Journalist Jack Shenker on the State of the Egyptian Revolution, Five Years Later

At the Guardian, Jack Shenker — author of the new book The Egyptians: A Radical Story — examines the future of the Egyptian Revolution.

Source: Journalist Jack Shenker on the State of the Egyptian Revolution, Five Years Later

New Theme: Revelar

Introducing Revelar, the newest addition to our free themes offering.

Source: New Theme: Revelar

Naked and Unafraid: A Reading List About Nudity

Here are five stories about the sociopolitics of stripping down.

Source: Naked and Unafraid: A Reading List About Nudity

POOR INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Cyberpark Group

A REVIEW OF EXISTING LITERATURE

A technical paper that embarks upon the actual objectives of the State for the benefit of stakeholders and users of Internet Services in the Philippines will shed light on the existing and future aspects of the service.

Such a paper shall make apparent all the reasons and basis for explaining the current state of Internet in the Philippines.

As the situation stands, Internet service in the country today is miserably slow and yet it counts as being among the most expensive all over the world. Why did such a situation come into being?  How were investments and revenues of the licensed providers used to allow this to happen?  What factors helped cause the snail paced speed of Internet in spite of exorbitant earnings amassed by providers from helpless subscribers? In the face of such wretched conditions is the Philippine Government simply going to stay immobile…

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Study on Why Internet is Slow in the Philippines

Cyberpark Group

Watch out for the book version of why the internet is slow in the Philippines. We will announce the publication of the technical report and its availability for everyone.

Merry Christmas all, be patient with your slow internet now. Fast internet speed is coming very, very soon to your computers, devices and mobile phones!!!

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Winning Elections in the 2016 Elections

In Indonesia as in many countries around the world, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) undertakes indepth studies about political campaigns. One significant work of NDI is the Political Campaign Planning Manual shown below (click the image below to download pdf document.)

NDI is based at 455 Massachusetts Ave, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20001-2621. It has field offices in many countries around the world. See the list of field offices here.

In the Philippines, a number of centers and institutes – both private and public involve themselves in the study of political campaigns and winning in elections.

Due to the highly partisan as well as feudal-patronage system-based politics and political campaigns in the Philippines, the more cerebral and similarly inclined approaches to drawing voters often does not apply in this country.

However, even given the same kind of structure in such countries as Malaysia, Indonesia and many other Asian countries, technologies and techniques in campaigns that do away with unsightly practices like employing guns, goons and gold also have a chance of delivering votes as evidenced by the victory of many unknowns in the stable of aspirants to significant political posts from Councilor, Congressman, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Vice Governor, Governor, among others proves that honest-to-goodness campaigns can also successfully make candidates win.

There is hope that Philippine elections will become better and that with improved performance on the part of the country’s security and law enforcement sector, the regulatory agencies and other quarters that help keep the level of vigilance, peace and stability during poll time high, many desirable candidates will attain to positions where they can pursue policies and true reforms in the country.

It is hoped that this will also be true for all the other neighboring states in Asia, and those in Africa, Europe-Eurasia and the Americas, etc.

Pollmodernization.org invites political aspirants for Philippine 2016 and future elections to work with us and ensure ascension – installation to public office.

Technology and knowhow for winning elections will be at your fingertips. We have proven case studies, we will add your win to our portfolio.

Disaster and Philippine Elections

An article in a blog calls the attention of the public sector to form a Master Plan for disaster and emergency response for Metro Manila.

Congressman Jose Atienza pushes for a Master Plan for the National Capital Region.
We would like to thank Rep. Atienza for pointing this out. On the other hand, there is also a need for a master plan for managing any kind of disaster that will hit Metro Manila. From our honest assessment, there is really none.
Early this year, my uncle Nick Fernandez and myself had an audience with Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metro Manila Development Authority.
We were told by Chairman Tolentino that he and an Australian group now had a disaster map of Metro Manila that cost a few million pesos. It shows the many hazards and risks that Metro Manilans are exposed to. Chairman Tolentino stressed that he and his Australian counterparts are ready to post the disaster map over the internet. Most politely it was told to the Honorable Chairman that the need is really for a truly interactive map that will benefit the people of Metro Manila when it comes to the issue of forewarning during disaster. Such a map will certainly require a really big budget – as I have found out during the entire advocacy for safety and disaster prepared since 1990.
In the World Bank Study of 1996/7 up to 1999 alone, more than United States Dollars Two Millions (USD2,000,000) was spent on mapping only the earthquake fault emanating from the Marikina West and East Valley area.  How much would have been spent at today’s costs (nearly twenty years later), if all the environmental hazards are figured into the final geohazard map for Metro Manila?
US Dollars Twenty Millions (USD20,000,000) will not nearly be enough. Read more from here

Recently, Phivolcs issued media statements to the effect that the Manila Trench and the Marikina Valley Fault System will become active in soon and within this lifetime. It may not only affect Metro Manila but also Visayas.

Considering that the Visayas and Mindanao areas only fairly recently suffered the #Yolanda tragedy, among other calamities in recent past, the prospects of electorate preference shifting is great.

The current majority party – Liberal Party that considered the incumbent interior and local government secretary Hon. Manuel A. Roxas III as its standard bearer, is foreseen to suffer irreparable loss of voter confidence in the next elections.

This is not taking into account a future catastrophe similar to that of Fukushima-Sendai, Japan.  Collective electorate mood swings have been noted during the #Yolanda / #Haiyan fiasco that foretell of very few votes in favor of the majority Liberal Party in the 2016 elections.

Investor confidence and political supporters, despite the drumbeating of the public sector of high levels of new investments for the Philippines after #Yolanda, is very low. As many predicted in the past, H.E. President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino 3rd has not only turned into a lameduck President, but will not be able to influence the tides in the next presidential elections. What with the current ruling of the Honorable Supreme Court that the Malacañang baby called Development Acceleration Program (DAP) is unconstitutional.

Granting that President Aquino 3rd will be impeached, this more so bodes unwell for the Liberal Party and that organization will be forever branded in Philippine Politics as worse than any other political party in the world that steals money and government resources with all abandon. It will be labeled as a party of thieves and others will go as far as even making them heinous crime perpetrators – with all the death and serious ailments being reported over media from the inability of the public sector to deal promptly with major national problems and even international incidents such as the farcical Sabah invasion led by Datu Punjungan claiming to be the incumbent reigning Sultan Kiram.

For the world community, the 2016 elections may not be as much interesting to watch as the next FIFA, NBA or Israel-Palestine event or incident. But those that are concerned with the coming changing of the guard in the Philippine government will surely appreciate that placing their bets on any other political group other than the Liberal Party will not only be the correct thing to do.

It is the only thing to do.

You may want to read:

Next big one could happen within our lifetime- GMA Network

Killer quake can hit Metro or Central Visayas – Manila Times

Secrets of Presidential Campaigns (excerpts Chapter 5)

Image credit: Gulf News, Fox News, PIA, GMA TV

… some presidential campaigns suffer defeat early like companies that declare bankruptcy but still have so much cash in their hands. In the early boom of telecommunications in the US and all over the world, a lot of companies joined the boom bandwagon and gained easy cash from investors with useless business plans and poorly made financial feasibility studies. Majority of these companies folded and became wasted even with a few of them still holding on to so much money in the banks.

Presidential campaigns – or at least a few of them – can be likened to these companies that withdraw from the race or throw the towel in the ring, declaring defeat. Many presidential candidates have supporters that they either know about or simply don’t. Regardless of whether the candidate is winnable or not, these supporters will stay loyal to them or give their support simply to that candidate because they cannot bear to squander their affections for any other candidate that is not to their liking.

Experts say that defeat could not have happened to candidates or any other institution if they plan ahead and spend their resources wisely – mapping out which milestones to achieve at certain points on the way in the future.

To companies, the worst nightmare is not knowing about being able to generate profit, revenue, goodwill, market share or a major command of the market.

To presidential candidates, it is knowing fully well if one will have the adequate number of votes to make it in the elections and emerge as the winner, number one instead of far away down the line. #

– cdhs inc.