Podcasting - every politician should do it

Today I learned about podcasting in a hands-on workshop sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Podcasting is a very useful medium for people who want to express their views and have these heard by a select target audience and a convenient tool for people who want to listen to such views at the time of their convenience.

Politicians may have use for such a tool in order to convey their message to members of the society who may not otherwise hear what they have to say through the traditional forms of mass media.

As a legislative staff, I would recommend the use of such a tool to my principal. Long after the cacophony of voices may have drowned out one's message and died down, a podcast may still be heard and effectively carry one's message. And since it may be stored and accessed long after it was originally needed, a podcast beats all the other forms of mass media in usefulness.

My Take on Weblogging

In my somewhat routine-filled existence, the Express Yourself Workshop sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Foundation opened a whole new world to my hitherto untrained self with weblogging.

Familiar only with print, radio and TV as the forms of communicating with a great number of audience, I have not until today appreciated the value and potentials of the internet, specifically blogging, as one such medium.

I still have my reservations about the reach of the internet, especially through blogs, where the target audience belong to the sadly greater number of poor in our country is concerned. However, inasmuch as the technology is relatively new to most, and as our youth are attuned to the emerging outlets of creativity, the potential for growth is promising. That is, of course, given that blogs work together with other means of communicating one's message.

In this country where the budget for education is sadly lacking, and as such many of our students do not have access to computers, the question of whether or not blogging can help spread a message effectively is a function of how we appropriate resources for technological advances. Presently, the answer seems to be that blogging can reach only those who have the wherewithal to spend for internet access. The limitations therefore present are quite intimidating.

The Purpose of My Blog

I am creating a blog to share my thoughts and my happiness about my family.

I would like to share my children's funny moments as they grow up, and be able to relive them as I reread these entries. I would like to document my children's accomplishments and milestones so that when they grow up, they would be able to read them for themselves and relive the memories.

I believe that the family is the most important social unit, and happy families create a peaceful society.

I hope that anyone who reads my blogs will appreciate the value of a family.

Lucia's Recital

My daughter Lucia, 7, is going to sing, "Ang Pag-ibig Ko Sana'y Mapansin" and "Tomorrow" at her recital this March. Lucia has a very nice singing voice, throaty and with a wide range. She sings quite passionately, for a child of her age.

Sofia

My daughter, Sofia, 4, is a constant source of joy for me. Her antics and repartees with her dad and her yaya never fail to elicit laughter and smiles. In bed one time, she told her yaya that she was sleepy and cold. Her yaya said, "Matulog ka na at magkumot ka," to which she replied, "Si Mommy ang kumot ko." Another time in bed she told her dad, "Gusto ko katabi si Mama." Finding the space next to me occupied by her older sister, she snuggled by my feet and said, "Kahit dito lang sa paa okay na."