Old Meeting the New: When Cultures Collide

An inescapable fundamental in our existence has always been change. Everything evolves, develops or turns into something else. True, there are some traditions, ideas, methods or ways of living that are "empty" or meaningless, becoming an anachronism as time goes by. These need to be discarded. Yet on the other side of the equation, when something new comes along, is it really the necessary or even welcome kind?

Case in point: the apparent rise of youth problems in Greenland -

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081227/tls-denmark-greenland-child-sex-abuse-aeafa1b.html

It actually reminded me of something disturbingly familiar I had read some time ago about the small, land-locked, South Asian nation of Bhutan. It also faced similar societal challenges brought about by its opening to the world -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/14/weekend7.weekend2

In my poor and shameless attempt at being an amateur anthropologist, I tried to attribute the similar geographic remoteness or isolation of both countries that made them less susceptible to the effects of the changing world. Did the remoteness of their locations afford them not to be desensitized as much as the rest of us? Maybe all this societal deprecation falls also on the rate it has influenced these peoples' consciousness. It would seem that all these effects have been felt in less than a generation. Would a gradual introduction to the outside have had a different impact?

I think its plain to see: change does not always translate into progress.

LG Launches Video-Watch-Phone Thingy

Remember this?

New gadget sighting! Eat your heart out Dick Tracy!

Link here -

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081229/tls-skorea-it-mobile-lifestyle-aeafa1b.html

A Merry Christmas From the Grove!

If you're a Christian, this season is probably the most anticipated and most celebrated of the entire year, more so to us Filipinos who unofficially start if from September!

For Christians as the story goes, GOD in his supreme compassion for us, sent his "only begotten son" down into this world and humanity to be born in a small, obscure and impoverished part of a suffering nation. His parents weren't all that lucky either. Just an ordinary couple who didn't have much going for them; his father Yosef, a middle-aged carpenter and woodworker who worked with his hands and had a simple disposition in life. His mother was Miriam, a young girl barely out of her teens. Nothing set them up to be remarkable or different from the thousands of other poor families in rural Israel at that time.

Then comes the interesting or bewildering part of HOW he was born. As Robert Fulghum imaginatively narrated in one of his books, could you just imagine yourself in Yosef's shoes after hearing for the first time about certain upcoming events from your soon-to-be wife:

Miriam: Yosef, I'm pregnant. . .

Yosef: YOU'RE WHAAAT?!

Miriam: He's going to be GOD'S son. . .

Yosef: SO IT'S NOT MY SON BUT WHOSE???

(Thinks and after a brief pause)

Yosef: OK AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU WERE TOLD ALL OF THIS BY WHOM?!??

Miriam: An Angel named Gabriel told me this. Isn't it exciting?

ROFL!!! It's got a hint of John and Marsha comedy doesn't it? Guess what though, things turned out well in the end. The child grew-up and 2,000 years later, he is looked upon with reverence and faith by followers world-wide numbering more than a billion.

So just in case we forget, it's NOT about this guy who's being pushed by big business' commercialism and the media -

Two words: liposuction and exercise. Is he legally entering countries with a valid passport? Is he following labor policies and the rights of the elves he's employing to make all those toys? Does he have the proper permits to own flying reindeer which maybe endangered? You expect me to believe that red sack of his contains only toys?!
Hmmmm. I smell a terrorist!

It's also NOT about this -

Frankly, if we had trees like that here in our country, turning it into firewood or panggatong would be better instead. Also, we wouldn't have to feel obliged to put gifts under there to satisfy childhood greed or try to keep-up or compete with the neighbors for better-looking decorations.

We do have our own, uniquely Pinoy symbol of the season after all -

Cheap, stimulates creativity, traditional, cost-effective, environment friendly. O di ba mas OK?

Ultimately, it's about a certain birth that happened a long time ago that changed everything.

A Christmas Moment in the Battlefield

Some scholars believe that in all of history, WAR or conflict has been the defining moment of man's existence upon this earth. The battles fought in the last century alone which had two (2) World Wars claimed millions of lives. I've yet to see an old veteran of these events in the twilight of his life not shed a tear or think deep in regret when remembering what he's gone thru.

Once in a while though, just once in a great while, you hear a story like this. Might've been battle fatigue, might've homesickness, or just being caught-up in the moment. It was a brief but great pause in the deluge of violence and killing. The link to the story below -

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=247#more-247

Blood Type and Personality

Closeup look at red blood cells

Apparently the Japanese, those people who practically set the trend for modern technology and electronics, take this concept seriously. Most though would relegate this into the realms of superstition or like the belief in astrology, that Zodiac signs determine personality.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/32649/62479-blood-type-determine-personality-

I was brought-up thinking that more than anything, you're going to have an active part into what you'll turn out to be, in spite of biochemistry or circumstance. We could also think in terms of how "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" or the conceptual model for strong emergence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence

The strange thing though is when I read what the article says about my own blood type, it was a fairly accurate description of my personality (not "personhood " though uhurmm, hrmm, ahem)!

What do you think?

Does YOUR Senator Look Like This?

Who says politics don't have their share of head-turners?

Recently, the the world caught sight of Gov. Sarah Palin from Alaska in the US who was a Vice-Presidential aspirant. The late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazhir Bhutto was included in a US magazine's list of the "World's 50 Most Beautiful People" (and reputedly drove around in her sports car back in college in Harvard!).

Then from the Republic of the Philippines; Sen. Pia S. Cayetano who is described by her website as "the youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate. A lawyer, entrepreneur, triathlete and mother of two. . . "

She reminds me of another stunning triathlete and model, a wahine straight from Hawaii; Lokelani McMicahel who's also "the youngest female to finish the Hawaiian Ironman" (I wouldn't be surprised if she had Filipina roots too!) -

UPDATE - Security Flaw Found In Internet Explorer

This is a cyber-security threat. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser, there's news of a new threat from hackers that seems to affect all versions of the software -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7784908.stm

Apparently, the "fixes" to remedy it don't work -

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/12/microsoft_big_security_hole_in.html

The thing is, hasn't this been already identified since years back? Attacks have even been done by "white hat hackers" in an attempt to raise flags to Microsoft and Bill Gates to fix the problem on his product. Well, they havent' been listening.

I use Mozilla's Firefox which is also more resistant to malware. Upload it now for free -

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

UPDATE:

Microsoft has released a solution. See the article below on the procedure to address the flaw -

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/112848/ie-hack-patch-is-out-how-to-get-it/

Personally though, I'd still get Firefox as a back-up browser which is more secure.