Stream of Ry

Reading this article’s comments, I saw a couple of Kape‘s posts and decided to compile them here.

All credits go to him/her.

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Your honorables,

The Reproductive Health Bill is not a new bill.

It’s no secret that the RH Bill has been languishing in Congress for the last 16 years.

And unfortunately, the problems we face today are not new as well.

Because after all your fancy words have been said and done, your economic numbers and scientific data thrown about, one thing will remain for sure: outside on the streets, life is a living hell for a majority of Filipinos.

We’re still plagued by high infant mortality, high maternal deaths, overpopulation, & a skyrocketing HIV and abortion rate and it’s the worst it’s ever been in our history.

And for the last 16 years, people in Congress have been trying to pass the RH Bill, a piece of legislation that would holistically address these issues. And this bill has been held back, delayed, and shot down by Anti-RH lawmakers such as yourselves for reasons that were either legal, economic, or religious.

But it also seems that for the last 16 years, these problems that I have mentioned have gotten worse. So tell me, your honors, if your alternate solutions to the RHBill are so great, why haven’t you implemented them in the last 16 years? Why haven’t I felt its effects on a national scale? Your honors, tell me: After 16 years, why are we STILL where we are?

And since the RH bill has been shot down so many times by lawmakers like you, in effect, we have been trying it your way for the last 16 years and we haven’t seen any tangible results at all. The mortality numbers are still there and staring at us in the face.

So as a member of the public and as your boss – so to speak – allow me to say that either your solutions to these problems have failed, you aren’t doing your job, or you are just plain ineffective as public servants.

I sincerely believe it is time for us to try a different strategy, a new one. We don’t have much choices anymore. Your side has never really presented us with any. It is time to turn away from this ineffectiveness of the last 16 years. It is time to activate the RH bill and let the power of education, information, and choice create a better Philippines before it’s too late.

Because unless you Anti-RH lawmakers can present a cohesive, concrete plan of action to solve these problems holistically TODAY and right now. I’m not going to wait for another 16 years.

Let the RH Bill start doing it’s work or get out of the way. Because if you have no better solutions, then you are just part of the problem.

Sincerely,

A Filipino named Rystraum Gamonez

(from Carlos Celdran)

There’s this very popular phrase among startups: “Fail fast”

It comes from the (bogus?) statistic that only 1 out of 10 startups survive. So,
one should try out 10 ideas very fast to get to that 1 survivable idea.

Here’s my not-so-fast failures so far, sub-divided by eras in my life.

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from		Jepy Ramos
to		rystraum
date		Tue, Sep 25, 2007 at 1:40 AM
subject		UnPLUG Membership

Ryu,

Greetings!
I’m Jesse Nikko Ramos, the Vice-President for the EEE Department wing of UnPLUG (called within the org the “Territorial Subgroup”). I’m an Electronics and Communications Engineering major in my third year of stay in the University, and have been around since the second sem of my first year. Chances are you haven’t seen me running around the EEE Department before unless you went out of your way to go there despite not having classes there during the first semester of your stay in the University. XD

Most people call me Jepy– don’t mind the other members calling me with the other names. I’ll have plenty of time to explain when I see you.

I believe Kuya JM has oriented you quite a bit regarding our group and its activities. You’ll experience one of our projects first-hand, if you’re going to take your EEE 11 laboratory classes in the NSTL. Though it doesn’t look like it, we’re a pretty active org that strives to contribute to the Open Source revolution… Although I have a dual-boot system, I use mostly Open Source software, similar to how you’re doing with OpenOffice now.

I mailed you personally, not only to welcome you to the group, but also to inform you that I will be personally handling your foray into Linux– not just the live CDs you’ve been using, but also the installed versions you see in UP. To help start your journey off, I strongly encourage you to attend the General Assembly. It’s on Friday, from 4-6 PM. It’s a good opportunity to meet me and the members face-to-face, orient you with the org’s conventions, and we have a few surprises in store. =D

I believe that’s all for now, so again, welcome to UnPLUG, and I look forward to meeting you at the GA.

Persistence! =D

–
Jesse Nikko dL. Ramos,
Vice-President for EEE Department,
University of the Philippines Linux Users’ Group
(UnPLUG)

Read an article today about why the church can not change it’s stance toward birth control / abortion.

Although I found the article a bit conspiracy-sounding, this line struck me:
“[...] In her view, and the pope’s, martyrdom is admirable: “Martyrdom is the one witness to the truth about man which every one can hear. No society, however dark, can stifle it.”[27]

This chilling view of martyrdom held by the pope and Professor Langan is not shared by most Americans. When fanatical Muslim extremists resort to it, martyrdom is almost universally condemned as religious extremism. Why should it be admirable behavior when exercised by Catholics?” (3rd page)

I wonder if this goes on, would there be Catholic extremists that would blow themselves (with others) for the sake of opposing the bill?

Chilling thought. But not far-fetched, ne?