-- Keep Moving Because --

Stop the Clash of civilizations - demand real Middle East peace talks now!Talk is rising of a ‘clash of civilizations’. But the problem isn’t culture, it’s politics – from 9/11 to Guantanamo, Iraq to Iran. This clash is not inevitable, and we don't want it.So where to start? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key symbol of the rift between Islam & the West. It's time to step up and take the initiative.Add your voice to the petiton below and we'll put billboards demanding REAL PEACE TALKS NOW in the streets of Jerusalem.

Avaaz.org - The World in Action

Posted by Diego at 3:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

After some legal wrangling, the choreogaphy for a popular dance has just been licensed under a Creative Commons license.

http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_05.php#005263

Creative Commons licenses enable you to "keep your copyright but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit — and only on the conditions you specify".

This is exciting, and it comes at a time when my work building opensourcedance.org is gaining momentum.

(description of CC license comes from the CC website)

Posted by Diego at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

A stunning duet from William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated"
See other videos I've bookmarked of Forsythe and from Nederlands Dans Theater.

Posted by Diego at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

From Austen to Balzac to Conrad to Dante to... hold on, lots of dead Europeans here. Oh well. They were still pretty good!  LibriVox.org

Posted by Diego at 5:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

Clothes made of condoms

Nuff said.

Posted by Diego at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

Asian women, a majority of whom are Filipino, are being sold as wives to American men on a regular basis. Try Googling "Filipina" and you get 3,000,000 hits for mail order brides.

Learn more about the situation from this CNN report video clip.

Posted by Diego at 4:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Slashdot | Culture Determines Which Emoticon You Use

Posted by Diego at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

This is unbelievable: Marc Fisher - Lawyer's Price For Missing Pants: $65 Million - washingtonpost.com

Posted by Diego at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

by Aida F. Santos

May 12, 2007

As I write, reports of election-related violence come tumbling in. In parts of Maguindanao, the election results are already announced: 12-0 in favor of administration candidates. It was announced by Zaldy Ampatuan, one of the several Ampatuans who are running for various electoral positions in the area. With a smile that says a million things, he boasted that more than a dozen of his relatives are running and therefore will make sure that the ALL administration candidates win in their bailiwicks. Onli in Pinas! as my friends would say. The Comelec chair has relatives running for positions in various parts of the country, and it is not unlikely as opinionated taxi drivers who drive me daily to work say, that the elections is finished before it has even began. I remember one taxi driver who even went as far back as American colonial times remembering how the will of the people had always been snatched by the ruling elite. (There was even a footnote conversation on why it is Rizal who is the national hero and not Bonifacio.) Nabilang na po ang mga boto! Bakit pa ako boboto, eh lutong makaw na po!

Of the national candidates for senators, only four are women: Nikki Coseteng, Sonia Roco, Loren Legarda and Tessie Aquino-Oreta. Nikki had been known during her term as in congress and the senate as somebody who would stand for women’s issues. Except that, as some circles opined, she had been away for too long from the public eye – and remember, Pilosopang Tasya says, maikli ang memorya ng Pinoy. Sonio initially basked in the limelight of her husband Raul Roco, and now is trying to make a name for herself as Inang Guro. Well, since elections in the Philippines is mainly a recall strategy Ms. Sonio has made good use of her popular husband’s name. I understand why, but it is a sad commentary of the state of affairs in our beloved country. Even strong women, in mainstream politics, have to stand on their men’s name. Loren, the survey polls darling, is known for her feisty politics, a demeanor belied by her all-too feminine image in her ads and sorties. On the juicier stuff, insiders say that Loren considers Chiz Escudero as her most livid competitor. Ms. Oreta, dubbed as dancing queen during the ouster movement against Erap, had gone all the way of ala-GMA, begging for the people’s forgiveness and understanding on her bad decision. GMA didn’t dance of course, she called Garci, yes, Garci who is running for a congressional seat using the name Garci! Have we forgotten? But oh, he says, he is not the Garci in the tape.

This is 2007, and tourists to outer space are not anymore sci-fi stuff, but women in politics have a long, long way to go. Not that numbers would and could really matter for Filipino women’s interest. Look, we’ve had two female presidents, and that according to some quarters, is something to be proud of. Am not sure that many of my friends and neighbors would agree to that. Women at the local levels are also running, and this, as some observers say, is where it really matters because they are closer to the people, and would be involved in governance that would impact on the day-to-day lives of poor people, particularly women. This is heartening, but look politics is pragmatism first and foremost, and the real deals will come later, after the elections. Of the lot, an old colleague, Malou Acosta of Bukidnon, is something to watch out for. In the women NGOs circles, Malou has been a credible advocate for women, and there is real hope that she could muster her will to continue being one once in power.

Danton Remoto, the first-ever out gay candidate, is quixotic-like fighting it out for a congressional seat in Quezon City against a well-entrenched, well-oiled machinery of Matt Defensor. Danton has proved Comelec wrong: he is a serious candidate for LGBT rights and a pro-people platform. And if only for that, Ang Ladlad, the partylist group he co-founded and denied accreditation by Comelec, has made a point that will never go away in the history of politics in this country. Even friends who I wouldn’t have known have a soft heart for LGBT issues and for Danton’s pink campaign, have seriously been rooting for him. The LGBTs in this country have already come out of the closet and won the hearts of a growing number of people who have grown so tired of tradpols and their rusty promises. Thanks to homophobic Comelec (with the possible exception of human rights lawyer-Commissioner Atty. Rene Sarmiento).



Of course, there is the party list. I got the names of the nominees for the party list from friends who have been good at sleuthing. Comelec said earlier it would not release the names of nominees. Well, it forgot about the right to information. As my transgender friends would say, ka-loka ang Comelec!



My list of party list groups: Gabriela Women’s Party, Abanse! Pinay, Akbayan, Bayan Muna, Sanlakas, Anakpawis, Kabataan.

Many are growing tired of elections. Illusion and reality merge; entertainment and electoral politics are nearly one and the same. Dito lang sa Pinas: it’s a circus, a bandwagon, a contestation among the rich and powerful, with the voting masses sidelined and treated as if we were all stupid morons who could not see through the inanities, the cheating, the dishonesty and violence. But yet, I wouldn’t miss this for anything. Let’s accept it – elections are where most people still pin their hopes for change. Unless one could think of another way, it’s here to stay. The point is to make decisions that our children and great grandchildren will be proud of.

In a few days, the winners will be proclaimed. But oh, I forget, there will be protests, accusations and counter-accusations of fraud. Ballot snatching will be the old feature of this exercise, counting will be tedious and long-drawn, thanks to the ineptness of Comelec who appears to be so all over despite their daily pronouncements of an honest and clean elections. By now, the rumors are rife about a 12-0 win. In psychology, this is called conditioning. The will of the people, as some administration crowers beat in our ears, will prevail. This is 2002 all over again! A 12-0 win will break the camel’s back, so to speak. Let’s not test the will of the people.

Posted by Diego at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

There is a war raging. It is as ancient as blood and as persistent as memory, and it is as visible to us as we choose it to be. It is made up of countless battles, large and small, against oppression, injustice, and the abuse of power. The opponents are the mechanisms that consign the memories of cultures and peoples to oblivion. The war is a war against forgetting, and it is happening right now. Our participation is guaranteed, though sometimes we falter and we step out; but others---recovering from their wounds and having regained their strength---will step in.

One of the most difficult moment in one's life is realizing that they are fighting for the side they swore years ago they would never join. The next most difficult thing is deciding what to about it. But difficult is good: it is the point when the limits of free will are tested most severely. Rainer Maria Rilke goes so far to insist that putting "trust in what is difficult is a certainty that will never abandon us... [T]hat something is difficult must be one more reason for us to do it."

Posted by Diego at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments

May kusinang maliit na nakasiksik sa sulok ng aming opisina sa Makati. Tuwing pumapasok ako sa kusinang ito, napapatigil ako sa amoy.

Hindi. Hindi amoy. Masyadong malakas ang dating ng salitang "amoy", na para bang inaatake ang ilong ko. Samyo. Napapatigil ako sa samyo ng kusinang ito, na halintulad sa samyo ng apartment ni Tatay sa London na aking napuntahan noong 1993. Grasang nag-gelatinize, sabong panghugas ng plato (in fact, parang pareho brand pa nga, e), at isang halimuyak na hindi ko malaman kung saan galing. (Ang suspetsa ko ay galing siya sa isang chemical reaction ng kanin, adobo, mangga, at tuyo sa malamig na hangin.)

Tuwing pumapasok ako sa kusinang ito, naaalala ko na minsan, tumira ako sa ibang bansa.

Apat na buwan na akong nasa Maynila. Sa loob ng sampung taon, ito na ang pinakamakatagal ko.

Siguro mga dalawang buwan nang nakaraan na napansin ko na nagigising ako sa umaga na may pakiramdam na pamilyar mula sa mga araw ko sa Vancouver. Ang una kong nadadarama pag gising ko sa umaga ay panic. Ano ba ang "panic" sa Tagalog? Hindi ko alam. Hinala ko na ito ay sintomas ng ... ewan ko. Ang mga Tagalog ba, dati, hindi nakadarama ng panic?

Nadadagan ang panic ko (kung hindi man nasimulan mismo) ng pagka-deny sa akin ng Canadian visa. After 10 years of studying, working, and volunteering in Canada, ipinagkait sa akin ng mga isang ignoranteng, mayabang na visa-processing officer (at least gano'n ang pagkaka-imagine ko sa kanya) ang visa na sa aking pananaw ay halos birthright ko.

Putcha, na-i-imagine ko na ang life ko dito.

Magpapayaman ako para ma-afford ko ang immigration fees. Dahil mahirap magpayaman sa Pilipinas, magiging super corporate ako. Matututo akong sumipsip at magpapaalila ako sa mga makapangyarihan at may pera. Sa susunod na meeting na may kasamang isang superior, itataas ko ang kamay ko at magtatanong ako kuno. (Sa totoo lang, gagawin ko lamang ito para sumipsip.) "Sir, I was reading in your article in the Philippine Star yesterday," sasabihin ko, "and I had a question about your sampling methods."

Pagkatapos, pag mayaman na ako, magpapagawa ako ng bahay.

I think I'm going insane. Everything is messy here. Transportation, commerce, relationships. And the bodies. Jesus fucking christ, even the bodies are messy here. Spastic, frantic, frenzied. Like salmons spawning.

Posted by Diego at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Human Mutation

eldavojohn writes "Scientists in China have announced finding the gene that makes us human. The article explains that prior work has shown that humans, as compared with the great apes from which we diverged over 5 million years ago, have a longer form of a protein (type II neuropsin) located in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. From the article: 'Gene sequencing revealed a mutation specific to humans that triggers a change in the splicing pattern of the neuropsin gene, creating a new splicing site and a longer protein. Introducing this mutation into chimpanzee DNA resulted in the creation of type II neuropsin. "Hence, the human-specific mutation is not only necessary but also sufficient in creating the novel splice form," the authors state.' The team is urging further analysis of the extra 45 amino acids in type II neuropsin since they believe that chain may cause protein structural and functional changes. The research didn't link anything with this protein, simply identifying it as a very distinct difference between us and our closest cousins."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by Diego at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments

If you thought the attempt to patent Basmati rice was pathetic, you ought to read about the number the AACS is trying to own (AACS Plays Whack-a-Mole with Extracted Key)

The number, by the way, in hexadecimal format, is 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0. Oooh, I've probably just committed a federal offense.

However, you, too, can own your own 128-bit integer! Mine is 25 A6 D4 C7 95 6A 73 5D 72 A0 65 D5 AE 7B 10 D1, and you can pry THAT from my cold, dead fingers, suckahs.

Posted by Diego at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

So. I haven't written in this blog for over a month now. I think I'm moving into a new phase of my blog-writing life, and life in general.

To everyone who's viewed my blog: thank you. I'm glad I was able to share these experiences with you.

Diego

Posted by Diego at 3:41 AM | Permalink | Comments