Remembering Solzhenitsyn

I probably would not have read Alexander Solzhenitsyn's works if I were not a socialist. His stature as a critic of the Soviet Union and it socialist system made me curious about his works. I remember finding a copy of 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch' on sale from National Bookstore. It's back cover was missing but I bought it anyway because I wanted to read it. I was expecting a book full of political polemics, but found a book full of human relations, and this made it a more effective critique of Soviet authoritarianism in particular and authoritarianism in general.

The problem was aside from the back cover, the book was also missing the last page. I had to read the lat page at National Bookstore where I borrowed a copy for a few minutes. 'Ivan Denisovitch and his other books 'Cancer Ward', 'The First Circle', and 'August 1914', strengthened in me, an abhorrence of authoritarianism.

The Soviet Union is now in the dustbin of history, but it's lessons should not be forgotten, so should Alexander Solzhenitsyn's works.

Sobra naman yan

May ginagawang publicity gimik ang Inquirer na tinatawag nilang Rush Hour Commute kung saan mayroon silang 4 na teams na mag uunahang makarating sa isang lugar nag ang sinasakyan ay ang MRT, kotse, bus at taxi. Tapos titingnan nila kung sino ang unang makakarating sa lugar at kung magkano ang nagastos nito.

Maganda sana ang hangarin ng gimik na ito kaya lang masyado namang pabor sa MRT. Tingnan niyo na lang ang unang araw ng karera ang mga teams ay nanggaling Trinoma station tapos pupuntahan ay Taft Avenue sa Pasay, di ba naman, dulot-dulo lang ng MRT iyon. Pag nakasakay ka na sa MRT, dire-diretso ka na, walang traffic, problema mo na lang kung masisiraan yung MRT ng araw na iyon.

At ganito din ang mangyayari sa pangalawa at pangatlong araw. Santolan hanggang Recto ang pupuntahan sa pangalawang araw at Baclaran hanggang Monumento sa ikatlong araw. Santolan in Pasig to C.M. Recto in Manila sobra-sobrang partida naman yan.

Naniniwala ako na pinakamabilis at pinakamurang sasakyan ngayon at gusto ko na gumawa pa ng mas maraming MRT para na rin makatulong sa pagbaba ng konsumo natin sa gasolina, pero wag namang ganito, kadayaan na ang karerang ito.

Kung gusto nila ng parehas na laban, dapat hindi sila sa istasyon ng MRT magsimula, kung ang gagamitin ay ang MRT sa North Edsa at papuntang katimugang Metro Manila sa Fairview siguro sila dapat nagsimula tapos sa Sucat o Bicutan ang destinasyon. Tapos hindi dapat alas otso ang simula ng karera. Alas otso ang simula ng trabaho kaya ang rush hour ay yung mga oras bago mag alas otso, siguro mga alas siyete o alas sais ang simula ng karera para totoong Rush hour.

p.s.

Nakalimutan ko palang ilagay, nandaya pa yung team na sumakay sa MRT

"Team MRT suffered delays due to the large volume of people queuing at the North Avenue Station during Monday morning traffic. People swelled at the MRT ticket booths as passengers started trickling in. The team even had to leave a teammate behind since she did not make it to the starting line in time for the race. In the end, Team MRT still managed to finish first. Each team member spent P15 for the trip."

Hindi ba dapat hinintay muna nila yung team member bago sila nagsimula? Ganun na lang ba yang karera na iyan, puede kang mang-wan? Bakit pa tinawag na team?

Social Darwinism

Reading this post from Pharyngula where Prof. Myers had this beautiful statement:

"What logically follows from Darwin's theory is that fit individuals are those that survive and have offspring. There is no presumption that there is only one possible strategy to accomplish that survival: if we maintain a state that helps the weak and sick live and have children, then we have increased their fitness.

Maybe it's just me, but I read the truth of evolution as saying that we can work to oppose brute nature and make life better for our fellow human beings, or we can surrender and refuse to resist nature's course. We have a choice. You can be an enabler of greater rates of selection (using arbitrary criteria that may not generate enhanced survival for anything but the select occupants of a totalitarian state!) or you can work for a better life for more."

and then saw this comment from Wowbagger and was just struck by it. I really haven't thought about this subject from this perspective.

"Apart from anything else the use of Social Darwinism is automatically flawed because it relies on the assumption that the qualities the selectors are favouring (which, unsurprisingly, tend to be those they happen themselves to possess) are inherently beneficial to fitness.

Just because someone likes tall, blonde people doesn't mean they're going to survive better than short dark people."

Ebidensiya

Bakit ba ang hilig hilig ng mga senador na mag akusa ng krimen tapos ang kanilang ebidensiya ay sa susunod na kabanata? Mahilig si Sen. Lacson gawin ito. Ngayon si Sen. Madrigal naman itong nagmamadaling ma diyaryo bago magkaroon ng matibay na ebidensiya.

Hindi ako mamamangaha kung nangumisyon nga ang kapatid ni Speaker Nograles, pero hindi ba puedeng kuhanin muna niya ang lahat ng ebidensiya bago siya magsalita para naman pag nag deny ang kanyang inaakusahan puede niyang sabihin "o eto ang ebidensiya ko, isaksak mo sa baga mo". Ngayon ay nagpapalitan sila ng paratang sa mga diyaryo, nagmumukha na gusto lang ni Sen Madrigal na ma diyaryo.

At hindi rin makatarungan ang ganitong gawain sa mga inaakusahan, paano kung legal nga naman pala ang ginawa ng kapatid ni Speaker Nograles, tapos inakusahan mo siya ng paggawa ng ilegal na bagay? Sinira mo na ang kanyang puri, at kahit ano pa ang gawin mo, hindi mo na maibabalik iyon.