Firstly, bravo to the Emperor’s new post on *Jozzua. The number of comments to the post says many things about the story’s grain of truth.
The regional grouping Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) marks its 40th year this 2007 but commentators say that wala itong pinagkatandaan. Quoted by an AFP wire report, a commentor remarked:
ASEAN is not capable of addressing issues which the international community wants it to. ASEAN can’t tell Burma to behave, it can only advise Burma.
and warns that that
If they (ASEAN leaders holding a summit next week in Singapore, with the military-appointed Myanmar premiere) don’t deal with Burma, they’re going to be the laughing stock of the world
Journalists who expect protesters to launch events parallel to the official 13th ASEAN Summit schedule may be very disappointed and may bore themselves because Singapore will implement its draconian anti-protest laws to the fullest.
On to religious matters, the warring Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have taken a big step towards reconciliation, with both churches now recognizing the Roman Pope as head of the church:
For the first time since the schism, Orthodox and Catholic leaders agreed to discuss the role of the bishop of Rome — that is the pope — and the document officially recognizes his “primacy” over the other bishops and patriarchs of the two churches.
Two violent incidents were also reported today in the country, to the costernation of lovers of the status quo:
First, the initial finding that Mariannet Amper (the girl who took her own life on All Soul’s Day) could have been a victim of rape after a second autopsy was made on orders of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
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Second, the shooting of a woman and her lawyer right inside a courtroom as they waited for a court hearing to start. How the shootter managed to sneak in a gun inside the courtroom is for the law enforcers to answer.
The week’s biggest and most sensationalize crime, of course, was the Nov. 13 blast at the Batasan Pambansa. President Arroyo should order the PNP to heed her own advice and stop making speculations about the incident that ripped through a recognized, albeit tainted, seat of legislative power in the Philippines.
President Arroyo has also invited members of Congress to attend a mass tomorrow, Friday, at Malacanang’s Heroes Hall. It was not announced whether a fresh batch of paper bags will be distributed among those who will attend.
Wherethe grass is supposedly greener: 35 million Americans went hungry in 2006, according to a report by the US Agriculture Department.
Finally, some little tech news. The US$99 Palm Centro leads PC Magazine’s Top 10 Thrifty Gadget Gifts for the holidays. As to the possibility of Palm making a GSM version of the Centro, we can only make a wild guess.