UP Ibalon Bicol: hope

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Pope speaks against terrorism and calls for a Palestinian state

5/14/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

Since his arrival on Friday in the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI has visited Jordan and Israel. He reached the Aida Refugee camp in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Wednesday on May 13, 2009 to meet with the Palestinians.

The 82-year Pope Benedict who supports for the creation of a separate Palestinian state, passed through the gate of the 25-foot-high concrete wall which was built by Israel in the West Bank as part of its security.

In the refugee camp where about 5,000 Palestinians reside, the holy pontiff spoke of the towering barrier that divides the Palestinian from Israel. He asked young Palestinians to avoid taking revenge and have courage to resist violence in solving conflicts. He advised peaceful means in pursuing the Palestinian people’s legitimate aspiration to have an independent state.

The pope hoped that the massive wall which sequesters the Palestinians from the Israelis will be demolished someday. In a reaction, Mark Regev, an Israeli spokesman said, "We did not want to build a security barrier. We were forced to by the continuous infiltration of suicide bombers entering our country and murdering our people. We wish the reality were different."----Yahoo News/ AP (05/13/09, Hadid, Namari, D. et al)

The Christians in Middle East is a minority and suffers attrition because of continued violence and war. Many of those who live among nearly 4 million Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza have immigrated abroad to seek better opportunities and escape the cycles of hostilities that characterize these troubled places. (Photo Credit: AP/ New York Times (05/13/09 Todras-Whitehill, T) =0=

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Labels: diplomacy, Gaza, hope, Middle East, Palestine, Palestinian, peace, Pope Benedict XVI, refugees, terrorism, Totie Mesia, Visit, West Bank

Filipino hope & optimism

2/02/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

If only to prove that Filipinos are among the “happiest” people in the world, the poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted last December shows that our kababayans are as optimistic as ever. Despite the gloomy picture of the economy, about 30% of Filipinos expect things will get better in the next 12 months. The positive outlook eases the worry at the time when the country was celebrating the Christmas holiday and the coming new year.

Economic pessimism, meanwhile, remained high in Metro Manila, worsening to -37 from -33. It eased to -21 from -28 in the Balance of Luzon, to -13 from -17 in Mindanao, and -15 from -18 in the Visayas. It eased to -8 from -22 among the class E; to -22 from -30 among the ABC classes; and stayed at -24 among class D, the survey found.---GMATV.News (02/02/09)

The basis of the bright outlook which rose 4% percentage points from three months ago is unclear. The government attributes the people’s hope to resiliency. Palace officials say the poverty-alleviation programs set up by the administration are giving the people some breather.

Yet, since economic hardship still remains high and indicators don’t generally support bullish confidence in the country, cultural and psychological factors may be at play to influence the survey’s optimistic result.

We rightly laud our innate positive mentality which helps us cope with the economic crisis. But we have the temptation to look at reality in a blurry prism, sometimes with a tinge of “denial.” Our country is mired in a protracted “crisis” which makes it tempting to rest painful issues at the back-burner. Perhaps, the survey should not bring us that much of hope if we understand our situation more. (Photo Credit: Usman Farooq)=0=

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Labels: economy, hope, optimism, poll, survey, SWS, Totie Mesia

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