At Random is three years old this month!

At Random, the only talk and TV magazine in Negros Oriental turns three this month---yahoooo! The show and its producers thank the following partners for sharing their resources with the community through a show like At Random which supports talents, entrepreneurs, people with issues, education, and everything under the sun. Kudos to the following: St. Paul University-Dumaguete (c/o outgoing President Sr. Nilda Masirag), Dewfoam or Dgte. Upholstery & Textile Center (thru good couple Mr. & Mrs. George Chua, Santillan Optical Clinic (c/o beauteous owner Janice Santillan), Marirose Beauty Salon (c/o kind owner Rose), Haven Crematory (c/o lucky couple Mr. & Mrs. Gabriel Amigo), Obdullia's Business (thru good friend Atty. Florence Tangente), Optimum Trader (c/o ever supportive Tintin Chua), Ang Tay Golf & Restaurant (c/o Mr. Wilson Chua), Qyosko (c/o former student Au-au Miranda), Tangy's Swirl (c/o family friend Debbie Dael), Bernard's Bicycle (thru nice couple Mr. & Mrs. Bibi Tia), Du Ek Sam (c/o former student), Orientwind (thru former tutor Sanda), Great Delights (thru nice couple Mr. & Mrs. Uymatiao), Hi-top News Mag (c/o friend Malou Mercado)and KC & D handicrafts, and Antulang Beach Resort (c/o former student Annabel Lee) MORE POWER TO YOU, PARTNERS!

Founder of Facebook Zuckerberg

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) is an American entrepreneur who co-founded the social networking site Facebook. Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook with fellow classmates Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes while attending Harvard. He is a billionaire due to his 24% share of Facebook.[2]Zuckerberg was born in White Plains, New York and raised in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Zuckerberg's parents are Jewish,[3] but he considers himself an atheist.[4] He started programming when he was in middle school. Early on, Zuckerberg enjoyed developing computer programs, especially communication tools and games. Before attending Phillips Exeter Academy beginning in his junior year of high school, he went to school at Ardsley High School.[5]

He transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy where he immersed himself in Latin.[6] He also built a program to help the workers in his father's office communicate; he built a version of the game Risk, and under the company name Intelligent Media Group, he built a music player named the Synapse Media Player that used artificial intelligence to learn the user's listening habits, which was posted to Slashdot[7] and received a rating of 3 out of 5 from PC Magazine.[8] Microsoft and AOL tried to purchase Synapse and recruit Zuckerberg, but he decided to attend Harvard College instead, which he attended in September 2002, and where he joined Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity.[9] In college, he was known for reciting lines from epic poems such as The Iliad.[6]

Zuckerberg "clearly thinks of himself as a hacker"[10] and says hacking isn't about "breaking and entering," it's about "being unafraid to break things in order to make them better."[11] Facebook conducts "hackathons" every six to eight weeks in which participants have one night to conceive of and complete a project.[10] The company provides music, food, and beer at the hackathons, and many Facebook staff members, including Zuckerberg, regularly attend.[11] "The idea is that you can build something really good in a night,” Zuckerberg told Wired. "And that’s part of the personality of Facebook now ... It’s definitely very core to my personality."[10]

On Zuckerberg's Facebook page, he lists his personal interests as "openness, making things that help people connect and share what's important to them, revolutions, information flow, minimalism." [12]

Vanity Fair magazine named Zuckberberg no. 1 on its list of the Top 100 “most influential people of the Information Age” for 2010.[13] Zuckerberg ranked no. 23 on the Vanity Fair 100 list in 2009.[14]

comparing one's self with others kills creativity and uniqueness

A lot of young people today are so into looking at what others are doing that they no longer make themselves think of what they can do to make a difference in this world. A case I would like to point is one girl who wanted to win a cheering competition. In the process she became desperate because she kept on looking at what the other teams were doing. When she saw what the other teams had and which their team did not have, she would do everything to have exactly what the others are having. Result? All the four teams' performances were devoid of uniqueness and originality. They looked alike and moved alike. They almost had the same jingles and the same gimmicks. It is sad to see this general deterioration of the imagination.

The best thing to do under such a situation is to do your own thing. Never look at what others are doing. So you see them doing a certain routine? Okay, fine. That's THEIR routine and not yours. The best way to avoid having feelings of insecurity and desperation, is to focus on what you are doing. Leave the others alone to do their thing. This way, you will be allowing your creative juices to flow.

paying for the "ambiance"/ ambience

Out of curiousity, we checked out the latest high-end restaurant located at the heart of the city.

Upon entering the place, you will be impressed by the coolness, cleanliness, beauty, and novelty of the dining area. Uniformed waiters with ready smiles popped the question on whether we wanted a table for two or four or however many we were, but I preferred one area with cushioned seats.

Pronto, the menu was delivered and my eyes popped out when they saw the numbers which were way too high from what foods made on earth are supposed to cost! I mean, hey, did they cook this in heaven?

Since the food items cost like they would eat up an entire week of budget, we chose to only settle for one dish that was good for five, rice, and drinks. We weren't that hungry anyway, and we're on diet, so.

The drinks came, then the food, and boy, did I regret having eaten there. The drinks tasted weird to me and the dish we ordered was overcooked. Obviously, we weren't able to consume the food and I was only able to take one sip of the drink I ordered which cost almost a hundred bucks!

One does pay highly for "ambiance." Erap, after all, was right. Next time, do not order for "ambiance". Ang mahal-mahal naman ng ambiance na 'yan.

Phil. Bus Hostage and Miss Universe all screwed up

By: Daniel Wagner

This week two noteworthy events involving the Philippines made headlines: the botched rescue of Chinese tourists taken hostage by a disgruntled former policeman, and a botched response to a question by Miss Philippines in the finals for the Miss Universe contest. You might ask, what do these two things have in common? Separately, not much, but taken together, they represent both the peril and promise of the Philippines today.

For many years pundits have commented that the Philippines appears to be heading backwards economically and politically, while many parts of Asia barrel toward middle income status and have maturing democracies. Yes, other countries have disputed elections, other countries' leaders do questionable things, and other developing countries struggle to achieve sustainable economic growth. And, yes, there are recent examples of fresh political turmoil and economic hardship not only in Asia, but throughout the world.

The difference here is, many of the countries experiencing political instability and economic dislocation don't have the things the Philippines has: agricultural self-sufficiency, a high literacy rate, and a largely homogeneous population. One Asian country that possesses these qualities - Indonesia - has managed to transcend monumental political turmoil, turn its situation around, get on the path to democracy, stay there, and become a darling of the international investment community. The Philippines had this in the 1960s. Why can't it have it now?

When I lived in the Philippines from 2003 to 2007, I was asked, what is the difference between the Philippines and Indonesia? My answer was, "In Indonesia, they have hope." I came to the conclusion that in spite of all the things the Philippines has going for it, its people didn't demand enough of themselves, or of their government. Political apathy and a willingness to accept a low common denominator of performance have taken their toll on the psyche of the Philippine people.

Filipinos should not therefore be surprised that the Philippine police tried to negotiate with the hijacker of the Chinese tourist bus well after a reasonable period of time had passed, negotiations had failed, and the lives of the tourists were clearly in jeopardy. Police from a variety of other nations would have simply killed him at the first opportunity, regardless of the fact that he was a former colleague. This SWAT team knew how to get the results that were required, but they failed to do so. Why? Their priorities were misaligned. The safety of the hostages should have been paramount - not the fanciful notion that a man who is desperate enough to take hostages would somehow come to his senses at the height of the crisis.

The result of actions like this are unfortunately consistent with the expectations many people have of performance in other areas. Politically, the Philippines has descended into an ongoing competition between political dynasties: Marcos, Arroyo, and yes, Aquino. What I don't understand is, why do Filipinos continue to vote them in, election after election? Is it because of a lack of viable alternatives? No. Is it because of political apathy? Possibly. Or is it because they have no expectations that anything will change, regardless of who is in power? Definitely. What does this say about the country's future? Nothing good.

Which brings me to the Miss Universe contest. Miss Philippines, Maria Venus Raj, is by anyone's definition fantastically beautiful, poised, and graceful. Many believe she should have won the competition, and she deserves a lot of credit for being the first Filipina since 1999 to make it to the finals. But her flubbed response to the question of what mistake she had made in her life and what would she have done differently apparently cost her the crown. How could this 22-year-old woman, who so diligently prepared herself for that moment -- at great personal sacrifice her whole life - not have come up with a better response?

She was nervous, she said. Well, who among the finalists wasn't? Other Filipinos have said English wasn't her first language so she had difficulty coming up with the right words. Really? How come no other Philippine contestant in the Miss Universe pageant ever had an interpreter? In preparation for this event it never occurred to her or anyone around her that such a question might be asked? Had she come up with a better response, it is likely the crown would have been hers, and the Philippines would be basking in her glow. Instead, it's just another instance of a missed opportunity, and Filipinos are making excuses.

If the Philippines wants to get its act together and live up to its potential, it needs to demand more of itself. It can achieve this by stopping making excuses for its failures and ending its acceptance of the lowest common denominator. President Aquino promised to put an end to nepotism and corruption in government. The people should make sure he does this. When the police screw up a hostage rescue, the people responsible should be fired. And when a beauty queen blows an attempt to become the glory of the Philippine people, it should be recognized as such.

Daniel Wagner is Managing Director of Country Risk Solutions, a political risk consultancy based in Connecticut.

• Philippines