Blockchain tech? How many? and would a comment from VP Leni be a good or a bad thing at this point?
“Anon people are common thus this is one of the more color-blind places in technology.”
This is probably the most important point, RE BPO– I hope the Philippines gets in front of this.
Thanks, man!
Maybe he was talking pre-covid. My friend studied nursing there early 2000s because after 911, IT jobs were scarce and his previous employer closed shop.
Just the same with off campus apartments, the students use student loans for paying the land lord and if you are into bit coin mining you need a lot of juice for your computer.
Unless they make a lot of money in that bitcoin endeavor.
gian would know more about the hardware cost-benefit, karl.
But I’m think you take out a loan (say 10,000 bucks, i dunno how much to set up a mining rig). and you get what like 2 Bitcoins, that’s like 100,000 (give or take), that’s pretty good ROI.
if nothing happens then you’re down 10,000 bucks. those are good odds. I can see the gamble.
But focus on gian’s BPO angle here. DAO’s as better paying than BPOs
precisely because no one knows you’re Filipino thus should be exploited as in BPO, so you get salary on par with say an American or Japanese. What ‘s VP Leni’s position on this?
Tell your people to call her people then interview her…man i dnt know if it is not for public consumption info.
LCX
Leni is for the decentralizationof BPO and improved Internet.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/27/robredo-seeks-decentralization-of-bpo-industry-improved-internet-service/
Why does she always make sense? 😉
Of course, better Internet in the provinces means that BPOs can spread out to places where the rent is cheaper and in the end this decongests big cities.
The big players will still try to stay in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, just like they try to stay in Munich, Stuttgart or Frankfurt over here but the smaller players spread out to places like Nürnberg or Mannheim. Some really big players may even choose to set up shop big time in the province, just like global player SAP has its HQ in Walldorf near Heidelberg in former asparagus fields – an entire region got rich due to them.
Cavite and Laguna is being developed. If you look at Tagaytay and Sta rosa from Travel vloggers, it is really transformed.
Yes, San Pedro, Laguna for instance is where there are a lot of factories. German sponsored K-12+ which went from 2013-2020 with vocational training for pupils of the San Pedro Relocation Center National High School was for metalworking.
CALABARZON is practically Metro Manila already, geez if the LRT1 extension almost finished goes until Cavite that is a clear sign. I was thinking outside Mega Manila, Metro Cebu or even Clark – smaller centers could be Naga, Cabanatuan and that’s just Luzon,
As soon as eastern luzon is developed. Naga will shine.
There should be spaces in between the conglomerations though.
Forests, watersheds, agricultural land etc. – at the rate Luzon is going the entire island will be either urbanized or logged/mined in the next decades – not good
Agreed.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/23/no-ordinary-life-of-vp-leni-robredo/
Karl, Irineo about your respective links,
https://www.google.com/amp/s/opinion.inquirer.net/114492/leni-third-way/amp
https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/23/no-ordinary-life-of-vp-leni-robredo/
it is amazing to me that Leni Robredo whether by design or simply just her native trait or gene but like a complex maze, seemed to have navigated herself very well through the many obstacles from the entrance of the maze A and well on the way — half-way one wrote — to the end of the maze B, the Presidency. This I may add could not have come without the great synergy that she and her committed volunteers inspire in each other.
I want to see Leni, her volunteers pass the arc B of that maze. Then we as well as the world will have a helluva story to tell in the years to come embellished of course by our respective perspectives. It will merit a helluva blog topic to appear in this blog for sure.
This recent speech in Zamboanga shows her energy of with her volunteers.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10227048670663581&id=1259797117
Bayan Muna / Colmenares are endorsing Leni/Kiko:
Plus Colmenares and Hontiveros are on the 1Sambayan Senatorial slate – their President and VP candidates are of course Leni/Kiko so it all fits.
To borrow from Neil Armstrong — That’s one step on top of other steps and events honing in ultimately to a giant leap for the Pilipinos and the country.
My thanks to Colmenares and Makabayan. Thanks too for the post, Irineo.
1sambayan is now looking for volunteers.
So it seems there will be a third major volunteer group in addition to the already tightly run Robredo People’s Council and the more loosely run Team Leni Robredo. Not to mention the varied archipelago of “for Leni” groups. Don’t exactly understand how the Tropa or Team Robredo-Pangilinan groups are organized, or the quite important Dapat si Leni Facebook page. Seems Unity in Diversity is the way to go for an archipelagic culture. Unity imposed or proclaimed from above a la Marcos doesn’t really work for long.
lovely, just lovely. may smorgasbord na, may drop down menu pa, lol! from top to bottom, from bottom to top, aarangkada kami! other candidates have millions of faceless trolls hiding behind keyboards, some are foreigners that dont know much about philippines and often get common pinoys words wrong!
leni has countering volunteers, true people by the truckloads coming from all levels and all walks of life, here and abroad: filipino inc.
pink army on the march! leni and kiko elected on may 2022, their senatorial line up elected as well, june 2022 their inauguration.
the question: how are they (leni and kiko’s massive volunteers!) organised?
ans – same as the way our society is organised. and watch how their faces brighten, their eyebrows raised up an down in silent acknowledgement of each other. beso-beso for some, other times elbow shake, for others still a pat on the back will do. and dont forget to pink.
Yep, like the society of the archipelago was organized even before 1521.
Many small groups with leaders and big groups of many small groups.
Plus a web of family and friendship connections across many groups.
Manny helping VP Leni a bit by punching Marcos Jr. in his Abunda interview:
Much as most of us here want this election to be decided on policy, platforms and ideologies — this year’s election will be decided on social media (memes, tiktok, youtube, facebook) and traditional mass media (am/fm airwaves and tabloids)
It is great to see kakampinks fighting back – with Jr.’s bungling incoherence on interviews and speeches going viral in FB and twitter. The “Alamano” memes/video may just well be antidote to “Tallano Gold” and “marcos golden years BS” that trolls are propagating.
Filipinos being “mapride” may not be able take BBMs embarrassing gaffes. Kakahiya – talong-talo sya ni Pacquiao. Du30 is different – while he is incoherent, he more than makes up with his dirty jokes, cuss words and toxic macho posturing that appeals to many DDS.
duterte is president, is grudgingly respected and tolerated up to a point: his rank and status protects him. but what after his term ends! baka makaladkad yan, lol! already people are sneering behind his back and giving him the bad finger.
Dutz can still play out the card “one of us” and win, even if he has somewhat lost his appeal, while Marcos Jr. has the rich kid handicap Mar had in 2016.
In a land where there is great social injustice and therefore crab mentality, people do enjoy seeing a privileged kid fall from a bike, look foolish, talk incoherently.
Plus Marcos Jr. is the only one born rich among the 6 top candidates including Leody.
Manny, Leody and Pacman were born poor while VP Leni and Lacson were middle-class. VP Leni has a strong Bikol accent which some have tried to mock, with little success. After all, Dutz is President speaking like a gangster with a strong Davao Cebuano accent.
Visayans who experienced people in Manila mocking their accent know how it feels.
Manolo Quezon said that Commonwealth was modernity with a nod to tradition, New Society was tradition with a nod to modernity, and in 2016 the periphery took over.
Maybe the problem in 1935 was that the elites thought all boats would rise and the country would follow them to modernity, which didn’t happen, even if in the 1950s there still was a chance it would – NHerrera, Sonny and the late Edgar Lores are proofs.
A modernity that has firmer roots in the culture and which leaves no Filipino behind like the approach of VP Leni will probably be more lasting and successful. And yes, there might yet come a time when more realize that programs are about their lives as well.
“VP Leni has a strong Bikol accent which some have tried to mock, with little success. ”
How close does this sound to Visayan accent, Ireneo. And is this reason enough for Visayans to side with her; for example how about BBM does he speak with an accent. like Kris Aquino i don’t know her Tagalog, etc. but when she speaks English it really hurts my ear, not the accent but more the intonation. its like nails scratching board.
Linguistically, Tagalog, the many variants of Bikol which are due to its hilly topography, and the Visayan languages which are considered a “dialect continuum” meaning neighboring islands understand each other more are “Central Philippine languages”.
Bulan, Sorsogon where VP Leni’s father (one can see in the foto in the article how much she resembles him) comes from is a place where they speak https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisakol_languages – between Bikol and Visayan.
Even Bikol Central, Naga variant (there are minor differences to the Legazpi variant which is what my folks speak) has many words in common with Waray I was told. A common word with Cebuano is “tabang” for help.
VP Leni back in 2016 was pretty strong in Bikol, the Visayas and Mindanao while Marcos Jr. was strong in every other part of Luzon except Pampanga and near zero in Moroland.
We should also ask kasambahay who seems Cebuana about Visayans and VP Leni.
lan ub de murning, child of di san riturning, wid pirbur burning di du our suls adur! (the song: land of the morning, child of the sun returning, with fervor burning, thee do our souls adore . . .)
visayans are neanderthals! specially that waray who interviewed leni recently. no wonder waray once had abscess sa liver at na-ospital pa. sana na-abscess din ang kilay ng waray na ‘to at nalaglag lahat, lol!
I know that Visayan Yoyoy Villame was the Stone Age barangay captain Barok.
And that he became a comedian because he sang well but in every song contest in Manila people started laughing when they just heard his accent.
But then again the story of the Bikolano who came to Manila and quarreled with a fish vendor could be just a bit older, maybe early postwar, they quarreled because the word for fish in Bikolano is sirâ and the vendor got mad.
my uncle learned to speak english from a piskur (peace corps), an american volunteer and special english language teacher who has gotten so used to the diction and intonation of rustic cebuanos.
uncle: sir, ikaw is the richest man in america!
piskur: no, man, a cow is an animal!
the whole class was stunningly quiet, and hold off their laughter. such was the discipline in those days!
Hey, LCX, your pal Michael Flynn has been getting a lot of play on his world views.
Guy’s lost his marbles. Reads the same stuff as Chemrock probably.
Hahaha, and the Arizona recount was supposed to turn it all around.
😂🤣😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I’m watching this guy these days, Joe, Dr. John Campbell. But yeah Flynn’s gone towards chempo’s hole. And its easy to go in too far, you gotta have some kinda lifeline or hobby to balance things off.
Weirdly Bannon’s making more sense these days, i noticed, of all the Trump folks.
But i suspect its also connected to Crypto and blockchain too. thoughthat’s another separate hole, which I suspect connect somewhere down the line. Farther.
I still think Bill Gates is in play. Soros/Arabella, etc. I don’t think can orchestrate something this big. But for sure I too think COVID was released and not from nature. though no ability to prove one way or the other now (which was my last talk w/ chemp on this if you remember).
I used to think the whole point was to cull 8 billion to less, but apparently it was just the vaccine (cuz we’re still climbing towards 8 billion, and fast). Bill Gates keeps saying 60% as the magic number. i dunno why, herd immunity they say. but I’m thinking now
that Bill Gates is a reptilian alien and is simply updating our software. sorta like my laptop issue last summer.
crypto.com is making a huge play for prominence. Must be the biggest ponzi scheme on the planet. Hidden behind its mysteries. Or else its not, in which case I’m for sure missing the boat.
“But for sure I too think COVID was released and not from nature.”
That’s a woo-woo claim backed by ZERO evidence. There are legitimate issues to hurl at Gates like his push to privatize education and suck up small farmers in Africa via corporate sponsored green revolution but intentional corona virus is not one of them.
Micha, think about all those, then add the COVID claim, does it subtract or add. does it break the pattern? is it consistent? I agree there’s no proof, but so too for God. Its called a hunch. And you skipped the part that he’s Reptilian!!! that’s the capstone.
Lcx,
Speaking of chem
Notwithstanding his seemingly anti vax posts he told me he got vaccinated.
And he told me he still reads here.
I asked him if he still reads the comments.
All I can say is: with the things he is sharing, I doubt those stuff will be published here so I would not do the same mistake of posting them.
It’s pretty clear that I don’t have the emotional energy to deal with right wing political views. Some would say that is bias. I would say it is refusal to legitimize a dangerous set of ideas that can only bring anger and misery to a whole lot of Americans. It is estimated that some 200,000 Americans have died of covid unnecessarily because of the anti-vaccine rants predominantly from the right. So ‘objectivity’ means giving space to those rants, and others like them? I don’t think so. Blocking it is objectively caring about the Constitution and human rights and refusing to accede to the white supremacist, anti-science, anti-democracy hostility emerging across America. Frankly, I don’t understand the emotional and intellectual needs of people who trade in facts for conspiracies, yank books out of school libraries, and threaten and spit on medical and election workers. I’m happy to lose the tag of ‘objective’ to the tag of ‘rebel’ against that destructive nonsense.
I understand Joe. All I could do is share some of the shock absorption to Irineo and giancarlo, but not all of course.
I admire your objectivity and equanimity. It’s always been your strong suit from FV days.
Thanks Joe from the bottom of my heart!
karl,
I wasn’t the one who brought up chempo.
I am entering the fray about cryptocurrencies with these two links:
https://www.norc.org/NewsEventsPublications/PressReleases/Pages/more-than-one-in-ten-americans-surveyed-invest-in-cryptocurrencies.aspx
The first one by economist Paul Krugman titles his NYT opinion article as “How Crypto Became the New Subprime.” He does concede that the potential damage is less than that of Subprime when and if it does happen. [Some may not be able to read the article because of the paywall.]
The second is based on a survey done by a research and analysis group called NORC at the University of Chicago. The following comes from the second link:
*****
The majority of crypto investors are under 40 and do not have college degrees; two-fifths are women and/or investors of color.
Thirteen percent of Americans surveyed report purchasing or trading cryptocurrencies in the past 12 months, according to a new survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. This figure is slightly more than half of that of survey respondents who reported trading stocks (24 percent) over the same period.
According to researchers from NORC, the average cryptocurrency trader is under 40 (mean age is 38) and does not have a college degree (55 percent). Two-fifths of crypto traders are not white (44 percent), and 41 percent are women. Over one-third (35 percent) have household incomes under $60k annually.
*****
America’s lotto.
You gotta see crypto as three things, NH:
1. That its an illusion– just like fiat, just like Gold, and other means of transfering value and time. some stuff are useful like Gold, space missions use gold for its atomic make up; some illusions of value have really abstract qualities like all the Banksy sculptures/paintings, etc. they’re not really worth millions i don’t think. Real estate is an illusion, that’s why Native Americans and other peoples in the world didn’t purport to own the Earth (its a ludicrous concept if you really think about it, because if you pan out into ages the world is constantly changing you have to have a very constrained view of time).
Like all illusion , similar to religion, it only requires critical mass. The Jekyll island/Fed system that you’re used to only system you know, has now a good chance of collapsing (not rehashing chempo’s article on the US dollar here, just pointing out that what Wall Street did in 2008 was never really fixed just kicked forward, i gotta feeling it’ll eventually catch up with us, now is a good time as good as any).
2. As tech, that’s blockchain. Now, NH, i’m no computer guy, no tech guy, i just Google alot , a lot. And one thing that happens for sure when there s new tech, it doesn’t just go away. and disappear. Bitcoin has been around for 10 years now; Ethereum too. so far and this chempo as an anti-crypto guy, chempo has stated on here that its a force to be reckoned with cannot be tampered with, as cryptography it is secured, now sure quantum computers are coming and all this could be eventually broken into, like all cryptography all made to be broken into, but I’m thinking after 10 years blockchain will have evolved also, to account for further technological advances.
So like Pandora’s box, it has begun, China’s CBDC built on blockchain is tracking good so far, many buy ins already, so much so that many central banks are gonna follow, some more aggressively than others. but the trend is towards there, not away from CBDC. El Salvador is skipping all that and just banking on Bitcoin directly no attempts to control it. ballsy, but i gotta feeling other Bitcoin proponents will ensure that experiment will float, their system is depending on it– to reach critical mass. My point for 2 just like 1, is that its here to stay. thus critical mass. Enough people will believe in the illusion. ergo its usefulness.
3. The new Web 3.0, the Metaverse, this too is supposed to be built by blockchain, gian‘s correct hard to be racist against some thing you cannot see. BPO is… if you really water it down is built on racism, 1st world companies exploiting you because you’re not 1st world, thus pay you lower salary but high enough from 3rd world standards for you to say its improvement, when its really crap. Fuck that.
So gian‘s correct there opportunity here blockchain as the next iteration of the internet is non-racist, and more importantly allows you to own your work, thus your value, a value now perfectly suited to be compensated digitally, thus no taxes. Thus gov’ts also have to evolve. right now they think their perfect hedge is CBDC, maybe i dunno. I just Google not an expert on anything really. so cannot say further than, what I know about people is they don’t like to be surveilled, NH, if theres a better system which makes them more anonymous they will opt for that, given all things being equal of course. its a brave new world, NH. naysayers are moot at this point. as am I as a Luddite, i’ll never participate in this. but I know in 10 years, when I pay cash (I’m anti-credit card companies, and still use checks, but mainly cash carry) i’ll have to pay a fee for making transaction unnecessarily slower. like my laptop , I’ll eventually probably upgrade, but i’ll hold out for as long as I can. Lesson to you here, and I know as a fellow octogenerian we don’t do new lessons too well…
Boomer thinking will be obsolete. Bet on that. All analysis should account for this first, then analysis. not the other way around. you all are going against Einstein.
p.s.– the stats you’ve shared IMHO is accurate. But i would only add that this is the same demographics directly affected by the 2008 collapse. So best to see this as a revolution without guns, simply by opting out related also to the Great Resignation. There will eventually be violence, but from my perch (Googling) it’ll be from the state, not the people.
And that’s why I think all this is good, NH. And why I disagree with chempo. No one (in that same demographics indicated) care about Trump anymore, sure if 2024 is Trump vs. Biden again sure they’ll vote, but all energies are into Bitcoin and sabotaging Wall Street, by extension the Fed. The folks i know in that very demographics don’t talk politics, they talk RobinHood and Bitcoin. this was my main disagreement with chempo.
Thus Joe is right above on Flynn and chempo, 2022 people aren’t bothering with such rhetoric and conspiracy theories anymore, they are seeing friends and relatives talk about what stocks to buy, and stuff. and jumping in. No politics. micro-investing is what its called and now taking up everyones time here.
“energies into . . . sabotaging Wall Street”
It’s not working, and it seems to me Wall Street is doing the sabotage work on Biden who is feeding them oodles of cash that peo-business Republicans want to stop even if they wreck democracy. Nothing makes sense anymore. I might buy crypto as a safe haven for when it all implodes and Putin takes over.
ooooops *disagree with chempo
[text edited to correct. JA]
@ Joe,
Putin’s not gonna do anything , Joe. his Arctic sea investments and projects are too far a long. but for sure when those pipes are shut down for Europe, to divert energy to China, Europe needs to have a plan B for just settle for body to body heat sharing, that’s a whole lot of orgies, Joe– with COVID to boot.
Make no mistake…
Putin’s already won. He got NATO to blink, in a big way. NATO’s come undone. Just by miliary exercises. what a joke!
As for Bitcoin. Jr. should definitely talk to gian, that’s the future. I wish gian does a blog on this subject vis a vis BPO.
this is the type of sabotage I’m talking about , Joe, by the very demographics NH has indicated. a bunch of dumb high school grads!!!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/melvin-plotkin-gamestop-losses-memestock-11643381321
“At the worst point in January 2021, Melvin Capital Management was losing more than $1 billion a day as individual investors on online forums such as Reddit banded together to push up prices of stocks Melvin was betting against. “We were in a terrible position. Stared death in the face,” Mr. Plotkin told employees in a Zoom meeting late that month. “But we’ve made it through.”
The damage, though, was severe. Melvin’s loss that month was 54.5%, or roughly $6.8 billion, one of the swiftest and steepest declines for a hedge fund since the financial crisis of 2008.
Now, the 43-year-old hedge-fund manager is attempting a feat that might prove more difficult than his earlier rapid rise to the top ranks of money managers. He is trying to make back all that money. As of the beginning of last February, Melvin had to post a 120% return to do so.”
@LC 🙂
“… transfering value and time. some stuff are useful like Gold, space missions use gold for its atomic make up; some illusions of value have really abstract qualities like all the Banksy …”
Yes (sigh) … waxing nostalgic: recalling terms (aerospace, cold war, space race, psychedelic, etc.) Time was when gold was indispensable for its utility. I used to keep track of our auric salts for plating gold onto electronic contacts on printed circuit boards for high reliability/anti-corrosion for on-board computers (fighter planes, Poseidon missile guidance system, Orion reconn planes, AWACS central telecommunications.
@LC
PS. Gold was worth $34 per troy oz, at that time; today one quote has it $1,825 per oz.
LCx,
Just sharing.
@LcplX
Spewing more Bitcoin/crypto nonsense eh? Did you just said you’re already an octogenarian? Wow, apologies corporal, all the while I thought you’re just 30 or 40 something.
Anyway, how exactly do you envision an America going full Bitcoin?
Yeah, man. Me and NH are, we’re old souls (literally). tell Micha, NH.
Not full Bitcoin, in the near term CBDC and Bitcoin (Americans will want to hedge hence both have to coexist, but already obvious CBDC is temporary cuz Bitcoin offers anonymity ). But in 20 years, national sovereign currency will be no more that concept is dinosaur. kaput!!! bye-bye.
Me too Corpotal, I justalled you Gen Xer.
Nonsense, corporal. The dissolution of sovereign currency can only happen with the dissolution of the state.
Bitcoin and the dollar are not complimentary.
Bitcoin is a direct challenge on the exclusive sovereignty and authority of the state. China and Russia knows this hence they unhesitatingly swung the hammer on it.
Crypto promotion is only feasible to the extent that the US treks on the path towards self-destruction and balkanization.
1. Back your proposition. Is currency the soul point of the state?
2. Again why not? back your proposition.
3. Who cares what Russia and China do, they are authoritarian states, by definition can compel their people to thier whims round people up at will.
4. “self-destruction and balkanization”, like I said to Joe , Micha, a bunch of dumb high school grads are taking a bunch of finance folks for a rough ride, with only a few hundred dollars a piece, but working as a group these high school low educated low IQ folks are doing the opposite of self-destruction and balkanization.
Now add gian‘s DAO, that’s a brave new world, Micha!!! you should be for that. these guys are taking Wall Street for a ride. if that’s not democracy I don’t know what is!
addendum,
4a. Bitcoin and micro-investing is the only place I know where Trumpists, Bernie/AOC folks, and Blacks are participating together. they all converge on these subReddits and/or YouTube videos, they coordinate but no groups or anything, no one knows who’s who, and either buy or sell, or collude to focus on one sector or company (like Gamestop, AMC, etc.).
That stats (the one NH shared) is very instructive. these are the folks left behind, and now they are literally making the Fed, Wall Street and politicians worry. think about it, Micha, is that a good thing or a bad thing, its democratic is what it is!
1. A state without a currency is not sovereign, corporal. Name me one contemporary country without its own money system.
2. However you define or construct the function of the state depends on the collective will of its people. A monetary system is essential for the conduct of its (business and trade) affairs.
3. China and Russia happens to be the main challenger to US hegemony, so there is that.
4. Low educated and low IQ folks are selfish dumbfucks undermining the integrity of US monetary system.
I don’t see how a super volatile intrinsically useless commodity is being used to promote democracy.
1. Vatican; El Salvador; Ecuador; East Timor.
2. “A monetary system is essential for the conduct of its (business and trade) affairs.”
Bitcoin.
3. Fuck China and Russia.
4. “selfish dumbfucks undermining the integrity of ____________ .”
I’m pretty sure the King of France and the King of England once said something similar. Selfish dumbfucks get things done, Micha! respect.
1. Both El Salvador, Ecuador, and East Timor have adopted the US dollar as its currency, corporal. And Vatican, merely an independent city within Rome, is using the euro.
2. Bitcoin can never ever become a widely circulating currency, despite its pretenses.
3. Yeah, keep saying that and watch them rise over the ashes of America gone mad and self-destruct.
4. If there’s one thing those selfish dumbfucks are good at is the idiocy of self-destruction..
“Name me one contemporary country without its own money system.”
1. I gave you 4.
2. How can you say that with a straight face, Micha, when like 7 countries use the US dollar. If they can arbitrarily use another nation’s currency. What is stopping them from using Bitcoin?
3. Never.
4. England thought the same thing about the USA , Micha.
Since you’re merely regurgitating more nonsense here corporal, I don’t want to prolong this conversation further so goodnight to you in the golden state.
“Vatican, merely an independent city”
Nope.
“Vatican City is the world’s smallest fully independent nation-state.”
They even have ambassadors , Micha, called Papal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuncio s.
Goodnight, Micha. You’ve failed to defend your positions.
In your say so.
Further, the Vatican is not EU but uses the Euro. same-same as those other countries using the US dollar— not their currency. Not their own.
Corporal, those countries have their money system. It’s not like they conduct their business, trade, and commerce by barter wherein you trade in 1 sack of rice for 3 kilos of fish for example.
They have an adopted currency but a money system nonetheless; hence not fully monetarily sovereign – they have less control over the value, interest rates, or the fiat creation of those adopted currency.
Not their own, Micha. that’s the whole point ain’t it?
its arbitrary.
What’s stopping them from using other currencies, say the Chinese or Russian ruble? El Salvador went from US dollar to Bitcoin. see… your premise that a country needs its own is false.
that’s my point. it s interchangeable. Ergo you are wrong.
No corporal, a country without their own currency is not monetarily sovereign. Think through that concept clearly before rumbling more nonsense.
Micha, we’re not talking about sovereignty though, we’re talking about arbitrariness of money itself. Peso, to US dollar, to Bitcoin.
Remember your proposition: own.
Now you’re the one not making any sense, Micha. Read your proposition again. Please revisit what your point was!
No dickhead, a country without its own currency is not monetarily sovereign.
“Name me one contemporary country without its own money system.” As indicated there are several.
We are not talking about monetary sovereignty , the question is whether you need to “own”, own, your own money system. And the answer resoundingly so, is no, Micha. No!
NO!!!
If you F to China and Russia, you should tell them off too.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/01/11/bitcoin-ban-these-are-the-countries-where-crypto-is-restricted-or-illegal2
karl,
if you read the link, its because those countries are setting up for their own CBDC, which is Micha’s argument, the two don’t mix; I’m saying let both expand unhindered and see where it goes. that both are equally valid. Most in the list are authoritarian if you noticed, maybe India is the most democratic in that list.
What’s missing with boomer thinking is the last part IMHO.
oooooooops… wrong quote, Joe.
here,
That is a very European attitude to things.
How do you think Europe got through its often horrible history?
Exactly, the Jekyll island experiment is failing; start looking forward and get stuff fixed already!
Ponzi scheme! not gonna work! No high school education! all pessimism of intellect;
how about some optimism of will, the will to get stuff done experiment making a new system in its place. Bitcoin, blockchain, DAOs, de centralize, more democratic!!!
all
Corporal, explain how exactly is a Bitcoin monetary system going to work?
Its getting there.
I’m just saying its as valid a concept as any.
the blockchain is tight; now its just a matter of getting all the other stuff in place like digital wallets, etc.
But same issues with CBDC.
that’s why address CBDC first, Micha! that’s coming.
So stop rumbling through on something that you have no singular idea how it’s gonna work. You’ve been selling this shit all over this place and yet you have no clue what the underlying mechanism is for this shitcoin system of yours.
And corporal, remember this : Bitcoin is not CBDC, CBDC is not bitcoin.
Stop equating the two. They are not complementary.
They are both on blockchain, Micha.
Only diff is that one is purportedly backed “backed” by a state, and the other is more democratic thus de-centralized. But remember even chempo’s anti Bitcoin tome via YouTube, he stands by blockchain technology.
So in the end all things being equal— which they are, equal.
One is centralized, and the other de-centralized. Period. that’s the difference, Micha!
Oh, Ireneo. If Russia turns off the pipes to Germany et al.
Where are other sources of gas, etc. ? 75% of the gas i read is from Russia.
I’m sure the metaphor is related to Bitcoin, CBDC & fiat currency? Diversify.
As of now, the only choice we have IMO is Germany and USA to continue playing good and bad cops towards Putin, he will notice but his options will be constrained.
Keep that up for a few weeks until the spring comes so we don’t freeze too much.
It is like in 2015 with the refugees: Germany specifically Munich central station receives them until Hungary manages to finish its border fence, and just a week before Oktoberfest Germany closes its borders and Munich is receives.
It isn’t as if Europe hasn’t been through this kind of stuff before. Most postwar periods here had freezing winters, I think 1818 and 1948 both were.
Aa for options the pipeline to Romania and the overhaul of their oil fields – and tapping their Black Sea gas reserves – is due. Not that this is all going to be easy but who said so. The options we have here at the moment all suck, more than back in 2015.
Isn’t that Vlad the Impaler’s territory? are you sure that’s oil ?!!!
thanks.
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/091820-work-begins-to-lay-gas-pipeline-to-link-romanian-black-sea-fields-to-shore-bsog
Romania filed and won a UNCLOS case against Ukraine foe Black sea territories containing gas fields – I happened to be in Bucharest when that was all over the news back in 2009.. and yes Romania has two own oil companies.
http://www.worldcourts.com/icj/eng/decisions/2009.02.03_black_sea.htm
The pipeline through Romania is also essential for the reasons the map above shows. Parts of it are still under construction.
The Great Game going on for some time is all about energy supply.
it’s gonna be dinugo-an and you’ll then have to call Alexandra Trese.
Here’s the underlying mechanism, Micha.
Again, I don’t think Bitcoin is fully mature yet, but Chinese CBDC is one year old now. Bitcoin’s blockchain which is fully mature (10+ years now) is the basis of Chinese CBDC. so you wanna study the underlying mechanism you study China’s Bitcoin errrr CBDC system .
Of course the “intermediary” above is gonna be commercial banks. but as you can see below, commercial banks aren’t necessarily necessary, Micha. read it and weep.
Not necessary because in essence banks will function as disbursement only, thus servers and AI can totally do that. Thus direct is the only way to go forward. Making CBDC exactly like Bitcoin. Voila!
Also, Ireneo…
https://www.gallup-international.bg/en/33483/win-gallup-internationals-global-survey-shows-three-in-five-willing-to-fight-for-their-country/
I wonder if Putin is operating with a copy of this map and polling taped stickied on his wall, which he looks at everyday. And he smiles (every day).
Once again it coincides with this line:
Well, Ukraine will not be easy to invade actually. It’s not just these women training to fight. There are urban professionals doing so, militia groups, all of that. And their patriotism is even more than Russian patriotism based on the map.
https://fb.watch/aU2baYuf00/
Poland is also quite patriotic, and historically not friendly to Russia at all – and has rotating US troops presence. Western Europe has had peace and affluence for a long time, people here want to go on vacation three times a year and otherwise live well.
Bulgaria rich? Bulgaria’s numbers is surprising to me.
Bulgarians are a riddle to me. No, Bulgaria is even poorer than Romania. Romanians have a certain adaptability with other cultures and languages so Romania is now one of the top BPO countries in the world.
Originally Turkic people – their rulers where once called Khans – they adopted Slavic culture and even invented the Cyrillic alphabet based on Greek. Their language is almost the same as Serbian and Croatian. They have a sizable Bulgarian Turk minority from Ottoman times. There are Bulgarians with pro-Russian sympathies even as the country is in the NATO. Bulgaria also has the lowest vaccination rate in the EU, around 29% only.
https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-fighting-a-losing-battle-against-covid/a-60486611
BTW that Switzerland is up at nearly the same level as Sokor isn’t surprising. Mandatory military service including reservist training every 5 or so years until you’re about 50, and a rifle at home (a real militia in the US 2nd Amendment sense), including knowing your mobilization code in case of war and where you are to report is the Swiss way. Tourist guide books warn you not to mock the Swiss army as that can get you in jail, while imitating the Swiss accent can merely make some think you’re mocking them.
The only issue I read about re the Swiss army was an incident of a fat young man dying during military service as his sergeant tied him to the other recruits when he showed signs of weakness during an exercise. Turned out he had an unnoticed heart condition. Otherwise the Swiss are proud of their military and migrants who serve in it are very proud of it. Unlike most Western European people that aren’t that nationalistic anymore.
yes, leni and kiko are so deserving of makabayan bloc endorsement! what a pair!
makabayan bloc knows our country needs a full on hard working leader and a very supportive vice leader.
Off-topic
The US CDC data on hospitalization risk for different age groups are stunning on the advantage of vaccination against Covid-19:
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#covidnet-hospitalizations-vaccination
The link below shows the age group for people >= 65 years old.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKWuH7gWUAMFYDb?format=jpg&name=medium
In December 2021, 67 poets decided to write poems for VP Leni. A hundred Pink Poems for Leni is the result, a Valentine’s Day Gift from many big names of Philippine literature.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160270739197755&id=754152754
Composer Ryan Cayabyab has written a song for VP Leni.
https://fb.watch/aTyS1kBmtl/
The fisherman’s organization Pamalakaya which is a Leftist organization has expressed its support for VP Leni’s candidacy, just after Makabayan expressed its support.
If Leody will be adamant with his conditions then no chance of him widthrawing.
let us review them:
Among the issues De Guzman wanted to get a clear-cut stand from the vice president include contractualization, low salary of workers, increasing prices of basic goods, and automatic debt appropriation.
===
duterte promised an and to endo but nothing happen because it is easier said than done.
Low salary= there must be a balance. If all small,medium and some of the large conglomerates close shop once you almost double people’s salary then that is more disastrous. Maybe the c suite bonuses can be controlled.
automatic debt appropriations
he thinks that if Argentina can do it, why can’t we. The administrative code of 1987 mandates debt services as part of the automatic appropriations.
Going back to salaries we do have the one of the lowest in this part of the globe.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1326929/phs-p15200-average-salary-among-lowest-in-110-countries-survey
First plan for a post covid life. Many have lost their jobs, let people have their jobs first.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/robredo-job-recovery-plans-2022-polls/
I think, senators and those at congress are sort of endo workers too. at the end of their term. they would have to do the process again: re-file their candidacy and go on campaign in order for them to be re-elected.
once re-elected, they can have another job on the side. pakyaw have several boxing stints overseas while incumbent. ex movie actors na naging incumbent din make films and movies, or direct them.
maliban lang sa kapolisan at military, set na ang retirement nila at age 57. though they can be fired if they misbehaved prior to retirement.
I heard na si media personality na si karen davila ay isang endo worker din. some media personalities are indeed endo workers too; renegotiating their contract time and again.
Yes endo is very nuanced.
BLOOMBERG
India to Tax Crypto Income, Launch Central Bank Digital Currency
India Finally Warms to Crypto With Tax, Digital Currency Income from virtual assets to be taxed at 30%, minister says. Plans to introduce digital rupee in fiscal year starting April
India took a step closer to adopting cryptocurrencies after years of wavering on its stance, as the country seeks to keep up with the global move toward the digital assets.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-01/india-to-launch-central-bank-digital-currency-next-fiscal-year?utm_content=business&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_medium=social
Since Bitcoin and its spot price movement has been mentioned, I thought that this chart may be useful to post, for reference in the blog:
Bloomberg states that the Bitcoin spot price recovery from its January low hits a trendline that’s been hard to break, though “a lot of money on the sideline is ready to pounce”
At the current price in the neighborhood of US$39k or about PHP2 million, I can see that 1 Bitcoin is peanuts to someone in Biliran. The probable upside may be more than the downside. As for me it is just too rich for my taste.
Haha, peanuts are peanuts in Biliran. Bitcoins are for high rollers in Manila. I wonder if there’s a Chinese market for them out of the pogos. That’s the direction I’d take on them if I had way mor peanuts.
🙂
Oh, here it is, karl RE India. Thanks, NH.
countries are favoing their own Bitcoin thus illegalizing the original Bitcoin. which I’m saying is not very wise (the argument with Micha above), thus most democratic countries IMHO will should go with both until they really figure out which is best (that to me is wise, and they most seem to be), though central banks would be biased towards their own currency— but as explained above “own” need not be necessary. eg. the Vatican uses the Euro, they could go with US dollar or just as arbitrary with Bitcoin.
PS– NH, a better table would be one that accounts for Bitcoin’s rise since 2010. from zero to hero.
Yes. But it took 2022-2010 or twelve years to rise to hero or about $67,000 and three months to fall to about about $35,000 from the chart. Lance, if you can spare about $39k why not get one Bitcoin — from that base if may become a superhero in your late 80s. 🙂
LOL! we octogenerians don’t have enough time. Only time for love, NH.
But my point is there is value since its inception. Blockchain for one. Whether CBDC will rule the day, or Bitcoin I don’t know. But why not let the two compete. Instead of state illegalizing Bitcoin. Free market , right?
Now if 40K goes to zero, that’s a different story. Just pointing out the steady uphill climb albeit rocky. but base on precedent, that 40K will usually surge up again, then down, but for sure (IMHO) not go to zero. Too many people have been convinced, that’s exactly why there are more CBDC adoption.
When it goes down Micha posts all the anti-Bitcoin stuff, then when it goes up crickets. We’ve seen the trends here on TSOH itself. Up down, yay! for my side, boooo for them, they’re stupid!!!
The question for VP Leni is she going with Micha, or is she going with letting Bitcoin evolve unhindered.
karl’s list above says most authoritarian type gov’ts are for illegalizing Bitcoin, where as Western EU and Anglosphere are more open. I think VP Leni should let Bitcoin go free, see where it leads.
But she needs to start talking about it, and blockchain vis a vis BPO industry there. that de-centralizing of internet is a perfect stance, i hope she keeps on de-centralizing. But she needs to start talking about all this, and not let it all just pass her by. She can totally outshine BBM here.
My problem with crypto currencies is that I don’t understand the basis of making money. For savings, it is interest the banks are willing to pay for using my money. For stocks, it is company growth and earnings growth, and they pay me for using my money. For crypto, who is paying me, other than other chumps below me in the pyramid? I note that tax forms require that I report earnings, so there is no tax advantage. I suppose it is best to look at it as a free form mutual fund and I should be confident that a lot of people are using it for borrowing or buying or trading, and making money at it, and are willing to pay me some of their earnings. A lot are probably collectors who want to pay me so they can hoard stuff. Why should I complain. And speculators who know, like diamonds, desperate people want to own some before the door slams shut. But I think I’ll just go buy a sailboat instead.
And that’s a fair view to take. I don’t know a lot of this too, Joe, I’m a Luddite.
but the possibility of rectifying a broken system, with something new, that seems to be balance positive and not negative, i’m totally on board with. Like I said even chempo himself the biggest naysayer of Bitcoin here, even bowed down to the blockchain. That is what I have faith in the tech , now how folks will use it i dunno. for example DAO looks good that blockchain too. and maybe CBDC is the only good use of this, but my point here is give Bitcoin a chance people are betting on it.
Like a horse race, you don’t want the “authorities” to post snipers up in roof tops and shot your horse dead in themiddle of the race. that’s just no fair. that’s my only point here , Joe. all other prognostications is totally above my pay grade as a PhD in Google.
Fair enough.
LCX, I really thought you were a millennial based on your narratives, i guess i thought wrong.
Here is the sitrep of cryptos here in PH.
https://ycpsolidiance.com/article/seizing-the-moment-how-the-philippines-is-capitalizing-on-cryptocurrencynbsp
Its an old joke from when me and NH were prostate buds, karl. hence octogenarians. the start of it is somewheres in the archives i’m sure. waiting to be discovered for posperity.
Private jokes get erased from my memory bank so does a few real name handles, I knew Micha and I7 sharp typed in their real names once before and I quickly erased it from memory.
We octogenarians only have “time for love.” And may I add Googling and posting here in Joe’s blog. That, I agree, Lance.
Still, for a Bitcoin fan like you, $40k growing to a probable $200k in 3 years while you continue to make love, Google and post here seems an opportunity lost. More importantly, you can later say — see I told you so. Audace, audace, man. 🙂
Now I digress —
I am reading something on stoicism, and a line caught me as being useful to us elderly — like shooting an arrow, you make the best stance, eye firmly on the target while you pull the arrow, then release the arrow; how it lands is something out of your control; no regrets if you fail to hit the target.
BTW, in the Philippine setting, my gut tells me that unconsciously, stoic philosophy is something Leni Robredo is probably adopting. She does her best under the circumstance while truly helping the poorer sector of the country, then come what may after the election, she will not have regrets — considering, especially in the PH, there are a lot of variables out of her and her team’s control.
And that — my post above on stoic philosophy — connects with the link posted by Karl below on not underestimating Leni Robredo.
This was a book given to me by my higher ups, i’ve been lucky to have Philosophy majors as officers in my chain of command.
https://raviraman.com/james-stockdale-philosophical-fighter-pilot/
James Stockdale was shot down in North Vietnam at the outset of the Vietnam war. Held captive for over 7 years, he survived and was awarded the Medal of Honor. What can we learn from his experience? What insights helped him endure under such hardship?
He has written a lot about his experience of warfare and as a prisoner-of-war. His insights paint the picture of a philosopher-warrior. Someone who lived as an active player in the external world, and yet, saw the immense value – his life depended on it – of having a deep understanding of one’s inner world.
It was the philosophy of the Stoics, mainly, those of former slave turned philosopher Epictetus, that shifted Stockdale’s consciousness and shaped his experience as a prisoner of war.
===================
NH,
His whole thing was you can’t control the prison, you can’t control the prison guards, you can’t even control your fellow prisoners, you can’t even control yourself (torture, sickness, etc.) you can only control your own mind.
I would add even that you can’t control, eg. my post on psychedelics prior.
So what is the essence of self. I dunno. but pissing off and teasing Micha makes my day. 😉
And if Micha throws stones and missiles at you — can’t control what he does — take it like a Stoic? 🙂
I just stay away from MMT, NH!
You would be better off reading more philosophy than engaging in careless excursion on an advocacy you barely understand corporal.
Your ridiculous postings here reveal a conflicted personality which is the reason why I never thought for a minute that you’re already an octogenarian. Old folks are supposed to have acquired certain qualities of wisdom and finesse and dignity of age. And we revere and respect them for that.
You, on the other hand, seem to just still delight in conflict, in approbations of being right and to win a contest no matter what – very much like that other Mar-A-Lago dickhead who until today couldn’t accept that he lost an election and still riling up his supporters for a repeat of Jan. 6 violence.
Among the Tagalogs, they have a term for somebody considered old but who behave like infantile twit as “tumatandang paurong“.
“Old folks are supposed to have acquired certain qualities of wisdom and finesse and dignity of age.”
NH reveres and respects me. 😉
There’s the rub this is not about winning or losing.
The basis of Micha’s argument against Bitcoin, karl, was that a country has to have its “own” currency. Thus (according to Micha) negating the validity of Bitcoin.
Micha was indeed wrong, as there are several countries not using their “own” currency, eg. US dollar or EU euros.
Because the proposition was proven wrong, ergo Bitcoin is as valid as US dollar or EU euro.
Of course the Devil’s in the details, but just on the basis of whether you have to use your “own” currency. It appears you don’t, as a nation you can use whatever currency you feel will do the job of money.
That there is the rub, karl.
Thus Micha’s argument was lost.
It does seem corporal that you’re not only incapable of aging with grace, you’re also incapable of understanding your own language – mischaracterizing what’s been said to suit your need for a “win” and approbation.
I’m a busy person corporal, I have a day job and a family to attend to. Unlike an octogenarian retiree like you, I don’t have the luxury of unlimited idle time to respond and rectify all your misaligned brain function and trolling activities on this site.
I apologize if I’ve been remiss in explaining in clear plain language your octogenarian brain could understand what you got wrong in your shitcoin obsession.
“own”
It’s a very simple fix.
Leave as is, in which case you’re wrong.
Fix, and clarify position. Focusing definition. Maybe you’ll be right.
Or use another term completely different, and back track, do over— I’m gracious enough to allow for this, Micha. just for you.
Otherwise you’ve been proven wrong. Accept it. no one cares about your busy schedule.
euros, the Vatican uses the euro.
Fellows: let me say, I like LCpl_X.
But here’s a lyric of a song for the oldies among us:
A long, long time ago
On graduation day
You handed me your book
I signed this way
“Roses are red, my love
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet, my love
But not as sweet as you”
You know what? There was a time I had that song repeated over and over again when the good wife interrupted with — Ok, grandpa, I got it; can we now have another song. I am not kidding.
Sa Tagalog — mababaw lang ang kaligayahan ko. 🙂
@Micha, you are right: oldies like us have time on our hands to indulge in things, like my post now. But I am not as prolific as Lance. 🙂
Me too, NH. 😉 I just like to tease, Micha. And I’m happy for the whole day.
NH, mababaw is good, is unselfish, hurts nobody! ha ha. 4+ million hits! not too shabby, Bobby!!
luv tempests in a teapot, too. … pass the biscuits, pls. 🙂
ICYMI
https://www.bworldonline.com/dont-underestimate-vp-leni-robredo/
Impeach Duterte, now na! (the US tried to impeach Trump near the election day)
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/820326/blue-ribbon-report-on-pharmally-deal-duterte-betrayed-public-trust/story/
Not inciting anything, just a wish.
There’s no doubt this administration is corrupt. Michael Edgar Aglipay of the lower house cleared Lao and Yang. His sister was appointed by Duterte sa DOJ, ito yung napangasawa ni Mark Villar, the former DPWH sec. And we all knew that the frequency of ABS CBN is rewarded/awarded to the Villars. See the pattern here… Cong. Michael Edgar Aglipay is the son of a PNP general of Arroyo. This is one of the reason why the dynasty Philippine version will not work.
Tulad ng nasabi mo mw niluto yung mga kusinero.
para sa akin, doesnt matter how idiotic, stupid, moronic, these dynastic cretins are! so long as our judiciary is up to the task of calling off offending cretins, fine them or put them in jail.
that no matter what dynasty judiciary is affiliated to, judiciary will uphold the law. and for members of judiciary to recuse if there is conflict of interest. because no one is above the law.
Contreras got a dose of his own medicine.
Excellent job interview with flying colors ! Thanks ml.
kb, or isk (or was it mundski),
can you clarify on a Visayan word translation here?
DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Z. Duterte took to social media Wednesday her gratitude to her supporters for the success of their “Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride” (MNPR) campaign caravan that kicked off Tuesday here.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1166849
Isn’t the connotation of the word “mahalin” in Visayan is to salvage or be dead? eg. another one bites the dust? working girls there also use this word to say they’ve been barfined and /or taken out of rotation, line-up.
thanks.
Mahal is also palace in Hindi, eg. Taj Mahal.
https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2022/02/quiboloy-endorses-marcos-duterte-tandem/
link should give you idea what mnpr is about. most telling is pastor quiboloy blessing sara, and two senatorial aspirant: jinggoy estrada and harry roque both will be accompanying sara’s ridefest.
pastor quiboloy, the son of god and founder of the kingdom of jesus christ, is facing money laundering, human trafficking, sex charges, etc., in estados unidos.
found the definition.
========================
mahalin [há.lin.] : income (n.); migrate (v.)
Glosses:
n. (possession) 1. income the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time.
v. (motion) 1. migrate, transmigrate move from one country or region to another and settle there.
=========================
so I guess its the same connotation as “bought the farm”,
What is meant by the phrase “bought the farm”? It comes from a 1950s-era Air Force term meaning “to crash” or “to be killed in action,” and refers to the desire of many wartime pilots to stop flying, return home, buy a farm, and live peaceably ever after.
“Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas” , its funny when you think about it that way. i guess just take out “Natin”,
Mahalin ang Pilipinas ride, LOL!
To sell and/or to have bought the farm, eg. the demise of the Philippines. Read as a warning.
you know that mahalin natin is tagalog for let us love
ang love guru nina sara ay si pastor quiboloy, lol! dati in 2016, pastor quiboloy provided duterte with the use of a free airplane, for duterte to fly around the country and campaign for his presidency, air travel expenses ni duterte sagot ni quiboloy.
tapos ngayong 2022, it’s pastor quiboloy again to the rescue operation, giving blessing to sara et al. rescue operation appearing like salvage operation: salvage their reputation all in tatters, lol!
let us love, mahalin natin ang pilipinas! dati kasi, hated nila ang pilipinas: drug suspects were killed, our law and order put in the colander, marawi bombed to smithereens, china given the run of our reefs and eez and our debts both external and internal gone tru the roof!
tapos, ito, inutusan tayo, mahalin daw ang pilipinas, lol!
Sir Lance, the translation of “mahalin natin and Pilipinas” ay Let us love the Philippines as explained by Karl. In Visayan, mahalin = mahalon Other meaning of “mahalon” is expensive or dear price. The “Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride” is a kind of a caravan movement or an organization.
Thanks, isk.
I guess the root word for the Visayan term I was thinking of was halin (definition above) . i dunno what the Tagalog would be for its equivalent. but also means to die (unofficially?) in Visayan. like salvage.
Will BBM be joining Inday Sara and back ride all thru Northern Luzon? LOL!
VP Leni needs to make this a meme, and have BBM ride behind Inday Sara.
“Mahalin Ang Backride”. LOL!
Offtopic:
The odds are high he’s relying entirely on the fanaticism of his following, completely disregarding intellectual challenges, himself all too confident thinking he’ll win entirely with fanatics alone:
pa’no kasi, baka matanong pa si bbm how his comelec disqualification case is going! ex comelec commissioner guanzon is now private citizen and can very well chime in. kaya, ito, masyadong conflicted ngayon si bbm. thanks to all his kabalbagan done in the past, his present sphere is now being limited, his future haunted, his playing field severely narrowed.
next time, in order to ensure attendance, dapat ang interviewer ay isang high school graduate, ka-educational-level ni bbm, at kayang-kaya niya!
Antonio Contreras, a known critic of Leni Robredo, salutes her in this statement:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKpPdfhaAAIx7fD?format=jpg&name=large
That must have hit Marcos Jr. and his supporters in the gut for not having the guts to do as Leni had done.
makoy would have been very disappointed! he had sired a dud!
LCPL_X asked some time ago about videos of VP Leni’s people interactions.
This is in Pampanga today.
https://fb.watch/aXmouD1zc6/
VP Leni meets with rural electric cooperatives in Pampanga.
Some oligarchs will not like her being for rural electric cooperatives, but I guess one major reason she relies so much on volunteers is to avoid certain donors.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=502318651250576&id=100044173372515
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/820601/robredo-privatization-of-electric-co-ops-will-deprive-rural-areas-of-electricity/story/
A true neolib would not say something like above..
Thanks, anyone making fun of BBM yet vis a vis Inday Sara’s motorcycle ride? BBM should be mocked as backrider . Cartoons, photoshopped, its a great metaphor becuz its true.
How long is this ride suppose to last. I vote VP Leni’s folks get on this imagery of BBM as backrider to Inday Sara. thus emasculate.
LOL!
Irineo, the link below is leni’s hubris? (lost for words ako!) about malampaya.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/811718/robredo-warns-against-questionable-udenna-corp-malampaya-deal/story/
Lance even without the crypto factor we must up our game in Ai and big data or else India will eat us alive in the BPO sector.
They are already creeping in the seafarer service industry. We were proud and complacent now we complain about the competition.
Quantum computers will render encryption useless yet we are hiding the fact that Comelec has been hacked and quantum computing is still in pre-conception except in Japan.
Many structural changes have to happen here and Leni can start to make the difference.
The pattern of good leader, bad leader has to stop.
“Lance even without the crypto factor we must up our game in Ai and big data or else India will eat us alive in the BPO sector.”
Let India have BPO sector, karl.
gian’s on to something with DAO’s . AI/Big Data I totally agree. but ownership and de-centralization IMHO is what’s gonna garner Filipinos better paying jobs more than BPO, and it in the fore front now. DAO is on blockchain. So once that’s secured, you ‘d wanna get paid so via CBDC or Bitcoin I dunno, but my point is all that is connected.
But think past BPO, karl. gian’s DAO — I’m Googling more about that now.
India threw out cryptos. My familiqrity with Krypto goes way back since the Adventures of Super boy.
OT for LCPL_X: something that is uniquely Visayan and has chicks. BUDOTS.
Thanks for sharing this, Ireneo!
I’m still partial to the Bulaklak song and dance due to imprinting. But I can get behind this one.
ay, Irineo! the health sector do recommend the budol dance, zumba, etc. to those that suffer incontinence, o yong mga taong may weak bladder: when they cough or sneeze, they end up pee-ing or wetting their pants. embarrassing moment. else walking and climbing up stairs will do, anything to tighten and tone up pelvic muscles weakened by subsequent child births, and age.
This is such vintage PiE, Irineo. (the Filipino flywheel is On & Ready)
After the dust settles, this begs the question is 6 years a good tenure for the president?: 6 years too long for a bad president, too short for a good president?
Thanks Sonny. This is the distilled (and aged) version of flywheel thoughts.
Also a bit of a call-out to my generation which often tragically supports Makoy inspite of having experienced ML, or maybe because of its indoctrination?
Somewhat of a paean too to one of my generation – VP Leni is exactly a month older than me – who is determined to deal with the legacies of 50 years. That kind of determination takes nerves of steel, impressively shown again today.
Nerves of steel. I posted earlier that I believe Leni Robredo — whether consciously or unconsciously — practice some version of the stoic philosophy. Your use of that phrase brings that to my mind again.
Her calmness under fire and being able to continue to energetically think and act appropriately with a near-constant smile, the opposite of that — I will say it — nincompoop liar and thief of a Presidential candidate, is amazing. When she gets into that Presidency she will be the modern version of a Marcus Aurelius.
Here is Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic:
Another:
“The happiness of those who want to be popular depends on others; the happiness of those who seek pleasure fluctuates with moods outside their control; but the happiness of the wise grows out of their own free acts.” ― Marcus Aurelius
This is Pinoy Ako Blog’s rendition of her closing statement during the Presidential Forum today.. and remember this was after her Internet connection was wobbly and she had to shift to dial-in to make her voice better heard. Simply no sign of being rattled or anything.
https://fb.watch/aZ3nHgKQSC/
She did apologize for the bad connection, showing that like with President Truman “the buck stops here”. Tho on reddit some commenters called her facial expression GigiLeni.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10223642131053662&id=1003057789
She flew to Siargao to attend to post Odette relief immediately after.
Exactly, sonny !!! like this one,
The 18 segments, which had been folded together to fit inside the cargo bay of the rocket that carried the telescope to space, were unfurled with the rest of its structural components during a two-week period following Webb’s launch on Christmas Day.
Those segments must now be detached from fasteners that held them in place for the launch and then moved forward by about a centimetre from their original configuration – a 10-day process – before they can be aligned to form a single, unbroken, light-collecting surface.
The alignment will take an additional three months, Lee Feinberg, the Webb optical telescope element manager at Goddard, said.
Consisting of 18 hexagonal segments of gold-plated beryllium metal, the primary mirror measures 6.5 metres (21ft 4in) in diameter – a much larger light-collecting surface than Webb’s predecessor, the 30-year-old Hubble telescope.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/13/nasa-begin-months-long-effort-to-bring-james-webb-space-telescope-into-focus
If I were young again in my 30s, how I would love to be able to cope and think-act like Leni when “slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes” come in copious amounts as they had and are coming her way. How very fortunate her three daughters are in having a mother like that and in a father like Jessie Robredo.
Two things..
1) one of VP Leni’s daughters discovered her late father in an international book about development economics:
2) VP Leni on dealing with storms:
https://fb.watch/aZDBEXf8Cu/