A Cup O’ Kapeng Barako
by Jesse Jose
So … did y’all watch President Obama’s State of the Union Address last week?  Well, I liked his tie.  It’s classy.  Red with stripes of white, it’s what you may call a power tie.  Well, he’s the man.  He’s wields the scepter of power.  He’s Moses.  He’s the Messiah … and all that kind of crap. 
And, he’s truly one sharp dresser.  In the old street language of my generation, a “dude,” a “dog”, a “hip,” and a “homeboy made good.” 
And, he’s an orator.  An …

A Cup o’ Kapeng Barako
by Jesse Jose 
Y’all can call me a “little brown American,” but when it comes to my adopted country, the United States of America, I am prejudiced, I am biased, I am protective.  Right or wrong, America is my country now.   
I love America.  It’s a benevolent country and the most generous country in this world.  Whoever would hurt or attempt to hurt my country becomes my mortal enemy. 
I believe that if you live in this country and has become a citizen of this country, there’s no other …

Frankly Speaking
Frank Wenceslao
Some Pamusa supporters and I’ve formed a “think tank” (via the Internet) to study economic models that stimulate job creation and recommend our choice to the next Philippine administration.
We’re divided between two schools of thought Keynesian and Supply-side economics or a mix of both which is better for the Philippines. For non-economists like me the background information thrown into the mix by fellow Filipinos with excellent credentials has been instructive.
Keynesian economics is named for economist John Maynard Keynes. His 1936 book “General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money” …

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from The Philippine Star

Last Friday’s announcement that US President Barack Obama had won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize drew mixed reactions all over the world. Obama critics argued that Obama has not even accomplished anything yet so how could he deserve to win such a reward.
Even Barack Obama seems to agree with those who felt that he did not possess the achievement track record to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. In his reaction, Obama said: “I do not view it as a recognition …

by Antonio C. Abaya
from  Standard Today

What has President Barack Obama done to deserve the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, asks the headline of my esteemed colleague Amando Doronila’s article in today’s (Oct 12) Philippine Daily Inquirer.
As an Obama fan, I regret to say, Absolutely nothing.
The Nobel Peace Prize committee in the Norwegian parliament credited Obama with creating “a new climate in which multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role of the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are instruments for resolving …

PerryScope
By Perry Diaz
After 200 days in office, President Barack Obama is under fire over the economy, the war in Afghanistan, and healthcare reform. But it is healthcare reform that has ignited a maelstrom of public outcry. With an uncooperative Congress, Obama took the only road to get the changes he promised the American people; that is, go back to the people.
Never in recent U.S. history did a president interact — directly and indirectly — with the American people than Obama. He is a regular fixture in cable news, has his …

by Rawlein G. Soberano, Ph.D.
Universal health insurance is on the American policy for the first time since World War II agenda. In the 1960s, the US chose public coverage for only the elderly and the very poor, while Canada opted for a universal program for hospitals and physicians’ services. There are many lessons learned from the consequences of different approaches in similar jurisdictions. Many Canadians (my brother and his family are and live in Vancouver as well as others I grew up with in elementary and high schools) are saddened …

by Gil Lucas and Larry Kubo
We stand at the crossroads of two divergent healthcare options: a system of government-regulated healthcare and public assistance or yet-to-be prescribed private system with government supplement. Both have detractors and special interests, and we appear headed for a pitched political battle that may be waged for the duration of the Administration.
Based on this country’s history, there is a third and superior choice. We can create a regulated “Healthcare Highway” that produces efficiencies by pioneering a new way of care through a system of limited …

by W. Scott Thompson
July 29, 2009

WHY is the 14th president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, going to Washington for a 30-minute meeting with the water-walking American president? The easy answer is that she’s tried four times so far to meet him, to get some burnish off his shine, to help with her rock-bottom image back home.
She even all but broke into a prayer breakfast in Washington to which heads of state were not invited (other than the host president), in hopes of a meeting. She flew all the way from …

From The NELSON REPORT Washington DC
THE PHILIPPINES…the good news is that the unfortunate presidency of
Ms. Macapagal-Arroyo does not have too much longer to run, given the
scheduled May, 2010 election.
The bad news is that she’s done sufficient damage to linger on for
years, and there are just enough machinations underway, as is usual in
Manila, to keep folks worried about her plans, and/or the ability of a
successor to improve the situation.
Specifically, she has been making what an informed Loyal Reader
ruefully describes as “Putin-line noises”, a colorful short-hand way
of noting talk she wants to …