Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

I am writing this on September 11, nine years after the tragic attacks on American civilian targets by religious fanatics belonging to the Al-Qaida movement of Osama bin Laden.  I’m in Istanbul, the ancient former capital of the Ottoman Empire.  I woke up this morning to the first call for prayer coming from a nearby … Read more

Rolando Mendoza, the gunman in the August 23 hostage-taking incident, had lost control of his mind. We don’t need a psychologist or a psychiatrist to tell us that.  Anyone who hijacks a tourist bus at gunpoint and holds its passengers hostage — only to demand that he be restored to the job from which he … Read more

Entropy, a concept from physics, has found its way into information theory.  Melanie Mitchell who writes about the science of complexity defines entropy “as a measure of the energy that cannot be converted into additional work but is instead transformed into heat.”  Analogously, a lot of information can produce more heat than light. Hoping to … Read more

In our society, when something goes wrong, people ask: who’s to blame? Remedy is instantly sought in the replacement of officials rather than in the review of systems. In other societies, the prior question that is asked is: what went wrong? Only after this is answered do heads roll.  The focus on personalities is not … Read more

The day after the hostage crisis involving tourists from Hong Kong ended in tragedy, nearly everyone who had anything to say on the incident became an instant specialist on police matters, hostage situations, weaponry, governance, diplomacy, law, psychology, communications, mass media coverage, etc.  Name it: everyone knew what should have been done under the circumstances.  … Read more

Anyone who has ever traveled abroad as a tourist would know what it means to be vulnerable.  You cannot tell what is unusual from what is ordinary. You are unable to get into the rhythm of the society; you can neither understand its language nor figure out its manners.  In a lot of ways, you … Read more

Imagine a world where everything we do, or say, or write can be seen, heard, or read on the Internet — in short, a world that has become the global equivalent of Big Brother’s house.  Such a world will not allow any space for solitude or privacy, except maybe a tiny cubicle in our minds … Read more

It is that time of the year when we are prompted to revisit language issues in our society.  In what language should we educate our children?  What language should the government use to communicate with our people?  What language should the courts in our country use? Is the bilingual policy that makes Filipino and English … Read more

There are movies we like to watch more than once. We go back to them for any number of reasons – to enhance the specific sensation triggered in us the first time, to understand them better, to see how the film was put together, or perhaps to observe the disciplined consistency in which the actors … Read more

On a visit to Singapore in April this year, I learned that this prosperous citystate, known for its ethic of hard work and clean living, has finally opened its doors to casinos.  “They’re really meant for visitors than for the locals,” the taxi driver told me, sounding almost defensive.  Locals and permanent residents, he said, … Read more