The long holiday has brought some new intuitive grasp of reality - that the world is evolving faster than I thought. Reading through the pages of the Newsweek magazine, I've been amazed as to how the present economic fiasco has transformed the once vibrant nations to lackadaisical borderless society. There's the inflation explosion, from an age of high growth and low prices the global village is headed towards the opposite. These are all in the television, but I prefer reading them through the old-fashioned magazine.
Then there's the Obamamania that has swept the whole world in a massive scale. I'm no political pundit, but Pres-elect Obama made history in espousing 'Change' in the political arena of the great land of America. Capturing the two (2) battleground states of Florida and Ohio he clinched the Presidency in a lopsided fashion.
Then comes another article about India losing it's economic luster. Thanks to the father of boom who failed to deliver, I'm speaking of the Prime Minister Singh. His party, under his stewardship, failed to capitalize on an unprecedented growth creating a vacuum that soon scuffled the country's economic balance.
Another article, somewhat pertaining to our shores, is all about Poverty. Among all the articles that I've read, this is by far the most troublesome. Our country has fallen from the trap of poverty once again as two efforts to redraw the poverty line in Asia has been suggested. One from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and one from World Bank. ADB suggests that the threshold should be raised to $1.35/day income and the latter proposed a much lower $1.25. If you fall below the threshold, either way, you're POOR. Out of the more than 90 Million Filipinos, almost 16% are living below poverty line, translating to about 14,000,000 poor Filipinos. A staggering figure and a reflection of how grim the new year would be. I had a mouthful reading these things and truly the events unfolding are newsworthy.
Come 2009, the world will once again take a journey. A journey that will take us either to a greater mileage or to a backward state. Uncertainties are there but who knows a glimmer of hope is also at reach.
Happy New Year!
Then there's the Obamamania that has swept the whole world in a massive scale. I'm no political pundit, but Pres-elect Obama made history in espousing 'Change' in the political arena of the great land of America. Capturing the two (2) battleground states of Florida and Ohio he clinched the Presidency in a lopsided fashion.
Then comes another article about India losing it's economic luster. Thanks to the father of boom who failed to deliver, I'm speaking of the Prime Minister Singh. His party, under his stewardship, failed to capitalize on an unprecedented growth creating a vacuum that soon scuffled the country's economic balance.
Another article, somewhat pertaining to our shores, is all about Poverty. Among all the articles that I've read, this is by far the most troublesome. Our country has fallen from the trap of poverty once again as two efforts to redraw the poverty line in Asia has been suggested. One from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and one from World Bank. ADB suggests that the threshold should be raised to $1.35/day income and the latter proposed a much lower $1.25. If you fall below the threshold, either way, you're POOR. Out of the more than 90 Million Filipinos, almost 16% are living below poverty line, translating to about 14,000,000 poor Filipinos. A staggering figure and a reflection of how grim the new year would be. I had a mouthful reading these things and truly the events unfolding are newsworthy.
Come 2009, the world will once again take a journey. A journey that will take us either to a greater mileage or to a backward state. Uncertainties are there but who knows a glimmer of hope is also at reach.
Happy New Year!
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