Government cannot nominate the actress Lani Mercado, wife of Sen. “Bong” Revilla Jr., to the San Miguel Corp. board of directors. She’s so good-looking she ought to be San Mig calendar girl!

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European Court removed Joma Sison from the EU’s list of “terrorists.” This has no bearing on replacing a professional diplomat in The Hague with an ex-General.

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“God created the world; the Dutch built Holland.” In the ’60s the Dutch, who reclaimed land from the sea, offered RP technical assistance in flood control; but we declined it because they wanted total control. No kickback.

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Philippine embassies and missions abroad reported to DFA over P500 million worth of foreign assistance in response to Ondoy.

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When RP was hit with 1-2-3 punch by typhoons Paeng, Queenie and Reming from October to November 2006, our Embassy in Paris secured $30,000 emergency assistance from UNESCO for dual-purpose schools - for education and as refugee centers.

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Manila will host a Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Cooperation in December 2009. This is not the solution to typhoon and flood control? Faith can move mountains, but Lloyd’s insurance will not cover Act of God.

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Architect Felino Palafox Jr. blames official neglect for the floods, and not Divine Providence. Palafox was part of the ’70s task force which studied land use policy options under the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (Metroplan)… which still remains a blueprint.

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The answer’s blowing in the wind… Is it greed for real estate value at the cost of life and property that officials would not even make public known fault line that runs across Metro Manila?

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Last Sunday Colombian Consul General Jorge Araneta rooted for UE Red Warriors vs Ateneo Blue Eagles. Not because he is Green Archer, but because he is for Araneta Astrodome.

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FOREIGN & GLOBAL: Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change (EACC), a study funded by the governments of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK, found that adapting to impact of global warming will cost $100 billion. The alternative would cost twice as much… plus incalculable lives.

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Al Gore was right: This truth is just too inconvenient. Shuffling the economic deck will hurt powerful vested interests even as it creates new economic opportunities. But the industries of the past have lobbyists; the industries of the future, none.

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Despite Afghanistan and pressing problems at home, President Barack Obama tried to make a pitch in Copenhagen. Olympics 2016 would have been good for the health of Chicago and America.

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But Brazil is on a roll… It is in the Group of 20, is host to Football World Cup in 2014, and Rio de Janeiro won the bid to host Olympics 2016. Samba tsamba!

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Obama praised that decision as a "truly historic event" and congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from Air Force One – with a friendly taunt on 2016, "Our athletes will [meet] on the field of competition."

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He might have added… World Cup champions Brazil will meet with surprise runners-up USA sooner in Football World Cup in Brazil 2014.

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Belleweather will pay $1,000 fine to New York City for setting up the 5-star tent for visiting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in posh Bedford county. Gaddafi could have avoided this by just settling for the Beford bed-and-breakfast of Richard Gere. Feedback: jaz@mb./com.ph