“Historical events occur, as it were, twice: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

- Karl Marx

What if you staged a coup and nobody came ?

In most instances, this would be a good thing. All coup plotters need to succeed is to capture a few strategic targets and consolidate power while the populace does nothing except stay home and wait for events to unfold. This does not hold true for the Philippines, where everything is topsy-turvy. The failure of expected military defections and the civilian “people power” component to show up doomed Trillanes and company’s attempt to topple President Arroyo.

The day after the failed “revolt” at the ritzy Manila Peninsula (only in the Philippines will an overthrow start NOT with the storming of the centers of power but with the take-over of a plush hotel), there are obvious winners and losers.

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Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, together with Gen. Danilo Lim and a number of their comrades on trial for attempting to overthrow the Arroyo government, simply walked out of the courtroom during their coup hearing earlier today, demanding the resignation of President Arroyo. Trillanes and company, with guards in tow, and accompanied by a number of military and civilian supporters, strolled the three kilometers or so from the Makati Regional Trial Court to the Manila Peninsula Hotel, apparently unhampered and unchallenged by the police authorities. Once safely ensconced at the plush establishment, they called on the people to rally around them and support their call for Arroyo to step down.

President Arroyo, caught flat-footed, hastily convened the National Security Council to assess the situation.

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Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie, St. Charles County in Missouri, U.S.A. was a teenage girl at a crossroads in her young life, like many 13-year olds; no longer a child but not yet a woman. She met a 16-year old boy, Josh Evans, through her page on MySpace.com, the social networking site. They had a romantic online relationship, as these things go, but never met. They never even talked over the phone. But in virtual reality, feelings are just as intense as the real world. According to a report in the New York Times,

“she thought he was the cutest boyfriend she ever had”

. Read the rest of this entry »

We just got back from a short trip to Singapore to visit family and friends and take advantage of the city-state’s gastronomic delights. We also got a few gizmos and gadgets, as much as our limited budget would allow, and books, of course.

Any Filipino who has ever visited Singapore as a tourist will surely have one question foremost in mind: Why can’t we do what Singapore has done ? That is, make a culturally diverse, multi-racial society, with little or no natural resources, work and prosper as a nation. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Supreme Court may yet decide to hear a case with would have far-reaching implications on the right of Americans to own firearms. America’s love affair with guns is deeply rooted in its history and enshrined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states:

“A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The Second Amendment is said to be derived from the English common law concept of the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense and, when necessary, for the defense of the state. Hence, the reference to “a well-regulated militia”. Read the rest of this entry »