Sunday, August 15, 2021
Best defense vs digital piracy
Unlicensed design software in construction sector continues to proliferate in PHL, Southeast Asian countries
Regulars
Quarantine and hair loss
THERE’S a hit tweet that shows the image of a hand holding many strands of hair that had fallen. The tweet reads: Me every time I touch my hair. The reason why that tweet resonated with so many people is because falling hair beyond normal levels (50 to 150 strands a day) is a manifestation of quarantine anxiety for so many people. Sleepless nights thinking of our livelihood, being alone or…
The Coronavirus Chronicles: Why good writing is getting things done
WITH many more of us working remotely because of the two-week lockdown, this would be a good time for us in communications to work on and polish our writing skills. “In business communication, what matters are results,” says Jeff Haden in an article in Inc.com. “Writing is only good writing when it gets things done.” How can we, for example, get our proposal approved by management, clinch…
Can France find next gen talent?
AS France’s men’s basketball team bowed to the United States in the gold medal match of the Tokyo Olympics, Rudy Gobert could not hold back his emotions. I like Gobert and think he is an incredible basketball player. Showing his emotions is not going to take anything away from my respect for this Frenchman. More than being an emotional player, I wonder if it was tears because this could…
Probiotics and prebiotics: What is the difference?
TWO of the biggest health and wellness buzzwords today are probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that are believed to have many health benefits. Probiotics can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods and drinks (such as kombucha), supplements and skin-care products. Astrud Celina Fernandez is the person behind Wicked Moon Kombucha, a line of probiotic drinks.…
Fashion designers in film
I WILL have to read my copy of The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed (2001) by Sara Gay Forden before its movie version, House of Gucci, gets its theatrical release. And I will have to watch The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story—I’ve read Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (1999) by Maureen Orth—now that murder is…
Meet 5 professionals who beat the coronavirus
LIKE it or not, life’s downturns convey vital lessons that even the most expensive education cannot provide. Bouncing back from such circumstances is what makes us resilient. Indeed, when a deadly virus stealthily crept into our lives last year, this resilience was tested. And so was our faith and trust in God. We faced the crisis with courage, kindness, and compassion. We joined ranks and…
Redesigning services using timely customer data, analytics and insights
LOCAL governments, as noted, have opportunities to change how they work using technology. Better personalization, effective identity management, integrated front, middle and back offices and a more flexible workforce are among the rewards for those who do. The overarching goal should include a sustained focus on designing and implementing an operating model that is truly informed by the…
Twisting deep
WHEN I saw reports about Simone Biles pulling out of gymnastics team competition for the United States of America in this Tokyo Olympics, my first thought was how did that happen? Did she choke? I wondered if it was a cop out by someone who suddenly got cold feet. Someone who quit in the midst of a fight. Like Roberto Duran did against Sugar Ray Leonard in November of 1980. I was in…
Tough road for US
Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker will all be playing when the United States looks to defend its Olympic men’s basketball gold medal in Tokyo. That all three pushed through despite an exhausting and emotional National Basketball A Finals series that went six games where the Bucks came back from a 0-2 hole to win is a wonder. There’s not much rest and well, in the case of…
A TweetDeck revamp and millennials on Twitter
Twitter has announced a new version of TweetDeck with enhanced functionality. The new version, which is initially available for randomly selected users in the US, Canada and Australia, incorporates more of what users see on www.twitter.com. TweetDeck is a tool that you can use to manage multiple Twitter accounts, schedule posts and keep abreast of trends and hashtags. If you’re a…
TikTok encourages users to #CreateKindness
For a generation who has to deal with the toxicity of social media, hateful comments and cyberbullying every single day, can we really blame them for getting easily offended?
Let there be light—in living color
IN the beginning, there was darkness—and then you’d start flicking the light switch again and again—as you head-bang, do air guitar riffs, or do the boogie as if you were on the disco floor. Too Boomer? Okay, raves and bars then. I’m pretty sure all of us are guilty of playing with the light switches at least once in our lives just to mimic those flashing party lights. From the moment…
Beauty and strength in our brokenness
Nowadays, many people we know are hurting. Hurting deeply inside. My wife has lately been following a pair of siblings who have lost both parents to Covid-19, one after the other. One particular sibling has been ranting in post after post on social media, flailing wildly against the health system, hospital people, even against relatives. She is angry and inconsolable. But her postings are…
Huawei MateBook X Pro (2021) for pros on the go
IF you ask me if the Huawei MateBook X Pro is a great Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro, the answer would be an easy yes. But should you go out and buy one now? The last time I used a Windows laptop was two years ago and that was the Avita Liber—an entry-0level laptop that I reviewed for a couple of weeks before I excitedly retreated to the comforts of my Macbook Air. And no matter…
Bonding in building
Father’s Day was celebrated last weekend. I remember a chance conversation I had with a little boy named Seb, while waiting for a meeting to resume two years ago. He is the son of Paolo Periquet (Pao), founder of Magis Construction; and educator/commercial model Alexis Abello Periquet (Alexis). In those few minutes, I remember admiring a smart, insightful boy who was equally warm and…
Pride and progress
June is Pride month, and as emphasized in my previous article, there are many important things to protest; Pride is a protest before anything, after all. Still, Pride is also a celebration. We celebrate not only our existence, but also our progress—a reminder that our protests work, even one step at a time. Years ago, the LGBT+ community existed primarily as stereotypes: the funny gay best…
On optional standard deductions
Except for certain types of taxpayers or types of income where no deductions or where there are only limited deductions in the computation of income taxes due, individual and corporate income taxpayers are generally entitled to claim deductions in computing their net income subjected to income tax. Traditionally, these are the costs and expenses incurred by the taxpayer in earning the…
1Sambayan top bets
The much-awaited list of presidentiables and vice-presidentiables of 1Sambayan came out last Saturday, June 12. The significance of the date of the announcement, which coincided with our country’s celebration of its 123rd Independence Day, is not lost on us. The names being offered represent the people’s champions who will free our people from an…
Opinion
2021 is the year of Genshin Impact
THERE were over 2 billion tweets about gaming in 2020 and that’s not suprising. Tweets about gaming are still going strong in 2021. Year on year, there has been an 18-percent increase in tweets about the genre. This year, Twitter users are talking about eSports leagues like Call of Duty League and Valorant Champions Tour to global gaming events like E3 and Summer Game Fest. From 9th…
Be a blessing
Two years in intermittent lockdowns. And you are still here. Safe at home with your loved ones while names of people you know are being mourned by their families and friends on social media. You can still breathe freely, meaning your lungs are clear. You’re not confined to a hospital bed or in the agony of waiting in the ER for someone to die so a bed could be made available. These are the…
Big value in small doses
WHEN relating to existing and prospective members, many associations still fall into the trap of communicating value by enumerating their knowledge content, products, and features instead of highlighting what members value more: solving problems, advancing careers or the industry, or linking them up with their peers and their markets. The pandemic has amplified these needs from members. I…
Editorial Cartoon August 13, 2021
Image courtesy of JImbo Albano
Lockdowns: Are we doing it wrong?
United States March 24, 2020: “Trump’s 15-day plan to slow the coronavirus’ spread is too short, experts say. Flattening the curve could take at least several more weeks. The plan involves asking healthy Americans to avoid social gatherings and work from home. But public-health experts say these measures will be necessary for more than 15 days—at minimum, they’re needed for several more…
Tattoos, taboos and trading: Riddles of culture (With apologies to Marvin Harris)
A war is raging online. It is not on drugs; it is neither between nations. It is about cultures. It is about boundaries—those which set apart people from other people. It is also about identities, here contested, negotiated, appropriated and, consequently commodified. By this time, you must have known already the actors in this social drama. The dispute has, at the center, a vlogger. With…
Agri-Commodities
Companies
Export Unlimited
Entrepreneur
Rural-based companies advance to finals in nationwide search for tech enterprises
THREE local tech start-ups have made it as finalists to the Shell LiveWIRE pitch out of 200 applicants nationwide for a chance to bring home the half-a-million-peso grand prize. The fuel company’s search for a new homegrown enterprise shows excellence in innovation and a potential for…
Executive Views
TAKING FLIGHT
Oman is a destination known to Filipinos as a hub for OFWs. With 52,000 Filipino workers employed in various capacities including domestic work, retail, and health care according to data from the Philippine Embassy as of May 2020, it is known as a safe destination for workers in the Middle…
Nation
DOJ eyes fielding ombudsmen to check corruption at DOH
JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra is pushing for the designation of a prosecutor and auditor as “deputized ombudsmen” at the Department of Health (DOH) to act on allegations of corruption in the handling hefty budgetary allocations for the pandemic. However, Guevarra admitted that…
World
The new rich overtaking old money in South Korea’s billionaire rankings
A new elite of uber-rich entrepreneurs is shooting up the wealth rankings in South Korea, overtaking the families behind the country’s decades-old sprawling conglomerates known as “chaebol.” Brian Kim, the founder of mobile-messaging app Kakao Corp., is the most prominent example with a…
Economy
Sports
Basilan sweeps VisMin Super Cup Southern Finals
JUMBO Plastic-Basilan came out fuming in Game 3 on Friday night to rout KCS-Mandaue, 83-65, to sweep the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup Southern Finals at the Pagadian City Gymnasium in Zamboanga del Sur. Relentless on both ends of the court, Basilan only allowed Mandaue to keep its…
Life
Resto Roundup on the Ridge
AS Metro Manila undergoes another two-week quarantine, its fringes beckon lockdown-weary urbanites for even for a fleeting family getaway. The mountain resort city of Tagaytay and its neighboring towns are a logical choice because of its proximity and the new dining choices that open up every so often. If you can pass checkpoint gauntlet unscathed or wait…
Art
Journey
Motoring
Property
Tourism
Y2Z
Youth mental health problems have doubled during Covid-19
For most children and adolescents, the past year has been a shadow of a typical childhood. Instead, there have been strict stay-at-home orders, repeated opening and closures of schools, social distancing from peers and other supports, limited or no access to sport and extracurricular…
What can be done to help children and youth?
Children and adolescents who endured the various disruptions and emotional and physical consequences of the pandemic are the future of our society. To help foster their well-being and our prosperity as a society, now is the time to act to protect the next generation. We have identified three…
Level-up learning
Video games have long been viewed as a potential threat to learning. Meet the physics teacher/gaming server admin who believes otherwise
E-commerce brand nurtures next gen of entrepreneurs
Leading e-commerce brand Lazada is accelerating its efforts to help Filipinos expand knowledge on e-commerce through LazStart 2.0, an online entrepreneurship and innovation program now made more comprehensive and exciting as more entrepreneurs strive to make their mark in the digital space.…
High-rise over parks? Rethinking an approach to climate change
Climate change is hitting home everywhere. Just in the last few weeks, extreme heat, floods, and fires have all come to look like part of the new abnormal, and few places are safe. New York is issuing air quality alerts because of wildfires some 3,000 miles west. Climate policy, too, is…
Artificial intelligence could dramatically speed up climate action
Technological solutions to climate change can be put into two categories. Vertical solutions that tackle pollution in one sector, say low-carbon fertilizers that help reduce emissions in agriculture. Or horizontal solutions that address issues across many different industries, say…
Biodiversity
Education
Envoys & Expats
Faith
Green
Health & Fitness
Covid-19 Updates
Our Time
Perspective
In Dubai, Pinay pulls no punches in jokes on Mideast life
Tucked within her slightly risqué set, Dumagay's rapid-fire punchlines offer an unfiltered glimpse into the life, sly triumphs and slights faced by her 2.2 million compatriots. They care for children, wait tables and otherwise power economies across the wider Middle East. Those Filipinos…
A pandemic Olympics, without all the crowds: What gets lost?
For all of its focus on the athletes and their accomplishments, this event was made to be watched — and, what's more, made to be watched by people who aren't here in Tokyo.
Pandemic, penalties aside, bribes go on at China hospitals
As the coronavirus pandemic threatened to overwhelm Chinese hospitals last year, Chinese resellers appear to have colluded to inflate the prices of ventilators and other essential medical equipment from multinational companies including Siemens, GE and Philips, according to a review of…
How ‘In God We Trust’ bills are helping advance a Christian nationalist agenda
“In God We Trust” became the national motto 65 years ago this month. But over the past few years a string of bills and city ordinances has sought to expand its usage and presence. Such efforts include legislation requiring or encouraging the motto be displayed in government buildings and…
Science
The Broader Look
Metro Manila’s pandemic response: How far have some LGUs gone?
WHEN the National Capital Region sneezes, the Philippines catches a cold. More than a year battling Covid-19, the NCR remains the arena, especially with the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant. The logic comes from the region’s character as the center of commerce, finance and…
Create law cultivates confidence, confusion; booster shot required
REP. Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay took off his sports jacket and ran a hand on his blue tie during an online discussion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZIczR2aWjk) on a law that he touts as “the most readily available tool for economic recovery.” Salceda appeared exasperated, especially…
No parting from debt: PHL to carry weight of borrowing post-Duterte
HERE comes the sun, thanks to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz. As Diaz lifted a combined 224 kilograms it felt a weight, albeit temporarily, was lifted from the shoulders of a country hunched with the heavy load of debt. Indeed, as the rains at Monday’s dusk drowned the droning-on of…
‘Born-and-bred’ imports condition threatens to retard PHL meat industry growth
HOTDOGS are having an identity crisis. It’s all because of a three-word phrase: “Born-and-bred.” No, it’s not the title track in John Mayer’s fifth studio album. But it is something that Philippine state officials and industry players have not come to terms with. Yet. It started in 2020 when…
PHL exporters await fresh preferential perks in trade with US
THE merchandise exports of the Philippines to the United States have been chugging along on well-oiled gears in recent years. That is, until a virus from Wuhan, China, formed like a monkey wrench and dented the momentum between the countries. Last year, Manila shipped $10.02 billion worth of…
